It may be silly, but I just felt the need to put this out to the universe and say thank you...
In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron writes about synchronicity - which she explains as things that randomly pop up in our lives when we are thinking about them. I had two such instances today...The first occurred when I was shopping with my mother and found facial moisturizers I'm running out of and have been contemplating ordering online, although they are somewhat pricey and I couldn't really justify buying them at the moment. Lo and behold, when I walked into Winner's, there they were on the shelf (I've never seen them in Newfoundland) for almost half the price I am used to paying for them. A very little thing, but I was thankful and happy nonetheless.
The second instance was when I (stupidly) locked myself out of my apartment this evening. I was thinking of the extra key my landlady gave me and wishing she was home so that I could see if there was another key floating around (I never thought I would be so lucky, but it doesn't hurt to check). It so happened that she was away, but her daughter was home so I went upstairs to look up a locksmith. Shortly after I called him (and was told it would cost me $60), she pulled into the driveway. I explained what had happened and she went over to her friend's house to see if they might have an extra key (they live on the same street and were taking care of the house for her after she bought it and before she moved in). Her friend was also out, but her husband handed us a ring of keys and said that one of them might be for the apartment, he wasn't sure. We walked back over to my place and, as luck might have it, the first one she tried got me in. I said a little prayer of gratitude for whoever/whatever was looking out for me and called the locksmith as soon as I got in. Unfortunately, he had arrived in the driveway by that time and was none to happy about it. I was sincerely apologetic, but he hung up on me anyway.
I suppose while I'm at it, there is a third thing that recently struck me as strange...one day last week, an old professor of mine from my MUN days popped into my head - I can't remember why. Oddly enough, on Friday night's performance of Messiah, I looked over to my left at the audience at one point and guess who was sitting there in the second row? I'm wondering if there is some significance to that and if perhaps he (or what he represents) is somehow a part of the answer to the puzzle of my life I've been trying to put together in terms of my career path and getting employed again. It's something to think about, anyway...
Although there are often weird coincidences that mean nothing on the surface, as one friend said to me a while back, "The signs of life are always there for us if we remember to look for them." It really makes you wonder sometimes...
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Monday, December 13, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Building a Fitness Arsenal
Like a lot of others, I have hit the harsh wall of post-holiday reality - in the form of the bathroom scale. Ouch. I knew this was coming and it was my own fault, but the time has come to do something about it...again. What this means at the moment is that (although I am still proceeding to stuff my face with leftover holiday goodies) in a bid to combat the effects of overindulgence (and since I have yet to overcome my gym phobia and do not particularly enjoy frequent walking in the wintertime), I am attempting to revive my home workout program (and I use that term loosely).
I jump started this initiative by spending countless hours sitting in front of the computer frustratedly researching what's available and indecisively polling friends. A little silly and excessive, I admit, but I wanted to spend money wisely instead of impulsively making purchases. The next step was to buff up my collection of workout DVDs. So, in addition to the likes of Leslie Sansone (I have a bunch of her Walk off the Pounds DVDs), Michelle Dozois (Pilates Plus is one of my staples, although I have it on VHS and would really like to get the DVD version), Jillian Michaels, Billy Blanks and Jennifer Pohlman (the latter two are definitely NOT among my faves) who I have collected over the past 10 years, multiple new videos starring Rodney Yee, Jennifer Kries, Debbie Siebers, Shiva Rea and the Yoga Zone crew (as well as some new ones featuring the old assortment of trainers) have now moved in to grace my shelves. I admit I may have went a little crazy with it - more than doubling my fitness DVD collection in a few days, but the theory is that if I can outsmart my tendency to become bored (therefore quickly giving up), I might actually be able to develop and sustain a routine that lasts more than a couple of weeks.
So far, while I still intend to throw a few of the old standbys into the mix again eventually, I have tried them all except the new Jennifer Kries' pilates routine (which hasn't yet arrived from Chapters...or was it Amazon?) and have had mixed reactions. Of the new ones (most of which are yoga based, which is all new to me), I have to say I am finding the Yoga Zones and Debbie Siebers easiest to follow as a newbie. The others are enjoyable as well, but I will probably leave them on the shelf until I become better acquainted with yogic practices. However, I have to say, finding Mariel Hemingway on some of the Rodney Yee vids was a little disturbing and I don't think her segments will become part of the regular rotation.
The bottom line is that I am beginning to feel better; more flexible and energized, already, and that I have enough fresh material to rotate through to keep me going for a long time without it feeling stagnant. That has to be a step in the right direction, doesn't it? I am also finding that the yoga DVDs are self-motivating, meaning that I don't have to work too hard at convincing myself to get up and do them. That is also a bonus (although I have to wonder if it will continue to be that way once the novelty wears off) which I intend to make the most of while it lasts.
Most importantly, I am breaking my holiday routine of inactivity-while-feeling-lonely-and-sorry-for-myself...which was totally not healthy...and I am thinking that if I could find the will and determination to stop smoking 4 1/2 years ago and make it last, this is totally do-able. Perhaps 2010 will be the year that I finally stick with it and see ongoing results instead of my habitual yearly round of follow the yo-yo with that pesky 15 pounds that just will not quit. Of course, I also have to break the bad eating habits I have allowed myself to slip into over the past couple of months as well, but one step at a time - right?
I jump started this initiative by spending countless hours sitting in front of the computer frustratedly researching what's available and indecisively polling friends. A little silly and excessive, I admit, but I wanted to spend money wisely instead of impulsively making purchases. The next step was to buff up my collection of workout DVDs. So, in addition to the likes of Leslie Sansone (I have a bunch of her Walk off the Pounds DVDs), Michelle Dozois (Pilates Plus is one of my staples, although I have it on VHS and would really like to get the DVD version), Jillian Michaels, Billy Blanks and Jennifer Pohlman (the latter two are definitely NOT among my faves) who I have collected over the past 10 years, multiple new videos starring Rodney Yee, Jennifer Kries, Debbie Siebers, Shiva Rea and the Yoga Zone crew (as well as some new ones featuring the old assortment of trainers) have now moved in to grace my shelves. I admit I may have went a little crazy with it - more than doubling my fitness DVD collection in a few days, but the theory is that if I can outsmart my tendency to become bored (therefore quickly giving up), I might actually be able to develop and sustain a routine that lasts more than a couple of weeks.
So far, while I still intend to throw a few of the old standbys into the mix again eventually, I have tried them all except the new Jennifer Kries' pilates routine (which hasn't yet arrived from Chapters...or was it Amazon?) and have had mixed reactions. Of the new ones (most of which are yoga based, which is all new to me), I have to say I am finding the Yoga Zones and Debbie Siebers easiest to follow as a newbie. The others are enjoyable as well, but I will probably leave them on the shelf until I become better acquainted with yogic practices. However, I have to say, finding Mariel Hemingway on some of the Rodney Yee vids was a little disturbing and I don't think her segments will become part of the regular rotation.
The bottom line is that I am beginning to feel better; more flexible and energized, already, and that I have enough fresh material to rotate through to keep me going for a long time without it feeling stagnant. That has to be a step in the right direction, doesn't it? I am also finding that the yoga DVDs are self-motivating, meaning that I don't have to work too hard at convincing myself to get up and do them. That is also a bonus (although I have to wonder if it will continue to be that way once the novelty wears off) which I intend to make the most of while it lasts.
Most importantly, I am breaking my holiday routine of inactivity-while-feeling-lonely-and-sorry-for-myself...which was totally not healthy...and I am thinking that if I could find the will and determination to stop smoking 4 1/2 years ago and make it last, this is totally do-able. Perhaps 2010 will be the year that I finally stick with it and see ongoing results instead of my habitual yearly round of follow the yo-yo with that pesky 15 pounds that just will not quit. Of course, I also have to break the bad eating habits I have allowed myself to slip into over the past couple of months as well, but one step at a time - right?
Monday, October 26, 2009
Random Thoughts
1. I am so proud of myself today. I am almost finished my Christmas shopping, I worked out for the first time in ages (so wanting to get back into the routine, and so have not been able to since the decadent summer I enjoyed in Newfoundland), I took care of some stuff I have been wanting to do around the apartment, and I cooked and baked a bunch of stuff for the week. Yay me! (and that is my attempt at - to quote a dear friend of mine "shooting rainbows out my ass" today.)
2. H1N1 shot...indecision reigns. I have been doing a little research on the web and polling for opinions in other blogs and still have not come to any conclusions, except that the people who believe we should all be vaccinated really do express themselves quite vehemently! The thing is, I find it a little hard to separate the reality from the hype about this situation at times and, like all things, you could probably interpret the information several different ways depending on what you want to draw from it. One article I read had virtually convinced me to head out and have a needle jabbed in my arm and what I read from another had me thinking that there really was no need to do that, as H1N1's stats and behaviour are not a whole lot different than your garden variety seasonal flu. For those who are also still undecided, here are a couple of links to information dealing with the issue (I won't include all of the subjective blog posts I have perused):
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/general.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/vaccine_safety.htm
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/
http://www.gov.bc.ca/h1n1/
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile108b.stm
3. Sigh...I am still playing the waiting game while searching for answers and exploring other avenues for jobs and locations. I am someone who likes to be prepared (halt! before those who know me can protest - procrastination and preparedness need not be mutually exclusive in my humble opinion!) and it is getting really annoying going from day to day and not knowing WHAT I am preparing for...I have packed up a bunch of stuff in case of a possible move, but I have no idea when and where we are going as of yet. We have been considering the north, but have not had any luck finding suitable jobs so far and we haven't been able to come up with a solid back up plan if that falls through. We just know that we don't plan on staying here forever and as much as it didn't make sense to move before when we didn't know where else we wanted to be, it also doesn't really make sense to stay here much longer if we don't intend to set down roots.
4. I was reading some articles from the local paper online and the comments that follow some of them are disgusting. I have to say, I was definitely not prepared for the level of racism that exists here. When I first moved to BC, I was expecting to find communities that appreciated the diversity of their citizens and excited to have an opportunity to learn about other cultures myself. The reality, I am finding, is much different. Specifically, I was - and still am - shocked at the tension that exists between natives and non-natives (on both sides), and have been in a few situations where it has made me more than a little uncomfortable. I am sure people with those types of mentalities exist throughout Canada and the world, but I got my first real exposure to it 4 years ago when I moved here and being hit in the face by it several times since has done nothing but disturb me more.
5. Just because a list of 4 things doesn't seem quite right...I am a little perplexed at my inability to produce a decent graham cracker crust....
2. H1N1 shot...indecision reigns. I have been doing a little research on the web and polling for opinions in other blogs and still have not come to any conclusions, except that the people who believe we should all be vaccinated really do express themselves quite vehemently! The thing is, I find it a little hard to separate the reality from the hype about this situation at times and, like all things, you could probably interpret the information several different ways depending on what you want to draw from it. One article I read had virtually convinced me to head out and have a needle jabbed in my arm and what I read from another had me thinking that there really was no need to do that, as H1N1's stats and behaviour are not a whole lot different than your garden variety seasonal flu. For those who are also still undecided, here are a couple of links to information dealing with the issue (I won't include all of the subjective blog posts I have perused):
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/general.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/vaccine_safety.htm
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/
http://www.gov.bc.ca/h1n1/
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile108b.stm
3. Sigh...I am still playing the waiting game while searching for answers and exploring other avenues for jobs and locations. I am someone who likes to be prepared (halt! before those who know me can protest - procrastination and preparedness need not be mutually exclusive in my humble opinion!) and it is getting really annoying going from day to day and not knowing WHAT I am preparing for...I have packed up a bunch of stuff in case of a possible move, but I have no idea when and where we are going as of yet. We have been considering the north, but have not had any luck finding suitable jobs so far and we haven't been able to come up with a solid back up plan if that falls through. We just know that we don't plan on staying here forever and as much as it didn't make sense to move before when we didn't know where else we wanted to be, it also doesn't really make sense to stay here much longer if we don't intend to set down roots.
4. I was reading some articles from the local paper online and the comments that follow some of them are disgusting. I have to say, I was definitely not prepared for the level of racism that exists here. When I first moved to BC, I was expecting to find communities that appreciated the diversity of their citizens and excited to have an opportunity to learn about other cultures myself. The reality, I am finding, is much different. Specifically, I was - and still am - shocked at the tension that exists between natives and non-natives (on both sides), and have been in a few situations where it has made me more than a little uncomfortable. I am sure people with those types of mentalities exist throughout Canada and the world, but I got my first real exposure to it 4 years ago when I moved here and being hit in the face by it several times since has done nothing but disturb me more.
5. Just because a list of 4 things doesn't seem quite right...I am a little perplexed at my inability to produce a decent graham cracker crust....
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Coffee is the Enemy of Sleep
I should definitely know better than to drink coffee. It is 2am and I am wide awake after indulging in a homemade cafe mocha at 5pm. What was I thinking?!?! I honestly cannot comprehend drinking cups upon cups of the stuff during the day and not being a total insomniac. How do people's bodies handle caffeine like that? Or perhaps it's one of those things where if I drank it enough I would build up a tolerance...? Either way, I wish I had refrained from indulging today. Guess I should just be thankful it's not a work night. My significant other, on the other hand, who is currently slumbering on the floor in the guise of watching a movie, has had at least twice as much as me today and maybe more. Funny how that works.
On a completely different note, I did manage to get a bunch of Christmas shopping out of the way today. Bonus. I am discovering that it is usually one of two extremes with me...two years ago I ended up having to ship my bundle of gifts home express, which meant coughing up a bigger chunk of change than I would have liked at the post office. Lucky for me, the parcel was late getting there but still in time for the holidays...which meant that my friends and family members were not disappointed and my shipment was free in the end (I complained and Canada Post sent me a cheque...I wish Air Canada was as obliging). This year, purchases, wrapping, and cards to be made, and I can send it to my mother to distribute when the time comes. You definitely have to plan ahead when you are nowhere near the recipients of your gifting...
On a completely different note, I did manage to get a bunch of Christmas shopping out of the way today. Bonus. I am discovering that it is usually one of two extremes with me...two years ago I ended up having to ship my bundle of gifts home express, which meant coughing up a bigger chunk of change than I would have liked at the post office. Lucky for me, the parcel was late getting there but still in time for the holidays...which meant that my friends and family members were not disappointed and my shipment was free in the end (I complained and Canada Post sent me a cheque...I wish Air Canada was as obliging). This year, purchases, wrapping, and cards to be made, and I can send it to my mother to distribute when the time comes. You definitely have to plan ahead when you are nowhere near the recipients of your gifting...
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