Winter Sucks

I hate winter so much that I may consider not blogging again until Spring. Winter saps my energy to blog. So you want me to blog? You do something about the weather. Then we'll talk. Enough said.

Ramblin'

Ok, I'm going to preface this blog by saying that I am sick right now. My ears hurt, my sinuses hurt, my throat hurts (God I hate winter). Subsequently, I may not be capable of writing a coherent blog. But I feel as though I have been slacking off in the blog arena, and certainly have phoned it in when I actually have written.

So I guess I'm saying that I'm phoning it in.

The only really good part of being sick is the ability to read all day, something that I often spend a spare second or two wishing, hoping, praying for. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always read more than one book at a time. Now I seem to have quite over done myself. I'm in the midst of 3 books, plus 2 research books -- none of which I have managed to really sink into. Plus, I really am craving something more along the lines of a Jane Austen (perhaps, Persuasion?)

But I digress because I was going to discuss my other lazy day occupation, rewatching really cheesy but wonderful movies. I have never had the hatred of repeats that other people have. Rob can't stand to watch something twice and rarely rereads a book. Not me! I've got a whole library of VHS movies to prove it. That's right VHS. And ever since we actually bought a VHS player, I've been able to watch classics like Sarah Plain and Tall (this morning).

This has to be one of my favorite Saturday morning past times. It reminds me of college when we used to get up on Saturdays and make omelettes and cinnamon rolls (from a can) and watch movies like Sliding Doors and the English Patient. Well, tonight I was flipping through the channels and found a gem. A real jewel, I tell ya.

French Kiss. I love this movie. I love it so much, that it inspired my love of the Cote d'Azur and may potentially have had something to do with my deciding to study in Cannes (I sometimes make decisions based on very strange things). Ah, but really, it's Meg Ryan at her best, and lord knows, I love Kevin Kline in this movie too. And then of course there's the beautiful French countryside and the mocking of the French. And this is what I have been thinking of the most. In the '90's I was convinced that the styles and fashion fads were timeless, and would never stand out in any way shape or form. Yeah, not so much. Not so much at all.

Good times, though.

Confession

I'm a news junkie! I've realized this over the past month or so. I can't wait for lunch each day so that I can check out CNN or even settle for the headlines that pop up when I look at my AOL account. The democratic primaries have really inspired me to kick it up a notch. I see 2 article titles that I can pretty much tell will be the same AP story, but I still read them both just in case.

Then I get home from work and watch the news with Rob and I get sooo emotionally involved that he has to pause the tivo so that I can comment on various news stories, fact check them or question their validity or value. Well most people watch the national news in 30 minutes it takes us 45.

The thing that is shocking about this, that would throw my Mom and brother into a tizzy, is that I always hated the news. Hated it! I use to feel utterly sick when the news was on. I would run in the other direction at 6:30 each night. And really, the comics and the wedding section is all that ever got any pageturning when I was near the paper.

I write this post today, only because I've suddenly realized today that it's true, grown-ups watch the news. And I am officially a grown-up.

Change and Resolve

Every year (as in last year and this year) I make a large number of New Year's Resolutions. How large? This year, 108. Last year? 107. This idea was given to me by one of my best and most favorite friends, Kate, who ritually tries to connect her number of resolutions to the year. Obviously 2008 a little bit much. But I think she does 208, and I of course had shortened it down to 108.

See, already that number sounds a little bit scary right? Most people have trouble with just 1 or 2 resolutions. In fact just yesterday Rob told me he can't even remember what he resolved to do. That is actually the magic of this plan! When you have 108 resolutions, you know you can't remember them. So you write them down and reread them regularly. AND then you are constantly aware of how many things you still need to do. That list becomes a whole lot more doable, more like a to do list.

That doesn’t mean my 108 resolutions are easy. They're a nice balance. Some are easy, but some are pretty hard to do. So require simply getting up off my ass. Some involve me making a serious change to my way of life. The nice thing is that when you check off one that's a little easier or one that can be done quickly, you get a little thrill. And a little motivation.

I suppose you want a few examples, huh? Fine, I'll let you take a quick peak into my resolutions. If you were to flip through my book of lists, you might notice:

1. Eat more fruits and veggies.
2. Save money for movers.
3. Blog regularly:)
4. Read at least 5 non-fiction books.
5. Go to church more often (my Mom's favorite, doubtless)

Anyway, the point of my blog today was not the above explanation, but rather to discuss how this year. I'm not doing so well this year. Last year I completed about 90% of my resolutions. This year, I started off really, really well. And then about half way through January I completely dropped off. I'm blaming Bikram yoga. I took that one class and so damn traumatized, that I have felt completely unmotivated. Or is it just the winter doldrums? Is anyone else having this problem? Anyone?