my latest addiction

Scandal

The past month and a half have been insane (to say the least).  But a few weeks ago, I caught the last ten minutes of the latest episode....and I had to watch them all.  Two Sundays later and I'm caught up.  In love.  Enraptured.  I yell at my television when I'm watching it.  I have a hard time turning it off and going to sleep.  One minute I want Fitz and Olivia to work...then the next I think he's an asshole and she HAS to walk away.   Can any affair really end well anyways?  And how does someone become so influential with so many people?  Can I become a "fixer"?  Because it looks like the coolest job in the world.  And I don't know if I've been such a fan of white, beige, and grey, but Kerry Washington makes it work.

the first week of january

I've been off of work this week, and it's been a good one.  Starting tomorrow, I have a pretty chaotic month ahead - a busy period at work, taking two courses at university, a new gym is opening up nearby which I got a great deal to join and I plan on making use of the membership, and my birthday is in there somewhere too. Today is all about getting a head start on the craziness, but here's what the past seven days have looked like.

On New Year's Day, I went to see Django Unchained.  For someone who is against violence of any sort, it's a little odd how much I enjoy Quentin Tarantino movies.  This one was no different; it didn't amaze me, but it was a very solid movie.  I laughed more than I expected to, but dry/sarcastic humour is up my alley. However, there were two scenes that I absolutely could not watch (the sound effects were enough for me to clearly understand what was happening), and yes, the n-word usage was a bit much.

On Boxing Day, I found a display of puzzles on sale for $4 each (ridiculously cheap for a 750 or 1000 piece puzzle), so I picked up this one.  I'm trying to switch up what I do with my free time - i.e. use my tv less and my brain more - so this fit the bill while I'm off work.

At one point this week, I had to pay my tuition (ouch) and pick up my textbooks for this semester.  I've met the requirements for the program I'm in, so now it's time to take some electives.  The Adolescence textbook is actually a photocopied package of the entire textbook that the prof wants to use that is no longer in print.  Kind of odd, but it cost about $100 less, so I'm in.  And I'm actually really looking forward to the Food: Facts and Fallacies course.  If I had to go back to school and start all over again (and my current career was no longer an option), I would give serious consideration to becoming a nutritionist.  We don't pay enough attention to what we put in our bodies and it's so important.

I finally went to the new Ikea - and was completely overwhelmed.  It's just such a display of excess to me. The walls with forty of the same pot, fifty of the same glasses, and then a dozen of the same painting.  However, I can also admit that I fell in love with some of their organization items.  Pot drawer dividers so your stuff doesn't slide around/fall over?  Yes please.

Sorry about the blurring from the Instagram effects

About two months ago, I decided to learn how to knit after seeing some of the projects that Elise Blaha was pumping out.  After watching some YouTube videos and some tips from a woman I work with, as well as some trial and error pieces, I managed a scarf.  I'm pretty happy about it, even though there's one dropped stitch right near the middle, but I decided to keep it there anyways.  This was pretty much a practice scarf though, I bought the yarn yesterday for one that will match my new winter jacket.  I figure I'll probably finish that one by the end of March, just as I don't need it anymore this winter.

My best friend is also in the city right now (she lives in Edmonton), so there was also a trip to the Forks and a breakfast out with her, a couple of other shopping trips with my mom, and some quality time attempting to get into watching Dexter (I'm still on the fence at this point).  This week off was exactly the kind that I needed - nothing too crazy, but just some time to enjoy the things that I want to do instead of being bogged down by the things that I need to do.  A vacation well spent.

word of 2013

Years ago, I hopped on the Ali Edwards train and started choosing a word to represent what I hoped the new year would hold or what I wanted to focus on.  As awful as it sounds, I can't remember all of the words I've chosen, but I know that "courage" and "push" were two of the last four.  Some years, it obviously sticks more than others.  

For reasons that I'm not going to delve into, this year is different.  I'm in a different place than I have been for the past 4 or 5 years come January 1st, and this is truly a good thing.  It might not always feel like a good thing, but really, it is.  

I've been thinking about what my word for the year should be for about a week now and was having a tough time coming up with anything that actually felt right or that felt like it mattered.  A coworker of mine has dubbed 2012 the year of change, and 2013 the year of magic.  While I agree with 2012 being a year of change, and I hope that 2013 holds nothing but magic, the word just didn't seem to fit with my plans or my hopes.  

I woke up like a shot quite early this morning.  I wasn't very happy about not being able to fall back asleep, but literally within five minutes of realizing that yes, I was in fact up for the day, my word for 2013 popped into my head - pretty much out of nowhere - and I was instantly attached to it.  That's how I know a word is good...I get attached.  

There are lots of things going on for me in 2013.  I'm on track to finish up the additional certification at university that I've been working on for the past couple of years now.  I'm taking on something at work that I know will challenge me, but it's something that I want and need to do.  I'll be moving into my first home that will truly be my own.  I have some tentative travel plans and I've gotten into some good habits over the last four months that I hope will continue on.  There are people who are no longer in my life (which is a good thing) and I've started to form some new friendships with good people who I really enjoy spending time with.  Everything isn't perfect - far from it - but I'm starting to see past those imperfect parts, which is something that I couldn't seem to do before.  

I got out of bed and made this with some stencils and a cereal box this morning.  Not sure where exactly it will go yet.

It's going to be that kind of year.

right now

time: 7:17 pm
location: my pseudo dining room table
drinking: tea...my third mug today
eating: a salad with red peppers, sugar snap peas, and cheese

watching: last night's Survivor.  After taking a break for a couple of seasons, I am loving this one.
feeling: a bit tense.  There's a lot of things that I need and want to get done in the next few days
loving: is it cheesy if I say my life?  Because I'm almost at that point.  Finally.
thinking: about my parents' Christmas gift.  I'm 100% sure that I want to buy them a new computer since they're using one that is 11 years old and it may be years before they finally splurge on a new one for themselves.  I'm 90% sure I'll actually go through with buying one for them.
making: a scarf.  In the past two weeks I've taught myself how to knit and I'm at the point where I can legit make a scarf.  Pretty pumped.
wanting: Christmas vacation.  One more week of work.  Just one more week.
needing: this chest cold thing that I have to go away.  Too much to do to be sick and coughing.  Plus, I can't go around my Grandma when I'm sick, so this needs to get lost pronto.


I totally stole this idea from Lauren who got it from Tina.  And it's awesome.

what i'm reading

When I was younger, back in elementary and middle school, describing myself as an avid reader doesn't quite do it justice.  Most weekends, I would get up Saturday morning, start reading a book, and not move until I had finished it, which was usually at some point after lunch.  Repeat on Sunday.  Then read at least one  or two more during the week after school.

Come to the end of high school and into university, and I just didn't have the time anymore.  I was working, studying, spending time with friends or my boyfriend, and reading got pushed aside.  Once I graduated and started working full-time, I was so tired after work that any time I attempted to read, I would immediately fall asleep.

A couple of years ago, I truly started to miss my old pastime.  Reading was relaxing for me and something I really enjoyed.  I needed to get back into setting aside some time to let myself just read for enjoyment and not only for work.

In all of that time, the one thing I never stopped doing was buying books.  I absolutely love bookstores - they're a happy place for me.  Even the smell of new books gets to me.  Which left me with a large amount (let's say 70+ books) that I haven't read.

With that pile to tackle, the perfectly logical next step was to start taking books out of the library.  Don't ask me why....I guess that there were still new books that I wanted to read, but I've realized just how much money I've spent on books in the last decade and wanted to try to curb that habit?

At this point, I always have a pile of books around.  Sometimes I get through one quickly - in a day or two - and other times life gets busy and I may read the same book for two, three, or even four weeks.

These are the ones I have in my living room right now....I'm further along in some than others.

419 by Will Ferguson

This is for a book club that I try my best (but often fail) to keep up with.  I'm about 100 pages in right now, and there are a few points of view that are being woven together.  Most of them are pretty interesting so far, except for one that I'm having a hard time with.  I'm hoping that last point of view/story line picks up quickly.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I've been reading Cassie's blog for awhile now (because it's great), and when she started up an online book club, I knew I was in.  I like taking suggestions on great books, so this was a no brainer.  I haven't started this one yet because I just picked it up from the library, but I have until the end of December, so I'll start it as soon as I'm done 419.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This one is for work.  The first time I read this book was in my first year of university for my Intro to English Lit class.  I had left it until three days before it was due (figuring that I was a quick reader and it wouldn't be a problem).  Reading this book in three days was near torture.  I'm taking my time now and liking it much more the second time around.

Thrive by Dan Buettner

Another one that I just picked up today and haven't started yet.  Last week I went through all of the notes in my iPhone and wrote down all of the books titles that I've jotted down over the past year or two.  This was one of them.  I think I saw him or heard about it on Oprah, but I'm not 100% sure.  Anyways, I looked up the books on the app I have for my local library and they've started to come in now.  I'm saving this one to read over Christmas vacation.

I think those four will take up most of the free time I have in December.

real estate

I'm not good at making major life decisions.

When it comes to them, I am either 100% sure about what I'm doing - as in "don't even bother trying to change my mind" - or I am incapable of deciding.  There is no middle road; I don't make choices that I'm okay with or that I'm pretty sure of.  It's all or nothing.

So when it came to the issue of buying a home and where I'm going to live for the foreseeable future, I didn't have a freaking clue.  

No...that's not entirely true.  There were some aspects that I was very sure of.  I will not live in a house - it's a condo or apartment for this girl.  I know that I will not live in a ground floor suite.  I know that I want to stay as close as possible to the neighbourhood I currently live in.

So in the past month and a half, deciding to buy a home has been a pretty big deal for me.  There were lots of moments where I questioned if I am doing the right thing...lots of times where I felt like I just didn't know enough about real estate or the type of home that I should be looking for, so maybe I should stop this and just find a new apartment to rent for another year or two....lots of moments of "what the hell am I getting myself into?" and second thoughts.

But in the end, something felt right about this.  Something in me kept urging "it's time".  So I listened to my gut this time and put money down on a condo project that is currently being built in my area of the city.  It doesn't get me out of my apartment as soon as possible, which is something I was hoping for.  But it is brand new; I got to choose the flooring, cupboards, layout, and floor that I want to live on; and the time I have to wait for it being built will give me the time to save up additional money for a larger down payment.

I'm trying to temper my excitement at this point.  I won't be moving until late next summer/early fall, so that's a long time and I really don't want to start feeling impatient at any point.  But every morning when I go outside and have to scrape the ice off the windows of my car, I can't help but think to myself "Next winter I won't have to do this".  Right now, that's good enough for me.

And every once and awhile, I do a little bit of a happy dance and sing "I bought myself a condo!!!"

ufyh*

A couple of months ago, I read a post on Rachel Wilkerson's blog where she mentioned the website Unf#@k Your Habitat.  The title alone peaked my interest and I suddenly lost an hour looking at before and after pictures and reading tips.

Despite her ability to hold my attention, I didn't immediately start following any of the suggestions from the site.  But I did keep checking it...for at least two or three weeks.  Then one day when I was looking around my apartment and observing the near disaster state that had taken over, I thought to myself "I wonder what I can really get done in here in just 20 minutes?"

And then a couple of days later, when I was in the middle of a working-weekend marathon, I started dividing up my time into 45/15 minute segments - work for 45 minutes and then take a 15 minute break.

These instances started seeping into my everyday life; any time that there was something that I really didn't want to do, but I knew that I should do it, I would tell myself that I only had to say.....clean my bathroom...for 20 minutes, then I could stop.

And - not shockingly - my place started to be much more clean on a regular basis with what felt like very little extra effort on my part.  I dropped my previous practice of letting everything hit a chaotic point and then having an eight hour cleaning frenzy that would inevitably leave me tired and annoyed with myself.

And then I started to take the advice to make my bed each day.  Really...it takes sixty seconds (if that) to pull the blankets up on the bed properly....why was that ever hard to do in the mornings?

That being said, there are a couple of aspects of the site/habit that I do not take part in.  I don't think that I need the app; I like living in a clean home and that's motivation enough for me now that I have some proof that it doesn't require huge amounts of my time to maintain.  I also don't follow all of her tips to "Unfu@k tomorrow morning", because I don't really want/need to do all of those things and I like my morning routines just fine as is.

But overall, this site has been so very helpful.  Who doesn't have one, or two, or six spots in your home where stuff builds up?  How many people keep putting things off because they don't know where to start or they just don't have the time they think they need to do the job well?

I told my mom about the site a couple of days ago.  Her response?  "I tried to get you make your bed and clean up at the end of each day for years!  How did this woman and her website manage to make you do it now?"

I truly don't know how, but I love it.

Check out Unf!@k Your Habitat