Friends...having great ones or a lot of them?

When my birthday came knocking I became kind of emotional. Not even because I was turning 29 (I don't look it so it doesn't stress me out) but because I thought I hadn't made enough friends in my "old age". When it came time to create the invite list for dinner it was pretty short. Up until a good friend gave me a good mental shaking I was really sad and started to think that maybe I had made a mistake by not taking the time to make more friends over the years. I realized when my friend gave me the "mental shake" that it was so much more important to have a handful of friends you could truly count on then have...

Almost 29...time to reflect on this past year

I am almost TWENTY-NINE years old! I created a 28 things to do while I am 28 list and I want to reflect on those things and see what I can improve upon for 29! 28 was not a great year for me but I want to brush it to the side and take on the world at 29. Making notes next to my old list will really help me be accountable for knowing what I want and not going for it.  28 THINGS TO DO WHILE I AM 28 GET IN SHAPE…shed some extra lbs. I actually dropped 15 lbs in the span of this year. I need...

One week ago we met...and it's been love ever since ;)

Don't get too excited...I'm talking about my new iPhone 4s. Don't judge me ;) I definitely am loving my new phone. I thought I would have the shakes after parting ways with my Blackberry but I can't think of one reason why I'd want to go back to Blackberry. Not just that but I went back to Verizon after 7 years and I'm happy to say all is well on that end. T-Mobile was an absolute nightmare. I won't say Verizon is perfect...it's been a week but so far so good!! FAVORITE APPS SO FAR:  Facebook Twitter Foursquare Google Maps Blogger Instagram- such an awesome ap for pictures. The Weather Channel Flashlight My...

29...wow

Wow 29 is creeping closer, it's about a month away. My birthday that is. I can't say that I am ready for it. This morning I spent some serious time thinking about whether or not I was going to celebrate it. My hesitation was that yet another year older and not closer to what I really want in life. I decided that it's much better to look at it as an end to a rough year, and a new year where I have unlimited opportunity. Sometimes I think birthdays are much better starts than New Years. The older I get the more I realize I don't know whats next. I cannot control things as much as I thought I would be able to. I think...

The Fear of What's Next...

The fear of what comes next has always been a big one for me, especially when I cannot plan it ahead of time. I have spent too much time in life trying to super plan every step of my life when I think I need to just take a step back and find the right opportunity. It may not fit into the plan that I already have but quite frankly that plan is as flawed as they come. I thought long and hard about what was most important. Before it was living in Chicago and finding an opportunity here. I think I was looking at things wrong. The best opportunity needs to come first. I think I may have to be ready to take a risk and...

Should parents be friends with their kids on Facebook?

I was just watching the news and a clip of a press conference came up of an angry mother who was telling everyone that if you child has nothing to hide then they should let you be their Facebook friend. This made me thinking, do kids really have to "friend" their parents on Facebook. Isn't Facebook sort of the modern day diary? I'm 28 so there was no Facebook when I was younger, I had diaries. So isn't friending your parent like handing them a pass to see your diary? I think it is. You're not necessarily going to put your deepest darkest secrets on Facebook, but kids surely get close enough. When I was...

College athletes should not be paid

Everytime someone brings this up, I admit I am a tad disgusted. College athletes are paid. They get free room, board, food. They don't really have bills during college. A free degree isn't payment enough? I know my degree cost me over $60,000 and by the time I pay it off it will have been doubled so about $125,000. So that isn't worth it to them? It's complete bullshit. Not only that but if you think of college sports like a regular business, most regular businesses make a ton of money off of their hardest working employees who don't make nearly enough. So guess what....welcome to the real world. You get a free...

Kindness to a stranger

Have you ever considered how a moment of your time and your kindness could mean the world to someone. I never really thought about it on this level before but it's true. You never know when your kindness could help someone desperately in need of perspective and a few positive words. A few words could snap someone out of a negative state and bring them back down to reality. One day, on the train I was watching the most touching interaction between an older man and a young man. The older man had just gotten off of work and looked so tired. The younger man looked like he just got off a plane with his luggage...

New found respect for Khloe K.

Khloe always seems to get the flack because she's the Kardashian the stands out and isn't perfect like the other girls. I love her business savvy and her heart. Also, she will do and say anything. I wish I had that capability...I'm a total wuss lol. The one thing that bugs me about all the gossip news is when they talk so poorly about this girl, Khloe is not big or fat. Give me a break people. This is why normal women have so many self-esteem issues. If a girl whose like a size 4 or whatever is fat then what are the real women suppose to do with ourselves. Ouch. The fact that her mother, Kris, is giving her flack...

Ahh...I've been neglecting my blog...

Ok seriously...the image I choose is so random how could I not pick it ha! I have spent way too much time away from my blog. I miss it! I have had so much on my mind I haven't been able to focus my energies on it. No more neglecting though hopefully. So the last few months as everyone knows I was unemployed...and by FEW I mean EIGHT!! Yes, eight whole months. It was pretty crazy but I made it through, thanks to supportive family and friends. I had some great friends that got me out of the house and didn't let me wallow or think about it too much. I do have to say I miss sleeping in but that's about it. I also...

Life in prison for murderer of Gayle's girlfriend

Not too long ago I watched the 20/20 episode with Shaun Gayle (Former Chicago Bears player); the Rhoni Rueter story. This was a really sad story because not only was a woman gunned down by her boyfriends crazy lover; but she was pregnant and the baby died as well. Just this week they sentenced the murderer; Marni Yang to two life sentences back to back with no chance of parole. When someone commits such a calculated heinous crime it's almost relieving to hear that justice took such a major stance and really did away with such a horrible human being.  Chicago Breaking News: Life in prison for...

If today really was the end...what would I do with it?

So every nutty person in the world thought today at 6pm that the world might end. No one knew 6pm what time zone, but to crazies apparently time zones don't matter. Anyhow, it did make me think what would I want to do if I only had a day left. Answer to that would be to go home and spend it with my family. Call all my friends who are important to me and let them know what they meant to me and then just spend it with my family. They are the ones that mean the most to me and I'd want them to be...

BGSU in the lead to host Tosh.0 w/ HILARIOUS video!

I hope BGSU wins. This video is great. Miss my old school....always an alumna though :) Go Falcon...

Do people really want their ex's to be happy?

I'm pretty sure if you asked a room full of men and women this question you'd probably get responses split down the middle. Personally I think everyone deserves happiness in their lives, even my ex's. I think they deserve to find happiness, even though for one reason or another they didn't end up making me happy. The thing is our ex's move on from our lives to make room for us to find the right one. I truly believe people enter our lives for a reason, sometimes it's to help us learn and sometimes its to cause hurt so we can become stronger. Either way, each relationship is a lesson to be learned if we pay close attention. Maybe...

The Versatile Blogger Award

One of my favorite bloggers and Twitter pals, Stephanie from The Single Slant has given me this wonderful honor :) I started my blog to just vent and ramble, so I always get a kick out of knowing that people actually like and read my blog. It's very appreciated...and surprising lol.  About Me (crud...this is always hard):  1) My senior year in high school I attended college full-time instead of going to high school. It's a program they have in Ohio for students excelling in HS who have at least a 3.5 GPA. It was a year of college fully paid for and I got to hang out with college kids...

Favorite song of the moment! Olivia- December

I think Olivia is so talented. I really love her voice and this is a great song. I enjoy watching her on Love & Hip Hop. She seems like a really talented driven young woman. The guy in this video is crazy hot. He's got my weaknesses...tattoos and muscles. Definitely worth a watch!! BTW I absolutely love Love & Hip Hop. I like Olivia and Chrissy, who is Jim Jones girlfriend, and maybe after the last episode his fiancé. We shall see. I'm not a fan of Somaya or Emily B, both of them...

Snap out of it...

Since this whole unemployment thing begun I can honestly say I have been in the weirdest head space. I'm happy yet overly stressed. The stress comes from lack of money and the happiness comes from the weight lifted that now I can find a job that could make me happy. The thing with unemployment is that it's not easy OR excited. It's the same ole thing every single day. I'm not good at living the same life every single day in a Groundhogs Day style manor. The thing that has suffered the worse is my gym habit. I just haven't been in the mood to go at all lately, when in fact that is probably something that...

Unemployment is no joke

Wow so it has been FIVE months since I have had a job. I am not gonna lie this is the hardest time in my life. I have been unemployed before but this is huge because my loans have to be paid. No deferment or forbearance left to use. I have bills and expenses that do not understand or take a break for my unemployment. I have said this before, my job being eliminated from the school was a good thing. Sounds weird, but it really was. I was miserable under the new management, because they were purposely trying to drive people out. Constant 8-5 negativity believe it or not is still worse than unemployment. It also...

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Snowpocalypse 2011: Chicago Edition

I'm not gonna lie Snowpocalypse 2011 didn't have me too scared. I thought it would be like all other storms and we'd hear how scary it was going to be. Grocery stores would be crazy, people would be pushing. Then nothing would happen. Well this time it happened, we had all sorts of blizzard shit going on outside. It was snowing, winds were blowing 40+ mph, and the kicker....there was thunder and lightening. When I woke up I saw my car under about a foot of snow and there was about a foot plus against my door. It was pretty crazy. We really were hit with some major snow.  Here are a few pics I...

Generally unhappy person sometimes

I'm not going to lie and I'm not proud of this but I'm a generally negative person deep down. I don't want to be this way. I think I had this view on how my life should be and I have fallen so short up to this point that I can't help but be bummed out about it. I just read this really interesting article about how extremely intelligent people tend to be emotionally dysfunctional and also tend to be in jail and commit suicide. I'm not worried about the last two but I can for sure say I am emotionally dysfunctional. I wonder why its intelligent people who are emotionally dysfunc? Is it because we have such...

Facebook is a lot, but what it's not is....

It's not a place to reconnect with people you didn't want to be friends with in the first place. Ugh.. So I'm getting old which means it is my ten year high school anniversary this year. I'm fine with my age but have zero interest in going back to my high school to see what people are doing. I talk to very few people from high school and I do it that way on purpose. As of late there was a Facebook page created to promote the the planning of the reunion. Well now all of a sudden people from high school are trying to add me as a friend. As I mentioned I am not on Facebook to reconnect with people I never chose to...

Body Scanners, Pat Downs...oh my!

Over Christmas I took to the friendly sky's after a five year hiatus. I don't like flying and especially not alone but I know it is time to get over this fear and just do it so I can enjoy life. When I was preparing to fly I did not even give the whole security thing a second thought. I wasn't stressed about going through body scanners, I was more worried about the take off of the airplane and turbulence. Once I got in the security line I was more frustrated with having to take off my knee high boots and walking around the dirty floor in my socks then having to sit back down and put them on. When I got...

Day 16 – What is in your bag?

16 Day Blog Challenge.  Day 16 – My wallet, makeup, chap-stick, sunglasses...I'm a minimalist. What can I say?! Ok so I'm officially done with my 16 day challenge and it was nice to get a lot more posts going on my blog! I love blogging, sometimes I just need that extra push or topic to get me going.&nb...

Day 15 – A letter to yourself, tell yourself ANYTHING you think you should know about your life.

16 Day Blog Challenge.  Day 15 – Dear Nycole,  It's ok. You can finally breathe and realize that trying so hard to be perfect will only make things harder on yourself. 2011 is all about finding out how to be the best me. Finding a new job, heightened level of happiness, health, travel...just enjoying the hell out of life. I'm not going to make resolutions for new years but I'm going to make a to-do list. I want to be successful and not set goals that are unattainable. I'm shooting...