Just Call Me Wes

Remember the guy who videotaped a bag in American Beauty...

Ya - I feel like him today.

Why?

Well, after owning a sweet DSLR camera since Christmas and taking lessons, today I finally had a chance to bust that baby out and practice taking pictures. There's not much that I cared to photograph in my neighborhood.

So after walking around annoyed at the lack of photo-ops, I noticed a chip bag in the grass. Maybe it was the influence of Wes' character in American Beauty, but the bag called to me. Heck - at least I could practice Aperture.

So, the first picture I am officially sharing with the world is this shot of a chip bag:

I have a lot to learn, but with the upcoming adventures Joe and I are going on, there will be lots of chances to practice!

And I'll aim for some more exciting shots moving forward ;)

Born-Again Bookworm

I was a bookworm my entire childhood.

As a kid, I'd stay up past my bedtime - flashlight in hand and the covers over my head - as I sneaked chapter after chapter.

As a tween, when the rest of my class would get caught playing with their Tamagotchi pets under their desks, I would be caught with a paperback in hand.

As a teen, the number one priority when it came to choosing a new purse wasn't the color, style, or designer - it was whether it could successfully house at least one hardcover.

But when college arrived with its pages and pages of daily mandatory reading (ah, the joys of a Jesuit education), I stopped. I probably have more toes than books I chose to read during those four years.

I expected to pick it up again once I graduated, after-all, I now had the time to read for pleasure rather than reading books like this. But I didn't. For three more years I'd start a book every now and then, but rarely have the interest to actually finish one.

My excuse reasoning was this:

Why would I read books when I had my iPhone to play with? Or TMZ to read? Or TV to watch? Heck, with DVR, Netflix, and Hulu Plus - there's always something to watch. And watching is easier than reading. I don't have to think. If I do want to think, I can play my bubble game while I watch. I can't play my bubble game while reading a book. Plus, I'm exhausted. Life makes me tired. If I read then I'll just fall asleep.

But then came my honeymoon - and relaxing by the pool with a book in one hand and a frozen Mai Tai in the other sounded pretty fun. I had heard of a series called The Hunger Games, which seemed somewhat appealing, so I bought the first book and shoved it in my suitcase.

To my surprise, that book transformed me back into the ravenous reader I once was - I devoured page after page. In fact, when I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (multiple frozen Mai Tais will do that to you), I'd actually read a couple chapters before going back to bed.

Boy had I missed that feeling.

It didn't take me long to finish, and then I needed the sequel - stat! My poor husband drove me around the island searching for a bookstore until I found it - for $20. Though much cheaper on Amazon, I couldn't wait, and frugal Joe said he didn't mind me buying it (suurrree - but I didn't question it!).

After loving The Hunger Games so much, I started dabbling in other YA dystopian books. I found a few that I enjoyed, but I'd read them at a snail's pace.

I was back in "the real world" with my iPhone, TMZ, DVR, Netflix, Hulu Plus . . .

My brief stint as a born-again bookworm had passed.

I was better than I was in college, but not by much. People would refer to me as a reader and I'd feel like a fraud. And with all of my electronic distractions, I was starting to feel like I was going crazy (watching TV while playing the bubble game for hours a day will do that to you). My mind wouldn't stop. Frankly, it was making me depressed.

So last week I picked up a book and resolved to devote less time to bright colors on screens and more times to something that once was such a huge part of my life.

It took a little to get into, but last night I felt like that ravenous reader again. Mid-way through (The Maze Runner in case you are curious), I couldn't make myself stop. For two and a half hours, I was back to being that little girl in bed with the flashlight past her bedtime. When I finished, I couldn't wait to start the sequel.

It's one book, sure, but it feels different. I went to bed early to read, I actually read during daylight hours on the weekend, and I stayed up until midnight last night to finish it. That hasn't happened since The Hunger Games and, before that, since before college.

What a fool I have been to have given up something I love so much.

No longer.

Thanks The Maze Runner :)

Reporting Live From My New Computer

Four and a half years ago, the computer guy at Best Buy told me, "Once you go Mac you never go back."

What he failed to mention is that someday I'd be prepping for a cross-country move, unemployment, and four years of dental school tuition.

So what do I do when my poor Mac dies on me and I need a new computer?

I go back.

So here I am, reporting live from my new (PC) computer.

I'm not going to lie, it's a tough adjustment. Heck, my relationship with my Mac was longer than my relationship with my husband! But given that my new laptop was $379 versus $1,000 - I think I can get used to it.

Pros? The color scheme. Totes loving that there is a lot of pink on my screen right now. I also like how fast this computer is.

Oh! And I am allowed to name my computer. Say hello to Buffy.

I am really hating Windows 8 - it's too "smart" for it's own good, which ends up just making it stupid.

Or maybe I just don't want to admit that I have a lot of learning to do ;)

I'm Done Apologizing

I've realized that my original goal of daily blogging was a bit lofty for someone whose life is about a 2 out of 10 on the "exciting scale" most days.

For that reason, I'm going to stop apologizing when I take blogging breaks.

If you think about it, an apology is much more warranted if I write boring blog posts just so I can check "blogging" off of my daily to-do list. After-all, I'd hate to waste the time of my dear readers (all 2 of you).

My original point in daily blogging was so there would be consistency. I've read many-a-blog where the blogger took frequent long breaks between posts. I got tired of checking back to see if she had posted anything new, and would eventually stop trying.

But guess what?! There is this really handy gadget to the right of your screen that lets you subscribe to my blog! That's right - get auto-updated when I actually have something super exciting decently worthwhile to say!

You know you want to.

Just fill in your e-mail and press that "submit" button.
 
I promise this won't happen:

 

BECAUSE....... while things may be pretty boring in the Brier household right now - we have big changes and exciting events a-coming!

For example:

March 29: My last day of work!

March 30: Moving out of our apartment!

April 2 - 7: A trip to visit family and friends in Portland and Spokane!

April 26: Our road trip to Philly officially starts! We start off with a week in Southern California at the beach - Disneyland!!!!!! - and The Price is Right!

May: A month on the road! Stops like Vegas and Memphis, along with two weeks visiting Joe's family in Missouri!

June 1: Arrive in Philly and the start to a whole new chapter of our lives!


Yep - things are about to get real exciting :)

My First Diet-Versary

It's been one month since I started my diet.

Part of that month I was FANTASTIC - counting every calorie, working out, drinking tons of water.

But part of that month was Christmas - which meant eating (and drinking) more than any human being should. And not just for one day. For 10.

Despite being petrified about the damage I may have done during those 10 days, and figuring that the 5 since could in no way have made up for it, I stepped on the scale.

Imagine my SHOCK when I actually had LOST weight since the last time I weighed-in (the Friday before Christmas). I so did not deserve that - but I'll take it!

So my total pound droppage for this first month has been 7.4 pounds.*Woot Woot*

Not quite what my original goal was (10) - but given my little break, it was much better than I could have hoped.

Joe's also been making comments about how I look thinner - so that feels great :)

TGIF

Gotta love Fridays.

This particular Friday, I happen to be fighting off a cold, but at least now I have an excuse to spend my weekend alternating from my bed to the couch watching TV ;)

Of course my cold has to come at a time when I'm trying to get back in the groove with working out. Unlike other times I've gotten sick and abandoned a diet completely, I still plan to eat healthy. No more, "poor me, I'm sick pizza" (yes, that does exist).

I'm also in a particularly good mood because Joe and I have made some big decisions about our moving plans. Not only that, but FINALLY instead of worrying about how things will turn out, I am embracing the adventure of it. It helps to have an incredibly supportive family and husband.

And with that, I'll start planning our route to Philly on roadtrippers.com. Seriously - one of the coolest websites I've ever seen. You put in where you start, where you want to finish, and any points in between that you want to detour through. Then you can select different types of attractions, accommodations, etc. and they will pop up along your route.

My favorite attraction category? Oddball attractions.

World's largest ball of twine - we're coming for you.

New Beginnings

Well, hello there.

Remember me?

I'm the blogger who has abandoned blogging for 2 weeks. I'm also the dieter who has abandoned healthy eating and exercising for 2 weeks (fun fact: my diet was a mere 2 weeks old before put on pause, so I'm pretty sure I undid any progress).

Darn holidays.


But I am back and, in the spirit of new beginnings and resolutions, resolve to get back on the horse with both the blog and diet. I'm too afraid to weigh myself and assess the damage, so I'll probably hold off a week or so and give myself a chance to lose some of the holiday weight.

So what have I been up to besides pigging out and drinking myself silly?

Well, the Friday before Christmas Joe and I drove up to my parents' house (2 hours away) and we stayed there for Christmas. We had some great family get-togethers first at Joe's Aunt and Uncle's house Sunday for a Christmas lunch and then at my Grandma's that night for a Christmas dinner.

Monday was my birthday (yup, Christmas Eve baby here), so we did some fun things like target shooting (I am a wicked good shot - especially considering it was only my third time ever shooting a gun) and mini-golf. Although I didn't win mini-golf, I did get THREE holes in one (hole in ones? holes in ones?)!!!!

Christmas was great. I was really excited because I got this beauty from my parents:

*Side note* Joe and I signed up for photography lessons, so once I finish those you can expect many more photos on this blog :) *End of side note*

I had to work Wednesday - Friday, so it was back to reality for a few days. Then I got one more four day weekend. Yay!

This weekend has been very laid back. We had our first photography lesson Saturday morning and had some friends over for dinner that night. Besides that, we only left the apartment to see two movies (Les Mis and Django).

Today was particularly fun, as all I really did was lay in bed watching Gossip Girl (I am real late to that party. I watched the first episode the same day as the series finale last month). Netflix rated it a 4.9 out of 5 for me, and they were right on the money. I.am.addicted. Since copious amounts of alcohol have been enjoyed this weekend, poor Joe's been subjected to quite a few ramblings about Gossip Girl. Sorry hon!

On that topic, is it just me, or is Blake Lively completely annoying? Since I'm not a fan, I purposely didn't watch until now, but I'm glad the show is so fun I can get past her :)

Anyway, now that all two of my readers have been updated on my goings-on, I'll sign off.

Happy 2013!