Work It

Someone once told me "You're lucky you don't care how you look."

I know it was meant as a backhanded complement, but it just sticks in my mind. It's sort of true. I don't take a lot of time on myself ... makeup or hair, and working from home my clothes are just jeans and T-shirts.

I've started taking efforts to exercise and improve my health, which absolutely impacts the way I look and feel. Living in NYC I should probably be more concerned about my appearance, but again being in the apartment all day renders that moot.

As far as my clothes, I'm SOOOO cheap, or frugal if you want to put a positive spin on things. I buy stuff online sometimes, and I did a mini-spree at JC Penney's when it opened in Herald Square. But for the most part I don't spend much on clothes.

But I'm not tempted by the idea of Bloomingdale's, Saks, Bergdorf, etc. being within reach. I think even if I could afford a $500 bag or shoes or even a suit I wouldn't do it!

However, I think there may be some vanity in me yet. I like to read design blogs and look at pretty pictures of fashion. And I do live in NYC, so just walking down the street looking into windows. I can tell you purple is H-O-T. And even though I can't afford the high dollar fashion I see here, I can replicate some of the looks with the Target and Old Navy and Gap fashions I have ... if I had anywhere to go. I guess that's what church is for!

Video On Demand: A Boy Named Owen

My weekly webcamming date with Owen happens every Wednesday. A highlight for sure. Today Owen went through the Toys-R-Us catalog that I sent him to let me know what his wish list for Christmas is. There is a lot that the kid wants!!! Christmas is so fun to think about.

For some reason I can't find my Christmas 08 spreadsheet. I have back to 05 what I bought for whom. I do have the Christmas card spreadsheet from last year, so I can repeat the send off with the 09 cards, more or less.

Last year after Christmas we went to Target in Danville and got a few boxes of beautiful cards for super cheap, and at an art fair on the street here in NYC I got some VIP cards that have a Christmas in New York image. No cartoon cards, but still love to spread the postal cheer. I am a member of the Letter Writers Alliance you know.

I get a big kick out of writing, but I don't do a Christmas letter. I figure this blog is enough blathering about my life. I guess I could put the blog address on the cards for anyone who wants intimate details. But I also think that most people do know about my blog but just stay away (or read on the sly!).

I finally have a phone provided by the office, which is kind of funny. I can just imagine the day when all three of my phones ring at once -- cell, home VOIP and office VOIP. I'm really living.

I hope some things will be happening in the next few weeks. We have lots of travel and frivolity on tap for the next few weeks, so there's that.

Identity

{5/24/10 removed the DailyMugshot viewer because it slows down the site when this page is included ... but I will send the direct link to anyone interested in seeing my face morph/age}

I think this is a pretty dumb thing that I do, but I can't stop. It takes a while to load all the pictures, but when they do it's kind of fun to watch. I haven't taken a picture EVERY day since March, but most days when I'm at the computer I will do it because it's so easy/the webcam is right here. There are some funny ones, some unflattering ones and mostly just a lot of boring Mari-face, one hair cut and watching as it grows out, on the FEW days when it's not in a ponytail or bun. Ridic!

My identity is more than my face though, both online and IRL interactions. (Imagine that!) My name changed as of 5/30/08, but I also deal with the Mari vs. Marilyn issue. Lately I've been using Mari more often even in "formal" items. I'd never change my name from Marilyn (for so many reasons, including SEVEN letters in my first name), but Mari is more "me." I'm no longer MP from I, O who likes rhymes. But I am, so it's still a little weird to me sometimes to remember I am a Mrs. I worked hard for this M-R-S degree. *groan*

I love my mirror-able initials just like I loved my rhyming name.

(Oh, and I still respond to Mare-Pear, Merlin and other name variations rooted in affection)

Skitzoid Weather

The weather here is really swinging from one extreme to another. On Saturday it was gloomy, rainy and chilly. Sunday it was warm enough to run around in the sun in short sleeves. (Not hot but definitely mid-60s.) Today we're back to a chillier, November-like weather day.

This of course means that our apartment was super-warm yesterday and that we needed to keep the windows wide open. I've mentioned that the windows have no screens -- they open out, so screens just wouldn't be possible on them. Last night we killed two mosquitos and I woke up around 2:30 a.m. with multiple bites and boiling hot (and fairly certain I hadn't fully drifted off to sleep). I rubbed one of my many anti-itch remedies (ca. bedbug battle of 08) on the spots, got a cool pack from the freezer and was able to go to sleep that way. Shawn woke up and examined the bed for bedbugs by flashlight and tried (probably successfully) to kill the third mosquito that was causing so much trouble.

Whatever the case, I woke up crankier than usual. But the skeeter bites are diminished and not itching today, so it's good to know my body isn't having the same wild reaction that it does to multiple bedbug bites.

Also, the previous post seemed a little ... I don't know the right word. It's not "inspirational" words I think I have when I'm composing posts in my head.

The posts in my head just have better stories than what I tap out on the keyboard. Because I think about the details and quirks and word play. I would have to be more dedicated to journaling ... writing things down as they enter my mind ... to be consistent.

I really like writing something every day, and I think I would continue if it didn't seem so self-indulgent. It creates a self-awareness to write about ME every day. So I should ideally find another topic -- like a content marketing blog for something that's actually worthy of being content. I'll keep working on that.

Three of Four

The third Faith Class session was today. It was a little rocky, in that we started late and then were booted from the regular room. But overall it was good. I'm definitely going to transfer my membership, something that I probably should have done as I moved from church to church. My current membership, on paper, is still in Stillwater. But since I left that town I've been somewhat invested in three other churches (UMD, Fairlington and now Park Avenue). So even though I may not be a member for long, I'll belong somewhere in the city. So there's that. Definitely a step I should have taken in year one of my tenure here in the NYC.

My faith class attendance and its over-time meant that I missed the kick off NYU women's basketball game, but Shawn was there and gave me a good report. I met him at the gym in time for the men's game, but we only stayed for the first half. I was hungry, tired and cranky, plus I'm completely out of work out socks ... so laundry was in order.

That's going right now. How exciting. I am really looking forward to the day that I don't have to share filthy (and I mean FILTHY) washing machines with a building full of people. When I don't have to pay $3 to wash and dry each load (sometimes more depending on which dryer you get stuck with). When I can do laundry every night without it seeming like a chore. When I don't have to wait for an off-peak time to avoid squabbles with neighbors over clothes, and when I don't have to RACE down there to be sure I move my laundry before another resident decides to remove it for me!

But I keep up the mantra "don't wish your life away." There's also some country song that plays on my Pandora ... about "you're gonna miss this." And to really live in the moment, relishing that's happening in your life NOW instead of always looking ahead to what's coming next. Good advice, but easier said than done.

One year ago today was our Waldorf-Astoria caper. Time really flies.

Last night's five-course meal at the French Culinary Institute was a lot of fun. I don't think I've ever eaten such fancy food. Kellie, Shawn's cousin, is a graduate of the school, and her birthday is this coming Wednesday. We made the invite list and got to hang with the cool kids, which was very fun. Also made me miss Kellie, even though we've never spent a lot of time together I always have a good time when we do! We'll see her again at Thanksgiving, which should be an interesting blow out for the family. And an interesting birthday celebration for me.

Turning 29 on Thanksgiving Day. I'm hoping to get to webcam with Owen and Beth at some point that day. I think our next plot should be to get Gran's house hooked up to wifi so we could webcam with her! That'll be the day.

I write blog posts in my head and always think of interesting prose and fun word play. On the subway, with the rocking rhythm of the cars rolling I have, what I think, are good ideas. And then when I'm here at the keyboard it just seems to be the same old "I did X, then Y. GRIPE GRIPE GRIPE." But bear with me as surely I can put together some useful posts at some point other than just this-is-my-life type drivel. But then I remember that at its core, my blog's main goal is to keep my family, friends and anyone else so inclined informed of our life on its surface, so I guess these posts have their place too. I just wish I could do a better job of note taking when my inspirational thoughts hit me.

Nor'easter

Woke up today ... to everything grey. And all that I saw, just kept going on and on...

After sleeping in and a bit of lounging we headed out, going through the Journey sex trafficking exhibit/shipping containers down the street. There wasn't a clear message about what to do to stop sex trafficking and the literature was a first-person story typed in a handwriting font. It wasn't a clear story or narrative, but maybe that was the point ... to confuse the viewer/reader?

I didn't really get much from the art, except one room. They had the smell of poverty down pat. It was a replica of the room where the girls would be kept. The bed shook, the stench was unbearable and the exit was covered in condoms. Bizarre. At the end you could give them your e-mail address. I did not.

Then we went to the Palladium gym, where elliptical and TV makes for an easy effective workout. Afterward we walked into a DOWNPOUR, the result of the Nor'easter I believe the weather people are squawking about. Shawn didn't have an umbrella, so it made for a soggy walk to Blockbuster.

Our local one is closing, which is typical, since our Blockbuster by mail just gave us free in-store returns for the rest of the year, which would mean we could swap out a DVD we received in the mail for one at the store. Not useful when the nearest store is more than a half-hour walk away. Dud.

BUT because the store is closing they're selling off all their videos. We were able to peruse the sale items for the duration of the downpour before heading on our way. Now we're killing time before we head out again into the murky weather for Kellie's birthday dinner.

Definitely feels like autumn. November huzzah!

Mind The Gap

Oh, hello there. 

Another post via Jezebel inspired me to react in blog post form*:

Mind The Gap - the gap - Jezebel:

The American Family Association is not amused at The Gap for adding greetings like 'Happy Whateveryouwannukah' and 'Mo' Mistletoe' to its holiday ad campaign, which they claim 'censors' Christmas. [Brandweek]"

I saw this commercial last night and had a similar reaction ... i.e. "do-whatever-you-wanna-kuh" is not good. There's meaning behind the Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations, and this commercial, seemingly moreso than others, blatantly thumbs its nose at those celebrations.

But then I thought about it, and my slightly more rational side (as there is no truly rational Mari) says they're just trying to sell clothes, so let them say what they want, and it's catchy besides. It's not like a church is propagating the idea that you can believe what you want, mix and match until you're happy.

This is a topic of discussion in my faith/Methodism class (whether it's OK to just pick your favorite parts of various religions and kind of create your own path ... consensus: it's not). I'm reading a Q&A book about Methodism and the Articles of Religion, so it's kind of top-of-mind, which might account for my initial sour-puss reaction to the advertisement.
*Normally I might have just shared this in my Google Reader, but knowing I have a daily blog post to create tends to skew things toward a post rather than a share.

Here's the ad via YouTube:

Number Threes, via Jezabel

This made me laugh so hard. I think that speaks more to me and my humor level than anything.

Not sure that it should count for NaBloPoMo, but with a little writing from me here, I think I'm going to count it.

Work has been especially tough lately. I hope next week it evens out. I hate wishing my life away and I ESPECIALLY hate wishing NOVEMBER away, but I am certainly looking forward to a trip to Danville for Thanksgiving followed shortly thereafter by a trip to Miami. Yeah, keep focusing on the here and now, the tangible parts of being in this moment, in this day, typing on this keyboard.

I'm participating in a mystery crochet project, so that's kind of exciting. I still haven't gone through Journey, but that's still on the agenda. Also, holiday craft fairs are opening around the city, which I didn't know about in the last TWO holiday seasons I've lived in New York, and I also discovered a Michaels opened up in Manhattan. Now all I need is a Target. Or to be voted off the island.

*headdesk*

Crafting Memories

I like to think of myself as the crafty sort (see crochet projects, magnet Christmas gifts and a "head board"). It's not an adult-onset craftiness, and I think fondness for crafting may be in my genes.

Image of VA Apartment bedroom w/ wonky "headboard" made of foam core, batting and fabric.

Growing up I spent many days with my Great Aunt Norma Lee, a queen crafter. She sewed us Barbie clothes, baby accessories and entertained us with craft projects featuring puff paint, glitter and beads. (This was the 80s/early 90s!)

There are a couple crafty times I remember at Gran's house -- creating a colorful fan and recycling crayons.

To make the fan, we colored each line of a piece of college-ruled notebook paper a different color ... on both sides. So we ended up with a striped piece of paper, which we then folded accordion-style along each stripe. Then we bunched up one end and folded it to make a beautiful (in our eyes) fan.

We always had a box of broken old crayons, and at some point we decided to make something with them. I remember making multi-color crayons by putting a bunch of (unwrapped) broken pieces together in a muffin-tin, then melting the crayons in a low oven. When they cooled we had these wild crayons (surprisingly the colors don't "run" together). The results weren't exactly ergonomic, although I suppose we could have used a corn pone pan or similar to better approximate a crayon.

Writing this reminds me of another crayon craft. We used the shavings from sharpening the crayons. First we'd draw an outline on a piece of waxed paper -- or lay waxed paper over an outline drawing. Then we'd take crayon shavings and fill in the outline. Then we'd cover with more waxed paper, a towel and iron it. The colored shavings would melt together and create a picture (for some reason I'm thinking of a butterfly). Then when it cooled we could peel off the paper and stick (tape?) the results to the window so the light would shine through. I'm fairly certain I'm not making this up, but either way it sounds like a good idea.

I was also a Girl Scout, which could account for some of my crafting tendencies. However my strongest GS craft-related memory involves blood. Specifically me slicing my thumb open when we were carving potatoes to make vegetable stamps. I was probably the least likely to do something like that (i.e. I was old enough to have knife skills), but sure enough WHACK and I was gushing blood everywhere. I have a feeling I didn't finish that craft project. Geez.

Do you have any crafty childhood memories?

Dental DON'T

Today I figured out why most people dislike the dentist. It's PAINFUL. I've never had a really bad cleaning, but this one was the worst. And obnoxious because for the last six months I've been brushing w/ a high dollar Sonicare toothbrush that the hygienist insisted I have. I have flossed regularly for years, and no dentist or hygienist has ever noticed, but it's something adults have to do so I do it. Clearly I'm brushing wrong ... she said there were hard deposits under my gums in the front and she was surprised I hadn't had gum pain because they were inflammed and looked sore. Well I certainly have pain now after she dug out whatever was in there. How horrifying, right?

So I'm near tears at this point, cursing myself for spending so much money on something that clearly didn't do the job, the dentist is showing me how to brush my teeth and then I go to have a cavity filled ... it's not a new one/is the same one as last time. I put it off due to insurance battles but all seems well now. The filling was easier than the cleaning, although I hate the noise, and I zoned out so I didn't hear his "open wider" commands until he said my name kind of loud and tapped my shoulder. Nice.

How did I make it twenty-five years without a cavity? Now it seems I have one/year at least and I'm actually taking BETTER care of my teeth in terms of flossing and brushing (or so I thought). I didn't have cavities until I moved away from Oklahoma, but then I was younger then, so who knows why things change.

Webcam shot of my teeth. My laptop's webcam has a built in "film" option so I guess I could start my own video diary/confessionals. How Real World of me. Only a thought.

Journey

Hopefully a proper post later, but wanted to get this down while it's still "a story."

This morning I woke up to the sound of a press conference and the voice of Emma Thompson, then Mayor Bloomberg. There's an art installation called Journey set up on our street, which I can see from our window. With unseasonably warm weather, we have the window wide open.

I didn't race down to be part of the melee, but I do intend to walk through the installation while it's here and learn about sex trafficking and what it is that they're encouraging people to do about it. I'll report back.

Dentist today, so wish me luck!!!

The view from 8G this morning

Snap that Gum; Pop those Hips

I keep thinking about how much I loved Saturday's SNL. I like Taylor Swift a lot, and she was really good hosting the show. It was literally the best one I've seen in ages. And she sure does pop her hips when she sings. Pretty funny to watch, since I generally just listen to her music on my Pandora station as it comes up.

On the subway to church yesterday I got a seat after 42nd Street and was minding my own business reading when all of a sudden a woman popped out of her seat and went over to someone sitting a few seats to my left to berate her about snapping her gum. It was the most bizarre thing -- someone being so rude and inappropriate under the guise of correcting someone else's rude behavior. I didn't notice the gum chewing or popping, but I definitely noticed the shrew who made a big stink ... and not on her way out. She stomped her foot and demanded the other woman stop her gum chewing and then stood at the door pouting and acting self-righteous until the next stop. The gum chewer said "I'm sorry" and stopped snapping her gum as far as I could tell.

What is wrong with people?

The theme for this week's faith class was love, and what love is. One thing is not jealous, so we were talking about jealousy ... which led to work issues. One thing that was said ... that people act jealous or mean and petty because of a deep-seated need to be loved. Interesting. But then why do I do the mean and petty things I do? I am a people pleaser in some respects and a "who cares what you think?" terror on wheels in others. That's not to say I don't feel loved ... I do. It's just something tumbling around in my brain today. (i.e. What's wrong with me?)

An answer for another day, because for now I'm lacing up my kicks and heading to the gym for a happy Monday workout (the elliptical seems so bla after a nice Sunday afternoon basketball workout with Shawn).

Giving Thanks

This month my mom has been blogging daily about things for which she's thankful. I've tried to write gratitude journals but am usually less-than-committed to that. I really like the idea of it though.

One year when we were little we did a Thanksgiving tree in our bathroom. It's possible we did it more than one year, but it's a distinct memory. We cut out all these leaves from yellow, orange, brown and red construction paper. We taped a brown paper "trunk" to the hot water heater door, and then every day of November we wrote something we were thankful for on a leaf and taped them on the trunk.

I'm sure I was thankful for family, friends, books, my toys, the usual things a kid likes. I'm still thankful for all those things (I still have my Brownie bear and Heidi "My Child" doll). And I LOVE the idea of a Thanksgiving tree -- seeing the gratitudes "grow" before you.

Another thing I love about this time of year are the turkey hands. Tracing a hand and using the fingers as the feathers and the thumb as the turkey's head. And if we're ever blessed with children I like the idea of tracing their hands each year and building the turkey that way -- each year adding more "feathers" with the larger hand outline. I have all sorts of crazy ideas of the things I'd like to do with kids ... but I know I'll be lucky to just keep it together!

But today, specifically I am thankful for basketball with my husband, ridiculously warm weather in November, the joy of giving my crocheted works to the craft fair and a grande skim latte on a downtown bus ride after church.

Happy weekend.

Saturday in the City

Last night's show was pretty good. Not slosh-in-the-rain-looking-for-tickets good, but worth seeing. Carrie Fisher is something else. Unfortunately we were way high at the theater, something I didn't realize or I would have brought the binoculars! You could still see her and her literal glittery performance, but being so far back we were less involved in the performance.

The theater itself was Studio 54 in a former life ... a place Shawn had never heard of. It was also very shabby looking - the front part around the stage was actually crumbled.

We laughed and enjoyed ourselves. The show was a lot like the book -- If I'd realized I would see the show I probably would have waited to read it -- but some other audience interaction things added in. Plus there was some multimedia, which always makes things better.

When we got home I started looking through my photos. I'm in the process of moving everything from my back-up drive (which backed up my old laptop) and then trying to organize everything more logically within Windows 7. It was fun to look back through our engagement photos -- two years ago this month.

Pretty good stuff. We should go traipsing through Central Park again now while the leaves are changing. The weather is getting much cooler. In fact last night it was down right frigid! November is my favorite.

I'm still getting used to the laptop -- the screen is so wide that there's space around EVERY web page. And it's so clear that if I look at this screen at the same time as my work desktop's monitor it's a striking difference that makes my eyes hurt!

I still have writing plans. So I hope that will be a main use for this computer. I also use it for webcamming, e-mailing, blogging and games. Maybe a little Roller Coaster Tycoon in my future.

Tonight we've been invited to a birthday dinner for one of Shawn's colleagues, so that should be fun. Also strangely looking forward to SNL. Must be a country thing. Onward.

Notes from Bulletins Past

Each week at church I jot notes in my bulletin. They recycle them there, but I tend to bring mine home with me ... now I have a stack of them with notes in them, and here are some of the notes:

A children's sermon that I liked from last week, the Sunday after Halloween. The pastor asked the kids what they did for the holiday and what they dressed up as. On Halloween we wear costumes and some are scary. Other things about Halloween are scary, but with Jesus we don't need to be afraid because he's our lifesaver. Then she passed out Life Saver candies. Kind of hokey, but not the worst children's sermon I've ever heard. :)

Another -- she brought out a guitar and talked about how she'd borrowed it. Then she strummed and acted surprised that she couldn't play. How can she learn? Take lessons, which would mean practicing and sticking with it so she could get good. Sometimes it's important to stick with something when it's hard, like we stick with it and keep coming to church to practice being followers of Christ.

Every week the ushers keep a death grip on the offering plates and I make a note of it when they're especially grabby. I guess it's because money could slip out/into the pockets of someone, but it's just so weird to see them practically laying across someone in an aisle seat to allow an inner-seated person to place their offering in the plate instead of allowing the plate to be passed. Trust issues? (Not that I can talk ... I get nervous leaving my purse in the pew for communion.)

A lady in a pew in front of me one week had on the cutest crocheted beret. The older ladies also wear hat pins to keep their hats on their heads no matter what. It took me a while to figure out what the jewel was on the hat ... it was a pin. The hat was definitely distracting and my sermon notes reflect that. I kept thinking "I could make that!" and "Wouldn't I look jaunty in a hat like that?" Oh brother.

An anecdote about the Biosphere project (my main memory of that is that there was a Pauly Shore movie that made fun of it?) ... anyway, one of the things that came out of that was learning that trees need the wind to build strong bark and allow them to grow taller. Without wind, they grow to a certain height and then fall over and die. Life's challenges are like that and we need struggles to make us stronger in our faith.

Also from that sermon, a remark that really resonated for me -- sometimes it's harder to depend on God in the good times when we have lots of possessions and everything is going great. Calling out to God for help is a natural ingrained response for me, but I need to be more conscious of my relationship with the Lord when things are going well.

None of these are my ideas or thoughts, but I wanted to promulgate them and keep them together for my own reference (which is a big reason for me to blog).

Tonight's the "Wishful Drinking" show, so that post will be on tap for Saturday. I also found my notebook page with ideas for posts. Yippie!

Secrecy and Some Finished Ornaments

I first read about the Google Dashboard this morning on Hillicon Valley, a Capitol Hill blog written by a graduate school friend. Since then I've come across several more articles with people freaking out (even mildly) about the "Big Brother" aspect of Google's hold on private facts about our online lives.

Uh ... duh?

In truth I'm not so much creeped out about it and like the idea of a dashboard (see yours here) to quickly access all the privacy settings for my Google tools. Maybe I've been drinking too much Kool-Aid though.

I finished prepping my thread crochet ornaments last night:

There are 15 snowflakes and stars and one angel. The two big ones are meant as tree toppers (and they're about 8"-10" across), although I wasn't quite sure how to rig them that way so I just tied the translucent thread at two points near the middle thinking the star could nestle among the branches. My favorite is the big star on the left.

I made RIDICULOUSLY strong sugar starch to stiffen the ornaments, and it took a while for everything to dry. But they did and now they're stiff as a board. None is perfect, but they turned out great.

I had the idea of taking this picture and then filling in the rest of the non-purple area with the clone tool. It ended up looking so dumb that I just decided that seeing the bedspread was OK. The purple material is a Target sash that I bought for Beth to wear with her maid of honor dress.

I'll be taking these and the green baby blanket to church for the craft fair, which is 11/21. My brain is all sorts of Swiss cheese about the month. Old age? Probably not, although my 28th year is coming to an end ... three weeks left at this age.

Wednesday

Brain freeze -- I actually WILL be at church for the next three Sundays before holiday travel starts. I didn't think I would be there for all four faith class sessions. Look at a calendar, jeez.

I have very little to report, and I can't find my blog ideas paper. I've been webcamming with Owen and Beth on the laptop. It's pretty fun although Shawn says the picture will be better when directly plugged into the Internet. But I wanted to move around and lay on the bed. That's part of why I bought a laptop!

I'm also in the market for a new cell phone. My contract is complete, and my phone has been holding its charge for less time. I also SHOULD be able to lower my contract plan to pay less once I get an office phone. However it's been promised for three weeks, so we'll see. I'm not happy with the choices at AT&T. Could I think about switching? I'm not sure. It seems a little over-the-top to get another new gadget, but I definitely want it.

Materialistic much? Oiy.

They Named a Street After You

Just back from the voting place. An old man was pulling the "reset" lever between each voter, and when the other worker took my name said "They named a street after you." (There's a Walker Street downtown.) I just smiled and said, "Actually they named it after my husband. It's his name." Then the old guy kept talking to me but I couldn't understand a thing. Civic duty done though.

Last night's game was super fun. It was our first NBA game -- Knicks vs. New Orleans Hornets. Knicks won. We had trouble finding our seats, but we did just in time for the National Anthem. We took some pictures:

Mari at Madison Square Garden

 Shawn at Madison Square Garden

Shawn watching the City Dancers with the binoculars!

Final score: 117-111

I think we'll have to go back some time. It didn't last too long, which was good, and basketball is entertaining. I wonder if Owen would like a sporting event like this. We were very high up though, so that might not go over well. Mario Batali, a Food Network chef and NYC restaurant owner, was the most famous person there. All the other celebs were at the World Series I'm sure!

Until tomorrow...

Patience and Discipline

Here's a webcam shot of Owen from Halloween. I got to see him in his hybrid Bumblebee/Optimus Prime outfit. He was certainly hopped up on sugar and gave me a cute closeup on screen. He surely is sweet. Sweeter than candy!

I am now being tested -- at least my patience is. My work changed Internet Service Providers, which somehow managed to kick me off the access list for VPN and e-mail. A struggle, as here it is afternoon and I haven't had access to my work e-mail since late Friday. Good news is that my direct boss is on vacation, so nothing should be too pressing (and people CAN just call me if it's urgent). I have also been able to do some work that didn't require e-mail. But it's a pretty weird disconnect.

Now a computer tech has remote access of my work computer, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to pop off a little blog post. Last night as I was trying to fall asleep (shouldn't the time change make me SLEEPIER at bedtime?) I was thinking about discipline and the ways I'm trying to improve myself.

I have become a dedicated flosser over the past few years, and over the last six months my brushing routine has picked up because of the purchase of a sonic toothbrush.

Exercising daily is still forming into a habit, but getting there. Eating better is something that requires more discipline, including discipline to plan and prepare meals in advance. I get really lazy and have to fight the tendency to just do takeout.

I need to have better discipline in my spiritual life, with devotions. I'm making a start with the faith class commitment (which could be a post on its own). I also would like to be a more disciplined writer -- not necessarily blogger, but there are some things I need to write that I just don't do ... in favor of TV or goofing around or whatever.

My patience paid off -- the tech was able to quickly fix the problem, flush my DNS and get me re-connected. So it's whirlwind work this afternoon. Hopefully a quick trip to the gym before the Knicks game. HA!

Welcome to November

We're having perfect November weather in NYC. It's blustery and overcast, with lots of leaves swirling about.

The marathon was today, which meant lower-than-average attendance at church. I also started the faith class today - learning about Methodism. So far so good. It's only four sessions, but I'm worried about having to miss the fourth one (our trip for Thanksgiving and then Miami), but I'll figure it out when I get there.

Shawn will be home soon, so I'm looking forward to that. Today for me was church, the faith class, then the gym (Palladium -- working out and watching TV is so much better than without TV!), an omelet at Cozy and then home. I've got "Sunshine Cleaning" going while I'm waiting and blogging. Need to gear myself up for work this week.

I have a notebook sheet of ideas for blog posts, so I should have plenty of content beyond the day-to-day mundane this-is-my-life posts. But we'll see. Tomorrow is the Knicks game after work, so there will be that to write about.

Kind of a lame first-of-November post, but it will do. Until tomorrow...