Sucking It Up

One of the most endearing attributes any of my friends could have is the ability to suck it up. Let me explain - no there is too much, let me sum up. (name the movie)

Emily is a friend who used to live in SLC, but since moved to NC. I loved her ability to always suck it up and give anything a try at least once. A couple of summers ago she came and stayed with me, I had two tickets to the Warped Tour and asked her to come along. Em is no fan of punk music, but she figured it would be an interesting thing to experience and agreed to go. It was mid-summer in SLC, really hot and dusty and the show was all day outside. They actually had fire hoses they would spray on the crowds to keep people from heat stroke. I have to thank dear Sean for getting us the VIP passes so we could go in one of AC buildings. Emily not only went and didn't complain, but half way through the day she said, "You know, when we first got here all the bands sounded the same, but now I'm hearing a difference and can tell I like some styles better than others." I love that about Emily. She didn't just go, but made an effort to enjoy something completely different than what she would normally enjoy. I'm guessing she'll never leave her country roots and get into punk, and she may turn down the opportunity to see another show, but I totally appreciate that she went with the attitude of just experiencing it for what it was and not complaining. This is a quality I strive for. Em is a good example.

Today, the suck it up award goes to Ali. My plans for today (Memorial Day) changed a bunch of times. Originally, we were going to spend the night at Michael's cabin then do the Tour de Coalville on our bikes today. Micheal had some unexpected things come up last minute so we had to postpone. Plan B: Ali and some of her friends were going hiking in the early afternoon. At hike time, it was raining pretty hard so they canceled and opted to go to Chili's for lunch instead. That just wasn't a good trade off for me so I stayed home determed to get some kind of physical activity in today.

I was too late for any of the morning Bikram classes. I was feeling my only option was the treadmill. I changed my clothes but just couldn't bring myself to exercise in my house. So I called Ali at the restaurant and told her if she still wanted to hike, I'd be up for getting muddy and wet to do it. Good ol' Al ditched her friends to go with me. I chose one of the upper trails in Millcreek which turned out to have a good deal of snow to hike through. Al was a sport. Let me just say here that Alison is probably the happiest and kindest person I know, which probably contributes to her suck-it-up ability. We had a great time. It was muddy, wet and chilly. The weather wasn't too bad for most of the hike, but while we were coming down, it started rain/hail/sleeting. Toward the end, I was cold and wet and had just about reached the end of my suck it up threshold. Al just started laughing at how ridiculous it was we were out hiking in the weather. Then we took a moment to just stand there and watch the rain pelting down with the clouds moving across the mountains. It was beautiful. I was glad I was there and with someone who could help me enjoy it even in slightly miserable circumstances. Thanks Al- you're the best!

The Not-So-Newly-Remodeled Kitchen

I redid my kitchen a year and a half ago. I really needed new appliances but kept spending my money on other things (trips and such). This month I finally got it in my budget to get the appliances and finish the job. Here's a photo.

It really made a difference. I have a new black fridge too, much more energy effecient than that old beast that had been around for decades. I like the final look. Maybe it will make me want to cook more... then again, maybe not.

Something to think about

Well maybe the fountain worked. I totally got hit on by this cute young kid last night. Too bad my cougar days are behind me. Tempting (I mean flattering) though. :)

Feng Shui and Other Silly Stuff

When I was redectorating my condo, a friend gave me a book about Feng Shui. A lot of it I really like, for example, putting all five elements in a room to make it feel balanced. There is also the more "woo woo" side of it. As many of you know, I'm open to the "woo woo", with some reservations.

In Feng Shui each part of your house/room holds a different energy representing different parts of your life. Putting specific things in those areas will, theorically, increase that aspect of your life. After I was done redecorating my condo, I realized there was a dying plant in my Love and Marriage Corner (it was alive right after the redecortaing but, with my brown thumb, it didn't look healthy for too long). I wasn't really buying into that creating dead energy in my love life and I didn't move it. But the idea was always in the back of my head.

One Friday I was shopping and decided to buy a new plant for the corner. It was lush and beautiful. Coincidentally, by the end of the weekend, I had three dates for the next week. I was sold on the whole Love and Marriage corner thing. About six months later, I was in an unhealthy relationship and, wouldn't you know it, the plant wasn't looking so good either. I ended the relationship and found great satisfaction in cutting up the dead plant to symbollicly get rid of his energy.

As a girl with a seriously brown thumb, I decided maybe a plant in the Love and Marriage corner (or really anywhere) was a bad idea. So I went with candles. A little romance, a little heat-- not bad things for a relationship. It hasn't served me too well. Back to the balance part of Feng Shui, the room is red and the fireplace is in that corner, so candles really put the fire element over the top. Plus someone told me unless they are beeswax or soy, they are toxic- nice. I've thought about putting a water element there to balance the room. I was told that I need some flowing energy for my love life. So I bought a little fountain for the corner and have spent months trying to find a stand for it. This weekend I finally got it all together. Here's what it looks like. (The colors aren't really true to life in this photo.)

It's not really what I was wanting. The motor on the fountain is louder than that water flowing. Also, the stand isn't really what I want. I decided I'm going to let it be for a while and see if it grows on me (which is really funny because that has been my attitude toward a lot of guys I've dated.) We'll see what it does for 1) the love life; and 2) the balance in the room.

Happiness

Wow, I L-O-V-E my road bike. I've been waiting all week for Saturday to get here so I'd have time for a ride. I'd actually been fantasizing about that little click when my shoe connects to the pedal. Although this morning I just wasn't feeling it. I had all that girly stuff going on that just made me want to sit in front of the TV all day watching B movies. But I couldn't look forward to it all week and then wimp out because of stupid cramps. (Is that TMI?)

That little click of my shoe was all I needed to change my mood. Funny how satisfying it is. I rode from my house to the top of City Creek, which on my mountain bike (now referred to as The Tank) would be end of summer fitness level. I've been a little awkward thus far with the transition from my old bike, but the whole road bike thing made sense today and seemed much more natural. For the first time I wasn't getting passed by everyone, which really made me happy.

The weather was perfect and when I started coming down I had a hard time not singing some Boingo at the top of my lungs with my ipod. I was tired at the top of the canyon but by the time I got back to my house, I wanted to keep riding. Yes, I think I'm going to like the road biking. Honestly, I can't imaging feeling any happier than that. (Is that weird? I feel kind of selfish that a couple of hours on my bike by myself is so satisfying.) It's going to be a good summer.