Chosen: Seven Links

I’m not going to lie, I love internet Memes. I’ve been participating in them since before they were called Memes, and were weird surveys you filled out on LiveJournal.  Suck it, internet.  So, when the latest Meme started hitting the blogosphere, I told myself I would not participate unless actually nominated. Normally, I don’t let those kinds of conventions stop me from doing what I want (it’s the angry feminist inside me, I guess,) but this one was different.  ”Catherine,” I said to myself, “you will not dig through your old posts unless someone asks you to!”  And nobody did, so I thought, well, that’s fine, I haven’t been very good at updating my blog at all, let alone participating in a Meme.

Then, it happened. The amazing, talented, beautiful, lovely Jasmine over at Eat, Move, Write nominated me, and I felt immensely important (hence the title Chosen) and, well, clearly I HAD to participate ;)  By the way, this was way more difficult than I anticipated.

So, here are my 7 Links.

  • Most Beautiful: Writing Makes You a Writer   – This entry was actually written while my blog was still “See Tiny Run.” Sure, it doesn’t have any pictures, but I think it’s the most beautiful because it was a time where I seemed to finally realize that I am actually a writer. For realsies. 

  • Most Popular: My all time most commented on post is 26.2? With 11 comments. 

  • Most Controversial: I suppose, the most controversial was my Choices: The Expensive Coffee Debate. I actually don’t have any posts that were really controversial. I guess this means I need to start writing more hard hitting editorials? 
  • Most Helpful: The Big D Part 1 - This is a series I’m still working on, and while I’m not sure how helpful it is for others, it’s been really helpful for me. 

  • Surprise Success: Life Lesson How To: Coloring Your Hair at Home  Where I share with you my immense knowledge about coloring your hair at home.  Seriously folks, I’ve been doing this since sometime in 1995. I be an expert. 

  • Not Enough Attention:  Power Jamz.  You guys, these are Power Jamz. POWER JAMZ! 

 

Pretty much every single blog I read has already been tagged to do this Meme, so I am going to take the easy way out and give permission to everyone who hasn’t done it yet, but wants to, to go for it! Knock yourselves out.

2 Comments

Catherine, August 9th 2011 | Tags:
Posted in 2011, blogs, life

Changes and Leaping Forward

Hello!  I hope you’ve all made the leap with me here to Jig and Jog.  To be honest, almost immediately after I purchased SeeTinyRun.com I regretted it.  I realized that it left me feeling somewhat cornered, but I resigned to live with it for a year, and promised myself to re-invest in my blog and myself after the year was up, if I was still blogging.  Low and behold, I’ve made it, and after some thought I went with Jig and Jog.  I feel like it marries the two biggest aspects of my life, my nearly lifetime love of Irish dance (jig) and my new found love of running (jog ;)   I feel really great about this move. I invested in a pretty header (compliments of the lovely, Danielle Moss) as well as moving the blog over to WordPress.org, and being self hosted. I’m really pleased with all of it and am so happy to continue my little blog hobby over here.

 

Please be sure to update your RSS feeds, and links and all that jazz.

Thank you all for coming with me on this wonderful journey called life :)

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Catherine, April 20th 2011 | Posted in 2011, accomplishments, blogs, life

Choices: The Expensive Coffee Debate

Starbucks on Briggate

Image via Wikipedia

I read several Personal Finance blogs, one of which being Consumerist.  I have to admit, lately I haven’t been as focused on reading all the blogs in my reader feed as I normally am, but this particular post caught my eye.  Apparently, Katie Couric interviewed Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, on CBS Sunday Morning.  In her interview she asked him questions about the price of Starbucks’ coffee drinks, and implied that the CEO and the company have, acted irresponsibly by continuing to offer expensive coffee drinks, when people could no longer afford to pay $5 for a latte.

First, I am not a coffee drinker, so I don’t typically spend any money in places like Starbucks.  Also, I tend to only go to Starbucks when I have a gift card.  So, for me, Starbucks falls into my “luxury” category of spending.  This means, it is not something I NEED to spend money on, but sometimes a hot chocolate makes me feel good so it’s a treat.  Dining out, going to movies (and getting snacks at the movie theater,) shoe shopping all fall into that category for me typically.  What I’ve learned, especially in regard to money, is life is full of choices.  Ultimately, it is the consumer’s choice to pay $5 for a coffee.   If you can’t afford the coffee, don’t buy it, there are plenty of less expensive options available to people.  I do not hold Starbucks responsible for a person’s inability to pay for a coffee.  The same way that I do not hold Christian Loubiton responsible for making gorgeous shoes I can not afford.  In my mind, any coffee made not at home, or that has flavors added to it is in essence, a “designer,” coffee, and with “designer” labels comes cost.  If you can not pay the cost, you shouldn’t be purchasing the items.  I believe that attempting to scapegoat the company is simply trying to shif the level of responsibility off the individuals.  It’s your money, people! Starbucks isn’t forcing you to shop there!

In the comment section of the post at Consumerist, one person brought up a great point. This particular commenter stated that he continues to go to places like Starbucks because he enjoys the atmosphere, but also because he knows the higher cost of the coffee goes into better paying salaries and benefits for the employees of the company.  By patronizing Starbucks he is voting with his dollar for a company that treats its employees well and offeres competitive benefits.  This was interesting to me because the reasoning was similar to friends I have who WON”T shop at places like Wal-Mart.  They don’t agree with many of the corporate policies, so they choose not to shop there. Do you vote with your dollars?

The fact that this was even an argument seemed ridiculous to me.  Why should Starbucks change their pricing if their sales are still strong? 

What do you think?  Has Starbucks acted irresponsibly in the face of the recent financial crisis?

5 Comments

Catherine, March 30th 2011 | Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in 2011, blogs, in the news, life, money, wtf

Unrushed Morning, and Thursday Yoga

I woke up at 7am this morning, and because I didn’t snooze until 7:30, I had enough time to shower, eat some cereal, put my lunch together and surf the web a bit before I have to leave for work.  In fact, right now I’m enjoying the last few minutes before I need to be out the door by writing here while Bits sits on my lap.

I’m also a lot less sleepy than I am when I push myself to sleep until 7:30am.  I’m more relaxed, and ready to face the day.  So, I think, maybe for Lent, what I’ll take on instead of give up, is getting up when I naturally wake up.  40 days of waking up before my alarm.

On another note, my friend, Renee, writes a blog called Thursday Yoga, and as someone who doesn’t study yoga, I find it fascinating.  It’s incredibly well written, and right now she is chronicling her journey of a 40 day ustrasana practice.  If you’re interested at all in yoga, I urge you to check it out.   Renee and I went to elementary school together, it’s so cool to see how we’ve grown over the years.

Happy Thursday!

1 Comment

Catherine, March 10th 2011 | Tags: ,
Posted in 2011, Bits, blogs, life

The Handwriting Game

I was tagged by Shelby in The Handwriting Game, and because I am a sucker for things like this, I went with it. ;)

Since we use a digital format in which to communicate, we miss out on the fun quirks of individual handwriting styles.  Enter, the handwriting game.

The questions are:
1. What’s your name / blogger name?

2. What’s your blogs URL?
3. Write, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”.
4. Favorite quote?
5. Your favorite band / singers?
6. Anything else you want to say?
7. Tag 3 bloggers to participate.

 

2 Comments

Catherine, March 2nd 2011 | Tags: ,
Posted in 2011, blogs, friendship

Guest Post: The Benefits of Packing a Lunch

Clare is one of my favorite people, and was one of the first people I looked up to on these here interwebs.  Back in the day (of 1997 or so) I was a fledgling personal webpage owner (and an avid Hanson Fan page owner), and Clare had an adorable site that I just adored.  We became friends, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Clare graciously agreed to help me out while I’m in Phoenix this weekend!

~*~

Greetings, readers of See Tiny Run. My name is Clare and I’ve had the pleasure of being one of Cat’s friends for thirteen years now. I blog at Never Niche. Cat asked if I’d be interested in a guest post while she’s out of town this weekend and clearly I am. 

Cat photo documents her meals and exercise on a regular basis. I’m not much of a food blogger, mostly because I know readers’ eyes will glaze over when they see that I eat the same things day after day, but I’m definitely a foodie in real life. I’m also always interested in meal planning for less money, cutting corners, and eating great food without breaking the budget. For this guest post I will be discussing the importance of packing a lunch. This is a topic Cat is passionate about too, as she has written about her frustration with it here, here and here . I think it’s something any young working person struggles with, including myself.
 
Anyone with common sense knows that packing a lunch will save you a world of money. It’s no secret that having food prepared for your work day can help cushion your finances every week. But let’s lay it out in black and white terms…
Here’s a photo of the lunch I brought to work yesterday (like my 1960′s mustard-colored Formica? Me too.):
 
- apple
- reduced sugar granola bar
- cottage cheese
- Safeway brand frozen lasagna (I know, not the healthiest thing ever. My entree is usually a tupperware of homemade veggie chile that I crockpot on the weekend.)
- bagel thin with organic peanut butter topped with blueberry and almonds
 
I brought this food to work yesterday and had coffee from the machine in the building’s kitchen. But let’s pretend I didn’t set myself up for success. On the way in to work, let’s pretend I stopped a Starbucks for just a grande coffee (not even a frou-frou drink) and tipped one dollar. Total cost? $3.11. Then the mid-morning rolls around and I’m hungry so I go downstairs and buy an organic granola bar from the vending machine. $1.50. When lunch rolls around, I scurry out of the building and go to the sushi restaurant nearby and get two rolls and miso = $9.80 including tip. I eat in a hurry in order to get back to my desk in time. When my stomach grumbles in the mid-afternoon, I go down to the vending machine again and get a bag of chips and a soda. $3.00.
 
By the end of this pretend work day, I’ve spent $17.41. If this was my routine for the week, that total comes to $87.05. Just off the top of my head, I can think of a pretty pair of boots for that price. Or 1/4 of a plane ticket to the west coast to see Cat. Or $87.05 that I could transfer into my Roth IRA because I didn’t really use it. Etcetera! It’s important to imagine your money as part of a bigger whole and see the bigger picture. Dining out isn’t truly damaging unless it’s a constant habit.
 
I would much rather plan ahead and include plenty of lunchables in my $50/week grocery budget. It feels incredible to not spend a single dime during the work day. It’s okay to treat yourself to lattes, lunch at a restaurant with co-workers, and even the vending machine. It’s unrealistic to think that anyone can feel satisfied eating and drinking things that are only brought from home. Everything in moderation!
Happy lunching! Cat will be back and blogging on Monday.
  

4 Comments

Catherine, January 15th 2011 | Tags: , ,
Posted in 2011, blogs, food, Guest Post, lunch, money

Around the Interwebs 1/14/11

The Papago Buttes in Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Image via Wikipedia

This week, work-wise has been super crazy.  We had a big event, our annual support fundraising campaign kick off, and talent show, last night, which made the first part of the week stressful, and then today I’m only at work from 7:30-11:30 because I head out for Phoenix, and my second half marathon this weekend, a little after noon.  I’m so excited! Did you have a good week, or was it stressful or busy?

My friend Mikela recently started a blog, Not Nicole Michelle, and I really think you should check it out.  She’s a great writer, her posts are funny, smart, and interesting, and her music Wednesdays are excellent for finding new tunes.

Baked Four Cheese Macaroni – Eat, Live, Run – This recipe looks so delicious, I can’t wait to try it!

How I Raised  Money for TNT - Carrots n’ Cake – Tina writes a great blog post about tips and hints to raising money for charity when you are racing.  Asking people for money isn’t always easy (trust me, I work in fundraising ;)   but if you know how to ask, it can be so much easier!

Intro to Wedding Blogs -Meals and Miles – No, I’m not engaged, but last year 10 people I know did get engaged, and Meghann’s list of wedding blogs is great, and just fun to look at, even if you aren’t getting married this year.

 

That’s all for this week. Sorry I kind of slacked, I am still pretty behind in my google reader.  I should have at least one guest post for you this weekend. While I’d love to be able to blog the entire weekend, I’m just not sure how realistic that is, and I don’t want to leave you all in the lurch!  I’ll definitely have my race re-cap up sometime after Sunday, but between driving to Phoenix, hanging out with friends and cousins, running, celebrating, and driving back, I’m not sure how much internet access or time I’ll have.  Hope you all have a spectacular weekend!

 

No Comments

Catherine, January 14th 2011 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in 2011, around the interwebs, blogs

Stylish Blogger Award!

One of my new favorite bloggers (new find for me anyway!) Allison over at Happy Tales kindly nominated me for this award, and I couldn’t be more honored :)

There are 4 duties to perform to accept this award:

1.  Make a post + Link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2.  Share 7 things about yourself.
3.  Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers
4.  Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won!

Whew, seven things! Ok, well, here goes nothin!

1. My boyfriend, Travis, and I have been together for four years, and first met when he was living with my old neighbor.  When he first met me, he thought I was a bitch.  He moved to the East coast for a few months for a job, and when he came back, he moved into the apartment I was living in at the time, and about two months later, we had our first date.  For the entire time we’ve dated, we’ve lived together.

2. Speaking of Travis, our first date was a “White Trash” date night, where he took me first to a shooting range (he couldn’t believe I’d never shot a gun before,) and then to Hooters for dinner. Seriously. I was super amused and entertained by the whole thing, and had a great time, obviously. haha

3. Before I started Irish dancing, I used to ride horses, and was pretty good at it too.  My cousin, Ellen, who lives in New York, rode horses and I wanted to be JUST like her, so I asked my mom to sign me up.  I joined through a Parks & Rec program and rode for about two years. Ultimately I had to decide between dance and riding, and as I was making my decision, I was nearly thrown from my horse.  That sealed it.

4. I love to sing, but didn’t know I had any kind of talent singing until I was nineteen.  In fact, I had a teacher in high school who told me, when she helped me prepare for an audition for a musical program at a college, that it would “take years of voice lessons to undo” what I had done to the song.  It was miserable, and it wasn’t until I took a class at City College in San Francisco that I finally started to regain my confidence.

5. My favorite band is Hanson, has been since 1997.  Honestly though, I didn’t like them at first.  My friend Monica heard they were going to play a show and do a meet & greet at the Sam Goody at CityWalk (which is now an Abercrombie and Fitch I think?) and she couldn’t go.  She asked me to go for her, and because I am a great friend, I agreed.  14 years later, I’ve seen them countless times and still see them every chance I get :) I know, nerdy.

6. Travis and I have two hairless cats, Peanut and Lil’ Bits :) We love them. A lot.

7. I’ve had the same best friend for the last 24 years, and I’m so excited to be the Maid of Honor at her wedding soon!

 

I nominate:

Sarah For Real

Eat Write Move

Never Niche

Confessions of a Queer Dear

Things Jill Likes

Mon Cheri Amour

Edens Eats

Not Nicole Michelle

Two One Ten

The Actors Diet

3 Comments

Catherine, January 12th 2011 | Posted in 2011, accomplishments, blogs

Hump Day Slump

New Shoes, New Year

Image by GimmeFood :) via Flickr

Pssssst: Jasmine, over at Eat, Move, Write is doing A WEEK OF GIVEAWAYS!

“The Eat Move Write Week of Giveaways”  Go on, enter!! Do it now! Today’s giveaway is CHOBANI which I have heard is amazingly delicious yogurt.

It’s already 5 days into the New Year, and I am ready for Friday like it is nobody’s business.  The week has been going by simultaneously slowly and quickly, and it’s starting to mess with my head. 

I do have a slightly different motive for wanting it to be Friday already.  I’m only 11 days away from my second half marathon and I am itching to go!  My running buddies and I, as well as several of my cousins are running in the Phoenix Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon. My cousin, Colleen, is actually running the full marathon (just like Tina and Mal!)  Last night I got the confirmation email so I am rearing to go.  The only downside is, all this anticipation is making it hard to stay focused at work. Oops!

What are you looking forward to in the next few weeks?

6 Comments

Catherine, January 5th 2011 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in blogs, life

2010 in review- From WordPress

This morning, in my inbox I found an email from WordPress with all kinds of fun stats about my blog.  Originally wasn’t planning on doing a 2010 review because, well, I didn’t really think there was enough to go off of.  Then, this showed up in my inbox, woo!

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,500 times in 2010. That’s about 8 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 290 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 365 posts. There were 865 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 2gb. That’s about 2 pictures per day.

The busiest day of the year was August 3rd with 282 views. The most popular post that day was Change From the Inside Out.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were healthytippingpoint.com, healthylivingblogs.com, operationbeautiful.com, twitter.com, and en.wordpress.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for the hunger diaries marie claire, ear plugs at concerts, student ear plugs, kix cereal, and earplugs.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Change From the Inside Out August 2010
2 comments

2

Tiny June 2008
4 comments

3

Going From Jig to Jog July 2010
2 comments

4

Tools June 2010

5

10 miles! July 2010
1 comment

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Catherine, January 2nd 2011 | Tags:
Posted in accomplishments, blogs
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