Advice: Stress

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
raised a glass of water and asked
"How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight,
but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued,
"And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
as the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
we won't be able to carry on. "
"As with the glass of water,
you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.
Don't carry it home.
You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
let them down for a moment if you can."
So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.
Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

~ Sent to me by Lilikoi.

Oscar The Grim Reaper Cat

My dad was an administrator of a nursing home for about 20 years. His first care center was in Roseburg and I spent a lot of time making the rounds with him and talking to his residents. When I heard this story, it moved me because I know there are elderly people who are left to die by their families. The thought of their final hours being spent with an animal cuddling and nurturing them makes me want to bawl.

Draft Gore

Not sure how you're feeling about the current political landscape and that's not what this blog is about. But if you're anything like me and you're on the edge of your seat waiting for Gore to put his hat in the ring, then you can go here or click on the picture and petition for him to be a presidental candidate for 2008.

This Makes Me Sad

The youth of our country all seem to want to grow up and be famous. Just like her.

The Last King of Scotland - Review

Let me just start off by saying I am not a proponent of violence in movies. But I do think a movie should be given leniency when trying to make a point. And in TLKOS the violence is necessary.
If you've never heard of it, it's the story of Idi Amin's brutal ruling of Uganda in the 1970's.
Because this story is based on fact, I cannot argue with the overwhelmingly grotesque aggression that was portrayed but had I known the film would be so graphic, I would have never watched it.
(The movie is still resonating so this may be impartial from a woman with a delicate psyche. Consider that my disclaimer.)
Yes, it is based on fact. Yes, it is important for people to understand what goes on outside of their country. Yes, people need to learn about history in order to prevent it from repeating. But this movie is so savage in parts that I am still battling a rumbling stomach - nearly 12 hours later.
Proceed with caution.

An Open Letter To Stratus Clouds

Fuck off.
I hate you!
Where do you get off thinking you can lurk above me for four days straight? I need to see the sun! I need to feel the warmth of its rays on my face. But you are preventing that from happening.
I am prepared to deal with this kind of cruelty in the winter. After all, I am in Seattle. But it's summer, damnit! So piss off!

Fark For Today

"Vatican says child sexual abuse isn't just a Catholic problem. In related news, other companies make facial tissue but we still call it all Kleenex".

~tag issued for this article.

Ally McBeal

Remember that show?
I was thinking about the unisex bathroom today. There's no way I could do that. I already get stage fright when another woman's in there. It would be impossible with the stream (pardon the pun) of men coming in and out.
What about you? Would you be comfortable with that?

Worn Out

I feel like I'm constantly having to convince myself to spend time with certain people. These people are nice and they care about me, but I just don't have the energy to deal with them.
So let me ask a question:
Do you have any friends that you keep in touch with out of obligation rather than genuine interest?
AND/ OR
Do you ever feel like life is too short to spend time with people who don't truly mean something to you?

When Will I Be Happy?

I can't seem to find the right picture for my background. Please forgive as I play around. What do you think of this one?

~thank you IBebels

The Wonder Years

When Kevin's adult voice explained the day that Winnie met his wife I was heart broken. To this day, I wince at the thought of that episode. It was as if my innocence was lost. I learned that just because people should be together doesn't mean they will be. (Another disappointing moment in my television upbringing was the finale of Life Goes On when the show ends as Becca tells her son the story of Jesse's life. Whaa!)
But today I learned that, although Kevin and Winnie didn't end up together, Fred Savage did marry his childhood friend Jennifer. That provided a strange sense of closure for me and made me feel like all was right in the world again. I can sleep easy tonight.

If You Love Something, Let It Go

Logic and I were living in the same town for about 6 months when he dropped a bomb on me. We'd had a busy day and were lounging on the couch in my apartment.
Him: Do you ever worry the maybe we're wasting time?
Me: What do you mean?
Him: What if we're not THE ONE for each other? Doesn't that worry you?
Me: No. I figure if it's going to work out, it's going to work out.*
At that point, the conversation escalated to the point that I thought we'd broken up (he thought we were just fighting). He called every day for the next four days. Finally, by the fourth day I told him that he couldn't keep calling me if he didn't know what he wanted. The next morning he was at my door. We talked for hours and decided we wanted to see where the relationship would go. It was a slow progression because I was hesitant but I am so glad we chose to stick it out.
He came back to me.



* story is 7 years old so the details are blurry. conversation was generalized.

Thanks Uppity

It's official. I've received my first tag.
So, to appease the uppity gods, I present my list of my 8 facts/habits:

1) FACT: I used to smoke a lot of weed. Like, daily. But somewhere along the way, my 'high' turned into a low and I stopped enjoying it. It's now been well over a year since the last time I smoked.
2) HABIT: I clean crumbs off of surfaces without even realizing it. For instance, when talking on the phone, if I see a crumb on the dining room table I must walk over and wipe it off. This creates quite a mess on the floor but cleaning the hardwood is not one of my habits.
3) FACT: I used to hate reading. In my house, it was required to read for at least an hour every night and only watch television a half hour every night. This was torture for me. But now that the television has worn out it's welcome in my house, I've grown to really appreciate a good book. No commercials, no corny music highlighting the dramatic scenes, no over-exposure of certain actors. Just words and my imagination. And I never have to worry about 'missing' an episode or scene. I get to pick back up where I left off whenever I want.
4) HABIT: I constantly manicure my nails. If I'm not filing, I'm pushing back cuticles.
5) FACT: I don't know if I want to have kids. If I do, I know I'll love them more than I can currently imagine but I worry about the responsibility and commitment. Plus, the thought of bringing someone else into this already chaotic and messed up world scares the shit out of me.
6) HABIT: I eat sandwiches from the crust inward so that I save the best bite for last. Other examples are: eating pizza backward, tearing the top off of a muffin and eating it after the bottom, and saving my favorite types of fruit for last in trail mix.
7) FACT: I am the queen of skimming by. I skim by on everything. Work, exercise, school. I've never practiced or studied. I wish I did.
8) HABIT: This last one continues to surprise my mom but now that I'm an adult and have a place of my own, I make the bed every morning. Sure, it's my own bed and I can slack if I want but there's something about a nicely made bed that really cleans up the room.

And since I know I'm one of the very few who actually enjoy these things, I'm choosing not to tag. For any of my blog friends, you're welcome. :)

The Walk Home

We were at the lodge, spending the evening with family. We playing pool and threw back a few beers. Time escaped us, as it often does in those situations. Before we knew it, the clock read 1:00 and we were preparing to walk back to our cabin in the dark. The groom's cousin stopped us at the door and offered to let us borrow his flashlight. We were so relieved because the walk wouldn't have been an easy one.
The group hovered over the light that lead the way but Logic didn't have the patience. He managed to make it back to the cabin but just as he thought he'd be reaching the porch he ran shin-first into a boulder that was guarding the house from a potential accident with a reversing car. He lost a chunk of skin on that boulder. And his ego.
But it was damn funny.

Dahlias

The next of many

by tallguy 2005

My Trip to Utah

I guess I went into my trip with the right attitude because I ended up having a great time. Sure it was hectic and I didn't get much sleep, but I also made some great memories.
1) On the drive from Salt Lake City to the wedding site in Southeast Utah Logic's sister and I sat in the back of the van and giggled 80% of the drive.
2) The ride through Canyonlands was stunning. There were some very windy roads but the views were incredible.
3) The Bed and Breakfast that hosted the wedding and reception was tucked into the mountains. I loved it! We stayed in a cabin and it felt so isolated. We felt like we were by ourselves when at the cabin but if we crossed the street and walked up a hill, we were in the middle of the action.
4) The wedding was beautiful and I was crying within the first 5 minutes.
5) The reception was a crazy party. Plenty of beer, spiked punch, cowboy hats, karaoke, line dancing, some hip-hop mixed in, great conversation, and even an authentic fight.
6) A drive to Dead Horse Point reminded me of the Grand Canyon. The scenery was opposite of the Northwest which was a refreshing change: red rock, deep ravines, seeing for miles.
7) On an early morning hike to Delicate Arch I had one of the best hikes of my life. Logic's sister and Logic woke up at 5 am with me to hike up a huge rock and trek up a mountain to one of the most amazing views I've ever seen.
But it was the little moments with family that I'll cherish the most.

Don't Leave Your Handprint Intentionally

~photo courtesy of shenghung lin

This is Not a Vacation

I'll be flying from Washington to Utah tonight. I'll stay at Grandma's house tonight and then drive 4 hours tomorrow. I will attend a wedding on Saturday and spend the night in a lodge up in the mountains. Then I'll drive 4 hours back to Grandma's on Monday and fly home on Tuesday.
Anytime off from work fits into the category of 'vacation' by most standards but this is the exception. You see, there are certain factors that prevent me from relaxing (vital for actual vacationing).
1) The trip is already planned out and I wasn't consulted.
2) Nieces and Nephews will require a lot of attention (more exhaustion).
3) I won't have my own car/space for 5 days. I will be at the mercy of others, which I rarely enjoy.
BUT, being the pseudo-optimist that I am, I'm going to try and focus on that one ray of sunshine: the lodge. I've been craving some isolation from city life and that lodge has my name written all over it. And who knows, maybe my lack of expectations will be just the thing. If I don't look forward to anything, I won't be disappointed right?

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~ courtesy of

marcomagrini's

Leader Test Results

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Office Space

Anyone who has ever had a 'desk job' (which isn't nearly as dirty as it sounds) has probably heard one or more of these sayings.
For me "we're gonna need to go ahead and move you downstairs into storage B" rings true. It's not uncommon to shift seating arrangements at my job. People have been set up in storage closets, stairways, conference rooms and even a former mortuary. Lucky for me, I've only been stuffed like a sardine into a small office with 5 other people. Hey, coulda been worse.

Fark Story of the Day

"Smoking deaths equal one jumbo jet going down every hour, but without all the annoying screaming."















~photo by Radarwollongong