One of my many sources of income is from a receptionist position at a gym. You'd think that, with unlimited access to fitness equipment, I'd work out all the time and be pretty in shape. You would be wrong.
I did work out for a while, back when I first started working there. I had my upcoming vacation to Florida to look forward to and to look good for. I even did an ok job of eating healthy and exercising once I got down there...for the first two days, that is. Once I got back, I made an attempt to get myself back on track, but was quickly derailed by a bout with a serious stomach flu.
After being wiped out by the anti-nausea drugs and other things, I never got back into the habit of exercising. Months passed. I let my busy schedule become an excuse. I gained a few pounds and started to feel unhappy with the way my clothes fit. I decided that I couldn't go to NYC this summer looking less than my best, since it is a rather fashionable city and The Writer is living blocks from the garment district (Yay!). I may not be able to afford couture, but I can try it on, and when I do, it better fit.
I gave myself until after his departure to return to my regimen. After all, I was busy and didn't want to miss a single second with him. Today, in the effort of preventing dressing room meltdown, I put my butt on a bike at work and pedaled away. Actually, I didn't really go away anywhere, since it was a stationary bike, but you get the idea. Forty-five minutes of less than enthusiastic pedaling later, I'd burned about 200 calories and given myself a very sore rear. It's a start. I figure that a few crunches, a mile or two on the bike/treadmill/elliptical several times a week, and my non-existant food budget will send a skinny girl to NYC in about a month!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Day 29: Something You Hope to Change About Yourself, and Why?
My confidence and optimism have been lagging lately. I have to ask myself, "Why?" Why have I let myself get depressed? I've let my circumstances get me down, which is almost inevitable when you're in a position like mine. By "my position", I mean surviving on four part-time incomes, none of which have the right combination of being fulfilling and profitable, all the while searching for my true passion and direction in life.
I would very much appreciate a change in circumstances. I know circumstances aren't something about me that I can change, but I'd like if they'd change, nonetheless. Why? I want to start making headway on my goals. A simple list of my goals includes: eradicating my unsecured debt, moving out of the Midwest, and becoming financially secure and responsible. I'm being responsible as much as I can, really. I'm saving towards my trip to NYC this summer and eliminating "want" purchases and skimping on "need" purchases. Still, the income just isn't there to make extra payments on my credit cards and student loans like I'd like to, much less save towards moving. My employment situation(s) must change in order for many of my goals to be met. It's just that simple. I know money isn't everything and my passion may not turn out to be a high paying one, but money and the lack thereof is holding me back at this point in life.
I took a break from writing this post, during which I got a phone call. This phone call led to another phone call, which led to a job interview, which may lead to the change in circumstances that I need. My heart is all a-flutter. I don't want to say too much, but I'm excited. It may not be my dream job, but it is pointed in that direction much more than any other full-time job I've interviewed for, and that is hopeful.
Could this be my break?
I would very much appreciate a change in circumstances. I know circumstances aren't something about me that I can change, but I'd like if they'd change, nonetheless. Why? I want to start making headway on my goals. A simple list of my goals includes: eradicating my unsecured debt, moving out of the Midwest, and becoming financially secure and responsible. I'm being responsible as much as I can, really. I'm saving towards my trip to NYC this summer and eliminating "want" purchases and skimping on "need" purchases. Still, the income just isn't there to make extra payments on my credit cards and student loans like I'd like to, much less save towards moving. My employment situation(s) must change in order for many of my goals to be met. It's just that simple. I know money isn't everything and my passion may not turn out to be a high paying one, but money and the lack thereof is holding me back at this point in life.
I took a break from writing this post, during which I got a phone call. This phone call led to another phone call, which led to a job interview, which may lead to the change in circumstances that I need. My heart is all a-flutter. I don't want to say too much, but I'm excited. It may not be my dream job, but it is pointed in that direction much more than any other full-time job I've interviewed for, and that is hopeful.
Could this be my break?
Sunday, May 29, 2011
How Long Is June?
It's barely 3pm and I've already cried off all of my makeup.
I'm being a sap. I don't really have a reason to be crying. Sure, The Writer left for NYC today for his 10-week internship and I miss him, but seriously, Red, get a grip.
It's not that long. It'll fly by. We'll talk. We'll text. We'll Skype. I'll visit in five weeks. He'll still love me when he gets back. It'll all be ok.
I know this things are all true, so why am I still crying?
I'm being a sap. I don't really have a reason to be crying. Sure, The Writer left for NYC today for his 10-week internship and I miss him, but seriously, Red, get a grip.
It's not that long. It'll fly by. We'll talk. We'll text. We'll Skype. I'll visit in five weeks. He'll still love me when he gets back. It'll all be ok.
I know this things are all true, so why am I still crying?
Review: The Carrie Diaries
Last weekend, The Writer and I were meandering through Target and I decided I wanted a new book to read. I've been working on the classics, but I wanted one of those girly novels that I don't have to concentrate very hard to get through. I found The Carrie Diaries and thought it would be perfect, since I am admittedly obsessed with Sex and the City.
While I admit I didn't finish reading Candace Bushnell's original Sex and the City due to the fact that I found SJP's Carrie much more lovable than her original portrayal, I don't see many links between the Carrie of The Carrie Diaries and the Carrie of the TV series. I'd thought that, since The Carrie Diaries had been published after the story had been made popular through television and cinema, the "prequel" would fit into that story line. It does not.
First of all, "The Carrie Diaries" has Carrie and her two younger sisters being raised by her father after her mother has passed away. In Season 4, I believe, Carrie's editor at Vogue (the one who surprised her in the Vogue Closet in his briefs) asks Carrie about her father and Carrie replies, "There's not much to tell...He skipped out on my mom and me when I was pretty young." She is then shown peeking at an antique photo of her and her father that she keeps in a copy of Salinger's Catcher in the Rye.
Next, in Season 5, Carrie reunites with her high school boyfriend, Jeremy, who is seeking mental health treatment in Connecticut. "Jeremy" is no where to be found in The Carrie Diaries. Throughout the series, Carrie mentions at least one other high school boyfriend, as well. The Carrie of TCD has one boyfriend, Sebastian, with whom she does not have sex with. In fact, she states multiple times that she is still a virgin and spends a good amount of time whining about how everyone else is "doing it."
In TCD, Carrie talks about cooking at home from Julia Child's cookbook to provide stability for her younger sister. I'm fairly certain Carrie never mentions siblings in the series. She also "stores sweaters in [her] oven," "Triscuits from the mid-80's," and "an old bottle of Kahlua, somewhere." She loves that Aiden and Big cook. That doesn't sound like someone who'd make coq au vin in high school, does it?
I don't buy the whole swim team/diving thing. I just don't. At the end of TCD, Carrie has been accepted to Brown and many of her classmates were heading for Ivy League schools. The valedictorian of my graduating class tried to get into Brown, and failed. Maybe it is massively different if you are the daughter of an alumnus, as the Carrie of TCD is purported to be. Aside from that, Carrie never specifically mentions her education in the TV series, but again, Brown?!
In one of the earlier seasons, Carrie is held up at gunpoint and robbed of her bag, jewelry, and Manolos. She says she's never been mugged before, but in TCD, her purse is lifted almost immediately upon arrival. Also, she contacts Samantha Jones, a cousin of a high school acquaintance who's in advertising, as a last resort after having her bag stolen. The second SATC movie states that she met Samantha while Samantha was bartending at CBGB. The second movie also has Miranda as the first of her three friends that she connects with.
There are many, many more inconsistencies that turned me off to the book. Nor did I find certain aspects of it believable, such as Carrie's grasp on her sexuality as a seventeen year old. If you read it without expecting the HBO Carrie, it's a quick and easy read. I read it in a single afternoon.
I understand differences between the original book and the TV series/movies, but once the show and movies have gained such popularity, you'd think Ms. Bushnell would think to collaborate with the stories that people are most familiar with. I was disappointed.
Grade: D
While I admit I didn't finish reading Candace Bushnell's original Sex and the City due to the fact that I found SJP's Carrie much more lovable than her original portrayal, I don't see many links between the Carrie of The Carrie Diaries and the Carrie of the TV series. I'd thought that, since The Carrie Diaries had been published after the story had been made popular through television and cinema, the "prequel" would fit into that story line. It does not.
First of all, "The Carrie Diaries" has Carrie and her two younger sisters being raised by her father after her mother has passed away. In Season 4, I believe, Carrie's editor at Vogue (the one who surprised her in the Vogue Closet in his briefs) asks Carrie about her father and Carrie replies, "There's not much to tell...He skipped out on my mom and me when I was pretty young." She is then shown peeking at an antique photo of her and her father that she keeps in a copy of Salinger's Catcher in the Rye.
Next, in Season 5, Carrie reunites with her high school boyfriend, Jeremy, who is seeking mental health treatment in Connecticut. "Jeremy" is no where to be found in The Carrie Diaries. Throughout the series, Carrie mentions at least one other high school boyfriend, as well. The Carrie of TCD has one boyfriend, Sebastian, with whom she does not have sex with. In fact, she states multiple times that she is still a virgin and spends a good amount of time whining about how everyone else is "doing it."
In TCD, Carrie talks about cooking at home from Julia Child's cookbook to provide stability for her younger sister. I'm fairly certain Carrie never mentions siblings in the series. She also "stores sweaters in [her] oven," "Triscuits from the mid-80's," and "an old bottle of Kahlua, somewhere." She loves that Aiden and Big cook. That doesn't sound like someone who'd make coq au vin in high school, does it?
I don't buy the whole swim team/diving thing. I just don't. At the end of TCD, Carrie has been accepted to Brown and many of her classmates were heading for Ivy League schools. The valedictorian of my graduating class tried to get into Brown, and failed. Maybe it is massively different if you are the daughter of an alumnus, as the Carrie of TCD is purported to be. Aside from that, Carrie never specifically mentions her education in the TV series, but again, Brown?!
In one of the earlier seasons, Carrie is held up at gunpoint and robbed of her bag, jewelry, and Manolos. She says she's never been mugged before, but in TCD, her purse is lifted almost immediately upon arrival. Also, she contacts Samantha Jones, a cousin of a high school acquaintance who's in advertising, as a last resort after having her bag stolen. The second SATC movie states that she met Samantha while Samantha was bartending at CBGB. The second movie also has Miranda as the first of her three friends that she connects with.
There are many, many more inconsistencies that turned me off to the book. Nor did I find certain aspects of it believable, such as Carrie's grasp on her sexuality as a seventeen year old. If you read it without expecting the HBO Carrie, it's a quick and easy read. I read it in a single afternoon.
I understand differences between the original book and the TV series/movies, but once the show and movies have gained such popularity, you'd think Ms. Bushnell would think to collaborate with the stories that people are most familiar with. I was disappointed.
Grade: D
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Outfit of the Day (worn 5/24/11)
Top: Grey Ruched-side tunic (Victoria's Secret)
Bottom: Purple Side-snap leggings (Walmart)
Shoes: American Eagle Studded Snakeskin Flats
Necklace: Express
After I got the tunic and leggings on, I looked in the mirror and realized that I needed something to break up grey of the top, since both large pieces were solids. Also, I've been feeling a little self conscious about my middle lately and the legging's waistband and tunic weren't doing me any favors in that area. Voila, necklace to the rescue! Glams up the outfit and draws attention away from the belly.
I love these shoes. They have just the right amount of character to be able to wear them without being boring or worrying that they'll take over the outfit.
That's it for my first Outfit-of-the-Day post. I've already gotten some better ideas for photographs, and I plan on being more in tune with the season next time.
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