Showing posts with label warm fuzzies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label warm fuzzies. Show all posts

February 10, 2010

but trust me on completing a triathlon.

in college i was part of
jmu club triathlon. 
i did it for the motivation
there were always people to work out with
great cycling classes
reserved pool times. 

unfortunately,
i didn't find the other members particularly friendly, 
but maybe i was too busy
with my own friends to notice. 

i was cleaning out some of the folders
on my mac
to free up some space
and found this document - 
triathlon advice
(based off the sunscreen song);
surprisingly fitting
for my
half marathon race
on feb 28! 

here it is:

Ladies and gentlemen of JMU Triathlon Club, if I could offer you only one tip for the future, completing a triathlon would be it. The benefits of this sport have been proven. The rest of my advice is nothing more than my own meandering experience which I will now impart.
Beware of train tracks, especially those on Route 11. But it is acceptable if you do not. Chicks dig scars. Go to meetings. Enjoy road trips. It is the best way to get to know your teammates since they have nowhere to hide and they can not escape. Secure bike racks.

Your sleep and meals two days/nights before the race are the most important. Expect to toss and turn the night before the race. Name your bike. Stay away from high fiber, greasy, caffeinated, or different foods from your normal diet that may cause stomach problems. Unless, of course, you want to spend the race in a port-a-potty.

 Carbo load. Eat bread. Garlic bread. What your body does not need, you will get rid of race morning. Don’t forget to have your run number on when you cross the finish line.

Give positive comments to others during your race. Cheer for people before and after you race. Thank volunteers. Make lots of noise. Remember, the crazier the better. Do not be surprised if you pass buff studs. Do not be surprised if you get passed by a 50 year old.

Enjoy your body. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Use it every way you can- try three ways within an hour (swim, bike, run). And remember, you look hot in spandex.

Wear purple and gold. Use body glide. On your feet, in between your toes, inner thighs, behind armpits, between your butt. Anywhere to prevent chaffing. Fundraise.

Expect to be hit with propelling objects like arms and legs during the swim. Expect your legs to become Jello when transitioning from the bike to the run; feeling like you are moving backwards is normal. Expect the unexpected (like a flooded transition area).

 Drink water. Drink Gatorade. Eat Cliff Bars and Cliff Shots. But do not do anything differently race day if you have not done so in training.
Do not attempt to put on a tight jersey or shirt after the swim unless you want to give spectators a good laugh. Have an extra of everything.

Don’t forget to smile, have fun, and realize you are doing something few are ever able to dream of. Stay in sketchy hotels. Enjoy the post race food. Consuming twice the amount of calories you burned can be expected. Keep your old race bibs.

Do not shower for as long as possible. You will want to show everyone your body markings. If showering is a must, then I suggest getting some sun. This will cause your numbers to appear white on your red skin.

 Don’t agonize over times. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. After all, it’s the experience that counts.

But trust me on completing a triathlon.

January 07, 2010

less is more.

i have been loving reading everyone's resolutions lately!

i am pretty good with resolutions.
in 2008 i resoluted
resolved
to stop drinking soda
and start a blog
and be at peace with my life.
in 2009 i resolved to
take more pictures
learn to be a good pet owner
get outside more.
i did pretty well.

in 2010
i will resolve to:
(monetary guidelines in parentheses)

drink more water (free).
moisturize (about $10/month).
do more yoga (more than i anticipate).
spend less and save more (hopefully beaucoup $).
put v in dog therapy class (up to $100).
run a half marathon ($135 and cashing out my ff miles).
take more pictures ($0).
learn web design ($?).
see more live music (at least $150).
waste less (less $).


 one of my themes this year
with the exception of moisturizing & taking pictures & seeing music
(you get the point)
is a friend's mom's favorite quote:
less is more. 
(i always used to be a bratty child
and say
"no pat...
less is LESS than more."
now i know.)
so we shall see friends...
all help & encouragement is much appreciated.

December 08, 2009

wish i was a beatnik.

it's tuesday. on tuesdays, expenses are due for work. this requires me to clean out my purse at least once a month (i have to pay the bill somehow...) today i found a piece of paper i ripped out of skirt magazine in aiken, south carolina. i thought i'd share because i found it a particularly moving small shred of paper. 





Muse: Jack Kerouac's "Rules of Spontaneous Prose" cut out of Utne Magazine years ago and carried with me every time I've moved. Still hanging on my mood board. Find it, print it, post it where your mind's eye will catch it daily." 


jack keroauc's rules of spontaneous prose:


1. Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy
2. Submissive to everything, open, listening
3. Try never get drunk outside yr own house
4. Be in love with yr life
5. Something that you feel will find its own form
6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind
7. Blow as deep as you want to blow
8. Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind
9. The unspeakable visions of the individual
10. No time for poetry but exactly what is
11. Visionary tics shivering in the chest
12. In tranced fixation dreaming upon object before you
13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time
15. Telling the true story of the world in interior monolog
16. The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye
17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself
18. Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea
19. Accept loss forever
20. Believe in the holy contour of life
21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind
22. Dont think of words when you stop but to see picture better
23. Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning
24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge
25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it
26. Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form
27. In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness
28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better
29. You're a Genius all the time
30. Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven

November 29, 2009

get busy living.

Regina Brett's  45 lessons + 5 to grow on...
 

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.


September 09, 2009

09 . 09 . 09

"this is the first day of the rest of your life," said sharon, the most wonderful lady ever who sold me my babylock grace sewing machine this morning at all brands sew & vac in the west end(highly recommend this place). i'd been researching for a while (as you should to drop 1/2 a grand on a little machine). they were having an amazing sale, and the sewing machine came with unlimited instruction hours...

SO excited about starting my projects with these:
future outdoor cushions (thanks ewl!)

future bedroom curtains...

...and t-shirt blankets! ( :

the fabric i bought this weekend at u-fab in carytown, a fabric outlet that i mentioned a few days ago.

May 05, 2009

chicken fried.

i can't help it. i just love this song by the zac brown band:

you know I like my chicken fried (from maxie's supper club)
cold beer on a friday night (it can even be miller lite)
a pair of jeans that fit just right (and are breaking my pocketbook)
and the radio up (npr)

well i've seen the sunrise (before i got a big girl job)
see the love in my woman's eyes (in the mirror)
feel the touch of a precious child (whoa whoa whoa)
and know a mother's love (even if it's just for a little while...)

well I was raised up beneath the shade of a georgia pine (aka a virginia dogwood)
and that's home you know (sitting under daddy's desk)
sweet tea pecan pie and homemade wine (and crystal lite lemonade)
where the peaches grown (well, we had cherry tomatoes & cucumbers)
and my house it's not much to talk about (unless you count the domesticated squirrels)
but it's filled with love that's grown in southern ground (& lots of tchotchkes)

and its funny how it's the simple things in life that mean the most (like long dog walks)
not where you live or what you drive or the price tag on your clothes (although i really like this volvo i'm renting now)
there's no dollar sign on a piece of mind this i've come to know (i learned this from h)
so if you agree have a drink with me
raise your glasses for a toast (organic red wine, please)

i thank god for my life (amen)
and for the stars and stripes (& the beach at 4th of july)
may freedom forever fly, let it ring
salute the ones who died (you won't be forgotten)
the ones that give their lives (thank you)
so we don't have to sacrifice (i can't imagine)
all the things we love (...how much i take for granted)

like our chicken fried (with collard greens)
cold beer on a friday night (or thursday)
a pair of jeans that fit just right (the ones that don't stretch out)
and the radio up (windows down)
well i've seen the sunrise (on planet earth dvds)
see the love in my woman's eyes (in old photographs)
feel the touch of a precious child (melts my heart)
and know a mother's love (and miss it unimaginably...)

February 14, 2009

be jeal.


me & h with del mccoury band (l to r: del, h, me, alan(?), ron, and rob)

the show on friday night was amazing! then h woke me up on saturday morning at 8 am- he had shaved with a real razor (so smoooooth!), brought me purple roses, read me a 2-page+ rhyming poem he'd written, and gave me a beautiful necklace from dogeared with a message: let this necklace be a reminder to keep your circle positive and loving. when you act with your heart, love will surround you. thank you for making a difference!

that boy knows how to work it. he picked it out himself!

this is what h got for v-day:

a photo strip from kikkerland for his room, otherwise completely void of anything on the walls. filled with 17 absolutely precious pictures of me, h, & venus, of course!


tickets to see the heavens are hung in black. what else would a civil war-lover want for v-day? i am most excited about wearing my new dress & purple tights to the theattterrreee; assorted red candy from candy heaven: red pomegranate jelly bellys, jelly belly hearts, red sour patch kids, red gummy worms, and watermelon slices. i ate half of them before they made it home; and corny scratch off "lotto" tickets=classy. unfortunately they were super SUPER corny. as in: "champagne dinner" "your house" "next friday." ahhhhh!



happy valentine's day!


February 12, 2009

resurrection.

wow. so when you have the most amazing boyfriend and absolutely wonderful friends and a crazy busy job and an extraordinary puppy & 2 crazy kittens...

you completely forget that you used to have a blog.

sorry.

since october, life has been absolutely insane. here's a brief rundown:
  • first, we got the craziest kittens ever: miley & pepper. then they got spayed and now they are crazier.
  • i went to my first nfl game! it was cold & rainy, but i was with excellent company.
  • i spent all of november & december traveling for work. i did discover christmas tree shops. why are there none of them in virginia? they are wonderful. and i drove through new york city the friday before christmas in the snow. i don't recommend it. we did get to stay in a swanky hotel and i got to see "the tree."
  • i only had to call triple a two times. once i locked my keys out of my car blocking a driveway to an industrial facility. the other time i ran over a giant metal nail/plank inside a warehouse building. oops.
  • i spent a lot of quality time with my girls at home. i loved that.
  • the bf took me to luray for 4 days for my christmas present. it was just us & the dog & log of wilderness. i loved it. even though i think it was a scam to see civil war battlefields.
  • i spent all of january in the office. it was interesting. i helped plan a work dinner party in early february and started working on buisness development. i like my job. i just wish i could pick it up and put it in richmond.
  • i spent a lot of time being sick: the common cold, mysterious back pain requiring er visits, incorrect lab results from said er visit causing me many crying hours and lots of bloodwork. two good things: i realized my relationship w/ h is stronger than i ever imagined and i think i'm ready to donate blood (that is, if they'll take blood from an anemic).
  • and i survived the inauguration. ( :
alright. i promise i'll be better at writing again. maybe.

October 07, 2008

roomies.

roommates are god's gift to young women. roommates & dogs.

this weekend i moved from my tiny 1-bedroom apartment to a 3-story townhouse with my friend, n. quite a shock to have storage & my own laundry & multiple rooms & stairs & tvs & full size kitchen appliances! i forgot how much i missed living with girls. in college, i lived with 8-9 girls (depending on the semester) in a big plantation-style house complete with secret staircases, multi-colored rooms, creaky floors, and secret mysteries (the fuses were so old you couldn't even buy replacements at lowe's). realizing that we'd never all be best friends, we lived as pleasantly as possible for 9 twentysomething girls. it was pretty crazy.

i feel pretty lucky and very thankful that the world has brought n & and i together. we're from completely different backgrounds (she's half muslim, raised in a christian household; i'm jewish), have completely different careers, are at different points in our life. but we're both blunt, but respectful; organized, but down to earth. we both love to cook & garden & be outside. i'm pretty excited for this year.

it is one of life's simple pleasures to have amazing roommates. roommates who can read your mood, who you can make dinner with, and who always make the coffee when they wake up first. ( :

September 28, 2008

notice-ments.

i like flowers from you. i like that you know my favorites. most of all, i like that every time i see them, i think about you.

i like to hear all of my friends say that they adore you. i think that all of your friends are wonderful, too.

i like that you finish my abbrevs. and tell me that i should stop holding in my sneezes and to check my blind spots more often.

i like that you do what you want and don't care what other people think, even when that means being seen in public with someone completely dressed in grey.

i like that we volunteer together. and i like watching you & your 7-year-old friends.

i like that you steal my books and read them faster than me. and beat me at wordtwist (sometimes). and tell me stories about safaris in africa.

i like fall weekends & adventures with you & venus. i like that you manage my calendar.

i like that you make up funny nicknames. sugar socks may be my favorite.

i hope i'm still the most sniffly person you know.

September 23, 2008

these are a few of my favorite things:

i had a relaxing weekend. didn't do much (luckily h didn't mind), but it made me realize a few of my favorite things i should slow down to enjoy.
  1. breakfast in bed. french toast to be exact (made with secret ingredients, obvi). i can't remember the last time i had breakfast in bed... maybe when i was 8?
  2. lazy football sundays. nachos+doggie jerseys+cooley's amazing passes=a perfect sunday.
  3. relaxing and lunching with the girls. we had some super greasy burgers & fries and went to be crafty in carytown. it made my day.
  4. dogs. i love everything about them. i love that all they want to do is love on you. all the time. i love watching little kids interact with them & the way they play with each other. i even love getting pulled.
  5. the smell of laundry. i let my own laundry pile up, but i'm more than excited to do all yours. ( : climbing into warm, laundry-scented sheets on a cool evening is one of life's simple pleasures.
  6. baking. when things get stressful, i bake. if i could be a stay-at-home girlfriend and bake & cook all day, i'd be the happiest person alive! not only does it smell delightful (although i wouldn't go as far to bake just for the smell like my coworker, l), but people, mainly boys, loveeee them! tonight's pick: chocolate chip banana bread. the easiest ever--see recipe below.
  7. good beer with good friends. good friends are most important, good beer just makes it sweeter.
  8. anything flavored pumpkin. pumpkin ice cream from klines (i'll pay you beau coup dinero if you bring me some back), blue moon pumpkin beer, pecan pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin candy corn, you name it, i love it.
  9. this amazing weather. it thrills me to be able to sleep with the windows open and have to wear a sweater. i hope fall lasts forever.
  10. "the box." aka washington's green grocer. i'm excited i'll be home for a bit to get a csa (community-supported agriculture) box & enjoy it all week!
easiest banana bread recipe ever:

ingredients:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • some salt
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs (i used egg beaters)
  • about 2 cups mashed bananas
  • semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup?)
instructions:
  1. preheat oven to 350 degrees f. grease loaf pan with some canola oil spray.
  2. in a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
  3. in a separate bowl, cream butter & brown sugar. stir in eggs, vanilla, and bananas.
  4. stir in banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. fold in chocolate chips.
  5. pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
  6. bake in preheated oven about 1 hour (you know, when the toothpick comes out clean). let bread cool in pan for at least 10 minutes.
  7. enjoy.

September 18, 2008

pick-me-up.

m, don't hate, but starbucks isn't generally my favorite coffee shop (in favor of supporting local businesses). i do, however, enjoy reading their clever quotes on their to-go cups.


the way i see it #292:
the way we get to live forever is
through memories stored in the
hearts and souls of those whose
lives we touch. that’s our soul
print. it’s our comfort, our
emotional nourishment at the end
of the day and the end of a life.
how wonderful that they are called
up at will and savored randomly.
it seems to me we should spend our
lives in a conscious state of
creating these meaningful moments
that live on. memories matter.
-leeza gibbons (tv & radio personality)

September 17, 2008

daily reminders.


wow. robert guest's sampling of some of the thousands of letters he wrote to his two children, joanna & theo each day in their lunchbox is nearly tear jerking. i was at sister's apartment helping her & her artsy self research & brainstorm for an upcoming research project. her apartment, may i add, could be a college-age version of design*sponge, with homemade decorations that could easily pass for professional; quite the blooming artist. she had the current issue of esopus magazine (spring 2008) and i was flipping though. guest's advice is real and simple, yet profound. i hope i can have, much less impart, just a smidgen of his wisdom.
a few of my favourites:

thursday 11.14.96 joanna:
every day i try to say "i love you"
love is not easy (sometimes)
you love me even though i can make you mad (sometimes)
love isn't like the water faucet - you don't turn it on and off
love is constant, moves with our lives, changes as we change, never dies
dad
ps. you don't have to say "i love you" for me to know you do! (but it feels so good when you do!)

thursday 10.11.01 joanna:
today is the one month anniversary of the attack on the world trade towers. one month is not a very long time in the big scheme of things, but it still seems like it happened a million years ago. so much of our lives have changed in so many ways in such a short time. not just for us personally but for the whole country. it's a time to rebuild a time to examine ourselves - all of us - to see who we are - what do we do to make the world a better place? what do we do to spread love within our family, with our friends, with strangers we meet on the street, with people who feel and act differently than we feel or act? it would be a mistake to believe that we, as individuals, can do nothing to change the world. believe in the power of love! dad.

friday 12.19.03 joanna:
coffee tastes good in the morning. it smells like "morning" time. so does cooking bacon and toast and eggs. it all makes me think of breakfast. and breakfast makes me think of sitting here and writing morning notes like i've done for years now. i don't know how to tell you any more simply or directly of my love for you. i don't know how to dispell this feeling you have that mom and i somehow don't like the person you are becoming. if we talk about areas where we'd like to see you improve it doesn't mean we don't love you totally or that we don't recognize the many other areas in which you excel. it's our duty to try and help you. our love that makes us care. you are the joy of our lives! love, dad

thursday 10.17.02 theo:
open your mind theo. i know that we all see the world with our own eyes. our own unique eyes. from the time we are born our biggest challenge is to understand ourselves and to understand that other people are different from us - different not wrong. so learn from other people. ask questions and listen to the answers. listen, think, & learn. love, dad