1/30/09 – Well done Kate!

I’ve mentioned my friend Kate a few times and that her brother was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis last year. This past weekend she ran a half marathon in Miami to raise money to support research for Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis. Her NY Team In Training alone raised $251,000 and all of the teams together raised $1.6MM!

Kate said “It was such an amazing experience - I had the chance to meet a lot of people who either have these illnesses or are affected by somebody who does and it not only gave me more insight, but it was really comforting and inspirational as well!”

Well done Kate! And thank you to all of you who supported her. As a reward Kate got to pick the song of the day. Her choice was Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand.

1/28/08 - All Hail Those Who Escape The Elements

I was thinking of titling this post “Wintery Mixes Suck Ass” but Matt came up with the other title and it is much more positive. On days like this I find it hard to come up with cheery things to say.

My mother is one of those incredibly smart people who has set up her life to enjoy nice weather almost all the time. She spends the warmer months in New Hampshire and in the winter she heads to Mexico. I realize her life is not always peaches and cream down there but I think anything is peachier and creamier when there is never a chance of wintery mix. My mom is a talented painter and looking at her work on days like these makes me curse Mother Nature. And now you can too :)

Sweet Fast 2009: Day 28

28 days without sweets and I would sell my left arm for a Snickers.

I haven't played a country song in a while and in an effort to focus on warmer days to come, I've chosen Kenny Chesney's Summertime. Enjoy!

1/27/08 – We have insurance for that

A conversation between me and my youngest brother, Jack:

Me: You are going to have a car at school?

Jack: Yup. It will be convenient.

Me: And when I come see you, you can pick me up from the station so I don’t have to wait and get pooped on by birds like last time.

Jack: Hartford, Connecticut, the insurance capital of the U.S., where they say “Hey you got pooped on? We have insurance for that.”

Me: Ha! No one says that.

Jack: Yes they do! They tore down the sign. I don’t know why

Here is a song I bet you haven't heard in a while. Jack and I were big fans of the Spin Doctors. Have a great day!

1/26/08 – Cleaning Machine

I spent the whole weekend cleaning my room. 10 to 12 hours washing, dusting and organizing everything I own. As much as I hate cleaning I did enjoy some moments like “I didn’t know I had this belt!” or “Call off the search for my blue suede loafers!” I also made a huge pile of clothes to donate to Good Will. Not the sequins skirt though. You never know when you will get invited to a Tina Turner Look a Like party.

Above are before (embarrassing) and after pictures of my closet. My closet is usually the one shining spot in my messy existence but even it had even gone to hell since the holidays. I don’t know if you can tell from the pictures but I color code my clothes. ALL my clothes…even my wife beaters. I’ve been color coding my clothes for about 10 years now and I do it for two reasons. 1. It is the best way to clear my head. Some people go for a drive or a long walk. I color code. It helps me quiet my thoughts and relax. 2. It is a great way to keep track of your clothes. It makes it easy to see that I need to buy a black cardigan and that I need another blue button down like I need a hole in the head.

Today’s song is Cheryl Lynn’s “Got To Be Real” which helped me get a second wind during the cleaning extravaganza.

1/23/08 - Winter Antique Show

Matt and I went to the Winter Antique Show. We saw a few celebrities. We saw Mayor Bloomberg. He was shorter than I expected. Don't worry I didn't shout "Bloomberg! You are shorter than I expected!". We saw Martha Stewart too, but she really isn't the kind of celebrity you want to shout at.

The event was very cool. One of my favorite sections was the rare books. There were all these first additions of amazing books like Anne Frank's Diary and The Velveteen Rabbit. I like to think about the people that must have bought those books when they first came out. Maybe they just picked them up on a whim or a friend recommended them and then they got to read one of the most amazing stories of all time. Very cool.

The event was also a great people watching opportunity. Lots of little old ladies in Chanel suits. And tons of fur! There was one women who had a wrap made out of a fox and it still had the head and the feet. If I go next year I'm going to wear a broach made of gerbil. Well I don't "do" fur so I'll have a faux gerbil broach.

I heard Annie Lennox's Broken Glass as I was leaving the office tonight. Such a fun song!

1/21/08 – Good Advice

My best friend Mandy and I have been friends since kindergarten. She has always given me good advice. Here is a conversation we had this morning.

Me: We are going to a black tie event tomorrow night. There might be some celebrities there.
Mandy: Oh! That reminds me. I saw Curt Schilling last night!
Me: Cool! Did you shout “Curt!”?
Mandy: No, but I should have. You take what happened to me and learn from it! If there are ANY celebrates tomorrow night, you yell their name and yell it proud!

I’ll let you know if I see any celebrities at the event and if Matt breaks up with me for yelling at them.

Sweet Fast 2009: Day 21
I usually get peeved when stores start putting out merchandise for holidays a month in advance, especially Valentine’s Day. There is no reason for you to buy confectionery hearts 30 days early. But this year I lit up when I saw the Valentine’s Day display at Duane Reade. The sweet fast if over on February 14th and it is nice to have a reminder that eventually that day will come.

Today’s song is Spoon’s You Got Your Cherry Bomb. If you have not heard of them, check them out! I love them, but I am a sucker for a horn line.

1/20/08 - In Good Hands

It is funny that today of all days I should have trouble writing. As you know, I am very excited about Barack Obama being our president. I thought his inauguration speech was excellent. I've listened to it several times, the last time hoping to find my favorite part. And maybe that is why I am having a tough time getting my thoughts in order. Obama touched on so many things, so eloquently. If someone asked me what it means to be an American I would have to say "What he said." I guess the best thing to do is say everything I feel after today: inspired, excited, enlightened, calm, happy and proud.

Instead of a song of the day, I am going to suggest that you listen today's historic speech again. My hope is that you, like me, feel like we are in good hands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4

1/19/08 – Positive Public Pressure

“Zen Habit #14: Positive public pressure is a huge motivator. Tell as many people as possible about a goal or habit change.” –Leo Babauta

I stumbled on this idea on an interesting blog http://zenhabits.net/. A friend recommended it to me and I haven’t spent a lot of time exploring the site but I do follow the blogger, Leo Babauta, on Twitter.

I am intrigued by the idea of positive public pressure. When trying to achieve a goal we often exhaust many forms of motivation. We will buy new running shoes in hopes of running more often but that may only motivate you to go on a few more runs. You may buy a ton of health food in order to start eating better but that might only last until your next shopping trip. But I have found that positive public pressure is an amazing motivator.

If you read PositivelyAnna regularly you know that I am on a sweet fast. No sweets for 6 weeks. This has been extremely difficult for me, but when I start drooling over my roommates Oreos I think about posting my next Sweet Fast 2009 Update and I know I would feel guilty about having to report I cheated or I am giving up. So thanks to all of you for keeping me sweet free!

Another great example is my friend Kate, who you will see mentioned in the “For a Good Cause” section to the right. She is racing in a half-marathon to help support research on Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease. Forcing yourself to train in the dead of winter would be trying for anyone but she is motivated by all the support and donations she has received. Not wanting to let people down has gotten her running even in the worst weather.

So if you are trying to lose weight, gossip less, save money or reach any other goal, tell some friends and family. They will help keep you honest and on track.

Today’s song is Queen’s Find Me Somebody To Love. Random I know, but I like it.

1/16/08 - Rat Tail

When I was young I went to summer camp with a boy named BJ. He was a nice kid, about a year younger than me. So, BJ had a rat tail. He had it for several years. It was about a 1 ½ feet long and it reached halfway down his back. It was the summer of ’92 or ’93 and, as any of you who grew up in the 80’s know, most rat tails were gone by the late 80’s. BJ must not have started reading GQ yet because he still had his rat tail four years past due.
So one day, my friend Nikki and I were making fun of BJ’s rat tail behind his back. We couldn’t have been saying anything particularly clever because we were only 11 but I’m sure it was cruel. Anyway, BJ must have heard us because the next day he showed up at camp with out his rat tail! He was clearly miserable. He looked like he had lost a limb. The other kids asked him why he had cut it off and of course he didn’t have a good answer. But I knew why and I felt awful. I still feel awful! While some of you fashionistas may think we did BJ a service by helping him dispose of his fashion faux pas, it was a horrible thing to do. What did I care if he had a rat tail!? It was hurting anyone and he liked it. BJ was a nice kid and he was my friend.
So I found out a little why ago that BJ died. I’m kidding! I lost touch with him after that summer. But my point is that you don’t always get the chance to apologize for something you’ve done, possibly because you were too young and stupid at the time to realize you were being a total jerk. There is almost never a good reason to say mean things about someone else, so we should try just not to do it at all. I do hope that BJ somehow reads this, accepts my apology, has a 4 foot rat tail and loves every inch of it!

I had a request today for Johnny B Good, so here you go. What an excellent way to start off the weekend.

1/15/08 - I'm here!

Hi! Sorry I've been MIA lately. Things have been pretty crazy at work.

So this morning I was worrying. I was thinking about awful things that haven't happened and hopefully won't. What a bad way to start the day! I had originally started PositivelyAnna to provide myself and others with fun songs to sing to when their mind goes wandering to not so pleasant thoughts. So I was drying my hair and fretting over silly things. Then I just said to myself "Quit it!" and I started singing Spirit in the Sky. Concentrating on the lyrics helped me stop worrying and that improved my mood immediately.

Have a great day!

1/12/09 – Slumdog Millionaire

Who watched the Golden Globes last night? I did. They are clearly not as exciting as the Oscars, which I believe to the best night of television EVER, but they do give you a good idea of who will be nominated for an Academy Award. I like to see most of the movies nominated but we are little behind this year. Actually we have only seen Slumdog Millionaire but it looks like we made the right choice. It cleaned up last night winning Best Original Score, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture!

Even if you don’t get that excited about awards season, I suggest you run, don’t walk, to see Slumdog Millionaire. It really is amazing. It is a wonderful love story but definitely not a chick flick. Guys, you will like it too! The movie follows the life of Jamal, which has been filled with luck, tragedy and most importantly, love. I have seen a few Bollywood films but I don’t feel like any, that have been popular in the U.S., have given you such a realistic view of India.

Because I know some of you prefer the song of the day to coincide with the post, I have chosen M.IA.’s Paper Planes, from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. GO SEE IT!

1/9/09 – Coat Drive Completion

On December 11th I told you about the coat drive that a co-worker and I had organized at work. Today I dropped off the last of the coats. We collected 25! I was wishing that we had collected more but then I realized if we helped 25 people stay a little warmer this winter than that is really great! The New York Cares Coat Drive ends today but if you have any clothing to donate here is a link to a list of many other groups around New York City looking for donations. http://www.nycares.org/downloads/CD08_Referral.pdf

Today’s song is Van Morrison’s Warm Love. A friend used this song as the soundtrack to her wedding slide show. A very beautiful wedding and a great song.

1/8/09 - Product Ho

One of my friend’s New Year’s Resolutions is to de-clutter her life and a piece of that is to use all of the various product samples that she has collected. I think that is a great idea and I’ve decided to take it on myself. To get an idea of what I am dealing with, I took stock of all the products I have. This is a picture of all the random stuff I have collected from various gift bags over the years. EEEK!

I have teased my roommate about being a product whore but if that is not the pot calling the kettle black then I don’t know what is! I am clearly a bit of a product ho myself. Or maybe I am just a pack rat. Well, I’m not proud of being a ho or a rat so I’m getting started today! It will probably take me a while to get through the 5 deodorants, 13 anti-wrinkle creams, 4 anti-frizz serum and countless other products that are supposed to make me a lot better looking. This does not mean that I want all you lovely people who have given me fun bath and beauty products to stop. I clearly love them so keep it coming!

Sweet Fast 2009: Day 8
We have decided that the fast will go on until Valentine’s Day. 6 full weeks of no sweets will definitely be tough but it is already getting easier. 1 week down…5 to go!

Today’s song is Jonny Lang’s Red Light. Perfect for PositivelyAnna.

1/7/09 - BLS

I went to the gym last night, NOT because I wanted to but out of fear of Biggest Loser Syndrome (BLS). While the American Medical Association has not recognized BLS as an actual disease, it affects millions of Americans every Tuesday from 8-10 pm. BLS is a combination of the extreme guilt and laziness you feel while watching the Biggest Loser if you have not been exercising. I love the Biggest Loser! It is the only prime time reality TV I watch, well that and Mama’s Boys (KIDDING!). It is great to see people turn their lives around and it is amazing to see what the human body is capable of. I recommend this show to anyone who is interested in a little unadulterated inspiration. But I warn you, work out before the show or at least eat a salad while watching. That is the only way to avoid BLS. I’ve experienced BLS many times…no fun.

Sweet Fast 2009: Day 7
Almost a full week! My friend Jess pointed out that I am at an advantage because I live in New York. She explained that there is no risk of any friendly neighbors leaving me homemade cookies. True! They may blast their techno until 3 AM, but there is no chance of homemade cookies.

The East Coast is being assaulted with some nasty weather. Here is a little tune to warm you up. Please enjoy John Legend’s Refuge (When It’s Cold Outside).

1/6/09 – The Dress!

As promised, here is a picture of me in the dress from New Year’s Eve. I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing. I asked my friend to take a picture for you guys but then a bunch of people gathered around and started yelling directions at me, so I started jumping around like an idiot. I clearly have gained nothing from the 200 episodes of America’s Next Top Model I’ve watched. Help me Tyra!

Sweet Fast 2009 Updated:
We are on Day 6! My mom went out to her car this morning to find a big bag of homemade cookies on her front seat. They were most likely left by a friendly neighbor but my mom has a sneaking suspicion that they may have been left by the Devil.

I got a request for more Bob Marley so please enjoy Jammin'.

1/5/09 - Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Did everyone have a great New Year’s Eve? I wore the dress! I’ll post a picture tomorrow.

So tell me your New Year’s Resolution. I like to hear them because it is always interesting to find out what people hope to accomplish during the year. My resolution is to worry less. It is going pretty well so far. I’m taking more deep breathes and once I’ve made a decision about something I try to stop thinking about it. With layoffs constantly looming, it is hard to stop worrying completely but I’m definitely cutting back.

Also my mom and I are doing a sweet fast. No cake, candy, cookies, etc. I’ve even cut out my bi-weekly iced coffee, which, lets face it, is mostly sugar. This isn’t a diet. It is a willpower challenge. I did it once this summer and lasted about a month. My mom suggested we try this sweet fast for a year so I had to grab her by the shoulders and yell “Are you crazy, woman?!” I LOVE sweets so I don’t want to say goodbye to them forever but I think it is good to take a break from the addiction every once and a while. Every night, as soon as I finish my dinner, and it doesn’t matter how full I am, I start ravaging my apartment looking for a piece of chocolate. Not a pretty site. So we are on Day 5 and it is going pretty well, accept for a dream I had Saturday night where I ate an Oreo. I woke up in a cold sweat. Please join the sweet fast if you like!

So if we can’t eat sugar, I figure we could have a song about it. Please enjoy The Archies’ Sugar, Sugar.