I quite like this theme. It’s roomy without being overbearing and there’s enough space for everything I want. I feel a bit weird about not having a links bar in the header but to be honest, it’s a good change. I weeded out a few useless links and made a little paragraph about me, and whatever I could fit into that comfortably, I left and linked.

I’ve been playing a lot of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass lately. It was one of the anniversary gifts I got! I’m a HUGE Zelda fan, way back to the NES days, so I’m enjoying it. I have to say that they’ve done an incredibly good job at integrating the touch screen and all of the features the DS has to offer. They’ve done it in a creative way, that has me saying “Oh my goodness, that’s so freaking cool” no less than twice a day when I’m playing it.

The other game I got isn’t so much of a game, but I can say I definitely enjoy it. It’s My Weight Loss Coach and it’s so incredibly cute. There’s a little stick figure on my screen patting me on the back for everything good that I do. They’ve taken advantage of the fact that you can plug in GBA games at the same time as DS games, and made a pedometer that syncs with your game by plugging it into the GBA slot. It’s almost a light-weight approach to weight loss. They give me six challenges per day (no more!) that range from “Do X amount of sit-ups” to “Over the next twenty-four hours, put your salt shaker in the cabinet and leave it there” and if you don’t finish a challenge, instead of beating you over the head with it, they say that there’s no harm in taking easier challenges first.

Speaking of weight loss, I’m pretty sure I won’t be renewing my gym membership for the next year. Don’t get me wrong, I loved going - when I’d go. Because it involved either walking (made difficult by shin splints) or driving there, I’d make excuses not to go. Once the shininess wore off, I was able to justify not going and it didn’t help. Not to mention I’d get there and I’d already be tired, so I would only do a small workout. I lost ten pounds last summer working out at home, and gained it back and ten more while at the gym. While I’m pretty sure there’s a medical reason behind my constant gain and failure to lose, I know that something’s not right when I’m paying bi-weekly for something that isn’t working for me. I figure I’ll work out at home and focus on getting the most I can out of it, and once I’m back on track and have picked up momentum, I’ll consider going back to the gym. That money could be used for better (or more fun!) things. Besides, one of the main reasons for joining was because it’s a social atmosphere, and I’m not getting the social vibe.

So that’s my life lately in a nutshell. I’ve also purchased a new planner, but I’ll be writing more about that in another entry that’s in the making. It’s a planner; it’s like a child to me! I couldn’t just leave it as a footnote!

After seeing the DVD collection here at Matt’s sister’s house, Matt and I are debating starting a collection of our own. This is where you come in!

What DVD can you not live without?
What is the most-watched DVD in your collection? Note: this is not necessarily the same as the first DVD!
What DVD do you wish you had, but haven’t purchased yet?
What’s the last DVD you purchased?

I have pink post-its lined up along the top shelf of my desk. A few of them I don’t need right now - a number I wrote for Matt, a shopping list that I actually already bought things from… I should get rid of those! But then there’s my friend Adam’s phone number, a list of materials for a shadow resist gear set for my priest (Yes, yes, nerdiness galore), a list of things to do to help my sister-in-law open up her site for her business. Then there’s two very important ones: what to do for the rest of my immigration forms. Those two little sticky notes tie my stomach in knots every time I see them. I need to get my immigration stuff done very soon, but it’s the kind of thing you wish you could put off forever.

I’ve managed to get little piles in my room of things that I’m in the middle of working on. A pile of forms I need to scan and email for my prize from the notworthit.ca contest. A PHP/MySQL book… well, actually three of them. A pile of magazines I need to go through. My immigration pile. A pile of basic GED books and GED math for finding out what I’ll need to know for my tutoring sessions. A pile of photo albums I want to scan.

I should get to cleaning and catching up on some of these projects. It’s a nice day, maybe I can convince Matt to go out and enjoy the sun in a bit!

I’ve had some jitters for about an hour now, which I’m blaming on the cup of tea that I had this afternoon. I always get jittery after drinking tea. Maybe it’s because it’s very rare that I have caffeine, so my body doesn’t know what it’s doing.

The sun feels great right now. It’s shining in the window, and it’s starting to get chilly out (yay, autumn!) so the warm sun feels nice. Only thing about it is that it makes me wish it was summer again so I could go lay on the beach. I think I’m progressing, though. Mentally and emotionally. I had a huge setback last night, and I managed to get out of it anyway.

My dad was giving me a hard time. He knows how to get to me. He talks to me like we’re okay, and then drops a bomb on me. Instead of taking it, or trying to defend myself, I just said “I’m hanging up now. It was nice talking to you.” and put the phone down on him. Both myself and Matt have spent a bunch of time since then convincing me that it was the right thing to do. See, that’s how it works. I do something that makes me stronger and more independent, and then I feel guilty about it. But honestly, if I had my choice, I’d be able to start ignoring things like that, wipe my past from my memory and start completely fresh. I can’t do that, because family is family and I’d be an awful person if I just wrote them all off entirely, but I would like a clean slate. I’m so tired of trying to hold a decent conversation with someone and then being asked when I’m going back there. I don’t want to go back, and I can’t tell them that, because they’ll give me a hard time. It’s no longer about the law, the rules, the immigration stuff. I just want to get into the groove of things here, pull myself from the hole that everyone and everything back there has put me in, and move on with my life. I want to be in control, finally. That shouldn’t be too much to ask, I wouldn’t think.

I’ve been working more on my blanket that I started ages ago. I want to finish it so I have something nice and comfy to cuddle up with. I might post a picture later today, if I feel like it. I’m so lazy with my pictures. I’ve been leaving them on the camera for days, then tossing them in the folders (organized, of course) and not doing anything with them. Meh. Once I start getting back outside and doing things again (if, I guess, not once) I’ll start taking more pictures. I definitely want to go do a few things this fall, if I can convince Matt to do them with me.

Anyway, I think I’m going to get back to Everquest now. I’m trying to make the most of the free month that I’ve got, and it’s giving me a much-needed break from World of Warcraft. At least it kills the time when I’m bored!

Oh, also, I’ve now lost eleven pounds from when I first started seriously “dieting” - what an improvement! I think I’m finally on the right track.

I need to get back to reality. I need to start working out again, because my leg is finally healing. I need to get motivated. I need to bring my confidence level up. I need to do a lot of things.

Right now? I need to put on some Friends (Season 7, for those interested) and go to bed. I’ve had two Smirnoffs and a pretty rough night and now I need some sleep! My eyes are swollen, my head hurts, and I’m just plain tired! Enough whining, though. You don’t come here to read my whining!

I’m starting to really love photography. I don’t know if I’m that good, but I like what I do, anyway. Every day I pick my favourite picture and post it at Unwritten. I don’t have it set up so you can comment on the pictures over there, but feel free to tell me what you think! I’d love some feedback, really!

Today’s picture was from outside a restaurant that Matt’s mom, aunt and I went to for lunch. I was a good girl and had a salad, and the bad girl in me had some garlic bread. First thing I’ve eaten with butter in almost a month! But I only had the garlic bread because it came with the salad. No harm done, right? I was still within my limits for the day!

I’ve decided that if I reach my goal this month, I’m going to get a haircut. Nothing drastic, probably just a trim and a bit of a styling. I could use it. I feel pretty blah about myself right now.