Because obviously my opinion about the NFL matters.

http://youtu.be/etBpvypwbHo

I’d like to think I have a special perspective on this whole mess with the final call in the Packers- Seahawks game because this one time at a work event I met a real-life NFL referee.

Not a replacement ref. A real ref.

And he told me the gig was his second job. And if remember correctly, that was the case for most of the refs.

As someone who’s worked lots of second jobs, I can tell you that the only way to manage your life is to count on your first job and work your second job for the fun of it, not for the money.

Now, you might think, well, if the NFL refs aren’t in it for the money, why the heck are they striking? I’ll tell you why, because even if you love your job with all your pigskin heart, if the people hiring you are making $700 billion dollars and you’re making $5, you’re going to be annoyed.

Seeing as how those are real-life stats, you can clearly see what the deal is here.

Regardless though, I honestly would feel a bit bad for the replacement refs if the strike ends at this point, but only because my younger brother once worked at a factory during a strike and when the strike ended, it sucked for our rent situation.

Moving on to the real reason we’re all here. I would like to point out that the call last night at the Packers-Seahawks game was tough and that even regular refs could have had the same problem figuring out what the heck was going on.

As an avid Bears fan though, I’m self-aware enough to know that I want the call to be right because I want the stupid, dumb Packers to lose. And I’m also self-aware enough to know that maybe it actually was an interception.

I also know that if this happened to the Bears I would have thrown a couple TVs out the window last night and maybe even a radio for good measure. And that if the Bears somehow manage to  beat out the Packers for a playoff spot by one game, I shouldn’t get too excited because their record was likely tainted by one bad call.

Like I said though, I’m a Bears fan. So (clears throat) *ahem* SUCKS FOR YOU PACKERS!. Nah, nah, nah, nah. The Bears are in first place in NFC North. You lost. We won. Games over.

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Gel nails and special days.

The problem with gel nails is that you can’t get the dang things off.

That, and the fact they can cost $40.

I mean, sure, it’s awesome that they don’t chip and they dry instantly, but after about two weeks, you spend 10 days picking at them trying to get the suckers off, only to find out that your real nails are more damaged than a 15-passenger van after a mission trip.

I could be reasonable about the whole thing and go to a nail salon and ask them to take them off or something I guess, but I’m scared they’ll try to talk me into getting another set and then I’ll feel bad and I’ll want to say no because I can’t afford it, but there will be a 50% chance I’ll say yes, so instead, I just pick at them.

For 10 days.

And I look like I lack basic hygiene abilities.

I got the nails for April’s wedding.

I was the maid of honor, so I figured, if there’s ever a time for gel nails it’s the day you’re the maid of honor in your best friend’s wedding.

Between that and fake eyelashes, there’s 75% chance that I looked better on her special day than I will for my own.

Of course, that’s assuming I’ll have my own.

I’d like to think special days don’t have to be weddings though. I’d like to think that I’ve already had a handful of really special days.

Like the day I got my master’s Degree. Or the day my sister had to do a project about someone she admires and she did the project about me, and even drew a portrait of my face, complete with the part in my bangs that always happens by the end of the day even thought I want my bangs to go straight across.

Or the day I got a car with heated seats and automatic start.

Or the day I experienced my first youth mission trip foot washing ceremony and I prayed over 19 kids and cried for three hours straight because the power of the holy spirit was that overwhelming. Or the first day of the first Sweets and Snacks Expo I ever covered, where I literally walked across a threshold into Candy Land, Illinois.

Or the day I stood at the top of a mountain and looked down over Bogota, Colombia, the most beautiful city in the world.

Ya, I’d like to think that I’ve had a couple special days here and there.

On exactly none of those days though, was I wearing fake eyelashes and gel nails, so I’m not really sure if they count.

I’d like to think they do though. That maybe, for me, it will be completely all right if I’m unwed forever.

And if a husband happens to come along, I can tell him all about the heated seats and the foot washing and Bogota, while I sheepishly hide my half-picked gel nails.

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Greetings from the sky!

Greeting from 10,000 ft. up!

I’m currently on a flight to Reno, Nev. for work.

This is the first time I’ve ever used the in-flight wifi, and I’m pretty sure this means I can now officially claim to be a member of mile-high Facebook club, which is obviously a real thing and awesome.

I wish I could say I was off to Reno for something cool, like a quickie wedding, or a $10,000 poker game, or a meeting with Johnny Depp, but alas, it’s just for a candy convention. Which isn’t even in Reno. It’s in Lake Tahoe. I hear it’s beautiful there.

(Note to potential robbers: My brother lives with me and he’ll kick your butt if you try to steal our microwave while I’m out of town because you think the house is empty).

If you’re wondering, I scored a window seat on this flight. Getting up to use the bathroom means I have to crawl past two other passengers to get to the aisle while saying, “I’m sorry” 13 times in the process, but at least I get to lean on something while I  nap.

Also, it means I get to spend as much time as I want looking at the world through my favorite perspective.

The cars whiz around like miniature Hotwheels, the clouds are so close you can touch them, and even the mountains seem small.

I wonder if this is how God sees the world when he looks down on us. And if it is, it’s no wonder He doesn’t understand why we worry so much. He’s sitting there in the heavens with the whole picture and we’re freaking out because we can’t see to the other side of the mini-bridge.

Which makes you realize, that most of the time, all we need is a little shift in perspective. Problems and success are usually smaller than they appear. We’re all part of something bigger than ourselves. The world is a much bigger place than we usually realize.

Also, for what it’s worth, peeing while flying is strange and cool no matter how old you are. I’m guessing even God understands that.

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