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By kilax, August 16, 2018 7:01 am

• I received two new Starbucks “Been There” mugs as gifts in the past few weeks! Gina got me Colorado, and Bobbi got me Arizona! Thank you, ladies! And since I’ve visited those states, I can use them (as opposed to waiting until I’ve gone there to use them <— just my own silly rules)!

• I finished Not Tonight, Josephine and started the novel A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out, about a twenty-eight year old working in public relations, who gets a special assignment that makes her question if she wants to be a sellout anymore, or follow her passion and be a writer (maybe – I am only a couple of chapters in but that is what I am guessing it’s about from the description). Whoa. The writing is so smart, clever, current, and relevant, that I feel like there’s actually something to get out of every sentence. So I’m enjoying it, but the level of concentration is kind of wearing me out! I did enjoy Not Tonight, Josephine. I loved the author’s sense of humor!

• I was so relaxed on vacation that I let my almost three year Duolingo streak lapse! I felt upset for a few minutes, then felt strangely free. Ha. (Only Bethany will care about this!)
• Ugh, then I missed “free” Shitterfly magnet day after vacation – when I have so many pics I want to make in to magnets! I turned off my Shitterfly Facebook notifications and saw it the day after on Facebook. Luckily “free” magnets come once a month. You guys know I love my (custom & regular!) magnets.
• Since I was planning on getting myself a mani for my birthday, then my coworker treated me, I can get one more… right? (Okay, let’s admit – this is a slippery slope of going back to getting them 1.5 times a month. I’m only trying not to since I bought a car this year and that wasn’t in my imaginary budget.) ANYWAY. I decided to get one nail a lighter shade than the rest, and meh, I don’t like it! Regrets!

From the OPI Peru Collection – Grandma Kissed A Gaucho and Don’t Toot My Flute, my previous mani was Alpaca My Bags

• I got a bill from my doctor, and was surprised to see my health care provider didn’t pay any of my visit fees. So I called the doctor and they said my provider said they don’t have me in the system. Which is odd, because I was checking the system while on the call, and it showed me as current. At first, the doctor told me to call my provider and see what was up… until we talked further and they realized they sent the bill to the wrong location. SIGH. Always question your health care bills, folks! I’m lucky I don’t have many and can KIND OF keep it straight. I can’t imagine dealing with a lot of them, or with a family’s. They make that sh*t so effing complicated.
• And today I have to go back to the doctor because they screwed up a test from last time. Sigh. I don’t want to go. I don’t want to adult today!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 190

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By kilax, May 29, 2018 4:49 am

Our weekend was AWESOME and I hope yours was too!

FRIDAY!

Although, Friday started out on a serious note. We took Data to the veterinarian because he’d had diarrhea for three weeks (we thought it was getting better, hence not taking him sooner). The vet ran tests to see if he has a malabsorption issue, or irritated dietary tract. Data has lost over two and a half pounds since his March vet visit. Our poor old man cat.

Sigh.

I should hear back from the vet midweek. It’s likely we’ll have to give Data meds, or change his diet (which he will NOT make easy – he’s a PICKY eater). He still has diarrhea.

While we were there, I remembered to ask to visit the kittens!

There’s six kittens, three males and three females. I definitely need to adopt two, right?!

Friday night was quiet after that. I was exhausted from not getting enough sleep (broken record). I was productive in picking out an outfit for the the outdoor barnyard wedding we’re going to next weekend, though. I’m planning to wear the dress in the top right corner.

Collage I made to send my mom and snis

Of course, we watched a movie Friday night. We finished All I See Is You. Blah.

SATURDAY!

On Saturday I woke up with the sun to do hill repeats before teaching fitness boxing.

I taught, then took my car to the dealer to get the piece replaced they forgot to swap out before.

We had lunch with Mad Men, then I got groceries and picked up these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Craving satisifed!

sooooooooooooooo gooooooooooooooooooodt

I thought I would pull weeds when I got back, but it was in the high 80s (or low 90s?!) and hella stuffy out. I tried to spend time on the balcony and it was even too hot for that. Ugh. So we stayed inside for the evening, reading a bit, then making dinner and watching Patti Cake$ (entertaining, seemed like a newer, Jersey version of 8 Mile to us).

SUNDAY!

I didn’t need to set an alarm Sunday, but the kitties woke me up nice and early! Thanks, guys!

Actually, it was nice to have a relaxing morning eating breakfast and reading on the balcony before we left at 8:00 for the race.

We ran the Chocholic 5K in Burlington, then headed to Milwaukee for the Brewers game. Rachel got us tickets as an early birthday gift for me! I’ve done a Spartan Race at Miller Park, but this was my first time being there for a game.

Guys, I LOVE ballpark food. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s such a fun part of the experience! And all the ballparks seems so savvy with vegan options now! I could eat three hot dogs. I stuck to one. Hee.

We had a fun time watching the Brewers play (and beat!) the Mets. I was glad Rachel got seats that were in the shade because it was freaking HOT – as Steven and I like to say “too hot for touching.” Ha. We were careful not to bump arms or legs as we sat next to each other at the game. And to take a few breaks to walk around the concourse (and get more food and drinks) and cool off a bit.

It was fun to chat during the game and catch up. We love spending time with Rachel and Kevin! And yay for our first game of the year! Next month, we’ll be back at Miller Park to see the Royals play the Brewers! Woot!

When we drove home I started to get a headache and feel a little heat sick. I wasn’t surprised – I surely got a bit dehydrated (despite drinking a lot of water), and had a frozen daiquiri, and was sitting in a cold car after being out in the sun! A cold shower felt good when I got home, but I felt a bit off the rest of the night! We watched Baywatch and went to bed early.

MONDAY!

I was nervous about doing my tempo run (twelve miles at marathon pace!) Monday morning with it being in the high 60s/low 70s, and after eating and drinking a bit differently than normal, but I nailed it and felt great!

I was back at the house a little after 7:00, changed clothes, and got to work pulling weeds. Finally! I wanted to do that last weekend but it was too rainy and cold.

Several hours later, I was done, and took a cool bath to relax. We had lunch and watched another episode of Mad Men, then put the hammock outside on the balcony and hung out out there!

Pretty soon it was time to prep ALL THE FOOD to grill! Steven brought our grill home from storage this week. We’ve lived in this house for two years and almost four months and it’s our first time grilling here! We just didn’t think of it. We weren’t big grillers before because it was so unpleasant (spend time outside) to grill in the neighborhood we used to live in.

But now?! We can put it on our patio and it’s relaxing and peaceful! And delicious! Yay! The only annoying part was the mosquitoes (I got SO MANY bites this weekend), and that it was a bit hot!

We also grilled fruit that we had for dessert!

Um, so we ate dinner at 5:30. Ha! We usually eat past 8:00 on Mondays because that is when I get home from teaching! It was nice to eat early, watch a bit of Star Trek Beyond, then do a few chores/tidying up, and get in bed early with a book. Ahh, what a relaxing day!!!

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By kilax, April 5, 2018 5:53 am

• AHHHHH the Grease OPI line!!!! I’m definitely choosing my next nail color from there!

Christina had sent this pic of me listening to the Grease album a few days before I saw the new colors! Ha! 

• I saw those colors when I was at the salon getting at touch-up on my 5K nails. I hope it’s not an omen that one peeled so early!!! Eek! (At this rate, it seems I’ll have gloves on for the race anyway – my mom said it’s supposed to be really cold there.)
• I finished reading The French Girl, and started reading Immortal Life. Immortal Life is a sci-fi novel set in the future, about a 127 year old man who is transferring his consciousness to a younger host, because his original body is so decayed, and he wants to live forever. It’s interesting, but the writing style is difficult for me to read – long descriptions with lots of “fancy” (read: “I’m going to show off my vocabulary”) words. Eh. I will keep at it, and keep using my dictionary.com app.

• I confirmed at my local Starbucks Tuesday that they are phasing out the “You Are Here” mugs. But the “Been There” mugs sign says they will have a mug for all fifty states (and some destinations) so that’s cool – Iowa never had one before, and now it will! Woot!

• And now for some super random ish:
  • I like it when an e-commerce site uses Amazon Pay and I don’t have to re-enter all my info to order – I just log in to my Amazon account and the site grabs it from there. It’s especially convenient when I am ordering from my phone. This will probably bite me in the a$$, as I bet Amazon Pay gives those sites more info than they need. But man, it’s so convenient.
  • I’ve recently started adding raisins to my salads (ha, after Steven’s been suggesting it for a year) and WHOA does it make a world of difference! Yum! (A few people suggested cranberries, when I told them I like raisins. I tried them and didn’t care for them as much. Shrug.)
  • I bought this eucalyptus mint soap to try and the scent of it takes me and Steven back to when we first moved in to our home, two years ago. Neither of us remembers why we had this scent at the house before though (it’s not one of the usual scents we use), and it’s making me crazy that I can’t recall (since one of my jobs at home is sentiment/scent manager). But at the same time, each time I use it, I’m like “aww, we’ve lived here two years!”

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 173

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By kilax, March 26, 2018 6:16 am

Well, my weekend started out AMAZING, because SEE TITLE ^^^

I was already stoked Anne was in town (for a Sunday race in the city) and we’d get to hang out Friday night, but then she shows up at our house with these beauties?!?!

OMG YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

They’re vegan donuts from Holey Toledough, in Toledo, OH. Anne stopped on her drive in to get them for me! Isn’t that sweet? (pun not intended, ha)

The flavors were cinnamon roll and blackberry hibiscus. Hands down, these are best donuts I’ve had this year. They’re yeast donuts (my preference over cake), and they got everything right – they were light and airy/fluffy, with great flavor, and the perfect amount of icing. I’ll be thinking about these donuts for some time to come. Yum.

State	Date	Name	Flavor	Rating (0-4)	Photo
Kansas	1/15/18	Mud Pie	Cake Chocolate Frosted
Illinois	2/7/18	Do-Rite	Chai Maple
Illinois	2/17/18	Holcomb Hollow	Lemon Vanilla
Ohio	3/23/18	Holey Toledough	Blackberry Hibiscus & Cinnamon Roll

And that was my entire weekend! Ha ha ha, I kid.

Before we indulged in donuts, Anne and I did her weekly long run together, yay! I stupidly dressed too cold, and the wind made me feel even worse. I don’t know what I was thinking. But I loved having all of that time to chat!!! <— duh, broken record, any time I get to run with a friend.

After our run (and donuts!), we made enchiladas for dinner,

then tried to watch Downsized. We almost made it to the end! What a neat idea for a movie. Too bad it never went anywhere.

Anne is one of Data’s favorite people to sit on

The weekend could only go downhill after that awesome Friday, right?

Ha, it kind of did. I woke up a little before 3:00 on Saturday with a headache, and could NOT fall back asleep. So I got up.

I worked on blog posts, rode my bike, read a little, tried to nap… then hung out with Anne when she got up, and left to teach fitness boxing (and go to Aldi) shortly thereafter.

When I returned home, I had to take a nap since I got less than four hours of sleep. I LOVE naps but I wanted to work on something for Steven and was not happy I was too exhausted to do so. Sigh.

While Anne was here, she told me about the Walmart Grocery app and I decided to give it a try for Sunday pickup, when I’d be near a Walmart. Imagine my surprise when I got a text during my run that my order was ready. On Saturday. Doh, I had requested the wrong date! I sped up and hurried home so I could go get the order during the window I asked for. I’m not sure if that matters or not, but I didn’t want to find out the hard way!

Pickup was hella easy, and I was impressed by the service (it’s free!). I will definitely use it again. I don’t like to shop, and really don’t like wandering around in (ANY) big box stores.

And they gave me a goodie bag with samples! Thanks to my lovely assistant for modeling it on the dining room table. Eyeroll. (He’s not supposed to be on the table, or counters, for that matter.)

Steven asked me why I hadn’t used it before – if I didn’t know about it. I did! I saw someone talking about it online, but all that person does is promote stuff, which makes me not see them as a valid source for reviews (seems insincere when every post is “this product/service is THE BEST EVER!”). I had to hear it from Anne. Sorry, internet marketing – I still use legit word of mouth.

Saturday night was chill! We watched a show and a movie and made dinner (pasta with sauce and meat-a-balls-a! <— have to say it that way).

I took NyQuil so that I would be able to fall back asleep whenever I woke up during the night, Saturday, and it worked! Hurrah!!!!

On Sunday I did my long run and was able to work on the thing I wanted to help Steven with. Yay!

I also got my manicure. Thank you to everyone who voted on the color. I did stick with blue, since it matches my singlet, but went a bit lighter, with “Gelato On My Mind.”

We felt like going out Sunday night (who are we?!) so we met Jen, Troy, and the kids for bowling. I was surprised at how busy the lanes were for a Sunday night. It was hectic! I felt like I couldn’t focus and my bowling was all over the place, but I still had fun.

Picture in which it does not look busy at all, ha

And we were still home and in bed by 9:20 pm! Win win! Ha.

I’ve been reading at night to help me fall asleep, and right now, I am reading Hanna Who Fell from the Sky, a novel about a young woman who lives in a polygamous town that she’s never left, and is about to turn eighteen and be married (to a man who has several wives and many children). Before her wedding, she meets a stranger who makes her think more seriously about things she’s been subconsciously questioning about the way of life in her community. I am curious to see how it ends! And I have just over a week before it’s due back at the library to do so! Ha.

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By kilax, March 23, 2018 3:44 am

I found MC Fioti’s “Bum Bum Tam Tam” watching a dance video on Instagram. I find quite a bit of my music that way – I like the music (hip hop) dancers use!

And “Bum Bum Tam Tam” was one I was instantly listening to on repeat, day after day..

Let me know what you think, and what you’re listening to right now!

VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION – I am getting a manicure on Sunday, and whatever color I get will be the one I have on when I do my 5K on April 7th.

So… should I stick with this blue, since it matches my singlet so well?!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this blue.

Or… should I get something else from the gorgeous OPI Lisbon Collection?! I like all of these colors (and have worn #4 before!):

Vote on what color I should get (if you want)! I will let you know what I end up with on Monday!

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By kilax, November 14, 2017 8:56 pm

I was at the salon getting my eyebrows waxed and sat in the beautician’s chair after so she could show me some eyebrow makeup.

But first:

What kind of foundation do you use?

I don’t use any.

Oh! What kind of moisturizer do you use then?

Uh… none.

Do you use a lotion?

Um, not really.

What do you use to wash your face?

Sometimes soap, in the shower (but not that often).

So yeah, probably not the best audience for that $78 bottle of moisturizer (even though it felt amazing). But I would like to try something new for my brows!

Similar to Monday’s sentiment, there are probably a whole lot of things I could be doing to take better care of myself. Eek!

I have been eating healthier. Yay! As a result, I have more energy (duh). But I also have a lot of work to do before some of my clothes fit again, and until I can run faster. I’ll get there. (But will I stay there? Muah ha ha. Ugh.)

Mentioning my diet reminds me of a conversation with a coworker. We were talking on the phone around lunch time and both of us were finishing up our meals. I told her I was having a peanut butter cup. She goes “I bet it’s some healthy, organic peanut butter cup!” It’s hilarious to me that people assume I eat über healthy because I am vegan.

It’s also hilarious to me that this brand of peanut butter cups actually is organic. That’s not something I shop for!

Speaking of work, I had more dreams last night about missing the train, then not being able to figure out the train schedule so that I could get on a later train to work (then somehow I ended up in a wedding dress). Is this better or worse than the dream I woke up to Monday, about a fatality I witnessed at an amusement park?

Ahh, commuting. Today’s train was late, and it was raining a bit. Whenever I commute to the office in rain/snow/bad weather, I think about a coworker who doesn’t come in anymore and how they often contact the people who do come in on days like this to say things like “the weather is so crappy this morning!” and “how was the commute?!” Annoying. And unnecessary.

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By kilax, October 18, 2017 7:05 am

I was in the office on the first day of my detail and wore a white blouse I had bought the previous weekend. Nothing like wearing something new on your first day with a new team, to give yourself a confidence boost, right?

Yeah, until halfway through the day, when you look in the mirror and realize the blouse is basically see-through in the back. And not that much better in the front.

Oops.

Luckily, it was a Monday, and Mondays are quiet in my office – my branch and team weren’t even in that day. Phew. (But a few other people were!)

And I definitely remembered to wear something under the shirt today.

I’m also trying something new today – one of those bun maker do-dads for my hair. I always wear my hair back, usually in some messy bun/knot thing. At least this looks less crazy than usual!

I’m already in the fourth week of my detail! It’s flying by and the dread of going back to my old position* is creeping in just a little bit, but I’m trying to ignore it and enjoy what I’m doing now.

The work I did before was design and external client based, and the work I’m doing now is data and internal client based, which suits my interests** much better. I am also the team leader in this detail, overseeing four people.

I’d been feeling stagnant in my old position for years, and more recently, was really disliking some of the new work we did (which I was vocal about)***. A few times, I’d mentioned to my boss that I was itching to learn something new, and had planned to ask if I could go on a detail about a month after my teammate came back from maternity leave. But, my boss ended up offering me this detail (to the first team I would have asked about!) before I even asked! I immediately said yes, and was so excited about it (and busy with my old position and getting ready for the new one) that I didn’t even take the time to be nervous about the fact that I was going to be on a new team, and in my first time in a leadership position.

I felt happy at work, that day, for the first time in a looooooong time. And it felt so good.****

There’s been a learning curve (duh) on the new team, and there’s been stress, but overall, my mood is much better. And I feel like I’m fitting in with my new branch and team well, and connecting with people.

So I am going to enjoy it now for what it is! When I go back to my old position, I can be grateful I got to do something different for a while.

*I am on a four month loan to another team. When it’s over, I have to go back to my old team. For me to stay on the team I am detailing in, my detail has to be extended. And to be permanently placed on the new team, the job position has to become open, and I have to compete for it against other applicants.
**So what if I am good at what I was doing before if I didn’t enjoy it at all?!
***And there’s more to it that I’ll leave off here.
****Even though I was anxious that this detail wouldn’t happen – I had tried to do two before this one that were both canceled!!!

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By kilax, May 26, 2016 12:59 pm

I checked the front of my outfit this morning

but forgot to check the back

Oops! My tattoo is showing!

Ha. IDGAF. Also, my boss was all “I love your dress! And insert coworker’s name had told me you have a tasteful tattoo – I can see it!” So I showed it to her. And she could read it (and liked it). Yay! (Although it elicited a response from another coworker – “You runners and your tattoos.” Huh? Ha).

Funny thing, a few months ago, I got out of the shower and was drying off in front of the mirror and turned around and gasped! A spider was on my back! But just after coming out of the shower? Huh?! That no make sense.

Oh. No. That’s my tattoo. That I forgot I have. Ha ha ha.

But the spider suspicion is not too ridiculous. We’ve had LOTS of interesting insects in our house. Hopefully, having replaced some of the rotted out doors will help with that! (Although we now have carpenter ants drilling holes in to our soffits to lay eggs… and a huge carpenter ant issue… fun times in the country!)

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By kilax, February 24, 2016 6:23 am

When we moved from the townhome to the rental house, I packed up the majority of my clothes. I left out the essentials, a few shirts to wear to work, all my blazers, a few dresses, my favorite casual shirts, and options for working out. The rental house didn’t have much for closet space, so what would be the point of putting everything out and packing it all up in two months, anyway?

Work shirt options – I go in to the office once a week (and went in up to three days in a row during this time frame) so it’s okay if I wear the same thing each week, ha!

When we moved in to our house, I only unpacked the clothes I had out at the rental. The closet situation is similar at the house – not as much storage as the townhome (which may change in the future, but not the close future).

So I have quite a few boxes of clothes, sitting in the basement. And save for getting out more dresses, and “special occasion” clothes, I don’t really see myself wanting to unpack and use much of it.

I discovered, at the rental house, that I like having less options. I must have filled my closet at the townhome to the brim, because I could. But I just don’t need all those options! I’m not in to fashion AT ALL! I just need a few decent things.

I keep seeing all those articles about how highly successful people wear a “uniform” – something very similar each day, so they don’t waste brain power deciding what to wear. Ha! I do tend to have my standard ware for work and home – so I may do that a bit. But mostly, I like not wasting too much time thinking about clothes, since I don’t care all that much. Until I get so sick of wearing the same things, that I do care, of course!

Right now I have the urge to get rid of everything* (clothing-wise) I haven’t unpacked. But I am going to wait a bit, and see if my urge to purge goes away. And if I start to crave some variety in what I am wearing. This urge to get rid of everything could stem from the fact that a lot of my clothes are old and too big, and make me feel frumpy, so I am only wearing the pieces that somewhat fit, anyway!

*And it’s not like I didn’t go through everything before the first move – I got rid of a ton of stuff! BLAH! How do I have so much stuff?

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By kilax, May 20, 2015 7:57 am

*Not really an expert

When I was chatting with my mom on Mother’s Day, she mentioned my dad was trying to glue cracks in a car dashboard together and it wasn’t holding. She said they were having a hard time finding the right kind of glue.

“Why didn’t you ask me?” I said. “I spent years building models in college! I am the glue expert!”

Of course, after saying that, I promptly forgot about it (since I don’t have to build models any more THANK GAWD)… until last Friday night when my dad hands me a dash and says “Okay, glue expert, tell me what I need.”

Oops. Ha ha.

We went to the hobby store Friday and got the glue I worked with (the most, anyway) in college. We glued the cracks on Saturday. On Sunday, we confirmed they were holding. Yay, success!

This post isn’t actually about glue though. It’s about how good it felt to be able to help my dad with something. All my life, he’s been helping me, doing things for me. It was nice to be able to help him with something for a change.

I felt the same way yesterday when I helped my mom with a write-up for work. It feels good to think I’ve acquired some skills that can assist other people, and especially my family!

And not related, but I have to share this cutie picture of me and Steven that I found when I was looking for the photo above. Awww. Young love!

Photo is from October or November 2002, not June, ha.

I’ll put this here since it’s a total First World Problem rant and doesn’t warrant its own post.

The good thing about working from home is that I don’t have to spend money on keeping my professional wardrobe up to date.

The bad thing about working from home is that when I have an important meeting and need to snaz it up a bit, I feel like everything in my closet is super outdated and blah. Ugh.

So I just keep wearing the same blouse and blazer combo and feeling grateful that my meetings are with different clients or that if they are with the same ones, that they are spread out enough that they might not notice the repeat outfit…

Maybe I’ll get a few new pieces at some point. Maybe. But I’d rather spend my money on running shoes and races. Ha!