A Picture's Worth a 1000 Words

This is the caricaturist's interpretation of me.

He nailed the bangs, forehead, fingernails, and earrings.  Oh, and glass of wine.

Time For A Quote

I came across this quote the other day:

It’s odd when I think of the arc of my life, from child to young woman to aging adult. First I was who I was. Then I didn’t know who I was. Then I invented someone, and became her. Then I began to like what I’d invented. And finally I was what I was again.

Isn't it SO true?

A Grammatically Incorrect Observation

I've noticed there's something I do regularly that, by all standards for the English language, is technically 'wrong'.

I start sentences with 'and'.  AND I do it a lot.  

I'd like to take this moment to make it clear that I DO IT WITH PURPOSE.

It's Not OK, Cupid

I just learned something interesting.  My fellow online-daters will appreciate this.

It IS possible to be an 8% match with someone else who has answered a substantial number of questions on OKCupid.

And, yes, said person did message me.  Le sigh.

2013 Resolutions

So, with reading The Willpower Instinct and the start of the new year and all - I got to thinking about resolutions.  And, you know, making some.

I have one distinct one that has come to mind.  Drumroll, please....

Be a better blogger.

I know what you're thinking, dear readers.  You've heard it before.  You've heard it again and again.  Instead of talking about blogging, why not actually go and do it?

I know.  Perhaps I've just hit a road bump this past year.  Perhaps I have hit the 'five year itch'.  But I am not giving up.  This blog has quite a few things going for it.

1)  It has existed for five years, which is legendary in the blogosphere.  Five years in the blogosphere is better than five years of marriage in hollywood.  I'm not going to give up at the 10 yard line.  And I never thought I'd use such an analogy.

2)  It is part of BlogHer, which is an excellent, well-respected all female blogging network.  I feel like I got into a prestigious sorority.  The only requirement is that I put out new, relevant content on a regular basis.  I will forge on.

3)  I have some awesome readers.  I HOPE I still have them.  Dear readers - are you there?  It's me, Jaime.

Ok, enough of this.  I had to publicly express this goal.  I figured it would help with accountability and that there'd be a better chance of me not failing at it.

Dear fellow bloggers - how do you forge on?  What do you do when you struggle with finding the time and energy to blog?  What do you do when you struggle for meaningful content?  Please share.

Willpower Instinct

I just finished reading The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal for the BlogHer Book Club - interesting discussion material found here.  (Requisite comment that I was compensated for this review found here.)

The author teaches a class on willpower in the psych department at Stanford.  She seems like she'd be an interesting person to take class from and it seems as though she really tries her best to take feedback from her students and apply it to how she presents her material.

Anyhow, I suppose this book falls into the 'self help' category, which I don't read from very often, so it's hard to compare how it stacks up to other books in its genre.  It read pretty quickly and was easy to understand, even when she got into explaining the scientific studies.  I may have zoned out a little during some portions when she was explaining which parts of the brain control what, but otherwise, she wholly kept my attention.  I was very reminiscent of books I had to read for various psych classes back in college, which I admittedly enjoyed.

The two main takeaway points I found most beneficial in this book:

1)  Don't beat yourself up for a slip-up - it is counter-productive.  It's kind of a knee-jerk reaction when one is trying to lose weight, quit smoking, stop drinking, etc. - when one indulges, she then starts hating on herself, but that just leaves one feeling bad about herself and seeking more comfort (perhaps from one of our vices).  Makes perfect sense but it isn't easy.  It makes me think of a quote I heard earlier this week - When you vow to live in forgiveness, don't forget to begin with yourself.  

2)  When one feels a craving - instead of trying to fight it, instead of beating yourself up for feeling said way (see above), just accept that these will come from time to time, allow yourself to feel what you're feeling, and imagine you're 'riding the wave' (like a surfer) of craving, imaging it will eventually crash, regardless of whether or not it is fed.  Interesting to think about.

All in all, I would recommend this book - it was an interesting and quick read.  It would be especially helpful to someone trying to make some positive changes in her life, which, I imagine, might be a lot of people at this time of the year.

Denim Dilemma

The pair of jeans on the left is a pair of Paige skinny leg jeans I got around 9 months ago and wear quite regularly.

The pair on the right is a pair my Mom bought me this past Christmas.  

When I unwrapped said new pair, I got a feeling of 'deja vu', if you will.  They looked very familiar, reminiscent of my other pair when they were 'born' if you will.

I looked at the inside of the tag.  The numbers matched up.

I made the suggestion to my mom.  She said, while I was at the house, in the shower, she checked the current pair against the pair she bought and she felt they were two different pair of jeans.

Dear jury - is this the same pair of jeans?  Could I have POSSIBLY worn out my jeans so much that they look this drastically different?  Should I keep the second pair, cause, regardless of anything, they clearly look different (and I love a sharp dark denim)?  Is there any way to tell if two pair of jeans are the exact same cut and color?  Is it all in the number on the tag?  Has anyone else ever bought the exact same pair of jeans twice and worn them?

Your thoughts?