ronni

February = AWESOME

1 February 2012 / life, pictures, ronni

I am determined that February will be awesome. For one thing, it’s a red and pink month. I don’t have synesthesia, but months have always had colors for me. January is blue and grey. March is green. And February is red and pink. Probably has more to do with the seasonal decorations than anything special my brain is doing.

But ANYWAY. February is going to be made of awesome because I SAID SO. I’m already one book ahead on my 2012 Reading Challenge, and today, I got back on my exercise bike after not using the poor thing for months. I just don’t want to be one of those people whose exercise equipment becomes a coat hanger.

pre-workout myspace angle pic

I really do need to be committed to taking better care of myself. I got the bike because I know myself. Even if I paid $1,000/month for a gym membership, I’d never go. Part of the reason is that I had a bad experience with a gym. I am pretty sure the events are unrelated, but the last time I worked out really hard in a gym (January 2000), I caught a terrible round of the flu that night. I was sick for two weeks. IT SUCKED. Every time I think of a gym, I get scared that I’ll catch the flu if I go.

So, I figure it’s better for me to workout at home. For one thing, the bike is RIGHT THERE taunting me like “Dude. You’ve been on the couch for four hours. Get over here and get your workout on.”

Not only that, but I get FREE UNLIMITED YOGA at Moksha. It’s a seven minute walk from my apartment. I need to be going to a class at least three times every week. EVERY WEEK.

(I also have yoga DVDs here.)

There really is no excuse.

So today, February 1, 2012, I commit to being more physically active. No matter how much winter makes me want to hibernate. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to do this:

So, this has been the week of GETTING STUFF DONE. I used to rave about iProcrastinate, but Producteev is so much better. It has a reminder function. I can sync my tasks between the computer, the net, and my phone. It sends me emails when stuff is coming up due, and if I’ve forgotten something, it sends an email for that, too. And I can mark things as “done” in the email, send it on, and it’ll update everywhere. It really keeps me organized. Cloud software RULES.

Disney World in less than two weeks! That is AWESOME, y’all. I was going through a friend’s Disney pix and working myself all up. It’s a short trip–four days/three nights–but we’ll make the best of it. I guess I’m kind of in denial. I never pack or anything until very late the night before. I don’t know why I have to act like that. I *am* excited. Can’t wait to see Mickey and the gang and eat good food and just be cut off from the world.

I have a lot of prep to do for Disney. Like making a packing list. Checking in to our hotel. Asking Adam if he wants to pre-order the Photopass CD. Making arrangements for the kitty cats. A bunch of other stuff that escapes me right now. I can’t believe how chill I am. I used to freak out, making spreadsheets and all sorts of things for trips. Now I’m just like “Whatever. It’ll be good.”

When I get back from Disney, I need to work on Making More Money. I don’t like pinching pennies. And pennies don’t like to be pinched. It hurts them.

But I’m not going to worry about that now.

I’m sure I had some other stuff to write about, but I can’t remember any of it. So I’ll go for now.

‘Til next time.

4 Comments

Let’s Talk About Food

30 January 2012 / food, life, marriage, miscellany monday, pictures, ronni

Note: Check out my site’s new look. What do you think? I’m pretty happy with it. It took a lot work and research to finally find a theme that I was able to customize without paying an arm and a leg, and without too much trouble. So, YAY.

Tonight, Adam and I went to Eleven City Diner for dinner. This is what I had:

Mmm, so good.

In 2008, Adam and I ate there for our post-elopement celebration. They brought us their special Eleven City French Toast: fresh baked challah with strawberries, bananas, and toasted coconut. Good times. (Even though I don’t like bananas or coconut–but it really was nice of them to do that for us.) Chicago has no shortage of good diners, and Adam and I love a good diner run.

If you’ve been following my twitter feed, you’ll know that I’ve been having the most random cravings. Cake. Cupcakes. Sushi. BBQ beef. Beef & noodles. Turkey & cheese sandwiches with mustard (and tortilla chips). Hmm, maybe they aren’t so random. They’re actually pretty predictable, because food wise? I’m pretty predictable.

I’ve gotten intense cravings for as long as I can remember. My first serious boyfriend never craved anything, which bode well when choosing a place to go eat. I ate anywhere I wanted because he never got a taste for anything particular. He’d just eat whatever was there. When he and I parted ways and I got with my second serious boyfriend, it was a shock for me to suggest a restaurant and for him to say he wasn’t in the mood for it.

My intense cravings can really make dinner challenging. Adam and I tend to be on our own for the other meals and snacks, but when it comes to dinner, he likes to make a nice, hearty meal and he likes for me to enjoy them. But not only do I have intense cravings, I also have a finicky appetite. I will get hooked on something and eat it every day for two weeks straight. Some foods I’ll never get tired of, like spaghetti, or turkey & cheese sandwiches with mustard, Whatchamacallit bars, spinach. Or I will unexplicably go off a food and not want anything to do with it for several months. (Ask Adam about the time I went off chicken. He hated life.)

We also have different ideas of dinner. I can eat a plate of rice and spinach and be perfectly happy, or a turkey sandwich will satisfy me. Adam says “that’s not a dinner” and says that we need meat, starch, and veggies. I’m talking beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans or something like that. It doesn’t matter if it’s the dead of summer and it’s 95F out, and if I say it’s too “heavy” or something, he goes “What does that even mean?” He tells me to never become a vegetarian or a vegan because feeding me is already hard enough, that I don’t like enough veggies. But I don’t think that’s the hard part. I think the hard part is us not having compatible tastes all the time.

this is what Adam considers a true dinner

I know that he’s had to adapt a lot of his eating habits because mine are so weird. For example, he never buys onions because he knows I don’t like them, but on the rare occasion I do cook (it happens, it really does), I show him how I can make stuff taste yummy without using the vile things. [1. To be fair, I like what onions do to food. I just don’t like THEM.] He knows that texture is a HUGE part of my eating experience, and the wrong texture will ruin a meal for me. [2. It’s why I don’t like oatmeal. I hate the way it feels in my mouth. It’s also why I can’t eat mushrooms, and one of the number one reasons onions turn me off so.] Toss in other weird food issues, and I don’t see how he puts up with it. I’ve told him he shouldn’t feel responsible for making sure I eat because I do have these hang-ups, but he said he LIKES to make sure I’m well fed and enjoying my meals.

A few months ago, I went to an Intro to Ayurveda workshop at Moksha, given by John Joseph Immel. Ayurveda is when you can manage your health by eating based on your dosha. There are three doshas–Vata, Pitta, and Kapha–and you’re to favor certain foods based on these doshas. It was interesting. A lot of it is stuff that’s inherent, but we kind of tamp it down in the name of convenience. But hear me out. If you’re feeling hot, don’t go eating peppers. Eat something cooling, like fruit. If you’re sick, get some rest, which not only means overall, but also, by giving your digestive system a rest. Eat foods that are nourishing, comforting, and easy-to-digest. See, makes perfect sense, right? Ayurveda isn’t some woo woo crazy thing. It’s listening to your body and eating accordingly. I wonder what Adam’s dosha is, now that I think about it?

anyone else got the wiggles fruit
salad song stuck in their head now?
just me? ok then.

Going into our fourth year of marriage, I know Adam is still trying to figure out how to keep me nourished and happy. God bless him for his patience.

Hey, be sure to stop by tomorrow for the Twitter linky hop thingy that I host with Krista from Army Wife Style and Annie from Letters To Mo. I will also be revealing what I received in the 2012 gift exchange and link party!

Linking up with:

8 Comments

A Potluck Entry

26 January 2012 / pictures, ronni, Uncategorized, videos

Just a list of randomness.

one.
I popped into the post office today to mail a package to Lesley for the 2012 gift exchange and link up.

this thing!
One of the workers fell seriously ill, and they had to call 911. I hope the worker is OK. Needless to say, I didn’t get to mail the package. I also realized that I walked out without paying for the ReadyPost box. But I’ll pay for it when I go back tomorrow. I hope Lesley gets her package in time for the link up! In the meantime, you should visit her blog. Because girlfriend has some SERIOUSLY delish recipes and you will be mad you missed out.

two.
Instead of buying new books, I’ve been rereading a lot of my favorites. In preparation for the movie, I reread The Hunger Games and its sequels again. I have read Mockingjay twice, but I literally have no idea how many times I’ve read The Hunger Games or Catching Fire. I’ve also decided to go through all my Sarah Dessen books because clearly, I am obsessed.

three.
I finally picked up my glasses that had been chipped back in December. Turns out they were calling the number I had at my old job to tell me they were in. Obviously, that didn’t work out so well. But the glasses are back with me. I like having two pairs of glasses to choose from.

four.
Disney World is coming up! Adam got the word that our travel documents are on their way. You know what that means! It’s only a matter of time ’til I’m walking down Main Street USA, heading toward Cinderella Castle. I’m started to get really excited, you guys! I’m eager for warmer weather (Short sleeves? Yes, please!), all the yummy food, soaking in the hot tub, getting a 2012 ornament, pin, and magnet, hugging Mickey Mouse, seeing my favorite shows, riding my favorite rides, taking lots of pictures, exploring new things, and MARSHMALLOWS COVERED IN CHOCOLATE AND CANDY.

five.
Sometimes when I sing, Crookshanks stops whatever he’s doing and immediately climbs into my lap. I guess that means he likes me singing voice. 🙂 I’m glad someone does.

six.
Yesterday, I went downtown to use up my Old Navy Groupon and pick up my glasses. I did well in Old Navy. It was one of those $10 for $20, and honestly, there was no way I could pass that up! I got a really cute sweater, a headband, and a tee-shirt to wear at Disney World. After that, I went to Nordstrom Rack, where I understood why some woman go absolutely bonkers over shows. Apparently, they were having some sort of SHOE EVENT because the entire second floor was shoes, except for a few key parts! I saw some beautiful heels that had me drooling. I DON’T EVEN WEAR HEELS. I also saw some flats that made my jaw drop. But I resisted, and came home with a nice, sensible pair of Keens. Because I am boring like that.

seven.
I just have to share this picture of little Helena sleeping on my lap a few days ago.

eight.
I also have to share this picture of all three cats close together at a time they’re not eating. This rarely happens! Don’t they all look sweet?

nine.
The apartment inexplicably smells like coffee. I’m not complaining, mind you. I’d rather smell this than cat poop. Thank God they’re all sleeping instead of having a poop-a-thon. They’ll wait for Adam to get home for that.

ten.
Even though my medication says to take it before bed, I rarely do. I have to take it in the morning. Why, you ask? Because my BRAIN ACTS LIKE THIS whenever I take it at night! (fyi, this is not kid-friendly!)

So guess who was up until 6AM?
Guess who wants to play The Sims?
Guess who is craving cake?
And sushi?

‘Til next time.

Linking up with:

4 Comments

Broadway Baby

23 January 2012 / dork, living in chicago, pictures, ronni

It takes a lot to get me into a musical, but once I’m into it, it becomes an obsession. (Ask me anything about RENT and I’ll more than likely have the answer for you.) I was lucky enough to see RENT twice–once when it was still on Broadway in New York City, and once when it was here in Chicago with the original Mark and Roger.

rent in nyc

rent in chicago

There are pictures of me pretending to be Mimi on the fire escape singing Out Tonight, and pretending to film a movie using Mark’s camera. Don’t believe me? Check this out:

RENT is my absolute favorite, I especially love LES MISERABLES, but around 2004-2005, my obsession was with WICKED. I didn’t get to see that one until late 2006, but oh man, IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT. The theatre did this lottery thing, and Adam and I both won front row center seats (Or was it second? Doesn’t matter, we were freakin’ close!) AND got to meet some of the cast backstage. But I was even more thrilled when I got the opportunity, a few years later, to actually PLAY on set!

That Time I Got to Play on the Set of Wicked

stage right!

hello oz face

trying on a costume.
it is much too large.
and the photo is fuzzy.
but this is still dang cool.

baby elphaba

throne

green stuff

costumes

Super neat, right?
There are a few things about Chicago that I hate.
But the chance to do stuff like this?
Makes it all worth it. 🙂

2 Comments

LinkedIn Depresses Me

19 January 2012 / life, pictures, ronni, sad, work

Have you ever felt like you are just… not as accomplished as you should be? I mean, you all know how I feel about all this “grown-up” business, but honestly, I often wonder why I just can’t be NORMAL. Why can’t I be happy with getting up five+ days a week, going into an office, coming home, eating dinner, watching TV, and sleeping? People do it every day! And they’re OK with it. The long commute. The lunch break that always goes too quickly. Why can’t I just be satisfied with–or at least resigned to–that sort of life? It’s like, what is wrong with me?

Yesterday, I worked in an office for the first time since November. It was just a one day gig, but could have led to more.

It didn’t go all that well. I was not on top of my game and they were not big with the patience. I mean, part of it was me. I just wasn’t on top of my game. I hate to admit that, but there you go. But part of it was their expectation that someone should walk in off the street, be given five minutes of training, and do everything perfectly. That kind of pressure? It screws me up. But that’s how it is in Chicago. No one has time for training or learning curves. You have to be able to hit the ground RUNNING. It’s super cutthroat. And it does nothing for my self-esteem when I am just not there.

And I say to myself:
You are 37 years old.
Why AREN’T you there yet?
You loser.

You know how people get depressed when they’re surfing Facebook and they see everyone else’s fabulous life? I’m like that with LinkedIn. I get that nifty little email in my inbox with all the updates; everyone’s promotions and new positions and whatnot. Or I’m just browsing and looking at people’s profiles! Everyone’s so accomplished. Or they’ve been in the same company for eleventy-billion years and have gotten a promotion every five years or so just like they’re supposed to. People my age and younger are managers, executies, directors. I don’t feel so bad about that, per se. I think I feel bad because even if I wanted a title like that, I’d never qualify for one. And then I start to feel pathetic.

Because why DON’T I have an established career or job? Why do I just kind of float through life in a way that I have to constantly remind myself to be present, to be intentional, to make it count?

It should not be this hard! Why is it so hard?

deep breath

OK. It’s obvious that I’m freaking out a little bit.
It’s just that…
I have a big decision to make, and this decision is making me super nervous.
It’ll be a big time commitment and financial investment.
The support from my friends and family has been amazing.
I’m still scared.
I’m starting to learn that the easiest choice is not always the right one,
and that the scary choice is usually the one that will take me on an amazing journey.
It will show me things that I’ve never thought possible.
It will push me farther than I’ve ever gone.
It will change my life in a very good way.

Adam and I kind of live by the philosophy Jump, and a net will appear.

So, I think I’m going to do it. I’m going to jump.
oh my god.
Details soon.

Linking up with:

23 Comments

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28