February 29, 2008
leaping
Posted by brookem under are you serious right now?, contemplation, daily, fire(MEN) in uniform, good heads of hair turn me on, more than you ever wanted to know, things I think about when I have too much time on my haSometimes I have all these big ideas for posts that I want to write. I’ll be driving in my car and think of something that I want to blog about, but by the time I finally sit down to bust out a post, the idea seems silly or no longer relevant. Right now? I have about 18 ideas of things I want to write about, but I don’t want to go on with another bullet type list, so then the question is, where do I turn first?
Other times I’ll sit down to write a post I have in mind, and the words, the ideas that I had prior, just seem to escape me. My thoughts, so put together and concise when I first thought of it all, seem to end up coming out far more verbose and far less witty than I want. Does this happen to anyone else?
I once started carrying around a little tape recorder with me, partly for these very reasons. Well that idea lasted about 2 weeks. Batteries from it were falling out in my car, a friend (who doesn’t know I blog) found it and asked too many questions, and now it resides in my glove compartment. Blah.
Anyway, today is Leap Day and that’s my topic of choice.
Did you know that Randy Jackson celebrates a bday today? And this morning, on the front page of the newspaper was the most precious old man, who will be celebrating his 96th birthday today… and also? his 24th. His 24th birthday that can actually be celebrated on his day of birth.
I was thinking earlier in the week how odd that would be, to have a birthday one year, and not the next three. And this day… it almost feels like we’re getting an extra chance. A freebie. I’m the type of person who thinks of things in “a year from now” terms, or… “a year ago I was doing ___.” How weird is it that next year, we won’t be able to say, “a year ago today…”
Hmm. I’m intrigued by that stuff.
I often wonder what I would do if I had an extra hour in a day, an extra day in a week. The energy I’d feel if I could get one more free hour of sleep. If I could procrastinate one more day.
And essentially, that’s sort of what we’re getting in a way today, at least that’s how it almost feels. We’re getting an bonus day, an opportunity once in four years time, to get an extra.
I almost want to do something bad. In a way it feels like this day will just get tossed into a black hole after this, and I think, what would I do if the consequences of today didn’t really matter?
I would tell a certain superior in my workplace what I really think about him. I’d go on a retail therapy binge and buy every single shoe I like. I’d drink copious amounts of truth serum tequila and promptly call him. I’d probably sleep with that fireman (aww, remember the elusive Mr. F?), despite the harsh reality that he has a serious girlfriend (consequences don’t matter!, ethics and morals and values don’t count!). I’d eat all of the decadent desserts that I desire and as many salty chips as I want. I’d damn straight have sex with my ex. I’d watch lots of Lifetime movies, reality tv, and other mindless crap. I’d skip work. Or as the case may be, I’d leave work for lunch, and just not go back. At all.
Geesh, so many ideas of what I would do if it just… didn’t matter. A free bonus day where what I did just never counted.
Happy Leap Day. Would would you do if there were absolutely no consequences?
February 29, 2008 at 2:04 pm
This post? Proves why we think so much alike! Because you thought extensively about how you can’t say “a year ago today” about today next year!! Sometimes when I think about stuff like that, it starts to hurt my head a little bit.
As for what I would do if there were absolutely no consequences? Definitely the leaving work for lunch and just not come back. But I’d also go to the store and buy every flavor of Ben & Jerry’s (except Cherry Garcia because cherries in ice cream is nasty) and eat them all…not necessarily all gone…just all. And I’m sure there are a few others I could think of, but now I’m distracted by the thought of ice cream.
February 29, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I guess I stumble on the paradox of “no consequence”…to me or to anybody? Like eat a big old box of donuts and ice cream that is all fat!
I’d give everyone a day off to do whatever they like with the caveat “it” must do something that when they return to their real day, it has helped them advance…
February 29, 2008 at 2:09 pm
sicilian mama- ha, we think so much alike, i love it. and i love ben and jerries. so i heart you even more. feel the love?!
evans- i was solely going on the no consequence to me. like the idea of sleeping with a hitched man. clearly not something id do “in real life,” but the idea of it not having any consequence (no guilt associated, no moral compass to consider?) and just for the thrill? yeah, probably might happen.
February 29, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Ok, thanks for clarifying… Giselle will hate me…;-)
February 29, 2008 at 2:20 pm
never even thought about it, but ya - happy bonus day of life!
If I could do stuff today and tomorrow everyone would forget it? Rob a bank, go on your shoe shopping spree with you, tell my ex I still love him and I hate his girlfriend and that he moved to Cali for her because she only wants his money, and then I’d go skinny dip in lake Michigan.
I’d also do all the same if I was told I was dying.
February 29, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Yes, all the time! In regards to your first question. I have post its overflowing in my bag with sentences like “feel naked without ring” or “hallelujah” or “The Man(boy?)better name”
I’m certain they all had great posts hidden in them, I just don’t remember what…;)
As for your second question? What would I do if there was absolutely no consequence? I would probably walk into my favourite clothing store and rob them.
And then take all the sale girls out for drinks! ;)
February 29, 2008 at 2:28 pm
You know my Alphabet City series? I keep an unposted post with a running list of the letters in the alphabet and what I want to write for each. I post-date it waaaay out int he future, so it always stays top of my list. Maybe you could do an idea-generation one the same way!
No consequences? I’d drink at lunch. Stay out all night. Do all kinds of recreational drugs (which begs the question, would “professional drugs” be the next step up from “recreational drugs”???? You know, I’d do all the things I don’t do because I want to remain a goody-goody.
February 29, 2008 at 2:39 pm
You know there’s this cool device you could use to track your blog post ideas, it’s called an iPod touch. You should consider it.
I like the bonus day thing. I was thinking about this too. How would I make today feel special since it’s only happens every four years. I might be tempted to sleep with a fireman too. I think it’s great you took the “bad” approach instead of the good one. Maybe you could donate time at a homeless shelter today. Maybe you could smack me upside the head.
Hitched men, you’re a naughty woman.
February 29, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Hmmm. I think I’d do a lot of the things on your list. If tomorrow everything I did today got erased, or at least all the consequences of such (because, frankly it’d suck to buy every shoe I love and then have them disappear the next day, but not having to pay the bill would be lovely). Aside from spending mucho money on pretty things, I think a lot drinking, eating, sexing and blunt honesty would be done. I’d refuse to eat anything that was in any way healthy, I’d drink many a’long island ice teas, and probably throw ethics and morals out the window.
:-)
February 29, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Let’s see… I would NOT have sex with your ex or the fireman… But I’d tell off you superior for you!!?!? And the decadent desserts and salty chips sound pretty good. I’ll start with a beer.
February 29, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I would yell at this administrator we have and say are you, “Are you f’ing stupid, can’t you just copy and paste and not screw this shit up?”
That is what I would do– it’s been a long day. Can you tell?
February 29, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Absolutely no consequences?
I’d eat chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’d fly to Chicago to get my answer. I’d take pin up photos of myself and sell them on the internet. I’d go home and nap. I’d not answer my phone. I’d post the names and links of the married men who have hit on me. I’d tell every asshole that s/he is an asshole without a moment of guilt.
February 29, 2008 at 7:12 pm
This is how I feel about daylight savings time too. In college, my friends and I would have “what you do in this hour doesn’t count” parties every year that were some of the funniest experiences I had all throughout college.
If there were no consequences for my actions today I’d probably have a lot of sex and eat a lot of cheesecake. Or I’d go to New Zealand.
Oh, and yes, the having so many ideas of what to blog about and then not doing it happens to me too. Every day.
February 29, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Boy oh boy did you send my thought process right down the autobahn.
I meant to ring you up today but got sidetracked by crazy job related stuff.
For now, back to the autobahn…
March 2, 2008 at 11:14 am
What WOULDN’T I do if there were no consequences?
March 2, 2008 at 6:57 pm
MMM… soo provocative brookem.. I LOVE it.
I’d grab you and go shoe shopping/dress shopping/jean shopping… hell just shopping in general.
I’d strut right into Guess? where Brunswick works and punch him in the face - or better, strut in with a dirty martini and throw it in his face. And THEN punch him.
I’d have cupcakes for breakfast, BBQ veggie burgers for lunch, sangria for the siesta hour, and a bottle of Shiraz for dinner.
March 2, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Your day of no consequences would definately be liberating! I’d do many of the same ranging from ridiculous amounts of retail therapy to sex with that ex and some very decadent desserts…
March 3, 2008 at 12:39 am
oh man i could write a whole post about this. and i may just do that! as part of my things series! yesss thanks for the inspiration!
March 3, 2008 at 10:15 am
The possibilities are endless! I don’t even know where to start! It’d be awesome if Leap Day was a day you could do anything and it wouldn’t matter. I mean one day of bad every four years? Sign me up!
March 3, 2008 at 6:23 pm
You lost me on the shoes. A day to buy any shoes we want? Like, from Bloomie’s? From Neiman’s? From Filene’s? Not just DSW?
Sign me the f*ck up.
xo. now get me some josh up in here.
March 3, 2008 at 7:21 pm
that happens to me all the time. lately i feel like i write these amazing posts in my head - in the car, in down dog, on a hike…and then I sit down in front of my computer and just stare. and stare. and stare. and come up with something far less than amazing.
If I could do ANYTHING without consequence?? ANYTHING? definitely sex with an ex. you said conesequences/morals, etc. don’t count…and definitely i’d tell more than one person at work what I really think about them. and about this place for that matter. and then I’d get together with some friends for a shopping spree and lots of tequila.
March 4, 2008 at 4:55 pm
No consequences?
Tell every hot guy I see exactly what I would like to do to him. Perhaps follow-through.
Ditto to hot female bartender who is my only real-life (ie- non-celebrity) girl crush.
(gee… can you tell where my mind has been lately?)
March 8, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Hmmmm… no consequences.
I would tell school and work to eff off for the day. I would stop worrying about bills and start worrying about shamelessly pampering myself.
And I would tell off everyone who is a jerk in a public place, like the people who take up two seats on the bus. Ha!