New glasses! Also, crossing number 22 off the list.
I forgot how annoying it is to adjust to a new prescription. It’s been like six hours and, while there has been much improvement, I’m still not all the way there.
I need new sunglasses now, too. That’ll probably happen after the ol’ birthday.
Edit: I got the frames I mentioned in this post.
I haven’t had much to post about recently, so… sorry about that, I suppose.
Here’s a picture of my dinner tonight. It’s summer squash from a coworker’s garden.
And here’s a bonus picture of the weird red marks on my thumbs that I should probably see a doctor about, because they seem to have spread a little (to two more fingers on my left hand, but the spots are little and I’m just trying to justify not having called the doctor yet… /run on)…
I thought they were bug bites, because I got them at the lake. I guess they could still be bug bites, but something worse than mosquitoes. They don’t itch, and the left thumb one only hurts if I spend too much time poking at it. Which can’t be helped, because it happens whenever I pick up a pen.
ANYWAY. Enough about my hand spots. You know what’s awesome? Grilled squash. The end.
Oh, PS, I have a phone again. In case you weren’t aware.
I’ve been slowly switching my cleaning supplies to natural products. By that, I mean I use a lot of vinegar and baking soda and lemon juice in various quantities and solutions.
When you keep standard products around as most of us do, they release chemicals in the air even when they’re just sitting in the cupboard or pantry or wherever. That’s just not good for anyone, especially my 8,000 pets (three. I have three pets).
So I’m switching, but slowly. I’m not about to throw away the products I’ve already purchased, so I’m going to keep on using them until they’re gone.
While baking soda is great for the things I have to scrub (bathtub, burners, sinks), vinegar is awesome at removing stains and odors (the vinegar smell fades pretty fast), and lemon juice is a nice smelling disinfectant, I still haven’t found a good solution for 1. the toilet, and 2. the soap scum that builds up on the shower curtain. I’ll probably experiment in the future, but for now I’m going to keep on rockin’ the Soft Scrub. I also need to find something better than Windex for the windows and mirrors.
Scrubbing the kitchen floor with vinegar and lemon juice is sort of magical. It actually shines when I’m done. Way better than whatever is on the Swiffer mop cloths.
A bonus to this switch is the expense. Standard cleaning products cost so much more than baking soda and vinegar. Lemon juice varies, but it’s still cheaper than some other things out there.
And now I have a sudden urge to clean the kitchen.
Apparently today is National Running Day. So it’s appropriate that this morning, I decided to start running again goddammit. Says the girl who never wanted to run again.
I can’t say that I’ll ever run outside again, though. I need the treadmill or a rubber track (which I guess could be outside). Something lower impact for my poor sad knees. Andplusalso I’ve decided to set no goals aside from “maybe try to run more.” The last thing I need is to make myself feel like an asshole because I can’t run for an hour straight. I just can’t. My energy is there but my legs refuse.
So, intervals it is. When Kate and I did the Couch to 5K last summer, I lost like 8 or 10 pounds just running a little bit for three days a week for six weeks. Why? Well, in part because running is super good for you, but also because the training is all about intervals which, thanks to my subscription to Women’s Health, I’m pretty well convinced is the best way to do anything ever. Or maybe just work out, but still.
Anyway, today I alternated two minutes of running and a minute walking. Ridiculously easy. Tomorrow I’ll do 5/2, then maybe 6 or 7/2, and so on. I’m pretty much making this up as I go along, and that’s fine with me. As long as I can watch Nate Berkus while I’m running I don’t much care.
In other news, I am considering a dramatic haircut. We’re talking pixie-esque here, people. But I’m scared. I’ve had slight variations (swoopy bangs vs none at all; shoulder length vs mid-back) of the same haircut ever since my perm grew out in middle school. I fear chaaange! But summer is upon us and it is hot. I have a lot of hair and there are times when a ponytail isn’t enough, so I’m thinking about getting rid of it. I have a Juut gift card that’s been sitting in my wallet for almost a year, so I might just schedule an appointment and see what can be done.
Maybe. Like I said, I’m a bit scurred about it. I guess we’ll see, eh?
First, someone on Callboard linked to this post from Runner’s World today and it felt extremely appropriate. Not just for me, but all the people in this city (and country, holy crap) dealing with tornado aftermath in the mist of whatever else is going on in their lives.
Second, I need to confess something. I’m normally pretty decent at money management but sometimes I make mistakes. Darren sucks at the management part but is good about actually watching our bank account. Sometime in the last couple weeks we went overboard and now we have no spending money left for the next few days until I get paid. I mean, we have enough for the dog food and toilet paper that needs to be purchased today, but y’know. But even after payday it’s going to be tight because, y’know, rent and stuff, plus D doesn’t get paid until the week after.
So! I’m going to [try very hard to] completely avoid spending any extra money for at least the month of June. June is going to be the test month, with it’s lack of holidays and no current plans. I’m not going to buy myself lunches or new lipstick or nail polish or clearance shirts from Target (okay… maybe no promises on that last one, but only if they’re under $7). I’m not going to let Darren talk me into dinners out. Expensive nights at the bar will become a bottle of something from the liquor store. And when we go to the store for dog food, we’re not going to walk out with dog food plus deli wraps plus a couple bags of chips.
Seriously. After June we can assess, and make a permanent plan from there. If we want to build up our savings and pay off debt (Suze Orman says you should pay off student loan debt first, Dave Ramsey says you should start with the smallest and work your way up. I think I’mma go his route), eventually replace our car and one day buy a friggin’ house, we need to actually take the necessary steps in doing so. Go effing figure. Bonus: we happen to be meeting with a financial planner on Saturday.
I think now that I’ve put this all out there, I can pretend I have an adoring public holding me accountable. I keep saying me, but I mean us. Team Baxter.
Whew. After all that, I do have one more item of note. Thanks to Kate, I cannot get this song out of my head. Enjoy!
fearlessly, myself. 