I finished decorating the Christmas tree...I could stare at it all day. As for the rest of the apartment...well, it's in transition. :)
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Stuff and Save and then reStuff and Save
So this is my inspirational post to do some fall cleaning. In the past day I've cleaned out three Old Navy's during their Stuff and Save sale and my closet.
This is a picture of my restuffed Old Navy bag with my old clothes on it's way out the door to the Big Brothers Big Sisters clothing donations drop off bins (click here for a list of where they are at) down the road from me. So I stuffed and saved money and then restuffed and saved kids from humiliation. And my closet can now breath a HUGE sigh of relief that as it was getting a little cramped. It actually feels good to have only the clothes I wear in my closet...much more efficient.
Clearly this post was not meant to simply tell you that I donated clothes...it was to encourage my dear friends to do the same. I was really inspired to donate this week when one of my kids told me he was rewashing the one pair of socks he had every day. Yep, here in KC lady's and gentlemen. Get that crap out of your closet so other people can enjoy it while it's still somewhat in style.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Dinner.
The first dinner I've made (outside of soup) since...I think mid-August. Exciting. It was good. And it was entirely made possible by my mother who came over last night and helped me do my dishes and clean my apartment - it was her way of supporting me as I go back to school. She's amazing.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
My Barnes and Noble purchases...
Check out what I got this weekend...
I found these tiny notebooks at Barnes and Noble. To get an idea of their size, stick out your hand look at your palm...it can fit in your hand. No kidding. They are 2 1/2" by 4". I plan on using them to help me not forget things.
And I found this magazine...which rocks. I had never read it before, but such a good by I'm considering getting a subscription...however, it only comes out quarterly. Hmmm....
I don't do much farming, but I do like things that are green. :) It seemed like a good change in pace from our normal everday magazines. And thus far it is!
I found these tiny notebooks at Barnes and Noble. To get an idea of their size, stick out your hand look at your palm...it can fit in your hand. No kidding. They are 2 1/2" by 4". I plan on using them to help me not forget things. And I found this magazine...which rocks. I had never read it before, but such a good by I'm considering getting a subscription...however, it only comes out quarterly. Hmmm....
I don't do much farming, but I do like things that are green. :) It seemed like a good change in pace from our normal everday magazines. And thus far it is!A good night sleep.
I found a good one. I had my appointment Friday we talked for an hour, he proved he was actually smart enough for me to give him my blessing. I'm now actually excited to take medications. Change is finally coming. :)
Let me know if you need the name of an awesome psychiatrist in the Kansas City area.
And since people often have a hard time with the difference between these terms...
psychiatrist - real medical doctor can prescribe meds, typically will just manage medications, but have training in therapy techniques
psychologist - can not prescribe meds have a PhD, can do psychological testing (e.g. IQ), have training in therapy techniques
therapist/counselor - they are both the same term, can not prescribe meds, they do therapy, have at least a Masters degree, typically either in Social Work, Counseling, or Marriage and Family Therapy.
So last night one of the pills he gave me made me sleep oh so well...the best part was it wasn't really a sleeping pill it was more for anxiety...so it was the best of both worlds. So good. I can't wait until I go to sleep again tonight.
In other news, I think my tree that I had outside for the summer and recently brought in may be in a bit of shock...it's possible I left it out in the cold a bit too long. (It's dropping A LOT of leaves).
Let me know if you need the name of an awesome psychiatrist in the Kansas City area.
And since people often have a hard time with the difference between these terms...
psychiatrist - real medical doctor can prescribe meds, typically will just manage medications, but have training in therapy techniques
psychologist - can not prescribe meds have a PhD, can do psychological testing (e.g. IQ), have training in therapy techniques
therapist/counselor - they are both the same term, can not prescribe meds, they do therapy, have at least a Masters degree, typically either in Social Work, Counseling, or Marriage and Family Therapy.
So last night one of the pills he gave me made me sleep oh so well...the best part was it wasn't really a sleeping pill it was more for anxiety...so it was the best of both worlds. So good. I can't wait until I go to sleep again tonight.
In other news, I think my tree that I had outside for the summer and recently brought in may be in a bit of shock...it's possible I left it out in the cold a bit too long. (It's dropping A LOT of leaves).
Sunday, October 11, 2009
My new Chucks!
It's that time of year...for the flip flops to retire. In honor of this time (and in order to actually make it happen), I got a new pair of chucks! So exciting.
You can also see my purchase from last weekend too in this picture...my new 1969 sexy bootcut jeans from the gap. Who knew sexy bootcut jeans could be pair with sneakers?
You can also see my purchase from last weekend too in this picture...my new 1969 sexy bootcut jeans from the gap. Who knew sexy bootcut jeans could be pair with sneakers?
Monday, October 5, 2009
A happy post about life.
Here's why I haven't posted much recently:
There's not been many fun lighthearted delightful things to post about going on in my life and I've been hesitant to post any non-positive post.
One, I don't want to spread negativity around the world - I desperately don't want to do this, I think there is enough of this already that spreads like wildfire and we don't need any more in the things we read.
Two, I know by posting my thoughts and feelings on the world right now will put a misperception of my world out there (that it's all thunder clouds and there are no rainbows). When in reality there are many wonderful things happening in my life. In fact right now I feel like I am able to see all the amazing things happening in the world and my life better then I have in years because of difficult place I'm in. Recently I came up with this analogy to describe this phenomenon...it's as if all the wonderful and amazing things in the world are flashlights (that are on) and that there are many of them around, people carrying them, them sitting around, etc. Imagine a picture in which the amount of light (sunlight, light bulbs) you had was congruent to how things are going in your world (more light the better things are going). If your world is dark you can notice the flashlights so much more. That's kind of how my world is currently.
So it's like this, all the systems (work, school, church) and all the people are incredible in my life right now...I mean seriously, thinking about how much God must love me to give me so much leaves me speechless. And it's not just the normal oh my friends are nice or my co-workers are being kind to me today - it's something I can't even describe...I truly don't have words to describe the magnitude of grace and love. Ah, yes, grace this is also something that I have learned much more about recently as an unreal amount has been extended to me by God, friends, and especially my co-workers, boss, and clients. Yeah, my clients. They are tolerating me being late (not a totally new thing for them), rescheduling appointments, taking forever to get things done, only being able to access me half the time they used to, meeting with me on short notice to sign paperwork at the end of the month. My boss, well, there are so many times she could have brought down the stern fist - things that I forgot/neglected to do that I shouldn't even mention on a blog...instead she's been nothing but encouraging. The list goes on...too many to mention.
So this dark time...it's a combination of my deteriorating mental health (probably brought on by some of the following and exacerbated by lack of sleep), attempting to balance school, work, and my practicum (at work). I'm grateful that my co-workers never lied to me about how difficult going to grad school would be...(referring mostly to me doing my practicum at work and going to school). They said it would suck.
So how do feel currently? Like a steam roller has flattened my soul. Like I have no academic fuel left...so deeply desiring an end point and finding it so difficult to see one. It's been three weeks of continual deep soul wrenching activity. I just want it stop. I have a paper to work on tonight and some other fairly important things. I've been home since 6 and haven't worked on any of it, because I no motivation and the thought of reading repulses me. I feel like a four year old standing with my arms folded refusing to do my work. Which means once again I'm going to have to stay up super late to get it all done. Which contributes to one of the key problems in my life - lack of sleep. And the cycle continues.
And there's my happy post :)
There's not been many fun lighthearted delightful things to post about going on in my life and I've been hesitant to post any non-positive post.
One, I don't want to spread negativity around the world - I desperately don't want to do this, I think there is enough of this already that spreads like wildfire and we don't need any more in the things we read.
Two, I know by posting my thoughts and feelings on the world right now will put a misperception of my world out there (that it's all thunder clouds and there are no rainbows). When in reality there are many wonderful things happening in my life. In fact right now I feel like I am able to see all the amazing things happening in the world and my life better then I have in years because of difficult place I'm in. Recently I came up with this analogy to describe this phenomenon...it's as if all the wonderful and amazing things in the world are flashlights (that are on) and that there are many of them around, people carrying them, them sitting around, etc. Imagine a picture in which the amount of light (sunlight, light bulbs) you had was congruent to how things are going in your world (more light the better things are going). If your world is dark you can notice the flashlights so much more. That's kind of how my world is currently.
So it's like this, all the systems (work, school, church) and all the people are incredible in my life right now...I mean seriously, thinking about how much God must love me to give me so much leaves me speechless. And it's not just the normal oh my friends are nice or my co-workers are being kind to me today - it's something I can't even describe...I truly don't have words to describe the magnitude of grace and love. Ah, yes, grace this is also something that I have learned much more about recently as an unreal amount has been extended to me by God, friends, and especially my co-workers, boss, and clients. Yeah, my clients. They are tolerating me being late (not a totally new thing for them), rescheduling appointments, taking forever to get things done, only being able to access me half the time they used to, meeting with me on short notice to sign paperwork at the end of the month. My boss, well, there are so many times she could have brought down the stern fist - things that I forgot/neglected to do that I shouldn't even mention on a blog...instead she's been nothing but encouraging. The list goes on...too many to mention.
So this dark time...it's a combination of my deteriorating mental health (probably brought on by some of the following and exacerbated by lack of sleep), attempting to balance school, work, and my practicum (at work). I'm grateful that my co-workers never lied to me about how difficult going to grad school would be...(referring mostly to me doing my practicum at work and going to school). They said it would suck.
So how do feel currently? Like a steam roller has flattened my soul. Like I have no academic fuel left...so deeply desiring an end point and finding it so difficult to see one. It's been three weeks of continual deep soul wrenching activity. I just want it stop. I have a paper to work on tonight and some other fairly important things. I've been home since 6 and haven't worked on any of it, because I no motivation and the thought of reading repulses me. I feel like a four year old standing with my arms folded refusing to do my work. Which means once again I'm going to have to stay up super late to get it all done. Which contributes to one of the key problems in my life - lack of sleep. And the cycle continues.
And there's my happy post :)
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Trying to do work...
No motivation. None. Zero. Nada.
It's highly unfortunate when I figure out how much I get away with, because I continually try to test the boundaries to see exactly how much I can get away with. Over the years this method of testing the boundaries, relaxing, and then only applying myself when necessary has been honed very well...which makes it even more on an unfortunate situation. It's all apart of my scheme to work as little as possible.
You know I suppose it's not the worlds worst thing...actually it may be a blessing. Tonight I think I'll actually be able to sleep soundly...
Enough with the random post that doesn't exactly make sense because I need some sleep. Off to get sleep.
It's highly unfortunate when I figure out how much I get away with, because I continually try to test the boundaries to see exactly how much I can get away with. Over the years this method of testing the boundaries, relaxing, and then only applying myself when necessary has been honed very well...which makes it even more on an unfortunate situation. It's all apart of my scheme to work as little as possible.
You know I suppose it's not the worlds worst thing...actually it may be a blessing. Tonight I think I'll actually be able to sleep soundly...
Enough with the random post that doesn't exactly make sense because I need some sleep. Off to get sleep.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Psychiatric Hospitals
So something that I have found intriguing recently are the misperceptions people have of psychiatric hospitals. I thought I would take a few minutes today to clear a few things up.
(I would like to clarify that a majority of the people...all three of you...actually understand what psychiatric units look like...so skip this post).
Psychiatric hospitals are NOT (in my experience) what you see in the media...at all. They are a bit more like this...typically, pretty similar to regular hospitals:
Also, some important things to note, the term "mental institutions" isn't used anymore. More proper terms are psychiatric hospital/unit, mental health, behavioral health.
Alright, that's enough about work related topics...otherwise, good day.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
eat.shop.kansas city
So I feel a bit like a fraud having just bought my copy of eat.shop.kansas city at Barnes and Noble. So you won't make the same mistake, here's where you can buy it directly from the publisher - http://eatshopguides.com/buy.php you have your choice of buying a print copy or an electronic copy...what a crazy wired world we live in now.Anyway, this book is wonderful! I bought mine about an hour ago and I've been glued to it. It does a wonderful job of highlighting the best of our local flare. It goes beyond our very typical tourist spots like Gates, Union Station...etc. It has 85 local places...including bookstores, clothing stores, toy stores...and of course food...from bbq to bistros to sweets to down home greasy cooking.
My personal favorite currently is Fresher Than Fresh Snowcones:
Pictures speak a 1,000 words and this pretty much sums it up. I had my first snowcone from them today...simply incredible. I may begin reserving a place in my budget for snowcones.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
These are a few of my favorite things...
So I just bought a pint of Talenti sobetto Roman Raspberry (top picture) from Whole Foods about an hour ago...I am floored. It is the best I've had since Italy...which is tough competition because when I was there I had it three times a day every day I was there...yeah, obsessed? Maybe. So it is topping my list today of wonderful things. Price wise it's not bad, but it's not an everyday thing, it was $4.99 at whole foods for the pint. http://www.talentigelato.com/
My favorite brand. 365 Everyday Value at Whole Foods. This is Whole Food's version of a store brand...but there's nothing watery about it...the food is amazing and very affordable sometimes more affordable then the regular grocery store (actually often cheaper). In particular I love their Peach Mango Salsa...SO GOOD.
This was another recent find...I found it as I was shopping at Target and desperate for caffeine. Target didn't have the biggest selection of teas (it was only a Greatland store), so my options for black tea were limited to unreasonably cheap (which meant horrible) and this $3 chi...I opted for the $3 chi. I was SO amazed when I got home and brewed my first cup. I should probably explain that I am new to this whole tea drinking thing, so this was the first time I ever had tasted (and enjoyed) all the flavors in the tea...it was delightful.
This is a staple in my pantry. Skippy give me the best of all worlds...affordable ($2.20), natural (peanuts, sugar, palm oil, and salt), and for the most part no stirring...ahh wonderful. I've begun adding a bit of ground flax seed to my jar...so I can sneak in some greatness of flax seed (omega-3's).
Alas for now that will have to do...I must go to bed...we'll explore my other favorite non-food items another time.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Today in class...
Today in my Psychopathology class our professor showed us this video to help give us insight into Anxiety Disorders. It was such a good video/song (above) I wanted to share it. Have at it.
Our professor also showed us this video/song (below) that describes anxiety to help us gain additional insight and to see different cultural perspectives on anxiety. Our professor made a great point by having us contemplate what disorder we would think this guy had based on the lyrics if we ignored the lyric anxiety. Psychotic Disorder, Depression, and the such were brought up. He did this to help us see how horrible it is/feels to live with an Anxiety Disorder, because this is often a disorder that is difficult for clinicians to really wrap our minds around. I like it. (This artist is native to Kansas City, pretty cool huh?).
Know that it does have some explict language.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Aldi's love and the beginning of school.
Love Aldi's...I did a brief trip to get the last few things on my grocery list today...and BAM there it was! Another thing they BLEW my mind on how cheap they could sell it for. The item? Blueberries - $1.49. WHAT??? I know! I mean I get they are in season and all right now, but the cheapest I've seen them is at Whole Foods for $2.50. What else did I get you ask? A bag of apples, a few pears, a pack of mini sweet peppers, and last but least vinegar so I could keep killing my drain flies with my vinegar/baking soda explosion.
Speaking of killing drain flies, I've been cleaning like crazy...well, not so much crazy but rather just cleaning in general, because I start classes tomorrow and I'm guessing I'm not going to have a lot of spare time.
Here's my schedule for my summer classes...(so you can know why I'm not calling/texting/emailing/or facebooking you back)
The schedule ish:
Mon/Tues - Practice class 9a-4p
Wed/Thur - work
Fri/Sat - DSM class 9a-4p
Sun - day of rest :)
Mon - Practice class 9a-4p
Tues/Wed/Thur - work
Fri/Sat - DSM class 9a-4p
Sun - day of rest!
Mon - Practice class
Tues/Wed/Thur/Fri - work (4 - 10 hr days)
Sat - probably spending most of it writing a paper
Sun - much needed day of rest
Mon/Tues - Practice class 9a-4p
work work work, write write write...until some time in early/mid July that I have my last set of Fri/Sat full day DSM classes.
That's it ladies and gentlemen...now you know...also, this wasn't to show you how busy I will be, but rather because everyone keeps asking when my classes are and well, as you can see it's hard to explain.
In other news, I just went to Lowes and I had the most wonderful lady help me in the garden department! You could really see how much she loves her job...it was so infectious. Made my evening so much better!
Alright, well I need to finish cleaning the apartment so it won't be too bad when I neglect it for a month :) Then to bed...
Speaking of killing drain flies, I've been cleaning like crazy...well, not so much crazy but rather just cleaning in general, because I start classes tomorrow and I'm guessing I'm not going to have a lot of spare time.
Here's my schedule for my summer classes...(so you can know why I'm not calling/texting/emailing/or facebooking you back)
The schedule ish:
Mon/Tues - Practice class 9a-4p
Wed/Thur - work
Fri/Sat - DSM class 9a-4p
Sun - day of rest :)
Mon - Practice class 9a-4p
Tues/Wed/Thur - work
Fri/Sat - DSM class 9a-4p
Sun - day of rest!
Mon - Practice class
Tues/Wed/Thur/Fri - work (4 - 10 hr days)
Sat - probably spending most of it writing a paper
Sun - much needed day of rest
Mon/Tues - Practice class 9a-4p
work work work, write write write...until some time in early/mid July that I have my last set of Fri/Sat full day DSM classes.
That's it ladies and gentlemen...now you know...also, this wasn't to show you how busy I will be, but rather because everyone keeps asking when my classes are and well, as you can see it's hard to explain.
In other news, I just went to Lowes and I had the most wonderful lady help me in the garden department! You could really see how much she loves her job...it was so infectious. Made my evening so much better!
Alright, well I need to finish cleaning the apartment so it won't be too bad when I neglect it for a month :) Then to bed...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Royals Opening Weekend!
Ah...good weekend :)
Hung out with the Boys in Blue for all three games this weekend. The new K is awesome. Most of the new features you've probably heard about by now, the sports bar, diamond club, the fountain seats, pepsi party porch...but there are a few little known new improvements that I'll enlighten you with!
A produce stand (my favorite upgrade):
So somewhere close to home plate on the lower level concourse (I think on the third base side of the diamond club) there is a produce stand that sells...fruit and nuts. You can make your own small bag (but very adequate...Jenn and I couldn't finish one bag) of nuts ($3). They had baskets of different nuts and such that you could fill your bag with...we choose to layer with yogurt covered raisins, spicy trail mix, smoked almonds, and corn nuts. The spices they used on them were wonderful...over all we gave this option five stars in ball park flare.
Also at the stand were small fruit bowls for $2, apples and oranges for $1, 2lb box of strawberries for $4, and a slightly bigger (then the strawberries) box of red grapes for $5. They also had Izzie sodas (in cans) for $4 as well.
The super cheap fountain seats:
They are only $7! However you can only get them on game day at the stadium.
Royal Nites:
Every Monday night (except 9/21), upper level seats are $5 and parking is $5...SO CHEAP!!
The Royals statue of liberty...by the hall of fame...a must see. There are no words to describe it.
And as we all love to find out each year...what deals do we get if the Royals win or do certain things during the game? Here they are straight from the Royals website:
STEAL A BASE, STEAL A SONIC FAMOUS SLUSH!
"When The Royals Steal a Base, You Steal a Medium Famous Sonic Slush!":
If the Royals steal a base during any home game, fans can take their ticket to any participating Kansas City-area Sonic drive-in and receive a free medium Famous Slush.
How to redeem this offer »
Redemption period: Valid until midnight the following night.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - $3 off Museum Admission
(go to Royals.com for more info)
Planet Sub: Six-inch Turkey Sub for $2
Go to any local Planet Sub location and mention the Royals the day after ALL Royals wins (HOME and AWAY) and receive a 6 inch turkey sub for only $2. No ticket stub/redemption is required.
How to redeem this offer »
My comment to those of you know very little about baseball/Royals who fall back on the same generic comment that the Royals suck...shut your mouth and open up a paper...even if your paper is from 2008 you'll see that our Boys in Blue really are a pretty good team. No one who knows anything about baseball/Royals will make such an uneducated comment...so unless you want to expose yourself as uneducated/having been hiding under a rock...read something about the Royals. You don't need to be an expert to like baseball or watch the Royals. That's part of the fun of the game, but have faith in our boys.
For those of you who would like a few comments to make instead of the generic here are some for you: The Royals minor league teams are doing pretty well, most of them having over a .500 season last year (meaning they won over 1/2 their games), some baseball speculators think that the Royals could take the Central league if all goes right for the Royals...meaning there is a chance :)
Well, I think that's all for now (stepping off my soap box). I have faith that this year is our year for the Boys in Blue...no more lame insults thrown out by weak sauce Kansas Citians about our team...the Boys in Blue are back. They may not take the world series but I bet they'll surprise us a bit. So let's put on our Royals shirt and go to a few games!
Hung out with the Boys in Blue for all three games this weekend. The new K is awesome. Most of the new features you've probably heard about by now, the sports bar, diamond club, the fountain seats, pepsi party porch...but there are a few little known new improvements that I'll enlighten you with!
A produce stand (my favorite upgrade):
So somewhere close to home plate on the lower level concourse (I think on the third base side of the diamond club) there is a produce stand that sells...fruit and nuts. You can make your own small bag (but very adequate...Jenn and I couldn't finish one bag) of nuts ($3). They had baskets of different nuts and such that you could fill your bag with...we choose to layer with yogurt covered raisins, spicy trail mix, smoked almonds, and corn nuts. The spices they used on them were wonderful...over all we gave this option five stars in ball park flare.
Also at the stand were small fruit bowls for $2, apples and oranges for $1, 2lb box of strawberries for $4, and a slightly bigger (then the strawberries) box of red grapes for $5. They also had Izzie sodas (in cans) for $4 as well.
The super cheap fountain seats:
They are only $7! However you can only get them on game day at the stadium.
Royal Nites:
Every Monday night (except 9/21), upper level seats are $5 and parking is $5...SO CHEAP!!
The Royals statue of liberty...by the hall of fame...a must see. There are no words to describe it.
And as we all love to find out each year...what deals do we get if the Royals win or do certain things during the game? Here they are straight from the Royals website:
STEAL A BASE, STEAL A SONIC FAMOUS SLUSH!
"When The Royals Steal a Base, You Steal a Medium Famous Sonic Slush!":
If the Royals steal a base during any home game, fans can take their ticket to any participating Kansas City-area Sonic drive-in and receive a free medium Famous Slush.
How to redeem this offer »
Redemption period: Valid until midnight the following night.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - $3 off Museum Admission
(go to Royals.com for more info)
Planet Sub: Six-inch Turkey Sub for $2
Go to any local Planet Sub location and mention the Royals the day after ALL Royals wins (HOME and AWAY) and receive a 6 inch turkey sub for only $2. No ticket stub/redemption is required.
How to redeem this offer »
My comment to those of you know very little about baseball/Royals who fall back on the same generic comment that the Royals suck...shut your mouth and open up a paper...even if your paper is from 2008 you'll see that our Boys in Blue really are a pretty good team. No one who knows anything about baseball/Royals will make such an uneducated comment...so unless you want to expose yourself as uneducated/having been hiding under a rock...read something about the Royals. You don't need to be an expert to like baseball or watch the Royals. That's part of the fun of the game, but have faith in our boys.
For those of you who would like a few comments to make instead of the generic here are some for you: The Royals minor league teams are doing pretty well, most of them having over a .500 season last year (meaning they won over 1/2 their games), some baseball speculators think that the Royals could take the Central league if all goes right for the Royals...meaning there is a chance :)
Well, I think that's all for now (stepping off my soap box). I have faith that this year is our year for the Boys in Blue...no more lame insults thrown out by weak sauce Kansas Citians about our team...the Boys in Blue are back. They may not take the world series but I bet they'll surprise us a bit. So let's put on our Royals shirt and go to a few games!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A blah post
Trying to do anything to avoid doing my paperwork...
I've discovered that I'm beginning to become lazier and lazier knowing that my butt is going to lit on fire come June (with school) for the next year and a half with no option to stop and take a breath. So I'm taking all my breaths now...as can be seen by my apartment (my kitchen sink) and my paperwork (as it's all been signed around 11pm...last night 11:55pm...must be in by the end of the day).
I officially replaced my earring backs with erasers...the real backs sucked.
I think I'm going to put work on hold again until about 11pm and watch some Chuck...I know I should use it as a motivator...but I just don't feel like it...yeah I know could I be any lazier?
I've discovered that I'm beginning to become lazier and lazier knowing that my butt is going to lit on fire come June (with school) for the next year and a half with no option to stop and take a breath. So I'm taking all my breaths now...as can be seen by my apartment (my kitchen sink) and my paperwork (as it's all been signed around 11pm...last night 11:55pm...must be in by the end of the day).
I officially replaced my earring backs with erasers...the real backs sucked.
I think I'm going to put work on hold again until about 11pm and watch some Chuck...I know I should use it as a motivator...but I just don't feel like it...yeah I know could I be any lazier?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Spring Goodness
I realized today that it had been awhile since I updated this...so I grabbed my laptop, a bag of chocolate chips, and my water bottle and headed to my porch to give you all a wonderful highlight reel of my life...here are my random tidbits/highlights from my life...
So it turns out the extra $60 a month I decided to splurge on the apartment with the patio was SOOOOOO worth it...to the point that I may not consider it a splurge any longer, rather a pure necessity to my sanity.
Yesterday was wonderful...woke up read in bed, got a text from Becky saying she was heading out on a run to my apartment, hung out with Becky on my porch, and then walked to World Market to admire beautiful things. Once we traveled back, we headed down to City Market and bought some pasta and dropped by Planters Seeds to get me some tomato seeds that are specifically designed for basket growing. We then headed to the grocery store picked up the needed items for our experimental lunch designed by Becky, I got some strawberry milk from Shatto Farms - first milk I've had in a few months...so good. Headed by to my place, Becky made our experimental lunch - Mac and Cheese made with cream cheese...SO good. Becky was crazy and decided to run home on a stomach full of pasta (she says it went okay). My mom came over, she cleaned/waxed/buffed my floors (I know I have the world's greatest mom) while I spray painted some patio furniture. Mom and I headed back to World Market (2nd, but not last time) to get her opinion on a sea grass rug for my porch. Got some ice cream from McD's with mom and then finished up the floors and patio furniture. Hung out by myself for a bit reading The Pitch about the JE Dunn lawsuit, then met Becky, her sister, and friend for dinner down the street at Jazz for some goooood Louisiana food. Had a first craving for Boulevard Wheat in 4 months (I stopped drinking 4 months ago when I realized it was crazy for me to drink for any other purpose other then desiring the taste of the alcohol), so I happily satisfied it with a beer...and to my enjoyment didn't feel anything from it...only the satisfied taste buds. Becky and I headed back to my place again, then to World Market for one last trip for me to buy a platter I had been looking at for the last few weeks for my coffee table/trunk. After Becky left I discovered the pot of water I put on for tea had...well, run out of water...and my pot was smoking/burning. Discovered, to my dismay, that my smoke alarm (that was going off) was the puniest thing I've ever heard. Luckily I had extra smoke alarms from my previous place...forgot to get reimbursed for them, so I took them with me...good thing. Hooked up a new one today so I wouldn't die in my sleep. Sadly though, the combination of smoke and recently waxed floors woke me up at 5:30 this morning, luckily I no longer have my crazy fear of someone breaking into my apartment, so opened all my windows/doors and browsed Pottery Barns website until my place was decent enough for me to sleep in (don't worry I closed all windows/doors before falling asleep).
(just added Jack Johnson to the ambiance of the porch)
So today...I'm finishing my air out of my apartment, manged to make it to the 11am service at church, rode my bike there...so nice. Really like the neighbors in my apartment...one of the guys heard a "blood curdling scream" from a house on the street so he called the cops (I heard it but thought it was a car screeching to a hault). Nice to know that if someone did attack me in my apartment that I neighbors that don't ignore things. Had a conversation with one about the green gooey spots on the ceiling of my bathroom...she said it probably mold...I might need to take care of that. She also told me a story about how she made eggs explode in her kitchen once...made me feel better about nearly catching our apartment building on fire. Now I'm thinking that I may ride my bike the store to buy lemons to make lemonade, to Prydes (housewares store) to buy a juicer, then to bookstore (maybe look at some magazines), and maybe to tanning place (for a dose of happy UV rays). Then some Jesus time, maybe read The Shack some, make my lemonade, and eventually off to my parents for dinner with the family.
Wow, I'm long winded today...let's keep this going :)
In other news...I've planted my seeds this week in hope of growing little seedlings...cilantro, lavender, basil, and cat grass.
I got few tickets to Royals games, I accidentally bought tickets to a game on Easter though...but much to my surprise my family was all up for the idea of going to the game. So I'm SUPER excited.
I bought the book The Shack this week, excited to read it.
And the rest of the post I will dedicate to the visual people of this world (which I am one of)...these are my new favorite things/my weekend in pictures...
My new spice rack...yes, that is a cookie sheet on my backsplash
My soaps that I love so much from the little store done the street. (left to right) Black coconut, Tee Tree (for shaving), and Lilac :)
My burnt pot :( When it was burning yesterday it was orange...odd.
The new platter I bought for my trunk/coffee table (moss and rocks added later).
Wall decor in my classy Royals themed bathroom.
My little soon to be seedlings.
Where I'm currently typing to you from/my newly painted furniture (used to be brown).
My wonderful glider that I got from a thrift store last summer and repainted...this picture is really to highlight my new compost bin on the left in the kitty litter tub...I figured it was crazy that I was throwing away so much food waste like orange peels, so instead I'm going to save them all and then dump them in SaraBeth's compost pile (she's so nice). Also, I'm super excited about my gardening stuff underneath the glider...I made some watering cans out of a salsa jar and jone's soda bottle and bought a pair of gardening gloves this week that I had been eyeing a target.
Alright, I should probably call it quits, this a bit long...thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed :)
So it turns out the extra $60 a month I decided to splurge on the apartment with the patio was SOOOOOO worth it...to the point that I may not consider it a splurge any longer, rather a pure necessity to my sanity.
Yesterday was wonderful...woke up read in bed, got a text from Becky saying she was heading out on a run to my apartment, hung out with Becky on my porch, and then walked to World Market to admire beautiful things. Once we traveled back, we headed down to City Market and bought some pasta and dropped by Planters Seeds to get me some tomato seeds that are specifically designed for basket growing. We then headed to the grocery store picked up the needed items for our experimental lunch designed by Becky, I got some strawberry milk from Shatto Farms - first milk I've had in a few months...so good. Headed by to my place, Becky made our experimental lunch - Mac and Cheese made with cream cheese...SO good. Becky was crazy and decided to run home on a stomach full of pasta (she says it went okay). My mom came over, she cleaned/waxed/buffed my floors (I know I have the world's greatest mom) while I spray painted some patio furniture. Mom and I headed back to World Market (2nd, but not last time) to get her opinion on a sea grass rug for my porch. Got some ice cream from McD's with mom and then finished up the floors and patio furniture. Hung out by myself for a bit reading The Pitch about the JE Dunn lawsuit, then met Becky, her sister, and friend for dinner down the street at Jazz for some goooood Louisiana food. Had a first craving for Boulevard Wheat in 4 months (I stopped drinking 4 months ago when I realized it was crazy for me to drink for any other purpose other then desiring the taste of the alcohol), so I happily satisfied it with a beer...and to my enjoyment didn't feel anything from it...only the satisfied taste buds. Becky and I headed back to my place again, then to World Market for one last trip for me to buy a platter I had been looking at for the last few weeks for my coffee table/trunk. After Becky left I discovered the pot of water I put on for tea had...well, run out of water...and my pot was smoking/burning. Discovered, to my dismay, that my smoke alarm (that was going off) was the puniest thing I've ever heard. Luckily I had extra smoke alarms from my previous place...forgot to get reimbursed for them, so I took them with me...good thing. Hooked up a new one today so I wouldn't die in my sleep. Sadly though, the combination of smoke and recently waxed floors woke me up at 5:30 this morning, luckily I no longer have my crazy fear of someone breaking into my apartment, so opened all my windows/doors and browsed Pottery Barns website until my place was decent enough for me to sleep in (don't worry I closed all windows/doors before falling asleep).
(just added Jack Johnson to the ambiance of the porch)
So today...I'm finishing my air out of my apartment, manged to make it to the 11am service at church, rode my bike there...so nice. Really like the neighbors in my apartment...one of the guys heard a "blood curdling scream" from a house on the street so he called the cops (I heard it but thought it was a car screeching to a hault). Nice to know that if someone did attack me in my apartment that I neighbors that don't ignore things. Had a conversation with one about the green gooey spots on the ceiling of my bathroom...she said it probably mold...I might need to take care of that. She also told me a story about how she made eggs explode in her kitchen once...made me feel better about nearly catching our apartment building on fire. Now I'm thinking that I may ride my bike the store to buy lemons to make lemonade, to Prydes (housewares store) to buy a juicer, then to bookstore (maybe look at some magazines), and maybe to tanning place (for a dose of happy UV rays). Then some Jesus time, maybe read The Shack some, make my lemonade, and eventually off to my parents for dinner with the family.
Wow, I'm long winded today...let's keep this going :)
In other news...I've planted my seeds this week in hope of growing little seedlings...cilantro, lavender, basil, and cat grass.
I got few tickets to Royals games, I accidentally bought tickets to a game on Easter though...but much to my surprise my family was all up for the idea of going to the game. So I'm SUPER excited.
I bought the book The Shack this week, excited to read it.
And the rest of the post I will dedicate to the visual people of this world (which I am one of)...these are my new favorite things/my weekend in pictures...
My new spice rack...yes, that is a cookie sheet on my backsplash
My soaps that I love so much from the little store done the street. (left to right) Black coconut, Tee Tree (for shaving), and Lilac :)
My burnt pot :( When it was burning yesterday it was orange...odd.
The new platter I bought for my trunk/coffee table (moss and rocks added later).
Wall decor in my classy Royals themed bathroom.
My little soon to be seedlings.
Where I'm currently typing to you from/my newly painted furniture (used to be brown).
My wonderful glider that I got from a thrift store last summer and repainted...this picture is really to highlight my new compost bin on the left in the kitty litter tub...I figured it was crazy that I was throwing away so much food waste like orange peels, so instead I'm going to save them all and then dump them in SaraBeth's compost pile (she's so nice). Also, I'm super excited about my gardening stuff underneath the glider...I made some watering cans out of a salsa jar and jone's soda bottle and bought a pair of gardening gloves this week that I had been eyeing a target.Alright, I should probably call it quits, this a bit long...thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed :)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Nitty Gritty World
Here is some of what's been going on in my brain as it's been awhile...
So I don't watch the news, read the paper, read internet news sources, or magazines...I'm intentionally uninformed. Yes, intentional, I make a point to avoid these at any cost, change the channel, skip articles, close internet browsers. Somewhere in the past few months I decided it wasn't good for me to know all the nitty gritty details of the world, because one, almost all of those details are negative - and more importantly driven fear...as anxious as I am with maintaining my life in general and as obsessive as I am at analyzing things, I don't need anymore. Which brings me to my second reason, contrary to popular belief (for me and only me), it's not good for me to be over-informed. For me, this does more harm then good, I rely on God waaay less, I feed my already too large of a desire to analyze things to death, and I provoke more of this anxiety as "discover" that there is one more thing that I watch out for, get tested for, precaution to take...before I know it...all I'm doing is taking precautions --- and that's NEVER been me. Now, I do agree that I shouldn't be stupid - I drive on ice only when necessary, I don't eat paint chips, I brush and floss my teeth...but really...do I need to do all those other things??? The thing is it appears fairly logically, that yes we should. I should make sure I get that vaccine, not drink from the BPA plastic water bottles, and check my credit score. Now most people the ability to prioritize these things for themselves, however, I do not. I struggle greatly in the area of prioritizing, it comes very very unnaturally to me. So, I take all the information as level 1 priority. I think it stresses me out more then I know. Thus, why I've cut the over-information out. I'm fine absorbing what I need to from my coworkers, friends, and the radio. If I really need to know more, I'll google it.
When did it get so late??? I'm doing well at maintaining a decent bed time this week...so I'm off.
So I don't watch the news, read the paper, read internet news sources, or magazines...I'm intentionally uninformed. Yes, intentional, I make a point to avoid these at any cost, change the channel, skip articles, close internet browsers. Somewhere in the past few months I decided it wasn't good for me to know all the nitty gritty details of the world, because one, almost all of those details are negative - and more importantly driven fear...as anxious as I am with maintaining my life in general and as obsessive as I am at analyzing things, I don't need anymore. Which brings me to my second reason, contrary to popular belief (for me and only me), it's not good for me to be over-informed. For me, this does more harm then good, I rely on God waaay less, I feed my already too large of a desire to analyze things to death, and I provoke more of this anxiety as "discover" that there is one more thing that I watch out for, get tested for, precaution to take...before I know it...all I'm doing is taking precautions --- and that's NEVER been me. Now, I do agree that I shouldn't be stupid - I drive on ice only when necessary, I don't eat paint chips, I brush and floss my teeth...but really...do I need to do all those other things??? The thing is it appears fairly logically, that yes we should. I should make sure I get that vaccine, not drink from the BPA plastic water bottles, and check my credit score. Now most people the ability to prioritize these things for themselves, however, I do not. I struggle greatly in the area of prioritizing, it comes very very unnaturally to me. So, I take all the information as level 1 priority. I think it stresses me out more then I know. Thus, why I've cut the over-information out. I'm fine absorbing what I need to from my coworkers, friends, and the radio. If I really need to know more, I'll google it.
When did it get so late??? I'm doing well at maintaining a decent bed time this week...so I'm off.
Monday, January 5, 2009
My (cheap) easy dinners...
Living on my own I've discovered that I don't know how to cook and that eating out is too expensive. I'm not really sure how I survived the last year, I remember eating lots of chips and salsa... So in the past few months it's been my quest to learn how to cook, simple, healthy recipes. I thought this would be a breeze, but it turns out that one, it's really hard to find simple, healthy recipes and two, being a visual and kinestic learner, I don't learn best by reading a recipe. And besides, I wanted (still want) to actually learn how to cook so I can create things on my own or vary a recipe (without it turning terrible). So I've been on the hunt, asking anyone and everyone to share their everyday recipes - I'm not looking for the fancy stuff, just what you make yourself for dinner. And forcing all those I come in contact with at meal time to teach me what they are doing - beware you may fall victim to this.
So in light of what I've been learning I thought I would share my recipes (note, these are not all healthy...that has been waay more difficult).
Mom's Super Simple Chili:
2 cans of tomatoes "chili ready" (it will say this on the can)
1 can of beans "chili ready"
1 lb (or less) of ground turkey
Brown turkey, drain fat, put everything together in a big pot, wait until it's hot (some think letting it simmer makes it taste better) then eat.
Beans and Weenies (as inspired by my grandparents, but made with mom's simplicity)
1 can of cheap pork and beans
Favorite BBQ sauce
2 turkey hot dogs
Slice turkey dogs, add to pork and beans, add as much bbq sauce as you like (I go by color), then heat up (stove or microwave works).
*I found a bbq sauce that is light on sodium and calories.
Katy's Baked Chicken
Chicken tenders or breasts (however many you want to eat)
Crackers (I use healthy saltines)
Spices
*Egg if you are making more then one or two servings
Thaw chicken, preheat oven to 375 to 400 degrees, crush crackers (enough cover your chicken) into a very fine dusty like texture (Katy says so they don't look like crackers anymore) - Katy uses a food processor to do this, I crush them in a bowl with the bottom of a spice bottle. Add spices to crackers - this is where I have a hard time and have to consult the internet - whatever spices you like and think would go together. If you are making enough that it makes it worth it to crack a whole egg, then do it, coat the chicken it the egg (Katy says it makes it better, but I've never made enough to try it). Season chicken (salt and pepper it). Put chicken in crushed crackers and coat well. Coat pan with Pam - if you don't own Pam like me, I wipe a bit of oil on the bottom of the pan - Katy says to do this even if you're using a non-stick pan because it helped it brown the outside a bit. Bake in oven for 10 to 20 minutesish...I check every 10 mins. and cut the chicken open a bit to see if it's cooked.
Black Bean Pizza (it's been awhile since I've made this...so it's a bit vague)
1 can of black beans - rinsed
Pesto (can typically find this premade in the store - my mom finds hers in the produce department by the salads at Target in a tube)
Mozzarella cheese - shredded
Premade pizza crust (whole wheat if you can find it) - I think find these in the pasta aisle
*Tomatoes (fresh or canned - drained) (optional)
Preheat oven to a reasonable temperature (350ish), rinse black beans, spread pesto on pizza crust enough to cover the crust you don't need a ton, add black beans, then tomatoes if you would like, then cover with as much mozzarella as you would like. Bake until cheese has melted and crust looks good enough to eat.
So if you have any simple recipes please let me know...variety is a good thing.
So in light of what I've been learning I thought I would share my recipes (note, these are not all healthy...that has been waay more difficult).
Mom's Super Simple Chili:
2 cans of tomatoes "chili ready" (it will say this on the can)
1 can of beans "chili ready"
1 lb (or less) of ground turkey
Brown turkey, drain fat, put everything together in a big pot, wait until it's hot (some think letting it simmer makes it taste better) then eat.
Beans and Weenies (as inspired by my grandparents, but made with mom's simplicity)
1 can of cheap pork and beans
Favorite BBQ sauce
2 turkey hot dogs
Slice turkey dogs, add to pork and beans, add as much bbq sauce as you like (I go by color), then heat up (stove or microwave works).
*I found a bbq sauce that is light on sodium and calories.
Katy's Baked Chicken
Chicken tenders or breasts (however many you want to eat)
Crackers (I use healthy saltines)
Spices
*Egg if you are making more then one or two servings
Thaw chicken, preheat oven to 375 to 400 degrees, crush crackers (enough cover your chicken) into a very fine dusty like texture (Katy says so they don't look like crackers anymore) - Katy uses a food processor to do this, I crush them in a bowl with the bottom of a spice bottle. Add spices to crackers - this is where I have a hard time and have to consult the internet - whatever spices you like and think would go together. If you are making enough that it makes it worth it to crack a whole egg, then do it, coat the chicken it the egg (Katy says it makes it better, but I've never made enough to try it). Season chicken (salt and pepper it). Put chicken in crushed crackers and coat well. Coat pan with Pam - if you don't own Pam like me, I wipe a bit of oil on the bottom of the pan - Katy says to do this even if you're using a non-stick pan because it helped it brown the outside a bit. Bake in oven for 10 to 20 minutesish...I check every 10 mins. and cut the chicken open a bit to see if it's cooked.
Black Bean Pizza (it's been awhile since I've made this...so it's a bit vague)
1 can of black beans - rinsed
Pesto (can typically find this premade in the store - my mom finds hers in the produce department by the salads at Target in a tube)
Mozzarella cheese - shredded
Premade pizza crust (whole wheat if you can find it) - I think find these in the pasta aisle
*Tomatoes (fresh or canned - drained) (optional)
Preheat oven to a reasonable temperature (350ish), rinse black beans, spread pesto on pizza crust enough to cover the crust you don't need a ton, add black beans, then tomatoes if you would like, then cover with as much mozzarella as you would like. Bake until cheese has melted and crust looks good enough to eat.
So if you have any simple recipes please let me know...variety is a good thing.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Passive Voice?
I finally learned what "passive voice" meant! I just hit ignore on grammar check all through college, because I had no idea what it was talking about. Who knew it helped make my ideas more clear? I can now be even more anal when writing papers. :)
Sorry to all those grammatical experts out there that twinge every time they read improper English, but I plan on being as passive as I like on here...being unpassive would require waaaay too much thinking...and this is about free flowing thoughts.
Otherwise, good day. Had breakfast with an old mentor, did laundry, worked on my super secret book - to get me in the mood for working on my essay, hung out with awesome cats, and now working on my essay. It amazes me something so short can consume so much of my time.
Sorry to all those grammatical experts out there that twinge every time they read improper English, but I plan on being as passive as I like on here...being unpassive would require waaaay too much thinking...and this is about free flowing thoughts.
Otherwise, good day. Had breakfast with an old mentor, did laundry, worked on my super secret book - to get me in the mood for working on my essay, hung out with awesome cats, and now working on my essay. It amazes me something so short can consume so much of my time.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Eating beans and weenies drinking dr. pepper...and writing
So I'm trying to write an essay for a grad school application...it's suppose to be a narrative. I haven't got my spark...which is killing me. I hate writing without a spark on things like this...because it just turns out manufactured. It's so much more real when I do it when I have a spark. And for some reason that spark makes it go from simply okay, to INCREDIBLE. And since I would really like to get into this particular grad school, I'm shooting for the incredible. That being said, I can only recall a handful (or once) when I've written with the mindset that I truly wanted something incredible...but it wasn't a paper paper. So, alas this trying to write an incredible paper is new territory. I don't normally care. Now I care. And I'm a bit scared because of it.
I've been trying to listen to songs that make me want to change the world to get my spark. I've been trying to think of all the great times I've had with clients. I've tried drawing pictures to help. Drinking caffeine to get me a bit more hyper (and passionate). I'm thinking that I just need to go to bed and try again tomorrow evening. I'm tired. Arg. Now I can feel my adderall kicking in...getting too tired to write, but not capable of sleeping. This ought to be interesting.
I've been trying to listen to songs that make me want to change the world to get my spark. I've been trying to think of all the great times I've had with clients. I've tried drawing pictures to help. Drinking caffeine to get me a bit more hyper (and passionate). I'm thinking that I just need to go to bed and try again tomorrow evening. I'm tired. Arg. Now I can feel my adderall kicking in...getting too tired to write, but not capable of sleeping. This ought to be interesting.
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