Thursday, January 31, 2013

TRUTH


My calendar

This is what a typical week looks like for me.  NO WONDER I can't seem to get caught up and I am mentally exhausted every damn day.  That's what happens when you go from one meeting to the next, to the next.  I had an hour to spare on my calendar today and I used it to take a SHOWER.


What Not to Say to a Working Mom

A friend shared this article today and it could not be any more SPOT ON.  My favorite highlight:

I'd give anything to get away from my kids for an entire day.
If you really mean it, I'm happy to help you polish your resume. You can be away from your kids all day, every day! Of course, along with that "freedom" you'll feel guilty about being away from them and will wonder if they're ok because they're home with a babysitter or in day care. Going to work every morning and waving to my kid from the upstairs bathroom window isn't a spa day. It's sort of like doing a triathalon. You start each day with a morning plunge into icy water, getting everyone to school/work then do an an eight-hour bike ride, all topped off with a half-marathon of dinner, homework, baths and bedtime. During your bike ride not only will you be expected to pedal hard, you'll also have to take phone calls from the school, the babysitter, and the doctor, respond to birthday party invitations, take a quick side trip to grab supplies for an art project, order groceries and a new pair of jeans and remember to return library books because it all needs to get done RIGHT NOW.  If you're lucky there's some leftover wine in the fridge.

If you want to check out the entire article. do so here.

So...

I'm breaking down and buying two more pairs of jeans.  I don't WANT to because I really truly don't want to be the size that I am, but I am really getting tired of wearing the same pair of jeans and a collection of sweatpants/yoga pants every day.  Losing weight is HARD y'all.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

TRUTH


True Confession Tuesday

The thought of eating anything healthy right now almost made me gag so I decided that 2:38pm on a Tuesday was the perfect time to make jalapeno poppers and bagel bites.  Don't judge me.

Song lyrics of the day

And even though I feel so lonely
Like I have never been before
You never said it would be EASY
But you said you'd see me through the storm...

-"He will carry me"  Mark Schultz

Monday, January 28, 2013

Song lyrics of the day

The lonesome Texas sun was setting low.
And in the rear-view mirror I watched it go.
I can still see the wind in her golden hair.
I close my eyes for a moment I'm still there.

The bluest eyes in Texas
Are haunting me tonight.
Like the stars that fill the midnight sky.
Her memory fills my mind.
Where did I go wrong?
Did I wait too long?
Or can I make it right?
The bluest eyes in Texas
Are haunting me tonight.

- "The Bluest Eyes in Texas"  Restless Heart

Thought for the day


A little (dirty) humor

Warning - not safe for work!

Why Grad School is like Anal Sex

By: Jessica Christie


Before you begin you think, can I do this? Do I want to do this? Will it be very hard? Will be be too hard? Will I have room for this? And then you start and you think oh this isn't too bad, I can totally do this. Then half way through you think, no way. I don't like it. I want to stop. It's just too painful...and then you get in a rhythm and you think oh I remember how to do this. I totally used to do this when I was in my 20's. So you suck it up and do work. Then you cum...I mean get a super satifying A. Wait no grad school is not like anal sex.


*Not only was this completely spot on, it was hilarious!  Thanks Jess!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

fact.

I will not ever in my lifetime use this shit I'm learning right now in my managerial economics class.

AND I KNOW IT.

And that's why I'm so frustrated.  I have wasted two solid days on this crap and it's only worth 200 points in the grander scheme of things. 

Brace Yourselves


*For the record, I really love the rivalry with NCSU, but this was WAY too funny not to post it! 
*#goodjobwolfpack

Confession

So I have this "study playlist" that I listen to when I'm typing papers, studying for class, basically anything when I need some background noise and singing along with Bon Jovi or Usher doesn't work that well.  You can find my beloved playlist here.

Well I've begun to notice that my playlist is no longer background music as I find it impossible to listen to several of the songs without stopping what I'm doing completely and enjoying the music.  I swear I think I have ADD some days.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Brrrrrrrrr...

It's cold as shit here today in North Carolina.  Yes I am southern and NO I don't like cold weather.  I don't care if I'm baking on the beach and sweating like a sinner in church, I cannot stand the cold.  But since the weather man was calling for snow and a "wintry mix" today, I did what any crazy Southerner would do...  I went straight to the grocery store. 

I know what you're thinking:  grab some milk!  don't forget the bread!    Oh no my friends.  I took things up a notch and bought all of the supplies I would need to make a huge crock pot full of baked potato soup.  Yummm.

While at the Harris Teeter, I witnessed this:

26 degrees...
Winter coat?  Check.
Uggs?  Check.
Pants?  Aww.. dammit.

Having fought with the crazies preparing for SnowMageddon 2013, I got back in my car to brave the precipitation now falling steadily.

 It was scary out there!  And for the record, I was going about 10 mph so hush your mouth with the "don't drive and take pictures" comments.

This was the extent of what we got.  Just enough to piss off my dogs when they had to go outside to pee.  We had a great time watching the dogs skating across the sheet of ice on the patio.

Looks like we actually dodged the bullet.  Be careful up there, friends to the North!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Song Lyrics of the Day

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

-"Africa", Toto


*side note - this is one of my favorite songs EVER.  I've been singing the lyrics wrong my whole life.  Blessed?  I thought it was "I miss the rains down in Africa."  When I listened to it again, sure enough.  Blessed. Well shit.

HOLY SHIT

I almost fell down the last 8 stairs in my house.  The TRX workout I did today was mostly lower body and my legs are SCREAMING.  Whoa.

But I won't do that

Thursday edition of getting caught singing when you THINK you're the only one home:

I'd Do Anything for Love (But I won't Do that) - Meatloaf

Whoa those are bright


How awesome are my new running shoes?  Be warned, you need sunglasses to look at them!  The color reminds me of a highlighter.  Or a tennis ball.  Whoa those are bright.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Bryan Adams : a review

First of all, I need to thank my awesome friend Leah Greenwood for buying tickets and taking me to see Bryan Adams last night.  I have seen him in concert once before and he was awesome, and this show was definitely on par with my expectations.

Here we are before the show started.  We were some of the youngest folks there, which was a bit scary at first.  Little did we know this was going to be a mellow, sit-down-and-just-listen kind of concert.


Bryan Adams was great.  He played so many songs I had forgotten about.  The tour was called the Bare Bones Tour, and that pretty much summed it up.  Bryan, a guitar and on certain songs he brought out his piano player.  I have to tell you, there is NOTHING like live music to rekindle your desire to want to learn to play.  I got fired up all over again to learn piano.  And now I can't wait to finish MBA school so that I have some time and mental capacity to devote to learning the guitar.

He sang the most beautiful version of Heaven last night.


After the show, we swung by this little dive bar called the Goat that I've been meaning to check out for a year or so now.  It was so much fun!  We even ran into Leah's friend Amber there.  Aren't we cute?


What a great night with great company.  THANK YOU LEAH!  Love you!

...trying to make like we don't care...

This is the ONLY song I wanted to hear last night.  This is the ONLY song he didn't play.  Bryan, my dear, you let me down!


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Working from home

I couldn't have said it better myself. 

Click here

Photo of the day


You don't get emails from the New Kids?  Sucks to be you!

Now the party don't start til I walk in...

Today's selection for "Being caught singing when you THINK you're the only one home":

Tik Tok by Ke$ha


(and I may or may not have been doing the dance moves from Just Dance 2 on the Wii)

Thursday, January 17, 2013

YES!!!

Another friend has joined the quest for wavy arms!  Welcome to the fun, AnnMarie!


I'm going back to Cali, Cali, Cali...

So I'm in San Diego today and tomorrow for some training for work, and I made my boss drive me to the ocean so that I could be a tourist.  :) 

This was the view from my room this morning:


Not too shabby right?  Here's what it looked like at the beach... totally calm and peaceful today:

Ahhhh...  serenity...

Hey wait, who's that tourist over there?
 Cheese!  (not the most flattering picture on earth, but hey, Steve was operating the camera)

We even managed to catch a beautiful sunset:

Oh California - you never cease to amaze me with your amazing weather and gorgeous ocean front. 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Happiness Project - thoughts for a new outlook

I was reading a blog post that I found when cruising around Pinterest tonight and I thought I would share some of the suggestions that came from The Happiness Project.  I am going to try out a few of these and see what happens.

1. Make your bed.
The book The Happiness Project, explains that this three minute task is one of the simplest habits you can adopt to positively impact your happiness.

(for the record, I started doing this a few weeks back, WITHOUT FAIL.  It's amazing how much different a room looks when the beds are made.   I even go around and make both the boys' beds (if they haven't already attempted it themselves)).

2. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude journal.
Before bed, simply jot down one happy memory from that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, “What was the best part of today?”) Reflection is an important part of happiness, and pausing to reflect on a positive event from each day cultivates gratitude. (An added bonus: Later, when your memory is defunct, you will already have all of your meaningful adventures recorded!) 

3. If you can’t get out of it, get into it.
This tip comes from The Happiness Project. I love the message: The dishes are not going to clean themselves, so you will do it, and you will like it! (Unless, of course, you can outsource this job, in which case I say: Nice work!) Otherwise, get into doing the dishes. Feel the soothing warm water on your hands. Enjoy the tickle of the tiny bubbles. Crank your favorite album at an unusually loud volume, do a couple fist-pumps while shouting “Can I get a hell yeah for the dishes? Hell! Yeah!” and pretend you love it.

(I already listen to music while I fold clothes, I think I will try this while loading the dishwasher.  Everybody loves an impromptu dance party!)

4. Before you get up each morning, set an intent for the day.
In The Art of Happiness, the Dali Lama says “”Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.” Wow. What a wise man. I tend to wake up with a strong visceral reaction that says, “Attention human beings: Be afraid of me before coffee. Be very afraid!” Setting a daily intent makes a huge difference. Your daily intent could be something like “be productive” or “enjoy today’s delicious moments” or it could be something more specific like “say thank you to my loved ones today.” But it should not be another “to do” item on your list.

5. Do small favors for your housemates, expecting nothing in return (not even a thank you!).
(That’s right, I said it: nothing!) Mow the lawn for your husband, but don’t expect him to pat you on the back. Make the bed for your wife, but don’t try to get bonus points for it. Take the trash out for your roommate, just because. The ability to cultivate strong, healthy relationships is one of the biggest contributors to health and happiness, but when you start to keep score, the benefit is lost. (No! It’s YOUR turn to clean up the dog poop!) It’s a well-known fact: When you do good, you feel good.

(I do this sort of thing for my husband when he's out of town.  No one likes to come back home and find that they have 2 loads of laundry waiting for them and no clean clothes.  Or the grass is waist high!) 

6. Call at least one friend or family member a day.
You can do this while you clean, while you make the bed, or while you walk the dog. Texts and emails do not count! Make an actual phone call to a loved one, just to chat and catch up. We humans are social beings and studies show that even when we don’t feel like it, even if we are naturally introverted, socializing with our loved ones makes us feel better.

(I pledge to start this ASAP.  What an amazing idea!)

 

Song lyrics of the day

Are you gonna take me home tonight?
Oh, down beside that red firelight;
Are you gonna let it all hang out?
Fat bottomed girls,
You make the rockin' world go round.

-"Fat bottomed girls"   QUEEN!



*I may or may not have been dancing around the house to this one while folding laundry this morning.  And for the record, you never hear songs about girls with flat butts.  Word.*

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Quotes from a dead president


True Confession Tuesday

I'm obsessed with "wavy arms'.  No really, I think anyone that has nice deltoids, biceps etc is just so super duper HOT.  It shows that you put a lot of work into looking good and taking care of your body.  You can keep the washboard abs, I'll take wavy arms anyday!

I know, I'm weird, but seriously... check out a person's biceps the next time you're out and about.

Some of my friends know of my obsession and love to indulge me from time to time.  I got a picture from a friend earlier today and it was literally just a flexed bicep.  It's like porn!

My friends are awesome

And just happen to know what to say exactly when I need to hear it.  Thanks Dani!


Monday, January 14, 2013

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Friday, January 11, 2013

Cause you, you’ve been on my mind


Cause you, you’ve been on my mind
And I wish you were here
Beside me tonight lying in this bed
Cause I, I’m just not the same
I walk down these streets; I swear I hear your name
But it’s just in my head
I wish you were in my arms instead



Song lyrics of the day

We belong together
And you know that I'm right
Why do you play with my heart?
Why do you play with my mind?

Said we'd be forever, said it'd never die
How could you love me and leave me
And never say good-bye?

When I can't sleep at night without holding you tight
Girl, each time I try I just break down and cry
Pain in my head oh I'd rather be dead
Spinning around and around

Although we've come to the end of the road
Still I can't let you go
It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you
Come to the end of the road
Still I can't let you go
It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you

- "End of the Road"  Boyz II Men

(#ThrowbackThursday!)

Five for Friday

1.  My husband just found out that he's going to be able to work from home more frequently.  Which means we really truly might be able to move to the coast... and soon!  YAY!!

2.  I still haven't put my Christmas stuff away.  It's sitting in the dining room and all over Tyler's room.  The clutter is beginning to drive me insane and this is the FIRST THING that's going to happen tomorrow morning. 

3.  I'm fat.  I have started working out.  I have stopped drinking soda.  But I"m still fat.  The scale has only budged two pounds, despite my efforts.  Sigh... I guess that means I have to stop eating like a 400 pound man.  DAMMIT.

4.  I have 9 months until I'm supposed to run a half marathon.  I haven't started training at all.  Like not even a little bit.  The last thing I want to do right now is put on a pair of running shoes and run anything more than a mile.  I guess I better get started though because I know Summer is counting on me. 

5.  I miss being tan.   I feel very ugly lately because I'm so pale and pasty.  I know that's lame and you're probably rolling your eyes, but wow, who would have guessed self-esteem could be tied to something so ridiculously bad for you?  And please don't suggest me getting a spray tan - no thank you.

My musical tastes

So it's pretty obvious that I like all kinds of music, but I had a good laugh today when I looked at the "Recently Added" playlist on my iTunes account.  I have a habit of pulling up Shazam on my phone when I'm in the car, getting the name and artist of a song I haven't heard in forever and downloading it right then and there.  And then FORGETTING I did that.  So this was the list of the most recent 5 songs I downloaded using this method:

1.  C'est La Vie - B*Witched (I downloaded this on accident.  Thought it was a different song.  But heyyyyy 90s pop!)

2.  Walk it Out - Unk  (I'm so ghetto)

3.  She's like the Wind - Patrick Swayze  (I blame ABCFamily of this one.  I saw the movie, and I love this song.)

4.  Ohio (Come back to Texas) - Bowling for Soup (XM Radio made me do it.)

5.  In the Meantime - Spacehog  (90s nostalgia at it's finest - oh and I never knew the name of this one.)   Ooooooooo-ooooooo-ooooohhhhhh

Blah

It's cold and rainy outside and all I want to do is crawl back in bed.  :(

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Song lyrics of the day

Because the last time you saw me
Is still burned in the back of your mind.
You gave me roses and I left them there to die.

So this is me swallowing my pride,
Standing in front of you saying, "I'm sorry for that night,"
And I go back to December all the time.
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you.
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine.
I'd go back to December, turn around and make it all right.
I go back to December all the time.

- "Back to December"  Taylor Swift

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Squirrel!


Work time concerts

So my favorite part of working at home is that I can listen to my music as loud as I want to, all day long while I'm working.  And no, I didn't feel the slightest bit silly singing "We are never ever getting back together" by Taylor Swift while fighting with Excel spreadsheets this morning.


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Really Strayer?

I pay "out of state" tuition costs to attend your university and THIS is what you have in my lecture?
#wtfstrayer?!  #tackyashell


Yep


Real conversations between Jenn and I


Arrrrrrr


True Confession Tuesday

The amount of conference calls I conduct in my bathrobe should be illegal.  Just sayin.

LMGTFY

I love the guys I work with.  Most of them have a sense of humor and it makes getting through our workdays that much easier, but every now and then there's a gem in my bunch and I have to give a shout out to one of them.  ERIK.

Erik is my CTO.  He's Canadian, likes hockey, lives in Northern Virginia, etc etc.   He is also a ton of fun.

Typical conversations with Erik include him making fun of me for not being able to (admittedly) do mundane IT tasks.  Today was no exception.  After griping that I didn't know how to remove a middle initial from a first name field in Excel, Erik helped me find out how to do it.

He sent me HERE.

Everyone should have a guy like Erik!  ;)

Song of the day

It's really awesome when you see your friends living their dreams.  My neighbor in high school was Patrick Edwards (Kristin's younger brother) and he's been in a band called Bellflur up in the Baltimore area.  A few months back I had the opportunity to invest in this band to help them get their new album started.  This is one of the first videos from the album and I'm so proud of them!  Be warned:  the elephant heads are a bit creepy but the song is pretty cool.  Congrats Patrick and friends!


Bellflur "Atoms" from William Holloway on Vimeo.

It never happened, right?


Photo of the day


A BREAKTHROUGH

For the first time ever...  let me repeat - for the FIRST.  TIME.  EVER....  I was able to listen to Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson and



I DIDN'T CRY.

Song lyrics of the day


The other night, you wouldn't believe the dream I just had about you and me
I called you up, but we'd both agree
It's for the best you didn't listen
It's for the best we get our distance, oh
It's for the best you didn't listen
It's for the best we get our distance, oh

-"Some nights"  fun.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Song lyrics of the day

I'll be waiting
I wanted to stay, I wanted to play, I wanted to love you
I'm only this far and only tomorrow leads the way
I'm coming waltzing back and moving into your head
Please


-"#41"  Dave Matthews Band

Ouch

I'm not even going to mention how many times this happens...

35 came and went

THIS was exactly what I needed to read this morning!