Donald from Ireland

Someone I worked with said today while we were having a discussion on life ambitions and people giving up on their dreams when they think they're too old, "You are going to turn 25, 30, 40, ect... one way or another, so why not try to turn those while you are doing something you want to do? And even if you have you will only be able to do it for a short time, isn't better to have a short time of happiness and fulfillment then not at all in your whole life?"



This is Jean. All his life he had wanted to be a chef. When he was in his early sixties he decided he was going to do it. He started out in a small non profit restaurant, and look how happy he is. And I wish I had taken a picture of my face when I tasted his food. Delicious!

Max

I got a cat! Huge move for me who is a commitment phobe. And he is absolutely fabulous. He does the most annoying things that I find so cute. He's a month old and a friend of a friend gave him to me.





My little niece is completely obsessed with him. She sleeps over all the time just so she could get to spend more time with him. Funny thing is...


He also very much enjoys her company. At night, I always put him on his bed, but during the middle of the night, I often wake up to him beside me. But when my niece sleeps over, he gets under the covers and she (while she is sleeping) puts her feet on top of him. He finds it blissful! I had to get up just to take this picture. Thus I think his favorite place is always right next to her or under her fitful sleeping movements. It's cute.

Biggest loser

I was watching biggest loser for the first time in my life last night. It was a three hour season finale and I saw an hour of it. There was an elderly man on it by the name of Jerry. He was 64 years old. And he was incredible! He was on the show for about 1-2weeks and then was ill and had to withdraw from the show. Well, he continued working on his weight and health at home. By the time he was on the show last night, he had lost 177 lbs. 177lbs!
Seriously, he is the best "stop making excuses, you can get it done if you really want" example. And what I really liked about the show was that it was not just about looking better (which of course all of us want to do), it was about being healthier, increasing your self confidence, and becoming happier. Noone needs to be or stay obese.
When a friend and I had gained weight, we said,"well, anyone who doesn't accept us for who we are, doesn't really love us. This is who we are and they can either accept it or leave it!"
Her and I were laughing about that the other day. It's funny the kind of excuses you make for being or acting a certain way. And it's true, some people have a harder time to lose the weight than others, but lose it you can still do.

I once participated on an autopsy of an obese women. This woman had all sorts of health problems. When the pathologist opened her up I was shocked and sickened to see that not only did she have more than three inches of fat hanging from the inside of her skin, but it was also pressing on her organs. That was the moment I truly realized just how bad for you fat was. It was very sad. And seeing what a small frame this woman had when we opened her up. All the fat was literally squeezing her to death!

I hope no one thinks this post is directed at them. It is directed at myself. I get into these places in my life where I act as if I had no other choice and no other way of being. And to be honest, it's just me being lazy and unmotivated. I wanted to write this to motivate myself in the future when I get into those states. Hopefully, this post will also help someone else.
http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser/contestants/current_cast/jerry/
http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser/photos/gallery#item=72152

New place, new job, new attitude, new...

Alright, so everything has changed. No scratched that, I have changed everything. I am not much into self praise, but I have to say that I am excited that I had the guts to go through it. Thanks to some amazing advice and examples of others. Well, I guess it's not all self praise :) It's so easy to just be comfortable and not deviate from the norm. But I did it! Now, we'll see what happens. Things have been better than I thought they would be and I hope it continues in the pattern. I feel like both my mind and my heart are open to new experiences. I am happy!

Susan Boyle

I know everyone has been blogging about this amazing woman, but I had to add my two cents. Wow! When a friend showed me the youtube video of her yesterday, I had heard of her but did not really care or understand anything about her. Watching her yesterday I realized so many things.

1.) It's never too late to fulfill your dreams.
2.) Never judge a book by it's cover.
3.) Especially when that cover is being judged by a standard that is stupid and pointless. What is true beauty?
4.) What true presence is. That lady has amazing stage presence.
5.) All laughed at her, but she did not look phased by it. Does it really matter who laughs at you? Because in the end, you could be the one who has the last laugh. Or who brings all those who are laughing to tears of pleasure and astonishment.

There's so much more that I came to realize. I was astounded and amazed by her. To be honest, as I watched and heard her sing, I laughed and joked with my friend, but all I wanted to do was cry. I was profoundly touched. As she sang, the beauty of her voice ripped the worldly film which had coated my eyes to the point that, for a moment, I could not see the beauty which she possessed.

Please watch her here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it...

Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, the sky is beautiful and clear...Okay so it's still snowy, cold, and overcast, but this is how my heart feels right now. What's caused this sudden burst of warmth in my being? Well...This will be my last week working 7on/7off graveyard! I am so excited that I cannot even find the words to describe it. I feel like a whole new world will be opening up for me.

I feel like spring personified!

Failure to launch

Viktor (my supposed Greek god) and I have gone out once and I have cancelled five dates in between and a bit before then. Let me explain what happened on our first date.

He worked real late that day and so he asked if we could do the date after he got off work, which was around ten p.m. We went to see one of the light shows at the Imax theater. As with all things theater/cinema/stand up comedy routines, not much talking happened. Afterwards we wondered around for fifteen minutes or so trying to get to know each other, but it was real late.

These are the things I found out about him:
-From California (of Mexican origin)
-Very close to his mother and brother (both live in California)
-Works everyday but Sunday
-Wishes to go to med school one day
-Extremely kind, courteous (very much the gentleman)

How I felt:
-NOTHING! All the chemistry I felt at the beginning was gone. I'm not even sure why I felt it. I was very saddened and disappointed. But, I decided perhaps I was just being weird and so, we will have a second date because I did enjoy my first date with him and he really is a sweet guy.

This is the kind of advice I have been getting from friends so far:

"Laureen, you have to stop thinking like a guy. The chemistry is not usually going to happen instantaneously. To a woman, that is connected to her emotions. If you only go on one date, you're emotions are not involved and so there will be no chemistry."

"He was nervous for his first date, give him a chance."

"Your problem is that you're looking for Mr. Perfect and there is no such creature."

...The frustration! What am I to do? How to rectify my attitude? Or is it just that I'm just picky? Or that what I want, truly want, has just not walked through the door yet?