I am proud

(1) that I followed my dream to move to New York and have had a great partner in crime in the journey;
(2) that I go to the gym three times a week;
(3) and when I can't make it, I don't beat myself up about it;
(4) that I can run a mile (no matter how long it takes me);
(5) that I read as much as I watch television;
(6) that I don't take myself too seriously;
(7) that I am reliable, honest and dependable;
(8) that I am changing things up at work;
(9) that I learn from past mistakes so I can avoid repeats;
(10) that I finally learned to save money.

sweet music

my favorite accordion player who plays in the tunnel leading to the 7 train in port authority played hava nagila yesterday and christmas carols today. i love that he is an equal opportunity musician. others apparently do too because his accordion case was overflowing with dollars. that made me smile even more when i added to the pile. tis the season!

present

is probably one of my favorite words in the english language. and i am not exaggerating when i say i get the same level of joy in getting a present as i do when i find the perfect present for someone i love. i have often thought wistfully about having a personal shopping business where all i would do all day is buy presents. with other people's money. make chocolate calorie free and you'd be pretty much describing my version of heaven.

this year present buying is tough. s and i are saving every last penny for the wedding (well except the pennies i spent on that purse this weekend but that's not really relevant) and we didn't want to go overboard. we generally go a little nutty on each other's presents but this year we agreed to exchange small and meaningful gifts (i.e. i am not allowed to go to saks and buy very expensive cuff links for s). so i found a bunch of silly stuff which i am still equally excited to give him.

one wrinkle in my quest for affordable yet awesome presents - in my search of silly things i found a great present on a website, bought it, was charged for it and have heard nothing. so i went back to said website to look for the inevitable "contact us" page only to find there isn't one. i have never read the fine print on a website so closely as i have with this one and there is literally nothing.

i am not one to give up easily. i logged in to my handy credit card company website and found a phone number for this vendor. a few rings and the voice mail indicated that i was calling rob and i should leave a message. notwithstanding how bizarre this is, i did. so far, rob has not returned my calls. why am i not surprised?

now, i know i can just call my credit card company, dispute the charges and be on my way. but the point is, i so desperately want to buy this stupid $20 present for s that i am being unbelievably stubborn. i am determined to find a way to get this merchandise. even if i walk to chicago and shake it out of rob. which i might.

the moral of this story - s is damn picky so when i find a good present i really can't let go. i think s should stop being so picky so i can relax a little. it is definitely his fault.

patience

is not one of my strong suits. i should clarify. i am probably one of the most impatient people alive. i try not to show it but i am generally not successful. in fairness, i've gotten slightly better about controlling it, i.e. hiding it, in my old age, but only slightly.

so, sitting at work this week, waiting to find out what i will work on next is, to put it mildly, difficult. couple my impatience with an intense dislike of uncertainty and you have a very antsy person who is probably not fun to be around.

in reality, what i really want to do is sit at my desk and read twilight. which makes me an impatient 13 year old girl trapped in a 32 year old lawyer's body. thank goodness it is friday.