First things first, I blow-dried my hair today!!!!!!! 2 for 2, baby. I'm on a roll!

Secondly, I am ahead of the game by one Oz book.

Third, I have a job interview on Friday. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!!! It would be a pretty ideal position and I'm excited about the possibilities.

Now, time for the tough talk. Tracy and I both, as has been mentioned, have allowed ourselves in the last year or so (32 years, in my case) to be railroaded, walked upon, taken advantage of, used, etc. Why? Not because we are doormats by nature, I don't think, and not because we necessarily choose "bad" men, but because we have this idea of a self-sacrificing sort of love...that the more we give of ourselves, the more our love for somebody is proven. It's a broken, disordered way of thinking, no matter how genuine the intent behind it, and it is going to be our toughest task in the months ahead to break ourselves of this. We need some ground rules to keep us headed in the right direction.

1. Trust your gut. Don't ignore red flags. 

2. It doesn't make you a bitch to stand up for yourself.

3. Expect to be treated the way you treat others. When you aren't, talk about it first, and walk if there aren't changes. Your heart and your worth as a human are more important than someone else's ego.

4. If someone speaks to you in a way that would make your father go blind with rage, there is a problem.

5. If you'd advise your best friend to get out if it were her -- get out. You are just as valuable.

It all comes down to self-respect in the end, and knowing that we deserve to be loved and treated properly. It isn't proper for someone to belittle and demean you. It isn't proper for someone to take ceaselessly from you and then, when you need them, to disappear. It isn't proper for someone to cheat on you, or to ignore you for days on end, or to choose his job/his friends/alcohol/whatever over you every single time. It isn't proper for you to cry and for him to ignore you or tell you that you're being a drama queen. It isn't proper to feel on edge all the time and pressured to "make" him love you by doing X, Y, or Z. He should love you because you are you, and you are lovable, and you are deserving. Period, the end.