#27 Go visit a psychic and get my cards read

In March, I took a mini Spring Break vacay to South Beach with one of my fabulous girlfriends "She na na na".  Her real name is Naomi, and she's actually a super serious lawyer, but in her downtime, she's crazy and AMAY-ZING, which translates to tons of fun. 

Anyway, while in South Beach, we walked past a store that advertised Tarot Card reading, walked in to get a quote and promptly walked out after hearing the price. We decided to go speak to a bartender, which was equally therapeutic, and for WAY less.

But still.  The idea of getting my cards read was intriguing. Hence #27, getting my cards read.  And, to make it even better, I found a deal on pulsdjfk.com for a 60 minute Tarot Card and Psychic Reading, and for 60% off.  Can't argue with a coupon!

So, I met with the lovely Veronica on a Tuesday afternoon after work. I tried to look like a fashionable 30 year old (#23), and Veronica commented that I did look "successful", so yay, maybe it's actually working! Back to the story: Here's how getting my cards read unfolded:

1. I arrive.
2. I go in to a private room.  Said room is not hung with drapes, no crystal ball, no head scarf.  Just a plain room with a plain ole desk and chairs, a normal looking girl, and a deck of cards.
3. Veronica and I greet each other, shake hands, say hi, how you doing, nice to meet you, etc.
4. We sit down at previously mentioned desk.
5. She asks me to shuffle the cards.  I shuffle twice, then cut once.
6. She starts picking cards from the top of the pile.  She lays out the cards, one by one, and the first word she says after looking at the cards is...

...self sabotage.  She sees the look on my face and immediately blurts out that she's shocked to see the self doubt in the cards, because I have such a good aura, gorgeous hair, beautiful blue eyes (my confidence is starting to go back up slightly), sees that I'm successful, but... I have a lot of self defeating thoughts. I could be more. I have a fear that's holding me back, an apprehension to break free, and I am "safe" where I am.  Later on, she tells me she saw that because of all the cards with knives/swords...

So... that pretty much knocked me on my booty.  See, I went in to this reading thinking it would be a fun experience, but was definitely not planning on taking it seriously.  I'm still not sure I will be, but when the first word she says to me is "self sabotage", my first thought was "Have you been reading the diaries that I have not been writing?!?!"  When I told my sister about it, she also said "Wow", twice.  So the fact that this lovely stranger hit the f'ing nail on the head on the freaking first word?!?!  Wow is an understatement.


So now I'm taking this seriously.  After the initial reading, we reshuffle the cards, and start to delve in to specific topics based on my questions.  Of course, we all want to know about career and love, so I asked those first.  From a career standpoint, she says I need to explore being an entrepreneur in a creative field, as my current job is "suppressing my spirit"... She sees me doing something creative, something with movement, something kinda like Martha Stewart.  She told me that I'm too responsible and need to play more, be more "ludique", which is a Spanish word that means "fun".  She encouraged me to take classes, so that I can be inspired by doing things, such as cooking, dancing, painting, writing...

She then tells me she sees my career having something to do with children and kids. I start to look uncomfortable (again) and she reminds me to take this all with a grain of salt... seeing kids does not necessarily mean that it's a direct tie - it could be anything related to kids, maybe making toys or spring break.  But, she does think I'll have kids, maybe 2-3.  WTF.

The following card appeared in 3 of the 4 shuffles... the "ten of pentacles", which Veronica tells me relates to family... which is why she thinks all this "kids" stuff.

Next, she finally gives me some GOOD news!  She tells me "Don't ever worry about money.  You will always have money."  Finally! I'm definitely believing this part of the reading, fo sho. 

Then, we focus on LOVE.  She sees love creeping in with my new career... he's connected somehow. He's going to be the love of my life, the man of my dreams, and she sees him very soon in the future - as in 3-6 months.  But only if I explore new career opportunities.  She reiterates that I shouldn't quit tomorrow, but need to be more "ludique".

We do a few more shuffles over the rest of our hour together, and we continue to hit the same themes... me striking out on my own, how I need to have no fear, more details on Mr. Right, including that he'll be better than any past love... and that he'll really LOVE me.  She thinks we'll get engaged very quickly, and cautioned me to use protection HAHAHA.

She leaves me with a few last gems:

• My future life "looks so juicy!"  Push yourself!
• I have a lot of fantasies. Stop dreaming. Start doing.
• Don't "waste your talent".

So what do you think?  Do you think I should believe Veronica? Are you surprised about my self-defeating tendencies?  Do you know who my "Mr. Right" is?  Do you have any idea what I'm going to invent, or what my next career move is or should be?  Or do you think it's all a bunch of crock?  I welcome your thoughts... =)

Week Five update...

Wow.  Week Five, already??  Done.  Gone.  So little done, so much left to do!  Great news is that this week, I'll be knocking 3 things off the list - #27, #2, and #7!  And then I'm "off" for 2 weeks as I'll be working on #11 :) :) :)  Don't forget, this Thursday, come to Public House on 41st between 2nd and 3rd Avenue starting at 6pm to harass me while I guest bartend.  Please order easy stuff, like, eh... beer.  Or vodka tonic.  Maybe just vodka.  Kthnx.

Progress so far:

#7: Training for the Gran Fondo.  This is the week I started "tapering" with my training.  And perfect timing, as my knee was starting to become sore... so I'm pretty sure I'll "only do" the Medio Fondo, which is almost a metric century, but no worries.  60 is better than 0! Race is on Sunday....

 

#9: 30 new recipes: 11 of 30 recipes cooked (36.67%) - none new this week... still eating all the food I cooked last week :)

 

#10: Blog each of these post: 4 out of 30 (13.33%)

#29: 3 of 30 books read! (10%) - I finally finished "Game of Thrones" this past week... great book, but I will not be reading the second, third or fourth installment until AFTER this challenge is over =) .  I also read the first "Fifty Shades of Grey" book.  Wowser.  All I can say.  Wowser.

8 weeks to go. 19 recipes. 27 books. 26 posts. 30 hours of community service. And a whole lotta fun!!!  Wish me luck!

#23 Dress like I'm a (fashionable) 30 year old

There comes a time in one's life when you realize that, while you might still be able to wear short skirts and skimpy outfits, you probably shouldn't.  Except on girls-only trips to Vegas!  But back to the point... you probably shouldn't wear skimpy stuff anymore, not because you can't pull them off... but more so because it makes you look like an 18 year old.  And while we all love to get carded at bars, we didn't make it this far in our lives to have someone think we're 18, right?

Not that I wear skimpy clothing anymore, but really, I simply want to look more professional at work. I'm not a "fashionista".  I don't work at Vogue, and I don't pay much attention to my outfits.  My morning routine is press snooze, press snooze, press snooze, OH CRAP I'M GONNA BE LATE, quick shower, throw on pants, a top, and out the door!  Not much time to think about pulling an outfit together.  Even more embarrassing, I still have some of the outfits that I wore when I first started working 8 years ago.  There's something wrong with that, right?  I'm a successful, established professional with years of hard work under her belt.  I should start looking like it!

Enter #23 of my challenge.  Dress like a (fashionable) 30 year old.  Great.  I said it.  Now what?  What the hell does "dressing like a 30 year old" even mean?!?!

Naturally, I turned first to Google!  I googled "How to dress like a 30 year old".  Let me tell you - NOT MUCH OUT THERE on these topics.  I found two articles:

• An article on ehow.com, which I didn't find particularly helpful, and 
• A blog by a 30-year old Mom, which reinforced some of the points on the ehow.com article, and therefore wasn't extremely helpful either...(sorry blogger... your advice just doesn't fit with what I was looking for, not that you aren't helpful!)

Strike One. I revised my search...  Maybe I'm not looking for an instruction manual... Maybe I'm looking for more advice on how to be stylish? Inspired, I googled "30 year old style", and found a blog that reviewed a "How not to look old" book by Charla Krupp, who I guess is someone I should be taking style advice from?  (Sorry Charla, I'm pretty not-in-the-know when it comes to fashion).  Anyway, one of the comments on this blog post said "Honestly, this list isn’t very helpful. It seems like everything on it is either unsuitable at any adult age or suitable for all adult ages."

I agree.  NOT VERY HELPFUL.  (Plus, she bans flip flops, which are a main staple of my commuter wardrobe... sorry again, Charla!)  Strike Two.  Apparently research is not going to yield answers on what I should be wearing now that I'm 30.

Luckily, I have my friends, and I have Pinterest.  Pinterest is an online pinboard where you post images that inspire you.  I have boards such as "For my dream home", "Delicious eye candy" (see #16: Go on a date with a fireman ;)), "FOOOOD!", and, of course... "My style".

The "My style" board is not necessarily what I wear today... but more about what I think is gorgeous, and wish I was wearing... and like a lightbulb, it hit me... this is what I should be wearing. Brilliant, right?!?  Third times the charm!

Errr maybe not... I own nothing that's on my pinboard!  Haha...

But that's OK.  Examining My Style board, I've pinned a ton of dresses, items in blues/greens/purples, and a ton of "blingy" items... so clearly I should wear more dresses.  And more jewel-tone colors.  And more bling ;) (See #22, splurge on something sparkly!!!)

Great!  Now, I've got something to work with, and it's time to take inventory.  One look at my closet, and it's a mess.  Hard to see everything I have.  So, I CLEANED OUT MY CLOSET (and organized it).  I took the advice of the blogs I found via the Google search, and decided to eliminate the tube tops, mini skirts, and anything with "Juicy!" scrawled on the front (or back...)... and also took this opportunity to eliminate what doesn't fit, what I haven't worn in at least a year, and what I've never worn even though it may still have tags on it (DA$N DRUNK INTERNET SHOPPING!)  It was hard letting go... and I didn't let go of everything... but I did let go of a LOT of items, which is good progress.

One of the blogs recommended I wear pencil skirts, and that just doesn't work for me (they're super cute, but don't flatter my figure). The benefit of being (almost) 30 is that you've had years to figure out what does work for you...

• Wrap dresses and A-line skirts
• "Royal" jewel colors in ruby, emerald, sapphire and amethyst
• Jewelry for the "bling" effect
• Staples: skinny jeans, riding boots, black and white tees/tanks, black/navy/grey suits

So the end result of taking on this challenge: I figured out that you need to find what works for you, and not what you think you should be wearing (or what some blogger tells you you should be wearing).  I did add a few items to my wardrobe that reflect my likes: a few dresses, jeweled colored items, and staples (hello new work suit!).  Before I go to bed, I'm putting together my outfits, including accessories... that way even if I press snooze a million times, I'll still be able to look like I spent time to pull myself together.

As always... I welcome your comments...What do you think? For those of you who see me in work clothes, have you noticed a difference?  =) Any recommendations on what else I should be wearing?

Week Four Update

As Week Four comes to a close, I feel woefully behind on completing this challenge.  But that's why they call it a challenge, right?  I had planned on doing two posts, but one got rescheduled to May 15th, and one happened on a day when work blew up, so I missed it (was supposed to volunteer at the hoboken homeless shelter, sigh...) But that's life.

Training for the Gran Fondo is going well... I completed a 67 mile ride, and have just two weeks left before the big day.  Also coming up in the next few weeks: a date with a psychic to get my cards read, guest bartending, and traveling to the Galapagos Islands!!!

One success I had: I made SEVEN new recipes... Shrimp Fra Diavlo over whole wheat pasta,  Apricot and cheese strudel, Mahi mahi tacos with a mango avocado salsa, Shrimp and chocolate tortilla soup, and Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon, JC's Sauteed Mushrooms, and JC's Beef-braised Onions. 

I need your help!
#22 on my list is to splurge on something sparkly... so I'm creating a new poll (check it out on the right!).  You have four options - what do you think I should splurge on? (Please don't think of me as super-materialistic... I simply have a tradition of buying myself a gift for my birthday/Christmas rolled in to one :) )

Option A: A Michael Kors watch, such as this gold one or this silver one
Option B: These Gold CZ and green onyx starfish earrings
Option C: Not traditionally what you would think of as "sparkly", but has that same effect
Option D: Way out of my price range... a gorgeous David Yurman ring (part of me really wants you to pick this one so I HAVE to get it, but my budget would definitely cry... sigh.  Responsibilities suck, huh?) Maybe this one as a less expensive alternative?

What do you think?  Don't forget to vote in my poll!

Week Three Update!

As Week Three (?!?!) comes to a close, I'm finding more and more things to put on my list of 30... that's the fun thing about lists, they just keep growing, right?  Or, maybe I could replace a couple of "eh" ideas on my current list... so, what are your thoughts on:
* Swapping Learn how to do the "Single Ladies" dance (by Beyonce), instead of the current #28, Finish a counted cross stitch
* Take a yoga class in Times Square, instead of #25, A picture a day for 30 days

Thoughts??

Number of items complete: 3 out of 30 (10%)

#7: Training for the Gran Fondo: 58 mile ride done.  Next week is 65ish.  I just took a look at the course, though, and I'm now scared.  No idea how I'm going to survive these long hills...

#9: 30 new recipes: 1 new recipe cooked this week: total 4 out of 30 (13.33%)

#10: Blog each of these post: 3 out of 30 (6.67%)

#12: 30 hours of community service:  0 hours out of 30 (0%)

#24: Quit something I do a lot of for 30 days: Decided I would stop pressing the snooze button... I attempted to start this past week, but was unsuccessful... we'll see how this week goes!

#29: Read 30 books: 1.5 of 30 books read! (3.33%)  Remind me not to pick a 700 page book as part of this challenge...

10 weeks left... I'm stepping up my game this week... expect to see some more posts :)

#17: Try a new food

I love food. Love it. Love cooking.  Love eating.  Love dining out.  Love dining in.  Have takeout delivered a couple times a month (yay for living in a one square mile city where every restaurant is willing to deliver!)

So this one is a challenge for me.  Try a food that I've never eaten before.  My local grocery store is pretty good about stocking interesting fruits (star fruit, lychees, gooseberries), as well as Mexican veggies (jicama, chayote).  I recently tried oysters (SO YUMMY!).  I took a bunch of cooking classes, and not only did I learn how to butcher a rabbit and make gnocchi (two different classes, FYI), but I ate pate for the first time!!  For further proof that this is a challenge for me... for my 29th birthday I had an entire lamb, followed by a Vegan chocolate cake (get it? HA!), including a taste of the lamb's brain (eww, mushy!)... so... suffice it to say, I'm adventurous when it comes to food.

Which makes this item hard, at least for me.  What new food could I possibly find?

Enter my good friend Elizabeth.  We work together.  We sometimes dress alike (unintentionally, although we joke about "getting the memo"). We workout after work together.  We think the same people are annoying.  We're besties. We also enjoy food, and the Hunger Games trilogy.  So we went to the local theatre, which was sold out for the Hunger Games, and then decided to go to a wine and tapas bar and just eat and drink.  (Tough life, huh?)  This amazing establishment also has a really interesting "foodie" type of menu, and one of things I noticed is that it offered BONE MARROW.

Elizabeth is amazing in that she's tried bone marrow before, so I can trust her.  So we order it, along with almost half a dozen other dishes (two different types of bruschetta, beet salad, brussel sprouts, AND giant meatballs), and then comes the bone marrow.

Thank god Elizabeth can teach me, otherwise I'd pick up the entire bone and start gnawing on it.  Don't do that.  

So what you do is take your fork (or a teeny spoon if they give one to you), and dig the stuff out of the bone, and then scoop it on to the little piece of toast that they give you.  And then you take a bite.

And it's delicious.  It tastes kinda like pate.  It's definitely rich in that it has some fat in it (like pate or liver), but it's light and airy, kinda like whipped cream is light and airy.  And it has a delicious meaty flavor, not like steak, but like pate.  Regardless, it was delicious, and a perfect way to end the meal.

So I challenge you.  Try bone marrow if any restaurant dares to offer it.  It's actually quite good.  And a tip for you: don't think "Ew I'm eating bone marrow!", think "Mmm, I'm trying something new!" and then dive in.  Let your taste buds flourish.  And be super cute like me when you have a friend take a pic of you devouring it:

Don't forget the glass (or three) of wine! ;)

Week Two Update

This week was another packed week, but unfortunately, not packed with many things on my "30 before 30" list...

I did get to see family this week =), even if it was for a semi-sad reason...

The perfect Manhattan, in memory of Aunt Margy

Number of items complete: 2 out of 30 (6.67%)

#7: Training for the Gran Fondo: 52 mile bike ride completed!  Up next.... 55ish, 60ish and 65ish... then the big 100!

#9: 30 new recipes: 3 new recipes cooked: total 3 out of 30 (10%)

#10: Blog each of these post: 2 out of 30 (6.67%)

#12: 30 hours of community service:  0 hours out of 30 (0%)

#24: Quit something I do a lot of for 30 days: Decided I would stop pressing the snooze button... I attempted to start this past week, but was unsuccessful... we'll see how this week goes!

#29: Read 30 books: 1 of 30 books read! (3.33%)  This past week I finished reading "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi.  Sad book... thankful for freedom.  Currently reading "Game of Thrones".  I should probably NOT pick 700 page books to read for this challenge!!!

11 weeks left... Any good book recommendations?  Any fabulous recipes I should try?