Memoirs of Minutiae

I'm going to blame this one on sheer mental fatigue. Over the last few weeks, anytime I get on the elevator at work, it takes me forever to decide which button to push, which floor I need. This wouldn't be worth mentioning, except that I work in a two-story building. TWO STORIES. Yep. The 1st floor has the main entry and a couple of financial offices, and the second floor is entirely occupied by the company for whom I work. This should be a no-brainer, right?! If I'm coming TO work, push "2", go UP to the office. If I'm going home, push "1", go DOWN to the lobby. But lately, this stumps me for at least a good fifteen seconds.

And before anyone comments- yes, I know, I could take the steps (it's just one story to climb, after all). But the smokers lurk just outside the doors to the staircases. I can't stand walking through that haze of smoke to get in the building. I tried holding my breath as I walked through them, but it made me dizzy and I fell half way up the steps.

Shake it up...

This week I've made a couple of drastic changes. Twice I've gotten up EARLY in the morning, before my daughter even wakes up, to exercise. Yes, me, the I'm-SOOOO-NOT-a-morning-person gal, up before 7 am, voluntarily. Earlier in the week I tried to exercise mid-morning while MissM was up and with me, but she just kept throwing herself at my legs and wanting to be picked up. And, while holding a 20+ pound toddler while trying to walk away the pounds would probably boost my metabolism, I'm just not up for that particular challenge yet.

And today, I chopped my hair. Well, I didn't actually do it. I went to a professional. I'd been putting off getting a haircut for nearly a year. But I got the name of a good stylist and went in and let her loose on my mane of straggly split-end, grown out highlight, ragamuffin long-@ss hair. Now I have light, swingy, swishy, layered, shoulder length fluff that I hope I will be able to style tomorrow after I shampoo it. She cut off A LOT of hair. I watched her sweeping up afterwards and I could've stuffed a throw pillow with all the hair she chopped. Not that I'd want a pillow stuffed with human hair, cause that's just weird.

I had a couple of good eating days earlier in the week, but it has since gone to hell. I figure I need to get myself on an exercise routine first (one thing at a time, otherwise I'm just dooming myself to failure), then focus on the food. I have, however, talked myself out of fast-food snacks and late night binges several times, events that I would normally have indulged in without a second thought. But my food choices at meal times are still pretty crappy. I'm blaming it partially on the old "it's that time of the month" excuse, because, well, it IS that time of the month. So there.

They are doing a "biggest l0ser" type contest at my office and I seriously considered joining, but decided to skip it when I found out that my starting weight would be public for the entire office to know. I just couldn't do it. There's no way I would let everyone know that. I've been told that I carry my weight well, and that I don't look like I weigh as much as I actually do. That said, there's no one with eyes in their head that would not see that I am obese. But to have that number publicized... I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So I am competing, but they don't know it. I'll just track my own progress. Of course I won't be eligible for whatever lame-o prize they decide on. But success would be its own reward.

Anyway, some other bloggers I read are working on becoming more beautiful versions of themselves this year, and that is inspiring me. So, I'll hopefully post more positive updates in weeks to come.

I am a bold-faced liar ...

... several times a day. At least.

Ring. Ring.

"Hello."
___"Hello, may I speak with Mister R M?
"No, he's not here right now. May I take a message?"
___"Is this Missus M?"
"No, I'm the babysitter."
___"Well, this is just a courtesy call, we'll try back later."

Courtesy call my rear end.
I loathe telemarketers.

Year End Meme - 2005 in review

(Blatently stolen from other blogs I read; I actually first saw it LAST year on Mir's Blog. )

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before? Snorkeling. I was terrified at first, as I’m not much of a swimmer. But once I relaxed, it was AWESOME.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Nope. Resolved to lose weight and it didn’t happen. Will resolve this year to GET HEALTHY. (If the resolution is vaguer, it’s easier to come up with some way in which you succeeded.) I also resolve to make more “ME” time, and “ME” time in front of the TV doesn’t count.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Several of my friends (close to my heart, though not close to my home) gave birth this past year. Planet Earth, please welcome Sydney, Hayden, Isolde, Brooke, Lily, and Madeleine.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thank goodness. Had a few close calls, though.

5. What countries did you visit? Canada, but that’s a regular biannual occurrence.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? More energy.

7. What dates from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? No particular dates stand out. I’m not good with dates.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Surviving two road trips to Canada with my toddler.

9. What was your biggest failure? Still fat.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Started out 2005 with a killer flu/bronchitis combo.

11. What was the best thing you bought? An old Wiggles VHS tape at a garage sale for 50¢. My daughter L-O-V-E-S that tape.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My daughter, she’s a celebration waiting to happen, each day.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted? The Iranian president who denied the holocaust.

14. Where did most of your money go? Diapers, groceries, and photo printing supplies.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our trip to Hawaii, an awards trip for my hubby’s awesome job performance in 2004.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005? Bowling for Soup’s "1985", the theme song for my husbands cancelled 20 year high school reunion.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Same, still fat.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Spent more time with family and friends.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Getting up in the middle of the night, but that’s apparently unavoidable with a baby/toddler in residence.

20. How did you spend New Year's Eve? We originally intended to booze it up at a friend’s “grown-up’s only” party. But our sitter got the flu and we ended up watching TV in bed.

21. Did you fall in love in 2005? Nearly everyday, I fall in love again with my daughter and my husband.

22. How many one-night stands? None.

23. What was your favorite TV program? And the tiara goes to: Lost. 1st runner up: E.R. 2nd runner up: Desperate Housewives.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Hate? Maybe my best friend’s soon-to-be ex-husband. But hate is pretty strong. I can safely assert that I really, really, really dislike him.

25. What was the best book you read? This year I read a lot of books that were crummy. But, the best was probably an unabridged non-fiction audio book that my husband and I both enjoyed called Shadow Divers. Close second, Lost in a Good Book (sequel to The Eyre Affair). The book I really WANTED to read, but didn’t have time… A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Sadly, the best I can come up with here is that I discovered two of my favorite “non-mainstream” groups, Brave Combo & They Might Be Giants, had released children’s music.

27. What did you want and get? A new laptop.

28. What did you want and not get? To see The Wedding Crashers, Madagascar, and The 40 Year-Old Virgin, the Wallace & Grommit movie, Pride and Prejudice, and the Chronicles of Narnia movie.

29. What was your favorite film of this year? March of the Penguins.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I had friends over for drinks and cake and celebrated becoming 33.

31. What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying? Being in better shape.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005? Trainwreck. Seriously. This year my criteria for wearing something out in public was a) that it fit and b) it was non-maternity. These are pretty low standards and thus I wore some pretty shameful, shlubby outfits.

33. What kept you sane? Watching my daughter grow.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I don’t know that I “fancied” anyone in particular. I can tell you who I admired, Jennifer Aniston, for being so classy about her divorce.

35. What political issue stirred you the most? The idiots trying to force science teachers to teach Intelligent Design. It makes me ashamed to live in Kansas. Intelligent Design isn’t science, it’s religious theory.

36. Who did you miss? I missed not getting to see my friend Jen in Texas AT ALL this past year. We usually manage to hook up at least once a year, if only for a quick visit. Must remedy this in 2006.

37. Who was the best new person you met? I must be very boring. The only person I can think of that I met new this year was my new dermatologist, who is awesome, by the way. She totally cleared up all my various and sundry dry skin ailments.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005. You can spend all day mothering, and at the end of the day you feel like you’ve accomplished nothing. What horrible irony that the most important life role that any woman can undertake is somehow measured against prior occupations we held, pre-motherhood. In truth, it’s like comparing grapes and elephants.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your past year.
Who needs sleep? / (well you’re never gonna get it)
Who needs sleep? / (tell me what’s that for)
Who needs sleep? /(be happy with what you’re getting
There’s a guy who’s been awake / Since the second world war)
~Barenaked Ladies

40. Quote a song lyric that symbolizes your hopes for the new year.
Lighten up while you still can
Don’t even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand
And take it easy
~The Eagles

Moira and the snowman

Moira and the snowman,
originally uploaded by Tacey.

For those of you on our Christmas card list that bemoaned the lack of a photo this year... here you go! The snowman finally consented to a sequel.