Moving forward, high school is dead.

So I suck at posting lately, but in my defense I've had so much going on at work that I've barely had time to come up for air. Moving forward, (this is one of those classic lines you fine integrated into your 24 year old lexicon that you couldn't have paid your 18 year old mouth to say) I am going to try to be better at posting and not let other things affect the amount of time I dedicate to said blog.

That being said, and I'm going to hell if she ever finds this blog, but last night I went to dinner with one of my high school friends. This friend I grabbed food with, was one of my best friends from high school that I literally used to be inseparable from and I've known since I was in 8th grade. Now whether you have a 60 year old perspective while reading this blog or a 16 year old, everyone knows that one of the basic tenets of being a human is that people change. That is the best way to explain the dinner dynamic I had to endure last night.

My friend from high school, let's call her Red, has been been mad at me for the past year or so because I "haven't dedicated enough of my time to our friendship." She's one of those classic needy friends, everyone has them, that takes every little move you make as a personal accost to her humanity and can't really understand that you are busy living your life and drinking beer in your basement as a 16 year old doesn't hold any sort of precedent in your life anymore.

Regardless, she took the time to send me a really sweet card for my birthday and in the card was like, "I just want to wish you a happy birthday and I would love to take you out to dinner or drinks for your birthday sometime, let me know when you are available." As nice as the gesture was, she didn't come to my birthday party so I kinda thought it was just one of those reaching out sort of things people do without any follow through.

But sure enough, come Monday, I sign onto gchat and she IMs me saying, "Hey have you gotten my card yet, would love to take you to dinner if you can?" Since she was really trying to reach out I felt bad pulling away anymore than I already had so I agreed to go to dinner last night.

Even though this was supposed to be my "birthday dinner," she insisted on me picking the place and telling me how poor she was. Due to these disclosures, I tried to pick a local, cheap spot that I knew had specials on Tuesdays.

She called me to let me know that she had gotten to dinner 45 minutes early and since the bar was more in my neighborhood I offered to have her come to my house while I finished getting ready. She refused and little did I know until I showed up at the bar that instead of coming to my house a mere four blocks away, she sat in her car.

When we went into the restaurant, there was a half hour wait. While we waited it was butt-clench central. It couldn't be more apparent that we had just drifted apart, through no fault of either one of us, we just weren't the same people anymore. There was nothing left for us to connect upon and we had grown and changed from the 16 year olds, excited to have our licenses, to 24 year olds who had nothing to talk about.

We spent the next hour and a half at dinner, re-hashing high school drama that I could care less about before going our separate ways. Finally, when the bill came, after she had ordered the majority of the check, she asked if we wanted to split it. In my head, I'm thinking, okay you've managed to harass me into a dinner that I didn't want to attend and into paying for food that I didn't want to consume with you, but please, can we split the bill! Either way, I ended up accepting my debit card fate and throwing it down.

Moving forward, it just goes to show you that no matter how many tears you've spilled in sweaty garages over emo talks while guzzling Mike's Hard Lemonades as a teen, there comes a day when there's just nothing left to talk about.

No one's getting out alive,
heels

What I wish I had known when I was in your shoes...

We have a treat in store for you today fellow hVSf readers, we have our first official guest blog post! “Red Cowboy Boots” is a fellow hVSf fan and wanted to share with us some advice she wishes she would have known when she was our age. Red Cowboy Boots is a beautiful, kick-ass, take no prisoners 40 year-old woman who has more than a few life insights to share, 20 in fact.

As shoe styles change from when you are a tween wearing sketchers to a high schooler in your first set of heels to early 20’s in your chic, knee high boots, so does your perspective and things you wish you would have known. Being two 20 something year-olds, this advice certainly hit a note with us (personally I find myself moisturizing a little more often than I used to). So listen up because with age comes wisdom indeed.

1. You only get one set of tires for all those miles you’re gonna put on… save the killer heels for special occasions or there will come a time when the only thing you can wear are cowboy boots. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but they don’t go with a LBD like a 4” pair of cockroach killing stilettos.
2. The skin of your décolletage is the thinnest on your body. ALWAYS wear sunscreen on your chest. Sun-damaged, saggy and wrinkly cleavage at the age of 70…sure. Beginning when you’re 35? Not so cool.
3. If you want to put out on the first date…go for it. If he really likes you, it won’t matter. 90% of my “relationships” started with a one-night stand. Random drunken bar hook-ups with complete strangers? I can honestly say I regret at LEAST 90% of them.
4. Cleanse & moisturize your face and neck every morning and every night.
5. Pride – noun: a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one’s position or character; self-respect; self-esteem. If he hasn’t called you yet, it’s because he doesn’t want to. Please don’t call him.
6. Never get drunk at work or at a work function. If your boss isn’t drinking, for any reason other than pregnancy, then neither should you (Nope, not even the office holiday party). You wanna get your drink on? Go out with your friends.
7. Tell your parents you love them every single time you see them, whether or not “that’s not how they are.” You never know if the last time you see them will be the last time you’ll see them.
   
8. You know that awesome “I’m the only one in the whole world that’s ever felt this kind of love” love? Well, everybody feels it and it never lasts forever. How could it? We’d never get any work done. That being said, make sure you’re in it for love and not just for lust. If everybody you know tells you that you’re moving too fast, you are moving too fast.
9. Oil of Olay works as well as or better than any other moisturizer on the market and Vaseline petroleum jelly rubbed onto the thin skin around your eyes and on your eyelids at night is a magical thing. Trust me.
10. Jealousy & insecurity is a waste of time; confidence is sexy as all hell.
11. Women remember EVERYTHING, whether they want to or not. Men remember nothing. Don’t take it personally.
12. If you ask somebody enough times if they’re cheating on you, they will cheat on you.
13. Don’t assume that just because somebody works FOR you that they’re less educated, intelligent or experienced than you are. I’ve managed million dollar offices across the country, put in my 70 hour work weeks, brought home the elusive 6 figure income, I’ve even hired and fired the best of them. So how did I end up taking direction from 23-year olds? It’s a choice…life is too short to work so hard.
14. Thin DOES taste better.
15. A 2-litre bottle of regular Coca Cola or a half-gallon of bleach poured down your drain will clear a clog better than any liquid union worker in a bottle.
16. Were there too many smokers at your party? Place a couple dishes of white vinegar around your crib; unless your roommate is a chronic chain-smoker, the odor should be gone within 24 hours.
    
17. Chicago is a windy city but don’t you look adorable in that little skirt? WHOA!!! Wear bike shorts under your skirt/dress until you get to the office so you’re not walking around with your arms and hands pressed against your thighs for 8 blocks. That just looks silly.
18. You really shouldn’t complain about your age/weight/salary to somebody who is older/heavier/less successful than you are.
    
19. Ex-boyfriends are ex-boyfriends for a reason. NEVER look back because they NEVER change. Unless of course you marry them, then they TOTALLY change. For the worse.
20. Guess what? You’re going to be 40 someday too.

Carry on.