How To Be Happy

So maybe this post is really for me, but I'm sure it can help countless people out there too... I think I've got myself stuck in a rut. I'm feeling quite dissatisfied at work and, in my opinion, the future is just not coming fast enough. The problem is, when I get like this, everything takes a nose dive. My mood, the quality of my work, my ability to care about the quality of my work. I tend to hole myself up in my apartment, ignore incoming phone calls, claim I'm busy when friends ask me to go out, when in reality, all I do is watch marathons and repeats of Law and Order SVU or NCIS. I become depressed, one could say, and I stay that way for days, sometimes a week, before I get bored with being depressed and find a way out of my foxhole.

I believe I'm coming dangerously close to that point of depression again and so I thought, why not combat it before I get sucked in?

So here is how I'm am going to make myself happy:

1. Turn off the TV for a minute and turn up the music! The daily routine of re-runs of people getting killed or hurt or sexually abused doesn't do much for one's mood. So turn it off and dance, instead, to happy-go-lucky music, such as my two faves below.

Esta vida by Jorge Celedon

Soul Sister by Train

2. Go outside. Okay, so my dermatologist told me to stay out of the sun this summer but I hear the sun is a surefire mood-lifter. So slather on that sunblock (seriously, contracting cancer from the sun won't have the effect you're hoping for), grab a good book or, for that matter, your iPod with happy music, and just sit outside, breathing in happiness.

3. Have lunch or dinner with someone who makes you laugh. There is nothing happier than laughing, like, truly laughing from your gut. And I'm willing to bet that there is at least one person in your life who makes you snort from laughing so hard. So invite him or her out to eat and get your laugh on.

4. Work out. According to the experts, working out releases endorphins, and endorphins make you happy, thus working out = happiness. Now I can honestly say that the last thing I want to do when I'm depressed is work out, but it does help, so force yourself to go for a run (like outside in the sun and you knock out two of these in one go). You'll be thankful you did in the end.

5. Pick up the phone and call the person you love. Hearing your boyfriend tell you you're beautiful even when you feel like an utter disaster of a person does wonders for your self-esteem, which may or may not just have a positive effect on your mood. (Warning: this probably only works if you're NOT in a long distance relationship. For us LDR suckers: Yes, you'll feel better because you know someone out there there adores you, but you'll also feel sadder because he's not with you when you need him most. i.e. Now.)

And if none, or all, of the above don't do the trick:

6. Look at pictures of puppies. Who can resist smiling or saying "Awwww" when you see a face as adorable as this?


Note: This could have the opposite effect if you actually want a puppy but are not yet able to have one.

And there you have it. My key(s) to happiness (hopefully), even if just for a short while.

I think I'll start by sitting out in the park and having lunch today.

10 Reasons Why I Shall Play The Lottery...

What dreams may come...

It's all over the news. The Mega Millions lottery, played in 42 states across America, has hit its all-time high jackpot, and nobody has won yet! I believe a side effect of talking about the lottery is talking about what you would do if you were to win the lottery. I'd buy a boat! I'd buy a plane! I'd travel! Right?

I am not a gambling person. I may have spent a total of $20 dollars the last time I was in Vegas and what did I have to show for it? Nada. But $540 million? I mean that's a game changer. So after a couple of hours spent day-dreaming, I finally convinced myself to take the plunge. Here's why:

1. Because somebody's got to win. And so why couldn't it be me? I mean, I pay my taxes. I'm a legal resident of the United States, a citizen now at that. I'm over 18 AND I'm not blowing much needed money on a ticket when I have a family to feed. I mean, I'm the perfect recipient, right? Right.

2. Because as much as I complain about being plagued by bad luck, I'm really not that unlucky. I may be a freckly redhead, but I am not Irish. And as such I've always considered myself to be very unlucky. But when looking back at what I have in my life, I've truly been blessed. I have an amazingly supportive family. The best Mom in the world. A boyfriend who truly adores me. Two great father figures who have been there through the years. A job. A car. Extra cash. Food. A roof over my head. I mean, I'm lucky. So, why not be lucky enough to win?

3. Because I'm not greedy. I don't have to win the $540 million to feel like I've accomplished my goal. Seriously, I'll be happy with the second place $250,000 prize! Although $540 million would go a lot further...

4. Because day-dreaming about what to do with $540 million is really quite a lot of fun.


5. Because I made the commitment to myself (and to God if He lets me win, and now to you) to donate AT LEAST 10% of my winnings to churches and charities that I support. I've noticed over the last few years that I really am quite generous when it comes to money. Whenever I get an exceptionally large paycheck, I always treat those around me to something special. Dinner, a show. Whatever. And I don't see winning the lottery as being any different. I may not even be able to stop with 10% when I think about how many deserving charities there are.

6. Because you can't win the money if you don't purchase a ticket. Well, technically you could win if you happened to come across the winning ticket discarded on the sidewalk, but the chances of that happening are even less, I'm sure, than if you bought a ticket.

My most prized winning...

7. Because forking over $1 to win $540 million really is the ultimate gamble. In what other game do you have the opportunity of winning 540,000,000 times what you bet?

8. Because I deserve to win something, dammit! The only thing in my life I can ever remember winning was a pink Duracell buddy that marched around the room to the beat of its own drum. Literally. And even that was rigged, I'm sure, because how else would my brother, sister, and I all have won one? Three in one household? Is that even legal? Even in high school at our graduation party when prizes were aplenty and our odds of winning were about 1 to 0.5, I was one of about FIVE people who didn't win anything.

9. Because I've already figured out what I'll be spending my 1st installment on. And yes, I would take it in equal monthly installments for 26 years. I'm young. I have the time. My first order of business would be buying a fancy red Audi A4 for me. Then new cars for everyone in my family. Then a super vacation to a place-yet-to-be-determined at some exotic corner of the world with my fantastic boyfriend. And of course the 10% I'll give to charity. On the other hand, I could always take the cash value and in that case, well, I'd do the same...

10. Because, well, I support education and it is an education lottery, after all. 

Oh wait... how do you play the Mega Millions?

What Is A Blog If Not To Vent?

Sometimes I wonder, when I talk do people actually hear what I say, or do they just pretend to understand while misconstruing my words to go along with the fantasy world they've created in their head?

The fact that I agree with a person one time, does not make us best friends. And it does not mean I will have their back every time. It means they still have to listen to the words that come out of my mouth and relay them to a third party exactly or I will set them straight. I apologize if they thought otherwise.

No wait, I don't apologize. It was their mistake.

I was recently chastised at work for having an attitude towards one of my superiors and instead of trying to deny it, I admitted to it openly and out loud, holding nothing back. I mean, how could you NOT have an attitude towards a person who comes to you to clear up any issue and then later calls you "just the translator".

Just the translator? If it weren't for me buddy, you wouldn't have your job since your job entails editing my translations. And if I am just the editor, then why do you come to me when you're not sure of "how we say something in Spanish"? Last time I checked, you were the native Spanish speaker, shouldn't you know how it is said in your native language?

I think I've gotten a bit off track here. It's just all this has been bubbling to the surface lately. It is one thing after the next after the next.

My editor, for example, takes credit with the boss for something I pointed out to him! Then, when I mention it to my copy-editor she says "I know I saw that. We pointed it out to him and he takes the credit!" I'm like, "we?" There was no 'we' in the pointing out that had taken place. It was me. Me, myself, and I and then she goes to the boss to point out that we had mentioned it to him. UGH!

But then again, I'm just the translator so what I say doesn't matter.

Point in case número dos:

My copy-editor: "Can you point out that thing to me that was missing that we told him about." (I told him about)
Me: "It was here, but I really think the client changed it later because there is no way all three of us missed it three times."
My copy-editor: "So what you're saying is, he missed it on the final version they sent. Have you looked?"
Me: "No, I haven't looked but I'm 100% positive they added it later because there is no way all three of us missed it."
My copy-editor: "So what you're saying is..."
Me: "NO, LISTEN TO MY WORDS. IT WASN'T THERE! HE COULDN'T MISS SOMETHING THAT WASN'T THERE TO BEGIN WITH!"

I saw this image on Pinterest the other day and I thought, how freakin' true. There is a fine line between tattling and reporting an incident, and here, in the soap opera that is the Hispanic Task Force where I work, tattling has become a common occurrence. And I say "tattling" because the only reason for the "reporting of events to the bosses" is to make the other person look bad. Am I working with a bunch of kindergardeners?

About a week ago I was talking to a good friend of mine during lunch. I was in an extremely foul mood because of something someone else had done and it had just ruined my entire day. In fact, it happened on my drive to work that morning when all the morons of the world decided to drive the streets of Greensboro.

My friend said: "Why do you let it get to you all day? You can't change what they did, don't let it ruin your good mood."

Since that day, I've made an effort to blow things off and keep chipper. I have an urge to blow up in the car and I say to myself (out loud, yes, I talk to myself in the car) "It doesn't matter. It's not important. It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, just let it go." And it has worked, surprisingly.

But somethings are just too big to blow off and something must be said. I refuse to be just another tattle, and run to tell the boss all the s$%* that is happened here, but I'm reaching the edge of my patience. I won't survive long here, that I'm quite sure of, now to just figure out how to get through the next day.

Signs You've Watched Too Much NCIS

Last night I had a dream. I always dream and I generally remember my dreams, and recently my dreams have been super vivid, but last night's took the cake, literally.

I am driving down the road in a car that is not mine, although in my dream it is. There is a guy in the passenger seat. The road, I'm sure, was a road close to where I grew up in South Africa, although I can't really place it given how long ago that was now. But this is not important. Somewhere close to me is a big black SUV, one of those government types that have no markings but are extremely intimidating.

I make a U-Turn at the light and the black SUV puts on its lights and follows me. Obviously, I begin worrying, but I keep telling my passenger, all macho-like, that the U-Turn was legal, there was no sign there that prohibited U-Turns etc. So I keep driving and come to another light. The SUV pulls up along side me, stopps, looks over at me, then speeds off.

Thinking nothing of it, I drive home, alone, which turns out to be a mansion I'd never seen filled with... nothing. Had I just moved in? I go upstairs to plug in my phone and when I look out the window, there were dozens of black SUVs and sedans littering the yard, front and back, and all the men standing around them are wearing jackets and vests with the FBI logo.

I try to send a text to the person who was in the car with me, no idea who it was, but in the place on the phone were the signal bars should be, there is a frog with an X over it, and in my dream I know that meant they had blocked my cell signal. So, obviously, I'm confused. I'm at home alone, I've done nothing more than a legal U-Turn, and here my house is surrounded by dozens of FBI agents.

The doorbell rings.

I slowly walk down the stairs to open it and, low and behold, there stands Special Agent Gibbs, all quiet and serious looking, backed by other agents I've never seen.

Immediately I start claiming I had made a legal U-Turn, that there had been no indication that it wasn't allowed there. Gibbs, in his usual demeanor, says, "Do you really think we're here about a U-Turn?"

No, obviously not.

I know this sentence is going to be extremely anti-climatic, but I really can't remember why they were there. I remember something about a murder, but from there, I don't remember my response or how I managed to convince them I had nothing to do with it. I just know I had because...

My dream ended with one of the female agents baking me chocolate cupcakes with strawberry icing and sprinkles in my kitchen, while Gibbs and I had a laugh about the good old days.

Funny thing is, I used to detest NCIS. I found it boring. On Wednesday nights when my parents would watch it (they Ti-Voed it to watch without commercials), I would be in my room watching whatever else is on. But then I moved out on my own, and almost every evening between 5 and 8 or 9 USA has an NCIS marathon, right when I get home from work, and now... I'm hooked! So much, in fact, that I even dream of Agent Gibbs.

What has my life come to?

Reality Check

Recently the company I work for decided to start a Comprehensive Wellness Plan for its employees. This, as our insurance premiums are more than tripling since, apparently, there hasn't been an increase in 7 years.... As an out, though, our premiums would not increase by as much if we agreed to participate in the Plan. Sure, sign me up, I'd take a doubled premium over a tripled one any day.

To kick off the Program, the company bought in a team of nurses who took our blood and vital signs, free of charge, to serve as the starting line for our challenge. We then took a survey about our eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, and every other habit which produced a fancy 15+ page report with all our stats. In order to stay in the program and receive the discounted premium rate we have to improve one aspect of our health within one year.

Going into this my thoughts were, well I'm already a healthy person. I eat my fruits and vegetables. I work out (if you just said that to the tune of LMFAO's song, I applaud you). So what could I possibly have to improve in?

And then the reality check.

I am at HIGH RISK for nutrition.

As in, what I thought I was doing right, I was doing oh-so-wrong. And although every other aspect of my health was at an IDEAL RISK level, I repeat, every other aspect, I was stunned, floored, if you will, by this one solitary high risk area. Not even moderate risk. High risk for peet's sake! An area I honestly thought I was doing well in.

Which makes me wonder: if I actually eat fruits and vegetables, cook my own meals at least 5 days a week, what was everyone else's figure? In a country where it is acceptable to count fries from McDonanlds as a serving of vegetables?

Anyway, so in my usual fashion, I have accepted the challenge and have taken a serious look at my eating habits. And come time next year for our next wellness screening, not only will that HIGH RISK be lowered to MODERATE RISK, I'm determined to lower it even more to IDEAL.

So to do that I've gotten back into the kitchen. I'm meal planning and trying out new, slightly more complicated dishes than those I'd normally cook for myself.

Last night was Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops with steamed cauliflower and broccoli and a baked potato. Tonight will be Lemon Pepper Chicken with steamed summer squash and rice (not brown yet as I have some white rice to finish up - I may be eating healthier but I'm not going to waste good food!). For breakfast I'm eating a serving of yogurt mixed with a serving of Granola cereal and a large wedge of cantaloupe. For lunch I'm eating leftovers from the night before along with a Romaine lettuce salad with chick peas. And for snacks? An apple with peanut butter or celery with hummus or peanuts and raisins.

You're on HIGH RISK for Nutrition. I hope you're not a sore loser because you're going down!.

Happy (Healthy) Eating!

How You Know You're In Love

I used to fight it. At one point I wasn't even sure it existed. I bad mouthed it, wondered why anyone would want it, and when someone came crying to me because it ended, I tried hard not to say "I told you so" (although you know I thought it!).

What is it? Love.

I don't think I was ever really against it, I just hadn't experienced it personally and I didn't want to experience it until I knew I'd found "the one". (Pause for one of my I'm-a-walking-contradiction moments: I hated love and people in love and yet I still believed there was and is only one perfect person for each of us, inspired by God to find each other and be together forever. Unpause.) I'd seen enough broken hearts through the years that I knew for a fact I didn't want that for me. You call me a chicken... I call me smart!

And what was surprising to me about falling in love, was how slowly it came over me, so slowly, in fact, I didn't realize it until one day I was like, wow, so this is what it feels like. I think I realized it the same day I realized there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell I was going to be giving up my Prince Charming when I left Costa Rica. I cursed myself that day for doing what I had told myself I would never do in a million years: have a long distance relationship, but at the same time I was so giddy it was disgusting. I mean, I was one of those girls...

Funny thing is, when you're in love EVERYTHING reminds you that you're in love. It's like the universe conspires to remind you day in and day out that your heart is no longer your own.

For me, the signs are everywhere: in the trees, in candy, in vegetables for heaven's sake!

The pictures I'm posting were not staged in any way (I guess only one could really have be staged, but it wasn't, the drawstring fell like that on its own, I just snapped the picture).

Not only color is perfect about this picture.

The drawstring froom my favorite sweats.

Yellow Pepper with which I made my spaghetti.

Heart-shaped M&M.

Fun fact: This actually came from a bag of personalized M&Ms I'd made him for our 1 year anniversary :-)

Not For the Faint of Heart...

Twice this week already I have been asked, incredulously, how I do it. How do I do a long distance relationship? And not one in which we're separated by a "mere" 8 hours in a car, we're separated by like 6 country boarders, by a 6 hour plane ride, by a time zone.

That question is normally followed promptly by why?

I think it is interesting that both people who asked me, no doubt thinking to themselves, "there is no way I'd do it," were woman. I say this is interesting because I've always thought woman were more open to long distance relationships, lets just call them LDRs for convenience sake. Of course that's not entirely fair, since for every woman in an LDR there is more than likely a guy on the other end of it, so maybe I should give the male gender more credit...anyway, back to my point.

My response to this question so far has always been "it's hard, but..." and then my voice trails off. But what? But it's worth it? But we're managing? Why do I even say "it's hard." Isn't that pretty much implied in the name? Who would ever want to go through an LDR, anyway?

Truth be told it isn't nearly as hard as I always imagined it would be. And I think that's because when you know it's the right person, even if you're a million miles away, it just feels...right.

I imagine if you're one of those people who knew me during my years at Mars Hill, when I was pretty much the biggest cynic known to man when it came to love and a relationship, let alone an LDR, you're probably wondering what happened to me.

My answer to you is: Mr. Right.

So how and why do I do it? I do it always thinking of the end to this madness, that day when we're finally together in the same country, when I finally get my fairy-take ending.

I do it thinking of his smile when he sees me for the first time in months at the airport.

I do it because every time he hugs me I still get butterflies in my stomach. Because when I think of having a family, I think of him, and a beautiful little Latina girl with long brown (red?) hair.

I do it because every time I think about him, I catch myself smiling. Because when I look at a picture of us together, I can still feel the warmth of his arms around me (that sounded very Jodi Picoult of me...).

I do it because even now, after an entire year of being apart, he still finishes a conversation over Skype with "hablamos mañana fijo," we'll talk tomorrow definitely. I know we'll talk tomorrow, sweetie, that goes without saying. I guess I just find this cute.

I do it because not a day goes by that he doesn't tell me I'm beautiful.

I do it because being with him makes me a better person. Because when I'm with him I'm not as impatient, or angry, or pessimistic. I do it because after being with him for just a few months, I had less road rage (true story, and then of course I reverted back to my old self after a few months apart).

I do it thinking of all the fun baking I can do for him and knowing he will never getting tired of eating dessert.

I do it because I know he would do anything for me, including giving up his life in Costa Rica to be with me here in the USA, which is more than I can say for myself. I do it because I know there is no one on this planet who could ever love me as much as he does.

I do it thinking of all free tennis lessons (and awesome tennis gear) I'll have for the rest of my life (come on, I had to add this one in here!)

I do it because I know he deserves more than me, but he chose me anyway. I do it because after God brought my soul mate into my life, I'd be an idiot to let something so small as distance get between us.

I truly have been blessed to have my Rolito in my life. At some point, every couple goes through a hard time, and I like to think that this is ours. Once we make it through it will be smooth sailing!

Te amo mi amor! Para siempre!