A nice weekend to make up for that last week:

Oh what a nice three-day weekend I had: hiking, a nightclub outing, and a marathon, co-ed baby shower (I ate two pieces of cake in a 12 hour period - that's more cake than in the last three months!).

It was great. I think most people have access to my facebook page, where the photos of this lovely weekend reside.

Now, three days of work then a FOUR DAY weekend. What do I have to complain about? Nothing. Not a single thing!

An Open Letter to the Week from Hell:

Let's recap:

There was a horrible Metro crash in which 9 people died.

Uncle Chuck died.

Farrah Fawcett died.

Michael Jackson died.

Mark Planisek, A former colleague was hit by a car and died.

I think that's enough death and destruction for awhile, okay?

The part where Farrah Fawcett and my Uncle Chuck go skipping off to heaven...

So you know how old people who love each other die around the same time? Well, my uncle Chuck, my grandmother's companion for the last 15 years, died this week - Just six weeks after her. I think it's sweet, and I am SO happy that he is not in pain anymore. He had been in chronic pain for over a decade, rallying mightily at my grandmother's funeral, but I'm still glad he has peace now.

Now me? Peace is not exactly the right phrase. I think this is coming right at the moment that I hit the "Anger" phase of my grief process, so I'm feeling quite a hefty dose of righteous indignation about having to stand up for their relationship during the planning of my Grandmother's funeral. (good girls don't talk about such things, I know, and while I hope I don't hurt anyone that reads this by talking about such matters here, this blog is mine, and I need to be able to write what I feel, or else make it private because these things aren't doing me any favors holed up in the deep recesses of my bowels, threatening to chew their way out. And yes, I know that was a run-on sentence, if you don't like it, you can just run-on outta here.)

...I'm really glad I did stand up for what I thought was right though, and that I got to see Chuck one last time a few weeks ago, sit next to him during the service, and feel good about all the wonderful times in the last 15 years that I saw him, spent time talking to him, and that I always was able to see beyond my grief at the loss of my grandfather to see him for what he was: a terribly flawed man that needed help, but that treated love like a base jump off the Sears Tower.

I can just see him grabbing Farrah's hand and saying, "follow me, 'darlin, I'll introduce you to some folks!"

Torn.

All last night I was planning a post today that would be called "What happens when your workout buddy goes to fat camp without you?"

But this morning I saw the reports of the terrible crash on the Metro in Washington. It occurred during rush hour last night and already 7 people have died. The crash was right outside my old Tacoma Park Metro station.

The photos are jarring. The stories harrowing. My heart goes out to everyone that lost loved ones in this terrible crash - and to those that are wounded - and even to those that have to figure out a new way to try to navigate that already over-taxed transit system in Washington.

So that's where my thoughts are today. You'll have to wait a couple of days for that other post, I guess.

I'm on vacation

So, my suggestion is that you goof off, put your feet up, do some online shopping, or take a sick day or two until I get back.

Summer blahs already?

Oh summer, how I love and loathe you all at the same time.

But I wonder how I can feel stressed and bored simultaneously.

Maybe it's because I don't have any weddings to go to this year - they were all weirdly compacted into last year.

I'll try to come up with something more interesting during vacation part one: beginning FRIDAY!

Begging the question...

My Gwyneth Paltrow Impression...edited!

This is me:

This is Gwyneth:


So I've been going to an acupuncturist - something I have done on and off for years, and this one also does cupping, a special treatment to relieve congestion at certain acupuncture/acupressure points.

At first it feels like you are being vacuum-sealed for freshness. Then it starts to feel like you poured Elmer's glue all over your back. Then you start to feel the muscles in the region relax and there is great comfort after that. Much like when you press on a pressure point and at first you feel pain, but then you feel the muscles associated with that spot release.

It was pretty cool.

What will Charles say? My prediction: "My wife is polka-dotted."

Edited to include ACTUAL HUSBAND REACTION: "My wife looks like a pepperoni pizza"

How to build community.

I found this through a long list of things, but I think it originated here:
http://www.pinkofperfection.com/2009/05/how-to-build-community/