Thursday, January 17, 2013

things I love: winter doldrums edition

Oh you guys, you guys, I so much (SPOILER ALERT) hate this time of year.  I’m not trying to wish my life away or anything, but the darkness of January really eats at me, you know? It’s like a super-heavy wet blanket is just sitting on my head, making me miserable. I am trying not to be all gloom-and-doom, I really am. But sometimes it’s really a fight. So today I’m going to fight it by coming up with five things I am loving right now:

1)      Downton Abbey is BACK. And it is as delicious and dramatic and pretty and wonderful as ever. God, I’ve read so many reviews that say the show is total crap at this point, and not only do I disagree, I simply don’t care because it MAKES ME HAPPY. I remember when it was airing in the UK a few months ago, and I was SO TEMPTED to go online and watch, but I knew it would be extra-special to watch it in January, because it’s such a miserable month for me. Oh, Amanda – you are just brilliant sometimes, do you know that?

2)      This mascara. OK, so you know how I have a monthly Birchbox subscription, right? I’m going to be doing reviews of products with a couple of my friends here on the blog once we get our shit together. (Side note: this is HILARIOUS because I know very little about beauty products, obvs.) And while I will probably never pay $42 for a full tube of this magical concoction, because I am cheap like that, I wish someone would buy it for me. It doesn’t flake, give me raccoon eyes, or lose its luster in any way as the day goes on (and on). Love.

3)      My new iPhone. Oh my love affair. For its capacity to take good pictures, for its battery that doesn’t lose its charge in 15 minutes, for the apps, for the fact that I’m not on the receiving end of Blackberry barbs anymore. And so many other things.

4)      Three-day weekends. We’ve got one coming up this weekend because of MLK on Monday. After having 11 days off at the holidays, it sucked to go back to regular life and a regular (hectic) schedule. So this is a little mid-January treat.

5)      The fact that I broke myself of my holiday cookie diet. It’s hard to come off of that diet, you know? There’s something about December that screams “Yes, I WILL have that cookie! Or maybe three cookies! Or all of the cookies!” Which is all well and good for a couple of weeks and then there is that terrible moment when you realize that, yes, cookie season is over and yes, you didn’t lose 25 pounds last year only to gain it all back in baked goods weight. (Another side note: for those who care, I have maintained 15 of my 25 pound weight loss from the 17 Day Diet. I’m pleased with that, although I am working to lose 5 right now, and plan to be there by spring. Nothing radical this time – just incorporating the lessons I learned about CARBS and how much I LOVE them but how sometimes I shouldn’t love them SO MUCH).  Anyway, the point is, I’m now back to a more reasonable diet, one that doesn’t make me want to crash at 4 p.m.

What are you loving today?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Amen to Downton Abbey!! It is one of those shows that makes me supremely happy. And yes, it is grand and it is wonderful and I am every so glad it is back! I am also loving feeling better. Finally we are getting over our colds. I feel like I've been sick nonstop for the last three months. UGH. Since we have no snow to speak of, I have to admit, I'm ready for Spring. I have March on the brain this year. I'm oddly excited about my birthday. Which is not a bad thing. :)

Kim said...

I have SO MUCH TO SAY about this stuff. (I love these kinds of posts; it's like hanging out.)

1. I have watched this season of Downton and I did quit so I am prejudiced, BUT I feel like I may not have quit if I'd watched it in the middle of winter instead of last fall or whenever it was. I mean, I watch Revenge, for crying out loud, and that is some junk TV. It's doing me right these days.

2. The thing about expensive mascara is I feel like, if it really worked, I would use the whole thing up and feel like it was worth the money. But I have short little eyelashes that stick straight out and resist curling, so no matter what they look like something that I will not talk about in your comments section because gross.

3. I have no phone (I KNOW) and it was not a 3-day weekend here so I cannot contribute on these, but I am glad to see more pics from you. I DO know the carb plight and, well. I am giving myself these last two weeks to eat what I feel like without going overboard and when I'm in the new house I can be more disciplined.

What I am loving today is that I am finally reading through my blogs because I have time, and quiet, to myself. I'm not actually good at unwinding but there is nothing else to do right now but fun stuff. It's like I'm living someone else's life.