So I saw a meme floating around the internet, which I'm too lazy to copy for word for word. The short of it is "Ask me something outside of my comfort zone that I don't normally blog about, anything at all. Just let it fly, and I'll devote a post to it." So go ahead and ask away, it will get me to post more.

In terms of life updates...

The One Year Anniversary of Dad's death passed quietly. We were home for the weekend, Trysten and I. It was nice and quiet, and uh, snowy. I cooked some stuff from my healthy cookbook that was delicious.

I recieved a 9.5% pay raise for my review. Mind you, this was the Annual Review, but in my case, was written based on only 3 months of work (it was written in December, even though it gets HR Processed and I don't get it until March. Gogo HR delay power!). So 9.5% for 3 months isn't bad. I also recieved verbal confirmation that I am up for a promotion as soon as they get around to it. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later, maybe by summer. That would bring with it another pay jump and a cross into the Real Real World - salaried instead of hourly. In reward I treated myself to a very pretty black and red and white dress at Dress Barn. I even kindly weasled my way into a 20% discount by asking what the coupon on the mailing list had been (which I had thrown out, not realizing that DB even carried my size, and when in fact, they do, and their sizes are generous - my dress is a 14, and that is the smallest size I've been) and then sighing and saying I would have to come back with my (nonexistant, but I thought I still had it) coupon. The lovely cashier laughed and said she had extra and I shouldn't waste the gas money, thusly turning my 70$ dress into a 58$ one with tax. Score. I tried to find a picture, but their catalogue won't let me save the image, how lame. http://dressbarn.richfx.com.edgesuite.net/catalog/media/DB_DBW/ is the spring catalogue, and the second set of images, the handkerchief skirt is what I bought, except in red, not pink.

I also filed my taxes online, it wasn't too bad. I'm getting 650$ back, yippie! And will be getting an iPod (breaking down finally), probably a shuffle, for listening to at work, and with my refund this summer, probably a real digital SLR camera (low end, though, I don't have 2k to drop on a camera, unfortunately).

And uh, that's about it.

Edi: I reread this and realized I missed 1/3 of the title. I was going to comment that I have begun exercising with Trysten. We go 3-4 times a week to the little work out room in the main building for the complex, after work. I have found that the elliptical machine is quite enjoyable. It's not aimed at weightloss, but just at being a bit more active - especially since its cold and that makes me want to nothing but curl up inside with a videogame. After almost 3 weeks of said working out, I can notice how much more e nergy I have - despite the apparently conundrum of exerting energy to have more, hah.