Could you just imagine flying all over this place?  It’s like a playground for adults and I do enjoy the Mario references.    (In case you’re wondering, while Parkour & Freerunning look similar, they are not the same.  Parkour is about being efficient with your movements and Freerunning is more about style & flourishes.)  If you want to see more videos, Youtube is a hotbed for them.  Just do a search for Parkour or Freerunning and/or X-Games and you’ll find results to keep you entertained and amazed for hours.    (Edit:  The Tempest Freerunning Academy can be found online @ http://tempestacademy.com/)

Proof that you don’t have to be bored to be fit thrills me!

George

There’s something to be said for not knowing exactly what the future holds for you.  Sometimes we make the plans and they just don’t work exactly as planned.  Case in point, meet my furry friend George.  He’s named George because he’s curious and into everything.  Maybe it’s the kitten that he is, but I sort of hope he never outgrows it.  Now, we met George in Oregon, at the last rest stop heading south on I-5.  He was wondering around the parking lot, came right up to my husband and proceeded to work his kitty mojo.  Thinking that perhaps he came from the RV that stopped for the night, we knocked on their door.  Nope, not their cat.  And sadly, with freezing temps projected for the night, we could not just leave dear George there.  So, naturally, George came home with us.  He’s adorable, friendly, & wonderful.  He’s also obnoxious and in a state of terrorizing the two older cats.  (To be fair, I think the older cats enjoy it a little…  and it gets them moving!)

I guess the point is, I didn’t want another cat.  I’ve fought against getting one for a long time.  And yet, here I am with three cats and it’s okay to have that extra Furry Friend. 

He’s always giving me the giggles and laughter is the best medicine, right?

Savings

Today, our new insurance started and while it is costing us a pretty penny to keep the coverage we need for Z, the savings above makes it worth it.  This is only two of his monthly prescriptions.  Someone remind me to post the others when we get them filled.  And anyhow, who doesn’t love seeing a savings of $331.98?  Even better, when we do the math, every year our insurance will save us almost four thousand dollars.  Yes, you read that right, four thousand dollars.

And for this I am grateful.

Now I just need to figure out what I want to focus on.  That is the hard part, isn’t it?  How does one figure out what to focus their energies on?  It’s like I need a list or something.  And anyone who knows me knows how much I *love* my lists!

Anyway, enough rambling.  I think I’ll figure it out soon.  Or rather, I sure hope so.  Hey!  Maybe that’s what I can blog about.  The process of finding my creativity…  Maybe… 

J's Dragon

So here I am looking down the barrel to 2011, with no voice and a head full of questions.  2010 was  a sucky year for me.  There’s really no way to describe it other than that.  Since J is a big fan of positive thinking, I’m going to spend the coming year thinking positive thoughts that 2011 is going to be “my year”.  Everything has to get better, right?  And while I don’t agree with New Year’s Resolutions per say, I do believe that some part of them is good to have.  So while I haven’t finished deciding what my goals are going to be for 2011, I know that one of them will be to finish the dragon cross stitch that I’ve been working on forever.  I know, I say every year that I’m going to get it done but I’m really going to put an honest effort into it this year.  I mean, how cool will that be when it’s done?

Check back tomorrow, I’ll probably have a list of goals and stuff.  Or something. 

Chinese Food Yin Yang Soup

Originally uploaded by sanfamedia.com

So today I took the bus to my temporary work for the first time. This was interesting as it got me out of bed an hour early and yet that hour feels like an eternity! Among the sites was a sign that read “$1 Chinese Buffet”. I am fairly certain that $1 Chinese Buffet is not the type of Chinese food that someone wants to be eating. How do they make it that cheap? And how on earth can it be any good?

People laugh because I’m willing to spend good money on a product when I believe in it. I view it as an investment. I think the same goes for food. I mean, there are times when it applies that you should buy an item on sale or even as the off-brand. However… I draw the line at $1 Chinese Buffet…

Though all this talk about Chinese food makes me hungry… Yyyuuummm….

Today:  Thankful that even when it feels like everything’s going wrong, some things do go right.

Cat Meditation

Completely cheesy title but I do enjoy the idea behind it.    So I used to blog forever ago at shatteredsun.net (which is now a site written in Chinese).  And by forever, I mean about 2 years ago which in some cases feels like forever.  I still keep the archives around at denisey.wordpress.com because there are some great gems in there.  And it’s a history of sorts, so I keep it around.

But seriously, do you ever look back on your recent years and think “Wow, where did that time go?  And where was I?  And how did I miss it?”  I think those thoughts all the time.  When I was a kid, seemed like time passed so slowly.  Now that I’m an adult, I find myself zipping through life at breakneck speed.  I doubt that it helps that I spend my time at work wishing work would end, thus speeding along the process.  And aside from spending entirely too much time at work, I feel like I never really stop working, even when I get home.

I’m the cooker, the baker, the candle stick maker in my house.  To be fair to the husband, he tries his best.  It’s just that his standards aren’t as high as my standards.  Here’s how it works around here…  I come home from work, then proceed to question why chores aren’t done, dinner was pizza, and homework isn’t complete.  I’m sure it makes my family dread me walking through the door, even after all these years.  You’d think they’d be used it by now, but perhaps I should change instead of wishing that they would.

And in this time of year when things are festive and fun, I find myself more and more stressed, which leads to my husband’s description of me being “you don’t seem all that happy right now”.  And to be fair, I’m not happy at the moment.  Well, let me correct that, it’s that I’m not content.  I heard in a video today that “Stress is the tension between what we want to happen and what is happening.” It’s true.  My stress is my constant desire to have that which I don’t have.  And I’m not talking money, though some of the stress is money related.  It’s just that when I was a kid, I didn’t dream my life would be where it is.  According to my teenage master plan, I was supposed to be somewhere else in my 30s.  Certainly not where I am today.

We all know how well plans go though.  Life is a state of constant changing and I find myself fighting against like I’m swimming up river.  It might make me stronger to swim against the current but that doesn’t mean I have to like it!  And I find myself wondering if I am not creating my own disaster by being so ungrateful.  So, in an attempt to be more grateful, I have returned to blogging.  It might seem counter-productive but I always felt that writing was therapeutic, so I have to make time for it.  Plus, this will give those people in my life who like to lurk (I’m pointing at you Darel!) the chance to keep up with me more.

Today, this lovely December 1, 2010, I am thankful that I am alive and healthy.  It really doesn’t get more simple than that.