Where did you being in 2008?
(What kind of sentence structure is that?!) I was and still am at my new job that isn't so new anymore. But it's still new to me because it's only been a year and a half!
What was your status by Valentine’s Day?
In a loving and secure relationship ... and broke ass because were saving for a wedding!
Did you have to go to the hospital?
Not to be checked in or anything. For my annual lady appointment - yes.
Did you have any encounters with the police?
One sort of flirted w/ me a while back. Made an old gal feel young for a quick second ;)
Where did you go on vacation?
Oahu & Kauai
What did you purchase that was over $500?
Hmm. Stuff. (I don't want to answer, especially since I sometimes live beyond my non profit means)
Did you know anybody who got married?
Yes. A few!
Did you know anybody who passed away?
Yes, unfortunately.
What sporting events did you attend?
None. I go for the food, alcohol and yapping so it's less expensive if I just go to a friend's house for all that ;)
What concerts/shows did you go to?
Dave Matthews Band
Describe your birthday.
I was sick. My head felt cloudy and I was coughing and stuffed up. I had to go to meet w/ a couple of clients and then passed out on cold meds when I got home. Happy 30th baby!
What was one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
Hike in a GD jungle.
What has/have been your favorite moment(s).
Predictably, our wedding and honeymoon. Both were pretty fantastic.
Any new additions to the family?
Nope.
What was your best month?
Tough call. December is usually my favorite month of the year because of birthdays and Christmas. But April was very awesome because we were on vacation for nearly 2 1/2 weeks in one of my most favorite places (and we got married to boot:)
Who has been your best drinking buddy?
My friend, Marisa. She drinks about the same as me so we are definitely intoxicated but we're hardly ever sloppy. And, knock on wood, never a hot mess!
Made new friends?
Yes. Not necessarily brand new but new drinking buddies!
Favorite Night out?
That's difficult! I guess the one in January where I threw a girl's drink out and told the guy holding it, "You are never anyone's drink bitch. Least of all, hers!" That ended a bit rough, though (yes, vomiting was involved.) But I have a lot of favorite night ins w/ The Man :)
Any regrets?
One small one - not enjoying every moment of our wedding. I was a bit stressed prior to our wedding day and wish I could have let loose and enjoyed some moments w/ all the family.
What do you want to change in 2009?
I'm w/ Cyn - being more financially stable. And the ol' weight thing. But it's more like I want to get back to a certain size.
Overall, how would you rate this year?
A-
Have any life changes in 2008?
Yes. Stated several times above so I won't mention it AGAIN!
Change your hairstyle?
No. I still have long hair. But I've slowly gone back to my natural hair color!
Get a new job?
Nope. I'm very thankful for the one I have!
Do you have a New Year’s resolution?
See "what I want to change" question.
Did anything embarrassing?
Oh I'm sure I have but I want to keep it buried in the dark recesses of my mind.
Get married or divorced?
Yup. And nope.
Be honest, did you watch American Idol?
Yes.
Start a new hobby?
Is boot camp a hobby? I did start that. And love it! I'm still sad that I had to stop yoga due to my shoulder. Booooooooo.
Been snowboarding?
Not in YEARS.
Are you happy to see 2008 go?
I'm indifferent. Unless I could relive certain moments, there isn't much use in holding on to the time.
Drank starbucks in 2008?
Why not ask me if I took a breath in 2008, too?
Been naughty or nice?
I think both. - Ditto!
What are you wishing for in 2009?
Success in our marriage. Success professionally. Success personally. Success financially ... plain ol' Success!!!! Oh, and love, happiness and good health for all my family and friends.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A different kind of Christmas
After being together for six years, this will be The Man's and my first Christmas together. With his family living roughly 2 1/2 hours away, it made it impossible to be able to see both families on the same day - so we've always separated. This year we will be together. This makes me happy because Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. Ever.
It probably has a lot to do with my Daddy who loves him some Christmas. And my mom, who is not a big holiday person, just goes along for the ride with her two crazy Christmas fanatics. Anyway, this is also my first Christmas (ever) away from my parents. And I feel funny about it. I also will miss being with Sister, The Boy and WGD this year but we've already has Christmases apart. It's hard to explain because it's not like they were ever truly gung ho about it. The decorations consisted simply of a Christmas tree and lights outside. My dad even stopped cooking so we would pre order a Christmas meal from a local grocery store. But even though Christmas at my parents' house is really low key, being with them is all I know.
So I'm a little sad. What's funny is I probably am thinking way more it than my parents! They're not overly sentimental folks. And I don't want The Man to take it the wrong way because I love him very, very much.
Anyway, I'm still very much looking forward to Christmas and I am very happy to be with The Man during my most favorite time of the year. I know that we will create new Christmas traditions ... like two Christmas trees! :) I just wish I could "have my cake and eat it too" and be with my family, as well.
It probably has a lot to do with my Daddy who loves him some Christmas. And my mom, who is not a big holiday person, just goes along for the ride with her two crazy Christmas fanatics. Anyway, this is also my first Christmas (ever) away from my parents. And I feel funny about it. I also will miss being with Sister, The Boy and WGD this year but we've already has Christmases apart. It's hard to explain because it's not like they were ever truly gung ho about it. The decorations consisted simply of a Christmas tree and lights outside. My dad even stopped cooking so we would pre order a Christmas meal from a local grocery store. But even though Christmas at my parents' house is really low key, being with them is all I know.
So I'm a little sad. What's funny is I probably am thinking way more it than my parents! They're not overly sentimental folks. And I don't want The Man to take it the wrong way because I love him very, very much.
Anyway, I'm still very much looking forward to Christmas and I am very happy to be with The Man during my most favorite time of the year. I know that we will create new Christmas traditions ... like two Christmas trees! :) I just wish I could "have my cake and eat it too" and be with my family, as well.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Out cold (kind of) last week.
Wow. That bug going around is a DOOZIE.
Two Sundays ago, The Man and I took Christmas pictures. That afternoon, he was a sweaty mess. The next day, I had a lighter version (a distant cousin of the Man's virus, perhaps?) that knocked me off my feet. In a bad way.
In one part of the house, we had The Man trying to break his fever, hacking and coughing and cuddling the heater in the living room ... and no, I'm not exaggerating. He was curled up as close to the heater as possible that I was worried he would singe some part of his clothing. He was sweating like no other but felt really cold. He also didn't want to soak through the sheets (again) or get me sick so he opted to sleep in the living room, spooning the heater. I felt so bad for him but couldn't take care of him because, in the other part of the house, I was stuffed up, trying to sleep off what I think I had a cold which later turned into the flu. At first, I thought it was manageable. What's a cold, right? Except when I drove around for work that Monday, I felt like I had taken doses of drowsy night time medication. Which I hadn't. I had coffee and everything but I felt drugged and couldn't shake it off. And it got worse each day.
The kicker is that his mom and little brother had planned to stay with us Tuesday through Friday because she was getting medical treatment in the Bay Area. I'm sure my poor mother in law (and it probably wasn't that great for his little brother) was not excited to see that we were both sick, especially since she was easily suseptible to illness. She ended up making us two types of soup while she was here and asked the bare minimum of us because we were so sick. She was pretty awesome. And the little brother entertained himself with video games. Pheww!
And my birthday ... oh, what an uneventful day that was! On top of being sick, I lost three accounts that day. So professionally, I was already in a bad mood. In addition to that, I had four client meetings all over the East Bay, in Pleasanton, Alameda and Berkeley. I felt so crappy that I rescheduled the first and last meeting of the day to be over the phone so I wouldn't spread my sickness. (I couldn't help the other two appointments - hope I didn't infect them!) People asked me, "Where is your hubby taking you for your big day?" NOWHERE. I just wanted to pass out in a NyQuil and Theraflu haze. I know, probably slightly dangerous but I was congested and just plain miserable.
I adore Christmas and normally seize the opportunity to decorate the house all holiday-like. We didn't have a tree until Sunday because we were in no condition all last week to get one. While we felt better by last Sunday, we still weren't the picture of perfect health and he and I were a dizzy and sweaty mess by the time we bought it, set it up and decorated it. We actually needed a nap.
Now today, Tuesday, we're both much better. Well, The Man woke me up with his hacking and coughing but I'm hoping that it's just residue and not a relapse. Ahhhhhh ... stupid bug. I also hauled rear end yesterday to get out our greeting cards, over 200 because I also sent them out for work!! Boo. I feel so behind on the holidays. Not to mention, I feel a little jipped from at least a week of waking up to beautiful Christmas cheer. But I'm determined to enjoy the time we have left and am even on the search of keeping with tradition and trying to find a mini Douglas Fir for our bedroom. As The Man likes to mention, if something happens once (like getting two Christmas trees for my birthday last year) and I happen to like it, it now becomes TRADITION. Who doesn't want to wake up to the soft glow of Christmas lights, the smell of a little Christmas tree and little puppies cuddling with you in the morning? (Because he gets up a little earlier than me, The Man lets our puppies out of the kitchen so I can wake up to puppy kisses, or being stepped on by puppies, each morning:)
Two Sundays ago, The Man and I took Christmas pictures. That afternoon, he was a sweaty mess. The next day, I had a lighter version (a distant cousin of the Man's virus, perhaps?) that knocked me off my feet. In a bad way.
In one part of the house, we had The Man trying to break his fever, hacking and coughing and cuddling the heater in the living room ... and no, I'm not exaggerating. He was curled up as close to the heater as possible that I was worried he would singe some part of his clothing. He was sweating like no other but felt really cold. He also didn't want to soak through the sheets (again) or get me sick so he opted to sleep in the living room, spooning the heater. I felt so bad for him but couldn't take care of him because, in the other part of the house, I was stuffed up, trying to sleep off what I think I had a cold which later turned into the flu. At first, I thought it was manageable. What's a cold, right? Except when I drove around for work that Monday, I felt like I had taken doses of drowsy night time medication. Which I hadn't. I had coffee and everything but I felt drugged and couldn't shake it off. And it got worse each day.
The kicker is that his mom and little brother had planned to stay with us Tuesday through Friday because she was getting medical treatment in the Bay Area. I'm sure my poor mother in law (and it probably wasn't that great for his little brother) was not excited to see that we were both sick, especially since she was easily suseptible to illness. She ended up making us two types of soup while she was here and asked the bare minimum of us because we were so sick. She was pretty awesome. And the little brother entertained himself with video games. Pheww!
And my birthday ... oh, what an uneventful day that was! On top of being sick, I lost three accounts that day. So professionally, I was already in a bad mood. In addition to that, I had four client meetings all over the East Bay, in Pleasanton, Alameda and Berkeley. I felt so crappy that I rescheduled the first and last meeting of the day to be over the phone so I wouldn't spread my sickness. (I couldn't help the other two appointments - hope I didn't infect them!) People asked me, "Where is your hubby taking you for your big day?" NOWHERE. I just wanted to pass out in a NyQuil and Theraflu haze. I know, probably slightly dangerous but I was congested and just plain miserable.
I adore Christmas and normally seize the opportunity to decorate the house all holiday-like. We didn't have a tree until Sunday because we were in no condition all last week to get one. While we felt better by last Sunday, we still weren't the picture of perfect health and he and I were a dizzy and sweaty mess by the time we bought it, set it up and decorated it. We actually needed a nap.
Now today, Tuesday, we're both much better. Well, The Man woke me up with his hacking and coughing but I'm hoping that it's just residue and not a relapse. Ahhhhhh ... stupid bug. I also hauled rear end yesterday to get out our greeting cards, over 200 because I also sent them out for work!! Boo. I feel so behind on the holidays. Not to mention, I feel a little jipped from at least a week of waking up to beautiful Christmas cheer. But I'm determined to enjoy the time we have left and am even on the search of keeping with tradition and trying to find a mini Douglas Fir for our bedroom. As The Man likes to mention, if something happens once (like getting two Christmas trees for my birthday last year) and I happen to like it, it now becomes TRADITION. Who doesn't want to wake up to the soft glow of Christmas lights, the smell of a little Christmas tree and little puppies cuddling with you in the morning? (Because he gets up a little earlier than me, The Man lets our puppies out of the kitchen so I can wake up to puppy kisses, or being stepped on by puppies, each morning:)
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Ohhh SNAP. Christmas pictures!!
I love, love, love my husband. Our only planned amateur photo shoot (we were going to have his little brother take the pictures) was rained out. I worried because I had no idea how we would have another willing and able person around when we were available to take pictures. But The Man had no doubt he would be able to take care of business with his trusty tripod and our little canon camera.
We woke up this morning and took the pups to Alameda. Poor guy, he was feeling under the weather but he put a brave face on because he knew how much I wanted pictures for our holiday cards. It was colder than a mother effer but by golly, he did it. He's so talented! And I have to add that he was missing the piece that attached the camera securely to the tripod so it was balancing precariously the entire time :)
We could NOT figure out how to get the puppies to look at the camera.
Our dogs couldn't be less interested in what we were doing.
Good enough - we'll take it!
Poor guy, he is sick and shivering the whole time. And if there hadn't been fog, you would be able to see San Francisco and the Bay Bridge in the distance. But there was. So you don't!
Looks romantic. But we're both thinking, "Did the camera take the picture yet?" And again, no San Francisco skyline :(
Hauling the dogs back to the car and getting our frozen rear ends back home! (I think Gil FINALLY understands why I love the car seat warmers so much!!!)
I was hoping to be one of those annoyingly on the ball people who sent out their Christmas cards right after Thanksgiving. But now I'm just part of the normal geeky crowd who loves to send holiday cards made up of pictures of themselves.
I freakin' LOVE this season! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!
PS: Poor hubby. He had cold sweats that night and a fever. He ended up calling sick on Monday ... he thinks someone sneezed in his food when we ate out on Saturday night!
We woke up this morning and took the pups to Alameda. Poor guy, he was feeling under the weather but he put a brave face on because he knew how much I wanted pictures for our holiday cards. It was colder than a mother effer but by golly, he did it. He's so talented! And I have to add that he was missing the piece that attached the camera securely to the tripod so it was balancing precariously the entire time :)
We could NOT figure out how to get the puppies to look at the camera.
Our dogs couldn't be less interested in what we were doing.
Good enough - we'll take it!
Poor guy, he is sick and shivering the whole time. And if there hadn't been fog, you would be able to see San Francisco and the Bay Bridge in the distance. But there was. So you don't!
Looks romantic. But we're both thinking, "Did the camera take the picture yet?" And again, no San Francisco skyline :(
Hauling the dogs back to the car and getting our frozen rear ends back home! (I think Gil FINALLY understands why I love the car seat warmers so much!!!)
I was hoping to be one of those annoyingly on the ball people who sent out their Christmas cards right after Thanksgiving. But now I'm just part of the normal geeky crowd who loves to send holiday cards made up of pictures of themselves.
I freakin' LOVE this season! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!
PS: Poor hubby. He had cold sweats that night and a fever. He ended up calling sick on Monday ... he thinks someone sneezed in his food when we ate out on Saturday night!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Honeymoon stage
I went through this honeymoon stage when I first "got with" The Man. It was all sunshine and giggles. No, seriously, I had a huge fat crush on him and he nearly walked on water ... to me. I carved out this big ol' pedestal just for him and gleefully slapped his rump upon it. Of course, it faded. I mean, it turned into true love and I love him madly. But the stage was over when the relationship had to deal with real issues like going through the second year hump. Or accidentally walking into the restroom immediately after the love of your life blew it up. You know what I mean.
Then there was our real honeymoon after we got married. Well, for me, it was the time when we got back from Hawaii and had to live in the real world. Spending three weeks together, all day every day reminded me of why I fell in love. And it probably helped that we shared this life changing moment in our lives like a wedding ceremony. But I had this crush again and I even kind of disgusted myself. I remember thinking on my first day back at work, "Holy CRAP. I really miss him. Like high school crush, can't think of anything else because I miss him too much missing him. Ugh!! What is wrong with me?!" And I was so happy when he came home and I just wanted to cuddle the whole evening. Of course, we acclimated to the real world and that slowly faded away. And that's OK. Because I know that I love him and he loves me.
But every so often, he does something that makes me slip back into that honeymoon or crush phase where I just want to kiss him all over and cuddle him like he was my own personal teddy bear. Like when I got a text this morning from him while he was staying at his mom's house that read, "I kept waking up to look for you next to me. Love you."
Yahh ... like THAT.
Then there was our real honeymoon after we got married. Well, for me, it was the time when we got back from Hawaii and had to live in the real world. Spending three weeks together, all day every day reminded me of why I fell in love. And it probably helped that we shared this life changing moment in our lives like a wedding ceremony. But I had this crush again and I even kind of disgusted myself. I remember thinking on my first day back at work, "Holy CRAP. I really miss him. Like high school crush, can't think of anything else because I miss him too much missing him. Ugh!! What is wrong with me?!" And I was so happy when he came home and I just wanted to cuddle the whole evening. Of course, we acclimated to the real world and that slowly faded away. And that's OK. Because I know that I love him and he loves me.
But every so often, he does something that makes me slip back into that honeymoon or crush phase where I just want to kiss him all over and cuddle him like he was my own personal teddy bear. Like when I got a text this morning from him while he was staying at his mom's house that read, "I kept waking up to look for you next to me. Love you."
Yahh ... like THAT.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Frustrated ... but who's fault is that?
So I've been kicking my rear end three times a week for almost a month now. I am exercising and pushing myself now more than I have before. I really do like my bootcamp sessions and feel like I'm doing a really good thing for myself.
But I have yet to lose weight. And who's fault is that?
I thought I would lose a little bit of weight just by exercising. But I haven't been doing such a great job in the food area so I gained a bit and now I'm about even. And I can't help but be pissed off because what the HELL happened to my body in the past 10 years?
Back in college, I would eat cheese pizzas w/ ranch dressing, full fat white mochas WITH hazelnut syrup, Regular Cokes and whatever other trash I consumed before, between and after classes. I now drink non fat lattes, diet cokes, Weight Watcher pizzas and whatever other no fun stuff exists out there. Yet I'm heavier now than I was then. Was it the smoking? The tons of walking throughout the day? The stress? What's changed?
I am going back to my old habit of writing down what I eat. Because it just doesn't work when I don't do that. I haven't written for a while about diets and things like that because it's not all that I think about. But after nearly a month of vigorous workouts multiple times of week, I realize that there's no way around it. I have to eat better.
Maybe it's because I'm irritable right now but it totally blows. Because I like going out for Japanese, Thai, Filipino and just eating out, in general. I love Chocolate. Oh my gosh how I love chocolate (it even got a shout out in The Man's vows to me.) I love breaking bread with friends and celebrating over meals. I love to drink. Drinking makes me eat. Ahhhh ... OK. I promised myself that I would only allow myself a few entries to bitch about weight and food. Because, over all, I am a happy person. I joke with The Man that we've gained weight because we are in a loving and happy relationship. (It's true, though. We are pretty freakin' comfortable.) I know I'm pretty healthy and I work out regularly now. But I know I have to make changes because this, what I'm doing NOW, is not working for me.
But I have yet to lose weight. And who's fault is that?
I thought I would lose a little bit of weight just by exercising. But I haven't been doing such a great job in the food area so I gained a bit and now I'm about even. And I can't help but be pissed off because what the HELL happened to my body in the past 10 years?
Back in college, I would eat cheese pizzas w/ ranch dressing, full fat white mochas WITH hazelnut syrup, Regular Cokes and whatever other trash I consumed before, between and after classes. I now drink non fat lattes, diet cokes, Weight Watcher pizzas and whatever other no fun stuff exists out there. Yet I'm heavier now than I was then. Was it the smoking? The tons of walking throughout the day? The stress? What's changed?
I am going back to my old habit of writing down what I eat. Because it just doesn't work when I don't do that. I haven't written for a while about diets and things like that because it's not all that I think about. But after nearly a month of vigorous workouts multiple times of week, I realize that there's no way around it. I have to eat better.
Maybe it's because I'm irritable right now but it totally blows. Because I like going out for Japanese, Thai, Filipino and just eating out, in general. I love Chocolate. Oh my gosh how I love chocolate (it even got a shout out in The Man's vows to me.) I love breaking bread with friends and celebrating over meals. I love to drink. Drinking makes me eat. Ahhhh ... OK. I promised myself that I would only allow myself a few entries to bitch about weight and food. Because, over all, I am a happy person. I joke with The Man that we've gained weight because we are in a loving and happy relationship. (It's true, though. We are pretty freakin' comfortable.) I know I'm pretty healthy and I work out regularly now. But I know I have to make changes because this, what I'm doing NOW, is not working for me.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Updates and such
1. Work, work, work - pluggin' away. Still love my job but BOY am I tired! Looking forward to things slowing down a bit around Christmas.
2. Dirty confession - all decor but the Christmas tree(s) are up. I did it the first weekend of November! I'm holding out on playing X-mas music until Thanksgiving so that The Man doesn't leave me.
3. Work it out - I think I'm in my 4th week of Bootcamp. I LOVE it. Let me be clear, I do not love waking up in the morning and knowing I'm going to get my ass kicked. I kind of dread it, to be quite honest. But I love how I feel afterward because I know I totally kicked my own ass and pushed myself to the limit. I don't have the drive or discipline to do that on my own so I really like the trainer. He manages to motivate without being a douche. A rare and honorable trait.
4. Eating - working on it. I start off so well with my bowl of oatmeal in the morning and it somehow goes to hell in a handbasket (what the hell IS a handbasket?) by the end of the day. Ahhh ... it's always something, right?
5. No go on the Yoga :( I'm sad about this one. My chiropractor told me to lay off of it for a while. When I did, my shoulder got so much better. I really liked yoga, it made me feel good and accomplished and it always challenged me. But I like my left shoulder better so no more yoga for a while.
6. Facebook - Well, isn't that just a time sucker? While I'm on it a lot less, it is a great go to when trying to kill time or just do a brain numbing activity. But isn't it interesting the people and stuff you find out about??
7. Married life - I was trying to remember the last time someone asked me, "How's married life?" and just when I was going to write that it's been a while, I remember that my parents' neighbor just asked me that this morning :) But I think we're officially no longer newlyweds. Awwww ... that was a fun title. The Man is great. He is very stressed out at work and it's hard for him not to bring it home. I feel bad because he does a great job of not taking it out on me or the pups (I'm telling you, if you're stressed, hug a puppy - it works in this household!) But work does affect his attitude in the sense that it's really hard for him to be completely happy and carefree. I wish I could help him on that :( I wish I could light a bag of the pups' poo and shove it in his supervisor's mailbox. But I won't. Because that isn't classy. And it can get a person arrested.
8. Christmas cards - we are giving it a go next week and trying to take pictures. But if you get a lovely card with a wedding photo, don't be surprised!
9. The big 3-0 - for the longest time, I've been looking forward to this milestone. Now, I don't know. I'm not really "freaking out" but I'm having some serious reservations about this new chapter. I think I've accomplished quite a bit but (and how dumb is this) I also think about what I haven't done. And how much I wish I had done. But I'm pretty sure I'm not depressed about the whole thing ... just thinking about it too much!
All right, that's it. Again, I miss reading you guys but I suppose I can't be hypocrite and expect y'all to write if I haven't been doing much of the same. So write!
2. Dirty confession - all decor but the Christmas tree(s) are up. I did it the first weekend of November! I'm holding out on playing X-mas music until Thanksgiving so that The Man doesn't leave me.
3. Work it out - I think I'm in my 4th week of Bootcamp. I LOVE it. Let me be clear, I do not love waking up in the morning and knowing I'm going to get my ass kicked. I kind of dread it, to be quite honest. But I love how I feel afterward because I know I totally kicked my own ass and pushed myself to the limit. I don't have the drive or discipline to do that on my own so I really like the trainer. He manages to motivate without being a douche. A rare and honorable trait.
4. Eating - working on it. I start off so well with my bowl of oatmeal in the morning and it somehow goes to hell in a handbasket (what the hell IS a handbasket?) by the end of the day. Ahhh ... it's always something, right?
5. No go on the Yoga :( I'm sad about this one. My chiropractor told me to lay off of it for a while. When I did, my shoulder got so much better. I really liked yoga, it made me feel good and accomplished and it always challenged me. But I like my left shoulder better so no more yoga for a while.
6. Facebook - Well, isn't that just a time sucker? While I'm on it a lot less, it is a great go to when trying to kill time or just do a brain numbing activity. But isn't it interesting the people and stuff you find out about??
7. Married life - I was trying to remember the last time someone asked me, "How's married life?" and just when I was going to write that it's been a while, I remember that my parents' neighbor just asked me that this morning :) But I think we're officially no longer newlyweds. Awwww ... that was a fun title. The Man is great. He is very stressed out at work and it's hard for him not to bring it home. I feel bad because he does a great job of not taking it out on me or the pups (I'm telling you, if you're stressed, hug a puppy - it works in this household!) But work does affect his attitude in the sense that it's really hard for him to be completely happy and carefree. I wish I could help him on that :( I wish I could light a bag of the pups' poo and shove it in his supervisor's mailbox. But I won't. Because that isn't classy. And it can get a person arrested.
8. Christmas cards - we are giving it a go next week and trying to take pictures. But if you get a lovely card with a wedding photo, don't be surprised!
9. The big 3-0 - for the longest time, I've been looking forward to this milestone. Now, I don't know. I'm not really "freaking out" but I'm having some serious reservations about this new chapter. I think I've accomplished quite a bit but (and how dumb is this) I also think about what I haven't done. And how much I wish I had done. But I'm pretty sure I'm not depressed about the whole thing ... just thinking about it too much!
All right, that's it. Again, I miss reading you guys but I suppose I can't be hypocrite and expect y'all to write if I haven't been doing much of the same. So write!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Veteran's Day
There are more men and women buried in Arlington Cemetery from our current war than any other war.
I'm going to hug my daddy sometime today (he served in the Navy until he had a heart attack) and The Man (he was in the National Guard.)
I'm going to hug my daddy sometime today (he served in the Navy until he had a heart attack) and The Man (he was in the National Guard.)
Friday, November 07, 2008
Poor neglected Blogger ...
I was already on My Space so I refused to go on FaceBook. Sister convinced me I would like it and, well, you know the rest. It's addicting! Reading about people I haven't talked to in a while, getting the instant gratification of messaging or writing Wall-to-Wall ... oh sweet jeezus, it's like milk chocolate truffles to me. ADDICTING!
And poor Blogger. I've been reading but haven't been posting. Still busy at work and so much easier to just check FB, you know? But, like blogger/FB friend Anna wrote, there is something to be said about it also being a popularity contest. And I agree - I sometimes feel like a Pokemon card. People want to connect just to connect and I never hear/read a peep from them. I'm just another notch, I suppose. It's kind of irritating and I want to start deleting people. But for right now, I'm OK. Because I have my little blog. While it is open to the public (for now), this is where I reserve the more meaningful entries and the closest thing to a journal. No, it hasn't escaped my memory that I wrote two entries about shoes. Hey, I was excited about comfy shoes! Anyway, back to why I love blogging. Granted, because it is public, I'm not going to air out my dirty laundry and tend to be a bit vague. But it's been good to me so far. And the little group that I belong to (I hate using "audience" because I feel like it then implies that I'm writing to gain popularity versus writing to see if people can relate, sympathize or admit they have no idea where the hell I'm coming from) is perfect for me.
But I noticed that many of you have gone MIA, too. How come? I think you all were on FB before me so probably aren't as big of FB-junkies :) Work? School? Life? I hope everyone is doing well. I miss reading you! Well, hopefully I'll be treated to some of your good holiday pictures soon. About that, I have to get on the ball and learn how to use The Man's camera. It's been a while since I've had pictures! And we need to take some photos for our Christmas card soon. Ugh, about THAT - The Man wants to use wedding photos for our greetings card and I'm so tempted to do that. I mean, we are trying to get our money's worth out of those pictures plus they were taken professionally so we know that they look good! But it will have been eight months since the wedding and I don't know if there's ettiquete about that but maybe they're too old? Plus the pictures don't include the pups. And we have to have the pups! Ah, we'll see. I think if I can't get my act together, we may have to use wedding pictures but my preference is for us to take one soon. Very soon. But with what time? We then need to have someone with us available to take the pictures when The Man and I are available (he's been and will be out of town on the weekends.)
Where has the time gone?!
And poor Blogger. I've been reading but haven't been posting. Still busy at work and so much easier to just check FB, you know? But, like blogger/FB friend Anna wrote, there is something to be said about it also being a popularity contest. And I agree - I sometimes feel like a Pokemon card. People want to connect just to connect and I never hear/read a peep from them. I'm just another notch, I suppose. It's kind of irritating and I want to start deleting people. But for right now, I'm OK. Because I have my little blog. While it is open to the public (for now), this is where I reserve the more meaningful entries and the closest thing to a journal. No, it hasn't escaped my memory that I wrote two entries about shoes. Hey, I was excited about comfy shoes! Anyway, back to why I love blogging. Granted, because it is public, I'm not going to air out my dirty laundry and tend to be a bit vague. But it's been good to me so far. And the little group that I belong to (I hate using "audience" because I feel like it then implies that I'm writing to gain popularity versus writing to see if people can relate, sympathize or admit they have no idea where the hell I'm coming from) is perfect for me.
But I noticed that many of you have gone MIA, too. How come? I think you all were on FB before me so probably aren't as big of FB-junkies :) Work? School? Life? I hope everyone is doing well. I miss reading you! Well, hopefully I'll be treated to some of your good holiday pictures soon. About that, I have to get on the ball and learn how to use The Man's camera. It's been a while since I've had pictures! And we need to take some photos for our Christmas card soon. Ugh, about THAT - The Man wants to use wedding photos for our greetings card and I'm so tempted to do that. I mean, we are trying to get our money's worth out of those pictures plus they were taken professionally so we know that they look good! But it will have been eight months since the wedding and I don't know if there's ettiquete about that but maybe they're too old? Plus the pictures don't include the pups. And we have to have the pups! Ah, we'll see. I think if I can't get my act together, we may have to use wedding pictures but my preference is for us to take one soon. Very soon. But with what time? We then need to have someone with us available to take the pictures when The Man and I are available (he's been and will be out of town on the weekends.)
Where has the time gone?!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Heart Breaker or Heart Ache-r?
Being sick has its disadvantages. The obvious is, well, being sick. And, of course, if you're like me and totally useless when ill then there's having to take time off work to lay in a NyQuil-induced coma.
And FaceBook didn't exactly help me any. Because when I am sick and in bed all damn day, there is nothing to do except look up people that should be left in the past. But I can't help myself. AND DON'T EVEN FAKE IT BECAUSE I KNOW I'M NOT ON MY OWN. Friendster, MySpace and FaceBook are convenient ways for us to keep tabs on the people we no longer talk to or make us think back of all the people who crossed our paths just to see what they've been up to since we last saw them.
And then, of course, because my mind can never just REST and always has to be busy even if it's to think of things that are useless or irrelevant to my happy life today, I wondered if the people I remembered and thought to look up did the same with me. And that's friends, enemies, old coworkers, old sorority sisters, ex-boyfriends and ex-crushes. But see, with me, I haven't had that many men in my life prior to The Man. And it's not something I regret, it just made me think.
I only have one ex-boyfriend and two significant crushes in my life. And a couple of guys that caught my eye. But that is it. Crazy isn't it? I mean, I've only had two serious boyfriends and I married one of them so there ya go. It is very easy for me to remember the past relationships because there were not that many in my life, making the few that occurred significant moments in my life.
And, because I just had way too much time lying in bed trying to breathe without coughing, I realized that the roles they had in my life were probably a lot more important and significant than the role I played in theirs. Because if there are, say four men that made a strong impact in your life, you are going to remember them. But if there was that one woman out of 15, well, you're going to kind of remember her and when you had gone out with her in your life. Maybe.
I'd like to think I'm memorable. I'd like to think I broke a heart or two. How morbid is that?! I may have bruised a couple of egos in my day. But I'm pretty sure I wasn't a heart breaker. I didn't let too many guys in my life (out of fear, already being in a relationship, and sometimes just too damn picky) so I can remember when I went out with these fellows and most of the details of the relationship. Although out of the four, two were just very long, twisted crushes where I gave them entirely too much power that, luckily, they had very little idea they had it because, unluckily, I was inept in expressing my feelings making me a pro (not that I realized it then) at sending mixed signals. But that huge flaw is another entry all together.
My point is that I am not a heart breaker. I am a heart ache-r. I've had my heart break or ache at least four times by two men who probably didn't even know they did it. And I don't mean I was necessarily in love. I just mean that period where you're sobbing uncontrollably in your pillow and you can't eat or sleep because you feel like your heart has been smashed by a hammer. And yes, The Man is counted in that four ... and obviously we made up. Thankfully I figured out how to articulate my feelings with him!
Although I complain about how busy my work keep me, I'm relieved to be throwing myself back into something where I can use my restless mind for good rather than drivel like wondering if I made an impact on the lives that made an impact on me. But if you have the time, think about it ...
Are you a heart breaker or heart ache-r? It's kind of a trip.
I talked to a friend about this and how ridiculous I felt for even thinking about this because I am in a beautiful and wonderful relationship and love my husband with all my heart. Why am I thinking about past relationships? Well, it really isn't about the men and "what if." I know exactly "what if" and dodged some potentially horrible relationships and lived through a tumultuous one. I am blessed to be with the best of the best. It's more of an ego thing, I suppose. And I know it's great to be a confident woman who knows her self worth. But I also don't mind the humbleness of it all that, well, just because someone was once important to you, your significance in their life may not be the same. And it's truly OK.
Unless you are sick and have way too much to think about and you kind of wished that you had been a heart breaker!
And FaceBook didn't exactly help me any. Because when I am sick and in bed all damn day, there is nothing to do except look up people that should be left in the past. But I can't help myself. AND DON'T EVEN FAKE IT BECAUSE I KNOW I'M NOT ON MY OWN. Friendster, MySpace and FaceBook are convenient ways for us to keep tabs on the people we no longer talk to or make us think back of all the people who crossed our paths just to see what they've been up to since we last saw them.
And then, of course, because my mind can never just REST and always has to be busy even if it's to think of things that are useless or irrelevant to my happy life today, I wondered if the people I remembered and thought to look up did the same with me. And that's friends, enemies, old coworkers, old sorority sisters, ex-boyfriends and ex-crushes. But see, with me, I haven't had that many men in my life prior to The Man. And it's not something I regret, it just made me think.
I only have one ex-boyfriend and two significant crushes in my life. And a couple of guys that caught my eye. But that is it. Crazy isn't it? I mean, I've only had two serious boyfriends and I married one of them so there ya go. It is very easy for me to remember the past relationships because there were not that many in my life, making the few that occurred significant moments in my life.
And, because I just had way too much time lying in bed trying to breathe without coughing, I realized that the roles they had in my life were probably a lot more important and significant than the role I played in theirs. Because if there are, say four men that made a strong impact in your life, you are going to remember them. But if there was that one woman out of 15, well, you're going to kind of remember her and when you had gone out with her in your life. Maybe.
I'd like to think I'm memorable. I'd like to think I broke a heart or two. How morbid is that?! I may have bruised a couple of egos in my day. But I'm pretty sure I wasn't a heart breaker. I didn't let too many guys in my life (out of fear, already being in a relationship, and sometimes just too damn picky) so I can remember when I went out with these fellows and most of the details of the relationship. Although out of the four, two were just very long, twisted crushes where I gave them entirely too much power that, luckily, they had very little idea they had it because, unluckily, I was inept in expressing my feelings making me a pro (not that I realized it then) at sending mixed signals. But that huge flaw is another entry all together.
My point is that I am not a heart breaker. I am a heart ache-r. I've had my heart break or ache at least four times by two men who probably didn't even know they did it. And I don't mean I was necessarily in love. I just mean that period where you're sobbing uncontrollably in your pillow and you can't eat or sleep because you feel like your heart has been smashed by a hammer. And yes, The Man is counted in that four ... and obviously we made up. Thankfully I figured out how to articulate my feelings with him!
Although I complain about how busy my work keep me, I'm relieved to be throwing myself back into something where I can use my restless mind for good rather than drivel like wondering if I made an impact on the lives that made an impact on me. But if you have the time, think about it ...
Are you a heart breaker or heart ache-r? It's kind of a trip.
I talked to a friend about this and how ridiculous I felt for even thinking about this because I am in a beautiful and wonderful relationship and love my husband with all my heart. Why am I thinking about past relationships? Well, it really isn't about the men and "what if." I know exactly "what if" and dodged some potentially horrible relationships and lived through a tumultuous one. I am blessed to be with the best of the best. It's more of an ego thing, I suppose. And I know it's great to be a confident woman who knows her self worth. But I also don't mind the humbleness of it all that, well, just because someone was once important to you, your significance in their life may not be the same. And it's truly OK.
Unless you are sick and have way too much to think about and you kind of wished that you had been a heart breaker!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
I give you ...
The Knox!
OK ... this is the last shoe on my wishlist, all named in honor of the kids adopted/made by that beautiful but bat $hit crazy woman. Who just admitted what everyone already knew which is she did, indeed, make the moves on her current boyfriend while he was still married. Oh, I know he's not blameless by any means and I hope he ages badly. But that's another entry.
Back to the shoes - Cute, huh?
So I caught a cold from my boss. I don't really blame her, though, because I could feel it in my body that I was fighting something, especially every morning. But I was able to shake it off for a while and took Vitamin C on a daily basis. But then I had a two hour meeting with my boss while she was sick and I couldn't fight off the bug anymore.
When I get sick, I'm just about useless. And if I try to go-go-go, I just stay sick for a longer amount of time. So I called in sick today. And laid in bed all freakin' day. Normally, that would not neccessarily be a bad thing but I couldn't really enjoy it since I'm sick. I basically drowned my sorrows and sickness in NyQuil.
And it bought me three hours of sleep :)
Saturday, October 18, 2008
I'm fine, how are you?
Still pluggin' away at work (and yes, although it makes sad that anytime I drop my Gs I think of Sarah Palin, I have to stay true to form) but it's much better. Easier? Heyyyyylllllz no! But I am much more accustomed to my schedule and have made peace with it.
Throughout the years, I've learned that very rarely do The J-O-B duties change for any given position. So either I have to adapt and make peace with it or I have to leave because whether it's me or someone else in the position, the job is always going to be the job. Kind of profound, isn't it? Or maybe not. It seems like a simple enough concept but we can be stubborn people. We think that we can just do what we really like or what we're really good at and then, because we have proven ourselves, we can shove off what we don't like to other people.
On that rare occasion, it sometimes works. Typically, though, we have to be in the job for several years and prove to be moderately successful in all facets of the position (including the one we want to get rid of) before we can negotiate removing the duties we don't care for ... and we better have a damn good argument why. But most of the time, whether we like it or not, we have to take the whole job description and own it. The parts we love, the parts we hate - all of it.
It's funny, I didn't think this entry was going to go this way. I was actually going to post pictures of the shoes I liked from Sofft that I'm planning to slowly add to my shoe collection the way Angelina adds kids to her household. But I've witnessed and continue to witness people who are struggling with accepting important parts of their job. And it's sad to watch because, in the end, I know that the job description will win. I mean, I've been on both sides. At my last job, I knew right away that I didn't like it. But I tried to convince myself it would work because I liked the people I worked with. But man, I hated my job and Sundays nights my stomach would hurt because I knew I would have to through another week of unsatisfying work. Now I never tried to change the job so that I only did what I wanted because I knew what the job entailed - I just didn't know how much I would dislike it. And because I knew the job wasn't going to change for me, I had to make the very difficult decision to leave it for the unknown.
Now I'm at a job that, over all, I love. Of course there are parts that I wish I didn't have to do but I'm at peace with having to do them. As I mentioned, though, there are others who try to reshape a position that was well established before they ever came on and isn't going to change even if they leave. I'm not just talking about people who do the same thing as me because I see it in many other areas. And rather than trying to adapt, there is a resistance. And I know that the inevitable will come when they realize that the description will always win and it's hardly ever pretty or peaceful.
Goodness, I didn't mean for this to be a morbid post! It really isn't. It's just an observation I've been thinking about for a few days now.
Anyway ... shoes!
The Maddox
The Sahara
The Pax
The Shiloh
The Vivienne
I guess I need to find one more that I like and call it the Knox! Wow, she has more kids than shoes that I've been eyeing for work. Jeez.
Throughout the years, I've learned that very rarely do The J-O-B duties change for any given position. So either I have to adapt and make peace with it or I have to leave because whether it's me or someone else in the position, the job is always going to be the job. Kind of profound, isn't it? Or maybe not. It seems like a simple enough concept but we can be stubborn people. We think that we can just do what we really like or what we're really good at and then, because we have proven ourselves, we can shove off what we don't like to other people.
On that rare occasion, it sometimes works. Typically, though, we have to be in the job for several years and prove to be moderately successful in all facets of the position (including the one we want to get rid of) before we can negotiate removing the duties we don't care for ... and we better have a damn good argument why. But most of the time, whether we like it or not, we have to take the whole job description and own it. The parts we love, the parts we hate - all of it.
It's funny, I didn't think this entry was going to go this way. I was actually going to post pictures of the shoes I liked from Sofft that I'm planning to slowly add to my shoe collection the way Angelina adds kids to her household. But I've witnessed and continue to witness people who are struggling with accepting important parts of their job. And it's sad to watch because, in the end, I know that the job description will win. I mean, I've been on both sides. At my last job, I knew right away that I didn't like it. But I tried to convince myself it would work because I liked the people I worked with. But man, I hated my job and Sundays nights my stomach would hurt because I knew I would have to through another week of unsatisfying work. Now I never tried to change the job so that I only did what I wanted because I knew what the job entailed - I just didn't know how much I would dislike it. And because I knew the job wasn't going to change for me, I had to make the very difficult decision to leave it for the unknown.
Now I'm at a job that, over all, I love. Of course there are parts that I wish I didn't have to do but I'm at peace with having to do them. As I mentioned, though, there are others who try to reshape a position that was well established before they ever came on and isn't going to change even if they leave. I'm not just talking about people who do the same thing as me because I see it in many other areas. And rather than trying to adapt, there is a resistance. And I know that the inevitable will come when they realize that the description will always win and it's hardly ever pretty or peaceful.
Goodness, I didn't mean for this to be a morbid post! It really isn't. It's just an observation I've been thinking about for a few days now.
Anyway ... shoes!
The Maddox
The Sahara
The Pax
The Shiloh
The Vivienne
I guess I need to find one more that I like and call it the Knox! Wow, she has more kids than shoes that I've been eyeing for work. Jeez.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
A stone's throw away from 30.
Another incident that made me realize I am welcoming this new milestone in my life (in addition to purchasing TWO pairs of Naturalizer shoes earlier this year) ...
I saw a lady walking to BART wearing white tennis shoes while her sensible heels were tucked away in her bag. Ordinarily, I can't help but pass judgement. Not necessarily about the woman but the style. "Jeezus, that does nothing for her outfit." And then, "I wouldn't be caught DEAD wearing white tennies with a work outfit."
As I get older, though, I notice I am having stronger thoughts about the women traipsing about in spiked / spice girl high heels versus the women in sneakers. Because at least with the women in sneakers, I totally get where where they're coming from. A long time ago, I had been the little 20-something wearing really high and really cute heels. But no more!
Yes, I still have opinions of the unattractiveness of the Easy Spirits over nude pantyhose ensemble. But, if I had to choose, I would begrudgingly pick that over the just-chop-off-my-feet-now-because-I'm-in-so-much-pain high heels. Because I would be limping something terrible by the end of the day. Of course, thinking that it's so much cooler, I have always opted for the flip flops and had my not so sensible heels in my bag. For my job, however, changing from flip flops to heels and then back again multiple times throughout the day just isn't reasonable.
While I am hoping with all my might that I won't become one of them, I am a little uneasy that I fully understand the concept of throwing cuteness to the wind in order to be able to walk comfortably for an entire day.
Will this be me one day?
I didn't realize how much I walked on a daily basis for work until I wore the wrong heels and tore up my feet. My poor toes. I was in so much pain that at the end of the day, I immediately went online and bought the Sofft high heels I had been eyeing but thought to be a little pricey. My feet definitely sent a clear message to me that day and I'm awaiting my stylish yet comfortable Sofft shoes. If you haven't checked this brand out, they have a bigger selection than Naturalizer and Aerosoles of cute shoes.
Yes. This obviously is an important topic for me and required thorough research. I even interrogated a couple of colleagues who told me they had Sofft shoes to ensure that I was making a wise investment. One said, "Seriously, girl. They're like walking on pillows." Yes, Sofft shoes are THAT good. (They should really pay me for this entry.)
Saturday, October 04, 2008
My body is NOT a wonderland
I decided to see a chiropractor through a local chiropractic college a few months ago because of my shoulder. I really liked her (she has since graduated and moved back to LA) and was open to her holistic approach because she was really passionate about it without being preachy. The two things she was concerned about was my intake of aspartame and birth control pills. Aspartame has been hard to kick. It's in a lot of things that I like so I'm slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) taking that out of my diet. I am a huge fan of Crystal Light and consume it all day long. So we'll see abut kicking the aspartame. Birth control, on the other hand, is easy. You just stop. I have been on the pill for six years straight, ten years total. I had a one year break after four years because my ex-boyfriend and I broke up. I wasn't doing anything to merit a pregnancy scare and I knew that mixing birth control pills and cigarettes were dangerous. So of course I gave up the birth control. I loved Marlboro Menthol Ultra Lights. (Yes, I have a dreamy look on my face just thinking about it.) But anyway ... back to the chiropractor. She told me that if it was at all possible, I should stop taking the pill because of all the hormones and it's just healthier for my body to stop. Hmm. I thought about it and shared this information with The Man. While we are not trying to have a baby right now, getting pregnant now by accident versus getting pregnant, oh, while I was in college and broke ass, is pretty different. There are other methods of birth control, as well. So the pill and I have broken up.
My body is NOT happy. I have been off the pill for two weeks. This past week my body decided we were fighting and I had cramps for the entire week. Damn. I completely forgot that a wonderful side affect of being on birth control pills was that I stopped having cramps. They used to be so bad in high school that I would go home almost once a month. The school nurse and I were friends ... she knew that I wasn't trying to play her for a fool and I knew that she would only make me lie on that army cot they called a bed for 1/2 hour before letting me go home. I loved my school nurse. In addition to the cramps, I am angry to report that I have found three blemishes on my chin. I call them "blemishes" because it's a damn shame that I'm damn near 30 years of age and breaking out. WHAT THE EFF. This lovely side affect is something I did not forget and knew that my skin would turn on me once I was off the pill. I am not claiming I had a lovely complexion while taking birth control pills but I appreciated the mostly-clear face and am so sad that age has not remedied this problem. So here I am. Cramping steadily for seven days and starting to break out. But, by golly, I don't have any artificial hormones in my body! (I am muttering a bunch of curse words right now. By the way, did you know "the curse" is defined as informal menstruation? First of all, how appropriate. Secondly, what is informal versus formal menstruation?)
My body is NOT happy. I have been off the pill for two weeks. This past week my body decided we were fighting and I had cramps for the entire week. Damn. I completely forgot that a wonderful side affect of being on birth control pills was that I stopped having cramps. They used to be so bad in high school that I would go home almost once a month. The school nurse and I were friends ... she knew that I wasn't trying to play her for a fool and I knew that she would only make me lie on that army cot they called a bed for 1/2 hour before letting me go home. I loved my school nurse. In addition to the cramps, I am angry to report that I have found three blemishes on my chin. I call them "blemishes" because it's a damn shame that I'm damn near 30 years of age and breaking out. WHAT THE EFF. This lovely side affect is something I did not forget and knew that my skin would turn on me once I was off the pill. I am not claiming I had a lovely complexion while taking birth control pills but I appreciated the mostly-clear face and am so sad that age has not remedied this problem. So here I am. Cramping steadily for seven days and starting to break out. But, by golly, I don't have any artificial hormones in my body! (I am muttering a bunch of curse words right now. By the way, did you know "the curse" is defined as informal menstruation? First of all, how appropriate. Secondly, what is informal versus formal menstruation?)
I miss reading blogger and I miss writing. But from what I see, a lot of you have been MIA. What gives? Are you busy with work too? That's my main reason. And the discovery of FaceBook. What another time sucker that thing is ;)
Sunday, September 21, 2008
A quick post about non-excellence being pretty good
I haven't been posting because I've been really busy with work. The Man's family asked us to participate in a 2-mile run today, though, and I had to write about it. We didn't train at all but it was such a short race that I wasn't scared of not finishing, I was scared of being hella slow.
In any case, I ended up being 178 out of 400+ people. Yah, not great at all. What I was happy with was that I finished in 19:51. Two miles in less than 20 minutes! For not going to the gym lately and definitely not keeping up on my running, I was excited to not totally suck. One of the few times I didn't mind being mediocre. I didn't stop to walk but I'm sure I jogged really slow at times. In fact, there were little kids passing me by. That is not an exaggeration. There were 7-8 year olds bookin' it past me. Don't laugh, these same kids passed The Man by too. Fresno sure knows how to raise speedy kids. By the way, The Man did very well (he didn't train either) and clocked in at 18:10.
Anyway, there is talk amongst the family to participate in a 6-mile in December. Uh, we'll see about that.
In any case, I ended up being 178 out of 400+ people. Yah, not great at all. What I was happy with was that I finished in 19:51. Two miles in less than 20 minutes! For not going to the gym lately and definitely not keeping up on my running, I was excited to not totally suck. One of the few times I didn't mind being mediocre. I didn't stop to walk but I'm sure I jogged really slow at times. In fact, there were little kids passing me by. That is not an exaggeration. There were 7-8 year olds bookin' it past me. Don't laugh, these same kids passed The Man by too. Fresno sure knows how to raise speedy kids. By the way, The Man did very well (he didn't train either) and clocked in at 18:10.
Anyway, there is talk amongst the family to participate in a 6-mile in December. Uh, we'll see about that.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Happy Birthday, Pili Monster!
I should also write, "Happy Belated Birthday, Piko!" Her 2nd birthday was three weeks ago but I didn't have my act together. They aren't blood sisters. They're the same mixed breed but from different mamas. I still don't have my act together but, luckily, my PDA reminded me that it was Pili's 2nd birthday first thing this morning. I decided to take pictures of both pups to commemorate their birthdays.
Puppies+Early Morning+Old but Trusty Camera = well, this:
Hmm. OK. Let's try again -
Jeezus. Let's try one more time -
OK, I lied. One more try ... ONE more.
Well, it looks like we drug our puppies but I was running late for work at this point so this was as good as it got.
Everyone who knows us knows The Man and I adore (and may be even obsessed with) our dogs. They make bad days better and are big relievers of stress. They are freakin' awesome. Even though they can be smelly, gross, poop machines a lot of the time. They are still pretty great.
Work has been and still is crazy busy. And it will continue to be for a few more months. My friend is keeping a countdown for me and I have 57 work days left. Ugh. I work anywhere between 8-14 hours a day and I'm lucky if it's an 8-hour work day. But if I end up working 8 hours, I have to pay for it on the weekends and end up doing some data entry or paperwork Saturday or Sunday. Last weekend I worked both days. But you know what? I still like my job way more than my last one. This is just my least favorite time. I keep reminding myself how lucky I am that I get to work from home and typically get to set my own hours. That this is the time where I work really hard and it pays off later. But 57 days (not including weekends) is an awful long time before my least favorite part of my job is complete. A looooong time.
On the brighter side, though ...
BABY'S BACK. Welcome home, Gertie!!!!! Her right front headlamp and bumper were all sorts of bad two weeks ago and now she looks as good as new.
We are dreading to find out what my premium is now. But at least Gertie's back where she belongs and looking spiffy! And I just keep telling myself, "57 more days ... just 57 more days ..."
Puppies+Early Morning+Old but Trusty Camera = well, this:
Hmm. OK. Let's try again -
Jeezus. Let's try one more time -
OK, I lied. One more try ... ONE more.
Well, it looks like we drug our puppies but I was running late for work at this point so this was as good as it got.
Everyone who knows us knows The Man and I adore (and may be even obsessed with) our dogs. They make bad days better and are big relievers of stress. They are freakin' awesome. Even though they can be smelly, gross, poop machines a lot of the time. They are still pretty great.
Work has been and still is crazy busy. And it will continue to be for a few more months. My friend is keeping a countdown for me and I have 57 work days left. Ugh. I work anywhere between 8-14 hours a day and I'm lucky if it's an 8-hour work day. But if I end up working 8 hours, I have to pay for it on the weekends and end up doing some data entry or paperwork Saturday or Sunday. Last weekend I worked both days. But you know what? I still like my job way more than my last one. This is just my least favorite time. I keep reminding myself how lucky I am that I get to work from home and typically get to set my own hours. That this is the time where I work really hard and it pays off later. But 57 days (not including weekends) is an awful long time before my least favorite part of my job is complete. A looooong time.
On the brighter side, though ...
BABY'S BACK. Welcome home, Gertie!!!!! Her right front headlamp and bumper were all sorts of bad two weeks ago and now she looks as good as new.
We are dreading to find out what my premium is now. But at least Gertie's back where she belongs and looking spiffy! And I just keep telling myself, "57 more days ... just 57 more days ..."
Friday, August 22, 2008
I know that ...
my life is generally good and I am a blessed individual. But there are days ... there are just some days where while you know it could be a helluva lot worse, it could also be a helluva lot better. And I know that there is so much sorrow in the world right now but I'm going to allow me to have these moments of self-centeredness because in my ittybitty bubble, it's a little bit crappy.
I have been working long hours for work. It's my busy season and I fully expected to work long hours. Today was the end of my first week transitioning into this period and it ended with a doozie.
I got into a car accident.
I'm fine and the other person's fine. But with the point already on my record for a ticket that I evidently didn't clear (even though I did take traffic school), this will bring my insurance to an all time high. Of course, there are the repairs, too. We have a $500 deductible and tomorrow we will find out the grand total of damages.
I don't think I'm a materialistic person but I do like nice things. When it comes to cars, though, I've never driven a car that was anything special. Gertie was my first really nice car. And then I go and wreck it.
Someone just took a big fat dump in my cheerios :(
------------------------------------
9:21pm Update: Nothing like some of this to take the edge off of a suck ass day -
Yes, this has become a drunk entry. It was a rough day today. The Man likes NetFlix and had "Be Kind and Rewind" so while we watched that DVD, I had a lot a bit of this:
Yup. I'm drunk.
Because I felt so bad for all the added expenses I just put on us for getting into an accident and drowned my sorrows (and worries) in Riesling. Damn. I feel so bad because it just feels like I've been an added expense since we got married instead of contributing to the household.
Bummer, huh?
I love The Man. And I wish that I felt like I was adding something to this partnership but right now I feel like, I don't know, the third puppy or something.
Except I don't eat my poo. Thank goodness.
Anyway, here I am drunk but I don't think it's safe for me to bake. Because I love drunk baking (don't you know.) Instead, three glasses down, I thought wouldn't it be a magnificent idea to blog! That being said, don't be surprised if this entry is deleted tomorrow. Oh, and another expense is the rental car I'll have until my car is fixed. Sweet.
I have been working long hours for work. It's my busy season and I fully expected to work long hours. Today was the end of my first week transitioning into this period and it ended with a doozie.
I got into a car accident.
I'm fine and the other person's fine. But with the point already on my record for a ticket that I evidently didn't clear (even though I did take traffic school), this will bring my insurance to an all time high. Of course, there are the repairs, too. We have a $500 deductible and tomorrow we will find out the grand total of damages.
I don't think I'm a materialistic person but I do like nice things. When it comes to cars, though, I've never driven a car that was anything special. Gertie was my first really nice car. And then I go and wreck it.
Someone just took a big fat dump in my cheerios :(
------------------------------------
9:21pm Update: Nothing like some of this to take the edge off of a suck ass day -
Yes, this has become a drunk entry. It was a rough day today. The Man likes NetFlix and had "Be Kind and Rewind" so while we watched that DVD, I had a lot a bit of this:
Yup. I'm drunk.
Because I felt so bad for all the added expenses I just put on us for getting into an accident and drowned my sorrows (and worries) in Riesling. Damn. I feel so bad because it just feels like I've been an added expense since we got married instead of contributing to the household.
Bummer, huh?
I love The Man. And I wish that I felt like I was adding something to this partnership but right now I feel like, I don't know, the third puppy or something.
Except I don't eat my poo. Thank goodness.
Anyway, here I am drunk but I don't think it's safe for me to bake. Because I love drunk baking (don't you know.) Instead, three glasses down, I thought wouldn't it be a magnificent idea to blog! That being said, don't be surprised if this entry is deleted tomorrow. Oh, and another expense is the rental car I'll have until my car is fixed. Sweet.
PS: The cherry on the top is that I got my driver's license today and it is fugly. Of course it would be ... why would I deserve a cute one?
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Exactly one year ago
The Man knocked my socks off and surprised me with a wedding proposal.
I'm going to share a little secret. Well, obviously it's no longer a secret if I'm posting it on the world wide web. Anyway, a little over a year ago, I found out that The Man had bought my engagement ring. But I had no idea when he was going to propose. And no, he didn't know I knew and I'm not going to say how I knew. Because I cannot reveal my sources.
Had I seen it? No.
Did I know if it was even in the house? No.
And while it was wonderful to know 100% that he was serious about taking our relationship to the next level, this was also The Man who took over six months to ask me out. He had an infinite amount of what I had very little of ... patience. And can sometimes move as quickly as stagnant water. But who am I to judge.
I had no idea when he was going to propose. I figured he would hold on to it at least until my birthday, Christmas or even Valentine's Day because then he could get two events in one gift. Hey, I wouldn't have blamed him, it's the kind of gift you want to try and make stretch.
Because I am me, I had to share this huge secret that had to do with me. I told the one person who would understand and not judge my impatience - my Sister. I did NOT want to shout it from the roof tops. And that's because if it took as long as I thought it was going to take or if it never happened at all for some freak reason, I didn't want to feel stupid. That is why, around this time last year, one could find comments on our blogs or some of the messages on our myspace pages where my sister and I made repeated references to pants.
"What's the scoop on the pants?"
The pants are on back order. I think."
"How big are the pants?"
"The pants will probably need to be hemmed."
"Have your pants come in yet?"
"I have no idea when the pants will come in. Probably in time for New Year's."
"GD pants are taking forever."
Yes, Pants was code word for Engagement Ring.
I thought we were so clever because there we were, openly discussing this huge thing, this potentially life changing event, casually over the Internet.
I wrote a pretty detailed description of how The Man proposed to me so I won't reinvent the wheel. I will, though, repeat that he did a wonderful job taking me by surprise and I would have never guessed in a million years that he was going to propose that day. It was a Monday, for crying out loud! When I told him that I thought he was going to hang on to the ring for months before he would propose, he surprised me even more by telling me he had had the ring for less than a week.
Just when you think you know someone, he goes and pleasantly surprises you.
Eight months later, we had a truly beautiful wedding in Hawaii and a fantastic honeymoon. And a year later we are happy little newlyweds and six years (total) strong. Oh! And, as of last Tuesday, I am officially Mrs. Ramirez with not just the Social Security Office but also the Department of Motor Vehicles. What a pain in MY ass it was to change my name with the government. But it just goes to show how much I love him. And when I was at the DMV on Tuesday, I was told after I signed all the paperwork, "Get in line over there to take your picture." I must have had a puzzled look on my face because the DMV guy said, "New name, new picture."
Damn. So I had to take a new picture. Heaven help me when I finally get my driver's license in the mail.
But I do love The Man with all my heart so, yes, it was all worth it.
I'm going to share a little secret. Well, obviously it's no longer a secret if I'm posting it on the world wide web. Anyway, a little over a year ago, I found out that The Man had bought my engagement ring. But I had no idea when he was going to propose. And no, he didn't know I knew and I'm not going to say how I knew. Because I cannot reveal my sources.
Had I seen it? No.
Did I know if it was even in the house? No.
And while it was wonderful to know 100% that he was serious about taking our relationship to the next level, this was also The Man who took over six months to ask me out. He had an infinite amount of what I had very little of ... patience. And can sometimes move as quickly as stagnant water. But who am I to judge.
I had no idea when he was going to propose. I figured he would hold on to it at least until my birthday, Christmas or even Valentine's Day because then he could get two events in one gift. Hey, I wouldn't have blamed him, it's the kind of gift you want to try and make stretch.
Because I am me, I had to share this huge secret that had to do with me. I told the one person who would understand and not judge my impatience - my Sister. I did NOT want to shout it from the roof tops. And that's because if it took as long as I thought it was going to take or if it never happened at all for some freak reason, I didn't want to feel stupid. That is why, around this time last year, one could find comments on our blogs or some of the messages on our myspace pages where my sister and I made repeated references to pants.
"What's the scoop on the pants?"
The pants are on back order. I think."
"How big are the pants?"
"The pants will probably need to be hemmed."
"Have your pants come in yet?"
"I have no idea when the pants will come in. Probably in time for New Year's."
"GD pants are taking forever."
Yes, Pants was code word for Engagement Ring.
I thought we were so clever because there we were, openly discussing this huge thing, this potentially life changing event, casually over the Internet.
I wrote a pretty detailed description of how The Man proposed to me so I won't reinvent the wheel. I will, though, repeat that he did a wonderful job taking me by surprise and I would have never guessed in a million years that he was going to propose that day. It was a Monday, for crying out loud! When I told him that I thought he was going to hang on to the ring for months before he would propose, he surprised me even more by telling me he had had the ring for less than a week.
Just when you think you know someone, he goes and pleasantly surprises you.
Eight months later, we had a truly beautiful wedding in Hawaii and a fantastic honeymoon. And a year later we are happy little newlyweds and six years (total) strong. Oh! And, as of last Tuesday, I am officially Mrs. Ramirez with not just the Social Security Office but also the Department of Motor Vehicles. What a pain in MY ass it was to change my name with the government. But it just goes to show how much I love him. And when I was at the DMV on Tuesday, I was told after I signed all the paperwork, "Get in line over there to take your picture." I must have had a puzzled look on my face because the DMV guy said, "New name, new picture."
Damn. So I had to take a new picture. Heaven help me when I finally get my driver's license in the mail.
But I do love The Man with all my heart so, yes, it was all worth it.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Sunday Excursion
This past Sunday, The Man and The Mrs. packed up the pups and decided to walk the Golden Gate Bridge. We wanted to walk earlier in the morning but couldn't wake up! We ended up getting there around 10:30am. Plenty of cars, cyclists and pedestrians. And, oh my, the tourists. But who could blame them? The bridge is a landmark, after all. As expected, it was quite breezy. The fog continued to roll in and our walk to Marin didn't have much of a view of the city. But the walk back to the San Francisco side made for a pretty stroll as the sun was breaking through the clouds.
This was taken after I waited in a long line to use the bathroom before we started our walk. Oh, talk about awkward! The women's bathroom had a long line and some women ahead of me had the brilliant idea to use the men's facilities. So a small group of us headed there. They had two stalls and two urinals. While we waited to use the stalls, I saw many a men and boys use the urinals. Luckily, their backs were to me but let me just say that they are disgusting. I saw guys who splashed the floor because they couldn't wait to aim their kibbles and bits into the urinal. Ugh. I was gone so long that The Man was getting worried about me. In the future, I will just wait in the women's line. Oh, and I totally rolled up my pants before entering in the bathroom. It was bad enough my shoes were touching the floor but I sure as hell wasn't going to have anything else. *Shiver*
It got a little humid on our walk, with the sun coming out and there being no shade on the bridge. Yes, even with the fog! The Man rolled up his sleeves and we stopped for frequent water breaks for the pups.
Behold! The glory that is Piko, The Man and Pili. Oh, and the Golden Gate Bridge :) Poor Piko. This pic really shows how she gets allergies when she goes outside and she just tears and tears.
This was taken on our walk back from Marin to San Francisco. If you look closely, you can see the cityscape behind me. And thank goodness I was wearing a jacket with removable sleeves. It was getting HOT! And I just realized after posting all the photos that Pili is camera shy! We'll have to make sure she looks our way when we take future pictures.
Lessons learned:
1. Pack snacks. While it's roughly only 1.5 miles each way, a person can get hungry and there are NO vendors on the Marin side. Just two sets of bathrooms. (Word to the bridge keeper uppers: that would also be great to have on the San Francisco side!)
2. Either wait in line to use the women's bathroom or hold it. At least until you are crossed the bridge and are in Marin where there are two buildings which both house restrooms. Ahhhh.
3. Go earlier in the day. It was crowded by the time we got there and the fumes from the cars can be a bit much. But we just about finished our walk when we passed a police-escorted protest which took up a lot of room on the walkway and caused traffic on the bridge. Bless the Bay Area and its' protests :)
4. Have wipes for Piko's bottom. Won't even go into detail about that.
I had a great time but The Man said it will be several months before we do it again. That's OK. He's so great to entertain me and my whims and I finally got to do something I've never done before. Can you imagine? I've lived in the Bay Area for nearly 30 years and never walked the Golden Gate Bridge. What a treat.
This was taken after I waited in a long line to use the bathroom before we started our walk. Oh, talk about awkward! The women's bathroom had a long line and some women ahead of me had the brilliant idea to use the men's facilities. So a small group of us headed there. They had two stalls and two urinals. While we waited to use the stalls, I saw many a men and boys use the urinals. Luckily, their backs were to me but let me just say that they are disgusting. I saw guys who splashed the floor because they couldn't wait to aim their kibbles and bits into the urinal. Ugh. I was gone so long that The Man was getting worried about me. In the future, I will just wait in the women's line. Oh, and I totally rolled up my pants before entering in the bathroom. It was bad enough my shoes were touching the floor but I sure as hell wasn't going to have anything else. *Shiver*
It got a little humid on our walk, with the sun coming out and there being no shade on the bridge. Yes, even with the fog! The Man rolled up his sleeves and we stopped for frequent water breaks for the pups.
Behold! The glory that is Piko, The Man and Pili. Oh, and the Golden Gate Bridge :) Poor Piko. This pic really shows how she gets allergies when she goes outside and she just tears and tears.
This was taken on our walk back from Marin to San Francisco. If you look closely, you can see the cityscape behind me. And thank goodness I was wearing a jacket with removable sleeves. It was getting HOT! And I just realized after posting all the photos that Pili is camera shy! We'll have to make sure she looks our way when we take future pictures.
Lessons learned:
1. Pack snacks. While it's roughly only 1.5 miles each way, a person can get hungry and there are NO vendors on the Marin side. Just two sets of bathrooms. (Word to the bridge keeper uppers: that would also be great to have on the San Francisco side!)
2. Either wait in line to use the women's bathroom or hold it. At least until you are crossed the bridge and are in Marin where there are two buildings which both house restrooms. Ahhhh.
3. Go earlier in the day. It was crowded by the time we got there and the fumes from the cars can be a bit much. But we just about finished our walk when we passed a police-escorted protest which took up a lot of room on the walkway and caused traffic on the bridge. Bless the Bay Area and its' protests :)
4. Have wipes for Piko's bottom. Won't even go into detail about that.
I had a great time but The Man said it will be several months before we do it again. That's OK. He's so great to entertain me and my whims and I finally got to do something I've never done before. Can you imagine? I've lived in the Bay Area for nearly 30 years and never walked the Golden Gate Bridge. What a treat.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Physically a LAZY week
I've taken a week off of all gym activities. So no personal training Monday, Wednesday or Friday and no cardio on Tuesday or Thursday - no working out, period. I haven't been doing yoga for a few weeks now because both my Chiropractic Intern and Yoga Teacher advised me to take a break for a few months. Evidently yoga is awesome if all your muscles are in already-fantastic condition. Not so great if you have an injury. I've had this shoulder injury that I've kind of ignored for over a year (not a brilliant move on my part) so no Yoga for MamaLu ... at least, for a few months. Out of all the different things I do, Yoga is my favorite. It's not necessarily the most effective (cardio is the best and, of course, my least favorite) but I like that it challenges my flexibility, builds strength and is the closest thing to meditation I will probably ever do. I'm not a fan of the oms and stuff like that which is why I like "Power Yoga." So when I say meditation, I mean being in a headstand or arm balance and trying not to fall over. Not quite the same but close enough for me!
Anyway, lazy week. Probably not good for me but I keep squashing that guilty feeling that creeps up. I had one big meeting on Monday and I have two big meetings today. I also had a workshop on Tuesday where I had to give a short presentation. I just didn't feel like rushing after going to the gym, getting ready, scrambling to prep for these meetings and then rush to get there on time. Well, that the excuse I'm sticking with anyway:)
Today I'm driving my ass on over to Tracy for the first time for work. It's just become part of my new territory and I'm doing my best to embrace it. I don't think it's necessarily a horrible commute but I've never had personal business to do there and I don't even think I've driven through Tracy just to get to where I want to go. What I'm saying is that Tracy has never been a destination of mine. It's just not a place I ever visit. Ever. Hehehe ... but I do now! So wish me luck that the drive won't be heinous and will, hopefully, be relatively painless.
Anyway, lazy week. Probably not good for me but I keep squashing that guilty feeling that creeps up. I had one big meeting on Monday and I have two big meetings today. I also had a workshop on Tuesday where I had to give a short presentation. I just didn't feel like rushing after going to the gym, getting ready, scrambling to prep for these meetings and then rush to get there on time. Well, that the excuse I'm sticking with anyway:)
Today I'm driving my ass on over to Tracy for the first time for work. It's just become part of my new territory and I'm doing my best to embrace it. I don't think it's necessarily a horrible commute but I've never had personal business to do there and I don't even think I've driven through Tracy just to get to where I want to go. What I'm saying is that Tracy has never been a destination of mine. It's just not a place I ever visit. Ever. Hehehe ... but I do now! So wish me luck that the drive won't be heinous and will, hopefully, be relatively painless.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Nothing much ... how about you?
Nothing extraordinary or freakishly abnormal has happened to me lately so I don't have much to write about.
Still a very happy newlywed ... how long are we labeled newlyweds, anyway? In any case, the brand spankin' new marriage is still a sweet deal so no complaints there. He's a good guy who doesn't expect me to cook for him every night so what more can I ask for? Kidding, my expectations are a little higher than that. And he does exceed them :0)
There has been some hiccups regarding work (for instance, there is a salary increase freeze right now.) While it all really stinks, I'm very happy that we haven't resorted to rounds of lay-offs. The job market, hell, the economy is a very scary thing right now so I'm willing to ride this through. Of course, it helps out a lot that I still love my job and I'm pretty thankful for that. I have a mini-vacation to look forward to because we're visiting Sister at the end of the month - woot! The Man is turning 31 years old and since it's his birthday and I picked the location, this trip is on me. Little does he know we are going to be quite intimate with McDonald's and the fast food chains. Joke.
Oh yah! So I have to still deal with the DMV because I still need to change my name. So not only did I get kicked in the teeth with having a point on my record for the next three years but I have other business with that forsaken place. And now with all that's going down between the Governator and state employees, I hear the DMV is more effed up than ever. Damn! So what was an hour wait is at least double, if not more. The workers are pissed and I don't blame them. Oh you better believe I'm making an appointment! Unless ... can I change my name through the internet? I don't think I can do it without going in person but I thought I'd just throw that out there.
Volunteering a little bit of time for work at the Fremont Art & Wine Festival tomorrow. Wonder if I can have some wine while volunteering?? A gal can dream ...
Still a very happy newlywed ... how long are we labeled newlyweds, anyway? In any case, the brand spankin' new marriage is still a sweet deal so no complaints there. He's a good guy who doesn't expect me to cook for him every night so what more can I ask for? Kidding, my expectations are a little higher than that. And he does exceed them :0)
There has been some hiccups regarding work (for instance, there is a salary increase freeze right now.) While it all really stinks, I'm very happy that we haven't resorted to rounds of lay-offs. The job market, hell, the economy is a very scary thing right now so I'm willing to ride this through. Of course, it helps out a lot that I still love my job and I'm pretty thankful for that. I have a mini-vacation to look forward to because we're visiting Sister at the end of the month - woot! The Man is turning 31 years old and since it's his birthday and I picked the location, this trip is on me. Little does he know we are going to be quite intimate with McDonald's and the fast food chains. Joke.
Oh yah! So I have to still deal with the DMV because I still need to change my name. So not only did I get kicked in the teeth with having a point on my record for the next three years but I have other business with that forsaken place. And now with all that's going down between the Governator and state employees, I hear the DMV is more effed up than ever. Damn! So what was an hour wait is at least double, if not more. The workers are pissed and I don't blame them. Oh you better believe I'm making an appointment! Unless ... can I change my name through the internet? I don't think I can do it without going in person but I thought I'd just throw that out there.
Volunteering a little bit of time for work at the Fremont Art & Wine Festival tomorrow. Wonder if I can have some wine while volunteering?? A gal can dream ...
Friday, July 25, 2008
I bought the tickets!!
A few years ago, I really was an SF Hula Girl. I was going through a break up and had decided that I needed small and big changes in my life. I took up baking, tennis and I also decided that after three years of just thinking about it, I was actually going to learn to dance hula. The only thing I stuck with was hula.
I had asked a friend who danced hula in the East Bay and she recommended the halau, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu. I know, imagine how hard it was for me to grasp the pronunciation and I had to say it correctly or be shamed! Knowing nothing about hula, I found out that it was really great timing on my part because the halau was opening a beginning class around the same time I had inquired. So I joined ... all by myself. That in itself was kind of a big deal for me because I tended to at least drag one friend with me to do things. But I guess I was on some sort of self-discovery kick.
For four years, I learned hula. But it was so much more than that! I learned more about myself, built friendships and gained a great appreciation for a culture that was not mine but adopted me into the fold. Almost all of my hula brothers and sisters were so sweet, kind, funny and welcoming. I later found out that I was so spoiled to even have hula brothers since many other halau didn't have male students. And can I just that hula brothers are as fabulous as you think they are ... maybe more. I also grew up a lot during this time - dating for the first time (can we say FIASCO?!), getting over a broken heart, chasing the wrong guys, learning to have fun as a single girl in the city ... just so much fun.
Anyway, I ended up leaving Na Lei Hulu because the commute from the East Bay was killing me. I wasn't practicing nearly as much as I should have and I was doing a disservice to myself, my kumu, and his teaching assistants by not giving it my all. But I continued to go to Na Lei Hulu performances because they are absolutely wonderful. I did make friends attend with me and I think they all appreciated the performances. Tel, in particular, was always moved and right there with me when it came that time of the year to buy tickets for the show! And since she's left, I think I've missed two years in a row because I was either out of state (attending a friend's wedding in Hawaii) or just didn't have anyone who wanted to fork over the money to see the show with me.
This year, I asked The Man to pretty please come with me to a show because I didn't want to miss another year. He appreciates the culture and really likes the music but just doesn't dig hula as much as me. I think he finds it a little too relaxing - I've caught him nodding off. But he agreed to go because I really really really miss seeing their shows.
The halau and kumu are pretty well known within the hula community and have been embraced by the San Francisco Bay Area, as well. Here is a video that was made for our local PBS station back in 2001 and still airs today:
I am so excited to see their show in October!!!
I had asked a friend who danced hula in the East Bay and she recommended the halau, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu. I know, imagine how hard it was for me to grasp the pronunciation and I had to say it correctly or be shamed! Knowing nothing about hula, I found out that it was really great timing on my part because the halau was opening a beginning class around the same time I had inquired. So I joined ... all by myself. That in itself was kind of a big deal for me because I tended to at least drag one friend with me to do things. But I guess I was on some sort of self-discovery kick.
For four years, I learned hula. But it was so much more than that! I learned more about myself, built friendships and gained a great appreciation for a culture that was not mine but adopted me into the fold. Almost all of my hula brothers and sisters were so sweet, kind, funny and welcoming. I later found out that I was so spoiled to even have hula brothers since many other halau didn't have male students. And can I just that hula brothers are as fabulous as you think they are ... maybe more. I also grew up a lot during this time - dating for the first time (can we say FIASCO?!), getting over a broken heart, chasing the wrong guys, learning to have fun as a single girl in the city ... just so much fun.
Anyway, I ended up leaving Na Lei Hulu because the commute from the East Bay was killing me. I wasn't practicing nearly as much as I should have and I was doing a disservice to myself, my kumu, and his teaching assistants by not giving it my all. But I continued to go to Na Lei Hulu performances because they are absolutely wonderful. I did make friends attend with me and I think they all appreciated the performances. Tel, in particular, was always moved and right there with me when it came that time of the year to buy tickets for the show! And since she's left, I think I've missed two years in a row because I was either out of state (attending a friend's wedding in Hawaii) or just didn't have anyone who wanted to fork over the money to see the show with me.
This year, I asked The Man to pretty please come with me to a show because I didn't want to miss another year. He appreciates the culture and really likes the music but just doesn't dig hula as much as me. I think he finds it a little too relaxing - I've caught him nodding off. But he agreed to go because I really really really miss seeing their shows.
The halau and kumu are pretty well known within the hula community and have been embraced by the San Francisco Bay Area, as well. Here is a video that was made for our local PBS station back in 2001 and still airs today:
I am so excited to see their show in October!!!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
A little bit of their fault + a little bit of mine = me screwed up the hoo-hah
I got a moving violation (aka ticket) in May 2007. I completed online traffic school in September to take the point off my record. Last time I took online traffic school, the school sent my certification of completion to the court. This time they did not and I was supposed to do that. MY FAULT. I didn't realize my error until The Man put me on his insurance and wanted to know why I had a point on my record which made insuring me super expensive. A month before we got married, I called the DMV to find out if I had a point on my record. "Oh yes," the woman told me. "Let me show you which form you need to print off our website and submit with your certification of completion."
Sweet, right?
Yah. Not so effin' sweet.
I called the DMV yesterday because I never received any confirmation they received my certificate of completion and The Man wanted to give my now clean record to the insurance so they could change how much he pays. The person from the DMV told me that I wasn't supposed to send it to the DMV but to the court. I told him that one of his colleagues (because OF COURSE I didn't get the name) instructed me to fill out a specific document and mail it to Sacramento back in March.
"Yahhhhh, you weren't supposed to do that."
He told me to call the court because I should have mailed the certificate to them and they were the only ones that would be able to fix this. Then he gave me a phone number to call the court.
It didn't work.
Fan-flippin-tastic.
I call the number that the outgoing message said to call.
That didn't work.
Finally I google-ed (bless the Google) the City of Fremont Court and called. And spoke to a meeeaaan lady. She curtly said that the DMV has a policy that allows only six months to correct an error. According to their records, I had six months from October 2007. Keep in mind that had I sent the form to the court and not the DMV in March, I would have made that deadline. But I didn't. Because someone at the DMV had told me different.
Of course, the court lady could give two $hits about my predicament. She said there was nothing they could do and that I need to call the DMV.
"But I just called the DMV and they told me to call you!"
She replied (bitchily ... if that was a word) that it's the DMV's policy so I would have to take it up with them.
I called back the DMV and got someone with a thick accent. Now, I pride myself in being an open minded individual who embraces all cultures and am very understanding that with each culture there are different communication styles - I could write an entry all about that, it's really quite fascinating but off topic so back to the story - however, this man was a shouter. Which, like I just wrote, kind of goes with some communication styles of other ethnicities but this was not a time where I embraced such diversity.
It just riled me up more.
I explained the same story for the third time. He was good in the way that he shortened but repeated to me what I had said to make sure he understood. Then he told me that there was nothing the DMV could do and that it was up to the court to let re-open my case. He told me I should request to speak to a judge.
"I should what? How would I even get to see a judge?"
He said that I should tell the court my situation and ask the judge to make an exception. Because there was nothing he could do.
"Do you understand?" he asked.
I told him yes.
And then he hung up. No good luck, no good bye, no nothing. He just hung up.
Sweet Mary.
I called the court for the second time and told my story for the FOURTH time. Of course, I have to also add the information of all the conversations I had throughout the day. She told me that they no longer had my records and there wasn't a way for a judge to see me. And, as kindly as possible, she told me that I was screwed.
She actually wasn't mean and I really appreciated it. But she told me that there was nothing that the court could do and if the DMV wasn't willing to do anything, I would have this on my record until October 2010.
So that was that.
Two hours and four pain-in-my-ass calls later, there was nothing more to be done.
And now I totally get why people hate government offices like the DMV.
Note: This is from a child of a US Postal Worker. I don't necessarily hate the people but I sure hate the system.
Sweet, right?
Yah. Not so effin' sweet.
I called the DMV yesterday because I never received any confirmation they received my certificate of completion and The Man wanted to give my now clean record to the insurance so they could change how much he pays. The person from the DMV told me that I wasn't supposed to send it to the DMV but to the court. I told him that one of his colleagues (because OF COURSE I didn't get the name) instructed me to fill out a specific document and mail it to Sacramento back in March.
"Yahhhhh, you weren't supposed to do that."
He told me to call the court because I should have mailed the certificate to them and they were the only ones that would be able to fix this. Then he gave me a phone number to call the court.
It didn't work.
Fan-flippin-tastic.
I call the number that the outgoing message said to call.
That didn't work.
Finally I google-ed (bless the Google) the City of Fremont Court and called. And spoke to a meeeaaan lady. She curtly said that the DMV has a policy that allows only six months to correct an error. According to their records, I had six months from October 2007. Keep in mind that had I sent the form to the court and not the DMV in March, I would have made that deadline. But I didn't. Because someone at the DMV had told me different.
Of course, the court lady could give two $hits about my predicament. She said there was nothing they could do and that I need to call the DMV.
"But I just called the DMV and they told me to call you!"
She replied (bitchily ... if that was a word) that it's the DMV's policy so I would have to take it up with them.
I called back the DMV and got someone with a thick accent. Now, I pride myself in being an open minded individual who embraces all cultures and am very understanding that with each culture there are different communication styles - I could write an entry all about that, it's really quite fascinating but off topic so back to the story - however, this man was a shouter. Which, like I just wrote, kind of goes with some communication styles of other ethnicities but this was not a time where I embraced such diversity.
It just riled me up more.
I explained the same story for the third time. He was good in the way that he shortened but repeated to me what I had said to make sure he understood. Then he told me that there was nothing the DMV could do and that it was up to the court to let re-open my case. He told me I should request to speak to a judge.
"I should what? How would I even get to see a judge?"
He said that I should tell the court my situation and ask the judge to make an exception. Because there was nothing he could do.
"Do you understand?" he asked.
I told him yes.
And then he hung up. No good luck, no good bye, no nothing. He just hung up.
Sweet Mary.
I called the court for the second time and told my story for the FOURTH time. Of course, I have to also add the information of all the conversations I had throughout the day. She told me that they no longer had my records and there wasn't a way for a judge to see me. And, as kindly as possible, she told me that I was screwed.
She actually wasn't mean and I really appreciated it. But she told me that there was nothing that the court could do and if the DMV wasn't willing to do anything, I would have this on my record until October 2010.
So that was that.
Two hours and four pain-in-my-ass calls later, there was nothing more to be done.
And now I totally get why people hate government offices like the DMV.
Note: This is from a child of a US Postal Worker. I don't necessarily hate the people but I sure hate the system.
Monday, July 21, 2008
A nice weekend
How was your weekend? Ours was very nice. Vero and her hubby came to visit and the liquor was flowing ... in a respectable fashion. :) They are fantastic house guests and The Man was happy to see his best friend. We drank, we ate, we played games, we drank ... lots of fun. Thanks for visiting us!
After they left, The Man pleaded with me to go with him to San Francisco to run an errand. I was pooped and didn't want to go but he bribed me by saying we could bring the pups. I'm glad I went with him because he was picking up an item he bought on Craigslist. Call me a worrier, but I'm always leary of meeting strangers. And not that I'm strong enough to overtake someone that may want to rob The Man, but at least I could furiously call 911 and scream at the top of my lungs. Anyway, we were in a sketchy part of San Francisco but all went well. OK, we were actually on the cusp of sketchy. We were parked in front of nice apartments. And then right across the street were not-so-nice apartments with six cop cars out front. And no, I'm not exaggerating for effect.
I got this great idea after he was done that we should take the pups across the Golden Gate Bridge. I told him I don't recall ever walking the bridge, I know he hasn't walked the bridge, so wouldn't it be fun? He reluctantly agreed (he didn't have much room to bargain since he did drag me to SF to run an errand) and away we went. We found the place to park but it was packed. Of course it would be - this is a landmark and it was 4:00pm. Tourists galore! We parked in the the overflow lot and made our way to the bridge.
It was on the crowded side but not overwhelming. The pups were having a ball! They were pulling on their leashes and leading the way. Good to know Obedience Training paid off. The Man and I knew we weren't appropriately dressed as we passed people in parkas, scarves and beenies. But we kept truckin'. I wanted to walk the length of the bridge but we realized that we only had one poop bag left and The Man didn't want to risk it. He's a reasonable fellow.
We only walked half of the bridge but had a good time. The pups didn't get tired at all (usually Piko gives up on life halfway into a walk) and I exclaimed how much fun the girls were having. The Man said that he thinks it was more terror - between the cars, people and the wind whipping us, he thought they were hauling ass, not because they were excited but because they were scared for their lives. I prefer to think they were very excited.
What was best about this visit is that The Man admired the views we saw from the Golden Gate Bridge and said to me, "You know what? You're right. San Francisco can be beautiful." Oh happy day! He hates going into the city which made me sad because there are parts that I love. I understand not liking the hustle and bustle but there are just some places that are lovely. I convinced him that we should come back in a month, dressed appropriately, earlier in the day so there would be less people and cars. He agreed. We'll also bring a camera so we can take pictures and post! I know, we'll totally look like tourists but it's OK. It will be worth it!
And Tel! I convinced The Man that he has to go with me to the Hula Show! With you not around, I've been hard pressed to find a companion :(
After they left, The Man pleaded with me to go with him to San Francisco to run an errand. I was pooped and didn't want to go but he bribed me by saying we could bring the pups. I'm glad I went with him because he was picking up an item he bought on Craigslist. Call me a worrier, but I'm always leary of meeting strangers. And not that I'm strong enough to overtake someone that may want to rob The Man, but at least I could furiously call 911 and scream at the top of my lungs. Anyway, we were in a sketchy part of San Francisco but all went well. OK, we were actually on the cusp of sketchy. We were parked in front of nice apartments. And then right across the street were not-so-nice apartments with six cop cars out front. And no, I'm not exaggerating for effect.
I got this great idea after he was done that we should take the pups across the Golden Gate Bridge. I told him I don't recall ever walking the bridge, I know he hasn't walked the bridge, so wouldn't it be fun? He reluctantly agreed (he didn't have much room to bargain since he did drag me to SF to run an errand) and away we went. We found the place to park but it was packed. Of course it would be - this is a landmark and it was 4:00pm. Tourists galore! We parked in the the overflow lot and made our way to the bridge.
It was on the crowded side but not overwhelming. The pups were having a ball! They were pulling on their leashes and leading the way. Good to know Obedience Training paid off. The Man and I knew we weren't appropriately dressed as we passed people in parkas, scarves and beenies. But we kept truckin'. I wanted to walk the length of the bridge but we realized that we only had one poop bag left and The Man didn't want to risk it. He's a reasonable fellow.
We only walked half of the bridge but had a good time. The pups didn't get tired at all (usually Piko gives up on life halfway into a walk) and I exclaimed how much fun the girls were having. The Man said that he thinks it was more terror - between the cars, people and the wind whipping us, he thought they were hauling ass, not because they were excited but because they were scared for their lives. I prefer to think they were very excited.
What was best about this visit is that The Man admired the views we saw from the Golden Gate Bridge and said to me, "You know what? You're right. San Francisco can be beautiful." Oh happy day! He hates going into the city which made me sad because there are parts that I love. I understand not liking the hustle and bustle but there are just some places that are lovely. I convinced him that we should come back in a month, dressed appropriately, earlier in the day so there would be less people and cars. He agreed. We'll also bring a camera so we can take pictures and post! I know, we'll totally look like tourists but it's OK. It will be worth it!
And Tel! I convinced The Man that he has to go with me to the Hula Show! With you not around, I've been hard pressed to find a companion :(
Friday, July 18, 2008
So I spent over three hours reading an entire blog ...
... and his story broke my heart and lifted my spirits at the same time.
I've written time and time again that blogs are an interesting phenomenon. And when people put it ALL OUT THERE for everyone to read, including me, I'm sort of in awe. Because I just don't have that kind of trust ... balls ... or whatever you would call it.
But for this person, I think it's therapeutic, a way to cope when one of the most awful things happens in his life. And I have to admit, I questioned why I was so facinated and captivated by his blog. I was worried that I was one of those people that fed off of someone's misery. Not necessarily enjoyed ... I don't know how to describe it. I guess someone who liked the drama? Anyway, I did NOT want that to be me.
I think why I'm drawn to his blog is because, unlike me, he puts it all out there. His anger, his fears, his sadness ... there doesn't appear to be any censoring and I respect and admire that because everything he is writing is real. And raw. I wrote "his story" but really it's "his life." The incidents in his life that have caused extreme pain and joy at the same time. And yes, I cried! Oh how some of the entries made me cry. Sometimes, it was just the pictures, other times, it's the notes people wrote to him that he posted.
Thanks, Jen, for putting a link to his blog on yours and introducing me to him. I am cheering on Matt and Madeline and wishing them the very best.
I've written time and time again that blogs are an interesting phenomenon. And when people put it ALL OUT THERE for everyone to read, including me, I'm sort of in awe. Because I just don't have that kind of trust ... balls ... or whatever you would call it.
But for this person, I think it's therapeutic, a way to cope when one of the most awful things happens in his life. And I have to admit, I questioned why I was so facinated and captivated by his blog. I was worried that I was one of those people that fed off of someone's misery. Not necessarily enjoyed ... I don't know how to describe it. I guess someone who liked the drama? Anyway, I did NOT want that to be me.
I think why I'm drawn to his blog is because, unlike me, he puts it all out there. His anger, his fears, his sadness ... there doesn't appear to be any censoring and I respect and admire that because everything he is writing is real. And raw. I wrote "his story" but really it's "his life." The incidents in his life that have caused extreme pain and joy at the same time. And yes, I cried! Oh how some of the entries made me cry. Sometimes, it was just the pictures, other times, it's the notes people wrote to him that he posted.
Thanks, Jen, for putting a link to his blog on yours and introducing me to him. I am cheering on Matt and Madeline and wishing them the very best.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
"I was built with a tan, yo."
I said that to the boss of my boss. Well, without the "yo." And yes, there was alcohol involved but it was totally in context with the conversation.
I hate ants. And it appears we have an ant problem. Well, kind of. There isn't a trail but there are quite a few scouts.
It is my duty to kill every one of those bastards.
What I hate is that now I feel like there are ants crawling on my arms and legs.
Vero, we have not cleaned at all. I am sorry. And The Man thought it would be doable for us to go to South San Jose early in the morning on Saturday to see his old roommate and his baby as well as pick up his mail. All before 10am. I love my husband but dang, that's a jam packed morning. So we are going to try and clean for the next two nights. I just don't see our home becoming spic and span. So here is my apology in advance. We'll try and liquor you and your husband up so you won't notice! I can at least promise you clean sheets.
I am in a funny mood. Not a bad mood, just funny. And yes, the week of Power is fast approaching. Maybe THAT'S it. But I'm overall a happy gal.
Things I'm thankful for ...
1. Raid
2. Cloudy skies
3. Nectarines in season
4. Good sashimi
5. A nice walk along the bay with a good friend
Friday, July 11, 2008
WWLDD ... What would Liz@D@wn do?
So check this out - as you know (if you read my Twitter) I've started the process of changing my name. What an adventure that was. And I'm going to share it with you.
Monday, July 7th: I decided to try and go to the Social Security Office and the DMV.
Mistake #1: Not doing any kind of research before going to these fine establishments. OK, that's the only mistake I'm listing. But it's a good one!
I thought that I could "pop in" to take care of my business. I knew there was going to be a wait but I figured it wouldn't be so bad. "Ah-hah!" you smirk. And you would be correct. Both places were crazy busy and I refused to wait at either one. The SS Office had a helpful guard who said the best times to come were either first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Wednesday, July 9th: So I went back at 8:45am, waited a little over 20 minutes and had myself a new last name. At least with the SS Office.
Then I went to the Kaiser Pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I was in the area and it was as good of a time of any to pick up my stuff. I swear the same people that were at the SS Office were in line at the pharmacy. Hey. I know that I wasn't turning any heads with my T-shirt and faded sweat shorts but I looked somewhat presentable. I suppose, though, that these people should be cut some slack because they were sick. Anyway, the line is long but it was moving rather fast with the three different windows open. I was next in line when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, this little old lady limping as she is pushing her walker. And she is bypassing the line and going straight to an un-manned window.
I ask you ... WWLDD?
I eyeballed this lady, wondering what would unfold. At this time, a window had become free and the pharmacist tech said, "Next!" I walked to the window which happened to be right next the little old lady. She didn't try to cut in front of me and I was relieved that there wouldn't be a showdown. But if she had tried ... would I say something? I really wondered. As the PT was pulling up my file in the computer, I had continued to eyeball the old lady. I saw that she glanced behind her and saw the long line. But she doesn't move.
My PT was about to get my prescription when the little old lady piped up from the other obviously un-manned window, "Excuse me! Is anyone at this window?"
My PT replied, "Oh! I thought someone was helping you! I will help you right after her."
I was torn. Here was this little old lady who was obviously quite frail and was somehow damaged. While she didn't give off a bitchy vibe, she had this air of entitlement when my PT talked to her. Kind of like, "Oh yes. See to that, young man." I know she saw that there was a line. But she didn't seem at all grateful that the PT was going to help her next. She seemed a little bit impatient, if anything. But again, she wasn't mean. And it was obvious that she was not in the best health or in the prime of her life. But STILL.
I had thought about passing the PT a note to let him know that the little old lady wasn't next. I didn't want the little old lady hear me say, "Psst. She didn't wait in line, man! All those people are ahead of her." But then I figured that even if I did let the PT know, he would still help her next because she was already there and it was easier to help her out than make her go to the very end of the line. It was probably much quicker to help her out then set her straight and possibly cause a scene. But how would I feel if I had been one of those people, especially when she had looked back, saw the line and probably made eye contact with a few of them. I wouldn't have been a happy camper if I was one of those people. Unless she was bleeding, shaking or obviously hurt in some way, I would have wanted her to fall in line with the rest of us commoners.
All of this was racing through my mind as the PT got my prescription. When he came back, I decided not to tell him because I figured he would help out the little old lady no matter what. Yes folks, I kept my mouth shut. I took my prescription, thanked him and moved out of the way so the little old cutter could be helped next.
I think I did the right thing. I think. I'm really not quite sure. Part of me wonders if that little old lady/cutter would have caused a scene if I pointed out to the PT that she cut in line or if I had told her that there was actually a line. As if she didn't know. I'm OK, though, with never finding out. Because me up against an 80+ old woman wouldn't have been good. I'm sure the whole pharmacy would have turned on me.
Monday, July 7th: I decided to try and go to the Social Security Office and the DMV.
Mistake #1: Not doing any kind of research before going to these fine establishments. OK, that's the only mistake I'm listing. But it's a good one!
I thought that I could "pop in" to take care of my business. I knew there was going to be a wait but I figured it wouldn't be so bad. "Ah-hah!" you smirk. And you would be correct. Both places were crazy busy and I refused to wait at either one. The SS Office had a helpful guard who said the best times to come were either first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Wednesday, July 9th: So I went back at 8:45am, waited a little over 20 minutes and had myself a new last name. At least with the SS Office.
Then I went to the Kaiser Pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I was in the area and it was as good of a time of any to pick up my stuff. I swear the same people that were at the SS Office were in line at the pharmacy. Hey. I know that I wasn't turning any heads with my T-shirt and faded sweat shorts but I looked somewhat presentable. I suppose, though, that these people should be cut some slack because they were sick. Anyway, the line is long but it was moving rather fast with the three different windows open. I was next in line when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, this little old lady limping as she is pushing her walker. And she is bypassing the line and going straight to an un-manned window.
I ask you ... WWLDD?
I eyeballed this lady, wondering what would unfold. At this time, a window had become free and the pharmacist tech said, "Next!" I walked to the window which happened to be right next the little old lady. She didn't try to cut in front of me and I was relieved that there wouldn't be a showdown. But if she had tried ... would I say something? I really wondered. As the PT was pulling up my file in the computer, I had continued to eyeball the old lady. I saw that she glanced behind her and saw the long line. But she doesn't move.
My PT was about to get my prescription when the little old lady piped up from the other obviously un-manned window, "Excuse me! Is anyone at this window?"
My PT replied, "Oh! I thought someone was helping you! I will help you right after her."
I was torn. Here was this little old lady who was obviously quite frail and was somehow damaged. While she didn't give off a bitchy vibe, she had this air of entitlement when my PT talked to her. Kind of like, "Oh yes. See to that, young man." I know she saw that there was a line. But she didn't seem at all grateful that the PT was going to help her next. She seemed a little bit impatient, if anything. But again, she wasn't mean. And it was obvious that she was not in the best health or in the prime of her life. But STILL.
I had thought about passing the PT a note to let him know that the little old lady wasn't next. I didn't want the little old lady hear me say, "Psst. She didn't wait in line, man! All those people are ahead of her." But then I figured that even if I did let the PT know, he would still help her next because she was already there and it was easier to help her out than make her go to the very end of the line. It was probably much quicker to help her out then set her straight and possibly cause a scene. But how would I feel if I had been one of those people, especially when she had looked back, saw the line and probably made eye contact with a few of them. I wouldn't have been a happy camper if I was one of those people. Unless she was bleeding, shaking or obviously hurt in some way, I would have wanted her to fall in line with the rest of us commoners.
All of this was racing through my mind as the PT got my prescription. When he came back, I decided not to tell him because I figured he would help out the little old lady no matter what. Yes folks, I kept my mouth shut. I took my prescription, thanked him and moved out of the way so the little old cutter could be helped next.
I think I did the right thing. I think. I'm really not quite sure. Part of me wonders if that little old lady/cutter would have caused a scene if I pointed out to the PT that she cut in line or if I had told her that there was actually a line. As if she didn't know. I'm OK, though, with never finding out. Because me up against an 80+ old woman wouldn't have been good. I'm sure the whole pharmacy would have turned on me.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Oh lazy days ...
Happy to report that I now have a doctor with small hands.
It's been really hard for me to get back to the great eating and exercising habits that I had prior to the wedding. And then my minor medical problem really uninspired me to do anything other than sleep and eat.
But I'm healthy again and have no excuses. Time to get serious again!
We had a very chill 4th of July. We ate at my parents' house and then went home with the puppies. I miss seeing fireworks but I'm not a big fan of fighting crowds and leaving the pups at home. Hope you had a good one!
Thankful list:
1. Having a petite doctor
2. A husband who sometimes surprises me with breakfast ( like today!)
3. a very clean laundry mat to wash comforters (in preparation for Pooks and her Hubs!)
4. 7 On Your Side - will explain once everything is resolved
5. muscular legs - haven't been hitting the gym so thank goodness there are some muscles somewhere!!
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Happy for weekends ...
I love I'm Yours by Jason Mraz. So yes, because it brings me absolute joy every time I hear it on my blog, you are subjected to it too! It's so happy, bubbly and simple ... like me! Ha, sometimes :) Don't worry, I'm sure I'll take it down in a month or two ;)
Saw Iron Man w/ The Man this morning. Wow, who knew Robert Downey Jr could be a super hero?! Good look for him! And he pulled it off. I want to see the movie with him, Jack Black and Ben Stiller. Oh man, I love movies that make me laugh and laugh and I think that one will deliver. I hope! Anyway, we really liked Iron Man. Poor Jon, he was so disappointed when we saw Get Smart but now he's happy again because we saw a good movie. We still need to see The Hulk, Batman, Kung Fu Panda ... The Man wants to see Wanted but I won't see it because I am sticking to my boycott against A. Jolie. Hey, everyone's entitled to my opinion. Same reason I won't buy anything by R. Kelly.
Going to fondue with some girlfriends tonight. I love cheese so I'm in trouble! Hopefully I can control myself. It's been so hard now that I don't have to fit into that dress ;)
Going on month three and still asked, "How does it feel to be married?" My answer? Feels good! He's pretty fantastic ... shhh, can't have him having a big head. Oh go ahead, tell him I said he's all that.
Thankful list:
1. My morning coffee, Ganoderma. That stuff wakes me up and keeps me regular.
2. Braces - man, my teeth would be all kinds of jacked if my parents didn't pay for them.
3. My hair salon - next month will be nine years with my hair stylist! I just visited the salon - I chickened out, as I predicted. Just got a trim, highlights and lowlights. Anyway, I adore my salon.
4. The breeze we get from the Bay
5. Waking up next to The Man and our puppies wedged in wherever they find room on the bed
Have a great weekend!
Saw Iron Man w/ The Man this morning. Wow, who knew Robert Downey Jr could be a super hero?! Good look for him! And he pulled it off. I want to see the movie with him, Jack Black and Ben Stiller. Oh man, I love movies that make me laugh and laugh and I think that one will deliver. I hope! Anyway, we really liked Iron Man. Poor Jon, he was so disappointed when we saw Get Smart but now he's happy again because we saw a good movie. We still need to see The Hulk, Batman, Kung Fu Panda ... The Man wants to see Wanted but I won't see it because I am sticking to my boycott against A. Jolie. Hey, everyone's entitled to my opinion. Same reason I won't buy anything by R. Kelly.
Going to fondue with some girlfriends tonight. I love cheese so I'm in trouble! Hopefully I can control myself. It's been so hard now that I don't have to fit into that dress ;)
Going on month three and still asked, "How does it feel to be married?" My answer? Feels good! He's pretty fantastic ... shhh, can't have him having a big head. Oh go ahead, tell him I said he's all that.
Thankful list:
1. My morning coffee, Ganoderma. That stuff wakes me up and keeps me regular.
2. Braces - man, my teeth would be all kinds of jacked if my parents didn't pay for them.
3. My hair salon - next month will be nine years with my hair stylist! I just visited the salon - I chickened out, as I predicted. Just got a trim, highlights and lowlights. Anyway, I adore my salon.
4. The breeze we get from the Bay
5. Waking up next to The Man and our puppies wedged in wherever they find room on the bed
Have a great weekend!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Natural disasters and such
Yes, I'm crushin' on Fridays again :) I love this day of the week! Like a little reward for surviving yet another work week.
The air quality in our area isn't so great right now. Luckily, I have no respiratory issues. I feel really bad for those that do, though, because it smells like campfire outside and it's really hazy. I can't imagine what it's like to lose your home to a fire. Or any other disaster, for that matter.
I was really worried about my relatives in the Philippines earlier this week. There was a major typhoon that flooded certain areas. Because I'm geographically "special", I wasn't sure if it affected my relatives so I sent out an email asking if everyone was OK. Thankfully, everyone in the family was fine, just experiencing very wet weather and some were without electricity. They told me how some of their colleagues and friends lost everything. Can you imagine? You lose all your appliances, your clothes, your special momentos ... your home. Some of them could barely see their rooftops. I know that people are experiencing that right here in the US, too.
Personalizing everything (which is sometimes good, sometimes bad) I wonder what the heck we're going to do when the next big earthquake hits. We all know it's bound to happen, we just don't know when. We all know, especially in the Bay Area, that is the risk we take for living in such a great area. I mean, many are knowingly living right on top of a fault line! I know I live fairly close to one - most people in the Bay Area do.
I remember exactly where I was when the big 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake hit. I was doing my homework in the family room and my mom was watching TV. Then things hanging from the ceiling started swaying and items around the house started shaking. It lasted for what felt like minutes. Later we found out that while driving on his way to work, my dad missed the collapse of the Cypress (part of the Nimitz Freeway) by two minutes.
OK, enough of being a downer it just makes a person think, you know?
I'm thankful for ...
1. $15/month gym membership: "What?!" you screech. Here's the thing. The Man pays a hefty gym membership so that he can go to any 24Hour Fitness in the Bay Area. He didn't want to just commit to one location because he works far from where we live and wanted to keep his options open. I asked if I could be put onto his membership and we added me to his account for $30/month. Typical me - I didn't end up going to the gym. I felt bad for wasting money so I called to cancel my membership. "Ma'am, would you be willing to stay if we lowered you to $19.99/month?" "Hellz ya!" I replied. OK, not really but I that's what I was thinking. After a couple of months, The Man asked me if I threatened to quit again. I told him no, I had only called that one time. He showed me the bill and I was being charged $15/month. I don't know what the heck happened but that was fine by me! So I pay a $15/month membership ... but a GRIP on personal training. I'll just concentrate on being thankful for the cheap membership.
2. Rum & Diet Coke: 75 or so calories of pure bliss. I had two yesterday with some coworkers (and my boss!) to celebrate the end of the fiscal year. Rum & Diet Cokes know how to take the edge off, let me tell you! And unless I have a whack bartender, they are hardly ever not "effective." By that I mean "provide a nice buzz." I've learned to be careful at the Mexican restaurants, though. The peeps there make them s-t-r-o-n-g. No complaints because I love to get my money's worth. I've just learned I better have some chips and salsa or I'm floored. Or seeing stars.
3. Bill Payer: Bless my little credit union, I love this feature! I am terrible at having stamps on hand and even worse about remembering when bills are due. My bank charges me 25cents for each bill I pay online - cheaper than a stamp! I love how I can decide when I want my bill to be my paid, too. This way I never forget and incur late charges. Suh-weeet.
4. Proximity to my parents: My parents live about five minutes from my home. Yes, they can drive me crazy at the drop of a dime but I also love them to pieces. They have always been so supportive of me. And yes, that's what parents do but they have always supported my decisions, even when they didn't agree. When I was miserable at one of my previous jobs, my dad told me that I should quit. I told him I couldn't quit, I needed to find another job first before quitting. He told me that I was always welcomed in the house and that I would never starve or be homeless. After our conversation, I thought about how he and my mom worked at jobs, staying until retirement, because they had to support their family. And how they probably dealt with way more bull$hit then I have because they weathered through decades of change, bad bosses, bad coworkers and whatever other drama normally occurs at work. It could have so easy for my dad to say, "Buck up! Do you know what I've dealt with through the years!? Do you know how many times your mom and I wanted to quit but couldn't because we had to support you guys?" But he didn't. He just wanted to see me happy. My parents, crazy makers they may be, are wonderful folks and I'm so happy they are close by.
5. Crystal Light: I know, kind of quirky. I do not enjoy the (non) taste of water. When I made the decision to eat better and work out, drinking 64 oz a day was the easiest thing I could change in my life to treat my body better. But how could I stomach that much water and resist drinking the diet sodas that I loved so much? Easy - Crystal Light. And they have those To Go packs now that are just awesome. My favorite flavor? Peach Mango Green Tea. Tastes like Snapple Peach Tea. Yumm.
The air quality in our area isn't so great right now. Luckily, I have no respiratory issues. I feel really bad for those that do, though, because it smells like campfire outside and it's really hazy. I can't imagine what it's like to lose your home to a fire. Or any other disaster, for that matter.
I was really worried about my relatives in the Philippines earlier this week. There was a major typhoon that flooded certain areas. Because I'm geographically "special", I wasn't sure if it affected my relatives so I sent out an email asking if everyone was OK. Thankfully, everyone in the family was fine, just experiencing very wet weather and some were without electricity. They told me how some of their colleagues and friends lost everything. Can you imagine? You lose all your appliances, your clothes, your special momentos ... your home. Some of them could barely see their rooftops. I know that people are experiencing that right here in the US, too.
Personalizing everything (which is sometimes good, sometimes bad) I wonder what the heck we're going to do when the next big earthquake hits. We all know it's bound to happen, we just don't know when. We all know, especially in the Bay Area, that is the risk we take for living in such a great area. I mean, many are knowingly living right on top of a fault line! I know I live fairly close to one - most people in the Bay Area do.
I remember exactly where I was when the big 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake hit. I was doing my homework in the family room and my mom was watching TV. Then things hanging from the ceiling started swaying and items around the house started shaking. It lasted for what felt like minutes. Later we found out that while driving on his way to work, my dad missed the collapse of the Cypress (part of the Nimitz Freeway) by two minutes.
OK, enough of being a downer it just makes a person think, you know?
I'm thankful for ...
1. $15/month gym membership: "What?!" you screech. Here's the thing. The Man pays a hefty gym membership so that he can go to any 24Hour Fitness in the Bay Area. He didn't want to just commit to one location because he works far from where we live and wanted to keep his options open. I asked if I could be put onto his membership and we added me to his account for $30/month. Typical me - I didn't end up going to the gym. I felt bad for wasting money so I called to cancel my membership. "Ma'am, would you be willing to stay if we lowered you to $19.99/month?" "Hellz ya!" I replied. OK, not really but I that's what I was thinking. After a couple of months, The Man asked me if I threatened to quit again. I told him no, I had only called that one time. He showed me the bill and I was being charged $15/month. I don't know what the heck happened but that was fine by me! So I pay a $15/month membership ... but a GRIP on personal training. I'll just concentrate on being thankful for the cheap membership.
2. Rum & Diet Coke: 75 or so calories of pure bliss. I had two yesterday with some coworkers (and my boss!) to celebrate the end of the fiscal year. Rum & Diet Cokes know how to take the edge off, let me tell you! And unless I have a whack bartender, they are hardly ever not "effective." By that I mean "provide a nice buzz." I've learned to be careful at the Mexican restaurants, though. The peeps there make them s-t-r-o-n-g. No complaints because I love to get my money's worth. I've just learned I better have some chips and salsa or I'm floored. Or seeing stars.
3. Bill Payer: Bless my little credit union, I love this feature! I am terrible at having stamps on hand and even worse about remembering when bills are due. My bank charges me 25cents for each bill I pay online - cheaper than a stamp! I love how I can decide when I want my bill to be my paid, too. This way I never forget and incur late charges. Suh-weeet.
4. Proximity to my parents: My parents live about five minutes from my home. Yes, they can drive me crazy at the drop of a dime but I also love them to pieces. They have always been so supportive of me. And yes, that's what parents do but they have always supported my decisions, even when they didn't agree. When I was miserable at one of my previous jobs, my dad told me that I should quit. I told him I couldn't quit, I needed to find another job first before quitting. He told me that I was always welcomed in the house and that I would never starve or be homeless. After our conversation, I thought about how he and my mom worked at jobs, staying until retirement, because they had to support their family. And how they probably dealt with way more bull$hit then I have because they weathered through decades of change, bad bosses, bad coworkers and whatever other drama normally occurs at work. It could have so easy for my dad to say, "Buck up! Do you know what I've dealt with through the years!? Do you know how many times your mom and I wanted to quit but couldn't because we had to support you guys?" But he didn't. He just wanted to see me happy. My parents, crazy makers they may be, are wonderful folks and I'm so happy they are close by.
5. Crystal Light: I know, kind of quirky. I do not enjoy the (non) taste of water. When I made the decision to eat better and work out, drinking 64 oz a day was the easiest thing I could change in my life to treat my body better. But how could I stomach that much water and resist drinking the diet sodas that I loved so much? Easy - Crystal Light. And they have those To Go packs now that are just awesome. My favorite flavor? Peach Mango Green Tea. Tastes like Snapple Peach Tea. Yumm.
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