first, please notice I actually updated all of my side-bar links!! whoo-hoooo! also, can anyone tell me how to get rid of that extra unlinked graphic at the bottom left of my header banner? I know enough to tweak a template here and there but I can't figure out what that is. Now onto the blog!
Hello, all, I have had a bit of a rough stretch. Actually, I shouldn't use past-tense as I am sort of still in the midst of it. In the last 6 weeks I've studied for/taken the GRE, been to Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco (for a whopping 48 hours), Miami Beach, Atlanta, and am headed to DC in a couple of days. Gotta squeeze one more show in before jetting back to the west coast for an immediate shift at the yoga studio (because I can't say no) and straight into jury duty. And not, report-and-see-if-you-get-called jury duty, but you've-had-2-failure-to-show-notices-and-you're-flat-out-ASSIGNED jury duty.
All of this to say, I'm a bit... drained, to say the least. I'm to that point where I have to force caffeine into my blood system to wake up and alcohol into my bloodstream to go to sleep. I'm running on bleary-eyed auto-pilot. BUT, all THAT to say, I've been having a really good time. (Thanks, Rori!)
I was chatting with Candice the other day, all the way from Tbilisi, Georgia (God bless the internet), and she's so supportive and positive, and really pumped me up about what I've been going through, with my super-budget, and my insane work schedule, and my school-preparing and all. She suggested I should write an article or blog post about how to take life by the horns and RULE it, because so few people do that, and I have to say I agree with her.
Taking the pity party is obviously the easiest thing to do. Yes, I get treated like crap for most of the day and get paid almost nothing for it. Yes, I've been home 2 days in the last 6 weeks. Yes, I'm nervous about trying to get into a super-competitive masters program with solidly average test scores. It would be SO easy to slip into a rut, spend a lot of money on alcohol, not turn in my school application, stay in my current job, my current life, because it's easier than taking a chance on something that I'm not really sure will work, and if it does, might not be any better than what I have now.
But listen up. Life is hard for everyone. You can't compare your troubles to someone else's. I might not get into school. I might not be able to afford to do the things I want to do. I might be fatter than I really want to be. But guess what? I have the power to change all of those things. And the things I don't have the power to change? I certainly have the power to change my attitude.
Abraham Lincoln said "most people are about as happy as they make their minds up to be." 100% true. There is good everywhere. You can find it. You can choose to dwell on the beautiful sunrise or bitch about why you're up so early. You can choose to complain about how you can't afford to be out at a fancy dinner or you can learn the joy of making your own favourite meals. You can sit at home and be lonely or you can go out and meet new people.
Of course we all slip and we all need to vent every once in a while. But as a GENERAL rule, I have no patience for say, someone who complains about his/her weight while sitting on the couch with some Chinese take-out. Least of all myself. Either change it, or zip it. No matter what I'm complaining about, someone has it worse. Just go ahead and BE what you admire in other people. Positivity begets positivity.
Things are happening over here in my world. I am no longer in a rut of quiet desperation. I have started my own ball rolling, and by this time next year, my life is going to be dramatically different. I don't know exactly what's going to happen, and on what time frame, but it's happening.
And I can't wait to tell you all about it.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
study study school's your buddy!
Last post January 10??? Wow, I guess blogging IS "so 2008."
Yesterday while I was getting produce from the market between yoga classes I was thinking about all the things I do when I'm not working, and however subconsciously, am always BUSY striving to make myself a better Jamie. Honestly, I am almost always doing something -- solving a puzzle, working out, studying, reading recipes-- to make myself smarter, healthier, more financially secure, a better cook, a snappier dresser, etc, and even though I really love doing all those things, sometimes I wonder if I really AM a better person than if I just sat around eating junk food and watching reality television in my fat pants all day. Because some days it's easy to throw a pity party and wonder if this quest is in vain.
But junk food and reality TV is not me. I'll continue to try to do sudoku puzzles over my morning coffee, try to get to yoga every day, try to eat less fattening food, try to keep my attitude in check, try to tell people I love them more often.
In somewhat related news, how am I supposed to study when this is my view????
Dear Library, please install smaller windows so I can focus on quantitative comparisons. Love, Jamie
Yesterday while I was getting produce from the market between yoga classes I was thinking about all the things I do when I'm not working, and however subconsciously, am always BUSY striving to make myself a better Jamie. Honestly, I am almost always doing something -- solving a puzzle, working out, studying, reading recipes-- to make myself smarter, healthier, more financially secure, a better cook, a snappier dresser, etc, and even though I really love doing all those things, sometimes I wonder if I really AM a better person than if I just sat around eating junk food and watching reality television in my fat pants all day. Because some days it's easy to throw a pity party and wonder if this quest is in vain.
But junk food and reality TV is not me. I'll continue to try to do sudoku puzzles over my morning coffee, try to get to yoga every day, try to eat less fattening food, try to keep my attitude in check, try to tell people I love them more often.
In somewhat related news, how am I supposed to study when this is my view????
Dear Library, please install smaller windows so I can focus on quantitative comparisons. Love, Jamie
Sunday, January 10, 2010
J-Money and her Special Sauce
I know a lot of people are probably REALLY tired of hearing me say "I can't afford to... [insert ANYTHING here]." I also know I'm not the only one who's had a rough year (I didn't get laid off; thank GOD, but I did take a pay cut, have benefits revoked, and been on two mandatory unpaid furloughs). I ALSO know that being in debt is my own fault, I'm not even close to being alone in my mess, and a whole slew of other facts that can simultaneously make me feel guily and hopeful.
Here's something more concrete though. I have just made myself a nice, orderly little budget to be debt-free-- COMPLETELY-- by the end of 2011. I know that's 2 years from now. I wanted to make a goal I could keep. This budget actually gives me a month of jiggle room, because I think I'll be done in November of 2011. In fact, this budget is assuming I will make exactly what I make now for the next 24 months, meaning any extra money I come into can make it even sooner.
I have 4 outstanding balances. I actually had 5 in 2009 and paid off one in November (the one that included my college loans). Best feeling EVER. I can't wait to feel it again in April '10, June '10, August '11, and November '11-- in each instance "the best feeling ever" going up exponentially. Everything is laid out in a nice little grid, aptly entitled "My Spreadsheet of Doooooom".
Luckily two of my creditors are family and thus have been very flexible with pay-back schedules and interest rates. The other two, not so much. I will be finished (hopefully) with one family in April, and the other in June. Each time I pay off a debt I will reallot my money to pay the maximum amount to the remaining debts.
I have two non-work trips to take in 2010-- one to Dallas in March for Amy's birthday, and one to Tulsa in April for Emily & Justin's wedding. Both flights will be purchased with miles, and both trips' "spending money" will have to be saved up and carefully doled out.
Other than those two-- nothing. No more eating out*. No more taxis**. No more new clothing***. I've already basically been doing this since August so it shouldn't be too terrible. I've changed my shampoo from Lush to Fructise. (My hair hates me.) I got rid of the fancy cable. I put out some feelers for some catering work for when I'm in town. I changed my Netflix to the sad, one-at-a-time, 2-max-per-month option. I WILL do this.
*at home. Obviously, I travel for work and I still have to eat when I'm on the road. If my hotel has a kitchen I will get groceries and eat in the hotel; if it doesn't I will stay within the confines of my per diem.
**also, obviously, at home.
***if I really REALLY need something (ie: a dress for the wedding) I will get it at the thrift store or on a major MAJOR sale.
I know I have friends who read this blog (or maybe they don't anymore; I actually have no idea) who will roll their eyes, shake their heads, think to themselves (or tell me to my face) that I've been here before, and dudes. Don't you think I know that? This post is not for them. This post is for me. When I can lay out something so concrete and can SEE my finish line, it helps me. It gives me hope. It pumps me up. It reminds me that I have a plan. It urges me to make my deadline. I don't need any negativity in this pursuit. I need to know that it can be done, that I can do it, that I have the support of my friends who won't get mad when I have to cut Sunday Funday out of my week or go to the first matinee of the day because it's $6 instead of $8.
All this means, in effect, that I can start grad school in 2012. Meaning I'll have my Masters by the time I'm 38, which is a rather respectable age to start a career, n'est ce pas? By the time I'm 40 I'll be working half the hours and making twice the money that I do now.
And honestly, that doesn't seem all that far away.
Here's something more concrete though. I have just made myself a nice, orderly little budget to be debt-free-- COMPLETELY-- by the end of 2011. I know that's 2 years from now. I wanted to make a goal I could keep. This budget actually gives me a month of jiggle room, because I think I'll be done in November of 2011. In fact, this budget is assuming I will make exactly what I make now for the next 24 months, meaning any extra money I come into can make it even sooner.
I have 4 outstanding balances. I actually had 5 in 2009 and paid off one in November (the one that included my college loans). Best feeling EVER. I can't wait to feel it again in April '10, June '10, August '11, and November '11-- in each instance "the best feeling ever" going up exponentially. Everything is laid out in a nice little grid, aptly entitled "My Spreadsheet of Doooooom".
Luckily two of my creditors are family and thus have been very flexible with pay-back schedules and interest rates. The other two, not so much. I will be finished (hopefully) with one family in April, and the other in June. Each time I pay off a debt I will reallot my money to pay the maximum amount to the remaining debts.
I have two non-work trips to take in 2010-- one to Dallas in March for Amy's birthday, and one to Tulsa in April for Emily & Justin's wedding. Both flights will be purchased with miles, and both trips' "spending money" will have to be saved up and carefully doled out.
Other than those two-- nothing. No more eating out*. No more taxis**. No more new clothing***. I've already basically been doing this since August so it shouldn't be too terrible. I've changed my shampoo from Lush to Fructise. (My hair hates me.) I got rid of the fancy cable. I put out some feelers for some catering work for when I'm in town. I changed my Netflix to the sad, one-at-a-time, 2-max-per-month option. I WILL do this.
*at home. Obviously, I travel for work and I still have to eat when I'm on the road. If my hotel has a kitchen I will get groceries and eat in the hotel; if it doesn't I will stay within the confines of my per diem.
**also, obviously, at home.
***if I really REALLY need something (ie: a dress for the wedding) I will get it at the thrift store or on a major MAJOR sale.
I know I have friends who read this blog (or maybe they don't anymore; I actually have no idea) who will roll their eyes, shake their heads, think to themselves (or tell me to my face) that I've been here before, and dudes. Don't you think I know that? This post is not for them. This post is for me. When I can lay out something so concrete and can SEE my finish line, it helps me. It gives me hope. It pumps me up. It reminds me that I have a plan. It urges me to make my deadline. I don't need any negativity in this pursuit. I need to know that it can be done, that I can do it, that I have the support of my friends who won't get mad when I have to cut Sunday Funday out of my week or go to the first matinee of the day because it's $6 instead of $8.
All this means, in effect, that I can start grad school in 2012. Meaning I'll have my Masters by the time I'm 38, which is a rather respectable age to start a career, n'est ce pas? By the time I'm 40 I'll be working half the hours and making twice the money that I do now.
And honestly, that doesn't seem all that far away.
Monday, January 04, 2010
back to life; back to reality
Creeping up on 21 days here at Casa Lewelling and it has be OH-so-much-fun. However, now that the calendar holidays are over and I don't have another one in a week to look forward to, I'm starting to think about home. Not in a wistful way; I love it here, but in an "oh yeah, bills," "oh yeah, work," and "oh, yeah I wonder how much mail/dust is at my house." *sigh* Real life is for the birds.
Been contemplating a lot this week-- blogging, even though Tom says it's "SO 2008," reading, and whether struggling through a book is ever worth it, facebooking- to update or not to update under their stupid new privacy settings, dieting, dating, whether dieting will help with the dating, whether the dating is worth it when I am a perfectly happy single person, my job, my budget, my money- or extreme lack thereof, why I am generally a raspy self-confident sass-pot, but certain people in my life can make me feel bad about myself in a single moment, whether that's my stuff or their stuff, moving to France, why I never get the good Scrabble words agains Uncle Al when I play just fine with everyone else, and why flammable and inflammable mean the same thing.
Apparently this is what happens when I have a lot of time on your hands!!
New Year's Resolutions: the usual-- budget, diet, be outside more, de-clutter, floss, read, cook, love, live. I know a lot of people thing resolutions are stupid (and boy, do they say so) but I don't see any reason why they should judge me for taking an opportunity to be a better person. Sure, it's just another day, but I like fresh starts and I'll take one any chance I can get.
So, so long, 2009, and thanks for the memories and all you taught me, but I'm done with you now. 2010 is a clean slate, a tabula rasa, a new leaf, another chance to turn it all around. New year, new attitude, new Doctor, new self.
Been contemplating a lot this week-- blogging, even though Tom says it's "SO 2008," reading, and whether struggling through a book is ever worth it, facebooking- to update or not to update under their stupid new privacy settings, dieting, dating, whether dieting will help with the dating, whether the dating is worth it when I am a perfectly happy single person, my job, my budget, my money- or extreme lack thereof, why I am generally a raspy self-confident sass-pot, but certain people in my life can make me feel bad about myself in a single moment, whether that's my stuff or their stuff, moving to France, why I never get the good Scrabble words agains Uncle Al when I play just fine with everyone else, and why flammable and inflammable mean the same thing.
Apparently this is what happens when I have a lot of time on your hands!!
New Year's Resolutions: the usual-- budget, diet, be outside more, de-clutter, floss, read, cook, love, live. I know a lot of people thing resolutions are stupid (and boy, do they say so) but I don't see any reason why they should judge me for taking an opportunity to be a better person. Sure, it's just another day, but I like fresh starts and I'll take one any chance I can get.
So, so long, 2009, and thanks for the memories and all you taught me, but I'm done with you now. 2010 is a clean slate, a tabula rasa, a new leaf, another chance to turn it all around. New year, new attitude, new Doctor, new self.
Friday, November 06, 2009
words... words... words...
I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I've blogged. Twitter and Facebook seem to have taken over, in a most unseemly (and ADD) manner.
I am a supporter and participator in any art form I can get my hands on. I was in all-state choir in high school; I have a degree in Theatre. I like to paint, cook, dance, sing, and take photographs-- as well as view others' forays into the same fields. That being said, I have always had an intense, almost religious relationship with the written word. Of course I love good oratory as well-- the spoken word has timbre, pitch, resonance, and inflection-- but reading has always been my solace. I like the way books smell. I like the way a hardback feels in my lap. I like the way books line my home and feel their absence is why I can never fully relax in a hotel room unless I have a stack of them on my nightstand. I like waking up with my finger still tucked into the last sentence I read.
I got a rare chance to read this week. When I stay at Casa Lewelling there is always much opportunity for cat naps and poolside solitude. I love that about staying there. I was re-reading The Time Traveler's Wife, because a friend who had borrowed it over a year ago had returned it the night before I left town and I found it in my bag mid-trip. I haven't read it since it came out several years ago, but I remembered being mesmerized. (As a side note, I adore re-reading old favourites. Sometimes I feel that with so much amazing literature in the world, I should always be reading something new, but if reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the 13th time gives me joy, who am I to question that?)
The Time Traveler's Wife is probably the only "love story" I have ever read. To be perfectly truthful, the fact that I'm a sci-fi nerd with a special obsession with time travel is probably the only reason I even picked it up. I could not be less interested in romance novels in general, but this one is different-- not only for the intricate, detailed plot, but for the absolutely gorgeous way that she writes. The story is presented in first-person flashes from both characters and her words are somewhat jumbled and yet still dreamy-- intricate, fine-lined pieces and sharp points in a somewhat blurry big picture.
All this to say, I need to reignite my affair with words. I want to read more, write more. I even started playing iPhone scrabble with Bill and Nate and Uncle Al... just that momentary break to think about what word I can make out of 7 arbitrary letters focuses my brain back into how much I love them.
So that's my current right-now resolution- to reconnect with literature, both as a viewer and a creator. I urge you to hold me accountable, to ask me what I'm reading and what I'm writing. This blog will be an outlet I'm sure, but I hope to broaden that into other droplets and rivers of words; they trickle out of me now but hopefully will flood out of me someday.
I am a supporter and participator in any art form I can get my hands on. I was in all-state choir in high school; I have a degree in Theatre. I like to paint, cook, dance, sing, and take photographs-- as well as view others' forays into the same fields. That being said, I have always had an intense, almost religious relationship with the written word. Of course I love good oratory as well-- the spoken word has timbre, pitch, resonance, and inflection-- but reading has always been my solace. I like the way books smell. I like the way a hardback feels in my lap. I like the way books line my home and feel their absence is why I can never fully relax in a hotel room unless I have a stack of them on my nightstand. I like waking up with my finger still tucked into the last sentence I read.
I got a rare chance to read this week. When I stay at Casa Lewelling there is always much opportunity for cat naps and poolside solitude. I love that about staying there. I was re-reading The Time Traveler's Wife, because a friend who had borrowed it over a year ago had returned it the night before I left town and I found it in my bag mid-trip. I haven't read it since it came out several years ago, but I remembered being mesmerized. (As a side note, I adore re-reading old favourites. Sometimes I feel that with so much amazing literature in the world, I should always be reading something new, but if reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the 13th time gives me joy, who am I to question that?)
The Time Traveler's Wife is probably the only "love story" I have ever read. To be perfectly truthful, the fact that I'm a sci-fi nerd with a special obsession with time travel is probably the only reason I even picked it up. I could not be less interested in romance novels in general, but this one is different-- not only for the intricate, detailed plot, but for the absolutely gorgeous way that she writes. The story is presented in first-person flashes from both characters and her words are somewhat jumbled and yet still dreamy-- intricate, fine-lined pieces and sharp points in a somewhat blurry big picture.
All this to say, I need to reignite my affair with words. I want to read more, write more. I even started playing iPhone scrabble with Bill and Nate and Uncle Al... just that momentary break to think about what word I can make out of 7 arbitrary letters focuses my brain back into how much I love them.
So that's my current right-now resolution- to reconnect with literature, both as a viewer and a creator. I urge you to hold me accountable, to ask me what I'm reading and what I'm writing. This blog will be an outlet I'm sure, but I hope to broaden that into other droplets and rivers of words; they trickle out of me now but hopefully will flood out of me someday.
Monday, September 07, 2009
dogs and cats, living together!
I have a very politically diverse Facebook circle, being that most of my childhood and college friends are staunchly conservative, and since then I've lived in two of the most liberal cities in America.
I grew up in a solidly conservative Southern Baptist home; my family is very Republican. I went to a Southern Baptist college and have a minor in Religion. My family and my professors always encouraged me to think for myself, and I ended up somewhat politically liberal. Now, I enjoy a nice, healthy, respectful political debate as much as the next guy. The key word being RESPECTFUL. What I do not understand is this apparently rabid (on Facebook, anyway) mass hysteria over President Obama addressing the school children about education.
First of all, let's set aside for a moment the fact that conservatives are calling Obama a socialist. *yawn* This is an out-of-hand response to suggesting Americans have a better health care system? Give. me. a. break. Let's say, for argument's sake, that I pay 4x the national average in taxes. (I don't. Just saying.) The fire department wouldn't come to my house 4x faster if it were on fire. The hot water doesn't come out of my faucet 4x hotter. If I can afford 4x better health care I should be able to get it, but shouldn't a baseline of care be available to those who can't? There are a lot of unemployed people right now. They don't deserve to go to a doctor if they're sick? No one's telling you there's going to be a bread line here. Anyway, the President is talking about education. To school children. He's not sneaking a message for socialism into the kool-aid. In fact, there probably won't even be kool-aid, given its negative connotations.
Second of all, President Obama is not the first POTUS to address the youth of America, and he's certainly not the first POTUS to address education. I do not believe for a moment that conservatives do not think education is important, so I know it's not about the subject matter. And also, if you don't like what he has to say, you have a perfect opportunity to talk to your children about it. Isn't family a mainstay of the GOP? Don't you always hear conservatives lecturing that liberals would rather have government raise their kids than family? Then bam. Your kids hear a speech at school, which- let's face it, they won't really listen to anyway, then you have a reason to have a very real, very important conversation with your children about their schooling.
Third, we live in a democratic republic. The majority of the people in this country that voted, voted for Obama. And that's they way it is, for four years. You don't like it? That's why we have term limits. I didn't vote for President Bush in his second term (I did in his first-- see how bipartisan I am?) but I said the same thing then that I say now: for now, he is your President. He won the election. He doesn't need our permission to address public school children, or the rest of the nation, about any subject of his choosing. And this mass hysteria over his speech on education is really sending the wrong message to your children. One of my (conservative Republican) friends on FB said "If you don't like it, keep your kids home. But in 50 years they'll be telling their kids how you kept them home from school the day the first black President spoke to the nation's children." She's right, and that's a sad and scary thought.
Obviously, government is a necessary evil, and I am under no impression that we will always all agree on well, anything. I think it's interesting to have opposing opinions about things, and I'm glad that God made us all so different. I wish that everyone on Facebook, and everyone else, too, could respect their fellow man, and respect their leaders. I know it's not going to happen, but a girl can dream, right?
Anyway, happy Labor Day. I slept in, and laid around all morning watching a Golden Girls marathon on cable. I'm going to walk the beast, and then take public transportation to meet an old friend for drinks. Life is good here. We're lucky to live here, no matter who the president is right now. I hope you take a moment to remember that today.
I grew up in a solidly conservative Southern Baptist home; my family is very Republican. I went to a Southern Baptist college and have a minor in Religion. My family and my professors always encouraged me to think for myself, and I ended up somewhat politically liberal. Now, I enjoy a nice, healthy, respectful political debate as much as the next guy. The key word being RESPECTFUL. What I do not understand is this apparently rabid (on Facebook, anyway) mass hysteria over President Obama addressing the school children about education.
First of all, let's set aside for a moment the fact that conservatives are calling Obama a socialist. *yawn* This is an out-of-hand response to suggesting Americans have a better health care system? Give. me. a. break. Let's say, for argument's sake, that I pay 4x the national average in taxes. (I don't. Just saying.) The fire department wouldn't come to my house 4x faster if it were on fire. The hot water doesn't come out of my faucet 4x hotter. If I can afford 4x better health care I should be able to get it, but shouldn't a baseline of care be available to those who can't? There are a lot of unemployed people right now. They don't deserve to go to a doctor if they're sick? No one's telling you there's going to be a bread line here. Anyway, the President is talking about education. To school children. He's not sneaking a message for socialism into the kool-aid. In fact, there probably won't even be kool-aid, given its negative connotations.
Second of all, President Obama is not the first POTUS to address the youth of America, and he's certainly not the first POTUS to address education. I do not believe for a moment that conservatives do not think education is important, so I know it's not about the subject matter. And also, if you don't like what he has to say, you have a perfect opportunity to talk to your children about it. Isn't family a mainstay of the GOP? Don't you always hear conservatives lecturing that liberals would rather have government raise their kids than family? Then bam. Your kids hear a speech at school, which- let's face it, they won't really listen to anyway, then you have a reason to have a very real, very important conversation with your children about their schooling.
Third, we live in a democratic republic. The majority of the people in this country that voted, voted for Obama. And that's they way it is, for four years. You don't like it? That's why we have term limits. I didn't vote for President Bush in his second term (I did in his first-- see how bipartisan I am?) but I said the same thing then that I say now: for now, he is your President. He won the election. He doesn't need our permission to address public school children, or the rest of the nation, about any subject of his choosing. And this mass hysteria over his speech on education is really sending the wrong message to your children. One of my (conservative Republican) friends on FB said "If you don't like it, keep your kids home. But in 50 years they'll be telling their kids how you kept them home from school the day the first black President spoke to the nation's children." She's right, and that's a sad and scary thought.
Obviously, government is a necessary evil, and I am under no impression that we will always all agree on well, anything. I think it's interesting to have opposing opinions about things, and I'm glad that God made us all so different. I wish that everyone on Facebook, and everyone else, too, could respect their fellow man, and respect their leaders. I know it's not going to happen, but a girl can dream, right?
Anyway, happy Labor Day. I slept in, and laid around all morning watching a Golden Girls marathon on cable. I'm going to walk the beast, and then take public transportation to meet an old friend for drinks. Life is good here. We're lucky to live here, no matter who the president is right now. I hope you take a moment to remember that today.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
an overabundance of parentheses and dopamine
I never really understood why we turn "1" at the brink of our 2nd year. I turned 33 today but technically I'm embarking on my 34th year on this planet. Like the world sees it more as an accomplishment to achieve than a goal to reach. Either way, although my birthday has rather depressed me in the last few years (not because I'm "old"-- I totally don't feel that way-- I just don't feel very accomplished for my 33 years. But that's not what this post is about) I still choose to see it as a celebration of ME. (And also Alfred Hitchcock, Annie Oakley, Dan Fogelberg, Don Ho, Bert Lahr, and Fidel Castro... but again, that's not what this post is about.)
At any rate, I have always found that counting my blessings, though cheesey and it always gets that old hymn stuck in my head, actually does make me feel better about things I'm not so fond of. For example one day when I was having a really crappy day at work, I listed all the things I LIKED about my job and it instantly turned around my attitude. So, in the spirit of lists (and a copy of the list, in case anything happens to the first list)-- here are 33 things that I absolutely LOVE about life in general (and in no particular order):
1- olives
2- laughing so hard I cry
3- the way my body feels after (although absolutely not during) my 90-minute 105-degree yoga class
4- coffee
5- waking up before my alarm (I know that's weird but I love it; it just starts my day out better)
6- the invention of text messaging. seriously. I hate talking on the phone. (Except on my birthday. You still have to call me today and you know who you are.)
7- that point in the morning where the sun just starts to burn of the fog of the Inner Sunset and I can see the tips of the Golden Gate Bridge peeking out of the mist
8- flying international first class. It might've been a fluke and I might never get to do it again but it. was. amazing.
9- pasta. mmmmm, pasta. the whole world looks better after a bowl of noodles, hmmm?
10- getting flowers. they're such a useless gift-- they really can only say "I wanted you to know I was thinking about you"
11- making lists (and a copy of the list, in case anything happens to the first list)
12- my family
13- making delicious things
14- serving delicious things to other people
15- dogs
16- music
17- art museums
18- old people
19- babies
20- red gerbera daisies
21- a hot shower
22- inside jokes
23- books
24- TV on DVD. best. invention. ever.
25- learning to love something I thought I hated (like... New Orleans. Bell peppers are still on their own.)
26- crossing things off my to-do list
27- an ice-cold dirty martini
28- post-it notes
29- roasted garlic
30- the internet
31- my amaaaaaazing friends
32- having a full belly
33- having a full heart
So there ya have it. Next year I'll have 34 reasons to love life. In the meantime, I was up before my alarm, have already laughed so hard I cried (thanks Amy), talked to Amy, my mom, and Krysten, got a text message or several, am having a cup of coffee, am on the internet, and am about to leave for yoga, so this day has already accomplished almost a third of the above. No doubt a lot of those other things up there will be crossed off before the day is done, thus self-accomplishing another item on the list.
Whee! Love you guys! Happy birthday to meeeee!
At any rate, I have always found that counting my blessings, though cheesey and it always gets that old hymn stuck in my head, actually does make me feel better about things I'm not so fond of. For example one day when I was having a really crappy day at work, I listed all the things I LIKED about my job and it instantly turned around my attitude. So, in the spirit of lists (and a copy of the list, in case anything happens to the first list)-- here are 33 things that I absolutely LOVE about life in general (and in no particular order):
1- olives
2- laughing so hard I cry
3- the way my body feels after (although absolutely not during) my 90-minute 105-degree yoga class
4- coffee
5- waking up before my alarm (I know that's weird but I love it; it just starts my day out better)
6- the invention of text messaging. seriously. I hate talking on the phone. (Except on my birthday. You still have to call me today and you know who you are.)
7- that point in the morning where the sun just starts to burn of the fog of the Inner Sunset and I can see the tips of the Golden Gate Bridge peeking out of the mist
8- flying international first class. It might've been a fluke and I might never get to do it again but it. was. amazing.
9- pasta. mmmmm, pasta. the whole world looks better after a bowl of noodles, hmmm?
10- getting flowers. they're such a useless gift-- they really can only say "I wanted you to know I was thinking about you"
11- making lists (and a copy of the list, in case anything happens to the first list)
12- my family
13- making delicious things
14- serving delicious things to other people
15- dogs
16- music
17- art museums
18- old people
19- babies
20- red gerbera daisies
21- a hot shower
22- inside jokes
23- books
24- TV on DVD. best. invention. ever.
25- learning to love something I thought I hated (like... New Orleans. Bell peppers are still on their own.)
26- crossing things off my to-do list
27- an ice-cold dirty martini
28- post-it notes
29- roasted garlic
30- the internet
31- my amaaaaaazing friends
32- having a full belly
33- having a full heart
So there ya have it. Next year I'll have 34 reasons to love life. In the meantime, I was up before my alarm, have already laughed so hard I cried (thanks Amy), talked to Amy, my mom, and Krysten, got a text message or several, am having a cup of coffee, am on the internet, and am about to leave for yoga, so this day has already accomplished almost a third of the above. No doubt a lot of those other things up there will be crossed off before the day is done, thus self-accomplishing another item on the list.
Whee! Love you guys! Happy birthday to meeeee!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
life sans the interwebs
I know, it's obviously not life totally without interwebs, since I'm updating le blog. BUT, it's life with drastically reduced internet, and that my friends, is practically the same thing. See, I don't know how you live your life at home, but my laptop is always on. Always. It might not always be open and on my lap, but it's always nearby, and I use it. I use it a lot. When I don't have Facebook or gchat open, I at least have it available to look up a recipe, or a word, or movie times, or where else I saw that one guy on that show I'm watching, or information about time zones and moon phases.
Anyway, both of my laptops are broke, and they're broke bad, so they are respectively in Oklahoma City and Middleborough, Mass, getting all tuned up, and I'm getting back to the basics of a person that stays home because she's on a budget and don't have the internet for entertainment. This weekend I've cleaned, cooked, read, used my DVD player, ridden my bike to the beach, gone to yoga, given myself a recession-mani, and watched a fair amount of The Discovery Channel, and actually? It's not been that bad.
Don't get me wrong, when my computer comes back I will go right back to my previous lifestyle, but this has been a productive break. Glass is half full, hmmm?
What did I miss?
Anyway, both of my laptops are broke, and they're broke bad, so they are respectively in Oklahoma City and Middleborough, Mass, getting all tuned up, and I'm getting back to the basics of a person that stays home because she's on a budget and don't have the internet for entertainment. This weekend I've cleaned, cooked, read, used my DVD player, ridden my bike to the beach, gone to yoga, given myself a recession-mani, and watched a fair amount of The Discovery Channel, and actually? It's not been that bad.
Don't get me wrong, when my computer comes back I will go right back to my previous lifestyle, but this has been a productive break. Glass is half full, hmmm?
What did I miss?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
the far side of the moon
I was just looking at my travel journal and I remembered this one night in Rome that Krysten and I laughed so hard we cried, and I'm certain, bothered our neighbors. (Sadly, they were not the Swedish teenagers that stayed in our hallway in Florence, but that's another story for another time.)
We were home from dinner, full and let's be honest- a bit tipsy, and lying on our respective beds with our feet propped up on the headboard, discussing various things about life, and for some reason, I thought it a good time to wonder, "if the same side of the moon always faces the earth, do the people on the other side of the earth see the other side of the moon?" We talked about this for a long while, and made lots of "planets" with our hands and tried to spin and rotate around one another in the most discombobulated of manners, and then the following interchange occurred:
Krysten: hey, maybe we should go outside and see if it looks different!
Jamie: we're only like, 7 time zones away-- it's not really the opposite side of the planet.
Krysten: well won't we be able to tell if it looks a little different?
Jamie: do you have the surface of the moon memorized? anyway, it's only a crescent right now.
Krysten: I hate Rome.
I. laughed. so. hard. I think I almost choked. The answer is no, btw. We looked it up.
We then went on to discuss time zones and that place in the world where it was suddenly like a whole day different, and how it would be really inconvenient to say, make a lunch date for Tuesday and then accidentally cross the line and get stood up on Wednesday, and then she pointedly told me that that place (much later remembered as the "International Date Line") was probably in the middle of the ocean. More hand motions, more laughing, more tears, more choking.
I'm glad I have a friend who likes similar topics of conversation as I do, and also shares my sense of humour. I'd also like to extend thanks to Wikapedia, who answered so many of our questions that week, and also gave us the suggestion to wash our feet in the bidet (which despite only being in Italy, are named after the French word for "pony." Ew.)
We were home from dinner, full and let's be honest- a bit tipsy, and lying on our respective beds with our feet propped up on the headboard, discussing various things about life, and for some reason, I thought it a good time to wonder, "if the same side of the moon always faces the earth, do the people on the other side of the earth see the other side of the moon?" We talked about this for a long while, and made lots of "planets" with our hands and tried to spin and rotate around one another in the most discombobulated of manners, and then the following interchange occurred:
Krysten: hey, maybe we should go outside and see if it looks different!
Jamie: we're only like, 7 time zones away-- it's not really the opposite side of the planet.
Krysten: well won't we be able to tell if it looks a little different?
Jamie: do you have the surface of the moon memorized? anyway, it's only a crescent right now.
Krysten: I hate Rome.
I. laughed. so. hard. I think I almost choked. The answer is no, btw. We looked it up.
We then went on to discuss time zones and that place in the world where it was suddenly like a whole day different, and how it would be really inconvenient to say, make a lunch date for Tuesday and then accidentally cross the line and get stood up on Wednesday, and then she pointedly told me that that place (much later remembered as the "International Date Line") was probably in the middle of the ocean. More hand motions, more laughing, more tears, more choking.
I'm glad I have a friend who likes similar topics of conversation as I do, and also shares my sense of humour. I'd also like to extend thanks to Wikapedia, who answered so many of our questions that week, and also gave us the suggestion to wash our feet in the bidet (which despite only being in Italy, are named after the French word for "pony." Ew.)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
c'est prego!
Last post May 10th? I'm so ashamed.
I've been subtly urged to blog more often, but with the onset of twitter and facebook, I don't make myself. Which is a shame, because I miss doing it. I'm certain most of my readers have probably wandered away by now, but for the three of you still left (Alecia, Krysten... maybe only 2 of you, actually), may I ask a favour? Comment. It's really the only way I can judge if people are reading. (I gave up on statcounter long ago, when my numbers dipped to sad double-digits.) I wish I just wrote it for me and didn't care if people were reading, but I don't and I do. So let me hear ya!
So, I'm back from vacation. I blissfully ignored the real world as I tromped across Europe with my gal-pal Krysten, and thus came back to a bit of stress. Money, work, life. Facebook always asking me what's on my mind. A LOT, Facebook. Leave me alone. (But, thanks for hosting my photos for all my friends to look at.)
I'm trying to get back in the swing of making my own food, working out, not having Krysten 2 feet away from me at any given moment. Thursday I spent on the couch resting up, and yesterday I headed out for a day of San Francisco. It's not Europe, but it's something pretty special. I met Scotty and KJ for lunch at Split Pea Seduction (always a pleasure), and then went solo to the Chagall exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. I love Chagall and have been wanting to see if for a while. There was also an exhibit called "Jews on Vinyl" and it was SO cool. I listened to music for about an hour, and then went to see Harry Potter. I love going to the movies alone, and I enjoyed the film. Then I went to Lulu for dinner with some old work friends from Dallas, and THEN went to the wine bar for more Scotty and KJ time. What a lovely day!
This morning I've been stressing about money, listening to a mostly spot-on playlist made for me by a special friend who has good taste (how you picked my all-time favourite Elton John song out of his entire library is a little amazing. kudos, btw), went to yoga, cleaned the bathroom, just normal stuff. It's been nice to have the house to myself for a couple of days while I recuperated. Roommate comes home tonight and regular life will be back in force.
So there ya have it. I'm back, and I will try my best to update more often! However, since I blew my wad on vacation I might not have anything to say more interesting than "I ate rice and beans and watched TV today." :)
Oh, one more thing-- in other news, I am strongly considering moving to Austin. I adore San Francisco but I'm a Texan at heart. I need to see how a couple of things pan out, but it's in my head and now it's out there in cyberspace.
I've been subtly urged to blog more often, but with the onset of twitter and facebook, I don't make myself. Which is a shame, because I miss doing it. I'm certain most of my readers have probably wandered away by now, but for the three of you still left (Alecia, Krysten... maybe only 2 of you, actually), may I ask a favour? Comment. It's really the only way I can judge if people are reading. (I gave up on statcounter long ago, when my numbers dipped to sad double-digits.) I wish I just wrote it for me and didn't care if people were reading, but I don't and I do. So let me hear ya!
So, I'm back from vacation. I blissfully ignored the real world as I tromped across Europe with my gal-pal Krysten, and thus came back to a bit of stress. Money, work, life. Facebook always asking me what's on my mind. A LOT, Facebook. Leave me alone. (But, thanks for hosting my photos for all my friends to look at.)
I'm trying to get back in the swing of making my own food, working out, not having Krysten 2 feet away from me at any given moment. Thursday I spent on the couch resting up, and yesterday I headed out for a day of San Francisco. It's not Europe, but it's something pretty special. I met Scotty and KJ for lunch at Split Pea Seduction (always a pleasure), and then went solo to the Chagall exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. I love Chagall and have been wanting to see if for a while. There was also an exhibit called "Jews on Vinyl" and it was SO cool. I listened to music for about an hour, and then went to see Harry Potter. I love going to the movies alone, and I enjoyed the film. Then I went to Lulu for dinner with some old work friends from Dallas, and THEN went to the wine bar for more Scotty and KJ time. What a lovely day!
This morning I've been stressing about money, listening to a mostly spot-on playlist made for me by a special friend who has good taste (how you picked my all-time favourite Elton John song out of his entire library is a little amazing. kudos, btw), went to yoga, cleaned the bathroom, just normal stuff. It's been nice to have the house to myself for a couple of days while I recuperated. Roommate comes home tonight and regular life will be back in force.
So there ya have it. I'm back, and I will try my best to update more often! However, since I blew my wad on vacation I might not have anything to say more interesting than "I ate rice and beans and watched TV today." :)
Oh, one more thing-- in other news, I am strongly considering moving to Austin. I adore San Francisco but I'm a Texan at heart. I need to see how a couple of things pan out, but it's in my head and now it's out there in cyberspace.
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