Sleep, Sleep, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

National Geographic picture. I can't wait to take pictures like this with my wonderful new DSLR camera!
I don't know what is wrong with me. Even since I stopped working, I've been going to the gym everyday. And everyone says that when you go to the gym and work out everyday, you have more energy. Well, I tended to agree with them, since when I was always tired all the time, it was also at a time when I didn't go to the gym on a regular basis. Now that I do, I expected to have more energy, but I don't! Perhaps its because I also don't have a job and not much interaction with people during the day, but I didn't think that would have too much of an effect on me. Anyway, its something with endorphins and all that, so I should still be soooo tired all the time. So I got up this morning at 9:30, went to the gym for Pilates at 10:00. I got back home, ate something and then immediately fell asleep for over 2 hours. What? How does that happen. I don't want to think that I'm depressed, but it's not too far fetched to think....okay turn this sucker around. It's the best day ever! In fact, my best friend in DC and I are going to start a blog together. We've actually been talking about this for a long long time, but I'm really gonna start it. I might be the only one writing in it, but that's okay.

Things I'm Thankful for:
Hummus, love it
Pilates class
30 Rock, hilarious
Making a picture book
Pandora

My health
My happiness
My sweats
Cereal ;)

Thank you so much! I am so happy now that I have this wonderful job doing such creative and fun things, it barely feels like work, I am so happy about it! Thank you!

Coo-Coo for Coco Puffs

Well not exactly Coco Puffs (I don't believe I've ever actually had them...) but for cereal. I have never come forward and said how thankful I am of cereal. In particular, anything with red berries. I love the Special K red berries, but not to exclude some of my other favs, like Strawberry fields (ironically also contains raspberries and other sorts of berries) and I don't know the name, but they look like cheerios but with blueberries and strawberries, etc. I love it. I never was a big fan of it in my childhood, mostly because I don't really like milk (I used to be allergic to it), but I use soy milk in my cereal and its just delicious. I got home tonight and I wanted something to eat, but do not have the energy to make anything, and so the perfect solution is cereal. God bless you cereal. So without further ado, here are the things that I'm thankful for today:

Cereal!
Soy milk (delicious delicious soy milk)
My printer works!
The nice girl who filled in for my co-teacher who couldn't make it
White boards (I like writing on them, it's fun)
Grooveshark, which is providing me with some lovely tunes as I write
Free streaming music and movies and shows, oh my!
Restaurant week, I will be going this weekend yay!
Tickets to wizards game (if I can get out of teaching ESL next week)
All my good fortune!
Crafting and craft blogs, I love your tutes.

Here's something I was working on, not sure how else I'm going to elaborate on it....

Started as just a Styrofoam wreath:



And I have a million old mags:
I actually only used one of my old ELLE magazines, just the first few ads and cut them up into strips:
Glued them all the way around until it was completely covered:Then I mad a cute little paper flower and glued that on..but it def needs something else, I'm just not sure what else to do....this is what it looks like now:
Oh, one more thing that I am very very very thankful for is my Glue Gun! It's amazing, I might even go as it changed my life. Haha, of course it has, without it, I wouldn't have been able to make my fun wreaths....even if I'm the only person who thinks they are fun.

Also thankful for:

All the wonderful donations for the date auction that I'm working on!

Thank you thank you thank, I'm so happy :)

Grapes of Wreath....

So I finally finished my book page wreath. I used Robert Ludlum's The Scorpio Illusion. I think it looks much better in person than in pictures, but nevertheless, here it is.For some reason it just looks very weird. But anyway, I think it looks cool. It only too be about a month to finish it. Ugh. But I did get inspired to create a different kind of wreath. One made out of magazines (because I have a plethora of them) Here is the tutorial for the wreath...
http://www.livingwithlindsay.com/2009/11/librarians-please-avert-your-eyes.html

Same Sh!t, Different Year

My new year's resolution is to find out what the F I am going to do with my life. I'm starting to get quite pessimistic as each day goes on. For some reason (okay probably not for just some reason) I had major anxiety on New Years Eve. Perhaps it's because I know that time is going by and I'm not making any progress. What is the deal? Why can't I get motivated to do anything? I can't even be motivated to write in this blog. I meant to write on December 31st, nope. I meant to write on January 1st, nope. So here I am on January 6th, finally writing. Okay, snap out of it. This is about positivity and finding the great things in everyday life. So let's get to it. What are you thankful for:

Good lunch with friends
Internet is working
My room is organized
My food cabinet is organized
Happy Hour tomorrow
No more pests in the house
Cleaning person that comes
Lost scarf had been found
Good friends
Good coffee
Good workout
Pilates kicked my ass yesterday
Leftover pad thai for dinner tonight (yum)
Free Hockey tickets yesterday for the suite (which meant free beers and food!)

So, I really do have a lot to be thankful for, and I am so thankful...then why can't I just get myself in gear! I don't want to throw it away!! And it's so hard to talk to people about it, my mom's answer to everything is "You're beautiful" really? really, mom? How is that going to get me a job other than prostitution?!? Other people are just like, "oh well, take your time, enjoy your time off" When you know they are just thinking, "how pathetic."

I'm gonna go watch The Secret...

the Wit

Today I took one of those personality test that judges my sense of humor. I think it came out about right (of course, it's highly complementary, so of course I would wholeheartedly agree)

the Wit

your humor style:
CLEAN | COMPLEX | DARK

You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean pretentious. You realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons' philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat.

I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer.

Your sense of humor takes the most thought to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion.

You probably loved the Office. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Jon Stewart - Woody Allen - Ricky Gervais


I love those personality test. They are so fun. I mean what the best subject to everyone, themselves of course! Unless I'm just extremely egotistical, however I don't think that is the case. Either way, I learning about myself, haha. Although I should already know these things, but when they are reflected in such a good light, why not get the little boost :)

National Geographic's Picture of the Day:

Oh just gorgeous! I love it. I can't wait to get a new camera that takes beautiful photos like this one.

I applied to South Moon Under, and I believe that I got the job, but I told the manager that I could work when I can't work, so I'm thinking that may affect if they still want to give me the job. I have to call her tomorrow!

I'm also applying to a book store, which I think I would much rather work at, however South Moon Under is about 90% closer than the Book Store, oh the choices!

Thankful for today:
Starbucks
The library
Beautiful sunny day
the track
Podcasts
New Moon opens in a few days!

Thank you!

Bummer...

So I'm starting to feel like a bum...okay I know, I know, I should rightly feel like a bum as this is my third week of not working. But since I made the conscious choice to stop working, I decide when I get to feel like a bum, and just because having no job might throw me in the instant bum category, I disagree and hence, now is when I decide I'm only starting to feel like one. I also tend to like convoluted sentences. So anyway, today was Monday, which I've decided will start this week of actually applying to jobs and working towards getting back an income, however small that may be.

Anyway, I started tutoring tonight. ESL to adults. It was interesting, I was nervous going in, but I'm very confident now and excited to continue each week. The hour goes by awfully fast, so its really no sacarfice on my part. I hope I can really help this woman learn English.

On to the point, things I'm thankful for today (and the past few days):
The Patriots
The Patriots win yesterday
Meeting Patriots fans at the bar
Spending very little money out this weekend
Goody's pizza
Cleaning lady came today, clean bathroom and kitchen
Roommate made brownies (I'm both thankful and resentful of this because now I just want to eat brownies all day)
The gym
Twilight - I'm rereading and loving every minute of it
New Moon comes out in 10 days
Delicious dinner and wine last night with a good friend
Good leftovers from dinner last night today. Thai, mmmmmmm

That's all for now! Here is a picture from National Geographic.comPerhaps I could draw the comparison that while I'm a bum, perhaps a beautiful flower bum laying on the pavement? No? Ok.

Oh yes, whats to come, things that I love to do. Help me to find my passion and hopefully capitalize on that passion :)

Week 2

So I'm on my second week of unemployment. So far I've gotten a pretty positive response from people. One of the things that I was most concerned with (its pretty lame actually) was what I'm going to tell people. The reason being, and I think this is with most anywhere you go in the US, one of the first things you ask a person when meeting them, after getting their name is, what do you do? Which I think is such a dumb question to begin with (going back to what I've said in previous blogs) because why do we define ourselves by 1)Our name 2) Where we are from 3) What we do for a job. I understand that these are the easiest questions to ask of a person, but I don't think that by any means, my name, where I'm from, or what I've done for jobs is in any way a reflection of who I am. Hi, I'm Aly, from Maine, that used to Professional Development. All those things together, you have NOT A CLUE who I am. I'm nothing like that person that I just described. So since I cannot change society and how we introduce ourselves, I am nervous to meet people now that I quit my job. WHY! I'm actually a bit ashamed that I have to say, oh hey, i don't work. But what I'm really mad about it that I'm ashamed that I'm ashamed of that. I should be happy and proud that I made the decision to leave a job that I hate. So why am I ashamed of that?

Anyway, enough with my rant about that. It's just that this not having a job thing is starting to stress me out in a way. Not in a way that I want to be stressed out. I told myself I wouldn't get like this, that I wouldn't let society pressure me into being stressed out. Perhaps it's the loneliness that is getting to me. That's one of the things that I didn't anticipate to effect me so quickly, but alas it's only been a week, but it feels longer than that. I am still waiting for the weekends to come even though I'm not even working. A good friend of mine is leaving her job for a new one and she's going to take some time off, and I'm super excited about that so she can hang out with me for the short time that she doesn't have a job too!

So some random thoughts that I've had the last couple of weeks:

Why do we lean when we go around corners in the car? Shifting my weight in the car will have absolutely no affect on how the car will turn. it's not a bicycle.

When I walk into an exercise class and the instructor seems to be in worse shape/not the body I'm striving for, I'm immediately dejected.

Don't look in the cupboard again, it's all gonna be the same shit you saw when you looked 2 minutes ago. Just go to Chipotle.

Sometimes I'll make myself dinner and it kinda takes a while, so I snack and taste things while I'm cooking, when it's finally finished I'm not even hungry anymore.

I always think that my facebook albums are the funniest and most intersteing pictures, until I look at other peoples and realize they are all the same, just insert a different drunk person.

I was so hungover the other day that I watched the Spanish Channel for five minutes without realizing it.

Why do the only guys that ask me out are only guys that I would never date?

Goodwill is only crowded the week before Halloween.

When I see a beautiful person, I immediately like to assume that I'm smarter then them.

So things that I'm thankful for today;
Good friend to tell me everything will be okay.
Delicious meal at Busboys and Poets
Fun events to look forward to
Got my purse back with everything in it
Lovely people who return purses!
Found good music online today
Cleaner room
Good weather
Good run
Funny TV
Great blogs!

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!

Picture of the Day from National Geographic: