Last Meal - Pizza and Chocolate Cake

Y'all still out there???  Do I still have followers?

Well, tomorrow I turn the big 40 (cue the trombones or the kazoos or whatever - cue something damnit!!!).  I wanted to do something exciting and memorable for dinner on my last day as a 39 year old - but alas my soft pants beckoned me home (they are so controlling - those soft pants) so I settled on Nancy's pizza and chocolate cake.  I also met with a financial planner dude today and am finally dealing the my two orphan 401Ks - so I will move into my 40s being fiscally responsible.  Yay me!!! This weekend Lisa, Olivia, Mel, Sarah and I will head to North Georgia - specifically Dahlonega, to stay in a cute little B&B, visit a couple of local wineries and just have some ya-ya sisterhood fun!!  I have been wanting to check out Dahlonega for a while now and think this is the perfect excuse.  Lisa is bringing chocolate and wine - Olivia is bringing cake decorated with poppies and thistles (I will take pictures!!)  and I am bringing my appetite and my soft pants (they just won't let me out of their sight - those soft pants)!!!!  We will try to have some blog worthy moments while we are there - but for sure I will take pictures.  Hell, half of my blog followers will already be in the room.

I really didn't have anything profound to say - other than I'M GETTING READY TO TURN 40 YO!! The good news?  I feel better than I have felt in a long time.  I am going to work late tomorrow - picking up my special order cake for Conference Room C (no, I didn't get my own cake - although I am not above that - it couldn't be picked up until 10:30 so I decided since it's my birthday I will sleep in - and pick it up).  I will start off my morning with a Java Jive breakfast - I am thinking pancakes!!!

Ciao - talk to you when I'm 40.

Wall Balling and Porn Yoga

So I had a real bad cricket in my shoulder Friday at work (well, I always do since I hover over a computer all day like Quasimodo , but Friday it was particularly crickety).  I remembered that Bejni told me that I could just rub myself (keep your dirty thoughts to yourself please - this is a family program) by putting a small ball on the wall and leaning into the ball and –voilà – instant DIY back rub.  Apparently Darryl stinks at giving back rubs causing Benji to resort to the wall ball method.  Sorry Darryl, I didn’t mean to out your substandard massage abilities – but it’s just the 12 of us (oh, and Jennifer who can’t seem to sign on as an official follower – so 13 of us - unless there are other "silent followers" out there, and if so - show yourselves!!).  Anyway, of course I don’t carry balls to work (well, maybe figuratively) so I dug through my purse to see if I had a ball equivalent.  My new favorite lip balm EOS (stands for Evolution of Smooth) just so happens to be a ball – a tiny ball, but a ball nonetheless – so I gave that a go.  It was actually working pretty well (thanks Benji!), but I suddenly realized that all my contractor buddies had stopped working and were staring at me with WTF? expressions on their faces.  I explained the wall ball method to them and oddly the look of concern did not leave their faces.  In fact they all simultaneously kept looking from me wall balling myself to the open conference room door.  As I may have mentioned before, I am not stupid.  I had positioned myself in a blind spot, so someone would actually have to enter into the room to catch me wall balling – passersby would have been oblivious to the fact that I was wall balling right under their noses.  But, I took the hint, cut my wall balling session short and took my seat.  While I remained unsatisfied, the Ladies of the Conference Room all looked very relieved.  I guess they figured that’s not the kind of attention we need in Conference Room C.

Less than 24 hours after I posted my blog about my outdated technology I get an email from Deborah (aka Pickle) which read “Hey, do you still have a VCR.”  My response was “Oddly I do, it is part of my bedroom TV – an all in one!!  Are you bringing a video to my house or are you just making fun of me?”  What you don’t know is that Deborah was coming to my house for dinner that night and we were thinking of doing a bit of exercising before dining.  After assuring me that she was not making fun of me and after admitting that she also has a VCR (I think it's just me, Deborah and families with kids - no one seems to have $5000 to upgrade their Disney videos), she mentioned that she was going to bring a good yoga video to my house for us to do before dinner.  She also mentioned that she calls it “porn yoga.”  I was intrigued.  I assured her that I had the proper equipment to play this “porn yoga” – but it was only a 13 inch and while in porn land a 13 inch might sounds quite impressive, in TV land it's barely adequate.  Anyway, intrigued by this “porn yoga,” I left work earlier than planned to go move the furniture around and bring the 13 inch all-in-one into the living room.

To be fair, the "porn yoga" video does not actually show anything pornographic (not that there's anything wrong with that) - the yoga is just taught by a really cheesy "Jersey Boy" yoga dude (totally) with Pauly Shore / Kenny G (RIP) tight curly hair who is obscenely good looking and wears jeans and no shirt the whole time while he walks about petting and molesting the yogites (I just made that word up – I wanted to say yoga-doers, but that just sounded weird -  yogites sounded like a better description of the folks doing the yoga in the video) as he corrected their form.  He seemed particularly affectionate towards one of the male yogites.  Yes, of course I have pictures!  We spent most of our yoga time laughing at the video and trying to get the best photos to post for the blog.  We finished our evening off with a vegan soup and a bottle of wine (also vegan)!  I decided to skip the Spoga class because my ovaries hurt.  I have it on good authority that you aren’t supposed to do yoga if your ovaries hurt (unless of course it’s porn yoga and that's a different story altogether).  

Oh, by the way, Deborah has decided that the dude was being sarcastic when he asked how I kept Earl the Cat so trim.  I told her to take her porn yoga and go.

My EOS lip balm for demonstrative purposes only



Cover of the yoga video so you can see it is a legit yoga video
(the all-in-one VCR / TV and display of Menorahs - also legit)



Yoga Master

 

I show you this pic because the chick
is wearing a thong!  While doing yoga!
We saw that thread stretched to its limit, I assure you

 

"Special Corrections" offered
to a struggling yogite

Yoga Master
looking quite pleased with himself

 

This poor yogite just can't seem to get it right..

Me and Deborah doing yoga
Neither of us is wearing a thong
Earl the Cat chose not to participate
(apparently he doesn't like porn yoga)
(he also doesn't like thongs)



If It Ain't Broke . . . . .

A year or so ago (I can’t remember exactly when) my condo complex was having its annual open house party.  We haven’t had one in a while, but we used to open our units up to everyone in the building (if they chose to participate) and their guests.  We would make up cute little hall passes with all the participating units (hall pass – get it – we live in a school house) and in each unit we would offer drinks and food and we would let folks take a look around our unit.  Afterwards, we would all meet outside if the weather was good or in the main hallway for music and chatting.  It was pretty fun.  Anyway, I was setting my alarm clock last night and it made me think of the last open house party we had and how this dude, after he looked around my unit, came over to me and said “I like your ancient alarm clock. Where’d you get it?”  I never really gave my alarm clock a second thought.  It has been my alarm clock pretty much since I’ve needed an alarm clock.  I had it at home. I had it at college.  I had it in all my apartments/houses.  When I went to law school it came with me.  It’s just my alarm clock.  It wakes me up in the morning.  I don’t bother it and it doesn’t bother me.  We're cool like that. We both just do our jobs – it screeches its annoying morning alert and I get my arse out of bed.  What more could you want for.  But this dude was all “tongue in cheek” about how ancient it was.  I couldn’t really tell if he was making fun of me or if he really thought it was cool.  He also asked me how I kept Earl the Cat so trim.  My parents think that was obviously sarcasm, but it didn’t seem like sarcasm at the time.  I can’t imagine a stranger disparaging a cat in his own home – an alarm clock maybe (alarm clocks have a much thicker skin – especially the Spartus clocks (which is what I have) – they are practically warriors with a name like that). But he seemed to really want to know how I kept Earl the Cat so trim.  I didn't feel at the time that he was really saying "damn, what a fat cat you have," but I'm trusting like that.

Anyway, not sure what made me think about it today, but when I got to work I googled my “Spartus alarm clock” (on the bottom it says Comet III).  My Google search produced only two pages of images/websites associated with “Spartus alarm clock” – and that seemed odd to me since Google always produces all manner of crap when you google something.  Two pages seemed kinda light to me.

As I began to scroll through the two pages of info, words such as “vintage” and “rare” and “1970 Spartus clock, good condition” and “1980s Spartus clock” popped out of the pages.  It sent me to Ebay mostly.  Nowhere on the two pages did I find a site where I could purchase a new Spartus alarm clock, because apparently they don’t make them anymore!!! I got excited thinking “Oh boy, my Spartus is an antique!!  Maybe I am sitting on a goldmine!”  Not so much.  I did see a groovy robot looking Spartus alarm clock for like $23 – it was a combined alarm clock and lamp.  Cool!!!  I also found one for $50 bucks, but it was all silvery metal looking – very spaceshipy.  Mine is just a simple rectangular faux wood grain alarm cloak and it is only going for like $17 at most (some for like $2 – disgraceful!).  I guess the Comet III is like the Archie Bunker of Spartus clocks.  I think the most expensive item on the two pages was this totally bizarre hand-made “Match Sticks Folk Prison Tramp Art Music Box Castle w/ Clock” with the words “MUST SEE!” written beside it. Huh??  It was apparently a steal at $99.  I feel certain that “must see” is a bit exaggerated; however, I pasted a picture of it below so you can judge for yourselves.

So I guess the point of this blog is that my Spartus, Comet III alarm clock is apparently a bit outdated, but I have been known to hang onto my technology longer than most before switching to the new and improved.  I thought I was the last holdout of the Razr cellphone until I found out that Stacey’s dad still has one!!  My Razr got so old (the salesman referred to it as "toxic") that it started randomly dropping calls and Mel refused to accept another call from me until I upgraded to the iPhone.  I still can't seem to part with my old heavy as shit silver Daewoo TV (no, Daewoo doesn't just make cars), which I keep in the guest bedroom (you're welcome friends and family).  Stacey's cousin once offered to take up a collection to buy me a new TV.  I don't get what the big deal is.  I finally purchased my Vizio flat screen a couple of years ago.  I can't really see how it has improved my quality of life all that much.  I should probably just be Amish.  Hey, folk can laugh all they want, my motto is if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!!  Old Sparty is still waking me up with aggravated precision each and every morning.  As long as he does that – he’s staying right where he is!!!

So, this was a totally random blog.  I thing that Bloggess chick’s silliness is rubbing off on me.  On a not so random note, I finally signed up for a Spoga (cycling and yoga) class.  I will attend this Saturday at 9:00am.  I will let you know how that goes.

DOWNED TREE UPDATE:  The tree stayed right where it was for two days.  Finally today they started chopping the tree up.  It looks like it’s going to take a while!

EATING TO LIVE UPDATE:  The birthday celebrations have put a bit of a kink in my dieting mojo, but I have been sticking to the vegan lifestyle otherwise.  I found out that pita chips and gingersnaps are vegan though and made the big mistake of buying some for the house.  I am not yet at the stage where I can eat “just a few” – So at the advice of my fellow dieters I finished off the bags I bought and vow not to buy any more bags for the house!!!!

CONFERENCE ROOM C UPDATE:  Not much to update here.  We are still waiting on word of more files to review.  I have found that Clare, Tanya and Juniata all email me when they are going to be absent or late.  I have never been a “call in sick” kind of person so I guess they figure I am the best one to get word to.  Not sure what that says about me.  But now when someone leaves and they don’t know if they will be at work the next day they say ‘I’ll email Amy.”  Oy vey.  I don’t want to be the responsible one.  Too much pressure!!!!

Meet my Spartus / Comet III - still going strong!!

 What my Google Search Produced:

Totally spaceshipy Spartus



Look-alike Spartus / Comet III



Cool Robot Spartus alarm & lamp in one!!



Totally random
Match Sticks Folk Prison Tramp Art Music Box Castle w/ Clock
Not really a "MUST SEE" is it??
I don't even understand what that name means???? 

And finally . . . .

Meet my Daewoo - still so full of life!



Those Trees Have Never Liked Us . . . .

A massive oak tree crashed down in the lower parking lot of my condo complex yesterday evening.  I didn’t know it until Darryl came to pick me up for dinner (veggies and brown rice of course – bit of sauce).   We were driving down North Avenue and I happened to look to my right and I saw the tree out of the corner of my eye (I didn’t see it fall – I just saw it laying there).  I was all like “Stop”!!  That was probably not the best thing to yell at your friend as he is driving 30 mph at dusk, but the sight was just so unexpected.  We didn’t stop, though, because we were headed to dinner and food, for us, always trumps massive downed trees.  We have a list of priority – not much trumps dinner.  Dessert, dessert trumps dinner – just so we’re clear.  Anyway, we stopped to look at the massive downed tree on the way back to my condo and some poor guy’s truck was totally buried under piles of heavy branches.  It obviously happened before anyone else got home from work that evening because his truck was the only one in the parking lot.  He must have really pissed that tree off.

In all honesty, those trees have never liked us.  No, really.  Our cars are covered in thick layers of oak sap spittle 8 months out of the year.  It’s enough to drive you mad!!  Apparently the neighborhood was in an uproar when the developer began renovating the old school back in 2003 and made a huge hubbub about of the developer’s plans to take down any of the trees.  I guess the trees took it personally and have been taking it out on us ever since.  I think they are cursed!!!  I may have, on occasion (during the particularly sappy months), threatened to poison the tree over my car.  I’m gonna have to start watching my back.  You never know when these trees will decide to attack.  They just sit there, lording over the parking lots, spitting on us – and laughing.  There’s always lots of laughing.  This morning before I got in my car I gave the old oak by my car the "I’ve got my eyes on you" gesture and stare. He looked like he was smirking at me.

 


Root ball was compromised by
all the rain we have been having

 

Here's that "shady" tree near my
car.  I am keeping my eye on him

 

The Poop Stall

Ok - So, if you work in an office setting you know that there is always an unspoken poop stall where everyone goes when they need to, well, poop.  I don't guess this is the case in the men's bathroom because there are urinals and I suppose that unless you have a deformity or are gun shy, most men just use the urinals so anytime they are in the stalls they are pooping - so all the stalls in the men's restroom are poop stalls.  Well, anyway, in the women's bathroom there is a poop stall.  It is typically the one in the back (almost always the handicapped stall - no reason that I know of for that) and always has a spray can of deodorizer in the corner.  The only reason I bring this up is because I do from time to time visit the poop stall at work.  When I was a lot younger I was shy about pooping anywhere but in my own bathroom, but nowadays I am just so happy to be having a poop that I just let the chips fall where they may - and at work it's in the poop stall (I won't even go into what happens if someone is already in the poop stall - OR God forbid someone is not pooping in the poop stall - most women know that's not cool.  We might make an exception for a handicapped person, but that's it).  So, for some reason, every time I visit the poop stall at this current office the janitor lady comes in to clean the bathroom, change the toilet paper, empty the trash, etc.  At every other office I have been in, the janitor lady will just skip your stall and move on to the next bathroom.  Not this janitor lady.  She will do all the other stalls and then stand by the sink until you are finished.  I really take issue with this.  I have, on several occasions, almost shouted out to her "I'm gonna be a minute. You might want to go grab a coffee or something."  Or I feel like saying, "I will tidy up in here when I am finished, just toss me over a couple rolls of toilet paper and I will restock, take care now."  But she just stands there.  Women are weird (not me though) about poop and typically don't like talking about it (not me obviously, and oddly not the Ladies of Conference the Conference Room - we talk about poop all the time in Conference Room C - Juniata even wrote a paper in college on taking a satisfying shit (I am TOTALLY not making that up) - she got an A+).  So when I have been in the poop stall for what seems like ages to me and then I exit the poop stall to constantly find the janitor lady propped up against the sinks waiting with her supplies in hand I feel a bit awkward.  She always says "Hi, how are you today?" - What do you say to that???  "Fine now" or "I could have used a few more minutes."  But I just say "fine, and you.?"  Never do I say "You might want to wait a few minutes before going in" because she has been in the bathroom with me the whole time.  If she wasn't deterred before she wouldn't be now.  I tried to alter my "sitting" time to see if I could avoid her, but it seems that no matter when I go - there she is.  I will be in the poop stall and hear the door open and hear bags rattling and keys rattling and I know it's her.  The Ladies of the Conference Room think it's funny.  One day I am going to stay in there until she gives up.  I work by the hour now so that's a risky proposition, but I feel like it has to be done.

Anyway, we are at a transition stage at work right now waiting on some more files to review so I have a bit of free time.  I know that you are terrified that I found out I can access my blog at work and now you think I am going to be blogging all day long.  I don't think I will, but it's too soon to promise anything.  Once we get our new batch of files I will be otherwise occupied.  So, don't start worrying just yet.

Chat with you later

Oh, for the Twilight lovers - check out the following - it is a blog post from that hilarious blog chick I told you about.  I am seriously in love with her. She curses a lot in her blogs so if that is an issue for you, don't read her blogs.  I suspect most folks who follow my blogs are ok with a bit of profanity.  Enjoy:

http://thebloggess.com/2011/11/its-like-a-hoodie-but-with-fangs/

Thoughts and Prayers for the Fishing Community of Union Hall, Ireland

I know, I know, you don't know what to do with yourselves with three blogs in the span of two days, but one, I figured out that I can actually access the blog on my work computer (probably not a good realization) and two, I couldn't let the news set forth in this post go unmentioned - especially since so many of you followed my adventures in Union Hall, Ireland this past Spring and Summer. 

I learned today from my friend in Ireland that a terrible tragedy has occurred with one of the Union Hall fishing boats/crews. The tragedy has hit the village very hard.  Union Hall definitely holds a place in my heart and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected.  Here is a bit on what has happened:

CORK, Ireland -- There are growing concerns for five people who went missing after a trawler capsized off the west Cork coast. Authorities rescued a survivor near Union Hall harbor, where the Tit Bonhomme was believed to have hit rocks on Sunday morning. The 69-feet Irish-registered fishing vessel was moving into shore when it encountered difficulties beside the Adam and Eve islands. The ship's crew made a distress call to the coastguard at around 6 a.m., but it was cut off and all radio contact was lost. Coastguard choppers from Shannon and Waterford were dispatched to the scene, along with lifeboats from Baltimore and Courtmacsherry. The lone survivor, an Egyptian national, was pulled from the sea at around 8 a.m. and has been transported to Cork University hospital. According to Vincent O'Donovan of Courtmacsherry lifeboat station, the Tit Bonhomme took a pounding in the rough waters. The lifeboat deployed shortly after 6 a.m. spotted debris in the water close to the mouth of Union Hall harbor about an hour and a half later. Preliminary reports suggested that two more survivors managed to make it on to the rocks, but confusion remains, and the coastguard stated that five people were still missing.

Here are a few related links:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/irish-trawler-tragedy-sparks-massive-search-off-cork-coast-16104259.html

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/cork-trawler-tragedy-we-lost-the-people-we-dont-want-to-lose-the-bodies-as-well-16104552.html

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/cork-trawler-tragedy-ships-crew-trapped-in-wreck-says-father-as-search-goes-on-16105109.html

Sorry to go from big metal chickens to boat tragedies, but that's how life unfolds sometimes.

See ya,
Amy O'Sullilvan

The Bloggess

Quick post - if you want to read (follow) a FUNNY AS HELL blog, then check out the following link:

http://thebloggess.com/

I would also like to point out a few specific posts that really had me laughing:

The first two are really just for Mom and Olivia (or any other Dr. Who watcher):  http://thebloggess.com/2012/01/these-are-just-two-of-my-favorite-things/

and this one: http://thebloggess.com/2011/12/watching-doctor-who-is-like-learning-a-strange-new-language-you-cant-stop-speaking/

This one is the first one I ever read from this chick (Contractor Clare told me about it) and made me a believer in this bloggers awsomeness:  http://thebloggess.com/2011/06/and-thats-why-you-should-learn-to-pick-your-battles/

She is an actual writer - has books and writes for a paper or magazine or something so she is legit and freaking hilarious!!!

The old blogs are in a dropdown "Archives" and you have to Choose a Month - I just click through them all and laugh.  Enjoy!!!

Much Ado About Nothing; A Trip to the Lou and a Visitor from Ireland

OK ok ok, it’s been a few days since my last blog.  I have been busy (well, maybe “busy” is a strong word, “otherwise occupied” might be a better description).  I have a lot of things I really want to blog about, but I am too pooped to pen so I am going to touch on some of the highlights of the past couple weeks and then come back for more over the weekend.  Here goes:

EATING TO LIVE:  Well, this past weekend I visited Stacey in St. Louis (or “the Lou”) (yes , fellow dieter Stacey) and instead of eating to live we lived for eating!!!!  I WAS ON VACATION – sue me!!!  We didn’t go totally hog wild, we just went off diet for a few days.  The first night we went “off diet” we went to a lovely wine bar called Robust and had a cheese plate and a flight of wine each.  The cheese plate came with little crispy buttery bread pieces and you would think they just placed a bucket of slop in front of a pig.  We were in hog heaven.  The sounds coming from our table as we bit into those buttery bits could have been considered obscene.  I think the people sitting next to us asked for a different table (just kidding).  Anyway, we were really celebrating my 40^th which is coming right up so everyone knows that you can eat whatever you want during your birthday celebrations!!!  We took full advantage of that rule.  

FITNESS:  The only fitness I have done since the past blog is a bit of mall walking with Stacey in St. Louis.  We were obviously feeling guilty since we were eating unauthorized meat and cheese (to say nothing of the cupcakes) so we decided to go burn a few calories in one of the formerly trendy now turned artsy and mall-walky malls in her neighborhood.  We can promise you that we walked faster than the dude with the walker!!!  I still have my Groupon for 5 “Spoga” (20 min. cycling and 20 yoga) classes burning a hole in my pocket.  So far I am 0 and 5 (that was a sports reference and I don’t really do sports so hopefully what I just conveyed is that I have a total of 5 classes at my disposal – none of which I have attended).

TRIAL:  Remember that trial I was dreading back in November (well, further back than that really, but as far as this blog is concerned I started bitching about it back in November).  Well it kept getting postponed and as I often do, I worked myself up into a tither about this stupid trial – picturing all the horrible questions they could ask me about the foreclosure I conducted two years ago to make me look like a fool.  Well, it finally happened last week.  My lawyer went with me (junior lawyer from my former firm).  I entered the tiny courthouse in Forsyth county and marched myself through the metal detector.  It beeped.  I said, “it’s probably the shoes, women’s shoes often have metal in them.”  The gomer pyle looking police officer said “Yeah, maybe take them off and put them through the scanner.”  So I did as he asked and then I walked back through the metal detector.  It beeped.  I said “I think more ‘intimate things’ are involved.”  I was hoping he didn’t think I meant piercings, but it was too late to say it any other way.  He just giggled a bit (it sounded something like uhhu uhhu) and said “underwire”  - to which I responded “yep” glad that he went where I had intended to take him.  They swung the hand held scanner over me and sent me and my underwire on our way.   I had to wait about 2 hours to testify, but when I finally got on the stand I was off again in 10 minutes.  Thankfully it was all much ado about nothing really. Happy to have that behind me. 

ICE MACHINE AT WORK:  Today Clare spotted a worker-man fixing the ice machine at work.  Holy halleluiah PRAISE GAWD!!   I live in the USA people!!  I should have round-the-clock access to ice.  I’m sure it says that in the Constitution somewhere.

VISITOR FROM IRELAND:  My friend Carol Noonan from Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland who runs “The Coffee Shop” in Union Hall has been in Atlanta for the past week visiting her brother.  I drove out to her brother’s house this evening and scooped up Carol and her Mum for dinner.  We had a very tasty dinner at Two Urban Licks (off diet obviously – I am as full as a tick!!).  Her mother ordered “The Big Ass Burger” on the menu, but when she ordered it she simply said “I’ll have the burger.”  I said “Oh no Mom, that’s not what it’s called” and she said “Sorry, I’ll have the Big Ass Burger.” She ate every last morsel of that Big Ass Burger!!   It made my night.  Carol made me a knitted necklace for my birthday!!!  It is adorable.  She asked me how I was coming along with the scarf I started knitting in Union Hall.  I haven’t touched it since returning.  I learned to knit in Union Hall and all of my friends there did a bit of the scarf while I was working on it.  I am totally shamed by the fact that I haven’t finished it!!!  There is simply no excuse.  I should add “finishing my scarf” to the list of things I look forward to in 2012.  All my friends are responsible for holding me accountable.  I simply cannot let that scarf sit unfinished. 

This was a short – not very witty blog, but I didn’t want to abandon the blog for too long.  I’ll write more later!! 2012 is a great year so far!!  I know it’s just going to get better and better.

Carol and her Mum

Ciao for now

Me and Carol





Knitted necklace made by Carol

 



St. Louis Crew



Birthday Cupcakes in St. Lou

Crossing Over to Healthy and Holla at Your B-O-Y

Happy New Year!!!

Well, we’ve said “so long then” to 2011 and an optimistic “hello there” to 2012.  I can’t believe it is 2012 – time keeps on flying by before my very eyes!!!!!  It’s time to slow things down a bit – savor the good parts – appreciate loved ones and exciting opportunities.  In less than a month I will be 40!!!!  In a little over two months it will be a year since I quit my big law job on the search for something new.  Still looking – in case you were wondering.  If you will indulge me, I would like to take a quick mo to mention a few things I am grateful for from 2011 and a few I am looking forward to in 2012.

2011 - I am GRATEFUL. . . .

1.     for absolutely fabulous family and friends during my “decision making phase” prior to resigning from big law in March - who supported me and encouraged me to have faith in myself and to stop at nothing in my pursuit for happiness and peace – thanks everyone!

2.     that I actually had the guts to recognize that while on paper my big law career looked ideal, it was standing in the way of my happiness AND that I actually did something about it rather just keep complaining!  Yay me!!

3.     for three AMAZING months in Union Hall, County Cork, Ireland – the time was too short, but I can go visit my new friends whenever I want (friends who I am also very very grateful for).

4.     that Earl the cat enjoyed summering in Asheville, NC while I was in Ireland and that my parents were happy to have him while he was there (well, mostly).  Thanks Mom & Dad!

5.     for having a friend (i.e. Deborah – trail name “Pickle”) who was also leaving her law job to go on a life adventure of her own to hike the Appalachian Trail – Being able to read her blog and share in her excitement was amazing and it was comforting to know that I wasn’t alone in my spontaneity – It looks less crazy if other people are also doing it – thanks for being my leave-your-job-and-go-on-an-amazing-adventure friend Pickle!

6.     that my 90 year old Grandmother is now in a safe retirement home, where she is loved and cared for every day – and while a retirement home is never where you hope to end up, it is sometimes the best or only option – I am grateful that there is a place named Madison Manor with its wonderful staff and facilities!

7.     for discovering blogging! – both in Ireland and now – I can’t tell you how much I enjoy it and how it motivates me to do new and exciting things – or to just be creative as I try to relay a funny story – I am grateful both for the joy of doing it and that there are folks who actually enjoy reading the blog(s).

8.     for “Conference Room C” and the “Ladies of the Conference Room” – It has been so fun getting to know them and having this time to make a decent paycheck while not having to stress about my job every waking minute of the day and night.

Things I am looking forward to in 2012:

1.     Becoming 40 – ah hell, I just have to embrace it!!!!!

2.     Continuing education classes with Mel at Emory and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center – first up, Living the Life You Love, starting February 7^th – up next, maybe a dance class, a cooking class, a photography class – who knows – wait and see!!

3.     More adventures in contract land – which will undoubtedly produce more exciting blog posts.

4.     Moving beyond contract land, if that’s what I choose, to follow a new path, whether that be looking more into having a folkart shop / coffee shop of my own or otherwise . . . wait and see!!

5.     Getting my new tattoo – some more of my Mom’s artwork – it is my 40^th Birthday present to myself!!!  What will it look like???  Wait and see!!

6.     Possibly selling my condo and finding a cute and cozy apartment to rent for a while – the goal being to continue to reduce my spending.

7.     Success with our Eating to Live program (new motto Eat to Live or Die Trying) – Developing new healthy habits and taking some weight off!!

That’s just a taste of what’s to come in 2012. I suspect more and more will happen (some good, some bad).  Can’t wait to see!!!!

EAT TO LIVE UPDATE:

Mel, Stacey and I have completed our first week of vegan / healthy living. I had a series of “last chance meals” in the days before crossing over into the land of healthy living – I ate loads and loads of tasty bits from Taquera del Sol, Figo, Java Jive, La Fonda (all of my favorite restaurants) – and topped it all off with some Krispy Kreme!!!  Saturday morning (Dec. 31st) I actually went first through the Krispy Kreme drive-thru for 2 hot glazed donuts and then went to Burger King drive-thru for an egg and cheese croissant.  I said to the drive-thru lady “Don’t be alarmed, but I have already been to the Krispy Kreme drive-thru, but tomorrow marks a new year!”  She chuckled a bit and then said to me, in a very serious voice “OK, you’re right, it’s the end of the year, so you can do that, but come Monday we’re gonna have a problem.”  Ah, getting called out by the Burger King lady – a new low point for me.  But never fear!!!  A week gone and we are successfully living the vegan life.  We take time each day to send pictures of our meals or to just ask for support from each other – or complain that if we eat another raw vegetable we may die.  As I sit here typing this blog I sent a message out to my fellow dieters that I was joansing for a snack.  Stacey actually suggested brussel sprouts.  I think it is safe to say that no matter how serous I get about this diet – no matter how many good habits I create (and I hope there are many) I will never, I repeat never, view brussel sprouts as a snack.  Anyway, I joke, but it has been great having Mel and Stacey a text or call away.  Knowing that we are in this together makes it much more bearable!  Mel and I got together last Monday and cooked up a whole mess of vegan delights which we ate throughout the week.  The Ladies of the Conference are also being very supportive and even forwent ordering pizza on Friday because they knew it would have been torture for me to have pizza in the room.  One negative side effect of eating all this roughage . . . . . .well, I’m sure you can figure it out.  Needleless to say, it’s been a bit windy in Atlanta and St. Louis lately. 

The News from "Conference Room C":

·       Our new administrative assistant friend visited again on Friday (we still haven’t had the heart to tell her we are lawyers) and informed us that she was planning on riding her mare this weekend if her arthritis isn’t acting up.  She said the mare is the sweetest horse to ride, but lately she has been a bit unpredictable.  You see, typically when her mare is “in season” she usually gives the studs in the yard a good growl and mean look to scare them off (I guess she has had a headache most times), but this last time she turned into a “total huzzie” according to the AA and was prancing all around trying to get noticed, and when they went to put the stud away the mare reared up and nearly knocked the AA off her back.  She said she’s too old to get thrown off a horse.  I tend to agree with that.

·       Juniata continues to have exciting encounters on the MARTA train on her way to work in the morning.  Apparently there is a young entrepreneur who sells bootleg movies to the passengers several days a week.  He has the movies with him and a DVD player on hand to prove good quality.  He comes walking down the aisles displaying the movies while chanting “Holla at your boy.  Holla at your B-O-Y (this he spells out).”  She is going to try and record him saying this so we can hear it.  It makes us chuckle.  We use every opportunity to use the phrase in Conference Room C nowadays.  If someone wants the hand sanitizer passed their way, or a tissue passed over, whenever – We just say “Holla at your boy.  Holler at your B-O-Y.”  It’s a very versatile phrase.  We are working our way up to answering the phone with this phrase when independent counsel calls us.

·       The ice machine is broken at work.  I have started bringing my own ice in my big Bubba Keg insulated mug.  If you know me well – you know I must have ice.  I thought it was fixed the other day so I left my mug at work only to find that it had still not been fixed.  I ended up having to use the ice in the freezer, which had likely been in there since 1999 because it tasted like everything that had ever been in the refrigerator and freezer – and gone bad.  I suffered through it because nasty freezer burnt old food tasting ice is better than no ice - at least in my world.  It tainted my whole day though.  I will not forget to bring ice on Monday.

I went for an hour and a half walk in Grant Park Saturday while Lawrence ran ten miles.  We went fairly early – round 10:00am.  It was a much better time to walk in the park – folk were all out and about walking and running, the weather was pushing 70 degrees, everyone was smiling and saying hello as they passed (reminded me of Ireland a bit).  They were having Christmas Tree Mulching day in the park so everyone was bringing in their tree – some on the top of their car, some dragging them from their houses close by or pulling them in red wagons.  The whole area smelled like Christmas Trees.  It was quite lovely. 

This was a lengthy catch up – hope I didn’t lose anyone.  Have a great week and I’ll chat with you later.  Holla at your boy.  Holla at your B-O-Y!

Me at Whole Foods becoming one with the
fresh vegetables and fruits.  Don't I
look excited!!!!  Mmmmmhmmm.

Vegetable / Pasta Free Lasagna Mel and I made

 
 

Black Eyed Pea & Greens Soup
Diane tried to take my "sista" card
away for mixing up my greens
and peas, but now that she knows it was
really tasty she has withdrawn the threat



Bean Enchiladas Mel and I made!   
Yummy Yummy Yummy!!