Challenge: Restaurant-free February

After Kit and I had a brief discussion tonight about all of the expenses coming up for February, it became pretty clear that between paying for rent, utilities, car insurance, and taking Mogget to the vet, next month was going to be a little tight financially. And by a little tight, I mean really tight.

As a result of this oncoming, even-more-broke-than-usualness, we’ve decided to put a ban on dining out for the month of February. This means no fast food, no restaurants, and no buying snacks from that damnedly convenient store right next to the Starbucks in the library. We eat out way, way too much, and not only is this totally bad for our inside bits, it’s also pretty bad for those things called wallets. So, tomorrow and Tuesday are our last opportunities to enjoy the luxury of dining out, and then the ban goes in full-force February 1st.

Luckily, even easy peasy things like frozen pizza count in this challenge. Thank goodness for that, since that’ll  probably be what saves us when we nap too long and don’t feel like cooking anything difficult.

Alright. Let’s do this thing.

———-

In other news…here is something adorable to help start the week off right.

Tags: adorableness, challenges

Hey, wait a minute…

I got paid a few days ago for typing up a transcript for a professor in my department, and I decided to head over to Sephora to get some makeup that, you know, was actually the same color as my face.  I’ve got some MAC stuff, but it’s the wrong color, wrong undertone, and it makes me look a little bit like this:

Sexy, right? Any way.

I enlisted the help of a very friendly sales associate who helped me pick out some new stuff that worked, and halfway through, our conversation turns in this direction:

Sales Associate: Now, I notice you’ve got some really dark under eye circles–I don’t want to point it out to be rude, don’t worry!!! You’ve just got such pretty fair skin that any darkness under there will show right up. Just bringing it up, since I’m a momma too, and I know how it shows when you’re tired.

Me: Ok, cool! Thanks!

It wasn’t until I was standing in the bathroom after my shower, prodding at my puffy, dark under eye circles, running this particular conversation through my head that I actually realized what exactly was said.

Oh. My. GOSH.

Do I really look so tired, frazzled and old that people think I have children?!? Do I?

I don’t have kids, obviously. But I am pretty exhausted all the time.

Does a thesis count as a sort of baby?

Tags: exhaustion, grad school, makeup, sephora, thesis

Ugh, it’s that time of the year…again.

Right now, I’ve hit that point in the school year where I’ve barely started the new semester, but I’m already ready to call it quits. This usually happens fairly early in the spring semester (Whaddya know, I’ve only completed my first week of classes) and I typically decide that once this degree is done, I’m done. This always happens every single year. I begin to feel melancholy and weird for no reason at all, and begin evaluating my life choices under this cover of gloom. I typically try to avoid making any big decisions until March/April since I’m in such a weird mood.

Yeah, this is how I feel during the spring semester. Thanks, Hyperbole and a Half.

But we all know that’s unlikely to happen. Once I finish the semester and have a nice long summer break, I’ll be ready to start my final year and begin applying to some other graduate programs so I can be a student until I’m 30.

I think part of the reason I’m feeling this way is because I already know I’m going to have a much larger amount of work to do this semester for all of my courses compared to last semester. Plus, this spring I have to develop a thesis proposal and defend it.

It also doesn’t help that Knoxville weather has been extremely disgusting ever since we’ve arrived back from Texas. There have been a very tiny amount of bright, sunny days with vibrantly blue skies, but mostly it’s been cold, rainy, gray, and just very, very blah. I’m pretty sure that once things start clearing up weather-wise, I’ll stop being so sulky and melodramatic all the time.

Once again, thanks Hyperbole and a Half for these awesome and crudely drawn pictures that exhibit my feelings.

Anyway, that’s that. In other news I:

• Lost my camera. It is probably buried somewhere beneath piles of crap.
• Have already failed at working out everyday, but I am playing catch up. There were days I was feeling crummy, just didn’t fit into the schedule, etc. So, once I catch up (which means I have to work out twice a day for the next two days) I’ll be well on my way to obtaining some lady weightlifting shoes.
• Started my second semester of grad school! I got off pretty easy last semester as class difficulty goes. The lineup for this semester is Research Methods, Forensic Science and Human Rights, and Advanced Criminology. Plus, this semester I get to figure out what I want to write about for my thesis, whether I want to stay in criminology or try for a PhD in anthropology, or if I want to take the Master’s and get the hell out of school and get a job.
• Got to watch over Sampson while Kaitlyn was at the AIA conference. He is such a sweet kitty! It makes me wish we were in a house so we could have another cat…or maybe a dog? I’ve been wanting a corgi for so long.

 

Resolutions…here we go.

Typically, I try to avoid making New Year’s resolutions. January goes great, and during the following months there is almost assuredly sudden failure. But whether or not I really want to make changes, the truth is that I need to make changes. I’ve come up with a few things. Some of them are changes I need to make, and some of them are simply goals I’d like to reach. But whatever they may be, I’m hoping they all work out for me.

Get Healthier

Usually if I make a health-related resolution, it’s the vague and ambiguous “lose weight”.  While this is definitely something that needs to happen, it really isn’t going to get done unless I make some other changes first, such as:

• Drink more water. A hell of a lot more water. I used to rarely drink soda or sweet tea, but now those are my downfalls. Curse you, empty calories! I will be thwarted by you no longer!
• Cardio. Every. Single. Day. Something that absolutely needs to happen.
• More fruit+more veggies= awesomeness. This will start off by making sure I start every meal with a salad.

Reinstate Old Habits

Not everything I did in high school was awesome. In fact, I made a lot of stupid decisions. Most of them fashion related (anyone remember the rainbow knee-high socks paired with Chuck Taylors, old lady capris, and a Pirates of the Caribbean shirt? I DO.), but anyway. I did some good stuff. Stuff I would like to start doing again.

• Working out everyday, sometimes more than once. I would usually start off with Pilates, and then do about 45 minutes of cardio. This was often a workout video, since you really didn’t want to take a jog outside because people let their semi-aggressive dogs roam the roads. Anyway, working out everyday needs to make a comeback.
• Waking up early. In high school, I woke up everyday at 6 AM. Now, I’m up about 3-4 hours later. Holy crap! Imagine how much could get done if I woke up that much earlier. The days would probably seem infinite.
• Spending less time on the computer and watching television. Back when I lived with my parents, this wasn’t difficult to accomplish. Satellite internet only came along for us shortly before I left for A&M, so for much of my life at home we were stuck with dial-up. Since it took a couple minutes for a webpage to load, not much time was wasted on the internet. We didn’t have cable tv either, so we only had the 5 basic channels available in our area. Because I didn’t spend time on these things, I spent my days doing other stuff–studying, reading for funsies, writing bits of fiction, making all sorts of assorted crafts, riding my bike, working out, and so on.

Join the 500 Pound Club

Because if I can do that, I’ll be well on my way to becoming the fattest lady in the world!!

Just kidding, just kidding. That is totally not what I’m trying to do. The 500 pound club is a weightlifting thing, and it refers to the total of your bench, squat and deadlift equaling 500 pound or more. Here are my current stats:

Bench press: 90 pounds

Squat 110 pounds

Deadlift: 170 pounds

Total: 370

So, while I may not be too super far away from the total goal of 500 pounds, it will definitely take me awhile.

Now, if Kit gets me these shoes, I could make some serious progress on my lifting…

Good luck to everyone working on their own resolutions!

UPDATE: Kit said that if I work out everyday for the month of January, no skips, then I’ll have earned the weightlifting shoes. Whoo!

UPDATE AGAAAIN: So, working out everyday didn’t happen, mainly because school started and it took me a few weeks to establish a rhythm. But…once I reach the 425 pound club, then I’ll be picking up some of those bad boys (or girls!). That’ll definitely take me awhile.

Tags: awesomeness, resolutions, weightlifting

Another year done already?!

Holy crap! 2012. In an hour. Where did 2011 even go? I can still clearly remember sitting in the recliner in my parent’s living room back home, writing my new year’s post for this past year. All in all, this past year was pretty amazing for me. Here’s a rundown of the major events of 2011:

• I graduated from Texas A&M University with a BA in Anthropology and History. A double major, and I still managed to graduate in 4 years! For my entire senior year, I was so ready to get out of College Station. Now that I’m gone, I do find myself missing BCS sometimes.
• I married my best friend in an awesome and gorgeous wedding at Surfside Beach.
• After aforementioned awesome wedding, Kit and I went on a Carnival cruise out of Galveston. It was a first cruise for both of us, and the Conquest took us to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. All of our expeditions were chosen blindly, and we had a totally amazing time on all of them. Another cruise in the future is a must!
• At the end of June, Kit and I packed up the cats and the tortoises and made the move to Knoxville.
• After enjoying lazing about for a month and a half (seriously, this was the first summer in about five years that I haven’t taken classes and/or worked) I started a Master’s program.
• I met some really cool people and made some really amazing friends this semester.
• I found that grad school is a totally different game, learned a ton of new and interesting things, and finished up my first semester with what I think are pretty decent grades considering this was my first semester of grad school and I don’t even have a BA in sociology.
• About a week and a half ago, we packed everything up and headed to Texas to visit my family. Seeing everyone was definitely the highlight of the trip, but seeing the King Tutankhamen exhibit at MFAH was absolutely fantastic. I always wanted to be an Egyptologist, so that was absolutely thrilling.

———-

Typically with a New Year’s Eve post there’s a section on resolutions, but I haven’t gotten around to hammering mine for 2012 out yet. So, you can expect a post lining those out in the next few days or so. As far as my 2011 resolution of not worrying so much, I think it went pretty great. It may have affected my grades for my last semester of undergrad (quite a few B’s), but I think overall I became much for laid back. For instance, I opened a new bank account, but information that was supposed to come a few weeks ago still hasn’t arrived. Instead of stressing out over it, I just told myself that I can call them next week and everything will be fine.

Anyway, resolutions will come later. Currently, I’m busy watching Adventure Time with Kit. We decided to stay in, since the downtown option involved dealing with lots of kids and Old City will be filled with drunken douches. Plus, we were still pretty tired after all of the traveling we’ve been doing.

For now my friends, I leave you with this. A very happy New Year to you and yours!

Tags: grad school, music videos, new year, rundown, Texas A&M

A brief update.

Has it really been that long since I’ve updated my blog? I tend to do that–post consistently for awhile, and then let things die for a few months. Since the fall semester is over and I’m left with no schoolwork, look forward to this brief spurt of posts! I don’t really feel like making this a long one, so I’m going to get this done in bulletpoints:

• We visited Kit’s family last weekend. All in all, a fun time. While we were there, we checked out a Rembrandt exhibit at the North Carolina museum of art and celebrated his little sister’s 19th birthday.
• I successfully finished up my first semester of grad school! I got two As, and one B+. The B+ came from my reserved nature during class discussions, but hey- I still think I did pretty well with the amount that I did contribute considering I’ve been an exceptionally quiet person my whole life.
• Kit and I got into the show Community, which is amazing. Amazing! Clever humor and lots and lots of pop culture references.
• We saw The Civil Wars in concert. I bought the tickets off of stubhub so I definitely paid a bit too much for them, but it was worth every penny. They are so exceptionally talented.

I think those are the most exciting things that have happened. I’m sure there’s other stuff that happened and would be worth sharing, but honestly…I can’t remember anything else. So that’s all you get.

Tags: grad school, music, rundown, travel

Awkward and Awesome: September 20, 2011

Awkward

• I woke up sick, and I stayed sick all day. Gross.
• This afternoon, a weird red blotch that burned magically appeared on my hand. Unable to think clearly and unsure of what to do, I decided to lick it. So I did. Then my tongue started burning.
• Not getting any work done. At all. Now this means I have a ton to do tomorrow. See kids, being sick and staying home from school really isn’t all that great.

Awesome

• Season 2 of Modern Family arriving in the mail. Thanks mom!
• Not having to drive up to campus. I guess being sick saved me a little bit of gas?
• Kit getting home from work early. Yay!
• An early birthday present, a super cozy sweatshirt with the cover of George Orwell’s 1984 on it, arriving from my awesome brother Ben. Pictures will come.

This little guy is awesome! You fill the basket with loose tea leaves, and then pop him in a mug of hot water, and he’ll float around and make tea.

Tags: awkward and awesome, birthdays, illness

Awkward and Awesome: Sunday September 4, 2011

Awkward

• Not being able to do laundry because of the rain. We have a clothesline, which is awesome sometimes, but at the moment, it isn’t. I’m running out of pants.
• Getting all depressed at the end of Captain America.
• This weird knot in my back, which is causing pain not only in my back, but in my right arm as well.
• Putting off all of my schoolwork…again. Ok, this might actually be kind of awesome since I got to enjoy a nice, lazy Sunday.

Awesome

• RAIN! It’s been so hot and dry lately, and we’ve had quite a few rainy days recently that have brought a nice drop in the temperature.
• Homemade chili for dinner. Super tasty.
• Spending some of our morning at a new flea/farmer’s/craft market that just opened up a few weeks ago. We came home with some homemade orange cream fudge and sourdough bread. Delish!

At the Chattanooga Aquarium, they have one building that’s called the River Adventure. This is the floor of that section. It’s one giant pool with walkways running over it. Pretty cool.

Awkward and Awesome: Let’s try this out.

I’ve neglected my blog for a really, really long time. I don’t really have a good reason for not writing about anything during the summer when I was sitting on my ass basically doing nothing (maybe since I wasn’t doing anything I didn’t have anything to write about? We’ll go with that.), but since I’ve started my Master’s program a few weeks ago, I’ve already been swamped with readings and assignments. So, instead of writing paragraphs of crap, I’m going to try something another blogger does. It’s called Awkward and Awesome, and what it boils down to is the awkward portion consists of the lame, not so fun things that have happened recently, and the awesome is, well, the awesome stuff that’s happened, and it usually concludes with some sort of picture at the end.  Here’s my first attempt:

Awkward

• Waking up this morning to find that the AC is broken, and coming home to find that it’s 81 degrees in our townhome. Not cool. (har har har)
• Being totally, utterly lost during my sociological theory class, because nearly all of the examples given used various science fiction films, and I am not very well acquainted with that genre. At all.
• Spending my entire day on campus, sitting in a very uncomfortable plastic chair, hunched over the desk in my study carrel. I have the back of an 80 year old, so that just about killed me.

Awesome

• Getting a ton of work done for this week. I guess getting to campus early pays off!
• My hour long post class nap. Felt amazing.
• Realizing that I can lift twice as much weight as the bros at the gym.
• More weightlifting greatness: finally going up in weight on my overhead press! It’s a really difficult lift to increase weight on, and after weeks of being stalled, I finally managed to complete a set with increased weight. It went slowly, and it was painful and unpleasant at times, but I did it.

Zea mays (corn) photo I took for the reference slides that I made for my senior thesis last year. These are what starch granules in corn look like. Pretty cool, huh?

resolutions for the new semester.

-Wear a real bra. At least 90% of the time. Or maybe just on the days that I have classes. Maybe I should have Kit hide my sports bras from me or something.

-Start wearing clothes that are more adult-ish. Which means no more yoga pants. No more t-shirts with cats on them.

-Wake up at a decent hour. And by decent, I meant before 9. Or 10. Or 11.

-Stop waiting until the last minute to do everything.

-Keep working out everyday. If I can find the time to nap, I can definitely find the time to work out.

-Oh, yeah. Stop napping so much. I’m not in kindergarten.

-Get the most out of this experience. I’ve been presented with a really amazing opportunity, and I definitely need to make the most of it.

 

Hopefully grad school will be an enriching, fulfilling experience. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go hide my Hello Kitty Vans and online shop for some fancy grown up clothes at Ann Taylor.