Free CoffeeMate at PathMark this Week

These guys make a chai flavored creamer that I love adding to my ...chai tea. Click here to print a .75 coupon and scoot over to PathMark where the stuff is on sale for $1.49 this week.

Mmmmmm chai

Calling Barney Stinson? Remember to *66 not Sixty-Ni-Nevermind

The highlight of last night's Superbowl was seeing Barney Stinson holding up his Date Soliciting number!

I started calling and after a few busy signals (there's a sound we all expected to be extinct by now!) got through!!!! THEN I found the sound file on YouTube.Com but there's no telling how long it will be up so click fast!

Here's what the recorded message said, with my own comments to make sure you get the inflection:

"That, Lebron, is how you shoot a free throw. (that part was said kind of far from the phone, obviously to make you think the call was interrupting his coaching)

Hey, Barney Stinson speaking. A recording? No, this is really me! Anyway, glad you called 'cause you sound really special. (really was stressed and there was a short pause here)

Let's get to know each other. What are your hobbies? (two second pause)

(Shrieking laugh) Oh my god, I like that too! Wow, I'm really feeling a connection here. You know, I never do this but what the heck. Let's meet up at MacLaren's Bar at oh, say, 3:45 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, 2016. (the time and date were said in an automated, mechanical voice and had me dialing back to see if I would get a different date time)

I can't wait to meet you. (voice gets soft and serious) I love you."

So anyway I kept trying to call back and even *66'ed (continue dialing a busy number until it rings) but no dice. Luckily I have access to the internet so I know everyone else got the same recording.

****ALSO my friend sez Barney's sign was twice as AWESOME because Call Barney Stinson stresses CBS's call letters and tv crews will typically zoom in on and photograph people with signs featuring their call letters.

Legen----hope you're not lactose intolerant because the last part of that word is-----dary!

I'm a Jossian Genius!

Dear Internets,

Perhaps you've heard of a little show called Jeopardy? Participants answer mind bogglingly fast questions for points and bragging rights. I think there is a cash prize. Maybe a car.

Well look at the above question! If the Jeopardy folks ever have a Whedonesque ep I must be on it! I'd win so many cars I'd need a driveway to keep them in!

* You can play the on-line game here and find the answers here. Correctly answering all questions will net 200 points (the equivalent of $2 towards something in the Sony catalog including gift cards). I'm saving mine to buy a sound system I don't need on Black Friday :)

Home as the Second Skin

Amazing Quote:
"In my work as a teacher and interior designer over nearly fifteen years, I've seen that the importance of the home in our lives has only increased. I used to think of home as the place where we cook, eat and sleep. I now understand it as a force that shapes our daily lives. More than just a physical shelter, the home is both a second skin that protects us from the world outside and an emotional center that nourishes us and supports our innermost dreams.

By taking care of your home, you are taking care of yourself. A healthy home will nurture and support you. Although professional psychotherapy can take years to bring about change, improving your home has an instant therapeutic effect. No matter how big or small, the changes make a resounding difference in the way you think and feel about yourself."

This quote is from Apartment Therapy Presents: Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Design Solutions and the above picture is my favorite apartment.

Anyone who can relate to the above quote should pick this book up. It interviews the owners of incredible homes ranging from an eclectic round house with a courtyard in its center to funky lofts decorated with junk store finds. That furniture set up there was found by a bachelor in someone's backyard in Seattle *insert wistful sigh* and shipped back home to be reupholstered and restored.

That's more than random shopping - it's investing in an item that will feed his soul. :)

Update:
Marlon from the above picture is no longer a bachelor! According to ApartmentTherapy.Com he's moved in with his boyfriend and taken all that gorgeous furniture with him. Check out how they resolved the "What to Watch" dilemma with "His and His" side by side televisions! I dig the original apartment's wall color more (but am glad they didn't go for the retro lime green look.). At least we'll always have the above scan, Internet. That and our wonder at these suspended roses. I feel the need to find an uber tall, flat sided vase.

STOP! Its Bikram Time! *holds pose*

Remember that calm I felt last fall when my body just gave up and forced my mind to slow down? I'd been progressively losing that peace until bikram.

Today I was so tense I ended up leaving work early and catching a bikram session. Its not as drastic as it sounds - we're expecting a tremendous snowfall so I'd gone in early to get my work done and not have to drive home in the snow.

The instructor was such a JOY! I've only worked with two people before - the guy who runs the studio is super mellow and .... nice? When he teaches I feel relaxed, happy and as if I were actualizing. Then there is a much sterner instructor that my schedule has forced me to work with a few times. She loves correcting and is kind of "drill sergeantry" in her teaching. I'm a wee yogi so you know I get corrected A LOT! I love direction and anything that will improve my form but she can be kind of bossy and will have the class hold a pose longer while correcting one person. I think once I'm physically stronger I will appreciate her direction a lot more.

Today I worked with the girl who normally teaches the 6:30am class and she was bubbly, pleasant and incredibly sweet. When I was leaving class (floating out of there actually) she pulled me aside to talk about my backward bending. She asked if I was experiencing neck pain because of the way I'm bending. I wasn't feeling shoulder pain but while in the backward bending poses my back hurts A LOT! I keep forgetting I have scoliosis so I need to slow down or just skip certain poses until (hopefully) my back becomes more used to bikram. She said it looks like I carry a lot of tension in my shoulders which had me internally gaping.

Unfortunately she's leaving for Texas for three months or I would have considered going to her 6:30am class. She was just such a joy to be in the studio with!

After bikram my day got progressively calmer - my friend is coming by to play with my Super Mario Brothers Wii (I suck at it, but laughing is half the fun) and weather permitting I have a meeting at 7 which I hope will help uncloud my head more.

“The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress,
is the easiest type of existence.”
- Norman Vincent Peale

Ok, I admit I'm dating myself with this one but remember Jordy's baby song? I was taking french at the time and my teacher loved playing this.

Cheryl's baby girl would surely agree with this sentiment. Check it out - her mom made her a wee baby dreadlock hat!

I told my roomy her niece needs to get on this trend before her hair grows in ;)

RIP Metropolitan Home

Barely three months after I started my subscription to Metropolitan Home its gone under :(

I received a postcard saying I will receive Woman's Day to round out the rest of my subscription which is just insulting. Woman's Day and Metropolitan Home are two entirely different magazines! My postcard looked like this but with Woman's Day subbed instead of "sister magazine."

Bummer.

If you're curious about the magazine I blogged about it here and again here.

RIPpers.

Inspiration Thursday - Barcelona Chairs

Ironically just as I decided to focus less on home decor Houzz sent along an Ode to the Barcelona Chair. A previous roommate owned one of these babies and it was so beautiful AND comfortable!

As much as I LOVE this chair I have to admit a red barcelona probably won't fit into every home I live in. So dear universe, please send a black barcelona to keep my bertoias company. KTHXBYE!

Bikram - Look at what I can do!!!

Today was my ninth class in eleven days and the first time I was able to complete that pose!!!

For non-bikrammers, the legs are opened wide, with one foot tucked in close to the groin. The other foot is extended 45 degrees away from the body. We begin with our hands interlaced over our heads sitting straight. Then we slowly, with as straight a back as we can maintain, reach down to wrap all ten fingers around the foot. The head has to touch the knee.

Until now I'd been stretching, stretching, then bending the knee to my forehead (as the intructors tell us) but today my leg was FLAT on the ground and my head was on the knee!!!

Now where does this skill fall on my resume? ;)

* image from Bikram Yoga Poses and obviously not me!

Bikram - Week and a Half in

I've been attending bikram for a week and a half and already see changes in my body.

The first was my skin's hydration. We're in the middle of an east coast winter *sigh* so my skin then was chugging lotion like I chug water post-bikram now ;) I have always been a well hydrated blogger but after two classes my skin visibly changed. Before bikram I would normally drink a gallon of water a day and these days I drink about two gallons. My skin isn't oily like it becomes in summer either, its just...nice.

I'm more flexible. I've missed two classes since I started bikram but can already feel myself pushing deeper into stretches. I'm not hurting myself, just bending further than when I started.

I think minor toning is happening in my arms and stomache but that may be wishful thinking after staring at myself for 90 minutes in the mirror daily. Keep in mind I'm 5'6" and around 125lbs so changes to my physique tend to be quickly noticed.

Sadly, balancing continues to be an issue. I'm not sure what I can do about that beyond continue practicing. I am locking the knee, shifting weight and still faltering. Practice :)

Shifting focus

Dear Internets,

I have to be honest with you. This is not my first blog but because of its "randomness" I expect it will be the only one that grows with me for many years.

When I started back in 2008 I was ending my preoccupation with financial stability. The car was paid off and I didn't have credit card debt but I was busy saving money so that Future Anny would be ok. Last week I was hit with a huge bill and sat around moping at wasting money Past Anny worked hard for. Then I realized this type of situation was exactly what I'd been saving for. Losing that money won't affect my daily life since it was just in the bank, accruing pennies in interest. I am grateful it was only money and not something irreplacable.

Then I spent most of 2009 figuring out how to make a home. It was the first time moving into an entirely empty apartment (my only furniture was a dresser!) and having to buy everything from kitchen utensils to a couch was a wonderful challenge. Its far from perfect but its warm and (I hope) inviting.

While I never entirely give up old hobbies, I think 2010 will focus on physical development and nutrition. I'm 31, which I acknowledge is rather old to start new physical activities, but I'm also financially stable (thanks 2008), mostly unemployed (thanks 2009) and still healthy. I've lost weight since I started practicing bikram in the last two weeks. I started off trying to absorb extra calories to make up for those burned but then...forgot/got neglectful? So I've been messing with on-line recipes with surprising success! I made Southern Fried Dreams' pot pie on Saturday and yesterday went for Eggplant Parm.

The eggplant parm was baked, rather than fried but came out just as crispy without all of that extra grease. I dipped the eggplant slices in egg, then flour, egg again, then bread crumbs. I laid them out on a cookie sheet and baked each side at 375 for 10 minutes before doing the layering thing. I also used different cheese.

So expect a lot more food porn and Kitchen Disasters stories! I still have one or two home projects to knock off but nothing major, God willing.

*Grateful pendant is from Bella Wish's esty shop but she is on maternity leave. Maybe 2011's goal should be to make my own jewelry ;)