Bah Humbug....Halloween?

Tomorrow is Halloween and I am not enthusiastic at all. Probably the best adjective is "cynical," and I hate that. I blame it on the season of life that Skye and I are in. I finally got around to buying my pumpkins this week and don't even plan on carving them. I'll probably just continue to use them as fall decoration for Thanksgiving to extend their use.

We are saving money, so we don't want to go out and purchase Halloween costumes for fun. We feel a bit on the loser side because we weren't invited to any Halloween parties this year, so it doesn't matter anyways. Also, the majority of our friends have kids now, so they at least have the obligation of taking the kiddo's trick-or-treating that night. Therefore, we feel a tad left out there. So, I would say the best bet is to just stay home and hand out candy to the 3 kids that live in the neighborhood, trying to avoid the temptation of eating the remaining candy left in the bowl. YIKES!

The night won't be that bad.I must say, the one thing that I do look forward to on Halloween is the ritual of eating fish sticks and macaroni and cheese for dinner. My mom used to feed this to us, as kids, before we headed out to fill our treat bags. It's one of those comfort foods for me that puts a smile on my face. So, as I sit back an read my Stephanie Meyer vampire book "New Moon," I'll be wishing all you trick-or-treaters and Halloween lovers out there, have fun and be safe!

New Yorker essay by David Sedaris

Last Friday night, I took my husband to see David Sedaris perform at TPAC. Now, I haven't read his books, but I definitely became a fan that evening. He read a particular story that is featured in The New Yorker this week called "Undecided."
Below you will find the intro to the piece I am talking about and a link to read the whole essay.

"I don’t know that it was always this way, but, for as long as I can remember, just as we move into the final weeks of the Presidential campaign the focus shifts to the undecided voters. “Who are they?” the news anchors ask. “And how might they determine the outcome of this election?”

Then you’ll see this man or woman— someone, I always think, who looks very happy to be on TV. “Well, Charlie,” they say, “I’ve gone back and forth on the issues and whatnot, but I just can’t seem to make up my mind!” Some insist that there’s very little difference between candidate A and candidate B. Others claim that they’re with A on defense and health care but are leaning toward B when it comes to the economy.

I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention? To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?” To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked. I mean, really, what’s to be confused about?"

Click here to read the rest off the New Yorker's website. Enjoy and now GO VOTE!

Do Something That Scares You...

Monday mornings, it's a no brainer. We always have staff meetings and on the agenda my bosses always have an inspiring quote at the top of the page. Well today, we were charged with "Do something that scares you!" Well, as I sit here typing this new update, I'm icing my knee with frozen vegetables. You see, for a while now, I've been meaning to learn to ride my new road bike with clip-in pedals. I've used my clip-in shoes many times in spin class, but there's safety in that... umm, it's stationary. Tonight, I was determined that I would learn to clip in my right foot, pedal forward, and get enough momentum to clip in my left. It was recommended to me trying this out in the grass first, and I'm glad I did. I'm also quite sure it made it more difficult. You don't get enough speed or balance to really get going, but it does make for a softer fall. I'm sure my bruises tomorrow will hurt, but I did conquer getting on my bike about 3 times tonight. I feel like I'm seven years old all over again with the anxiety, the unsteadiness of the wheel and then of course, the pain and tears that came from falling. Now, you may ask what led up to this nervousness of this task...and the answer is quite simple: Everyone has told me horror stories of their first falls. "Oh, I smacked myself into the side of a truck!" or "I didn't even leave the driveway before falling." Great.....

So, I came to defeating this task by small baby steps. First off, I did a few 30 mile rides just to get used to my bike. I listened to words of encouragement that wearing these "super shoes" would make the ride much easier. After being convinced, I knew it was time to take it to the next level. I had my husband take off my old school pedals and replace them with clip-ins. I've looked at my bike every day for about two weeks and have simply walked away from it and found other things to do. So, today I took their advice and went for it. After many tries and much frustration, I did succeed a few times and then called it a night. Skye could tell that I was not going to quit until I figured it out. What did I achieve tonight? As Obama would say....a little thing called "Progress."