I love talking about Christmas or really any holiday with friends and family. When you talk in the present tense about a holiday it's "I have so much more shopping to do" or "we are making three hams because we have 22 people coming to dinner this year!", or "I am really hoping for an iPad so I can stop lugging my laptop around with me". All are perfectly fine things to talk about, and all are conversations I find myself having too.
But I love the past tense conversations. It's never about what you got, what you ate, or how you fell asleep with visions of sugar plums dancing in your head. Not the Red Rider BB gun... not the feast down in Whoville... not the angel who you helped get its wings. It's about much smaller things. And that's what I love.
It's about how one year, there was so much snow that you were all dripping wet at Christmas dinner from making snow angels for an hour. About how Uncle Bruce spiked his own egg nog and confessed he didn't really meet your aunt in church, like he originally said. About that year that the dog chased your cousin's cat around the house and knocked down the Christmas tree. That time Dad forgot to open the flu in the fireplace before lighting the fire and everything smelled like smoke for days. Laughing about that year that the power went out and the kids put on a disco play with glowsticks and flash lights. About how happy mom was that everyone agreed to take a family picture. About staying up late with your cousins, convincing each other those really were jingle bells you were hearing. And the year you finally caught Grandpa eating the cookies that were supposed to be for Santa.
When I think about my Christmases growing up, I don't remember which year I got a barbie doll, or designed the perfect Christmas cookie masterpiece. My memories are smaller than that, and they make me happy.
It's that 'Santa' would always come visit us at my grandmother's house on Christmas Eve, and I always thought it was weird that he seemed to be the only person to use the front door, since everyone else came in through the side door.
It's that, with twelve people and two dogs in the house, it was easy for my brother and I to sneak out to the freezer on the porch and attack Nana's stash of frozen Thin Mint cookies, totally unnoticed.
It's that I got to sleep in my Aunt Jerri's old bedroom... which had more stuffed animals than I could ever play with. And that was awesome.
I remember my mother and her sisters acting out The Twelve Days of Christmas every year, and getting themselves into laughing fits until you couldn't tell which day they were on anymore.
It's the faces my dad would make when he walked into Nana's house to find that the thermostat was set at 82 degrees.
It's the orange glow that came from the candelabra night lights, that I watched as I fell asleep. Whether it was the color or the heat in Nana's house, I don't know, but it made me feel warm and safe.
Taking pictures along the banister. And never taking it seriously after the age of about 10.
Wondering how many years the same piece of string had been used to hang our stockings.
Realizing that my mother had hand made each of our stockings.
Trying to wear those stockings like socks, after we got those pesky oranges out of the bottom.
Wrapping paper wars.
Calling to my dad and uncles that they had to get out of the kitchen to unwrap gifts because it was "their turn".
Nana getting package after package of Exclamation lotion, perfume, and cremes, and her excitement over receiving each one because she just LOVES Exclamation.
Finding the drawers full of previous year's exclamation gifts that had never been opened.
Making the whole pew shake at midnight mass as my brothers and dad and I all tried not to laugh hysterically at the priest's sermon.
The looks my mother gave us when the pew started shaking.
And the main reason to go to midnight mass: walking home with my dad when the air was cold, the whole town was asleep, and it was just us. Each year, the walk seemed to get shorter, and I wished we could go just once more around the block, even though I couldn't feel my toes.
May your holidays be happy, healthy, and full of memories that you can hold with you long into the new year. Memories that are hard to explain, but fill you with warmth and make you smile. No matter what Best Buy says, Christmas is not about the iPad.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Gotta do the rest in 240 days!
Who has two thumbs and is awful at updating her blog? THIS GIRL!
Part of the reason has been because I have been waiting for the opportunity to include MAJOR updates, which have still not quite manifested, but largely because life seems to be getting away from me these days! I am not sure where the time goes, but I seem to be missing days/weeks/months at a time as life goes by at blinding speeds.
I suppose I should start with an update on my list… which is also a shock to me. Looking at how little time I have left, I am amazed that I am 761 days into my mission and have not completed more of my goals. When I kicked off this mission, I went at full force, tackling as many of these goals as I could right away. Obviously, the main point of this challenge was not to set goals that I could accomplish overnight, but it is still unsettling how quickly the time has passed.
On a positive note, here’s what I’ve done since my last check-in:
One of the most important goals on my list was #2 : Spend a weekend with just my Daddy. Yes, I am Daddy’s little girl. Not only am I fully aware of my Princess stature in this respect, but I fully embrace it. In some ways, I am a lot like my dad; a truth that has been pointed out to me my entire life, but I have only started to see for myself and fully appreciate as an adult. He came down to visit me in New York City last month when my husband was away and we had a great time seeing a show, going out for drinks, taking a nice long walk to the private cooking class we took together, and just chatting. I think we must have driven our waitress crazy on the night he arrived because we sat in the restaurant just chatting for about 45 minutes before even attempting to open our menus and order. It was nice just to be able to talk. Just me and my Dad.
#15 – I took someone to see their first Broadway show! Not only was it a chance to catch up with an old friend who was in the city for business, but to be able to bring them into a Broadway house where the look around and can think of nothing to say except “Dude, this is awesome. Like, seriously awesome, dude!” brought the biggest smile to my face.
#19 – That Broadway show (and another one) counted toward my total… but I had better get moving on more of them!
#20 – I attended the Only Make Believe gala this fall. If you don’t know about OMB, they are an incredible organization that puts on free performances for kids living in hospitals in and around New York City. These performances are no cost to the kids, the parents, or the hospitals, and really make a difference in the lives of these kids who are confined to treatment facilities long-term. They put on six week programs for the kids using professional actors, and find special ways to engage the audience and bring them into the story. They even leave behind costumes for the kids after the program is done, so they can continue to escape the realities they are faced with every day. After having the truly touching honor of being invited into one of these hospitals for a performance and seeing the reactions on the children’s faces, I was more than happy to contribute to their Gala fundraising efforts, and I think the slogan of OMB is worth repeating here. “I believe, I believe, I believe in Make Believe!”
Visit them online to find out how you can volunteer by bedazzling costumes for the kids, making a contribution, or about the kids whose lives have been touched by Only Make Believe.
#22 – One of the things I love about having such talented friends is that I am constantly being invited to see them perform! And I will not only always support my friends, but I support anyone who showcases their talents in the arts, whether they are visual artists, musicians, singers, dancers, actors, playwrights, stagehands, or that little guy who makes sure the inserts are in the Playbill each night. HOORAY FOR LIVE THEATRE!
#29 – Even though I thought I was going to die after the first one, I ran ANOTHER 5K! Andy and I did the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, and I am happy we did. I was not happy that I was already too sore to walk by about 5pm that night… but that’s a different story.
#55 – Remember that cooking class I mentioned earlier? The one I took with my dad? It was an Indian Cooking Class! We had two sessions – in Northern and Southern Indian cuisine – and we made about 5 dished from each region from scratch. It was amazing and delicious and soo much fun!
There are a few other biggies that I am working on, but I suppose those updates will have to come at a later date. I just had to get these updates out of the way first…
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Blood Oath
I just donated blood again. It is such a nothing task for me to do, but it really benefit someone in need. Everyone should do it more often!
I used to donate every few months when I was living back in Albany because the Red Cross would call me to ask me to come in every time I was eligible. Keeping up with it was no trouble at all when someone else was keeping track of my donation schedule! Now that I am in the city, there are no phone calls, not even any emails reminding me to donate. Time just flies right by me, and before I know it, it's been two years since my last donation! Yikes.
Since I put 5 blood donations on my 101 list, and then realized I was more than 1/2 way through my allotted time frame without donating a single time, I have really tried to be diligent about my donations. I was triggered into it when some of my co-workers were talking about a blood drive that they participated in to get GirlScout cookies. That is an EXCELLENT reason to donate, in my book! I made the decision to visit my local blood bank that very night, even if I would have to settle for the typical Lorna Doone cookies (which are also delicious). Since then, when the nurse gives me my dismissal sheet with the next date I am eligible to donate written across the top, I immediately add a reminder to my calendar. That little pop up window telling me that I can donate again prompts me to look up a blood drive going on in my neighborhood and make an appointment for some time in the coming weeks. Once the appointment is done, the new "eligible" date goes on the calendar!
It is so easy to let other things in life get in the way of taking the time to make an appointment, or deciding which date would be best to take an hour away from the office to sit in a chair squeezing a bicycle handle. But if you were in a hospital bed instead of an office chair, wouldn't you wish someone would give up an hour for you?
I used to donate every few months when I was living back in Albany because the Red Cross would call me to ask me to come in every time I was eligible. Keeping up with it was no trouble at all when someone else was keeping track of my donation schedule! Now that I am in the city, there are no phone calls, not even any emails reminding me to donate. Time just flies right by me, and before I know it, it's been two years since my last donation! Yikes.
Since I put 5 blood donations on my 101 list, and then realized I was more than 1/2 way through my allotted time frame without donating a single time, I have really tried to be diligent about my donations. I was triggered into it when some of my co-workers were talking about a blood drive that they participated in to get GirlScout cookies. That is an EXCELLENT reason to donate, in my book! I made the decision to visit my local blood bank that very night, even if I would have to settle for the typical Lorna Doone cookies (which are also delicious). Since then, when the nurse gives me my dismissal sheet with the next date I am eligible to donate written across the top, I immediately add a reminder to my calendar. That little pop up window telling me that I can donate again prompts me to look up a blood drive going on in my neighborhood and make an appointment for some time in the coming weeks. Once the appointment is done, the new "eligible" date goes on the calendar!
It is so easy to let other things in life get in the way of taking the time to make an appointment, or deciding which date would be best to take an hour away from the office to sit in a chair squeezing a bicycle handle. But if you were in a hospital bed instead of an office chair, wouldn't you wish someone would give up an hour for you?
Thursday, September 22, 2011
September 17... exciting day!
I found a video of the flash mob I was in last weekend for this guy "John" for his 40th birthday. I had to view the video without sound, so if it isn't great, I apologize. The camera jumps around a lot, but I saw my white top in there a few times! Check it out!
(I am dead center, white tank top and brown hat).
Later that day, we went out to celebrate my good friends Rufio and Yeah-Yeah's birthdays. The night started with paella and hairpieces...and ended with karaoke and diner food. Naturally. But it also resulted in one portion of #81 on my list.... we were outside when the sun rose at 6:38am.
(I am dead center, white tank top and brown hat).Later that day, we went out to celebrate my good friends Rufio and Yeah-Yeah's birthdays. The night started with paella and hairpieces...and ended with karaoke and diner food. Naturally. But it also resulted in one portion of #81 on my list.... we were outside when the sun rose at 6:38am.
Friday, September 16, 2011
SO many updates.
Wait, when I logged into my blogger just now, did it really just say "Last published July 7th"??? Oh dear. I promise I haven't been inactive since then. On the contrary, I have been TOO active, and therefore unable to post. Here are a few updates:
Since I am hearing rumblings in t
he news of temperatures plummeting in NYC over the next few days, I am going to go ahead and call this the end of the season. That means that #53 is officially done! My flowers and basil plants still look great, but I need to make sure to harvest that basil before I lose it to the cold! Who wants to come over for homemade pesto??? Maybe I can make it my signature dish! (#64!)
...Baby steps, here. Baby steps.
I've been making progress on other parts of the list as well. The most obvious one being my recent contribution to #39 on the list, which was do donate to some sort of children's charity. For that, I decided to send 14" of my hai
r to Wigs For Kids, an organization that provides wigs to children going through medical treatments. I was happy to do it, knowing that my locks were going to help make some child feel good, even when dealing with a terrible illness.
I am also proud to say that I have now donated over a foot of hair to each of the three major wig-making organizations: Locks Of Love (x2), Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, and Wigs for Kids.
Recently, I also reached out to a girl that used to be a very good friend of mine all through middle school and high school that I lost touch with when we both went off to college. I have often wondered what became of her, and how she was, and with the help of another buddy of mine, I recently tracked her down! The two of us have been emailing each other every few days with updates about our lives, and our families. It is odd to send "updates" to someone you used to know so well... especially when those updates are things like "Well, I'm married.... I live in New York City...", but it is sort of fun, too. I also tried reaching out to another friend of mine from high school a while back. I had basically given up hope when I didn't hear anything back for a long time, but this friend wrote back to me just YESTERDAY! Hooray! It is so nice to hear from these people again, and now I am wondering who else I could possibly track down. #11 on the list: CHECK.
My final update is a little premature, but I am counting it for #21 anyway. I am taking part in my first FLASH MOB tomorrow! There is a whole choreographed routine that I am learning (and need to look at a few more times before I head to rehearsal in the morning) that is about 3 minutes long and SUPER complicated. We are going to be surprising some man who has a milestone birthday this weekend (either 40th or 50th, I think) and his wife set up this huge surprise. The whole flash mob thing is weird, because we are less than a day away and we still don't even have a location yet. In fact, I guess they are going to tell us where to meet a few hours before the event, and then we are going to travel to the location together (and not find out where it is until we get there). I don't even know what time this dance will be taking place. They gave us a block of time to reserve for ourselves, but I am guessing we won't find out the actual time until we arrive. They don't joke around about this stuff staying secret! They really take every precaution to make sure that there won't be people standing around with cameras or anything to give it away when birthday boy arrives. I hope someone takes a video of it so I can post it here....And let's be honest, I hope this is me tomorrow...
So those are my updates! Off to see a Broadway Show tonight, and count it toward my list!
Since I am hearing rumblings in t
he news of temperatures plummeting in NYC over the next few days, I am going to go ahead and call this the end of the season. That means that #53 is officially done! My flowers and basil plants still look great, but I need to make sure to harvest that basil before I lose it to the cold! Who wants to come over for homemade pesto??? Maybe I can make it my signature dish! (#64!)...Baby steps, here. Baby steps.
I've been making progress on other parts of the list as well. The most obvious one being my recent contribution to #39 on the list, which was do donate to some sort of children's charity. For that, I decided to send 14" of my hai
r to Wigs For Kids, an organization that provides wigs to children going through medical treatments. I was happy to do it, knowing that my locks were going to help make some child feel good, even when dealing with a terrible illness.I am also proud to say that I have now donated over a foot of hair to each of the three major wig-making organizations: Locks Of Love (x2), Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, and Wigs for Kids.
Recently, I also reached out to a girl that used to be a very good friend of mine all through middle school and high school that I lost touch with when we both went off to college. I have often wondered what became of her, and how she was, and with the help of another buddy of mine, I recently tracked her down! The two of us have been emailing each other every few days with updates about our lives, and our families. It is odd to send "updates" to someone you used to know so well... especially when those updates are things like "Well, I'm married.... I live in New York City...", but it is sort of fun, too. I also tried reaching out to another friend of mine from high school a while back. I had basically given up hope when I didn't hear anything back for a long time, but this friend wrote back to me just YESTERDAY! Hooray! It is so nice to hear from these people again, and now I am wondering who else I could possibly track down. #11 on the list: CHECK.
My final update is a little premature, but I am counting it for #21 anyway. I am taking part in my first FLASH MOB tomorrow! There is a whole choreographed routine that I am learning (and need to look at a few more times before I head to rehearsal in the morning) that is about 3 minutes long and SUPER complicated. We are going to be surprising some man who has a milestone birthday this weekend (either 40th or 50th, I think) and his wife set up this huge surprise. The whole flash mob thing is weird, because we are less than a day away and we still don't even have a location yet. In fact, I guess they are going to tell us where to meet a few hours before the event, and then we are going to travel to the location together (and not find out where it is until we get there). I don't even know what time this dance will be taking place. They gave us a block of time to reserve for ourselves, but I am guessing we won't find out the actual time until we arrive. They don't joke around about this stuff staying secret! They really take every precaution to make sure that there won't be people standing around with cameras or anything to give it away when birthday boy arrives. I hope someone takes a video of it so I can post it here....And let's be honest, I hope this is me tomorrow...
So those are my updates! Off to see a Broadway Show tonight, and count it toward my list!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Get Rich Quick
Congratulations, you have stumbled a blog that will tell you the secret to getting rich quickly, starting today. You may not believe how simple it is to make a fortune in a short amount of time, but follow this one simple step and you will be swimming in a sea of money, Scrooge McDuck style, in no time at all.
The secret? Buy stock in Advil. Lots of it.
If you have read my blog before, you know that I recently started running. I have run over 20 miles since I began my running adventure. And while I know that's what some people run in a day, I am just proud of the fact that I have run that distance in about 3 weeks. Due to purple and swollen toe nails, I had to take a few extra days off and wait for the skin on my toenails to disconnect entirely before I could pick up running again. (Why am I so gross?). And while I accepted the fact that I would be losing toenails, I did not expect that I would lose my kneecaps as well. This is where the Advil comes in.
My left knee started bothering me about 2 weeks ago, but I figured it was just a reaction from all the exercising I was forcing my unwilling body to do. I thought it would get better once my legs realized I was determined to keep this up. My solution? Pop a few Advil after each run... and the next day too. I kept giving myself more challenges....beat my own time running a 5K.... run up the very steep hill where I was vacationing.... walk without a limp. Before long, it resulted in two knees that were crying out for mercy, with only the swelling around them to stifle the screams. My solution? Start taking Advil regularly, with an extra dose after running, combined with icing frequently. And I got professionally fitted for new running shoes. (Which is an interesting experience on its own. Not that I didn't enjoy being videotaped while I ran in front of people in a shore wearing jeans and the flowy top I wore to the office in an effort to have the most physically fit person to ever live tell me why I suck at running and what shoes I need to even begin to run like a human being. But I digress.)
So, a few more days off. Armed with new running shoes, a knee brace, and a fresh bottle of Advil, it's time to hit the gym again. RUNNING! For a mile. Then I had to hit the brakes and try walking. Only to find out that my knees were so jacked that walking actually hurt more. The result? Going only about a mile and a half before having to limp home near tears. Tears that can only be soothed by even more Advil. (Ok, and pillows to elevate both legs, and a significant amount of ice to battle the significant amount of swelling).
Unfortunately, I think the only step I have left is to see a doctor. But what doctor would recommend against Advil? And since I plan to keep up with my running as long as I physically have knees to do it with, now is the perfect time for you to buy your stock. When those Advil stocks begin to skyrocket from the sudden spike in sales, you can thank me by paying for my medical bills. And a nice steak dinner.
I really like steak.
The secret? Buy stock in Advil. Lots of it.
If you have read my blog before, you know that I recently started running. I have run over 20 miles since I began my running adventure. And while I know that's what some people run in a day, I am just proud of the fact that I have run that distance in about 3 weeks. Due to purple and swollen toe nails, I had to take a few extra days off and wait for the skin on my toenails to disconnect entirely before I could pick up running again. (Why am I so gross?). And while I accepted the fact that I would be losing toenails, I did not expect that I would lose my kneecaps as well. This is where the Advil comes in.
My left knee started bothering me about 2 weeks ago, but I figured it was just a reaction from all the exercising I was forcing my unwilling body to do. I thought it would get better once my legs realized I was determined to keep this up. My solution? Pop a few Advil after each run... and the next day too. I kept giving myself more challenges....beat my own time running a 5K.... run up the very steep hill where I was vacationing.... walk without a limp. Before long, it resulted in two knees that were crying out for mercy, with only the swelling around them to stifle the screams. My solution? Start taking Advil regularly, with an extra dose after running, combined with icing frequently. And I got professionally fitted for new running shoes. (Which is an interesting experience on its own. Not that I didn't enjoy being videotaped while I ran in front of people in a shore wearing jeans and the flowy top I wore to the office in an effort to have the most physically fit person to ever live tell me why I suck at running and what shoes I need to even begin to run like a human being. But I digress.)
So, a few more days off. Armed with new running shoes, a knee brace, and a fresh bottle of Advil, it's time to hit the gym again. RUNNING! For a mile. Then I had to hit the brakes and try walking. Only to find out that my knees were so jacked that walking actually hurt more. The result? Going only about a mile and a half before having to limp home near tears. Tears that can only be soothed by even more Advil. (Ok, and pillows to elevate both legs, and a significant amount of ice to battle the significant amount of swelling).
Unfortunately, I think the only step I have left is to see a doctor. But what doctor would recommend against Advil? And since I plan to keep up with my running as long as I physically have knees to do it with, now is the perfect time for you to buy your stock. When those Advil stocks begin to skyrocket from the sudden spike in sales, you can thank me by paying for my medical bills. And a nice steak dinner.
I really like steak.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Who saw this coming?
I worked out 5 times last week. FIVE.
And I ran 5K!!! Not a 5K race, as in against other people, but I have been hitting the treadmill hard lately, and I ran 5K on Friday night! Super proud of myself. Through all of my excitement, I barely noticed that the room was spinning.
Unfortunately, what I did notice were my toes... which don't like to run. After pulling the shoes off my aching feet, I found that the second toe on each foot was badly bruised and swelling. (Gross alert). They were starting to hurt so bad that I actually had to puncture the nail on each foot to leach the blood out and relieve the pressure. The rest of the weekend was spent heating up needles to take care of the blisters that were causing my toenails to lift off my foot. Nice, huh? Aren't you glad I shared it with the world?
I am shockingly unphased by this "injury", even though for the first time in my life, I have a real excuse to avoid exercise. (Andy tells me that "The Golden Girls is just starting" doesn't count as a real excuse). I think it is because I finally feel like I am getting somewhere, and I am pumped to keep going and in a few week, sign up for a 5K race and check that off my 101 list.
Naturally, I have to balance all this workout out with some down time... like reading. Which I have been doing quite a bit. Reading the Bible, specifically the Old Testament. Another one on the 101 list. I have read parts of the Bible before, but never all the way through. I was actually surprised to find how many generations of Adam I still had memorized from who knows when I even learned them. I was more surprised to find out how much sex is in this book. Dang, yo!
I will admit that it is a bit of a tough read, so I am going to be taking it in stages. Read Genesis - Exodus, take a break and read something a little less steeped in history and repetitive phrasing. Then return to the Good Book again before firing up the next read in the cue on the old Kindle.
Started exercising furiously and reading the Bible in the same week. Who saw that coming?
And I ran 5K!!! Not a 5K race, as in against other people, but I have been hitting the treadmill hard lately, and I ran 5K on Friday night! Super proud of myself. Through all of my excitement, I barely noticed that the room was spinning.
Unfortunately, what I did notice were my toes... which don't like to run. After pulling the shoes off my aching feet, I found that the second toe on each foot was badly bruised and swelling. (Gross alert). They were starting to hurt so bad that I actually had to puncture the nail on each foot to leach the blood out and relieve the pressure. The rest of the weekend was spent heating up needles to take care of the blisters that were causing my toenails to lift off my foot. Nice, huh? Aren't you glad I shared it with the world?
I am shockingly unphased by this "injury", even though for the first time in my life, I have a real excuse to avoid exercise. (Andy tells me that "The Golden Girls is just starting" doesn't count as a real excuse). I think it is because I finally feel like I am getting somewhere, and I am pumped to keep going and in a few week, sign up for a 5K race and check that off my 101 list.
Naturally, I have to balance all this workout out with some down time... like reading. Which I have been doing quite a bit. Reading the Bible, specifically the Old Testament. Another one on the 101 list. I have read parts of the Bible before, but never all the way through. I was actually surprised to find how many generations of Adam I still had memorized from who knows when I even learned them. I was more surprised to find out how much sex is in this book. Dang, yo!
I will admit that it is a bit of a tough read, so I am going to be taking it in stages. Read Genesis - Exodus, take a break and read something a little less steeped in history and repetitive phrasing. Then return to the Good Book again before firing up the next read in the cue on the old Kindle.
Started exercising furiously and reading the Bible in the same week. Who saw that coming?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Updates needed terribly
So busy. No time to update lately. But that doesn't mean I haven't been cranking out items on my list! The brief version, with more details to follow:
DONE:
#8 - Read another book that was totally out of the range of books I would normally go for - actually, started reading the whole series, but that only counts as 1 for me (even though I am on book #3 in the series)
#16 - I went to see an opera! I saw Seance on a Wet Afternoon at NYC Opera. It was FANTASTIC. Originally, I put "the Met" in the list, but it was because I sort of forgot NYC Opera existed and just wanted to clarify that I meant a REAL opera... not the "Phantom of the.." type. :)
#30 - I took myself on a date by myself. It was the day I saw the opera! I dressed up, got my ticket to the show, took myself out to a really nice dinner, ordered wine, saw the opera, and then treated myself to a cab ride home. No kissing myself after the date was done, though. I am no hussy, and I have 2 more solo dates to go before I can check this off.
#83 - I went to a spa when I was hosting a girl's weekend, reuniting friends from high school, college, and former workplaces. (Wait, does this count for #5??) Melissa and I went to the spa and ... it was an experience. We've had lots of first-time adventures together, some of which are either silly or painful - first time dying our hair, getting belly buttons pierced, and now this. Let's just say it fell into the painful category, but I get to check off #83!
WORKIN' ON IT
#3 - I am signed up the Warrior Dash in August with my older brother Michael. We entered the same heat so that we will be able to run together. I will keep up with him for as long as I can, but I just hope he greets me at the finish line with a beer when I finally make it there. :)
#7 - Trying desperately to plan a trip to see Jodi and Oscar in Barcelona. Let's keep our fingers crossed for early spring!
#14 - I picked up a sketchbook and some watercolors recently! Nothing I am happy with yet, or that is even finished, but it is the first time my art supplies have come out from under the bed in about 4 years.
#19 - Saw 2 more Broadway shows! Just adding to the count!
#53 - The flower pots I planted outside my window are starting to sprout! I can't wait for the blooms to start to make an appearance. But this one won't be checked off until the end of the season if I can keep them alive that long.
#55 - I cooked for an entire passover seder! None of the cooking was terribly difficult as I had feared, but I appreciated the process, and love that everything represents something. A fact I know because of...
#67! Hosting passover as a shiksa with an incomplete haggadah meant a little extra studying for me. But I even did the opening prayer for the candle lighting in Hebrew! Broken Hebrew, but I am an Irish Catholic girl, what do you want? And I think I did a decent job explaining the meal, the stories, and as many of the traditions as I could to a passover-first-timer. You're all invited next year!
More updates and photos and fleshed out accountings of all these actions to follow. It's just been nagging me that I have not had time to update, so I wanted to at least write down a list!
DONE:
#8 - Read another book that was totally out of the range of books I would normally go for - actually, started reading the whole series, but that only counts as 1 for me (even though I am on book #3 in the series)
#16 - I went to see an opera! I saw Seance on a Wet Afternoon at NYC Opera. It was FANTASTIC. Originally, I put "the Met" in the list, but it was because I sort of forgot NYC Opera existed and just wanted to clarify that I meant a REAL opera... not the "Phantom of the.." type. :)
#30 - I took myself on a date by myself. It was the day I saw the opera! I dressed up, got my ticket to the show, took myself out to a really nice dinner, ordered wine, saw the opera, and then treated myself to a cab ride home. No kissing myself after the date was done, though. I am no hussy, and I have 2 more solo dates to go before I can check this off.
#83 - I went to a spa when I was hosting a girl's weekend, reuniting friends from high school, college, and former workplaces. (Wait, does this count for #5??) Melissa and I went to the spa and ... it was an experience. We've had lots of first-time adventures together, some of which are either silly or painful - first time dying our hair, getting belly buttons pierced, and now this. Let's just say it fell into the painful category, but I get to check off #83!
WORKIN' ON IT
#3 - I am signed up the Warrior Dash in August with my older brother Michael. We entered the same heat so that we will be able to run together. I will keep up with him for as long as I can, but I just hope he greets me at the finish line with a beer when I finally make it there. :)
#7 - Trying desperately to plan a trip to see Jodi and Oscar in Barcelona. Let's keep our fingers crossed for early spring!
#14 - I picked up a sketchbook and some watercolors recently! Nothing I am happy with yet, or that is even finished, but it is the first time my art supplies have come out from under the bed in about 4 years.
#19 - Saw 2 more Broadway shows! Just adding to the count!
#53 - The flower pots I planted outside my window are starting to sprout! I can't wait for the blooms to start to make an appearance. But this one won't be checked off until the end of the season if I can keep them alive that long.
#55 - I cooked for an entire passover seder! None of the cooking was terribly difficult as I had feared, but I appreciated the process, and love that everything represents something. A fact I know because of...
#67! Hosting passover as a shiksa with an incomplete haggadah meant a little extra studying for me. But I even did the opening prayer for the candle lighting in Hebrew! Broken Hebrew, but I am an Irish Catholic girl, what do you want? And I think I did a decent job explaining the meal, the stories, and as many of the traditions as I could to a passover-first-timer. You're all invited next year!
More updates and photos and fleshed out accountings of all these actions to follow. It's just been nagging me that I have not had time to update, so I wanted to at least write down a list!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Totally true, I swear.
Ladies and gentlemen, I've done the impossible. Ok, not impossible, but the "not likely" for me.
I have worked out for the past two days. In a row.
I am a warrior.
I have worked out for the past two days. In a row.
I am a warrior.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Sloth Battle 2011
Still battling the dreaded sloth monster, though it seems to be getting harder and harder to maintain my energy for this type of warfare when real life is always getting in the way. But I battle on.
In the battle of Sloth vs. Maureen, Sloth: 1, Maureen: 6
Maureen's wins
In the battle of Sloth vs. Maureen, Sloth: 1, Maureen: 6
Maureen's wins
- I launched a full scale battle against pink eye. It lasted for TEN DAYS, but ultimately, I came out the victor. (This one doesn't really count, I just thought I should update).
- I hung shelves in the apartment. Nice way to display extra trinkets and things that seem to be EVERYWHERE.
- I filled every picture frame in the house, which included ordering prints. Then RE-ordering prints when the sizes weren't right, AND doing some matting. Now I don't feel like such a jerk for a) having empty picture frames on display, and b) not having any wedding pictures in the apartment nine months after the wedding.
- I ordered extra photos as gifts for a few folks and sent them out. Just cause.
- I added supports to the sides of my book shelves so I could cram more books in there. And then rearranged it slightly to change up the space in the living room. Andy isn't crazy about the new look, so I might change it back, but at least I did it in the first place!
- I finally got around to installing a handle on the cabinet below the sink in my kitchen.
- I installed a flower pot outside my kitchen window. We'll see how my little plants do, but I am currently waiting to see sprouts from two different pots of beautiful flowers, and a pot of sweet basil that I can hopefully use for cooking. (And if I am successful, check off #53 on my list!)
- Had a hard time getting my butt in gear to go to the gym recently. After a particularly shameful moment of sloth this weekend, where I couldn't pull myself together to go to the gym, I tried to redeem myself by going for a 4 mile walk in the park with Andy, but that's not really the point of this goal.
- I reached out to several organization that look for volunteers to do their charity work. Definitely a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the only ones I actually heard back from didn't need help in some of the locations that they has listed, and needed folks for either middle-of-the-day shifts, or at locations that would be next to impossible for me to get to. Frustrating. Who would think volunteering would be so hard?
Monday, March 28, 2011
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...
For my more delicate readers, I warn you to skip down a few paragraphs, because I am about to use bad language to talk about how today was shitty. Super shitty. But shit storms sometimes hit, and you just have to keep right on going. As Dori said in Finding Nemo, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming".
My shit storm day started when I woke up for the second day in a row feeling miserable. For some reason, my limbs have felt very heavy for the past couple of days, no clue why. I went to work (cause yay, it's Monday...shitty), and my heavy limbs caused my to fall on the subway stairs. I am totally fine. Just can't decide if I am more upset about the ache in my hand where I caught myself, the embarrassment of falling in front of about 100 people during rush hour (btw, number of people who stopped or offered to help=0. Nice. ), or if I was most upset knowing that my bare hands had touched NYC subway stairs. I think it is the latter. My subway rides in the morning are normally relaxing and speedy. Today, however, my iPod stopped playing music mid-song, despite being fully charged and operational in every way except for making sound. Terrific! At least I had my Kindle.... which was apparently dead for no reason whatsoever.... again.
At least I had a nice full day of work to look forward to. Sigh. Insert unexpected meetings that didn't quite go so well in the middle of my day? Yes please! I <3 shit storm Mondays.
But you can't let this crap drag you down. So I decided to check a few things off my 101 list. My dear lady friend sent me an email a few days ago with additional ways to be more green (#44). I checked it out and totally got inspired by a few ideas, including visiting a website to opt out of all that junk mail telling me I am pre-approved for a credit card every day. Awesome! Opted out of my current name, maiden name, and my husband's name (just to cover all the bases). I can't wait to see less junk in my mailbox and save a few trees.
My lovely husband also suggested that we treat ourselves to a show, cause he knows that always perks me up (and is #19 on my list). Something went right with my day! It turns out that I was able to get mega-discounted tickets to see a show that Andy actually wanted to see also! So with that, I am off to see Motherf*#%er with the Hat starring Chris Rock. (And yes, that is the actual name of the show....not just more of my bad-day profanity).
Looking forward to continuing to dive into my goals, even during bad days, and really celebrate my successes during good ones. And with that, I'm off to dinner and a show!
My shit storm day started when I woke up for the second day in a row feeling miserable. For some reason, my limbs have felt very heavy for the past couple of days, no clue why. I went to work (cause yay, it's Monday...shitty), and my heavy limbs caused my to fall on the subway stairs. I am totally fine. Just can't decide if I am more upset about the ache in my hand where I caught myself, the embarrassment of falling in front of about 100 people during rush hour (btw, number of people who stopped or offered to help=0. Nice. ), or if I was most upset knowing that my bare hands had touched NYC subway stairs. I think it is the latter. My subway rides in the morning are normally relaxing and speedy. Today, however, my iPod stopped playing music mid-song, despite being fully charged and operational in every way except for making sound. Terrific! At least I had my Kindle.... which was apparently dead for no reason whatsoever.... again.
At least I had a nice full day of work to look forward to. Sigh. Insert unexpected meetings that didn't quite go so well in the middle of my day? Yes please! I <3 shit storm Mondays.
But you can't let this crap drag you down. So I decided to check a few things off my 101 list. My dear lady friend sent me an email a few days ago with additional ways to be more green (#44). I checked it out and totally got inspired by a few ideas, including visiting a website to opt out of all that junk mail telling me I am pre-approved for a credit card every day. Awesome! Opted out of my current name, maiden name, and my husband's name (just to cover all the bases). I can't wait to see less junk in my mailbox and save a few trees.
My lovely husband also suggested that we treat ourselves to a show, cause he knows that always perks me up (and is #19 on my list). Something went right with my day! It turns out that I was able to get mega-discounted tickets to see a show that Andy actually wanted to see also! So with that, I am off to see Motherf*#%er with the Hat starring Chris Rock. (And yes, that is the actual name of the show....not just more of my bad-day profanity).
Looking forward to continuing to dive into my goals, even during bad days, and really celebrate my successes during good ones. And with that, I'm off to dinner and a show!
Friday, March 25, 2011
EYE hate PINK
My battle on SLOTH has taken a hit this week, ironically, because I am starting to look like an actual sloth.
I woke up on Saturday morning to find my left eye very, very red and pretty painful. I whined about it on the couch for a while until I caught myself in a mirror when I flicked on the light and noticed that the red eye had a huge, dilated pupil that wasn't moving in the light. Trust me, it was a sexy look. . . red eyes with mismatched pupils. I decided to call the doctor -- who wasn't in because it was Saturday. Next step, the hospital that is 10 blocks from my apartment.
Five hours in the "eye chair" in the ER, and I was diagnosed with conjunctivitis... pink eye for those of you who remember when all your friends had it in 3rd grade. How I got it, I have no clue. But the doctor sent me on my way with a prescription for antibiotic eye drops, and the reassurance that I didn't have to avoid people like kids do when they get pink eye. Always nice to hear that you're not going to infect everyone you meet. But he did recommend that I follow up with the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary on Monday, since my symptoms were a little funky, and he wanted to make sure it wasn't something else.
Great! Eye drops in my burning eyes, and off to brunch with friends on Sunday! More redness and burning at night, and a little pink hue to my RIGHT eye, as well as the left. . . I decided to make the infirmary my first stop in the morning on my way in to work.
I got right in, since they said I was an emergency case, and I got to fast forward though registration and the general assessment nurse, past the folks with appointments, and wait with the other emergency patients. . . for six hours. SIX HOURS in the waiting room. As an "emergency" patient. And the end result? Confirmed conjunctivitis in BOTH eyes, after they dilated my pupils to the point that you couldn't tell that my eyes were blue and shined a light with the power of the sun directly in my retina. Thanks, doc! His feedback? STOP taking the antibiotic eye drops, and stay away from the entire human race for 10 days. WHAT? Does that even make sense? If I am that contagious, why would I stop taking antibiotics?
Needless to say, I did not make it into the office on Monday. So I worked from home for three days straight. I kept doing the antibiotic eye drops (because how much harm could it really do to continue actually TREATING my symptoms?). After almost a week, I have now had some great work-from-home days, some moments of extreme boredom (although I did complete a 1,000 piece puzzle in about 24 hours), and continuously irritated eyes. I couldn't go to the gym, cause I can't be putting my hands all over equipment that other people use. (Like I needed another excuse to avoid the gym). I couldn't do much cooking. I couldn't go out and run errands that would put me around innocent, healthy-eyed victims. I have basically been useless all week. Terrible.
I split the difference between the doctors' advice about how much I can be around others, and decided to head back to work to wrap up my week (and because there are a few things that I really needed to be in the office to take care of this week).
Now I am back at work, but trying to be very aware of not touching my eyes at all, not touching anyone in the office, and emptying a bottle of antibacterial junk on my hands whenever I touch anything. I am so glad the weekend is coming so I can spend time at home again. Safe within the walls of my little petri dish apartment. Assuming I am not contagious (Andy is still doing fine), but not feeling much better either (something please just rip my eyes out!).
And most importantly, not getting much of anything accomplished.
::sigh::
I woke up on Saturday morning to find my left eye very, very red and pretty painful. I whined about it on the couch for a while until I caught myself in a mirror when I flicked on the light and noticed that the red eye had a huge, dilated pupil that wasn't moving in the light. Trust me, it was a sexy look. . . red eyes with mismatched pupils. I decided to call the doctor -- who wasn't in because it was Saturday. Next step, the hospital that is 10 blocks from my apartment.
Five hours in the "eye chair" in the ER, and I was diagnosed with conjunctivitis... pink eye for those of you who remember when all your friends had it in 3rd grade. How I got it, I have no clue. But the doctor sent me on my way with a prescription for antibiotic eye drops, and the reassurance that I didn't have to avoid people like kids do when they get pink eye. Always nice to hear that you're not going to infect everyone you meet. But he did recommend that I follow up with the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary on Monday, since my symptoms were a little funky, and he wanted to make sure it wasn't something else.
Great! Eye drops in my burning eyes, and off to brunch with friends on Sunday! More redness and burning at night, and a little pink hue to my RIGHT eye, as well as the left. . . I decided to make the infirmary my first stop in the morning on my way in to work.
I got right in, since they said I was an emergency case, and I got to fast forward though registration and the general assessment nurse, past the folks with appointments, and wait with the other emergency patients. . . for six hours. SIX HOURS in the waiting room. As an "emergency" patient. And the end result? Confirmed conjunctivitis in BOTH eyes, after they dilated my pupils to the point that you couldn't tell that my eyes were blue and shined a light with the power of the sun directly in my retina. Thanks, doc! His feedback? STOP taking the antibiotic eye drops, and stay away from the entire human race for 10 days. WHAT? Does that even make sense? If I am that contagious, why would I stop taking antibiotics?
Needless to say, I did not make it into the office on Monday. So I worked from home for three days straight. I kept doing the antibiotic eye drops (because how much harm could it really do to continue actually TREATING my symptoms?). After almost a week, I have now had some great work-from-home days, some moments of extreme boredom (although I did complete a 1,000 piece puzzle in about 24 hours), and continuously irritated eyes. I couldn't go to the gym, cause I can't be putting my hands all over equipment that other people use. (Like I needed another excuse to avoid the gym). I couldn't do much cooking. I couldn't go out and run errands that would put me around innocent, healthy-eyed victims. I have basically been useless all week. Terrible.
I split the difference between the doctors' advice about how much I can be around others, and decided to head back to work to wrap up my week (and because there are a few things that I really needed to be in the office to take care of this week).
Now I am back at work, but trying to be very aware of not touching my eyes at all, not touching anyone in the office, and emptying a bottle of antibacterial junk on my hands whenever I touch anything. I am so glad the weekend is coming so I can spend time at home again. Safe within the walls of my little petri dish apartment. Assuming I am not contagious (Andy is still doing fine), but not feeling much better either (something please just rip my eyes out!).
And most importantly, not getting much of anything accomplished.
::sigh::
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
A friend of mine put a quote up on facebook that I simply had to steal: it is just TOO perfect!
"Irish girls are unique in their character...they are a combination of a girl, mother, hooker, and nun. They go from Bambi to Banshee in 3.7 seconds. They can bat their eyes or blacken yours. They can love you with a passion and make you feel like a king. Depending on their mood, they will chastise you for drinking, or match you pint to pint. Uncomprehendable but indispensable...oh those Irish girls."
Happy St. Patrick's Day. Sláinte!
"Irish girls are unique in their character...they are a combination of a girl, mother, hooker, and nun. They go from Bambi to Banshee in 3.7 seconds. They can bat their eyes or blacken yours. They can love you with a passion and make you feel like a king. Depending on their mood, they will chastise you for drinking, or match you pint to pint. Uncomprehendable but indispensable...oh those Irish girls."
Happy St. Patrick's Day. Sláinte!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
101 Things..... No problem!
I feel like I am on top of the world with my progress lately. I'm being inspired by other blogger's lists, friends creating and diving into their own new 101 lists, and even a couple of Geezers who are out there, seeing the world!
We are one week into Lent. I actually like Lent because I like a challenge (obviously), and I try to do something every year that I will have to push myself to stick to for 40 days. This year, I was a little stumped with what to do, until I came up with a brilliant plan. Maybe not brilliant, since there is no way for me to really MEASURE my success, but I feel super confident about my decision. No, I didn't give up religion, as I posted on facebook. (Sorry all those who were offended, it was meant to be a joke). I decided to not only give something up, but make it one of the seven deadly sins (and hopefully get bonus points with the Big Guy): I gave up SLOTH.
What the heck does that mean?
It is not unusual in my life to sit back and NOT do something just because I do not feel like it. Yeah, I shoooooould go to the gym, but The Golden Girls just came on TV! Or, I take the hassle-free route because it is simple. I know we just went grocery shopping, but ordering Chinese food is so much easier than cooking! .... I can go through that pile of papers later - just set it to the side with the others! But not during Lent! Now, this doesn't mean that I am going to the gym every single day and being the new June Cleaver, fixin' up some delightful dinner with a smile every night. What it DOES mean is that every time I think of doing something and then say "Nah...." without a good reason for why I can't do it, I am giving myself a boot in the butt to get up and do it anyway.
So far, I have gone to the gym, done a major cleaning job in the apartment, created a filing system for all of our important papers and documents (#57 on my list - complete with partitions and labels), tried a few new healthy recipes, paid off my credit card debt in full, set up my exercise ball at work to sit on instead of a chair, bought tickets to more Broadway shows (La Cage Aux Folles tonight!), logged every single thing I ate into a calorie tracker every day, and stopped drinking coffee. (The original goal was just to not BUY any of my coffee for one month so I would make it rather than purchase it, but if I am not drinking it at all, there is no reason to spend money on it!)
Here is a picture of the delicious FISH dish that I made last night! Thank you Cortney for sharing this recipe - it turned out great, and even Andy had a clean plate at the end of the meal. (This was a major feat for both of us, as we are not fish eaters in any way). Parmesan-crusted Tilapia with steamed vegetables and brown rice. Yum.
I am feeling good about this new motivation and the satisfaction I have been getting from being able to say "I actually got this DONE today", and I am looking forward to keeping the momentum going. I still haven't quite gotten to the point where I am springing out of bed at 5am to go to the gym and get home in time to make lunch before getting ready for work, but we're moving in baby steps here. Baby steps.
We are one week into Lent. I actually like Lent because I like a challenge (obviously), and I try to do something every year that I will have to push myself to stick to for 40 days. This year, I was a little stumped with what to do, until I came up with a brilliant plan. Maybe not brilliant, since there is no way for me to really MEASURE my success, but I feel super confident about my decision. No, I didn't give up religion, as I posted on facebook. (Sorry all those who were offended, it was meant to be a joke). I decided to not only give something up, but make it one of the seven deadly sins (and hopefully get bonus points with the Big Guy): I gave up SLOTH.
What the heck does that mean?
It is not unusual in my life to sit back and NOT do something just because I do not feel like it. Yeah, I shoooooould go to the gym, but The Golden Girls just came on TV! Or, I take the hassle-free route because it is simple. I know we just went grocery shopping, but ordering Chinese food is so much easier than cooking! .... I can go through that pile of papers later - just set it to the side with the others! But not during Lent! Now, this doesn't mean that I am going to the gym every single day and being the new June Cleaver, fixin' up some delightful dinner with a smile every night. What it DOES mean is that every time I think of doing something and then say "Nah...." without a good reason for why I can't do it, I am giving myself a boot in the butt to get up and do it anyway.
So far, I have gone to the gym, done a major cleaning job in the apartment, created a filing system for all of our important papers and documents (#57 on my list - complete with partitions and labels), tried a few new healthy recipes, paid off my credit card debt in full, set up my exercise ball at work to sit on instead of a chair, bought tickets to more Broadway shows (La Cage Aux Folles tonight!), logged every single thing I ate into a calorie tracker every day, and stopped drinking coffee. (The original goal was just to not BUY any of my coffee for one month so I would make it rather than purchase it, but if I am not drinking it at all, there is no reason to spend money on it!)
Here is a picture of the delicious FISH dish that I made last night! Thank you Cortney for sharing this recipe - it turned out great, and even Andy had a clean plate at the end of the meal. (This was a major feat for both of us, as we are not fish eaters in any way). Parmesan-crusted Tilapia with steamed vegetables and brown rice. Yum.
I am feeling good about this new motivation and the satisfaction I have been getting from being able to say "I actually got this DONE today", and I am looking forward to keeping the momentum going. I still haven't quite gotten to the point where I am springing out of bed at 5am to go to the gym and get home in time to make lunch before getting ready for work, but we're moving in baby steps here. Baby steps.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
#28 and feelin' great!
After having an outstanding balance for about 3 years on my credit card, I have FINALLY paid it off! I could not be more thrilled about this, as it has been a constant source of stress for me, and now I can wash my hands of it.
My entire life, I have always been pretty good with money. I suppose I was subconsciously preparing myself for a lifetime of working in non-profit theatre? I don't know. But I got my first credit cards at age 18, and have always paid everything in full. Credit card bill, Macys bill, phone bill, etc. Everything had a $0 balance before the next pay period started. About three years ago, after my savings account had taken a drastic hit from living in New York City for several years, Andy and I took a trip to Mexico. Amazing trip, but it wasn't exactly free. The day we got back was Andy's 25th Birthday, so I decided to do something special, and because I am (obviously) the best girlfriend/wife in the universe, I bought him a huge high-def flatscreen tv to replace the old tube we'd had since college. Needless to say, the bill was mighty high that month. I decided to pay half (cause that's what I could do at the time) and save the other half for the next month....but more expenses kept rolling in, and I ended up carrying a balance. Once that balance is there, it is tough to get rid of, and I had a constant nagging feeling in my gut that this debt would take over my life and be the end of me.
I'm being dramatic. It's not like I was in serious trouble, it's just not where I wanted to be, which was in a position to set my online banking to "pay all bills in full each month".
Ladies and gentlemen, after months of strategic banking, I am happy to say that the amount due on every credit card I own (both through banks and stores and whatnot) reads:
AMOUNT DUE: $0
(Insert sigh of relief and joy here)
My entire life, I have always been pretty good with money. I suppose I was subconsciously preparing myself for a lifetime of working in non-profit theatre? I don't know. But I got my first credit cards at age 18, and have always paid everything in full. Credit card bill, Macys bill, phone bill, etc. Everything had a $0 balance before the next pay period started. About three years ago, after my savings account had taken a drastic hit from living in New York City for several years, Andy and I took a trip to Mexico. Amazing trip, but it wasn't exactly free. The day we got back was Andy's 25th Birthday, so I decided to do something special, and because I am (obviously) the best girlfriend/wife in the universe, I bought him a huge high-def flatscreen tv to replace the old tube we'd had since college. Needless to say, the bill was mighty high that month. I decided to pay half (cause that's what I could do at the time) and save the other half for the next month....but more expenses kept rolling in, and I ended up carrying a balance. Once that balance is there, it is tough to get rid of, and I had a constant nagging feeling in my gut that this debt would take over my life and be the end of me.
I'm being dramatic. It's not like I was in serious trouble, it's just not where I wanted to be, which was in a position to set my online banking to "pay all bills in full each month".
Ladies and gentlemen, after months of strategic banking, I am happy to say that the amount due on every credit card I own (both through banks and stores and whatnot) reads:
AMOUNT DUE: $0
(Insert sigh of relief and joy here)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Lucky #13
I am so pleased to be able to report progress on #13 on my list. My dear friend since elementary school has decided to make her own list, and it is so much fun! I can’t wait to follow her progress, and get together to complete some mutual list-checking-off tasks! Take a peek at her blog I Am A Lady for inspiration on creating your own list!
Her new energy and enthusiasm has also renewed my zest for this little challenge. Hopefully I will have more news soon!
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Making bad decisions... for good!
Not long after that last post about how a discussion of Girl Scout cookies led me to attempt to donate blood (which was a fail due to recent travels to Belize), I went home to Albany to find out that my precious little sister in law was, in fact, SELLING Girl Scout cookies.
Have you seen her face? I couldn't say no. In fact, I said YES a lot. All different kinds.
Oh well. The Girl Scouts are a good cause, right?
Have you seen her face? I couldn't say no. In fact, I said YES a lot. All different kinds.
Oh well. The Girl Scouts are a good cause, right?
Monday, January 17, 2011
Making good decisions
This is nothing extraordinary, but I was a little proud of my own thought process because it pertains to me being in a particularly good mind set right now, and is directly related to #43 on my list:
A few of the girls in the office were just talking about how they wondered if it was Girlscout cookie season again, because who doesn't love Girlscout cookies? They mentioned that they found out it was that time of year last year because they ran into a table of Girlscouts selling their devilishly tasty goods on their walk back to work after donating blood.
While one of the girls decided to look up Girlscout headquarters online to see if she could hunt down some cookies, I hit the world wide web in search of blood donation centers and made an appointment for myself to donate tonight.
Proud of myself for deciding to donate. Proud of myself for getting another item on my list started. SHOCKED with myself that I didn't tear out of the building looking for Girlscout cookies.
Hooray for a somewhat healthy mindset!
A few of the girls in the office were just talking about how they wondered if it was Girlscout cookie season again, because who doesn't love Girlscout cookies? They mentioned that they found out it was that time of year last year because they ran into a table of Girlscouts selling their devilishly tasty goods on their walk back to work after donating blood.
While one of the girls decided to look up Girlscout headquarters online to see if she could hunt down some cookies, I hit the world wide web in search of blood donation centers and made an appointment for myself to donate tonight.
Proud of myself for deciding to donate. Proud of myself for getting another item on my list started. SHOCKED with myself that I didn't tear out of the building looking for Girlscout cookies.
Hooray for a somewhat healthy mindset!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Motivation by Peer Pressure
I have spurts of motivation. Always have. I get an idea in my head and if I feel like doing it right at that moment, I am 100% committed to getting it done. But I have to be in the moment, or else my motivation evaporates.
This takes many different forms. I hate cleaning, but the moment I get the idea in my head telling me it is a good idea to "put all the laundry away and redo the configuration of my dressers so that everything is better organized", you better just let me do it. Yes, it will take a long time and yes, I will make a mess of my bedroom in the process (worse than it had been before as a result of my not putting my clothes away), but if I am motivated to do it, get outta my way! Never stop me when I am on a roll. Otherwise, I will quickly lose the drive to do it and then either stop the process half way through and leave it that way for ages, or just sit on the couch (not listening to my "shoulds") and live out of my clean laundry basket for two weeks.
I have never been a dieter by any stretch of the imagination. I share gleeful stories with my college roommates about how delicious the Quadruple Stacker from Burger King is, and don't regret it for a second. (I mean, come on! Four layers of beef, four layers of cheese, and four layers of bacon? And great girl friends who share this passion for the fine cuisine at BK? Sign. me. up.) But every so often I get a kick of "Ugh, I really need to eat better or diet or something" and will make a conscious effort to make good decisions for a while. It might only last for a week, but I will get up, have breakfast, get subway or a salad for lunch, and urge my husband not to order Chinese food for dinner. But it won't be long before I have a night where I just want to stay in and order pizza, and once you've had some pepperoni slices and garlic knots, there is really no point in keeping up with the food tracking. Done.
Lately, I have been hearing from a lot of people who are making goals and sticking to them. For instance, my Dad started a diet for New Year's and has already lost 10 pounds! That's amazing!!! I can't believe he is able to stick to a diet (only because I never can), but I am unbelievably proud of him and I am rooting him on every step of the way. I went out the other night with a friend who is making a solid effort to cut down on drinking. Good for him! It's not like we are in the habit of getting plastered on a Wednesday night, but why take in the extra calories and possibly make yourself miserable in the morning just for the sake of being "social"? Like we're not social already! Another friend and fellow blogger is doing a month-long cleanse, which she has not only been sticking to, but really embracing. She also just dove into the world of cooking with tofu (which is on my list too!), and seems to be having fun with the whole challenge. Heck, it is even fun for ME just READING about it!
I have decided that I am going to try to use other people's determination and success to force motivation upon myself and get things done. If everyone surrounding me can stick to their goals and reap the benefits of the glowing success from reaching their goals, why can't I?
So this is my plan. I can motivate myself for a little while. but not long term. If I pay more attention to other people's success, maybe I can do it to! Or, if I can't look at it in a positive way, maybe I can GUILT myself into keeping up with my peers! HA!
This takes many different forms. I hate cleaning, but the moment I get the idea in my head telling me it is a good idea to "put all the laundry away and redo the configuration of my dressers so that everything is better organized", you better just let me do it. Yes, it will take a long time and yes, I will make a mess of my bedroom in the process (worse than it had been before as a result of my not putting my clothes away), but if I am motivated to do it, get outta my way! Never stop me when I am on a roll. Otherwise, I will quickly lose the drive to do it and then either stop the process half way through and leave it that way for ages, or just sit on the couch (not listening to my "shoulds") and live out of my clean laundry basket for two weeks.
I have never been a dieter by any stretch of the imagination. I share gleeful stories with my college roommates about how delicious the Quadruple Stacker from Burger King is, and don't regret it for a second. (I mean, come on! Four layers of beef, four layers of cheese, and four layers of bacon? And great girl friends who share this passion for the fine cuisine at BK? Sign. me. up.) But every so often I get a kick of "Ugh, I really need to eat better or diet or something" and will make a conscious effort to make good decisions for a while. It might only last for a week, but I will get up, have breakfast, get subway or a salad for lunch, and urge my husband not to order Chinese food for dinner. But it won't be long before I have a night where I just want to stay in and order pizza, and once you've had some pepperoni slices and garlic knots, there is really no point in keeping up with the food tracking. Done.
Lately, I have been hearing from a lot of people who are making goals and sticking to them. For instance, my Dad started a diet for New Year's and has already lost 10 pounds! That's amazing!!! I can't believe he is able to stick to a diet (only because I never can), but I am unbelievably proud of him and I am rooting him on every step of the way. I went out the other night with a friend who is making a solid effort to cut down on drinking. Good for him! It's not like we are in the habit of getting plastered on a Wednesday night, but why take in the extra calories and possibly make yourself miserable in the morning just for the sake of being "social"? Like we're not social already! Another friend and fellow blogger is doing a month-long cleanse, which she has not only been sticking to, but really embracing. She also just dove into the world of cooking with tofu (which is on my list too!), and seems to be having fun with the whole challenge. Heck, it is even fun for ME just READING about it!
I have decided that I am going to try to use other people's determination and success to force motivation upon myself and get things done. If everyone surrounding me can stick to their goals and reap the benefits of the glowing success from reaching their goals, why can't I?
So this is my plan. I can motivate myself for a little while. but not long term. If I pay more attention to other people's success, maybe I can do it to! Or, if I can't look at it in a positive way, maybe I can GUILT myself into keeping up with my peers! HA!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Year!
Have you made a New Year’s resolution? I didn’t – but I like to think (as I am sure many other non-resolutioners do) that I am justified. First of all, I am still trying to plow through my list of 101 Things to do in 1,001 Days which is kind of like a giant list of resolutions. If I pick something from my list to make my New Year’s Resolution, that’s almost like cheating because I have clearly already set that goal for myself. If I pick something completely new, am I gypping myself of a chance to knock off something from my list, or will I be disappointed in myself when it gets to be February and I join the masses of people who have already failed at their goal? I know I am biased, but I think I have very good points here.
Instead of making one solid New Year’s Resolution that is asking me to make a major change in my life, I have decided to simply listen to my “shoulds”.
Over the past few days, I have been thinking a lot about this and I really think that this small little change has the potential to not really change my day too much, but could change my life. For example, as I was getting ready for work this morning, I looked in the bathroom mirror and noticed that I had dry skin on my face. My immediate thought was that ‘I should do a better job of moisturizing so my skin doesn’t keep getting dry’. A second later, a sighed and went to turn to leave the bathroom and go on getting ready for my day. Wait a second. I have a whole shelf full of moisturizers specifically for the face in my bathroom six inches from where I was standing. Clinque. Olay. Lots of them. And it takes, what… 10 seconds to put on lotion? Why not just DO it? So I did.
I actually had exactly the same thought about my feet, but I will spare you a story about lotioning my feet… you’re welcome.
Just thinking about how many times a day I have a thought that starts with “I SHOULD…” makes me realize how much I don’t do until it becomes a huge task!
I hate sitting down and going through the loads of mail that pile up on our kitchen counters for weeks at a time, causing a complete mess. I should just go through it and trash all the junk mail every night when I get home from work. It would take under a minute AND prevent an avalanche of papers from forming in the kitchen. Why don’t I just DO it? I should go to bed when I start to feel tired at night, instead of staying up because another episode of The Golden Girls is going to be coming on in a few minutes. I have seen every episode of that show and can quote most of it! I own the box sets! Why do I stay up late to watch shows I have seen 200 times and know how it will end within the first 30 seconds of the episode? Go to bed if you’re tired! I should write down groceries that we need to shop for as we run out of them. We already have a magnetic list pad right on the fridge that stays unused until it is time to grocery shop, at which point I write down everything I can think of off the top of my head. If I had a running list made, I wouldn’t have to wait until the next time I try to cook something to realize I didn’t know we were out of butter and now I can’t complete my recipe, or that we already had three unopened bottles of ranch dressing so I shouldn’t have bought any more. I should put my jewelry away when I take it off at night instead of leaving it around the living room, kitchen, bathroom, etc. That way I won’t complain when I can’t find my missing earring or when I have to spend 20 minutes looking for the necklace I wanted to wear and then untangling it from the other jewelry debris that’s been scattered about. Why do I waste time like this? I should stay away from the Ghirardelli peppermint bark that has been laid out on the table in my office. Ok, let’s be honest. I am going to leave this “should” alone because peppermint bark is delicious.
So instead of making the typical New Year’s Resolution - “I want to lose 30 pounds, I want to finally ask my boss for a raise, I’m going to be nice to everyone” – I am resolving to listen more to my “shoulds”. It’s a goal that won’t take time out of my day, may actually SAVE me time in the long run, and that I can’t be let down by, because there is no way to measure it. Maybe with all the extra time I have from taking care of my “shoulds” immediately, I can check off a few more things on my 101 List!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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