Month-In-Review: December

Blimey, 2012 just sort of happened, didn't it?  Sure, it came after 12 months of 2011 as most new years do, but I swear those 365 or so days went by a hell of a lot faster than they should have.  I mean, did I really accomplish anything?  I honestly can't say.  2011 was a quiet, uneventful year in the old Sara B household, and I suppose that is something for which to be thankful. 

I've been busy this past week putting my resolutions into motion (you know, lose weight, get a job, get a date, yada, yada, yada) that I haven't put much thought into that old holiday flurry that was December.  Well, here is what I'll address:

• Miraculously, despite holiday parties and the associated richness of food, I finished 2011 five pounds down from where I started.  It's five pounds, not fifty, but I'll take it, considering how hard it is to manage at my advanced age.
• There has been a positive turn on the job front, but I'm superstitious enough not to expound on it until some things have been set in stone.  
• Really, that is the extent of my life since December 1.  Gripping.  Gah.

Well, as I've mentioned before, I love beginnings, so January is usually full of positive anticipation.  I'll let you know in February if that optimism has become a habit, since it takes 21 days of doing something for it to become a habit, after all. 

Cheers!

Month-In-Review: November

I'm a little late posting my riveting, recurring review of my monthly life, and I apologize for all of those who waited with bated breath.  So, what happened?  Well...

• ...I decided to shelve the job hunt for at least the duration of the holiday season.  I just know I'm going about it all wrong, and it's more than a little annoying to be treading water for so long and getting nowhere.  I haven't given up (Really!  I haven't!), though.
• I, as expected and required, ate too much over Thanksgiving.  I usually ride that hedonistic train from Thanksgiving until New Year, but I'm trying to rein it in between holidays with some smarter choices.  Doesn't seem to make a difference to my waistline, though.  Over 30, and the metabolism seems to come to a screeching halt.
• We haven't even had our first real snowfall, it's still autumn, and I'm already sick of winter.  That depresses me, as I've always been a fan of sweater weather.  I do increase my coffee drinking during these months, though, and that's always comforting, especially with a little Baileys.  
• I got nothin'.

So there you have it, another month, another roller coaster ride.  Bleh.

Month-In-Review: October

These days, my only outward nod to Halloween is in color-centric clothing.  For example, today I wore an orange sweater with black slacks to work.  I really wish there had been a pair of pumpkin or black cat earrings in the jewelry chest I’d “inherited” from my mother, but no such luck.  I haven’t put together an actual costume in ages, and I haven’t handed out candy since I crossed the threshold into adulthood.  I do spend hours enjoying those dime a dozen countdowns of great horror movie moments and cheesy slasher flicks that are only worth my time when they’re so bad they’re good.  (Last year, I watched a Halloween episode of Quantum Leap from the series I had on DVD.  It wasn’t scary, by any means, but provided a nice accent to the holiday.)  

Whether grabbing a ballerina costume off the racks or helping my mom sew a witch hat and cape, Halloween definitely had more of a build up as a kid.  I remember celebrating the holiday in elementary school with a costume parade around the playground.  It didn’t feel like a school day, then.  We weren’t students; we were ghosts, princesses, Freddy Kruegers, Michael Jacksons, pumpkins, cats, and scarecrows.  Our teachers transformed into something a little cooler with just a dab or two of white face paint and blue and red for veins and blood.  We left at the end of the day not with homework, but with candy.  

Candy is always the ultimate goal.  Children don’t care about the history of Samhain or All Soul’s Day.  The sugar coma is all that mattered.  And for parents worried about their babies suffering from something worse, like poison or razor blade, they console themselves with snagging the choice treats in the name of safety.  

My dentist and my waistline insist that candy must no longer wield such influence over my 32 year-old self.  I suppose the butter-drenched popcorn on my lap while I watch a bloody good time of a horror movie will have to be the appropriate alternative.  

As for the rest of October:

• Five job applications.
• Weight gained in a sure sign of winter's approach.  I must pack on the pounds to stay warmer.  Yeah, that's it.
• My Henry (kitty cat) was diagnosed with FIV, but it's super manageable and he's been aces since the vet.  I'll make sure he stays that way.

 "The veil is getting thin my friends,

And strange things will pass through." 

Kind of gives you chills, doesn't it?

Month-In-Review: September

I really debated whether or not to post the details of another uneventful month.  Eventually, habit won out.  September sped by, and in those blink-and-you'll-miss-it days, I have succeeded in doing the following:

• Becoming hyper-vigilant over my new car.  Documenting the miles under me before I have to fill up with gas, giving it a critical eye every morning for nicks or scratches, and even contemplating the RPMs as I accelerate.  I am not car crazy by any means -- just ask my old Spectra -- but now I have to fight the urge to give other Nissan drivers a nod as I pass them on the road.  So, I ask you, WTF?
• Applying to 7 jobs.  The momentum here is slowing considerably.  I feel like I need to take a step back, start over.  I haven't looked into the volunteering thing seriously enough.  I really should do that.
• Watching Pscyh episodes ad finitum.  Having basic cable, I've never seen an episode until this year, thanks to Netflix streaming, and now I am totally addicted.  I'm going through the past five seasons for the second time.
• Contemplating a big fall deep clean.  My apartment is picked up, but definitely needs some effort under the furniture, etc.  Contemplation is all I've done, so far.

And so I struggle to think of more to add.  I'm a little restless, but not terribly bored.  That's good enough for now.

Month-In-Review: August

Another fascinating month is at an end.  We are also closing in on the end of summer.  Fall will officially be here this month, September.  I have to say that I am much looking forward to it.  I'm a middle ground kind of girl: Fall and Spring are my favorites.  And why shouldn't they be?

So what did I accomplish the past, uh, august weeks? (Har-har.)  Let's see:

• I bumped up my job application totals from July, but only by half.  I made it to 6.  Is it the summer mind-set or what?  Now that the kiddies are back in school, will I be getting to work, too?
• I had a promising start to the weight loss this month, with a couple of pounds, but this last week put me to back to where I started August 1.  Still, maintenance is better than gain.
• I got a summer cold from which I am suffering a lingering cough that keeps me up at night and bothers anyone lucky enough to spend time with me.  
• I bought a new (-ish) car.  My 2002 Spectra was fine, with the exception of a slightly noisy engine, a slow leak in the rear passenger tire, the dash coming apart at the seams, and no more letters on the back indicating what make or model she was.  Okay, fine, she wasn't fine.  Still, it stung to put her out to pasture.  Almost 9 years, you get attached to these things.  I am warming up quickly, though, to the 2008 Nissan Sentra that replaced her.  And yes, I will likely name her.  I am such a girl.

So that ends August.  If I've forgotten anything, it might be that I've rekindled my love of reading after nearly six weeks of barely picking up a book.  I returned from the library one day with three books and voila, I am a happier person again.

Books are remarkable, aren't they?  Or, should I say, the human imagination is...

Month-In-Review: July

If  I can claim to have gone on vacation in both mind and body this summer, I will for the the month of July.  While progress on the database I'm creating for work kicked into high gear, everything else kind of came to a screeching a halt...

• I applied to 3, count 'em, 3 jobs this month, and they were all before July 15th.
• I mindlessly watched episodes of Wings and Roseanne on Netflix nonstop on my evenings and weekends.
• I, apparently, have no life.
• I went to NC for a long weekend to see my best friend and had a fabulous time, including a lovely snooze on the beach by the Atlantic.  Woke up with a decent sunburn, but...
• I am suffering now from a worse sunburn after hours at a waterpark in Michigan yesterday.  I'm also streaky from an inconsistent application of sunscreen.  Really, I'm adorable.  Red, flaky, and just precious.

So, that's all that I can say about July.  Not bad, all in all.  Weight pretty much stayed the same, calorie output was still in the 10,000 range, and I never missed a workout, even while in North Carolina, but that's easy for me.  Working out is a natural part of my lifestyle; it's the eating well that, well, you know how it is...

Will I get back on track for August?  Well, I didn't want to post tonight, but I did, no matter how sore and tired I am.  That might be a good indication.  Of what, I just don't know...

Month-In-Review: June

June.  Well.  What can I say?  There are 30 days in the month.  Summer officially started on the 21st.  It was hot.  It was, hmm...

• I lost 2 more pounds.  Since May 1st, that is 6 pounds for any one keeping track.  
• I have really been working on cardio endurance, and in June I burned 10,900 calories (because I like to know these things).
• I only applied to 8 jobs and not the usual 10.  I probably could have gotten in 10 apps, but I was feeling rebellious.  Probably why I haven't put more effort in to changing my approach, either.
• I can't stop watching Netflix Instant.  It's a disease.
• I finally cleaned out my sun room for the first time in ages and arranged my fitness equipment just so, lining up my dumbbells in a pretty row.  It tickles me.  
• God, I'm weird.

So, those are the mundane details of last month.  Word.

Month-In-Review: May

We finally saw some summery days in May.  Those endless gray skies and chilly temperatures gave way to the sun and 90 degrees or more.  Of course, there was still the rain, and tornado season is in full, devastating throttle.  On the tiny island of me, however, May was decent...

• I lost 4 pounds.  While that is within normal fluctuations, it was a consistent drop, so I think I'm headed in the right direction.  Since bathing suit season is upon us, I am glad.
• I stuck on topic this month with the blog posts.  It's nice not to be so random, sometimes.
• I applied to my 10 jobs, and received just as many rejections.
• I have seen the end of my series of dentist visits.  The fillings are all in, and I've been fitted for whitening trays, gratis (as a thank you, I'm sure, for dropping $2000 over the course of three months and four visits).  

May was consistent and constructive.  The anal part of my soul (that just sounds weird) is delighted.  Then there's the part of me that thinks, "Well, shouldn't my life be just a little messy?" 

Month-In-Review: April

I end April with 3 measly posts, including this one.  I guess I didn't have a lot on my mind this month.

• I made it to my 10 app quota again.  I'm like a machine!  The rejections are piling up, too.  I know I should be doing more; why can't I get the chutzpah to do it?
• I turned 32.  Wow.  
• I've discovered that I'm stronger than I think.  While assisted with my feet on the ground, I can manage 8 pull ups.  I started this challenge not expecting even 1 or 2.  I look forward to when I can do an unassisted pull up.  Fitness challenges are fun.

That's about it.  I'm not feeling well.  I contracted a cold the same day I had three fillings at the dentist, which made that particular day quite stellar (the cute dentist not withstanding).   I don't feel like putting much thought into, well, anything right now.

Cheers.

Month-In-Review: March

Another rollicking edition of month-in-review!  Ahem. 

Per usual, nothing really extraordinary occurred in March.  Still, some notables:

• I applied to 11 positions, making up for missing my February goal by one.

• Instead of getting all of my entertainment from Netflix streaming, with which I've become obsessed since I figured out my damn router and configured the Blu-ray, I dropped some cash to see a movie in a theater.  What a notion!  It was opening night of Paul.  I just love Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, so seeing them together again since Hot Fuzz was loads of fun.  The flick wasn't directed by Edgar Wright (he did a stellar job with Scott Pilgrim), so it wasn't the full dream team behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, but still a hoot.  I really enjoy going to the theater.  It's an experience that you just can't replicate at home, no matter how good your surround sound or large your TV.

• I'm getting the travel itch again.  Not going to happen, what with all of this costly dental work in my future (result of 5 to 10 years between visits and a love of sweets that just keeps growing), but I've been all over the notion of going to Italy, thanks to reruns of Passport to Europe I caught this month.

• Either something is in the water or it's the change of seasons, because I've been a little too upbeat lately.  I try to keep it under control when I'm around others, but I'm perky to the point of self-annoyance.

• And now I'm just making up things to add.

April is nigh.  I turn 32, two days after my brother hits 40, and one day before my sister hits 30.  No milestones for me, but I'll be drinking to them, all three days that week. 

 I'm also setting fitness goals for myself.  I think I've been too easy on myself and need to ramp it up.  Primary goal is to do a pull up.  I just purchased a workout station that will help me train for them at home, just so I don't look like an ass at the gym just hanging there.  Well, I'm sure I always look like an ass.  It's why I'm so endearing.

Cheers!

Month-In-Review: February

I think after such an auspicious showing in January, I had too many expectations for this month.  Aw, hell.  It wasn't that bad...

• My first book club meeting was a lot of fun, and there are some pretty cool women who live in my apartment complex.  I definitely look forward to discussing March's book in a couple of weeks.

• I bit the bullet and went from the "safe" side-sweeping bangs to a fringe cut and it's cute!  It also reminded me that that's what I am: cute.  Not altogether sexy or glamorous or exotic, but cute.  Just don't squeeze my cheek, okay?

• I applied to 9 out of the 10 "quota" jobs.  Why didn't I get that last one in?  I just never built up the momentum, and I fell into a bit of a funk last week, my stomach in knots, hot/cold, achy...you know.  I was sick.  I considered getting that last one in today just to meet my goal, but then I thought that goals were over-rated.  

• I tried the gym, and I liked it!  I'm even going to drop some serious dough to purchase a one-year membership.  I can't believe it.  

• I didn't drop the pounds, though.  Okay, maybe one.  I'll take it.  

• I might need a root canal.  

And so February comes to a close.  I wish winter would, too.  The few days of 50 and 60 degrees was a balm to my chapped lips and cheeks.  Spring and fall are my favorite seasons, the in-betweens.  I wonder if that's because I'm a middle child?