Don't POKE the TOMATOES!!!!

Rule Number 1: When shopping for fruit and vegetables in the grocery, please do not POKE the tomatoes to see if they are ripe. The same rule can apply to all soft fleshy fruitages. If you POKE THEM they will A) Bruise and B) you will leave creepy fingernail indentations all over the fruit, making them look like they are covered in a pox of parentheses. You may GENTLY squeeze (if you feel the fruit collapsing in between your vise grip, STOP applying pressure immediately) a tomato to see if it's ripe if you really can't tell by looking at it and/or smelling it...but please, I beg of you, DO NOT POKE MY TOMATOES!



Today is a slow day at work. Summer is so quiet here. I can look out my window and count the number of people walking by in an hour and not hit double digits. It's kind of funny when you think that this place is a city in itself. I mean, it has it's own zip code for crying out loud. I had two students this morning, but for the rest of the afternoon my schedule reads as a giant free space. What to do with myself!? Even my friendly squirrels who pillage the tree outside my office window seem to be in hiding today. I think they may have officially eaten all the nuts growing on it and have moved on to more nourishing branches. I'm relieved and sad about this. Sad because I really did enjoy watching them and listening to them as they ran through the boughs, but relieved because one particular bough is very close to my open window and Fred kept getting closer and closer. I do not need to share my office with any 4 legged critters!

I adore my office. I think that the people I work with are wonderful. I am the new girl (only been here 2 months) so I get a little bit nervous about whether I fit in. But I really do admire and respect these women (and 2 men!) and think that they are incredibly talented. It's strange being the only new person and trying to 'break into' the circle of friends. I know it takes time and that they do probably like me. I always feel a little bit awkward in these situations though! I can't wait until they fill the other empty position so that I'm no longer the "newest-newbie."

I have recruited my friend J-Pa to join me in my blogging about positive things endeavor. She used to blog and then quit when she realized her blog was a rant. So I asked her to join my force of goodness and be my blogger-friend! She put up her first post yesterday and it made me laugh. She's such a kind person, I enjoy her.

My poor friend Llama is having some difficulties and I wish that I could just make all her problems go away because she is such an amazing person and wonderful friend, she doesn't deserve the hurt and frustration that is happening. It seems that for myself and my friends, life happens all at once. We don't do anything in halves. If we're going to make changes, we do it all in the span of a couple months. If bad things happen to us...it's one right after another. I think it's really someone's way of trying to get us to learn to trust that everything "will be okay." I just want to reassure her that it will be...but when she asks "how do you know?" I can't answer because I don't know! I worry all the time! I NEVER trust that it'll be okay! pot! this is kettle calling!

P and I went to the gym yesterday and I listened to this nutritionist that worked with the Biggest Loser for a couple seasons. Basically it boiled down to "eat less. move more." Duh. I definitely need to move more. I've been reading this blog http://doctormama.blogspot.com/ and she gives really good advice on how to start to learn to love to run. My sister the Pig is a runner and she SO enjoys it. I want to learn, but I think I'm going to try Doctor Mamma's strategy rather than what I've been doing because my way is not working. First step, stop finding excuses why you don't want to go to the gym!! Need to learn to tell myself to stop whingeing about being tired and get up and go because I know that when I do, I am less tired and feel better about myself! Move more! P is good motivation. He's h-o-t hot ;-)

Random trivia...did you know that the first winner from Biggest Loser is now back to his original weight? All that emotion...for naught.

Things I'm grateful for today:

1: heirloom tomatoes, they're fun and different and oh so tasty with a little balsamic dressing
2: when P and I get home from work, we always lay on the bed for about 10 minutes before changing clothes and catch up on our days. It's a great de-tox.
3: I've been priveleged to meet and know people like J-Pa who have taught me lessons in compassion and kindness...through them, I think I'm becoming a better person.