People Pleasing and Vegetarians

H'okay so.  

...man, it's been a minute since I heard that.  I should probably look that up....

Well, that just happened.

Where was I?  That's right.

So... Our office throws quarterly "Lunch & Learn" in which we provide the campus with an interesting guest speaker and a free lunch (as long as their within the first 30 people to sign up).  Sweet deal!  Who doesn't love a free lunch.  And now I am in charge of-- well, basically everything except for choosing the presenter.  I coordinate dates, reserve the space, coordinate the web stuffs, answer questions and-- order the food.  I hate this.  I hate this so much.

You see, I am a *sigh* people pleaser.  I just want everyone to be happy.  If I could send everyone the menu and have them choose specifically I would.  I would be SO much happier doing that.  But, that's not practical for how our system is set up.  And that's where my personality is at war within itself. I want to make people very happy-- but I also want to be practical.  Those two don't go hand in hand very well.  And it ends up with me being very conflicted and very unhappy.  (did you see that? I underlined it.  EMPHASIS!).

Anywho.  So I ordered a selection of deli sandwiches and also 5 chicken caesar salads.  Looking over our past records this is the first time in three years that this office has offered anything other than sandwiches.  I went with the chicken caesar for two reasons.  I'm sure you don't really care my thought process but I'm going to tell you anyways because this is my blog post. So there.  Reason Number 1.  The chicken on these salads come in large chunks.  There for if you don't want to eat chicken you can easily move the pieces to the side and still have a decent sized salad and will be full at the end of lunch.  Reason 2.  The croûtons are also easy to remove so if you're looking for a gluten free option- well, there you have it.  Is it perfect? No.  But I figured that it would be the most adaptable for crazy diets.  I feel as though I can say that because I'm one of those "choose to participate gluten free" wackos.

Well, can you guess what happened yet?  All the people trickle in to be WOW'd by our presenter (one of the cool kids who works at TaxSlayer- do you know them? Check them out!!) and then the dreaded question... "is there any vegetarian?"  I did my best to explain that we did have a chicken caesar salad option but apparently that was not good enough.  This was continued between her and her friend about how could it POSSIBLY be that there is not vegetarian option?  Fucking amazed.  Mind blown.  Really?  Reeeeaalllly?  You choose to have a specific diet and are surprised when you don't have any option to eat.  She went to a seat and sat glaring while everyone else ate.   My husband then explained that she may have been so morally opposed to killing animals for consumption that she could not bring herself to eat anything that had been touched  by dead flesh.  AAAAaaaaahhhhh. Morals.  Welp. Guess you're just going to be hungry then!!

I'm really not mad at her.  I'm really upset with the fact that I couldn't help her.  I know that I can't make everyone happy.  But I want to.  I don't want people to not each lunch because I didn't consider that maybe people don't want to eat food touched by meat.  Outwardly I'm pissed and annoyed but really I'm just disappointed.

On a slightly different note- today I was considering being a language arts teacher or a fitness instructor.

Have a good night!!

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The truth is...

I have a love hate relationship with blogging.  As is probably apparently by my scattered posts and various blogs over the years.

I love the idea of the blog.  A place to hold your thoughts.  A place to write and be read.  A place to share your experiences to help others.  It's also a place to hold yourself responsible.  Some of my friends are successful and inspirational bloggers, and my sister, though not a blogger is a beautiful writer.  And every now and then I think, you know what?  I can do this!  I pull up the old blog and I see the last post date.  Wow.  MONTHS ago.  That's rather disappointing and then the onslaught of negative thoughts start.  Why do you think you can do this? You're not consistent.  How hard is it to just post something on a regular basis? You don't even have anything to say.  Stop trying.

So to avoid all of those thoughts I decide to start up a new blog. A clean slate.  And that lasts for all of-- two posts.  I try to make a schedule.  "On Mondays I'm going to talk about restaurants in the area"  "On Saturday I'm going to talk about a craft". Oh. My. God. Why do I do this to myself?  After two posts that match up with my schedule I have nothing to post for a specific day and I get frustrated and I quit.  No wonder. That doesn't sound fun at all!

But no more!

From this point forward I am fully accepting that I am an erratic blogger.  And that's okay.  Some weeks I may have 1 post, some weeks I might have 2.  Then there may be months where I don't post at all.  And that's just how it's going to be.  I will not have a posting schedule.  I will not have a theme.  I will just post what I feel like when I feel like.  

One of the biggest problems I have with bloggers today is that everything is perfect.  They want to have a perfect finished product that they share with the world.  And it's just a little, tiny, shiny peek into their lives.  But who wants that?  I want to read the daily grind.  I want to see the not so pretty parts of life.  I want to see problems that other people are having and how they worked through them- and that might be helpful to me. So guess, what.  That's what I'm going to do.  If people were more open and honest about true daily life- people would be happier.  Just me?  I find it so easy to be so hard on myself when I can't compete with what other people post on facebook or their blog.

One of my friends- she's probably back in one of these older blog posts somewhere... she told me a saying her grandfather told her:

"You can't compare your insides with someone else's outsides."

Woah.  When I heard that I literally stopped.  How often do I do that?  ALL THE TIME.  And why?  What good does it do me?  Well, I tell myself that it gives me a goal.  I can work towards that.  But really it's just a comparison that makes me feel horrible about myself.

Alright. That's it. My cat wants to play.  So I guess this is the end of my new beginning.  See you in a few months when I post something else :)

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Slab Boxes, Straw Blowing and Saturday

Whew! What a Saturday.  I am so exhausted!

I woke up early again with the Man because... well, no real reason, just because.  I was able to get some chores done and play with the kittens before heading off to Fall Fling at Aiken Center for the Arts.  Free classes in ceramics, water colors and acrylic?  Yes please!  I love it when free and art come together!  I was running behind due to a last minute photo shoot I had with the kittens.

I hate being late.  I dislike being on time.  If I'm not 15 minutes early to something I'm late.  But this time I was pushing the button and was due to arrive at the center right when the class started.  AH! Being exactly on time at the center means that I would have to then walk into the class when it had already started. Well, luck was on my side.  The center wasn't even unlocked yet.  Crisis adverted!

I had a great few hours.  I learned how to make a slab box.  Second time working with clay since elementary school so I was very proud- I can't wait to see the finished product!  Then onto watercolors.  We were working on an under the sea scene.  It was my first time working with watercolors.  They confuse me.  But it was fun non the less.  Especially when it was time to make the coral.  To do that we drop a few drops of liquid watercolor paint onto the edge of our paper.  Then we took straws and blew the droplets around!  This left fun splattered trails where ever the droplets went.  This technique can also be used to make trees, fun splattered backgrounds, or whatever else you can think of!

The last class of the day was the acrylics class.  MMmm. Acrylics.  How I love you.  This was my second attempt at acrylics and it was so relaxing. The class was only about the pumpkin, but I thought that we needed a tree, and if there's a tree there should be a bird, right?

 

I had to run a few more errands before getting back to the house.  Where I could begin my next crafty venture- tailoring some of my clothes.  I have a pile of clothing growing that needs to be either taken in or hemmed or patched- and its about time I get to work on it.  I worked on one blouse before I got totally distracted by Once Upon a Time and just ended up watching TV.  I love that show!  I was so good during the first season, but during the second it was hard to fit it into my schedule.  So now I'm re-watching on Netflix and enjoying every minute of it!

I finished off the day with a marathon cooking session.  I made Apple Pie Lara Bars.  Pistachio Pesto to go in my Paleo-ized Tomato-Basil Pasta Sauce (Rachael Ray).  My pasta was zucchini noodles and I pan-fried some almond flour coated chicken.  I then made up some Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies for the Man to bring into work- I've been promising them to him for the past few days and finally got them made up.  Now, nothing left to do but sit back and relax!

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Caturday Saturday! The Flea Edition

As a pet owner, at one point or at many points you are going to deal with fleas.  It happens.  You are not dirty.  You are not a bad owner.  This is life.

 No one likes fleas, and they are difficult to get rid of.

Life Cycle of a Flea- the Rachel Version.

Within 48 hours of landing on a host an adult flea lays eggs.  And that's up to 50 eggs a day!  Imagine if chickens did that!!  Those eggs can hatch any time between two days and two weeks.  Once these guys hatch their goal is to make a cocoon, and this happens between five and twenty days.  They stay in this cocoon until they have matured into adult fleas.  They'll stay in the cocoon until conditions are favorable, meaning until a host is near.  The scary part is that they can stay in the cocoon stage for months, years.  Once they're adults they hop on an adult and the whole horrible process starts again. 

My approach to killing the fleas was to attack the environment, both the Kitties and my home.  I got foggers, Capstar (for the kittens) and comfortis (for the adults).  I have read a bunch of reviews about how foggers don't actually work.  But, they make me feel proactive and until I see otherwise I will think that they work.  The other benefit to foggers is that they kill all sorts of bugs!  So that means less creepy crawlies around my house!!

The Man and I prepped the house the night before.  I stuffed as much food into the fridge as possible.  And the rest went into boxes in my trunk.  I put set up all the foggers so all I had to do was set them off, I got the kennels ready to go, and the flea medication set up.  I put some things to keep me entertained in the car and set out my clothes (Thanks FlyLady!).

I started off Operation Kill all the Fleas with an early morning breakfast for the Felines of the house.  Comfortis can cause vomiting so its suggested to be taken with food.  After everyone had had breakfast I worked my way through the 7 mouths and giving pills.  Phase One complete.

I got them all in their proper kennels and in the car.  Then I set off the foggers.  The foggers take two hours to run their course, then another two hours to "air out".  I meandered about town for those four hours, making a few stops and blasting the air in between to keep the car nice and cool.  Phase Two complete.

When it was all cleared I brought the cats straight into bathroom and went to town with the flea combs.  I already had a small flea comb, but I picked up another one during the morning meanderings- this one was basically the same but had a handle.  They both worked the same, but the different handles changed the angle of my combing which picked up different things.  After an hour and a half, several bowls full of soapy waters, and several disgruntled cats. It was done.  Phase Three complete.

Its too soon to tell if Operation Kill all the Fleas was a success or not.  But I think we're off to a good start.  In the mean time I'm going to keep up a regular vacuum and comb routine to catch any late bloomers.

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Finger, Fleas and Friday

Ow. My finger hurts.  Apparently biting my finger is the correct response to getting a pill shoved down your throat- actually, I guess I can't even get mad- that IS the correct response. 

Today I ran around like crazy dealing with cats.  They have the dreaded F word.  Fleas.  I currently have 7 cats in my house.  Call me what you want- Good Samaritan? Cat Lady?  Doesn't matter because I have 4 snuggly kittens in my kitchen!  And their Mama.  But, alas, with strays comes fleas.  And that means fleas on my own two cats.  I tried a tri-attack- oral tablets, flea bomb, and a thorough combing.  I'll let you know how that worked out.  The oral tablets is when my finger took the hit.  One of the kittens was not okay with swallowing a pill.  But after multiple attempts and a mauled finger- we got it down.

While I was banned from my house I ran around town a bit- at 5:30 in the morning.  Hmmm.. fortunately Walmart is always open!  It may seem strange why I voluntarily woke up super early to kick myself out of my house.  But one thing I know about the South is that it gets hot, and it gets hot fast.  So to keep everyone comfortable I chose the wee hours of the morning- nice and cool for the car-ful of fur.  No heat stroke for this FurMama! 

I did manage to get a delicious breakfast at New Moon Cafe.  Second time this week I've eaten there!  I did my best to get a Paleo meal by ordering the egg scrambler with spinach, tomatoes, onions, spinach and sausage.  It was delicious!  A little too delicious, if you know what I mean.  I don't know how they cooked those veggies- and I'm not asking! I also got  their Unsweetened Ice Tea (the South must think I'm crazy), unlimited refills! 

After breakfast I decided that the cats needed a bit of spoiling.  They were not happy with the day's events and I thought some new toys could brighten their day (and mine).  Not to mention it may help bridge the ever widening gap between the Man and Mr. Stanley Cakes Solomon (aka- my male cat).  Some play time and treat time should do them a world of good!

After all the cat shenanigans I had to shower quick- then hop out the door to go be a Teacher's Aide.  One of the great thing of job hunting while being unemployed is that you have a bunch of time to do stuff you wouldn't normally get to do if you were at work!  Like help out your teacher friend by grading papers and try to keep a straight face with a class full of adorable second graders.  Seriously, these kids were so cute!  Miss J is such a great teacher, she made it look so easy.  Here's a secret: I'm terrified of the thought of being a substitute teacher.  Miss J thought if I came in to check it out a little bit I might see that its not all that bad.  Well, I'm going back next week so she may be on to something!

I finally made it to Goodwill!  My friend Z along with Miss Refashionista have taught me to love Goodwill.  So many good deals!  You never know what you're going to find! Alas, today was not a successful hunt, but that's okay.  I still have several items that I need to re-fashion myself- I really shouldn't add to my pile.

For dinner tonight the Man is having baked KFC Chicken and mashed potatoes.  Me? Well, I'm probably going to make a snack plate- some apple, celery, a little almond butter, hard boiled egg?  Mmmm, that'll do me good!  I'm such a fan of snack plates- and I'm such a grazer!  I saw someone's blog where they use kid's divided plates for their snack plate- I think I'm going to have to hit up Dollar Tree to find one for myself!

Well that was my crazy day- its not done yet but its close enough.

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Trips, Thirst Quenchers and Thursday

The Man had the day off!  So we went to the Columbia Zoo!  We had a late start due to our landlord fixing our oven.  We've been without an over for two and a half weeks so it was a small price to pay.

Did you know you can save money buy pre-purchasing your tickets online?  How cool is that?  We passed the drive by listening to Weird Al's new CD Mandatory Fun, and some of our older favorites.    I love Party in the CIA.  Oh, he cracks me up.   I can't wait for his next album. 

There were so many animals running around at the zoo!  Everywhere you look- a wild boot!  Hehe, sorry.  Turns out there's an Army Basic Training base, post (?) right in Columbia and we guessed that it was family day as there were a bunch of young soldiers in their uniforms with their families.  A few grumbles were to be had from the Man, there is a giant difference between the Marine Corp and the other branches into where it is appropriate and where it is not appropriate to wear uniforms.

So.  This exists!

Its a tree kangaroo.  It is quite possibly the most adorable, puppet looking animal that exists.  Its like a cross between a calf, a lemur, and a teddy bear.

The Man and I got a kick out of the penguin feeding.  Well, I suppose I got more of a kick out of the Man's narration of the penguin feeding.

There was also this guy:

 

This giant gorilla was just lounging on the veranda for a siesta!  I love how he has one leg crossed over the one up against the window and one arm draped across his face.  Such a human position!  I wanted to get the Man to mirror the pose on this side of a glass but he wasn't for it.

We saw lions, and tigers, and koala bears!  And we bought some nectar to feed the birds.  I was NOT expecting to get swarmed the minute I stepped into the pen.  One of them peed on my purse, EW! Fortunately a quick dip in the wash will fix that!

 

After a few hours in the hot South Carolina sun we were done with the zoo and ready for a drink.  We found a small brewery- Hunter-Gatherer Brewery and Alehouse.  They have 4 of their beers on tap to choose from.  We went with the wheat- the Man got a delicious looking plate of Goldfish Mac & Cheese.  I went with a lamb gyro.  I took the meat and veggies and plopped them onto my salad and went without the pita to make it as Paleo as possible.  You know.  To go with my beer.

It was a great day out and about and exploring Columbia!

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New Movement

Looking back over this week its been a learning experience in movement.

Hula and Tahitian, Sufi and Biathlons all new, unique and wonderful in their own way!

I was so nervous before all, and they all turned out to be just fine.

I've been wanting to try Hula since I got on island, and I figured since we're leaving very soon I better start.  I found a small halau (school) and decided to give it a go, the first class was free so why not!  I was worried about never having danced before, what I should wear, and being the only haole in potentially a room full of locals.  After doing some research online I felt better just going in my typical workout gear (cropped yoga pants and a tank top). 

The class was a great work out, my calves were burning by the end! Kumu (teacher) welcomed me with open arms.  I was introduced to the the basic steps, the lewa (pronounced le-va) and u'ehe (pronounced oo-eh-hey).  We had to take a break from teaching so Kumu could teach me how to move my hips.  We went into a mini lesson on how people from different parts of the world walk differently and westerners in particular walk with very little hip movement.  Once I got my hips moving and "mastered" those beginning stepswe began working on " 'Ae, Lili'u e noho nani nani" a chant about Queen Lili'uokalani.  Kumu explained how hula is a jealous mistress, she doesn't like you to think of anything else, once you start thinking of something else you make mistakes.  I also realized that she makes you think of her all the time.  Since my class I have been practicing the two steps over and over in preparation for my next one!

My Co-Worker told me about the Tahitian Class, so I thought why not!  Once again, the same concerns entered my mind that came for hula, but I brushed them aside and went anyways.  What a workout! My hips have never moved so much in my life!  The exciting thing was that I got an even more in depth lesson on how to move my hips!  I never had very smooth movement in my hips while dancing, but our teacher was great and took the time to work with my uncoordinated self!  The tip kids, is to bend your knees.  To move your hips, you move your knees.  Think of when you stand with your weight on one leg, hand on the hip- see how your hip is jutting out and one leg is slightly bent? Ah! Well, then bend the other knee and transfer the hip and- WOW! Your hips move back and forth with very little effort.  Now slightly bend both legs and Bam! Bam! Bam!  You're welcome.

       "Its been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.  Of course, you must make it up firmly"
           -Anne "Anne of Green Gables" by C.M. Montgomery

How true is that quote?  That especially came into play on my third movement lesson of the week, the Sufi Service.  I was invited to go with my wonderful friend and her Islam class.  While they all have the benefit of knowing some of the practices ahead of times, I must resort to wikipedia: Sufism "is a branch of Islam, defined by adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam". Hm, well there you go.  Have you heard of the Whirling Dervishes?  That part of Sufi meditation.  And that is exactly what we did.  Well, were introduced to. I felt like the uncoordinated and confused outsider that I was, but I joined in songs to Allah and danced with the group.  While we did our mantras and danced in a circle holding hands select members of the group would move to the center of the circle, whirling.  It was, beautiful.  There was a great sense of community, of being one part of a whole.  All in all I'm glad I had a chance to experience it and kept my mind open.

My fourth and final new movement for this week was competing in the Kailua Dash and Splash Biathlon.  This race supported the Kailua Canoe Club.  A 2.8 mile run with a 800 meter swim.  I've been wanting to and cowarding from competing in biathlons for the past 6 months now.  Well, I conquered that fear and it was a success!  My goal was to complete the run in 32 minutes, and the swim in 20 minutes.  My plan was to to pace myself during the run and not lose steam before the swim.  Well, I finished the run in about 28 minutes, and the swim in about 17 and a half! Total time: 45:35!  I am so proud of myself!  One important lesson I learned is stay close to the shore while swimming.  The hubs said I was the farthest one out in the water by at least 10 meters, which definitely added unnecessary seconds, maybe minutes, to my time.  It also left me feeling very alone, I was positive I was going to be last!  He said that a lot of people were only chest deep and walked part of the way in the water.  Well, lesson learned- hug the shore!

Race 18 out of 24!  I can't believe I'm only 6 races away from completing my goal!

Well, that's all for this week! I wonder what next week will bring!

After Thoughts:

Its amazing how many times my fear of something new is "what do I wear?" Well, for all of you new to biathlons (or triathlons): I wore a bathing suit with a sports bra on underneath, then I had my running top, shorts and sneakers.  It worked just fine, just had a bit of drag on the swim from the sports bra. 

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