Paying it forward

Going through my blog roll recently, I came across an entry that got me all teary.

Here's how The Bloggess decided to pay it forward.

The past few days have been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted  and have given myself hives so please forgive the typos.

A few days ago I put up a post offering $30 gift cards to the first twenty people who didn’t know how they were going to give their kids Christmas gifts this year.  They went frighteningly quickly.  When I got to the twentieth person I saw that there were still a few more people who needed help and my heart sunk.  Then a few comments in one person said “I’ll take care of the 21st person”.  Then another person offered a card for the 22nd.  Then another.  Then it avalanched...

Amazing.  The Washington Post wrote up an article.

I don't feel like I go too big at Christmas, I usually just buy gifts for immediate family and occasionally close friends.  Though I try and come up with a list of gift ideas throughout the year so it's not just a mad dash to find something that will work for the recipient, about half-way through the shopping, that's exactly what it becomes.  Then I tell myself that next year will be different.  Maybe we'll have an agreement that all gifts must be hand-made or set limits on how much we're going to spend or pull 1 name out of a hat.  Bottom line, I think my loved ones enjoy the time spent together over the gifts received.  Need to remind myself of that so that I don't get distracted next year once the Christmas music starts getting played 24/7.

I'll write another entry after the holidays to let you know how the gifts given this year went over.  A couple of them are paying it forward in a way.

Thanks Bloggess for spreading holiday cheer and some major inspiration.

Survival of the Squirrel

Driving to work yesterday morning, along Pacific Avenue in front of Health Sciences, I saw a squirrel running across the road and thought it was doomed.  It had just crossed 2 busy lanes of traffic of oncoming traffic and was at the middle (at the curb barrier) about 2 car lengths in front of me.  Instead of running in front/underneath the vehicle, it jumped up and INTO the side of the passing car.  It bounced off, shook itself off and then continued it's run before the next car came along.  I doubt my explanation sounds as cool as the little clip I can still see in my head.  Was so happy my day started off with quick reflexes (lucky) squirrel instead of squished squirrel.

Happy Valentime!

I'm a fan of 30 Rock and loved the Valentine's Day episode where Jack ends up with drunk 'lady' at the end of the time who wishes folks Happy Valentime's.

Making small talk with a nurse the other day and she mentions she was born on St. Patty's Day, her son was also born on a holiday, Valentime's Day.  Thought I misheard, but she says it again later, her son was born on Valentime's Day.

Ah, it's the little things that keep me entertained.  :)

Key Lime

The house smells so yummy.  Graham cracker crust is cooling.  Limes have been juiced.  Trying out an Icebox Key Lime Pie, recipe from Cook's Country.  Won't be able to try it out until tomorrow, hope it's worth the wait.  :)

Crafty Weekend To Do

Doubt the sun will last through the weekend, so I need to come up with some fun indoor activities to occupy most of tomorrow while D is off to a Husky game.  In no special order (following the format of a blog I follow--can't find the link right now aha):

hit the antique mall for holiday gifts/ideas

take the birdie print to the frame shop

appt for hair cut (short notice for day of?)

copy and send recipes to sis-in-law Paige

gift for baby Ruddel

figure out turkey day plans

update my 35 while 35 list

research wedding venues-is somewhat local, outdoorsy & cheap too much to ask?

make key lime pie!

Question Consumerism

Made a trip to the mall today.  I really loathe the mall.  The traffic, crowds of people, strong smells, cranky kids, and cheaply made clothing most of which have been transported half way across the world.  Usually feel pretty gross after spending much time in a mall, but it was a necessary evil as I've had jeans and bras on my 'need' list for a while now.  Can't help but feel guilty, but I accept that I can't find everything I need at the thrift store.


To top it off, grabbed some fast food on the way home.  Boo.  I think I've just been a negative nellie most of the day since I had to go to work this AM (skipping out on yoga).  Not a fan of working on the weekends.  :(  Hmm, what sort of job is out there which would actually energize me, be something to look forward to?  My job isn't all bad, but I must admit I'm not feeling great about it.  It's become just a job.  I've passed the 2 year mark (honeymoon phase?).  I worry about funding.  Half of my salary now comes from the department as my boss couldn't afford to keep me full time.  But again, it's a job, which helps when I need to go the mall to shop (oh yeah and helps out with mortgage payments, groceries, benefits).

Ok, off for some yoga before bed.

A plan

Guess I should have come up with more of a plan if I want to blog daily.  My life just isn't that interesting.  So, 2 big projects on my plate right now:  wedding & kitchen redo.

Wedding basics.  D & I have been together for over 10 years and engaged for more than 2.  We both want to be married, but neither of us are very good at planning and I am way too indecisive (I'm a libra, I like to make other people happy).  Could just elope and get married by a justice of the peace.  Sounds appealing as neither one of us like to be the center of attention, but I'd really like our family and friends to be a part of this celebration.  A few things to keep in mind:  small budget, large extended family, and most folks are local.

Kitchen basics.  The kitchen needed work before we moved in and it's only gotten worse.  Biggest problem is the counters which were in bad shape when we bought the place and now it's 4 years later, they've only gotten worse (peeling, can't tell if it's clean or dirty, cheap-o laminate).  An option we came up with in the past was a huge redo, tearing out cabinets + moving the oven + other misc = expensive!  We had other ideas along the way, but were never quite satisfied with either the end product or the cost or both.  It wasn't until the latest Ikea catalog showed up when a huge light bulb went off.  We just needed the right unit in our kitchen to make it work!

Time to get organized and get planning!

Unknown

2nd day in a row of waking up early.  3rd day in a row of yoga.  3rd day in a row of blogging.  And I've been yawning all day.  And I'm sad because one of my best friends is going through a really shitty time.  A time where chatting online isn't enough and I need to go visit and give her a big ol' hug.

How do you out there in the blogsphere take care of yourself when life dumps on you?  How do you take care of someone who's hurting?

Day 2...

of yoga and blogging.  Alarm went off at 6, rolled out of bed at 6:15, and proceeded to roll out the yoga mats.  Darren suggested we get up early for some yoga before work.  Yeah!  We rock.  I admit, that this likely isn't going to be the norm.  Or who knows, maybe I will surprise even myself.

To help me on my yoga 'journey', I purchased a new yoga mat yesterday after class (30% off at my local studio, I think it was meant to be).  My old one was more for show, it was technically a mat, but wafer thin.  Yay, to a big girl mat.

Really enjoyed yesterday morning's class.  Sheri, the instructor of the all levels class, is very welcoming.  One of my favorite parts of Sheri's class is how she has us congratulate ourselves for coming to class.  There's just something about a structured class, a knowledgeable instructor, and getting out of the house early on a Sunday morning which makes the effort worth it.

Can't say I was as enamored with the yoga lesson we practiced along with this AM:  Basics & Headaches via Netflix On Demand.  Was a bit choppy, I prefer a bit more flow.  I didn't always understand the instructor and I didn't feel comfortable during the inversion poses.  I, ahem, have lost a bit of core strength over time and I can sure feel it.  But, still got a lot of stretching and basic poses in and I was feeling much more awake for the first half of the day.

30 Days of Yoga

One of the items on my life list is practicing yoga for 30 days in a row.  I go to a yoga class now and then and I have everything I 'need' to practice at home, but I still don't make time for it on a regular basis.  I've heard that it can take 30 days to break or start a habit, so why not try this with yoga?

I might have found just the thing to help me out with this one!  30 Days of Yoga.  This is a really great idea, love that I have someone to help me on this journey to get me back to my seattleyogi self.  Ha, maybe I can combine this along with 30 days of blogging.  :)

Now, off to walk the dog in the rain, then a yoga class (in a studio where I have already paid money for classes yet it's been a couple of months since I have attended!), a possible stop by Gather, a lovely little consignment store in Columbia City, then back home to sign up for my month long yoga class!

Good feeling about this one.

35 before (end of) 35

I came across a blog post of 30 things to do before turning 30.  I love lists though I'm not always so good about following through.  Since I turn 35 in 39 days, I won't be able to be quite as ambitious, but  I've come up with 35 big things I want to accomplish while 35 (I have until October 15th 2011).  I'll cross items off the list as I finish them.

1. Make a decent pie crust from scratch
2. Repaint the office
3. New blinds and/or curtains for bedroom
4. Finish curtains for office (or move from bedroom)
5. Research our possible rewire
6. Insulate the attic (get the insulation out of our garage)
7. Park a car in our garage (see #6)
8. Build a work bench for garage
9. Hem my big stack of pants
10. Take a road-trip with Darren
11. Yoga everyday for 30 days
12. Wake up early to work out
13. Go to bed earlier on a regular basis
14. Golf lessons
15. Buy a bike
16. Print out pictures to put in albums (and/or create photo books)
17. Take pictures everyday for 30 days
18. Blog everyday for 30 days
19. Plan a trip with Tina
20. Have people over to our house more often
21. Map the yard
22. Build a raised garden bed
23. Plant sunflowers
24. Update rock garden on side of house
25. Plan a Bisset & Flint gathering (before the wedding)
26. Window box outside kitchen window
27. Plan date nights with Darren
28. Gather family stories and history
29. Sign up for an art class
30. Sign up for a dance class
31. Sign up for a cooking class
32. Work on deck (reinforce, replace boards, repaint
33. Update kitchen
34. Stone steps in yard
35. Create another list for 36!

Playing around

I haven't read the manual for my camera (Canon S5) yet.  I should probably do that, as it can do a lot more than what I use it for on a regular basis.  For example, I played around with the Manual mode the other day.  Found the built in light meter.  Figured out how to change the f stop and shutter speed.  Found the super macro function (vs macro).

Playing around with the f stop is cool because the smaller number you choose, the shallower depth of field you will have for your picture.  Meaning, the subject you're focusing on is the only thing is focus, the background and possibly the foreground is out of focus which gives a much different feel/look to your picture.  Something which I see a lot in professional shots.  Just need to remember to turn back to Auto mode when I'm just out and about taking quick pics.  Had a few fun shots come out too dark or light--woops.

Haven't done any side by side comparisons (or as I mentioned, read the manual!)  of macro vs super macro but in general I love macro shots for taking pics around my garden.  Super macro shots will be even more awesome right?

Eye of Otto

Michaelmas Daisy

Artichoke bloom

Summer Fun

chompers
Originally uploaded by SeattleYogi

Summer Fun in Eastern Washington with my boys. Blowing huge dandelions puffs for our dog, Otto, to catch and chase. Love it.

Photo Friday

I know, it's not Friday, but I was looking through old posts and came across an entry for Photo Friday.  I used to post pictures for that site fairly often.  Um, 4 years ago?!  Was it really that long ago?  Being that one goal I currently have is to do more with my pictures and another goal is to blog more often, I will start posting pictures once again!  Yay!

Homework: Blogging

I'd like to get some more focus into my life. I feel pulled in many directions and don't think this scattered energy is very helpful. Though I'm doing, I'm not accomplishing. I haven't blogged here in over a year and I wonder if by organizing my thoughts here again, I can 'breathe in, and breathe out' a little easier. I'll be working on:

• planning a wedding!
• continuing to run on a regular basis even after I complete my half marathon at the end of the month
  
• signing up for another race (possibly a sprint tri?!)
• more yoga
  
• photography (pics with a purpose, projects, organizing and sharing)
  
• learning more and educating others about Aplastic Anemia (a rare blood marrow disease that my fiance diagnosed with in November of 2009)
  
• meal planning with our once-a-week CSA food delivery from Full Circle Farms.
• becoming more self-sufficient and sustainable at home (energy efficiency, growing our own veggies, installing drip irrigation)
• simplifying

On that note, I will sign off since I can't find my list I wrote up the other day regarding this post. It must be in one of my piles. :) Looking forward to sharing here again.

What now?

Now that I've run my marathon, what do I want to accomplish next? At this point, I have no urge to run another marathon (although if I could shave just a couple minutes off my time, I could beat Oprah's time). I would like to continue running. Knowing that my knees can handle running again was a nice surprise, it's just a matter of training and being in shape. I have signed up for an 8k next month. Seattle Torchlight Run. Some people are dressed up as pirates. Arrrghh!

1. Cook more at home
2. Yoga class once a week
3. Stretching every day
4. Running with Otto
5. Learn how to golf (lessons with Helen in the fall?)
   

Back to the marathon, I've taken a week+ off from running. Not because my toenails were falling off like some of my fellow JIM'ers (ouch!), but just to give my body a break. Turns out after 4 days or so I was feeling sore from not exercising. I was supposed to play soccer tonight, but I had a filling redone late this afternoon and my mouth is still numb.  Already some excuses, but sometimes you just take a breather.

Gone running

Haven't been here in a while. I'll be back eventually, but for now you can follow me on my marathon training journey. I'm just about 16 weeks into a 20 week training program with Joints in Motion and the Arthritis Foundation for the Inaugural Seattle Rock & Roll Marathon June 27th, 2009. Wow, that's coming up!

I've logged 280 miles so far, longest run in one go has been 15 miles. Wow, I never thought I'd be wishing I had only signed up for the half-marathon. :)

Running a marathon was never on my life 'to do' list. It was something other people did. People ask what is it that pushed me to sign up. I'm not exactly sure, just wanting to do something. I'm getting in great shape and making a difference to a worthwhile cause.

I originally signed up for the half marathon, and was reluctantly talked into doing the full. I told myself I don't have the run the whole thing. The group I'm training with is a good bunch of people. I can't remember if it was Tina or Sean who told me about the Seattle Rock & Roll. A band every mile. That's pretty cool, I like music. Run 13 miles, hmmm, I play soccer now so at least I'm active. Tina kept telling me that I'm a runner. I was a runner back in high school, what 15+ years ago! Once a runner, not always a runner.

If interested in donating to a worthy cause, click here.

Piano Man

Around New Years 2007-->2008

When you have parents hire a piano mover for the piano they are having delivered you assume the piano man will be dealing with the moving of the piano, correct? Not so if it's a piano man from the Tri-Cities. My parents offered us their piano. It's the one I played on as a kid growing up--9 years of lessons--belonged to my first piano teacher, she brought it with her to the States from Japan. For Christmas 2007 Mom & Dad said as my gift they would have the piano delivered. Wonderful! My mom mentions we may want to have a few people on this end for the delivery. Too bad I didn't really take this comment seriously. If a piano is being delivered I assumed we wouldn't have to lift a finger. I was wrong. My friend Tina was in town. With Darren and I, that's 3. No problem right? Delivery was supposed to happen in the AM. I get a call about 11 from the piano man. "Where are you? I'm lost. Quality Food Center. Satellite machine. Bad trip. Never doing this again. Cell phone low on batteries with no charger". Uh, this is the guy making the delivery? Great. I figure out where he is and give him directions. This tagged moving truck pulls up. D's outside and I see him jumping into the driver's seat of the truck?! This old man is now directing him to back the truck into our neighbor's driveway (we live on a hill and their driveway is even with out front door, our own driveway is even with the neighbor's below us). The driveway is un-even so the piano is difficult to move because of the angle. Darren moves the truck to a different position so it's more level. Ramp has to crush our roses and bushes though the piano man doesn't seem to care about that. By this time we figure out that this old man is the mover. There's a gal sitting in the front of the truck but she makes no move to help. With 4 of us, 1 being 80 or so, 2 of us females, I make a call to Sean who lives just a few miles away. Thankfully he's willing to help. The old man says, "oh no, we can handle it", but he can't even unbuckle the piano from it's ropes so it's not looking good. Sean arrives. Piano Man directs D and Sean into first getting the piano to the middle of the truck, then moving it down the ramp. The piano is on a dolly so it actually moves fairly easy without having to lift much. The piano is now on our front walk. The 'mover' uses an old door as the ramp up to our front door. Seems easy enough except for the lip at the top. We kind of have to lift the front end above the lift. We push the piano into our house. When the back end of the piano gets to the lip, it gets stuck again. This time with Tina's foot wedged between the lip and the piano wheels. I'm starting to freak--great we're gonna break a runner's foot! She says it's fine and luckily we are able to back the piano up, get Tina's foot out and get the piano in our house. Not quite done though. The piano needs to be taken off the dolly. Mover tells Darren to lift his side. He does, mover tries to get the dolly out but it doesn't budge. Tells D to lift higher. Um, he's lifting a freaking piano as high as he can! After telling him higher a couple more times, he then says oh, maybe Sean should lift his end. He does and this time the dolly slides out. We wheel the piano into it's place and it hasn't moved since. Yay for friends helping out! Boo to this supposed piano mover or at least my parent's choice in a piano mover. Next time, professional piano movers.

33

I think this will be a good year. 33 is a good number. 32 wasn't so bad either. I got a new job I get a kick out of. I traveled to Italy where a good friend of mine got married. I got engaged to a wonderful man, on a rooftop terrace overlooking Venice with lightning and fireworks in the sky. I got a dog who loves to play in the snow. My fiance's (still not used to using this term) brother had a beautiful daughter. My dad had heart surgery which was incredibly scary but he's recovered and is feeling great. D and I went to the coast in January (remember that Henry Weinhard's commercial?). I got a fancy new camera. I look forward to planning a fun wedding. I'm not a great planner so this should be interesting. I look forward to getting into some sort of exercise routine this fall and winter. I'll continue to play soccer through winter, but I will be adding yoga, snowboarding, daily stretching, weights, swimming, running... Ha, we'll see about all that. Intention has been there since D and I talked about coming into work early/staying late to work out at the IMA since we commute together now. I'd like to spend more time with family and friends and take better care of my home. Maybe have a housewarming. Document a bit more of my life here on this blog. On that note, I think I'll sign off. It's time for pizza, salad, wine, brownies for dessert, a bit of Thursday night TV, starting up the Twilight series, and snugglin' with my babe.

Farewell

All of you out there who read my blog or have ever talked to me know I was never in love with my job. Worked in a basement, politics, long commute. Well, I'm finally moving on. To what exactly, I don't know. I was there for just about 4.5 years. A long time at a so-so job. But there aren't many perfect jobs out there. I liked my co-workers and a job with a decent salary and benefits is always a good thing when you have a mortgage. I'll likely stay with UW, but am not sure what department yet. I've had official interviews with one group, an unofficial invite from another, and have heard through the grapevine that my current group actually wants to keep me. I'll be working half time for a couple weeks (another doc who took me on after we had our flood) but I hope by mid-July to be at my new job. Even without the layoff, work has been such a strange place for a while. Our lab is still shut down, it's been 6 months since the (first) flood. Work is slow, folks have been antsy. Morale hit an all time low when the layoff announcements were made. Layoffs didn't actually happen for another month after that, but the dominoes have been falling. My last day was Friday, another worker is quitting this Friday, another is finished with his PhD and heads home overseas, and a few others are hoping to get out soon. The bosses have been out of town off and on for a couple weeks at conferences. I wasn't given any instruction on who would be taking over my duties.

A few of my co-workers took me out Friday night. I was hungover for most of Saturday, but at least I remember how I got home. See if you can tell who may have had too much to drink (don't worry, he got a ride home!). Thanks for a fun night out.