Bare Naked Ladies

Q: Does swimming really do your body any good?

A: If swimming is good for your body, please explain whales.

Exercise is one of those things that I don't really like doing, but I do it because it's good for me and blah blah blah. My exercise of choice? Water aerobics. I really do like it...much more than I'd actually thought. There are several good things such as: meeting new people, getting all the advice I'll ever need about grandkids and menopause, getting to wear my swimsuit all year long (no Mister there will NOT be pictures), the obvious health benefits, and the fact that chlorine isn't as offensive as the smell of sweat. While on the whole I love water aerobics....I hate the women's' locker room.

This strong dislike of the locker room has nothing to do with the cleanliness aspect or the lack of good equipment (namely the hot tub) but with bare naked ladies. Perhaps there is something about being at the YMCA that just frees some people. Modesty is shed right along with the clothes they wear into the building. Whatever it is, there are several ladies that have been infected with the need to walk around and shower naked. Okay, so everyone showers naked, but I bet you at least pull the shower curtain closed. I was trying to avoid this but I don't think you'll truly get it unless you picture it. Feel free to use the little black bars or that blurry thing in your mental pictures!

Today, I came into the dressing room to change and I noticed that there was a naked butt being reflected in the mirror. My eyes widened a little, but I'm becoming used to this. I continued into my little changing room and did my stuff. I came out and put my things in a locker. Nothing strange about that. I grabbed a towel and headed out to the pool via the shower room. This is where the "some material may not be suitable for children under 18" comes in. I heard the water running full blast, but all of the showers were open. Thinking that someone just left the water running I investigated. We're practically in drought here so we should conserve water wherever we can. So, I get close and turn to reach in and turn off the shower and come really up close and personal...the naked kind of personal with an elderly woman. Yeah...it was pretty nasty in real life too. Anyway, as I'm stumbling over an apology she just smiles and turns around. The front wasn't any better than the back. Ick. I quickly turned and found my way to the door. Then it dawned on me that her shower was open. My goodness the woman should have been charging an entertainment tax!

I wish I could say that this was a one time thing, but I don't think it will be. I was comforted by one small fact. According to the male life guard, the men are naked from the time they enter the locker room till the time they leave the locker room...even in the hot tub. Makes me thankful for small mercies such as the fact that all the women use the hot tub in swimsuits...at least I hope they do...

The Ordinary Days

Today was a wonderful day!
Nothing extraordinary happened...just a lot of good ordinary things.

I got to sleep late.
My dad offered to do the breakfast dishes.
My favorite song was on the radio so while I was getting dressed I got to dance around and pretend I was a rock star.
My fat jeans are officially too big.
I had lunch with a sweet friend.
I ran into my crush at the grocery store and he initiated the conversation.
I tried a new restaurant and the food was wonderful!
I spent a very pleasurable evening with that guy.

I think that sometimes I get way too caught up in looking for that extraordinary thing that defines my day. Today I just sat back and counted blessings. Tonight I am one happy girl and for today the ordinary (pause for dramatic effect) was extraordinary.

Lost In The Shuffle

A few days ago I wrote a post about my TV debut in New York City. It came along with a post about the changes in my life. Anyway, this was a great part of my trip and I'd hate for anyone to miss a segment of my tales. Really people...I'm doing this for your own good.

A Crafty Project

See how crafty I am! I'm in a Circle Journal group and we had to make a way to sign in on our journal. This is mine. I took a 4x4 square of white Bazzill cardstock and then cut out the large S. I put a square of Making Memories paper behind it. The inking was courtesy of my mom who does Stampin' Up. The words at the bottom are some of my favorite things that start with the letter S and then I signed my name on the side.

For those of you who do scrapbooking I'm sure this is neat. For those of you who don't I'm sure this seems like the waste of perfectly good blog space. :op

The Only Thing That Stays The Same Is Everything Changes

Big changes are coming to my little world.

I quit my job. I had a part time job that was going to supplement my subbing. I didn't know how steady that would be so I figured that it would be better to have something with a steady income so I took a part time position at the local scrapbook store. I do love it (well except for the whole cleaning part...which is NOT why I quit) but something better came along in the subbing department. The subbing thing will let me sub five days a week for several weeks...also known as a long term assignment. I debated long and hard about this because I'm a penny watcher and the bottom line is important to me. I'm trying to get out of my old bedroom and zero funds going into the bank account isn't conducive to that goal. So, Friday, I gave my boss the news. She handled it okay I'd say with a little guilt thrown in for good measure. But seriously, teaching is what I went $20,000 into debt to pursue and I need to focus on that goal. So, as soon as my two weeks are up (I wasn't a total witch) I'm going to be a single income person again. There is good and bad to this decision, but I think that this is for the best.

Quitting might not sound like a big change to some people, but believe me, it has certainly been big for me. I hate uncertainty. I like knowing what's coming down the pike and being prepared. Sometimes I make plans for all outcomes. Oh great...did I just admit to being a worry wart? I'd like to think of it as cautious rather than worry wart. I made a comment on a friend's blog that I thought she was brave for just stepping out there. Well, I'm not a step-outer. At least without knowing exactly what I'm stepping in. So, this is a big change for me, but I have a feeling that it's the best thing I could have done!

I'm A TV Star!!!

Ha...got you with that one didn't I? Okay so I'm not really a Hollywood starlet, but I was on NATIONAL television when I was in New York City. How cool is that?! You can say you knew me when...

First, I think it's only fair to let you in on my little crush on Dave Price. It'll make this post make much more sense. Anyway, back to Dave...he's the weather man on CBS's The Early Show. He has a somewhat risque sense of humor and I can relate. When we firmed up our plans for New York I just KNEW that I had to try and met Dave. Truth be told, this was one of my highlights from the trip. Did D enjoy it...not as much.

Monday night I bought some poster board at the drugstore on the corner and made the neatest sign. It was a to do list for our trip and at the top was Meet Dave Price. I thought it was very catchy. Anyway, that was the night before the big transit strike thing happened. I made sure we left bright and early (5:45am) because I was sure we'd have to walk to get there. Not even that could really put a damper on things though. We were picked up by some really nice people in a van...sounds like the intro to a really bad B movie. They dropped us off about a block from the studio. And apparently we didn't have to be there that early...we beat everyone...probably including Dave. So we went to a little coffee shop around the corner. Here's a funny bonus story...D ordered a latte. It was on the menu, but the guy behind the counter just didn't understand the term latte. I'm not sure what she exactly ended up with, but it was kind of funny. At least for me. Finally, people started milling around the set and we bumped into some really neat characters.

There was the guy that sets up the hot drink bar. He was nice...in a pushy kind of way...you need hot cider, you look like you could use some hot cider, come and get some hot cider. There were some people from Texas so we had a common connection. They were really sweet older women. And then there was Steve Cohen...the producer of the show. He came over and was over joyed to see people because he wasn't sure anyone would show with the strike and all. So, me being the people person that I am, started chatting him up about our trip and then I whipped out the sign. The sign that got us on TV. The sign that Steve just loved. The sign that got us inside the General Motors building between shots. The sign that got us on TV...did I mention that?

Okay, I realize that this probably isn't as exciting for you as it was for me (and because I know attention spans are probably short) I'll just wrap this up. We did get to see Dave Price. He did come over to our sign and talked to us. He did steal our marker too. But that's a little price to pay to have gotten to meet Dave Price. D might not think so...it was her marker. LOL. Anyway, I was on national TV and I'm still pretty excited by that!

Better

Thanks for all the well wishes! I am indeed feeling much better today. Boy, I guess I'd forgotten how long it takes to get your stomach back in shape after several bouts of retching. You know you're back to normal when you can tolerate a stuffed jalapeno pepper wrapped in bacon.

My week is pretty much packed, but I'll make time to blog this afternoon or perhaps tonight. There are a lot of things happening that I'm excited about. Details to follow.

Taking A Sick Day

When I was growing up, my mom would let me have "mental health" days off from school. She usually called the school and said I was "sick" but should be better tomorrow and return to school. It always sucked when she called me in sick and I actually was sick. I hate being sick (especially of the stomach sick variety) and I'm just as bad as a man...I whine and complain when I'm not conked out on the couch or in bed.

Well, today was one of those real sick days. I will not give out details, but lets just say that it wasn't pleasant...for anyone in my household. Thankfully, the stomach aspect has seemed to settle down to be replaced by acid reflux. I have GERD and this kind of thing always aggravates it. Anyway, I've progressed from water, to Sprite, and now to milk.

I did wake up from one of my many naps to tell my mom that my back and neck hurt and that I didn't feel well. She felt me (a running joke in my house as I was a slight hypocondriac when I was growing up) and I did indeed feel warm. So, in addition to a sore stomach, I seem to have flu symptoms. I haven't gotten brave enough to take the Advil because I absolutely do not want another "upset stomach" incident. But, my options are dwindling at a rapid pace.

So, for those few of you who stop by on a pretty regular basis, I haven't died...yet. Just a little under the weather. Hopefully, I'll be back to New York City stories and the everyday happenings of my life shortly.

That Dreaded 1%

I love my job...99% of the time. I work at the local scrapbook store so it's pretty close to heaven being around all those products and getting all kinds of ideas. I'm a friendly kind of gal so I'm on a first name basis with most of the customers too. I like all these things about my job. But, alas, there is one thing that I can't stand.

I HATE to clean the classroom!

Cleaning the classroom involves sweeping this big room. Then I have to mop to get the gunk off the floor. I have to scrape glue spots off the tables and wipe them down. I have to dust all the machines. The fridge must be cleaned too. And all of this seems to need to be done every single day I'm there.

I usually keep my inner groaning and moaning to myself, but Friday a little barb slipped out and unfortunately my boss heard me. Thankfully, she's pretty laid back so she just laughed and assured me that the other part time girl is getting her fair share of cleaning the classroom too. Either way, I still HATE it.

A friend sent the following email to me the day after my classroom cleaning rant so I felt marginally better about the whole thing. But I bet you ten dollars that I have to clean the classroom today....grrrr.

We all have moments when......

I HATE MY JOB


When you have an "I Hate My Job" day, try this. On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson. Be very sure you get this brand.

When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed. Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair. Open the package and removed the thermometer.

Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken. Now the fun part begins.

Take out the literature and read it carefully. You will notice that in small print there is a statement, "Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson& Johnson is "personally tested". Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, "I am so glad I do not work in the Thermometer quality control at Johnson & Johnson."


HAVE A NICE DAY AND REMEMBER, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE WITH A JOB THAT IS MORE OF A PAIN IN THE ASS THAN YOURS.

I Was Tagged!

Four

1. Four jobs I've had
* cashier in the hospital gift shop
* Outreach program Leader for the Girl Scouts
* Sales clerk at Sav-On Office Supplies
* my current position of sales clerk at my local scrapbook store

2. Four movies I'd watch over and over
* Beauty and The Beast
* Bridget Jones's Diary
* American Wedding
* Steel Magnolias

3. Four places I have lived
* A medium sized town in Texas
* Another medium sized town in Texas where I went to college
I haven't lived four different places yet...how sad right?!

4. Four TV shows I love to watch
* West Wing
* Paula Deen (she is a hoot) (stealing from Linda...I love her too!)
* Survivor
* Grey's Anatomy

5. Four websites I visit daily
* yahoo.com (email)
* amazon.com (gotta keep my shopping cart updated!)
* cox.net (mostly for the news)
* Blogs

6. Four places I have been on vacation
* New York City
* Las Vegas
* New Orleans
* Colorado Springs

7. Four foods I love
* Chicken Caesar Salad
* Steak (medium rare)
* cheesecake
* corn casserole

8. Four places I would rather be
* In the classroom teaching (not just subbing!)
* Settled into my own house or apartment
* some cabin in the mountains (preferably with snow surrounding me)
* bed

9. Now tag four
* Shari
* Baloobas Girl
* Mike
* Rachael

And Ron Will Stay With The Bus

Probably one of my most favorite things that we did on our trip was a city wide guided tour. I had actually heard about this from a friend that had gone to NYC in November and had a good time. It was a six hour tour that took us to several must-see sights around New York. This is again something that I would highly recommend if you're on a budget and want to get the highlights of the city. New York Party Shuttle Tours.

Anyway, we were supposed to be in Times Square at 8:30am so we got up early. Now normally on vacations you're supposed to sleep late and really enjoy yourself. We were up before the sun was practically every morning we were there. Anyway, we got up and got dressed and headed out. (Bethany this is just for you!) My friend had given me a subway map and great tips for getting around the city. She also helped me understand why one train had three names. I was so proud of myself that I remembered the 3 was the express train and to celebrate that I had Deniece take a picture of me pointing to the 3 on a subway sign. We went down into the bowels of the city and bought our all day pass (another tip from B) and then stepped up to the platform to wait for our train. Somewhere among people watching and watch watching I noticed that the trains on the other side were going in the direction that we needed to be going. The train we were going to get on was going this way and we needed to be going that way. So, up the stairs we went and crossed the street to the other subway entrance. After several trips up and down the stairs we finally got on the right platform and on the right train. I was very surprised. I was expecting dirty and crowded, but it wasn't bad. We got where we needed to be and it was actually a pretty fun experience.

Well, I should clarify that the experience was fun on Monday since the public transit workers went on strike Tuesday. This was a major deal...especially in the wallet area. Thankfully, we were smart and had planned for something of this nature. And as an added bonus...more taxi rides!!! I know I've gone on and on about these little rides of death, but I think that was one thing about New York that I will never forget. I even bought a Christmas ornament of a little taxi to hang on the Christmas tree from now on.

Anyway, back to this tour. We had the neatest guy for tour guide. He'd moved to New York from the heartland and had been in NYC for 30 years. He knew all kinds of neat little things that you wouldn't learn on your own touring the city. He totally made our trip enjoyable! I think my favorite thing he told us was that Ron would stay with the bus. Everywhere we stopped, Tom would say that we could feel safe leaving things on the bus because Ron would be staying with the bus. Poor Ron...he was always with the bus. If you hadn't noticed I'm easily amused. And this just struck me as funny each time Tom said it. Here is just a little run down of some of the more memorable stops:

1. Pier 17 - I had my first "city" hot dog there for lunch. Okay it was my only city hot dog, but it was good. This was also where we saw the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, and Brooklyn. Oh we also got up close and personal with some pigeons!

2. Staten Island Ferry - This was neat. It's also as close to the Statue of Liberty as we got. Boy was it cold on the water! I think I probably took an entire roll of film just at this one spot.

3. The World Trade Center Site - I'm not sure what I was expecting (probably to still see rubble sitting around) to see. It was very somber and made me feel very proud to be an American. I think it would be neat to go back and see the site after the memorial has been built.

4. Fifth Avenue - I'm girly to the core so this just spoke to me! Deniece and I went shopping the next day, but boy was my heart racing as Tom pointed out all those uppity shops!

5. Wall Street - I'm not good with numbers, but I had fun exploring this little piece of New York. And of course there is that huge bull. Did you know that it's supposed to bring you good luck if you rub it? Well guess what the most rubbed place is? Yeah...the balls. Once chick was even having her picture taken where it looked like her head was up it's rear. Oh goodness...another one of those amusement things!

Stay tuned for the next entry...it's about my TV debut!!

My Bite Out Of The Big Apple

I have a travel bug. It normally strikes around the holidays. Two years ago I went to New Orleans. Last year I went to Las Vegas. And this year, the destination was New York City.

I went with a good friend of mine, Deniece. (She's going to do a guest post on here with her take on our trip and I'm sure she could be coerced into giving up a few insights about me.) Deniece and I met in college. We were roommates for a year and she's always been there for me. She's the absolute best! Miss her like crazy...and trouble just isn't the same without her. Be nice everyone.

People that know me tend to think I'm a little anal retentive when it comes to making plans and following a schedule. I like to know what I'm doing and what is going on...therefore I'm a gal that lives by the list. From the moment we planned the trip I had the first few days planned out. We're arriving at this time. We're taking this shuttle from the airport to the hotel. We're seeing this show this night. We're taking this tour on this day. Poor Deniece....she fell into line though bless her heart. I also started a packing list a good six weeks prior to leaving. You can never be too prepared. Anyway, all of my planning only made me more excited about this trip.

We left Dallas on Sunday morning and landed in New York City around mid-afternoon. The flight was good. We had the row to ourselves so there was no having to be nice to someone new. Not that I wouldn't have been nice. It's just ...oh nevermind. We had the row to ourselves. There wasn't a lot of turbulence and the take off still made my tummy do a little flutter. I think I'd be completely happy just taking off and landing. That's my favorite part of flying.

We stayed at the Hotel Newton. It was located Uptown near 96th Street. It had the highest rating for economy hotels on Expedia. We were particularly interested in how clean it was and how friendly the staff were. We were pleased with both. About three days before we left my mom asked me if our room had a bathroom. I said "Well of course!" What kind of hotel has rooms without bathrooms. Apparently the Hotel Newton. Thankfully after a quick check with the very friendly reservation guy all thoughts of having to share a public restroom were laid to rest...our room had a private bath. This hotel was great and I would recommend it if you're going to be traveling to New York City anytime soon. If you're going to be spending most of your time out on the town and just using your hotel room to rest each night then you'll like this hotel. If you need things inside of your hotel to keep you busy then you'll probably just want to find somewhere else, but for our humble needs it was wonderful!

Sunday night we went to see a Broadway show. We saw Beauty and The Beast. It was so beautiful! I've loved this Disney movie for a long time (I even went through a serious "crush" phase on the Beast...I had sheets, stuffed animals, a Belle barbie doll...you get the picture) so I was thrilled to be able to get tickets to see it. We had great seats. They were pretty much center stage and we were row R so we were back a little, but it was still fantastic. The set and costumes were so detailed and, like I said, beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed myself that night.

I should throw in the fact that I had my first taxi ride while in New York. If you've ever ridden in a taxi, then you know that there are these little leather straps hanging from the ceiling of the car. I'm very up close and personal with why these are there! The driver was a nut!!! Some of you might be recalling the I'm That Driver post...well this guy was ten times worse than that! We wove in and out of traffic at high rates of speed. We tested the brakes every few hundred yards. Life passed before my eyes several times. And all of this took place in a matter of minutes. The ride back to the hotel after the show was even worse. I would have slid straight under the passenger's seat had it not been for those dandy little leather straps. All in all, I think that a New York City taxi ride is something everyone should have to experience. While it was certainly scary at some points it was fun and I'm glad that I got to do it!

Well, that concludes this portion of the story. My fingers are kinda starting to cramp, but I will be back with more thrilling details!

The Boxes...They Have Returned

The boxes have made their return to the house. Yesterday they were just stacked on the back porch...mocking me. Today, I had to get up close and personal with these dreaded boxes. The boxes in question are those same boxes that drove me batty before Christmas. Yet this time, it's time to take down all those decorations and send them back to their vacation home (aka: the store room).

I can't decide which is worse...there is no better to this side of the holidays. It does seem that taking it all down has gone a little faster than the actual putting it up. At last, the house is starting to resemble it's former pre-Christmas self.

On another note, I am shamelessly stealing the "guest author" idea from Hick. The next few posts will be centered around my recent trip to New York City. I had a really good time (with a little frustration thrown in with the public transportation system). Anyway, my good friend and travel companion will be making a guest apperance and sharing her take on me and our trip. This should be fun! She's a great writer and I think it'll be an enjoyable read. No promises on when her post will appear because I'm a procrastinator (ahem...the Christmas pictures) so it might be a few days or even next week, but I promised her a big intro so she'll get her due.

Well, I'm off to bed. Tomorrow, the boxes and I are going for Round Two.

You Don't Mess With Tradition!

Happy New Year!!!

Well, the pajama party was kind of a dud. I had a good time, but he had to work and didn't make it to the party. All that fuss over pajamas for naught....oh well. I still got some cute (in the baby ducks kind of way) pajama bottoms out of the deal. And sorry...I didn't take a single picture (you who was curious).

There was a mini revelation last night too. I'm on a fast track to becoming an old foogie. I was yawning and wishing I could just hit the sack at about 11:30pm. But yes, I did watch the ball drop...twice in fact. I also probably drove everyone crazy because I kept saying "I've been there! I've been there!". I can't help it. New York excitement is still running high for me!

Okay, I think I'm ready to get on with this post. There are some traditions that you just don't mess with...well at least in our family. One of those traditions includes eating your black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's day. The black-eyed peas are supposed to represent good luck financially in the coming year. Same goes for the collard greens. I like black-eyed peas sorta. I mean I can eat them once or twice and then I'm done with them. But I'm not fond of collards at all. But it's tradition and you don't mess with tradition.

Perhaps I'm just in my own little world but I just thought that everyone ate black-eyed peas on New Year's, but some friends that are from the North said that black-eyed peas are cow food. Well, all I can say is bring them on...I'll take your financial luck this year!

Whatever your traditions, I hope that 2006 is a wonderful year in every aspect!