Saw this and thought it was funky but interesting. I am seriously thinking of getting this as it purports to help back pain. Check it out and tell me what you think.
Author Archives: mycrazydna
Shopping Links
I thought after my reminiscing the other day about the Christmas holiday I would take the opportunity to go to my favorite hobby. I love shopping mostly this consists of window shopping, via my Mac. I am known for being a Google Queen but I only buy things when they are on sale and after thorough research. I will even wait to receive a discount code to get free shipping or make the discount go further.
So, today I decided to post links to my favorite shopping sites. I managed to keep it to ten!
1. Amazon – Good for just about everything.
2. JcPenney – Good for household goods. I use to shop for clothes here until I discovered the next link. I still do get some nice things here though.
3. Land’s End – Love most of the clothes here, including the pants which I can get long. This is very important as I am nearly 6 ft.
4. DrugStore.com – Good for non-prescription items. I order a lot of natural and organic things here including my laundry detergent, body wash, and hair and dental products. I also like their gift sets by Alba and Burt’s Bees.
5. Sierra Trading Post – An interesting selection of clothes. I enjoy their Bargain Barn which always has great deals but especially their shoes.
6.Pier 1 – Diverse accessories to accent your home.
7. World Market – A fun store that has a lot of international flavors. I have some nice pieces of furniture from here. We also manage to pick up some nice wine and English sweets.
8. ShoeLine – A recent find that has nice shoes. A bit pricey but I have gotten 2 pairs here and they are terrific. I feel like I am walking on air.
9. DeepDiscountDVD – Great site for cheap DVDs.
10. J.Jill – Does very nice shirts and sweaters.
Home Again
I started telecommuting today! I thought I might actually be able to concentrate and get some of those lost projects accomplished with the time I was going to be at home. Of course not! I am busy on email and the phone putting out wildfires that just keep spreading. I am sure things will taper off somewhat once we have more of a routine down and my project launches. Boy I can’t wait for that.
We did manage to get the printer that was supplied as part of the equipment working with our airport and our Macs, this was the highlight of my day.
But really no complaints. How can I complain when I can roll out of bed boot up a few laptops and start my day? I don’t have to shower, can get a cuppa anytime I want and be in my own house. This really is nice.
New Arrivals
Today our new housemates arrived. Clean and fresh but a little weary of us. We adopted two beautiful tabby kittens, both girls. They are about 3 and 1/2 months old and absolutely adorable. We named the gold tabby Cairo and the silver tabby Riga. Poor Riga has ringworm and so we are keeping them both in quarantine. We had them checked out by our vet and seems that they are in good health with the exception of the Ringworm. We have to keep them separate from Hugo for at least the next 10 days.
O the washing! Whenever we visit with them we strip off our clothes to control the distribution of contagion and then we liberally wash exposed body parts. I didn’t know that ringworm a) is a fungus not a worm, b) can be transmitted to humans and c) can live in carpet for up to 2 years. Mostly, I feel bad for Riga. She has some big patches and now that they are all shaved we can see them better but she doesn’t like the treatment. I have no doubt they will heal up fine. I just hope we are able to let them out after 10 days and that our clean-up efforts are thorough. When I get a chance I will post a few photos of them. They really are adorable and I do think I made the right decision in inviting them into our home.
December Brings Happiness
December brings one of my favorite times of year, the Christmas holiday. I love the decorations, lights, festivities, holiday songs, and general happier attitude of people. I have only just bought my Christmas cards and have yet to sit down and compose the newsletter that shall accompany them but today I am less stressed about that than I was a few days ago.
I suppose for me I get caught up in the fond memories I have of Christmas. Christmas was always a fun time at my house, with less focus on the amount of things or whether I actually got what I asked for. As a child gifts were a true celebration and mom never failed. I felt like the most blessed kid on the block. I loved the lead up to the holiday, the time off from school, the cold wind nipping at my ears as a constant reminder of fun things to come, and the Advent calendar that was scratch and sniff that seemed to slumber during the ensuing months. I enjoyed decorating the tree with handmade ornaments, wrapping the tinsel around after we had put the lights on…and then of course waking up and like magic wonderful gifts appeared under the tree. I could go on and on.
The first year we were married, grandma sent us most of the Christmas ornaments she had as well as a few new ones. That was the first Christmas holiday that mother and daughter had ever spent apart and remains the only one in 31 years. So, now we pull out our 4-foot plastic tree and take all my childhood ornaments and decorate the tree. We have hung lights throughout the living and dining room, with the few presents waiting to be wrapped and tucked under it.
I am saddened by all the commercialization that has taken over Christmas and every other holiday. Too much goes into “getting things†for Christmas and mostly I try hard to ignore it. I do enjoy buying the odd gift for BozoBoy and Grandma but I no longer go overboard. Now we celebrate sensibly. I suppose the older I get the less important it is to have frivolous stuff. But I still anticipate Christmas morning with butterflies and excitement, which makes me feel like a kid all over again. At Christmas I think of it as a renewal of the kid in me, recognizing those closest to my heart and thinking of those less fortunate I. As the days pass and Christmas nears, my excitement will grow as will my general happiness. I hope yours does too.
Reflections
The holidays are upon us! I know this not by the visits to malls or the street decorations but rather the arrival of our first Christmas card. I was a bit surprised, miffed and excited. Although, I am nearly finished with my holiday shopping, (online shopping rocks!) I usually have already finished our Christmas newsletter, printed the labels and begin the process of mailing the letters. In the past this was driven by my insane perfectionist qualities. The funny thing is I love sending the cards usually. I love sharing with friends who we haven’t talked to in a while the events of our year. So, I decided to take a time out and consider why I avoidance had crept into a usually satisfying accomplishment. The answer? Apathy. This year has been rather mundane and mediocre. It has had but 1 high and the rest not lows but non-starters.
I’ve often felt that throughout my life I have been exceptionally lucky. Happiness has never been far away and my life has been terribly balanced. I have experienced no tragedies, no great losses or major upheavals. My life is just what it is. I have had successes and accomplishments, none coming too quick and none that I haven’t worked towards as a particular goal. Like so many others I do feel that I have something more in me, something more profound and fulfilling. But I also fear this radical desire for greatness. Friends of mine who have such peaks often have such lows too and sadly reflecting upon my own life it pales in comparison. To often I don’t know what I am seeking…I have imaginations and tangible goals, which I think will help to bring this “something†closer but it is elusive.
I find myself escaping into thoughts of writing, writing my book. And although, I write stories in my head daily, I just don’t seem to make the connection to paper. Every year I explore and imagine and wish that this year I will start in earnest on my book. I fictionalize the story surrounding the writing itself. I have a solid foundation but my character like her muse remains unfinished, a yet ill-conceived vision.
So, with the quickly approaching Christmas festivities and news from far away friends I look forward to 2006, with hope and aspiration. On Christmas Eve when we sit to open the cards from our friends I will be nurturing the fearful excited great character inside to do more and reach for the unexpected.
Flurry of Posts
Have you noticed my naughtiness yet? Not sure what I’m talking about? Well if you hadn’t already noticed…multiple posts tend to appear at once. I have found that I am not as disciplined at posting everyday but it’s often not because I don’t have thoughts or words to convey. No, rather it’s laziness and also not wanting to see the blog as a chore.
So, if you happen to visit and notice a bunch of new posts that weren’t there the day before now you know why.
Emotions Holding Me Back
We had a home visit from 2 little sisters today, very cute tabby cats. We have been discussing getting Fatty a new companion for nearly a year now. And yesterday they were here visiting with us. They are ours if we want them in a week. They still need to get their shots and be spayed.
I have mixed feelings about having more cats. I really enjoyed them yesterday and they definitely seem spirited. And yet at the same time I am not entirely sure I want other cats running around. Fatty seems somewhat contented to be the center of attention and he is now more or less trained. The idea of taking on new kitties, well I just don’t know.
I know much of my hesitation is due in part to Madam passing away last year. She was very much my kitty, my baby if you will and I took it rather hard. I still miss her. Although, I know we will never replace her I still find myself yearning for her personality. I had thought of getting another pedigree cat but the expense is a bit prohibitive. And last week when I responded to the ad I decided that it should be about Fatty having some friends around, not about my silly insecurities. I suppose I am being more selective, snotty if you will but I wish I wasn’t.
Our minds are pretty made up. BozoBoy is game for just about any new critters. I know this is the right thing to do and it will just take time to adjust to the change. Even I am disturbed by my ambivalence. Should I take them or should I maintain the status quo? I have a week to decide…
1 Routine I Can’t Master
I started the week off so promising. I don’t know what it is about when I have days off…I just do not get on the treadmill. I desperately want to lose about 15 pounds. Frankly, I would be happy to lose 20-25 but I will settle for any loss at the moment. I have been working to get consistent on the treadmill we bought in September and I just haven’t yet been successful. I am very tired of carrying around this carry-on luggage. It’s not a lot but it is just enough to make my clothes uncomfortable and me to not entirely feel myself. Granted I’ve had this extra weight now for more than a few years. After I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism that’s when I started storing extra fat cells. I don’t diet because food is not my problem. I need more regular exercise this I know…but when will I get my routine down and when will I see results. We are planning a trip in Feb to the Caribbean and I would really like to lose a few pounds before that. Let’s hope I can get it together and at least get on the treadmill more than 2x a week. It’s funny, Ms. Anal just can’t get this routine down.
It’s Really Happening
Today, we met to discuss the telecommuting program and review the equipment we will be supplied. I was surprised when I saw that not only were we being given a laptop but they were throwing in flat screen monitor, laserjet printer, and a wireless keyboard and mouse. WOW. I suppose they are really commuted to this project. One department has already started and in 2 weeks we will begin too. I am not sure I will take all the equipment yet. I like my mac and rally only suffer the PC at work. We shall see…but to get to my machine at work, I will need to use the laptop.
I have to say after reviewing the schedule and realizing how little I would actually be in the office I decided that this would help ease some of the stress I have been under lately. Having worked from home before I know I am far more productive and far happier. Of course, I don’t think this has changed my mind about leaving, but it does make it a bit more tolerable. The schedule for December is crazy, it is swayed so much in my favor because of the holidays. But I was very happy when I saw it.
Everything now seems to be a wait and see…wait and see how working from home goes…wait and see if any more interesting opportunities present themselves…what and see what the new year holds.
I am starting to get excited, for what I haven’t a clue, I just have a feeling…something good is only around the next corner.