One of my professors reads ditties to us before each class. It's usually a compelling story or even a fable about someone or something that is poignant and relevant to our work for the day. She's a big proponent of Oprah's work . . . and so am I. In fact, today I received this quote through my Oprah daily thoughts email:
"You cannot truly express yourself until you first discover who you are.” -Gangaji
This is the whole purpose of my future work. Some may think it's impossible to truly know yourself, but I call bullshit on that noise. Everyone is capable of self-discovery. Your time to get working started yesterday.
2/7/12
2/6/12
Run game. Run. Game.
I'm not sure why I take such long hiatuses (is that a word?) from blogging, but I figured it was time to get back in the saddle. First, a few great things:
1. My fiance is back!
2. We're getting a puppy in four (4!) days!
3. We're getting married in eighty-nine (89!) days!
4. We're running an Ultra Marathon in sixty-two (62!) days!
Now, about that last little celebration . . . HOLY CATS. Granted, the race is a 45K which means it's only (only?) 28 miles, but still. I figured out last night that I haven't been in real running shape in over a year, so this should be interesting. But like a former yoga instructor used to say: You fake it until you make it. I'm really, really excited. Like, obnoxiously excited. It's outside of Albuquerque in the foothills of the Sandias so it should be pretty to say the least.
Needless to say, today is DAY ONE of intensive Marathon training for the both of us. Yahoooooooo!
1. My fiance is back!
2. We're getting a puppy in four (4!) days!
3. We're getting married in eighty-nine (89!) days!
4. We're running an Ultra Marathon in sixty-two (62!) days!
Now, about that last little celebration . . . HOLY CATS. Granted, the race is a 45K which means it's only (only?) 28 miles, but still. I figured out last night that I haven't been in real running shape in over a year, so this should be interesting. But like a former yoga instructor used to say: You fake it until you make it. I'm really, really excited. Like, obnoxiously excited. It's outside of Albuquerque in the foothills of the Sandias so it should be pretty to say the least.
Needless to say, today is DAY ONE of intensive Marathon training for the both of us. Yahoooooooo!
1/6/12
two more days.
I read this quote this morning on my little daily Oprah email and was inspired:
We begin to find and become ourselves when we notice how we are already found, already truly, entirely, wildly, messily, marvelously who we were born to be.
- Anne Lamott
This week has been nuts yet again in the office, but I can't say I mind it. It's more interesting to solve problems and see results of some hard work than be bored and surfing the web all day. All things considered, however, I'm ready for the weekend. My adventures in Eastern NM "singledom" will end as of Sunday evening and I'm not one bit upset about it. The Cap will finally be home. Ahhh that's fun to say.
Naturally the last week of awaiting someone's arrival is the longest and absolute worst because A. it's all you can think about and B. it's all you want. None of the here and now junk matters--it's all about what's to come. To try to break it up, I had some friends over for dinner last night. A friend whose Cap gets home this morning was staying with me so I threw a pot roast in the crock pot and whipped up some dinner for a few friends. I love the motley assortment of people who show up when you're in the mil' life. What's interesting is that no one really knew each other that well last night but we all ended up giggling like little school girls in the living room by the end of the night. That's what I love about good people--their ability to embrace what's good in a situation and laugh about it. I had 1 mother+baby, 1 newly-living-together couple, 1 goofball, 1 anxious ladyfriend of a friend and 1 random new gym rat/mil friend. Combined it worked out to be one pretty fantastic group. Or maybe it was the gigantic bottle of wine + Black Box we crushed . . . tomato tomato.
Needless to say, these people all know who they are and seem to be loving the lives they live. These are my kind of people. All right, back to the countdown . . . two . . . more . . . days . . . and my one person, favorite person, will be home. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh boy. I'm jazzed.
We begin to find and become ourselves when we notice how we are already found, already truly, entirely, wildly, messily, marvelously who we were born to be.
- Anne Lamott
This week has been nuts yet again in the office, but I can't say I mind it. It's more interesting to solve problems and see results of some hard work than be bored and surfing the web all day. All things considered, however, I'm ready for the weekend. My adventures in Eastern NM "singledom" will end as of Sunday evening and I'm not one bit upset about it. The Cap will finally be home. Ahhh that's fun to say.
Naturally the last week of awaiting someone's arrival is the longest and absolute worst because A. it's all you can think about and B. it's all you want. None of the here and now junk matters--it's all about what's to come. To try to break it up, I had some friends over for dinner last night. A friend whose Cap gets home this morning was staying with me so I threw a pot roast in the crock pot and whipped up some dinner for a few friends. I love the motley assortment of people who show up when you're in the mil' life. What's interesting is that no one really knew each other that well last night but we all ended up giggling like little school girls in the living room by the end of the night. That's what I love about good people--their ability to embrace what's good in a situation and laugh about it. I had 1 mother+baby, 1 newly-living-together couple, 1 goofball, 1 anxious ladyfriend of a friend and 1 random new gym rat/mil friend. Combined it worked out to be one pretty fantastic group. Or maybe it was the gigantic bottle of wine + Black Box we crushed . . . tomato tomato.
Needless to say, these people all know who they are and seem to be loving the lives they live. These are my kind of people. All right, back to the countdown . . . two . . . more . . . days . . . and my one person, favorite person, will be home. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh boy. I'm jazzed.
1/5/12
holy wednesday.
Yesterday was . . . hellacious. I think that's a word. Like, one of those days that makes you want to scream obscenities into a pillow. OK, I've never actually thought that works, but as a Counselor-in-training I guess that's a technique I'd imagine I'll be employing in future therapy sessions. I digress. Yesterday every single mole hill I've ever come across in the biz was turned into a mountain. Why? I blame incompetence and ignorance. That sounds harsh, but it's actually just a fair assessment. Instead of being the super mega B that I could have become, I chose to focus my energy on what was right. Here's what I came up with:
1. In four days (now THREE, hellsyes) my fiance will be home.
2. After a brief pump-up conversation with my Pops, I remembered that we're tight and I'm a lucky daughter.
3. I got a $32 check from working at the coffee shop. I'm just ROLLING in monayyyy!
4. I have a friend coming into town tomorrow (tonight) and I'm having people over for some roast beef (mmmm), tomato/artichoke deliciousness and mashed potatoes . . . and wine, lots and lots of wine.
5. At the post office I had a Doc Martin siting. I could spot that yellow stitching a mile away. There's just nothing like the fine leathered detail of a good DM loafer. I even snagged a picture for proof:
It's amazing what can make a sour day sweet.
1. In four days (now THREE, hellsyes) my fiance will be home.
2. After a brief pump-up conversation with my Pops, I remembered that we're tight and I'm a lucky daughter.
3. I got a $32 check from working at the coffee shop. I'm just ROLLING in monayyyy!
4. I have a friend coming into town tomorrow (tonight) and I'm having people over for some roast beef (mmmm), tomato/artichoke deliciousness and mashed potatoes . . . and wine, lots and lots of wine.
5. At the post office I had a Doc Martin siting. I could spot that yellow stitching a mile away. There's just nothing like the fine leathered detail of a good DM loafer. I even snagged a picture for proof:
1/1/12
new year weekend.
I know New Year's is a holiday on the calendar and everything . . . and it's a pretty big deal in China, buuuttttt it's not that big of a deal for a mellow (well, usually) twentysomething whose fiance is overseas. I actually had made plans twice, but after it all fell through I succombed to chilling out at home and starting to get the house ready for mi amor to get home in . . . wait for it . . . ONE . . . WEEK.
So last night I rung in 2012 third-wheeling it with my two good friends. It was a mildly somber evening because their puppy was really sick and was literally given about a 1% chance of survival. I took it upon myself to comfort the little guy during his last moments, which made me think: Could this be a new career idea? Animal whispering/nannying/hospice? I could be the next Cesarrrr. Just a thought. All things said, it made me feel very grateful to have my two healthy babes waiting at home for me this morning.
Today I worked from 6:30 until about right now on house-y things, with of course a few necessary breaks in between to watch Jersey Shore and The Twilight Zone, skype'd-a-lot and hit the gym. Other parts of my day included the following:
I took a deep breath and went to Walmart (woof) to stock up on good foods. The holidays got me a wee bit off track but starting today it was ON with good stuff again. When I got home I put everything away and even cleaned out the refrigerator. Ohhhhhhhhh I love me a clean fridge. Isn't it pretty?
OK I know this picture isn't that impressive, but oh my stars this was delicious [and yeah, that's a lot of meat (TWSS) so I saved some for breakfast tomorrow]. I looove Brussels sprouts so I threw them in a pan to saute for a little while then tossed in some steak and peppers. Seriously, this was so good.
After a bunch of organizing (I mean a BUNCH), I settled in to make some banana bread for my friends who lost their puppy. George and Stella decided it would be a good idea to hop up on the island and help me. I wasn't amazingly excited about their tushies on my counter but they're good company so I let it slide this time. And THAT'S how you ring in the year right! Tomorrow I'm planning on doing just about the same thing. Yeeeesssssss.
So last night I rung in 2012 third-wheeling it with my two good friends. It was a mildly somber evening because their puppy was really sick and was literally given about a 1% chance of survival. I took it upon myself to comfort the little guy during his last moments, which made me think: Could this be a new career idea? Animal whispering/nannying/hospice? I could be the next Cesarrrr. Just a thought. All things said, it made me feel very grateful to have my two healthy babes waiting at home for me this morning.
Today I worked from 6:30 until about right now on house-y things, with of course a few necessary breaks in between to watch Jersey Shore and The Twilight Zone, skype'd-a-lot and hit the gym. Other parts of my day included the following:
OK I know this picture isn't that impressive, but oh my stars this was delicious [and yeah, that's a lot of meat (TWSS) so I saved some for breakfast tomorrow]. I looove Brussels sprouts so I threw them in a pan to saute for a little while then tossed in some steak and peppers. Seriously, this was so good.
After a bunch of organizing (I mean a BUNCH), I settled in to make some banana bread for my friends who lost their puppy. George and Stella decided it would be a good idea to hop up on the island and help me. I wasn't amazingly excited about their tushies on my counter but they're good company so I let it slide this time. And THAT'S how you ring in the year right! Tomorrow I'm planning on doing just about the same thing. Yeeeesssssss.
12/27/11
game of things.
The holidays seem to present a huge down curve in the blog world, or at least for my blog. I'm not a big blog follower; I have my friends' and a few randos that I track, but I write only because I like to write. This past month has been absolute mayhem in my world, but I'm happy to report that I'm still afloat and even bobbing a bit . . . whatever that means. I was fortunate enough to spend my Christmas with my mom's family, something I know many people weren't able to do this year. My family is anything but dull. Where there's an open arm, a hug fits. Where there's quiet time, a fart falls in its place. This couldn't have been more evident than on Saturday night when my family was playing a game called Things. OK, I love to laugh, like LOVE to laugh, but I haven't laughed this hard in awhile.
Picture this: My mom, stepdad, brother A, brother B + 1 girlfriend and my grandparents all in the living room huddled around the coffee table. The family dog, Duke, who had found refuge in my company all weekend (bless his heart he misses Maddie dog), was sprawled out across my lap. The game goes like this: A reader poses a statement and each person provides an answer, then you go around the circle and try to guess who said what. It's. Completely. Ridiculous . . . at least when you involve the filthily incredulous minds of my family. Here's a sample of what we came up with:
Q: Name things you should not do on an airplane.
A: Fart
A: Fart and say "What a relief!"
A: Ask to borrow someone's chapstick
A: Make love overtly
Q: Name something that needs to be cleaned.
A: Brother A's underpants
A: Duke's bowels
A: The White House
A: Our minds
Q: Name things you call your significant other.
A: Bubbles
A: Numb nuts
A: Please
A: Sugarpants
Q: Name things you should not do when you're naked.
A: Eat a burrito then sprint
A: Case links of sausage
A: Jumping Jacks
A: Apologize
Q: Name what you'd do if you had super powers.
A: Rearrange city buildings
A: Travel to the 1970's
A: Fly
A: Fart sparkles
You get the point.
It's not everyday that I hear my grandpa say you shouldn't make love overtly on an airplane or that you shouldn't do jumping jacks while naked, says my grandma. Nor is it everyday that you picture a naked person eating a burrito then running a hundred meter dash. By the end of the night I was rolling on the ground laughing and had done about a week's worth of ab exercises.
As one can only imagine, getting on that plane to fly home yesterday was about the most difficult thing I've had to do in at least three months.
Picture this: My mom, stepdad, brother A, brother B + 1 girlfriend and my grandparents all in the living room huddled around the coffee table. The family dog, Duke, who had found refuge in my company all weekend (bless his heart he misses Maddie dog), was sprawled out across my lap. The game goes like this: A reader poses a statement and each person provides an answer, then you go around the circle and try to guess who said what. It's. Completely. Ridiculous . . . at least when you involve the filthily incredulous minds of my family. Here's a sample of what we came up with:
Q: Name things you should not do on an airplane.
A: Fart
A: Fart and say "What a relief!"
A: Ask to borrow someone's chapstick
A: Make love overtly
Q: Name something that needs to be cleaned.
A: Brother A's underpants
A: Duke's bowels
A: The White House
A: Our minds
Q: Name things you call your significant other.
A: Bubbles
A: Numb nuts
A: Please
A: Sugarpants
Q: Name things you should not do when you're naked.
A: Eat a burrito then sprint
A: Case links of sausage
A: Jumping Jacks
A: Apologize
Q: Name what you'd do if you had super powers.
A: Rearrange city buildings
A: Travel to the 1970's
A: Fly
A: Fart sparkles
You get the point.
It's not everyday that I hear my grandpa say you shouldn't make love overtly on an airplane or that you shouldn't do jumping jacks while naked, says my grandma. Nor is it everyday that you picture a naked person eating a burrito then running a hundred meter dash. By the end of the night I was rolling on the ground laughing and had done about a week's worth of ab exercises.
As one can only imagine, getting on that plane to fly home yesterday was about the most difficult thing I've had to do in at least three months.
12/21/11
cheers for you.
First say to yourself what you would be; then do what you have to do.
-Epictetus
Keep this close to your heart. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!
-Epictetus
Keep this close to your heart. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!
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