life update

Well the diet went out the window when I came down with the flu the next day. All is well now. I am currently eating wee bits of really good chocolate and drinking red wine (my hormones are happy). Life feels very confusing at the moment, and all there is to do is to keep moving forward.

Last week, my friend and neighbor Kellie Jean started helping me feng shui my apartment. I got rid of a lot of stuff and there is more to get rid of. My love corner and my money corner have been transformed. Now if my love life and my financial standing would become transformed, I would be very excited.

Keep moving forward. Little steps. - these seem to be my current mantra.

quotes

In the current clean out of my home, I have found the following quotes. And since I want to throw away the little cards they are on, I am posting them here.

No bird soars too high if he soars iwth his own wings. - William Blake

You are the one who can stretch your own horizon. - Edgar Magnin

Never fear the space betweenyour dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. - Belva Davis (this one is helping right now)

Dram lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. - James Allen

It may be those who do most, dream most. - Stephen Leacock

Do not pray for dreams equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your dreams. - Phillip Brooks

Have the courage to embrace the greatness for which you were born. - Edge Keynote

Kinky at Cal Plaza

Sunday night, after much anticipation, I went to see, one of my favorite bands, Kinky. They were fabulous. I created a goal for myself (and now that I am writing it down, I need to figure out the best way to do it) of translating their Spanish songs into English so that I know what they are singing. I am sure there is some place on line that has this, but I would learn a lot from doing it myself. My friend, Angeles, kept translating bits of songs for my on Sunday and it just made me want to know more.

The crowd was huge. It was hard to find a place to stand and still see the band and not be standing in "fire lanes." But we did it. We found an edge to stand and dance in where we could see and it wasn't over crowded.

I just love watching them move. I like listening to them sing too, but I love to watch them move about the stage. I will have to find a video clip that shows this so I can post it.

Word of Warning (from a friend)

Yesterday, I was telling a friend of mine about my new diet. Her warning was not to lose weight too quickly as it will show in my face. Which has always seemed a good thing, but now it means my wrinkles will show more, my skin will be a bit loose. All the things to think about.

wait weight

This morning I actually dared weigh myself. Lately (as in this summer), I have been eating and drinking with very little regard for what it is other than pleasure and I have noticed areas of my body becoming larger and my clothes becoming tighter. The weight didnt' wait. So, according to the doctor like scale we have at the clinic, I weigh 148 pounds. I weighed myself for the sole purpose of being able to see how much weight I lose. I have put myself on a very strict diet, which has some leeway given my activity level. (leeway and strict in the same sentence, hmmm.... - but adding a few ounces of veggies or an extra piece or two of fruit is allowable). So far so good (granted it is day 1). I don't know what the goal is other than I feel better in my clothes. I should end up a bit healthier too. I was going to do the Master Cleanse again. But this seemed much healthier both physically and mentally. It is 3.5 oz of veggies 2x a day, 3.5 oz of fish 2x a day and 3.5 oz of fruit 2x a day. And lots of water and tea. I am back on a bit of caffiene, but very rarely. We shall see how this goes. If I need more fruit and/or veggies so I don't bite anyones head off, I think that is completely okay. The hard part is prep and choices, where in the master cleanse there are no choices.

sisters

Today, I was reminded of the power of sisterhood. I went to visit my great aunt - my grandmother's brother's wife. I hadn't seen her in about 15 years. I am in Chicago for work and I drove out to Oakpark to visit her and her sister (they live together). It turns out my aunt has Alzheimer's. Her sister didn't tell me that until I arrived. She did tell me she was confined to a wheelchair before I drove out. She looked good. Her eyes are bright blue and she had make up on (and not too much). They have help. A day person and a night. But Sunday the day help leaves early. My aunt was excited to have a guest. It was nice to see them both. They are only 2 years apart and my aunt's disease began 2 years ago - a bit of a concern. My aunt's sister takes such good care of her and has so much patience, it is amazing. I only hope my sister is so patient and caring with me; or that I can be with her. My aunt's sister, Jo, made the comment that she thinks all girls should have sisters because in some way they need them and I believe they enhance each other. I wish I had taken a picture of them together as they are beautiful and they both glow in their own way. I am thankful for my sister.

Random Thoughts on 4th of July

This 4th of July is my first day off since Memorial Day. Granted, a lot of the days, I don't work the whole day, and some of the days I only had one client, but having a whole day off is nice.
They are shooting off fireworks over Main Street right now. Makes me glad I didn't try to go to bed early.

The 4th of July and fireworks always reminds me of my mom and the fireworks in Foster City. The fireworks in Foster City shoot off right over head (or so they seem), so you watch them while lying on your back in the grass of the park. That is the best way to watch fireworks. Many feel it is better to view fireworks from up high and see many different firework shows. I would much prefer one show and to be directly under them.

My mom loved fireworks. She would oooh and ahhh, rather to my embarrassment, but now I do the same thing and laugh about it.

I skipped the party I was supposed to go to this evening and had dinner at home - quiet and lazy. I wasn't a complete hermit: I watched the parade this morning with friends; introduced Jane (my 22 month old friend) to Doris; stopped by a friends bbq; and went to the movies with another friend (during which we laughed a lot - Hangover is worth seeing); I even went for a walk down to the ocean and put my feet in the water (granted I did that by myself, so maybe that qualifies as hermity).