Messes

Another inspired blog post comes from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants..

One of the quotes in there (remember, the books are sprinkled with meaningful insights) said that it's okay to make a mess sometimes. I guess we could talk about making a mess of one's life. But, the first thing that came to my mind was my closet. I remained unorganized (except for work clothes) for a good 3 months until this week! Yup, a milestone I tell you. I found a home for every piece of clothing I own. Finally, I'm organized!! It only took me three months, but I can actually find things I'm looking for now.

I also feel like my life is cleaning up too. Life in Sacramento is solidifying....Fun Fun Fun!

Stealth Health

For a while we've been embracing the 14 Super Foods. Today, I came across another philosophy of working health into my life while being almost as stealthy and sneaky as the mosquitoes last weekend. The top 10 list comes from an article in the Chicago Tribune: Stealth Health: Healthy habits in small doses

Stealth Health Top 10
1. Drink a cup of tea in the morning.
2. Walk for 30 minutes a day.
3. Quit smoking.
4. Have a glass of wine every evening.
5. Take five minutes a day, close your eyes in a quiet room and practice deep breathing.
6. Talk to a friend (whether in person on the phone or via e-mail) every day.
7. Eat fish twice a week.
8. Take a multivitamin with minerals.
9. Eat whole, natural foods rather than boxed or processed foods.
10. Get a good night's sleep.

These seem pretty manageable. I like tea. I LOVE walking. I don't smoke. Number 4 might be a problem...being as I don't drink much alcohol. Prioritizing quiet deep breathing each day will be very good for me. Friends are all around me (and I'm the queen of e-mail) so I've got # 6 covered. I like fish, but I don't keep track of how often I eat it. I should get back into the habit of taking those multivitamins...oh, and the calcium chews. I found the local co-op grocery store, so I'm working on the natural foods. Sleep...that might be the most difficult. I've been staying pretty busy (with the whole friends and activities thing) that I haven't gotten much sleep. I'll work on that one.

Good Luck to you for integrating Stealth Health into your daily routine!

Smoking Breaks

Today, I exercised my right to a smoking break. No, I don't smoke. That's disgusting! Have you smelled smoke? Gross! Have you seen pictures of smoker's lungs? Grosser!

But, have you noticed that smokers always have a reason to go outside and take a break? Today, we exercised that right, even though we don't smoke. We took a little trip across the street to Starbuck's.

Aren't you proud of me, Sis?

I tried the Green Tea Frappucino. Let me tell you. It was scrumptious!!! Totally good! Yumm!

What if I'm starting to warm up to the idea of Starbuck's as an OK place to spend my money. Is that so wrong?

Pondering

Here's the real quote to ponder (in case you didn't ponder it over the weekend, like I told you to).

"Nothing is too wonderful to be true."
-Michael Faraday

Taken from The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares

Silence and Stealth

So, it's Tuesday now...and I planned to log on and tell you about the silent stealthy mosquitoes that attacked us this weekend. Only, now I realize that the last post was about bugs. (I'd completely forgotten about the bug that flew into my eye. That was rude!)

Anyway, we went backpacking this past weekend, and the mosquitoes were not the "buzz in your ear" kind. They were silent. Yes, they still bit. I felt it was kind of unfair of them not to warn me by buzzing, but then again, if they were buzzing, I would've been super annoyed by the buzzing. There's no winning with mosquitoes. They are just gross.

Yes, we had repellant and we applied it every hour on the hour. I think after 24 hours the mosquitoes were used to the taste of it... I slept under the stars (no tent) the first night and woke up without a bite. But the next day...the mosquitoes spared me no sympathy. Oh well, they are not as bad as spider bites. They go away much quicker and itch a lot less!

I got spider bites too, don't worry.

I'm sure it sounds like I shouldn't be out in the woods because I'm complaining about the bugs. But, actually, I didn't get frustrated with them or annoyed at all. I was at piece with the bugs. There were no complaints from me. I guess it's only in the urban environment that I become a drama queen and have wars with them.

The weekend in the woods, of course, was fabulous! I rolled around in snow patches despite the near 100 degree weather. So much fun!

Bugs (again)

Let me preface this post with the fact that I am (again) covered in bug bites. I think it is a mix of spiders and mosquitoes this time. I have been noticing the bites when they are fresh, but not seeing the bugs... I have run into several spider webs lately. You know how you just feel them run across your arm or your face (eww!) when you're walking? I hate that!

Anyway, as if the bugs aren't doing enough to me, this morning I was attacked. A little tiny bug flew right into my eyeball while I was out for my morning run. The nerve of that guy! It just sat there in the corner of my eye. I had to wipe it out. Gross!

The end.

Weekend Pondering

I started reading the Second Summer of the Sisterhood last night...It's the sequel to the Traveling Pants book. Did you know there's a third book too? There's so much to enjoy with Carmen, Tibby, Lena, and Bee.

Anyway, there is added fun in the books with ponderable quotes sprinkled throughout. I don't have it with me, so I can't quote it exactly, but the opening quote said something like:

"Nothing is too good to be true". (I'll give the quoter credit at a later date)

With all of the pessimism and hate in the world today, sometimes it's hard to believe that things can actually be good, just to be good. Munch on this one...and appreciate the good things this weekend!

Midnight Snacks

Some people say it's bad to eat right before bed. Tonight, I got so sweaty doing the dishes (well the hot bath prior to doing the dishes probably didn't help) that I needed to cool off. That's when I heard the pint of Ben & Jerry's 'Everything but the' ice cream hollering from inside the freezer. It had been hollering so loud and for so long in order to penetrate the insulated freezer door that it gave a huge sigh of relief when I opened the freezer. No kidding. I heard the sigh. I promise.

I don't know how some people can actually put the lid back on a pint of Ben & Jerry's and put it back in the freezer. That is so hard! My spoon usually goes on auto-shovel (it's a lot like auto pilot, but for ice cream digging) and my tongue caresses the spoon with every bite, encouraging it to continue shoveling. The next thing I know, the ice cream is gone! Can you believe the label says 4 servings per container? I think we all know, that the container is the perfect size for a midnight snack!

Sleep well.

Cute Burping

After writing yesterday's commentary on burping, I spent the evening hanging out at the pool. A very cute little boy was frolicking with his family and having a great time. At one point, he was sitting on the side of the pool and a huge (I mean huge) burp came out of his little body. He said covered his mouth and said "Excuse Me" while giggling. He seemed just as surprised as everyone else at the size of his burp. I thought it was great that he was covering his mouth and said the proper words! It was so perfectly timed for our lessons on burping etiquette, that I had to share it with you.

Discussion of Burps

People are always disgusted when I burp. I'm not sure why. And I'm not sure what they expect me to do about it. If I supress the burp, will it come out the other end? (I've been meaning to practice that, but I think that's more gross). So, it's a constant dilemma. Gas comes up, makes a noise on it's way out, and people say "Wingnut! That's gross!"
I say "What am I supposed to do about it?".
They say "Not burp!".

How do I do that? Well, today this website (Why do I Burp?) popped up on the side of my gmail. Now we can all learn about the natural workings of our airways. I'll tell you now though, their only advice is to 1) Try to burp quietly and 2) To say "excuse me". My sister helped me get #2 down pat. I'm good about that. As for burping quietly....it's a little tougher.

Last note: You may read the article on burping and think that I eat fast (which causes burping sometimes). Trust me, I do not eat fast. I have only recently met someone that eats slower than I do. Of course, most of you know me, and know that I eat slow because you've all sat at a restaurant for hours waiting for me to finish my food.

The end.

Wingnut's Weekend Highlights

I got cable! Have you ever seen a cable lady? I looked out my window Sat AM and announced "The Cable Guy is here", only it turned out to be a cable lady. She was great! (It took her an hour to figure out all the wires and hookups in my building, but now I'm all squared away.) I was able to start the week with a little bit of Katie Couric with my Corn Pops this morning :)

You have to know that for me, getting cable was an event I've been looking forward to for MONTHS. This is very big.

In other highlights, I was treated to a delicious breakfast at The Fox and Goose (a cool british pub in downtown Sac). The peach blackberry scone with devonshire cream was heavenly! (Why do I always end up talking about food?)

Saturday afternoon, I made a lasagne for my friend's birthday party...That night was the birthday party. We gorged on delicious ribs and other treats and played a great game of Trivial Pursuit.

Sunday morning, Wingnut's racing abilities were tested to the max. I made a place for myself at least. It was a one mile race, and I came in last!!! Of course, I hammed it up for the cameras and there are pictures of me with my tongue sticking out, and arms raised high as I crossed the finish line. Maybe next time someone slower than me will have the nerve to sign up for the race. Until then, I'm happy to bring up the rear. (I did feel bad for the race official on a bicycle who had to go really slowly behind me, to make sure I finished.... I couldn't look at them, I was too embarrassed....but was greatful to have the support!)

Three hours of Sunday afternoon were spent in a half-alert state zonked in front of the TV. The 8 minutes of running really did me in!

After resting, I was ready for a fun Sunday evening BBQ (more ribs) with new friends. We played Cranium. That is a fun party game! Every host should get the game Cranium...or guests should bring the game as a gift to the host.

Now, it's Monday, and I'm chuggin' along. I hope my readers had great weekends as well!

Thorns & Rubber

I'm a true cyclist now. I experience my first flat tire last night. And my second flat tire! Our fearless leader just brushed the thorns off his tires while riding through them, and failed to mention to the rest of us that we were riding over thorns... Hmm..

Thankfully the crew (especially fearless leader) was nice enough, and prepared enough, to change my flats for me :) I was the dimwit with a tube that didn't work on my bike. At least, now I know.

All in all, it was a great ride, and some of our crew benefitted from a 30 minute nap during the tire changing chore.

That's that, stay tuned for Weekend Adventure stories!!!

Pearly Whites

My teeth checked out very well at the dentist this morning. I got lots of praise for how clean I keep my mouth. It turns out that I still have two wisdom teeth! I thought they were gone. I guess not.

Of course, after they spent two hours scraping, x-raying, and examining my pearly whites, I was hesitant to eat. I didn't want to dirty up my clean teeth.

The hunger won. I ate. Lunch was good :) The teeth are still feeling pretty clean. I guess they must do a good job in order for it to last for 6 months.

While the hygienist was working in my mouth, scraping and tidying all of my teeth, I felt like a monkey being groomed by another monkey. Sometimes it amazes me how animalistic we are in our sophisticated society of human technology.

It's not a goat, It's not an antelope

Nope, it's not a Goat-A- Lope. My favorite animal at the Wild Animal Park in San Diego this weekend was the Aoudad(pronounced 'oo-dad'). As our tram driver said, "An Aoudad is an Aoudad". Actually, it's a sheep! Here's some info on Aoudads. At least click to see the picture. You don't have to read all about them.

They are just what I imagined when I heard the tale of the Billy Goat Gruff as a kid. You know the one where the Gruff goats are under the bridge and you have to get permission to pass, or something like that....

An Exploration of Tears

I don't know about you, but my eyes are pretty sensitive and tend to water at just about anything. A little breeze, a sappy movie, and of course when I get sunblock in them. This past weekend, Dad was kind enough to dab at the tears streaming down my face. My eyes were watering in the hot sun of San Diego (probably due to the sunblock I had applied liberally).

I had to inform Dad that I don't like my tears dabbed. If they get wiped up, then more tears have to fall because the previous tear didn't get all the way down the track. I like to think of my tears as little entities racing down my cheek. I make bets on which ones will get all the way to my neck. It's a fun game, especially if you're really crying. Most of all, I feel like it's the best way to cleanse my eyes...just let the tears drop all the way, clearing the path for the next ones.

Country Celebrations

Today, Celebrate Canada.
July 1st: Happy Canada Day!!!

Monday, Celebrate the USA
Happy Fourth of JULY!!!!


Let there be cake!