It's Ten on Tuesday time! This excites me because I'm not sure if I have enough fodder for a post today. I considered writing about the following things:

-the fact that my grocery list this week consists of Bailey's, egg nog, advent calendars, mixed nuts, and rum;
-completely unprovoked, Rory started HUMPING THE AIR last night when we had friends over;
-today is the last day of November and therefore the last day of the 30 Day Remix ANNNND the last day I need to keep wearing these same 30 items of clothing over and over (plus I get to go shopping again!!!) Pics to come soon

But instead, I feel like phoning it in and answering some questions instead. I have a headache, I am stressy and stabby and cold and undercaffeinated. Gimme a break.

1. Where are you from? Have you lived there your whole life?
I'm from Sackville, New Brunswick and I lived there until I was 18. I then moved back home for a couple of years after I finished school to work at the local paper. I left the Sack for good in 2006 but I only live about two hours away and this is the farthest from home I've ever lived.

2. How would you classify your clothing style?
I don't really have a 'style' - I try to buy things that fit well and that I'll wear in 10 years. I'm not trendy at all. I wear a lot of black. Lately I've been loving skinny jeans, flat boots, and sweaters or cardigans over tank tops. I also love scarves.

3. What kind of car do you drive?
Silver 2007 Mazda3. I've had it for a little more than a year and love her. She's speedy and peppy and reliable. If I were buying a new car today I would absolutely buy another.

4. What would your dream home look like if you could have it (or already do!)?
Well...it would feel adulterous for me to talk about any other house when we just bought our first home in the summer. I do love our house. I love the layout, the huge kitchen and the master bath. I'm happy with our house and would just make some little tweaks to it to bring it up to dream home standards, which we are doing, slowly but surely. I'd like to replace the impossible-to-keep-clean shower in our bathroom with a slicker hotel-y one. I'd also switch out the kitchen sink and countertops and add a backsplash. Crown mouldings in some rooms, fresh paint here and there...but we have a pretty good start!

5. Do you have kids, and if so, how many and how old were you when you had them?
NOPE

6. What is your favorite hobby?
Just one? I have lots of hobbies. Baking, crafting (how old do I sound?) Running, tennis, skating, reading...talking about Christmas...

7. Are you going to have any New Year’s resolutions for 2011?
Yes. TBD.

8. What is something, if anything, that you’d want to change about yourself?
I'd be able to function on zero sleep. There's just way too much to do every day.

9. What is something that you love about yourself?
I'm a good driver.

10. Pick one of the following: Someone to cook for you, someone to do your laundry, or someone to do your dishes.
LAUNDRY. We have a dishwasher, and I love cooking. Laundry is a pain in the ass, especially folding it and putting it away. If I had my way, clean laundry would sit in a little mountain in the corner of the bedroom and we'd just go and root through it every day to pick out what we needed. I just need a clothing folder/put-away-er.

It's been less than a week and we're all still adjusting to life with a dog - the dog is adjusting too. He went from shy, meek, mild little shadow to hellion extraordinaire in the span of a day. It's like our little Rorysaurus is possessed by a demon with a sharp bark and even sharper baby teeth. He'll bark at NOTHING - he'll be sitting in the kitchen like a good boy and all of a sudden will emit this eardrum-splitting bark, totally unprovoked. He cries and screams and jumps on the door when we put him in his room, making us feel like colossally negligent and cruel assholes. And he seems to think that chewing feet is OK. He jumps over his barricades. He wants to eat the stairs. He scratches the glass on the patio doors when he sees his reflection in it. We took him for his first walk on the leash last night, to the mailbox, and he did the first third of the walk completely sideways. He eventually straightened out but then continued to walk UNDER Peter's feet and in the process, got stepped on.

"Hold on," you're probably thinking. "I thought they got a Sheltie, which is supposed to be one of the smartest dog breeds. This puppy sounds retarded." Don't get me wrong - Rory is very smart. He's learned some tricks already and performs them like a champ. He hasn't messed inside the house once, which is amazeballs as far as I'm concerned. He knows when you're mad at him and will make up to you to get back in your good books. He's a very bright little guy - smarter than many people I know.

He's also adorable. It's so hard to get mad at him when he's got the big, sad brown eyes and the oh-so-serious pout on. He's vain, and loves looking at his reflection in any shiny surface (he gets it from Peter). He's energetic and loves to cuddle and be around people, and he's a charmer. At his vet checkup earlier this week, he was quite the girl magnet at the clinic, so I'm told.

It's taken some getting used to and I don't know if Peter and I fully understood how different life would be when it wasn't just us anymore. Now, when we wake up at 6:00, we don't laze around through multiple snooze buttons anymore - we're up and outside shivering while we wait for Rory to do his thang. When I'm eating breakfast with one hand I'm throwing his tennis ball with the other. At noon, instead of eating lunch at my desk or walking around the office block, I've been hustling the 20-minute drive home to let him out and scarf a sandwich before heading back to the office. Around 4:00 I can barely concentrate on work because I can't wait to get home and see my boys.

One of my favourite parts about every day now is coming home from work, the gym, errands, wherever, and going in to get Rory out of his room - no matter if we've been gone five minutes or five hours he's just as excited to see us. I LOVE the feeling of having someone that happy to see me. Regardless of what kind of day it's been, seeing Rory instantly makes me feel better.

So we're only a few days in, but so far, so good. We're all getting used to each other and I think we're all going to get along just fine.

This is my first time ever completing the Ten on Tuesday, as seen on Chelsea's Roots and Rings blog. It's no secret that I love any kind of themed weekly post. Friday Fives, Music Mondays, Wordless Wednesdays, I love them all. Alas, I usually don't know what day of the week it is at any given point, so unless I stumble upon it on that particular day, we're all out of luck.

This Tuesday's questions are about holidays. Well, what a coinkydink - holidays rank right up there in my Land of Favourite Things along with cupcakes, puppies, to-do lists, and adding booze to coffee.

1. What are your plans for the holidays? Do you travel at Thanksgiving? If you celebrate Christmas, do you travel then, too?
Here in Canadialand, Thanksgiving is but a distant memory from more than a month ago. We went to my parents' in New Brunswick for two days and then to Peter's parents for a day, so there was some traveling around. My Christmas plans are still up in the air but will include wearing PJs for several concurrent days, visiting both sets of parents and a bunch of aunts and uncles, eating a ton, drinking lots of Bailey's, playing board games, skating, snowshoeing, watching Christmas movies...ahhhh.

2. How do you make the plans for the holiday? If you have a significant other, how do you decide which family to visit? We split it up. We try to figure out when each family is having their big meal or to-do and plan around that.

3. Do you have your Thanksgiving meal at lunch or later in the day?
It usually ends up being a late lunch that lasts for HOURS AND HOURS. Hoo boy.

4. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
Besides eating? Picking apples with my sister and brother!

5. After a big meal do you lounge around or get up and take a walk?
We go to an apple orchard not far from my parents' house and pick apples. It involves a wagon ride into the orchard and many good photo ops. Regardless of how full we are from dinner we always manage to cram at least one apple into our fat faces.

6. Do you shop on “Black Friday” or do you avoid it?
We don't have that here.

7. When do you usually finish your Christmas shopping?
Around December 20...I try to be done earlier but I'm always getting last-minute things closer to Christmas, stocking stuffers, things like that.

8. Do you and your significant other exchange gifts? Is there a budget?
Yes and no. We exchange gifts and we always say "this year we won't go overboard with the gifts, we'll cut back from last year" and we always overspend from the previous year. We are horrible, terrible, greedy, materialistic people. Meh.

9. When do you decorate for the holidays?
First weekend in December - this year it'll be December 4-5 weekend and I CANNOT WAIT! We get a real tree so that's the earliest we can really do it without the poor thing disintegrating into a heap of fire-hazard needles on the living room floor.

10. Do you go “all out” with the decor or do you keep it simple?
This year I'm foolishly excited to decorate. It's our first year in our house, so it's the first year we can actually decorate the outside of our home. We're still figuring out what we're going to do and are stalking our neighbourhood early birds for ideas, but I think it's safe to say we'll have a wreath on the front door and lights on the front step bannisters and in the windows. Inside we'll try and keep it tasteful but festive - tree in the living room, centrepieces on the tables, stockings on the mantel, and of course lots of Christmasy scented candles and holiday music. We tend to go for more traditional, simple decorations - you won't find a fuschia tree or giant inflatable Santas on our front lawn. We also hate old-fashioned Father Christmases.

This was the best weekend ever for many reasons. There was a Christmas parade, holiday lattes, a delicious Italian dinner out, 4-wheeling, and snow. Best of all? We added a new puppy to our little family. Meet Rory:



Rory is a 12-week-old Sheltie. His likes include grass, chicken-flavoured treats, his blanket and cuddling. His dislikes include snow, loud noises and walking up stairs.

We just got him home a few hours ago. He was so good in the car - he sat in the backseat on his blanket all by himself and didn't make a peep for a couple hours. Right now he's in his "house" (AKA carrier dungeon) which we're trying to get him used to, and fond of, so it's more of a cozy bed and less of a prison during times of abandonment.

We love our little boy already. He's really affectionate and cuddly and loves running around in the yard. He's not totally sure which toys are his yet, but he's starting to like his stuffed duck.

I don't know how I'm going to do anything except play with him and look at his sweet face ever again. Productivity is grinding to zero. We have wanted a dog for years so we're in a bit of a *squeeeeeee!!* puppy haze tonight. Brace yourselves for many Rory updates!

Listen, dishwasher, I've got some stuff to get off my chest. Some of it's not going to be easy, but hear me out, and save your questions for the end.

First and foremost, let me say I'm not too impressed by your so-called "performance" from this morning. I feel that you failed to perform your assigned duties satisfactorily. Essentially, it's supposed to work like this: we put the dirty dishes in. You wash them, and dry them, and you give them back to us clean. Not spotty, not with food still on them, but clean. Sparkling and shiny and ready to put back in the cupboards and drawers. Ready to eat off of without being able to identify what the last meal served on them was. Simples. It shouldn't take you two washes to get things clean. You're slipping, dishwasher. You're not holding up your end of the deal.

Basically, you have one job. Wash the dishes. It isn't your job to flip glasses upside down and fill them with grungy, gritty water for us to spill all over the floor and ourselves when we aren't paying attention. It isn't your job to throw fucking rice around and stick it to other cups and bowls. When we open you up, we shouldn't have to wonder, "did we actually turn this thing on?" or "what kind of a piece of shit dishwasher is this????" We put dirty dishes in. We put soap in. We turn you on. You only have to handle the washing part. COMPRENDE? It's not rocket science. You're like six months old. You shouldn't be shitting the bed just yet.

Dishwasher, I'm sorry we have to have this talk, but you need to start actually living up to your name and getting these dishes clean. I refuse to be one of those people that washes their dishes by hand before putting them into the dishwasher. When it gets to that point, your time is up. I'll rip you out of the wall faster than you can say Maytag Repairman. You do NOT want to be shown up by a dishcloth and a sink full of soapy water. Now show me what you're capable of. Quit dicking around and get this next load squeaky clean or you're getting the Jet Dry.


Yes, I'm having full-on conversations with our kitchen appliances. You don't talk to inanimate objects? Mmmm hmmm.

This morning, I was running around getting ready for the day as I always do, making my lunch, getting my face on, et cetera. My skirt was wrinkly so I threw it in the dryer to knock the wrinkles out, because God forbid I should ever take the time to iron a piece of clothing. So I'm doing my thing in the kitchen wearing just my sweater and my tights - and these are not doubles-as-pants-if-your-last-name-is-Lohan tights, these are semi-transparent black pantyhose, very much meant to be worn under dresses and skirts.

I made my lunch (fruit salad, in case you were wondering) and ran out into the yard to throw my pear and apple cores into the green bin, and while I was out there, I noticed it was a tad breezy on the ol' buttocks. Annnnd then I realized I was out in my yard in broad daylight, sans bottoms, as other neighbours are also up and about getting ready for the day, heading out to their cars and whatnot, and therefore seeing my sheerly clad ass in all its glory at the green bin. I ran back inside, but I'm sure at least two households got an eyeful of derriere with their coffee and oatmeal.

So now I'm the whorey neighbour that prances around undressed in her yard for all to see. The women on our street are going to hate me for being that floozy who puts it all on display. There goes my invitation to the neighbourhood Christmas party and cookie exchange, and they're probably going to start making fun of my flower beds, too. I should really be living far, far away from everyone.

So my NaBloPoMo goal has fallen by the wayside. Things went off the rails on Saturday, which was the day of my cousin's wedding, and performing my bridesmaidly duties trumped the ol' blog. Then Sunday I was suffering through one of the worst hangovers of my life. Annnd since I'd already missed a day, it didn't seem like such a big deal to miss two. Yesterday I was just straight busy. And there you have it - three days sans postage. Womp-wommmp.

In case you're wondering what I've been up to, it's pretty easy to sum up: I've been reverting back to my childhood.

-I bought Barbie pyjamas. Adult-sized, pink-and-black Barbie pyjamas. I wore them all weekend long, with the exception of the wedding.
-I have been choosing chocolate milk in lieu of booze. (No, I'm not pregnant)
-I'm counting down the days until Christmas. 38, in case you're wondering.
-I've been watching shows like Hellcats and Degrassi on purpose.

Confession time: I'm turning 30 in less than six months. Thirty. WTFaaack? Where the hell did that come from? I don't feel 30. I don't act 30. Tell me I look 30 and I'll cut you.

I'm retaliating against time by regressing into childhood. So far, it's going awesome. I fully endorse this move. Kids have the best TV shows, chocolate milk is good for your bones, being in the Christmas spirit is fun, and it's impossible to be in a bad mood when you're wearing Barbie pyjamas - put on a pair and see for yourself.

I know that this is where I should be embracing turning 30 and saying things like "30 is the new 20" and acting all sassy and accomplished. I should be making plans to ring in a new decade with a fabulous party and making a list of 30 things to do before I'm old and decrepit. I'm just not feeling it. I'm completely in denial. I feel like someone actually tricked me and sped up all the calendars and clocks and I'm really 23 or 24. I feel like there were entire years of my 20s that didn't happen. I'm just not ready for this. I'm not ready for a milestone birthday. I want to drag out the next five-ish months indefinitely.

If you need to find me, I'll be at home, reading Seventeen, writing in my diary, and baking cookies while wearing Barbie PJs.

You guys, NaBloPoMo is HARRRRD this year. There is just so much non-bloggy stuff going on and it feels like every night it's 11:00 and I'm all "fiiiiiiiiiiiinally, time for bed. Honk-choo" and then realize I haven't done my daily blog post and have to haul ass back to the basement where my laptop lives and hammer something out. Yesterday's post was deep and introspective. Today, you get bullet points. It's the yin and the yang.

Things I'm currently loving:

-Jeggings. How did I live without them? They are sooo comfy and they look like real, semi-professional pants. I even wore them to work today, with boots and a long sweater, and no one was the wiser!
-Going to the gym at 7PM (Gossip Girl reruns are on from 7-8, which means I can run for a whole hour without crying).
-Taylor Swift's new album! I bought it today - I went to the music store and bought a CD, not even the iTunes version. It felt very retro.
-Cinnamon buns fresh baked by my hubby, which I'm nomming on now while watching some episodes of The Office in my interpretation of a very solid Friday night.

Things all in all are pretty good. There are some cool projects starting up at work, Christmas is coming, my cousin's wedding is tomorrow, and the puppy hunt continues. No complaining here. Happy Friday everyone!

Today was Remembrance Day and I'm a bit appalled and embarrassed at the way I didn't do anything - absolutely nothing - to recognize it. My 'remembering' was limited to a few moments of quiet as I was brushing my teeth this morning, when The Bounce took a break from playing Rihanna and Usher to play some bugle music and then have a moment of silence.

I didn't even get a poppy this year. I kept meaning to pick one up, but I didn't have any change on me, or I wasn't wearing my regular coat, or whatever the excuse du jour happened to be.

My grandfather fought in the second world war, and came from a long line of military people, so honouring Remembrance Day was a tradition in our family. As kids, every November 11 we'd all bundle up and head to the cenotaph, with our poppies pinned on our winter coats and stuck firmly in place with hunks of eraser, to listen to the roll call and the reading of In Flanders Fields.

I remember standing there freezing my ass off (it was always sooooo cold on Remembrance Day) and thinking about everything but the sacrifices men and women had made for our freedoms - I would be thinking about the hot chocolate I was going to get once this was over, or about the movie I'd watched the night before, or how stupid that kid's pom-pom hat looked. And then I'd scold myself and think about wars for a few minutes...until I got distracted by the pom-pom hat again.

Today I woke up and barely even thought about why I had a day off work in the middle of the week. I hung out with some friends, went for a walk with Peter, went out for coffee, and barely even gave a moment's thought to why I'm able to walk around, drive a car, pay for coffee, do any of these things freely in the first place. And now I feel guilty. I feel guilty that I forgot to remember, and I feel guilty that when I remembered to remember (OMG, how poorly constructed can one sentence be?) I couldn't be bothered to put on a poppy or spend twenty minutes freezing at the cenotaph.

I can only be thankful that my grandfather and thousands of others didn't display the same apathy and indifference 70 years ago.

I try to be honest with what I share on my blog. At least, I make a conscious effort not to be dishonest.

I think there are different degrees of honesty. There's honest as in, you're not currently telling a lie. This applies to my blog. Everything I write about is true.

Then, there's gross honest, like, oh, my tampon fell out when I was running down the sidewalk, or I accidentally pooped the bed* - TMI-style honesty. I share a little bit of that. I think being a beast makes you easier to relate to. But there's less and less of the gag-inducing 'omg, she's one nasty biatch' stuff being posted here the more people I know "in real life" are reading my blog.

And then there's the real nitty-gritty. The kind of honesty that isn't pretty, that maybe makes people uncomfortable. The kind of posts that can walk a fine line between introspective and woe-is-me, Debbie Downer epics you skim over in your Google reader; written by some authors, they can make your heart go out to someone you've never met.

Given the complete lack of anonymity and people who know me in real life that pop in from time to time, I can't see myself getting too serious honest, which saddens me a bit. But then, do you really want to read about the time this happened or that happened or why I feel the way I do about a sensitive topic? Do I really want to open myself up for those debates?

Would it be different if nobody knew who I was? Definitely. I have a lot of stuff I'd love to someday share and see what comes back, but for now, you're getting YouTube videos of kids lipsyncing in their rooms and my Christmas lists and vacation snapshots. There are things that I'm just not totally ready to share...things that I'm not convinced a blog is the best forum to share. I guess that's why I've got a paper journal.

*Neither of these scenarios have happened to me but I'm sure they've HAPPENED. If they did happen to me, I might blog about them. Probably not.

...so I'm dialing it in today, and you get the newest Keenan Cahill YouTube video - this time with a special guest.



I love this kid. He's my favourite YouTuber and he's probably way more successful than I will ever be by lipsyncing in his room to bad music. So basically, he's getting paid for something I do every day for free and he's an Internet celebrity and gets to meet questionable rappers. Keenan Cahill > me and all my friends.

Because you're never too old to be a greedy child.

[+] magazine subscriptions: Glamour, Real Simple, Women's Health...it's the gift that keeps on giving all year long!
[+] a charm for my Pandora bracelet
[+] iTunes gift card (now that my beloved LimeWire is in the shitter)
[+] glass jars for holding spices, baking stuff, rice, pastas, etc. I would love to have a beautifully organized kitchen like Chef Michael Smith's, as brought to my attention in Lindsey's recent post.
[+] Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizer & City Block sunblock
[+] clothes - the new BCBG store is opening here very soon (HIIIIIIIIIINT)
[+] shoes
[+] The Office on DVD - season 5 and up
[+] a daily planner
[+] a serious watch
[+] coffee

For the record, Santa, I have been exceptionally good this year.

Well, apparently someone was reading my post a few days ago about three selfish wishes, particularly my third wish for more hours in the day. Lo and behold, when I woke up this morning at 9:30, it was actually 8:30 - bonus hour, shit yes!

Here are some ideas for how to spend that extra hour today aside from the obvious two (sleeping in and hooking up):

1. Play a board game.
2. Watch an episode of Mad Men or Jersey Shore or Dawson's Creek or whatever floats your boat.
3. Make your Christmas card address Excel spreadsheet (someone else does this, I know it. Please confess so I don't feel like a solo Captain Anal.)
4. Do yoga.
5. Bake cookies.
6. Call your mom.
7. Create a new signature cocktail. It's Sunday afternoon, after all - perfect time to booze it up!
8. Write a letter. On paper, with a pen. One that requires an envelope and a stamp.
9. Make a big pot of chili or soup to divvy up into lunch-size amounts and eat all week long.
10. Clean out your closet and donate the stuff you no longer wear.

I'm going to spend my bonus hour in a nice warm bath, with a new magazine, a face mask, and a hair mask...pure relaxation and the best way to end what's been a lovely weekend.

How are you spending your extra hour?

This November, I'm participating in the 30 for 30 challenge, inspired by the lovely Kendi at Kendi Everyday. The idea is that for 30 days, you use 30 pieces of clothing you already own (including shoes, but not including tights, accessories, coats, etc.) to create 30 unique outfits. Oh yeah - you're also not allowed to shop for clothes for 30 days. The idea is to use stuff you've already got in your closet in new, creative ways, and figure out brand new looks you didn't even know you had.

The first order of business was to pick out 30 things I thought would be easy to mix and match all month long. My wardrobe is almost all black, so it would have been easy - but boring. I threw some colours in too. I also took it easy on the shoes and bottoms. This may bite me in the ass in a couple weeks, but when you're only working with 30 things, every piece counts!

So, without further ado:




Skirts
1. Turquoise print - Mexx
2. Black pencil - Le Chateau
3. Beige - Jacob
4. Striped - Dynamite
5. Green print - H&M
6. And a sweaterdress - Le Chateau




Pants
7. Jeggings - Gap
8. Black pants - Smart Set
9. Leggings (!!!) - Garage



T-shirts
10. White tank - Gap
11. Print tank - Walmart
12. Pink shirt - Winners
13. Gray v-neck - American Eagle
14. Striped shirt - Old Navy
15. Gray t - Dynamite
16. Black t - Smart Set



Sweaters
17. Black turtleneck - Walmart
18. Blue cardigan - Pseudio
19. Gray cardigan - Dynamite
20. Black cardigan - Old Navy
21. Beige cardigan - Joe Fresh
22. Black blazer - H&M
23. Big gray sweater - Dynamite
24. Big black sweater - Garage



Button Downs
25. White - RW & Co
26. Plaid - Garage



Shoes
27. Booties - Spring
28. Flats - Joe Fresh
29. Gray pumps - Spring
30. Boots - Shoe Co.

Every Sunday, I'll share my outfits from the previous week. And now I'm off to a bachelorette party. There is a whistle shaped like a penis involved - so clearly I have better places to be than sitting in my basement blogging.

Hope you enjoy the 30 for 30 challenge!

The good:

-it's Friday
-I have lots of fun weekend plans to look forward to - breakfast out with hubby tomorrow at our favourite cafe, bachelorette party tomorrow night for my cousin, and a full day of recovery and sloth behaviour planned for Sunday
-I went to the gym this morning and ran my errands at lunch, so I don't need to leave the house on this disgusting hurricaney evening
-I have the new Kings of Leon to listen to in the car
-we got Netflix
-Lil Wayne is out of jail
-eggnog is back in the grocery store

The bad:

-it's a torrential downpour outside and it's supposed to continue for days
-my hair looks like uncooperative shit - to the point that I might cut my own bangs tonight with kitchen scissors because it can't get any worse
-all the good puppies are so expensive
-I have made almost zero progress on my Christmas shopping list
-I have to shell out so much money this month ($1,170 car insurance, $40 oil change, however much for a tire change and undercoating - that's just on the car alone - there's tons more) and none of the expenses are fun ones

The ugly:

-our front door seam is leaking and water is currently pouring into the house a la Niagara Falls. But don't worry, I have a kitchen towel there to stop the leak! Hey-oh, homegrown solutions WHAT WHAT!
-we watched The Human Centipede last night. Unfortunately, what they say is true: once you've seen it, you can't un-see it.

I'm sitting here, watching Gossip Girl season 2, writer's blocked to the max, and reminiscing on Serena's consistently shitty taste in guys as my iPod updates, when I stumbled across Liz's recent post about her playlist for working out. I decided to post my workout playlist as well, since I've got my iTunes open anyway.

I have...questionable taste when it comes to workout music. It's not that it's bad music. It's just not very good. Criteria for workout music = fast, upbeat, loud, something that a stripper could potentially strip to. Three out of four of the above characteristics - that's pretty much all it takes to make it onto the ol' iPod these days.

Here's what I've been listening to in the gym lately. Try not to laugh:

Lady Gaga - Alejandro
Lil Wayne - Get Something (he's out of prison! Which means we're in for more "musical" treats!)
OK Go - Get Over It
Far East Movement - Like a G6
LMFAO - Get Crazy
Jay Z - On To the Next One
Ke$ha - Take it Off
Cee Lo Green - Fuck You
Florence and the Machine - Kiss With a Fist
Kanye West - Power
My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na
N.E.R.D. - Hot and Fun

Et cetera...What do you like to listen to when you're working out?

[via]

1. I wish I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and never worry about it. Not obsessing over food would be nice. I wouldn't even gorge and overdo it - just not thinking about it for more than the amount of time it takes to plan, eat, and enjoy a meal would be wonderful. I spend way too much time, effort, and energy thinking about what I've eaten, what I'm eating, what I'm going to eat. Considering that the average person eats three meals a day plus snacks, that's a LOT of time, effort, and energy.

2. I wish I could control my climate. I hate being too hot, hate being too cold, hate when it's too damp or too humid or too dry. In my perfect world, it would be 30 degrees and sunny every day, 10 degrees every night, with a couple hours of rain overnight - perfect beach weather in the daytime, comfortable for sleeping at night.

3. I wish I could add extra hours to every day. Days go by way too quickly - being able to make them longer at will would be fabulous (especially considering every day is 30 degrees and sunny). What would I do with my extra time? Listen to music. Read. Drink wine. Nap. Take baths. Watch old movies. Learn how to take photos. Take long walks. Go to the beach. Write in my journal. My favourite things...the things I rarely have time for.

If you had three selfish wishes, what would they be? Not world peace, not good health for your family, not do-gooder disease-curing wishes...three wishes that are 100% in your own best interests.

I hate not being prepared, not feeling ready for things. I am the kind of person who prefers to drive to the client meeting alone in order to have that solo time in the car to get my thoughts together. I currently have a list of my outfits planned out for the next 28 days. Spontaneity does not come easily to this girl. I find that I can adapt quickly and go with the flow easily enough if I don't think about it or I have no choice. In a work setting, for example, I can switch from project to project midstream with very little trouble, but in my personal life it's a different story. If I don't know what's for dinner by mid-morning that day, I'm completely out of sorts. Weekends are scheduled two weeks in advance. I guess it's my way of controlling the aspects of my life I CAN control (i.e., not work or mandatory stuff like doctor's appointments).

Not being ready throws me completely off kilter, and right now there are a few things I don't feel remotely prepared for.

[+] Snow and winter weather, complete with the wearing of winter coats, hats, scarves, and mitts
[+] Christmas stuff - Christmas commercials, Christmas cups in Starbucks, Christmas displays in stores
[+] Babies
[+] My parents getting old
[+] Putting away the patio furniture, fire pit and BBQ
[+] Turning 30 in less than six months. Feeling unaccomplished and fail-y.

Is there anything you're dreading or just not prepared for?

So it's NOvember again (that was not a typo, friends. Stay with me) and it's time to batten down the hatches and get shit in order up in this ma. The fun and frivolity of Halloween is over. The leaves have mostly fallen. The clocks are going back an hour this weekend. It's bone-chilling cold outside. Poop's about to get real.

NOvember means...

-NO purchasing clothes for myself for the entire month *cries*
-NO junk food binges, random handfuls of chocolate chips just because, dipping my finger into the butter dish and then the sugar canister. I'm an animal.
-NO skipping a day of blogging (NaBloPoMo! yay!)
-NO skipping a day of working out (NaWoOuMo! yay!)
-NO EXCUSES!!

The reason I'm going all Jillian Michaels on fun stuff is because November is just such a bleak, gross month, it's easy to fall into bad habits to get through it, at least in my experience. It's dark and cold and yucky out, so you buy three new dresses and eat a Deep and Delicious cake for breakfast to cope. It happens. This year, I'm trying to keep myself in check. Save some money. Make room in my closet. Feel healthy and energetic, not akin to 10 pounds of shit in a five-pound bag come the Christmas holidays.

By focusing on good stuff, like eating well, exercising, sticking to a budget and to some simple goals, I'm hoping November will be a more pleasant month and not the absolute Tyrannosaurus Rex of horrid it's been in the past.

I have lots of things to look forward to (upcoming bachelorette party and wedding to attend, getting ready for the holidays, dog shopping) and lots of things that are going to cost a lot of money (uhhh, bachelorette party and wedding, getting ready for the holidays, dog shopping, plus car insurance for the year, yada yada) so saving money wherever I can is going to be pretty important.

NaBloPoMo will help keep me occupied when I can't be doing other things - like shopping for clothes or eating my face off.

Annnnnd not buying any new clothes means there will be room in my closet and drawers for all the piles of new stuff I will undoubtedly be getting for Christmas for being such a good girl during NOvember!

WIN!