Not Cool.......

Yesterday, which was Friday, I notice I'm starting to get "critically low" on my precious fresh veggies. It IS Friday - so I figure most people shop on the weekends - so the stores should be stocking up in anticipation - and since I ended up working late and didn't have the energy for a "proper" torture, I mean lifting, session I head to the store.

I pull in to a "spot", turn off my car and I'm listening to the end of a new tune on the radio before I get out. (Which reminds me, Jodie - what are YOU listening to these days? Got any new "hits" you want to share? Always looking for ways to improve the ol' MP3 player! In fact ANYBODY want to share some favorite training tunes? Drop me a note michelle@idealbodiesonline.com.)

O.K. - where was I - so when I turn off my car the radio plays on it's own for 10 min., or until you open the door. And also with my car when you turn it off and the doors automatically unlock. So the key's are out of the ignition, car's unlocked, I'm rockin'. I happen to see someone walking up along the passenger side of the car in the rearview. I don't recognize them - in fact - I don't pay too much attention to this....

AND THEN HE OPENS MY PASSENGER DOOR!!!!!

He thought it was someone else's car - quickly apologized and hurried off. No damage done. Now - I must be honest here, I'm not sure which was more "disturbing" to me.....a total stranger - who for the record was covered in tattoos and piercings, late 20's or early 30's - but not "creepy" - just kinda cool rock starish or mechanicish - if you can get the visual.......but a total stranger opening my door OR

My response - which was to say "Hi. Can I help you?"

WTF?! "Can I help You?" In today's world?! Filled with rapists and car jackers and "creeps." Shouldn't I have been startled? On edge? Disturbed? Angry?

Nope - none of these. Makes me think I might need a "reality" check. Perhaps I need to venture out of my comfort zones, familar stores, gym, Heaven, work, friends, etc. and start exploring new areas. To requaint myself. Get an "edge".

More not cool news......
I am NOT off the antibiotics as hoped for. Friday was to be my last day - but Hubert - that's what we've started to call the thumb - it has a life and agenda of it's own - so it gets it's own identity!....Hubert is STILL red, inflamed, and sore.
WTF!!!! More drugs and yet ANOTHER Dr. appt. is scehduled for Monday.

I HAVE heard from the photographer - they mailed my loose proofs out to me on Friday, so I should have them here Monday or Tuesday at the latest. They emailed me a "sneak" peak........I have a flat panel monitor - so sometimes it distorts images - so I'm withholding judgement until I see the loose proofs in person. But please notice that this news falls under the title of "not cool news".........

And the day job.......there is not cool news there too. Although some things are best not posted on the internet.......

Here's to a better Saturday!!!!!!!

Ever Wonder Why Soda Tastes So Good?

1. In many States the highway patrol carries 2 gallons of cola in the trunk to remove blood stains from the highway.

2. You can put a T- bone Steak in a bowl of cola and it will be gone in 2 days.

3. To clean a toilet, pour a can of cola in and let it sit for one hour then flush. The citric acid in the cola will remove the stains.

4. Rust can be removed from chrome by rubbing with crumpled up pieces of aluminum foil dipped in cola.

5. To clean corrosion on car battery terminals pour a can of cola over them; it bubbles the corrosion away.

6. To loosen a rusty bolt apply a cloth soaked in cola for several minutes.

7. To remove grease from clothing throw a can of cola in the tub of clothes.

8. The active ingredient in cola is phosphoric acid. It's PH is 2.8; it will dissolve a small nail in about 4 days.

9. To carry cola concentrate the commercial truck must use Hazardous Material placards for highly corrosive materials.

10. Doesn't this make you think twice before you pop the tab on your next cola drink?

This was posted at my gym when I went in to train last night. Makes you think for a minute - doesn't it?

Yes!!!! Thanks Danny!!!!!

Danny Wegmans that is - LOL!! Most of you don't know this local "hero" but his family created what is quite possibly one of the best grocery store chains around! Always in the Fortune 500 list of companies to work for - AND more importantly - somehow always able to provide great quality at reasonable prices.

Sure enough - I stopped in and somehow they had local veggies that were FRESH and affordable and YUMMY!!!! So while my Summer is fading fast, I have veggies for another week!

Steve's right - I am on the wrong coast. If I was on the West coast I could fresh veggies AND heat year round. Here.....well I'll keep my frozen veggies and free heat thanks! Better frozen veggies than frozen Michelle!

I'm on the final days of antibiotics now - YIPPEE!!!!!!! I was able to REALLY lift last weekend! MAN was I sore!!!! ALL parts had DOMS for 48 hours - NOICE!!!!!!

In fact - it felt so good - I'm heading off right now for a quick shoulder/tri session!!!! I'll be back to "normal" anyday now!!!!!!

Whatever "normal" might be around here - LOL!

“The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well.”

Joe Ancis

*Sniff**Sniff* *Sigh.......*

Hard as I may to fight it - it truly is over. I try to deny it. Searched high and low but to no availe. My homegrown veggie season is over.

I see on Kerry's blog that her's is just about to begin - and I am J-E-A-L-O-U-S!!!!!! The ones I was able to locate today are shrivelled and yucky looking - not to mention over priced! So I have enough for a few more days....maybe some more will surface........but most likely - back to the freezer section I go.

Yup - that confirms it - summer's over.

Speaking of overpriced - I went to the Japanese Steakhouse to get some steamed rice for the experiment.....they wanted $4 for a portion of steamed rice!!!!!! Is it shipped from Japan? How much rice is in there? Ridiculous!!!!! Since I have no intention of eating it - just talking to it and taking pictures - I'm taking this as a sign that perhaps I best let this idea go. I mean really - do I need rice as a roomie? I think I'll take the "positive" thoughts and direct them towards other things.....

Here's a bit of trivia on me.....I had dinner with Grandma tonight and told her about the water pictures and the rice experiment - I was trying to convince her that we should have dinner at the steakhouse - I could just snag some leftovers but she said it was too far away....ANYWAYS she laughed when I told her my "plan" and reminded me that when I was in middle school my science fair project was "talking" to plants! I yelled at one and was nice to the other!!

Even in school I was thinking about the power of words - funny don't you think?

G'ma also reminded me that both plants died and I "faked" my results for school - LOL! I guess I just wanted to believe!

Speaking of plants.....when was the last time I watered these......... Better go!!!!

You're gonna like what you smell......

That's what the maintenance guy said to me as I returned from the gym yesterday morning....

"You're gonna like what you smell up there"


Now - what kind of greeting is that first thing in the morning - LOL!

So I smile and look slightly confused - wave - wish him a GREAT weekend..and head on up to get reay for work...

I get up stairs - throw my jacket off and wait a minute - something IS different.......*sniff*......*sniff*..could it be......*sniff*.....*sniff*........ it IS!!!!!!

My heat's back on!!!!! My heat's back on!!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!

It's been a bit chilly here at night - getting down to 41F the night before - so just like this past spring, it wasn't unbearable in Heaven - but it was a bit chilly. Towels not drying, drinking too much hot tea for my liking......

But now all is well again!

And speaking of getting well - the thumb is tsraing to resemble a thumb - and not a big toe or a cartoon hand - so this is FINALLY a good sign. I've been cleared to remove the splint for the next couple of days - if the swelling comes back though - so does the splint.

So all of my good fingers are crossed!!!!!

Again - why not......

Seem to have a "theme" this week - why not?

Today my "Why Not?" moment came when I bought myself some flowers. Cut flowers - bright sunny yellow. Why? Because they make me smile. Quite possibly the ONLY reason to do something!

I also lit candles last night - just me - no one else. Why? Because I felt like it!

And the next "Why Not" decision will be to go through with my rice experiment. I haven't started it yet - a few comments I received made me feel a bit foolish - but you know what......I ENJOY testing these theories. No gets hurt, doesn't cost a lot and hey - what if it's true?

Our minds are extremely powerful - and I'm a HUGE believer in positive thoughts and positive word power - so the experiment will commence this weekend.

Again I say - "Why Not?"

Speaking of experiments - the experiment called my thumb is STILL at work. My dr. was kind enough to give me another 6 days worth of antibiotics. WUNDERFUL! That will bring the "stretch" up to 27 days - not counting the shot the started this adventure.

My poor, poor, tummy........

Why not......

I am having the MOST FABULOUS day today!!!!


It's sunny!
It's unseasonably warm!
I don't have to work the "real" job!
I scored HUGE bargains at not one, not two, but THREE stores I had to go to today ANYWAYS!!!!!

Cardio this morning was GREAT! Finished a GREAT book! Received a notice from the library that the next one on my list became available - perfect timing!

So all of this good fortune happened before 10a.m.! I'm riding "high"! I'm at the last of my stores and I see a display of Playdoh......

It makes me think of my daily trivia..... September 18th is National Play Doh day here in the States!

Not sure why we need this...a day to honor Play Doh....but whatever! I bought some! Why not? Who doesn't love the smell of Play Doh?

I also bought and played with some Silly Putty! More childhood memories revisted!!!!!!

Feeling like a kid I grabbed a gumball out of the HUGE machine they had at the entrance to the store - I happily munched away!!!!!

I head next to the Post Office to mail out some boxes to Sue and I'm mindlessly blowing bubbles while I wait in line....not snapping or cracking my gum - not even popping them loudly....just "being happy".

The older gentleman in front of me....by older I mean double my age.......turns to me and sighs - "Why don't you act your age? Bubbles are for children."

I reply - " I am. Just a kid at heart right?"
- With a big smile on my face -

"That's what wrong with your generation...always having "fun"

The Post Office clerk calls him to the counter.....I wait my turn.........

When it's my turn the clerk says to me "Maybe if more people did have fun - the world would be a happier place for us all."

I couldn't agree more!

Thumb is still slowly recovering - as are my legs from Saturday! After yesterday's power walk I didn't seem to have the brain power to type - let alone return for my evening lifting session!

So now I'm having a litle snack - and I'll be off to weight train! With no TP - but that's o.k. because I'll have my rockin' tunes to blast me through! EVEN BETTER!!!! Since I don't need a spot right now - I'm lucky to lift much of anything - LOL!

Until Next Time -

“Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.”

Anthony Robbins

Careful what you wish for.......

Well I asked for DOMS - and I've got it - BIG TIME!

Thursday I went to the Dr. and he "drained" the infection site and put it in a splint - Wunderful - LOL! His thinking is that with a "straight" path it will drain out that much faster. Hmmmm - we'll see about that. Certainly can't hurt.

Anyway - more antibiotics. I'll be on them 25 days total - unless he "renews" my script - them who KNOWS. The thumb is still getting better day by day - and I'm typing faster today - THANK GOD! Hopefully life will be "normal" very soon.

I sense some yogurt in my future when I'm done.

But back to my DOMS........ Last night was legs. And the thumb/grip is well enough for me to challenge these puppies - and grunt and sweat I did.

Topped off with some cardio - not my usual choice but I have SO much energy these days, from not lifting no doubt, that I had to try and calm myself down before heading home for showering/eating/etc.

And this morning I am ACCUTELY aware of each and every muscle in my legs - right up to dead center glute! And it's only 14 hours post training - NOICE!!!!!!

So now I'm off for a power walk - before the afternoon's full on DOMS sets in........

I'll let you know how I feel tonight!

Good news and more waiting.......

Yet ANOTHER Dr.'s appointment today - I'm slowly going broke with all of these copays. I joked today that I should get a punch card - 10 visits your 11th one is free!

Bloodwork came back all negative - so that's good to know. The thumb is STILL not normal, slowly improving daily. They took an xray today to make sure the infection is not in the bone - and it's not....yet.

Tomorrow I have an appoinment with a Hand Specialist with the "hopes" that the infection will be ready for draining. They're waiting for it to centralize and then.........

Gross - I know. But ANYTHING to get my life back to normal. I can't even separate egg whites!!!!!! I'm not good at sitting still - lots of nervous energy. Which amounts to GREAT cardio sessions - and my metabolism is in HIGH gear!

Hopefully this will be over and done tomorrow - I can return to a proper weekend full of lifting, grunting, and moaning with well earned aches and pains!

My fingers are crossed - the ones that still work that is!

GRRRrrrrrrrr...................

SEVEN DAYS!!!!!! 7 days now - this thumb thing has been holding me back! Sure I can do cardio - but a girl needs some iron in her diet too!

The Doc cleared me to lift - but I can't yet get my hand around a "bar". So pin machines - and even then I have to stay in the high rep light weight range because too much pressure hurts this thumb!

I need to LIFT - and lift big! There's a little DOMS - but my urge as not been fed. I HUNGER for grunts - not "burn".

Patience grasshoppa - patience.......LOL - Steve has been telling me that for over a year now - guess it's just not in my "nature".

Speaking of patience - I STILL don't have my pics! 5 weeks now! Seems I'm caught up in Back to School processing delays At least I'm not on a deadline to get them, just anxious - LOL

Until then - some words for me to "live" by:
“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”
Arnold Glasgow

I feel an experiment coming on...........

For those of you that have "known" me for awhile now - you know that when I was blogging on body blog I was always "experimenting" with food.

Having watched "Supersize Me" - I was inspired to recreate his french fry experiment, and see just how long McDonald's fries could "survive" before they grew mold. It was WAY too long!!! "Frenchy" McFry and I became close "friends"

Then there was Pepperoni pizza.....and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts..........

I was watching yet another DVD tonight - I shold probably try socializing more, but anyway - and tonight's DVD was more about the water experiments I talked about in my last post.

Cate - his inspiration was snowflakes - how each one is unique. First he tried freezing plain water, then water from different springs, then exposed it too music, and the words came about as a way to see if it was the vibrations from the music that caused the change - or the "thoughts"....turns out it was the thoughts.

So once word got out about his experiments in Japan, people tried to recreate his experiments at home. But not everyone has pertrie dishes and microscopes, etc.

But leave it to an 11 year old boy with a science fair...........He thought he would try it with steamed rice. Controlled portion, portion wih a negative word taped to the front and a portion with "Thank You" taped to the front.

He also spoke the words that he taped to each portion "to" the rice every day - since rice is a solid, not a liquid like water he thought verbalizing the words would help them absorb the message.

Guess what - 30 days later the "plain" rice had a little mold, the "negative" rice turned BLACK and was a "stinky" mold according to the DVD and the "positive" rice........

Turned yellow and "smelled fermented - almost sweet"!!!!!!!!!

Are you kidding me?!!!!!!!

So I'm thinking it's about time I got a "roomie" here in Heaven....3 portions of steamed rice - coming up!!!!

There's a Japenese Steakhouse here in town...........only seems appropriate don't you think? Steaming my own rice.....well - I don't have a rice steamer - I microwave mine - that would kill any "natural energy" for sure.

There's Chinese takeout on every corner.........but what if the Chinese rice is different somehow?

But the steakhouse.........all of the "chefs" are of Japenese heritage - it's a requirement to cook there. It's one of those places that cook right before your eyes, chopping and flipping knives.......shoes off at the doorway - even when you are waiting for a table - no shoes......you have to ask for a table with chairs - otherwise you sit on rice matts........


Yes......it only seems right that the rice come from here............

Pictures say it all........

Plain Distilled Water

Well let's see Day 3 now with cardio only on my training schedule. Thank you to everybody who took the time to send me positive "health" vibes and thoughts - every little bit helps! The thumb is slowly healing - at least the swelling is contained to just the thumb - and only one half of it is bright red now. I still can't bend it or use it effectively - but the Dr. says he's happy with what he's seeing.

So still not lifting - another follow up on Thursday - so hopefully Friday I'll be grunting in the weight room - LOL!

And speaking of positive thoughts and their effects, I knew if I seached on the Internet I would find the pics I needed to show you guys why I am SO excited about the DVD What the Bleep Do We know.

Masaru Emoto is the gentleman that did the water experiments. He takes plain distilled water, analyzes it, freezes it, photographs it, and then from the same sample TAPES a TYPED word or saying to the front of the water bottle. Lets it sit overnight. Then analyzes the sample, freezes and photographs it again.

The pictures say it all......... The upper left picture is the plain untreated distilled water sample.

The picture on the right - water from the same sample after sitting out overnight with the words "Love and Appreciation" taped to the outside of the bottle.

The last picture, the same sample after having sat out overnight with the words "You make me sick. I will kill you" taped to the front.

Think about it - words did this to water. The human body is over 70% water.

So what do our words and thoughts due to OUR bodies?!!!!!

Something to think about.........

Not the day I had planned on......

Today I had planned on helping my Dad in his workshop. He does some GREAT custom woodworking, and he has a lot of big orders right now - so I try to help where I can.

He then "pays" me with dinner afterwards - sweet!

I woke up this morning to discover that my left thumb was much larger than my right. And red....and hot to the touch.....
Upon closer inspection I noticed a red "line" leading from the tip of my thumb past my wrist to nearly my elbow.

Hmm - this can NOT be good.....

But it's a Holiday weekend - Sunday at that! I don't know if this qualifies as an "emergency". So I try to go about my business....nope - this needs attention, I can't even hold a toothbrush in this hand!

I work in retail optics - I adjust/repair glasses - amongst other thinsg - at my "real" job. I have to tighten screws all day. Sometimes the screwdriver will slip off the head of the screw while you are attempting to tighten them. Sometimes it draws blood. It's back to school - I've been working - a lot! I was stuck a few times this week - always washed and covered.....but apparently the one on my thumb is a "gift that keeps on giving".

What I thought was one of many burns yesterday is an infected thumb. And if I had waited until Tuesday for medical attention, I was told, I would be in the Hospital! With full on blood poisioning!

But luckily I went in today and got a big shot in my bootie! And lots more drugs for the next 2 weeks! And I have to go back Tuesday.

So no lifting todayAnd if it doesn't improve overnight - no lifting tomorrow either!!!

So I sit and type one handed - with the left elevated - and hope these drugs start working.

Four......

Four.......the number of letters in my current state of affairs..........four........D.O.M.S.
Four.......the number of letters in what I trained that caused this......L E G S

And finally....
Four........the number of times I burned my hands during food prep for the week this evening........F O U R - LOl!

I'm certain that all of these things are related on some level. None of my burns are serious of course - I'm sure they'll be fine by morning - but one burn - o.k. .....two - pay attention.......FOUR?!

Know when it's time to walk away and get ready for bed

So I made it through my work week - finally to my long Holiday weekend! It's Labor Day here - the unofficial end of summerand it's ending much like it started.....the unofficial start of Summer is Memorial Day in May - and it was FREEZING here then and guess what - it's FREEZING here now!

57F and POURING rain - thanks to the leftovers from Hurricane Ernesto. Never was much of a fan of leftovers - LOL! This time I was smart though, shut the windows up early and started cooking/cleaning - since Heaven's free heat doesn't come back until the actual Labor Day Holiday - which is Monday. Still a bit chilly in here - but nothing a sweatshirt can't take care of.

Luckily I had no big plans for this weekend - some quality time with Dad, training, some online stuff, and a couple of DVD's.

Funny how things work out, my original "plans" sound like the perfect plans for a rainy day - don't they?