I have puppies!

I updated last night and didn't have an internet connection to post, so here are both last night's and today's entries. :)

Last night's entry:

I am sitting here not doing anything productive after going through my textbooks, getting ready to put them online. I have 14 textbooks and a few other assorted books. Even if I only get 50 bucks for each of them, that's 700 dollars! And I don't even think those are all my textbooks. I still have several boxes to unpack here.

Books, clothes, Passion Parties stuff, random crap around the house – I'm hoping I can sell off a decent amount of stuff in the next two weeks, since tuition is due on the 7^th. Yikes! I guess I should have been a little more selective with my spending when I was in Europe. Sadly, most of it was on food.

Speaking of saving money (sorta), I used a 5 dollar off coupon at Fresh & Easy today, so I'm up to $5.50. That's more than 5 percent toward my goal! Not a huge step, but I'm making progress.

I had intended on starting my herb garden this weekend, but if I'm going to be out of town next weekend, I'm not sure that I want to commit to that. I'm planning on growing from seeds, so I shouldn't leave them alone for too long unsupervised. I also haven't written my thank-you notes to Mr. Brown & Mrs. Phillips, which I was going to try to complete by the end of this month. I also still have about ten to go on my happy list, which was the third of my goals I had intended to complete in August. Oh well! I'm plugging along. I will get to them when I can.

I almost got to cross the Courchsurfer host one off my list this past weekend, but then the guy tried to get a little too cozy with my bum. No thanks. So he didn't stay here.

I'm getting pretty sleepy. It's past midnight and I went to bed last night at 8:30. It was wonderful, but not so conducive to late nights now. I'm going to go get ready for bed. Ciao!

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And tonight's!

I just got back from dropping Kris and her family off at the airport. I have two rambunctious puppies, a pistol, a lock box of painkillers, an HHR, and a steam cleaner to keep me company for the next week.

I put 17 books on Amazon earlier today, and have sold two of them already! I think between the two, I made about $175. I like this! Unfortunately it's still probably nowhere near what I paid for them, but it's more than I had yesterday, so I suppose I can't complain.

I love my hot yoga studio. I wish it wasn't so expensive. If I signed up for auto-pay, it would be $75/mo. That's quite a bit more than I would like to spend – especially since I can only make it to three classes per week.

I'm getting pretty sleepy, so I think I'm going to get started on this homework and then head to bed. Ciao! 

The weekend blew by!

It's been a few days! School is kicking my butt and keeping me super busy. I have homework due every day Monday – Friday already, which is guaranteed to continue throughout the semester. Math is harder than expected. O-Chem is just as hard as expected, and with a different book than the one I have. It'll take a lot of studying to be successful this semester!

I won't have internet at the house until September 6^th. Yikes. I was really hoping it would be hooked up earlier than that, since I ordered it when I was still in Europe, but I guess there's not much I can do about it, so not much use in being upset. I'll just have a lot more pool time than expected in the next week.

I finished another book. I'm up to 7 now, I believe. Fast Track to Romance by Lauren Casey. Meh. It's just a bunch of ideas. 365 of them, in fact. It did prompt me to make my own list of 100 dates I want to go on, though! Finally! Kyle and I had started one when he was deployed, and I think we stopped at 30. I came up with all 100 today.

I returned the transformer to REI today. I thought I remembered it being more expensive than I got back, but it was quite a while ago. Maybe I just thought so because it was significantly more expensive than just the little adapter things. I walked up to the counter and told the guy I didn't have my receipt, but I could give him my number, and he joked around for a minute. Mildly entertaining.

The old apartment complex today refused to give copies of work orders from our file. Apparently we have to contact their attorney. NOT PLEASED. I am so glad I/we moved out of that place. It was miserable living there, and it's been even worse dealing with them since then.

Called Kokopelli today to make another reservation and the information they're giving me is different than what Groupon told me. I'm not super interested in paying 220 bucks (side note: this font puts a smiley face in place of the dollar sign. An extra 100 bones isn't something to smile about.) for the same room I was going to get for much cheaper. Plus I guess the wine tasting isn't included anymore either. LAME. This had better be resolved properly tomorrow, or I'll be pretty peeved.

I suppose I should head out again. I have O-Chem homework due tonight that I need to start working on, and some German homework due tomorrow that I need to finish as well.

Ciao!

P.S. I'm obviously changing things around a little bit - starting with the font. Like it? Don't like it? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Whew! First week down.

Wow! The first week of school is finally over. Life is going to be super busy – that's for sure. I have a to-do list for this weekend that is literally an entire page. No empty lines. And I have ONE of them crossed off. It's going to be a long weekend. I think things should get a little easier once I have unpacked and moved in here. Yes, I have a lot of school stuff on my list, but I also have a lot of general housekeeping – not just cleaning, but things that need to be taken care of since I've been gone for the last month.

My little monster bird has been super adorable today. She let me hold her, let someone else hold her, and wasn't a little hellion when I tried to clip her nails earlier! I don't remember if I shared the story of the last nail-clipping fiasco, but I gave up after 30 minutes, when I had only clipped one nail.

I have a full trash can to take to the recycling bin either later tonight or tomorrow. That was quick! I think unpacking all these boxes and realizing how much crap I truly save when I don't need to really helped. I also started to go through the big “collector” bin that I keep under my end table. Tons of crap that I don't need.

I suppose I shouldn't spend too much time updating since I have an overwhelming to-do list... and am hosting my first Couchsurfer tomorrow. (Don't worry, Mom. I have a pistol and a knife here.) I would like to have the house (relatively) clean and most of my homework done so I'm actually decent company - especially because I don't have internet at the house, so if I am busy, he won't have much to do here.

Looks like I'll cross that goal off my list earlier than expected!

Back to the grindstone. Ciao!  

365 thought-provoking questions: Questions 69 - 90

69. What gives your life meaning?  I'm not really sure how to answer this. I try to find joy in the little things, and that's what keeps me going through rough days. 

70. Can there be happiness without sadness?  Pleasure without pain?  Peace without war?  No. Peace is defined as the absence of war, so you can't have peace without war. I suppose the other two might be able to exist without their counterpart, but they would not be fully appreciated. 


71. What’s the one thing you’d like others to remember about you at the end of your life?  I hope to be remembered as someone who was always positive and added value to others. 

72. Is there such a thing as perfect?  Yes, but it is unattainable. This question always reminds me of "This is not a pipe." An ideal exists, but it can never be reached. 


73. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?  I think I have had a decent amount of control over where I am now. There have been obstacles that have forced me to change my path, but I have always been the one making the final decision. Ultimately, I'm happy with where I am now, even if it's not where I planned to be. 

74. What does it mean to be human?  Obviously there is a biological component. Homo sapien and all that. We also have a high-level language and the ability to emote. 


75. If you looked into the heart of your enemy, what do you think you would find that is different from what is in your own heart?  Unfortunately there is one person that comes to mind when I hear that word. I like to think that I am less judgmental and less hateful than she is. Other than that, we are more similar than I care to admit. 

76. What do you love most about yourself?  Physically? My hair, definitely. As far as character, I love that I am always so (outwardly) positive. It makes my day when people are taken aback when I respond that my day is "awesome," or something similar. 


77. Where would you most like to go and why?  That's a tough one! There are so many places on my dream sheet. I would really like to go to Antarctica - I suppose just for the experience. I think that's going to be the coolest continent of the seven. As far as countries go, I am most looking forward to going back to Poland. Not only was it gorgeous, but I really enjoyed the people there as well. I am hoping to learn the language and go back in two years. 

78. Is it more important to do what you love or to love what you are doing?  To me, it is more important to do what I love. I have a huge list of goals I want to accomplish - things I love. It is also important to love what you are doing, but I feel that phrase is limiting. I might love what I am doing, but not necessarily be doing other things I love as well. 


79. What do you imagine yourself doing ten years from now?  I imagine I will just be starting a family, or have a young family. I will own a home in Austria. I will be successful and wealthy enough that I will not have to work with any regularity, and can do whatever I want!

80. What small act of kindness were you once shown that you will never forget?  The act of kindness that comes to mind immediately is being welcomed into Mike and Jacey's home. However, that's not small at all! So I would probably say being invited to Susan's home on Easter for dinner. That was a small act on Miranda's part - it really only involved a phone call - but it absolutely made my day. To me, it represented my friends standing behind me on a really difficult day - a holiday that I would have otherwise spent alone. Then the interactions I had with Miranda and Josh that evening really cemented how important they are to me. 


81. What is your happiest childhood memory?  What makes it so special?  When I was in elementary school, I did Renbukai. There was also a younger boy in our class named Jason. Jason's parents had access to a cabin on an island out of Homer, and our two families went out there for a weekend. The water taxi picked us up at the end of the weekend to take us back to shore, and I rode the entire hour or so at the bow, with the spray in my face. I think that is probably my happiest memory from growing up. 

82. Do you own your things or do your things own you?  If I would have been asked this question a year ago, my answer may have been different, but now I can confidently say that I own my things. I even have hesitated lately to acquire more things, since I would rather spend my money on experiences. 


83. Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones?  Wow. That's rough. I would probably rather lose all my old memories. At 23, I hope I have a long life ahead of me. I would rather lose my last 23 years of memories than never be able to form memories until I die. 

84. How do you deal with someone in a position of power who wants you to fail?  Perhaps I'm the wrong person to ask, since the last time I had to deal with this situation, I ended up being fired from my job. If I were to deal with this again, I would probably ask to be reassigned to a different project/shift/department/etc. and if that was not able to happen, I would look for work elsewhere. Life is too short to live any part of it miserable, or surrounded by miserable people. 


85. What do you have that you cannot live without?  Nothing. I rely on myself for my own happiness and not things or others. 

86. When you close your eyes what do you see?  Peace. Serenity. There's not a specific scene that pops into my head, but when I close my eyes, a wave of calm washes over me. Yoga must be making a difference! 


87. What sustains you on a daily basis?  I'm a pretty positive person. I don't know that I would say anything particularly sustains me (other than food, obviously), because I don't need anything to sustain me. 

88. What are your top five personal values?  Honesty, kindness, positivity, trustworthiness, and a strong work ethic. 


89. Why must you love someone enough to let them go?  Love cannot be selfish. If you do not love someone enough to let them go, then you don't love them. If them going is the best decision for them, you must allow that. If you hang on to them because you can't bear to let them go, then you are being selfish and that is not true love. 

90. Do you ever celebrate the green lights?  I do! Especially on days where I'm running late to school, I will celebrate them aloud in the car. 

Okay! I did it.

I realized I need a little more to hold me accountable to fit into my pants again, and I didn't feel like clogging up my daily entries with meal logs, etc. so I created a new blog! The address, not surprisingly, is http://fearthefork.blogspot.com :)

Help me out and keep me accountable! I welcome everything from encouragement to beatings if I don't make a goal, or have a lazy day and decide not to exercise... or eat 3 lbs. of chocolate cake in five days. Have meal suggestions? Head on over! Want to laugh at how fat I got over the last month? You can do that, too. Just join me in my quest for success.

A general 101 update!

I finished another book this weekend. For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn. I had it recommended to me back in June, right before I went home on vacation. When I was home, I saw a copy of it in the library. Mom said she got it a few years back and that I could take it along, so I finally got around to reading it. Twice. It was pretty interesting.

Did hot yoga yesterday. I was really surprised to see so many men in the class! There were 8 guys there yesterday, which is more than I've seen in any class there so far. That was pretty cool. I think it's really awesome to see guys doing yoga. The guy I was next to even went down into toe stand from tree pose. I can't even do that.

Battery is about to die, so I suppose I'll head back home. O-Chem homework awaits!

365 thought-provoking questions: Questions 41 - 68

41. If you could instill one piece of advice in a newborn baby’s mind, what advice would you give?  Life is too short to live it with regrets. Do what you want to do, don't do what you don't want to, and learn from your mistakes rather than regretting them. 

42. What is the most desirable trait another person can possess?  Honesty. Without honesty, you cannot have trust or communication. Honesty is the foundation of all relationships. 

43. What are you most grateful for?  I am grateful that I have a loving family who provides for me. I don't have to worry about most of my bills here, because they are taken care of for me. 

44. Is stealing to feed a starving child wrong?  Stealing is always wrong. Food banks, shelters - there are ways to provide for a starving child other than stealing. 


45. What do you want most?  Happiness and success

46. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?  I think I have a pretty good grasp on doing the right things. I worry probably more than I should about doing things right. 


47. What has life taught you recently?  Life is full of surprises! Good or bad, things rarely go according to plan. 

48. What is the one thing you would most like to change about the world?  I would eliminate FGM. 


49. Where do you find inspiration?  Most often, I find inspiration in nature or through introspection. 

50. Can you describe your life in a six word sentence?  Always strive to make others proud. 


51. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?  We are afraid to admit - both to others and to ourselves - that we have failed at something. Making a mistake inherently means you haven't completely succeeded at whatever it was you were trying to do, which means at least there was at least a small failure somewhere. We are afraid to make a mistake and reveal that we don't know it all, or can't do something. 

52. What impact do you want to leave on the world?  Certainly a positive one! I hope that people dwell less on the negative and appreciate the positive more often as a result of knowing me. 


53. What is the most defining moment of your life thus far?  Probably a day in March, 2003, when I learned that people are not always good. I lost my innocent and naive outlook on life that day. 

54. In the haste of your daily life, what are you not seeing?  I definitely try to slow down and appreciate the small things every day. I can't think of anything that I am missing, but I may need to think a little more on this one. 


55. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?  The first, out of a feeling of obligation. The thing that came to mind immediately when reading this question was work. Very few people actually have a job they enjoy, but they have to work out of necessity. You can't survive in today's society unless you have a steady income. On the flip side of the question - I think people take life too seriously. We are also generally material people and not experience-focused people, so we miss out on doing a lot of things because we are so concerned with how we look to others. 

56. What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?  Many things! Music. Reflection in nature. Wonderful people. Sometimes even wonderful food. I really try to appreciate the little things. 


57. Have you ever regretted something you did not say or do?  Of course. I think I have regretted things I haven't done more than things I have. 

58. Has your greatest fear ever come true?  Yes. Last month, actually. 


59. Why do we think of others the most when they’re gone?  Once someone is gone, we don't have the chance to make any more memories or to apologize for past slights. When they are gone, we can't change things anymore and we generally spend time regretting that. 

60. What is your most beloved childhood memory?  The one that comes to mind is ice skating on Westchester Lagoon one weekend morning. We didn't have much money, but we always had ice skates. 


61. Is it more important to love or be loved?  Both are important at different ages and life stages, I think. At this point in my life, it is more important to me to love. 

62. If it all came back around to you, would it help you or hurt you?  I would like to think it would help me. I try to leave a positive impact on everyone. 


63. If you had the chance to go back in time and change one thing would you do it?  In my own life? No. I believe that I have learned and grown from all my experiences. 

64. If a doctor gave you five years to live, what would you try to accomplish?  I would finish my 101 list, for sure! I would travel to all seven continents. I would bungee-jump off the Europe bridge, drive on the wrong side of the road, and go hang-gliding. 


65. What is the difference between falling in love and being in love?  Falling in love is something done almost unconsciously. Being in love is a daily choice. 

66. Who do you think stands between you and happiness?  I am the only one that stands between me and my own happiness. I am in control of my own life and my own feelings. If I am not happy, it is because I have either allowed something to affect me negatively, or because I am not doing enough to make myself happy. 


67. What is the difference between innocence and ignorance?  Innocence is a lack of experience. Ignorance is a lack of knowledge. 

68. What is the simplest truth you can express in words?  Life goes on. No matter what situation you find yourself in, the world is moving. You can choose to dwell on things or you can choose to not less life pass you by. 

And now, a Fear The Fork update.

Goal this week: Exercise for at least 60 minutes every day. 

Monday: I attended two hot yoga classes. 

Tuesday: Got some exercise at home. 

Wednesday: I am signed up for another hot yoga class at 5 this evening. Also, there is no more cake, so I can finally exercise self-control. 

Thursday, I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. I would like to attend the Italy wine class in the evening, which rules out evening work-out classes. I might just run for an hour or so in the little gym by the clubhouse. 

Friday, I'm not sure what the plan is either. I'm signed up for a Ballerobica class right now, but might do something else as well. 

Saturday, I'll be somewhere north probably doing some hiking. Planning on camping Saturday night, which means I'll be hiking back on Sunday morning. 

I returned my produce from Fresh & Easy yesterday, so I don't have any more nectarines, but I do still have some cherries (and I brought some for lunch today!). I also refilled all gallon water bottles I had at the house yesterday, and I'm already about halfway through one of them. I'm working on drinking a lot more water. 

So. Goal for the week: exercise 60+ minutes per day. I'm doing well so far, and think I'm on track to succeed this week. I still have a lot of veggies in the fridge, so maybe I'll have to do some sauteed veggies with balsamic for dinner again this week. Make up for the chocolate cake I've been eating. 

Need to plan out the picnic stuff / food for the weekend. Fear the fork!

Fear the fork.

I walked in the ASU bookstore earlier today to bend over while purchasing my German book, and was greeted by a stand of new ASU t-shirts. They are black with a watermarked pitchfork, and "FEAR THE FORK" is emblazoned across the front.

New weight-loss accountability blog name? I think so. Unfortunately I'm too lazy to start a new blog, but all my exercise and diet posts will now be tagged "fear the fork."

Winning.

OMG I hate my math class.

I always thought I liked math because I'm just really good at it.

I was wrong. I like math because I have had amazing teachers and professors. (And because I'm good at it.) This realization came to me today when I was sitting in my wonderful Mathematical Structures class for the first time, wondering what in the world I had done by switching my major.

This is a list of things running through my head for that awful hour and fifteen minutes:

• Dear lord.
• I hate my life.
• Shoot me now. 
• Did he really just say that?
• I wonder if there is another, more competent professor here whose class is still open. 
• ...Was that seriously a racist comment that he just made?

Oh boy. The list goes on. 

Structures is NOT going to be the uplifting class I had planned on this semester. That's okay! I'll just have to work a lot harder than expected. 

FML.