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January 30, 2006
What Is This Thing Called Blog?
I have been very absent from my blog space of late. I am not sure why, except that the major things going on in my life (Mi Mama's move, our dogs illness, Flounder's Grandpa, Return to school) just aren't very interesting to write about or I imagine read about. Thus, I have not been writing. I will be scouring my daily life for little things to write about in the coming weeks so that this space does not all into a state of disuse. I love my blog. Really I do!
Tonight Flounder and I start our premarital counseling. I am actually looking forward to going through this process. Our relationship is very strong and I think talking about the big "life stuff" can only help us. The person doing the counseling however is the interesting variable here. We have asked Ms. Rather Be Traveling 's father to officate at our wedding and as a result, act as our premartial counseler. Pastor RBT is someone I have known for 12+ years however our relationship has always been defined by the fact that he was my friends father, if you know what I mean. Pastor RBT is not someone to whom I have spilled my guts or even discussed very personal issues. It is going to be strange to redefine our relationship so completely. Don't get me wrong, I am sure our meetings with be productive, very useful and generally a good thing for Flounder and I, but I am very aware of the fact that Pastor RBT is my good friends Dad. It will be interesting.
Posted by La at 1:26 PM | Comments (0)January 24, 2006
Ebb and Flow
I have recently encountered serveral signs that my family is moving into a new phase of life. In addition to our upcoming nuptials (very fast approching), My latest college course, and Mi Mama's happy adoption of a cell phone -- Mi Mama is finally putting her house on the market.
This weekend I worked along side several other friends and family members to paint the interior of Mi Mama's house. She is putting it on the market in mid-February. Mi Mama has been sending Micah and his strong, male friends to my house with boxes of "clutter" and extra furniture that was making the bedrooms look small. My basement is now full of her stuff which is a total roll reversal. After more than a year of talk, the wheels are now in motion and Mi Mama is selling her house. Where is she going? You ask? Good question. Her plan is to sell houer house, put her things in storage and live as a nomad until she finds the right new home for herself and Gma S. Where is Micah going? His plan is unclear. He is welcome to go with Mom once the new house is purchased in the mean time he needs to find a place to stay. He and Mama discussed this possibility some time ago, but now he seems put out by proceedings. I am not sure what it going to happen, but one thing clear. The times, they are a-changing.
Meanwhile I have the first meeting of my English 102 class tonight. I am a little nervous as I always am when starting a new class. Unlike last semester I am working with several known quanities which puts me more at ease. For one thing I have the same professor as last semester. She gave me a good grade last time, so I thought I would stick with her. Of course I am now more familiar with the campus. This isn't saying much because the Germantown campus of MC is quite small, but thankfully well suited to my needs. All this babble boils down to some pre-game jitters and general anxiety about the research paper I know I will have to write (Maryment, you can expect to hear from me about this!) , but no great fear, which is good.
I fell flat on my face with one of my goals last week. I did get my books and other school stuff, but I didn't manage to get the office together. I am hoping for a light homework load this first week so that I can get that space together. It became very clear to me last night when I realized we missed a very lucrative rebate opportunity that our home organization is in a death spiral. Immediate action is needed to get us back on track. I can't live this way!
Quote of the Day:
"I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand,
as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven,
we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but
we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor."
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
January 17, 2006
The Tough Get Going
My family at large is struggling a bit at the moment. Flounder's grandfather is undergoing a dangerous surgery this week, Mi Mama is getting a little frantic about what needs to be done to the family home before it goes on the market in Mid-Feb, our family dogs health seems to be failing (it appears she has Cushings disease), and Micah has finally been convicted of stealing a car several years ago that he never took. But it is always darkest before the down right? At the moment Mi Mama is rallying the troops to paint their hearts out this coming weekend (anyone have a free hand?), she is investigating what can be done for Bailey (more tests are being run), we are all waiting of the lawyers to find out what penilty Micah my be subject to (beyond the probation and community service he has already endured) and everyone is saying a prayer for Flounder's PawPaw.
I am recovering nicely from my surgery which is great, but I have little to show for my four days away from the office. Yesterday I did go down to the wedding cake bakery and order the cupcakes for the wedding. They will be totally adorable and I am very pleased. Also, I have been working with Mr. Prize in Every Box on maps to help our future wedding guests get from point A to point B. If I hadn't watched so much Project Runway, I might have gotten more done. Oh well.
This week must be chocked full of activity. I have a sizable list of tasks I want to get done before I stary back to school next week.
This weeks goals:
Finish setting up the green room (extra bedroom) as an office.
Get books, parking pass and Student ID before class next week.
Quote of the Day:
Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to get leisure.
Benjamin Franklin
Addendum: Since ordering the cupcakes I have also made an appointment for a hair trial in April and the first fitting of my wedding dress with the seamstress in February. Progress!
Posted by La at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)January 14, 2006
Getting Into Trouble II
This is the appetizer that will get me very time. Even though very restaurants make it really well (an almost none make it as well as my friend NYCrouge) I will order it regardless. WHY? At first it was a novelty when Flounder has it for the first time and realized he likes artichokes. But now? It's just extra calories added to me meal.
My alternative: Have dessert instead. I usually don't have room for the course I REALLY want. Even if it's only a few bites.
Probably the single biggest variable keeping me from the healthy body I want is not going to the gym. I know I will feel better if I just drag my sorry ass to the elliptical machine. *sigh* Must go.
Posted by La at 8:21 PM | Comments (0)Phase II Update
I will spare you all the gory details, but I am feeling pretty well this morning. This may be due to the controlled substances I have been taking as directed. I will do a little test tomorrow and go with out the vicadin to see how I feel un-drugged. Today should be filled with movies, loungeing and eatting squishy foods. Hey, maybe tomorrow I will do something productive. I love the 4 day weekend.
Quote of the Day:
Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.
Tori Amos
January 12, 2006
Getting Into Trouble
As I work my way further into 2006 I am already finding some foods that are tripping me up. Below are some items I must shun ifI am to fit in my wedding dress come May 27th!
Starbuck's Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Out with the fantastic Gingerbread Latte and in with my new nemisis. This new sugar ladden beverage is very yummy in a comforting, sugar cookie kind of way. One a week quickly became 3 per week. No good.
My alternative: Tazo Chai tea made at home
Pictured above is my favorite "Coffee Lovers Only" flavor combination. CSC is the Starbucks of the ice cream world, a place where you can personalize your treat. V. dangerous. There are so many options and the portions are so large -- I should really just stay away.
My alternative: Gelato! It is naturally lower in fat than American ice cream, and there isn't any gelatorias in my town. Less access means less in my tummy.
Please don't think that these are my only problem areas. If only that were case. Look for more installments of foods that get me into trouble.
Quote of the Day:
Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.
Rabbi Abraham Heschel
It's Raining Babies/Oral Surgery Phase II
I just got a call from my pregnant cousin Lyn. She will soon be having a baby shower and wanted to make sure she had my correct address. I was thrilled to pass it on to her and I am really looking forward to celebrating her soon-to-be born baby. She is far from the other pregnant woman I know. Family friend LHE just had her second child (Lord is that baby cute!), and my old boss MAP is due to give birth to her first child in March. All of these new people coming into the world make me wonder just how long I want to wait before having kids.
On one hand, I have baby fever, and it weren't for the wedding dress I need to fit into come May, I would be pretty happy to be pregant RIGHT NOW. Alternately, perhaps an extra year or two for growing-up, saving money and traveling to Australia (my most recent, fond dream)isn't a shabby idea! I just don't know.
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On a totally different topic, I am going in for the second portion of my oral surgery. The surgeon swore this part of the process won't be as painful as the first phase. I hope she wasn't lying. I have set aside the whole long weekend for pain management and recovery. Flounder has taken tomorrow off to keep and eye on my and shuttle me around tomorrow. I see some rented DVDs in my future.
I did get some excellent news today regarding tomorrow proceedure. My employer has changed our dental program for 2006. As a result I am paying less money and getting better coverage. According to the nice lady who answered my questions at the new insurence company, as much as 90% of my implant costs will be covered! Oh, Lucky me! Lucky lucky me! Had I known, I wouldn't have set so much money aside in a Flexible Spending Account for 2006, but no matter. I am sure I will find a good use for that money somehow. Perhaps I will break my leg or something.
Posted by La at 1:50 PM | Comments (0)January 5, 2006
Priorities
I started an entry yesterday outlining all the things I want, but don't necessarily need. These items included a new car (which will land in the "need" catagory eventually), a new cell phone (mine is poorly designed) and a amazingly expensive handbag. Now, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting these things, or even having them, the problem comes in when I start to believe I need them.
I was getting dangerously close. I believe I have lost track of some of my priorities.
Why is that? I wondered. I am naturally a procrastinator, so I am often putting off tasks (even those that are important to me) and I get off track very easily. As a result I find keeping my priorities in focus a challenge. This sounds like an excuse, which I guess it is, but realistically it is an explaination. These are the reasons that I have to work extra hard to keep my priorities in order. I don't especially enjoy working extra hard.
Beyond my inability to keep my priorities in order, what are these priorities I claim to have in the first place? This is where I need to do some self evalutation. I don't think I will spend a day in solitude considering the issue, but I will set aside time each day next week to think about it. Infact I will make the task a goal for next week!
Note about the quote below: It's sad when The Onion hits the nail so firmly on the head.
Quote of the Day:
Important Christmas Lessons Already Forgotten
The Onion
January 4, 2006 | Issue 42•01
HARTFORD, CT—As the nation moves on from last month's family gatherings, churchgoing, and goodwill toward men, the annual post-Christmas readjustment process is proceeding on schedule, with millions of Americans forgoing their temporary generosity of spirit and resuming their petty, miserable treatment of one another.
Though the joy and glad tidings of the holiday season are mere weeks behind us, sources report that more than 85 percent of 2005's Christmastime lessons have already been forgotten, with that number expected to reach 98 percent by as early as next week.
"Christmas is a magical time of year when people of all ages and backgrounds put aside their differences and are reminded of the things that truly count: the joy of giving, the gleam in a young child's eye, and the sound of voices raised together in song," said James Samuelson of the Hartford-based Institute For American Cultural Mores & Values, which tracks the rise and fall of human love and kindness throughout the year. "Mid-January to early February, by contrast, is a magical time of year when people forget all about that stuff. This leads to mid- to late February, a magical time of year when people everywhere feel overpowering, soul-crushing emotional pain, causing them to hate their coworkers, their loved ones, and themselves."
January 3, 2006
Broken In
A pair of beautiful new shoes is both one of the best and worst things in the world. The best because the shoes are NEW, shiny, and (if you are lucky) extremely fashionable. You look great in them. The worst because any good pair of shoes needs to be broken in and that process is literally a pain. Are the blisters and sore toes worth it? In the case of my new Born loafers, straight out of their shoe box, hot off the DSW shelf, I certainly hompe so. I heart my new shoes, but not the blisters I will be nursing when I get home tonight. It isn't so much the price of beauty as the price of comfort. Once the onerous process is complete, my feet will be in leather clad heaven.
Posted by La at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)A New Year Of Resolutions
Since in the past I have found New Years Resolutions to be unsustainable, I am attacking my goals for this year with a three pronged approach. Firstly, I am setting a theme for 2006 -- bringing the inside out. Generally I feel very positively about my life and the direction it is taking, and I want to externalize that positive out look. This means taking better care of my physical self, putting more effort into looking my best and acting in my own best interest. I know it's a broad theme, but that is kind of the point.
Secondly, I will set new goals for myself at the beginning of each month. At the end of the month I will revaluate those goals, set new goals and repeat. These monthly goals will mostly be health and fitness related.
Since sometimes even a month is too long term for me, I will also be setting weekly goals. The weekly goals are more likely to revolve around "life stuff", those tasks that will fall through the cracks if I don't set aside time to concentrate on them. I will also be setting work related goals for myself, but I will be keeping those off the blog.
Goals for January:
Goals for this week (1-3-06):
Happy New Year!
Quote of the Day:
We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.
R. D. Laing
