Thursday, January 31, 2008

Two Things I Learned Today

1. Mulligatawny mean "Pepper Water".

2. The femine version of Cletus is Cledith.

Who knew?

*Whenever I hear Cletus I think of the Simpson's. Also, even though I'm from the South I never knew anyone actually named Cletus. I did however know a Bubba and his cousin Boogie.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Just, Eeewww

The past couple days there have been a few things skeeving me out and I felt like sharing with the world wide web. Not much gets to me, I have three cats with litter boxes and puke. Plus I clean two bathrooms once a week (or so) and I have a job that entails cleaning up dirty dishes every day. These things just put me over the edge.

We have nice clean bathrooms at work with Febreeze in every stall just in case. The last couple times I've been in there I look down and see someone has unrolled the toilet paper far enough down so it is touching the floor. First of all I don't understand how this happens. When I get ready to use the toilet paper I figure out how much I need and I pull it off. Done, period. Who is sitting there just unrolling the paper mindlessly? I just cannot use TP that has been touching the floor no matter how clean the bathroom is. So I usually end up tearing it off and throwing it away.

Second, I know the gym is not a clean place. A bunch of sweaty people walking around and touching stuff. I can usually just do what I need to do and then wash my hands like a psycho after I'm done. They provide the mystery fluid in a spray bottle that you're supposed to use to wipe down the equipment. It's probably just water but it's the thought that counts, right? The last FOUR times I've been there I've seen big sweaty people get off the ab benches and just walk away. Ugh! No one wants to clean up your puddles of stinky sweat. So now I have to choose whether to clean it off or just skip it. I know, if I had any balls I would yell at those people to clean up their own damn mess but....I don't. I just passive-aggressively bitch about it on a blog.

Last (this was totally my fault) but I found a super moldy tupperware in the back of the fridge. I am usually good about cleaning out the fridge but somehow this got away from me. I opened up a old container of mac and cheese that was muti-colored with mold. I don't have a garbage disposal so I would have had to touch it to put it in the trash. Because I'm a princess I just threw the whole thing away.

And now that you'll never come back and are possible gagging, have a great day!

Monday, January 28, 2008

A Hair Story

I have stick-straight, fine, red hair. Not fine like "she looked FI-INE", but fine as in somewhat fly-away and thin. No need for a flat iron since what is straighter than well, straight.
*Tangent alert* I do love my hair color and always get asked if it's natural. (Actually now that I think about it may not be a compliment but who cares.) Red hair runs in my family and both my mother and grandmother have red hair.
When I was younger my loving mother decided that my face was too round for straight hair. It was the era of big hair=better hair and so the home perms started at the tender age of 8. My aunt would come over and we would all do our (cheap I'm sure) perms stinking up the house and looking awesome. I always liked it but looking back I realize there are some problems with giving children home perms. Perms are tricky bastards and require a lot of maintenance and up keep. My "beauty" regamine was shower at night, get up in the morning, put in a big bow and run for the school bus. Needless to say I had many bad hair days, months, years..... Please don't get all crazy on my mom since she was trying to help and NEVER forced me into a perm. In fact I had several friends in middle school who cried for days because their mom's wouldn't let them chemically kill their hair. Looking back at pictures I realize the hair was a mistake. (For about 5 years all pictures of me featured frizzy permed hair, scary glasses and 80's clothes-not pretty.)
My freshman year of high school I FINALLY wised up begged for contacts and grew out my perm. It actually didn't look too bad and by senior year I had long straight pretty hair. I started getting up earlier to wash, blow dry and style my hair. But my hair, tortured by years of chemicals and non-attention, decided that straight was it, FOR-EV-ER. I could not curl or even wave my hair to save my life. I tried everything to gelling it before I curled it, hot rollers, sleeping in foam rollers...nothing. My hair would start curly and then realize, nooooo we hates the curl! In two hours or less I would be back to straight hair, stiff and gross from gel and hairspray.
Since I was a super rebel I followed the trends and got a tattoo and a boy-short haircut my first month at college. My mom literally burst into tears the first time she saw it. I got 9 inches cut off in one swoop. I loved it! I eventually started growing it out (I never admitted it to my mom but my face really was too round for short hair). It grew back thicker and healthier than I had ever seen it. I wore it long at my wedding (shoulder-length) and then went for the inverted bob for my first job "business" look. A couple years ago I started growing it long again. Many years of nicer shampoos, deep conditioners and better blow driers I think my hair has finally forgiven me.
Now that I go to the gym 5 days a week I come home somewhat gross many nights but my dry fine hair does not allow every day washings. Last week I decided to shower at night and didn't feel like drying it. (Aaahhh laziness). I had read in a magazine that if you did your wet hair in loose braids in the morning it would be pretty and wavy.

Now I'll pause while everyone in the world laughs and shakes their head at my foolishness.

Of course I woke up with hair that looked like I had used my Vidaal Sasson 1987 pink crimping iron on it. Scary and big. I considered just going with it and acting like "What? I totally styled my hair like this." but decided I couldn't pull it off. So I dusted off the old curling iron. Twenty minutes (plus 10 minutes of cursing after burning the shit out of my neck, ear, hand, etc.) I had waves. I misted on some light hair spray and ran for the door. My hair actually held all day! I couldn't believe it! (And one of my co-workers who I see every day did not recognize me-What? I felt like Clark Kent/Superman. You look like Celia but she doesn't have wavy hair, who could this stranger be?) I decided to try this experiment again today and so far still wavy. I was a little rushed so one part looks a little sketch but still.
Thanks to the hair gods for a second chance. I feel like I should sacrifice something in thanks for this wonderous miracle. Any suggestions?

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Lazy Weekend

Lazy weekends are the best! I love not having commitments and being able to do whatever I want. Don't get me wrong, I miss Captain Awesome like crazy, but while I'm making the best of the situation I can eat only popcorn for dinner and read in bed for hours. Friday night I went to the gym and actually ran for 10 whole minutes. I know most of you and like, wow, big whoop but for me, YAY! Then I came home and ate cereal and popcorn for dinner. My oldest cat has decided that 5:45 is our new wake-up time. Why Kitty Boy, why?? I already do not like getting up at 6:30 on weekdays but I get really crabby when I get woken up early on the weekend. So I learned that some half-asleep petting for about 5 minutes and then he'll settle down. I went to my Saturday morning weight lifting class. While I'm not the strongest or fittest person in the class I love that I can feel myself getting stronger. Also, there is a woman in my class who has a rockin body so I always try to stand near her for inspiration. That sounded kind of weird, sorry. I'm not a freak but I am competitive enough that sometimes I need to find someone I want to beat. (That sounded weird and scary so I'm going to shut up now.
After my shower I got to go grocery shopping and getting my car fixed. I admit it, I LOVE grocery shopping. So much possibility and new products and pretty stuff. After drug stores I think groceries are my favorite shopping places. I had to buy make-up, shampoo, fruit, baby carrots and Indian food. There is a brand called Taste of Bombay that is amazing and super easy to make. I had a delicious Spinach Dal and basmati rice with Na'an. Oh my god, heaven in a box. I went to get my tires rotated and oil changed and there was a fancy special where for $40 they would also flush the systems and put new windshield wiper blades. The waiting area was freezing and the radio was super loud. There were two guys there who looked maybe 18 who were cracking me up. Not only did they have the patchy facial hair and baggy pants required of high school seniors, they were trying to impress me like only 18 year olds can. Some break-style dancing (yes, in the waiting area of Monroe tires), loud talking, showing off their phones, talking about chicks, impressing me with their Toyota, etc. Needless to say I made out with both of them. Ok, maybe not, but nobody would have blamed me. After all they sexy testerone I needed a drink so vodka and soda it was. I always forget that the drinks I get in bars are a lot weaker than what I make at home. Plus I drink out of pint glasses so there's a slight possiblity they were more like doubles (or triples but whose counting). So two (ish) drinks later I was slightly tipsy. Which means DANCING! My cats love dancing and were all, "Please mom, hold me and dance around with me while singing really loudly!" Being a good pet parent, I do what I can. After 30 minutes the cats were all tired (and hiding under the bed) so I decided to take a break. Then passed out at 10:30.
Sunday I finished reading The Handmaiden's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I LOVED it and I need to find someone to discuss it with. I know everyone read it a couple years ago but whatever. Then I watched TV and read some blogs and then seriously took a nap! I am so lazy. Also, I am now in love with Celebrity Rehab on VH1. All the trainwrecks and swearing are great. I seriously heard a guy who had lost his child to protective services say that coke had not negatively effected his family! How much denial is he in? Don't get me wrong, I went to a party school and tried my share of illegal substances (hi mom!), but I always knew it was for fun and not a way of life. I had a lot of friends take 6 years plus to graduate because of drinking/drugs. And really, two vodka and sodas and I'm a dancing fool so I don't think I need to spend a lot of money on real drugs.
I finally dragged my ass off the couch and went to the gym. I did 45 minutes of incline fast walking on the treadmill and stretching, abs, etc. I weigh myself on Sundays and all I ask is 1 and 1/2 pounds per week. I didn't lose any weight this week. Damn it....so frustrating. I am about 25 pounds heavier that I want to be and I had hoped that with realistic small goals, 5 days of exercise a week and some diet changes would do the trick. This is why I am a bad dieter. I am impatient and want instant results. I'll still keep at it but aarrggghh.
Someone lent me the first season of Grey's Anatomy so I started it this weekend. I had nothing against the show but it comes on during Captain Awesome's FAVORITE shows and when it started we had no DVR (I know! how did we live?) so I never got into it. I am about four episodes in and totally loving it. Watching it now after the whole Isiah Washington/T.R. Knight thing come out some of the dialogue has a new meaning. I have a huge problem with the opening credits of the show. It seems so sexist, the woman wears pretty shoes and puts on make-up on then gets to sleep with the man who's a real doctor. What???
So I'm showered, caught up on trash TV and have food in the house. I'm ready for a new week!

Friday, January 25, 2008

Cranky McCrazypants and Randomness

I've been kind of crabby and blah the last couple days so I decided to wait and blog until I was a little more pepped up. I was diagnosed with Hypo-glycemia last year which basically means that my blood sugar TANKS about 2 hours after I eat. I've always noticed the shakes and feeling crappy but I never really thought about it. The other fun side effect (for me-I am not a doctor-even though I play one on TV) is that I become a psychotic devil. I am usually pretty even tempered but I will mentally snap when my blood sugar gets low. I get SUPER angry and say things I don't mean which is bad enough but I am conscious of not controlling it. Seriously, once I was walking to my parking garage starting to feel bad and a woman I didn't know started walking in front of me. Just walking, not slow or anythin. No problem right? Not for crazy McCrazy, in my mind I called her bad words and then started crying because I couldn't control it. It happened again on the following Sunday so Captain Awesome took me to Waffle House. (I know it seems gross and dirty but their food is AMAZING. It's the only place up North where I can get good grits and sweet tea! Yum) After I ate (because he's smart) he VERY nicely and calmly said he had noticed it before but it was getting worse. I felt really bad about it and went to my super smart doctor who diagnosed me. There's no "cure" but I just need to eat small meals throughout the day so I don't get to the 2 hour hell.

But now the Captain is far far away and I have been going to the gym 5 days a week and trying to eat healthier so some things have changed. I have noticed the crabbyness but put it off to Cap'n Awesome being gone and the stress of moving. Last night I skipped the gym and sat down to a turkey burger w/ cheese and salad (alright-and some cookies) and after I ate I felt good-happy even. The big huge lightbulb went off (some of you are screaming FINALLY at me) and I realized I have not been taking care of my body. I pride myself on knowing when things are "off" for me and it makes me frustrated that I keep missing this. So from now on I am going to make sure I eat my afternoon snack an hour before the gym and eat a fuller but still healthy dinner when I get home. I hope this will help and I can be my usual charming witty self again. :)

Now for some random thoughts...
-When I was a kid (elementary school) I rode the bus with about 8 other kids from our neighborhood. When it was cold enough to see our breath we would always pretend to be smoking when cars drove by. It cracked us up and I can't figure it out now. Maybe we were trying to be rebellious, or cool or maybe we were just punch drunk from standing the freaking cold at 7:15 AM.

-Hello my name is Celia and I am a car dancer. Whenever I hear a song I like I dance along with arm motions, facial expressions and shoulder pops. I am a loser.

-I heart electric blankets. I grew up in an area that didn't have cold for very long so I'd never experienced the wonder of getting into a pre-warmed bed on a cold night. Captain Awesome hates them and I will have to retire it when I finally move back down South but for now I am loving it. I also get a lot more kitty love when I have a warm blanket over me,

-It was 7 degrees outside when I left my house this morning, SEVEN!!! The high today is 19. That is ridiculous. Who decided on these crap temperatures and why do I have to go outside in them? Everyone at work is getting excited about the "heat wave" coming next Monday when it will be 50. Northerners are crazy.

-I will most likely bust my ass at some point today because of pure laziness. I got an amazing pair of brown boots at a store-closing sale for like 15 cents. The first time I wore them (which was of course the next day because I have no self control) I lost the rubber heel thingy. That was about 2 years ago. I keep thinking "I should spend the $10 and get these fixed" but do I? Of course not. That's not the saddest part. I have four other pairs of shoes/boots just like this. That's why we don't have nice things.

-I love Fridays, not the kind of gross restaurant chain which seriously? TGIF? Just so slangy and dated plus the white and red stripes and crap on the walls. Ugh. Sorry-I'm back. So Friday I have 2 whole days off coming up and I can sleep in and do whatever I want. So full of possibilities and big plans. And then I usually end up in bed by 9 because I'm a grandma. Captain Awesome knows to not even take me out Friday night because I end up saying things like "Wow, 8 o'clock, it sure is getting late" or "Aren't you getting tired?" or "Where's my Pollident and hard candy young man?" (Get it? Like a Grandma?)

-My younger sister got an amazing promotion at work yesterday and I am so proud of her! She is 2 years younger than me but I admire her so much. She is gorgous and SO smart at handling money. She and her fiance saved for 3 years and just bought a house. She got promoted to a better area where her job is not dependant of grants for funding so yay job safety and a raise. Her new boss told her that they NEVER promote from the administrative group her work was so stand-out they couldn't pass her up. Hooray L!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Why I Blog

I've been reading all these blogs and now I want to explain why I want blog. It's probably a little narcissistic, the whole "look-at-me" thing. But it's really not so much making people think I'm funny or cool. I'm not that funny, at least intentionally. I really can't tell a joke at all usually I start laughing in the middle of telling it and I can't finish. I do crack myself up all the time and I have a bad habit of just blurting out my thoughts without really thinking about what I'm saying. Maybe not funny but I always laugh. And I am a huge nerd.

The main reason I chose to start now is that my husband, Captain Awesome and I will be moving back South. His new job started early January which leaves me here to sell the house, wrap up loose ends and continue with life in general while he gets things settled down there. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited about the move. We get to be closer to our families and live at the beach, plus sweet tea with every meal and people who say "y'all" again!! I just hate being unsettled like this. I am a planner by nature but to me the most important part of planning is actually making things happen and right now I'm straddling two worlds. I can't start living my new life but I can't finish things here. The housing market is terrible plus the house has been on the market over the holidays so I feel like this may never end!! Plus, the Captain isn't around to listen to my day and make me laugh and let me release some emotions. And yes, we talk on the phone but it's not the same. It makes me feel for all the people who have loved ones in far away places. So I guess I'm hoping this blog will let me get out my thoughts.

Yes, I am a crack pot cat lady and tell my cats about my day when I get home. And I also let them tell me about their days. They're pretty boring, usually playing, eating, naps and then sometimes an argument but sometimes siblings argue. That's them, I wish I could take naps at my job some days.

Have I lost everyone? Well my mom thinks I'm cool. A Simpson's reference? Now there's no hope of sitting at the cool kid's table.

I swear this blog will not be a big pity party. I do work so it's not like I'm a hermit. And it's given me a great excuse to go to the gym. (Yay losing 1 1/2 pounds this week.....only 23 1/2 to go!) I can eat whatever I want whenever I want (Mmm chicken and avocado sandwich) and I can watch terrible TV without anyone *cough Captain Awesome cough* making fun of me. Also, I have an amazing group of friends who take me to movies and feed me drinks.

So I guess the short version is I miss the Captain and I want to be settled but I am very happy with my life.

Some things to be happy about today...

The amazing and perfect bag that Captain Awesome got me for Christmas (Love it!!)


Illegally imported beer (we can't get it in Ohio, I have no idea why. If anyone knows please tell me....anyone?....Bueller?)

And for you cat lovers out there, the first picture of the beautiful purse, thanks Kitty Boy!













Monday, January 21, 2008

Getting to know you

Wow, how to describe myself....I'm going to steal the numbered list idea from the rest of blogworld. We'll see if I get to 100.
1. I am a redhead
2. Yes, that means I have a quick temper
3. But usually I am pretty calm (this is a lie)
4. I am short, my entire family is taller than me and my baby sister never lets me forget it
5. In a loving way of course
6. I have one brother and two sisters who I love and am close to
7. I'm the oldest (late 20's)
8. I have the sterotypical oldest child traits
9. People pleaser, rule follower, love to be the boss of people
10. I am also close to my parents
11. They all still live in the South and I miss them like crazy
12. Most of my extended family lives in the North so it's been great to see them more often since we moved in Feb '07
13. I have been married for 5 1/2 years
14. My husband is handsome and makes me laugh harder than anyone else I've ever met
15. We have a lot of stupid inside jokes
16. He is incredibly smart and logical
17. We balance each other out since I'm more driven by my emotions
18. Yes, I cry at all sad movies and some happy ones and any time I get angry
19. We met in college but went to separate schools 3 hours apart
20. We knew we would get married after 3 dates
21. We got married right out of college
22. Lots of people thought we wouldn't make it because we were too young
23. He loves cats and convinced me to adopt one
24. Now we have THREE
25. I love them all and treat them like my children and always tell them about my day (and ask about their's)
26. I have a business degree
27. My concentration was Hospitality Management
28. I have had some amazing jobs because of this
29. My internship was to plan weddings at a beautiful historic home
30. I love planning weddings and working with brides
31. The downside is that you work every weekend
32. I have worked in hotels, off-premise catering and corporate catering
33. I am a terrible cook
34. I also am not a good baker
35. I'm trying to get better
36. My mom, mother-in-law and sisters are all great cooks
37. My husband is the ultimate brunch maker
38. I could eat his egg and cheese sandwiches every day
39. That could sound dirty but really isn't
40. He doesn't eat beef or pork for health reasons
41. It makes cooking tricky
42. I have learned a lot about turkey and chicken products and how to substitute them
43. I love to read
44. I prefer to get books from the library than buy them
45. One of my favorite books is The Shell Seekers by Rosamond Pilcher
46. I like almost all genres, mysteries, chick-lit, biographies, fiction, etc.
47. I am learning to love more classics and love getting suggestions for new authors
48. I am in a book club that is really more a dinner club that sometimes read books
49. We always eat delicious food and I tried Korean food for the first time with them last month
50. My husband and I watch too much TV
51. Thank God for DVR
52. I can't live without it anymore
53. I constantly try to fast forward through commercials while watching live TV
54. My must watch shows are Ugly Betty, Talk Soup, Girls Next Door and Project Runway
55. I also love CSI and CSI New York
56. You could not pay me to watch CSI Miami
57. I have never seen an episode of Survivor or American Idol
58. Friends has been my favorite show since it started
59. I wish I was a Rachel but I think I am actually a Monica
60. I was born in New York City
61. I do NOT consider myself a New Yorker
62. My family moved to a tiny town in the south when I was 7
63. I did not learn to ride a bike or swim until we moved down
64. We had woods and a creek behind our house which was awesome
65. My town had one elementary school, middle school and high school that all had the same mascot
66. So I was a Cougar most of my life
67. I was a Mountaineer in college
68. It was a hillbilly stereotype with a moonshine jug, tattered overalls and a shotgun
69. I went to school at Appalachian State University in western NC
70. For my PE credits I took skiing and snowboarding for 2 years
71. I'm a decent skier but a terrible snowboarder
72. I am "goofy" which means I'm right handed but my left foot is dominant
73. Any time it was nice I was on the Appalachian Trail
74. For four years I saw the meteor showers in the mountains with no city lights to block the sky
75. I still feel at home in the mountains and want to move back when I get old
76. Nothing beats Fall in the mountains
77. Since I have red hair I have pale skin and burn really easily
78. I love the beach but I am the loser with tons of sunblock on and a long sleeve shirt
79. I have never been tan
80. My freckles get bigger and grow together so I can sometimes fool people
81. Self tanner is my friend
82. We will be moving to the beach in a couple months
83. This has inspired me to start working out
84. Everyone in my family is naturally skinny except me
85. My mom gives me clothes that are too big for her
86. I HATE running
87. I now run 3 times a week
88. I hate it less now
89. I love my Zumba class at the gym
90. It's latin dance aerobics
91. I am a big hot mess on the dance floor
92. Unless I've been drinking and then I'm super good
93. I like drinking
94. Wine, mixed drinks, sometimes beer
95. I prefer red wine with dinner and mixed drinks when I go out
96. When I go to a bar I can't stand to sit down
97. I sing really loudly in my car
98. And I think I sound really awesome
99. I can't wait to type more on this blog
100. 100 things is really hard!

Number One

So I'm going to try this whole blogging thing. I have been reading blogs for a couple years and love them. We'll see how it goes.....