So my hubby recently sent me an e-mail that contained the following link.  It describes the “12 germiest places” in your life.  Out of the entire article, I couldn’t help but wonder who was the poor sod whose job it was to measure the amount of feces in each pair of dirty underwear … 

http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2007/10/articles/food-safety-communication/12-germiest-places/index.html

My porn:  FoodNetwork.

His porn:  the Golf Channel.

So, you know I’m on the vegan diet.  The low-fat, low-GI, low-carb, no caffeine, no artificial sweeteners, no nuts, no avocadoes, no olives, vegan diet.  And this has been about a month now and I’ve lost 4 pounds which isn’t bad.  But the disgusting thing is, my hubby who is only part-time on the aforementioned diet, while still maintaining the coke-swilling, chocolate-bar-inhaling, and bacon-and-pizza-eating diet, has lost 5 pounds. 

Undeniable evidence that life is not fair. 

Some people are so good at appreciating luxury.  Five stars are a necessity.   For me, frugality still often wins out.  I just can’t enjoy myself if I feel like I’ve overspent.

My parents recently got a new luxury vehicle.  We all refer to it as the “hotrod.”  I’ve been anxious about driving it as I do not want to be the one to christen it with the first ding. 

Well, I had to drive it today as our car was in the shop.  I sat down on the heated leather driver’s seat and the only thing I could think of was that it felt like I had peed my pants.  One person’s luxury is another person’s …

This is a tough time of year for the GTBR or “gut-to-boob-ratio,” as I like to call it.  You know, when you look in the mirror and think “oh my God, my gut looks bigger than my boobs!”  I have found that Christmas feasting is a definite contributor to the GTBR phenomenon, and also that there is generally an inverse relationship between the GTBR and ambitions in other areas of life!

With the Christmas schedule my usual routine has been altered, but I’ve really been enjoying the break.  As I was filling in our calendar for the upcoming year, I took the opportunity to reflect on the beauty of relaxation.  Our kids’ schedules are generally pretty packed throughout the school year.   While they do enjoy their various extra-curricular activities, the break from them all is more than welcome.  Balance in our lives is something we’re constantly striving for.  Time for play is something to cherish.

This break our whole family has had time to do the things we love - get together with family and friends to share food and talk, go to some live performances, goof off at home, and catch up on a few niggling chores - the kind where you need a quiet moment to focus your energies on the task at hand. 

I have heard that even-numbered years are ones where you enjoy completion and fruition.  They are supposed to be easier than their odd-numbered counterparts.  Won’t that be nice. 

I’m looking forward to a year of prosperity and wellness.  One of love and hope.  See you there.

I have been away from my “blogging practice” lately.  In pondering the whys of this situation, it dawned on me that I seem to have room for only so many “practices” at any one time in my life.  For instance, if I’m working hard on my healthy eating practice, my blogging practice drops off.  Or if I’m spending a lot of time on my cooking practice, some of my exercise practices may fall away. 

I have recently begun a new healing visualization practice, to work on ridding my body of the diabetes it does not need.  This is one practice I cannot afford to give up.

I have incorporated the healing visualizations into my regular meditation time, which is right before I go to sleep at night.  I originally began meditating because I had a hard time falling asleep.  I find that meditating calms my mind and body, and allows sleep to overtake me.  When I first started, I used a CD, but now I can usually reach a meditative state quite quickly and easily. 

Incorporating the visualizations has given my meditation more of a focus.  I get bored quite easily, so I alternate between many different scenarios in which I visualize my body returning to its healthy state.  One of the challenges of a chronic illness like diabetes is that my body sees this state as its “new normal.”  My body needs to be reminded of its once healthy self so it can begin the process to return there. 

OD: I’ve never seen a boy’s urinal.

YD: I have. I’ve seen daddy’s.

I’m not sure which is harder to attain:  the simultaneous “o” (gotta keep it clean, this is a family show) or the simultaneous finishing of the shampoo and conditioner.

I finally figured it out.

While having dim sum today (did I mention how much I love dim sum?), I finally figured out the Chinese restaurant hierarchy. You know what I mean right? Who is allowed to take your order; who is allowed to bring food to your table; who is allowed to refill your teapot; who is allowed to give you your bill, etc. And everything has a specific level and those below cannot do the jobs of those above, but can only relay the information to those above so that everyone does the right thing.

Well, I finally figured out that more clothing = more power.

The top guy wears a suit.

The middle guy wears a vest and tie.

The bottom guy (usually a woman) wears an apron-y thing.

We also discovered the perils of ordering off an all-Chinese character menu. We were able to match up the numbers and English with the Chinese on the order form (or so we thought). All was going well until “steamed duck tongues” showed up on our order, instead of “spring rolls.” I have images of thousands of quackless ducks. Is it just me?

I haven’t been blogging lately (painfully obvious, I know), but I’ve certainly been thinking about it, and writing on my little scraps of paper all over the place. I promise to get back on the blog-train soon. The countdown to “back to school” has begun and I can once again see the glimmer of hope that is my life.

What I learned on my summer vacation? ‘Tis better to experience the pangs of missing thy children, than to feel them breathing down thy neck.