A Question of Duty

Since I've been so awesome at completing my to-do lists lately (hence my 6WS post), I didn't want to let today's streak end my amazing run. Besides, it wasn't that I was lazy. I just spent most of the day working on a project that I had intended to spread out over several days.

All of which leaves me at 8pm wondering if it's ok not to finish my list for today because I worked on a MAJOR project from days ahead.

Don't worry - I don't need you to weigh in. I'm determined to finish everything on my list. And one of those things included "post on SMF." It didn't say "post something brilliant on SMF."

Checking that one off my list...

NOT What I Meant!

Apologies in advance to my Twitter pals for this post - you got this about 24 hours before it hit the blog.

While doing ALL THE THINGS yesterday, I made a call to my grandmother about our upcoming trip and then tweeted about it while also doing about four other tasks. The result?



It was only after I had tweeted (and someone retweeted) that I realized it sounded like I was giving Gramma less than a week to live. I had meant it as a correction. "No, Gramma, we were NOT there last weekend and ignored you. I'm calling because we're coming THIS weekend and would like to find a time to visit."

Twitter is dangerous - I can do a lot of damage with those 140 characters! Including handing out death sentences to grannies!

Friday Fragments

I'm sure this whole Friday Fragments idea originated with someone and if you can tell me who that someone is, I will gladly give them credit.

Since I didn't write Tuesday or Thursday this week, let's just jump right in.

1. Joe left at 4am to head to Austin for SXSWi. It was a last-minute kind of trip due to last-minute BS where he works. I'm glad it worked out for him but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous - I wanted to go too but the last-minute nature of it was crazy expensive and also crazy chaotic. So, a few days here home alone with the kitties...

2. ...and a mouse. Yes, it's that time of year again, though about 2 months later than that time of year last year. Weird. And since I heard the mouse eating the stuff in the bait (don't judge, please, I've struggled with that decision enough), which may or may not still be effective, the pest control people won't come til Monday.

3. It's definitely Spring here. I need to change my blog header away from those snowflakes. Especially since they say "winter 2011."

4. Umm, I think that's about it. Which is why I probably didn't bother blogging earlier in the week.

Come back tomorrow for Six Word Saturday!

Friday Fragmented Gratitude

Thankful for friends. You guys are the best.

Thankful to be (hopefully?) coming out of the funk that has gripped me the past day or so. It came on suddenly and I think it's departing quickly as well.

Thankful that we made the right decision, even if it was a tough decision - he turned the job offer down. We're both grieving a bit for what we thought was going to happen but we're thankful that he is still employed and that we're doing fine.

Thankful it's Friday.

Thankful for so many little things, including the fact that the sun is shining today. My spirit needed that brightness.

Thankful this is my blog and nobody expects me to make a whole lot of sense.

Patience

I'm grateful for patience.

Hahaha, don't you know me at all? There's no patience here. There's also no focus.

Friday!

Sometimes, it's enough just to be thankful that it's Friday, right?

I hope so, because my Friday is a busy one (of my choosing) and I got off to a late start so that's all you're getting for a post today!

All Heathers Are Equal

I should probably post about the trip to San Francisco but here's the highlights: the weather was amazing, Joe finished his half-marathon at a slower pace than desired, and we took a redeye home Sunday night.

You know how you reach that point that you're so exhausted it's like being drunk? Suddenly everything is hilarious. That was us Sunday night (as evidenced by my Twitter stream). Our hearing was adversely affected as well, causing us to be sure they were paging "Wolfgang Puck" over the PA system. Then the gate next to us was insistently calling for "Pig Pig" to come see the gate agent immediately. Oh, the laughs we had over Pig Pig. We even ate bacon the next morning in Pig Pig's honor.

Around 10:30am we made it home to our undisclosed location. We unpacked, started laundry, and took a much-needed four hour nap. Feeling refreshed but still owchy from running/walking/airplane sleeping, we headed off to massage appointments. Booking massages for that afternoon may have been the smartest decision we made regarding the entire trip. Since Joe had run the big race, I made sure his appointment was with his favorite massage therapist, Heather. Heather Harrell, specifically, as there are two Heathers in this location.

When some random chick came and called for Joe, he looked around the room for another Joe. This wasn't his Heather. Was it the sleep deprivation causing the confusion? Had we landed in some alternate reality? Who was this woman?

It turns out his Heather has left this location. Rather than let the customers know, they just moved all of her appointments to the other Heather, resulting in a lot of confusion. Did they think people wouldn't notice? (Actually, the night before, we may not have noticed.) Also, how much must it suck to go into every appointment saying "Sorry I'm the wrong Heather." Talk about an inferiority complex...

Also, all Heathers are sadly NOT equal. This one wasn't nearly as awesome as his Heather. It wasn't that she was bad, she just wasn't great. Bummer.

But, there was of course a bright side, according to Joe. "At least she wasn't Pig Pig." Being the wrong Heather beats being Pig Pig in all situations.

P.S. Yeah, I just barfed up this blog post. But I wanted to get back into the groove of posting so there ya go.

Meet Lila

I've been remiss in introducing you to my new BFF. Friends, meet Lila.



Lila replaces my first smartphone, Gwen. A moment of silence for Gwen because she was a very faithful companion. I had very few issues, which I thank her for, considering Joe's Blackberry was a complete piece o' crap.

But, Lila... She's so shiny and new! Lila is a Droid2 Global. Aka: the Google phone. Know who's Google's slave? This girl! It was just meant to be. She's so much faster and easier to use. I can actually browse and go through my rss feeds in a reasonable amount of time.

Why didn't I get an iPhone? Besides the whole Google-owns-my-soul thing? I can't run amok internationally with the iPhone (at least not from Verizon - and I'm quite happy with their service). And since Joe can't sit his booty still and has also taken on some new international job duties, I don't want to be without my phone if/when we travel abroad.

Oh, and her name: Lila is in a purple case. Purple = lilacs. Lilacs = this time of year. Plus, Twitter liked Lila. Very scientific.

So, anyways, that's the biggest happy in my life right now. Maybe it seems a bit sad that I'm so excited over a phone, but I try to take my happy wherever I can find it.

Odds and Ends from Texas

We had so many experiences in Texas and not all of them are enough for their own post so let's tidy up those loose ends here.

1. You haven't lived until you've heard a six year old randomly sing "Crazy Train" - Ozzy Osbourne tunes should be a staple for all breakfasts.
2. Despite considering ourselves experienced travelers, we did not pack a single piece of clothing with long sleeves. We had one day in Austin with rain, wind, and a high temp of 52. Lesson learned.
3. I have discovered my hidden talent for dodging flying ketchup.
4. A good sign that I'm among my kind of people? A nice long discussion about books that ended with the generous gifting of three books I can't wait to dig into! And not a sci-fi in the batch.
5. iPads make great flashlights.
6. Some people (and kids) are exactly the same in person as they are online.
7. I learned that the reason some ice cream is better than others is because of "fresh cows". As in - "of course the ice cream is amazing, they have all those fresh cows right in the field out back!" And this gem came from one of the adults. Love it!
8. Kids will insist that they love tobacco sauce, even once you explain that they probably mean tabasco.

It really was a great trip. Joe's family was very welcoming and put me immediately at ease (no simple task!). The friends I met up with were lovely and not axe-murderers. And Austin and Houston both moved up on our list of cities we would be comfortable relocating to if a work opportunity should present itself.

Next week, I'll start sharing some stories about last weekend's trip to visit our families in NY. And then, I'm refusing to leave the house until at least August.

I'm Back!

Oh, blog and bloggy friends, how I have missed you!!! I've returned from an amazing trip to Texas and I have so many adventures to share. Pages and pages of notes for random crap inspired stories.

Just give me a chance to catch my breath and I promise lots of new posts next week. Maybe one tomorrow. Plus, technically today is First Fursday and it's possible that the fur-freaks have queued up a post while I was away.

So glad to be back!

P.S. REWARD OFFERED! If anyone caught the description and/or plate number of the allergy truck that ran me over in the Houston airport yesterday, I will send you seven hundred forty-six MEELION dollars all the cat hair you can eat.

P.P.S. A girl goes away for a few days and Blogger changes stuff. Why are my labels on the left? What's this "location" thing? My location is undisclosed, psychos!

P.P.P.S. Anyone know where I can buy a kid-sized pink or purple bandana?

P.P.P.P.S To the person who left a comment about grabbing a drink in Houston: I just saw your message now. Dammit!

Why No Jorts?

Recently it came to my attention that adults should not wear jean shorts. It's a fashion "don't" according to, well, someone.

Maybe it's because I grew up in the sticks but I really didn't realize this until I was in my 30s. In fact, I have two pair of denim shorts in my wardrobe now. Are these all of a sudden evil? Should I burn them, like the great bra burnings of the 60s and 70s? Does it matter what cut or color or who is wearing them? Are there ever acceptable situations for wearing jean shorts?

If they're so forbidden, someone needs to tell the retailers. Gap, Old Navy, American Eagle. Even "designer" brands like 7 For All Mankind and True Religion offer jean shorts.

What if they're stolen? Does that make a difference?

So leave a comment and tell me - do YOU wear jean shorts? Is this just some thing I've missed in my sheltered upbringing? Help keep me from embarrassing myself. At least on this issue - I'm sure I can embarrass myself in many other ways and I won't hold you responsible. That's just too much to ask of anyone when I'm so creative at it.

This Book Stinks

No, really, it does. I first discovered the Kinsey Millhone (A is for Alibi) series back in college. And since I was poor, I often bought the books on Ebay. I don't own the entire collection since I picked up a few at the local library.

However, I own "I is for Innocent". I'm sure it was an Ebay purchase. And I'm sure I never read this physical copy of the book (it was probably part of a lot sale) because ugh. It stinks. Literally. By which I actually mean literally as opposed to people who say literally and have no idea what that means. The book smells awful. It's also very yellow. And the pages are falling out as I read it.

So while the story may be fine, the book stinks. My hands also stink after I spend time reading it. This is why I super-value items that come from a non-smoking home. Yuck.

Also, if YOU value items from a non-smoking home, come to my undisclosed location tomorrow to buy my junk. Seems the lady in the neighborhood that offered to place the ads decided to completely disregard the whole "Saturday, with a rain date of Sunday" thing. Instead she placed them all as "Saturday, rain or shine!" because turns out she's not available on Sunday. I'm tempted to earn the reputation of "Neighbor Who Punches Stupid People In The Face." This is why I'm a control-freak and I insist on doing everything myself.

And now, I'm off to plug my nose and read my book, even though it stinks.

I Should Shush

Trying something new today. Some heavy things on my mind so I'm just going to let them flow in hopes that it will be therapeutic.

Sometimes I talk too much. I share too much. I'm the kind of person who holds things in for far too long and then it all comes whooshing out - including all related issues or non-related issues. Sometimes it's because I just can't hold it in anymore. Sometimes it's because I feel like the right thing to do is to share myself.

Often, the more you don't talk, the more I do talk. "We each fill the silence with our own insecurities." (That's from a short-lived but brilliant show called Keen Eddie.) I certainly fill the silence with mine.

I keep talking, hoping something will trigger a response. Some reassurance. Questions. Even an objection.

Silence.

When it's over, instead of feeling good for opening up and making myself vulnerable, I worry that you now see me as a burden. Weak. Worse yet, crazy.

And that's why I stay so locked up inside my own head. Because every time I start to feel a bit of self-confidence and I want to own who I am, I regret it later. Rather than feeling empowered, I feel ashamed and wish I could take it all back.

I don't know how to change the way I feel about that. I don't know if it's ME that needs to change how I feel about that. But the one thing I do know is that I'm doing the right things now for me, and I'm going to keep doing them.

P.S. Alanis Morissette might consider this post ironic - free flow babble about how I talk too much. I've been told though that most of the things she calls ironic aren't actually ironic. Also? I don't think Alanis Morissette cares about this post.

Dramatic Ending

I think everything in life should have a dramatic ending. Like a pointy-pose, or jazz hands, or a withering (fake) death. Or firetrucks!

Yesterday, I went to the gym for the first time since before starting physical therapy for my back. I started with the treadmill, then my PT exercises as adapted for the fancy gym machines, then some time on the elliptical. For my big ending, I decided to do another 15 minutes of walking on the treadmill.

Just as I set up the treadmill, there were blinky lights and sirens around the workout room. It's possible I've been watching too much Let's Make a Deal because my first thought was that someone had won something. Oooh, maybe *I* had won something for having such a great first workout back! I popped off my headphones and waited for someone to come my way with a big check and balloons, only to hear the PA system announce that this was an emergency and everyone needed to calmly proceed to the nearest exit immediately.

(A quick note - aren't "calmly" and "immediately" a bit contradictory? Yeah, I thought so too.)

I stood outside for a bit before the manager told us that firetrucks were on the way and we could not re-enter the building until they had arrived and cleared it.

At that point, I figured firetrucks were a perfect dramatic ending for my first workout back at the gym, so I hopped in my car to head home. And as I pulled to the curb while the firetruck came blasting through from the other direction, I may have even done some jazz hands.

Day #1 of Blogging with Discipline

You can probably tell because it's so late in the day that this new daily blogging thing isn't going so well. I had planned to write last night, after I finished my second session of PT for the day. However, a freak resistance band accident meant going to bed earlier than anticipated. You know how much it hurts when you're snapped with a rubber band? Imagine a 4 ft rubber band. And it snaps you right in the forehead. You'd cry and go to bed early too!

This morning, I had my PT appointment and she feels I've improved enough to start using weight machines. That's good, right? Except since I practically knocked myself unconscious using a resistance band last night, I'm not sure how brilliant it is to let me work on heavy machinery.

So this weekend, I'll start a new routine that involves daily trips to the gym for PT and some cardio. It might help me add a bit more structure to my day. It might help with the blogging. It might result in permanent injury and/or disfigurement. Stay tuned?

Working Out Our Demons

Ever notice how much "exercise" and "exorcise" look and sound the same? I've decided this is not a coincidence. In fact, I've taken to "exorcising" on a regular basis.

My husband is a runner. It's great stress relief for him and he says he does a lot of thinking while he's pounding the pavement. I've never reached a level of running that allows my thinking to move beyond "is it over yet? how much further?". Usually it's a rhythmic "hate. this. hate. this" as each foot hits the ground.

Still, I find exercising to be a great distraction when I'm feeling troubled. Whether doing something that takes concentration, like working out along with a game on the Wii, or zoning out while on the recumbent bike or elliptical, I usually do the opposite of thinking. Since it's the thinking that most often gets me into trouble and brings on panic attacks, this is a good thing.

Just another example of how my husband and I are very different people. And yet, in the end, we're both exorcising while exercising.

P.S. Yesterday was PT session #2 for my back and I've been told I have to limit my exorcising to the recumbent bike and assigned exercises. I'm bummed not to be able to do the dancing and EActive2 program on the Wii but at least I can still burn calories.

Catching Up

I was supposed to be catching up on some of these #reverb10 posts. Except then I remembered how fun it was to just write a post without any prompts. It feels wild and free. Kinda crazy and reckless.

And then I realized that I have some pretty serious issues if that's my idea of living on the edge.

Here's edgy for you - Christmas shopping? Not so much. Yeah, today is the 13th and I still have barely touched my Christmas shopping. Gramma, niece, and nephew are done. Parents, bro, SIL, sis, BIL, husband? Nope. I should probably think about doing that.

I suppose I'll also think about those #reverb10 prompts.

Day #7 Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? - Cali Harris (@caligater)

One place I've definitely discovered community is here, and on Twitter. You've all been a tremendous support to me. And this is the part where I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over with these prompts. Could I thank you or write about leaving my job just ONE MORE TIME?!?!? Ugh, I bore myself.

Anyways, I've started referring to my Twitter pals as "Twitches". This confused Joe until I explained that's just a shortened, more polite form of "Twitter Bitches". Yeah, you're welcome.

I can't answer about 2011 because that's another post for another blog on another day - but I do have plans.

Day #8 Prompt: Beautifully different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different - you'll find they're what make you beautiful. - Karen Walrond (@chookooloonks)

I think I'm different in many ways, though it's sometimes hard to see them as beautiful differences. Because I grew up in such a sheltered environment, I try to look at the world with a sense of openness. One of my favorite things to say is that "different doesn't automatically mean wrong" - and as much as I like to apply that to different cultures, religions, and daily practices (like driving on the left-hand side of the road), I suppose it also applies to the idea of "Beautifully Different" - different doesn't automatically mean wrong. We should all work to remember that.

Day #9 Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. - Shauna Reid (@shauna)

I'm not a very social person. Large crowds tend to make me uncomfortable. Therefore, I suppose I didn't do much partying this year. Probably this is one of those areas I should manifest for next year.

Also, coming soon, I'll be manifesting some better blog posts. Because these aren't doing much for me, which means I'm sure they're not doing much for you. Final final on Thursday - almost there!

My Dearest Gwen

I'm thankful for... Gwen, my Blackberry.

Recently, I sent Joe a text that was supposed to say: highway bad both dirs. Gwen so helpfully corrected it to highway bad both firs.

Why am I thankful? Because Gwen is not a total skankwhore like iPhones. I've seen what their autocorrect does. Frankly, it's disgusting and juvenile and I laughed so hard I scared the cat I was NOT amused.

P.S. Also not amusing? When I wrote this post, last night, the Damn You Autocorrect site wasn't working. So, another fail.

You Asked, I Answer

According to an email I received last week, I have 3 unanswered questions on Formspring. Awesome! Except I don't remember signing up for Formspring. Is it just a trap? Who knows. But in case I did and I don't remember and you asked me these really important questions, I'm going to answer them now.

What was your favorite year?

1998. Because I left my parents' home forever married Joe.

Who inspires you the most?

I think my boss, The Drama Llama, inspires me the most. He inspires me to further my education and to move forward in my career. Mainly so I don't have to keep working for clowns like him.

If you could taste only one flavor for the rest of your life what would you want that flavor to be.

Technically this is not a question because there is no question mark at the end. That means I don't have to answer it. But I will anyways because I'm awesome like that. Mint. No, peanut butter. Chocolate? I think I'll go with pizza.

If you have any questions for me, apparently you can ask them by going here. And in nine months or so, I might answer them. Or not.

New Friends Thanks to Social Networking

Over the years, I've met a lot of people online that I now consider to be close friends. Some I've met through chat rooms, others through message boards, more recently blogging and Twitter. It's only in the past few years that they've started calling it "social networking" and it's suddenly the "in" thing.

So this weekend, I signed up for a new site. They viciously hacked conveniently accessed my email contacts so I could become "friends" with other users on the site. These connections are then confirmed by email that states "you are now friends with...".

Now, first of all, that's kinda not accurate, is it? NOW I'm friends with them? No, I was friends with them before. Otherwise you wouldn't have set up the connection.

My favorite notification is when I get messages that "you are now friends with Joe McPuncherFace". As in my husband. When I mentioned to him that it's kind of funny to now be friends with him, he only scoffed. "We're married - being friends has nothing to do with it."

Umm, haha? I think?