Good grief!

A few minor rants today:

1. One does not need to see the new movie World Trade Center to be a "proud American." This gets so old. Also, just because a person doesn't want to see the movie or doesn't agree with the war in Iraq does NOT mean that the person has forgotten what happened 9/11. No, it just means that maybe that person thinks there was a better way of handling the aftermath and that 9/11 had nothing to do with the war in Iraq.

I think I posted about this a while back, but I don't intend to see this movie in the theater and may some day watch it at home. Just seeing the previews upsets me. I do watch that last DVD of my New York documentary from time to time, and for me that works better than a Hollywood movie. I also know that the actual policemen and their wives were part of the process of making this movie, so I think, although it's Hollywood, it will be fairly accurate to what happened to them. Still, if I see it I will be at home where I will feel free to be emotional.


2. AC/DC and similar music is not going to make people crazy and do things they wouldn't do otherwise. I can understand not wanting a young child wearing a shirt like that, especially when he just likes the look of it and doesn't know who AC/DC is. However, I disagree that it's devil music -- that whole thing gets soooooo old. I listened to, and still listen to, that kind of music and I have yet to grow horns, kill a person, or anything else some people seem to associate with metal. I will admit to, when I was younger, wearing my Metallica t-shirts and heavy black eye makeup to go cross stitch shopping, just to see the reactions lol. I don't like being pigeon-holed and it was my way of getting a bit of a rise out of people, maybe making them think for a split second about their assumptions. I was always very polite and nice and always bought a decent amount of stuff. When I did the same thing at other stores I noticed that I was followed around quite a bit, probably because they thought I'd steal something. At the LNS it was the opposite, because they probably simply thought I was in the wrong store. :)


3. Thewe new H3 commercials are pretty stupid and offensive. The idea that one has to buy one of these gas-guzzling pieces of crap to be a real man or a woman who stands up for herself is stupid. That's the whole problem with some SUV drivers -- notice I said SOME, not ALL. Some of these people get behind the wheel of these monster vehicles and they get a power trip and drive like maniacs and think they own the road and that everybody needs to get out of the way. So now we have a lovely commercial driving that attitude home. Great job.


That is all. I'm sure I'll have more ranting later, the way things already are going on some of my boards.

Decided what car I want to buy

After looking at some Consumer Reports information and pricing online, I've decided that I'm going to get either a new or used Scion Xa, which is the cute little hatchback. The base model comes with almost everything I really want, and I'll get the additional side airbags on a new model, and hopefully on a used model if available. I'd love to get one with a sunroof, but that's only if I get a really fantastic deal. I'll miss not having it, but it's not the end of the world -- I'd rather have the airbags and a CD player. I figure I'm also better with an automatic. I learned how to drive on a manual transmission, and Tim says I drive a manual better than he does :) but I'm hard on a clutch and around here I'd go crazy doing nothing but shifting and downshifting.

I don't plan on buying one for a few months so that I have time to save up a decent down payment, and I'll start by going to the place down the street a ways. I would love to get the dark red one, but it really depends on what type of deal I can get. The color really isn't that important, although I'd like to avoid another white car if I can. My big ol' Buick was white and it seemed that, even as big as it was, people didn't see it and ran into me often. I've heard that silver cars are also hard to see.

I feel really good about my decision. I have some ideas for a backup in case, for some reason, I can't get a Scion -- Honda Civics, some years of the Ford Focus, and the 2004 Dodge Neon are also rated pretty high. But I really want that little Scion. I miss driving a small car, and this one tested as pretty safe, especially with those side airbags.

Goal-setting at work today

Well, today we had our departmental meeting where we discussed goals for the department as a whole and our own individual goals. Our fiscal year just ended in the end of June, so this is for the next fiscal year, and salary increases are based on how well we meet those goals at the end of the year.

I really like the fact that our salaries are based on something this concrete. We, with the help of our boss, create our own goals so they are projects in which we are interested and think we can accomplish but aren't part of our normal job description. I think this is the first place I've worked that does this, and I don't know why more places don't do something similar. Where I used to work, I brought up the idea of merit raises and was told that it wasn't fair because some people didn't have the opportunity to do extra things. That never made sense to me. Even somebody who is on the front desk has an opportunity to do something different -- a new idea or two, come up with a better way of doing things -- something! So, no matter what you did you got the same rate increase as everyone else. That always bothered me and seemed to punish people who went above and beyond their job descriptions.

Another place I used to work were a bit inconsistent with raises. One of my friends was promoted and received a higher salary with her higher level of responsibility. Makes sense, right? Well, when the time came the following year when most people were getting the same percentage in raises, she was told, "Well, we gave you that big raise last year so this year you're not getting as much as everyone else." Hello! That wasn't a raise, it was a promotion! Just didn't seem right.

Anyway, so I'm excited about my goals. It's a bit scary looking at it, thinking that I only have a year in which to accomplish this in addition to my regular duties plus the additional departmental duties we have this year. That's why they hired me though, they needed a third manager to handle all the extra work load with the new branding and the capital campaign, among other large projects.

A few accomplishments

I went to the water aerobics class last night and swam a few laps afterwards. She was tougher today, which is good. Last week I was a little disappointed as it wasn't as much of a workout as I'd had before, but I think there were quite a few of us new ladies and she probably wanted to be sure we didn't get overtaxed. I figured, though, that even if it's not always a heavy workout, it's something I'm doing in the water that I enjoy. I can always swim some laps before or after, so this is just extra.

I finished one of the items on my 101 list - read a book by Pete Hamill. I really enjoyed Downtown: My Manhattan and intend to read more of his books. I'm interested in reading his fiction, as he seems to be a great storyteller. I just ordered Beowulf from Amazon so we'll see if I can read through that. I've heard mixed reviews about it, but figure I'll read it for myself and see. I think I'm the only one alive who actually LIKES the Council of Elrond section of The Lord of the Rings, so I don't always depend on others to tell me what books I'll enjoy. :)

Movie Meme

Let's change things up a little. You're on a desert island with a TV, DVD Player and 5 DVDs (plus enough batteries to run them). Which ones are they?

This is tough, I have lots of movies! Well the first three are pretty easy -- all three Lord of the Rings DVD sets. They are the extended versions so not only do I have the movies but I have plenty of commentary and extra footage to watch. The other two would have to be Dodgeball and Wedding Crashers. I'll need some stupid funny movies to break things up a bit.

The car is kaput

Took the car to the mechanic up the street and asked him to run a diagnostic on the engine and let me know how much it will be to fix and his opinion about it being worth fixing. He called me this afternoon and said that, while it was up to me, he didn't think it was worth it for me to put more money into this car and to use the money instead to put into a new car. I thought that would be the verdict, but I had to be sure. It says a lot for the mechanic, as he could have taken me for a lot of money to keep fixing this and that.

So, I'm looking into buying something in December, figuring that's when I can get good deals on 2006 cars and maybe cars from a previous year or two. In the meantime, I will save up some money for a better down payment. In the end, this is really a good thing because I probably should have done this a year ago. I just hated the idea of having car payments again. Oh well, this way I can get a smaller car that's easier to park and maneuver and is better on gas than my '95 Buick Regal. I can get a new Scion, Chevy Aveo, Toyota Yaris, or a Saturn for between $10k and $14k. If I'm going to get a car, I'm going to pay the extra to have a/c and a CD player. I'd love to also have a sunroof, but that's not as important. Those are the prices I'm seeing now. In December I think I'll get a better deal while they are trying to get the old cars off the lot. The only exception is the Yaris, as I think the first year of those is 2007, not sure. I'm not sure if I want to buy a car the first year it's made, as all the kinks aren't out. Well, I have a few months to think about it, save up some money, and then go to a few places and see what deals I can get.

It's a shame, though. I really liked that car, although in the past year she really went downhill. She was very comfortable and I loooooved the sunroof. I've had her longer than any other car, so it's hard to let go. It seems silly to get so attached to something inanimate, doesn't it? lol

My weigh-in is tomorrow morning. We'll see how I do. As of last week I was down another 2 pounds but I was eating like nuts this weekend. I'm probably not down any, but that's OK. Sometimes I surprise myself and lose a little when I don't think I will, and not when I think I should. I don't get it.

New York City history

I finally finished this one yesterday. I've been chipping away at it on the way to and from work and finally finished it. It's a very good book, but I'll have to read it again some day to pick up what I missed, as there's sooooo much information. The problem with reading books on the train is that sometimes there are very sad parts and I try not to cry in front of people, who would think I've lost it. The last part of the book talks about how so many people willingly gave up their lives because they were so sure that this war would leave Europe secure and that by fighting this terrible war such a terrible war would never have to be fought again. Of course, we all know that WWI was the setup for WWII, even though they thought at the time that it was "the war to end all wars." Seeing their feelings written down in this way, though, really got to me.

So, now I'm reading a book that's less dense but very interesting nonetheless. It's Downtown: My Manhattan by Pete Hamill. One of the items on my 101 list is to read one of his books, and this recently came out in paperback and I grabbed it. I'm going to have to read some of his other works, as he's a joy to read. This book talks about lower Manhattatn, where he's lived most of his life except for when he was a young child living in Brooklyn. I became interested in him after seeing his interviews on my New York documentary. He just seemed so downt-to-earth and is a son of Irish immigrants, and the way he talks and tells a story is really interesting. His writing is the same -- I feel like he's sitting next to me, telling me about the people he sees while spending some time at The Battery, and talking about what he sees there naturally leads him into talking about the history of that part of the city.

It's very strange, this fascination I have recently acquired regarding NYC's history. NYC is not someplace I actually care to visit, as I can't handle all the crowds. It's a shame, because I really would like to see some of these places, and maybe I'll force myself to take a train ride and stay a night or two once in a while, since it's pretty close to Philly. I went there once for 5 days when I was in college. I was there for a college press conference, and by the time I left I was soooo ready to leave lol. I just can't take all the people in one place; being in the middle of a big crowd when I can't see out makes me very anxious.

Anyway, I grew up hating the city. When I was a kid, I constantly heard my dad bemoaning the fact that a lot of the taxes he paid went to those who lived in NYC. I also remember him seeing the "city people" taking pictures of the beautiful deer eating our crops across the road. It didn't sit well with him. :)

I guess it was after 9/11 and watching this documentary for the first time on tv that I started getting interested in the city. It's interesting to see how so many things that happened there really did set the pace for the rest of the country. The New Deal started in NYC after the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory fire, which was absolutely horrific. One creepy part of this documentary is that, since it was finished in 2001 before 9/11, there are strange little foreshadowings and ironies in the piece that would have meant nothing before 9/11, but much more after. One of the worst parts about the Triangle fire was that the women were on the 8th and 9th floors and couldn't get out because the exits were closed, presumably so that union reps could not get in. Of course, the women couldn't get out and ended up having to jump out of the building. The reform movement started after this, they say, so that something so horrific would never happen in the city again. I couldn't help but think that it happend almost 100 years later, with people jumping from much higher up to escape a fire. There are quite a few little moments like that, that bring home what happened on 9/11.

I guess that's why I've become interested. On a board I visit we were discussing how that day affected people differently, and for many people in the country it was "business as usual" a few days later. I wasn't sure what she meant by that and asked her, and during our conversation I discovered she meant that in NYC, people still look scared if they hear an overhead plane flying lower than usual, etc. I don't really do that here in Philly, although when I hear a plane flying lower than usual I do think of that day, but I don't get that scared feeling. But, in many ways, my personal life didn't go back to "business as usual." That day changed me, granted not in as profound a way as those who witnessed it firsthand, and I don't want to make it look like I suffered what they did -- there's just no way that's true. However, I have become more weepy since then. I don't cry for no apparent reason, but I tend to tear up more often when something sad happens in a movie, or in a book. Heck, I nearly bawled at the end of Harry Potter 6. The Triangle fire incident really upsets me when I watch a documentary about it, or read about it. So, for me it has never been "business as usual" since that day. While I don't want to EVER negate the feelings of New Yorkers on that day, or those in or near Washington, D.C for that matter, I don't want them to think that it didn't matter to me and that it was no big deal. I've cried my tears for their loss on that day, believe me.

I have very mixed feelings about this new movie coming out, World Trade Center. I won't be seeing it, I can tell you that right now. Maybe I'll be able to watch it in 10 years, I don't know. When I want to memorialize that day, I have the additional DVD that was made after the attacks and added to that NY documentary. It's 3 hours of narrative and interviews about the rise and fall of the towers and is magnificent. I'd much rather watch that, the truth about what happened, than a Hollywood version of that day. That being said, for some people this may be good for them. Perhaps it will help some of the families and friends of victims have some closure? I really don't know, as I'm not in their shoes, but if this movie helps any of them then who am I to say it should be banned? I'm not one to think any movie, book, newspaper, etc. should ever be banned, anyway. If you don't want to see it, don't see it. If you want to protest that it was made, I'm not going to stop you, but neither am I going to join you.

Holy crap!

Man, I'm wiped! I met with one of my programs in Northeast Philly today. Took me a while getting there using SEPTA, but I'd rather do that than drive. Luckily the buses and trains have a/c, but just the little time I spent outside in-between really sapped me of energy. The meeting itself was long (about 3 hours) but it was really good and I think we made a lot of progress.

The blueberry swims!

Yes, I'm the blueberry. I've oftened referred to myself as looking like a blueberry on a stick when I wear my navy bathing suit lol. Well, I finally got my butt to the pool today and am sooooo glad I did. I feel great! I'll be sore tomorrow, but that's good, too.

I forgot about the aqua aerobics class tonight and showed up right before it started so I went ahead and took part. I was planning to do this class at some point as I've done them before, so I'll probably do this every Wednesday. I swam for a few laps after, then got in the lovely jacuzzi. It's in the locker room, and if nobody's in there I like to just float around in it. I'm sure it looks strange, but it's so relaxing that I don't mind.

When I signed up at this place, I was told they had everything. Well, I believe them now! I took a bunch of stuff with me when I went thinking that some of the stuff they told me was there probably wasn't all the time if people walked off with it. Not very trusting, am I? Well, I find that I really don't need to bring anything but my suit, goggles and cap and any clothes I may want to change into that are different from what I wore there. They have body wash, shampoo and shaving cream (!) in the showers, lotion, hair spray and spray deoderant in the changing area, and hair dryers (some with attachments) and curling irons. They also have a stash of feminine hygiene stuff and razors you can take and toss after you're done. Of course, there's also a towel service. I doubt I'd use their spray deoderant as I don't know the brand and that's something I don't like messing with, but the place is great! It's right up there with the place I went to a few years ago before I was laid off, and it's about a 10-minute walk from work so when I get there I'm a little warmed-up.

They also have a masters swimming class. I'm going to talk to the coach about what he thinks about he joining in the fall. It's $30 a month and they practice from 6:30 - 8:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That would help motivate me to lose more weight, plus the workouts would help me to lose it. I always lost weight pretty quickly when I was doing competitive swimming workouts in high school, although I doubt these will be as tough and my body isn't going to lose it as quickly.

All in all, it was a good evening :)

Newsflash -- It gets hot in summer

I know I'm being facetious, but it amazes me the big deal made on the news about this two-day heat wave. I don't know why these things continue to surprise me, but they do. It needs to be on the news, especially the weather segments, so that people can prepare and yes, people need to be careful in the heat and dreadful humidity. As bad as it was yesterday, it was worse today because it felt like the humidity was much higher.

However, when I watched the news the last few mornings, half the time was taken up by this "story." Reporter at this train station, reporter at that train station, reporter on this corner, reporter at that building, reporter near a fountain, reporter in the suburbs, etc. Yes, we get it, it's hot as Hades.

That being said, I'm going to get off the computer now because it's starting to get reaaaaalllly funky outside. The temperature just dropped at least 10 degrees, it's getting very dark and windy, and we know what that means. Works for me, as long as if the power goes out it's not for long -- it will help us cool off.

More newsflashes, courtesy of Mindy Memories:

It snows in winter.
Leaving things in your car in the summer is not a good idea.
Drink fluids to avoid getting dehydrated.
Leaving your pool full in the backyard could be dangerous to a child if he or she is unsupervised.
If you stay out in the sun a while without sunscreen you may get a sunburn.

The Devil Wears Prada

Don't think I mentioned that Dana and I went to see "The Devil Wears Prada" this past weekend. I loved it! I heard the book was better (usually is) but I really enjoyed the movie. Meryl Streep was great, but I absolutely loved Stanley Tucci's character. I always like him -- he's so versatile and seems so underrated.

Also, I have a public service announcement: Just because you are putting your stuff on the counter of the WaWa because you don't want to carry it around while you get more stuff, it doesn't mean that you are "in-line" and can just jump in line behind whoever is at the register, nevermind the line of people behind you.

Thank you.

:)

Movie Meme

I've been very remiss in keeping up with the Movie Musings meme. Here's the latest question:

Who are some of your all time favorite actresses? (We did actors previously.) What is your favorite roll for each one? Are there any actresses you just can't stand or whose films you avoid?

Hmmm, there aren't a lot of actresses I'm crazy about. So many of them get stuck in shallow annoying roles or have to wear fat suits to portray us poor fat women who apparently can't get a man or go up a flight of stairs without fainting. But I digress...

I really like Cate Blanchett. I've liked her ever since I saw her in Elizabeth and was ticked that she lost the Oscar to Gwyneth Paltrow -- I didn't care at all for Shakespeare in Love and don't think she's that great an actress. I also really liked Blanchett in The Gift. She was beautifully creepy in The Lord of the Rings, which was great because I got the impression from the book that Galadriel was supposed to be lovely but a little scary at the same time.

I really like Ashley Judd. I get the sense from her that she's a relatively normal person in real life, and I like that. I really enjoy her movies, probably because she does seem "normal." The only movie of hers I've seen that I didn't like was Eye of the Beholder. It just didn't make much sense to me.

I've also become a Rachel McAdams fan. I haven't seen The Notebook but heard she was good in it. I enjoyed her in The Wedding Crashers, Red Eye, and Mean Girls, and I wanted to slap her character's face in The Family Stone lol.

I also like Keira Knightley. The weight controversy surrounding her aside, I think she's a very mature actress for her age. I thought she was beautiful in the Pirates movies, but I really liked her in King Arthur. She was what, 18 when she made King Arthur? While other actresses her age are out doing typical teenager/young adult movies, she's in real adult movies.

I'll add one more -- I like Natalie Portman. First movie I saw her in was The Professional and she was a young kid. I loved her in Heat, although she made me cry. I saw her in a movie with Susan Sarandon where she often had to act like a grownup because her mom (Sarandon) didn't. I've seen a lot of her movies and liked her in V for Vendetta and thought her British accent was very good.

As far as actresses I don't care for...

I don't get the big deal with Uma Thurman. I've seen a few movies she's been in, but not because she was in them. I don't think I've really liked any of them. I've avoided the Kill Bill movies because she just annoys me. I don't think SHE annoys me, really, but the big deal that everybody makes about her annoys me. I don't get it.

Same thing with Cameron Diaz. I don't get it.

Julia Roberts... well, sometimes I like her, sometimes I don't. Obviously, I HATED My Best Friend's Wedding because it had both her and Cameron Diaz. I saw it with friends and absolutely despised Roberts' character. I never got into Pretty Woman, either. However, I think she deserved her Oscar for Erin Brockovich -- I thought she was fantastic in that movie, and it was very different from her usual roles. I also liked Sleeping With the Enemy and a few other movies. It may not be her so much as the types of movies she tends to take on.

101 in 1001 days

I was going to post about the arguments I've been seeing recently where some Christians are told they aren't so because they don't hate all Muslims. Well, I've talked about that enough times here that there's no point in doing it again. Most of you know I like or dislike people based on what they actually do, not on what God they believe in, or don't.

The main reason I wanted to post was to mention that I'm jumping on the "101 list" bandwagon. I've created a second blog so that it's easier for me to track my list. I'm making the list this weekend and will be starting "doing" on Monday, whether or not the list is actually finished. The blog is simply called Mindy's 101 list and I'm going to add a link to my sidebar.

My event today was great!

For one, we weren't outdoors the whole time. I was very happy with that. We were only out there during two plantings.

The biggie for me was that I actually got some of the media to show up! I've tried this before with little result, at my last job, so was thrilled today. Cameramen from both Channel 6 and Channel 10 came, a reporter from "The Jewish Exponent" was there the whole time and talked to several people, and a reporter and photographer from "Northeast Times" showed up and was there for quite some time. So, the program director thinks I'm wonderful, which is nice, but I really didn't do anything other than send out media advisories and make a few phonecalls. I think it may have something to do with what's going on with Israel at the moment, trying to show some good things, especially within the Jewish community. We actually had a real planting and then a fake one about an hour later because the media showed up at different times lol.

The kids were great and the senior citizens really enjoyed the time spent together. One dear lady got up and said how great it was and that she hoped they'd be back and think of them as grandparents. We could tell that the people who worked at this building of Federation Housing like what they do and know how to treat seniors well. The residents seemed happy, looked great for their ages, and were pretty active.

So, it was a great event and I think it may get the program more funding in the future, possibly some scholarship money for the high school students to go to college. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Tomorrow should be interesting

Most of tomorrow I'm going to be at one of my program's events outside. I'm not looking forward to the heat and humidity (when do I ever?) but the actual event should be great. We have two summer intern programs, one for at-risk Jewish high school students, the other for Jewish college students, and the college kids act as mentors to the high school kids. Tomorrow they are working together on a Mitavah project, which is helping senior citizens living in one of the Jewish Federation houses plant a small memorial garden. The seniors will share stories about the person they are memorializing, and will also receive Shabbat baskets. I think it's going to be great and hope that some of the media I contacted show up. With all the bad press about kids, it would be nice to see something good about some.

One thing about this job is that I'm learning quite a bit about Jewish traditions. It's very interesting.

SBQ

Since you started blogging, have you noticed any difference in yourstitching habits? Tell us about them.

I take more pictures of my finished projects and WIPs so that I can get them on my blog. Sometimes I make create monthly stitching goals, and I got that idea from some other blogs. I don't always do it, as it depends on if my mood is to stitch whatever I want or to focus on actually getting some things finished. :)

OK, this annoys me

At a board I frequent we were discussing what is acceptable to wear to jury duty. One person posted that a judge where she lives doesn't allow women in his court room unless they are wearing a skirt or dress.

So, does this mean that as long as I show up in any sort of skirt or dress it's OK? Can I show up in a micro-mini that is about 3 inches long and sits barely above my pubic bone? Can I wear a skin-tight dress that is painted on? It's not pants, right?

That attitude just pisses me off. I have plenty of beautiful pants and some pants suits that are perfectly acceptable in the business world and should be fine for me to wear to court, woman or not. But nooooooo, because I'm a womban (spelling intentional) I'm supposed to wear dresses and skirts all the time to be professional.

Those of you who read my blog often know that I've recently invested in some nice skirts, so it's not that I'm anti-skirt. It's just the thought that this judge (don't know the gender) wants to force women to wear skirts or dresses.

No, it's not a biggie to me in the long run, considering this judge is not near me, and I'm not THAT worked up over it. I just get tired of people treating women so much differently than men.

Oh, and for the person who commented about the stitching questions -- Near the bottom of my sidebar, under "Favorite Memes" there's a link to the Stitching Blogger's ?. That's where we get our stitching questions. :)

SBQ catch-up

It would be a lot easier if I'd answer these things every week instead of en masse like this. Oh well. :)

What is the biggest mishap you have had with your stitching material?
(Knock on wood) I've never really had a huge mishap with my material. The worst was probably when I mismeasured the fabric for Christmas Elegance and ended up with only about an inch at the bottom for framing. She's been framed for a few years and you can't tell, the framer did a fabulous job.


What do you do with your charts once you’ve stitched them? Do you keep them or dispose of them? If you keep them, do you organize them in a way that is different from the way you keep your unstitched charts?

It depends. Sometimes I give them to people who are looking for them, other times I keep them if I think I'll stitch them again. I usually pass on my Mirabilias, but now that people are coming up with such lovely color converions I may have to rethink that. I gave away "The Kiss" after stitching it for a friend, but then I saw a gorgeous conversion to a blue dress and will probably buy the chart again to stitch the blue version for myself. If I keep them, I put them back in with the unused charts so that I can find them again if I need them.

Have you ever used a magnifying glass while stitching? If so, did you find it helpful?
If I stitched over one I'd probably need to use one -- that's why I don't stitch over one. :) No, I've never used one.

How many cross stitch books do you own and how often do you use them?
I'm going to say "lots of cross stitch books" and "not very often" and leave it at that. :)

funky eyes

Must be the weather and the pollen in the air, but my eyes have really been acting up lately. I'm taking Alavert (OTC) and using Visine, but my eyes are still getting really blurry and irritated. I'm having a lot of "gunk" problems, like I have Pink Eye but I don't because my eye isn't red except for the rims, probably from rubbing them too much. Probably working in the city isn't helping. So, I'm tossing all my eye makeup and starting over, but won't be wearing any for a few days until this gets cleared up. I hate not wearing any eye makeup at all, as I like to have at least mascara, but I think it will help to not have any extra irritants. I'm also going to probably replace my old stuff with better quality from Physician's Formula or maybe Bare Escentuals. I know the BE stuff isn't cheap, but if I can wear it without having eye problems it's definitely worth it. I actually left work a little early today because it was hard for me to see what I was doing. Good thing I take the train and don't need to drive to work.

Just stupid stuff -- nothing serious but still annoying.

Done shopping for a while

I don't shop very often for clothes, but when I do I guess I mean business :) I bought a few more skirts and tops. I went to Talbots as and bought a pretty pale yellow skirt with white embroidery at the bottom, a short-sleeved white sweater, a pair of turquoise and a pair of melon capris (petites, so they really are capris on me), a white tank top and a crocheted pullover sweater. Everything was half off, so I got some great quality pieces for an affordable price. I also picked up a few tank tops at Old Navy, something I can wear under the sweater and with a few blouses so I don't have to button them and can wear them as summer jackets. I also picked up a pretty turquoise print skirt at Old Navy, just a simple A-line cotton skirt. Oh, and I stopped by Kohls to pick up some things for Tim's mom and while I was there picked up a quite georgette short print skirt and a sweater one-piece that looks like a twin set. While at Kohls I picked up some beautiful scarves on sale and have been wearing them as a headband with the bottom coming out from under my hair and down my back a little. I really like that look, and it keeps my hair out of my face. I just got it cut, but sometimes it's just easier to put the scarf in and go rather than trying to style it. With the scarf I look like I at least did something with it. :)

So, no more shopping for me! I feel good, though, having nice summer clothes that don't look sloppy on me. I had a bit of an epiphany when I was buying the scarves: I always tell myself that I'll buy cute clothes after I lose weight. Well, in the meantime I'm still living and working, ya know? So, I decided that I WILL wear cute clothes that look good on me, and I WILL wear a pretty scarf that contrasts with my dark hair, and I WILL show off my legs -- they are big but muscular and shapely, and I WILL use a some self-tanner every few days so my legs don't look so pale. I'm sick of waiting to lose weight to start treating myself like a real person who deserves to look her best no matter what my weight. Of course, these clothes that I love can be taken in as I lose weight, and I know there's a very good tailor about a block from work, so it's not like my money's been wasted. I fully intend to make alterations once these get too big.