m

m is for...

movies. i rather enjoy a good flick from time to time. or most of the time. today over lunch our office had a viewing of the movie: helvetica. the movie was all about the type face. it was very interesting and funny. it was the history of the font. with multiple interviews with as one man quoted him self -- a typography fanatic. the passion. the drive behind their love for one font. there were also the haters. with anything. it brings out both sides. one lady felt that helvetica caused the vietnam war and our current war. it really is amazing how many times the font is used. especially in ads. signage. documents. and i feel like i should even change my blog copy font to helvetica. but alas. the tool i use does not have it as a selection. it does however have the evil arch-nemesis. ariel. i refuse. and will stick with this pretty. serif.



mondays. i always have the case of the mondays. it really does not matter what i have done over the weekend. if i went to bed early. had a busy weekend. had a relaxing weekend. monday is never welcomed in my book. its just a rude day. i realize some might appreciate it. as a new day. fresh start to a new week. eh. i see it as the end to my free time.

GF08: i didnt participate this weekend. which is usually the case. hoping tonight i can walk outside with my gal pals. its been nice but looks as if it might storm. but whats a little rain?

l

l is for...

lunch. today at lunch i was sitting enjoying a nice salad and quiche. at the filling station. in the midtown area. we got there right before the rush. there was a line of about 6 people. i glanced over to the line. you know. gave them all a once over to see if i knew anyone. when there was a man that was oddly familiar. i looked at friend. she was looking at them. so i said is that the oldest son from the brady bunch? she: who? that guy. right there in line. omg. yes its greg. is it? we debated back and forth. i am sure it was rather obvious. two girls whispering and giggling. friend said she witnessed many others pointing. and the girl behind the cash register confirmed it after he left. when we got back to the office we found that he is going to be at a dinner theater in town this weekend.

k

k is for...

kittens. ick. at one point in my life. i had kitten posters on my walls. kittens sitting in flowers. playing with one another. frolicking. joy. since then i have had cat scratch fever. a rare disease. from you guessed it cats. but mainly kittens. it is a bacteria in the young felines' nails. once they scratch you. the bacteria then seeps into your veins. the first instance was at the age of 3. my grandparent's cat. who i only wanted to pick up. and cuddle with the furry creature. mama cat was her name. and that she was. scratched the heck out of my face. even after my mom washed off the blood. i went back for more. apparently i enjoy pain. it happened again. age 12? maybe. my other set of grandparents had outdoor tom cats. i was holding tom. and brother was dangling a gold locket necklace. hypnotizing. tom didnt like it that much. jumped out of my arms. and the nail dug deep. it can happen to anyone. it depends on the cat you come into contact with. and also the immune system of the person. so there you go. its not just a song by ted nugent. and i hate cats. there have only been a hand full that i will pet.

knick. knacks. i love to collect things. and display them. my collections mainly live at my parents house.

off to grab some brewskies with some gals pals. dont worry folks i am not on the verge of offing myself. i didnt realize how dramatic i sounded yesterday. today was worse. but there was a moment when i broke out in sweat. the red blotchiness started to spread. it grows when i get upset. or mad. angry. in fact. i probably was bright red after yesterday's post. but hey its almost the weekend. cheers!

j

j is for...

jamie is tired. tired of working. tired of being an adult. tired of my everyday tasks. tired of the meme alphabet challenge for awhile. it gets tough. i need something else to be inspired by for the moment. i am tired of little. unimportant things. being blown out of proportion. i am tired of bitching about the same crap day. after day. after day.

its not fair. its not fair to the people that have to listen. for my breath to be wasted on these blobs. taking up other peoples air. sucking the life out of me. i was done last week. i was ready to do the ultimate. a walk out. the point is made. and taken. when a person just walks out of their job. it shows you dont care anymore. and you dont care that you dont care anymore.

the energy it takes to rev myself up each day is becoming less. and less. if i didnt have my buddy jeff at work to keep me laughing. i think i would be insane. this a.m. when i asked what i should write about. that j was so tough. he said easy. jeff. you know you want to. i just giggle. i giggle when he writes crazy messages on the milk jug in the refrigerator so others wont try to steal it. the best was the human cloning experiment. or snake venom. ha. its the little things that help my days better. opposed to the small things that get blown up. and make it worse.

so in the spirit of this post. i decided against the gym tonight. i ran outside yesterday. and when i crept our of bed this morning to let the doggies outside. i felt like an old lady. that my bones. muscles. and jelly screamed. i will instead work like a mo' fo. try to play the ever ending game of catch up. and go to bed. to wake. do it all over again.

here are the pups. tonight is my last night with the angels. or hellions. in all seriousness. they are sweet. loving dogs. i have enjoyed my time here. with lots of qt spent with cali and max.
pic one: max is more photogenic. two: waiting at the door for my bloom to come back. three: cali after one of our jogs. (too bad i didnt get one of us on the uni-leash. next time.)

i

i is for...

ice cream. yum. i could eat it all year round. i also like a nice cup of italian gelato.

itunes. how did i live with out it. i mean. work wouldnt be the same. i have to listen to music while working. pretty much while doing anything.

ingrid michaelson. a new favorite musician. i am going with some friends and brother next week to see her in concert. i am very excited. its at a bar. so very intimate. and going to concerts is the best way to enjoy music. it seems like once i see someone live. i fall in love all over. or find a new person/band to obsess over. another i forgot to mention for f. is feist. love. love. love. her/band.

idiots. there are a lot of idiotic people out there. a lot of them clog our roads. they act even more sporadic and retarded behind the wheel. i have no tolerance for idiots. especially when i am driving to work. get off your cell phone. pay attention to the road. and try to be normal for once.

GF08: i ran 4 miles last night. two on the track. while being gazed over by creepy old men. then another 2 on the treadmill. those last two were tough. i debated a lot. i was going to give up. i would think 3 was good. okay. 3.5 will be nice record. but i didnt stop. i just kept on keepin on. i will take the doggies on a long walk tonight. i am still dogsitting for cali and max. i took some pics of them, but need to charge my battery again. i left my camera on all day yesterday at my desk. silly. silly.

h

h is for...

happy hour. not because i am a lush. which may or may not be true. its more about the food. or the idea of being able to go to cool places that i wouldnt otherwise attend. i can afford to drink. eat. be happy. half off bottles of wine. cheap martinis. hors d'oeuvres. appetizers. all during those peak hours of the day. my only complaint about hh. is the times. i rarely can make it out of the office in time. it has to be a special planned event. or reversed happy hour. i always look forward to a nice hh. especially in the spring time. sitting out on the patio. with a refreshing drink. good company. a satisfied appetite. shed the winter coat. let the warmth of the sun cover your skin. and knowing summer is just around the corner.

hair. its kind of my thing. cutting it. growing it out. blow drying. coloring. curling. straightening. i love my hair. and all that comes with it. my girls describe my hair as doll hair the majority of the time. my hair has a natural wave. which i used to curse. that was before i learned how to style it. and work with what i have. i love the challenge of trying new things. new stylist. new product. sharing stories with friends. again. its my thing.

speaking of hair. here is a picture of cory from my trip home on easter. we were bored. she told me. waiting for my parents to return. i ate a cadburry egg. she was very jealous. i just mentioned they were not her friends. gave her a beef bone marrow treat instead. then we were both content. until i ate dinner in front of her. she sits right next to me while i eat. that is the next picture.

g

g is for...

gibby. gib. gibbler. jgib. gibson. my nicknames. i usually am not called by my first name. but most of the times i am chimed by a pet name. or nickname. i like to think this says something special about me. not sure. other than my grandfather. father. and i have all gone by gib. hmmm. seems fitting.

gullible. that i am. usually fall for anything. but then that same whit comes into play. because i can play it right back.

granny. granny is one of my most favorite people. she is a lot like me. or so i like to think. she loves shoes. very nurturing. she likes to drive fast. always fashionable. we both love dolls. she was a beautician. an entrepreneur. i admire her for all that she has done. and also all that she continues to do. i wish i was able to see her more and spend time with her. but we are an 8 hour drive apart.

f

f is for...

feet. i once had a stranger tell me i have the most perfect feet. that my toes align perfectly. and then he wanted to do things to them. i will not repeat on this blog. stranger danger. it was at a royals game. in the parking lot during a tail gate. again. wont get into the details. i really like my feet in the summer time. with a golden tan. fresh painted toes. in the flips flops. i often walk around the office barefoot. it freaks people out. but i cant help it if i am a hippie at heart.

feathers. my favorite smell is down feathers. my bed consists of many elements of feathers. on top of the pillow top mattress is the feather bed. then i have 4 feather pillows. these must be arranged in certain order. it matters which one is on the bottom. which one is on the left. on the right. also the pillow cases coordinate with the the bottom and top pillows. then i have a down comforter. i am not ocd. just a tad particular about my things. i like to fall asleep face down. in the center of my queen bed. with my face buried in pillows. my eye mask on. i take in a deep breath and i am relaxed. ready for a lovely night of sleep.

family. i wont go into a long story like last night. but i can not say enough about my family. i adore them. we are all so different. yet so much alike. it can be scary. my brother and i were like monica and ross from friends at one point. my parents have unisex names and people are often confused. but at the end of the day we can share each other's company. usually spend it laughing. we are very funny people. at least we like to think so.

friends. what would i do without my girls. "the girls" are my closets friends from college. they are my sisters. but not in greek sort of way. the four of us are all so close. even though we are miles away. we remain bonded. always pick up where we last left off. it is an awesome feeling. a shout out to my girl dbaugh. what can i say it was love at first site. i can not leave out the close friendships i have gained since graduating college and becoming a career woman. i have my gd gal pals. who i grew with in my first job. my friend two yulies. who helps to let me be a kid again with madmax. and to guide me through the crazy times. my friend untitled. with our walker bodies. we can walk and talk our way through anything. now i am forming my new group of work friends. really. i am a popular girl. i have a lot of friends. and i cherish each and everyone of them. we bring out the best in one another. and make life a happier place.


GF08: cali and max were my treadmill tonight. it was a nice out. 70 actually. i am dog sitting. so i strapped the two pups onto their uni-leash. if thats what it is even called. i made it up. basically i hold one leash and they are connected. i tried to take a pic of the dogs. but my battery is low. the charger is at my home. so. i jogged with them for 30 mins. not sure the total distance. but i feel warn out. along with the jogging. being pulled by two 80 lbs. puppies. i had the resistance against the wind. tgif. well tomorrow.

e

e is for...

eggs. not just easter eggs. although that came to mind since the holiday is fast approaching this weekend. i like cadburry eggs for easter time. but for all year long. i enjoy german soft boiled eggs. the kind you get to eat with mini spoons. out of special egg cups. the most fun is cutting off the top. you just never know what the egg will be like when you open it. the hopes is that it will be runny. not under cooked. definitely not over cooked. but perfect.



easter. although i am not the most religious of folks. i enjoy decorating for every holiday. just like all the other senior citizens in my complex. a friend once said i was about a week away from getting a house full of cats. (ick. just ick.) and then i really would be an old. cat lady. but back to easter. it is my most favorite to decorate for. i love the pastel colors. robin eggs. chicks. light blues. the fun designs. simply fabulous. my home will remain in easter flair until i decide it has to go back to normal. since there are no other holidays to look forward to until halloween. it might be a while.

europe. my heritage. they all come from europe. i lived in germany as a small child. providing me many memories. our last spring there we traveled across europe like the griswolds. in true style. we had the family truckster. oldsmobile. blue. cutlass classic. station wagon. sans the wooden paneling. it was my grandparents visiting from nebr. plus the four of us. i sat up front between my dad and bruno. brother was in the back between his ladies. we drove across england. ireland. whales. only making stops during the day for the hot spots. and whippies. soft served ice cream cones. i later found out, this was my father's nickname for them. spent a night on a ferry. back to the deutschland. brother fell off the top bunk in the middle of the night. i laughed hysterically. served him right for poking fun at me for fearing my life. to have some old man hold me while kissing the blarney stone. so i didnt kiss it. we never made it south of austria. i want to go back. experience the southern half. well. and maybe go back to the north to see the countries as an adult.

GF08: ran 3 miles again last night. can we say stellar move jg. hope to make it another victory tomorrow night. this evening i did a nice jog/walk outdoors with the gal pals. we then ate our way through a feast of sushi. how devine.

d

d is for...

dogs. i am immediately attracted to the k9 fur balls. the person who sees one walking down the street and lights up when i see a dog. i like to smile. talk to them. pet them. hug. kiss. love them. they bring me joy and happiness. here is a picture of my friends great dane. doby. i hope to get a great dane of my own someday. i would like to get a black and white one. name her vivian.


and i totally forgot to give a shout out to cory lynn love yesterday for c. cory is my family's chocolate lab. she has many nicknames. princess always seems appropriate. my friends also like to call her helen keller b/c she will try to grab food off the table. like helen would do in the movie. she is very much a begger. enjoys all human food. she is a beast. i had to beg and beg to get her. she is technically registered to me for her akc paperwork. but now that i have moved out. she is my parents baby. the glue that keeps them talking about when she goes #2 or if she had her pills for the day. cory is an old lady. getting ready to celebrate her 13th birthday in june. like me and my mom, she is a gemini. i dread the day that she will have to leave our family. but i know she will be happy eating treats. chasing balls and sleds. and swimming in her pool in puppy heaven.

dogsitting. has become my part time business. it started 3 years ago as a favor for a friend. she then recommended me to a friend. that continued. and has kept going through the years. it has also helped that i have switched jobs. as that always brings in new clients. as mentioned above. i just enjoy being around doggies and with my nurturing nature i get a great feeling while caring for others' dogs. i hope to eventually either open my own business of a doggy daycare or find a profession working with dogs. possibly a trainer. or a person who works with dogs on photo shoots or movie sets.

dancing. i feel this can best be explained in song. i've got rhythm. i've got music. who could ask for anything more. its in my soul. please read a past post 'the message' for more detail on my most recent dance adventure. i can dance anywhere and at anytime. it goes all the way back to my days in car seats. my dad claims he would put on "bird is the word" while in the car. i would go crazy. apparently i was a little rump shaker back in the day. now i like to shake my money maker. and my milkshake does bring all the boys to the yard.

c

c is for...

cake. i love wedding cake. birthday cake. red velvet cupcakes. delicious. moist. cake with buttercream frosting. in my department at work it is tradition that we have a cake for everyone's birthday. this is usually a nice sheet cake from costco. for my birthday this past year. i requested an ice cream cake. baskin robins has the best ice cream cake.




cheesecake or cheesecake flavored ice cream. this is another favorite sweet treat. usually from coldstone creamery. with a chocolate mix in. not too much though. dont want to over power the cheesecake goodness. and no fruit. absolutely no fruit mixed in.

cookies. chocolate chip. thanks trog for the cookie to split for afternoon snack. sugar cookies. sometimes a peanut butter cookie. also girl scout cookies. i leave my thin mints in the freezer for a nice hot summer day. not only tasty. but can also be quit refreshing.

have i made you hungry? i kind of made myself. all this talk about sweets.

chapstick. i am a chapstick addict. i use the moisture (blue wrapper) chapstick brand. sometimes burt's bees. but not in the winter time. the bb has menthol in it. then when you walk outside your lips feel like you are in hypothermia mode. well not really. but there is a cold sensation that is not fun for anyone. i apply chapstick all day long at work. after i eat. before bed. and really just anytime i need the coverage.

b

b is for...

bumblebees. of course. if you havent noticed by the theme of my page. i have for some odd reason. non-explainable. a love for bumblebees. i collect trinkets. inked a bee on my hip. held a nickname as the queen bees with Stac. i just find them so cute and cheerful. they can brighten my day. especially when i find a new treasure. my cubicle is displayed with them. my bedroom. and they have even buzzed their way into the bathroom and kitchen.

boys. who enjoy playing football in the open lot. across the street from my office building. randomly on a thursday afternoon. and with their shirts off. with their hot bods. muscles rippling when they run. ha. no i am not into all that sort of thing. but it was odd and made my afternoon break a little more exciting. especially since the boys: one. hung their shirts on a tree. two. it was not hot out. three. the sun was not out. and four. they could not catch the football to save their lives. but it gave us girls something to holla about. maybe they will be back today.

babies. i love them. there is nothing more calming and beautiful than a little person. so cozy. warm. and soft. i love holding babies. the noises they make. the smell. sans crying. and dirty diapers. but i must say at this stage in my life. the best part of babies is that i can give them back to their moms. its the best of both worlds.

basketball. the big 12 tournament is going on this weekend in kc. this means chaos for the next couple of days. masses of people will be swarming my favorite hot spots. i do get annoyed by large crowds. but sometimes if you suck it up. it could lead to unexpected fun. go big red!

brunch. a favorite weekend past time. getting out of bed. wash my face. throw on some clothes. pull back my hair into a pony. sometimes a baseball cap. go to a local eatery. this usually is eggtc. but can vary. the most important part of brunch is not just the coffee. eggs. bacon. hashbrowns. chocolate milk. no. those are all fabulous. the best part of brunch. is that its early enough that you can go back home afterwards. with a full belly. and take a nap.

beers. on a lazy friday afternoon with my friend coxie. stella. mmm good. i also enjoy many other brews. but its also about the company. atmosphere. and then how well it goes down. love.

GF08: big step last night. literally. made it to my 3 mile mark in 30 mins. another pb. i plan to try to do the same tonight. possibly use the track. then sit in excited anticipation for my friends coming into town for the weekend.

a

i have received a challenge from my friend, twoyulies. she has been inspired by a meme - something that rhymes with dream - basically a list of questions that you see somewhere that you're motivated to answer. her challenge to me is to be inspired by the alphabet. so, i'm going to take a letter a day and answer "a (and so on) is for..." something that relates to my life. and it starts today.

a is for...

apples. although the obvious choice they are a new found snack for me. i have never been much of a fruit person. in fact the normal response when i see fruit is a crinkled nose and look of disgust. as i have gotten older i have expanded my taste buds. one of which just started in the last 6 months. on my hunt eat to healthier i picked up a couple of apples at the store. i now try to have an apple as my afternoon snack with a slice of cheese. i used to prefer granny smith. but now i am open to all varieties. but they must be sliced with no core.


apple. as in the company. i love my mac powerbook. my ipod (vintage). my nano (upgrade). their commercials. the songs on their commercials. playing with untitled.'s iphone and pretending to grab things with my fingers.

almonds. another new favorite snack. i have a box sitting in my top drawer at work. i usually munch on around 3:30 when my energy level gets low. and i need a snack.

advertising. i guess. its the industry that i have chosen for my career path thus far. it pays the bills. it stresses me out. it is essentially everywhere. but at the end of day it can also make me happy. it can make me laugh. it can make me smile. and it can also inspire me.

french press

a french press, also known as a press pot, coffee press, coffee plunger, is a coffee brewing device popularized by the french. its operation is simple and it produces a stronger coffee than other devices. thank you wikipedia for that charming definition.

my day must begin with a cup of coffee. this usually does not happen until after i have made my stroll into the office. but before i can function properly. i need that jolt of caffeine.

it has become a morning ritual that my friend trog and i head down to the cafe together each morning. he comes by and picks me up with out saying a word. i simple say. ready.

he turned me on to the french press idea after many years of drinking bad coffee. there is something about brewing multiple pots of coffee in the work efficient machines. our company recently had a taste test thinking that by switching brands of coffee it will make life more enjoyable around here. i beg to differ. it dont matter what grounds you put in those machines. the end result will always taste bland. bitter. and like dirty gym socks. so bad that you end up drowning the beverage in creamers and sweeteners to make it bearable.

this brings me to the french press. a delightful little machine that provides a nice. fresh. and smooth cup o' jo every morning. i still add my creamer. but it is only to enhance the flavor. not to drown out the grossness. trog and i are ridiculed by many peers who just dont understand the idea behind it. we probably look like snobs. and that we only drink the best. this is not the case. it is my preference. but not life or death.


GF08 Update: ran 2 miles in 20 mins. a pb. its too nice out this evening so i am treating myself to a few cocktails with friends out on the patio. 3 miles...maybe tomorrow.

the message

hip hop = raw emotions.

there are two elements to hip hop dancing. the first is the mechanics. the second is the illusion.

the message by grandmaster flash is one of my most favorite songs to dance to while in hip hop class. a group of my friends and i go once a week on monday nights for an hour. we are down to one class.

our teacher, choreographer, artist and educator bobby ray has told us from day one his goal is to have us leave the class better on our feet. i am not sure if i have met this goal and with only one class left. not sure it will come.

i have danced my whole life. mainly as a cheerleader. so i was to be bouncy and energetic when i moved. sometimes i tap dance for friends. or impersonate the elaine from seinfeld. i took 2 semesters of modern dance class in college. my background has a wide variety of techniques.

in hip hop i dont feel the same about my dancing. there is no looking up to watch myself in the mirror. instead i concentrate and look down at the floor. i usually do this any time i am learning a dance. otherwise i will focus on something other than the moves and get mixed up. last night for the first time after bobby ray insisted we look up. i watched myself in the mirror.

there i was. a white girl trying to look cool. it also didnt help i was dancing next to a guy who was an advanced student. he also looks the part. i had on my suburban work-out outfit on. not the same as the baggy jeans, old school nikes and oversized t-shirt. oh well. he wont be able to pass "go" at the bars in the power & light district.

as a group my friends and i look good dancing together. we are not ready for our debut on randy jackson's dance crew competition on mtv. our crew name is citizens arrest. and if needed we might be able to step up and serve a fellow crew. be able to stomp the yard. a move used to challenge the other side of the room at the end of the night during class. it includes slapping your thighs and stomping to a rhythm. then repeating until the other side does not return the correct stomp. i have bruises on the tops of my thighs this morning from all the slapping. ouch. settle down there chipmunk.

well, this has been enough slang for one blog reader to handle. but i get a chuckle out of the terminology. try to incorporate as much as possible in my everyday language. well sometimes.

GF08: dance class was last night. after an hour of going over our routines, i accomplish a nice workout. tonight back on the treadmill and track.

age 3

one of my most favorite accomplishments is being a master at the game of memory at age 3. one of my earliest memories is sitting on my parents bed and begging a family member to play with me. it wasnt with fancy, cartoon character cards. i was playing with a full deck. (no pun intended). the fact that i could beat all my family members (or from what i can remember), i declared myself a memory game champion.

my gift, although it can help or hinder at times, has remained with me and was very present this past weekend.

how it helps: i am a human gps. take me some place once and i will be able to find my way home forever after that. this helped me when i was at a friends house some where in bfe and needed to get home. i had been to his place only once prior and that was after a night of heavy drinking, so my memory was a tad rough. my trek this past weekend was in the morning after a night of hitting the ol' bottle and i somehow stumbled across a familiar highway and eureka i was on my way home.

how it hinders: i look like a crazy stalker of some sort. i was out at the new power and light district downtown when i spotted my good friend from work. i went over to chit-chat and see how her night was going. she was talking to some british gentlemen and fascinated by their accents. i began to make friends with the blokes and learned that they were military and staying at the nearby military base for a month. i noticed one of the guys looking at me. looking at me as if he recognized me. like a light bulb went off. it was then that my light bulb went off as well. or as i later learned, possibly the only light bulb. it was almost 3 years ago. my friend: my blog and i were visiting stacy's five cents for her birthday. we went out to a random bar in virginia where we met some british military men. we made friends, shared drinks and danced the night away. we took a lot of pictures. ones that we have since been posted on myspace or even one that was so memorable that it has lived in cubicles and picture frames on end tables. so there before me was that guy. that same guy who we had met 3 years prior and i recognized him from our pictures. i wasnt going to say anything. b/c as you are probably also thinking how the heck to explain this. that i met him one night and could remember his face from that long ago. but the beer had control over my better judgment and i opened the jaws and flapped away. he took it lightly while his friends joked that i was like single white female. oh well. it gave my blog, stac5cents and i, a good laugh. as well as made me over analyze the fact that i ran into him twice. what does this mean? why did our paths cross again?

the day the chi died

it happened. after 6 years of hard work, my chi dies on me this morning. the chi is my ceramic hair straightener that was the best thing to ever happen to my wavy hair. i can literally go from my natural crazy waves/curls to sleek straight hair in minutes. the chi has also been key for my recent cut of bangs, without the gentle glide of the chi, my bangs look weak.

i wont let it ruin my day. i was almost done, had about 3 more sections of hair and my bangs when it died. i tried plugging it into another outlet. turned it on. then off. then on. and back off. again, i am dog sitting and just my luck this house had a straightener i could borrow. (now i feel it best to let you know, i do not go digging through drawers or anything like this. besides the pyrex from yesterday which i did have to look in the kitchen cabinets, i did not go snooping or such).

there is a light snowy mix going on outside. again, i will not let this ruin my day. i have plans with my mother and her bff/cousin to meet them out for a nice lunch and shopping. i will be looking for a replacement for my chi. i just hope i dont buy something and then find out the old one is just playing possum.

i also hope to pick up a digital camera some time soon, so i can add some flair to the page. some images of the dogs i sit for, the children and just overall worthy items. i have never owned a digital camera. i just relied on others and never had the desire. but i feel it is time to get out of the stone age and become a photographer (or atleast someone who has a camera).

GF08 update: no workout last night. i had a work related dinner for the internship program i am co-chairing. i had a light dinner and glass of pino noir. and a lot of ass kissing. delightful.

baby shower quiche

I began my fascination with quiche about a year ago. my old male roommate once invited over his ex-fiance to make us a dinner of quiche. i uncomfortably had to act interested and offered to help when i felt appropriate. we ate off the quiche for days. it was then the love began.

i have since shared this with many friends. my most recent exposure was to my bff in virginia. i think there is a certain intimidation factor that involves anything with crust and a mystery mixture of stuff. it was during my visit to va that an impromptu brunch was thrown on the schedule, me being a little tipsy, blurts out "i'll bring quiche!" the crowd's first reaction was, hmmm...okay... great. the pressure was then on me. i did not have my usual recipe, but after a couple of searches on the internet (which, btw, what did we do prior to this thing they call the web, magnificent invention) i found something that would work. it was a mix of my normal recipe with a new twist. it turned out to be a great success and enjoyed by all. my bff in va now has welcomed the quiche making into her life and has since made one, with another planned soon.

this brings me to the present. there was a baby shower at work this afternoon. when i went to look at the sign up list, there were the usual chips, dips and brownies. i noticed the lack of main courses or side dishes. i pondered and then decided it was time. i would open the work crowd to my love of making quiche and covered dishes. although, i have since found out a joke was started, because apparently my sloppy script (i was in a hurry) looked more like i was planning on bringing - quickees to the potluck. yes, folks i was going to sit in a chair and welcome the crowd for a quickee over their lunch break. ha. it did make for a good laugh.

i woke up early this morning, which to anyone that knows me, this is a great deal of effort. there are few things that i see as reasons to awake from my peaceful, serenity that is my bed. it also helped i was dog sitting and heard some rustling in the next room that it was time for potties and breakfast.

i made two quiches, one cheddar and bacon and the other was my experiment. it included spinach, tomato, feta and italian cheese mix with finely chopped onions. the major concern was how they would travel. luckily, what comes with dog sitting, is that i can make myself at home. i was able to find a nice pyrex carrier that had the heating pad for the bottom. perfect! i baked the lovely pies this morning while getting ready (thank you roomie for that suggestion) and they were still warm for the lunch time crowd. i received many kudos and felt like an old pro - like ladies that lunch and share recipes that they just know off the top of their heads because they cook/bake so much. when in reality i only knew all the ingredients as i had made it mere hours ago.

so my lesson today is when life gives you lemons just make your office a quiche and it will make you smile.

GF08 update: i will see 3 miles next week. i ran my two on the treadmill but started to feel faint. (this could be because the treadmills/ellipticals are set up in a room with zero circulation other than the rotating floor fans). i walked for a couple more minutes and then decided to try something new. there is an indoor track at the community center i belong to. i ran about 4 laps around the track and felt like a gazelle. the wind was beneath my wings or under my feet. i felt like i glided across the rubber floor and as if i had accomplished the world after 4 laps. i also thought i had embraced another mile. i was incorrect, a runner must go around 10 times for one mile. yes, 10 times. can you imagine trying to run long distances on this track. i think i would lose track. i was barely able to remember 4.

first time

word. that is the first step to starting this miraculous, life changing thing we call blogging. my first word. i hope to keep in-touch with friends, inspire strangers and overall vent my comings and goings.

its starts with the on-going GETFIT(fill in year) plan. as it is 3 months into the new year, we are well on our way to GF08. i had an illness in december, by illness i mean cold/flu like symptoms, that caused me to shed a few lbs. i took that as an inspiration to keep on the bandwagon, as the ultimate goal of GFanyyear, is to have a bikini body by summer. this goal has never been met. every year i still carry around the jelly from one too many beers, burgers and brats and sitting on my sofa watching the life source. but this year is different, i have dvr. therefor, i can be more choosy on when i tune into my favorite shows. and this means not as many excuses for not going to the gym. so i started the year off with running. yes, running. i bypassed the walk, the jog, the walk-jog and i went for it. there is pain, and i just grin and think in my head...only a couple of more minutes and you will be done.

my progress...its been up and down. i was doing really well and was able to run almost 3 miles straight on the treadmill. after running 2 with no pain, i increased my speed for a challenge. this lead me to the 3 mile mark. i then went on vacation. oh yes, i did. and i forgot all about the motivation and the goals.

but now i am back. i went last night and with my new shoes (thats another story). and i did 2 miles. and it was painful. i debated with myself in my head (yes i do a lot of internal talking with self). and i said self, you can do this. its not that bad. you will feel better at the end. you have done it before. kick it into high gear and deal with it.

red faced and sweaty, i jumped off the treadmill meeting my 2 mile goal and with plans to do it all over tonight. hoping by next week, i will say hi, 3 miles...missed ya!