Toto, We're not in Kansas anymore....

Welcome to the reinvention of this blog.  So very often one finds that what was now is and what is will be.  Today, I am ready to re-enter the world of sharing ... and not necessarily caring. 

Ever find that Sundays just are not long enough?  Really wish there was much much more weekend?  Well, then you know exactly the mindset of my day. 

This weekend marks the first time in at least a month that I have felt well and healthy.  I have been struggling with excessive fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, and a slight fever.  Despite, going to numerous doctors in an effort of relief and diagnosis, I have been left wanting.  But, today was good.  I like good and apparently good likes me. 

My weekend has included visiting my cousin spontaneously, getting in a full day of work on Saturday, a movie night with friends on Saturday, and visiting with a friend today.  As filler, I did do a bit of shopping, got some household chores done, gassed up the little red car, and got the weekly groceries.  I am pretty worn out yet happy.  (Just the way all good weekends should end.)

In light of my latest bout of sickness, I have vowed to get on the track to better health.  Yep, this is going to be a long summer.  (... hopefully with success to report and limited failures to frown upon.)  I plan to start a regiment of Shakeology by Beachbody and to develop a routine of increased physical activity.  My friend is a coach for Beachbody and was very helpful today in giving me insight into the program and encouragement to get started!  As a result, I am well on my way to doing this seriously and pleased at just how enthusiastic I feel. 

For dinner, I made a healthy baked fish entree with two side veggies.  Quick, easy, and tasty.  

Just this afternoon, I did a walk/jog session for 20 minutes!  Exciting!  If you know me, you know that the last time I broke a jog was probably in a high school gym class against my will.  Yay!   I am sweaty and energized. 

I feel like I am off to a good start.  I am excited to keep it up.   Wish me luck!

My weekly goals are to
-> replace one meal a day with Shakeology
-> attend a Bikram Yoga class
-> walk/jog with the dog at least 3x per week for 20-30 minutes
-> make healthier choices about food portion sizes and/or content
-> blog at least 1x per week to mark progress, identify weaknesses, and reflect on my life

Freedom and Sunny Skies

Once again I have survived my on-call time with work. Many, many hours were spent working this past week due to a relatively small but powerful storm last Sunday. Now, the weekend is MINE, all mine! I am excited since this means spending time catching up on chores, sleeping, and hanging out with friends.

At the moment, not quite sure how exactly to spend my new found freedom. Starting it off with a Happy Hour cannot be a bad start!

I will refrain from promising to update this at any frequency as I have disappointed in the past. I just happened to think about it today. Until another beautiful day!

Commuting

In today's economy how should one go about getting to work?
What is best for the environment? Are the alternatives worth the extra effort and time?
Truthfully, why do we do what we do just to get to work day to day?

As of recent, I have changed my commuting habits. Being a drive every day into the city kind of girl, do I expect this to become a permanent change? My average commute driving ranged from 30 minutes to an hour and a half each way. While parking was free, it was a big pain in the you-know-where. Recently gas had thankfully decreased in price. Though gas prices are nowhere near the $0.99/gallon that I fondly recall from my college days. (Those were the days!) Driving to work gave me the freedom to come and go as I pleased, the ability to put the top down on pleasant days, and the privilege of privacy. Along with the perks came 30 dollars a week in gas, a heavy carbon footprint, and the aggravation associated with DC traffic. I was putting 35 miles per day, 175miles per week, 700 miles a month, and 8,500 miles per year on my ride.

So with a small shift in schedule, I have become a user of the Metro, DC's premier public transit option. My commute takes roughly an hour each way barring any delays. My commute now includes riding two buses and a train ride in between. I am already seeing an improved state of mind as a result of being thrown in the pool of humanity daily. I am no long protected by my security bubble, otherwise known as my car. I see humanity at all stages and am forced to confront it directly. Now, all is not roses and happy thoughts, as I am leading you to believe. The bus smells. I find standing on a moving train for 3o minutes obnoxious. If I miss a bus or train by nanoseconds, I have to wait for the next one to arrive. Weirdos. (That IS all I will say about that.) It now costs me 40 dollars to commute verses the perceived 30 dollars (i.e. not including wear and tear, insurance, maintenance, and risk of damage for the car.) In addition to all of this, I combat motion sickness on a regular basis.

Now that I have tried to explain, both sides of my very complicated commuting love/hate triangle, I guess I am prepared for the third and final point to this discussion. Overall, I do prefer the Metro over commuting in my car. Not only is it good for the environment (yeah, as a tree hugger, I DO kind of care about that...), it is good for the overall state of mind. I have been able to catch up on reading, keep up with current events, and get a little exercise. Commuting via the train has also made me come to appreciate what errands can be done without a car and which ones the car is totally necessary.

I only share these thoughts with you for two reasons. One is to maybe encourage others to give public transit a try. Secondly, I wanted to debate the pros and cons to ensure my initial reaction to public transit was well based in reality. I am sure as the weeks go by I will find more I love and hate about my commute. Maybe I will even share again. Until then.

Happy New Year

So I didn't die from my cat bite. I have been MIA from the blog world for quite some time. Reason for the absence being a combo of just too damn busy, nothing exciting to type about, and just general laziness when I do have spare time.

So I am now a month into 2008, posting a Happy New Year blurb. HA!

Does anyone still read this? let me know. If I get no response, I will likely keep with the infrequent posts. However, if there is a secret following of my rambling, I may just start posting again.

Leave comments, send e-mails, or just get in touch if you happen to want more Evil Mai Thai.

Until the next time.....

Cats Bite

So I have learned my lesson. Do not try to introduce a new cat to my dogs while holding her anwhere near my face. I of course did not anticipate the results of such a blunder.

We took our dogs to my mom's house for the weekend. They will be staying there while we are away. Mom has 3 cats. Upon arrival, it was very clear that Mom's newest addition was not fond of the canine invasion. (The kitchen counter was turned upside down as the cat frantically tore across it as we entered the house with the dogs.)
After we had been there about an hour, I got the brilliant idea of "introducing" the new cat to the dogs. My intentions were to just hold her while in the room with the dogs. HA! I did not have a clue what I was in for when I concocted this little plan.
Basically story goes: I hold cat. Cat gets startled at sight of dogs. I am still holding cat. Cat grabs my ear with her teeth. I am still holding cat. I now have 6-7 new holes in my ear.

Now two doctor's visits later, I am well aware of my mistake. I have had two days of serious pain, swollen ear, swollen lymph nodes, and ....yeah, did I mention pain? Apparently, ears are not a good injury location in general due to all of the small capillaries and cartilage. There is a high risk of infection. If the injury does not stop swelling and hurting and becomes more inflamed, I may be on my way to a hospital visit for IV anti-biotics. (Just when I thought the tetnus shot and oral meds were not fun!)

Keep your fingers crossed that I do not go the hospital route. We are supposed to leave for Vegas this week.

my top ten...

reasons why I now appreciate my mustang:
10. Stopping distance... I love my brakes!
9. Sound system... need I say more?
8. Respect from other drivers... do you have any clue just how shitty people will be to a pick up truck for no good reason?
7. Agility... yup I do miss being able to navigate traffic effortlessly.
6. Parking... Yeah, trucks are a pain in the ass to park.
5. which leads me to turning radius... see above.
4. Convertible top... not that the weather has been nice since I went and got the truck... but the first warm day is gonna be hell.
3. Comfort... yup, there is a reason I had my seats set up in my car so fool. When driving a truck I sit high and tight. I was trying to do this in the 'stang until it was pointed out to me. Now I am like really wtf was I thinking...lol
2. Sheer speed... ever try to drive a truck like a sports car... yeah not exactly the desired effect if you know what I mean.
1. The 'fun' factor.

So it really is a no brainer.... however I do have a new appreciation for my car. The daily commute alone has opened my eyes to all of the small things I never really noticed about not having a truck anymore. Looking forward to the month being over so I can get my car back.

Dont' get me wrong, I still love my truck. It is functional and a decent ride. But really it is not a good city vehicle at all.

Another post another day.

the week - in review

So lets start out with a short story about how I saved Cupid for one florist in DC. Yes me... Miss 'for the most part I could really give a shit less about Valentines Day' actually did something nice for the sake of commercialism of the heart holiday.

We all know I work with the business of trees. Trees on city streets. Trees that when they need to be pruned, no parking signs are installed along the street for crews to complete work. So the week previous, I had helped put up these No Parking signs along a street. I did not really pay much attention to the surrounding businesses or much else. I was focused at the task at hand. Put the signs up so people will not be parked there when the work was to be done. I had to revisit the site to replace signs that had been ripped down over the weekend. So there I am reposting, when a lady approaches. She is upset and points to her business. She had a florist and the work I was posting No Parking for was on the dates of Valentines week. I understood exactly why she was upset. My mom works in that business and Valentines is THE holiday for that particular profession. I do not schedule the work and I explained to her that very fact. So that was that. As I walked back to my truck, the heart strings began to pull and I really could feel her pain. So I did what anybody with half a heart would have done... called someone who COULD reschedule the work. Lucky for us all I got the go ahead to change the work to after the holiday! Cupid was saved!

If you keep up with the weather here you will know that rest of the week was not so super as far as work was concerned. On Call + Snow+ Ice. The storm was not as bad as expected. Work was light and mostly uneventful. It was just super cold and nasty out for routine work.

Someone made me smile on Valentines which did brighten the week though. He is also the greatest guy in the world... he cleaned my car of ice and snow during the day despite the fact I had my keys at work! Soooooo thoughtful!

Tomorrow I go off of on call.

Oh yeah and I found money in the street today!

And taxi cabs are awful in the city.

All for now...