ronni

Body and Soul (cont.)

/ body and soul, hair, ronni

Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices. ~Shana Alexander

In a few weeks, it will have been an entire year since I’ve had a relaxer. I think I’m ready to finally do the Big Chop. Frankly, quite a bit of the relaxed hair has broken off anyway, especially in the back. I’m ready to start playing with my natural curls. ALL natural curls. Not this half and half crap.

As long as I’ve been doing my own hair, it’s been straight. Either my mom was using the hot comb or I was getting a relaxer (that we used to call a perm). So I’ve always dealt with “straight” hair. Now I’m relearning how to style and care for my hair and it hasn’t been all that easy. Still, I’ve lasted a year without using the “creamy crack.” Now I just have to let go of all the relaxed hair and know that I’m going to have really short hair for a while. That’s going to be a challenge as well, but I’m determined to break through it.

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Body and Soul

/ body and soul, ronni, yoga

I have discovered yoga. And it is good.

Well, that’s not true. The just discovering bit, I mean. I’d started doing bits and pieces of yoga back in 2005, but I definitely did not practice regularly. Just a DVD now and then, or the Wii Fit every once in a while, and flipping through pages in my yoga book. But lately, I’ve been feeling all bunched up. Just crunched and squished and small. I want to feel lean and lithe. Plus my upper back between my shoulder blades was kind of stiff. I know what it’s from. It’s from a winter of being hunched over, typing/playing on my laptop, or curled up reading, and not stretching and moving.

But that’s changing. I found a yoga center that is walking distance from my apartment, and I dropped in for three classes last week. It’s kind of a luxury, but it’s kind of not. The drop-in classes aren’t terribly expensive, and I feel like there is already a difference in how aware I am of my body, my breathing, and my posture. It’s helping me with my attitude. (I am still kinda complainy/whiny, but that has more to do with whether or not I take my medication correctly than anything else.) At the end of class, the instructor tells us to go about with gratitude in our hearts, and I feel disappointed because I haven’t concentrated on being thankful for things so much lately. I feel like this is going to keep me healthy on so many levels, so it’s something I need to be willing to make sacrifices for.

The soul thing is an side effect that I didn’t expect, but it’s a pleasant surprise. I like how they tell us to really pay attention to the sensations in our bodies. How that feels, and how it affects what’s going on in our minds. Tuesday, I did Tantric Vinyasa 1-2, Wednesday I did Vinyasa 1-2, and Friday, I did Ashtanga 1-2. So far, my favorites are Tantric Vinyasa and Ashtanga. I can’t even describe how I felt coming out of those classes. It was good, though. One day, I’d like to try hot yoga.

I have a habit of starting things, getting into them gung-ho, then abandoning them. I am not proud of that. I’m going to try to keep that from happening with this. It’s too good for me.

And now for a bit of fun….

I’m a Balanced Yogi!

Take the Yoga Journal Yoga Snob Quiz!

Hee hee, the girl in the cartoon even kinda looks like me! I have a pink mat and I always wear a headband!

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Coming Out of the Dark/General Update (Pictures)

/ pictures, ronni

I’ve had a rough few weeks of it. I don’t know if it was the weather, my medicine or what, but I’ve just really been feeling OFF. Definitely not very motivated. Tired and weak, constant headaches (three-day migraines are the suck… big time), depression, and general unhappiness. Not to mention the more than $500 in traffic/parking tickets that I had to pay last week. Not good.

(Did you know that in Chicago, not only can you be ticketed repeatedly for the same offense in the same place on the same day, but you can be ticketed every HOUR for the same offense in the same place on the same day? And they can impound your car even if you never received said tickets because the wind blew them off or something like that? Also, I know someone whose car got broken into. Window smashed. And he got a ticket for it. This city….I don’t even.)

Today, I had a doctor’s appointment. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the weather was sunny and in the upper 50s! Nice weather always helps me feel better, so after my appointment, I went and spent some time downtown, looking around in my favorite stores and letting myself be seriously tempted by things that I want but talk myself out of. I mean, I really don’t need a new Juicy warm up suit now, no matter how comfy and how deeply discounted they are at Nordstrom Rack.

This past weekend was an author-filled one for me. I got to meet Barry Lyga (we even gave him a ride to his hotel!) and Carrie Ryan, and Adam got to be treated like a rock star by middle schoolers. I do enjoy being around authors, and books, and things of that sort. It’s inspirational. I also managed to score an ARC of Linger so YAY. I have a lot of books to read, which is never a bad thing. I’m in the middle of my 50th new book of the year.

The bedroom is a hot, falling down mess. I still haven’t unpacked from our trip to Atlanta (which we came back from weeks ago), and plus, I am not good with hanging up/putting away clothing. I just drop it wherever I am standing, or drape it wherever it’ll fit. Part of the reason is that I can’t get to my closet because all of Adam’s clothes are in the way. And my closet light no longer works–something else the landlord won’t bother to fix. There are BOOKS everywhere on my side of the room. And the sad thing is there is a bookcase in the room–I need to utilize that thing. I can barely move for all the books (and shoes) everywhere.

I met up with an Internet friend a few weekends ago. We’d known each other since 2000, from the Roxydoll boards. It was fun to hang out. And pictures do not do her justice.

Sarah & Me
Sarah and Me

As you can probably tell, I got new glasses. Transitions. Pretty cool.

Aidan got his first “stylist” haircut (after getting homemade ones for years):

Aidan's First Stylist Haircut

He’s also obsessed with Star Wars these days. He’s going to be so thrilled when he sees the huge AT-AT and Rancor that Adam shipped from Atlanta for him to play with. I’m thrilled that I now own Adam’s old stuffed clown named Boji. Boji is sooooo cute. He just has this smile; it’s impossible to stay sad when looking at that sweet face. Boji and Pandernoodle are best friends now. 🙂

I’ve been worried that I am starting to look my age. My body is changing, and my face is changing, and I even spied a grey hair several weeks ago. I don’t want to look anywhere near my age. I like looking young, because then I can get away with wearing jeans and hoodies or mini-skirts and tights. I don’t want to have to dress all conservatively and MATURE when I really want to wear plaid skirts and goth blouses or Mickey Mouse hoodies or tee-shirts from Old Navy or whatever. Anyway, this weekend, someone told me I looked 16. SIXTEEN folks. That made my weekend. I’m also still getting 24ish, which I suppose is acceptable. I don’t want to look my actual age for at least 20 years.

Girl scout cookies are here! I have two boxes of Thin Mints, a box of Tag-a-longs and some of those Lemon Cremes or whatever. That’s a happy thing. I gotta get those Thin Mints in the freezer. Frozen is the best way to eat them.

I’m cutting back, WAY back, on my pop consumption. There can be nothing good in the amount of pop I was drinking. I’m going back to juice, and then water. I really should cut back on my sugar as well… BUT IT TASTES SO GOOD. Still, I wasn’t happy with the numbers on the scale today. Something needs to be done.

I took out 20 books from the library (3 of them are for Adam). Reading is fun.

Aidan will be here in 8 days. Only 4 more days until Spring. And 160 days until Mockingjay is out! New Elizabeth Scott book is out NOW, and so is The Princess & The Frog on DVD/Blu-ray. And New Moon on Friday! Lots to keep me entertained.

I need to go home. I need to see my friends and family, and I need to be in a city I’m not scared to drive in, and in a state that doesn’t put sales tax on its groceries. I don’t know when that’ll be, though. Seems like something comes up to keep me from booking those tickets, but I have to soon, or I think I shall lose my mind.

Life really is good, even when I’m feeling down in the dumps. But I’m climbing out. Slowly, but surely.

P.S. I just realized it’s my 2 year anniversary of moving to Chicago.

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In My Perfect World….

/ ronni, survey

List 20 things that would make your world perfect, and post them on your blog/facebook/whatever the cool kids are using these days.

In My Perfect World…

1. Aidan would live with me.
2. There would be no thunderstorms or snow storms.
3. I would have lots and lots of money.
4. I’d have an annual Disney Parks pass, and a Disney Vacation Club membership, and the time and funds to go to ANY Disney park I wanted any time forever and ever.
5. I’d have my two cats, plus a cute lil doggie, and some fish.
6. McDonalds would be good for me.
7. Onions would not exist.
8. The temperature outside would never go below 70F.
9. I’d not have loud drunkard neighbors, neighbors with annoying dogs, or neighbors who have no idea how to take care of/clean up after their annoying dogs.
10. I’d have a job I LOVE proofreading really awesome stuff but with no high pressure, ego stroking, or other assorted nonsense. The hours on this job would be 10am-3pm M-F. And it’d be paying me loads of money because I’d rock at it. (Hmm, now that I think about it, my ideal hours would probably actually be 10pm-3am. Especially if I am working from home. And if it’s my perfect job, I AM working from home.)
11. I’d live right across the street from a library. A GOOD library, like Columbus Metropolitan. Oh, how I miss thee.
12. My stomach would be flat; maybe even a 6 pack.
13. I’d be making a VERY GOOD living as a bestselling author.
14. I wouldn’t be so nervous to drive because I’d live in a place where NOT EVERY DRIVER IS A FREAK wtf Chicago I don’t even.
15. My friends and family who I love and who love me best would all live on my street. Or at least in my neighborhood.
16. There would be no pain, hurt, addictions.
17. Bad days would never exist.
18. Houses and litter boxes would clean themselves.
19. I’d be happy all the time.
20. My favorite foods and products would not only always be in production (and easy for me to get!), but they’d NEVER BE DISCONTINUED.

* * *

My ideal living situation would be this. (This is totally fantastical because I know such a place does not exist)
A medium city (not quite as huge as Chicago, but not as small as Columbus) with a Mediterranean climate. That means warm almost all the time. Blue skies, sunshine. Close to a beach, but not necessarily beach front. Not terribly humid. Wildflowers blooming all the time. Lots of mature trees and green grass. Close to all of my favorite places: Anderson’s Bookshop, the Whetstone branch of the Columbus library, Disney World, American Girl Place, Target, Meijer, Ragstock, Aeropostale, Nordstrom Rack, Dunkin Donuts, Mrs. Fields, Half-Price Books, McDonald’s. Public transportation. A grid system. Efficient traffic patterns (unlike the ones in Chicago). Close to a downtown. Lots of parks and places to walk. NO WINTER! That means no snow, ice, freezing temps. No extreme summer weather either.

We’d live in a ranch house. Three or four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a family room. The kitchen would have an island and a lazy susan. The appliances don’t necessarily have to be the fancy stainless steel stuff with red knobs or Sub-zero or whatever. Just working and clean and pretty. Or even retro-looking. There would be book cases everywhere. There would be a hot tub and a finished basement. Lots of storage. The yard would have cherry trees and lilac bushes and Asiatic lilies. My Hyundai would be fully maintained and have a full detail and Adam would have the old-fashioned Volvo he’s been dreaming about. Attached garage for sure. Sounds nice, huh?

A girl can dream, eh? Good night, y’all.

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Random Fried Bullet Points (Pictures)

/ books, life, pictures, ronni

Aidan Gives Me A Kiss!

· Aidan’s in town. He flew in Friday night (YAY) and has to go back this evening (BOO). Never seems to be enough time with him. Even if we’re not interacting, just having him in the house is nice. He doesn’t have his two front teeth anymore. My little boy is officially a snaggletooth! 😀

· Aidan’s in love with Star Wars. Darth Vadar’s his favorite. :O

· Claudia Gray (who is super duper awesomesauce with cherries on top) has gotten Adam and me (and indirectly, Aidan) hooked on Doctor Who. I’d never seen it and felt that I couldn’t be a proper geek without having done so. We have a TiVo and Netflix and Dr. Who is on Instant Q. We watch many episodes a day. Adam wants to turn our closet into a TARDIS. And he wants the coat that the 10th Doctor wears, but it’s $300. I told him to get it anyway. You really can’t be too cheap when buying coats for a Chicago winter. But he’s being smart and frugal.

· When I read to Aidan before bed, I read each page in a different voice, determined by Aidan. Tonight, I read him HIPPOS GO BESERK, and I used the voices of Laura and the dad from The Fuccons, Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Doctor Who, and Rose.

· I am reading POP PRINCESS by Rachel Cohn again. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve read it, but it blows me away every single time I do read it. Wonder’s voice is like no other. I feel the same way about Audrey’s voice in AUDREY, WAIT! by Robin Benway.

· Cover and title released for the latest Hunger Games Book!!! YOU SHOULD ORDER IT FOR ME! I mean, you should order it now!


Can’t believe there are still 190 days until it’s out!

· I went to the library last week and checked out 18 books. I’ve already read several of them.

· This Saturday, I am going to Anderson Bookshop’s 8th Annual Children’s Literature Breakfast. I’m really excited. Last year, I got to meet Meg Cabot, Sharon Draper, and Peter Yarrow. This year, I am ashamed to say I don’t really know the speakers, but there will be plenty of local authors there to chat with. And bacon to eat. And librarians to schmooze.

· I’ve been half-heartedly entertaining the thought of going back to school. I don’t know if I could get a Master’s–my college GPA wasn’t the greatest. It just seems so much hassle and there’s the money issue and the homework. But the learning and the advanced/extra degrees seem so appealing. I just don’t see how it can happen, though.

· Because I’m still really not sure what I want to be when I grow up. When I worked in advertising, I LOVED the work. Absolutely LOVED the work. I’m still running across ads that I’ve worked on and feeling a bittersweet pang of accomplishment and also missing it. But the pressure. The atmosphere. It’s just too much. When I did my Schawk stint again, the long days in the office about drove me mad, but again, I loved the work. And I especially enjoy my Loyola work, because I get to do what I love, but from home. They send me the work and some instructions and a due date, I do the work and send it back. Easy-peasy and also very inspiring because I’m reading MARKETING brochures for heaven’s sake so OF COURSE I want to go back to school. Their writers are very good! So, I love proofreading/copy editing and I’d love to be able to stick with that somehow. I’m also passionate about books and reading, so it would make sense for me to do something with reading/books/literacy/reading recovery, right? I am not sure if teaching would be the answer, but working on materials to encourage literacy–like the stuff I did at Zaner-Bloser–would be amazing. I also love children’s books and teen novels. I feel like my calling is to be some sort of proofreader/editor for a book publisher where I am working on novels, but those jobs are in New York and hard to come by. *sigh*

· I wish I had more unique talents or skills. Writers, proofreaders, secretaries…people with skills like me? We’re a dime a dozen.

· How much do I love the show Modern Family? I mean, hello. The amount of talent on that show blows me away. I watch Make It Or Break It, and I enjoy it, but I can tell most of the people are acting. I am aware that I am watching a TV show. But Modern Family? It flows so well. I feel like I’m looking in the window of someone’s house and seeing the families interact in real time, but not in a “reality TV” sort of way.

· How lucky am I that I am able to connect with former Mousketeers on Facebook or through their blogs? I mean, seriously. I know I’ve gushed about them before, but they really were a huge part of my high school years and to be able to exchange messages with them is simply awesome.

· *Sigh* I was sleeping but I was awakened by certain noises coming from above. And a wicked case of heartburn. So here I am, 4am, awake. *Double sigh.*

· My appetite for chicken has been REALLY weird lately. I don’t want any kind of teriyaki chicken, or citrusy chicken, or Asian style chicken. Fried chicken (like legs and wings) sound disgusting to me. But chicken nuggets seem OK. Or chicken parmesan (but not grilled, has to be breaded). It’s driving Adam crazy because he always wants to make chicken and my stomach immediately says NO WAY.

· Crunchy tempura shrimp sushi rolls = YUMMMMMMM!!!!!! And saki, too. Mmmm sushi. I decided to try some different stuff this time around. I didn’t care for the octopus and red snapper, though. Next time I’ll try eel. Maybe. :O

· I FOUND OUT THE GAS STATION RIGHT DOWN THE STREET HAS THE DOUBLE CHOCOLATEY CRUNCH RICE KRISPIE TREATS!!! I can walk and get some anytime I want, folks! WOO-HOO!!!

· The word “underpants” is funny.

· And finally, a question: Do you ever find yourself recalling some unpleasant event from the past… something that hurt you but you thought you were over… you recall this event and you get all upset again? I hate that. Sometimes I have some really mean thoughts and I don’t like it. 🙁 I don’t want to put negativity in the world anymore. I like being happy.

And that’s all for now. ‘Til next time!

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