I have often failed at new year’s resolutions and I think I know why. I make a list that is lengthy and detailed and overwhelming. So this year, I am resolving to have fewer and less detailed and reasonably obtainable goals. I am resolving to do things I love and that make me happy. What are you resolutions?
Tag Archives: lists
Fresh Start
Dearest Blog,
I know I have been spotty in keeping you up to date with what’s been going on with me. And mostly just downright absent. And I have actually been doing all kinds of things behind your back. Some fun, some necessary, some boring, some sucky and to sum it all up, life. I have been living my life without you. And at first it was because I thought I didn’t have time. Then I thought that maybe it was just for the best. Like the way some friendships go. At first, you’re hanging out all the time, then things come up and hanging out doesn’t happen as often. After awhile, you are just cordial and nod or wave hello, but don’t really hang out anymore. I thought I would be ok with that because I was “busy.”
But then I started to miss you. I was doing all these things I wanted to share with you but I thought for sure you would be mad at me and wouldn’t want to hear them. You would probably pretend to be interested in what I had to say, but when I wasn’t looking, you would totally talk about me behind my back with your other little blog friends and say really mean things about me.
And then I remembered. You’re a fucking blog. And in my country, I blog you.
So, in a nutshell, here’s what’s been going on while I was ignoring you (not necessarily in this order)
- My workaholic tendencies got the better of me. To the point where I almost never go out if it isn’t work related.
- I’ve been traveling more for work so when I’m home, I rarely go out if it isn’t work related.
- I got depressed.
- I got diagnosed with SAD.
- This is something I have suffered from basically ever since I moved to the States but the last few years have been the worse and I finally sought professional help. I shouldn’t have waited so long.
- I was prescribed a light boxfor SAD by my therapist as an alternative to taking medication. It worked.
- Note: You do not need an actual prescription to buy a light box, but you should talk to a professional before investing in one. If you don’t use it properly, it will not help you.
- I got better (That light box saved me from going to jail. I’m just saying.)
- My diet and exercise went to shit. I gained a lot of unwanted weight. (See: Travel. Workaholic. SAD.)
- I learned how to use my DSLR.
- We re-did the floors (bamboo) in the house and painted out living/dining room combo BRIGHT ASS GREEN (Awakening by Valspar). It’s awesome.
New Floors/Paint
- B finally recognized and accepted the size of his bald spot and shaved his head.
- B and I made it to FIVE YEARS OF MARRIAGE (to be sung in the manner of FIIIIVE GOOOOOLD RIIIIIIIINGS!!!!!!)
- We went to Vegas and celebrated our anniversary by renewing our vows. And finally going on our honeymoon. It was awesome.
- Note to self: Order photos of vow renewal.
- I took a bunch of pictures while we were in Vegas.
Bellagio Conservatory
You can see the rest of the set here.
- I haven’t been knitting, spinning or weaving like I intended (See: Workaholic. Depression.)
- Got my second tattoo for my 34th birthday. (It only took me 13 years to decide what I wanted after my first one.)
Doctor Who Represent!
- I’m planning my third tattoo. It’s knitting related. That’s all I’m saying until it’s done. (No more spoilers.)
- I’ve started working out several times. After a few false starts, I’m feel like I’m on my way to being back on track.
- We’re once again revamping our eating habits (always a work in progress).
- I’m knitting more. I almost have a finished project! It has only taken me…um…most of the year to knit it. (I think I’ve already covered why. See above.)
- Developed and nurtured a nail polish addiction. Last night I realized that I know own nail polish that I haven’t even worn yet.
I’m sure I’m forgetting some stuff, but that is the beauty of having you. I can always come back and tell you more.
And blog? I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long. This feels so good. I don’t know why I ever stopped. We should do this again. Soon.
XOXO,
lilMDP
Things I Will Do to Get Out of Hanging Up Laundry
- Move furniture
- Pull up carpeting
- Pull up carpet pad
- Remove carpet tack from subflooring
- Remove staples from subflooring
- Paint a bedroom
UPDATED: Lay down bamboo flooring.
Random List: Halloween Edition
- It turns out that if I stay up past 2 am, get up and drink a cup of coffee between the hours of 11 am and 1 pm, I will, in fact, stay up past 3 am the following night. I don’t know if this makes me old or awesome.
- I’m going with awesome.
- Except for the part where I had to go to work on 3 hours sleep.
- Which, for the record, I can still do. Mostly well.
- This also reinforces my decision to NOT drink coffee after my initial morning cup. Which happens to be a lot of espresso.
- Specifically, I drink the equivalent of 6 – 8 shots of espresso every morning.
- OK, maybe that isn’t exactly specific.
- Have I mentioned I’m working on 3 hours of sleep?
- The older I get, the less I give a shit which exponentially increases my level of having fun.
- Next year I will come up with a contingency Halloween costume more than 4 days in advance of going out for Halloween.
- Coincidentally, I love next day free shipping.
- Contingency plans are key in life.
- I may or may not be pretending to not be home to avoid handing out candy because I don’t feel like wearing pants.
- I still love candy corn.
- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Reflections
I know this post may seem late as most people have posted their resolutions for the near year, well, at the beginning of the year. But my world has been so crazy, I’m just now getting around to writing them down. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting about last year and how I want to do this year differently. Last year was crazy and work took up most of my life. And I changed jobs in the last quarter of last year, too. But between my old job and starting a new one, I found that the majority of my life was consumed by work. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but all work and no play makes for a dull girl. And blog. And well, life. So here’s what I’ve reflected that I need to change and be better about this year:
- Spending more time with friends in real life. Seriously I have become rather narrowly focused on work and home lately. Well, maybe more than lately. But to the point is that I never see my friends anymore. So I’m working hard on getting out of the house at least once a week for something other than work that puts me in the path of a friend or two. And not just for the big things like SAFF and Stitches South where I see my tribe. Don’t get me wrong, I love that time. But I think there is more to life than just the major fiber arts gatherings. Or so I hear. I’m trying it out and so far, so good.
- Spending more time doing the things I like. Like knitting. And spinning. Dyeing yarn and fiber. Taking pictures. Sometimes I get too bogged down with the “have to dos” and miss out completely on the “enjoy doing” and “want to dos” to the detriment of the things I enjoy and that actually help me de-stress. And things like Operation Knit from the Stash won’t happen if I don’t, you know, knit.
- Not feeling guilty or thinking it isn’t important to take care of and even pamper myself.
This year is about *making* time to do the things that are important to me. And honestly? that’s about it. I’m keeping it simple. I want to keep it simple and set myself up for success. And to that end, I’m spending the rest of my evening like this:
Top Five
The other night I got to wondering if David Tennant was gay or straight because, well, he’s hot and he strikes me as someone who could go either way. So I googled him. I really don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner. But whatever. I was probably more than a little excited to learn that he’s been reported to date women. Because, you know, that means I *totally* have a chance with him. What with him living on another continent and me being married. And stuff. Anyway, it resulted in this conversation with B.
Me: Oh, David Tennant dates women. Sweet!
B: Does that mean he’s on your list?
Me: YEAH. At the top of it! I mean, you’re my number one…but.
B: He’s on your celebrity list. I get it. We’re cool.
Me: But you’re at the top of any list. You know that, right?
B: Awwww.
Five minutes later.
Me: Hahahaha! Listen to this tweet Wil Wheaton wrote! He’s so funny.
B: You’re such a geek.
Me: Takes one to know one!
B: OK. How about this? If you had to choose between Wil Wheaton and David Tennant, who would you pick?
Me: Oh, David Tennant. No question about it. Wil Wheaton…I would want hang out with him and play video games and drink beer. Or Cider. Anyway, I’d want him to be my geeky BFF. But I don’t want to have sex with him.
B: Is that so?
Me: Yes. It is. Besides, I would totally want David Tennant to sonic me.
B: I don’t even want to know what that means.
So that got me to thinking. Who are my top five? Are there even five? Let’s see.
- David Tennant
- Ryan Reynolds
- Your Mom (No, not really. That would just be creepy. I’m just having a hard time thinking of any other celebrities to put on this list. Besides, is your mom even a celebrity? Or a guy? I didn’t think so.)
- Captain Jack Harkness (of Torchwood not Captain Jack from Pirates of the Caribbean. I like Johnny Depp, but not like that.) (And no, not John Barrowman. I have the hots for Captain Jack. In order for this fantasy to work, he would have to wear the time vortex manipulator and the coat.)
- James Marsters
- Gerard Butler
Wow. That was harder to come up with than I thought.
So, do you have a top five? And if so, who made the cut?
Tuesdays Are for Lists
- I am borrowing a page from the Yarn Harlot: Tuesdays are (also) for spinning. Tonight I have finished winding off several bobbins and have a nice big fat pile of yarn and no picture to prove my efforts. Maybe later. I also started plying some gorgeous Gale’s BFL that I spun up shortly after I got back from SAFF. I’m hoping I have enough for a pair of socks. Fingers crossed!
- If I have enough hands-on from my Gale’s BFL, then that very well may be one of my projects. Maybe I’ll make it February’s.
- My first project to finish for January (which I’m totally cheating by having already started back on it) will be my Stardust (Rav link).I’ve got the back and the left front done. I’ve started the right front only to realize that I forgot to knit the second tie. I’ll have to remedy that tomorrow.
- I’m thinking about being overly ambitious in also finishing a spinning project each month. Though, if Tuesdays are for spinning then this shouldn’t be too difficult. Right?
- I still really want a loom.
- I have an irrational fear of my sewing machine. I need a good “get over your fear of sewing” book. Or maybe I should take a class. I want to sew, I’m just scared to because…well, I guess I’m afraid of sucking at it. And also because I don’t think I know enough about my sewing machine to really feel comfortable with it.
- I should get over being afraid of my sewing machine.
- Knowledge is power!
Random Tangents
- B made these huge, kick ass burgers last night. I ate mine today for lunch. Turns out? It was too much meat. Now it’s sitting heavy on me and I am not amused.
- SAFF is coming! And I am ridiculously excited by all the upcoming yarn and roving fondling and meeting back up with my fiber tribe.
- Back in 2008, I bought a 6# fleece that came from a Lincoln Longwool named Janna. This year, I finally got it to my friends Jen & Jared at Fleury Sheep & Wool to process into roving. They tell me it’s beautiful and I got a yield of 4# back. FOUR POUNDS. I am beside myself and can’t wait for it to get here. Before and after pictures when I get it. Promise.
- BAD Boy joined Boy Scouts this year. There is camping involved. I’m going to give camping in the woods a second shot. Hopefully it will be better in September than Alabama than it was in October in Asheville, NC. I’m looking at you, Elizabeth. I am more of a beach and desert camper. There are too many creepy crawlies in the woods. But it’s just for one night. I can do this, right? RIGHT?
- Whenever I get writers block on the blog, but really want to post, I end up tweaking the blog. Sometimes, if it’s really bad, I’ll completely redo my layout. Luckily, this time it was just tweaking. I’m really happy with this template.
- Charlie gravitates towards Kong toys. This is both good and bad. Good because I know what he likes. Bad because they’re not cheap. Good because they last a long time.
- The cats are indifferent to this unless there is still a little peanut butter left on the Kong cone chew toy.
- This blog post is done because it’s time to go flip the laundry. It always comes down to the laundry, doesn’t it?
Don't Judge Me, Monkey!
First of all, I really really really hate the word staycation. It doesn’t really make it any better that you’re too cheap or poor to go somewhere else.
Second of all, all you’re really doing is sitting around your house in your unders eating junk food and pretending you’re not really home. Or maybe that’s just me. But, it’s not all bad. Really. It’s mostly good.
See?
Pros
- Housekeeping does not wake you up to make the bed you’re still in
- You can wander around in your undies and no one looks at you weird. Except maybe the cats.
- You know where all the good places to eat are
- You’re free to pursue your hobbies uninterrupted (this, of course, only works if you’re vacationing at home alone)
- Lots and lots of knitting.
- No hidden fees
Cons
- No nightly turn down service or mint/chocolate on your pillow unless you do it yourself
- Room service really sucks.
- House work. It’s still there. Not getting done. Staring at you.
- Like the laundry. Just staring and growing
There are way more pros than cons.
But that last con is a doozy. Because you’re all, “Listen up chores that I’m not doing! I’M ON VACATION. I DON’T HAVE TO DO YOU!” (not in the biblical sense, you perv) And then all those chores? They just sit there and judge you. Silently judging. JUDGE. JUDGE. JUDGE. And then the cats get in on it. They’re judging you too. Well, if we’re honest about it, cats are ALWAYS judging you no matter what you’re doing.
But Laundry is the worst because not only is it judging you, IT’S GROWING. EXPONENTIALLY. Which, when you think about it, is really odd because you’re wandering around the house in nothing but your undies. So where is all that laundry coming from? Gnomes? Aliens? The cats? I mean, if you let them, Chloe and Chelsea will spend a ridiculous amount of time in my closet. They’re probably playing dress up when I’m not looking and then throwing the clothes on the dirty clothes pile. Jerks.
Maybe I should just suck it up and do the laundry already?
Workout Tips
After a long hiatus (read: being a lazy ass for WAY too long) from working out, I’ve discovered and/or rediscovered a few things about getting back into working out and I thought I would share them with you.
- Utilizing the free services your gym offers to help you set goals and introduce or re-introduce you to the machines is a good idea and helps you feel less awkward in a new surrounding.
- Enthusiasm for your exercise regimen is good.
- Thinking that you are back up to your previous strength/ability prior to your workout free hiatus after 2 weeks of going to the gym is stupid. And dangerous.
- If the most you’ve done is walk on a treadmill at a 1.0 % incline at about 3.0 miles per hour for a week IF you even bothered to get on a treadmill, then choosing a hilly program and running at 5.0 miles per hour and up to a 15% incline the following week is probably not a good idea.
- Slowing back down to a 1.5% incline and 3.5 miles per hour is a great idea.
- Also, if you are prone to exercise induced asthma and have to use your inhaler again AFTER your cardio workout, then the second part of step 3 was DEFINITELY a bad idea.
- Working out with a buddy is good. It helps reduce workout burnout and helps keep you accountable.
- Music can be a mighty motivator when you’re working out whether it is cardio or weights and can make your workout fly by.
- There is no better high than an endorphin rush from working out.
It also doesn’t hurt to update your workout wardrobe. Wicking shirt and pants/short are like manna from heaven if you’re a heavy sweater. Not to mention, it helps you get into the right frame of mind. Or at least it does for me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go create a few different workout playlists for my iPod.
