Boredom...and Vegemite and Marmite....

One of the 'side effects' of being single is having an absurd amount of time on your hands.*

*Disclaimer: the amount of excess free time is purely relative. 

Since I have no significant other vying for a piece of my already limited 'me time,' I've started looking into things for me to do simply because...well, it's what I want to do, darn it!

Sometimes, that leads me to do random things that are absolutely unnecessary...such as the venture that I am about to disclose...

Remember my last post? I'd written about some of the things that I'd done while visiting with my cousin...including cooking an absolutely fantastic batch of Galbi. In said post, I included a link to an article boasting "The World's 50 Most Delicious Foods" or something along those lines.

Also on that list was "warm buttered toast with Marmite," and I've been curious about it ever since...

I'd mentioned it to my sister, and we started looking up Marmite trying to figure out what it tasted like...seems as if the internet is definitively divided into those that love Marmite and those that loathe it. We even went so far as to read articles written about people trying it for the first time, and then their comparisons to Vegemite...

[From what I've learned, Marmite is British and Vegemite is Australian. Though they're similar products, they're certainly not the same...]

Despite the many, many articles on the web warning American palates to be wary of both of these spreads, I can't resist! My curiosity compels me to find out first-hand what these products are like...if for no reason other than simply knowing for myself...

This afternoon, the kiddo and I made a quick stop at my local World Market.

I was kind of surprised to learn that World Market regularly carries both of these products. I don't necessarily shop there on a weekly basis, but I'd say I shop there more than a dozen times a year...and I'd never noticed either of these on the shelves before, but I wasn't looking for them either.

I'm a little bit concerned about the jar of Vegemite...I found it one of the aisle end caps...the one designated for "Foods on Sale Because They're Nearing Their Expiration Dates!!" That's why the jar has that nice discount sticker on the label...I did check the date though, and it's says Oct 30, 2014...sooooo, it should still be okay, right?

I did try to find a jar on the regular shelves, but wasn't able to find a single one. [Wonder if that's an indication of the how much I should expect to like it...]


I'd originally planned on trying both of these out this evening, but I wound up getting in a dinner-time showdown with the kiddo and don't much feel like it anymore. I'll definitely be getting around to it soon though...after all, I've only got 15 more days of non-expired Vegemite goodness!

Have you tried either of these?

BuzzFeed Stuff...

So, this was newly posted on BuzzFeed today:

MY Spoon!

50 Pictures That Will Take You Right Back To Your Childhood

I know that dozens of these lists get posted every month, but really, do they ever stop being awesome?

Fun Fact: After reading the list, my sister and I got in an argument over who owned one of those color changing Lion King spoons.  [Which, of course, is MY spoon. Duh.]

Here's another BuzzFeed that I thought was pretty awesome:

45 Photos That Will Annoy You More Than They Should

Check them out, they're both good lists...Enjoy!

Cleaning and Depression...

Hey guys, hope you're having a fantastic Sunday morning...

I've made it my mission to get some serious cleaning accomplished today. Between working and parenting/entertaining my kiddo, it seems to me that clutter tends to accumulate way too quickly...my living room can go from company host-worthy presentable to "what happened in here?!?" in about two afternoons!

CLEAN ALL THE THINGS!!!

Truthfully, I don't mind cleaning all that much. I actually sort of like it! I think it's because cleaning is a task that renders immediate results...I know that if I put, say, an hour's worth of effort into cleaning up clutter, that within that hour, the clutter will be gone. Much, much more gratifying than other things...like exercise. I can exercise for an hour a day, and it would be weeks before there are any noticeable changes. Weeks! /sigh...so, yeah...lots of cleaning will be done today.

Plus, keeping a 'clean home' does wonders for helping to combat depression. I know myself, and I know that on my personal depression scale, I'm doing okay right now...but, I know what's coming.

I know that I'm a few 'bad days' away from hitting some potentially dark lows, and for the sakes of myself, my kiddo, and my family...I need to try and stave the beast off. I've learned the hard way that nothing truly good ever comes from my bouts of depression and I owe it to the people that care about me to put some effort into managing my depression.

I know that the concept of [ decluttered house = decluttered mind ] might sound far-fetched to some that aren't familiar with the idea, but I promise that it's an actual phenomenon.

How Keeping A Clean House Helps Depression

There are several articles on it floating around the internet, here's the link to one of them. Check it out!

Progress Reports and Haircuts...

Yesterday, my kiddo brought home his very first progress report card. I really don't see much point in sending home report cards for kindergartners, but I guess it's just part of the whole "getting acquainted with school" process.

Smiley faces are 'good,' right?

I should probably clarify my meaning in what I just wrote:

I don't see much point in sending home kindergarten report cards because there are no grades! Instead of grades, there are a few of the concepts that they're working on and a note on whether your student is performing at a satisfactory/unsatisfactory caliber. Soooo...yeah...

Though, I'll admit that I'm a little bit concerned that my kiddo received 2's on a few of the check boxes at the bottom. He's not quite '3 material' when it comes to finishing tasks in a timely manner and listening to instructions the first go around...

I'm kind of at a loss on how to handle this sort of thing...

As a student, especially in elementary school, I was such a 'people pleaser' of a child, that I really don't remember ever bringing home any progress reports that weren't absolutely dripping with comments on how I was "such a delight to have in my class!" or the "ideal student!"

Okay, my memories may be a little bit biased...

But seriously. What's the best way to handle this sort of thing? I don't think that he's being a terrible student, really, but I know he isn't applying himself the best he can...Ask the kid anything about the Avengers, Spider-Man, or Star Wars! He'll dazzle you with how much his 5-year old mind can retain! But ask him to sit down and do some handwriting or reading and you'll probably wonder if English is even his primary language...

A good portion of me is cautious about being overly strict here...A product of a military father and a "tiger mom," I know what can happen when you press a child too hard. [Love you, mom and dad, but you know I'm right...] However, I also know what can happen if you're too lenient and a child perceives that there are no consequences or no incentives to do their best...or worse, the child can feel like the parent simply doesn't care about how they're doing in school and, thus, doesn't care about the child...

/Sigh Where's that nifty little guidebook that was supposed to come with becoming a parent?!?

Parental calamity aside, I've had another pesky thought swimming around my head a good bit lately:

I want a hair cut!! [I blame my cousin for this!! She mentioned wanting to get one a few days ago, and now I REALLY WANT ONE!]

Why is this a big deal? Because, I don't want just a trim or an addition of a few layers...I'm seriously jonesing to get another pixie cut. I present to you, my options!





Option 1:
I definitely wouldn't go blonde [it just isn't a color that I like for myself], but I like the overall shape of this cut. I also like the medium-length-ish bangs!

Option 2:
Now, this color is one that I adore! I know I've mentioned in previous posts that I have a love for red hair...this picture combines that fantastic red with an amazing cut...yes, please! This cut has longer bangs...more styling possibilities?

Option 3:
As seen on the fantastic Anne Hathaway, pixie cuts also look fantastic on brunettes...pretty sure that my natural hair color isn't the same lovely shade as hers, but it's pretty close...closer than red, anyway. This cut has shorter bangs than the other two.







Option 4:
Yes, I know this one is a bob and not a pixie...but I think it my be my compromise cut. It's still a good bit shorter than the current shoulder-length hair I've got going on right now, but isn't as dramatic. I'm also thinking that not going quite as short would give me the change of pace that I'm looking for without the commitment that comes with a pixie cut...





I'm planning on giving the whole haircut situation a good couple of weeks to think about...partly because my cousin and I have an unspoken agreement to get dramatic haircuts together, and partly because I need to tap-dance around my finances a bit to make sure that I can spare the money required for an excellent cut and color...definitely not a job for Great Clips!

What do you guys think? Which haircut would you choose?

Hamster Wheel!

Let's talk for a minute about ruts...

You know what I'm talking about, right?

I SAID SNOOZE!!!

That state of mind where you can't help but feel like your life is on a constant loop of sorts...each day is the same thing as the day before...get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, repeat repeat repeat...

I spent a few minutes thinking about the premise of 'daily ruts' earlier, and I've decided that the whole think is a bit baffling...

As human beings, our brains are more or less wired to create routines...to some degree, we crave routine. This can be very beneficial, allowing us to form 'muscle memory' for tasks that would be too demanding otherwise (driving, most athletic feats, typing on a keyboard with any sort of proficiency...I'm sure there are a million other examples, all of which manage to escape me at this moment...)

However, it is these routines (blown up to a daily scale) that can lead to 'ruts'...I can't think of anyone that would say that they actually enjoy being in a rut. They're terrible!

What a cruel trick of nature...

I had intentions of sitting down and writing a mind-blowingly profound about 'ruts' and the unfairness of the human condition...but it's coming on 5 pm and I have to start getting dinner ready...

Squee!

Hmm? Oh, never mind me...I'm just another person stuck in the perpetual hamster wheel that is a daily routine! Tra-la-la!

Dangerously Bored...

It's Friday, again! Congratulations on making it through yet another work/school week...I should have a relatively short work day, myself...my parents, the kiddo, and I are headed down to PCB for the weekend. Now, I know that some of you are having those "wow, that sounds awesome! You're so lucky!" thoughts, but I assure you, they aren't warranted.

My parents own a few condo units down there, so our visits are far more condo maintenance and very little actual relaxing. Personally, I always feel like I need a vacation from out PCB 'vacations.' [PCB = Panama City Beach, FL...just in case you were wondering...]

16+ hour audio book?? Yessss!

So there's the drive to look forward to this afternoon...I actually don't mind the drive all that much, I rather like long drives, especially if there's good company. Or if I happen to be traveling by myself, there's not much better than a good audio book or mix list to car-dance along to. Aaaand I know I'll get picked on for saying I like audio books...but there isn't a safe way to play a gameboy and drive yet, so listening to a book is pretty much the next best thing!

So, last night, I was sitting in my apartment just doing my usual over-thinking stuff...and I noticed an alarming trend to my thought patterns...said patterns go something like so:

My actual ear! Before losing
the two upper piercings :(

"Hmm...you know, I really like my latest ear piercing. And you know, it really didn't take all that long to heal and it didn't really give me any problems...it didn't hurt much at all, and I did end up having to take out my other two cartilage piercings...why don't I get another one? Yeah! Why not?!? I should absolutely go and get another piercing!! But what would I get? etc, etc..."

This red is an acceptable hair color,
right?

"It's been a while since I've dyed my hair...how long has it been? At least 6 months...at least. You know, I really like dyeing my hair! Why has it been so long since I've dyed it? Maybe I should dye it again...like today...or now! What color should I do? I really want to dye my hair some funky color...but then I'd get funny looks from all the teachers and parents at my kiddo's school...I don't want him to feel awkward or anything because he's got "that weird mom with the funky hair colors"...so, brown. But brown's so boring! Ooooh! Red!!! Red's not that outlandish! etc, etc.."

Do you guys see what's going on?

I'm bored.

Not your everyday, 'there's absolutely nothing to watch on tv,' sort of bored. The 'I'm not exactly thrilled with certain aspects of my life right now...I need a quick and easy change' sort of bored. The kind of bored that will result in additional piercings, unnecessarily colored hair, short-lived hobbies, and purchasing way too many home decor items.

The downfall of being so painfully self-aware is that I know what's happening, I know exactly what's happening. And because I know what's happening, I am unavoidably obligated to do something about it, which will require me making changes to my daily routine.

"Hey, weren't you just saying a few posts back that you felt like you needed to make some changes anyway?"

Well, yeah...but that doesn't make it any more pleasant to do.

So the question is, where to start? Money management? Eating healthier? Exercising more...or any, rather?

What?!? I'm in my fort, I can't hear you!

I know, I know...I'm an 'adult' and need to act as such. And I will. But...I don't wanna!! /sigh

Anyway...I hope you guys have a good weekend!

/wistfulsigh