Friday, June 19, 2015

Five on Friday #54

I don't want to talk about five things today, I want to talk about ONE thing.

ONE very IMPORTANT thing.

TOLERANCE.


Unless you live under a rock (like I do, so I don't judge), you're aware that some kid shot up a church Wednesday night.

Things this has nothing to do with:
gun laws
white people
black people
religion
history
flags

Everything this has to do with:
brokeness

This kid sat through their entire service and on the way out the door was like pew pew pew (+the rest of his rounds).  It doesn't matter what color you are, what religion you practice/if you practice, it doesn't matter how the shooter obtained that weapon, why those people were there, who those people were, where this happened...  Nothing about this situation is right.  Everything about it is fucked up.

If this kid had understood that not everyone has to agree with his way of thinking and that people who believe different things than him are acceptable, then maybe this wouldn't have happened.  But I think this applies on a bigger scale.  As "first class" citizens we are quick to judge unfamiliar practices.  We try to assimilate people into our way of thinking.  Sometimes we don't even ask why they do the things they do before we just bull-in-a-china-shop our way in and demand changes be made (hello everything ever about the Middle East).

Why do we think we're always right?  Why do our beliefs blind us to the pain that we cause?  How did we get to this place where it's a common occurrence for violence?  Why are we such a broken people?

So pray/meditate/send positive vibes/whatever you do, pray for peace, not for justice.  Pray for hearts filled with clarity and love and goodness instead of hearts filled with anger and hate and violence.  Love your neighbor and when you feel that rage bubbling up (which I am afflicted with multiple times a day), let it go.  Refocus on something good.

BE THE GOOD, not the ugly and pray for healing, because damn if we don't need it.





Happy Friday, Gentle Readers.
Linking up with these ladies since it's FFFFRRRRRRIIIIIIDDDDAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Confessions {6/17}

-I created the Ramblin' Rose event on RunKeeper for the Winston-Salem race and before I could even sign myself up for it, 4 other people had already joined.  Why don't race organizers add their races to popular fitness apps?  I just don't get it. #Ishouldgetadiscount


-There is someone that I don't personally know, but I know of.. and I hate her.  This hatred is based on the effects she's had on my life through someone else.  Essentially, she has a very strong hold over them and can effect their behavior no matter what (to the point that I can pinpoint specific instances where things have happened based on things she's said), which often leads to shit things for me.  Additionally, she always plays the good/sympathetic role on FB when I've been an obvious asshole.  I wish I could #byefelicia her out of my life.


-I can sometimes be unintentionally creepy.  Like when I offered Teh Sister's hair lady a ride to base if she did my hair on Saturday.  Teh WJL said that she was aware of my creepiness.  I don't think I actualized my creepiness until sometime in 2014. #creeper


-Teh WJL also informed me that my walking around at home in my t-shirt and undies is a long standing thing.  I didn't realize it was a thing until she informed me of such when we talked on Saturday.  Apparently, I don't like pants when I'm at home.  I didn't remember this being the case when I was in college, but she's probably right.  #myBFFsknowthings


-Teh Sister has one of those Glade air freshener thingies that randomly sprays out and it scares the ever-living bejesus out of me every.single.time.  #Iscareeasy

-I have ZERO issues with commenting on all the confessions that apply to me in other blogger's posts.  I don't care if my comment is a million pages long.  #yourewelcome #dedicated


-If your hair dresser lets you dry your own hair after she cuts it so they can see what your hair would look like if you do it at home, keep them forever... and if you're in Charleston, tell me where I can find them.  #Imnotkidding #badhaircutssuck


-If your hair dresser doesn't cut your hair to look good in a few weeks, they suck.  #aintnobodygottimefordat


-When apps on my phone push notifications AFTER I've closed out the app, I get pretty annoyed.  It's worse when they don't push notifications unless I actually use the app.  #timehop #getyourshittogether

-Megan quote: I don't feign stupidity.  My stupidity is genuine.  (regarding Mr. Scrooge trying to get in my pants and my being 100% oblivious) #booksmartnotpeoplesmart


-One of my BIGGEST issues with people is hypocrisy.  Don't bitch or stop someone from doing something that you don't like and then proceed to do it yourself.  For instance, if you are a signal light nazi you sure as fuck better use your signal light 100% of the time if you're going to bitch about other people not using it.  Another example, if you are going to "shh" people when you're watching TV you sure as fuck better not start speaking/making comments later.  #hypocrite


-Telling me to "shh" is a sure fire way to make me NOT "shh" ever.  #IrefusetodowhatImtoldonprinciple #mymotherwouldagree






Linking up with:
Life with Lolo
Because Shanna Said So...
Hodges Podge

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Four More Things: Day 3



1.  Jana @ Jana Says
A stay at home mom with the career of a writer, she never fails to make me laugh or provide encouragement when I'm really needing it.  She's also one of the hosts of the monthly book review link-up, so props to her.

2.  Brit @ Pines and Palmettos
Pretty sure that Brit and I are almost the same person.  She knows of my relationship struggles and understands dealing with military life.  She writes about life and Jesus and music and adventures.

3.  Nadine @ Life by Nadine
Nadine never fails to make me laugh.  She posts all the photos of delicious noms that could almost tempt me to move further south. 

4.  Brianne @ My Life As...
Brianne and I might also be kindred spirits, which I've gathered from our comment emails over the last few months.  We think a lot alike and her pinterest dump posts bring me much joy.



Monday, June 15, 2015

Weekend Review {6/15}

FRIDAY

After what felt like an absurdly long week, Friday came with a bang and included me leading my first documentation review meeting.  During which I endured glazed over eyes from all of my nerd tech guys who could care less about documentation.  The meeting was a painful hour and a half long and none of the guys were pleased with the outcome, which was that they really needed to do a lot of work between now and Wednesday to get our shit straight.  It's not like the documentation that we went over hasn't been available to them for the last 2 months so I feel zero sympathies for them.  Well, with the exception of how long the meeting lasted, I felt sympathetic for that and to solve that issue I purposely let my computer die when my boss came in (having missed an hour and fifteen minutes of the meeting) and seemed to want to start all over again and I wasn't having it.  Nope, nope, nope.  #likeaboss

I also brought Phil with me to work since I was taking a short day, which was nice because when I would get frustrated, I'd give him some attention and go back to working.  I guess that's what it's like to have a therapy dog?  What this really means is that it's Meri's turn next time.  This also means that instead of going to the gym after work, I had to go home.  Which meant that I didn't go to the gym because.. laziness and Friday and I'm still bitter about the yoga class thing.


Mr. Scrooge had suggested sushi for dinner during lunchtime and I was totally down with that.  We hadn't been in 2 whole weeks, which is a long time for us.  Since Mr. Scrooge had a late lunch (because he fails at eating schedules), we didn't go to dinner until 7, which meant that I had time for a nap and much reading after work.

Also, Amazon notifications on my phone, while annoying because it's yet another notification, are super awesome because I knew the second that Hyperbole and a Half had been delivered to my door, even though I hadn't heard the doorbell.  #allthewin  Skaveybaby (based on his WoW name, not a first impression nickname I came up with) gets the credit for my actually reading Hyperbole and a Half.  Only a blogger that lives under a rock hasn't heard of Hyperbole and I've read some of her blog and I thought the book's main focus was on depression so I wasn't overly interested.  Skaveybaby told me that the writing was similar to mine (she talks about dogs a lot) and then I was like, "BUYING NOW."  So far, I'm enjoying it.


My medal rack that I bought finally arrived and it brings me all the joy.  Now where to put it...



I finally called the motorcycle shop about Mike because he was supposed to be back to me by "mid-week" and it was past mid-week and Mr. Scrooge deemed it acceptable to finally call.  You should just know that I'm super pissed about this whole Mike situation.  Or maybe it's the shop.  IDK.  I have misdirected rage because I'm not sure where to direct it at.  First off, that Mike was a half-blood pissed me off.  I got over that because it's a used bike.  Period, end of story.  Then there has been dealing with the 2 step process of getting it fixed.  Ordering one set of parts to fix it and waiting then ordering another set of parts and waiting.  Apparently, the parts to fix Mike's half-blood-ness didn't arrive until Wednesday, although Monday/Tuesday had been their original prediction.  Instead of calling me and explaining this when it was happening I had to call on Friday to find out.  So due to the delay, I'm now directing my rage at the garage fixing Mike.

In true #oldladystatus after we got home from dinner, I changed (back) into my pjs and laid in bed reading until it was sleepy time while Mr. Scrooge gamed until who-knows-when-o-clock.




SATURDAY

I had committed to going to Fayettenam to dog sit for Teh Sister while she made a surprise trip to DC to visit Teh Utah Specialist since he's TAD there.  I was also hoping to knock out getting Meri groomed because her fluffiness is no longer making me want to die, but more like cry because it's so out of control.  Also, I had scheduled a hair appointment on Thursday for Saturday.  Instead of getting up and running (which I considered but opted out of for an earlier arrival time), I got up and got ready.  Meri was on the groomer's waitlist if they had any cancelled appointments and I wanted to be in the area if something opened up.

I didn't make a packing list, so I ended up getting 10 minutes from home and having to turn around to retrieve the folded petals I did for Teh Sister's bouquets, which was another benefit of going to Fayettenam, I didn't have to mail them.  I also grabbed the dog's bowls which I had forgotten but wasn't overly concerned about (they would eat their food off a pile of shit as long as it was food).

After I hit the interstate, the hair lady called to cancel my appointment because she had a conflict and something about needing to get on base for a party.  Well, I called her and in full on Megan-creeper mode (which is totally I think if you know me IRL), told her that I could get her on base if she could do my hair.  I also told her that I was arriving early if she wanted to bump the appointment up.  She told me she'd call me back and let me know.  When she called back, she asked how long I was in town for and I told her till Sunday and she asked if I could do an appointment on Sunday.  YES PLEASE.  I told her the earlier the better, since I don't want to be getting home super late.  We set a time for 9 and I was satisfied enough.

On the drive to Fayettenam, I talked to Teh BFF, Teh Worldwide Jesus Lover, and Teh Dad.  Driving time is perfect talkin' time.  It's a good day when I get to talk to Teh BFF or Teh Worldwide Jesus Lover, but it's an especially good day if I get to talk to them on the same day.

After getting to Fayettenam and dropping off the dogs, I went to Red Robin for lunch because duhhhh.  I didn't even have to look at the menu, which I pride myself on.  I brought Teh Flamin' Kindle along as entertainment.  Why is it so awkward for a person to eat alone for everyone else?  When I walked in alone, instead of suggesting how many (as hostesses usually do when a couple/group walks in the door) they just looked at me like, "Do we say, 'Just one?' or do we just wait for her?"  I finally said, "One," and it took them a minute to process what was happening.  Eating alone in public isn't awkward people!  UGH, get over it!

VIP parking.  It's a Megan thing.

After lunch, I went back to Teh Sister's house to hang out with the puppies and read and nap and blog.  I also considered watching Netflix but I had put the remote under the TV and that was too far away for me to reach from comfortably sitting on the couch.  I figured it wasn't a big deal since after blogging I was able to accomplish more reading.


I had decided on Thursday night to finally finish The Interestings, which is far from interesting, but I want to see how it ends because the main character is just so.... absorbed in what everyone else thinks in regards to how "poor" she is.  I really just want everyone to leave her because she's so shallow, but we'll see what happens.  You'll find my scathing review in the book review next month.

Anytime Meri goes to Teh Sister's house, she migrates from the patio door on the back of the house to the front windows all the day long because she's constantly on roving watch.  It's tolerable because she doesn't bark/whine unless she actually sees something that needs to be chased/caught (squirrels and birds).  I worry about letting her out in the yard unsupervised for too long because Teh Sister only has a 3 ft fence which Meri could EASILY hop over if she felt inclined.  Watching her put her front feet up on the top of the fence makes me send up rapid prayers that she won't see something and decide to chase it.

Always on watch, who needs the Navy with a Meri-Meri?

After staying up way too late, I actually finished The Interestings despite the distracting texts from Mr. Scrooge.


SUNDAY

Sleep was extremely rough.  My nephdawgs are snugglers and like to sleep IN the bed UNDER the covers with you and I'm not used to that.  Additionally, Mr. Scrooge's phone is on the fritz and it finally pushed through a message at 0139 in the morning.  This woke me up and then I was acutely aware of the fan in the room tink, tink, tink-ing over and over and over.  But it wasn't consistently tinking so it was too distracting for me to get used to.  I did a 2am scour of Teh Sister's house to find something to balance the fan blades, but couldn't find anything or anything to secure whatever I found to the blade anyways.  I finally just turned off the fan and suffered through the rest of the night.  The dogs were up at bright-fucking-o-clock-am and I was NOT pleased.  I got up and fed them and let them out so I could go back to sleep ASAP.

I had to be at my hair appointment at 9.  This happened:



Honestly, I'm not super impressed with the cut.  Partially because I'm overtly biased against anyone that isn't my Home, Home hair dresser, Paula.  She's been doing my hair since 2000.  We have a relationship and she never disappoints me.  Additionally, I was charged $40 for the lady to cut my hair and blow dry it a little.  I realized while I was there she hadn't even bothered to PART my hair to give it an ambidextrous look and be even on both sides.  When I got home, I looked in the mirror and did the test that Paula would have done where she takes pieces from both side of the part (in the middle) and makes sure that they are both the same length, insuring that my hair is actually the same length on both sides (what with my ears not being level on my head, this is something I really appreciate (no I'm not kidding about the ear thing)) and my hair is longer on one side than the other.  Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.  I also explained to her that Paula actually shaved a little bit of the short hair off right at the hairline in the back, so my hair would curl under.  That was my very obvious way of hinting to her she should do that... Nope.

She also had a bob cut and I felt like she was trying to give me her hair cut, which I wasn't super impressed with (despite the fact that she hadn't done anything to fix her hair that morning).  I wanted it cut and possibly permed and she explained that because my hair had been bleached to get the blue color to stay, it probably wasn't a good idea, which I understood.  I kinda started to feel like she didn't really want to be cutting my hair and she just wanted to be done.  She suggested that I do a few hair treatments to help "heal" the bleached hair and when I asked her how much they were, she didn't even have any on hand because "Monday is my shopping day."  Seriously?  It's Sunday, I'm sure that other cosmetologists had something on hand that you could have "borrowed" until the next day when you went out to replace it.  At that point, the feeling that she didn't want to be there had kinda surmounted and I was almost done.  When she was done, I think she could tell that I wasn't exactly pleased with the cut, but I didn't really know what to say or ask for to make it better, so I just accepted it and paid and left.  I was torn on the tip situation because she had called to cancel on me on Saturday, but then came in on her off day to take care of me... but she also hadn't done an amazing job on my hair cut.  I left 15% and walked out mostly displeased.  I really just wish I could teleport Paula to me or vice versa when I needed a cut.  She wouldn't have disappointed me.

This is Noodles.  He has abs of steel.

After my appointment, I went back to Teh Sister's house and took a nap since I was pretty tired and I had told Teh Sister that I wasn't planning on leaving till noon-ish.  I left Fayettenam and made it home by 3, as planned.  Mr. Scrooge and I hung around the house for a bit and then decided on breakfast for dinner at Early Bird Diner.  When we arrived, they were closed... le sigh.  At which point I suggested we go downtown (poor life choice when Mr. Scrooge had already admitted to being hungry) to try Toast.

After looking for parking for over 20 minutes, Mr. Scrooge finally found a place to park, despite there being a parking garage right around the corner and our illegal space was also open, but he didn't seem to want to test his luck with the parking ticket situation.  When we got to Toast, we ordered from the dinner menu, which was all we had been given, and I asked to see the brunch menu.  When the waitress brought us menus that said that breakfast was served all day, I asked her if we could cancel our order that we'd put in.  Fortunately, we were able to and we reordered from the breakfast menu.  We had both been pretty disappointed at seeing only a dinner menu, so my random asking for the brunch menu really made up for the no-breakfast options disappointment and the parking adventure.

After dinner, we came home and fed the beasts and were generally lazy until it was bedtime.




Overall, an excellent weekend was had.  Still no word on Mike Wazowski, which is incredibly frustrating.  Meri wasn't able to get fit in at the groomer that Teh Sister goes to, which sucks.  This hair situation, between mine and Meri's means that I'll have to finally commit to finding Charleston places to get my hairs did and Meri groomed in the next week or so since I'm going to need another cut in 2 weeks because she did a crappy job where it looks good now but won't look good soon............. (there aren't enough dots for that) and because Meri's fur is parting on her back it's so long and just no.  That means committing to the area.  It hurts a little on the inside.  I've strongly considered just walking up to strangers in public places with the same style hair cut as me and asking where they got their hair cut and if they like their hair person.  I'm that desperate... or creepy.  #IDGAF

Oh you wanted to see an after photo?  Oops, my bad.

PS This means that 85% of the green hair is gone!!!
Praise Allah!
PPS.  It shouldn't look like I have a mini mohawk in the back.  Le siiigh.






Linking up with these ladies:
Ashely @ A Cute Angle
Meg @ Life of Meg
Biana @ BLovedBoston

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Sunday Sweats #1

When I watched the scale scramble from 159 to 162 to 157 and then finally land on 160.4, I was pretty sure I just needed to take my socks off and maybe stand on a different spot on the scale.  Sadly, even with my socks off, the scale was still adamant about what I weighed and my jeans were even more demanding with their insane tightness and muffin top expose and judgment.  It was at that point that I decided that Project Flab Extermination needed to be a thing.

I don't mind being categorized as overweight, but I'd at least prefer to stay within Navy regs since they are so lenient anyways.  My max weight in the Navy was 151 for my height and really that's not difficult to maintain (unless you're me and move to SC and stop running because laziness and depression and stuff and things and all the excuses!).

When I left MD, I was around 145 lbs and I liked it there.  I like the way my body looked, I liked the way I felt, I liked the way my clothes fit, I liked ME.  So that is my goal again.  Hopefully posting workouts on Teh Blog will make me accountable (similar to how I feel about the monthly book linkup), more than just the self-guilt I currently hold over my own head. 

I track all my cardio workouts on RunKeeper, so if you wanna be friends and have some friendly miles competition, friend me!

Here we go!

you're welcome, Gentle Readers.


SUNDAY

Nothing happened but laziness on this day.  I had planned to walk the dogs but Meri exhausted herself bouncing around the yard in the morning and it took Phil several hours to cool down from a mile on Saturday, so I wasn't in a hurry to take him out either.  I had done a long run on Saturday, which didn't help my motivation to get off my ass. #restdaysareimportant

MONDAY

AM: 2.16 mile run, 9:56 m/m pace!  I picked up inserts for my running shoes on Saturday and wanted to try them.  I didn't want overdo it, just in case I needed some serious adjustment time.  Inserts are amazing!  I had some serious hip tightness, but I powered through it.  Hearing Suzy tell me that my pace was under 10 minutes gave me the energy to push out that last bit to the house to keep my pace sub-10.  Feeling good!

PM: 45 mins on the elliptical (4.13 miles) + 5-10 min core workout.  My elliptical time is my "me" time.  I pride myself on my mad reading while moving skillz, so I spend these precious minutes reading.  Worked on crunches, planks on the bonzi ball (or whatever it's called, Bosu I think), arm rotations and lifts w/ 5 lb weights.  Yeah, I was sore from that minimal core workout until Thursday.  FML for putting in a bit of effort.


TUESDAY

AM: Meh.  This is a perfectly acceptable reaction to a 0456 alarm when you worked out 2x the day before and you are definitely going to the gym later... even if you laid out your running stuff the night before.

PM: 35 mins on the elliptical (3.49 miles).  There was a super bad storm passing through CHS (Charleston) and the last thing I wanted was to have to stop my workout in the middle to go huddle in the bathroom with sweaty strangers, so I settled for a short session and skipped any extras to caulk and float ford the river (literally) that was my way home.

This was a sweaty selfie I sent to Teh MD Adult Roomie for a reaction pic, but it totally works here.
#professionalbloggerstatus



WEDNESDAY

AM: 4.13 mile run, 10:20 m/m pace.  Nothing to write home about, but at least I managed to get my ass out of bed and get dressed and brushed my teefs and started running all before I was properly awake.  That's how to really trick yourself.  Do it before you're actually awake.  Also, seeing other people out running that early is totally motivational.. especially if they are behind you and you don't want to look behind you to see if they are still there, which means that you keep running, even when you want to walk because you're a badass and you don't walk (aka you don't want those walkers to see you walking because you're better than that), don't be a bitch.  And to that cute dude, sup?  wanna be runnin' buddies?

Sorry got distracted.  The run felt good.  ZERO issues, which is always a relief.  Usually I have a pain of some sort to report.  NOTHING.  Praise Allah.  I definitely stretched extra in/after the shower because I could feel my IT bands giving me the finger and being tight.  The only after pain I had was the top of my left foot is giving me some issues and I'm not sure why.  It started after Saturday's run and then Sunday when I was doing something, there was a pinching/sharp pain which definitely took my breath away and it's been sore since.  I've been trying stretches and ankle rotations to help, but so far not so much.  It doesn't hurt to touch and I'm sure if I googled it, I'd end up with cancer and have less than a month to live.

PM: 40 minutes on the elliptical (3.94 miles).  Since I had ran in the morning, I wasn't overly worried about going forever for the calorie burn.  There were a lot of people in the gym, so I didn't bother with any serious core stuff.  Also, I was still stiff from Monday's efforts.


THURSDAY

AM: Skipped my run because sleep was better and because I had worked out 2x the day prior and I was planning on yoga in the PM.

PM: ARGH ALL THE RAGE!  A surprise happy hour work thing was thrown upon us (which was acceptable since the CEO was paying since he was in town, mmkay), which meant work related things for longer than I had planned.  I was the first person to leave happy hour so I could make it to yoga in time and after paying, changing, and sitting in the group workout room alone for 15 minutes and 1 other person showing up (it was also his first time), the instructor never showed.  I went back to the desk where I paid, at which point one of the guys who worked there decided to mention that he'd heard something about the yoga instructor being back in July.. Yet he still wrote the rain check date on my receipt for next week.  /facepalm.  So no workout... all day.  grrr.  I was super pumped about yoga because of how tight my hips/IT bands have been this week so I did some stretches at home and rolled, but it's just not the same.

It was a day very much about the purple.

FRIDAY

AM: 2.17 miles, 9:37 m/m!  I considered not running, then I was like, do 3 miles, that's 30 minutes.  It doesn't even take THAT long!  Then I got distracted because the dogs were crazy hyper active that morning, which meant I started later than I wanted.  I told them (yes, the dogs) I'd take them for a quick jaunt before I left for work.  So I bumped my run down to 2 miles and then came home and got the dogs and jogged another .25 miles (which I didn't log on RunKeeper because it was too much hassle).  I would have went further with them, but I didn't want to be late for work.  Also, can we get a HELL YES for Thursday being an unintentional rest day, which is what I'm attributing that almost 9:30m/m pace to...  HELL YES, BEECHES.

PM: Considered going to the gym, but I had brought Phil to work with me, so I went straight home and never got the motivation to go back out to the gym.  I napped instead.  #sorrynotsorry


SATURDAY

AM: Considered a run and instead decided to get up and get ready to head to Fayetteville to dog sit for Teh Sister.  Meri was on a waitlist at Teh Sister's groomer because she needs to be shaved in the worst way, so I figured the sooner I got there, the sooner I could bring her in if something opened.  Nothing opened AND my hair appt also got cancelled (and rescheduled to Sunday (Praise Allah)) and I was pretty disappointed I had bothered to get there early.  I could have ran in Fayettenam, but the "feels like" temp was 109° and that was a big fucking NOPE from this girl... and I didn't bring anything to do a workout in.  I could have also done a youtube video in the AC, but meh.

PM: Considered finding a yoga class but opted for laziness and hanging out with my nephdawgs and Meri and Phil instead.  #worthit

Noodles has no boundaries... or fucks to give about my reading progress.


TOTALS:

Running: 8.5 miles
Elliptical: 11.28 miles
Etc: Short core session


This was a pretty rough week in that it felt like it was never going to end.  End of the week laziness is a consistent trend in my life and I would have had more elliptical miles had I not brought Phil to work with me on Friday.  I'm a creature of convenience and if it's out of my way (or I have to leave the house after I arrive there), it's probably not going to happen, which is exactly what happened to a Friday PM workout.


Goals for next week:

-Keep up with the morning runs.
-Keep up with the afternoon gym sessions
-Do a yoga video if the instructor is a failure again.
-Possibly get some laps in at the pool
-Find a freakin' bike for the triathlon and start riding it.  August 20th is a' comin'.



Linking up with Holly for Sunday Sweats

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Confessions {6/10}


-Do you still "rewind" DVDs or whatever you're streaming? I mean, I know the term came from antiquated technology when the entertainment system was based on reels of tape that had to be physically unwound after they were played, but that isn't necessarily true now. #bekindrewind


-Mr. Scrooge walked in the bedroom the other night and I just so happened to be scratching my junk because I had an itch and he was like, "Why would you let me see that?" Seriously? I responded with, "Dudes are constantly scratching their shit all the damn time! YOU are always scratching yourself and I have to see you, so what's the difference?" Him, "We have stuff that needs adjusted, your stuff is all inside." Me, "Right and I have little hairs that poke my junk all the day long and it sometimes itches and I'm going to scratch it." #doublestandard #scratchingisorgasmic


-When I was stationed in Bahrain, I bought this sappy Edward Monkton book and I read one page every day to Teh Bear when we skyped. It was probably one of the most torturous, cheesiest things I've ever done. I tell you this because I miss cheesy and sappy. #whereisthelove


-When I eat corn on the cob, I don't cross into another row as I eat across. If I do, I have to fix it by munching on my corn like a yard critter. #thisisOCD

This little turd is eating it WRONG (Source)

-Multi-tasking like a boss: downloaded the Kindle app on my work computer to be able to entertain myself during meetings all the while looking "busy." #itsforthebookclub



-A few weeks ago I bitched confessed about how Mr. Scrooge never puts anything in the same place. What prompted that rant was the fact that I stubbed my toe EXTREMELY hard on his boots that were at the end of the table (literally right beside the walkway to the backdoor, but "out of the way" per his standards because putting his shoes in the closet (where I put mine) is too difficult) and I was about 85% sure then that I broke my toe. Well, that was a few weeks ago. Almost every time I've run since then my stubbed toe has hurt. After giving it a comparison pat down with my other (uninjured) toe, I'm pretty sure it really is broken and I have no idea what to do about it. #nomegusta #putyourshitaway #broketoessuck


-Some search results how people have found Teh Blog in the last month:
chocolate museum orlando
south carolina drivers licence 2015
vrgjs fewm (ya know what, I'll take what I can get)
#25 humpday
aviation cruise vx1 july 20 - august 14, 2015 (some fool doesn't know about OPSEC)
crest whitening expressions orange
disney belle huh
faded southern belle (2nd favorite)
girl anus pooping (no me gusta)
www.canide keek in public.com
eidws board questions (apologies to these people, but if you don't get it from your book you're studying the wrong things)
2015 crackerjack photography at greyhounds in gettysburg blur of fur
eidws is a joke (my personal favorite)


-I ordered the set of 3 maxi skirts from Groupon because I was tired of waiting on them to come back on Woot.  Totally worth it.  I got khaki, grey, and black.  I actually already have a black maxi skirt I got from Amazon, but I'm not a huge fan because it stretches really bad and by the end of the day I end up tripping all over it.  But truly, it's too hot in SC to not wear maxi skirts... and these are the long skirts so shaving my legs is optional.  #didIshaveforthis #theanswerisalwaysNO

#bathroomselfie #noshame

-I signed up with Blogging for Books and I'm kinda excited about it.  My first book is Five Years in Heaven and I hope it's very similar to Tuesdays with Morrie.  #willblogforfreebooks


-The downstairs hallway at work almost always smells like poop.  I would assume because the ventilation goes straight through the men's bathroom.  Not sure who thought that was a good idea.  #moarairfreshener


-I'm strongly considering buying a pass for 12 yoga classes on base.  Maybe I should try out one class before bite that bullet...  The problem is classes are Thursdays at 6:30-7:30PM.  That's pretty much my dinner time and almost my bedtime.  What this means is that I have to drag my ass out of my house after 6pm, which means that when I go home from work I can't immediately change into pajamas...  #thestruggleisreal


-Why did front closing bras practically disappear?  I just don't understand the practicality of back closing bras... because they AREN'T practical at all!  Is it male designers?  Is it male laziness in taking off the bra?  I just don't see women making this decision.  #Iblamemen


-Bra Logic:  #boobies
1.  Make it close in the back!  It's better because then it's totally inconvenient to close and no one can figure out eye hooks, so definitely add those because they are so complicated to get aligned when you can't see what you're doing...
2.  Make them expensive even though most women in the world don't even like wearing bras but because it's convention now, they will.  Extra rows of eye hooks for those with big boobs definitely will cost more, even though we only paid a fraction of a cent to add the hooks and there's no more material there than on the smaller sizes.
3.  Make them as uncomfortable as possible.  With wires and straps and plastic-y bits that dig into uncomfortable places.
4.  Those with big boobs do not deserve to have pretty bras in fun prints.  Nope, nope, nope.  Just white and nude for them.. and black if we're feeling generous.  We're also gonna add some padding in because women should get their monies worth.
5.  Finally, all bras should be sexy, because boobs are for sex not for feeding offspring.


-I do this annoying thing if I'm not fed with a promptness where I constantly announce my hungry status to anyone around me.  This is most inconvenient in meetings when I'm trying to listen and the only thing I hear (and have to stop myself from saying outloud, which doesn't always happen) on repeat is "I'm so hungry.  I'm so hungry.  I'm so hungryyyy."  I also make this declaration at restaurants when I'm really hungry and our food hasn't arrived with a quickness.  It has been known to make food show up faster.  #hungrytohangrywithaquickness




Linking up with:

Life with Lolo

Because Shanna Said So...

Hodges Podge

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

What I read in May!

I seriously powered through some books this month.  It really helps when you're not distracted by TV.  I really felt disappointed by 2 of the books that I really wanted to be good.  I felt unsatisfied this month, like the literary world was failing me...  Until I read the last book I've reviewed here, which completely rocked my world.  There's totally a reason that people bandwagon.  On to the reviews!!

Life According to Steph

Rating scale:

1/5 - Hated it, didn't finish.
2/5 - Tolerated it on principle to finish.
3/5 - Eh, didn't love it, didn't hate it.  Had some good parts/kept me interested/finished it on principle.
4/5 - I liked it.
5/5 - I LURVED it and I'd read it again.


Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Johnathan Safran Foer  1.5/5
Even though I greatly disliked this book, I still finished it, which is why it got a 1.5 instead of 1.  The twist took me too long to get to and maybe it was my book format or it was actually just me not being able to figure it out, but I struggled when the narrator changed and I didn't understand the connection between the characters and I still have no idea who Anna is.  Honestly, this book has been on my to-read list for years.  After I found out it was post-9/11 book, I was definitely interested.  I started reading it in 2014 when I started on my gym kick and didn't get through the first 50 pages before I lost interest and just stopped reading.  This time, I (again) wanted to stop reading by page 50 but pushed myself to finish the book because I'd heard such good things.

TL;DR: I usually enjoy "confusing" books where multiple storylines come together and make a pretty bow on top of the package.  That did not apply with this book.  It was difficult to sort out who was narrating and I wasn't getting enough hints to help me put together the puzzle to make me want to keep reading.  Lesson: if it hurts, stop.



The Martian by Andy Weir  4/5
(May contain spoilers) I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book at first.  That is because I assumed it was from the perspective of the stranded Mars-man and I was going to get bored with that very quickly.  Once communication with earth was established, I was pleased.  Once communication with earth was lost, I was hooked.  I just had to get to the end to see if Mark was saved.  I enjoyed his dirty humor and general commentary.  Then again, I'm easy to amuse, so there's that.  The only weird part was the omnipotent narrator that magically appeared to tell details that couldn't have been given from the perspective of a character.  But still though, is the rescue successful?  Please God, don't let their be a sequel.  I can't handle that money scheme after something that I enjoyed this much.  I'd rather just imagine my own happy ending.

TL;DR: It's not completely from the perspective of the man stranded on Mars and despite the first 50 pages of mathematics, it gets better.  The main character's one liners and sense of optimism carry you through the story and keep you entertained.  But will he be saved???



One Plus One by Jojo Moyes 4.5/5
I very much enjoyed this book.  I was only disappointed because this is the 3rd book by Moyes that I've read and this follows the same formula of Me Plus You, which feels very Nick Sparks-esque, so I'm hoping that if I read another of her books, the storyline is different.  I give it a 4.5 because I loved this book, but I doubt I would read it again (mostly because of the length of my to-read list).  I got the happy ending that I was hoping for, because after reading such "deep" books recently, I just wanted a story that at the end, all the loose ends were tied up and everything was put into a pretty box and the end.  I read fiction because I want to be entertained and that includes happy endings.  I think part of this is reflective of how much Gone Girl fucked with mind and I'm still disgruntled about it.

TL; DR: Poor girl, rich guy, both have big life problems, something throws them together, they fall for each other, drama means something keeps them apart, they end up together and you get the happy ending you read this book for.



Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick  2/5
I expected this book to be more about the author's stance and research on Spinster-hood rather than about her female literary role-models being married/single.  I wanted this book to be more about the research and her commentary than about women of the past.  Granted, they provided a good mirror, but I really didn't care for the history lesson.  There is a part of me that wonders if I'll be a "spinster" what with being on the verge of 30 and no prospects in line for my hand (yes I went there).  I went into this book looking for similarities between Bolick (a "spinster') and myself and while there were a few, I wanted to be reassured I wasn't a freak for being unmarried and only being semi-worried about it.  The reviews on Goodreads are on point IMO.

TL;DR: If you want a history lesson about single (and sometimes not) women in the literary world of the 19th and 20th centuries, read this.  Don't read this if you're pushing 30 and you've never heard wedding bells and you're wanting to feel better about the fact that you're unmarried.



The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins  5/5
After suffering through Spinster, The Girl on the Train was my rebound book... if you can "rebound" from books like you do relationships.  I was intrigued quickly, I wasn't left wondering about huge plot things.  There were different narrator perspectives, which is one of my favorite things.  The story revolves around who killed the girl and I didn't see the twist.  I wanted to predict who it was, but I couldn't.  At first I couldn't figure out why the main character was going about things as she was, and even that was covered.  Hawkins did an AMAZING job at keeping me interested and informed.  Truly, I started this book for real on Friday at the gym and finished it Sunday afternoon.  THAT GOOD.  I actually brought Teh Flamin' Kindle with me whenever we went out in the hopes that Mr. Scrooge would ignore me and start looking through his phone so I'd have an excuse to read (he didn't, for once).

TL;DR: Despite how awkward the beginning may seem (and how tedious the drinking of the main character is), it's worth the read.  Just jump on the bandwagon with the rest of us, you're in good company.


In progress:
Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
Five Years in Heaven: The Unlikely Friendship that Answered Life's Greatest Questions by John Schlimm
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Monday, June 8, 2015

Four Thangs (Quick Weekend Recap 6/8)

It was a gloriously boring weekend, here's your quick recap:

Friday:
Afternoon workout
Dinner at The Green Goat

Saturday:
5.77 mile run Saturday morning
1 mile walk for the beasts
Lunch with Mr. Scrooge at Graze
Buying overpriced (but delightful) shoe inserts at the running store
A pressure migraine that led to a nap
Started reading The Girl on the Train (come back tomorrow for my review and the link up!)
Had some amazing homemade burgers with mozzarella cheese inside the burger topped with bacon, a fried egg, tomato, and lettuce on a potato bun (photo below because necessity)
Started watching The X-Files (Mr. Scrooge's decision, not mine)
Folded flower petals for Teh Sister
Bedtime




Sunday:
Laziness
Laundry
A run to Walmart since I hadn't be able to accomplish that on Saturday due to the migraine
A delightful egg-salad sammich from Ye Olde Fashioned Cafe for lunch
Lots more reading in the bed
A nap
More reading, but this time from the hammock
Laundry and dishes
Leftovers for dinner
Writing this post
Bed


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Moving on to something more interesting.. let's play the game of 4 things that I have had drafted for an extremely long time and will now finally post because why not?  


Four names that people call me other than my real name:

Meggy
Meg
Mei (pronounced may)
Rachel (it's my work name)


Four jobs I've had:
Tour guide (for a historical home)
Grocery store cashier
Waitress
Sailor




Four movies you've watched more than once:
Family Stone
Catch and Release
Pride and Prejudice
Garden State



Four books I'd recommend:
Any PostSecret book by Frank Warren


Four places I've lived:
North Carolina
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Manama, Bahrain
Charleston, SC

Financial district, Bahrain

Four Places you have visited:
Plattsburg, NY
Scotland
Australia
San Francisco, CA







Four places I'd rather be right now:
Where it's snowing
Italy
Australia
DC



Four things I don’t eat:
Flagra (or Foie Gras, if you aren't from the south and didn't have a bad experience that one time before your senior prom)
Chitterlins
Goat cheese
Anything spicy


Four of my favorite foods:
Mushrooms
Reese's Cups
Red Robin Royale (aka a delicious burger with bacon and a fried egg (runny yolk, please) on top)
Watermelon


Four TV shows I watch:
Grey's Anatomy (even though I really want to stop)
Game of Thrones
Silicon Valley
The X-Files (which is new since Mr. Scrooge decided we were going to start watching them)


Four things I’m always saying:
ALL THE THINGS!
I can't make that kind of commitment.
No me gusta.
OUT! (to the dogs, of course, when they are begging in the kitchen)