New Year's Resolutions - 2011: My Universe.

This year has gone by far too quickly. Far, far, far, too quickly.

I was out at dinner this evening with The Husband, and I found myself talking about my various friends... Many of who are in the process of pursuing their dreams. They're pushing logic aside and taking control of how they want to spend their days... And going for their dreams.

And I am incredibly jealous.

"I feel like I have accomplished nothing this year," I said to The Husband. He looked at me like I was insane.

Did I not get a huge promotion at work?

Did I not go to Bikram yoga teacher training for two months?

Did I not do a little bit of travel this year?

Did I not do a 101-day Bikram yoga challenge?

I know, it is insane to think I accomplished little this year. But it is how I feel. I feel busy and incredibly bored. And it shows. I did not do any writing this year. I posted less than 200 times this year on the blog. I didn't travel to any of the places I wanted to (Africa. South America. Asia.)

While my 2010 would have been a dream year for many, it was a "scare-dee-cat" year for me. I just "went with the flow" and made little effort to guide my life. Mostly because I was constantly exhausted and burnt out. I was too paralyzed to make many things happen... Beyond the big thing of teacher training.

In 2011, things will change.

I will find my balls this year. And actually have the guts to make some changes. What those changes will be, exactly, I do not know yet. I can never quiet my mind down enough to realize what I actually want. I only know, based on how I feel, that my current life - as fabulous as it is - is not "my kind" of fabulous.

Therefore, here are my resolutions for this year:

1. Be fearless.
2. Blog more.
3. Actually write.
4. Travel.

It's my world. No, it's my universe. I am the center. Everything revolves around me. If not, well, then it doesn't need to be even a satellite orbiting a planet in a solar system in a galaxy in my universe.

Combating The "Mean Reds" & Other Sickiness.

It's Winter time. People are getting sick all around me. Sick, anxious, depressed, recovering from surgery...

While I use, and encourage others to use, Bikram yoga to help deal with these things... Sometimes you need a little something extra. For me, I pull out Saltines and slather strawberry jelly on them while sipping a Coke Zero.

That is my go-to "feel better" cure.

And with the exception of the Coke Zero (which used to be regular Coke, until Coke Zero came about a few years ago), this has been my go-to since university days. There was a short period, circa 2001-2002, where I would use Cheez-Its instead of Saltines (sans jelly, usually)... But I always went back to my original.

Saltines, jelly and a Coke are cheap. I've always been able to afford them. Even when I was making $18,000 a year in television news, working in Tucson.

What's your "feel better" cure?

It's Been Three Years???

Whoa!

The Husband forced me to sit down and plan out all the travel I want to do this year. There are trips home... Trips to see friends... Trips with friends to exotic locations... And then there is something The Husband and I haven't done in over THREE YEARS...

Take a vacation together.

Don't get me wrong. We've traveled together. Across oceans. Across countries. But it was always with some other purpose.

• Destination weddings (we had three in the past three years)
• Trips home (sure, stopped off at the spa for a few days on the way back... but still not a solo vacation)
• Moving countries (this was only an hour flight, doesn't count)
• Coming back from Teacher Training (this wasn't a vacation for either on of us)

The last time we went on vacation together was in November 2007. And it was to the same place we will be going in February.

Providenciales...

British West Indies. Turks and Caicos. This is our spot. Our favorite islands in the Caribbean. Beautiful sand. Beautiful beaches. Nice and quiet. Relaxing. No loud music. No packed beaches. Just calmness.

I can't wait. I hope the next six weeks fly by.

Ice Cream Cake Is Crap.

Whoa. I know I will probably get my Internet ass kicked for this one. But I have to take a stand for all that is decent in this world. Someone must stand up and shout for all to hear...

"ICE CREAM CAKES ARE FOR CHUMPS!"

Tonight, after making a healthy dinner, I heated up a slice of cake in the microwave to share with The Husband. I then took some ice cream out of the fridge and scooped a little out onto the cake. Then I said the following...

"There's nothing better than ice cream and cake."

"Ice cream cake?" was asked.

"Eff no!" I screeched.

I then went on to rant about why ice cream AND cake rules and why ice cream cake is for heathens.

Ice Cream AND Cake Righteousness:

• The contrast between the warm cake and the cold ice cream is amazing.
• You essentially are getting TWO desserts on one plate.
• Frosting, if the cake has any, kicks ASS.

Ice Cream Cake Suckiness:

• You are only getting one dessert.
• They are eff-ing hard as hell to cut.
• Only one sensation while eating: COLD
• No real frosting. Only that think layer of fondant that is cold tasteless.

This is NOT subject to debate.

$350k In Birkin Bags?

I want to marry Jay-Z.

Intelligent business man. More or less retired rap star. Successful at most of what he does. Good looking. Lives in NYC. What's not to like?

Oh... And buys his current wife (that Beyonce chick) $350,000 worth of Hermes stuff for Christmas, including a number of Birkin bags.

Did I say "like?" Damn. I meant "LOVE."

Yes... I do see how some may feel that spending the cost of house at the Hermes store is silly. But when you're rolling in the cold hard (slightly worth less than it was earlier this year) American dollar, you are okay with spending less than 1% of your total annual earnings on a Christmas gift for the woman you married.

So just in case I end up married or even just a close friend to Jay-Z, here is my Hermes Wish List:

25cm Birkin in Potiron

35cm Birkin in Noir

Balcons du Guadalquivir Enamel Bracelet

Wide Enamel Bracelet in Plum

Jumping Boots in Black

Constance Belt

Kelly Wallet

Short List Of Reasons To Live: December 26, 2010.

The holiday season is almost over. We've gotten through Christmas. Now just New Years to power through. I have this whole week off from work... Though I will be doing some work while at home.

(Here's a dose of "career reality" for those of you still early in your careers: The higher up you are on the food chain, the greater the chance that you are never not working. All of your vacations become "working vacations" to some degree.)

Without further ado, my weekly Short List of Reasons to Live:

• The Tim Burton Exhibit is at the Tiff Bell Lightbox. I have tickets for Tuesday. I finally get to see it!
• We have dinner booked at Mistrura on New Year's Eve. We ate their for Valentine's Day last year. It was delicious.
• I have a ton in giftcards to spend online at J. Crew. I will be spending some serious time pouring over webpages.
• I finally have time to hit the gym. Yes, I go to the gym in addition to doing yoga. I plan on becoming the mayor of my gym this week.
• A new year begins. New beginnings. Finally time to find my balls and make some decisions.

This week's list is lame. Wish I was traveling.

Christmas Dinner.

Since The Husband and I decided to stay in Toronto for Christmas this year (which will not ever be repeated - it's too boring staying home), we had a few guests over and I made Christmas dinner.

I kept it simple, since there were only four of us dining...

• Lamb
• Roasted Root Veggies
• Mashed Potatoes
• Gravy

There were also store-bought crescent rolls from a tube... Because I have not mastered how to bake pastries and breads. But everything else was made from scratch. Here are some photos of the afternoon meal...

The table setting. Lots of William Yeaoward crystal. Vases with cranberries and hydrangeas. (I hate poinsettia plants. Hydrangeas and cranberries are my holiday arrangement of choice.)

The lamb with the mustard, rosemary, garlic and vinegar marinade.

Making the gravy from scratch... Complete with a little mini bottle of Cognac left over from LAST YEAR'S Canadian Thanksgiving.

A break for a quick drink. It says, "Apple" on the glass. But that ain't apple juice!

Roasted root veggies: Parsnips, Carrots, Butternut Squash

Finished lamb product! Cooked perfectly at Medium.

A simple meal on the table.

I served Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. But it wasn't nearly as sticky as I would have liked. Should have made more toffee sauce for it. There's always next year.

Wait... no there's not. Well, in my dreams, maybe.

Yoga On The Beach.

I had nearly forgotten all about that afternoon at the beach in La Jolla...

One of my yogini buddies at training, Bettina, snapped this of me while at the beach. It's me going into Standing Bow... Which is my favorite posture in the series. I do come down lower into the pose, getting my leg less curved and stomach parallel to the ground... But the sand kept making me wobble out of the pose.

Just wanted to make it clear I can do this pose MUCH better than pictured.

"Kicking and stretching should be equal and simultaneous..."

Fresh Tomato.

Last week I wrote about how I didn't know what I wanted for Christmas. The Husband was getting anxious, because he didn't know what to get me. I decided a spa day was what I needed, and booked one as a gift from him to me.

This was very lovely of him. And I am looking forward to indulging later this week.

However, he felt a little cheated out of the gift-giving process... So we went out shopping yesterday to see if there was anything else that struck my fancy. While at the Canadian version of Saks, I saw a bright tomato-like thing that caught my eye...

A Marc by Marc Jacobs leather wallet.

Yummy! So delicious, want to chop it up, mix it with olive oil, garlic and basil, and serve on toast!

I was in need of a new wallet, as I have gone through two this year. (I need to be better with these things.) This one appears to be more sturdy and finely crafted. So hopefully it will last me till at least next Christmas.

Short List Or Reasons To Live: December 19, 2010.

A new week starts tomorrow... And as the year begins to wind down, I realize I haven't done much blogging.

Bad Missus.

It's been an incredibly busy year, if you didn't guess. And as I move into 2011, I fully intend to get back on the blogging bandwagon. I mean... Right now, with this post, I am at 172 posts for the year. THE YEAR! I remember when that used to be my January and February!

Anyway, more blogging to come in 2011. And as a start, I am bringing back a suggested weekly post from one of my digital buddies back in Boston... The weekly "Short List Of Reasons To Live."

Here is this week's list:

1. I have a full day spa appointment on Thursday. I will be getting rubbed, steamed, wrapped, exfoliated and decorated for five full hours. Happy Christmas to me!
2. It's a three-day work week for me.
3. I survived a painful work project a few weeks ago, and am now starting to de-stress from it. Feeling normal again.
4. Teaching THREE classes this week at the Bikram studio. Will be done with 13 classes by the end of the week. I am a Bikram Yoga Teacher!
5. I lost nearly all my mayor-ships while away at teacher training. I have claimed a few back. Later this week I will claim the Whole Foods one back. Time to send the message to Tom D. that the bitch is back. And she's taking names.

Now, I must go clean my house.

Totally Monkey Mind.

Oh dear. Some days, I just so all over the place that I can't keep track of anything.

Last night I received a call seeing if I could cover the 6:30am shift at the Bikram studio where I teach. I actually couldn't take the class, as I had a work issue with my day job that required me to be at work right on time. And if I teach the 6:30am, I will always be 15 minutes late. Normally that's not a big deal, but today I needed to be at work on time.

Yet, I taught the class anyway. I plotted out in my mind that if I could "finish class a few minutes early" and could "get students not to dawdle," I could be showered and out the door by 8:45am easily.

Easy enough. I had three students. All three were out by 8:30am. Which meant I was able to grab a quick rinse of a shower, throw on my clothes and my make-up. I did my make-up in the lobby of the yoga studio, which has a nice floor-length mirror. There is no shelf nearby, so when I was doing my eye make-up, I just shoved whatever I wasn't using at the time down my cleavage to hold for a few seconds.

(Other women will know about this "secret" hiding place we have and sometimes use. The bra/cleavage is a genius invention for hiding things or holding things.)

Well, I was in such a hurry to get to work on time that as I finishing my eye make-up, I forgot all about on piece of cosmetic that I had used and stuffed back into my bra...

It's a Nars white highlighter pencil. It is used to highlight the inner corners of my eyes, thus making them appear more wide-opened. The highlighter pencil stayed sown my top until about 3pm this afternoon... When I discovered it.

I don't know how I was able to walk around all day and not realize it is stuck down my blouse. But sadly, this is typically me.

I wonder what I'll find down my blouse tomorrow?

"What I Really Want For Christmas?"

I have finished nearly all my holiday shopping and gotten my holiday decorations up...

(My living room.)

Just one or two things left to pick up. And that's it. It's easy for me though, as my family is far away. And the most ideal thing to send them are gift cards to their favorite stores. Picking up things ins Canada and then trying to ship them would be a nightmare. So it's best to just order gift cards online. And vice versa for me and The Husband's gifts.

I have gotten The Husband's gifts. I even have them wrapped. But now he is asking me what I would like for Christmas. And I have no idea. I don't know what I want for Christmas.

Perhaps it is because I have been in a permanent state of "brain-fry" since I got back from teacher training and returned to my job. I haven't had a whole lot of time to really think about what I would like. Anything I do want throughout the year, I tend to just buy for myself.

I don't believe in waiting to purchase something that you really want if you have the cash to buy it yourself.

I thought about suggesting a spa certificate from him to get me... But I am kind of over spas. I don't need any new bags or shoes. Clothes I don't need right now. I don't wear fancy jewelry. And I don't have time to take a trip anywhere right now, so a vacation is out too.

Maybe I will just ask for a "rain check" this year... There's nothing I need or want right now. Save it for something big later.

Pantone Color of 2011: Honeysuckle.

I love this time of year. It's not just about the holiday season and the parties. Or the holiday drinks at Starbucks. Or the days getting shorter (which means I don't have to work as hard - KIDDING!).

I also love this time of year because of this announcement:

Pantone's Color for 2011 is...

HONEYSUCKLE!

Such a random thing to get jazzed over, I know. But ever since late 2007, I have looked forward to this announcement.

That's when I learned the color for 2008 would be blue iris. And in 2008, I bought the most beautiful blue iris Theory sweater. It was my favorite sweater until recently, when it developed a gnarly hole in it.

Then, in late 2008, I learned that mimosa was the color for 2009. And I took that to mean that I needed to brunch as often as possible and imbibe in Mimosas. Oh... I also bought a house that had mimosa walls in the upstairs guest room. (I'm over them, and am looking to have them painted.)

In 2010, the color was turquoise. Which, if you are like me and study color energy, is the color of the throat chakra. Not only did I buy a bit of turquoise at the start of the year, I also channeled the color in some major things I did this year. I decided I was finally going to Bikram yoga teacher training. And that I would ask for a promotion at work. And then I came back and began teaching. And I am leading a much bigger team at work, pitching all kinds of new business. In short, things that necessitate speaking loudly and specifically about what I want.

Now, when I look at a color like honeysuckle, I see passion. And love. And warmth. It's a bit of a Coral color. It's silliness and a crush, all rolled up into one.

And, I think I would look very good in this color.

Stay-cation "To-Do" List.

I have taken many trips this year. Nearly all without The Husband. We wanted to take an end of the year trip to Buenos Aires for Christmas, but I decided that I have been away from home too much and wanted to stick around.

Crazy, I know. I mean, how can I pass up warm weather, great Argentinean beef and wine, and culture?

I guess being away from home for two months will do that to you!

Anyway... Since we will be hanging around at home, I figured I would use the week and a half of time I have off (I actually have about 5 days of vacation I am rolling over for next year, I just don't have time to take it all off this year!) to do some projects that have been neglected for quite a while.

My list includes:

• Get a hair cut. Oh dear. My hair grows fast and thick. It is now past the middle of my back CURLY. If I straighten it, add another inch or so to it. Because I was going away to Teacher Training, I just didn't feel like keeping it up. But now it needs to be cut. I don't have split ends... I just can't do anything with my hair, except wash it and put it in a ponytail. But I can't even begin to tell you how many ponytail holders I have broken trying to wrap them around my locks. Eek!
• Paint the guest suite. This needs to get done. Even if it isn't by me... I need it to be done soon. I am tired of yellow walls. I need MY personality reflected in that room.
• Knit a scarf. I bought some amazing silk yarn from a farmers market in San Diego's Hillcrest neighborhood. I intend to knit a fun scarf with it. I just need to find time to start it.
• Organize my home office and kitchen. I am tempted to paint my home office too. I just haven't completely decided yet. But both the office and the kitchen need to be de-cluttered, cleaned and organized.

Fingers crossed I get at least to of the above completed. I may end up just sleeping a bunch. I can't seem to ever get enough sleep.