To Be Sick or Not Be Sick, That Is The Question

Since about Tuesday, I've been trying to figure out if I am coming down with a cold or not. I woke up on Wednesday at my usual 4:30am and decided not to go to my cardio class since I just felt exhausted. I figured that maybe I am coming down with a cold...my throat hurt a tiny little bit. I went back to bed, got up at 6am and then went to work. On Thursday, I didn't feel any worse...I had the day off work and felt ok, but not fantastic or anything. I went to the gym...worked out for an hour on the elliptical and I felt fine after the workout. However, my throat still hurts a little bit...just feels like it takes more effort to swallow.

I woke up this morning again at 4:30am...and felt exhausted...plus it was frick freaking cold outside, so I skipped cardio class again. My throat still hurt and my nose was running a little bit, but not stuffy at all...and nothing severe. I went to work...felt fine, except for the little sore throat. After work, I went to the gym and worked out again for another hour on the elliptical. I felt great when I was working out....I had tons of energy.

So...I just wish my body would decide if I am sick or not...and let me know. Pfft! And nope, I don't have allergies at all. I think I'll just try and get some extra sleep tonight and hope that I wake up all bright eyes and bushy tailed when I get up tomorrow...with no sore throat.

Stupid body. Figure it out and then let me know, mkay?

Stupid vampire movies...

I often visit some of my favorite blogs daily...swinging through and seeing what new nuggets of info they might have for me. If they haven't updated in a few days...I get all annoyed and inpatient. While at the same time...I can easily go a week, if not longer without updating my blog. Ahh....

I had the day off work today. For not much of a reason at all. At work, we don't get overtime if we work over our allotted hours, we get comp time...but we can't accrue too much of it. Mine was getting up there...so I had to take some time. Today seemed like a good day.

Productive things I did today...

1. Went to the gym and rocked the elliptical for an hour.

2. Cleaned the kitty litter box...and this time, I didn't smash my finger in the door.

3. Organized some clothes in my closet...and found some clothes I forgot I had. Probably haven't even looked at them in years. They fit, which is awesome.

4. Bought some Red Sox tickets.

5. Got paid and immediately paid my bills...and have no money left over.

And on to non-productive things...Blockbuster sent me the silly Twilight New Moon movie. Yes, they sent it to me because I placed it on my Queue. I am not a fan of the first movie...and think they are dorky and way over-hyped, however...I still planned on watching it. I figured that everyone would want it, so I probably wouldn't get the movie until a few months after it was released, but nope...Blockbuster sent it to me this week.

So, since they sent it to me and all...and I can't get a new movie until I watch the movies they sent me, I sat down and watched it this afternoon.

Cliff Notes. The second movie is sillier than the first. I kept thinking how juvenile some things were, but then I also kept reminding myself that they are made for teenagers. And...the scene were Edward is breaking up with Bella and leaving her in the woods...that scene was totally stolen from Harry and the Hendersons. Just sayin...

Team Jakob? Team Edward? How about Team Rent Lost Boys if You Wanna See a Kick Arse Vampire Movie...

Wal-Mart aka Devil-Mart almost got me back!

Happy Friday folks!

One of my many New Year's Commitments in 2010 was that I was giving up going to the Wal-Mart. It hasn't been easy...but I am happy to report that I have not purchased anything at the Wal-Mart since December of 2009. I also haven't stepped foot inside the house of evil...even though I can go there, just not purchase any goods from them.

Why all the hate for Wal-Mart??? Well..it's nothing new for me. I've always felt their policies towards the community and their policies were well...piss poor. I also think that having a Wal-Mart in the community hurts local, small businesses. Now, I don't think Wal-Mart is suffering too much from my lost business, but it's a step. I have spent a lot of hot air talking about what a horrible corporation they are...while at the same time going to the establishment on a weekly basis to get whatever I needed for the week. So, really...my New Year's Commitment was more about me being less of a hypocrite than about being about Wal-Mart.

Anyhoo...as my subject says...Wal-Mart almost wooed me back this week. My car needed an oil change...and I had a headlight out. My car can be a pain in the arse to change the headlights. One, the panel you have to remove...is always more persnickety than it needs to be. And two, the brackets that hold the lightbulbs in place are almost broken, so one false move and they will break completely.

Last time I had a headlight out, I bought them at the local auto parts store and the employee was able to put them in for me. So, awesome...I went there and asked the price and if they could install them for me. The woman working there...said, no...that is was their policy to not install them for people. She seemed shocked that someone did it for me last time. So, I didn't buy the bulbs there...I am still a diva and wanted to find some place where they would put them in for me. Serve me dammit!!!

I noticed the headlight was out on Monday....and I have plans to be out of town and on the road this weekend, so I didn't wanna wait on it. Plus, Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day...so the idea of giving every cop in the tri-county area a reason to pull me over while they were looking for drunks...seemed like a bad idea.

Since I needed an oil change anyways....and I knew that Wal-Mart would install the bulbs if I bought them from them. I begrudgingly thought..."Oh well, I didn't shop at Wal-Mart for 3 months...but I guess I'll go back there." I had planned on going to Devil-Mart after work on Tuesday and getting both things done.

I came into work on Wednesday...and had a flash of genius. I called around to the local all service shops...and low and behold, Wal-Mart isn't the only game in town. I made an appt that afternoon to go to Meineke and get all my needs taken care of...oil change...headlights...installed.

Awesome. Wal-Mart...you big bad evil...you tried, but you did not beat my spirit into submission.

Happy Belated St. Patty's Day!

Yes, I know...yesterday was the Irish holiday and all...but a day late and a dollar short, Happy St. Patrick's Day anyways. I always love this holiday...not because it is an excuse for drunken debauchery, but because I am a red headed, pale faced Irish kid, so it just feels like my holiday.

What did I do for St. Patty's Day?? Well...I wore a cute little shamrock shirt to work. And...in a very non-Irish way went out to eat at a Mexican food restaurant.

Two of my friends had birthdays this week, so we went out for dinner to celebrate their being brought into the world. The restaurant is a good one...it's a real, authentic Mexican restaurant...not one of those generic americanized mexican restaurants. We've been there a few times...and always got a good meal and a good time.

I wasn't sure what I was going to eat there. I actually considered just not ordering anything and just hanging out with them. I did check out a menu we had from the restaurant at work. Being a vegetarian...who also gave up all bread like substances for Lent (I know...my list of things I am giving up for Lent grows every single day)...I didn't know if the mexican restaurant would be very diet friendly to Shelley. I took a quick look. At first, it didn't look good. But upon looking again, they had a nice, appetizer salad. The salad was supposed to have chicken on it, but I could easily get it sans chicken. So, I decided on that. I ordered the salad...it came with lettuce, veggies and some avocado. I also asked for no dressing...and just put some of the salsa on for dressing. The salsa was hot hot hot...so you couldn't eat a lot of it even if you wanted to.

We had a nice time at dinner. My friends...well, they don't mind the big deal being made about their birthdays...you know...the singing, the dancing, the banging of pots, etc. They eat that stuff up. So, I let the manager know (who might be one of the nicest human beings on the planet) that it was their birthday. They came out and sang happy birthday...AND...they also brought out huge sombreros for the ladies to wear. Oh...and ice cream. Sombreros. You heard me. My friend was disappointed they didn't sing Happy Birthday en espanol so I sang a verse of Feliz Cumpleanos to her...since it was for HER birthday and all.

It was adorable though...and we had a very nice time. The manager also offered us a free shot of tequila before we left. I said no...of course...but it was very nice of him. I'll definitely eat there again and recommend it to anyone who wants a good, real Mexican meal.

Cheating on Lent in my Dreams

This year...like I've done many years in the past...at least the last 5 years, I've given up pizza and candy for Lent. It initially started as a good additional to whatever weight loss strategy I had going on and now it is basically just for tradition.

What's been interesting...is that not only once, but twice I've had dreams about the food I've given up for Lent. Actually, they were both about candy. First one, I ended up eating a mini candy bar...and didn't think twice about it. Then, I realized it was candy and I was giving it up for Lent...and immediately felt so horrible and plagued with guilt. I woke up with a phew feeling...knowing it was only a dream and I am not a big ol' Lent cheater.

Then last week...I had the "I cheated on Lent" dream take two. This time, I dreamt that I was hanging out in the living room...and suddenly candy was everywhere. There was a weird Christmas tree like tree in the living room and it was almost toppled over...filled with so much candy. I started eating the candy...piece after piece after piece. I can remember being so full of candy, I thought I was gonna burst.

I woke up...and just shook my head. Another candy dream. Sheesh.

I think that's a sign that it's a good thing that I gave up the candy for Lent. If not, I might be a bit of trouble...and probably a little heavier. Snickers. (pun intended)

#BoobieWed and a kick ass kid who says "I ♥ boobies"

Look at me...I might be actually writing in my blog again. Who would have thought?

Today's topic...is some let's call it alternative or different ways of promoting Breast Cancer Awareness.

First one is something that is done on Twitter. It's called Boobie Wednesday. Many women...and even some men...on the twitter change their profile picture to a picture of breasts on Wednesday. The point...is to bring up the issue of Breast Cancer Awareness and early detection. It's been going on...actually, I don't know how long, but it's at least been a couple of months.

Last night, there got to be a little spat on my twitter feed of those who support and many participate in Boobie Wed and those who think it is inappropriate and that awareness about cancer should be done in a different way.

I can see many of their points of view....since not everyone wants to see pics of women in their bras on their twitter feed all day on Wednesday. And almost everyone (except one person aka King of Obnoxious...with a dash of hypocrit)...expressed their opinion with intelligence and respect. Some people expressed they thought it was less about the cause and more about attention seeking and self-expression.

And then there is a local story which has very similar tones. There is a kid at a school not far from me...where a 15 year old freshman was wearing one of the black, "I heart boobies" bracelets to school. The bracelets are sold by the organization, Keep-a-breast.org which is an anti-breast cancer group aimed at teenagers and young people. It's goal is to raise awareness and money in order to combat the disease. He has a great aunt who has breast cancer, so he bought the bracelet for her. He wore it to Science class...the teacher saw it, took offense to it and said that he had to take it off. He said he didn't want to take it off, but he would turn it inside out so that the saying was not visible to her. Not good enough...so she sent him out of the classroom and gave him detention. It made the local news...and since then, there has been a lot of discussion about it.

My take on both of these situations. I think anything that brings attention to the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness...or cancer of any kind, I support. I have participated in Boobie Wednesday for the past few weeks and each and every Wednesday, I end up having a discussion with someone about breast cancer and prevention. That's the point...in my opinion.

The first week, I posted a pic of my breasts...with a bra on. And yeah, I immediately felt uncomfortable. It didn't stay up very long. To me (and this is only my opinion), I felt like I wasn't sure if the pic was more about me or the cause. Now, I know some people probably post the boobies pics to promote themselves and get attention, but that is a HUGE MINORITY...at least of the people on my twitter feed. It's about the issue. This week, I decided to still participate, but instead I posted a pic that I snagged from a Breast Cancer Awareness site. It was a pic of someone else's breasts...and the pink ribbon in the middle. That to me...felt much much better.

And as for the local kid. Good for him. How many 15 year olds do we know who not only support a cause, but are willing to stand up for themselves and the cause when they face some resistance??? Not all that many that I know of. And...as a result in my community people are talking about breast cancer. All because of this kid and his controversial boobie loving bracelet. In my local newspaper there is an article about the event and in the online version there are 132 comments on the article.

If it isn't your cup of tea...well, the ignore button is real easy to use. I know many people on twitter who turned off their yesterday because they didn't want to see pics of women in their bras. However, they still heard the message. That teacher...she could have been a grown up and accepted the student turning his bracelet inside out, so that it was no longer visible to her. However, in both cases...the issue is out there. Words sometime..they are cheap. They are real easy to ignore or to completely miss. However, campaigns like this...well...just the past two examples, they work.

P.S. For any women reading this...wait...men too...because men DO get breast cancer. anyways...think back to the last time you did a breast self exam...if it was more than a month ago. You are overdue. If you are unsure how to do an exam correctly, this link should help you out.

Who ate my ^&%^&%^ yogurt?!?!?!

I know...2 posts from me in one day.....I'm shocked too!

Everyday for lunch, I eat exactly the same thing...a small garden salad and a light yogurt. Sometimes a little granola or maybe frozen fruit. Every. Single. Day. I never eat anything different....I never order out....I never grab fast food. I do that two reasons. One, it's healthier....I know what I am eating and it is just enough food to get me until about 3pm when I eat again. Two, it's crazy cheap. There are some people I work with who eat out for lunch almost everyday, if not every single day. My lunch costs a little over a dollar a day...while they spend $20-30 on lunch each week, if not more. I'm not only trying to be healthy....but I am also what you would call cheap.

So, back to my yogurt...I packed my lunch this morning and had everything in it. I had my protein shakes, my salad, my yogurt and my bottle of water. All set. I get to work...and put my lunch in the fridge and get on with my work for the day.

At lunch time...I head to the fridge and go to get my salad and yogurt. I grab my salad...and...ummm...there is no yogurt in the fridge. What? No yogurt?? Where is my yogurt? I KNOW I packed it this morning and put it in my lunch bag. I can see myself doing it.

What is my first thought..."who eat my yogurt??" Which was immediately replaced by "Who STOLE my yogurt?" I thought of possible candidates...and tried to imagine that they ate my yogurt by MISTAKE...and not because they are thieving bastards.

I went to the possible candidates...and said the following statement, "Hey, did you happen to eat my apple yogurt by mistake? It's not in the fridge." Translation: "Did you STEAL my mother truckin' yogurt?" They all said no.

I became obsessed with my yogurt. I couldn't imagine where it could have gone. I ate my salad...and yes, continued to think about my yogurt.

Then, I had a flash of brilliance....and grabbed my keys. I headed out to my car...and low and behold, my yogurt is sitting on the passenger side seat in my car. I went back into work...and laughed at how I had recovered my STOLEN yogurt.

And yes...Officially...no one stole my yogurt. Case closed. But...if you did steal my yogurt, no doubt...I would have interrogated you Jack Bauer style...until you cracked. Just know this.

If I could be any zoo animal???

So, in my last entry...I said if you had any question...I would answer it. Steve is the only one who had a question...and his question was:

If you could be any type of zoo animal, what would you be, and why?

Hmm. That's actually a more difficult question to answer for me....since I am actually quite anti-zoos. I don't like the way the treat the animals...and while I think it is important and valuable for people to see animals up close and personal, at what expense. I could go all political...and talk about the Sea World whale, but well...that wasn't the question asked.

I know I wouldn't want to be one of the animals that has to do shows... At first, I thought lion...since every time I've seen a lion, they look happy and content...walking around...yawning...eating and just being the king of their domain.

However....while being a lion might be fun, it's not the animal I am picking. I pick penguin. I think the last time I saw a penguin was at Sea World. They had a whole world chuck full of penguins. One, those penguins just look happy...swimming around in their little cold man made world. Two, they don't have to interact with the humans...we just watch them behind the glass...and ooh and ahh at how cute they are. And three...they mate for life, so I can spend my time finding another awesomesauce penguin and rocking it out in the zoo.

So...there ya go. I'd be a happy penguin.



Any other questions...don't hesitate to ask. And this time, I'll answer before a couple weeks go by.