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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

True Love

The other day, I watched The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (on DVD of course, the days of seeing movies in the theater has been over for years, unless we're talking PG movies...). I enjoyed the movie, but will remember one scene in particular.

When David catches up with Elise again after 3 years, he asks her why she did not marry her previous fiancee. She answers, "Because of you. I'm not hopeless romantic. I'd never allow myself to be that way. But once I felt, even for a moment what I felt with you, you ruined me. I didn't want to settle for less."



Photo by Dynamite Imagery/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

That's exactly what I say. I don't want to settle for less. But then again, I probably could fit the definition of hopeless romantic.

I want to fall head over heals in love, feel my heart skip a beat when I hear his voice, and walk around with a silly grin on my face, because the thought of him makes me smile. I want to feel his strong arms around me and feel safe, and have the world just disappear for a while. I want to share stories, laughs and dreams, have discussions and agree to disagree. And so much more. Why settle for less, when I know all that I want is out there?  I won't.  Once you stop settling for less, you'll finally get what you deserve...or so they say. 

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Power of Music

I love music - all forms of it; on the radio, in concerts, in theater, musicals, dance performances, and church, not to mention my own singing performances in the shower...  Not only is music great on its own, but it enhances our experiences with any other form of art. What I think most fail to realize, is how powerful music can be.

When I say powerful, I truly mean "change someones life - powerful".




Photo by Renjith Krishnan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
 Take gospel for example.  How much pain and suffering is not released in that music form? But at the same time, it is filled with messages of hope. I can't think of anything more moving, than a gospel choir filling a room with their voices.

At my friend's suggestion, I watched a segment of 60 Minutes telling the story of Vy Higginson and her Gospel for Teen ensemble.  Not only do they sound wonderful, but the stories behind these kids are often heart breaking.  Watching how the music and the sense of belonging changed how they feel about themselves, well, that just made me all teary eyed. You can find their story here.

The choir's theme song is "How Could Anyone Ever Tell You You Were Anything Less than Beautiful".  Here by Shaina Noll, but follow the lyrics and imagine how singing this could make you feel.




Watching America's Got Talent last week, Daniel Joseph Baker spoke very openly about his difficulties prior to the show; about not fitting in, believing the bullies and thinking of himself as a freak, but finding solace in his music.  Now of course, he is receiving the recognition he deserves for his talent, and finally being accepted.   Another contestant, Lys Agnes is also blossoming in this competition, and is certainly "getting her music back". It is quite visible how the music makes them come alive on stage, as we have seen with so many contestants over the years.

But one doesn't need to be a performer to enjoy and reap the benefits of music.  Listening to it alone can help change ones mood or attitude. Soft music makes a candlelight dinner even more romantic. Some music instantly removes all tension and helps us truly relax; other songs will pump us up and get us going. There is a reason music is used at sporting events, at professional events, in restaurants and bars, at medical offices and in spas.  It simply sets the mood.




Photo by Salvatore Vuono/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
 Let's end this with a word about dancing.   I don't care how old I get, I will always like to dance.  I might not be as good as I think I am, but that doesn't stop me.  Ever since I danced in a folk dance group as a child, which by the way was really fun, I have enjoyed dancing.  And as new movies and TV shows (FAME was my absolute favorite!) came along, we practiced at home before taking it on the dance floor, hoping to one day be able to perform our own flash dance, or at least do a dirty dance with someone as handsome and as good of a dancer as Patrick Swayze. Then came Dancing With The Stars, and all of a sudden ballroom dancing was a big hit. However, it wasn't until I heard of the Dulaine Method in the movie Take the Lead, that I envisioned ballroom dancing as a means of changing young people's lives.

Pierre Dulaine brought ballroom dancing to inner city schools in 1994. The concept of  helping children develop social skills they will need as adults through dance, has since multiplied within the US, Canada and Europe.  According to their website, 42,000 children in 509 schools in 23 cities benefited from the program last school year, and it continues to grow.  The idea of the program? " Dancing Classrooms is not about teaching ballroom dancing. The dance is a tool for getting the children to break down social barriers, learn about honor and respect, treat others carefully, improve self-confidence, communicate and cooperate, and accept others even if they are different."

Here is the innovative tango danced by three of the students in the movie (my absolute favorite!!)  Enjoy. It might inspire you too to take a few steps on the floor: 


Monday, August 29, 2011

Finding My Beautiful

After years of finding faults with myself, it's a welcome change to focus on the good things. Not always easy, but nice. So without a bad word about myself, I am going to talk about body image. 




What I used to see in the mirror...


I started reading a book today about a woman's journey of changing her self image and behavior, and by page 12 I was convinced it will become one of my favorites, because I can relate to every word she is writing. The first thing that struck me, is how she, as I and so many other women do, so often relate our self worth to our looks.  Unless we are beautiful with a perfect body, we must not be worth anything.  Where do we learn this?  It's not something that sneaks up on us as adults.  I already hear my daughter and her friends talking about their looks; their not even teenagers yet, and all I can think when I hear the comments "I'm so fat" is, how do I stop this from escalating to an eating disorder? Sadly, I  think I am smart for already paying close attention to their comments and behavior related to food and body image.

At 10 years old, I was a healthy, normal child, but always thought all my girlfriends were prettier than me.  I came home one day, when my mom had a few of the neighbor ladies over for lunch. I am not sure how this came up, but somewhere in our conversation I made the comment that I was fat - obviously fishing for compliments. But instead of them telling me how nice I looked, one of the neighbors laughingly said, "oh yes, you are". This happened 30 years ago, and I still remember as if it was yesterday, how mortified I was that someone confirmed I was fat. As if I didn't already think I was somewhat ugly, my self image definitely went down the drain. But I wowed for that to be the last time anyone would ever call me fat.

I didn't stop eating, get anorexia or bulimia or any other eating disorder.  I worked out a lot, ate (mostly) healthy and grew quite tall. If there was any extra weight, the 80's fashion was pretty easy to hide it under. It took another 16 years until someone else called me fat.

At 26, I decided to try out an all women's gym.  I loved aerobics classes, and had checked their time schedule before going.  But instead of getting to try out the class I wanted, the customer service person proceeded to measure every possible part of my body and carefully recording every measurement, then forcing me onto a scale before she looked me in the eyes and said, "so where would you like to loose most weight?" I was 5'10" and weighed 136 lbs., had been running and lifting weights on a regular basis, and was in my mind, in great shape.  You'd be hard pressed to find any part of my body to pinch. Yet here I was again, with the same feeling as when I was 10, wondering how I got so fat. I didn't get an eating disorder from that either, but it certainly helped me acquire my, according to my best friend, mentally distorted self image. Why do I keep saying I didn't get an eating disorder?  Because for so many, that one comment is all it takes. Obviously, since I still remember exactly when and where the only two times someone eluded to me being fat was, I wasn't so far off that danger zone either.

Luckily I grew up with a healthy relationship to food, which I still have to some extent.  I don't fret over how much I eat, or how often, but can easily go a day without eating anything. Not because I try to loose weight, but more out of laziness.  Unless I'm starving, or I have to feed somebody else, I would rather spend my time doing anything other than cooking.  And yes, making a sandwich constitutes cooking in my book. Having children, obviously helps me keep a healthier eating schedule. Bottom line is, food has never been an issue for me; however, seeing myself as too skinny, will probably never happen.

After gaining 62 lbs. when I was pregnant, and feeling like a whale (!), I couldn't loose the weight fast enough. Who cares that it took 9 months to get there? There was no way in hell it would take 9 months to get off my body!  So I was back in my old jeans within four weeks of giving birth; however, that all of a sudden was not enough.  Twiggy apparently became my idol. 

When I shortly thereafter got sick with what I assumed was a stomach virus, preventing me from being able to hold down any food or liquid, I waited 12 days to seek medical treatment.  I actually did go to the doctor earlier, but there was a long wait, I was busy at work, and the doctor was wearing pink pants, so I left (the latter in my breastfeeding hazy mind, most definitely disqualified his medical credentials!). By the time I actually saw a doctor, I had lost another 20 lbs., and was so dehydrated I got stuck in the ER for hours while they re-hydrated me through an IV. As unpleasant as the effects of the illness was during those 12 days, I thought it was fabulous that I had lost all that weight and now was thinner than I was as a teenager.  All my bones were poking out, and I was flat as a board on both sides; absolutely no curves anywhere, but I thought I looked great. Not just great, but "send me to a photo shoot, I'm ready to be a model GREAT!" To everyone else I apparently looked like the poster child for an organization fighting starvation.  Subtle hints from my husband and sister did not work.  It took a conversation with my brother-in-law, who in quite frank terms told me that I was "ugly skinny" to change my view of my newly acquired "super body".  

 A decade later, I still define borderline underweight as my ideal weight. If I can pinch it, it shouldn't be there.  As I'm reading my own words, I see how ridiculous it sounds, but this is 40 years in the making, and a hard one to break!  Luckily I am now focusing much more on being healthy than being skinny, and I figure at 40+, a perfect body is one that will carry me through the next 40 years, not one that necessarily fits in to a size 4.  Keeping that focus, and transferring it, rather than my fixation with being thin, to my children is the obvious challenge, and one that I most certainly hope I accomplish.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Life, Love and Happiness

I am woman, hear me roar!!  I think it's over; my midlife crisis, I mean.  As much as turning 40 totally threw me off, I made it through the year, and have now entered into the 40+ category.  And I like it.

Rather than focusing on what is wrong with my life, not to mention my body, I am changing my focus to everything that is right about it all. 




Photo by Arvind Balaraman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 I joined the Facebook group "Sexy After 40" (love that group!!), and see daily on their wall how truly sexy confident, adult women and men are.  So there it is; I am sexy after 40!! 

You will no longer hear about my aging body; mostly because I am working hard to put it back in shape. I will focus much more on what works for me as a busy, single mom to increase my energy and feel better as I get older. I am finding great tips from Deborah Dennis at Fit Women Over 40 (check this blog out!!). Should I find clothes in the closet that no longer fits, they will be promptly removed without me shedding a tear or using it as a reason to talk down about myself.  No more, because I am beautiful!

I am nowhere close to where I want to be professionally, and I will admit the last year has been tough.  But what better time to redefine myself than 40? I have my goals and dreams and am working diligently to get there, and am confident I will.

As a parent, I'm sure I could do better every day, but really, who couldn't?  Rather than focusing on what I failed to get done, I am starting my "I did list", so that when it seems I failed to do anything, I can look at my list and see all the tasks that did get done.

So on this beautiful Friday (if you are in the path of Irene, it might not be so beautiful where you are, but it's Friday!!!) I am throwing out all negative attitudes and self images and starting over, this time with excitement and positive reinforcement.

A full life, love and happiness is what I will have. I wish you all the same!

Happy Friday!

Friday, August 19, 2011

The Man of my Dreams

I know it was only yesterday I claimed to be single and mostly happy, well things have changed.
I have completely fallen for a tall, strong and bald man.

He's been around for some time, I just never paid much attention to him. But he certainly got my attention last night when he found his way to my house!  Because of him, there are no more scuff marks or hand prints on my wall.  The shower is sparkling clean, my refrigerator handles have never been so white!




Photo by Scottchan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mr. Clean, you are the man of my dreams!  As long as you bring your eraser, you can move in, and stay at my house forever.  I will trust you to take care of the spots and marks the kids seem to leave everywhere on the walls, the dirty hand prints on door handles and cabinets, the soap grime in the shower.  No man has ever done this for me before..... I think I'm in love!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Single and Happy

I know I say being single is great, but sometimes it feels like too much for one person to handle.

Sometimes I just want to throw in the towel and have someone else handle everything.



Photo by m_bartosch/FreeDigitalPhoto.net

Sometimes I just want a little me time before I'm too worn out to keep my eyes open.

Sometimes I wish the chores around the house got done without me having to nag about it or do it all myself.



Photo by John Kasawa/FreeDigitalPhotos.net




Sometimes I want to be the person being taken care of instead of the one taking care of everybody and everything.

Sometimes I wish for a pair of strong arms to scoop me up and hold me tight and make the world disappear, if just for a few moments.

Sometimes I wish my life was so very different...




Photo by Photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
...but that's only sometimes.

Most of the time, I wake up with a smile (OK, that might be lie...I'm really not a morning person! But at least I try to be pleasant)

Most of the time, I look at my children and thank God for giving me the responsibility of raising them and blessing me with their unconditional love.

Most of the time, I welcome challenges, as they make me grow both personally and professionally.

Most of the time, I look around and am thankful for what I have, because so many others have to make due with so much less.
 Most of the time, I am grateful for the love and care my friends and family show me.

Most of the time, I am thankful for all the opportunities that are available to me, and the knowledge that my happiness and prosperity is dependent on my own actions much more than others'.


 So even though being swept away by a knight in shining armor sounds thrilling at times, I'm still happily single....most of the time.

Monday, August 15, 2011

GORGEOUS & SEXY!!!

Remember I told you I got an agent?  Got talked in to that one with a good dose of sweet talk; it's not like I actually have any aspirations of becoming famous at 40...but nonetheless, I keep getting casting notices that I can submit for; most of them out of state, and most as extras, but occasionally something good comes along. Here's the description for today's available role in a project featuring one of my favorite stars (he occupies a fair share of sweet dreams...):

GORGEOUS & SEXY!!! A woman you would die for!!!




Photo by Photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Even on my best day I couldn't fit that description, not even in my little spurts of divaness.  Doggone it!!  I would have have done this one for free, just to meet the star.  Probably should have stuck with Billy's Boot camp, the jogging, the eating healthy and drinking lots of water... pretty sure some Botox, liposuction and complete make-over wouldn't hurt either.

Well, one can always dream, but sadly I will not be submitting for this one.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

War Heroes

They paid the ultimate price in a war I think most of us don't quite understand.  On the deadliest single day in the 10 year war in Afghanistan, 30 American service men lost their lives when their helicopter was shot down. Pentagon has now released their names, and you can read their stories here.





Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images


My thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends. May they all rest in peace.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Arrested for Sagging Pants

Sagging pants?  Can't stand them. Think it is the dumbest looking fashion statement anyone ever came up with. But criminal? That's pushing it a little too far.  Obviously if there is no underwear, the sagging pants will reveal bare bottoms, and that might not be legal. But as much as we may not like it, seeing someone's boxer shorts will not hurt any of us. 



Corporations should be allowed to decide for themselves what they find to be an appropriate dress code. But without having this in writing, how should they enforce it without falling in to the traps of discrimination and racism?

Deshon Marman, a defensive player for University of New Mexico, was recently asked by a US Airways ticket agent to pull up his pants. He stated he would comply once he reached his seat. Instead of that being the end of the story, the captain had him kicked off the flight, arrested, shackled and jailed - after he was in his seat, and his pants were pulled up. 


US Airways admittedly has no written dress code for their passengers, and only six days prior to the episode involving Mr. Marman, they allowed a white male to fly wearing women's underwear and nothing else....and that is not offensive?  Can you say double standard?

The local District Attorney's office did not pursue the charges, determining that criminal charges were not warranted.  However, the airline stands by its staff's behavior calling it "professional", and has so far refused to issue an apology (and the refund they promised him). Nor have they answered the charges of discrimination made by Mr. Marman's family and the San Francisco NAACP.

ColorOfChange.org is calling attention to this matter stating "The double standard faced by Deshon is connected to a larger problem Black youth face with a legal system that punishes and criminalizes them at higher rates, even when there is no difference in behavior. We cannot allow businesses like US Airways to follow the trend. We must hold them to a standard of conduct that does not discriminate, condone double standards or violate anyone's civil rights."  You can read more about their movement here

Outside of telling us where and when we need to cover up - at least certain body parts, I truly think we are all capable of deciding for ourselves how we want to and should dress.  If however, the cities with ordinances against sagging pants win in the court system, I strongly urge them to also consider adding speedos on the beach, wrongly fitted bras, wrong style T-Shirts for body type, and squeeze tight jeans so low the underwear shows, to the list of "illegal" clothing.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

When Everything Goes Wrong

The day is almost over, thank goodness!! 

It has been one of those days, where absolutely nothing went the way it was supposed to.  But I'm just a nice long shower away from hitting the pillow,  and tomorrow will be another wonderful day (it'll be Friday...seriously, how bad could that day ever get?!?).

In the mean time, this video describes pretty well how Thursday went.  Enjoy.


Monday, August 8, 2011

Why Standardized Testing Doesn't Work

For years I've made the claim that the only ones the standardized testing in schools benefit, is the companies who administer  the  tests.   Following the scandal that is unveiling in Atlanta schools, I think more people will agree.



Photo by Carlos Porto/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
With schools who already struggle with tight budgets, having to deal with funding being tied to test scores, I am not surprised to see that they are forging the numbers and cheating to obtain the required scores.  Do I condone it? Of course not, but the testing has in my mind been proven quite useless, and the money and time spent on the testing could have been used much more productively to give our children a better, and more well rounded education.

In 2008, Washington Post published an article regarding the 5 widespread  Myths About No Child Left Behind.  They discount my argument about the cost of the program without giving specifics about the cost, so until proven different, I will stand behind that argument. But I find the time spent on these tests and the emphasis placed on the results more important.

According to Wikipedia, American 9 year olds, had better test results in 2005 than we had seen in the past three decades.  However, the increase in test results were about the same between 2000 and 2003 (when the No Child Left Behind took effect) as they were from 2003 to 2005. So when the results were already on the rise, how realistic is it to argue the legislation had anything to do with the increase?

New York Times reports that the overall test scores for 17 year old students were the same in 2009 as they were in 1971, and the gaps between white students and minority children remained the same as they were 20-30 years ago. So where exactly are the benefits of theses tests?  I know the Obama Administration has proposed changes to No Child Left Behind, but none, that I have seen, that would provide any major change in how schools are rated and/or funded through the program. 

I understand the argument of holding schools accountable for teaching their students what they are supposed to learn.  But as a parent, I find it strange that any parent would not know whether or not their child is keeping up with their class work.  If you read with your young child for 20-30 minutes every day, would it not be evident whether or not she knows how to read?  If you check their homework on a regular basis, is it not evident whether or not they understand it or not?  It is beyond me that any parent of 4th and 5th grade students can be surprised that their child somehow passed through the system without knowing what they were supposed to.  Where is the parent accountability?





Photo by Koratmember/FreeDigitialPhotos.net
 Most of the "problem schools" or "at risk schools" are in poor areas, but I have trouble understanding how poor equals not involved. I am far from rich, a single parent with very active children. Working two and three jobs, I manage to be one of the most involved parents in our school, because my children's education is a priority.  Forcing parents to make their children a priority, is how I believe we can fix the system.

If parent involvement was mandatory, I strongly believe we would see a vast increase not only in test scores, but in graduation percentages and college applicants. Besides having to sign off on the children's school work, it can be as simple as having to show up for open house when school starts, and attending two teacher-parent conferences through the school year.  That may seem very basic to you, but I know in our school (which by the way, is not an at risk school), very few parents schedule conferences if not forced to do so because of their child's behavior or low scores.  Why is it so hard to understand that getting to know your child's teacher, is the key to keeping the line of communication flowing throughout the year?



Photo by Nuttakit/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As a new school year is starting, and 30+ teachers have retired or resigned in the Atlanta Schools, I hope we see more parents taking an active interest in their children's education, so that good teachers like Julie Rogers-Martin, can continue teaching children without being surprised by their lack of knowledge from prior years. 




Sunday, August 7, 2011

First Website Ever Celebrates 20th Birthday

Do you remember life without Internet?  I do, but hope I never have to go back.  Thanks to Tim Berners-Lee, we have now had the world wide web system available for 20 years, luckily with steady improvements along the way.

Photo by Renjith Krishnan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net


From a plane text web page, with instructions on how to create your own, you can now find information on just about everything on the Internet, luckily with pretty layouts, pictures etc. even making it easy for non-tech people like me to create a decent looking blog.  Not bad.

So happy 20th birthday www.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Happier and wiser at 50?

Happy Birthday Mr. President!

As he now is rounding the 50, President Obama should have reached a turning point for reduced stress, anger and worry, and increased happiness.  OK, maybe his job adds a little stress, worry and anger for a while longer, but at least that is the norm for "ordinary" Americans.

Photo by Maggie Smith/FreeDigitalPhotos.net


According to an article in Slate, a recent study found that we reach an emotional turning point at 50, but without being able to pinpoint exactly why that is.  It seems however, that as we get older, we choose more wisely what we spend our time on, so not to waste any just to gain experience.  It also seem that we may loose some of the idealism we had as young, and get better at seeing others' point of view, and resolve issues rather than stick to our guns to get our own way.  Apparently we also adjust our expectations - I guess learning to appreciate what we have rather than always trying to gain more.

Whatever the reasons may be, turning 50 may not be so bad after all, but I won't rush to get there!  I have lots to experience and stress over before then!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

They Live Longer In Europe

According to CIA, Americans no longer live longer than Europeans.  Our life expectancy has reached 78.37, but we are still surpassed by 49 countries around the globe, not all of which are wealthy. 

There seem to be correlation between the riches of the country and it's residents' life expectancy,  but it may not be the deciding factor among developed countries.  Monaco tops the list with an expected 89.73 years followed by Macau with 84.41.  Their GDP per capita is $30,000 and 33,000 respectively, compared to $47,200 in the US.
Photo by Michelle Meiklejohn/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

US Researchers said smoking and obesity are the two big reasons Americans' life span is shortened, along with high blood pressure and related illnesses, according to Yahoo News, However, measures to curb unhealthy behaviors could improve life expectancy in coming years and help to reduce health care costs, the researchers said.

Where mortality rates were improved by saving babies a century ago, it is now reduction in mortality rates among the elderly that propels increases in life expectancy according to author Dana Goldman, Director
of the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California.

However, another article published in January this year on ConsumerAffairs.com shows the levels of childhood obesity are raising, and that the next generation is not expected to live longer, or even as long as their parents.

What is particularly tragic is that studies have suggested that obesity in children today may contribute to a 2-5 year decline in their life expectancy, shorter than that of their parents, due to obesity related diseases that are largely preventable,” said Bartfield.

The causes for childhood obesity, she said, are “multifactorial, including environment and culture.”  Genetics and parental weight status also plays a role.

“If one parent is obese, a child has a 50 percent likelihood of being obese, and if both parents are obese, that skyrockets to 80 percent likelihood,” said Bartfield
."

Photo by Photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Now that is scary!  My suggestion?  Besides making eating healthy the rule rather than the exception, let the kids run off their energy outside every day, rain or shine. Better yet, run around with them.  Stop driving the kids everywhere, or yourself for that matter.  If you are close enough to walk or ride your bike, then do so.  The kids will copy our behavior, and we apparently need to improve the "midlife mid-line", so why not pass on some good choices to our children in the process. Not all activity needs to be in organized sports.  And every little bit helps!

Have a happy and healthy Wednesday!! 

Monday, August 1, 2011

Girls Night Out

I was long overdue for a night out with the girls, and finally got the chance this weekend.  It was a great time once I made it there, but getting out of the house was a bit more challenging than it used to  be.

Photo by Photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net


I had forgotten how much work it takes to get this 40 year old body and face ready (please refer to prior posts for description..), and in my life there is just not room for careful planning of anything, but I gave it my best.

While the kids entertained themselves with a workout DVD (yeah, I know, I should have joined them...) I at least got the shower and shave done.  Then off to the baby sitter with the kids.

While driving, I looked at my nails and desperately wished there would have been time for a manicure...a quick look on the floor, and a pedicure would have been nice too.  Too late. A quick fix with an emery board was all I had time for.  But first make up and hair.

Surprisingly quite pleased with the outcome, I went to the closet trying to find anything that was not completely outdated.With 95 degrees and 200% humidity outside, I figured a dress would be nice.  Found one I liked and pulled it on (elastic is a beautiful thing!!), put on sandals to match (did I mention the 5" heals to put the butt back in place?), and stood in front of the mirror. Actually not bad! At least not until I looked at my legs and noticed the big cut on my leg revealed.  I should probably come up with a good cover story for that one, but truth is, I misjudged the size of my bed, and instead of plopping down on my pillow, I flew off the bed, crashed into my bookshelf and kicked a chair causing everything to fall off the chair and burying myself on the floor.  And I wasn't even drinking...


Anyway, the cut was not very attractive, so I searched the house for a discreet looking band aid.  Lucky me, the only ones I could find were covered with cartoon characters - not exactly the look I was going for. Back in the closet I went looking for jeans this time.  Running out of time, I took the first ones that fit and grabbed some tops.  Now, I'm not fat.  Frankly I'm not too far from underweight. Then how is it possible to have anything form a roll?  Apparently as I got older, the bones shrunk and everything else turned mushy. It's like I'm made up of chicken bones covered in fat. It's truly a challenge to make that look like a fit body.

Finally dressed and almost done, I poured a glass of wine, turned on music and sat down to fix the nails, just to discover some hairs on my hands.  Is it really necessary for hair to grow everywhere before we start losing it all?  Well, they were not staying, so I dug in the bathroom and found a hair removal cream and poured half the tube on to my hands. After setting the kitchen timer, I went back to my wine.

Photo by FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Ten minutes to enjoy my wine, then wash off the hands and I would  be done. Or so I thought.  While sitting there singing along with the music and enjoying my wine, my head felt itchy (half a bottle of hair spray will do that...), and without thinking, I scratched. Realizing that my head was now covered in hair removal cream, I ran screaming back to the bathroom.  Envisioning bald spots on my head, I jumped in the shower and scrubbed.  It was an emergency. Who had time to take the clothes off?  Saved the hair, that was the good thing.  But with 10 minutes to go, I was yet again freshly showered,  now with a wet outfit, and no makeup.  I wonder if these kind of episodes is what created "fashionably late"?

Drinking from the bottle at this time, I started the process all over, thankful that all the others were also 40+ and probably ran in to some problems of their own while getting ready....maybe not hair removal cream, but normal problems.  They did. We were all fashionably late.  Wonder what their excuse was?