On Unemployment

Tomorrow is my first day of unemployment, after being downsized from my job two weeks before a cross-country move. The decision was one of those tough calls all non-profit organizations are forced to make as they evolve and face uncertain funds. "It sucks," was my abbreviated reply, "but I understand."

I have great hopes and confidence about the future of the organization where I worked for the last six months, and I feel the same way about my future in a new city with a happy, newly employed partner who conveniently now has the opportunity to support our relationship the way I did while he was searching for his dream job.

And, since we have already signed a lease (thankfully on the less expensive apartment and not on the more expensive "renovated mansion"--my Achilles' heel) and plan to stay in Seattle for awhile, it's actually the perfect opportunity to find a new job where I can do what I love.

So, I don't think you should feel sorry for me.

That said, let's talk about unemployment.

I realized with some shock and gratitude tonight that I have never been unemployed before. I worked in high school, and went straight to college afterwards. I got a job halfway through my senior year of college and moved to Houston immediately after graduation to begin training for what would turn into three years of teaching. Since then, I've worked for three different organizations consecutively, never stopping for a breather or to go back to grad school. It turns out, that if you get a little experience raising money for a non-profit, everyone wants to hire you. My rationale: Why would I stop actively earning income... as long as I'm learning and happy where I'm at?

So, I went from job to job to job, back to job, to job to here.

And even now, the unemployment does not feel freeing like I thought it might, but rather scripted out: my job for the next two weeks is to pack, clean my house, rent my house, apply for jobs, drive across the country, arrive in Seattle, interview, start working?

Perhaps it will take a little longer than that. My search last year took nine months, though I'm convinced it was extended due to not living in the same state where I was trying to find a job. And, that could be ok.

Buuuut whaaaat ifffff instead of rushing immediately into the same type of job I've been doing, I tried to do something completely different? What would that even look like? Would the search bring me happiness?

There's more to say. About dealing with sudden bad news as a person prone to addiction (spoiler alert: I started smoking, stopped, started again, saw a God lizard, stopped), about facing an immediate future with no health insurance and how we came really close to the most unromantic proposal/not proposal over the telephone, about the decision whether to apply for unemployment in TX while moving to Seattle and is that even possible?? (spoiler alert: probably, and yes) About all the things I'm going to miss about Houston and all the things I'm looking forward to in the Pacific Northwest. About renting a house through a property management company. About driving across the country in a Hyundai hatchback with three cats.

And, lucky for me, maybe lucky for you, it looks like I'll have some time to say it.

Costa Rica Packing List

It was a very lovely trip, and more importantly, a very successful packing job. I have been killing it lately in the packing department, and am happy to share my success and lessons learned with you.

Overall philosophy:
Our goal for the trip was to be able to easily transport our stuff via bus, shuttle, foot, water taxi, etc. We decided in the end to use duffel bags and not backpacks to avoid "looking like tourists" (fat chance). Josh thought non-luggagey bags were less likely to be targets for theft. And, I love him, so overall I packed:

1. Cheap-o backpack (like the kind you'd wear to grade school)
2. Messenger bag purse (inside backpack for the flight and my "purse" on land)
3. Medium duffel carry-on

Josh brought a larger duffel that we checked, and the waist pack from his hiker's backpack.

Our trip was 10 days in early February, Costa Rica's "summer."

I took inspiration from Yes and Yes the definitive what to pack list (my inspiration for the black travel dress and the black tank, most of which scored MVP status), and from Mighty Girl, who's been providing packing envy and inspiration for years.

Weather & Required Attire:
We were told we wouldn't need jeans/sweatshirt in Montezuma, but I get cold on planes (and everywhere). Complicating the packing was the fact that our retreat included two yoga sessions *per day*, plus hiking and adventuring and whatnot in-between. I got comfortable with the fact that I'd be working out in clothes multiple times, and we brought a laundry bar to hand wash clothes as needed. I decided that on a trip like this one, rarely do you hear a person say "I wish I'd brought more clothes." Over-packing can really kill a good time, and under-packing just means you can shop more.

Gadgets:
We left our phones at home, but I brought a digital camera and a laptop. I might have skipped the laptop, but it's a tiny thinkpad leftover from an old job (it's so old they didn't even want it back) and I didn't care if it got lost or damaged. It was great to have internet access when we needed it, and it enabled us to connect with Josh's friend in San Jose. I also brought my Kindle for reading. I understand that the new e-readers can also connect to email and the Internet, which might eliminate the need to bring a laptop. Definitely a consideration for future trips.

OH and I brought my iPod mini from forever ago, and headphones. Totally saved the night in Jaco at a noisy hostel.

Packing List:
On the plane:
-Jeans
-T-shirt
-Nice sandals that can handle some walking (Clarks Indigo)
-Light hoodie
-Summer scarf
-Watch with alarm
-Simple jewelry

Backpack:
-Laptop & cord
-Notepad & pen/pencil
-Sunglasses (I took a free pair from last year's art car parade so I wouldn't be annoyed when they broke or I lost them... which I did)
-Travel alarm
-Cipro, Tums, ibuprofen, Pepto
-Travel money belt
-Gadgets bag (see above)
-Hive
-Snacks (mango and ginger slices, granola bars)
-Moon guide to Costa Rica
-Lonely Planet - Costa Rican Spanish
-3 New Yorkers
-Passport & Itinerary w/confirmation #s & schedule
-2 credit cards (with no foreign transaction fees), debit card, health insurance card, 1-year-chip

Clothes (in Duffel):
-10 tops -- mostly cotton/poly short sleeve shirts for yoga but a few nicer; 1 long-sleeve & 1 short sleeve button-down (good swimsuit cover-up)
-4 dresses (one black travel dress, 1 short sundress, 1 long sundress, 1 "fancy" dress)
-4 yoga pants/shorts
-3 sports bras & 1 yoga top
-2 swimsuits
-2 pair of shorts (1 khaki, 1 sporty)
-1 skirt
-8 pair of undies

Shoes:
-Tevas
-Flip flops
-Vibrams
(Wore nicer sandals)

Etc.:
-basic toiletries including extra contacts & glasses
-1 travel yoga mat & yoga socks
-1 hat
-an extra big summer scarf
-travel towel
-headlamp
-sunscreen
-bug spray (40% deet)
-twine & laundry bar

Packing Tips:

-I could have brought half as many dresses and about 4 fewer t-shirts, most notably I'd leave behind the "nicer," more fussy dress. People just don't "dress up" at night in Montezuma. Lipstick was the only cosmetic I could deal with, and even then only at night, so I made it a bright one. Black dress, bright lipstick, let your beachy hair down -- go to dinner and eat fish on the beach, you beautiful thing!
-I didn't quite nail the shoes. I'm not a huge Tevas fan (and they are soooo ugly), although mine served me ok for the hiking we did. They weren't great with sand or rocks. I think a pair of these aqua-hiking-shoes would be more versatile. I didn't do any beach running in the Vibrams, though that was the idea (I was too busy with two yoga classes a day!)

-MVP was this big-ass summer scarf!  I actually changed into swimsuit bottoms under this on a river hike. Terrific cover-up, sunburn-protector, extra layer for warmth, makeshift towel, etc. The grey dress I'm wearing here is another comfy, versatile piece I practically lived in.
-A solid black tank top with thicker straps got a lot of play when I realized I could wear it for yoga without a bra (scandalous, I know). Most of my active wear clothes are designed for cardio and running. The yoga we practiced didn't require quite so much support, and I felt most comfortable in clothes that hugged and covered (even upside-down) but did not squeeze.

-Despite modest efforts, every part of me got sunburnt except my face. I credit this hat. Thanks, hat! It was a gift from the Houston Area Women's Center because I donated and am running in a 5k in two weeks. If you'd like to help HAWC provide support for women and families in Houston, you can donate through my run page, here. Saving faces (and lives) is basically what they do, and it's run by some of the best folks in town, so I'm happy to endorse them at home and abroad.

You Come, Too!
And that was it! I may write more about the trip later, but it accomplished my main goal for Josh and I to "get our feet wet" traveling outside the United States together. I had a lot of fears about language, transportation, connection, etc., and while we *definitely* had our challenging moments, we were brainstorming ideas for future trips on the plane ride home.

I bought our flights using frequent flier miles attained through credit cards and other methods I learned about via the website Art of Non-Conformity. Chris also runs a site called the Travel Hacking Cartel and you can sign up for a free trial to see if it might work for you, too. If you do, please use this referral link. He's visited every country in the world minus one, so dude is the real deal.

The yoga retreat was led by our friend Banyan, who is a traveler, a teacher, and a clown. Both Josh and I started off with the attitude of "we're going on this trip... oh and there's yoga too" and it wound up being deeply affecting for both of us. He's just beginning to teach these retreats on a regular basis, so you can learn more and snag a spot for 2014 now! Do it. Get bendy with Banyan.

You Look Cute in Your Gym Clothes

You do!  You should put them on. Just put on the clothes, and go run. Get out of bed, put on the clothes, and go. You'll feel so great when you get back.

Happy 2013, Internets.  I, like many of you out there, am taking advantage of the new year to try and fight the fatness and live a better life.  I am not a great role model in this, but I will share what I've learned with you anyway in the event it provides some ideas and jumping off points:

Problem: I can't afford to exercise / Getting ready is too much hassle
Solution: Toe shoes!


I bought a pair of Vibram Jaya shoes on sale last year, and they've become my go-to shoes for running/jogging around my neighborhood. I love how lightweight they are and how I don't need socks. I don't miss the padding of traditional running shoes, and I do feel it extra in my calves. If you're just getting started and think a different shoe might help mix things up, I highly recommend. Great for travel, too, because they take up so little room.

I fall into the camp of: just move a little. Just start. Walking is fine. Just move.

p.s. I just noticed that these say they are suitable for "any kind of indoor activity"... haha, whoops!  I run in them outdoors and my feet are fine. But, we've already established that I don't know anything.

Problem: I want to travel but I can't afford to / I don't know where to start
Solution: The Art of Nonconformity -- Website & Travel Cartel

In February, Josh and I are going to Costa Rica for a 10 day retreat, and I paid for both our flights using miles + $90 in taxes/fees. Chris, who runs these websites, is a "travel hacker" who has visited nearly every country in the world. Last fall I used free resources on his site, the Art of Nonconformity, to rack up nearly 100,000 airline miles and points, and in January I took the splurge and signed up for his paid membership site, the Travel Cartel.  I'm hoping that Costa Rica will be a first, training wheels trip for future international travel, and I believe that my Travel Cartel membership is a good investment that will more than pay for itself.  If you're interested, try a free 14 day trial for $1 (and then it's $15/month after that).  If you sign up through this referral link, I get 500 free miles, so please use it if you want to check this out!

Problem: I know I should be saving/investing better, but I don't know how
Solution: Betterment

This is another referral link. I've had the vague sense that the money sitting in my savings account could be doing more, so I researched some online investment options and have been really happy so far with Betterment. The guy who created You Need A Budget is a big fan, which I thought was a pretty strong endorsement. If you have a little money to set aside each month, this might be a good option for you.  If you try it, please use this link so that you'll get $25 and I get $10.  It's been super fun to watch my money grow (I am a bit obsessive about it).

Problem: It's cold and I am sad.
Solution: Cats!

I admit it. When I offered to Josh that we could bring his cats here to Houston, I offered because it seemed like the right thing to do and not because I was thrilled at the prospect of having three cats in the house. For one thing: the fighting. Between us we have three grown-ass lady cats, none of which came here to make friends. For another thing: cat food and litters and smells. I knew we'd have to get super vigilant about cleaning, which is not ever my favorite thing to do.

But oh my gosh... the snuggles... I forgot about the snuggles. And the love, that sneaky, sneaky love.

2012: The Year in Photos

Coming Out of the Cave

Yesterday I did a brain dump from 2012 and threw out my gut-feeling resolutions for 2013, including the confession that I have been feeling A. lonely and B. like a bad friend. Today I caught up with some very excellent Houston friends I haven't seen in a few months at least, so cheers to declaring intentions!

I spent a lot of 2012 "in limbo" or interviewing for jobs -- the latter reason why I didn't blog much. I didn't want to write about the experience publicly for fear it would get back to a potential interviewer, but it was such a huge part of my year, it was hard to find other things to write about, at the time. Literally every single month I had at least one pending job opportunity that resulted in me living in a world of "I might be moving next month." Combined with uncomfortable changes at my then-job, I checked out. Like, in February.

Mid-way through the year, I wrote:

I am having to face the reality that this move might not happen for me this year, and/or it might not be the best thing for Josh and I anymore. And in the meantime, I am wondering where the year went -- mourning the relationships I let slip because I've been living with one foot in California, wondering what opportunities I missed out on because I didn't want to commit to new things. 

Since that time, of course, Josh moved to Houston in a surprise plot twist and I started a new job where I now work remotely (enter: The Cave). In a lot of ways, we're still In Limbo, but we made the decision to be there together, and that has turned out to be a pretty great thing.

2012: Year in Review

Places Visited in 2012:
New Orleans - January
San Francisco  - February
San Francisco - March
Phoenix - May
San Francisco & Sonoma - June
Philadelphia - June
San Francisco - July
LA - July
San Francisco - August
New York - October
New York - November
New Orleans - December
Maryland - December

Visitors:
Josh was in Houston in January and April, and moved here in September
Debi & fam visited in March

Milestones:
Starting in January, interviewed for 14 jobs on the phone, over Skype, via Google hangout and in-person
(Got rejected from 6 of those jobs, scope of work changed for 2, removed myself/declined 4, heard absolutely nothing back from 1, accepted 1)
Quit smoking Jan 3
Saw Margaret Atwood and got a book signed
Saw the Mountain Goats
My Uncle Bill passed away from cancer in June
College 10-year reunion in Sonoma
Andrea and Sarat's wedding
1 year sobriety July 9
Camping with Josh at Priceless in the Sierras
1 year anniversary with Josh - Sept 17
Moved in with Josh - Sept 18
Managed annual gala that raised 1.3M+ - Sept 20
Last day at Acronym October 12
Bought a new laptop
Equipped a home office
Started with New Acronym October 15
Voted for President Obama - November
Spent Thanksgiving with Josh's family in New York
Read the first 4 books in Game of Thrones series, plus a handful of others on my "to read" list
Merged the cats in December
Josh and I spent Christmas with my family in Maryland
Met Heather's daughter

Things to Look forward to in 2013:
Costa Rica in February
Kimberly Ryan's wedding in California

Resolutions for 2013:
-Work on building and maintaining friendships. Make the effort to call someone once a week or so and catch up in person. Pick a meeting to go to consistently and get to know people there. This is where I fell off the most in 2012, and would like to get better.

-Be a supportive, loving, and adventurous partner (and friend)

-Ween myself away from Facebook and social media, and towards purposeful privacy. Be old fashioned, not obsolete.

-When I'm using the computer for leisure, aim for at least a 50/50 balance of creating vs. consuming. (Blogging, photo albums, coding, writing, etc.)

-When in consuming mode, aim for books or e-books. It's nice to finish things.

-Work on creating opportunities for travel, reflection, improvement, health, FUN, and documentation

I went here!

Yes, it is very intensive work appreciating nature, but now that I have some practice I think it will be easier the next go round.



You come, too?

Perfect Pairings

“Medical history tells us of the case of a man living under the peculiar delusion that he was a fried egg. Quite how or when this idea had entered his head, no one knew, but he now refused to sit down anywhere for fear that he would "break himself” and “spill the yolk.” His doctors tried sedatives and other drugs to appease his fears, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, one of them made the effort to enter the mind of the deluded patient and suggested he should carry a piece of toast with him at all times, which he could place on any chair he wished to sit on, and hence protect himself from spillage. From then on, the deluded man was never seen without a piece of toast handy and was able to continue a more or less normal existence.”  (From the chapter entitled "Skepticism and Faith," from On Love, by Alain de Botton)

The Wise Bush

This is from a misdirected email that wound up in my inbox. Pretty sweet gig! 


"I meant to email everyone last week but building a mini golf course took more time than I realized.  My question concerns one of my more energetic kids in Enrichment.  He has stage fright and REALLY, REALLY doesn't want any lines in his play.  At the moment he is perfectly happy to be a bush so we're leaving it open for lines to be added for him at a later point.  (The other characters may come to the wise bush for advice as we get farther into the play)."

Despite All Evidence To The Contrary

My happiness meter is pretty low today.

I looked on the internet for advice having to do with happiness meters and discovered that this may be something called a "Moodlet Bug" originating from problems with my bed (I didn't get the best sleep, either). Behold: "Players have discovered after installing the latest patch, their Sims mood has dropped into the red and will no longer rise into happy or elated status no matter what they do. This bug occurs regardless of whether your needs are filled, and if you have multiple positive moodlets. When Sims are affected by this bug they will be too miserable or depressed to garden, change their appearance, woohoo, and try for a baby."

The internet also offered some helpful workarounds:

Workaround 1: Reloading a save file will temporarily fix the mood your Sim is having. You must save your game, load into the main menu and then load your game. This will place your sims mood back into it’s appropriate value.
Workaround 2: Due to a faulty calculation, one sim must use the Luxorlove Sleepset or beds with +25 Well Rested Moodlet.
Workaround 3: If you can’t afford the bed, one must awake a Sim before the Well Rested Moodlet appears. You can avoid this by waking your Sim up before the energy bar is completely green.
Workaround 4: Install the "Mood Hotfix Mod" which will check and recalculate the correct mood throughout the day.

....

I have not been saving my game but I am going to start doing so.  Additionally -- Mood Hotfix Mod!  In this house, we call that a "Nap" and I am going to go take one.  DO NOT WAKE UNTIL THE ENERGY BAR IS COMPLETELY GREEN PLEASE.

Meditation Stool, and other life changes

Hello world,

It's Tax Time, and like Liz Lemon, this year we have really made some changes. We are a new woman! We have also started eating the lettuce under our onion rings!

Ok, so I did my taxes in January, and I'm trying to cut out onion rings, but I am eating lettuce. Lots and lots of delicious lettuce. The herby mix, please, with lots of dill and basil. Here are some other good habits that have hung around long enough to Officially Endorse and share with you for the testing out:

1. Track your spending and budget with Mint.com
I started this in late December/January when Josh made a comment about wanting to get square financially with his budget. Yes, you have to turn over all your account info and passwords, but once it's all uploaded to the secure site you have access to all your accounts in one place. I have a much greater understanding of where my money goes now than before, and I've had a lot of fun with the budgeting features. Additionally, I see every charge on my credit cards in near-real-time as opposed to once a month (maybe) when I log on to pay the bill.

2. Sodastream!
Santa brought me this fantastic gadget and I've used it regularly and with ease since then. When I stopped drinking alcohol, I immediately saved a ton of money and put it toward fancy sparkling waters instead. With this machine, I make my own sparkling water and can mix it with lemon, mint, a few drops of bitters, or anything else to liven things up. The key here is that it is EASY. It takes 30 seconds, there's no clean-up, and I do not even have to plug it in. That is more than I can say for the French Press coffee maker, which requires not only set up but also extensive clean up and consequently gets used a lot less often. Now that the Sodastream replaces Perrier, the only beverage I'm purchasing regularly is milk and...

3. Unsweetened 100% cranberry juice
Here's a tip: This juice sells for $7-$9 from the usual "natural juice" brand suspects, but there's a $3 version from "L&A" that is exactly the same stuff. Those of you with Trader Joe's probably have a generic awesome version to choose from as well. These's some debate these days about whether or not cranberry juice actually helps prevent UTIs, but I don't care, I think you should drink it anyway and you should add a splash of apple cider vinegar to 4 oz of juice and then add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and feeeeelll theeeee buuuuuuurrrrrn as it races down your throat and does all sorts of healthful things to your insides. Also, you should drink it first thing in the morning and you can add some water to dilute it, but that defeats the burning, and the burning is my favorite part! GOOD MORNING to you! This cranberry cocktail is not my invention, but I'm a convert. Also, I'M AWAKE NOW.

4. Unfug Your Habitat
I go through stages with this one and I'm currently in an "on" phase where everything is clean and tidy and all surfaces well-bleached. This site offers up basic nighttime steps to unfug (warning: that is not the word they use) your morning:

• Wash the dishes in your sink
• Get your outfit for tomorrow together, including accessories
• Set up coffee/tea/breakfast
• Make your lunch
• Put your keys somewhere obvious
• Wash your face and brush your teeth
• Charge your electronics
• Pour a little cleaner in the toilet bowl (if you don’t have pets or children or sleepwalking adults)
• Set your alarm
• Go to bed at a reasonable hour

Beyond that, they suggest tackling things in 20 minute increments, and offer up such wisdom as, "Doing the dishes is not difficult. It’s often tedious, and sometimes overwhelming, but it’s not hard. Suck it up and do them." They also present a very reasonable treaty about how to unfug your home without alienating everyone you live with. Mmmmmmhmmmmmmmmm.

For other householdy tips that will blow your mind, like how to put your phone in a drinking glass to amplify music to fill the whole room, you might want to get on:

5. Pinterest and
6. Google Reader <--you can get a "subscribe" button for your toolbar so when you stumble on a blog you like, you can add it to one central follow list housed here instead of having to check a zillion webpages for updates.

But you're probably using those already. It just took me a minute to catch on.

Cranberry cheers to a whole new you!

Napoleon's Battle Plan

It's been since JANUARY since I've posted?

Ok ok ok.

Must be setting a good example after all on the posting front and et cet era.

Y'all, I tried this no heat headband curl tutorial and my hair came out with ridiculous curls, and they lasted all day.

Please forgive the glamour shot, but I have to share this knowledge with the world and you might not believe me without proof. If you are of the long haired variety, male or female, you must try this! Immediately!  Parents, do this to your children! Even the wrapped headband part looks sort of pretty (more than I can say for pin-curls) and if you're careful about it, you can probably run errands on a Saturday morning with your hair up and then let it down to reveal amazing curls for the evening. Oh, man, I am so excited for you!

What else what else...

I spent my 32nd birthday in San Francisco on the Best Trip Ever, and was back there again last month for a work visit. Every time I see Josh is the best time. Naturally, we are working on creating a world where we get to see each other more often. In the meantime, though, we sometimes video chat, and yesterday this clip appeared mysteriously on my phone (from months ago).

I dare you to stare directly into this sweater:

So in sum: my hair looks great, and I'm in love. NO WONDER they made me stop blogging, Jeez. I annoy myself some days.

You know, a year ago I went to California, a trip aptly named "Go To California Already Gosh Mary What's Wrong With You Just Go Already" and since then I've been back three times and today my life is on a very different path from where it was. I couldn't have predicted it at the time, and I didn't have any say in how it all played out, but in retrospect that was me taking a baby step towards the life I thought maaaaaaybe I wanted--friends, travel, adventure.

Napoleon's two-part battle plan, paraphrased by Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night, is, "First we show up, then we see what happens."

What have you always wanted to do, and what's holding you back from doing it?

Ohhh yes. Yes yes definitely yes!

I would like to go to this exhibit:

wearing this dress:

Someone should buy it for me immediately!

Books to Read in 2012

Fiction

• The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides
• A Clash of Kings, George RR Martin (book 2 of Song of Fire and Ice series)
• A Storm of Swords, George RR Martin (book 3 of Song of Fire and Ice series)
• Haround and the Sea of Stories, Salman Rushdie
• Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
• Adam Haberberg, Yasmina Reza
• Amsterdam, Ian McEwan
• The Lover's Dictionary, David Levithan
• The Wild Things, Dave Eggers

Memoir

• Say Her Name, Francisco Goldman
• Dry, Augusten Burroughs
• The Cat's Table, Michael Ondaatje (sort-of)
• Cherry, Mary Karr
• The Pillow Book, Sei Shonagon

Biography

• Dream Songs: The Life of John Berryman, Paul Mariani

Non-Fiction

• Condor, John Nielsen
• The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell

"But Let's Not Kid Ourselves..."

What a week!  I got to see John Darnielle and the Mountain Goats, view unobstructed.  This song does not appear to be on any album. It made me a little teary.

So freaking cool. That dude! That. dude.

I met Margaret Atwood!! In my dream, she was 4 feet tall and got real chatty with me at a surprise cocktail event. I felt stunned and honored to be having the conversation but did not entirely understand what she was saying, so I did a lot of smiling and nodding. In real life, she is taller than 4 feet (but not by all that much) and has a very wicked wit and sense of humor. I hope to be one tenth as witchy when I grow up. Oh hell, let's start now. (It's good to have resolutions!)  She signed my copy of The Blind Assassin and I told her (in my one pre-rehearsed conversation topic) that I make all my suitors read it. "How's that working for you?" she asked. "I'm dating that one," I said. "He responded with the appropriate enthusiasm."

You can tweet her and she might even tweet you back. Ms. Atwood loves her t-pals.

On the flip side, Maurice Sendak, total grouch!  (In the most delightful way, as evidenced in this interview with Stephen Colbert... stick with it, the last few seconds are gold.) Go away, t-pals. And take your g-damn e-books with you.

A handful of other new year updates:

1. I quit smoking (again) (again, again). I did not make a resolution, I just did it. Back in August, I thought "I should probably stop doing this by the end of the year" and I stopped right away and then started again when some people told me I should not quit just yet (bizarre, I know) and then January rolled around so I stopped. That feels about right. My phone says 19 days but it is full of LIES because I think it did not start counting until day 3. Ohhhh, phone. Don't you know anything? Days 1-3 are the worst. Those are the only days to count. All the rest are whatever. When I am tempted, I remind myself that if I don't start up again I will not have to deal with any more Days 1-3. So, I don't start up again.

2. Josh was here and now he is in Zurich for the week, which might as well be on another planet. We send each other telegrams from the future and the past.

3. I am trying to get back into healthy eating habits. Last week, in a mid-January Most-Depressing-Day-of-the-Year lunch break, I abandoned all hope and succumbed to a lunch break "bottom" consisting of a bacon cheeseburger with onion rings and a chocolate shake. Oh God, was it good. And, there is nowhere to go from there but up. Today, I had a salad with steak dressing.  Baby steps!