Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tea Bag Tuesday
Huz and I had a lovely weekend get away to celebrate his 32nd birthday. I'll tell you more later when I have time to show pictures of everything.Until then, here's another tea bag to ponder:
"The beauty in you is your spirit. The strength in you is your endurance. The intelligence in you is your vastness." |
Friday, November 24, 2006
A Good Thanksgiving
The table was set.
The butternut squash was prepared (Huz).
The mashed potatoes with goat cheese and fresh sage was made (VW).
The herb brined turkey with pear gravy was done (VW).
Friends were there (bearing wine and dressing).
It was a lovely time.
Hope yours was too. |
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Tea Bag Tuesday
"Love is the ultimate state, where compassion prevails and kindness rules."Something to live by more often, me thinks. |
Monday, November 20, 2006
God I Miss Him
I took some pictures of my shoes for you. Why? Not because they'renew or anything, but because I thought you might find it interesting
that I had yet another wardrobe malfunction at work today. As you
recall, Friday's brown pants were awful and deserved to be tossed
promptly, which they were. I bought a great replacement pair at Ann
Taylor on Sunday and proudly wore them today, grabbing a nice pair of
brown leather heels that I haven't worn in over a year because I've
been avoiding heels since being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.
Here they are:
I got them somewhere up in Chicago and have worn them maybe a dozen times. I noticed when I put them on this morning that they squeaked when I walked, but I figured it was them voicing malcontent for not being worn in so long. I figured they'd get over it in an hour or so. At some point after lunch, however, I looked down at them and noticed this crack on the side,
which made me notice this rather large crack on the bottom.
Maybe that explains why my feet have been cold all day. Guess I have another good excuse to go shopping, eh?
While uploading these photos, I found some from the costume party that I had forgotten about. Let's call this series "The Making of a Corky".
First, you must acquire a surfer dude wig in gray. Put it on and act stoned, you know, to fit the character.
Do a dance.
Drink copious amounts of wine, demonstrating your true fear of wife haircuts.
Try to look hot even though you have synthetic hair all over your forehead, making your unibrow look even more uni.
Then hurry the hell home from your conference because I miss you, damn it! |
Drinking in Style
We enjoy drinking wine but our wine glasses suck. Huz bought me a set of nice glasses from Crate and Barrel several years ago, but after who knows how many moves from Chicago apartment to Chicago apartment and, finally, to Nashville house, we're down to 3 of them. This means that whenever we have another couple over for dinner and Huz is trying to show off his culinary skillz (which are quite impressive, if you ask me), either he or I get a sucky, grocery store wine glass that doesn't match the other ones. Kinda puts a damper on the whole Let Us Woo You Over A Sweet Meal evening. So, in addition to getting two new tires on our car yesterday, I scored 6 of these gorgeous new wine glasses at Pottery Barn.Best part is? They cost me nothing. (I still had balances on 2 gift cards from last Christmas and my birthday.) Love that!
Only problem? They are so tall and lovely that they don't fit in my kitchen cabinets, so now I have to hunt for a rack to hang them from. The things we do to drink in style.
I'm looking forward to this week. First of all, Huz finally comes home tomorrow night, which will be nice. I can handle a night or two alone, but three or more gets old. Four nights alone and I'm going ape shit. I need attention! Talk to me somebody! Come home, Huz!!!
Ahem.
And then there's the fact that I only have a three day work week, which rocks. Cuz you know how much I love my job. Or do you? It's boring and it's cubicle world and it's the 9 to 5. I hate it. Why did I have to graduate college and return to this? Really? Tell me.
And then there's the fun birthday weekend for Huz. This will include a road trip up to Bourbon country (Kentucky) and a night's stay in a Honeymoon suite at a B&B. I have very specific requirements when looking for a B&B: fireplace and Jacuzzi, preferably in the same room. And I got them both! Looking forward to some relaxation and non-sleep activity with my old man. Heh. |
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Saturday Yoga
Saturday, 11:56a.m.Feeling very relaxed and needing a nap after
my morning yoga. It was vigorous in the hips again today, with lots of
standing poses which force you to balance and stretch. My favorite pose
had to be standing on one leg while the other one is twisted around it
(kind of like the I-gotta-pee dance*) with the arms twisted up in front
of the face. I also liked grabbing my right big toe with my right hand
and extending the leg straight in front of me while extending my left
arm straight into the air, then moving the leg out from the body to the
right.
The sun is shining, the air is a mild 50-60 degrees.
I need to get new tires for the Saturn and see if the mechanic can figure
out why the service engine light is on again, but I really don't feel
like it. I think I'm going to take a nap and finish my novel instead
(it's the one on my sidebar...it's a really good book: complicated
characters dealing with many issues - mixed race families, feminism,
politics, academics and non-academics, marriage, adultery, personal
choices, friendships, etc.).
Namaste.
*Tell me I'm not the only one who does this dance. |
Friday, November 17, 2006
Stupid Brown Pants!
I hate the pants I'm wearing! I'd take them off, but I'm at work. Damn! They're poopy brown dress pants that fit way too high on the waist, which for me means my belly button is covered and I feel suffocated. Part of the front tab thing is broken, which means it's hanging there and making me feel really thick in the middle (which I already feel every day). Oh dear. I need to retire these babies as soon as I get home. Perhaps I will find a replacement this weekend as I go shopping - the only thing I can think to do as Huz is yet again out of town on a conference. Woe is me. I know, I'm a baby. |Monday, November 13, 2006
The Importance of Self
Ignoring one's self for the sake of another is noble, isn't it? That's how our society chooses to see it anyway: mothers care for their children and families without taking a moment to think about their own needs (so the traditional gender role story goes). But why exactly is this noble? Sure, the golden rule is important - love your neighbor - but what about ourselves? What about nurturing yourself a little bit too? What about acknowledging that you must be independent and a whole person in and of yourself, which means thinking and caring about yourself? This, my friends, seems to be my big lesson at the ripe age of 30. I've been neglecting myself, stressed out and stuck in the whatdoIwannabewhenIgrowup cycle without really allowing myself to be myself. I've thought about my likes and interests without really allowing myself them as a possibility, instead dismissing them as a silly fancy. I've not let myself be fully me. This is a tragedy. But with counseling and some different life choices, I'm going to change this cycle. Amen.So this weekend was fantastic. I had some bad first impressions at the massage place when I wasn't greeted in a soothing, professional manner, but was told gruffly to go sit down because my therapist wasn't even here yet. Said therapist was a chubby old redneck (sorry to offend anyone, but she was) wearing street clothes (jeans and an old t-shirt) and smelling like she just finished a cigarette (something I can't stand the smell of and is antithetical to relaxing to me). But - and there is a but, people - she was hands down the best masseuse I've ever experienced. That woman worked every muscle I have (some I wasn't even aware of having until she manipulated them with perfectly deep pressure), from my head, neck, shoulders, back, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet and toes. You can't always read a masseuse by her cover, that's for sure.
Yoga the next morning was really good. It was an hour and a half long and the owner/teacher was supportive, friendly, and challenging. I was quite the pretzel during it and I still feel it today in my shoulders and hip/glutes (guess I need another massage!). She's turning 50 this coming Saturday and is offering the class for free, so I'll definitely be back, probably with some friends tagging along. I'm glad I took the time to get out and do this by myself; it was well worth it.
I made my favorite fall/winter snack in the afternoon - cranberry, walnut pumpkin bread so my house was filled with a spicy fragrance all night.
Dinner with my new friends, N&T, was really nice. We enjoyed some deep, dark and spicy pork chili with some wine from Chile (ha ha, I was being so clever when I chose it) followed by a movie we rented (TransAmerica - about a transgendered man to woman - a humanizing effort of a film, which I find very important).
Then Huz got home at 2:45a.m. and we enjoyed talking in bed for several hours despite the early hour - something we haven't done in a long time. We went out for breakfast the next morning and then on a 2 1/2 hour hike full of exercise and deep conversation. It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend. |
Friday, November 10, 2006
Deep Breath
Things I can do while Huz is out of town:1. Go to dinner with a colleague and a student - drink a papa patron margarita the size of a fish bowl and have a good time being me. Crazy, fun me.
2. Talk to Huz before going to bed and enjoy hearing him say he loves me and wishes he hadn't gone so that he could be with me instead.
3. Think about booking a massage this weekend so that I can treat myself to some relaxation and bodily care.
4. Pack my gym clothes so that I'll go workout at the gym after work (I've been really bad about this for the last month and know I'd feel better about myself if I started being more consistent again).
5. Plan on going to yoga Saturday morning by myself at a new place in town. It has all hardwood floors and is specifically made for yoga, as opposed to the entryway to a building where I've been going on-campus (albeit free, it's still not quite the relaxing, soothing aesthetics I was looking for).
6. Plan on going to a couple's house for dinner on Saturday night. This way I can bond with them on a personal level, not just a deep theological level like the other night.
7. Ultimately, prove to myself that I'm strong, smart, independent and beautiful without the help of Huz telling me so. I'm learning to lean on myself and to be my own best friend. This is a good thing.
[Update: one hour swedish massage booked tonight. Oh yeah!] |
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Serious Case of the Blahs
What's wrong with me lately? I am so grumpy right now, it's ridiculous. I'm not PMSing (only day 19, people) so I can't explain it. Currently I'm pissed because I was all excited yesterday about some art being sold here and even set my cell phone alarm to go off at 6:30 (which is the 7:30 Eastern Time when they release the art each week), ran to my laptop and turned it on at the right time, saw that there were still 13 prints left, clicked on the purchase button, struggled to remember my PayPal password for a minute before I ran and got my credit card to just pay that way, paid and was happy. Until. I got to work this morning and got an email that they refunded my payment because it sold out before they received my payment. GRRRRR. Then they tell me that I can just go to the artist's site and buy it there. I'm like, "duh, but it's $150 there, as opposed to $40 for the miniture ones that I've been trying to get from your site for months, but it's always sold out!" Gah!I've been coughing for over a week and am sick of it. I've been fighting with Huz on and off for days and now he's leaving tomorrow for a conference in Texas for 4 days. Saturday night we went to a friend's house with another couple for dinner (they were all theology students) and the conversation on theology and philosophy completely excluded me and I left sobbing like a child. I went to career counseling yesterday and got all introspective and cry-ey and was told by the second counselor (since the first one I started with last month has since had a baby and is on maternity leave) that I need psychological counseling because it's more than choosing a career that's ailing me (I interpret this as, "You're PSYCHO, woman!"). I'm bloated. I don't want to be at work. It's cold and rainy outside. I mean, come on. What's NOT wrong? (I got a positive ovulation test on Sunday morning. I guess that's all that's not wrong right now. But, of course, right after I got it I looked on the internet for "what if's" and found that it could easily be a false positive. Way to burst my own bubble.) |
Saturday, November 4, 2006
Falling Apart
All of a sudden I have all these issues. It's ridiculous. First, I've been coughing for five days - an annoying dry cough that comes and goes all day, followed by an intense throat clearing session. Really lovely. I asked one of the docs I work with and he said I have a mild viral bronchitis and to keep taking Robitussin. Then, yesterday afternoon at work I started having a sharp pain in my left shoulder whenever I reached for the phone. The pain is intense and happens whenever I move my arm in certain directions (up, down, or away from my body). What the heck!? Several mornings this week I've woken up with my arms over my head and have had some difficulty "steering" my left arm to the alarm clock - it was wobbly and without good fine motor skills. I thought this was simply due to lack of blood since it was above my head. But now this? I didn't even do yoga this week, but am wondering if doing it for the previous two weeks has some how loosened up my joints so much that I've injured myself somehow. Of course it has to happen on a Friday afternoon and I am left to wonder all weekend what's going on before I can see a doctor. I'm telling you, 30 is a bitch! |Thursday, November 2, 2006
Vote!
Civic duty done? Check.No on One, baby! |
