yadda yadda

Well, after spending yesterday either being incredibly  jittery from way, way, way too much caffeine and way, way, way too little sleep OR yawning so much that my eyes were tearing up and my mascara was running OR being so punchy that I told Sarah-bear a few family secrets (nothing incriminating, just very very funny) and laughed hysterically from her car to my desk and hoping frantically that I would be able to stop laughing OR any combination thereof, I did actually get home safely last night and fell asleep around ten.

Today I had an appointment with a nutritionist. The first thing they did was a metabolic analysis. It was really pretty cool, except for the whole doing it part. I had a little plastic thingie pinching my nostrils shut so I couldn’t breathe through my nose, and I had to breathe for ten minutes into a plastic mouthpiece connected to a plastic tube connected to a machine that analysed my metabolism. Apparently I have a fairly high metabolism. That’s good news, except for the fact that since I weigh as much as I do, that tells you how much I must eat in order to remain this fat. But I’ve started working on improving habits, and have actually lost about 6 pounds since the last time I was weighed.  Whether or not I end up getting the lap band procedure done, this was a good experience to have.

I also had a hair appointment. I wavered back and forth between getting some wild kooky highlights put in, or something more conservative. My superlative hair stylist (email me if you want her contact info, because she is THE BEST bar none) did copper highlights, and gave me one of her incredible haircuts, and I feel fantastic. Isn’t it delightful how good you feel just by getting your hair done? Once upon a time I thought that was a chick thing, until I met my husband. He agrees, so I guess it’s a universal thing.  She’s been having a rough go of things lately, which is sad. She’s not only a great hair stylist, but a really fantastic artist, an animal lover, and an all-around cool person.

Joe’s still in Florida; he is probably going to go visit one of his sisters tomorrow, and then he’ll be home on Monday. Molly’s asleep under the bed; Scout’s passed out on the loveseat; and all’s well with my world.

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sleep? what is this sleep you speak of?

i couldn’t turn my brain off. scout and i lay in bed, and i listened to him breathing and making these cute little cooing noises. and i had a silly song stuck in my head, and i was thinking about this and that and listening to my head pound and then it was 5:07 and i realized sleep wasn’t coming. so i got up and made my hair look crazy and put on makeup and got dressed. feeling very goofy and funky. i foresee there will be massive caffeinating today.

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too tired to sleep

ever get that way? yeah, me too. it’s 4:27 a.m. friday morning. i have to leave for work no later than 6:15 if i hope to make it on time. guess i’ll go to bed and try to catch some z’s.

it’s gonna be a long, long day.

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Making Salad Dressing?

Nah, just taking care of my skin.  I’ve been continuing the honey facial masques followed by an apple cider vinegar chaser and then a wee bit of jojoba oil. Lessee–the deep creases on my forehead have been almost completely puffed back out, my skin is incredibly soft, and my rosacea is very much better.  I will confess, though, that the little beauty bag in the bathroom looks a bit odd, with its bottles of honey, vinegar, and oil.

Plus, compare the costs.

• 1 bottle of honey – about $4.99 at the farmer’s market
• 1 bottle organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar – 16 oz for $3.29 at the Vitamin Shoppe
• 1 small bottle jojoba oil – 4 oz for $9.99 at the Vitamin Shoppe

So about $20 for a supply that will last several months versus

• Avon facial cleanser – $12
• Anew moisturizing night cream – $22 to $32, depending on which formulation I get–and I’ve not yet tried an Avon Anew moisturizer/wrinkle repair cream that has accomplished what this inexpensive and simple combination of natural ingredients does.

for $24 to $44 for a supply that will last about a month versus

• Estee Lauder foaming cleanser – $19
• Estee Lauder toner – $19.50 to $30
• Estee Lauder Line and Wrinkle Reducing Cream – $58 – and again, I’ve never found anything under $90 that can accomplish what this simple combination of honey, vinegar, and oil does for my face.

for about $98 for a supply that will last about a month.

I did another skin softening bath last night, starting with a couple of cups of epsom salts dissolved in warm water. Then I massaged some sweet almond oil into my scalp and body and feet, and soaked in the tub. Every now and then I massaged the oil in some more, and got out feeling silky soft.

The lovely I (who is the one that got me the almond oil) brought me a bottle of coconut oil to try next. Since coconut oil is a solid at room temperature, she told me to put the bottle in some hot water so it will melt enough to be usable.  I’ll let you know how it works out.

On another note, we’ve got a winter storm warning predicting ice and freezing rain for the next day and a half or so. Even if the roads are still relatively free of ice tomorrow morning, if the  prediction is still for freezing rain and ice tomorrow, I won’t feel right about going in to the office and risking getting in an accident or stranded 25 miles from home with my mother alone here at my house. That wouldn’t be a good thing.

And on yet another note, Izzybella started her graduate studies in Social Work today. She’s feeling a little panicky, which is completely understanding. I know she’s going to do a great job, though. I know it!

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I Met King Tutankhamun!

Well, not really. I met a few items from his tomb, though. And I don’t have any photos because we weren’t allowed to take photos in the exhibit, naturally. I was fascinated by the carving on the various objects. One figurine of a woman (it wasn’t a shawabi) had the most amazingly intricate braided hair; you could see each individual plait, and it was just exquisite. I was also very moved to see the nesting coffins of the two fetuses. Having lost my own children before they were born, I could imagine the pain that Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun felt as they buried their hopes in those tiny coffins.

My favourite room, though, was the Akhenaten room. There was one of the colossal busts of Akhenaten. I looked to see if I could detect the faintest glimpse of a sense of humour, but it wasn’t there. All I saw was the face of a man who wax completely convinced of his superiority; he looked haughty, condescending. Of course, that’s just the bust and an artist’s interpretation of the great pharaoh. Maybe he did have a sense of humour.  I wonder what life would have been like for Nefertiti and his children, living with a man who believed he was a god. Did they believe he was a god? Or was he just their papa?

I’ve wondered for a long time about Akhenaten. It’s a pity that his mummy was–almost certainly–desecrated and destroyed. Did he really have the bizarre physical features that are given him in the Amarna artwork? Or was it just an artistic convention popular at the time, something designed to separate the Amarna era from those that preceded it? Are Akhenaten and Tutankhamun father and son?  What happened to Nefertiti after Akhenaten’s death?

And as I sat in the last room of the exhibition, waiting for the rest of my family to catch up with me, I wondered what Tutankhamun would say of all the furor excited by the very thought of him. What would he think of his physical remains being X-rayed and scanned and photographed so that people all over the world could see them? What would he think of the desecretion of his tomb and funerary equipment? What would he think to know that millennia later, people would travel and stand in line and pay to see the things that he left behind when he shuffled off his mortal coil?

Obviously there’s no way to know. I will confess to remembering Motel of the Mysteries and asking myself if any of our assumptions about life in ancient Egypt are as silly and as off the mark as the archaeologist solemnly donning the seat of a toilet to perform the ritual homage to the god that we worshiped in the tiny room of a long-decayed motel.

If you’d like to see some of the things I saw today, check out this link. And let me know what you think.

Oh, and here are some of the other lovely sights from today. 

My Uncle Lee, who has a wicked funny sense of humour.

My Aunt Mary, who is very lovable.

Left to right, Aunt Mary, Izzybella, Mom, Joe, and Uncle Lee. I’m behind the camera.

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An Hour in the Life

One of the many red lights I hit on the way home from work. I decide to chronicle the rest of my trip, just out of curiosity.

I love my sunglasses. Don’t you?

I should do this more often. Every time I snapped a photo, the light turned green.

I wonder what the people next to me and behind me are thinking about the crazy woman who keeps snapping photos at every red light.

Nothing good on the radio. I went through all the stations twice, and kept getting commercials or music I don’t like.

Bored now. Can you curl your tongue? I always thought everyone could, and was a little surprised to find out that they can’t.

Woot! Joe got home just before I did. He watched me back into the driveway (’cause I feel all macho when I back into the driveway), and then got out of the Rodeo.

I love my husband. He loves me, too.

Home, sweet home!

‘Nuff said?

Anticipation! We hear the scuffling of 8 little paws just on the other side of the door.

How do you expect me to pose for a picture? You’re home! Papa’s home! Squee! Squee! Love me! Adore me!

‘Scuse me while I clean my face.

Okay, put down the camera right now. Kiss me. Love me. Let me kiss your face and rub my belly. Now!

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Je m’appelle Foi

My first official signature after the name change. My new driver’s license and social security card should be arriving in 2 or 3 weeks.

Mom’s here, too. Good day.

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Randomness January 20th edition

1. We have a new president. I wish him well as he takes over the reins of the country.
2. My ears are still crackling and popping, despite the new meds, and my sinuses are still draining so badly that I could hardly talk today. So not fun.
3. If the blankie/comforter is on the floor, the little dog will, sooner or later, go tinkle on it.
4. Tomorrow is the day I officially become Faith. Squee!
5. Mom’s coming tomorrow from Salt Lake, to spend a week with us. Hence much housecleaning has taken place. And I’m really tired.
6. Joe may or may not make it home tonight. I hope he does, not just because I need him to colour my hair. (But I do need him to colour my hair.)
7. Izzy got her scholarship! Squee!

You may now return to your regularly scheduled life.

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Busy

It’s astounding how fast time flies while you’re just running around being busy. I left the house about 9:30:

1. Went to the bank
2. Went to the gas station. Filled the tank with gas and filled my tank with a Krispy Kreme chocolate-covered custard-filled doughnut and a vanilla steamer. While I was putting the lid on the cup, I pressed too hard, crushed the cup and spent vanilla-flavoured milk flying. I shamefacedly poured the remainder into another cup, cleaned up what I could, and confessed to the checker as I was paying for my food. He laughed and said at least it gave him something to do, and his co-worker thanked me for telling them instead of just going off and leaving the mess.
3. Went to the library. Returned 32 books, including 4 that belonged to a different library. Checked out a number of books, 3 DVDs, and 2 CDs. Originally gave the nice lady behind the counter my library card from yet another library, and then gave her the correct card, whereupon she not only checked out my materials but gave me back the 4 books that belong to the other library.
4. Went to Half-Price Books and sold a bag of books and bought one book.
5. Went to Pulido’s and had wonderful tamales for lunch.  I love tamales.
6. Went to the car wash and cleaned out my car and vacuumed it. Then I had to put all the crap back in the trunk until I could get home.
7. Went to the other car wash and got the car washed. Going through those types of car washes always make me think of my sister Alicia. When she was a kid, she and I were sitting in the car wash, and I very exaggeratedly told her how a giant vacuum-thingie was going to pass across the car and magically suck up all the water. She didn’t believe me, of course; I didn’t intend for her to. So she was utterly delighted to find that I was, in fact, telling the truth. So I sat there today and remembered the look on her face, and it made me happy.
8. Went to Dollar Tree and bought some cleaning supplies and a can of frosting. I’ll put the cleaning supplies to use around the house, and the frosting to use on the cake I’ll bake against Joe’s return home tomorrow.
9. Remembered I needed some apple cider vinegar, so I went to the Vitamin Store and bought a bottle.
10. Went to the farmer’s market to buy some honey, but it was closed for the season.
11. Went to the drugstore for some honey because it was on my way home.
12. Got home and took everything into the house that was in the car. Now my car’s clean and my living room’s a wreck.
13. One would think that the next thing I did was to clean, but one would be wrong. I read a book. Now I’m blupdating, and then I’m going to go get the cake into the oven, and *then* I’ll clean. And read. And watch a DVD or two (Alice Cooper on the Muppet Show–ya gotta love it!) Then I may read some more.

The rest of the weekend should be equally active. I’ve got plenty of cleaning to do, of course. Mom’s coming for a visit on Wednesday, and I need to get the guest bedroom ready for her. I have a lot of books to read. Joe should be home tomorrow, I hope, and Izzybella and I are going to have a mini Dr Who thon on Monday. Joe and I will have a thon as well, but he and I are on season 3, and the first two disks of season 3 arrived from Netflix yesterday. I’m introducing Izzy to the Doctor, so she and I shall watch the first two disks of season 1. So I get to enjoy both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant as the Doctor. Mmmmm.

If you’re reading this, Scout sends a lot of slobbery kisses and Molly sends a happy grin. Enjoy.

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Out of touch

I may be out of pocket this next few days, unless Joe actually does make it home tomorrow and manages to fix the problem. See, last night it was cold. Really cold. Hella cold! Got that? It was cold.

The space heater in the kitchen was keeping it reasonably warm. There was a nice crackling fire in the fireplace. The space heater in the bathroom was keeping it reasonably warm. But the space heater in my bedroom? Not so much. I was cold (see above). So I had the bright idea to plug in a second space heater, forgetting that we live in a 50’s era house with ungreat wiring. The circuit breaker immediately tripped.

No, I didn’t swear. i’ve been working on that lately. I made my way down the hall and as I stood in front of the circuit box, I realized I wasn’t sure which one it was. So I flipped them all off and on again. Only one in the bottom right hand side of the box wouldn’t stay on.  And yeah, as you may have guessed, that was the one to the bedroom. Actually, it’s the one to the bedrooms. Plural. As in the other room that has a bed in it was blacked out as well. I trotted back and forth between the bedroom and the circuit box, and finally gave up in frustration. That little breaker wouldn’t stay on. So I decided I’d sleep on the couch.

I grabbed the book I was reading, my pillow, and my blanket and stretched out on the couch. Molly jumped up onto the love seat. Scout jumped up and kissed me, and then got under the covers. Then he got down. Then he got a chew, and got back up. Then Molly got down and ate some dog food and drank some water. Then she got back up on the love seat. Then Scout jumped down and ate some dog food and drank some water. Then he kissed me. Then he got down and started chewing on a stick or a piece of plastic or goodness only knows what, and I screamed.

Not really. But I did take my stuff back to the bedroom, and got the bright idea to plug the bedroom space heater into the heavy-duty extension cord into which the bathroom space heater was plugged. And it worked! There was warmth! I read with the flashlight until the batteries ran down and I fell asleep.

When Scout woke me up at 2:45 this morning, it was bone-chillingly cold. I saw that the heaters were out. All of them. Dang it! Must have tripped another breaker! But it was bad enough that I had to get up to let him go outside to do his business, so I just went back to bed and crawled under the covers. Getting up this morning was double-plus ungood, but I did. I went back to the breaker box and got the heaters all going, except for the one in the bedroom, which will apparently be out until Joe can figure out what’s wrong. And I tried to check my e-mail, before having a d’oh moment–the modem and router box are in the other bedroom, that doesn’t have any electricity.

So all of that to tell you this: if Joe gets home tomorrow as he’s anticipating, and if he can fix the problem that’s keeping the electricity from flowing into our bedrooms, I’ll be online a little bit. But if he is stuck out of town, and can’t come home, (a) I’ll be unable to get online at all; (b) I’ll be cold, which means that (c) I will go to the library tomorrow morning and then spend the rest of the weekend hunkered down with lots of blankets and books.

I hope you have a far, far better day than I am having today (there’s other stuff, but I can’t really talk about it), and that you have a fantastic weekend.

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