Mamassage

knit bits

We watched Night at the Museum last night. What a fun movie. It sure beats the heck out of last week’s pick of Borat. Be sure to check it out (Night at the Museum, that is - not Borat).   I know we’ll be buying the DVD once price goes down. The whole time I was watching it, though, I kept thinking that I knew the actress who played Sacagawea. Upon reviewing it this morning, I finally placed her. She’s one of the models for the Stitch ‘N Bitch books. It’s good to know that my hobbies and reading are at least somewhat more important to me than the latest celebrities. Oh, speaking of knitting, I’m almost finished with the socks I’m making. I’ll be sure to post a picture of the finished pair. They were so much fun that I’m taking the class next week on making two socks at the same time on circulars. Also, Wednesday I met the owner of Southwest Trading Company while hanging out for the Charity Knit session at A Good Yarn. Their products are so cool. We chatted for a while about their new tofutsies line. It uses Wool, Soy Silk, and Chitin, a product that’s made from the by products of the seafood industry. Apparently, it has some fabulous antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-stinkousness properties. Not only that, but these crab shells, etc. are NOT being dumped back into the ocean. I was totally impressed. If you knit, make sure you check out their site. I’m not certain yet exactly how I feel about deflowering my formerly vegetarian sock collection. I have to do some serious thought about the cost/benefit ratios of chitin when compared to, say, acrylic and other polluting, factory derived fibers. Either way, I’m loving the thoughtfulness with which these folks approach their company and its policies.

update

Sorry I’ve been away so much. But what can I say, the new job is good. I’ve picked up two extra shifts. So now I’m working six days a week. Crazy! Who'd a thunk it?   Not that I’m having lots of work yet. It takes a while to build up clientèle. But I did have my first person come in just to see me. Woohoo. Yep, one of Kajsa’s pre-school teachers is coming back in next Friday for another massage. On the home front, Maya and Kajsa are well. Chris burned the heck out of his eye at school the other night. He had his visor up and was working with just the safety glasses when a piece of slag popped up, bounced off his visor and fell into his glasses only to stick (yes, stick) to his eyelid.  So he went to see the doctor, who probably now thinks Chris is a somewhat dim witted he-man. Especially since Chris was sporting some other nasty work related sore last visit. He advised Chris to be more careful and sent him on his way.  Needless to say, we’ll be buying Chris a self dimming visor with our tax refund. Not only that, but I get to fix the car. No more jump starts at the grocery store, and hello windows that roll up in the heat & rain. I’m so excited.

Wordless Wednesday - Cheer

perks of working in a salon

I get to have purple hair! Isn’t it wild? I’ve never done anything so, um, outrageous with my lovely locks before. The fun part is, not only is it OK with my bosses, but they were actually thrilled to have me model one of the newest Aveda formulas. It feels great! Life has been much too serious lately. I said Mrs. Purple People Greeter, what's your line? She said "It's greetin' purple people and it sure is fine But that's not the reason that I came to land I wanna get a job in a rock and roll band!" - Sheb Wooley, more or less, 1958 (Thanks to Texas Dave for supplying the kickin' lyrics.)

all uphill redux

I can only hope that some of you might have wondered what I was up to during the nearly six months of blogging hiatus. Well, you can rest assured, I was writing – some of the time. In fact I even had a few adventures. One of them occurred shortly after this blog went down.  And being the generous soul that I am, I thought I’d share it with you. So without further ado:  ALL UPHILL

Well my car broke down at the base of our mountain yesterday.  Kajsa and I had been in Phoenix (Hell) earlier for doctor's appointments, so I figure it could have been a lot worse. But anyway, there we were with the music going, just as happy as can be to only have 9 miles left to go, when suddenly the gas pedal seemed to stop working.  I pressed it a couple of times thinking that surely I'd imagined this.  (Denial can be such a very strong force, can't it?)  But alas, it was all too real.  So I pulled the car over to the side of the road and popped the hood. What, I thought I'd be  enlightened by under there remains a mystery.  It just looked like an engine.  An engine, mind you, that I have never worked with in any manner other than refilling oil and wiper fluid.  Gone are the days of rebuilding the darn things.  I wouldn't even know where to begin anymore. During my engine observation time I was trying, despite an acute awareness of the futility involved, to call anyone on my cell phone.  I know, and have known for a long time, that we have no service withing 20 to 40 miles of our home...depending upon the direction traveled.  As I tried in vain to raise a miraculous signal, I peeked (oh so sneakily) around the hood and into the car.  No sooner had I spotted Kajsa than I realized she was staring straight at me.  "My butt huts!"  Oh yeah...it's a glamorous life. So I gave her some Sun Chips and a bottle of water, to pacify the beastling, as I walked around to the back of the car and began waiving my cell phone at the occasional car while making elaborate "I-can't-get-my-cell-phone-to-work (gasp) could-you-please-stop-to-try-yours-or (cough) perchance-escort-my-three-year-old-and (wheeze wheeze) myself-up-the - hill gestures.  Strangely, people looked at me as though I was some crazed woman having a seizure on the side of the road, as they quickly changed to the far lane. Well.  That clearly wasn't working, so I formed plaintive prayer hands while trying to look pitiful and somewhat sane – or at least less threatening. Aha.  It worked.  A nice couple pulled up and cracked their window ever so slightly in an effort to speak to the crazy woman with the dented old Kia.  I told them that I lived at the top of the hill (only 9 miles) and that my three year old and I would most certainly appreciate a ride home if that would please be OK. What could they do? They agreed.  Wahoo!  So I grabbed Kajsa and my purse and put them both at the side of the road as I went back for the car seat.  Always thinking of safety!  Little did I know that the nice suburbanite woman was helping Kajsa into the car as I was checking the car’s locks.  And while I am absolutely certain that she had no intentions of harming or stealing my child, I can only imagine what went through her mind as all of Kajsa's medical syringes fell out of my purse and onto the ground in front of her bewildered little self.    I mumbled something about 'kidneys' and 'just life' as strapped Kajsa into her car seat.  And it was only as I straightened up from my Circ du Soliel audition that I realized that my angelic toddler was pouring her water all over these people's immaculate car.  Oh yes, we were both trying out for the circus – only Kajsa was going to be the clown with the shaken bottle of soda water while I was, of course, the tragic contortionist.  Lovely. I tried to make small talk with this visibly uncomfortable couple, while ignoring my own dirty clothes.  (You stand at the side of a desert highway for 15 minutes with high winds blowing tumbleweeds into you hair and you'll be dirty too, I promise.) In addition, Kajsa had begged for an ice cream sandwich earlier as we were leaving Children's Hospital.  Hours later, what wasn't gluing dust to her upper lip had formed a fabulous piece of original artwork across the front of her shirt.  Oh yes, Mom, I was the scary, sad lady with the filthy child.  Sorry. But we did get home. And I called Chris and AAA.  I called a mechanic who now has possession of my miserable little car.  We're hoping it's a fuel pump.  And you know, it'd probably help if you'd all keep you're fingers crossed for us. I know I'll personally be crossing anything that's longer than it is wide.  (Get your minds out of the gutter, folks, there's only one of those.) .............. Meanwhile, Chris and I are off to look at houses to rent tomorrow.  We'll be taking Chris' incredibly loud Baja in.  So goodness knows what kind of impression we'll make upon the next set of nice, yet unprepared, folks.  I just hope that whatever happens, that this next adventure also leads us home.

curiosity killed the voyeur

You know that last post got me thinking. I know a lot of people who don’t dance publicly. They somehow get the feeling that there’s a “right” way to dance, but no one ever taught them what it was. Same goes for singing. I know I suffer from a fear of public displays of tone deafness. My own, that is. I’m very tolerant of others’. But then you have Matt, who admittedly dances in a goofy kind of way. And not only does he go to some amazing places to dance, but does so on film for the whole wide world to see. Then there’s the Karaoke phenomenon. I’d have to be drunk to do this. And yet, a part of me has always longed to try. A small part, albeit, but there none the less. And that’s when I began to wonder. What are the embarrassing activities you’ve always thought would be fun to show others - or even get caught at? (Now keep it clean, ya’ll. This is a mostly PG13 type of site.) But I do wonder. Which ones do we have in common? And who exactly are the oddballs. No judgment – of course. Just curiosity.

good clean fun

I found this today.  It just made me smile...especially the Rwandan kids.  I hope you enjoy it, too. I  sent Matt a request to come dance with me .  "I would love to dance badly with you. Thumb Butte, Jerome & Sedona make for some fun spots. I hope I get to meet you some day. You made my day today. Thanks!" Wouldn't it be fun if he showed up?

eight things

My car is slowly falling apart. Of course I guess that’s relative. I’d say we have about one thing break each month. And they’re all small, so nothing seems to get done. Currently, though there are eight issues with the old gal. Headlights: Ever since we bought the Sportage, the headlights have been aimed at the ground. Small, I know, but we noticed this when we bought it and told the people that it needed to be fixed before pickup. Later we discovered that they’d simply stuck something under the light to make it look like they’d addressed the issue. But since I have extremely poor night vision, it often prevents me from going anywhere after dark. Window #1:  On our test drive we noticed that the front passenger window was a bit sticky going up and down. But when we picked it up it seemed to be fine. Within one week; however, it stopped rolling down. So it’s a bit claustrophobic to ride shotgun with me. Window #2: Oh, and on the topic of windows, the back passenger one has always been a bit dicey. Now it’s gone, too. Last week Chris rolled down the window. It hasn’t gone up since. Needless to say, the clutter in my car has decreased drastically in an effort to stave off would be thieves. Key:  Speaking of theft, my key will no longer come out of the ignition unless the battery is disconnected. I have absolutely no idea why this is. But honestly, if someone stole my car, I’d probably just point and laugh at them. Stereo:  The issue that surprisingly has me most dismayed is also the most recent. My radio died two weeks ago. I think I may have to write the poor thing a eulogy. I just miss it so much. That with the road noise from the back window is enough to make me go insane. I have NO idea how people can stand driving convertibles. AC:  Unless, of course, they have no air conditioning like, as you guessed, moi. The AC belt needs to be replaced. We bought one, but it’s going to take an entire afternoon. You see, many things need to be removed before we can even reach it. I could probably do this, but I’m not sure Chris trusts me with the task. And every time I bring it up, he mumbles something about tiny Korean hands and promises me it’ll happen “next weekend”. Wiper Fluid: Then there’s the windshield wiper fluid. We lost that about the time we got the timing belt fixed. I see fluid in the vessel and can even follow the line up to the top of the hood. But for some unknown reason, when I try to turn it on it simply makes the noise yet doesn’t squirt the cleaner out. Battery: And lastly, my battery is dead ever single morning. We’ve replaced it. We’ve replaced the alternator. Finally, Chris bought me a jump box and declared it the solution until we can get the wiring looked at. So every time I go out in the morning, or leave the grocery store, work, or the kids’ school, I get to pop the hood and jump my car. And I’m tellin’ ya. If you ever suspect you might be getting too big for your britches, just try doing that for a week of two. You’ll settle right down into a tidy little place of humility. Yep, I drive a jalopy. But at least, once I’ve got it started, it gets me where I’m going. Chris’ car does that for him for the most part, too. But while I was writing this he phoned to inform me that his transmission had gone out and he’d be getting a ride back to town later on this evening. I guess we won’t be going out tomorrow for our anniversary (today) like I’d hoped. Darn. You know, I was thinking about the eight things that need to be fixed on my car and it reminded me of another set of eight that can go a great way toward fixing something, too. That of course would be (in the spirit of April), organ donation. Did you know that your organ donation could save the lives of eight people, and your tissue donation enhance those of another 50 people. Wow. That’s really something to think about. Sure does make my little car problems seem trivial by comparison. It is my hope that everyone who reads this becomes an organ donor or talks to someone else about becoming one, as well. Because this car that drives me so nuts, is nothing compared to inconvenience of being on a waiting list while you hope that someone was compassionate enough to think ahead. It wasn’t as bad for us as it is for many. Kajsa spent years on dialysis. And I spent years being her stay at home nurse. (This, in fact, has a lot to do with why we can’t afford to fix the car). But that’s nothing. Nothing at all compared to the nineteen people who die each day in the US while waiting for a transplant. Honestly, we are lucky. We are so very lucky. I might enjoy complaining about the small things. But still, I’m immensely grateful every single day of my life. And all because someone I don’t know, and will never have the honor of meeting was compassionate, altruistic, and planned ahead.

Salon Experience

Well, I€'m into my second week at the Salon, now. And it'€™s going fairly well. Slow, of course. That'€™s always the case when you start somewhere new. So far, I've only had three clients, including a freebie to one of the stylists. But that'€™s OK. It'€™s been long enough since I last worked, that I'm super sore from the hour and a half of deep tissue I did yesterday. Best part though is that she loved it & will be back next week for another. Oh, and as an added bonus, she owns a local nail salon which may help out with the old word of mouth. The other gals at the salon are starting to warm up to me a little. Some of them, I'€™m sure, never will. But that'€™s alright by me. As long as no one's mean, I'€™ll get by. The hardest part of working there is the down time. I've looked at a lot of hair magazines this week. Enough, in fact, that I'm thinking of doing something radically different with my hair. I'm sure Chris just loves this. I had such long hair when we met. But it was always getting stuck in my armpit or rolled up in car windows. So it's just been getting shorter as the years go by. He says it doesn't matter, but I think it might. Anyway, back to the salon. I do a lot of sitting around when I'€™m not doing massage. Enough that I've completed my very first knit sock. That'€™s it up there at the top of the post. Isn't she a beauty? I can hardly wait to finish the second one so that I can wear them out somewhere to celebrate. Gads, I just re-read that sentence and truly wonder what my life has come to. But, you know what? I really enjoy my knitting. Plus, I think I look like enough of a bizarre dork that the other employees know I must not care about pecking order and am therefore semi-approachable. Weird, huh? --------------------------------------------------- Speaking of all things hair and, um, weird: Check out the noodle eater's hair guard at the bottom of this page.

Shameless Pandering

Well let’s hear a big ole yippee for me. I’m now listed in Bust magazine’s Girl Wide Web directory. And I’m tellin’ ya, I’m in some good company. In fact, I spent the better part of what should have been a splendidly productive morning perusing their pages and blogs. (Then again, now that I have days off, perhaps I should just sit around in my robe eating bon bons and surfing grrly sites – right?) Aaaanyway, just the parent site alone is enough to make me giggle and drool. You can read articles, get back issues, and visit the forum – heck they even have a hip, unique online store. (The Wonder Woman underoos are my favorite.) But then I started to check out some of the blogs. I went to the section where Mamassage can be found, first. That would be ‘Got A Life’s - Mom-a-Rama’ section, where I discovered Motherhood Uncensored. Check her out, I know I’ll be heading back. From there I drifted on over to the ‘Our Bodies our Hell’s’ area where I read about topics ranging from ‘Your ovaries are shriveling – Deal’ to The Curvy Girls page. By the way, did you hear about Kate Winslet’s boon to real women? She now ranks a bit higher in my book. Thank you, Kate! Anyway, I’m loving having this fun website to explore. I mean, I knew they were there before. I just never took the time to find out more. Now I can’t wait to discover more. I hope to see you there.