Friday, October 27, 2006

The happy time warp got Jacked

Below is my Random 10 for the day. Check out more at American Idle.

I had somewhat of a theme going on. Retro, cheery, airy stuff. Yes, I am calling classical and opera retro, thankyouverymuch. Even the NIN that came on was circus-y and happy sounding, no small feat for Mr. Reznor. But then Jack Johnson came in and tried to spoil the mood. Thankfully, some disco and Depeche Mode wrapped to save the day.

1. Best Disco in Town - The Ritchie Family
2. La Bamba - Los Lobos
3. The Swan Lake Suite - Tchaikovsky by Bavarian Radio Symphony
4. Just a Test - The Beastie Boys
5. Pilgrimage - Nine Inch Nails
6. Nessun Dorma - Tito Beltran
7. Uptown - Prince
8. Posters - Jack Johnson
9. I Love the Nightlife - Alicia Bridges
10.Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Bully


Does anyone else besides me ever wonder if Rush Limbaugh used to taunt the misfits when he was a child? Just asking.

Pesky feets

Today I've come to a depressing conlusion. I can no longer wear cheap shoes.

In my mere 33 years, I have already been plagued with plantar warts (not since college, thank heavens) flat feet (though frankly my arches seem to have become slightly more pronounced over the years), occasional bouts of plantar fasciitis, and most recently, growing bunions. The fasciitis first occured about 4 years ago, and since then I've purchased my athletic and specifically running shoes very carefully.

Lately the bunions have been nattering at me. At a towering 5'10", I didn't have the confidence to wear heels much until about 5 years ago. I think the combination of higher heels, flat feet, and genetics have caused the bunions to grow, especially on my right foot. I knew I should pay more attention to it when they even started hurting while I was exercising in my expensive sneakers. I'd almost come to the conclusion that I may have to give up heels nearly altogether, but today I'm wearing some very well-made high-heeled boots that I picked up at a steal from the Nordstrom Half-Yearly sale, and the feets are fine. Given, I've also been massaging the bony masses and doing toe exercises, but I think the nicer shoes do help.


So while there will always be exceptions made for shoes like flip-flops, I think I'm going to need to stick to well-made shoes like those recommended by the Manolo from now on if I don't want my feets to end up looking like these. Sniff.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Casabloggin'

I was ambling around the house the other day and felt an urge to capture all the colors the spousal unit and I have painted our house recently. So...sit back and enjoy the splash of color that follows. First, the master bedroom. Like the curtains we use to separate the master bath?

Next, the guest bathroom. I LOOOOVE pink. Unfortunately since I don't have any kids, I can't paint a daughter's room rosy. Enter the guest bathroom. I picked out the colors to match the knobs on the cabinets. The colors provide a lovely environment in which to apply your makeup, and I think the green rugs give a nice botanic feel.


Next we move into the guest bedroom. This is definitely a love-it or hate-it color. A friend who saw the room for the first time on Saturday deemed it hideous. The original color was too bright for even my taste, which is how it ended up with the cloudy faux finish. I'm pleased with the end result, and think it will make a lovely bedroom color for a baby boy or a girl. The painting on the right is precious as it was painted by my mother when she was in high school. The girl's got talent!

Finally, we go downstairs and see four colors at once. On the left we have the chestnut color I used to sponge off of the dijon in our art niches. Centered in the frame is our powder room. I chose this color, named Fresh Olive, as a neutral that would set off all our tchatchkes the spousal unit and I have acquired on our travels that provide the decorative theme for the room (the painting peeking out into the door frame is from Jamaica). On the right we see my home office. This color choice was inspired by a pumpkin-colored home I used to drive by on my commute as well as by my reading that orange stirs creativity. I remember how depressed I was when I took my current job where I sit in a cubicle instead of being able to work from this lovely room. And framing these three colors is the dijon that covers all the common areas of the house.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Random 10

Entertaining the in-laws, so more on this later. Anybody who can name the real Shoo Fly Pie artist wins a prize.

1. Jacqueline - Franz Ferdinand
2. Mudkicker - Skid Row
3. Black & White - Sarah McLachlan
4. Original of the Species - U2
5. Natural Blues - Moby
6. Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy - Various Artists?
7. To Your Love - Audioslave
8. Best of My Love - The Eagles
9. W.M.A. - Pearl Jam
10. Burning Up - Kylie Minogue

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Bad news bears


Thought I'd post a group pic of the softball team taken last week. Tonight is our last game of the season. Betcha can't guess which troublemaker is me? :)

Also kicking off a long weekend with the in-laws tonight. The spousal unit's sister and her kids are probably not going to make it - his nephew got attacked by the neighbor's dog right before they were to leave so they had to take him to the hospital instead of catching their flight. That bums us both out - they are great kids.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Pummeled off the deep end


We've all known for some time that Mike Tyson ain't quite all there. Rape charges. Bitten ears. Maori tattoos. But now he's taken it one further. Seems like ole Mikey has had enough of batting women around in his personal life, and wants to do it inside the ropes instead. Good look finding a willing opponent, Mike.

I had a quiet weekend as the spousal unit jetted off to a bachelor party in Philadelphia. Had I known I would be treated with lovely stories of bare asses being rubbed on his crotch upon his return, I might have been a little more supervisory regarding the details of the evening. On the homefront things were much more tame. Saturday I touched up spots from our grand whole-house painting extravaganza over the summer (need to post pics), and that evening I went to a corn maze and haunted house with some friends. It was a great haunted house - I think we're going to take the spousal unit's nephew who will be in town this weekend.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Random 10 - 90s mainstream

I realize in looking at the other Random 10 lists that Corey at American Idle has posted that my taste in music is pathetically mainstream. Here's my list, set primarily in the 90s:

1. Same in the End - Sublime
2. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy - Sarah McLachlan
3. So What'cha Want - Beastie Boys
4. Three Marlenas - Wallflowers from Peak Tracks Live
5. Start Again - Death Cab for Cutie
6. Come to My Window - Melissa Etheridge
7. Kinda I Want To - Nine Inch Nails
8. Any Way You Want It - Journey
9. I Belong to You - Lenny Kravitz
10.Jeremy - Pearl Jam

Working my way back to food, yeah...

With a burning love inside! Thank you, Frankie Valli. 13 pounds!!!!

Last night before softball I had a blueberry smoothie and a banana for dinner. That worked out great, wasn't shaky or weak at all for the game, which we still lost. Afterwards we went to the bar, where I pushed it and had not one but two vodka tonics as well as munching on a few fries. At home I had a carrot before bed but I awoke with a nasty tummyache. I knew I should have held off until next week on the booze.

Two of our teammates are single, one of them recently so. Over the past couple of weeks they've been suspected to be hooking up but have been fairly clandestine about it. Last night at the bar they didn't give any overt verbal confirmation, but it was obvious by their body language and bits of their conversation that it was happening. In my weakened state that left me far more vulnerable than normal to both the relaxation of inhibitions and desire to make mischief, I decided I needed to out them. After silently scheming for a few moments, I went into action. They were both stressed and complaining about the errors they'd made during the game. So I said, "Hey you two - you just need to do what we do when we make a mistake during the game...I think you two can back me up here", gesturing to the other couple at the table who were also highly suspicious of secret nookie. "You just blame it on the fact that you got nervous because you're nailing one of your teammates."

They both turned a brighter shade of red than I've seen since I ate a tomato picked from the plant that James gave me. I think the guy screwed up on his reaction though. He denied it...for a bit too long. I might have been a bit offended if I were his....girlfriend? Friend with benefits? Fuck buddy? Who knows what to call it these days.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Real food...sorta

Today I'm eating again! My breakfast - a tomato and a slice of watermelon. I have to gradually go back to normal foods so I don't shock my poor digestive system. So this was not juice - but just barely. I'm doing a company lunch at On the Border and am a little nervous about what they'll have that I can consume at this point. I think a pile of nachos might make my tummy do the lambada.

I have an interview with a former boss next Monday. I've been ambivalent about working for this company based on a few issues I've had with some of their philosophies, but some friends have been working there for awhile and seem to really like it. Not to mention that this place got listed by Inc magazine as the 87th fastest growing business in the country. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Feelin' blue

Bad night last night. Sitting here working, listening to Death Cab for Cutie.

Any other suggestions for blue music are much appreciated.

On the bright side - today I'm down 12 pounds. My 7 for all Mankind jeans fit me again!

Monday, October 09, 2006

I could win!

Still doing great in the office football pool this week. KC didn't let me down yesterday after all, so I'm on a perfect track record at the moment. Others are too, so here's how it breaks down. I win some money this week if Baltimore wins and the total score is between 25 and 36. If Denver wins, the score has to be between 26 and 29. Wish me luck!

I tried to work a tiny bit of coffee in today. Mixed about 1/4 regular and 3/4 decaf, added sugar but no cream. Tummy no likey. Over the weekend I did have a teeny bit of diet Coke with no trouble, so it must be something specific to the coffee that's not necessarily caffeine related.

It's supposed to snow tonight. Sigh. Our autumn is so brief here.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Imagine...

You're a female. It's that time of the month. You're bloated and cramping like you're going into labor. The lovely pharmaceuticals that make this day so much more bearable are off limits to you, as are the comfort foods that help you forget about the pain. You have to just muscle through it.

That was me yesterday. My poor spousal unit.

I've decided that this fast is going to last 10 days instead of 14. I've woken up hungry yesterday and today, and though that always passes, I want to chew on something, dammit. I'm down 10 pounds. I'm hoping that after 10 days and the few where I have to work back up to normal foods, it will be more like 15. That'll be fantabulous.

Having a banner day in my office football poll. Only KC seems to be letting me down so far.

I think now I'll go take the kerpupples for a walk by the lake. I have to spell out w-a-l-k if I mention it earlier in the day or they go insane and won't stop bugging me until I actually take them.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Bad dogs, bad juice, and the random 10

The two kerpupples are BAD. For years I have had to be sure to bury my underwear in the hamper so that they wouldn't become a doggy snack. Well, they've branched out. The spousal unit is not so careful about storing his dirty boxers, and the dogs have found a new taste for them. AND...this morning I found that they'd chewed the fastener of of my $45 VS Ipex bra. On the bright side, I guess it will force us to be cleaner.

No additional weight loss today - still down 9 pounds. I guess my metabolism is slowing down. I played softball last night and was pretty wobbly after I had to run bases, but I did OK.

Here's my random 10 for the day - check out more at American Idle. We started with some funk, added a dash of bluegrass, a pinch of grunge, and a side of punk. Interesting theme of titles though - I'm not THAT bummed that I didn't get the DC job, really! ;)

Can You Hear Me - Missy Elliott w/ TLC
Straight Cold Player - Lenny Kravitz
Troubles - Alicia Keys
The Rooster - Outkast
Keep on the Sunny Side - The Whites
Something Must Break - Joy Division
Nothingman - Pearl Jam
Must Get Out - Maroon 5
Wasting Time - Collective Soul
Paddle Out - Sublime

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Rejection

It sucks. I had a job interview in the DC area last Friday. Not getting an offer. I'm confused because what they said they wanted turns out to be not what they really wanted. I have what they really wanted too, but was focusing on what they said they wanted.

Oh well - on to the next opportunity!

On the bright side - I'm down 9 pounds today.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

I swore it was exit only...

But yesterday, I succumbed to the enema required by my juice fast. It was most foul - you don't really need any more information about the actual event than that. I felt a little sore last night as I was going to sleep. I hope that doesn't last.

Today I'm down 7 pounds, and haven't felt much hunger at all. I have had a dull headache most of the day, which is a side effect from beginning to detoxify. Here's today's menu:

Morning and snack: pineapple watermelon with a splash of pomegranate
Lunch: carrot and sweet potato (sounds icky but was actually quite tasty)
Dinner: think I'll do asparagus, celery, tomato, cucumber, and garlic, with a dash of salt, pepper, and tabasco.

Check out this bullshit. The spousal unit worked with one of these wingnut Christians. It's FANTASY, people, not Wicca....and very morally friendly fantasy at that. How in the hell do you call it anti-Christian? And what's next...Tolkien? These are the type of right-winged, intolerant Christians that give proper Christ lovers a bad name. I wish they would show some reason, like this guy. Personally, I think that moderate Christians should tell these folks to shut the bleep up, much the same as I believe moderate Muslims should police the fundamentalist terrorists that has the West quaking in our boots. Thankfully the Jerry Falwell types don't kill anyone though - they usually just make asses of themselves.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Sean...

Get off your lazy ass and BLOG! I IM'ed with you, I know you have your computer hooked up in your new digs, dammit.

Day 2

I made it through my first day of juice fasting! The hunger was actually not terrible yesterday. My boss was eating some Del Taco, and I swear it smelled like dog food. I did get this funky lightheaded buzz in the afternoon that was actually sorta cool. And I stopped at Wild Oats after work to get some nut milk (almond and hazelnut), some fasting tea to curb appetite, and some No-chicken broth. I think this will be much better than, say, the cabbage soup diet for variety.

On the menu today:

Breakfast and snack - watermelon pomegranate
Lunch - carrot pear
Dinner - tomato, bell pepper, and asparagus

I also forgot to mention the nasty part of the diet. You're not consuming solids, hence neither are you excreting solid waste. But there's still crud up in there that needs flushed - so you have to give yourself enemas. I get to deal with that this evening. Yipee.

But guess what? It's only been a day, and I'm down 5 pounds!!!

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Juice fast


Tomorrow I'm starting a juice fast. No solid food, and nothing but fresh squeezed juice. I'm shooting to stick with it for 10-14 days. My goals are weight loss, detoxification, and possibly clearing up of some skin issues and hay fever. This is a picture of all the fruits and veggies I've washed and laid out for tomorrow. On the menu is:

Breakfast - apple pear grape juice
Early afternoon - carrot celery juice
Late afternoon - more apple pear grape
Evening - bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, and asparagus juice

I have to do one strictly green juice per day, recommended in the evening.

A friend lost 30 pounds (though he did it for 3 weeks) and doesn't have to get allergy shots anymore. So I'm optimistic, though I know the first 2 or 3 days will be pure hell. I'll keep you posted.

Oh - and I can also drink water, herbal teas, and very occasionally, nut milks.