I'm a winner!

I knew my mom wasn't just spoon-feeding me BS!

My dear bud and momma-to-be Mary, aka Mrs H, has bestowed upon me this fabulous award:



The only stipulation in accepting it is sharing seven facts about yourself. That, and thanking the little people.

So here we go:

1. I am scared of fish. I mean SCARED. I can not walk through that section of the pet store. I can not go deeper than the knees at the shore. The little buggers are out to get my toes, I tell ya!

2. I have been curling. This has been great conversation fodder of late thanks to the Olympics. I went while living in the UK back in college and it's pretty darn fun. Especially when followed by a game of Quizzo and a glass of Pimm's.

3. I used to dance competitively. Not like "Dancing With the Stars" ... it was more like hotel ballrooms full of screaming, Aqua Net-toating grade schoolers sporting sequence and jazz hands. I did modern, lyrical, and tap. And I have upteen medals and trophies in the basement to prove it.

4. I also used to be a bartender. I got the job sophomore year of college and it was faaabulous, seeing as how I was only 19. It was also a great way to meet some amazing people and I have yet to have a job I enjoy more.

5. I have two little brothers who mean the world to me. We "hated" each other as kids, but as we have all grown up we have gotten closer and I love that. Nothing is better than having a beer with my guys and seeing what great men they have become.

6. I can listen to a song on the radio once and memorize all the words. It's a gift.

7. I cannot whistle. I have tried for 20+ years and it does not work. It makes me feel like I'm broken or something. I mean, who can't whistle???

OK, time to pass on the love. I give this award to CannonBall14. Share your stuff!

99 things

Stolen from the lovely "Bee".

One rule: Bold the items that you have done in your life.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Received flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Not a bad run I have there, I must say. I'm a lucky gal.

Gettin my ass is gear

Tis the plan, my friends.

Today I officially rejoined the gym at work. Yes, I am lucky enough to have a full-size gym just 29 floors below my desk. One of the few perks of this joint and hey, when you got 'em, take advantage.

Now I have about 10 minutes to use said gym each day, but 10 minutes is better than zero. And MUCH better than running across the street to CVS and buying a tube of cookie dough for lunch.

Baby steps, right? Summer is months away, and currently the next time I'll need to be in a bathing suit isn't until early August. That has to be enough time to crunch off this sorry kangeroo pouch and tighten up the thunder thighs.

I think I may post a picture of me from back in 2004 when I was young and skinny and tan up on my wall for inspiration. That or hire a Simon Cowell-type to insult me until I hike up the incline on the treadmill. Both options seem equally masochistic.