All for One & One For All

That’s how I view the blogging community I’ve known to love: we are all here to support each other. On a fairly regular basis I email, GChat, Tweet and even send real, old-fashioned mail to more than a handful of my close blog friends. I plan to meet a bunch of them in June. I trust them. .

Obviously I don’t expect everything people post about to be 100% true word-for-word, meaning how can we recall complete conversations we’ve had at bars while intoxicated? Or who remembers with complete accuracy what they were wearing when they were at their 5th birthday party? But the basic things like who/what/where/when/why and the whole feeling and idea behind the post I believe to be true.

Which is why when I heard about a blog that I had been reading for maybe 5 months or so was plagarized (you can read about it here), subsequently (and rightfully so) removed from the web I was in utter shock.

My first thoughts: WTF? Why would someone do that? Is my work being plagarized? How did people find out about this? Would someone tell me if they saw one of my posts elsewhere on a blog that wasn’t mine? How can I protect my blog? I can’t belive she made up so much of those posts. I sent her sympathies on more than one occasion. I commented faithfully. She met some of my other blog friends in real life… thank goodness they are safe. Do I really want to go to Vegas now? Maybe I should stop blogging or be more anonymous with my posts.

But, none of that would be true to me. I write how I feel, I write what happens and I write the truth. I don’t lie to my blog friends. If you ask me a question online or offline, I’ll answer it. It’s part of who I am. I admit that certain parts of my life are off-limits when it comes to blogworld but that is only because you have to have a few things to keep to yourself, right?

Do Irish and I have disagreements? Of course.
Do I blog about them? Not unless I really need too. Some things are meant for only Irish and myself to know about.

Do Darling and I always get along? Certainly not. We are mother/daughter. We have had knock-down-drag-out-fights on more than one occasion. I’m happy to say we haven’t had one in years and we never really knocked each other down. Usually a lot of screaming and crying and it’s all kind of funny now.

Do I have stress and annoyances in my life? Heck yes. And I post about them… just to a minimum because I don’t want to overshare and this is supposed to be a “Happy Girl’s Blog!”

Another part of me that is true to who I am?

Trust. As long as I can remember I have been that girl who finds the good in people… is determined to even if it’s the worst idea for me. So I believed this particular blogger had the perfect life she said she had. Did it seem a tad over the top at times? Yes, but some people really do live that way. Did I question my accomplishments because of all this girl did? Yes and now I’m really mad at myself for questioning myself over a fake, plagarized persona. (I understand there are two sides to every story but this is the only side I know.)  I have over 70 different blogs in my Google Reader and another handful I need to add to it and guess what? If they say they are having a bad day, I’m going to wish them a better one and send virtual hugs (it’s what I do). If they need advice about to wear on a first date, I’m going to believe they are going on a first date and help them out. If someone has a baby, adopts a dog, plans a vacation, whatever… I believe you.

The best part about blogland is that we all rally around each other when we need to and this is a case where we need to be keep a watchful eye out for plagarism yet maintain our happy, positive, optimistic attitude that makes the blogging community a strong, great place to be. Yes, I know internet sites are public domain but stealing people’s work, writing and feelings is just all wrong. And Internet? We will find you and we will make you stop stealing. Blogland is a mini-mafia in a way. Don’t mess with us. Take my word for it.

(Editor’s Note: Irish pointed out to me that I must have been upset when I wrote this post because he noticed an unusual amount of spelling and grammatical errors in this post. I believe I have caught and corrected them.)

Mini Monday

• I’m back on Facebook and frankly, my dears, I’m not loving it. No, I’m not talking the new layout or anything like that but I’m talking about feeling like I need to respond to people, to reconnect with folks I haven’t talked to in a long time and of course seeing info on people you just don’t want to hear/see about. It’s not that I don’t want to reconncect but it seems I’m the one always doing the reconnecting. Why can’t other people reach out to me? (I’m cleansing my friend list again). It was also, as I mentioned, a great social experiment. Some of my friends refuse to talk to me in any form BUT facebook. Others don’t email (oh, I wish they would. I know this is terrible but I am not a big phone person anymore). Others don’t do phone calls or email. I’m keeping it for now, I’m not going to obsess over it anymore, but I’m not sure I like it. It feels like another intrusion/interruption. And yes, I realize I can make it all go away with a click of a button.

 

• Wedding season! Irish and I attended a lovely ceremony and reception Saturday afternoon for one of his long time buddies. The bridesmaid dresses were not pretty… at all. But the bride was amazingly gorgeous. I still don’t know why she’s not a model. It turns out I went to high school with her brother (it’s a small world after all, it’s a small, small world!). The reception was good boasting some pasta that I could indeed eat, albeit at the pace of someone with dentures, a decent DJ, yummy cake, and a full dance floor. Oh, and a photobooth! (I scanned the pictures in and they aren’t super fantastic, but thought you’d like to see anyway. In the third picture I have my head down as we thought we had gone through all four flashes already. It’s quite artistic so I’ll have to find a better way to share them with you. The fourth one is bad so I cropped it out. Editor’s rights!) Random Side Note: We only have one other reception and one other full wedding to attend for all of 2009 so far. I’m kind of excited about that… perhaps a little too excited.

 

• Easter. Irish and I did a marathon day. My parents, then his. Food and dessert at both. I did manage to eat a little bit though my jaws/sockets/other teeth hate me today. I’m back on my mush diet for a few more days as per my doc’s orders.  Darling gave us both awesome, unexpected Easter baskets, my Gram only asked me twice what foods I’m allergic to (I’ve told her at least six times) and we all laughed a lot. At his folks house we watched the end of The Masters, made a fire, and then I tuned out the talk about politics (I have to keep my mouth firmly closed when there) until we called his sister who lives in Australia and talked to her for a few minutes. Now? I want to go to Australia.

 

• The rest of the weekend: Wii, sleep, read. Walk Jack, grocery shop, drive to my house to pick up clothes I forgot for wedding and then on Sunday for the dessert I forgot to pick up on Saturday, questioned myself for being so forgetful lately, quality family time, quality Irish and Nora time, Tumblr time, enjoyed a day off, wished I had more days off, and stared at a few episodes of Friends Season Five before I drifted off to a blissful sleep while Mother Nature pounded StL with rain on Sunday evening.

Still

(an original Nora post today. This may look like a meme but it’s straight from my brain.)

I still…

… sleep with some sort of cuddly thing when I’m alone. Sweatshirt, pillow, ugly ghost.

… worry excessively about things I can’t control even though I know I can’t control them.

… wish I had Sarah Jessica Parker’s body frame.

… cry every time I watch the last episode of Sex and the City. And yes, I’ve seen it at least ten times.

… crave popcorn and M&Ms in the same handful when I’m at the movies thanks to a learned behavior in college.

… wish on shooting stars, fallen eyelashes and 11:11 (only if I notice it’s the time).

… delete pictures I don’t think I look cute enough it.

… struggle with my personal fashion from time to time.

… have a hard time throwing away presents from my parents even if it’s old, doesn’t fit or not “me.” So I save them.

… contemplate permanently deleting my Facebook profile.

… love chocolate more than I should.

… hope to start a positive community effort/organization before I’m 40.

… struggle with certain parts of the IT world.

… need more cookbooks, kitchen supplies and spices.

… have an unparalleled love for Mexican and Italian food.

… would like to live in NYC for a period of time.

… feel unpopular or ugly. I thought that was only a high school thing?

… find a way to the silver lining in all situations.

… try to be nice to everyone I meet, no matter how hard it can be.

… get frustrated when I don’t understand.

… care about the number of hits my blog receives, comments I get and occasionally get struck with Blogger Envy.

… miss being on a college campus (at times).

… hug my parents.

… own a library card.

… read real books, you know, the ink and paper kind.

… notice the small things; not as much as I should, but I notice them.

What is do you still…?

The Aftermath

(Thanks again to all of you for your lovely thoughts, support and get well wishes on all accounts the last several days. My family and I are still struggling but we will get through!)

I’m back to work today.

I wish I could say everything is going smoothly but in fact life without pain killers just plain sucks. Dealing with idiotic coworkers on top of pain and lack of food, which translates into lack of energy is doubly sucktastic. (The pain killers I have are so fabulous that basic social functions are near impossible so forget driving, working, being professional.)

Life without real food?  Totally stinks.

Sure the first few days of pudding, jello, dreamsicles and mashed potatoes sounds appealing but after three days? Um, someone pass the bread, or cheese or chicken. I’m Italian and I love real food. I’m not afraid to admit.

I will take the weight loss (three pounds and counting) since it gives me an edge and leg-up as to where I want to be. I’ll even take the hugs from my parents and Irish because who doesn’t love hugs?

But the rest of it I’m ready to leave. I’m an impatient patient. I want to be at the gym, I want regular dinners (I’m craving broccoloi.), I want my regular social life back, my energy to return and no more pain!

I wish I had a more exciting, upbeat, positive outlook for this snowy, cold, blustery morning. And yes, I said SNOW. It’s April and we have dustings of snow.

So in order to not be a total debbie-downer, please leave a comment with one happy thing you enjoyed over the weekend.

My top three happy things: Going to the grocery store with Irish yesterday (domestic things make me happy), starting over with Season One of Friends, the fact that Darling texts.

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you

I have a lot of new readers (hello, friends!) so I thought I’d be lazy do a fairly in-depth meme:

LAYER ONE:

• Name: Nora
• Birthdate: September 29th, 1983
• Birthplace: Ridegewood, New Jersey
• Current location: StL, MidWest
• Eye color: Brown
• Hair color: Black or dark brown, depending on the month
• Height: 5′9
• Righty or lefty: right
• Zodiac sign: Libra

LAYER TWO:

• Your heritage: Italian/English
• The shoes you wore today: Chinese Laundry leopard print heels
• Your weakness: Irish’s cologne, Jack when he’s cuddly, anything chocolate or cheese (not together) and rainy days
• Your fears: Loneliness
• Your perfect pizza: New York style with black & green olives, extra cheese
• Goal you’d like to achieve: running a half-marathon in 2010

LAYER THREE:

• Your most overused phrase on AIM: haven’t used it since college but probably “brb” or “lol.”
• Your first waking thoughts: Must. Hit. Snooze.Button.
• Your best physical feature: arms/abs
• Your most missed memory: Poppy, my grandfather

LAYER FOUR:

• Pepsi or Coke: Dr. Pepper
• McDonald’s or Burger King: No thank you.
• Single or group dates: Love double dates or group dates, but sometimes all you need and want is a single date
• Adidas or Nike: Aasics but currently Adidas since I couldn’t find a good pair of Aasics
• Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Peppermint Tea from Celestial Seasonings, warm, not cold
• Chocolate or vanilla: Both
• Cappuccino or coffee: water

LAYER FIVE:

• Smoke: Once, after high school graduation
• Cuss: Like a sailor when it fits
• Sing: in the car preferably alone
• Take a shower everyday: six days a week (after workouts)
• Do you think you’ve been in love: I am IN love
• Want to go to college: Did my undergrad and working on my Masters. After this, I think I’m done.
• Liked high school: Enough
• Want to get married: Yup
• Believe in yourself: 90% of the time
• Get motion sickness: Only in the backseat of cars
• Think you’re attractive: I struggle with this one
• Think you’re a health freak: I can be. Need to get back to it.
• Get along with your parent(s): Most definitely. They are awesome!
• Like thunderstorms: YES. I’m a rain freak.
• Play an instrument: Used to play the piano, flute and piccolo. Not so much now. Would like to relearn the piano again before I’m 30.

LAYER SIX: In the past month…

• Drank alcohol: Yup, enjoyed some wine at Trivia Night on Saturday
• Smoked: Not a chance
• Done a drug: Allergy meds, advil
• Made out: Yes, of course
• Gone on a date: Yup, Irish treats to me a good date every other week
• Gone to the mall: On Saturday!
• Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No, but I could if I wanted to
• Eaten sushi: Nope, allergic. But I’ve watched people eat it
• Been on stage: No
• Been dumped: Thank goodness, no
• Gone skating: No but watched people skate 
• Made homemade cookies: Yup. Love ‘em.
• Gone skinny dipping: Way too cold in StL for that.
• Dyed your hair: No but I need to. Roots are showing.
• Stolen Anything: No.

LAYER SEVEN: Ever…

• Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes.
• Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Back in the college days.
• Been caught “doing something”: I have no idea what this means, so I’m going with NO.
• Been called a tease: Never.
• Gotten beaten up: No.
• Shoplifted: Nope.
• Changed who you were to fit in: I will admit it- yes.

LAYER EIGHT:

• Age you hope to be married: Before 28.
• Numbers and names of children: yet to be determined.
• Describe your dream wedding: Really? I have a few versions. So the first one: “Elope,” to NYC City Hall with the man I wish to marry, his family, my family and a best friend on both sides. A weekend celebration with the families before we ship off for a honeymoon. Upon our return a huge ceremony in the StL for all our friends and family who wasn’t at the “eloping.”
• How do you want to die: In my sleep.
• Where you want to go to college: Already did. Mizzou & Webster University
• What do you want to be when you grow up: Happy and to look like Sophia Loren.
• What country would you most like to visit: Italy

LAYER NINE:

• Number of drugs taken illegally: never touched one.
• Number of people I could trust with my life: I can count them on one hand
• Number of CDs that I own: At least 120.
• Number of piercings: Seven
• Number of tattoos: None
• Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: Four or five? As captions when I did pseduo-modeling.
• Number of scars on my body: Three little ones from my appendix surgery
• Number of things in my past that I regret: Giving up ballet dancing.

What is one thing I don’t know about you?

Unspoken

The Twenty Something Writers Prompt today is to write something to someone that you’ve never said but want to say/wish you could say and etc.
Here’s my attempt, and please keep in mind that I’m only writing some of the mean things because I know that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

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

Dear Last Guy I dated before Irish,

I’ll admit I was infuriated by the way you broke up with me and cursed your name for several weeks after the fact. You left me feeling broken, confused and angrier than I had ever been before. But now I need to thank you. When you broke up with me I realized that I had been looking for the wrong things in what I ideally wanted in a man. I also realized that I needed to learn to live more for me and what I wanted rather than what my friends did, what society suggested I try and I put myself first. It felt awkward at first, ignoring other people’s needs and focusing on myself but the end result was amazing. I felt confident, strong, in-touch with my sense of self, emotions and desires and finally discovered what I wanted in a man and wouldn’t you know it has nothing to do with you, even in the smallest way? So thank you for being a complete assclown- it was just what I needed to meet the real man of my dreams.

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

Dear Mean Girl,

It would really help all of us out if you stopped being a bitch. Your gruff personality, snide comments and rude behavior do not make me want to hang out with you and furthermore, I’m done trying to be nice. I think you’re the only person in this world who makes me feel tense, frustrated, angry and annoyed. You are the only person I know who has broken my kind spirit. I kind of hate you for that.  You’re alienating people from your life at an alarmingly fast rate. I hope that you can sort out your issues so you stop hurting people and perhaps be a bright, sunny person that I think you want to be. Until that time, leave me the hell alone. 

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

Dear Poppy,

I’m sorry I didn’t say a final goodbye at your funeral all those years ago.  I couldn’t summon the courage to look at your face one last time. I still regret it.  Darling and I get tears in our eyes when we think and talk about you. You are missed more than you could possibly imagine. We’re taking good care of Gram for you; know that she misses you more than all of us combined. She’s never been the same since you left us which to me is a sign of true love, a great man and a strong connection. Hope to see you in my dreams again soon.

Love,
Half-Pint

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

Dear Irish,

I don’t know where to begin with you. It seems anything I’ll say will sound too corny, cheesy or gushy. But it would all be true. You are my light, my love and my newest best friend. I can’t express how excited I am for any and all of the adventures we have before us. Thrilled you came into my life and even more thrilled that we have brought out the best in each other.

Love,
Spices

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

Dear Blogosphere and blog friends,

I don’t think you could get any better unless of course blogs could involve teleportation so that the blog friends and I could get together and share drinks, baked goods, and fun? You’ve been here for me in many ways that some of my “real” friends haven’t. You don’t judge. You’re compassionate, supportive, genius and never cease to amaze. I hope I do half as much for you as you have done for me.

Eternally grateful,
Nora

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What do you wish you could tell someone?

Howl at the Moon

Surely this isn’t a new theory but based upon the events that have taken place in the last seven days, I’m pretty sure that full moons/Friday the 13th effect the entire week before their occurrence.

I am superstitious to a point: I hold my breath when I drive past cemeteries so the spirits don’t take over my body, I don’t walk under ladders, never open an umbrella in my home and I always make every concerted effort to “make a wish,” with any eyelashes that may have fallen onto my cheek. But Friday the 13th? I usually laugh at it. And full moons? They just light up the sky nicely. Until last Saturday, that is.

I briefly alluded to the ridiculousness in my life that started after my blogging hiatus which could perhaps be attributed to the Blogging Gods being furious with my absence, though I doubt it. Here’s a rundown, with as much huor as is possible:

• Saturday morning my dear dog Jack decided that it was time for him to spew from both ends which is a) not a lovely way to wake up, b) incredibly disgusting c) nearly impossible to get rid of the stink and d) makes your neighbors in the apartment building angry with you. I have no idea what Jack got into, when he did or why he did, but the poor little guy was running in and out of the apartment building with me ever 20 minutes for a good two hours, and throwing up in between. Fortunately I have hard wood floors in my apartment… the hallway, however, not so much. Poor Jack lost his cookies on one of our runs out the door which left me in a non-ventilated hallway to deal with the mess. Irish was throwing me paper towels and trash bags, Jack was on the balcony cowering because he thought I was mad (I so was not), and I was feverishly cleaning up, de-staining, de-odorizing (which I did all weekend) so my neighbors wouldn’t go ballistic on me. (Of course my priority was him getting healthy and he is fine. He slept all afternoon like a sick child would, his head in my lap and he’s been fine ever since) Didn’t work because…
• Tuesday. Busy day at the office. My landlord calls and I sincerely hoped was an update on the most bizarre fly infestation that seems to have made their way into my sunroom. Boy was I wrong. “Nora, we have complaints of a smell in the hallway. It’s on the third floor and you know the place across from you is vacant. My crew tells me there is (Such and such) kind of stain. I’m going to have to charge you for carpet cleaning.” I am not disputing the fact that I should have to pay for anything but I did clean/deodorize and de-stain four times. And trust me, it’s gone. Why did this upset me so much? Up until this point I had no neighbor troubles, my landlord thought I was awesome and I felt embarassed (it’s how I’m wired). I’m hiding out at Irish’s for the next four days.
• Jump back to Saturday night. A great double date planned with Irish’s best friend and his gal for dinner and the experience that is the Roller Derby. Due to my insane allergies I have to choose restaurants carefully, wisely and order cautiously when I’m out. The Japanese Steak House waitress assured me that I could eat their food after I rattled off a list of my allergies, left the vegetables out of my food and that sesame seeds weren’t in the dishes I ordered. Unfortunately no vegetables but sesame seeds everywhere. Cue red rash on face, light-headed feeling and rash on my body which is just now FINALLY gone. Also cue everone’s panic at the table which is completely sweet but embarasses me to no end. I’m starting to feel like I can’t go out for fear of a near-death experience. Fortunately two potent benadyrls and at least a gallon of water later, I knew there wasn’t going to be any hospital trip. Just a really itchy night. (Roller Derby deserves a post all to itself.)
• You already know about Wednesday night. Certainly not a bad evening but it was just bizarre and of course I hoped with all my might that Irish wasn’t totally freaked out by the conversation. I mean, we talk about serious things between the two of us, but it’s a whole new ball game when it happens in a social setting in front of the friends. And then last night, out with some of Irish’s friends, they accidentally call me his wife. As far as I’m concerend we have both been embarassed by our friends, so it’s “even.” I wonder how many shades of red I turned yesterday when they called me his “wife?”

Also this week: a friend of mine was dumped, another lost her job and everyone just seemed a bit “off “from their normal personality not to mention insane work questions/co-workers and clients. Worse than usual. I mean, when you’re living life a certain amount of absurdity comes your way but it’s like someone threw a fistful of absurdity at me this week. Twice.

I have no choice but to attribute weeks like this on the moon/Friday the 13th. I also have no choice but to laugh because since Jack is fine, I’m paying for the damages without a fight, sesame seeds didn’t exact the revenge they had hoped to on me and because Irish and I are still together and stronger than ever, the joke is on the moon. We all came out alive, healthier, stronger and smiling.

GiST 6/365

For Saturday, February 21st

1. Exploring a house turned into a used bookstore with Irish. We both walked out with four books having supported a local entrepreneur and community.

2. Checking out the Circuit City going out of business sales. Northen Exposure Season 1 & 2 were still on the rack, so I snagged them.

3. Making dinner for myself, Irish and two other couples Italian style. Wine, conversation and hugs were shared all around.

4. Talking about the possibility of buying a house with Irish, some day.

5. Making the awesome Chocolate Brownie with Cookies recipe for the Oscar party infusing my house with the delicious smell of baked goods, a smell which made me want to chug milk without even eating them.

Ready? Set! 2009…

I very rarely stick to my resolutions. I make them. They are the usual ones (eat less, workout more, be nicer, work harder, blah blah blah).

And as many of my blog friends have realized, not meeting those goals/resolutions makes us feel like a failure when we don’t get accomplish what we wish. Enter BrookeM, who has wonderful ideas for blogs, and yes, I’m borrowing yet another one, the idea of non-resolutions

Nora’s list of NON-resolutions, things I don’t want to do in 2009:

* Neglect myself. My people-pleasing personality is always well-intended but more often than not, I forget myself. I forget haircuts, shopping trips, gym time, alone time. I don’t want to do that this year. When I lose my time, I lose me, and when I lose me, I become grumpy and insecure and that’s just not cool.

* Lose more friends. I can’t really control this one, but I can stay in better touch with them. In finding myself last year, I lost some friends. I don’t want that to happen again. I realize it’s a reality with marriages, careers, moving, kids and etc.

* Leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight. I always regret the stuck-on food the next day and the mess in the kitchen.

* Go into debt. I haven’t used my credit cards in over two months. I hide them from myself, I don’t go on shopping sprees like I used to and really, spending more time with Jack, friends and me is much better than owing my life to some credit card company.

* Work on a vacation. I calculated the number of vacations I’ve had in the last few years at my office (I’ve worked there for four). It’s probably close to five. However, each time I leave for a vacation, I wind up towing my work laptop along and my cell phone is never far from me. I don’t get to disconnect. So this year, no working on vacations.

* Give a sh!t what people think. This will be hard as I think it’s fundamentally part of who I am, but I need to stop caring what people think about me, my clothes, my lifestyle, my job, my career path, my beliefs. All of it. I care too much. I worry. I obsess. And when I care what people think, I limit myself and I don’t live the way I want to. I’m young, but not so young that I realize that I can’t live my life for other people.

* Worry. See above. I’m also going to stop worrying so much about each decision I make, each sentence I write and say. This one isn’t going to be easy for as long as I can remember, worrying has been inherent in my nature. Might as well give it a shot!

* Deny myself chocolate. This must be the complete opposite of a resolution considering it’s fattening, gross but fabulously delicious. I’m going to limit the doses and occasions of when I have chocolate, but man, I love it. So I will still have it in 2009.

* Stop cooking, baking and exploring in the kitchen. It’s easy to get stuck in ruts with everything young, “single” women do on a regular basis but thanks to the wonderful pots and pans my parents gave me for Christmas (Calphalon) I will continue to create, experiment, taste and try new dinners and desserts. When I’m cooking all the stresses of the day melt away, everything comes down to the recipe or the way a dish tastes and that’s all that matters. That and the wine I decide to pair with dinner, the music on the radio and the candles on the table.

My new boyfriend, GYM and a pact with TDH

I feel invigorated.
Renewed.
On fire.

TDH said I sound “swarthy, cocksure, confident.”

Ladies (and gentlemen? Do any guys read this? If so, please let me know, I’d love to know who all of my readers are!), I finely returned to the gym. A mere 50 minutes later after cardio, strength, and more cardio, I left sweaty, hooked and loving it. I can’t wait to go back.

Interesting observation about my gym: it’s sandwiched between the Wine & Cheese Place, CiCi’s Pizza Buffet, Chinese and a Blockbuster. Talk about temptation to be lazy and full of delicious junk food is going to be hard.

I have also made a pact with the devil, and by devil I mean video games. TDH is going to start exercising with me, as well as eating healthier but it comes with a price! That price is that I start to play video games with him and furthermore attend LAN parties. (For those who don’t know, and this is my limited understanding, it’s like all night gaming parties, group games and etc. All video and online.) TDH’s goal: create a super, sexy dork. I already have the librarian glasses, so I’m halfway there.

Bottom Line: We all know that once in a relationship, the happy weight comes freely. Taco Bell at 2am? SURE. Cooking romantic, cheesy Italian dinners? Yes, please. Sleeping in instead of going to the gym? Yup. So I’m hoping (this is not a resolution so much as a decision?) to get to the gym more, pay more attention to the numbers of trip made to fast food and out to eat, and hopefully in the meantime get healthy and (warning, cliche coming) get MY sexy back.