Hey there, rocket men / women / people! When are you gonna come down? I hope it’s soon, because it’s time for the Friday Open Thread, every Friday’s legendary girl-on-girl Internet party. It’s BYOB, but, like, that is totally balanced out by the scene, y’know? We have a Friday Open Thread every week, most likely because a lot of us would rather sit at the computer than embark on journeys out-of-doors (is it just me?) but also because you’re all so cute that I just wanna pinch your cheeks and I can’t imagine myself doing that without first creating a safe space in which you can post photos of those cute faces as well as your pets. Especially your pets.

This is my pet. His name is Eli, and I’ll post a photo of him every time you comment on this very post with a picture of your fuzzy or not-fuzzy friends who aren’t human. Feel free to post other photos, too — like of dinner, or your girlfriend. Or to post videos! Or links! OR JUST WORDS. Whatever makes you happy sets me free.

2014-04-26 11.24.52

In the three weeks since I last gathered y’all up for some semi-forced socialization, not much has happened in my own life — aside from the crippling occasional feelings of self-doubt, some really shitty rain, and me getting sunburn from literally going outside (a good sign that summer is here). But I did actually manage to accomplish one of my life-long goals in those three weeks: I established a morning routine.

Yes, I confess — it has only been two weeks and I have already fucked it up three times – but this shit is kind of amazing. I wake up, I drink coffee out of a real coffee pot (I mean, I put it in a mug first) that brews for me every morning at 7:30 with toast on the side, I watch Weeds (if I’m wearing heels) or Arrested Development (if I oversleep) or listen to NPR (if I’m being nerdy), get my shit together, cuddle with my dog, and then grab a paper on the Metro and head to work — and when I finally arrive, relatively close to on time and pretty darn perky, I feel like I’ve already accomplished something.

The thing about having a morning routine is that you can only do these things in the morning, and I know this because I’ve tried it at night. Compulsively cleaning while listening to talk radio at 10PM? Not cute. Reading a paper on the train home at 6PM? Extremely weird and incredibly isolating. Nope, night time is for Netflix, eating fried goods after I’ve already eaten dinner, and falling asleep right as I’m intending to set my alarm for the next day.

Carmen Rios, 11:30 PM, roughly every night of the week.
Carmen Rios, 11:30 PM, roughly every night of the week.

So, here’s my set of questions vaguely directed at you, dear reader. What’d you do when you woke up like this? Did you read a paper, crack open a beer, or hit “snooze” like, a billion times? Either way, I’m enthralled. When you grab the newspaper for the train, do you recycle it after or keep it in your bag by accident most of the time? I sympathize. Are you a morning person? Luckily, none of this matters if you aren’t — because I’d also like to know where you’re going tonight, young lady, and also how you’re feeling and how exams are going and when your next date is and how sweet the moon looks in her eyes and how your pet’s vet visit went and did I mention PETS, that if you post a PET photo, it ends with more PET photos? Maybe you don’t have a PET, in which case you should take a picture of the kale or edamame or sugar snap peas you’re munching on right now and show those to me, too. Hell, send along your fucking Mother’s Day plans and ask me where I bought my mom’s flowers in exchange for 30 airline miles to each dollar. I don’t care what you share so long as you GET IN THERE! I want to know every single thing about you – right down to how you take your coffee. Leave a comment and tell me whatever you damn well please! Doesn’t matter what you say, because true love is unconditional. And remember: Comment on other people’s comments, too! It’s an open thread, not an open Facebook wall. Keep it interesting.

Bring it on, blaring alarms of humanity which compel me to start anew each day. I’m ready for you.


How To Post a Photo In The Comments:

1. Find a photo! This is the easy part. Find a photo on the web, right click (on a Mac, control+click), hit “Copy Image URL,” and then…

2. Code it in to your comment! Use the following code:

<img src=”http://imageurlgoeshere”>

If you need to upload the photo you love from your computer, try using imgur.

*How To Post a Video In The Comments, Too:

1. Find a video on YouTube or Vimeo or WHATEVER and click “embed.” Copy that code, but first make sure it’s for 640px wide or less. If your player is too large, it will not display properly.

2. Copy the code and paste it directly into your comment.

3. Go forth and jam.