John, help us out. . .

I am a Geek. A card-carrying, flag-waving, book reading geek. As such, there is nothing I love more than connecting with people who, too, are Geeks.

And that - friends - is why I love reading Epbot.com . The author, Mz. J recently went on hiatus. For an Unknown length of time. I am having difficulty coping with the sudden removal of my Geeky Queen.

Where will I get my little girl Spock warm fuzzies? ( http://www.epbot.com/2011/12/three-cheers-for-little-girl-spock.html )

Where will I get my Steampunk Lady V'dore cos-play? ( http://www.epbot.com/2012/07/steamy-project-reveal.html )

Where will I get my squee worthy Etsy hookups? (http://www.epbot.com/2013/06/jewelry-for-dizgeeks.html )

I do not know. Finding someone you can connect with (albeit silently) via the internet is hard. Trying to find a girl geek who Celebrates Geek Girl Culture and is in fact a force for good in the universe? Extremely rare. And we miss our J, our queen of misadventure.

I know, I know. She needs a break. She's overwhelmed. Home-girlie got issues, we get it. We all got's our issues. But we need her. The internet is full of faceless people, all with opinions, not all of them kind ones. It's easy to be a predator online. It's easy to type out hate.

It is Not Easy to put yourself out there, in a honest way, and find yourself subjected to brutality of other people's opinions. Negativity is a force not easily shaken off. You have to Armor yourself  Daily against the Negative. And it feels as though no matter how many good works, and good words, and like minded people you connect with, the arrows of the negative find every seam in the armor, every vulnerable spot.

Our J is so lovely. She's a real freakin' human being! Her thoughts are actually her thoughts, nothing generated by marketing analysis, just true spirit. She's silly, and funny, and a bit in the gutter, and utterly fabulous. Epbot readers get loads of fun, uplifitng geekery. Game reviews, book reviews, crafting, Disney World, Stuff and Junk! It's transcendental geekery, is what it is! Where else can we go to hear your voice, J? http://www.cakewrecks.com is great, but it's not YOUR Geektacular! voice.

J - come back to us please. We need you. Let us help, adore, love and support you in your quest for geeky equality. Don't let the hater's get you down. There are some many of us who miss you.

John - help a sister out. Pump her full of Disney treats, plump up her pillows, and help her find her way back to us. We Need Her!

Here is a link to a steamy octopus necklace to look at while we anxiously await our girl's return to the net.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/155872443/steampunk-choker-necklace-steampunk?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=steam+octopus&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all


Or how about this...steamy Gentleman Octopus flask!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/101117133/gentleman-octopus-stainless-steel-flask?ref=sr_gallery_26&ga_search_query=steam+octopus&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

Ouch! The Pain of Failure

Tuesday evening, as the glorious sun was setting over the azaleas, I drove to the Track with my hubby, Big D, and my boys N and J. The boys went to play on the playground to be Super Supervised by Big Daddy! I *tried* to get my third run on.

Had a pretty easy stroll for a warm up. It was good, I was thinking, I can do this. And then I got a twinge on my right ankle. Y'all I am known for my bad ankles. I can roll an ankle before you can say, "Holy Batshoes, Batman." Be super careful with your feet, I thought.

Nice try. Just when my Couch25K coach had just told me I hit the half way point, the Pain! started. Y'all I promise that this was not a mere burn of muscles working. This was a the-outside-of-my-calves-are-going-to-shred-off kind of pain. Even walking hurt. Baby steps hurt. I'd sat down if I thought that I wouldn't pass out.

Carefully, carefully, carefully, I made my way back to the park area where Big Daddy and boys were playing. Big D took one look at my face and said, "What's wrong? You look pale." Since my skin tone is already Casper the Friendly Ghost White, to notice I'm pale means I was white-white. I told him, and bless him he said, "We'd better go then so you can soak it out." I love this man, y'all!

Here it is Thursday, and I still hurt if I walk with swagger. (What? Y'all don't normally swagger?) So what am I doing wrong? Shoes? Heel-to-toe running combo? Or is it that I'm just that out of shape, which totally wouldn't surprise me at all.

*Sigh* No success without set backs right? Until next time. . .

Attempt #2 & Lessons Learned

I was a bit late getting to my second try at Couch-to-5K jog. In fact, it was Sunday, a week after my first run. But I learned some very important lessons from the first and second run.

 

I learned to hide my earbuds from my number 2 son. He likes to take the plastic rings off and chew on them. Oh! So Gross! And so frustrating. I had the biggest mess on the floor of my bedroom as I went through TWO of my dresser drawers looking for the spares. I’m really glad I found them! Now I just have an enormous diaper box of junk to sort out. I have such a problem letting go of the dumbest things. Do you have that problem, too?

1) Music is crucial.

    I need to be able to focus on the rhythm of my tunes instead of the complaints of my body. Knees and ankles are whining bitterly. And y'all - I am not! a fast walker/jogger.

    The tunes in my ear buds are an eclectic mix of music that makes smile and laugh. Louis Prima singing "Oh, Yes, We Have No Bananas" to Van Halen "Good Enough." But there's a flip side to happy music. . . I tend to not pay attention to my energy level. So if I'm dancing jogging to Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up, Part 1" then perhaps I will be a bit more winded for my next "resting" period.

   And I may or may not have wigged out some little girls who arrived just as I was finishing up my dance run. They were precious little girls, with great big, wide eyes who pointed and laughed. What did I do? I smiled and waved, boys, smiled and waved. Best advice from a cartoon ever. What? You don't watch the Penguins of Madagascar? Here's a link.

http://www.nickelodeon.com.au/shows/penguins/yheb3f

 

2) I own a car.

    That might seem like a non sequitur since I'm typing about running, but I used it this time to drive to a public track. You know what's great about a public track? No dead squirrels! Even pavement! Unlikely to get hit by a car! Restrooms!

    The other nice thing about this particular place is that I have MANY fond memories of walking with a friend who now lives in Germany. (LOVE YOU, DR!) It's a WHOLE lot easier to move your butt if you are doing it in a place where you feel secure.

3) I got a better phone pouch.

    Okay, so that's not really something I learned. It does help. Can you believe I bought it at a yard sale for a QUARTER? It totally fits my big ass Droid phone. The only mod I plan to make to the bag, is to add a bit of cushion on the rope where it hits my body. I am a cross body bag wearer so the friction on my neck , um, hurt a bit. It's a learning process.

 

4) Sunburn hurts like crap when your body gets all hot from jogging.

     Sunscreen, bitches. If you live in the South, it's time.

5)  I need encouragement.

     Hence the temporary tatoo on my right wrist. It says, "Skull Crusher." It made me laugh every time I saw it as I was swinging my arms to the music jogging. A goofy reminder, but one I need, to Crush this run.

 

 

6) Water is your friend.

 

7)  Azaleas are freaking beautiful.

   While the pollen count this time of year might make your sinus a living hell, the beauty is SO Worth It. (Yep, those are my gratuitous azalea photos.)

                       Now all I have to do is figure out how to run more than once a week.

I Still Can't Believe I Did it. . . .

Y'all - I need to start with some confessions.

1) I love Coca-Cola. In all it's rampaging-not-good-for-you-over-sugared-glory.
2) I love chocolate.
3) I am lazy.

That being said, it should come as no surprise for you to learn that I am overweight. Obese, even. I wear size 16 pants due to the size of my thighs. With my clothes on, it's not that bad. But, y'all - I don't even want my husband to see me in the "all together". Which is killin' our love life, if you know what I mean.

So I actually DID something about it. Couch - to - 5K. Workout 1.

Let me just tell you how much I HATE to run. Everything jiggles. I live on the worst road ever for running.  See the Speed limit sign? It's just a suggestion. Our road is parallel to a main road, with a couple of different access points. Need to cut the red light? Just zip down our street. And try not to hit the idiot (me) running down the road.

And no, this is not something I just noticed. I, once upon a time, pre-children, did actually run this road on a regular basis. The traffic has gotten worse since the main road was enlarged.

 

 

Why yes, that is the world's biggest ditch. It might even qualify as a gully. It starts right across the street from our house and goes allllll the way down to the entrance of the closest subdivision with sidewalks. Some of these are deeper than I am tall. And the shoulder on the opposite side of the road is an uneven, careless mix of rocks, tree limbs, dead squirrels and ant beds. It's totally awesome-sauce.

Nevertheless, I did the run. Without music, because I apparently do not keep music on my phone. *Duh* And the happy girl voice on the C25K got called "bitch" a couple of times when she told me to run. I hate to run. Hate it. Hate i t.

There's my fabulous running ensemble: Pink Shrimp Festival hat, old sweater shirt from husband's scarcely worn stack, yoga pants, purple asics. And Yes, I did steal my son's Spiderman ear buds. And Yes, I did rigup my phone carrying sac using a Crown Royal bag. Look at that knot! BOBO fabulous, baby!

I plan to complain talk about every run I do. I really, really, really, really want to do the COLOR RUN on May 25, 2013 in Orange Beach! Will you come with me? Pretty please?

Wish me luck, peeps!

I waited a WHOLE year for this . . .

I really did.

One. Whole. Year.

To re-purpose . . . {drum roll} a calendar.

That's right, 2011's Mucha calendar, it was just to pretty to throw in the trash. (See! Isn't it pretty? And it's Glittered!)

And all year long I only wrote on this calendar with felt tip pens. Which in my house are about as hard to come by as a winged frog.
But I digress...

This calendar was slightly larger than the 12 1/2 by 12 1/2 of the Album Frame*. A little bit of trimming, and thankfully I did not have to make perfect cuts 'cause the frame gives a body a little leeway. And I am sure someone more craft-tastic than myself would have all kinds of helpful hints for what to do with those left over lovely strips of paper. Just not me, sorry. They went *gulp* into the trash can. It hurt me to do it, it even garnered some coversation between my and my hubby, but in the end - out they went.

A view of the back side of the calendar.

I bought 6 frames. But I had 12 pictures. How to choose? How to choose? Then my Brilliant Mother suggested that I trim all 12 pieces, -13 if you count the cover-, and the store them right in the frames. It's perfect. The pictures will be safe and more importantly - EASY TO FIND again later, when I'm ready for a change! I told you she was Brilliant!

There they are... The finished 6. Next time I'll tell you how I hung them up, perfectly level.

* I bought these frames on sale at H.L. They normally sell for $14.00 each, so you're much better off waiting til they go on sale. Which is virtually every other week. So be frugal - m'kay?