It's Spring Break and I'm Breaking.

On the first day of spring break, my true love gave to me...

Yep, it's spring break. That means I actually have time to blog! Recently I haven't had time to get a good night's sleep let alone blog. I've tried to stay current on email and work stuff and blogging has fallen to the wayside. I'm sorry about that. I know that all 2 of you are upset about that. Well, I'll try to do better.

My car is green. Everyone's car is green. Green cars mean pollen. The pollen count today was some ridiculous number like 2800. Why? I know that the bees need to pollenate the flowers but can they do it without spreading the spores all over the place? If I could get the camera to work correctly (stupid camera - I'm gonna buy a real one soon) I'd show you what my car looks like.

Pollen means misery. Well, kinda but not as bad as last year because I've been neti potting!! In the past I've been doped up on meds and I'd be sleepy and my eyes would be glazed over and my nose would be red and raw. This year I'm stuffy and snotty but nothing I can't handle. Yesterday was ickky cause I was outside most of the day but I came in, I rinsed my nose and things were better. Today things are a lot better. Am I going outside today? Ummm, no. I was planning on going to the hair dresser for my day of beauty but my hair dresser is coming to me. No need in going out into a pollen count that is a bajillion. (Side note - did you know bazillion is a real word but bajillion isn't? I'm gonna start a petition).

Other than that, the first few days of spring break have been fantastic. I've slept in, read a lot, cooked a lot, laughed with the siblings a lot and today I'm relaxing a lot. Oh! And I bought sandals. Whats a vacation without a shoe purchase? Well, it's nothing.

And, this give me time to work on stuff like writing and family tree searching. And, going to see all the teenie bopper movies that the princess wants to see. And reading the 50 magazines that have been piling up beside my bed. And cleaning out my closet. And eating, then exercising so I can eat some more. All in all, I can't complain.

I think I'm going to have some ice cream and brownie right now. After all, spring break calories don't count.

And Now A Public Service Announcement...

It's finally close to spring. You all know I don't like winter very much. Spring is ok, but I want to move on past and get to summer. Why miss all the beauty of spring? Allergy season is close by. My allergies have always been out of control. BUT this spring will be different!

Have I mentioned my neti pot to you?

No, the nice neti pot people haven't paid me a dime but I thought it was important to mention. It sounds kinda gross, yes, but if you've spent years with the allergy problems I have, you'll try anything. I would go through a box of tissues a day! I tried the shots, pills, everything. And to think that a $14 teapot looking thing would solve my problem.

Oh yes. SM runs warm, salt water through her nose every morning. I breathe better, I don't wheeze and while other people are feeling the sinus pressure from the change in seasons, SM hasn't had a sinus headache in over a year!

I don't think it will solve 100% of my allergy issues, but if it solves 75% of them, I'm happy. A box of tissue per week versus 1 box a day (and sometimes 2 boxes in the height of allergy season) wins hands down.

#51 Living - Find original letter to my body and revise it.

ORIGINAL LETTER (2008)

A Letter To My Body

Dear Body,

I love you. You are such a special body. No one else has one quite like you. You have an extra roll or two and other people might find that bad. But I’m ok with it. I’m not always happy about it but I’m very ok with it.

Just so you know, I have no major problems with you at all. I have relatively no leg hair, my underarm hair is manageable and my facial hair is kept at a minimum. I kinda wish you would grow long hair (on the top of my head) but hey, I still have some hair so ok, whatever works for you.

I don’t know if you like being a size 12 or 14 verses an 8 or 10 but that’s where we seem to stay. We don’t seem to go anywhere else. Size 12/14 is pretty comfortable for me; is it ok with you? Well, it must be, because you don’t seem to budge. No matter what I eat or don’t eat, no matter if I exercise or not. It’s ok though.

By exercise, I mean yoga. I like yoga but you seem to like the meditative type. I like to walk but only short distances and not strenuously. That’s ok with me, if it’s ok with you.

You are still able to attract men. (Let’s work on attracting attractive men). That’s good. Keep up the good work. You still look relatively young. I’ll keep working on that with external beauty products along with the vegetarian lifestyle and vitamins.

Basically body, you are doing a damn good job. You are healthy, happy and wise. I’m proud of you. I couldn’t have asked for a better body and honestly, I wouldn’t ask for a better one.


NEW LETTER (2010)

Dear Body,

I still love you and you are still the best body a woman could have. I have no complaints at all and neither do the 1 or 2 people that have seen you without clothes on. “The girls” look good, my arse doesn’t scare off fish, I still can reel in a decent looking chap, I’m good. My eyesight is ok, my hearing is good...trust me – this is not a letter of complaint. No sir. If anything, this is a letter of gratitude.

Last year we had the whole, high blood pressure scare and we had to loose some of that fat (and thusly a few dress sizes – yea me!) and that caused “the girls” to droop a bit (boo hiss). But, we’re good, we’re good. Our blood pressure is under control and the doctor isn’t screaming we’re gonna die, so I’m ok.

We still have rolls. They are smaller, but they are still there. That’s totally my fault though. If I’d control portions better (and exercise properly, with more consistency) perhaps the rolls would run away. No worries. The rolls are happy, I’m happy.

And, we are healthy. Yes, yes, yes, we are fit as a fiddle. We are eating better, healthier foods than ever before. We’ll continue to work on eating less of those healthy foods (side note – you cannot eat as many veggies as you want. It’s still calories, healthy calories, but still calories).

The facial and leg hair is good, the underarm hair is ok and the hair on the head, well, I’ll keep cutting it cause damn it, it doesn’t want to grow properly. Don't cry hair, I still love you too. I don't like you sometimes, but I love you all the time!

Body, you’ve been very, very good to me over the last 37 ½ years. If you continue to be good to me, I’ll continue to slip you cheese laden foods, chocolate and sex every now and then. Only, every now and then though. You can’t overdo it on any of those things.

….oh please! Like someone can over do it on those things!

Love ya body!

Eye Crust (part II)

In case you were wondering, yes, it was pink eye. "Dr. Ma Mere" was wrong. No worries. She's been my personal physician all of my life. She comes cheap (free) and she's okay when I tell her that her diagnosis was wrong. She didn't offer to make peanut butter cookies for me but I can't complain because she made me my very own sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving.

I woke up with super runny eyes Monday. Honestly, I couldn't see when I woke up. I won't go into specifics by my eyes were so crusted over it was ridiculous (ok, so I went into specifics). I called my doctor (I LURVE my medical plan!) and got it confirmed... "conjunctivitis". After 5 days of drops three times a day, my eyeballs are crystal clear with minimal eye boogers. Thank goodness.

Because I had gookie gook in my eyes for the first three days, I didn't feel like typing (which was ok because my eyeballs hurt too much to type anyway. But now I'm all better and in search of something super fascinating to talk to you about (even though eye boogers sounds fascinating to some).

I have become more aware of my hands near my eyes. I use tissue to wipe my eyes (never, never my finger or hand) and I sanitize a lot. Hey, my eyes are important. I have to take care of them. AND I have to buy new eyeliner. Doesn't sound too bad huh? Well, I keep an average of 5 eyeliners handy! 1 at work, 1 in my purse and 3 of different colors in the bathroom. I have to dump them all! I sure hope my brand of eye makeup is on sale tomorrow!

Eye Crust

I woke up to a scary sight this morning (no, not Mr. Vampiro - he just sounds scary in the morning). I woke up to the pinkest eyes I have ever seen in my life.

I prepared myself for the worst. I'd have to call out sick Monday and I'd have to make a doctor's appointment. Because I wear contacts, I can't use eyedrops without consulting my doctor so no homeopathic remedies for me.

I couldn't even go back to sleep. Normally an early morning snuggle with the snoring vampire makes me smile but all I could think about were my eyes. What little bugger did this to me? I hadn't been around kids all weekend. Must have been the nasty little monsters in the stores.

I sighed and hauled my invalid self to the family doctor -- Ma Mere. I stumbled in, my eyes feeling heavy and my head even hurting a little bit. Side effects of pink eye, no doubt.

I cried to my mommie. She took a look at me.

   "What tune did y'all go to sleep?"

        "2am."

        "Have you gone to bed before 12 any night since Tuesday?"

        "No."

        "Did you enjoy the new wine you got on Thanksgiving?"

        "Oh yeah. I had a big glass of it last night."

        "You don't have pink eye. You have 'I drank too much and slept too little' eye."

        "But, I have eye crust!"

        "So."

The doctor has spoken. I'm not sure I'm 100% sure but I went home none-the-less.

I'll take better care of myself from now on. I'll sleep better and drink less.

Now excuse me. This coffee needs a little 'somethin somethin' in it.