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.

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.  :)

Karma

There's a man in my complex who feeds stray cats.  This bothers me for various reasons:

• It's a violation of the lease.  The lease clearly spells out that your are not supposed to feed stray animals so as not to attract more.
• Management knows who is feeding the cats, but does nothing about it.  The man is an attorney who threatened to sue if management actually enforces the lease.  It's people like him, people who believe they're entitled to do whatever they want by threatening lawsuits, that are what's wrong with our legal system.
• Stray cats are not taken care of.  By this I mean that they do not have flea or tick prevention treatments, they are not spayed or neutered, nobody cleans up after them, etc.  This means my dog can pick up fleas, ticks, and diseases from relieving herself the same place they do, not to mention the kittens that show up occasionally.

Last week, karma kicked in.  I was talking to one of my neighbors yesterday who happens to live a few doors down from this man.  Apparently, he took a step up from feeding the cats to trying to domesticate them.  Somebody should have told him this was a very bad idea.  Let's just say he used to have a lot of really nice leather furniture.  I know it's evil, but I couldn't help but smile.

Heroes

One of my brothers is training for a marathon and has recently started training with a running group.  One of his running partners shared this story with him, he shared it with me, and I decided that it was just too good not to share with anyone who happens to read this blog. 

When this guy started training, his plan was to run a 5K.  Shortly thereafter, one of his young children asked him if he was going to run a marathon.  Their conversation went something like this:

Child: Are you going to run a marathon?
Dad: No, I'm running a 5K.
Child: How far is a 5K?
Dad: It's 3.1 miles.
Child: How far is a marathon?
Dad: It's 26.2 miles.
Child: Oh.  Nobody in our family could ever do that.

He started training for the marathon the following day. 

I think this is a great story for many reasons, but mainly because of this father's determination to show his child that nothing is impossible.  This is what a real hero is -- someone who teaches children not to put limits on themselves, someone who teaches them to reach for that seemingly impossible goal.  We need a few more of these heroes. 

Graduation Time Already?

Yesterday, I got measured for my cap and gown and had graduation pictures taken.  I picked up my graduation packet and passed on ordering a ring.  All that's left is to order graduation announcements.  I can't believe I'm actually (almost) done!

The last two years have flown by.  Two years ago, I started my life over in a new city where the only person I knew was my brother.  I admit, that was a little scary.  But I survived and am loving life.  The last two years have been filled with joy and heartache, jokes and tears, roll-on-the-ground laughter and pull-out-your-hair stress.  I've made a lot of new friends and have reconnected with some old ones.  I've managed to find my way around a new city and even have some favorite local spot.  I've started a couple of blogs and dropped the ball on a couple of classes.  I've gotten a new puppy to keep me company and said good-bye to some people I love.

In two months, I will walk across a stage, pick up my diploma, celebrate with family and friend, and then......start studying for the bar.  My plans after graduation include crawling into a dungeon for the next two months and learning everything there is to know about Texas laws and procedures.  A few months after that, I (hopefully) will be celebrating again with family and friends when I get my results. 

Until then, I'm going to keep wondering, is it really graduation time already??