(this post isn't really about) Ping Pong

It all started with a distress call. One of my best friends of all times texted me words that I'd expect only from her.  Dangerous words, the ones we all have a mental list of. So we can avoid them. Words like:

"We need to talk."

"Do you know how this got here?"

"Can I be completely honest with you for a minute?"

The text said,

"Want to sleep over tomorrow night? We need to have a ping pong convo!!"

Yep, that bad. I know. Ping pong convo is what M and I call the conversations where we stand on either side of her ping pong table or mine, smacking the heck out of that poor little white plastic ball and venting about boys. Or being excited about boys. Sometimes both. Those ones are intense. They usually involve a cute guy cozying up to M, or, a few months later, said cute guy being a jerk to M. Sometimes stuff happens to me, but mostly I just listen a lot. I also enjoy a good whack at the ping pong ball.

Don't get me wrong, I like these talks. I like the drama (what can I say? Life gets boring) and also we usually end up having a deep, meaningful conversation that makes us both feel a lot better. But to have a ping pong convo is a bit of an emotional investment.

Fast forward a few days to M's front porch. I was ready. I wasn't in my ping pong convo gear (sweatpants big enough to fit a whole household for post-match snacking gorging) because she told me we were going dress shopping. I rang the doorbell and waited a    l    o    n     g      t      i     m      e     for someone to answer.  I got nervous. I saw a replay of the shirtless brother incident coming on.

Sorry, recap.

The Shirtless Brother Incident

(doorbell rings)

(Shirtless brother answers door)

Me: Hi, is (why aren't you wearing a shirt it's January?) M here?

Shirtless brother: No . . . you might want to give her a call . . . this is weird because I'm not wearing a shirt.

At which point I proceeded to go back to the car and call M. Anywhoo . . .


Someone answered.  It was a male someone. Please have a shirt on, please have a shirt on, please be wearing a shirt, please don't be partially naked. 

It was a guy friend of mine, who doesn't usually live at M's house. Oh, I guess he's going to go dress shopping with us . . . and sleep over . . . and have a ping pong convo . . . 

SURPRISE!

A surprise party for moi, apparently. Did I mention my birthday's coming up? I didn't handle it well. First there was the squeaking. Then the crying and the hand waving and the awkward standing . . . I CAME here for PING PONG! 

But it was fun.  And my friends are some of the best. 

Even if they are sneaking, behind the back, secret keeping liars. 

Want more weekend fun? Check out this Weekend Shenanigan link up with Sami's Shenanigans!

Friday Dare-day: Issue 3

Happy Friday! Yeah, yeah. I know. It's been Friday for a good long while. You've probably already been wished a happy Friday by everyone and their next door neighbor.

Where did that saying even come from? I mean, the only next door neighbors I know are mine. Is that bad? Maybe I should invite some other next door neighbors over for a barbecue or somethings, so I can get to know them as well as whoever coined that cliche thinks is appropriate.

Now, that could be a good Friday dare . . .

No. Anyway, here are the real Friday dares. This is activity that would be totally not weird to share with every single next door neighbor on your Twitter feed, Facebook friends, and contacts via this link right here!  Then maybe once you've taken that step, then you can invite them over for a barbecue or something.

• Be charismatic! Apparently there's a formula for that "spark", that "something extra", that "star quality" that everyone who's anyone allegedly possesses, and you can find it here! 
• Start a Bloglovin' account (guess who still doesn't have one?) and follow all your faves. 
• Sweat it out.  Even if you hate sweating, like me, but sweat buckets while stretching before the run, like me. Take it back to grade school gym class - everything old is new again with these intense moves.
• Give something away. Souvenirs for Smiles is just getting off the ground with a mission that's worth giving up for. 
• Hire a mermaid. Yep, that's a thing now. Or, just watch one in action here. 
• If you've got some extra money lying around, undertake a juice cleanse! If you don't have extra money lying around, DIY it. Do your research first and read this witty post about one man's experience. 

Other than that, have a fabulous weekend! And please, please forgive me for being so late. Hey, the weekend hasn't started just yet!

Friday Dare-day: Issue 2

It's Friday! Finally or already, ready or not, it's time for the weekend and the freedom to do whatever you choose. May I make some recommendations?

• Join the rest of the world at the Museum of Modern Art to check out the revolutionary Rain Room, or see it in action from right where you are here. 
• Try laughter yoga!  Yes, it's a little bit ridiculous, but they say it's good for you. Better yet? No yoga mat, pants, or studio necessary - grab a few friends (for maximum laughter) and do it right at home!
• DIY - this one's easy and so cool. Pun not intended. Well, once I realized it was a pun, I didn't change it. So I guess that, yeah, it kind of is intended. 
• Make this your mantra.
• Educate yourself about this guy - looks like he's fixed to become one of the next big names in the sports world.
• Make something from scratch. Make this from scratch. 
• Stay in the know without really having to know it all with daily emails from The Skimm. Sign up here.

And since I had the nerve to suggest that you actually try all of these things, I'm going to do my best to try them out as well. I'll take pictures, don't worry. Expect a full round up sometime next week, after I'm back in the internet-connected world after a week of camping. 

I think I'll start with some laughing yoga. 

Adventures in Detroit

If you live anywhere in the U.S., you've probably heard things about Detroit.  I know, at least, that whenever I'm out of town and tell someone "I'm from the Detroit area," their initial reaction is to draw back slightly and hold onto their purse. Maybe they thing I'm a gang member or a thug, or at least a little tougher than your average teenage girl. 

At which point I usually explain I'm from the suburbs. 

Usually. Sometimes I just go with the tough girl thing. It's kind of fun!

In spite of everything you've heard about Detroit or anything you're thinking of now after my description, it's not all shady, run-down buildings, graffiti, and liquor stores. The city has some really, really interesting stuff to offer - I think the fact that you have to dig through the rubble and avoid the gangsters to get to it makes it even more so! I kind of love the mixture of the the struggle of the present city and the beauty that's in its past or its hope for the future.

Belle Isle is one of those interesting places, and although it's seen better days, it is, after all, an ISLAND! (I really like islands) and it's full of history and hidden secrets and is just a bridge away from downtown Detroit. 

This monument is visible across a small lake as you're driving into the island, and the view is