A hodge-podge...to say the least

For all of you readers out there...and I know you are few and far between...the reason that I have not updated recently is that I am just too darn lazy. I should probably be more embarrassed to admit that, but no. In some sort of defense of myself, things have picked up a bit more lately and promise to even more in the coming weeks. This cheers me as I enjoy being busy, as much as I may complain otherwise.

(Sidebar: if you are a fan of Amy Winehouse, come down to the library at the Lethbridge College immediately because she is sitting right beside me....oh, that hair...)

There are a few things that are keeping me busy.

1. I have learned how to correctly use a colon: it is important to have an independent clause preceding it, and it generally sets off a series or summary after. Thank-you to Braden for peaking my curiosity about this much maligned and misused punctuation mark, and thank-you especially to the Google for always answering my questions, no matter how big or small.

If you liked that, a quote from Kurt Vonnegut Jr. regarding the semicolon.
Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.

2. I participated in a Lethbridge Stake rite of passage -making Elephant Ears at Whoop-Up Days. I was very hesitant to participate; however, it was brought to my attention that the money goes towards the Youth programs and so I felt a sense of obligation. Luckily, we had the opening night at the fair, and so it wasn't overly busy. It was a lot of fun to work side by side with some of the people in the ward that I hadn't really gotten to know before. The weather was quite cool as well, and it wasn't too hot inside the booth.

3. I am now the Young Women's President in our ward, and while I am very nervous to take on the responsibility, I am so excited to be a part of the girl's lives. I had a first meeting with my presidency, and we all shared the same vision for how we want the direction of Young Women's to go. We have a lot of great goals, and I hope to win many a Ward Council in the upcoming months.

4. I have been reading voraciously as of late and here is a list of my latest books -

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. This was an absolutely delightful novel, written entirely in letters. The characters are engaging, and the story is sweet with moments of humour and intensity. Read it, you will not be sorry.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I wouldn't describe this novel as delightful, rather creepy, Gothic and absolutely engrossing. I read it all in one night, and about 2/3 of the way through, I was so scared that I envisioned myself laying awake all night in sheer terror. Thankfully, the creepiness abated with the resolution of the story and the explanation of the mysteries, but there are some fantastic final twists that kept me hooked right until the very end. If you do not like Gothic literature, you may want to either avoid this book, or read it during the day times only.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This is ostensibly a book written for teens, but the themes of death and selflessness resonated with my (very few) adult sensibilities. The story takes place in Nazi Germany, and it gives an interesting perspective on what it must have been like to be a German under Hitler's regime. It is absolutely heart-breaking at times, and I cried for my last hour of reading the book. If you like books about the holocaust, read this one. If you are looking for something both sad and triumphant, read this book. Read this book.

I will end this grotesquely long post with a poem by John Updike that I think captures my feelings about Leita's death. It has been almost 2 months, but I still think about it almost every day.

Perfection Wasted

And another regrettable thing about death
is the ceasing of your own brand of magic,
which took a whole life to develop and market —
the quips, the witticisms, the slant
adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest
the lip of the stage, their soft faces blanched
in the footlight glow, their laughter close to tears,
their tears confused with their diamond earrings,
their warm pooled breath in and out with your heartbeat,
their response and your performance twinned.
The jokes over the phone. The memories packed
in the rapid-access file. The whole act.
Who will do it again? That's it: no one;
imitators and descendants aren't the same.

Everything you have been waiting for...and possibly less

So, here it is. Blog #200. I have to say, I thought there would be more fanfare than this...maybe trumpets playing, a montage of me alternately writing and reading my posts, Martinellis and a large cheer when I pressed the "Publish Post" button. Sadly, there are none of those things. Only a dark kitchen and a sick roommate on the couch....hooray!!

Also, please don't think that because I waited so long to write it, that is going to be a mind-blowing post. Sorry, you just get par for the course today.

So, now that this post is starting to feel like a viewing of "Wolverine" (Ummm, is the story ever going to start?), I will get to the point. I spent about 2 hours the other night reading over my blog from the beginning. It was a disturbing, eye-opening, funny, heart-breaking and banal journey that has brought me to right here in 2009. I realized a few things:

1. I sure love a good list
2. While working at Chapters, I loved a good rant
3. I sure wrote a lot more before Facebook
4. I think I used to be funnier
5. While trying to be cryptic to other readers, I am now pretty confused about some of the things I have written about.
6. I do some seriously stupid/questionable things.

To illustrate the last point, and to celebrate a return to Poetry Day, here is something I wrote last night. It comes after I read a line in a book that I may have had a run in with last year. Didn't work out so well then...and...still pretty sad. However, I hope you enjoy.


A brief moment of understanding E.D.

I once told you these words:
"You are the man
I have always wanted to meet".
Actually, to be honest,
I wrote you the words-
I just couldn't form them
with my mouth.

In the most cliche of all confessions
they wouldn't shape around my teeth.
Only parched
in my desert of a throat.

They did, however,
fairly sing from my fingers
and fly
to press precariously on the page.
Then with one unbelievable leap
(arms wide, eyes shut)
I sent them careening to you.
Settled in.

And you?
(the story suddenly swoops
your way)
You said nothing-
wrote no response
to my most fragile
and feathered offering.

And hope?
Well,
it's perching still-
with dark eyes
that glitter on my bruised soul.

Back from the "sad"

O.k., so here it is: Post #199. It almost feels like a penultimate one, but fear not, gentle readers, I will not be stopping at 20o.

I am sorry for the lack of posts as of late. My excuse is that not only did I call into work "sad" the other day, I have been using "sad" as an excuse to avoid many things. Washing my car, cleaning my room, doing the dishes (thanks to Denise for helping me out here), and also writing on the blog.

If you are following Denise, you will know that there is a hole in our lives right now. I also miss Leita terribly. Her memorial service was on Saturday, and I wish I could sit down with her to find out what she thought of it. I think she would have loved to hear her mom talk about her early life. I am pretty sure she would have forgiven me for singing pretty shakily during my song. I know she would have loved to hear Denise's words about their friendship, and seen the beautiful video presentation she put together. I really would like to know what she thought about the crazy lady, who, during the "open mic" session, said that she hadn't known Leita. This did not stop her from telling the story of when her roommate, Cindy, had died from cancer 30 years ago. The story was long, but at least it was mildly inappropriate as the lady implied that Cindy visited her on a regular basis. I suppose that like Cousin Stickles, funerals brought back her own sad loss.

Anyway, things are slowly getting back to normal. I have been promising a HP6 review, so here it is: I didn't especially love it for the following reasons

1. It wasn't as dark as I wanted it to be. It almost felt like a romantic comedy at times, and the intense parts of the movie were few and far between.

2.They added stuff that I didn't like, such as the burning down of the Weasley's house. Huh?

3. The Harry and Ginny story wasn't great. I prefer the kiss in the book, and when , in the movie, Ginny bent down and tied Harry's shoes, I couldn't stop myself from yelling "Barf"!

4. I thought Daniel Radcliffe's acting left much to be desired. He did such a great job in the 5th movie, and so I expected the same level of emotion and intensity in this one. However, he just seemed embarrassed to be part of it all, or kind of like a guy who just wandered in to Hogwart's.

5. Dumbledore's death happened too quickly, and the movie ended too quickly after he died. In the book, the scene in the tower where Dumbledore was begging Snape to kill him was heart-breaking, but in the movie, it just went by so quickly.

6. I HATED the reveal of Snape as the "Half-Blood Prince". It came at the most inappropriate and awkward time, and it felt like they just threw it in at the end because they realized that they had just let that aspect of the plot get buried under everything else, and they had better hastily tie it up. When Snape suddenly says "I'm the Half-Blood Prince" it was way too cheesy, and I had to restrain myself from yelling "I'm the Half-Blood Prince in the manner of "I'm Darby Shaw!" It is probably a good thing that Jess wasn't there...

After all of that, I didn't hate the movie, I just thought it could have been better. Maybe I am just getting tired of HP movies. So, bring out your torches, and lynch me any time. I know that most of you are still mad I didn't like "Wolverine", and that I am still refusing to see "Star Trek".

I think I am just getting crotchety in my old age.

See you on the 200th post!!

"The temperature's rising, it isn't surprising..."

Here is the ice-cream combination that I invented last night: key-lime ice cream with raspberries and marshmallows. Oh, Marble Slab, you do indeed bring delight.

I am going to see Harry Potter tonight, and so the next post should hopefully be a review of the movie. I would get to it tomorrow, but it might interfere with my plans to find a tree and lay under it all day. It is supposed to get to 31 tomorrow, so I can't think of anything better to do...

Enjoy the heat!!!

Dear Leita,

You have been an incredible support to me through all the years that I have known you.

Remember when you were the Compassionate Service Leader and were ready to help with anything? I am sorry that I didn't use you more. When I wanted to plan a party for Denise, you were there to help make it happen. When I wanted to get my dream of a Mid-Singles group off the ground, you came up like an organizing fiend and it became a reality. Our first activity was such a success, and it was due to your advertising and ingenuity. I don't know how I will continue it without your dedication and perseverance.

You were an amazing friend to me. I remember we had a girl's sleep-over about 3 years ago, and you brought the game "Girl Talk". It was the first time I had played it, and there is a picture of me out there pushing a penny on the floor with my nose. You always reached out to me when I was anti-social, and I was so glad to find out that we were actually family!! In the last year, you have shared some of my favorite experiences and events, from birthday parties to the Mid-Singles Conference in June. I will always treasure the experience of tag-team speed-dating with you. I thought we were a dynamic duo! I am sorry I ditched you on the Saturday for the lamest of all reasons, and I wish you would have told us how sick you were feeling. You always thought of others before yourself, though. I wish I could have been a better friend to you. I wish I had been less selfish.

You will continue to be an inspiring example of someone who has great faith in Jesus Christ. This was evident in your faithful temple attendance and your endless service to others. As you lay in the hospital, you were more concerned about the mid-Singles activity, and us remembering friends' birthdays than yourself. Your quiet acts of compassion were noticed, and I know that you will be serving even more people now that you have the full capacity to do so.

Let's be honest, there were things about you that drove me crazy. You lived by extremely high standards and you wanted everyone else to as well. I am afraid that many of us failed you numerous times. You always wanted to include everyone, even when there were people we couldn't stand to have around. Once you had an idea, you would see it through until the very end, even if it was uncomfortable for others. You were driven and determined, and you often got me out of my comfort zone. Thank-you.

Leita, you will be missed more than words can ever express. I am a better person for having known you, and I hope that you are well and happy and working hard and laughing with all of our awesome ancestors. Please say hi to them for me!

Love,
Jenny

A bright and blustery good morrow to you all (I actually don't know what that means...) I am blogging in celebration that I have finished the "Term End Reflections" for the two students I work with. I h-a-a-a-a-a-t-e paperwork, and when I get it finished, I like to spend at least 30 minutes doing something completely frivolous. I can't count the email I sent to my Dad about the program for the reunion (accompanied by many frantic texts to various family members: "Will you be performing?") because that is only work of another variety...though not technically College related. Good thing my boos is away for the afternoon.

Anyway, that was a ridiculously long intro, so I will get to the crux. Young Women's Camp is this Thursday. I am alternately hot and cold about it, but I am semi-excited to purchase a day-pack, hat, and wine gums, assemble a tinfoil dinner, borrow a sleeping bag from Jean, get some ear plugs for the girls who will be sharing my tent, and try to come up with some awesome ideas for the firesides I am organizing.

It is so interesting to be doing these things in the role of a leader. There is a lot more work, and you have answers for things, but it is nice to have people look up to you. Just another step on my journey to adulthood, I guess.

I feel like I'm 4 all over again

Here is the story of the day.

Today I had to get the first of two mumps vaccinations that I need in order to assist one of the students in volunteering at the hospital. The reason I was getting injected was because my immunization records have been lost somewhere in this province. For three days I called every health unit in every town I have ever lived, only to find out that my immunization records were last seen leaving Magrath in 1989...and they never made it to their intended destination of Cardston. Kill me!!

Cut to me today at 10:30, sitting in the waiting room of the Lethbridge Community Health Unit, surrounded by infants. When I went into get the shot, the nurse asked me if it was for my child. I had to tell her, that no, it was actually for me, but that due to my fear of needles, I was probably going to be a bigger baby than most of the actual babies who were in there. The nurse was very kind, and I made it through relatively unscathed. I didn't faint, but my heart rate wasn't too leisurely paced.

The best part of this story is that I have to go back for a second shot on July 27th.

Here's hoping that the rest of my day goes better...

"You kids can't handle the quiet parts!!"

This week was the opening for "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen" (Duh-duh-duh...)

Will I be seeing this movie in the theater? The answer is no. In case any of you have not heard the story, I fell asleep while watching the first Transformers in the theater...twice. Yes, I fell asleep at the exact same moment in the movie both times - basically as soon as the big action scene is beginning. In my defense, I went to a 10:00 show both times, I am not a guy and therefore was not cheering and crying through the whole movie, and let's be honest, action sequences are too boring for me to pay attention to.

So, because the sequel has even more action, and considering I may have lapsed into a bored-coma during the trailer for Fallen, I will not be in attendance. Well, unless some ridiculously handsome gentleman offers to pay for me, buys me some cola-type beverages, and takes me to the earliest show they have (although, not a matinee, cause afternoon is my sleepy time...I really am an old lady).

You also need to know it isn't just me who thinks this might not be the best movie of the summer; I decided to go for back-up. So, for your enjoyment (or outrage), here are a few reviews of the movie (see The National Post, Wednesday, June 24th, 2009):

"It's like watching a blender for two hours while someone shouts at you. And then the last half hour is the same, except it's more like having your head strapped to a washing machine while you watch a blender and someone shouts at you." -Paul French, FHM

"At once loud and boring, like watching paint dry while getting hit over the head with a frying pan" - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"Go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination. "
- Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times

You can stand under my umbrella, Ella.

I had such a great moment on the weekend when I went with the youth for a baptismal trip to the Temple. As we were waiting to go in, I noticed an old man walking by us. Well, what I actually noticed was that he was really, really old. Like 180,000 years old. He was extremely stooped over and moving at a pace that would make a turtle impatient. As he passed me, he said that he liked my shoes. (I was, of course, wearing my bright yellow heels) I said that I did as well, and he remarked that they were actually gold. I said that I referred to them as my golden slippers. He loved that! The exchange absolutely made my day.

I really do get more comments about those shoes than any others I have. People must love the colour yellow.

Anyway, on to another week, my last one alone. It has already started out great with the most wonderful rain this morning. I have to say, I enjoy the rain so much more now that I have a car, and don't have to schlep around on the bus.

Have a wonderful Monday!!

"You can't dust-buster a baby!"

I would like to start a new segment here at the ole blog entitled, "Things not to do".

1. Things not to do alone:

-go to Costco - this is really a team event because there is so much to do and see. Also, who are you going to play "Let's see who knows the most people here" with if you're all by yourself?

-participate in "Target Hunger". I had to drive and look for the bags on people's doorsteps, and pick them up too. I almost got in an accident several times while trying to drive, spot the yellow bags, and all the while, try not to look like I was casing the neighborhood, or staring creepily at the men out mowing their lawns.

-watch the season finale of SNL, hosted by Will Ferrell. You can't endlessly quote back your new favorite lines to yourself. ("You can't dust-buster a baby!") You can't remember fondly the 45 times you have watched "The best of Will Ferrell", and cheer when he included some favorite characters - During the Jeopardy segment, I was wishing with all of my heart that Ashley and Denise were there with me to enjoy both Sean Connery and Burt Reynolds.

2. Things you shouldn't do in the summer:

-drive in the "Red Rat" while the air-conditioning is on the fritz
- play your music at full volume at 1:00 am with your windows open. Especially some weird "Fleetwood Mac" concert
-run out of ice

I just ran outside for a minute to enjoy a sudden summer shower, and to breathe in the smell of rain on the warm pavement.
I am pretty sure that is what heaven smells like.

More to come throughout the week...let's see if I can survive living alone, as Denise is on holidays.

Ciao!

"Everyone's watching to see what you will do!"

I can not even begin to express my joy about the fact that it is almost officially the weekend!! I have been looking forward to my "days off" all week, and I have a few plans, as well as some glorious hours to fill however I want.

Tonight I am going to see "Said the Whale" at The Slice with Ashley. Tomorrow morning I will be picking up bags full of food for "Project Hunger" and taking them to the Stake Center. Then, I have all Saturday afternoon and evening for pure relaxation, with a little bit of prep for my YW lesson thrown in there. On Sunday, I am going out to Magrath for my Dad's birthday dinner, and then spending the night there.

It has been a particularly busy week at work, mostly because my boss is away, and we are not only taking over her student load, but I am preparing for our upcoming student interviews. This includes booking the room, forming a committee, meeting with prospective students, getting the advertising out there, and setting up an interview schedule. Fortunately, this is the stuff that I really enjoy!

I wish all of you a magical weekend, especially our dear Denise who is heading down to the Promised Land with her parents.

Lucky!

..."You say its your birthday..."

Today marks that last day of the Denise Garner birthday celebration multi-day extravaganza! Her actual birthday was yesterday, but we have been celebrating for a few days, and certainly in style:

Sunday: We had a beverage party at our house with drinks provided by Afton. We had the house full to capacity, and the best part of the evening was the 2 hours of karaoke we played on the xbox. The highlight of the singing was a toss up between 2/3 of the party belting out "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles, Ashley singing some sort of weird rap song about lip-gloss, or Braden favoring us with a country song (me thinks a sight I had thought never to see). Denise and I were our usual competitive selves, and I have to say that as usual, we were pretty amazing at the Karaoke.

Monday: Denise and I had a birthday dinner with the parents, and then she, Leita and I went to see "17 Again"...again and enjoyed a variety of outfits on Zac Efron.

Tuesday: Denise's actual birthday on which she went to dinner with Ashley.

Today, I am going to pick up the birthday present I ordered, and I will give it to her this evening. It is pretty awesome, so I am excited!!

Happy Birthday, Denise. I don't think it is possible for either of us to have a quiet celebration, as much as we say we want it.

Testification

This, ladies and gentlemen, is my 189th post. Thrilling? Yes. Worth a mention? Absolutely.

Here is evidence for the awesomeness of the number 189:

189 (number)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
One hundred [and]eighty-nine189 is the natural number following 188 and preceding 190.
189 is a centred cube number.

There are 189 lochs in Scotland... (from travelblog.org)

Some sources say that there are 189 countries in the world. (The UN says that there are 192, but are those guys really trustworthy? I am sticking with my nebulous claim of 189. Let's be honest, some countries don't even sound like real places. Finland? fake name.)

According to the 2000 Census by the United States Census Bureau, the villages of Cobalt, Missouri and Riverside Oregon had 189 people.

There are 189 dog friendly cities in Georgia.

In Martial Arts, there are 189 classical Golden Dragon forms.

There are 189 scenes in the shooting script of the 1982 movie "Gandhi".

For poetry day, here is an interesting tidbit. On May 31, 2008, Walt Whitman's 189th birthday,there was a gathering in Washington Park to read "Song of Myself" in its entirety. No small feat, if you know of this poem at all. So, I will include a section here:

From Song of Myself

Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems, You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions of suns left,) You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books, You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self.

I love a piano

If my blog is looking different these days, it is because I am experimenting with the different applications, etc. I am having a difficult time with it because my new template isn't as easy to manage. Also, I am technologically slow, so what would take a normal person a few minutes takes me at least an hour.

Kill me!!

This past weekend was the Sarah Slean concert in Calgary. It was my 4th time seeing her, and I definitely enjoyed it as much as the other times I have attended. For me, her voice gets more rich and interesting with each concert, and I actually prefer her with just the piano. The intimacy of just singer and piano makes it more of an emotional experience, and her mad keyboard skills bring out the sound of all the absent instruments. I have always preferred music more acoustic, though.

She played a variety of songs, including some covers by Leonard Cohen, Dolly Parton and my favorite, a song called "Black Flowers" by Lynne Miles.

It was especially fun to meet my Internet friend, Laura. She mentioned that it was weird to officially meet someone when you read their blog, and so know all about their life. It really wasn't awkward at all, and I too look forward to real-life friendship.

This has been one of my favorite poems since High School. In English 30, we used to prepare for our Diploma Exam by reviewing tests from past years. I remember finding this poem and copying it out by hand. I also remember that Mr Hardy had book shelves in the back of the classroom that had some poetry books. He used to let me borrow them, and it was at that time that I truly developed a love for poetry.



An Arundel Tomb

Side by side, their faces blurred,
The earl and countess lie in stone,
Their proper habits vaguely shown
As jointed armour, stiffened pleat,
And that faint hint of the absurd -
The little dogs under their feet.

Such plainness of the pre-baroque
Hardly involves the eye, until
It meets his left-hand gauntlet, still
Clasped empty in the other; and
One sees, with a sharp tender shock,
His hand withdrawn, holding her hand.

They would not think to lie so long.
Such faithfulness in effigy
Was just a detail friends would see:
A sculptor's sweet commissioned grace
Thrown off in helping to prolong
The Latin names around the base.

They would not guess how early in
Their supine stationary voyage
The air would change to soundless damage,
Turn the old tenantry away;
How soon succeeding eyes begin
To look, not read. Rigidly, they

Persisted, linked, through lengths and breadths
Of time. Snow fell, undated. Light
Each summer thronged the glass. A bright
Litter of birdcalls strewed the same
Bone-riddled ground. And up the paths
The endless altered people came,

Washing at their identity.
Now, helpless in the hollow of
An unarmorial age, a trough
Of smoke in slow suspended skeins
Above their scrap of history,
Only an attitude remains:

Time has transfigured them into
Untruth. The stone fidelity
They hardly meant has come to be
Their final blazon, and to prove
Our almost-instinct almost true:
What will survive of us is love.

Phillip Larkin

Things I am absolutely crazy about lately:

- Flip-flops

- Journey -the band

- Crepes

- Choir reunions

- Big Turk

- Opinion articles from "The Onion"

- How I met your Mother

- Nachos

- Strawberry and Banana fruit and veggie juice

- short hair

In other news, Christian Bale has been deleted from the spot of Celebrity Trump, and probably from any other list I may have had him on. He is just too crazy and just too darn hideous these days. Of course, when I went to find a recent "ugly" photo of him, all that came up were really pretty ones. Sadly, this is about as ugly as I could find:

Although, please feast your eyes on this delightful this picture of him...

Right?

I will tell you right now that this is the end of a 17 year affair, which started with my very first viewing of Newsies, which I saw in the theatre when I was 15.

So, I am taking suggestions for a new ultimate celebrity trump. If anyone has any good ideas, please let me know.

Are they good or are they bad?

I woke up this morning in 2008. May 2008, to be precise. No, I am not a time traveller, Superman, or even a character in a yet-to-be written romantic comedy about a girl who ages backwards 1 year every Monday. ( ooh, I think there is a screenplay idea...)

I emerged from sleep at 6:30 like someone clawing their way out of quicksand: head pounding, eyes gritty, throat like the Gobi and stomach definitely nauseated. When I stumbled into the bathroom, I discovered the reason for my hang-over like state was the lingering smell of marijuana smoke pumping through the vent.

I thought we had left the pot smoke behind at our last house, in 2008, but apparently someone thought that Sunday night / Monday morning would be an excellent time to roll up a fatty of non-fellowship and bad fun.

So. Thank-you to our neighbors for assisting me in being late for work, leaving the house without eating breakfast, forgetting my phone, and for the 10 minutes I spent on the couch watching Dawson's Creek.

I should be fully awake by noon. 2:00 at the latest.

If you have ever wondered what a semi-coma looked like...

So last night I had a bit of a set-back. I was watching t.v. when I suddenly had a craving for Fish and Chips that was not to be ignored. Most people that know me have been instructed to never let me eat them. To give Denise her due, she put up a really good fight when I suggested it. However, I decided to lift the ban for one night.

Denise and I went to Moxies where I consumed both extremely large pieces of battered fish. Almost immediately regret set in to my stomach with a vengeance. I think it was worse than usual because I have been avoiding really fried food lately. Yeah. Cut to me, two hours later, lying on the couch in what can only be described as a "Fried Fish Semi-Coma". For all of you curious readers out there, here are the symptoms/manifestations of the condition:

1. Lethargy. A lethargy so profound that it found me watching "Casino Royale" with a ridiculous amount of commercial breaks. I really didn't fee like watching this movie, especially with it being dragged out to 3 hours, but I was too lethargic to go over to the Movie shelf. I was also too tired to make an actual phone call, so I engaged in a texting session with our dear Greg.

2. Forgetfulness. At 8:20, I looked at the clock and realized that I had forgotten to go to my AquaFit class. This is unfortunate because exercise could only have helped me at that point.

3. Giddiness. There wasn't hallucinations, but there was a pretty rousing games of non/celebrity make-out challenge that resulted in a challenge for Denise so horrific, it almost forced her to choose death.

4. Nausea. My stomach was practically bubbling with all of that grease, and lying on the couch was the only possibility.

Today, I have repented of my ways, eaten delicious and healthy leftovers for lunch, and am looking forward to bbq'd hamburgers tonight courtesy of Denise's mom.

Here's to never lifting the ban again.

Get in shape, girl

You might as well kill me right now and I will tell you why:

I have decided to give up some of my favorite things, and to introduce some newer and slightly painful ones in their place. I hit a weight so high last week that I decided that it was absolutely time to change my physical lifestyle. I knew that I needed to set some realistic goals, and so I have given myself a year to lose a certain amount of weight, and I think it will be doable. Unfortunately, there are a few sacrifices that are involved. I have decided to cut way, way back on the breads and pasta. I will instead be eating the whole grains as much as possible. Is this a fair trade? Heck, no. I am also cutting out the sugar, except for fruit, and this is already making me sad. I went to a retirement party for a colleague yesterday, and the desserts looked amazing... Luckily there was cheese and crackers. This is not to say that I won't occasionally partake, but it will not be on a daily or even weekly basis. The biggest decision I have made is to stop eating fast food. This one is really hard, because sometimes I am just too tired to cook, and it is so easy to run out for a hamburger. I also really, really, love hamburgers. I will just have to go home to my parents more often to partake in the barbecued hamburgers there. (Did you get that, Mom?) Just when you thought that the regime couldn't be any more depressing, I am adding in Aquafit 4 times a week, and walking more. Actually, I really enjoy the deep water jogging, although during the extended cardio session last night, I was ready to punch our unbelievably cute instructor in the throat.

So, it has been a week, and a hard one at that, but I have already seen some results, and it feels good to be actually doing something positive. I think the hardest part will be having the patience to do it over a year and be happy with the results coming gradually. I live in a society where I want everything right now, and with the littlest amount of effort possible.

Wish me luck, and if you see me venturing anywhere near a Wendy's, please stop me.

"The Circle Game" isn't as fun these days.

I got a bit of a wake-up call today. I went to profile section of my blog and there it was. Age: 32. I had remembered that I had a birthday, but I somehow forgot that I am actually a year older. I am not usually bothered by my advancing years, but it was definitely a "pause for thought" moment when it was there, staring me in the face for the first time.

Have a great weekend, everyone.