EY's Rants and Raves

If you read that last post and you know me at all, you know lots was going on. None of it particularly new in the 'verse and all of it quite personal to me. I'm a closed person by nature. Yes, that does make it kinda silly that I have a blog at all. It's a beautiful near-fall day today and I don't know which is sunnier--news I just read about an online friend who has found some well-needed, much-deserved happiness, the clear blue outside or my own self with a grin I haven't been able to shake for a bit. Life can be a challenge. People can be a challenge. And the voice inside your head can be the biggest challenge of all. But help comes from odd places. And takes you to good ones. Like San Diego.

No posts since January. Don't worry, nothing important is going on.

I love to read. Shocking, I know, to the two of you still out there. Was browsing through my fav online 'zine and found a listing of local blogs. A couple I knew about already and am already following. One I knew about and purposefully wasn't following as the writer is a somewhat public figure whose politics and mine have never really jived. On the blog, though, he writes about a few other things we DO have in common. What drew me in (of course) is food, but an article about Arkansas football and visits to New Orleans, pre and post Katrina hooked me. And made me cry. I could spend all day and probably not get caught up on his blog. But I don't have all day.

In my profession too, there are amazing and rocket-scientist-intelligent people who think about what we do nearly 24X7. A great many of them have fascinating blogs that I'm glad when I stumble across, yet don't have the time to devote to a full reading. I follow one of them, but rarely read. His work is the kind that makes your head explode, but even when I don't understand what I'm reading, his style is so approachable that I do anyway. Every once in a while, I'll scan through a posting just to see what's on his mind. It's always great stuff.

Then there are books. I've way outgrown the two bookshelves I have. The books piled and tossed around lend to the "amateur hoarder" motif of my office. Of course, this isn't "all". I have cookbooks in the kitchen, books in the living room, books on my dresser, books on my nightstand, books (special ones, at that) under my bed. I want more. There's always a book I want. An exceptionally well-read friend sent me a list I've barely touched. If I asked for that list again, I'm sure it would be twice what it was as his reading and movie watching has continued at a good pace and mine has not.

Maybe reading later. Workout, chores, football for today.

Yes, it's been a while. No, posting regularly is not a New Year's resolution of mine. I'm not enough to do those. I have been trying to get in a regular exercise groove lately and after a horrible start to November (blew off one day, no electricity the next, plans, plans, plans, finally worked out that Saturday, yay), I did OK, nearly hitting working out 50% of the days. December was going really well until Christmas and travel and plans. Didn't work out yesterday (hmmm, wonder why), but Jan. 2 saw a kickbox and ab workout.

I really like the ab workout in the 10 Minute Solution Kickbox Bootcamp. Just when you really start to get tired of a move, you switch to something else. I feel constantly challenged and really dig that. I'm normally a wuss when it comes to abs and will use nearly any excuse to not work them. If it weren't NFL time, I think I would do the workout again. Yeah, nuts for me to be saying.

If I can get rid of some of my congestion it will soon be time to switch back to Ms. JM. I like her workouts, but I'm not as bouncy as she is. I think she's part Tigger; I'm not.

Labels: football, workouts

# posted by EY @ 12:15 PM 0 comments

No, not a football rant, not even today. No, today's rant is about grocery stores in my fair city. One of my favorite breakfasts is steel cut oats. I was going to make a crock pot of them, but I have a scant 1/3 cup. Not enough. Didn't want to go all the way over to the Cool Side of Town since a closer store has recently been refurbished. No steel cut oats. At all. No worries, I thought, a new store has opened on my side of town.

So I go to new store. Sure enough, they have steel cut oats...for $5.89. SIX dollars for steel cut oats. You can buy them at a store KNOWN for their super high prices (their nickname rhymes with mole haycheck) for $1 a pound. I do love my oats, but there is no way in terra firma that I'm paying that for them. Expensive store, I'll see you after work tomorrow for my favorite breakfast bargain.

On the upside, pomegranates are in. The early ones I bought could be a bit riper, but I'll take them.

Labels: foodie stuff

I've often said I'm too much of a commitment-phobe to get a tattoo. That there is nothing I'd want to see every day for the rest of my life. Then I got a look at some of the fine work over at Contrariwise. Literary (and mostly well-done) tattoos. Yes, most are freshly done, which certainly helps. However....
If I chose a literary marking, what would I choose? Shakespeare? And which? Sonnet, play? Faulkner? Wilde? Jong? AS Byatt? Which brings the question...I've met her. She's a proper British lady. Wonder what she'd think about her works being inked on one's body? I'm not sure if she'd be impressed, offended or non-plussed. Allende? Heinlein? He does have some really good zingers. My faves are probably NSFTattoo-ing.

Hmmmmmm.

Labels: random musing

No, I'm not about to break out into song about zodiac signs. This is more a rumination about my crowning glory. I think I've had 4 hairstyles my whole life, maybe 5. I never seem to be quite comfortable with any of them and now is really no exception. I got a haircut about a year ago and then couldn't decide if I liked it or not, so I just let it keep growing. When I'm undecided, I just abstain from deciding; a decision in and of itself, I know, but just how I roll. Two friends decided this was not the right path. When I said, for the millionth time "Oh, I just can't decide what to do with my hair", one friend sent ideas, pictures no less. All 4 were fairly short (to me), but she was getting her hair did soon, so I made made an appointment convenient for all of us to show up together.

My hair is naturally unruly and since I have no talent for fixing it, I generally don't like looks that require a lot of effort. Unfortunately, most hairstyle books have styles done by professionals who have spent hours on the do. I have neither that much skill or time every day. So with a little liquid courage, I got layers and have actually let it dry and be naturally unruly for over a week. I've gotten lots of compliments, even from people who have no reason to lie to me about how it looks, so I'm starting to think it's OK. Maybe.....

Labels: random musing