Oh What a Night.... or Let's Try This Again!

Career Girl and I went to see Michael Buble in concert and what a concert it was!

I guess my blog from Friday (the "lost" blog) was a bit snarky but really, people shouldn't wear loads of perfume or cologne because when you get together in tight quarters (aka the nose bleed section), it can totally ruin a concert...especially when your nasal passages begin to close and your eyes begin to water and your throat begins to tickle.  Let's just say it is not a lot of fun and it interferes with belting out duets!

Also, while I'm on the subject, while in the crow's nest, your  normal-sized head blots out pretty much the whole stage when you sit forward in your chair.  Sit back, please!

Also, your beer cup was serving more as a screen than a window!  I'm such a bitch, right?  Let's call this Nose-Bleed Etiquette by Strawberry!


BUT....what a show- the parts I could see!  You will not be disappointed from his concert.  He is also quite the comedian.

Phenomenal Special Effects

Hilary and I noticed a section closer to us.  He has/had a second stage (don't know if he does this at all his concerts).  Look!  He's singing, yelling, flipping the finger right at me!!!!  HI, MICHAEL!!!

That's him...on the right

I'm sure I had more to write, but I can't remember what it was.  I DID have a wonderful time visiting with Career Girl.

Till next time, Grainiacs,

Strawberry signing out (47 pounds to go)

Oh What a Night....oh what a morning!

 I lost my whole frickin' blog this morning!  I'm so mad!!!!  Really, pissed.  I posted all about the wonderful concert Career Girl and I saw and now in the blink of an eye, it is gone.  All gone.  So I will have to post about that tomorrow.  This morning I will post about anger and rage and if my toilet was big enough I'd flush this laptop down it!!!!  grrrrrr.....I really mean GRRRRRRR!!!!!

So let's talk about anger.  Is it a needed emotion?  Do you ever feel like you could totally lose control?  I had that feeling once (that I can remember) about a decade ago.  I was having little (big) girl problems and the Dr. recommended a certain hormone supplement (can't remember the name and I say "recommended" because after all IT IS our body and we don't have to take whatever the Dr. prescribes, right?).  I'm not suggesting going all rogue on our physicians but the internet is a powerful tool to check what others have to say.  Another case in point, I was prescribed a certain anti-depressant during a particular time in my life and when I went to ween myself off this drug (with my Dr. help) I experienced "brain zaps."  That is the only way I could explain what I was going through.  I had a dickens of a time walking, thinking, performing day-to-day duties because all of the sudden I would have these brain zaps.  Let's face it, when you take a mind-altering drug there will be some issues.  I googled my prescription and sure enough, loads and loads of people wrote about the same thing. Maybe if I had researched this particular drug, I might have asked for a different prescription (or maybe not!).   The same with the hormone drug; I wonder how many females were ready to slap the heck out of their husbands.  I have never felt so out of control as I did taking that pill.  I know I'll get some flack from this sentiment but I still believe we can determine if we want to take something or not, but for heaven's sake, read the label.  Research what you are putting into your body.  Talk with your Dr. about side effects!

I'm not as much angry as I am perturbed that I AM SICK AGAIN!!!  I can't shake this cold/ allergies/ sinus crap/ "who knows what I have."  Yesterday I was bragging about how I have gotten over whatever we seem to share in this household because I started using paper towels to dry my hands versus a community towel.  Well, guess what?  I'm not saying God zapped me with another cold because I was so non-humble in God's House, but darn it, something zapped me again with this runny nose and sinus pressure!!!!  I am NOT blaming anyone or anything.  I will be humble about it and head out to the store to buy Lysol and more paper towels.  The paper towel antidote was not working by itself.  Many of us in this strawberry patch sneeze before we can get to a Kleenex (I won't say who but he knows of whom I speak!).  So we are still sharing that same damn bug!!!  I'll let you know if I can exterminate it!  I can tell you this laptop WILL die if I lose another blog post!!!  just saying ahead of time.

I will be ending my posts with a little weighty news!  I plan to lose 50 pounds.  I won't be celebrating little advancements like 5% or 10% goals.  It's just there: 50 pounds.  When I weigh I'll keep you all informed (you are my "keep it real" Grainiacs) of how close I am to that 50 pound loss.  I started writing about this new "weighty" news on Friday (but we all know what happened to that blog draft this morning, grrrr)!  So from Friday till today....


Strawberry (47 lbs to go)

"Happier than a camel on Wednesday!"

This past week I spent some time with my daughter in Oklahoma.  

Career Girl is still working in OK and lovin' it (most of the time!).  We went all over the state.  We visited friends in Rural OK (the place where this blog began) and traveled down south to an exotic wildlife zoo.  

****Interesting fact: you have to sign a waiver agreeing that you might be on MTV.  I guess this zoo has its own show.  I hesitated and said I do not want to be on national TV.  It's hot; we sweat; we look like a mess!  Don't worry, she said, just behave and don't do anything like stick your hand in the tiger cage and you should be okay.  

You know me....I wouldn't deliberately call attention to myself.

Here I am with the only baby liliger in the world (or so they say!).  The story goes that the lion and tiger used to live together in the ice age and the time of the woolly mammoth.  The continental shift "shifted" all of that and the lion wound up on one continent and the tiger in another.  This zoo is mating lions and tigers (ligers).  This little critter is the first lion and liger match up.  

It is a frisky little dickens; loved Hilary's hair....although it looks like it is ready to chomp off her ear!!!

Is that Suave I smell or a name brand? 

Wanted

Wanted: Zookeeper

This job entails:

•  rounding up all crazy, spastic morning animals and getting them out of the Strawberry bed.  
• Feeding them.  
• Running them till they are tired and no longer a threat to themselves or the Strawberry.
• cleaning their cage aka the house

 
 

Qualifications:  somebody.....anybody!!!  oh, and knowing how to declaw a kitten gets you to the top of the list! 



Inquire within...look for the woman with crazy eyes and unkempt hair.  Actually, you'll recognize her;  she'll be the wild-eyed woman running toward you with open arms.  Throw chocolate at her and she'll settle down.

That's a hot!!!!

Have I mentioned lately how very h.o.t. it is in south tejas?  I could literally melt! The other day I swept and mopped the whole house and didn't come close to the meltdown I had when I walked outside to change the insurance cards in the glove compartment. I mean "sheesh!!!" What's with that?!  I came inside and had to take a shower.  My clothes were sticking to me and it really wasn't the look I was going for that day.  Really; How can those builders and street workers, etc do it?  There is a special air-conditioned place in heaven for them because they have already lived and worked in hell's climate.

One good thing about this heat is all my fruit consumption.  I can't get enough of watermelon and cantaloupe, although my checkbook says "whoa!!!!"  Why does cantaloupe have to be so dang expensive?  It's not like I'm trying to buy it out of season... or is it out of season?  They (just who are "they?") say the body craves whatever nutrients it needs.  Mine is craving juicy, sweet stuff.  Thankfully it is fruit and not the "you know of what I speak!"  I don't want to tempt any Grainiacs out there.  I've heard from a few of you and you are having success with some weight loss.  Keep up the good work!! I'm proud of y'all!! Now it is time for me to get back on that weight horse.  Kaaaa has been tempted to bite me a time or two.  I will not let that slithering snake of a scale strike!

Wake me in a Month

Ev'ry day is like survival.

Culture Club's Karma Cameleon

I've been a little reflective the past couple of days.  I think it has to do with partying with some high school friends this past weekend.  I woke up thinking about a boy in my 8th grade.  I'll say it: he liked me and I, well to put it bluntly, was not the least bit interested in him.  In my 8th grade book we couldn't be friends because he was always "hitting" on me (translation: I wasn't very nice to him).

I wanted to write about memories and reflections and that sort of sappy stuff today, but instead I thought I'd share my morning.

A.M. Yoga- What a way to start the day- all zen-like and calm...not in my strawberry patch!

I lay down my mat and set up the player.  I turn around and Garbage Gut is playing with his slobbery dog toy....on my mat!!!

grrrr to these two!!!

I shoo him off the mat and begin my yoga routine.  Calm, surrender....  kak....kak....kak....gag...gag.... Ollie is throwing up a furball near my head.

Kitzilla assessing the damage.  Yep, that's a fur ball alright

Kitzilla might have been the culprit, but I doubt it.  The culprit usually doesn't return to the crime scene!

I continue with my yoga reverting to my mode of "selective hearing" or my Scarlett O'hara "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow."

You know, I have enough to do without the critters adding more to my day.  After Kitzilla ate, she decided to bring the dish down with her.  Garbage Gut says "Gee, thanks!  This is my lucky day!!!"

Garbage Gut assessing the damage.  Yep, that's cat food alright

nom, nom,nom....wonder how much this vet bill will be???

 I keep the cat food up on the counter in the laundry room so Garbage Gut will NOT get into the cat food.  I have plenty of vet bills to prove that!

And lest you think the new baby kitty is an angel, she knocked over the jar with the colorful pipe cleaners and is happily playing and I am unhappily playing "pick up sticks."

Yep, that's a lime green pipe cleaner and not Hermie the Wormie

Do you believe in what goes around, comes around?  I'm beginning to believe it.  Now I know why I awoke  thinking about my dear departed 8th grade friend.

Let's just name my morning "Karma!"

My life is an exclamation!

How have you been Grainiacs?  It's been a while, I know.  Truly this past semester of classes kept my nose in the books and my head in a constant "say what????" 

I really think the stress of going back to school is packing on the fat on my belly.  Yeah, that's it; it's the classes I'm taking.  Education is hazardous to your weight!!  I mean we've read about the Freshman 15; how about the Grad Fifty?!?  Funny thing about my family: all of my children LOST weight when they went to college.  Instead of gaining 15, they lost 15.  It must be me and Hubby.  We are the culprits.  No one else can take the blame.  I admit it.... I love food and not just any food.....ICE CREAM!!!!  PIE!!!!  If it's creamy, it's MINE!!!!!  Okay, enough with the exclamations!!  really, last time.

I love life.  I do.  I love being here.  I love meeting with friends (had a great girls' weekend last week).  I love talking on the phone...or browsing the internet.  I love driving.  I love watching a good sitcom.  I LOVE going to the movies.  Do you notice anything about my "loves?"  I just did.  They are all sedentary activities.  I wish I loved exercising.  Or playing tennis.  Or running or even walking.  I do love swimming, but I don't love getting TO the pool and I especially don't like public pools.  I guess I'm becoming somewhat of a germ-a-phobe.  I really loved going to a wellness center last summer but we don't have one here in cucaracha-ville.

So what's a lazy-ass strawberry to do?  First things first.  I've started back with my yoga routine.  Okay, so it's not a routine yet, but it will be!!  AND...I'm giving up ice cream for a week (you really don't know how hard that will be here in the south Texas heat!).  Instead I'm going to make healthy popsicles.  For a creamy popsicle, I can either make a frozen yogurt popsicle or I can buy the low-cal fudgsicle at the store.

I'm back to the baby steps that helped me lose 15 pounds.  I cannot be disgusted with myself because this has to be a changed lifestyle.  I eat too much Mexican food, too much fast food, too many Diet Cokes, and too many sweets.  Life as I know it will end, but life will not end.  I can still love being here!  I can still love meeting with friends!  I can still love movies! and cold things!  And I can still use my exclamations!!!