The Oscars

The Oscars, The Academy Awards, whatever, blah, blah, blah. I type this because that is how I feel. Kudos's to you out there that love this award show. I could care 'zero'. Because of one simple reason. I don't watch those movies!

I didn't mean I don't watch movies, because I do, just not those! Let's see in the last month, we saw 'Hotel for Dogs' , 'Mall Cop' and 'Bed Time Stories'. All great movies in my opinion.

Okay, now let's see what was up for best picture:
Slumdog Millionaire: Never heard of it, until the Golden Globes... I can only assume, a person in the slums becomes a millionaire.

Sean Penn Milk Movie: What??? Something about a gay rights activist politician or something, Didn't not see this because of the homosexuality, (Personally liked 'I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry'), saw it because it sounded boring.

Benjamin Button: Of all the movies, I could have possibly gone to see this, until someone told me it lasted about 3 hours. SNORE!

The Reader: Still have never heard of it. I just read this on the Oscar list nominee sheet.

Frost/Nixon: Don't do president movies.

So there, I heard of one and didn't see it! So what is all the hype about? You mean to tell me of all the 100's of movies that came out in 2008, this was the top? These were the ones that repeated in most of the categories?

Then lets talk about the actors. Mickey Rourke's movie. Okay, this guy creeps me out just looking at him walk the red carpet. Why would I go see a movie about him? Then Meryl Streep in 'Doubt'. Creepy movie there... She couldn't have gotten a nod for 'Mama Mia"? (Okay, that did sound ridiculous...LOL) Melissa Leo in 'Frozen Water', never heard of her or that movie? That must be at the Studio on the Square.

So the show was on in the background last night when I was reading. Charles was watching it. I thought, okay let me watch for a second and see what is going on. Then I saw Hugh Jackman prance across the stage singing 'Putting on a Top Hat'. Come on, Really? A Top Hat? I went straight to bed!

So, to all my friends out there who enjoyed the Oscars, Whoo Hoo to you! I hope you enjoyed them, just don't chat with me about 'em. Let me know when they nominate Kung Fu Panda.

Open Heart Surgery

Second go around for someone I love to have to have by-pass surgery. First my father about 20 yrs ago and last Monday my brother-in-law. This is not small stuff! However, here is something you may not know. When Mike (Charles' Bro), went into the hospital complaining of chest pains, the doctor had possibly suggested it could be his gall bladder. However they would just do the heart tests just in case. Doctor said gall bladder and heart could have the same symptoms.

Okay, let's think about that for a moment. There is the gall bladder, squiggly little thing that looks like a chili pepper that can very easily be lived without. People have them removed surgically through their belly button. Then there is the heart, the absolute most important organ in your body. Obviously, cannot live with out it! HOW can those two organs give off the same symptoms? Let's see one collects bile from the liver to pass on to the intestines when the time is right and the other, oh gosh, I forget, what was it that the heart does, oh YEAH! it pumps blood through your entire body! Don't think I just knew that about the gall bladder either, I have another browser opened up on webmd.

Well, our bodies are definately mysteries. It really got us to thinking about why some people have heart problems and others don't. Mike is 40 and had a quadruple by-pass, he's not obese, not a smoker, doesn't have really bad cholesterol. Then we thought it might be genetics. So guess who is having a stress test next week. You guessed it. The older brother to the 40 yr old.

To wrap this blog up, I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and concerns while Charles's brother had his surgery. Surgery was Monday 2-16 and he might possibly go home Friday 2-20.

I Love To Diet!

I must because I have been doing it on and off for about 25 yrs. Yes, at age 16 I thought I was heavy at 130 pounds. Back then that was a junior size 13 or 15. My girlfriends were a 1 or 3. So needless to say I started dieting back then. Today, I would give my eye teeth to be 130 pounds.

Diets through the years in chronological order:

• Starving : Yes this was the teen years diet. Self explanatory. Lost some and gained it back.
• Wacky Weekly Diet: This was the diet that you ate goof-ball junk and the bizarre-ness made you lose weight. It was like b'fast - one hotdog, 1/2 cup cottage cheese and one beet. Then for lunch you ate 3 crackers and a piece of toast and then for dinner you had 1 cup ice cream with a chicken breast. You had this whole diet planned out for the week and you were supposed to drop like 10 pounds. Then you were off a week and then repeated. Again, lost some and gained it back.
• Cabbage Soup Diet: Gotta love this one. Eat all that wacky cabbage soup you can. That was fine the first 3 days, then by the time you opened the refrigerator door and saw that dreadful soup staring at you, you puked on the spot. More loss but gain back.
• Phen - Phen and Maj Ja Wong Stuff: Wow this stuff was powerful! I lost about 80 pounds with this stuff! It was fabulous. I was single and lovin' it. You were so hyper and never thought about food, REALLY! You were like vacuuming at three in the morning. You were so wound up. Granted it could put you in the grave with all of its breaking down the ventricular flaps in your heart (or whatever!) but man at least you were thin when they slid you in the coffin! Luckily God wasn't ready for me, so I am still here to write about it. Did enjoy the money I received from the class action law-suit that I signed a petition for though!
• Weight Watchers: God love them! They worked about 5 times. I went and lost and quit and gained and joined and lost and quit and gained and repeat 3 more times. I am too embarssed to go back anymore.
• Me Diet: This is the diet that I am on now. I call it the 'Me Diet' in tribute to Talladega Nights. That was his sponsor at the end. It's just ME. Anywho, I am counting my calories and walking! 25 pounds down at last check.

Wow, in writing all of that, I realize that I have put my body through a lot. I always joke and tell people that I have clothes in my closet from a size 2 to 22 and that is no Lie. Well, hopefully that last diet above will truly be the last diet!

Old Friends

Today I had lunch with some old friends. I don't mean they are 'old' (well they are older than me, but who's counting) I just mean they are friends that I have had a long time. I used to work with these folks and chatting with them brought back a lot of good memories. In seeing them, it reminded me that these folks were with me when I was single, when I was engaged, during my whole "I'm getting married phase" and the entire "I'm pregnant phase". God love them all! They partied with me and threw me showers. Even though we worked for the same department, they were and still truly are my friends. Our lunch was only about an hour long but I soaked them in enough to get the 'warm and fuzzies'.

I also "IM'ed" a friend that moved to Nashville last night (via FB, of course). That too gave me the warm and fuzzies. She was my 'best broad' at my wedding and chatting with her felt like old times. We did the usual, "can you believe our girls are that big?" and "oh, my gosh, can you believe we did that?"

Why don't we keep these friends closer in our lives? Why does it take 6 months to go by before we meet up again for lunch? Why did it take FaceBook for me to connect with my matron of honor? At least I have the comfort of knowing that WE ALL DO IT! Everyone I mention this to, says, "yeah, I'm the same way".

Well, I would end this blog by saying, "let's get out there and hook up with old friends", but you know that's not going to happen. I will continue to be a lazy toad and not do a thing and then in 6 months from now, I'll write another blog entry about this exact same topic.

So in conclusion, do what you can and enjoy what memories you make today! You never know when they will be repeated. p

Confessions of a Hypochondriac

Yes, it is true. I am a hypochondriac. I am George on Seinfield. I am the one pressing the mole on my neck (Christmas Vacation) wondering if it is getting redder. I am the one sitting in the waiting room and looking around at all the people that truly look deathly ill and thinking to myself, if they only knew that even though I look healthy, I am ravished on the inside.

Well, I just came home from the ear, nose and throat specialist and found out I do NOT have throat cancer, or tongue cancer or ear lobe cancer, etc. I thought I did, really! I have had this feeling of having something in my throat and I knew for sure I would be having an MRI today in that closed up capsule thing and I would be referred on to an oncologist. Nothing! (Apparantly, I have acid reflux)

About six months ago, I was kissing my daughter to sleep and noticed she had a mole come up on her chin. It looked raised. Not like the gross evil witch of the west with a hair coming out, but a small black raised up mole. That is it, I thought, I've done it. Not enough sunscreen was used over the summer and I have allowed my daughter to get skin cancer. So needless to say, we rushed to the doctor and I believe he belittled me! Something about the ABC's of skin cancer. I'm not 100% because I quit listening and started thinking about getting a referral for a skin doctor. Luckily, I dragged my husband along and he laughed at me all the way to the car.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't wish I had a terrible disease. I'm not trying to make up anything. I have valid concerns. Maybe it was because I was raised in a day and age when you didn't go see the doctor for every fartin' thing. I remember stepping on a rusty nail with bare feet when I was about 8 and it came up through my foot. My mom washed it and put a big fat band-aid on it. No doctor visit. No tetanus shot. No ointment. If that were to happen today, I would have myself air-lifted to the Med.

So, as life progresses, I pray that Cigna will still cover us and allow my hypochondriac-ism to flourish. That reminds me, I think I might call my primary care and get a Tetanus shot!

Why Blog?

Why Not? When I was in high school and college I kept a diary. Not like a 'oooh I love so and so' or 'a handwriting test of my future married name - Mrs. Patty Cassidy - (I loved Shaun)' but a narrative of what I did that day. Tried new recipe, failed. Saw this at the movies. Saw so and so at the mall, etc. So I thought I would try this again. This time just on the internet. Bizarre I know!

So, I have lots of things I would like to say. If you find them interesting, then read along. I plan on putting recipes on, anticdotes, jokes, personal observations and anything else that I find amusing!

Come back and check on me! p

FaceBook or CrackBook

Yes, I have finally gotten on Facebook. Now I know why some people call it crackbook. It is very addictive. I sat down yesterday morning at 8:00 and just signed in. I had so many people ask me to get on facebook so I broke down. Then I logged in and within minutes had friends. How cool is that? Then all of a sudden in the bottom right corner a class mate from high school popped up and facebook asked if I wanted to be her friend. I couldn't believe it. How creepy is that? How do they know that I know her???? Well, I know... but I mean really!!! Anywho, before I knew it, it was 9:30 and I was going to be late for work. Now it is 24 hours later and I think about it when I was showering, when I was cooking dinner, when I logged into my laptop. So sure enough this morning, I had a few more friends. Now I have a dilema, I've had a couple of people ask to be my friend, but I don't know who they are... Do I accept them or not? hhhhm

Friday Morning

Well, let's see how this works. A Blog from me! Hmmmm.