Coffee and a Conversation
As Told Over Brunch is a home for intelligent discourse from the twenty-something perspective - so the stuff you gossip about over mimosas on Sunday morning or over takeout on your friend's couch when happy hour ends too early. We love chatting about our lives, whether it be the relationships we’re building (or destroying), lessons we've learned at work, struggles at school, growing pains we've felt, or even the food we’re talking over.
Today the internet is filled with posts proclaiming that they have the best mother. Perhaps the most beautiful, the funniest, the smartest, the most caring mother in the entire world. I’m not here to compete with anyone. In fact, I’m happy that so many people are as supported and filled with love for their mommas as I am.
Read MoreThe last month of my senior year of college, I decided to make money on a weekend trip home. I posted my planned journey on a website two weeks out, and two people messaged me wanting a lift. The one agreed on $10 for me to drop her in Richmond, and the other, who we'll call "Pip," agreed on $20 for me to take him to Virginia Beach. Plus, my dad would probably give me gas money, so I was gonna make out like a bandit. Ka-ching, ka-ching.
Slightly before this trip, I had committed to graduate school in Richmond and created a roommate profile on another site. The weekend before the trip, a potential roommate messaged me asking if I'd be interested in meeting and seeing his place. I said yes and figured I could drop off the first person and I'd just tell Pip he needed to find another ride and he could keep his $20.
Read MoreHi, Mom. I know you’re reading this.
Last week my mom told me she finally figured out how to use her Smartphone and read this blog. It’s not like she hasn’t had this Smartphone for two years. She’s also been trying to get the hang of Facebook for three years, but “do my friends have to be able to see my profile? Why can’t I just see theirs and they can’t see mine?”
Because that’s selfish, Mom.
Anyway, I have to decide if my mom reading ATOB is going to affect my writing. (Don’t worry; it isn’t. My mom is just going to have realize I’m a 24-year-old adult.) At the very least, I’m going to have to answer a lot more texts.
Read MoreThis week's brunch review features a very special lady and her opinions: my mother. When my family came to visit me in Richmond, I brought them to On the Rox.
On the Rox is one of the least busy places you can probably go to for brunch in Richmond, and I never really understand why. Sure, their service is not the fastest, and sure, if you actually show up at 10am (like they advertise they are open at), you'll make it there before their wait staff, but their food is absolutely wonderful.
And they give you an entire bottle of champagne in the mimosa pitcher. AND they have those fancy windows that they swing all the way open on nice days. But most importantly, they have a great brunch menu!
Read MoreTruth be told, I am not a great gift selector. I'd like to think that doesn't reflect upon me in a way that suggests that I don't pay attention to people's desires, but I probably don't pay that much attention to people's desires. My way of picking presents out for people is basically going off of one comment that I vaguely remember them making, and hoping for the best. Here's how I applied my technique to each member of my family:
Mom and Dad: Ahh, you can see problem #1 here is that I have already grouped them together. And generally speaking, they have two hobbies: beer drinking and golfing. The golfing theme has been done. And done again. And redone. To the point that we've beat the dead horse, and then some more for good measure. So that only leaves beer. And that's even been done. Last year, I took them on a "tour" of every wine and beer landmark I experienced since moving to Virginia, by buying them a bottle from every brewery or winery I could get my hands on. Nothing like outlining your drinking endeavors to your parents, right?
Read MoreIn college, lots of my professors warned about being cautious about what you post on social media. Despite your best efforts, employers can find anything they want about you online, including your social media pages. So how do you prepare your profile to be seen by people that potentially hold your future in their hands? The easiest way to to do that is friend your mom. If you don't want your mom to see it, you definitely don't want it on Facebook. That picture of you passed out after a long night of partying? Nope, momma won't want to see that. Don't put it on Facebook. That cuss-filled post sub-texting everyone on your feed? Mother won't be happy. Keep it to yourself.
I know when my mom first joined Facebook, I was nervous that she was going to be that mom who blows up the feed with "WHAT A CUTIE," and "WHO IS THAT IN THIS PICTURE," etc. But, it's actually really easy to avoid that. You know how?
You talk to her. I explained to my mom that everyone can see everything you do on Facebook, so comment sparingly. Please try not to "like" every photo in an album, especially if it's not even my album. If you have something disproving /inside joke-ish / mom-ish, please take it up with me in a private manner.
And my mom has been a Facebook gem. She comments on things, and it's always appropriate and probably only once or twice annoying. I say that now, though, and she'll probably read this and go HAM all over my wall just to be silly (hi, mom, still glad we're friends).
So I’ve probably mentioned before that I’m one of the youngest employees at work (I can no longer say youngest because we just hired someone younger than me). Sometimes being young means that you lack authority, or it means that no one listens to you, but on the bright side, it puts you in perfect position to have a work mom! And, let me tell you, work moms are great. I started on the same day as one work mom, who would give me advice (not limited to work advice), bring me snacks, remind me about mom-ish things and even bought me lunch or breakfast from time to time.
But what’s even better is having multiple work moms. Everyone chips in to make sure I feel taken care of. And they complement me on my outfits because I’m so in-style, which is actually hilarious because nothing I wear is in style, but I have them fooled because they figure that must be what the kids are wearing these days.
My work moms also understand when I bring in cheetohs or brownies to our monthly breakfast, because "at their age they weren’t cooking either". Off the hook! And yes – I really did bring in brownies and cheetohs before to our breakfast.
Balanced with the fact that my work moms do actually trust me to do my job, and respect me when I am doing my work, being mom-ed is actually endearing. When I was talking about it with another younger co-worker, she said she didn’t like it. I get that they don’t treat anyone else this way, but let’s be honest; my work moms took care of me on my birthday when we barely recognize anyone else’s birthday at all. I’ll take the special treatment.