Avalon Landing

From couch potato to.... ?

2009-01-19T14:13:00.002-06:00

Well, it has been a LONG time since I've done any sort of organized exercise. DD & I ride our bikes when it's warm, but other than that, I am a couch potato. However, that is about to change.

DH has had lower back problems for some time. His chiropractor advised him to start walking 2-3 miles per day. So we're joining a fitness center. It will be good for both of us, because I need to lose about 30 pounds (could stand to lose more), and DH needs to strengthen his back.

Tonight we begin. :) We'll see how it goes.

Getting in shape has been one of my long-term resolutions, but I never seem to follow through. I think that with both of us on board, we can encourage each other.

Living Divine in 2009!

2009-01-01T21:24:00.003-06:00

Well, constant reader, another year has come and gone. Alas, I feel I don't have much to show for it.

"If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we are not really living."
—Gail Sheehy

Ain't that the truth?

So this year is going to be different. I know I've said that a thousand times before. But this time, change has to take place. I spent most of 2008 in a dark depressive funk, one in which I didn't think I'd be able to drag myself out of. I wasn't even looking forward to the holidays.

DD had to put up all the Christmas decorations (which we took down today, by the way). If it weren't for her, we probably wouldn't have decorated at all; possibly, we wouldn't have even had a Christmas.

But somehow, it all came together, in spite of my negativity.

So, you ask, what has changed me today as compared to yesterday?

Several things, most notably, I'm damn sick and tired of feeling mentally like shit and feeling like I can't do anything about it. Yesterday, as I reflected on 2008, I realized that yet another year had went by (in a blink), and I had nothing to show for it. I didn't go anywhere new; I didn't learn anything new (except knitting); and most of all, I am stuck in the same patterns of behavior—which lead nowhere except to the Well of Self-Pity.

I hardly journaled at all last year. So many days are lost because I didn't record them. I don't know how I fell out of the habit, but somehow I did, and that was not fun to realize. Keeping a journal is important to me, so that is one habit I will be taking back up this year in 2009.

Also, I plan to focus on my spirituality, spending more time in quiet contemplation, while living in the world. Being a kinder, less reactive person will be difficult for me to accomplish, but it will happen.

Getting our finances in order is my number one priority. DH & I plan to take a Financial Peace University class offered at the bank, and I think it will not only help our finances, but help our relationship as well.

This will be a year of change; I plan to keep a record here on this blog.

Today, I began by simply taking a walk around the neighborhood. It wasn't too cold. DD went with me. We had fun. The earth is in repose now, waiting patiently for spring. I feel that I've been waiting far too long for my own spring to come, but now, it's finally here.

Wish me luck.

Back

2008-04-04T12:32:00.003-05:00

Yikes! It's been forever and a day since I posted. Not so good for keeping up with posting every day in 2008.

Let's see...

I had an emergency appendectomy on February 22. I thought I just had the flu, but decided to go to the ER and, 2 hours after I arrived, they said yeah, you have acute appendicitis. Glad to know it was an emergency! I had to take a whole week off work to recover, but thankfully, my gut healed quickly.

I learned to knit in the past few weeks, one of my long-term goals. I joined ravelry.com.

I've sold a few more things on Ebay, but I need to sell more. Like everyone else struggling with finances, gas and food prices are insane. I try not to think about it.

Knitting is better than therapy.

The winter has been long and long and long. I keep waiting for the weather to warm up, but other than seeing a few robins, the cold temperatures drag me down.

I am reading Anais Nin and feeling sorry for myself.

Get Out and Vote Today!

2008-02-05T11:15:00.000-06:00

If you live in a Super Tuesday voting state, get out and do your part to select your next presidential nominee. I already voted this morning.

DD has a cold or some other sort of plague, and so I had to stay home with her today. But I did my part and voted.

Some people think that voting is not important, or that it doesn't impact them. I admit, I don't vote in every single primary or election, but I try to do so. People all around the world have died to get the right to vote. Heck, even American women couldn't vote until 1920, so I feel that it is important to vote.

A friend of mine once said that it didn't matter who was in office; all politicians are the same. They didn't concern her. I about fell down dead. Not concern her? Who were the people voting on taxes and laws? Apparently, taxes and laws didn't concern my friend. LOL

Maybe it is always business as usual, no matter who is elected or which party controls Congress. But at least those who vote have a right to complain about it. Those who don't bother voting do not.

For Sale This Week

2008-02-04T19:00:00.000-06:00

Ebay Sales

I recently began selling stuff on Ebay. Because we went to so many auctions last summer, it seemed only natural that I start selling some of the items we purchased, as well as other items around the house we no longer needed.

This week, I have a Dooney and Bourke small bucket tassel handbag, brand new with tags; a cute Romanian art glass basket; a leather briefcase; two Disney books with great colorful pictures inside; a vintage blue glass candy dish with a lid; and a tall green glass decorative goblet or bowl.

All my items come from a smoke-free home, but I do have dogs so keep that in mind if you are allergic. These items are used unless otherwise stated. :) Shopping on Ebay is fun and addicting! :)

Updating at last

2008-02-03T19:11:00.000-06:00

Yikes! So I didn't do so hot updating my blog in January. January is kind of one of those blah months. I can actually feel a bit of hope that Spring is coming, right around the corner, in spite of the 7 inches of snow on Friday, and in spite of how foggy it is outside right now. LOL

We're watching the Superbowl, hoping for the Giants to upset the Patriots. Neither DH nor myself can stand "America's Team." Heh. Go Eli Go!

DD spent some time outside today, but the snow was melting. It's been a kind of a stay-at-home day. I have a few loads of laundry to do. DH fixed nacho cheese dip and chips and some hot wings for us to eat.

I've had a lot of fear about writing. I can hardly bear to open my paper journal. The blank page stares out at me and I am paralyzed. Writing used to be so important to me. I journaled in my paper journal no matter what. I really can't say what made me fall away from it. (I've always been an on-again, off-again blogger!) Too many days are left unrecorded now. Sigh.

All I can do is pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back on the horse. So here goes nothing.

Home Visit

2008-02-02T23:29:00.000-06:00

Well, today the day dawned bright and sunny, but cold. The snowplows had gotten all the roads cleared off, pretty much, so we decided to drive the hour to visit the in-laws.

They had over 100 pictures of their trip to Germany. In addition to visiting their friends, they went to the House of 1000 Clocks, and to this Christmas store. They walked and walked everywhere, which was shocking, because my MIL had foot surgery several years ago, and does not like to do a lot of walking.

She did, however, have a flare-up of bronchitis and had to see a German doctor. The doctor spoke English, but once she got back here, she made an appointment with her own doctor and quit taking the antibiotics the other dr had prescribed. No wonder her bronchitis hasn't cleared up yet--not to mention, one of the people they stayed with was a heavy smoker. Whatever!!!

I'm glad they made it home safely. I loved to see their photos, and seeing them reminded me of my own trip to Europe back in 1996. I would love to go again someday.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention: yesterday afternoon, DH took DD to a local park where there is a big hill to go sledding. They had so much fun, until some idiot with an unleashed and untrained dog arrived. The dog started chasing all the kids who were sledding. But by that time, it was 4pm and time to come home anyway.

Snow Day!

2008-02-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Overnight, we got 7 inches of snow and it hasn't quite let up yet!

DD was driving me crazy about going outside to play. I swear, that kid never stops yakking! (And there for awhile, we thought she was never going to learn to talk!) So she spent about two hours outside this morning already, in her new used snowsuit and snowboots I bought off Ebay. DD says they keep her nice and warm, so that's good. She built a snowman. Her face is so beet red now from being outside, I hope she gets warmed up here in the house!

I really should be doing something more constructive today than sitting her at the computer. Maybe I'll go take a nap. If the weather permits and the roads are cleared off, tomorrow we'll be going to the in-laws to see pictures of their trip to Germany. They were gone two weeks to visit friends.

But who wants to do housework on a snow day?

******
This week's book list includes "The Good Guy," by DRK, and "The Children of Hurin," by JRR Tolkien.

Ok, it's time to take down the lights

2008-01-07T21:02:00.000-06:00

As I drove through town this evening on my way home from work at twilight, I noticed that a lot of homes still have Christmas displays up with lights on.

Really, people, it's time to take down the lights. Christmas was three weeks ago already.

Of course, even though the holidays are over, that doesn't mean we have to give up on the Christmas Spirit, which should last all year through anyway. And there are those people who enjoy Christmas so much that they have an entire room decorated in Christmas paraphernalia.

This house in the Phillippines is a tourist attraction.

Then there are those places that sell Christmas items or have Christmas fun all year long.

I guess I can't really complain. Here's a picture of my mantel. Yes, those are Father Christmases, and an Effanbee Christmas Patsy doll. :)

And then there's this one, who stands alone by the tv:

Qs 1-49

2008-01-03T12:52:00.000-06:00

THE 5000 QUESTION SURVEY Version 2.0
The entire survey is available here.

1. Who are you? a person

2. What are the 3 most important things everyone should know about you? I don't like stupidity, I'm loyal, and I'm intelligent.

3. Who did you take this survey from? (the entire survey is available here.)

When you aren't filling out 5000 question surveys, what are you doing? Working.

4. List your classes in school from the ones you like the most to the ones you like the least (or if you are out of school, think of the classes you did like and didn't like at the time). English, History, Science, Math

5. What is your biggest goal for this year? Blog daily and clean the house.

6. Where do you want to be in 5 years? Debt-free

7. What stage of life are you in right now? mid-30s, still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

8. Are you more child-like or childish? childish

9. What is the last thing you said out loud? I laughed.

10. What song comes closest to how you feel about your life right now? "Who Knew," by Pink.

11. Have you ever taken martial arts classes? no

12. Does your life tend to get better or worse or does it just stay the same? stay the same

13. Does time really heal all wounds? Yes, thankfully.

14. How do you handle a rainy day? sleep

15. Which is worse...losing your luggage or having to sort out tangled holiday lights? losing luggage

16. How is your relationship with your parents? decent

Will you miss them when they are gone? yes

17. Do you tend to be aware of what is going on around you? not really

18. What is the truest thing that you know? Dogs love you no matter what.

19. What did you want to be when you grew up? a teacher

20. Have you ever been given a second chance? yes, many second chances

21. Are you more of a giver or a taker? taker

22. Do you make your decisions with an open heart/mind? I try to.

23. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you? childbirth

24. What is the most emotionally painful thing that has ever happened to you? not answering this one

25. Who have you hugged today? my DD

26. Who has done something today to show they care about you? DH warmed up my car for me this morning

27. Do you have a lot to learn? probably

28. If you could learn how to do three things just by wishing and not by working what would they be?

A knitting

B violin

C piano

29. Which do you remember the longest: what other people say, what other people do or how other people make you feel? how they make me feel

30. What are the key ingredients to having a good relationship? COMMUNICATION

31. What 3 things do you want to do before you die?

A see the Grand Canyon

B watch DD get married

C publish a book

32. What three things would you want to die to avoid doing?

A paying bills

B having elective surgery

C ????

33. Is there a cause you believe in more than any other cause? adoption

34. What does each decade make you think of:

The 19..

20's: flappers

30's: Depression

40's: World War II

50's: Leave it to Beaver, Ozzie & Harriet

60's: Free love

70's: Disco

80's: Yuppies, big hair, metal bands

90's: grunge rock, college days

2000 (so far): technology, internet

2010's: more people will want to return to simpler times

35. Which decade do you feel the most special connection to and why? 1990s. I graduated from HS in 1990 and college in 1994. I spent my twenties in the 1990s.

36. What is your favorite oldie/classic rock song? "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger

37. What country do you live in and who is the leader of that country? USA, the moron

If you could say any sentence to the current leader of your country what would it be? You're a moron.

38. What's your favorite TV channel to watch in the middle of the night? Food network

39. What Disney villain are you the most like and why? ??? Maleficent

40. Have you ever been a girl scout/boy scout? nope

41. If you were traveling to another continent would you rather fly or take a boat? fly

42. Why is the sky blue during the day and black at night? Day = reflection of sun off of atmosphere; night = absence of sun

43. What does your name mean? it has no meaning

44. Would you rather explore the deeps of the ocean or outer space? neither!

45. Word association

What is the first word that comes to mind when you see the word:

Air: plane

Meat: popsicle

Different: ideas

Pink: pepto

Deserve: me

White: socks

Elvis: lives

Magic: rocks

Heart: shaped

Clash: band

Pulp: fiction

46. If you could meet any person in the world who is dead who would you want it to be? ANNE FRANK

47. What if you could meet anyone who is alive? any holocaust survivor

48. Is there a movie that you love so much you could watch it everyday? "Tremors"

49. You are going to be stuck alone in an elevator for a week. What do you bring to do? Plenty of books to read and my journal to write in and an extra pen or two.

Still Eating Christmas Candy

2008-01-02T19:43:00.001-06:00

It's time to put away the decorations. It's time to clean up the wrapping paper and leftover boxes. It's time to find room for all the new toys and clothes. Out with the old and in with the new...
I wish it were that simple. Let's see, to start with, DD's room is a complete and utter disaster area. Tomorrow evening or this weekend, we will start by attacking her closet. Closet must be cleaned out so that stuff will fit inside. Then we'll attack her bedroom floor, and put away all the toys--we will also separate what she has outgrown or doesn't play with from what she does play with. I hope we can pare down the toys to one big Rubbermaid container.

Next, I have to do something with all the dolls I've been collecting lately. They are large and take up quite a bit of room. I basically just need to rearrange them.

We need to vacuum and dust the upstairs bedrooms and clean the bathroom.

Whew. I'm already exhausted, just from writing this down.

Maybe I should save some of that leftover candy as a reward. :)

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T19:32:00.000-06:00

"Re-Create in 2008!" is my goal for the year.

Although I did accomplish some things in 2007, I still managed to drift through the year. As I reflect on 2007, I wonder where the time went. What do I have to show for it?

I'll be 36 in June, and 35 hit me hard: where am I now and where am I going? Is this where I want to be? If I died right now, would I die happy? In some respects, yes, but in other respects, no.

So, as I come out of yet another depressive episode, I am going to make a conscious effort to turn my life in the direction I want it to go. What direction that is, I'm not quite sure yet, but to get there, I actually have to DO something, not just sit back and wait for it to happen to me. If I wait, life will just keep drifting by.

Here are the first ten goals I want to be sure to accomplish in 2008. [I also have started a list of 101 Things in 1001 Days (I actually started in 2006), but I still have to type up the whole list.]

Ten Goals I want to accomplish in 2008:

1. Write letters or send postcards to different friends monthly. (0x12)

2. BUY absolutely NO MORE books in 2008, until I have read my entire To-Be-Read pile, unless I get birthday or Christmas money. :)

3. Return library books on time to avoid fines.

4. FACE finances: quit impulse buying and frivolous spending.

5. Blog daily and journal daily. (1x366; 2008 is a leap year.)

6. Save $15 per week (1x52)

7. Organize two bedrooms, living room, dining room, and computer room by the end of Feb. 2008, or else pay DH $1 for everything not done. If I win, he will give me half his paycheck for two months. :)

8. Pay off new computer (which is still sitting in a box in the dining room).

9. Pay bills on time.

10. ????

Thursday 13

2007-12-13T11:08:00.000-06:00

13 Things I Still Need to Do to Get Ready for Xmas

Make sure I have the ingredients to make gingerbread men.
Buy soda for family party on Sunday, 12/16.
Find book I plan to give to niece and finish wrapping her gift.
Wrap stuff to help out Santa.
Buy gifts for DH.
Clean living room.
Clean kitchen.
Put stuff in proper places.
Hook up new computer.
Organize ebay and half.com stuff in computer room (probably will wait until after the holidaze).
Find gifts for two white elephant gift games.
Finish Journal #72
Read library books I've had checked out since spring and keep renewing.

Xmas Survey

2007-12-12T21:32:00.000-06:00

Survey About Christmas Habits

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper (bags
for bottles etc)

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? Normally right after Thanksgiving, or first week of December

4. When do you take the tree down? After the new year

5. Do you like eggnog? never had it

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Bruce Springsteen, Live 75-85 boxed set

7. Do you have a nativity scene? yes, but we didn't set it up this year

8. Hardest person to buy for? My nephew

9. Easiest person to buy for? my DD

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My grandmother once sent us these horrible western-style shirts that were in style at the time (late 1980s). Let's just say they didn't fit and were the ugliest things I'd ever seen.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail by far

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? "A Christmas Story"

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes, and going to again this year, too.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? deviled eggs

16. White lights or colored on the tree? colored, and preferably twinkling

17. Favorite Christmas song? Merry Christmas Baby, Santa Claus is Coming to Town

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? stay HOME

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Santa!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Family
on X-mas Eve and santa's on X-mas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? crowded stores and the constant commercials to buy MORE MORE MORE

23. What I love most about Christmas day? DD's face when she opens her gifts from Santa

Alphabetical Thankful List

2007-11-30T09:21:00.000-06:00

A: animals, my pets
B: my DH, whose name begins with B

C: citalopram
D: dogs, who make me laugh
E: energy, to clean off my desk
F: family and friends
G: girly stuff, like dolls and makeup
H: health, we are all healthy
I: imagination!
J: my DD, whose name begins with J
K: kitchen, because when I clean, I feel better
L: love, without it, I am nothing
M: mess, because when I clean I feel like I've accomplished something
N: noise, because I learn to appreciate silence
O: online, because that seems to be the only way I can communicate these days
P: pools, for being able to go swimming this summer
Q: queen, because I am queen of my domain ;)
R: riding bikes
S: strength, to never quit
T: time, because there is enough to do all the things I want to do
U: unconditional love
V: variety
W: wellness, if not wholeness
X: eXtravagance
Y: yellow, because it is bright and sunny
Z: zero wants or needs

Tempis Fugit

2007-11-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

What a way to start November: unmotivated, with a cold, and DH having to have surgery to remove his gallbladder next week. Sigh. Oh, wait: is it really November already!? Hard to believe, isn’t it?

At least I have the majority of my Xmas shopping done. I’m not going overboard like last year. DD is getting one big present and some smaller presents and that is it. No guilt from Walmart ads on tv or elsewhere to tell me I don’t love my family enough without buying this, that, or the other. DH & I agreed not to go overboard on one another, either.

I hate being sick with a cold. DD had a cold a couple of weeks ago; actually, it was more like the flu. Then DH got a cold after we took him to the ER last Monday for his gallbladder. He has stones the size of marbles inside. So it will be removed Nov. 7. When it rains, it pours.

Let’s see. Five gratitudes for today:

Going to see “The Bee Movie” this weekend with DD.
trick-or-treating last night with DD as Snow White
self-help books like “What Happy People Know” and “What Happy Women Know,” both by Dan Baker
cuddling with the dog
my dolls
and a bonus: how could I forget: starting Nanowrimo and actually making the word count goal, and also making this blog entry.

I’m so interesting, aren’t I?

If you like to shop on Ebay, check out my items. I have a few art glass pieces and have more stuff to add at some point in time. If you want to get some cheap books, check out my stuff on half.com.

I did hardly any preparing for Nanowrimo this year. I just felt so totally unmotivated. Last year, I wrote every day in October to prepare, starting out at 25 words and adding 25 each day, but this year, ALL writing seems to have fallen by the wayside. I have no excuse, other than sheer laziness. Somehow my paper journal no longer interested me, so I kind of quit journaling in there. Maybe the Creative Well needed to be refilled.

I almost didn’t sit down tonight to write for Nano, either. I am so exhausted from this cold. But I knew that if I didn’t TRY to sit down and write tonight, even without much of a story idea, I wouldn’t write for Nano at all this year, and I don’t want to give up that easily—before I even started! One of my goals for this year’s Nano is to complete it without being on the Emotional Express. It seems that I can only complete Nano if I’m in depths of despair. This year, I am not in the depths of despair, so I want to tough it out with sheer dogged determinedness rather than using it to escape my emotions.

Ugh. I keep obsessively checking my word count. In MS Word, I have written only six pages. SIX! Yet, 1667 seems to be a somewhat insurmountable goal—or at least it did earlier, when I had only managed to type out 200+ words. But I know I can do it. I won Nano in 2004 and again in 2006, and I know I can win this year, too. I just have to put my mind to it and make it a priority.

I have to concentrate on my STRENGTHS and not my weaknesses. I have to appreciate each moment and live in each moment instead of in the past or in the future. And I guess this is it for tonight because the dog is whining to go out! More tomorrow.

It's that time of year again

2007-10-11T09:24:00.000-05:00

Nanowrimo time! Go join the hysteria.

I have not much to say as to where I've been for the past several months. Is it really October? And is it really MID-October?

My last remaining grandparent, my mother's mother, passed away on August 12. That required a quick trip to Florida and back.

My youngest sister got married on Sept. 29. Thank the gods that's done and over with.

DD has been sick all this week with some kind of flu.

Nano starts in three weeks and I have no clue what I'm going to write about yet.

I've started to sell things on Ebay, and have started collecting Himstedt dolls.

Miscellaneous Links

2007-07-27T10:16:00.000-05:00

Blogathon starts on July 28.

Shelfari: a fun place to list books you've read.

Bookmooch: a fun place to trade books with others.

Enjoy!

10 Auction Tips

2007-06-26T12:42:00.000-05:00

Since we've been going to local auctions just about every weekend, I've learned a few things.

1. Get to the auction site early to see if there is anything worth staying for. Auction sale bills tend to talk a great talk, but you might discover that everything advertised is just junk. However, that brings me to another point:
2. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

3. You might be surprised by what you find, so take your time and carefully examine items you are interested in.

4. A lot of times, there may be no rhyme or reason the way things are grouped together, so if you find something that goes with something else, don't hesitate to move it to the correct location. For instance, this weekend, I saw a "Tarot of the Spirit" book without its cards, but then found its cards on another wagon, so I put the cards with the book. Another time, I was looking through a stack of sheet music and found the instruction manual for the Clavinova (a type of electric piano) that was to be auctioned, so I put the manual with the piano. Usually, the auction workers and/or family members do not have a problem with moving stuff around like this. (Of course, there are some bidders who will move stuff to be with other stuff just so they think they can get a better deal on whatever it is, without the auctioneer noticing.)

5. Make sure you know what items cost new. For example, at a recent auction DH attended, people were buying up tools like crazy, spending way more than what they were worth new. Some of the tools were still new in packages! He also overheard a family member saying that a particular set of wrenches (new in package) cost $10 at Rural King last year, but they went on to sell at the auction for $50! In my opinion, if you can get something new for the same or cheaper price, it's not worth buying at an auction.

6. Don't get into a bidding war. There will always be another auction.

7. As far as "antiques" or collectibles are concerned, buy what you like and/or enjoy. Sometimes you might get lucky and get a valuable item, but more than likely, you will end up with something that is only valuable to you. That's perfectly all right.

8. Decide on your auction budget ahead of time, and don't go over it. Keep track of what you buy on your bid card so there are no surprises when you go to pay at the end of the auction.

9. Take a buddy. It's easier to carry stuff back and forth to your vehicle if you have your spouse or a friend along. Some auctions may have more than one bid ring going, so your buddy may need to get a bid number also.

10. Enjoy yourself. Drink plenty of water, especially if the auction is outside in hot weather. Wear a hat. Stand in the shade if you can.

Happy Birthday

2007-06-18T21:38:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to me!
I'm 35 today. Where does the time go?

Happy Mothers' Day

2007-05-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Mothers' Day to all you mothers out there, past, present and future!
I hope you all had a great day. DH and DD got me my favorite candies and we had a cookout with DH's parents at a park near their house. The weather was so great, and it was nice to be outside.

Alas, my allergies flared up in the evening. I could hardly breathe! We spent the evening watching Food Network. Being outdoors wore us out, though. I was so tired when we got home. I almost lay down to take a nap, but it was 5pm when we got home and that was too late to be taking a nap. LOL

Thursday Thirteen #19

2007-05-10T23:13:00.000-05:00

Thirteen TV shows I'm watching lately

"Lost"--getting more and more intriguing!
"Stargate Atlantis"--although this show is sometimes boring, I still enjoy watching it.
"Stargate SG1"--I was there in the beginning, so I decided to be there at the end.
"Dresden Files"--It's over for the moment, but it was a great filler on Sci-Fi. (Based on books by Jim Butcher, it made me want to go buy all the books!)
"Painkiller Jane"--the plot needs to pick up if I'm going to continue to watch it.
"The Tudors"--interesting series on Showtime about King Henry VIII of England
"BSG"--on DVD since "Battlestar Galactica" isn't going to return until Jan. 2008!
"Drive"--although I thought this series was going to be a cheesy ripoff of "Cannonball Run," it turned out to be quite different--Cannonball Run meets Lost. I am annoyed that Fox canceled the series without giving it a chance, but at least the additional episodes will be shown on July 4th.
"Flip this House"--a series on A&E about house flippers, this show makes me want to remodel my entire house. I like to see what people do with the houses on the show.
"Mythbusters"--makes me like science!
"Robin Hood"--on BBCAmerica, a new take on the character of Robin Hood. It's fun to watch on a Sunday night at 6pm, when nothing much else is on.
"American Chopper"--the OCC guys make me laugh
"Dirty Jobs"--I cannot believe Mike Rowe used to be an opera singer.

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Book Review: "Fat Girl"

2007-05-08T10:14:00.000-05:00

"Fat Girl" by Judith Moore is a memoir—about the pain of growing up fat during the 1940s and 1950s. At 208 pages, it is a quick read.
The narrator says she was thin until her parents divorced when she was four years old. Through several chapters, the reader learns of the narrator's constant abuse at the hands of her mother and maternal grandmother. She turns to food for comfort, which spirals into a cycle of yo-yo dieting throughout the rest of her life.

There are a few people in her life who treat her with respect, but deep down, the narrator feels ashamed of herself for being unable to lose the excess weight and keep it off.

The descriptions of food are wonderful; food porn, I would call it. This book may be triggering for some people, as the author does describe details of an abusive childhood, and also a molestation encounter.

I highly recommend this book!

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2007-05-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

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Other People's Stuff

2007-05-01T19:49:00.000-05:00

So, in my last entry, I was bemoaning the fact that the house felt like a cluttered mess. DH did get things cleaned up, with DD's help. They straightened up the computer room and her bedroom, which really weren't all that messy. The thought of the mess was more overwhelming than the actual mess. However, guess what we've been doing lately...

That's right: going to auctions and buying other people's stuff.

Actually we've gone to four auctions in the past two weekends, partly just to get out of the house, but we also ended up with two great finds. The first was a library desk for only $175, which probably cost three times that orignally. I couldn't believe I won the item. The second piece was a lighted, mirrored curio cabinet for $70. It stands about 8 feet tall. Again. I couldn't believe I won the item. I didn't need the desk—I already have an antique rolltop desk that had been my grandfather's—but it was in too good of condition to pass up. If it had been more expensive than what I paid, I wouldn't have continued to bid on it. Same way with the cabinet. But I have a use for the cabinet. I can house many of my Fenton glass baskets and candy dishes in it. We were talking of buying a new one, but this one is probably much nicer than any we could have afforded to buy brand-new.

In other news, DH's grandfather passed away in mid-April. I haven't felt much like blogging or writing or anything else lately. It was expected; he had been sick with emphysema for years. All the same, losing a family member is difficult. It's been stressful to say the least.

This weekend, we will probably be going to another auction, just to get out of the house. I like to look through other people's belongings to see what kind of person they were/are. Both sales we attended this past weekend were moving sales, and one last week was also. The other one was a storage facility cleaning out non-paying people's stuff. We got a futon and a small, one-man kayak. :)

Also last week, we finally bought the lavender paint for DD's room. We found some cute Tinkerbell stick-on border and cutouts at Wal-Mart to add to the room once we're finished painting. It will be adorable. It was definitely time for the Noah's Ark theme to go.

We still have more spring-cleaning to do. The garage needs to be organized. The house is somewhat of a mess since I haven't felt like doing much of anything lately. Although I would like to live a minimalist life, it seems that I can't help but acquire more stuff. What can I say except I like the thrill of the hunt!

Looking for a good inspirational book to read? Check out Sue Monk Kidd's collection of essays titled "Firstlight." It is an awesome book, and not just for Xtians. A person of any faith would enjoy reading it. And if you're in the mood for a classic novel, read Theodore Dreiser's "Sister Carrie." It tells the story of a small-town woman who becomes a stage actress in the 1890s. She becomes a "kept" woman, almost accidentally, who eventually learns how to make it on her own.