According 2 Robin

Week 10 – NFL Fantasy Football

Robin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:18:00 +0000

In a stunning upset, the Andersons come back after last week’s loss to the Bartletts to triumph – with the elder Anderson taking on his daughter and the brothers-in-law going head-to-head. Keyshawn was overheard after the final scores had been recorded by Yahoo as saying, “C’mon Man!” after his trademark ESPN segment.

The Bartletts will spend the day licking their wounds, but then step up for the week ahead where the Bartletts and the Andersons take on their own. Only week 12-13 will tell if the Andersons can maintain their hold over the Bartletts

In other news, the 49ers travel to the frozen tundra this week in hopes of finally catching their unicorn and winning at Lambeau. Not since the days of Steve Young have the 49ers beat the Packers, and this game will be the one to watch. While the 49ers are finding themselves, the Packers continue to struggle behind Aaron Rodgers, the most sacked QB in the NFL.. If Alex Smith can connect with Crabtree and Davis, watch out! It could be time to celebrate with reservations in the end zone. Also, Gore is coming off another 100+ yard game against the Bears and looks to repeat his success up north. Stay tuned sports fans, this week could be a BIG one!

Music, Memories & Motivation…

Robin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:01:45 +0000

Recently, I was jotting down “25 Random Things About Me” for Facebook and, one of the random things I listed about myself was that I am addicted to music. I am unsure how I ever survived without my iPhone – and will never buy another car that does not have the capability to sync with my iPhone. I crave music. I can listen to just about anything, if it has a good underlying beat. So how did that turn into something worthy of being posted on According 2 Robin? Well, here’s the thing. I recently re-read Stephenie Meyer’s book New Moon and actually read the acknowledgments. Among other things, Stephenie lists the music that inspired her while she was writing. I was already thinking about music and when I added this new tidbit of information to the mix I just couldn’t shake it loose.

There are certain songs that when they are played instantly trigger a memory for me. Boyz to Men – Motown Philly, is the song that was playing when I walked into Winter Ball my sophomore year in high school. Steppenwolf – Magic Carpet Ride, will always take me to any Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity party of my college days. Savage Garden – Truly, Madly, Deeply, is the song that my husband and I danced to at our wedding. Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride, is a song I am actually named after (the first line of the song is “Don’t cry little Robin Marie” <– that’s me!). More recently, 3oh 3 – Don’t Trust Me, puts me walking the Vegas strip with friends after driving all night to get there. All these memories that come flooding back just because a certain song is played. Makes Me Wonder (Maroon 5) if there are other things in my life that trigger memories as powerfully? I can’t think of anything, at least not anything that is as unplanned as the shuffle on my iPod.

I also find it amazing that the right kind of music can get me to do stuff. If I can get the right mix pumping out of my iHome … I can get all kinds of laundry and house cleaning done. A mix of old Rat Pack Crooners, like Frank, Bing, or Dean works miracles for making dinner for my family. Classical music is the perfect compliment to curling up in a chair and reading for hours. While others just make my feet itch to dance!

Why? Why is music so powerful? I think that the underlying drum beat of the song has the ability to work within us – kind of like a heart beat. In doing so the rhythm inspires that which is hanging out in our sub-conscience, and >>poof<< dishes are done! So why the flash backs? I think that Hollywood has done a really good job in teaching us that special moments in our lives should be overshadowed with music. Theme music for our lives? Yep! That is what I think anyway, and since this is According 2 Robin I must be right. ;o)

Whatever the reason, I love music. I love that it makes my life more colorful. I love that it motivates me. I love that it stirs my blood to make me want to dance. Music rocks!

Boys & Boxes

Robin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:16:20 +0000

You would think that after 12 years of marriage I would know my husband better than anyone else… and you would be right. However, it is only recently that I came to this knowledge. Now, please don’t misunderstand me, everything I know about my amazingly smart, witty, handsome, and tech savvy husband I have collected over the years. However, I recently watched something that made it all make sense. It was like discovering a magic key that unlocked all the secrets & suddenly made sense of them. Are you intrigued yet? Want that key? Are you ready for it?

Okay, so boxes is the answer. That’s right boxes. The mystery behind your husband/boyfriend’s behavior can all be boiled down to one thing… boxes! Let me explain… A boy’s brain consists of millions and millions of boxes. Each one labeled with one specific thing. His job, his car, money, in-laws, girls, sex,etc. Now are you ready for the kicker? He can only access – or rather is only comfortable accessing one box at a time. Also, boys have a “nothing” box – where believe it or not they can actually think about nothing! Insane right?

So I had seen this video on Facebook/YouTube and I thought I would test it out on my husband. I didn’t do anything over the top, I just tried to pay attention to what he was doing and figure out which box he was in. I also made sure that when I needed his attention on something I walked over to where he was and looked him in the eye prefacing my comments with “can I borrow your attention for a few minutes.” Thus, giving him the time to put his work box away and access the box I needed his attention on. You know what? It totally worked!

Like all couples we’ve had our squabbles. I get my feelings hurt if it feels like he isn’t spending enough time with me, or if we aren’t sharing our interests with each other. So we chatted about boxes and spending time with each other and I learned something. He IS interested in spending time with me. Even more amazing, he would rather sit next to me and work in his “Job Box” than sit further away at his desk. Even if he can’t focus his immediate attention on me, just occupying the same space makes him happy. By extension this thrills me!

Okay, here’s the next key… This same guy, Mark Gungor, was also talking about asking your boy to do something more than once. I was so ready for him to say something like, boys don’t need you to nag them to death to get something done. Right? Wrong! He started explaining that if you only ask your boy to do something once (especially if he is in another box) there is literally no way he will remember it. Now, I don’t think that this means we need to over state our requests, but I think it means if you ask your boy to do something and after a few days go by, he still hasn’t done it – well it doesn’t mean he is upset with you and has opted not to fulfill your request. Rather, the request didn’t get into the right box. It seems to imply that all these years of thinking my husband was secretly passive aggressive about certain tasks was all in MY head. It was simply that the information didn’t make it to the right box. Who knew?

By the way, this guru of boy’s brains also had some insight on our thought process. He compared it to a massive ball of wire where everything is connected. Further, the reason we girls remember details of certain things better than our boys is because we stamp it with the emotion associated with it. Whereas, boys, don’t have the same memory because they are far less emotional than we are. Shocker! It was interesting to learn about the things my husband had stamped with emotion. While not as plentiful, they were certainly more meaningful. He may not remember what I was wearing the first night we met (a black & white knit dress my mom made for me – that I was in love with because it had a great slit up the side), but he can tell you exactly where we were when he told me he loved me for the first time. It made me see him in a whole new light.

The Mystery of Girls

Robin — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:50:40 +0000

Having worked at a high school I have had the occasion to become good friends with this up and coming generation. They are an amazing bunch of kids! Recently, I have found myself trying to explain a great mystery – girls. One of the amazing young men I have come to know has an equally amazing girlfriend, but is often frustrated by her “girly” behavior. He is very logical and tries in most situations to use reason to figure things out, and he just can’t figure out why his girlfriend doesn’t see things the same way.

Both of these teenagers are recent high school graduates and are headed off to college in the fall in two different yet nearby cities. They are optimistic that this distance will not have an effect on their relationship. Yet, this summer they are already finding that distance is an issue – as he & his family had embarked on a three week vacation & cruise. After 2 1/2 weeks away he decided that he wanted to come home. Typical guy, he texted his girlfriend to see if she could find him a ticket home. Typical guy, he forgot to preface the request with all the mushy lovey dovey things we girls just love to hear. Typical girl, she got her feelings hurt & put up a wall of “business”. A day or so later, I got a call asking for the same help. Not being the girlfriend I didn’t need any preface & immediately set to work on finding our hero a way home. Needless to say, he got home – I even picked him up from the airport in hopes of delivering him to his girlfriend as a surprise. He was happy to be home, but at the same time frustrated by his girlfriend’s reaction. As we waited for his luggage I listened carefully as he vented his frustrations. I was glad to be the one he vented to as I really do think that these two have a future together. His main complaint was that her behavior didn’t make sense to him. Couldn’t she see that he was doing all of this for her? Didn’t she realize that he had no internet access & very sketchy cell service? We chatted about the wording of his text & when I asked if he had prefaced it with words of gratitude & how much he missed her he looked at me in wonder. Doesn’t she know all that anyway? Being a “grown-up girl” I just shook my head & tried to explain how even though we “know” this we still like to be reminded of it… and often. We like to know that we we may hold a place in your heart – we also want to know when we are on your mind. But that doesn’t make any sense, was his reply. I just nodded and said, I know… and yet that doesn’t make it untrue.

It was a good thing we had a time before this couple faced each other. I had spoken to her earlier & while she was certain they would work things out she just needed some time to blow off a little steam. I was certain that after 2 1/2 weeks apart the second these two clapped eyes on each other all would be mended. Shows what I know. I ended up hanging out with the couple for the afternoon & early evening in which at different times I was the moral support for one or the other of them. There was whispering when one would leave the room – texting while sitting next to each other – and a few well timed suggestions to move conversation in the right direction. Drama, drama, drama. By the time I was ready to call it a night they were holding hands & things looked back on the right track. While it was satisfying to help this couple out it did make me think about a few things.

We girls are confusing, and yet I have to believe that this is part of our charm. I told my husband shortly after he proposed that by marrying me, his life would never be boring. I’m sure he was under the impression that this meant that our life wold always be super fun. While we have more than our share of fun, we also have our share of drama. I’m a girl… I can’t help it. I too get annoyed when he forgets to remind me of how important I am to him. When my self confidence gets a little shaky & I need that reassurance that only he can give me. Mom’s assurance never helps – she HAS to love you. Girl friends are great, but you always know they are only really telling you what you want to hear. Husbands and/or boyfriends have that uncanny ability make you see the best in yourself. It gets tricky when my husband is also feeling stressed out & therefore unable to read my mind to know exactly what to say to me to make everything all better. It does not happen too often, but when our stress over laps it does certainly make things interesting.

So here it is… my According to Robin advice. Boys, boys, boys… we always need to hear how important we are to you. We need to hear that you find us more captivating than anything else in your life, and even though you may have to go away (on vacation, to school, to work, to practice, anywhere) you will still be thinking about us. That may sound ridiculous. It may even sound like there is no way we could not know all this stuff, and here’s the thing…. are you ready? wait for it… we DO know all this stuff deep down in our hearts, we just LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing you say it.

Good luck!