death & taxes & cleaning

in january, like everyone else in this country, i get my envelopes marked "important tax documents enclosed." however, probably unlike everyone else in this country, i promptly chuck those unopened envelopes into my very organized, orderly "look at later" pile o'crap. then on, say, oh, april 14, i actually, finally sort through that pile o' crap, and find my tax documents, along with that old receipt i was looking for, an old wedding invitation whose RSVP is past due, my map of vail that i meant to frame, those yoga videos lesh burned for me (not that those are crap!), and eva's business card (that's not crap either!).

now, i lead a pretty stress-free life. my job is with a non-profit arts organization whose perks of free dance classes and shows balance out the demanding grant accounting and performing arts class coordinating. but when tax time rolls around, i feel like i'm back in college with a term paper looming over my head, stressing out and procrastinating from doing the inevitable. i work best under pressure, and usually, when under pressure, i clean. don't ask me why. probably because cleaning is the last thing i want to do, besides my taxes. so, i clean. thanks to tax season, my home is spic & span. the fireplace and hearth are free of soot, the shelves are dusted, the floors are mopped, the carpets are vaccuumed, the kitchen counters and sink are scoured, and so is the coffee pot, the bathroom is soft-scrubbed and the mirrors are windexed. piles o' crap are sorted through and filed and arranged neatly. even my finger and toe nails are trimmed and my eyebrows are neatly plucked! i've cleaned out my inbox and deleted old emails and i've arranged my sharpies in rainbow order. only then do i log onto turbotax and get started.
all in all, it wasn't that bad, and my taxes are done for 2006. The 2007 pile o' crap has already been started.

this dear readers, is all just to say, that when you picture me in my last moments of life, inhaling my last breaths, please do not picture me on my death bed, but see me with a duster in one hand, a vaccuum cleaner in the other, and mops on my feet like pippi longstocking. and rest assured, i will be wearing clean underwear!

5 lb. *

i just discovered something. while looking for FAT pictures of myself, i came across only a few (please notice double chin in picture 1 and rolls in picture 2). this discovery by no means means that i am not a bit chubby. it merely means that i delete any bad picture of myself before posting to ofoto. looking through photos and starting to draft this blog in my head also helped me realize something else: i'm really not that chubby (or at least that's what all my unconditionally loving friends and family will/should assure me), perhaps just a little squishy in places with some jiggly bits. ah well, more to love, and as jules and i always reassure eachother, "we are good people."
but years of turning bright red after moments of physical exertion, of being picked last in gym class, and of being made fun of in elementary school, have slightly skewed my self-image. everybody's got something they wish they could physically change about themselves (and if they don't, they're lying).
almost 4 months ago now, i was inspired by my new & fabulous roommate hannah to join weight watchers. it really is a great program. so far, i've lost 15 lbs. and i've dropped almost 2 sizes! it's very exciting. when you first weigh in, they tell you that your first goal is to lose 10% of your current weight. depending on your age, height, sex, and daily activity level, you are assigned a certain number of "points" you can eat each day. Every single food item that you may ever allow to pass your lips does indeed have a point value, which can easily be determined by the fabulous ww sliding scale chart. it factors in calories, fat, and grams of fiber (which you soon realize is very very important -- the more fiber something has, the less points it is!) weight watchers have an amazing amount of point tricks up their sleeves -- have you heard of a 1 point English Muffin? or a 1 point wedge of cheese? what about the fact that most steamed vegetables don't even have a point value?! a single dove chocolate is only 1 point, so no need to deprive yourself of life's necessities. that is actually the point of ww -- eat in moderation, but no need to abstain. it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. i've got to be careful, or one of these days, i might actually be one of the ww preachers... or is it too late?
ww has little incentives too -- every week you lose weight you get a gold star sticker; every 5 lbs. you lose, you get a 5 lb. gold sticker star; when you lose your first 10%, you get a keychain that is shaped as a 10; when you reach your ultimate goal, you get a gold star charm to fit on your keychain; and when you've maintained your ultimate goal weight for longer than 6 weeks, you are officially a lifetime member and no longer have to pay monthly dues, even if you gain all the weight back! i got my keychain already, now i'm working on my 4th 5 lb. *
well, just wanted to catch you all up on some of the somethingsomething i've been up to lately and to include some rather hilarious pictures of yours truly. hopefully next time, i'll be DOWN to somethingsomething more and fitting into my size sixes quite comfortably!