Last year: 

How did I do?

1. Finished the cross-stitch. It’s framed and sitting in my office as I have no idea what to do with it or who to give it to. Doesn’t fit the decor of anyone I know really.
2. Obviously this occurred as I’ve moved to AZ and sold the house in IN
3. Er. Yeah. Restarted this goal as of November 28th. Has officially been 31 days with no Coke.
4. Found an apartment
5. Moved to AZ
6. Got a job that requires one of my two degrees and the brains of a monkey – close but not quite.
7. Found a house. Three bedrooms, 1.75 baths, attached garage and all tile floors. Close enough, eh?

I’m at about a 6 out of 7 I would say. Did you achieve your goals?

This year:

Short-term:

1. Continue going to the gym at least 5 days a week and preferably 7. At least three days of cardio, two of lifting.
2. Walk Mr. Dog and/or take him to the dog park every SINGLE DAY.
3. Stay off the soda.
4. Keep up with the chores – especially filing all that damn paperwork every week.

Long-term:

1. Pay off credit cards.
2. Reach weight loss goal (hopefully by October of 2007).
3. Paint at least one other room of the house as I’m getting bloody sick of ecru everywhere but my office!
4. Take at least one adult education class to keep my brain from stagnating at my monkey level lab job.

Got any good goals?

Not much to do and a lot of time in which to do it!

Luckily, I’m on my way home. Hopefully your holiday has been joyful and full of fun, love and laughter – and if you’re into it, lots of presents wrapped in shiny, happy paper with ribbons for the cats/dogs/kids to eat.

I personally love this time of year. Not just because I love presents (which I do because really, who doesn’t love to get things from someone? Not just because they’re things but more because that means someone was thinking of you) but more because I love that there is a time of year when people TRY. I wish people would try all year long – to be nicer, kinder, friendlier and more giving but, in lieu of that, I’ll settle for one time of year where people really are trying to help others.

I view this also as a time of renewal and new beginnings. I don’t so much view January 1st as the “New Year”, though that may be the governmentally selected day. I view the end of the year/beginning of the year to be December 21st. Aside from the fact that it is my wedding anniversary (obvious symbolism and easy date to remember, eh?), I just enjoy that it is the longest night of the year. From here on, the nights only are shorter and the time of light is longer. My monkey brain views this with much joy.

***

What is your favorite thing about this time of year?
Do you like to go anywhere or do anything special to you and yours?

***

As I previously mentioned, I like that people are nice(r) to each other or at least try to be. My favorite special thing is my tradition (of all of two years, but dammit, I’m making it a tradition) of cinnamon rolls and chocolate milk with my husband on Christmas morning. It’s tasty and then the whole house smells delicious.

I had been missing my buckeyes this year but my uncle supplied that sweet tooth of deliciousness.

*************

I decided to not contact the woman who has fallen out of contact with me. I do not need drama like that. It isn’t my job to chase someone around – and while I realize that life sometimes gets in the way and that things could have happened – I’m not going to keep extending my hands/heart/self and get nothing in return. So, if she contacts me anytime, then much the happier and we’ll regrow friendship from there. But I’m not hoeing that row all by my lonesome.

From Wild_Tigger_Kitty:

Crackpot – INTJ 20% Extraversion, 66% Intuition, 86% Thinking, 80% Judging

People hate you. Paris Hilton hates Nicole Richie. Lex Luther hates Superman. Garfield hates Mondays. But none these even rates against the insurmountable hate, people have for you. I mean, you’re pretty damn clever and you know it. You love to flaunt your potential. Heard the word “arrogant” lately? How about “jerk?” Or perhaps they only say that behind your back. That’s right. I know I can say this cause you’re not going to cry. You’re not exactly the most emotional person. You’d rather spend time with your theoretical questions and abstract theories than with other people. Ever been kissed? Ever even been on a date? Trust me, your inflated ego is a complete turnoff with the opposite sex and I am telling you, you’re not that great with relationships as it is. You’re never going to be a dude or chick magnet, purely because you’re more concerned with yourself than others. Meh. They all hate you already anyway. How about this- “stubborn?” Hrm? Heard that lately? All those facts which don’t fit your theories must just be wrong, right? I mean, really, the vast amounts of time you spend with your head in the clouds…you’re just plain strange. ***************** If you want to learn more about your personality type in a slightly less negative way, check out this. ***************** The other personality types are as follows… Loner – Introverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving Pushover – Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging Criminal – Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving Borefest – Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging Almost Perfect – Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving Freak – Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging Loser – Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving Clown – Extraverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving Sap – Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging Commander – Extraverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving Do Gooder – Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging Scumbag – Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving Busybody – Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging Prick – Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving Dictator – Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging

Mmmmkay ladies.
I have another question
this time about etiquette/friendship.

I met a woman when I moved out here off of Craigslist. We met sometime in May. I was in her wedding in October. We’ve been fairly close – we see each other about every other week and had been keeping in contact with thrice a week or so emails. She has the sibling to my puppy.

Right before Thanksgiving she turned into a bit of a flake. She couldn’t give me a straight answer on puppy-sitting and whatnot, so I found other resources. Since then, things have changed. She stopped emailing and she hasn’t called.

On December 2nd, she joined me in a shopping expedition for dresses. She said she would email me her new email address as her old one had been suspended. I looked forward to seeing her at my Open House.

No email. No show at the Open House. No phone call.

I called once requesting both her email address and her physical address so that I could send a Christmas card. No response.

I know that her semester at ASU is now over.

Do I reach out again? and if so, How?

New puppy pics!

I like 1409 where he decided to try to bite the camera!

General consensus: Cheese is freezable. So, cheese is frozen. We’ll see how tasty it is when I pull it out. I mostly use it for sammiches.

Mid-month goal update:
1.) No coke. This one, surprisingly, is going well. I did fall off the soda free bandwagon post-party and have some non-cola beverages, but I have been without Coke since November 28th.
2.) Walking the dog has been significantly de-railed by his limited activities post neuter. He was, however, given the okay by the vet today to be back on his “normal” activity level. So, we’ll be back to the 2 mile+ walks whenever I have time.
3.) Eating lunch out once a week. Erm. Sort of? Once week it was twice, this week it was once. But this is also not helped by the eating out with my husband on the weekends when we’ve been busy.

Add onto this my goal #4:
Gym. For that bloody $600 fee, I better go. My goal – 5 days a week. This week so far – two days. Not so good.

Next month, January, my biggest goal is to start actually writing down what I have eaten. (I’m trying to avoid calorie amnesia, which I KNOW I have….)

What goals do you have for this coming year/month/week? Remember, it supposedly takes better than 2 weeks to form a habit!

Query:

Can I freeze cheese?
I’ve got about 2lbs or so of leftover, pre-sliced cheese from the party. There is NO way I will finish it before it gets all dry, crumbly and green and fuzzy. So can I freeze it and then thaw it and use it at a later date?

Post-Party

I’ve got leftovers out the ass.

Becuase I am easily amused, I present from Daffodilius:

Oye.
So far today I have:

• Left purse on top of car while driving dog to the vet to get neutered.
• Realized halfway to the vet that I had done this.
• U-ed in the road, went back looking for purse all the way to the driveway.
• Continued to vet, purseless – which means: moneyless, phoneless, IDless and cardless!
• Dropped off dog – and got bill for when I pick him up tonight.
• Drove home, looking for purse.
• Got home and looked, on foot, for purse up my road and down the other road for about half an hour.
• Asked random people if they’d seen my green leather purse.
• E-mail husband about purse (because I can’t call him) and start making a list of all the things that have to be cancelled or notified that I have lost my purse.
• Got scared half out of my wits when my husband came back home right after I emailed him.
• Turns out, some nice man found my purse in the road and called my mom who then called my husband who then came home. I then called said nice man, got directions to his house and we (husband and I) went to his apartment to pick up my purse.
• I am very grateful to nice people who actually do the right thing and return purses and other such things. It was very sweet. And he had cute grandbabies.

And all this before 9am.

Note to self and to others = Never put your purse on top of the car. Just don’t.