My Birthday
Saturday the 21st was my thirty fifth birthday. While some people may view thirty-five as a momentous birthday I really haven’t given it much thought. I don’t feel thirty-five, or at least not as old as I imagined thirty-five to be when I was twenty. When I look back at my life I’m mostly surprised to find myself where I am. I never really had a grand plan for life (marriage by a certain age, kids, career, etc) so I’ve never known what to expect. I never imagined I’d be living in Oklahoma of all places but now that I’m here it’s home. Sometimes when I’m walking out to feed the chickens I’m amazed I actually own ten acres of land and a house. I’m a little disappointed I don’t have kids yet but that’s just because I can’t work up the courage or maturity to actually make that kind of commitment. I’m hoping I’ll get over this “I need my freedom” thing soon so I’m not forty and having my first kid. I have some regrets like everyone does. I regret that I’m not more financially secure. I regret that I didn’t finish college earlier. I regret that I’ve let some important friendships dwindle away. Most of all though I’m happy where I am and I’m happy with my life. So far I’ve liked my thirties much more than my twenties so the way I see it life is only going to get better.
Since it was my birthday we had about 15 friends over for food and drinks. The evening ended with Larry rolling around in the grass hiccupping and giggling like a little girl. Although Larry drinks he rarely gets drunk. Saturday night however he would not rest until the tequila bottle was empty. He was quite amusing although he didn’t feel so amusing in the morning. I imbibed my fair share of tequila as well, mind you, but I stopped around 12:30 and was perfectly happy to put the bottle back in the freezer. Oh well, he didn’t hurt anything but his head. Altogether the evening was very enjoyable although there was an incident in front of the bonfire involving me, a thin skirt and an unintentional peepshow. All I have to say is I wasn’t aware of the exposure and those boys shouldn’t have been looking anyways.
Facials
I splurged the other day and got myself a facial. This is only the third facial I’ve ever had and I love them. They are extremely relaxing and you skin feels so clean and soft afterwards. The esthetician confirmed for me what I had suspected – I have the beginnings of rosacea. This doesn’t surprise me. It’s common among people of Celtic descent and my dad has a mild case of it. She said I can probably control it easily enough with the right treatments if it stays mild. She gave me some samples of Cutanix Dramatic Relief to try. It should do the trick. Just the one application she administered in the office made a difference.
Rock and Roll and Babies
Tonight we’re going to see The White Stripes in OKC. I’m so excited! Its been a few years since I’ve been to a show that wasn’t in a bar. I’ve gotten lazy in my old age and refuse to drive 90 minutes just to see a band. I’m making the exception for The White Stripes though because I think it will be a kickass show. We do get some big acts in Tulsa but no one’s come through lately that I just had to see. The last bands we saw were Cake and Reverend Horton Heat at the legendary Cain’s Ballroom (legendary for country music). I wish now I had gone to the Snoop Dogg/Chili Peppers show a couple of weeks ago. Diane, who is nine months pregnant, went to the show in Albuquerque and had a great time. Actually Diane is no longer pregnant, she gave birth yesterday to an 8 lb. healthy baby boy. I don’t know if I have the spelling right but his name is Haris Adel Dimidzic. Haris is Diane’s husband and Adel was Haris’s brother who was killed in the Bosnian War (Haris is from Bosnia). Diane and I had a very long talk about babies yesterday and now my uterus hurts. What does this mean?
Friday Five
1. How are you planning to spend the summer [winter]? Mostly working. I’m going to be busy at the office for the next few weeks and then I’ll spend time promoting my other business. No real vacation for me this summer.
2. What was your first summer job? Exercising and feeding horses and cleaning out their stalls.
3. If you could go anywhere this summer [winter], where would you go? Ireland or to my parents to spend time on their boat.
4. What was your worst vacation ever? I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad vacation although there was the time in high school we went camping and it started to snow and someone got hypothermia but John and I had yummy strawberry pie at the Strawberry Inn so it turned out to be nice.
5. What was your best vacation ever? I’ve always had a good time in Las Vegas, especially when Larry and I got married. And we had an excellent time last July in Orange County for my dad’s family reunion.
I read John’s photo gallery post about our trip and it’s a pretty accurate description except for one thing – we never drove through Nevada. That picture is of a rest stop just outside of Needles, Ca. It all looks the same so I guess the distinction is trivial…but still. Thinking about that trip has me now thinking about future trips. I love to travel, especially in the car, and now I’m itching to go somewhere else. My possible future road trips would be: New Orleans (food and culture), Cleveland (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a side trip to Lake Erie and possibly Pittsburgh), Chincoteague Island, Va (in-laws vacation spot plus a chance to drop in on The Silveria’s), and Seattle (family, friends and scenery), although Seattle is probably a plane trip. Now, given that Larry has class until the end of July and then starts up again mid August, I doubt if we’ll go to any of these places soon. I am scheduled to go to a Personal Chef convention in Kansas City, Mo in August but I don’t think there’s much to do in KC other than eat BBQ. Oh well, at least I’ll get to go somewhere new, something I love to do.
Thought I would make a post about our busy weekend. Larry surprised me Saturday by taking me to a wine festival in a town about an hour away. For an Oklahoma wine I thought the wine was surprisingly good and then I found out they get 80% of their grapes from California. We tasted about five or six different wines and then went on a tour of the town and the future site of the winery. I also bought my first piece of “art” ever at a festival. It’s an original etching (not a silk screen) of Pope Potato Head Clement VIII. As the history goes, Pope Clement VIII baptized coffee sometime in the Middle Ages, thus making it safe for all Christians to drink. Before then it was considered a heathen beverage, drunk only by Moslems. Of course the artist changed it up a bit by depicting the Pope as Mr. Potato Head blessing a cup of coffee. I love it. It was already mounted and framed so we brought it straight home and hung it up.
On Fathers’ Day we picked up Kyrielle and went out for lunch and then to a movie. We decided on Joe’s Crab Shack and although the food was tasty the service was extremely poor. We were seated right away on the patio but no one ever came out to take our order. Other people who were seated on the patio after us had their orders taken. Larry was about ready to go inside when the hostess came out and asked if anyone had taken our order. She took our drink order and disappeared. A while later a waiter came by and asked if anyone had served us yet. He took our food order and disappeared. A few minutes later another waitress appeared and announced she was our server and could she help us. We explained two other people had already taken our orders. Our drinks showed up a few minutes later followed by our food. Everything appeared to be fine until Larry noticed they got his order wrong. He specifically asked for no blue cheese on his Cobb Salad but they dumped it all over it anyways. I also had requested a new packet of silverware since mine had crude all over the napkin and they never brought out a new one. Luckily my salad came with its own fork so I could eat it. I’m usually very tolerant when it comes to service in a restaurant because I know how hard those people work but this was ridiculous. The restaurant wasn’t even that crowded. That was only the second time I can remember not leaving a tip when I paid for my food. The first time was when Larry and I had a similar experience at a Cracker Barrel. We waited forever to be served; the food was COLD, and then our server WENT HOME half way through our meal, stranding us at our table with no ticket. Finally we went up to the cashier and complained. The manager came up, asked us what the problem was, acted like nothing was wrong and then tried to charge us for our meal. I told him we weren’t paying. He seemed pissed but didn’t argue. I have never been back to a Cracker Barrel. The movie we saw was “Finding Nemo.” It was ok…I was expecting better so I was disappointed. Larry actually fell asleep and started to snore in the theater so I had to jab him. That was one of the more exciting parts of the movie.
Sunday evening ended on a sad note. When Larry went out to feed the dogs, he found Strahd, his dog of fourteen years, dead in the porch corner. It appears he just laid down and died. I know he was old but I still find it odd. On Friday night I commented to Larry how young Strahd was acting while he played with his favorite toy, the squeaky newspaper. He certainly didn’t act like a dog who was suffering from the effects of old age. My guess is that he had a heart attack or stroke (he was overweight) and simply expired. We buried him out in the field. Larry was a bit shaken at finding him like that but he seems to be ok with it. I’m just glad Strahd lived a long life and died (I hope) peacefully.
I meant to bring this up in my earlier comment to Sean's post but didn't have time. Has any one read The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon? It is a Pulitzer winning novel centered around the birth of the comic book industry. For someone who has virtually no knowledge of or interest in comic books, I found the book to be very interesting. Chabon, drawing on the Jewish backgrounds of the Superman creators, purports the original comic book heroes were actually inspired by a medieval Jewish mythological hero, the Golem of Prague. The Golem, a superhuman size collasus made from the mud of a certain Czech river and imbued with superhuman strength was believed to be the savior and protector of the Jewish people in Europe. The Jews believed the Golem would rise from its secret hiding place at its time of greatest need, rescuing the Jews from their ultimate peril. Long consider just a fanciful myth, the story of the Golem became popular again in the 1930's when Hitler began to implement his Final Solution. The Superman creators, probably possessing full knowledge of the Golem, essentially created a modern Golem as a means to express much of the fear and anxiety felt by people all over the world at the rise of Nazi Germany. The book also explores many themes of alienation from the alienation of immigrants fresh to this shore, to homosexuals trying to live in the 1940's and the alienation of real life heros trying to save those around them while struggling with their own inner demons. Sean and John both brought up the theme of alienation in X2. I believe alienation has been the cornerstone of comic books from the beginning. Superman, Batman, the X-men are popular because they battle the manifestions of all our secret fears and neurosis, while struggling with their own inner torments. It's a highly stylized and animated version of the internal struggles we all go through to grow and mature as people. There's a lot more to the book then just the birth of the comic but if you're interested at all in comic books or graphic novels, I recommend it for its comparative literature analyses in addition to its researched history of the whole industry. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
I've dried and styled my hair since my last post and now I'm thinking the pink doesn't look all that bad. It has faded a lot since yesterday and it does contrast nicely with the blonde. It's actually now a kind of purplish pink. My biggest concern is what to wear with it. I have quite a few tops in red shades and they definetly do not go with the pink. I could just go in and have her fix it but I'm afraid that would only fry my hair. My hair is very sensitive to chemicals (hence the pink!) and the only thing worse than pink hair would be fried pink hair. I'm going to wait a few days and then see what I think. I have no problems going out in public or even wearing it to work. In fact I'm looking forward to the comments. If I get tired of it in a few days I will do something about it but for now I'll just be the girl with pink hair!
FRIDAY FIVE
1. What's one thing you've always wanted to do, but never have?
I only get one? I've always wanted to ride a horse on the beach. I want to take a walking tour of southern France and Italy. And I want to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland!
2. When someone asks your opinion about a new haircut/outfit/etc, are you always honest?
If I know them real well and I know they won't be offended by my honesty.
3. Have you ever found out something about a friend and then wished you hadn't? What happened?
I don't think so. I'm pretty nonjudgemental.
4. If you could live in any fictional world (from a book/movie/game/etc.) which would it be and why?
I always wanted to be the little boy from My Friend Flicka because he got to live on a horse ranch. It would also be cool to go to Hogwart's. And then there's Brigadoon.
5. What's one talent/skill you don't have but always wanted?
Like Brie I wish I could sing. I love to sing but no one love's to hear it!
OTHER STUFF
I'm home today and have been working my butt off catching up on chores. The bigger the baby chickens get the messier they get. It's downright disgusting. Being birds they'll poop anywhere, including in their water and food containers. I've spent a good part of the morning cleaning out their tubs and washing their containers. The ferret cage is next. If you ever consider getting a ferret, don't. They're very cute and they're fun to play with but they also make a tremendous mess in their cages and they stink. The dogs have also made a tremendous mess in their room (an enclosed patio) so I get to clean that later as well. Yay!
Ok...enough talk about poop. I went to the salon yesterday for a cut and a color. I wanted to put red streaks in my hair as a contrast to the blonde. The coloring process didn't work out quite as expected and I now have pink hair. Actually its blonde with pink streaks. I didn't want to stay and have her fix it then so I told her I would go home, wash it and see what I thought. Actually it looks kinda cool but the pink does not go with my skin tone. I think I'm going to go back in and see if she can make it more orange. If she can't we'll have to die the streaks brown to cover them up.
That's it for now. Since I'm tired of working outside I'm going to do some laundry and clean up the bedroom. I plan on doing my yoga later as well, before Larry gets home. Talk to you later.
My apologies for not posting in awhile. I had every intention of posting earlier but life sort of got in the way. So here’s what been on my mind lately.
Diet and Exercise
It seems most (if not all) of us have recently started a fitness/wellness regimen. We all know we should do it but actually seeing it through can be a tremendous challenge. I think this blog forum is an excellent medium for us to connect and keep each other motivated. When I hear others are laboring through their workouts (as much as they’d rather be doing something else), it encourages me to keep trying.
My Body and What I’m Trying to do About It
I weighed myself on Sunday and I’m 150 pounds. This is roughly what I weighed in high school. It wouldn’t appear that I’ve gained weight but I have gained inches and this bothers me. What it tells me is that I’ve lost muscle tone and replaced it with body fat. This is not good. We don’t have home weights and I’m not a big fan of the gym so I’m trying to tone my body through yoga and floor exercises. I’m also walking and bike riding for the cardio workout and to burn fat. I started this little exercise kick last week and so far I’ve walked twice and done yoga three or four times. The good news is I’ve worked out now two days in a row and this evening will make it three. I just need to make it part of my daily routine. Larry is taking two summer courses and will be in school four nights a week for the next six weeks. This is good and bad. While I’ll certainly miss our time together it will give me some alone time in the evenings so I can workout. It’s so much harder to workout by myself when he’s there because we can always find something else to do. I’m hoping by the time his classes are through I will have made working out a habit and I’ll continue to do it. I’ve also made some changes to my diet. I’m making myself eat breakfast every morning (Kashi Go Lean), I’m trying to eat more whole foods and less processed ones, I’m drinking soy milk in addition to my regular skim dairy, I’m eating more fruits and veggies and I’m drinking more water. Larry is trying to eat better as well. I wish I could convince Larry he needs to exercise too. I know he’s on a tight schedule with work and school but exercising would boost his energy throughout the day, making his schedule seem much less arduous. I can’t tell him that though – he just thinks I’m nagging.
Yoga
I ordered two new yoga DVD’s from Amazon (Yes, that cursed company!). I got Crunch! The Ultimate Yoga Workout and Yoga For Every Body. I really don’t now much about these routines other than how people rated them on Amazon. I’m anxious for them to get here. The tape I have now I’m been using off and on for the past three years so I’ve become quite bored with it. I’m hoping these new ones will be stimulating without being overwhelming. I’ll let you know what I think.
I guess that’s it. Our wedding anniversary was on Monday and Larry got me this gorgeous bouquet of 6 red roses and 6 white roses. This is an exact duplicate of the very first bouquet he ever bought for me so it’s very special. I have them on my desk here at work and everyone who walks by just gushes. We’ve been married for three years now and while we have our squabbles like other couples I can honestly say these have been the best three years of my life. I am extremely lucky to be married to such a wonderful person.
I’ll post again soon!
1. "The Munsters" or "The Addams Family"?
The Addams Family – Gomez and Morticia are the coolest.
2. "The Sopranos" or the "Godfather" movies?
The Godfather – ain’t nothing like the real thing baby.
3. "The Jetsons" or "Lost in Space"?
The Jetson’s
4. "Superman" or "Batman" (either the TV shows or the movies)?
Batman
5. "Sex & The City" or "Friends"?
Friends although I’m sure I would enjoy Sex & The City if I ever saw it
6. "The Wizard of Oz" or the "Harry Potter" movies?
As much as I enjoy Harry Potter I have to be true to my childhood and say The
Wizard of Oz.
7. "The Simpsons" or "King of the Hill"?
The Simpsons…Homer is hysterical
8. "Grease" or "Saturday Night Fever"?
Grease because everyone in the family can enjoy it…and sing along!
9. Old prime-time soaps: "Dallas" or "Dynasty"?
I didn’t watch either.
10. Not very thought-provoking this week...do you prefer TV shows or movies?
Depends on what’s on TV.
WORK
I’m sure everyone’s tired of hearing about it but I’m still here at work most days of the week. They asked me to work at least 40 hours this week as we’re closing. I don’t mind because there is plenty to keep me busy and I get paid for every hour I’m here. I’m also bringing home almost twice as much as I was before but I’m also not withholding anything for taxes. I should be setting aside 15.8% of my earnings for FICA taxes but that hasn’t happened yet. I have been paying down our credit cards however so it is going to good use. I plan on taking time off next week to concentrate on my business so the flexible schedule is working to my advantage.
FOOD
Last night I tried a new dish that combined brown sugar with Tabasco sauce and garlic. I was a bit skeptical of the outcome but it was awesome. What a great flavor combination! I’m ranking that up there with chocolate and peanut butter as one of my favorite food combos. I’ve also discovered a new cereal that I love – Kashi Go Lean and Kashi Go Lean Crunch. They’re all natural whole grain cereals with about 9 grams of protein (6.5 grams from soy!) and 8 grams of fiber per serving. The fiber (carbs) is mostly insoluble so I don’t think the glycemic load is all that high (for our carb counting friends). Anyways, I recommend it. Because I like to cook and I love trying new recipes and new techniques, I find we eat many things that aren’t healthy due to the amount of fat or carbs in the meal. As a result, I’m looking for ways to eat healthy during other meals. If anyone has any healthy recipes they love, please tell me about them. I’m always looking for new ideas.
EXERCISE
Brie’s post the other day reminded me that I need to exercise more. I got up this morning at the regular time but did thirty minutes of yoga before getting in the shower and I feel great. I got to work later than usual but that’s ok. I would like to go walking in the mornings before work as well. I just need to convince Larry that getting up thirty minutes early to exercise will be fun!
CHICKEN UPDATE
As you all know we have chickens. I thought they were so neat I decided to order some more off the Internet. The minimum order for shipping is 25 chicks so that’s what I got. I ordered 10 Aruacanas (they lay blue and green eggs), 5 Barred Rocks (black and white speckled chickens), 5 Buff Orpingtons (blonde color) and 5 Giant Whites. We got them in the mail last week and 4 died within the first week but it is expected you will lose some due to their age and the stress of shipping. None have died within the last three or four days so they seem to be doing well. If they all live to maturity we will have thirty egg laying chickens. Larry and I are already giving away eggs at work from the eight we have laying now so we don’t need the eggs but I wanted some variety in my flock. When they mature I’m going to try and sell some of them so I can order some different breeds. You would not believe how many types of chickens there are! Go to www.murraymcmurray.com if you’re curious.
LACI PETERSON
We all know who Laci Peterson is and what happened to her. I’m just so tired of seeing her face on all the tabloids at the supermarket. My parents are friends with her mom and stepdad and it breaks my heart to think her family can’t even go to the store without this tragedy being thrust in their face again and again. I felt the same way for Chandra Levy’s family. What is it with Modesto and high profile murders? Nothing like this ever happened there when I was a kid (thank god).
That’s it…nothing more to write about really. I’ll post again if anything exciting happens.
if you are bored, let's talk about ... food
what is your favourite meal?
hmmm...this really depends on my mood...I always thought if I was on death row and had to choose a last meal I would probably just say "suprise me."
what is your favorite dessert?
either cheesecake or ice cream
what do you prefer to drink with your meal?
sometimes red wine, sometimes cold beer, sometimes water
what have you never had to eat that you have always wanted to try?
Prime rib and lobster...I've never had prime rib and I've only had small pieces of lobster - never a whole tail.
what have you had that you would never eat again?
Wendy's...bad roadtrip experience!!
what is the weirdest food you have ever had?
I don't find many foods weird...probably alligator or shark.
have you ever ate anything that wasn't meant for human consumption?
dog biscuits, marijuana, horse feed, mud, a bug...my sisters made me eat many things when I was a kid...except for the marijuana.