Now I know my ABCs…

WOW. I can’t believe I actually got through 26 posts in 26 days! This is officially the most consistent blogging I’ve ever done. It was definitely an interesting experience. My favorite part was trying to think outside the box when choosing blog topics. I’d like to think I wrote about some interesting and/or random topics that I might not have explored otherwise. I think some of my personal favorites were J, N and U.

Did you have any favorites? Do you think you would ever try Alphabet Blogging yourself?

Thanks to everyone for all the comments this month – all the feedback definitely made the experiment seem much more worthwhile!

Z is for Zodiac

I’ve always been slightly wary of zodiac signs and what they represent or mean to a person’s life. My sign is Sagittarius, the archer. Traditional Sagittarius traits include optimistic and freedom-loving, jovial and good-humored, honest and straightforward, intellectual and philosophical. However, Sagittarius can also be blindly optimistic and careless, irresponsible and superficial, tactless and restless. Hmmmmm.

I suppose all of these traits could apply to me at one point or another, but then again… so could those of any sign. This is what makes me kind of skeptical. I feel like no matter when I read the weekly horoscopes in a newspaper or magazine, I read my own first and it seems to somehow or another apply exactly to what is currently going on in my life. Then out of boredom I continue on to check out the other signs. What do you know… the descriptions of these signs seems to fit as well!

Ah ha. It seems that horoscopes are written so broadly and generically it would be hard not to be able to apply them and feel like, by some miracle, the stars have aligned for you. I don’t know if I’m buying it. Plus, even though there are lots of things about Sagittarius that are similar to my personality, there are many that are not like me at all. What’s your opinion?

Y is for Yucca

It’s time for some more fond summer memories. According to the dictionary, yuccas are ornamental plants. However, last summer I discovered a much more clever, delicious meaning for the term. Our friend Bobby introduced it to us while boating one day. Here’s the recipe:

• Six lemons
• Six limes
• One cup powdered sugar
• One bottle of vodka
• Lots of ice

Halve the lemons and limes, squeeze and add them into a large glass jar. Add the entire bottle of vodka and powdered sugar. Pack the jar to the top full of ice. Seal with a tight lid and wrap with a towel. Now comes the fun part, which is most entertaining if you’re on a boat or sitting around a campfire with friends. Each person takes turns shaking the jar for approximately 30 seconds. Repeat as needed until the sugar has dissolved, about 30 minutes.

When you unwrap the towel, you are greeted with a frosty jar of deliciousness. The concoction is ice cold and refreshing, and tastes just like sweet lemonade. You wouldn’t even guess that it contains alcohol. Everyone takes turns sipping until the jar is empty, but be careful not to drink too much… even though it doesn’t seem like it, you’re basically drinking straight vodka, although it tastes like a citrusy slice of heaven.

Cheers!

X is for XOXO

It’s impossible to think of something clever for the letter X, so I’ve decided to send out hugs and kisses into the universe. Just for anyone who might need them today. Because that’s gotta be good karma.

W is for Wakesurfing & Weekend

Of course I couldn't possibly blog about the letter W without including something about my absolute favorite summertime activity: Wakesurfing! Oh, summer, how I've missed you... My friend Brett is de-winterizing his boat on April 1st, and I am anxiously counting down the days. Until then, here's a video of me in action shortly after I learned how to wakesurf last summer. Even though I crash and burn at the end, I'm still able to save the beer! Classy, I tell ya...

We call this "Wakesurfing & the Amazing Bud Light Save..."


In other news...

I have no idea how I was able to pull it off, but somehow I was able to have an incredibly friend-filled weekend. My social life this quarter has been pretty drab, to say the least, but for the past few days I actually was able to spend some quality time with quite a few friends, which was a nice change of pace.

I spent Friday night in Belltown celebrating Rich McNish's birthday with our entire summertime crew. Wow... winter pictures make everyone look so... pale.
On Saturday went to the movies with Shannon and checked out her new place. Then later that night I went to Jillian's birthday party. She's a little crazy...
Sunday, I had brunch to catch up with my friend Allison, who recently moved back from Chicago. Then later that evening we had dinner with Brett & Crystal.

Even though I should have spent the entire weekend working on my Discovery project, spending time with my friends was remarkably refreshing and completely worth it. Sometimes, you just need a mental break, I think.

V is for Vegetarian

Okay, I realize that not eating meat for a mere six weeks doesn’t really qualify me as a vegetarian. However, giving up meat has been surprisingly easy! I’ve slipped up twice with a turkey sandwich and chicken curry, but other than that I’ve stayed on the wagon. However, I recently learned that I would technically be classified as a pescetarian – a person who does not eat meat from land-based animals, but still consumes seafood.

Apparently, the Vegetarian Society does not consider pescetarianism a valid vegetarian diet, but since I’m not doing this for anyone other than myself that’s quite all right with me. In addition to proving my mother wrong (obviously the main concern here) and not appearing to be a hypocrite, I’ve chosen this new diet for various other health, environmental and ethical reasons.

So far, I still feel really good about my decision. I’m also having fun realizing that you can always find a vegetarian option. I’ve have yet to come across a restaurant that has stumped me. I know the true test will come after a night of drinking when I end up at Dick’s… think I can live without the cheeseburger then? Only time will tell…

U is for Underwear

I feel like what type of underwear guys prefer is a never ending mystery. I mean, I’m pretty sure that the entire female race is aware that the “enormous, scary, stomach-sucking-in panties” worn by Bridget Jones are never ok to show a member of the opposite sex. Yeesh… who wants to get undressed and come across something that should only be seen on their grandmother, right?

It seems that most women have gone to the opposite extreme… teeny, tiny thong underwear that don’t leave much to the imagination (I’ve spared you the rear view in the below photo, but I’m sure you can picture it for yourself). I, too, went this route for most of college. The boys seemed to appreciate it, and I avoided the dreaded panty line; an absolute no-no.
However, throughout the past few years I’ve been hearing more and more often that many guys prefer a bit more coverage in the female derrière department. Even if this is the case, I have to make the assumption that “granny panties” are still no bueno. I mean just look at these things… Ick. There’s no way a guy thinks this is sexy.
As for my boyfriend, he hates thong underwear and thinks they are super unattractive, on anyone. Whenever I have to wear them for a specific outfit he always pouts. But with the invention of “boy shorts” we’ve been able to reach a happy medium. I definitely don’t have much junk in the trunk, so boy shorts are actually an ok look for me – they cover up just enough but are still cute and sexy. Plus, they are super comfortable and if you get the lace edged once they don’t leave lines under pants.

So I’m wondering, what’s your opinion? Would you change your underwear style for a guy? Do you have a favorite type of undies?

T is for Tragic

Sometimes living in the world seems so overwhelmingly sad I just don’t know if I can handle it anymore. I read Wednesday about a pretty bad head-on collision on the Fremont Bridge. Yesterday, I found out that a woman was killed in the accident. She is the wife of a sub-contractor that I work with on a regular basis. They have two children under the age of five. She was on her way to the airport to pick up her parents.

I just can’t imagine what this family is going through right now, and my heart is breaking for them. I feel consumed with sadness, but also very thankful for my life and loved ones.

S is for Swift Walkers

You heard it here first: Swift Walkers for a Swift Cure is back in action! I have lost several loved ones to cancer, and am a huge advocate of the American Cancer Society. Last year, I really got involved by becoming a Planning Committee member and Team Captain for Seattle’s Green Lake Relay for Life.

My team, Swift Walkers for a Swift Cure (named after my Granddad, John D. Swift), walked for 24 hours straight and raised $6,633 to benefit cancer research. This made us the #2 fundraising team for 2008!

Unfortunately, this year my schedule doesn’t really allow for the frequent meetings and intense planning that is required of the team captain. So I have passed the torch to my cousin Mary, who has generously agreed to lead our team this year!

This is such a fun event and such a wonderful way to commemorate the people who have lost battles with cancer, as well as celebrate those who are still with us. I’ll be doing quite a bit of fundraising throughout the next few months, so feel free to check out my personal page and even make a donation if you are so inclined…

R is for Recession

The economy is basically the number one topic in the news lately, and the incessant bad news about the housing market, employment, etc. is really starting to get depressing. Every day, it seems, I am hearing about cutbacks at another local company: Microsoft, Starbucks, Boeing, Swedish… there seems to be no end in sight. Although my company has remained untouched so far in the layoff department, and my boss assures me that my position is secure, I can’t help but feel perpetually anxious.

Apparently, a person is supposed to have enough money in savings to pay their bills for six months in case they are laid off. Unfortunately, I make an average salary and live in a city with an above-average cost of living. I am able to keep my head above water and avoid any substantial debt, but the prospect of having a little nest egg in my savings account has yet to be realized. And let’s face it, six months worth of bills is A LOT of money.

Like everyone else these days, it seems, I’ve taken some steps to reduce my spending in case for when the economy continues to get worse.

• Coffee. My coworkers and I used to go get coffee together every Monday and Friday morning. We’ve completely stopped doing this and instead stand around in the kitchen drinking free coffee. It’s not the same, but it saves almost $10 a week.
• Grocery Shopping. I shop for the week every Sunday, then go home and cook/pack lunches for the week for me and my boyfriend. This not only stops us from eating out all the time, but also saves money by only hitting the grocery store once a week. Those little trips every few days for "just a couple things" tend to add up quickly…
• Salon Visits. As a natural brunette, the upkeep of having blonde hair was really getting unnecessarily expensive. So I went back to my natural dark locks with just some highlights. This way I should be able to go an extra few weeks in between touch ups.
• Books. I am a nerdy book worm, and it seems like I am always buying a new book to add to my shelf. However, my new resolve (after I finish all the books I received for Christmas) is to start going to the library again, which should be fun… it’s such a calming place, I think.
• Retirement. I know, not a good place to cut corners. But since for the past few months I’ve been losing as much money as I put into my IRA, I’ve suspended the contributions for six months. Maybe by then the market will have recovered a bit, and if not, at least the payments are going toward tuition instead, and keeping me out of debt.
• Walking. I try to run all of my errands at places I can walk to. Since I work in the middle of the downtown core this is usually pretty easy if I plan ahead. I also take the bus to and from work and school, which is another huge saver on gas and the environment. Plus, walking is good exercise!

Are you doing anything to cut back on your spending? Are you stressed about the economy?

Q is for Quotations

As you can see, my blog page contains quotes from one of my favorite shows of all time, My So-Called Life. Here are some other quotations that I feel are especially applicable to my life, or that I just really enjoy:

• "Maybe the past is like an anchor holding us back. Maybe, you have to let go of who you are to become who you will be." ~Carrie Bradshaw, Sex & the City."
• "The space between, the tears we cry is the laughter keeps us coming back for more..." ~Dave Matthews, The Space Between lyrics.
• "Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." ~Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken (It’s important to note that I hate poetry, and this is one of the only poems I’ve ever really appreciated. I wrote an essay about it once in college).
• "You instill me with awe and humility every time you share your brilliance, and I know I will never eclipse you." ~Steve, a very good friend of mine. This is not about me, but I think it is exceptionally beautiful.
• "You can be anywhere when your life starts. You just have to find the right person and then anything is possible..." ~ Kirsten Dunst in Crazy/Beautiful.
• "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away." ~Anonymous, but just since a nice and heart-warming idea…
• “In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases.” ~John Irving, The World According to Garp, one of my favorite novels of all time.
• "Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn't fall in love, or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away." ~Carrie Bradshaw, Sex & the City.

If anyone would care to share some of their favorite quotes I would love to add to my collection!

P is for Plants

I definitely do not have a green thumb. Which is weird, because when I was growing up my mom was obsessed with indoor plants and it sometimes felt like we lived in a greenhouse. She also loved gardening, and tells me that when I was super young I would follow her around in the yard and knew the names of different types of plants based on the shapes of their leaves. This is not the case anymore, I assure you.

I love the idea of plants and gardening; I just have no idea how to go about it. Every single time I buy a house plant, it dies. I put it in an area with the correct amount of light, water it at appropriate intervals, talk to it like a crazy person (okay, not really), but a few weeks later... I'm having a funeral for the poor thing.

For example, here is the orchid my friend Tara gave us for a housewarming gift. I followed the directions exactly: I put it in the bathroom where it's steamy, I watered it every 10 days, etc. but as you can see, no bueno. The blossoms fell off, followed by the leaves, and now I just have one big ugly mess. Which is sad, because it was a really beautiful plant.

However, I think I may have discovered the indestructible plant: BAMBOO. You know those super cheap bamboo shoots that you buy at IKEA? I bought some as an impulse purchase shortly after we moved in, and check it out!!
It's still green! The leaves are still attached! And I haven't done anything except fill up the water every now and then! I've finally discovered something I can keep alive!

Oh and there's also this plant I bought myself for my desk at work back in August. Even though it hasn't bloomed (and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to), I've been able to at least keep the leaves green.
Now here is my next dilemma... Spring is coming and I would really like to have some sort of planter box on our deck. I haven't had my own outdoor patio in years, and I'd really like to spruce it up a bit, but I'm terrified anything I put out there will die. But since I was able to keep the bamboo alive, maybe my thumb is getting a greener. Or it might be time to call Mom...

O is for Ouch

Thankfully, DriveSavers was able to recover my photo files from my damaged hard drive – all 6,000 of them. Wow, I had no idea I had so many! I did the math and the cost of data recovery actually adds up to only $0.14 per photo. Doesn’t seem like much until I really start to do the math:

• $50 – Run diagnostics at Mac Store
• $140 – Purchase external hard drive
• $865 – Data recovery at DriveSavers
• $109 – Purchase new hard drive
• $50 – Install new hard drive

All said and done, I am out $1,214 – OUCH. For that amount, I could have bought myself a brand new computer! Ah... C'est la vie.

N is for Newsies

Every once in a while I feel sad, stressed, depressed or otherwise down-in-the-dumps for no good reason. When this happens, I know it’s time to bust out my miracle cure. I pop in my favorite feel-good movie of all time, Newsies. If you haven’t heard of this fantastic film, it’s a 1992 Disney live action musical starring Christian Bale when he was much younger but still oh-so-sexy. The movie initially failed at the box office but subsequently gained a pretty large cult following – of which I am definitely a part.

There is just something so warm and heartfelt about Newsies; it never fails to cheer me up. The movie is based on the true story of the Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City, when the price of newspapers for purchase by the newsboys was raised 1/10 of a cent by newspaper giants Pulitzer and Hearst. If you ever wonder why I majored in journalism, it probably has a small part to do with my love of this movie. I pretty much know all the songs and dance sequences by heart. And sometimes, when I’m really depressed… I sing along.
Since today is Valentine’s Day, the most ridiculous holiday of the year, I’m willing to bet that some people are feeling slightly blue. I recommend renting this movie immediately. It will make you feel incredibly happy about life, I promise. Which reminds me: since I’m obviously not a fan of Valentine’s day, I just have to point out a commentary I saw on CNN.com entitled Don’t Be My Valentine. FINALLY, somebody else gets it.

Carryin' the Banner,
Sarah

M is for Misdemeanor

Flash back to 2002. I was a sophomore in college, just a few months shy of my 21st birthday.

According to RCW 66.44.310 it is illegal for a person under the age of 21 to enter a restricted area where alcohol is being served or represent their age to be 21 for the purpose of purchasing liquor or secure admission to an area classified as off-limits. Well… yeah. I probably knew these things were illegal… but I did them anyway.

My friends and I decided to spice up a Saturday evening by going to a local club that was notorious for letting in minors. We showed our real IDs and lo and behold, we were let right in. I was just enjoying a sip of my first drink when some unexpected visitors arrived… the cops. Of course my underage friends and I panicked, hid in the bathroom for about 45 minutes, and then tried to slip out the back. Our plan did not work.

We were cornered, read our rights (very scary!) and handed tickets for “minor frequenting a tavern or lounge.” To this day I still don’t see how they can call it “frequenting” when they catch you in there one time, but I digress.

Of course did not want a misdemeanor on my record, so my friend Sheena and I contacted a local attorney with a reputation for getting college students out of MIPs, DUIs, etc. For $300 he agreed to represent us in court and guaranteed that the citation would be dropped with a warning, a fine, and one year’s probation - thus ensuring that the violation would not end up on our permanent records. This seemed like a pretty sweet deal to me. The day of court arrived and everything went according to plan. I was let off with a warning, paid the fine, and did not receive any more alcohol related charges for one year. (In fact, I have not received on since).

Fast-forward to 2009. I was chatting with my office manager recently, talking about “the good ol’ days” in college (God, I’m getting old) and was fondly remembering this little story. Her response? “Oh, I’ve totally been meaning to ask you about that. It showed up on the background check we ran before hiring you.”

Excuse me, what?! I paid $450 (quite a large sum for a broke college student) to make sure that this thing did not end up on my permanent record, was assured that it wouldn’t, and then here it is!! To this day I can’t figure out what happened… Did the attorney misrepresent his abilities? Was there a mistake in how the court filed the paperwork? I think I shredded all the documentation last year in a cleaning frenzy so unfortunately I can’t go back and reference it.

Sure, this doesn’t seem like such a big deal now that years have passed, and obviously having this on my record hasn’t affected my ability to get a job, but I’m still semi-annoyed. Maybe I can sue the lawyer… I’ll have to look into that.

L is for Litigation

I took my Litigation midterm tonight and let me just say, it was HARD. Courts, jurisdiction, venue, investigation, statutes, rules, witnesses, damages, defenses, objections, evidence, pleadings, motions, due process… who even knows about this stuff?!? Oh that’s right, I’m supposed to.

But in all seriousness, I’ve been busting my butt studying for this test for a week straight, so if I don’t end up with a decent score I think I should probably consider it a sign that I’m in the wrong program.

In any case, now that the test is finally over with I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and I can actually take some time off from studying and enjoy the weekend!

K is for Karma

I totally believe in karma, and I think about it all the time. I love the idea that it is the “law of moral causation” or in other words, people are accountable for their own actions. Basically, in this world everything happens for a reason, and we ourselves are responsible for our own happiness and/or misery. We are the architects of our own fate.

According to the laws of karma, every act done will eventually return to the doer with equal impact. I try to keep this in mind as I go about my day to day life. I remember “what goes around comes around” and try to only put positive energy into the world. And since I’m really happy with my life right now, it seems to be working!

Note: Sorry for two back-to-back episodes of “The World According To Sarah,” but I really struggled to think of something for the letter K. Runner-up contenders were:

• K is for Knock on wood – referencing how nice the winter weather has been
• K is for Kids – referencing how much I dislike them

J is for Judgment and Jealousy

I’m not really a religious person, but since the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, I think it’s okay to give it some weight. Matthew 7:1 says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Looking back, I think I’ve sometimes spent too much time judging other people and not enough time looking at myself, and how I treat people.

I think some of my judgmental attitudes may have stemmed from jealousy. Being jealous typically refers to negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear and anxiety. I think I’ve definitely been guilty of not treating people the way I should simply because I am jealous of something about them. I’ve been contemplating this a lot lately, and I think I’ve often fallen victim to this in friendships.

Ever since I was a little kid who transferred schools into a different district during a very crucial time, I’ve always felt insecure about my friendships. It always seemed like everyone else had a “best friend” – an exclusive relationship formed years before that I could never really break into. This filled me with envy, anger, sadness, confusion and frustration.

Now, in retrospect, I wonder how often these self-inflicted (and maybe irrational) feelings negatively impacted my own friendships. I wonder how often I was judgmental toward the relationships of others, which in turn became detrimental to my own friendships.

But since you can’t change the past, I am trying to turn over a new leaf moving forward. I am going to accept my friends and friendships for exactly what they are: something to be very thankful for. I am going to focus on all the good things in people and let the rest fall away. Because I realize that harboring jealousy and judgments isn’t hurting anyone but myself.

So for all of my friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers, etc… I’m so thankful that you are a part of my life! I hope we can get together soon.

"The way to have a friend is to be a friend." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I is for Iris

I feel like lately people have been noticing my eyes a lot more than usual. I generally get comments on them pretty often, but for the past few weeks I feel like someone notices them every few days. The reason? I have genetic heterochromia iridium, which means my irises are completely different colors. One is blue, and the other is mostly green (but about a quarter of it’s brown). WEIRD, I know.

My parents both have blue eyes, and according to what I remember from high school anatomy, that combination of recessive genes means they can only have blue-eyed children. I was born with blue eyes (most babies are, their eyes change color after about six months depending on the amount of melanin they have), but only one of them stayed that way.

Having different colored eyes is classified as “very rare” by the National Institutes of Health; it affects only one in a million people, or less than 200,000 in the U.S. population. On one hand I feel pretty unique, on the other, I am really sick of being compared to peoples’ pets. I can’t tell you how often I hear, “Oh, my dog has the exact same thing!”

Whatever… I am one in a million!

H is for Haiku

I have never been a big fan of poetry. However, I thought that the letter H might be a good opportunity to practice a little bit. Please enjoy a few Haiku poems by Sarah…

I live in the rain
I am constantly freezing
Missing the sunshine

I work way up high
Terrified of an earthquake
I need to calm down

I hate poetry
I think just say what you mean
It’s much easier

Yeah… I probably shouldn’t quit my day job.

G is for Gift Certificates

Some people think that gift certificates are an impersonal gift, but sometimes I think they are much better than the “I couldn’t think of anything to get you so I got candles/lotion/some other generic gift” route. I really cleaned up this holiday season in the gift certificate department, but since I’m so busy I haven’t really been able to use any of them yet. The generous stack includes:

• Nordstrom – This is definitely my favorite department store of all time. Clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup, lingerie… how is a girl to choose?!?
• H&M – I’m super excited about this one because H&M is new to Seattle and I’ve only been there once so far. They have a great selection of work clothes, which is exactly what I need right now…
• Barnes & Noble ­­– Due to the economy, I recently decided that I was going to start using the library again. But now I can pick up a few books of my own first.
• El Gaucho - This steakhouse is a Northwest legacy. Fantastic, considering I’ve given up meat. I’m sure they probably have pasta.
• The Big Picture – This is one of my favorite date places in all of Seattle. A cocktail lounge combined with a theatre; it’s genius! Not only can you grab drinks before the movie, you can even have them scheduled to be delivered to your seat during the movie!
• The Brooklyn – This seafood, steak and oyster house is in the base of the building that I work in… hello Happy Hour!
• McCormick & Schmick’s – Ah ha, a seafood restaurant! Since I haven’t given up eating seafood yet I’m actually pretty excited about this one.

How will I ever find the time to spend them all!

F is for Firefighter

Sorry to be silly and sappy, but I’m so proud of my firefighter boyfriend! He’s finally back in Fire Academy after recovering from knee surgery, and after almost four weeks he’s still doing amazing! No more injuries, and he is currently ranked #1 in his class – both physically and academically! Apparently this has kind of pissed off some of his comrades: “What? The fast guy is also the strong guy and the smart guy?!? That’s bullsh*t!” Time to step it up, fellas…

That’s Stewie. He’s the type of person who never bothers to do something unless he’s going to do it 100%. It’s one of the things I love most about him.

However, what I do not love about my boyfriend being in Fire Academy is the schedule. Even though we live together, we rarely see each other. During the week he lives 40 miles away in the dorms of the technical college where the Academy takes place. (It’s a very, “sir yes sir” and “drop and give me 20” type of environment). He comes home on Friday nights and barely manages to finish his dinner before he nods off due to utter exhaustion. Since I haven’t seen him all week I usually just watch TV while he sleeps next to me on the couch – nice quality time, right?

Then on Saturday and Sunday comes the fun part. We both hunker down to read and do homework. Basically, the highlight of our weekend is when we go shopping for the week on Sunday night and catch up on a few reality TV shows while I cook meals for the week and he polishes his boots. No, this is not my ideal lifestyle. I really miss my boyfriend!

But I figure sometimes you’ve just got to put in the time to reach certain goals in life. Stew graduates from Fire Academy in March and then he starts his shift work as a firefighter, which means 24 hours on / 48 hours off. Yep – they work only 8 days a month! This is really going to make me jealous for a while, since I don’t graduate from my Paralegal Certification program until June and then I start my LSAT prep course.

These are the days of our lives… Sigh.

E is for Exercise

So far this week I’ve done pretty well in the exercise department. I started out on Sunday evening with a restorative yoga class at The Yoga Tree with my sister. This particular studio has $8 community drop in classes, which is perfect for me because I never know if my weekends are going to allow for any leisure time. I’m also a beginner when it comes to yoga, so the slow-paced restorative class was just what I needed. It focused on breathing, relaxation and gentle stretching… what a perfect way to start the week!

Also, I’ve finally started using my new membership at Core Fitness, which has already started to make me feel better about life. I hit the treadmill on Monday after work and Wednesday on my lunch break. This probably doesn’t sound like much to most people, but it’s pretty much the most consistent week of exercise I’ve gotten since I went back to school. I think my body was really craving some endorphins, too, because I feel much more energized and awake.

Now I just need to keep it up!

D is for Diet

I only drink diet soda. Not only due to the fact that I am perpetually trying to lose a pound or two, but mainly because I just think it tastes better. There is just something light and refreshing about diet soda. I feel like regular soda is heavy, sticky, and leaves a film on my teeth and tongue. It’s like drinking syrup.

My favorites are Diet Coke (if it’s out of a can) and/or Diet Pepsi (only if it’s out of a fountain). For some reason Diet Pepsi tastes really funky out of the can; I can’t explain it. But it’s oh-so-delicious when it comes from a fast food restaurant soda fountain. Unfortunately, most of them carry Coca-Cola products.

I’ve noticed recently that you can get diet soda in almost every single flavor. However, I’ve decided not a huge fan of Diet 7-Up or Diet Orange soda… they are both still way too sweet. My boyfriend loves Diet Mountain Dew, but I’ve never been a fan. What I’m waiting for is DIET GRAPE. I absolutely love grape-flavored soda. It’s one of the only kinds I will drink even if it’s not diet. However, I think discovering Diet Grape soda would probably make my year, so let me know if you every come across it.

What’s your take on diet v. regular soda?

C is for Clothes, Cash and Computers

I was pretty excited on Friday when my paycheck contained time-and-a-half pay for more than 20 hours of overtime. And to compensate myself for the stress I experienced while putting in those extra hours, last weekend I took myself shopping for some new work clothes. An afternoon by myself, wandering around shopping in downtown Seattle, was exactly the type of retail therapy I had been craving. Let's just say I came home with quite a few bags.

On Sunday I needed to knock some things off my never ending to-do list, so I started the morning off by doing my taxes. This ended up being another great experience, because I discovered I will be getting almost two grand in returns this year! I immediately began planning what I would do with the money (or at least what's left of it after I pay off winter quarter tuition).

However, my day was about to take a turn for the worst. If you're familiar with Sex & the City, specifically, the season 4 episode entitled "My Motherboard, My Self" then I don't even have to go any further. For the rest of you... go ahead and keep reading.

On Saturday night my iBook froze while I was surfing the net. I immediately force quit the application and noticed a weird, "your computer will now be required to shut down" message I had never seen before. From that point on, I couldn't get the damn thing to restart, so I made a Sunday afternoon appointment at the Mac store. Diagnosis, "Um, yeah, I think your hard drive is fried. Do you have everything backed up?"

F*CK.

And there you go, folks. For those of you, like me, who have been thinking for months and months that you really need to get an external hard drive and back up your files, PLEASE DO IT. The Seattle Mac Store was not able to recover any of the data from my hard drive, so in order to recover FOUR YEARS WORTH of photos from my computer, I have to send it to DriveSavers for the bargain price of $855. Oh, and I also need to purchase a new hard drive. OUCH. Looks like my tax return just found a new home, and it's not in my savings account.

Live and learn, people. Live and learn...

B is for Books

I absolutely love reading for pleasure. But lately it’s been hard for me to keep up on my ever-increasing book list because I have to spend all my spare time reading my Civil Litigation, Fourth Edition textbook.

However, after eight hours of work and three hours of class I am usually pretty brain dead, so I occasionally allow myself to cheat and do some pleasure reading on my bus ride home. My current read, given to me for my birthday by my sister is a novel called LAMB: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal.

The book is a behind-the-scenes look at the original boy wonder. A few of the neat things I can expect to discover are:

• What to do if your kid's face suddenly appears on every loaf of bread in town.
• The proper method for choosing a harlot.
• How sarcasm was invented. (Yeah, really.)
• The history of the martial art specifically designed for boys from Nazareth (aka Jewdo).
• What the rough draft of the Sermon on the Mount sounded like.
• How to tell when an image of the Virgin Mary is a bona fide vision... and when it's just elephant poop.
• How bunnies came to be associated with Easter.

I've read some reviews that call this book irreverent and offensive, but if there is a God, I think I like Voltaire's take on him: God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh.

I have to say, I’m only on page 32 and this book is hysterically funny and completely entertaining. I think I’m going to have a really hard time limiting reading it to the occasional bus ride home from school. So far, I highly recommend that you check it out yourself.

A is for Alphabet Blogging

I recently discovered a clever idea over at a blog I follow called Alphabet Blogging. The concept is pretty simple: 26 letters, 26 posts. I figured the start of February would be as good a date as any to try it out. I’m going to attempt to do one letter each day, but we’ll have to see how that goes. Enjoy!