No on Prop 8.

I remember way back a few years ago I naively wrote here that I wouldn't use my blog as a forum to push my political views. And aside from the occasional post imploring people please educate themselves and vote, regardless of the WAY you vote, and that tiny little site banner up there on the right, I think I haven't been overly political here.

But Prop 8 isn't about politics to me. It's about prejudice, about inequality, about meanness and people's insecurities and fear in something they don't understand. It's about religion. And no matter your religion, or your feelings about homosexuality, the federal government ensures separation of church and state. I wish I was more eloquently spoken on this... I just seem to be overtaken by a form of black rage that makes me want to punch people when I hear the arguments for yes on 8.

But since I can not form my thoughts eloquently I will point you in a direction of someone who can. Someone I haven't met personally (though I would love the chance to remedy that) but whose writing has always inspired me even though her original blog is now defunct and her blog has resumed here! Please take a moment to read her words.

I promise to get back to non-political blogging in a couple weeks. It's just that I can't help but feel like we have more at stake here in this election than we have in ages. And frankly I am afraid.

All in the name of science

A few months ago I was at a pool party at a friend's house and I couldn't help but notice that one of the other guests had quite possibly the most perfect skin ever. I figured she had to be at least my age if not a few years older just given the crowd but she looked amazing. And not just her face either, her stomach and arms were flawlessly smooth also. After a glass of wine (or three) I finally accosted this poor woman in the kitchen and confessed my desire to touch her. Rather than baking away from the crazy stalker lady she smiled and said, "olive oil dear. I use olive oil instead of lotion."

Seriously y'all... She. Looked. Amazing. And her age? 47. (A total faux pas to ask I know but I had already all but petted her so I figured there was no harm in asking.) Now even if I am realistic and think that 50% of her fantastic skin is genetic I was still fairly convinced I should try it. Then I remembered reading something on another blog about it back in the winter and I was convinced. All that remained was waiting until the weather ceased to be in the triple digits, because while I am desperate for soft skin, I don't much fancy cooking myself in olive oil.

Oh. My. God. You guys simply have got to try this! I've done it a couple of times over the last two weeks and my skin feels SO great. Also, it is totally decadent and pampering to rub yourself with oil. Kind of like a poor girl's massage. And other than an intense craving for a thick slice of crusty bread, I haven't noticed any side effects on my otherwise S-E-N-S-T-I-V-E skin.

A couple words of wisdom though:

~ Use sparingly. Seriously. The first time I tried it I just grabbed my entire bottle of olive oil from the kitchen and started slathering up. Thirty minutes later I was still as greasy as a sea bird after the Exxon Valdez incident. A little goes a long way.

~ Which brings me to, it's probably best to try this at night. Unless you are unemployed (as I am) and/or have very accommodating roommates who don't mind if you wander around the house naked while it soaks in. I certainly wouldn't recommend getting dressed right away in anything light colored or dry-clean only. I've taken to letting it soak for about 5 - 10 minutes and then, because patience is a virtue I do not possess, I just throw on an old pair of cotton pants and a t-shirt.

~ Watch out for your pets. If you have an inquisitive furry friend you might want to make sure they aren't in the room while applying the oil. That first day my kitty managed to lick himself into an olive oil induced coma. Which, while the vet assured me wasn't going to harm him, probably isn't good for him either. I'm just saying is all.

Also, oddly enough in the way that once you have an idea about something you see it everywhere... I was watching a sort of biography online about Sophia Loren and she claims to have used olive oil on her skin all her life. There are worse things than looking like Sophia Loren right? And at my salon the manicurist uses olive oil instead of more traditional cuticle oil in her manicures. I've even read you can use it as a deep conditioner/sealer for your hair! I might try that next.

Stay tuned for more stories of D-I-Y waxing and hair coloring!

Pros and Cons

On one hand I could take a job that I think I could truly love, in an industry I have been dying to get into. I could meet new people, try new recipes, and get my creative marketing mojo working. I could have a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

On the other hand I could stay home and collect unemployment while I look for something more suitable to my experience. Unemployment which remarkably would pay me MORE than this new job. For doing nothing. Where I could sit at home and job hunt and think of things to blog about here and read novels and try not to go slowly insane.

On one hand I could be making a little bit of money but have the potential to be happy. On the other I could "make" a little bit more money and continue to be miserable. All on the off chance that I would find something that wouldn't make me want to chew on paint chips but would pay a little better.

Is this really a choice? I'm struggling with it because the money is considerably less than I thought it would be, even when I was being honest with myself about how I'd be starting from the bottom again. But now that I've seen it in writing...

I know I've said before that money isn't everything. Lord knows I've made a lot of money and been miserable, and made a little money and been happy. But this whole grown up thing with a mortgage and responsibilities is... HARD!

Excuse me though, I have a call to make.

Keep on keepin' on

Well in an effort to wrestle myself out of the massive slump I've been in I've been trying to stick to somewhat of a schedule. Lest I manage to depress myself so much that I stay in bed all day and never shower. You know. So this week I've been trying to get up when TheBoy goes to work in the morning and go for a run or do the 30 Day Shred or, once when I was feeling particularly motivated, both. Now that 30 Day Shred thing? I'll admit I was totally skeptical at first... I mean what kind of die hard work out nazi could I be with only a 20 minute workout? Ha! The. Hardest. 20. Minutes. EVER! I'm just saying is all.

Also, does anyone know what happens when you take your sadly out of shape and over-weight self running for 3 days after hardly moving an inch in weeks? Shin splints that's what. Stupid shins. Of course I should have known better, what with the great shin splint agony of 2005 while training for that last marathon but no... I just laced up my shoes Monday morning and took off out the front door like I had good sense with not a stretch or warm up in sight. I've since started stretching and doing a short walking warm up but alas, the damage is done. This makes an interesting twist on my running form as I am now not so much jogging along at a snail's pace but more jogging along like a snail with a limp. Can snails limp?*

Anywho!

Last night I made the most awesome dinner. I don't think it TOTALLY fits into my whole just-say-no-to-bikinis-on-your-honeymoon plan but I don't think it sent me back to square one either. And it made me happy and filled the house with awesome aromas so... I suggest you try it! It's called Asado (not to be confused with Carne Asada) and I found the recipe here, at my newest favorite food blog. Thank you "blogs of note" for the tip! I followed the recipe almost exactly except for that I really only used 16 dried peppers which I think is what the recipe called for and either my peppers were mini-sized or 16 was an approximate amount because I only ended up with about half the puree I needed. So since I didn't have time to soak another 16 peppers I added about half a can of those chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (I had it open in the fridge from something else) and a can of tomatoes. It worked well actually. Though the end product was S-P-I-C-Y! Probably from the chipotles, which wasn't a HUGE issue here at Chez Ghetto (wine country edition) but might be for anyone who hasn't permanently damaged their taste buds.

That's about it. Just wanted to check in and say thanks to all my fantastic friends for checking in with me. Things aren't great but I'll make it through. I promise. MWAH!




*I realize I should come up with a better analogy than that but all that jog/limping in exhausting!

Digging Out My Soapbox

Well its official, politics are all anyone can talk about these days. It even inspired my friend Shawn to post THREE TIMES in the last few days which I'm pretty sure ties the number of posts he's written year to date.* And as much as I don't talk politics with family or friends I am happy when I hear random women debating finer points of policy while waiting in line at Starbucks.

So in along those lines, I thought I'd share something with you that normally I wouldn't. Because I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all morning. I don't know if any of you out there are as huge Post Secret fans as I am... What can I say I am just totally addicted to that site! It is the highlight of my Monday morning to check in and see the new week's posts. But today I saw something that scared the shit out of me.



Really? It frightens the hell out of me that there are people out there that take voting so lightly. Because for the record if this secret was in reverse and the voter was basing their decision on a liberal boyfriend's actions I'd be just as outraged. What the HELL people?

Vote because you care about the war. Vote because you care about human rights. Vote because you care what is happening in the financial markets. Vote because you CARE. Vote because you CAN. Please don't take this right for granted. Apathy will get you nowhere. It's your country, educate yourself and make a stand.



*Just some good natured teasing - keep it up my friend. :D

Don't vote

There is still time in California to register if you haven't already... Oct. 20th is the deadline!



PS - Special thanks Shawn for the help with the scary complicated computer part to getting this video up here! :D

Tis the season...

For weddings!

In addition to our own wedding and the wedding for one of TheBoy's co-workers a few weeks ago, we still have two to go! We leave tomorrow for TheBoy's step-brother Chris' wedding in Temecula this Saturday. I can't wait to party with the bride and groom and to officially welcome Christy into this crazy family we've both fallen in love with. Also, here is hoping for warm enough temps to spend some time out by the pool!


I love those guys!

Also, preparations are in the final stages for my best friend from High School's wedding on Halloween. I am really excited for this wedding if for no other reason than Lisa is the total anti-bride just like I was! Its amazing to me when I look back how many rites of passage this girl and I went through together. First dates, first kisses, first traffic tickets while in our newly-licensed state, injuries we've helped each other recuperate from and broken hearts we've helped heal. I'm excited to be a part of Lisa's wedding to Harley, it feels like those two crazy awkward girls have finally made it!


Also, this wedding gives me an excuse to go out to the coast... Something TheBoy and I have missed doing A LOT since moving inland last year.

Of course I can't do a post about weddings with out sending out a special congratulations to my friends Christine and Michael who just got engaged less than 48 hours ago! SO EXCITING!


Words can not express how much I love these two! TheBoy and I are both so excited to celebrate with them!

Feeling better

Okay so after my mini melt-down in which I did not get out of bed, except to move to the couch, and didn't really even bathe for almost a week, I've finally snapped out of it. I think it had something to do with the arrival of TheBoy's niece who moved in last week because really, I can't be the scary aunt who doesn't bathe and wears the same pajamas day after day with her here right? Word is bound to get out.

Also, today I went on two interviews. It was supposed to be three but I had to decline one based on moral principle. The guy in charge of hiring and I have been corresponding via email and this morning he sent me the following message:

"is in concord. can u make it 2day."

Now. Let's say I overlook the lack of proper capitalization of either the start of sentences OR of the city name. Let's say I overlook the improper punctuation at that last question. I can not, or WILL NOT, overlook the whole u = you or 2day = today thing! This is business correspondence with a possible applicant for a position in a corporate environment fercrisakes! Lordy.

That's really all I have to report. I am out of bed, properly showered, dressed AND have begun the painful process of interviewing again. I even laughed this weekend. Baby steps right?

What it is like

Its like waking up in the morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated for that split second before true consciousness kicks in and then rolling over and falling back to sleep. Its like feeling like you could sleep forever, like wanting to sleep forever, like sleep is the only place you can feel comfortable. Its when sleep becomes your escape.

Its like looking forward to an event for days, and then the day of carefully planning and getting ready for this event only to feel absolutely paralyzed with fear when it comes time to leave the house. Its forcing yourself to drive someplace and giving yourself a pep talk in the rear view mirror the whole way there only to pull into the parking lot, sit for 10 minutes and then turn the car back on and drive home. Crying.

Its like being at a party and not knowing anyone. You kind of hide out in a corner, back against the wall hoping no one notices you but secretly hoping they do. Its going to the bar for that third glass of wine just to give yourself something to do, even though you promised yourself you'd only have one. Its feeling like you've been at this party for ages with your fake smile and your carefully prepared responses to all the social questions and then finally making a desperate dash for the door because you can't stand another minute and are starting to feel like you can't breathe. Its looking at the clock on the dashboard of your car, rolling the windows down, desperately gulping fresh air, and realizing you barely made it an hour.

Its knowing you've alienated all your friends and not being able to bring yourself to properly do anything to make amends. Its clipped responses and no return phone calls or emails or "maybe next week" responses to your requests for lunches or coffees. Its being angry because they don't know what you are going through and then also understanding their position because THEY DON'T KNOW what you are going through.

Its like... not being able to tell anyone what its like.