My workload is absolutely insane this month (relatively speaking, as I always say, as a non-BigFirm attorney) and I'm going to need to work long (for me) hours and weekends up until the wedding. Speaking of which, while we have most of the wedding stuff under control, there are some small details (and overly interested to the point of being stressful family members) that still need to be dealt with. Oh yeah, and I'm trying to stay trained for my big race this coming Sunday... and then try to continue to fit workouts in after that so I don't completely lose all sanity. (And gain 10 pounds and not be able to fit in my dress.)

So, yeah... blogging (reading and writing) is going to have to take a backseat for a while. If things calm down, I'll be back shortly. If not, well I'll make sure to make up for it with lots of photos from our awesome wedding and Hawaii.

*Obviously, I reserve the right to change my mind and might be back in two days.

(First in this series can be found here.)

This series was actually inspired by Slynnro's post on how she has a tendency to start things and not finish them on her blog. I could totally relate to that... I've done that sooo many times. Updating resolutions, reading challenge, weekend recaps, 101 in 1001 challenge (although I've been pretty good at this one, for once!), heck... even starting a separate workout blog that I am terrible at updating (and am still unsure how I want to handle).**

And then, as I was reminded by Jodifur last week, there's also Grace in Small Things.

I love love love the idea of Grace in Small Things... "a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook." Problem was, I thought it was too difficult, too demanding. I couldn't do anything daily with this blog. I couldn't come up with 5 new things each day.

Well, who says that I had to? There's no rules for things like this. But just because I couldn't do it "right," I abandoned it altogether. (Hello, theme!) So new rules... try to do Grace in Small Things more often. Who cares if I find grace in the same things every day... that doesn't mean those things shouldn't be acknowledged on a daily basis.

Grace in Small Things: 19/365
1. Having one of the most perfect months of weather ever this September.
2. New work opportunities.
3. Being able to commute on back roads, instead of having to take one of the terrible highways around here.
4. Apple brownies. (YUM!)
5. Living in the same city as the "Rally to Restore Sanity." (So excited to participate in that craziness!)

** These shall be the subject of future posts in this lack-of-follow-through series, you know, assuming I actually follow through on that.

(Oh yes, this will be a multi-part series. Unless I lack follow through on that also... )

Oh, remember how for the first half of this year, I was so good about keeping you all up to date with my resolutions? Then the summer happened and I just forgot about it. Actually, that's a lie. It sat there, hanging over my head. And even though it is an easy, free post, I still just didn't bother to write it. So, here's a general update from the past few months...

Year-Long Goals:
1. Run an 8:30 mile. Yes!
2. Run a half marathon. Done!
3. Get back to my law school graduation weight. Down 10 pounds... still got a bit of a ways to go.
4. Take a class, any class. Took a wine and cheese class.
5. Handle stress and anxiety better. I think that I have stayed surprisingly calm throughout this whole wedding planning process. I think that's a sign of serious progress in keeping stress and anxiety in check this year.

Five Monthly Goals:
6. Send my grandmother a card or letter every month. Since May, I think I've only sent her a birthday card and a wedding invitation.
7. Remember to send birthday cards to friends and family. Fail. I'm probably at about 50% on this one... and still not even on time. (Sorry Sarah!) Oh crap... that reminds me I need to send my brother a card and gift STAT.
8. Set a monthly fitness goal and accomplish it. Nope, haven't made any fitness goals lately. I'm going to try to work out 5 times a week in October in preparation for wearing a swimsuit in Hawaii.
9. Clean the apartment once a week. HAHAHAHAHA! Okay, okay... it's not that bad. But I don't think we do a full cleaning weekly. It is mostly presentable most of the time. I just have a terrible problem with not putting things away, and we end up with clutter everywhere. (And the clutter is almost entirely my fault, and I am the one too lazy to clean. Definitely cannot blame the male resident of the apartment for either of those, as he voluntarily cleans the apartment when I am out of town or running errands. When he is out of town, I lie on the couch and stay up too late watching bad television. I am pathetic.)
10. Read two books a month. I've probably been averaging 1-1.5 books a month. Still a marked improvement over last year.

Late last year, I decided to start a separate workout blog to keep track of my workouts (mostly training for races) separate from what I write here. Only, I haven't been doing a very good job about keeping up with my posts there... or here. I think I am just not cut out to be an every day blogger (obviously), so I just never could get into the habit of keeping track of all my workouts on the workout blog. When I did, I was less motivated to write here, because I'd already written something that day. Basically, my plan backfired. Instead of being excited to write two blogs, I was actually writing less often. Segregating out something that takes a big chunk of my time these days just didn't work for either space.

But, I think my workout blog is pretty! And I like the idea of having a separate section of my website dedicated just to race training, so I can go back and see how I did on certain races and how I trained for them. I don't want to give that idea up altogether... I just don't like having the two blogs completely segregated, especially because training is kind of a big part (at least time-wise) of my life these days. So, my plan is to bring back the running and training blogging here, but also have those same posts filtered out to a separate workout blog. Kind of like a special category archive page, except that this specific category will have its own template and (hopefully) some additional static pages linked to it. We'll see how that works, but for now be forewarned... the running posts will soon be back.

You may have noticed blogging has been a little light lately. It's felt like a version of the old saying, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Only, if you don't have anything worth reading, don't write at all.

I don't know what my place is, if I even have one, here in the blog-universe. I don't do it to get traffic or care about the "numbers" or what searches get people here. (I don't even know how to check my stats, if I did care.) I never claimed to be a real writer or have anything interesting or thought-provoking to say. But I just feel like I haven't had anything worth saying at all lately, even for those few friends and readers I do have that check in here.

I started this blog seven years ago. SEVEN. That's a long time to keep up with any hobby, especially for me. I only did gymnastics for four years, played volleyball for four, ran track for five.

A lot has changed in seven years. When I started this website, the only blog I'd ever read was my then-boyfriend's. I really had no idea what blogging was... and neither did most of you, I'm guessing. Now, I have 70 subscriptions in my Google Reader. (Although, I'm pretty sure a few of them are for defunct blogs.)

Seven years ago, I had just finished my first year of law school. I was depressed, anxious, fairly miserable. I didn't handle the transition from college to law school well. I had never seen a B- before... that was shocking to me. I was no longer an A student, top of the class. At the age of 22, I had to learn how to study. School had never, ever been hard for me... it was a huge adjustment to be in the middle, or even the bottom half, of my law school class. I didn't know if I was where I was supposed to be. My 5 year law school reunion is in a few months.

Seven years ago, I weighed 19 pounds less than I do now. Unemployment, two bar exams, and a desk job packed on 27 pounds. I'm making progress towards my goal, but I'm not there yet. It's a lot harder to lose weight at 30 than it was at 22, when I was losing all that wine and cheese weight from my senior year of college.

Seven years ago, I was a law student, about to enter the hell that is early interview week, unsure of whether I'd ever find a job in law. In the intervening seven years, I graduated law school, was unemployed, had an unbelievably horrible job that nearly broke me, had one of the best jobs anyone could ever ask for, and finally settled into my current job.

Seven years ago, my brother was still in high school, at least a half foot shorter than I am. He's now a PhD student. He also towers over me by at least 5 inches.

Seven years ago, many of my friends were in relatively new relationships, or just moving into apartments with significant others. Now, most of those friends are married, own homes, and have children.

Seven years ago, Adam hadn't even moved to DC, we weren't in touch, and if you asked me about him I would have said that I was certain he wouldn't have remembered me. (I was wrong.) We since reconnected, have been dating for four years, and will be married in a few months.

I don't really know where this post is going. I don't really know where this blog is going. I know that I don't want to just throw in the towel, now, after seven years. But also, more often than I'd like, I don't know what else there is to say.

Updated to add: Seven years ago, I had just met most of these people. (Video from i Flip for Food.) They were just as insane then.

Last night I met with our wedding coordinator for drinks, and at one point during our conversation (when we were talking about how computer-savvy most people are these days in the context of our email save the dates and online RSVPs), she asked me the question I never know how to answer: Do you blog?

Obviously, the honest answer is, "Yes." Duh.

But... I do not think I have ever answered that question straightfowardly and honestly in person. Sometimes I flat out lie. Other times I sort of artfully dodge the question (such as when it's phrased, "Would you ever blog?"). Then there are times, like last night, when I stammer out an incomprehensible answer, such as "Uh... well, I had one in law school, but I don't really anymore, but sometimes I still blog on it, but not really."

And then, of course, she says, "I love reading blogs." And I felt like an idiot for semi-lying to her. Maybe she'll forget and I'll be able to casually mention it sometime in the future. (And then maybe she'll read this! Hi awesome coordinator! I had a great time hanging out last night!) But then... I worry people I know in real life will find out.*

See, I'm still stuck in the days of yore (yesteryear?), you know, five years ago... back when blogging was lame and something that was made fun of by pretty much everyone I knew (who didn't know I had a blog, and then maybe they still did it, but not to my face). I kept it a secret from so many people because they'd all talk about how dorky it was, and why would anyone out there care out anyone else's life or what they had for lunch, and how people need to make real-life friends and not live in some online world. So, I don't tell people I blog. I've been keeping it a secret from so many "IRL" people for so long, I feel like they'd get offended if I suddenly was like, oh yeah, I have a blog and have since 2003. (Seriously, my seven year blogiversary is coming up... that's insane.) I feel like blogging didn't really become "acceptable" or "mainstream" or "cool" until the past year or two, and by then, I'd already been blogging for what feels like forever.

Obviously, if you are reading this, you are either (a) a reader of blogs, (b) a blogger yourself, (c) a friend of mine from back in the day that I actually told about the blog when I started it (and didn't yet realize how "lame" it was), or (d) some combination of the above. If you're a blogger, how do you handle the question, "Do you blog?" Are you out, or are you a closeted blogger? And how do you handle the big reveal if you do decide to come out of the blogging closet?

*This is not an unfounded fear. One of my close friends works for a catering company and runs in the same circles as her... in fact, a "non-working" happy hour for the three of us is in the works.

I've decided to update my "100 things" list, as my previous list was 4 years old and a little outdated. Some will remain the same, of course, because I haven't changed that much and I am not calling this list "100 More Things."

1. My birthday is March 13.

2. I have one younger brother.

3. I am a vegetarian.

4. I have never broken a bone. (But most likely have had a stress fracture in my lower leg.)

5. I was born in Louisiana.

6. I grew up in New York... the state, not the city.

7. I now live in D.C. ... technically, the "D.C. metro area."

8. I am an attorney.

9. I was a math major in college, graduating with honors. (Defying the stereotype that lawyers become lawyers because they can't do math.)

10. I minored in philosophy and won the philosophy award at my school senior year.

11. I am a total nerd.

12. I am okay with being a total nerd, because apparently it is one of the reasons TS had a crush on me back in college. (Although he uses the word "smart" instead of "nerd.")

13. I am a huge Mets fan.

14. I was at Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS when Robin Ventura hit the grand slam single in the 15th inning to win the game.

15. I was at Game 3 of the 2000 NLDS when Benny Agbayani hit the walk off home run in the 13th inning. (Talk about de ja vu all over again.)

16. I played volleyball and ran track in high school and college. I was not particularly good at either, although I do really miss volleyball.

17. I like running 5ks and the occasional 10k, but am not fast. Not at all.

18. I'd ultimately like to run a half marathon, hopefully next year. Not so sure about running a full marathon though. I think I'd get too bored.

19. I say OR-ange, h-ORR-ible, and Fl-OR-ida, not AH-range, HAH-rrible, and Fl-AH-rida. I also say elemen-TREE, not elemen-TAIRY. In my opinion, I say orange, horrible, and Florida the "right" way and elementary the "wrong" way. My mom says them all the wrong way.

20. I cross my Zs, but not my 7s.

21. It's soda, not pop. Regardless, I don't drink much of it at all, but when I do it is Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet IBC root beer, or Cherry Coke Zero.

22. I like red wine in the winter and white wine in the summer.

23. I love coffee, but am not quite addicted to caffeine. I don't get caffeine withdrawal unless I go without for two or three days.

24. I think my best features are my hair and my freckles. (Although, I do wish my hair would at least consider holding a curl for more than 5 minutes.)

25. I have had glasses since I was 8 and contacts since I was 12.

26. I've been told I have a very pretty smile, but my teeth are super soft, way too cavity-prone, and draining my savings account.

27. I have a tattoo of a butterfly on my lower back. I know it is cliche and unoriginal now, but no one else I knew had a butterfly tattoo back when I got mine in 1999. I still like it though.

28. I "melted" a car when I was 18. (Really, the broken fuel line "melted" it, but I was driving it when it caught fire.)

29. I hit a deer when I was 19.

30. A tree fell on my car when I lived in D.C. and I luckily managed to get the city to pay for the repairs.

31. Some punk-ass kids popped my tire when they tried to steal the PLASTIC hubcaps from my car.

32. I have never gotten a driving ticket. (Parking ticket, yes. I mean, I live in D.C. It's a given.)

33. I am really, really afraid of needles. I've passed out on multiple occasions after getting shots and blood drawn. (But not at all scared when I got my tattoo... odd.)

34. I'm also afraid of knives, sharp things, and eye violence. Even just typing that, I'm starting to get a little freaked out. Moving on...

35. I do not sleep with a top sheet.

36. I toss and turn a LOT in my sleep. My apologies to anyone who has shared a bed or room with me.

37. I hate the wind. HATE. Have you ever noticed that wind makes all weather worse?

38. I do not have a favorite color. My "favorites" are very mood and context specific. Or maybe I'm just indecisive. I have been on a total (color) orange kick lately, though.

39. I miss fall in upstate NY.

40. My favorite food is ice cream.

41. I had my appendix out when I was 12. The doctors estimated that my appendix had ruptured 6 days before I had the surgery. Yes, I *am* a medical miracle.

42. I have not traveled abroad very much at all -- England, Italy, Canada (ha!), and a few Caribbean countries as part of a cruise. I'd like to travel more.

43. I really, really, really, really want to go to Hawaii. Really, really. Ever since I read a Bobbsey Twins book about it as a kid.

44. I am slightly fascinated with volcanoes after reading that book. And by "slightly," I mean totally and completely fascinated.

45. Pompeii was one of the most amazing places I've ever been.

46. I can eat lemons with a straight face.

47. I have always liked vegetables, even as a kid. But, I do not like mushrooms (not really a vegetable), olives (which I believe are technically a fruit), or turnips (just gross).

48. I hate all things that taste or smell like fake grape. The smell of grape bubblegum kind of makes me want to hurl. (I'm also not so much a fan of fake peach.)

49. I went to high school with the guys from American Chopper.

50. I have a large, strange birthmark on my left shin.

51. When I stand, my knees bend backwards. Standing with my knees bent like a normal person feels very weird and unbalanced to me.

52. I love baking. I'd do it more often if not for my waistline. I love having people over and people's birthdays because it is an excuse to bake.

53. My middle name is my mom's first name.

54. I am superstitious only when it comes to sporting events.

55. I am a New York Giants fan and a Washington Capitals fan. (Hey, I needed to pick up one team down here.)

56. I worked as a gift-basket maker for 3 holiday seasons during college. My boss let us work as many hours as we wanted, so I made tons of money.

57. I love cheese.

58. I have known all four of my grandparents and two of my great-grandmothers.

59. I am amazingly awesome at Tetris.

60. I prefer my macaroni and cheese to be made with shells or twists, not elbows.

61. I love the smell of bacon and sausage and peppers.

62. I overuse ellipses . . .

63. I was in marching band.

64. Chris Farley stood behind me when I was lining up for NYC's St. Patty's Day parade and I missed it. How? I have no idea.

65. I was a summer day camp counselor for four years.

66. I know pretty much every line to every episode of Friends. Especially the early ones.

67. I type better when I don't look down at the keys than when I do. But I still look at times... I don't know why.

68. I ran naked around a building on my college campus. On multiple occasions. (It's a school tradition... well, to do it once.)

69. I have a lipgloss addiction, which stems from the fact that ever since my favorite lipgloss ever was discontinued, I have yet to find a suitable replacement. Although I am on a self-imposed lipgloss purchasing ban for 2009 due to my overflowing cosmetic case, I eagerly welcome all recommendations.

70. I believe dark chocolate is infinitely better than milk chocolate.

71. I love peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

72. I have only two cousins.

73. I sometimes wish I had a larger family, but then I probably wouldn't be as close with my extended family as I am now.

74. Supposedly, I could add and subtract at two-and-a-half years old, but that seems ridiculous to me.

75. I learned to read when I was three years old and devoured books as a child. I'd even read under the covers with a flashlight, and in the car at night by the passing street lamps.

76. I wish I read more now. My friend and I recently started a book club, so at least I am up to one book a month, but that still seems way too low.

77. I have been blogging since 2003. I go back and forth on how private I want it to be from those I know in real life. Those friends who live far away (or used to), fine. Those friends who live nearby (except those I've told)... weird. Mostly because I feel like knowing they read it will censor me even more than I already censor myself. (Family other than my brother, ack... no.)

78. I wish I could find more time to do yoga.

79. I drink more water in a day than anyone else I know.

80. My car is relatively clean, but there are inevitably a half dozen empty water bottles on the floor of the backseat. Plus two in the cupholders. The idea of taking a road trip, no matter how short, without water in the car terrifies me a little.

81. TS and I met in college in January 2000 -- my sophomore year and his freshman year. We did not date until 6.5 years later after reconnecting in D.C.

82. I remember the exact moment TS and I met. I can't say that about very many people. (We were opponents in a drinking game at a track party. He was the only one not drinking.)

83. I love spicy food.

84. I once had a goldfish that lived for 6 years. That sucker was huge!

85. I am really terrible about remembering to upload photos off my camera.

86. I am very good at parallel parking.

87. I like my martinis with olive juice, but can't stand olives.

88. I've yet to find a hobby that I really love and enjoy. This really annoys me. Who doesn't have hobbies?

89. A good pun always gives me the giggles. So do bad ones. I am really lame. (A favorite: Two peanuts walk into a park at night. One was a salted. HEE!)

90. I make a huge mess out of the kitchen when I do dishes. Water everywhere.

91. I love notebooks and pens. Electronic organizers are not for me.

92. I do not have an iPod. (Although, I do have some other small mp3 player that I never use.) I probably wouldn't get much use out of a Nano, but I kind of want one just because it is so cute. I'd probably have like 5 songs on it, though.

93. I do not have or want a Blackberry.

94. I am not on Facebook.

95. I like pineapple on my pizza.

96. My favorite Crayola crayon is Cerulean blue.

97. I don't like talking on the phone. This would come as a shock to anyone who knew me in high school, when I was on the phone constantly.

98. I am very much looking forward to my 30s. (As me about this again on March 12, 2010.)

99. Having the hiccups makes me really angry.

100. I don't like having ice in my drinks.

Hey everyone, head on over to Monkey's and wish her a happy birthday! She's turning the big 3-0!!!! She's having a crazy work day today -- a day when she should be out lounging on a beach or eating fabulous food or doing whatever else she fancies, NOT dealing with annoying work issues -- so leave her some birthday cheer!

Today, Rude Cactus has up a pretty awesome post on how this crazy internet thing can actually lead to you becoming friends with FAMOUS people. And, like REAL LIFE famous, not just internet famous. And REAL LIFE friends, even. How crazy is that? Go check out his story and drop him a comment... you'll even be in the running for a book written by his REAL LIFE FAMOUS friend! :-)

Finally, I urge you to go check out Ashley's etsy shop, Joyful Star. If it weren't for the fact that I've just had to blow most of my savings on my freaking mouth, I'd totally be scooping up items from her shop left and right. Here pouches are adorable, and I love, love, love this fun tote bag.

I absolutely love Trader Joe's. I know a lot of people only go there for specialty items, but TS and I actually do the bulk of our grocery shopping there. It is so cheap and they have so many different and delicious items, as well as a lot of the old standbys for less than the standard grocery store. Here are a few of the items that routinely end up in our cart...

1. Trader Joe's 0% Greek Yogurt. I eat this for breakfast several times a week.
2. The large (cheap!) containers of blueberries they have during the late spring and summer. Which happen to go deliciously with my greek yogurt!
3. Thai Veggie Gyoza. TS and I absolutely loooooove these, but they are almost always out of them! We stock up whenever they are in the freezer case.
4. Pound Plus Dark Chocolate. Just a square (or sometimes two!) is a perfect after dinner treat.
5. Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels. Yummmm... salty and sweet.
6. Apple & Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal. Another breakfast staple. Way better than any other instant oatmeal I've had. I used to love Quaker, having grown up eating it, but I cannot go back now.
7. Light brie. Tastes remarkably like full fat brie, especially when you're making baked brie and it gets all oozy and delicious.
8. New York Extra Extra Sharp Cheddar. Oh... my... yum. We don't even buy pre-shredded cheese anymore, we just grate up this stuff ourselves. And it is so sharp, a little goes a long way.
9. Sesame Honey Cashews. A perfect mid-afternoon snack.
10. Wasabi Sesame Drizzling Sauce. Delicious on stir fries!

So, what are your favorites from Trader Joe's?

I discovered a link to the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge via Zoot and I am going to attempt to incorporate some of those challenges here. I'm not going to officially sign up for the Challenge, because a scan of prior Better Blog Challenges made it seem like I don't have exactly the same goals for my blog as many others (e.g., gazillions of followers; source of income, fame; etc.). But I am going to follow along and see what tips and tricks I can incorporate into my blogging. I just feel like this website has gone waaaaay downhill lately, both in frequency of posts and quality of content. The main reason behind that is because Life is Good and I started this as a place to rant and ramble my way through the trying times of law school and the bar exam. Now that I'm settled into a good job, adjusted to this city, and established a place for myself here, a lot of the stuff I used to write about is just gone. I am most certainly not complaining that Life is Good, but somehow it was just easier to complain and whine and blah, blah, blah, and call it a day. I really would love to have my blog have more of the tone of Ashley's, who I discovered a few months ago and just absolutely adore. (Seriously, her blog is just such an adorably happy place, I dare you not to read her on any given day and smile. Plus, her Etsy stuff is so cute and fun!)

This blog has been pretty directionless for a while and hopefully this Challenge can provide the jumpstart I need to figure out what I really want this website to be about. I've been writing here for... get this... nearly SIX years. That's way too long to be wandering around the internet without finding any sense of what I really want to do with this space.