A Very Quick Update

I started back on Weight Watchers about 10 days ago, and weighed in Friday with a 4 pound loss that I was VERY proud of. I'm experimenting a bit with some things this time to help myself stay on track. And I'm figuring out a few things about myself:

• I do better staying on track if I don't deprive myself. I'm allocating Saturday's as "cheat" days. That basically mean's i'm working to keep my flex points for Saturdays so I can enjoy a glass of wine or two, and nibble on an appetizer before a meal out.

• I've realized what I don't like about my workout routine: weight machines. I'm okay with not doing them everytime. Right now i'm doing 45 mins on the arc trainer 4-5 times per week, and weights one day a week. I even took a Pilates class last week (which I skipped today because my back was hurting for some reason). I'm very proud of my commitment to the gym so far!

• In a little under two weeks I've already felt a difference in my jeans. And it's motivating me to keep going. I need to keep trying on clothes that were tight or couldn't wear to see how i'm progressing and really feel the difference!

The Guy Who Works At the Gym Dilemma

I have been going to the same gym for almost 3 years. Not always as frequently as I need to be going, but I've been paying my dues there for that long. And through that time, there has only been one face that has remained the same: the guy who sold me my membership there the first day that I walked in. Let's call him Monty.

For almost 3 years, Monty has been on the night shift, working the desk when I walk in - anywhere between 8-9:30pm. That's my usual time for a visit (though i've had short stints of going at 6am that are always short-lived). Monty has always been extremely nice. Always happy to see me. Always fun to talk to, because he will do silly things like applaud when I come in the door for being there, even when I don't want to be. He'll praise me for the hard work when I leave, and he has always remembered my name (even if he does call me by my birth name, and not the name I actually go by!).

I hadn't been to the gym since the new job started until December 29th. It's really sad, I know. When I walked in that evening, Monty yelled out to me as I walked in the door that he was JUST thinking about me and wondering if I still belonged there. I smiled, scanned in and walked on by, a little embarrassed. As I came out of the locker room, iPod and water bottle in-hand, I asked Monty how his Christmas was. He suddenly got really sad and told me that all he wanted for Christmas was a hug and nobody got him one. This was the worst attempt at a pickup line I had ever heard, and I just giggled nervously. He then began to lay on the guilt with me about laughing at him and that he really just needed a hug. Finally, I caved and hugged the poor guy. It was harmless. It was over in 2 seconds and I was on my way.

The next day, I walked into the gym, said hello to Monty, and worked out. As I was leaving, he followed me out the door. I turned around to look at him, because it kind of startled me. And he looked at me and said "Nicole, if I could rearrange the alphabet...i'd put U and I together." And again, I just laughed nervously and kept walking. I really don't know what to do with that.

Fast forward to tonight. At this point, I've told the husband about these little incidents. And I left the house with a *slightly* jealous husband, and a conscious decision to wear my wedding rings (which i never wear to work out) to the gym, just in case the guy didn't know I am married. I walked in, and Monty stopped his conversation with another person at the desk to ask how I am, and how I liked the class I took yesterday. I told him I was very sore from it, but that it was great, and I kept moving. I hopped on the arc trainer, and about 31 minutes into my workout, Monty hops onto the machine RIGHT NEXT TO ME (with 6 other machines in the row open). I have never EVER seen this man work out while i've been there. Not in three years. He hops on with a big grin and looks over at what's on my iPod and smiles. I just ignored him. I did not take off my headphones, and I didn't really even acknowledge him. I was totally uncomfortable at this point. My 35 minutes was up, and I hopped off of the machine and into the locker room. I decided to leave because I was still very sore from yesterday, and wasn't going to do weights, and the cardio was definitely enough for my body tonight. As I walked out of the locker room, Monty is walking back to the desk. He couldn't have been on that machine for more than 5 mins (what's the point), and he's there just in time to tell me goodbye, and that he hopes to see me soon.

Now this is a bit of a dilemma for me because I don't think i'm imagining that this man is seriously flirting with me. And really, it makes me uncomfortable. I don't have it in me to say anything to the guy - unless he makes some sort of seriously inappropriate advance. And I don't plan to change my workout time. Does that mean I have to change gyms? Or do I just grin and bear it? At first it was kind of funny - I mean, it's been awhile since anyone besides my husband has flirted with me. But it's not so innocent anymore, you know? It's getting a little weird!

And I guess I just needed to vent it here! Ha! :)

2008: A Year in Review

In response to Fat Bridesmaid's fun questionnaire:

Happy New Year!

1. Was 2008 good for you? It was a good year. There were some ups, and a lot of downs, but it doesn't do me any good to be negative about it. I learned a lot about myself. I had another year of good health and growing even closer with my husband. How is that not good, right?
   
2. What was your favorite moment of the year? I definitely have two. Sitting on a dock on Lake Ontario at dusk with Chris. It was so peaceful, and something I'll never forget. And watching the Obama win announcement with Chris, my favorite cousin and other family on election night.
   
3. What was your worst moment of the year? Probably the day I worked from 7:15am to 11:30 pm at my new job and knew I had to be up at 4:30 the next morning to drive to C-bus to catch a flight. The job is definitely getting a little better, but for awhile I was worried that I went from bad to worse.
   
4. Where were you when 2008 began? At my parents "River" home in IN, with Chris, my parents and cousins Mike and Karen. We played Tripoley and drank a LOT of wine. It was really fun.
   
5. Who were you with? See above.
   
6. Where were you when 2008 ended? With Chris across the street playing dominoes with the neighbors.
   
7. Did you keep your new years resolution of 2008? My resolution was to lose weight. I dropped 20 pounds, but gained it all back (and then some).
   
8. Do you have a new years resolution for 2009? I joined Weight Watchers again on Dec. 26th, but i'm not making it a resolution this year. I'm just focusing on making time to take care of myself - to eat right, to work out, and to find the time to do the things *I* need to do. I'm also majorly cutting my spending habits to *hopefully* pay off all of my credit card debt that's been looming, so I can focus on saving/investing for other things.
   
9. Did you fall in love in 2008? I fall in love with Chris every day. He's my best friend and I'm so thankful for him every day.
   
10. Did you make any new friends in 2008? My friend Tim at the new job. Amy at the old job (who sadly, I just met before I left). My coworker from the old job Sara and I have started hanging out almost weekly, and I'm so thankful for that.
11. What was your favorite month of 2008? October - A trip to Shaker Village, I had 10 days off, and we got to take a great trip to DC.
    
12. Why this month? Time with friends and family, and time to RELAX.
    
13. Did you travel outside of the US in 2008? Yes, to Niagara-on-the-Lake and Toronto. I LOVE Toronto
    
14. How many different places did you travel to in 2008? Louisville, Cleveland, DC, Toronoto , Niagara, New York, Omaha, Shaker Village
    
15. Did you miss anybody in the past year? I missed my friend Jen. I don't get to talk to her nearly as much as I used to, and the overnight with her family in DC was such a tease!
    
16. What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2008? I loved Lars and the Real Girl.
17. What was your favorite song from 2008? Oh gosh. ANYTHING off of that Vampire Weekend Album.
18. How many concerts or plays did you see in 2008? We saw Ella at Playhouse in the Park, and Wicked at the Aronoff Center. In concert I saw DMB, Tegan and Sara, Springsteen, Paul Thorn, The National, The Breeders...wow. Not nearly enough!
19. Did you have a favorite concert in 2008? The National/Breeders show. Which was also an Obama Rally. It was fantastic.
    
20. What was your favorite book in 2008? The Kite Runner. It was the only book I finished this year (it's been such a busy, busy year), but it was fantastic.
    
21. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year? I really let stress overtake me and lost total control of my health. I'm also ashamed of how hard I was to live with for a few months while the stress took over in my life.
    
22. What was the biggest lie you told in 2008? Any time my old co-workers told me they didn't want me to leave because of how things were going for my team and I told them not to worry.
    
23. Did you treat somebody badly in 2008? I definitely could have been nicer to my husband sometimes. Sadly, he bears the worst of my moods sometimes.
    
24. Did somebody treat you badly in 2008? It's not worth hashing out here. ;)
    
25. What was your proudest moment of 2008? The moment I felt like I was finally taking control of my finances. It sure did feel good!
    
26. What was your most embarrassing moment of 2008? It's definitely not an bad embarrassing moment - but having about 40-50 people in a room singing happy birthday to me was pretty embarrassing (but good!). I don't like that much attention, generally.
    
27. If you could go back to any moment of 2008 and change something, what would it be? I might have approached some of those job interviews differently. And I would have stopped myself when I was eating when I wasn't hungry, or even enjoying what I was eating.
    
28. Where did you work in 2008? At my old job, and now at my new one.
    
29. Favorite TV shows(s) of 2008? The Office and Sunday Morning. Grey's has started to get dumb.
    
30. Favorite Band(s) of 2008? The National, She & Him, Vampire Weekend
    
31. Favorite Food in 2008? A Green Papaya Roll!
    
32. Favorite Drink in 2008? Vitamin Water
    
33. Favorite Place in 2008? Home sweet home. But close seconds are: Park + Vine (my friend's store!), Coffee Emporium, and Green Papaya
    
34. Favorite person(s) to be with in 2008? My Husband, and surprisingly - my brother. We really worked on fixing our friendship in 2008, and I enjoyed every minute with him.
    
35. Favorite person(s) to talk to in 2008? My neighbor. She cracks me up.
    
36. Favorite trip in 2008? Toronto, for sure!
    
37. Favorite stores in 2008? Park + Vine, the Apple Store, Whole Foods, Dean's Mediterranean Imports
    
38. Hardest thing you had to go through in 2008? New job transition
    
39. Most exciting moment(s) in 2008? Buying a new car, a good client presentation in New York, and trying chicken feet for dim sum. ;)
    
40. Funniest moment(s) in 2008? The "question and answer game" with friends, the girly slumber party, dinner at GP with James and the girls.
    

Determined to have a good week!

I'm celebrating my 30th birthday this week, and I decided over the weekend that it's going to be a VERY good week.

I'm not going to let work and car troubles bring me down. I worked a normal day today (well 9.5 hours...but much better than I have been!). I gave two very good presentations - one good thing about this new job is that i'm doing alot of presenting - something I KNOW I need practice doing.

Tomorrow night i'm going to a girly Christmas party with friends from my old job who I miss and adore.

Wednesday night, I have a meeting to discuss a conference that i'm really excited to help organize and go to.

Thursday is my birthday. My parents are taking me to a really fun new restaurant. And i've promised myself not to get hung up on what I *haven't* done by now, or the number 30. I'm sure it will feel no different than 29.

Friday, Chris is throwing a little shindig for me at one of my favorite bars, and at least 80 of my friends and family are coming. If that's not something to be excited about, i don't know what is! I also have that day off and have scheduled a cut and color with a new stylist who can hopefully mix it up a bit for me. I am excited. It's going to be a VERY good week, I tell you!

I'm trying

I've been trying hard to get back here and blog. And mostly it's been neglected because I haven't had a lot of good things to say. So I guess i'm going to vent a bit here. I'm having a rough time these days dealing.

My new job has been really rough. I tried to escape a situation I felt was a dead end and I was working WAY too much, and I jumped into another situation with similar frustrations. Just different clients and (fun) coworkers.

Chris has been battling a skin infection for 4 months. No lie. It's gotten worse and doctors can't figure it out and he FINALLY got into a dermatologist last week for them to prescribe MORE cortizone creams and we wound up in the emergency room last night because he had a severe reaction to the combination of meds.

Chris' grandpa is in the hospital and not doing well. He is 96, but it doesn't make it any easier.

I got into a car accident this morning with our new car. I'm okay, except for some stiffness in my neck and back. I'm crossing my fingers that it feels better, not worse tomorrow. It was not my fault, but there were five cars involved, and the car that was at fault only has state minimum coverage - which in ohio means $7500 that has to be split between all the cars that were damaged. And I realize it could be worse, but i'm REALLY upset to have to fork over $500 for a deductible on this car that we JUST BOUGHT and the accident was NOT my fault, and we've been working REALLY HARD to get our credit card debt paid off, and that takes a big chunk out of what we can pay off this month.

Oh yeah, and through all the stresses, i've gained weight. At least 10 pounds. I have three pairs of work pants that I can't wear right now because they are so uncomfortable.

::::and i'm done::::

What a Crappy Day!

Boy oh boy!

• I started my day with an 8am Dentist Appointment. Let me tell you how fun those are.
• I got into work by 9am - the latest i've ever gotten there yet, because the latest i've been there before this was 8:30 am, when i've been told we start officially at 9am. I got lectured on being "late" even though I notified my bosses about my appointment.
• My web filters at my new job now block gmail. Ugh.
• They FORGOT to transfer my email and i lost everything for the last two weeks and still have no email.
• I didn't take lunch until 3pm because of work insanity.
• Had to spend said lunch getting a new phone because last night when I dropped it in the cupholder of my car, I forgot there was a glass of iced tea there.
• I worked until 7:15pm.
• I couldn't find my car in the parking garage.
• After finally finding it i tripped and fell, skinned my knee, jammed two toes, and have some nice bruises on knees and elbow.
• I am really sore and stiff and had to call and bail on canvassing for Obama tonight - something that really really means a lot to me.
• Cried in the car on the way home talking to my Mom. Thank goodness for her. I don't know what I'd do without her!

I think i'm going to self-medicate with an Oktoberfest beer now!

Work Update!

This is long overdue because...(drumroll please)...i have been working myself to the bone at my new job!

The job is going okay. I don't say that to be dramatic, because I'm postive that i'm happier there than at my last job, but it's a HUGE adjustment, and it's not exactly what I expected. My first two weeks there have exposed how HIGHLY disorganized the place is, especially as we moved from an office they've been in for six years, to an awesome new downtown office. I've really got my work cut out for me if I want to be an effective designer. I need to help them be more organized, proactive, and process-driven. I have an ally there he and I are already devising a plan of action for that. I just hope that it will be well-received by our leadership, but it seems to be one of those things we just have to DO -- ask forgiveness not permission.

Alot of this is just nerves on my behalf. I feel the need to prove to myself (mostly) that I can thrive in a creative environment that is fast-paced, and not just in-house in a corporation. I realize also that my communication style is very different than that of my new boss who I've known for a couple of years now. And I have learned the hard way over the last two weeks, that I've been empowered to make decisions and judgements without asking questions to take on a true leadership role in the team. It's scary and feels really good at the same time.

I am going to New York next week for a client meeting and will be working very hard this week to put together a STELLAR family of concepts to show at that meeting with a very exciting client. I am REALLY excited about it.