Monday, August 18, 2008

The Ring Story

This past weekend, I visited with friends in Indiana. On Friday afternoon, my friend Betsy and I went to a jewelry store so I could spend a $100 gift card that I won at a fundraising event for her amazing and awesome program (seriously, check out the S.O.S. website).

This jewelry store is not your typical jewelry store such as you would find in the mall. For one thing, you have to be buzzed in the door. They carry designer lines and very little runs for under $200, but my goal was to spend no more than $50-60 of my own money. I tried on some necklaces and rings and looked at earrings as well. I prefer silver to gold, as it looks better on my skin.

This ring was fun and different, as were similarly designed necklaces and bracelets, but out of my price range. I also looked at earrings that were similar to this, but all the ones on display were gold not silver.

I ended up with this ring. I love its shape and it actually cost just under $100, so there was no outlay of my own funds. Score!



The ring is a size 6. It is too big for both my ring fingers. It does not fit over the knuckle on the middle finger on my right hand, but it fits on the middle finger of my left hand. I like how it looks there, and so I will not to get it resized.

The salesman who helped me estimated he'd need to reduce it by 1/4 size for the ring to fit my left hand. On my right hand, I bet that it would need to be reduced by a full 1/2 since it fits more loosely on that hand.

I wear a size 5 and 3/4 ring.

It boggles my mind when I really think about it. My high school class ring is a size 9. I have rings that are size 10 (and maybe one size 11) that I bought at my highest weight. A size 6 would barely have fit my pinky in those days.

I still occasionally look in the mirror and see a fat (unattractive) person staring back at me. My size perception is very skewed, and I often have a hard time believing that a certain item of clothing will fit when I look at it. Still, every once in awhile something like this happens that reminds me that I really have changed physically at least.

Still working on the mental gunk though.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Pre-season NFL Football

I will admit, I am a Cleveland Browns fan. Perhaps I have some sort of inherent masochism to always be a Cleveland sports fan, since all of the professional sports teams will take us *this* close to a championship. And then, of course, blow it. That's when they are good. The bad years tend to outnumber the good years, at least during my lifetime they have.

Tonight the Browns are playing the Jets. I'm thrilled that football is beginning again, it is my favorite spectator sport. I love college football more, simply because of the atmosphere surrounding the games, but really I don't discriminate when it comes to football.

So I am enjoying myself.

Except that for pre-season, I have to listen to Bernie Kosar as the color commentator for the games. GAH! It's like listening to fingernails on a blackboard.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

I miss the Muppets

Does anyone else miss the Muppet Show? That was one of my favorite shows while growing up. I have Season One on DVD, need to get Seasons Two and Three now.

Here are a couple fun videos.




That one is a new creation from the Muppet people, so here is truly a classic Muppet Show video. This is from the very first regular episode. When my niece and nephew watched Season One, they remembered this one as their very favorite.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me!




Instead of birthday cake, last night I made myself 3 mini-sized peach crisps to use up a couple peaches that needed to be eaten. I had to eat one while it was still warm, but the others are for today. One was my post-run breakfast, the other will be dessert after supper.

To my mom

Dear Mom,

As I have started running in the mornings before work, I have to get up at around 5:30 or so just for a short 2-3 mile run. So this morning, I was about 1 mile into my run at 6:10 a.m., the exact moment I turned 35 years old.

Sorry for making you get up so damn early back on this date in 1973. I know how much you would have rather slept in a little. I know I was wishing I had done the same. ;-)

Love,
Kris

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Flowers




I received these as part of my birthday present from my friend. Aren't they beautiful? I do not expect to receive flowers from others, so my birthday present was a wonderful surprise. They may only last a few days, but I will remember them with a smile for a long time. What better present could you ask for?

Most people associate receiving flowers as something that happens in a romantic context, but I do not. Probably that is because I have never actually received flowers as part of a date. Prior to yesterday, I can recall only a few times when I received flowers from others, none of which had a romantic context either.

I think flowers are good for lots of occasions anyway, not just romantic events. In fact, several times a year, I will buy myself flowers because I enjoy them. After all, who says I have to wait for someone to give them to me?

This does make me think, though. I should start sending/giving flowers to people for no particular reason, other than to make them happy.