Thursday Thirteen: Random Update

I have not written much lately so here is a random assortment of updates.

1. I saw Chelsea Handler's stand up act last week. The opening act wasn't good, but Chelsea was great. She didn't really have a "routine", but instead just seemed to be talking to us about things that recently happened to her. It was shorter than I expected at 45 minutes. The crowd was a mix of 1) girls night out groups 2) people like me there with their husband 3) gay couples. It was close to what you would see at a Sex and the City showing.

2. The family has come and gone. It was an exhausting time with all the sight seeing and hosting them in my house. It was great to see them though and I missed them when they were gone.

3. The kitchen was mostly done the day the family arrived. There is a list of about 20 small things that still need to be done and these are not happening quickly at all.

4. While my dad was here (my niece and SIL had left already) we went on a winery tour. We hired a driver/guide and it was a great day. I didn't have to worry about driving, directions, or drinking to0 much.

5. I have been eating way too much lately and have gained some weight back. I don't know how much, but I feel much fuller in my pants. I'm scared to get on the scale at this point.

6. I joined a weight loss competition at work to try to get my motivation back. I am not running the competition, but I started a blog for it to try to stay engaged. I'll be posting weight loss tips/resources, recipes and results. It started a couple days ago so I still have a few days to get back on track before the weigh in.

7. I think Miss California is entitled to her opinion even though I do not agree with her. Her comments are not going to win her a pageant though and I wish the media would stop talking to her because it's just giving her more publicity.

8. I was saddened by the news of the Freddie Mac CFO death. I did not know him, but he lived very close to me.

9. I really need to cut back on the amount of time I spend reading gossip pages and Facebook. There has to be something more productive I can do with my time.

10. We went to the National Zoo when my family was here. It really angered me to see these animals in enclosures that seemed way to small. I decided that I would never go to another zoo again because I do not think they are what is best for the animals. I wondered if I was being too harsh so I looked it up on the PETA web site. Geez...reading the PETA site makes me feel like an awful person even though I love animals. I guess I am just a hypocrite because I don't like zoos, but I still eat meat and wear leather.

11. I got good seats (I think) for the U2 concert in September. I paid $50 to join the fan club to get access to tickets early so I hope the seats are good.

12. The weather is finally supposed to warm up so that means it's time for all the outside chores. Planting flowers, staining the deck and painting the porch either this weekend or next.

13. I really want to take a vacation. A real vacation, but it's not going to happen. We are going to California in June, but that's not a real vacation either.