28 July 2010

why it's bad to crochet when emotionally overcome

Because this happens:



And then your blanket will just be all askew when you stitch the patches together, guys.

i love craigslist

Okay, so we're in the process of trying to move, right? I've been in this great little place for a year now, and it's in a PERFECT location, and it's been real good, but it's just becoming time to move on a little bit. I've been stalking KSL and Craigslist for weeks to see what places are available for us to move into, and decided I might as well post our place to see what kind of response I'd get.

Oh don't worry. It's been 48 minutes and I've had nine email and three voicemail inquiries.

Looks like we might get our place rented faster than we thought?

Crossing our fingers?

And let's hope we can find a place for ourselves PDQ.

21 July 2010

nearing a goal

Happy 11-Month Wedding Anniversary, Mr. Ames Husband! I'll save the syrupy anniversary post for next month on the real 1-Year Wedding Anniversary, but since we've made a point of at least mentioning every mothiversary all year, I figured I'd go public. Here's where we were about a year ago:And someday we'll visit Harry Potter Land dressed exactly the same way. (Note: Ames made that scarf I'm wearing in the picture. He's handy-- and holds a state sewing certification, so.) I'm really glad we're creeping up on two years together. Two years feels way more legit than one year. Love you the most!!!

In other news, it occurred to me the other day that I have now lost 17 lbs, which is only 3 lbs away from my goal to lose 20 lbs by the end of summer-- and it's only July 21! I feel I need to mention this because you guys, I have never actually accomplished anything like this before in my life. I mean, beyond the billion commitments to myself to finally get into that size 6, I haven't ever set out to do something difficult and then done it. Of course, I still have 21.6 lbs to go after I hit -20 to reach my goal weight, and I understand the likelihood that this may take longer than the first half, but because I'm all about applauding myself publicly, I just needed to right now.

Cue self-applause.

The question now becomes: how will I reward myself? It seems to me reaching half my goal weight-- potentially a month ahead of schedule!-- is worth rewarding. And since I love self-rewarding almost as much as I love self-applause...

I'm still thinking about this hair, which I understand is a major commitment (I'd probably have to re-color it no less than every four weeks or so, at the rate my hair grows/fades) and a somewhat stark change. And I do like my dark hair right now. But it's still a possibility.
I'm also considering one of these dresses, which are more expensive than I'd like them to be, but honestly I'll just take one in every style.

They all run about $75 though, which makes me think one/several/all may be better purchased after I've lost all 41.6 lbs. It/They will act as added motivation to keep it off.

I don't need headbands, I don't need cardigans, I'm putting off more jeans for the same reason I don't want to buy the dresses yet, for the first time in my recent life (read: ever) I don't really crave clothes shopping of any kind (also a break-through, but that's a post for another day).

Once upon a time I may have been sorely tempted to get myself a teensy, uber discreet tattoo somewhere, but that won't happen (you're welcome, Dad/Mom/Ames). I could possibly just get some nice henna with a nice little henna applicator and reapply the same henna design so it's like a tattoo but then will wash off. That doesn't seem very permanently celebratory though. I won't go through with the secret jonesing for a teensy, uber discreet nose stud either (you're welcome, Dad/Mom/Ames).

Maybe a nice jewelry item? To remind me how I can do hard things?

Help me out, guys. What should I do to celebrate being awesome?

14 July 2010

a new picture of my face

My sister is a budding photographer/designer. She has a really cool website which you should visit. I want her to take my headshots forever and ever more because she's good (and I get a nice family discount, you might say). I was putting off getting a new one till I got a little skinnier in my face but right now she's all over Norway and Denmark and Sweden with the BYU jazz band, Synthesis. FAIL on my part.
However, she's got a pretty crafty husband who can wield a camera pretty well. He too is a genius with the photoshop, and he is not all over Norway and Denmark and Sweden at the moment, so he took my picture for me.What do you think? I'm actually pretty obsessed with it. I'm really into headshots that aren't super glam-- that are quirky and really show personality. Also this makes me look skinny which I am not yet, exactly, but quickly nearing. The question is, should it be cropped printed horizontally or vertically?
Each are legit by "industry standard." What do you think?

Also, I've given myself a new summer hobby and I'm relearning to crochet. It's come back pretty quickly, though I do have many talented friends who put me to shame... I'm working on this little number:Yes, it was a free pattern at JoAnn's and yes I was completely suckered into it and yes I definitely got all those same colors. It's fine. Of the 56 squares I need to make I've completed... almost one. We'll see how it turns out...

12 July 2010

mental/emotional/social health update

I find The Hills appropriately insipid and mildly insulting to good, hard-working society.

I know, I know. This should be a no-brainer. But for a while, it was a brainer. It was a yes-brainer, if you will. It was a brainer because my brain and my nerves were fried from being In Charge, and so for the majority of summer camp, I sat on my couch every night, staring at some kind of television. But it got to a point where I couldn't cope with any kind of investment, see-- not even in a show I've watched 80,000 times and therefore no longer needs investing-- and my own life felt so overwhelming and my job felt so real and my social life felt so dramatique that I couldn't bring myself to invest in anything more brainer than The Hills.

So I Instant NetFlix'd The Hills. And watched it. Every episode of season 3, with one episode of Laguna Beach for nostalgia's sake. Who's nostalgia, I couldn't tell you. Not mine.

But anyway, on The Hills, everyone's lives seem overwhelming (but aren't) and their jobs are so real (but aren't) and society is so le drama! (but isn't), and I got into it. Life by the pool and working a fake job at a magazine so you have something to film for your real job is so hard, guys. But at least Lauren Conrad has all kinds of cool and inspiring nail polish colors (which is part of the insipidity, but important to some people [me]).

So last night Mr. Ames and I went to my folks' house to veg with the cable while they're back East, and there was a Hills marathon on, and I needed Ames to see what it was I had dedicated my evenings to-- and it was the worst. I mean, maybe it's just that season 6 apparently LC isn't on anymore and the show has chosen to follow her frenemy Kristin from the Laguna Beach years, but Audrina's eyes are more dead, Lo is more shallow, and Brody is more of a playa than ever. And Heidi/Spencer are THE GROSST.

Needless to say, Mr. Ames sat there staring for a moment, trying to comprehend how I prefer to read hard nonfiction books and enjoy calculating payroll and somehow managed to convince myself this was a worthy use of time.

I couldn't figure it out either.

But the good news is that I seem to be back, and I'm even back at work, and I'm back on the weight loss wagon, and I think I'm going to develop a relatively useful hobby like crocheting to keep me busy while Hub is rehearsing up at Sundance this summer (while I watch Dollhouse which is awesommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmme).

02 July 2010

it is ended

My first life-consuming work project ended today. I ran my last errand to fulfill immediately pressing needs at 6:07PM and now, it is finished. I can have my life back. And I feel like this about it:

It was very interesting, all of that work and learning how to be a boss of some kind and coordinating all those people and children and dealing with their parents and recognizing for the first time the value of having separate work and personal cell phones. Interesting, but I'm not very sad this first year is over. We made it out alive-- though perhaps barely.
From now on I'll try to find interesting things to discuss, but in the meantime, some bullet points:
  • I wrote another review about a show. You can read it here if you missed the tweet. I really like being able to write lately. I think I'm pretty okay at being critical and constructive (though I've heard some establishments may not feel that's true. HATERZ BACK OFF).

  • I didn't lose very much weight this month. On the bright side, I also haven't gained any. I've been the queen of fluctuation for the month of June but have always managed to pull it together for weigh-in. Now that I've got nothing else to think about again, I'm going to kick it back up. GOAL: 5 lbs by July 17.

  • I'm auditioning for a show on July 17. Not getting hopes up, though I'm confident.

  • Confession: I saw Eclipse at midnight, making this my third out of three Twilight midnight premieres. I've come a long way, considering I attended the first premiere as Anastasia Beaverhousen (as in Russian royalty and where the beaver live) with full-on sunglasses and a trench coat, but this year I wore my CAPTAIN OF TEAM JACOB t-shirt that my old roommate gave me since that shirt makes Ames so mad. The movie was SO SUPER BORING to me, but I had fun with my girls and with my Ames and with all the Twilight superfans who didn't mind the comments I made throughout with my outside voice.

  • I'm actually going on vacation this weekend. Till Wednesday. Nothing but sleeping in and laying out and shopping and eating food (mostly salads-- but delicious ones) for five whole days. We were going to go to Vegas except then Ames has rehearsal for Big River, because he's a star.

  • Second Confession: It may be too early to discuss this at all, and I'm probably jinxing it, but early 2011 there's a show being produced around here and I really secretly (publicly) want to be:I will be thin by then, and I'm not necessarily opposed to dying my hair lighter for auditions so they may consider me for a role they might not otherwise expect to cast me. There it is, Universe. Take it or leave it (please take it).
Okay. That's all I have to say. Summer camp has sucked away my ability to say interesting things/be creative/funny.

/most boring post evar