Top 10 Discoveries of 2008

iGoogle

At first, I was resigned to be completely against Google's insistence I sign up for iGoogle. I was happy having my simple Google search as my home page. Finally, I relented...and haven't looked back since. At first, it was the themes that got me. Then I began playing around with gadgets, then adding my other technological discoveries to my page, and now it seems I have the perfect iGoogle page, complete with a post-it note I update with projects from work so I have it at my fingertips. igoogle.com  

Dropbox

I hated having certain pictures and documents only available to me on certain computers. And I never remembered to e-mail myself files I would need between home and work. Finally, I downloaded Dropbox, an online archive of files that are easily accessible to any computer you happen to sign onto. This is especially useful for the random pictures I'll find at work and put into the folder "Work Pictures", which I'll forget about, but get a smile whenever I open at home. https://www.getdropbox.com/  

Blogger

Finally, somewhere to put the many thoughts I have during my two hours in the car by myself every day, going to-and-from work. blogger.com  

Bare Escentuals

I was never one to buy real makeup. My cousin gave me some Cover Girl one Christmas when I was younger and I never thought I needed anything else. Soon, I was old enough to buy my own makeup, but I never really wore it except for special occasions. Then I got into the habit of putting it on in the car before work. For my wedding, I was convinced by one of my bridesmaids to go to Macy's and get Mac. Well, what I found out about Mac was it was invented by a drag queen, which I thought was funny. Then, I found out on our honeymoon how, even though the coverage was great, my pores were not as "fabulous" as they should. I blamed it on the Hawaii humidity, but I knew it was the makeup that made me break out. Soon after, my friend turned me onto Bare Minerals. I was hesitant at first to spend $50 on the starter kit, but she guaranteed it would take me weeks to even see a dent in it. To its credit, I went through the foundation in about three months, but I still have most of my original warmer and mineral powder, plus it came with the brushes. Soon, my breakouts were few and far between, and I was getting actual compliments on my skin--people thought it was naturally flawless. I thought Mac had great coverage, but B.E. was even better. And, after buying the first kit, I was buying the eye kits, and getting even more compliments--even from my Mac-obsessed bridesmaid! www.bareescentuals.com

Google Reader 

I began a morning ritual when I got to work, before I could really start working. I would check my e-mail; post my schedule on my iGoogle page; print out what I needed to work on for the day; check Mental_Floss and woosk; get a few pages done, then take another surfing break; check Dumb Little Man, Zen Habits, bits and pieces; do some more work; have lunch and surf some more, checking Miss Cellania, Cracked, Lovely Listings, Cake Wrecks; get back to work; take another break and check Vanity Plates, Fail Blog, MakeUseOf, Baby Squared (my cousin's awesome blog about her twins) Lifehacker; finish any work I need to; check Listropolis, Stepcase Lifehack, 43 Folders, Indexed; make sure I have whatever I need done for the next day.

Basically, I had gotten addicted to blog reading throughout the day. Of course, I would put work first, but I also never had a spare moment when I wasn't checking my blogs...I turned into the equivalent of one of those women who can't miss her "stories". Ironically, if you'll notice, a lot of the blogs I read are productivity blogs. Even though they all recommended Google Reader, I didn't think I read enough blogs to constitute needing Reader. I did have most of these blogs in separate Gadgets on my iGoogle page, but soon I wanted to simplify my page, so I succumbed to Google Reader. Now that I have it, it takes me maybe 10 minutes in the morning to go through the posts I've missed, and I don't have to worry about having to remember Web addresses, missing anything, or going through two weeks of posts because I've temporarily forgotten about the blog. Pretty soon, I was finding the RSS feed on every Web page I visiting, and adding it to my Reader. Now, I'll sign on in the morning and have at least 60 news posts to keep me busy in the morning, and more throughout the day. Imagine how much fun I've had on my vacation when I haven't been on the computer as much. www.google.com/reader

Baby Wipes

On one of my many blogs, I read about the makeup removing benefits of using baby wipes. I've fallen in love with Huggies All Natural wipes for my face. There are so many mornings (more than I'd like to admit) I wake up too late for a full face wash and grab the wipes and go.

Suction Wine Stopper 

Out of habit of my single days, I still buy the big bottles of wine, even though I've gotten to the point where I'm good after two glasses a week, as opposed to two glasses an hour after a hard day of work. We registered for a Rabbit wine opener kit that came with suction wine stoppers and I thought keeping wine fresh days longer was just swell! I still have a bottle from Christmas eve that I know will be just as good when I unstop it.  

Jott

I'll remember random to-do items at the wrong time, like when I'm driving, or when I'm halfway through something else or when I just don't have a pencil or piece of paper to write it down. So I started using Jott a few months ago. It's great, I'll set up text message reminders, to-do lists, alarms, all from my cell phone or computer (or, of course, from my iGoogle page). I have my dentist appt. today, which I wouldn't have remembered if I didn't Jott it six months ago. http://jott.com UPDATE: As of Feb. 1, Jott will no longer be offering a free service, once they are out of BETA testing. Hhmph!

American Heart Association Low-Fat Low-Cholesterol Cookbook

Because of my dad's medical history, my cholesterol was recently tested, although I didn't expect to have anything wrong with it. When I got the call saying it was on the high side of normal, I decided to lower it. When I looked in the dietary cookbook section of the bookstore, it seemed most diet books cared more about high protein/high fat/low carb diets (idiots) than about heart health in general. I finally found the shelf with the AHA books and sighed in relief. When I saw this cookbook, I picked it up and went to the kitchen right away (after spending an absurd amount of money at the grocery store...because we had a lot of junk in our fridge, and not enough good stuff). After cooking three dishes and packing them into easy-to-grab Gladware, I began the "diet". Before I knew it, I was losing weight without trying. None of the dishes are more than 400 calories, so I finally found the secret to staying on a 1,200 calorie diet and feeling satisfied. Plus, I get to accomplish my resolution of cooking more. Oh, and the Spinach Stuffed Pizza was AMAZING. Even my husband liked it! (Note: I have the 2nd edition, however the link provided is for a more recent version.) Amazon.com  

Gmail

Come on, if you haven't signed up for Gmail yet, what are you waiting for? Oh, sure, I had Yahoo! as my e-mail account for ages, but once I switched to Gmail, my e-mails because much easier to handle and deal with, plus, I've noticed a lot less spam. mail.google.com

Sometimes, Only Nagging Works.

To help me stay on track with my resolutions, I've set up annoying e-mail reminders, via hassleme.co.uk. I will probably read them for three weeks, then unsubscribe, but you never know...

The Annual 10

...Yes, yes, I'm back after a very busy month. I kept myself away from my blog because I have been busy all month making (almost) all of my Christmas presents in December. And every time I wanted to blog, it would be about something I made, and I didn't want to give anything away.

But, now that that's over, I'll do my holiday bragging in the next few posts.

This post will contain my annual 10 Resolutions of 2009.

Every year, I don't just make one resolution; I make 10. Usually, I can get myself to accomplish at least one, no matter how small. But in looking at 2008, I realized that unless I write them down somewhere, I forget what they are and I can't track my progress. At least in 2006, I wrote them down and was able to follow just one: I was going to get into the habit of using my shoe rack (I told you they were small), and I did it! And, in 2007, I wanted to read more. And, had I not had all those bridal magazines, I probably wouldn't have done as well as I did! So, here's to the shoe rack and bridal magazine resolutions of 2009!

1. Lose 20 lbs.

I say that every year. No, really, I do. And every year, I look at the scale December 31st and smile anyway. Because I know in the fluctuations of my weight, if all the numbers were totalled up, I probably lost more than 20 lbs. ...However, in totalling these numbers, I probably gained more than 20 lbs., as well. One of these years, I'm going to have to add "...and keep it off!" to the end of that resolution. Maybe I'll do that next year.

2. Write More

Hell, I started this blog for a reason. I like my thoughts, I think other people should hear them (or, read them, in this case). Oh, and I'm not allowed to count Twitter as writing.

3. Keep Better Track of My Finances

As I was writing that resolution, I remembered the organizer I spend $20 on last year to become more organized. And, in my January 1st panic of "Holy sh*t, I'm getting married this year!!!", I was able to get tons of information I needed for my planner. After July, however, the planner was only used on occasion (mainly to check when my next paycheck was coming in). I may not get another huge planner, but at least I'll try to stay organized.

4. Write My Wedding Thank You Cards

Yes, yes, I know it's been five months. But, if anyone says anything, I will gladly send them a photocopy of my carefully preserved Emily Post column that states couples have a year to send out thank you cards. I thought, for a while, because I wrote all the shower thank you cards, my husband could write the ones for the wedding. Ah, the lessons of marriage.

5. Cook More

This is my project-resolution. I really don't mind cooking. In fact, when I cook, I find I don't overeat because by the time it's ready, I'll have looked at it for so long, I'm bored with it and not hungry. I just haven't been cooking very much because of time (excuse), convenience of delivery (a little closer to the truth), I'm afraid (ding! ding! ding!). Yeah, I'm afraid of cooking. I get  very anxious when I have a time constraint put on cooking. Basically, we cook/order food when we're hungry. We don't think ahead to start preparing something before the fact. So, I have this fear if I screw up dinner and there's nothing to eat, I've failed. Also, I have mini food fears. I worry I haven't cooked chicken all the way through and my husband will get salmonella and die. I worry I won't know if the milk has gone bad and my husband will get a stomachache and die. I worry the heat from the oven will get too hot, pieces of glass from the casserole dish will break off into the food, and my husband will eat it and it'll rip up his stomach and he'll die. ...Basically, I worry about killing my husband with food. But, this year, I'm determined to get in the kitchen and at least get dinner ready a few nights a week...and overcooked the chicken, buy new milk every day, and watch those tricky casserole dishes the whole time they're in the oven. (A friend suggested I have a few drinks before I cook. That might work, too.)

6. Take A Class

I hate to admit it to my "Mom-I-don't-feel-so-well-I-think-I-should-stay-home" self, but I miss school. I wondered for a while if it was the social aspect of it, and I realized it really wasn't (more on that later). I wondered if it was the changing schedule I enjoyed, but then remembered the nights I would get out of class and work six more hours, wishing I had a nice 9-to-5. I was shocked when I found myself looking for park & rec classes one day while I was at work. I realized, that's what I wanted; I needed a new skill to practice (other than not killing my husband with my cooking).

Because I hinted very heavily to my husband that I wanted a sewing machine for Christmas (and he got the hint!!!), I realized within the first few days of trying to use it that I only remember a few basics from home ec in middle school. I remembered how to thread the machine (well, more like I remembered how to read the instructions that comes with something before attempting anything with it), and I was able to get a few stitches down. My first project was two napkins I sewed together. I ran out to show my husband, saying, "Look what I made, honey! I made 2-ply!" He didn't find it as funny as I did, and said, "I better not have paid for a sewing machine so you can make us fancier paper napkins."

The next day, I went to the fabric store, got a pattern for pajama pants (easy, right?) and some flannel and got to work. However, once I cut the pattern and began piecing together what I had, I realized I had made a dire mistake: I hasn't flipped the pattern over and I had two left legs and no leftover fabric. That night, I looked up a sewing class I could take for a few weeks, and I plan to sign up as soon as registration opens.

7. Weed Out People I Don't Need In My Life

There are just too many people I feel guilt over not talking to, and I'm too busy worrying about the ones that I do talk to who just aggravate me. Personally, I was never one for giving up friendships, and I had to do a lot of editing and categorizing when I was making the guest list for my wedding. But, it's gotten to the point in a lot of relationships I have with people that I've realized I actually do not like spending time with them. Granted, my husband and I have become homebodies in the past few months, but I wouldn't mind occasionally going out, if I knew there would be a good conversation to go out to. So, to do a spin off of Bridget Jones, I will not [put up with relationships with] any of the following: alcoholics, snobaholics, everything-phobics, people with baggage or hangups, Me-Me-Me-Me-sogynists, dramalomaniacs, raging maniacs, shallow-ists, complete fuckwits or freeloaders, converts. (Read the book, you'll get the reference; the movie doesn't do it justice.)

8. Drink More Water

I think this is the third year in a row I've said this. I just don't like the taste of it! It's boring! Don't tell me to put a lemon in it, either. I went through a very long phase in college where that was all I drank, partly for financial reasons and partly because of some myth I heard about it speeding up metabolism. But I got sick of it really quickly. Once people were used to hearing me order it that way, and ordering it for me before I got to the table, I realized I was over it. But, for me to really drink more water, I just have to drink one cup a day. Seriously, that's how little water I drink now! It's surprising I've rarely been dehydrated.

9. Moisturize

As much as I hate to admit it, I've gotten to the age when I need to moisturize more. And, as the saying I heard five years ago echoes in my head, "once you realize you should be moisturizing, you're already five years too late".

10. Reconnect With The Single Me

In a few days, I'll find out if my husband is being sent overseas for a year again. When I heard about the 90 percent chance, I was a mess. A whole year. And he would be leaving shortly after our anniversary, not to mention the two months prior he would be spending in training in Texas. I kept waiting for the little voice inside of me to say, "I can't go on without him," but somewhere I think a part of me is squashing that. There's still a part of me I thought I wouldn't have to use again, but I'm glad it stuck around. It was the part that says, "If you can't live without someone else, you're not really living you're own life." I loved being single. And not in a sense of single-without-strings or anything like that, I enjoyed my own company, I could spend a week alone in my old apartment completely on my own schedule. It may sound selfish, but I look at some of my single friends who are constantly trying to make themselves into other people, just to get attention. I never thought doing that would land any sort of security and real love, so I was content to do what I wanted to do.

Of course, I hope that 10 percent chance does happen. There's a difference between can't live without someone and not wanting to with one's whole heart. But, in preparation for worst case scenario, I want to know I'll be able to deal with not seeing the love of my life every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed. If there was a resolution I have the most faith in keeping, it would be this one.

Happy new year, readers!

(And, for those of you who have given up on resolutions, or have already broken yours, here's an article on why resolutions don't work...clearly, these people haven't made 10 of them each year!)

Pimp My Fridge

In case you wanna impress the ladies. (I know I was impressed.)

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

The Experiment

Hypothesis: The scale is evil.

How I will prove this: Weighing myself for two days after every event that may cause a fluctuation in weight.

Materials: Scale (batteries should be in full working order), myself (and my ass, which has taken on its own area code at this point)

Experiment:
12 p.m.-204.4-Just woke up
12:14-203.0-Made bed, went to bathroom
1:15-203.0-Ate scrambled egg with shredded cheese, two pieces of toast with butter and slice of cheese (Ha! No change!)
2:28-204.8-Put on extra pair of pants, cleaned upstairs
3:29-204.4-More cleaning, just had sip of diet soda
3:30-205.2-Holding can of soda while on scale
3:53-204.4-Soda made me have to use bathroom
4:29-204.8-Finished soda, worked up sweat from ripping down wallpaper in upstairs bathroom
5:24-205.0-Folded laundry, put away
6:16-205.0-Showered, hair still wet, standing on scale in towel
6:30-203.6-Dried hair, put clothes on
6:45-204.6-Ate a banana
7:00-204.8-Put more laundry away
8:09-205.4-Went shopping, put sweatshirt on, tummy's growling
8:13-205.4-Had a cookie
8:31-205.6-Had slice of cheese, dinner in oven
9:02-206.6-Ate fish sticks, french fries, half can of soda
9:21-207.0-Ate brownie
11:30-206.2-Fell asleep on couch, about to go back to sleep

End of Day One:
Total Weight Gained: 8.6 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 7.6 lbs
End Weight Lost/Gained: +2.2 lbs

Day Two:
8:30 a.m.-203.4-Woke up
8:51-202.6-Went to bathroom, cleaned up a bit
10:58-203.0-Woke up again, 1/2 bottle of water
11:13-204.2-Ate yogurt, put on sweatshirt
11:35-204.0-Went to bathroom
12:09 p.m.-204.2-Ate peanut butter granola bar
12:43-204.2-Ate two handfuls of shredded cheese and a slice of cheese
5:23-205.8-Got back from Dad's house, had one slice of pizza there
5:28-205.0-Went to bathroom
6:40-204.8-Ate some crackers and hummus
6:46-204.6-Went to bathroom
7:43-205.4-Ate one piece of lasagna
10:32-206.4-Drank a glass and a half of wine
11:38-205.4-Went to bathroom
11:42-203.0-Ready for bed, no pants or sweatshirt

End of Day Two:
Total Weight Gain: 5.2 lbs.
Total Weight Loss: 4.4 lbs.
End Weight Loss/Gain: -.4

Final weigh-in this morning: 201.8 lbs. (I'm not even going to put in that I somehow gained weight after I went to the bathroom; I like this number better anyway.)

Total results: -2.6 lbs. in two days.

Results: Seeing the weight gain over the course of a day = Hate the scale, I think I need a new one.

Seeing the results total for the weekend = Holy crap, really? So, you're saying I can have my cake (or cheese, from what I've realized is my downfall) and eat it too? Losing about a pound a day?

Sad conclusion: I will gain it back in three weeks when the bagel cravings begin again...

Variables:

* Knowing I had to get on the scale after everything made me a little self-conscious of what I was putting in my mouth...and made me very anxious to go to the bathroom more.

* I theorize that whenever my husband would follow me into the bedroom and catch me standing on the scale holding my notebook every few hours, the fear added at least half-a-pound.

* How the hell did eating a banana add a whole pound? And a brownie only made me gain .4?

* Have only looked at scale three times today. Can't wait for tomorrow morning. If I get below 200 this week, there will be celebration. Maybe in the form of brownies, as they are somehow better than bananas.

* OK, OK, before you comment about waiting for digestion to take place, yes, I know I shouldn't have weighed myself seconds after finishing the last bite of something...but I liked my brownie vs. banana discovery!

Final Analysis: The scale is evil, but only in large doses. (Brownies, however, are not! Ha!)

Screw This Diet!

I've officially thrown my hands up to the diet I was on for three weeks. Sure, I lost the honeymoon-weight...and then stopped. The scale won't budge. It moves, but stays within the same pound range, as far as ounces go. I'm going to finish the other three shakes I have, but not two a day anymore, mixed with little meals of fruits I'm sick of now. And screw that half-a-sandwich thing at lunch with a shake. That always pissed me off. It is NOT satisfying. I like my weird eating habits. Some days, I'm good and don't eat that much. Other days, I like enjoying a big lunch or a big breakfast here and there.

That just reminded me about a dream I had last night involving ordering French Toast and being so happy that I didn't even realize I had finished eating it. See, once I start dreaming about food, it means a diet is not working. That's my theory.

That said, I'll just add this to the list of my attempted-and-failed diets.

TOP TEN ATTEMPTED-AND-FAILED DIETS

10. Atkins/Low Carb
Basics: Keep away from anything with carbs, including fruits, apparently. Basically, everything you like, you can't have. I never bought the books or officially went on it, I tried to cut back for a while.
Why it didn't work: I love carbs. I LOVE bagels. Chicken is the only protein I feel comfortable cooking, it wasn't for me. My proteins are usually involved in some way with carbs. Hot dogs and hamburgers don't taste good unless they're on a bun! I even paid $30 for an eBook with the same basic diet. I was promised same-day e-mail responses from the author and a full refund if I wasn't satisfied. When I e-mailed a question, there was no e-mail the same day...or the next...or the next. I didn't even feel like asking for a refund because who knew how long that would take. They sure billed my credit card the same day, though. And no alcohol? Screw that.

9. Grapefruit Diet
Basics: A strict diet that includes some form of grapefruit with every meal.
Why it didn't work: I don't like grapefruits. Simple as that. I tried for one day to convince myself they weren't that bad. I lied to myself and I had acid reflux that night. I couldn't wait to wake up and have a bagel to calm my stomach.

8. The Water Diet
Basics: Water, water, water. Drink so much water you'll feel fuller, faster.
Why it didn't work: Peeing, peeing, peeing. Carrying the water around was a pain. I don't like to force anything into my mouth I don't want and I'm not a very thirsty person, to be honest. I know you need a ton of water, but my body never wants it, other than in the middle of the night and I drink a good 10 ounces then. Aside from that, I get my water in the form of diet soda or other foods. And I never felt full of water. I would want to pee so I could make room for actual food.

7. Birmingham Diet
Basics: It's a bunch of food I'm not crazy about for three days. Followed by four days of regular eating, whatever that means. Then repeated. Given to me by the guy at the counter at Planet Fitness in Stamford.
Why it didn't work: Not a very practical diet for someone who has to eat in public. A piece of toast and a hard boiled egg for lunch? The lunch counter guy thought I was nuts when I asked for this. Never returned to Planet Fitness in Stamford after that.

6. Some Diet Involving Vitamins
Basics: Spent $30 on a soft-cover book to find out I needed to supplement my system with $100-worth of GNC pills with different characteristics in them. Took pills twice a day. Had to sort these pills daily to keep myself organized. Fish oil, flax seed, Vitamins B-12, G-Omega8, acid free pH level-ginseng root...AND 30 oz. of protein with every meal.
Why it didn't work: You can only guess. Sure, the diet was highly recommended by a friend from California. And not the LA part either where anorexia and bulimia still top the list; he was from closer to the San Fransisco area. That should have tipped me off...

5. Bulimia
Basics: Stick fingers down your throat, tickle a little spot, and, before you know it, you're looking at what you just ate in the toilet.
Why it didn't work: Oh, gross. Not to mention the crying that comes with it, which made my make-up run and make my face look awful. Plus, it was never convenient to do out in public. The dumbest three hours of my life, basically.

4. Anorexia
Basics: Deny yourself any food. Feel guilty for even smelling something delicious.
Why it didn't work: Unless Ephedra induced, it's impossible. Besides, I never thought I could officially say I was anorexic: Anorexics have ribs showing; they cut and enjoy one raisin, followed by five hours of feeling guilty. I don't think anorexics ever looked longingly at someone enjoying a bagel and wished they would accidentally drop it in their mouths and wire their jaws shut so they would have to eat it.

3. The No-Diet Diet
Basics: Some little birdy told me you can eat whatever you want in moderation.
Why it didn't work: I was probably just coming off of one of the many other diets and loved the idea of this. So, I ate half a candy-bar, a whole wheat bagel with light cream cheese, one of those mini-cans of soda, a bag of 100-calorie fudge stripe cookies, and said "no" to the apple. See! Moderation! Sure, that was one meal...it was my reward meal for stopping a diet and going back on one! I can't trust myself. Taunts of pre-"Are you going to lose that weight?" mother telling me to finish what's on my plate or no dessert.

2. The White Wine Diet
Basics: Two bottles of wine in two days. The only food involved was eggs and steak. I read about it in "Sex and the Single Girl" and, true to Helen Gurley Brown's word, I lost six pounds in two days.
Why it didn't work: It did! I followed it! However, I can't drink white wine to this day. And I woke up the second day craving cereal for some reason. I wanted a big bowl of cereal, I didn't care what kind. I slowly put the six back on afterwards when I bought sugary cereal and ate it everyday for two weeks, figuring I would get around to going back on the wine diet. It's been three years since then and I still haven't gone back on it.

1. Slim-Fast
Basics: It used to be "A shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch and a sensible dinner." Now it's Shake, wait two hours, fruit, wait two hours, shake and 200 calories for lunch (half a sandwich), more fruit and Slim-Fast bar for a snack, 500-700 calorie dinner, Slim-Fast bar for a snack.
Why it didn't work: It worked...for about 10 pounds. Then I plateaued for way too long. I finally got sick of those damn shakes. And, it doesn't help that I get a little lactose intolerant if I have too much dairy. And two shakes a day were starting to take their toll.

Conclusion: F&$% diets!

Another Thing I Should Have Patented!

Once again, a weird thing I've done in life has come to be a reality...and is going to make money.

I had that idea in college when I had 65 cents to last me the day and I found the joys of an empty bag of Sour Patch Kids. After I had finished the delicious candies, I wasn't satisfied, so I held the bag up to my noise and inhaled, while making he chewing motions. Somehow, it worked. Now Weight Watchers is going to capitalize on it, turning sticker freaks into anorexics.

Son of a bitch!