Identity Crisis

I am having a bit of an identity crisis lately, and I need help! No, no one stole my identity (as far as I know), and yes, I still know my name, etc (Patrice, age 20, etc.). No, this identity crisis involves Facebook.
This morning when I got to work, I had this posting on my Facebook Wall: "Facebook just told me I should be friends with you because you were a mutual friend of yourself. Confused yet? Hahaha." Ugh. Now normally most people would be like WTF. Except, in this case, it's true. Yes, I am friends with myself on Facebook. How is this possible? Let me explain. 

A few weeks ago, I decided to start a fan page for my blog. (Check out the top left corner and you can "like" it!) I had seen a lot of other bloggers do it and had read that is a great way to get more people to come to your blog and connect with other bloggers. So I did not take this lightly. I did my research. I posted questions on Blog Frog Forums, I tweeted, I even read Scary Mommy's tips for starting your own fan page. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right and it would be awesome. 
So, while doing my research I learned that most people create a separate Facebook account to link their blog fan page to. I guess that way the people who are connected to your personal page don't have to see the posts from the fan page. I'm not sure, but whatever I read convinced me that this was the way to do it. So I set up a new e-mail address, and a new Facebook account. Except, Facebook has all these lame rules about not putting nick names as your name and you can only put your real name. So I couldn't title my new Facebook account "Patrice's blog" or "Not A Girl..." or something. So now there are two Patrice Basso's on Facebook and yes, they are both me. In order to set up Networked Blogs to post to my fan page, I had to friend myself and list myself as an author of my blog. (Confused yet?)


So after I get this wall posting and find out that I have friend requests on my blog "Patrice Basso" account, I go to Facebook's privacy settings. There are 3 million different ways to customize your privacy on Facebook, but there are no settings (at least that I could find) that won't allow friend requests, or "suggesting" people be friends with you. Awesome. Of course not. And, the more I use my fan page, the more I decide that it is useless to be linked up to this other account because I don't use that Facebook account for anything except to go to my fan page. Why can't I do that from my regular account? All my friends know I blog. My Networked Blogs is linked to my personal facebook account, so I have no concerns about anyone "finding out" I blog. It's not a secret Most of my fans are IRL people anyway, and not blog people. 

So, how do I solve this identity crisis?! Do I delete the account and start all over on my fan page? Do I ask all 69 of my fans to re-like me once I launch the new page? Or, do I just leave it and post some kind of PSA on one of my "Patrice Basso" accounts that one account is strictly for my blog fan page, and I never post anything on that account anyway, so you wouldn't really want to be friends with "me" on that account? 

This is one heck of an identity crisis, and one I need to solve quick before everyone wants to be friends with the "other" me! Help!

Randomness is the Way to Go

It has been awhile since I participated in The Un Mom's Random Tuesday Thoughts, but since it's been awhile since my last post and I have all kinds of things to say, I figured randomness is the way to go and I can get it all out in one post! (I think that was probably a run on sentence but this isn't English class it's my blog and I can have run on sentences if I want to!)

So I guest posted at Winey Mommy's place today. It took me like all day to write because I was super nervous. And I had no clue what to write about. Luckily I tweeted about my writer's block and Krystyn came to my rescue and suggested I blog about a funny story from college or something. So I searched my blog archives for some funny story I have never blogged about and found one. I also found a LOT of posts  that have been half written or nearly finished that were never published that would've been actually good had I finished them. I need to get out of my own head and stop convincing myself that my writing sucks because all that leads to is an empty blog and a really full drafts folder. Anyway, the point of the story is please go check out my guest post because I am afraid that it will be a big flat flop and I will never volunteer to guest post again and I will make Chelle regret handing her blog over to me! (So much for getting out of my own head, right?)

Moving on. I have an addiction. It's called Reality Television. Specifically Real Housewives of New York, The Bachelorette, and my new favorite Househusbands of Hollywood. Dude, this is awesomeness. It's like total role reversal because the husbands stay home and take care of the kids or just the house if they don't have kids and the mom's go out and bring home the "bacon". And in some cases they are making a heck of a lot of bacon because one chick goes and blows like $8,000 in one day at Neiman's and Barney's. Seriously. $8000. Then her husband is all like "um, that's crazy. You need to chill the eff out." And she's all "you need to chill out, dude." Which, first of all, who calls their husband dude and second of all she seriously does not understand why he's mad that she spent that much money. Really? Anyway, it's on the FOX Reality Channel and it is complete awesomeness. Trust me.

Now can we do five minutes on the Real Housewives? Last night was the 2nd reunion show. There is so much drama on that show it takes 3 reunion shows just to cover it all. It's like on huge cat fight and it makes my blood pressure boil because everyone is yelling at each other and it's crazy and it makes me think of high school. My sister, who is brilliant and totally right, said "I would be embarrassed to be yelling at people like that at that age." My sister who is actually in high school is smarter than these women who just act like they're in high school. And dude, what is wrong with Betheney that 12 days after giving birth she looks like she was never pregnant? I look more pregnant than her and I am definitely not pregnant. That is just wrong.

Now for The Bachelorette. I can not get enough of this show and the ridiculous guys on it. Seriously, last night's episode was full of blood, sweat and tears literally. It was awesomely bad. I don't even know where to start with these dudes. I have so much to say I think I'm gonna have to write a whole post about it. I've been reluctant to write a Bachelorette post before because I've read so many witty, funny, sarcastic and awesome one's and I think I can't possibly compare. But who cares right? I can do what I want. And even if my post isn't as good as this person's, it's my own style and I can be confident in that!

On a more serious note, I really want you all to go to the site that was started for my sister. I haven't blogged about it before because, well, my blog got depressing for awhile after she was diagnosed and as much as that was therapeutic, being happy and witty is also therapeutic. Anyway, the site is 1 Million 4 Anna and the goal is to get 1 million prayers said for my sister and her health! They just posted a beautiful essay written by one of her best friends about what Anna has been through and it is a beautiful tribute to Anna's strength and her amazing friendships that have helped her get through this time in her life. On a brighter but related note, she only has 1 more chemo to go!!! This is been one hell of a road and it is something none of us ever thought we would have to go through but the end is in sight. Thank you all for praying and please continue to pray because we need a year of clean scans before she is officially cancer free!

When I was typing this, I was thinking I should write posts like this more often because I literally couldn't stop typing. Usually it takes me awhile to write blog posts, but when it's just going straight from the brain to the blog and I don't have to make sense, it just flows naturally.

So I think that's it. I probably could keep going but this post is already pretty long and if you're still reading this forever, then you're not reading my guest post!

If you want to write your own random post (trust me it's fun!) go ahead and link up with Keely at the Un Mom!

Nothing is as Easy as it Seems- Apple Store Edition

Due to events in my recent life, I have become inspired to start a new series here on my blog called "nothing is as easy as it seems". This is a rule of Murphy's Laws, and lately it has been popping in my head a lot as it seems to be a rule of my life. Some may call these situations "misadventures", whatever you call them the jist of it is these things were supposed to be easy, and weren't. So here is the first installment... let me know what you think!

So about a week and a half ago, I came home from work and of course went straight to the couch, and propped open my laptop. Noticing it was dieing, I plugged it in only to discover it wouldn't charge. Fantastic. So right away a few days later, I made an appointment at the genius bar at the Apple Store and was all like "uhh.. my charger is broken. Can I have a new one?" Easy enough, right? Go in, get a charger, go home and go back to my blissful life with my laptop using my laptop. Of course not! Because nothing is as easy it seems, remember?!

So, the Apple store genius guy looks at my laptop, looks at my charger. "Is it damaged?" he asked about my charger. "Uhh no? It just won't work..." So he plugs it in, and what do you know, it doesn't work. Could've told you that... Then he plugs in another charger to my laptop and that one works. Awesome. So my computer's not broken. Just my charger... like I said. Now can I have a new charger? So he says "let me see if we have any in stock," and goes off into Apple-Employee-Only-land. He comes back and is all "uhh, yeah, we don't have any in stock right now, so we'll have to call you when some come in. It should only take 1 or 2 days." Alright, whatever. It's just one more day of suffering without a charger or functioning laptop (since its dead since, you know, I don't have a charger). So he's all sign here saying I helped you, blah blah, we'll call you when one comes in, blah  blah. So I leave. Empty handed. Feeling like I wasted time. But whatever.

So flash forward to yesterday. It's been like a week and a half since my first oh so awesome experience at the Apple Store, and still no charger. So I brilliantly think "I know, I'll call the Apple Store, ask them if they have a charger, and if they do, I'll go get it." Again, easy right? Wrong again. I call up Apple and get this automated voice lady whose all like press 1 for this, press 2 for this, blah blah, press 5 if you're a business customer. So I press 5. "Thank you for holding," the automated voice lady tells me. "Your call is important to us." Gee, thanks. Then she says "You have 6 calls ahead of you..." What? At 8 at night? So I keep holding, and at first I'm excited because they are playing non-elevator, cool hold music. Except that wears off after about 10 minutes. Maybe 5. So I'm holding, and holding, and holding. Seriously, I figure, how long can 6 calls take? I mean they have to have a lot of people answering the phone. Apparently not.

30 minutes later, I'm still on hold when the automated voice lady tells me "you are the next caller to be helped." Finally. So after a whole 2 minute conversation and holding for 30, I find out that yes, they do have some chargers in stock, sorry I never got a call. They close in 30 minutes if I want to come get one. Awesome. So after 30+ minutes, I find out what I could have done by simply going to the store which would have taken the same amount of time, there and back. Great.

So I'm like you know what, I have waited a week and a half for this charger and I want it NOW. So, I get in the car and drive to the Apple Store because I haven't had enough of them and their fun and by golly, I want my charger! So I walk in, and even 15 minutes before closing it is still fairly crowded. Finally I track down a sales guy who is by far the oldest Apple employee. I mean this dude was rocking the gray hair and seriously had to be at least 60. And I'm all uhh how did he get hired considering every other Apple employee is like mid 20's- early 30's ish.What? I don't discriminate...

Anyway, I tell him what I need, give him my receipt, and all that. "So," he asks me, "do you have the other charger so we can swap them out?" "Um no. I gave it to the genius bar dude who helped me a week and a half ago."  So he looks all confused, scratches his head a little, and says "ok well let me go figure out what to do with this..." Seriously? You work here. You should know. Once again, who hired this dude? So I stand there waiting for like10 minutes*, he comes back and again asks me if I brought the other charger. The answer is still no, dude. So he says again "let me go figure out to do with this, I'll be right back." What have you been doing for the past 10 minutes? I try to be patient and wait some more.

Then 10 minutes* later some butch chick comes out carrying my receipt and the charger, walks over to the genius bar, asks them some questions, grabs my old charger that was in a drawer or something at the genius bar, and walks back to me. "Are you here for a new power charger?" Yup, that's me. "Ok, let me get a manager and we can swap them out." Fine, great, whatever. Then old guy comes back and says "ok, honey, follow me." I'm thinking "look here, buddy, don't honey me just because you're old and especially after you have left me waiting here for forever." But I follow him, he opens my new charger, gives me the part I need, mumbles something about how he is giving me some part that is really important not to lose because if I lose it I have buy it again or something and he makes it sound like he should be my hero. Yeah, ok, thanks.

So total time I spent on this charger now is about an hour, maybe even more. So I get home, go to plug it in, and what do you know? It doesn't freaking work on my crappy older version of the MacBook. Awesome. So I'm thinking I'm gonna have to go back tomorrow (today) and kick some ass for sure. Except wait, my sister has the better newer version of the MacBook. So I plug it in to her computer, and voila, it works! So I talk her into trading with me (don't know why I had to talk her into it, what's the big deal  but whatever), and finally after a week and a half of waiting, 35 minutes on the phone, 30 minutes at the store, and lots of frustration I finally have a charger and a laptop that isn't dead.

Just like Murphy said, nothing is easy it seems. It seemed a small, minute task to get a new charger. No big deal. Yeah, not so much. But hey, at least I got a blog post out of it, right?


*The actual amount of time that passed is unknown, 10 minutes may or may not be an exaggeration.

If That Doesn't Say Happy Birthday...

Yesterday my mom turned 48 years old! She is of course a very young 48, which is why it's okay for me to tell you her age!

Anyway, you know what birthday's mean: Presents. My mom is so self-less that she would never ask for anything or expect anything for her birthday, but she does so much for me and for my sister I really wanted to get her something special for her birthday. Only problem was I have been a little busy. I started working full time this week, and because I so geniusly totaled my car last summer, I am car-less, which, you know, makes it hard to go anywhere. So as of 5 PM yesterday when I was leaving work, I still didn't have a present for my mom. So, after a quick consult with my dad and asking my sister to borrow her car, I went off in search of the perfect present.

My dad told me about this used book store that she likes where he got her Mother's Day present from. Since I didn't have any better ideas, I decided to go in there and see what I could find. It was more than just a book store; they had a lot of cute decoration things like really pretty crosses, and things to hang around the house. There was a sweet old lady who worked there and asked what I was looking for. "Well, it's my mom's birthday," I told her. So she showed me a few things, but not quite the right thing. I really wanted to go with a sentimental gift, and maybe make her cry a little! ha Happy tears, of course!

For Mother's Day, my dad got her a bracelet from there she loved, so I decided to look at their jewelry and see what I could find. I looked around and finally stumbled across a really pretty silver bracelet that was engraved with the words "I am blessed when I think of you, my mother and my friend." I knew right away it was perfect. So I grabbed a card and checked out and went home and tried to give my mom a good excuse for randomly disappearing!

It was all I could do to not give it to her right away, but I decided to wait. We traditionally open presents after dinner in our family, so I waited until then. So, she opened her presents from my dad and then I handed her my card and the box with the bracelet in it. She took the bracelet out of the box and put it on (she loved it of course), and then that's when I noticed the gift tag at the bottom of the box.

Sitting there in the gift box the bracelet came in, was a Merry Christmas gift tag that said To: Mom. Love, Linda. 

What!? We all had a great laugh at the fact that this gift had apparently been "used." My sister chimed in with "Well, it is a used book store." I knew it was used books, but I didn't expect there to be used bracelets! My promptly announced very matter-of-factly "I would never return something you gave me!" Thanks, mom. Good to know. Too bad we can't say the same for Linda's mom... poor Linda. I mean, does Linda know her mom returned the bracelet? What could she possibly exchange that bracelet for? As my dad put it, did she walk in and say "give me a couple of used books for this bracelet and I'll take a bookmark too..."?

I mean, really though, if a used gift doesn't say happy birthday what does?! (side note: I tried to get a picture of the gift tag, but thought about it too late, so you'll just have to trust me.)

Time Flies When You're Having Fun...

Today marked the end of my second year of College. That means only 2 more years... and as I sit here at the airport waiting to head home for the summer, I can't help but wonder where has the time gone? 

These past two years have been more than I ever could have imagined. It feels like yesterday I was pulling up at school, and afraid to get out of the car. I asked my parents if we could go back home; I didn't want to go to college after all. Two years later, I am so glad I got out of that car. These past two years have changed my life. I met some of my best friends, I made the decision to join my sorority which turned out to be the best decision I ever made, and I've grown so much as a person.

It hasn't always been easy. There have been more times than I care to admit that I wanted to throw in the towel and quit; give up, and go home. But I've stuck it out and I'm glad I did. This past semester was especially rough with my sisters health issues, and at times I hated being 1000 miles away.  However, if I couldn't be home, there is no where else I would rather be than where I was. I had the best support system, and I had people there for me when I needed them most.

When I think back on the past two years, I am overwhelmed with amazing memories. All the good times; the crazy weekend nights out on the town, our sorority parties, slumber parties in the President's room, laughing so hard we cried and crying so hard we laughed... I could go on forever.

I can't believe it's already been two years... and I can't beleive all that these past two years have brought. If the next two years are anything like the first two, well then I can't wait! Of course being halfway done means getting closer to that dreaded g-word. I'm not even ready to think about that, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I am so thankful for all the memories, for all the friends I've made, for all the good times and even the bad ones, that I've had over the past two years. I can't believe I'm gonna be a junior in college... I guess it's true what they say time flies when you're having fun, and man have I had fun!

A compilation of all the good times over the past two years... because there have been so many, it took a whole collage to properly represent them.

Sometimes Words Don't Sum It Up...

So, Friday night was the big event, the Relay For Life I was participating in in honor of my sister! The night was amazing. It meant so much to have my sorority sisters there to back me up, and the night was filled with lots of fun and some very touching ceremonies. I could write a whole post about how great the night was, but sometimes words just don't sum it up. I couldn't do it justice. Amazingly, I was given the opportunity by the Staff members that were running the event to speak at the Fight Back ceremony; a ceremony dedicated to the fight against cancer. They asked me to speak about how cancer has touched me through my sister, and what I've done to fight back. I thought this is the best way to sum up the night and why I worked so hard for Relay For Life.
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Cancer is a word that you never want to hear in reference to someone you love. Unfortunately, that word has been assoicated with someone I love.

On November 25, 2009, my world was turned upside down when my 16 year old sister was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. Suddenly, all the things I took for granted like being in each others weddings, and having our kids grow up together were being threatened. Suddenly, I was imagining a world without my sister and my heart was breaking. Instead of her life being consumed with boys, gossip and prom like it should be, her life was consumed by radiatoin, chemotherapy, and blood transfusions. Instead of being in and out the hippest parties, she was in and out of the hospital.

Ever since she was diagnosed, I had the overwhelming urge to do something. I wanted to take away her pain, and most of all her cancer. Although I couldn't do that, through Relay For Life I found something I could do. I found a way to fight back against her cancer. I put together a team in my sisters honor with my sorority sisters help. Immediately, I reached out to friends and family who knew what my family was going through and told them what I was doing to help. Through my efforts, I was able to raise over $1000 individually. Relay For Life gave me the opportunity to fight back, and I couldn't be more thankful I got involved.

Watching my sister fight cancer has taught me so much. I learned not to take things for granted and not to take everyday for granted, it taught me how to be strong, and not to give up.

I know that next year at Relay For Life, I am going to watch my sister take that Survivor's Lap after all of this is behind her, and I'll never have been prouder.

Something I Can Do

Caroline really lightended things up a bit around here the other day and it was a nice change from the serious tone that this blog has had lately. Of course the reason it's been so serious is legitimate, but I miss writing about fun things, and the blog swap helped me remember that! I guess it just felt wrong writing about fun things when something so serious was going on. Anyway, I'm going to get back to more fun posts soon, but here is one more serious one for now.

Ever since we first found out my sister was sick, the same thought crossed my mind probably every day; "I wish there was something I could do." I wish that I could take away the time, take away the pain, take away the sickness, just take it all away. Of course I can't do any of those things, and having someone you love battle cancer can make you feel very powerless.

I despised that powerless feeling. I didn't want her cancer to have that effect on me. So, I did what I could, even if it was mostly little things. I wanted to do something, anything to make her feel better even though, deep down, I knew nothing I did would take away the Cancer. I still felt powerless despite doing what I cuoold to help.

Finally, I found something I could do. While it didn't directly affect her and it certainly didn't take away the cancer, it gave me that powerful, in control, feeling back. It opened my eyes to new possibilities of something I could do to help. So what is it? It's Relay For Life.

My sorority sisters and I decided to start a team in honor of Anna and her fight. We are named Anna's Alpha Chi Angels, and we have raised over $1000 in less than 3 weeks. I am the Team Captain, and I have personally raised $960 toward my personal goal of $1000. It is so empowering to be able to raise money for an organization that works to achieve what I want most; for cancer to be eliminated. I can't take my sisters cancer away as much as I would like to. However, I can support The American Cancer Society in their efforts to abolish cancer, to find a cure, and to make sure that no one else has to go through what my sister has and what so many other people have to. Finally, I can do something. Something to hopefully one day have a cancer free world.

(Side note:) I would really appreciate it if my bloggy friends would help me meet my goal of $1000.. you can donate here and visit the team page here. Thank you in advance.