No really.

And as I wrote my gym today I realized I have been avoiding this for a month, it’s like an awkward break up.

You knew it was coming, I was distant, not spending time with you like I used to. When I got there my heart didn’t seem into it. You heard a rumor I was hiking more often and talking to people about rowing classes, you even heard a rumor I was planning on going back to Spin and Pilates, in fact I’m pretty sure you saw that Pilates instructor’s number in my bag when I saw you last.

Really, you’re great. You shouldn’t let this stop you from being the best gym you can be. It’s just time for me to move on, shake things up in a bit.

So for now I have to say good bye, maybe we can be friends. I won’t say anything bad about you, in fact we can keep all the same friends as we had before, no problem. And hey, it could be worse, I could be leaving you just cause I don’t care anymore about working out!

Good luck to you, I’m off for an after work hike.

These were taken last summer and I just stumbled upon them now.

[View with PicLens]

So during a week coughing, sneezing and blowing wasn’t the most fun, it could have been worse. I made several fantastic discoveries and new favorites and was able to indulge in some old favorites as well. For me a sick woman’s guide included.

Old Favorites Like…

Basically a fruit smoothie without having to stand in line and wait for it to be made, wonderful treat and old favorite.

Was nice to drive through and stock up, no cooking necessary.

Tom Yum Gai is THE comfort food for the sick, no chicken noodle nasty please and thank you. The lemon grass and spices are perfect.

The fourth in one of my favorite historical fiction series, this one takes place in Istanbul Turkey. I have a personal love for that city and Alexander nailed it. It’s also fun to follow favorite authors on Twitter because I was able to tell her so, and she responded…swoon

.

I love my Roku, steaming Hulu, Netflix and Pandora is a sick woman’s angel.

New Favorites Like…

This by far helped more than anything else.

I stumbled upon this series on Netflix. FANTASTIC. I love the characters and the drama within a English household in 1912. It’s a good balance between the lives of the family and the servants. Season 2 will be filmed this spring, and I’m sad there were only 7 episodes in season 1.

This was  free book on Nook’s free Friday’s. I took a chance and am glad I did. It’s the story of William Marshall, an historical fiction account of his life based on a biography his oldest son had done after Marshall died. William Marshall served King Henry II, Henry III, King Richard and King John. It spans 1167 -1197. Highly recommend for history buffs. (Elizabeth Chadwick). I’m currently reading the sequel which is also fantastic, spanning 1197-1221

Sable

Tango

Being the weather has warmed up, we’ve all taken advantage of the windows. It’s easy to be lazy when you have the laziest partners in crime. Occasionally they would move, but just to stretch or yawn. Very serene.

]]> http://www.curlsz.com/sick-womans-guide-to-sanity/feed 1 http://www.curlsz.com/have-a-seat http://www.curlsz.com/have-a-seat#comments Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:53:32 +0000 curlsz http://www.curlsz.com/?p=281

So here’s how this project got started. I decided I wanted a vanity. I found a great buy at the Round Rock Antique Mall. It’s gorgeous and not too fru fru, in my opinion. But no chair. So the hunt was once again afoot.

Found a cute little chair at the Austin Antique Mall but it had a horrible upholstery on it and was painted a jello pudding shade of brown, to put it nicely. I already had the supplies purchased and in effect for another project, so I thought what the hell, add it to the list. Unfortunately, once I started stripping this paint I found about 4 layers underneath. I should have known better but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was on a high from the first successful project…or the fumes.

I must interject that I finally succumbed to the strongest paint remover I could find, out of sheer desperation. However, that came at a price. My flesh. The stuff was so strong that if a tiny speck hit my skin it felt like acid eating through my flesh – not exaggerating. You know that feeling of one fire ant, then a hundred fire ants. Same feeling – times 10. I don’t recommend it – it’s the one that takes paint off in 10 minutes. Don’t get it, you’ve been warned.

THIS project quickly became known as “that damn chair”. The damn chair I loathed!!!! I finally got it down to the bare wood – minus a few spots that I just couldn’t get or just lost interest. And the staining began. It’s an ok job, lots of spots where it gunked up etc. But it serves it’s purpose.

Honestly I didn’t love it – until – the most gorgeous fabric on earth graced us with her presence. That damn chair has miraculously become the chair I love.

Sable, a.k.a “Princess Paws, little shit, fat maw maw”

…but mostly it’s just Sable – said in a very exasperated tone. She’s cute though huh? And anything you set down is apparently her throne, anything!

I really connected with this book and its characters. It was a great introduction to this author. It’s a quick read and well worth the time. And the three year old may cause you to run out and adopt a child, just maybe.

Most can agree the interesting thing about Texas is it’s vast contrasts. From lush hills to the coast to the desert plains – from sea to shining sea, when did I swallow Garrison Keeler and his banjo?

Anyway, this weekend I agreed to ride along with the adopted family to visit my mom and the Midland crew. I am typically 100% opposed to making this drive. It’s a rough 5 hours and I have driven it more times than I can even believe. From college on I have made that painful trek at the ass crack of dawn to the middle of the night, by myself and with a crew of friends, no matter what it never got easier.

But it was actually pretty painless this time around, good company and the route we took was a bit longer but actually a bit scenic. One of the features that really fascinated me is something that is fairly new to our landscape – the giant alien like windmills. Some love them, some hate them but either way once you are right by them you have to admit they are jaw dropping. The size and magnitude are just amazing. Mixed in with the west Texas plains and clear blue sky and you have quite a gorgeous picture.

I love plants – and succulents are easy to take care of – look fantastic and come in endless shapes, sizes and colors. Good options for low maintenance decorating. A small succulent is usually around $3, then a little planter pot is about $3-6. The cutest planters usually don’t have drain wholes in the bottom – so here’s a tip – add rocks or a little gadget called “garden genius” which is a pot filler. That way the water doesn’t settle at the bottom.

The brown pot? Yeah I got really excited – ooo look at this vintage planter I found in the tool shed. Or a citronella candle made to look vintage – sigh.

So low and behold, it did not surprise me one bit when what could have been a flirtatious conversation went south and went south fast!

Enter…Mr. California, white teeth and all.

Him: What do you do for a living?

Me: Real Estate and Web design

Him: Cool, I am in sales and marketing…for a dental and whitening company
(notice, I didn’t even have a chance to ask him what he does)

Me: Oh, teeth whitening, like Milkbones?

Him: (head cock, lost look on face) Did I say anything about pets?

Me: No

Him: Oh…uh, well yeah we do teeth whitening and cosmetic dental work

Me: Do many pet owners use your services?

Him: (getting a little twitchy at this point) It’s not for pets it’s for people….small huff at the end

Me: So where do the milkbones come in play?

Him: They don’t…never mind, well it was nice to meet you.

And fade to black….

So this fourth of July I was about as anti social and lazy as it got. I slept WAY in, lounged, watched movies, ran a few errands and ate and drank and ate and drank. And  a small part of me felt like mayor of slackerville. Why is that? Why must we feel the pressure, especially at holidays, to do it up big? It’s like we’re trying to live up to the year before and live up to the image of a perfect holiday.

Oh well, me and the damn dog ate and lounged like the fat Elvis days, and I’m thoroughly rested. Well I did find a new favorite – thank you snarky Spec’s guy. You know I love being able to go into Spec’s, Central Market etc and ask for help picking out something – but I REALLY don’t want to be hassled and messed with – is that too much to ask?

When I first started blogging I jumped on the blogspot bandwagon with my first blog. Then I created a site for my photography. THEN I decided and began fixating on the idea of having a blog and photography site all in one place. Now to be fair – this was before the days of a blog on every corner. This was when blogging platforms like WordPress were only for blogs and weren’t for managing content the way they are now.

So the site that hosts my photography added a blogging platform- yay. Except I don’t really like their blogging plat form, nay. So eventually this will have my photography on it but for now its just the blog. I moved curlsz.com away from the photography to use for the blog because its my favorite child, yes I’m one of THOSE mothers.

YEAH you just wasted 10 minutes of your life reading that drivel!

The other day she was playing Bryan Adam’s “If You Love Someone” and my 4 year old niece comes in and asks “what is that song from?”

Julie: “an old movie.”
Cami: “is it that horse movie Spirit?”
Julie replied no but then remembered Bryan Adams did indeed do the soundtrack for Spirit – Cami has only seen the movie a couple of times. From those two times she was able to pick out his voice and style of singing – she’s FOUR!!!!

Please God help her maintain her genius level and not be a moronic sexting teenager!