Out of Touch

Here's how frazzled I was this holiday season. The day before I went to New York, I poured my oatmeal packet into my teacup. Reminds me of the day I put my teabag in my cereal bowl...

By the way, I'm better now.

For Love or Mugs

I have these mugs I drink tea out of every day. I've had them for about 15 years. They're clear glass, and they're perfect. I know exactly where the water line is, and how much sugar and milk to put in.

Recently, I noticed lines in all of my mugs. It was puzzling. Were they milk lines? Was I not washing them carefully enough? Turns out I was washing them very carefully.

A couple of years ago, I bought myself a ring with three small diamonds on it. I wore it on my left hand, as a sort of "F You" to society, I wasn't going to wait for a man to buy me a diamond, etc. So what if people thought I was married?

Recently (see above), I switched the ring to my right hand, ready for people to know I was not married. It didn't really feel right, since I had bought it for my left hand, but it stayed. Until I made the connection that I used my right hand to swirl the sponge around and around my mugs, therby scratching them all (and a couple of glasses too).

The dilemma: Appear to be hitched, or ruin my dishes? Mugs are a dime a dozen. So what? Let people think I'm married. The ring is back on my left hand, where it belongs.

Macabre Mantle

How We Hung Our Stockings in 2007, to the cadence of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas:

The stockings were hung
In their place by their sashes
Held down on the mantle
With our dead family's ashes

Morbid? Perhaps.
The truth? Absolutely.

Trim a Tree

Back home from Christmas in NYC; a good time was had by all. And now, pictures!

John, his wife Kumi, and I went out and got a tree and all the trimmings. It was a cute little thing, about four feet tall, a little homely. Charlie Brown would have been proud. We decorated it with bought and found items, and then realized we didn't have anything to put on the top. I cleverly whipped up a star made out of plastic knives, rubber bands, and tin foil. It was rejected.


John proposed a few more options: an octopus shaped shell? Uh, no thanks. A Mexican couple copulating? I don't think so, John! A cute little red bow, suggested by me? Rejected again. Finally, Kumi went online to see how to make an origami star. She set to work, and had it done in about ten minutes. That was the winner. John spray painted it yellow, and we had our tree topper! Next up: how we hung the stockings...

Until I Can Post Pictures, Here's a Plug

I have to wait till I get home again to post pictures, so for now I just want to tell you about a miracle product. It's called Zicam--you've seen the commercials, right? If you take it at the first sign of a cold, you won't get the cold, or you will get a very mild one.

Last Thursday night I got a runny nose, and that was my sign. I popped a Zicam tab before bed, and then took one every few hours for the next four days. Guess what? No cold! On Saturday I was on the fence with the cold, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't go to the gym. By Sunday I was feeling better. You're supposed to keep taking it for two days even after you feel better.

It comes in all different forms. There are swabs you can put up your nose, I think there are throat swabs, but the form I find the easiest is the quick-melt tablets. They're not bad tasting, and they melt really quickly. Read the instructions on drinking citrus, etc. It's homeopathic!

The most important thing is that you take it at the first sign of a cold, like the runny nose or just first tickle of a sore throat, don't wait until you feel really crappy.

Of course, hand washing for 20 seconds is the #1 way to prevent colds, but if you feel one coming on, take Zicam. Good luck!

Sunday Morning

Note to Self:

Do not do the following ever again:

1. Do intense core training on Friday (see previous post)

2. Then more training on Saturday morning.

3. Then get on a train with very heavy bags.

4. Then curl up on a train seat for four hours.

5. Then lug heavy bags to an apartment.

6. Then sleep on an air mattress.

7. All while fighting a cold.

Do: Take a hot bath if you ever do this.

Friday at the Gym

On Friday, Steve told me we (or rather, I) were going to do something new. Goody. I love new things. Here's what I did, try it yourself!

Make like you're going to do a regular pushup.

Now go down on your forearms.

Back up on your hands.

Now make your left knee go forward and touch your arm, or try to, at least.

Same with the right knee.

Down on your forearms.

And start again.

Do this action ten times.

When you're done with that, take an eight pound dumbbell in each hand and do backward lunges, then raise the dumbbells and bring them back down again. Repeat five times.

Now go back to the first exercise, ten times.

Five more lunges.

Back to the first exercise. I wasn't able to do it ten times, only five.

Try this, readers, and then tell me how you feel the next morning.

Rockin' Out at Nursery School

Remember Rock Lobster, by the B-52's? One of the greatest dance songs out there. At a dance in junior high, it was so cool when all the kids lay down on the floor during that one part where they say, "Down, down..." and then we jumped up when the music was fast again.

Well, this year, I've gotten my kids into this song in a big way. They often request it: "Alex, I want the lobster song!" I taught them how to make lobster claw movements with their hands. Some enterprising kids do their own thing. Calder moves his arms, making like a shark, and Graeme goes down on all fours backwards, doing the crab.

My heart swells with pride when the "Down, down" part comes on, and a group of three, four, and five year olds all lay down on the floor at the same time and then jump up, just like I did in junior high.

After they rock out to Rock Lobster, they all make a circle on the floor and make fists so they can pound the carpet as the next song comes on, We Will Rock You by Queen. It's music appreciation at its finest.

More Snow

To readers in California, and other warmish places:

You don't have to shovel out your car, or worry about falling and slipping on the ice, or have slush splashed on you, and have to wear long johns from November to April, but...

A picture's worth a thousand words.

This is one of the reasons I love it here!

(Dear Sophie, Mike's sister,
Perhaps next time I'm in CA {because I do love to visit}, we can meet!)

The Path Taken

Here's the thing: it's been snowing almost every day. I love it! Winter has made a comeback. Only problem is, sometimes the temperature dips overnight, and you're left with a frozen path on which to walk during your commute.

And, God forbid there's a fire!

It's supposed to be 50 degrees on Sunday. That'll help.

Turkey Town

There are a lot of wild turkeys in my town, and I've taken pictures of many of them. I was at Starbucks the other day, and there was an article on the community board about wild turkeys. It was very informative. The best part, however, were the notes handwritten on the bottom of the article:

"Wild turkeys in Brookline have attacked several people lately, especially women and children.


If you are chased or attacked by a turkey, hit it hard with an umbrella, broom, or tennis racquet and call animal control (Mace or water does NOT work)."

I'll remember that, next time I'm walking around with my broom out in public.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed SUV

Whew!

Here is me after working out. See my pink face? See the beads of sweat on my forehead? I love to work out. I always take a nap the day after I work out. I am very tired.

It's Taxing

See Shelby.
See Shelby sitting on deceased Dad's tax papers.
Shelby is blurry.
Shelby says, "I'm glad I'm not a person."

Don't Give In!

The other night I went to a diner for dinner. When I picked up the menu, all the words were blurry except for boneless fried chicken with mashed potatoes and a chocolate malted frappe (frappe is Boston for milkshake). When is the last time you, dear reader, had fried chicken??? That's almost like smoking! It's practically unheard of these days, at least where I hang out.

It had been so long, and it sounded so good. I got it, along with a side salad so I wouldn't actually have a heart attack right there in the restaurant.

Oh my god. Those poor chickens never had a chance. It looked like they had taken the breasts of at least three chickens, fried 'em up, and put them on my plate with about a dozen red bliss potatoes, and covered it all with gravy. My frappe was so sweet and thick I had to send it back, asking for more milk to be put in.

I ate about an eighth of my dinner, and it felt like there was a medicine ball in my stomach. Gross. I took the rest home, because I wasn't about to drop fifteen bucks and not get in some meals for the next two weeks.

Well, I got it home, and all I could do was take a picture of it before I apologized to the hungry people around the world and threw it away. I actually felt pretty good, because it meant that I am eating so healthily now, any greasy food makes me feel sick. Yay! I did eat almost all of my Mexican fried tortilla the next night, however...hey, nobody's perfect!

WHEEEE!

The major snowstorm they said was coming has come. Traffic has been at a standstill outside my window for hours. What will tomorrow bring? Snow day, snow day, snow day, please, please, please...

Sounds Like...

I have very sensitive ears. I believe that I can hear things that other people can't. I had a hearing test last year and actually asked the tester if I had bionical hearing. She gave me the, "Now that's a new one!" look, and told me my hearing was normal.

I am sensitive to certain sounds, both pleasant and unpleasant.

Sounds that are unpleasant to my ears:

* loud high pitched screeching from children (yes, I am a preschool teacher, I hear it all the time, it doesn't mean I like it)

* water dripping from a faucet

* Heidi Klum's voice

* the sound of metal against metal, as in scraping the inside of a can with a metal spoon. Eek!

Sounds that are pleasant to my ears:

* when children get the giggles and they can't stop

* walking on hard snow to make that crunch sound

* a babbling brook

* the voice of the woman who was at the register at the art store I went to today.

Let's talk about that woman. She had the most pleasant, soft voice, and she talked extra because I asked her about a product. The more helpful she was, the more I became aware of her voice and how I liked the sound of it. Then I started paying attention to how she looked. She was petite and had black hair and black makeup around her eyes for a dramatic effect. It made her eyes sort of catlike, and as I left the store, a thought occurred to me.

If this woman was ever an animal, she would be a kitten. More likely, she was a kitten in human form. I don't know who put the spell on her to become a person, but she seemed to take it in stride. In any event, she made my checkout a sort of dreamy experience.

I hear Shelby purring and breathing. I know without looking that she's in a deep sleep. That's another sound I find pleasant.

Sweet dreams!

Training Update

I did something during training the other day, and Steve said, "You gonna put that in your blog?" I realized I haven't done a training update in awhile, so this is it.

Let's see...I'm up to two regular push ups, followed by five modified ones. Next time I'm supposed to do three of one and four of the other, till I make it up to all regular. I've increased my weights on the kettle bells because the ones I started with were too easy. Thas' right!

My tendonitis has healed, but I strained a muscle in my thigh and my knees hurt all the time, probably due to getting used to the jump rope. I tell you, jumping rope is not as easy as it sounds. I have a problem with coming down too hard. I'm working on it.

I started doing a mix of jumping rope and jumping jacks. Remember those? I actually like doing them. And today I did squat thrusts. I had a flashback to junior high, when we used to do those fitness tests twice a year. That was the only time I ever did squat thrusts, and I haven't done 'em again till today. They are also harder than you think.

Still and all, I am a machine. I do whatever Steve tells me, even if I have to take a few extra moments to catch my breath, or groan when I stand up. I never complain, even when we do Get Up Sit Ups. Wanna know what those are? Lay down on a mat. Put one arm straight up, elbow locked. Put a 5 lb. dead weight ball in your hand. Now sit up, keeping your arm straight, and heels pointed to the wall. Now lay down, rolling your back on the mat as you do so, all the while keeping your arm straight. Do that 5 times on one side, and 5 times on the other side.

Mix that in with a series of other exercises, and you've got some idea what I do at the gym. I love it, even when one of my bra straps pops off its hinge, like it did today. Steve didn't notice, and I was able to fix it quickly in the locker room. In training we deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Don't Squeeze Me, I Might...

Poor Shelby. I was having fun with my apple Photo Booth feature, and wanted to take a picture of my fluffy feline with the "light tunnel" effect. She did look right at the camera, as you can see from her left eye, but the expression on her face is saying, "Put me down! I just ate, and I think I'm gonna hurl!"

Which she did, immediately after the shot was taken. Next time I'll do it just after she wakes up or something. The tan rays coming out of her paw are kinda awesome, though, don't you think?

Back to the Travel Post

11/26/07

On the way back to Boston, I took a flight from Santa Barbara to LAX on one of those tiny planes that holds about 40 people. The one flight attendant announced that that would be the last flight of that particular plane, and then they were taking it out of commission. Great. Could they get one last flight out of the ol' clunker? I could have done without that piece of information. TMI! Turned out to be an unremarkable flight, thank goodness.

Two celebrity sightings at LAX. Saw Jack Black standing in line ahead of me at Burger King. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to always have people looking at you and pretend that they're not looking at you. How uncomfortable. I tried not to stare too much.

A little while later I saw John C. Reilly coming out of the Hudson News store. He brushed right past me.

Random airport photo:

For Whom the Bell Tolls

The other day I was walking to the post office, listening to my iPod at a lower volume than usual. I heard a soft tinkling sound above the music, and wondered if it was my cell phone. I looked up, and it turned out I was passing a wind chime.

I was disgusted with myself for going first to technology instead of nature. What has this world come to???

Cold Feet? Fuggetaboutit!

Last night I couldn't get to sleep, between my cold feet and the Stealth Bomber (more on that in a minute). I don't usually have cold feet when I go to sleep, so it was annoying. The rest of my body was fine. I was tired, and I didn't feel like going down to get socks. Finally, I thought of a solution. I took the pillowcase off the pillow next to me and stuck my feet in it. Voila! My feet warmed up in no time! Probably helped that my sheets are flannel right now. So, next time you have cold feet, just grab your pillowcase and toast those toes!

Once my feet were warm, I drifted off to sleep for a couple of hours, but I was awoken by a loud and rumbling sound. I knew what it was: The Stealth Bomber. I've seen the Stealth Bomber in person, and the noise is incredible. It roars for a few seconds, then it's gone. I was wondering why the Stealth was flying past at two in the morning, but I figured it was just going from one place to another.

Only problem was, it was flying past my house every five or ten minutes! At one point I thought, "Oh god, we're going down. Here comes World War III." It didn't really make sense that the Stealth Bomber would be making so much noise here, because of course we don't want to bomb ourselves, but something was definitely going on. Were we going to be evacuated? Was this a warning to save ourselves? The rumbling was loud, drifting closer, closer, getting louder, and then drifting off...

And at some point when I woke up yet again, it occurred to me that it was not the Stealth Bomber I was hearing, but a snowplow. Back and forth, back and forth, clearing the snow from the snowstorm we were having...

I looked out the window at one point to confirm my new suspicion, and I was right. I drifted off, wondering if we would have a snow day and no school...