Hot people run. Be hot.

Hello my lovelies,
How are we doing?
Well?
Good.
Me too.
It's gross weather out here in Eugene,
January rain.
Boo :(
What's the worst about that?
You become a hermit and stay inside,
because who wants to run in the rain?
Crazy people?
or...
total. badasses.
Yeah you heard.
Running in the rain is so underrated.
No one can tell you're sweating-
"Oh no, that's not perspiration, it's the rain."
No one can hear you way out of breath-
*gasp "No totall-" *gasp "-y I love-" *gasp "-jogging too-" *gasp
In fact,
if you're not a runner,
and you want to start,
start in the rain!
I know,
I probably haven't convinced you yet...
So here's  a list of reasons why you should,
and you will.

10 Reasons Running Doesn’t Suck as Much as you Thought

1.   Hot people work out. Running is working out. Be hot. Run.

2.   You can lose weight by eating nothing but celery… or you can run for an hour, eat a cookie after, and still look killer in shorty-shorts. One of these options makes you bitchy; the other makes you awesome.

3.   Use your iPod and your run suddenly becomes a safe place to listen to death metal rage without people fearing for your sanity. Don’t kid yourself, Slipknot fans are scary.

4.   When your melodramatic friend, your boss and your nagging to-do list won’t leave you alone, calmly put on your running shoes and head out the door. They’re not going to chase you, and it’s a safer alternative to storming out with both middle fingers in the air (though you can -and should- still do this in your head, just for spectacular effect).

5.   You’ll discover spandex yoga pants are good for more than just buying Cosmo and Cheez-its at Target. (You’ll also discover how good they look on you after a month of running.)

6.   Running is the last place you have to “be a lady.” However, since you are one, doesn’t it feel good when you pass the boys who are totally dragging?

7.   Getting a run in before happy hour means you get tipsy on half a glass of wine instead of your usual two. That’s not a diet plan, that’s just sound economic planning.

8.   Studies have shown that runners have better sex. Sex counts as a cross-training workout, which in turn makes you a better runner, which – hello! – leads to even better sex. Really, the whole thing is full of win-wins.

9.   Girls are lucky; there’s an entire industry committed to making us look awesome while getting our sweat on. Workout clothes come in all sorts of cool colors and designs. Jockstraps, on the other hand, will always be ugly with questionable stains.

10.   Non-runners will sit on the couch and call you crazy. Those folks, sadly, will never learn what their bodies are capable of. You, on the other hand, will die knowing you completely, totally, unabashedly used up the body that was loaned to you. That’s not crazy. That’s freakin’ awesome.

A Tribute to my Safety Net

Shauna, 

Because of You:

I never go far to laugh.

I always can adjust.

I never feel alone.

You helped me learn to trust.

Zac,

Because of You:

I never have to worry.

I always count on you.

I never feel unsafe.

You take away the blues.

Russ,

Because of You:

I never do the minimum

I always continue on.

I never live in the past.

You taught me to move on.

Mom,

Because of You:

I never have to lie,

I always ask you first.

I get the best advice,

You take away the worst.

Dad,

Because of You:

I never take life too serious,

I always do my best.

I never run from consequence

You taught me self-respect.

And so,

Because of You:

I never ignore your help,

I always want you here.

I never fear the future,

As long as you stay near.

Your Relationship Advice 101: How To Ditch A Creeper

Your Relationship Advice 101: How To Ditch A Creeper: "Hey Line, how's your life? Doin' well? Yeah? Sweet. Havin' a good summer? Good. Soooo today we're gonna talk about parties, and phon..."

How To Ditch A Creeper

Hey Line,
how's your life?
Doin' well?
Yeah?
Sweet.
Havin' a good summer?
Good.
Soooo today we're gonna talk about parties,
and phone numbers,
and how to NOT give yours to someone.
Also how to get that weird kid to leave you alone.
Yeah,
you know the guy/girl.
They're either:
A) The big creeper trying to grind on you,
in ways that are so inappropriate you grandmother would have a heart attack upon seeing such.
B) The sloppy drunk who thinks they're SUUUUPPPPERRRRR cute,
and who, the next morning, will tell all his/her friends "OMG I was just soooooo wasted last night" *giggle.
C) Some poor guy/girl who is actually nice enough but you're really not interested
and honestly,
you're just out of their league.
Yeah I said it,
and usually this person is the hardest to deny because you might feel like a jerk doing so,
because they're a decent person,
maybe even nice,
but sometimes decent or nice doesn't cut it.
SO here are my top five favorite strategies for getting rid of A, B and C.

1) Tell them you have a boyfriend/girlfriend.
2) Fake an injury and run away.
3) Stare at them without moving until they walk/run away. (You really have to commit to this one. It could take hours depending on their creep level)
4) Tell them you're allergic to them and start sneezing profusely.
Excuse yourself to find a tissue.
5) Text your friend and have them save you.

For strategy #5, it helps to have a code.
Prior to going out,
tell your friends that if you text them "X"
they need to either call you crying in need of your full undivided attention,
which will give you the excuse to leave. (You're only being a good friend)
or if they're there with you,
a code word.
Something that isn't an obvious cry for "dear God get me away from this freak"
but that gets the point across
and that won't be said accidentally.
I like to use song reference.
"Oh yeah (to creepy dude) that's funny, my bestie and I (nudge friend) just love the song "HELP" (emphasize it. Go on) by the Beatles. Great song..."
This is his/her que to pull you both away.

So Line,
there you have it.
How to ditch a creeper (Or a normal person who's just trying too hard) at a party.
Use them wisely.
Try not to hurt anyone's feelings without justification.
Keep it real and party safe :)
Got your back,
Bee.

Confidence: Your Pre-Party Pep talk

Stop it.
Stop it right now.
You know what you're doing.
You're looking for a boyfriend/girlfriend.
Yeah you.
I caught you.
It's easy to see ya know.
It's more of a vibe really.
You're the one at the party
who's scoping the room,
looking for the hottie to claim
for longer than the night.
Well here's the thing.
Most hotties in college are not looking to be claimed.
If you're hot,
you have options.
It is what it is.
And if someone has options,
then you need to prove why you are their best one.
One of the best ways to do this,
is to have options yourself.
Once again,
it's the vibe thing.
When you're not looking for someone
you have a certain style about you.
Not fashion style. (But it helps)
You appear not to need anyone
and the best thing
is that you appear to be happy as is.
You appear confident.
Confidence is the single most attractive thing about anyone.
Hands down.
Just be confident.
Yeah I know,
easier said than done.
But here's the thing,
confidence is not that hard to find.
If you honestly can't list 5 great things about yourself,
then have someone else do it for you.
Hell I'll do it for you.
I could spend 5 minutes with a person
and even if I didn't like them
I bet I could list five things that were cool or attractive about them.
Smart?
Funny?
Pretty eyes?
Really good at WOW?
Fantastic organizer?
Great with kids?
Compassionate person?
Come on,
find yourself somewhere here.
The biggest thing about confidence,
is that sometimes you have to fake it. (sometimes faking it is the best solution for a situation. You know this.)
Fake it 'til you make it.
Sound familiar?
Same idea.
If you pretend you are the shit,
then other people are going to believe it.
After all,
you know you best.
You're your own best judge of character.
Before you go out to that party,
look at yourself in the mirror
and list 5 cool/attractvei/different things about yourself.
No on else at the party will have those things going for them.
You're better than them.
THEY are lucky to be talking to YOU.
You're not looking for anyone.
You've got options.
You're the shit.
You know it.
Everyone else knows it.
Go get em tiger.
Bee.

XXX Went from "In A Relationship" to "Single"

Recently,
my Facebook has BLOWN UP with relationship status changes.
Like,
WHOA.
Last week I counted 14 people on my news feed who are now single.
Granted I'm one of them,
but let's talk about it.
This is awesome!
Congratulations to everyone who got to change that status!
Bet you didn't see that coming...
Unless you've been following from the beginning,
in which you're not even a little surprised at my excitement for the newfound independence.
Yes,
being sad about it is certainly okay.
In fact,
it's important.
You have to go through the five stages of loss (This has been adapted from the five stages of Grief, formerly used for coping with the death of a loved one)
before you can be entirely over the relationship.
This might take time.
Here are the 5 stages.
See if you can find the spot you're in:

1) Denial and Isolation- At first, we tend to deny that the breakup has occurred. We'll tell ourselves "No, he/she didn't mean that... They'll call me in a few hours apologizing..."
Unfortunately,
they DID mean it,
and they're NOT going to call you and apologize.
Sorry.
During this stage of denial,
typically we withdraw from our social groups
and isolate ourselves.
Sometimes it's because you don't need reminder that your ex isn't going to be there with you,
and sometimes it's because you just can't face anyone to tell them the news,
because maybe he/she will change their mind...
 Sorry again...
They won't.

2) Anger- During this stage, we often feel angry or bitter for having been hurt.
SOMETIMES we actually lash out at him/her,
and EVERY time we'll want to.
It's only natural to feel this way.
You trusted them with your heart and they crushed it.
You can be angry for a little while.
It feels better than the sadness anyway.
BUT,
don't hold onto it too long,
because eventually it'll get old.
You don't want to be the bitter ex.
It's just not attractive.

3) Bargaining- This can go two ways.
We can begin by bargaining with a higher power in hopes to take away the pain.
for example, it might go a little like this, "If I donate this money to the shelter then he/she will love me again." or "If I turn the doorknob five times to the left, then five to the right, he/she will call me in 5 minutes."
Be careful with this.
Make sure it doesn't become an OCD habit.

4) Depression- This stage SUCKS.
It hurts the most.
At this point, your friends are a little worried about you.
You might skip class or work because you just can't bring yourself to get out of bed.
It's almost a feeling of numbness.
You may still feel a little anger or sadness,
but you're mostly indifferent to life around you.
I know this is a tough place to be,
but do NOT stay in it for too long.
It's the most dangerous place to be.
You may not want to,
but try to get out and do something.
Even going for a walk will be helpful.

5) Acceptance- This stage is when the bitterness, sadness and mourning has sort of tapered off.
You're no longer obsessing about their call.
You don't hate them.
You don't cry yourself to sleep.
You're just you.
But a better you.
A stronger you.
Your standards stay high,
because you know you're worth it.
Don't forget that.
You're worth it.
And while your going through these five stages,
just know that it always gets better.
You will feel better as the days go on.
Sure,
there might be a few days where you feel worse than before,
but that's temporary.
That's life.
It'll get better.
I promise.
Stay strong.
Much love,
Bee.

Can I Have Yo Numba?

Alright Line,
You asked and you shall receive :)
Today's topic is going to be:
How to get someone's number,
without being creepy, vulgar or drunk (often a combination of the first two).


Tip number 1:Be confident. 


I know, this sounds simple, but really. It works.
I know,
it's much easier said than done.
Yeah, it's near impossible to walk up to a girl/guy
without having at least a little bit of fear (if not a LOT) of being rejected.
But,
luckily the object of your affection doesn't have X-Ray vision.
They can't see that your heart is beating at a million miles per hour.
So,
with this in mind...
Just fake it.
Don't let them know that you want to run away because you're completely intimidated by them.
Just be confident,
and know that you're worth just as much as they are.


Tip number 2: Confident doesn't mean arrogant. 

You can approach someone with a smile and strike up a conversation
without starting off with:
"Well today is your lucky day, because today is the day I'm going to talk to YOU."
Gross.
Don't be that person.


Tip number 3: Be interesting.

It's much easier to start and maintain a conversation with someone
if you actually have something intelligent to say.
No.
Don't recite the theory of relativity. (Okay, some might consider it interesting.)
But unless you're trying to impress a physics major (and even then, I wouldn't start with this)
It's not a relevant topic.
And you will seem weird.
Very weird.


Tip number 4: Be conveniently in the same area as them.

But not in a creepy way.
Hopefully, you have a class with this person or are around them somehow.
If you're stalking someone,
stop reading now and go to therapy.
Seriously.
Watching someone through their window is only acceptable in movies.
Sometimes.


Tip number 5: Find common ground.

If you can share something with this person,
it will make you two closer,
regardless of what it is you share.
You both love Blink 182?
Perfect.
How do you know you both love Blink 182?

Scenario 1-
They walk in to class with headphones on blasting "Girl At The Rock Show."
You notice.
Glance at them and smile.
Odds are they'll smile back.
When they take their headphones out,
say something along the lines of:
 "Great song."
They'll respond.
Bam. Conversation started.

 Scenario 2-
You're behind the cutie in line at Starbucks and they order a double tall vanilla latte with soy.
What a coincidence,
that's been your favorite drink since,
oh, I don't know,
5 seconds ago?
I'm not saying lie.
I'm only suggesting that perhaps you try this new drink and find yourself a fan of it.
Back to the situation.
You order the same thing.
When you're both standing by the counter waiting for your order,
make a comment such as:
"perfect choice of drink," and smile.
In case you didn't catch on,
complimenting works,
as long as it's genuine. (a little contradictory to changing your drink choice based upon someone else, I know. But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.)


Finally,
once you've started your conversation with this person,
and established mutual ground,
go in for the goal.
Get.
Their.
Numbaa.

The best way to ask for it,
is to be casual.
It's not a big deal.
"hey, we should hang out sometime"
"hey, do you want to study for the next test together?"
"Hey we should totally go get coffee sometime."
They will respond.
If they say no,
they are a jerk or unavailable.
In this case,
just let it go.
You'll find someone better.
But,
if they say yes,
your response will be a little something like this:
"Awesome, what's your number?"
Just.
Like.
That.

Good luck Line.
Everyone runs the risk of being rejected.
But if you never try,
you'll never succeed.
Got your back :]
Bee