Natural Wonders

Christmas was good. Got a Wii from my amazing husband. Yay! More about that some other time.

I think it's a really good thing that I have an East-facing window at work. At least it's nice for that short time right before sunrise until right after. Then from just after until about 9:30 or 10, it's hellish since the sun is right in my eyes even though I've rigged up a visor-headphones system. I digress. I don't know if it's normal, or if it's just the way that I am, but no matter how down I'm feeling, it really helps to see the sunrise. It's peaceful, it's gorgeous, and it's astounding. It just makes me stop and reevaluate everything.... I mean, it makes me realize that there's a lot more to everything at minor people problems, like money, or bills, or time or have-tos or any of that shit. I really need nature, be it sunrises, or rocks & trees and streams to realize that I get way too caught up in the little stuff, the people stuff, the things we create to make ourselves miserable because it seems like we're not happy unless we're miserable if that makes any sense. I'm so glad that we live where we live now. Our old apartment was kinda scrubby-urbans sprawlish. You had to seriously go a ways to find much that was natuaral. Now we live in an area that's more suburban by just a little bit. Sure, we can't exactly walk to the metro anymore (actually, we can, but it would take 45 mins), but I can walk two streets behind me and get a heavily wooded glen to stare at. After a 5 minute drive, I can be lost in a marshy nature preserve (great for bird watching - and it's where I mainly go running). Another 15 minutes and I have a choice between a park trail with another marsh on the potomac and a lake with a nature trail. God, I love rocks, trees, & water... and wind.... I love to go out and let the wind buffet me on a day that's a reasonable temperature. Mmmmm....

Binkle's Patented Shopping Workout

Yesterday, in a panic that I wouldn't get everything done before I leave tonight (not happening by the way - dang ice-storms-in-mountains, but now I just get to relax...), I took part of the afternoon and went shopping and ran errands. It seems normal and mundane, except that I literally ran errands. There were two or three different instances where I needed to hit 3 stores in a shopping center, so I parked in the middle of all three and then ran from my car to the first, ran back, ran to the second, ran back, ran to the third, ran back, etc.... They seemed like short little bits compared with what I normally run, but maybe I was running faster than normal? I don't know. All I know is that my legs and a$$ hurt today. Sore. Wow! Then to top off the workout, I found a case of duralogs, 6 pieces at 5 lbs each = 30 lbs. So I picked that up, carried it around with me and then carried it out to the car. Oh, and yeah, there was the large bottle of laundry detergent too. It was a good workout.

There are two things at play here:
1) I hate carts - I hate getting stuck behind them, I hate making people stuck behind me, I hate them - so for years I've made it a point to not buy anything that I can't carry (except rare occasions where it's unavoidable, i.e. bathtubs, couches, etc.). I use a hand basket if they are available, or I bring my own bag and hope the stores don't think I'm trying to steal stuff as I shove items into my bag, or I balance things precariously as I rush to the register.
2) I believe in "if you don't use it, you lose it." and have a theory that if I get used to a sedentary lifestyle without lifting, moving, bending, etc... then I will lose the ability to do those things. I don't want to be one of those people who can't get up off the floor. It may happen some day, but I'll try to prolong the inevitable. For a while I was seeing a chiropractor who specialized in Biomechanics and he said the muscles used for supporting the knee as it bends past a 90 degree angle and responsible for keeping it in line tend to be very weak in westerners because we don't do movements that require it very much. It was really very fascinating to learn about all the physics in musculature while talking with him. If I ever have a mid-life crisis, I'll probably go back to school for Biomechanics.

Random rant of the day: Frickin'! I've been waiting for about two weeks for my Donut Panic Woot shirt to arrive and the Fed Ex tracking estimated that it comes today. Goodie! Just in time for our trip! Well, no, I checked the tracking and it was delivered to the local post office today and will probably come in tomorrow's mail. Looks like I'll have to wait until next Monday for my precious shirt. Dagnabbit! My preeeccioooouuuusssss.... *hissing while stroking hands together*

Many Apologies & Happy Holidays!

I think it's safe to say that none of you are getting Christmas/Hanukkah/generic-holiday cards this year from us. New Years cards - maybe. Random, January Happy-the-holidays-are-over kind of cards? Most likely. : ) Yeah, we're running behind, but I think I got everything else done. Not much has been going on here except holiday prep-work. We did go and freeze our tuckases off for the lighting of the national Menorah on the Ellipse in from of the White House. That was fun. Got free Latkes, Sufganiyots (jelly donuts), and apple sauce though. Then we headed up to get bar-eats at the Old Ebbitt Grill. They have really good food and I was surprised that the prices were comparable to somewhere like a TGI Fridays or some such. My drink cost more than my sandwich and I'm not sure how I feel about that. At least I got to try a good Hot Toddy. Yum!

Here's some holiday cheer for you all... a Winter Wonderland courtesy of Cake Wrecks Blog, and some Latke art!!!

uh....

So I just found out that my happy little morning clerk at the 7-11 also works the registers at Target in the afternoons or evenings. I find this out as I'm in the check-out line... HIS check-out line... with two new packs of underwear. Not only does the man have my morning drink-habits memorized, but now he also has an intimate knowledge of my underwear. Hmmm....

Help, HELP! I'm trapped!

So it was an eventful weekend. I still have not started holiday cards, so don't get worried. They will most likely end up being New Years cards. I also have not started wrapping (which will consist of throwing things in gift bags or boxes to minimize paper waste) or the making of Rum Balls (consequently they will be strong again this year).

We did start the weekend off with a viewing of Washington Revels, which does a Holiday show every year that follows a different holiday tradition of a particular location and time period. This year's show was based in a 19th century French Canadian frontier town. It was nice and reminded me of Dave & my trip to Canada when they mentioned Poutine! : )

Saturday my friend, Adi, took us trap shootingat Bull Run Regional Park. We took the 40 minute gun safety class which turned out to be a two hour class. Then we signed up for some of the Wobble Trap games. That part was fun. I'll have to go back when it's warm out. The only thing that wasn't fun was waiting the hour for the games and taking the 2 hour class because it was quite cold out. Ah well. I found it something more than mildly amusing, but then again I feel the same way about shooting galleries (the ones with the bar scene and targets that make things happen like the piano player plays or the vulture ruffles its feathers) in amusement parks. I'd do it again for a hoot. I definitely have to beat down my recurring thoughts of "there are a million and one different ways this gun can kill me", but eh...

Saturday night was our Vintage formal dance for which I got to wear my slinky black dress... I still hold that the dress was only labelled four, but I don't care.

It was a good time with fantastic people as always. I was sad to find out that my favorite old guy, Roger, is planning to move away to Cincinnati within 6 months... Boo! I also must admit that there was more food than you could shake a stick at & I nibbled so much that I nearly got sick during a Waltz. I think that's the sign of a good party!

AH-Ha~! Hahahahahahaha.... I just now, while writing, uncovered the solution to a mystery that has been plaguing me for weeks now.... I feel quite a bit like Nancy Drew (or I feel quite dumb, I'm not sure which). So my iPod has been randomly turning on before I touch it for the morning and it keeps going to a particular playlist (Calm International). My purely scientific brain (that has a degree in Physics), had one of two thoughts.... something in my purse is hitting the "ON" button or it's haunted. Most likely option is "it's haunted" - obviously by some benign spirit since it keeps choosing the Calm International playlist. Just now I put together the fact that I keep finding it on in the mornings and that it's ALWAYS the same playlist - I decided to check the alarm settings. Yes, indeedy, the alarm clock feature is still turned on and set to go off at 8AM on that playlist. I am brilliant. It must have been doing this since Thanksgiving. *grumble* : )

Sunday night ended the weekend with joining my sister & her family for the walk-through light show at Brookside Gardens. It was fantastic to drive into the site and listen to my little nephew pipe up "lights!" He doesn't have many words, but that was loud and clear! I love the holiday season, I love lights. I always have. I'd wear lights if I could. Actually, I have worn lights, now that I think about it...

Oh well anyway, it's been so unbelievably and uncharacteristically dreary here this year that I really, REALLY need the lights this year. I went out & bought 400 more lights to put on out back deck (400 lights do not go as far as you'd think). Darn! The rain's back. I'm going to bed & pretend like I don't see it. : ) For the record, I'm going to try to cook my meatloaf in a crockpot tomorrow. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Sizable Update (or update concerning size)

Three nights ago I was cleaning and pulled a few pieces out of my "skinny clothes from freshman year swing dancing" box... The two ultimate skinny dresses that I had both fit! Yahoo! So I pulled those out of the box to put in my closet. Yesterday I tried on my senior prom dress. THAT FITS TOO! Here's a pic of my senior Prom:

I will probably end up seeing if I can wear it to the annual Strauss Ball at Glen Echo this Spring. I am right on the border of a 6 and 8 in pants, depending on the brand and cut.... I just went and bought myself a size 4 dress for the formal on Saturday. That makes me happy. I don't think I've ever owned anything that's a size 4.... Also, I really wanted to lose the extra 7 lbs until my goal weight (135), but I'm really not sure I should. I'm looking good and feeling good and I'm the same size I was 10 years ago when I was 127 - meaning more muscle. It really confirms to me though, that I can probably never go by conventional weight charts and BMI indexes and such. I'm not quite in the "normal" weight range for my weight, or maybe I'm just on the line... it seems to depend on which chart you look at, but I'm right at the line between normal and overweight... and I'm a size 6-ish? Doesn't make sense. All I know is that major support bras are fast becoming my best friend since I've lost a lot of mass in that area and now, wellllll.... let's not go there. Age + weight loss and you can do the math. : )

Oh, and FYI.... I'm having to get rid of almost everything in my closet, so if you're ~ size 12, let me know. I can probably pass along some good stuff!

Can I get a USB port installed in my head?

Right, so i just had a totally random day full of those moments when you just WISH you had a little spycam attached to your glasses so that you could take a split second photo of that thing you're seeing that will be gone before you can blink.... This is the reason that I carry my point & shoot camera with me at ALL times... so I can whip it out and take pictures of those totally random or fascinating or "you wouldn't believe me if I told" you moments... Like this picture.... it was taken on the Washington Beltway.... yes, that's right, I-495.

or this one of my window buddy the other day:

Yesterday was full of those. Unfortunately, the instances yesterday were so fleeting that it was impossible to get a picture even if I whipped the camera out because they were already gone. I generally have a photographic memory and wish there were some way to download all the little snippits of images in my head. So I was walking past a Starbucks and this man and woman were seated at a table in the front window. They were having an animated conversation and the woman just makes this face (the type of face that would be a good black mail photo), gesticulates wildly and laughs. A) can't whip a camera out because the people would freak out B) can't whip a camera out because it's already passed. Later, I was driving home and a burgundy 1960s VW Beetle is driving behind me. I'm enjoying watching it in my rear view mirror. It makes the same few turns that I do. I come to a relatively isolated intersection that has little traffic and there's a white 1960s VW beetle sitting at the stop sign. I don't have a stop, turn the corner and watch in my rear view as the Burgundy Beetle turns past the White Beetle and form a perfect picture. Too dangerous to whip my camera out. I find myself wondering if they smiled and waved at each other in camaraderie as they passed.

T-giving in 2 sentences and Skinny Pants hell

It was nice to go home over Thanksgiving and see family and I got some excellent thrift-storage in which resulted in two vintage winter coats for a grand total of $16. It was also very stressful due to various family situations on both sides and ridiculously irritating driving conditions on both the way up and the trip back. (I lied... 3 sentences)

So yesterday was a weird day... Don't know how well anyone reading this knows me (some very well, I'm sure), but I'm occasionally prone to psychotic irrational anxiety attacks - my brain turns into my enemy and I can't shake a thought or a feeling even if I know logically it doesn't make sense. Grrr... hate those... and yesterday was one of those days. Since we got back from T-giving, J has been a goodly bit down because he was stressed about the past week and family matters and stressed because he doesn't know the outcomes AND stuff was going down at work because it's just one of those times. So he was unseasonably quiet & "down" for a couple of days. Randomly, because I'm brilliant like that, I get this idea in my head yesterday morning that he's been quiet & withdrawn because he's mad at me. This pops into my head at, like, 7:30 AM... then it grows and persists and grows and persists and spirals out of control into a panic. (I'm suspecting that these happen when I'm under other stress and just can't get a productive outlet...) Perfectly timed, J was working his A$$ off yesterday in a different lab where he has no contact with the outside world and took no breaks until about 5:30 PM.... so of course I took the lack of communication as evidence that he was mad at me. The whole while I KNOW that it's not the case. I know it and I can't convince myself out of those attacks. Grrrr.... hate my brain. Fortunately, when I did get to talk to him last night, I was confirmed that he was not mad at me and all was well.

On a happier note, I am currently in skinny pants hell. The pants that I bought about 2-3 months ago are getting embarrassingly big on me again (grrr...), so I'm in the market for new pants. The easiest solution (accomplished tonight) was to go to Kohl's and get smaller sizes of the ones that I got before (they were on sale!). While there, I figured I'd try to find some others since two pair is just not quite enough diversity - and then I decided I hate pants. See, here's the problem: almost anything designed for people my age is very plain and stuffy and BORING; anything not boring is usually to be found in the Juniors dept; Once you find not-boring, you need to weed out the stuff that looks like something a 12 year old should wear (pink sequined butterfly applique) from stuff that's acceptable for a nearly-30 (maybe braided leather accents on the butt-pockets); then you try the pants on and it's probably cut so low that your goods will hang out or pop out if you attempt to move; next if all goes well and the pants fit, then the pocket placement is probably half-way down the thigh (pockets should be placed on the butt to accentuate, otherwise you look deformed); lastly, once the pants fit and pocket placement is right, you've probably stumbled across a pair of pants that are "skinny" aka designed for people with toothpicks for calves or peg-legs. No normal human should wear "skinny" pants, especially not men. That's my rant for the day. : )