My BEAUTIFUL sister

25 Things You Should Know About Me

1. I prefer television commercials to actual shows (my current fave is the AT&T taco party: "Hey...everyone's eating tacos outside of Bill's office. Don't you think that's some information I would like to know - I like tacos".....HILARIOUS!!!)
2. I used to be a ballerina (ok, well, I took ballet when I was young)
3. It takes me a long time to trust people
4. I get bored easily and often
5. My favorite place to visit is the Aquarium (but unfortunately I've never been there on a date)
6. I'm afraid of bridges
7. I'm afraid to fall in love for fear the person will not "handle with care" my heart
8. I want to fall in love with someone who thinks I am amazing
9. I often speak in foreign accents at random
10. I aspire to be a polyglot (I know basic greetings in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian & Hindi)
11. I'm afraid of getting cancer
12. I've always wanted to be 5'6. Exactly.  And I am 5'6 exactly - until I take off my high-heels...and then I'm 5'1.
13. I hate that they always have Black people singing and dancing in McDonald's commercials.  I honestly have never seen any person of color in line @ McDonald's rapping their order. Really?
14. I don't get Twitter.
15. I don't like dares (I accept all challenges)
16. I've always wanted to have 1 son & 1 daughter.  I have neither.  Not even a pet.
17. I watch Shark Week on the Discovery Channel every year - never miss it
18. I don't own a bathrobe
19. I feel nondescript when I wear my hair blown-out and long. However, when I'm wearing a tank top, no makeup, and my hair big & in it's natural state, I feel freakin' BEAUTIFUL!!!!
20. I would marry Andy Samburg in.a.minute. if he asked me - nose and all
21. I think a funny guy trumps a hot guy anyday (but an honest guy trumps them both any.day.of.the.week.)
22. I don't know how to whistle
23. It's been years since someone has sent me flowers.....so sad.
24. I spend an awful lot of time in bookstores and Best Buy.
25. I'm dying to cater a Superbowl party for my boyfriend/husband (I have neither).

* Bonus:  I have a freakin' GORGEOUS sister (pic above)

Longest.Week.Ever.

This past week was the Longest.Week.Ever.  And I do mean EVER.  I started a new job last week(yaaaaaay me!) - full time, great company, good position, great benefits, great growth potential, etc. etc. All the standard stuff.  I'm working 9 hrs. a day, and I don't know if it's because I've been unemployed for a minute or not but the thing is - my days are sooo long.  I mean I feel like I'm working 20 hours a day!  I don't EVER remember 9 hrs. seeming so long!   Everyday last week felt like GROUNDHOG's DAY - seemed like I kept repeating the same day over and over again- the week just would not move!!!  My week seemed like this: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Thursday-and-a-half.......And the job consists of me learning code after code after code after code so maybe that's why the days seemed so long but OMG IT WAS THE LONGEST WEEK OF MY LIFE!!!  But the job is cool so...

In other news, the rest of the week was pretty much uneventful.  I drank too few glasses of H2O and waaay too many cups of peppermint tea, I walked/jogged nearly everyday of the week, reconfigured my finances, bid adieu to a friendship ("I will miss you, young grasshopper"....what movie is that from?), apartment hunted online (putting the cart before the horse, i know), and contemplated my life in general.  Again.  And that was pretty much my week in a nutshell....

Great news!  This week I'm going shopping for some new workout clothes and I am f.i.n.a.l.l.y. getting my camera fixed (Welcome back, my old friend - it's been too long!) - I'll be able to post some real pictures (non-camera phone pics, sorry Droid).  Full body shots, etc., to fully document my weight loss progress as I.bring.my.sexy.back.  Awww yeaaah........

**in Wendy Williams' voice** ......How You Doing????  How was YOUR week???

Broken-Hearted Girl

I will never be the girl that is unaffected by hurtful words.  I will always be the girl to walk away from hurtful speech, but I will never be the girl unaffected by it.  I will never be the girl that believes a lie when I hear it.  I will always be the girl that wishes it to be true, but  I will always be the girl to recognize it for what it is.  I will never be the girl that does not hold a slight grudge when deeply wounded by a friend.  I will always be the girl that will try to fight for the friendship, but I will always be the girl to know when it's time to let go.  I will never be the girl that will admit to feelings of emptiness, but I will always be the girl who yearns for something more.  I will never be the girl who chooses to be molded by the hands of others, but I will always be the girl that will allow herself to be molded.  I will never be the girl that feels another has the right to check my hand, but I will always be the girl to show them what's in it.  I will never be the girl that will let you see me cry, but I will always be the girl who feels shame if I slip up and let you.  I will never be the girl that doesn't get her heart broken, but I will always be the girl feigning hard heartedness.

I will never be this girl.  Because i.am.that.chica.

And He Lived Happily Ever After. Maybe.

Everyone loves a happy ending. That is what I wish for Ted Williams, formerly known as HOMELESS GUY.  In the event you've been living under a rock and don't know who Ted Williams is, he's a homeless man who was panhandling on the streets of Ohio advertising his unique talent.  Said talent?  He has a golden voice.  A "you're listening to Magic97" golden voice.  A local reporter captured video footage of him and put it on Youtube and, as they say, the rest is history. Yet another obscure nobody catapulted to social media celebrity (see Antoine "hide your kids hide your wife" Dodson) via Youtube.  He's gotten offers the world over to do all kinds of voice-over work.  He's now done announcing for The Today Show, Dr. Phil Show, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have offered him a house (homeless no more!) and a full time announcer job!  And the offers keep pouring in.  Talk about overnight success - wow.  But this man has lived a hard, sad life.  Addicted to crack, alcohol, and estranged from his 9 children for many years.....this man deserves a break.  He deserves not only a second chance, but a happy ending.  The whole world (well, maybe not the whole world) is watching w/ baited breathe to see if he gets it or relapses. Most people do not get the instant brush with fame/celebrity like Mr. Williams, but we do often get the chance to right the wrongs we've done.  Unfortunately, life does not come with do-overs so if you ever are given the opportunity of a second chance (for anything!) - take it.  Take that second chance and do something with it.  Make it count.  Create your happy ending.  Learn from past mistakes and try not to repeat them.  And should you inevitably do so, don't let it knock you out of the game.  It's one thing to get knocked down, it's another to stay down.  Personally, I'm rooting for Mr. Williams, the artist formerly known as Homeless Guy.  I hope he uses this opportunity to get clean, repair his relationships with his children, and find happiness.  Because I think everyone deserves a happy ending.

*sidebar: Happy to report that Mr. Williams is getting his grill fixed.  Perhaps now he'll look even more like his famous (my opinion) look-alike.

 

*If you got a second chance in life, what would you do differently?

JOKE OF THE DAY

What do you get when you wake up with a sore throat & slight cough but nonetheless proceed to go out in the 30 degree freezing rain for a few hours without turning the heat on in your car because you're cheap butt is trying to preserve the gas?

drumroll.........

Answer: THE FLU

5,4,....3,2....P90X is in the house!

You better watch your mouth.  Ok, I added something new to shake up my current routine.  As you can tell from the title and picture, I'm doing P90X ya'll.  And in case you didn't know, the P in the P90x workout stands for POWER,...as in P(ower)90X.  But after doing this thing that is P90x, I can think of more appropriate acronyms: 

P= PAINFUL (because you don't know PAIN until you've done a P90x workout. Seriously.  It's only been 3 days and I.want.to.die.  I've never experienced childbirth, but after 3 days of Tony Horton and crew, I think I would be okay.)

P= PERVERSE (as in, it takes a perverse individual to come up with the moves that P90x includes.  Tony Horton and crew are obviously all ex-NAVY SEALS or something....the average person cannot do more than 2 of the moves in that AB RIPPER dvd - I don't care if that one guy does have a prosthetic leg!!!

P= PUNK (because yes, let's be real: EVERY dvd in the P90x set exposes you to be a bonafide PUNK.  No if's and's or buts.  And really, if I could actually do all those Ninja-esque moves, would I even need P90x?  My advice to anyone attempting P90 is to GO IN KNOWING THAT YOU ARE A PUNK and cannot do most of these moves.  You WILL be exposed as such anyway.

P= There is another word that is basically synonymous with the above word that P90x will prove you to be...but I shan't say it here.  You figure it out.

P= PROFANITY (you will be cursing the whole time you're trying to do this $@^* workout.  No joke.  And if you're a Christian, as I am, be ready with the euphemisms.....)

But perhaps the most important acronym for the P in the P90x workout is this: PERSEVERE.  As in "to persist or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles or discouragement."  That is what's needed for a P90X-type workout.  Be persistent.  Refuse to give up.  Go hard or go home!  Tony Horton - you are one seriously sick evil genius, but I will give you 90 days nonetheless.  3 down - 87 to go.  Bring it!!!

Gettin' It In in 2011

So I started a weight loss challenge in early December where the goal was to lose 10 pounds by the end of December.  I wish I could say I reached the goal but I didn't.  I lost 8 pounds.  Argghhh!  2 pounds away - that sucks!  So close...yet so far.  And almost does not count.  But I know where I went wrong - I didn't drink enough water.  Drinking anymore than 3-4 glasses of water is almost torture to me because I don't love water.  And putting a lemon in it only makes it worse to me.  But nonetheless, I won't be making that mistake again.  I'll be drinking water til the cows come home if it will get me to my goal quicker.  Anyway, January 2011 is here, so I'm going hard.  Started the year off right by getting out early this am and walking/running...I'm going to "get it right, get it tight."  Yay me.  Can't wait to see what 2011 brings.  Or I should say: I can't wait to see what I bring to 2011.  Awww yeah!  I'm ready.