The past two days I spent at the UWM School of Continuing Education in a class that promised to teach you "how to deal with difficult people, including yourself." It was an Emotional Intelligence course and after 18 years of school, 4 years of college and a handful of continued education courses this was probably the best I've participated in, if not, then definitely top 3.
The basis of the instruction was around personality types and why we do what we do. How past experiences and personal values impact not only what we do, but more importantly why we think others do / say what they do. I spent 90% of the class going, "Gah! No wonder!" or "OF COURSE! Why didn't I think of that?!" The other 10% was "Really?! I do that?!" Regardless of what I was thinking 100% of the time I was engaged, intrigued and really learning about my interactions with other people. The instructor works as a business / professional coach and is insanely knowledgeable on the topic. She could quote research and statistics like most people say, "today is Thursday." She was beyond comfortable with the information and made it very easy to tell it to the class like a story. It was one of the best instructions I've seen in a class setting ever. Quite flawless execution throughout the entire course.
In my opinion, best case scenario when in an educational setting, is to walk away feeling as though you have been empowered through knowledge you weren't previously aware of. I am having that feeling ten fold after this class. I spent 20 minutes last night recapping what I learned (I even busted out my binder) to my parents...at Hooters. I couldn't wait to share what I learned and even better, how I was going to use it.
Furthermore, this class is totally all encompassing. I can use the lessons I learned equally in my personal life and in my career. There are relationships in every single aspect of life and the instruction in this class applies to them all. I may be still high on the learning, but I strongly believe my present interactions and those yet to be had will be far improved from what I've gathered in the last two days.
Having an overwhelming sense of clarity and after two days of a-ha moments, am eagerly looking forward to putting it all into practice. If you're in the area and are looking for a class to take, I would highly recommend this one. If not, find something to take about Emotional Intelligence by you! She's teaching a deeper dive of the course later this spring, unfortunately it's the same day as my Blogging Bootcamp so I won't be able to make it. I was quite devastated by this when I found out. But if you're interested and have participated in an Emotional Intelligence program before, you can find out more about the class here.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Everything likes company.
We all know the phrase, "misery loves company." And it's incredibly true. But I really think anyone and everything likes company. I'm not in misery right now. Sure, I'm sad a little bit. And sometimes I wish things were different...but I'm hardly miserable. I sure do love company though!
Sometimes when things we don't want to happen do, we feel like everyone else has what we want. (Honestly, if I saw one more couple at the gym yesterday kissing, I was going to start throwing things.) I don't want to be single. I don't like being single. Of course there's times where it has it's perks. I got to eat mac & cheese with cutup hotdogs for dinner while watching a chick flick in bed and no one was there to judge or complain. But for the most part, I prefer to have someone to share life with. I've got tons of great people in my life and I love every single one of them to pieces. When I'm fortunate enough to get time with them, I soak up every minute. But currently, all those people being loved to pieces? Have someone to go to home to that they love to pieces. I understand with the lack of college and the addition of years, it's only natural that people are becoming more inclined to pairing off. I don't blame them for one single second. However, just because I don't blame, doesn't mean I don't become extremely jealous. I'm not perfect people!
Sometimes it's just nice to know you're not alone in all this crazy. Especially when some of the other people you know who are going through the same thing are AWESOME. People you consider yourself so damn lucky for knowing. People who rock so hard it's impossible to see how someone hasn't snatched them up. And then I think to myself, no one awesome enough has come along for them yet. You have to wait for that kind of incredible. And maybe just maybe, that's what's happening to me.
When life is throwing lemons at you (I don't believe life has ever politely handed me lemons...it's usually hurling them in my direction...and damn, life has some pretty good aim sometimes), it's nice to know someone else is out there dodging citrus as well.
Sometimes when things we don't want to happen do, we feel like everyone else has what we want. (Honestly, if I saw one more couple at the gym yesterday kissing, I was going to start throwing things.) I don't want to be single. I don't like being single. Of course there's times where it has it's perks. I got to eat mac & cheese with cutup hotdogs for dinner while watching a chick flick in bed and no one was there to judge or complain. But for the most part, I prefer to have someone to share life with. I've got tons of great people in my life and I love every single one of them to pieces. When I'm fortunate enough to get time with them, I soak up every minute. But currently, all those people being loved to pieces? Have someone to go to home to that they love to pieces. I understand with the lack of college and the addition of years, it's only natural that people are becoming more inclined to pairing off. I don't blame them for one single second. However, just because I don't blame, doesn't mean I don't become extremely jealous. I'm not perfect people!
Sometimes it's just nice to know you're not alone in all this crazy. Especially when some of the other people you know who are going through the same thing are AWESOME. People you consider yourself so damn lucky for knowing. People who rock so hard it's impossible to see how someone hasn't snatched them up. And then I think to myself, no one awesome enough has come along for them yet. You have to wait for that kind of incredible. And maybe just maybe, that's what's happening to me.
When life is throwing lemons at you (I don't believe life has ever politely handed me lemons...it's usually hurling them in my direction...and damn, life has some pretty good aim sometimes), it's nice to know someone else is out there dodging citrus as well.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Lady Bieber
I will be the first to admit that while I'm proud of the eclectic nature of my music taste, this can be both a positive and a negative quality. There are very few types of music I just absolutely can't handle. Actually, just one. Screaming. That's not pleasurable to hear and I don't think you need talent to scream. My nephew does it all the time when he's pretending to be a monkey, and quite frankly he's also considerably cuter when he does it.
This is a marketable quality because I listen to just about ANYTHING anyone else does. I can go from CSNY to Tupac, Mumford & Sons to Cee Lo. Seriously, it's across the board. Big names, small bands. Old and new. However, because I open my ears to so many varying artists and songs, the occasional "bad" song sneaks on it. Okay, maybe it's not all that occasional. Fine, I have an inappropriate number of CD's with R. Kelly's "Gotham City" * on it. Happy?
I like a lot of what many would consider bad music. It mostly falls into the top 40 category, or bad 90's pop. There are many one hit wonders that I thoroughly enjoy. And the unfortunate part for those around me who have a distaste for these "bad" songs is that once a song makes my favorite list, I rarely get sick of them. There are some songs I have listened to easily 100 times and I would listen to it 3 times in a row right now (Hint: Gotham City is SO one of those songs).
Maybe it's all the all over the place stuff happening in life right now, maybe I'm seeking some extra empowerment. Whatever it is, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber may or may not have seeped into this category. (I can't believe I just said that). They have not yet hit "favorited" status yet. I think eventually I will tire of them (in fact, I kind of already am). But in the mean time, I am so Never Saying Never and have no intentions of apologizing because I was clearly Born this Way.
Really where else is there to go with this post. I've admitted to liking Justin Bieber. Color me 16 and haul me away.
*That song is from one of my FAVORITE Batman movies of all time and I recorded the song on TAPES from the RADIO every time it came on so I could have a copy of it. I have the music video still on VHS at my parents house. Pre-pee on girls R.Kelly was so awesome. He just wanted Gotham to be a city of justice.
This is a marketable quality because I listen to just about ANYTHING anyone else does. I can go from CSNY to Tupac, Mumford & Sons to Cee Lo. Seriously, it's across the board. Big names, small bands. Old and new. However, because I open my ears to so many varying artists and songs, the occasional "bad" song sneaks on it. Okay, maybe it's not all that occasional. Fine, I have an inappropriate number of CD's with R. Kelly's "Gotham City" * on it. Happy?
I like a lot of what many would consider bad music. It mostly falls into the top 40 category, or bad 90's pop. There are many one hit wonders that I thoroughly enjoy. And the unfortunate part for those around me who have a distaste for these "bad" songs is that once a song makes my favorite list, I rarely get sick of them. There are some songs I have listened to easily 100 times and I would listen to it 3 times in a row right now (Hint: Gotham City is SO one of those songs).
Maybe it's all the all over the place stuff happening in life right now, maybe I'm seeking some extra empowerment. Whatever it is, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber may or may not have seeped into this category. (I can't believe I just said that). They have not yet hit "favorited" status yet. I think eventually I will tire of them (in fact, I kind of already am). But in the mean time, I am so Never Saying Never and have no intentions of apologizing because I was clearly Born this Way.
Really where else is there to go with this post. I've admitted to liking Justin Bieber. Color me 16 and haul me away.
*That song is from one of my FAVORITE Batman movies of all time and I recorded the song on TAPES from the RADIO every time it came on so I could have a copy of it. I have the music video still on VHS at my parents house. Pre-pee on girls R.Kelly was so awesome. He just wanted Gotham to be a city of justice.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Happy Birthday Furkid #2!
In the midst of the possible poisoning a couple weeks ago, I completely forgot to post that my #2 furkid celebrated her first birthday! (She did so by potentially overdosing, having her stomach pumped and a healthy dose of charcoal for the day...just like any party girl would do!)
For a while when I was a kid I really wanted a kitten. There's a classic family story about the time Angie got her wisdom teeth pulled, got all hopped up on Vicodin and then crawled from bed to the newspaper bin circling the kittens she wanted...and sobbed the whole time. But truthfully I've always just been a dog person. I grew up always having a family dog. I knew dogs and was comfortable with them. Cats are kind of slinky and sneaky. They're like little furry ninjas and that kind of worried me. I mean Bella comes in like a bull in a china shop 24 / 7. You NEVER wonder where Bella is. I can literally hear here downstairs when I'm up in my bedroom. It is impossible for her to sneak up on anyone / anything.
Enter Gracie.
So it was a whole new world for me having a kitten. First of all, I still (a year later) cannot get over how easy the damn things are to "housebreak." Seriously. She just knew where to go. FROM DAY ONE. So +500 cool points for kittens. Also, because I've only ever known dogs and have one to provide and example of animal behavior in my house, she's kind of turned out like a dog. She doesn't have that usual cat "stick up their ass" attitude like she's better than humans. She likes being around people. She's snuggly and she'll come when she's called. She is however, a ninja. Seriously. She sneaks and slinks like nothing I've ever seen. It often perplexes Bella...and me (if I'm being entirely honest).
She's pretty f'n awesome. And she often picks fights with Bella despite being less than half her size. And almost always wins. She's feisty but loving. Sweet but sassy. She fits in quite well with the other females in the house.
And, last weekend, she turned one! I can't believe I've already had her for this long. She fit right in from day one and I'm so happy to have a #2 furkid.
For a while when I was a kid I really wanted a kitten. There's a classic family story about the time Angie got her wisdom teeth pulled, got all hopped up on Vicodin and then crawled from bed to the newspaper bin circling the kittens she wanted...and sobbed the whole time. But truthfully I've always just been a dog person. I grew up always having a family dog. I knew dogs and was comfortable with them. Cats are kind of slinky and sneaky. They're like little furry ninjas and that kind of worried me. I mean Bella comes in like a bull in a china shop 24 / 7. You NEVER wonder where Bella is. I can literally hear here downstairs when I'm up in my bedroom. It is impossible for her to sneak up on anyone / anything.
Enter Gracie.
So it was a whole new world for me having a kitten. First of all, I still (a year later) cannot get over how easy the damn things are to "housebreak." Seriously. She just knew where to go. FROM DAY ONE. So +500 cool points for kittens. Also, because I've only ever known dogs and have one to provide and example of animal behavior in my house, she's kind of turned out like a dog. She doesn't have that usual cat "stick up their ass" attitude like she's better than humans. She likes being around people. She's snuggly and she'll come when she's called. She is however, a ninja. Seriously. She sneaks and slinks like nothing I've ever seen. It often perplexes Bella...and me (if I'm being entirely honest).
She's pretty f'n awesome. And she often picks fights with Bella despite being less than half her size. And almost always wins. She's feisty but loving. Sweet but sassy. She fits in quite well with the other females in the house.
And, last weekend, she turned one! I can't believe I've already had her for this long. She fit right in from day one and I'm so happy to have a #2 furkid.
Happy First Birthday Gracie B!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
These are a few of my favorite things..for now.
I genuinely hate that song, almost enough that just having it as the title of this post was too much. But it was fitting, so I left it. But let's make it clear, that is NOT one of my favorite things. Gross. Hate.
Anyways, I've discovered a few new things that have quickly earned *favorite* status around these parts and figured it would just be selfish not to share. Though, I'm very aware that there's a good chance these favorites will be something you don't want / need/ like / etc. Either way, I'm sharing. So there's that.
Here goes....
Guinness. Wow I spent a LOT of time thinking Guinness was this disgusting beer. I remember once hearing someone say you could eat it with a spoon (FYI: this person is incorrect). I thought it was the heaviest, nastiest, thickest most disgusting excuse for a beer ever. Then I did something crazy. I actually tried it for myself. Lo and behold, this shit is sweet nectar of the Irish God. Honestly - it's the only alcoholic drink I'm craving and I have a fridge stocked (thanks mom!) I love it. I can't wait to have one soon (t-1 hour for anyone wondering).
My Adele station on Pandora. Without even knowing I needed one, Pandora has created a perfect "I'm post-break-up, mid-figuring out where my life is, need steady mix of girl power and sad breakup songs" playlist for me. I've got a note card by my keyboard where I've been writing down the gems as they play from this station. And, to give a taste, if you have not heard Adele's version of "To Make You Feel My Love," find it. Do whatever you need to do to listen to that song. And then pretend like you didn't get all teary eyed as you listened to it!
I'm Bringing Blogging Back. Ok, so I don't think it's a big secret to anyone but I LOVE Teen Mom. And I'm just as big a fan of Teen Mom 2. I have no idea what it is about pregnant teenagers / teenage moms but I am so hooked. Like honestly (because it's just you and me here), it's probably the show I get most excited for each week. It's sick, I know. It's wrong and trashy and does NOTHING to stimulate my brain. But I love it so. So you can imagine what kind of explosion happened in my brain when I discovered there was someone blogging HILARIOUS recaps of my favorite show(s). (Ok, if I'm being REALLY honest, I also enjoy Jersey Shore. Seriously. I even tried to "quit it" during season 2 and then I found it on demand one day while I was on the treadmill and ended up on walking for an hour and a half because I wanted to see more...it's a sickness people!) It's also a little contest I have with myself to see if, on Wednesday morning, I can read his re-cap without laughing out loud to the point of distraction at work. It's gotten pretty close sometimes.
Total Bodyworks Class. I am quite certain most gyms have a class similar to this. It's a weight lifting class that has music, and we all do the same exercise with free weights. It's basically like working out in a group with a personal trainer. And while I spend the majority of class cursing like a sailor under my breath, and the rest of the week cursing like a sailor in between grunts as I can hardly move my legs, I really do like it! I like feeling sore...makes me feel like I did something! Plus, according to my HRM I am burning between 600-700 calories a class...can't hate that!
So anyways, I figured we were all bored of my, "blah blah this is my reality..." business and we needed a break. These are things that are also a part of my reality. And these parts of "my reality?" They kick some serious ass.
Anyways, I've discovered a few new things that have quickly earned *favorite* status around these parts and figured it would just be selfish not to share. Though, I'm very aware that there's a good chance these favorites will be something you don't want / need/ like / etc. Either way, I'm sharing. So there's that.
Here goes....
Guinness. Wow I spent a LOT of time thinking Guinness was this disgusting beer. I remember once hearing someone say you could eat it with a spoon (FYI: this person is incorrect). I thought it was the heaviest, nastiest, thickest most disgusting excuse for a beer ever. Then I did something crazy. I actually tried it for myself. Lo and behold, this shit is sweet nectar of the Irish God. Honestly - it's the only alcoholic drink I'm craving and I have a fridge stocked (thanks mom!) I love it. I can't wait to have one soon (t-1 hour for anyone wondering).
My Adele station on Pandora. Without even knowing I needed one, Pandora has created a perfect "I'm post-break-up, mid-figuring out where my life is, need steady mix of girl power and sad breakup songs" playlist for me. I've got a note card by my keyboard where I've been writing down the gems as they play from this station. And, to give a taste, if you have not heard Adele's version of "To Make You Feel My Love," find it. Do whatever you need to do to listen to that song. And then pretend like you didn't get all teary eyed as you listened to it!
I'm Bringing Blogging Back. Ok, so I don't think it's a big secret to anyone but I LOVE Teen Mom. And I'm just as big a fan of Teen Mom 2. I have no idea what it is about pregnant teenagers / teenage moms but I am so hooked. Like honestly (because it's just you and me here), it's probably the show I get most excited for each week. It's sick, I know. It's wrong and trashy and does NOTHING to stimulate my brain. But I love it so. So you can imagine what kind of explosion happened in my brain when I discovered there was someone blogging HILARIOUS recaps of my favorite show(s). (Ok, if I'm being REALLY honest, I also enjoy Jersey Shore. Seriously. I even tried to "quit it" during season 2 and then I found it on demand one day while I was on the treadmill and ended up on walking for an hour and a half because I wanted to see more...it's a sickness people!) It's also a little contest I have with myself to see if, on Wednesday morning, I can read his re-cap without laughing out loud to the point of distraction at work. It's gotten pretty close sometimes.
Total Bodyworks Class. I am quite certain most gyms have a class similar to this. It's a weight lifting class that has music, and we all do the same exercise with free weights. It's basically like working out in a group with a personal trainer. And while I spend the majority of class cursing like a sailor under my breath, and the rest of the week cursing like a sailor in between grunts as I can hardly move my legs, I really do like it! I like feeling sore...makes me feel like I did something! Plus, according to my HRM I am burning between 600-700 calories a class...can't hate that!
So anyways, I figured we were all bored of my, "blah blah this is my reality..." business and we needed a break. These are things that are also a part of my reality. And these parts of "my reality?" They kick some serious ass.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Bloom.
So, I was going back a few posts to try and hunt down one I knew I wrote recently. And I came across this. This post in which I chose one word to describe 2010. And that word? Stability. I went on to choose the word I wanted to symbolize 2011 and that word was growth. The whole point was that I felt my life had gained some stability and I wanted to seek growth out of the stability.
Well, as we all know things change. Or, as my Grandma so eloquently reminded me, shit happens. (She also always told us "Shit in one hand and wish in the other, see which one fills up faster." She had some good ones.) What I find intriguing is that, 2010 is still a year of stability. I still had a lot of aspects of my life "settle down" during that year. And, well, it's coming from a totally different place but 2011 will definitely be a year of growth. If I think about it logistically, it will be even more growth than I ever could have imagined coming out of my "stability" launching pad. Change makes us grow. It makes us flourish and alter our plans and emerge from the mess a better person.
I typically despise change and avoid it at all costs if possible. (Ask my dad sometime about the year he threatened to move us to Portland and I, subsequently, threatened to glue myself to the floor.) But truthfully, change is inevitable. And very often, change is good. Some of the best things that happen to us in life are because of change. It doesn't mean I have to like it when it's happening.
I remember my best friend (and roommate for a semester!) had a sign by her bed that said, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." I know that no matter how hard I fight change, no matter how much I plan to avoid it. God, the Universe, whatever higher power you believe in, has a plan for all of us. And we can make little adjustments. We can take alternate routes. But I truthfully believe the general direction is laid out for us. So when major changes happen, I have to improve at embracing the outcome. The change might hurt, but the result is generally worth it. It makes me who I am and you can't fight that.
Recently, my most favorite aesthetician in the world announced she was moving to California. After I pouted, stomped my feet, looked longingly at my brows (and made one final appointment!) she shared this quote with me:
Well, as we all know things change. Or, as my Grandma so eloquently reminded me, shit happens. (She also always told us "Shit in one hand and wish in the other, see which one fills up faster." She had some good ones.) What I find intriguing is that, 2010 is still a year of stability. I still had a lot of aspects of my life "settle down" during that year. And, well, it's coming from a totally different place but 2011 will definitely be a year of growth. If I think about it logistically, it will be even more growth than I ever could have imagined coming out of my "stability" launching pad. Change makes us grow. It makes us flourish and alter our plans and emerge from the mess a better person.
I typically despise change and avoid it at all costs if possible. (Ask my dad sometime about the year he threatened to move us to Portland and I, subsequently, threatened to glue myself to the floor.) But truthfully, change is inevitable. And very often, change is good. Some of the best things that happen to us in life are because of change. It doesn't mean I have to like it when it's happening.
I remember my best friend (and roommate for a semester!) had a sign by her bed that said, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." I know that no matter how hard I fight change, no matter how much I plan to avoid it. God, the Universe, whatever higher power you believe in, has a plan for all of us. And we can make little adjustments. We can take alternate routes. But I truthfully believe the general direction is laid out for us. So when major changes happen, I have to improve at embracing the outcome. The change might hurt, but the result is generally worth it. It makes me who I am and you can't fight that.
Recently, my most favorite aesthetician in the world announced she was moving to California. After I pouted, stomped my feet, looked longingly at my brows (and made one final appointment!) she shared this quote with me:
And I think it's awesome. Sometimes the risk of staying the same becomes more painful and life altering than choosing to bloom.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Power of blogging.
Sometimes I use this blog to document something that happened in my daily life. Something that probably affects zero of my readers, something that hardly affected me. I do it so that a year from now, 5 years from now, hell even 10 years from now, I can read back through my archives and be reminded of that one time we accidentally almost poisoned the cat.
Other times, I'm writing so that others will read it, and hopefully feel something when they do. Yesterday I read Annie's blog and it moved me. Not to write a comment but to send an e-mail from one heart broken girl to another over miles and miles in between. I don't know what happened to her and she doesn't know what happened to me. We didn't have to. This morning I woke up to a wonderful e-mail from Annie, a "stranger" who I have never met before, (though after reading her blog for years now, I feel like I know her). And as Annie said, eloquently as she often does, "even if we haven't met in person, a kind word is a kind word - and this message is life-giving to me." And her e-mail did the same for me. There are a lot of wonderful, amazing people in my life who have given me so very much support in tough times over the last 27 years. I could never be where I am or who I am without those people. But there is something to be said knowing a person miles and states away has been touched by your words, and being touched by theirs in return.
Makes the sadness seem a little bit shared. A little less of the burden on you. And makes this big ol' world feel just a tad bit smaller. That's what we're here for people, to offer a kind word, to comfort each other in tough times, and to wish the best for each other. Stranger or not.
Other times, I'm writing so that others will read it, and hopefully feel something when they do. Yesterday I read Annie's blog and it moved me. Not to write a comment but to send an e-mail from one heart broken girl to another over miles and miles in between. I don't know what happened to her and she doesn't know what happened to me. We didn't have to. This morning I woke up to a wonderful e-mail from Annie, a "stranger" who I have never met before, (though after reading her blog for years now, I feel like I know her). And as Annie said, eloquently as she often does, "even if we haven't met in person, a kind word is a kind word - and this message is life-giving to me." And her e-mail did the same for me. There are a lot of wonderful, amazing people in my life who have given me so very much support in tough times over the last 27 years. I could never be where I am or who I am without those people. But there is something to be said knowing a person miles and states away has been touched by your words, and being touched by theirs in return.
Makes the sadness seem a little bit shared. A little less of the burden on you. And makes this big ol' world feel just a tad bit smaller. That's what we're here for people, to offer a kind word, to comfort each other in tough times, and to wish the best for each other. Stranger or not.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Paint on the walls, poison on the floor.
All in all, I should start by saying this weekend ended up to be just fine. As it seems happens often with my family, we started with a normal, well laid out plan of events and made it just a little bit more exciting and entertaining than necessary.
The plan was simple: Mom & Dad were going to come over and help me paint my lower level. Easy enough, right? Dad's a fantastic painter with impeccable skills, has painted 70% of my house already with little to no problems. Well, as I have learned from Furkid #1, nothing is as easy as it sounds when you have precious little fur balls running around.
So, Saturday morning arrived and as planned, Dad would start moving things, taping things and cutting in things while Mom & I went to the Depot to get some paint. That part was rather uneventful. About the only uneventful part of the day. As we arrive home we notice there is something that looks like nothing we've ever seen before where the DVD case used to be. Small, bright green, circular balls of something. Dad mentioned Gracie took a liking to it, was playing with it, rolling in it and possibly eating it. (This is the exact moment Mom questions the safety of leaving the grandkid alone with him. To be fair, he thought it was cat nip.) I call the emergency vet, explain what I see and she says, "Yup, that's rat poison." Excusemewhatdidyoujustsay!?! So she tells me to call poison controls, I do, they say it sounds a lot like poison but usually it's not round, but that I definitely should bring her to the emergency animal hospital in case.
Bring her there. Fast forward about 4 hours of waiting. Because I've never put poison out, I have no idea what kind this is which means the doctor doesn't know what to treat her for. (Interesting fact, there are 3 different kinds of rodent poisoning affecting either the blood, kidneys or brain.) So they pumped her tiny little tummy, fed her some charcoal, took some blood and then made her wake up from her little hazy, drug induced vomit fit so she was awake and alert enough to take home. It was scary for a while when we didn't know if she ate any...and if she did, just how much?
She's okay. We're fairly certain she didn't actually ingest any, just played with it for a while. She did have to go back on Sunday to get more blood work drawn and has to go back tomorrow for the third and final time to make sure her blood shows everything functioning normally. We also believe a mouse transported poison from someone else's house / outside into mine, as I've never put poison out and have emptied the entire room since moving in.
The good news is, Dad felt so guilty about letting my kitten possibly eat poison that he rocked out the painting and the place looks awesome. So much lighter and brighter and more inviting.
We went from this:
To this:
Please ignore the lack of quality in the second photo. The first was from the Realtor before I moved in, the second was taken with my phone, but you get the idea.
All in all, the weekend was great. We have an entertaining story to tell, a gorgeous, updated room, a healthy kitty and the lesson to never leave something in my father's care alone.
(Just kidding Dad, I know you were alone with me that one time and I survived alright!)
The plan was simple: Mom & Dad were going to come over and help me paint my lower level. Easy enough, right? Dad's a fantastic painter with impeccable skills, has painted 70% of my house already with little to no problems. Well, as I have learned from Furkid #1, nothing is as easy as it sounds when you have precious little fur balls running around.
So, Saturday morning arrived and as planned, Dad would start moving things, taping things and cutting in things while Mom & I went to the Depot to get some paint. That part was rather uneventful. About the only uneventful part of the day. As we arrive home we notice there is something that looks like nothing we've ever seen before where the DVD case used to be. Small, bright green, circular balls of something. Dad mentioned Gracie took a liking to it, was playing with it, rolling in it and possibly eating it. (This is the exact moment Mom questions the safety of leaving the grandkid alone with him. To be fair, he thought it was cat nip.) I call the emergency vet, explain what I see and she says, "Yup, that's rat poison." Excusemewhatdidyoujustsay!?! So she tells me to call poison controls, I do, they say it sounds a lot like poison but usually it's not round, but that I definitely should bring her to the emergency animal hospital in case.
Bring her there. Fast forward about 4 hours of waiting. Because I've never put poison out, I have no idea what kind this is which means the doctor doesn't know what to treat her for. (Interesting fact, there are 3 different kinds of rodent poisoning affecting either the blood, kidneys or brain.) So they pumped her tiny little tummy, fed her some charcoal, took some blood and then made her wake up from her little hazy, drug induced vomit fit so she was awake and alert enough to take home. It was scary for a while when we didn't know if she ate any...and if she did, just how much?
She's okay. We're fairly certain she didn't actually ingest any, just played with it for a while. She did have to go back on Sunday to get more blood work drawn and has to go back tomorrow for the third and final time to make sure her blood shows everything functioning normally. We also believe a mouse transported poison from someone else's house / outside into mine, as I've never put poison out and have emptied the entire room since moving in.
The good news is, Dad felt so guilty about letting my kitten possibly eat poison that he rocked out the painting and the place looks awesome. So much lighter and brighter and more inviting.
We went from this:
To this:
Please ignore the lack of quality in the second photo. The first was from the Realtor before I moved in, the second was taken with my phone, but you get the idea.All in all, the weekend was great. We have an entertaining story to tell, a gorgeous, updated room, a healthy kitty and the lesson to never leave something in my father's care alone.
(Just kidding Dad, I know you were alone with me that one time and I survived alright!)
Just me & my HRM
So I've been wanting (and incessantly researching) a heart rate monitor for a while. And subsequently, talking a LOT about how much I want one, how awesome it would be to have one, how I'd work out ALL the time if only I had a HRM. For my b-day, I got one. I will disclose, I did a ton of research but remember very little of it. I'm a one woman HRM and the only one I see now is my little Polar FT7. Sorry, it's all I know.
*image from Polar
And can I just say...as someone who notoriously over estimates the ability for gadgets to inspire / motivate my ass to move...I was SO right. Seriously. And I intend to explain.
1) My HRM (I'm still working on a name) does not lie. For real. Sometimes when I'm on an elliptical or a treadmill at the gym, those little hand grabbers lie. I do not buy for a single second that my heart rate jumps from 93 to 192 in 3 seconds. Sorry, call me doubtful, I just don't buy it. My HRM attaches to my body at two separate points...CONSTANT CONTACT. It literally always knows what my heart is doing (seriously, sometimes even I don't know that!, but my HRM does).
2) There is no doubting the effectiveness. Some machines at the gym keep a calorie count. Most don't. When I'm doing Spin or weightlifting, there's no way besides the range people tell you. "You'll burn 400-600 calories in spin class". I'm sorry, are you aware we are talking about the difference between an additional beer here? Adding cheese on something? Allowing for a cookie possibly? I need exact measurements, none of this range bullshit. So when I leave the gym, I know EXACTLY how many calories I burned. And quite honestly, that leaves little room for doubting the effectiveness of my work out. The other day, in one hour of a weightlifting class, I burned 637 calories. No joke. So the next day when I'm all, "But really, the gym won't do anything!" My HRM monitor is like, "Sure, if burning off EVERYTHING YOU JUST ATE FOR LUNCH is nothing, then yes, it won't do anything."
3) I get to make Excel spreadsheets full of data and charts and see my progress. Who doesn't like that?! (Oh, wait, really? There's people who don't thrive on that? Huh...)
So basically, all my hopes and dreams were fulfilled by this little guy. And really, even some beyond that (I hadn't even considered the possibility of making charts when I got it). And it really has helped me get and keep my ass in the gym. It's become a little game to me, to see what burns the most and in the least amount of time.
*image from Polar
1) My HRM (I'm still working on a name) does not lie. For real. Sometimes when I'm on an elliptical or a treadmill at the gym, those little hand grabbers lie. I do not buy for a single second that my heart rate jumps from 93 to 192 in 3 seconds. Sorry, call me doubtful, I just don't buy it. My HRM attaches to my body at two separate points...CONSTANT CONTACT. It literally always knows what my heart is doing (seriously, sometimes even I don't know that!, but my HRM does).
2) There is no doubting the effectiveness. Some machines at the gym keep a calorie count. Most don't. When I'm doing Spin or weightlifting, there's no way besides the range people tell you. "You'll burn 400-600 calories in spin class". I'm sorry, are you aware we are talking about the difference between an additional beer here? Adding cheese on something? Allowing for a cookie possibly? I need exact measurements, none of this range bullshit. So when I leave the gym, I know EXACTLY how many calories I burned. And quite honestly, that leaves little room for doubting the effectiveness of my work out. The other day, in one hour of a weightlifting class, I burned 637 calories. No joke. So the next day when I'm all, "But really, the gym won't do anything!" My HRM monitor is like, "Sure, if burning off EVERYTHING YOU JUST ATE FOR LUNCH is nothing, then yes, it won't do anything."
3) I get to make Excel spreadsheets full of data and charts and see my progress. Who doesn't like that?! (Oh, wait, really? There's people who don't thrive on that? Huh...)
So basically, all my hopes and dreams were fulfilled by this little guy. And really, even some beyond that (I hadn't even considered the possibility of making charts when I got it). And it really has helped me get and keep my ass in the gym. It's become a little game to me, to see what burns the most and in the least amount of time.
Friday, March 4, 2011
This is my reality.
I've been terrible at posting lately. Mostly because my personal life decided to do a 180 and I've spent the last couple weeks figuring out what that means. I didn't want to get into it on my blog. Or did I? Should I just quietly disappear from the blog? Or should I use this for exactly the purpose I created it for. To document life. And unfortunately, it's not always documentation you want...but that's life, right?
So anyways. Last week, my motto was to just not give a fuck. It's blunt, it's crass, it's what I felt last week. I survived almost entirely off of wine, beer, macaroni and cheese, and as little time out of my bed as humanly possible.
This week I decided I needed a new approach. I needed to go the entire week without alcohol, eat well, get lots of exercise and rest, and take care of my mind and body. And I did. And out of that, the new motto, "This is my reality" was born.
So what is my reality? My reality is that 3 weeks ago, I was as close to engaged as you can be without a ring. I had the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I had visions of our big day, kids, a house in Tosa with a cute picket fence. I had looked at rings and reception sites. We were going to get married and I was going to continue on with my life plan of a wedding and babies to follow soon. I had finally found my best friend and boyfriend in one and I was ready to conquer the world with him.
My new reality is that he wasn't ready to conquer the world together. My new reality is that all those plans I had made and created are no longer applicable right now. My new reality is that I am 27 and newly single again. Not where I wanted to be, but whether good or bad? It's where I am. And no amount of beer, tears or cheese is going to change that.
So, I spent this week figuring out what my new reality looks like. And honestly, as different as it is from my previous reality? It's not all bad. It's just different. I live by myself again. Not bad, just different. I have more time to work out after work, that's a great thing. I watch whatever I want on TV when I'm done working out. I make whatever I want for dinner (even if it was mac & cheese three nights in a row). I spend half as much at the grocery store. That's not bad either. I have more time to spend with my amazing friends and wonderful family (who have literally been holding together the pieces when I couldn't). I have two wonderful little furkids at home who don't look at me like I'm crazy when I hold conversations with them (or at least have a great way of hiding it if they are!). I have TWO separate girls weekends planned in the upcoming months. I spent an hour meandering through Home Depot on a weeknight with my mom finding little things we can change around the house. This weekend I'll join forces with my parents to make those changes.
My reality is different, it's not what I wanted, it's not how I "pictured" things. But it is what it is (where have I heard that before?!). And I can try my hardest to fight the reality, but in the end, reality always wins. So I'm adjusting and continuing to roll with the punches. Day to day, bit by bit.
So anyways. Last week, my motto was to just not give a fuck. It's blunt, it's crass, it's what I felt last week. I survived almost entirely off of wine, beer, macaroni and cheese, and as little time out of my bed as humanly possible.
This week I decided I needed a new approach. I needed to go the entire week without alcohol, eat well, get lots of exercise and rest, and take care of my mind and body. And I did. And out of that, the new motto, "This is my reality" was born.
So what is my reality? My reality is that 3 weeks ago, I was as close to engaged as you can be without a ring. I had the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I had visions of our big day, kids, a house in Tosa with a cute picket fence. I had looked at rings and reception sites. We were going to get married and I was going to continue on with my life plan of a wedding and babies to follow soon. I had finally found my best friend and boyfriend in one and I was ready to conquer the world with him.
My new reality is that he wasn't ready to conquer the world together. My new reality is that all those plans I had made and created are no longer applicable right now. My new reality is that I am 27 and newly single again. Not where I wanted to be, but whether good or bad? It's where I am. And no amount of beer, tears or cheese is going to change that.
So, I spent this week figuring out what my new reality looks like. And honestly, as different as it is from my previous reality? It's not all bad. It's just different. I live by myself again. Not bad, just different. I have more time to work out after work, that's a great thing. I watch whatever I want on TV when I'm done working out. I make whatever I want for dinner (even if it was mac & cheese three nights in a row). I spend half as much at the grocery store. That's not bad either. I have more time to spend with my amazing friends and wonderful family (who have literally been holding together the pieces when I couldn't). I have two wonderful little furkids at home who don't look at me like I'm crazy when I hold conversations with them (or at least have a great way of hiding it if they are!). I have TWO separate girls weekends planned in the upcoming months. I spent an hour meandering through Home Depot on a weeknight with my mom finding little things we can change around the house. This weekend I'll join forces with my parents to make those changes.
My reality is different, it's not what I wanted, it's not how I "pictured" things. But it is what it is (where have I heard that before?!). And I can try my hardest to fight the reality, but in the end, reality always wins. So I'm adjusting and continuing to roll with the punches. Day to day, bit by bit.
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