A Nice Little Sunday

I know many of you read this blog for my wit, my wisdom, and my random observations. AmIright? And of course, sometimes you even read for the daily minutiae of my life. Well, today, this post is about just that. In fact, its about yesterday. My nice little Sunday.

Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. More often than not, I use it just as that. Sometimes I will sit in my pj's all day watching TV, shower in the late afternoon only to put on a new pair of pj's. Those kind of Sunday's are awesome. Sometimes I will run errands all day and be super productive, but that's just exhausting for my last day before work starts up again. (And frankly, that's what Saturdays are for.) Other times, I will have a nice mix of relaxing and getting shit done. But not yesterday. This was a super-active one. And it was superb.

Since yesterday was such a fantastic Sunday, I felt the need to share. Naturally. I knew it was going to be a busy one so of course I planned to get plenty of rest as is par for the course for me. Of course I didn't sleep in, because I am old and if I sleep past 8 its a miracle, but I digress. This Sunday wasn't great because it had the makings of a typical NYC Sunday of boozy brunch and walking around, but it had activities. And I love "doing things." And yesterday I did three things that really made my day complete and were just so much damn fun. They were as follows...

I'll keep it to myself

There are a lot of things that cross my crazy mind day in and day out. Most of them I either keep to myself because they are beyond ridiculous and silly, while others are plain mean. I can't help it that these things come across my brain. (Most of these things seem to occur to me while on the train. Shocking, right?) I don't want to hurt someone's feelings or get jacked in the face if I say these things out loud so I keep my mouth shut. I would never think of saying them directly to the person. My judgemental tendencies can often be a little embarrassing so I just refrain from speaking. I am not proud of it, but it happens.

While I am a very open book a majority of the time either with my words (or my facial expressions), I do have a filter and know what is and is not appropriate to say. Most of the time. Somethings are just better left unsaid. So with that actually being said, here are some things that people (hopefully not just me) think but don't say out loud...

1. Invest in some Spanx. There are many woman that wear unflattering clothes for their body type. And it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. Their clothes might be too tight or just not fit well because of bulges or other imperfections which are all totally normal. We are human and don't all have the body of Victoria Secret models, but we can damn well still look good in a tight dress if we want to. One way to solve part of this problem is for the woman to get some Spanx.  Spanx are magic. Invest in some. They will suck you in where you need to be sucked in and even you out and make you look a few pounds thinner. Trust me, I own quite a few pairs. 

$pin: Got $oul?

Everyone knows that I am a runner. But I also spin at least once a week. It's a fantastic workout and I always leave super sweaty and feeling great. And I like using my other muscles and challenging myself a bit. Plus, a little distance from the Central Park running path is welcomed as it can become quite monotonous. My gym offers free spin classes, but they don't all fit my rigid workout schedule. I am a morning exerciser and they don't have early morning weekday classes as early as I go. On the weekends, I only like one of the instructors so I go pretty much every Saturday morning. Like a loser, I look forward to it all week. The Sunday morning teacher is boring and a good spin class depends on two things: The music and the instructor. If both are on par, the class can be awesome, and if one is off, its can be not so great which is why I am so picky. I wish I could take spin like three times a week but my gym's schedule doesn't work for me and the other options just aren't in my budget.

Those other options are the "boutique" spin gyms that have opened over the past few years in NYC and around the country. SoulCycle, Flywheel, and Pablo Fitness are just a few of popular ones out here. I have heard they are all pretty awesome and all have cult-like followings. I have been dying to try one of them, especially SoulCycle because its so close to my apartment, but have always been so hesitant to try one of these places because they are expensive and I am afraid I would get hooked and want to keep going. And I can't afford a habit like that. On average, classes run about $33 a pop. (And that's NOT including the shoe rental. You have to wear clip-ins for their bikes.) In my opinion, that is insane. And what's even crazier is that people take these classes multiple times a week. (And are all geared up head-to-toe in expensive Lululemon attire too. Oh how the other half lives. Must be nice.)

Sweet Dreams

I love my sleep. It seems though no matter how much sleep I get I am always tired. But such is life. I aim to get 8-10 hours of sleep every night. Sounds like a lot, but if I don't get it, I am not so much a happy camper. Some nights I am fast asleep and don't remember a damn thing because I slept so soundly. Other nights I have some pretty random and pretty interesting dreams. The other night I was dreaming and in my dream my alarm clock went off. Strangely enough, my alarm clock went off in real life too. It was time to wake-up in both my dream and real life. I found it to be the weirdest thing. And the first time something like that had happened. I was telling someone about this that day and we started talking about all the weird things that happen in your dreams.

Sometimes I can remember dreams vividly and other times its all just a fog. Ever sleep with your celeb (or real) crush in a dream and wake up only to realize it was indeed only just a dream and not your reality? Such a bummer. Or wake up and be so glad what you just experienced while asleep was indeed only a dream and you are lucky it didn't actually happen. Whatever it may be, dreams can be so vivid and real for one sec and a blur the next sec. However, there are certain things that happen occasionally that I always remember and I think happen to a lot of people. I assume at least one of these has happened to you...

1) When you think you are falling and wake up to catch yourself.  In a dream, you fall. Whether its off a cliff, down a flight of stairs, on the street, whatever it may be. You all of a sudden wake up catching yourself as if you really fell. You may even shriek or scream. It's scary for a sec, then you realize you are safe and in your soft, comfy bed.

Courting: Lets bring it back

I just recently read a New York Times article titled "The End of Courtship." The article discussed how single young people (and I include myself in that entire description) in today's society don't really go on real dates anymore. And it's a shame. The article was super relatable, interesting, and on point for the most part. I couldn't really argue with the facts the author gave, but I don't have to like them or stand to accept them. I think the real issue with the lack of people going on real dates these days is that guys are lazy and girls are accepting this. If men can get away with these things, they are going to continue to do them. Clearly I am no dating expert as I am a lonely 31-year-old single Manhattanite with no prospects on the horizon but I do know what I want and what I deserve and I will continue to stand my ground with that.

There were several points in the article that really seemed to jump out at me as something that I have noticed lately with guys and dating. While I don't date excessively, I can tell you this, when I meet a guy, he will make a plan with me, he will take me out, and he will pay. (Some people might disagree with the last one, but I am sticking to my guns on this one even though it is 2013.)  Most of my friends will agree with that too and from what I know have the same expectations as I do when it comes to a courtship.

Anyway, things have obviously changed in the dating game over the last few decades, but that doesn't mean courting someone should become obsolete. Below are my thoughts on some of the reasons on why this "trend" might be happening in response to different parts of the article...

Fun Fun 31

Well, my "Dirty 30" has come and gone and I am now the ripe old age of 31. Sigh. I really thought 30 was going to be my year, but alas, it wasn't. That's okay because I know I have so many more ahead of me. And I am hoping bigger and better is still to come for me. It has to.

Like most years, there were the highs and the lows. Of course my 30th year was no different. Below were my highs and lows of the year.  I am going to start with the lows as to end with the highs so I can continue on a high note as I enter this new year of my life. Right on...

Dolvett, call me...

This past week Biggest Loser came back to our televisions. Two nights in a row. Two hours at a time. I didn't get a chance to watch it until the end of the week because with all new shows back and a busy week, my DVR got filled. Fast. Such is the life.

I was happy to be reunited with BL after such a long time even though the time commitment to watch is big, even with a DVR. I think this show is losing a bit of its mojo. I mean, I didn't even cry the first episode. WTF? This is not normal. I'd like to think it's because I am growing up, but I don't think that's the case.

As the new season begins, I find myself watching and thinking. Watching and thinking. Some of the things that cross my mind aren't anything new, and some of the things are more recent from this current season. So as I continue to watch Biggest Loser, this is what crosses my bizarre brain...

1) The kids on the show are brave as hell. This season BL has three teenagers on the show as they are tackling the topic of childhood obesity in America. These kids probably get made fun of a lot in their everyday life and are not very confident in themselves because of their weight and they are baring it all on national TV. I give them major props for that and hope they can turn their life around and end up happy and healthy.

GUEST BLOG: Are Teachers' Unions the Enemy of Reform?

Like myself, many of my friends are (or have been) teachers. Teaching in the NYC public school system can be a huge struggle and many of us try to go in so hopeful each and every day but are met with so many different challenges. The job is not an easy one, that's for sure.

A former co-worker of mine reached out to me with a guest post about her thoughts on the public school system in NYC today. I agree with many of her sentiments and I am sure many other teachers in our situations will as well.

I agree that the current education system needs an overhaul. I agree that there are bad teachers out there shielded by our outdated union contract. I agree that poor leadership makes for an unsuccessful school. If you treat education as a business, a new union contract would be necessary. Under the current contract, it is very difficult to boot a tenured teacher out of his/her job, let alone the union. Many of my friends  (tenured teachers) may dislike this, but I think it should be within a boss's right to fire an ineffective employee, regardless of how many years of service he or she has contributed. It's the parameters within such a firing takes place that needs an overhaul. How do you evaluate a teacher's "effectiveness?" According to the education reformers, a lot of the evaluation needs to be aligned with standardized test scores to weed out the "bad" teachers. To a layperson, it does stand to reason that lack of student progress is directly related to the effectiveness of the teacher. I was a good teacher. I was a good teacher with about a 55% pass rate. If you judge me by that alone, I should have been fired (side note: I voluntarily left the system). But those in education know better; they are not the lay people trying to instill this new way to evaluate teachers.

GUEST BLOG: Guilty Pleasures Without the Guilt

Many of my friends have been super supportive regarding my adventures in blog writing. They also happen to be very smart and witty. (Remember you are the company you keep!) I always encourage them to help a sister out and give them an opportunity to express themselves if they so desire. I mean, why should I be the only one able to rant about my life? With that being said, here is a guest blog, the first in looong time. Enjoy. 

If you are like me and a lot of my lady friends, whether you are texting, or talking face-to-face; at least part of your conversations include a confession of indulgences followed by a rationalization or apology. Often, we call these indulgences “guilty pleasures”. 

I started thinking about “guilty pleasures” and suddenly thought…Who the fuck said we had to feel guilty about our pleasures?

After talking about this with a few of my friends, I realized, women, or at least the women I know, feel guilty about pleasures that involve three things.

Our Bodies 

Have you ever found yourself pulling out your hair while watching TV?  Your thumb and forefinger focused, fixated and grasping for that particularly coarse strand or split end, anticipating the pleasure of tearing it out and glaring at it with pride before you let it float to the floor? Or perhaps, you’ve gone to brush your teeth and found yourself absorbed, for 20 minutes or more, pinching, prying and presssing that in-gown hair or pimple, knowing you will not sleep until you are rewarded with the overwhelming satisfaction of release? Maybe you are like Sylvia Plath and you derive “sexual” pleasure from the “illicit sensuous delight” of nose picking...

The joys of yoga pants

If you know me, you know that I love to wear sweatpants and yoga pants. Basically, I love a good elastic waist pant. I am not a fan of jeans at all. They are too restricting and I am just not comfortable in them. However, yoga pants are my jam. I love them. If I could wear them to work everyday, I would. I usually try to get away with wearing them once or twice a week as it is, but usually with a cute sweater as to take away from the casualness that yoga pants are. After all, I am a professional. Blah.

So why do I love yoga pants so much? I can tell you it's not for the yoga. In fact, I have never done yoga in yoga pants. Ever. (But I do wear yoga crops for yoga. And so much more. They are also incredible.) I wear them as "everyday" pants. There are just so many reasons I love a good pair of yoga pants, so let me count the ways...