New Years Resolutions

There are a good 3-4 posts that just have not happened over the past few weeks. They will happen eventually, I think. As for now, however, let us discuss New Years Resolutions. I love them. I am AHHHMAZING at keeping them. So, for 2012 this is what I have decided upon:

1. Get into Graduate school. After I submit all of my applications, I don't think I'll have too much control over the acceptance process. All I can do is continue submitting the strongest applications I can create and pray everything works out. 
2. Get a tattoo. I have given this much thought, as one should with permanently marking their body, and I think Spring 2012 is going to be the time to embark on this. I will 100% post a picture when it happens. Hold me to it!
3. Year of the Abs. Forget losing weight, which is always one of my goals (which I did conquer in 2011!), this year I want a rocking midsection. I will overcome my hatred of all ab work and seriously tackle this goal. Eating appropriately 75...80% of the time included. ;)
4. Let us continue the theme of fitness. I would also like to run more this year. Definitely take on some more 5ks. Maybe even run a 10k next fall? I am hesitant to set the last goal because I am a scardy cat and I don't want to mess up my accomplishing New Years Resolutions streak. :D
5. In 2012 I would also like to date more? I am pretty iffy about this goal. I have been so uninterested in the opposite sex as of late, it is hard for me to imagine putting any real effort into meeting people. Don't get me wrong, I still love them and everything, but...I am just really uninterested. 2011 has not been a very social year for me...yet I don't have any real inclination to change that in 2012. Unless I get into Grad school. Clearly I'll force myself to make new friends at that point. I do want to survive!
6. Live It, Love It. Over my lifetime, all 23 years of it, I have struggled with appreciation. Over the past year or two, I have made very conscious efforts to embrace, accept and love my life as it comes to me. All of its ups and downs and happiness and ugliness. And in doing this I feel I have evolved into a better person, a happier person, a more well-rounded and balanced person. Thereby, this is one goal that I not only want to continue in 2012, but really be a part of each and every day I live.

So, this is what  I am looking forward to embracing in this upcoming new year. Have you considered what you'll conquer? Dear 2012, I'll see you in SF! SALUD Y FELIZ ANO NUEVO!!!

Love. Gap. Want.

I don't know if I ever told you this, or if you figured it out, but I essentially shop at two stores: Gap and Urban Outfitters. I also work at the Gap. I generally control my spending, but nevertheless, I am ALWAYS on top of new items. Thereby, here are my wants and loves from the Spring line!!! Salud!

1.Sooo...if I buy this in Tall. Like a Small Tall, it becomes a Tunic, right? Because that is how it works in my head and that is what I am trying to make happen. Plus, it has BATWINGS! YAY!! Downside: it's rayon. Rayon, without fail, will shrink no matter WHAT. :/ Also, unrelated, this model. I love her. I also love her hair. If I wasn't trying to grow my hair out, I'd have it cut to be an exact replica of hers.


2. SO! MUCH! POTENTIAL! What couldn't you do with this sweater and some leggings!? All Spring, All Fall!


3. I am on the fence about this dress. For starters, why does it not come in XS and S? It is quite slouchy as is and I cannot think that that is going to get better since it does not come in anything smaller than a medium. But it seems like it has such great potential. :/


4. I need new black flats. But I LOVE these in nude! LOVE. If they fit, I seriously might have to buy both pairs.
 

5.
I don't think I actually want this purse. I think it is very interesting, but one of those items you would have to see in person. There are no pockets, no wrist strap and it's 100% PU. I don't know what PU is exactly... polyurethane? Do I really want a polyurethane purse? Upside, it looks GIANT. I do like that. Hopefully we get it in store.

Lady Sailor

I was reading the January issue of Glamour & skimmed (read: read some quotes) an article about the growing trend of women cursing. One woman was saying that she believes women are doing it to impress men. Which, seems like a bit of a cop out. A stereotypical response, no? And so it made me question, when you use an explicative, why do you do it? (no one ever asks me these hard hitting questions in real life!)

Now, in truth, I'm not a big swearer. I call people "poop chutes" (think about it) and say "sugar cookies" when I stub my toe. I much prefer euphemisms. I think they're fun & quirky &, well, not vulgar. However, let me be frustrated & alone and I definitely start dropping f-bombs. OR if I'm talking to a long time female friend. Then it's like I was inducted into the Navy THAT afternoon & I can't stop. It ridiculous. I try to lock it up, but it feels SO unnatural. Thus, for me, most times it feels unnatural to curse, but other times it feels unnatural NOT to. What the heck, right? (that felt natural) I think, in truth, this is where this "debate" on women cursers lies. I 100% believe Mila Kunis & Chelsea Handler use vulgarity because that's where they feel comfortable, NOT to impress guys. I, in the other hand, role modeled myself after shows like The Brady Bunch and 19 & Counting and am a firm believe that cursing isn't lady-like. Thus not cursing is my comfort zone; especially in front of a guy! Maybe the magazine eventually came to that conclusion, but I think pinning this trend on an attempt to appeal more fully to men is, well, HOGWASH! Salud!

5k!!!

So, ladies & gents! I did it! I ran my first 5k!! It went pretty swimmingly during the run. Though, before the run, this is how my thoughts went: "Seriously, girly, what are you going to wear? It's 30 degrees outside! You never run in these temps. Further, you PAID people to let you run in these cold temperatures!? COME ON!" But once I got there & saw people in shorts, sans leggings, I felt a better.

Now, for the actual racing part! It went super well, in my opinion. I ran for the first 2.5 miles straight, the first 2 miles for sure. I did take a break from running to power walk for a little while, but then I picked it back up and ran all the way to the end. Party on Rockstar!!! Here's the funny/sad part. In my head, a 5k is essentially 3.5 miles, so I assumed the race was...3.5 miles. I finished the race with a time of 34:57 (though I SWEAR the time in person said 34:10. I'll let it go.) Now, you & I know my 3.5 mile time as of late has been right around 38 minutes. To finish UNDER 35!? Crazy effing PANTS! I was a SMITTEN KITTEN! However, later I checked the results and the race was actually only 3.1miles. -_- BOO MISINFORMATION! Honestly, I think I'm just going to pretend that I ran 3.5 miles in 34:10. My life! Long hair, don't care! I'll leave you with a picture. Salud!

How're You Doing, Thunder Thighs?

So this is going to be, supposed to be, a very quick life update. Where to begin? 5k? Okay! I signed up for a 5k that is taking place this upcoming Saturday and let me tell you, I SUCK at training. I have been planning this for over a month and each week I was supposed to consecutively run longer and longer, with a running schedule of Monday-Wednesday-Friday. At best I have run on a Tuesday/Friday split, per week on my "good" weeks. So, at this point, I am currently running the approximate 3.5 miles in right around 38 minutes and I am not running the whole time as I had hoped training would allow me to be. The upside of this is that 1. 38 minutes is only 3 minutes away from 35 minutes, which was my goal time for a 5k. 3 minutes might be a lot in running time, and I do not expect it to diminish suddenly in the next 3 days, but I still do not feel bad about that time. Especially since it is my first registered run. At least I am sticking to it and getting out there and staying fit. Cop out? Maybe, but I am very much into the power of positive thinking. 2. I also do not feel bad about this time because, what 8?, 8 years ago I was a chubby kid who could not run a mile, a single mile, in under 15 minutes. PROGRESS! Michelle Obama would be proud. (Also, remind me one day to record the conversation my parents had AT ME the other day regarding my fat stage. It was ridiculous.)

Running and applying to graduate school is taking up the bulk of my life currently. However, I was skimming my new issue of Oxygen Magazine (LOVE) and they had this legs routine entitled "No More Thunder Thighs". This title had me rolling, hence my title. I definitely have not been squatting like I was last spring and it's showing, but I do not think I am yet at the title of Thunder Thighs. I took some pictures of my running outfit today to show the overall loss of muscle tone, but not the complete lack thereof. So, what am I going to do about it? Follow this handy guide Oxygen sent me! December is about to be the month of triceps & (non)Thunder Thighs. I'm pretty excited. Running all the time gets a bit mundane for me.

Okay, back to running! As I was running today on the treadmill I decided that when I choose to power walk instead of run, it is not because I am out of breath or feeling weak, but because I am tired of running. Pushing myself to keep going and hit new goals is a real struggle for me because I, so I believe, am inherently lazy. I flat out get tired of running, it is ridiculous you know. However, I have really been trying to push through and keep going and I think I did an ace job of that today. Not only did I run for a longer stretch, I was able to hit that time of 38 minutes which, clearly, I am extremely proud of. And, to top it all off, I am sore! Go team this girl! Okay, now that I have said all that I, sadly, must get back to working on grad school apps. Life is getting crazy, I will try to post about these apps (or food!!!) tomorrow/sometime this week. Salud!

Maturity Blogging and Chicken Noodle Soup, Part Deux

I was scouring for new blogs to follow this morning/afternoon (It's already 2pm!? !Ay Dios mio!) And I have come to a conclusion: I think my blogging interests have matured. I am unsure how to explain it, exactly, but blogs focused on people, generally women, in graduate school and their resulting lives is what is interesting me the most. Perhaps it is because I am embarking on graduate school as a female so I thereby feel more drawn and interested. That probably is it, nevertheless, I definitely hope this influences my own writing and life maturity overall...slowly. I cannot imagine, of a sudden, being mature at their level all at once. I do like where it is leading though! Here is a list of the new blogs I am investing myself in.

• http://babynhm.blogspot.com
• http://cherishedcollapse.blogspot.com/
• http://nolongersilent09.blogspot.com
• http://thesabbathbee.blogspot.com/

On an unrelated note, I made Chicken Noodle Soup again. I need to work on my broth making skills. This stuff tastes like plain noodles in hot water with boiled chicken. It is NOT the best forray into cooking I have ever had. *sigh* We'll get em next time, tiger. Salud!

Maxi Skirts?

I really did spend a large chunk of time today exploring Maxi skirts. I didn't want you guys to think I was being COMPLETELY flaky! And with all of my looking I have decided that...I am going to have to sew my own Maxi skirts. My legs are just too long to be successful in commercially produced maxi skirts. I wonder how that's going to pan out if I want patterned skirts. I will clearly have to start with solid colors. This is seeming like a very tricky endeavor. Are skirts just made from super giant pieces of fabric!?  *sigh* I did find two skirts to leave you pictures. The first is a Winter Kate and at $135 I'm glad it is out of stock b/c I'm pretty sure I would not have been willing to hand over this amount for it. The second is not a Maxi, but it's totally cute, reasonably priced and I want it! Salud!


http://www.revolveclothing.com/DisplayProduct.jsp?product=WINT-WQ1&c=


http://shopruche.com/retail-therapy-skirt-in-green-p-9182.html#NP=facf57c665ddf055c22f33705e159c6d

Clothes I Suppose

While I was lying in bed not sleeping this morning I had all these great things to blog about. Now that I am actually here, they seem to have gone. Let's see if I can pull something together. I was watching New Girl, I wanted to post about tv in general (coming soon)...okay, ready!

I think Zoey Deschanel, in character as Jess, is going to cause a clothing revolution in my life. Her and Lea Michelle as Rachel. In one of the episodes of New Girl "Jess" is wearing this scoop neck shirt, 3/4 sleeve I think, but the scoop is showing off some serious cleavage. The only way she is able to get away with this, however, is because she's small busted. I have always been a big proponent of rocking extra cleavage as a small busted person, mainly because I am a small busted person and I like it when double standards work in my favor. Fact, I can wear the SAME cleavage exposing shirt as a bigger busted person and look normal while they look inappropriate or worse. One of the few few perks. Ahm, now that I have appropriately digressed, let me regress and get to where I was going in the first place. I like this movement of not skin tight, semi-mini skirts being combined with sleeved shirts. I think I might pick this up for...late spring. I find it to be tricky because I don't like to be cold and my shoe collection is NOT fly enough to promote mass usage of leggings. 2012, I will definitely be working on my shoe collection. Round toed flats is what it seems I need. Maybe throw in some kitten heels for good measure. In addition, I also want to add maxi skirts to my wardrobe. Being 5'10, however, nothing is ever "maxi" enough for my tastes. I'll try to work it out. On that note, I want to leave you with a picture (from my new iphone!!!) of my current clothing desire. Indeed, it might prove prudent to create a whole post of pictures. Salud!