Month: July 2010

How to Pronounce My Name…

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My name is Alissa. It is pronounced “Ah-LISA” like “Lease” a car; Not “Ah-LYSSA”; Not “Ah-LEESHA”; Not “Ah-LEE-C-YA”; Not “Alice”; Not “Ah-LEASE”; It’s “Uh-leeeeees-uh”

There are very few people who pronounce my name correctly. This fact would be less confusing to me if my name were foreign or exotic or a haphazard mixture of consonants and vowels.

It’s not. It’s Alissa.

Granted, my mom chose to add an extra “s” to my name because she thought one “s” wasn’t as pretty. I agree. She didn’t realize back then though that 60% of people who knew me would mispronounce my “pretty” name. Continue reading →

What Does It Mean to “Learn a Lesson” In Relationships?

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[Alissa’s Note: So…I was supposed to stop writing about men/relationships, but then I thought, Why? It’s my blog. I can write about whatever I want! Lol.]

I once read a quote that said “History repeats itself until the lesson is learned.” (Google.com is unable to find that quote, so now I am wondering if I actually read it despite the fact that it has stuck with me all these years.)

While looking for that quote, I found this quote which serves essentially the same purpose: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” -George Santayana.

Then George Bernard Shaw came along and said: “If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience.”

Wait…What???

(Anyone who reads quotes knows that it is very possible to read a profound quote, feel changed by it…and then read another profound quote that completely contradicts the first one. This is why I stick to Proverbs.)

Yes. Learning from history. Learning from experience. Learning lessons. It’s the stuff depressing love songs are made of.

Continue reading →

I Bought a NOOK!!!

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My love affair with books began when I was three years old. My mother was teaching my older sister to read and I learned over her shoulder. I vaguely remember watching Hooked on Phonics with my sister and tirelessly playing the alphabet game with my mom (“B says buh-buh-buh, C says cuh-cuh-cuh”). Before I knew it, I was being reprimanded for reading books at the dinner table.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I still love books just as I did when I was a kid. If I come to your house and you have a bookshelf, that’s where I’ll be. No entertainment from you necessary.

Continue reading →

Excess Baggage in Relationships…How Much Is TOO Much?

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I love airports. I like dressing up nice and hustling through the airport like I am someone important with somewhere important to go. Plus, there is always the small chance that I will spot someone truly important (esp if I’m flying out of ATL-Hartsfield airport). I like celebrity spotting (typical Ohio girl, lol)

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I was flying out of Vegas and my suitcase was exactly 50lbs. I breathed a sigh of relief when the scale stopped at 50. I am the queen of overweight luggage and usually end up having to either take stuff out of my suitcase or pay the extra money.

I remember asking my dad as a kid, “Why do they charge if your luggage is over 50lbs? Why 50 and not 55 or 45?” He shrugged and said “I don’t know, Bones. That’s the number they decided would be the maximum amount of baggage a person can carry.” He motioned to the man putting the bag on the conveyor belt, “Remember these guys have to be able to lift the luggage onto the plane.”

Now, years later as I watched the woman approve my luggage at no extra charge because it didn’t exceed the magic number of 50, I began to think…

In new relationships, how much baggage is too much baggage? Continue reading →

Yesterday, I Cooked

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Me and my friend Danika. She's a good teacher!

I got the title of this blog from my soror Iyanla Vanzant’s book “Yesterday, I Cried” because I wanted the dramatic effect. Then I realized most people probably have never heard of the book and much less have ever read it, so never mind.

Anyway, yesterday I went with a friend to see Twilight Eclipse (Sidenote: Eclipse was good movie. I also saw the first two, but honestly what is with the million sequels to every sci-fi movie? Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, Twilight…sheesh! I hope Bella dies in the next one so we can all move on. Is that rude? Oh and I’m #TeamEdward by the way.)

Back to my story…

After Twilight, my friend suggested we make fajitas. My friend is an excellent cook. I am an excellent go-out-to-eater. My first thought was suggesting that I treat her to Cheesecake Factory instead. They sell everything, so I was sure they had fajitas. Continue reading →

Broken Necklaces & Broken Relationships…Life Goes On

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I broke my necklace yesterday.

It’s my favorite one. Chunky, black and with a cross charm on it. It wasn’t expensive (relatively), but I loved it. I was so happy when I found it and so happy to always wear it. It made every outfit complete.

I was wearing it when it broke. I was putting something in my car, the necklace caught on the bottom of the passenger seat, then all of the sudden - to my horror - the necklace fell into my hand. I didn’t know what to do and I was already late for where I was going, so I stuffed the necklace in my purse hoping to be able to fix it later.

Later, I pulled it out of my purse intending to fix it. One of the metal links must have come undone and fallen off. Without that metal link, I couldn’t put the necklace back together. I sighed and laid the necklace on my dresser where it has been torturing me with its un-usability. I love that necklace. It was my favorite. I haven’t had it that long yet, I throw it on with everything. I’ll really miss it.

Looking at old pictures of myself on Facebook today, I realized that all of my favorite necklaces broke. The only one still hanging on is my long string of pearls. Other than that, I clicked on picture after picture, viewing the necklaces I was wearing. “Broken, broken, broken” I muttered to myself. Each necklace better than the last one, yet all meeting the same demise.

Then I began to think, the same thing can be said about guys in my past. Continue reading →