Olym-PICS Wednesday, February 24, 2010

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Olympics?! Get it?! (snort)

Alternate Title: In Which I Realize *Just Exactly* How Much Weight I've Gained in the Past Year Because I Cannot See My Cheekbones in ANY Of These F*(%$*#ing Photos

Click here for the Flickr set which is, admittedly, a work in progress.

Reading: The Olympic Edition

She'd have had their hearts if she'd never moved an inch.

Home Again Home Again Sunday, February 21, 2010

That week seriously flew by. Pictures up soon on Flickr and all that, but I have this to say in the interim:

If you get a chance to see the Olympics in person, DO IT. In one week, I managed to meet a member of the US Luge team (in a bar, natch), take a float plane ride over the Vancouver coast, see some amazing live hockey, become truly intrigued and curious over curling, and get my entire body scrubbed with Moroccan Sea Salt! Who knew? The possibilities are endless.

More later.

Second verse, same as the first! Sunday, February 14, 2010

Here are the next 25 items.

Jamie's Life List - Part 2 of 4

26. Take a self-defense class
27. Go to Oktoberfest in Munchen
28. Ride a cross-country train
29. Buy a piece of turquoise jewelry in New Mexico
30. Attend a reading by the author @ a library or museum
31. Practice yoga regularly
32. Vacation in an Oregon Yurt
33. Throw a baby shower
34. Attend a winter Olympics
35. Attend a summer Olympics
36. Implement grey water/rainwater barrels at home
37. take a winery tour in New Zealand
38. Have my picture taken from a boat in Sydney Harbor with the Opera House in the background
39. See a ballet at Lincoln Center in NYC
40. Start a charity in my grandmother's name to empower people to quit smoking
41. Eat vegetarian for 1 month
42. Donate my hair again
43. Stay at The Greenbrier
44. Own my own dance studio
45. Spend a week on a dude ranch
46. Take cooking classes to increase my confidence in the kitchen
47. Have a hammock in the backyard
48. See the Amazonian rainforest
49. Take a roadtrip up the coast of Maine
50. Set foot in all 50 states

Vancouver Me, I'm Going in: Travel Edition Friday, February 12, 2010

Dude! We're off to the Olympics! I am, as the snowboarders would say, STOKED. We have hockey, halfpipe, and curling tickets.

Is it too nerdy to admit that I cannot wait to see what curling is all about? Oh well. A couple drafted posts will go up in my absence, so don't go away just because I did the same. Perhaps I'll log in from the road, and blog about the Seattle breakfast I have been dreaming about for nearly two years now. Gee, won't that be scintillating travel writing at its very best? Ahem.

I'll be back before you know it!

Mighty Life List - Part 1 of 4 Thursday, February 11, 2010

Cliche as it may well be amongst the blogging community, I quite like the idea of having a Mighty Life List. There is something to be said for the relative accountability of putting something in writing, and it is FAR more pleasant a phrase than "bucket list," don't you think? So without further ado, I present to you (in installments) my mighty life list...

Jamie's Mighty Life List - Part 1 of 4

1. Partake in the Cherry Blossom Fest in Washington D.C.
2. Wear a large hat at the Kentucky Derby
3. Witness the Iditarod
4. Have a child
5. Learn to keep succulents
6. Go ziplining
7. Swim w/dolphins
8. Go an entire day without speaking
9. Make my own bed linens/curtains
10. Volunteer regularly
11. Grow vegetables
12. see Ireland
13. Take my niece and nephews camping overnight
14. Learn to tango
15. Purchase a cabin on Lake Michigan (shared with K, K, and J and their families) to share
16. Make a quilt
17. Drive a hybrid car
18. Compost
19. Stop using the snooze button on my alarm clock
20. See Lake Louise/Banff, AB, Canada
21. Keep saving until my emergency fund is $5,000+
22. Go fishing
23. Foster an animal
24. Have a kitchen full of mismatched but beloved coffee mugs
25. Learn to ask for help

Reading Monday, February 08, 2010

Wow, Super Bowl ad men really hate Super Bowl ad women this year, don't they? The dark flip side of the Dove for Men commercial, this one zooms in on a group of beaten men listening to a litany of irritations men put up with from women. In exchange for which, they will damn well drive the goddamn car they want to. The narrator, if my ears were correct, was Dexter's Michael C. Hall, leading me to half expect one of these bitter hubbies to snap and kill someone. Dodge: Because it beats going on a murder spree!

Dear Anthropologie, Sunday, February 07, 2010

You know I love you. I do. I tenderly turn the pages of your monthly catalog and think (sometimes) that it really is a piece of weird, retail art. Your accessories have me wrapped around their little, beady fingers. But we have to talk about something.

Your clothing is killing me slowly. Why are all the dresses that I love so beautiful on paper, but tragic in real life? WHY?! I'm petite and curvy, not a hunchback or an amazon. Every time I try to rock one of your gorgeous dresses, I am one wrinkly trenchcoat away from being that really sad, old woman who wanders around Michigan Avenue in every layer she owns, with a spackled layer of blusher on her cheeks?! WHY?!

Please turn down the granny. Puh-lease?

Regards,
Jamie

photo credit: Breakfast at Anthropologie Blog

Another Year, Another Weight Loss Bitch Session Friday, February 05, 2010

So here we are again, Mr. Scale. I refuse to make you my nemesis, rather preferring that you just acquiesce and give me a number that I like. EVEN BETTER, give me whatever number you want and tell my body to change it's own shape so that I don't have to be responsible AT ALL. That would be excellent.

Here's the deal - my cousin is getting married on the beach in Mexico at the very end of July. We've crafted something of a family reunion out of the excursion, and while I love my cousins dearly, I don't love how (seemingly) naturally skinny they are (and they've all had at least 2 children!). This year, my sister and I decided that we weren't going to take their fantastic genetics lying down. This year, we banish the jiggle - and maybe along with it, some of our issues regarding food and our bodies.

My initial thoughts vered into the extreme (as I am wont to do, sadly) and I immediately thought "P90X! It's a no brainer!" and then I realized that my last good workout was the half marathon. 5 MONTHS AGO. So umm, yeah - that's option was out.

Instead, I'm opting for a gentler version of Tony Horton's fitness machine, Power 90. I started a couple days ago and while I'm a little sore, it hasn't been that bad. If anything, the worst part is the food - my old friend Snickers and I had to part ways. (sob) But on the upside, I already feel better about myself, about my body. This will be a great thing in the end, even if I don't lose a single pound.

It's nice to be moving again. I don't know why I held off for so long - stupid and lazy (and convenient!) I guess. Not sure how much blogging I'll be doing about the weight loss thing, but wanted to put this out there as a reminder: take care of yourselves! Be good to yourself! You are the only you that you have.

Reading Tuesday, February 02, 2010

"Of course I punctuate my text messages, I did A-level English," one young man explained with a look of scorn. Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of The Lord of the Rings. You must go forth with your A level and protect the English language with your bow of elfin gold.

Given the chance to meet the author of this book, a rather cheeky woman named Lynne, I might be forced to run away with her forever. That's how much I love this book.