Talking 'bout a resolution...or 12

Excuse me a minute as I hum along to the Tracy Chapman song running through my head (post if you have it running through yours as well).

Ok - resolutions are GREAT if you actually go through with them.  I have previously tried resolutions or 100 mini-goals or some such junk in the hopes that it would impel me forward down the path to health and well-being.  Well, in the past two years my resolutions have kept me in a weight range of about 5lbs.  I have gained and lost the same 5lbs of weight for two freaking years!  Can you smell the frustration?  I know I can.    And my other goals of cleaning and learning new things fell by the way side as well.

So this year in place of resolutions I am going to have 12 accomplishments.  I was thinking it would be one per month, but to tell the truth some of them are inter-related so I might cross off a couple at the same time.

12 things I would like to accomplish in 2013:

1. Get below 200lbs.  I am currently at 287.9lbs - 88lbs in a year is do-able.
2. Learn some Arabic.  I will be stationed in a place where this will be very handy and it will be useful in my career to have this under my belt.
3. Sew a table runner for each of my closest friends.  I have access to some awesome Chinese silk brocade at the moment so I thought this would be an easy enough project.
4. Fit into size 14 jeans.  If I accomplish #1 I will be able to accomplish this one as well.
5. Buy a pair of cowboy boots.  I will have to have these specially made because I have fat calves, but I really REALLY want a pair.
6. Crochet a blanket or two.  I have recently begun to crochet and I have so far done two scarves and two different stitches.  Must try more.  Plus I have friends that are popping out kids soon and they need gifts...
7. Walk Bowen Road.  Folks at work talk about this road all of the time and I have yet to walk it. It is up some scary stairs down the road from me, but if I do it I will be super proud of myself as only the fit people seem to know about it.
8. Buy a pair of Fluevog shoes.  I have been lusting after several pairs of Fluevogs for a while now, but I think that I will have to wait until I can try them on in the store.
9. Get a spa facial.  I have not gone to a spa in ages and I would really like to pamper myself one time.  Of course all of the spas here cost an arm, a leg, and your first born so I need to make sure that I can get what I want.
10. Clean out my closet and try to define my personal style more.  It looks like my clothes are mating in there and their kids are ill-fitting.
11. Blog once a week.  I would like to have at least one blog post a week if not more.  Writing a post or two ahead of time will probably be a factor....
12. Participate in blog events.  I would like to participate in blog events - theme posts for example.

Do you have any accomplishments for 2013?  Do my potential accomplishments sound doable?

Be well,
     Buttercup

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

I stumbled across this post earlier today and wanted to share it with people. It just struck a chord with me as I continue to try to get myself together. I am working on my fitness and health, my mental health, and also trying to let my 'self' out.

I work out twice a week at a minimum with a friend at the small gym at work and we are going to be joined this week by another friend. We are all slightly heavier than average, but the other two ladies are much more fit than I am. In recent weeks I have been successfully doing an average speed of 3.0 for 28mins and 2.5 for 7mins on the treadmill- this includes my warm up and cool down. We have also been adding 10 crunches before each workout. I have been introduced to the hula hoop as a workout tool and I am going to get one.

I have been browsing workout and health ideas on Pinterest. I have found many things that I want to try and other things that I think are mad. My hubby and I are going to start a calorie restricted diet together. It is more about teaching ourselves what a real portion is supposed to be rather than the trough we seem to feed from for every meal. Basically we are going to take our regular portion, split it and each take a half. We are both volume eaters at present so we need to retrain our stomachs as to what a real portion is. We are also making sure that we are eating the right ratio of foods - the right amount of protein, fats, and carbohydrates to feel full for longer and also so that we are tempted not to snack on bad things. I am worried about both of us as neither of us are particularly healthy at the moment.

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." I have decided to try. Have you?

Be well,
Buttercup

Letting my freak flag fly? Working on my personal flag...

Letting my inner goth/punk/steampunk/alternative self out to play - at work!  

I work for the government  which is a conservative workplace and as such I am very aware that my proclivities are not what 99% of my co-workers are comfortable dealing with.  I would prefer to wear solely black and grey occasionally punctuated with red, green, purple, and blue.  I am slowly moving my wardrobe to show my more alternative side at work.  On casual Friday I wear dark wash jeans and a black top of some description with my starry low-top Converse.  For representational events I tend to wear black and red only, sometimes black and white.  Thankfully black is an acceptable work color as most folks have it in their wardrobe, but I know that it has been noticed that I don't wear khakis or "happy" colors.  (Someone said to me "you should wear happier colors as it would lighten you up".  I respectfully disagree as those "happy" colors tend to make me look jaundiced.)  I am looking online at regular retailers like Lands End, Lane Bryant, and One Stop Plus for items that are mainstream that I can incorporate into my work wardrobe that can either be modified with some button changes or gothified with jewelery.  I don't wear make-up to work as I don't give myself enough time to deal with that in the morning, but that is something that I am thinking about changing.

I have been dying my hair a dark brown for a while now and am considering getting purple or red in the underside.  I am also toying with the idea of dying my hair a more brown and purple color (eggplant or plum is what some hair dressers have called it).  I have had red streaks in my hair in the past, but my hair wouldn't keep the red - it washed out to a nasty orange/pink shade and I hated that.  So I am trying to have fun with my hair again.  Worst case scenario is that I have to shave my head and start again:o)

I have also been testing out my various shoes at work.  I have a pair of spectator creepers that I wear occasionally and I have received varied comments on them.  I wear a pair of black leather Dr. Martens Mary Janes that I have had since high school almost every day to work.  The other pair of regular work shoes for me are a pair of black patent leather clogs that I bought when I got the job.  The clogs are super comfy, but as I am currently residing in Hong Kong I find that they make me tower over everyone.  I want to buy some more fun shoes that I can wear to work, but I either can't find them in my size or the ones I do find are so far beyond my means that I just lust after them.

I am hoping that as I become more secure in my work and my 'self' that I am able to express the inner "me" as wonderfully as some of the fashion bloggers out there that have been giving me inspiration.  Some are more mainstream than others, but I have found that the people that are sparking my interest are those that are not afraid to let their personal flag fly.  Notable personal flag flyers are Trystan of This is CorpGoth fame, VictorianKitty of Sophistique Noir, Meagan Kyla of Coffin Kitsch, Allie of Wardrobe Oxygen, Sally of Already Pretty, Megan of The Fashionable Bureaucrat, Jillian a.k.a. the Lady of Manners of Gothic Charm School, and The Professor of Professor Z's Cabinet of Curiosities.  These blogs have given me hints, insights, and have also shown me that I am not alone in my quest to find "me".  Plus - they are all a bunch of gorgeous ladies!

Starting over.....

Hello all - I am starting this blog over...again....

I got tired of the staleness of my posts and then I got tired of posting.  

I couldn't figure out if my voice needed to be heard.  

I was not feeling like a "unique snowflake".  

However, after some musings over what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go with this blog I have realized that as I wander along in this world that my voice is one that someone out there might be searching for.  That "holy moly!  She/He's like me - kinda..." moment that I have had with some blogs out there.  

So I have decided to throw my hat back into the ring.  I am standing up with my weirdness.  I may post pictures of myself.  I may do a video blog or two.  I may even get known to more than 5 people (my previous readership - lol).

I will tag all of my posts so that you can choose to read them or not depending on the subject matter.  Here are the tags and a quickie description of what the tag will cover:

• Fit not Fat - health, weight loss, weight gain, exercise, nutrition, medical issues, etc.
• Audibles - music, radio, audio books, etc.
• Geekiness - movies, television, comics, books, magazines, etc.
• What are you wearing? - style, clothes, shoes, fashion, make up, hair, etc.
• Awesome Art
• Where in the world? - musings on my travels, places I have been, places I want to go, news items that interest me
• Crafty Bits - any of my crafty inclinations could end up here
• Om Nom Nom - recipes
• Ramblings
• Lifestyles - goth, geek, LGBTQ, straight, and everything else

I hope that this entices you to stick around if you are one of the few folks out there that have followed my previous incarnation.  If you are a new reader I hope you stick around too!

Be well!
       Buttercup