Sucky and Super Saturday

Sucky:

• It has been cold and rainy this week. I hate weather changes, and hate being cold even more. I also lose any and all motivation to do anything with myself when the weather is crummy. I just want to curl up in bed and watch tv. For eternity.
• Work hasn't gotten any better. In fact, it's gotten worse. Last week we were so busy I was taking between 75 and 85 calls every day, got shouted at by consumers for the long wait time, and had far too many nasty calls. I left work in tears almost every day, was so frustrated I was just ready to give up, have been having nightmares, lost sleep, and was even fighting with man friend because I was so stressed out I turned into a crabby, irrational bitch. 
• The hot flashes have started back up. They calmed down and even went away for a week or two, and I thought I was in the clear. I was wrong. I start flashin at super inconvenient times, and get so overwhelmingly hot I just want to rip my clothes off. If I ever get health insurance, I can go to the doctor and see what the fuck is the deal.

Super:

• Wednesday was my man friend's birthday. We hung out at the Stadium bars, he got his free drinks, and we hung out with his coworker, friends and cousins. I wrote him a little piece and got him a rotating picture frame (it looks like a ferris wheel and I'm fascinated by it) and printed off pictures of us for it. For being in the middle of the week, it turned out to be a great night
• Thursday I went out as well. Two nights in a row, especially during the week, is almost inexistent for me. I met up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while and had a really good time. I'm really glad I went.
• I FINALLY got a laptop! My desktop had been giving me a lot of problems ever since it got "fixed" by the campus IT people when I was in college. For the last year, I've pretty much just been borrowing other people's computers. It's so nice now to be able to job search, write, and just simply surf the Internet whenever I want and not have to rely on someone else. It's equally as fantastic being able to take my laptop with me somewhere and not having a stationary desktop.
• Last weekend, today and next weekend have been/will be filled with volunteering and goodness. I spent the day at Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya, you can read about it here, today I participated in the March of Dimes walk for babies and next Saturday I will be volunteering for the YMCA's Healthy Kids Day. It feels so good to be donating time/money to such worthy causes. My volunteer work is the only thing keeping me from going crazy about my lack of success after college.  

Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya

Last Saturday was the end-of-session day trip to Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya with Girls Night Out. To conclude each session, the GNO groups from all the Green Bay Ys spend a day at camp. This particular trip was rather small, only two groups. It ended up working out just fine that way. 30 sixth graders is a tad more manageable than 60.

This was my third time up with GNO, and maybe the best. Certainly better than in December, that's for sure. The girls were super well behaved and seemed to really enjoy themselves. There was only one minor meltdown when one of the girls had a giant spider land on her and she started crying. Otherwise, a definite success.

The weather was beautiful, better than what we had anticipated. The sun was out all day, it was decently warm after lunch and there wasn't any snow. Because it was so nice out, we actually got to spend the whole day outside, whereas the last two trips we spend at least half the day inside.

The day was broken into two main chunks, survival skills and canoeing. My group did the survival skills section first, and the staff guy had made it a Hunger Games theme, which I think the girls really liked. It was cool to be able to make it into something relatable for them. I feel like survival skills were more appealing to them when they could think of it in terms of a movie instead of just because.

The girls learned how to build a fire, and became part of the one-match club. They split into two groups and had to use their new knowledge to build a mini fire. Each group had an area to build in between two steaks in the ground and a string tying them together. The first group to get their fire big enough to burn their string won.

When the fires had been put out, they moved a little farther into the woods and learned how to build shelters. Of the three trips, this group of girls had the best teamwork by a landslide, and thus, had the most successful shelters. I've found that typically one or two girls designate themselves to be leaders and completely take over while other girls stand in the background. Last Saturday, the girls communicated great, shared the work, and followed instructions to result in working shelters.

After some large group games/icebreakers and lunch, we headed out to the lake for some canoeing. I'm not even going to pretend like I was excited for this. In fact, I was really hoping we wouldn't go. Well, we did. One of the girls was really scared too, so we got paired together. At first I thought putting two scared people together was probably the dumbest idea ever thought of. Neither one of us really wanted to even get into the canoe. We both just stood there, trying to think of excuses for why we couldn't get in. I think we both realized at the same time that we weren't going to get let off that easy. Trembling, I got in and sat down.     Although we didn't master turning as well as most of the other teams, and we were still uneasy, we managed

to get out to about the middle of the water and we saw the giant snapping turtle.

When we finished canoeing, there was a little extra time left and the instructor took us on a nature walk through camp. We got to see some the brand new buildings, and got to see a bunch of turtles. The instructor told us that in the middle of the afternoon, the turtles like to come out of the water and soak up the warm sun, so if we were extra quiet, we would be able to see him. Believe it or not, 15 sixth grade girls managed to stay silent and we got to see at least 20 painted turtles and five or ten of the big snapping turtles. It was a phenomenal sight to see (pics coming soon).

Sucky and Super Saturday

It's been quite some time since I've posted on this blog...I've been focusing much of my energy into becoming a foodie and updating my new blog, Learning to Cook. This edition of Sucky and Super spans a much larger time frame than the typical week.

Sucky:

This was left in our mailbox. My roomie drives a black car
and I drive a red one. We're left with solid neighbors.

• I've developed a little bit of a cold, and in combination with allergies starting up early, it's made me rather miserable. Last Saturday was the worst: I was so stuffy I could barely breathe, and I'm about 95% sure my face nearly exploded. I actually had to go home early on St. Patty's day, it was so bad. I've had a difficult time talking on the phone all week at work, which makes my job a smidge difficult.
• This week at work was terrible. Between people training in new areas, and people being on vacation, our phone staff was short at least six people on any given day all week. Six people may not seem like much, but it made us so wicked busy. Taking 75+ calls in a single day is terribly overwhelming. And of course, everyone was crabby as shit they had to wait on hold so long for someone to pick up. First of all, if you're waiting 10 minute to complain about your toilet paper, perhaps you have other issues to address. Second, have you ever waited on hold for a real problem, like a loan? It's way longer. Also, everyone just seemed to be extra nasty, no matter how nice or helpful I tried to be. Not to mention extra inappropriate comments. For the very first time, walking out actually crossed my mind.
•  The only good neighbors we have moved out a week or two ago. Now we're stuck with the people who won't talk to us and the crazy guy we call White Trash. The real kicker? White Trash upped his crazy ante by shooting at a passing car. I'm almost positive he shot at his black neighbors, because they're you know, black. He managed to spend a whopping two days in jail before coming back home.

Super:

• We've been having unseasonably nice weather and I love it! For about two weeks, it was at least 70 degrees every day. It even hit record highs in the 80s. Absolutely unheard of, but I'm not complaining. Not one bit.
• St. Patty's was a fantastic day/night of friends, food and drinking. Since it was so nice out, we were able to spend the majority of the day hanging outside, enjoying the beautiful weather. My friends/the hosts of the party and I made tons of food, most of it St. Patty's day/alcohol themed, including green cupcakes with Bailey's frosting, beer brats, curry fries, beer and buffalo chicken strips, mint m&ms, beer dip and cheese and crackers. After it cooled off and got dark, we headed in for the night and rocked out to SingStar. 
• I've really enjoyed learning to cook and becoming a bit of a foodie. Every Sunday I go grocery shopping for the week and make two to three recipes to last the week. It's been something I've really started to look forward to every week. Now I know why my mom always says it's a stress relief. I've been making tons of healthy recipes, or altering recipes to make them healthier. It's great knowing I can actually make food that tastes good, not to mention knowing exactly what I'm putting into my body.
• Last Friday, my man friend spoiled me rotten, and we had the best date night we had had in months. I got surprised with flowers (my favorite color of course), and Ghirardeli chocolates to start the night. We ate at Red Lobster (which we actually planned together, so I was really looking forward to it) and I had the most delicious meal of lobster, mussels, oysters, shrimp and pasta and it lasted me a good two and a half meals. Yum! Then we ended the night with another surprise of going to see Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. Seriously, such a good movie. If you say otherwise, you're just an idiot who can't appreciate a solid piece of art. And I probably hate you anyway.
• In combination with the nice weather, Day Light Savings Time means more hours of daylight each day. I've felt so much more motivated to get stuff done, don't feel quite as tired, and have been able to go on  nice long walks after work.

There is no better exercise for your heart, than reaching down and helping to lift someone up*

I've been spending a lot of time at the Y lately, and my time there has become something I really look forward to. This week, I've been there three evenings, and those few hours each night have been the better parts of my week.

Monday - GNO week 2

GNO was really fun this week. I think the girls, and the volunteers, enjoyed themselves quite a bit. This week is one of my favorites of the whole program every session, especially since we did completely different activities than we have in the past two sessions. The theme of Hopes and Dreams is really great to see the girls start to open up. We learn what they're passionate about, what they want for their future. As a group we read Oh the Places You'll Go, and had two smaller activities in which we discussed how to attain goals, the difference between long and short term goals, and how sometimes you can't always achieve all your goals and how to deal with that. Our physical activity was kick-boxing. The girls seemed to really enjoy it and, much to my delight, all participated again. The instructor told them they were the best group she's taught so far, and I'm certain she meant it. I'm so proud of them already. It's relieving to not have to constantly scold or argue with them. I really enjoyed kick-boxing and it was a great workout. It totally kicked my ass in a good way. Unfortunately, my stupid leg couldn't handle all the jumping associated with the workout and I was only able to participate in about half of the activity.

Tuesday - Strong Kids Campaign kick-off

A few months ago, I asked the lady in charge of GNO if there were any other volunteer opportunities. She got back to me about a fundraising campaign that helps bring in money to GNO and other youth programs. I jumped at the opportunity and chose the online option. After just under two months of anticipation, the kick-off was last night. The biggest reason for the kick-off was so the phone campaigners could start making their calls, but it also started the annual fundraiser and gave really strong information about how the program works and who it benefits. This fundraiser helps send kids to the Day Camp, brings in money for activities and supplies for GNO, and gives scholarships so people can keep memberships. After hearing personal stories from children and families who have benefited from the Strong Kids Campaign, I was even more excited to start raising money. It's so incredibly rewarding to know I'm helping kids participate in programs they otherwise may not be able to. I'm also very excited to be able to bring some donations for my girls. As a program, there isn't much they have for themselves. We share supplies, rooms and equipment with the daycare programs. The hope is also that donations will reduce the fee that each child has to pay to participate. I couldn't be more excited to be part of such a great institution as the Y.

Wednesday - Zumba

I've been going to Zumba (nearly) every week and I'm so glad I found this class/instructor/exercise. Basically, I was given a bunch of free passes to attend just her class since I don't have a membership, but do an assload of volunteering for the Y. I have so much fun that sometimes I forget I'm even working out. It's a great full body workout that doesn't aggravate my tempramental leg too much. This week the instructor brought back some old songs from a few months ago and even a brand new one. "The best part about doing a brand new song is if I screw up, you guys won't know!" I can tell I'm finally starting to get in shape because I wasn't so out of breath, and actually wasn't even feeling tired until the tail end of the 45 minute class. I'm also starting to get more flexible and was able to stretch a lot further.

*Bernard Meltzer

GNO week 1

Good morning, dear readers! Last night started up a new session of Girls Night Out, and so far, I'm very excited. Each session is with a new group of girls from a different school. This semester, I'm working with girls from the middle school that I went to and that my younger sister is attending as well. While it may be too early to tell, this group of girls already seem more behaved than my last group. My biggest hope for the next two and a half months is that they really are this well behaved and their behavior stays this way.

I'm working with another advisor this session (three different advisors thus far) and she seems to be really good at her job. She said it's her fifth year in the program and I can definitely tell. She's very firm, and starts off like that so there will be no questions later in the program...but not bitchy firm. I can tell already I'm going to like her. She relates to the girls well, but makes it known she has a low bullshit tolerance. The perfect balance, if you ask me.

The first week is like the first day of the semester in school. We explained the program, introduced ourselves and talked about the expectations of GNO. After a few ice breaker activities, our physical activity was Zumba. I was really excited for the Zumba, especially because the class was taught by the lady whose class I take every week at the Y. Most of the girls seemed to really get into it. After the night ended, a friend/dance teacher at the Y actually wrote on my page that the Zumba instructor told her how impressed she was with the girls. We're off to a great start! The only problem that I had was not realizing we were going to be doing a physical activity on the first night. I wore Chucks instead of quality tennies and was a tad dehydrated. Which means that today my calves are killing me with every step I take. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

The advisor told us some of the other physical activites that we're going to be doing, and I'm really excited for them as well. Some of the activities are repeated every session and some are new, to me at least. We will be doing yoga, step, kick boxing, and relay races, among others.

25 Things you may or may not know about me.

I've grown tired of Sucky and Super posts. Maybe I'll come back to them in a few weeks. I've done this a few times before on Facebook, but I never grow tired of the list of random facts about myself. I'm really fascinated by these for a number of reasons. One, I like to give friends/readers/followers a little insight into my life. Two, I find it really interesting what people decide to share with others and what people find relevant enough to share. Three, I find almost every time I learn something new about myself, something in the back of my mind that I've never really verbalized. So, enjoy.

1) I get freckles on my nose in the summer. I really like them.
2) I love reading detective/murder mystery novels, but I know that I could never think out a plot to write one on my own.
3) The word panties creeps me the fuck out.
4) I still have all my trolls from the 90s and don't plan on ever changing that.
5) It's a life goal of mine to have a room of nothing but books in it.
6) I think my toes look weird if I don't have polish on.
7) One of the best things anyone ever said to me was just a passing comment by someone who probably doesn't even remember saying it.
8) No matter how long I consistently work at 8 am, I will never be a morning person.
9) I don't like rice.
10) If I'm not married by the time I'm 30, I may have a meltdown.
11) I've convinved myself I'm going through early menopause.
12) I don't eat very much red meat.
13) Children, until they reach their teens, are my weakness. But I don't want any of my own.
14) Even after college, I still mark up books, highlighting and noting worthy passages or wonderfully written lines.
15) I would love to work for a non-profit.
16) I could probably eat eggs every day of the week.
17) Failure terrifies me.
18) I hate the cold with every fiber of my being. Moving to a wamer city has crossed my mind more than once.
19) I'm scared of being in a dead-end job the rest of my life.
20) Oatmeal is such a comfort food for me. I love eating it in the winter.
21) I've never had one cigarette or tried one illegal drug.
22) If I do get married, I'm not changing my last name or my mind about it. Let the flame war begin.
23) I am so head over heels in love with my man friend, it's disgusting.
24) Fuck is easily my favorite swear word. I probably say it every day. Several times, in fact.
25) I am one crabby lady if I don't have a soda in the morning

Sucky and Super

I dropped the ball on a post last week, so today's Sucky and Super post encompasses the last two weeks. Enjoy, dear readers!

Sucky:

My memorial tattoo

• Tuesday was the eighth anniversary of a very close friend's passing. January 3rd is the hardest day of every year for me, and not once does it get easier. My friend passed away very young, two weeks before his 20th birthday. Not only was the loss of him very difficult, but the cause was even worse. He was killed, and everyone (cops included) knows who did it. Unfortunately, evidence was tampered with at his base and it likely to never be proven. Every year on the anniversary I visit the cemetery with flowers for him. This year I wasn't able to make it before it got dark and it was closed. I felt so guilty, and that made dealing with it even harder on myself. 
• Friday I had the worst day of work I've ever had at this job. Now that the holidays are over, callers are back to being rude, impatient, ungrateful, demanding and argumentative. The day had been dragging, and I was growing more and more frustrated every hour. In the last hour or so of my shift, I had the most unbearable call I could ever imagine: 18 straight minutes of nothing but being shouted at, argued with and my offers ignored. I was actually shaking and nearly in tears when I transferred the call to a supervisor.

Super: 

• New Years Eve started off on a Sucky note, but it actually turned out to be really nice. I'm too broke to be able to go out, so I decided to have some friends over, but plans got switched up a little, so it ended up being just my man friend and me. I made dinner for the two of us, which got destroyed at first but the second try was significantly tastier, and we listened to a local radio station's top songs of 2011. After a rough start, our first New Years together was really nice.
• New Years Day my man friend and I spent the day at my dad's. We watched the Packer game, another win of course. I'm so excited for the play-offs to start! We also stayed for dinner, which was a great end to the day. 
• For Christmas, I got a lot of exercise materials, which I really like. I've been trying so hard the last few weeks to stick with healthy eating and working out and am determined to keep it up for once. This past week I worked out four days using my new fitness hula hoop, my Biggest Loser yoga DVD, and went to my weekly Zumba class. I can already see a difference and it's a great feeling.
• After four years of credit card debt, I have it nearly paid off. As of today, it's down to $30, and with Christmas money I got this weekend, that balance will be paid off tomorrow. There are no words to describe how relieving this is. 
• Last night was my final Christmas celebration. We had some great food and got to spend some quality time together. My mom moves down to Tennessee in a week, and it was our last family event with all of us together for a while. 
• I had a phone interview this week. Again, nothing in my field, but a full-time, permanent position in town for a company very well known in this area. There's actually a lot of room for advancement in the company, and I'd be making pretty decent money as well. I have several friends working there, one of whom is how I heard about the position. I feel like the interview went well, but I'll just have to wait and see.