"You're only as sick as your secrets"

Have you heard how the recession is making people healthier?

Well, it's true. At least it's true for me. Because I don't have to get up and go to work every day, I get up and go to the gym every day. Otherwise I would lay in bed all morning and just stare at the wall, which, I won't lie, has happened one or two times since graduation. Anyway, I get up and walk the two blocks to my neighborhood gym in order to see the Today show before it gets all Hoda and Kathie Lee. This way, I am enriching my mind and body at the same time (see, healthier).

Today, I watched a very interesting segment with Carrie Fisher. At first I thought it was just a book/show promotion, and then I thought it was another Mackenzie Phillips story about how growing up in the spotlight isn't as great as it seems (who thought it was?), but then I realized that what she had to say was very relevant to the current state of my own life.

Matt Lauer points out that in her new Broadway show she takes situations that most people would think are not funny and brings comedy to them. She says that once you "can claim something, you have more power over it. You're only as sick as your secrets... I say my weak things in a strong voice."

And thus you have the reason for my blogging. So eat your heart out, 10% unemployment rate. Seriously watch the interview. It's less than 10 minutes and she has some really interesting things to say about adolescence, mental illness and Michael Jackson.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Paper Jam

Mondays are the days I like to run errands/get things done around the house (pick up, do laundry, organize things). I usually plan out the rest of my week and work on some personal projects. Today's project is my closet. It is kind of overflowing.

And while I organize I am watching Office Space to remind myself why work sucks and unemployment is great.

Recessionista

Being unemployed allows you time to do all the things you couldn't do if you were working.

This week, midweek, I went to hang out with my sister in the city. I had been wanting to try out this class that she takes at the Dailey Method on Damen, so when my beloved Daily Candy offered me a coupon for half off a class (an individual class is usually $2o, not affordable for the unemployed), I jumped at the opportunity because another wonderful thing about being unemployed is that I have become quite the recessionista (For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, a recessionista is someone who makes do with what they have during tough financial times and looks fabulous while doing it. Thank you, Urban Dictionary).

The class totally kicked my ass, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to tone and tighten. Still a dancer at heart, I loved all the barre work and the dancer-turned-Dailey-Method-owner, Tami.

Afterwards, my sister (the ultimate recessionista) and I went to Coast aka sushi heaven. For those of you who are thinking that it is a swanky place that doesn't vibe with the recessionista way of life, you are wrong. It is BYOB, so there. And the sushi is worth the price, just ask Megan Baldassarre.

Grandparents' Day

Yesterday was National Grandparents' Day, so my mom and I decided to take Grandma Barb to see Julie & Julia (don't tell her I had already seen it). We were a bit over zealous about the idea when we looked up movie times and accidentally got to the theater over an hour early. To kill time, we asked Grandma if she wanted to get any errands done and then did everything but drag her to Menards to buy some African Violet potting soil (she wanted to sit and wait at the theater while we just went... we told her she was kind of missing the point of Grandparents' Day.

When we got back to the theater for the movie (at the correct time), we took our seats and said "Surprise! We also rented out the whole theater!" (Not really, but we were the only ones in there until about half way through the previews when about three other people strolled in.)

She enjoyed the movie, but not the previews asking me at one point, "We did come to see the movie, right?" I even heard her laugh out loud at Meryl's loud portrayal of Julia Child. Afterward we brought her to our house for dinner. Mom tells me we are no longer to give Grandma the option of coming for dinner. Instead we are just to tell her that we have prepared a light supper and then we will take her home. I think a 93-year-old woman should be able to decide if she wants to come for dinner or not, but I'd rather not disagree with my mom on this one. Living at home, I've learned to pick my battles :)

Before we started cooking, Mom and I put on our pearls (hers are my Grandma Barb's and mine are my Aunt Pat's) so we could be just like Julia, and when we served our delicious (and dairy-free) dinner we said in our best Julia impressions, "Bon appetit!"


As we were leaving the theater, Mom said, "You could turn your blog into a vegan version of Julia Child's book!" Enticing, but I don't know how I would get around boning a duck....

Hooray! Hoorah! Mizzou! Mizzou!

So I thought that not having a first day of school would be hard, but today I realized not having a first football game of the season is even harder.

Even though I slept in a black and gold sweatsuit and made my parents do a "M-I-Z... Z-O-U" at 9 a.m. this morning, it just wasn't the same. No fight song to wake my roommates up, no Morrow Casserole to feed them and certainly no Frat Pit to tailgate in (okay, okay, Frat Pit has been gone for two years now, but I will always remember it as an essential part of football season). I felt even more like a forty year old who lives with their parents than ever.

Mom and Dad were good sports though. They were wearing Mizzou sweatshirts and t-shirts when I got up, and Dad even hung my Mizzou flag out in front of our house. We had some game time snacks, and then a Tiger victory made the afternoon complete. All in all it turned out okay, but it sure wasn't Columbia.

(Last year's tailgate in St. Louis with my favorite Mizzou football fans)

Dog Science

Today in my unemployed life I decided to perform an experiment with my dog (don't worry, no dogs were harmed in the writing of this blog post).

I wanted to see if Wilke would walk faster depending on the time of the day I took her out. For those of you who know Wilk, she loves to sniff and sneak around our neighborhood like she is investigating a crime (really she is just looking for used gum and other old food to eat off the sidewalks).

So, I walked her around noon and she started out walking really quickly, but sure enough, half way around the block I had to start dragging her.

I walked her again at 4:30, which is when I usually take her out in the afternoon. I thought maybe she would walk faster on a different route, so I took her around the elementary school near our house. No faster at all, not even at the beginning. She also ate two pieces of gum before I was able to stop her.

Conclusion: Wilke is an old dog that may never walk fast, but while I am unemployed I am determined to pick up her speed and reduce the amount of gum she eats.