something of interest.

first i read this article…

Why Gen Y Yuppies Are Unhappy

it’s interesting.  there are cartoon charts and a message that makes some sense.  but while reading it, i felt rather silly.  i mean, i’m a Gen Y kid.  am i entitled?  am i spoiled?  do i set the bar too high, but fail to work my butt off to reach that bar?  hmmm.  pretty sure i’ve been working my butt off since middle school.  pretty sure i have a good degree.  absolutely sure that good degree is completely paid for thanks to my car accident.  pretty sure that i’ve worked in my field, but then had to leave my field, only to rejoin it this spring.  oh.  and i’m absolutely sure that although i’m working and working, i’m still not able to purchase a home or pay for a wedding or start a family on one income…or even on the two incomes of our household.

so then this article came out…

I’m Gen Y

it’s also interesting.  there are valid points here defending the Gen Y folks, and explaining that our parents didn’t have to struggle through the (let’s use the appropriate term here) economic depression that we are struggling through.  i guess after reading them both, i’m still not making any more money and the economy is still horrific.  but chin up folks!  there are still plenty of articles being posted on facebook for us to read while we’re staying poor and setting our unrealistically high special expectations.  so there’s that.

energy

something popped up in my feed reader.  it made me sit up.  it made me re-read.  it made me think – THIS.  SAVE THIS.  YOU NEED THIS.

 

and the first place i thought to save it was here.  after another round of months without doing anything on here, i thought of this space when i wanted to save something.  when i wanted to document and record something that is important and meaningful and may just help me keep my wits about me when lots of things are not going well at all.

 

this.  this is the spark that will hopefully catch in my life.  thanks to the lovely and always readable (even when it’s just a meal plan for the week) Helen Jane for the solid advice for school girls of all ages.

Energy Begets Energy

The more energy I put out, the more energy gets created.
I make my own energy.

This fact has gotten me over my love of the couch,
my fear of exercise, and
further in my career.

The more energy I put out, the more I get.
Early morning runs and jump roping,
Late night prep and conversations.

Muster up the energy to create more energy.
It’s not easy, but it propels. Further.

 

sometimes…

+it’s good to be alone

+you eat a LITTLE more than half of the doughnut you are going to share with someone you love

+you eat two whole doughnuts to yourself…and that’s okay

+you should take your time drinking your coffee

+you get really excited about birthdays that are still months and months away

+you need to go barefoot…or sandal-ed.  the sun feels good on your toes

+quiet is the best sound

+pinterest is not as helpful as you want it to be

+the same can be said for facebook

+you’re not great at the thing you want to be great at…and that’s hard to accept

+you should still try to be great

+you should fold your laundry.  not all the times…but sometimes because that makes M happy

+you think about the job you left and how much happier you are because of that

+you just need to write out a list.  so you do.  and it feels good.

happy long memorial weekend.

shaking it out

it’s been a tough week. which is strange for me to say because, in reality, things are pretty alright around here. i have a new job and it’s going well – it’s back in my degree, which is satisfying. the weather has perked up nicely…finally. thanks montana for catching on to the fact that it’s MAY. M is wonderful. i should be dancing a spring-like jig.

then why can i only focus on the bad stuff? i’m such a downer. but i need some time to just whine. and i figure this isn’t a bad place to do it. i mean, i run this joint, so might as well let loose and get it out there. so…

my lord i am so sick of not being able to link my work and home computers. there are a CRAP TON of people using apple products in the world. why is it so absurdly hard to connect a mac and a pc? it’s not freakin’ rocket science people. let’s get a solution so that i can leave the padded room and write my reports on my couch with some salt and vinegar chips AND the mindy project on hulu plus. not too much to ask.

i would like a magic fairy to buy my groceries for me. scratch that. i would like ANY fairy to buy my groceries for me. and if i’m really being honest, you can pretend to be a fairy. just make sure i have groceries in my house on the regular. i enjoy grocery shopping. making lists, pulling recipes, wandering and price comparing and the awful music they play. i like it all. but after getting through a full day with the rascals in my program. i’m beat. i can just about make dinner for myself…if i have the ingredients. it has been about three weeks or more since we purchased ingredients. there is very little making dinner, and a whole mess of buying random items to throw stuff together and ooo that frozen lasagna looks good and yeah i definitely want a slice of pizza while i’m waiting for that to cook. healthy foods…not making it through the hangry haze that has attached itself to my kitchen.

part of the no grocery kick is/was the randomness of our schedules. but now i’m on a solid monday to friday, 6:30-but-really-more-like-6:47-or-sometimes-7:01 wake up, and home by 5 at the latest. M is still all over the place. he’s fairly consistent in having monday/tuesday/friday nights off. and we get saturday and sunday too. until something comes up at the restaurant (all the time lately) and now he’s covering tuesday and friday and saturday nights plus his normal wednesday/thursday nights, so let’s just see each other when one of us is a) not up yet in the morning or b) already asleep at night? i leave for work before he’s up most mornings. he gets home when i SHOULD be in bed on work nights. this leads to me staying up late so i can at least get some face-to-face interaction or passing out on the couch waiting and being GRUMPYYY upon his arrival. i’m not a good couch sleeper. so i’d file this under the “yay lots of money, boo no boyfriend” tab. i prefer to keep that file as small as possible. boyfriend over extra money almost every single time.

okay. vented that out. silver linings? 1) i have a job and i’m sure that i’ll figure out a way to manage my report writing soon. also, 16 days left in the school year. cake. 2) i’m not going to starve. i can make food. farmers markets are open so i’ll just bring the veggie goodness this weekend. 3) money. money means getting to enjoy the farmers market this weekend…and brunch (mmmm bistro)…and time with M is almost here. it’s wednesday. two more days until we’re back on the relaxation train for a bit…and there’ll be hard earned money to spend when we get there because of all the time we spent apart during the week.

final silver lining? all this crap pushed me back onto the blog. FINALLY. 😉 maybe this will be another (a third? fourth? lost count.) new start. hip hip for that.

life’s a taco!

M and i are simply smitten by the latest (now a year old) muppet movie.  i’ve always loved the muppets…watching the muppet show is an early-ish memory for me, as are the muppet babies.  rolf, fozzie, kermie, gonzo, AN-I-MAAAALLLL – how can you NOT love them?

anyway.  we heard great things about the movie from a couple in line with us at target several months back.  they were purchasing it on dvd.  M and i chose it as our in-flight/airport entertainment for our trip east this summer.  we don’t really watch tv or movies because of M’s adhd doesn’t really lend itself to sitting still and focusing on a screen for an hour and change.  but we had a long layover on our way back and were pretty beat.  we were hooked.  as i said, smitten.  this song is our favorite.  bret mckenzie (oscar winning musical composer for the film) has been a favorite for a while because of flight of the conchords.  it’s not strange to hear us quoting lines from this song to each other out of the blue.

here’s the non-movie version from the ny times magazine that we love (enjoy fun moments @ 1:37 and 2:00):

blustery

it’s cold.  and windy.  and the snow has started.  R doesn’t know what to do with herself – she’s dying to go outside, but is so confused by the flurries.  silly pup.  she played in snow a bunch when we first brought her home in february!

today i’m pushing through some stress by eating warm chocolate chip pumpkin cake for breakfast and drinking some tea out of one of my favorite HUGE mugs.  there will also be cooking and maybe even some baking prep for the holidays.  i’ve pulled out some of my gramma’s classic recipes and some of the new favorites that i’ve discovered in the past few years of being a ‘grown up’ and gifting on my own.  such a strange feeling being so far from ‘home’ during the holidays.  i don’t know if i’ll ever adjust.  i’ll admit…it hurts my heart just thinking about another thanksgiving and christmas away from beauport.  not even jessica simpson, nat king cole, and she&him carols can take that away completely.

and because i’m on a mini-roll again (yayyy), here’s my appreciation for the day!

hope your day is less blustery but just as thankful!

daring to be mighty and thankful.

so i’ve officially joined Go Mighty!  i received my log-in info the other day, and posted a few goals.  it feels good to get on track.  to make my life list listed somewhere.  to be inspired to live mightier, grander, richer (experience-wise, not money-wise…although that would be nice).  i’m trying to get back on track here.  but i’ll admit it’s difficult.  i think i can be more diligent and deliberate.  however, realistic is also an important word to keep in mind. so we’re taking it slowly with toddler steps – shakey and unsteady but determined.

and with that being said, i’m attempting to participate in the Appreciation Engine’s Thanksgiving Challenge.  i’m a bit tardy to the party, but am making up for lost time.  each day, you make an audio recording of something for which you’re grateful/thankful.  today i posted two separate recordings of three things so i’m almost caught up.  i think this is something i can (and SHOULD) follow up on each day.  seconds of my time to create a positive habit.  i like the sound of that.

i’m on both sites as kasaro if you’re interested.  you should sign up too.

let’s be mighty appreciative together.

same old story…

…not much to say. (hearts are broken every day? thanks jewel.)

life here is mundane and monotonous and meh and other m-words. we are very much just going along with the daily grind as the weeks push past. M works doubles. i work weird hours. R cruises along with minor (and some times major) adventures in chewing up things we need – the other day it was M’s phone charger; which translates into time in the kennel while we’re not home. however, there is some light at the end of this smokey tunnel, and it’s both super and sad at the same time.

friday ushers in the following:
+ my first weekend off without any sort of travel or guests or craziness since JUNE! although that weekend was also crazy on account of M’s surprise party.
+ naturally, this means we’re leaving town to go camping (staying put is just too…easy).
+ Melissa+Peter (and Zoe) are coming camping with us – hooray for new friends and new adventures!
+ our wonderful, longtime, dear friends The Ruffos are moving to north dakota on monday, and we’ll have a ‘so long’ cookout on friday night. it hasn’t fully hit us that they’re actually leaving, and all three of us are going to miss them terribly. i’ll post more on this soon.

there is still a day of work and a bunch of chores and errands to run in between now and my weekend, but i can see it up ahead. it looks fantastic.

[ rainy lake – one of our favorite places to car camp – august 2012 ]

cheese-ing

M and i really like the local version of Whole Foods that we have here.  it’s called the Good Food Store, and it generally lives up to it’s name: good.  i enjoy their large bulk-item section, especially when diving into a new recipe that i’m not 100% sure about.  the staff is usually really knowledgeable   they have some pretty yummy veggie sushi.  they carry a delicious blackberry sorbet that M drools over.  there’s also the salad bar and the awesome broccoli salad with craisins and sunflower seeds.  the GFS is good.  real good.

but down to the issue at hand:  the breakfast burritos.  they’re something that M and i enjoy on occasion as a quick, nom-tastic breakfast date.  you can choose from eggs or tofu, with or without potatoes.  they also let you add three more items to your burrito – salsa, sour cream, cheese, bacon, avocado, and tomato.  super delish.  hooray for adding more.  but there’s a catch.  only three more items?  i mean, i want my eggs, potatoes, bacon, cheese, salsa…oh no!  NO!  those are all my options!  i still need to add sour cream.  or avocado!  wait!!!

now i’ve had this conversation with M on numerous occasions.  to be completely fair, you CAN add extra items at 50¢ each.  but that doesn’t seem right.  why isn’t cheese a given?!  why can’t people see that you really need the egg/tofu, potatoes and FOUR more options?  and then it hit me.  vegans.

if you’re vegan – and there are a whole bunch here in town, all enjoying the GFS – your burrito would look like this: tofu and potatoes plus salsa, avocado, and tomato.  see that?  just three pick-your-own items.  that’s where the line is drawn.  with the vegan choices.
so thanks, vegans.  real smooth of you to infiltrate and limit my breakfast noms.  next time, i’m going to the BSB.