I came back to work today after being off for a long 4 day weekend with plans on being off on Thursday and possibly again on Friday and Monday. It's that week between Christmas and New Years where you are in the office but how much really gets accomplished? Well, I'll tell you, I've actually done some work but have also been planning the logistics for Lilly's birthday party. And now I hide out in my "secret" office and decide to blog and hopefully catch up.
So I will finally end my jury duty story.
Jury Duty - Part 4
The State rested their case at the end of Day 3. We were told to report to a new jury room the next afternoon. Arriving the next day, I made may way to the new court room. It was very similar to the one we were in on Day 1. Very small and oval shaped. The jury room was towards the front of the courtroom, right next to the audience seating.
My fellow jurors and I were finally at a point where small talk was no longer a problem and we began to fully enjoy our interactions with each other. We were all anxious about just when the case would end and when we would actually be set free. After all, Monday was Halloween and I did not want to miss my little dinosaur all dressed up.
Thankfully, I heard someone say "Well this is just an inconvenience for us. We have a guy's life in our hands." I think many of the jurors were completely focused on the headaches that being chosen had played in their lives and didn't really think about the man who's life we would forever change - for good or bad.
We were finally called into the courtroom where it was obvious that the two cases were separated and we were the only jury and he was the only defendant there. It was time for the defense to call their witnesses. To my surprise, they only called one woman who was an eye witness. She had denied seeing or id'ing the defendant. It really had no effect on my viewing of the case.
At the time, I was still up in the air on the guilt/innocence of this young man. The confession certainly felt damning but the witnesses and their stories were so completely laughable that I'm sure the State was banging their heads on the tables when we were not present.
Suddenly, it was time for closing arguments. The State went first followed by a weak close by the defense. To try to convince me that the defendant was sleep deprived and forced into a confession after being in custody for like 5 hours did not help their case. The State then got to close again.
The jury instructions came next. The rules of how we deliberate. Each count was read with instructions that followed each. It took forever to get through, I can only imagine how dull it would be for the jurors in cases with 20+ counts (I'm looking at you Blago).
As I sat and tried to pay attention, I could not help but start feeling anxious about what would be happening. This was a 1st degree murder trial after all and no matter what - these were not good people and frankly that scared the crap out of me. Would I look at the defendant if we said "guilty"? Would I look at the family members of the person killed if we said "not guilty"? Who would follow us to my car? To my home? Admittedly, it sounds a bit melodramatic as I retell this but those thoughts did cross my mind.
At the end of the jury instructions, the judge called my name and the name of the other alternate juror. We went up to the bench and were thanked for our service. That was it.
Throughout this process, I had no idea what the role of the alternate was besides taking the place of a juror if something came up. I wasn't sure if I would be a part of deliberations or if I would be in a separate room ready to be called in if needed or if I would be sent home. Well, turns out I was sent home. Having mentioned my fears above, you would think I would have been relieved but quite honestly, I wasn't.
I wanted to be a part of deliberations damn it. I sat through the entire case and took pretty good notes. I had questions. I wanted to simply be able to TALK about this case - especially with those who sat through it with me. But I barely got to say goodbye to my new friends. We were allowed to quickly go inside the jury room, collect our personal items, and simply said "Good luck."
We were able to leave our phone number with the bailiff with the promise of a phone call once the decision was made. This was on Thursday, Oct 27th. I went back to work and could not think of much else but the case. I was curious to see just how fast they would make their decision. I myself deliberated in the tiny room with bad coffee in my head and came up with my decision.
Personally, I could not get past the video taped confession. Yes, people have been coerced into confessions before - this one, I believe was a true confession. I would have found him guilty.
Once Monday and Tuesday past, I could hardly believe that I had still not heard from the court. Have they been deliberating this whole time? Did they just forget to call me? So finally, I called the judge's office and was told the outcome - he was found guilty and sentencing was set for after Thanksgiving.
What seemed to be an open and closed case from the start really turned out to be far more complicated than I anticipated. I do believe the jury made the correct decision and I applaud them on reaching it after what I am sure was serious and thoughtful conversation.
I must say, despite the bad food and the time spent sitting around and waiting, I would actually be okay serving on a jury once again. Hopefully, the next time I can be a part of the entire case.
Thanks again for your patience as I shared this slice of my life.
Combining all things me into one spot.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Ups and Downs of Weight Loss
Yes, I still owe my ending to the jury story but I just wanted to do a quick catch up on my Weight Watchers journey. I mentioned recently that I've fallen off the tracking horse and that I was going to get back on track. Well I haven't. And I'm pretty sure tomorrow's weigh in will reflect my recent indiscretions.
The last weigh in I tracked was on November 4th and I was down 1.4lbs. Here's how things have been for the past month:
November 11th - down 1.8lbs (now over 30lbs lost! Happy Dance!)
November 18th - up 1.2lbs
November 23rd (I weighed in prior to Turkey Day) - down 1.2lbs
December 2nd (back to weighing in on Friday) - down 0.6
So all in all nothing HORRIBLE but definitely not great. I have lost my motivation and am being careless. I'm eating almost anything I want and in large quantities. I know better but I keep indulging.
It worries me. I am extremely happy with how things have been going since May. I actually am taking a double take of myself in some pictures. To be brutally honest, I have my Facebook profile pic set because I thought I looked skinny in it. Granted, I am holding my adorable niece so I don't look too vain!
But I don't want to stop now. If I'm happy now, imagine how thrilled I will be when I reach my goal.
For the most part, getting to this point hasn't actually been too hard on me. Because of the WW system, you really can eat anything so you don't feel depraved. I was religious about tracking food and points. It just wasn't hard for me.
I guess I hit my rough patch. Like in many aspects of my life, motivation eventually wanes. I need a kick and maybe a weight gain will serve as that purpose. Maybe getting back to blogging will help as well. Something has to happen because I don't want to fail at this.
The last weigh in I tracked was on November 4th and I was down 1.4lbs. Here's how things have been for the past month:
November 11th - down 1.8lbs (now over 30lbs lost! Happy Dance!)
November 18th - up 1.2lbs
November 23rd (I weighed in prior to Turkey Day) - down 1.2lbs
December 2nd (back to weighing in on Friday) - down 0.6
So all in all nothing HORRIBLE but definitely not great. I have lost my motivation and am being careless. I'm eating almost anything I want and in large quantities. I know better but I keep indulging.
It worries me. I am extremely happy with how things have been going since May. I actually am taking a double take of myself in some pictures. To be brutally honest, I have my Facebook profile pic set because I thought I looked skinny in it. Granted, I am holding my adorable niece so I don't look too vain!
But I don't want to stop now. If I'm happy now, imagine how thrilled I will be when I reach my goal.
For the most part, getting to this point hasn't actually been too hard on me. Because of the WW system, you really can eat anything so you don't feel depraved. I was religious about tracking food and points. It just wasn't hard for me.
I guess I hit my rough patch. Like in many aspects of my life, motivation eventually wanes. I need a kick and maybe a weight gain will serve as that purpose. Maybe getting back to blogging will help as well. Something has to happen because I don't want to fail at this.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Time Flies!
Wow, I am horrible just leaving my 1st degree murder trial just hanging like some soap opera. Well, a soap opera that doesn't air everyday. Actually, are soaps even on anymore? Regardless, shame on me.
I do apologize and I will do a wrap up. Soon. Really.
Truth be told, I need a break from writing after finishing a 21 page paper and then jumping right into a 10 pager.
School, that's one of the reasons why I haven't been around. My procrastinating had to end - you know deadlines and all. Work, work has been busy and stressful lately. And then there's the strong possibility of James no longer having a job. Did I mention they just did lay offs in my hospital with no promises that it won't happen again....soon.
So life has been stressful but there's been a lot of goodness as well....that goodness is named Lillian.
I'm excitedly planning her 5th birthday party. I'm very excited about the party. The heart is breaking over the whole 5 year old thing. Le sigh!
Weight loss hasn't been great, hasn't been horrible. Well, I should reserve comment until I weigh in the week after enjoying 3 separate Thanksgiving dinners.
Updates coming......
I do apologize and I will do a wrap up. Soon. Really.
Truth be told, I need a break from writing after finishing a 21 page paper and then jumping right into a 10 pager.
School, that's one of the reasons why I haven't been around. My procrastinating had to end - you know deadlines and all. Work, work has been busy and stressful lately. And then there's the strong possibility of James no longer having a job. Did I mention they just did lay offs in my hospital with no promises that it won't happen again....soon.
So life has been stressful but there's been a lot of goodness as well....that goodness is named Lillian.
I'm excitedly planning her 5th birthday party. I'm very excited about the party. The heart is breaking over the whole 5 year old thing. Le sigh!
Weight loss hasn't been great, hasn't been horrible. Well, I should reserve comment until I weigh in the week after enjoying 3 separate Thanksgiving dinners.
Updates coming......
Monday, November 7, 2011
My Life As A Juror - Part 3
Day 2- Tuesday - arrived and I got to the courthouse about 30 minutes early. No special juror security entrance so the same pat down as the day before. Went to the courthouse by my lonesome where we were instructed to enter a side door. This juror room was much larger, including a table which actually could sit all 14 jurors. There was a men's and women's bathroom inside and that was about it. I was greeted by "breakfast" which was individually wrapped donuts and juice in little sealed cups. I will thank Weight Watchers for my decision to skip breakfast. I don't drink coffee but apparently, it wasn't very good.
One thing I suggest if you ever become a juror. SHOW UP ON TIME. Two people arrived late which honestly annoyed the hell out of me. No one wants to be there any longer than they had to be so you potentially having us start late does not make you a favorite amongst the other jurors. On top of being late, one of the jurors then had to pump. Problem when there is no outlet that will reach the bathrooms. Another delay in finding her a private area...which ended up being the judge's chamber bathroom.
I don't believe I mentioned was that there were actually 2 defendants on this case. My guy - the alleged shooter and another guy - the alleged driver and the one who got the gun. I have no idea what the other guy was actually charged with. Same trial but 2 sets of defense lawyers and 2 juries. And just to clarify - this was a drive by. Defendants allegedly drove into rival gang territory, shot one guy 4 times in the legs - he lived, drove a couple of blocks and shot another guy in the chest - he did not survive. Oh and all this happened in 2007. Love our speedy judicial system.
So we were finally escorted down a hallway to the court room. Now this is the court room I was expecting - large, stately and marble. I was surprised to see 14 other people sitting in jury like formation. Turns out that both juries would be hearing the case at the same time. We took a seat, notepads and pencils in hand. There was no distinction between me as an alternate and the "normal" jurors. I found that interesting so I thought you may too.
The court was set up just like on TV - Judge raised up in front, stenographer (HOW DO THEY DO THAT?), audience at the back, jurors on the side (hard wooden chairs - ouch), and the State facing the judge with backs to the audience. The only exception was that the defendant and their lawyers were seated directly across from the jury box facing us. It's so much fun to stare at potential murderers for hours each day.
State calls a witness...the mother of the victim. As all can guess, very sad - gang banger or not, a mother lost her child. The evening of the shooting, someone had called the mother and told her and she drove to the scene and found her son dead/dying on the sidewalk. It was short and neither defense teams cross examined her. The mother was granted permission to stay in the court and watch the remainder of the trial.
This is where things become a bit confused. I wasn't allowed to bring notes home and I didn't record anything in the evenings as we were strictly forbidden to discuss the case with anyone so I'm not quite sure of the order of things.
There were a few "eye witnesses" who were out walking that evening who saw the van drive up the street and shot the victim. The State called these individuals as witness and that is where it became clear of all the lies that were happening. That is pretty much how I sum up the case LIES LIES LIES. Swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth means NOTHING.
I understand that it's been 4 years since all this has happened but do I believe you when you say you have no recollection of testifying in front of a Grand Jury? No. It seemed like everyone was taking back what they had testified to 4 years ago. "Did you identify the defendant in a line up" "No" "But you did - here, isn't this your signature?" etc. etc.
You could see how frustrated the State was becoming - this is obviously not the testimonies that they were expecting. Were they lying then or lying now? This case was not so clear anymore.
After the State did their questioning, the defense had their turn. The trick? When my guy's attorney went up, the other jury had to leave. When the other guy's lawyer went up, we had to leave. So as you could imagine there was a lot of waiting. Waiting during breaks, waiting during side bars, waiting during cross examinations. Thanks for helping pass the day Sudoku
Lunch. What was lunch that day? I can't remember but there was carrots. I took a heaping spoonful of them because after all, you can't mess up carrots. Never mind, you can mess up carrots. That's when I vowed to bring in my own lunch.
The jury room was still pretty damn quiet. There were little conversations here and there. I still did not know one person's name but some personalities started to come out which is always fun to discover. On the topic of pregnancy, "Do women really crave pickles?" nice little gems like that.
The most difficult testimony of the entire trial came on Tuesday afternoon. We walked in and he was already at the stand dressed in a prison jumpsuit. We quickly were informed that he was being tried for murder in an unrelated case. This was the friend of the victim who was with him when the shooting occurred. You could tell right away that he had NO DESIRE to be there.
The short of it is that shortly after the shooting, this guy identified the defendant as the shooter. When the State asked him to stand up and point out the shooter, the guy refused to do so. He stood up, kept his head down and would not even look in the direction of the defendants. He refused to ID him even though he previously had. The guy now claims that he lied to police about who did the shooting. The State then asked about the Grand Jury testimony which, of course, this guy had no recollection of. The State then read EVERY line of the transcript from the Grand Jury testimony. The State would read a line and ask "Did you say this?" and the guy would say "I don't remember". This went on for a mind numbingly long time. This guy was obviously lying through his teeth. He was very heart broken for his friend - that I believed. So many lies.
During the case when I wasn't blowing my nose or having a mini coughing attach, I did a lot of watching. I would keep an eye on the defendant at key points of testimony. I watched the lawyers a lot - the objections/overruling/sustaining all were quite numerous and again entertaining. I was also very compelled by the audience. I watched them and I wondered if they were watching me right back. Can't help but be a bit paranoid.
I promise to wrap this up soon!
One thing I suggest if you ever become a juror. SHOW UP ON TIME. Two people arrived late which honestly annoyed the hell out of me. No one wants to be there any longer than they had to be so you potentially having us start late does not make you a favorite amongst the other jurors. On top of being late, one of the jurors then had to pump. Problem when there is no outlet that will reach the bathrooms. Another delay in finding her a private area...which ended up being the judge's chamber bathroom.
I don't believe I mentioned was that there were actually 2 defendants on this case. My guy - the alleged shooter and another guy - the alleged driver and the one who got the gun. I have no idea what the other guy was actually charged with. Same trial but 2 sets of defense lawyers and 2 juries. And just to clarify - this was a drive by. Defendants allegedly drove into rival gang territory, shot one guy 4 times in the legs - he lived, drove a couple of blocks and shot another guy in the chest - he did not survive. Oh and all this happened in 2007. Love our speedy judicial system.
So we were finally escorted down a hallway to the court room. Now this is the court room I was expecting - large, stately and marble. I was surprised to see 14 other people sitting in jury like formation. Turns out that both juries would be hearing the case at the same time. We took a seat, notepads and pencils in hand. There was no distinction between me as an alternate and the "normal" jurors. I found that interesting so I thought you may too.
The court was set up just like on TV - Judge raised up in front, stenographer (HOW DO THEY DO THAT?), audience at the back, jurors on the side (hard wooden chairs - ouch), and the State facing the judge with backs to the audience. The only exception was that the defendant and their lawyers were seated directly across from the jury box facing us. It's so much fun to stare at potential murderers for hours each day.
State calls a witness...the mother of the victim. As all can guess, very sad - gang banger or not, a mother lost her child. The evening of the shooting, someone had called the mother and told her and she drove to the scene and found her son dead/dying on the sidewalk. It was short and neither defense teams cross examined her. The mother was granted permission to stay in the court and watch the remainder of the trial.
This is where things become a bit confused. I wasn't allowed to bring notes home and I didn't record anything in the evenings as we were strictly forbidden to discuss the case with anyone so I'm not quite sure of the order of things.
There were a few "eye witnesses" who were out walking that evening who saw the van drive up the street and shot the victim. The State called these individuals as witness and that is where it became clear of all the lies that were happening. That is pretty much how I sum up the case LIES LIES LIES. Swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth means NOTHING.
I understand that it's been 4 years since all this has happened but do I believe you when you say you have no recollection of testifying in front of a Grand Jury? No. It seemed like everyone was taking back what they had testified to 4 years ago. "Did you identify the defendant in a line up" "No" "But you did - here, isn't this your signature?" etc. etc.
You could see how frustrated the State was becoming - this is obviously not the testimonies that they were expecting. Were they lying then or lying now? This case was not so clear anymore.
After the State did their questioning, the defense had their turn. The trick? When my guy's attorney went up, the other jury had to leave. When the other guy's lawyer went up, we had to leave. So as you could imagine there was a lot of waiting. Waiting during breaks, waiting during side bars, waiting during cross examinations. Thanks for helping pass the day Sudoku
Lunch. What was lunch that day? I can't remember but there was carrots. I took a heaping spoonful of them because after all, you can't mess up carrots. Never mind, you can mess up carrots. That's when I vowed to bring in my own lunch.
The jury room was still pretty damn quiet. There were little conversations here and there. I still did not know one person's name but some personalities started to come out which is always fun to discover. On the topic of pregnancy, "Do women really crave pickles?" nice little gems like that.
The most difficult testimony of the entire trial came on Tuesday afternoon. We walked in and he was already at the stand dressed in a prison jumpsuit. We quickly were informed that he was being tried for murder in an unrelated case. This was the friend of the victim who was with him when the shooting occurred. You could tell right away that he had NO DESIRE to be there.
The short of it is that shortly after the shooting, this guy identified the defendant as the shooter. When the State asked him to stand up and point out the shooter, the guy refused to do so. He stood up, kept his head down and would not even look in the direction of the defendants. He refused to ID him even though he previously had. The guy now claims that he lied to police about who did the shooting. The State then asked about the Grand Jury testimony which, of course, this guy had no recollection of. The State then read EVERY line of the transcript from the Grand Jury testimony. The State would read a line and ask "Did you say this?" and the guy would say "I don't remember". This went on for a mind numbingly long time. This guy was obviously lying through his teeth. He was very heart broken for his friend - that I believed. So many lies.
During the case when I wasn't blowing my nose or having a mini coughing attach, I did a lot of watching. I would keep an eye on the defendant at key points of testimony. I watched the lawyers a lot - the objections/overruling/sustaining all were quite numerous and again entertaining. I was also very compelled by the audience. I watched them and I wondered if they were watching me right back. Can't help but be a bit paranoid.
I promise to wrap this up soon!
Friday, November 4, 2011
We Interrupt This Trial For....
A Weekly Weigh In!
The past couple of weeks I have been completely disorganized in every aspect of my life. My house, my school work, my work work, my weight loss. Although I swear by tracking per WW standards, I have fallen off the tracking horse.
To track, you must log every food/drink that you consume and assign it a points value. For the past several months, I have tracked religiously (with the exception of actually writing down 0 point value foods) with the help of eTools provided by WW on their website. It makes things easy but it still is a bit time consuming.
For the last two weeks, the stresses of life took over and I bailed on, quite frankly, myself. I tried to stay conscious of what I was eating and make mostly good choices but when I don't actually see my points ticking away, I am much more likely to over indulge. Not good and I hope to get back in the groove of things starting today.
Normally, I gain weight when I don't track but for some reason, I have actually lost. Now I am not taking this as a sign that I can stop tracking, I actually feel like I dodged a bullet and I really don't want to do that each and every week. Here's hoping that my naughtiness doesn't catch up with me.
October 27th - down 0.4lb
November 4th - down 1.4lbs
I am now down a total of 29.2 lbs. COME ON 30!!!
I started tracking again today - including the 5 Laffy Taffys I devoured. Hopefully I will also get my house cleaned, homework caught up on and work organized. Ha, well I can dream.
And I finally FINALLY reached a mini milestone that I had set for myself. According to the BMI chart, I am finally out of the "obese" category. I've never been so happy to be overweight.
The past couple of weeks I have been completely disorganized in every aspect of my life. My house, my school work, my work work, my weight loss. Although I swear by tracking per WW standards, I have fallen off the tracking horse.
To track, you must log every food/drink that you consume and assign it a points value. For the past several months, I have tracked religiously (with the exception of actually writing down 0 point value foods) with the help of eTools provided by WW on their website. It makes things easy but it still is a bit time consuming.
For the last two weeks, the stresses of life took over and I bailed on, quite frankly, myself. I tried to stay conscious of what I was eating and make mostly good choices but when I don't actually see my points ticking away, I am much more likely to over indulge. Not good and I hope to get back in the groove of things starting today.
Normally, I gain weight when I don't track but for some reason, I have actually lost. Now I am not taking this as a sign that I can stop tracking, I actually feel like I dodged a bullet and I really don't want to do that each and every week. Here's hoping that my naughtiness doesn't catch up with me.
October 27th - down 0.4lb
November 4th - down 1.4lbs
I am now down a total of 29.2 lbs. COME ON 30!!!
I started tracking again today - including the 5 Laffy Taffys I devoured. Hopefully I will also get my house cleaned, homework caught up on and work organized. Ha, well I can dream.
And I finally FINALLY reached a mini milestone that I had set for myself. According to the BMI chart, I am finally out of the "obese" category. I've never been so happy to be overweight.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
My Life as a Juror - Part 2
After being led to the jury room and shown lunch - chicken patty in tomato sauce, noodles, broccoli. The first jurors pretty much picked the broccoli clean except for the stems. I had the chicken and veggie - skipped the noodles.
We were told that we could call our work to let them know we were chosen but were threatened with death if we dared called anyone else. The thing is that the bailiff then left the room, closing the door behind her. I left a message with my boss and talked to some of my shop volunteers. Since there was no mention of texting, I quickly texted James and turned off my phone in fear that somehow they were watching us.
The room was very small. The table wasn't even big enough to fit all 14 or even just the 12 "normal" jurors. Eventually some of the silence was broken as people began to panic. One gentleman was starting a new job on Wednesday. One woman had to find a private area to pump in. That's when I realized that there was truly no opportunity for any of us to give a valid excuse as to why we should be excused.
Opening statements and the first witness started on Day 1. The State led with "Ladies and Gentleman you will be getting a front row seat on gang life in Chicago. " Oh goody.
Please insert here the exact moment where my cold went from I have the sniffles to full blown nose blowing, eyes watering cold. Perfect.
I cannot remember if this was part of their opening or during the questioning of the first witness but a video was shown of the defendant in custody in a small, white room with a steel bench and 2 chairs. The first witness, at the time an Assistant State's Attorney (I think!), interviewed the defendant and pretty much secured a confession. The defendant talked about what happened that day, how he got the gun, and exactly how he reached out the van and shot the gun at people - not once but twice.
Hearing that confession really made me wonder if this was going to be an open and closed case but as I was going to discover in the days ahead, it was actually anything but clear.
It was truly interesting watching an actual real trial in progress. On TV, the only source of legal info that I have, the lawyers are so polished and smooth. In actuality, there is a lot of stopping, checking notes, mispronunciations, forgetting names, etc. Best yet, was the back and forth between the two legal parties. The eye rolling and sighs were very obvious and helped me stay very amused during a serious case.
I believe we were dismissed around 6:30pm and were told to report back at 10am in a new court room. All 14 of us were escorted out of the building by security and walked to the parking garage. Then, we were on our own. So really, if anyone were waiting to kill us, all they had to do was hang out in the garage and wait. That was super comforting.
We were told that we could call our work to let them know we were chosen but were threatened with death if we dared called anyone else. The thing is that the bailiff then left the room, closing the door behind her. I left a message with my boss and talked to some of my shop volunteers. Since there was no mention of texting, I quickly texted James and turned off my phone in fear that somehow they were watching us.
The room was very small. The table wasn't even big enough to fit all 14 or even just the 12 "normal" jurors. Eventually some of the silence was broken as people began to panic. One gentleman was starting a new job on Wednesday. One woman had to find a private area to pump in. That's when I realized that there was truly no opportunity for any of us to give a valid excuse as to why we should be excused.
Opening statements and the first witness started on Day 1. The State led with "Ladies and Gentleman you will be getting a front row seat on gang life in Chicago. " Oh goody.
Please insert here the exact moment where my cold went from I have the sniffles to full blown nose blowing, eyes watering cold. Perfect.
I cannot remember if this was part of their opening or during the questioning of the first witness but a video was shown of the defendant in custody in a small, white room with a steel bench and 2 chairs. The first witness, at the time an Assistant State's Attorney (I think!), interviewed the defendant and pretty much secured a confession. The defendant talked about what happened that day, how he got the gun, and exactly how he reached out the van and shot the gun at people - not once but twice.
Hearing that confession really made me wonder if this was going to be an open and closed case but as I was going to discover in the days ahead, it was actually anything but clear.
It was truly interesting watching an actual real trial in progress. On TV, the only source of legal info that I have, the lawyers are so polished and smooth. In actuality, there is a lot of stopping, checking notes, mispronunciations, forgetting names, etc. Best yet, was the back and forth between the two legal parties. The eye rolling and sighs were very obvious and helped me stay very amused during a serious case.
I believe we were dismissed around 6:30pm and were told to report back at 10am in a new court room. All 14 of us were escorted out of the building by security and walked to the parking garage. Then, we were on our own. So really, if anyone were waiting to kill us, all they had to do was hang out in the garage and wait. That was super comforting.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
My Life As A Juror - Part 1
When I received my jury summons for Monday, October 24th, I was pretty indifferent to it. I had only been called once before in college and never even had to end up going at all. The thought of serving on a jury was actually not unappealing to me. I figured it would be a perfect time to catch up on some school work that I had been slacking on. After all, the vast majority of people I know were never actually called to serve as a juror, they just sat around all day and were eventually dismissed.
Things started going downhill the Friday before. My car brakes started to grind and our bathroom plumbing problems could not be ignored. My week at work was filling up rather quickly. Although I wouldn't mind serving on a jury one day, that particular day became less and less appealing. I should have known what would happen.
I was assigned to Criminal Court at 26th and California. For those not familiar with this west side of Chicago area, let's just say that you pray you get out of there before sunset. It's not a fun place to be. As I read up on the court house, it said that you will not find a cab to take you home in that area.
I arrive and much like airport security, you and your possessions are fully screened and I head up to a large room on the 3rd floor. I was given the number 6 and then sat at a table so that I could spread out and slowly get started on my paper. By 10am we were shown a video that told us about our time inlock up jury duty. I was making plans as to what candy bar from the vending machine to have for lunch and what I should do if I got out of there early.
At about 11am, a gentleman came out and announced two group numbers....Group 6 was one of them. There was about 70-80 people led out to a courtroom where we stood in the hallway for a good 30 minutes.
Once we were finally allowed in, we sat in the galley of the courtroom. This area was separated from the rest of the court by a glass divider but speakers allowed us to hear what was going on inside. It was a rather small, circular room. You could see all the typical people inside the court - judge, clerk, attorneys and the accused. We were welcomed by the female judge and were told the charges against the young man before me.
1 Charge First Degree Murder
1 Charge Attempted First Degree Murder
1 Charge Criminal Battery with a Firearm (I believe that was it)
My breath was momentarily taken away. Yes, I knew I was in criminal court but for whatever reason, I never thought I would be a potential juror for a murder case. I knew right then that I had no desire to be chosen.
The judge called in 14 people who took a seat in the jury box. Each person was asked the same questions including- name, general location, occupation, children, if you knew any police or lawyers. I am a nosey person and all but sitting through 14 interviews was mighty tedious - especially when the lunch hour was upon us and my stomach started to rumble.
A break was taken while lawyers and the judge met and I shared my packet of gum with my fellow hungry potential jurors. Another 30+ minutes pass. Finally the judge arrives back, asks a few follow up questions and chooses 8 people to serve on the jury.
Huh, they are not wasting time. I figured they would want to interview everyone first and pick the best of the lot. I thought wrong.
I had hoped I was in the next 14 to be called so I could quickly be dismissed. Again, I really thought I wouldn't be picked. I was #13 called to be questioned so I sat and listened to another 12 people. When it was my turn, I answered truthfully (bad idea?) and hoped that the judge would pity me for having a 4 year old and working full time AND going to grad school.
Another break and I went to the rest room. Tell me how a LARGE court house attached to one of the busiest prisons in the country has only one women's bathroom with one toilet.
I return and receive my $17.20 paycheck. You read that right....seventeen dollars - ohhhhh yea. Bonus, my work lets me keep the paycheck AND I get paid. Now where to spend it all?
Break is over and she reads off 4 names. Good, the jury is now filled. But wait, alternate #1 is chosen. Then alternate #2 - Me. So so close.
We are immediately brought back to the jury room. 14 strangers sitting in silence and contemplating if the food served to us was edible. It was not.
Things started going downhill the Friday before. My car brakes started to grind and our bathroom plumbing problems could not be ignored. My week at work was filling up rather quickly. Although I wouldn't mind serving on a jury one day, that particular day became less and less appealing. I should have known what would happen.
I was assigned to Criminal Court at 26th and California. For those not familiar with this west side of Chicago area, let's just say that you pray you get out of there before sunset. It's not a fun place to be. As I read up on the court house, it said that you will not find a cab to take you home in that area.
I arrive and much like airport security, you and your possessions are fully screened and I head up to a large room on the 3rd floor. I was given the number 6 and then sat at a table so that I could spread out and slowly get started on my paper. By 10am we were shown a video that told us about our time in
At about 11am, a gentleman came out and announced two group numbers....Group 6 was one of them. There was about 70-80 people led out to a courtroom where we stood in the hallway for a good 30 minutes.
Once we were finally allowed in, we sat in the galley of the courtroom. This area was separated from the rest of the court by a glass divider but speakers allowed us to hear what was going on inside. It was a rather small, circular room. You could see all the typical people inside the court - judge, clerk, attorneys and the accused. We were welcomed by the female judge and were told the charges against the young man before me.
1 Charge First Degree Murder
1 Charge Attempted First Degree Murder
1 Charge Criminal Battery with a Firearm (I believe that was it)
My breath was momentarily taken away. Yes, I knew I was in criminal court but for whatever reason, I never thought I would be a potential juror for a murder case. I knew right then that I had no desire to be chosen.
The judge called in 14 people who took a seat in the jury box. Each person was asked the same questions including- name, general location, occupation, children, if you knew any police or lawyers. I am a nosey person and all but sitting through 14 interviews was mighty tedious - especially when the lunch hour was upon us and my stomach started to rumble.
A break was taken while lawyers and the judge met and I shared my packet of gum with my fellow hungry potential jurors. Another 30+ minutes pass. Finally the judge arrives back, asks a few follow up questions and chooses 8 people to serve on the jury.
Huh, they are not wasting time. I figured they would want to interview everyone first and pick the best of the lot. I thought wrong.
I had hoped I was in the next 14 to be called so I could quickly be dismissed. Again, I really thought I wouldn't be picked. I was #13 called to be questioned so I sat and listened to another 12 people. When it was my turn, I answered truthfully (bad idea?) and hoped that the judge would pity me for having a 4 year old and working full time AND going to grad school.
Another break and I went to the rest room. Tell me how a LARGE court house attached to one of the busiest prisons in the country has only one women's bathroom with one toilet.
I return and receive my $17.20 paycheck. You read that right....seventeen dollars - ohhhhh yea. Bonus, my work lets me keep the paycheck AND I get paid. Now where to spend it all?
Break is over and she reads off 4 names. Good, the jury is now filled. But wait, alternate #1 is chosen. Then alternate #2 - Me. So so close.
We are immediately brought back to the jury room. 14 strangers sitting in silence and contemplating if the food served to us was edible. It was not.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Whew!
A week ago I would have written about being busy and just not having the time/energy to write.
This week, I laugh at last week (hahahahahaha!) and remember fondly how easy I had it.
Because last week, I had a functioning shower. My car wasn't grinding brakes. I went to work at a place I like. I was healthy.
This week, my bathroom has been gutted and refurbished. My car is out of commission with bad brakes. I was selected to serve on a jury. AND I have a cold. I'm tired just typing that.
I cannot wait to write a blog or two about my jury experiences. Right now, it's mums the word but when I 'm able to talk about the trial freely, you know I will.
It's been a strange experience though. It feels very surreal...like I'm not living my life - I'm just living in a crazy alternate universe where I either sit on a wooden chair around a table or I sit on a wooden chair in a court room. One minute I was planning the rest of my day on the off chance I would be released early from the jury summons and the next I am sitting and hearing testimony and eatting really, really bad court food. (Seriously, REALLY bad).
Your life completely changes as you have to re-arrange everything about you...Your job, Your family, Your sanity.
I've been itching to write something here since things got started on Monday but this will have to suffice for now.
I know I've missed sharing my past 2 weigh ins. So the results are......
October 13th = -2lbs
October 20th = -0.8lbs
I'm not sure if I when I will weigh in next. Although I have been going into work early before court the last couple of days, I will not be doing so tomorrow - my regular weigh in day. I will try to find some time in the next few days to run into my local WW for a quick weigh in. Not feeling too confident this week.
This week, I laugh at last week (hahahahahaha!) and remember fondly how easy I had it.
Because last week, I had a functioning shower. My car wasn't grinding brakes. I went to work at a place I like. I was healthy.
This week, my bathroom has been gutted and refurbished. My car is out of commission with bad brakes. I was selected to serve on a jury. AND I have a cold. I'm tired just typing that.
I cannot wait to write a blog or two about my jury experiences. Right now, it's mums the word but when I 'm able to talk about the trial freely, you know I will.
It's been a strange experience though. It feels very surreal...like I'm not living my life - I'm just living in a crazy alternate universe where I either sit on a wooden chair around a table or I sit on a wooden chair in a court room. One minute I was planning the rest of my day on the off chance I would be released early from the jury summons and the next I am sitting and hearing testimony and eatting really, really bad court food. (Seriously, REALLY bad).
Your life completely changes as you have to re-arrange everything about you...Your job, Your family, Your sanity.
I've been itching to write something here since things got started on Monday but this will have to suffice for now.
I know I've missed sharing my past 2 weigh ins. So the results are......
October 13th = -2lbs
October 20th = -0.8lbs
I'm not sure if I when I will weigh in next. Although I have been going into work early before court the last couple of days, I will not be doing so tomorrow - my regular weigh in day. I will try to find some time in the next few days to run into my local WW for a quick weigh in. Not feeling too confident this week.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Kinda Fun! I'm a Featured Blogger
Hey there you!
I'm a featured blogger at a new website called Mommy Page. Check me out and the site here Mommy Page Interview.
I chose the picture shown because it got a fair amount of "likes" on Facebook. Facebook I still believe is the destroyer of relationships but at least lets me know what pictures I look decent in.
Maybe I will get some new readers - if so WELCOME! Please post a comment and introduce yourself!!
Looking at my last several posts, it seems like all I'm talking about is weight loss so I need to jazz things up a bit. In fact, I am working on one right now all about the trials and tribulations of an ongoing battle with a certain body part. Stay tuned!
I'm a featured blogger at a new website called Mommy Page. Check me out and the site here Mommy Page Interview.
I chose the picture shown because it got a fair amount of "likes" on Facebook. Facebook I still believe is the destroyer of relationships but at least lets me know what pictures I look decent in.
Maybe I will get some new readers - if so WELCOME! Please post a comment and introduce yourself!!
Looking at my last several posts, it seems like all I'm talking about is weight loss so I need to jazz things up a bit. In fact, I am working on one right now all about the trials and tribulations of an ongoing battle with a certain body part. Stay tuned!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Weekly Weigh In - And the Scale Goes Up
I fell off the wagon starting right after last week's weigh in.
It started with this big chocolate and caramel cookie that is sold at work. I had not had one since starting WW in May and I finally decided to indulge my craving. I'm the type of girl who can't just eat half a giant cookie and save the other half. I try but that baby is gone in no time flat. And you know what? It was good...but not that good. I won't be needing another one for some time.
Then the weekend came and I set forth to cheer up a friend so we went to a movie (The Debt - very good) and ate popcorn. Then fries and a milk shake at Steak n Shake. Sidebar: Steak n Shake has my absolute favorite milkshakes. So thick and yummy. Second is Potbelly's. Are you a milk shake lover like me?
The week pretty much went down hill from there. I kinda gave up - if I didn't track, I wouldn't see how badly I was doing. I got cocky. Hey, if I could have tapas and sangria and still lose, I can just eat anything I want, right? Worse though, I stopped caring. I ate....a lot.
Before weighing in, I knew I would be up, I just didn't know how badly. My home scale is typically about 2lbs heavier than the WW scale but sometimes it surprises me. Up 0.8 lbs which isn't bad but definitely not the direction I need to be going.
That + though is exactly the motivation I need to get my behind back into gear. I will track, I will be accountable, I will care, I will lose.
It started with this big chocolate and caramel cookie that is sold at work. I had not had one since starting WW in May and I finally decided to indulge my craving. I'm the type of girl who can't just eat half a giant cookie and save the other half. I try but that baby is gone in no time flat. And you know what? It was good...but not that good. I won't be needing another one for some time.
Then the weekend came and I set forth to cheer up a friend so we went to a movie (The Debt - very good) and ate popcorn. Then fries and a milk shake at Steak n Shake. Sidebar: Steak n Shake has my absolute favorite milkshakes. So thick and yummy. Second is Potbelly's. Are you a milk shake lover like me?
The week pretty much went down hill from there. I kinda gave up - if I didn't track, I wouldn't see how badly I was doing. I got cocky. Hey, if I could have tapas and sangria and still lose, I can just eat anything I want, right? Worse though, I stopped caring. I ate....a lot.
Before weighing in, I knew I would be up, I just didn't know how badly. My home scale is typically about 2lbs heavier than the WW scale but sometimes it surprises me. Up 0.8 lbs which isn't bad but definitely not the direction I need to be going.
That + though is exactly the motivation I need to get my behind back into gear. I will track, I will be accountable, I will care, I will lose.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Weekly Way In - My Motivation
Sha-na-na-na, Sha-na-na-na
Hey, Hey, Hey
Goodbye!
25 pounds off and gone. Hopefully never to be heard from again!
As promised I did lose weight this week, 0.6 lbs, which proves just how workable the WW program really is. Bring on the tapas and sangria baby because I'm still losing!
Today's meeting revolved around keeping your motivation. Right now, my motivation is this strange little feeling called confidence. I don't think I have ever felt quite so good about myself. I have never felt so secure.
The scale is going down, my clothes are looser, and people who don't even know that I am on WW are beginning to comment on my weight loss. It feels good to be noticed in this way.
But honestly, I think the weight loss has only been one component to that. It helps tremendously that I am not in the midst 20something confusion, I feel focused and appreciated at work, my marriage (as far as I know ;) is as stable and loving as it has ever been. Looking in the mirror, I am picking out more good things then bad.
I feel more attractive and comfortable in my skin. Perhaps my ego got a bit of a boost with what I believe may be workplace crushes that a couple individuals may or may not have for me. Plus buying a couple new bras that actually fit is making me stand a bit prouder (and higher).
Why couldn't I feel like this 10 years ago?
Hey, Hey, Hey
Goodbye!
25 pounds off and gone. Hopefully never to be heard from again!
As promised I did lose weight this week, 0.6 lbs, which proves just how workable the WW program really is. Bring on the tapas and sangria baby because I'm still losing!
Today's meeting revolved around keeping your motivation. Right now, my motivation is this strange little feeling called confidence. I don't think I have ever felt quite so good about myself. I have never felt so secure.
The scale is going down, my clothes are looser, and people who don't even know that I am on WW are beginning to comment on my weight loss. It feels good to be noticed in this way.
But honestly, I think the weight loss has only been one component to that. It helps tremendously that I am not in the midst 20something confusion, I feel focused and appreciated at work, my marriage (as far as I know ;) is as stable and loving as it has ever been. Looking in the mirror, I am picking out more good things then bad.
I feel more attractive and comfortable in my skin. Perhaps my ego got a bit of a boost with what I believe may be workplace crushes that a couple individuals may or may not have for me. Plus buying a couple new bras that actually fit is making me stand a bit prouder (and higher).
Why couldn't I feel like this 10 years ago?
Monday, September 26, 2011
Weekly Weigh In - Catching Up!
I am reclaiming my life!
The Heart Walk is over so I am hoping that I actually am able to get back on track here at work and even at home. I have put so much energy into making sure the hospital has a successful turnout (both money and people) for Saturday that I have put a lot of work on the back burner. Home life has been treated poorly, as well, as I have been physically exhausted by the time I get home.
 |
| The the Heart Walk. It wasn't that cold out but she looks so darn cute. |
After Saturday's walk, I was feeling oh-so-good plus I had an expiring Groupon, I shipped dear sweet Lillian off to her cousins' house and James & I treated ourselves to tapas and sangria. Yum and yum.
I ate bread. With butter. A lot of it.
It was good. Reallll good.
This is what I like about weighing in on Thursday mornings now. Even though I have to be at work at 7:30am (that's early btw), I don't have to feel like I'm depriving myself on the weekends in fear of gaining weight. Yes, it's the same points that I am using no matter the weigh in day, but I do think it makes a difference.
Even though I did fall off plan on Saturday (I didn't even bother tracking and I am just going to assume that I used up all my "extra" points), I am actually still very determined to lose weight this week. Just you watch!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Weekly Weigh In - I'm a Tired Busy Bee
Wow! This past week has been such a whirlwind. By the end of the work day, I am completely exhausted. I already do two full time jobs wrapped up in one and I am also coordinating my entire hospital for the American Heart Association's Heart Walk. Since that is only a week and a half away, I have been bombarded with that work. I am incredibly behind with every single aspect of my job right now. It's bad. I am taking a quick mental health break just to write this because once I get home from work it's straight to Lillian time and then housework and school work. And trust me, the housework isn't being done well!
Okay, on to weightloss gain. Yup I am up 1.4 lbs over last week. But get this, I'm actually okay with it. I did not stick to the WW plan and expected a higher than normal scale. So no beating myself up, only new motivation to get back into the 170s by next week.
I am thinking about switching my WW group here at work. I have heard that a good leader can make all the difference and I just am not happy with my current leader. Turns out, I'm not the only one so at least it isn't just me. The downfall is the other session is on Thursdays at 7:30am. Do you know how much I loathe getting up early? It's the main reason why exercise hasn't been on my radar in the last little while. I just can't do the early wake up thing since I have been staying up later and later at night. But once a week I should be able to do it.
Okay, on to weight
I am thinking about switching my WW group here at work. I have heard that a good leader can make all the difference and I just am not happy with my current leader. Turns out, I'm not the only one so at least it isn't just me. The downfall is the other session is on Thursdays at 7:30am. Do you know how much I loathe getting up early? It's the main reason why exercise hasn't been on my radar in the last little while. I just can't do the early wake up thing since I have been staying up later and later at night. But once a week I should be able to do it.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Weekly Weigh In - Putting Myself Out There
So this is the post where I put it all out there. My pictures, my weight, all the gory dark little secrets that I so normally keep ever so guarded.
I started way back in May and some parts of me feels like I should have lost more weight but I do know that slow and steady does win the weight loss weight.
So here I be...on my first day or WW and then today. Down 23 lbs (Oh that's right, I lost only 0.4lbs this weigh in week so I'm at an even 23 lbs lost).
Different clothes, different zoom but you get the idea. I don't see a huge difference but maybe a small one.
I weighed in on Day 1 at 202.4 lbs. Not good, especially for a 5'4 frame. It was definitely my highest weight outside of pregnancy. Today, or at least Sunday when I weighed in, I was 179.4. Being in the 170s felt pretty good.
I haven't had a great week so hopefully I won't gain come this next Monday.
So there you have it. Me in the raw!
I want to thank you all for your wonderful support. It really keeps me motivated which is exactly what I need in this journey!
I started way back in May and some parts of me feels like I should have lost more weight but I do know that slow and steady does win the weight loss weight.
So here I be...on my first day or WW and then today. Down 23 lbs (Oh that's right, I lost only 0.4lbs this weigh in week so I'm at an even 23 lbs lost).
Different clothes, different zoom but you get the idea. I don't see a huge difference but maybe a small one.
I weighed in on Day 1 at 202.4 lbs. Not good, especially for a 5'4 frame. It was definitely my highest weight outside of pregnancy. Today, or at least Sunday when I weighed in, I was 179.4. Being in the 170s felt pretty good.
I haven't had a great week so hopefully I won't gain come this next Monday.
So there you have it. Me in the raw!
I want to thank you all for your wonderful support. It really keeps me motivated which is exactly what I need in this journey!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Mom vs Mom
I admit to be slightly annoyed at cutesy articles like Questions from SAHM. It's one of those irrational splinters in the mind that are so deeply ingrained that you can't even pick it out with a tweezer. It's like my hatred of mushrooms. I just don't like it - no matter what you say or how you try to disguise it.
Because to me, articles like this just fuel the flame that is the always burning debate of Stay At Home Mom/Dad (SAHM) vs the Working Mom/Dad. There is serious tensions that live on blog sites and message boards and I'm sure many neighborhood school drop offs between the two forms of parents.
Sadly, like in so many instances in a woman's life - it just feels like we are bringing each other down.
Things like the list, even though likely only written in pure good intentions, make my defensive rise. I want to say , "Oh yea. Well I get to deal with office politics, rude customers, deadlines, long commutes, and meetings about meetings all day (with no hugs and kisses, by the way) and THEN I get to go home and deal with everything you mentioned on your list." But I try not to say that on a message board or on Facebook because I think I end up looking like a big ol b-i-t-c-h.
The thing is, I know that my annoyance is rooted in jealousy and guilt. I feel like I have to prove something and I hate that feeling. I've lived 33 years caring too much about what others think of me and I think its prime time to maybe grow up a little.
I do what I have to do. My family does what it has to do. We make it work, we survive. And isn't that what everyone is trying to do?
Parenting is hard whether you stay at home and your day is filled with house work, cooking, and trying to entertain and educate your kidlets (most weekends I have a hard enough time accomplishing this let alone on a daily venture) or working outside the house and trying to juggle work and home life responsibilities. It's just plain hard.
I hope no one takes this as a slam on SAHM/Ds - afterall James is one himself. In fact, he can pretty much say "SHUT UP" to us all since he is both a full time stay-at-home Dad and a full time work outside of the home dad. Now, he's got it hard. Him? I will allow him to write a list.
Because to me, articles like this just fuel the flame that is the always burning debate of Stay At Home Mom/Dad (SAHM) vs the Working Mom/Dad. There is serious tensions that live on blog sites and message boards and I'm sure many neighborhood school drop offs between the two forms of parents.
Sadly, like in so many instances in a woman's life - it just feels like we are bringing each other down.
Things like the list, even though likely only written in pure good intentions, make my defensive rise. I want to say , "Oh yea. Well I get to deal with office politics, rude customers, deadlines, long commutes, and meetings about meetings all day (with no hugs and kisses, by the way) and THEN I get to go home and deal with everything you mentioned on your list." But I try not to say that on a message board or on Facebook because I think I end up looking like a big ol b-i-t-c-h.
The thing is, I know that my annoyance is rooted in jealousy and guilt. I feel like I have to prove something and I hate that feeling. I've lived 33 years caring too much about what others think of me and I think its prime time to maybe grow up a little.
I do what I have to do. My family does what it has to do. We make it work, we survive. And isn't that what everyone is trying to do?
Parenting is hard whether you stay at home and your day is filled with house work, cooking, and trying to entertain and educate your kidlets (most weekends I have a hard enough time accomplishing this let alone on a daily venture) or working outside the house and trying to juggle work and home life responsibilities. It's just plain hard.
I hope no one takes this as a slam on SAHM/Ds - afterall James is one himself. In fact, he can pretty much say "SHUT UP" to us all since he is both a full time stay-at-home Dad and a full time work outside of the home dad. Now, he's got it hard. Him? I will allow him to write a list.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Weekly Weigh In - Did I Make 10%?
So this was it, the week to reach my first mini goal of 10% weight loss. It should not have been hard to do. I think I had to lose like 0.6lb to reach it.
Since I'm obsessed with weighing in at home, today was no different and I was rather taken aback and sadden to see that I had gained weight. That immediately started my day off bad with negative self disliking thoughts that went through my head.
I came down and told James that I was probably going to skip weighing in today. Maybe if I didn't eat much today and maybe got in some exercise that I could drop at least a pound so it wouldn't be so bad.
Since I am at home today for Lillian's first day of preschool (round 2 since she has a late bday), I was being a bit lazy around the house and doing a lot of thinking. It went something like this:
Well, I didn't track quite as closely this week as I normally do. I definitely didn't drink as much water. I was really stressed about life in general. How am I going to balance work, Lillian, house, school and weight loss and still keep my sanity? Pizza - naughty naughty pizza.
And then I started to think about my lil blog here. I started to think that a few people (HI MOM!) do read this and I really wanted to be honest with myself and you. Everyone who has ever struggled to lose weight knows that there will always be ups and downs on that scale.
I want to be honest because who hasn't faced these inner conflicts? Sure I can lie and say I stepped of the scale and said "Tomorrow is another day!" but I didn't. I felt cruddy and daydreamed about how easy it would be to just give up. How nice it would have been to have popcorn with butter at the Smurfs movie yesterday. Why do I bother? Maybe I'm just meant to be this size after all.
Funny thing is though, the more I thought about writing here, the more I wanted to NOT give up. I wanted to show how even though challenges arise, I may still have my down moments but the important part is how you turn it all around.
So after dropping Lillian off at preschool (round 2), I drove to the drop by Weight Watchers location in town. I stepped on the scale ready to list off my excuses.
I lost 3lbs.
Ok, I still don't fully believe it. My home scale has never been that off before. I question whether I really did lose the weight but instead of beating myself up, I need to take this pleasant surprise and accept it and for at least one week, put away my home scale (I promised James).
I made it to my 10% and my next mini goal with be 20% then I'm going all the way to home plate with my goal weight. I'm hoping to post later this week laying it all out there including my actual weight and "before" picture.
Thanks for traveling with me on this road and keeping me accountable.
Since I'm obsessed with weighing in at home, today was no different and I was rather taken aback and sadden to see that I had gained weight. That immediately started my day off bad with negative self disliking thoughts that went through my head.
I came down and told James that I was probably going to skip weighing in today. Maybe if I didn't eat much today and maybe got in some exercise that I could drop at least a pound so it wouldn't be so bad.
Since I am at home today for Lillian's first day of preschool (round 2 since she has a late bday), I was being a bit lazy around the house and doing a lot of thinking. It went something like this:
Well, I didn't track quite as closely this week as I normally do. I definitely didn't drink as much water. I was really stressed about life in general. How am I going to balance work, Lillian, house, school and weight loss and still keep my sanity? Pizza - naughty naughty pizza.
And then I started to think about my lil blog here. I started to think that a few people (HI MOM!) do read this and I really wanted to be honest with myself and you. Everyone who has ever struggled to lose weight knows that there will always be ups and downs on that scale.
I want to be honest because who hasn't faced these inner conflicts? Sure I can lie and say I stepped of the scale and said "Tomorrow is another day!" but I didn't. I felt cruddy and daydreamed about how easy it would be to just give up. How nice it would have been to have popcorn with butter at the Smurfs movie yesterday. Why do I bother? Maybe I'm just meant to be this size after all.
Funny thing is though, the more I thought about writing here, the more I wanted to NOT give up. I wanted to show how even though challenges arise, I may still have my down moments but the important part is how you turn it all around.
So after dropping Lillian off at preschool (round 2), I drove to the drop by Weight Watchers location in town. I stepped on the scale ready to list off my excuses.
I lost 3lbs.
Ok, I still don't fully believe it. My home scale has never been that off before. I question whether I really did lose the weight but instead of beating myself up, I need to take this pleasant surprise and accept it and for at least one week, put away my home scale (I promised James).
I made it to my 10% and my next mini goal with be 20% then I'm going all the way to home plate with my goal weight. I'm hoping to post later this week laying it all out there including my actual weight and "before" picture.
Thanks for traveling with me on this road and keeping me accountable.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
5 Things I Don't Like
I hope not to offend anyone by my dislikes but if I do, feel free to make your own blog and put me or this site as your #1 Thing You Don't Like. It's okay. I won't be offended. I won't cry.
Much.
I'm sensitive you know.
These car decals are probably near the top of my "Things I Don't Like" list. They annoy me. Why? They just do <sheesh>
Do you have a list? Blog about it or post it!
Monday, August 22, 2011
2 + 3 = 9 (And Weekly Weigh In)
One of my biggest weaknesses is my lack of smarts when it comes to math. Maybe not quite so bad as the title of this post may suggest but I'm pretty bad. The calculator and I are friends.
I've been going on and on about almost reaching my 20% of weight loss. But I'm a little bit off. I'm actually only nearing my 10% loss. Not sure how I got 20% stuck in my head. The 10% is still good - a bit less exciting now - but still a nice goal to reach in the Weight Watcher universe. A goal that I should hit next week indeed after a 1.6 lb loss today.
Besides Weekly Weigh In Monday, I also started my first grad school class today. My program in Health Management will be entirely online which is making me a bit nervous. I logged in today and "met" the professor who seems like quite a good guy. This week,he is letting us off pretty easy with the only requirement being to post about yourself and then try to get know other people. The rest of the syllabus looks a bit challenging but what else should I expect.
Add to this my craziness of my brain and my planning of Lillian's 5th birthday party. Lillian's birthday is December 29th. Her party won't be until January. It is August. Sad thing is I will plan all these details now and then once Oct/Nov/Dec arrives, I will procrastinate and nothing will get done til the last minute. Tis my life.
Maybe this year will be different.
The themes on the table so far are: Dinosaurs or Pinkalicious. My vote? Pinkalicious of course! It's a story about a girl who eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink. The decorating choices are just endless!
Stayed tuned!
I've been going on and on about almost reaching my 20% of weight loss. But I'm a little bit off. I'm actually only nearing my 10% loss. Not sure how I got 20% stuck in my head. The 10% is still good - a bit less exciting now - but still a nice goal to reach in the Weight Watcher universe. A goal that I should hit next week indeed after a 1.6 lb loss today.
Besides Weekly Weigh In Monday, I also started my first grad school class today. My program in Health Management will be entirely online which is making me a bit nervous. I logged in today and "met" the professor who seems like quite a good guy. This week,he is letting us off pretty easy with the only requirement being to post about yourself and then try to get know other people. The rest of the syllabus looks a bit challenging but what else should I expect.
Add to this my craziness of my brain and my planning of Lillian's 5th birthday party. Lillian's birthday is December 29th. Her party won't be until January. It is August. Sad thing is I will plan all these details now and then once Oct/Nov/Dec arrives, I will procrastinate and nothing will get done til the last minute. Tis my life.
Maybe this year will be different.
The themes on the table so far are: Dinosaurs or Pinkalicious. My vote? Pinkalicious of course! It's a story about a girl who eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink. The decorating choices are just endless!
Stayed tuned!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Swing High My Child
Am I the only parent who loves to grab the swing next to my child and soar like I was 8 years old?
There is just something so freeing and lovely and calming about pumping my legs and reaching for the sky. It's the best way to quickly transport me to the laughter and ease that is childhood.
I spent countless hours on the playgrounds surrounding my house. What else did a child of the 80s do after all? 1. ride your bike and 2. go to the park and 3. Play Atari
My grade school park was my favorite. It was the now "old fashion" equipment that was made of wood and surrounded by sand. There were four tire swings where four kids could fit on one. One person would stand and pump the tire so high and it was twice as fun if you could bump the swing next to you. The tire was hung by chains and we would twist and twist and then let go to fall into a wonderful dizziness.
Now I swing beside my daughter and just take off, closing my eyes and enjoying the sweet summer breeze and reflecting on life.
That is until Lillian starts swinging just as high as me and I panic and imagine seeing her fly through the air and landing face first in the wood chips.
Where was I? Oh yes, being care-free.
Being a worry less child (something which every child should be but sadly, is not) is a blessing that one does not recognize until fears, anxieties and stresses practically take over every other thought. You earn that badge of adulthood with your first bill, your first heart break, your first bounced check. And if you chose to continue on to receive the Parenthood Badge, well then you worry so that they don't.
So if you haven't, no matter your age, find a swing and take yourself on a ride...in your head and heart. I'm serious about this...go. It's perfect weather. Report back!
There is just something so freeing and lovely and calming about pumping my legs and reaching for the sky. It's the best way to quickly transport me to the laughter and ease that is childhood.
I spent countless hours on the playgrounds surrounding my house. What else did a child of the 80s do after all? 1. ride your bike and 2. go to the park and 3. Play Atari
My grade school park was my favorite. It was the now "old fashion" equipment that was made of wood and surrounded by sand. There were four tire swings where four kids could fit on one. One person would stand and pump the tire so high and it was twice as fun if you could bump the swing next to you. The tire was hung by chains and we would twist and twist and then let go to fall into a wonderful dizziness.
Now I swing beside my daughter and just take off, closing my eyes and enjoying the sweet summer breeze and reflecting on life.
That is until Lillian starts swinging just as high as me and I panic and imagine seeing her fly through the air and landing face first in the wood chips.
Where was I? Oh yes, being care-free.
Being a worry less child (something which every child should be but sadly, is not) is a blessing that one does not recognize until fears, anxieties and stresses practically take over every other thought. You earn that badge of adulthood with your first bill, your first heart break, your first bounced check. And if you chose to continue on to receive the Parenthood Badge, well then you worry so that they don't.
So if you haven't, no matter your age, find a swing and take yourself on a ride...in your head and heart. I'm serious about this...go. It's perfect weather. Report back!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Weekly Weigh In Week 13 - Easy Peasy
This weekend my Mother-In-Law asked me how things were going with my weight loss. I told her it was going great and how easy it was. Easy.
I honestly am not sure why that particular word escaped my mouth. Maybe my good mood of being at Lillian's ballet class watching her perform for the first time got the best of me. Although I do love the Weight Watchers program, I would not normally classify it as easy. With anydiet lifestyle change - it's going to take some work.
It takes work to resist the "Throw in the towel and enjoy hot fudge sundaes because you are beautiful just the way you are"...which is partially true seeing that I am quite the looker. But there are moments - plenty of them, that I wish I didn't have to track every single thing I eat. I wish I didn't have to go to a meeting once a week to keep me accountable. I wish I could eat this giant turtle fudge cookie that I haven't touched since beginning WW. Yes, I could eat it - after all I really can eat anything - but I haven't been able to bring myself to indulge in that particular treat. I have no idea how many points the Dreamy Cookie (I just made up that name) has - can't find any nutritional info on the company's website. That just means it's really, really bad for you.
My eyes are set on my 20% goal and I had a light bulb moment where I decided I would eat that lovely Dreamy 200+point Cookie once I hit that goal. I felt satisfied. But then what did I hear at my WW meeting today? "Don't reward yourself with food". Shit.
I get it. I really do. But my cookie was my 20% goal prize and a nice dinner with creamy gnocchi and a bottle of wine was going to be my "AT GOAL" reward. I may start rethinking my little awards because I do think it's important to learn that food is not the answer to everything. With food not being the answer, well, finding the right answer is not going to be easy.
What other rewards have you done? Any ideas for me? I'm already planning for my skinny wardrobe!!
Oh, my weigh in. Did I trick you? This is coming at the end but I actually did lose weight this week! YIPPEE. My weight loss of 3.8lbs included a dinner at 5 Guys - and yes I had a burger and fries. As well as an unexpected lunch at Red Robin - no burger but I ate the fries.
4.4 lbs til my 20% loss. Will I do it in 1 week? I doubt it but mark me down for a mini celebration on August 29th!
I honestly am not sure why that particular word escaped my mouth. Maybe my good mood of being at Lillian's ballet class watching her perform for the first time got the best of me. Although I do love the Weight Watchers program, I would not normally classify it as easy. With any
It takes work to resist the "Throw in the towel and enjoy hot fudge sundaes because you are beautiful just the way you are"...which is partially true seeing that I am quite the looker. But there are moments - plenty of them, that I wish I didn't have to track every single thing I eat. I wish I didn't have to go to a meeting once a week to keep me accountable. I wish I could eat this giant turtle fudge cookie that I haven't touched since beginning WW. Yes, I could eat it - after all I really can eat anything - but I haven't been able to bring myself to indulge in that particular treat. I have no idea how many points the Dreamy Cookie (I just made up that name) has - can't find any nutritional info on the company's website. That just means it's really, really bad for you.
My eyes are set on my 20% goal and I had a light bulb moment where I decided I would eat that lovely Dreamy 200+point Cookie once I hit that goal. I felt satisfied. But then what did I hear at my WW meeting today? "Don't reward yourself with food". Shit.
I get it. I really do. But my cookie was my 20% goal prize and a nice dinner with creamy gnocchi and a bottle of wine was going to be my "AT GOAL" reward. I may start rethinking my little awards because I do think it's important to learn that food is not the answer to everything. With food not being the answer, well, finding the right answer is not going to be easy.
What other rewards have you done? Any ideas for me? I'm already planning for my skinny wardrobe!!
Oh, my weigh in. Did I trick you? This is coming at the end but I actually did lose weight this week! YIPPEE. My weight loss of 3.8lbs included a dinner at 5 Guys - and yes I had a burger and fries. As well as an unexpected lunch at Red Robin - no burger but I ate the fries.
4.4 lbs til my 20% loss. Will I do it in 1 week? I doubt it but mark me down for a mini celebration on August 29th!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Mercury Is Screwing Us.
Did you know that Mercury is in retrograde? Well, it is. Do I know what that means? I can only assume by the way this week is going that it means stars and moons and Milky Ways, and well, Mercury are all screwed up thus making this week a really crappy one.
I know its not just me - James is having an unbelievably bad week at work - and by people's Facebook statuses - this astrological stuff may be messing with our mojo.
Poor James' birthday is landing on a Thursday during hell week. While I am very pro-birthday - celebrate and make yourself happy and make sure everyone else is making you happy. James is much more laid back by the whole day. But since he married me, he has to suffer both in planning my birthday but also putting up with my planning for his birthday.
Now I did throw a pretty nice party with a cool cake but that was a couple of weeks ago. And I'm one that thinks that even if you celebrate your birthday on another day, having another celebration on your actual birthday is a must. Which is why I'm feeling pretty crappy tonight.
Although Lillian drew some awesome rainbows and wrote "Happy Birthday Daddy" (I only told her which letters to use) and insisted that we buy this:
And we made him these (remember everyone deserves a birthday cake on their birthday).
But I just couldn't get over the guilt of not getting James an actual present. I mean, what's a birthday when you don't have a present to unwrap? It wasn't an issue of figuring out a gift. That's actually the easy part but James has such expensive taste! Those XBox games are pricey!
I kept telling myself that it was okay that he didn't get a gift gift. The party was his gift, right? But the birthday girl in me knew I had to get him something. And so I got him something that I figured he could use when he walks in the door from work. Of course, it's wrapped in pink princess paper!
I know its not just me - James is having an unbelievably bad week at work - and by people's Facebook statuses - this astrological stuff may be messing with our mojo.
Poor James' birthday is landing on a Thursday during hell week. While I am very pro-birthday - celebrate and make yourself happy and make sure everyone else is making you happy. James is much more laid back by the whole day. But since he married me, he has to suffer both in planning my birthday but also putting up with my planning for his birthday.
Now I did throw a pretty nice party with a cool cake but that was a couple of weeks ago. And I'm one that thinks that even if you celebrate your birthday on another day, having another celebration on your actual birthday is a must. Which is why I'm feeling pretty crappy tonight.
Although Lillian drew some awesome rainbows and wrote "Happy Birthday Daddy" (I only told her which letters to use) and insisted that we buy this:
 |
| I talked her out of the Princess castle one. |
 |
| I frosted, she sprinkled. |
I kept telling myself that it was okay that he didn't get a gift gift. The party was his gift, right? But the birthday girl in me knew I had to get him something. And so I got him something that I figured he could use when he walks in the door from work. Of course, it's wrapped in pink princess paper!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Mommy Guilt Monday
I've mentioned before that Lillian has mastered the art of making me feel guilty as I leave for work in the morning. It's the reason why I only stick my head into her room to check on her before I leave in the morning. It's the reason why I blow dry my hair in the downstairs bathroom. I love seeing my sweetness before my work day begins but the sadness in her voice doesn't exactly start my day off on a high note.
Lillian is a smartass girl however. I think I heard her thought process tonight. It went something like this,
I haven't been getting up early enough to punish Mommy for leaving me each day so I need to reconfigure my master plan. AHA! I will start the scrapping away of her soul in the evening!! Yes, that's brillant! Briillllannnnnntnttt!
And our conversation went something like this. Please think of Lilly's voice as extremely cute yet with that heartbreaking sadness only a child can come up with:
Lilly: Mommy why do you have to go to work tomorrow?
Me: Mommy gets paid money to work. Then we use that money to pay for things like food and ballet.
Lilly: But Mommy whhyyyy?
Me: I'm sorry sweetie. I think of about you all day.
Lilly: But Mommy, I won't be happy in the morning.
Me: Because I won't be here?
Lilly: Yea.
Heart. Stabbed. Ow.
Oh and once that conversation ended, she threw in a bonus clip, a bit later:
Lilly: Mommy I want to sleep in your bed.
Me: No
Lilly: Mommy, I want to sleep with you. I don't want to sleep by myself.
Me: No
Now, I think I may have to start hiding from her at night to avoid the Mommy Guilt. If I slide a plate of food into the living room, switch on SpongeBob, and sit in the laundry room until she falls asleep, it may just work.
Oh, and it was Weekly Weigh In Day. Can you guess by me burying it this far down in a post completely unrelated to weight loss means I gained? Yup. 1.2lbs. Boo. Hiss. I am so close to reaching my 10% lost (the first major goal for WW and if I reach that goal before the end of the session I get 1/2 my $ back from work) and I just took a small step back. It's frustrating. Not exactly sure what I did wrong. Sure I had a pulled pork sandwich french fries and a little crab rangoon on Saturday night but I honestly thought I had enough "extra" points to be a-okay. I guess not. Onwards and upwards I suppose.
This is not the first gain and I'm certain it won't be the last. I am taking this though as motivation to re-focus which will be good for me.
In summary: Mommy Guilt + Weight Gain = Monday. 'nuff said.
Lillian is a smart
I haven't been getting up early enough to punish Mommy for leaving me each day so I need to reconfigure my master plan. AHA! I will start the scrapping away of her soul in the evening!! Yes, that's brillant! Briillllannnnnntnttt!
And our conversation went something like this. Please think of Lilly's voice as extremely cute yet with that heartbreaking sadness only a child can come up with:
Lilly: Mommy why do you have to go to work tomorrow?
Me: Mommy gets paid money to work. Then we use that money to pay for things like food and ballet.
Lilly: But Mommy whhyyyy?
Me: I'm sorry sweetie. I think of about you all day.
Lilly: But Mommy, I won't be happy in the morning.
Me: Because I won't be here?
Lilly: Yea.
Heart. Stabbed. Ow.
Oh and once that conversation ended, she threw in a bonus clip, a bit later:
Lilly: Mommy I want to sleep in your bed.
Me: No
Lilly: Mommy, I want to sleep with you. I don't want to sleep by myself.
Me: No
Now, I think I may have to start hiding from her at night to avoid the Mommy Guilt. If I slide a plate of food into the living room, switch on SpongeBob, and sit in the laundry room until she falls asleep, it may just work.
Oh, and it was Weekly Weigh In Day. Can you guess by me burying it this far down in a post completely unrelated to weight loss means I gained? Yup. 1.2lbs. Boo. Hiss. I am so close to reaching my 10% lost (the first major goal for WW and if I reach that goal before the end of the session I get 1/2 my $ back from work) and I just took a small step back. It's frustrating. Not exactly sure what I did wrong. Sure I had a pulled pork sandwich french fries and a little crab rangoon on Saturday night but I honestly thought I had enough "extra" points to be a-okay. I guess not. Onwards and upwards I suppose.
This is not the first gain and I'm certain it won't be the last. I am taking this though as motivation to re-focus which will be good for me.
In summary: Mommy Guilt + Weight Gain = Monday. 'nuff said.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Weigh In and Birthday Cake
I don't like going more than 1 week without a blog. It's not so much an ego thing, me thinking that you are waiting and wondering when I will update. No. It's more me trying to be disciplined and not fall out of the habit of keeping myself writing. The longer I go, the harder it is to get back into the swing of things.
I've been wanting to share my Weekly Weigh In numbers but to also share a fun weekend. This week's scale was kind, showing in bright red numbers that I was down another pound. I even got a sticker for achieving another 5lbs lost - now for a total of 15.4lbs.
Again, I claim true love for the Weight Watchers program. I love losing weight while still living and enjoying life. This weekend I enjoyed said life by throwing James a little surprise party for his upcoming birthday.
James is not the biggest fan of birthdays. I don't believe it has much to do with the aging aspect as it is the whole pageantry surrounding it and by some previous let downs surrounding the big day. But he married a chick who loves the birthday. One of my life motto's is "Everyone deserves a birthday cake on their birthday". A birthday is a special day after all and you should take the chance to celebrate the most important person in your life - YOU! I have no problem taking the spotlight for that little chunk of time each year and bask in the glory ofme cake.
The party came together quickly. Our good friends had made plans to visit that day so I took it upon myself to also invite a few more people. Because of our little house and our backyard not being quite so visitor friendly yet, I had to limit who was invited. That was the only bummer.
I love hosting parties - I just don't do it often because of the aforementioned tiny house. It was nice to be in total control of the food. A girl in the middle of a lifestyle change is often hampered by the lovely goodness of spinach dips and onions dips at parties. This party I had a beautiful platter of fruit and sandwiches.
There were two naughty things though.
1. Ambrosia - nectar from the gods. Well, maybe not as good as the immortal magic of ambrosia but sangria certainly tastes good, doesn't it? It's my drink of choice lately. To my happiness I've also discovered that 4oz of sangria is only 3 WW points. Not too horrible.
2. Cake! I told you, everyone deserves cake on their birthdays! And since it was not actually James' birthday - he will get another cake on his actual day. It just has to be done that way.
So what's better than cake on your birthday? A FREAKING AWESOME CAKE on your birthday.
I told you, I have some talented, amazing friends. One talented, amazing friend created this for James:
If you are looking for a cake in the tradition of Ace of Cakes and live in the Chicago land area, I've got the girl for you!
Oh before I forget, I also had a Culver's burger on Sunday for dinner....and french fries! Did I tell you that I lost a pound?
I've been wanting to share my Weekly Weigh In numbers but to also share a fun weekend. This week's scale was kind, showing in bright red numbers that I was down another pound. I even got a sticker for achieving another 5lbs lost - now for a total of 15.4lbs.
Again, I claim true love for the Weight Watchers program. I love losing weight while still living and enjoying life. This weekend I enjoyed said life by throwing James a little surprise party for his upcoming birthday.
James is not the biggest fan of birthdays. I don't believe it has much to do with the aging aspect as it is the whole pageantry surrounding it and by some previous let downs surrounding the big day. But he married a chick who loves the birthday. One of my life motto's is "Everyone deserves a birthday cake on their birthday". A birthday is a special day after all and you should take the chance to celebrate the most important person in your life - YOU! I have no problem taking the spotlight for that little chunk of time each year and bask in the glory of
The party came together quickly. Our good friends had made plans to visit that day so I took it upon myself to also invite a few more people. Because of our little house and our backyard not being quite so visitor friendly yet, I had to limit who was invited. That was the only bummer.
I love hosting parties - I just don't do it often because of the aforementioned tiny house. It was nice to be in total control of the food. A girl in the middle of a lifestyle change is often hampered by the lovely goodness of spinach dips and onions dips at parties. This party I had a beautiful platter of fruit and sandwiches.
There were two naughty things though.
1. Ambrosia - nectar from the gods. Well, maybe not as good as the immortal magic of ambrosia but sangria certainly tastes good, doesn't it? It's my drink of choice lately. To my happiness I've also discovered that 4oz of sangria is only 3 WW points. Not too horrible.
2. Cake! I told you, everyone deserves cake on their birthdays! And since it was not actually James' birthday - he will get another cake on his actual day. It just has to be done that way.
So what's better than cake on your birthday? A FREAKING AWESOME CAKE on your birthday.
I told you, I have some talented, amazing friends. One talented, amazing friend created this for James:
If you haven't guessed, James likes to fish.
Everything...EVERYTHING was edible!
Oh before I forget, I also had a Culver's burger on Sunday for dinner....and french fries! Did I tell you that I lost a pound?
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Random Tuesday
#1 - Not enough motivation for an entire post so Weekly Weigh In is included here. Week 10: -1 lb. Slow, so so slow but steady. I've heard someone say, "You didn't gain the weight overnight, you shouldn't expect to lose it overnight". Pshhhh. A. Gaining weight is hell of a lot more fun and 2. I can gain 10 lbs a whole lot faster (and happier) than losing it. But I lost, I shouldn't be complaining. I'll stop.
#2 - Starting August 22nd, I'm headed back to school! Class is registered for and financial aid has been received. I will be taking Organizational and Human Resource Management. I am nervous about the whole never stepping foot into the classroom aspect of online learning. But you gotta do what you gotta do and I gotta do this.
#3 - So what's worse: Complaining or Bragging? After you decide, please continue reading. My new supervisor at work started yesterday. I'm hoping this will be another great boss in a long line of great bosses (I've been very lucky). She told me she met briefly with the COO of the hospital. For 5 of the 10 minutes they met, the COO apparently went on and on about me. Good things too! Ego inflated. At full tank.
#4 - Lillian was up before I left again this morning (please recall that this means instant guilt trip for leaving my one and only child). With half of my body out the door, she told me to be careful. "Be careful, it's hot. Don't get burned. It's hot out, the sun is out. Watch out for snakes (we live in suburban Chicago). Watch out for bears. But bears are in cages and we can go look at them. Be careful." Huh, she's captured my worry gene rather well.
#5 - I am having issues with Blogger. When I go to another person's blog and try to comment, it won't link me with my account. I am logged into gmail, logged into blogspot but for some reason it will post me as anonymous. Can anyone help me?
#2 - Starting August 22nd, I'm headed back to school! Class is registered for and financial aid has been received. I will be taking Organizational and Human Resource Management. I am nervous about the whole never stepping foot into the classroom aspect of online learning. But you gotta do what you gotta do and I gotta do this.
#3 - So what's worse: Complaining or Bragging? After you decide, please continue reading. My new supervisor at work started yesterday. I'm hoping this will be another great boss in a long line of great bosses (I've been very lucky). She told me she met briefly with the COO of the hospital. For 5 of the 10 minutes they met, the COO apparently went on and on about me. Good things too! Ego inflated. At full tank.
#4 - Lillian was up before I left again this morning (please recall that this means instant guilt trip for leaving my one and only child). With half of my body out the door, she told me to be careful. "Be careful, it's hot. Don't get burned. It's hot out, the sun is out. Watch out for snakes (we live in suburban Chicago). Watch out for bears. But bears are in cages and we can go look at them. Be careful." Huh, she's captured my worry gene rather well.
#5 - I am having issues with Blogger. When I go to another person's blog and try to comment, it won't link me with my account. I am logged into gmail, logged into blogspot but for some reason it will post me as anonymous. Can anyone help me?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The Cold Shoulder
Yes, it is hot out. No doubt. I am tremendously thankful that I do not work outdoors and have A/C in my home, work and car. I just looked up on weather.com and saw that the temp is 96 but feels like 109. Yuck. It's definitely not fun weather, just ask Lillian who has been indoors more than outdoors these last couple of days.
But I will take this heat over the bitterness and evil of winter.
I will take this heat because not too long ago, this is what happened....
I was at work when it started. I left early (thankfully I am of no real use at a hospital during a crisis). I chose the side streets over the expressway. I was so fearful that I would get stuck on the roads. Luckily I got home very slowly but safely.
By the next day we were left with the 3rd largest blizzard in Chicago history.
Only 1 person I know actually enjoyed the storm.
She "assisted" me with the shoveling until the appeal of climbing mountains of snow just became to appealing.
I shoveled, brushed off two cars and dug both of them out of their spaces. It took hours. I was incapacitated for the rest of the day.
NO THANK YOU.
Yes, I may sweat during this heat wave but my lack of garage only causes me a few moments of heat until my AC kicks in. It does not cause me to become near frost bit.
Getting to work for the next several days was even worse than traveling during the actual blizzard. NO THANK YOU.
And besides the blizzard, winter just overall sucks. I fell at least 3 times over the dreary months in my parking lot. Two years ago my car skidded into a curb because of the slickness. It gets dark out at like 4pm. NO THANK YOU.
I know some people feel the opposite of me and to them I say, Come over and shovel my sidewalk this winter if you like snow so freaking much.
But I will take this heat over the bitterness and evil of winter.
I will take this heat because not too long ago, this is what happened....
February 2, 2011
NO THANK YOU.
Yes, I may sweat during this heat wave but my lack of garage only causes me a few moments of heat until my AC kicks in. It does not cause me to become near frost bit.
Getting to work for the next several days was even worse than traveling during the actual blizzard. NO THANK YOU.
And besides the blizzard, winter just overall sucks. I fell at least 3 times over the dreary months in my parking lot. Two years ago my car skidded into a curb because of the slickness. It gets dark out at like 4pm. NO THANK YOU.
I know some people feel the opposite of me and to them I say, Come over and shovel my sidewalk this winter if you like snow so freaking much.
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