First sunburn of the season!

Have you ever reached that point where you are just too tired to care anymore? And you just want to do a spring cleaning of you life? The upside is that you can usually fairly effectively dump some excess baggage from your daily going-ons. The downside is that sometimes you can start dumping things a little too enthusiastically - I know I can, anyways...

In other news - the weather today was beautiful - a little breezy, but it kept things at just the perfect temperature for going out and riding. I love riding - and I love my horse - thank you Lori and Mom and Dad! (Tommy says "thank you," too - he is a very happy boy!!!)

Pam from the second violin section has this perfect bumper sticker - "That horse smell is my aromatherapy"

Aaaaaah - breathe in deep!

Laughs of the day

First, when I was in the Dr. office this morning, I had to fill out that sheet where you "Check all symptoms that you have experienced."

Included on the list were the symptoms "Loss of bladder" and "Loss of bowel."

Boy - that would be problematic - "Ya' see, doc - I just seem to have lost my bladder. Don't know where it went or why - I just woke up and was experiencing this horrible case of lost bladder."
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These next two are courtesy of Michelle - Thanks for the laughs!! :)

1) This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. You may recognize it from email forwards. It's PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter…

Dear Mr. Thatcher,
I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the Leak Guard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills. 'Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women.

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'

Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or' Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong.'

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep. Always. . .

Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX
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2) To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine.. and those who don't.
As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria - found in feces.
In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.
However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember: Water = Poop; Wine = Health.
Therefore, it' s better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of crap.

Mom was right...

And there it is in writing.
I've decided that time is kind of like money in the bank - you always want to try and keep a little extra just in case of emergency. Well, I am learning that time is the same way - you always want to keep a little extra in case of emergency. As I have mentioned before, I really like packing my schedule nice and full - not enough to be totally stressed all the time - but enough to stay good 'n busy 'n out of trouble ;). However, having felt so completely gross as of late, and spending so much time sleeping, I finally get it. If I save up some extra time for these "just in case" situations, then sleeping extra really won't be interfering with too much. Like having money in the bank, baby.
I finally get what mom has been saying for years now. Just had to find out for myself, as usual - thanks mom :D

Speaking of sleeping - funny story to share. So I stopped by Sam's Club before orchestra on Thursday, and it really wasn't as busy as I'd expected, so I got out of there and was early to orchestra by about 45 min. So I figured I'd just lay my head down on the passenger seat and take a 15-20 minute nap until other people started to show up. It was a pretty safe idea (so I though), 'cause I never really fall asleep in my car, and I'd hear everyone else getting there and talking and opening and shutting car doors and such. But, oops - I misjudged. I didn't wake up 'til 7:02 - and, yes, rehearsal starts at 7:00. So I walk in 5 minutes late - not because I got there late, but because I got there so early! I felt really silly for that one... oh well, no harm.

Is this my excuse for skipping classes? ;)

Horoscope-of-the-day: "Stress could take a bit of a toll on you today, dear Aquarius. You might temporarily misplace your drive and ambition, and be left wondering if it's really worth it. This is not a good day to start projects, or to get involved in important discussions. If you can, stay home, relax, and get some rest. You might be skipping a few chores, but in the long run you'll be better off. Treat yourself to a good book and a pint of chocolate ice cream!"

Have I or have I not been feeling this for, oh, the last three weeks or so? But maybe this is just supporting that, yes, it is okay to skip class! :D

Oh, I suppose I'll wait 'n see what the doctor has to say, first, but it is a nice thought (well, except the ice cream part...but maybe some sorbet or sherbet or fro-yo).

Happy Monday!

p.s.

I love my new bed set - LOVE IT!!! I think I might marry it. ;)

Rest in Peace, Charleton Heston

Charleton Heston (originally Charles Carter) died yesterday night. One of the coolest actors ever, in my opinion - obviously known for films like the 10 Commandments and Ben Hur and Planet of the Apes, one of my personal favorites is actually The Omega Man. Oh, and dude - he was married to the same woman since 1944. Quite respectable for a "Hollywoodian," eh?
Rest in Peace, Charleton Heston.

am i really cut out for this?

Sometimes I just start to wonder if I'm cut out for this. I get to that point where I don't even know what to say or what to do - does that feeling - that doubt and that fear - ever go away? It has to, or how d'you ever make it through life?

Okay, so I'm sure you still get through life - that's being a little drastic - but what sorts of relationships can you truly form with people? It's funny - for being such a people-person, I sure get to that point where I don't even want to deal with people. And not because of the other "people," but because I start to drive myself crazy! What can I say and what should I say (or shouldn't), and how do I/should I react to things and am I being too judgemental or too obnoxious and why am I so quick to lay all the blame and responsibility on myself? And why am I so afraid? Even when I do have the opportunity to just be totally comfortable and be totally myself and totally open with someone I trust - I'm still reserved and afraid. Why? Where did that come from? It's different with my family, at least. I mean, I'd hope so, after 26 years (well, 23 in Scott's case) but not everyone shares the relationship with their family that I do with mine.

I am totally intrigued by intuition, too - my counselor is always telling me to trust my intuition - but what IS intuition?

Simple pleasures

Forgot to share the highlight of my week - I splurged on a new comforter and sheet set. When I don't feel well, I am all about comfort - comfort foods, comfort-smells (Horses, clean laundry and bar-soap being at the top of the list - especially Zest and Lever2000 - followed closely by gingerbread and tea with honey and lemon), and comfort-touches. So I found an alternative-down hypoalergenic comforter with a microfiber cover in a lightish blue, and a sage green egyptian cotton sheet set. All for a very reasonable price at Ross. And then I actually took my books and laptop off my bed and crawled under the covers and slept good and hard. Aaaah - so nice!
No more smoothies or fro-yo for the rest of the month, but totally worth it!
All about the simple pleasures of life...

Mmmmm...tasty

You know what is tasty? Fish oil gelcaps. They're really not that gross - but they smell perfectly awful. You know what else is tasty? Apple cider vinegar. My massage therapist recommended that I add that to my daily diet (along with the fish oil, ginger tea, pure cranberry juice, and a few other suggestions). So I was just curious about how you "take" the vinegar and how much, etc., so I googled it, and there is all this information on how good it is for you - all these purported health benefits. They're not all medically proven, but I don't see it huring anything as long as I eat bananas to keep my potassium levels up - and it is sure to increase urine acidity - So why not try it? But I haven't quite gotten used to the taste, yet - some recommend adding it to apple juice, but the most popular recommendation (including that on the bottle) is to mix 2tsp. ACV, 2tsp. honey, 2tsp. lemon juice, and 8 oz. of water. You can also add some Cayenne pepper to help flush your system, and some pure maple syrup or dark molasses for I forget why. Ewwwww. And it's the unfiltered vinegar, so it looks a little gross, but, again, it's supposed to offer the most benefits.
The next suggestion my massage therapist gave me was to fast for about 48 hours to see if that helps with the stomach pain - so only water and 16 oz. of this concoction and 16 oz. of the cranberry juice daily. I'm thinkin' I'll give it a shot starting tomorrow...but we'll see ;) Dude, and even the cranberry juice I might need to water down, 'cause we're not talking Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice "Cocktail," or even the 100% juice sweetened with apple and grape juice - we are talking pure cranberry juice reconstituted with just some water - only 9 grams of sugar per serving (vs. the 28 - 34 grams you get with even the 100% juice). Talk about some bite! But it is very good - far better than drinking vinegar ;)
You know what it reminds me of mixing up the vinegar concoction? Dyeing Easter Eggs - we used to get those colored tablets that you drop into vinegar and then use those to dye your eggs.