Self-addiction

I read something compelling today. Something that I need to be reminded of more often. I decided to share it with you. Maybe you need to be reminded of this truth as well.

The credit goes to Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz.

"The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about me.

God brought me to Graceland (the house of 5 guys Don lived with) to rid me of this deception, to scrub it out of the gray matter of my mind. It was a frustrating and painful experience.

I hear addicts talk about the shakes and panic attacks and the highs and lows of resisting their habit, and to some degree I understand them because I have had habits of my own, but no drug is so powerful as the drug of self. No rut in the mind is so deep as the one that says I am the world, the world belongs to me, all people are characters in my play. There is no addiction so powerful as self-addiction."

birthdays + gyms

H A P P Y . B I R T H D A Y . B R A N D O N ! ! !

Today is Brandon's 26th birthday. He is now over a quarter century old. I surprised him with cinnamon rolls this morning before work, not to mention he got to open his gifts. ( I like to spoil my birthday boy in every possible way I can think of! August 23rd is one of my favorite days of the year.) For lunch, his co-workers are taking him out to Leo's Mexican food. I'm joining them there. Come 6:45, I am picking B up from work and taking him to dinner in Venice... CA (I wish Italy.) The restaurant is called Chaya Venice and is supposedly amazing Mediterranean/Asian food. I found it in our Zagat Guide and am looking forward to trying it out! The description was, "The immortal cool Venice population gravitates to this chic spot for its modern blend of wonderfully prepared Japanese and Med offerings and excellent wine selection, served by a helpful staff in a beautiful high-ceilinged space." It got very good reviews; I'm sure it will be a winner.

After dinner, I'm not exactly sure what the plan is, but I have some options for B to choose from. There are some cool, chill places we can go in Venice or we can drive closer to home and hang out at the Hermosa pier scene. We'll see. Regardless, it will be a fun night. :)

On a different note...

Last Saturday, August 18th, Brandon and I found ourselves sitting in front of a man named Jason discussing the different options for becoming members of the "club." Prepaid or month to month, do you want to think about it or sign up now for the "point of sale" discount, both of you or just Brandon, personal trainer sessions included or not, do you want to go with the Sport version or the Active version, etc. 45 minutes later we walked away from Jason's desk official members of the 24 hour fitness gym. I know, wow, I, Lisa Rigg, joined a gym. I never thought that would occur in my entire lifetime! And depending on how well you know me, you never would have thought that would happen either. I'm still in shock. The truth is that I am blessed with good genes, and I certainly don't take them for granted. Instead, I use them to their fullest potential. It is a gift that I can eat as much as my 11" taller, 100 pound heavier husband without displaying any side effects. Thank goodnesss!

However, circumstances in my life have caused there to be a need to not only be thin, but to be strong, specifically my legs. As most of you know, I injured my knees about 2 years ago, and I'm still trying to let them heal. Part of my recovery process is physical therapy and 2 sessions a day of 11 exercises/stretches that I'm supposed to do at home. But seeing as how I am anti-exercise, it has been difficult to do my daily "homework." When it comes to working out, my motivation levels are loooooow. Well, to cut to the chase, going to the gym helps me accomplish my physical therapy work that I can't seem to do when I'm just sitting around at home. So we go to the gym 2-3 times a week and while Brandon works out, I do my stretches and exercises. My legs are definitely getting stronger and hopefully this will allow my knees to fully heal. I've done 8 of the 12 physical therapy sessions and will soon be on my way to hiking Mt Everest. Just kidding.

So there you have it. The big news of the year (at least in the Rigg household) is that we are not only gym members, but also gym attenders. Don't get me wrong, the gym is still my enemy, but is maybe, just maybe, slowly coming around to being my friend.

I'll leave you with this random quote that I read yesterday and felt like sharing with someone... "Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory, or recognition. We live for what we believe."

Inovus Design

Well, the job search is over. After tons of research, lots of phone calls and emails, many interviews, and too much driving, I've decided on a firm.

I accepted a job offer about 2 weeks ago at an Interior Design firm called Inovus Design. It's located in Culver City which is about 13 miles north of us. It takes about 20-25 minutes to get there without traffic, but we'll see how long it takes during rush hour. I'm estimating 40-50 minutes. Depending on how torturous the commute is, a move might be in order.

Check out the website at: www.inovusdesign.com

I'll be starting October 22nd when Brandon and I return from England. Although it will be a big change from my current schedule, I know I can handle it. In fact, I'm kind of excited to start. In the meantime, I'm soaking up my final days of relaxation and freedom.

Just wanted to share my employment news with whoever might still read this blog. So now that I'm officially employed as a designer, no more of this free consultation stuff. I'll now be charging $200 an hour for my expertise knowledge and skills. Just kidding. :)

Later.