Weekend Positivity

It's been two weeks, dammit...I should get a little better at this reliability thing. Ah well, that will not stop me from doing it now! Also, I saw this lyric this week and loved it: "even if your grades are bad, it doesn't mean you're failing." (from a new Amanda Palmer song detailed in this post) Trying to post weekly falls into this idea, too. I will keep trying, even though I do not appear to be very good at it, and it doesn't mean I fail! :p

I am proud of:

• trying another new restaurant thing, huzzah (Olive Garden's stuffed rigatoni with chicken...yum)...also trying a new place altogether, Jimmy John's.
• keeping up with the dishes.
• keeping my room pretty clean.
• assembling a bookshelf I've had hanging around for a while.
• giving my opinion on an issue where others disagreed.

I enjoyed:

• not having to curve any exams I wrote recently (yay me for writing good exams, yay students for doing well on them).
• yummy dinners out.
• dinner from a wok!
• cooking with fresh garlic for the first (and later second) time.
• tickling and other silliness.

I love:

• my boyfriend.
• my cat.
• the character Sam Vimes from Discworld.
• Amanda Palmer.
• elf ears.

Take care, all. :)

Challenge!

Now presenting a new feature...Challenges for People Who Think These Things Are Challenging. Whether or not that's honestly catchy, here we go.

I am formally challenging myself (and anyone else who may care to join in) to do the following:

Each time you order a meal from a restaurant, try something you have not ordered recently.

I find this hard, because I often find one thing I like and I end up in a rut, ordering it every time, because...I know it will be fine, I know it won't be too spicy, I can withstand judgment about it because I have had it before and I am confident in my (repeated) decision, I know I won't have to order something else instead or eat something more later because it's too awful to eat, etc.

So I have been making an effort to try new things. I decided to formalize it here so I don't start slacking off, but I have been doing pretty well! I have tried:

• Panera Bread's Turkey Artichoke Panini. Good, although not as pretty as the picture. I would(will!) definitely order this again.
• Taco Bell's Original Chicken Flatbread Sandwich. Iffy, way less appetizing than the picture, and too spicy for me. Not again, but at least I tried!
• Buffalo Wild Wings' Southwest Chicken Queso Wrap. Tasty, looked good, but too spicy for me. I would consider ordering this again, if I'm feeling particularly brave about spices. I think I enjoyed the experience of trying it more than eating my usual order there, which is cool.

Now for the technicalities...I am not requiring the entire meal to be new to me, but at least one part must be (the Panera sandwich mentioned above was had with a soup I often eat). I won't be applying this philosophy to pizza, because I have tried other things on pizzas and there aren't a lot of options. I also won't apply this to "I want a chocolate shake!" late-night fast food runs, because getting something other than a chocolate shake defeats the whole idea there. Otherwise, it's on. :P

Weekend Positivity

I'm going to stop making sweeping declarations of "never again will I miss a week!" because that only sets me up for guilt and disappointment. Instead I will try to make posts, and be happy about it when I do, and okay about it when I don't (but I will try to pick it up the next week when I miss one!)

It's been about four weeks, so as usual I'm turning on easy mode and letting myself use that whole span of time for material.

I am proud of:

• picking up an opportunity for extra money.
  
• putting sincere effort into a job application, and getting it in a week before the deadline!
  
• cleaning my room.
  
• keeping up with the dishes for a while (not including right now, but I'm going to fix that soon!) Edited to add: caught up again!
  
• starting and using a task list (in my smartphone, woo).
  

I enjoyed:

• more Discworld!
  
• being allowed to take pictures from a new spot.
  
• going interesting places with cool people.
  
• making brownies for the first time in a while.
  
• the return of silly fall tv series (including the sing-off!)
  

I love:

• my boyfriend.
  
• my kitty.
  
• teaching.
  
• chocolate.
  
• reading.
  

Take care, all. :)

Weekend Positivity

Okay, the past month has been pretty insane. Work started back up again, and I went out of town for three weekends in a row (hence the lapse)...but I was here this past weekend so I'm calling this a late one from then, and I will do another come this weekend.

This basically covers a whole month...I think that will make it harder to do, but here goes!

I am proud of:

• going out of my comfort zone to try new things.
  
• spending a lot of time away from home and not getting too freaked out about it.
  
• taking another difficult assignment.
  
• restarting the diet and having a good first week thus far.
  
• opening a savings account.
  

I enjoyed:

• birthday Panera and cheesecake.
  
• time spent with an adorable 3 year old.
  
• weekend "camping" trips.
  
• playing with my camera.
  
• reading plenty of Pratchett.
  

I love:

• books.
  
• my boyfriend.
  
• getting mail.
  
• my cat.
  
• teaching.
  

Take care, all. :)

Weekend Positivity

There was a week hiatus. Honestly, I totally forgot while I was on a trip to see my family. I'm back now, and posting really late at night/early in the morning because my sleep schedule is a little messy. Thus, this will stand for two weeks instead of one this time.

I am proud of:

• going on a couple of bike rides (for the first time in years).
  
• getting my grading done super fast.
  
• seeing everyone I wanted to see while I was visiting family.
  
• keeping my sanity during 8 days away from home, sleeping on couches.
  
• doing a decent amount of dishes.
  

I enjoyed:

• seeing several friends I hadn't seen in a while.
  
• ice cream (I think I went to dairy queen 3 times during my trip...) and hanging out at target (4 times).
• nice emails from students.
  
• meeting a friend's new baby.
  
• coming home again.
  

I love:

• scrabble.
  
• friends.
  
• my boyfriend.
  
• my cat.
  
• personal space and a real bed.
  

Take care, all. :)

Weekend Positivity

Forgot again until the last moment, so I am firing this off before I head to bed.

I am proud of:

• cleaning the bathroom.
  
• doing some dishes and some much-needed laundry.
  
• reorganizing my closet and cleaning my office.
  
• going to my dentist appointment, and having no cavities or lost fillings, huzzah!
  
• managing to have breakdownless PMS.
  

I enjoyed:

• the last of the chocolate cheesecake.
  
• playing couples' cranium.
  
• reading some Neil Gaiman short stories.
  
• an argument on the internet wherein logic won.
  
• boyfriend time.
  

I love:

• my boyfriend.
  
• strawberry frozen fruit bars.
  
• my kitty.
  
• air conditioning.
  
• clean spaces and clean things.
  

Take care, all. :)

Weekend Positivity

Extremely tired after a sorta messy sleep schedule this weekend, so I'm going to bed early tonight...after finishing this of course!

I am proud of:

• doing all my laundry.
  
• putting all my laundry away the same weekend I did it!
  
• grading an exam very quickly.
  
• expressing my wants better than usual.
  
• making a dentist appointment (for tomorrow, eep).
  

I enjoyed:

• chocolate cheesecake (still).
  
• weekend events with my boyfriend.
  
• smiling so much my cheeks hurt.
  
• reading most of a book in one day.
  
• getting a visit from the stationery fairy (free notepads, pens, and pencils, woo!).
  

I love:

• my boyfriend.
  
• my cat.
  
• getting things done.
  
• kisses.
  
• discworld.
  

Take care, all. :)