10 Day YOU Challenge - 8 Fears

8 fears (in order of intensity):

I will definitely not be posting images of things I fear...

1.  Spiders - Their 8 eyeballs are horrifying.
2.  Not being able to have children of my own - These birthing hips have to be good for something!
3.  Falling to my death - Really, it's just not being able to live a full lifetime, but falling is the scariest since once you're airborne, you can't do anything about it.
4.  Clowns - Stephen King's IT (where it turns out to be a ginormous alien spider!! Sorry for the spoiler...I guess...) and Killer Klowns From Outer Space (I can't look at those twisty straws the same ever again...) have pretty much ensured that clowns are scary mofo's.
5.  Losing my loved ones suddenly - Being that I can get motherly towards people I love, I'm always trying to look out for their safety.
6.  Not having a purpose - Being unemployed this past year was one of the worst experiences of my life; I would never want to go through that ever again.
7.  Being kidnapped without anyone noticing or being attacked when I walk home at night - Especially in the dark, I prefer walking in the middle of a group.
8.  Losing one of my senses - I know that many people live without certain senses. This isn't meant to be insensitive, but the idea of losing one of my senses suddenly without warning definitely freaks me out. 

I try to be rational about most of these things.  But there are a few things on this list that I refuse to be rational about.

10 Day YOU Challenge - 9 Loves

9 loves:

1.  My Kitties

Yoni

Mencken

 2. My Family

3.  My Friends on Both Coasts

map of friends listed on Facebook

4.  My Zune and Music Collection

I've been listening to a lot of Tori lately due to her new album

5.  Dancing

Taken by Nina at Katia's Retreat

6. Food!

mmm..mickey mouse ice cream bar...

 7.  The Ocean and Beach

From Nahant Beach

 8. The Color Green in Every Shade

9.  What else but Mermaids!

my mermaid scarf

 

10 Day YOU Challenge - 10 Secrets

What better way to start the 10th month of the calendar year than a 10 Day Challenge!

I saw that several bloggers were doing this, but seeing it on Amy's blog, Ha Ha. Wait. What?, was the little push I needed.  She's so super artsy!  She even inspired me to make my own badge for the challenge!

Let's get started then, shall we?

ten secrets:

1.  Social interactions are worth more money to me than the money I don't have.  It's probably why I'm so broke.
2.  On that note...In the past week, I've maxed out my credit cards in the name of fashion.
3.  I pretend to be really tough, talking about how I would fight someone if it came down to it, but I've never been in a physical fight.  But I really want to get into one.
4.  Sometimes, I really want to have a tantrum in the middle of the after school.
5.  I have taken hammers to electronics when they aren't working the way I want them to.
6.  I still want to believe that some guy will rescue me, especially since things have become complicated in my current relationship.
7.  I want to be the reason someone leaves their girlfriend, but I would just feel too guilty about hurting someone else like that.
8.  I've been mildly depressed since I became unemployed, but I am so thankful for my therapist.
9.  Sometimes I forget how old I actually am, and will have to think a quick second before telling you I'm 29.
10.  I often feel like a Jack Of All Trades but a Master of None.

That was really much harder than I anticipated.  I'm usually quite honest about who I am, so I felt like I had to dig kind of deep to find the things I'm not always honest with myself about.

Is anyone else doing this challenge?  It would be fun to do this together!

Fitting Into My Schedule

Remember when I was unemployed, but I still managed to fill my schedule with all kinds of things?  Well, now that I have been training for my sex ed job while also going to my after school job, I feel like it's been nonstop for me.

But mainly, it's been nonstop adjusting, maneuvering, scheduling, and moving.

I feel like for my own sanity I need to break it down for you (really, for myself....but being that this is my blog, this is how I'm going to do it).

Here is a list of things that I am currently or soon to be involved in:
Butt-crack-of-dawn Bootcamp - 3x a week
Sex ed job - still training, but soon to be what takes up my weekday mornings
After school job - weekday afternoons (duh)
Supervision of a Social Work Intern - 2 hours a week starting in October
Night job - put it on hiatus for a couple of months, but I'm ready to be back in it
Dance classes - 1 on Tuesdays (weekly), 1 on Wednesdays (October and December, with a recital in January), 1 on Saturdays (6 sessions every other week)
Raks Nativity Show - several practices with a show in December
Speaker's Bureau - occasional speaking engagements and monthly meetings (will try to attend most of the meetings because I like connecting with these girls)

I think that's it. 

It's definitely a style that I'm used to when I was working full time.  Though I do think that the year of unemployment made me less used to being crazy busy.

I'm pretty sure that I'm lacking a lot of sleep (says the lady who's blogging at midnight) and that it's messing with my better judgement.  In fact, I happened to be staring at the linoleum in a restroom this morning, and I swear the floor pattern started moving.

tripping out...need sleep...

Obviously this isn't to say that I don't absolutely appreciate being busy.  I still thoroughly enjoy all the things I'm involved in, and I don't ever want to be unemployed ever ever ever again.  I missed looking forward to the weekend, and now I'm happy that I can still sleep in and choose to lounge about all day when Saturday arrives.

I know I have to do better about self-care.  I need to decide who will be on my team during really intense days, and I need to come up with a system or some rituals for keeping myself sane.  While dance helps, I know I need something more.

I just want to put this message out there to the scheduling gods:
While I'm in the adjustment period, I'm also requesting a lot of flexibility from each of those components listed.  I'm feeling like I'm committed to this schedule for at least a year, so all these things I'm involved in and all the people I'm working with just need to understand that I'm just trying to make everything work. So sometimes I'm late, and sometimes I forget things.  But I promise that I'm not doing those things on purpose.  I'm a hard worker, extremely loyal and committed, and I don't quit even when I should.  Please be relatively kind to me.

Oh, and can you make the floor stop moving on its own?

Toesies of the Month: September 2011

The end of last week was full of Fall weather, some more wet and rainy than cool and sunny.  Sadly, there were times when my poor toes had to take shelter in closed-toe shoes.

But when the sun came out again, it brought to light how much I needed another pedicure.

This past week has focused a lot around starting my new jobs.  It just felt appropriate to also have a new pedicure.

I ended up going back to City Nails & Spa, since I was in the area for physical therapy and then had to get to the after school right after.  Unfortunately, my timing was a bit off and I was totally late for work.  Not the best way to start a new job.  But I wasn't going to sacrifice my self-care for it.  I think it will help me set the stage for how I want the rest of the year to go.

Designed by Julie at City Nails & Spa, South End of Boston, MA
Color: Sephora by OPI - Leaf Him At The Altar
Occasion: MassRaqs and Welcoming Fall Weather and Colors
September 2011

Originally, I had wanted to get this color on me on September 1st.  It was almost as if the change in months brought on the change in the air - it definitely felt like Fall had arrived on the 1st.  Though, there are still warm and humid days here and there, we also had Tropical Storm Irene reign down on us.

And now, the sun has started setting before 7pm.

But you better believe I'm going to milk letting my toes see the sun for as long as possible.