According to my girl Martha Stewart and her fabulous planning tools, I have 200 days left of being an unmarried woman. Hoooo, doggies. 200 days until I'm a wife. I don't
think I enjoy the word "wife". Is that a bad sign? JUST KIDDING, PETER!

I have been giving a lot of thought as to whether or not I'll change my last name after the big knot-tying. To tell the truth, I'm still swinging back and forth more than Lindsay Lohan's sexual orientation.

As a kid, growing up with a last name that starts with "W" sucked. I was always near the end of the class on roll call. Anything that involved alphabetical order meant I'd be waiting and waiting, and I've never been patient, even as a kindergartener. I remember vowing to marry someone whose last name started with A--preferably two A's (Aardvark??)--so I'd move to the top of all alphabetical lists.

Then, I decided I'd change my name only if my future husband had a really cool last name, like Van der Somethingeuropean, or a really porn-star-ish name...something so dirty that no one would ever forget it. Of course, I never really figured I'd get married, so I didn't expect to have to actually consider this in any seriousness.

I have given it a bunch of thought and I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep my last name for several reasons:

-I've always been Amy Wheaton. It would be weird to suddenly, after 27 years, have a new name. I'd have to get used to writing and saying Amy Hubbyslastname, and it would be weird and awkward and I'd have to titter like a moron and coo, "Oh well, I just got married and, hee hee, I don't really know what my name is anymore!" And then the lady at the bank says "OHHHHHHH, WHEN ARE YOU PLANNING TO HAVE CHILDREN??" And then I punch her in the neck and go to jail, H2B starts having an affair with the pharmacist's assistant, and *poof* the marriage is kaput and we're just another statistic. WOMP WOMMMMMMP.

-There's mucho paperwork involved in name changing, and I hate the DMV and other associated torture chambers with the passion of 1,000 fiery suns. Plus I'm guaranteed to forget one crucial piece of documentation which will probably result in me not getting my tax return money back or some manner of identity theft or something equally horrendous.

-"People know me". That's a bit of a joke, but a little bit serious too. Having to explain myself every time I ran into an old friend or acquaintance, former coworker or client, industry folks, etc. would get old quickly. If I'm having to reintroduce myself with my old name all the time anyway, why not make it easier for everyone and keep it as is?

So, as of today (and I'll probably change my mind 2,000 times in the next 200 days) I think I'll stick with the status quo. It's not for any feminist reason, it's not because I feel the need to diss tradition or because I don't think H2B has a lovely and suitable last name. Right now I'm thinking purely from a functionality point of view. Does it make sense to take on this new persona after I've made it 27 years just fine with the name my parents gave me? What's in it for me? A new sticker to go over my driver's license information and a lot of confusion. I'm OK with Amy Wheaton. I think she can stick around even after we've tied the proverbial knot.

There are lots of things I just can't do. I can't eat lobster without dry heaving, sit through any of the Lord of the Rings movies without falling asleep, or go more than 12 hours without swearing. I also can't drive a standard, and I don't think that's going to change any time soon.

All my life I've been an automatic transmission girl. I learned to drive in my dad's old black F150 and all my vehicles have been automatics. My parents' cars were always automatics. I've never had any reason to need to drive a standard. The shifting seemed cool and exciting and race-car-ish, and I figured one day I'd just hop into a standard and zoom off all Fast and Furious style. How hard can it be? I wondered. There are tons of complete idiots driving standards. Surely I can get the hang of it pretty quick.

Hmmm. Not so much. For starters, there's way too much going on and wayyyy too much work involved when you're driving a standard. Let's compare:

Driving a Manual Transmission:
1. Start the car
2. Foot on the brake
3. Foot on the clutch
4. E-brake off
5. Give it a little gas
6. Let the clutch out too fast
7. Stall/Lurch forward/Mild whiplash
8. Repeat steps 1-7
9. Repeat all of the above several more times
10. Engine finally catches
11. Scream "Fuckin' A!!!"
12. Get up to second gear, reach the end of the mall parking lot, cram on the brakes, stall.
13. Repeat all ad nauseum

Driving an Automatic Transmission:
1. Start the car
2. Put it in "D"
3. Go

It's the real life equivalent of sending someone across the country an e-mail versus walking 4,000 kilometres and battling bears and snakes and tribesman in an epic quest to deliver your message. One makes sense. The other doesn't. Whyyyy all the extra work??!!

Then, once I actually figured out how to get the car moving, I realized there is way too much happening simultaneously and something's gotta give. How in the hell are you supposed to pay attention to when to shift up, when to shift down, when to have the clutch in, when to have the clutch out, whether you're rolling down a hill, what gear to be in, etc. ANNNND watch out for things like other cars and pedestrians and stop signs? Luckily I was driving in circles around an empty mall parking lot and my only obstacles were a huge orange dumpster and an upside-down shopping cart.

H2B was my patient teacher. "You're doing really well," he told me, trying to be all encouraging when I was near tears after stalling his Civic literally 10 times in a row attempting to get it started. Come to find out, I was actually in third, not first. Woops. I also had a little problem with forgetting to let off the gas when shifting gears which made for some scary revving and lots of screeching from me. "I'm wrecking the shit out of your car!" I kept fretting. I guess it was still operational today, so maybe I didn't fully cook the engine.

At the end of our lesson I was about 50/50 for starting off without stalling--my biggest faux pas is letting the clutch out too fast--and was able to shift pretty smoothly. If me driving a standard was equated to playing junior high basketball, for example, I'd be the most improved player winner...I still suck the worst, but not quite as badly as when I first started.

I have come to the conclusion that standards are built for people who feel they have something to prove. Clearly there is something in their personal life that's lacking. A small penis, illiteracy, an embarrassing food allergy, consistent post-nasal drip, perhaps? Some inadequacy they try to cancel out by driving a vroom-vroom manual around town. "Yeah, my weiner is pretty much as useful as a wicker bedpan but watch me power through these gears, baby!"

When I want to go somewhere I want to get there. Now. I don't have time to arse around letting the clutch out slowly and having to start from scratch every time I get to a stop light. Plus, I'll have higher resale value when I sell my automatic. I save time, earn more money, and have to do about 5% of the thinking and effort to get from point A to point B. Automatics FTW!

I've been stupid busy this past week, which doesn't leave a lot of time for blog posts, or anything else for that matter. Fortunately this weekend has given me a little bit of catch-up time, and I was able to do things like shower and wash my hair, eat a meal sitting down without dropping food into my computer keyboard, and go outside during daylight hours.

I have a pretty ambitious to-do list before the weekend ends roughly five hours from now: go for a run, eat dinner, practice driving a standard (we have to wait until the mall parking lot empties out for that one), play Scrabble and have some drinky poos, and maybe read some of The Almost Moon before bed.

Here are a couple pics from our day out today: lots of walking around the city, errands, lunch at the Mongolie Grill, and a visit to the Ideal Home Show. The weather this weekend was springy and awesome. If we get any more snow this spring, I will absolutely, 100%, cry.




spraypainted in Shubie Park



I fell in love with this guy, oh so pretty :)



H2B had a bit of a bromance happening with the little black pony

Confession: I'm not a fan of the telephone. I think the phone is truly a genius invention. In a way, I think it's cooler than the Internet. The fact that you can communicate in real time, via voice, with someone on the opposite side of the world is pretty fascinating to me. When you really think about it, doesn't it seem almost more advanced than sending an email or an IM? You can actually LISTEN TO someone ten million miles away--hoooo, doggies!

While I appreciate the functionality of the phone, I hate phones pretty much in general. It starts with the ring. It's disruptive and rude. I get scared every time my phone rings--EVERY TIME. It startles me. Changing up the ringtone to a favourite song or a less jarring noise doesn't help. No matter what I'm doing, the sound of the phone ringing is frightening.

After I get over the initial shock of the noise, there's a gross apprehensive feeling that follows. Who could that be and what could they want? I always assume the worst. Who calls with good news or just to chat these days? No one, that's who. It's either somebody calling to tell you something horrible has happening, or to ask for something. Both scenarios suck. The lesson here = avoid answering the phone.

Caller ID is both the best and worst thing to happen to the telephone. Screening calls is something I do all day long. It's kind of snotty though, huh? If I try to call someone and it rings through to voicemail, I worry that my call is being screened, too. I have to remember that not everyone is as rude as I am.

I hate talking on the phone. I hate marathon phone calls. I will call you to make plans...this is where we're meeting and this is the time. That's all the phone is good for. This is why we have email...so we can have a "paper trail" and also use cute emoticons ;) People worry that the "tone" of emails can be misinterpreted, i.e. something that's meant as a joke can be construed wrongly in writing. I think that if you're literate, that's not an issue. Texting is also a preferred method of communication for quick changes in plans, reminders of things to pick up at the store, and so on, but texting can get pretty onerous too, when you go back and forth 15 times to figure out what movie you're going to, for example. People need to learn to do things like HANG OUT FACE TO FACE! and make plans.

Example situation: You're meeting your pally-wally for lunch and you don't know where to go.

Do you...

a) Call him/her to get the deets and get sucked into an hour-long phone conversation about how his/her significant other is a douchebag and American Idol results
b) Text him/her and get a chain of messages similar to "Where do u want 2 eat?" "I dunno, u?" "Could do either Subway or Quiznos" "Which Subway?" "Robie St by theatre" "Huh?" "the one where Jimmy works" "I don't have my car" ET CETERA for fucking eternity...
c) Call him/her, say "Let's meet at (insert central location) and go from there" HANG UP the phone and only text to let him/her know if you'll be late?

A and B are very real dangers and happen all too frequently thanks to that ball and chain called the telephone. Serious buzzkill situations.

I admit there are some kickass phones available. H2B got an iPhone recently and that thing will do everything for you except wipe your ass. The apps are amazing. Camera phones are handy particularly in police-ish situations, and it can be entertaining when you're in a public place and some middle-aged woman's Akon ringtone starts blaring. It's true, phones aren't all bad. But I like my phone best when it's silent.

Last week I spotted something in the newspaper that fascinated and disgusted me at the same time. "Oh my God, McDonald's has a Big Mac Snack Wrap!" I shouted throughout the office. No one shared my excitement. One coworker glanced at the print ad as she passed by my desk and commented, "That's revolting."

I have a bit of a "thing" with McDonald's, having worked there after school from grades 10 through 12. I know the secrets and ins and outs of the ordering, and one of my favourite tricks is the mini-Mac...a cheeseburger "dressed" like a Big Mac. It's the perfect food for when you're craving two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, pickles, onions, cheese, on a sesame seed bun, but only have room for ONE all-beef patty plus the above. The snack wrap looked like an even more toned-down version of the mini-Mac wrapped in a cute little tortilla package. Still, the idea of eating a Big Mac out of a tortilla seemed wrong and alien. I was curious, grossed out, and turned on, all at the same time, like a middle school makeout party but with more cholesterol and less hormone-triggered sweating and Lip Smacker application.

I put the Snack Wrap out of my mind and focused on work...but when the weekend rolled around, H2B and I were out running some very important errands* and I was jonesin' for food. "I'm hungryyyyyyyy," I whined.

"Let's get some food. Want to try one of those Big Mac things?" he suggested. This is why I love H2B so much--he can read my mind.

We went to the Dartmouth McDonald's right by the McDonald bridge (COINCIDENCE?? I THINK NOT). "OK, now we have to go inside. We need to get the full McDonald's experience!" I sing-songed. We had the full McDonald's experience all right: standing in a lineup of about 25 riff-raff teenyboppers for 15 minutes. The line didn't budge. H2B suggested drive-thru. I struggled a bit with that.

Here's the thing: I hate drive-thrus. Drive-thrus generally exist at places that serve greasy, fatty, overall bad-for-you food options. They're supposed to be convenient but really it's a testament to human laziness when you can't even park your car, get off your fat ass and walk 30 steps to the restaurant. I hate yelling into a speaker and knowing the kids inside are making fun of me with their headsets** before parroting back my order like some kind of retarded echo. But desperate times call for desperate measures and Mama needed her snack wrap.

The wait to get our food was agonizing. Brutal. "What the fuck can they possibly be ordering!?" I fretted as a couple cars ahead of us got bag after bag after bag of greasy treats and took what felt like forever. "They're taking all the frigging food!"

Finally we made it to the window and the drive-thru bimbo had gone off to make fries or whatever the hell other task they have drive-thru bimbos doing these days and the goddamn snack wraps are sitting there on the counter, in a bag. I could see them. I could probably have reached them if I'd put the car in park, unbuckled my seat belt and crawled halfway through the window like an armed robber. Finally Employee of the Month waddled back to the window and realized she had food to give me and...and...and I had the snack wraps in my grasp. Success!

"NO EATING IN THE CAR!" I barked as H2B tried to peek inside the magical brown paper bag. I drove home at breakneck speeds so we could enjoy our manna from the gods while it was still warm and avoid getting special sauce all over my interior. Wait, what? Anyway, I'll speed this tale up.

The verdict: 10/10. Here's why:
-meat count=half a patty. Totally reasonable for a snack, even if you're trying to eat fairly healthily.
-no onions. Just special sauce, lettuce, pickles, and cheese. MMM!
-the wrapped end makes it easier to eat than a burger.

Mac Snack Wrap gets two very enthustiastic thumbs up from me. Don't be conflicted by the print ad photo, which makes it look a bit like a donair gone all wrong. Run (or drive) to your nearest golden arches and partake in this little gem. You won't regret it!

*Our "errands" consisted of H2B driving around the city while I shifted gears for fun. This is me "learning to drive a standard". The whole foot/clutchy thing is too much but I like the shifting bit. It's kind of a joint effort that way.

Today I took all my clothes out of my closet and dresser, chose some things to go to the Salvation Army to make extra room, and tidied up my remaining stuff. My closet and six dresser drawers are still pretty full.

I looked at the pile of clothes and realized that I am pretty GD spoiled.

We have a walk-in closet in our apartment that literally has nothing in it but DVDs. Like, 600-700 movies. Do you think we'll ever get around to watching them all? Not a chance. But do we stop buying new DVDs because we already have lots of things to watch? Nope...

I have clothes I haven't worn in over a year. They fit and they're essentially brand new. I have dresses with the tags still on. I haven't worn them because I haven't had a chance yet. What a problem to have, huh? I have about 35 pairs of shoes and I rotate between maybe half a dozen of them. Do I need 35 pairs of shoes? Does anyone?

I have jewelry that rarely leaves my jewelry box. I have stacks and stacks of books waiting to be read. Yet I'll still go to the bookstore and browse or buy another book. I'll buy another dress, another skirt, another nail polish or book, and it's the last thing I need. What do I actually need? Friendship and love, food and water, exercise, sleep, fun, music, free time. I don't need things.

This is the first time I've experienced guilt over the things I have. I'm blessed and very fortunate and appreciative. I don't necessarily want to give anything away or have any less...and that makes me feel greedy and guilty. I've worked really hard to get the things I have and the feeling of comfort and security is hard to beat. But if my apartment were to burn up tomorrow, for example, would "stuff" matter?

1] describe your last kiss: I kissed my hand and patted H2B with it. Minimal makeouts as of late--we're trying not to pass each other's flu germs back and forth.
2] whose car were you in last in? My little Mazda3, driving home from work and saw more cops with cars pulled over during the 10-minute drive than you can shake a stick at.
3] what was the highlight of your weekend? Eating perogies tonight with H2B and basking in the awesomeness that is eating solid food and not having it expelled from our bodies right afterward.
4] what color shirt are you wearing? Green & tan print blouse (I swear it's less gross than it sounds) and a cream cardigan.
5] how long is your hair? Shouldery length
6] who is the friend you have had the longest? Megan...since I was one!
7] who's on your mind right now? I'm desperately trying to get work OFF my mind.
8] last movie you watched? Hmmm...half of Australia.
9] last thing you ate? Perogies...luscious carby goodies.
10] last thing you drank? Water
11] where did you last sleep? My beddie.
12] do you have a significant other? Yes, I have an H2B!!
13] when was the last time you smiled? When I typed the above statement
14] what did you say last? Fack (yes, pronounced just like that. Actually more like 'faaaaack')
15] what color are your eyes? Green...like money
16] what shoes are you wearing? N/A. I'm in the house and I'm Canadian. Shoes in the house is not how we roll up here in le grand blanc nord.
17] who came over last? Hrmmm...we never have visitors. Can't say!
18] name the last three things you have bought in the past day? Deodorant...Dove soap for my face...and Subway 6" sweet onion chicken teriyaki.
19] what do you hate currently? N/A
20] what's your favorite scent? Marc Jacobs Daisy/Clinique Happy for "actual" scents. I love the smell of the beach, fresh baked bread, cut grass, suntan lotion.
21] who makes you the happiest right now? H2B is good...and I like Santa
22] does someone have a crush on you? Who knows!
23] do you have a crush on someone? I have a crush on youuu.
24] are you addicted to myspace? No...I'm addicted to my laptop in general...it's literally burning my legs.
25] what was the first thing you said when you woke up? URRRRRGGGGGNNNNNNGGYYYYHHHHHHH
26] are you left-handed? No...did you know left-handed people usually started in the womb as a twin?
27] what are you doing this moment? Answering these effing questions, then going to put on ratty pj's and read. Cause it's Friday and there ain't no party like a Horizon Court party.
28] what are you going to be doing tomorrow? Hopefully not working. Anything else I can handle. I'll say cleaning/chores, Starbucks, reading, hopefully sleeping in, and birthday partying it up.
29] what are you wearing right now? The aforementioned shirts that sound ugly but aren't, jeans, and socks, and my jeans may or may not be tucked into my socks to make putting on my boots easier. Maybe. My e-ring and diamond studs too of course. Don't think cause I'm iced out I'mma cool off, says Puffy.
30] what were you doing at 12 last night? Sleeping...

I'm checking out some decorating blogs online and I'm (a) suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to clean my apartment in a serious way and (b) inspired to try some new decorating ideas.

1. via A Cup Of Jo:



Love the cloud wall...I'd love to do something like that.

2. from Apartment Therapy:



I really like this idea--such a nice alternative to a grocery list stuck to the fridge or a notepad chucked in a drawer.

3. courtesy of The Nest:



A perfect bed to curl up in with a book...looks soooo cozy!

4. Apartment Therapy again...



Craft supplies + baskets = I'm all aflutter.

I can't wait until we have our own house to paint and alter and decorate however we please. An apartment is somewhat restrictive; obviously you can't rip off the kitchen cupboard doors or go overboard with paint colours. But I can have a spic and span apartment at least, and give some of these ideas a try. I seriously want to drink a pot of coffee tonight and stay up all night cleaning and organizing.

1. Spring starts on Saturday. AND NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON. Our four seasons in Nova Scotia are winter, almost winter, still winter, and construction. I'm about ready for "still winter" to end and am looking forward to a little construction.

2. Easter. Last year I ate 3/4 of a pound of solid milk chocolate on Easter Sunday. I know this for a fact because I got a one-pound chocolate rabbit in the morning and only his ass and tail were left by supper time. Siiiiiiiick.

3. My run tonight. I just added some new music to my iPod and am pumped!

4. Friday night. I might have sex and babies with it...this week has been brutal. My plans for Friday night involve DVDs, a paintbrush, some canvases, and a new book. Or a pub crawl. I could get deeeerunk or chill at home...it's 50/50 right now!

5. Saturday morning. I love Saturday mornings--by far my favourite time of the week. Saturday morning means good coffee enjoyed at a leisurely normal-person pace (read: not hunched over my desk at work pounding our office's warm waste management facility runoff water into myself), the Halifax farmer's market, a fresh manicure, and window-shopping. Saturday morning often leads to Saturday lunch, aka a bento box at Sushi Nami Royale. I could deal with more Saturday mornings in my life, just sayin'.

6. Kickboxing classes for H2B and I start on April 19. Apparently, the class starts out with about 30 people and usually only 18ish make it to the end. I'm scared, but in a sick way, I'm looking forward to getting my ass kicked.

7. Wedding planning. H2B and I have a date for this weekend to plow through our to-do list and figure out our ceremony (see last post). I'm not excited so much about the task itself, but the nice *ahhhh* moment we'll enjoy once it's crossed off the list.

8. The end of phase one of a very frantic and crazy project at work is coming up next week and I'm really looking forward to life getting back to a somewhat more manageable pace at the office. I love the excitement and energy but it'll be amazing to see this project live! I'm also in the midst of a second very complicated and cumbersome project that is going to be awesome when it comes together...it's just getting there that is kind of sapping me of my will to live at the moment...but it's an award winner for sure and I can't wait for feedback!

9. New bookies...I have a bunch of new books from Christmas (!!) that I haven't had a chance to crack open yet. The Time Traveler's Wife, The Almost Moon, and Five People You Meet In Heaven are three novels I have to read. I still have the books I stole borrowed from our resort in Punta Cana to read, as well as some more referencey types. Yay for reading!

10. I just found out about a stable not far from my house. I'm going to check it out online, give them a call, and fingers crossed I'll find a new place to ride this spring and summer. I miss it so much and I think even once a week would be awesome. Let's see if I can find the free time to get this stuff done...I can't even find time to wash my car and get my effing windshield repaired.

This weekend, H2B and I went to meet with our minister for the wedding. It was a good meeting, minus the fact that I was holding back projectile vomit* the whole time. Our minister has some pretty interesting ideas in terms of conducting the service, a huge relief because I'm not a big fan of a supertraditional wedding ceremony. For example, he doesn't say things like "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" or "I now pronounce you man and wife" or "You may kiss the bride"...he's very big on this being a joining of two equal people. However, he gave us lots of things to think about that to be quite honest, I hadn't even considered, because TheKnot.com and WeddingBells.com and other planning sites/magazines don't really go into those details. Things like:

-choosing the readings for the service
-deciding whether anybody else will be participating in the service
-how will our parents be involved?
-what order will the processional happen...i.e. will the groomsmen come in first, then the bridesmaids, or will they come down the aisle in pairs and then split up at the altar?
-what music will be played?
-what time will the wedding happen?

These seem like such obvious questions and I can't believe we hadn't considered them beforehand. It's a little freaky to me that there are just SO MANY details to remember and keep straight, and I've been so caught up in the centrepieces and dresses and things I've really neglected the more practical to-dos that need to happen.

Right now we are tentatively thinking of having the service at 4:00 and dinner at 6:00. That gives us about an hour and a half for pictures and changing the room around, which sounds just about right.

I can't wait to get these details straightened out so we can move on to fun stuff, like engagement photos and invitations. I think we might try to nail down some of the un-fun deets this weekend. It feels like forever away but it's just 215 days! Crazy. We've been doing really well putting money away for it...I think I've saved $1,300 since January and I'm not sure what H2B has put away but it's at least that much, so paying for this sucker shouldn't be a problem.

In unrelated news, I should be getting roughly $650 back on my income tax return...sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!


*I threw up ALL DAY Sunday. So gross. It includes barfing into an empty ice cream container in the car during the drive back to Halifax and practically tearing the door off the men's handicapped washroom outside the minister's office to woof my cookies all over the one (thankfully!) empty stall.

Confession: I like to give myself pep talks in the morning when I'm getting ready for work. Dorky? Extremely. Effective? I think so. In all seriousness, I feel more focused and more energetic and positive on days when I give myself a bit of coaching and encouragement bright and early.

Mind you, this is not me staring at my reflection in the mirror engaging in some kind of solo abusive Glengarry Glenross monologue, and it's no New Age hippy-dippy shit. I'll be brushing my teeth or putting on mascara, and I'm thinking..."Yep...I'm going to kick ass today."

Then I'll think of a couple specific challenging things I've got coming up; i.e. a tough client call that's in my calendar, or a horribly tedious document I need to piece together, and I'll tell myself "The call's going to go really well. I'm going to put notes together beforehand and we'll just go through the list and it'll be over before I know it. I'm going to finish my report by 3:00 and then I'm gonna have coffee with hot chocolate in it while it's being proofed. In nine hours this will all be over and I'll be home watching The City and wondering why I was stressed at all."

Guess what? That's usually exactly what happens. I don't know why, or how, but that 90 seconds of thinking good thoughts in the morning can make all the difference and keep a crazy day from going completely off the rails.

I think thinking positive thoughts has much the same effect as receiving a compliment or encouragement from a friend or coworker. It can be just the boost you need to get through a tricky situation. And the best part is, in nine or 10 or 14 hours, your workday WILL be over. The document that seemed so daunting on Monday is a thing of the past come Thursday. Next week, you probably won't even remember the client meeting that's giving you so much grief today.

When all else fails, bribery is golden. For me, it's hot chocolate in my coffee--that's my big work reward for doing my shitty task du jour. Until the job is done, it's water or regular coffee or green tea (gag) but once the worst item is off my to-do list, get the eff out of the kitchen because mama's coming in and she wants her hot chocolate fix. The exception is Friday afternoons, when beer o'clock rolls around (yes, we have a beer keg at the agency). On Friday afternoons I sometimes reward myself with a nice cold brewski or three just for surviving another week.

So go ahead...give yourself a nerdy pep talk in the morning, stick a smiley Post-It on your bathroom mirror, or write yourself a little note of encouragement on your desk calendar. There is nothing wrong with some positive reinforcement and good vibes, no matter what the source. You're awesome, capable, intelligent, and you're going to kick today's ass, no questions asked. There's a hot chocolate/beer/Diet Coke in the kitchen with your name on it!

I always thought having an ability to multitask was a good thing--a skill to list on a resume, a positive asset at work. My impression was that it said, "WOOOOOOOO, I can do TWO things awesomely at the SAME TIME! Sometimes MORE than two things!"

Lately, I've been finding quite the opposite is true. Multitasking sucks and instead of doing multiple things well, I'm just doing multiple things crappily, and nine times out of ten I have to go back and do them over again. Combine that with an increasingly ADD nature of checking my email every time I get a new message, feeling the need to get involved with every single conversation going on within a 20-foot radius of my desk, and having a to-do list as long as my arm, I decided it's time to revamp my work habits.

I thought about it over the weekend and realized I'm multitasking essentially all day long. That's exhausting. Examples from the past couple of days:

1. When talking to my parents on the phone (which I only do twice a week), I'm either playing on the Internet, reading magazines, or tidying up the apartment.
2. When I'm watching TV I'm either painting or lifting weights
3. On Saturday I was trying to do crunches on a stability ball while reading an article for work (!!!)

That last incident kind of drove the point home for me that sometimes doing one thing well is better than doing two things half-assedly. I was falling off the ball and doing shitty crunches, plus I wasn't retaining what I was reading whatsoever and I had to reread the article when I was done. I thought I was being productive by combining two things at a time but all I'd done was doubled my efforts and gained nothing.

For me, the two biggest things that hurt my output at work are distractions such as email and phone calls, and trying to do too many things at once. I have a tendency to want to respond to every email and every request right away and end up adding mountains to my to-do list as a result.

This week I'm turning over a new leaf...it's Monday, so it's a fresh start and all that, right?

1. Write a to-do list for the day first thing in the morning and allot chunks of time to each task. Example: status meeting 9-10, edit document 10-10:30, etc. I'll only deviate from this plan if something urgent comes up. Sounds anal, huh? Well, I like anal. (Wait...what...??)
2. Check email at designated times only. This is going to kill me. I'll check email at 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, and 4:00 and again before leaving. Oh, wow. I'm shaking a little just thinking about it.
3. At the end of the day I'll make a to-do list for tomorrow.
4. Use iTunes as needed as an anti-distraction tool (with headphones, obvi.) I have lots of nice, soothing, get-shit-done music that I like to listen to at work and I find I do my best work when I'm kind of zoned out and not paying as much attention to what's going on around me in the office. I love the busy, active atmosphere but it's REALLY hard to hunker down and not be social a lot of the time, which is why if I have an important document to work on, like a brief or a report, I usually prefer to work on it from home or out of the office so I can concentrate better.

I'm so excited to get to work right now and get started with my new habits, I can hardly brush my teeth.

Happy Monday, everyone!

I've decided that since I can't seem to do anything and stick to it unless it's written down, I'm going to plan out my workouts for the coming week in my blog, and that way you guys can hold me accountable and yell at me via the Internet when I don't comply. Sound good?

I've been feeling pretty miserable and fatty all week, and it's a waste of precious time. I should be pumped about having things like arms and legs and lungs that can jump around and do stuff. Instead, I just spent my Friday evening eating homemade peanut butter and Reese's pieces cookies*, reading magazines, and playing Guitar Hero instead of going to the gym.

Here are my workouts for the coming week, beginning tomorrow...

Saturday, March 7:
-Running 45 minutes (intervals)
-Abs

Sunday, March 8:
-Running 45 minutes (incline)
-Upper body strength training

Monday, March 9:
-Mixed cardio 45 minutes
-Lower body strength training

Tuesday, March 10:
-Rest Day (Maaaaybe easy cardio, like a walk, if I'm feeling it)

Wednesday, March 11:
-Running 45 minutes (intervals)
-Abs

Thursday, March 12:
-Running 45 minutes (incline)
-Upper body

Friday, March 13:
-Cardio mix, 45 minutes
-Lower body

Brutal. Let's see how this goes.

*recipe for best and easiest cookies ever:
-1 cup peanut butter
-1 egg
-1/2 cup sugar (I used Splenda, because I like chemicals!)
-a handful of yummies (optional)...can be chocolate chips, M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, Smarties, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Mix all ingredients.
3. Drop batter in spoonfuls 2" apart on a cookie sheet.
4. Flatten cookies with a fork.
5. Bake for 15 minutes.
6. OM NOM NOM!

+My fiance doesn't know about this blog. He comments once in a while that I spend a lot of time on the Internet. He'll come up behind me when I'm online and be all, "Whatcha dooooin'?" and will see that I'm reading a blog, and then says "You're so nosy", and goes back to playing Street Fighter 4 on Xbox or whatever he was doing before. It's not that I don't want him to know I'm blogging, and it's not that I'm posting about things that I wouldn't discuss with him. For those of you with significant others, what's the deal? Does he/she know you're blogging? Do they like your blog?

+I'm trying to lose a little bit of weight, about 10 pounds, and it's really difficult for a number of reasons. Number one is that people are not encouraging. Number two, I looove to eat. Realistically, I know I don't need to lose weight for health reasons. I'm 5'6" and, since this post is all about disclosing secrets, I weigh 126 pounds. My BMI is 20.3 which is nicely within the healthy range, yet I think about my weight and my body almost all the time. I would like to get to about 115 pounds for the summer, which puts my BMI at 18.6. 18.5 is underweight. Being right on the cusp of underweight sounds just about perfect. I lost a bunch of weight in the past year and a half or so (I was about 145 at my heaviest) and have maintained my current weight since the summer, but I feel softer or mushier now, somehow. I think when you're losing weight and seeing progress and then you plateau, it feels like you've actually gotten bigger since you're in maintenance mode and not actively losing any longer. I just want to be able to get dressed and not worry about how big my ass looks or whether my arms are soft. I compare myself to other girls all the time and I'd like to be able to stop...it's exhausting.

+If I could have any job in the world I'd be Carrie Bradshaw, except my column would be online as well as in print, so I could interact with readers through social media. Blogging for a living sounds pretty ideal. When I wrote for the Tribune-Post my favourite thing about the job was writing a column. The other reporter despised writing columns and loved the fact that I was always happy to do it. Give me a topic and I guarantee I have an opinion on it.

+Growing up, I thought my family was poor because my mom didn't work. I figured that because we were a single-income household we were roughly 50% as rich as my friends. It wasn't until much later in life that I understood she didn't work because she didn't have to.

I logged in to my marthastewart.com wedding planning page today and realized that in 230 days, I'm going to be married. That seems like a long time, but it's less than eight months! Let the freaking out commence.

Here's the budget I created, with much help from e-Martha:



1. Food and beverages piss me off the most about that budget. I'm frustrated that I'm looking at spending four thousand dollars wining and dining a bunch of relatives who probably wouldn't spring for a coffee at Tim Horton's for me. We are looking at ways to trim those costs without being cheapskates--lunch vs. dinner, one buffet option vs. three, and so on. Obviously, we aren't having an open bar--we're thinking of placing a couple bottles of wine or champagne on the tables or designating a signature cocktail, hooking everybody up with one drink, and then making it a cash bar for the rest of the night. I have some serious alcoholics in my family that would literally rack up hundreds of dollars EACH in booze, easy.

2. We plan on paying for our bridesmaids' dresses and groomsmen's tuxedo rentals. As we see it, we invited people to be in our wedding; why should we make them pay for outfits they'll never wear again? I've been checking out J Crew a lot for bridesmaids' dresses, as well as Alfred Angelo. I'd like to choose something people would be able to wear again to another formal event, not something super prommish.









I think if I pick one of the brown shades I'll opt for nice bright, bold flowers, like an all-red bouquet. If I go for red, the flowers can be a little more muted. The more I look at these pictures the more I like the brown dresses, actually.

3. Our flower estimates are pretty conservative because I'm not paying a florist :) The plan is to get flowers from Superstore--big bouquets--and put them together with my mom that morning.

4. For centrepieces, we'll likely do candles in glass canisters, fall leaves, and baby pumpkins/gourds. I know how it's easy to go overboard with table decorations and we want to make sure things are pretty and festive, yet simple. Glass vases can be picked up pretty cheaply at stores like JYSK or even the dollar store. My mom grows Chinese lanterns. Farmer Clem's is great for baby pumpkins, both orange and white. I think the table decorations should come together pretty easily and cost-effectively and will most likely be under budget.

5. H2B and I already have matching platinum bands that we wore even before we got engaged, just because. We might have them engraved on the inside rather than buying new rings.

6. For favours, we'll likely have big jars full of candy from the Bulk Barn so guests can help themselves. It'll be pretty easy to match the candy colours to our colour scheme (hello, JellyBelly!) Plus, we both love Reese's Pieces best of all so those will be featured for sure!

I haven't chosen a colour scheme yet but I'm leaning pretty heavily toward a red/cranberry shade. The runner-up is a chocolate-brown or mocha shade.

We still have a ton to do but things are starting to come together, slowly but surely. Everything that gets ticked off our to-do list is a huge sigh of relief. Our to-dos for March include:

-picking a colour scheme
-booking our photographer
-meeting with our officiant
-confirming our ceremony and reception times
-figuring out what our venue has for ceremony music options (piano? organ?)
-finalizing our guest list