Friday Sale

Friday's Sale

Today is Friday and Amazon is having it's weekly Friday sale. My pick for the day: a children's heart pendant. Sure it's small, but it's cute and you could swap the necklace for a longer one.

Before y'all look at me (through the computer) like I'm crazy, this is appropriate for the blog because 1. when is jewelry not romantic and 2. the simplicity is cute and romantic on it's own. Now, I may make this a regular feature (like Jane Dough at Boston Gal's Open Wallet), but I'll only post relevant items.

Sunshine

OKMG 11

Yesterday, I was getting worried, because I didn't do anything for OKMG on Wednesday and I didn't do anything yesterday morning. So to combat that, I did a few things for her. I got home really late yesterday and T was hanging out with a friend (Hey Sara!)and she got home late, so I couldn't do anything that took a lot of time. I made her two origami things - a tulip and a shiny heart! (Shiny is good BTW, I like shiny - and glittery, too!) You can also see the swan that I made her the other day.


I bought T a coffee mug for her, since she's appropriated mine and I wanted it back. But I didn't give it to her until this morning and I surprised her when I did. I set out the mug, put a teabag (Earl Grey) and a note in it. She loved it. She actually said I should get 3 points for it (In Other Words: OKMG 11, 12, 13), but I'll give it just one - plus I don't want to confuse anyone. It looks like there's 4 mugs in this pic.



Sunshine

******
I'm trying this new way of posting what I did for OKMG. I think I like it better because it flows better and sounds more witty (of utmost importance to me!). Is it better than the Action/Response type post from before? Sun

Change is good!

Let me know what y'all think!

OKMG #10 and reverse OKMG

Action:

I made her dinner last night. Nothing special, but I did make these slammin' mashed sweet potatoes (OMG, they were good - the trick is cream cheese and brown sugar). Oh, and she really loves when I make her powdered ice tea (I know, I know, but the fake shit is the best!), so I made her some when she left the kitchen. It's always best out of the freezer when it's a bit slushy. When she came back, I poured my self some water and asked her to get me some ice and then she saw it. Later I made her some hot tea.

Response:

It's been a long time since I made her dinner (I've been very busy the last few months), so she was excited and happy about it. Plus, it's kind of hokey, but she loves when I make her ice tea and especially when I psyche her out like that!

*********************

Reverse OKMG

(This is a bit racey, so I will give you the Reader's Digest version.)

Action:

She bought a *ahem* movie.

Response:

We watched it. It was good (although we did not watch it for content) and the outcome was better. ;-)

Sunshine

OKMG #9 - Minor maneuverings

Actions:

I prepped some of her lunch (um, ok, so I washed some grapes and packed them in a plastic container) last night. I texted her "Good morning Sunshine" late morning.

Response:

Got a "Thank you" for them both, but that's OK. They weren't much anyway. However, they let her know that I care.

Well, we had some other *ahem* "action" going on last night and I stayed up for that. But those things are touch and go (literally - Ha!), it's good for the feeling it creates, if achieved properly, but I'm not sure it counts as OKMG, because that stuff is sort of expected, no? (I would consider it OKMG, because we were having problems with that previously, we don't see each other much, I stayed awake, and - here's the kicker- did a good job!) What do y'all think?

On another note, I believe that T is surprising me with something today, so reverse OKMG. I'll give y'all the scoop tomorrow.

Sunshine

****************************************

This doesn't fit above, but I don't want to give it another post. I wanted to share this anecdote with y'all. How do you know when you're a grad student? When you say things like "nexus" and you're not referring to hair products. Case in point - I said the other day "the living room is the nexus of our house" and didn't even bat an eyelash, until my buddy (who's in class with me) pointed it out. In her words, "Who the hell says 'nexus' when referring to the living room? Huh?"

Sun...

OKMG #8 - Smooches!

Action:

I wrote on the mirror in lipstick! I was gonna do it the other day, but I forgot (and kept forgetting, BTW).

Say Hello! to T's arm!

Response:

It's funny, I've done this once before and I surprised her. She goes to the bathroom and heads straight for the toilet (Oh shush! Y'all do the same thing!) So even if she puts the light on, she doesn't check the mirror - one goal in mind first thing in the AM. So, I have to prompt her to check the mirror. This morning was no different. I got a "Hey!" I wish I could have recorded a sound bite because it was really cute.

Just so y'all know, OKMG is successful so far. So much so, that our friends (Love you Tina!) don't think we are breaking up - something about how our relationship is not dysfunctional, but our breakups are. I don't care, I'd rather be known for dysfunctional breakups than a dysfunctional relationship. Wouldn't you agree?

Sunshine

PS I'm going to add the tips to the side bar (with credits!), but I'm not sure how to do it, or in what format. Any ideas?

OKMG #7 -- Happy New Year!

Action:

T was having a way icky day. So, when she got home yesterday, I filled up the bath for her, made some tea, and cut up some apples and honey (Happy New Year - La Shanah Tovah Tiki Tavu everyone!). I surprised her by undressing her and directing her to the bathroom for her bath (she thought we were showering). I had some candles lit, to create ambiance... I joined her and we both had tea. I had prepared the apples and honey for New Year's, but I put a new twist on it by feeding it to her. (I also made her cream of wheat for breakfast again, which she loved, but I don't think that deserves an extra post.)

Response:

She was surprised and it made her feel good. She wasn't going to have the apples and honey (She's got a lot of shit going on, what's to celebrate for?), but I convinced her. While I was feeding the apples to her, she remarked that it was an interesting take on strawberries and whipped cream (Is that sacrilegious?).

I done did good!

Sunshine

OKMG #6

Action:

I told her I didn't want her to move out - heartfelt, of course. That I hope we can work it out.

Response:

She's still moving out (variety of reasons, although I did finangle one more week out of her), but it let her know that I was thinking about her and that I really want her to stay. I don't normally tell her those things and she's the one who tells me things like that. She got all mushy!

Sunshine

PS. I like blogging about this because it almost forces me to think about what I'm going to do, so I can write about it. No, I don't just do it to write about it, but it's a nice push for me.

Thanks again everyone for the tips, please keep them coming and spread the word!

OKMG #5

Action:

I made her some food Sat night. She's been icky and her tummy's been awful and she won't eat. So, I made her some cream of wheat (one of her favorite things I make).

Response:

She was very happy that I made it. Let her know that I was concerned for her. Plus, it was really tasty.

Thanks!

Just a quick note to thank everyone who has dropped by with tips. When I have more time, I'll list everyone with links, but for now: Feisty Red, di, H, Jacq, S Valetine King!

The tips are greatly appreciated and will be put to good use.

Also thanks to Steve for the well wishes!

Sunshine

OKMG #4

Action:

I made T an origami paper crane because I was out so late studying.

Response:

Loved it!

This actually deserves an explanation because it shows two things.

1. Perhaps I should have been at home spending more time with her instead of making paper cranes (and not studying). Seriously, it took me a friggin hour to find a suitable diagram for something origami (ssh! Don't tell her, she'll get mad.). I would think being home together would be more romantic than a gift. But, she really likes those well-thought out gifts, so it's probably OK. Which leads me to point 2.

2. She asked me if I made it so that she could think of me every time she looked at it. I, of course, said no. (I actually made it so she would know I was thinking about her.). My point, and I do have one, is that I, obviously, haven't learned enough yet, and the answer to that question should have been a resounding YES! Lord, I have lots to learn.

OKMG may also have hit a snag. We got into a mini - fight last night. Nothing too dramatic, but I apparently haven't learned the notion of equality and that hypocriticism and double-standards should not be the norm. I also need to learn about really thinking through with my actions.

OKMG stands to not only be a great tactical maneuvering (yayuh!), but a lesson about my self and (GODDAMN) self- awareness.

FUCK

Sunshine

OKMG #3

Action:

She met me for lunch today and I made her some tea. She asked me to make it, but, but, but, I was going to make it anyway! Then, after lunch, I made her some more for the road. (It's kind of funny. We'll do lunch and we invariably meet someone we know. When we tell them we're separating, they always look confused - "um, why are y'all hanging out and stuff?")

Response:

She was happy. She told me she likes getting this attention.

It's not that hard to do little stuff and let her know that she's a priority in my life. Makes me wonder why I didn't do it before...

Oh, and thanks folks for the tips. Keep 'em comin!

Sunshine

Operation KMG #2

Action:

I sent her a text message "Good Morning Sunshine." For some reason, she really loves it when I do that and I used to do it all the time. Personally, I think it's hilarious that people say that. (Little tidbit of random info. I never got the significance of that phrase, b/c, I mean, hello, that's my name. Only after T pointed it out to me, did I get it.)

Response:

She got all warm and fuzzy. She said it reminded her of old times when I would wake her up every morning with a text like that.

For the purposes of full disclosure, I actually was going to write her a hand written (redundant, I know) note, but I forgot. The advantages of technology...

Shout out to Feisty Red for the tips! She's on the ball, so what's up with everybody else? Hmm?

Sunshine

****For background on OKMG, see here.****

OKMG #1

Action:

Last night, I bought some roses from a guy on the street. (She really thinks that stuff is sweet, but I think the roses are poor quality, which is why I never buy them. In addition to the low money factor.) I wanted to wait until we were alone, so I stuck them in our plants outside. A few hours later, I told T that the plants had knocked over and could she please go fix them. It took her a minute, but she found them.

Response:

She was surprised and a bit mushy (not crying, but you know that feeling when you get all lovey-dovey and go "Aw, that's so sweet," and really mean it - that's what she was feeling.)

It's not much, but, like I said, her standards are really low - my fault, I know.

Sunshine

****For background on OKMG, see here.****

Theme-tastic - OKMG

OK, I've decided that I need a theme for this blog - more than just "bits and pieces about my life".

Claire & Lara's travel blog idea is out because, well, I don't travel right now and how interesting is a blog about wanting to travel?

A personal Finance blog is out because mine are in shambles and, while I find talking and reading about money immensely interesting, the rest of the internet-addicted world may not.

I love reading about celebrities, but I don't want to write about them and there are so many celebrity blogs that are already good (Pink is the new blog - Heeey!).

I thought about doing a blog that details my trials and tribulations of Grad school, which has the potential to be very interesting. However, I am not sure that I want to discuss my troubles with Anthropological studies. While people actually commented on my only Anthro related post, I don't think people will be that interested in the actual subject material over the long term.

I could do a Crunchtastic blog, but I'm not that committed to that yet.

I'm leaning towards NYCRouge goal of OFAG (Operation Find A Girlfriend). Her blog is only tangentially about that, but she is succeeding BTW. Mine, of course, would be OKMG/F/W (Operation Keep My Girlfriend/Fiance/Wife), OKMG for short. And, if all else fails, I can change the blog to OGOG (Operation Get Over Girlfriend ) and then to OFAG, which would have the double meaning of Girlfriend/Guy (to really confuse people, remember, though, bisexuality), but, hopefully, I won't have to do that.

So, here's where I need help. My actual practice of romantic is ... nonexistent (relatively). Any ideas as to what I can do to execute OKMG would be appreciated. It is worth mentioning that I have forced T's standard extremely low, so anything could potentially be romantic.

I have some parameters:

1. Obviously it has to be romantic - DUH!
2. Cheap/low-cost ideas will be greatly valued.
3. Ideas that seem well-thought out but involve little time will also be greatly appreciated.

Please leave your comments here and spread the word.

Sunshine

I'm a survivor...

In case you haven't noticed I put up this nifty countdown - thing on my sidebar. I'm moving it to this post (because change is good). Next year will be my ten year anniversary of being cancer free. That is big - HUGE - because I'm a survivor... (I can't say that without thinking about this song.)





I don't really need to go into many details, but I'll tell a bit. I was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer when I was 18. I had the surgery, had radiation (NOT chemo), and was done in a summer. I have to take medicine every day. I have a bitchin' scar on my neck that looks like a necklace. I don't have any pictures or I'd post.

Well, so there you have it!

Whoa!

I promise that I will have something to say soon. I also promise that I haven't been copying Claire & Lara over at Tripping on Words with their recent video postings. I've just been busy.

Check out this cool commercial regarding solar energy. I mean, like, whoa! (Channeling my inner Joey Lawrence.)



Sunshine

Whitney tells Bobby to get the F^ck out!

I know I'm not supposed to care, but, c'mon, I've been waiting for this moment forever.

Can I get a Halleleujah and a big AMEN to the breakup of Whitney and Bobby? It's been everywhere, but Trent over at Pink is the New Blog says it the best. Go check it out. He's got this cool pic of Whitney dancing, but I couldn't figure out a way to upload it.

Sunshine

***Personal Finance Alert***

I really have to make an effort sometimes not to post PF stuff here, since that's not the scope of this blog. However, JLP of AllFinancialMatters wrote a how to post for everything related to personal finance from buying a car to 401k's to debt reduction to investing to - you get the idea, so I decided to put this up. I really think y'all should check it out because you might find something in there that could help you.

Thanks!

Sunshine

Cute kitty

I just have a minute, but I wanted to leave something cute, especially since my last two posts have been a bit icky. (I'm working on getting back to my irreverent, funny, slightly witty self.) So, check this little guy out.

I am so sad right now that I'm not sure what to say. This will be a brief post (can't get all emotional at work, can I?).

So, T and I are getting a 'divorce' and she's moving out at the end of this month. We decided this because of our inherent differences in how we approach relationships. We still love each other and, as such, we are being very amicable about it. We're retaining joint custody of the 'kids'. Poor dears, they're going to get shuttled from one house to another.



In case anyone wants to know, it's been five and a half years.

Well, so that's that.

Sunshine

Rantings and ravings of a PMSing crazy chick

OK, I really don't feel like posting. "Why?" you say. Well, thanks for asking, let me tell you....

I've been sitting in the HOT SUN for hours in corduroy(!) pants and a long-sleeved (albeit white) shirt (Hello, this is S. Fla and it's freakin HOT!), I have a headache, I'm running on 1, maybe 2 hours sleep, oh, and did I mention the HOT SUN? I'm probably a little stinky, which, I don't usually mind, but not today when I'm wearing nice clothes. I'm still finishing my paper (final touches, but still) and I just want to lay down and sleep. I'm exhausted (HOT SUN, remember). I'm having relationship problems. My cousin (favorite) is having a sweet 16 party in NY next weekend and I didn't know about it, but I wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. I'm probably PMSing and my boobs hurt (sorry to my male readers). Did I mention those pesky, all-consuming relationship problems?

I need a DAMN HUG!

On the bright side, I called my father this weekend (working towards my goal of keeping in touch with the family). But even that was weird, he's become a born-again Christian (again) and he's all about God now. Which is actually not what I have a problem with (although I am a little concerned for the future and my bisexuality issue.), but I have to learn a whole new dialogue now. Also, my paper is actually pretty good and I don't have to do a presentation this week.

So, to quit my ranting/complaining, I leave you with this awesomely peaceful picture.




And for some 80's fun check out my MySpace page (Inspired by Karyn over at Pretty in the City.). **Update** I changed the song to reflect more of what I'm feeling right now.

Sunshine

Budget travel = crunchtastic?

After my post yesterday, I was wondering if travelers are crunchy? Not the types who stay in hotels; I'm talkin' about budget travelers, the type who stay in hostels and backpack around the world.

My bloggin' buddies, Claire & Lara*, who are staying at hotels, might fall into the category of budget travelers because they are getting a (mostly) subsidized ride for their stays. Are they crunchtastic? I don't think so, Claire's way too into face creams for that.

I know that when I travel, I'm crunchy, but that may be because I participate in crunchiness anyway. (Don't y'all love how I've come up with 3 different word for crunchy?)

*I told y'all that I would find a way to put you into a new post.

Sunshine

Ugh, I've been in the same chair for the past 4 hours, typing away, and MY ASS HURTS!

*I tried to find a not porn picture of an ass, like Forrest Gump's, but I couldn't.*

Burning Man is Crunchtastic!

I want to go to Burning Man! Get some info and check out the pics on their site. This year they're even going green by offsetting their carbon footprint (scroll all the way down.). Not sure when I'll be able to make it, but I want to go at some point.

My friend Swizzle (AKA Suzanne) has been before. I alluded to my crunchiness before, but I come nowhere near to Swizzle. She is the crunchiest person I know. She's the type of person who doesn't shave most of the time, train hops, hitch hikes (safely), lived in a commune, and - God bless her - doesn't wear deodorant. And you know what? I think THAT ROCKS. I do not aspire to be her, but I admire her. I love that she follows her own path and lives by a different beat. She is not, and probably will never be, part of the rat race of life. I mean, how cool is that? Every 6 months, her location changes (The last thing I knew, she was going to school in Miami, but now, she's in New England as part of a boat crew. Before that, she was in Alaska. We don't keep in touch all that often, but she sends e-mails).

Has anyone else been to Burning Man? Who out there is a Crunchtastic person?

Sunshine

Part 3: Random things about me

1. I question the existence of God.
2. I pray occasionally.
3. I think the sun's rays shining through the clouds are God shining on us.
4. 1-3 might make me a hypocrite, however, 'T' says I am not allowed to own my hypocriteness. (Say it with me: "I am not a hypocrite".)
5. I will figure out about God, religion, and spirituality in due time.
6. I believe in reincarnation.
7. I do not get polytheism.
8. One of my brothers is Wiccan.
9. I think that's cool.
10. The Christian right is neither.
11. I generally have a negative attitude towards Christianity.
12. This upsets me and I am actively trying to change this mindset.
13. I do not think I am pretty.
14. T thinks I am.
15. I love that.
16. I have a bangin' body, baby.
17. I think I am overweight.
18. 16 and 17 are not necessarily exclusive of each other.
19. I do not understand why they always go upstairs in scary movies.
20. I HATE scary movies.
21. The saying "This film has been modified from its original content to fit your TV screen" is a LIE.
22. I let the TV know this every time I see it.
23. T thinks I am crazy because of this.
24. T now tells the TV this with me.
25. I think this is hilarious.

I am updating the sidebar to create a section for this, since this seems to be an ongoing series.

Sunshine

Blood runs thick...

DAMNIT!

One of my best friends lost her mother yesterday and it was the anniversary of her girlfriend's father's death (got it?). I'm not really bummed about the loss, but more so for the hurt that my friends are going through. As 'T' says, that's the worst club in the world to be a member of ('T' is also a member - 2+ years ago T's mom died and it's coming up to her would be birthday.) It just sucks.

I am very blessed to have both of my parents and the majority of my extended family alive. However, I don't see/talk to them near as much. Example, my dad is in the process of going through a divorce and I haven't talked to him for months; my uncle, who is like a brother to me (same age), is having a baby in the next few months and I didn't find out about it until they were 4 months pregnant and, I found out they were having a boy on Myspace - Myspace for chrissake! I have a sister I have never talked to; and I have a nephew who is 1.5 years old and I've seen him once. Don't get me wrong, I am not blaming anybody but myself.

What does it take to pick up a phone and call somebody - to ask them how they're doing? Not much. And yet, here I am, writing on my blog instead of talking to them. It's commonplace in our family, this whole lack of communication thing. So much so that we joke about it - "Oh, you know, we're (savvysunshine's last name), and that's how we roll". We have a rule that you have to at least call someone on their birthday, but they can't get mad if you talk to them within a week, but if you don't call them for a month, they can be pissed, but they have to forgive you. WTF is that about? I have leeway not to call someone who is (supposed to be) near and dear to me?!?!

After T's mom died, I promised myself that I would cherish my mom and not take her for granted. Recently, she went through some heavy shit, where I was really concerned about losing her, and I promised myself again that I would not take her for granted. But now, I'm so concerned with the day to day quibbles, I rarely speak to her or have a deep conversation (to be fair, she makes this darn difficult) - superficiality is what it's all about.

Now, all this loss is making me think about my family again and where I would be without them. What does it take, y'all, to call, to write (e-mail), to just plain stay in touch. Sure, I have issues with some of these people (Gramma's not happy about the bisexuality thing), but that doesn't matter. I love these people and I need to stay in touch.

How does everyone else do it? Seriously, how do I go from not speaking to these people even once a year, to speaking with them once a month (my goal)?

Sunshine

PS: Please excuse me for any misspellings, poor grammar, and the like.

Pretzels and icing - God's gift?

I have a new obsession - pretzels and vanilla icing. Yup, y'all, I'm a weirdo (and no, I'm not pregnant). I mean, who looks at a pretzel and goes, "Hmm, I wonder if that will be good with vanilla icing"? Well, apparently, I do, because that's what I did. But, hello, you should try it, because it's good. Maybe a chocolate version would work for you.

I have a dilemma, though. I've gotten rid of 35 pounds in the last few years and I really don't want it back (Interjection - you only lose something - as in lost weight - that you want back.). I managed to do it by only changing my diet and not exercising. But, if I keep this up, I'm going to gain some of it back and then I'll have to exercise. I hate exercising. I really do. Plus, I don't hardly have enough time as it is, how can I fit in time for that. I know if I look at is as having fun and not a chore, I might want to do it more, but this revelation hasn't happened yet.

So, either the pretzels and icing go, or I get off my duff and exercise...

Sunshine

PS. I really hate proselytizing to people about the benefits of weight loss and how I did it, but, if anyone wants to know, please let me know and I'll do a post on it.