Sex & The City (Without the City...and well...Without the Sex)

I fell victim to the HBO craze several seasons in and immediately became hooked. I own the entire series on DVD...which I've viewed time and time again. And I always get sucked right back in whenever I stumble upon an airing of the syndicated showings. I even saw the movie on opening night. Yes, it is raw and irreverent. And I must admit I cringe ever so slightly when I think of how much I adore this show. Always good for laughs, and equally good for making me blush, I find myself wanting to be like these women...living life on the edge,secure in the strength of the friendships they share, living, loving and learning along the way. And who wouldn't want the wardrobes, the purses and the shoes...oh, the wonderful, insanely expensive, to die for shoes!!!

A few nights ago, I lay in bed watching a few episodes and I began thinking about how much I enjoy the show and I began to ponder why. First thing that came to mind is my LOVE for NY City. Something about this place resonates to the depths of my soul. Each time I visit, I feel I'm visiting a long lost friend. A friend who intrigues me, whose personality is loud and exciting, someone eager to share all she has to offer. Walking on the streets of the city gives me a rush of adrenaline and an urgency to explore. I feel as if I've stepped into another world, a place that has a life of its own. A place different from any other where no excuses are made. While it is too late in life to pursue this dream, I've always secretly wanted to experience a few years as a city girl. While watching this show, for 30 glorious minutes, I can live that dream vicariously through Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda.

I also realized one other reason for being a passionate fan of the show. I see a bit of myself in each of the characters. I possess Miranda's Type A personality and her drive and ambition. Charlotte's love for what marriage and family represents is a love I share. I also share her naive tendencies and more conservative ways and her never ending hope for a fairy tale ending. Samantha...at first glance, I would be afraid to say we share anything! LOL! But she is passionate about all she does be it love or friendship. Never one to be swayed by others, she speaks her mind and has a strong voice. Passionate is the one word used to describe me time and time again. And I often see the vulnerabilities lying beneath her strong exterior...those things which make her fierce and a force to be reckoned with. Using that strength to hide her fears and propel herself forward.

Finally, I am probably most like Carrie. Always searching in love and life. Often thinking she's found the answer only to learn she was mistaken. Enduring heartbreak and yet being open to love yet again. I suppose the fact that she is a writer who questions the truth of relationships is also something I connect with. And in the end, she gets her man...which gives me hope that I too may one day have mine.

So tell me, do you ever see yourself in TV/movie characters? Although they are fictional, they are designed to be relate-able. Just wondering if I'm the only one to find myself in such make believe.

ABC's of Me

A few weeks ago, Carla posted this A-B-C's of Me on her blog. I thought it was a cute way to find out a few random things about her. I decided to post my random answers while I'm away on vacation. You know, lying on the beach, soaking up the sun, reading trashy novels and drooling over my stud-muffin of a man. Jealous? LOL! Hope everyone is having a good week!

(Don't forget to leave a comment on my previous post if you want to participate in the "Give Away My Stash" game.)

A - Age: 44
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: vacuuming
D - Dog's name: Princess (and oh how she thinks she is one!) Then there is Kojak, Mya & Tilly...all my son's dogs!
E - Essential start your day item: Breakfast
F - Favorite color: Lime Green
G - Gold or Silver: Silver girl...always!
H - Height: 5'6"
I - Instruments you play(ed): Piano, keyboard
J - Job title: Accounting Manager...but who am I kidding...glorified bookkeeper
K - Kid(s): Taylor (21) and Keri (19); Future step-girls Ashley (21) and Morgan (10)
L - Living arrangements: Engaged, living 3 states apart
M - Mom's name: Mary
N - Nicknames: Dingle Dorf, Nim Wit, Dufus, Dork...what? That's what I ALWAYS call myself!
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Never
P - Pet Peeve: People breaking line! Gets me sooooo riled up!
Q - Quote from a movie: "You had me at Hello" - Jerry Macguire (sorry Carla...stole that one from you)
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: Younger brother, Chris and even younger sister, Carmen. Only 3-1/3 yrs between me and Carmen. I always liked being the big sister, but now that we are all in our 40's, I wouldn't mind if someone else took over.
T - Time you wake up: 5:30 - Workout wake up call!
U- Underwear: shhhhhh...not always, but when I do it's gotta be a thong!
V - Vegetable you dislike: collard greens...if you live in the south, you will disown me!
W - Ways you drink your coffee: Splenda and cream.
X-rays you've had: Does MRI count? Had to check my brain...see if it was all still there. Just kidding. Had to scan for possible causes of severe migraines.
Y - Yummy food you make: Can't remember. I used to be a great cook. I've been living alone so I guess my most recent masterpiece would be Lean Cuisine!
Z - Zoo favorite : Giraffe. Absolutely NO idea why!

An Update and A Couple of Awards!

(Warning: This is a super long post! Sorry, but I had much to say! lol!)

The wellness challenge is under way! I've been so excited about this undertaking. And I've been trying to do it right, know what I mean? Taking stock of where I am and what I need to do to get where I want to be. I've even worked at discovering why I do some of the crazy things I do to myself. Over the weekend, I even "tried on" some of my new strategies...took them for a test drive. And it felt good. Monday morning, I was ready to kick some wellness butt!

But I'm having to work way harder than I anticipated. Isn't that how it usually goes? My workout partner was called out of town for work all week. There went my early morning get-my-butt-out-of-bed-because-someone-is-gonna-be-knocking-at-my-door wake up call. I'm having to dig a little deeper...OK, ALOT deeper...to roll out of bed each morning. And you should hear the conversations I'm having with myself at that early hour.

"Get your lazy butt out of the bed!

Just five more minutes.

Get up now. You know you will regret it if you don't.

Just five more minutes.

Get up now!

I can always work out tonight.

No you won't. GET UP NOW!!!!!!"

Get the idea? So far, I'm one for two. I worked out really hard yesterday...REALLY hard! And I was feeling good. Then today...I didn't make my play date with the treadmill. But I do have a really good reason for flaking out on him. I had to be at work extremely early today.

Which brings me to struggle number 2. Work has been ridiculously busy. We have been in the middle of a massive unexpected audit and it all falls on me. Guess that's what I get for the right to wear the title of "Accounting Manager". lol! Geez, I'm not even an accountant! I do have way more responsibility than a bookkeeper and even do alot of accounting work, but the title is a bit over the top! But hey, it sounds good when you get that occasional, "So what do you do for a living?" lol! The reason all this mumbo-jumbo about work is important is that with all my preliminary prep work, I've discovered I am a "stress" eater. Yeppers, I eat when I'm nervous and stressed. Of course, that is not the only time I eat...if so, I probably wouldn't have a problem. But it is the trigger for my mindless overeating of totally nutrient deficient grub. I go looking for comfort in a bag of chips, cookies, etc. So the never empty community candy dish on Cathy's desk and the vending machine have been calling my name on a regular basis.

The third tripper upper...having my babies home. Now that is something to confess to, huh? And yes, I guess I did just say/type that out loud. The problem is chaos has claimed my home, my sanctuary, my place where I recharge. We are all going in different directions, starting new jobs (Taylor), returning to old jobs (Keri), and trying to decide if we want to keep our jobs (me...just kidding). The fridge is empty and the pantry is not far from it. I guess I don't need to further explain why this is a problem.

BUT! And it is a big BUT! I feel good about where I'm at. No, I have not been perfect and circumstances have certainly not been ideal. BUT, it is OK. Because this is life. This is what it is all about. Learning to roll with it and do what I need to do. So I missed one workout, but I've only missed a handful of workouts in the past 7 months. And none of those misses caused me to lose my focus. They were for good reasons and I have to allow for that. And my diet hasn't even taken that big a hit. I've learned to love McD's salads. If you've gotta go for fast food, make it the best food you can. I've learned to give the vending machine the brush off and I'm taking baby carrots and raspberry vinaigrette dressing for a snack. YUM! My daughter introduced me to Clif bars. Great for a quick breakfast on the go. I've even befriended the candy dish. Made nice. I've realized a couple of mini tootsie rolls and I'm a happy girl. Not perfect, but I was never striving for perfect anyway.

I guess my point is, despite the setbacks and the struggles, I'm making it. And the whole point was to focus on what I'm doing to move forward in a positive way. I could dwell on the slip ups and wallow in what I can't do right now...like cook nutritious dinners...but I choose not to. It is a choice. My choice. For now, it is the choice that works for me.

Now I must share two wonderful awards I received from Melissa. Please take the time to stop by and tell her hello. She is a genuine sweetheart with amazing scrapping talent. I only discovered her blog recently, but I feel like we have become fast friends. The first award is the Lemonade Stand Award. Here are the rules of this award:

Comment on this blog.
Cut and paste the award logo and use it in your own blog.
Nominate 5 to 10 blogs you feel show great attitude and gratitude.
Link to your nominees within your blog post.
Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.
Link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation.




The second award she passed on is the Friendship Award. I have to admit, I felt very honored to get this one. I love what it stands for.



The Friends award is described as follows:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to five bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

This is the first time I've ever done this. I usually follow rules to the letter. But this time, I have to break a few rules. These awards symbolize something special, especially the Friendship Award. I can't bring myself to narrow it down to 5-10 bloggers. You guys are all so, so special to me. I feel a connection to each and every one of you. So if you will please forgive me breaking the rules, I would love to pass these awards on to anyone who leaves a comment on this post. Snag the award for your blog and forward it as you see fit. I love you guys! You are all WONDERFUL!

I've Sunk To a New Low

I am now talking to myself and responding.............with an ACCENT!

This morning Good Morning America showed short clips of a 10-year-old little girl's interview with Prince William. She had the loveliest British accent. One that begged to be imitated.

Actually, the dog thought it was pretty funny!

Guess you had to be there.

The Pros and Cons of Solitude

Up until last August, I had never lived alone. I shared a room with my sister growing up. At the ripe old age of 18, I traded her for a smaller room and a different roommate at WCU. Two weeks after my college graduation, I signed up for what I thought was a life long roommate when I got married. A bit over a year later, I became a mommy and the rest was as they say...history. I was one of those moms who always stayed involved and volunteered for everything. Our house was the local hang-out. I had a constant stream of companions. Alone time was a welcome and much coveted event.

Four years after divorce and with my youngest heading off to school last August, life as I had always known it came to a screeching halt! Gone were the teenagers who invariably found their way through my revolving door. Gone were the after school activities. Gone were the connections with the other "involved" moms. I was suddenly, utterly and completely alone. The just-me-time that had always been beyond my grasp was staring me right in the ol' eye! I had absolutely no idea what to do with myself.

It has been a trip, I tell ya. They always say be careful what you wish for, and that could not be more true than in this case. While I can say with all-out certainty, it isn't all bad, I have to admit it isn't always grand. The life of living singularly has led me to a few revelations. Thought I would share in case any of you are thinking the grass might be greener...

Pro - Peace and quiet. No loud noises. No one yelling for you just as you are planting yourself on the porcelain throne. No one blasting their music while demanding to know where they put........ Fill in the blank with absolutely anything and you will be on the mark! No bickering. No need to be peace-maker.

Con - Absolute silence. No one to talk to. You talk to yourself. No one to answer back. You answer yourself. You talk to the dog. The dog just stares with cocked head. You answer for the dog. The dog starts to think you may be crazy!

Pro - Evenings are your own. No more ball games. No more meetings. No more late night projects. No more study sessions.

Con - An empty social calendar. Get up. Go to work. Come home. Eat. Go to bed. Repeat.

Pro - No cooking required! Need I say more.

Con - Your diet consists of frozen dinners, macaroni and cheese...the Easy Mac variety...and soup. When nuking your food gets to be too much of a hassle, you switch to Doritos and Pop Tarts. And you don't even think about toasting the tasty little pastries. You eat them straight out of the foil packaging. You convince yourself you are getting a balanced diet...Doritos fill the need for a colorful diet and Pop Tarts do have that fruit filling!

Pro - Two measly loads of laundry a week vs. 14 hefty loads.

Con - Several weeks pass and you realize you have worn the same pair of sweats every night and every weekend...without washing them. Not that bad until the clothes start talking back to you. Of course, this solves problem number one.

Pro - No kid's clutter and no one to pick up after. You never have to make your bed. Heck, you all but live in your bed. No need to wash dishes. Trash cans can overflow and dirty clothes need never reach the hamper. Oh yeah, you just keep wearing your dirty clothes so no hamper needed.

Con - The clutter is worse than before and it is all your's.  Chores belong to you and only you. You never realized how handy a teenager's helping hand can be.

Pro - No more setting an example, there's really no need to be your own teacher. Farting and burping at will is allowed and welcomed.

Con - Not really a con here as I see it. Of course, you must be able to control yourself should the need arise. Otherwise things could get embarrassing.

Pro - You can run around in your underwear or naked if you feel the urge.

Con - Can't fully appreciate this one yet. Got to keep working on my "lovin' myself" attitude to be able to do that. Ain't nothing pretty about pasty white cellulite bounding around the house even if you are alone.

Pro - There is no one to tell you what to do.

Con - There is no one to do anything with.

So what do you think? I think if you are lucky enough to still be experiencing the madness of mommy-hood you should embrace it and cherish it despite the fact it is an all-consuming-suck-the-life-out-of-you-never-let-you-get-a-moments-peace way of life. But what a life it is! Take it from the girl on the other side of the fence.