Thanksgiving is Thursday! Can you believe it folks? This is absolutely my favorite time of year. Yes, my birthday was last week so of course you may think that influences my love of Fall, but honestly it doesn't really...maybe when I was little. I don't really enjoy birthdays anymore tbh, I always seem to get a bit melancoly that day, or emo as the kids say.
I love the holidays. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is heavenly. Christmas music everywhere, getting together with family and friends, decorations, I get into all of it. I've already got 4 Christmas decorations up at my desk at work, and yes I will be breaking out the Christmas village next week at work. I'll take photographs and post them so you can truly see what a nerd I am.
So...did anyone see Oprah this week? More to the point, the two parter that aired Thursday and Friday-The Secret Life of Hoarders? OMG. There are no words to describe that mess, pun intended. You know, I have to admit I am the type who will sit in silent judgement when I see things on tv that I cannot comprehend, acts that are, in my opinion, inhumane...you know, kiddie fiddlers, murderers, etc...Now I'm not comparing hoarders to pedophiles, but my point is this...while I was washed over with disgust watching those two hours of tv, I couldn't help but relate to that woman, to a much smaller extent. I too am a hoarder. I too enjoy getting a good bargain, it does make me feel good, it does fulfill something in me I suppose. The irony of all of this, is that I got a wild hair to clean last night. (Rewind-I must point out I tape all my shows on my DVR so I didn't watch the episodes when they originally aired). I went to Wal-Mart and got some supplies I needed, came home and did some serious kitchen and bathroom cleaning. I felt so good afterwards and about midnight when I was done, I sat down and decided to check my dvr to see what it had to offer. I chose Oprah and that's what I saw. Talk about God sent...I totally think I needed to see something like that to snap me into reality and realize that I need to change some of my habits. I was talking to my mom about this today and she said after she saw that, she went into her closet and finally purged it of a bunch of old clothes she'd been hanging onto for so long.
Ok, since I'm talking about Wal-Mart, here's another story. About a month ago I realized I needed a new shower curtain. I frequent the Target near work a lot on my lunch break, so one day I went in search of a new shower curtain. I swear the tag on the shelf said $19.99 which was my limit...no more than $20 for a shower curtain is a good motto to live by I say. When I was at the register I failed to see that it was actually $24.99 and only discovered this when I reviewed my receipt back at work. I was pissed. (I won't start on my conspiracy theories about stores in this day and age with their not putting price tags on each item, only labels on the shelves, in the attempt to lure you into putting the item in your buggy and then charging more at the register because they know you probably won't notice the $1-5 markup). I have been sick thinking about that damn $25 shower curtain. I never even got it out of the packaging. Last night I happened by the bathroom accessories section at Wal-Mart and found one I liked even more than the evil Target one, and it was only $15! You know I bought it and returned that overpriced one to Target today.
I should mention that when I went to Target tonight, the dude at the register said "Wow you looked tired" which we all know is code for "Wow, you look like shit." Ok fine, I went out in yoga pants and a black hoodie...it's freakin Target, not the senior prom folks! I didn't put on makeup or my grandmothers pearls to swap a shower curtain for a new mop and toilet paper!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
On The Nightshift
Anyone who has known me for any stretch of time knows that I am not a morning person. Guess what? I'm never going to be one! I'm in my third decade of living and I've come to terms with this...actually I never had a problem with it, but countless others and their snarky remarks seeped into my head and have made me wonder if this was something I would eventually "grow" out of and one day miraculously wake up alert and perky.
Those of you out there that can roll out of bed at 5, 6, 7 am with not so much as a thought of slapping the snooze button, and jump right up to start your day...I applaud you. Good for you. Here's the thing, there are those among you who have gotten a little too self righteous when it comes to the debate of morning vs. night people. One remark I've heard in particular on more than one occasion, and which has caused my hands to be clasped in full throttle mode, is "when you finally become an adult, you'll turn into a morning person" or something along those lines. My own father has made this remark one bazillion times regarding my brother and me. I don't understand the hostility folks? Who really cares? You get a lot done in the morning? BFD. We get a lot done at night. Do we really need to separate into two gangs, ala Jets vs Sharks? It would not be uncommon to find me cleaning my toilet at 11:30pm on a Tuesday night. I'm more inspired at night to compose my thoughts, so email is best checked at that hour, along with senseless blogging (checks clock-12:27am). One thing you won't find me doing late at night is taking out my trash, but that is a direct effect of the countless hours I've spent watching Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, American Justice, etc...Our dimly lit parking lot lends itself too big a scenario for trouble which plays out in my head when I comtemplate going to the dark corner of it where the dumpster sits.
What was I rambling on about? Right, well with that being said, despite my nocturnal body clock I am sometimes forced to deal with the eaaaaarly morning hours from time to time. I currently work West Coast business hours, (psst-that means 11-8 EST) so I don't have to greet the dawn too often. Last week I worked 8-5 one day and procrastinated the night before in getting some things done, which forced me to wake up at 6:00am that day. Good grief, and it was cold to boot. My hardwood floors are unforgiving on a cold Wednesday morning. Still, I dragged myself into the shower and with zombie like precision, managed to get the hair washed. The only bright shining moment of getting up this early was that VH1 Classic was airing 80's pop cheese videos. Much to my delight, as soon as I walked back into my bedroom a video by NKOTB came on...which one was it? 'Please Don't Go Girl.' Now you know I was big time into NKOTB back in the day. Joey Joe was the shit. Y'all know I sat down and watched that mess and transformed back into a time when life was much more simple...7th grade. Ooh, how I hated those bitches in the video at the end, on the whirly carnival ride. So that wasn't so bad, that one morning, I must say.
Those of you out there that can roll out of bed at 5, 6, 7 am with not so much as a thought of slapping the snooze button, and jump right up to start your day...I applaud you. Good for you. Here's the thing, there are those among you who have gotten a little too self righteous when it comes to the debate of morning vs. night people. One remark I've heard in particular on more than one occasion, and which has caused my hands to be clasped in full throttle mode, is "when you finally become an adult, you'll turn into a morning person" or something along those lines. My own father has made this remark one bazillion times regarding my brother and me. I don't understand the hostility folks? Who really cares? You get a lot done in the morning? BFD. We get a lot done at night. Do we really need to separate into two gangs, ala Jets vs Sharks? It would not be uncommon to find me cleaning my toilet at 11:30pm on a Tuesday night. I'm more inspired at night to compose my thoughts, so email is best checked at that hour, along with senseless blogging (checks clock-12:27am). One thing you won't find me doing late at night is taking out my trash, but that is a direct effect of the countless hours I've spent watching Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, American Justice, etc...Our dimly lit parking lot lends itself too big a scenario for trouble which plays out in my head when I comtemplate going to the dark corner of it where the dumpster sits.
What was I rambling on about? Right, well with that being said, despite my nocturnal body clock I am sometimes forced to deal with the eaaaaarly morning hours from time to time. I currently work West Coast business hours, (psst-that means 11-8 EST) so I don't have to greet the dawn too often. Last week I worked 8-5 one day and procrastinated the night before in getting some things done, which forced me to wake up at 6:00am that day. Good grief, and it was cold to boot. My hardwood floors are unforgiving on a cold Wednesday morning. Still, I dragged myself into the shower and with zombie like precision, managed to get the hair washed. The only bright shining moment of getting up this early was that VH1 Classic was airing 80's pop cheese videos. Much to my delight, as soon as I walked back into my bedroom a video by NKOTB came on...which one was it? 'Please Don't Go Girl.' Now you know I was big time into NKOTB back in the day. Joey Joe was the shit. Y'all know I sat down and watched that mess and transformed back into a time when life was much more simple...7th grade. Ooh, how I hated those bitches in the video at the end, on the whirly carnival ride. So that wasn't so bad, that one morning, I must say.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Back-handed Compliments
So, I must say that I have all these great things are happening in my life right now. I'm experiencing some success in my weight loss crusade. I'm not dieting, I'm changing my lifestyle. It's all about creating different eating and exercise habits. Thus far I am quite pleased with my progress, but I have to remind myself to stay the course, because this will be a long journey, not a sprint to the finish.
It's funny the things that people say when they notice you're shedding the lbs. I have to say my parents have been great cheerleaders, as have my friends and a few co-workers. For anyone out there who has tried to lose a significant amount of weight, they will tell you, nothing makes us feel better than for someone to notice our transformation. This is especially true for me, because I have a horrible perception of myself...always have. I don't suppose I've ever liked looking at my reflection in the mirror and I do it only when necessary. For most of my life, I have not been happy with my body, but I have mastered the ability to compartmentalize those thoughts, to a certain extent. Rarely will you hear me talking about my insecurities when it comes to my body or how I look. Trust me, I have more than my share, but I keep it bottled up, mainly for self preservation. It's been a struggle to talk about this chapter in my life, because I'm afraid of jinxing myself, but I DO talk about it, I make myself. I basically see this as a project. I'm rewiring my brain to think different, because I really think this too is necessary to reach my goals.
Ok, so that all sounds so serious. I mean, it's true but it's not all that dramatic. It is great though to hear people's compliments and observations about your progress, especially when they come from such stories as this...
This weekend I went at my parents and when I came in the house, mom was in the office printing out a picture. I go in there and ask what she's doing...dad said she's obsessed with printing pictures, she does it all the time. So I look down at this particular one and see this profile picture of some random woman with a weird looking neck.
"What's this?"
"Well this is a picture of a woman with this disease I thought you might have."
Ok, I'll bite...
The disease in question by the way is Cushing's Disease. Please take a moment and click on the link and pull up the picture labeled "buffalo hump." Mom realizes I'm puzzled by this as I read up on the symptoms. What exactly led you to this conclusion mom? She proceeds to tell me she was watching Discovery Health and they did a show on this disease and the neck example caught her eye.
Upon further inspection of my neck she is happy to tell me "I think you're fine. You used to have a big neck but it's getting smaller."
Good to know the weight loss is hitting those crucial areas, including the neck. Nothing worse than a fat neck.
*On a side note, does anyone know if they make the V-Chip for parents? If so, I would like to get a tv for my mom with one and program it to block any channel with the word "Discovery" in the title. Not only is mom a medical expert, but she's also a forensic specialist and the 2nd Dog Whisperer. I cannot tell you how funny it is to see her with their dog, who is dumber than a bag of hair (purebred), doing that "Shh-ing" thing Cesar does on the show.*
Later on in the weekend mom and I dragged my grandma out of the house to get some fresh air, have a little lunch and do some shopping. I was on a mission to get some shoes. My genes have blessed me with ski's for feet, so shopping for shoes is not much fun, which pisses me off because I already hate shopping for clothes, and to add insult to injury only myself and drag queens wear my size shoe (11). Seriously, when I lived in Athens I would see a lot of men in my aisle at Payless around the time for Boyboutante Ball.
Well to my delight, Rack-Room shoes had just what I was looking for, and they were on sale! Pleased with my discovery, I go to the register to pay, and the cashier, who I assume thought she was making pleasant afternoon chatter with me, says "You're lucky you found these. Girls with big feet like you have a hard time finding shoes. Oh and it's worse for you with those wide feet."
Seriously? You're saying this to me? I was dumbfounded. I said nothing, took out my card and handed it over. Me and my big ass clown feet had other places to go. It really is funny, because I can laugh at myself, but come on, did you think that sounded good in your head? The shoes in question are here. I would also like to point out that I do not have fat feet, the bones in my feet are spread way the hell out and I come from a long line of big footed Duggins's. My brother wears a men's size 16.
That about sums it up for now. Me and my slightly less-fat neck and huge feet are tired and need to go to bed!
It's funny the things that people say when they notice you're shedding the lbs. I have to say my parents have been great cheerleaders, as have my friends and a few co-workers. For anyone out there who has tried to lose a significant amount of weight, they will tell you, nothing makes us feel better than for someone to notice our transformation. This is especially true for me, because I have a horrible perception of myself...always have. I don't suppose I've ever liked looking at my reflection in the mirror and I do it only when necessary. For most of my life, I have not been happy with my body, but I have mastered the ability to compartmentalize those thoughts, to a certain extent. Rarely will you hear me talking about my insecurities when it comes to my body or how I look. Trust me, I have more than my share, but I keep it bottled up, mainly for self preservation. It's been a struggle to talk about this chapter in my life, because I'm afraid of jinxing myself, but I DO talk about it, I make myself. I basically see this as a project. I'm rewiring my brain to think different, because I really think this too is necessary to reach my goals.
Ok, so that all sounds so serious. I mean, it's true but it's not all that dramatic. It is great though to hear people's compliments and observations about your progress, especially when they come from such stories as this...
This weekend I went at my parents and when I came in the house, mom was in the office printing out a picture. I go in there and ask what she's doing...dad said she's obsessed with printing pictures, she does it all the time. So I look down at this particular one and see this profile picture of some random woman with a weird looking neck.
"What's this?"
"Well this is a picture of a woman with this disease I thought you might have."
Ok, I'll bite...
The disease in question by the way is Cushing's Disease. Please take a moment and click on the link and pull up the picture labeled "buffalo hump." Mom realizes I'm puzzled by this as I read up on the symptoms. What exactly led you to this conclusion mom? She proceeds to tell me she was watching Discovery Health and they did a show on this disease and the neck example caught her eye.
Upon further inspection of my neck she is happy to tell me "I think you're fine. You used to have a big neck but it's getting smaller."
Good to know the weight loss is hitting those crucial areas, including the neck. Nothing worse than a fat neck.
*On a side note, does anyone know if they make the V-Chip for parents? If so, I would like to get a tv for my mom with one and program it to block any channel with the word "Discovery" in the title. Not only is mom a medical expert, but she's also a forensic specialist and the 2nd Dog Whisperer. I cannot tell you how funny it is to see her with their dog, who is dumber than a bag of hair (purebred), doing that "Shh-ing" thing Cesar does on the show.*
Later on in the weekend mom and I dragged my grandma out of the house to get some fresh air, have a little lunch and do some shopping. I was on a mission to get some shoes. My genes have blessed me with ski's for feet, so shopping for shoes is not much fun, which pisses me off because I already hate shopping for clothes, and to add insult to injury only myself and drag queens wear my size shoe (11). Seriously, when I lived in Athens I would see a lot of men in my aisle at Payless around the time for Boyboutante Ball.
Well to my delight, Rack-Room shoes had just what I was looking for, and they were on sale! Pleased with my discovery, I go to the register to pay, and the cashier, who I assume thought she was making pleasant afternoon chatter with me, says "You're lucky you found these. Girls with big feet like you have a hard time finding shoes. Oh and it's worse for you with those wide feet."
Seriously? You're saying this to me? I was dumbfounded. I said nothing, took out my card and handed it over. Me and my big ass clown feet had other places to go. It really is funny, because I can laugh at myself, but come on, did you think that sounded good in your head? The shoes in question are here. I would also like to point out that I do not have fat feet, the bones in my feet are spread way the hell out and I come from a long line of big footed Duggins's. My brother wears a men's size 16.
That about sums it up for now. Me and my slightly less-fat neck and huge feet are tired and need to go to bed!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Blah Blah Blog
I ask this in all seriousness. Is there a nice way to tell someone you do not want to talk to them anymore? Not to sound harsh but, you know a let's-face-it-we've-grown-apart-or-more-to-the-point-I've-grown-away-from-you? Not possible? Yeah, I didn't think so.
So Amber, Lesley and Jenny seem to think it's appropriate for women our age to watch 'The Hills.' I scoffed at the notion when we discussed this at Outback the other night. I was flipping channels one night after that and came across it, tried to watch, and kept cringing. It's not real! It's so awkward. The dark haired horse teeth girl that the main one lives with...good grief she's painful to watch. Sorry ladies, had to keep surfing past that.
Discussed...sounds so grown up, which we all are not. We were so loud at dinner the other night that the people around us sighed out loud in relief when we left, which of course we took as a compliment. That's one of the great things about us, and I love it. I love that Amber and I will pun anything to death and think it's hysterical. I love that things we did 10-15 years ago are still brought up in order to ridicule each other, but in a loving way of course.
Is it a sign of getting older when you purchase a "Finishing Touch" facial trimmer? Being blessed with blond hair I have never had to worry about bleaching the area above my lips or god forbid, waxing it but I did get paranoid about the length of some of the peach fuzz above my lip and so it had to go. Now I'm obsessed with the thing. I decided it would be a good idea to do some maintenance on the eyebrows with this thing, b/c you know, tweezing isn't the most enjoyable activity. Cut to me quickly zipping off a 1/3 of my left eyebrow. Cue me realizing I now have to do the same to the right one in order to not look like a total circus freak. I was mortified. I went into work the next and quickly ran over to my friend Sabrina and let her access the situation...and all she did was laugh. Luckily it grew back. Lesson learned.
So Amber, Lesley and Jenny seem to think it's appropriate for women our age to watch 'The Hills.' I scoffed at the notion when we discussed this at Outback the other night. I was flipping channels one night after that and came across it, tried to watch, and kept cringing. It's not real! It's so awkward. The dark haired horse teeth girl that the main one lives with...good grief she's painful to watch. Sorry ladies, had to keep surfing past that.
Discussed...sounds so grown up, which we all are not. We were so loud at dinner the other night that the people around us sighed out loud in relief when we left, which of course we took as a compliment. That's one of the great things about us, and I love it. I love that Amber and I will pun anything to death and think it's hysterical. I love that things we did 10-15 years ago are still brought up in order to ridicule each other, but in a loving way of course.
Is it a sign of getting older when you purchase a "Finishing Touch" facial trimmer? Being blessed with blond hair I have never had to worry about bleaching the area above my lips or god forbid, waxing it but I did get paranoid about the length of some of the peach fuzz above my lip and so it had to go. Now I'm obsessed with the thing. I decided it would be a good idea to do some maintenance on the eyebrows with this thing, b/c you know, tweezing isn't the most enjoyable activity. Cut to me quickly zipping off a 1/3 of my left eyebrow. Cue me realizing I now have to do the same to the right one in order to not look like a total circus freak. I was mortified. I went into work the next and quickly ran over to my friend Sabrina and let her access the situation...and all she did was laugh. Luckily it grew back. Lesson learned.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
I love summer tv!
I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't watch Big Brother.
Seriously, it's the best reality show ever...it's everything a reality show was meant to be, and more. I guess its appeal lies in the fact that it's all about how people deal with each other and what brings out the best...and the worst in them.
Not to mention, the editors of the show make it fun with their editing...cue the dramatic music when someone gets all emotional in the diary room.
I'm loving the twist this season with America's Player. I wasn't sure if Eric would be best suited for the job but I shouldn't have judged him so quickly...he was amazing last night with his first task. It was great tv.
But you probably don't know what I'm talking about b/c you don't watch. I pity you!
Seriously, it's the best reality show ever...it's everything a reality show was meant to be, and more. I guess its appeal lies in the fact that it's all about how people deal with each other and what brings out the best...and the worst in them.
Not to mention, the editors of the show make it fun with their editing...cue the dramatic music when someone gets all emotional in the diary room.
I'm loving the twist this season with America's Player. I wasn't sure if Eric would be best suited for the job but I shouldn't have judged him so quickly...he was amazing last night with his first task. It was great tv.
But you probably don't know what I'm talking about b/c you don't watch. I pity you!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
One for the scholars
Answer me this...why do people, who clearly do not like you/don't prefer your company, care if you speak to them or not in passing? As you've made it obvious with your behavior, it puzzles me why folks complain because you do not greet them with a hello when you see them. I don't intentionally not speak, but after being snubbed/treated poorly, it should not come as a surprise that speaking to you is not the first thing that comes to mind when our paths cross.
I dunno...just curious.
I dunno...just curious.
Monday, June 18, 2007
When did dairy become the enemy?
Isn't it funny how you fail to realize all the sweets and goodies around you until you decide to boycott them? I've taken on a little self maintenance and have willingly and easily given up sweets, amongst other things. I swear the minute I did this, we had a birthday cake or some desert every day at work. Ok, not everyday, but weekly and lots of them.
After nearly 2 months of this, and having passed on some chocolate creation from The Cheesecake Factory, I decided to treat myself with something cool-literally. I figured frozen yogurt wouldn't be too bad, they make sugar-free after all. Then I discovered the bastards at TCBY do not have any locations near work, so I was left with Dairy Queen or Brusters. After quickly ruling out DQ I did a little invesitgating on the website for Brusters. I was in luck! They have no sugar added ice-cream. I was set.
So, Sabrina and I go out during our lunch hour (which is 3pm...sounds odd, but we work 11-8. We hit the post office, then Brusters. The one we went to had all of 2 choices for 'no sugar-added' so I went with Caramel Squirl. One scoop, 220 calories...and it tasted decent. So I went on to enjoy my cool treat and then headed back into work.
Cut to 1 hour later.
So I'm sitting in my chair at work and my stomach starts gurgling...and contracting. :////
I'm like-what? I had a turkey sandwich for lunch, that can't have upset it. *THEN* it dawns on me...the ice-cream. Mind you, in the past two months, I've cut a lot of dairy out of my diet. I eat yogurt maybe twice a week, and a little bit of cheese occasionally...but that's it.
Needless to say, my bowels flushed that out all night and I wanted to die. I can't believe dairy turned on me so quickly. I mean, I ignore it for 2 months and now it wants to act like we never met! I've now become a part of what I used to ridicule and laugh at...the dreaded 'lactose intollerant' population.
Boo.
After nearly 2 months of this, and having passed on some chocolate creation from The Cheesecake Factory, I decided to treat myself with something cool-literally. I figured frozen yogurt wouldn't be too bad, they make sugar-free after all. Then I discovered the bastards at TCBY do not have any locations near work, so I was left with Dairy Queen or Brusters. After quickly ruling out DQ I did a little invesitgating on the website for Brusters. I was in luck! They have no sugar added ice-cream. I was set.
So, Sabrina and I go out during our lunch hour (which is 3pm...sounds odd, but we work 11-8. We hit the post office, then Brusters. The one we went to had all of 2 choices for 'no sugar-added' so I went with Caramel Squirl. One scoop, 220 calories...and it tasted decent. So I went on to enjoy my cool treat and then headed back into work.
Cut to 1 hour later.
So I'm sitting in my chair at work and my stomach starts gurgling...and contracting. :////
I'm like-what? I had a turkey sandwich for lunch, that can't have upset it. *THEN* it dawns on me...the ice-cream. Mind you, in the past two months, I've cut a lot of dairy out of my diet. I eat yogurt maybe twice a week, and a little bit of cheese occasionally...but that's it.
Needless to say, my bowels flushed that out all night and I wanted to die. I can't believe dairy turned on me so quickly. I mean, I ignore it for 2 months and now it wants to act like we never met! I've now become a part of what I used to ridicule and laugh at...the dreaded 'lactose intollerant' population.
Boo.
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