Happy Halloween

@ the costume party.
We won.
Obviously.
Who doesn't need some cynical Fight Club for Halloween?

"You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake."

Accomplished by Six AM

• 25 minutes of cardio
• biceps and triceps worked out
• made my lunch
• and the hubs' lunch
• made coffee
• showered
• dressed and out the door on time

Prepping for the Big Three-Oh

So. In just six short months, I will be (shhh) thirty. And I've been telling my husband and everyone: "OH! Thirty is SO YOUNG!" and "Age is nothing!" and telling myself that thirty won't effect me because I still look young (staying out of the sun and Asian genes have helped) and I'm healthy (thanks to vegetarianism) and I'm in a great place in my life (so happy, tra la la). I will have my MBA next year. My husband is still my best friend. I have a great job. I have awesome friends and family.

Whatthefuckever.

I can feel, deep in my gut, the ticklings of panic.

I

will

be

30

And now I'm telling myself that by thirty I should have done so much more with my life. I should already be published. I should already be making six figures. I should own a home. I should have a super fit fantastic body.

Obviously it's goal setting time. Here are four things I want to accomplish next year, not necessarily by the time I hit thirty, but before I'm thirty-one (i.e., absolutely ancient <--- I'm totally kidding. I think).

Goal 1:
Get a new job. I enjoy the job I have now. I love my coworkers and I feel valued in my workplace as someone who is reliable and competent. But I've been there since 2002 and it's time to move on. It's time to expand my knowledge and hopefully my paycheck.

Goal 2:
Get a new body. I enjoy the body I have now. It is cute and fun and gets me from A to B. But now, I need to have a rocking body because, let's face it, it may now begin the period of loosening and sagging that comes with my age. I don't want to have a young looking face and a crap body. So this means I've got to commit to controlling my portions and working out. A lot. I can do it.

Goal 3:
Get published. I always talk about blah-blah-be-a-writer and blah-blah-be-famous and guess what? That shit ain't gonna happen unless I a) write and b) submit it for publication. I'm not saying I want to have a fucking NOVEL done by next year, but I do need to heft up my portfolio and COMMIT to writing. Less TV, more reading and writing.

Goal 4:
Save more money. I don't want to buy a house necessarily but I do want to have gobs and gobs of money in savings that I can take lavish vacations, feel safe, and whenever I feel like it, buy a house.

Like all control freak, OCD, type A personalities, setting goals and making lists makes me feel as though I have a handle on my fate. I can make anything happen if I just work hard enough. And if there is one thing I know in life, it's how to work hard for things that I want.

Repeat

I have several movies that have been watched hundreds of times. Started, then fell asleep to. Watched while studying. Memorized. Most of them I owned on VHS and during my becoming-an-adult years, they were like old friends, helped shape me in that way that characters do when they get in your bones. Maybe that's just the dramatic part of me acting out, but regardless, here's the list of the ones I love and can't live without.

1. As Good As it Gets
2. Sliding Doors
3. Emma
4. Shakespeare in Love
5. Clueless
6. Fifth Element
7. Marie Antoinette
8. Little Women
9. Sabrina
10. Ever After
11. Far and Away
12. Runaway Bride
13. Gone with the Wind
14. First Knight
15. My Best Friend's Wedding
16. You've Got Mail
17. Practical Magic
18. Sleepless in Seattle
19. Hanging Up
20. The Thomas Crown Affair