THANKFUL FRIDAY

I feel like the first week of January came in and smacked me across the face as a warning to get my shit together. Because I kind of feel at loose ends and the feeling just gets worse when I try to figure out when I'll have a moment to myself to get a few things in order. I'm trying really hard to get as much done as possible at work today (probably even staying late) so that I do not have to come in on Saturday. And this has been my week. This is why I've been scarce with the internet and the comments and the updated status reports. I'm really sorry about that guys. I've made tiny glances your way. I'm still interested in what's going on with you. Really. I promise. And if I work really hard today, maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to catch up with what's going on in the world this weekend. Today, I am thankful that, if need be, I can stay late today to finish up all my work with out worrying about Saturday or the week to come.

I am thankful that I have a very understanding husband, who despite not so pleasant minor surgery this week, has been very helpful. And this is about all I have time for today. Peace to all and happy thankful Friday.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Last night we met Misti for dinner after I taught my last yoga class of the year. Our first choice was a bit crowded and loud, so we walked up the street to our second choice. This place was a bit crowded as well, but didn't get really loud until we were ready to leave. And because the place was so busy and crazy, our food was a bit slow coming from the kitchen. None of us felt that there was a problem, just a busy night, but the host came over and told us that we would not be paying for dinner that night. I'm telling you, 2010 is the year that just keeps on giving. Or as Misti put it, the year that's trying to make up for itself. Today I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for surviving to see the dawning of a new year. I am thankful for all the joy, laughter and love shared in this year. I am thankful for the people in my life, the people who I can cry with and laugh with. I am thankful for those moments of joy and taking the time to freeze frame them in my head. I am thankful for the possibilities for change in the new year.

Be safe. Be warm. Have a wonderful New Year's celebration and Thankful Friday.

TWO STORIES AND A THANKFUL FRIDAY

If I were a bit more cleaver, I'd have four stories and a Thankful Friday. But I feel lucky to just have the two. First story: OK, this is more of a visual thing, but work with me here. Chris and I were in the car stuck in traffic yesterday on the way to the studio. I started telling him about this office we pass on our inside walking route every day. There's a sign posted outside that reads "Interpretive Services" and every time we pass it Robin says "We need to write "dance" in there". Chris says that this great and that you could have an interpretive dance for most all office activities, like filing. So I did a little interpretive dance of filing. Then he said "answering the phone" and I did the interpretive dance for answering the phone. Then Chris says "sending a fax" and I came up with the most awesome interpretive dance for faxing which reminded Chris of a ninja sending a fax. This made us laugh so hard that Chris snorted (something I've heard him do maybe one other time). And then we laughed some more.

Second Story: Last night I took Hooper outside for his nightly front yard rituals. The guy across the street opens his garage door and then he lets two dogs out to run around in his front yard. I didn't even know he had dogs. Hooper goes on alert and I start to lead him back to the door because I can see this heading into Bad News Bears territory like that (snap). The two (bigger then Hooper) dogs suddenly come bounding across the street into our yard and instant calamity ensues. Meanwhile, the dog's owner is just standing in his driveway doing NOTHING. I'm trying to drag Hooper into the house while keeping him from biting the other dogs when I look down and see that one of the dogs has the back of Hooper neck clutched in his jaw and is starting to shake his head like he's playing with a chew toy. I boxed that dog in the nose just as their owner comes over. Yeah, I hit someone's dog and I'm not sorry for it. I look at the man and say "will you please get your dogs?". He mumbles sorry and I scoot Hooper inside. We're both shaky and I'm mad (as you know what), but Hooper is fine. Actually, I think I was more traumatized.

And the Thankful part: I'm thankful this long crazy tiring week is over. I am thankful that I will get a chance to see my niece before she leaves out for her Dad's tomorrow. I am so, so thankful for the much needed alone time I get with Steph tomorrow. I am thankful that I finally got one of these anitbodies to work for an IHC stain this week and I know you have no idea what that means, but I don't care. I'm thankful anyway. Hope everyone has such a wonderful weekend and Thankful Friday.

Wait! Third Story: John says something about me wearing leggings. I tell him he's lucky I'm wearing pants. The end.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Remember how I was going on about how fast the year was moving by? Well..it seems that December has brought things to a screeching halt. This of course has it's good and bad sides. The good being that things have slowed down, the bad being that the slow down has just allowed us to pile more work onto our plates so that we don't have time to enjoy the slow down. So today I am truly thankful that it is Friday and that we have no obligations this weekend. There's an Indie Craft Bizarre I want to go to tomorrow and the Farmer's Market and the usual grocery shopping/laundry chores. But that's it. Which is good because we have got to finish up the Christmas cards and get them in the mail. I think they're better then last year's guys, which means we're screwed for next year. Oh well...we have a whole year to think of something. And I feel that this entry has gotten carried away and has turned into a "what I've had for dinner" entry.

OK, so I am thankful for the strength to just be able to get out of bed today. I am thankful for the light work load that I have for today. I am even thankful for the departmental Christmas party that I have to attend this afternoon. Have a wonderful day and a grand weekend.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Many months ago I stopped wearing a watch. Up to that moment, I had worn a watch every day since the day I had learn to tell time. I let time rule and I would check my wrist a million times a day. When I started this job, constantly checking the time began to lead to panic attacks. I would worry and stress that I wouldn't be able to finish my work in time to be out to go teach my classes. So one day I said "enough" and I took the watch off. It hasn't made my job easier, but it has lessened the stress and panic of the job. These days it seems to be the calendar that's causing the panic. I have a French Phrase-a-day calendar on my desk at work and every day I pull a page off, I stop and try to remember what exactly I did the day before. 2010 was one big flip over into December. And this is were it seems that things are finally going to slow down. I feel like I've finally had a week that didn't just fly by and I am thankful for this. I am thankful for the chance to catch my breath and to feel more like I'm ahead of the game as opposed to just keeping up.

December is one of the socially busiest seasons of the year for many of us. There will be lots of running from here to there and frantic this and that. But always, always, always there are those moments where time seems to hover in one place and you look around you and really see the smiling faces of your friends and loved ones in that moment. You really hear the laughter, feel the warmth and love. I am thankful for these moments when time stands still.

Have a great weekend!

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I can't even believe how this year just flew by and here we are again, scrambling around with all the hustle and bustle of the on coming social obligations and general anxious buzz of a new year about to begin. Next Thursday, Chris and I will sit down with family as many of you will also do and take time to be thankful. Thinking about it now seems a little silly to me. After spending over a year of taking a moment each week to be thankful for something (anything), makes one day out the year for thankfulness seem minuscule. Now I'm just more thankful for the excuse of Thanksgiving to sit down to have a nice meal with my family. This time of year also tends to make jittery. I start fretting about things I haven't done yet or the things that I will need to do. I get that clenchy stomach feeling and Chris starts asking me "what's wrong?" all the time. I begin to struggle. All of this is what makes these Thankful Friday entries so damn important. It forces me to stop and be mindful. It forces me to be thankful for this present moment. Over the last few days and next following weeks, my meditation mantra has been and will be "I will find contentment and peace in this present moment". And this is what I am thankful for today.

That and the possibility of licking David Sedaris on the face when I meet him at his book signing tonight.

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

I'm sitting here today asking myself "what am I thankful for today?'. And I'm not really sure. I suppose I'm thankful that I came to my senses and didn't wear that sweater with the ginormous turtle neck that I had started to wear this morning. That thing would have driven me crazy all day. It's the simple things really. Last night, on the drive out to the lake studio to teach my class, I looked a bit mopey. Chris asked me what was wrong, and I replied that I was just tired. We finally reached that area of the city were we can pick up the Spy and Cousins from Vampire Weekend was playing. Suddenly, I was on. That song always makes me want to dance like a fool. So I danced. In the car. Like a crazy person. And I was happy. I got to work this morning to hear John grumbling about Max's poor attitude and I thought about the salt cleanse. I remembered that song from yesterday and plugged the earphones into the iPod. While I looked at mice prostate samples on the microscope, I danced. I sang. I found peace and joy in my present moment. So today, I am thankful for the music in my life that brings me joy, that moves me to dance and that can even bring me to tears. I am thankful for all the years that music has been an influence in my life and being able to associate a certain memory to a certain song. I am thankful for the smile those songs bring to my face.

Be thankful for the music and dance like a fool.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Chris and I are taking next week off for a staycation. I'll still be teaching my classes, just no real work. I am so excited that I don't even care how bogged down I am at work or how much extra work was piled on me at the last minute (my punishment for daring to take time off). Because my vacation starts tonight. First off is Misti's totally 80s birthday party. We are all so giddy with excitement, we can barely stand it. Then there's concert ticket to be purchased and trick-or-treating to be done. Chris booked us a night at the Lincoln Log Cabin Inn (old Route 66 throwback) and I'm planning a haircut and massage. We also plan on doing a bunch of cleaning and cleaning out.

So, I am thankful for time today. Time with Chris. Time with friends and time for myself.

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

First on my thankful list for this week is my pal Talaura. Today is her birthday and I'm thankful that she survived another year to celebrate. I am also thankful that she was able to so quickly find a new apartment, which she will begin moving into today. It's like she got a new apartment for her birthday. Any way, we all love Talaura and we all wish her nothing but rainbows and unicorns on any given day, but double that for today. It feels like I was just writing an entry for Thankful Friday. This week has been a blink and there were some days that left me feeling like I had survived multiple disasters. My normal routine has been a bit sketchy and my meditation practice has been more of a "trying not to fall asleep" practice. This morning's practice started out as more of the same with my thoughts ricocheting around from this to that to the negative energy I'm surrounded by eight hours every day. Then suddenly I remembered the dream I had last night where I rented a kayak and paddled off into the sunset. It felt like this wave hit me and I thought "Holy Crap! I can totally do this". And I'm thankful that I received that moment when I felt I needed most.

I am thankful for the whirlwind of the season that kicks off with this weekend's Ghoul's Gone Wild Parade and Misti's annual Whores and Smores Party. It's Zoom zoom from here on out. Some times I think about it all and get tired, but then I get excited because we just have so much fun. I am thankful for this.

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

It's been really hard lately to not just be thankful that it's Friday. The weather changed topped off with the sun setting earlier and earlier has made my body start to crave sleep. I feel like I have bribed myself out of bed every morning this week with promises of naps when I get home and sleeping in on Saturday. If I can just make it to Friday has become the new mantra. But it has never been the intention of Friday's post to praise the upcoming weekend. While I am thankful for the promise of some extra sleep, I am even more thankful for the simple act of getting out of bed everyday. I am thankful for the walks I take every day with my friends at work. I am thankful for the hot rice cereal I eat for breakfast every morning and the strawberries and bananas that I top it with. I am thankful for those moments when I don't have to worry about making dinner when I get home form a long day. I am thankful for the people in my life who, through a simple act, can help me make it through a day. I am thankful for my sense of humor.

The routine is very important to me, but it's easy to get stuck in the loop of work, teach, eat, sleep. It's easy to forget to pay attention to the things that happen in between all of that. And that is the true intention of Friday's entries. Have a wonderful weekend and a very thankful Friday.

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

Last week I parked my scooter and even considered covering it up for the winter. It has just been too cold in the mornings for me to ride. But today, they are expecting above normal temperatures and I am riding my scooter to work. Perfect end to a not so perfect week. Riding in to work hasn't been too bad though. It's given Chris the gumption to get up and back to the gym and join my Thursday night yoga class. This is something that not only am I thankful for, but makes me happy. I have lots of plans for the weekend that I probably should share with Chris, but haven't. I want to go to the Farmer's Market, work in the garden, and make cheese, this on top of all the usual chores of laundry, grocery shopping, and cleaning house. My biggest plan though is to take a nap at least once a day over the weekend.

Of course I am always thankful for the usual. I am thankful for you. Have a wonderful weekend!

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

Yesterday, I rushed around working through lunch in order to get things to a stopping point by four o'clock so that I could attend seminar. I am so thankful that I was able to go. I had the pleasure of hearing Felice Frankel speak about what is the best way to express your data in a more communicable way. I was mesmerized by the images she had taken for her new book and images that would become covers for Science. She talked about how our ideas need to be expressed visually in a way that non-science people could understand and that in order to do this we needed input from all kinds of disciplines. It was like sitting in on an Interdisciplinary class at USAO. It was made me feel like my old self again, particularly when she said that we have to make science fun. I am thankful that I made it to her seminar. I am thankful for many other things today like Chris joining me in yoga yesterday and riding the scooter. I am thankful for the promise of a relaxed weekend, maybe a bottle of wine or some cider. I am thankful that my family and friends are safe and sound even though these past few weeks have been a bit of a trial for many of them. Remember, there's always a silver lining.

Have a great weekend!

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

Do you hear that? No? That's the sound of me breathing through both sides of my nose. Finally, after two weeks this crud seems to be breaking up and moving on out. The cough still lingers, but that seems to be the thing with coughs. I am thankful to finally be feeling well. Stars have collided in the past few months and I have not been able to get down to Norman for a yoga class. I am thankful that Saturday is free and open and that I feel well enough to attend a class. Since the weekend seems to be so obligation free, I am also thinking about making cheese. We'll see. I've been sending out my CV to various places over the last few weeks. There's no news yet on anything other then one email of "thanks but no thanks, you live to far away to consider". I remember the last time I went through the job search exercise. I would send my CV out and hear nothing. NOTHING. This time around, I've received some sort of notice stating that they are currently reviewing all the applications and they'll let you know one way or the other about the job. I am so thankful for these emails. It takes a lot of the guess work out of the process and they've been helpful in letting me know when and if I should apply elsewhere.

What else? I am thankful to be here, right now, in this moment. Have a wonderful weekend!

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

I had written this whole paragraph of blah and then I deleted it all. It was about how the week dragged on and blerg and blah and more blah and I just felt myself slipping into old cranky habits. So I deleted it. All things should be this easy. Bad day? Delete it. Shoes rubbed a blister and you put a whole in your favorite pair of pants? Delete it. I am thankful that each day I get is a chance to delete the previous crappy day. I am thankful for the usual stuff today. It's Friday. I have a great husband, an awesome dog (I just taught him the down command and falls down like he's been shot-Love it!), and a great supportive family. I am thankful for the donations I've already received for the AIDS walk (you can still give). You guys are awesome! This weekend we plan on surrounding ourselves with great supportive friends. All is good. I did not watch TV with my cereal this morning and even NPR got moved over to the local oldies station and John Lennon was singing this. I don't think it could have been any more appropriate.

Have a great weekend.