Feeling inspired

Last night as I sat on my butt watching re-runs of Extreme Home Makeover I couldn't help but think that I'm in desperate need of some inspiration.

Ever since the cruise I've been pretty lazy - in general. Not only is my body out of shape, so is my apartment. Finding time to hit the gym and clean just hasn't been a priority. 

Though in my defense, I haven't wanted to pick up too many new workout routines for fear of immense soreness like last week when I tried my first EA Sports Active workout. It was a lower body workout that, to be honest, I didn't even finish because my quads were killing me. 

And they continued to throughout the week. Thankfully, I did this on Tuesday so I was healed and ready for my skydives by the weekend.

The last thing I need right now is additional muscle soreness getting in the way of solid jumps.

But, after reading about this 30 day EA Sports Active challenge on GeekSugar that a number of bloggers are participating in, I found the inspiration I needed. I'm going to talk about it in public.

Or, in the blogosphere...same thing, right?

Don't worry, not every day, just on occasion so that I can stay accountable. And if you see me slacking, feel free to call me out on it. Hell, you can bring this to Twitter and Facebook too, if you want. "Man up, Mead!" Don't worry, I can take it.

I'm determined to finish this thing.

Of course, since I'm planning a couple jumps tomorrow on a lovely vacation day I've scheduled (!!!!) I won't be starting until this weekend, but you can bet come Monday I'll have plenty of gripes about my soreness.

Anyone interested in joining me? C'mon, you know you are.

Cheers!

-A

p.s., today is my mom's birthday. Happy B-day MOM!!

Full and shivering

Look Food, we all know how much I love you and your nourishing goodness, but I've got a serious beef with you.

Stupid pun not intended.

This is a problem I've been suffering with for years. Almost immediately after consuming your pure deliciousness my extremities get so cold they feel as if they might fall off.

C'mon food, I know this is your fault, it's been happening for too long now for this to be some kind of coincidence.

What's more - when I wash you down with pure, crystal clear water it only escalates the situation.

Now, this becomes a problem when I need to eat outside of my house, because it certainly isn't acceptable for a grown 25 year old woman to carry around a blanket to wrap herself in post-meal. And I'm certainly not wearing a Snuggie around in public. 

So tell me Food, what's a girl to do? Please do tell, because I know I'm not the only person out there who suffers this debilitating coldness after eating, and I'm certainly not going to go on living like this.

Until I get an appropriate response, I'm boycotting. I'll live on coffee and tea until we can work something out, Food.

Hungrily yours,

-A

p.s. Anyone who believes I'm actually giving up food, even for a second, is out of your bloody mind.

Stand on your head, biotch

If you haven't noticed, I've been a sad, whiny, pathetic excuse for a human being lately. 

Haha, human.

Sorry, had to be there.

What pisses me off most about this is that I have almost nothing to complain about. I mean, c'mon, who in their right mind bitches about having to balance fun stuff like skydiving and running outside in this beautiful weather and spending time with an amazing boyfriend like the SO.

Really, I don't suck so much at life as I suck at appreciating it. 

I've spent so much of my life being a perfectionist and control freak (which comes in handy at the office and in free fall, but is otherwise rather annoying) that I have yet to learn how to enjoy the moments that don't go quite as planned.

Honestly, when I first moved to the Cleve, I was much more laid back than this. My weekends were spent out drinking with whatever friends would have me and happily working 60+ hours a week because, well, I didn't have anything else to do.

But, to steal a line from the SO's lovely mom: my life wasn't that great back then.

There's gotta be a happy medium though, right? I mean, there is no reason why I can't strive for perfection while also being comfortable with where things are now.

I just have to figure out how to do that so I can stop being such a freakin' Debbie Downer and get back to being cynical about things that really matter - like the rude cashier who looked at me funny this morning at Starbucks. Bastard.

Cheers!

-A

Can you hear it skipping?

I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but I still feel as if I'm sucking at life. 

I thought maybe if I wrote about it last week that things would change - but they haven't. Not one bit.

A few weeks back I read an interview with Lost's Evangeline Lilly in Women's Health where she had a great line that hit close to home: "I'm not a highly social person. I'm a highly productive person."

Now, for many of my blogger friends this may seem confusing, since getting me to shut my yap, even in the virtual world, is nearly impossible. However, if you look at my daily patterns, I have a tendency to keep to myself.

Regardless, this isn't exactly the point. The point I'm trying to make is that I'm not only sucking at my social life, but at being productive, too.

So what am I doing then? Seems to me like I'm half-assing a lot of things. Though I'm trying my best to stay engaged and dedicated to my work.

And, naturally, get in as much skydiving as possible. Even still, I feel a little guilty that I'm not out at the drop zone more.

Enough whining about it. This week I'm really going to set my goals high and accomplish everything I set my mind to - including regular trips to the gym, studying and practice for skydiving, tying up loose ends on the numerous chores I have started, and spending some quality time with the SO. Who knows, maybe I'll even catch up with a friend or two.

So tell me dear readers, how do you do it all without being preoccupied with the other things you should be doing?

Cheers!

-A

It'll take you back

Guess what? I'm back in the Big Apple again!

GASP!!!

Huge surprise there, right? Given that Manhattan has become my home away from home these past 6 months.

Anywhosits. As I sit here, catching up on my Google Reader, I came across a post from my blogger buddy Susan over at Transient Travels. (She writes an amazing travel blog...a must read.)

Her most recent post entitled, "When Music Takes you Places" really hit home with me. 

As a lover of music and someone who finds memories attach easily to sound  - only beaten by smell in my book - I found there to be an endless number of songs that correlate to specific events or past times in my life.

So rather than record them all in Susan's comments, I thought I'd steal her post idea and make a list of my own.

What do ya think about that?!

Ha. Right, like I care what you think. I'm making the list anyway!

When I hear AC/DC's Thunderstruck I'm instantly back in Spartan Stadium, pre-game in the student section, back before they started using clips from the movie 300. This was a huge crowd booster as Sparty beat down the mascot from the opposing team.

As I mentioned to Susan, Untouched by The Veronicas takes me back to the Cessna-185 that I jump from at Cleveland Parachute. Somehow it's become the song I sing to myself as I climb to my knees and mentally prepare before each jump.

No Sunlight by Death Cab for Cutie takes me back to last year's trip to San Francisco. Actually, the entire Narrow Stairs album reminds me of my time in the city and the trip up to wine country. 

If I want to travel back to my high school band camp days (shut up) all I have to do is turn on Hysteria by Def Leppard and I'm back on the top bunk, curled up with Marilyn Manson's autobiography and relaxing from a day of field marching (shut up!).

Slide by the Goo Goo Dolls takes me back to a summer pool party I had in high school. It definitely reminds me of a more innocent time. Though I still have a little crush on Johnny!

Fall Out Boy's Thanks for the Memories has strong ties to when I first moved to Cleveland and some decisions I made along the way. Enough said.

Rihanna's Disturbia is by far one of her best, and will always remind me of the 10 days I spent in New York City, gallivanting around Manhattan and hosting a week long even in Chelsea. 

So tell me dear readers, what songs bring back vivid memories from your past?

Cheers!

-A

A few reviews

In the last few days I've had a chance to try out some new products that, I must say, I either loved or hated with a passion.

And since I care dearly for all my readers out there, I wanted to share my experiences with y'all so you can know what to expect if you find any of these products being added to your wish list.

Let's start with the one overly-negative experience and get that out of the way.

Mariani Dried Cherries by Far Away Foods - after picking these up at the store on a whim (I read somewhere recently that dried cherries have lots of antioxidants and have been dying to try them) I took them home to enjoy by the handful. After popping one - just one - in my mouth I bit down HARD on a cherry pit! 

Now, let me just say that when I was a kid this same thing happened to my dad, only it was with an olive that should have been pitted, and he had to have a root canal because he cracked his tooth. 

Today, I'm in pain. But of course, I looked at the back of the package and there's a small-print warning that, due to machine pitting, there may be remnants of pits left in the snack. 

So, they covered their asses, but I'm still pissed none the less, and will only be buying Sunmaid brand in the future!

(If you see these in the store, back away slowly and save your teeth!)

Now, onto greener pastures, shall we?

EA Sports Active for Nintendo Wii - I avoided Wii Fit like the plague, mainly because of availability and cost, (oh and that little fact that you have to own up to how much you actually weigh and stuff on that little board...) but at a minor $59 bucks on Amazon, I decided to give this at-home workout game a chance. Last night I took it for a spin. To my surprise, the 17 minute "easy" lower body workout I participated in about killed me. 

If you see me walking funny today, it's because my quads are killing me. Damn you inventor of squats. You suck! But this product certainly doesn't. It was a fun and challenging workout. I can't wait to test out another workout - once my legs are back from their current Jell-O-like state.

Special K Protein bars (strawberry) - I found these by accident, needing to pick up a little something on the way to skydiving a couple weeks back. Not only are they delicious, but they aren't the type of protein bar that sits like a brick in your stomach. And the texture isn't grainy at all. 

(These come in three flavors, all delish I'm sure!)

These have become my standard breakfast, skydiving or just heading to the office. It's what I should have eaten instead of those two cupcakes today (follow me on twitter for more stupid updates like this @ashleymead).

What products have you tried out lately?

Cheers!

-A

Sucking a little

Hi. Guess what? I suck.

Oh, you already knew that? Well then I'm late in the game figuring that one out.

Things have been so crazy lately, between work, wedding stuff (my big brother, not me, for those who haven't been paying attention), skydiving, practicing skydiving, spending time with friends and the SO, and just the general upkeep of life. Sometimes being an adult is exhausting.

Can't I just go back to being a kid again? With no responsibilities, getting to play outside and be all innocent and stuff. CAN'T I???

Then, maybe it wouldn't matter so much that I'm stinking it up so much. Just look at all the areas where I suck:

*Family: This weekend I went home for some wedding stuff, stayed for less than 24 hours for my bridesmaid duties and barely got to see my dad or brother at all. I haven't seen my grandma since Christmas and this trip was no different. I even had to postpone dinner plans with friends so I could make it back for skydiving. Which brings me to my next point...

*Friends: I haven't seen my Cleveland friends in weeks - nor have I returned phone calls from some of my friends around the country. When I know a long conversation is due it's hard to find the time, making the next conversation just that much longer. Vicious cycle.

*Exercise: This is a biggie. I've committed to a 5 miler on July 4th and the Chicago 1/2 marathon. Right now I might be able to comfortably run 2 miles without stopping. Maybe.

*The SO: Another biggie. I'm trying my best to be a good girlfriend, but there are still times, like this weekend, where things are so whirlwind that I'm not around much. And when I am in town Cleveland Parachute gets a lot of my free time. At least I managed to attend his rec league basketball game last night. Brownie points there, right?

*Adult life stuff: Bills, cleaning, car maintenance. If it wasn't for online bill pay the bill collectors would be knocking down my door. Sometimes my apartment looks like a tornado went through and my car has needed an oil change for way too long now.

*Skydiving: Although it may seem like all my time is devoted here, it's not. This license isn't going to earn itself and unless I can stick it out and get in multiple jumps on the weekends I may not meet my goal of 'A' by the fall.

*Sleep: I'm a girl who not only likes her sleep, but I need it to function. This 5-6 hour a night pattern that I've got going on right now just isn't cutting it.

*Blogging: Between work and SkydiveChick I've been neglecting y'all. Sorry my posts haven't been the most engaging lately. I promise to try and step it up a little.

It appears, that I suck at life. Seems like there was a time in my life where I was on top, and I don't know how to turn it back around. 

HELP!

-A