11 Reasons Why I Am Not Ready For The Real World and I Wish I Was Back Living With My Mom

1. BILLS??!!!
Now that we are in the real world there is SO much we need to pay for. Like seriously? Cars don't run on smiles? I'm going to have to Fred Flintstone this bitch soon

2. I have to pay for my broken arm too??!

3. I use to complain about cleaning our rooms... Now I have a whole house

4. And my dishes have piled up so high I don't have room to cook...

5. Why can't I eat ramen and chicken nuggets everyday

5. When I get sick, I have to take care of myself

6. I always need to take days off from my life

7. And I started buying new clothes so I don't have to wash my clothes

8. Staying out late isn't even an option anymore

9. Forget about dressing up either

10. When it just seems better to start drinking earlier

10. When I spend your break in my car napping

11. Why does my bank account say -$25.00?? I really tried saving money this month

16 Things Only Myspace Kids Will Understand

1. You spent hours trying to find the perfect wallpaper

2. You learned HTML just so you could make your profile awesome

3. You used a digital camera to take your selfies

4. You used these specific angles for every selfie

5. PC4PC?

6. You were the happiest when you logged on to this

7. Choosing your display name was so crucial (even though you changed it every month)

*bAbYgiRL_sO_fLawLeSs*

Mr.[ Love Doctor ]

8. You put this on your friends' comment section at least once a week

9. The placement of your top 8 was life or death to your friends

10. And you always had a celebrity on it

11. You knew someone that said they were "Myspace Famous"

12. Your About Me was completely perfect to the T, and took you hours just so the people that visited your page knew everything about you

13. Your Myspace playlist had to describe you perfectly and start right when you logged onto your page

14. "Owning" a picture

15. Facebook was the enemy

Toxic Indulgences

I want to write about, sometimes, toxic indulgences. There are a million. Today, however, I am only going to mention the main one for women and the main one for men that I see.

MEN- VIDEO GAMES
Lord, give me strength. I do not mind a man that plays video games. Even a grown man. But when it gets to the point where you never leave the front of that TV, it becomes a problem. Men love to compete. No matter what it is, no matter where it is. They also tend to be a bit lazy. So a way to compete and not leave the house? Thus became video games. My boyfriend, I have to say, cut down a lot from the time that I met him when he was 17 to now. He really only plays with his coworkers when they come home from work. (he works the overnight and they get home around 5AM) I don't have much of a problem because I wake up at 530AM every morning and I go straight to getting Somaya and I ready. By the time I go down stairs to leave, he is either passed out, or finishing up. 

I have seen and heard about other men making it an addiction. They constantly have their headphones on and a controller in their hand. They hardly ever leave to TV and if they do it's because they need to pee or making something to eat. I have even seen some miss work. That is disgusting and immature. Grow up please.

WOMEN- SHOPPING
Yes. YOU HAVE AN PROBLEM LADIES. If you have maxed out your credit cards, you have a problem. If you cannot leave a store without buying yourself something, you have a problem. If you will skip buying a necessity so that you can buy something for yourself, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM! C'mon, don't just point fingers at the boys. Women are so bad with shopping addictions. We honestly believe we "need" that $500 purse. I hate shopping because I hate trying on clothes and fishing through the racks. If I hired a personal stylist, then I would have a problem. 

Women will shop for any reason. Mad, sad, happy, depressed, excited, nervous... We will find any excuse in the book to shop. 

Ask Cynthia- answers

I received a ton of questions in my email. I am surprised I got as many as I did. Many of them were questions about me. I had one that was a problem someone was having. I would like to start with that one first.

Q: I want to be a bartender. How do you even get hired as one? Do you have to get a license because that's a lot of money. And how do you remember all those drinks? I go to bars and everyone orders a different drink and it seems confusing! Help?

A: Let's start by explaining the obvious; bartending is a difficult job. There is a ton to remember and then on top of that you have to deal with peoples' lives and personalities outside of who they are. If you over serve someone they can walk out of the building and crash their car. It's a lot of liability on you. Don't let that scare you though. That is why it is so important to get your TIPS certification. TIPS is an alcohol awareness course that is almost mandatory for everyone is the restaurant industry. It teaches you everything from what is the legal driving limit for being drunk (.08) to how to detect if someone is drunk. This is the best course and (to me) I enjoyed it. You have to renew your certification, I believe, every 3 or 5 years. Rules change often so it is good to keep up with it. Even if you don't end up being a bartender or waitress, the knowledge you learn in the course is always good to have in the back of your mind. 

Next, is bartending in general. I did not get a license when I first started, nor do I have one now. It is not a requirement with all jobs. It is helpful and good to have with no experience. It teaches you the basics: bar set up and clean up, garnishments, popular drinks, bar tools, how to make a drink (ie shaking, mixing, measurements), and a lot more. When I started bartending, I applied at a local, hole in the wall, bar that was run by a family. Most people came in to get beers. I created menus, recipes, and advertisements for cocktails. LIQUOR COST MORE THAN BEER OR NONALCOHOLIC DRINKS! It is so crucial to UP SELL UP SELL UP SELL! If someone wants a vodka tonic, ask if they want Grey Goose or Absolut, ect. It costs more so it is better for business. They ask for a Bud Light draft, say "Would you like a tall?". That is your job to make the business money. If your running out of well liquor everyday, your boss won't be as happy as if you went up to him and said, "I need a new bottle of Hennessy because I ran out". I had 7 out of 10 people at that bar ordering cocktails with top shelf liquor in them. 

If you cannot find a job at a local bar for any reason, bars such as T.G.I.Fridays and Smokey Bones, is the a great option. I would actually try them first because they teach you from the ground up. Anything you were going to learn in your bartending class, you will learn here for free. I have worked at both and T.G.I.Fridays training is so extensive that you will learn everything. The only problem is that you only learn T.G.I.Fridays' drinks. It could be a popular drink that people can order anywhere, but Fridays has a special recipe for every drink. That is the only problem with corporate restaurants. Other than that, they are probably the best place to learn.

And to answer your other question of how I remember tons of drinks, REPETITION! That is literally the only way you will memorize a drink recipe. You can't look at a recipe, even if it's a hundred times, and memorize it. It is impossible (trust me I've tried). You need to make the drink multiple times. It takes me about 3 times to completely memorize a drink. But even if I make it those three times and then never make it again for 6 months, I will not remember it. 

Hope this helped you!

Q: Why did you start blogging?

A: I always thought it was fun to read, stupid to do. After reading a million blogs, however, I figured I'd give it a try. 

Q: Your baby is so cute! How are you able to balance two jobs and still raise her?

A: Like every other hard working mom in this world, balance. I used to work one job 3 days a week when she was first born. It was great because I had so much time with her and I would do anything to go back to that, but the money was tips, and tips isn't steady. I made excellent money, don't get me wrong, but there were some weeks I only made $300. That seems like a decent amount of money, but when your bills are high and you have a baby, it dwindles away pretty quick. There were some weeks I brought home over $800. It depends on how busy it is and how people are tipping. That is why I had to get a second job. One where I can have a steady paycheck and health insurance, as well as other benefits. It is tiring to work both jobs, but I love my bartending job so I won't quit. (and it doubles or triples my paycheck each week) Over anything though, I would love to have a steady job where I work 3 or 4 days a week and bring home what I bring home with two jobs. (American dream right?)

Don't mind my tore up couch in the back, it has since been replaced.

Q: Do you ever feel like you want to be a normal 22 year old without any kids, and you can go out whenever you want?

A: No. Seems like a weird answer for someone my age, but I love being a mom. I love coming home from work and making dinner and having family night, and playing with my daughter while watching a marathon of Bubble Guppies. I wouldn't trade that for all the parties and friends in the world. It is beyond amazing to see the appreciation in my daughter and boyfriends' eyes when I do things for them. Even if I complain that I'm so tired or that my feet hurt or that I do everything, I still enjoy and appreciate it. I've partied since I was 17 years old. It is a ton of fun, but I don't need that anymore. I can still go out to the club or the bar once in a while, but I choose not to. I go out maybe once a month, because spending time with my daughter is so much more fun to me. It took having a child to realize that. I thought all those years I knew what fun was, but the real fun begins when you start a family. Maybe I'm boring to others or I am "no fun anymore" (i hear that a lot) but I am happy and if you are my true friend, you know that. Plus I can pop open a bottle of wine at home in my PJs !

Q: Where did you get your family pictures done? They are beautiful.

A: Mr.Saddler Media. He is a friend from college and does a lot of different things. He just built his own studio and it looks amazing. He does awesome work as you can see on his Facebook page. He also has great rates. Give him a call for anything from photography to DJing. 

That's all I am going to answer for now. Keep you questions rolling in! I love to read them!

cynthiaSDS1130@yahoo.com

Ask Cynthia !

Today I want to do something different. I love helping people. I love being there for someone. Everyone goes through tough times in life and if I am able to lend a hand or an ear I'm all for it.

So today I want to start an ASK CYNTHIA section. Completely anonymous. 

After I accumulate a good amount of questions, I will put a blog up with responses.  I might even do a whole blog for one question. It could be a question about a trouble your having. A question on life. A question about me. Anything. 

I am very honest (and a bit sarcastic) so please do not get offended by my advice/statement.

I'm excited. Are you?! haha Please email me at the address below. And then look out for your response in an upcoming blog. 

cynthiaSDS1130@yahoo.com

How To Not Get Screwed Over By Your Next Car Repair

Today I dropped my car off to be repaired.  Someone backed into me while they were parking their car. No harm no foul, but I need my car fixed so I reported it to the insurance company because I waited a month for her to do it and she did not. I need to worry about myself and my car and not rely on others to pay for it because obviously she wasn't going to on her own.

ANYWAYS! I spoke to a man that my job deals with for our collision repairs. Nice gentleman. A bit fishy though. We women have this thing called intuition. It's a wonderful thing. And when you become a mother it gets even better and stronger. Now the way this man spoke gave me a bad feeling. I am a very good judge of character because I can read people easily. He told me what he was going to do to the car and it almost seemed like he was going to do a shitty job and pocket the cash. Uhmm no buddy. I have a black car, and even though it's a minor scrape, if not done properly, it will look like trash. I will not have a crappy car fix because someone wanted to hit my car.

My car should look the same, if not better, than it did before. It wasn't my fault so therefore it needs to be fixed. Now I do not know much about car. You press the gas and it goes VROOM and you press the break to make it stop going VROOM. Oh and if you don't feed it, then it will stop in the middle of the road and die... (personal experience) Other than that, I'm pretty much clueless. I, like many woman, know nothing about cars and that is why when we enter a dealership or repair shop, guys believe they can screw us over by talking car language and confuse us. That's wrong and it stops here. 

I have many friends that work on cars and I talk to them before I go get work done because I know they are just going to give me an honest remark.  Every woman needs a close friend in the car business to go to for any questions they have. Either way you should learn about this big machine you are driving. Read the owners manual. Familiarize yourself with the things that are in your car.  That way you will know what the flashing lights mean and when you need to get things repaired. 

When you do have to choose a repair shop, make sure the technicians are ASE certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.  Get a feel for the shop as well. Ask to be see some of the repair work they are working on. Have them explain step-by-step what they will be doing to your car. I had a gentleman at a repair shop that did this and it gave me a great piece of mind. I was not only learning more about cars and repairs but about the service I was about to have done.

Pay attention to your car. Funny smells, weird noises, the way it acts if it differs from the way a car is supposed to act. When you experience something out of the ordinary, at least you can describe it to them. (I smell rotten eggs when I accelerate; there's a knocking sound, ect.)

Always get a second opinion. If you're not sure about what you're being told, or even if you just want a second persons' opinion, go somewhere else. Don't repeat what the other shop said; just provide the same information about the problem and see what the mechanic finds and what the shop will charge to fix it. Before a repair, ask to see the part, where it goes and why it needs to be replaced, and then ask to see the old part after the repair is made. If you feel pressured to make a repair, walk away.

Before you get any repairs done, call your dealership and see if it is covered under warranty. Many people make this mistake and spend thousands out of pocket on repairs that their warranty could have covered. 

Always ask for the old parts back. That way you can guarentee that they were replaced.  This is where repair shops get you. They say they will replace the part and then 2 months later you hear the same noise or smell the same smell again. Make sure you cover your own ass and they aren't pocketing your money.

Bring a man with you. Someone you've sopken to about the problem and who can relay the message to the repair man and they can better diagnose and write up a slip. Men listen better to other men, especially about cars. Women may be better to look at but they do not car what comes out of your mouth.  They are too busy walking behind you and watching you bend over to show them the part you "think" you are talking about. Bring a man just for clarity and that way you don't have to sy much. Just confirm what your friend is saying. 

Review the invoice. Just like when you go to a restaurant you look at your reciept. Mistakes can happen. Maybe he was distracted by another car and added their statement onto yours. When you review it, ask him to explain what everything means abd have him walk through each step he did. You will not only know what happend with your car, but you will learn more about car repairs.

Lastly, get initials. If he tells you that he's going to give you a deal that's not listed on any coupon or there's nothing in writing, then get it in writing! Repair shops will say they will give you a deal and then next thing you know, you are paying full price, or more, for your repair. 

There's so many thing you can do to save money on your next repair that us women need to learn.  Don't let that next repair cost you more than what it needs to be

Dieting

I hate the word dieting. I hate that society is so F***** up that we feel it's necessary to diet. I feel that you can eat anything you want in moderation. That's what I was taught and it's worked for me? I'm not fat. I eat chocolate like it's nobodys business. BBQ sauce and I are going to get married one day. And no one has ever seen me turn down fried chicken. No if you OVER INDULGE then you become what's known as obese. Maybe you should take it down a notch.

I want to set the record straight that losing weight and dieting doesn't automatically make you healthy. Healthy is a lifestyle. Dieting just to lose weight is not. I hate when people say, I can't eat [insert delicious food item here] because I'll get fat. What bitch? If I eat it, am I fat? You can watch me eat this [insert delicious food item here] with a smile on my face and I'll let it haunt you in your dreams.

We need to start embracing our bodies. Who cares if the skinny bitch next to you gets more attention than you at the bar. Guys are attracted to confidence. She is probably working her outfit and those 4 inch heels like a champ, while you are over there sipping a vodka tonic (that you hate) and staring at your phone. STOP IT! Put on an outfit that makes you feel amazing and sexy and put on a smile! Go to that bar and drink the bottle of beer you really want or that sex on the beach that's been calling your name AND DO IT WITH A SMILE! OWN IT!

 I love THIS SITE because it teaches you to really love your own body. Put on your bikini and say f*** you to everyone that tells you not to. Celebrate your body. Why can't you? Because you read magazines and these skinny bitches are filling the pages? Or that they are always talking about how they lost 35 pounds in one month with this SUPER diet pill that changed their life. If you aren't happy with your body then change it. If you think that happiness is deciphered by what size you are, then you are sadly mistaken. 

Take my advice. Seriously. Go do it. Buy that bikini you've been dying to wear. Eat that cookie that's been staring you down all week at the bakery. (in moderation REMEMBER) Put on that outfit that makes you feel sexy and those heels that hurt your feet. Go to that bar/club and order that drink you love. GO TALK TO THAT MAN YOU SAW WHEN YOU WALKED IN. Go for it. Because you are beautiful and no one can tell you different.