I'm Still Alive!

I haven't written in a while, and I apologize for that. Especially since I know most of you wake up every morning, rush to your computer, and immediately log on to see what inspiring words of wisdom, or great new Mickey jokes I've posted next. I have let you down, I'm sorry.

And for the 97% of you, who just check it out when I paste the link everywhere, welcome back!

I must say, I had no idea the kind of traffic that I have been getting on my page. I added a hit counter last week just to get an idea of how many views I am getting, and while I was thinking that I was maybe somewhere upwards of 100 views over the last almost 2 months, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I am now at almost 1,000 views!

So thank you to the more than 5 of you that are actually logging on and reading the words I write. It's really a pretty cool thing and encourages me to keep writing! And before you all reach the same conclusion, NO, I do not log on 75 times a day! I've limited myself to 63, MAX. Please do continue to check in and pass along. Oh ya, and COMMENT! I would still like to increase the number of comments and followers. So if there are any other bloggers out there that have any suggestions, I am all...well ears technically. Eyes, maybe? Puns don't really translate perfectly to the digital world, do they? Oh well...

Anyway, I haven't posted in a while and I thought it was time to add some content. I've had several ideas for what I thought were interesting and entertaining posts, however I've yet to fully develop any of them into full blown concepts. They have ranged from an exposé of Diet Coke and the effects of the average female in the work force to a fabulous idea I had where we take all of the HOV lanes that people already don't use in Georgia and start CHARGING people to use them- but only on 85 North. Oh wait...they already beat me to that. Apparently people don't like the Peach Pass after all...weird.

So then I just decided to sit down and give everyone a debrief on my last week or so. There has been so much happening! Last weekend, I went to the Decatur Craft Beer Fest- a Saturday afternoon Beer Festival on the Decatur Square. It was just fantastic. Good weather, good friends, GREAT time. There is no reason that anyone should ever not go to this event...ever. I am already stalking the website for 2012 tickets.

Then I spent the past week studying for my GMAT exam which I finally took this past Saturday. And it went pretty well, I must say! I beat the minimum score that I was willing to not cry about, but I didn't get quite as high as I had hoped. All in all, I feel as though I succeeded, even if my final score left me with a subtle feeling of mediocrity. I did what I set out to do, and I think that was "enough". And then to cap off the weekend, I had my final softball game of the fall with my girls. And I couldn't have been proud of the progress they made. My star pitcher struck out the side in the first inning, hitters swung aggressively, and the shyest girl on the team FINALLY said her first words of the season. Could not have asked for much more. Ok, maybe a win, but with all the good that came out of the game, it's hard to get too caught up (Note: This concept will be mentioned in a future post about a current book that I am reading "Inside Out Coaching"- If there are any other youth coaches reading this, go out and buy it now, such a wonderful message!).

So now that the exam is behind me, and I do not have to spend my evenings forcing myself to study, I have turned my attentions towards my next endeavor, being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean! OK fine, that was Amelia Earhart, but still I am flying across the Atlantic, just neither solo nor the first woman. I leave Thursday evening for my long anticipated vacation to Nice. I could not be more excited! I have taken roughly 1 day off of work in the last 8 months. This is a long time in the making. A week on the French Riviera. There are worse things. Not to mention, U of Miami has the Thursday night game this week, so it's the perfect opportunity to get to the airport early, have a few beers and watch the U just in time ot fall asleep on my 10:40pm flight! I've been shopping, and shopping, and shopping! Whether it's for American products that my hosts have requested or for new clothes that I need to keep up with the elite of the Côte d'Azur, I have certainly spent more than I made in softball lessons this month! But that's ok I think, I don't spoil myself often. And I have to give a major shout out to my friend Tonya who has so kindly hooked me up with some amazing new pieces that are either showroom samples or designer hand me downs. Thank you for sending me off in style!

Tonight, I am packing. Ok, fine, after this post I will pack. Of course, once I catch up on Gossip Girl and Greys Anatomy then the packing REALLY begins. Assuming Mickey doesn't want to play or my dance party kicks into high gear. Yes, I will most certainly be packing tomorrow night. Sigh...

Oh ya, that brings me to Mickey- I know that everyone is wondering what he's been doing while I've been so busy! Well, this weekend, I'm not exactly sure what happened, but long story short (or has that ship sailed?), he was on the losing end of a fight. Vet thinks it was a raccoon, Dad thinks it was a pile of wood. Let's face it, either one would kick his tucus- he's not exactly fierce. But his underside is deeply scratched and he has several open wounds in his paw webs. Poor little boy is in a cone for two weeks. ::pause for effect:: It's pathetic. Day one has not been kind to him.

But less about him and more about me: I anticipate having some amazing stories to share when I come back from my trip, and probably more photos than I will know what to do with. So if you are among the 3% that check every morning for what I have written next, I hope that this morning is a pleasant surprise and great start to your day. And the rest of you, I'll be in touch soon enough.

I do have one last favor to ask of all of my kind readers (and no, not my Readers- I'm not even sure any of you read this, ok maybe my Mom). If you happen to notice that you are the 1,000th viewer, leave me a comment and call yourself out, and I will buy you a drink at the place of your choosing! Even if it means I have to pay you a visit out of Atlanta!

À bientôt, mes amis! Bisous!

C. L. Who (trying it out)

P.S.- I will also buy a drink for anyone who can name the Griffin House reference imbedded in this post. Good night, and good luck.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

So while Julie Andrews has the market cornered on raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, I decided that I wanted to compose a miniature ode to some of my favorite things that I use to fill my mind with when I need a smile.

I got this idea from the pilot episode of Friends where Phoebe starts singing her rendition of the infamous song to calm Rachel's nerves. Everything in life relates to an episode of Friends. I will maintain this philiosophy as long as I live.


So, without any further delay, here are a few of my favorite things and the items that I count on in my life:



My Girls

This is a photo of the first All-Star team that I coached. It lives in a frame on my dresser and reminds me constantly of my time on the field and how much I love coaching. These girls challenge me everytime I see them, even though they don't know it. But they constantly give me new problems to solve, wisdom to teach, and very often, a good laugh. So if I were to write a song about MY favorite things, I would name each and everyone of them.




My Mickey

Seriously, look at this face! His ears don't even match! And even though you can't see it, his tongue hangs down half way to the floor. I'm always afraid he's going to catch it on something when he takes off running in the woods. This sweet loving animal never ceases to entertain me and make me smile. Whether it's pulling all of his toys into the closet and building a mort (that would be a Mickey fort...Mickey+fort = mort, you following yet? Very complex math, it's ok), pawing me in the face an hour before I actually need to be awake, or chasing his tail until he falls into the wall, he's my bud and he keeps me accountable. Not to mention, he is an unlimited source of painstakingly (emphasis on the pain) hysterical jokes that you all get to read about.

Everyone should have a Mickey.






Pig

This one has to go directly after Mickey because one is not possible without the other. This is a squeeky toy that I bought at the gourmet dog market for far more than anyone should spend on a dog toy, but I pasted this as a video so that you could hear the sound that it actually makes. Funniest. Sound. Ever. The only thing that makes this sound any better than it actually is? When Mickey picks it up to play without me knowing, I always jump out of my seat. And I think he knows this and chooses his times misely (Mickey wisely...reference the previous section if you have any trouble with the math). This stupid pig makes me laugh, never fail.

My Calendar

For those of you that know me well, this makes perfect sense. I love to plan. I need to know what my next 3 weeks look like to the day. Some people appreciate this, others do not. But that's how I roll. I mean, take a look at it- I'm a busy girl. And if I ever lose this, I'm in TROUBLE. But why is this in a list of my favorite things? I take comfort in managing my calendar. I love spending time filling in dates and times and activities and having a visual representation of what I do with my time. That and it just makes me feel like I have everything in order and well organized. Not to mention, I get to use all of my colored pens, pencils, highlighters, whatever I can find. It's really a grown up coloring book.


My Friends

 

This is a constantly evolving category, but there are a few staples that I count on. The people featured have been at different times my rocks, my confidantes, my roommates, my biggest challenges, my greatest rewards, and my favorite people. I appreciate the fact that these people accept me for who I am and allow me to be comfortable in my own skin. And most of you know that if I'm cranky, all you have to do is feed me and all will be well in the world again. We've shared laughs, smiles, tears, and many other sappy emotions. So my hats off to you, you truly outstanding people. You all really are the Mickey's pajamas . And if you didn't make it into the photo collage, don't be offended, it most likely just means that I didn't have a photo on hand. Or it means I don't really like you...could go either way. If you would like, I can dedicate my next post to a photo contest. $15 entry fee. Checks payable to Mickey.


Well folks, there you have it. Just a small sampling of a few of my favorite things. I have a strong sense that there will be a Part 2 in the months to come. But I encourage you all to think about what your favorite things are. What are the things that you count on for a smile during the day? Hope a few of you will share!

We Have the Technology!

But does that mean that we should use it?

I've actually been writing this post in my head all week. I've had so many thoughts about the impact that social media has on our day to day interactions. It started when I caught myself midweek having a conversation with someone via Gchat while also returning emails with them. The topics of both communication were entirely seperate, thus it appears there was a mutual agreement to keep the lines of communication seperate. And this got me thinking...are we being more efficient, or less efficient? I am able to cover more topics in arguably less time. But am I being more personal or more impersonal?

I let it slide until I caught myself 2 days later in the exact same situation, except this time it was via email and my Facebook wall. The topics at hand were slightly more aligned, but why on earth could we not just hash it all out in one centralized location? The odd part to me was that it just seemed natural to communicate the way that we were, and everyone just accepts it.

So there are two thoughts that I had here. 1) How do we decide what the proper line of communication is with another person? Does each form of social media or email or text or calling have such specific roles in our culture that we instinctively know the right one to pick? I am inclined to say NO because we all know some genius who inevitably posts the wrong thing on our Facebook wall or texts us about something far too personal that requires a conversation. 2) Is there ever a point where these multiple channels will collide? Why do I need a GChat, a Facebook, a Skype, a Twitter, a LinkedIn, a Blogger, a text, an email, and a BBM (Blackberry Messenger for those of you who have never had one) when I can manage them all via my cell, my laptop, or my iPad? Why can't there just be one centralized area? It's so much work and I just don't get it. I am guilty of it too, but I don't know why I do it.

Even as I am typing this post, I am talking on Gchat, have Facebook up in the background, and am texting with a friend. My brain is overstimulated trying to keep up. Perhaps this is why I can't sleep anymore, the overstimulation of too many channels. It's all becoming noise to my brain. That coupled with the fact that each of these channels makes their own unique noise, technology is getting so loud that I can't hear myself type. I am not calling for a revolution or suggesting that we all turn our backs on these forms of communication, but really people? Can't we just all get together and agree to use one way to communicate? Afterall, we all agreed NOT to use Google +.

As I see it, here are the main reasons to use each of these sites:

Facebook: You just have to. It's the only way to really prove that you exist. Afterall, would you trust anyone who doesn't have a FB profile?
Gmail/Gchat: Your college email address ran out and this was the next best thing. One day someone sent you a Gchat and thus your buddy list was born.
Skype: Either you want to talk to someone in a foreign country and don't want to buy a phone card, you want to video chat and don't own a MAC, or you are still holding onto the fact that this was the cool new thing from 2005.
LinkedIn: You don't want an employer to see what's on your real Facebook profile, so you're HOPING they find this one first.
Blogger: Clearly, you just have great taste. That or you don't care to take the time to tag every single one of your Facebook friends in a "note" that everyone will be pissed that you tagged them in.
Email: The only true original form of online communication.
Text: You are hiding your awkwardness by allowing yourself sufficient time to think of a perfect response or witty comeback that your friends can approve of and can claim you were "busy" when it takes you an hour to come up with a decent joke.
Blackberry Messenger: You feel the need to get something unique out of the crappy data plan that Blackberry provides. This is about it.
Twitter: You have a strong opinion that you want to share, but you don't actually want anyone to comment on. 

As I mentioned, I've been working on this post for a few days, trying to really draw a conclusion that I felt was worthwhile, and Friday night was just the icing on my technology cake. I agreed to go to Yom Kippur services with my father, and while we were sitting in temple waiting for services to start, I brought up something that I had seen on Facebook. At that point, my 72 year old father, who only joined Facebook a few months ago because he wanted the coupons that he was promised for "Liking" his local Huddle House, told me that he and my mother had their first "Facebook fight". Apparently a fellow professor that he works with left the following post on his wall:

"Hey Handsome! I didn't know it was your Birthday today! Have a good one!"

I think that any of us who have ever had a significant other and a Facebook account simultaneously know exactly how this discussion went between the two of them. And I couldn't help but laugh out loud, in the middle of temple. The only thing that could have made this story any better would have been for my parents to have had this conversation over Gchat! Don't worry, I'm 95% sure that neither of them know what that is :).  I share this story not because it is "funny" but because it was so pertinent to how pervasive the challenges of social media and today's technology actually are. Even my parents feel the stresses of it. Fascinating!

So I leave you with this. And I do hope that you will think about it over the next week or so as you communicate. Why do you choose the line of communication that you do? What posseses you to send a Facebook message instead of an email? Do you have a different status message on Gchat than Twitter? When do you pick up the phone and call a friend instead of sending a text? Is there a standard role for the different forms of communication that we use day to day- and if so, can we combine and condense? I know I'd sure appreciate it.

As always, your thoughts are much appreciated, especially because I know we all have unique feelings on this very topic! And just for fun, why don't you tell me the channel via which you keep up with my blog: Gchat, Facebook, Blogger follower, checking in from time to time, or because my mother emailed it to you :) Could be a fun experiment!

The Weighting Game

About a year and a half ago I decided that I was tired of the extra weight that I put on towards the end of college. So I set out to start making some lifestyle changes and get myself into better shape and health at a point in my life where it is easy to do so. Because as I am constantly reminded these days...I ain't getting any younger. And while I know that I have lost a decent amount in this time, I don't think that I had stopped to quantify it at any point. And over the period of the last week or two, I've noticed that I have hit another round of weight loss. Several comments were made about how I'm" fading away" or "skin and bones" (Although to be fair, this one was out on a Saturday night and a new friend was using this as an argument to encourage me to have a piece of cookie cake. Little did he know, the words cookie cake would have been magic enough). And then I really started thinking about it last week when a friend expressed concern over how much I have lost. So I sat down and did some math. I lost 147 pounds!?!?! Oh wait...sorry, 45. Sloppy math, my B.

I have lost 45 pounds in the last year and a half. And while we ladies don't reveal our weight very willingly, I'll just tell you that was roughly a quarter of my body weight. I am 3/4 the person I was. 75% of me is left. Ok I'm out of proportions to describe this. But I think you get the picture. I really hadn't thought about it this way. I was just trying to take better care of myself, and I think that I have done that successfully. So there is a great feeling of accomplishment that goes along with this.

So today, basking in the glory of said accomplishment, and having a few free hours thanks to one of my students cancelling last minute, I decided that I wanted a few new items to compliment my closet. I have bought a few pieces as each new season rolls around, just enough to get me through. But now that it seems the weight is staying off, I have purged my closet. Out with the old and in with the new!! Much easier said than done.

I don't know how to shop for my new body. I have somehow waded through picking clothing that will go on me and stay on my body, but I don't know what type of clothing looks best on only 75% of me. And now that I am actually seeing the weightloss in the mirror, I see the difference. Sometimes I stop and just look because I can't believe that's me in the mirror, there's 25% missing!

So here's my problem. I have an almost barren closet now, a little bit of cash to spend, no idea where to go or what to buy.and no one to help me shop. I feel a little bit like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman looking for a cocktail dress (minus the whole hooker thing, of course). I need everything. Work clothes, casual clothes, work out clothes, even down to new bras, because mine are starting to stray when I make any sudden movements (sorry to the boys who are reading this, it's an annoyance you will just never understand). It's all a little overwhelming. I don't want to spend a fortune on clothes, but I would like some decent pieces and maybe even a little bit of style. The frustrations that I experience trying to buy clothes just leave me stomping out of the store and feeling down that I can't even pick out stupid clothes. So I just avoid going. I can hide no more. I am using my European vacation at the end of the month as my motivator to get this closet back in shape.

Does anyone have any suggestions of places where I should be shopping? I tend to go to the same 2 or 3 stores and always end up with the same versions of the same boring stuff. I do not want to put those same boring clothes back in my closet or back on me. Where are all the kids shopping these days, where should I find the cool new threads? -20 points to anyone who sends me to Urban Outfitters though. A new me requires a new wardrobe. Any insight is very much appreciated. Be warned, I do hate the idea of clothes shopping online, so keep those suggestions to yourself :)

And of course, anyone who is willing to play personal shopper and go out with me, pick out some clothes, and suffer through helping me pick out clothes receives a free lunch on me!