You know those days when you wake up and just know you’re going to be productive? (aka: realize that you cannot put things off any longer or you might lose your mind? haha) Today was that day. I did all those little things that have been bothering me for a while but have been too lazy to do.
*I finally hauled the rest of our crap out to our storage locker so I can now access my piano. :) *I did laundry and washed my sheets… is there anything in the world better than fresh sheets? I think not. *I cleaned out my fridge / cupboards. *I vacuumed… like really vacuumed. I attacked all the baseboards and all those hard to reach places where dust seems to hide out. *I dusted every piece of furniture in my living room. (I haaate dusting.) *We mailed back a couple of packages that have been sitting on my dining room table for a few days. *We picked up some groceries.
…AND I went for run. I took the week off last week as I wasn’t feeling up to it and I did an obscene amount of walking, but it felt good to be back at it today and I am proud to announce that I am on my way back to my skinny self. Since I started running again I’ve lost 2lbs. It’s a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. I’ll take it. :) I added a cool tracking system to my sidebar so you can see how far I’m running each week.
After a nice little dinner I plopped down on the couch with the Hubs and we watched Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The Hubster had had enough of the cheesiness halfway through and slipped off to the kitchen to do the dishes (♥) while I finished the movie. It was reeeeeeally cheesy, but kinda cute. I love Kevin James, so I kinda liked it. The Hubs? Not so much. haha
Now I need your help… the Hubs now has to take a lunch every day for work, and I am all out of creative ideas of what to make. Occasionally I make a dinner with leftovers that he can take (when I actually cook… haha), but on other days he is getting sick of sandwiches. Any sggestions for good lunch ideas?
Today is my 24th birthday… and it has been a wonderful day. This is what makes for a great birthday:
*sleeping in past 6am *waking up with my Hubby still next to me (he gets up before me) *beautiful sunshine *spending a lazy morning in my jammies *gorgeous white roses on my dining room table *yummy sushi lunch with the Hubs & Too Kool *thoughtful birthday cards *two pairs of new shoes *season 10 of Frasier :) *afternoon naps *Law & Order SVU *lots of love (via Facebook, Twitter and le telephone) *sunset walks *vanilla dip donuts *curling up on the couch with a movie
I love you, Hubster. Thanks for a great birthday. :)
(image found at: http://groupieblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/michael-jackson.jpg)
Sad, sad, sad.
This week a legend died. When I first saw the reports I thought it was a joke… the Hubster and I sat at our computers and updated major news websites every 60 seconds as we watched the horrible news unfold. I know he was far from a perfect person–*ahem, child molestation accusations*–but his music was iconic, and I love it.
But what I find even more sad than his death was the initial reaction of a certain celebrity blogger: Perez Hilton. I haven’t said anything about all the Perez drama of recent days but I think it’s time.
As you know, I “broke up” with Perez last fall because I felt his writings about Prop 8 were extremely hypocritical. I understand that he is a passionate person, but in his effort to “stop the spread of hate” I strongly felt that he was doing more to promote it. But that’s another story.
When news broke that he had been assaulted by Polo Molina (Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas’ manager) I thought that a) his Twitter outcry was ridiculous–there are other ways to achieve the attention of the police; b) his choice of insult to hurl at Will.I.Am was despicable, especially coming from him (a self-proclaimed activist for the gay community); and c) his 11-minute video explanation of the attack / public statement was nothing more than yet another cry for attention. While I not really a big Perez fan, I was deeply saddened that this fight escalated to violence and that he was assaulted. Regardless of how the media portrays it, assault is assault, and it shouldn’t have happened. You can see the “war of words” between Perez and Will.I.Am here.
I have to agree with his passionate plea that violence is never the answer, and I disgree with those that feel that he “deserved” what he got. I also have to give him props for at least being honest about his insult and why he chose to say what he said, although I vehemently disagree with his reasoning. When the public response to the whole situation turned out to be a little less than supportive (if you read the comments on his video you’ll see what I mean) he later issued an apology (of sorts) and announced that the $25 000 he is suing for in damages would be donated to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Nice gesture, right?
One tiny problem: they don’t want it.
You can read the entire official statement, but the gist of it is that because
“the lawsuit presumably involves the physical attack prompted by Mr. Hilton’s admitted use of an anti-gay slur, the Foundation will be unable to accept any funds obtained in such a manner.” –Judy Shephard
So what now? Perez has yet to announce where the money will be going or reply to the statement by the Matthew Shephard Foundation (unless I missed it somewhere).
Now you might be thinking: for someone who “broke up” with Perez last fall I sure know a lot about the situation AND there are even links to his website up there!
…how could I NOT be aware of what has been going on? Last week throngs of people were Twittering about his attack and somehow it became major news (thank you CBC for withholding and not giving in to Perez Press!). He has garnered an unbelievable amount of press in recent days, and slowly the tide of “Perez Love” is turning, especially after his first post about Michael Jackson.
I’m all for freedom of speech, but there is a certain line between being funny and being respectful and a growing crowd feels Perez Hilton went too far when news broke about Michel Jackson’s hospitalization. This post has since been removed from his website so you may or may not have seen it, and has been replaced by a much less controversial message of sympathy for his family. A few people captured screen shots that are floating around the internet–Pete Wentz posted this one on his official Twitter the day shortly after news broke that MJ had died in the midst of a heated Twitter-Tiff with Perez about his insensitivity.
Perez Hilton has always been known for his outrageous statements, but this time has he gone too far? Had it been any other celebrity would it have mattered as much, or is it because despite MJ’s personal problems his music is beloved by all? It just seems that this week Perez is under intense scrutiny, and people are calling for an end to his empire.
So, what do you think? Is his career over or will all this “bad” press make him more popular than ever?
**Edit: someone pointed out to me that in comparison to several other media outlets Perez has been rather respectful in not posting photos of MJ’s final moments or of his grieving family members… and I have to agree. He DID take down the post and replace it with his condolences, which I think was absolutely the right thing to do.
Shop Girl*
P.s. I couldn’t end without a tribute to MJ and my all-time favourite music video: Thriller. You can watch the actual video there, and here is my favourite clip from 13 Going on 30 (who didn’t know the Thriller dance as a kid? I mean, really.)
And lastly, a performance from Michael Jackson’s 30thAnniversary Celebration. I actually watched this whole program with my mom and this was our favourite performance:
This post is a part of 20SB’s Looking Back Blog Carnival, and Ben & Jerry’s is awarding free ice cream to lucky bloggers and readers!
As you may (or may not) know, I recently found a wonderful little online community called 20 Something Bloggers. I have found some of my most favorite reads through that site, and for those looking to expand their readership, it’s a great way to introduce people to your blog / who you are.
This fabulous little community also puts on “Blog Carnivals” from time to time. I’ve never participated in a Blog Carnival before, but I really liked the theme of this one, so here I am! This carnival is titled “Looking Back”, and the idea is to go back to your very first posts and see who you were / why you were writing way back when. I started writing at the end of 2006 because I needed an outlet… I was really struggling in many areas of my life and I needed to find myself again. After countless hours of writing and reading (and lots of love and support from you) I eventually did and love who I am now.
So, thank you. I really am grateful that you visit my little site. :)
This is a post I wrote on December 16th, 2006, just three weeks after I started this blog. It was late one evening and this is what came out… it was titled “Struggling”:
I’ve been sitting here going through some of my previous blogs, and I realized that I have done exactly what I intended not to do. I set out to have a place to write my opinions and thoughts on different things, and instead have been writing out recaps of my daily activities because it’s much easier. I have a lot of trouble talking or even writing my opinion because I constantly struggle with what people think of me. I’ve somehow settled into this mentality that what I have to say is never good enough and so I just say nothing it all, unless it is something I am ferociously passionate about.
I think that a lot of it has to do with the many immense changes that have taken place in my life during the past 5 years. I have moved 4 times, attended 3 high schools and 2 universities, got married, been through family struggles both with my own and with my husband’s, and have struggled to find myself in the face of each of these changes. I guess I’ve never sat back and realized the toll it has taken on who I was and whom I am becoming. The strength, motivation and courage to not be afraid to be myself somehow got tangled in the process and I have to admit that I now have low self-esteem, or at least lower than I did before. I’m not blaming that entirely on all the changes I’ve been through, I know it’s also a large part of my finally accepting that I am now an adult and face adult responsibilities. I feel as though I am constantly struggling with how people perceive me and am afraid to be myself in fear of offending or turning someone ‘off’, as ridiculous as that sounds. I’ve built this huge shell an am terrified to let new people in.
I don’t know how it started, but I want it to stop. I need to find a way to rebuild myself, maybe completely from scratch. I need to stop worrying about what other people think about me. I have no reason to– I have a wonderful family who loves and supports me, a husband who loves me unconditionally for exactly who I am, and a strong network of friends who have seen me through thick and thin. So where is this coming from? That’s the million dollar question. And maybe when I figure that out I can do something about it. But I’m hoping that admitting it will help me. So, there it is.
I saw this on a few blogs yesterday and I hearted it greatly, so I borrowed it. You can check out a few fabulous similar entries here, here and here.
I can’t… *stop watching Law & Order SVU. *go very long without eating. I like to eat every couple of hours. *touch my toes. *do a cartwheel. *go very long without checking my email. *see anything without my contacts / glasses. *stay up late anymore… 12am is a laaaate night for me. I AM AN OLD WOMAN. :(
I can… *limbo like no other. Bring it. *play piano. *cook / bake well when I actually take the time and pay close attention. *sing 90% of the songs on the radio. (The Hubs is constantly amazed that I can memorize lyrics so quickly…it’s my super power, what can I say?) *bend my big toe and my middle toe together while keeping the rest of my toes still. The Hubs thinks I am an X-man. (*cue theme song*)
I won’t… *tell you how many seasons of Law & Order SVU I’ve watched in recent days. haha *eat chocolate until I’ve passed my one-year mark. (I’ve been clean for 10 months! WOO!) *watch scary movies. When the Hubs and I watched Alien I was so traumatized I made him stay up half the night to watch Bambi immediately after so I could sleep that night. haha
I will… *keep running at least 3 times a week. *be able to speak French fluently by this time next year. *continue to push for a teaching position. *dance like an idiot if a song I love comes on the radio.
I shouldn’t… *love shoes as much as I do. *want to buy shoes. I am poor. *waste time / procrastinate. *over think things as much as I do. *spend so much time reading celebrity gossip… but what can I say, I love the rich and ridiculous!
I should… *practice piano more than I do. *drink more water. *read more. *take the time to eat healthily.
The end.
Shop Girl*
P.s. The lovely Mrs. Southern Bride left me an award on her fabulous blog! I feel very special. :)
