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A few things have changed since my last post.  Tony and I are back together.  For good.  Man, I feel great about it, but it seems like a really personal, silly thing to gush about here.  And we're buying a house on the West Side.  We close this week.  And move in the same day.

I really feel like this new beginning warrants a fresh place to document this part of my life, so I'm trying it out here:

http://neecholay.tumblr.com/

Check it out if you miss me.  I hope to post more regularly than I have been for a while.

I Hope You're Ready, Life!

'Cause we're about to start livin'!

Do-Over

If you find yourself in a place you never thought you'd be. A place you don't want to be. One you're not proud of...And if life is a series of choices that lead you to where you are. Then how far back would you need to go to get it right? Can you start over again so far back that maybe you craft yourself into an entirely different person? A better one?

Overheard At My Desk (re: Weekend Plans)

Meghs: I actually cried a little bit last night, I was so excited.

Vanessa: Yeah, she was a little drunk.

No Ikea

I didn't make it to Ikea as planned. Instead, I went on a mini shopping spree last weekend and had to content myself with my local Target. I bought a new down comforter (and managed to finally sew up the tear in my old one a day later, who knew my feather problem could have been solved so easily with 10 minutes of patience?). I love my new comforter though. I paid extra for the nicer one, and I don't regret it. It is warm, and it's still pristine. I've covered it with one of those micro-fiber throws that I had under my old comforter to keep my dog off of it.
I also got a really simple, inexpensive curtain set, which I put up myself. It's not fancy, but it's lightweight enough to let the natural light flow through (which is one of my favorite things about my apartment), but enough substance to shield my naked body from the view of my smoking neighbors.
I found a few cheap frames: two plastic in olive green and teal, two gold wood (but not aggressively gold), and one cream colored, thick wooden frame. I'm pretty satisfied in the variety I'm building. Right now, all of the photos are just lined up in their frames on the floor underneath my living room window, and I have to say, I almost kind of like them there.
My bff is bringing me a lamp from Ikea when she comes down, for a little lighting by my big, comfy chair. I still need to find a side table to put the lamp on though.
Other than that, I want a new rug for the entryway. The one I have now came with the place, and frankly it's dirty and grosses me out to think what unknown things have crossed it.
And a new duvet cover, but that's moved down the list for now.
I'll post some pictures once I figure out which angle to take them from.
This little shopping spree has not helped my debt management plan, but it has been fun. Especially the part where I bought drill bits for my power drill (thanks Grandma & Grandpa) and used them correctly! Yea!

Ikea

I'm going to Atlanta this weekend in order to do an Ikea shopping trip. I've decided it's time to get something up on my wood paneling, and there are some other things I've been wanting to put the finishing touches on my apartment. I have all of the major stuff now, so now it's just that little stuff that gives it character, which honestly, I've never been great at. But I visited my bff's new apartment when I went to Michigan last month, and all of her cute stuff came from Ikea, and it inspired me to make an effort with my place. So I decided to plan a trip to the closest Ikea. I have a list, but I'm sure I'll end up with lots more. I'm so excited about it that I've been having dreams about it! Here's what I'm looking for:

1. Down comforter

2. Duvet cover

3. Curtains (for the window by my bed)

4. Rug for entryway

5. End table(s) - 1 for living room at least

6. Bedside table(s) ?

7. Lamp - for living room

8. Frames (a lot, I plan on doing a wall collage)

9. Art (2 spaces to fill)

10. Mirror (for over the dresser)

11. Bonsai tree - I've decimated my plant population since moving in here, and I need to start replenishing it

12. Bookcase (small)

I've been looking at the website each night, so I have ideas of what I want and what to look for, but I don't have anything specific picked out.

I'll let you know what I end up with. If I'm feeling really adventurous, I'll take before and after pics and post them.

Stormy

Dang. I should have worn a sweater today. My thin cotton long-sleeve tee / scarf combo is not cutting it today. On the other hand, my nail polish looks great!

Adam Scott

Damn. You are unconventionally hot.

Also, I got two new nail polishes today, both of which I really like.

Essie's Mango Bango and Revlon's Stormy.

He's A Tourist

I've just started watching Parks & Rec, and I'm currently making my way through Season 2. I guess I wasn't the only one who liked this line, because I got like a million hits just from typing in "He's A Tourist," but it's such a great line. We all know someone like this.

He’s a tourist. He vacations in people’s lives, takes pictures, puts them in his scrapbook, and moves on. All he’s interested in are stories. Basically, Leslie, he’s selfish. And you’re not. That’s why you don’t like him.

— Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation

Videos

Why do my videos get cut in half? Do either of you two blog-savvy ladies who read my blog know the answer to how I fix this?

February

Where did you go? Shortest month, I know, but still, I can't believe that tomorrow will be March. What did I do with my February, second and shortest month of this here 2011, I ask myself? A fair bit, now that I'm reviewing it.

First of all I have been trying to get back to my healthy habits, there's still a lot of room for improvement. I need to work out the majority of days in the week and count calories.

I volunteered at 2nd Harvest for the first time. They put me in the cooler, sorting baked goods donated from the bakeries of various grocery stores. It was like my worst nightmare, sorting delicious baked goods that I don't get to eat in a 30 degree box. Definitely made me appreciate my cushy life. But really and truly, I now understand the whole poverty/obesity conundrum. We sorted pallets stacked seven boxes high full of pies, cookies, cakes, bread, brownies, tarts, tortes, cupcakes, you name it. It was astounding. It was also quite the work-out.

I saw The Head And The Heart. They were awesome, the show wasn't long enough.

I went to Michigan for the 1st birthday party of my favorite cousin's first child. I saw most of my family and a couple of friends. Spent a lot of time with my brother, and I got some real quality time in with my bff.

I saw Jimmy Eat World in concert for the first time. They put on a great show.

I watched about 8 million movies. My favorite of which was Winter's Bone. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes were superb. It sounds odd, but it reminded me of watching The Wire. It was like a secret view into a world that functions within completely different parameters from the lives that many of us live, and yet the whole thing was totally believable.

I went hiking for the first time here in my area. We got some amazing weather here and I couldn't think of a better way to take advantage of it.

I went to three birthday parties in one weekend. Dinner at Kobe Steaks was a definite highlight (especially having to exhibit my fluffy, non-matching socks to the twenty people at our table), as well as enjoying the Hand Of Buddha drink from Bound'ry. Then there was a skating birthday party for my favorite 7 year old.

I went to the Nashville Flea Market for the first time in a couple years. Had the best time just walking around looking at wares by myself.

The Oscars were fun to watch, due more to the company than the show being all that entertaining itself. Really, James Franco? I never thought that you were much of an actor, but it turns out that you're even less interesting (charismatic, entertaining, engaging) live.

Cash-shoe

My brother told me that I had a decent shoe game. I listen to enough rap to be flattered. Who knew he was paying attention?

The Curse

"After thousands of years what a face to wake up to.

Josh Ritter

This song made my heart fall apart. And then I found the video. And it was too much.

I Forgot

I forgot to tell y'all about Garth. He was amazing. I think that his talent lies in his ability to make you believe that he loves doing what he's doing as much as you love watching him do it. Three nights into a week and half of shows, and this almost fifty-year-old man is running around the stage, sweating buckets of water, singing his voice out just for you. That's how I felt anyway.
At the end of the show, for the second encore, he did what he called "house-keeping" and played some of the songs that people were holding up signs for. Most of these were either older or more obscure songs. He didn't really play any of my secret favorites, but I saw signs for two or three of my favorite songs. So even though he didn't play any of the unexpected ones that I was hoping to hear, there was something just as special about seeing signs for "When There's No One Around," and "Learning To Live Again," and "You Move Me." Cheesy as it may be, just knowing that one other person loved that song as much as I do, that that is the one song they would choose if they were asked, it made the night almost as moving as if he had played them.

It Is Hard

Laying off that credit card when a girl's grown used to flashing the plastic on a more regular basis than she'd like to admit. But I'm doing it. It just means that I'm going to be super strapped for a while until I readjust. Or forever.

Elliott

The Love At First Sight website said Elliott is going home with The Garners. Whoever they are. I hope that they take good care of my cat.

And Still

I still want that cat. FYI. But I did get some jeggings. I got black Mossimo ones from Target. Not a bad purchase for $20. They're not as magically flattering as I was hoping they would be, they still do the my-fatty-legs-are-stuffed-into-stretchy-pants crinkle that happens in the back of the thigh area, but, it happens in my jeans, so oh well. I like them well enough, and I don't remember the last time a pair of jeans only cost $20. Hopefully my health efforts will lead to a little weight-loss and make them look better in time.

The Shit

The Shit people put on their fb status updates sometimes. Seriously, people? Seriously? Is it really appropriate to have conversations on facebook about how much your husband sucks? For all of the fb world to see? That's just today's example, there are so many more. Come the fuck on, y'all. Just because you can put it on the internet, doesn't mean that you should.
I see some "Hide" button in my near future.*

*I apologize for the F bombs, I'm just so riled up right now.

Solstice

I just wanted you to know, in case you're one of those people like me, who sort of hates the winter (although I don't mind the cold as much this year), that Dec. 21 was the winter solstice. So you know what that means. It means that the days are only getting longer again from now until June! Yea!