Winds of change

Today I woke up to a different world. Sure, the world itself hadn't changed all that much, but the potential and promise of the world in which I live has been renewed and deepened. As the daughter, brother, niece, grandchild, and girlfriend of veterans, I have always been patriotic. But the past two days have reawakened my patriotism and belief in the goodness of this nation. For so long, I have felt completely disappointed and disillusioned with the way our nation was being run. Today I feel that a strong wind of change has swept over this nation, bringing possibility and improvement. I openly wept multiple times yesterday. I cried listening to Obama's speech. I cried listening to NPR talking to listeners and their reactions. I cried this morning watching Good Morning America's highlights from the balls last night. As tears of joy streamed down my face, I realized that I feel truly hopeful and excited about the future. There are so many good things to come. Sure, the times will be tough for a while, but with a leader who emphasizes the good of this nation, we really can't go wrong.

Palpable Excitement

There have only been two times in my life when I have wished that I was in D.C. The first was a few months ago when I was supposed to visit Kia but plans got changed at the last minute. The last was this morning. Waking up to see all of the people congregated on the mall was awe-inspiring. Never before in my life have I seen so many people gather together with such positivity, hope, and inspiration for the future. It is an amazing sight -- no matter which camp you've voted for -- to see this amazing moment in history. Even all of Europe is glued to their TVs as this event happens. The course of American History changes today. The American Dream -- you know the one that we tell all little kids about but, deep down inside, we know isn't quite attainable -- has actually come to fruition. The possibilities for the future are endless. Even if he makes slight changes for the better, he will be a success. For the first time in a very long time, I am extremely proud to be a citizen of this amazing country the continually suprises me.

The Injured Boy

 The Boy broke a bone in his hand. He's in a cast. It's funny now, but of course I didn't laugh when it happened! He broke it playing basketball on his lunch hour. Now he's casted for six weeks. At least. Which means that I'll be the one doing all of the dishes and anything else that requires water and/or two hands. Yeah. :P

(FYI ... That's not his hand. That's simply a pic I stole from Google. Yeah, I steal. Whatevs.)

(BTW ... I'm watching the Cosby show -- don't ask why -- and Adam Sandler was just on as one of Theo's high school friends. Huh?)

Am I a total dork?

I just finished putting all of my baking supplies is new ceramic, air-tight canisters. I have been super-excited about this. Now my cabinets are all organized and neat with everything in its place. Sometimes you just gotta go with those OCD tendencies, right?

Narcolepsy

I think I have it. Or some kind of sleeping disorder. Seriously. Yesterday I didn't get out bed until 10am. Of course, I had been up till 2am-ish, tossing and turning and not being able to sleep.  This morning, I slept until 10am again after I got up at 6:30 to take Jo to the airport. I was back in bed at 7:15am and stayed there until 10ish. 

I was having a few weeks of really bad dreams a few weeks ago. I mean, BAD dreams. Dying, being attacked, having my home invaded, having family members die ... bad stuff, dude. One night I woke up after having a nightmare about having attackers break in and attempt to kill me. Ultimately, The Boy accidentally killed me when he wrestled the gun away from the attacker. I woke up TERRIFIED. The Boy checked the house to calm me and then we slept the rest of the night with the lights on. I know it's very wussy of me, but it was wicked scary.

The bad dreams have passed, but the sleeping is still an issue. If I'm mentally tired, my body hurts and I can't get comfortable. If my body is comfortable, I'm not tired. I try reading in bed to put me to sleep, but I find that I just get caught up in my book. Even if I have a cocktail or two before bed, I'm still restless and awake. The Boy wants me to go see a sleep specialist. We'll see about that. 

Relaxation

Today, for the first time in MONTHS, I've read for pleasure. Pure enjoyment. No critical thinking skills employed. No note-taking or synthesis. Just reading for personal pleasure. It was fantastic. I'd forgotten how relaxing it is to pick up a book and read for leisure. I feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

I'm currently reading Georgiana. It's the historical book that the film The Duchess was based on. The movie was pretty fascinating which led me to the book. I started it late last night (around midnight), and I'm well into the text. The book is fantastic so far. I'm learning so much about her. She really was a fascinating woman (sorry for using that word twice in one paragraph!).  She was pallies with Marie Antoinette and was the impetus behind an entire patois in England called the Devonshire House Drawl. She was a complete a total fashionista, but, at the same time, was a vulnerable, intimidated little girl thrust into the limelight. There are severe differences between the text and the movie, but those differences are more issues of what to include and what to leave out. After all, it's hard to create a complete movie from 400+ pages. Well, a movie that people in today's day and age would sit through without grumbling.

I'll keep you posted on the developments as well as my renewed interest in pleasure reading.

Productivity

I've been very productive today, and I'm happy to brag about that. It's been a while since I've felt the urge of motivation, and today it took hold and whipped me into shape. I've only been working for a few hours, but I've got a ton accomplished.

I waded through a text that I had been avoided and took all my notes on it.

I created a color coded literary/historical timeline to help me to visualize important date/events/publications in my literary period. (I really struggle with dates and need all of the help I can get.)

I've clarified and fine-tuned my existing notes thus far.

I've started going through my next text ... but I think I'm going to break for lunch.

I must say that Luminotes has really made this process a helluva lot easier. It's such a great note-taking program that can be used for anything. I just happen to employ it for use in diss research, but I know people who use it for brainstorming their poetry and novels as well as organizing recipes and other creative tasks. It's pretty fantastic. And, the best part is, it's free!

Some real commitments ...

So, a New Year's resolution of mine was/is to lose some poundage off of my ever-expanding ass. (It's not really that bad, but my mind makes it REALLY bad.) I've decided that I need to make some more concrete plans to achieve my goal. I realize that making serious, radical changes is not the way to lose weight, and I've been successful in the past. I just need to make some manageable lifestyle adjustments that have worked in the past (that I have sadly let fall to the wayside!).

1.) First and foremost, I am going to hit the gym/exercise far more regularly. When I was working out almost every day, I looked good and felt good. I had a ton of energy and was really happy with myself. The hardest part for me is getting the motivation to START going again. Once I'm in a routine, it's easy. It's the starting the routine that sucks. Even if I just go for a long walk with B every day, I need to get out and be more physical. 

2.) I need to cut empty sugars/calories out of my diet. You know, soda and sweets. I'll go for weeks without drinking a pop and then I'll turn around and have four a day for a month. That is not good. If I need to have a pop, I'll limit myself to ONE a day. No more ice cream and candy and chips and cookies. If I do crave some ice cream (which is my greatest vice!), I'll buy a pint of Ben and Jerry's and make it last a full week. When I'm craving such empty calories, I'll brew myself a nice pot of tea and enjoy that. Besides hot tea makes one feel full and satiated without any calories! 

3.) I also need to focus on portion control. I've gotten a little crazy about how much I eat at a setting. I'm going to go back to using my small plates and monitoring serving size far more carefully. Once my stomach shrinks again, it will be easier to control how big my meals are. I've also got to load my portions with great zero-calorie foods like vegetables and spices. I love peppers and carrots and cucumbers and salad. I just need to make them more readily available for snacking. 

4.) I've got to cut the booze back a bit. I'm, by no means, an alcoholic, but I do enjoy a cocktail or two at night. It's also not uncommon for The Boy and I to polish off a bottle of wine or two on the weekends. While I love relaxing over a drink, I also recognize that booze is simply empty calories that require me to work all that much harder to eliminate the calories. So, I'm going to do my best to limit my cocktails to weekends only (Friday and Saturday).

I recognize that weight loss is a continual struggle, and it requires a lifestyle change.  I know this, and I am serious about making the commitment. I'm not getting any younger, and I don't want my waistline to increase as my age does. No me gusta that! Plus, I feel that these are all very manageable and doable changes that will improve my overall quality of life.

On a related note, my mom called to tell me that she and my aunt went to a Weight Watchers meeting yesterday! I'm so proud! If Mom can do it, I can!

With that, on with the weight loss!

A Bailey Vacation

It's weird to have no Bailey hanging around my heels. I left her with The Boy while I had my busy day. I had a course design workshop at Elon this afternoon and this evening I was supposed to hang out with LL (but she's had a family emergency and had to fly to Memphis). Instead of hanging with LL, I cleaned the house! I took down all of the Christmas decorations (after all, Epiphany was on Tuesday!), organized the office, cleaned my bedroom, and brought the house back to pre-holiday status. It was bizarre to be able to move from room to room and make loud noises without B following me and barking at the noises. Needless to say, I got a lot done. Of course, I miss her already and feel just a tinge of loneliness. But I'll get over it! Besides, both her and The Boy will be here tomorrow afternoon sometime, so I need to enjoy the peace and quiet while I can!

back to the boring 'boro

Well, my mini-vacay is over. I just got back from Winston where The Boy and I spent New Year's and the following days. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day here because I had to work Christmas Eve (bleh!). But Christmas was surprisingly wonderful. I didn't cry at all!! I swear!!

We went to mass at midnight on Christmas Eve, which I absolutely love. The choir concert began at 11pm and we sang many of my favorite Christmas hymns and listened to some beautiful singing. As mass began, we celebrated the birth of our Savior with candlelight, music, community and the holy Eucharist. After mass, we returned home at 1:30am and popped open a bottle of champagne to celebrate the holy day. We opened presents while we drank our champagne, and I got an AMAZING video of Bailey opening her presents with The Boy talking smack in the background but he has forbidden me to share it. Poor sport!!! Oh well, just thinking about it makes me laugh. We normally open our presents on Christmas morning, but we wanted to create our own traditions since we are a family. It was really wonderful. We woke up on Christmas morning, had breakfast, and attempted to feed the homeless. That didn't work out so well. The Ham's restaurant where Christmas dinner was being served was completely unorganized and had more volunteers than people being served. And they had almost run out of food. So, I guess it's the thought that counts. Or is it, the road to hell is paved with good intentions? Whatevs ....

I worked New Year's Eve day as well, but I didn't have to work again until tomorrow (Sunday)! Yeah! The Boy and I have spent the last three days at his place, relaxing, watching tv, eating really tasty food and drinking really great wine. It was pretty relaxing and wonderful. Yeah! Good times!!

And now I'm back. I've got the newly released nip/tuck dvds, a recently restocked bar (I just left the ABC!), and am waiting for Jo to get off work and come hang out with me!!

Yeah for happy holidays!!

No, I haven't died ...

I've just been having too much fun doing other things to blog lately! I'll be posting soon ... perhaps tomorrow. We'll see!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!!