New site for my musings

Up until today, I have had a number of small blog sites over the years. This is my attempt to pull everything together into one cohesive location.

I have struggled with negative and unhealthy behaviors in the past but things have been going well and I am excited about the positive changes ahead.

May this blog provide support and direction to others who are finding their way.

Brrrr...

It’s mighty cold out and dropping fast. Expected to be record breaking temps tomorrow. (The current record was set in 1887.) Which is rather impressive since we regularly get damn cold here anyway.

I am glad to see that many employers and other programs that usually ignore the weather are giving people a break. A number of stores/malls/restaurants, salons, breweries, even the ice castles, are closing. A number of churches are open to provide additional shelter for people who don’t have a place to go. The mail won’t be delivered or picked up so mail carriers can be safe. The state Senate has decided not to meet as well. I, however, will be heading in. They didn’t cancel my work and I’ve got a training to give so I can’t just work from home. *sigh* Wonder how many will actually make it in for the class.

If you do live around here, try to stay warm and stay inside. Frost bite will get you in less than 5 minutes. Be safe.

Happy Valentine's Day to Me!

I am thrilled to be a homeowner (basement flooding, not withstanding), and one of the main reasons that I wanted to buy my own place is so that I can have a home gym and workout whenever I want to without having to deal with weather, traffic, crowds, or open hours.

One of the tools I have been lusting over for a bit is a kettlebell. Kettlebells are amazing full body fitness tools. If you haven't been using one you are missing out. Here is a video of a Tim Ferris interview with Pavel Tsatsouline, the master of kettlebells. 

So, since I didn't get one for Christmas (don't get me wrong, I was blessed with many wonderful gifts!) I decided to treat myself to one for Valentine's Day. I can only be patient for so long!

So, ta-da!  My newest toy:

 

It's so sturdy and  well made. I think that rather than remove this from my wishlist, I am just going to update it with the 30 pound version for the future. If you want one for yourself, you can find them here on Amazon Bionic Body kettlebells (I am not an affiliate, nor do I make any money from them in any way, I am just a fan of the product after reviewing countless options).

FUCK!!!!!

I am heartbroken.

My beautiful new home, that I bought only six months ago, is in trouble. My entire basement, my ENTIRE basement, is flooded with water. EVERY LAST INCH. Apparently the record breaking temps caused the pipes in my downstairs bathroom to freeze and they burst from the pressure. When they thawed they started spraying water everywhere.

I was monitoring them (as best as a new homeowner can) when the temps were so bitterly cold but I had been focusing most of my attention into the laundry room. The people who owned the house before me warned that when they finished the basement that there were no heat vents in the laundry room/storage area so I checked that most religiously. When the temps started to rise I thought I was in the clear.

I hadn't been downstairs since checking everything Thursday but when I went down to workout this evening I splashed onto the floor when I exited the last step.

Fortunately, I received a wet/dry vac for Christmas so I was able to go get the box out of the garage, read the manual on how to use in in the water, and get started cleaning up on my own. This winter is so brutal that  even the emergency plumber is not expected to arrive for 5 days. (!)

I can't just let everything sit and start to mold so I'm jumping into action right away. I owe a huge "THANK YOU!" to Johnny Vegas from Roto Rooter who helped me get the water turned off and gae me some tips on getting started with the water mitigation. He was amazing! 

My beautiful house!!! 😨😢😥

NSV

I started following a ketogenic diet back on December 29th and have been feeling great on it. 

Typically I wear suits to work and sweats or pajamas at home (no point in getting cat hair all over the good stuff). Today I went to training at the U so I just wore jeans and a sweater. All day long, I kept having to hike up those same jeans that were a wee bit snug on Christmas eve. When I just got home, I discovered that with some hip shimmying I can now remove them without unbuttoning.

I consider that a WIN!

My hair dresser is magic

I never, ever straighten my hair because I really like my natural waves (and I’m lazy when it comes to wanting to mess with it!). If I do something for a special occasion I add curls, not take them out. However, my hair dresser likes to straighten it and I usually let her. She thinks it’s better to ensure she gave me a good cut & think it makes the color prettier, because one can then see the different shades. I don’t necessarily agree with the former (she is the pro but I’m not convinced that a straight cut guarantees the hair will lay right when it is wavy-but I always love what she does so she must be doing something right). I will have to agree that we can see the color better. 

 
Fresh from the shop but after prepping for a night in. Shades of purple. Again.

I took the first picture with the front camera so I could see what I was doing but there isn’t enough light. Here is a better shot of the color.

I have been seeing Rebecca for about 15 years and she always does an amazing job with my hair. If I ever win the lottery, the first thing I will do is pay her to be on-call to do my hair once a week and on special occasions. 

Finally! These are the trays I have been looking for

I moved into my house back in July and I’ve been looking for a tray to go in my new living room ever since. I had no luck finding anything that appealed to me and the few that I found and considered to be OK were much more money than I was interested in spending. Some of them where hundreds of dollars for plastic. 

However, last week, while looking for something else, I found these. They include the exact colors I was looking for and incorporate my love of travel. 

 Bonus: they came as a set of three instead of just one and were under $100. If only I can wrap up the rest of my decorating as successfully.

I have a weakness for office supplies

There is something magical about office supplies, especially planners, that I simply cannot resist. 

I am a huge fan of Stephen Covey and actually use PlanPlus Online for tracking most of my appointments, to-dos, goals, etc. but I like having a paper copy that I use more like a journal and record of my daily progress. Having both electronic and paper is important to me. 

A colleague got me hooked on Erin Condren planners last year with how customizable they are so I had to order my new one for 2019 but yesterday a different colleague was showing off her disc notebook and I instantly knew I had to grab one of those too (I opted for the Tul one in purple leather, bottom right corner).

I hate when my notes get disorganized in a notebook, which is part of the reason I go through so many of them because I am constantly having to start over to make sure things are the way I like them. The disc notebooks get rid of that issue and allow me to pop in bookmarks, dividers and folders so I can keep all my things in one place.

I think I am in love! 💙💚💛💜

New boots for fall

While it is true that I am blessed with an overabundance of shoes, I found myself in need of a pair of boots for autumn. This is what I got. 

They survived being left out in the thunderstorms all day last Monday. I am so relieved because it took me a while to find a pair that suited my needs and this was the last pair in my size. Besides, I have an unnatural love of fringe so these got bonus points when I made my final selection.

Life update

I’m so tired! It’s been a great, busy week. I’m loving my new job. Everyone on this team is so smart and so supportive (significant raise doesn’t hurt either!). My biggest concern is that I don’t fall back into old, negative patterns out of habit and fuck it up. It’s so challenging and gives me a great opportunity to use my skills while learning some new ones. I’ve been putting in extra hours to get up to speed as fast as possible but didn’t even notice because the days have just flown by. I couldn’t be happier!

I could definitely use a good night’s sleep. The only thing I “have” to do tomorrow is try to tackle unpacking my books and the remaining shoes. The two things I have far more of than I should. (But they are books! I need shoes!) What a nice “problem” to have.

I’m heading to bed just as a thunderstorm is rolling in. My life truly is blessed.

Love to you all!