A year from now…

Posted by sarah3030 in Cat, food, Groceries, My story continues, Oliver, running, work and tagged with automatic cat feeder, Oliver, princess half, Walt Disney February 21, 2012

The Disney Princess half marathon is this weekend at Disney World. My goal is to run it next year. Considering my December 5K time and February 5K time were about the same, I should probably start thinking about adding time or mileage or speed. A year from now I’ll have a blue tutu and a running skirt and I’m thinking some white “arm warmers“.

A year from now…

What else will happen in that year? In this last year I lost a job, started a job, ended a relationship, forgave an ex husband, went to London and Paris, found a great therapist, decided to go to grad school and was accepted, made two trips to NYC, threw a rockin’ baby shower…

It’s been so easy to look back and think I didn’t do anything of substance, but this past year was a big one. This one to come will be too. And it will culminate with me in running 13.1 miles through a castle wearing a sparkly headband.

Writing that paragraph above makes me think about what trips I want to take next. I am going to NYC again in April to see Newsies on Broadway. Will there be a big trip? Several small ones? I’m determined to see one new place a year from now on. Whether that is Seattle or Spain, I do not know.

Let me bring things to a more local level. Enough with the big plans.

Working in a grocery store makes me hungry all the time. What I’m making for dinner, or could be having for breakfast, or ingredients I should have on hand is all I can think about.

I bought the cats an automatic cat food feeder. My schedule varies so much now and traveling to school once a month and an occasional work trip stressed me out. I am amazed by people who can feed multiple children and still get themselves out of the house in a timely fashion. There are days I’ll be ready to go and then remember I have to feed the cats! Oh my gosh! That’s a 20 second task that will somehow always be the reason I’m late. Also, I really wanted Oliver to stop bothering me at 6am. I have it set to dispense food at 6am and 6pm. The funniest thing that happens in this apartment (this week anyway) is Oliver sprinting for the feeder when he hears the food drop. That cat is a good eater.

I finally read the Walt Disney biography (by Neal Gabler) that I got for Christmas or a birthday or something years ago. I used it as a leadership book assignment (I don’t think you’re supposed to call them book reports in grad school, but it’s a book report). Technically, I didn’t read it. I bought the audio book to listen to in my car. I have a half hour commute each way minimum each day. That’s an hour a day of reading. Good thing to. The book is 26 discs, totaling 38 hours of listening time. But it’s really magical to read. It took 5 years to make Snow White! It was truly revolutionary in the animation world. Don’t get me started on how amazing Disneyland was and how Walt was so involved in every detail and how he wanted it to be so nice for families.

This weekend is grad school weekend. I think I’m going to the BG hockey game Saturday night up there. Hockey must be a big deal there. The class is going. Sometimes I have to force myself to do social things. This might be a good networking opportunity. MBA faculty and students will also be there.

And after all, who knows where I’ll be in a year and who I might need to know…

Me, the update

Posted by sarah3030 in blogging, Cat, Hair, Oliver and tagged with Beauty and the Beast, job, ten things January 20, 2012

I am in love with grad school homework. My first assignment was to get involved in a case study simulation game, interviewing stakeholders and diagnosing an organizational issue. It may sound strange to you, but for a nerd like me this is a gooood time.
New job is going well! I learn about 100 new things every hour about the grocery business and I think I have some valuable suggestions for the training program I’ll be running. Yay!
I saw Beauty and the Beast in 3D at the movies last night. It was a magical movie event when I was 12 and is still a fantastic movie 20 years later.
I got a facial and a hair cut yesterday. It’s nice to have those small indulgences. I also bought a new pair of shoes, although not the fancy work shoes I’ve had in the past. Since new job is so much on the floor, running a grocery store, I bought some black tennis shoes for work. I kind of love that I wear khakis and tennis shoes to work.
I’m a bad money manager. Nothing like a conversation with the ex-husband who was a fantastic money manager to remind me of that fact. Must pay more attention to finances.
I’m supposed to be writing a ten page paper *right now*.
I signed up for another 5K on February 12.
I’m a freak for Amazon.com. I love my Kindle Fire, I love Amazon Prime and I love free two day shipping.
My hair stylist has some kind of super powers to make my hair curlier than I ever know it can be. She only trimmed it, but with how curly it is right now, it looks like I got 3 inches cut off.
Oliver, the cat, is still a total pain in my neck at the exact same time he’s the most adorable cat ever. It’s tricky to be both of those, yet he pulls it off.

And that’s ten.

Back to my paper.

How Oliver is like me

Posted by sarah3030 in Cat, Crazy., Happy, Oliver and tagged with cat, crazy cat lady, Oliver October 26, 2011

Disclaimer: Oliver is my cat. I understand a post like this gives me the “crazy cat lady” vibe, but I don’t care all that much. He’s my baby and I love him. And he is JUST like me. As much as a cat can be like me.

When we are tired we will fall asleep anywhere.

Along a baseboard...

while watching tv....

even while working on the computer...

We both like to sleep with a stuffed animal.

Two tabbies are better than one

We believe it is in everyone’s best interest if they are friends with us. We cannot understand why someone wouldn’t want to hang out with us.

...even when the other person has made it clear they dislike us. They have no choice. We will overcome.

We like to be in the kitchen.

If we love you, we want to be RIGHT NEXT to you.

Preferably on your neck.

Not kidding.

If you're there - I'm there.

And if you’re sleeping – well then let’s cuddle! (Seriously, my ex-husband could tell you some stories. There are couples who like to relegate to their sides and there are couples who are “cuddly sleepers”. When I have my way, I am a cuddly sleeper. That poor guy used to beg for just a minute to get settled before I’d start making myself cozy on his side of the bed. And even if he wanted space, I used to just try to sneak my feet over to his side.)