Wednesday, March 30, 2011

I Think I Just Won the Nobel Prize in Medicine...

I'm not normally a two-blog-post-a-day kinda gal but I decided to make an exception just this once.As I was trudging home from my bus stop I had a pretty nifty theory randomly come to me. This always happens to me at random times. I really wish I could just test all of my theories in my basement whenever it struck my fancy (....I also wish I had a basement...)! But anywho yeah, I think my theory might make sense!  Check it:



So I have migraines...a lot. They hurt like crazy and it seems like the medicine never works fast enough! On a side note though, I've found that picturing using a tomato stem remover to gouge out my eye seems to help! It hasn't yet been approved by the FDA but I have my fingers crossed for that patent baby!



As I made my way homeward bound I smelled this horrible tree that just...mehhh! It smells horrible and it's not even pretty! The smell of it gives me migraines. I'm super smell sensitive but only with certain smells. But I realized as I was walking that I have always associated the smell of those curs-ed trees with a bad experience I had awhile back. And then I thought hmm...what if some of my migraines aren't triggered by the actual smell of the tree but of the bad experience I had when the trees were present.

I mean...smell is one of the senses that is most closely linked to memory. You might smell something and immediately you subconsciously think of something that happened eons ago in which the smell was present. Seriously, it does happen.

Anyways, keeping this in mind, what if my brain, rather than actually being affected by a certain chemical or whatever in the plant (or whatever else bothers me...the tree is just an example) my brain is being affected by my mind...a psychosomatic effect in which my subconscious is recalling a painful experience after being triggered by a certain smell. As if my mind has automatically linked a smell with pain but even when the actual pain is not physically present, my mind has been so trained to associating that smell with pain that it "conjures" it up. It's like...well one of my friends did chemo and she told me that even though she was no longer on it and had no reason to be nauseous, every time she went to her old school she would vomit because her body just associated early mornings at this particular building with the nausea and vomiting. I guess that's the theory I'm getting at. A psychosomatic migraine. And, to quote my old paid pal (aka my old therapist), if you "don't believe that psychosomatic illnesses and symptoms are real, you're crazy." Think about it! Have you ever gotten really stressed out and then wound up with "digestion" issues?

I think I might be on to something!

What do you think?!?! Seriously!!! I realllly want to hear what y'all think!!!

That's all for now! I'm going to go take my brand-spanking new migraine meds that I hope do not kill me via serotonin syndrome :-)

Keep reading!
-RRR

Pro-Ana

First of all, I owe you all another apology...it's been far too long since I've posted but again: MIDTERMS! Ackkk! Today's post is really random but stay with me here!
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Pro-Ana
For those of you who do not know what this seemingly harmless "phrasette" is, let me explain: there is a community of (primarily) girls on and off the internet who are trying to promote anorexia; they give tips and "thinspo" otherwise known as thinspiration encouraging girls to do all sorts of crazy things in order to get to an unhealthy weight.
There are some people whose pro-ana sites are different; they offer support to girls who are trying to cope with and overcome their eating disorder; unfortunately these types of pro-ana sites are in the minority.
Now that you know the background, here's my rant!!!:

True anorexia is not a trend and it is not a diet; it is a mental and physical illness that never goes away. Every day can be a constant struggle; in my opinion it is similar to alcoholism in that it's something that you have to deal with one day at a time and that is omnipresent, but in a way, I think anorexia is worse because it involves a distorted view of your body and it involves food (or exercise but technically that's different). With alcoholism you can avoid bars and situations in which alcohol is going to be present (that isn't to say that alcohol isn't a major presence in our society but a lot of the temptation can be removed) but this isn't the case with anorexia. Food is something that is always around and is an integral part in not only our culture but also in our survival.

I'm not anorexic but....I've struggled with my eating for quite a while. Few people know this but when I was about 5 years old, maybe a little older, I came to the realization that I would never be the prettiest, the smartest or the most popular girl but I could damn well be the skinniest!! Being on stimulants most of my life made it pretty darn easy too!

Back to the pro-ana thing: a lot of these girls go to these websites asking for tips to become anorexic and it drives me nuts! Like I said before, it's a mental and physical disorder, not a flipping diet! They have no clue what they're getting into either! It affects almost every aspect of your life! The lengths that people go to in order to achieve that oh-so-sexy Auschwitz look are absolutely ridiculous! And the horrible part is that many anorexics know it! They often times know that what they're doing is totally illogical and unhealthy but that desperate need to be skinnier is so overwhelming that they're willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goal!

However, a lot of the girls doing the posting on these sites are giving advice that has the potential to cause immediate (rather than gradual in the case of anorexia) death: recommending dangerous diet pills that can cause cardiac arrest; telling girls to drink outrageous amounts of water that can lead to dangerous electrolyte imbalances...the list goes on and on!

((Side note: I'm friends with an amazing group of girls who are all recovering from various eating disorders. I try and give them gradual tips to be healthy*er* and to do certain things to try and deal with some of the serious health issues that can arise with eating disorders. I personally think that one of the BIGGEST mistakes that doctors who deal with people with either anorexia or bulimia make is putting them on medications that can cause extreme hunger and a lack of control when it comes to food...leading to sudden and overwhelming weight gain. Yes it's important to get these girls up to a healthy weight, but by doing so so quickly, it makes it almost impossible for the gals to cope! To go from being skinny for most of your life (as in my case) to blowing up like a flippin' big beluga whale just exasperates the problem!! In my opinion, the doctors should gradually get the girls' weight up starting with baby steps! It may sound silly but it can be as simple as suggesting that a girl drinks Powerade Zero to ensure they're getting electrolytes and not causing a dangerous imbalance; or recommending Instant Breakfast, a drink that has very few calories but a lot of crucial vitamins and minerals.))


I try and tell girls about the consequences of anorexia and bulimia: sometimes the best way to reason with them is to explain that they make look skinnier but that they're burning protein instead of fat and they'll lose their muscle definition; or that it will make their teeth yellow. An appeal to vanity can be an important one!
However eating disorders have SERIOUS consequences: heart failure, organ failure, severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies, lung collapse, internal bleeding, gum diseases, ulcers; the list is endless!!!
Unfortunately, it seems that these potentially life threatening consequences fail to discourage so many girls flocking to these ridiculous pro-ana websites. And those suffering from the devastating diseases of anorexia and bulimia...well they may know the effects but they are literally dying to be thin!


I hope this post was informative and made you think!
For more background info and for an AWESOME read lol, I posted an essay I wrote on eating disorders here so feel free to check that out!


That's all for now my Kool-Aid drinkers!
Keep reading!
-RRR

My Essay on: Eating Disorders

I wrote this essay my freshman year of college (last fall) on eating disorders and thought I would share it with you all to provide some perspective on my most recent post on pro-ana sites! I'd love to hear your thoughts! (Also, I wrote an essay last spring on the stigma attached to having Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia; the essay is being published in ASU's literary magazine but if y'all are interested in reading it let me know!)
Anywho, here's my essay!



Eating Disorders: Dying to Be Thin
What psychiatric illness affects 10 million people in the United States alone (more than Alzheimer disease and schizophrenia combined) and has the highest premature mortality rate of any psychiatric illness (Sullivan, 1995)? No, it’s not bipolar disorder or even depression; it’s eating disorders, which includes bulimia and anorexia. Millions of adolescents, primarily girls, are affected by an eating disorder. Although many people associate their childhood with happy memories of playing with dolls and worrying about boys, for many adolescent girls their time is consumed by body image concerns and, in some cases, eating disorders. 
“While the most common age of onset is between 14 and 25 years of age, eating disorders occur in a wide range of ages, and are increasingly seen in children as young as 10” (Cavanaugh & Lemberg, 1999). Among girls polled in a far-reaching survey, 50% of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as overweight, and 80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight. (South Carolina Department of Mental Health [SCDMH], 2006). Although dieting isn’t necessarily cause for alarm, in a child as young as 11, it can often be an indicator of the beginning of a long, and often times fatal, battle with an eating disorder.  With the constantly rising number of people suffering from an eating disorder, it is of the utmost importance to recognize both the symptoms and the warning signs of anorexia and bulimia.
Anorexia has four primary symptoms: a resistance to maintaining a healthy body weight, or a weight above the minimum standards; a fear of gaining weight; a denial of weight loss or changing of body shape; and loss of menstruation. Other warning signs include refusal to eat certain groups of foods, development of food rituals, denial of hunger, avoidance of meal times, and rigid exercise (National Eating Disorders Association [NEDA], 2006). Bulimia, on the other hand, has three main symptoms, which include a loss of control over eating accompanied by regular excessive consumption of food, regular use of inappropriate behavior to compensate for overeating (i.e., self-induced vomiting and use of laxatives, diuretics and ipecac), and an overwhelming concern about weight and self-image. Some of the warning signs of bulimia are calluses on the knuckle area (from self-induced vomiting), swelling of the cheeks or jaw area, discoloration of the teeth, a sudden creation of complex schedules to allow time for purging, and excessive trips to the restroom to purge. (NEDA, 2006).
Help for many girls comes too late, with the mortality rate of anorexia nervosa at 5%-20% (Sullivan). Recovery is a long, tedious and often very expensive process that can continue for the anorexic or bulimic person’s entire life. Not taking into consideration the physiologic aspect of treatment, recovery usually begins with intensive in-patient care in an eating disorders treatment facility. Although treatment in an in-patient care facility usually consists of “reprogramming” the people’s dysmorphic views of their body and the way they treat their bodies, their treatment also often includes cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT), group work, pharmacologic therapy, consults with nutritionists, discussions with self-esteem experts, and sometimes art therapy. Several types of drugs are considered a staple in the treatment of eating disorders. These include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and escitalopram (Lexapro) and antipsychotic agents, such as prochlorperazine (Compazine), quetiapine (Seroquel), risperidone (Risperdal), and olanzapine (Zyprexa) (Mickley, 2007). Most of these medications treat the anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder that are considered to be the primary illness, with the eating disorder being the secondary coping mechanism. Incidentally, most of the antipsychotic medicines also cause extreme weight gain. While in treatment, patients rarely have alone time, or time when they aren’t being watched, since health care professionals usually have to keep constant watch over them to make sure that the patients aren’t purging or reverting to disordered behavior. Despite the fact that in-patient treatment is absolutely necessary and is life saving, many insurance companies refuse to cover the soaring costs. On average, a month of inpatient treatment costs $30,000 (SCDMH), and treatment usually lasting three to six months. Some of the best treatment centers, such as Remuda Ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona, charge up to 1 million dollars. As the cost and numbers of people suffering from eating disorders continue to rise, many people wonder whether the media, and society in general, is to blame.
            When a health crisis of the magnitude of eating disorders occurs, people often want to play the blame game and point their finger at one individual thing such as the media. It is true that the face of the media is changing and is a far cry from the media in the 1950s. Marilyn Monroe, one of the most famous icons of the 1950s, was 5’5, weighed 120 pounds and wore a size 12. Kate Moss, an icon in today’s fashion industry, on the other hand, is 5’7, weighs 101 pounds and wears a size 2. The average model in today’s industry has a minimum height of 5’8 and weighs between 108 and 125 pounds, with 125 being the absolute maximum. According to the Center for Disease Control, however, the average American woman is 5’2.7 and weighs 163 pounds (2002). Also, in the world of competitive sports, lower weight is considered a plus and, in some cases, a necessity. For instance, in ballet the prima ballerinas are often the thinnest as well as the best. So who is to blame? Maybe everyone; maybe no one.
            Whether people choose to blame the media, genetics, preexisting mental illnesses or even their mothers, the one thing that everyone should agree on is that something needs to be done…not next year, next month, or even tomorrow, but now!


References
Cavanaugh, C. and Lemberg, R. What we know about eating disorders: facts and 
statistics. In Lemberg, Raymond and Cohn, Leigh (Eds) (1999). Eating Disorders: A
reference sourcebook. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.
Center for Disease Control. (2002). Body Measurement. Retrieved from
            http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/bodymeas.htm
Mickley, D. (2004). Medication for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Eating Disorders
            Today, 2(4), 1 & 15
National Eating Disorder Association [NEDA]. (2006). Anorexia Nervosa & Bulimia Nervosa.
Retrieved from http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/index.php
South Carolina Department of Mental Health [SCDMH]. (2006). Eating Disorder Statistics.
            Retrieved from http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm
Sullivan, P.F. (1995). Mortality in Anorexia Nervosa. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 152,             
       1073-1074. Retrieved from http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/152/7/1073

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Tips on Tuesday: Spring Cleaning Tips

First of all WOAH 39 followers? When did that happen?!?! You all are awesome! I truly value your readership! I kinda feel like Jim Jones: Don't drink the Kool-Aid!
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Finally the second installment in my "Tips on Tuesday" series, which hence forth will be called ToT (Tips on Tuesday takes up too much space). But I digress! My dear friend Libby requested that I do a ToT on cleaning since it's that time of the year when the weather has warmed up enough that people might actually brave the outdoors to leave their house and come to yours! I'm pretty darn good at organizing and cleaning if I do say so myself and I've also "discovered" some nifty double-duty items that can help you clean! So hold on tight folks because here. We. Go!!!

Organizing:
If you don't have an organizational system in place, how can you think that you'll be able to keep things clean and tidy all week long? If you're one of those people who starts off with a clean room on Sunday but by the time the following Sunday rolls around, you're surrounded by squalor and chaos, chances are you don't have an organizational system in place! So set one up!

  1. Open bins: I got a bunch of awesome black cloth bins at target and they really help streamline my closet and keep everything in its place! Because they're deep but also open on the top, its perfect for someone who is frequently in a hurry because then you can just toss things in when you're done using them! (If you put things away as you're done using them it saves tons of time in the long run!)
  2. Laundry hamper: I know this sounds silly but it's not what you think! If you're like my lovely former roommate Megan, getting dressed in the morning requires trying on 10 different outfits and then rushing out the door because you're late for class, leaving the carnage of discarded clothes in your wake! Or, if you just don't have time every day to put everything back where it goes (I know sometimes I don't) then try using a laundry hamper! I have 2 of those pop up mesh laundry hampers: 1 for dirty clothes, and 1 for all of the "stuff" that seems to breed and multiply every day! So when I'm in a hurry I just dump all of the "stuff" in the hamper and at the end of the week (or if I have time during the week) I sort and empty it! 
  3. Plastic storage: is great for crafts! I have a cart on wheels and it really keeps things organized! 
It doesn't matter what kind of system you use as long as it works for you! Think outside the box! Make it functional




My closet with the bins on the right and a curtain to divide it from my storage area


Cleaning:
Tip: Divide and conquer! I often times get overwhelmed when I'm facing a disaster area aka my messy kitchen, office etc. So what I do is I break the chaos into little sections and focus on one section at a time! 

 
 Double Duty Items!
  1. Baking soda: it's your friend! Not only can it be used as an exfoliant, but if you have a stained coffee cup you can use it to get rid of the stain! Just place some on a clothe and gently run the stain until *ta-da* it's gone! Another nifty way to use baking soda is as a drain cleaner or a garbage disposal cleaner: Just pour a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a generous amount of vinegar. Immediately put a stopper in the drain so that the volcano aka the cleaning solutions can work on the drain...not the sink! (If you have a double sink (like you often see in kitchens, make sure you plug both sides! Wait 20 minutes and then pour extremely hot water down the drain! And now you have a clean and better smelling garbage disposal!! 
  2. Vinegar: in addition to cleaning a garbage disposal and being an awesome for a volcano, vinegar is also great for general cleaning around the house! It is a natural antibacterial but without all those harsh chemicals people so often use! To get great looking hardwood floors, put a small amount in a bucket and then fill with hot water! It cleans the hardwood, disinfects it, and keeps it looking faboulous! Vinegar can also be used if your cat has an accident (ahem Shnookums): just soak up any excess liquid and pour some vinegar on! (If that doesn't work rubbing alcohol is amazing!) Finally, if you have weeds in your yard, you can dilute some vinegar and spray in directly on the weeds and BAM they're gone!!
 Cleaning Products I swear by:
  1. Scotch's Fur Fighter: it really picks up the copious amounts of hair my cats seem to leave behind every where they go! I HIGHLY recommend it!
  2. Magic erasers: I've heard they increase your risk for cancer, but let's be honest: it seems like everything can cause cancer nowadays! Plus they actually work!
  3. Resolve Deep Clean Carpet Powder! It really makes carpet look brand new and smelling great but not overpowering...the next day any smell is gone so if you're picky "fuhget about it"! oh and there's a coupon right now for it (and all of their stain/carpet cleaning products): PowerofResolve.com coupon
  4.  Rubbing alcohol: Great for getting stains out of clothes and for getting kitty vomit out of carpet (I'm pretty sure Sweetie is trying to tell me he has an eating disorder...). Get up as much as you can then pour plenty of rubbing alcohol on the stain. Leave it for about 5 minutes then blot it all up!

So...did these tips help?

That's all for now!
-RRR
 

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Sunday Confessional Pt 1

I mentioned quite awhile ago that I was going to do something called "Sunday Confessional" on Sundays but I slacked off (blame my course load) so this is actually my very first installment! Some of the things I'm going to confess are hard for me to say so I'd appreciate it if y'all tried to be understanding about it all! That being said, these aren't going to be the juiciest of confessions because well, it's the internet and I'd rather not have everyone know all of my deep dark secrets! Anywho....Here. We. Go!


  1. I have OCD. I joke about it now but when I was younger it was so bad that I couldn't sleep, eat, or interact *normally* with people. Luckily for my peers though, it gave them plenty of material to work with for their taunting! Now, I barely notice my OCD!
  2. I think I joke around so much about myself because if I make the jokes, other people can't...think of it as a preemptive strike!
  3. I still sleep with my childhood blanket aka Wooby...but it's for "medicinal purposes." I get really bad migraines and when I get them I become really ridiculously sensitive to smells and my blanket smells neutral...like me so when I get one I crawl into bed in the fetal position and put my blanket over my face to block out all the smells. 
  4. I broke my pinkie sleepwalking on my 8th grade trip to the mountains in Georgia...to make matters worse, I apparently went to everyone's cabin and asked them to take me to the bathroom. I then proceeded to fall down a flight of stairs (or something) down the side of the mountain which our "cabins" were built into and woke up crying in the bathroom! Fabulous!
  5. *Gulp* Despite my own religious beliefs, I sometimes think that the world would be a better place if there was no religion...STAY WITH ME HERE: religion and faith is something that people often are the most passionate about (and I'm not saying that's a bad thing) but so often, religion and faith is also the absence of   logic...religion explains the unexplainable and that can be a problem; when someone is so fervent about their beliefs (that usually defy logic) that they're willing to base their life around it and even willing to die for it...well that can be problematic. I think religion is, and has been, most definitely a component in a lot of conflicts between people and groups throughout time. It's the whole ingroup-outgroup thing and when people believe THAT strongly in something that isn't necessarily  rational...well it can be a mess. (Note: I also think religion can be a wonderful thing that brings people happiness and brings people together peacefully)
  6. I can't stand the song Born This Way by Lady Gaga! Don't hate me! Everytime it comes on the radio I scream "NOOOOOOOOoooo" and then immediately turn the station! Don't get me wrong, I like the message of the song but yikes it's just ugh! It reminds me of something you'd hear during the end credits of some made-for-TV Disney movie. Also, I feel like Lady Gaga is kinda exploiting her audience. It's no secret that a lot of her audience is made up of gay men and now she has a song called Born This Way...not so subtle
  7. Very few people know this but, my third grade teacher (who hated me with a passion) wrote in a report that she thought I was a sociopath. When I first read the report I was so hurt but now, it almost makes me laugh! I mean, if you know anything about me or are close to me then you know I feel things really deeply and that I empathize almost too much! (I also have issues with extreme guilt) When I was about 5 I hung up pictures of starving African children on my wall and went on a hunger strike because I thought me not eating would mean they'd get food. I used to "save" leaves that I saw blowing around in the wind because I felt bad that they were alone and cold so I'd shove them in my backpack and bring them home with me (it drove my mom crazy because at the end of the week when she'd empty my backpack it would be full of crushed leaves). Don't I sound like a sociopath?!

Sigh, but that's all! I hope you don't all hate me now! I'd love to hear your comments!
-RRR

Friday, March 18, 2011

Fun Facts Friday: Sleepytime!

In honor of my sleep study tonight, I thought it would be fitting to do a FFF post on sleep! Because who doesn't love sleep?(Other than me of course!?)


  1. The sleepiest animal on the planet is the koala! Followed closely by the sloth, cats, and ME!
  2. 1 in 6 fatal car accidents are the result of one of the driver's fatigue
  3. The effect of being awake for 17 hours straight in terms of performance is equivalent to having a BAC of 0.05!
  4. During the teenage years, the biological sleep pattern shifts toward later times in both going to bed and waking up; it is natural for a teen not to be able to fall asleep until around 11pm or later.
  5. According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, "violent dreamers are 50%  more likely to develop a neurological illness [such as Parkinson's Disease or dementia] later in life.
So there ya go!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Come On Get Happy

Happiness doesn't come in a jar or on a hanger; it doesn't come with an automatic transmission, 4 doors, and a leather interior; happiness isn't anything you can buy or get from a store or some trendy boutique. Happiness truly does come from within. If our happiness was contingent upon external circumstances, it would not be our own; it would belong to the products, to the situations that manufactured it.
If you're only happy when life is going your way and people all adore you, what will happen when your so-called friends abandon you and it's been one of those weeks when everything has gone wrong? Life isn't always shiny and bright; sometimes it's one miserable situation after another in a long series of unfortunate events and no pair of designer jeans is going to make it better; YOU have to make it better!

I rarely (if ever) talk about the most important person in my life (no offense Mom and Dad) and maybe I should because he's my inspiration, my best friend, my guardian angel; his name is Stuart and he was the most incredible person I've ever known; he was also one of the happiest. Stuart wasn't some rich guy leading a charmed life though...I met Stuart when his sister posted a help wanted ad for a caregiver for him. The first time I met Stuart, he was lying motionless in his bed, covered by his favorite green blanket and staring at the ceiling; his every breath made possible by the endlessly beeping ventilator forcing air into his lungs via the tube stuck down his trachea. For years Stuart was truly a prisoner in his own body, only he didn't get a fair trial: no judge, no jury, just a devastating disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) that left him unable to move, breathe, or even swallow. He couldn't eat his favorite food or experience the simple pleasure of a hot shower after a long day; and when he had a miserable, pain-filled day, he couldn't even hug someone. Yet Stuart was the happiest, most amazing man I have ever known. He never complained or felt sorry for himself; in fact, he was constantly sending out Thank You cards to anyone and everyone who had made his life better. Instead of focusing on the negative, Stuart was always thinking about the positive! He used to have me open his window on a stormy day so he could smell the rain in the air; he watched old Western movies so he could see all of the beautiful scenery...Stuart was trapped in a dying body for so many years and yet he brought so much life, so much joy to those around him; he did so much from his place in a hospital bed in a small room that he would never leave.

Stuart has made me the happy person that I am today; he saw the very best in me, only the best, and refused to see anything else; he believed in me with all of his heart, and his optimism, his happiness, was infectious. Stuart often said that the long talks and "moments of great joy" that we shared together were in a place where the disease (ALS) could never touch: in his heart.

So I guess my message for all of you loyal readers, is that, in a world driven by consumerism and fueled by chaos, true happiness comes from within.

Keep Reading,
-RRR

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Tell Me What You Like About Yourself

First and foremost, I'm so sorry it's been such a long time since I've blogged; I had midterms and as much as I love blogging and love all you dearies, my classes have to be top priority! But for neglecting you all for so long I'm sorry-- with meaning (Side Note: When I was about 5 years old I got in trouble for doing who knows what to my sister and my parents demanded that I apologized; so I did; In the snobbiest most sarcastic voice I could muster I said "I'm sorry!" To which my Dad said (and by said I mean screamed) "Jennie, say you're sorry with meaning!" So I did... I said in that same grating voice oozing with sarcasm "I'm sorry with meaning") (Now every time I say I'm sorry--with meaning you'll get the reference!

Anywho, I don't know how many of you have seen a little show called Nip/Tuck but it's terrific drama about plastic surgery and the lives of the surgeons; every episode starts off with the same question posed to their potential client: "Tell me what you don't like about yourself." The answers have ranged from "I don't like my nose" to "my left leg shouldn't be there...please remove it." Regardless of the particular answer, there is always something that a prospective client doesn't like about their physical appearance (obviously...or they wouldn't be there paying an arm and a leg (heheh) to get something fixed).

If you were to ask me what I don't like about my physical appearance, well, let's just say I could write an entire blog devoted solely to aspects of my appearance that I abhor; I could do a different aspect every day and have plenty of material. But that's not the purpose of this post; my purpose in writing this post is to talk about what I actually DO like about my appearance (I hope that doesn't sound too narcissistic...I'm trying to see the good aspects instead of always focusing on the negative ones); and in turn I really want to hear from YOU, my loyal reader! I want to know what things about your appearance you personally like!

So here we go...what I like about my self (physically)
  1. The "beauty mark" on the apple of my left (?) cheek (face cheek...not the butt variety)
  2.  My collar bones when I hunch
  3. The parts of my hip bone that protrude a little....unless I'm laying down in which case it hurts
  4. The way my top lip looks when my mouth is partially open and my chin is tilted upwards
  5. The color of my eyes when I wear turquoise
  6. The natural dip where my bra strap goes (if that makes any sense)
  7. My scars...I know that seems weird to like an obvious flaw but I think they all tell a story and help make me who I am...(and will also help my mother in the event that she has to id my dead body =) I'm so thoughtful)
But yep, there she blows...and by there she blows I mean: There's my list of things I like about my appearance!

Now it's your turn!!!

That's all for now folks!
-Keep Reading
~RRR

        
          

Friday, March 4, 2011

Fun Facts Friday: It's Cat-tastic!!

Nananananana CRAZY CAT WOMAN!!!!


So I've noticed that many-a follower/reader either has a cat or just plain digs them, so I've decided to post some fun facts all about cats wooo hooo! (Did I ever mention that I used to watch Animal Planet growing up...and that I used to take notes on it? Yes I am the epitome of nerddom.)


1.) There are 33 muscles in a cat's ear alone and can rotate each ear (independently) up to 180 degrees. They can also turn in the direction of a sound 10 times faster than even the best Fido.


2.) Cats can hear better than dogs and humans! Their hearing stops at 65 khz and humans' hearing stops at 20 khz.


3.) Cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine (26 cycles per second) !!!!


4.) Studies have shown that if a cat falls from the 7th floor of a building it is 30% less likely to survive than if it falls off the 20th floor. Apparently, it takes the cat 8 floors to process what is happening and then relax for impact.


5.) Hebrew folklore believes that cats came about because Noah was afraid that rats might eat all the food on the ark. He prayed to God for help. God responded by making the lion sneeze a giant sneeze -- and out came a little cat!


6.) Both large cats (lions and tigers) and domestic cats react to cat nip...of course there are some cats that just don't dig it.


7.) A falling cat will always right itself in a precise order. First the head will rotate, then the spine will twist and the rear legs will align, then the cat will arch its back to lessen the impact of the landing.


8.) Cats aren't nocturnal they're crepuscular which means they're more active at dawn and dusk...like a shark!


9.) A group of kittens is called a KINDLE!!!


10.) In ancient Egypt, entire families would shave their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when the family cat died


Now wasn't that just the cat's meow hehe



Keep Reading
-RRR

Thursday, March 3, 2011

And the 7 Facts Blog Award goes to....




ME! Woot Woot Woot Woot (if my two year old niece were here she'd be doing the Woot Woot dance in my honor...I hope!


Anywho, a great gal and a fellow blogger named Whitney at (Un)Motivate(d) Me nominated me for this award.  Her blog is a "twentysomething's blog to find inspiration from a rather uninspiring life" and she writes about a wide range of topics: from products she's tried to ways to stay focused at work. So if you haven't gone and checked out Whitney's blog, you're missing out and you should go do something about that
______________________
The rules of the 7 Facts Blog Award are: 
Copy the award picture and add it to your blog 
Thank and link back to the person who tagged you 
Share 7 facts about yourselfPass it on to 15 other bloggers.
So with out any further ado, here are my 7 facts and the 15 bloggers who I want to pass this bad boy torch onto.


1. Job Indecision: Growing up (jeez how many times do I say that in my blog posts lol) when asked what I wanted to be when I "grew up" my answers were always changing. I started out wanting to be a biker (at the ripe 'ol age of 4...I had a Harley-Davidson leather jacket b/c I was a bad ass) then I switched and wanted to be Mother Teresa...upon learning this "fun fact" my mom said "so you want to be a biking nun?" Isn't that a nice lil mental image? Lol. After the nun phase, I wanted to be an actress/model/singer...I had a band (in grade school...we sucked) and I modeled kimonos in Japan (...my dad's friend Julie took pictures of me posing in the hotel room in a kimono). After my stint as a world-renown triple-threat, I decided I wanted to be a veternarian...then a journalist, and now...a doctor, although I've always wanted to be a doctor...I just didn't think I could do it and isn't that ironic? I thought I could be Mother Teresa but I didn't think it was realistic of me to want to be a doctor. But I'm going to do it!


2. I Used to be Black in the 70's: I have no clue what that means but my mom claims that she "used to be black in the 70's;" my mom is fish belly, gleaming white...if you stare at her too long, you'll get snow blindness (heh) so I'm not sure what happened...did she pull a Michael Jackson?  Ironically enough, I have also convinced people that I am black...no joke. I don't even know how many black guys I've convinced that I'm black...The conversation usually goes something like this:
Me: Whatchu talkin bout? Course I'm black!
Black Man: Girl you white.
Me: (expletive) please, just cuz I look white don't mean my daddy ain't black!
Black man: oh! My bad, my bad; I'm sorry girl
Me: Yeah wateva. 
No joke, I have literally had that exact conversation before. 

3. My Favorites: Artists= Salvador Dali and Roy Lichtenstein; Favorite Food= my mom's pasta primavera and Marzetti's ranch veggie dip; Favorite Colors= fluorescent pink, black & white (color scheme for my bedroom), and lime green....and red; Favorite TV Shows= Lie to Me, Bones, House, Family Guy (I watched that show way before all those frat guys grr), and Criminal Minds <3; Favorite Movies=Tristan+Isolde and Life is Beautiful.

4.You (Don't) Know Where I've Been: I've never been to Mexico but I've been to China, Japan, Jamaica (for a mission trip...I built a house, brought clean water and a water purification system to people who needed it, and visited an orphanage), Chile, Canada (doesn't really count as another country because I'm from Minnesota originally); Germany <3, France (barely), Italy, and Spain...I think I got em all.

5. All in the Family: I have a very loving, freakishly tall, quirky family.( We have a picture of Saint Eugene de Mazenoid...aka the Patron Saint of Dysfunctional Families, hanging in our kitchen. ) I have a mom and a dad who are still (usually) happily married, a bonus brother and a "regular" brother, two sisters, and two cats. I'm the baby in the family unfortunately but all us kids are pretty close in age. My bonus brother has 3 adorable kids and a gorgeous wife; my otha brotha is married to a great gal (I'm not sure how much my parents had to pay her for that) and they have 2 beautiful kids. My oldest sister is in med school and  is married to a pretty awesome guy and together they have a clone of me--my niece Annika. Finally my other sister is also in med school and making me look stupid everyday with her utter brilliance.

That's me in the middle doing my Home Alone face.

6. Obsessions: Well I have OCD but that's not what this is about lol...I'm obsessed with Victoria's Secret and Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream (words have not yet been invented to capture the sheer awesomeness that is Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream...when it is legal, I shall marry it) I'm also obsessed with learning facts and making people laugh :-) oh and the Sims 3.

7. Phobias: I don't like calling my fears phobias because, well, my fears are normal. I mean there are people who are afraid of death and public speaking; that's just stupid...we're all going to die one day and chances are pretty good that you're going to have to speak in public. Me, I'm afraid of sharks.Tell me that isn't a rational fear...I dare you! FDR once said: "There's nothing to fear but fear itself." I'm pretty sure he was referring to sharks as "fear itself," I might be wrong but let's face it...I'm not. When I first saw Jaws I was fuh-reaked out! I remember whenever I would have to get out of bed in the middle of the night to go potty I would fear that the pink carpet (really more of a salmon color....it was the 90s) would randomly turn into the ocean and that Jaws would eat me. I always reassured myself though that that wasn't rational...I'd think to myself, "Jennie don't be an idiot; you know sharks don't live in Minnesota...it's too cold." (Notice I didn't say "Jennie don't be an idiot; you know the salmon-colored carpet can't turn into the ocean.") But then....we moved to Florida, less than a mile from the beach and yes sharks could live in Florida...but I didn't let my fears get out of control. Recently however, I moved to my own place in Arizona and when I was cleaning one day you know what I found? A shark's tooth in the middle of the carpeted floor of my bedroom. I fuh-lipped: "OMG the carpet can turn into the ocean...even in a landlocked state like Arizona." 


Now that you know all about me....here are the 15 bloggers who I think deserve this illustrious award: