10 Things I Actually Accomplished in 2010

Two thousand and ten is coming to a close, but I don't want to focus on the things I want to do in 2011 until I review what's actually happened in 2010:

Here are the things I have accomplished:

1. I got on medication for low thyroid function, learned how to manage asthma issues and finally found out what I'm allergic to - and I feel a whole lot better for it.
2. I lost 10 pounds and have kept it off since January.
3. I ran for eight minutes straight without dying, crushing my one-minute pre-asthma diagnosis record, and found out I actually enjoy it.
4. I tried spinning and, with my dad, found a new interest in cycling.
5. I tried the South Beach Diet and found new healthy foods I enjoy.
6. I made strides in budgeting and have started rebuilding my savings.
7. I bought a Canon Rebel t1i DSLR camera and have put it to good use paying for itself.
8. I took a class in yogalates and built my strength significantly - I can now hold side plank and crow when I never was able to before.
9. I did a new charity walk this year - Step Out for Diabetes.
10. I got one of my freelance stories published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Edit adds**

*Built an awesome new website at www.lc.edu :)

10 Things To Be Thankful for in 2010

1. Kitties with multiple nicknames
2. 20/20 eyesight
3. The cast of "Supernatural"
   
   
   
   
4. Cheap wine glasses from Dollar Tree filled with sweet Reisling
5. Bubble baths
6. Claritin D
7. Black Dynamite (the camera, not the movie)
8. Harry Potter 7.0
9. Bonnaroo
10. My never ending abundance of Fake Blood

Oh yeah, and family, friends and my beloved.

I Am Supernaturally Obsessed with the TV

So more than a month ago, though that barely puts a dent in the amount of time that's passed since I last posted here, David and I started to watch "Supernatural" every night before bed.

The show's been on since 2005, and we never really heard anything about it - but here we were, lost without LOST when we heard that Mark Pellegrino, who plays Jacob on LOST, played Lucifer on Supernatural.

Not knowing what to expect from a CW show about the Supernatural, the pilot terrified the crap out of both of us.

Basically, the show is this: Haunted by the killing of their mother by a supernatural being when they were young, Sam and Dean Winchester travel the Midwest in a black '67 Impala looking for their father, who has just gone missing hunting the thing that killed her. Raised as hunters themselves, the boys take down every supernatural being in their path, saving innocent people along the way. Many episodes focus on a monster of the week - mainly those of popular urban legends, in the style of The X-Files - though in later seasons, the show gets more into the mythology of the characters and the major storyline that involves demons and angels, and even a prophet who may or may not be God.

While entertaining the hell out of its hardcore fanbase, Supernatural also manages to poke fun at itself and balance the seriousness of an Apocolyptic series arc with a little harmless humor (one of my favorite things about the show). It doesn't hurt that the three most important characters are all super hotties. I almost feel like I'm 17 again.

SPOILERS IN VIDEO
In season 5, Sam says yes to Lucifer and tries to put the fallen angel back in his hole. And here's how that ends:

Anyway it's a little late, being that it's season 6 and the original story arc has run it's course, but I think I'm going to start reviewing each episode as we go along. Watch with me - Fridays at 8 p.m. Central on the CW.

Cincy Chili... yuuuuum!

So I did NOT keep to my diet this weekend.

We ate at:

*Skyline Chili

*Graeter's Ice Cream

*Five Guys Burgers and Fries

*Blue Ash Chili

*City BBQ

In the battle of Skyline vs. Blue Ash for Cincinnati's best chili - I'd have to say Skyline wins. However, the food at Blue Ash was also amazing, and they might have the edge when it comes to atmosphere and service.

Good weekend, but now I've got to get back to the diet.

Funniest YouTube Video EVER

Seriously, it doesn't get much better than this.

A Few Websites that Hold My Attention

I know this may be a little random, but here are some lifestyle sites I can't stay away from.

• TheBar.com - Warning! You must be 21 to enter, but this website has great articles and yummy cocktail recipes to browse through for hours. You can even order personalized labels if you so desire.
• TheKnot.com - What girl - single or otherwise - doesn't dream of her wedding day? The Knot, based on a magazine of the same name, has great info on styling and decorating trends as well as a to-do list for brides-to-be.
• TheNest.com - It's supposed to come after theknot.com, but for those who have already moved in with their significant others (a 'la me) The Nest is the place to start. It's got a great community forum, just like the knot, design tips and tricks, home buying and home owning advice, and relationship advice to boot. If you're already past these two and ready to start a family, there's The Bump as well. But I'm no where near there so I'm not as familiar with the site.

Back from Bonnaroo 2010

I've got lots and lots and lots to say about this year's festival over at Bonnaroo Virgin so check that out, but here are some pics I'd like to share here as well.

Photo Processing Lessons

I didn't want to put this in the Lauranette Photography blog because it's my first time trying this and it's not really my style (it's Korin's, she's teaching me how to do it)...

This is only a test, and I'm not saying I did it all that well...

Original

Processed

I don't think this was my best effort, it was kind of a rush and not the greatest photo in the world for this kind of thing, but practice makes perfect, right? And I'll eventually develop my own style from what I learned here.

Bringing it Back to Basics

I can never decide what I want to do as far as blogging goes. I want to blog about Bonnaroo. I want to blog about health. I want to blog about photography. No one's reading all about me, who would want to anyway?

But I realize I miss having an online journal - even if no one reads it - for me. And one day, when I get married and have a family, this will be the place I'll want to post all of my fun news.

So I'm bringing this back, and I've returned to the template I used in the old days. Simple. Brown. Me. If you want to follow, go right ahead. For now, I've still got all my other blogs but this will be the one I post in the most consistently, and where you can find the links to the others if you're interested in reading on. (You can find those other blogs in a feed at the top right of this page.)

Reason for my Weakness

What kind of illness is extra more unfortunate for someone who can't stand to SEE other people touch their necks let alone get her own neck touched??

I'll give you a clue------------------------------->

So over the last few months, as if the onset of bad allergies and a touch of asthma weren't enough, I've had my blood tested for underactive thyroid. My parents thought it was a little weird when they came to my house around 6:30 p.m. and I had already passed out on the couch for the night. My boyfriend was a little curious as to why I go to sleep so much earlier than he does when I only get up an hour and a half before him. I was wondering why I stopped eating McDonald's for several months (after eating large meals about 3 times a week there for a long time) and started a running program and actually gained nearly 20 pounds in 7 months.

The answer? Ding, ding, ding. Underactive thyroid. And yes, my doctor had to take lots of blood and touch my neck a whole bunch before being able to determine that. (I'm still recovering.)

My numbers weren't so low that I have any major health problems, but low enough that this problem is a highly probable cause (at least a contributor) to my fatigue and weight gain at age 26.

The bad news is that this doesn't go away, and I'll have yet another pill to take every night for the rest of my life. The good news is much more exciting. For one, a lot of bad things can happen to people with a similar condition that's not being treated, i.e. heart problems, infertility, etc., and hopefully I've avoided most of that. Secondly, there is a reason that my exercise and lifestyle changes haven't helped my efforts in losing weight - and that reason can be fixed. Starting tomorrow, its onward and upward people, and I'm pumped.

My neck, on the other hand, is not.