I'm taking a busy moment out of a packed Saturday to write. Not that I have anything remarkable going on that would make for a fascinating read, but mainly because I'm waiting to continue baking my chocolate-chip banana nut bread until my boyfriend shows up with the buttermilk that I forgot I needed.
This Christmas I'm going out to Oklahoma to spend the holiday with my Dad. Something I haven't done with my Dad since I was 4 years old. In fact, except for a brief 30 minute road stop while he was moving across country, I haven't even seen my Dad in nearly 10 years. We talk on the phone pretty regularly, and I feel like we have a pretty good relationship, but face-to-face time has been scarce and I'm so excited to see him. I also get to spend some rare time with his side of the family, my aunt and cousins that I really enjoy and recently reconnected with.
The only thing that I'm not excited about is the drive across the plains to get there and back (praying for good weather and making good time) and being away from the family that I usually spend the holidays with. Also, while I'm excited, I'm a little nervous about my boyfriend meeting my Dad for the first time (I know he's nervous too).
So today, getting ready to leave, I'm trying to cram in everything that I can. I'm baking and making candy and fudge. I'm trying to get the laundry and dishes done, and finish wrapping all of the gifts. Then I've got to get packed, wash the car and get a last minute oil change, and mail my packages and letters. I'm also really looking forward to packing up the cat and moving her over to my aunts' house for the week. To say that she doesn't "travel well" is truly an understatement. At least we will make it to my aunts' house quickly, since everyone we pass on the road will think that I'm blaring ambulance sirens (or killing the cat trembling violently in my arms, which is tempting after being clawed for the 5th time).
I hope everyone else has fun enjoying this busy, busy time of year! As stressful as it can be, I truly love the holidays! I can't wait for a 12 hour car ride filled with Christmas music and Harry Potter audio books!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Changes
Tomorrow is my birthday. I know, another one. Yikes! 30 will be here in the blink of an eye, I'm sure (but not yet!).
But besides my age changing, quite a lot of things are changing around here. Big things. Scary things.
The week started off with my wonderful boyfriend losing his full-time job of 6 years. Pretty sucky. The week of my birthday and 2 weeks before Christmas. What a happy holiday season for us, huh? Thankfully he still has a part-time job, but it still leaves us very short financially. He's already looking for new jobs and I pray he finds something quickly.
I finished final exams for this semester today. I also am praying that I did well and do not need to relive any anatomy hell again. Fingers crossed...
January will mark back-to-school time for both myself and my boyfriend. I will be returning as a full-time student for the first time since I graduated in May (I only went part-time during the fall). My boyfriend will be returning for the first time in 9 years! Wow! He's so excited! Which is adorable, I'm so unexcited about school it's ridiculous, I'm sure his shiny, new excitement will wear off in time, but for now it's very cute.
All of these changes of course have me thinking about New Years resolutions and the things that I'd like to change voluntarily in my life. I failed miserably at last years resolutions, so perhaps I should give it another go in 2010 or modify my resolutions and break them down into more manageable steps. I'll have to brainstorm about this...
So, yeah, big changes coming up. I wonder what else the new year will bring?
But besides my age changing, quite a lot of things are changing around here. Big things. Scary things.
The week started off with my wonderful boyfriend losing his full-time job of 6 years. Pretty sucky. The week of my birthday and 2 weeks before Christmas. What a happy holiday season for us, huh? Thankfully he still has a part-time job, but it still leaves us very short financially. He's already looking for new jobs and I pray he finds something quickly.
I finished final exams for this semester today. I also am praying that I did well and do not need to relive any anatomy hell again. Fingers crossed...
January will mark back-to-school time for both myself and my boyfriend. I will be returning as a full-time student for the first time since I graduated in May (I only went part-time during the fall). My boyfriend will be returning for the first time in 9 years! Wow! He's so excited! Which is adorable, I'm so unexcited about school it's ridiculous, I'm sure his shiny, new excitement will wear off in time, but for now it's very cute.
All of these changes of course have me thinking about New Years resolutions and the things that I'd like to change voluntarily in my life. I failed miserably at last years resolutions, so perhaps I should give it another go in 2010 or modify my resolutions and break them down into more manageable steps. I'll have to brainstorm about this...
So, yeah, big changes coming up. I wonder what else the new year will bring?
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sloth
Wow, I have been an incredibly lazy blog writer! I really have given it quite a lot of thought, but have just lacked the motivation to carry out those thoughts!
Aside: Happy Birthday to my biggest, oldest, big brother! I love him, and wish we were nearby each other!
Ok, so, back to the topic at hand: Sloth.
Yes, sloth is one of the 7 deadly sins. Yes, a sloth is a slow-moving animal. Yes, I think I may be both of these things, or at least the embodiment of them.
I don't know why I can't light a fire under myself and be one of those crazy productive people that do-it-all and get-it-all done. I'm terribly envious of these people. Also, they drive me nuts (but mainly just because I wish I were like them)! I'm sure if you've read any of my previous posts that you might see that this is, sadly, not a new trend for me.
Currently, at nearly 4 pm, I am still in my pajamas. Yes, that's right, I said it Internet! In fact, I have been in these pajamas for the better part of the last 4 days. My oh-so-sweet boyfriend seems to truly not mind this (that, or he is an excellent liar when he claims that he loves to see me in that Cure t-shirt). As I sit writing this I am sitting on my sofa in the middle of the messiest living room you can probably imagine.
I have spent my long holiday weekend doing a few things: sleeping (from the wee hours of the morning to late afternoon typically), obsessively reading my current novel, grudingly leaving the house for family obligations and some minor shopping, and attempting to attack the paper that has taken up residence in my living room floor.
The paper project is the primary reason that my house has become uninhabitable. I had some kind of wild hair and decided that since I'm having company over later in the week I should start cleaning now!!! And, the obvious place to start cleaning is the papers that seem to multiply mysteriously in my house. I've got boxes full of random papers (not joking), grocery bags with papers, and every surface imaginable has, you guessed it: PAPERS EVERYWHERE! I seriously cannot seem to get ahead of this paper and it is EXHAUSTING.
So, I jumped into this little project with vigor and shredded and trashed and sorted my heart out for 6 or 8 hours. And then, I was exhausted and I gave up. Sadly, the majority of the day I spent working on the paper mess was not enough and now my living room looks, if possible, about 100% worse than it did before I started "cleaning." And now, I'm bored with that little project and don't want to continue it. But I'm going to have to continue it, it would just be rude to expect my company to leap over piles of papers and stuff the way my cat has been doing for the last few days.
I have another problem that compounds this paper issue. I AM A PACK RAT. I have the hardest time parting with anything that I think might possibly be necessary and useful at some imaginary time in the future. Even if I haven't looked at the item in question for years. I realize that this is unreasonable, especially in my 1 bedroom condo. But I have an entire storage unit and overflowing closets to attest to my sickness.
So, when I think about my laziness and sloth regarding my housekeeping, it always makes me think about all of the other areas of my life in which I am horribly lazy. But, honestly, I think that a lot of it boils down to lacking discipline and a regular schedule (and the unexplainable need for 12 hours of sleep per day). I'm sure I'm perfectly human, and not the only one with these types of problems, but it's something that is constantly nagging at me. It is something that I always want to change about myself, and yet something that I seem to be powerless to fight. I feel like if I can magically force myself to go to bed and wake up at the right times that I will have the energy to accomplish every little task that I would like to do. I will suddenly have the time and energy to devote myself to all of the many things I wish I could (and should) do every day. And then, with the best intentions and plans, I just don't. Those good intentions just vanish like a little puff of smoke and my real life takes over and things stay the way they have been for years.
What's the catalyst? What will actually cause and sustain all of the changes that I so desperately want for myself and yet can't seem to achieve? I'd love to hear what works for others...
Aside: Happy Birthday to my biggest, oldest, big brother! I love him, and wish we were nearby each other!
Ok, so, back to the topic at hand: Sloth.
Yes, sloth is one of the 7 deadly sins. Yes, a sloth is a slow-moving animal. Yes, I think I may be both of these things, or at least the embodiment of them.
I don't know why I can't light a fire under myself and be one of those crazy productive people that do-it-all and get-it-all done. I'm terribly envious of these people. Also, they drive me nuts (but mainly just because I wish I were like them)! I'm sure if you've read any of my previous posts that you might see that this is, sadly, not a new trend for me.
Currently, at nearly 4 pm, I am still in my pajamas. Yes, that's right, I said it Internet! In fact, I have been in these pajamas for the better part of the last 4 days. My oh-so-sweet boyfriend seems to truly not mind this (that, or he is an excellent liar when he claims that he loves to see me in that Cure t-shirt). As I sit writing this I am sitting on my sofa in the middle of the messiest living room you can probably imagine.
I have spent my long holiday weekend doing a few things: sleeping (from the wee hours of the morning to late afternoon typically), obsessively reading my current novel, grudingly leaving the house for family obligations and some minor shopping, and attempting to attack the paper that has taken up residence in my living room floor.
The paper project is the primary reason that my house has become uninhabitable. I had some kind of wild hair and decided that since I'm having company over later in the week I should start cleaning now!!! And, the obvious place to start cleaning is the papers that seem to multiply mysteriously in my house. I've got boxes full of random papers (not joking), grocery bags with papers, and every surface imaginable has, you guessed it: PAPERS EVERYWHERE! I seriously cannot seem to get ahead of this paper and it is EXHAUSTING.
So, I jumped into this little project with vigor and shredded and trashed and sorted my heart out for 6 or 8 hours. And then, I was exhausted and I gave up. Sadly, the majority of the day I spent working on the paper mess was not enough and now my living room looks, if possible, about 100% worse than it did before I started "cleaning." And now, I'm bored with that little project and don't want to continue it. But I'm going to have to continue it, it would just be rude to expect my company to leap over piles of papers and stuff the way my cat has been doing for the last few days.
I have another problem that compounds this paper issue. I AM A PACK RAT. I have the hardest time parting with anything that I think might possibly be necessary and useful at some imaginary time in the future. Even if I haven't looked at the item in question for years. I realize that this is unreasonable, especially in my 1 bedroom condo. But I have an entire storage unit and overflowing closets to attest to my sickness.
So, when I think about my laziness and sloth regarding my housekeeping, it always makes me think about all of the other areas of my life in which I am horribly lazy. But, honestly, I think that a lot of it boils down to lacking discipline and a regular schedule (and the unexplainable need for 12 hours of sleep per day). I'm sure I'm perfectly human, and not the only one with these types of problems, but it's something that is constantly nagging at me. It is something that I always want to change about myself, and yet something that I seem to be powerless to fight. I feel like if I can magically force myself to go to bed and wake up at the right times that I will have the energy to accomplish every little task that I would like to do. I will suddenly have the time and energy to devote myself to all of the many things I wish I could (and should) do every day. And then, with the best intentions and plans, I just don't. Those good intentions just vanish like a little puff of smoke and my real life takes over and things stay the way they have been for years.
What's the catalyst? What will actually cause and sustain all of the changes that I so desperately want for myself and yet can't seem to achieve? I'd love to hear what works for others...
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Currently...
Listening to Aim and Ignite the new album from Fun. I've embedded a player here so that you can hear a couple of my favorites from the new album, that I've been anxiously awaiting for nearly a year.
Wow. Wow. Wow. It's spectacular! Go buy it in your local store or on iTunes!
A little background and a disclaimer:
I don't generally like new music. Period. It usually takes quite a while and several hearings for new music to grow on me. I first heard Fun at a Jack's Mannequin concert in the Winter of '08 in Denver. My understanding is that this was mere weeks after they had formed as a band. So they are a brand new band, this is their first album. The lead singer is Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format, and his voice is what grabbed and has held my attention. His voice is amazing, and so unique. From the moment I heard the opening chord of Benson Hedges, which was their opening song the first time I saw them perform, I was hooked. Since that concert I have been hungry for more and have been listening to The Format to hold me over until the album came out Tuesday.
I love the album! Which, again, is unusual for me. I'm not typically someone who can listen to an album from beginning to end, I like to skip through and find my favorites. I listened to this album 3 consecutive times from beginning to end on my commute the next day after its release. 3 times. It's that good. I enjoyed the early releases I was familiar with, like Benson Hedges and At Least I'm Not As Sad, but I also really enjoyed the new songs. Be Calm has a great feel, as does I Wanna Be the One. The Gambler brought tears to my eyes (probably not too safe while driving, but I held it together). So many of their melodies and choruses feel very nostalgic and familiar, like music that I grew up listening to, which I really enjoy.
I cannot urge you enough to get your hands on this album! And even better, if you can see them live, GO! I've seen them live twice, and it is not to be missed. I'm so disappointed that I won't be in the Denver area the next time they are here that I considered driving to another state just to catch another live show. Like my boyfriend said when we saw them take the stage for the first time before they started playing, "Oh great, another hippie, Weezer wanna-be band." He promptly ate his words. Trust me, looks are deceiving! I rarely expect the opening bands to be worth my time or interest at concerts, but I'm glad that, at least once, I've been proven wrong!
Happy listening!
Wow. Wow. Wow. It's spectacular! Go buy it in your local store or on iTunes!
A little background and a disclaimer:
I don't generally like new music. Period. It usually takes quite a while and several hearings for new music to grow on me. I first heard Fun at a Jack's Mannequin concert in the Winter of '08 in Denver. My understanding is that this was mere weeks after they had formed as a band. So they are a brand new band, this is their first album. The lead singer is Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format, and his voice is what grabbed and has held my attention. His voice is amazing, and so unique. From the moment I heard the opening chord of Benson Hedges, which was their opening song the first time I saw them perform, I was hooked. Since that concert I have been hungry for more and have been listening to The Format to hold me over until the album came out Tuesday.
I love the album! Which, again, is unusual for me. I'm not typically someone who can listen to an album from beginning to end, I like to skip through and find my favorites. I listened to this album 3 consecutive times from beginning to end on my commute the next day after its release. 3 times. It's that good. I enjoyed the early releases I was familiar with, like Benson Hedges and At Least I'm Not As Sad, but I also really enjoyed the new songs. Be Calm has a great feel, as does I Wanna Be the One. The Gambler brought tears to my eyes (probably not too safe while driving, but I held it together). So many of their melodies and choruses feel very nostalgic and familiar, like music that I grew up listening to, which I really enjoy.
I cannot urge you enough to get your hands on this album! And even better, if you can see them live, GO! I've seen them live twice, and it is not to be missed. I'm so disappointed that I won't be in the Denver area the next time they are here that I considered driving to another state just to catch another live show. Like my boyfriend said when we saw them take the stage for the first time before they started playing, "Oh great, another hippie, Weezer wanna-be band." He promptly ate his words. Trust me, looks are deceiving! I rarely expect the opening bands to be worth my time or interest at concerts, but I'm glad that, at least once, I've been proven wrong!
Happy listening!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
I'm a liar. A busy liar.
Ok, so much for all of that updating I was promising! Ha! It will still happen, of course, just not on the schedule I had originally set for myself.
July has been a very unexpectedly busy month for me.
I have registered for more classes for the fall! (I know, right?) "Thank you, sir. May I please have another?," was all I could keep thinking to myself...sigh. It is inevitable though, an education is an asset for a nurse. So, I must complete these last 2 pre-requisite courses and then hopefully I will be accepted to nursing programs ASAP! I go in to interview with one nursing school next week, which is exciting, but I am a bit worried about as they are a new school and I would like to be confident that all of their accredidation is on the up-and-up before I sign up.
This summer has flown by more quickly than I had imagined was possible! It has been so wonderful to not worry about school during that time!
I held a fairly successful 1 day garage sale! Another day to hopefully follow in August! I have so much junk to get rid of, it's about time to sort through some of it.
During July I also helped a friend labor and give birth to her first baby (a LOOOONG process, really, really, painfully long). And am now the proud pseudo-auntie to a beautiful, healthy baby girl.
I orchestrated our 4th annual camping and whitewater rafting trip for the boyfriends birthday! It was a fantastic success, with the exception of some "minor" tent malfunctions. More to follow on that...
Oh, and not to go unmentioned, I have of course made time to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince three (3!) times to date! It's fabulous, possibly my favorite film of the series! If you haven't already... GO SEE IT! It is so funny!
So, here we are, August already! How did that happen?!
I am in the middle of planning a fall vacation to celebrate my graduation. But I am working out the technical kinks to posting the Dooce book reading in Denver. I have quite alot of video coverage and must edit it down into acceptable chunks for Vimeo to accept (or else tech support, aka, the boyfriend will do it for me).
More to follow, as always, I will try to be a bit more consistent!
July has been a very unexpectedly busy month for me.
I have registered for more classes for the fall! (I know, right?) "Thank you, sir. May I please have another?," was all I could keep thinking to myself...sigh. It is inevitable though, an education is an asset for a nurse. So, I must complete these last 2 pre-requisite courses and then hopefully I will be accepted to nursing programs ASAP! I go in to interview with one nursing school next week, which is exciting, but I am a bit worried about as they are a new school and I would like to be confident that all of their accredidation is on the up-and-up before I sign up.
This summer has flown by more quickly than I had imagined was possible! It has been so wonderful to not worry about school during that time!
I held a fairly successful 1 day garage sale! Another day to hopefully follow in August! I have so much junk to get rid of, it's about time to sort through some of it.
During July I also helped a friend labor and give birth to her first baby (a LOOOONG process, really, really, painfully long). And am now the proud pseudo-auntie to a beautiful, healthy baby girl.
I orchestrated our 4th annual camping and whitewater rafting trip for the boyfriends birthday! It was a fantastic success, with the exception of some "minor" tent malfunctions. More to follow on that...
Oh, and not to go unmentioned, I have of course made time to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince three (3!) times to date! It's fabulous, possibly my favorite film of the series! If you haven't already... GO SEE IT! It is so funny!
So, here we are, August already! How did that happen?!
I am in the middle of planning a fall vacation to celebrate my graduation. But I am working out the technical kinks to posting the Dooce book reading in Denver. I have quite alot of video coverage and must edit it down into acceptable chunks for Vimeo to accept (or else tech support, aka, the boyfriend will do it for me).
More to follow, as always, I will try to be a bit more consistent!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Bad Cat
This is why flowers never last long at my house...
Notice the fine shredding work on the leaves. She is thorough and detailed, if destructive.
Notice the fine shredding work on the leaves. She is thorough and detailed, if destructive.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Big News
THE PAPER HAS ARRIVED! It wasn't all a horrible nightmare! I have the proof!
Wait, wait. Let me make a correction. Yes, it was both horrible and nightmarish, but it really did happen.
In other news:
I have been the worlds biggest slacker since graduating. I promise that I will update and end my lazy ways.
I have many ideas for old posts bouncing around in my head, now I have the time to actually get to them (in between all of the napping that I have been catching up on).
Coming soon:
Dooce in Denver! (with video footage from the front row!)
No Doubt!
My Obsession with the Harry Potter Books! (and Jo Rowling)
Adventures in Knitting!
And much more!
Wait, wait. Let me make a correction. Yes, it was both horrible and nightmarish, but it really did happen.
In other news:
I have been the worlds biggest slacker since graduating. I promise that I will update and end my lazy ways.
I have many ideas for old posts bouncing around in my head, now I have the time to actually get to them (in between all of the napping that I have been catching up on).
Coming soon:
Dooce in Denver! (with video footage from the front row!)
No Doubt!
My Obsession with the Harry Potter Books! (and Jo Rowling)
Adventures in Knitting!
And much more!
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