A Limerick (I mistyped this as a Haiku...oops!)

  On Greyhound or taking the train
  a classic engages your brain.
  Transit News has selected,
  great books here collected,
  to help you more wisdom attain.

This is from a sign in the Transit News shop at the Harrisburg Amtrak Station. And yes, they really did have some classics in the store. A Dorothy Parker reader next to Aldous Huxley, two shelves over from John Steinbeck. It was a mini reader's sanctuary.

It was hard to remember that I was there to catch a train, not buy books. I left with two new books.

Til next time! -Erika

Black Friday

It's just before 2AM. The wind is howling outside my front door. I can hear the leaves and bits of trash that were haphazardly discarded by people who never thought about where it would end up being blown around and almost sounding like a torrential rain.

Today was a good day for me. I spent the majority of my day with my friend Meg at the greyhound rescue she works at. I got to spread some love to puppies who are definitely deserving of some love and a good home.

Other than playing with adorable puppies and hanging with Meg, I had to get myself ready for a wedding that I'm in this weekend. Tonight, I'm finding myself working on my manicure. Thank heavens for quick dry nail polish!

One thing I did not do today? Shop. Black Friday is entirely too crazy for me to deal with holiday shopping. I prefer to do my holiday shopping (and crafting) at my  own pace. For me, holiday gifts are something that I give to the people I love not because I am obligated to, but because I want to. I want to share a little love, a little something special.

What's in it for me? The satisfaction of sharing a piece of myself with those I care about. Christmas has always been one of my favourite times of the year. I like to share my joy in the time with others.

Well, I think my nails are finally dry. Time to head on to bed.

Til next time! -Erika

What I'm Thankful For, 2012 Edition

Tis the night before Thanksgiving and here I am, sick as a dog. Being sick during the holidays, I'm not really thankful for this.

This has been an absolutely intense year for me. I started a new job on January 1. I became a godmother a couple weeks later and found out that yeah, I might want one of these little poop machines of my own.

I turned 30 in the most spectacular of ways! I may be a little biased, but I think I had the best birthday crown ever.

I found an amazing partner whom I adore and with whom I am looking forward to what is around the corner. (Sorry, no pictures of us to post here.)

This year has not always been easy. In fact, there have been some pretty damn depressing times when I thought I had hit the end of my rope. In those moments, when I've needed people the most but didn't always know how to ask for help, that's when those who care for me were there. That's when I was reminded of just how loved I am.
 
This year, I am thankful for all of the good things in my life, and I am thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life who have helped me appreciate the good things and work through the bad.

I am wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels!

Til next time! -Erika

Free Advertising

If you ever find yourself in Sacramento (gorgeous city, totally loved it there!), make your way over to Beers Books.

I would have bought out the entire gender studies section if I could've. Their selection of new and used books is amazing! The prices on the used books are generally around 50% off retail.  I only wish I had more time and money to spend there (and more luggage space too.)

I promise, I WILL be back for more!

Til next time. -Erika

Sharing the Thrift

I had a nice experience the other day while shopping for new pants at Goodwill. I had planned to shop for new work pants since I'm down to 2 pairs that actually fit. This whole losing weight thing has been great for my self esteem, but wreaking havoc on my wardrobe.

If you remember in my post about getting what you want at thrift shops, I mentioned that some days, you might not be able to find anything. Saturday was one of those days. At least it started out that way.

Before I left for the store, I asked a couple people whether they needed me to keep an eye out for anything. One of my friends was looking for a rug for her and the hubby's living room. We really didn't have a whole lot of high expectations for finding a nice rug, but it never hurts to look.

But, there it was. The rug she was looking for, draped across a couch that was for sale. It was a beautiful rug, golden tan with a pattern woven into it. It was perfect. I texted her to let her know and she came up to the store to take a look at it. 

We ended up spending another hour wandering around the store, talking and catching up. It's been months since we've seen each other. So, I didn't leave with the pants I had come for, but she found her rug and I got some much needed quality time with an old friend. Sometimes, you go into a thrift store not realizing what it is that you're really looking for.

Weight Loss Check-In

I've been a bad girl. I've slacked on writing new posts each week. I'm going to blame it on Kelly Cutrone. If she hadn't written such a good book, I wouldn't have been so distracted for the last couple of weeks. (Yes, I am highly, highly recommending that you go out and get yourselves a copy of Normal Gets You Nowhere and read it immediately. Read it with a pen and highlighter next to you. You'll want to take notes.)

So, I am back. The last few weeks have been tough, but they have paid off. At the start of this new regimen, I weighed 203 lbs and I had waffled between 201 and 203 for months. Ahh, the dreaded plateau.

I've made a few tweaks to my food and work out routines to help get me off the stinking ledge and start dropping weight again.

• First, I plan out my menu for the entire day in the morning. I write out the food and the calorie count in a little notebook that I keep in my purse. As I eat the food that I planned for the day, I check it off my list. This keeps me honest and helps me avoid picking at the candy jars that people keep on their desk at work.
• Second, I schedule my gym visits a week in advance. This helps me plan my whole day and the menu of what I'll be eating. I schedule 4 visits a week, with no more than 1 day off in between a visit. I will do at least 30 minutes of cardio at each visit (usually 45 minutes if cardio is all I'm doing) and will incorporate toning into 1-2 workouts a week.
• Third, I have a good support structure who is there to help me through the bumps in the road, whether its not feeling well, slipping on me daily caloric intake or need a push to go to the gym. Having folks there who care about your well-being is crucial.

Is it a lot of work? Yes. Is it worth the effort? Oh hell yeah! I started this new routine about 3 weeks ago. Since then, I have dropped from 203 lbs to 195 lbs. I've finally pushed past the plateau! In addition, I'm generally sleeping better at night, and the time I give myself at the gym allows me time to read, to think, and yes, to sometimes watch TV (but more often than not, you'll see me trying to highlight a book while not falling off the elliptical.)

My ultimate goal is to lose another 25 lbs. If I keep following these general guidelines, I am pretty confident that I'll be able to make it and this time, keep it off.

Til next time! -Erika