i love me some throwback curtains

I mentioned yesterday that I purchased new pinch pleat curtains for the office and that they are magnificently wonderful. Here is a closeup of the fabulous pattern (I am fully aware that most of you will think this is atrocious):

The color isn't really showing true to form - I hope that the weather cooperates better soon so that I can get some better natural light in the office. The teal is close, but the background is really a lime color with a bit of a cold in the sheen. A better picture will follow. The flash on my moderately priced Canon is not painting a very good picture of my office as a whole today, so full shots will have to wait as well.

More to come.

bargain bandit

Yesterday, after painting the kitchen, I realized that I was in desperate need of kitchenware and felt the need for some retail therapy while on my "vacation." I was uber-successful in my shopping endeavors and found a ton of things that I was not even looking for. This is where the "pretend it's a dress" theory comes in. As I wasn't looking for a dress (or for many of the other items listed below), I was able to find the perfect one. Here is a list of things I purchased today - totaling less than $100:

• two, count them, TWO potential dresses for the wedding
• fabric matching the kitchen paint color (to be made into pillows or cushions for the adjoining living room)
• brocade pinch-pleat drapes for the office - the perfect score (posting pics tomorrow)
• a new shower curtain and liner
• two pairs of heels
• a cute denim jacket
• a yellow and orange, three-piece Pyrex mixing bowl set
• two microfiber pillow shams
• a matte white, faux bois pot

I believe there may have been a couple other little things thrown in the mix, but that's most of it. Yes, I was the bargain bandit. Can't believe what a steal the dresses were. I'll have to get pics after the man gets home so I can post them. Now I'm out for a night of merriment.

whew

I've been busy today. I painted the kitchen, got my hair cut, went to a grand opening party, and had drinks at a couple different establishments. Oh, and I watched the Burn Notice marathon on USA network. I must say that I have a bit of a crush on the leading man. It did serve as good background dialogue for my taping, prepping, painting project. I'd say that's a pretty busy day and I'm still a bit tipsy after my drinking excursions.

I'll post more about my projects tomorrow, when I plan to complete another of my June goals - getting my library card. Oh yes, I'm one exciting chica.

say huh? to the dress

I've been looking for a dress. I will be the witness for my best friend from high school's wedding. I've written about Pam before. It is a small civil ceremony including Pam, her betrothed, their parents, a judge, me and another witness. So, I suppose this role could be equated to maid of honor. This is a role I have never been put in before. Granted, the wedding is not very traditional, so the same rules do not apply, but I'm still feeling a bit o' the pressure.

Anyway, Pam has chosen a very nice J. Crew cotton dress to wear as her wedding gear. I'm now hunting for a cotton something-or-other dress that will be more casual than Pam's dress (which I have never physically seen with my own eyes). Preferably not too brightly colored, and preferably something reasonably priced that I will wear again. Yes, that is a lot of pressure, as dress shopping is a wretched, not fun event in my opinion.

Here are some reasons why dress shopping is not an acceptable form of entertainment and why I am very oft not successful in finding a dress:

• my torso appears to be the inappropriate length for dresses - don't know if this is too long or too short
• my boobs are not big enough to fill out dresses that require boobage to hold them up
• I don't like to try things on
• wearing appropriate undergarments for dress shopping is next to impossible
• I am in the in-between stage - not a junior, not an old lady, not a hooker - very difficult to find a dress that isn't tethered to one of those categories
• When I finally find something that I really like, then look at the price tag and realize I would have to get knocked up, deliver, then sell the baby to pay for the dress

Despite all of these factors working against me, I still need to have something appropriate to wear to the wedding/party. I just need to put on my big girl panties (as my friend Cheri would say) and rise to the challenge.

My friend Kristen has agreed to help me find said dress. She had a similar task when she stood up as her sister's maid of honor last month in Mexico. I'll be in Milwaukee, nowhere near as tropical, but less likely that I'll be getting murdered or come down with the next case of swine flu. Then again, it is Milwaukee, so I'd better limit it to "nowhere near as tropical," the other two are still possible.

I digress, the dress hunt commences next week Friday when I am taking another vacation day off from work. I am hoping that the dress finding adventure takes very little time so that we can also get a fast and friendly Culver's meal and maybe take in a movie as well. Of course I am also hoping that Pam blesses the dress and that I will not be mocked as the "what the fuck was she thinking wearing that to the wedding" attendee of the party. I'll post pics of said dress, when it has been procured, which will likely be accompanied by lovely tan lines, brought to you courtesy of Trish Taunts Skin Cancer.

goals for june 2009

Here's my list of short-term goals for June. Nothing too extraordinary, but it's one of my efforts toward making time for fun. Yes, I suck at spontaneity. Most of the things on this list will be "fun" for me. No, I'm not normal. Yes, I'm a dork. The man will be working out of town during the week for about eight weeks this summer - this should leave me with a good amount of time to accomplish the projects that I would like to do.

• get a library card
• read at least one new book
• finish my coffee table project
• prepare the guest bedroom for the "mother-in-law"
• paint the kitchen (not the cabinets, just the walls - yes, it is the same color as my office. the office was a trial run to see if I would like it in the kitchen)
  
• plant vegetables and finish my flower beds
• take all of my use-or-lose vacation time
• go to the farmer's market at least three times
• reorganize my paper files
• find/purchase a bridesmaid dress

goals update - is this the sixth month already?

Hello, long time no write. I've been quite busy as of late, and I need a bit of a kick in the ass to jumpstart my blog writing again. As you can see from the badge to the left, I'll be participating in NaBlogPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) again to try to get a post in each of the next 30 days.

Time to recap my goals for the year and to see how I've been doing:

Financial Goals:

• Only keep a balance on one credit card
  > this is going well, haven't had a balance on more than one card at all this year
• Lower credit card balance to at least $x by January 1, 2010
  > also going well - I'm on track to complete this goal and successfully pay off all credit card debt within the next 12 months
• Pay off Student Loan 1 by January 1, 2010
  > this loan will be paid off by October, 2009
• Contribute monthly to savings account to cover non-monthly budgetary expenses
  > I've been doing this, thankfully, as I had to use a good portion of it to pay for my laptop repairs
• Cut expenses
  > still going well, though there isn't much left to trim at this point. I have been waning a bit on my coupon usage, but I'm committed to picking that back up
• Raise income
  > I've taken on some side projects, but not a second job. There seems to be potential for an increase at work, but I'm not holding my breath. I need to seek out additional possibilities for this goal

Professional Goals:

• Continue taking advantage of all applicable training sessions
  > not many trainings offered lately, but I have attended all opportunities
• Build and maintain professional network
  > not much has been done to further build my network, but I have continued to maintain what I already have
• Apply myself to outperform in current role - be indispensable
  > this is going well, I suppose, as I have taken on additional responsibilities. I do, however, feel more confined than ever
• Complete thesis
  > now that my laptop is finally fixed, I should be able to make more headway. Any additional income will be put toward a higher-speed internet connection so that I can do more from home

Relationship Goals:

• Do not interrupt, over-share, or compare experiences
  > I remind myself of this goal on a daily basis, I hope that I've made progress in this area
• Be supportive, but also share caution when necessary
  > this also requires daily concentration, sometimes the man has some pretty out-there ideas that are hard to support though, but I've been doing my best to not gravitate toward the role of Devil's advocate all of the time
• Spend more time w/, or communicate more w/ family and friends
  > I think this has been successful. I just spent the Memorial Day weekend visiting my hometown and was able to see a lot of people while there. I've also been pretty good regarding my monthly correspondence
• Reach out to others more
  > not much has been done in terms of volunteer work, I have committed to donating blood on a six-week cycle though

Personal Goals:

• Keep a tidy house
  > not so hot on this one, I must admit that the more I am able to do toward reaching other goals leaves something to be desired in terms of household chores. The outdoor spaces (garden) is looking pretty good though
• Make time for fun, don't schedule life to the minute
  > I have done this, but it seems that I wait until I can't barely stand myself before it happens. I need to make a more conscious effort to get out there more
• Make physical and mental health a priority
  > I am happy to admit that I have stopped wearing the belt (most of the time). More on this to come later in the month
• Minimize stress
  > working out and eating better has helped this, all other factors are kicking this goal in the belly repeatedly though. in other words, this needs work
• Celebrate success
  > not a whole lot of success to celebrate, guess this needs more work too
• Don't be over-critical or take myself too seriously
  > I'd say this one is only so-so
• Live in the present - don't fret about those things outside of my control
  > my worry level is down, so that is a good thing
• Train myself to sustain myself
  > I've stopped using anything but reusable shopping bags and have continued trying to buy local. Cooking at home has suffered since I've started putting in a lot more hours at work - this needs to be revisited. I'll write more about growing vegetables and herbs later in the month

and by 'we,' you mean 'me,' right?

Things at work have been uber-hectic lately. I try to keep my blog posting as separate from my work life as possible, but lately it is all one big pile of work-related feces. I am stressed about work, take that stress home, carry it around on my back for the rest of the evening, then strap it back on when I'm off to work again. It is all-consuming. And I'm not the only one affected by the goings on.

My coworkers are also stressed; you can see it on their faces. I'm worried that we are all just one misstep away from devolving into crazed lunatics. We've absorbed the work of yet another person who has left the office. The details of how and why the person left are unimportant. What is important is that we are once again having to pick up the slack.

I'm an honest person, and I don't believe in letting things fester. I speak to management about my concerns and don't try to pretend everything is okay. Now for the rhetorical questions. How do you walk the line between giving constructive criticism and giving a person a rude wake-up call? How do you do this when the person is above you in the hierarchy? When do you say enough is enough and just cut your losses and get the hell out? When does responsibility, integrity, and loyalty become plain-old stupidity? These are the things that run through my brain multiple times per day and keep me up at night.

All I want to do is have a job I enjoy doing something that will make a positive difference in the lives of others. I would hope that that job would allow me to live comfortably and to have enough extra money to do something fun every once in a while. I fear that this is simply too much to ask right now. In a time when the economy and job market have gone down the toilet, money is tight, and things are not looking to improve anytime soon, how much should a person take and how much imbalance can you withstand before your home life suffers at the hands of your work life?

lost another friend this week

You may or may not have heard that Bea Arthur, best known as Dorothy of the Golden Girls has passed away after a fight against cancer. This comes in the same year that Estelle Getty also left us. I was going to write again about my feelings on the Golden Girls, as I did when Estelle Getty died, but I think you may have guessed that the sense of loss I feel for Bea Arthur strikes a similar chord. Even though I know that it was just a television show, I hope that Bea and Estelle are sharing a cheesecake up in heaven and that we can keep Rue and Betty here with us for a while longer.

I leave you with this little token of remembrance from two of the girls.

say hello to my little friend

This 24-oz. bottle is BPA-free stainless steel. And it is orange. And it is going to remind me to drink more water and less toxins. Toxins that spill into the water via their plastic containers. And, I'm going to be able to stop using and reusing so many plastic bottles.

Want more? It also has an inspirational reminder to be optimistic. You can't really see it in the photo, but it reads "OPTIMISTIC My glass is always half full." Those of you who know me might see the humor in this, as I'm not going to be able to add eternal optimist to my resume any time soon.

Negativity has been pervasive in my work environment lately, and this little bottle is serving as a reminder for me to lighten the fuck up, take a step back, and realize that things can't really be as bad as they seem. If things really are as bad as they seem, then there must be a silver lining, even if that silver lining is buried under a pile of shit.

In other news, I'm reading a very interesting book: Green, Greener, Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-Smart Choices a Part of Your Life by Lori Bongiorno. I found it while browsing the local library and it is exactly what I've been looking for, the perfect complement to springtime, and my hope is that it will help me to become even more environmentally conscious (something that is in my goals list for 2009).

This book offers three levels of "greening" up your life. If you want to put in minimal effort and expense, go with the green option. If you have time to step it up a bit and throw more time and money in, go with the greener option, and so on and so forth. It's worth a glance if you are wanting a quick read that can help save some green (in terms of money and the environment).

losing inches

Hello again. I'm back from vacation in Chicago with my family (pictures have yet to be uploaded, but they are coming). My nephews are wonderful, but not enough to make me want to spew a kid out of my nethers anytime in the future. Anyway, back to the point, the vacation was fabulous and I have a bit of a crush on Chicago. I must admit that the vacation reinvigorated me to step up my workouts even more. It may have been the 19th floor fitness room at the hotel with the awesome city views.

So, despite all the e-mails I receive daily about wanting to add inches to a member, beast, or otherwise named male extension, I've been losing inches. I've cut two inches off my waist since I started this whole thing and an inch from thighs. Apparently my ass hasn't gotten the memo yet because there hasn't been any visible progress there, but I'm sure it'll happen eventually. I am happy because I'm operating under the assumption that the decrease in inches means that I'm firming and toning, making the stuff that was already there tighter and now more streamlined. Either that or my tape measure reading skills are lacking. My physical therapist is happy with my progress, but is also trying to pull on the reigns to keep me from going overboard. My core strength is improving, but my wonky pelvis is still unstable. At least it isn't my mental state.

I'll keep you posted and will throw some pictures from the trip up here this weekend.

what am i made of?

My Personality

Neuroticism	12
Extraversion	58
Openness to Experience	38
Agreeableness	32
Conscientiousness	71

You are a calm person who is considered almost fearless by some, however you do not feel nervous in social situations, and have a good impression of what others think of you. You get overwhelmed by too much noise and commotion and do not like thrill-seeking activities. You prefer facts over fantasy and are more interested in what is happening in the real word. You do not enjoy confrontation, but you will stand up for yourself or push your point if you feel it is important, however you feel superior to those around you and sometimes tend to be seen as arrogant by other people. You take your time when making decisions and will deliberate on all the possible consequences and alternatives.

Free Poll

10 years (pending)

My ten-year high school class reunion is fast approaching. It will take place this summer in my hometown. I come from a very small community and my graduating class consisted of 96 students, many of which were in my various "circles" of friends. I was a floater, a mingler, per se. I had friends in every cliche, had no specific tie to any particular group, and was a bit transient in general. As a result, perhaps, I have one close friend with whom I still communicate regularly. I cut loose all of the extraneous people from my life when I went away to college. Not because I didn't like them, but maybe because I hadn't forged real, sustainable connections with them.

It is these people whom I will be seeing this summer. I've run into old friends from time to time, but have never left those encounters with any promised contact. I hope to leave this reunion similarly unscathed, but possessing enough updated knowledge of my old friends to tide me over until the next reunion rolls around.

Why am I bringing this up? It has been on my mind lately. Am I who I wanted to be at the age of 27? Who did I want to be when I "grew up"? Did I meet those benchmarks? I don't know that I ever had set up a timeline of my life. Perhaps if I had, I would be disappointed now. I'd like to think that I'm on track and that I am right where I should be. That's how I feel, though I wouldn't mind tweaking a few aspects of my life. I prefer the "take it as it comes" guide to life - I strive for what I want, but what I want changes.

I guess I'm just looking at my life through a telescope. Trying to see the big picture. Trying to give the two-minute elevator conversation that explains who I am, how I got here, and who I want to become. I'd like to get a firm handle on that two minute "where am I now" so that I can leave people with a clear view of the real Trish. Except that in my mind, I can't really wrap my head around a reason to pinpoint my life like that.

I think I'm like one of those grab bags I used to love as a kid. You get a bag filled with surprises, some of them good, some of them you pass along to others. All in all, the grab bag of my life has been filled with a lot of great experiences who have made me into today's Trish. Tomorrow's Trish may be completely different. Who knows who I will have become by the time this summer's reunion comes around. Maybe I shouldn't write that elevator conversation down in pen, but rather just keep it in pencil. I guess I'm still that transient being I was in high school.

i scream, you scream, we all scream for fish oil

I'm taking a new supplement. To supplement what? I'm not sure. I suppose my diet is lacking in things other than fat and cholesterol, which are not necessarily good things to have in abundance. This is why I've added fish oil to my list of daily pills to go down the hatch. They reek. I hate fish and haven't eaten seafood in over 25 years, but apparently their oil is beneficial for my heart and thus I'm taking one for the team (Team Trish, that is). Luckily I have not suffered any type of repercussion from downing the nasty fish oil pills. No gills. No horrid stench reaching up out of my belly to assault passers by. No desire to swim upstream to find a mate.

In other news, I've come to the realization that working out is the devil. It is the devil because when I work out, I want to do it all the time. Why would I want to work out so much, you ask? Doesn't working out pretty much suck because, as it is named, it is WORK? I'll tell you. I want to work out all the time because mine is a personality in need of immediate gratification and because the results...they do not happen fast enough. And logic dictates that to get something to happen quicker, you should do it more often. But this logic is wrong in this case. I am not supposed to work out every day, according to my health magazines and my physical therapist. At least not the way that I want to. There is a delicate balance of "do this, not that," which is going on in my weekly workout rotation. And I hate it. Back to my statement that working out is the devil. I have decided this because that is what the devil does, isn't it? Tempts you to do things you are not supposed to?

I guess that when I start something new, I'd prefer to be balls deep in it rather than just tiptoeing around. This is not the way to do things if I want to be healthy, says my physical therapist. This means that the fabulous workout I've come to love (I posted a video)...the one that makes my ass feel like it is on fire and that the fire is quickly spreading down my legs...I am not supposed to do that workout on consecutive days.

To make myself feel like I'm doing more for my body, despite being deprived of the "okay" to exercise how and when I would like, I've been taking more vitamins and supplements. I'll keep you apprised of any other changes.

add another artist to the bunch

I've been listening to a lot of Imogen Heap's music lately. You may recognize her voice as she was in the band Frou Frou, which gained a bit of notoriety from one of my favorite movies, Garden State. She is a solo artist, and I really enjoy her sound:



I also have a few of her songs on my playlist if you'd care to take another listen.

yes drill sergeant

There was a time when progress was measured by how much weight I lost - now, progress is measured by whether or not I need to brace myself to lower down onto the toilet and how much my abdominal muscles throb when I do so. Say hello to my latest workout.



This workout may not look like it, but it is super-intense. My abs are by no means washboard, but I've lost a 1/2 inch off my waist in the past couple weeks thanks to this workout + cardio + additional exercises from my physical therapist. That my muscles hurt as much as they do is probably a sign of progress, but it is also a sign that I still have a long way to go.

Every painful step I take is one step closer to saying goodbye to that stupid pelvic belt so I'm going to keep plugging away at the agonizing torture, brought to me courtesy of "the great one-month slimdown with Jillian Michaels" and Self magazine. Oh, how I am growing to hate you and love you all at the same time.

i heart progress

What have I been doing? Not posting, obviously. AND I actually have a fabulous reason. Progress, people, I've been making progress.

1. I've (finally) painted the office. I chose this color: I am very happy with how the office turned out.
   
   
   I am still trying to get things arranged the way I want, but it is already a space much more conducive to working. The man has agreed that this color would be a good for the walls in the kitchen. Now we just have to wait for the roommate to move out so that we can get started. Added bonus: there is enough leftover paint that we wouldn't have to buy more to finish the kitchen.


2. I've created and committed to an exercise/workout schedule. I've also purchased a physical therapist approved recumbent bike to aid in my therapy. Since starting in January, I've even upped my free weights from 3 lbs. to 5 lbs. In terms of tangible progress, I have lost two pounds since I began working out on January 18 and my clothes are beginning to fit better again. . I'm happy with this progress, since I'm not working out to lose weight, but rather to build muscle and strengthen my core (as a part of my physical therapy). In other words, I'm doing all of the working out, which I hate, because I hate this even more.


3. I've taken on a side project to earn extra income. Also, an opportunity has arisen within my current employment that may allow me to increase my income (fingers crossed). . I have finished the first leg of the side project and I just have to do a few more hours to have the full project completed. The nice thing about taking on this project, in addition to a few extra dollars coming in, is that it has also helped me to schedule weekly library time. I think this will be a good habit, as it will only aid me in completing both this side project and my thesis.


4. Back to the home progress. The man and I have created a much cozier space completely separate from the roommate's area. We've been able to confine the cats to this area and no longer have to worry about the roommate meddling in our conversations or in our space..
   I helped a friend remove wallpaper from her very large bathroom. Wallpaper that was adhered directly to the drywall by the previous owners. Previous owners who were idiots..


5. I've completed and filed my taxes and am happy to report that I got a larger refund than last year. Two-thirds of the money has already gone into paying off my credit card debt, while the other third has been put into my emergency savings (already withdrew a portion of it to get a new tire).
   It has been wonderful to see my credit card debt decrease over the past months. Now that I have rolled all of my credit card debt onto one low-interest card, the progress is much more visible each month. I'm happy to report that I'm right on schedule with this financial goal.


6. I've already cut back on the nagging and interrupting in my relationships. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be.


7. I've been more conscious of the attitude I have at work. Some things have made me consciously pissed off at work, but at least I knew I was being a grumple as a result of those issues and not just because I'm a pessimistic negative Nancy.


8. I've sorted through my belongings and have given quite a few things to friends, family, and charity, while tossing other things that are of no use to anyone anymore.


9. I've realized that lists do not have to come in multiples of 10.


10. I've developed a better system for managing mail and bills.


11. I've finished another major household project. The man and I built a wooden surround for the cat litter box. It will allow the cats to have more privacy while keeping the dog from trying to eat cat shit. Double bonus.

And that, my friends, is what I've been doing for the main part of January and February. I'm tired, but I'm committed to keeping up with these goals so that I can check a shitload of things of my 2009 project list. I'll keep you posted, perhaps I should add that as one of my goals.

i wish we could've played radiohead in high school

I love how the marching band integrates with Radiohead during their Grammy performance. In case you missed it:

today is the day

Article 2 (for BHO) from Andrew Sloat on Vimeo.

simplify, simplify, simplify

Things are still very sad around our house after the unexpected passing of the man's grandma. I must admit that losing her so suddenly has led me to further evaluate my life, as is often the case after experiencing a loss. If I would give my goals for 2009 a one-word mantra, it would definitely be 'simplify.' By simplify, I mean to pare down and eliminate the things I don't really need, know when enough is enough, be happy now rather than waiting for happiness to come and bite me on the ass, make changes now so that I can enjoy my life without all of the unnecessary trappings.

I've broken down my goals (note that they are not resolutions, but rather are manageable and achievable goals) into four main categories. I've already been working toward many of these goals and they require maintenance rather than initiation in most instances. They might seem like a lot, but that is only because they are so compartmentalized that the sheer volume seems unwieldy. In all actuality, this is a shrunken version of my overall list and doesn't include any of the ideas/tactics within the bullet points.

You may wonder why the hell I've shared all of these with you when you don't really give a damn. Well, it's because I'm selfish and I need a kick in the rear to jumpstart myself from time to time. I've put them up here to add more accountability. I can't hide from the list if it has been thrown into the world.

Here goes:

Financial Goals:
· Only keep a balance on one credit card (already accomplished, just need to maintain)
· Lower credit card balance to at least $x by January 1, 2010
· Pay off Student Loan 1 by January 1, 2010
· Contribute monthly to savings account to cover non-monthly budgetary expenses (auto maintenance, pet food, renter's insurance)
· Cut expenses (already do these things, but should do them even more religiously)
· Raise income

Professional Goals:
· Continue taking advantage of all applicable training sessions
· Build and maintain professional network
· Apply myself to outperform in current role - be indispensable
· Complete thesis

Relationship Goals:
· Do not interrupt, over-share, or compare experiences - this disrespects the person speaking
· Be supportive, but also share caution when necessary - do not play devil's advocate unless vital
· Spend more time w/, or communicate more w/ family and friends
· Reach out to others more - volunteer

Personal Goals:
· Keep a tidy house
· Make time for fun, don't schedule life to the minute
· Make physical and mental health a priority
· Minimize stress
· Celebrate success
· Don't be overly critical or take myself too seriously
· Live in the present - don't fret about those things outside of my control
· Train myself to sustain myself

where I've been

I'm sorry for not posting since the holidays. There was an unexpected death in the man's immediate family that caught us all completely off guard. Things are settling down a bit now and the man is dealing much better than last week. I'll post more and will share my New Year's resolutions with you sometime this week.

I hope you all had a happy holiday.