Reading: An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden
Watching: Ballykissangel, Series 3
Listening to: Joe Purdy & Joshua James
Excited about: My birthday trip to the Poconos with the fam!
Loving: This new-found gorgeous New England weather. Be full-time now, Spring!
Haunting: Polyvore, because playing with new clothes is the next best thing to actually buying new clothes.
Birthday Goals: 5, 6, 7, 8…
…And dance!
Sorry. Moving on.
I think this is going to shape up to be a pretty sad-looking day, here, since most of this batch of goals didn’t happen. Eh.
5. Finish the front room: replace the papasan cushion (Done!)
You might remember the story of Jasper and the papasan. If not, let me refresh your memory: I took in a stray kitten for about a week, and my two-year old Disaster Cat was not having it. He took his terror and indignation out on my papasan cushion. Several times. The smell was never coming out. So I found another clearance-priced cushion and felt my job was done. I happily crossed this off my list…
…and then, Jas decided that a papasan cushion was not a papasan cushion without his unique mark on it, and again came The Smell. I’m relatively certain that he only did it once, but still — EW. Ew. I scrubbed and scrubbed, and it’s barely noticeable, but I still can’t sit on the thing. I’m in the process of deciding whether or not I want to try one more time and buy another cushion, or if it’s just time to chuck the cushion and sell the frame. Oh, kitten. How lucky you are that you’re ridiculously cute. To the moon, Alice.
6. Finish the front room: spray paint my desk and update the work station!
7. Finish the front room: create a craft area
I can group these because I did neither of them. Shaaaaame. But, in my own defense, I’ve been toying with the idea of moving my bed into my lovely front room (which currently houses my desk and crafting supplies), because it has this gorgeous window, and I don’t spend enough time in there. I’m also getting tired of being woken up at 5:30am every morning by my neighbor banging pots and pans and cabinet doors (Rage. Raaaaaaage.), and I wouldn’t hear it from that room.
And LISTEN. I get up at like 6am most mornings, right? So if I’ve got 25 minutes left until my alarm goes off? And you’re waking me up? I might actually march down there with my Bride of Chucky hair and my wrinkled PJs and my typical morning lack-of-wherewithal, and I might give you a piece of my mind. Or I’ll just sit in my bed and wail with raaaaaaaaaaage. You know. Whatever.
Also, I want to move. So! Big ideas. Not a lot of action. The us’.
8. Write 3 poems (Done!)
I did this! I totally did this! And I’m too shy to share it with you. Maybe someday. 
So. Tune in tomorrow, when there will be photos of kittens. KITTENS.
I’m not above bribing you.
Oof (and a recap)
“I’ll be back in way less than a month!”
Uh, yeah, WHATEVER, LIAR.
So it’s (again) been about a month. Another busy one, but really? Who cares? THEMS ARE EXCUSES, FRIENDS. So let’s just move on, shall we? Okay.
Back at the end of December, I stumbled upon a couple of blogs where folks had made lists of goals to complete by their next birthday. They were all in the age-you-are-now-by-the-age-you’re-going-to-be style. And so I jumped on the bandwagon. Because I’m good at that. And when you have a talent, you should honor it.
I went ahead and made my list, and actually? I didn’t do too badly! Since I discovered this project idea on December 31st, and my birthday was on March 25th, I didn’t have a ton of time, so I tried to choose goals that seemed doable from the start. For the next seven days, I’m going to recap my successes from my list as well as my, uh, opportunities for improvement.
At the very least, I’ll have seven days of posts here. And that’s something, right? Right.
So! Onto the first batch:
1. Make going to yoga a habit again! At least once per week. (Done! …ish.)
Okay, so… This didn’t happen. I actually haven’t gone to yoga once since December 31st. …Really, I haven’t been to a yoga class in upwards of a year. At first glance, this would seem like an utter failure. (Really, it IS an utter failure.) However, I switched it up a little bit: I joined a gym, and I made going there a habit. And I really did! I went at least twice a week (usually three times) for about six weeks leading up to my birthday. A nasty virus knocked me off the wagon, but I have high hopes that I will see the inside of Club 24 again this week. I know my elliptical misses me.
2. Learn 6 new healthy recipes (Done!)
For the past two years, I’ve really been making an effort to get my eating habits back to what they used to be (healthy and conscious, for the most part) — you know, before I started working insane hours in the nonprofit sector and being paid in pennies. (And pennies don’t translate well to organic foods, friends, let’s be honest about that one). I also don’t particularly like to cook, and while my work life is as organized as can be, my home life can be a bit of a mess. The combination? Disastrous to my waist line. And my energy levels. So when I read about the Go Feed Yourself program, I knew I had to splurge and download it. I’m so glad that I did — the recipes are super-simple and so satisfying. It’s helped me cut a lot of gluten and dairy out of my diet, and I’ve barely even noticed. So — a big fat WIN! for #2.
3. Subscribe to Whole Living magazine – finally. (Done!)
I love this magazine… When I worked at a bookstore, I used to hound our newsstand lead every month until it came in. When it finally did, he would set aside a copy for me (loved him!) and bury myself in it on my breaks. (YES, I bought it. I am no thief.) I haven’t worked at the store even part time in almost two years, and I miss that magazine… So I finally subscribed! I did it, I swear. On the very first day of this project, according to my notes. …I have yet to receive it. Which is a huge let-down. WAY TO GO, WHOLE LIVING. Bums.
4. Ask the landlord if I can paint. It’s been long enough! (Done!)
I totally left a note with my rent check. He totally never responded. I guess that’s a no? Whatever, at least I asked.
So that first batch doesn’t look too bad! Wait’ll we get to the end…
On some snark (and a weekend snowstorm)
Hi, friends. It’s been a week.
…I kind of feel like it’s been a year. It’s been a long week. There’s been good and bad (mostly good), but there’s also been a whole stupid-ton of insomnia. I want to stab all insomnia. Over and over again. Forgive my dullness. I am useless and totally without sparkle when I don’t sleep.
Except on my fingernails. There is sparkle on my fingernails. …GOSH WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT.
Oh, friends! Let me share with you a special piece of snark I found hanging in my office building today:
I giggled. I giggled a lot. I also thought it was a little bit epic that the memo was apparently brought to us by not only the rag-tag management company that ignores clogged toilets and stairs with loose carpeting, but also by Homeland Security.
Oh, OR&L. You so wish.
Anyhow, it looks like we’re getting some snow here in CT tomorrow, and I can’t say I’m not a little bit relieved. I’m looking forward to the excuse to sleep in and tackle a few ’round-the-house things on my 28 Before 29 list… Including checking out some of the music recommended to me by my awesome swap partner, Bri.
Stay warm & toasty, all. Drink lots of tea!
The 10-Pound Challenge
…is to eat 10 POUNDS OF BUTTER IN 10 MINUTES!
That’s a total lie. That’s not what the 10-Pound Challenge is at all. I’m sorry. Sometimes, I’m just 11 years old again. I can’t help it. I’m sorry.
Anyway! So the REAL 10-Pound Challenge is hosted by Erika at Newlyweds On A Budget, and is a far better idea than eating 10 pounds of butter in 10 minutes. Or, like, 100 minutes, because ew. Really. Ew.
I know, I know — losing weight?? LAME. I’m totally with you. Only thing is? I’ve been suffering from such silly and ridiculous stomach issues over the past couple of years that my previously-very-well-managed weight has been a little. Well. NOT really “a little,” if you know what I’m saying.
I don’t have a ton to lose, and I’m not crying “woe is me.” Don’t get me wrong. But I could stand to be paying more attention to my meal composition, and what better motivator than declaring it loudly and publicly, via the Internet? I AM GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT. …The threat of shame is simply extremely effective, friends.
Plus, there’s a really cute button. I’m a total sucker for a really cute button:
So the goal is to lose 10 pounds in 12 weeks. We’ll see how it goes!
Also, again? I’m TOTALLY CHEATING. This goal is on my 28 Before 29 list, AND my list of New Year’s resolutions. I am a MASTER goal-setter. And a Master cheater. WHAT UP. (A little Barney Stinson there for you.)
Throwback Thursday: That one time I got that Hollister sweatshirt
I was never a Hollister girl. For awhile, I did do the Abercrombie thing, but I was like 22, and Hollister just seemed way too young for me. Everything was short and tiny and vaguely sheer. I may have indulged in a clearance tshirt with silver thread and butterflies once. Maybe.
But there’s this one sweatshirt… It lives in my closet (or, more frequently, on the chair in my bedroom), and it says “Hollister,” all loud and proud. My coworker gave me this sweatshirt about five years ago. Her daughter had grown out of it. …Her 12 year old daughter.
So yes, friends. When I’m feeling particularly lazy about getting dressed and looking presentable, I, a 28 year-old woman, consistently rock a sweatshirt with an obnoxious brand name across the chest, in bright teal letters, that was a hand-me-down from a 12 year old girl.
I have no shame.
(I also still take bathroom mirror shots. Don’t judge.)
Ornament swap!
Yep, you read that correctly: the title of this post is “Ornament swap!” No need to check your calendars, friends; it is January 10th, and this post is painfully late.
It was a crazy holiday season. I was not feeling Christmas-y. Remember?
So before the holiday nuttiness kicked in, I signed up for a bloggers’ ornament swap, hosted by the lovely Kristine at The Best Is Yet to Come. I thought this was pretty much the best idea ever, and I rushed out and bought the sparkliest, most awesome ornament I could find. …And then I let it sit on my kitchen counter for about three weeks. Because I am a bum. And because what is with the holiday hours at the post office?? Seriously, could they be any less consistent??
Anyway.
I wandered downstairs the other day and was greeted by a happy package from Florida! Inside were these little gems…
…care of my swap partner, Brianna. (Seriously, read her blog. She is HILARIOUS.)
Sidebar: In her card, she made some mention of having bad time management skills, and I swear, I think I laughed for a full five minutes. Then I laughed my way over to email to tell her, “GIRL. Your time management skills LEARNED from MY time management skills, so no worries.” But I’m pretty sure it might’ve come out, “GIRL. You DO have bad time management skills.” Because I’ve also got some serious AWKWARD skills, friends. So, FYI. (Sorry, Brianna!)
But guys, I LOVE these ornaments. So much, in fact, that I don’t even think I’m going to wait until next Christmas to hang them up. I’m planning a redesign of my home office-area (also known as “just my desk”), and I think these would be an adorable and awesome reminder of my blog and the similarly awesome people I get to meet because of it.
So thank you again, Brianna and Kristine! You are the coolest gals.
For a fun treat, check out two of the other swap partners and their ornaments! Jamie & Breanna
Twenty-eight before twenty-nine
So — hi, friends! It’s the last day of 2011, and I’ve got to say, I’m not feeling a whole lot of love and nostalgia for this year. While I’m incredibly thankful that nothing really awful or tragic happened, I’m still looking forward to ushering it on out and welcoming 2012. I don’t believe that the end of the world is coming, and if you start talking about it in front of me, I can’t promise that I won’t get stabby. (So take note: no mention of such theories around Melissa when she has access to cocktail umbrellas or particularly pointy almonds. For example. I’m just saying.)
This year will bring my 29th birthday (holy CRAP) on March 25th, and since I’ve been miserably sick since Christmas Eve, I’ve had a lot of time this week to think about New Year’s resolutions and, even more immediately, what I want to have accomplished by the time I turn Almost Thirty Dear God …29. I only just learned about the whole “Age You Are Now Before The Age You’re Going To Be” list-thing, and so I don’t have a lot of time. But you know what? I’m going for it, anyway.
I’ve chosen some pretty do-able things, and I’ve incorporated my New Year’s resolutions. Is that cheating? Huh. Oh well. Here it is — my list of 28 things to do before I turn 29!
Twenty-eight before twenty-nine… In three months:
1. Make going to yoga a habit again! At least once per week.
2. Learn 6 new healthy recipes
3. Subscribe to Whole Living magazine – finally.
4. Ask the landlord if I can paint. It’s been long enough!
5. Finish the front room: replace the papas an cushion
6. Finish the front room: spray paint my desk and update the work station!
7. Finish the front room: create a craft area
8. Write 3 poems
9. Write 1 short story
10. Go on a day trip
11. Plan a weekend away
12. Find two new great bands/artists
13. Get up the nerve to tell my riding instructor that one of my goals is to show. Eeek.
14. Blog at least 12 times.
15. Start a review blog (or other project/feature) with Jessa!
16. Try knitting for the first time
17. Lose 6 pounds. (Yes, 6.) Keep them off!
18. Make my hair funky!
19. Design my tattoo. Once and for all.
20. Organize my recipes
21. Make a Public Allies scrapbook
22. Create my 5-year picture board
23. Host a themed party
24. Make a list of 100 things that make me smile
25. Read 4 books
26. Drink a lot of tea. Update my tea cabinet.
27. Update my budget/finances. Close unnecessary (store) credit cards.
28. Make enough crafts to open an Etsy shop. Even if nothing sells.
Have you guys done this before? Did you have any luck?
Have a safe and happy new year, all!
Throwback Thursday
…Throwback Thursday, huh? Is that a thing? Because it just sort of happened, up there in the subject line.
Eh. I’m in.
A little gem from an old journal. I still think there was a Last.fm conspiracy, friends. There’s really just no more likely reason. *coughs*
By the way, Last.fm, thanks SO much for being right on top of letting all my MySpace-visitors know that, earlier, I was indeed listening to “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira. I think it’s quite coincidental that despite your efficiency on this account, you’ve now neglected to post the other songs I’ve listened to tonight — songs by such reputable bands as Sponge, Better Than Ezra and Toad the Wet Sprocket.
I see what you’re doing. I see.
Burn softly in rock ‘n’ roll hell,
Melissa
Thank you, and amen.
that one thing i look forward to every single week
About two months ago, I started horseback riding again.
…And when I say “again,” I feel like that’s sort of misleading, because it might imply some sort of earlier proficiency. Which, I assure you, I have never had. I mean, when I was 10 or 11, I took lessons for a few months. I have this one really great memory of the largest bruise ever, deep purple and blue, crawling up my calf. I think my leg was rubbing up against one of the buckles on the saddle. I thought it was pretty cool. Other than that, I don’t remember much… Most of all, I just remember how much I looked forward to going.
So over the summer, I started watching this Canadian show called Heartland. At the time, I was mired in episodes of SVU and Breaking Bad, so at first, the Pleasant Family Drama aspect seemed pretty boring. But I kept watching, because something was tugging at me. And I ended up falling in love with this fabulous little television show.
I won’t even get into the cheesiness about how I’m pretty sure finding and falling for this show was some weird manifestation of my big summertime Change of Heart (I always hear eerie music when I write that), but one of the things it absolutely inspired me to do was start looking into riding stables again. I have always loved and admired horses (what little girl doesn’t?), and I knew that if I was starting grad school, I was going to have to start doing something to de-stress and stay human.
The stable that I found is wonderful… The family has a background in social work (woohoo!) and they are just super-sweet people. There are 18 lesson horses, who are all lovely and happy and playful. The horse that I ride most often, Sandman, is 32 years old, blind in one eye and completely great. He is teaching me well. The horse pictured up top is the huge and stubborn Apple. I like him a whole lot, too.
Getting to spend an hour every week with these animals, on this farm, is the thing I look forward to most. No matter what else is happening, what I’m worrying about, I always leave my lesson feeling calm and inspired — even when my legs feel like Jell-o, which (no lie) they usually do. My dismount is godawful.
The decision to leave school was really difficult, but I’m learning that I need to spend a lot more time chasing the joyful moments in life. And who wouldn’t be joyful around faces like those..??
(And yes, I’m totally cheating and using Instagram photos!)
30 Days of Truth | Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life
So this week, I dropped out of grad school.
…Yeah. Hitting those milestones, friends. Hitting those milestones.
I guess the topic for today’s 30 Days of Truth response is fitting, though. My decision to leave school has so much to do with the hopes I have for myself. For my life, really, as huge and scary and intimidating as that sounds.
I was never the kid who wanted to be older, who was anxious to hit 13 so that I could start wearing make-up or 16 so that I could start driving. Even 21 didn’t sound exciting — it sound terrifying. I liked being a kid. When I turned 7, I cried because I would never be 6 again. (I was a weirdo.) (I’m still a weirdo, let’s be honest.) (Whatever. I think I’m sweet.) (Hmph.)
Anyway, as a result of all of this, I was never really any good at visualizing the future. And I think this had repercussions, because I never really set any tangible goals for myself. I never pictured myself married or actively in a career. I never pictured myself as a mom. Though somewhere, I knew I wanted those things, I just sort of figured that they’d happen eventually. Organically. And I’m not at all saying that in order to have a career or get married or have kids you’ve got to sit down and write a list of requestedattributespleaseandthankyou, but I do think that, for me, that lack of visualizing had to do with a refusal to acknowledge that I really wanted those things. Because what if I failed? How would that look? How would I feel, knowing I had put myself out there, and I hadn’t gotten those things?
But I’ve had that experience anyway, right? I mean… I’ve had relationships that haven’t worked out. I’ve had jobs I’ve disliked and left, I’ve changed my mind about school. I’ve switched career paths, and it looks like I’m about to do it again. I’ve done all of those things because I’ve been, you know, ALIVE, and those things just happen, whether or not you’re intentional about them, for the most part.
But — I want to be intentional. I want to admit that I have hopes and dreams, and I want to go after them. I’m sure those things will change again and again and over and over, because that’s normal and that’s okay. Overall, I just hope to be happy. And that, my friends, is cliched for a reason. Because true happiness is, I think, being able to know yourself and engage with the world around you fully, knowing yourself.
And so. That’s just about it. 