When Life Hands You Lemons....

This post was originally starting out as a bitch fest, but then it ended up turning into something positive.

The bitch fest was because I was upset. Several months ago, people at work got raises. I didn't. I will not go into the details, other than to say that it was a bogus deal and total BS. Finally, yesterday, I find out that my raise got approved. And then, this morning, I receive a notice from my apartment mgmt that my rent is going up $75/month AND they are now adding a $25/month pet fee (which I haven't paid in the previous 9yrs of living there and the pets have been there the ENTIRE TIME). So I was feeling all kinds of negative about the fact that I will be able to use NONE of my raise towards actually paying off my debt.

I went online to do a Google Images search about lemons (Original theme to this post: when life hands you lemons....you throw them at idiots who piss you off). And I came across this picture of Alex....a little girl who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 4 back in 2000. She decided to open a lemonade stand to raise money for research into childhood cancer. Her goal was to raise a million dollars....a goal which was achieved not long before her death in 2004.

Alex's determination and "make lemonade" attitude has spawned a national movement. In 2005, the owners of Kentucky Derby hopeful, Afleet Alex, not only donated a percentage of his winnings to this cause, but brought national attention to it as well. TastyKake created an Alex's Lemonade krimpet, which will raise additional money for the cause.

Since her first lemonade stand in 2000, Alex's Lemonade Stand has raised over 20 MILLION DOLLARS!

So I'm done with my pity party. Instead of looking at the rent increase as something that has negated my raise, I will look at my raise as coming at JUST THE RIGHT TIME to negate my rent increase.

Thank you, Alex, for helping me to put my priorities in order. Now I'm going to go enjoy a nice, cold glass of lemonade!!!

Forget Regret, Or Life Is Yours To Miss!

A line from Rent, one of my favorite Broadway shows! Granted, I've only seen 2 Broadway shows (and technically, Phantom was seen on tour while in Philly) but even so....

This phrase is one that can apply to so much of life. A breakup, a bad day at work, feeling like a slug b/c of being out of shape. You can either sit around and brood about it or you can brush it off and makethe next day better. "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes", a quote from one of my favorite childhood books, Anne of Green Gables.

It has been a dead week training-wise. PMS always wipes me out. All I want to do is eat and sleep. I didn't even attempt to do any form of exercise until Saturday.

I went to NYC because I had tickets to see "Anne of Green Gables" in an off-Broadway production. I have read the books and seen the videos countless times. The show was in a small theater (Lucille Lortel) but it was very well done. I really enjoyed it. While I was in The Big Apple, I decided to make a whole day out of it. I walked along Times Square and around the Theater District. I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Broadway Joe Steakhouse (located on 315 W. 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Ave). I had a NY Strip Steak (cooked to perfection), a Cosmopolitan, and NY Cheesecake (heavenly).....see a theme here? I checked out the Toys R Us in Times Square. They have a ferris wheel in the middle of the store. They also have a realistic looking, mechanical TRex from Jurrasic park and the Empire State Building made out of Legos (complete with a Lego King Kong). And, on a whim, I picked up a ticket to the evening showing of Rent. I had seen it last summer and once I was back in NYC, I decided that I wanted to see it again. It was just as fun as the first time. Perhaps a bit MORE fun b/c the actor who plays Angel (Justin Johnston) really brought a lot more silliness to the character than when first saw him. I checked on Google Maps Pedometer and found that I actually walked over 5 miles. No wonder I'm tired!

The weather was rainy and dreary on Sunday. I felt a bit worn out from my busy day in NYC so I took it easy. Watched some movies, caught up on my emails, napped.

Monday marks the start of the official 3Day 24 week training schedule, which means that my lazy week is OVER. DONE. Hasta la vista baby!!!

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