Writing

It's about time I get back to my writing my blog.  I apologize for my absence, I've missed writing, and I'm not entirely sure why I stopped.  I know I got busy last spring with warmer weather activities, and the end of the school year.  Then it was summer.  Does that speak for itself?  I've considered the reasons for my absence, and I think at first, it was writer's block.  Then it may have been a little shutting down, a delayed reaction after a friend from high school died, and lastly, after you write a few months of fluff, you are kind of inclined to write on subjects that maybe somewhat more controversial, and was I strong enough to handle commentary, pro or con?  I've reflected and I've decided that I am, but first I'll follow-up on some of my earlier posts to close out 2011 and start over.

While some things change, others remain the same.  To begin with, yes, I'm still obsessed with lounge-wear, and not long ago found the perfect pair of lounge pants at The Gap.  I remain on the fence about anti-aging products, and my search for what's perfect for me, continues.  By the end of last summer, I read every book in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, and loved the series.  Currently, I'm reading, Queen Bees and Wanna Bees, and if I may digress for a moment, this is a must-read for mom's with girls.  I did get the New Balance woman's 860 stability running shoe, and I've put many miles on them already so I can say with certainty that I highly recommend them.  My chiropractor would likely agree.  I replaced my Dell computer with another Dell, and my carbon footprint remains about the same.  Except that I am using these handy reusable snack bags made by a young mom who lives in my town (a shout-out to Green to Go on Facebook).

Lastly, I still refrain from using the word, 'should,' and I watch my words.  I am officially back to writing, stay tuned! 

Words...

I never intended to have a theme for this week, but life happens, and the theme is "words."

First, let me lay the ground work.  I get my coffee 99.9% of the time at Starbucks.  During the week, I stop on my way to work, and on weekends I drop by when the opportunity presents itself.  I frequent one of two locations.  The people who work there don't know me by name, but they do know my beverage of choice, whether it's the latte in the winter or the iced americano when the nice weather arrives. 

The other morning I placed my order and while I was waiting for my coffee, the Barista who had taken my order said, "you look so pretty lately, are you doing something different?"  Was that a compliment?  I'm not sure because what did I look like before?  Now I realize when I stop in on the weekend after a power walk I may not look my personal best, but during the work week I consistently put some effort into my appearance.  She further queried me as to narrow down what "change" was contributing to the difference.  After a quick review of haircut, color and clothes, neither one of us could come up with anything.  If only she could have left out the word, "lately."

It stayed with my all day, and not in a good way.  I couldn't help but ponder what was different lately?  After careful consideration, I've decided it boils down to a new found confidence, and a little more eyeshadow.  I believe people 'wear' their confidence, and lately I've been feeling pretty good.  The extra eyeshadow is an attempt to give my eyes an extra 'pop' in pictures.  Eye cream only goes so far. 

Did you ever receive a compliment that didn't really feel like one?  I'm listening...

 

Should

I would say about five years ago I dropped the word "should" from my vocabulary, and while I might still use it occasionally, I make a conscious effort to work around it in a sentence.  Why?  Because when you think about it, "should' is a very negative word.  How many times do you "should" on yourself or someone else?  For example, I should have written a blog last week.  Turn it around, leave out "should" and instead, I will try harder to blog this week.  Much better.  It isn't an easy exercise at first, but it does get better.

That being said, I'm very sensitive to the overuse of the word.  In my world, my mother is the biggest offender.  I love her, she's my mom, but she wastes an enormous amount of time pondering what other people "should" or "should not" do.  Maybe that's what you do when you're retired, but I sure hope not.  I have an endless supply of examples, but I won't bore you.  I know it  drives her pretty crazy when I won't engage, and in as much as I've explained that "should" is a negative word and I do my best not to "should" on others, it falls on deaf ears.  Sometimes, I find myself concentrating on how many times she's uses the word in one conversation, instead of hearing what she's said. Since I pride myself on being a good listener, I'm trying to break myself of this habit.  Two wrongs do not make a right.  

The next time you're having a conversation with either yourself or someone else,be mindful of how many times you "should" on yourself or someone else?  Turn your 'should' statements into positive statements, and let me know if it makes a difference! 

 

Royal Wedding

When it comes to the royal wedding tomorrow, there doesn't seem to be much middle ground.  You're either watching or you're not.  I will admit that I will be watching.  It's a tradition started by my dad back in 1973.  I was 9, and he woke me up to watch Princess Anne marry Mark Phillips.  I believe in England they would say I was gobsmacked by the pomp and circumstance, and was glued to the coverage for what I remember being a very long time.  It was a Wednesday so I assume at some point I got ready for school, but the wedding left an impression.  

When Prince Charles married Diana I was still in school, but fortunately, they were married in the summer.  Again, it was my dad who woke me up, but that was my idea.  I had followed the rather short courtship of Charles and Diana, and for the life of me I couldn't imagine wanting to be a Princess badly enough to marry Charles.  At 32, he seemed like an 'old' man, and she was so young, and pretty, and full of life.  I thought the energy she brought to her role was terrific, and admired her courage and strength and devotion to her charitable work.  I followed her trials and tribulations with the press, and the royal family, and caught glimpses of her life as a mother which from all outward appearances, brought her a lot of joy.  I watched as she really came into her own style and then wasn't at all surprised when her marriage to a man who clearly never loved her, fell apart.  Her death was sad, and I was awake of my own accord to watch the funeral. 

I didn't follow Fergie and Andrew so enthusiastically, but I did watch their wedding, and she has always seemed to give the royals a run for their money which I have found amusing.  That she found success as an author and spokesperson for Weight Watcher's was brilliant.  Of course, it clearly crossed a line when she recently tried to sell access to Prince Andrew.  

And so here we are on the day before the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and no, I will not be up all night, but I will be awake early to tune into the coverage.  I think she, Kate, has a lot going for her, being older than Diana was when she married.  Plus, she is a college grad, and she's had a lot of time to get used to the idea of marrying royalty and living in a fish bowl.  She seems to handle it all in stride which I'm sure comes with maturity.  It doesn't hurt that she and William have spent a long time together and they clearly seem to love each other.  Call me a dreamer, or a hopeless romantic, but just once, it would be nice to get the fairytale ending...      

Carbon Footprint

I stopped using cloth hand towels about 5 years ago. I really don't consider myself germ-phobic, but think about it, a cloth towel is just a breeding ground for germs.  When I painted my powder room last year, I didn't even put the towel rod back up.  Instead, I have the paper hand towels for guests.  Upstairs, in the bathroom, I have kept a roll of paper towels on the counter. 

While I know this does nothing for my carbon footprint, I do have a couple of pluses in my favor.  First, I use the select-a-size rolls where you can tear off half a sheet.  Also, in the past year, I made the switch from plastic water bottles to one stainless steel bottle.  Considering I drink a lot of water, I have drastically reduced my use of plastic.  Further, I have also cut down on the number of baggies I use for school/work lunches opting instead for plastic reusable containers.  Lastly, I made the switch to CFL bulbs throughout my condo, and installed a low-flow showerhead.  Rationalization at its finest.

Just lately, I replaced the roll of paper towels with the new Kleenex hand towels.  They are even packaged in a nifty box that you can set upside down on your towel rack for handy dispensing.  Cute, right?  Now why didn't I think of that??

Technical Difficulties

I like technical difficulties, like with my computer, almost as much as car trouble which is to say, not at all.  My current laptop is coming to the end of it's life, and although the MIS group where I work would never recommend a Dell, mine has served me well.  I'm pretty sure I've had it for 7+ years.  I'm thankful it has never fried in a thunderstorm or just crashed.  I only just bought a UBS external drive to back up my pictures and my music downloads yesterday.  I know. Not. Smart. But everything on that computer that is important to me is now backed up and the laptop just has to limp along until I find a replacement.  

Although I would love a Mac, I'm pretty certain I'll be going with a HP.  As my aunt has always said, "champagne taste, beer pockets."  In my case, Miller Lite.  

What did we do before computers?  I can't remember, but I know I use mine to stay connected with social networking sites, like Facebook, and email, and to edit/share pictures and download music.  It's my link to the world outside, and on more than one occasion that connectedness has served as a depression buster for me.  What did we do before computers?  I choose not to remember. 

Sneakers

I need new sneakers.  Well, actually I've needed them for awhile now, but I'm getting serious about the purchase.  I put many miles on my sneakers and I need good ones especially given that I've had lower back pain from time to time, and it's triggered when I wear shoes that don't have adequate support.

I've had my current pair for awhile, and they are definitely showing signs of wear, and my Dr. Scholl's inserts are not cutting it anymore.  So I've been investigating sneakers and I've confident I've settled on the New Balance Women's 860 Stability Running Shoe.  

When I initially started looking around, I tried the Skechers Shape Ups because I liked the idea that even if I wasn't power walking these sneakers would still be working against the inevitable signs of gravity.  But I tried them on and realized I couldn't walk in them.  I know people like them, but they were not going to work for me.  They were too 'airy' and I felt like I was going to fall over.  I've also been looking at the Reebok Easytones but I haven't always had the best luck with Reebok's durability.     

Just recently Prevention magazine reviewed sneakers, and the analysis seemed pretty thorough, so for me, the New Balance sneaker seems like a good fit...it's just a matter of 7 1/2 or 8.