I've Got the Power

Life is gettin'.. it's gettin'.. it's gettin' kinda hectic... I feel the stress of this job. MAN.. I don't think I've ever felt it like this.  I was fine up until I came back to work today.  This semester can't come to a close fast enough.  I haven't even kept up with this blog as much as I would have liked.

At any rate - if I were an iPhone, I'd be down to 20% power.  I barely have the energy to think or list things that I loved about today - but I will make my attempt with the last bit of battery life I have.  It totally doesn't help that I have a headache from my sinus pain.

1. I returned to work and people were happy that I was back.  That's always a good feeling - to be missed.
2. I downloaded the new Madonna album.  At the first listen or two, I wasn't feeling it.  Now I am totally diggin' it.  I love the energy of the record.  The beats are great!  Some of the lyrics are EXTRA simplistic but that has made the songs that much more singable. I haven't liked a Madonna album like this since the Music CD and that was AGES ago.
3. I am enjoying the game "Draw Something" on my phone - it's a nice challenge of the creative mind. 
4. When I woke up this morning I didn't have to iron a single thing. I LOVE those types of mornings.
5. Tonight I watched the show, "Touch" while it was actually airing.  This is such a great show.  I've talked about that a few times I know - but I was struggling for a 5th thing to love today and well, this was on and I love it. hahaha

Whoa is Knee...

What is your truth?  What truth would you like to share?  How truthful are you?  Seemed to be a theme today.  Something to think about.  At any rate - my knee has a deep pain.. It's like WHOA!  I may have to hit up a specialist tomorrow and have the fluids drained... yeah.. lots of info, huh? hahaha

1. "Truth is Life" - Frank Lloyd Wright.  I really like that quote.  I just heard it on a Ken Burns documentary tonight.
2. I went to the doctor about my knee injury. Turns out that it's bursitis.  I tell you what.  This is some crazy pain.. Almost as bad as my worst gout flare up.  The Doc was cool as ice though and gave me something for the pain. :0)  I hope I sleep better tonight.  Two days of not a lot of sleep is no good. 
3. My boss treated me to lunch.. Granted, I couldn't eat much.. but at least I didn't have to pay for it!
4. I had a really good laugh in the staff meeting today. It all stemmed from a bowel movement.  Gross, yes - but FUNNY AS HELL to hear the person bust into the meeting and announce why they were late. LOL
5. Tonight gave me another laugh - or maybe I'm high on Vicodin... but this video that is clowning on Chic-fil-A is hilarious!

Our Deepest Fear

Today someone was complaining about where they live and that they pretty much aren't worthy of being loved because they themselves are not able to give it for fear of being hurt. Why is fear so debilitating? I mean, ultimately we're afraid of how someone will respond and I get that.  We probably take more risks at work or when we drive a car or ride a bike than we do with finding love and happiness in our own lives.  I don't know about you but I value my own life and happiness. So, I am willing to take those risks.

1. Thinking about taking risks, I remembered this quote that I love by Marianne Williamson .
   

   “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

2. I forgot how much I enjoyed Public Television.  I love documentaries about the past.  I killed a good six hours watching the American Experience series on Lyndon B. Johnson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Very good programming. I think it's also fitting that FDR has the phrase, "There's nothing to fear but fear itself."  WHOA.. and then the first quote of the morning.  Hmmm.. someone is trying to tell me something. 
3. Gotta love free music.  A friend of mine makes mixes and you can download them on Sound Cloud.
4. I love that my interactions with people today has caused me to really reflect on what my passion is.  I haven't thought about it since my dog passed away at the end of January. I'm coming to a crossroad where I really need to reconnect with those thoughts.
5. I love how my friend's mom posts things on my Facebook timeline and I have never met the woman in my life. It cracks me up!  I can't wait to meet Ms. Rosetta!

26 Miles to go. I Want to be Sedated.

Today was an achievement.  My fitness achievement was on FIYAH!  So is my knee.  All that biking made my knee sore. It was a great day to be outside. I haven't biked this far in one day since last summer. Today is also my mom's birthday.  She would have been 67.  Whenever I think about it, it always seems like she only passed away just a couple of years ago.  It's actually been 12 years!  She's always in my head with the sayings she would say or things she would do.  Maybe that's why it never seems that long ago - I keep her memory alive.

At any rate -  let's get to the list, shall we?

1. Went biking with my housemate today.  We biked a total of 26 miles.  That was awesome.. and now my knee is killing me. hahaha I won't be biking for a few days but I burned 2600 calories!  that's also amazing in itself.
2. Who knew that the movie, "21 Jump Street" was going to be good as it was?  I know I didn't.  It was really enjoyable and I laughed out loud numerous times. 
3. I received an email from someone I dated and they apologized for something. That was pretty cool of them.  
4. Manassas Walgreen's stores close way too early.  Luckily I made it inside the store 5 minutes before they closed.
5. While in Walgreen's I picked up an all-natural sleep aid.  I took that pill and it knocked me right out.  I haven't slept that well in a long time - and I had knee pain!

It's the Little Things

Since I don't try to post daily there's a lot less pressure. Whew! Now I'm posting when I really feel like there's something great to post.  It doesn't mean things that I love haven't happened each day... it just means these are the noteworthy ones.

1. Man, one of the worst small ailments a person can have is gout. On a scale from 1 - 10... 10 being the worst of all small ailments (and don't ask me what that is but just imagine what would really suck for you), gout is about a 6.  When gout settles into your foot you can't walk.  You can't really do anything but work on treating it.  I've become an pro at treating my ailment when I have a flare up and I love that I had some gout medicine left over to help treat it.  I was back to walking (albeit with a limp) without crutches by the early evening.
2. I may have only been in the car with her for a short time as I gave her a ride home but I enjoyed hanging out with Wendy. It's been a long time since we did hang out.
3. Butterfinger makes these chocolate Easter eggs.  Delicious! Oh... and they were 3 for a $1.  Perfecto!
4. We did nominations for officers for the bowling league.  It's very exciting that we have at least one candidate for each officer position the week before elections.  That's a first in the three years I've been a member of the league.
5. I am LOVING the show, The Chew.  Since I've been on vacation I've gotten used to watching it.  They showed a pizza casserole on the show that I was like WHAT!!?!?!  That looked delicious!

Tuning In to My Inner Peace

Yeah, I've noticed.  These posts don't happen every day.  I've thought about why and I am concluding that it's because parts of my life are just overwhelming right now. To combat the feeling of being overwhelmed I have started biking.  There's nothing like breezing through the streets and trails and conquering a lot of miles.  I decided that if I'm going to bike I need to bike at LEAST 10 miles.  The next phase of overcoming this feeling is to just get over it and move on. hahaha Yes, it sounds simple and hopefully it is going to be simple.  I gotta come up with a master plan.  At any rate, there are still things I love each day - I just find it hard to make time to get in the frame of mind to post them.

1. When I woke up today I decided to take on a mission. That mission was to install my outdoor antenna.  I accomplished that task with excellent results!  Getting rid of cable has been an awesome experience and a financial coup since I didn't really watch many of those channels anyhow. With the new antenna I receive 45 channels. Oddly enough, I still only watch 2 - 3 of those channels. 
2. I love that I am good at meeting new people.  I am aware of this talent. Now if I can only translate that into something more. This leads me to a much larger thought that I'll keep to myself. hahaha
3. I went biking today and I was able to tackle some hills without a problem. I've gotten to those hills in the past and have always found them challenging.  I'm becoming a stronger biker.
4. Tonight was a Marshall University Phone-a-Friend day.  I heard from two of my college friends within an hour of one another. Very cool to hear from both of them and make potential plans for the future.
5. Today I noticed that a lot of people were being very friendly. It might be something that happens often or the fact that I was out and about early in the day before people get mean.  Whatever the case may be I loved that people exhibited kindness.

Jammin' on the One

  Hmmm... I wonder how many people will catch that reference in the title??  If you do, post the answer in the comments. :0) Today was just a great day all around... It was JAMMIN.. and it needed to be because this past week was a HOT ASS MESS... a H.A.M. if you will.  But today was nothing but rainbows and daffodils.  hahaha

1. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”― Mary Oliver, New and Selected Poem.  I saw this quote and loved it instantly!  Think about it...  
2. I rode 20 miles on my bike today and lived to talk about it!  YAY! Myra was good company. The WOD Trail had a few hills but it was cool riding it - might I mention that it's a paved trail?   
3. On the bike ride we stopped at Amphora... a delicious little place in Vienna, VA.  I ordered the Asian Chicken Salad.  It was the BOMB DIGGITY! I highly recommend.
4. I had a very memorable first date tonight. We tried out a new restaurant in the area called Absolute BBQ.  Good food.. but let me just say that I haven't felt like the one lone chocolate chip in a LONG while until tonight. LOL  Not a single black person in that place other than myself.  Even my date noticed.  To top it off.. they had live COUNTRY music.   Well, we both survived and I actually knew a lot of the songs they were singing.  I mean, I DID live in West Virginia for nearly a decade!
5. My Teena Marie station on Pandora is JAMMIN! 

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

Today I challenged myself to a biking adventure.  I'm gearing up for cycling season and wanted to bike to work.  Normally it's a 16 miles trip but I drove part of the way and cycled the rest.  7.5 miles covered in one direction and I had to ride back to my car!  Man, what a way to kick off this fitness program. I am exhausted!

1. What I loved about biking is that I burned nearly 1500 calories!  That's awesome! 
2. Since I burned so many calories I decided to treat myself to a Blooming Onion from Outback Steakhouse.  Oh my, how delicious!
3. I discovered Mary Tyler Moore on Hulu Plus - I keep finding these old classics.  The thing about this classic is that I've never watched it before. I'm enjoying each episode!  Classic Comedy - much different than most of the shows on TV today.
4. The weather today was awesome for a bike ride - 72 degrees. I'm glad it was cool (and breezy) because biking on those hills had me sweating. If it were warmer I can only imagine how much sweating I would have done. lol
5. This was the first time in a long time that I was home fairly early.  I was home before the NBC Nightly News came on. Now THAT'S early!

Leapin' Lizards!

Sometimes you just have to take the leap.  The leaping can happen in many situations.  Tonight I leaped twice.I also reconnected with my past.  It was nice to catch up.  I even left a couple of phone message with others who may or may not return a phone call. At least I did my due diligence. hahaha

At any rate, let me talk about this leaping business!

1. I browsed Hulu Plus and came across the show, Quantum Leap.  I used to love this show. Now I get to relive all 5 seasons of it at my leisure.
2. Sometimes I love when the day flies by.  Lately the weeks have been doing that... I love when it does because that means the weekend has returned.
3. I enjoy meeting with students and watching them learn something new.
4. I took a leap today with a job that I saw posted. I figured, "Why not?".  It's in California and that's where I really want to be. It's not every day that you see positions like that.
5. I love that I solidified plans for the 20 miles bike ride on Saturday with Myra.  Now I just have to get Garey to commit to it. hahaha. That'll be a HUGE leap for him. Hell, a huge leap for me considering I haven't biked in over a year.

No Sleep 'til Fairfax

 I'm writing this and I'm so tired that I barely have my eyes open.  I always feel like I rushed to type this entry but honestly - it all came to me pretty easily. Okay, NOW I just nodded off.  Let me hurry up and do this list.

1. Okay.. while I don't like ANY of the movies, the latest Twilight soundtrack is pretty damn good! That song by Bruno Mars is really what pulled me into this soundtrack.
2.  I didn't feel like going and even had a headache but I went to the gym anyway and I am happy that I did. .
3. Looking through all of the old shows on HULU Plus, I picked out quite a few so that I can go back down memory lane. Quantum Leap, anyone?
4. During a meeting today we were brainstorming ideas.  Sometimes brainstorming yields okay results. Today we got great results that seem within reach. I love that.
5. Nothing said, "Delicious" today better than Barbara's Coconut covered, buttercream frosted birthday cake from Wegmans!  OMG - that was the bomb!

Songs That Made the Hit Parade

I've watched a LOT of television today.  It all started this morning with one of my favorite shows as a kid (more on that later). It's been a good day overall.  No complaints at all.

1. Crackle TV is awesome. Plain and simple.  I started watching All in the Family. The series was so groundbreaking!  It tackled a lot of issues and used words and racial slurs that leave you in disbelief.  The topics they covered are so important even today.  I bet a show like this would never last on the air today.
2. Cool Ranch Doritos. Nuff said.
3. I made the quickest, tastiest dinner today - Chicken Alfredo.  It was done within 20 minutes.
4. The bookstore was having a clearance sale and I couldn't resist buying a new collegiate sweatshirt. I love it and can't wait to wear it.
5. The new Madonna song is pretty catchy - Girl Gone Wild - it's delightful.

Great Deals and Things of that Nature

Who says you can't get a lot done when you only have 4 hours of sleep?  haha!  I was exhausted when I woke up today but I had plans.  I wanted to get to REI and check out there Attic Sale and I had plans to help a friend look for a bicycle.  He's planning to get fit and I convinced him to do bike with us on the W O D Trail this coming weekend.  I'm excited about that!

1. I had a great time hanging out with my friend from work. Bike shopping and just regular shopping was cool. Always nice to expand my group of friends.
2. We stopped by the bike shop and met the owner.  He was pretty chill and seems on the up and up.  I'm definitely going to take my business to him from now on. 
3. Made a stop at Dick's Sporting Goods and scored a pair of Reebok shoes for $5!  Can you believe that?  I love a good deal! 
4. It was a busy night for phone calls.  I guess it was better than NOT getting phone calls. hahaha So that's something worth loving.
5. One call that I got tonight was from my brother - he's finally sending me that Timbuk2 Messenger Bag! YAY!  I'm excited. These bags are expensive and since I'm getting it for free.. it's a GREAT DEAL!

Never too late!

It's time for me to post about Sunday and here I am posting about Saturday.  It's never too late to tell you about why Saturday ROCKED! 

1. A friend of mind asked me if I were going out in DC. I originally told myself that I'd stay home and enjoy watching movies.  Well, I changed my mind and said I'd go as long as I didn't have to drive.  I'm glad I went. It was such a fun night.
2. I sang a few songs at karaoke. One song I rocked the hell out of.  R.E.M.'s "The One I Love".  People kept saying how much they enjoyed it. That was an awesome feeling.
3. I met someone interesting at the bar and it's RARE that I meet someone at the bar, exchange numbers and we make plans to have dinner.  VERY RARE.
4. I shopped all over for an over the air antenna and no one seemed to have one. Then I tried HH Greggg and found one - FINALLY!  Network TV - I'm coming back for ya! 
5. I went to 7-Eleven and saw that they have a new flavor of cappuccino.  Cookies and Cream.  It is delicious!

Failed Haiku

All this rain.  Although I shouldn't complain.  We need the rain. Wow.. that was like a poem.  If I cared enough, I'd check to see if it were on the verge of a haiku. hahaha Okay.. I did take the time and learned that I could have turned it into a proper haiku if I wanted - but I digress.

Made a mini adventure out of a trip to DC tonight. It was definitely an adventure but fun. I think that I will have more fun and make a few things on my list into haiku. hahaha

1. Tonight I experienced Ben's Chili Bowl for the first time.  I loved the experience but that chili I did not. hahaha  
2. Hanging out with a friend from bowling was fun.  Too bad his GPS was off it's rocker. I'm following him in my car and we're all over Northwest DC.. but hey.. it was fun.  The rain couldn't keep us from getting a half-smoked and some chili!
3. It rained all night long - so badly I ran to car - love that I did that short run.
4. My home is empty - a very nice feeling now -Wow, how FANTASTIC! 
5. A productive day -  at work I feel accomplished - back smiling!

The Beginning of the End

Today I came to a conclusion - This blog will have to end at some point.  I need an end date. Finality. This way I will have achieved a goal.  That new goal is to have 365 posts.  This way I will have accounted for one year of listing the things I love each day.  I'm nearing 200 posts and this all occurred to me.  Some days I list "similar" things I love. Some days have more unique entries. So there you have it - a pending conclusion.

1. The weather was awesome today.  Made me think of biking this weekend. My friend told me that she was up for a bike ride next weekend. Then another friend mentioned that he thought about buying a bike and I told him that I would go look for one with him on Sunday so that he could bike with us next weekend. I love that others are wanting to bike with me this year!
2. Second workout of the week happened TODAY!! WOO HOO!
3. I enjoyed the "office party" in Rosanna's office.  Good times! 
4. I talked to my friend from bowling about going out tomorrow night and we're hittin' the town! I think this will be a fun night out.
5. I made a new style of bracelet tonight after swooping into AC Moore and picking up some new cord. I'm diggin' the new style.  Hopefully others will, too.

Ooh.. and I have another one to add - I love the Mormon episode of Southpark. It is hilarious.  It came to mind when I saw a friend on Facebook like the musical, "The Book of Mormon". hahaha