Over the Weekend

First of all, I want to thank you all so much for your comments yesterday about our interview!  M.'s status was approved and he is now a conditional resident.  We'll have to submit more paperwork in a couple of years, but I'm glad to have the better part of an expensive and time-consuming process out of the way.  I love my husband, but I've been pretty tempted to use using this for leverage when it comes to household chores and deciding who goes to pick up our takeout and dry cleaning. 

We went out on Saturday night to a party at Ann Underfunded Humanity's place, and it was a great time.  I had intended to take some photos of the party, since a few stylish academics were about the place, but once I had a glass of wine in one hand and a plate of food in the other, that ship had sailed.  In fact, I only remembered to get photos of my own outfit after we got home that night.¹  So these were taken with the nighttime profile setting on my point-and-shoot.

 1. Yellow Dress - Signature by Robbie Bee (remixed)

Black Dress - Y Boutique (remixed)

Shoes - Ann Klein (remixed from my wedding)

Belt - From another dress (remixed)

Purse - Harrods (gift and remixed)

I also feel compelled to come clean about something goal-related.  Over the weekend I was supposed to run a half-marathon, but I decided not to the night before the race.  I've been having a really hard time getting in my long training runs and even some of my shorter runs in as I deal with this last round of revisions before my defense and the chaos of finishing up the semester at the small liberal arts college where I've been a visiting faculty member this year.  I decided to remove running from the list of stressors for the time being.  I'll still run when I feel like it and to relieve stress, but I won't feel anxious or guilty because I only ran 2 miles instead of 12.  Right now I just don't need anything else causing me anxiety or guilt even if it means not meeting my goal of running three half-marathons this year.

What tactics do you have for dealing with stress? How are you doing with your goals or New Year's resolutions?