Year in Review

Before things get crazy and I party in 2012 like a mad woman, I figured I'd best make ONE teensy post in December and close out the year we all have come to know and love: 2011.

• I went back to school for my MBA. I took the scary GMAT. I wrote the stupid entrance essay. I found the money ... despite no help from my employer. And I survived the first semester. Now I'm just 5 semesters away from a six-figure salary and the glorious life of someone really important.
• I gained some weight. Not awesome, but still noteworthy, I think.
• I met a new side of my mother-in-law.
• The puppy turned 2.
• Tom and I celebrated 8 years of marriage.
• I finished making my mom's afghan that I started 3 years ago.
• We went to San Diego and beached and sunned and funned our little asses off.
• My left knee got sunburnt.
• We watched the entire Sopranos series beginning to end.
• None of the people we liked won Survivor.
• My friend, who's been wanting one her entire life, decided to get a nose job. I don't think she needs it.
• My brother is almost as tall as me.
• I started using Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook ad nauseum.
• I got a pedicure every month.
• Our best couple friend split up.
• We had sex nearly 200 times this year. Not bad for an old married couple.
• I read 34 books. 37, actually.
• We tried lots of new restaurants.
• Our landlord installed a new dishwasher that sucks.

Come on 2012.

I'm just waiting for more school,

new books to read,

new people to meet,

new movies to see,

good TV to veg out with, 

...

another year of love and loved ones and life in general.

Sisters-in-Law

Why I'm thankful for my sisters-in-law ...

• Bluntness is a good thing. It's rarely taken personally and we joke about weird things we all do.
• We're sort of the same size. It's cute.
• They are not ego maniacs about their kids.
• Sometimes they ask me for advice and it makes me feel special. Like when Jen calls to ask if backpacks are still stylish or if campus parking is enforced on the weekends.
• Tasha always has a camera. This is awesome because I never have one and even if I do I forget to take pictures. But Tasha always remembers and makes them fantastic.
• Family events are super chill.
• They like the puppy and indulge our obsession with her.
• They love their dad and rely on him. It melts my heart.
• We all like Costco!
• I like to hug them -- for two reasons: 1) it makes them feel sort of awkward. 2) I like to hug them.
• They have funny stories about growing up together. Like the burning hot spaghetti Os and the road trip in Arizona and the nintendo remote and "I'm not Tasha, I'm Breck."
• It amuses me that they were fat babies.
• We actually like each other.

Gratitude

Thanksgiving is on its way.

It's a time to think about all we have

...

and we have a lot.

Time to acknowledge all the things I'm

grateful

for in my absolutely lovely life.

Because honestly,

we take much for granted.



Image



The Time

This is the best time of year.

I won't say favorite (that's the summertime) but when Halloween starts to show its scary face, I start to feel very excited for the rest of the year. Thanksgiving, Christimas, New Year's. All of the celebrating makes the winter months liveable, and actually somewhat loveable. Halloween is the kick off for all of the end-of-year F.U.N. But keep in mind, I'm back in school. Luckily class ends the second week of December and my horrible (so horrible!) accounting class ends next week ... which means: I should be able to be proactive and organized for this holiday season.

1. Halloween will only be fun: no stressing over finding costume at the last minute or lack of cool costume or whatever -- I'll just go without one and look fabulous.
2. Plan out my Thanksgiving dishes early.
3. Arrive at mom's on Thanksgiving day early.
4. Send out Christmas cards.
5. Buy all the Christmas gifts before the 24th.
6. Wrap everything early <--- this is contingent on #4 being successful.
7. Buy a New Year's dress early; as soon as I see something I like.

Do you see how not procrastinating is basically my entire goal?
I've just been anti-procrastination specific.

Stuff I Need. Seriously.

I love to shop but I hate shopping when I really need something -- because it feels like a chore and inevitably you don't find what you want. Case in point: black t-shirts. Costco has some great ModBod ones but they are, of course, always sold out in the size and color I would like. Others I find are too thin, not black enough, or stupid. And I need black t-shirts. Lots of them. So the list of things that I really really need to replace is growing. And I'm cutting my nose to spite my face because as the list grows, I start to hate looking for the items, and then I need the items even more because more time has elapsed and that means, I hate shopping for them even more. It's a vicious cycle.

1. panties
2. very sexy push-up bras
3. work pants
4. white t-shirts
5. black t-shirts
6. a purse
7. jeans
8. boots
9. tights and tall socks
10. sweaters/jackets

And for fun ...

1. a few more scarves
2. a couple more cardigans

Guarantee: I will buy more scarves and cardigans.

Image

Coming Soon

THIS is coming in two weeks and I.can't.wait.

Not only am I a huge fan of mail (and I work for the biggest mail company in the country) but I am also a huge fan of surprise/impromptu/spontaneous thoughtfulness. Using the Cards App you can send personalized cards to anyone in the country for $2.99 -- an absolute steal. The benefits?

• No longer forgetting to buy a card.
• Not having to read tons of stupid store cards only to end up choosing a blank one.
• No more excessive and loud complaining about how terrible store bought cards are.
• Stress free personalized notes done straight from your phone.
• YOUR pictures, your beautiful face, your fabulous friends, on the card of your choice.

• No more forgetting to buy stamps.
• Or an envelope.
• Or forgetting to mail it and having it get wrinkled & crushed from carrying it in your purse for a week.
• You can get the recipient's address straight from your contact list.
• You receive a message when it's out for delivery.

So to recap: YOU get to send a personalized card, including envelope and postage, without any bother for the low low price of $2.99 ... two dollars and ninety-nine cents.

Spontaneity!

Thoughtfulness!

Impromptu fun!

Love it.

And I Quote

"That it will never come again

is what makes life so sweet."
-- Emily Dickinson

My loves

Done!

What we accomplished today:

1. Tom swept and cleaned floors
2. contained blankets in nice new basket
3. gave the puppy a bath
4. cleaned the puppy's ears
5. Tom cleaned the toilet/bathtub/mirror
6. cleaned the bathroom sink, including surrounding sink accessories i.e., soap dispenser, toothbrush holder, q-tip jar, and mini-mirror
7. planned Monday dinner
8. scored 9 out of 10 on my accounting quiz
9. studied for Thursday's accounting midterm
10. bought puppy food
11. watched 3 or 4 episodes of The Sopranos
12. ate tomato soup
13. went to lunch with mom and dad
14. stopped @ Costco for cleaning wipes, laundry detergent, and avocados
15. took a nap

I love productive yet relaxing days.

Bane of My Existence

Homework is the bane of my existence.
I hate it.
I know it provides an essential function for learning but I am terrible about getting it done.
My own fault, yes. I am having a hard time balancing homework and hometime.
Normally when I'm at home, I procrastinate housework by watching television and reading.
Now that homework is back in my life, I use chores to put off doing my homework.
Our house is nice and tidy, let me tell you.
I really need to start doing it on the weekends so that I can prevent the workweek rush and madness.
I've been in school 4 weeks ... so far no progress.

Today I have to send out my team contract draft and complete case #2 for accounting.
Boo. Probably a couple hours of work, at the very least.
But after today I am all gung-ho on completing my homework on the weekends.
The weekends are full of ample time for fun and work.
Unlike Monday through Friday which already has 8+ hours of work every damn day.
I'm going to get a calendar and plan out my times.
I'm going to make more room on the kitchen table and make that my workspace.
Why not the office?
Well, the office has too many distractions.
Plus, the kitchen is nice and sunny.
... To brighten up my gloomy workload.

Hey ... Eat!

We eat out often. A lot more than we should but with only two people in the house, it's so darn easy.

Unfortunately, most places have limited options for a vegetarian and those options sometimes aren't too healthy. I try to make good decisions wherever we go (although occasionally the fries are calling too loudly) but even if I try to make a healthy choice, the choice isn't always there. I wish all fast food restaurants would start carrying healthy salads and start encouraging people to make lifestyle changes because there are times when you're on the go and you need food fast. But it shouldn't have to be shit. Wendy's has done a great job trying to make the combo meal healthier. You'll see from the list below that I do end up getting bean burritos, which aren't super fantastic -- but beans do have protein! I actually think the worst part of a burrito is the tortilla, which is why I love Taco Time's veggie burrito; they use whole wheat.

Anyway, we gotta keep trying! Fight the bulge!

For your enjoyment, a list of the items I order when we patronize fast food joints:

• In-N-Out: grilled cheese ... and fries
• Burger King: veggie burger
• Wendy's: berry almond salad (new item!) and baked potato
• Carl's Jr: IF they have a Green Burrito branch -- bean and cheese burrito, if not -- Diet Coke
• Taco Time: veggie burrito
• Taco Bell: cheesy bean & rice burrito or potato tacos
• DelTaco: veggie works burrito
• Cafe Rio: veggie salad or single cheese enchilada or quesadilla with black beans ... and chips and salsa
• Noodles & Co: thai curry soup
• Rubio's: fish tacos or big burrito especial sans meat
• Rumbi: brown rice bowl with tofu
• Sonic: Diet Pepsi
• McDonald's: Asian salad (if they have it)
• Greek Souvlaki: greek salad, hold the onions and olives
• Panda Express: fried rice with mixed veggies and spring rolls
• KFC: Diet Pepsi
• Subway: veggie footlong on wheat with avocado

The End of Leisure

My my. Fancy seeing you here. It's been a month and in that span of time I've been up to no good.

I applied for a different position at work. It sounded SO exciting and challenging and I wanted it. But I wasn't really qualified and I could tell that my application was weak. I was not selected for an interview. It's a bummer but I am absolutely not surprised. Looking on the positive side, I am valued at my current office and with school starting I may not want to be learning a brand new job and going away for training.

I stopped going to the gym and started being lax on my diet. I gained three pounds before vacation but, GOOD NEWS, I only gained one pound while on vacation. I think the healthy eating and activity really helped. For the most part I ate apples and toast and salad; can't go too wrong there. The last night, however, we went to dinner at O Bistro. We had mussels in garlic wine sauce, delicious bread, and scallop and shrimp fettucine. In addition to some seriously gourmet food, we had a tableside magic show. It was amazing. He performed sleight of hand right before our very eyes, right on our table. Amazing.

The beachy time was wonderful. The first few days were nice and sunny -- I got burnt knees and a few tanlines despite numerous applications of 50SPF. We played beach volleyball, basketball (at which I suck), rode bikes, and frolicked in the sand and sea. My husband would boogie board for hours each day. He was definitely becoming a pro; catching the really big waves and riding them all the way in. It was exciting to see. I'm a humble boogie boarder myself. I catch smallish waves and to me, they are thrilling. The first day I banged up my knee (later to be sunburnt) and developed a nice scab. As an adult I don't have too many opportunities for scabs and I'm enjoying the itchiness that comes with healing. Plus, it looks kind of bad ass.

In addition to engaging in beach activities a la Baywatch, we also went on a tour of the Midway -- an air carrier, now decommissioned, and floating in the harbor near Coronado. Me and the hubs, we love tours and museumy stuff. He got to enter a flight simulator with my brother in law and they "flew" and "gunned down" enemy aircrafts. I can't believe that pilots are able to land and fly planes from a boat. And of course, we went to Sea World. It was bittersweet because of the whole captive-animal thing; I cried a little. We did buy the puppy a stuffed squeaker baby penguin. She is trying to eat the eyes out of its head.

But all that rest and relaxation is at an end. Tonight I start graduate school with a four (that's right FOUR) hour Teams Class. And on Thursday I do another four hour stint of Finance (ick times eleven). I love that school is only two nights a week. I hate that the classes are four hours a piece. My hope is that they will fly by because they're so interesting/hard/I'm-so-fucking-awesome. I've got my stylish bag packed with post-its, pens, highlighters, legal pad, texts, and laptop. The department actually distributed each of us a backpack but it's too manly (and functional) for me. No no, I need something to lug all my crap around that's sort of impractical and chic: enter black crocodile tote. Of course, my latop only weighs three pounds and I only have one textbook until the mid-semester break so fashionableness definitely won out.

I'm also back to the gym, back on a somewhat diet, and back to my same old job. And back to blogging.

Antsypants

I'm antsy.

I want to be on vacation.

A long drive for reading and chatting.

Stop in Vegas for people watching and the best sort of time wasting.

A week at the beach with sun and sand,

morning bike rides to brunch,

shady oceanside naps,

non-stop mojito sipping,

rolls in the hay.

I can't wait

but I have to wait.

I hate to wait.

Ants.in.my.pants.

Image





Basking

Image

The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us.

Only that day dawns to which we are awake.

There is more day to dawn.

The sun is but a morning star.

-- Henry David Thoreau

Best Face Forward

For those of you who know me personally you know that I worry a lot about my face. Is it looking old? Am I mushing it too much? Should I be washing it more? And you know that I have very strong feelings about faces and what we should and shouldn't do to them. But really, I'm pretty lucky in the skin department and I find that as careful as I am, I sometimes abuse my face. Case in point: every morning I have to lick (that's right LICK) a cotton swab and wipe away the mascara schmearings that have left their traces overnight. So obviously I go to sleep with my makeup on. However. I don't want to push my good fortune and as I continuously age (every day by painful day) I want to make sure my face looks as fanastic as possible.

That said: I don't want to go crazy. I want easy, low-maintenance, skin care that won't turn me into a mirror obsessed woman. I like to go for periods of time where I abstain from makeup and when you're not wearing makeup your FACE has to look great all on its own; great meaning firm and dewy and delicious. The other day I looked at a picture of me wearing no make up and I looked ... not old ... but sort of tired, not my freshest and most appealing. I knew that the day would come when I would have to invest more time into maintaining my face, and that time is now.

I've heard super good stuff about the Olay line of anti-aging skin care so I went to their website and did an online skin care consultation. The consultation is just an in-depth questionnaire about what you expect from your products, what skin type you are, and how much work you're willing to do. Then you receive a nice laundry list of what products they recommend for you to use. Here's mine:

An anti-aging face wash that cleans "down to the pores"

A regenerating serum for pre-moisturizer application



Daily moisturizer for fighting the 7 signs of aging


I'm very excited to pick up these products and start using them. Apparently the serum is supposed to be SO awesome -- just read the reviews -- making your skin smooth and soft as baby bums. The Olay site also recommended an eye serum but that seemed like too much and I'll probably only use the regenerating serum in the mornings after I babywipe my face because I only wash my face in the shower because my skin is so flippin' dry I can overwash it, regardless of how gentle the soap is. I know that this goes against every piece of skincare advice out there, but one also has to listen to one's face. My face says, "if you wash me every day, I will crack." And I want to love the skin I'm in, not torture it. Well, not yet anyway.

Homesick

I miss ballet today.

I don't miss it all the time,

and I don't miss the aching body

or blistered feet

or the cost of new pointe shoes.

But I do miss the feeling of

making your body do something

absolutely beautiful.

I love the art of ballet.

I love the discipline.

I love being a part of its world.

Neverending Reading

I just added nine -- count 'em NINE -- new books to my reading list.

I sometimes feel like I never have enough time to read everything I want. And believe me, I'm discerning. Just because a book has received rave reviews isn't necessarily enough for me. It has to catch my mood just right. It has to draw me in with exactly what I'm itching for: wit, prose, humour, love, suspense, junk, escape. I read all genres and it's not very often that I won't finish a book, even if it's less than engaging and it's slow going from page one. I don't read or like everything I pick out for myself but I think that's part of the joy of reading, i.e., hitting some real snoozers/ickies.

Image

If you haven't noticed, my 'waiting on the bookshelf' list has been steadily growing despite my reading quite voraciously. This year I've already finished twenty-one books and the year is barely half over. At this rate I may read fifty books by New Year's. My intense affair with reading wasn't always so hot and bothered. I went through a period in junior high where I read nothing but required school stuff -- and even then it was lots of skimming and Cliff's notes. During high school (and thanks to my then-boyfriend/future-husband) I started reading again and after my data entry job, which entailed listening to hundreds of audiobooks to occupy my mind for hours on end (I'm still addicted to audiobooks and I always have one on my iPhone to entertain me during shopping excursions, dish washing, laundry folding, road trips, and on and on), my fling with literature became a solid romance. I received my BA in English and even though I'm getting my MBA, I have a secret (or not so secret) fantasy that I eventually get my Masters of Fine Arts, write poetry, a national bestseller, and begin an exclusive book club. My entire life would be nothing but reading and writing and discussing literature ... and maybe, just maybe then, I'd start to grow sick of reading.

So my mountain of books waiting to be read will *hopefully* always continue to grow. That way the pain of finishing a truly marvelous novel and the pain of a truly horrible book will be dulled by the neverending possibility of a truly unforgettable novel being the next one on the pile.

Random

• My friend Kitty Kat posted this on my wall tonight. Why? No idea.
  
  
• 

  Kat 

  When you go to the delicatessen store,
  Don't buy the liverwurst,
  Don't buy the liverwurst.
  I repeat what I just said before,
  Don't buy the liverwurst,
  Don't buy the liverwurst.
  
  Oh buy the corned beef if you must,
  The pickled herring you can trust,
  And the lox puts you in orbit A-OK.
  But that big hunk of liverwurst
  Has been there since October First,
  And today is the Twenty-Third of May!
  
  So when you go to the delicatessen store,
  Don't buy the liverwurst,
  Don't buy the liverwurst.
  It'll make your insides awfully sore!
  Don't buy the liverwurst.
  Don't buy the liverwurst!

  26 minutes ago ·  ·  · See Friendship

  • • 

      Kat I seem to remember slightly different lyrics...

      25 minutes ago · 
    • 

      Johanna This is the most random thing ever. Ever. I'm going to blog this.

      about a minute ago · 

Fluffy

Can't think of anything.

So this is a fluff post.

Pure fluff. No substance.
Hope you find it enjoyable.

Love, Me

Boise Weekend Recap

1. Excellent driving time -- 4.25 hours -- and no speeding ticket
2. Tom read 2/3 of Harry Potter Book 2, all of 3, and 200 pages of 4
3. Mom and Dad got lost on the way to the hotel
4. Uncle Alan had the flu
5. My little brother can swim all by himself in the pool
6. But he swallowed a lot of water and got kinda sick
7. We listened to some great live music
8. We took a walk by the beautiful riverside
9. The bar gave us 3 free drinks
10. Ate breakfast at an adorable cafe called The Egg Factory
11. Met a very friendly dog who drove a taxi
12. Visited with loved ones
13. Enjoyed our mini-getaway

Friday Dinner

Today is Thursday, which means tomorrow is Friday. (Forgive me for sounding like Rebecca Black just then.) Friday is the day that I weigh in, which means I go hungry all.day.long. Then, post weigh-in, I eat my apple with crunchy peanut butter and drink thirty-two ounces of water in one fell swoop. So basically, Fridays suck balls. But Friday night is when I make dinner. I start planning the meal on Monday and have practiced cooking it in my mind to perfection by the time I buy the groceries after I leave work on Friday. I started doing this a few months ago in an effort to cook more and reward myself for a week of healthy eating. I also read "My Life in France" and it inspired me to be brave and realize that my food doesn't have to be perfect and that every dish won't be a winner or to everyone's liking -- including mine.

This week I'm making Scallops with Basil Cream Sauce and Pasta.

I've been dreaming all week, nay, obsessing, about this lovely.

I can't wait to spin my fork around and dive in.

Here's how you make it ...

1] a tablespoon of garlic -- fresh if you're super cook, already minced and from the jar if you're me

2] 1/2 cup of white wine -- I'm using the leftover moscato

3] a chunk of butter -- like maybe 3 or 6 tablespoons 

4] combine these over medium-high until the wine cooks down and gets a bit thick

5] add scallops and cook for just 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on how big your scallops are

6] remove pretty scallops

7] add 2 cups of heavy cream -- yum -- and simmer vigorously until nice and saucy

8] once sufficiently thick and creamy, add pasta and basil

Oh yeah, did I not tell you? You need to be cooking your pasta (I'm using linguine) while you're making the sauce.

9] add the scallops back in at the last minute because you don't want them to become overdone

Tra la la. Enjoy.

Here are some suggestions to pump up the recipe if you so wish it:

• add some sauteed veg like spinach or peppers
• sprinkle with red pepper flakes a la Giada
• red onion would be delightful (if you like that sort of thing)
• any fresh herb in addition to or in place of basil
• eat with crusty bread
• slice in some fresh tomato
• swap out scallops for shrimp or crab

Remember, Julia Child advises us to never apologize for our cooking, so be fearless.

A Thought

Sometimes it's so hard to hold one's tongue,

never knowing how a misplaced phrase will be taken,

never wanting to offend.

But I can't help but wonder if the

world would be better with a bit more

bluntness

and

directness.

Would we fill up with hate

Or would we start to treat each other

with MORE love

because we knew how much our

actions or words

hurt the people close to us

because they didn't try to spare our feelings

and told us exactly how those words made them feel?

What is honesty worth?

The Perfect Food

Sandwiches, obviously.
The last bite of a well made sandwich is just as delicious as the first.
The little bits that fall out are the perfect ending and leave you dreaming about the next time.
Because you have to eat it with your hands, your focus is entirely on the sandwich.
Your hands are full. Your belly is full.
Delish.

I have a few staples that I love.

• tomato with mayo and lots of salt and pepper
• crunchy peanut butter and honey
• grilled cheese with swiss
• cucumber with cream cheese
• fried egg -- yolk still soft so it spills out when you bite in

But today I found some nummy yummy new sammies to add to my mix.

Avocado and White Bean
Of course, sans red onion ... onions are ewww.

Eggplant Parmesan with Goat Cheese
Dying to try this baby.

Feta and Sun-Dried Tomato Pita
I don't really like olive tapanade so I'll leave that out
but FETA and SUN-DRIED TOMATOES together!!!
Gotta have it.

Cheddar and Apple
What a great idea. I love apples and some good cheddar.



Thoughts on the Human Form

I sometimes dream about the perfect body;

Strong and supple,

Moving gracefully with a quiet beauty,

With a firmness, a steadiness.

It will last me a lifetime.

It will bear all sadness and pain

and enjoy all pleasures.

It will work hard until it's time to stop working.

Then it will lie down to rest.

The sunlight will drift in

And my body will dance away

To a new adventure.

Grumpy Gills

SO.
I started my period yesterday and it turned me into a mean monster.

Usually my time of the month comes and goes with nothing more than a slight disruptance in my love life. I tend to be tired and a generic cloud of ennui follows me around. But I have noticed that when I'm not eating much and exercising hard (like I am now), the hormonal changes seem to effect me more.

The morning started out with cramps but I managed to do my hour of cardio okay. Oh but wait -- mid-workout I had to make an emergency trip to the bathroom because I had begun menstruating which jumpstarted a day filled with things that annoyed me.

• the movie theatre was cold
• my husband kept getting up to pee during the movie -- a record THREE times
• I didn't/shouldn't/couldn't get fries at In N Out
• Target no longer carries the pet carpet cleaner I like
• I was hungry all day
• when we laid down to take a nap, the puppy kept making a throw up noise
• which made me have to take the puppy outside but not before she threw up on the carpet
• and I have no good pet carpet cleaner (see item four)
• friends came over for the basketball finals ... enough said
• friends brought over red wine which I don't like
• on period and couldn't have sex
• didn't sleep well; had a crick in my neck

And now it's morning. I'm at work. I'm feeling better. But man oh man. Yesterday was one of those days when I should have just quarantined myself away from all humans and read a book. I hated everything and everything pissed me off. Thank all the gods my husband is understanding and has a sense of humor. Before our nap he told the puppy: "you and mom have one thing in common: you're both bitches."

And I actually laughed a little before I rolled my eyes and kept being one.

Sometimes it's therapeutic to be a bitch.

Image

Good News Everyone

I'm in!

I have been officially admitted to the Professional MBA program.

Here's to higher education and higher tuition.

Let's hope my hard work takes me to a job I love;

A job that pays in satisfaction and six digits.

Wind Sprints

Do this.
You'll love it.

Walk for two minutes.
Jog for a minute and a half.
Sprint for thirty seconds.
Repeat until you want to die.



Image



And when I say sprint I mean RUN RUN RUN as fast as you can.



 Wind sprints are way more entertaining than running at a consistent pace for an hour and the sprint at the end of the cycle makes you feel young and fit -- well, until you're gasping for air and walking off the cramp in your side. My 'walk' speed is 3.0 MPH, 5.0 MPH for the jog, and 7.0 for the sprint. But next time I think I'll push my sprint up to 7.5 MPH until I start to get tired. As I near the end of my session, it takes a LOT of energy to keep my legs moving at that pace and keep from falling flat on my ass. Treadmill burn is not comfortable. Wind sprints have been a welcome addition to my cardio training: a day of stairs, a day of climber, and now wind sprints!

MBA Application

Done!

Well, nearly done. I have completed everything; essay, resume, GMAT, application. All I need to do is enter my GMAT scores (sitting on the table at home) and then press 'submit.' I'm praying to all my gods that it's not too late for me to be accepted this fall. Curse my procrastination. The element that really slowed me down was the resume and essay. My resume was hard because it's all postal crap so it's difficult to explain to an outsider. And the essay was hard because I hate essays of that nature. "Explain your motivation for entering the program" and blah blah blah. Who cares? Shouldn't that be something you ask me in the interview? I think so. Plus, I have a tendency to either wax sarcastic or start to tell an all too personal narrative ... like this:

My desire to enter the MBA program is because I feel trapped by my job. The money is good but the work tends to be uninteresting to myself and to other people. I tried to get away a few years ago by going to China but that didn't work out so well and after a short month I ended right back where I was but sans car and dignity. What I really want to do is be a professional writer and make a living that way but in order to have the means to write a lot I need lots of money so I guess I'll get an MBA in hopes that I can make more money and have a more interesting job. I mean, let's be honest; I should work somewhere at something that is just as interesting as I am. And my best asset for management is my political aplomb (i.e., people like me). Rock on.

I wonder how an essay like that would be received by the review board.

Truth No. 2

"Sing me something brave from your mouth

And I'll bring you pearls of water on my hips

And the love in my lips, all the love from my lips"
 -- DCX

June 1st

Today is June 1st. Let's play catch up.

-- I am filling in for a manager for the rest of the summer, which means I now have my own office. With a window. I had to train my replacement during the last couple weeks in May which is why I didn't write. Also, work was super busy. We just entered into a new contract which brought on many many changes and many many questions about how we would adapt. It's exciting but also scary (lots of downsizing) which makes me glad that I'm getting my MBA.

-- I took the GMAT on May 21st. My score was 570. I'll take it. The average score of the last Professional MBA class was 580 so I think I'm in. I just need to submit my essay and resume (which I should be working on now but instead I'm here). I totally sucked up the quantative section, sucked meaning in the 23rd percentile. Ouch. But my verbal section was pretty damn good: 87th percentile. And my writing received a perfect score: a 6. Mostly I'm just glad it's over and hopefully I'll never have to take it again. If all goes according to plan, I'll start school this fall.

-- I had to fix up the yard for a luncheon. I had my work ladies over for lunch out on the patio but before anyone could see my semi-scary backyard we had to mow and edge and fix up the flower beds and de-weed the patio. Plus, it's been raining here like mad and the grass was like a jungle. The puppy would disappear and make tracks through the long grass, like a safari evertime she went potty. The luncheon was so lovely. The weather was nice, a bit windy, but the food was great and I love my dear ladies.

-- It's time to renew our lease at the little cottage. I can't believe we've been there for a year. It has been so lovely to live downtown and close to work. The house is just right for the three of us and when I start school it will be convience itself. Of course, getting ready for our landlady to walk through has been a pain in the ass. Not that our house is a pig pen; we just want it to look spic and span so she know how fabulous we are. Tom had to patch a couple holes in the wall and I need to clean all the windowsills. Luckily the yard is already taken care of.

-- And finally, we caught the mouse. It took a week. He was very smart. After the snappy "humane" traps failed to produce results, we switched to the sticky traps. We placed four at random places in the kitchen and the first night we caught a big ugly centipede. Every night we'd hear the mouse clanging around -- probably scavenging for food -- but I guess he tiptoed around all the traps. Finally, we woke up to a loud high-pitched yelp. The poor thing had its body and tail stuck to the trap, all but his head. I put the stuck mousey into a plastic bag and Tom took it outside to chuck it in the garbage ... but only after smacking it against the ground a couple times to make sure it was dead. Needless to say, my husband never wants to use sticky traps again and I'm overjoyed that our guest is gone.