10 Things

This is an idea I stole from my friend Melissa.  It's basically a list of 10 things I'm loving right now.

1. Weekends! I'm getting better at weekends, y'all!  This past week, I worked Monday-Thursday, had Friday off, then worked Saturday and had Sunday/Monday off (MLK day).  I actually got things done--errandwise, I spent time with friends, I went to a movie, I went to brunch, I tried Bikram Yoga for the first time.  I feel refreshed and ready to face the week, which I imagine, is how one is supposed to feel after a weekend.  Yay!
2. Newly Repaired Bike!  Ok, I'm still scared to ride it, but I will get over that.  I'm going to take it out for a practice run soon, but right now it's slippery snowy and I don't want to take any chances.
3. English Muffins.  I went through most of my life thinking I hated English Muffins.  I asked (demanded) my mother buy some for me when I was around five because I thought they looked pretty--like muffins, but also like bread, kind of--and I found them to be bitter and weird.  I remember spitting out my bite and vowing never again to eat an English Muffin.  Then a few weeks ago when my brother was visiting, we were at Target in the grocery section.  I saw some English Muffins and asked bf, "what's the deal with those?"  "English Muffins are awesome." he told me.  "I like the look of them, if I buy some and hate them, will you commit to eating the rest?"  He said he would, but he never got the chance and I gobbled up those muffins like someone was planning to take them away from me.  Who knew?  This week they're on sale buy one get one free at the grocery store--I'm so there, maybe twice...
4. Expectations.  I have a love/hate with this one.  I've been at new job almost three weeks now, and I think I'm settling in pretty well.  I've had quite a few meetings in the past two weeks, and each time I tell a new person about my new job, he or she said "I've heard so much about you from your director!" This is incredibly flattering, but also terrifying as I now expect that I'm supposed to be amazing right out of the gate.  Do I know how to be amazing?  I'm trying not to overthink things.
5. My walk to work.  Yup, still loving that one.
6. Feline Companion  I always love my cat, but he's been extra cuddly in this cold weather, and that's pretty awesome.
7. Restaurant Week!  It's restaurant week in Providence (actually it's two weeks long, but Restaurant Two Weeks doesn't sound very catchy).  This means that a huge list of restaurants in town create a special three-course menu that only costs $15 for lunch and $30 for dinner, and the cheaper restaurants usually do 2-for-1.  It's the best way to sample restaurants that are typically over your budget, or, in the case of the 2-for-1s, to get a whole lot of food for not a lot of money.  Fun fact: Even though Rhode Island has one of the worst economies in the country, when we were first slipping into recession, restaurant revenue went up.  Fun fact #2: Emeril Lagasse went to culinary school here and is from nearby Fall River, MA, not New Orleans as he would have you believe.
8. Bikram Yoga.  I did Bikram Yoga for the first time this past week, and though I was terrified that I would faint or throw up, I did neither and got a compliment from the instructor!  I'm still sore three days later, but I got a new student special deal, so I'm going back this weekend.  Usually I think yoga is incredibly boring, but this one kept me engaged the whole time.  Plus, this time of year, it feels really nice to be in a hot room for 90 minutes.
9. My elusive vegetables! The vegetables that I finally found at the nearby grocery store are just as good as I remember.  Huzzah!
10. This bottle of Ranch Dressing.  I saw this bottle of ranch on this stone wall on my walk to work.  I posted it on facebook because it cracked me up, and now I have a whole saga!  I've been taking daily pictures of the ranch bottle in various positions (I'm not manipulating it, just recording it), and people are loving it!  This is another reason I love walking to work, you never know what you're going to find.

Where did it come from?  Why?