The Fabulous Life of Stefanie

My vision of leading a stress-free life seems to be slipping farther and farther away from me this week. Not that I expected a whole lot of progress, but I feel like I haven't made any, which in turn makes me feel just plain crappy. I thrive off of productivity, sometimes I feel like I amount my own worth to how productive I am, whether it was finishing grad school or finishing a book I am reading, I just like to get things done. I am always the party/event planner in my social life, and I love creating projects at work, for myself and my clients. It creates a sense of accomplishment for me and it makes me feel good. This past week, not so much of that feeling for me. Being sick threw me out of my gym rotation that I was getting back into, and I am trying to get back but I have so much other stuff to catch up on that I put off while I was being sick on the couch. I have to pick up Matty's anniversary present tomorrow night and get to my therapist tonight, and the mornings don...

I am still sick and it sucks! I'm not completely bed-ridden sick, but more the annoying sick where I'm sniffly and stuffy and have an overall icky feeling throughout my body. I can move around and do things, but it takes all my energy just to do the easiest stuff, and I certainly can't do the stuff I really want to do (go to the gym, hunt down Matty's super secret anniversary present, breathe out my nose without sounding like a chainsaw). It sucks - boo! I needed to have a little pity party. On the bright side, I do have to say, I don't get sick nearly as much as I did when I was a smoker, and the sick germs do a much better job of staying above the neck, which is good when you were the kid/teenager/adult with chronic bronchitis. So here I am taking it easy, and hoping to feel even better for my special Mass at church tomorrow morning. Tomorrow at 11:30 I will be admitted to the Order of Catechumens in my Parish, marking my progress from Catechism classes to the nea...

After a super fun and productive day of volunteering I went to the Roadhouse and had an awesome dinner with Nina, Amy and Vanessa. Girl talk, life talk and amazing pulled pork, mac and cheese, collard greens, Allagash White and jalapeno and cheddar cornbread. Did I mention the awesome company? Then I came home, and discovered I was famous . Awesome day! And I get to lay my head down tonight knowing the 8 year nightmare is over! More about the inspiring experience at the Boy's and Girl's Club after my head de-swells from all the excitement. XoXo

And what a monumental one it is. Watching TV at the gym today I couldn't help but to be filled with sense of excitement and hope as Mr. Obama gets ready to take over the office of the President. I do not envy him, whatsoever, as he has one deep, deep hole to dig this country out of, but the impact of his election has already become obvious to me. Young people were much more active in this election than any other, and the notion that we all have a voice rang true as young and old, liberal and conservative lined up for hours to put their vote in. As the Inauguration celebrations from around the country are broadcast I see a lot of the same, and I am as excited and proud as ever to be an American today. In honor of Dr. King's dream, today is a National Day of Service , a day to unite communities and work towards a common purpose of peace and unity. I will be at the Somerville Boy's and Girl's Club hanging out with the local kids making pet toys to donate to the MSPCA. The...

The weather has officially taken its toll on me, and I am legitimately, certifiably, just a bit over a wee bit grumpy. It is cold ! I know that I live in New England, and I know that it is January, but goodness gracious - it's in the single digits and dropping!! When the weather starts to affect both my daily routine and my leisure time, it's officially war. I don't mind bundling up for my morning commute, or having to leave early to make it across the ice in my TUggs (read: Target brand Uggs), but when I don't even get to do the things that I want to do, it's officially bullshit. Last night I tried to go to the Shambala Center as I had planned, but after getting a bit lost and running a bit late I spontaneously bailed out and hopped on the 66 bus homeward as soon as it rolled up near me. I just couldn't deal with being outside with all my layers and bags and things on my hands and over my mouth for even one second longer! I am well aware of my hypochondriasis,...

2009 really is going to be a good year, not that I had my doubts, but things have been going really well and I am feeling super happy and excited about things. This weekend was relaxing, but super fun and productive...and I barely spent a dime. Friday I went out with people from work and had a lovely time, and actually cancelled on the ladies so I could schmooze up my boss, which I think actually worked in getting myself on her radar. It was weird to cancel a lady date for work stuff, but it made me realize that this is one of many things that are bound to change in the near future, and it is all apart of growing up. Of course everyone was totally understanding, and I was asleep with Matty at 10:30 that night, which made it easy to get up at 5:30 on Saturday morning so that I could have a nice, full day off. Definitely a sign that I am getting old, or I'm just plain crazy. I got everything done before 11am - grocery shopping, cleaning the house, and my first (of what will be many...

I am in a lovely mood today. Despite the yucky weather and the late night I worked, I woke up today with a fresh outlook. I have the unfortunate habit of stressing myself sick, I will think about one thing that is bothering me and let it absolutely consume me and my thoughts, and 9 times out of 10 I will make myself physically ill. It has long been one of my goals to change this habit and to find different and healthier ways of dealing with my worries. It hasn't been easy, as this has been a life-long pattern of behavior for me, that was reinforced (and continues to be) by my parents. My Dad has been losing his job daily for at least the past 15 years, and my Mom...here's an example of my daily interactions with my Mom over the phone, this was Sunday night: Me: Hello? Mom: Oh, I am so glad you answered! Is everyone okay? Me: (sitting on my couch with Matty and Louis, in my pajamas, watching Good Will Hunting) What do you mean? We're fine, why, what did you hear? Mom: I saw ...

As I was looking through some old writing of mine, I was thinking about how I use Boston as a character in writing so much of what I do and how I feel, and I was trying to figure out how I feel about this quirk of mine. It can be kind of cheesy I guess, and it can seem a bit dramatic, but for myself and anyone who is close to me, it just really makes sense. It seems that every time something big happens in my life, or anytime I put some deep thought into my experiences in life thus far, there's Boston - someway, somehow - whether it's the city itself, the people in it, or the future I think that it holds. Being someone that is not from Boston, and is therefore not a true Bostonian, I can get a little self conscious about this, and I sometimes fear that true Bostonians will take offense to my love affair with their city. I get nervous that they won't see my relationship for what it really is, and what Boston really means to me; I am not a fair weather fan, in any aspect, and...