Perspective

Sometimes, I really need it, and sometimes, I'm too deep into my own sh*t to get it.

So I go read a cycling blog, which is not just a cycling blog. It's a blog written by a man who loves his wife beyond all measure. She has cancer. He is caring for her, and he's doing it with bravery and tenderness and love.

Go read: http://www.fatcyclist.com/

And keep the family in your prayers, 'k?

Tee-hee!

My SIL is a mystery writer, and she's proved herself to be pretty darn good at solving mysteries. :)

I left a comment on her blog, and when she saw the unfamiliar user name, she checked out the blog---which, unknown to her, was actually mine. I have intermittent brain farts, as well as CRS (can't remember sh*t) Syndrome, and I completely blanked on telling her that I had a blog.

So my SIL read this "stranger's" blog and was struck by the writer's interests. They were so similar to my SIL's, and she told her DH that this blogger could practically be an 'alternate Mel'. Then the lightbulb went off, and I was so busted. She called me at work today and called me by my blogger ID. We had a good laugh, and I went back to the spec that wouldn't die with a lighter heart.

Just goes to show that the people who really know and love you can pick you out in even the largest of anonymous crowds. :-)

What's One More Blog?

Is there a 12-step program for blogging? I'm thinking I might need one.

As 2007 wound down, I told myself 2008 would be different. 2008 would be the year I would make the changes I've wanted to make but haven't had the courage to do so. I don't like doing what everyone else does, so I pretty much skipped the whole new year's resolution shtick. Instead, I found a list of mistakes to avoid in my local newspaper. I printed out the list and stuck it on my desk at work and read it every day.

So here we are at the start of the second month of the year. I've lost 13 pounds in a little over 2 weeks thanks to the South Beach plan. Losing weight---for good---was high on my list of changes. I've been an emotional eater all of my life. I'm built like my father; we're both apple shaped, which means we're at the top of the death-by-cardiac-event list. He loses weight by limiting carbs, so I assumed the same would work for me. Boy howdy, does it. Bad carbs out, good carbs in, and I keep tightening my belt and hitching up my pants and wondering if I should go ahead and buy new lingerie now or wait a little longer. Wonders never cease.

I start a new job tomorrow. A new job was also high on the list of changes. Since I work for the government, I'm pretty much at the mercy of many layers of management, myriad processes, and boatloads of roadblocks. Yet the opportunity came, and instead of shying away from it because of my idiotic loyalty and my fear of the unknown, I took it. I'll miss the people on my old team, but I won't miss the constant crisis-mode style of management.

It's after 9 pm, so I'll stop here. Early bedtimes are another change; I spent most of 2007 severely sleep deprived, and it took a toll on my body.

I'll close with some beautiful lines from "Nobody's Cryin'," one of my favorite Patty Griffin songs:

May you dream you are dreaming in a warm soft bed
And may the voices inside you that fill you with dread
Make the sound of thousands of angels instead
Tonight where you might be laying your head...