ballet

Weekly Therapy: Taper Madness?

- Mel

the week:
To-do notes EVERYWHERE have been saving my sanity this week. I’m finding myself being overwhelmed very easily right now and scheduling my days down to the hour. Taper madness, perhaps?

weekend:
MY BEST FRIEND IS COMING IN FOR HER BABY SHOWER! Imma be snuggling up to baby belly this weekend. And drinking some fine ass tea (and fake-eating crumpets) during her party.

If you’re in Pittsburgh, tonight is the quarterly Gallery Crawl and PDP Night Market downtown.

seven things, seven days:
1. La Bayadere was the most beautiful ballet that I’ve ever seen. I was moved to tears in Act III. Bravo, Pittsburgh Ballet.
2. I rearranged my attic because I need an office space and there is no better way to procrastinate on homework than moving furniture around by yourself!
3. Return of Run/Yoga Club together and on Wednesday evenings at Urban Elements!
4. Kind of freaking out about not getting an email confirmation from Pittsburgh Marathon peeps. While I can look my bib number up online and pick up with my ID, I feel… left out.
5. And my apologies that I can’t really spend the time that I want on this post today…
6. This seemed appropriate for the week: Self-affirmations may calm jitters and boost performance.
7. And what IS the right dose of exercise, btw? {via NYT blog}

Weekly Therapy: I promise I won’t mention the weather.

- Mel

the week:
Has this felt like the longest short week to anyone else?
I feel as though I have accomplished nothing, and yet, SO BUSY AND FRAZZLED. It hasn’t helped my brain or my training much, the fact that I experienced an awful onset of DOMS from Monday’s CrossFit workout. I was in so much pain, I spent my training week healing and rolling and stretching… and ARGH. Frustrated.

Why do these taste like chewable Flintstone vitamins? Blech.
Why do these taste like chewable Flintstone vitamins? Blech.
Also, why do my iphone pictures STILL upload sideways (even after editing the image). This has been happening for nearly the lifetime of an iphone. Fix it, wordpress!

weekend:
Massage Saturday, then dinner at Bar Marco — I’m considering waking up for a yoga session at SHPY too. BIG PLANS FOR NOTHING on Sunday.

52 books in 52 weeks:
#6 Elite Minds by Stan Beecham. FIVE STARS. I’m going to read it again, it’s SO, SO good.

seven things, seven days:
1. I’ve really been scoring with deals on work clothes on Poshmark.
2. …and I finally sold a pair of shoes on the dang app.
3. I made a new friend at happy hour this week who grew up in the same city in Ohio!
4. I also mad an investment on new thermal running pants because this shit seems to be sticking around.
5. How are your resolutions going? (Terrible!) You still have 10 months to meet one goal per month this year! {via The Chalkboard}
6. As someone with three sisters, this was a WOOOOOF (that would be air deflating)… and then tears. Forty portraits in forty years {via New York Times}
7. “Visualize the proverbial curtain rising.” 5 Ways Thinking Like a Ballerina Can Bring Balance to Your Life {via HuffPost}

Weekly Therapy: overloaded

- Mel

the week:
First full week of my new job, and I’m (hopefully) filling into my role. I have business cards!

On the school front, I had to drop my first class in the program. I was feeling really overwhelmed with some of the course requirements — especially at already taking 16 credit hours. I’m hoping to get into another class that starts later this month, but my advisor has been completely MIA (which is a whole other unnerving thing in itself) and my student status is considered “overloaded.” STORY OF MY LIFE.

me_blue chair

weekend:
Friday night was the ballet — Beauty & the Beast — and then half marathon kick-off weekend! Wow. It’s here. So I want to take my weekend full of “down time” to be active and OUTSIDE. Because we are all excited about 30-degree temperatures in this place.

seven things, seven days:
1. First evening CrossFit session, and I felt BEASTLY. Maybe there’s something there.
2. One group presentation out of the way!
3. I had a volunteer info meeting this week, which I thought was downtown, so I didn’t drive to work. And then I realized said location was not downtown at all, but in Oakland. Woof, my perception of things.
4. Feeling SUPER meh about my last StitchFix box. Even with notes to my stylist about needing new work pieces and redefining my classic style, this Fix fell WAY flat — as in, not work-appropriate for me at all. Also: another really cheap bracelet for $30 kinda pissed me off. Also-also, they sent me the SAME dress I already purchased from another box, but in a different color. What the heck?!
5. There’s nothing like waiting for a package from USPS… and finding it face-down, frozen in the ice in your side yard. Yeah, they basically just tossed it over the fence without care or regard. SIGH.
6. Oh, hey, it’s OK to be an overbearing pet parent (and yes, there is some merit to the “crazy cat lady” title) {via Science of US}
7. I loved the message behind this post from the Greater Good blog: Be divergent, not perfect.

Weekly Therapy: ho Ho HO

- Mel

the week:
We had our Christmas tree delivered, and while tall and beautiful, I don’t know what to do with it. I hate the white LED lights we had on our tree last year (the boyfriend put them on anyway), and I don’t want to put bulbs up knowing that I’m leaving the cats alone for a couple days (especially given that half of them are vintage… the ornaments, not the felines). The cats have been mostly ignoring the tree, but I’m convinced (even from last year) that our smallest cat hides up in it somehow. She’s sneaky! The boyfriend (lazily) put up lights and garland outside, which looked like a six-year-old threw them up… and the lack of vision or thoughtful end result really irritates me (especially when asked for my opinion, and the response is all “it looks fine!”). He’s in such a rush to decorate and wrap presents all the sudden, and… I JUST WANT TO GO ON VACATION.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

We definitely decorate with completely different styles in mind.

weekend:
Pittsburgh Ballet’s Nutcracker on Friday night marks the beginning of my ballet season package (amazing birthday gift from the boyfriend). We’ll probably have dinner at Proper Brick Oven & Tap Room again too. NOM.
Saturday, work. Meh. But then we can hang out with our out-of-town friends who are visiting Pittsburgh for the football game.
And SUNDAY is our annual Toys for Tots charity scrimmage. #teamGrinch

seven things, seven days:
1. Malley’s Pumpkin Pie Truffles. Mmm-hmm, that’s right.
2. My Ortho follow-up was uneventful. No MRI needed at this time, since my foot seems better.
3. Reading The Wolf of Wall Street in anticipation of its Christmas Day movie release! There’s a lot of eye rolling on my behalf, but it’s a quick, fun read.
4. Started receiving my Graze snack boxes*. First one was mostly uninteresting; second shipment was SO much better! RIP: Foodzie and SprigBox.
5. Packing for a vacation that is more winter than current winter IS HARD.
6. Cat sitting for friends is fun. I just can’t resist the fur babies! See also: CAT KARMA.
7. The 13 Best Psychology and Philosophy Books of 2013 {via brainpickings}

*My Graze friend code is: MELIND3TP — use this to get your first box free!