December 2008 - Posts
I went to Rite Aid to pick up a prescription today and I never noticed that Rite Aid had a wine section. There was a sale so I picked up 4 bottles of wine; Turning Leaf Pinot Noir, Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, Bare Foot Merlot and Bare Foot Pinot Grigio. I'm drinking the Turning Leaf Pinot Noir now. It doesn't have much personality at all. But I guess I was kind of expecting that from Turning Leaf. Anywho, I've been eating healthy and doing pilates for all of two days, but I was two pounds lighter when I got on the scale this morning. w00t!
I have a production install tonight, so I'm just waiting for that to happen, drinking a glass of wine, and streaming some oldies on the internet (Hang on Sloopy, Sloopy hang on).
I'm thinking about ordering in Chinese tomorrow night for New Year's, and having a glass of riesling. Maybe the kids and I will play some chess and then watch some movies. A movie marathon with Chinese and rootbeer floats perhaps. Sounds good to me.
Life is good.
I went to Dick's today and bought a 10 pound kettle bell, and a portable pilates studio. I've used both already, and that pilates is quite a killer, but I love it!
Oatmeal for breaky followed by 30 minutes of cardio in my living room. Hee hee hee! The exercise fairy visited last night and left determination and will power under my pillow! That first day getting back into it is always the hardest. After a fabulous week off, it's back to work now!
OK. I'm technically not middle-aged, yet, but I'm dealing with bulge issues due to my Christmas holiday indulgence. Mmm....Peach tarts.
Tomorrow I'm going to Dick's Sporting Goods to buy some kettle dumb bells and I'm also going to start speed walking again. I just gained 4 pounds in a week, much to my chagrin. Let the fitness routine begin! This blog post comes on the heels of stuffing my face with Aunt Liz's fantabulous cheese ball, so as of this moment I'm still bereft of self-discipline, but I'm confident that something will magically happen in my sleep tonight and I will wake up with all the determination and discipline that I will require.
I hadn't read the news in some time and I came across this article indicating various foods that are good for boosting metabolism and aiding weight loss. I'm perturbed that cheese isn't on the list. Hrumph.
I just finished watching the seven part HBO series, John Adams. It took me a while to get through it because the videos were always out when I would try to rent it. I finally got through watching the last two parts today. Wonderful! I was so engrossed in it throughout. At the end of it all, I'm left with a lingering thought. Thank heavens I live in the times of modern dentistry.
This website is so fascinating. It's a collection of childhood beliefs. Some of them are downright hilarious.
I loved this belief:
"I was always told that if the dog was wagging its tail, it was happy and friendly. If the cat is switching its tail, it was agitated and likely to scratch. I tested this explanation by forcing our happy dog's wagging still. It very quickly became unhappy and bit me. Voila! The adults were right. So, naturally, the next step would be to force the cat's switching tail to hold still and it would be happy... the results weren't what I was expecting."
I'm enjoying a yummy lunch of brie on crackers, with pot roast stew. All free. I've been using coupons and fliers lately, and I'm so addicted to saving money. Last night I shopped and got $237.00 worth of food for $139.00, and my freezer is jam packed. What I've started doing is getting the fliers for the 4 neighborhood grocery stores, and buying all the items that interest me on the buy one get one free list. Man, I'm getting twice as much food for almost half price. Yesterday I got 3 half gallons of ice cream for the price of one, for a savings of $10.58. Before I started doing this, I spent about $400/month on food for the three of us. Now, I'm spending $265 a month. The best deal is, I have more food than when I was spending $400, on top of spending much less. Since I have more, I only need to shop twice a month, instead of every week, so I'm also saving time. This rocks. I've found that by going to all 4 stores, I get just about everything I would need on the buy one get one free sales, and only need to buy about 3 things extra outside of that. Since I get the extra free item, I often only have to buy crackers, for example, once a month. When it's time to shop again, I still have items left. I have about 5 boxes of cereal and 4 bottles of juice in my pantry. It's really crazy to have more food, and be spending less money. I'll never go back to the old way I used to shop! Oh, and I paid $1.48 a gallon for gas today. It cost me $19 to fill my tank. I know that deflation is bad, but it sure feels good.
I just finished my to do list for the day. I'm overwhelmed just looking at it.
I have to go to Bi-lo, Food Lion, Lowes, Walmart, Hollywood Video, the post office, to my hair appointment, write my entrance essays for graduate school, fax my transcript requests, finish the December edition of the IT newsletter, email out my status report that I didn't get to yesterday, clean my house and do laundry, and do some online Christmas shopping. Oh, and I have to go to Barnes and Noble and Borders to get a couple of books... But that's fun. 
I will either begin graduate school in January, or March, depending on which program I choose. I've eliminated a third possibility that I was considering, and I'm leaning towards the Master’s in Communication & Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University. Gonzaga is a private Jesuit college in Spokane, Washington. This particular program is offered through distance learning, but there is a residency requirement that requires me to go on campus anytime during the program to take three days of classes on site in Spokane. I'm actually looking forward to doing that. I plan to make a fun trip out of it. Well, I need to go write my essays now.....
Peace.
I'm reading a really interesting book called, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. My boss lent it to me, and I haven't been able to put it down since I cracked it.
The book starts out with background on the historical viewpoints of which brain hemisphere was more important, differences between left and right brain dominance, and then goes into why we are seeing a shift in the value of strictly left-brained skills over right-brained skills. In other words, a great mind must now be androgynous. It talks about how abundance, Asia, and automation are creating this shift, much the way our economy experienced a shift from the industrial age to the information age. It's very interesting....Lots of great stuff comparing human brains to computers, and how computers are replacing many strictly left-brained functions (physician diagnoses, legal advice, software development, etc.).
One fact that really amazed me is that Americans spend more money annually on trash bags, than 50% of the world's countries do on everything.
The quote on the back of the book reads: "If it's likely that someone in China or India can do your work more cheaply than you can, or if a computer can do your work faster than you can, READ THIS BOOK." It's good stuff. Read it. You won't be sorry.
Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no talent, no self-denial, no brains, no character, are required to set up in the fault-finding business. Nothing external can have any power over you unless you permit it. Your time is too precious to be sacrificed in wasted days combating the menial forces of hate, jealously, and envy. Guard your fragile life carefully. Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can pull it to pieces. - Og Mandino
Today is my MUCH OLDER brother's birthday. ;-)
Happy Birthday Wayne! 
I'm learning The Wind Cries Mary by Jimi Hendrix on guitar. w00t!