The Oreo Archives

Legs, legs , legs ! Likely the first thing we notice when watching the Annual Victoria Secret Fashion Show. That, and the drop dead gorgeous models, award-winning musicians, and best of all, the glamorous, winged costumes of bras and panties. Who could be unhappy looking at that for an hour?? This year's biggest cause of unhappiness or topic of concern: cultural appropriation . The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines 'appropriating' in three ways: "to take exclusive possession of; to set apart for or assign to a particular purpose or use; to take or make use of without authority or right" I'll agree that the ladies of the fashion show owned/took possession of that runway and worked the hell out of those extravagant costumes; VS leaders set themselves apart to show success and innovation in the lingerie and fashion industries; and the designers most likely didn't ask any ambassadors or natives of the cultures that some of the costumes represented...

Disclaimer : I don't agree with stores being open on Thanksgiving, forcing employees to leave their families and go to work to deal with irregular overnight schedules and obnoxious shoppers. That being said, since the stores weren't taking my advice and the employees were already there, I decided the least  I could do was give them the gift of a pleasant, friendly shopper who would possibly brighten/lighten up their busiest 24 hours of the year. (Yes, I am a hypocrite...) I checked all of the store advertisements and coupons in my email and weeble-wobbled my full belly out the door Thursday night, then again Friday afternoon. First stop: Tanger Outlets. My first impression before I even get all the way to the parking lot is "aw hell....this may have been a bad idea". There were way more cars in the parking lot than there were last year (Yes, I went to MK for last year's 'Moonlight Shopping' experience, too. Don't judge my addiction!). And the line...

Around this time of year, it can be pretty hard to remember to be thankful and pretty easy to focus on all of the things in your life and the world that are less than worthy of thanks; and 2017 is certainly no exception. This year, we've had the displeasure of witnessing mass shootings, riots, devastating hurricanes and wildfires, cancer diagnosis for some of the best people I know, and more angry, presidential 'tweets' than I could ever imagine. And the year isn't even over yet! But instead of dwelling on all of the bad and ugly this Thanksgiving, I thought it'd be refreshing to run through some of my cherished favorites of the year. So, (drumroll, please) the TOP TEN funny, beautiful, loving, or all of the above, in my opinion, of this shitshow of a year (warning: Houston-biased list below): (*none of the following memes are my own - all found  on Facebook or Google...don't sue me*) 10. This hilarious young lady . She is my spirit animal - hands down. ...

Rolling eyes and deep sighs. Continuous honking horns. No "excuse me". No "Good Morning" or "Have a good night". Oh, and forget about getting a returned smile. Is it just me, or has this country, and possibly this world, lost our sense of compassion, patience, and courtesy for our fellow humans? I can't help but feel disappointed (and sometimes enraged, depending on the situation) every time I'm out. Friendly hellos and smiles seem to be in short supply. And although I strongly feel the politics in this country in the past year most likely have a large role in today's behaviors, I don't believe that is the sole reason for the change. What do I think are the other causes of this disappointing world, you ask? Greed, impatience, & assumptions. a) Greed To me, greed is one of our biggest issues. We want, want, want (and trust me, I am definitely  a 'wanter') so much that we disregard our needs,  let alone, someone else's n...

No one phrase plucks my last nerve like this one. Never does someone begin their sentence with “Wait until...” and have something positive to say. It’s always some over-generalized assumption based on their life experiences or bitter disposition. If you're young, fit, a foodie, attractive, or even simply have decent vision, I know you've gotten at least one, or more likely, all of these: Age : " Wait until ...you're my age; you hit 40; you're not young anymore" Kids : " Wait until you have kids" (and love when they throw in the extra "you'll miss that tiny body" or "you won't be able to eat like you do anymore") Time : " Wait until ...you don't have time to workout; watch your weight; eat healthy" In a relationship : " Wait until... you're married - you stop worrying about all of that" (⬅by far the craziest  excuse, and maybe a reason for so many divorces?) Jobs/Working  (similar to time...

On even the most average days, I can always expect to give the "Um....what?" look at least once. Yesterday was no exception. I work for one of those grocery delivery companies for extra cash in my spare time, and I was out and about yesterday shopping a couple of orders at H-E-B. My first order was around 1, so the grocery store wasn't super busy and the order didn't have a ton of items. So of course the second I smell someone cooking, I make a beeline straight for the sample ladies. I didn't want to look greedy or as hungry as I really was (especially since I had that company shirt on), so I stood behind this black mom and her son (yes, I had to add that she's black - you'll see why soon). Her husband and daughter were around the corner, standing out of the way. The mom was clearly talking back and forth to every person of the family, making sure she got everyone a sample; her little girl even ran over (in her precious 'big girl' boots) a couple o...