Today Noah and I spent the day together going to different stores on the downtown mall. He got a pair of Vans that he's been talking about for a while now, and I got two tops from a local store, Bittersweet.

Now I'm off to get ready for a night with Noah's professor and colleagues from school. My throat is hurting a bit, pretty sore, and not sure why.

Not too much progress on my 101 list, except I donated 150 grains of rice. Hopefully tomorrow I'll work on a few items from the list.

101 Things to Do in 1001 Days

I came across this idea from here and would like to partake, since I'm obsessed with lists.

Blue is in progress.
Pink is complete.

Start date is today: January 30, 2009.
End date is October 28, 2011.

House
1. Clean out the basement
2. Clear off all hard drives on computers and donate computers
3. Buy a house
4. Clean and sell my wedding dress
5. Go 90 days straight without buying anything new (not including food and toiletries for hygiene) (last date I bought something new: 1/30/09)
6. Buy a queen size bed
7. Have a garage sale
8. Donate or sell 500 things from the house (52/500)
9. Make doggie biscuits for Steve

Family
1. Visit relatives in New Jersey at least 2 times (0/2)
2. Visit relatives in Chicago
3. Finish wedding album for mom
4. Get pregnant
5. Date night twice a month (3/66)
6. Make dinner with Noah once every two weeks (0/66)
7. Visit my mother once every two months (0/17)
8. Stop taking antibiotics by the end of 1001
9. Get another piercing

Body
1. Go to the dentist once a year (0/3)
2. Weigh 110 pounds (2/10)
3. Donate my hair to Locks of Love
4. Donate blood at least 3 times (0/3)
5. Get another tattoo
6. Got to the gym 3 times a week for 6 months (0/72)
7. Do yoga once a week for 3 months (0/12)
8. Run in a race (maybe the Charlottesville 10-miler)
9. Pamper yourself at least once a month (2/33)
10. Drink nothing but water Monday through Friday for one month (0/30)
11. Wash my face every night before bed, no matter what
12. Walk Steve 4 times a week every week
13. Get a professional massages once every 6 months (0/5)
14. Get my cholesterol checked
15. Take a vitamin daily
16. Private**

Finances
1. Pay of all three of my credit cards
2. Save $12,500 (minus anything towards a downpayment for a house)
3. Create a monthly budget and expense plan
4. Sign up for life insurance
5. Put $20 in special savings account for each item on this list achieved

Craft
1. Make cards at the letterpress
2. Letterpress a poem of sisters
3. Send in a postsecret postcard
4. Knit a blanket
5. Knit Broad Street Mittens
6. Establish a successful vintage housewares store on Etsy (sell at least 20 items) (0/20)
7. Get a booth at the Charlottesville City Farmer's Market (can join in with friends)
8. Take an art or craft class (at least 2 classes) (0/2)
9. Make a wedding album
10. Knit a sweater
11. Make a pair of socks for Mom
12. Learn 10 origami pieces (0/10)
13. Learn how to crochet
14. Make a book and bind it
15. Give all handmade gifts for at least one Chanukah
16. Make 15 sets of napkins to sell on Etsy or at the Market (0/15)
17. Make an oven mitt for Noah
18. Spend at least 5 hours each week working on art or crafts.
19. Design a logo for Vintage Virginia
20. Design a logo for handmade crafts
21. Learn embroidery
22. Make my own paper for paper crafts
23. Make a new craft for each new baby of a friend (1/2)
24. Finish all knitting projects I have started or unravel them

Travel
1. Go to Israel for at least one month
2. Go on a Kentucky Bourbon tour (and visit Kentucky Lake)
3. Meet Noah's paternal uncle
4. Go camping (at least 3 times) (0/3)
5. Go hiking (at least 6 times) (0/6)
6. Go to 2 different outdoor music festivals (0/2)
7. Go on vacation to the Caribbean
8. Go west of the Mississippi

Misc.
1. Volunteer at a hospital in the baby ward and rock babies
2. Frame diplomas and certificates for office
3. Blog regularly (at least 3 times a week) for 3 months
4. Resize my father's bracelet
5. Give at least 5 "just because" gifts. (0/5)
6. Get ring insured.
7. Finish thank you cards from wedding
8. Write 10 "just because" cards and send to friends. (0/10)
9. Make a concerted effort to learn Spanish.
10. Post 10 books on PaperBackSwap or Bookcrossing (2/10)
11. Do not buy a new book for 12 months (start date 1/30/09)
12. Make a list of 101 things that make me happy.
13. Read 50 books. (1/50)
14. Leave a $20 tip on a meal under $20 2 times (0/2)
15. Sell my car and buy a manual car.
16. Host a clothing swap twice a year (1/6)
17. Watch a black and white movie
18. See four plays (0/4)
19. Have a girls night 10 times (1/10)
20. Donate 1,000,000 grains of rice (2140/1,000,000)
21. Go 1 week without watching any television (0/7)
22. Go to a drive-in movie
23. Go to a Washington Redskins game
24. Go to a Washington Capitals game
25. Monitor and update my list as needed
26. Reread To Kill a Mockingbird
27. Upload my Ipod with music I like
28. Officially change my name
29. Read the Torah
30. See a therapist for 6 months

And of course Write new 101/1001 list

I didn't do very well on my list of things to do. Seriously, I didn't accomplish once single thing, except go to the jail and see 2 clients (not 3) and work on cleaning up my desk.

I'm going to persevere, not get discouraged, and keep on working on my daily goals. These daily goals are for the purpose of reaching an even bigger, more existential goal. That is to live a stress-free life. A stress-free life allows more possibility of being free of fatigue, sadness, hostility, resentment, the list could go on.

Being productive at work enables me to be on top of my dozens of cases, which then in turn leads to me being prepared for all of my cases, when then in turns leads to not being stressed out.

Being productive at home enable me to enjoy more time with my family, keep track of finances (so I'm not worrying so much about money), and spending less time looking for stuff amidst all the clutter.

Anyhow, this is why I like my daily goals.

The end.

Some of yesterday's goals were accomplished. All of my work goals were accomplished. But my personal goals, I didn't do so well. I came home last night, finished up my work goals and only managed to write 4 thank you cards. Hey, that's 4 less cards I need to write by Sunday. But of course, I got sucked in by some movie - at least it was one I'd never seen before. Sometimes I get sucked in my movies I've seen at least 2 dozen times and can't pull myself away from the boob tube.

Today's personal goals:
1. Go to the gym
2. Write 10 thank you cards
3. Cross-check 75 receipts with bank statement.

Today's professional goals:
1. Clean off desk
2. Go to the jail and visit 3 clients
3. Work on 2 divorce cases.

I like writing out my daily goals here. By putting them out there, I feel more compelled to complete these goals. Like the internets are holding me responsible, keeping tabs on me.

I have other mechanisms in my life for keeping me on track with my longer life goals. I keep a Daily Log at work of the work I've done for that day. Not only is this to keep track of the work I've done for specific clients but also to see how productive I am each day. And of course, I have smaller goals on that daily log as well.

Is this a sign of being a control freak? Needing to keep tabs on everything I do?

Daily Goals

My three personal goals today:
1. Write 10 thank you cards for wedding presents. I am way overdue. And no longer a classy bride.
2. Fill one shopping bag of clothes I no longer wear for the Clothing Swap on Monday.
3. Go through last months receipts and balance with my checking account.

My three professional goals today:
1. Spend one hour going through phone messages, returning phone calls, etc.
2. Close out three cases that are complete.
3. Spend 30 minutes going through emails, returning emails, filing emails, etc.

Okay, let's see how I do today.

Three random links

Artfull Bras

DUI on a Lawnmower

Knitting Festival

Vintage Virginia

New items at Vintage Virginia, with more coming soon.

Please visit often.

New Year Resolutions?

As I've been procrastinating at work, or clearing my head of clients and all their problems, I've been scouring the internets seeing many lists of new year resolutions. And I don't want to miss out on all the fun. But I can't really nail down one thing I want to change, make better, do differently. I'm constantly making resolutions, regardless of the day on the calendar.

1. N and I are saving money for a downpayment on a home. My number one goal this year is to save enough money for a downpayment on a home. Because of the way my mind works, I have thought of different ways to accomplish this. Just having a goal isn't enough for me. I need a plan. But my plan is for another post.

2. My number two goal is to pay down our outstanding debt. I'm not going to go into how much, but it ain't pretty. Granted, anything remaining after paying rent and bills went towards the wedding. Now that the wedding is over, we're are more likely to actually make a dent in paying down this dent.

3. I will continue this list in my next post. But here is a sweet photo of sister and N on the last night of Chanukah.

I am sitting on the couch with sister underneath a beautifully crocheted blanket we received as a wedding present.  It's been a while since I've sat on the couch for hours at a time, or even an hour at a time for that matter.

The wedding is over, and now the real work begins.  It was a beautiful wedding, everything I could've imagined and more.  I had post-wedding blues when it was over but have recovered. 

I've been back to work since Monday.  My productivity level is not at a full 100% but may be so once January 2 comes along.   

Looking forward to getting the pictures from our fantastic photographer.  Seriously, she rocks. Too bad she doesn't live here in Charlottesville cause I'd stalk her on the phone and lure her out with promises of alcohol.  Oh wait, she's preggers.  

When's the barley and mushroom soup going to be done?  I'm hungry.  

1. I went to my first letterpress class today here. It was an introductory class where we made greeting cards. Noah signed me up as a surprise, since he knows how much I love making cards. In fact, it was a class geared towards making holiday cards. However, I took the opportunity to make my thank you cards for wedding and shower gifts. I fell in love with the letterpress and signed up to be a member. It costs just a little bit more than the introductory class and it's for 6 months! My friend LC is a member too (she also just signed up) and we already have plans for next Saturday. I'm planning on finishing the rest of the thank you cards.

2. Two weeks from tomorrow I will be a married woman. Oh my gosh - writing that just freaked me out a little...but in a good way.

3. That's all I have to say, for now.

Wedding planning has taken over, and I do nothing but wedding shenanigans or work. Invites went out tonight (thank g-d). N finally got a suit. He's going to look like a million bucks. Now I just need to finish the other 84 things on my to-do list before the 21st of December and everything will be fine and dandy.

It's been a long time

For those two people who read this blog, you've noticed that it hasn't been online for a few months.

A while ago, sometime between my last post and this post, someone claimed he found a photo of me from my Friendster account (which I had closed a long time ago), and he took a snapshot of the website. The photo was of me smoking out a hookah. I do smoke out of a hookah - I smoke flavored tobacco out of a hookah bought in Israel with my family, usually on Shabbat. This is a family tradition. Of course, all he saw was this photo of me, and started making accusations and implications that I was doing something illegal. It's scared the bejesus out of me. He "blackmailed" me after I asked him to pay the remaining balance on his account for work I had done for him.

I went to my employer and told him a brief summary of what happened, and he responded that life is too short to chase money from clients. I often think of that e-mail this man (or I should say "boy") sent to me and it saddens me really. At first I felt rage and anger - after all I had done for him, and this is how I get treated. Then and now, I simply feel sorry for him, and the life he has chosen to live, never taking responsibility for his actions and always blaming someone else for the decisions he made.

All in all, I have removed a lot of personal information from the internet. I took down my blog for a while out of fear of what could happen in the future. I'm gone through my posts to make sure names are not used, and I don't have any pictures which could be misconstrued. Since I took my blog offline, I've had a few people ask about it, and tell me they enjoyed reading it just to stay informed about what was going on with me and my family.

Therefore, I have decided to put it back online, but with trepidation. Am I making the right decision?

1. Brother and sister are coming tomorrow. And I've been told we must watch the first X-Files movie to prepare for the second. Who cares that I've never seen an episode.

2. I've been collecting Polaroid cameras and film for our guest box (not book, box, that's right).

3. None of my clients have gone to jail this week. This is a good thing.

4. I'm getting bangs tomorrow. Like my idol, Grace Potter. I have a serious girl crush on her.

Need some inspiration

I haven't crafted in a long time. While N was away, I barely had time to take the dog on a walk, let alone spent hours crafting. So, I'm roaming the internets to find some inspiration. Here's what I've found:

I like lemons
When you just want to make a scarf
The Lars Hat
Because I don't have enough bags
Steve would destroy these
Beautiful - maybe for the wedding

And this is my plug for A Mystery In Common. Not only is this artist a beautiful friend, he is also designing our wedding invites. If anyone knows N real well, you'll recognize The Circulatory System t-shirt. You may have seen it on N's ARM!

What is everyone else working on?

Cvillain

I like reading about Charlottesville here. Keeps me in the loop and it's not C-ville or The Hook.

Buon giorno!

List of top things I loved about my trip to Italy:

1. Driving stick shift in Tuscany. We rented a car in Florence and drove it to Montepulciano. I was very nervous the morning we picked up the car because I hadn't driven stick since law school, and even then, I wasn't good at all. But, after one loop in the Hertz parking lot, I was ready to go, and somehow we made it to our destination without any accidents.

2. Teaching N to drive stick in Tuscany. How cool is that?

3. Eating dinner by candlelight in the middle of a courtyard in Venice. It was absolutely gorgeous and romantic, not to mention the meal was damn good.

4. Drinking at least a bottle of local wine a day.

5. Swimming in the thermal baths near Montepulciano after having picnicked on cheese and prosciutto and a bottle of wine (are you catching on to the theme of wine?).

6. Seeing N's face when I got off that plane in Milan. I can't remember the last time I missed someone so much. Oh wait, I may have missed Steve that much while I was in Italy!

Pics to come but I don't know when. They are on N's computer right now. Just have to get home from work early enough to load them up.

I'm sitting here hoping the rain comes soon. We've had a heat advisory in effect for days and we need some damn rain and some relief.

Today I went to Richmond to argue in front of the Court of Appeals. I don't like to talk about work in this forum but I will make an exception today. I was court-appointed to represent someone in a criminal appeal. I filed the petition, which can either be accepted or denied. The petition was accepted by the Court of Appeals. Then I filed an opening brief, and a reply brief in response to the Commonwealth's brief. Then, an oral argument in scheduled, where each side gets 15 minutes to argue the finer points of our case. Most of the time is spent answering the Judges' questions. This is the first time I've ever argued to the Court of Appeals, and it felt great. Got to meet and greet with them once it was over. Now, let's just keep our fingers that they rule my client's way!

Stevie baby is laying in the corner of the family room, looking up at me every few seconds when she hears the thunder. She asks with her eyes "Was that noise okay? Are we gonna be okay?" She says so much just with one look. I wonder if she misses N.

I'm leaving for Italy in a week from Thursday. I can't express enough how much I miss N. I've never been away from him for this long, and every time I hear his voice during a transatlantic phone call, I get giddy. I might make out with him for a full 5 minutes when I see him in Milan.

As for wedding plans, I found my veil. I am borrowing Nat's veil, which means a lot to me. I have my something borrowed. I tried it on with my dress on Monday and it looked perfect. I felt like a true-life bride.

I have a new friend. She is a lawyer like me and she lives close by. We walk our doggies together, and we like to do the same things - garden, have yard sales, shop, gossip, talk about lawyerly things. I like having a new friend that isn't going anywhere anytime soon. She's been practicing law longer than me and I feel comfortable asking her questions about cases and such. I'm not afraid to admit that I sometimes don't know what I'm doing. Yay for new friends.

Time to sleep.

All thoughts are on my sweet Steve. I took her to the ER for animals at 2 AM on Sunday and then again 8 hours later. Steve has what they call "Kennel Cough" and this term refers to any upper respiratory infection. She's been coughing and spitting up for a few days but Saturday night, it got to be unbearable, coughing and gagging at least 20 times an hour. It was so sad to hear. We got some antibiotics and a cough suppressant but they didn't work very well. We were up all night together. Finally, I slept on the couch and Steve slept on the hardwood floor so I would stop worrying about the carpet and just let her be. At 10 AM, I went back to get her something stronger, a big ole shot of a sedative, which definitely helped her relax and sleep. Last night, on the couch again, she made it through the night, just getting up once every hour. Basically, I just rubbed her body and her feet to relax her so she'd go back to sleep. I was supposed to head to Virginia Beach with a client at 4:30 this morning, but had to cancel. I couldn't leave her by herself all day. So, we slept in, and she played in the backyard, where she seems to be distracted enough not to cough. Also, I don't have to worry about her rolling around in her spit up (I'm sorry for that image). I have some wonderful friends checking up on her, cause I left her outside today. It's cool and breezy and she has her food and water. For some reason, she's bored inside, and this boredom makes her cough even more.

When I spoke with my regular vet this morning, they told me that this could last a couple of weeks! I'm speechless - well, not really. A couple of weeks?? I can't bear the thought of her coughing like this, sounding like she's hacking up a lung. It's awful. I'm sure she'll be fine, in fact, I know she will. This is the first time Steve has ever been sick like this. I think I may have an inkling of what it's like to stay up all night with a sick baby. It's no fun, and it breaks your heart.

Morning Calm

I never really appreciated the peace one can find in the morning. For a long time, I've stayed in bed too long in the morning, often making myself late to wherever I need to be, then rushed around, relying on N to get me all set for the day. But since N is gone, Steve and I wake up early and take our morning walk, I make coffee, feed Steve, check my e-mail, eat cereal, all in a calm setting. It's actually really nice. Even though I couldn't fall asleep until 2 in the morning, I'm not struggling as much as I thought I would be. Now, if I enjoy this peace too much, I'm gonna be late for work.