Help me, please

Can someone tell me why I feel the need to turn on the Food Network and actually watch Rachael Ray? I do this on my own accord; no one forces me. She might be the most annoying television personality I've ever watched, yet I.cannot.stop. Right now, at this very moment, she is on my television set in Brussels for her show "$40 a Day". She just said, "When you're in Brussels, you have got to try the mussels!" What???? This is a personal problem; I realize that. Maybe I watch because I like good food and she gets to travel all over the country and eat it. Maybe, just maybe, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, I'm jealous. Oh, damn.

Speaking of television, my parents got this really nice, new, big, flat-screen, LCD tv. Of course, they didn't tell us. They never tell us when they buy something new. I walked into the house last Friday, saw it, and the first thing I said was, "Who gets the old one?" My dad laughed and my mom said that I could discuss it with my sister. No discussion. She and her husband live in a one-bedroom apartment in Dallas. They don't have any room for another television set. So, we have it now. It's nothing fancy, but it's 32", which is a lot bigger than the one we previously had in our den. That one is now in our bedroom and the old bedroom tv is in the garage, where we already had a really small tv. You might be asking yourself why we have a tv in the garage. My husband smokes...I do not. He smokes in the garage. He also builds things in the garage, but I doubt he watches television when he's using power tools. So, we now have four television sets! Do you know how big our house is? It's like, 1100 square feet. It's absurd, really.

The work is over

Preparing for Christmas is kind of like planning a wedding, and since I've celebrated many Christmases over the years and I've planned a wedding, I feel as though I'm an authority on both subjects. You do all this planning and scheduling and preparing and then, bam!, it's over, just like that. My dad fried two turkeys for Christmas Day dinner and it literally took him all day because you can't leave the turkey alone for even a second. Haven't you seen the news stories about the many turkey-frying accidents that happen each Thanksgiving and Christmas just because the person frying looks away for a millisecond? We had all these side dishes and desserts and it took us about 30 minutes to finish dinner. Then the kids (kids being the adult children) had to clean up the kitchen and dining room. But it's not just Christmas dinner, it's the whole thing. The tree, the presents, the decorations...it all takes so much time to prepare and then it's over in the blink of an eye. Weird, huh?

On another note, I just got my ass kicked in yoga. Wednesday was my first day back in almost a week and it's been hell catching back up because I spent five days either drunk, hung over, or stuffed, and sometimes all of the above. I woke up this morning and my hips were sore, my back was tight, and my shoulders felt like a good massage was needed. And then I went back for more torture at 9:30. It's not really torture, but there are times when it feels that way. On one of his dvds that I have, Baron says something along the lines of, "Our stress-reduction program can often feel stressful." Boy, is he right. But I guess we have to go through some stress to get to the relaxation part. That could be applied in all aspects of life, not just when I'm sweating balls in yoga.

Sunday, I get to take Vanessa's class. I'm super pumped!

My feet hurt

I'm sitting here at my desk this morning exhausted because I catered until 12:30 in the morning and got about four hours of sleep. I'm wondering why I'm doing this to myself because my feet and left shoulder are killing me. I have this weird shoulder thing that was a byproduct of years of waiting tables and when I cater it comes back with avengeance. It starts to hurt and cramp up and I have to stretch it out and you can hear it pop as it releases. Sounds like fun, huh? Oh, and it gets up into the left side of my neck. Last Saturday, I catered for 16 hours...that's right, 16 hours. My body was aching at the end of the night and for a good part of the next day. When I cater, which I only do every now and then, I look around at the people who do it all the time and wonder how they do it. Our bodies cannot be designed for this kind of abuse. And that's exactly what it feels like. I waited tables off and on for ten years, and my body was never under such physical demand as it is when I'm catering.

Anyway, all of this has got me thinking about how we treat our bodies and how practicing yoga can keep us aware of what is going on within the body. A few weeks ago, I catered on a Saturday night and then went to yoga the next day. I don't usually practice on Sundays, but I had missed a day earlier in the week so I needed to make up for it. Practicing the day after I cater is the best thing for my body. I usually try to make it a gentle practice, or as gentle as a power heated Vinyasa class can be, because catering really does take a lot out of me. My yoga practice can awaken things in my body that have been asleep for quite some time. Sometimes, the awakening is a pleasant feeling. Often, it's not so pleasant, at least not at first. Yoga also makes me think about how I treat my body when I'm outside of class, which sometimes isn't so good, like when I'm catering. Generally, my body feels its best when I'm on my mat, so I need to start treating it like I'm on my mat at all times. Easier said than done, right? It might not be easy, but I bet it's possible.

Cutest dog in Texas my ass!

I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats wondering whether or not my dog won the "Cutest Dog in Texas" contest sponsored by HEB. Sadly, she didn't win, nor did she place. I've posted a picture of the winning dogs in the medium-size category. Can you believe it? Are you as appalled as I am? Seriously. In fact, the winning dogs in the small and large categories were also wearing props and promoting some kind of HEB product. It's okay. I know in my heart that Phoebe is cutest the dog in the world, much less Texas!

Christmas spirit

If there is such a thing as the Christmas spirit of not working, then I'm right smack in the middle of it right now. I think that because the University is closed for over a week this season, I am really in the "get me the hell out of here so I can party with my friends and family" mentality. Also, this is a slow time of year for us and we'll be hitting the ground running on January 2, so I'm just ready for a break. My work situation is getting a little old as well. But that's another post.

As for Christmas, we leave next Friday for Monroe and I'm really looking forward to it. We're going to a party that night where a large group of my old buddies from home will be. Then my aunt and cousins come in town on Saturday and they're bringing the new baby! I say new, but she was born in March. She's new to us because we haven't seen her yet. So, I thought I was doing well with my shopping and then I assessed the situation. Guess I thought wrong. I just have to get a lot done after work today because I'm going to yoga tomorrow night, catering Thursday night, going to a Christmas party Friday night, going to yoga again Saturday morning, catering again Saturday night, and volunteering at church on Sunday. Phew! This really is a busy time of year, but I love it so much. It just makes me happy and warm and fuzzy inside. I wish I could feel this way year 'round!

The "holidays"

I am a Christian. I am a Democrat. My parents think I'm some sort of crazy liberal freak, which I am compared to what they know. But I have a hard time with the political correctness of the "holidays". Should I be afraid to tell people "Merry Christmas" if I don't know whether or not they celebrate it? And, let's be real here. What is Christmas? It's the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God, yet so many non-Christians celebrate it. I understand that Christmas is a time for family and giving and the spirit of Jesus is alive whether you believe He was the son of God or not, but I have such a hard time with people celebrating the holidays instead of Christmas. I do understand that there are other religious holidays around this time, but if you don't celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanza, then what are you celebrating really?

As a liberal Christian, this poses a problem for me because I embrace everyone's choice of religious beliefs and the choice to not believe. If I were a conservative Christian, this wouldn't be an issue for me. I'd be all pissed off about it and not afraid to voice my opinions. But I am afraid because I don't want people to think I'm some sort of Bible-beating Republican. For me, the true celebration of this holiday is the birth of Christ and I just hope that non-Christians recognize this. And if I say "Merry Christmas" to someone and that person becomes offended, I say that's ridiculous. Of all the things in this heinous world to be offended by, pick something else please. And remember, it's the "holidays" after all.

Weather and running

I probably ran a total of five or six times in the month of November. I was sick almost the entire week of 11/06, so I don't think I ran once. I know I didn't run once last week because I was busy at work, or because I was too hung over like on Friday. Oh, btw, I usually run during my lunch break. So, today is pretty cold here in Austin, but it's really beautiful. I'm feeling good and well-rested, and not hung over at all, so I was super excited about my lunch-time run. And wouldn't you know it...my freakin tennis shoes are at home! Damn! Before I left for work, I looked in my closet but didn't see them so I thought I had left them in the office. I get here this morning and nothin'! Now, I can see them in my guest bedroom where I like to throw my extra crap because we keep the door closed so the animals won't go in there. I'm sure that's where they are, probably sitting on the floor, hoping that my feet will get in them soon. Poor Addidas tennis shoes, and poor me for being so stupid. This just means that I have to go every other day this week, no excuses!

Hung over and bored

I'm sitting here at work wasting the end of the day away. I'm bored and I've been hung over all day thanks to the many, many glasses of egg nog I had last night before, during, and after decorating the Christmas tree. Not a good idea. Then I had Chango's for lunch to make myself feel better. It worked briefly. Now, I just feel fat.

That's all. Thanks for letting me bitch.