Y members are elitists too?

I went to swim at the Y this morning for the first time in a looong time. Let's say months. (I won't admit how many.) As I was swimming a woman asked to share my lane since it was busy. Sure. I have no problem with that. She asked what I was doing (in a nice, interested way) which is understandable. I was doing drills - the current one had me swimming back and forth on my side - so I didn't actually look like I was swimming laps. Seemed she was wanting to learn a new drill - that or make sure she wasn't jumping into a lane with a pure nut.

We started chatting about tri's because she was training for her first one too - but apparently had extensive running, swimming abd cycling experience. She asked me about my training and, since she seemed very nice and not a snotty athlete I said "I'll admit this winter's been tough for me and I've sat my ass on the sofa most of it... I'm just getting back into the swing of things!" Her response was a weird "Oh..."

I apparently assumed - incorrectly - that anyone else living in this godforsaken town (ok, to be fair the town is not godforsaken, just the winter weather...) would at least empathize if someone was severely affected by a tough winter- even if they personally were able to push through it. She reacted like I had openly admitted to being a hooker, having contracted the clap in November and therfore was unable to work during the busy holiday season.

Really? I didn't dump a 30 minute personal 6 month history on her. It was a one sentence statement. I was just merely honest that I haven't been working out because the winter had me down and I'm back in the game. C'mon - $100 80% of people in this town suffer from the same thing and I bet only 5 - 10% do any exercise about it.

Soooo - one reason I joined the Y was to get away from atheletic elitists. And yet this woman inadvertantly (hopefully) made me feel like a HUGE loser in 2 minutes flat. Thanks Robin!! (Yes. That's her name. Not even going to bother to give her a nickname.)

Note: yes, I'm totally aware that it is my own personal insecurities that really is at issue here. But it's just easier to blame Robin. So I am. : P

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

New Face!

Ok, so no plastic surgery...  Once in my life is plenty for me! 

Note: If you don't know me that well let me explain.  I'm referring to my reconstructive jaw surgery back in 1994.  I've had no face lift or anything like that.  yet.  Although I got a funny feeling an eye lift might be in my future, say in 15 or 20 years...  Just sayin'

But I've "suffered" with this crap melasma for several years now and it just won't go away despite my best efforts.  And I'm starting to see some crepe-like wrinkles around my eyes that I'm convinced are due to over 20 years of yanking on my lower lids to put in and take out contact lenses.  Funny - I'm ok with the deeper wrinkles laugh lines around my mouth and eyes.  It's the really fine, pesky ones that I see up close that have that peculiar crepe texture that scare me.

So I scheduled a chemical peel.

At the dermatologist.  No spa for me for a treatment like this!!

This is supposed to help with those fine lines and melasma.  I was going to wait because I had it in my mind that it was a few hundred bucks and took a week to recover from.  Turns out it's only $60 and only takes a day or two.  I'm having it done on a Friday afternoon. 

I'll let you know how it goes.  I have high hopes!!  But I shouldn't because it will probably take a few consecutive peels to really see anything.  But here's to a miracle in a bottle anyway!!

Winds of Change

I'm sure you've all been there at one time or another - but I'm in need of a BIG change.  Sometimes a drastic haircut (or color) does the trick.  Sometimes it takes moving across the country.  I'm working out the details, but between job disillusionment and a hell of a winter I'm greeting spring with a big middle finger. 

Not that it's spring's fault.  But since she's technically not here yet she deserves something for being late.  And if I go outside and gesture to the current season it truly deserves it too for hanging on like a bratty younger brother.  As I mentioned in a previous post, this winter really had me down.  I'm having a hard time shaking it.  It's not all winter's fault.  (but we'll blame him because it's easiest.) 

I've been in my currently location for almost 7 years.  As some of you may know, that's a long time for me in one place.  I'm sure that has something to do with it.  Well, if it were a place with nicer year-round weather and more opportunity for me I wouldn't be complaining.  But it doesn't have nice weather and there's no opportunity - so I am. 

I know - no one comes here to read me bitch.  So what I'm trying to say is this - I'm working on a big change.  Like I said before, I'm still working out the details.  As soon as I get them all straight - or at least an outline - I'll post them.  I have a feeling I'll need some moral support from friends once I put a plan in place.

I don't know how long it's going to take me to get this plan worked out.  But I'll tell you this.  It's going to start with another "decluttering" of my life.  As in "stuff".  I keep telling the hubby we have too much "stuff".  He disagrees.  Whatever.  I can't make him do anything but I sure can do something with my "stuff".  As soon as I get off this blog I'm heading over to Craigslist to list some stuff.  I feel so much more emotionally lighter when I unload myself of material things.  I'm sure there's a lot of psychological reasons as to why that is.  I think it's simply because it makes me feel more mobile.  And I mean that in the simplest of ways.  I don't have as much junk to wade through in my own home.  (man, I make it sound like we're hoarders!!  we're not.  I promise!!)  And I mean it in a deeper way - if I do move it's just easier to move less stuff, even if someone else is paying to move it.  Because let's face it - I'm still the one that has to unpack all the stuff at the other end....

Just talking about organizing has already lifted my spirits!!  I'm off to Craigslist!!  (anyone want a free antique pump organ??  It's yours if you come pick it up...)

Lots going on

I haven't posted a lot lately because I have a lot going on.  When things settle down I'll detail it all out but right now I gotta play it close to the vest.

High School Boys

The hubby said he'd take me out to brunch this morning if I went to crew practice with him first.  Hmmm....  Decisions, decisions....  They're not on the water yet (still thawing out here, you know) so they had indoor practice and today was just an "erg test".  Which is were the rowers sit on a rowing machine and go as fast as they can for 2000 meters. 

Good news was I didn't have to suffer cold and wind on the water for a free breakfast.  But I did have to endure a gym full of the hormone-driven stank that accompanies boys of this age when they work out - and that accompanies their personal hygiene that they do, or possibly don't, practice at this age.  It is a unique "musk" that I try encounter as least often as I possibly have to...

Overheard at practice:

MD (to his friend):  Hurry up man!  I want to get home and eat lunch!!

Me:  MD, it's only 10am!!

MD: Well yeah, my first lunch.  (insert "duh" eye roll here)

So here's a warning to all you parents out there with boys.  This will be you trying to feed your teenager one day.  And I don't know how many lunches a teenage boy requires.  Or breakfasts or dinners for that matter.  I didn't even ask.  So start saving now to pad your grocery bill for those teenage years to come. 

Don't say I didn't warn you!!

Add a little cutie pie to my list

I hate it when I accidentally make myself feel old...  But better to feel old than a pedophile, I say.

If you happened across FB Saturday you saw that I went to the Justin Bieber movie.  I took my "little sister" to see it.  She's 12 and a HUGE Bieber fan.  Which, I would assume you would all agree is an appropriate age to be a Bieber fan.  I was, and still am, indifferent to his music. Don't worry.  The movie did not make me into a "Bi-lie-ber".  But I have to admit that it did change my perception of the kid.

Please note I still refer to him as a "kid".  Do I think he's cute?  Sure I do - just like I might think a friends' 15 year old is growing up and is a "cute kid".  As in - a VERY NON-SEXUAL WAY.   I will hope that all the screaming moms that appeared in the movie are just obsessed with him because they wished he were their son.  Because thinking that they would obsess over him for any other reason totally makes me throw up in my mouth a little.  So for my sanity that's my assumption and I'm stickin' to it.

But I digress.

First I'd like to call out all the hostile comments on FB!!  Why the hatin' peeps??  Y'all know I love Twilight.  Why would it be so much of a leap that I'd go see the Bieber movie??  ; )

But in all honesty it wasn't all that bad.  It was a documentary after all.  So for the adults that were there providing supervision for the younger movie goers it really did provide interesting insight into the kid's background, his family and how he got to where he is today.

I'll tell you the highlights that would be interesting from an adult perspective:

• He was raised be a teen aged mother and her parents.  He has a phenomenal family that keeps him grounded.  Let's hope it stays that way.
• He really is musically talented.  They showed home video of him beating out difficult rhythms when we was probably only 4 or so.  His mom had a bunch of musical friends from church that were always jamming and those were the guys that got him into playing drums and then guitar.  (he really plays a LOT of instruments)
• He really has paid his dues.  He is not a product of the Disney or Nickelodeon "machine". 

But of course the people making the video knew the people coming to see the movie would be the little girls.  So between periods of storytelling of his background and interviews with people involved in his life, career and concerts (Usher, LA Reid, Snoop Dog, Boys II Men, among others)  there are full song performances clipped from live concerts with a back story of following Justin up to his performance at Madison Square Garden.

Did I mention this movie is in 3D??

Did I mention that a year and three days after this kid from Canada started his whirlwind journey he performed at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN?? 
As the HEADLINER?!?! 
And he sold out the venue in 22 MINUTES!!!

And who says kids don't influence their parent's buying power??

Would I suggest you go watch the movie?  Hell no!  You'd look like a pedophile scopin' out fresh meat. 
Would I suggest you rent the movie in the future?  If you want to.  That's up to you.
But I would like you to know, even you turn the station when his music comes on the radio, that this kid is for real, he's not the product of a machine and he probably will be around for a while, like it or not.

And he is a cutie pie!!!  How do you NOT want to like a cutie 16 or 17 year old that is genuine and nice and sweet?  Especially at that age, in that kind of spotlight that's a tough combination.  So I'm not ashamed to add him to my cutie pie list.

Worldly Toilets

I finally got the building owner to agree to install a new toilet in the women's bathroom in our office.  The three of us gals were getting sick of having to plunge it on a regular basis. 

But we finally got the new toilet last week.  One of those fancy two-buttoners.  Now we just have to figure out which button is which.  Being in marketing I'm NOT impressed with the icons on the buttons.  NOT intuitive.  The designer needs to be fired.  I should call Home Depot and tell them this is precisely why they are losing marketing share to Lowes....  (toilet is a Glacier Bay, HD private label brand)  I digress....

While the three of us were determining the proper uses for each button we started discussing toilets in other parts of the world. 

In Egypt I continually encountered a toilet that had a hole in the bottom with a very small plastic or rubber tube (smaller diameter of a pencil) attached under the seat that ran a small stream of water into the bowl.  There were no flushing mechanisms.  You went and the water rinsed any "extras" down to the hole.  Where did the hole lead??  I have no idea.  I encountered these types of toilets at touristy places.  However "western-type" hotels had "western-type" toilets.

My greatest toilet story ever -  Mainland China after having gone through customs via Hong Kong.  Our only woman Asian host was waiting at the car while the other men made their own pit stops or grabbed a snack before we carried on further into the mainland.  For some reason now that I can't recall I had my computer backpack on while I was standing in line at the ladies room.  I was easily a head taller than all the tiny Chinese women waiting in line with me.  When it was my turn I walked up to the stall, opened the door and shut it behind me before I even took notice of what was in the stall.  Or rather, what wasn't in the stall.

It was a hole in the floor.  Literally.  Just a hole in the floor.

I was standing there with a computer in a backpack over my shoulders staring at a hole in the floor and I was about to pee myself.  My first thought "This is why I have these quads, baby!!  Limber up!"

So I do what any American would probably do.  I faced the door, dropped my pants and did the most amazing camping squat I have ever done in my entire life.  Not a drop out of place, thank you very much!

When I got back to the car our female host, Helen, looked mortified.  She began to apologize profusely as she must have realized, too late, to give me a heads up as to what to expect.  (especially when she saw I still had my backpack on!!  I thought all the funny looks I was getting in the bathroom was because I was a tall American.  It was probably more because I obviously had a really heavy bag on my back.  Little did I know....)  She also explained that it's customary in this type of stall to walk in and continue to face the wall while "going".  Makes sense.  If someone were to accidentally walk in on you would you rather them see you all splayed out or just catch your back side???

In all fairness I should note that while in Hong Kong I only experienced "western" toilets.  And even while in mainland China - out at our factory, essentially in the "sticks", out hotel had "western-style" toilets as well.  Customs was the only place I encountered the "hole in the floor" variety. 

Of course in Europe I recall having to pay-to-pee.  Do they still do that for public restrooms?  The last few times I was in Europe I was there for work and did not have the "privledge" of having to use a public WC.

And as I'm writing this I'm wondernig if MadHatter made it all the way through this post...

Observation in Miami

This week I was in Miami Beach for work.  Tough, I know.  ; )

I went out running one afternoon.  Ok, jogging.  Ok, ok! You caught me.  I was "brisk, bouncy walking" on the boardwalk.  First time I'd been running in a month.  maybe more.... (it's been cold here!!)

I'm digressing with excuses.  What I'm trying to say is that I was people watching as I was hoofing it up and down the wooden planks.  It's Miami Beach so there were lots of retirees, little 'ol Jewish men and women,  and beautiful people, and not-so-beautiful people.  But there were a disproportionate number of gay men. 

I don't mean overtly feminine gay men.  I'm talking beautiful, pretty men.  Gorgeous men!  Men I only suspected were gay because they were strolling along with another man in a could-be-construed-as-a-romantic kind of way. 

And that got me thinking.  I have a soft spot for pretty men.  Especially back in high school.  I went through a "pretty boy" phase.  And as I was running, taking in the "scenery", I wondered how many crushes I had or how many kisses had I stolen from boys that were still in the closet?  I'm guessing quite a few...

Now that I'm married it's irrelevant.  But if I were still a single gal I suppose my new nickname could be Mercedes....

Sensuous Cuisine and a Senile Canine

BACKGROUND:
I love the hubby dearly but the one constant "discussions" in our marriage over the past *almost* seven years has been his lack of participation in the kitchen.  As in - he doesn't cook.  Notice I didn't say he "can't" cook.  He just won't.  But when he does he's fabulous at it!  (which just gets me madder 'cuz it proves he's quite competent in the kitchen.  But I digress...)  In the course of our marriage he's cooked me dinner less than 10 times.  (this does not include ordering out or making pasta and throwing jarred sauce on it.)

STORY:
So for Valentine's Day, which we really had to celebrate this weekend since we were busy last weekend and Monday, the hubby said he was going to cook me dinner!!  To me, that's the BEST GIFT EVER!!!!  I don't need anything fancy.  Just him taking time to look up a recipe, getting the ingredients and making the effort meant so much to me.  He decided he wanted to try to make an Indian dish since he loved the chicken curry he had at the Indian restaurant we went to on my birthday.  I said "go for it"!!!  He looked up a recipe online, went through the kitchen to see if we had ingredients, the whole bit!!! 

As we were making the grocery list he showed me his recipe for his chicken curry.  I asked what else he was making with it.  Apparently he was sooo proud that he came up with that recipe he didn't think he had to make anything else!  So I flipped through an Indian cookbook I had and found a spinach and split pea side dish.  But since I only had froze spinach and lentils, not split peas (I wanted to use up what I already had) I volunteered to make this dish since it required major modification to the printed recipe.

Later that evening I cleaned up the kitchen as we all know it's best to work in a clean environment.  Plus we have a "one butt" kitchen and at some point we both were going to be around the stove and we needed all the room possible.  So to that end we had to give the dogs each a "special treat".  One of those chewies that would take them a looong time to eat to keep them out of our way.  They both sat on the floor in the dining room - on the edge of the kitchen - eating their treats.  That way they could see us, be close to us but out of the way.  Each time they might try to get up we'd give them the "stay" hand to keep them there.  They must have realized we were doing serious work in the kitchen because even though they finished their treats they stayed right there and behaved.  Well, for a while...

The hubby was well into making his chicken curry and the kitchen smelled WONDERFUL!!  We were, for the first time, probably ever, working so well together in the kitchen.  I was also in the middle of making my modified spinach and lentils. In other words - we both were actively cooking in the kitchen - when the hubby  looked at me at the sink and said " Uh oh!!!  Liam!!! Get Liam!!"

I looked around and Liam had gotten up from his spot on the floor and was walking through the kitchen to the back door, POOPING on the kitchen floor as he went!!

AGH!!!!!!!

I'd like to say I instantly reacted but I didn't.  I panicked.  I had to stop and figure out what was going on and what I had to do.  The hubby couldn't stop what he was doing but I could so I quickly went and washed my hands, and ran to the back door to let him out.  Then ran back to the kitchen, grabbed poop bags and started cleaning up his mess.  YUCK!! The wonderful Indian aromas were now overpowered by dog poo!  I admit, there were some unsavory words coming out of my mouth as I was cleaning up the mess.... 

I was P-I-S-T, pissed!  The hubby was trying to talk me down from my sudden burst of anger.  The dog is old, he can't help it, he doesn't realize what he's doing, etc...  But it really wasn't helping.  I finally get my hubby to make me dinner and the dog poops in the kitchen?!?!  REALLY?!?!

Finally I calmed down, finished cleaning the mess and let the dog back in.  Then eventually the hubby confessed a little while earlier that Liam tried to get up and he told him to stay.  Liam probably was trying to get up to go to the door because he had to go.  But being a Golden Retriever, and living to please their humans, he laid back down and stayed there like he was told.  Finally he probably couldn't hold it anymore and just got up and couldn't make it to the door....  Poor dog...

Needless to say we got things calmed back down after "the incident", finished cooking and had a fabulous dinner of chicken curry, spinach and lentils with basmati rice and naan.  Yumm!!!

Excuse me!

I think I know why I get so irritated with boss man. 

On a pretty regular basis he insults me in a backhanded way without even realizing it.  Or so I assume he doesn't realize it.  And it's not in a "I'm insulting you in a trying-to-be-funny way" either.  It's more of a "I don't think you're intelligent enough to understand" kind of way.  He's just completely clueless. 

I'm trying to shrug it off  - but really!!  How does this man have two adult daughters and a seemingly lovely wife?!?!  I don't get it!!  Arg!!

Why I don't hang out with Stacey and Clinton

It's not that I don't want to dress cute.  Every once in a while I really do try and only end up reminding myself why it's safest for all if I just stick with my Eddie Bauer khaki's and LL Bean sweaters.

I have this cute simple dress that I picked up last year.  It's classy for the office but it has no sleeves.  No problem!  Cardigan!!  Even when I bought it I was thinking "Perfect!  I can wear it in the office with a cute cardigan now and throw some tights on with it when it gets cold!"  See - even I can think ahead!

But as I'm sure you've heard on the news - it's been a bit nippy here this year - even for us.  So I haven't pulled out the dress and tights yet.  But this morning it warmed up and with it being Valentine's Day I thought it would be a perfect occasion to break out a dress!

This dress is a three color block dress.  So for a little added visual oomph I decided to wear black tights with a cable knit pattern instead of just plain old black. 

In retrospect I should have left a pattern tight to a seasoned fashionista.

I spent TEN MINUTES trying to get the stripes of the cable knit pattern straight on my legs!!!  TEN MINUTES!!!

Finally I said screw it and just opted for the plain black.  Otherwise I never would have made it to work.  (I wasn't going to make it on time anyway...  this was taking so long I was bound to use up all morning on the stupid things...) 

I just wanted all of you to know that I actually have it in me to try to dress well.  But I apparently sabotage myself.... 

101 Practical Uses for Panty Liners

Other than their original, intended purpose of course.

I've decided this would be the best book EVER.  Think about it!!  Think of all the women that have panty liners in their bathrooms. 

All pre-menopausal women have them because, well, because of their intended purpose.  And I'm guessing almost all post-menopausal women use them as pee pee catchers 'cuz it's less embarrassing buying panty liners than Depends....  Trust me - I've seen some ladies buying them that I'm positive are waaay past baby-carrying age.  Just sayin'.

And let's be real.  Don't you just love it when you find a new use for something you already have?  I especially love it when this happens in the kitchen and I don't have to buy a new gadget.  (Don't worry - I think I'll still prefer using a kitchen towel or Bounty to sop up a spill versus a panty liner. Although if in a pinch....)

So help me out.  I have three to get us started.

1.  My good friend, Ms. Lib, uses them as an anti-chaffing mechanism in some of her shoes.  When we were getting ready to walk all day at Disney I caught her wrapping the ball of her foot in a panty liner before putting on her sneakers.  She explained her sneakers tend to rub a blister on her foot and the liner stays on way better than a band aid.  Band aids, and other things like it, tend to roll up and off and cause even more problems.  The liner stays put.  Ingenious!

2.  If I haven't mentioned it, I sweat.  A lot.  When it's hot, cold, I'm nervous, calm.  Doesn't matter.  This is definitely a problem when I have to wear a suit and wear a spaghetti-strap cami under the jacket.  You see where I'm going with this....

Yes, that's right.  I pinned panty liners with wings into the pits of my suit jacket.  Worked like a charm!

3.  I seem to remember a friend using them as shoe insoles to help with sweaty feet in shoes where you don't wear socks.  Adhesive to help stay in place, quick absorption of sweaty feet and odor control!  Plus they're easy and cheap enough to pull out, through away and replace with a new pair.

Any other fabulous ideas???

Bummer dude

I had an excruciatingly frustrating and disappointing Monday and Tuesday.  I don't want to hear about it or deal with it anymore.  I'll just leave it at that. 

Oh -  and I'm really getting sick of snow and "freeze the nose off yer face" temperatures.

Now I'm done.

Thank you.

Dam ice!!!!

I mean, ice dam!!!  We have stupid ice dams on our roof!!  This winter has been crazy, snow, warm up, snow, re-freeze, repeat.  Thus this cycle has caused us to have ice dams.  In the almost 7 years we've lived in our house we've never experienced it this badly until this year.  And then we get this:



spot above my head in our bedroom....

  Which means we have a BAD ice dam.  We called up a company to come get on the roof and break up the ice.  Which they did.  For a few hundred dollars.  Of course I asked how they did it.  (because there were more ice dams forming on the roof and darned if I was going to be shelling out more dough if I could get up there and take of it myself!!)

Ice picks!

Duh!

So I went out and got me a roof rake and some ice picks! 

Where was the hubby during all of this?  Out of town. 

So after work this week I've been going home, changing into my "winter attire": smartwool tights, ski pants, ski parka, "baklava" the hubby got me for Christmas (or as most people call it, a balaclava...), smartwool socks, ski gloves, hat and most importantly, a head lamp!!!  'Cuz by the time I get home it's getting dark out there folks!!!  I then bring out the extend-able ladder, and get up on the roof and start chiseling away.  I need that headlamp because otherwise I wouldn't be able to see what in the world I was doing!!

Go ahead.  Make a mental image of me in this get-up.  And I wonder why our neighbors think I'm weird.  I think I'm finally beginning to understand...  Add the boob-flashing incident and I'm clearly the neighborhood crazy!!  (and I was SO sure it was the lady in the house with the yard full of flowers and plants and NO grass... humph....)

Never fear!  I have informed my next door neighbor of my antics important homeowner work so he can come outside every 30 minutes and laugh at me check on me to make sure I'm ok. 

By myself it is slow going.  I have a few more tricks up my sleeve but I will need to wait until the weekend.  I was trying to get a lot of snow chunks off before the "HUGE winter storm" hit last night.  Luckily it petered out when it got here.  We got about 4 " (so far) and for us that's nuthin'.

Apparently I'm not the only one in town with this idea.  The single prong style ice picks are all sold out in town so I had to settle for the multi-prong style, as seen here:

 I purchased 2 for less than $4 each.  However they each now look something like this:

Dont' get me wrong!  They still get the job done!  But I think I'd probably have better luck with the single prong style, since these ones are apparently aspiring to that style.  I guess that's what all the "cool" kids want to be... 

Staying young

The secret to staying young?



I'm not talking stupid beauty creams.  People get over it.  Skin wrinkles and sags.  It's called gravity. 

But of course I'm talking about your state of mind. 

To stay young always try something new!!!

Be it a place, idea, activity or food! 

But just try it.  Open your mind.  It might not end up like you thought. 
It might end up better and you might find the new love of your life!  (new hobby, perhaps??)
It might end up worse and then you have great stories that start with "well, it sounded like a good idea at the time... "

So I tried something new on my birthday. 
The hubby and I went to a great Indian restaurant and I tried goat.

I was going to get lamb, which I've eaten before, just not at an Indian place.  But the hubby heard the goat was less gamey.  So I went for it. 

I guess the emphasis being on "less gamey" - meaning it's still "gamey"....  The least gamey parts were fine.  Just tasted like braised beef.  But most of the other parts were a little too gamey with lots of connective tissue for my delicate pallet.  Andrew Zimmern I'm not.  But over all it wasn't bad.  But I'll stick with dosa next time, thanks.

Andrew Zimmern in Mongolia eating lord-knows-what....
(photo courtesy of the Travel Channel)