Number 21

Day: 329

Goal: Just relax and get ready for a FULL weekend…

So I’m going to make a decision on my new #21 for my 30 Bucket…

For those of you that don’t know (or remember), I need to find a new #21 because my neighbors moved out, and I don’t foresee any new neighbors for a while… P.S. if you’re looking for a 3.5 bed 2 bth house with unobstructed ocean views in downtown Manhattan let me know. Oh, but, by the by, it’s $5,000.00/month. Snap!

Anyway, as of this week my top three options for a new #21 are as follows:

1. Go to a concert.
2. Create an autobiographical piece (dancing).
3. Be satisfied with the outcome of the 30-Bucket no matter what.

So once I narrowed it down to these three, it was actually super easy for me to decide. While (3), being satisfied with the 30-Bucket, is a valid point, I had to think about it, and came to the conclusion that I think this goes without saying. I will be completely happy no matter what the outcome is of this crazy endeavor! As for (1), going to a concert, I think I would definitely like to do this in the next year… problem with this as a 30-Bucket member, is that I would like to go to many many many more concerts in my life… I just don’t think it’s one of those things that is limited to the younger crowd. But, who knows, in 10 years I may be plugging my ears behind my daughter at the second coming of Hannah Montana. So, that leaves me with (2) creating an autobiographical dance piece. It kind of might seem silly, but it has appeal for the 30-Bucket 3 fold: 1) It’s doable… a lot of things on my list are going to be so challenging that its nice to find something that is a no-brainer; 2) In a couple of years, I don’t know how much I’m really going to be dancing myself… I’d love to, but there are days already that I try to kick my leg to the place it used to happily go when I was 19, and my hips just simply laugh in my face (aka, I’m subjected to excruciating pain, and end up spending hours at a time in the bath tub); 3) It’s such a good idea, that I wish I had come up with it first. Granted, I’m not some well-established choreographer that people are “waiting” to see me do something autobiographical, but it probably will be so liberating to just express how I’m personally feeling right now in the best way I know how. It’s not necessarily a time-less piece, but it is a perfect way to express myself pre-30… an excellent addition to the 30 Bucket!

Garlic to the Rescue??

Day: 330

Goal: Get to the bottom of why I feel so sick today!!

Ok, so today I felt like total (earmuffs) SHIT!! I could barely standup at work… I was dizzy, nauseous, achey, and weak. Ben kept asking me if I was pregnant… what a joke. I think it was quite possibly one of the worst “girly” days I’ve ever had… at least sense I was really young and would have to stay home from school and stuff. It was so bad, that I’ve decided there had to be a catalyst to the effects. The only thing I could come up with though was the fact that I consumed an abnormal amount of garlic the past two nights. Like, kind of, an amount that is inhuman. I really don’t know how it could be safe now that I think about it… something like 8 cloves!! (What can I say, I cooked a potent Italian dinner one night and Leslie kept the ball rolling with the Italian theme the very next night). I decided to do a little research, and here’s what I found:

Side Effects of Garlic - for the Consumer (from Drugs.com)

Garlic

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Garlic:

Burning of the mouth, stomach, and throat; changes in the menstrual cycle; lightheadedness; nausea; sweating.

Garlic (From the University of Maryland Medical research center)

Precautions:

The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, contain components that can trigger side effects and that can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, herbs should be taken with care, under the supervision of a health care provider qualified in the field of botanical medicine.

Garlic is considered to have very low toxicity and is listed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Side effects from garlic include upset stomach, bloating, bad breath, body odor, and a stinging sensation on the skin from handling too much fresh or dried garlic. Handling garlic may also cause skin lesions. Other, more rare side effects that have been reported by those taking garlic supplements include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle aches, dizziness described as vertigo (dizziness), and allergies such as an asthmatic reaction or contact dermatitis (skin rash).

Garlic has blood-thinning properties. This is also important to know if you are going to have surgery or deliver a baby. Too much garlic can increase your risk for bleeding during or after those procedures.

. . . . .

So I think it’s pretty safe to say that the Garlic probably did have some affect on the way I was feeling. I’m normally a huge advocate of the “garlic for health” revolution, and I still am, but now I have to say that one must cautiously proceed with garlic consumption! There is such a thing as too much of a good thing! (Especially if you’re already and anemic girl, who’s on her cycle, and has a tendency to be slightly dramatic in cases of bodily discomfort…)

Thank You notes!

Day: 331

Goal: Finish thank you notes!

So number 9 on the 30 Bucket is to finish all my Thank You notes. Past, present, and future. Tonight I finally sat down and wrote the Thank You notes for my birthday. Yes, my birthday was over a month ago and I’m just now getting around to writing them, but I have to say this is a HUGE step for me. I NEVER write thank you notes. It’s incredibly painful for me… not that I am not very thankful for the gifts and gestures of my friends and family, it’s just that for some reason I have associated writing Thank You notes with being a very tedious chore. Anyway… I know that it is extremely important to thank people in this fashion and so I’m trying really hard to get back in the good graces of the Thank You note gods. It may take awhile and a lot of cheesy, environmentally friendly stationary, but I’m ready!

So tonight I finished at least the notes for my recent birthday… it actually felt really good to do them. I wish there was a more fun spin that I could put on Thank You notes, so as to note become some bored with saying, “Thank you so much for the ______! I really love it!” Maybe on the next set of thank you notes I will try to include a picture of my with whatever it is I’m thanking the person for? Or maybe a small gift as a gesture of my thanks? Or does that just complete the circle of doom… forcing that person to now feel obligated to thank me for something? It can become a vicious cycle sometimes. Maybe I can create some kind of personal Thank You staple… something that is very unique to me, Tiffany, thanking someone. Hmmmm…. Always sending a yoga pass? No, I don’t like that… too corporate (and I’m not even that invested in the Loft). Maybe something like my grandma? She always sends cute little homemade bookmarks… that could be cute. Or something similar, like having a recipe printed on the back of my Thank You stationary? (If I was a chef, maybe people would think that was cool). I guess I’ll have to think about that a little more. In the meantime, I have a LOT more thank you notes to write before I can completely cross number 9 off of the 30 Bucket. I finished the most recent notes, but now I need to mail them AND go back and make a list of all the people in my life that I just feel that I owe a huge thank you too… then write those notes and mail them as well. I have a feeling that the U.S. Postal service, their expensive postage and dysfunctional accessibility, is going to be my demise!

Good thoughts, good talk, good Tuesday!

Day: 332

Goal: Enjoy a fresh start to the week… Especially since my Monday is a Tuesday!

So, I have to say I got some great feedback from the “Catch-up” blog. Thank you everyone for your support, enthusiasm, and suggestions. I got some really good thoughts from people about a new number #21 (for those of you that didn’t get to read about it yet, my neighbors have moved and I can no longer “get to know them” as I was hoping to have accomplished for my 30 bucket). Here are some of the suggestions as replacements for the current #21:

1. Choreograph and autobiographical piece

2. Go to a concert I’ve been meaning to

3. Learn a second language

4. Just be happy with whatever the outcome of the 30 Bucket is…

I think one of these four could definitely have potential for the 30 Bucket, but I’d love to hear any more thoughts or suggests before I make anything final. I’ll give it until Friday.

Glee was fantastic tonight! My little Kasey was sick so I made a ridiculous garlic dinner to help… Leslie was amazed. I don’t think she knew about my culinary expertise… well, I showed her how it’s done in old Italia!

Got a chance to talk to Sean recently. Sometimes we go too few and far between. Surprisingly he brought up his brother’s wedding… Now this is a really long story, which I don’t want to get into in this blog, because really it’s no ones business, but let me just say that my relationship with Sean’s family has not been great in the past few years. The situation has brought me a lot of pain and the fact the Sean and I have been able to remain friends through everything that’s happened is a true testament to what an amazing person he is. Anyway, we never talk about the situation, and we have yet to talk about the fact that his brother is getting married this weekend… until the other day. It was actually really nice that he took the time to ask me how I was feeling about it since it has been on my mind for a few weeks now. I know he understands both sides to the situation and really can offer a neutral ear to talk to. He’s amazingly appreciative of my views and honestly compassionate. It was a good talk that I needed to have. I might have driven myself a little crazy with thoughts this week had he not thought to ask me how I was doing… Anyway, I’m sure this makes zero-to-no sense to 99% of my followers, so I digress. Point is: My friend Sean is a good friend (especially when he’s not trying to act too sexy for the ladies *wink*).

Congratualtions Kasey!

Day: 333

Goal: Give all my love to my bestie!! Congratulations Kasey!

So today my best friend Kasey graduated from college! Hurray!! Such an exciting event for so many reasons. One, Kasey graduated from the same college I went to, Mount Saint Mary’s College in Brentwood. Two, she graduated with the same degree I did (but with a much better GPA). Three, we were in the same research group… Stemp Lab. Four, we got to celebrate with another fellow Mount grad, Leslie (Beaker). Five, Kasey is the first college graduate in her family (better work!). Six, we ate dinner at Rock Sugar in Beverly Hills (probably the best kept secret… sshhh, don’t tell anyone). Seven, Kasey got to celebrate with great friends and family. And Eight, it was just flat out amazing!! I am so proud of my girl… she is so wonderful… as the airport security guy that semi-verbally assaulted her on Sunday, “You have proven that there really are woman out there that are smart and beautiful”. So true, creepy guy, so true!

Just wanted to say that I love you Kasey, you are my soul mate, and I’m so lucky to have such an awesome friend in my life Congratulations on such a deserving achievement!