Jolasveinar Make Me Happy

Clueless and Delusional.

These words describe me perfectly this week.

Somehow I missed the news that a major snowstorm was coming this way.

My mind has been on other things. Mainly work and the success of the stores in my territory. I have had my head so deep in the sand, that my personal holiday enjoyment has been pushed to the side a bit.

So I decided yesterday during my lunch break to pop into Williams Sonoma to see what I could see. There was a frantic quality to the shoppers yesterday. Which I found curious. But, as a retailer myself, I tend to not shop frantically or panic. So I wandered and happily came upon the cutest elf napkin ring holders. They were marked $24.95 - (you have go to be kidding was my first thought) Then I saw they were marked down to $2.99! Hello Happy Elves! They reminded me of the Jolasveinar - so I had to have them. Yes, yes, I know they are cheesy....but c'mon for $2.99 they rocked my world. And happily - the Jolasveinar knowledge I have has come in handy. Not once, but twice! They came up in conversation and in a trivia contest. When a smartass thinks they can stump you with jolasveinar and you know the answer - the feeling is pretty fantastic.

Now with my new napkin rings, perfect for my holiday dinner party sunday....I decided to hit the grocery store after work......

While shoppers were stocking up on milk, bread and bagged salads (eeew gross), I was happily wandering through the aisles clueless.

Why are there only 2 5lb bags of carrots left? I can't believe I have to buy a 5 lb bag of carrots. Crazy people were buying canned green beans by the dozen, I was filling my cart with frisee and endive. As they frantically grabbed at frozen dinners, I was selecting the perfect wine. What was up with the late night chaos at the Wegmans?

By the time I reached the checkout line and stood for one hour, I guessed something must be up.

I walked outside to see snow falling!

OOOOooooohhhhh!

I am convinced that I can manage to survive the snow storm without a fall out shelter food supply on hand.

The over reaction of the American public at the first sign of bad weather is astounding to me.

As the snow falls, I have onions carmelizing on the stove and dough rising on the counter....I think we will make it through.....

OMG!

I am beyond mortified today.



Last night, I was out to dinner with my husband. Just as we sat down, I saw that my work phone was ringing.
I chose to ignore the call - because really, I am not working a job that requires 24 hour availability - even though that is what it has become lately.

After a few minutes obsessing, I decided to call "the boss" back.
It went straight to his voicemail, so I hung up.
(or thought I hung up)

The next day - my boss calls me back to ask,
"where were you last night at 6:30?"
"do you have me on speed dial?"

I am confused and puzzled by his questions.

Suddenly, he begins to recite back my PRIVATE DINNER CONVERSATION with my husband!
The damn thing recorded 3 minutes of our dinner chat in a restaurant.

Who repeats back nearly word for word a private conversation?
I begged him to stop - but he kept on.

Lesson learned -
always hit the 'end' button 7-8 times.
always return phone to handbag - don't leave it on the table to record every spoken word.
don't mock people in the restaurant, bad behavior has a way of haunting you later.

Playing It Safe with the Turkey

It turns out that the flu makes you not want to do anything.
So with 13 adults and 2 children descending on Sunday for "2nd Thanksgiving", I decided not to be ambitious and just stick with a classic turkey dinner.
A roasted turkey I have made before that is always yummy and the sides that we grew up eating.
I am disappointed, but also being a realist.
Classic Turkey it is.

Kathleen Turner Turkey Feast

Stress has almost overcome me in the last few weeks and months.

Stressed me out to the point where I figured, why write about it here? Do I really want to remind myself about my stress? Do I need to rehash it?

Hell no.

So therefore, no posts from me.

But now, I am sick. Obviously the stress helped get me here.

I can't even figure out what is wrong with me. It is not exactly a cold. Not exactly a flu.

I have the flop sweats occasionally. I have body aches like crazy. I had a terrible sore throat. Now I just have a gross mucous coated throat and talk like Carrie Fischer or Kathleen Turner. And I mean the recent not good years of Carrie or Kathleen.

Nasty, deep, smoker lady voice. (and I don't smoke)

I coughed so much last night that my back and ribs hurt. And to top it off, I am not hungry. I force myself to eat - and I guess that after a few more days of all liquid foods, I will at least be a few pounds leaner.

I blame all of this on sick people that don't stay home.

They diseased me. And in my weakend, stressed out state - my body could not fight back.

What is wrong with people that won't stay home when sick?

What is up with people that don't wash thier hands?

Gross!

Anyway - at least I am managing to work from home and keep the disease contained. I am beginning to plan my Thanksgiving Feast.

This year, we are going to my aunt's for Thanksgiving - but on Sunday I am having '2nd Thanksgiving' for a group of friends.

I do this mainly because I want turkey leftovers in my own home.

I hate taking a plate of leftovers from someones' house. Because secretly I feel they are begrudging me taking thier leftovers.

So now we have 2nd Thanksgiving.

I learned this from my father in law. Even if he was going somewhere for the Thursday meal - he would roast his own turkey too.

Genius!

I am attempting to re-create the Thanksgiving meal featured in the current issue of LaCucina Italiana.

But, I may go for the Giada Thanksgiving feast with the Butternut Squash lasagna and the Ciabatta Chestnut stuffing.

Lots of decisions to make.

And of course - there have already been requests for certain recipes to be on the table beyoned the LaCucina menu. Which is fine - because so far, there are 14 adults coming - so if I don't make more food, I won't have my own leftovers!

Going Vegan.....kind of

I am thinking about going 60% vegan....and 40% not vegan.
Does that sound reasonable?

I mean, I love meat......but I know I could be so much healthier.
This weekend I am researching this option.

Wickhams and Willoughbys

I am a sucker for all things Jane Austen.

And no matter how many times an adaptation is on PBS, cable or the movies, I will watch it happily....every single time.

Lately, Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice are on all the flippin time.

And like an addict, I can't turn away.

So it got me thinking about the bad boys of Jane.

Those nasty Willoughbys and Wickhams......

Oh how we love them.
Bad boys always get first dibs!

You fall passionately in love with him, even though you met 12 hours ago.

You pledge your never ending devotion to him because he is the finest man you ever met, even though you never really spend time alone.

You want to marry him, even though you never see him without his breeches.

You are willing to forgo the rich, kind man that pines for you and would be your man slave, so you can get dumped by the bad boy with the crazy facial hair.

Poor Jane, she must have had a real axe to grind with her own real life Willoughby/Wickham.
One minute we love him, the next minute the truth is revealed.....this whole time the dude has been a jack ass.

It makes me sad for poor Jane. Clearly, she never got over her Willoughby/Wickham...so she spent the rest of the time writing about the good ones she passed over for the bad one she remained hung up on.

Let that be a lesson to all.

Enjoy your Willoughbys and Wickhams......

But don't let the real gems go by.....Darcy, Darcy, Darcy!

Undervalued, cheap help.

I am underpaid.

I found this out today....and now I am pissed off about it.

I liked it better before, when I was in the dark and stupid.

Being in the light and stupid sucks.

I always knew that they got me cheap.....but seeing the actual numbers hurts.

It makes me even angrier that others in the same job as me, make more and are stupid.

I even trained some of them.

I am vowing not to help them anymore. Ok, I know that I will still help them....but I will at least be bitter for a few days.

I have only my pride and good work ethic to lead the way.

This economy blows.

Now I can't even be outraged and demand an increase......ggggrrrrrrrr

National Health Care - Why we need it

Almost 4 years ago, my husband was injured on the job. His employer of course sent him to "approved" workers comp doctors.

The doctor put him in a hip to ankle brace for several weeks. Which I thought was odd for a knee injury.

His leg muscles atrophied, but we assumed he was better because the doctors said so.

Fast forward to July 2009. The same knee "pops" one day at work. That night, it swells. Now going to a new doctor, one covered by our own insurance not a 'workers comp' specialist - we find out that he has a degenerative problem. One that began from another injury. A shredded tendon. Now a cyst has formed, arthritis issues....a mess.

All this easily diagnosed with an MRI that workers comp would not pay for 4 years ago.

Now, he is out of work on short term disabilty. His knee will never be better. He will have chronic pain until he dies.

4 years ago we had health insurance. We have always carried 2 plans. A "just in case" scenario for if mine didn't cover something, his would. We never figured on the tricky, shady workers comp experience.

With a National Health Care system - we would get care for patients who need it when they need it. There would be no fuss over the cost of MRI's and proper diagnosis. It seems silly and frustrating to know that now all these years later, insurance is paying thousands of dollars for his diagnosis, treatment etc......wasteful.

Ponder this:

The number of uninsured citizens has grown to over 45 million.
Health care has become increasingly unaffordable for businesses and individuals.
We can eliminate wasteful inefficiencies such as duplicate paper work, claim approval, insurance submission, etc.
We can develop a centralized national database which makes diagnosis and treatment easier for doctors.
Medical professionals can concentrate on healing the patient rather than on insurance procedures, malpractice liability, etc.
Free medical services would encourage patients to practice preventive medicine and inquire about problems early when treatment will be light; currently, patients often avoid physicals and other preventive measures because of the costs.
Patients with pre-existing conditions can still get health coverage.

Passing Me By

Oh my gosh....time is flying by this year....
I have been in a whirl of one crazy bit after another crazy bit.
I just need to take a moment to come back to center....and back to the blog.
You know how it is.

It's Official

I am now scaring myself.

Last night, I sat alone in a hotel room in Charlotte, NC screaming at the TV watching a hockey game. I was calling people names, swearing and everything.

I have never been so caught up in sports before.

But, all the screaming was worth it. We won Game 7 and continue on in the series.

The agony continues.

Thank you.

They won.

Please win, please win, please win.

Let's Go Caps! Let's Go Caps! Let's Go Caps!

Those of you who know me, and most likely those of you who don't know me....know I am not a sports fan.

However, I am a hockey fan. This is new for me...but this was the year I embraced hockey. I love the fights, I love the fast paced play, I love the blood, sweat and tears. The Capitals are playing game 3 tonight in the playoff series against the New York Rangers. I am putting all my good energy into them winning. We have to be best in a 7 game series and are currently down 2. I will be wearing my #8 Ovechkin jersey tonight....even though #52 Mike Green is my favorite player and boyfriend. I just haven't found his number and name on a shirt or jersey yet. One would think that because he is my boyfriend, he would just give me one....but he doesn't know he's my boyfriend...so I have to settle for buying one. By the way....this is now another of my boyfriends that is now young enough for me to have given birth to him.

At least Alessio is 43.

Alessio

I'm not one to post gratuitous photos - but this is one dreamy dude.

I have a love of the Sundance channel, and for the past 3 weeks have been watching a 'made for tv' italian mini series.

I can't quite express the joy of listening to italian and then having Alessio to watch too. I started dreaming in short italian phrases.....

Buona Pasqua

I have been a bit world weary of late.

Many pressing issues and problems - mainly work related...that have been taking their toll. It has left me with a bad attitude - and since nobody wants to hear more complaints...I have limited my communication.....knowing it would be hostile.

The funk has been so bad....that it was beginning to physically manifest even in my home....so I took steps to begin the spring cleaning last week....blinds off the windows and cleaned, windows, screens, dust bunnies begone!!!! Surprisingly ~ it seems to be working.....my psyche is climbing out of the dark, dank hole it has been in for the last few months.

In my mind, I have been traveling to the happy places in order to combat the nasty attitude - and can't help but remember my Easter in Italy a few years back. I had done a lenten fast of pasta that year, knowing that Easter Sunday would find me wrapped in the warm arms of Italy and all her pasta glory. Oh the joy of landing in Rome and within one hour having a lovely first course lasagna laid before you.......

Happily, I am enjoying a nice long Easter weekend - complete with chocolate, some wonderful italian wine, and a marathon of Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments.....(I gotta get my Charlton Heston on during religious holidays.)

Somewhere in there will be some naps and a delicious Easter dinner with the local family.

She may just be emerging from the dark......(i feel like a tulip!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here is my one and only Irish joke.

It's short, so it is easy for me to remember and I never miss the punchline.

An Irishman walks out of a bar.

badump bump

Nonnie's Chicken or Pollo di Nonna

I don't know what this is really called.

We called it something - but I don't even know how to spell it. Pitacchia - but I don't think this name even resembles anything.

This is heavenly and easy to do.

More of my childhood comfort food.

You need Chicken, white wine, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.

You must use leg/thigh quarters...Cut them into 3 pieces - the marrow of the bone helps flavor the dish.

Be generous with the salt and pepper.

Brown in hot olive oil.

Throw in a head of peeled and smashed garlic.

Pour in an entire bottle of wine.

Throw in the rosemary.

Simmer till it nearly falls off the bones.

Serve with bread to dip the wondrous juice.

Usually I opt for a simple green salad too - tonight, I did a simple torn caprese.

Delightful!

It's called "Top Chef" not "Top Scallop"

The smallest things can make a big difference in your day.

Last week, my sister was visiting....and much to her chagrin....heard me repeat over and over...at random and inappropriate times...the lines...."It's called Top Chef, not Top Scallop" in my very best Fabio impersonation.

(which I think I do really well)

In the midst of a tough day....I see this email pop up on my Blackberry that says "Top Scallop".

It changed my whole day when I saw this shirt....and again tortured all that came near me with my famous lines, heavily accented in Italian.....

I am totally buying this.

Thanks Ris!

Topics

I have so much to say...but so little chance or time to say it.
I need to talk about pregnancys, the loss of jobs, people that throw other people under the bus, and stupid people.
No, I am not pregnant and I didn't lose my job....I try to never throw anyone under the bus, but sometimes I am stupid.

Posts coming soon to a blog near you.

Corporate Restructure = Bloodbath of lost jobs

Yesterday my company experienced a 'corporate restructure'.
It was the longest day ever.
I was terrified each time the phone rang.
I cried for people.
I was anxious.
I survived.

Gross, but surprisingly useful.

When you have a cold, the doctor can't do jack for you.
Mine did tell me to take mucinex and to use this.
I am opposed to two things.
Putting things in my eyes.
Putting things up my nose.

There was no way on God's green earth I was going to use this nose thing. But, I was in dire need of being healthy for a very important visit tomorrow.
So, I did it.
Weird on top of weird, one of my employees told me about this thing last week when I was healthy. Her husband is a doctor and swears by it.
I did one of those dismissive, "yeah, sounds fascinating" and went about my day.
Little did I know, days later the neti pot would come screaming back to my life.

I am still sick, but at least I am not getting worse.

Pitiful

How many variations of "bed to couch" "couch to bed" "bed to chair" "chair to couch" movements can you do in one day?

I am about to find out how many you can do in two days.
Misery is following me.
Runny nose, runny eyes, aches and general bitchy discomfort.
Aggghhhh.

URI

Upper Respitory Infection ~ the common cold.
I went to the doctor and this is the diagnosis. When I go to the doctor - there is something major happening usually....not a COLD!

I was a bit hyper this morning over it.
I have a huge visit this week...and need to be at my best.
Now I have a cold.
I am going to force lots of fluids, sleep and hop up on Mucinex.

Gross.

The Obsession Continues

Project Ass Reduction - I have to rename this project. It didn't work for me.
When I was doing my best body reducing ~ it didn't have a name. I just did it.
So here we go again.
Off in pursuit of a better body......I really let myself go the last few months....I gave myself a good reality slap....and am back on track again.

Now, I have my Wii fit. A humbling experience.
It tells you how fat you are and your BMI. Ugh.
It tells you how bad your posture is.....It calls you a couch potato and a yoga master all on the same day.
One minute I have extreme skills the next I am a fat slug.
Awesome. How motivating.

The cold weather has been my arch enemy lately. That is where the wii fit has helped me be active, yet still toasty indoors.
The only real downside, is that with the major weightloss I had 2 years ago....I never weighed myself. I let the clothes be my guide as I dropped 8 sizes. That was all I cared about.
Now I force myself to look at the actual pounds.
It makes this tougher because I put more pressure on myself. But, it is a necessary evil. Once I reprogram my brain for the desire for daily excercise ~ I'll be good to go.

I have begun my chant again....'size 8, size 8, size 8' ~ we got a long way to go.....

Fiberglass is icky

Last night, I was coated in fiberglass. At least, that is how it felt.
That stuff does not wash off easily.
Ugh.
I am itchy.

Tutto Bene Ribollita

Comfort in a bowl comes to me in only one form.....the sublime Ribolitta. The first time I had this soup was on a cold day in Florence. I literally thought that I had died and gone to heaven. It must be the simplicity of the peasant dish....loaded with one of my favorite foods......BREAD!

If you can open a can and use a knife, you can make this wonderful soup.

Start by chopping onion, celery and carrots. I did one onion, 2 celery stalks and 2 carrots. Chop up a clove or two of garlic and saute in some olive oil. Add a bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Don't be stingy, use a good quality sea salt or kosher salt and only fresh cracked black pepper!











Soften the vegetables for about 7 minutes or so. Add in 2 cups of tomato sauce, 6 cups of your favorite chicken stock and 2 cans of white beans. I did use cannelini beans, but do prefer the smaller white beans for this soup. (The first Ribollita I had also had greens in it. This is truyly a soup you can make your very own. Add whatever additional veggies you like!) Bring to a simmer. Now comes the fun part. The Bread! You will need a stale loaf, or at least day old bread. Cut it in half and scoop out the insides. You will tear up the bread with your hands and drop into the soup. The bread will begin to break down and absorb the stock. You can add as much or as little bread as you prefer. The ribolitta can be super thick, or more soupy...your preference prevails. Use some of the crust to dip into the soup for a taste test. Adjust your salt and pepper seasonings if needed.

When you are ready to serve, dish it up into a bowl, grate some parmigiano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil! Tutto Bene!

Things I Learned In Jury Duty

and in no particular order....

1. Jury duty is not that bad. Don't be drama about it if you have to go.
2. Bailiffs work a lot more than I thought....I thought they only said, "all rise"
3. Cool new words can be learned in jury duty.....Voir Dire
4. Not all attorneys make a lot of money.....the prosecutor for the state had on a really cheap suit and bad shoes. It was almost a distraction. Someone call "What Not to Wear"
5. 6 grams of cocaine can put you in prison for a looooong time.
6. A bad public defender is terrible to see up close.
7. Moral Turpitude - one set of words I never heard in my whole life, and now want to use in a sentence when I get the chance to.
8. People brought together to serve on a jury form a really interesting bond.
9. Trial lawyers have to pay close attention all day long. It is intense beyond my imagination.
10. Retired judges on the bench don't tolerate stupidity.
11. If you are a defense attorney - look into Toastmasters....being a low talker is not working for you.
12. Determining guilt or innocence is hard.
13. Reasonable Doubt is a tough one.
14. Determining credibility on people you know is tough enough....determining credibility on total strangers is nearly impossible.
15. Jury deliberation rooms are really small and the chairs are uncomfortable. At least it was not swealtering like in "Twelve Angry Men"
16. There were no Angry Men on the jury.
17. Police officers in bullet proof vests have a really weird body shape and walk kind of funny.
18. Character witnesses on the stand can make you cry.
19. Just because a lawyer has a legal pad, and they flip the pages during questioning doesn't mean they have anything written down. I could see it was blank.
20. It is really hard to not raise your hand and get to ask the witnesses your own questions.
21. It is really hard to not talk about the trial before deliberation.
22. It is really hard to impose a sentence.
23. 12 people carry a large burden.....I'm glad I got to carry it with such a responsible, thoughtful and intelligent group of people.
24. I'm glad we considered the man's family and future in our decision.
25. You get an escort to your car.

This one is originally from The Big Read. Apparently they reckon that most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
Instructions:
1. Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2. Underline those you intend to read. (In blogger you can use Ctrl. U to do this)
3. Italicize the books you LOVE.
4. Reprint this list so we can try and track down these people who've only read 6 and force books upon them.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkein
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Bible
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
1984 - George Orwell
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Little Women - Lousia M Alcott
Tess of the D'Urbevilles - Thomas Hardy
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkes
Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch - George Eliot
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisted - Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
Emma - Jane Austen
Persuasion - Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini
Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Dune - Frank Herbert
Cold comfort Farm - Stellla Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Curios Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
On The Road - Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Dracula - Bram Stroker
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Bell Jar - Slyvia Plath
Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
Germinal - Emile Zola
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession - AS Byatt
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte's Web - EB White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
Watership Down - Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

This list will help with my "reading" resolution for the year.
At least I read more than 6 already....

Optimisim for 09

Happy New Year Everyone!
I just read my own New Years post from 08 ~ I sounded so hopeful. Goodness knows, in comparison to 07 - 2008 was a much better year for me.

Last night, 2009 came in quietly....Tony and I were the only ones awake in the house.
Today, I am not dashing off to a New Years brunch. Instead I am braising pork ribs and making my black eyed peas and donning my new Ovechikin T for the game tonight.
08 had a feminine lovely start....in 09 I will have bbq sauce all over me and am hoping to see a good ole fist fight on the ice!
We will see how this year plays out.
This will be my year to toughen up, not be such a girl, not worry so much about what other people think.
ggggrrrr!
I feel the manly empowerment already.