TV addictions, ballet, and the like.

I've started to take some classes at Arlington Center for Dance. It feels so good to be using my ballet technique that I haven't used for so long. I've just been going once a week - Tuesday nights. My first class was especially hard (of course); however, probably not as hard as I expected. After the class I told the teacher it had been 5 years since my last ballet class and she was shocked. She said she never would have guessed (I told her I do yoga. It'll keep anybody looking decent and ballerinas in somewhat good ballet shape too). It's been getting progressively better. I even pulled a very decent triple pirouette on Tuesday. It's just a drop in class, so there are new people every week, but I've definitely been one of the better people every week, so this feels great. I'm getting old though. I wonder how long I could continue to try and push my body to do what it used to do. In one combination, just this last Tuesday, I got so frustrated with myself because I knew exactly what my body needed to do, it just wasn't strong enough to do it. I remember getting really mad at myself back in my teenage years too, though. Ballet is just so incredibly hard. You aren't ever good enough.

I became addicted to the show "Mad Men" for a period. This period actually just ended this morning. I'm all caught up with the second season and there's nothing more for me to watch on DVD (third season hasn't begun yet). It is a huge waste of time, but of course thrilling and alluring. I don't have DVR and I don't try to schedule my life around shows, because I want to do what I want to do when I want to do it. I'm not going to plan to be home in order to watch something. This is why on Wednesday night I happen to have the tv on and I saw that "So You Think You Can Dance" was on. Do you know what I did? I didn't even turn to it. Do you know how much I love this show? Remember how obsessed I became in prior seasons? I don't even want to turn to it. I haven't been watching it/keeping up with it, and so I don't even want to see what's going on in the middle. It seems pointless to me. I want to know what prior pieces the contestants have performed/brought to the table. If I can't do this, I don't know if I can make an acurate judgement about their present performance. I realize I may be incorrect here, but I just haven't been following it, and I see no reason to start to do so now. And I don't like watching this show online. You can't rewind! And I don't think you can't watch full episodes online, so you have none of the judges or choreographer commentary.


"Mad Men" will start the third season sometime in August. I guess this will now be my second show (besides The Office) that I actually keep up with.

Are there any other shows I really should be watching?

Seriously what did we do before DVR? I guess I don't have DVR now, and I'm fine.

My fun birthday

29 in '09

Wednesday, July 22nd was the big day. Some of the celebratory events were the following (I started my celebrations about a week ago, and they aren't over yet):

A much needed and anticipated pedi a week ago Saturday (following a float down the Harper's Ferry river in West VA).

Eating the best cupcake (Chocolate with Peanut Buttercream frosting) of my life at Best Buns Bakery in Shirlington.

Starting my new job was maybe part of the celebration.

Dinner with family on Wednesday. I love Nam Viet in Clarendon. It looks kind of ghetto, of course.

Seeing Oliver! with Paige (for her birthday) and Anna on Friday.

S'mores party at Mary's Saturday. Have you tried a Reese's s'more? Or just use a Symphony bar.

I have great friends and family. Thanks for being in my life. I was asked what the highlights were of my 28th year (really my 29th, of course) and also what my goals are for my 30th. The highlights were teaching 3rd grade over the summer, finishing my master's, and moving from Vegas. The goal (it's singular. I only have one) is to make babies in or out of wedlock.

Celebrations continue tomorrow night with a joint birthday dinner with Ashlee. Hooray!

Pictures to document the festivities...

Dinner with family

Unsure what is happening here.

Helgeson. Smuse.

Maintenance

I've finished my first week at my new job. It is such a relief not to have to babysit almost 20 3-year-olds all day. I was just getting too burned out. So, now I wake up and go hang out at a toy store all day. It's actually pretty great. I don't know how long term it will be (I just am not making enough to be a legit person in adulthood), but for a little while it's fine.

So, I was hired to plan and teach the classes that they offer at the store. I only taught one class this week. These classes will be increasing; however right now we are in the middle of a large expansion of our store (into another location just two doors down on the strip of stores). The present location will have baby items and go up to age 3, while the other store will have 4-9 year-old items.

I'm new and have a lot to learn just about how the store is run, so I have to learn from all my high school/college age part-timer coworkers. There is one girl that's 27, I think. They are really ridiculous and it just makes me really glad that I'm not that age anymore and that high school is a one-time deal. They actually might drive me crazy.

I really did like one brief conversation with my coworkers. It was on the lines of personal hygiene. This girl said that one time she "really needed to take a shower," so she managed to go home and shower and get back in a 30 minute time period (showering was that necessary). She went on to explain that she had just been really busy and etc. I liked this phrase, because I think it's something that we all have experienced, but never really admit openly. We KNOW when we are dirty and need to shower. Personal hygiene is a difficult one, and this is basically the direction the conversation took. Another coworker was present during this conversation and she says to him, "Oh, but you are probably doing good now [with personal hygiene] because you have a girlfriend." So, does it take a boyfriend/girlfriend for us to be really mindful of personal hygiene? I'm not saying I follow this line of thought, I just think it's funny that sometimes it's really difficult to make sure you shower regularly; however, adults (except for me) don't seem to really struggle with this. Maintenance is such an ordeal! A girl's got so much to do. My friend, Katie, talks about people that "never look dirty." Because there are those people in the world. My sister's one of them, probably.

And, with that I'm off to get my beauty sleep (as my brother-in-law called it the other day).