2. I cooked about 4 or 5 times this past week. Progress!!! And the best part…

3. …I haven’t eaten/used any GROUND BEEF at all this past week! Yay!

4. I did Dance Central once last week, then Friday, my PT TJ made me get on the cross trainer for an hour, and after that we did weights and resistance exercises. Let me just say this: planks are the devil’s slap in the face. I also battled my kids for about two hours on Just Dance 2. I slept like I was a coma victim after.

5. Haven’t really picked up the book much; haven’t applied yet. I feel like such a slacker. Boo.

6. I gave away 4 tickets to the Badger women’s basketball game. Still helping my friends. Need to do more for strangers, but I don’t go out much.

That was 2001.

By 2003, I was staunchly anti-Pack. Why? Well, when I told people in Wisco where I was from, automatically their faces screwed up and they said, “Oh, so you’re a Bears fan, huh?” When I said yes, I got the stank-eye-suck-teeth combo platter. And as if I were an errant dog who had just shat on the floor, EVERY TIME the Bears lost, the GB fans would rub my face in it. Nope, I would not retaliate (I don’t even do that now). I just wondered what the fuss was about.

Back then, I chalked it up to crazy and kept it moving.

Working at Copps Food Store solidified my disgust. Employees were allowed to wear jerseys to work this particular football Sunday. Since it was Pack VS. Bears, I was excited. I borrowed my then SO’s jersey and went to work, happy that my job was so awesome that I could support my team.

Wrong.

When I walked into the door, my supervisor told me to take the jersey off. I thought she was joking, so I told her that I couldn’t do that, clocked in, and got busy stocking shelves. Well, I got called into the office shortly after that, and the HAIC told me to either take the jersey off or go home. WTF? When I asked why, all they could say was some crap about this being Packer country… e’cu me? Two things came to mind:

1. Since when was Wisconsin deemed a “country”?

2. Why could I not show love for MY team?

Except for a small percentage of folks here (and they are mainly transplants), Packer fans take things WAY outta hand. There’s no listening to reason; they think they’re the dog’s poo poo when they’re on top. There’s a such thing as winning with class VS. winning and being an ass. Thanks, Dale and China: you’ve demonstrated winning with class.

Mind you, I’m no punk. I give as well as I get. Harmless ribbing pre-game? I’m all for it. Post-game digs? Fine! I do that too. But don’t be a dumb ass with it. You know who you are, too! What am I referring to?

1. Questioning my loyalty to my team- Clearly, I’m anti-Packer. Yes, the Bears lost. So YES, I’m going to root for whomever in the Superbowl is anti-Packer as well. Duh!!! In truth, I don’t really care, but since my brother-in-law was cheering for the Steelers AND the Bears, I cheered for the Bears and am cheering for the Steelers. It’s called SUPPORT. Had I said, “Fuck the Bears… blah, blah, blah…” yeah, I would be disloyal. But NEVER have I said that. I can’t WAIT for next season. Bear DOWN!!! I don’t question your loyalty; I’d expect the same courtesy.

2. Expecting me to “flip” just because GB is the NFC team- This should just be a “duh” moment. I don’t care where I live, where I move to, who I marry… I will remain a Bears fan til I die! That’s the definition of a diehard fan, baby… tried and true. I have NEVER seen so many GB supporters come out of the cracks like roaches; conversely, I have never seen so many turncoats DIS the Bears, either, after riding their jock all season. So the Bears lost… oh well! Next season we’ll meet again. Bring it.  For now, I can’t wait for the Cubs to play in the spring (yup… love them too. Yes, they lose A LOT! Diehard, baby…).

3. Saying I can’t accept a loss- No one enjoys losing. So YES, I’m going to look back at the game and see what went wrong, why it happened, and what could be done to change it in the future. Call it what you want… but isn’t that what the players do when they review the previous game’s tapes? Don’t students look back and figure out how to improve their test scores? It’s a sensible, smart thing to do, I thought. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

So NO, this is not a rant against the Packer team, as many of you probably expected. It’s more of a rant against some choice fans… and you know who you are… that don’t know when to say enough. Losing gracefully is one thing, but how many of us can WIN gracefully?

I’ve already congratulated GB players and SOME fans on a good game. Now back to my regularly scheduled program… GO STEELERS!!!

1. Downloaded the new Kid Sister mix tape along with some Metallica and disco music. 

2. Cooked twice. I’ve been under stress, to say the least.

3. I ate beef in the form of stuffed bell peppers, and I’m not ashamed. They were delicious. I need to get the recipe… but adapt it for ground turkey, of course.

4. No real exercise. A couple of night’s worth of Dance Central. That’s it.

5. Still reading the same book; I’m going to put in my app for grad school this weekend, Sunday.

6. Took a friend to a movie for his b-day. Helping another friend with prep for her kid’s sweet 16. Helping someone else with their reading, writing, and spelling.

I also made my kid the most AWESOME birthday cake EVER!!! 

2. I cooked three times this past week. I thought it was four, but no one can remember, so oh well. I’m trying to stay positive about my tiny kitchen, but when dealing with lemons…

3. No beef for me this past week! I made sloppy joes for the kids, but all I ate was corn. Yay me!

4. Ugh… I haven’t really been as diligent with this as I’d like. I did some Dance Central w my friend last week, and I did walk instead of drive a little bit, but not enough to matter. I need to do better.

5. I am reading “Your Own Worst Enemy” right now, trying to solve the mystery behind my procrastination. Is it fear of failure or success? Hmm… (This book is a procrastination tactic in itself)

6. I tried to help my cousin have some b-day fun at no cost to her. I also bought some other people some drinks at a club. Not much else to report…

Until next week!!!

Boy… procrastination is a muthasucka!

1. I will only make resolutions that I intend to keep.
2. These resolutions will become part of my every day routine so that I become a better person; therefore, there will be no “one-year” promises.
3. These resolutions must benefit me spiritually, mentally, and/or physically.

Now, onto the fun part: Las Resoluciones de Kegan Renee:

1. Mental/spiritual- I will make up 3 playlists of music to be used daily for inspiration and courage (a soundtrack, if you will). This soundtrack will consist of music I can meditate, exercise, study, and just live by. So I guess that excludes a lot of the popular music my Sausage listens to (sorry, boy). More of my sorely-missed hip-hop, and definitely more jazz. I’d like some other non-traditional stuff as well (Bollywood, new age), so any suggestions would be sweet. Music has a huge impact on my life, so it’s very necessary to do this.
   

   Liberation- The Mind, Body, and Soul Project

2. Physical- I am going to incorporate more home-cooked meals into my diet, which means (HORROR OF HORRORS!!!) I’m going to attempt to cook more. This means at least 4 days a week, I’ll be tying on the ol’ apron and laying out a spread of wholesome goodness.
3. Physical/spiritual- To go along with the previous post, I’m going to reduce the amount of red meat in my diet little by little each month. The goal is to get down to zero red meat by 2012. THIS is going to be a hard one, because I loves eating a good burger (see: Five Guys).
4. Physical/mental- I’m going to get more active. I need to become more conscious of what goes into my body (numbers 2 and 3), so to complete this, I need to keep the machine well-oiled. Get up and get moving. This is also difficult, especially living in a state where it’s so cold that all I wanna do is snuggle my body pillow under my comforter. BUT, I’ve got my Wii Fit,  my Just Dance 2, and my Zumba, plus a few DVDs and the weight room around the corner. I really have no excuse. I just need to DO IT.
5. Mental/spiritual- I am going to apply to law school. I need to get enrolled in a Kaplan class (or some similar entity; I’m not picky) so that I can get a handle on those pesky logic questions. I need to practice writing a good Statement of Purpose/Letter of Intent. In short: I need to get my ass in gear. No more stalling.
6. Mental/spiritual- I will perform at least 4 random acts of kindness per week. This one isn’t so hard. I’m usually pretty nice anyway.

So, in order to make sure I’m doing what I say I’m going to do, I’m going to use this blog to track my progress. Every Monday, I will post progress in the forms of numbers 1-6 to show how I’m doing. And yes, my knitting/crochet will be interspersed here and there for good measure.

This is going to be interesting.

Mine, however, became a bottom-up monster of its own creation. I think it’s cute, and not a terrible first try. It was super-quick to make (3 strands of worsted on size 15′s? Hells yeah!!!), so I think it’s perfect for quick holiday gifts. Play with the colors: use three different strands to support your favorite team, or go with the classic monochromatic look.

Due to the Raised Double Decrease, the rib has a funky variation to it that makes it unique and angular. So here it is… try it out and let me know what you think. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Anything that you can think of to help me to improve the design or instructions would be greatly appreciated. I will post pics of my first attempt later, after blocking.

The Just-In-Case Cap

Skill level:

Advanced Beginner

Size:

Adult

Materials:

• Three skeins of Lion Brand Wool Ease worsted weight yarn
• size 15 dpns
• stitch marker
• tapestry needle

Gauge:

9 sts x 12 rows = 4 inches in k1, p1 ribbed st.

Stitch info:

k- knit

p-purl

rdd- raised double decrease: Slip 2 st knitwise, k next st, pass 2 slipped stitches over stitch just made.

This is the rdd stitch row from the top.

Extreme close-up of those rdd stitches.

Using a strand from each skein held together, cast on 48 stitches with the dpns. Join without twisting. Place stitch marker at beginning of round.

K1, p1 across. Continue until work measures 4-5 inches, then work decrease rows as follows:

Round 1: [(k1,p1) 4 times, rdd, p1] 4 times. (40 st rem)

Round 2: k1, p1 across.

Round 3: [(k1, p1) 3 times, rdd, p1] 4 times. (32 st rem)

Round 4: k1, p1 across.

Round 5: [(k1, p1) 2 times, rdd, p1] 4 times. (24 st rem)

Round 6: k1, p1 across.

Round 7: [k1, p1, rdd, p1] 4 times. (16 st rem)

Round 8: k1, p1 across.

Round 9: k2 tog across. (8 sts rem)

Round 10: k across.

Cut yarn, leaving 8” tail. Weave tail through stitches on needles a couple of times. Weave in ends, block and enjoy!

I finally got that bachelor’s degree! Yay! Now I’m in the process of deciding whether to traipse right into grad school or to work for a bit or to do both… too many decisions at one time. My head hurts. 

I’m also trying to resolve my grandparents’ issues regarding their living situation and overall health and well-being. They live 200 miles from me, but I’m the only one in the area with a car, so a lot of the responsibility falls on my shoulders. And I accept this fully. They are, after all, my family. I can’t just NOT help. I have a fierce need to do whatever needs to be done to ease the troubles of others. Dunno why. Maybe it takes the focus off of me. Maybe I”m just masochistic. But I do what I do. 

As for a relationship? Hmm… let’s just say that things are right on track. I could say more, but why jinx it? Plus, I don’t want to give him a big head if he happens to read this! I’m in no hurry to start something with anyone, but one never knows. I’ve had a crush on him since high school. Our paths recrossed recently, but we were both doing other things (see: other people). And now? Both happily free and trying to see where we are in relation to each other and the universe. Trying to get to know each other (again?), but on a deeper level. Time waits for no man, but hopefully this man will wait for me to further develop and process these feelings.

As I’ve said before, I make no resolutions, so for the next post I’ll review 2009 and list all of my accomplishments. This will be interesting.

For now, though, I’m just happily living life as an insomniac. I’m fully aware that things are thrown in my path to test my strength, and if I can’t lift them out of my way, then I walk around them. I stoop for nothing.