Sunday - That makes 6 months kids. Check that off. Gina out.

Saturday - Don't often mourn passing shows anymore but I'll miss Sleigh.

Friday - Week ends on sad note. And protecting intoxicated Virginia boys.

Thursday - Another good day. Accomplished some boozy homemade eggnog. Happy Holidays!

Wednesday - Today charted a 10. Happy lunch, gift card, courtyard karaoke.

Tuesday - Made muddy red beans and rice. Started Sandman. House managed.

Monday - Finally decorated for Christmas for the first time since 2008.

Sunday - Santa visited work. Took pictures. Ordered pizza. Watched Christmas movies.

Saturday - Christmas makes work kinda crazy. Home to create cookie recipe.

Friday - Getting pretty good at this go to the gym thing.

A little sad today. Not depressed. Just sad. Missing people.

Wednesday - I'm an open book. Just ask the right question. Simple.

Tuesday - Lot's of cooking and baking. Four bleeding injuries. Kitchen warrior!

Monday - Sneezey kitty to vet. Finished Christmas shopping. Saw Arthur Christmas!!!

Sunday - Busy but satisfying day at work. Melancholia at the Enzian.

Saturday - Went to gym on the way to work. Will power!

Friday - Opened A Tuna Christmas again. I love me some Christmastime.

Thursday - Busy day of meetings, Sleigh opening, and cookies. PB&J. Clever.

Wednesday - Wine tasting made for a long (but fun) day. Sleeeeeeeeepy.

Tuesday - Stopped by work then hung out in Betsy's crafty kitchen.

Cooking, Cyber Monday Christmas shopping, crocheting. And comfy new pajamas!

Sunday - 2 dress rehearsals and the entirety of American Horror Story.

Saturday - Super quiet day at work and gaming in the evening.

Speaking of Slacking

Friday - Traditional Box Office decorating pizza day. Looking merry and bright.

Thursday - Thanksgiving at Richard and Amy's. Good food and friends. Grateful.

Wednesday - Work potluck lunch and home early. My life is grand.

Tuesday - Stomach gone crazy! Acted like a jerk at lunch. Oops.

Monday - Another stupid day at stupid doctor. Still frustrated. Boo hiss!

Sunday - Early Thanksgiving with Jamie and Nicole. What a pleasant surprise.

Wow, I am slacking on this.

Today - Closed another show and had nostalgic roomie night with Carlene.

Yesterday - Hung out late for Sleigh rehearsal. Gonna be funny! Excited.

Thursday - At the gym at 8 this morning. Time to tone.

Wednesday - Grossed out by vacation pictures. Joined a gym after work.

Tuesday - International Drive for dinner with Kate. Great to catch up.

Vacation Week Catch Up

Today - Back home. Missed my jerky cat and comfy bed. Relaxing.

Yesterday - French toast breakfast with John. Then lots of traveling. Tired.

Saturday - Roamed New York. Saw more friends and family. Happy girl.

Friday - Happy 70th Aunt Flo! Fun party with my crazy fam.

Thursday - Lovely Jet Blue flight to Jersey. Sleepy but very content.

Wednesday - Cleaning, packing, and Ceviche with Jamie. Ready to skip town!

Today - Almost on vacation! (Phew!) Can't wait to see the fam!

Monday - Livid at doctors and insurance companies. Less than stellar appointment.

Sunday - Wait! PlayFest is over already? Weird. Goodbye Daylight Savings Time.

Saturday - Apparently feeling irritable and snappish. But I got my autograph!

Really great day. Morning Starbucks run. Gorgeous weather. PlayFest underway.

Tired of feeling stressed. Excited about the doctor on Monday.

Today - Rocked the Box Office old school. 3 year flashback. Strange.

Yesterday - Day off. Feeling crafty. Ran errands. Evening with Aaron Sorkin.

Today - Crunching numbers at work made me happy. Batman with roomies.

Yesterday - Hung out with some apprentices. Got a black eye. Awesome!

My first roller derby. FUN! Kinda want to try it.

Today - Return of angry stomach and tension headache. Doctor soon. Phew.

Yesterday - Think today went well. But then what do I know?

Made stuff happen then got torn down. So it goes.

Today - Still recovering. Target trip was exhausting. Stocked up on candy.

Monday - Double red blood cell donation. Very happy but very lightheaded/

Sunday - 2 show day and then Phantasmagoria again. It's that good.

Saturday - Veg Fest! Oh vegan gluten free cupcake, what's in you?

Blackjack and bar hopping. Second amazing day in a row.

Gorgeous weather. Phenomenal day. Feeling fantastic. And I needed it.

Stomach still hurts. So does my heart. Something's gotta give.

In a rut. Consumed by apathy. Finding motivation is impossible.

Sunday - Adventures at Walgreens and watching games at a sports bar.

Monday - Lazy day. Welcome back Walking Dead! You are awesomely gross.

Friday - Opened God of Carnage. Too bad my stomach hates me.

Saturday - Phantasmagoria II. I know tremendously talented people. Feeling inspired. Thanks!

Tuesday - Productive day! Run, Halloween costume, cooking and baking, laundry. Sigh.

Wednesday - Trivia, pool, and good karaoke at Big Daddy's. Good company.

Thursday - Emotional mess today. Don't know what's up but don't like.

Sunday - God of Carnage is one jam packed intense hour! Dig!

Monday - Geeked out over (inconclusive) reports and numbers. Charts to come.

What's that about rainy days and Mondays? Gloomy and sleepy.

It's fall. Everything feels a little easier. And I'm grateful.

Friends are inspiring. Need to get excited about life again.

Wednesday - Over the drama. So hard to focus. Detrimental and annoying.

Sunday - Recovering from 5 hour energy and 2 hours of sleep.

Monday - Domestic day! Caramelized bacon and shepherds pie. But not together.

Tuesday - Plagued by morbid thoughts. Boardwalk & Mediterranean reunion tour. Kinda.

Beautiful weather! Can't wait for Jersey in November! Yay life!

Drawing up birth charts. Hippy dippy astrology nerd strikes again.

A little sad. A little nostalgic. I have good people.

A surprisingly positive and productive day. My horoscope is smart.

Lunch with Jamie. Drinks with Stacy. Dessert with Betsy. Nice!

Sunday - Third car with a "cielo" sticker. Makes me smile

Monday - At work for fun research and number crunching. Not sarcastic.

Proud of my winning clafouti. More on the way. Yum.

Let's compile writing and see what sticks. Strength and honor.

Having a sort of staycation at Jamie & Nicole's. Relaxing.

Tuesday - Finished reading The Help. And watched some new TV. Relaxing.

Wednesday - First senior matinee this season. Wednesdays make my head hurt.

Saturday - Long, busy day. But dinner at Four Rivers fixes all.

Sunday - Finally saw The Blind Side. Excited about Harry Potter tomorrow.

Monday - Bought a Universal annual pass. And discovered Butterbeer. Good day!

Opened Earnest, then closed the bar like a rock star.

Monday - Starting to run again. Welcome back, zen place. Missed you.

Tuesday - The return of Groupon. Busy! Earnest is one funny show.

Wednesday - 13 hour day. Then gin from the ninja at Jax.

Thursday - Found mass of melted gummi bears in my car. Hmmm.

Tired, cranky, and sad. Gala done. 10 years gone. Jesus.

Gala tomorrow. Happy 23rd Birthday Orlando Shakes! And many more.

30 years and still can't gracefully exit car in skirt.

I should have a chaperon at Ulta from now on.

Sunday - Drove 11 hours. Saw Dianna's classroom. Experienced Capital Ale House.

Monday - Happy labor day! Love my family! Visited a rainy Maymont.

Tuesday - Home again in my awesome new car. Cheerwine with Pedro.

Wednesday - Experienced weird signs this weekend. Make me feel crazy. Perplexed.

Can't shake the sadness. Even with a road trip tomorrow.

Yesterday - The giant air conditioner in my office made me LAUGH.

Today - Went to Will's overdressed. They don't have gin. Lesson learned.

Long, HUMID day at work. Little gestures make huge differences.

Yesterday - Rained out at Rock Springs. Beautiful though. Must go again.

Today - Dear Gina's heart, Please just shut up! Love, Gina's brain.

Sunday - Sometimes you must call a shopping fail and go home.

Friday - I have a baking soulmate! I think I scare him.

Saturday - Fantastic Red Chair Affair! Love that singing red haired boy!

Tuesday - Adventures out with Betsy. Apparently my hipster was showing. Gross.

Wednesday - Crazy hat lady craft night. Dianna's crayon monogram is awesome!

Thursday - Feels like there is an anchor tied to my heart.

Yesterday - Stranded, carless at home. But got lots of cleaning done!

Today - Feel like I'm searching for something big. Don't know what.

Wine and goat cheese with the girls. Explosive heart ensues.

Staff orientation day. Night at Scruffy's. I have great friends.

Tuesday - Discovered epsom salt aromatherapy baths. Beyond relaxed. Possible new addiction?

Wednesday - Sushi lunch with Joe. Think this might be fantastic season.

Thursday - I think awkwardness becomes more awkward by not acknowledging it.

4th Star lite Star brite mug. Contemplating society's unacceptable goals.

Super fun night at Dave & Buster's for Jamie's birthday.

Sleepy day. Trying to keep chin up and mouth shut.

The long awaited return of Beer Friday. Dig my job.

Made my first commissioned cake tonight! A little disappointed. Meh.

Surprisingly pleasant day. Sigh. I am a work in progress.

Yesterday: Ally McBeal and West Wing. Late 90's television bliss day!

Today: Gut wrenchingly un-fixable errors. Maybe today was a bad dream?

Closed Snow White at 102% today. Heart hurts though.

Yesterday: Downtown on Saturday night for first time. Fascinating. Mildly disgusting.

Spent most of the day in meetings. Shot Episode 3!

Hmmm... I need to pay more attention to this.

Tuesday: Drinks with Jamie and Brandon. Girly pink cider and laughs.

Wednesday: No internet at work. Took new plays home to read.

Today: Feel a little stuck in a rut lately. Mildly distraught.

Watched the last Harry Potter. Sigh. Crazy woman accosted Jamie.

Short and sweet day at work. Then shopping. Standard Sunday.

Yesterday: Rob Jones is advocate of Harvard comma. Yay grammar ally!

Today: Fantastic sporadic haircut and awesome homemade dinner. I rule today!

Yesterday: Birthday/going away party at Staunton Street house. Emotion flowed.

Today: Day four into a month of not dining out. Challenging!

Finally developed all the pictures from my old camera. Nostalgia.

Post Office, grocery shopping, Netflix, and a relished day off.

Hello end of long week. Hello bottle of moscato. Whew.

Amy Winehouse died today. Cursed 27. Holy crap, I'm tired.

Proud to belong to company responsible for Shakespeare With Heart.

Yesterday's - Feeling decidedly stressed out. But without the self loathing. Progress!

Today's - Another busy day of training. Denise's kitten made my day.

Want to go to work. Baking and Rock Band instead.

Another day off. Great dinner with Nicole. West Wing ahoy!

Moving Right Along

Still on track with Day Zero... although I've made some adjustments. I'm sure there will be more. This is an ever-evolving list.

#4 - Apply for my dream job. Done. Probably don't have a snowball's chance in hell but I have been waiting for years for this job to post. And it did. And I sent them my stuff last night. Oddly enough I am less concerned about getting the job than getting the chance to apply for it. It could be an exercise in futility but... how many people get the chance to apply for the job they have wanted for 10 years. Here is at least 1.

#25 - Amended - Document half a year in pictures. Yeah, so, I am calling it quits on pic of the day. Frankly it got boring and became a tedious undertaking rather than something inspiring. But I went 7 months strong and it made me start taking pictures again. So that is pretty darn worth it to me.

#49 - Make a new friend. I probably made a few. I mean, I work in a place where people are pretty close knit despite the fact that they come and go on a constant basis. Sometimes it just takes a person leaving for you to realize how much of a friend they were.

Now with the demise of pic of the day I am feeling inclined to take on a new long term goal. For the next six months I am going to keep a "my day in 10 words" journal. I'll probably put it on here so as to keep track of it... and theoretically will start tonight. Y'know... after most of the day is done. So watch out... daily updates around the corner.

Speaking of journals... I had an epiphany today. I talk too damn much. Now, my life is an open book and I don't have trouble telling people things if they ask. I like that. The problem is... they don't always have to ask. I just blab. So... with the exception of a friend who is basically like my personal journal (and she doesn't read this blog but if she did she would know who she is), I'm making a concerted effort to stop. I have too much drama... and although I have generally worked with the notion that bottling things just made them more dramatic... I don't know that the current plan is necessarily working. A few years ago when my life got crazy I started writing morning pages like a fiend. I am still convinced that had it not been for them I would not have made it through that time. Now, I am in no way planning to start The Artist's Way right now. That's too big of an undertaking for the moment. But I do look forward to taking up journaling. Actual factual pen to paper and only I read it journaling. Hell, I miss writing. This could be good on many levels.

I went Redbox crazy this past weekend. 4 movies at once. The Company Men was decidedly meh. Exactly what I expected and not a bit more. Plus a protagonist who I found it difficult to sympathize with. The Black Swan was fantastic. Holy crap Darren Aronofsky. With the exception of The Wrestler sending me spinning into depression for a short while... you are becoming one of my favorite directors. How Do You Know was far better than I expected it to be. I got it because sometimes you just need a brainless chick flick in the background so you can decompress. I had no idea I would actually like it! My girl crush on Reese Witherspoon probably helped it. And then I watched Beastly. Which was... ok. I like fractured fairy tales and teenybopper movies... and Neil Patrick Harris. And yeah, it was cute... but this is what it left me with. Of all the supernatural and ridiculous aspects of the movie, the one that blew my mind the most is that this creepy guy was tasked with finding love in a year. What were you thinking Mark-Kate Olsen??? That's a huge project for a hot person let alone someone who is all funky looking and doesn't go outside! Finding love in a year? Far less believable than an emo chick casting a spell on some annoying preppy guy at a dance. Seriously!

Still On Track

I've been on vacation for a week now.

God, it's fantastic. And I still have a few days left.

Last week at this time I was in LA. Before I went out there people told me it was dirty and not at all cool. I suppose I had pre-conceived notions of attitude as well. And now it's on the list of places I would consider moving. There and New York. I had an absolutely amazing time. I'm not sure if it was seeing old friends or being in a new place or just getting away from work but I feel more refreshed than I have in God knows how long. I feel hopeful right now. Positive. Maybe even confident. I'm an east coast girl at heart, really I am. But this little Cali trip woke something up in me. And I crossed off #72.

In other recent Day Zero events, I made French macarons (#15). Or maybe attempted would be a better term. They were a mess. Pointy, hollow tips. Uneven, bulbous feet. Due to the chocolate flavor they really just looked like a series of little poops. Meh. At least they tasted good. And since I also made strawberry jam that weekend, I discovered that if I removed the hollow top, filled it with jam, and put that back on... they were pretty fantastic. Ah well... I will try them again.

#77 - Bikram yoga is not for the faint of heart. I made it all the way through a class. I didn't leave the room. Unlike one girl who left, threw up, and then came back. I did have to stop once or twice. The guy in front of me was dripping wet (seriously... like a faucet) before we even began doing anything. I felt fantastic afterward. But I really wish they had given modifications of things to do if you weren't quite in pretzel shape. And the room smelled. Really bad. Really.

Orlando Fringe is my second favorite time of year other than Christmas. This year was particularly grand. I think saw more in the first weekend than I did in the entire 12 days last year... and everything was great. I also spent an exceptional amount of time out on the lawn drinking. That was pretty great too. I hesitate to cross off #36 - Attend the theatre by yourself - in this situation. It's near impossible to walk into a performance and not know someone else in the audience... but there were several I initially walked into alone. So... it counts.

And an accomplishment unto itself - my progress of watching all the Oscar winners is going quite slowly. But after having it from Netflix for 2 months I FINALLY finished Mutiny on the Bounty. It wasn't good. I picked up The Great Ziegfeld on Wednesday and have already watched it and sent it back. It wasn't very good either.

I am also decidedly bored with picture of the day... and I need to update the past 3 weeks or so. 4 months left. I will not miss this task. Hurrah for building character.

Ahead of Schedule!

I knocked 2 more things out!

A little over a week ago I had a spa day(#58). It was amazing... and very much needed. I had been stressed to the point of barely sleeping for about 3 weeks. Luckily, in January I found an amazing Groupon offering 50% off a mani/pedi at a spa near work (the swanky kind where they give you champagne while you get stuff done). In the fine print it also stated that you would be automatically enrolled in the half off club. And what is the half off club you ask? I was curious as well and so I checked out the website to see that the half off club would get me 50% off everything for 3 months PLUS a free one hour service on my birthday. Clearly this was the opportunity for my spa day. And I took it! I got there on Monday at 1:40 and left 4 hours later more relaxed than I had been in God knows how long. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Yesterday I found myself on a toll road... which does not happen so often... so I decided to take advantage of my situation and complete #14 - pay a toll for the person behind me. This was easy enough. I went to the cash lane, made sure there was someone behind me, gave double the amount to the attendant, told her it was for both of us and happily drove off feeling good about myself. I am not sure what I thought would happen next. In my happy little mind I was hoping the driver would be pleased and speed up to pull up next to me and smile and wave and that we would share a moment noting what a wonderful place the world is... and if the world were really amazing the driver would be a grossly attractive nerdy gent (and if we really really follow the series of events that happened in my head eventually I would end up making dinner in the kitchen of our beautiful house by the lake while I look out the window watching him teach our daughter to ride her bike... but I digress). In reality the car spent an abnormally long time at the toll booth (either confused or upset that I paid for them I suspect) and eventually caught up with me and sped right by. I don't even know what the driver looked like because by that point I was too self conscious to try and share a look. Meh. I'm going to have to try this one again.

Anyway. 19% of goals done and 16.5% of my time. Sweet!

The Accidental Goal

I knocked another one off the list. Not even on purpose. #8 - Hug someone instead of fighting with them. Done. I didn't even realize it until the next day. Didn't start the hug with the intention of completing a goal. But I did it... and it was probably a good call.

Also completed #50 - Dance in the rain. Jamie called me from outside work to show me a rainbow and though she swore it was the biggest one she had ever seen... I was happier with the misty weather.

The Giant Catch-Up Post

OK. While it might seem like I have been a total slacker and have abandoned my Day Zero Project... I assure you I have not. I have, however, been very busy with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Subscription Prep, and being a bit slammed (but it's a good thing) at work. So I haven't blogged my adventures.

Let's take a moment to breathe and catch up on the neat things I have done.

#10 - Drop a $20 bill in a tip jar. - Oh lovely people of Starbucks on 436 and Howell Branch who have dealt with my early morning crankiness that would later give way to a caffeine induced joy and optimism... I am sure I owe you more than that.

#12 - Give flowers to someone having a rough week. - Y'know... having flowers delivered through one of those online sites is freakin expensive! I opted for an unnaturally bright bunch from the grocery store that I was able to ninja deliver on my own.

#19 - Cook a turkey - God bless you, Alton Brown for your wonderfully easy and incredibly delicious turkey recipe. Thanksgiving was a success! Though my mother seemed skeptical of abandoning the long-established "cook it in a bag" method, Thanksgiving was a success and she has since passed the recipe along. I even overheard (over heard! thus, not saying it for my benefit) my father telling someone it was the best turkey he ever had. Score!

#24 - Send a secret in to Post Secret - This one... not as exciting as I thought it would be. Maybe I need to try again. Something more secret-like.

#37 - Attend a midnight release/premiere - Yes, I froze my butt off waiting for the midnight drop of World of Warcraft - Cataclysm. And I do mean froze as that night the temperature in Orlando dropped to the low 30s. Now, I could have escaped inside to the Game Stop to wait... but that was pretty full of... nerds. I am kind of over making claims that I am not a nerd (clearly I am) but at least I am a high functioning nerd. The people inside... not so much.

#52 - Don't log into Facebook for a week - This one was a little rough. Only because the email notifications of people tagging me in things and posting on my wall kept appearing in my inbox and I didn't know what was showing up. It's the curiosity that killed me. Other than that... didn't really miss it that much. Maybe if I disabled the notification emails I could actually lead a Facebook free existence.

#69 - Buy a lottery ticket - I only play lotto in Virginia. I don't know why. And I also only play Mega Millions when it is over 100 mil. Christmas allotted me this opportunity. I bought a ticket from a less than friendly Kroger customer service rep named Karen. I did not win. I will blame her.

#81 - Run a 5k - This one was big. Having never run more than a quarter mile without stopping, I trained for this for 2 months. I used the 5k 101 podcast training program from running mate media. You can download it free from itunes and I wish I had more thumbs so I could give it about 83 thumbs up. I stayed motivated, I improved dramatically, and on a chilly early morning in December I drove to SeaWorld with Brooke and Jamie to complete my first 5k. AND I saw Santa Shamu. It was pretty awesome.

#98 - Get a new email address - I moved to gmail. Well... I use the term "moved" loosely. I'm still working on converting everything. But all my bills come to gmail now!

That's it for the moment. There are still ongoing projects I am working on.

I am growing a bit bored with my picture a day and am a full month behind in posting right now but... I am still working on it. I'm also having some trouble with getting through the Oscar Winners list. There are some that I am just not looking forward to. Mutiny on the Bounty has been sitting on my shelf for a couple weeks. Meh.

For right now - my time period is 85% done and my list is 85% done. I am on schedule and I am still excited.

Back In Business!

The Day Zero Project website is back up and running! Hurrah. This means I will be able to keep better track of what I am doing and that some blogs are on the horizon for projects I have tackled in the past couple months. I have quite a bit of catching up to do...

Meh.

I'm frustrated with the world tonight. A little angry at society.

I decided I needed a cannoli on the way home from work this evening. (I know, shocking, Gina wanted dessert food.) As I was leaving the little Italian place a lady approached me in the parking lot asking for help. She told me her sister had been in a car accident in Tampa and was in the hospital and she was trying to get there but was out of gas and out of money to get any. I told her I didn't have any cash on me - which is the truth - and kept walking.

The thing is, if I thought it was true... that she really was in this predicament... I probably would have stopped by the closest ATM to get her some money. Because really, what's 20 bucks to me when it could be getting someone to see a loved one in trouble?

I was a little bit disgusted, driving away, that someone would tell that kind of sob story just to weasel money out of someone. And I was also a bit disgusted with myself for assuming that's what she was doing.

I am incredibly naive, I know I am. And it has gotten me into trouble before and probably will again. I don't mind that so much. Because I don't mind thinking that the world and the people in it are good and honest. What makes me crazy is that that is not an OK way to be. I shouldn't have to be the one to change my outlook. It's maddening that in order to be smart I have to assume the worst of people, expect that everyone has an ulterior motive, and leave people crying in the middle of a rainy parking lot.

The woman asked me to pray for her sister. I told her I would.

So Elizabeth... if you are legit... I hope you are okay, and that you hang in there, and that you get to see your sister soon. She is trying very hard to get to you.