Yesterday’s workout kicked my butt—and I liked it! Tanja Djelevic, the same fitness instructor from my crosstrain disc DVD, also teaches this one. Broken down by lower body, upper body, and back and abs, each 20-minute session challenges your entire body and core. I’m hoping on repeat runthroughs of the program, I’ll get better. I had some trouble on some of the movements, plus I’m working with a limited portion of my living room.

A promising sign was that going into the workout, I had started getting a headache. But having almost two weeks off since the last workout, I wanted to challenge myself to get back into it. Plus this was a Netflix movie that I wanted to return. By the time I finished the workout, my headache has somewhat subsided. It still lingered in the background, but I didn’t need to take anything and it didn’t slow me down. How cool.

The true test will be how I feel 24 hours after the workout.

As far as the remaining workout tapes, I decided to pitch the VHS. I just won’t use them, and I know it. So instead I’m exploring Netflix’s workout collection to find other DVDs. I’ve also heard about online subscriptions that I may try out. Ideally, I would hook my laptop to my TV so the screen was bigger, so maybe when I figure that all out, I can try those out too.

Later this week, I have another Kathy Kaelher workout and a couple of Jillian Michaels DVDs to try.

When in Vegas, I also wanted to take some little memories home. I typically have about five minutes in between events to actually go shopping so I took some time Friday morning before my flight to take a gander in the gift shops at the Hilton. I came across this wee little scooter. Adorable! I had to have it. It evens out the VW bug on the chotchke shelf.

Another adorable keepsake is this Kimmidoll. Say hello to Sachi! Sachi, representing joy, delivers this message: “My spirit enriches and uplifts. By embracing my spirit and approaching everything in life with passion and enthusiasm, you can make even the simple and ordinary, memorable and enjoyable.” I have to admit, after looking at the website and how many different choices there are in the line, I’m glad that the store only had a handful. I would NOT have been able to choose just one!

If the theme of this blog didn’t make it obvious, I love cherry blossom designs. When I saw this business card holder not only in the cherry blossom design but with dragonflies to boot, I had to have it. It comes with a leather carrying case as well, to prevent the metal from scratching (which is what happened to my first business card holder).

Next stop? The airport at a little shop called Wild Gekko. Featuring a variety of Native American gifts, I came across this pair of dreamcatcher earrings. I had a pair before that got tinged when I tried to clean it—I most likely used the wrong cleaner. I couldn’t pass this pair up. They’re actually smaller than my original pair and will match a necklace and bracelet to match.

Wild Gekko also had smudging sage! Recently I tried to smudge with lavender, which worked OK, but wasn’t quite right. So I was especially excited to come across the smudging sage already ready. Sage is said to be the most purifying and traditional of smudging herbs to cast away bad omens and spirits from the home and yourself. I look forward to smudging my apartment this weekend.

For my last stop, I passed by a store with the signs “Everything is $10.” Why, yes, I’d like to look. I came across these pashmina scarves that look pretty decent AND don’t smell—sometimes they smell. I bought a white one for myself and a burgundy one for a friend. And did I mention it was $10! Score!

I saw this idea on Pink of Perfection a few weeks ago and thought it was a great way to positively reflect on one’s blessings. So each month I am going to review what I’m thankful for. I’m a few days behind on this one but wanted to start this for 2010 anyways. Here are eight things I’m grateful for in January:

1. having a comfortable home to live in, decorate and entertain in with family and friends

2. delicious homemade meals

3. time to knit again

4. workouts that re-energize and revive

5. beautiful cheery flowers

6. getting back to enjoyable, personal reading

7. cute kitties who offer unconditional love

8. snowy Chicago skylines

Something to think about:

Excerpt from The Myth of Self-Esteem.

Once you unperfectionistically, some of the time, strive to do what you can do, you have laid the groundwork for unconditional acceptance of yourself, others, and the difficult world. To summarize some of the main things I have been saying:

Try, try, and try again for the success, the love, the artistic and material things you want and to minimize what you don’t want. But—

• Accept the frustrations, hassles, pain, disgust, and depression you no longer want but can’t reduce.
• Accept the disapproval, neglect, scorn, resentment, jealousy, and hostility of others. Don’t hurt yourself by their names and gestures.
• Accept without liking your failing and incompetence. But try, try again!
• Accept unfair treatment from others. Forgiveness, not revenge, may change it in the future. But nothing has to work!
• Accept your self, your being, your aliveness but do your best to change some of the inept and moral behaviors.
• Accept control of your own sabotaging ways. Accept help but not dependency on others. Be autonomous but not narcissistic.
• Accept meaning and purpose in life and make long-range, ongoing vital absorbing interests that you choose.
• Accept your mortality and don’t forgo the one life you definitely have for a promised afterlife.
• Accept that magic won’t solve your problems but hard work and effort may alleviate them.
• Accept the fact that you are a social creature and can live without the goodwill and cooperation of others—but pretty badly. Unconditional other-acceptance (UOA) will help you preserve and enjoy others and ward off human extinction.
• Accept your (and others’) human fallibility. Damning yourself for your inadequacies will hardly make you (or anyone) less fallible!
• Accept your proneness to good and bad feelings. You can, with hard work and reflection, improve your self- and other-destructive feelings. But achieving minimal feelings will achieve minimal aliveness. Reflect and change your destructive feelings—but don’t make yourself into a zombie!
• Accept the fact that you are a person who thinks, feels, and behaves. Interactionally! You feel the way you think and behave, behave the way you think and feel, and think the way you feel and behave. All three! You can change all three—with the help of the other two.
• Accept persistent thinking, feeling, and acting. You can start right now; but time and persistent practice are the great healers!
• Accept the fact that self-control is the most effective control that you have.
• Accept that acceptance is largely compassion—for you and your self, for others and their self, and for the troubled world and its self. Once again, all three.

Some cool new buys on sale at Lord & Taylor: Jones New York Pink Gradient Sweater, $24

Burgundy shell, $14

Nine West Guffaw in Grey/Dark Blue Fabric from Macy’s for $26!

I was in Vegas for a week, but I’m back now. Posts to come on some new things I got during my travels!