Back to the Gym

A friend of mine has been asking me to join her for a class at a local gym for months now.  And yesterday, I gave in.  The first class is free, and you don't have to be a member of the gym to go, so why not?

I showed up and saw that it was a small class, just like she said.  When I walked in, the instructor immediately came over and introduced herself, and asked about any injuries I may have.  I told her about my mostly healed broken foot, and about an old back injury.  She said she would give me some modifications for some of the moves they would be doing, just to be sure I wouldn't aggrevate either injury.  I'd heard this from instructors before, so I wasn't really expecting her to remember what I told her once the class started.

And then the class actually started.  This is a Core TRX class, which basically means you're working your core (abs, back).....and everything else.  Essentially, all the moves are designed to engage your core regardless of what muscles you're working on.  And everything is completely weight-free.  Sort of.  You use only your own body weight, and if you're like me, that can be a lot of weight! 

Anyways, the class starts with some cardio to warm-up, and apparently, she likes to mix it up every class.  Yesterday, it was beautiful outside, so she decided a jog around the block would be perfect.  But first she set me up on a recumbant bike so I would aggrevate my healing foot.  Ok, but the class just started so of course she remembered.

After everyone gets back, we start the actual work out.  Throughout the class, she would first show what everyone was going to do, and then give me another option in case that hurt something, usually my back.  And I wasn't the only one with an injury or that required modifications.  If something might put stress on our backs, she would show me a modification.  If something might put stress on a shoulder, she gave someone else a modification.  I soon realized that she knew everyone there by name, and exactly what their injuries or limitations were. 

By the time the class was over an hour later, I was dead tired, soreness was already starting to creep in, and I felt great.  It had been a long time since I felt like I got a good workout.  Although my arms, chest, and abs were killing me (moreso today), my back and foot felt surprisingly well.

Maybe it was the small class size.  Maybe it was the local feel to the place (as opposed to chain gyms).  Maybe it was that I was finally just doing something.  For whatever the reason, I really enjoyed this class, and it made me remember that working out can actually be fun.  I will definitely be going back next week!

Catering

Apparently I've had food on the brain, because this is the second consecutive post dealing with food.

Yesterday, I received an email inviting me to lunch at the office in celebration of one of the boss's birthdays.  The invitation promised catered food.  Catered?  What could that possibly be?  I'm sure everyone has their own idea of what catered means to them, so just picture your definition in your head.

I admit I was looking forward to it.  I usually have leftovers or a sandwich or something else really quick for lunch.  It's not because I don't have time to make something, it's just that sometimes I can be really lazy.  So a catered lunch sounded nice.

I walked into the office at lunch time to find our catered lunch.  It was sandwiches.  They were a step above Subway, but by no means what I had in mind.  We also had a fruit tray, family size bags of chips, a bowl of M&Ms, and a bowl of mini Reese's peanut butter cups.  The peanut butter cups were the best part.  Did I mention everyone was sitting on the floor?  Oh well, at least there was good conversation and it filled me up.

Good Food

My favorite food is Italian.  I try not to eat it too often, mainly because I could eat my weight in pasta.  And in case you didn't know, eating your weight in something means you just doubled your weight.  And I don't want to have to buy new jeans.

Friday night I was craving Italian, and I gave in.  There's a chain Italian place that I liked when I lived in Houston, and since it's a chain, they have it here too.  I haven't had it in years, and was really looking forward to a nice meal.  I ordered my favorite dish and was soon presented with a plate full of mouth-watering pasta.  Until I tasted it.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.  It was just ....... ok.  I'm not sure if it was a changed palate, different cooks, incorrect memory, or that it was just ok.  For whatever reason, it just wasn't what I remembered.  And it left me still craving Italian.

So what do you do when you wanted Italian and were severely disappointed?  Obviously you order Italian again the following night.  But this time, I ordered from a local Italian place that I've eaten at numerous times since moving here 3 years ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed my food each time.  I ordered the fattiest, most unhealthy, artery-clogging dish on the menu, and ate every bite of it.  Ok, almost every bite of it; I still had leftovers for dinner today. 

I'll chop this one up to learning -- stick to the local places; they taste better!

Photo Ops

I recently realized how few pictures of me there are for certain parts of my life.  On the one hand, this makes me kind of sad.  I'm never going to be able to go back and take more pictures of myself during those times, so they're just stuck in my sometimes-distorted memory.  On the other hand, if I claim to have been extremely beautiful or stylish or whatever, there's no proof to the contrary.

So what brought on this revelation?  I was just looking through some old pictures and realized there are big gaps in the dates.  And when I say big, I mean BIG.  At one point, there a good year missing.  Did I not do anything picture-worthy for that year?  Was my camera broken?  Was I too lazy to buy film or clear up space on my memory card?  I honestly have no idea.  I'd like to think there is proof that I existed during that year, other than the fact that I existed before and after, but I don't have it.  Maybe somebody out there does.

So what's the point?  I've decided that I will create more photo ops for myself.  I currently tend to take pictures of others -- my puppy, my new niece, my family, my friends.  But somehow, I forget to include myself in those pictures.  No more!  I will included myself in at least one picture every week.  Maybe it will be hanging out with friends or family, or visiting some place new and exciting, or just chilling on my couch on a Friday night.  Whatever the occasion, there will be tangible proof that I existed during that time.

Strangely enough, I want to be able to be embarrassed by my clothes/hair/goofy smile/whatever, in 20 years.  So let's raise a glass to occasionally making ourselves the center of attention.

Crappy Pictures

I'm not a parent, but if you are (or if you're not), you should really check out Crappy Pictures.  It's written by a lady and chronicles some of her parenting experiences and adventures.  And it's illustrated with crappy pictures.  Why?  Because there's never a photographer around when you need one.

Anyways, I've been reading this blog for awhile now, and I find myself laughing all the time....literally.....out loud.....I'm not kidding.  I think part of it is because she talks about universal things that all parents (or friends of parents) know all too well, and because she talks about things that a non-parent would have never thought of.  And it has pictures.  And it's hilarious.  Just thought you might be interested. 

Carpet Cleaners

I have never met such lazy carpet cleaners in my life!  Actually, that's not completely accurate because I didn't meet these carpet cleaners, but they're still lazy.

I had my carpets cleaned today, and while I'll admit they are definitely cleaner, it would have been nice if just a little effort were put in by the cleaners.  I understand not moving the couch, but how hard is it to push a coffee table out of the way so you can get under it?  Or pull out a chair so you can get under the breakfast table?

To be completely honest, I'm not surprised.  Last year, I didn't pick up one of my dog's toys, and they went around it.  I think it's actually harder to go around a ball than to kick it out of the way, but that's exactly what they did.  Sigh. 

Evil Crickets

If you know me, you know that I'm not particularly "girlie."  I don't wear dress often (this seems to be changing lately though), I don't wear a lot of makeup, I consider a ponytail an "up-do", I don't like pink, I hate massages and pedicures (but I do like manicures), I play a lot sports, etc.  But there is one thing that I am very girlie about: I am terrified of all things that can possibly be considered bugs, especially if they fly or jump.

I can understand why some bugs exist, even if I don't like them.  Like bees.  I don't consider bees to be evil because although they do fly and sting and can definitely be considered a bug, they also pollinate flowers and make honey, so I accept them.  But there are other bugs that have no reason to exist other than to make my life miserable.  Like crickets, who have absolutely no redeeming quality.

My fun with crickets predates my memory.  All I know is that I have always hated them and they have always tormented me.  When I was young, I'm sure my parents expected I would eventually outgrown this fear, which they consider completely irrational.  Every few year, a part of me will finally agree with them that it is irrational and I do my best to be brave when faced with this creature from hell, but then a cricket goes and attacks me again and I realize my parents are crazy and my fear is totally rational. 

Let me give you an example.  When I was 18, I went away to college.  This was my first time ever on my own, and while it was scary, it was also very exciting.  I knew nobody at my school, and even my roommate didn't show up for about a week, so I was completely alone.  Feeling lonely and being the girlie girl that I am, I decided hitting a tennis ball against a wall for an hour would make me feel a lot better.  It did, and to top it off, I met a really cute guy on the courts, we hit for a while and eventually ended up becoming friends.

So where does this evil cricket come into play?  Come to find out the town where my school is located gets invaded by crickets every few years, and lucky me, this was that year.  For about a month, you could not go anywhere without stepping on a cricket.  There was a smell from all the dead crickets that permeated everything.  They were invading the rooms on the first floor, and had I lived on the first floor, I would have dropped out of school.  In the midst of this wonderful cricket invasion, this guy calls me to see if I want to play a quick game.  It's dusk, and while there are crickets around all day, I know they'll start coming out in force soon.  But a cute guy just asked me to play, so I stupidly say yes.

Everything is going great for the first few games.  But then the sun goes down.  And the crickets come out.  A lot of them.  They're swarming around the lights, you can hear them hitting the ground, their chirping is incredibly loud.  But I'm playing tennis with a cute guy.  I should probably mention at this point that there had been some flirting going on over the past few weeks.

So we're hitting and joking around, generally having a good time, when I cricket decides now would be the perfect time to dive-bomb me.  I'm not sure where it came from (must have been an undercover cricket), but I know that one minute I'm in the middle of my backswing, and the next I'm being attacked.  I scream, my racket goes flying one way, the ball goes another way, and the cricket has a heart attack......and the cute guy is rolling on the ground laughing.  I blame that cricket for us never having a date.

Now for those of you who think like my brother, that crickets are more scared of me than I am of them, I'd like to point out the fact that you're wrong.  Just stop and think about it for a minute.  Do you attack things you are scared of?  No, of course not.  I'm scared of crickets, so I have never attacked one.  However, I have been attacked by crickets, so they must not be scared of me.

And why exactly am I talking about crickets in the middle of the night?  Because a cricket got into my house today.  I put on a brave face, sprayed it with Raid and then flushed it down the toilet.  While my brain knows it's dead and can't possibly do anything, my "irrational fear" believes that the toilet water actually washed away the Raid before it was completely dead and it came back to life, swam back up through the pipes, crawled out of the toilet, and is just waiting for me to go to sleep so it can get its revenge.  That's not irrational, right? 

Wardrobe Malfunction

Before anybody gets any ideas, no it was not that kind of wardrobe malfunction!

I fractured my foot about 2 months ago, and while I'm pretty much healed at this point, I still haven't been released to wear heels.  Normally this would be no big deal, except that all of my pants are the perfect length to wear with heels.  I normally wear jeans to work, which means I can wear tennis shoes too.  And since I normally do not wear heels with jeans, this means most are the right length.

But today I had to meet with a client, so no jeans.  I hate wearing flats with skirts, so that leaves slacks.  I had a hard time finding slacks that fit.  The ones I wore 3 weeks ago were a little snug, but a pair a size bigger were too big.  A pair that were too small 3 weeks ago now fit perfectly.  I know, that makes no sense, but welcome to the world of women's clothing.  I grabbed a blouse to match and was ready to walk out the door.......except for one small problem -- shoes.

Like all of my slacks, these were a little too long.  So my options were 1) wear heels anyway and hope I don't cause any damage to my still healing foot, or 2) wear flats and hope the client doesn't think I look too sloppy.  Seeing as how option 2 doesn't involve pain or the possibility of permanent damage, I went with option 2 and hung out behind the desk the whole time, where the fashion faux pas was a little less noticeable.

While today ended up working out ok (but not great), I'm debating whether or not to have shorter slacks in my closet, just in case.  I don't plan on fracturing my foot again, but I am pretty clumsy.  Any thoughts?

Shopping

I hate to admit this, but I love shopping for office supplies.  In fact, I could almost start my own OSSA (Office Supply Shoppers Anonymous) group.  I don't know what it is, but there's just something about all the pens and pencils and highlighters and notepads and folders and clips and all the other cool little stuff that I enjoy buying.  Maybe it's because there's so much more variety than when I was a kid, or maybe it's because it makes me feel like I'm playing dress-up and I'm pretending to be an adult.  Whatever the reason, I just like it.

Now that I have my own office, I get to pick whatever office supplies I want, not settle for whatever the boss happens to pick.  Of course I have to pay for my own supplies, but I still feel like a kid in a candy store.  But since I am just starting out, I am somewhat overwhelmed at the moment.  Obviously I've bought pens and highlighters and folders and everything else before, but never all at the same time. 

For example, usually when I run out of pens, and go find another pen that I like.  There are certain things that I like in a pen, and considering that you have to decide on qualities such as length, weight, ink color, point size and barrel thickness, just to name a few, selecting that perfect one might take a good 30 minutes.  And once I find that perfect pen, I still need to decide how many to buy.  You want enough so that you don't have to buy more in a couple of weeks, but not so many that if you made a mistake in selecting you "perfect" pen, you don't end up using a pen you're not happy with for the next year.  And don't forget to account for lost pens or pens that walk away. 

At this point I have pretty much purchase no office supplies.  Why?  Because like I said, I'm somewhat overwhelmed at the moment.  But also because I still have some of this stuff left over from when I was in school.  I'll have to buy some supplies that I never used before, like file folders, but I haven't built up the courage to walk into an Office Depot or Staples just yet.  In the meantime, anybody know where I can find an OSSA meeting?

Brownies!!

I've been on a bit of baking kick lately.  Actually, I've been on a wanting-to-bake kick lately.  Even though I've been craving cookies and cake and brownies and everything, I haven't actually made anything....until tonight.

My sister-in-law has a recipe for Cinnamon Salt Brownies.  I'd never heard of them before, but they're brownies so they have to be good, right?  Um, yes.  :)  So tonight, I made my first batch of these brownies.  They're easy, delicious, chocolate-y heaven.  And what's the best part about these brownies?  That you don't have to soften any butter!!  So that means if you're like me and don't get that craving until 10 pm, you can still having some yummy deliciousness in your tummy in half an hour. 

If you'd like to try them, check out the full recipe here.

Missing My Shuffle

I never thought I would say this, but I miss running.  Ok, who am I kidding?  That's not true.  But I do miss my shuffle.  Huh?

I have two iPods, a nano and a shuffle.  The nano has a ton of music, and I usually listen to it at work.  It has a wide variety of music, and I just listen to whatever I'm in the mood for.  The shuffle has only a small fraction of the music of the nano.  The shuffle is what I listen to when I'm running.  It's full of upbeat songs to keep me motivated and on pace. 

In early June, I fractured my foot and I have not been able to run since then, so I haven't been able to listen to my shuffle since then.  I miss my shuffle.  :(  I know what you're thinking, why not just listen to the shuffle some other time?  Well, because it's what I listen to when I'm running.  I know that's not logical, but that's the way my brain works.  Let me see if I can explain. 

For the first time in my life, I can't wait until I'm able to run again.  Why?  Because that's when I get to listen to my shuffle again.  If I allow myself to listen to it whenever I feel like it, it loses it's specialness.  Right now, it's my motivation to get back on the road.  I could (maybe should) find motivation elsewhere, like because I want to fit into a smaller pair of jeans or I want to be healthier or whatever.  But right now, my motivation is listening to my shuffle, and the way I see it, motivation is motivation, so I'll take it wherever I can get it. 

How I Hate Thee, Printer

Up until today, I never really understood how some people could hate computers so much.  It's not like they mess up on purpose; they just do whatever you tell them to do.  If a computer does something wrong, it's because you told it to do it that way.  Now I'm not a computer whiz, but I can do basic repairs and work through some issues.  But every now and then, my computer decides to not play nice.  Today was one of those days. 

I had a very important meeting at 1:00 pm today.  At about 12:10 pm, I realized that I completely forgotten to print something out.  But I wasn't worried.  I was at home, and home is 5 minutes from the meeting location and has a printer.  So basically, I figured I had plenty of time.  Fast forward to 12:52 and I'm running out the door, nerves frazzled, praying I don't hit any red lights, traffic, or random construction, and that there's parking right by the front door. 

So what exactly happened in those 42 minutes?  My computer and printer decided to go on strike.  At first, my computer was playing nice.  I hit the power button and it came to life.  I put on my shoes while I waited for the sign-on screen.  I entered my password and walked away to let it boot up while I fixed my bag.  Let's say all this took about 2 minutes.  But here is where the problems started.  I would normally go into detail about those problems, except I have no idea what exactly those problems were.  All I know is that it took about 8 minutes to open the folder with the document I needed to print.  And then it took about another 4 minutes to open the actual document, only for me to realize that it wasn't the latest draft.  Great.

So now I grab my laptop (which was thankfully already on and online) and email myself the final draft.  Back to my desktop.  I have no idea how long it took to open the internet browser so I could retrieve the email I just sent, but I gave up after 11 minutes.  I grabbed a flash drive, got back on my laptop, saved the document, put the flash drive in my desktop, and waited, and waited, and waited.  It took another 4 minutes to open the flash drive so I could retrieve my document.  Once the folder is open, add another 3 minutes to open the document, and I'm pulling out my hair.  In case you're keeping track, it's now 12:42 pm. 

So now all I have to do is print the document.  This is the easy part, right?  Of course!  So what's the easiest, fastest, most fool-proof way to print?  Hit the print button.  You've seen it; it's the one that looks like a printer.  But by now, you've probably guessed that it wasn't that easy.  I hit print, and nothing happens.  I wait.  Still nothing.  I'm about ready to kill my computer, but seeing as how this will get me no closer to having the document in my hands, I yell at it instead.  Yes, I am literally standing in front of my computer yelling at it.  After an eternity (or about 8 minutes), those two wonderful pieces of paper pop out and I can finally head to the meeting. 

Have I mentioned that I have a dog?  Well, this whole time she's been looking at me like I'm crazy.  She can tell something isn't quite right, but obviously has no idea what.  What she does know is that I'm yelling at the computer, and I don't usually yell at the computer, so it must have done something wrong.  Anyways, I digress.  The reason I mention the dog is because that's where my last few minutes go.  She is confined to the kitchen while I'm not home, so I need to get her in there.  I always put her bed and bowls in there with her, and I should have been doing this while yelling at the computer, but I was frazzled and didn't.  So now I have to do that. 

And that's how it took me 42 minutes to print a two-page document and why I now want to shoot my computer, or printer, or both.  And also why I really need to get wireless printing from my laptop to my oh-so-wonderful printer set up as soon as humanly possible.

Caffeine High

I am very sensitive to caffeine, a lot more so than most people.  How sensitive?  Well, you know that headache you get when you skip your morning cup of coffee?  I get that after drinking decaf for a few days.  What most people don't realize is that decaf coffee is not completely decaffeinated.  Depending on the brand, decaf coffee still has anywhere from 1% to 10% of its caffeine remaining.  And that little bit is more than enough to have an effect on me.

So why the caffeine lesson?  Because yesterday I was craving an iced mocha.  Normally, I get a grande decaf iced mocha.  Yesterday, in my infinite wisdom, I went with a venti iced mocha.  Yep, that's right -- more coffee with full caffeine.  When I walked in yesterday, I was hot and I was thinking venti means more coldness.  However, in my rush to get that coldness, I completely forgot about the caffeine.  So not only did I get a drink with full caffeine, I got one that has an extra shot of espresso! 

Fast forward to 3:00 am.  I was still awake.  I drifted off somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00.  Fast forward to 7:30 am.  The dog was now awake.  I didn't get much sleep after that. 

84 Degrees!!

I live in North Texas, which if you don't know, has been in the midst of a horrible heat wave and drought.  We had 40 straight days of 100+ degree temperatures, and I don't even remember the last time it rained.  Everything is brown, and summer in Texas is supposed to be green, not brown. 

And then yesterday, a small threat of rain.  I was happy, until it lasted all of 5 minutes (maybe less).  It cooled off a little, but only enough to ensure that we would not break the record for consecutive days over 100 degrees.  After weeks and weeks of record breaking heat, we missed that record by one day when the temperature topped off at 99 degrees.  It seemed too cruel to be real.  True, it wasn't as hot as it had been in the previous weeks when temperatures were reaching 107, but it was still pretty darn hot.  Add to that the fact that the official temperature is actually taken in the shade, and it just felt like after all that, we just got cheated out of a record we had already earned.


So where does this 84 degrees come into play?  Well, yesterday was just cruel, but today was amazing.  I have no idea what the high for today was, but I know it didn't come close to 100 degrees.  In fact, I went to run a few errands this afternoon, and the bank marque said 84 degrees.  I know these are not the most accurate things around, but it sure felt nice out.  It was overcast pretty much all day with a slight breeze blowing. 

Yes, it was super humid outside and I know these cooler temperatures will soon be gone (the high for tomorrow is expected to reach 102 degrees), but for one day I got to take my puppy for a walk without worrying about either of us having heat stroke.  And if you listened really closely, you could hear the grass singing and the trees breathing a sigh of relief.  Let's hope tomorrow's forecast is off by 20 degrees. 

DTPA Claim?

I just realized how long it has been since I've written anything.  Oops! 

Anyways, I've always wondered how Nabisco could possibly know that Oreos were milk's favorite cookie.  Yes, I know it's just a slogan, but couldn't that be a DTPA claim?  I'm sure some creative lawyer out there could make a claim for false or misleading advertising or something similar. 

A couple of days ago, I went to the grocery store and bought, among other things, milk and Oreos.  When I got home, I put all the bags on the counter.  When I grabbed the bag that held the milk, it was wet.  Great -- a leaky milk carton.  I threw away the bag and cleaned the counter.  I was putting away the remaining groceries when I grabbed another wet bag.  You guessed it, the one with the Oreos.  It was the only other bag that got wet with the spilled milk. 

I guess Nabisco was right after all....

Nothing

Ever have one of those days, weeks, months, where you really just don't have anything to say?  Well, today is that day.  I have nothing to say, but it's been a good week since I've written anything, so here I am.  That's all.  Good night.

StumbleUpon

Many years ago, or maybe it was a few months ago, I downloaded the StumbleUpon addon to my Firefox.  At the time, it sounded like a pretty cool idea, but I ended up hating it.  It never found anything I wanted to look at and I never used it.  Shortly thereafter, the addon was uninstalled.

A couple of days ago, I decided to give StumbleUpon another try.  I haven't used it much, but I already like it much better.  I'm not sure if they changed their coding or if I did a better job of selecting my interests, but it's a lot better than I remember.  One of the first things it stumbled upon was Hello Adorable and this picture:

I guess I'll just sleep over here...

 
This is picture alone is enough to make me keep this addon. 

Photo by: Hello Adorable

eCoupons

Like most people, I'm always looking for easy ways to save a buck or two.  For groceries and other essentials, this used to mean clipping coupons.  This eventually turned into printing out online coupons.  Now, I've discovered eCoupons.  Or better put, I've recently discovered a new way to use eCoupons.

I've used eCoupons for online purchases for a while now, but until recently, I didn't know that you could actually load coupons onto your store loyalty cards.  This is great for two reason.  First, I don't have to spend time clipping and sorting coupons, only to end up leaving them at home or forgetting about them and having them expire.  Second, I don't have to limit myself to purchasing items online.

So how exactly does this work?  It's super easy.  First, you need to have a loyalty card.  If you don't already have one, stop by customer service the next time you do your grocery shopping and get one.  Next, go to your local store's website and register.  I tend to do most of my grocery shopping at Tom Thumb (aka Randall's, Safeway, etc), so I made a quick trip to TomThumb.com and registered.  Finally, select the coupons you want loaded onto your card.  On TomThumb.com, simply click on Coupon Center and select the coupons you want to load onto your card.  When you use your card at the checkout counter, the coupon is automatically applied.  No clipping required!  (On a side note, this also works great for those of you with significant others who are "too manly" to be seen with coupons!) 

The other nice thing about this is you can add coupons from other sites, not just the store's website.  For example, Tom Thumb allows you to add coupons from Shortcuts.com, Cellfire.com, and P&GeSaver.com.  They even have a link to those sites on their website.  You'll need to register on those sites and link it to your account using your card number.

And in case you're like I used to be and think that coupons don't make much of a difference, I saved $10 on $40 worth of groceries on my last trip.  That's 25% off without having to clip, sort, or remember coupons; I just spent 15 minutes online, did my regular grocery shopping, and handed my card over at the register!

Sale Fail

I've always had a sneaking suspicion that stores raise their prices before a sale.  That way, when something goes on "sale," it's close to or even slightly above the regular price.  Up until recently, it was just a suspicion.  However, a recent trip to the mall has confirmed it.

I stopped by a store the other day which I never go into, but they had big SALE signs everywhere.  I have nothing against this particular store or their clothes, they have some cute stuff, but nothing there looks good on me.  On this particular day, I decided to check out a table of t-shirts.  Here is where I lost all respect for this store (or what little respect I had).  The pre-printed tag on the shirts said the price was $19.95.  Every single shirt had a new price sticker that said $24.95.  And of course, there was a 25% off sign on the table.  In case you don't want to do the math, by raising the price before marking the shirt on sale, the store is giving you a $1.24 discount instead of a $4.99 discount.

The funny part about this was the price sticker was placed directly above the original price.  And by directly above, I mean that the two prices were stacked, so what you saw when you picked it up was:

$24.95  <-- sticker
$19.95  <-- original price

I can just hear the manager telling an employee to put new prices on the shirts.  I imagine it going something like this:

Manager: I need you to change the prices on those shirts over there.  The price should be $24.95.  Take this price gun and change it, and be sure that you put the new price directly above the old price.
Employee: Um, ok.  (thinking to himself)  Why does he want the new price directly above the old price?  Wouldn't it make more sense to put the new price on top of the old price, so that you can't see both?  But if I question him I might get written up.  Oh well, if that's what he wants, that's what I'm going to do.  I can't get in trouble for following directions even if they don't make sense, right?

Jelly Beans!

My all-time favorite candies are jelly beans.  Back when I was in high school, I used to eat jelly beans for good luck before my tennis matches.  It all started when I was really low on energy and doing horrible in a match.  A teammate was watching and offered me some jelly beans during a changeover.  Whether it was the sugar or the much-needed laugh she also supplied, it spurred a comeback and a tradition was born.  From then on, I ate jelly beans before every match.  Needless to say, we were a bit superstitious.

I'm not sure if they continue to be my favorite candy because of random memories like this, or because I have convinced myself that they're actually healthy for you.  I should also mention that I really like Jelly Bellies and Starburst Jelly Beans.  Both of these come in fruit flavors.  The way I see it, if you eat a cherry jelly bean, that's like eating a cherry.  Same thing if you eat strawberry, grape, and orange jelly beans.  There are hundreds (or at least dozens) of more flavors.  If you eat an entire bag, just think of all the healthy fruits you're eating! 

So why am I even thinking about jelly beans today?  Because it's Easter time, and as I mentioned above, I love Starburst Jelly Beans.  Unfortunately, you can only get them during Easter time.  I'm trying to decide if I should stock my pantry with enough to last until next Easter, or if maybe this is just a sign I should cut back...?

Jaywalking

If someone "jaywalks" but they're on a bike, is that "jay-riding"?  There's been a jaywalking crackdown lately; will that apply to those riding bikes as well?

In the last few weeks, I've had a ridiculous number of bikes cross right in front of my car while driving through downtown.  The crazy thing is, they've all been cops!   I'm not sure if they don't see me or just misjudge how fast I'm driving.  Either way, they should know better. 

And speaking of bicycle cops, how to they pull people over?  When they arrest you, do they just put you in their little basket?

Crazy Dreams

For those of you who wondered if I had abandoned this little blog, I have not.  For the past month or so, I've been hiding in the school's library preparing for three days of hell, otherwise known as the Texas Bar Exam.  But now that that's out of the way, I'm hoping life gets back to normal.  I'm looking forward to eating decent meals, knowing what's going on the world, seeing sunlight, spending time with family and friends, playing with my puppy.  But mainly, I'm looking forward to my dreams getting back to normal.

I've decided it takes someone special (evil) to be a Bar Examiner.  You have to be really creative to be able to weave these fact patterns together to test on that one random piece of law that never comes up in real life.  Unfortunately, these strange fact patterns have found their way into my dreams.  To give you a taste of what I was dealing with, here are my dreams during the first and second night of the Bar.

Tuesday night:
A man came to my office to see if he could be held responsible for the death of a pedestrian.  He was driving down the street when he was distracted by his cell phone.  As he was sending a text, he accidentally hit a pedestrian.  The pedestrian was hurt, but did not have life-threatening injuries.  This man was scared to get out of his car, but he didn't want to leave the injured pedestrian lying on the street, so he sent his pit bull Fluffy (yes, its name was actually Fluffy in my dream) to retrieve the pedestrian.  Fluffy grabbed onto the pedestrian and dragged him back to the car.  He was injured further, but was still alive.  After the pedestrian is in his car, the man starts driving him to the hospital.  Unfortunately, the hospital is on the other side of a river, and as they crossed the bridge (which had recently been damaged in a storm), the bridge collapsed and they fell into the river below.  He was able to get Fluffy and the injured pedestrian out of the sinking car.  As he was swimming towards the shore, a man in a canoe saw him struggling and decided to help out.  Unfortunately, he was a novice canoeist and didn't have a lot of control.  He had too much speed as he neared the threesome and accidentally hit the pedestrian in the head.  Other people on the shore came to their help, and the pedestrian eventually made it to the hospital, where he later died of the head injuries caused by the canoe.

Wednesday night:
A woman came to my office to see if a shareholder vote was valid.  She was a shareholder in a corporation which had recently passed a resolution she did not agree with.  This corporation was founded by some strange people (according to her) who had over the years left shares of their stock to their beloved pets.  Eventually, animals owned approximately 15% of the outstanding stock.  At the shareholder meeting where the resolution was passed, the animals were counted when determining if they had a quorum.  Had the animals not counted, they would not have had a quorum and the vote would not be valid.

Now, in case you think I'm making these up, these are actually multiple fact patterns from various essays that I worked on earlier in the day that all got woven together.  I'm so ready to get back to some half-way normal dreams.

Winter is Here! Now Please Leave.

Winter hit North Texas on Tuesday, and it refuses to leave.  Like most people, I've been stuck at home ever since.  Texas is not like other places when it snows -- we don't have snowplows, we don't have salt for the roads, and we have no idea how to drive in it.  So what do we do?  We close down the cities and stay home. 

This is a really bad time for this freak snow storm to hit.  We're hosting the Super Bowl this weekend, and while the weather should clear up for game day, all the events leading up to the game have either been canceled or attended by very few people.  I wanted to head out this week and take pictures, maybe meet some fans, but it's just been too cold.  Today, the temperatures have hit the low 20s.  Compared to the rest of the week, that feels downright balmy. 

So while there are parts of the city which are absolutely beautiful when covered in snow, I will not be posting any pictures because I'm too much of a wimp to go outside.  On the up side, I have a warm house and plenty of food in the kitchen, so I'm in great shape until we thaw out.  Until then, I will stay at home, watch some movies, study for the bar, and play with my puppy. 

If you're stuck in this winter storm as well, stay safe and stay warm.

Happy Things

• Receiving unexpected personal mail
• Reconnecting with old friends
• No line at the coffee shop
• Having a warm puppy in your lap on a cold winter day
• Hitting all the lights on green
• Discovering a new favorite author
• Strangers holding doors open when your hands are full (and when they're not)
• Planning a vacation (even when you don't actually plan on taking it)
• Freshly baked cookies
• Tripping and not falling flat on your face
• Getting off with just a warning
• Fresh flowers

Winter Pleasure

One of the things I love to do in cold weather is curl up on the couch with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.  Unfortunately, with all the required reading the last couple of years, I haven't been able to do this in quite a while. 

I've decided that it's time to bring back the tradition, with a few minor changes.  As I write this, I'm curled up on the couch with a bar prep book beside me and a warm Sprite in my hand.  This will have to do for now. 

Snow!!

We got our first snow of the season today!  And in case you're wondering, this is an exciting thing.  Why?  Because I live in Texas, and we just don't get snow very often.  In fact, we were in shorts a few days ago. 

Unfortunately, the snow did not stick, but my puppy sure looked cute with snow in her black coat.  :)

Short Shorts

This is going to sound a little mean, but I'm going to say it anyways -- there are just some people who should NOT be wearing short shorts.  In case you're not sure if you're one of these people, check the list below.  If you're on it, it's time to reconsider your wardrobe.

• Women who wear sizes in the double-digits.  I feel like I can say this because I am one of these women, and no, I do not wear short shorts.  My fashion philosophy/motto is pretty much "just because they make it in your size does not mean you should wear it."  I know there are some women who can pull it off, but for the other 99% of us, just don't.
• Women over the age of 50.  Again, there are some women who can pull this off, but most cannot.  And even if you can, there comes a time when you just have to admit to yourself that you no longer look like you did at 20.  (I was going to put 40 here, but there are quite a few 40-somethings that can pull it off.)
• Men.  I don't think this one needs any explanation.

So why a random shorts commentary in January?  Because I live in Texas and it's almost always warm enough for shorts, even in January.  And I saw someone earlier today who really should not have been wearing the short shorts -- a 60-something year old man who would be in double digits if he were a woman.  Did I mention they were also tight?  Eww.

New Years Resolutions

In honor of the new year, here are my new year's resolutions for 2011:

1. Make new years resolutions.

Many years ago, I decided to stop making new year's resolutions, mainly because I never kept them and that made me feel bad.  And why would you want to do something year after year that made you feel bad? 

My problem wasn't actually that I broke my resolutions, just that I didn't keep them.  What's the difference?  Well, I think that you can't actually break them if you don't remember what they were.  I'd always start out good for the first day or two.  If it was a really good year, may that would last for four days.  But then the paper where I wrote them down would get thrown away while cleaning, or I really needed that extra room on the board where I posted them for something more important.  For whatever reason, I always lost my resolutions and then I felt bad.

To fix this problem, I quit making resolutions.  It was an easy fix.  When someone asked me what my resolution for the new year was, I'd say something like, "To not make any resolutions."  I think the last time I actually made new year's resolutions was about 10 years ago, maybe longer.  That was one resolution I never had to keep track of and it worked great for me.  

But this year, I've decided to break with tradition and actually make resolutions.  I know I'm a few days late with this, but I've been having trouble coming up with anything.  I don't want to make the typical "I'm going to lose 20 lbs" or "I'm going to save $1000" resolutions.  While I should probably do both of these, I think this is what sets people (or at least me) up for failure (and feeling bad).  So if anybody is reading this, what are your resolutions for the new year?  I need to "borrow" some ideas.  :)