Month: May 2012

Tuesday Randomness

Posted on by Amy

I know that if I had Mondays off every week I would begin to dread Tuesday but since that isn’t the case, I have to say I really like the shortened work week. I also must put a Snoopy dance in here because I am taking Friday off to head to Nashville. I would love three day work weeks all the time!

  • My holiday weekend was spent hanging with Bird, her girls and my mom. There was a lot of shopping to be done.
  • Bird’s girls make me sad. . .they hate shopping! They definitely didn’t get that from their momma.
  • Sadly, I got the shopping gene from my momma and my granny. . .the good news is I don’t have nearly the number of shoes and purses they each had years ago.
  • I went to sit by the pool and read yesterday; apparently the UVA rays were on high intensity.
  • My thighs are now a nice rock lobster red and hurt like the dickens.
  • I also made my BBQ rub, prepped my ribs and steamed them forever as well.
  • Sonia, I hope they make it to Nashville Friday, I had a little taste test sans the sauce. Oh my, so good.
  • I also need to get my oil changed before I head out.
  • Two things that I really hate to do (besides clean) are getting gas and getting the oil changed.
  • Why can’t I teach my cat to handle that mess?
  • While I am not a beer drinker, I am going to ask for beer recommendations that would compliment my BBQ–what are your favorites?
  • I am looking forward to this weekend, cooler temps, visit with friends, lots of good food and hopefully a trip to Radnor Lake or the Farmers Market.

And now I am going to watch a storm blow in and enjoy the cool breeze!

I Do!

Posted on by Amy

I got a kick out of the article I stumbled across last week on the Daily Mail website. A divorced mother of two decided to commit to herself after reflecting on her life. As she stated in the article, she wanted to take responsibility for the happiness in her life.

Okay, I can get behind that, but having a ceremony and gifts? Maybe I am just a bit jealous seeing as how I have yet to get close to even planning a wedding, but this non-conventional commitment ceremony seems a bit over the top when you include a formal event with gifts. I believe my friends would have me committed if I decided to throw that out.

I am single, painfully single sometimes, I understand the importance of not letting the singleness get to you. I love to go out to eat but if I waited for a time that would work for friends or family, I would probably only get out once a month. While I am not keen on taking myself out on a Friday or Saturday night, the rest of the week is wide open. It is a wonderful way to have a nice meal where I am not stuck doing the dishes and I get to indulge in two of my favorite things: eating and reading.

I should take note from the woman in the article though, she will tell herself (while looking in the mirror) that she is beautiful. I think every woman should do this. I spend more time criticizing myself than anything else and really, if I have to spend time with a grumpy spinster, I should at least flatter her.

While all of this might seem silly to those that are married or have been married, I will say that never having that experience can be a sad thing. I appreciate my family and friends saying it isn’t all that, or look at the pluses on your side! But as I have said to them before, they have experienced all of that, I haven’t, so I will take it with a grain of salt.

But on the other hand, my dates with myself are a lot of fun and I don’t walk away from a fun night with myself wondering if I will get asked out again. That is what I hate about dating. And I hate the whole I had fun line, we need to do it again, only to never hear from him again. Seriously, I believe there was an episode about that on Friends. I also remember that Chandler (the character, not my Chandler) ended up pissing off Rachel and he was handcuffed to the desk for some time.

Tuesday Randomness

Posted on by Amy

I had to take a boat back to the apartment this afternoon, seems all the rain wanted to come at once and the ground wasn’t prepared. I love the rain, maybe I should really look into moving across the pond to London. . . I could get all the gray weather plus listen to all those British men with their yummy accents! But it is Tuesday and I guess I need to get on with it.

  • As much as I love Excel and geek out when I figure out something else to do with it, yesterday was one of those days where I really wanted to take that stupid program and fling it across the room.
  • Chanting I love my job when you are knee deep in some problem doesn’t make the frustration any less, in fact, I get a little crankier.
  • I read the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy last month, it was the first time I read something like that and I actually liked it. The best part? Stumbling on different videos of stars reading excerpts from them. Seriously, I would pay good money to listen to a variety of stars doing this.
  • I am very thankful that I read them on my Kindle, I would be 50 shades of red if I read the paperbacks at lunch.
  • I just watched the best act ever on America’s Got Talent, it was a father/son duo who trained RESCUE dogs to do tricks. They were doing flips, walking on their hind legs and doing little dances, cutest thing ever!
  • I turned to Wook and asked him what he could do, he promptly sighed and went back to sleep.
  • I am the first to admit, I am a label loving fool but hand me a rescue animal and it is all over with, some of the best love, cuddles and companionship ever.
  • For those out there that still think AGT made a mistake by hiring Howard Stern, did you not see the heartbreaking moment with him and the seven year old rapper??? Oh my, he really is a nice guy who has made a living being a, um, I guess you could say perv. But that is his schtick.
  • After an in-depth discussion with Son last week, it was decided that she doesn’t want to share my ribs and bbq with everyone. So as an early birthday treat, we are having a small dinner next Friday.
  • How hard is this going to be to transport the ribs, bbq sauce and rub to Nashville? I have to steam them here and let them settle before they touch the grill.
  • It was a very bad week for disco last week, of course my heart is still broken that Andy Gibb died about 100 years ago.
  • I really want to see Rock of Ages when it comes out next month but I really don’t care for Tom Cruise. I don’t know if I can get over him being in the film.

And with that, I must go so I can pay attention to the finale of Dancing with the Stars. Please let William Levy and Cheryl Burke win! Pretty please?

Tuesday Randomness

Posted on by Amy

Rack em up please. Tuesday is almost over which means that Friday is even closer. It also means I have one more training session this week and will not be tortured again for four solid days. Little things people.

  • Apparently my trainer is very serious about working on my balance and coordination. . .yesterday was spent trying to balance on one of those half ball half board thingy (why yes, that is it’s technical name).
  • This exercise is to help strengthen your core as well as balance. . .I laughed my ass off most of the time while I was doing this exercise.
  • Because my trainer is really mean, he then had me do squats on it while sticking my butt out. . .the more concepts you add to each exercise, the harder it is for me to complete.
  • He was nice and stretched my legs out for me after what seemed like a two hour workout instead of one. . .now, does anyone know of a machine or a person I can hire to stretch me out on a regular basis?
  • If you were wondering why there was a chill in the air Sunday, blame it on me. I actually cleaned my apartment Saturday.
  • I only did it because I was going out with an old high school friend and I didn’t want him to think I was that big of a slob.
  • I know I am getting older when staying out until the wee hours of the morning means a two day recovery.
  • In honor of some college girls on the prowl Saturday night, I busted out Baby Got Back
  • I may have lost count of the number of drinks I had. . .I have a good excuse though
  • I haven’t laughed that hard or talked that fast in forever
  • Best laugh this week, overhearing the muscle guys last night counting their reps. They sounded like really bad impressions of Marilyn Monroe.
  • Best laugh last week, pretty much anything that was said or done at Hair of the Dog Saturday night
  • I would also like to apologize to the kids that ended up sitting with us, we are really the anomaly of this area
  • Once again I had to admit to someone that although I grew up in Cleveland, I have not rafted down the Ocoee River
  • I know, right?
  • I found someone else that dislikes mayo as much as I do
  • I kicked it old school Friday night and watched the documentary on Def Leppard’s Hysteria album. It took them four years to make that sucker.
  • I am still in LOVE with Phil Collen (the guitar play for them, not the drummer for Genesis)
  • They will be in Nashville and Atlanta in the next couple of months. . .
  • Must go so I can drool over Phil Collen again
  • I spent more time waiting for a table at Carabba’s Sunday than actually ordering and eating at a table. . .next year, reservations
  • Because I have such a knack for falling down, I got to do it Friday night with the help of my neighbors’ St Bernard puppy but no bruise.
  • I prefer to fall all by myself instead of being helped by a dog
  • I am still a firm believer that guys should at least be able to drive a manual transmission, it’s a long story and theory but seriously? If I can do it, you should be able to as well, at least when it comes to cars.
  • I love to make lists, any kind of list will do. While taking a short break from fighting with a spreadsheet, I made a list to keep track of all the nicknames I use on the blog, places I want to visit, concerts I want to see, a few more chapters to add to my hypothetical book and a general list of things I need to do. . .
  • Yes, I think that just proved how dorky I can be. . .

And I can mark off posting to the blog now! Early! Woo hoo! And another episode of America’s Got Talent is on tonight. Why yes, I totally started watching it when they named Howard Stern as a judge. Maybe I can make a list of the lists I need to make. . .maybe I should just start going to the gym every day after work instead.

Tuesday Randomness

Posted on by Amy

To kick the week off perfectly, I ended up with a migraine very late last night. early morning. After sleeping most of the day and evening I can at least say my head only aches a little now. . . this could be a short list of randomness today. . .

  • I hate migraines and I was really doing so well not having them. Sure, horrible headaches, especially when a front would come in but it has been awhile since I had one knock me on my tush.
  • Apparently, the Wook knew I was not feeling well, he spent all night curled up in the crook of my arm.
  • Saturday night I got a nice wake up call, the fire alarm had been pulled at my building. Besides the fact that that sucker is loud, 1am is not a good time for me.
  • A neighbor and I think that the “awesome” kids on the third floor pulled it. All I have to say is they are quite lucky it wasn’t during the work week.
  • I am dreading tomorrow, my trainer will be back from vacay and will want to make up for lost time.
  • How is it possible to sleep all day and still be very sleepy?

Sorry for such a short post, my head still hurts and I am back to yawning. I am grateful that I can at least read now, earlier it hurt to move my eyes even a millimeter.

Dorky With a Hint of Cool

Posted on by Amy

My new tagline, actually, I have been wanting to use that for awhile; I just kept forgetting to update the header. The tagline came about from a conversation that Stace and I had several years ago. We both agreed that I was quite dorky but that somewhere, deep inside, I had a hint of cool.

Of course that cool was not there during my teen years. I was such a dork, from trying out not once but twice the whole perming my hair (I believe some childhood boys that were friends were the ones that originated Popcorn) but also trying out some trends that I look back on with horror. I wasn’t a part of the A crowd but I think being in my own little world made me see things differently. I wanted out of my hometown, I wanted to travel and I wanted to write.

While I may not have gone all out with each of those goals, I have to say, not bad for the dorky girl who was quite shy in high school. Bird teases me about the fact that I at least dated in high school and I have to laugh each time we talk about it. Sure, I dated, but the majority of guys I did date did not go to my school and more than likely they lived in the next town over.

When I was dating Chandler last year I had to laugh because we would bump into someone we both knew and he would mention that he had dated her. I was not accustomed to that since I either dated outside of my high school or when I lived in Nashville, it was odd to bump into an old flame. We even pulled out my old high school yearbooks and looked through them. Pages upon pages of pictures of him, countless girls who swooned over him and then I would have maybe two pictures in the yearbook. I think I might have told him he was dating a dork at one point.

I finally came into my own after moving for the second time back to Nashville. It was rough at first but between college friends and friends of those college friends, I began to figure out who I was. While others dreaded turning 30, I had a countdown to that glorious day. A very old friend of mine, Red, turned 30 nine days before me. I think I had called him to tease him about getting older and he paid me back with the don’t go into the light line that his sister had said to him.

I finally realized that it didn’t matter if I didn’t have a perfectly flat tummy or my thighs touched. I had cobbled together a group of friends that made me laugh and accepted me as is, no need to impress. Of course, we also spent those years going out to sports bars, drinking and misbehaving but those early 30s were a lot of fun.

I wouldn’t want to repeat most of those nights now because, well, I don’t have the energy for those late nights. I like being asleep by 10ish. And of course those friends all have little ones now, so our fun equates to dinners out or hanging at one of their places.

So here I am, 38 and quite comfy with my dorky status. I still trip over my own two feet, I still have really odd tastes when it comes to men and I have yet to be able to settle down. But sometimes I think that in my own way, I have settled down. I may not have the husband and kids to show for it, but I have a pretty cool village of friends that I call family.

Landscaping 101

Posted on by Amy

The company I work for provides grants annually that can be used for local non profit groups with the caveat that we work the project instead of just handing a check over. I like the work part of it since nine times out of ten I can’t donate money to every cause I adore.

This year I headed up a small group of volunteers to landscape The Trousdale School and while I know I probably bit off way more than I can chew, I think we got the bulk of the work done. I had originally scheduled it for this past Wednesday but the other week changed it to yesterday. I would personally like to thank the Big Guy upstairs for the somewhat cooler weather yesterday as well as the idea to change days!

I know nothing about landscaping, nor plants, trees or flowers. I have mistaken weeds as grass before. . .these are things I should never be near! With the help of some awesome coworkers and the best idea from yesterday courtesy of my dad (renting a post hole digger) we got it done. OF course my lower back is in agony at the moment but let’s ignore that for a second.

I have had a lot of experience with demolitions and remodeling. I am comfortable with that kind of heavy labor. I love using the power tools as well. My friends who have enlisted me on their endeavors taught me well and made sure that my happy little self did not harm them, their pets, their homes or myself. I think the reoccurring statement from me in the past has been. . .

How hard can it be? All you have to do is rip this out, lay this down, use this tool and there you go! No problem.

And I used that same thought process as I was working that stupid hole digger thing, while dad kept telling me I couldn’t do it. Well, I did it. Mind you, it wasn’t super easy and once some bigger muscle showed up, I passed it on to him but I did it. Let’s just say I am not a fan of the soil around the south end of town. Red clay and rocks is basically the makeup of this soil. How people get anything to grow there is a mystery to me.

I did manage to get overheated yesterday and the common response from me to dad or anyone else was, “I’M FINE!” Gee, I think I may have some of that K family blood in me after all! But today, the only thing that bothers me is my back. I am sure as I get further into the personal training, I will get a stronger core and this will not be an issue but I think I will stick to home renovations as opposed to landscaping.

When I think of landscaping, I think of digging a hole, dumping the plant and throwing the dirt back on it. But it is so much bigger than that, it is more like, measure out the site, get a map of what you want there, pick of the needed items, lay them out and then you can finally start digging. I think I will stick to raising my cat since I really don’t have a green thumb.

But the best part about yesterday was hanging out with the students, getting hugs and laughing with them. They are just too sweet and I have to say, out of all the volunteering I have done over the years, this is my favorite little project. And I happened to introduce a few coworkers to the school and they have all come away impressed and ready to check in on the school again.

But the next time I start talking about yard work, landscaping or anything that has to do with the outdoors, please tell me to stop. I am still itching just thinking about all the dirt, mud, grass and pollen on me yesterday. Ugh, I was so not made to do that stuff! Give me a sledgehammer and a wall and I am good to go!

Tuesday Randomness

Posted on by Amy

Why does it feel like a Thursday evening? I am so confused. . .

  • A quick business trip up to Knoxville led to twitches of seeing too much orange. Of all the SEC teams, I just can’t get behind them.
  • On that note, part of it must be because my dad is a Texas Longhorn fan, I grew up knowing the difference between burnt orange and Vol orange.
  • Strangely, I know my way around Knoxville. I blame my formative years of driving through there and to there for church related meetings. Loved the meetings, the long hours on the road? Not so much.
  • I hoofed it to Pei Wei last night for dinner. Oh my! How I have missed you!
  • I stepped into my first Super Target and called my mom to let her know if she didn’t hear from me in two hours to send out a search team. Way too much Target, sensory overload.
  •  Since I had to head up early yesterday to setup for the meeting I moved my training session up a few hours. Never workout a couple hours after eating. . .
  • While I asked my trainer to go easy on me since I was driving and all, he worked my arms out so much that I now have muscles (defined and all!) in my forearms. Watchout Michelle Obama! I am going to have killer arms just like you!
  • I just hope they don’t turn out to be like Madonna’s, those are scary.
  • I talked to Hooch last night, way overdue chat! I miss her!
  • Oh, Hooch is my twin, three years separated. And since I am way of age now, I can now disclose she is the one that gave me the guidelines to drinking. Always eat first!
  • Umm, sorry mom.
  • I got a thorough balling out by Wook when I arrived back at the apartment this afternoon.
  • And small confession, on my way out of Knoxville I stopped at Pei Wei to have a late lunch. . .
  • To be fair to myself, I didn’t get to have breakfast this morning since I got a biometric screening and they cleared up the buffet before I got a chance to grab anything.
  • I know that my training sessions have been working, I can tell in my stamina, my clothes and my self esteem but. . .
  • My numbers for cholesterol, triglycerides and the like are all DOWN!!!!!
  • Let me say that again, THOSE NUMBERS ARE DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • My weight is still hanging at the same spot but muscle weighs more than fat and quite frankly I think the scale will start dropping again soon. No magic beans needed! Just sweat, hard work, self control and that stupid liquid called H2O.
  • And drum roll please. . . I am not 5’1″ thank you very much! I am 5′ 1 1/2″ WOOT!
  • I am tall baby!

So I will leave you with I am tall, my numbers are going down, my cat is disgruntled and I need to convince myself that it is indeed only Tuesday evening. Darn it!