Recurring Series

Currently in March

Loving… belonging to the gym again. It’s what my workout routine has been missing. I’m now doing much longer and tougher workouts and lovvvvve going to spin class again. Every time a class starts, I get this silly smile on my face, hehe. I’m trying to make it to the gym four days a week, though I hope to increase that to five or six in the coming months.

Loathing… how expensive having a dog is. I love Dutch and I would do anything for him (and I do). But these past few months have been so damn pricey with multiple vet visits, lab tests, an ultrasound, specialty food, medicine, etc. Obviously, I will swallow any sort of cost as long as he’s getting the medical attention he needs, and this is honestly just life with a geriatric dog. Thankfully, he hasn’t needed any expensive surgeries or further testing. It’s just a bit of a hit to the wallet, that’s all. I think we might be on the tail end of his medical issues (God willing), so I’m hoping for a much less expensive quarter two.

Reading… This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, and I’m already sad for the day I won’t be reading this book. It is so good. The writing is incredible and the story so important. My local book club picked this for April, but I decided not to read the March pick (the subject matter seemed too heavy for me right now), so I guess I’ll be a little ahead. 🙂

Watching… This Is Us, but I’m only on episode 13, so no spoilers, please! It’s the kind of show where I have to be in the right mood to watch it (like, when I’m ready for a big cry, haha), so I’m very, very slowly making my way through the first season.

Anticipating… seeing Beauty & the Beast this weekend with my mom. We’re going to a movie theater that has fold-out seats, so we’re going to bring blankets, gorge ourselves on popcorn, and cry our hearts out. I can’t wait!

Thinking about… switching my hours at work. I’m grateful that we have a few different work schedules and the flexibility to choose the one that works best for our lives. Right now, I work 7:30-5:00 Mondays-Thursdays (and Fridays I work a half-day) and I’m just finding it so difficult to get out the door by 7am so I can get to work on time. I am considering switching to 8:30-6:00, which would allow me more time in the morning (and then I could take advantage of some of the early-morning workout classes at my gym). Getting home at 6:30 (or later, depending on traffic) would kinda suck, though.

Needing… to reprioritize my book life. Currently, I belong to three different book clubs and I’m also reviewing books for TLC Book Tours about once a month. So, I tend to have a bunch of books that I “must read,” which gets in the way of the books I want to read. I love being a part of so many book clubs, but something has to give. I feel like I keep reading books for other people, less reading books that I picked up myself, if that makes sense.

What are you currently reading, thinking about, and needing?

Categories: Recurring Series

Friday Confessions

It’s Friday and it’s been a very long time since I did any sort of confessions-style post for this blog. I’ve done childhood confessions and bookish confessions, but not any sort of good, old-fashioned regular confessions since 2011. So here are my confessions for today: some of which are silly and some that leave me feeling a bit vulnerable.

I never listen to the radio, so I never know what’s popular right now. Sometimes, I’ll scroll through the “United States Top 50” chart on Spotify so I can see what’s trending right now and feel a little more “in the know,” but eh. Podcasts > music.
It feels a bit terrible to contemplate this, but I know the time will come when Dutch passes away and sometimes I think about my next pet. I think I might get a cat, which I know would surprise some people. But I love cats as much as I love dogs! My cousin has two cats and I love them to pieces. I’m not one of those dog lovers that turns up her nose at cats. No, sirree. And, I won’t lie, one of the reasons I contemplate getting a cat is because they are (allegedly) easier to take care of than a dog.
Give me cider over beer, rum over tequila, sangria over wine.
I’m probably not going to take a cruise this year and it will be the first time in six years that I haven’t cruised. It just means I’ll be more than ready for my 10th cruise sometime in 2018.
The only reason I’m still on Facebook is because my book club uses it for upcoming meetings and general chit-chat.
I rarely use my phone when I’m at home, only if I want to listen to a podcast while I’m cooking or cleaning. Otherwise, it can be hours before I see a text message if my sound is turned off.
I’ve never been to a concert before, and I don’t particularly care to start. I’m not a huge music person as it is (re: my first confession) and I feel like there are much better ways for me to spend my money. Good for you, not for me!
It feels as if my fingernails are suffocating when I put nail polish on them, so my nails are almost never painted.
I love wearing makeup because it makes me feel more put together. It’s not as if I’m ashamed to go out in public bare-faced; I just like the way I look better with makeup than without. My routine is fairly simple: foundation, powder, eyebrow pencil, mascara. Lipstick if I want to feel fierce. And, it never fails, whenever I go to work without makeup, I always get a comment about how red my face is. I don’t even know how to respond to those types of comments, and I hate how self-conscious they make me feel.
I have decided that the next place I will live will either be with a partner or a place I own. In a way, I’m giving myself a deadline to be in a committed, long-term relationship in the next 2-3 years or I am going to start looking to buy a condo on my own.
I used to sleep in my contacts all the time until I learned how terrible that is for my eyes. My contacts are the ones you can wear for 30 days without changing them out, so I figured that meant 30 days straight without removing them, which nope. No, you cannot. Now I take them out every night, no excuses.
I never have decision fatigue when it comes to my wardrobe and that’s because I have a system where I have my business casual shirts, my casual tees, and my dresses in a specific order. When I am going into my closet to pick something, I select the first item in the “line” and don’t concern myself with anything else. I wear a dress once a week (usually Mondays), so I know on Mondays, I will select a dress. Tuesdays-Thursdays are business casual shirts, and Fridays and weekends are casual tees. After I wash and dry a shirt or dress, it goes on a hanger and to the “back of the line.” It’s a foolproof, simple system and it means I never waste time in the morning trying to figure out what to wear.
One of my biggest grammar pet peeves is when people mix up the verb/noun forms of words. I recently received an email – from a professional freelance writer, no less! – where she used the word “hangout” when she meant to say “hang out.” Hangout is a noun, it means a place to visit. Hang out is a verb, which means to spend time relaxing/enjoying oneself. So, you would say, “Come to my hangout!” but not “Let’s hangout!” Another common mix-up I see is workout vs work out. Workout is a noun, and it means a session of physical activity (i.e., “I had a great workout today!”). Work out is a verb, and it means engaging in physical activity (i.e., “I wanted to work out in the morning, but I slept in instead.”) So, you would never say, “I am planning to workout.” No. You are planning to work out.
Following the theme of grammar, I edit my text messages before I send them. Every. Single. Text message. I type them out and then before pressing send, I always look it over and edit it if I need to. I realize this is ridiculous, but I can’t help myself! It’s a sickness, I tell ya.
I am terrified of going to jail. I think about it constantly, and my anxiety level is to the point where I can’t watch or read anything involving jail/prison. I’ve never watched Orange Is the New Black, and I don’t think I ever will. Back in September, right after I moved, I unknowingly opened up a piece of mail that was not addressed to me. I picked up my mail and just tore open the envelope without looking and then realized my mistake. I spent weeks in a panic about getting arrested for opening mail not addressed to me. (Look, I never said my anxiety was logical, okay?!)

Okay, your turn! Tell me a confession. 🙂

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in February

Loving… friends who take my picky taste buds into account. My friends and I are planning a girls’ night out on March 8th, which is International Women’s Day. A few restaurants were suggested, but before we nailed down the one we wanted to go to, one of my friends came to me directly and told me to check out the menu of a specific restaurant mentioned to see if there was something I could order. Truly, it was such a nice gesture. Be nice to your friends who are picky. They don’t choose to be this way, I promise!

Loathing… politics. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a different answer for this part of my “Currently…” series over the next four years. Everything that “Tweeto von Cheeto” (as I saw him referenced on Twitter once) has done over the past month has been awful, unethical, or downright prejudiced. I mean, he picked a fight with Australia, one of our strongest allies! He’s just not emotionally mature enough to be president, plain and simple.

Reading… The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I’m reading this for my work book club, and it also fulfills my goal to read four “classics” this year. The writing is heartbreakingly beautiful and the story utterly terrifying.

Watching… The Good Place. I watched the first few episodes when they aired and really loved them, and I’m now able to catch up on the rest of the first season on nbc.com. I adore Kristen Bell and find the premise of this show to be so unique and fun. Check it out if you want a light-hearted comfort watch!

Anticipating… the beginning of Daylight Saving Time in a few short weeks. It will be so nice to have longer hours of daylight. I hate it being pitch-black dark at 6pm! I don’t care about “losing” an hour of sleep when we “Spring Forward.” Gimme more hours of daylight, please and thank you!

Thinking about… people who leave snarky comments on blogs, but then use a fake email address so the blogger cannot appropriately respond to them. This has happened to me a few times recently, and once, I even composed a lengthy response to a very nasty comment, only to get the email kicked back to me as the email address was invalid. Just FYI for those who want to leave snarky comments: if you don’t use an actual email address, I’m not going to approve your comment. Stand behind your snark. Don’t be one of those people who can only post a mean comment if you do it anonymously. That’s just called being a coward.

Needing… to decorate my apartment. My walls are still bare and I need to invest in some wall hangings to liven up my apartment. I’m getting my normal tax refund this year (whew – paying self-employment taxes didn’t set me back as much as I thought they would!), the majority of which will be used to pay off my credit card, but I also might set aside some of it to buy a piece or two of art. (Um. Like, “art” from Target that’s, like, $80. Nothing crazy expensive here.)

What are you currently reading, anticipating, and needing?

Categories: Recurring Series

Looking Forward… the Winter 2017 Edition

I haven’t done one of these posts in nearly two years, but since Lisa and Amber have both done their own versions recently, I thought this would be a fun topic to talk about today. I have to say, 2017 is shaping up to be a fantastic year with all of the fun plans I have on the horizon.

Today, I’m looking forward to Pops coming home, finally.

After five days in the hospital and eleven days in the rehab facility, my Pops should finally come home today. He’s done an amazing job at physical therapy and seems to be back to the grandfather I know and love. I know he’s ready to be home and sleep on a bed that is not a hospital bed! My mom and I spent some time Wednesday night organizing his room so it’s easier to navigate around (he’ll most likely use a walker for the time being). I’m planning on surprising him with chocolate chip cookies to welcome him home. 🙂

This weekend, I’m looking forward to getting my taxes done.

For the first time ever, I’m going to pay someone to file my taxes, rather than doing them myself for free via TurboTax. I am still unsure of how to declare my freelance earnings, so I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry. And, hopefully, this way I can get a better refund than in other years since a professional will be looking over my stuff. Fingers crossed!

This month, I’m looking forward to going mini-golfing with my book club girls.

This year, we’re trying to do fun events for book club, rather than the same ole dinner date. We did Drag Queen Bingo in January and in February, we’re going to have brunch and play mini golf down by the beach. Hooray!

This Spring, I’m looking forward to zip-lining at a nearby adventures course, participating in SportsFest on the beach with coworkers, and taking on NYC with my mom.

It is going to be a busy but fun Spring, most definitely. First, a few girlfriends and I are going to take TreeUmph!, a nearby adventure course, to go zip-lining and do other fun, active things. (I cannot wait!) Then, at the end of April, I signed up to participate in SportsFest with my work. It’s basically a day of team building where a bunch of people participates in all sorts of events, like beach dodgeball and tug-of-war. I’ll be incredibly out of my element, but it’ll be good to shake things up a bit, yeah? Lastly, in May, my mom and I are spending a long weekend in NYC. It’ll be our first time visiting.

This year, I’m looking forward to a trip to Asheville with girlfriends and turning 30.

Later on this year, in early November, I’m going to take a trip to Asheville with some of my favorite ladies. If I can make this trip happen, that means I will have visited two different states in 2017. I haven’t managed to do that in, well, ever.

Also, I’m turning 30 this year. It is still a ways away, so it’s not something I’m even concerned about, but I do wonder how I’ll feel the closer my birthday gets. I want to try to plan some sort of party (silent reading party, anyone?) to celebrate this milestone birthday, but we’ll see what ends up happening. I’ve got plenty of time to decide. 🙂

What are you looking forward to?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 54)

1) My grandpa (Pops) had back surgery last week. The surgery went well, and now he’s in a rehab facility to regain his mobility. He’s doing amazing, though it was tough to see him in so much pain in the days following his surgery. (I’m not used to seeing my tough Pops in pain!) I’m trying to visit him as much as possible, and my mom is his main caretaker so I’m also trying to be there for her, too. I like to think I’m doing a small part to give back to him after he spent 8 years helping my grandma through cancer and being the world’s best husband to her.

2) I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately. I can’t remember the last time I had a plan-free weekend… or spent an entire day solely at home (<- my favorite activity). In general, I’m rushing from place to place every weekend and I’m slowly but surely burning out. I’ve managed to schedule enough downtime so that my introvert battery isn’t completely depleted, but if I don’t get a weekend to myself soon, I’m going to lose it. This weekend was supposed to be my quiet, mostly plan-free weekend, but it soon filled up with time visiting Pops, a hair appointment, freelance work, and going downtown to watch a movie with some coworkers. Oh, well. I’ll get my plan-free weekend sometime soon.

3) My mom and I are planning a trip to visit NYC! We have wanted to go since 2011 when I chose a cruise over a trip to NYC as my college graduation present. (Zero regrets.) We’re going to go the first weekend in May for a few days, so the trip is still a while away, but I’m really looking forward to it. I want to do all of the touristy things, like visit the Statue of Liberty and Central Park and Times Square. We’re going to splurge on Broadway tickets to Wicked and hopefully not get lost using the subway system. I’m simultaneously over-the-moon excited that I’ll finally get to see NYC and out-of-my-mind terrified because ah! Big city! Big cities are scary!

4) Most likely, I’m going to join a gym next month. Ever since I moved, I haven’t been able to get into a good workout routine. My apartment gym is tiny (it has one bike, one elliptical, and one treadmill) and doesn’t open until 6am, so I couldn’t work out in the morning and never seem to make it over there in the evening. For a few weeks, I was doing Couch to 5k, but I don’t like being alone outside in the early morning because it’s so dark and I have to be on the lookout for raccoons raiding the dumpsters around the community. So, I think it’s time to join a gym so I can have a normal workout routine again. I toyed with the idea of OrangeTheory, but it is so expensive (over $100 for their monthly fee, which only includes 8 sessions a month). Luckily, there’s an LA Fitness three miles from my apartment, and I’ll probably join that gym soon. It’s only $30 a month and I’ll get to have group fitness classes like spin and BodyPump back in my life. Hooray!

5) Did you hear the amazing news? Goodreads finally has a rereading feature! I don’t have many complaints about Goodreads (in fact, it may be my favorite form of social media; sorry Instagram), but I continuously wished for a rereading function because I tend to reread a handful of books every year. The problem is that I either couldn’t count it toward my Reading Challenge or I would have to change the date read and just make a note of reading dates. I’m currently rereading a romance novel and my next book is a reread (the last Harry Potter book!), so I will be taking full advantage of this feature this month. YAY!

Have you ever been in NYC? Got any good tips (mostly looking for restaurant ideas – Mom and I are not foodies!)?