"Next time I'll be braver
I'll be my own savior
When the thunder calls for me
I'll be my own savior
When the thunder calls for me
Next time I'll be braver
I'll be my own savior
Standing on my own two feet"
- Adele "Turning Tables"
Monday, April 30, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
French fried potatoes
He does not always eat french fries but when he does...
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| April 19, 2012 |
...he makes sure to eat them dantily.
At least now I know what a galette is now...
Roasted apple and butternut squash galette with maple mustard glaze. Admittedly it sounds far more toothsome than it actually was but at least I know what a galette is now.
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| April 18, 2012 |
You Get What You Wish For
Years ago I added "live alone" to my list of things that I wanted to do in my life. To be quite honest, I'm not quite sure why I felt like living alone was such an achievement or why I felt that it was something I needed so badly. I've sat here for over an hour trying to remember and I've got nothing, but the fact still stands that younger Anna felt I needed it.
Living alone is nothing like I expected in that I didn't expect to be doing it at 28 and single. I didn't expect to be doing it in the aftermath of some of the most heart-wrenching decisions I've had to make so far in my life. I didn't expect to being doing it with two cats. I didn't expect it to be as easy as it has been. I didn't expect to find the heavy, imperturbable silence when I walk in the door comforting in a lonesome way. I honestly don't know what I did expect but for all the good and the bad, I am grateful for it. I suspect that short-term I would have been more grateful had it never been necessary, but that in the long-term I will be better off for it since it takes a sheer force of will not not learn a lot about oneself when living alone.
Some day I may be able to remember what exactly my expectations were and decide if I've fallen short, met or exceeded them. One of the few things that I do know to be true though, is that twinkle lights make a place homey when it feels just a little too empty.
Living alone is nothing like I expected in that I didn't expect to be doing it at 28 and single. I didn't expect to be doing it in the aftermath of some of the most heart-wrenching decisions I've had to make so far in my life. I didn't expect to being doing it with two cats. I didn't expect it to be as easy as it has been. I didn't expect to find the heavy, imperturbable silence when I walk in the door comforting in a lonesome way. I honestly don't know what I did expect but for all the good and the bad, I am grateful for it. I suspect that short-term I would have been more grateful had it never been necessary, but that in the long-term I will be better off for it since it takes a sheer force of will not not learn a lot about oneself when living alone.
Some day I may be able to remember what exactly my expectations were and decide if I've fallen short, met or exceeded them. One of the few things that I do know to be true though, is that twinkle lights make a place homey when it feels just a little too empty.
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| April 16, 2012 |
Jabba the Joe
Why sleep at the foot of the bed when you can luxuriate under the sheets and the blankies.
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| April 15, 2012 |
Augie meets Daggie
I think my Mama might be the only person in the world who gets this (and so to my other 10 readers I apologise for the ambiguity) but: it's like the perfect blend between Augie Dog and Daggie Dogfoot.
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| April 14, 2012 |
Oli-G's first Happy Hour
I suddenly realized that I'm falling behind in welcoming all of the newborn peanuts that keep entering my life. The pace of new wah-wahs is picking up dramatically and I admit that I'm having trouble keeping up in more ways than just this blog.
Time feels like it's literally fly past me, I admit that it's not really a speed that I'm entirely comfortable with. Where are the days going? When did I grow up and start making regular dentist appointments, paying bills on a schedule and going to the Farmers Market for locally grown vegetables? I don't really know but it happened and here I am, taking deep breaths trying to slow my wheels and desperately looking for a bigger picture.
I can't believe that it was only year and a half ago that I showed up at the hospital to hold an hours old Oli-G in my arms and now she's coming to Friday Team Building with her mama.
I blink and they grow.
Time feels like it's literally fly past me, I admit that it's not really a speed that I'm entirely comfortable with. Where are the days going? When did I grow up and start making regular dentist appointments, paying bills on a schedule and going to the Farmers Market for locally grown vegetables? I don't really know but it happened and here I am, taking deep breaths trying to slow my wheels and desperately looking for a bigger picture.
I can't believe that it was only year and a half ago that I showed up at the hospital to hold an hours old Oli-G in my arms and now she's coming to Friday Team Building with her mama.
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| April 13, 2012 |
I blink and they grow.
A little bit of Monica in my life...
Only at Mo's house would I somehow end up with some kind of soda I've never heard of before (and I thought I was a soda/pop/fizzy drink coinessour), a Belgian wheat beer and a cup of coffee all at the same time.
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| April 12, 2012 |
Cat Nap Trifecta
The ideal catnap location: on a blanket, in a basket, on top of a running dryer.
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| April 11, 2012 |
Look to the right
To the right, directly under the "I Love Bats" bumper sticker.
That unholy bumper sticker.
Good to know that the same brain child who belongs to the American Turd Association also believe that that bumpersticker is in any way appropriate for polite society.
That unholy bumper sticker.
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| April 10, 2012 |
Monday, April 23, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Windows Wide Open
This might not seem like a really big deal but dude, it's April 8th (now 22nd) and my windows are still open and the air conditioning off. This is impressive. Trust me.
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| April 8, 2012 |
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The more drinks than I like to lay claim to series
I hate it when Project 365 makes me feel like a need more diversity in my activities. Definitley not the company though...definitely not.
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| April 5, 2012 |
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| April 6, 2012 |
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| April 7, 2012 |
Maybe a weird one...
This might be a weird thought but seriously, how can you not love a doctors office that comes with a mini-arm chair for small people and children?
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| April 4, 2012 |
Not Another Birlthday Ignored
And this girl said: nah, I don't really have any plans for my birthday...I don't really want to do anything.
Never say those words around me unles you're ready to have Feliz Cumplianos sung to you while wearing a giant sombrero.
Happy Birthday Clare!!
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| April 3, 2012 |
Happy Birthday Clare!!
Real friends don't underestimate Little Debbies
To all those girls who don't have girlfriends and claim "I just get along with guys better...girls don't like me", I have to ask you: will your guy friends bring you snack cakes and daiquiri's when you're sad?
Nope. Stop being such an asshole and get yourself some girlfriends. They're where it's at. I promise.
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| April 1, 2012 |
Nope. Stop being such an asshole and get yourself some girlfriends. They're where it's at. I promise.
Happy Birthday I-Shien!
When I was a Freshman in high school I went out for the JV basketball team. At the unexpected invitation of girls in my class, I had played one season of Rec ball in 8th grade. It was probably an invite that these girls (and the coach) hugely regretted the minute I showed up for the first practice. I was terrible. I was SO terrible that I didn't even know how terrible I was, hence the questionable decision to go out for JV ball the next year.
All I can say, is Thank GOD for private school and it's willingness to put me on the team. Whether it was because there were so few of us or because our parents paid a not insignificant amount for us to be there, it frankly doesn't matter. I found my uncoordinated, seriously uncomfortable self on the JV basketball team with as close to no basketball skills as one can get.
There was one girl. The most outgoing, the most universally loved girl in our class and one of the best basketball players (the only Freshman on the varsity team) was SO unbelievably kind to me. Amidst the rolling eyes, she would come up and physically rearrange my arms and legs until they were at least close to the correct place. She'd stop and spend 30 seconds re-explain what our coach had just spent 15 verbose minutes trying to say, boiling it down so that it made sense to me.
She didn't have to be so kind, but in a world of mean high school girls it just who she was.
There are few things that I feel defined my high school experience and basketball was one of them. I played for all four years and learned an incredible amount from being a part of that team. I learned that my body is capable of more than I thought. I learned that you are who you choose to be, that you define yourself with each action and that you can change your mind. I would have quit the basketball team if it hadn't been for I-Shien.
Two weekends ago, several high school friends and a handful of post-high school friends got together in Jacksonville to celebrate I-Shien's30th birthday. Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday I-Shien Shiao!! We love you more than you know!
All I can say, is Thank GOD for private school and it's willingness to put me on the team. Whether it was because there were so few of us or because our parents paid a not insignificant amount for us to be there, it frankly doesn't matter. I found my uncoordinated, seriously uncomfortable self on the JV basketball team with as close to no basketball skills as one can get.
There was one girl. The most outgoing, the most universally loved girl in our class and one of the best basketball players (the only Freshman on the varsity team) was SO unbelievably kind to me. Amidst the rolling eyes, she would come up and physically rearrange my arms and legs until they were at least close to the correct place. She'd stop and spend 30 seconds re-explain what our coach had just spent 15 verbose minutes trying to say, boiling it down so that it made sense to me.
She didn't have to be so kind, but in a world of mean high school girls it just who she was.
There are few things that I feel defined my high school experience and basketball was one of them. I played for all four years and learned an incredible amount from being a part of that team. I learned that my body is capable of more than I thought. I learned that you are who you choose to be, that you define yourself with each action and that you can change your mind. I would have quit the basketball team if it hadn't been for I-Shien.
Two weekends ago, several high school friends and a handful of post-high school friends got together in Jacksonville to celebrate I-Shien's30th birthday. Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday I-Shien Shiao!! We love you more than you know!
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| March 31, 2012 |
Twinkle lights and Margaritas
I love me some twinkle lights and I love me some happy hour. Add some of my favorite people and you've got yourself a damn fine Friday evening.
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| March 30, 2012 |
When do we grow up?
I still occasionally wonder what in the world I will do with myself when I grow up. It's generally a wonderment that is quickly followed with the rankling idea that I am already grownup and it's time to figure it out already. But I just take that feeling, shove it in a pocket and forget about it until it turns up in the wash or next winter when I pull that coat out of the closet.
There was something about this woman on her motorcycle ahead of me on the way to work the other day that reminded me that while we may grow up, we don't necessarily grow old.
Who says that you're too old to strap your teddybear on the back of your bike and watch the wind roll through your handlebar tassles?
Not being seven anymore hasn't stopped this bad ass broad.
There was something about this woman on her motorcycle ahead of me on the way to work the other day that reminded me that while we may grow up, we don't necessarily grow old.
Who says that you're too old to strap your teddybear on the back of your bike and watch the wind roll through your handlebar tassles?
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| March 29, 2012 |
Not exactly a meatless monday
I know that it's Monday and Monday is supposed to mean meatless but bacon doesn't really count right? I mean, it's like 97% veggie and just the teensiest, most insignificant bit of salty delicious bacon to make the Brussels sprouts more, shall we say, delicious?
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| March 26, 2012 |
Tired of Playing Catch-Up
So I have been about two weeks behind on uploading my pictures of the day for about three months now. I've been trying to upload two or three a day to get caught up but then I miss a few days and find myself even more behind than I was before. I like to consider myself reasonably intelligent but this is complete madness and much like The Bumper Sticker of Doom, I refuse to let it hold me under it's tyrannical and evil thumb much longer. Similarly to how accumulating TV shows on my DVR occasionally results in irrational feelings of stress and anxiety, being this far behind on the blog makes me iggy. I have so many things that I want to write about but I don't because I'm behind on my 365 project and keep putting it off until I get caught up.
So.
Despite previous complaints that I post in waves, please prepare yourself for a blogging picture tsunami. I'm getting caught up so that I can write about the things that I want to write about, the things that are changing my life each day.
Hold on to those nipples, a series of less than exciting pictures are soon to follow. :)
So.
Despite previous complaints that I post in waves, please prepare yourself for a blogging picture tsunami. I'm getting caught up so that I can write about the things that I want to write about, the things that are changing my life each day.
Hold on to those nipples, a series of less than exciting pictures are soon to follow. :)
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Just your average evening
Netbook - check. Kindle - check. Kitteh treats - check. It's just your average evening in the Kingdom of Ashton.
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| March 27, 2012 |
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Please pass the granola
This past weekend I went up to Jacksonville for my friend I-shien's 30th birthday. It was a great party and deserving of it's own post, but of note is that during the morning-after-party conversation I was described as "totally granola."
Granola!? Me? And when I protested I was assured that I shouldn't worry, because I'm not "crunchy granola", just granola. It's really not the noun that I would have chosen to describe myself but now that I think about it...I like it. Still, I'm not sure the wearing flats and driving a Mini Cooper make me granola.
But I do love my yoga, farmers market Wednesdays are a highlight of my week and I truly believe that organic apples, milk and eggs taste better than their non-organic counterparts. That all being said, I think that these:
are crossing the god damned line. Organic cotton balls, at (do the math) four cents a piece? One the line between granola and crunchy granola you will find a bag of organic cotton balls and I'm staying on my side of the line.
Granola!? Me? And when I protested I was assured that I shouldn't worry, because I'm not "crunchy granola", just granola. It's really not the noun that I would have chosen to describe myself but now that I think about it...I like it. Still, I'm not sure the wearing flats and driving a Mini Cooper make me granola.
But I do love my yoga, farmers market Wednesdays are a highlight of my week and I truly believe that organic apples, milk and eggs taste better than their non-organic counterparts. That all being said, I think that these:
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| March 23, 2012 |
Todays' workout brought to you by...
I think that I've mentioned that I've started theming my work outs with things that I want. It helps when Khloe and Lamar are on the DVR and I just don't want to tie on those shoes to conjure up the sundress I'm hoping to wear in NYC in August to get my butt in gear. Shorts, muffin-tops, not hiding behind friends in pictures, beer on Sundays and taming the urge to scream and shed my own skin have all gotten me out the door over the past couple of weeks.
Today however, was special. I know I've already used muffin-tops before but this charming ensemble give "muffin-top" a whole new meaning:
Today's workout was brought to you by extra large muffin-tops and some other stuff that I don't have a name for.
Today however, was special. I know I've already used muffin-tops before but this charming ensemble give "muffin-top" a whole new meaning:
Today's workout was brought to you by extra large muffin-tops and some other stuff that I don't have a name for.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Spring in full swing
I've been going bananas for the spring time this year. Everything that smells good and looks pretty starts blooming in Florida and the humidity is still low enough that you can actually smell all the good smelling things. It's also still nice enough out that you can lay by the pool of an afternoon with a dwink and not risk second degree burns and heat stroke. Don't judge, it's a small window of time that needs to be fully appreciated and taken advantage of.
I really love it when the azaleas and jasmine bloom. The smell of jasmine just sneaks up on you, more on that later though. Don't pretend like you're not antsy with excitement over that one. I really love azaleas though, so much so that when the neighbors bushes get pretty faster than the ones out front of The Castle, I get a titch jealous. That being said, you can well imagine my glee when this little guy popped up outside the back windows the other day.
Now all that's left to do until Thanksgiving is hang out and sweat. Sigh...
I really love it when the azaleas and jasmine bloom. The smell of jasmine just sneaks up on you, more on that later though. Don't pretend like you're not antsy with excitement over that one. I really love azaleas though, so much so that when the neighbors bushes get pretty faster than the ones out front of The Castle, I get a titch jealous. That being said, you can well imagine my glee when this little guy popped up outside the back windows the other day.
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| March 22, 2012 |
Orange fur on the keyboard
Of that whole darn couch and he picks my teensie tiny netbook to park his cute little butt on. Of course he does.
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| March 21, 2012 |
You'd better be running
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows that must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle - when the sun comes up, you better be running."
- Roger Bannister
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