Accomplishment Alert!

At the end of 2009 I acknowledged that I have a spending problem, and after acknowledgment came some of the first steps to achieve a debt-free life.  First things first, I cut up my credit cards, and today I finally paid the last two cards off!  I had $2600 in credit card debt this morning, and after applying my tax returns I have $0 in credit card debt.  Because I no longer have to make monthly payments, I have an extra $143 per month!  The extra money is going towards other debt (I have about one year left for payments on my car, and student loans). Even though I haven't accomplished my initial goal of eradicating all of my debt, I am so proud of myself.  I am one step closer to living without shackles to distant numbers.
     
At the end of 2009 I also decided that I wasn't going to take out any more student loans for my undergraduate degree, and I haven't. I have not borrowed a single penny for school.  I have paid for each credit hour on my own (spare a sweet gift from the amazing Bentley, who paid 3/4 of my fall tuition), and it has made me appreciate school so much more!
   
I can finally see a light at the end of the debt tunnel, hoorah!

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Today the best man in the world turns twenty-seven!  I am so thankful for the amazing series of coincidences that led to Ben's adoption by the Garner family, and led us both to Absolute MMA.  When I feel stressed from the day I always know that our little apartment will be a calm sanctuary full of hugs, kisses, and a warm hand to caress my face when I'm sad.  Everyday I love him more and more. Ben is smart, funny, handsome, caring, and infinitely patient.

Today is his day.

We started off with stuffed strawberry french toast, bacon, and Kona coffee.  Tonight we're going to the Himalayan Kitchen with friends for some delicious naan and curry, and after that we'll have dessert at the place of his choice.  Unfortunately, the gift I bought him didn't show up yet, but he is getting a single-weave black Fuji Gi.

San Francisco '09

Happy Birthday, Bentley!

Top Gear

 Top Gear is my new obsession, and believe it or not, it's a car show.  Well, calling it simply a car show would be vulgar in my opinion, because the show is so much more.  The three hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and (my favorite) Richard Hammond are absolutely brilliant and hilarious.  The show is smart enough to exclude a particular demographic, but accessible enough that someone like myself isn't lost in the car jargon.
    
Top Gear is a show about supercars, Porsches, Gumperts (that's a real car), Bugattis, and the like, but it also includes segments about regular cars (like Nissans and Fiats).  Each show, the tame racing driver, known as "The Stig" drives a given supercar around the Top Gear track, and the time is recorded, with each new episode presenting a possibility for a faster car.  The lap times are kept on a board that is brought out for each episode, and it is truly intense with each new car, because the top of the board is a sought after achievement.  The Stig is a mysterious figure whose face is always covered by a helmet, and each segment you learn new facts about The Stig, for instance, it is rumored that one of his eyes is a teste...pure comedy, and man can The Stig drive!

 Each episode also has some sort of challenge, one of the last challenges was for the three men to use a pittance of a budget to purchase motor vehicles to take them on a thousand mile journey from North to South Vietnam, the catch, because there's always a catch, is that they only had enough money to purchase terrible road bikes. The hilarity ensues as the trio heads across Vietnam through rain, painting one motorbike pink behind their companions back, and exchanging hilarious gifts that had to be carried on the back of Vespas and small bikes.  Keep in mind, I'm behind on the series because I'm only able to access the show online through Netflix.  
   
The knowledge of the hosts is staggering, and their passion is unparalleled.  The three men have so much chemistry that you actually believe that they are best friends who sit at the pub after work.  If I wasn't madly in love with Ben, I'd fly to England and try to date Richard Hammond, even though he's super short!
  Top Gear has a celebrity in each episode (seriously, this show has a segment for everyone), and that celebrity gets a driving lesson from the "tame racing driver" and takes the reasonably priced car (currently a Chevy Aveo) for a ride around the track; like the supercars, their time is recorded, and the top of the board is the main goal for the celebs.  I could blather on and on, but really, just check it out.  If you have cable find it on the BBC, and if you have Netflix, stream them instantly.  I'm currently streaming from season 9, but hope to be caught up eventually.  This show has replaced every other show in my arsenal, and is permanently seated as my favorite.

My life goals have changed because of Top Gear, and they are:
1. Learn to drive a manual.
2. Become famous in England.
3. Get on Top Gear and drive the reasonably priced car.

Seems reasonable enough, aye?

Tibia

I have been training for The SLC Half, and training has been going well.  However,  I may have encountered a slight speed bump on Thursday night; the speed bump has a name, and its name is Dustin.  Dustin and I were rolling (that's jiu-jitsu speak for sparring and/or fighting) and when I went to sweep him (gain a dominant position), he caught his balance and came down on my leg with all of his weight.  I thought my leg broke, and I immediately rolled belly-down and writhed in pain.  My face was flushed and the tears were hot.  My coaches and Ben ran over and helped to pull my gi open, and each one held a hand and coached me to contain my breathing.  I laid on the ground for half an hour, not moving my leg and trying to stay calm.
 Eventually we put some ice on the site of impact, and I was able to walk out of the gym, but my leg still feels mushy in one spot.  It hurts to touch my leg, and walking across campus is too much impact.

 Is there a running God, and is he testing me?  Last year I had to drop from the Ragnar due to pain in my knees, and I have to be honest when I say that I wasn't too disappointed (sorry, Nat).  Remember, I was still horrified from my first race:  But this year, I'm excited to run.  I have invested in toe socks and better running shoes.  I have a training schedule, and I've been diligent!  Now, I have a mushy leg, and it hurts.  My leg hurts and I'm disappointed that I may have met my match for training.  I'm also disappointed that I cried at the gym, it was mortifying.  Here's a picture of a healthy set of bones, I'm pretty sure the lower part of my tibia looks like moldy bread:

13.1

I'm running in the SLC Half Marathon, again! I swore that I would never run in another half, because I was in so much pain last year! In all fairness, I was in pain last year because I ran twice in preparation...stupid much? You can't just run 13.1 miles without conditioning your body, well, you can, but you'll hurt for weeks and curse the entire running world. For weeks I would curse runners and call them stupid when I saw them outside (every runner except Natalie of course). I crossed the finish line last year and immediately said, "That was the worst fucking experience of my life." I literally almost lost control of my bowels (sick, I know), because I had to go to the bathroom at mile two and didn't dare to brave the porta-potties. I thought running was stupid, but I was stupid. This year I am training. This year I am going to be prepared.

So far, I still hate running.

I am getting blisters between my toes, so I'm going to invest in toe socks. I have found the Injinji brand to be the most well-reviewed, any other suggestions, friends? If not, here come the gay pride toe socks:

CRASH!

Today I was so ornery that I almost skipped class. I received a bill in the mail for a dental procedure that I paid for two years ago, but apparently some charges were being disputed unbeknown to me, and VOILA, a random bill. An extra hundred dollar kick in the pants is not cool. I was pretty upset, but went to class and... received a B on a paper. Chelsea was not happy.

I put a lot of time into my paper, and received a bad grade for reasons that are not clearly stated in the comments. I'm the type of person that negotiates grades. I will be scheduling a meeting with my professor to discuss my grade and how he came to his conclusions. I climbed into my car (sufficiently upset), and as I backed out, someone decided that looking in their rear-view mirror would be too inconvenient, and crashed into Warren (aka: my Yaris). I now have a square hole the size of half of a dollar bill on my back bumper. Thankfully the guy had insurance and I filed a claim. My car was gentle and didn't harm his heap of a Cavalier. Hopefully all goes smoothly and I'm not out any money; hopefully, because I don't have any (see above).

March 8th, 2011 can piss off...except for jiu-jitsu. Jiu-Jitsu was great tonight.

Double Wide

I used to live in a trailer. I lived in a trailer with my deadbeat of an Ex-boyfriend, his grandma, great-grandma (for a short period,) sister, mother, nephew, and two dogs. I lived in a place that I hated, with someone I didn't like, and I was turning into a miserable person. Finally, after two and a half years of back and forth, I left. I left my beautiful dog, took my mattress and moved out.
The Ex was left with his pile of mounting debt and his shiny Hummer in the driveway (the driveway of a trailer, mind you). I have never been happier. I have grown up so much in the two and a half years after my departure.

Saturday night I was in the area with Ben for a housewarming party, and we decided it would be fun to drive by the old trailer. I assumed that the family had moved on, but as we pulled up, there it was. The grandma and mother had their old cars in the driveway, and there was a shiny new Cadillac in one of the carport stalls (reminder, this is in front of a trailer that the person doesn't even own!) As we drove by the front door swung open, and the Ex walked out! He walked out to smoke, and we drove off laughing.

If I had not left, I would still live in a trailer with someone I didn't like, becoming a person I couldn't stand.

Go-Go-Gadget, DAYPLANNER!

I have a confession: I like lists. Scratch that, I love lists! When I discovered "Stickies" and "iCal" I was on cloud nine (thanks Macbook)! I like to plan, and budget. I carry a budget in my wallet that has my money tracked from now until July, it's semi-neurotic. I book back-to-back plans with friends, and each day I run from work to school, run back to work, run to the gym, run home to cook, and then study until I can't keep my eyes open. I never thought my lifestyle was a problem, but I'm beginning to realize it is. I have HUGE goals, and that requires a lot of planning, and better time management. In honor of my confession, here is a list of my current "to dos" and projects:

1. SLC Half Marathon on April 17th
2. Get my blue belt in jiu-jitsu (this one is huge!)
3. Work 40 hrs a week
4. Attend 9 credit hours of school (and my current non-credit internship)
5. Volunteer with Equality Utah
6. Volunteer with the Inclusion Center
7. Work on the "blogging for girls" project I have undertaken
8. Work on a longitudinal study with Dr. Brinkman (this one is still in the works)
9. Pay off my debt
10. Get a raise at work
11. Maintain social life

Basically, I don't sleep. I am officially empathetic towards all college kids that abuse uppers, not that I'm endorsing that behavior, but I totally understand it.

Sons of Perdition

Last weekend we went to see "Sons of Perdition" at the Tower Theater, and I was so touched by the movie that I can't stop thinking about it. Sons is a documentary that follows three members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), and documents their journey as they escape from the community which has trapped them and countless others. The FLDS community is led by Warren Jeffs, who is a sadistic, narcissistic, and completely disgusting person. One google search will lead you to current tales of his indictments on charges of atrocious crimes such as child rape. The movie features a picture of a pregnant thirteen year old girl from the community, which caused any neutral feelings on the issue to be quickly dispelled. Any group that condones the practice of rape is deplorable, and I hope Warren Jeffs spends his life in prison fighting off attackers.

Tyler Measom (Director) does a fantastic job of introducing Bruce, Joe, and Sam, three boys who escape from Colorado City, Arizona. The documentary highlights their story of failed escape attempts, loneliness, drugs, and eventual success. I literally can't put it into words how touching this movie was. Watching the boys experience something as simple as Mother's Day is astounding; they literally have no concept of the outside world. One of the scenes shows the young men in The Cathedral of the Madeleine in downtown SLC. One boy asks, "So, Catholics believe in Jesus?" When someone provides an answer in the affirmative he innocently responds, "sweet." Such an innocent question, asked in earnest naivete immediately opens your heart to the young men (while making you want to punch their parents for sheltering them.)
Each year boys are exiled from the community in Colorado City, or "The Crick," and they have no money, no education, and nowhere to go. Public education was banned when Warren Jeffs took the community over, and boys that are forced out of the area are barely literate, and can't find a way to get into high school, because they don't have permanent addresses or previous education. Depriving a child of education is one of the worst abuses that a parent can put them through, and the entire community should be ashamed of themselves.

We were lucky enough to go to a screening that ended with a Q&A session with the director, and the three boys. The young men were met with a standing ovation from the crowd; everyone should be as brave as these young men. Knowing that they wanted to achieve more out of life, they left their friends and family to embark on an amazing and terrifying journey. They walked into a world that they had been taught was filled with sin and the presence of the devil. They went through more struggle with their decision to leave than most of us will ever know in a lifetime. After seeing this movie I want to go to St. George, Utah (where most of the boys end up,) and adopt a fifteen year old...I am not joking.

I'm pleading with all of my heart that you go to see this movie! You will not be disappointed, and this issue is extremely prevalent for all of my friends in Utah because we have the gift of proximity when it comes to helping these exiles.

Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day we skipped cards, flowers, chocolates, and any typical trappings. Instead of the typical date, we ate panang gai (red curry chicken) and Gaeng Kieow Waan (green curry chicken). We washed it down with Thai Iced coffee, and some mango sticky rice. I highly recommend checking out Mekong Cafe, it is on 7777 South State Street. You will not be disappointed in a single dish that this mom and pop restaurant serves. Everything they serve is delicious, well, everything I have tried that is. This picture isn't from the actual place, but it is very similar:

I love date nights. We have so much fun. I love having our usual spots. It was a great Valentine's Day!