Poor Kitten

Oh, the joys of cat ownership. Pictured is my aforementioned highly co-dependent six month old kitten, in one of his favorite boxes around the apartment. As adorable as he is (right now he is not so adorable, as he is locked in his crate and yowling), he needs a bath. He smells horribly and I don't buy this whole "cats clean themselves" myth.

I think I've locked poor N into a "honey-do" Sunday. Not only is he "helping" with the kitten bathing; we're also likely getting a desk chair today. Why a desk chair? Because I'm getting an office at N's apartment.

I know, I know. I'm not sure how I feel about this- this is the "ease Liz into cohabitation" plan. We're planning on sharing a place come March/April, when my lease runs out and I have a few months of a gap between apartment and law school- and knowing where I will go. N, who is planning on moving with me, has already told me how nice it would be if I moved in. I was actually supposed to live with him back in the beginning of the year, when my best friend Berto moved out and N and I were still just friends. Once we started dating, we shelved the roommates plan. Now that we're making bigger steps, I guess...

AH.

Okay, there. I did it. I might need to do it again. My highly independent, "you stay out of my personal space" self is freaking. Out. This is the girl that changed the subject when her ex brought up marraige or drunkenly tried to propose. I don't do this stuff. I don't.

But I honestly (sap alert!) love this guy, and really want it to work and all the sappy ideas I have in my head involving taffeta to come true. Since we're planning on living together wherever we end up in six months from now, it makes sense we live together in April when it's just me moving. I'm just having a mild panic attack over trusting someone that much. Ack.

So, instead, I will concentrate on decorating my office (muahahahhahah) and watching HGTV. I will slowly drink the independent, "I don't need anyone!" side of me into submission (along with some abandonment issues). Baby steps. Baby steps.

I think I'll go bathe the cat.

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Lizzycakes Shop Update

New pieces in the Etsy shop!

So, there are some new pieces in the Lizzycakes shop- I found some excellent paper to play with and, of course, started to play. Hopefully I'll have some Christmas cards ready to go soon, too. Anyways, let me know what you think of these pieces. Any feedback is always welcome.

I love this little pocket sized journal, aptly named the Marie Antoinette (or so I think). First of all, I'm totally in love with the antique 17th Century look right now. Secondly, I love the concept of tiny pocket journals that you can take anywhere with you. Maybe it's because I have two journals with me at all times. Hm. I'm kinda obsessed with journals, in case you can't tell.

And of course, as the holidays near... these are tiny little thank you cards. Frankly, I think they are perfect for a thank-you gift, but if you just want to shoot off a short and sweet thank you note- these are the perfect size (for me at least. I'm awkward and can't ever figure out what to say. Plus, I ramble. Oh, dear... I think I'm rambling again). Anyways, there are two items to check out in the shop- and two more that weren't featured on here that you'll have to go find yourselves!

While I'm on the shameless self promotion train, Lizzycakes has a fan page on Facebook, at the suggestion of the fabulous "Michelle" (am I calling you by your real name yet?) and Facebook fans, you can become a fan of Lizzycakes and make me feel special.

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I Asked the DC Bargain Hunter- and she Answered

A couple days ago, I posed a question on my Twitter: I need a new wallet. Anyone know where to go that won't cost me an arm and a leg? After all, what's the point of a wallet with no money in it?

Richele Cole of the Examiner answered, and wrote a piece for her column on the Examiner. Check it out, and help me decide! It's a tough call between 1, 4, and 6.

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Random Acts of Beauty and Kindness

This picture was taken when N and I went hiking at Bear's Den back home in Loudoun. It was a beautiful, crisp fall day- just cool enough for a sweater. The leaves were just starting to turn and people were swarming the outlook, enjoying the views of the Shenandoah Valley.

I got to thinking, up on these rocks, scurrying around or just sitting and musing to myself about the upcoming Holiday season. I usually try to do a lot of service activities intermingled with the "fun" that I nicknamed the "12 Days of Christmas" a couple years ago. It was in response to a Church challenge that, in the midst of the material and hubub, people forget that the true meaning for the Holiday season is (no matter your faith) Love.

Love was what sent God's only son to us, who then sacrificed his life for our salvation (for Christians).

Love was what kept the candles burning in the temple- a miracle God sent to the Jewish people out of His love.

Love is what brings us all together over the holidays. Love is why we (or the original reason) to send presents, to bake cookies- Love, love, love.

Christmas is my favorite holiday, and making a good deed around Christmas made it better for me. In addition to gingerbread, mistletoe, the fun in finding the perfect gift for someone special, snow (okay, that doesn't happen in DC, but hey)- getting to help make someone's day a little better just makes Christmas that much better to me.

Up on the rocks, I thought about what I wanted to do for my 12 random acts of Holiday Cheer this year- and I thought about blogging it. Having people keep me on track, suggest new things to do- maybe having people come with me to a soup kitchen or something.

Then I thought about inviting other bloggers and readers to join in. Make it a community thing. At first, the predictable fear of failure gripped me. After more musing, I decided I really didn't give a crap. At the very least, someone might be inspired to do one nice thing. It's like those Liberty Mutual commercials, with a Christmas theme!

So, here are the rules:

You must committ to doing 12 Acts of Service (Kindness!) between now and December 25th. They can be big (spending a day volunteering, raising money) or small (donating a book, buying a soldier coffee), and don't have to be done 12 days in a row. Really. That's it.

If you want to blog about it- or post a guest blog here- that works too. I also am thinking about creating little fun meetup events for people in DC who want to get in on this- maybe a day of baking cookies for a local volunteer fire/rescue; getting a group together to go to a soup kitchen; helping at an animal shelter- etc.

If you'd be interested in taking up this little service challenge- doing a good thing to help others and promoting some holiday cheer- let me know in the comments below with your name (and email, if you trust me to be a good girl and not take advantage of it. I promise to be good), blog, etc. Make sure if you do leave your email, you space it out like so: lizzycakeshop at g m a i l(dot)com so spammers can't get a hold of it.

At the very least, expect servicey-Holiday oriented posts from me.

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Day Before Election Day

Quick note that is sadly necessary: I blog here personally. Personally means "no association or affiliation with my job, where I also blog and keep to the company line". Therefore, it goes that what I say here does not reflect the views of anyone but myself, and most certainly not any organizations that pay me. Kthx.

Friday night, I was out buying supplies for fajitas and wine night (which was supposed to be fajitas and work but then Cline and Mark had wine and cupcakes, so we all know how that goes) when I ran into Tim Nank, the Republican candidate for delegate in my district. I got to talking with Tim, telling him I was a supporter, and let me say, I am very excited for Mr. Nank. I would really, really strongly urge people to look at Tim Nank (Rose Hill/Alexandria) and Jay McConville, running for an open seat in Mount Vernon, as delegates and consider voting for them. Both of them are the type of candidates who can really bring positive change for Northern VA. Overall, I'm happy we have an exciting crop of Republican candidates running under Bob McDonnell and I am so, so excited for Election Day.

That being said, make sure y'all are voting tomorrow. Remember, not voting means you effectively lose your right to kvetch about the way things are, since you didn't do jack to change it.

In the meantime, I watched the events in NY-23 and shook my head from afar over it. I've kept my mouth shut due to work conflicts about this race; however, as a pro-choice "moderate" Republican (and I hate, hate that word, "moderate". I am a Conservative, darnit, just socially libertarian. Bite me.) I did not like Scozzafava, and felt she was a particularly weak candidate. In the end, I think that this race could mean a multitude of things for the GOP. I hope that the Hoffman followers mean it when they said this was less about her position on social issues and more about her position on card check and taxes. Bloggers all over have stated that they aren't for chasing every moderate out of the Party, etc, etc, etc. That being said, I think only time will tell. Perhaps the biggest lesson learned for the GOP is the one we should have gotten by now: all candidates need to be aggressively vetted in this day and age. No matter the race- if a National Party will endorse him/her, vet them and be ready to have no surprises on their records or personal lives.

And on a completely random note: the demon zombies from Evil Dead 2 look a lot like the vampires of Buffy. Weird.

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Failure

I think it is safe to say that I failed (epically) at the Don't Go Over Challenge.

Maybe it was the $60 splurge on wine, the laziness of making coffee in the morning (or just not having time- damn you, Daylight Savings Time! It's hard to get out of bed when you look outside and see that the clock says 7:00, but the lack of light says 6:00). Maybe it was that once I got set back once I kinda said, "Screw it".

Either way, I went over.

Merde.

In fact, I went over, I feel badly, and I'm wondering where my self control went. Luckily, Cline and I on purse savings plans that she devised (I am so much better when the rules are clearer than my wishy washy crap and I have a goal). It still bothers me. Failure. I'm not a failure type. I told myself in 2007, during one of my breakups and before a beach vacay, that I was going to get back to 120 (I'd gained six pounds). I ended up hitting 115, then 109, then 105 (NOTE: This wasn't done in the healthiest manner. As in, people were concerned and I have to accept that I have a dangerously unhealthy perspective about food and my body, as I have hinted about many, many times on this blog. So while I hit my goal, it was done in a very stupid way so I should probably be less proud of it).

Still, when I set a goal, I'm used to hitting it. Then surpassing it. I'm not very pleased with myself today.

Even worse is that I won't be participating in NaNoWriMo thanks to law school applications that have a precident over writing a novel (dangit).

So now, I'm trying to be positive about everything. This month, I did pay off my Visa, finally- though 300 went back on, thanks to my cat. I hit my autism walk goal and surpassed it. My work goals are actually being hit too. I survived the LSAT. I'm applying to law schools. I launched my shop (no sales yet, but I still launched it).

I think this is less a lesson of "failure" so to say and more a lesson on "too much on my plate". I've been known to do this, and its one of my biggest flaws. Then I failure, sulk, get sucked down in the sulk, and stay in a hole. Now I need to make sure I don't do that.

Any advice, dear readers? How do y'all figure it out, stay organized, etc? I need to get myself back into whack, stat. Or else the blog will continue to be whiny, and nobody wants that.

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Confessions of a former Sorority Girl

I don't remember the last five Halloweens. I know that each time, I drank myself silly since I was in a silly costume that I was highly uncomfortable in while trying to fit in. I know that usually, each year had a ton of drama and I spent way, way too much money. See the timeline of what I remember:

'08 Halloween
Went as beer wench. Was so hungover I could barely function on my 6 AM train ride to campaign up north in CT. Spent too much money.

'07 Halloween
Went as DC Madam. Found out from a roommate I should have believed that C (ex) was cheating on me. Big fight in a public area. Spent too much money, ruined good shoes. Lost a friend when I didn't believe Shannon. Train wreck.

'06 Halloween
Went as Britney Spears. Got in fight with C's ex, who a) swung at me first and b) alleged that he was cheating on me. In hindsight, I should have not followed Britney's example, listened to Shar Jackson and walked out on K-Fed. Spent too much money at Wal-Mart.

'05 Halloween
I... don't remember. I'm pretty sure I went... as... something a friend talked me into. Spent too much money, I'm sure.

'04 Halloween
Still in bad breakup mode, went as something likely whorish to a Kappa Sig party. Almost drunk-dialed ex, lost cell phone, and had to pay for replacement phone. Spent too much money.

As you can see, Halloween brings out the train wreck for me, though that was 3/5 times not my fault, but C's fault. Now, I'm less train-wrecky. I have a solid, stable relationship where monogamy means monogamy, and I'm also madly in love with the guy. Halloween should be smooth for me. Erm, smoother until I get vodka, and then it's no-holds-barred.

But this former sorority girl is tired of long lines at bars. I hate dressing in those stupid costumes that require me to starve for the few days before to fit in them, and then a few days after to reassure my neurotic dysmorphia that I don't really look that fat. I'm tired of buying costumes that I'll never wear again unless I become really desperate in law school and start doing porn. I hate crowds. I hate waiting forty five minutes for a beer.

This is why I'm saying "screw it!" and issuing this declaration for Halloween: I am not going out. I am sitting at home in sweats, with N, watching the Evil Dead 2, passing out candy to youngsters and what not. I will be dressed as an apathetic, carefree college student. I will have to walk only twenty feet to get my beer, and it will be paid for already and a better selection than Miller and Coors. If there's a line at the fridge, I'll reach past N. I'm going to make manicotti and love my life. Lame? Yes. Uncool? Yes. Do I care? No. I'll be drunk by ten, in bed by midnight, and able to function the next morning. And I will save money. Beat that, Nightmare on M Street.

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