Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock...

This is probably more a request for prayers than a plain ol' blog entry. I am in the process of studying for my doctoral comprehensive general exams. They are next week, 9/4-6...4th is foreign language diction testing, 5th is song and operatic literature, and the 6th day is for my minor area of linguistics. I have pretty much all of the information I'm going to compile stuffed into one big fat notebook, and from time to time, I'll actually look at it and study.

The remainder of my time is being spent on a paper that is to be written in lieu of a linguistics exam on the third day. It needs to be submitted by/on Saturday, 9/1...though my professor would probably be more appreciative if it found its way to him on Friday instead.

So here's the "issue" for me...So far, the minor area linguistics paper has come out of my head...very little research (though there has been some, and those few sources will be cited, of course) other than checking my textbooks/notes/etc. to verify correct terms, to spur example ideas, etc. He's given me a lot of wiggle room, but as a result I'm feeling quite tentative and not sure what I'm supposed to do if I have few outside sources and research other than my textbooks and notes, especially considering this is supposed to be representative of doctoral level work. So, I'm a little bit afraid right now that my general knowledge on paper won't be adequate, and my professor (though he's really a nice man and wouldn't purposefully require additional work just for his own amusement) will require some down and dirty research to substantiate my knowledge that will need to be done in the last few days that I am hoping to use for concentrated preparation for the other exams.

Anyway, please say little prayers for my paper, for my studies, and for my exams. I'm going to need them at this point. Thank you SO much...and God bless you!!

Doing My Part for the Blog-Go-Round

“Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings,
these are a few of my favorite things”

(Funny, but my first non-paid "professional" musical experience
was a result of auditioning with the song "My Favorite Things". :)
I was the only child in the adults' chorus of HCLO's Brigadoon.)

Sound - my cats purring or my husband laughing
Late night snack - anything mushy/carby like StoveTop stuffing or pudding
Smell - something baked with cinnamon
Color combination - red and black
Nut - pine nuts
Time of the year - early spring or late fall
Author - don't have one
Books - Memoirs of a Geisha, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter's
Vegetable - Cauliflower
Male Actor - Anthony Hopkins
Flower - the palest pink roses
Vacation spot - what does "vacation" mean?
Pizza - thin crust anything from Pizza Hut
Sport to play - racquetball
Subject in school - anything besides history
TV channel - any channel currently playing CSI: Las Vegas
Radio station - anything playing soft rock or classic rock
Holiday - Christmas
Perfume - Chanel No.5
Shoes - lately, my Crocs, but I definitely prefer my feet bare
Candy - chocolate caramel turtles
City to shop - New York City
Female actress - Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts
Beauty products - mostly Mary Kay
Item to shop for - beads & findings to make jewelry

Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes

I have recently adopted the practice of counting Weight Watchers points. I'm doing pretty well, I think. After following the plan for about a month, I'm down 12 pounds. I believe in my heart and head that this is a plan I can stick with. This is a "good thing", Martha.

As a part of my grand plan, I have added the counter to the top of my blog to post my progress. As you can see, I have quite a ways to go. (It's amazing how the pounds can find you when you're not looking for them...sleeping must cause weight gain.) I guess posting my progress is falling under the 'accountability' category.

Surely you've heard the same story as mine...I was big all my life, yo-yo'd for years, and gained more weight each time. I was tired of having trouble moving, tired of settling for whatever fit instead of something really cute, tired of skipping social events in favor of watching TV, and tired of being tired all the time. I knew that something had to change, and I knew I'd better do it soon before I was confronted with some major health issue that required a change. (At present, I am SO grateful to be able to say that I have no malady for which medication is necessary.) The catalyst for my change was probably a combination of feeling icky and depressed and seeing recent pictures of myself next to thinner people...I just had no idea I was THAT big...my mind thought my body was smaller than it actually is....soon to be "was".

This is not a commercial for Weight Watchers. I believe that if something works for you, then it works, and no one single plan is for everyone. For me, though, I love the fact that I can eat whatever I want within certain parameters. (And I'm ever thankful for Slim-A-Bear's!) I'm finding, however, that instead of gorging myself on the usual junk til my points are gone, I'm making better choices...eating healthier options, getting 4-5 servings of fruits/veggies in a day - something I NEVER did before, drinking my water, staying within my points, moving more, not using my activity points most days, and choosing wisely how I'm going to use my flex points, if I use them at all. This is not the old me anymore. There's this, well, it's almost a fear of eating poorly again. The best part is that I can see myself thinner and healthier down the road, and I feel my confidence creeping back in.

So, enough of this. I mainly just wanted to explain the counter. Please keep me in your prayers, though. I've been blessed with generally pretty good health so far, despite my weight, and I hope and pray it stays that way years from now because of the choices I'm making now.

Knock, Knock...Who's There?

We had an interesting night last night. In fact, we've been having interesting nights randomly for the past few months.

Background...We have three cats, and apparently they are making "friends" we don't approve of. They like to fight each other through the windows, and this includes knocks and bangs from both sides of the window as well as lots of growling, hissing and screaming that, at 3:00a.m., frankly, scares the poot out of me when I'm in a dead sleep.

Well, last night, the visitor arrived while my husband was just about to go to sleep. (I was still up cleaning the kitchen if memory serves.) All of a sudden, I hear this loud thump and the sound of breaking glass! I quietly stick my head in the bedroom, hoping it's coming from another apartment, but no. I find my husband hanging halfway out of the bed looking towards the window.

You see, it's been our practice to slap or knock on the window to scare the visiting cat away, but this time the window had had enough. Yep, my husband broke the window. This precipitated a big clean-up and window-taping session, and God only knows how long it took my husband to fall back asleep.

Thankfully, we were able to find someone to replace the glass today, but truthfully, a part of me would've loved to see the look on that stray cat's face when it jumped up on the layers of sticky-side-out packing tape that were there last night, and its paws were momentarily frozen in that "time to get frisked for doing something bad" pose.

Oh no! I'm "it"!

It seems that I've been 'tagged' and must answer the following "questions" with one word. This is my first list like this on my blog (Thanks Christie....) so here I go. (Don't panic. I won't be tagging anyone in return. :) )

Yourself: Content
Your partner: Stoic
Your hair: Plain
Your mother: Amazing
Your father: Cuddly
Your favorite item: Ring
Your dream last night: Absent
Your favorite drink: Margarita (I'm assuming alcoholic here...)
Your dream car: Fuel-efficient
Dream home: Built
The room you are in: Den
Your fear: Abandonment
What you are great at: Singing
Where you want to be in 10 years: Chez-moi
Who you hung out with last night: WalMart
You're not: Scratching
One of your wish list items: Diploma
The last thing you did: Read
You are wearing: Undies
Your favorite weather: Precipitous
Your favorite book: Memoirs...
Last thing you ate: Cake
Your life: Blessed
Your mood: Semi-frantic
Your best friend: Harvey
What are you thinking about right now: Saturday
Your car: Explorer
What are you doing at the moment: Proofreading
Relationship status: Married
What is on your t.v: Infomercial
When is the last time you laughed: Tonight