Sweet Relief

We're finally past the miserable heat of summer.  Granted, it won't really cool down for another couple of months here in The Volunteer State, but I'll take what I can get.

And if you see me trying to eat cookies, candies, cakes, etc., please knock said item out of my hand.  Also, I'm now accepting vials of insulin.  Despite my watching an especially traumatizing episode of "Freaky Eaters" about a sugar-obsessed person (what?!), I'm still chugging away.

Have an excellent September.

Wishing for Au-gust of Wind

Hardy har har.  Maybe my calendar post titles are getting progressively worse as the heat gets oppressively...umm...worse.  Whew.  I think I'm delirious.

It's August.

My friend Paige is visiting toward the end of this month, and Lexie and James may stop by a weekend or so prior to that.  Other than looking forward to these visitors, I'm just going to try to chill for the next four weeks.  School will be back in session, which means that the morning commute (however short it may be, distance-wise) just got a little trickier.  That crossing guard watches me like a hawk.

Last month I was obsessed with popsicles.  This month?  A/C.

Why'd Ju-ly?

Get it?  Why'd you lie? 

Ok.  These titles are not easy, people. 

Here's what is easy.  Buy and eat popsicles.  Over the last few weeks I have rediscovered my love of popsicles.  And I never say this, but here is one instance where 'the cheaper the better' is invariably true.  To celebrate our delicious country, I ate five Bomb Pops in rapid succession on Sunday night.

How was your 4th of July?  I went to Knoxville with my non-blog-reading friend Emily and hung out with a couple of her rowdy friends.  Jk.  Sort of.  :) 

Sunny Days...Dreamin' the Day Away...

Summer days are here again.  Almost. 

Memorial Day weekend was excellent and relaxing.  Here's hoping that the rest of this season will follow suit.  Don't forget the SPF, people!

Update: This awesome calendar is from my pal Liz at Linda & Harriett.  You can even cut off the printed bottoms to send as postcards.  Here's the page for her upcoming 2011 calendar.  It's going to be just as spectacular.  Thanks for the compliment, Freck!

May Days

There's really no point in my pointing out how quickly these months are flying. It seems that the storied April showers have waited until...oh...today.

Here's hoping for a mild month for mothers and meterology.

JK, JK...

Ok, so it's April Fool's Day. That must be the explanation for how it's, well, April already. Or how my beloved winter seemed to vanish overnight. Or how I can try so hard at work and still feel completely defeated. Ha. Ha.

Monthends are usually a little crazy where I work, but this time around has been especially heinous. Instead of a list this month, how about a friendly reminder? Please be good lil' consumers and users of products. If you're dealing with someone in a customer service-type situation, whether it's in person or over the phone, remember that they're people, too. That's not to say that all of us customer service folks are friendly. If they're rude from the outset, that's another story. But you know what I mean. :)

Have a good April.

Marchin' On

I guess it doesn't really matter if you're having fun; time still flies. (Incidentally, I am having some fun.) Here's what's up for March's to-do list:

1. Seek out or make artwork for my apartment. I have lots of empty, white wall space, and it's calling out for some color.

2. Wear my favorite color on March 17 so I don't get pinched.

3. Continue my lust lists. I'm enjoying them, and hopefully you are, too.

February is for Lovers.

I'll spare you the usual speech about how I can't believe it's time to post another new calendar shot. And how the previous month flew by. And how I feel like I'm running at an incredible rate of speed.

Ok. JK about that last part. I don't run.

For this month's to-do list:

1. Get more sleep at night. I've been staying up until midnight here lately. If you see me on-line after 10:30 PM, please tell me to go to bed. Don't be an enabler.

2. Maybe buy a new TV. I know, I know. My resolution. But this is something I should buy for myself. I still have my sister's old loaner TV right now, which I'm completely grateful for. But I hear that HD is the wave of the future, and LOST just started back up. I'm already hooked I can't even stand it.

3. Exercise. Whoops. I know I said it last month, but I haven't done it. Not once. Not even a little. I am making my new pedometer jump, jump, though.

Have an excellent February, won't you?

Ring It On In

Happy 2010, you specs-y people!

This month I'm not making a to-do/not-to-do list like in previous months, but I thought I'd share some resolutions.

You may remember the first one. No extraneous shopping for Q1 of 2010. Yikes, but so far, so good. I realize we're only 5 days in.

I need to work on my fitness. It's been months since I've exercised, but I always love the way I feel afterward. That yoga DVD is calling my name--but very softly.

I want to read more! Now that I'm a bit more settled, I need to hit up the library (I've found two so far) more often. It's a great source for some free entertainment.

And I want to be more conscious of my blessings. I know I can sometimes get my gripe on, but I have my health and my senses and some cool people in my life.

Now it's your turn, dear reader. Please tell me at least one thing you want to do (or not do) this year. It will only take a minute. Honest.

(Note: You will be seeing this cool calendar each month. It's from my favorite stationer, Linda & Harriett, and I love it.)

Season's Fleeting...

My overhead lighting situation is pretty horrid, but that's an upcoming blog post. Please bear with my December calendar image as we get on with the to-do list! :)

1. Buy a few more Christmas cards! What?! How is it even possible that I have run out? Anyone who knows me has probably seen my stash of all makes and models of stationery and paper goods. (Confession: I have tons of cards, but they're still at home-home in the garage. Whoops.)

2. Really finish moving in. I know I just posted this last month, but I do not know where the time goes. It seems like I've had something going on pretty much every weekend since I moved. The weeknights are just...uhh...

3. Stop eating so much junk. Oh my gah. Just wait for another post tomorrow or so. Ugh.

What not-to-do this month?

1. Lose track of time. Ok, so that could go for most any month, but this time of year is especially fleeting. Sending Christmas cards, mailing baked goods, remembering online retailer shipping schedules? Whew.

2. Forget those who are less fortunate. We have an Angel Tree at work, and I have decided to not buy as much for those who don't really need it (you know it's true--I'm included in this list) in favor of spreading a little joy to a child who would otherwise have no gifts at all.

3. Ignore my new music purchases! On Black Friday I logged onto Amazon and scored four new CDs--by Norah Jones, Kings of Leon, The Swell Season, and Rachel Yamagata--for about $4-$6 each. I was pumped and can't wait for them to get here. Plus, I need to break out the Christmas tunes. :)

Have a wonderful December, everyone! Thanks for reading!

New Beginnings

I won't even try to say how quickly October went, especially in light of recent changes in my life.

Let's just get to the (somewhat abbreviated) lists, shall we?

On the to-do list:

1. Be thankful! What a great month to remind us of this. Despite all the crappy stuff that happens, we're very fortunate to have our freedom and to be able to afford things like Internet access.

2. Finish moving in. Ok, so my 'stuff' is pretty much at my new apartment, but it's not quite home yet. I'll be posting updates on rooms and areas as I go.

What not-to-do?

1. Get overwhelmed at work. Yes, I realize I posted this in September, but it holds true again. There's just so much information. Whew.

2. Find a broom handle to jab at the ceiling. The people who live above me seem to be alternatively moving heavy furniture, knocking on their own doors, and committing heinous crimes against nature at all hours. It's not ideal.

3. Lose sleep. My mind has enough going on in the background right now to mess around with unreasonable bed times. :) With that in mind, I'm signing off for now. Have a great November, and thanks for reading!

Bobbing for Daylight

What? October already?! I know I say this each month, but seriously--where did September go? I have no idea, but I am digging the chillier mornings. Anywho, it's to-do list time!

1. I'm going to Dollywood with Ann Marie in a couple of weeks!! Yes, there will be a blog post--or maybe even a series. Pumped.

2. Celebrate birthdays (again). Let's see...there's my friend Sarah's baby, one of my nieces, and my twin brother.

3. Eat more apples. This is the ideal time of year for that. Plus, it's one of the few items from the produce aisle that does not elicit snarls.

And what's on the not-to-do list?

1. Overdo it on the candy! Halloween is so great for buying (and enjoying) those little individually wrapped portions. Whew.

2. Forget to sanitize my desk, phone, and hands at work. Yuck. It still astounds me that customers will come in, hacking and sneezing, and admit to having the flu or other disease.

3. Neglect to thank my loyal blog readers! Tah dah! Thanks so much for visiting and for leaving comments. It really does mean quite a bit to me. Enjoy October!

First Comes Stumble...

Then comes fall. (Hardy har. Yes, I know.) But, honestly, when did this happen?! I know I posted a similar opening for August, but whoa up. *sigh* I guess I'm ready, though. Fall and winter are among my favorite seasons. And I realize that doesn't leave many others. You can guess where summer ranks.

Let's go with the to-do list!

1. Prepare for the new TV season. Ok--so preparing really doesn't mean much more than figuring out a weekly viewing schedule. I let tvguide.com/listings handle this for me.

2. Consider a closet purge. It would be a good time to go through clothes and shoes and donate some to Goodwill. They'll take books, too, but that one is a bit harder for me.

3. Remember birthdays! September is a huge birthday month for several people in my life. Off the top of my head, I'm counting 5 but should probably double-check. I probably need to go ahead and stamp some envelopes.


On the not-to-do list?


1. Allow myself to get overwhelmed at work. I started a new position about two weeks ago, and so far, so good. I just have to remember to say no to some things. (Sugar, notwithstanding.)

2. Forget to take some time off! The vacation day count is around 13, and I'm ready to cash in. :)

What's on your September calendar?

Truckin' Right Along

It seems like I just did a similar post for July, no? I don't know why, but these weeks seem to be flying by faster than usual. The local schoolkids started back today, which just seems wrong to me. I know it does to them.

At any rate, it's time for my monthly lists. Some things to-do:

1. Remember Aunt Sue. She will be moved to a nursing home very soon for what we're hoping to be a successful recovery.

2. Be grateful. This goes along with thoughts of Aunt Sue and yesterday's post, but it's something I really want to be conscious of. As crunchy as it sounds, I've often read articles about keeping a gratitude journal. Has anyone done this?

3. Consider attending the local county fair. I used to go almost EVERY night as a child, but as I got a little older (about 17-ish), the shine wore off. I don't know if it was the carnies or the phosphates or what, but it lost that spark. Now, as Holly likes to remind me, it's prime people watching. The county fair brings out citizens of every stripe--and their penchant for underwear-as-outerwear.

Here are a few things on my not-to-do list:

1. Neglect my fitness. Oh, humidity, how you pain me so! Plus, I need some peppy workout tunes. What do you recommend, faithful readers?

2. Buy things just because they're on sale. I struggle with this one because sometimes I stumble upon a bargain and save money. But how many plain black T-shirts does one need without living in Paris in the 1950s and smoking skinny cigarettes with reckless abandon? I could talk for days about this philosophy (shopping, not beatniks), but I'll stop for now.

3. Text while driving! Ahhh! This is a self-imposed no-no, and I found myself doing it yesterday. Even though I was giving my brother an update on the hospital ETA, it's no excuse. I could have had mom do it from the passenger seat, but--well, she doesn't know how. Plus, TWD is now against the law where I live.

Here's to a great August! Thanks for reading!

2009 is Halfway Over? Wha?!

It is crazy to me to think that this year is at its halfway point. As my pal Holly said a few days ago, it's only 6 more months until Christmas (!). I feel like we just put the tree away. Ok, so we don't put up a tree at my house--but at work.

At any rate, I thought it might be fun to make some lists for July. Here's part of my to-do list:

1. Celebrate America. Despite some of the junk that goes on, it's a wonderful place to live. No place is perfect--not even Nova Scotia. (I realize it's a province and not a country.)

2. Exercise more. Believe me, where I live, this is easier said than done right now. The temperature often breaks triple digits, with the humidity level not far behind. I just have to get a later start if hoofing it out-of-doors.

3. Try to boost my own mood. Without using narcotics, hired cheerleaders, or excessive sugar intakes, I need to remember to put on more smiles than frowns. This generally refers to my work face. I'm hoping that the summertime teller obligations will end with this month.

Oh. And here's what not-to-do this month...or any month.

1. Forget to wear SPF outside. I rarely head out in the daylight (very Twilight of me, no?), but sometimes I catch myself in the rays without proper protection. Tisk, tisk.

2. Let clutter accumulate. Whether it's e-mail, envelopes containing the credit card offer of my life, or books from Goodwill, heaps of most things are rarely good. (Noted exceptions: money and SunChips.)

3. Floss in public. Yes, a lady did that today at the drive thru window. I almost gagged a little in the microphone.

(That cool calendar was a gift from my friend Ashley. It's recycled paper and has a little wooden holder. Fun times.)