check your baggage at the door...

i've always had a pretty good memory. i often do this thing where i remember events based on what i was wearing...or associate certain restaurants, songs, or movies with certain people. this can be a good thing or a bad thing. for example, the short stop inn always reminds me of my bff marissa:

{an oldie but a goodie}

this combined with the delicious food is an excellent memory association. however, once i dated a guy and we always went to the olive garden and got fettucini alfredo every single time. it still really is not my favorite pasta. lately, i've been trying to relclaim some of these places, songs, movies, and clothing for good memories rather than bad. here are a few examples:

"crash" by dave matthews band

as well as "with or without you" by u2 are songs that, when i dated this one weirdo, were our songs. for a long time when either of these songs came on the radio, i felt a strong desire to punch something (preferrably something tall...male...and red-headed, if you catch my drift). but it didn't take long for me to get over the whole u2 thing. first off, it's a fantastic song...

second off, who makes that their song? dear boyfriend, living with you is a right pain in the tookus. but for some reason i am completely codependent on you, and i can't imagine my life without you. oh right, and i find this condition immensely desirable. love, your completely mental girlfriend. third off...i just want to make the point that i've heard a lot of people say "first off..." when they begin a list, but second off and third off just sounds idiotic.

this shirt

{check out the little ham who just couldn't stay out of the pic!!}

i wore this shirt once when i went on one of the most awkward dates of my life. up until recently, i haven't been able to redeem it. but i'm trying out new things. i wore it on a couple of more happy occasions, and i've decided to change it up and wear it without a tank underneath (leaving the 80s where they belong...30 years ago, thank you very much), and reclaim the flirty personality of this super-flattering shirt...

{or as flirty as i'm capable of right before bed on a double-dose of benadryl}

sweet pea body lotion from bath and body works

once upon a time, sweet pea was like my favorite scent from b&b. then i took 10th grade gym class. and there was some girl who i'm pretty sure never washed her gym uniform, and maintained a constant aroma which combined stinky unwashed butt, BO, sweaty feet, and sweet pea. so every time i smell it, all i can smell is stinky feet and it makes me want to gag. haven't found a remedy for this baggage, but i'm open for suggestions.

monsters inc.

the first time i ever saw monsters inc., i watched it at about 4am. i had to deprive myself of sleep for a brain-scanny-test thingy, so my mom and i stayed up watching movies all night. now, for those of you who haven't had the privilege (or curse?) of interacting with me when i'm sleep-deprived, well, i am just grumpy miss grouchy pants, and it is not pretty. so i unfortunately hate this movie bc i was so grumpy when i watched it. which is such a shame bc i like these kinds of movies so much...

chilis

so, one time i dated a guy who loved chilis approximately 75% as much as i love it (which is saying something). and nothing really thrilling or horrific happened. we parted on good terms (in fact, on a note about as luke-warm and dull as the relationship...), but eating at chilis always reminds me that sometimes chilis causes intestinal issues for me...which is how said ex-boyfriend and i became open about our bodily functions. i still eat at chilis bc their fajitas make me drool just thinking about them. but i'm a bit more cautious about it as a first date food...

the list could go on and on, but the question is this:

is this kind of baggage just a female thing? do dudes have this same weird association thing going on?