Beginnings

Ahhh, Beginnings. Remember how I'm working on upping the sappy quality of my post titles? One point for me!

Okay, but...before we get into Beginnings, I think we need to have a word on Endings.

Yesterday was all around the best year ending I've ever had. I ran not a few miles. (Bonus: I think after all my runs this past year, all toenails remaining in tact, yesterday's run is going to claim not one toenail but two. I am that hardcore.) (I also have never chaffed so bad in my entire life. Hard. Core.)

I met up with some friends. Awesome, hilarious girlfriends. And then I went across town and met up with some more friends, who hosted a faboosh party. Then I went back across town and ended the night with that original group of awesome, hilarious girlfriends. And it was all good - very, very good! This was a New Year's Eve without stress, worry, any negative emotions or sadness. It was perfect, and it made me so, so thankful to end the year surrounded by all the best parts of 2011.

So that being said I'm just going to let these pictures speak for themselves and you can infer all the laughter, merriment and 2012 postulating that happened...

So THAT was a great night. And with that, I'm leaving behind 2011.

Today, I've lounged around and eaten a VERY cream cheese-y bagel and journaled and - most awesome thing ever alert - paid my last month's rent at my current apartment. Halleluuuu!

...And now it's time to get out of bed and get stuff done. LOTS to do in 2012, no time to spare! :)

All the best to you in this most wonderful New Beginning, First Day of the Year, Clean Slate, etc. This is our year. :)

This Book is Amazing.

Silly beard, serious message. This book is blowing my mind.

Spontaneous Happiness by Dr. Andrew Weil

Ever-interested in the power of thoughts and words, I am enchanted by the concept of mindsight.

Mindsight is, according to Dr. Dan Siegel, an empowering, action-oriented way of describing the power of the mind to actually change the structure and function of the brain.

Did you know you can actually alter the structure of your brain by your thoughts?

I was specifically struck by this example last night - two minorly different ways of thinking but two vastly different messages:

I am sad          vs.          I feel sad

One is declaring something intrinsic and inescapable about your nature. The other is noting a feeling, a sensation but allows room for change and flexibility of emotions.

Thanks for the insight, Dr. Weil, and your beard makes me really happy!

PS: This guy in general is super interesting. 

Penzey's in the Heights

I am smitten with the Heights in Houston. I love that part of town. OJ and I have a ritual of devouring Collina's on Friday nights before our Saturday long runs, swallowed down with Menchie's frozen yogurt.

Sidenote: as we both wake up painfully early on Saturday mornings, this ritual has usually concluded by 6:30 pm. We are dedicated to the cause of running. Or we're nerds.

Last night I stopped in at a store near Collina's I had never noticed before. Penzey's.

And life was never the same.

Penzey's - Spice Mecca!

Pardon the blur - I think my hands were shaking from excitement.

Look at all the extracts!

All chickens should aspire to be reincarnated as delicious Ground Red Chipotle Pepper spiced creations. This smelled
heavenly.

This place is like if Anthropologie had a spice department - great packaging, covet-worthy product...

I can't post all the pictures I took, but they have spices from all over the world. I think they had oregano from four different countries!

Amen. Amen. Love people. Cook them tasty food. I love you, Penzey's!

Penzey's definitely made 11/11/11 extra special for me.

Good Things

Have to say, these two things are making me TOTALLY happy these days.

Disclaimer: by "these days" I mean I discovered them within the last week and have been totes obsessed for a period of time lasting no longer than 4 days (so far). But I'm REALLY obsessed, so it seems like much longer.

1. My feelings about coconut range from disinterested to dislike. My feelings about chocolate milk are simple: LOVE the stuff, HATE the cals/fat. Chocolate milk, then, usually gets passed over for fear of developing elephantbutt or rhinorear. HOWEVER. Thanks to an impromptu trip to the Kroger (booo) in the Heights (yayyyy!), I came upon THIS:

Zico Chocolate Coconut Water

Not too shabs, Zico!

 I'm not saying this tastes exactly like chocolate milk, but it's delicious in its own way, and it's very easy for me to forget it's actually coconut-based. To say I guzzled is an understatement. I'm a little sad I'm on such a strict budget this month otherwise I could easily spend that $100 stocking up on this heavenly nectar.

2. I have my shows. Like, the shows I DVR, the shows I neglect friends for, the guilty pleasure shows, my Food Network shows...I don't watch a ton of TV, but I'm loyal to my shows.

• Breaking Bad, fave show of all time
• Big Bang Theory
• Giada at Home
• Rachel Ray's Week in a Day
• Brunch @ Bobby's
• And the old, retired classics: Sex and the City, LOST, the Sopranos

Takes a big shift in the force or strong recommendation from qualified recommenders for me to add a show to the lineup. Rarely, do I stumble upon them of my own accord...Rarely, but sometimes, it does happen...

New Girl on Fox

Hi, Zooey and Jake. Y'all are starring characters in such a cute little new show!

So adorable!

New Girl, I love it! I have laughed out loud to every episode, which is a very rare thing and you know it!

Which brings me to my next topic: my type. Turns out, Jake Johnson is a perfect example. Let me break it down for you. I don't like preps, jocks or yuppies. The boys who attract my attention are the opposite of trendy, poised and generic. I guess, to coin a new category, you'd call him caveman-geeky-chic. See below.

Caveman-geeky-chic. Looks like he might occassionally mispell his own name, punch out strangers for talking smack about a family member, shave infrequently enough to where it's a surprise when babyface appears, laugh really loudly, enjoy being dirty and sweaty...and yet, he brushes his perfect teeth 3 times a day, loves to cook, kills it at work, knows what's up with hair product, adores dogs - even mine-  and can run a sub-4 marathon. Oh, and he doesn't - would never - wear Vibrams.

Some would suggest such a man doesn't exist and that I'm projecting huge parts of myself onto this phantom-man. I say suck it, he's out there, and I will knock you out so fast for ever doubting me.

These are the things making me really happy right now. Enjoy!

November Goal Update:
$7 spent on food as of 11/4/11
6  miles+weights as of 11/4/11
Food log in full swing. Somehow consumed an embarrasingly large number of Airheads last night. Airheads. I'm hopeless. candied walnuts. Still hopeless.

Holy Bloomin' Onion, Batman!

This blog will be frantic, as I'm leaving for the airport in 4 hours. I just wanted to establish a single post before my world gets flipped completely opposite on its axis (literally).

I'm moving to Australia at 7:15 pm tonight. My two(!!!) suitcases are packed to the busted zipper point, and every five minutes I check to make sure I (still?....still?....still?) have my passport.

I work for National Oilwell Varco in a program that is designed to give me a from-the-ground-up perspective on the oil industry, specifially the distribution side of this fabulous company. Last week I met with the other 12 interns, and we had a blast surmising what each of our different rotations would be like. I'm not sure how I got mixed in with these brilliant, sophisticated kiddos, but I sure am thankful! Valerie and I are headed to Australia, but we've got others going to Dubai, Scotland, Holland, and Indonesia. After these six months, we'll all spread out again and relocated somewhere else. I'll be headed to Rifle, CO.

I'm googly-eyed right now. The internship has been SO generous to all of us, but even more importantly, everyone has been so patient and welcoming. NOV is massive (almost 40,000 employees worldwide); it would be so easy to feel like a tiny, floundering, DOA fish in a huge pond, but in reality the opposite has been true. I'm very excited for the things to come.

I will try to post frequently, and once I get a camera (meaning once I get a paycheck) I'll post some pictures. All my best, best, best.