Starting the Gym Again

After about 3 months away from the gym, I'm going back. I hate working out. I don't like it, but I have to do it. I'm the type of person who has to stay motivated, or I will stop going. Right before I went to Vegas, I stopped going because I was busy planning and packing for my vacation. I had a great reason not go, right? Sure, but then what was my excuse for the next 3 months??!! I'm lazy when I let myself. I'm no Jessica Biel or Cameron Diaz; you won't see me working out for hours at a time or surfing. In fact, I don't like being active. If I had my way, I would be sitting on my couch eating ice cream every day. Then, my clothes wouldn't fit me anymore, and I would have to get special big girls clothes. So, it's either start working out or investing in a new wardrobe. Summer is just around the corner, so I've decided to hit the gym again. And by hitting the gym, I mean popping in for a 1/2 hour every other day after work and doing about 10 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes lifting weights. I hate cardio. I despise it, but I've heard workouts are more effective if you raise your heart rate. Ugh, 10 minutes on the treadmill is like an eternity. Every minute, I look up at the clock, and think, when is this going to be over??!! I wish I was one of those women who loved the gym. You always see those women, running for a solid hour on the treadmill, glistening in sweat. They look so happy. I would love to be one of those women, but I'm not. I'm the woman who hates the gym, and I hate running even more. The last time I ran, I think I was running after an ice cream truck.

For the Love of God Alex, Put Some Clothes On!

Alex McCord, one of Bravo's Real Housewives of New York City, is the worst. She's pretentious, tries too hard, brags about how lucky in love she is despite her husband is clearly gay. Besides that, she is homely and her body resembles a 12 year-old boy's. For some reason, this woman has the self-esteem of a supermodel. I don't get it, but good for her. A few of her nude photos have just popped up online. Yikes. What happened to posing naked only if you're good looking? Isn't it a bad sign when you go in for a big artsy photo shoot, and the photographer gives you a mask to wear?



from Gawker.com:
Alex McCord, one of the stars of Bravo's strange and upsetting reality series Real Housewives of New York City, continues to be nude. In a recent interview with In Touch magazine (a publication as prestigious as Parade magazine if someone pooped on Parade magazine), the square-headed fame grubber spoke out about the photos, saying "it was a celebration that a new mom can be in great shape." Um, OK. Fair enough. But riddle me this, Ms. McCord: Why did the photographer you mention, James Demaria, recently email us and describe these photos as a Playboy audition? (A slightly NSFW image follows)

Was being in Playboy part of the new mommy celebration? And what about those other, decidedly more raunchy naked pictures you took with photographer Bob Coulter? You know, the ones that can be found here, here, here, here, and here. Were those post-pregnancy celebrations as well? Just fess up! Naked pictures can make you famous! And you and your homosexual husband really, really want to be famous, don't you? Ugh. This woman continues to reduce her life to a hideous, squirmy, sad embarrassment.

I Got the Raise!

As I had written a few weeks ago, I had mentioned that I mustered up enough courage to ask my boss for a raise. After many follow ups with my boss, I finally got it. I didn't get the amount that I wanted, but he thinks I'll be able to get the rest by the end of the year. He also said he didn't see any reason why I couldn't be promoted; this is something I have to follow up with him. The key to getting a raise is once you get the guts to ask for one, you have to continue to follow up until you actually get it. It's a pain. I felt like I was harassing my boss, but in the end you have to fight for yourself. My boss is a great guy, and he was very understanding. It wasn't so much his decision as it was his boss' decision. So, after a little pushing, his boss decided I deserved one.

During this conversation when he told me I had gotten the raise, we also discussed my career goals. We agreed that I should go back to school and finally get my bachelors after almost 14 years. He also said that by next year, he could slowly transition me into an Analyst role. I'm absolutely thrilled.

I'm really glad I asked for it because it would have never happened if I hadn't said something. I deserved that raise, and most importantly, I was able to convince my employer I did too. It wasn't an easy task, and I was a nervous wreck doing it, but now I'm reaping the benefits. That extra money in my paycheck will really help. I'm so happy.

Make Me a Supermodel Finale

I was deeply disturbed by a few things on this week's finale of Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel. Did anybody see Ben at the go see where he was wearing pink briefs, and the designers told him to act like a monkey???!! Huh? So then in one of the most humiliating moments on TV, he starts jumping around like a monkey while holding a banana. It was cringe worthy. And, apparently when you ask a half naked male model to act like a monkey, they're supposed to just peel a banana and eat it seductively like Ronnie did when he was asked to be a monkey. If that wasn't bad enough, then Ben's wife shows up on his doorstep, and he looks as if he wants to run away (perhaps into Ronnie's beefy arms...hmmm). Ben looks very uncomfortable with her, almost like he had just realized he didn't want to be married to her, and then she suddenly appears. I felt bad for the girl. She seemed to really love him, and the feeling didn't appear to be mutual. Lastly, the most cringe worthy moment had to be when Perry asked his cheating girlfriend if "she had been true to him". Who talks like that?? Perry, that's who. It sounded like something from an Emily Bronte novel. He's ridiculous. I love him, but his shoulders are too square and broad. He has a great face, but his body reminds me of Frankenstein. So, what was his girlfriend's response? "I love you." OOF!

Girlfriends

This year, I have been very fortunate to make some new friends. One, I met through work. She has been so wonderful showing me the ropes and career counseling me every step of the way. She has even given me great relationship advice when things weren’t going so well with my boyfriend. I am so lucky to have met her, and she feels as if she’s been one of my girlfriends for years. Another one, I met because she is my boyfriend’s friend’s girlfriend. She is a beautiful person, and I love hanging out with her. Also, she has an amazing knack for interior decorating. I’m so jealous! Decorating does not come naturally to me, so when I see people who could make a cardboard box look good, then I’m impressed.

Over the years, I’ve had many friendships, some of them wonderful and others not so great. In fact, some of the women were downright insane. I’m not saying it in that catty “oh, that girl’s crazy” kind of way; these women were batshit crazy. The girlfriends I have now are a small, but wonderful group of people. They are successful; two of them own their own business, and the rest have good careers. Most of them are in relationships. A couple of them are single and looking for the right guy. All my girls are fabulous and very different from one another. They’re all beautiful people inside and out. Friends should add something to your life. They are the ones you call when times are tough, and you are the one they call when they need you the most. Now, that I’m in my 30’s, I have discovered that it’s not about how many friends you have, but who your friends are. If you have one amazing friend, then that beats 10 bad ones any day.