I'm not a fan of New Year's Resolutions. Mine have generally gravitated around losing weight, but that can happen at any time of the year and I'm in the middle of ramping up right now anyway so going to the gym regularly is already happening.
I much prefer to set goals. So for 2010 I plan to accomplish the following:
1. Hang ceiling storage in my garage
2. Fly 90 hours a month
3. Pay off my credit card
4. Save for a car
5. Paint the house
6. Go to Hawaii
7. Go to Paris for the weekend
8. Get down to see my nephew and my brother and my sister in law once every few months.
9. Hang the mirror in my bedroom or throw it out
I am sure I will add to this, but so far that's what I want to get done.
What do you plan on accomplishing in 2010?
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
"Cleaving"
I recently read Julie Powell's new book, Cleaving. You may remember Ms. Powell from her book Julie and Julia which was recently made into a movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. I had read the book but hadn't seen the movie until last weekend when I was flying down to West Palm - the plane had DirecTV which was pretty cool.
The book Julie and Julia is based on Powell's blog, The Julie/Julia Project and I looked at it for the first time today after finishing Cleaving. She's a bigshot writer now (every lowly blogger's dream I think!) and has another blog here at http://www.juliepowell.blogspot.com/ and I couldn't help but feel a teensy bit six degrees of separation because here indeed is my own blog hosted at blogspot!
And also, Ms. Powell and I share a mutual admiration for Joss Whedon and Buffy the Vampire Slayer although I don't think she likes Firefly and Nathan Fillion as much as I do. Also, after Julie and Julia was published, she proceeded to have a torrid affair, which is what Cleaving is sort of about. Also, it's about become a butcher.
It was an interesting, although not great, read. I had some problems with it, mainly, I found it to be self-pitying and whiny. Here is a woman who has seemingly a wonderful husband and a decent career and yet is insistent upon going down some crazy destructive path, engaging in anonymous unfulfilling sex in order to drive her lover out of her head and yet she will not set her husband free. They decide, in so many unspoken words, to open the marriage and they each go off and have affairs. Yet, her husband is always angry with her and yet tender and comforting by turns. Its confusing. Part of me wanted to tell her to grow up and move on.
In her defense, I got the impression she's been with her husband a very long time and perhaps did not date around so much when she was younger, unlike myself who has dated a lot and experienced all kinds of mental anguish, from being with a guy who treats you like crap and yet still compels you to stay with him, to wanting to leave and not wanting to break anyone's hearts at the same time. I get it, life is full of heartbreak, but have the balls to break it off when it becomes unbearable! Don't endlessly whine about having your cake and eating it too! I found I had to dig deep to find some sympathy.
There was another part that really disturbed me. Julie takes a trip to Africa and spends some time in a Masaai encampment. After having a drink one night with her guide, another man follows her back to her tent and propositions her. When she rebuffs his advances he comes back and tries to rape her. Then he steals her BlackBerry. Never once does she scream out for help. Instead you get this crushing feeling that on some level Julie feels she deserves to be assaulted. Maybe I am misreading but she never defends herself.
Interspersed throughout the book are BtVR references. My favorite is a quote from Spike about how much he loves someone: "Eyeballs to entrails, my sweet..." I think I need to watch Season 6 again.
The book Julie and Julia is based on Powell's blog, The Julie/Julia Project and I looked at it for the first time today after finishing Cleaving. She's a bigshot writer now (every lowly blogger's dream I think!) and has another blog here at http://www.juliepowell.blogspot.com/ and I couldn't help but feel a teensy bit six degrees of separation because here indeed is my own blog hosted at blogspot!
And also, Ms. Powell and I share a mutual admiration for Joss Whedon and Buffy the Vampire Slayer although I don't think she likes Firefly and Nathan Fillion as much as I do. Also, after Julie and Julia was published, she proceeded to have a torrid affair, which is what Cleaving is sort of about. Also, it's about become a butcher.
It was an interesting, although not great, read. I had some problems with it, mainly, I found it to be self-pitying and whiny. Here is a woman who has seemingly a wonderful husband and a decent career and yet is insistent upon going down some crazy destructive path, engaging in anonymous unfulfilling sex in order to drive her lover out of her head and yet she will not set her husband free. They decide, in so many unspoken words, to open the marriage and they each go off and have affairs. Yet, her husband is always angry with her and yet tender and comforting by turns. Its confusing. Part of me wanted to tell her to grow up and move on.
In her defense, I got the impression she's been with her husband a very long time and perhaps did not date around so much when she was younger, unlike myself who has dated a lot and experienced all kinds of mental anguish, from being with a guy who treats you like crap and yet still compels you to stay with him, to wanting to leave and not wanting to break anyone's hearts at the same time. I get it, life is full of heartbreak, but have the balls to break it off when it becomes unbearable! Don't endlessly whine about having your cake and eating it too! I found I had to dig deep to find some sympathy.
There was another part that really disturbed me. Julie takes a trip to Africa and spends some time in a Masaai encampment. After having a drink one night with her guide, another man follows her back to her tent and propositions her. When she rebuffs his advances he comes back and tries to rape her. Then he steals her BlackBerry. Never once does she scream out for help. Instead you get this crushing feeling that on some level Julie feels she deserves to be assaulted. Maybe I am misreading but she never defends herself.
Interspersed throughout the book are BtVR references. My favorite is a quote from Spike about how much he loves someone: "Eyeballs to entrails, my sweet..." I think I need to watch Season 6 again.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Zoiks!
Ever spend so much money in one day that it kinda freaks you out? Gargantuan car repair bills notwithstanding...Long story short, I went Christmas shopping today. Then I stopped by the grocery store to get some turkey meat for dinner, and I thought, geez, a nice glass of wine would be great, or maybe I can get some whiskey for Chris...and the sensible budgetter in me rebelled, over a $10 bottle of wine. It was like, NO MORE! YOU WILL TURN BACK NOW! NO SOUP FOR YOU!
My tummy hurts!
It's all in the name of kickstarting the economy, right? I was just doing my part as an American!
My tummy hurts!
It's all in the name of kickstarting the economy, right? I was just doing my part as an American!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Me not growing up
Dear JP,
It probably looked like you had a corncob stuck up your twat.
Now fuck off.
Sincerely.
It probably looked like you had a corncob stuck up your twat.
Now fuck off.
Sincerely.
Hospitals and Car Problems
Its been a hectic week.
Last Tuesday, my boyfriend's son was taken to the hospital with stomach pains. Liam suffers from Crohn's disease, and he's very young for such an affliction. He is on medication for it and for the most part, the Crohn's is controlled, but one of his meds can cause pancreatitis and that's what happened. One of his enzyme levels was super high and his mom ended up driving him to the Cleveland Clinic, where they stayed until this past Sunday.
The relationship between an ex and a girlfriend is odd. I don't think I will ever be friends with my boyfriend's ex-wife but I can certainly be friendly to her. I told her she could stay at my house while this whole thing was going on. I brought stuff to the hospital for them, my netbook computer, headphones for Liam, movies. I even drove down to the small town where they live to get my boyfriend's daughter so she could be close by (its over a 300 mile roundtrip). I picked up clothing for everyone and brought a picture of Liam's 8 year old girlfriend to him. While this was going on, I ran laundry for the kids and drove back and forth to the hospital every day.
And then the wheel fell off my car.
Yes. It's true. I was on my way to the hospital when I made a last minute decision to not get on the highway and instead go to the library. That decision probably saved my life. I know, dramatic, right? About three weeks ago I had a new tire put on my car at BJs Wholesale Club. They didn't tighten the lugnuts. All of them fell off my car and caused the tire and rim to fall off the hub. In shock, I watched the damn thing roll across the street and up onto the sidewalk. I was a block from my mechanic.
Thankfully, the tire hit no one when it fell off my car. The whole thing caused at least $2000 of damage. So then I had to get my car in the shop, make arrangements for a rental, call my insurance, coordinate with BJ's and the whole thing.
All is well that ends well though, Liam is doing much better and is out of the hospital (his enzyme levels slowly evened out but he has to be on a low fat diet for the next month and a half or so) and my car is being fixed. I am back to work and should be home Wednesday night. Hopefully I will get some Christmas shopping in this weekend. AND we get the kids again! YAY!
Last Tuesday, my boyfriend's son was taken to the hospital with stomach pains. Liam suffers from Crohn's disease, and he's very young for such an affliction. He is on medication for it and for the most part, the Crohn's is controlled, but one of his meds can cause pancreatitis and that's what happened. One of his enzyme levels was super high and his mom ended up driving him to the Cleveland Clinic, where they stayed until this past Sunday.
The relationship between an ex and a girlfriend is odd. I don't think I will ever be friends with my boyfriend's ex-wife but I can certainly be friendly to her. I told her she could stay at my house while this whole thing was going on. I brought stuff to the hospital for them, my netbook computer, headphones for Liam, movies. I even drove down to the small town where they live to get my boyfriend's daughter so she could be close by (its over a 300 mile roundtrip). I picked up clothing for everyone and brought a picture of Liam's 8 year old girlfriend to him. While this was going on, I ran laundry for the kids and drove back and forth to the hospital every day.
And then the wheel fell off my car.
Yes. It's true. I was on my way to the hospital when I made a last minute decision to not get on the highway and instead go to the library. That decision probably saved my life. I know, dramatic, right? About three weeks ago I had a new tire put on my car at BJs Wholesale Club. They didn't tighten the lugnuts. All of them fell off my car and caused the tire and rim to fall off the hub. In shock, I watched the damn thing roll across the street and up onto the sidewalk. I was a block from my mechanic.
Thankfully, the tire hit no one when it fell off my car. The whole thing caused at least $2000 of damage. So then I had to get my car in the shop, make arrangements for a rental, call my insurance, coordinate with BJ's and the whole thing.
All is well that ends well though, Liam is doing much better and is out of the hospital (his enzyme levels slowly evened out but he has to be on a low fat diet for the next month and a half or so) and my car is being fixed. I am back to work and should be home Wednesday night. Hopefully I will get some Christmas shopping in this weekend. AND we get the kids again! YAY!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
More Random Thoughts
I couldn't help but feel the teensiest bit gleeful that Tiger Woods got caught cheating.
I'm not a fan of golf and I've never been a fan of him, don't know why exactly. I am sorry for his family.
It's hard to not be judgemental of other peoples' decision, in all honesty. What seems to be the obvious solution to me is not necessarily the right way for others. However, I think my life experience gives me a good grip on when something is not going to work, so the worst part about being judgemental is also knowing when to keep your mouth shut. Which is hard for me sometimes!
I'm not a fan of golf and I've never been a fan of him, don't know why exactly. I am sorry for his family.
It's hard to not be judgemental of other peoples' decision, in all honesty. What seems to be the obvious solution to me is not necessarily the right way for others. However, I think my life experience gives me a good grip on when something is not going to work, so the worst part about being judgemental is also knowing when to keep your mouth shut. Which is hard for me sometimes!
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