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Posts tagged ‘general info’

Mar 1

I think I held the string too tight…

I heard this story once– Buddah was sitting by the side of a river when he heard a fisherman (sometimes it is a violinist instead) speaking to his apprentice. The fisherman said, “If you hold the string too tight, it will break. If you hold it too slack nothing happens.”

I think for the past month I held my string too tight. As I stood on the scale this morning, I couldn’t believe what I saw. I had gained two pounds. My heart sunk. “This is bull@#$%!” I muttered and got ready for work in a huff. I just couldn’t figure out where I went wrong.

In January I indulged, barely worked out, and went all off budget. In February, I was like a Nazi and it still backfired. I had to find a middle ground. So on my lunch break, I sat down and reworked my budget. My plans for a new car will just have to be put off a little longer.

I also decided to change up my workouts. A few weeks ago, I mentioned to a co-worker that I had always wanted to try P90X. She gave me her copy and said I could keep it. I just need to order a chin up bar. This will be a much more intensive program than I am used to, but I need to do something different. I think I have plateaued and P90X’s whole shtick is that plateaus don’t happen when you are on the program. As for the diet, that doesn’t scare me. I’ve been making diet changes for a while and the bad stuff doesn’t tempt me much.

And yet that new chicken sandwich at Wendy’s keeps calling my name. Damn you Wendy’s and your yummy chicken! Damn you!

Ah, let’s hope March goes better.

Other news, I was able to lower my insurance rates for my car. That will save me a few bucks. And eventhough I felt crappy today because of the scale, I still did my workout. As I went to shower off, I decided to use my most expensive soap, a scrub from Sabon and now I smell so good that it just brightened my mood. (Gotta love that vanilla, lavender, and patchouli.)

When the going gets tough, the tough take a spa day!  That’s my little nugget of wisdom for today!  I bet Buddah would agree…



Feb 14

Love, Love, Love

Happy Valentine’s Day to All.

Even if you don’t have a sweetie to love, there are plenty of other ways to express your feelings.  I’ve been thinking a lot about the little things in life that I love and am grateful for.  Here’s a few things on the list:

  1. Family and friends, who to nice things for me for no reason
  2. Kitties who cuddle with me while we watch TV
  3. Chocolate tea
  4. Drinking said tea while reading the Sunday paper
  5. Warm breezes on spring days
  6. Going to work on government holidays (no traffic)
  7. All things Joss Wheadon
  8. Finding the perfect shirt/sweater/shoes/etc. in the store
  9. Good meal
  10. Body cream that smells so good, everyone around you says, “What smells so good!”
  11. My hair texture (feels very soft)
  12. Finding money in an forgotten place
  13. Laughing so hard, I start crying
  14. Hearing three great songs in a row on the radio station
  15. Writing something that I truly enjoy

That’s what I love.

Feb 13

Lifestyle Fast

So 2010 was not a great year.  Shortly after my last post I went to the doctor and discovered that I needed to have major surgery.  So all my time was either spent thinking about the surgery, getting ready for the surgery, or recovering from the surgery.  It seemed as if it consumed my life.  Happily now I am healthy and healed.

But that wasn’t the only difficult moment in the last year.  Two family deaths in less than five months took its toll too.

And then there is my car.  My cute, sporty, two-door sports car that I loved at 23 started to fall apart.  Now that I’m 33, I realize that it is time to replace it.

In short,  last year things went a little nuts.  So in 2011, I embarked on a “lifestyle fast.”

The lifestyle fast involves a few goals:

  1. Get back on track losing weight and eating healthy. (I gained some after the surgery and the holidays.)
  2. Save for a new car
  3. Apply and Save for grad school
  4. Boost emergency savings to eight months salary.
  5. Make an active choice to consume less and buy green products.
  6. Get more serious about saving for retirement.

So far January was a bust.  I didn’t lose any weight (didn’t gain any though…) and I didn’t save any money (paid off the credit card instead).  But so far in February, I am on track.  We’ll see.  I’ll write back with my results.

One good thing I did was start a new long story.  Hopefully sometime this year, I will finish a first draft. (Usually, it takes me 18 months to finish my short novels.)  But to just be starting something is good.

Mar 4

One Year

One year has passed.  Wow, time has gone by fast.  I’m supposed to be putting up my stories, but I just can’t seem to get on top of this.  Gearing up for my grad school application has been my focus.  But I WILL try to do better.  My brother keeps waiting for new stuff.  All I can say is oneday it will happen.

But I am glad that I have managed to put some stuff up, even if it is just my ramblings about my life and lack of postings.

Jan 23

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A new year…

Where has the time gone?  It’s been almost a year since I  got this blog and I still haven’t managed to put up any stories.  Well that is going to change.  I know. I know.  I’ve been saying the same thing over and over again, but I think this year will be different.

One reason is my head space.  After being furloughed last summer (and being bummed out in general about it), I decided to rethink where I am going in life.  Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to go back to school.  Grad school to be exact.  I never really thought I wanted to go.  Being a writer, you don’t have to get a degree.  You really just have to write and be diligent about it.  But after years of writing short stories, poems, and even a novel and not having even a nible, I think I just need to get out of my bubble.  I have taken community writing classes and been to festivals, but I fell as if I have used those places to their fullest.

So I went to an information session at a local college, and it seemed to be the next step.  I’m not looking to go to get published.  I want to go to be a better writer.  I think I need that push that only academics (and an expensive tuition check) can give me.  Plus I am excited about some of the classes.  I remember hearing something about older students going back to school and how they are more focused.  They know what they are there for and it shows in how they approach their classes.  I can see how that would apply to me.  Also, the program is designed for working adults so all classes are nights and weekends.  Perfect!

You know, a year ago I would have never thought about grad school.  But how quickly things change when one thing in your life does.  I got furloughed (with a pay cut), so I decided to get healthy.  Then I decided to get my writing career healthy.  Now I’m 30+ pounds lighter and thinking about my MA in writing. Not everything is perfect in my life, but things are getting better…  I think it will be a good 2010.  Happy New Year!

Oct 26

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Almost Ready…

So, things got busy.  Again.  A trip to Scranton, PA, a full schedule, and a tree trimmer, and I’m still forgetting to update this regularly.  But things are getting better.  Atleast, it didn’t take me six months to add something more.

On the new stuff front, I tried yoga a week ago.  I didn’t think I would like it, but wow was I wrong.  The only problem was that I bought a tape that wasn’t for beginners.  Everything was fine, until the instructor said to go from downward dog into the splits!

Yeah, I’m not that flexible yet.

Then she went into the crow pose and I had to just stand there in my living room shaking my head.  That is not going to happen anytime soon.  But the rest of the dvd was good.  It really stretched me out and any tightness I had was gone.  Sunday morning is officially yoga day.  I will just have to go back to the store and find one for beginners.  Denise Austin’s Yoga Burn  is a bit too advanced for me.

Working on a new story.  Hopefully, I will get it together and post one soon.  I know which one I want to put up first, I just have to make the time.  I realize now that writing is like exercising.  I will never find the time.  I have to make the time.

It’s funny… I’ve always known that, but suddenly it is now making sense.

 

 

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