Thoughts and Ramblings

Staycation Update

2011-12-20T08:39:00.000-05:00

Just a few more days until Christmas and I'm officially on my 4th day of this whole "vacation to nowhere" I'm on...and I'm loving it! Yes, admittedly it would be nicer if my boyfriend actually got time off for the holidays so we could spend some extra time together, but as a substitute this time off has provided a chance for some quality time with my family, particularly my mother. Yesterday we did our annual "big shopping day" at the surprisingly empty mall. I managed to finish up all my shopping, save for one thing that I will get at Target later today. Hooray for that! We'll likely go back next week to take advantage of the post-Christmas sales.

Yesterday was also my younger brother's 30th birthday. Talk about making us all feel old when the "baby" of the family has now left his 20's behind!!! Still, it was a nice chance to get the family together for dinner last night - something we only seem to get to do for special occasions anymore.

Today I'll be playing hostess to my mother and aunt...I guess my aunt has been bugging my mom about not ever seeing my house since I really moved in an decorated (THREE years ago) so today we're going to put that complaint to rest. Currently, the A/C people are here doing their bi-annual check-up of the system. Once they leave it'll be off to the store for me to stock up on supplies and perhaps a snack or two so I can be a good hostess later. That's a new role for me to play so I guess a little practice is in order.

Here's to another great day on my vacation to nowhere!!!

The Holiday Season in Full Swing

2011-12-12T21:24:00.000-05:00

Okay, so yes...I've been beyond lax in keeping up with my blog (and yes, I realize I've started posts this way in the past!) but when things get busy this blog is the last thing on my mind. I hope that everyone reading this is having a great holiday season thus far though! Sure, Christmas music has been on the radio since before Thanksgiving, but it's only once we're into December that it really feels appropriate to get into the Christmas spirit.

So far I've been (and dragged my boyfriend along) to a masquerade Christmas party and a work holiday party--if there was a contest between the two, the masquerade party would have won hands down. It's not that the work party was terrible, the company we were with was great, it's just that the party committee tried to implement a group game that was a total bust and completely killed the mood. Plus, only giving everyone two drink tickets (regardless of if you were bringing a guest or not) was a buzz kill...no thank you to the $6 domestic bottles!

This year is also the first year I've had a Christmas tree at my house. My family has always been an artificial tree family, but my boyfriend's family has always been a real tree family. In the debate-that-wasn't-really-a-debate, it was decided that we would get a real tree this year. (I'm still holding out hope that we'll do artificial next year, but I'm not too optimistic) I dubbed the tree "Steve" (much to the chagrin of my boyfriend) and we proceeded to make him beautiful:

As you can see, we didn't start off small with my first household Christmas tree. Nope. Steve comes in at about 8' or so and is quite full. He did turn out very pretty though and I'm kind of in love. :) I'm definitely looking forward to exchanging gifts and sharing quality time with family, friends, & loved ones in just a couple weeks. I'd love to know what you and your loved ones are doing to make this holiday season special so please feel free to share in the comments.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Getting back into the swing of things...

2011-09-05T14:00:00.001-04:00

It's been a while - too long really - since I've posted anything here. I'm going to have to shift the blame for that to someone other than myself. Why would I want to blame myself? Silly thought, that. Anyway, it's probably a combination of things that has kept me from getting back to this blog. First and foremost would be my new boyfriend. It's been a little over a month since we started dating and I couldn't be happier. I think he put it best the other day...when you're single, you get to a point where you're content and happy so it's easy to forget how much happier you can be if there's someone there to share things with. I'd had my eye out for a good guy to date, but things just happened so naturally with this guy that it really didn't take any effort to go from single and doing our own things to intermingling our friends, activities, lives, etc. It always "happens when you're not looking," right?

I've also had some not so great things going on lately - namely health issues. It's nothing life threatening, but it will affect my life for sure. I've known for a while that I had an unusually elevated heart rate. 120 bpm is pretty normal for me. I also have trembling hands from time to time. I was keenly aware of how NOT normal that was when one of my friends who has Parkinson's commented on my shaking hands. Not a great sign, hmm? So at the urging of both my mother and boyfriend I decided to get myself checked out. A blood test later and I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism - and a pretty severe case at that. The doctor put me on a couple different meds for it...a beta blocker to slow my heart, and another one to work to calm my thyroid down. Unfortunately, my body had a really bad reaction to the thyroid medication - my glands in my neck almost immediately (about 90 minutes later) swelled up to the size of limes, my fever spiked to 101.5 at the height of it, and I felt AWFUL! By the next morning, I still wasn't better and felt awful so I spent 5+ hours in the ER trying to figure out what was wrong. A CAT scan, chest x-rays, cultures, and blood draws (yes, multiple) later I was diagnosed with tonsillitis.

The ER doc claims it was unrelated to the drug...I find that hard to believe since it started to go away by itself before the antibiotics were even in me. There's no way it was "coincidence" like he claims! So, what to do now? I don't doubt my diagnosis...the thyroid issues run in my family and a blood test is pretty accurate...but I also don't really care for the doc that gave me the diagnosis. So, I'm in the process of getting scheduled with an endocrinologist soon to see if I can't find some meds that will work better for me. In the meantime, I'm just taking the beta blocker for my heart and staying away from the pills that gave me such a terrible reaction. Fingers crossed that I never have to go through that again!!!

So that's pretty much it. Now that I'm feeling a bit better I have the always fun task of cleaning house ahead of me today. Thanks for reading and enjoy your Labor Day!

Another reason the single life sucks...

2011-07-18T19:18:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom & Dad,

Thanks for reminding me of Reason #428 why it sucks to be single. It sucks to be single because when something happens (like when an idiot friend tries to go all 'Dukes of Hazard' and slide across the hood of your nearly brand new Lexus...leaving behind a dent and several scratches) you don't have anyone to ask for help but your parents. Said parents are then sure to make underhanded comments about what an inconvenience you are...which only serves as a reminder of your sad, pathetic life as a single adult.

I'm sorry that my loser status negatively impacts your RETIRED lifestyle. I'm sorry that even though the two of you never go anywhere without each other, I'm still going to deprive you of one of your two cars for a whopping 2 days while mine is getting repaired. I'm sorry that this is just another example of the times it would really come in handy for me to have a boyfriend or husband to go through life with and who could help out in situations like this so it wouldn't affect you.

Believe me, oh critical parents of mine, it's not for lack of searching/trying that I'm single. If you'd really like for me to find someone I'm sure that I could go whore it up somewhere, get myself pregnant, and maybe land a baby daddy. Wouldn't that be lovely? Probably not. So I'm single? So what!?! Maybe instead of always saying you're there when I need you, you could actually practice what you preach without the guilt trip hanging overhead. That'd be great.

Sincerely,
Your Single Daughter with a Car in Need of Repair

Sometimes it's better to skip the reality...

2011-06-19T10:16:00.000-04:00

Why is it that reality rarely ever lives up to perceptions or expectations??? When you first meet someone, it's natural to fill in the things you don't yet know about them with bright, shiny ideas of what they must be like, of who they really are. Because of COURSE you would only be attracted to great people, right? Unfortunately, (at least in my personal experience) once you find out the truth about that person, it's usually not half as good as the idea you'd begun to form in your head. And once that reality begins to set in, where do you go from there? Do you compromise your own "must have" list to bend to the reality of the person in front of you or do you chalk it up to another life experience and continue your quest for that white whale that's surely out there somewhere?

Ultimately, I suppose the answers to those questions depend on what end game you had in mind. Was this someone that you wanted to stick around for a while or were you just enjoying the moment and taking things as they came? For me, in this case, it was the latter - I was simply having fun and enjoying someone's company with the knowledge that it was definitely not a long-term thing. Still, taking the shiny off has made me wonder whether I even want a summer fling. I can't go back and unlearn/unhear the things I've learned/heard, but do they really even matter in the case of a fling? I really don't know. I think they might. It doesn't matter how attractive (hot even) you are...if you're an asshole to other people (even if I'm not the one on the receiving end), that's a really ugly trait.

Why can't people just live up to my unattainable expectations??? :)

Feeling older than my age...

2011-06-14T22:24:00.000-04:00

For the longest time, I felt younger than my age...despite teasing jokes from close friends (since I started law school a few years after being in the working world, I was always the "old" one in the group. It's probably a good thing that my friend Marquis isn't a follower of mine on here since he LOOOOVES to reuse his jokes about my age whenever he can). I always laughed it off though because I was feeling good - and looking younger than the majority of them anyway!

Unfortunately, in the last week or so, I haven't been feeling so great. My knees were hurting a bit before my kickball game last Thursday but by the time I woke up on Friday morning it was all I could do to move my legs and get out of bed. Honestly, each step is still painful. Walking up or down stairs is like having someone jam a screwdriver beneath my kneecap and twist it around with each step I take. Yesterday at work, I let a student go past me on the stairwell so he wouldn't have to wait for me to get up the stairs at the snail speed I can manage. All in all...no bueno!

Considering the fact that this happened a few months ago when I started playing tennis again I decided not to mess around this time. So on Thursday morning I'll be heading to an orthopedic doctor (the one that re-broke my toe for me last Fall) and hopefully he'll be able to tell me what's going on and what exercises I can do to strengthen the muscles around my knee to hopefully avoid this in the future. I know I'm getting older, but this is ridiculous!

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

2011-06-08T22:15:00.001-04:00

Quite possibly the longest blog title ever...and a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time! But seriously, the time has been flying by. Things have been a little crazy in my dating life, but I won't bore you with details of that. Suffice it to say that it's easier than you'd think to acquire a semi-stalker, while intellect is important it cannot make up for zero personality, and most notably, it's nice to be the girl envied by other girls instead of being the one turning green with said envy. Yes, that means that I "got the guy" this time around. Yay!

Things really are busy. While I feel like everything is flying by, I'm having a great time and haven't been this happy in a really long time. And that's still true after finding out I have to replace my A/C entirely - goodbye, $6,300.00. My weeks seem to fly by since I have so much going on. Mondays and/or Tuesdays are nights to meet up with friends for dinner. Wednesdays are trivia night (1st place victory tonight!!!). Thursdays are kickball and the post-kickball party (my team may be the bad news bears kickball team but we truly DOMINATE at flip cup!). And then it's the weekend - filled with more time with friends and hopefully some weekend trips coming up.

All in all, there's nothing to complain about socially. Work has been a bit tough lately (and more stressful than I'd like) but at the end of the day there are more positives than negatives so I just go with it. How are you doing? Are you excited about the summer? Any fun plans???

Random Confessions

2011-05-25T21:50:00.001-04:00

Sometimes it's nice to get silly things off your chest. Feel free to add a comment about your random confessions. These are mine today:

1. On both my car radio and my television I only listen with the volume on intervals of 5 (i.e, 5, 10, 15, etc.). If it's not on an interval of 5, I get very annoyed.

2. There is only one proper way for the toilet paper roll to hang...and if you hang yours incorrectly I WILL change it when I visit your guest bathroom. For the record, the roll should be pulled from the top only!

3. I judge people that can't properly differentiate between "you're" and "your" or "they're," "there," and "their." Is it really that difficult?

4. I prefer to have my picture taken with the left side of my face towards the camera - my hair falls nicely on that side and I consider it my "good side."

5. I'm obsessed with the MPG on my car. If it dips below 26 MPG for the tank I have to drive economically until it's back above 26.

So what about you? Any interesting obsessions, silly confessions you'd like to share?

A Dating Frenzy

2011-05-19T16:37:00.000-04:00

I guess that when it rains it really does pour. After tonight, I will have gone on 3 dates with 3 different guys in the past week (with a potential date with a 4th guy next week too). Considering the dry spell that plagued me for so long, this has been a welcome change. The up side? All 4 guys are pretty great so far...though each one brings something a little different to the table.

I've never been one to date multiple people at the same time but this fell in my lap pretty unexpectedly. My biggest concern is that I'm going to mix up who told me what or, God forbid, call one of them by the wrong name. Does anyone out there have experience with this? Any advice???

Why work when you can blog?

2011-05-10T09:29:00.005-04:00

This morning I got called an "SLB" by a co-worker. I'd never heard that before, but was pleasantly surprised that it stood for "Skinny Little Bitch." I'm pretty sure the "Skinny" part is still a stretch, but I liked it. Sure, the reason she called me that in the first place is because my pants are literally falling down today, but I'll take it nonetheless. I really do need to do some shopping though. I only really have a couple pairs of pants that fit like they should. I was trying to hold off until I got down to the weight I wanted, but clearly some interim clothing is a must. Yesterday also gave me some positive reinforcement from a couple other people on my weight-loss. Those little things are what keep me going when I find myself getting a little slack with my eating habits.

On to other topics...my new favorite TV show is 'The Voice' on NBC. Partly because I love the concept of choosing the singers based on their talent alone...

and partly because I'd forgotten how cute Adam is...

I prefer him clean shaven, but a little shadow looks pretty dreamy as well. Personally, I think that he's compiled the best "team" so far, but I may be a little biased. The battle rounds start tonight so I'm hoping that some of my favorites make it through (I'm rooting for you, Javier Colon and Jeff Jenkins!!!)

Next Monday is my Dad's 60th birthday! I can't believe he's hitting 60, but I'm so thankful to have him in my life. He's healthy and active for his age, and I get to see him every weekend at the very least - I couldn't ask for more. On Sunday, my brothers and I will be taking him golfing in the morning and then out for some grub in the afternoon/evening. I haven't swung a club in months, but since The Players Championship is this weekend it seems like as good a time as any to hit the links.

Okay, since I am at work, maybe I should actually go do some.

I'm a Blogging Slacker - Trip Photos!!!

2011-05-09T16:42:00.001-04:00

No, "blogging" is not a substitute for an alternative bad word like Cee Lo Green does in 'Forget You':

Rather, I've simply been MIA from here for a while now. Fortunately, I have a good excuse - I've been on vacation!!! Yes, that does nothing to account for the other few weeks without writing but cut me some slack, please. With the semester winding down, this past month has been crazy busy at work. Bar prep is just around the corner so these next few weeks are my chance to catch up on everything that's been neglected for the past few months.

On to more interesting things...my vacation! Every 2 years or so my family tries to do a big vacation together. Our last one was to Aruba two years ago. This time it was off to St. Kitts with my parents, brothers, and older brother's wife. There aren't a ton of resorts on the little island (just 68 sq. miles), so we stayed at the Marriott Beach Club:

That was a stock photo pulled from the internet...the rest will be photos I took myself on our trip. We stayed in one of the little condos/villas instead of the hotel part. The hotel was very nice while the condos themselves were a bit outdated, but not too bad. With plenty of places to eat on site, you wouldn't even have to leave the property if you didn't want to...but we definitely got out to see a bunch of the island. They had a replica of the Nina, one of Columbus's ships, that was 50% of its actual size. Let me tell you, that 50% was small! If I had to cross the Atlantic on such a tiny ship, I would probably die from puking my guts out! Here's a pic of the ship:

Prior to our visit, I didn't know much about the island. It didn't take long to realize that there are basically two classes: the very, very wealthy and the very poor...the latter of which was in the majority. St. Kitts was the home of the first French and British colonies in the Caribbean. Sugar cane used to be the main industry on the island, but when St. Kitts (and its sister island, Nevis) gained independence in 1983, the industry suffered greatly. Without the British government to subsidize the sugar cane production/exportation, it began to fail. In 2005, the state-owned sugar industry was shut down and the population had to seek new means for survival. The solution was tourism...and in just two years (from 2007-2009) the number of visitors increased by about 40%. I'd be willing to bet that in a decade or so, the island will look completely different than it did on our visit. So here's how my trip went...

When we arrived on the island on Sunday afternoon it was a good thing our plane was able to stop because the end of the runway wasn't very far from the ocean's edge. Unfortunately, my luggage never boarded the plane in Miami so while the rest of my family was able to get cleaned up and change into something different, I wouldn't be able to do that until Monday evening. (Yes, I know I should learn to put a change of clothes and clean underwear in my carry-on...esp. since this isn't the first time I've lost my luggage) Here's a pic of me with my sister-in-law on the beach the day we arrived:

That's not a brown bagged adult beverage in my hand...it's bug spray in there! The resort had a casino on site so usually we spent a little time there every evening. I escaped the week only down about $80 - not bad for a week of roulette and free drinks!

On Monday morning, we decided to take an ATV (4-wheel) tour of the island. Before we left, we specifically asked the resort's activities director if we would get very dirty. He assured us we wouldn't. That bird was a liar! None of us have ever done the whole ATV thing before so we were pretty excited (and blissfully unaware of the filth to come).

See? All clean in that picture. The tour itself was a lot of fun - great scenery all around and it was really fun to fall back from the group a bit and then floor it to catch up!

The first picture above shows some of the dirt kicking up on the trail. The second is one of the many abandoned sugar mills on the island. This next picture is embarrassing, but it perfectly shows just how dirty we got on the ATV's:

How gross is that??? I literally have a dirt unibrow going on! That evening, I bought a pair of shorts and borrowed my Dad's t-shirt just to have something clean to wear...

On Tuesday, we took a "scenic railroad" tour of the island. It was a rather long trip and not incredibly exciting. I did enjoy the (sort of) free pina coladas they served on board. And it was a good opportunity to snap some nice pictures of the island:

The second shot above is one of my favorites from the trip. After the train tour, we took a cab up to Ottley Plantation for lunch. Though it was a bit hazy over the water, the views from the terrace where we had lunch were stunning. Then again, finding a beautiful view on that island wasn't very difficult.

The next day, Wednesday, four of us decided to go on the horseback riding tour through the rainforest. If you know me at all then you know that I love horses. I grew up with them and every time I go on vacation I try to do a horseback riding trip. In Aruba a couple years ago that was easily my favorite activity. It was a little different this time around. First of all, the horses were not in the best shape and were very small. I mean VERY small. How do you know your horse is small? If you stand next to it and your legs are longer than the horse's legs, it's prbaby a small horse:

Before we started our ride, the guide asked if we wanted a group shot. Of course we did! The picture we got back was a little less than complete...yet absolutely hilarious. Here it is:

Thursday was a day for zip-lining. I've never been, but my brothers and father have gone a couple times. Previously I was self conscious about my weight, but now that I've lost quite a bit I was comfortable taking on the zips. It was easily my favorite activity of the entire trip. Our guides were both really fun and personable and went by the names String Bean and Budweiser. What a great pair of guys:

The set-up was great and the harnesses kept you feeling very safe and secure (definitely a plus when you're about to be zipping 250 ft. above the ground!).

The feeling you get when you're soaring above the treetops was like nothing I've ever felt before. Beyond fun is what it really was. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun way to see a new place. The longest line was 1/4 of a mile long...so amazing! The only downside was be that it was too short. I would have loved to do some more zips!

That evening we took a walk along "the Strip" to take in the Caribbean side of the island for a change. None of the group photos were really great, but here is my favorite one from that evening:

On Friday, we took a cab to the southern peninsula of the island to grab some lunch and search for some monkeys. Along the way, we captured this shot that shows both the Atlantic and Caribbean sides at the same time:

The island is said to have thousands and thousands of green vervet monkeys everywhere. Until our second to last day there, all we kept hearing was, "This is usually a great place to see the monkeys but they don't seem to be out today." That was very frustrating! After lunch we went to Shipwreck Beach - a place that usually has wild monkeys since they feed them sugar cane. Happily, we FINALLY got to see some monkeys there!

As you can see, based on the number of pictures posted, I was really excited to finally see those little monkeys!

On our final full day on St. Kitts we just did a little shopping in the town where cruise ships come in. At the end of it all, this was another great trip filled with fantastic memories!

Quick Update

2011-04-13T21:38:00.003-04:00

Admittedly I've been a bit lax in posting here...and considering the fact that I fell asleep on the couch at 8:45 tonight, my guess is that part of the reason is because I've been super busy and pretty tired. So here's a quick recap of my life of late:

1. I'm now 13 weeks into my weight loss journey and after a -4.2 lb week I'm down a total of 31 pounds! I really can't even believe it and I'm pretty stoked. It all comes just in time for...

2. My family vacation...which officially begins on April 24th (Easter Sunday). We're heading to St. Kitts and I couldn't be more excited about it. I love to travel, especially to new places, so this should be an amazing getaway.

3. Bar prep for the summer is (sort of) underway already. I've met most of my new peeps. There's just one lone person that I have neither met nor heard from to schedule a meeting...slacker anyone??? The rest of my peeps are awesome though and I'm looking forward to a summer spent helping them out!

4. After some issues with one of the extras I purchased with my new car, my baby is FINALLY home with me and looks beautiful. She's been away from home so much though that I don't even have quite 300 miles on her in the 15 days she's been mine. I'm looking forward to spending plenty of quality time with Vixen.

5. Ten days ago, I celebrated another birthday. I was happy to be able to spend the evening before my birthday with some great friends - I'm thankful for all of them in my life. All in all, of late I've been able to reach a "satisfied" mental state that had seemed to elude me for a while. Here's to hoping my happy outlook will be a gateway to more great things in my life.

And that about sums it up. I hope that everyone out there is healthy, happy, and well-loved. Have a great rest of the week! xoxo

I'm in love...

2011-04-01T22:23:00.002-04:00

...with my new car!!! Here's a really terrible picture of her in my garage the first night I brought her home and tucked her in for the evening:

She's gorgeous, rides like a dream, and since Tuesday I'm at just over 26MPG for city driving!!! I'm working on a name for her and have been tossing around Vixen (since I've been told she's sexy) and Bella (because that ride is just too sweet)...but I'm still thinking about it. Names aren't something you should settle on too quick.

All I can say is I've never looked forward to commuting to and from work so much in my entire life. Too bad that the two days after I got her it was raining in biblical amounts so she's a bit dirty right now, but I take her into the shop on Tuesday night to get some tint on those windows and some protective coating on the interior and exterior. I'm sure she'll get a much needed bath then too. :)

Happy early birthday to me!!!

The Honey Badger is Amazingly Entertaining

2011-03-31T06:44:00.000-04:00

I came across this video on another blog (Jason Mraz's post from a little while back) and it made me chuckle a bit...quite a feat for 6:40 am. I figured I should share the smile:

Enjoy and have a great day!

Lexus vs. Acura

2011-03-27T21:33:00.001-04:00

And then it was down to two...

I did some test driving yesterday and I've narrowed my decision down to two possibilities: the Acura TSX and the Lexus IS250. They're both sharp looking cars:

So how's a girl supposed to choose?!? Both are very economical when it comes to fuel efficiency (the TSX has the 1 mpg edge there) and they are both comfortable, well-made cars (though I'd give the edge to the IS250). Ultimately, it will probably come down to price. If that wasn't a consideration, I would definitely choose the Lexus; therefore, I'm going to work to see what I can get the Lexus guy down to over the next few days.

Any thoughts on either of those vehicles???

After much posting delay...9 weeks are complete

2011-03-24T10:49:00.000-04:00

Hello, hello! So admittedly I've been a slacker about blogging lately. Things have just been really busy and I haven't had time to sit down to write anything. Shh! I probably shouldn't be writing right now since I'm at work, but I figured I needed to at least get a quick post in. My WW journey has continued. Yesterday was the 9 week mark and I'm happy to report that I've now lost a total of 25.8 pounds!!! I can hardly believe it myself; while it's been tough at times, it has been relatively steady progress and that has been a great motivator for me. I have exactly one month (31 days) until I leave on my vacation to St. Kitts so I'm really hoping to drop at least another 5 lbs by then. 10 lbs would be even better, but that's going to take a lot of work.

I've been a little better about working out - lately I've been hooked on the stationary bike at my neighborhood gym. The benefits to this workout are twofold: (1) it's lower impact on my knees (which are a daily reminder that I'm getting old and my body is breaking down), and (2) I'm able to read while I'm working out (which is wonderful since I've got a stack of books to read and not enough time in which to do it!). I'm hoping to maintain a 4-day a week workout schedule to start to tone up. We'll see if that lasts...

In unrelated news, I think I'm going to do some car shopping this weekend. In case you don't recall, my car was totaled by an idiot back on October 5th. For financial reasons, my Dad was nice enough to buy a new car for himself and sell me his 2003 MDX for a really reasonable price so I didn't have to take on a car payment. And while there is absolutely nothing physically wrong with the car, the abysmal gas mileage is killing me a little bit more every time I fill up at the pump. I'm looking for a cute, smaller, sporty car that gets great gas mileage. I'm really leaning back towards a new Acura TSX, but I also want to look at some other cars (like the Lexus HS250 Hybrid!). If you have any suggestions for a great car that is reliable, (relatively) affordable, and comes with great service, please leave them for me in the comments. Thanks!

Weekends are meant for fun!

2011-03-06T11:40:00.001-05:00

My relationship with Jacksonville is a love-hate one. I love that my family is here so I can see them whenever I want. I hate that very few of my friends live here. I love my job, my house, and my dog. I hate that I don't have as much of a social life as I'd grown accustomed to in Orlando (which sort of goes along with my first "hate"). And so on and so forth. Still, at the end of the day I'm pretty happy here so I can't complain too much. Plus, friends are just a short(ish) drive away! For the last couple weekends, instead of having to drive anywhere to see friends, I've been lucky to have them come to me.

Last weekend, my best friend from law school came up for the entire weekend (and he's the one I blame for my "first good burn of the season" when we lounged by the pool a bit too long). Within 10 seconds of his arrival, it was just like old times. If you can find a friend with whom it's always easy and comfortable to talk or hang out, no matter how long it's been that you're apart, then you should hang on to that friend because they're a rare find. C is one of those friends for me. We've known each other for about 7 1/2 years now but we've lived in different cities for the last 3 1/2 of them since I moved back up to Jax.

Our mutual friend, A, also came down for a night. While I was hanging out with them, I started to think about how easy it really was to pass the time. Even though we're in different cities, have different friends, do different things, etc. it was never the least bit difficult to have a great conversation. In comparison, on the few dates I've been on recently, I've been struck by how difficult it can be to carry on a conversation with some people. I understand that it's different when you're first meeting someone, but then I think about the people that are fixtures in my life and realize that it was never that difficult to talk to them - even when we first met. It's just food for thought...

Anyway, before C & A left town, we grabbed brunch at Sun Dog...after which I was coerced into participating in a silly photo...which I now love. I mean, how can you not love a friend that convinces you to ride one of the local jaguars with him? Guess that's why I love A. Here's evidence of our morning shenanigans:

So that was last weekend. This weekend that's wrapping up was just as fun. On Friday, I got together with a bunch of local peeps for a moving away party for one girl. It was a nice excuse to get everyone together for a few drinks and good times. You'd think that with all the essays I need to review for work that I'd tone down the rest of the weekend. Instead, last night was one of the best nights I've had in a long time.

I have another friend, B, from law school that lives just down in St. Augustine. Unfortunately, despite the fact that we're not really that far from each other, neither of us has done a great job of staying in touch and seeing one another on a regular basis. Well last night, we finally followed through on a plan to see each other. At this point it had been about 23 months since the last time we randomly ran into each other down in St. Auggie. B came up to Jax this time and we headed down to the beach for dinner and a few drinks. I'm not kidding when I say I haven't laughed that much in a really long time. Once again, even though we hadn't seen each other in forever, we picked up right where we left off. Here we are at Caribbee Key:

About 3 minutes into the night, I think we both agreed that it was going to be an awesome night...and then cursed ourselves for letting so much time pass since seeing each other last. But hey, we pinkie swore that we WILL get together more often and everyone knows that pinkie swears cannot be broken. Besides, if someone that cute lives that close and wants to hang out, why would I say no?

Anyway, enough rambling...these past two weekends are how weekends should be. Fun! Winning! (couldn't resist that) Here's to hoping that your weekends are just as great. What have you been up to???

6 weeks

2011-03-04T09:11:00.000-05:00

Once again, I'm late on the update on here. This week has been a little insane at work since we have a new guy starting on Monday so everything needs to get prepped for that; with everything else on my plate, it's just been a rough week. The previous weekend was a lot of fun though. My best friend from law school came up from Orlando for the weekend and another friend of ours came down for a night from Fernandina. I always feel fortunate when I get to spend time with old friends...especially when they're the ones that make it so easy to fall back into your old routine. It doesn't matter if it's been weeks, months, or even years...some friends will always be great friends.

After a weekend filled with fun in the sun, several adult beverages, and tasty food I was really nervous about this week's weigh-in. Despite my worries, it was still a 1.2 lb loss putting me at 19.8 pounds in total. Sweet!!!

Generally, things are pretty good in my life right now. Work is going well, I'm having the chance to get out with friends more, the weather is changing so more time outside is possible, and I'm feeling better about myself. Now if only I could manage to break out of the singles life and spend a little time with someone, that would be great! Unfortunately, the most recent setup/blind date was less than stellar and there aren't any prospects on the horizon. Surely there's a guy out there that would appreciate my intellect, wit, and fun-natured self, right? I just haven't met him yet...

5 Weeks In...

2011-02-23T13:30:00.000-05:00

I neglected to post last week...not because it was a bad week (-3.2 last week), but because things got really busy at work and at home. This week has been a tad more manageable, and despite what I thought was a potentially awful week, I weighed in at -2.2 today. Overall that puts me at -18.4 pounds!!! I'm pretty excited about that, and I've been hearing some really nice, completely unsolicited compliments from people that I don't see very often. Those comments are always a nice incentive to keep at it even when it gets more challenging.

Speaking of challenges, I've been challenging myself to move more. I took the comment from an anonymous reader to heart after my last post...instead of seeing it from the "work" perspective, I'm doing more activities that are "play." To that end, I've added tennis back into my routine. My older brother is a tennis pro (not on the tour) so it's silly not to take advantage of that resource. He's been really great about staying on the court a little longer at least once a week to help me get back into it. That's not to say that it's been easy though. I was a Division I tennis player, but you'd never know that now. I feel like I'm learning to play all over again. It's embarrassing knowing where I used to be, but I'm making great strides to get back to my former glory every time I take the court. And you know what? It has actually been FUN!

I've also started taking my dog for much longer walks whenever I can. Now that it's staying lighter later, I still feel like there's some daylight to play with when I get home so Oreo has been seeing more time on a leash around the neighborhood...and making more doggy friends. These "play" activities make it a lot easier to get out there and exercise - and I'm much happier for it.

Here's to another good week...

Valentine's Day, Schmalentine's Day

2011-02-13T14:29:00.002-05:00

Admittedly, my opinion on this "holiday" might be a tad jaded based on past experiences, but as a whole, this can be a tough day for everyone. If you do have someone special to celebrate with, then you're saddled by the commercial nature of the entire day: expensive restaurants, beyond expensive flowers, calorie-killer candies, silly stuffed animals with no future purpose, etc. If you don't have someone special, the day is an often painful reminder of what you don't have but may wish that you did, i.e., someone to share life's memories with.

I suppose I fall into that second category. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a tad jealous of those that have someone to shower them with flowers and candy...but it's not something I'm going to change in the next 9 1/2 hours. I used to laugh at my now-married older brother when he called himself "Single For Life (SFL)." Yet I've begun to embrace that moniker for myself. If you had talked to me a decade, or even just 3 years, ago and told me I would still be single in 2011, I would have thought that was ridiculous. Getting married and perhaps starting a family was always something I dreamed about since I was a little girl. But through a series of life events and relationship failures that's exactly what I am. SFL, baby! (These days I'm not too sure I'd want kids anymore, but a husband? Yes, please.)

That doesn't mean that I'm not celebrating Valentine's Day though. I can't remember if the tradition began last year or the year before, but given my SFL status, my parents have started inviting me along to their Valentine's dinner each year. I'm still up in the air on whether that is sweet or just plain sad. (I'm guessing it's probably just sad, but I'm holding on to the hope that it's sort of sweet too!) This year, the dinner is tonight. And because my poor mom is actually suffering from a nasty head cold, it'll just be me and my dad. Yes, that's right...I have a Valentine's "date" with my dad tonight.

Anyway, for those of you that have a special someone, forget the commercial nature of Cupid's holiday. Instead, I hope that this year's Valentine's Day is a celebration of the love between you and your significant other. And if you're not currently paired up with someone, take a moment to celebrate all the wonderful things that you have to offer someone someday. It's a day for love. And that means loving yourself first!

xoxo

Week 3 Wrap-up

2011-02-09T22:46:00.001-05:00

This is going to be quick because I'm tired & heading to bed soon after a bitter trivia defeat tonight. I'm pretty sure the winning team was cheating. Who does that? Is nothing sacred anymore?!? There are two games whose names I would never besmirch: trivia and Jeopardy. How can you feel good about winning when you know you cheated to get there?

Anyway, the point of this post is a WW update so I'll leave the bitterness of my loss behind...for now. So this week was only a -1.8 pound week. I guess I should still be happy about that since a loss is a loss, but I was hoping for more. That puts me at a 13-pound total loss though and I'm definitely happy about that.

I need to start working out though, and that's the part I've been dreading most. If anyone has any suggestions about how to actually LIKE working out I'm all ears!

Okay, bedtime...g'night!

Showing My Age

2011-02-06T10:53:00.002-05:00

Even when I was much younger, I typically wasn't one for all-nighters or even staying up super late multiple days in a row. As I've gotten older, that has become even more true. More often than not I'm in bed by about 10pm. (I know...hang on to your party pants, people!) Even on the weekends, unless I'm out somewhere, I'm usually in bed by 11 and awake by 8am. I'm not sure if that makes me incredibly lame or if it just means I'm a responsible adult. This weekend though, both Friday night and last night, I didn't get to bed until after 2am...the result???

I'm clearly not cut out for staying up so late and adding alcohol to the mix to boot! Yesterday, after a late night on Friday, I knew I needed to do something to rest up for the night since a going away party for an acquaintance didn't even start until 11pm. My solution was to take TWO naps during the day yesterday. (I'm talking serious, 2 hour naps...none of that catnap crap.) If you have to sleep an extra 4+ hours DURING the day just to prepare yourself for an evening out, you're getting old. Clearly I'm getting old!

In addition, aside from my intolerance for late nights, I also discovered last night that I'm also now that person at the bar wishing it wasn't so darn loud (and perhaps even complaining about the noise level). I've always loved music, and it's one thing to "feel" the rhythm of music in your soul...it's an entirely different thing to feel the beat of the music pulsing (literally) through your blood because your whole body is vibrating. That's how I felt last night. The dance floor vibrated to the beat, the sink in the bathroom shook with the noise, and my head felt like scrambled eggs sooner rather than later. When did that happen to me??? A little ringing ear syndrome at the end of the night was never a big deal in the past. Last night, however, for a good hour at the end of the night I found myself wishing/praying they could just turn the volume down a little bit. I've never been particularly good at reading people's lips and shouting in my ear at the top of your lungs so I can hear is necessary, but also painful. Ultimately, while I had fun with my friends it also gave me a headache.

Growing old isn't very fun and I feel like I need a nap already... *yawn*

Week 2 Down

2011-02-02T21:36:00.003-05:00

Another weigh-in day...and another success. Not as big a success as last week, but I was still down another 2.6 pounds this week for a total of -11.2 lbs. That's not so bad for two weeks!

Then again, I definitely went "off plan" tonight. After work I decided to hit up Art Walk with a couple friends. We had dinner at Cafe Nola in the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and I couldn't resist the delicious roll with orange/cranberry flavored butter. The grilled chicken salad was delicious, but the candied pecans couldn't be good for me...and neither could the Gorgonzola cheese. I followed it up with one little Yuengling later. Tomorrow's scale reading is going to kick my ass but I have a week to make up for it so I'm hoping it'll be alright.

P.S. - I really love Groundhog Day. It reminds me of growing up in PA and this groundhog that used to always come around the house. I dubbed him "Gregory the Groundhog." While he's no Punxsutawney Phil, he was still awesome!

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match...

2011-01-30T09:33:00.002-05:00

A year or so ago - on a weekly basis - there was just one little teeny-bopper I saw rocking out to his iPod in front of a sign for a restaurant near the marina on the intracoastal. I'll admit that seeing him rock out every week made me smile, but it never once made me go to his restaurant. These days it seems like there are dancing sign-holders at nearly every major intersection. Why this sudden boom?!? Do other people actually get lured in by the dancing/lip-syncing skills of these pubescent teenagers???

On my way to dinner yesterday, there was a teenage girl dancing her little heart out and spinning her "We Buy Gold!" sign like it was going out of style. While waiting at the light, I discovered she had about a dozen signature moves...none of which prompted me to run home and get some old gold jewelry to take to her store. On my way home from dinner, exactly one signal light away from the gold girl, I saw a guy spinning his Little Cesar's sign and dancing his cares away. Even if I didn't have a full belly of citrus chicken, I would not have been compelled to stop for cardboard pizza.

What I did find myself wondering was whether any of these sign kids ever get together to swap strategies, dance moves, etc. OR! What if gold girl and pizza boy decided to start a relationship??? They could melt down all her old gold jewelery and eat like pizza kings...for about a week.

What do these people do/say when someone asks them what they do for a living? Do they respond, "Oh, I spin signs and dance at intersections."?!? If I were talking to someone and considering whether to date them, I'm pretty sure I'd be gone about 2 seconds after I heard a response like that. Which leads me to believe that the only person that could date a sign-spinner is another sign-spinner.

Someone get these kids a matchmaker!!!

Week 1 Complete

2011-01-26T21:31:00.000-05:00

Today was the big week #1 weigh-in for the at-work WW program. Ultimately, I had a bit of an unfair edge...last week I succumbed to the illness that has been floating in and out of my office for a couple weeks. Said illness sent me into a fevered state and removed any and all appetite I had. Even if I wanted to eat, the nonstop coughing would have probably prevented that. At any rate, a 5-day long diet of jell-o and chicken noodle soup meant I wasn't afraid of the scale this week. In fact, I recorded what is sure to be my record week's weight-loss and posted a -8.6 pound difference. That's right...more than a pound a day was lost.

But now that I'm on the road to recovery, I'm actually going to have to start sticking with the WW program and see what I can do for myself on this thing. Here's to hoping for at least a 2 pound loss in week #2 so I can reach my first goal: -10 pounds!!! *fingers crossed*

And so it begins...again

2011-01-19T21:23:00.001-05:00

A Wednesday lunchtime hour weigh-in for WW is a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it's far enough away from the weekend that I'll still have a chance to see a loss on the scale if I fall of the bandwagon on the weekend. It's a curse because, well, I have to weigh in! Today it began...but not until after I'd done a little morning binge. Yes, that's right. I wanted to weigh in heavy to guarantee a first week loss. I don't even care if I know that I tried to weigh in heavy. Seeing a negative (which is really POSITIVE in this case) change on the scale next week will erase any shame in intentionally fattening up pre-weigh-in. Don't judge me! :)

Anyway, it truly begins again tomorrow since today was just a half-day of tracking food/drink. I'm already dreading Friday though because my Grandfather and Uncle are in town to celebrate my Grandfather's 89th birthday on Saturday and we're doing dinner at J. Alexander's on Friday evening. That place is phenomenal and just thinking of their steak or mile-high French dip sandwich has my taste buds gearing themselves up. That's where the blessing comes in again. Any slip by me on Friday can definitely be made up for before next Wednesday's moment of truth on the scale.

Any advice for resisting temptations?

Now WEIGHT just a minute...

2011-01-17T17:50:00.000-05:00

For pretty much as long as I can remember, I've been fighting the so-called "battle of the bulge." There was a time in my life that weight wasn't an issue, but that was early grade school so I'm not sure that really counts. It started as a little gain each year - probably about 5-10 lbs each year - for several years that eventually plateaued at "overweight." For me, it became a vicious cycle: I wasn't happy with how I looked; to combat that depression I ate; my new, higher weight made me less happy about my appearance; I ate; and so on and so forth.

In the past several years, my weight has yo-yo'd a number of times. After initial success with Weight Watchers (hereafter "WW") in mid-2007, I hopped off the bandwagon too soon. The changes I'd been making had not become a new lifestyle yet and slowly but surely I began to add back the weight I'd worked hard to lose. I'm still a tad over 20 lbs down from my starting WW weight a few years ago, but once again I'm unhappy with my appearance. Worse than that, I don't like the way that I feel. Uncomfortable in your own skin is not the way to live your life.

So why this blog? I just read an article on 8 different amazing individuals that worked hard for their weight-loss success and each of them kept a blog at some point in their journey. Having an outlet to vent, celebrate success, and keep myself accountable will hopefully equal success on the scale and a victory in my battle of the bulge. I definitely don't have a huge following on here (so really, what do I have to hide???), but just the idea of someone else reading my journey, and perhaps sharing their own experiences/tips, is enough for me to put it out there. Plus, it will be a way for me to look back on everything I'm doing and see where I was and how far I've come.

My first step on this journey begins on Wednesday. They're starting a WW program at work. The convenience of the 12-week program added to my previous WW success made it a no-brainer for me to sign up. So step 1: get back to WW! I recognize that exercise will need to become a regular part of my life but for the sake of sustaining my quest for health, I'm not going to start everything all at once. I'm going to give myself 2-3 weeks on the WW program to get my eating under control and then I'll begin to add in regular exercise.

My goal? While I would like to say that losing 50-60 lbs is my goal, I know better than to set up that obstacle for myself. Therefore, my first goal is 10 lbs from my Wednesday starting weight. Once I reach that goal, I can confidently set another attainable one for myself. Rather than dreading Wednesday like I thought I would, I'm actually pretty excited about it. Let the journey to the new me begin!

Ringing in 2011

2011-01-01T18:57:00.000-05:00

I rang in the new year at a wedding last night, and I've got to say that it was an unexpectedly awesome way to begin the year. Besides the whole "drinking for free on new year's" aspect, it was really special to spend the evening surrounded by love, excitement, and happiness. Those feelings are infectious and I couldn't help but smile my way into 2011. For an evening that typically falls short of expectations (I've previously had very few, if any, truly great new year's eves), last night was one to remember. I wish a lifetime of love and happiness for the newly wedded couple.

Thinking of this new year in general, there's something that seems so "brand new" about the 1/1/11 date we have today...like it's a fresh start, a clean slate, a chance to begin all over again. While I have definitely had some great experiences, accomplishments, and memories in past years, there are still things that I'm working towards and wishing for. Here's to hoping that 2011 is a great year for myself and everyone else too. While people typically make resolutions at the start of each year, more often than not those resolutions fall short of fruition. Therefore, I'm not making any resolutions this year. Rather, I'm choosing to live my life as best I can each day...hopefully giving more of myself to others and receiving satisfaction and happiness in return. How did you spend your new year's eve and what's your plan/goal for the new year???

Weird Creature, That One

2010-12-26T22:54:00.002-05:00

Sometimes my dog completely freaks me out...case in point, I was checking my email a moment ago and Oreo had taken her normal place on my lap. Then she sat up quickly, began a series of mini-growls, and has been staring intently at the same spot ever since.

My first thought was that my house is haunted, but seeing that I'm the first person to live here, it's highly unlikely that someone passed on in this house and is overstaying their welcome. My next thought was that my dog is simply odd...and this is quite possibly the answer I'm looking for. Finally though, I think I identified what still continues to have her completely mesmerized. I have all of my Christmas (not "holiday" - it's CHRISTMAS) cards taped along my counter on display. Several of them have photos of babies, families, and even animals. The particular picture that seems to have attracted her attention is of my friend's dog. That would explain the growling - I would growl at a floating dog too!

Anyway, in the spirit of the season, I give to you a picture of my dog, Oreo, in her Santa outfit. If that's not adorable, then I don't know what is!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

My Latest Obsessions

2010-12-16T14:15:00.002-05:00

I figured it was time for a lighter blog since my last one was a tad less than entertaining. So here we go: my latest obsessions:

1. Wordsmith for Android Phones

I'm a Verizon girl, so that means I don't have the oh-so-popular "Words with Friends" app that Apple users do, but that doesn't mean I can't maintain my Scrabble obsession on my phone. My younger brother turned me on to this Android app and I've since been firmly embattled in Scrabble matches with my brother and another friend of mine. I highly recommend it for word-nerds like myself!

2. Angry Birds & Angry Birds Seasons

When they finally brought this app to the Android market, I was very excited. Nothing tears through my phone's battery like my obsession with these squealing, squawking birds and their grunting piggy foe. I love it!!!

3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

There are very few shows out there that regularly make me laugh, but Sunny always does. At least once an episode - whether I'm watching with friends or it's just me and my dog - there's always something that makes me laugh out loud. I'll admit that I wasn't up on this show until a few months ago (much to the amusement of some people) but I was dedicated to playing catch-up on episodes. If you're not already watching, you should be!

Okay, that's it for now. My obsessions are always changing so I'm sure there will be similar posts in the future. Have a great one!

Working through some things...

2010-12-13T22:50:00.001-05:00

An advance warning: this is a more personal post to help me work through some things myself, but insight/comments are always welcome so I decided to post publicly anyway. Here goes...

Lately I've found myself in a rather strange place emotionally. Ever since my last relationship fell apart with little to no explanation except that "long distance doesn't work," I've been struggling emotionally. And that struggle manifested itself in many different ways - not the least of which was in repeated hurtful tirades towards my mother. I'm embarrassed to say that it took me quite a while to see that the way I was behaving was not only hurtful, but also entirely uncalled for. Fortunately, a mother's love is one of the universe's most amazing things and I've come to be in a really good place with my mom again.

Why it took me so long to work through things, I'm not entirely sure. I place most of the "blame" on the fact that at about 1/3 of the way through my 29th year I'd thought I'd found "the one." And then about 1 1/2 years later things were over with him and I was left completely heartbroken. Wounds heal though, and despite the fact that I still think of him from time to time, I have healed.

I've never been the girl to go from boyfriend to boyfriend, relationship to relationship. While I honestly believe I have a lot to offer, I've been less than lucky when it comes to love. More than once, someone has joked that I must lack the proper pheromones to attract a good man...and they might be right! Despite my limited, true relationships, I'd always thought that surely someday Mr. Right would come along. I'm not saying that I don't hope that'll happen someday, but I've also come to accept the fact that it's not guaranteed either. And I'm learning to live with that idea...

I have a lot to be thankful for: a family that loves me, good friends (even if they don't all live in my city), a good job, a roof over my head, and arguably the cutest dog in the world (the picture was as a puppy...isn't she adorable?!?).

But I digress...I'm sure there are plenty of very happy, fulfilled individuals that made it through life without finding someone to share their life with, right? So that's what I'm trying to do. Instead of dwelling on the more than occasional bout of loneliness that comes from living alone with just a dog for company, I'm trying to focus on the good. I'm putting a smile on my face even if I don't always feel like it. I'm finding the friendship I'd lost with my mother. And I'm planning to LIVE life again! I have a passion for travel, but I kept telling myself that until I was with someone I wouldn't be able to indulge that passion. Well, screw that! This spring, there's a good chance I'll be heading to Italy and meeting up with a few old friends from high school. And while I'll be traveling there alone, when I meet up with old friends, I'll be reminded that a person isn't defined by the romantic relationship they have, but rather by the life they choose to live - their character and spirit that speaks to the world.

I promise to be more light-hearted next time, but thanks for reading! Here's to a revival of spirit!

Random little thoughts

2010-11-08T22:05:00.001-05:00

What's the deal with adult braces? I've been seeing an unprecedented number of them lately. Unless some weird dental issue crops up unexpectedly later in life, if you've lived with crooked teeth trying to escape each other your entire life, why fix it when you get older? Yes, I know that braces are expensive so perhaps your parents couldn't afford them...so I see that...but still! If you're going to go the adult braces route, at least invest in Invisalign so the rest of us don't notice. (Wow, don't I sound like the mouth police? But really...I've always been a bit of a snob when it comes to teeth. Whenever I go out with a new guy, one of the first 3 questions my mother asks is, "How are his teeth?" Seriously. And that's before my super Catholic mother even asks if HE'S Catholic. I think that says a lot!)

I love me some 'Wordsmith Free' for my phone (it's the same thing as 'Words with Friends' if you weren't sure) but I can't stand when it takes my opponents days (literally) to make a word. I get that we're all busy and we can't spend our days in Scrabble Heaven, but if you're going to play a game, don't take forever to take your turn. I'm going to lose interest quickly...and I'm going to second guess that magical 58 point word you pulled out of your ass after going for 3-letter gems the entire game. I can smell a Wordsmith cheater from a mile away!!!

What's with people running barefoot lately...or wearing those weird new toe shoe things?

Personally, unless I'm being chased by a hungry bear, I really don't see the point in running long distances - and certainly not in hideous shoes like that! Besides, if you're ever being chased by a large, snarling carnivore, you don't need to be the fastest human ever...you just need to be faster than your slowest friend!

At any rate, speaking of running/exercise, I must retire since I plan to get up early to pick up 4 dozen donuts on my way to work. (Evaluations for my classes are next week and I'm not above buttering up my reviewers!)

Badassery

2010-11-04T20:13:00.006-04:00

Don't bother looking it up...that IS a word. Today at least. I think I mentioned my unfortunate broken toe in my last blog. Since the initial breaking, it was definitely not in line with the other toes anymore. In fact, it was like it had decided that it didn't want anything to do with its friends and was sort of hanging out a bit apart from the rest of his toe brethren. To say I was a bit concerned would be an understatement.

This past Monday, I decided to go to Solantic to get some x-rays done and at least have someone look at it. After nearly 2 hours there, it was confirmed that I'd broken my toe. Admittedly, the x-rays were pretty cool since I'd never had a broken bone before...and seeing it completely shifted out of place was both disturbing and fascinating all at once.

I'd originally planned to just go with the "buddy tape it to the other toes and hope for the best" plan, but on Tuesday night I was in excruciating pain. I think the toe had shifted even more and it was nearly unbearable. So today, I went to see an orthopedic doctor to have him take a look. After giving me three options (1. tape it and hope for the best, 2. numb it up and re-break the toe to set it in place, or 3. undergo surgery to have them put pins in it) I opted for choice #2.

Honestly, the process of injecting my foot with roughly a gallon of Novocaine was by far the worst part. It seemed to take forever to get it all in there and I was reduced to involuntary tears as I lay back on the table waiting (begging) for the torture to stop. I should note that given my tolerance of this painful procedure (or lack thereof), it's probably best that I never try to squeeze a baby out as that would probably kill me.

After waiting for 30 minutes or so, the doctor deemed me ready and had me lay back again so I couldn't watch. I really should have had my mom take video so I could see it later! Apparently, this was the point where he manipulated my toe in ways my mom said toes should never go. Almost immediately I felt (and heard) a pop when he broke it again...and then intense pressure as he used some sort of thin metal bar between my toes for leverage as he tried to twist it back into place. I'm not gonna lie...that bar DID cause me pain as it was pressing into my other non-numb toe, but I got through it.

And at the end of it all, my doc's comment was, "Way to be tough!" I felt like quite a badass!

For the record, the pain pills he gave me are amazing and at this moment I barely feel anything down there! It probably helps that new x-rays show that the bone is actually back to where it's supposed to be.

So yes...today I voluntarily had my bone broken again. And while I don't recommend you go out and try it, it IS pretty damn cool to say that!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T15:09:00.002-04:00

Have you ever felt like the universe is out to get you? Or that you have an Eeyore-like cloud of gloom and doom hanging over your head? The month of October has been a bit like that for me. Whether it was having my car totaled at the start of the month when some idiot decided to run a red light and t-bone my car (while having a suspended license, an open container in the car at 8 AM, and no insurance), or breaking my pinkie toe just in time to destroy a little indie-movie premiere night with a friend, or simply looking at a student in the parking garage and having her inexplicably drop an entire glass pan of cupcakes...shattering the glass, demolishing the cupcakes, and ruining the apparent birthday surprise for her friend, this month has seemed somehow jinxed. And why not? This IS October after all...the month that plays hosts to budding witches, goblins, super heroes, and everything in between. Still, despite my less than awesome month, there HAVE been some fun things going on lately. And so, I present to you, my month of October in pictures...beginning with the bad and ending with the fun.

Here's what happened to my beloved car as a result of said accident:

My car was declared a total loss and I was forced to find an alternative means of travel. *sigh*

I've never been a big fan of Halloween. I recognize that when I was younger, the main reason I liked the holiday at all was because it meant I would be acquiring a giant bag of candy for FREE! Dressing up was definitely not my favorite part. As I got older, my distaste for Halloween didn't diminish. I despised being invited to parties that were costume-only parties...if I don't feel like dressing up, why should I be shunned from a night of fun??? Besides, for the most part, it seems like the holiday is simply an excuse for young girls and women alike to dress like an absolute tramp in public and have no one bat an eye. Imagine my dismay when a co-worker decided to host a Halloween party - costume only this year. I decided to suck it up and embrace the spirit of the holiday...and guess what? I actually had a really great time at the party. I opted to capture my youth with a "Sponge Babe" costume and it turned out pretty well:

I don't have any pictures of my broken toe (or the poor student's cupcake debacle), but I do have some pictures from the end of the month...

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend my first Florida/Georgia game. My friends and I got down there at about 8:30 AM to set up our tailgate and get to the festivities. We had a blast tailgating, meeting other random fans, etc. There were definitely some interesting people there...I particularly enjoyed the group of jort-supporters that were going around. Here's the band of misfits:

And here I am as a jort-misfit myself:

Eventually it was time to trek to the stadium for the game. Here we are...super excited to head into the stadium:

I was a little concerned that the result wouldn't be what I was hoping for since the Gators have been less than stellar this season, but I was still optimistic. Fortunately, after an incredibly exciting game, we got the result we were looking for! Gators win!!!

And we could simply enjoy the thrill of it all...

I think my friend's shirt said it all. We're not snobs...we're just better than you!

And that about sums it up! I hope my couple loyal followers (Hi, Nathan and Tim!) are doing well...and here's to an even better month in November!!!

I'm alive!

2010-09-12T13:27:00.001-04:00

It's been over a month since I posted here...but rest assured...

Despite that picture, I am not now a guitar player (though that would be pretty awesome, I'm not sure my fingers are coordinated enough for that hobby). Life has been gobbling me up and spitting me back out...whole, for the most part. Work is nothing less than a bear lately, but I've been utilizing my weekends to have some fun.

Last weekend saw me in Cape Coral and Ft. Myers for the wedding of one of my law school friends. It was a great opportunity for a mini reunion of friends I don't get to see nearly as often as I'd like. Here was the BIG group of us...

And then here's one of just the ladies (which is, of course, nicer to look at)...

I've been itching to travel lately, and while this little trip kept me in Florida, at least it got me out of Jacksonville. I have so much time off saved up at work, but no one to go on trips with (insert self-pity here). Hopefully that will change one of these days. Anyone up for being a travel buddy???

...and I'm off. Have a great day! xoxo

A Rant

2010-08-04T10:37:00.000-04:00

So I'm technically on vacation right now...but that doesn't mean that I haven't been doing work every single day since I left the office. Actually, I had to go into the office last Friday and I'm going to have to go in this afternoon too...so you can't really call it a vacation. Why do I have to keep going into work? Well, that would be because it appears that I'm not just doing my own job anymore. Nope. I'm now doing the work of my own position plus TWO other heads of departments' jobs as well. To say that it's getting on my nerves is a serious understatement.

See that picture? Substitute me for that guy (and give him a MacBook) and that would have been what I wanted to do about 10 minutes ago. Instead, I turn to my blog to rant about how unbelievably frustrating it is to be the one forced to pick up the pieces when other people aren't doing their job correctly.

Perhaps the problem is that I care too much? Knowing that a new student is going to be in a difficult situation if I don't do someone else's job is too much for me - I can't just ignore it. So my poor mother hears me yell and complain on the phone...my dog anxiously jumps up on my leg because she can't understand why I'm literally banging my head against the table...and I'm left with a pissed off attitude that I can't shake and which will ultimately ruin my entire day.

I end my little rant with this statement: I didn't sign up for this crap and I sure as hell am not getting paid enough to compensate for the headache that my job has become.

Babies must be super itchy

2010-07-21T15:40:00.002-04:00

So as I believe I mentioned in a previous post, I had a bit of a 4th of July mishap and absolutely destroyed my knee. Since then, and with the help of tons of Neosporin, my little knee has been working night and day to make some brand spankin' new skin. (I had completely forgotten what a pain in the neck [or knee] skinned knees are!)

Well, let me just say that as my knee has healed (it's about 90% okay now) I've rediscovered just how much new skin itches. I mean, seriously...it's almost unbearable at times. And if I make the grave mistake of beginning to scratch one little part, the whole thing explodes in a deadly mixture of pleasure/itchy agony and I can barely stop scratching.

Given this little reminder, a random thought crossed my mind: newborn babies, with all that brand new skin, must be the itchiest creatures on the entire planet!!!

Why growing up isn't always a bad thing

2010-07-05T12:23:00.002-04:00

When I was younger, I could have definitely been described as a "tomboy" most of the time...I played sports, I wasn't into "girly" things like dolls or fashion, and I wound up with plenty of skinned knees and multiple bruises. Sure, it probably didn't help that I was a major klutz, but not all of my injuries were due to my inability to stay on my feet. I suppose I should consider myself lucky in that my worst injuries were sprained ankles, a dislocated knee and a few trips to the doctor for stitches.

Fortunately, as I've grown up, I've gotten much more coordinated...and while I'm still a kid at heart (e.g., my weekly kickball league), I'm a bit more feminine too. You wouldn't have known that yesterday though. No. Yesterday, I attended a 4th of July bash in Neptune Beach. It was a pretty nice day - not too hot, plenty of drinks, tasty food, etc. Later in the afternoon, a little storm rolled through...and this is where my day went downhill...fast.

A large group of us were gathered under a tent in the driveway when I decided to make a dash for the stairs and get inside and out of the rain. Unfortunately, at the same time I was making that choice in my head, the girl next to me decided to squash over to give her friend room on the other side. Disaster! As I was making my dash, I tripped over her foot and went down in an unladylike heap of embarrassment and shame. As if falling weren't enough, I also successfully removed the top couple layers of skin on my right knee, scraped the side of my left knee, gashed my right elbow, scraped my left hand, and somehow semi-demolished the big toe on my left foot. Oh yea...and then I skidded back into one of the bbq grills...fortunately it didn't rain embers down on me (clearly the only plus side to this whole thing).

Awesome, right? Then, while everyone stood staring at me, only ONE person made a move to help me up and ask if I was okay. Clearly I was not. I then became the spectacle to behold in one of the upstairs bedrooms...some sweet girl I barely knew trying to clean up my gashes, my good Samaritan gathering up the bloody towels, while many others stood gawking at me from the doorway. (As an aside, whoever created alcohol wipes is an asshole...those things HURT!!!) I made my exit soon thereafter...partly so I could get properly cleaned up at home and partly so everyone else could be free to make fun of "that girl" without me being there to witness it.

Not exactly a fabulous 4th...and definitely a clear illustration of why growing up and skipping the skinned knees is a good thing!

Changing desires (goals)

2010-06-27T18:22:00.005-04:00

As I've gotten older, what I desire and what I consider to be measures of my own success has changed dramatically. When I was young, I measured my success by my performance in school and sports. My goal was to be the best I could be...in both arenas...but that desire was fueled by the wrong reasons. I wanted to do well so that I would make my parents happy - not because it would necessarily make me happy.

After college (and later, law school), I was fueled by the desire to have a "good job." But I quickly found that a good job doesn't make one complete (or at least it didn't make me feel complete). I suppose for some, success is measured by one's ability to have the material luxuries they desire. I've never found much happiness in material things. Sure, we all know that money is a necessity, but I've never found a great amount of joy in tangible things. Memories of great times spent with family and friends are the things that bring me joy.

My desire now is very simple: I am seeking happiness. But happiness isn't something you can buy, or even something you can chase after (as Thoreau so elegantly stated in this quote):

Happiness is something that you "achieve" through simply living life. And so that's what I've been attempting to do lately. For too long my life consisted of waking up, going to work, going home, going to sleep, and waking up to do it all over again. There wasn't any variety and there certainly wasn't any opportunity to meet new people or try new things. My routine has changed though. Tuesdays are now reserved for a night out with one of my new friends and Thursdays are set aside for the kickball league I joined with my brother and a few friends.

I'm not chasing happiness, but I am finding that I'm much happier with some new activities in my life. And if I can be happy then that's a success I can be proud of. :)

Unsolicited Groping?

2010-06-05T10:30:00.003-04:00

It happens to everyone at some point...someone with whom you are completely unfamiliar gets in your personal space and you find yourself groped. Sometimes said groping is "innocent." E.g., you're utilizing public transportation, it's rush hour, the train, bus, etc. is jam packed and the driver seems to have gone on another bender... The next thing you know, the train/bus is lurching to the side and someone around you loses the precarious grip they had on the handle and they grab (innocently? conveniently?) onto you. And wouldn't you know it? A woman's breasts make for a great padded landing!

Sometimes the groping is "welcomed." E.g., you're at a bar/club and after a few drinks you decide that YES! You really CAN dance...so you make your way to the dance floor and find another delusional individual showcasing their "skills" too. We all know where this one is going...crowded dance floor groping can sometimes be unwanted, but for the most part, when you step foot out there, you're signing away your right to be upset if Gropey McFeelerson decides it's a good time to get acquainted with your private bits and pieces.

In the past week and a half there have been two occasions of groping that were neither innocent nor welcome. (I'm only going to talk about the first one since it was way more embarrassing and that makes for a more interesting post) So...the first groping occurred last week when I was heading to Charlotte for work. Apparently the Jax airport has taken a leap into the new millennium with those nifty full-body scanners at the security checkpoint. The problem was this: there was no signage whatsoever explaining exactly how long one is expected to "assume the position." A quick Google image search demonstrated that other countries have learned such info is important for travelers, as illustrated by this lovely little sign from a foreign airport:

Had there been such a sign at the Jax airport, I would have known that I needed to keep my arms raised for 3 seconds. Instead, the security guy told me to put my arms up and then turned and walked away. I figured that meant he was finished so I put my arms down as they were doing the scan...subsequently ruining the scan and clearly frustrating the security guard. (Hey, buddy...if you want someone to keep their arms raised, why don't you try using your words and telling them that??? I could have done without your sourpuss attitude, especially given what was to come as a result of my failed scan) Instead of simply running the scan again, I was relegated to the "you're an idiot that can't complete a simple task so now you get a special, personal scan" line.

That's right. Because I was unable to follow a seemingly easy routine, I was lucky (yea, right) enough to be awarded with a full body check by another security agent. Perhaps I should have expected a more "thorough" check than in the good old days, but I was completely unaware of how I was about to be violated. What happened to that little wand-thingy they used to use to check for metal objects?!? Instead of that, for the next SEVERAL moments (and with one of my co-workers standing there laughing at me) I had a random stranger groping me like I haven't been groped in months. Though the agent prefaced her groping by telling me she would use the back of her hand on my "private areas," I didn't fully comprehend just how intimate things were about to get until she was all up in my business. Suffice to say, I feel as though I don't need to make an annual appointment with my lady doctor this year since the agent completed a more than thorough check and I got the "all clear" in the end. Seriously though, that's the most "action" I've seen in the past two months. If that's not the saddest representation of my single status, I don't know what is!

And yet it still makes me laugh. The next time I'm going through security they'll have to drag me out of the damn full-body scanner because I'm not going to budge an inch until they tell me it's okay. Count this as another life lesson learned.

Hello, Charlotte!

2010-05-26T21:30:00.003-04:00

For one night, and one night only, I'm in Charlotte, NC. Until today, if you'd asked me what I thought of when I heard someone mention Charlotte, I'd have answered: "layover." A brief rest between flights at the Charlotte airport was all I knew of the city before now. But after a few hours here in the city, I have to say that I'm quite impressed. I flew up this afternoon with a couple co-workers for a conference tomorrow.

After some check-in issues (I'm still waiting to attend a conference where there AREN'T check-in issues) we decided to head to Rock Bottom Brewery for a bite to eat - and more importantly - a couple drinks. Martinis were on special (that's a weird saying..."on special." I think it's correct though) for just $5 and though the menu on the website doesn't show it, I had a couple absolutely delicious peach martinis. Even better than the quality food and drinks was the company. I seriously do love my co-workers!

After dinner, we decided to spend some time strolling the downtown streets. I've got to say that downtown Charlotte easily has downtown Jax beat. There were cute, swanky, and fun little bistros and pubs with outdoor seating up and down the streets, the buildings boast some really great architecture, and what I liked the most - the people of Charlotte were out and about, seemingly enjoying this place they call home. (Perhaps I simply don't spend enough time in downtown Jax, but for the most part you don't really see people enjoying the city. Everyone seems to have a destination in mind and that's where they go. They're not strolling the streets or enjoying an evening chatting with friend on a bench along the tree-lined streets like the Charlotte residents.)

It also looks like the next few days are going to be a lot of fun here with the Food Lion Speed Street event going on downtown. They were blocking off roads and setting up the stages this evening, and while I don't know any of the acts performing, street festivals are always fun. Plus there were copious amounts of "beer for sale" signs on a majority of the booths. How can that not be a good time? Aaaaand, the Oscar Mayer wienermobile was parked on the street...if that doesn't say "awesome" then I don't know what does! If I didn't have a conference to attend tomorrow, I know exactly where I'd be!

Bottom line: Charlotte is much more than a layover city...I encourage you to check it out if you get the chance!

Bending Reality

2010-05-20T21:13:00.001-04:00

I'm not going to use this post to advocate for a strict adherence to reality (how could I possibly do that when I spend a decent amount of time zipping through daydreams?); however, there ARE times when I find myself both baffled and frustrated by the "reality" that people choose to believe. No matter how much you may want to think that you have some super-special dedication to a task at hand (or if, for some unknown reason, you think the laws of nature should bend to your every whim), you cannot give more than 100% of yourself. The statement, "he/she gave 110%!" is one that annoys me more than many others. Why? Because it is NOT physically possible.

You cannot have more than the whole. Once you reach 100%, that's it. There is no more than that. That is the nature of being "whole." That is complete. You cannot ask for more. When you shift into the made-up territory of 110% you have gone beyond the bounds of reality that I am prepared, or willing, to accept/follow. If you have 110% of something, do you have all of one thing and part of another? Hypothetically, that could give you 110% of some possible total amount. Do you have part, but not all, of two (or more) items? Again, hypothetically that could give you 110% of some possible total amount. But if you are talking about one item then you must stop at 100%. Anything else is just plain silly. (Not to mention...highly annoying)

All of this frustration was brought on by a question in the end-of-conference survey I completed earlier this evening asking me about how enthusiastic I would be about implementing the new ideas learned at the technology conference I attended. One of the answer choices was 110%. That simply doesn't make sense. No one can give their all...then a little more. (If you have a little more to give then you weren't giving your all to begin with, now were you?) It's good to know I was attending a fantasy land conference for the last day and a half, because that's the only explanation I can see for an answer choice of 110% enthusiasm.

Ahh, if only I could say this was the only thing that annoys/frustrates me. Alas, it's just the tip of the iceberg! :) I'm curious though - what annoys you?

Time to break out the Harry Potter costume

2010-05-15T08:21:00.006-04:00

One of the things that I love most about my job is that it's a constant reminder of my own time spent in law school. While I was definitely NOT that law student that completely devoured the law and everything about it, I loved law school for the social aspect. Never in my life did I meet a better group of people all in one place. I recognize I'm a little biased, but I'm still pretty sure that my graduating class was one of the best ever. But even if that's just my skewed perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in law school. It's only natural that if you put a group of people together, expect them to master some of the most challenging material they've ever encountered, and compound that with the innate stress of law school then those people are going to bond tightly together. (I've met some really great people throughout my life, but the friends I made in law school are, to this day, the ones I relate to the most and the ones that I continually gravitate back to whenever I can. We went through something together that you can't adequately describe to someone that hasn't been through it; for that reason, that bond we have is really tough to break)

So like I said, I love working in a law school because it always takes me back to that time in my life. Sure, each semester I'm happy it's not me taking the final exams - and each February and July I'm happy it's not me taking the bar exam - but I see myself in my "kids" and I appreciate that reminder. Part of my "job duties" each year include attending the spring commencement ceremony. Today is that day this year...and so later this afternoon I'll get decked out in the very Harry Potter-like robes and put on the silly hat that makes me feel like a French painter for a few hours...and while my kids cross the stage one by one to get hooded, I'll be thinking back to my own graduation four (WOW! 4 already!?!) years ago. For those of you unfamiliar with the attire, here's a picture of me on my own graduation day:

That was my tight "crew" in law school...Susan, Satyam, me, Chris and Navin. All of us (minus Navin) were in the same legal writing class our first semester (which means we had all of our classes together for our entire first year) and that was the glue that held us together through law school and beyond. Navin snuck into our little crew because he was Satyam's roommate and we loved him! After this Fall, I'll have attended the weddings of 3/5 of us...just Chris and I are left carrying that "single" torch now. :)

The regalia I will don today is not identical to my FSU Law garb. Substitute the above with black robes with purple accents (purple represents "law") and an all black hat with the more common-looking tassel and that will be me. On the outside I'll be cheering on my kids, but on the inside, I'll be transported back to May 6, 2006 in Tallahassee, FL...looking up into the stands and seeing my Dad (not my Mom, mind you!) crying, my older brother and Mom beaming with pride, my friends shouting "Go, Do-Over!" as my name was read, Professor Gey (one of the greatest professors of all time, and an incredibly brave man who has been battling ALS for several years now) hooding me, and the stark realization that I had just completed a very important chapter in my life.

Good memories for a good day...

Signs of old age already???

2010-05-10T21:37:00.001-04:00

So earlier this afternoon I had a brilliant idea for a blog. Unfortunately (or fortunately - depends on how you look at it) I failed to jot down my idea at the time and have now completely forgotten what it was I was going to write about. Suffice to say, it would have been the most amazingly awesome blog post you'd ever read throughout all of your lovely little life. EVER. I sincerely apologize for allowing old age to creep in and rob me of my thoughts, thereby robbing you of your delightful reading adventure. (This really doesn't bode well for my future, does it?) I promise that I will make a quick little note of my ideas the next time they strike so that they can travel from my mind to your eyes and heart where they belong.

Until then, have a lovely evening!

Warning: Graphic (Canine) Content

2010-05-06T14:09:00.003-04:00

So this post will probably be classifiable as a rant, but that's okay. Here's the thing...I am a HUGE animal lover. I only have a dog right now, but over the years I have owned everything from cats and dogs to rabbits, birds, horses, fish, hamsters, and even a wild duck we helped rehab once. Allergies developed through the years though so I prefer dogs these days. But this post is not about my previous pet ownership or my allergies...

No, this post is about the rude, inconsiderate, obnoxious, etc. people that allow their dogs to defecate in their neighbors' yards and don't clean it up. I don't even let MY OWN dog go in MY OWN yard without picking up after it...for several reasons. Aside from the aesthetic look I'm going for, I also know that there are kids that run around barefoot in my neighborhood and looking out for dog poop shouldn't be something they have to do. For a bit of cuteness before what's to come, here is a picture of my dog...she likes to control the remote. :)

Every pet owner should consider several things before getting their new best friend. I know that when I selected Oreo, I chose her for several reasons (aside from her uber cute-ness). First, I wanted a dog that wouldn't shed. Check. Second, I wanted a cute dog that wouldn't shed. Check. Finally, I wanted a small dog because we all know that small dogs = small messes. Check.

There have been several occasions since moving into my house a year and a half ago that I have found the "leftovers" from other dogs in my yard. And while it is always an annoyance, they were usually at least small annoyances. Today was another matter entirely...

I was running a little late this morning (perhaps the result of Cinco de Mayo) and when I was taking Oreo for her second walk before I left for work, I couldn't help but notice that there was a new addition to my lawn since our first walk about an hour earlier. The reason I couldn't help but notice? Oh, that would be because the excrement soiling my lawn was literally baby elephant-sized (Oh, dear God, how I wish that were an exaggeration)! Seriously. The poop was about 1/2 as big as Oreo's entire body. So gross!!!

At this point, I had two choices. (1) I could leave it there and wait for weeks of rain and sprinklers and lawn care to slowly get rid of it (likely while allowing the grass to die beneath it because there's no way anything was penetrating that crap) or (2) I could clean it up (I'm gagging just thinking about it now). I chose option #2 and again, I wish I was exaggerating when I say that after getting my thickest, most durable plastic bag from the house it took me BOTH hands to pick up the ginormous poop while suppressing my gag reflex.

WTF?!? First of all, I'm actually mildly concerned about whoever's dog left such filth on my lawn because that's simply NOT natural. I can't even imagine how large the dog must have been to have done that. Does someone in the neighborhood have Clifford the Big Red Dog as their pet for real? And second, if your dog does leave those things around, clean that shit up. Seriously. What's wrong with people?!?

Fin de rant

Spring has sprung

2010-05-02T21:12:00.001-04:00

Ahh...the season of new beginnings. Flora and fauna alike are abuzz with new life...trees and flowers are blossoming and newborn goslings are the babies I've seen the most of (though I have no doubt just about everything is breeding right about now).

That goes for people too. It seems like I can't jump online or talk to a friend without hearing about either upcoming nuptials or a little bundle of joy on the way. This past weekend was spent in Orlando for the wedding of a friend of mine from law school. It was a lovely wedding and reception and I had an absolute blast seeing some friends I don't get to see as often as I'd like.

I'm going to make a bold statement and say that the speech the groom-to-be gave to my friend during the rehearsal dinner was, quite possibly, the best speech I've heard at any of the many weddings I've attended. Not only was his rapture readily apparent to everyone there, but he said the absolute sweetest things to his bride-to-be. (And no, I'm not talking about sappy, cheesy lines that sound lovely but aren't worth much) His speech was clearly from the heart...spoken from a man to the woman with whom he is madly in love. As a spectator, it felt like the entire room melted away and all of the guests were given the unique gift of watching an intimate moment of unabashed love between a beautiful couple. At the end of it all I have no doubt that all the women in the room (married or not) were in love with the groom-to-be...and all the guys that were there with dates were suddenly hating him for setting the bar so high. :)

Love is a beautiful thing and I'm happy to have had the opportunity to witness so much of it this weekend! xx

Movie Roulette

2010-04-25T22:13:00.002-04:00

I used to go to the movies frequently...back in undergrad, it was almost a weekly thing with me and a few of my friends. That's not the case anymore, but I do still enjoy a good cinematic experience. Who doesn't? (Actually, my friend, Damien, doesn't enjoy going to the movies and I find that to be quite odd...but I digress)

Typically for me, Sundays are frequently spent with family - most often it's just me and my parents since my brothers usually opt out of said family time (or simply have "better things" to do with their time). Personally, I like having some routine in my life and Sunday family-time is one that I enjoy. I appreciate it much more after having lived away from my family for so long. Off track again...

Anyway, today, I went to see 'Date Night' with my parents. (Yes, a little odd to go to a movie titled 'Date Night' with one's parents, but oh well!) My parents (i.e., my mom) like to get to the theater early enough to catch "The Twenty" before the film. Personally, unless it's a movie that's likely to be quite full, I see no reason to arrive 20 minutes early just to watch mostly commercials and an occasional "exclusive look" at what's likely to be a film I have no interest in seeing. But I still show up early to keep Mom happy...

However, this is not a post about the movie I saw, what I thought of it, etc. No. This is a post about all the random people that you encounter at the theater. In particular, those people that choose to sit near you. As I mentioned, I arrive early when I'm seeing a flick with my folks. As such, once we've settled into our seats, it's only a matter of time until the surrounding seats are filled by others...and that's what I like to call movie roulette. You never know who you're going to get. It could be the loud popcorn muncher, the guy/girl that fidgets nonstop (I've probably been guilty of that one from time to time), the person that thinks the "no phone calls or texting" rules don't apply to them, the guy that thought a hot dog was appropriate movie fare (that odor should not be introduced into an already suspect environment), or the worst of them all...the constant talker and/or loud laugher.

When you arrive early, you're leaving it to fate to decide who your closest movie-going companions will be. Today? Today, unfortunately, was the loud laugher. I knew there was a potential problem on our hands when the pair of ladies that sat directly behind us were thoroughly enjoying a very non-funny preview. Given that 'Date Night' is a comedy, my concerns were quickly validated just a few minutes into the film. Yes, I get that it's a public theater and people are more than entitled to laugh...but if you're laughing so loud and for such an extended period of time that I can't hear the follow-up punchline, we've got a problem. Such was the case today. I lasted all of about 5 minutes into the film before getting up and moving over to the side seats to escape the relentless cackling behind me. Does that demonstrate a lack of tolerance on my part? Or a lack of manners/perception on theirs? I'm not sure which it is. But I do know that I enjoyed myself much more after swapping seats!

Yes, I'm doing nothing on a Saturday night

2010-04-17T22:17:00.004-04:00

There's absolutely nothing wrong with quiet Saturday nights at home. In fact, I quite like them from time to time. Give me a couple good movies, some popcorn, and I'm all set. Add some good company and that's even better. Unfortunately, this Saturday evening isn't all that lovely. The original plan was to head to St. Augustine to catch up with an old friend from Tally. We haven't seen each other since my birthday weekend last year (a bit ridiculous really since we live less than an hour away from each other), and I was excited to see him and have a change of scenery for a night (let's face it...Jax can get pretty old pretty quick) but the tickle in my throat from last night evolved into a near-nonstop-cough-fest today. Thus: no St. Augustine; no Brad; no drinks; nothing. But my DVR is now entirely caught up with all TV shows (movies are an entirely different story since I still have a ton saved...oh, and WTF is going on on 'Lost'?!?). Anyway, the emptier DVR marks at least one accomplishment for the day.

Originally, I had big plans of getting lots done today; that didn't happen (aside from the above DVR cleansing). I took an afternoon nap and only ventured out of my house to pick up some grub from Chick-Fil-A (for the record, that's my favorite fast food place so I'd prefer to remain in ignorant bliss if you know of some terrible franchise health code violations or other such nonsense). During said excursion, I took note of the multiple bounce houses set up outside my local Chick-Fil-A. Let me just tell you, those kids were having an absolute blast! I wanted to jump in there myself and bounce to my heart's content. Alas, I did no such thing, but it got me to thinking about how much fun life is for kids. Why do the majority of people let that fun slip away as they grow up? Sure, there are times to be serious...but when it's not that time, why can't we all just have fun?!?

Give me random conversations about silly nothingness. Give me laughter so intense that it makes it impossible to breathe. Give me friendships that you just know will last forever. Everything was so easy when we were younger. Why does growing up have to be synonymous with stopping all the fun? I don't think that it has to be that way. Henceforth, I shall do my best to hold fast to the fun whenever possible. Who's with me?

Giving back...

2010-04-09T21:53:00.001-04:00

I'm not necessarily proud to admit this, but I'm also sure I'm not the only one that could make the following true statement: I live a very self-centered life most of the time.

I've been doing a lot of self-reflection lately and have realized that despite the many things that I would like to change about my life, or the things that I wish would happen...for the most part, I am a very fortunate, blessed person. I'm healthy, have a good job, a roof over my head, live close to ALL of my immediate family, and have some phenomenal friends all over this lovely country of ours. Yet I have the tendency to continue to want more. To focus on the things I wish I could change or the things that I wish I could have instead of appreciating all that I've been given...all that I already have.

In an effort to focus outside of my own little box for a change, tomorrow morning I'm going to be volunteering with HandsOn Jacksonville for their monthly beach clean-up in Jax beach. While I'm not entirely excited about getting up so early on a Saturday morning, I am looking forward to doing something that will benefit others for a change. I used to volunteer quite a bit through undergrad, but since then I've slipped away from that. Tomorrow is the day that I give back...again!!!

Kids are weird!

2010-04-05T20:02:00.003-04:00

So I got to witness some odd child behavior this past weekend when I was taking Oreo for a walk. There are quite a few kids that live in my neighborhood, but for the most part they're not bad kids. Weird though? I'm thinking yes. It was pretty windy on Saturday afternoon and one of the kids that lives across the street and a couple houses down was trying desperately to stack some empty aluminum cans into a triangle/pyramid. Why? I'm not sure...but Mother Nature had other plans for him; every time he'd get to the third level of his stack she would send a gust of wind to blow them all down. After the 4th or 5th such failure, this kid had apparently had enough. He let loose with this war cry type shout and started kicking the cans away in frustration. And here is where it got highly amusing...

I could barely hold the laughter back when I saw him run back into his garage, only to return about 30 seconds later holding one of those foam gardening mats you can kneel on. Following another shout of rage, he began to use the gardening mat to smash the cans into the sidewalk. He kept running from can to can, ranting and raving the entire time, crushing cans beneath his mat of destruction. It was hilarious. When he finally smashed the last can he proceeded to throw the mat down to the ground with one final shout of rage and bent over, panting and trying to catch his breath. I'm telling you...this kid was on a mission of vengeance! And I loved every minute of it. :)

Happy birthday to ME!

2010-04-03T08:15:00.004-04:00

Yes, I'll admit, it's definitely a little self-indulgent to dedicate a post to myself on my birthday. But since no one else is going to do it, I figured I'd pick up the slack. So here we go...this post is dedicated to an amazing, fabulous, wonderful woman...ME! :)

I'm really not as excited about my birthday as this post might indicate - but I am definitely a fan of all things me so here we go. (No, I'm really not "that girl"; I'm changing things for the sake of entertainment. Sheesh!)

I was reminded over the last day or two how nice it is to receive something in the mail that isn't a bill, circular, magazine, or even something you bought for yourself online. While those last mailings are indeed welcome, they DO come with a price tag and that's their big downfall. But a true piece of mail that's just for you and just to brighten your day/wish you well/send some love, etc.? Well that's some special stuff right there! And a big thank you goes out to the senders of said special stuff. It's much appreciated!

My birthday celebrations have mellowed in the last couple years. Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally since we all have to grow up sometime), the last big celebration was the "over the hill" party my friends threw for me on my 30th. (Aren't they clever?) My friend, Damien, and I used to have joint birthday parties during the law school and few-years-post-law-school heyday, but now that we live in different cities that tradition has ended. (Sadface) Today will instead be a day spent with family in the afternoon/early evening and then I'll meet up with some friends tonight for a few drinks and fun. Plus, Lent is officially over so I can actually enjoy a soda again (cheers of delight abound).

Let's be honest...I never thought I'd be 32 and single...and I definitely never thought that the vast majority of men I meet and date would continue to be immature and unreliable...but hey, it is what it is. All things in good time, right? In the meantime, the rest of my life is pretty great. And that, my friends, is all that matters. As long as there's a smile on my face, I really can't complain. Besides, smiles are free!!! (My dad always taught me, "if it's free, it's for me" - so I'm sticking with that)

If you're in or around Jax tonight...come share a drink with me! (Or more precisely, come HAVE a drink with me...I don't want to share...it's my birthday after all and I want my own drink...and in my humble opinion, you deserve your own drink too!)

Cheers! xoxo

Who needs sleep?

2010-03-20T09:08:00.002-04:00

Between the last two nights, I'm working on about 8 1/2 hours of sleep...I fear I may be too old for such shenanigans! I could still be sleeping if I wanted (clarification: if I could). I'd like to be sleeping right now, but despite the fatigue, I seem unable to sleep past 8 or 8:30 on the weekends no matter how tired I might be. Ridiculous, internal clock...how I loathe thee.

Last night was an "interesting" night. After some "pre-partying" at my house (hooray for the tradition of Wii bowling before a night out) it was off to Caribbee Key for some live music and good company. That's where things got, well, interesting. That's truly the best word for it; I'm not trying to be redundant or simply lazy in not choosing another word. 'Interesting' works best. I won't recap all of the bits of interestingness (spell check is trying to tell me that's not an actual word, but I disagree. Damn you, spell check!), but suffice to say INTERESTINGNESS existed in abundance last night! At one point it was like we'd stepped into a time machine or something...a woman dressed straight out of Flashdance bellying up to the bar...another killing the ozone with what appeared to be an entire can of aerosol hairspray in the bathroom (I practically choked on the sticky, hairspray-saturated air in there)...like I said...time warp-y, trippy, [insert favorite adjective here].

And now...what to do today? Seafood festival? A day at the beach with a cooler o' beverages? A quick trip to St. Augustine for the afternoon? Who knows?! The weather looks to be beautiful so there's no wrong choice so...I'll guess I'll leave it up to my weekend house guest to choose. Enjoy your weekend!

Too quick!

2010-02-25T07:03:00.001-05:00

That's how I feel this year is flying by...way too quick! It's already the end of February and it feels like it was just Christmas. Apparently I'm not the only one feeling that way though; I saw a pickup truck on Tuesday that still had its big red Christmas bow on the front of it. I thought to myself, "Really?!?" That guy was either really late taking down his truck's decorations...or he's just REALLY early. Either way though: no bueno.

Things have been going along well though. After yesterday, another batch of students made it through the bar exam - now the waiting game begins - and in a few short weeks we'll already be gearing up to prep the new batch of Spring graduates for the July bar. Yikes! With larger and larger classes graduating the workload continues to increase. We're hoping to hire 2 new people in our department in the near future to help with the workload and I have my fingers crossed. We definitely need the extra sets of hands!

Tonight I think I'm going to head out to Caribbee Key to see my brother's friend (I don't know him well enough yet to call him my friend), Alexander Seier, play for a little while. He's actually quite the talented musician - and a really nice guy to boot - so I'm looking forward to that. He has some of his own original work available on iTunes so if you get a chance to check him out, please do!

Have a great weekend!

Appreciated

2010-02-11T07:41:00.000-05:00

Sometimes people feel as though they're working their tails off and not getting the recognition or appreciation they deserve. Luckily I have a great boss...lately things have been crazy busy, hectic, somewhat stressful, etc. but on several occasions, even amidst all the chaos, my boss has taken the time to thank me for all my help and tell me I'm doing a great job. And that appreciation from her is definitely appreciated by me. It gives me the motivation to keep pushing through the tough stuff because I know it's not going unnoticed.

Still, it was time for a little change around here so last night I decided to change up my hair color again. I've been a "mostly fake" blonde for a while now - so long that it's tough for me to really remember what my natural color is (something in the "mousy" light brown family). So I've done a 180 and I'm a brunette again (with a touch of blonde highlights). I've gotta say...I'm loving it!

Okay, time to get on the road to work. Have a great day, all!

Entertain me, please!

2010-02-07T16:55:00.003-05:00

So Jacksonville is typically not a mecca for great entertainment opportunities, but this weekend was a welcome change of pace. On Friday evening, I had a chance to see Dane Cook live at the Veteran's Memorial Arena. I've enjoyed his comedy for years, but this is the first time I was able to see him perform in person. While I'd heard a number of his bits before, I still thought it was a good time and I'm glad I had the chance to go. Plus, I randomly ran into a guy I haven't seen in years there so chance encounters like that in a massive crowd are always fun.

Last night, I was back at the Arena (2 nights there in a row = rather unprecedented) to see John Mayer (and the tail end of the opening act, Michael Franti). What a blast! I'd heard mixed reviews on his live shows, but I really enjoyed it. And while I hadn't heard a lot of his latest album, the show he put on was enough for me to "complete my album" on iTunes today...so I suppose he achieved his goal for at least one person in the audience.

One thing that I did find frustrating though happened after the Dane Cook show when I was exiting the venue with my brother and sister-in-law. It was understandably crowded and we were like cattle being herded through the doors to our outdoor freedom. Unfortunately, a number of smokers decided that it was a good idea to light up in the middle of said massive crowd before getting out of the main throng of people. I don't know, I just find that incredibly rude. The last thing I, as a non-smoker, want is to have some inconsiderate @sshole lighting up and blowing his smoke in my face because he couldn't wait a moment or two longer to get away from the crowd. I wish I could say this was an isolated incident (Ha! Play on words since that's the title of Dane Cook's tour), but unfortunately I was unwillingly accosted by the smoke of not less than 3 different people while we tried to get past the crowd.

Other than that though, it was a great weekend - rounded out by some father-daughter bonding over an early dinner this afternoon. I haven't had a chance to hang out with just my dad in a while and it was a lot of fun. I find that I've remained quite the "daddy's girl!" :)

Rubber chickens have rubber necks...

2010-02-03T20:01:00.002-05:00

...but you know what else has rubber necks? Or at least rubberneckers? Yep, that would be JTB on a morning when there is even the slightest of fender benders. My morning commute was doubled today because of the fact that everyone felt compelled to slow to a near stop (and sometimes an actual stop) just because a few cars had failed to use proper highway safety and were in an accident. Said accident did not appear to be major and there were no cars blocking any of the lanes of traffic. This didn't stop everyone from crawling past and gawking at absolutely nothing of interest.

Pet peeves about driving in general:

1. People that slow to gawk at accidents that are nothing more than a fender bender (obviously)- you're killing my commute!

2. People that have not learned how to use a weaving lane - keep moving, people, and we'll all get where we need to go.

3. People that text while they're driving - you're endangering the life of yourself, your passengers, and everyone else on the road...and let's face it...you're really not THAT important that it can't wait!

Okay, that's it for now. Here's to hoping tomorrow's commute is a normal one!

Taking a moment

2010-01-31T22:13:00.002-05:00

It can be so easy to take things for granted. When I was growing up in PA I used to be insanely jealous of my mom's side of the family who were all living in FL. I thought it would be so amazing to live in "paradise" year-round...with the palm trees everywhere and the beach just a few minutes away it all just seemed so idyllic. I've lived in Florida on and off since the summer of '97 and I have definitely come to take my location for granted.

Today was an ugly, overcast, cold (by Florida standards) day but it's still a whole lot better than what a lot of my friends in other states are dealing with. I was on my way to meet my parents for dinner at a Mexican place down by the beach. From my house, it's only about 5 miles to get to the beach. Turning north on 1st street, I caught a glimpse of the ocean and found myself finally taking a moment to soak in my surroundings for a few seconds. Sure, it definitely wasn't the perfect day to take a stroll along the sand, but it was still beautiful - overcast skies and all!

So my goal for the week: take a few moments each day to appreciate some of the little everyday things that I've come to take for granted...my favorable location, a good job, great family and friends, etc. Hopefully this can become a habit for me. We can all use some more focus on the positive things that surround us every day.

Reconnected

2010-01-27T22:35:00.002-05:00

I've received a ton of forwarded, trite emails over the years telling me that "people come in and out of your life for a reason, don't be upset when they leave, blah blah blah."

Well sometimes people aren't meant to be gone forever and end up resurfacing at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected ways. Just last week my younger brother ran into a kid he went to grade school with while out at a bar here in Jax. They went to school together in PA! Small world...

Lately I've also had the opportunity to reconnect with some of my friends from my 2 years spent at Pitt. In particular, reconnecting with J has been a real treat. J is one of those people that always had a smile on his face, a kind word to say, and something downright hilarious to add no matter what the situation. When I transferred to UF after 2 years in Pittsburgh we lost touch. Finding each other after more than a decade? Craziness! What's awesome though is that when we had a chance to chat on the phone today for just a few minutes it was as though no time had passed at all. Now that's something really special. Of course we've both changed a bunch since back then, but deep down there's a lot that's the same. I really look forward to picking up our friendship where we left off years ago!

Saying goodbye

2010-01-25T19:59:00.001-05:00

Pets are a wonderful addition to a home, but one of the bad things about these wonderful creatures is when they're taken from us. Today, we were forced to say goodbye to our cock-a-poo, Curly.

Curly was an exceptional dog. I got him when he was just a puppy, not long after moving to Florida. Since he stayed with my parents while I was in school, he ended up staying there permanently because that was his home. He always had the sweetest temperament and never met a person he didn't like. His best friend was my parents' cat, Hubba Bubba (a senior citizen in his own right at 15 years old). Often, dogs are more interested in exploring, playing, etc. than being around people...but Curly was most content when he was sitting next to you being pet for as long as you would.

He had a long (13 years) and happy life, but out of the blue yesterday he was struggling to use his hind legs and kept collapsing when he tried to walk. He didn't appear to be in any pain and just had this confused look on his face because he wasn't sure why his legs weren't working. I said my goodbyes to him last night in case things didn't go well at the vet today...and unfortunately they didn't. The vet thinks that he ruptured a disk and said that his hind legs were mostly paralyzed. About the only benefit to that was that he wasn't in any pain. It was a difficult decision, but my mom decided it was time to say goodbye to Curly and she stayed with him in his final moments.

He will be remembered and forever loved...

Chorus

2010-01-21T21:33:00.000-05:00

So last night I went to see 'A Chorus Line' with my Mom. Initially I wasn't extremely excited about it, but I heard good things from a couple people at work so my interest was piqued. The show is billed as "The best musical. Ever." Well...

Let me preface the following by saying that I enjoy the theater and musicals in general. With that said, the above description of the show is some serious false advertising if you ask me. For real. You couldn't pay me to sit through it again. The singing wasn't bad, but the dancing was mostly mediocre and the story line...OH! The story line! Terribly boring. It was a struggle for me to stay awake - a challenge that proved too much for my Mom who decided to use the time to catch up on a few little cat naps. I'm sure the elderly woman I was sitting next to (who was flying solo for the evening) was annoyed by my restless fidgeting by the end of the show. But I couldn't help it! All I could think about was how uncomfortable I was and how much I wanted the show to end.

Aside from 'Tits and Ass,' the only number in the show I semi-enjoyed was the reprise of 'One' at the end when all the players came out for their last song/dance/opportunity to bow. I'm just not sure if I enjoyed it because I was entertained by it or simply because I knew it was the last thing I had to sit through before I could remove myself from the uncomfortable seat, get in my car, and go home. In the words of my mother as we were exiting the venue, "THAT was a disappointment!" I agree.

Back to the 80's

2010-01-19T22:22:00.000-05:00

I was reading an article in Entertainment Weekly today about Pee-wee Herman's new stage show currently running at Club Nokia in L.A. through February 7th. Seriously??? Is there really such a dearth of entertainment options that he was booked for an almost 4-week run? I suppose anything is possible in Hollywood, but surely there have to be some better options.

I'm not saying that I never watched Pee-wee's Playhouse when I was a kid...but even then it was more of a morbid curiosity than anything else. Frankly, sans illegal substance I'm not sure that show could possibly make sense. The same could be said for 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' - all that trouble just to get a bicycle back?

Anyway, that's all for today. If you have any thoughts on Paul Reubens, feel free to share.

Hmm, TOO single?

2010-01-18T19:10:00.001-05:00

Is it actually possible to be too single? I put this out there for you to decide - but I personally think that it IS in fact possible to be "too single." How do you know when you've attained that distinct level of singleness that's really too single? One clear indication would have to be when your mother tells you she's been praying novenas for you to meet someone. Yes, that's novenaS plural...apparently one wasn't cutting it so she went the multiple route. For those of you that aren't Catholic, a novena is "a form of worship that consists of special prayers or services on nine consecutive days." Lovely. At the rate things have been going, my mom will be praying her consecutive novenas indefinitely.

If these novenas are successful though, I expect Mr. Right to come knocking on my door lickity split...that's how it works, right? Maybe one of the furniture delivery men yesterday was actually "the one" and I let him slip right through my fingers. Shame on me. Ha! I love my mom, but she does some pretty amusing/crazy things sometimes.

Back to basics

2010-01-17T17:10:00.000-05:00

A few years ago (back in the myspace heyday) I used to keep a blog...and there were actually people that read it! Getting some of my thoughts in writing became somewhat cathartic for me but I fell away from the practice when I abandoned that website. To that end, I've decided it's time to start writing again...and maybe people will actually check in from time to time for my perspective on things. I can't promise that my posts will be especially insightful all the time, but I'll do my best to keep them entertaining whenever possible.

Today's musing/query: what happened to the obligatory courtesy wave you're supposed to give when someone lets you go in front of them in heavy traffic? Seriously. I've been monitoring this situation for quite some time and I've noticed that very few people uphold the simple gesture that used to be the norm. I think I'm one of the few that do...at least here in Jacksonville. Sure, it may be difficult to see my wave through my tinted windows, but I always toss one to the good Samaritan that lets me squeeze into the flow of traffic. For me, there's nothing more frustrating than letting someone into traffic in front of you (when they've already been denied access by a half dozen cars in front of you) and they fail to even acknowledge your kindness.

Here's a suggestion for everyone...let's bring the courtesy wave back!!!