Sinead O'Rebellion

I'm so unhappy to be at work today that I have not actually done any work.  Take that, The Man.  Instead, I spent the morning doodling around online, filling up a Gap/Piperlime shopping cart, booking a facial appointment for tomorrow*, etc.  Then Schmate came by to see my office, then we headed to The Gap so I could actually try on the pants I wanted to buy, and I ended up buying two pairs of Skinny Jeans (NOT JEGGINGS, wow, but very comfy real jeans), and 2 pairs of "denim leggings" that just look like pants that I can wear to work with boots.  A black pair and a green pair.  Weirdly, I bought my usual 6 ankle in the jeans, but I had to get a 10 in the pants, so...  whatever, screw you, Gap.  Then we had salads at Chop't (I got Tandoori Chicken with a curry vinaigrette -- so good!  Probably full of fat.) 

So now I'm back at my desk, and I emptied my Gap/Piperlime shopping cart of everything but these boots, which were half off and which I think I can pull off, right?  They may go up to my crotch, but I'll fold the tops over if so.

*So once again, my lovely parents gave me a gift certificate to this spa in Astoria for Christmas.  I will be getting the Signature Facial at 6:00 pm tomorrow.  I can't wait, and it worked out well since Hike has plans for the evening and nobody else wants to hang out with me, so I think a night of self-pampering will do me some good and maybe help get me out of my winter funk.  A little bit, at least.  And then Hike can still come over for a slumber party and Fraggle Rock after his man date.  PERFECT.

Last night I made us baked acorn squash stuffed with rice, sausage, raisins, apples, and onions, and seasoned with curry.  It was pretty good, for a sort-of made up recipe, but I found the seasoning to be hit or miss, depending on the bites.  I should probably have seasoned more, but overall I was pleased with the dish and my presentation!  Then we watched The Kids are Alright.  It was also pretty good -- I think after the Oscar nominations, my expectations were raised too high.  I liked it, but it didn't blow me away or anything.  Also SPOILER ALERT I am really hard-pressed to have sympathy for cheaters, even in fiction.  I've always felt this way, but given my more recent experience, it's even more of an issue.  But it was a really good evening, staying cozy inside while the snow raged!  There was even lightening and thunder -- it was a real snowstorm.  Fun until Hike had to dig out his car and drive home at 11 pm.  Ugh.

Well, there's a slim chance we're leaving at 4:00 for a goodbye happy hour for one of my co-workers...and I'm SO HOPING it's true.  I don't want to drink much no matter what, but then I could milk my one beverage (ok, two) and still be home at a reasonable time.  I hate work.  I also hate all those people who "do what they love" -- all right, maybe not the people, but come on.  I think anything that I HAVE to do, I would hate at some point, right?  Like flossing?

Enough rambling for now.  Hope some of you were lucky enough to have a snow day today!

The Winter of our (Dis?)content

Hello muffins.  I hope you're somewhere dry and warm today!  I am, but actually, I wish I'd be sent out in the snow to GO HOME EARLY.  Alas, I think that's unlikely. 

For all of my complaining about needing to hibernate, this week has been rather productive, at least after Monday at work.  Monday evening I was all set to be lazy, but after a brief passive-aggressive e-mail discussion with the roomie, I ended up starting to clean the apartment and then doing the whole thing, including scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, etc.  I had anger for energy for awhile, and then it just felt good to get it clean again.  I also then had an excuse to throw all of her clutter crap in her room, which made me feel better.  I will admit that while I'm maybe not the best at keeping things clean (with scrubbings/vacuumings), I'm very good at avoiding clutter, especially in shared spaces.  And she is the opposite, which bugs me quite often.  And me moving her piles o' crap off of needed surfaces doesn't seem to get my point across, so if I have to clean in order to do so, I will.  At least she was so inspired by my efforts when she got home that she put the rest of the her Christmas boxes away in the closet, so now we're really neat & tidy!  For a few days.

Yesterday I again abandoned any exercise plans and did my laundry, and then while putting it away, managed to find some clothes I need to get rid of.  There is more sorting to do, but with half of my dresser drawers broken (due to buying cheap crappy used furniture), I'm really out of storage space so a good parsing of the wardrobe is needed.  I also found some lingerie that had been hiding in my drawers (ha) and tried everything on to determine what I could made good use of, so that was fun.  And I watched Sunday's episode of Downton Abbey.  Is anyone watching this?  Were you also frustrated about the unanswered confession of love?!  Argh.

Oh right, and I'm up 4 pounds, per the scale this morning.  It is bothersome and I feel heavy, but I know I can lose it rather quickly when I get strict about eating again.  I'm not going to go higher, I PROMISE, WORLD.

So tonight Hike is coming over and I'm going to make stuffed squash and a veggie for dinner.  We have squash from our winter CSA, and I'll use up some pantry items (raisins, rice, walnuts, onions) and buy just some sausage and herbs and it should be delish, though it's another thing I've never made before.  Oh well, it can't go that badly, can it?  [knocking on desk...]  Hopefully it won't be too labor-intensive either, as I'm sort of worn out today. 

I just smoked a cigarette, because I wanted to see what it was like again.  It's been since last Friday.  It wasn't too great -- it tastes bad and makes me feel like I can't breath.  I'm sure I'll need to check that again at some point, but I'm basically a non-smoker, right?  And I'm starting my Crest WhiteStrips Professional regimen, which will take up lots of time (30 minutes a day! What?) but hopefully be noticeable and pretty.

Yes, the snow will be piling up all day and into tonight, but I've sort of abandoned hope for a snow day this winter.  I think I missed the biggest, suprisiest storm, and now it's old hat for everyone.  Sad.

And that's the news here.  I wish it were more thrilling, I really do.

It's the Bare Necessities

Stevie: A Winter Portrait



I know we're deep in January with no end of this winter in sight, but man, I'm tired of feeling so low-energy all the time!  I know I'm not going outside in the cold for smoke breaks (which perk one up), and I'm not exercising like I should be, and I'm probably fighting some sort of germs since Hike seems to be a bit sick and I feel slightly off, but COME ON, self.  Can't I feel perky again?  My usual method for dealing with days like this is to coddle myself a bit, as in, do not go to the gym or feel guilty about it, and instead, relax and rest and feel better tomorrow.  In fact, I think I did that last week, but this week I have a sore throat, too.  So I'm going to accept the slight fatty feeling of winter and my substitute oral fixation (now it's ice cream) and my layers of bulky clothes, and I'm going to buy a humidifier on my way home if I can find one at Rite Aid, and then catch up on DVR under blankets on the couch.  I'm trying to fight the guilt about this, g-d it.  Also, why have I been pining for a humidifier for so long?  Why don't I just order one from Amazon?  New plan -- if Rite Aid doesn't have them, I'll order one online tonight.  Now I just have to decide which:

So how were our weekends?  I wasn't a hermit this entire weekend, I promise.  Friday night Hike and I went out to Smithtown, LI to hang out with his friends, another couple.  We had sushi and then went back to their giant, gorgeous condo to play movie trivia games and sit in front of the fireplace.  So lovely.  We got home rather late so slept in on Saturday, then Saturday night we went to Bareburger in Astoria and tried OSTRICH burgers, which were delicious.  They also were slightly overcooked, so the waitress gave us a free chocolate and peanut butter milkshake, which we smuggled into the theater to see The Fighter.  It was really good and really affecting!  (Both the movie and the milkshake, of course.)  I'm actually more interested in the great Oscar race this year, since there are a few contenders I actually support and enjoyed.  Now we just have to see The King's Speech while we still can.

Sunday we made pizza dough and sauce in the morning, then took our usual afternoon break.  I napped and started watching a chick flick, Going the Distance, starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.  It's pretty cute, and the best part is that Charlie (from Always Sunny) plays his best friend, and is as endearing as always. Then when Hike came back over for football in the evening I assembled our homemade pizza and we rooted on the Steelers to victory.  My father and brother are definitely excited about the win!  And we, as fair-weather fans, were too. 

And that was it, and it was really nice, but too short, as usual.  This week is fairly quiet, though I'm sure the calendar will fill up a bit.  I am going to try and weigh myself in the morning, but I'm definitely feeling a bit on the heavy side (see above), but also not going to freak out yet.  Oh right, as far as quitting smoking goes, I had two last week (one Tuesday, one Friday) and that was the last one for now.  I feel like I've quit, and I only very rarely have a craving that I indulge, and that's OK for now.  So that's good.  Next up, I'm going to use the teeth whitening stuff I got for Christmas for further motivation and prettiness.

UGH, now if 5:00 would just get here, I could go back to hibernating. 

Doin' the Humpty Hump

Well, we made it to Wednesday together.  It's actually warm out, and the change is a little welcome.  I'm OK to go back to winter after this, but a slightly more interesting day does break up the monotony.

Last night I compromised on my gym intentions and did the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD at home.  Well, initially Hike was going to come over, but he had to work late and so we pushed that off until tonight after my book club.  So then I felt I should finally exercise again, and I did.  For 20 minutes.  But I sweated and panted and jumped, people!  There is nothing more motivating and frightening than wearing a sports bra and little shorts and doing jumping jacks in front of the full-length mirror in one's bedroom.  And I have a bit of soreness today, which is a good souvenir.  While I think my weight is heading in the right direction again, I'm feeling a bit self-critical about the jiggly-ness of it all (and you know how the red tide can affect our view in the mirror, right?)  But I'm in a good position to be toned by the summer, if I can keep on task.  Maybe I'll even be able to wear two-pieces in front of my boyfriend?  Which is silly when you consider what else I wear in front of him (ahem), but you know...

Otherwise I'm glad the weekend is on the horizon.  I hate that I feel like that every day now, but I'm really LOVING my weekends and I'm in sort of the doldrums at work.  I know it'll pass, but right now I'm one of those rats in the rat race.  What can you do? 

Tonight is book club, and then a visit from Hike and hopefully we'll be watching the original True Grit -- he's supposed to get it from Netflix today.  I am looking forward to comparing and contrasting. 

Yes, life is rather boring at the moment, but it's really good, too. 

Slush Pile

What a miserable day in New York!  Rainy, slushy, slippery, and a Tuesday.  This was actually my worst commute of the winter weather so far, as I slid around a few times on my walk to the train.  Boo.

But life is still pretty good, right?  Let's stay positive.  SPEAKING OF, Hike and I just bought tickets to see The Hold Steady at Terminal 5 in April, and I'm very excited.  I'm also like "Oh, gee, general admission standing room?  That sounds annoying."  I'm so old.  But it will be worth it.

So how were our weekends?  Mine was really nice.  Friday night I went to Schmillie's for the revival of the Henna Party, and we got snaxx and wine in the city before taking the train to her place, and we gushed about our boyfriends and smeared the stuff on our heads and only smoked A LITTLE and listened to music and played rummy.  (I am terrible at rummy, especially when not paying attention.)  Oh, and we ate Chocolate Covered Pretzels.  Lots of them.  I want some now, actually.  Then I cabbed it back, Hike came over, and off to sleep after some Fraggle Rock.  Saturday we went to visit his grandparents (on his dad's side) on Long Island, who I'd not yet met, and also saw his dad and wife and his brother and wife, and it was a nice afternoon.  We left and got sushi for dinner in Rockville Center, where they live (and where Hike used to live for awhile), and then drove back to Astoria and caught the 8:15 showing of True Grit.  I LOVED it, people.  We'd been waiting to see it until we could see the original first, but we gave up.  (There was a Very Long Wait on the original on Netflix for me, though he magically is receiving it this week.  We decided as long as we see them both, we can still compare.)  It was just really serene and fun and beautiful and touching, and that lead girl is so impressive.  She's the perfect little no-nonsense child/teen, but yet doesn't have some sort of show-off attitude about it, and I really liked her.  When we got home I put the ingredients in the Crock Pot for White Chicken Chili so it could cook overnight, then more Fraggles.  Sunday was a lovely, lady crampy day for me, but it was OK because we mainly stayed on the couch, watching football then the Golden Globes, eating chili, and babying me.  I'm very lucky.

On Sunday we also booked a B&B for President's Day weekend in Newport, RI.  We'd looked at some different New England spots, but that one seemed the most interesting for a winter trip -- like, a summer destination town but quiet in the winter, with New England-y stuff going on (there is a Maple Syrup-tapping event at some local farm place, and also a Winterfest weekend going on while we're there).  We agonized over which B&B, too, but this one's rooms looked the nicest, plus we'll be in the TOWER SUITE and above us is a common-room in the actual tower, so we can go look at the harbor and meet the ghosts up there.  I'm very excited.  I also will try to not overload him with super-nerdy stuff that I want to do (shops! antiques! historical walking tours! maple-syrup tapping!) though he seems game for them, too.  It'll be great, plus we picked that weekend so we could drive up on Saturday morning (instead of Friday night) and then stay till Monday, the holiday, for a more relaxed trip.

Yesterday I had to work, LAME, though the retardceptionist called off sick (after spending the weekend in Atlantic City, hmm), so it added to my pain because I had to sit at her desk and answer the phones.  I may be due a sick day soon, right? 

Oh, and so I did smoke 3 cigs on Friday night, but then NONE since then.  It seems to be getting a little easier [knock on wood], like I'm not thinking about them as often.  I also weighed myself on Sunday morning and I was back to 134/135 ish, which means my pre-Christmas weight!  That was thrilling, though like I said, I'm not going to be as strict about the weight right now.  Yesterday I was extraordinarily hungry (so I snacked on an extra bowl of cereal, which isn't too bad), and I'm letting that go.  I also wanted to go to the gym last night, but come 5:00 pm I was so zombie tired that I just went home to lay on the couch under blankets and watch the most recent episode of Downton Abbey.  It probably doesn't help that I am not leaving the office all day, but right now that is the best way to avoid temptation.  Now that the retardceptionist is back with her pack of cigarettes for bumming, I will have to be extra strong.  I can do it!  I already feel very proud of myself.  It's been a week, and while I've smoked about 6 cigarettes in that week, it's significant progress.

So right, I should get some work done, but life is pretty grand for a miserable Tuesday in January.

Crankypants

Ugh, I'm in such a cranky mood today.  (Clearly you can tell I'm swinging.)  I seem to be taking offense so easily and just sort of sullen about things.  Stupid 'mones.  I'm trying to keep a lid on it (as in, not subjecting my near and dear to my sensitivity), and I'm doing pretty well, but not perfectly.

At least I can count down until 5 pm.  I don't have much going on at work today, and I've already exhuasted the internets, but I can look forward to Henna Party 2011 tonight.  Though I don't know if I will see Hike afterwards now, as he may head out to LI to see a friend.  We will still have a date tomorrow, though.  So right, food and wine and henna to come, though I'm going to have to be disciplined about the wine so I don't cave in and smoke a pack of cigarettes. 

So far, pretty good on that front.  I've had one a day from Tues-Thursday, and will probably have my one-a-day tonight at Schmillie's, but that's the next, last pattern to break, I think.  Four cigarettes in a work week is a lot less than 50.  (I was smoking about half a pack a day...)

Last night's Gayte was nice.  I had a delicious Pineapple Fried Rice with cashews and raisins and chicken at this place across from the Chelsea Clearview, and I met Hike's friends and then we saw the show.  Hedda just did an opening stand-up routine thing, and then there was a raffle (and the girl with us won Boy Butter lube...of course), and it was pretty hilarious.  She was talking about how the gays can be much more open now, and get blown on the sidewalk instead of behind a dumpster, and she yelled "We have Glee now!  Suck my nuts!" and that just cracked me up.  Maybe you had to be there.  But then it was the movie, with no commentary.  It started out a little slowly and Stevie was getting sleepy, but then it picked up and was really good and a bit spooky.  It's so cool to see a classic black & white film in a theater, too.  Afterwards some queen next to us got into a fight with an older lady behind him because apparently she was talking the whole time, and she called him a c-word, and the fight continued in the theater lobby where she sprayed his friend with roach spray (??) so the night ended with some appropriate drama.  I hate witnessing crazy people fight, though -- I feel like they might crack up and hurt us all at any minute. 

I was sleepy all night though, and it's funny how this quitting smoking thing makes me unsure of my normal self.  Like, I'm sort of always sleepy, right?  But fatigue can be a side affect of quitting...so what do I blame?  Same with irritability.  Apparently dizziness is another side affect, but I've thankfully avoided that one so far.

Anyway, yesterday also marked three months since my first date with Hike.  It's funny, because that sounds so short, but it feels like I've known him a long time.  I think that's a good thing.

So right, for today we must get through the afternoon, not cause any fights with anyone, not feel slighted by imagined offenses, and then enjoy the party with Schmillie.  I can do it!  And thank the Lord, I can sleep in tomorrow.

Good Mood Swing

Well I'm feeling rather jolly at the moment, and there's not an exact reason, but I'm going to just enjoy this upswing in my mood.  The combination of not smoking and PMS has been pretty lovely lately, so at least this is the benefit of the ol' rollercoaster.

Last night I snow hiked (fine, walked) to the library to return a book by the 6 pm closing.  Please tell me why they can't keep the drop-off box unlocked when the library is closed.  Fine, I know there are vandals, but there are also loyal library patrons who can't always get there during work hours, jerks.  Anyway, I dropped off the Nancy Drew biography (of the authors) unfinished, but it wasn't quite as much about Nancy as I was hoping.  I did have time to grab one of those Phillipa Gregory books that I think I will enjoy, as well as one by Anita Shreve.  I'm looking forward to reading them after I finish the book club book, and I'm almost done now.  I'm enjoying it for the most part, but it's almost like I don't care about the main framework and just want to know more about certain people's stories.  But it's interesting and a fast read.

Oh, then I picked up groceries after the library, stuff to make minestrone soup (with turkey sausage instead of the chicken it called for) and then my White Chicken Chili, which was originally Nora's Green Turkey Chili, but I use chicken instead and think "Green" sounds gross in a recipe title.  But the chili is delicious and easy in the crock pot, so I want to make it some weekend day soon.  It helps that Hike is such a fan of my cooking -- it makes it fun to show off a little.  So I lugged all the groceries (uuuggghhh always so heavy) to the pharmacy to drop off a script and pick up another, and buy MILK (more heavy) for the weekend, then home.  I made the soup with lots of yummy fresh veg, organized my pantry shelves, ate the rest of my lunch from yesterday for dinner while watching TruBlood, talked to Hike for a bit, then finally started the 4th disk of Brideshead Revisited.  I had never finished that series and it was hiding in my queue, but now that I'm back on the Brits, I felt like finishing 'er up.  I think I only have an episode and a half left.

It was a good night!  I do feel bad about still not getting to the gym, but since my diet has more impact on my weight than exercise, I decided it's more important to have healthy foods ready to eat.  Once I'm stocked up that way, and when I have free time, then it'll be gym time.  Also, walking in the snow was a bit trudging, especially when carrying billions of pounds of groceries.  That had to burn some extra calories.

Tonight is the Gayte with Hike, and I'll meet his college roommate and roommate's friend for the first time.  I think it should be lots of fun, and I can't wait till 5 -- we're grabbing an early Thai dinner beforehand, so the fun will begin right away.

And then FINALLY it's the weekend.  Henna Party (I'll bring rubber gloves and vaseline! TWSS!), dates, chili, Fraggle Rock, etc.  Le sigh.

An Illustrated Addendum

More reasons to quit (and quit cheating):

• I can have whiter teeth.

• I can carry smaller purses when I "go out."



Why Am I Here (and Where Am I Going?)

Well, this was one of those snow"storms" where the boss said "Come in if you can do so safely.  If you want to work from home, that's OK."  But yeah, I live in Astoria, not Long Island or New Jersey, so the gd honor code makes me feel like I have to show up!  Argghh.  This morning was productively spent cleaning out my inboxes (work and Gmail) and calling insurance companies or doctors' offices about all sorts of incorrect billing issues.  Stupid health insurance and doctors' offices.  But then a few of us went out to a nice lunch (why do we split it EVENLY when only two of you had BEER?  Not fair.) and now I have my window open because it's as hot as hell in here, but there's some Haiti protest outside that is riling me up and making me even less interested in work.  I just want to GOOOOOO.

I do think I'll leave a little early because I have an overdue library book, and why not walk to the library by 6 pm (when it closes) and then grocery shop instead of going to the gym?  That sounds reasonable, right?  Snow walking is probably even better exercise than regular walking -- kind of like beach walking.

I am happy to unexpectedly have a free night tonight.  I was supposed to be volunteering at our CSA, but the delivery was rescheduled for tomorrow (due to "storm") so now I'm out of it, and the roomie will pick up the veggies tomorrow since I have a Very Gay Date.  A Gayte.  This week's been nice so far, but I still just want to hibernate.  Monday I did my laundry and watched Downton Abbey, then last night Hike came over with leftover Sunday dinner from Grandma, and I made some veggies, and we watched my third cousin Tosh on Comedy Central then snuggled up for some Fraggle Rock and snow watching.  So tonight I'll maybe make another soup after the snow walk, then hibernate some more.

At least the Haitians seem to have ended their yelling.  Now I just have to stay awake at my desk.

OH, so I had one cigarette yesterday and I do feel ashamed, but other than that, I haven't smoked since Sunday night.  It's really getting harder, actually -- though when I smoked that one, it wasn't so special.  It didn't taste great or anything, and it made me feel like a failure.  And otherwise I've been feeling pretty proud of myself, and like a respectable citizen and all of that.  It's nice to not be ashamed of anything, really, even though I hadn't realized how much I was subconsciously while smoking.  So maybe now would be a good time to make a list of reasons why I am quitting?  Feel free to add any in the comments, friends.

• Obviously it is bad for my health.  While things like cancer and lung problems seem far away (knock on wood), the more immediate impact is the exacerbation of my Crohn's, stressing my poor heart that is also on birth control, and irritation of my gums.
• It is low-class.  I take pride in my ability to be something of a chameleon in this area -- I love dive bars and canned beer but could also fit in at higher society functions (or at least I've been believing this for awhile.)  But smoking is decidedly for the poors and rednecks.  It doesn't fit with my self-image.  And that said, my self-image has been changing a bit lately, too -- fewer crazy nights in trashy bars with trashier men, and more home- and family-oriented time.  I feel better about this change already.
• It makes me stinky.  I've obviously grown accustomed to the smell, but now that I'm dating someone whom I still want to impress, I'm more aware of smelling like smoke, and especially having dragon breath.  I am chewing lots of gum (which I'd do anyway) but I'm sure peppermint tobacco isn't a great mixture to French kiss. 
• It also makes me miss things.  I excuse myself to smoke and always enjoyed the break from work or the party or the noise or the difficult conversation, etc., but now I am leaving my dreamy boyfriend alone or missing funny things at the party, and I hate missing great stuff.
• I am thinking more about marriage and family in my near-ish future, and I certainly don't want to be a smoker for any of those phases of my life, when I'm "grown-up" and need to be healthy and happy and in great reproductive shape. 
• I was spending about $12 every two days on a pack of cigs (not including the drinking times when I smoke more,) and that means $42 a week, $168 a month, and $2016 a year.  Ridiculous.

I think there are probably more, but that's as far as I've gotten right now.  And my determination has been re-upped!  Any help, encouragement, over-dramatic praise, etc. would be appreciated.  Anything except smoke-shaming or berating, please -- I tend to respond negatively to those methods.

Oh, and I'm also trying to drink even less right now so that I'm not tempted, since nothing's better than smoking while drinking.  (I mean, THAT'S NOT TRUE, SELF.)  I didn't have a beer at lunch even though two of the guys did, but this Friday's Henna Party will be a tough trial.  So wish me luck, friends.  I mostly just need to not WANT those little cancer sticks.  I am better than them, RIGHT?

 

Monday Sucks Nicotine Lozenges

Good morning, angels.  How were our weekends?  Mine was really nice, but of course I feel like a zombie today.  Oh, the vicious cycle of sleeping in on Sunday, so taking sleeping pills for Sunday night, so being really groggy on Monday morning.

Quick week/end recap:  Let's see, where'd we leave off?  Last Thursday I met up with Schmess to see Black Swan, and while I was expecting a thriller with suspense and tension, I was not expecting it to be quite so disturbing.  It was really well done if you can handle some of the creepier/gorier stuff, but it was too much for me.  I kept thinking I was being followed on the way home.

Friday night I went with Hike to see his mom and her bf and we enjoyed chatting and tea and cookies in front of the roaring fireplace, and then Saturday I lazed around for awhile before going to get my nails did and then heading to Brooklyn to meet Schmillie for a drink, then down the street to Floyd for Maggie's birthday party.  It was more fun times with the Harpies, and then left after a reasonable number of beers (2 there) and cabbed it back to meet up with Hike and his friends in Astoria.  Sunday we visited his Grandmother for the afternoon (out past Flushing) and we got to shop in a suburban grocery store!  I was so excited, and so of course I stocked up on all the Weight-Watchers-appropriate snacks that I can't get in my hood.  Home earlyish for some Fraggle Rock episodes, then he headed out and I cleaned my room, put away the Christmas decorations, and sorted my laundry for tonight.  Oh, and commenced the blog purge, which took awhile.

So it was a really nice weekend, and I am very much enjoying spending more time a bit out of the city.  I'm working on planning a New England weekend getaway sometime soon, which will also hopefully prove restful. 

This week is already pretty full, too -- I have to do laundry tonight, tomorrow night I may see Hike, then Wednesday I have to volunteer at our CSA, Thursday I'm going to the Sunset Boulevard screening in Chelsea, Friday Schmillie and I are re-instituting Henna Party, and then Saturday is probably date night.  Whew!  It's fun stuff, but I'm glad tonight will be more mellow and organize-y, so I can feel on top of my life.

As far as New Year New Me goes, I'm still struggling with some holiday weight, though to be honest, I haven't weighed myself since last week when I was up 4 pounds.  I just don't feel healthy yet, though, so I'm sure there's a bit to go.  And no available gym nights for awhile, so I have to be better with the eating.  And I will be once these Godiva chocolates in the office are gone!

My main goal is to quit smoking, and today is Day 1.  I feel a bit ill-prepared, since I didn't do any big mental ramp up.  I need to do some more self-cheerleading, but so far it's been OK.  So while I'm in the early stages of this thing, I'm not going to be as conscientious of my food.  I can only be so disciplined.

Anyway, that's the situation here (back to the Shore!) 

The Purge

Just a note to say that I've purged this blog of the more personal details about my very happy relationship in order to preserve the sanctity of the relationship itself.  I'm sorry it won't be so juicy going forward, but I can only imagine how much I'd hate it if my boyfriend were sharing all sorts of information that I wasn't allowed to read.  I would go insane.  So to be fair, internets, I have to try and learn discretion.  Thank you for your understanding.

Back to Blech

Good morning and happy hump day!  I'm starting to feel like I belong in my New York life again, though just barely.  Let's catch up on the rest of my visit home, shall we?

Sooo Britch's Scottish boyfriend proposed to her on the Wednesday after Xmas, which was thrilling for all of us. Hike's highly-anticipated arrival was on Thursday, then home for fam dinner, then out with the friends, and we all got silly at Mutz (a bar) and he met the whole crew.  I think he did really well for being surrounded by strangers, most of whom were related to Britch.

Friday aka New Year's Eve, we laid around watching TV all day since we were hungover and had stayed up late, then went to a house party with the friends at Britch's house.  We had lots of fun though we were a lot calmer than the night before.

Saturday we drove around town for the afternoon so I could show him little stuff, and we stopped at B&J's house to meet their boxer (and my other boyfriend), Cash, and then at night we double-dated with my parents -- we went out for steak dinner and then to the local Walleye hockey game.  It was nice and very comfortable (though I think we were still low-energy from recovering from Thursday night.  We are so old.)

We all went to church on Sunday morning and then ate dinner in front of the Steeler's game in the den (to humor my dad and brother).

Oh, and Hike met my Grandma before she left on Friday, and she thinks he's a "nice young man."  He really got along with my brother, too, so all in all it went as well as it could have.  My parents are huge fans. The only embarrassment was caused by my friends telling him all my high school stories, of course.  ("Stephanie used to spit out milk at lunch all the time when she laughed, Stephanie has no butt crack," etc.) 

All in all, it was a relaxing and calm vacation, and I'm still adjusting to being back.  I think I'm a bit homesick still -- or maybe just relaxation-sick.  But I hate leaving my family at first, and knowing I won't see them until the summer, especially with my parents getting older, not to mention Grandma.  I mean, it's the only option, but it's hard right now.  Soon I will be fully back into the swing of my life here and feel fine, but I'm in that January funk right now.  Hike says we should plan something else to look forward to, and I agree.  It won't be CHRISTMAS, of course, but something on the horizon would be nice!

So Monday morning I flew in, went to work, then met the Harpies for dinner with our dearly departed member who now lives in Ireland!  She's visiting so it was good to be fully reunited and eat tons of great tapas.  Yesterday I grocery shopped to stock up the fridge and make some healthy stuff again (I think I gained 4 pounds at home, but I can feel that,) and then cooked.  Weight Watchers Cream of Broccoli Soup with garlic chicken sausage (for protein) and then I put together a butternut squash pasta bake for dinner tonight, so tonight I just have to bake it for a bit.  Hike's coming over for dinner, yay!  I'll also saute some spinach with mushrooms and onions for a hearty and healthy winter meal. 

We've made some plans, too, since it seems like the calendars are filling up.  I love having a boyfriend who will make plans!  We're going out Friday night, then he may join me for a friend's bday party on Saturday (tbd), we may go to Long Island to see his mom, and then next Thursday I'm going to meet his college friend and we're going to see a drag showing of Sunset Boulevard in Chelsea.  I am inordinately excited about this.  Apparently his friend was a bit concerned about how draggy it is, like I might be offended or uncomfortable, and Hike told him that I'd "get a kick out of it."  I was like Honey, those are my people.  It's going to be awesome.

I do have to reflect more on the New Year and what I want to do with my brain, so that will be another post, but this was the big catch-all.  Happy 2011, lovers!