Purple Melange

2010 will be better

Dani — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:40:18 +0000

I doubt anyone even reads this blog anymore since I rarely post, but it’s the end of the year so I feel like I should give you something.

2009 sucked. I’m no longer married, and it wasn’t a pretty process.

2009 wasn’t too bad. I got closer to some of my friends, made some new and awesome friends, and reconnected with old friends.

2009 sucked. I fought with friends and lost touch with friends.

2009 was awesome. My sister had her first baby and gave me my first nephew.

2009 sucked. Jason went back to Iraq.

Generally, this was a shit year and I’m glad it’s almost over.

Aggravated

Dani — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:54:14 +0000

I’m taking a page from Tasha’s book today.

Thing that are annoying me right now include:

* Not getting a paycheck.

* Thinking that someone’s a real friend and figuring out that apparently you were just work friends.

* My dog’s fungal infection.

* Making plans to go to work early and then sitting and waiting and waiting and waiting for them to call you in.

* Knowing that some people question my ability to do my job.

* My phases of motivation.

* The weather causing my sinuses to go haywire.

I love the interweb

Dani — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:43:38 +0000

I just updated the blogroll, and wanted to draw your attention to a couple lovely ladies I met on Twitter. Fellow Jen Lancaster fan Beth and pop culture/movie/fashion/more blogger Rosy. They’re both awesome!

Very important day

Dani — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:39:45 +0000

That’s right. It’s my birthday! Are you excited?

Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St. Barleigh is:

(Blackadder Goes Forth)

I took a furlough day, and I’m planning to have lunch with a couple friends, work on the house, run some errands, maybe have dinner with my parents, and meet the co-workers for drinks after they get the paper out. Wheeee!

Epic worrying coming to a Dani near you

Dani — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:44:27 +0000

My friend Jason is going back to Iraq in August.

The last time he was there I scoured the Associated Press photos every day, hoping he’d be that soldier taking a break sitting on the tank or whatever the guy in the photo was doing, hoping he wasn’t the guy under fire. Whenever there was a story on the Ohio wire about a soldier being injured, or worse, I felt sick to my stomach and held my breath until I saw the name.

I worried worried worried until he came home. I caught the tail end of a clip on the news at dinner one night, and I thought I saw him. I rushed back to work to ask a coworker to find the clip so I could use his earphones to listen, and … I may have sat in the newsroom and cried a little when I saw him.

I told Jason most of this when we had lunch Wednesday and he was amused. Probably thought I was exaggerating. I can assure you, I am not. I also made him take a picture with me at lunch:

Last time, I didn’t write nearly as often as I should have, and I still feel horribly guilty about it. This time though, I will write, and I will send packages when I can afford it, and this photo will sit on my desk to remind me to be a better friend.

The truth about my weight loss

Dani — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:54:27 +0000

It’s been a year, give or take, since I started losing weight. I was going to write this post at -40 pounds, but life got in the way. Then I thought I’d wait until -50 pounds, but since we’re at the one-year mark, I’m writing it at -47 pounds.

Below we have me with Jen Lancaster (whose book “Such a Pretty Fat” helped get me motivated to get off my fat ass) in May 2008 and me yesterday at my parents’ house.

I’m not going to lie, it’s been difficult. Very difficult. I’ve fallen off the exercise wagon a few times (quite recently, actually, but I’ve hopped back on), fallen off the healthy food wagon … but nobody’s perfect. I eventually get pissed at myself for being lazy and get back into the swing of things.

Just about everyone I know has been extremely supportive, and even people I only know through the interwebs have been supportive, which has really helped me keep at it. Especially during those times when I get so frustrated because WHY DID MY BOOBS ABANDON SHIP SO QUICKLY AND MY ASS AND THIGHS WON’T GO AWAY?

What’s been really interesting though is trying to make people understand WHY I’m losing weight. Co-workers, friends, even family had their … theories. Incorrect theories. Hurtful, are-you-kidding-me, have-you-ever-fucking-MET-me? theories.

The real reason?

For starters, my back hurt all the time. I couldn’t stand the heat because I overheated way too easily. I got winded very fast playing with the dog. Even the thought of taking a walk made me tired.

And then there was trying to find clothes. I can’t even begin to guess how many times I sat in a dressing room (or on a bench in the middle of a mall) and bawled my eyes out because I couldn’t find an outfit or even a new shirt for some event. And I couldn’t just walk into any store at the mall to look for said non-existent outfit. Most stores’ sizes didn’t go high enough.

Have you ever curled up on the bench in a Wal-Mart dressing room and cried because you couldn’t find a dress, or even slacks and a blouse, that were even the tiniest bit flattering? Like I said, I have. And I got tired of it.

I got tired of all of it. The back pain, not being able to play with the dog for very long, the special clothing stores, the MISERY.

Is that so hard to understand? I don’t think so. But I’m pretty sure there are still people who don’t believe my reasons, and you know what? Fuck ‘em.

I bruise easily

Dani — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:30:21 +0000

I went to the wedding of a co-worker Saturday night. I don’t dance. Two of my other co-workers decided I needed to get out on the dance floor and physically dragged me from the table. I tried to resist, but they’re much bigger than me, so I lost. Somewhere along the way I hit something (a chair maybe) and ended up with this beauty. *sigh*

Four months later

Dani — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:56:28 +0000

I was skimming through the blog a few days ago and realized that I never posted the Halloween costumes that I was so tickled about. So here they are.

Jenn & me, Halloween

Jenn and I went as the birds and the bees! We thought we were pretty clever. I still think so! And people got it, so I was happy.

Also, I put a photo of me from my sister’s baby shower on Flickr, but I’m not allowed to post any of her, so … uh, yeah. But I assure you, the rest of the photo is me rubbing her 8 1/2 months pregnant belly.

Um, so … yeah

Dani — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:17:19 +0000

The posts I had rattling around in my head are no longer relevant, and the only other one I have planned I can’t do until … well, I don’t really know. It just depends on how fast I can do … something. Um, so … yeah. Hey! Look! Over there! Something shiny! *runs away*

Checkin’ in

Dani — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:34:50 +0000

I have a post rattling around in my head, but it may be a while before it makes it to the blog. Thought I’d better pop in and say hello though, since I haven’t posted in several weeks!