Active Revamp

I regret to announce that I think I'm in another funk again... Hence my neglect for regular posting. Sorry. In all honesty, I've been really feeling the need to write, but haven't had a clue of what to write about, so that has been my shabby excuse for not writing. Dumb, I know...

Anyway, some updates!

Thanksgiving was wonderful. I hope you all had great ones also. Every year, my family spends Thanksgiving with my Dad's cousins and family, so they are my second cousins. (Sorry if that was a bit confusing...) We've grown up as close to them as cousins, and it's always a grand time. Truly a Hallmark Thanksgiving. We sit down to a feast, then clean up and visit, then have some dessert and visit some more. And then my Great Uncle Andy (my Dad's uncle, who is an incredible jazz pianist) will announce that we need to break out the instruments and get on with the annual jam session. And then we jam. Emmy and Greg play their violin and cello, Dad and Uncle Andy will play piano together, and usually I play too. It is so much fun, and we look forward to it every year with great anticipation.

So now that Thanksgiving is over, we can officially listen to Christmas music!! Caleb and I put up our tree this weekend. We were excited to see what Cillian would think. He was interested in it for a little while, but his attention span was pretty limited. It was close to bed time though, so he was tired. And now our Christmas tree is up! After Cillian was put to bed, we set up a game of cribbage and played by the tree while listening to Christmas music, snacking on oreos with eggnog (Caleb) and hot chocolate (me). Then we turned the Christmas music to some more peaceful tunes, sat on our couch, cuddled up together, gazing at our tree, laughing and talking, and just being. I love this tradition we've made.

As far as projects go, I haven't started the stockings yet (but need to), and I'm really coming along on some scarves for Christmas gifts. They're looking great!

Alright, I have a bit of venting to vent. I wish I was the kind of person who loved to clean and work hard around the house. But I'm not. I really am such a kid in this respect. I have such a difficult time making myself do these things. And it's great once I do them because then I a) don't have to do them for a while and b) feel good about being productive and having accomplished something. You would think that would be enough incentive to get me going. But no, it's not.

There are so many projects that need to be done - going through closets and organizing, purging of junk, etc. Mainly the organizing part. And I'm pretty good at that kind of thing, it's just that I create an even bigger mess once I start a project like that, and half the time I don't even finish it. (The whole starter thing again - I'm an excellent starter, but I can't finish something to save my life...) And yes, I'm just making excuses to avoid having to do any work at all.

So, the point of this rant is that I need to just humble myself and refuse to stay in this mold that I've stuck myself in. I can change! I don't have to be a lazy-good-for-nothing all of my life!!! I'm going to have a house to run someday, and honestly, the thought terrifies me! I can barely keep up with a two-bedroom apartment!! But, I can change, and I can start NOW.

I'm off to do some laundry for starters. Then maybe some organizing. Cillian's closet sure needs it.

I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday. I'll be writing more soon.

Cheers!


Here's the Quote of the Day:

"We advance toward humility by means of trials. He who rests on his virtue without suffering tribulation has the door of pride open before him."

~ St. Isaac the Syrian

A Drawback and a New Project

Apologies first off for not having been as consistent as I would like these last several days.... I really have not been all that motivated!

Some updates -

The running has been going really well. I'm halfway through the 8-week program, and I can already tell my endurance is starting to build. I love feeling capable like this.

I lost about 5 pounds last week within a few days, so that was a super nice surprise. Currently, I'm not exactly sure how I weigh, but I'm sure it's around the good weight.

A new development and unfortunate shortcoming is that I have a kidney infection of all things! I noticed a pain in my right side last Saturday night, felt feverish, later took my temperature, and discovered I had a slight fever of 101.3 degrees. My first reaction was dread that I would get Cillian sick with a fever, or Caleb. Better me than either of them!

Sunday night, I researched my symptoms and figured out that I probably had a kidney infection. Monday morning, I called urgent care and went in to get checked and they confirmed it. I got the antibiotics right away and have been on them for nearly four days. My side is still sore (almost a post-surgery soreness, but as I've never had surgery I'm not entirely sure...), but improving slightly, so I think the antibiotics are working. They said if the pain gets worse than it was originally, I should go to the ER. That would be exciting!

But I'm sure I'll be feeling better very soon. The sad thing about all of this is that I'm taking a week off from running, if not more time. It's absolutely killing my momentum. I was doing SO well, and now I'm slipping behind. I'm halfway through it, so all I really have to do is to pick it up again. But I'm debating on whether or not to repeat the last week of running I did and then go on, just to ease into it. Suggestions and advice would be very welcome on this subject. :)

On a very exciting note, I have decided to make stockings for me, Caleb, and Cillian for this Christmas! I'm super thrilled about it. I'm designing them and then I'm going to hand-sew them, since a) I don't own a sewing machine and b) I think it'll be more special. Yes, I'm aware that it will take me a considerably longer time finishing them this way, but I know I can do it, so I'm going to.

On Tuesday, I took a spin in Hobby Lobby (my favorite store) and found all kinds of wonderful potential materials for the stockings. That inspired the official designing. I'm not going to purchase anything until I know exactly what I need. They are going to be the most awesome looking stockings ever... I can't wait to start.

While I'm on the subject of projects and crafty-type things, I finished the scarf I was knitting, and now I'm on to some more knitting. I always have to have something going on with my hands. And that's why knitting is perfect for me! I bought a beautiful cream yarn as well as a deep wine red yarn in one of my favorite brands, Caron. It's so silky and soft, and it just makes gorgeous scarves.

So, I'm experimenting with some more knit patterns for these two yarns. I'm having a bit of trouble with the checkered pattern I wanted to try, but I'll figure it out.

Here's to recovering from infections, starting new projects, and getting motivated to keep working hard!

I hope you are having a thoroughly thoughtful Thursday.

Cheers.


Here's the Quote of the Day:

"Silence is golden - duct tape is silver."

~ Anonymous

Football Foolery

I think I might just be a genius. In fact, I'm nearly sure of it.

I've had an epiphany.

I was watching the Vikings/Packers football game this past Sunday with my husband, and it occurred to me that I was paying attention to the game because I wanted to - not for the sake of my husband. Ok, it was also for the sake of my husband. But I've come to realize that football is not all that boring to watch. Actually, it's quite a bit more complicated than I could ever have guessed.

However, for those of you who watch football (and don't follow it that well or don't care to) solely for the sake of the company of your man, I've come up with some useful tips on how to appear "clued in" to the game while you could really be thinking about other things. That way, you win regardless. You get to think or do something else while in the company of your man, but also make him happy by leading him to believe you're enjoying the game (based on the helpful phrases you're interjecting from time to time, which I'm just about to provide for you.)

First, a couple rules of thumb.

#! Brett Favre's last name is pronounced "Farve." Don't ask me why, but it will save much embarrassment for you (and your man, especially if his friends are present) if you memorize this crucial fact.

#2 Offense and defense are totally different sets of players from the same team (they just play at different parts of the game). I didn't learn this until last year.

And now, my top seven fool-proof, fail-safe tips:

#1 When a player tackles another player (especially one who is running with the football), and hits the ground hard, say, "Wow, he just got jacked up!" It will be just about impossible for your guy to think you weren't paying special attention. Also, never say "that guy." That is a total giveaway that you have no clue what said player's name is. Instead, always use "he" or "him."

#2 Whenever the referee says "Holding" or "Off sides," say, "Why are you making stupid penalties?"

#3 Always root for your guy's team.

#4 When a player is making a bolting run for the end-zone (where touchdowns are scored - touchdowns are very good,) start getting really excited and yell, "Go go go go GO!!" Don't just glance up at the screen to check for running players however - make for absolute certain that it's the players on your team that you're cheering on.

#5 During halftime or commercial breaks, when the announcers are discussing the current game, just say, "Get back to the game already... enough with the useless color commentary..." This is the "clued in" way of saying that you're tired of the gobbledygook.

#6 If you've taken a break from the game and come back into it, always ask, "What's the score?"

#7 Keep track of at least one player you know is out because of an injury. That way, you can say (maybe about halfway through the game, especially if your team isn't doing so hot,) "Man, I sure wish so-n-so wasn't out on a shoulder injury." Not only does this open the table for your guy and others to pick up the conversation, but you were the one who initiated it and it shows that you know what you're talking about.

* Additional tip: It helps to go to your team's website before the game to see which players are out because of an injury. Always make sure whichever player you mention is matched up correctly with whatever injury.

I hope that helps you the next time you want to score those extra brownie points while watching a game. And if you know completely what you're talking about (I'm a beginner), you may disregard this post entirely.

Enjoy the football season. Go Colts!!!

Cheers.


Here's the Quote of the Day. I thought it was appropriate.

"When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.”

~ Joe Paterno (legendary Penn State football head coach, age 86)

Three Years Ago

About this time, 12:15 AM, on a Wednesday morning, Caleb and I were in the middle of pulling our first all-nighter (the first of many, many to come).

A little background for you...

Caleb had been in England for about three weeks and I was a freshman at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music for piano performance. I was about a month into my college career. Caleb was going to be overseas for the next seven months, living and traveling.

Leading up to this particular conversation was lots of casual email writing and some facebook exchanges, both of which had become increasingly more frequent the previous weeks leading up to this conversation.

We had just discovered IM-ing a night or two before this, so it was our newfound favorite way of communicating. I would sign on once I was in my dorm room and do homework until Caleb got online.

So this night started no differently. We began talking at about 7 PM on a Tuesday night and before we realized it, it was nearly midnight. But though I had some studying to get done for a music theory test the next morning, neither of us wanted to stop talking. So we decided that we'd take a break so I could study for a bit and Caleb would watch a movie, and then we'd keep talking. (I did well on the test for those of you who were curious to know...)

We kept talking about things, cyber-flirting, all the while somewhat probingly hedging around a topic we dearly wanted the other to bring up. We kept saying things like "What are you thinking now?" "So, any questions for me?" "I'm an open book..."

Finally, the topic was opened and we started talking about being interested in one another and life goals and what we wanted in a spouse....

The conversation ended around 7 AM on Wednesday morning, October 24, 2007. We decided within those 12 hours that we knew we wanted to get married. Caleb wanted to write my Dad a letter asking if he could court me. We didn't have a timeline or anything, but we knew that we had never met or talked to anyone else whom we felt we could marry.

And that was what Caleb and I dubbed as The Conversation when we realized we wanted to get to know each other for the rest of our lives.

I didn't need caffeine to stay awake from that all-nighter. I went to class practically buzzed with happiness and excitement beyond anything I'd ever experienced.

And my life with Caleb has been nothing but exciting since that conversation. :)


Here's the Quote of the Day:

"There is no relationship between man and woman so close as that between husband and wife, if they be joined together as they should be."

~ St. John Chrysostom

A Penny for Your Thoughts...

For today's post, I thought I'd do something a little out of the ordinary... I looked up some of the most common day to day cliches and phrases, and here's what I found. I thought it was pretty interesting! (All quoted from www.joe-ks.com/phrases)


"Quick as a wink" ~ it was first recorded in 1825 to mean 1/10 of a second. (I never knew that a "wink" was actually a specific measurement!)


"Brand spanking new" ~ originally, doctors would spank babies when they were first born, so as to get them crying and breathing ~ means "new and unused"


"Can it" ~ abbreviation for "cancel it"


"Chip on his shoulder" ~ based on an American schoolboy custom, about 200 years old. When two boys were arguing and itching for a fight then one would place an actual chip of wood on his shoulder and challenge the other to knock it off. If the challenge was taken up, then the proper fight started.


"Dressed to the Nines"/"The whole nine yards" ~ Common lore has it that a tailor making a high quality suit uses more fabric. The best suits are made from nine yards of fabric.

This may seem like a lot but a proper suit does indeed take nine yards of fabric. This is because a good suit has all the fabric cut in the same direction with the warp, or long strands of thread, parallel with the vertical line of the suit. This causes a great amount of waste in suit making, but if you want to go "dressed to the nines", you must pay for such waste.


"Fit to be tied" ~ means to be very angry or livid. "Tied" in this case refers to being bound as in a straight jacket. The need for being tied is to control ones actions to prevent from acting on the anger.


"Hunky dory" ~ Huncho-dori was a major street in Yokohama that was frequented by American sailors on leave during WW1. To be in Huncho-dori was to be enjoying leisure activities, and having a good time.

Alternative: The archaic English word "hunk" meant "goal" and is probably derived from the Dutch "honk" also meaning "goal". To have reached one's goal is to be satisfied and happy.


"In a jiffy" ~ A jiffy is the unit of time it takes light to travel a centimeter in a vacuum: 0.0000000000033357 seconds, or (3.3357x10^-11) seconds, or (3.3357 times 10 to the power of minus 11) seconds. It's quite doubtful that if someone says they'll 'do something in a jiffy' that they'll accomplish the task!


"In the nick of time" ~ Even into the 18th century, some businessmen kept track of transactions and time by carving notches (nicks) on a "tally stick." Someone arriving just before the next nick was carved would arrive in time to save the next day's interest - in the nick of time.


"Mind your P's and Q's" ~ meaning to behave properly. Comes from the early pub days when beer and ale was served in pint and quart containers. The tab was kept on a chalkboard used to count the pints and quarts consumed. To watch your P's and Q's is to control your alcoholic intake and behavior.


"On the ball" ~ means to be on top or in control of the situation. The 'ball' in this instance is a baseball and the 'on' is the spin which the pitcher applies to the ball in order to make it curve during flight. On a good day there will be lots of spin and curve to confuse the batter. The pitcher is said to be 'on the ball'. The expression first appeared in print in 1912 and was clearly in use before then.


"On the dot" ~ means precise and accurate. This phrase comes from the comparison with the minute hand of a clock being exactly over the dot on the dial when it's precisely on the minute.


"Pushing the envelope" ~ to approach or exceed known performance boundaries. This expression comes out of the U.S. Air Force test pilot program of the late 1940's.

The envelope refers to a plane's performance capabilities. The limits of the planes ability to fly at speeds and altitudes and under certain stresses define what is known as its performance envelope. It's an "envelope" in the sense that it contains the ranges of the plane's abilities.

"Pushing the envelope" originally meant flying an aircraft at, or even beyond, its known or recommended limits.


"Rub it in" ~ Short version of "Rub salt in the wound". Salt in an open wound causes it to sting.


"Square meal" ~ British war ships in the 1700s including the HMS Victory did not have the best of living conditions. A sailors breakfast and lunch were sparse meals consisting of little more than bread and a beverage. But the third meal of the day included meat and was served on a square tray. Eating a substantial meal on board a ship required a tray to carry it all. Hence a "square meal" was the most substantial meal served.


"The cold shoulder" ~ In England, a welcome or important visitor would be served a delicious hot meal. A guest "who had outstayed his welcome, or an ordinary traveler" would get a cold shoulder of mutton.


"Wing it" ~ Doing something with little or no preparation. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that "Wing It" refers to the hurried study of the role in the wings of the theater.

Alternate: The expression derives from an unprepared stage actor standing in the wings and cramming desperately before hearing a cue that will force him onstage.


I hope you enjoyed those!


Today is a walking day, and I'm so glad for it. I did end up running yesterday and it went pretty well aside from the fact that my knees are still sore. I iced them again after I was done running, and I think it's helping. I'm going to try and be more conscious of drinking water (as in, drink more of it) today.

It's perfectly beautiful and sunny again today, and I'm looking forward to taking Cillian out in his stroller. He loves being outside, so the more time I can get outside with him before it starts getting too cool, the better. He usually falls asleep for the end portion of our walks too, which is always nice.

I hope you get outdoors today... it is so gorgeous! Rake some leaves or take a walk or just sit outside with a glass of apple cider. It is the epitome of the perfect fall day. I live for these days.


Here's the Quote of the Day:

"Many people suffer because they fail to receive recognition through vain, worldly honor, or fail to become rich in pointless, mundane things. It doesn't occur to them that in the other life - the real life - such stuff is not needed, nor can they take it with them. To that place, we can only take our works, which here and now acquire us a passport for that great and holy journey."

~ Elder Paisios the Athonite

Dilemma

The week is going pretty well so far. I didn't run Monday like I was supposed to, but I did run yesterday. My intent was to switch Monday's running with Tuesday's walking, but I never walked on Monday... so I kinda skipped for the first time. Yesterday went alright - I took Cillian out in the jogging stroller (its debut use), and ran outside for a change instead of at the little neighborhood gym. It was nice to feel the breeze and be in the sunshine.

I've come to a dilemma though. My knees are really starting to bother me (and I assume that's because my body isn't used to running with 40 extra pounds on said knees), but I really want to stick with the program. I've come this far, I'm halfway through week three, and I only have 5 weeks left until I've worked up to running 2 miles straight. I can already tell that my endurance and breathing are improving.

Yesterday, after my run - which I reeeeeally had to push myself through - I iced my knees for about 15 minutes and that seemed to help. Today they don't feel nearly as sore as they did yesterday. So, the dilemma being... do I continue with the running and just get through it (with the ice packs and possibly ace bandages for support), or just take a little time off and walk a couple miles every day to take it easy for a bit? I really, really don't want to stop now because I know I'll probably lose my momentum. And it takes me a long time to build up that momentum, so I'm scared I'll be back to being unmotivated or just check out by justifying my not running anymore.

I'm leaning toward pushing through with it and seeing what happens.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Cheers.



Here's the Quote of the Day:

"Whatever you may be seeking, seek it with all your strength, but do not expect your own search and efforts to bear fruit of themselves. Put your trust in the Lord, ascribing nothing to yourself, and He will give you your heart's desire."

~ St. Theophan the Recluse

Bum Monday

Usually, after a long weekend (which normally entails quite a bit of driving), the Monday that follows is unmotivated, sluggish, reluctant, and in all senses, lazy.

Today is not that Monday. Although it began late for me (10:30ish), I got up with the intention of getting my running for the day accomplished only to find that we had forgotten to take the carseat base out of Caleb's car last night. This wasn't as much of a bummer to me as it should be. Running is wonderful, but my knees are a bit sore, and I won't mind postponing it to tonight once Caleb gets home.

Also, said hubby accidentally left his phone today, which means that although I won't be receiving any very enjoyed calls from him, I will be playing with his phone. :) (It is an iphone 4.)

Along with coming home from an out-of-town weekend (this time it was Cincinnati to visit my family,) comes the mess of dumped contents from the car all over the living room. I'm going to straighten it all up and get several loads of laundry done too. That will definitely justify my not running this morning. It might also cover for my watching some favorite shows....

Thank goodness the kitchen is clean.

Cillian is taking a nap finally, and now I have the house to myself, some work to get done and a motivation. Good day so far!

I also need to knit a good deal today if I want to finish this scarf I'm making for a present. I ended up unraveling all of what I'd done (about 8 or 9 inches worth) since one of the needles slipped out and I couldn't figure out how to correct it.... bleagh. It was disheartening. But now it's going to be perfect. Absolutely perfect. No mess-ups whatsoever.

Now, the grocery shopping still needs to be done... and I'm unfortunately going to have to wait on that one until Caleb is home, which means we'll most likely make an evening family trip of it. I could probably start a grocery list.

I'm glad it's a Monday, and I'm glad it's a little slow, but I'm going to make it a productive day, because I always feel my best when I'm doing some kind of work with my hands.

So, may your Monday also be a productive one. :)

Cheers.


Here's the Quote of the Day:

"Begin gradually - do not trust yourself, do not depend on your own understanding. Reject your own will, and the Lord will give you true understanding."

~ St. Macarius of Optina