I have been told it takes 28 days to form a habit and today was Day One for me.
I woke up at 6 a.m. and enjoyed a nice two-and-a-half-mile run/walk with my good friend, Anela. We are both trying to form a habit by getting up early in the morning and going to bed early at night, which will be a challenge for me. Generally, I stay up late in order to prolong the thought of having to get up to go to work, but starting today, that has to be a thing of the past.
I will be training for the July 12 Bastille Day 5K Run at Zin Valle Vineyards. It's time I get back into training and the feeling of accomplishment that goes with that.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Charming, But Single.
I don't think I have spoken at much length about my new favorite blog: Charming, But Single. Now, before any of you read it, know that this girl (who is from the South) and I may be the same person. Some of my favorite posts include anything in the section "Wheat Thins and Wine" or the one entitled "Someday...right?"
Her most recent post is priceless and I just relate to her. Check it out, let me know what you think:
"I’m much too smart to be in this place. I’ve heard the Girl Power self esteem lectures. Be yourself. Respect your body. Don’t let men walk all over you. Be strong. Don’t compromise who you are. Look to the beauty in your soul. Ask for what you want. Embrace your independence. Stand on your own two feet. Celebrate your best qualities. The right person will love you because of your flaws, not in spite of them. You don’t need a man to be happy. Speak up. Walk confidently in the direction of your dreams. Head up, shoulders back. Anything you can do, I can do better. Draw on your inner confidence. Well behaved women rarely make history.
Yes, I know all of these things and more.
And yet … here I am."
Her most recent post is priceless and I just relate to her. Check it out, let me know what you think:
"I’m much too smart to be in this place. I’ve heard the Girl Power self esteem lectures. Be yourself. Respect your body. Don’t let men walk all over you. Be strong. Don’t compromise who you are. Look to the beauty in your soul. Ask for what you want. Embrace your independence. Stand on your own two feet. Celebrate your best qualities. The right person will love you because of your flaws, not in spite of them. You don’t need a man to be happy. Speak up. Walk confidently in the direction of your dreams. Head up, shoulders back. Anything you can do, I can do better. Draw on your inner confidence. Well behaved women rarely make history.
Yes, I know all of these things and more.
And yet … here I am."
Friday, May 16, 2008
In your 20s...
Here is an excerpt from "Grey Matter," a blog about Grey's Anatomy. This sums up my life. Only I don't have the career OR the man. LOL. Enjoy!
"I went to see my first therapist in my twenties. She was this nice woman on the Upper East Side of Manhattan who told me, when I started whining about my lack of career, that most people she sees in their twenties are either good at career or good at love. Not both. And it makes sense, both things compete for your attention. You want to spend time with your boyfriend but your boss asks if you can do some overtime. How to negotiate both successfully is hard. And I think when my therapist said it, she was trying to make me feel better, sort of like, "Yeah, you have no career but at least your boyfriend sounds very nice." But it didn't make me feel better. It made me feel competitive. Because when I said, "Really? You never see people with a good career AND a good relationship?", she said, "only a few." Only a few. That's all I could think about after the session. Who were these FEW and how could I become one of THEM? It was a subtle shift in my thinking, but I began to think less about my problems and more about how to fix them. I started to imagine the new me in my head - she was a woman of action! She didn't sit around all day waiting for things to happen! She made them happen!"
"I went to see my first therapist in my twenties. She was this nice woman on the Upper East Side of Manhattan who told me, when I started whining about my lack of career, that most people she sees in their twenties are either good at career or good at love. Not both. And it makes sense, both things compete for your attention. You want to spend time with your boyfriend but your boss asks if you can do some overtime. How to negotiate both successfully is hard. And I think when my therapist said it, she was trying to make me feel better, sort of like, "Yeah, you have no career but at least your boyfriend sounds very nice." But it didn't make me feel better. It made me feel competitive. Because when I said, "Really? You never see people with a good career AND a good relationship?", she said, "only a few." Only a few. That's all I could think about after the session. Who were these FEW and how could I become one of THEM? It was a subtle shift in my thinking, but I began to think less about my problems and more about how to fix them. I started to imagine the new me in my head - she was a woman of action! She didn't sit around all day waiting for things to happen! She made them happen!"
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Movie Reviews
I could never be someone who reviews movies. For one, I am a sucker for a happy ending. Case in point: Every movie I own is a happy ending, with the exception that "Love Actually" doesn't actually end happily for the guy with the giant posters...you know the one: "To me, you are perfect."
For two, I hate scary movies. I mean, how could I possibly be unbiased without having seen "Silence of the Lambs" or "The Shining"? Impossible.
Tonight I saw "Made of Honor" and it was so cute! I just love McDreamy, so McDreamy plus a good romantic comedy is pure gold to me. I recommend it.
Anywho...I thought I would make a Top 10 list for my favorite movies of all time. Don't pass judgment (I am a hopeless romantic):
10. Someone Like You--People don't like this movie, but the ultimate fight between Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman goes a little something like this: "Good night, you psycho" "Good night, you neophiliac!"
9. Thank You for Smoking--Smart ass movie about politics and lobbying...what more could you possibly want?
8. Juno--I think the soundtrack is enough to get anyone to smile...but this is a laugh-a-minute comedy that turns into a tear-jerker in a matter of minutes.
7. Under the Tuscan Sun--It gives me hope for my future in Italy.
6. Something New--The ultimately wonderful movie...although I always question the mariachi uniform at the end. Watch it...you will wonder too.
5. The American President--How can you honestly dislike a movie that gives you a lesson in government AND has a happy ending?
4. Pride & Prejudice--*sigh. One of the most romantic movies of all time.
3. The Thomas Crown Affair--While my ex-roommate stole this one THAT I BOUGHT, this movie is CLASSIC.
2. Love and Basketball--While this movie reminds me of my ex-boyfriend, the movie is great. It spans a lifetime of love.
1. 10 Things I Hate About You--I know every word to this movie...and how can you NOT love a movie where there is such witty writing as "Where do you come from, Planet Loser?" "As opposed to Planet 'Look at me, Look at me'"?
For two, I hate scary movies. I mean, how could I possibly be unbiased without having seen "Silence of the Lambs" or "The Shining"? Impossible.
Tonight I saw "Made of Honor" and it was so cute! I just love McDreamy, so McDreamy plus a good romantic comedy is pure gold to me. I recommend it.
Anywho...I thought I would make a Top 10 list for my favorite movies of all time. Don't pass judgment (I am a hopeless romantic):
10. Someone Like You--People don't like this movie, but the ultimate fight between Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman goes a little something like this: "Good night, you psycho" "Good night, you neophiliac!"
9. Thank You for Smoking--Smart ass movie about politics and lobbying...what more could you possibly want?
8. Juno--I think the soundtrack is enough to get anyone to smile...but this is a laugh-a-minute comedy that turns into a tear-jerker in a matter of minutes.
7. Under the Tuscan Sun--It gives me hope for my future in Italy.
6. Something New--The ultimately wonderful movie...although I always question the mariachi uniform at the end. Watch it...you will wonder too.
5. The American President--How can you honestly dislike a movie that gives you a lesson in government AND has a happy ending?
4. Pride & Prejudice--*sigh. One of the most romantic movies of all time.
3. The Thomas Crown Affair--While my ex-roommate stole this one THAT I BOUGHT, this movie is CLASSIC.
2. Love and Basketball--While this movie reminds me of my ex-boyfriend, the movie is great. It spans a lifetime of love.
1. 10 Things I Hate About You--I know every word to this movie...and how can you NOT love a movie where there is such witty writing as "Where do you come from, Planet Loser?" "As opposed to Planet 'Look at me, Look at me'"?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A Rant.
Brace Yourself.
I hate health insurance. There. I said it. There is no point to it.
Background: Two Fridays ago, my neck started hurting. I don't know what caused it, but I suspect it was just from sitting at my desk all week, staring at the computer screen. It was sort of a dull, annoying ache that didn't automatically send warning signs to my brain, so I ignored it. Saturday it still ached, but I went on with my usual day. Sunday it got a little worse, and I kept telling my parents how bad it hurt. I would just start rubbing it to see what was wrong, and it would feel better for a while and start aching again. At this point, I couldn't turn my head all the way to the side, so I would have to turn my whole body to see something.
Sunday night, I put Icy Hot on it, which made it feel immensely better (sometimes I want to bathe in that stuff). Monday it felt like it was finally feeling normal.
Then Tuesday 4 a.m. happened. I tossed and turned, but no matter how I laid my head, my neck pain woke me up. I was in tears Tuesday morning when I got to work. I called a chiropractor, made an appointment for an hour later, paid my $40 co-pay, and saw the doctor. He put me through electro-shock muscle therapy, a therapeutic ultrasound, traction, X-rays and finally, an attempted adjustment. However, my neck was too tight to do one and he asked me to come back the next day.
All day after my appointment, my neck was even more sore. I still couldn't turn it or move it very well, but I was anxious to go back to have my neck adjusted and read the X-rays.
Wednesday morning, I get to the doctor's office and the woman at the front desk tells me I need to make a payment toward a $750 deductible. I almost shit myself. I was like "What?!?!" and she didn't do a great job of explaining what the hell was going on with the payments I was making. I was under the impression that if I saw a specialist, my insurance would cover it. It's necessary. So I basically had tears running down my cheek as I called my mom to have her explain how my insurance works. The $750 deductible has to be paid before the insurance company even touches your claim. When you pay that, you have $3500 per year to make doctors visits, but as soon as that is done, you have to pay it on your own. And even after that $750 is paid, there is still your responsibility to pay 20 percent of the cost of the visit. Or so I understood.
I was called in to the doctor and they started to do all the things we did the day before, but I finally told them I just wanted to be adjusted. So he came in the exam room and popped my back and finally was able to give me a little relief in my neck. Then, he proceeded to show me my X-rays and explained to me that instead of a "C" shape to my neck, it was straight up and down, which is what was causing my pain. He pointed out a joint that was slightly smaller than the rest and said for some reason, that joint is getting more wear and tear than the others and he wanted to fix it. Going back to the exam room, he told me he wanted to start treatment right away, and I told him I couldn't until I knew for sure that my insurance would cover it.
He then called in a woman that couldn't have been much older than me to tell me he wanted to see me 12 more times in the next month. She told me that I could make any payment possible toward the cost of the exams and suggested I pay $60 a visit. The normal visit, she said, was $150. So, they wanted me to come three times a week at $60 per visit, which is a bit more than I can even PAY PER MONTH! So, essentially, I had to tell the insurance woman and the doctor that I couldn't come back for any more treatments.
Now (as of today), the other side of my neck is aching in about the same way, but because I can't afford to seek treatment, Icy Hot is my new friend. Damn. It doesn't make sense to have insurance when none of it is covered anyway. Should have voted for Hillary.
I hate health insurance. There. I said it. There is no point to it.
Background: Two Fridays ago, my neck started hurting. I don't know what caused it, but I suspect it was just from sitting at my desk all week, staring at the computer screen. It was sort of a dull, annoying ache that didn't automatically send warning signs to my brain, so I ignored it. Saturday it still ached, but I went on with my usual day. Sunday it got a little worse, and I kept telling my parents how bad it hurt. I would just start rubbing it to see what was wrong, and it would feel better for a while and start aching again. At this point, I couldn't turn my head all the way to the side, so I would have to turn my whole body to see something.
Sunday night, I put Icy Hot on it, which made it feel immensely better (sometimes I want to bathe in that stuff). Monday it felt like it was finally feeling normal.
Then Tuesday 4 a.m. happened. I tossed and turned, but no matter how I laid my head, my neck pain woke me up. I was in tears Tuesday morning when I got to work. I called a chiropractor, made an appointment for an hour later, paid my $40 co-pay, and saw the doctor. He put me through electro-shock muscle therapy, a therapeutic ultrasound, traction, X-rays and finally, an attempted adjustment. However, my neck was too tight to do one and he asked me to come back the next day.
All day after my appointment, my neck was even more sore. I still couldn't turn it or move it very well, but I was anxious to go back to have my neck adjusted and read the X-rays.
Wednesday morning, I get to the doctor's office and the woman at the front desk tells me I need to make a payment toward a $750 deductible. I almost shit myself. I was like "What?!?!" and she didn't do a great job of explaining what the hell was going on with the payments I was making. I was under the impression that if I saw a specialist, my insurance would cover it. It's necessary. So I basically had tears running down my cheek as I called my mom to have her explain how my insurance works. The $750 deductible has to be paid before the insurance company even touches your claim. When you pay that, you have $3500 per year to make doctors visits, but as soon as that is done, you have to pay it on your own. And even after that $750 is paid, there is still your responsibility to pay 20 percent of the cost of the visit. Or so I understood.
I was called in to the doctor and they started to do all the things we did the day before, but I finally told them I just wanted to be adjusted. So he came in the exam room and popped my back and finally was able to give me a little relief in my neck. Then, he proceeded to show me my X-rays and explained to me that instead of a "C" shape to my neck, it was straight up and down, which is what was causing my pain. He pointed out a joint that was slightly smaller than the rest and said for some reason, that joint is getting more wear and tear than the others and he wanted to fix it. Going back to the exam room, he told me he wanted to start treatment right away, and I told him I couldn't until I knew for sure that my insurance would cover it.
He then called in a woman that couldn't have been much older than me to tell me he wanted to see me 12 more times in the next month. She told me that I could make any payment possible toward the cost of the exams and suggested I pay $60 a visit. The normal visit, she said, was $150. So, they wanted me to come three times a week at $60 per visit, which is a bit more than I can even PAY PER MONTH! So, essentially, I had to tell the insurance woman and the doctor that I couldn't come back for any more treatments.
Now (as of today), the other side of my neck is aching in about the same way, but because I can't afford to seek treatment, Icy Hot is my new friend. Damn. It doesn't make sense to have insurance when none of it is covered anyway. Should have voted for Hillary.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Member of "The Club"
I am buying a Vespa. Yes. Don't be jealous. I am stoked about it. And while it will cost me a lot to buy it, I will be making it up in no time because of the cost of gas and the absolutely no relief we will see.
So, please, read this post and remember this is a great, great thing for me.
http://unclutterer.com/2008/05/02/scooter-your-way-to-clutter-free-transportation/
So, please, read this post and remember this is a great, great thing for me.
http://unclutterer.com/2008/05/02/scooter-your-way-to-clutter-free-transportation/
Thursday, May 1, 2008
You give me fever.
We drove and drove and drove. Into the middle of nowhere, we drove. But he kept us going. The thought of getting to see Michael Buble in concert for the second time kept us going to the Santa Ana Star Center in BFE.
He was phenomenal. There is simply nothing to say that will capture the utter amazing-ness of this man. The entertainment factor was through the roof. Never a dull moment at one of his performances. From him challenging his bouncer to "catch me" as he leaped off the stage and ran as fast as he could to the back of the room, to calling one of his bandmates his "bitch," there was never a dull moment.
My favorite performance was him and the piano, singing "You Were Always on my Mind" and jokingly teasing someone who screamed "I love you, Michael" in the middle of the ballad.
I truly knew he was special when, before the last song in his encore, he turned to the audience and sincerely thanked all of us for coming to the performance, paying the money in "hard times." He said we were the reason he does this. He showed a very emotional side to him in this that I respected greatly.
Truly a wonderful performance. I highly recommend it.
P.S. We had third row seats, but the woman sitting next to us has been to more than 50 performances and told us when Michael was going to call people up to come up to the front. I pulled a Heisman through the crowd to get the position you see in the pictures.....front and center to the man that would be my husband.
Friday, April 11, 2008
They do exist.
Background: I am sitting here at my desk, working on a project, when I get an e-mail forward from my good friend. It is an e-mail from her boyfriend in a strange format, outlining his love for her, the events of his day and a bunch of sweet little sayings about how much he loves her blah, blah, blah. This was her introduction: "I don't know if you'll find this any where near as entertaining as I did, but this email was AWESOME and completely made my day and I feel the need to share it." This is our conversation after I finished reading it:
Me: I just vomited a little in my mouth.
Thank for sending me deeper into the depression I call "singledom."
Jessica: It wasn't even sappy!
Me: Ugh.
Jessica: It was funny, not sappy!
Me: It was cute.
But still sappy.
Apparently you have officially reached the threshold of completely missing the sappy-ness of anything.
Jessica: Lol. damn. that kinda sucks. or is maybe a good thing
I just thought it was funny the way he structured it.
If i send you anything again I'll be sure to delete any and all sappiness.
Me: You don't have to cut out the sappiness...it gives me hope that men like that exist.
Jessica: They do! They do!
Me: I just vomited a little in my mouth.
Thank for sending me deeper into the depression I call "singledom."
Jessica: It wasn't even sappy!
Me: Ugh.
Jessica: It was funny, not sappy!
Me: It was cute.
But still sappy.
Apparently you have officially reached the threshold of completely missing the sappy-ness of anything.
Jessica: Lol. damn. that kinda sucks. or is maybe a good thing
I just thought it was funny the way he structured it.
If i send you anything again I'll be sure to delete any and all sappiness.
Me: You don't have to cut out the sappiness...it gives me hope that men like that exist.
Jessica: They do! They do!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Quote of the Day
"I have a tendency to live only in extremes. I am at once terribly motivated or downright apathetic, bursting with joy or flattened by despair, hysterically hopeful or ridiculously cynical."
--Taken from "Charming But Single"
Me. In a nutshell. LOOK! It's me in a nutshell!
--Taken from "Charming But Single"
Me. In a nutshell. LOOK! It's me in a nutshell!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Single-ness
As I sit here, enjoying a CRAZY episode of Law & Order: Sexual Victims Unit, I wonder to myself--where is Detective Elliott Stabler? THE eye candy of the show?
But really, it is days like today that I am grateful to be single. No one waiting for me at home to cook them dinner or comfort them after a long, hard day. Just me, playing soccer for as long as I please...getting home and chatting on the phone for 30 minutes before actually getting up off my porch to grab one of those tuna lunches to-go (you know, the ones that have the do-it-yourself tuna salad and crackers). Who can do that with a significant other waiting to be fed or coddled?
The networks are beginning to roll out their "ALL NEW" episodes in the next couple weeks, which is exciting...I watched my first of those last night. Samantha Who? is one of the shows that I follow (along with only a few others). The show is hilarious! I recommend it.
I am too distracted to finish. I love being single (for once).
But really, it is days like today that I am grateful to be single. No one waiting for me at home to cook them dinner or comfort them after a long, hard day. Just me, playing soccer for as long as I please...getting home and chatting on the phone for 30 minutes before actually getting up off my porch to grab one of those tuna lunches to-go (you know, the ones that have the do-it-yourself tuna salad and crackers). Who can do that with a significant other waiting to be fed or coddled?
The networks are beginning to roll out their "ALL NEW" episodes in the next couple weeks, which is exciting...I watched my first of those last night. Samantha Who? is one of the shows that I follow (along with only a few others). The show is hilarious! I recommend it.
I am too distracted to finish. I love being single (for once).
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