sick and tired. but not like that.

I spent this weekend sick in bed.  I called in sick to work Friday and didn't leave the house for more than 48 hours.  In every way, it was vastly different from last weekend when I was living it up, going to concerts and celebrating birthdays.

On Saturday night, I was restless, but still tired.  I felt disgusting from having watched hours of television on the couch, and so bored I wanted to cry.

So naturally, I did what every modern woman does - I went to social media to fill the void.  I snapped this picture and posted it on Instagram, hoping it would solicit the sympathy I needed.

Within moments, I had some likes and a few "feel betters."

Mission accomplished, I thought.  I did feel better.

Until my friend Natalie pointed out how relieved she was that what she first thought was a pregnancy test was, in fact, just a thermometer.

Yikes.

Not exactly the attention I was seeking.

on valentine's day and on lent.

Happy Valentine's Day, Lovers.

Based on the barrage of angry Tweets and Facebook posts I've already seen today, I think it's safe to say I'm in the minority of people who actually enjoy February 14th.

I'm not sure why so much disdain for any holiday, much less one devoted to love and friendship and candy.

I've seen the "I don't need a day to remind me to tell my lover how I feel!" battle cry and I think it's stupid.

I don't need St. Patrick's Day to remind me that drinking beer during the day is a fun thing to do, but a yearly reminder every March 17th doesn't hurt.  It's just fun.

I happen to love Valentine's Day.

Even the years when I had no Valentine - which far surpass the years that I did - I have always enjoyed the cheery and festive feeling of the holiday.

I get into all of the romance stuff, which is surprising to even me, considering I'm a cynical person and skeptical about warm fuzzy feelings and emotions. If I wasn't me, I'd totally have myself pegged as someone who hates all of the flowers and candy and sweet cards, but I really do love it.

If Valentine's Day isn't your thing, it's cool - I understand.

Hating so-called Hallmark Holidays is en vogue, and that's fine, but please spare me the fake disgust about how commercialized it is and about it's a made-up holiday. All holidays are commercialized. And many of them are made-up.

They are also fun and they don't hurt anybody.  So get on board!

If you're still not buying the love fest I'm selling, then perhaps a nudge to do something in honor of this day might help warm your cold, dark heart.

Today is the two-month anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  A non-profit Sandy Hook Promise is asking all Americans to keep the community of Newtown in their hearts.  You can send your love and support their way - click here and be one of the million hearts for Newtown.

There's also a global movement to stop violence against women - there are a multitude of ways to get involved.  Find out how here.

Or just go to Google.com and play with their heart-themed amusement park logo.

In the spirit of love, I was intrigued yesterday by many blog and other social media posts I read about Lent.  I heard some courageous people giving up caffeine, Facebook (!!!!), self-doubt and other things that "interfere with their connection to God."  

I'm not Catholic, and don't really participate in abstaining from anything during the season of Lent, but I like the idea of using these 40 days and 40 nights to add a positive behavior into my life.  So while continuing to choose love and be kinder, I plan on spending the Lenten season making a concerted effort to write daily.

My efforts could mean more blog posts (lucky you!) - but I'm fully aware it might not amount to anything.  I hope it will help me refocus my energy and achieve more of the balance I have been seeking.

Happy Valentine's Day and Lenten season to all you lovers and fasters out there.

king cakes, bachelors, and balance.

I have always had a special place in my heart for New Orleans.  I'm not from there, but have visited many times both as a tourist and as a guest of locals.  I love the food, the music, the culture, the smell of urine/vomit/Hurricanes that permeates the French Quarter.

Because of that love, I happily tackled the daunting task of making a King Cake back when I was doing 365 new things.  The cake was so delicious, my co-workers - even the New Orleans native ones - still ask me to make it.  I'm not particularly impressed with many of the things I cook, but I'm very proud of my King Cake and I haven't missed a year since 2010.   

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday and I've got my King Cake dough rising in the oven right now.

Happy Carnival!

Also, this weekend I went out to dinner and drinks with some girlfriends.  There wasn't anything particularly exciting about the night except how much time we spent talking about The Bachelor.  This franchise has been around for 25 seasons, which means between the five of us, we figured serious hours have been wasted on this stupid show.  It was mortifying how many characters from the Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor Pad we knew by first (and sometimes) last names, where they were from, what they did for a living and how almost all of their relationships had met their tragic end.

I love these women so much, but it's apparent our taste in television could use some refinement.

 

I talk a lot about striving to find a balance in my life and tonight I think I've found it.  I'm watching television I'm not proud of while baking something of which I'm very proud.  

Happy Mardi Gras!  Happy Bachelor viewing!

not-tripping out.

I'm all about a good quote and I love to travel, so I should love this picture.   

But when I saw it on a friend's Pinterest board the other day, for some reason it rubbed me the wrong way.

Not because I don't agree - traveling has expanded my horizons and I've been fortunate to have visited some of the most culturally rich countries in the world.  Many of the best memories of my life were created when I was on a trip - some of which I've shared in this space.



But every trip I've taken since hopscotching across Europe on my parents' credit card has put a strain on my bank account.  Some of my journeys have drained it completely.

Amazing memories have been made, none of which I would trade for anything, but let's be honest, traveling is expensive.

I have a knack for embracing expensive hobbies.

I know it doesn't have to necessarily be this way - there are ways to travel on a budget and with a little planning, good deals can be found.  But that's not me - I'm not a planner.  I'm a spontaneous, last minute, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants globetrotter.

When I travel, I act like the wasted guy in a bar who is always buying shots for everyone.  I think I'm rich, invincible and money is no object.

So after years of enthusiastically saying YES to anyone and everyone's offer to travel, I am, for the first time ever, forcing myself to say no.  Hardest of all, I'm saying no to the loudest voice inside of me that keeps nagging me to plan a trip that right now, I simply cannot afford.

And I'm so pissed about it.

I hate it when people ask me what I'm up to this weekend or "Got any trips planned?" and I have to answer with, "Nothing much," and "Nope."

I feel lame.  Boring.  Not like myself.

I know that I will be better off for this trip timeout - and being completely debt free is going to feel oh-so-good.  I've already thought about the blog entry I will write to tell you how I did it and include copies of all of my credit card statements that have ZERO balances.

But right now I'm just bitter.  Being financially responsible sucks.

For my cosmopolitan friends in the northeast, bracing for this weekend's blizzard: stay warm, and don't feel bad if you can't really do a whole lot this weekend -- call me.  Let's catch up.  I totally feel your pain.

the difference between parents and non-parents

It never occurred to me that Beyonce's Super Bowl halftime performance was anything other than pure entertainment . . .

Until some of my friends, who are are also parents, pointed out awkward it was watching Sunday's halftime show with their kids.

Mesmerizing, yes. Gorgeous, definitely.  But awkward nonetheless.

Check out this photo of my favorite California kiddos:
 

It completely slays me.

I suspect this sums up how a lot of people felt about Beyonce. 

I thought a beautiful woman writhing around in a leather leotard just made for great halftime but I guess for some parents, it also could make for awkward moments and uncomfortable conversations.

Not necessarily for Kelly - her boys loved the performance and didn't ask any questions.  She said they were more interested in Beyonce than they were in the game.  I guess they know a good thing when they see it. 

Good luck in the future, though, Kel, I'm sure the "talks" are coming.

a few of my favorite things.

I had a really bad day yesterday.  There wasn't one specific cause or reason, I just was in a funk.  The cried-in-my-car-on-the-way-home-from-work-and-scared-people-at-stoplights kind of funk.   

After reading The Happiness Project, I should've known that an unexplainable bad mood can usually be remedied if instead of focusing on my sadness, I focus my thoughts on the people and the things for which I feel gratitude.

I didn't do that.

Instead, I took my mind and my body to my couch and my television for several hours of mindless television.

I woke up feeling moderately better and more determined to finish this post I'd been thinking about for a while after my friend and fellow blogger Shelley made her own list. 

Here is a post about some of my favorite things right now.

Fancy Workout Attire 


Like the iPhone, it took me awhile to come around to the idea of spending lots of money on clothes for the gym.  I mean, what's the point?

Growing up in the dance world, I took pride in seeing how disgusting my rehearsal attire could look.  The more Flashdancey the better, I suppose.  I carried that attitude into my post-dancer, adult runner/yogi world.
I'd delved first into the world nice workout attire last fall with a legging/skirt combo from Athleta at the urging of a friend who swears by them.  I followed with my first pair of Lululemon yoga pants I received as a gift for Christmas.

Admittedly, it was a challenge to fork over so much money on clothes that only I and my yoga class would ever see.  


But there's something about high quality workout attire that sucks me in in all the right places that makes me feel confident when I'm bending my body in strange ways.  Plus it makes post-workout errands feel a bit less embarrassing because the sweat wicks right off so no one at the store knows you just got my ass kicked by doing poses called, "tree" and "pigeon."

The draw back of Lululemon and Athleta and others like them - I'm not gonna sugarcoat it - is that their merchandise is expensive.  It's all relative, I suppose, but these clothes will run you more than, say, Target's workout attire.  I probably wouldn't tell my mom how much they cost because she would just roll her eyes at the frivolousness of high quality clothes that I'll only wear for jogging, stretching and sweating. 

Maybe they are frivolous, but like a good haircut or new shoes, fancy workout pants are an instant mood (and butt) lifter - and I think we can all get behind that.

Warby Parker

Warby Parker is a super hip online eye wear boutique.   Like the shoe brand Tom's, every time Warby Parker sells a pair of glasses, they will donate a pair to someone in need.

Love their social consciousness, almost as much as I love the fact that they'll let you try on up to five frames for free.  As many times as you want.  Because let's face it, some people (like me) are indecisive and eyeglasses are a difficult thing to purchase without trying them on.  Just pick out some frames  your order and they'll ship you a box for free.  When you're done trying them on, just ship them back.  Again, for free.

I did this three times before I made a decision.

When I finally did settle on the Sinclair Burgundy Fade,  I placed my order and they did the rest.  They contacted my eye doctor for my prescription and my glasses arrived in the mail a week later.  The whole process was super simple, and did I mention CHEAP?  The cost of my frames, lenses were less than $150, and that's even including the ultra thin lenses required for my ultra bad vision.

The affordability and excellent customer service help make committing to over-sized nerd chic a lot easier to do.

Wisteria and Rosebud 

I have never been able to name my favorite restaurant in Atlanta -  they are just too many that are wonderful for different reasons.  My favorite depends on the time, the hour, the food I'm most in the mood for at that moment.

I have had two spectacular meals already this year - one at Wisteria in Inman Park, and the other at Rosebud in the Highlands.

So those two are my favorites.  Today. Right now.

Listerine Total Care Anti-Cavity

Perhaps that mouthwash made the list of my top five favorite things right now could explain why I was in a funk yesterday.  How lame!

But seriously, I've been obsessed with dental hygiene since I can remember thanks to my Dad, who probably asked me, "Did you brush your teeth?" as many times as he told me he loved me, which was a lot.  I'm pretty sure I was the only elementary school kid who actually looked forward to going to the dentist.

Listerine Total Care boasts six benefits including building enamel, fighting cavities and freshening breath.  I know this is usually never a good thing to say about anything pertaining to the body, but it actually burns a little when I use it, which makes me think it's really working to clean every nook and cranny and leaving no gum unturned.

My teeth look the same, but my mouth feels so fresh and so clean. 

Southwest Airlines

I must preface everything I'm about to say about Southwest Airlines by telling you I've never actually flown Southwest Airlines.

The reason that I love Southwest is because after booking a flight for a concert that was later canceled, I have changed this ticket no less than three times without any hassle whatsoever and without paying one extra penny.

I realize my whole opinion of them could change once I actually fly their airline, but so far Southwest seems to cater to uncertain, flaky, cheap travelers like me, and for those reasons alone, I love them.

Socially conscious (and cheap), stylish glasses and a no-hassle airline?  Tasty, fun restaurants and fancy workout clothes?  Purple mouthwash?

There, I feel better.