Growing Up

For those of you who are 20-somethings like I am, and for those of you who've passed your 20-somethings- have you ever wondered why certain people think time stands still and you never progress past a certain point in life?  

Case in point:  I attend a church I've been going to regularly for well over 10 years.  I've been involved in many different ministries but my favorite is singing in the choir.  Unfortunately in the minds of all those sweet little old ladies that sing along side me, I am, and will forever be, about 17 years old.  

The series of questions I frequently get fall along these lines: Are you finished with school (high school) yet?  Where do you think you'd like to go to college?  Are you working part time while in school?  Any idea what you want to major in?  Are you still babysitting? 

Ummm.  What?  Hello...!  Its so hard for me to bite my tongue and find a tactful way to saying "You morons!  Just because time is but a drop in the bucket for you, at your age, doesn't mean people don't get older!  I'm getting my Master's degree in 4 months for goodness sakes!  Yes, I went to school.  Yes, I have a job.  Yes, it has benefits.  Yes, I work at a university - and- no, I'm not a "secretary" (though I give props to all of you who are secretaries- and- I'm pretty sure they're called Administrative Assistants now)  I actually work in IT- what?  Oh yea, I never thought I would be in the field either..."  

It's fine, I realize that for the elderly population in the world, people who are considerable younger then them will always be considerably younger and with that, the details seem to blur.  

Coolest thing of the weekend: My mom's new music stand.  Sounds super cool, huh?  Wait- it gets better.  She's been looking for one to hold her music whilst she plays her new harp.  So she found one on Craigslist (scary) that said it was all wood.  Cool.  She she hurried on down to Beverly Hills to this little old Jewish man's house to see what he had.  Turns out, it is solid mahogany, purchased from a castle in London in the 50's, manufactured circa 1885.  Its pretty awesome.  It has a candle holder that hinges out so the user can read their music in the dark.  Because, of course, you couldn't just flip a switch and light your whole house back then.  Oh yea, did I mention it cost $80?  #AwesomeFind!  

New Subject!  I've never been a gamer.  Like, at all.  I've toyed with Mafia Wars and Farmville on Facebook a bit, but it quickly bored me.  However, now the game has changed.  One word: MyVegas (yes, its one word).  Its essentially a free slot game that you play and earn Loyalty Points while playing.  The Loyalty Points can then be turned in for actually Vegas prizes like buffet passes, shows, drinks, and even hotels.  Did they say free hotels?  Oh yea.  I'm totally there.  I've been playing it about 2 weeks now and I might be just slightest bit addicted.  I have almost 30,000 Loyalty Points.  Of course you need about 300,000 to get a nice weekend room at the Aria- but hey!  I'd take a cheaper room @ New York New York if its free :)  I'll report back when I've earned enough for something legit.  But, I think I've spent more time on Facebook in the last 2 weeks then I have in the 6 months prior.  

Oh yea, and in all that time on Facebook... this happened.

  

"Celery- Nature's Toothbrush for your Colon!"  (it actually says "ribbed for your pleasure!")

Uhhh.  What?  Ew.  

All for now- love you guys!

Movie Weekend

We, in Southern California, experienced something this past weekend that much of the rest of the country experiences regularly.  Unfortunately for us, we are largely ill prepared to deal with this.  It happens occasionally, and each time its as if the apocalypse is upon us.  What am I talking about?  Humidity, of course.  

I am the first to admit that I don't do heat well.  I much prefer rain and cold to heat.  I love fall and winter.  Well, I love So Cal winter.  When it hits, like, 65 degrees, I bring out the Uggs, pea coats, and scarves.  

All that being said, it was about 100 degrees this weekend, with a whole lot more humidity than I was prepared to deal with.  So, in order to beat the heat, I hit up the cheap movie theater in Norwalk and used them for their air conditioning.  This particular theater is not quite as nice as a typical theater, and the movies are movies that are on their way to DVD.  I saw 3 movies here this weekend.  But hey, at $2 a movie- it was still cheaper than seeing 1 movie at a nicer theater.  And, if I haven't seen a movie yet, what do I care if it's been out for several weeks or months?  

Here was the run down:

White House Down-  Loved it.  I am not a chick-flick girl very often.  My favorite movies are ones where things are being blown up.  This fit the bill.  And Jamie Foxx is fantastic.  And Channing Tatum?  Doesn't matter what movie he's in, I'd watch it.  

Now You See Me-  Loved it.  This may have been my favorite of the weekend.  It was full of twists.  I am generally pretty good at guessing how things are going to end- and I didn't see this one coming right away.  

Man of Steel-  Snore.  Henry Cavill is hot and Amy Adams is adorable, but this movie was way too long and actually kind of boring.  I almost feel like it should have been broken into 2 movies, each with a little more back story and build-up.

This was the first weekend in nearly 3 months where I had literally nothing planned.  I loved it.  Tomorrow is the first day of the last term of my Master's degree- so that should be fun.  Wish me luck!  

And, the perfect way to end any post- pictures of my great-niece, born yesterday!  (For those of you who care, that is my sister's son's baby :) 

My dad, aka: Papa, holding his first great-grandchild 

Proud mom and dad- isn't my nephew cute?

Me, with this sweet baby girl.  Holding a baby is good for the soul! 

Isn't she adorable??  If you don't love pictures of a baby, you're a troll.  Have a great week, all!

Introduction

I'd life to first start by saying that I, in no way, claim to be perfect.  I am, however, extremely persistent when I want to be.  My goal for the near future is to work on attaining that perfect balance of persistence while also taking time to enjoy life.  I'm about 5 months away from completing my Master's degree, I just started anew job that is stretching me in all kinds of ways I didn't imagine it would, and all the while I'm trying to maintain some semblance of a social life.

This blog is for me.  It could peak someone's interest somewhere.  Maybe.  Or not.  I have no idea.  I may attract a follower or 2.  Or none.  And honestly, I'm OK with that.  I need somewhere to unload my thoughts, somewhere to make resolutions to the massive expanse that is the internet, somewhere to share my struggles, and somewhere to celebrate my wins.  If anyone would like to join me on that journey- I welcome you.

Over the next few months I have some goals:
1. Reduce the amount of unhealthy things I consume
2. Start and continue to practice yoga
3. Run
4. Cook/Eat more meals at home
5. Invest in someone else's life
6. Finish my degree

Each of these will get touched on in the coming weeks.  For now, just know, they are all things I've been wanting to do for some time, but I've never really truly committed to them.  So this is it.  This is me committing.  No excuses.

Any advice for staying to committed to goals like these?