Party in the USA : Summer 2010

Friends, I have some very exciting news to share with you!  

My very VERY generous parents took pity on my unemployed self and purchased plane tickets for me to go back to the good old USA!  

I'm thrilled.

I'll be spending a week in Chicago and then heading south to my old stomping ground where I'll be reliving the glory days with any one who wants to join me.  

In true Kelly Leigh fashion, I've put together my... 

Party in the USA To Do List : Summer 2010. 

1. Go to the pool and attempt to avoid getting burnt, but know that inevitably I will have a sunscreened hand print on my back. 
2. Do a flip off the diving board.
3. Go on a cupcake crawl in Chicago.
4. Walk and hang out along lake shore drive
5. Go shopping on Michigan Avenue and marvel at how far those dolla dolla bills go.
6. Help Amy to have the best bachelorette party ever.
7. Go to a comedy show.
8. Be the hottest bridesmaid at Amy's wedding!  Let the competition begin ladies! 
9. Eat chipotle
10. Go out for ice cream in the square with sisters.
11. Visit Amish country.
12. Drive with the radio up and the windows down.
13. Take my family dog, Maddy, on hikes and look for deer.
14. Spend the day covering our driveway in chalk.  
15. Run/dance/sing in the rain.  Weather permitting. 
16. Night of intoxicated raging around the nati to include : short skirts, acting like a soiled tween, making boys fall in love with me when I pop, lock, and drop it - and breaking their hearts when I tell them I'm married, a shot (or two) to the land of the free and the home of the brave, slumber party.
17. Go canoeing.
18. Eat sno cones.  
19. Garden brunch.
20. And last but not least make sure to hang out with all my American favorites!  I can't wait to see everyone!

What's on your To Do List this summer?

Breakfast at Tiffany's Tuesdays

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day.  I am one of those people who must eat it, or else I will be a Cranky McCrankenpants.  I usually stick to the basics, you know cereal, eggs, that kind of thing.  But one of my life goals is to cook great breakfasts for the husband.  I noticed whenever I do this, I make things that are delicious, but seriously fattening.  Pure maple syrup on top of whole milk pancakes or nutella filled crepes, anyone?  Yeah....

So I am instating a new feature of Kelly Leigh Get's Busy - Breakfast at Tiffany's Tuesdays.  On Tuesdays from now until I get bored of this feature, I will post my attempts at delicious, healthy breakfast recipes - fit for a sleek and slender Holly Golightly and all her eccentric fabulousness.

Today's recipe is Strawberry Rhubarb Quinoa

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

• 120 grams of quinoa
• 1 stalk of rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup of strawberries, quartered
• sugar or honey, to taste

Put all ingredients in a medium pot.  Fill with water to just cover the food.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 10 minutes, until the quinoa is fully cooked and the water is absorbed.  Add sugar or honey to taste.

Verdict - Nick loved it.  I was not such a fan.  This might be because he added copious amounts of sugar to his, while I just added a little honey, but for some reason I was having texture issues.  Also, I didn't realize the strawberries would completely disintegrate.  It might be nicer to add them later so they hold their shape.  

Have Fun....

On my high school rowing team, I had two coaches who knew how to coach.

They trained us brutally.

6 days a week.  Year Round.

 It was long, hard, mentally, physically and emotionally challenging.

We were fit.  We were at the top of our game.  

We never lost.....

Well, almost never.

On race days, our coaches would help us get into our boat, and send us off down the course.  

The last thing they would always say is

HAVE FUN.

I didn't get it.  They knew perfectly well what the next 8 minutes had in store for us....

We had a nasty sprint at the start, and our lungs would be screaming within the first 2 minutes.  By then we'd  only be in the middle of the course, and because our start sucked, we'd usually be down by that point.  We'd push until our legs were on fire, and some how make it to the second half of our race.  This was where it got HARD.  This is where your hands start to sting because your skin peels off, your legs burn with lactic acid, you can barely breath and you wonder whether you actually have the guts not to stop - but you don't stop.  Because stopping would be suicide.  You don't stop because you know the 7 other girls in your boat are in pain too, and you trust that they wouldn't quit on you.  So you row even harder.  And you get to the last 500 meters.  And the coxswain screams that it's do or die.  The thought of losing is incomprehensible, so you bust it out and you move faster and faster, you push harder and harder.  Until the sweet sound of the bell goes off and your body turns to mush and your stomach turns and you gag.  Then you look around and you realize that you won.  

And it doesn't hurt any more.....

This year, I joined a rowing team that doesn't have the coaching I had in high school.  

We've been going to races and losing.  It is not fun.

But yesterday we won!  And I finally realized what my high school coaches meant when they said 

"Have Fun."  

Having fun is winning.

You know that saying, it doesn't matter if you win or lose it's how you play the game?

I don't believe that.

I want to be successful at everything I do.

What about you?

Crime Scene Investigation

At approximately 12pm on Wednesday the 23 of July, the victim was found in a living room, 

with what appears to be his stuffing scattered around him.

The victim has been identified as 

Mr. "Raffy" The Giraffe.  

The killing appears to have been done by a savage beast. 

Police are still looking for the suspect.

 However, the photographic evidence indicates the suspect is a 

young, female, German Shorthaired Pointer.

She responds to the name Heidi, 

but may also be using the nickname "Doodle". 

She is thought to be unarmed, but has big teeth.

If you come into contact with this vicious animal, 

she will con you into loving her by giving you kisses.  

Don't be fooled.  

If you have any information regarding this case, please leave a comment below.

Thank you.  

100 Things to do Before I Die : Updated!

Just a little update to my Bucket List.  I think I am doing pretty good so far, though there is always room for improvement right?  At a time when I have been finding motivation difficult to come by, this list has really helped to provide me with a sense of direction.  One of the major difficulties for me with my current state of funemployment, has been the feeling of a lack of direction that comes from having no set schedule, or nothing that must be accomplished in a day.  This list is definitely helping me to keep on trying to achieve my goals and dreams, however silly or serious they might be!

Things crossed out in red have been accomplished, purple writing is just details, updates and what I am doing to achieve that particular goal.

1. Be an extra in a movie or TV show
2. Run races.
• 5k race.
• 10k race.
• Am currently running about 5 VERY hilly miles, getting close to 10 K.  
• Half marathon.
• Full marathon.
3. Complete a Canicross event
4. Complete a Triathlon. 
5. Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
6. Get scuba certified.
7. Scuba dive a shipwreck.
8. See a whale shark in real life.
9. Finish knitting a scarf from start to finish.
• I have about half a scarf, and I realized I actually hate knitting.  I guess I should try to finish it before winter rolls around though, huh?
10. Keep honey bees. 
• I emailed a local apiary last Friday to get experience there, but so far haven't heard back.
11. Ride elephants in Thailand.
12. Go on Safari in Africa.
13. Take the GRE
• Been studying my vocab words, but really need to up my game.
14. Get experience at a vet clinic.
• Start on the 13th of next month.
15. Go to vet school.
16. Make a 6 figure salary for a year.
17. Sell a piece of artwork.  
• Well I started painting again, so that's a start.  But I'm not sure what to paint for selling.  Quick poll - What is your favorite type of artwork?
18. Visit every continent. 
• North America
• South America
• Europe
• Asia
• Africa
• Australia
• Antarctica (Not too fussed about this one to be honest)
19. Have a photo shoot with my friends and pretend we are really very fabulous for a day.  Hey Friends - You game?
20. Take a photography class.
21. Ride in a hot air balloon. 
22. Own a horse.
23. Own chickens that lay fresh eggs and make an omelet.
24. Teach Heidi the Japanese Dog Catch.
25. Teach Heidi to clean up her toys.  Proof here.
26. Write a blog with 500 followers.
• Currently we're at 45.  Not impressive.  I need to host a give away.  I'm pretty sure those are the key to blogging success.  
27. Go a whole month without taking a naps.  (silly I know but I suck at this).
28. St Patrick's day in Ireland.
29. Learn to skip stones - at least 4 bounces. 
• I'm practicing... currently only capable of one bounce
30. Mardi Gras in New Orleans. 
31. Join a Team.  Joined a rowing team.
32. Volunteer.
33. Road trip across the USA. 
34. Visit Amish country.  
35. Go to Disney world.
36. Read 12 books in a year. (suggestions welcome)
37. Find out if blondes really do have more fun. (ie: dye my hair - eeek)
38. Hitchhike somewhere even though it seems super scarey. 
39. Live in an organized home.  
40. Create one room in the house that is perfect.
41. Create a dream home.
42. Sew a dress from scratch.  
43. Go on a cupcake crawl in Chicago.
44. Catch a ball at a major league baseball game.  
• I've decided I don't actually want to do this... I would rather maintain my ideal weight.  Ironic I just wrote that after "Go on a cupcake crawl", no?
45. Complete a successful camping trip with Nick.  (must last 3 days, 2 nights minimum)
46. Create a family cookbook with famous family recipes (A little help here Suzy and mom?)
47. Send my parents on a vacation to thank them for paying for my college education and my wedding and just tolerating me for so long.
48. Cook a meal using only food that I have grown or foraged.
49. Throw myself a birthday party.
50. Contribute something significant to saving a species from extinction.
51. Establish mutual friends/social circle with Nick.
• This is why we joined the Cougar Club... I'm not sure it's gonna do the trick though.
52. Learn some Spanish. - complete Rosetta stone perhaps?
53. Show up at the airport/train station and take the first plane/train I can get.
54. Go vegan for a week.
55. See the cherry blossoms in Japan.
56. Give only handmade Christmas presents one year.
57. Spend Christmas money on completing one of the items on this list, instead of buying stupid gifts no one ever uses.
58. Host a holiday family gathering.
59. Visit a volcano.
60. Get featured in a newspaper for doing something cool.  Obituary doesn't count.  
61. Make friends with a stranger on the street.  Do you think my creepy old man neighbors count?
62. Go dog sledding. 
63. See a moose.
64. Play 18 holes of golf proficiently. 
65. Ride a camel to the pyramids in Egypt.
66. Exercise 3 times a week. 
• For a week
• For a month
• For two months
• For three months
• For six months
• For a year
67. See pink river dolphins in the Amazon.
68. Wear a dress/skirt everyday for a month.
69. Write 52 postcards.  I will need your addresses for this.
70. Get Nick a complete surprise birthday present that he actually likes.
71. Build a really sweet tree house.
72. Have an awesome dress up collection.
73. Collect hats - 12 girly hats, 12 boyish hats, and a few unisex ones for good measure.
• 1 girl hat so far.  
74. Have dinner party and make the guests each wear said hats for the evening.
75. Figure out a way to give up facebook, or use it positively and not like an addiction.  
• I'm not getting anywhere with this one.  Any tips for those of us with addictive personalities?
76. Acquire neat heirloom to pass down - do you think my wedding and engagement rings count?.
77. Be an audience member on a TV show.
78. See a burlesque show.
79. Attend a black tie gala (not as a waitress!)
80. Buy a cute outfit at a second hand store.
• Dylana from Nana in Wonderland is totally inspirational with her thrifted finds!  I've bought a cute shirt, but not a whole outfit... so we're half way there.
81. Watch baby turtles hatch head for the ocean.
82. Make ice cream from scratch.
83. Make successful homemade vegetarian marshmallows.  
84. Have a wardrobe filled with things I love.
85. Learn to do a circus trick.
86. Sell all the crap in our house on ebay or donate it or throw it out.
87. Make an awesome running playlist 2 hours long.  (A stupid one but I always use shuffle and have been putting this off for a really long time).  I did finish this.  I'll share it soon if people are interested.
88. Cook Nick breakfast everyday before work.  
• For a week
• For a month
• For three months
• For six months
• For a year
• I don't know if I can do this without making myself obese.  Every time I cook him breakfast it is a big Sunday brunch with pancakes etc.  What are your favorite healthy cooked breakfasts??
89. Attend a music festival.
90. Have creepy old fashioned portraits hanging in my hallway of every member of my immediate family.
• Mom
• Dad
• Dani see here
• Lizzie see here
• Nick
• Heidi
• Maddy
91. Go to a comedy show and laugh till I cry.
92. Go to the ballet.
93. Donate blood.  Story here.
94. Inspire someone else to make a 100 things to do / bucket list and then steal one of their ideas.
•   Thanks to Flore for doing it!  I loved your list!  But I'm still waiting for more of you to do this before I pick an idea....  hint hint.....
95. Put their idea here.
96. Go to an estate sale and buy something.
97. Write and illustrate a children's book.
98. Make a scrapbook.
99. Ride a mechanical bull.
100. Cross off all items from this list

Chocolate Tasting Evening at Cocoa

Since moving to England I have become addicted to tea.

When in Rome, eh?

I must admit it took me awhile to "get" what the British obsession with tea is all about.

But last night we went to Cocoa, 

a tea and chocolate shop with our new cougar club for a chocolate tasting evening.  

If only someone would've taken me to this place when I first arrived...

I would've jumped on the tea bandwagon much much sooner.

Isn't it the cutest?  

The adorable shop owner took us on a tasting journey 

from 100% dark chocolate all the way up to white chocolate.

I thought I hated white chocolate, 

but I realized I just have never been given the good stuff.

We also got a doggy bag of truffles.  

I am the annoying person who always eats half of each one....

In the front of the shop there were rows of candy and and tons of chocolate.  

My favorite was dark chocolate flavored with chili and lime... 

I never knew what my life was missing until I tasted that.

Delicious!

I have a feeling I will be taking American visitors here and helping them to get on the tea train.

Is it cheating if chocolate is involved?

Can I Get a Beep Beep?

Hi Friends,

Living in a place like England, sometimes the cultural differences are so subtle that besides the accents, you might not think there are any.  The truth is, there are plenty, they are just hidden a bit below the surface.

Take for instance, the cat call.  I'm sure you pretty girls (and some of you pretty boys) are familiar with it.  I for one, am a fan of the cat call.  That's right.  I will admit it.  I like the cat call.  I take pride it in, actually.  When I lived in Chicago, and I was feeling blue, I knew specific roads I could run down that were sure to get me a flattering beep beep from an anonymous passerby.  The release of endorphins and knowing someone out there was honking in approval at my less than perfect bod was sometimes just the right thing to turn my day around.

I look just like this when I run.... 

Now in England, the cat call is less prevalent and when it does occur, it takes on a different form.  I don't know whether I have just lost my sexy running swagger since getting married, but I have not had any honk honks from male drivers since moving here.  Not even on the surefire busy roads.  However, although it occurs significantly less frequently than the double beep, sometimes men with bad English teeth do pull over the side of the road to hit on me.  This morning for example, I was walking down a narrow lane with Heidi, and a car passed by.  As he drove by he said "Good morning.  I love you." Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?  LOVE?  I'm not looking for love here, fella.  Plus the fact that we have spoken means your have lost your anonymity and now I KNOW you are a gross old man and there is no mystery in the fact that there might just be a mega hottie like David Beckham or Prince Harry (my personal fave) behind the windshield.  No.  I do not like this.

Via

So my American ladies, take pride when you get a double beep.  Appreciate the flirtatiousness, revel in the mystery, and know that you are banging.  Be pleased that you can be flattered often and from a distance, and not infrequently and in your personal space.  And for my international readers, just because you're not in America getting honked at doesn't mean you're not pretty.

Beep Beep!

How to Paint Crappy Portraits

Hi Friends,

Those of you read my 100 Things To Do List may have noticed one of my goals is to have portraits of everyone in my family.  Well let's get real, those things are expensive!  Since money is not something that we're swimming in over here, I knew I would have to paint these myself.  Maybe like me some of you have too much free time and want to give it a go...

Start with a picture you really like.  I chose one of my sisters.  Print it out and draw a grid on the photo.  Then blow up your grid on the canvas.  It is important to be careful with this part because if your grid is off it will throw everything off.

Then, in pencil, sketch out your portrait.  The grid will make it 100 times easier since you can focus on smaller parts of the photo.  After you draw it, start painting it in watered down shades of brown.  It seems like an extra step, but think of it as a map.  It really will help to guide you when you start putting color down.

Then for the fun part!  It's kind of like a coloring book for adults at this point.  It's best to start with the background and work your way forward.

Voila!  I know it's not gonna win any awards, but for my first painting since high school art class I don't think it's too bad.  Hope this inspired you to get your creative juices flowing!

Happy Friday!

Hello Sunshine!

The rain has finally stopped here in England!  Doodle and I are excited.  We LOVE sunshine!!!  Can you believe we actually had the heating on last week?  I'm not even joking.  It was freezing!  But today finally feels like summer.

Can I get a hallelujah?!

I must admit all that rain is making for some spectacular flowers.  I love those perfectly sculpted bushes - it's probably not surprising that a really anal old man lives in that cottage... and Heidi likes to take shits in front of his house!  Awkward.  One time she was producing like a machine and I ran out of poo bags, and of course she pops a squat right in front of his gate - I tried to quickly drag her away, but he caught me!  He was all "I hope you're gonna clean that up!" and I had to explain that I was out of baggies so he got me one from his house and watched me with crazy hawk eyes as I pooper scooped it up.  So embarrassing...

Hope the sun is shining where you are today!  Thanks for all the good advice about making non-cougar friends yesterday!

Cougars on the Prowl

One of the things I miss most about being home is my friends.  Coming from a place like Cincinnati, you grow up with people, and I am lucky to have made long lasting friendships there.  But in England it's been a real challenge to find my niche.  Actually, our niche, I would love to have mutual friends with Nick, as this is something us long distance lovebirds have never experienced.

In order to solve this problem Nick and I recently joined An adventure, sports, and social group.  Membership isn't to expensive, and they have all sorts of activities you can sign up for - galas, dinner parties, hiking, caving, bungee jumping, sailing, walking with wolves, photography weekends, etc.  We thought there were some fun things and figured we'd try it out for a few months and see how it goes.

Monday night was the new members evening at a pub in the city.  All informal meetings in England occur in pubs - fact.  Nick and I walked into a room of full of chatty mature birds, a handful of youngish people, and a few men.  Nice.  Then the coordinator spent AN HOUR AND A HALF teaching us how to use their website and FACEBOOK.  Um is this really necessary?  Even my technophobic mother has figured out how to use facebook.  Clearly, this is not aimed at our generation.

But wait, they did highlight the Under 40 events for their young members.  I don't mean to be rude, but 40 isn't exactly young is it?  Or do I just need to give these mature birds a chance?  

The next morning I met this old guy while walking the dog - typical, right?  I mentioned how Nick and I were looking to establish our social circle here, and he said, "Well you're a bit young for it, but have you heard of Spice?"  As a matter of fact sir, I have!  

He then proceeded to tell me how you can do some fun things with them, but the club is mostly full of old divorced women looking to find their true love later on in life.  In case you mature birds don't know, us youngins refer to these women as Cougars.  

We're still going to give this adventure club thing a chance, but if our first impressions serve us right - it looks like we've joined a cougar club.  

How do you make friends in a new city?

I would love to make one good girlfriend who is my age.  

Any tips?

RIP Touchdown Jesus

Some times when you live abroad you get news from home that is unwelcome to say the least.  Today it seems many of my Midwestern friends' facebook statuses were dedicated to the "King of Kings" statue on I-75.  He is better known locally as Touchdown Jesus (for my international readers, this refers to the gesture the referee makes when someone scores in American football), and I think it is safe to say he will be sorely missed.

This picture does not do him justice.  He is massive, at 62 feet high.  Ironically, in what can only be described as an act of God, he was struck by lightening last night, and totally burned down.

I will always remember seeing him at the end of my long drives home from university in Chicago.  He seemed to welcome me home, back to my Christian roots, to friends and family who despite their love of Christ, always managed to have a good laugh at this statue.

He was most certainly an Ohio landmark, perhaps our equivalent to the Eiffel Tower, and I dare say not a soul, Christians, Atheists, Hindus or Jews, could drive past him without cracking a smile.

RIP Touchdown Jesus.

You will be missed.

Radish Leaf Pesto

Dear Friends,

Fat camp is going OK.  I'm learning how to eat healthy and seasonal food.  Yesterday I made radish leaf pesto.  I thought I hated radishes, but I gave them a try anyways.  Here is the recipe in case you were wondering...

Radish Leaf Pesto

• 2 large handfuls of radish leaves, stems removed
• 30 grams of hard cheese, like pecorino 
• 30 grams pine nuts
• 1 stalk of wet garlic, or one clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Then you just blend all the ingredients in a food processor.  And its done like - bingo, bango, bongo.

Tony Perkins said you can eat it with radish chips or thin it out with vinegar and oil and use it as a salad dressing.  Or you could make crepes with mushrooms and goat cheese and serve it like this...

It is surprisingly delicious.

In other news, it's been raining here so we haven't gotten to go off the blob yet.  But it was OK this morning and we went hiking.  I've also been doing arts and crafts. I will have to show you soon.  Hope all is well where you are.

Love,

Kelly

PS.  Send chocolate.

Someone Send Me to Fat Camp

I made this cake yesterday.

I needed to use up some rhubarb, so I told myself I would make it and bring it to rowing.

But then I burned it....

I was too embarrassed to bring it to practice.

So I ate it by myself...

Why would I do that?

I need help.

Lars? Tony Perkins?

14. Get Experience at a Vet Clinic

Hi Friends!

Thank you for keeping your fingers crossed for me if you have been.  It must have been difficult because they would have been crossed for a very long time!  But guess what - I finally managed to arrange some work experience at a vet clinic!

A terrible selfie of me and part of Phil watching cheetah surgery in Africa

I don't start for another month, but I am really excited as it is one of the major steps to fulfilling my career goals.  I'm hoping to make a very good impression, get nice references from it, and maybe, just maybe it will lead to something else.

My dad told me the more you do the luckier you get... 

well Dad, I'm trying to get lucky!

If I'm really lucky perhaps I could figure out how to get them to pay me!  

Thanks again for your prayers, well wishes, and finger crossing. 

25. Teach Heidi To Clean Up Her Toys

This is why my dog is cooler than yours.  

I know its not perfect, 

but for just 6 months old we're pretty proud of her.  

Yes, you can call me a crazy dog lady.  

Now what do I teach her next???

Running Mishaps and a Gorilla Suit

Hi Friends,

Sorry for my lack of blogging lately and my totally emo posts.  Nick had last week off work and he expressly stated that he wanted to "Do Nothing".  Despite my best efforts to convince him that doing nothing is way boring, thats pretty much what we did so I literally had nothing to share with you.

We did splash out on some brand spankin new trail running shoes ("trainers" as they say in jolly old England) and Nick joined me on his first run since a week before our wedding when he was telling me to "hurry up" and ended up falling flat on his face, resulting in him being high on Vicodin and wearing a moonboot on our wedding day.  True story.  

Luckily, this run went better, but not perfect.  I set some ground rules to start, he had to run half a step behind me and I was setting the pace.  We planned to run to the reservoir and see how we felt...

Via

Well we made it there which is about two miles, and the whole time he was running next to me like a freaking gazelle and making "Can't you run any faster" faces as we got passed by much fitter dudes.  I wanted to punch him in the face, as predicted.  Somewhere between miles two and three he got tired, but I was totally in the zone.  He started walking and I kept jamming along for another mile to some techno beats, when all of a sudden as I took a deep breath, a MASSIVE bug went down my windpipe.  I mean I didn't see it but it felt HUGE, and it felt ALIVE.  Like it was crawling around in there.

When Nick caught up with me I was vomiting marmite and toast on the side of the road.  And he was bitching about the fact that he was "SO hungry he was going to die" and how he wished he could swallow a bug for some sustenance.  Kill me.  We walked the 3 miles home -him wishing for free chocolate bars to magically appear on the side of the road, and me wishing for a glass of water to wash down whatever it was I swallowed.  

Will we ever be good running partners?  I don't know.  But we are trying to get in shape for a 10k in september!  And I am kinda sorta thinking about doing this....

Via

It's a 7k run or walk through London dressed in a GORILLA SUIT to raise money for gorilla conservation - called the Great Gorilla Run!  I cant decide whether it seems like a lot of fun - 1,000 people in gorilla suits = hilarious, OR pretty miserable - running 7k IN a gorilla suit = hot, sweaty, mess.  Hmmm......  What do you think?!  

Through Someone Else's Eyes

Last night I was feeling a little like curling up in a ball and crying uncle.  The job search is NOT going well and sometimes I wonder whether anyone even reads my applications.  I was a bumbling, puffy eyed mess, and in between my temper tantrum, my husband sat down with me and tried to calm me down.

Now I know I exaggerate, and when I say I know what I really mean is I have been told this before.  In the moment I don't actually believe I exaggerate at all.  So when I was having a bitch fit about the fact that I've "Been unemployed since last July" I honestly believed that to be the case.

Then Nick put my situation into more realistic terms....

-I was not actually allowed to work in England until September.
-I started doing temporary stuff for his work at the end of October.
-I went for a job interview at the beginning of November, and not only did I get the job I applied for, I got promoted on the spot.
-I worked for them until Christmas, when I decided to quit because they wanted me to work past the time I could get a train home.
-After Christmas Nick got a job in Sheffield, so I focused on getting prepared to move rather than continue the job hunt in London.
-Now I've been looking for a job for about two months, which is about the same amount of time I spent hunting before I got one in London.  Good things are coming my way soon.

Jeez, that doesn't sound SO bad does it?

Maybe we are all just too hard on ourselves.  Sometimes we just need someone to point this out, so we don't crawl into bed in the middle of the afternoon and say Fuck the World and give up and take naps to make the time go faster... um... I mean no of course I never do that!....  I think sometimes if I wasn't constantly nagging myself, and more accepting of the fact that I'm not perfect, I would be unstoppable.  

 What do you criticize yourself for?  And if you stopped what would you be capable of?