Spread the Word ...

If you know it's wrong to use derogatory language with regard to women, minorities, and gays ... than why should people with disabilities be any different?

Today, Special Olympics launched their new campaign:

Confessions

• I absolutely could not stand Steve Carell until I saw Dan In Real Life
• I have an unhealthy obsession with The Devil Wears Prada
• I really want to see Sunshine Cleaning
• ... although I hated Little Miss Sunshine
• I have recently seen The Secret Life of Bees and I Love You, Man
• ... while at opposite ends of the spectrum, I enjoyed them both
  
• Skat Kat!
  
• paying bills really puts me in a bad mood
• I am going to Boston at the end of the week
  
• I am excited about April
  

Spring Reading Thing

I decided to participate in the Spring Reading Thing to get my lazy reading butt in gear.  

I fully intend to conquer (and enjoy):

• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
• Dewy by Vicki Myron
• A Version of the Truth by Jennifer Kaufman
• Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

No List Friday

I admit it - I once had one of those tee-shirts with this image:

Did you?

Throw it out

The most recent issue of Real Simple mentioned the book, Throw Out Fifty Things. I got excited thinking that it would be a list of 50 specific things to get rid of in order to de-clutter your life and de-clutter your mind. It would be like a scavenger hunt. Not exactly ... the book serves more so as a guide with suggestions. Things to get rid of include:

1. decorative pillows
2. old work clothes
3. shoes
4. expired medications
5. old makeup
6. nail polish
7. ugly lipstick
8. magazines
9. old spices
10. the 'junk drawer'
11. banged up pans
12. nearly empty jars in the fridge
13. books
14. records
15. burned down candles
16. old napkins [I'm assuming cloth]
17. place mats
18. ugly dishes
19. plates
20. chandeliers
21. mirrors
22. folding chairs
23. unused headboards
24. old rugs
25. unused toaster oven
26. children's games
27. blackboard
28. toy piano
29. guitar
30. wallpaper
31. wicker baskets
32. clay pots
33. old paint
34. plant fertilizer
35. wicker chest
36. business guru books
37. old presentation materials
38. old manuscripts that have been digitized
39. old documents
40. mementos ... tote bags, folders, key chains
41. fear of the future
42. comparing yourself with others
43. the person you think you aren't
44. regrets and mistakes
45. being right about how wrong everyone else is
46. the need to have everyone like you
47. thinking the worst
48. waiting for the right moment
49. needing to feel secure
50. the feeling that you have to do everything for yourself

While the book is not what I expected ... it didn't seem horrible. It included ideas about how to donate/ recycle, and suggestions about resources for the disposal of hazardous materials. There is also a built in score sheet at the end of each chapter to help you track your progress. So, would I purchase the book? I would probably buy the paperback version if it was on sale.

The Aftermath

• so, like I said I ran in an 8k on Saturday
• ... I am not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing
• prior to running, I was going to the gym constantly, eating somewhat healthy, and just being more active in general
• since Saturday?
• I have reverted back to my old self
• I enjoy sleeping
• I eat constantly
• ... and horribly
• for example, I have been practically binging on dunking Oreo's in peanut butter
• I have not been to the gym since last Thursday
• I can feel myself turning into a blob
• it's not pretty

Shamrock 8k

• on Saturday morning I ran in the Shamrock 8k
• I completed the race in 57 minutes
• to some people running 4.97  miles is not a big deal; I however hate running, and by 'hate' I mean 'really really hate'
• ... additionally I can't stand cold weather, and it was freezing Saturday morning
• while I am at it, I am not a fan of being up really early ( i.e. 5:00am) on a Saturday
• I really don't know what I was thinking by signing up for this torture
• however, I really enjoyed it ... the whole experience.
• the running world is the subculture that I did not know existed until this weekend
• seriously, who really enjoys running? - NOT ME
• when I went to pick up my race packet on Friday I felt like a fish out of water
• it seemed like everyone there was in really good shape and knew exactly where to go, not to mention my mom (who I dragged there with me because apparently I'm like a 7 year old) kept saying things like, "wow, there's no fat people here; look like you know what's going on; are all of these people going to be in the race?"
• ugh
• after surviving that, I arrived bright and early for the race Saturday morning with my mom and brother ... who were kind enough to come and support me
• we were able to cruise right into the closest parking garage and get me to the starting area in time
• and then I ran 4.97 miles, and it ended up not being the Bataan Death March that I had built it up to be in my head
• I collected my medal, goody bag, and a bottle of water, and we were on the way home by around 10:15a.m. 
• the whole thing was really overwhelming for me ... I was definitely out of my comfort zone, and when I finished running, I really felt a great sense of accomplishment

New Challenges

• today I purchased:

• I have enjoyed Sudoku puzzles since before they were cool
• but I have gotten out of the habit of doing the puzzles
• thus, after sifting through the puzzle books at the bookstore today, and comparing such factors as: price v. amount of puzzles; variations of difficulty of puzzles; and cover art; I decided to get Boss Lady Sudoku
• I have had puzzle books before, but I have never completed one cover to cover ... I usually bounce around, get stuck on puzzles --- start a new one, get bored with book, lose book ... whatever
• I want this one to be different ... I want to conquer all 124 puzzles
• and I want to complete the book as quickly as possible
  
• ... let the number filling in begin :)

No List Friday

The only situation where I'm better with numbers, as opposed to words:

Crossword v. Sudoku.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

• Happy St. Patrick's Day to All; here is what I'm thinking:
• bands such as Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphy's and Carbon Leaf are way more cooler today than the other 364 days of the year
• ... the same goes for drinking Guinness, Killian's Irish Red, and downing Irish Carbombs
• all of a sudden everyone you talk to has some Irish in their family
• come Wednesday ... I'm sure a large number of people's Facebook profile pictures will be a shot of their 'crazy drunken shenanigans' from Tuesday
• white people like St. Patrick's Day
• don't get me wrong, I wear green, but I observed on the metro Saturday (on their way to Shamrock Fest) the people with the most over the top outfits were either chubby drunk/ obnoxious frat boys ... or overweight girls. Is there a connection between obesity and compensating by wearing horrible green outfits and headpieces? ... sounds like a dissertation topic to me.

How I spent Saturday

• I tagged along with my mom to DC on Friday because she had to go there for a conference
• the plan was to drive up with her Friday and then catch the train home on Saturday
• I decided to not get in contact with anyone I knew in the area, and spend Saturday completely alone (... my mom did not understand this at all)
•  I think there is a fine line between being able to enjoy a day on your own, and being too comfortable being alone ... that is, turning into a feral person of sorts
• anyway, how did I spend my day?
• in the morning, I went with my mom to the Convention Center to help her finish setting up her display
• then we had time for coffee/ tea before parting ways
• I headed back to the Madison to pack up my things for the day, relax for a little while, and complete a Sudoku puzzle
• after leaving the hotel I was going to walk, but was deterred by the drizzle and cold air, so I caught the metro to Union Station in order to go to the National Postal Museum
• I loved the postal museum
• ... I think it is one of the more humble Smithsonian museums, mainly because it is smaller and since it is not on the mall
• from there, since I still had some time to kill, I decided to run over to the mall to see the newly re-opened American History Museum
• I thought I had an idea about what I was getting myself into ... being that it was a rainy Saturday afternoon
• but seriously?
• once getting into the actual building I realized that there were lines (ridiculously long lines) on each floor for each wing
• I couldn't get over it ... families being herded like cattle in order to see the dresses of the First Ladies
• It was interesting to see. But at the same time, that must be such a horrible museum experience; being forced to march single file through a museum like ants carrying bread crumbs to the queen.
• Yuck. Gag me.
• so I bolted out of there ... by that time I just decided to head back to Union Station to eat and wait for my train
• aside from a delay there were no huge mishaps getting back to good ol' Newport News
• overall it was a good day

Money Confessions

• Lately, I have signed up the 'free trial issue' of a magazine with the hopes that they will continue sending me the magazine while 'suggesting' that I purchase a subscription ... so far it have proved successful with Paste and unsuccessful with Real Simple :\
• one of the main reasons I get tea at coffee shops is because it is so much cheaper than anything else there
• I have a money jar
• I register $1 bills at Where's George?
• I aspire to win the lottery
• I hide money from myself (mainly in random places of of my purse or tote bag) and then get excited when I rediscover it

7-11 Revolution

The other day, CollegeGrad referenced 7-11 in his post. From there, I wandered over to the Fun Facts section of the 7-11 website.  

The 'industry firsts' section is the part I found most interesting. 7-11 was the first convenience store to:

• operate 24 hours a day
• sell fresh brewed coffee in to-go cups
• have a self serve soda fountain
• offer super sized fountain drinks
• advertise on t.v. (in 1949!)
• offer all major soft drink brands at the fountain
• sell pre-paid phone cards

... and say what you want, nothing beats a 7-11 hot dog ... and Coke is the best flavored Slurpee.

No List Friday

Lessons learned at Lindsay's birthday party

• riding the Pedicab totally beats walking
• letting the guy who is collecting covers at the bar know that it's your birthday may lead to free admission
• the kids I know in NoVA are rather cool, and I should stay in touch better
• Lindsay has secret magician skills that I was unaware of until Saturday night
• I have missed Noodles & Co. oh so much
• apparently you have not drank beer until you've drank beer from a Sam Adams glass
• the Sesame Street song, 12345...  has been stuck in my head for the past week
• the author of the Twilight series is Mormon
• the prices at Chipotle have increased
• DC cabbies are still the sketchiest people ever
• Lola is probably the coolest dog I have ever met

March, oh March

• where the heck is the month going?
• I keep thinking that it is the beginning of the month ... but then reality keeps slapping me in the face
• ... anyway, it's time for me to get back on track with the List ... and March, before it is too late
• while March is not one of my favorite months, I do not despise it either
• it's a nice segway from winter to spring
• anything to lose the horrid cold weather
• and it stays light outside longer
• What's something that could have made March better?
• - if Mason would have beat VCU in the CAA final last night

I'll admit it Wednesday

• As far as television goes, Wednesday is probably my favorite day of the week:
• I start of with Jeopardy ... I know, it's not exclusive to Wednesday, but it's a good warm-up
• +
• American Idol ... results show!
• +
• Top Chef ... reunion!
• +
• ok, and lastly prepare to cringe ... the Real World
• =
• a good night

Leaves of 3

3 Concerts I am going to this spring:

• Carbon Leaf
• Bruce Springsteen
• Dave Matthews

3 Favorite seasons:

• Spring
• Summer
• Fall

3 Favorite numbers:

• 1
• 8
• 11

3 Things I Like:

• money
• music
• books

3 Things I do not like:

• bills
• work
• hangovers

3 Most played songs on my iPod:

• The Best of What's Around - DMB
• Darling Be Home Soon - Lovin' Spoonful
• Risen - OAR