guess what? more resolutions!

i forgot to include these things on my resolution list (i know it’s already a very long list, but these things are important and btw, i’m thinking that this resolution list will last me a few years anyway)

(1) host more parties… i’m thinking a party per season

i did have a party this month… i had wanted to have a holiday party but that didn’t happen (in a town like this it’s especially difficult to schedule a holiday party b/c every weekend of the holiday season is already taken up by someone’s annual shindig... this isn’t a bad thing of course, but it’s true)… i mostly wanted people to come over and appreciate my christmas tree before i took it down… and then i noticed friday the 13th was coming up and that seemed like a good night for a party (and my tree just barely hung on until then)… i was worried about having an indoor party (i’ve only ever had one other big party here and it was my birthday party which is in june so the party was outside)… my house is so small and i ended up inviting like a hundred people… of course they didn’t all come, but many did… but we all fit and it was a great party…

the menu: white wine sangria, 7-layer bean dip, my famous greek cheese ball, onion dip, pickles, cream cheese brownies, goat cheese and ground cherry jam, and i tried to make a jello mustache with the mustache mold my friend gave me but i failed (note to self: master the art of jello molds)

here are some pictures! (look, girls, i posted to flickr! not the pics you were probably hoping for, but they’ll come, really i promise)

my next party will be a “bridesmaids, brownies, and booze” party… i wanted to organize this when bridesmaids was in the theater but that didn’t happen... but i’ve been talking it up a lot recently so i need to make it happen

other party plans: brunch party! and “good crafternoon!” (this will be a crafting party obs and i plan to have many of them… i want to have one under the big burr oak in the community prairie)

a note on parties: i love hostessing… however, while i enjoy having people in my house, it’s a little difficult for me when they touch my stuff… i have a lot of beloved knick knacks and i’m very particular about how they are placed in my space… of course i love to have people appreciate my things, but it’s so strange to me that someone would pick an object up and then just put it randomly down in a different place or position… however, i realize this makes me a little crazy… i have enough perspective to recognize that the enjoyment i get from having guests is more important than the minor anxiety it causes me when i see that my refrigerator magnets have been rearranged (that’s super crazy that that bothers me, right?)… it's good for me to have people touching my stuff, it’s a practice in letting go of this silly quirk of mine… but i do go around the entire house afterward and put everything back in it’s proper place :)

(2) be better about picking up after myself…

i often let folded laundry sit on the couch for way too long and stuff is always piling up on the dining table and pretty much all other surfaces and i am the worst about putting my dirty clothes in the hamper… i love it when the house is neat, the clutter drives me nuts… it gets to where i feel anxious and then it takes me like an entire day to clean the house… but i get lazy and don’t put my makeup away after i’m done playing with it and it sits on the bathroom sink for a week and once there’s a little bit of clutter it seems to attract more clutter… and i’m always like, “self, if you would just take the extra two seconds to put things away, the clutter wouldn’t build up!”… i need to start listening to myself

(3) get involved in occupy decorah

yep, there’s an occupy decorah… my brother really enjoyed learning about this when i was home at chistmas and when i showed him the picture of the small circle of people holding signs in front of the court house, he found it very funny (but he also really appreciated it)… it might be a small group, but it’s growing… there are some awesome people getting together with the hope of making positive change and i totally support that… they meet on saturdays though and i always forget to go… and also, getting involved in occupy is in conflict with my “don’t take on any more commitments” resolution… but i’d like to be involved in some way

(4) be more like leslie knope, duh

"you know what? no i’m not... i'm not sorry... this guy, he was drunk and he was aggressive and he was rude and he was foul-mouthed and he called me by my second least favorite term for a woman... and my campaign manager punched him... i have to be honest, it was awesome, and my campaign manager and i made out a lot afterward..."

also, be a little bit more like liz lemon, double duh

OH HEY GUYS, PS: if you were at my party and touched my stuff, please do not take offense, i'm so glad you are my friend and you can come over and move my stuff around whenever, i recognize that this whole deal with needing to have all my knick knacks in place is wicked crazy

Flow: Heavy, Mood: Irritable, Cramps: Severe, Backache: Mild

the title of this post is the description of yesterday on iPeriod, my iphone menstrual cycle tracking app… yes, this is the kind of blog in which i will talk openly about my menstrual cycle

yesterday was awful, i had the WORST CRAMPS IN THE WORLD, which is what i say every month on the first day of my cycle and it’s true- there were a few hours in the afternoon when i had to periodically put my head down on my desk the pain was so bad, i really considered going home- i probably should have b/c i was in such a bad mood- usually my worst cramps come in the middle of the night which is like a terrible nightmare, but at least my co-workers aren’t around then for me to be bitchy to- i don’t think i was actually bitchy to anyone but i was grumpy- and there was one point when my coworker asked me to problem-solve something in the database and my brain just wouldn’t function, i actually cried a tiny bit and it was nothing worth crying over… SO DUMB! today hasn’t been great either: Flow: Heavy, Mood: Irritable, Cramps: Medium, Backache: Mild… a little less irritable and the pain wasn’t nauseating but still sucky

so, i didn’t make it to the gym today or yesterday (frowny face) because i was so uncomfortable and there’s no way i’m working out in public with a Heavy Flow but i did go three days this week so i’m calling that a success! and while i didn’t make it to the gym, i did give huck a long walk both days- the walk i like to do, the walk i should do every day, is up broadway to phelps park (which has a beautiful view overlooking the community prairie and the upper iowa) and then back down, around the middle school, and back home- it takes about 25-30 minutes and it’s very enjoyable- and b/c the days are getting longer, i was able to catch the very end of the sunset by the time i got to phelps- ooh aah sunset over the river, sigh

walking huck gives me a chance to catch up on my podcasts- when i first moved here i was so good about walking huck for like an hour every day after work b/c i had so much time b/c my life here hadn’t really started yet- and then when i first moved into my house and was painting and stuff all the time, i listened to podcasts for hours a day- now i usually only listen on walks and long drives and sometimes when i’m puttering around the house- i listen to so many good ones- i won’t list them now, that’s another post altogether- but one of them is radiolab, duh- tonight i listened to a recent radiolab on “loops” and is was so good (duh)- you should listen to it- all i’m gonna say is “whale fall”

i need to always remember to bring my phone with me on walks though- not necessarily to make phone calls, although a walk can be a good time to catch up with friends- but to take notes- i didn’t have it with me yesterday and i had a list of like ten things i was trying to remember by the time i got home, it was getting hard to listen to my podcast- and i also need the phone to take pictures- there is always at least one cool thing to take a picture of on a walk and it’s such a bummer to be without a camera- here are some photos i took tonight:

(hipstamatic seems like such a cheap trick but whatever, sometimes it just gets things so right- that's the entrance to phelps, a little bit of blue sky in the back)

(this one's not hipstamatic, just regular iphone, hipstamatic couldn't get this one- do you see the trees here? the trees are the best part)

it’s been really warm these past couple days- i was so confused when i left the office yesterday b/c the parking lot was all wet but it hadn’t rained, it took me a minute to realize it was b/c all the ice had melted- it also smelled like cow poop… i want it to be crunchy under my feet in january, not muddy- muddy is for springtime

the nice thing about evening walks this time of year is that people still have their christmas lights up- it’s so pretty- part of me wishes people would hang lights on their houses all year but another part of me likes that there’s just a special time of year for it- my christmas lights are still up too:

i’m going to take them down after my friday the 13th party (it’s not a theme btw, it just happens to be on friday the 13th), but i’m thinking of keeping the white lights around the door up forever

ok, so the whole truth about why i didn’t get up to go to the gym the past two days is that in addition to SUFFERING FROM MY PERIOD, i also made the mistake of downloading a free version of the sims on my phone and it’s so dumb, but i find it really enjoyable- so i've been staying up too late... it'll pass... here are two of my sims having sex outside LOL:

BYE!

caaaaaauuuuuuuuccccuuuuusssss!

just back from cock-assing! (i've been restraining myself from making that joke on facebook, good thing i have a blog!) it was a wonderful experience... there were no candidates to vote on for the democrats this year, so after electing delegates* to the county convention and such, we discussed and voted on platform resolutions- this was the really wonderful part, to hear my friends and neighbors put forth thoughtful and important resolutions, to actively support them with a hardy "yes!"... there are good people doing good things, don't forget it! i myself did not put forth a resolution tonight- i wasn't exactly sure what i was in for and when it comes to things like this, i am shy unless i've done some work and thinking on my own beforehand (which i did not), but there are other opportunities as the process continues to put forth resolutions and i may do so...

for some dumb reason though, i did not have any lip balm in my pockets tonight so that was uncomfortable

btw- i went to the gym again this morning! but i did have culver's for dinner... baby steps!

*i will be one- there were other positions that needed to be filled as well, be these required more of a commitment of time and energy- there was a little bit of very kindly arm-twisting done to fill these and i felt a little guilty not raising my hand (especially b/c there was a push for the younger participants especially to volunteer)- but i was serious about my resolution not to take on new commitments (of course there will be some, but i have to be thoughtful about them and i can't say "yes" to everything)... i already feel a little stretched thin in honoring the commitments i have already established... taking on too much makes you not much good at anything, and not very happy

a good day

a quick post b/c i'm just returning from a potluck and it's almost time for lights out

an amazing potluck in a beautiful home (two log cabins smacked together), good people, delicious food of course (decorah rules potlucks), and i learned my new favorite game, it's called PICTIONARY TELEPHONE and i'm going to bring it to all my friends (all you need is paper and pencils and you will laugh a lot), and i had some wine, and i made domestic goddess brownies and everyone loved them and i made new friends

and there is still not enough snow but even though it was insanely windy and cold today i am happy for it because it feels like winter, as it should, and on the drive home the car lights made everything sparkle

AND i am proud of myself b/c i did get up and go to the gym at 6am this morning- well, 6:20... i did lie in bed and contemplate it for a while but i really want to be proud of myself so i got up and it wasn't terrible- and huck got a longer than usual walk this afternoon- but i didn't have a very good breakfast b/c i really need to go grocery shopping... but the point was not to make all these changes at once, the point is to set big goals and make at least a little bit of progress every day, to work towards establishing new habits

i wish i could take a day off and clean my house, just sayin

new year's day

one of the problems with the new year is that you have these ideas that you will wake up on new year’s day feeling productive and motivated to start making the changes you set for yourself, but the truth is, you drank a lot of champagne on new year’s eve, so you’re too hung over to do much except stay in bed and catch up on “work of art”

but, you can’t be too hard on yourself because it is important to celebrate… and it’s important to have relaxing days on which you sleep until noon and go to a friend’s house to eat black-eyed peas & collards* and knit and play dominoes (and huck got to spend some time with his bff penny)

however, i am disappointed that i missed the silent service at church this morning, but they aren’t kidding about champagne headaches- ouch

last night turned out to be a really good new year’s eve… i was having a hard time rallying, despite the fact that two wonderful friends of mine hosted a lovely party with delicious snacks and rosemary martinis… despite the fact that i was wearing silver leggings and my awesome plastic charm necklace… still, i was headed towards my usual new year's blues until (at a second party now, a more intimate one), we started a living room dance party ten minutes before midnight… we danced in the new year, passing around the champagne bottle… and there were party poppers with confetti and i wasn’t sad at all

so i’m feeling good and grateful for my friends here in iowa… but also wishing that i had been able to dive into the icy atlantic this morning with katy & danielle… sigh, you can’t have it all

and i was even a little productive tonight and it looks like i’ll have the lights out by 11, go me! it’ll be interesting to see if i can actually make myself get up at 6 tomorrow… discipline!

*apparently this is a traditional southern meal for new year’s day- the black-eyed peas are supposed to bring you luck and the collards are supposed to bring you money… although i think we actually ate kale… there was ham in there too… and we also ate pizza… and chocolate ice cream on pancakes

last day, first post

i set up this blog* a while back and it’s been on my to do list for a while to actually post something to it, and now here it is, the eve of a new year… it seems like a good time to get started

why blog? for better or worse, i am a sharer- yes, often an over-sharer- i have very little need for privacy in my life and i like to have a public space to get my thoughts out of my head and into the world- it’s not that i have any delusions about my thoughts being particularly deep or of any particular interest to anyone- i don’t even think i really care if this blog has many readers- but i have always been a journaler and i find public journaling so much more satisfying than private journaling- it’s like putting my thoughts out into the world makes them more real… or something

(a long time ago, i had a livejournal- it’s still out there: plant-geek.livejournal.com (“there is a light” is such a better blog name, but i think it was already taken here, frowny face)- i really enjoyed livejournaling, so this is an attempt to pick that up again- also, i am often tempted to post very long status updates or notes on facebook but facebook isn’t really the right space for lengthy posts)

ANYWHO…

(omg, out of curiosity i just googled “anywho” and urban dictionary says this: “used in place of “anyways”, usually someone with a weird personality says this; an extremely annoying misuse of the word “anyhow”, generally used by people who think they’re being clever”- so, i guess i’m weird and extremely annoying and think i'm being clever- oh well, i’m going with it…)

ANYWHO…

this is kind of obvious, but i wanted to make this post on the last day of 2011 about my “resolutions” for 2012- i have been doing a lot of thinking about this recently and there are a lot of changes i want to make in the new year- these are mostly changes i’ve needed to make for a long time, but for some reason, i feel more motivated than ever to actually make them, i guess i’m growing up or something… of course it remains to be seen how successful i’ll be, but that’s another benefit to blogging about this: making my goals public makes me more accountable for succeeding at them

my overall priorities are as follows, and i feel that i shouldn’t take on anything else except for new friendships of course and romance if i'm am lucky enough to encounter it:

• my health and happiness
• huck’s health and happiness (huck is my dog)
• nurturing my connection to my family, friends, and community
• doing the best i can at my job
• fulfilling my board responsibilities (i serve on two boards)

and now, the specifics:

BIG THING #1: MY HEALTH

i’ve had a gym membership for a while but i am not very good about going- i’ve decided that saying i will go after work is not working, i often have other stuff going on or i’m too hungry or whatever, so i am going to try to go in the mornings- this means... I NEED TO ESTABLISH BETTER SLEEP PATTERNS! this is huge for me, i am such a night owl, i often stay up til 1 or 2 and i sleep in as late as i possibly can on work days- i never eat a good breakfast and while i do eat a lot of good stuff, i also eat a lot of crap, and i eat too much in general- so, here’s the plan:

• lights out by 11pm, wake up at 6am (sunday night through friday morning)
• 45min workout at the gym before work M-F
• eat a breakfast rich in protein
• eat vegetables at lunch AND dinner
• eat smaller portions
• reduce junk food and late-night eating

BIG THING #2: HUCKLEBERRY

huckleberry is my wonderful dog and my relationship with him is one of the major relationships in my life (you may raise an eyebrow at that, but while i am fully aware that he doesn’t fulfill all of my needs, he is the one i come home to, my little life-partner)… i think he’s a happy dog and that i am a good caretaker, but i realize that his quality of life fully depends on me and that i could be doing more- so:

• take huck for a 20min (at least) walk M-F after work
• take huck for at least one 40-60min walk on the weekends
• look into doing a dog training course (he has some behaviors we need to work on and i think training is always a good thing for a dog’s mental health)

BIG THING #3: MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

i have A LOT of debt- school loans and credit card debt- and this is one of the biggest negative things in my life... i will probably at some point make a separate post about this situation- i am currently taking some steps to get this under control... as far as changes for the new year go, this is what i need to remember: DO NOT LIVE BEYOND YOUR MEANS! (credit does not equal cash)

"LITTLE" THINGS:

(1) i have always loved to bake and in recent years, i have developed a love of cooking- i’m often cooking for one, but i love spending hours in the kitchen, trying new recipes- i am a cookbook junkie and have many that i have never used- so:

• try to use at least 1 new cooking recipe a week and 1 new baking recipe a month
• use each cookbook at least once this year

(2) read more! in other words, watch less tv... i think i will try to restrict tv watching to only when i am doing other things, like cooking, washing dishes, or folding laundry

(3) craft and create more!

• i always want to make things for my loved ones for their birthdays and christmas, but it rarely happens- so, i have come up with this idea: each year, i will make one thing for each person on my “VIP” list and send it to them even if it’s not on their birthday or christmas (actually, i think i will send an annual “care package” which will include one awesome hand-made thing and lots of other awesome little things like candy and stickers- the care package part of this idea was inspired by tavi’s care package post on rookiemag: http://bit.ly/tf8YBY)

• i also have this awesome idea for a collaborative snail-mail based art project which will involve all of my favorite people across the country

• maybe even stockpile enough handmade stuff to sell at a craft fair

(4) call loved ones more often! don't forget grandparents!

(5) set up an okcupid profile (ugh… this will be a separate post too…)

(6) blog! and upload photos to flickr!

(7) continue improvements on the house and yard

• asap: clean out the back room! (and then proceed with the rest of the long list of projects)
• next spring: set up the porch as a sitting space (not a storage space) and hopefully install a raised bed in the garden

(8) follow through with ideas for UU community service projects

(9) continue beekeeping and gardening

(10) continue being an active member of my UU congregation (another post: my growing unitarian universalism)

(11) finally fix ukulele and get together with allison to practice!

i think that's all... i know they say you won't be successful if you try to make too many changes at once, but i feel like this stuff is doable, right? i think a lot of it comes down to controlling my tendency to be lazy (though i do think a little laziness is important, you gotta have down time)

ANYWHO... wish me luck! and i wish you luck with your resolutions, whatever they are!

OK, i’m off to party now, though i’m not really in the mood, new year’s eve always makes me moody (there’s a separate post in there too)

XOXO (oh wait, i can't sign off that way, that's gossipgirl's sign off... whatever, it's staying for now)

*a note on the name: missing the ocean - it’s so lame, but i think a blog titles always ends up sounding kind of pretentious and lame… i tried out a few before settling on this, but they were all taken (i kind of wanted to go with something less poetic and with little meaning, like “bloggy blog”)… anyway, i have lived most of my life in southern new england and being a new englander is a huge part of my identity- but now i live in iowa, and i do miss the ocean (it just feels a little unnatural to me to not live near the ocean)- but of course missing the ocean is not the focus of my entire life nor will it be the central theme of this blog… so, it’s really not such a good name (i mean, what am i going to do when i move back to new england and i’m no longer missing the ocean?), but it is what it is… also, i don’t like to capitalize most words that are supposed to be capitalized and i am loose with my use of punctuation- if you are bothered by this kind of thing, you’ve been warned... also, personalization of blog appearance to come soon!