On This Day Last Year

Last year today Heath Ledger passed away. I miss him!

Cookie Time

I just wanted to let it be known that it's Girl Scout Cookie time!! Went to the store tonight and there they were. So, find out where you can buy them, and get as many as possible because they are only around once a year. I remember when I was young living with the folks, we would be so many boxes and freeze them just so that they could be around for most of the year. Enjoy!

health and happiness

It's still a weird feeling to me that we are in 2009. Doesn't seem as though that long ago it was turning 2000, and everyone was afraid for whatever was supposed to be happening. I'm really hoping for a good year (probably just like everyone else).
I must say that 2008 was pretty good for me. It was the year that Amir and I had our awesome Vegas wedding, which is also where The A Team was reunited after 5 years apart. My massage therapist career also got into full force this year. And who wouldn't love a year that the "Sex and the City" movie came out?!
For this year, all that I hope is that Amir and I can live a happy life wherever we are. Our lease ends in May and we really have no idea where to go. I'm tired of not really knowing anybody out here in the burbs, but don't really want to move back to Chicago. The good thing is that wherever we are seems like home because as long as we're with the dogs all's well. I'm still holding on to the idea that oneday we will pack everything...start driving out west to California and never look back (except to visit the family, of course). Maybe oneday. This is one dream i'll never give up on. New York would also be amazing because we have so many friends that already live there. Anyway, as long as we are all healthy, it's all good. Anyway, I hope that everyone has a fabulous 2009, and also years to come.

love,
mel

The Start of Something New

I wanted to get in a post before the year's end. Hopefully everyone will have a wonderful celebration on this night!!
Don't have much too say at the present, only to say that my new year's resolution for this year to be to be more positive! Something we could probably all use to do. Anyway, Happy New Year and i'll be back in 2009.

Stream of Consciousness

First, I must say that today is my brother's birthday so I must say Happy Birthday to Nick!! It's the first year in two years that we've not been able to spend the day celebrating. Last year at this point, we were living in Chicago. Nick wanted to go to a bar in Andersonville to have mulled wine, which was really nice. I especially loved that they gave you a few small cookies with the wine. Nothings better than cookies and warm wine. After the wine, we went home and had some nice cake. I used to have photos of that but since those were on my previous computer they may possibly be gone. So that is my tribute to my bro.
Nothing too much has been happening. Amir and I did go to see the movie "Milk", which is about the first openly gay elected official. He was elected in San Francisco in the Castro/Haight districts. I highly recommend that everyone go see this movie. Sean Penn did an amazing job portraying Harvey Milk, as i've heard that even people who knew Harvey said the resemblance was amazing. It was such an interesting time that this movie came out because of the whole Proposition 8 issue. What is sad to me is that what homosexuals were facing the same issues that they are now 30 years ago and not a whole lot has changed. Sure, maybe things are a little bit more open and accepted now, but we still have a long way to go as we found out in California. I was so inspired after seeing this movie that it made me really want to do something for the world. I'm still not really sure what that this is yet, but for now, when I go to work I feel like i'm doing a little part. Every time somebody gets onto my massage table I feel like i'm taking them out of their lives for an hour. We all need to do something like this for ourselves whether it be through massage, yoga, meditation or whatever it may be. The US is such a go go go country that we really need to stop at some point during the day to think about ourselves.
I've just recently started subscribing to Mother Earth News magazine, which I love. It's focus is on natural living and just trying to get back to where we came from which is the earth. I've been trying little by little to use more natural products and start being more green. The sad part is that it is a bit more expensive so i'm doing as much as I can for the time being, and if i've got extra money I will definetly get the all natural detergent than the chemical based one. If we all try just a little bit, things will really start to change for the better. As we are just a small fragment of this HUGE universe we need to do what we can to make what we have great!

Never Too Late

It might be a little bit after the fact, but I hope that everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Mine was really nice. The only that could have made it better was if my brother would have been able to make it, but he's a working man now for corporate America. Needless to say he was working(without holiday pay..thanks WalMart). Our Thanksgiving started the night before when my mom and dad came to my work to get massages by me. They were long overdue so I was glad that they were able to make it in.
After I got off of work we all drove to the apartment. Upon walking into the place was greeting us a nice aroma from Amir already having started the cooking. Mom gave him a helping hand while I talked to dad so that I wouldn't be in the way in the kitchen. Family time never happens enough these days.
Thanksgiving day we all woke up pretty early to get everything up and running. There was so much food to have that I wasn't even able try all of everything first go round, which is a pretty good feeling actually. All in all it was a great day! Anyday where you can get together with your family and have some Food, Friendship and Fun (as me and the old high school friends used to say) is a great time!

Moving On

I decided to step out of my comfort zone today and go to a cardio class at the gym. The past few weeks i've been going to a yoga/pilates class and really been enjoying it. In order to really get to the next level in my workout i'm gonna have to start going to these classes every week or i'm just gonna pretty much plateau where I am and not really get anywhere. I've been working out consistently since 2003 and have done a really good job of losing the weight that I really was wanting to lose. Once you are almost there and don't have as much to lose it starts getting a lot harder. Thus, the classes that i'm starting to take.
It's sad to say, but in the first 10 min of this class I was ready to sit down. Unfortunately, when I got to the gym I realized that I had forgotten my water bottle, which wasn't a good thing. It was a jammed pack class with a lot of middle aged suburban women and a few elderly ladies, and a few people that were probably my age. However, at times, I felt as though some of these older ladies were in better shape than I was. It was an hour long, very intensive class and even though it seemed to go by fairly quick, there were times, when I just wanted it to just be over. That's when you know that you're being worked. Crazy, but i've not had a workout that hard in a very long time, and I will be going back next week. When I finally get to the point in this class where I don't feel as though i'm gonna die, then i'll know that i'm building up my endurance.
My goal from all of this is to get some more definition on my abdominal muscles and also, lose a few more pounds. I'm feeling pretty good about where i'm at with my weight right now, but winter is coming and I want to make sure that I get through it alright. When I say alright, what I mean is that I don't want to be putting on any extra pounds for "insulation". That's what we wear coats and hats for. Seems like quite a few people around here use that as an excuse to eat all of those holiday cookies and cakes. Not I!
Anyway, winter is here and i'm feeling it's wrath. It has even snowed a little bit already. I'm missing California even more now, than what I already do.
Last week I was motivated to take a few photos of myself so that's what you're seeing up there. Take care!