Wendy's Showdown

Yesterday I stopped at the local Wendy's to pick up a quick lunch and my twenty minute wait in line ended with an order of crispy chicken nuggets and an HBO-worthy girlfight. Yes, my friends, within minutes of me walking into this fine establishment, a Wendy's employee and another girl started pulling at each other's weaves. There was fake hair flying everywhere, lonely little braids littered the floor, they tackled each other onto a table full of children eating their mid-day meal, a stanchion was in the air at one point, and I just stood by the register the whole time, saying, "Um, excuse me, can I get an order of crispy chicken nuggets from your value menu?"

It made my day.

Depression

I can't help but post this. Both Anthony and a listserv I'm on brought this to my attention:

Which towns stand in the face of depression
By: Sara Vigneri

Maybe it was all those years of futility for the Phillies. Or the shadows cast by New York City to the north and Washington, D.C., to the south. Whatever the reasons, Philadelphia has earned the melancholy distinction of being America's most depressed city, followed closely by Detroit and St. Petersburg, Florida. Men's Health compiled this list based on antidepressant sales, courtesy of NDC Health; suicide rates, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the number of days inhabitants reported being depressed, based on the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, accessed through bestplaces.net.

Where can you find happiness? Texas, that's where. Three of its cities placed in the top four: number one, Laredo; number two, El Paso; and number four, Corpus Christi.

The 20 Happiest Cities
1. Laredo, TX: A+
2. El Paso, TX: A+
3. Jersey City, NJ: A+
4. Corpus Christi, TX: A+
5. Baton Rouge, LA: A
6. Honolulu, HI: A-
7. Fresno, CA: A-
8. San Jose, CA: A-
9. Lincoln, NE: B+
10. Bakersfield, CA: B+
11. Buffalo, NY: B+
12. Anchorage, AK: B+
13. Stockton, CA: B+
14. Shreveport, LA: B+
15. (3-way tie) Madison, WI: B, Montgomery, AL: B, and Des Moines, IA: B
18. Wichita, KS: B
19. (tie) Sacramento, CA: B and Omaha, NE: B

The 20 Most Depressed Cities
1. Philadelphia, PA: F
2. Detroit, MI: F
3. St. Petersburg, FL: F
4. St. Louis, MO: F
5. Tampa, FL: F
6. Indianapolis, IN: F
7. (3-way tie) Mesa, AZ: F, Phoenix, AZ: F, and Scottsdale, AZ: F
10. Cleveland, OH: F
11. New York, NY: D-
12. Salt Lake City, UT: D-
13. Atlanta, GA: D
14. (3-way tie) Yonkers, NY: D, Pittsburgh, PA: D, and Kansas City, MO: D
17. (3-way tie) Long Beach, CA: D, Los Angeles, CA: D, Nashville, TN" D
20. Portland, OR: D

America's Next Top Model

So, I've been watching this show on UPN religiously, and I am now prepared to make my selections known (not that many of you care, but really, it's the only television show I watch - other than the Simpson's while I cook dinner to catch up on years of quality programming that I missed thoughout my childhood):

1. Kahlen
2. Brittany
3. Naima

Naima has been getting the audience favorite vote week after week, since this season began, but it's all a trick of editing. In the last few seasons the same thing happened - the girl that was least on camera, and had the least personality invested in the show (or absolutely NO bad moments), was the audience favorite. Again it is so with Naima. I don't feel like she brings much to the program other than a pretty face. I just reviewed all the portfolios up to this point and her pictures aren't even that strong.

As for Kahlen and Brittany, I think it's almost a toss-up, but I'm rooting for Kahlen. Brittany certainly has the more bubbly personality but sometimes her presence can feel like an assault and her pictures aren't always consistent. Kahlen, on the other hand, constantly takes beautiful pictures and is a master of disguise, but has a much quieter personality.

We'll see. I'll be tuning in every Wednesday at 8...

How Time Flies

I can't even begin to explain how quickly time disappears when you're busy and not having all that much fun. I can't go into all the details of what's going on in my life in such a public format as my Blog at the current time, but I am sure I will get around to it at some point.

Otherwise, I want to update you all (you know who you are) on a few of the things going on in my life.

First is the Publishing Course at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism this summer. Last Thursday I got a really thin letter in the mail from them - and we all know what that means: I didn't get in. Somehow there were more qualified applicants than me (yeah, I know! I couldn't understand it either!). Lucky for you, only Anthony had to deal with my whining and crying.

In regards to the Foreign Service exam, administered by the U.S. Department of State, I took the written half of the exam in DC this past Saturday. After nearly seven hours with the TEST NAZI, during which time we weren't allowed to eat or drink (not even water!) and were lucky if we were able to score a bathroom break, I don't even get to find out how I fared until the end of July.

The test seemed to go really smoothly for me, but it is now out of my hands. If the stars are aligned correctly, then I will pass this phase and move on to the next level of examination: the oral. Now, contrary to popular opinion, "oral" is not always a dirty word. It will not be something you see on skinimax, but rather I will be admistered a Model UN type of interview for about 8 hours.

Other than that, I am leaving Philadelphia (for the last time, I hope) at the end of May. It looks like the City of Brotherly Love will be without me once again, but my mom will be the beneficiary of my company for the next three months. Yes, kids, your dear old Ryan will be taking a break from the weary world and trying to take it easy this summer. With any luck, I will work some easygoing job for three months to pay off my student loans and such, but mostly I will relax. Yaaaaaaaaaay!