38 days and 38 nights

i decided to jump on the band wagon a little late, hence the title. i haven't given anything up for lent in a really long time, i honestly couldn't even tell you how long. i was raised catholic, but don't believe in it now. i actually never really did. but since it was a subject in school my entire life [i went to catholic school k-13], i had to play along. i am giving up a few thing not because of what the sacrifice stands for, but because now is as good a time as ever to drop a few bad habits.

i originally vowed to give up french fries. they have become a staple in my diet for the last few months and it is absolutely terrible....no wonder my pants are just slightly tighter than they used to be. the vow has been extended to all fried foods....yikes. this list tentatively includes: french fries, onion rings, fried chicken/shrimp/veggies, donuts, you name it. i never used to eat so many bad things, but lately, i can't help myself. the winter season has made me eat a terribly unhealthy diet and gain a few extra lbs. that have actually kept me quite warm during these exceptionally chilly months.

pop is also on the black list. i shouldn't be drinking pop anyway. according to my dentist, i have soft teeth and they can't handle the acidity of pop. i have a cavity nearly every time i go to the dentist, that alone should be motivation for me to stop drinking pop, you would think. i am more of a water girl anyway. i don't think this one will be too difficult, but every once and a while i get a craving for a fizzy lifting drink.

this next item isn't something i am giving up, but something i am going to do. i want to do pilates at least 3 times a week and one weekend day. i bought these windsor pilates tapes off of an info-mercial about 7 years ago. when i first bought them, i did pilates all the time and loved it. then i fell off the wagon and haven't done it consistently since. the tapes have been collecting dust in my closet and have also become a place to stack t-shirts. well that is about to change. my cousin and i did pilates on tuesday. [just to give you a visual: you kind of need a lot of room to do pilates. my cousin and i were on the floor in my bedroom in an area that probably measured 6'x8'. not really a lot of space for two people to swing their bodies around on the floor. not to mention that we were almost always kicking furniture or each other in the face] i forgot how much i really liked pilates. i love the way my abs burn for about an hour when i'm done with the tape. it makes you feel like the effort you just put forth was worth the pain. it also delivers results in like a week. how can i not give up an hour of my time 4 days a week to get a little exercise and drop a dress size or two?

we'll see how my pledges will hold up. 38 days/nights and counting...

the cats' meow

Meet my kitties, Casey and Puma.  These are my babies.  Casey just turned 4 and Puma is a year and a half.  These boys are a handful.  They look chill and loving now, but they will tear through the house like a herd of elephants.  The will roll head over tail to tackle the other and bite at their back leg or neck. Clumps of fur will blow across the floor like tumble weeds in an old western.  Then after I break up the fight, 10 minutes later they will look like the picture above.  Sweet right?

Sometimes we call Casey "Butter" because he is the color of butterscotch and he is a sweetheart. Casey is a total lap cat.  As soon as you sit down he will look up at you with those doe eyes, silently pleading with you to let him hop up on your lap to cuddle.  Once he finds his comfy place he will "make muffins" on the flabbiest part of your mid section, purring loudly all along.  Give him 2 minutes and he is a passed out, sack of potatoes on your lap.  He also likes to lay on your chest when you are lying in bed.  Casey is 13 lbs. so he is no waif. He will knead and knead and knead your chest. He will then, almost always, drool onto your face/hand/blanket. It's gross, but you know he is just so happy so you don' really care. He is such a lover.

Puma's nickname is "Shadow" because he is constantly under your feet.  When I get up in the morning, I almost always fall flat on my face because I trip over Puma from my room to the bathroom and back again.  And he does his fake, little squeak meow on top of it. [it's so pathetic and precious at the same time, i love it] He has now demanded that he come in the bathroom with me when I get ready in the morning.  He will sit on the shower mat while I am in the shower and then weave in and out of my legs for about 5 minutes when I get out.  If you have food, forget about it.  He will have his little face or paw in your plate/bowl/cup before you know it.  He will eat almost anything too.  Turkey is his absolute favorite.  He jumps about two feet in the air as soon as you pull the package out of the refrigerator. Puma doesn't really like to be held.  He will play along for about 30 seconds, but then he will start squirming and clawing to get away from you. I think it's all a show. I bet he secretly loves it.  He will lie within an arm's distance and to him that's close enough.  He looooooves to stretch out like a hot dog and have you rub his belly [see below]. Puma is the most loyal animal I have ever had and he loves his momma :)

i, stephanie taylor, am addicted to blogging

though i have only posted a handful of times, i am addicted to blogging.  i have only been part of this exclusive group for about 6 days, but i find that it is all i can think about.  i have so many things i want to share and get off my chest and just ramble about. i talk to m.e. about blogging while we're at work. mind you we don't work together, but we sneakily use gchat, like passing notes under our desks in junior high, except you can't fold gchat into a paper football, shucks. i love reading what other people write.  seeing if others find the same things relevant, or irrelevant for that matter, that i do.  i feel like it is an outlet for me when i have too much on my mind.  i can unload and speak freely and not worry about judgement, i hope. yay for blogging! thanks m.e. and muffin for introducing me!

submerged

i stood in the shower today for longer than what was necessary. it felt so good to let the hot water beat down on my back.  the weather was particularly cold and blistery today and it made escaping to the warm haven of the shower wonderful. i stood with my back to the shower head, my hands on the back of my neck, head down, eyes closed.  the water steadily washing over the back of my head and down my shoulders.  i tilted my head back so the hot water would run over my face. my ears became clouded as water rushed off the top of my head.  it gave the illusion of being underwater.  it was so peaceful. so quite.  i could have fallen asleep standing up. being underwater is so comfortable.  your body is suspended in the water, weightless. your mind can unwind in the silence that envelops you when you are floating under the surface. such a serene place, i let my mind wander.

the dramatic side of me crept to the surface: if you are under water and you take a breath, it will jolt you out of your nirvana and set your lungs on fire. one breath will send you sputtering to the surface in full panic mode. it will make you forget how to swim and lose your sense of direction.  it will make you regret ever getting into the water.

the path my thoughts had taken shook me out of my warm daze and made me shut of the water.  i am terrified of drowning. 

4 inches above the rest

the suggestion for my "blog description" was given to me by one of my coworkers whom i love dearly, let's call her muffin [long story, she calls me cookay].  "because my 4 inch stilettos are killing me" suits me because i wear 4 inchers to work almost everyday.  i love these shoes: 4 inch, black, patent leather mary janes from aldo. i think these shoes were made for someone who just wants to look pretty or for someone who has a desk job.  i am all over at work: up and down stairs, back and forth from the printer, on and off the boat.  the balls of my feet are killing me at the end of the day, but i really don't care.  i wear them anyway. and i look fabulous. 

it is safe to say that i have a shoe obsession.  i can walk away from the mall with a pair of shoes each time i go.  during these hard times, i try to restrain myself and it works...sometimes.  i would love to have a closet, just for shoes, full of manolo blahnik, jimmy choo and christian louboutin. i admire their beauty and craftsmanship....at least, that is what i tell myself to rationalize the price tag.  i blame sex and the city for introducing me to these high-priced wonders.  i didn't know who these designers were before i watched the series.  in my mind, having these shoes is a status symbol. i know that if i can buy a pair of these shoes without holding my breath while estimating the balance of my checking account as i hand over my credit card, i have made it.  we'll see how that pans out.

why do women wear high heels? so high that our ankles shake and we risk teetering over? do they really make our butts look better? i like to listen to the heels 'click' on hard floors, a sound that i always loved as a child.  i like 'strutting' in my 4 inch heels, like a supermodel on a runway.  i'm not nearly as graceful.  my ankle usually gives way and i stumble, making me look less than glamorous.  

what is interesting to me is the fact that i absolutely detest feet, but love shoes.  it turns my stomach when bare feet are near me, even if they are clean enough to eat off of [puke, no way]. my own feet don't bother me, i LOVE to be barefoot. other people's feet make me uneasy.  when trying on shoes, i sometimes think about the pair of feet that were in the shoes before me. did they shower today? were their feet sweaty? were they wearing the thin little footie that the sales people give you? [as if that really prevents any nastiness from spreading onto the shoe] You might find yourself thinking about these questions the next time you try on a pair...and i don't blame you.

my favorite pairs:

1. the fore mentioned mary janes

2. black, peep toe, italian leather 3 inchers

3. tan uggs....so ugly, but so,so comfty

4. multi-color plaid chuck's

5. puma flip flops

think i'm crazy? try to walk a mile in my heels

i have arrived

well, today i bit the bullet. i entered the world of blogging. i was apprehensive at first, thinking i didn't really have anything worth writing about. but then i figured i have just as much, or as little, going on as anyone else, so why not!

i just recognized my quarter-life-crisis birthday in december. i said recognized because "celebrated" just doesn't seem like the right verb. i thought i would be farther a long with the life plan i had made for myself when i was probably a junior in high school. i realize that it seems unrealistic and dramatic to be upset that my life hasn't quite unfolded how i had "planned", but i'm going to be honest with you, i am unrealistic and dramatic sometimes. i'm a graphic designer and do freelance work on the side. i still live at home, although i long to move to chicago. i have two cats, casey and puma and i love them like children. i know i can rely on them for companionship. they are both currently lying at my feet, peacefully dreaming about catnip and bird watching i suppose. i studied italian in college and miss being able to speak and read the language. i just happen to be 100% italiana, and love learning about the culture. i am trying to brush up on my language skills - you know what they say, if you don't use it, you lose it.

i love getting lost in a movie or a really good book. as i write, i am watching season 2 of house, a show that i have become slightly obsessed with. the strange cases are so interesting. i love that things are never as they seem. i am amazed at the doctors' ability to know about so many diseases, symptoms and the like, even if it is just a show. like i said, unrealistic and dramatic.

i am also reading the sookie stackhouse novels by charlaine harris - another thing i am slightly addicted to. [*just as a side note, i just realized that both things that i am addicted to right now have the word "house" in their title, interesting] this series was the jumping off point for the hbo series trueblood. if vampire stories interest you, i strongly suggest checking out this series. i am currently on the fifth of seven books that are out right now. two new books are coming soon, one in march and another in may.

i am ridiculously excited that tomorrow is saturday and i get to sleep in. i live for saturdays. this week has been slow and long. i feel like i have been sleep walking for the last couple of days, staring blankly into space. anyway, i plan on being rejuvenated after tonight's sleep, so i hope i can provide you with some semi- interesting material to read this weekend. until then, buona sera...