La Sobrina Nueva

On June 6th, Charlotte Penn was born. What's neat is Sophia's birthday is 4/5/05, so double numbers must be "in". My sister was hoping for a baby and a Triple Crown winner on the same day, but Big Brown let her down. (PS: that would've been a birthdate of 6/7/08, but hey, obviously the shoe didn't fit...)

Anyway, I don't know how much she weighed (a little over 8 lbs is as close as I can come) or how long she was, but she's healthy and CHUBBY. (I fear this'll be the one that inherits the "Bernier Saddle Bags". )

The pictures here are the 3rd time I'd seen her, and only the first time I knew she had eyeballs tucked away behind those lids.

Evidently she's very calm and spends the majority of her time sleeping and eating, much like a cat.

I even held her - I mean, I had to. We were hanging out on the patio, and Amy went into the house to get something, tossed her to me and said, "Can you hold her while I....?"

Ok, she didn't throw her like a football, but I'm sort of like a guy in that I don't quite know how to hold babies, and when I'm coerced into it, we sort of just stare at each other, both of us in alien territory, until the mother figure reappears and rescues me.

Here's the proof. Not bad photography for my sister! She tried to commandeer my SLR and a CF Card to go into business for herself, with me as the silent partner, but then she got distracted by the baby.

Well, so here she is! I'll have to post about Sophia, too, because of course with two of them what happens to one...happens to the other.

My European Working Line German Shepherd

Zada (formal name Mallory vom Kozies, obviously from the '06 summer "M" litter) is almost 2 years old. Finally, the last couple of weeks, I have trusted her enough to let her run around - free - with kids. 2 weeks ago, while "chucking it" for Tucker & Zada at Clint's, some neighbor kids came running out to see the 'wolves'. There were about 6 kids, around 10 years old, and I did have them get acquainted with the dogs (while I talked to them, the dogs were there, then I let the kids come in closer so the dogs could smell, etc) and finally those kids were running after the ball along with both shepherds, and neither of them (of course I trust Tucker) could've cared.

Then, my friend, Dani (Tucker's owner) had Zada for 10 days while I was out on vacation; she took both dogs to her grandparents' lake place and took them out for walks, threw the stick in the lake, etc, and all while her 2 nephews (younger than 10, I believe) were running around as well. She said Z was good and though she kept an eye on her nothing ever happened.

WHEW.

It's a start. I stand by my previous opinion - I'll never completely trust her around children again - but this is a breakthrough. Part of me wishes it was her getting used to being around running kids and NOT chasing them; part of me merely thinks it was Tucker's influence. a) He's excellent with kids and doesn't have the prey drive like she does; b) every time she starts after another dog at the dog park and he's there, he makes her stop. Now, he just growls or barks at her, before, he'd tower over her, menacing, and she'd just crumple to the ground. It was great to see him do that - hey, at least when he's around, she doesn't act like an idiot!

Anyway, I don't know that's enough to encourage her to be invited back to the Wisconsin farm this fall (where this all started last September), but like I said, it's a start. I'll take it!

I don't have any new pictures of her (uploaded to Shutterfly, that is), but I'll insert a couple of when 'Uncle Tucker' was here sometime...

I just heard a statement that made my breath catch in my throat.

A co-worker (whom I can't see when sitting in my cube because she's on the same side and at the far end) interjected herself into a conversation I was having with my other co-worker (sits across from her and I can see him). That in itself is fine, but then, since he and I were talking about beer (why wouldn't we be, at work...), she said, "I've probably only had 5 beers in my life."

I was stunned.

She proceeded to say that although she'd tried several kinds, she just couldn't get used to the taste, so never has liked it. I find it surprising she can make such a quick, snappy decision about a staple of life.

Let's pretend she took a good 3 gulps out of all the myriad of beers she's tried...that's STILL not enough to pass over the taste buds (and repeatedly) to form an opinion.* Plus, let's not forget, since she's NOT a beer drinker, then she's most likely a foo-foo drinker. When you're drinking foo-foo drinks (defined as any blended, wildly colored or otherwise girly drink; normally accompanied by dorky garnishments), you need to cleanse the palette before trying a beer. This oh-so-important step was most assuredly not taken.

Sigh.

In the same vein, the dude I was talking to originally about beers said something to the effect of "cracking a beer" when he gets home after work. (Not necessarily an alcoholic - especially if he stops at 1.) I had to ask what kind of beer he drinks, if he's "cracking" one - see, us Bottle Drinkers don't use that expression; it's solely reserved for Can Drinkers - and he responded "Coors Light". BLECK.

For once, I feel superior (as a beer drinker, anyway) and snobby...and rightly so. After all, we're not in college anymore - there's no need to be drinking inferior brews. That being said, I have a dear friend who still chugs Busch Light like it's going out of style, and I'm OK with that. She and her husband take me out on their boat, so...when in Rome :)

These have been random thoughts brought to you by the left brain. I say left brain because they're very logical opinions and have hard facts to back them.



* Unless, of course, you're an avid beer drinker. Then you have carte blanche in regards to beer opining.

Compilation of Random Things

I can't believe the last time I "dogged" (blogged about my dog) was in March. Granted, how many posts and comments could I possibly have to offer on a regular basis, but still. She is, after all, my "furry baby" and there's not a whole lot I can do in life without having to think of the implications (re: her). Come to think of it, it's quite similar, I imagine, to being a single mom.

Anyway, so here's the latest. I'd like to credit Mom for the photography skills.

I'm listening to some little snot-nosed kid screeching right now. That's just not necessary. I'm fairly positive the kid's not dying, so the parental units should be monitoring it and making sure it's quiet. Sheesh.

Sisters? Not yet, but we've already been mistaken for such (let's be honest, by a ... grandfatherly type gentleman). This picture was taken at Penny's bridal shower a couple weeks ago. She not only has a ton of friends, but I've never seen more beautiful blondes all collected in one place in my life.

I found a random ankle hair I'd inadvertently missed (shaving) today. It was a bigun. And BLACK. I'm shocked, because I don't even have black hair ANYWHERE. Random? Yes. Gross? Maybe...I got it, though.

So, I sneezed not too long ago, and got the usual all-over body goosebumps. Does that happen to anyone else? I've been in the sauna before, at 210 degrees (Fahrenheit), sweating like a horse; sneezed and - WHAMO! - instant goosebumps. Talk about weird.

Let's talk about service. Ever since I've been going to Puerto Vallarta (at the tender age of 11) I believe we've had the same waiter at a place we fondly call "Tizoc's" but whose actual "registered" name is "Café Tizoc". Keep in mind, there've been a few years when Tizoc's wasn't in business - i.e., another restaurant had come in and tried the real estate on for size - but the majority of all these years, this little café that could has been there, and there's always been Roberto.

He's got to be 75 years old if he's a day...bilingual, good people-person, and humor that won't quit. I finally had the pleasure of taking his "portrait" (of course I had to include his colleague that day/this year, whose name escapes me), which of course highlights the backdrop of 'his place'. Of course I had to document my favorite Mexican waiter, where else can you go that, year after year, your server remembers you and your family? I mean, c'mon, he remembers my GRANDMOTHER who went there way back in the '60s. It's priceless.

And, last but certainly not least...here's the update of the Satterfield family - this was taken at Sophia's 3rd birthday party in April. I missed it because Amy was unaware Clint and I woul be flying back from Puerto Vallarta (even tho' I told her the dates...let's be honest, she's pregnant so I absolve her of all forgetfulness). Let's just say I got her some good gifts in PV - including maracas! Those were Clint's idea, and a total hit :)

That's about it for now. *Yawn* Time to get some beauty sleep!

(PS: Feel free to insert joke here)

Puerto Vall-larta

(PV Cathedral ↑) (Lighted Palm →)
A special note to all of you who attempt to speak Spanish. Double "l" (ll) is pronounced as a "y". Hence, the stewardess who announced everything on our flight down to PV should probably - if she's going to continue to fly the friendly skies and squawk away on the intercom - learn that all us tourists are headed to Puerto 'Vayarta'; not Puerto 'Vall-larta'.

Just had to mention that.
(Cloudy day in PV →)
Although, I did get a chuckle out of surrounding passengers the first time she said it - "this is flight 531, non-stop to Puerto Vall-larta..." - I turned in wide-eyed wonder to the row behind me and said, "holy cow, we're on the wrong plane!"

(←Malecón Mermaids)
That being said, don't you find it odd how your mind picks and chooses what to remember the longer away you are from an event? What I mean is, it's even now getting to the point where I have to look over the photos again to remember exactly what we did each day or where we ate at night. But, I DO remember the stewardess butchering the name of the city.

(Cirrus Clouds over Palapa →)
I have to admit, I thought heading down to PV at the end of March / beginning of April would be a bit "late" because winter would already be done, and it'd be nice enough here that I'd want to be outside...well, it was sort of that way, but evidently winter's hanging on by its fingernails, as yesterday St.Paul-Minneapolis woke to find snow on the ground. At the end of APRIL for crying out loud. That wouldn't be *as* bad if, just a few short days before, I hadn't been in a t-shirt, capris and flip-flops in 70+ weather. Make up your MIND already! I stand corrected - winter is a woman. Can't make up her mind for anything...

(← Yelapa Bay)
IRREGARDLESS, we're stuck here and at least it's (allegedly) supposed to reach almost 50 today. Above, so that's good.

I was thinking, since this year winter / spring are coinciding more than usual, maybe we should call it "Swing" since it can't come to grips on a course of action one way or t'other. While I eagerly - and not very patiently - await the next nice day, the bare glimmer of hope that summer WILL return starts to fade...but I keep fueling it by revisiting my sunny Puerto Vall-larta images. (Yelapa Flower ↓)


P.S. Today, "Swing" didn't cooperate - again. We didn't, to my knowledge, get even close to 50s and it SNOWED. Enough already!

Bon Jovi Concert - Part II from "The Point & Shoot Camera"

I cannot BELIEVE I forgot to report back on Jon Bon's performance on March 18th!


Not only was I obligated to report that my P&S camera performed mightily...but so did hotty-po-tattie Jon!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.




I apologize. I'm composed now.

Amy and I found out after that concert that it was his 49th show on that tour, and the next evening (March 19th), he turned 50. FIFTY YEARS OLD. Just a rock star who's still goin' strong. I admire that. Not just that he's still making and performing music, but that he (seems to) genuinely enjoys it. Granted, I assume it helps to have thousands of fans (mostly of the female persuasion) screaming at him, but hey. Still impressive.

I think you'll agree with me that my itty-bitty Canon (as opposed to my behemoth SLR) held its own in the murky recesses of the Excel Center!

Mexico Hangover

Keep in mind when I mention "hangover", I don't that which results after a night of inebriation. Tho' if you wish to argue semantics, I could be inebriated but not drunk from alcohol. (Discuss.) Frigate Birds →

No, rather, I'm using "hangover" in this vein (from Wikipedia):

"Something remaining behind from a former period or state of affairs."

The 'State of Affairs'? Our vacation in Puerto Vallarta...the 'remaining behind' part? Yeah, there IS a part of me that was left behind. Sigh. It's pretty hard to leave 80s and sunny behind when you're venturing back to the cold, snowy North!

↑ The Malecón Arches
Unfortunately, I didn't sustain the blog-rythm I enjoyed pre-vacation...but that's because, inevitably, when you leave for a tropical vacation and put your "real" life on hold for a week (or longer), there are repercussions. In my case, catching up with work, photos (of which I took over 500), housework, etc etc etc.
We saw 3 humpback whales on the way to Yelapa ↓

That being said, I can only say it was a blast - even tho' Clint, poor guy, was suffering from a slipped disc (which he just found out "for real" today - I say "for real" because Dad diagnosed him merely off of description, but an MRI was a good thing to get to KNOW for sure). All that means is he was drugged on muscle relaxants, Alleve, and a fair amount of Negra Modelo most of the time :)

← Clint Parasailing

But, I digress.

The point? It took me awhile to get over being back in Minnesota after having such a GREAT time in sunny PV. Out of the almost-400 images I loaded to Shutterfly, I'll have to pick & choose which to send to family & showcase here. Although I had a lot of fun shooting down there - despite having been there off and on over the years since I was 11 - I was tempted to give the local kid-vendors $1 to go do it for me...after all, there were Piña coladas ( Lifeguard Stand ↑)
to be drunk. But not THAT kind of drunk.

The Making (and Eating) of a Snowman

Every Easter my Grandma Mahon (yes, my grandma is a Mahon - pronounced "man") comes to visit us in chilly Minnesota. I say "chilly" because she's leaving her 70ish degree North Carolina to brave the cold wonders Up North with her crazy family.

Crazy? Of course - Mom & Dad a) moved North of the Mason Dixon and b) still inhabit this cold Siberia even though they KNOW it'll drop BELOW ZERO every winter. Crazy.

(*Side Note - several winters into Mom living in Merrifield, the winter was harsh, and with wind chill, the temperature crept down to -80. As in, 80 BELOW ZERO. Grandma called, frantic, wondering how it was with all the horses in the house with us. Because, of course, we had 2 horses at the time and why would we leave them outside? Mom gently stated that they had a nice, warm lean-to and no, they were NOT in the house. *)

I digress.

Much to Grandma's chagrin, the Satterfields headed outside this past Saturday to make a snowman. Keep in mind, in order to have good "snowman snow", the temperatures have to climb above 32, so we thought it was a heat wave. We all tromped outside to watch the goings-on, while Grandma stayed warm and dry inside, where she could see everything through the window.

Everything including Princess Sophia ↑ posing with her snowman, "Frosty", (and subsequently taking a chomp out of him, of course), Amy & Clint throwing a giant ← branch for the dogs, and Mom and I trying to capture it all on camera.

Also, I'd like to add that not many households can claim the success in asking - and receiving - the simple obedient gesture of 3 dogs laying in a row and not moving until they're told they can...and it's not even done via Cesar-like methods! ↓


So, although I have no pixel-proof that Sophia loved her Easter basket (rife with jelly beans, chocolates, seeds and a pot - my sister is Martha Stewart - a new magic wand and a "skeid-a-scope"), suffice it to say it was a successful venture Up North. Lots of good food, chatting at the dinner table, plenty of laughing, hiking and relaxing (please see previous post).

Up at Mom & Dad's

When I was younger, I couldn't WAIT to leave "the country" and GO somewhere...anywhere, as long as it wasn't out in the middle of nowhere (and, as long as my parents weren't there, frankly).


Now I'm pushing 30 (still wearing jeans) and can't WAIT to head up North to Mom & Dad's as often as I can. My, how things change - it's amazing how city life can transform a person.




So, here I sit, in the comfort and relaxed atmosphere of the house where I grew up, and there's already a small part of me that's dreading tomorrow when we have to leave...





(These pictures aren't from this weekend, but I finally got the images loaded from when Clint and I were here in mid-January for Mom's belated "Christmas" party.)

Since I don't have time to monkey around with the code and making sure my picture captions correspond, I'll explain. (Sophia wants me to watch "Happy Feet" with her, so I'm on deadline :)

The first shot is of the house with the sunset reflected in the windows. I grew up in this house (well, from the time I was 13, anyway). The next shot (to the right) is Clint playing fetch with all 3 dogs (Zada, Tesa & Hogan) on the lake. Next (left) is Zada waiting patiently - albeit intensely - for Clint to throw the stick. The last is Clint tossing snow for the dogs (Tesa & Hogan). My dog hasn't quite figured out WHY we jump repeatedly, biting at snow that flies through the air.

Well, time to head upstairs for the movie...

I Want to be like Kleenex

Kleenex. Chapstick. Xerox. Google.

What do all these brand names have in common?

When was the last time you were a guest at someone's house, your nose was running, and you asked, "Do you have any bathroom tissue?" Note, not all 3 criteria need be met; the idea is what counts.

Or, if your lips were dry and flaky, did you ever turn to your (mom, best friend...insert someone whose lips you trust here) and ask, "Can I borrow your lip balm?"

Boss to underling: Go Xerox this document and bring it to the meeting.
Underling to boss: Sir? Don't we have RICOH copiers? I didn't know we had a Xerox machine.
Boss to underling: Whatever, go make a copy.

And, last but not least, earlier today while talking on the phone with my sister - I took a break from blogging long enough to answer the phone and set up a time to go for a dog walk - I tried to tell her what I'd been doing all morning, and she didn't understand what "social networking" meant. So, I said, "ugh, go Google me and you'll know what I'm talking about."

The thing is, all these companies have transcended mere brand awareness and moved into "genericized trademark" status. I purposefully didn't include the copyright symbols behind these brand names, not just because I'm lazy and I don't want to, but also because I'm trying to prove a point.

That is, once you've moved from brand awareness into becoming a "generic trademark" you no longer get the right to claim the trademark symbol every time someone writes about you. If you've earned the right to be the "colloquial description for (or synonymous with) a particular class of product or service*", then you've subsequently lost the right to your trademark symbol appearing in every publication. (Based on context, of course)

Anyway, my random thought happens to be the longing for someone, some day, to say "wow, that was a Bernier-ism". Meaning "wow, that was random".

On a side note, I think my dog is already nose-to-nose with me in this race, as I've already started to identify things that're stinky with a comment of "ish, that smell is so ZADA!" She innocently sleeps on at my feet this very instant, lost in some doggy dream and contentedly exuding a noxious gas from her rear end.

On a random other side note (since that's what I want to be known for, of course), my grandmother is coming to visit for Easter, and will arrive in town this coming Wednesday. Us girls (Mom, Grandma, Amy and I) are all going to lunch. Should be a fun time.

* From Wikipedia

The Point & Shoot Camera Part Deux

Last night I raved about my new buddy, my Canon point & shoot. It takes some pretty nice images - i.e., professional looking shots (like the snow shot :) - but it also captures those fun "portrait" type pictures, as well!

← Here we see the "Ms. Zada Potato Head" with...unfortunately...NOT detachable ears :) I can't lie to ya...I LOVE the "nose-to tail" photos.

I'd have to say the majority of usage this lil' guy (the camera :) has seen has been outdoors, but the indoor images have turned out well, plus there's not a big delay between shutter and shot. Again, overall this guy gets 4 stars. (Probably not 5; the main "fault" is that it uses Double A batteries which don't last very long.)

Here's Clint cuddling with Zada while watching TV up in the TV room. → She's a huge fan of finding any blanket real estate available and curling up on it.

← Aaaaaand here it is. I taught my dog to "Heil Hitler."
Oops. Not on purpose - it started out as a "hello" / wave type trick; then morphed into the always-recognizable Nazi salute* because of the way she does it. It's not her fault, though, because it's in her blood...she IS German, after all!

Well...there'll probably be many more renditions of the "ratings & reviews" of my point & shoot camera, but this one HAD to be Zada-centric because, well, she hasn't made an appearance for awhile!

Self Portrait! →

PS: I'd like to add that my post last night has an error. It's not "a couple weeks" 'til Bon Jovi...it's one week FROM TONIGHT! Helmet Hair and Big Bangs, here I come!

* Side Note: I'm careful to whom I show this trick. Again, not a politically correct gesture to teach someone - even if that someone is a cute and cuddly dog.

The Point & Shoot Camera

It took me a long time to "go digital". Until the spring of '06, if I remember correctly. And, now I couldn't imagine NOT having at least one digital camera (so of course I have 2).






My first camera purchase - EVER - was my Canon 30D. Every other item - minus batteries :) - had been gifted from good ol' Mom & Dad for birthdays and Christmases throughout the years. I was pretty pumped not only to be going digital, but buying my VERY OWN camera.

After almost 2 years of practicing and getting spoiled with digital imagery, for Christmas this year Clint got me my very first point & shoot (digital). I'm enamored with it - another Canon - and it takes some pretty darned good pictures! It's an 8-mega pixel, which, by the way, is what my SLR is! (Only when shooting RAW, of course :) Although the zoom is quite a bit touchier than my single lens reflex, the point & shoot competes very well.

I'm thrilled with my little P&S Canon...fits in my purse a lot easier than the SLR for those spontaneous shots, but puts on the "big boy pants" and performs well for the professional images, too.

PS: We'll see how well it does in the murky recesses of the Bon Jovi concert in a couple weeks!

Doggone Class

I'm back in dog class for 8 weeks, but as an observer only - Clint's handling Zada and I get to watch. We (and by "we" I mean Linda and I) decided that Clint should take her through Level II obedience in order to get some formal training. He's worked with her before, out on walks and in the house, but this way he can start from scratch and have it be taught by Linda herself instead of me...because, having taken riding lessons from my sister when I was young, I know what it's like to have a loved one be your teacher. Doesn't work so well sometimes :)

Anyway - last Tuesday was his first class, and I was looking forward to merely sitting back and watching everyone, but Linda had a different idea. Since there are only 5 participants, that means since I'm coming every time I get to handle Elsa, Linda's 7-month-old Bullmastiff puppy. And, by "puppy" I mean 85 pounds of lion-like animal.

Before that class, I considered myself to be pretty adept at being a "dog trainer" because, well, Zada responds so well with me and I've even worked with Tesa and Hogan, etc...well, I received an eye-opener after having Elsa on the end of the leash. She was good, just VERY hard to work with as she had other interests in mind...namely, wanting to play with her 2 friends in class (Zada and Stanley, a 6-month-old French bulldog, and cuter than cute). She'd be working beautifully for me, but then would lose interest and start staring off at some other dog - which I'd let her do because frankly I was working my butt off and needed a break - when all of a sudden she'd LUNGE at the other dog.

That was fun. She's not mean; just exuberant and, well, HUGE. Finally the class ended, the other members cleared out and we could let the 3 dogs off-leash to have at it and wrestle. Should be interesting to see if Linda asks me to handle her again this coming Tuesday!

But, Clint and Zada did very well together - he was having fun, learned some things, and she was VERY good so I was proud of both of them. (Plus, he still had energy at the end of class because he didn't have a bouncing lion-cub at the end of HIS leash!)

I'm looking forward to the next class, if only just for the fun that's had afterward...I have to admit, both Clint and I think Stanley is probably the cutest thing EVER. His head is a bit large for his body (Clint's definition: "Look at that orange on a toothpick!"), and he's full of himself - just charges right into the thick of the 2 bigger dogs wrestling. I'll have to get a picture of him this next time and put it in here to prove my point.

Well, that's it for now. Nothing else of note to blog about except - of course - my dog.

PS: Read more about Dog Obedience Classes and Linda's method of training :)

Shake Your Tailfeather

We leave for Puerto Vallarta in a little over a month (March 29th!), and as our trip approaches, I'm fluctuating between being excited and exasperated at having to WAIT.

The temperatures have plummeted back to the "below zeroes" and I think we Minnesotans are losing hope it'll EVER warm up. Well, maybe just THIS Minnesotan. My skin is dry, I can't shake my cold/flu, and I have to give myself a pep talk just to take the dog for her walk.

But, there's light at the end of the tunnel - sunny Mexico!

I've gotten to thinking, though...the last time I went this late in the season, it was in college and I was there on spring break. The entire country was basically at the whim of thousands of 20-somethings hyped up on rum drinks and "shaking their tailfeathers" at nightclubs until the wee hours (before stumbling back to their hotel rooms or the beach to sleep it off and begin again at dusk).

Hopefully that's not the case when we're there - I'm too old for all that now. I want to relax, soak up the sun and hike around taking pictures. (PS: Hiking is really just walking...but us runners are loath to say we WALK; hence the covert term.)

In preparation of this vacation, I'm forced once again to start my oh-shoot-I-only-have-one-month-to-go-before-I-have-to-wear-a-
bikini-again diet and exercise regime. (Please see previous post about my new buddy, Ana.) Having the flu for a week helped out greatly with the "trimming down" process - I must've lost about 7 pounds on my chicken noodle soup and fruit diet in that time period alone :) And, there was a lot of shaking going on then, too...but only because I had the chills.

So, as I listen to Nelly's "Shake Ya Tailfeathers" on my iPod right now - hey, it's on shuffle - I'm thinking maybe the cold is my incentive to get in shape. Because, see, you've gotta jig and dance just to keep warm in this blasted arctic air.

Sigh...so I guess for the next month and change I have to keep in mind that at least I get to leave MN and head to my lovely Viejo Vallarta - if only for a week!

Ana Cabán is Kicking my @$$!

Before Christmas, I was in Target and bought myself a mat and a Pilates DVD - Pilates Core Challenge with Ana Cabán - in the hopes of getting myself back in shape by starting with my core.

I finally unfurled the mat and popped the DVD in this past Tuesday. The workout took ~40 minutes, and no less than 3 times I had to pause the dang thing in order to rest! At first I thought it was going to be a bunch of sit-ups and stretching.

Whew. This woman is SERIOUS about Pilates - and she's just sitting there serenely on the tape, looking like she's not even working and I'm on the other end of the TV, sweating, cursing and muttering under my breath, "Are you KIDDING me, lady?"

I've done the workout twice now, and the 2nd time I still had to pause it - but only twice! - and when I do it again today, maybe it'll be a bit easier yet...my goal is to be back in shape by Mexico (beginning of April). Meaning, no IT band problems or having a sore back from just standing/walking for more than an hour.

And, Ana, you're going to get me there...let's just hope I have the fortitude - and time - to keep with the program!

Maggots & Leeches and Blood, Oh My!

I recently read somewhere that "bleeding is not an acceptable form of healing". While the days of Hippocrates and ancient Egypt are long past, certain things still remain as a way of coping with problems in the 21st century.

Take, for example, the lowly species Theromyzon, more commonly referred to as the leech, and don't forget baby Diptera (i.e., the larva of the common fly).

First, let us take a peek at the leech. Way back when, the "medicinal" use of bloodletting was popular, as doctors believed it would clear a person of their bad blood and thus be less likely to die / get sick from diseases. While not a form used today, very similarly, physicians will employ leeches in the promotion of healing tissues after a surgery (especially with grafted skin). Their bite produces a mild "anesthetic" while also thinning the blood to promote flowing. Doctors place them at the boundary between new skin & old so they can rid the area of excess blood and clotting, thus allowing the new skin the ability to connect with the veins in the old.



Disgusting as that may sound (a leech or three sucking away at your surgery site for the sole purpose of eating your blood), let us proceed, if we can, to the thought of the fly larvae mentioned earlier.

Now, no one can deny if we stumble across a rotting carcass in the woods, crawling with maggots, it's a sight (and smell!) which is nothing short of repulsive.

HOWEVER, keep in mind what maggots do - they eat dead tissue. So, not only do they aid in cleaning up said rotting carcass (from which we will hasten as if the Devil himself chases us), but according to USAToday (in a dated article I stumbled across - this is also where I found some of the info on the leeches), they're also approved as "medical devices".

That is: If after a surgery a wound is not healing and drugs cannot help, maggots can be brought in to "treat" the area by removing - as they do by EATING - the dead tissue, thus allowing the new tissue to get blood flow and promote growth. This is known as "Maggot Therapy".



Mmmm, yummy.

Admit it, it's gross, but it works. If - Heaven forbid - I were ever to find myself in a predicament to need the aid of such humble origins as the leech or the larva of a fly...could I, WOULD I allow myself to be subjected to their creepy "therapy"?

Indeed. Who'm I to judge?

Gift Cards - Good or Bad?

Most everyone seems to be strongly opined as to whether or not gift cards are a good idea. I recently read an article coined "Gift Cards are the Worst Possible Present to Buy Someone This Christmas". Evidently that person thinks buying someone a gift card for a present is nothing short of Satan worship.

Tsk, tsk.

It's fine to purchase a gift card for someone - within reason, of course.

Take, for example, my sister. She's the sort of person who buys people really creative gifts...BUT not always useful gifts :) Instead of "settling" for a gift card to a place she knows I shop, she'll go above and beyond to find a gift that's really neat - but I don't want/use/need.

On the other hand, a year or so back, she gave me a "gift" of sorts - she cleaned out her closet -and presented me with a sweatshirt I'd given to HER for Christmas one year when I was in college. So, what, now my college isn't good enough to wear on a sweatshirt? Her excuse: "Well, it's so BIG on me, and it's just not in style anymore." What? It's a sweatshirt!

Once, when I was younger (she's 5 years my senior; I think I was 13-ish) I gave her an abstract pencil drawing of a horse. The next day, when I saw it on her desk, it had been altered. Shocked, I asked her WHY she'd change my drawing - "you didn't get this part right" was her reply.

Guess what dear sister gets for gifts these days - GIFT CARDS. If she wants to buy something at Target and then give it to me a year later, great :)

Or, another example would be my father. He's a very hard person to buy gifts for - someone who likes really obscure things I'd have a hard time deciphering from the scant occasions we actually have a chat. So, the first year I got him a $100 gift card to Fleet Farm and he actually gasped, his eyes widened, and he blurted out, "THANK YOU!" I thought, we have a winner. I haven't gotten that reaction since, but of course it's because he gets one every year now. He can then do what he LOVES to do - go browse the "Man's Mall" for odd little knick-knacks.

Now, that being said, there are certainly times when a gift card is a cop-out gift. There are times when someone is purely lazy and doesn't want to take the time to pick something out, or leaves the gift purchase to the last minute and has "no choice" but to settle for the little plastic card.

Hey, at least when I buy gift cards, I make sure I know the person will like the store. Sister and Dad, for example, have their favorite haunts and it's quite simple to know they're just waiting for an excuse to walk in and catch sight of all the goodies lining the shelves (and have an excuse to purchase said items - "well, I have this gift card!").

So, this Christmas (or whichever holiday season you celebrate), keep in mind that there IS a time for gift cards...

Happy Purchasing!