When did I grow old?

Of course, everyone always responds to this with a “you don’t look your age”, or “come on, you aren’t old”, or “40 is the new 30.” Well, if that’s the case then I want to be 30 again. I started school this week and I realized that I was the oldest in the class.

When a student was talking about how his Dad attended the same college as the professor and the professor says, “when?”, and the student says between 80-83 and the professor says, “oh, that was before my time.” To quote Seth and Amy from SNL, really? Really? Although, I myself didn’t graduate high school until ‘87 but still, glancing around the room, I’m pretty sure I’m  the oldest.  What’s my point? Well, I guess there really isn’t one, other than the fact that this was a first for me. I’ll adjust and eventually become comfortable with this. Just in time for another birthday. Better than the alternative, right?

I also went to have 48767623 gallons of blood drawn to determine if any of my minor ailments add up to something.

In my reading challenge, I’ve been slow on the reading lately. I finished one book, but it wasn’t one on my list. I’m currently reading one of the books on my list. I also have quite some reading to do for school, so I’ll have to focus on that tonight since after I do the reading I need to post my thoughts on a discussion. This one credit class that I am taking is going to wind up being more work than the 3 credit class I’m taking. Whatever, it’s all something I am interested in, so it will go fast and flow easy.

I think I finally found a name for how I eat. Check it out. Vagueatarianism

How’s your New Year’s Resolution

I had a couple. First, to follow the 90/10 rule. This is the premise that 10% of what happens to you is completely out of your control and that the other 90% is how you react to that 10%.  There is a good example somewhere and I’ll see if I can find it. But I’m determined not to explode and react to the things that happen to me if I can’t help it. Especially if the reaction is disproportionate to the event. This is a day to day resolution as I don’t know how easy it will be.

The other resolution is to live the healthiest life that I can live.  I’m obviously, based on my weigh in chart, not doing so well with that. However, I am going to stand up and say that the number on the scale is only one measure of someone’s health.  So, this the half-way mark of January I reiterate my goals for the month.

To make cognizant food choices

To exercise 2x/week

To journal nightly one positive thought/event of the day.  I want to emphasis the positive and happiness that I have in my life, not my shortcomings.

I’ll also try to upload more pictures.

Reading Challenge List

I saw this from Lost in Books blog, who saw it from Bart’s Books.  It’s pretty straightforward. Read 20 books from 10 categories over the year of 2010.

It’s pretty easy and I bet, for the most part, I’ll be able to use books I already own. Why do challenges you may wonder? Why not?

Rules:

• Read 2 books from each category, making a requirement of 20 books total.
• The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits. (Apart from those marked **)
• Categories marked with ** have tighter rules, and these must be followed.
• Each book can only qualify for one category.
• Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
• Books read from 01/01/2010 to 12/31/2010 are eligible.

So, on with the categories

1.  Young Adult

Any book classified as young adult or featuring a teenage protagonist counts for this category.

2. T.B.R. **

Intended to help reduce the old T.B.R. pile. Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of                      1/11/09.

3. Shiny & New

Bought a book NEW during 2010 from a bookstore, online, or a supermarket? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand           books do not count for this one, but, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also           count!

4.  Bad Blogger’s ***

Books in this category, should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger count for this                   category (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book a go).

*** Bad Bloggers: Is hosted by Chris of Stuff as Dreams are Made on.

5.  Charity

Support your local charity shops with this category, by picking up books from one of their shops. Again, for those on book-             buying bans, books bought for you as gifts also count, as long as they were bought from a charity shop.

6.  New in 2010

This category is for those books newly published in 2010 (whether it be the first time it is has been released, or you had to wait      for it to be published in your country, it counts for this one!)

7.  Older Than You

Read two books that were published before you were born, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!

8. Win! Win!

Have a couple of books you need to read for another challenge? Then this is the category to use, as long that is, you don’t break      the rules of the other challenge by doing so!

9. Who Are You Again?

This one isn’t just for authors you’ve never read before, this is for those authors you have never even heard of before!

10.Up to You!

The requirements for this category are up to you! Want to challenge yourself to read some graphic novels? A genre outside your       comfort zone? Something completely wild and wacky? Then this is the category to you. The only requirement is that you state         it in your sign-up post.

Sounds totally fun, right?

MY REVIEWS:

Cat 1: Young Adult

1. Pretties by Scott Westerfield

2.  Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

Cat 2: TBR**

1. B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

2. C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

Cat 3: Shiny & New

1. Old Friends and New Fancies by Sybil G Brinton

2. Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble

Cat 4: Bad Blogger’s **

1.  Handmaiden’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

2. Beowulf on the Beach by Jack Murnighan

Cat 5: Charity

1.  Empire Falls by Richard Russo

2.  Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

Cat 6: New in 2010

1.  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

2.

Cat 7: Older Than You

1.  Emma by Jane Austen

2. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Cat 8: Win! Win!

1.  Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver

2. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max

Cat 9: Who Are You Again?

1.   Heartless by Alison Gaylin

2.  Stealing with Style by Emily Jenkins

Cat 10: Up to You (I have no idea yet what I will pick here)

1. Watchmen by Alan Moore/David Gibbons

2. John Adams by David McCullough

Merry Christmas Eve

I’ve been feverishly doing laundry and cleaning since I’m leaving for Tallahassee bright and early Saturday morning. Right now the kiddos are getting reading for Christmas Eve at my Uncle’s house. We do it there every year. And then I’ll come home, watch the Pope give mass while I wrap the piles of presents. I spent too much, but I can’t help it. I’ll try to get back to blogging regularly.

Tuesday I got to hang with my friend T from DC and it was so cool to spend some time with her. Even when the blimp coordinator (not sure that’s what he is but that’s what he said he was) was falling all over us. Eventually, the guy started falling asleep at the bar. However, I think that had more to do with the number of scotch’s he was drinking rather than the time of the evening.

I hope I wake up a little. I didn’t sleep well last night due to the downstairs neighbors talking loudly at 4am. I had the window open since it was a beautiful night and they would not STFU.

Time to get ready to start singing Christmas carols and swigging eggnog.

Same old same old is, well, getting old.

Seriously. I didn’t not lose any weight this week. I felt like I did. I ate like I should have. And yet, nothing. I know this can take time, and it just makes me wonder, do I have to really eat so little to lose.  The only weigh (heh heh) I can lose is if I follow the points on Weight Watchers. Really.  I count calories and unless I stay below 1100 I don’t lose consistently like I do when I follow WW.  I like to believe the philosophy of the podcast that I listen to, Fat2FitRadio.com which says that if you eat calorically like the thin person you want to be then the pounds would melt away. They have these calculators that help you determine exactly what that is and how much you should eat. They also stress the importance of regular and consistent exercise.

It is just a common sense approach to weight loss. Not that WW isn’t. I just would rather know exactly what I am eating. But I’ve been doing (trying) to do this for the past few weeks and haven’t been able to do lost more than a pound or two. So back to counting points I go. I am determined to lose this weight. It has served me well, but now, it’s time for it to go.

I’ll be doing WW this week. I realize I’m not going to lose weight every week. But you expect some loss when you are first starting.

Watching the news about homegrown terrorists. I think there was a novel sometime back about this. Except it was the Russians. They had a kid born in the US specifically for the purpose of turning him into a super spy to eventually conquer the US. Anyone remember that? It was a while ago.

Today will be Mt. Laundry day as well as cleaning the dreaded cat box. It takes me all of 10 minutes to do it, and yet I procrastinate like you wouldn’t believe. I hate cleaning the cat box. I would pay someone $20 to do it. Heck, my kids hate it so much that the thought of earning $20 that quickly isn’t even appealing to them. Plus, being the perfectionist that I am, they would not clean it right. I just know it.

The book I’m reading is Sunday Money which is a book about a reporter who buys an RV and takes his wife on an incredible road trip going to every NASCAR race. Yes, there are actually people who do this. It’s been good so far, getting a history on the sport and a real behind the scenes of racing. The only bad thing is it was written in 2002 and a lot has happened in the sport of racing and NASCAR since then. Still, it’s good to read and since it has been a few years i can clearly remember the events that he describes in his book.

Time for coffee.

TGIF!!

This will be quick. I’ve got to get ready for work.  I’ve been eating pretty good and exercised. Not every day and not for hours, but more than I have been doing, which is what I feel is important. I’m not trying to do it quickly, just permanently.

I’m watching the local morning news show and it cracks me up how they have a Holiday Style segment and they usually do it from the more expensive stores from the high end mall Aventura. Cracks me up, because they will follow this up with the Frugal Mom segment. Here’s a tip of frugality, don’t shop at Aventura and the designer stores there if you need to be frugal.  Although, I do go there from time to time. However, I can pretty much guarantee I’ll be hitting the clearance racks not the Coach Store.

Ugh, gotta go get ready for work, but at least it is TGIF my bitchezzzzz!!!

Record Heat…in DECEMBER!!!!

Apparently there is a Global Warming conference or something to that effect going on in Copenhagen where the EPA FINALLY admitted that global warming was a threat and a problem that needed immediate attention. Uh, yea, way to come onto that band wagon 10 years too late. Truthfully, it’s longer than that, but honestly, global warming has been on the radar for the last 10 years.

And believe it or not there are STILL people out there who think that it’s a farce, a fiction made up by bored, liberal scientists who have nothing better to do than theorize and try to propagate fiction. Right. Sure they are. <climbing onto my high horse>  Like the Senator who rushed over to Copenhagen so that there could be an opposing viewpoint being heard. Really? Seriously. Honestly, what the hell is wrong with people. Number one, let me bust the first myth about global warming (from here on out GW), it doesn’t just mean heat. I know, I myself have said this fifteen bazillion times (yes, that’s a number) but it is about extreme weather systems. EXTREME. Such as my overuse of font editing.  Extreme weather systems could mean, really cold weather that starts earlier and earlier every year and ends later and later. Those of you in the midwest and pacific NW, I’m talking to you. Or, extreme heat, such as 85 flippin’ degrees on Dec 8th in South Florida. Can you say heat wave, IN DECEMBER. Honestly, I’m seriously considering moving to the mountains of NC because, A) my parents have a house there, and B) when the oceans begin to flood the low lying coastal areas I’ll eventually be on the beach again.

While I’m talking about Senators, here’s a Civics 101 for ya. The United States is a Republic friends. Not a Democracy. That means, Joe Q Public, that we don’t get to vote on the important issues but rather vote in supposedly intelligent individuals to represent us and vote for us. Same thing with the Electoral College. You know why this is, don’t you? The Founding Fathers thought we were too stupid and ignorant to make these decisions for ourselves. Apparently, not only were they right about that, but apparently we are too stupid and ignorant to vote in intelligent individuals to make these decisions for us.

I fear that our political system has run amok. For many reasons other than those mentioned here.

Live life, it’s too short not to

My own twist on a cliche that tends to get said a lot. Especially this time of year. However, it really it home for me today.

I’ve been at my job for 15 years and I’ve worked with a lot of people for a long time. We found out this morning that a colleague of ours passed away in his sleep last Friday night. He was in his early 50’s.

Wait!! What??  He died. I just saw him last week, just emailed him 5 days ago. Set a meeting up. Surely, there must be some mistake. Those were all things that ran through my head when I heard about this. And then I cried. From the shock and sadness of a family losing their father two and half weeks before Christmas. A jovial man who was always positive and had a nice thing to say. He went to bed one night and didn’t wake up the  next morning. Most people, when you ask then, say that is the way they want to go. I suppose I’ve not thought of my own mortality because when I’m asked my response is, I don’t want to go. No matter what. i would rather be here. But that’s the normal reaction of a healthy not-so-young but not-so-old woman. Just like this person. His wife expected him to wake up in the morning when she did, except he didn’t.

What plans did they have for the weekend? Did he tell his kids, we’ll do that tomorrow. Because there wasn’t time today.  I know I do that. Don’t worry kids, we will do that on the weekend, when Mommy doesn’t have to work. Except he didn’t get his weekend. I am so profoundly sad about this.  This death wasn’t like someone who was ill, who knew the inevitable was coming sooner rather than later. Makes you realize that the inevitable can be closer than you know. Then any of us knows.

I’m going now, to hang out with my kids. So I don’t have to tell them we’ll do it tomorrow. And to tell them that I love them, so they know it now and not tomorrow. It sounds cliche, but you know, sometimes the cliche fits.

Time flies when you are getting older

Where did the weekend go?? it flew by that’s for sure.

I have no pictures of food. My camera battery died. It wasn’t anything spectacular anyway. And I’m up a pound. However, I did ride the bike today while I did some magazine cardio.  (stole that term from KERF). And I had a mountain of laundry to conquer. I did a lot of it, but I still have laundry to do. Ugh!!

We basically hung out at the house since yesterday was such a crazy busy day. Yesterday we went to the library, the mall, the grocery store and Shy had open gym at her gym. Jeez, no wonder I didn’t get out of my jammies today. Yes, I rode the bike in my jammies. It’s a stationary bike after all, so who cares.

Oh yes, I almost forgot my Dolphins BEAT THE PATRIOTS!!!! Tom, Tom, what were you thinking throwing that ball as you were about to get sacked. That’s Quarterback 101, take the sack rather than the interception, especially since there was only 32 seconds left in the game. But your loss is our gain!! Literally. I kill me.

Two more weeks of work until I have time off again. I am looking forward to that. Who wouldn’t. Let’s see how crazy work will be tomorrow.

Do you ever think that we (people in general) stay doing the safe thing rather than taking a chance on something else because well, it isn’t safe? BUT the gamble is that doing that thing could make it even better than what you have currently, but there’s that darn risk. Did that make any sense??? I’m struggling with some decisions and I really can’t get into it here. I’m not happy with some things, but sometimes the grass isn’t always greener. I suppose the upside on that is that sometimes it is.

I just watched the move The Hangover. Wow, that movie was wicked funny.  Really, one of those movies that you could watch over and over again and find different things to laugh about.

It’s late, and I’m delirious so I bid you all farewell. But first, I’ll read a little from “14 Is Not Fat Either” by Meg Cabot.

Twenty-Ten Challenge

I saw this from Lost in Books blog, who saw it from Bart’s Books.  It’s pretty straightforward. Read 20 books from 10 categories over the year of 2010.

It’s pretty easy and I bet, for the most part, I’ll be able to use books I already own. Why do challenges you may wonder? Why not?

Rules:

• Read 2 books from each category, making a requirement of 20 books total.
• The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits. (Apart from those marked **)
• Categories marked with ** have tighter rules, and these must be followed.
• Each book can only qualify for one category.
• Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
• Books read from 01/01/2010 to 12/31/2010 are eligible.

So, on with the categories

1.  Young Adult

Any book classified as young adult or featuring a teenage protagonist counts for this category.

2. T.B.R. **

Intended to help reduce the old T.B.R. pile. Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of                      1/11/09.

3. Shiny & New

Bought a book NEW during 2010 from a bookstore, online, or a supermarket? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand           books do not count for this one, but, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also           count!

4.  Bad Blogger’s ***

Books in this category, should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger count for this                   category (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book a go).

*** Bad Bloggers: Is hosted by Chris of Stuff as Dreams are Made on.

5.  Charity

Support your local charity shops with this category, by picking up books from one of their shops. Again, for those on book-             buying bans, books bought for you as gifts also count, as long as they were bought from a charity shop.

6.  New in 2010

This category is for those books newly published in 2010 (whether it be the first time it is has been released, or you had to wait      for it to be published in your country, it counts for this one!)

7.  Older Than You

Read two books that were published before you were born, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!

8. Win! Win!

Have a couple of books you need to read for another challenge? Then this is the category to use, as long that is, you don’t break      the rules of the other challenge by doing so!

9. Who Are You Again?

This one isn’t just for authors you’ve never read before, this is for those authors you have never even heard of before!

10.Up to You!

The requirements for this category are up to you! Want to challenge yourself to read some graphic novels? A genre outside your       comfort zone? Something completely wild and wacky? Then this is the category to you. The only requirement is that you state         it in your sign-up post.

Sounds totally fun, right?

MY REVIEWS:

Cat 1: Young Adult

1.

2.

Cat 2: TBR**

1.

2.

Cat 3: Shiny & New

1.

2.

Cat 4: Bad Blogger’s **

1.

2.

Cat 5: Charity

1.

2.

Cat 6: New in 2010

1.

2.

Cat 7: Older Than You

1.

2.

Cat 8: Win! Win!

1.

2.

Cat 9: Who Are You Again?

1.

2.

Cat 10: Up to You (I have no idea yet what I will pick here)

1.

2.