More to Love

This was totally my idea, just like the Soap Network, rear windshield wipers and the iPhone! Fox has announced plans to cast a "plus-sized" reality dating show. This show has the potential to be really, really bad and be offensive to those of us that fall into the plus-sized category. I really hope that it doesn't -- I hope that it shows that we have the same issues, along with some issues that the "skinny minnies" don't have. One day I will start sharing my tales of plus-sized dating -- I keep saying I need to write a book about it. Some stories will make you laugh, some will make you cry. In the meantime, I'll continue dating and collecting material...and maybe I'll just apply to be on this new show, just for grins. I do have "more to love," after all. :)

Music coming back to MTV

MTV is bringing (some) music back! Interesting since music is the concept the station was founded on more than 20 years ago. Not that I'll be watching between 3-9 a.m., but I am happy that artists will once again have a forum on TV, not just the Internet, for their videos. Good call, MTV.

Cap 10K

Totally cool shot of Cap 10K runners over the bridge today. Wish I had taken it. :)

One Giant Step for Jenn

Today I started a 5K walking training program! This may not seem like a lot to most of you, but for me, this was a huge step. I've committed to walking in the May 9 March for Babies event and now to walking in the Seton Ignite 5K in June. I am determined to also walk in the Race for the Cure again. Two years ago, I walked in it and finished, but wound up with a nasty knee injury requiring several months of rehab. From walking! Ridiculous.

I am the classic example of use it or lose it. As a kid, I roller skated and bicycled EVERYWHERE. I did gymnastics and played softball for ten years. Then I just kinda stopped really doing anything. Sure, I've walked, I've done yoga, played the occasional softball game and lived to regret it for weeks...and I even did a back walkover about 10 years ago at Christmas just to prove I could. Man, did that hurt. But I am seriously out of shape and in need of some serious weight loss. I'm not one of those chicks who just says that either, I really, really need to get healthy. I did Weight Watchers two years ago, lost 20 lbs and was really excited. Then I hit a plateau, suffered the knew injury mentioned above...and got discouraged.

Other stressful things like my dad dying of cancer and now my mom fighting cancer have given me the perfect excuse to ignore my own health concerns. But I hope that with the baby steps I took today, I am starting down the long road to better health. Because the reality is that I could be facing cancer or other health issues one day. Most of us do at some point. And I have yet to hear that diet and exercise are bad for you. Believe me, I've been on the lookout for word of this, but no luck. Today felt great. My hips and heels already hurt, but that's ok. Maybe next week they'll hurt just a little less.

Wish me luck on this long and winding road...

What do you get when you put a journalist, fire, a city building, a white floor-length fur coat, leather pants and a night of drinking together?

Another fabulous “Keep Austin Weird” story, of course! A few weeks ago, the fire department was called out to the City Hall parking garage because a car was on fire. It’s not unusual for a car engine to catch on fire while stuck in Austin traffic on I-35 or Mopac in the summer, but while parked inside a garage in the middle of the night, it’s a little odd.

So late yesterday when the headline “Local journalist arrested for arson” popped up in my email late, my eyes widened and I immediately clicked on the link. I work with members of the media every day, so my mind raced and I wondered who it could be! Turns out it was not someone I’ve ever worked with, but I’ve certainly read his work over the years in the Chronicle, Austin’s alternative newspaper. Apparently Moser was accused of setting his roommate’s car on fire in the garage after a night of celebrating around town. Security cameras caught him smoking a cigarette, wearing a white floor-length fur coat and leather pants, sitting in the car, and apparently have footage that proves his set fire to it later. Read the unfolding story here.

I’m pretty sure that haven’t heard the last of this saga, but I would just like to say that I am so thankful to live in such a colorful town with such fabulous characters…I could almost get rid of cable!

Additional note: Although I’m poking fun at this story here, I understand that Moser has prostate cancer and I’m sorry to hear that. I certainly don’t wish cancer on anyone. I hope he recovers soon.

procrastination

Miracle upon miracle...I finally got my taxes filed. I'm getting a pretty hefty refund, so why the heck did I wait so darn long to do it? Maybe it's because it's pretty much already spent. Or maybe it's just because I'm still procastinating, even though I vowed not to do that anymore.

Speaking of procrastinating, I read that Harrison Ford finally proposed to Callista Flockhart and that David Letterman finally married his longtime girlfriend after like 20 years together! Whew. At least I'm not that bad!

cognitive drop-off

For about the last year, I’ve started noticing a pretty sharp decline in my short-term memory. I would crack jokes about it – oh, I’m just getting old, ha ha ha. But when my sister and I went on vacation late last year and she (the normally ditzy, forgetful one) had to repeat things over and over to me, I got worried. I’ve been to a couple of doctors trying to figure this out…so far, nothing. We’ve ruled out a lot of things, which I suppose I should be thankful for.

I just read that a new study says we start to lose cognitive abilities in our late 20s and our 30s. Specifically, this article says, “In addition to the cognitive drop-off, the team also found that average memory declines were detected by about age 37.” I turned 37 last Tuesday. This sucks.

Laugh if you will, but this cannot be as good as my brain gets, can it?!?!!? Come on, I have a lot more in there to contribute! It seems like all of a sudden I went from being young & able to not old, but getting there and declining! How did this happen? Sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on things I should be doing. But the good news is that in a few weeks, I won’t remember what I missed!

Bon Jovi & the Brazilian

So apparently in New Jersey, they are thinking about banning the Brazilian wax. Now I'll wax my eyebrows and if I wanted the entire world to hear me scream, I'd wax my legs, but there ain't no way, no how, am I ever gonna wax my hoo-ha. And I don't know why on earth anyone would! Sadistic!

New Jersey: you gave us Jon Bon Jovi and banned the Brazilian! Bravo!

vase of many faces

Tonight me, my sister, my nephew and my brother's little doggie, Dexter, hung out at my mom's house. The lure of free dinner does it everytime. :) Dexter is in his awkward toddler stage and bounds around all the time, but at one point tonight, he stopped in his tracks and started growling and barking at something. We looked and just around the corner in the hall is mom's creepy face vase. I'm not a fan of this thing...I swear it's staring at me, no matter where I go in the house...and it creeps me out. This just proves that Dexter is one smart little doggie. He did not trust the face vase at all! I'm with you, Dex, it's creep-a-delic.

chicken felons!

There are so many things wrong with this picture. My thoughts after reading the headline: What could one little chicken do to get charged with a felony? Questions after realizing that the chicken was already dead, fried and in a bucket: The socks cost more than the chicken? Eeeewwww – they were gonna eat it? Other questions that came to mind: Why socks? And why, why, why did Dumb and Dumber do this in Williamson County? Everyone knows the law WILL find you in the WC! More importantly, why did they resist, cause a scuffle and a police chase? I’m pretty sure $6.83 would not qualify them for a felony, but fight, run & injure someone and it sure does! Maybe the headline should have been, “Men with chicken brains charged with felonies after taking socks!”

It's a privilege

So I've been sort of in denial about turning 37 today. It just sounds way too close to 40. But I just read this quote that helped put things into perspective: "Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many."

weekend

This has been a weird – and sad – weekend. Some good things happened this weekend too, though. As you know if you read my blog, my mom is fighting breast cancer. Well she was feeling really tired last week because her white blood cell count was low. They gave her shots to boost them and by Friday she was much better. So she was able to get her 2nd chemo treatment. Sounds funny that being able to get chemo is a good thing, but it is! Plus, we found out at the appointment that the tumor has already shrunk quite a bit. Yay! That means the chemo is working, thank God. She’ll still have to have surgery and radiation after that, but getting rid of the cancer cells is what we want! Even though mom was feeling better, towards the end of the week, her hair started to fall out. She had each of us cut some and sported a crazy, spiky hairdo (at least in the house) for a few days. Today mom went to see Tracie, a friend who is a hairdresser, and had her head shaved. She has two wigs and some scarves and caps she can wear… I know it was hard for mom, but she’s dealing with this a lot better than I would, that’s for sure.

This weekend was also full of sad news. First, we learned that Tracie’s mother-in-law had just passed away. I didn’t know her mother-in-law, but it’s still sad.

Then, while we were out getting my mom’s medicine Saturday, we got a call from my mom’s friend Melanie telling us that an old family friend, Danny, had suddenly died of a massive heart attack. It was also the first anniversary of Melanie’s dad’s death. Eerie. Danny grew up with my parents, was my mom’s second cousin, was in their wedding, served along with his wife as my baptismal sponsor and spent lots of time driving around and talking with my dad when he was sick. He had this huge, toothy grin and a larger than life laugh – that’s how I will remember him.

Then tonight I heard from yet another friend whose dad passed away five days ago.

Obviously mortality and the possibility of losing another parent have been weighing heavily on my mind lately. April 6 marks two years since my dad died of lung cancer….as the date gets closer and closer, memories keep rushing back to me of his time in the hospital. I wonder if this will always be the case or if that part of it will go away. I miss dad every single day, but I was again reminded after hearing about Danny how lucky we were to have had so much time to spend with him before he died.

Found this great quote from John Barrymore and it made me smile: “The good die young - because they see it's no use living if you've got to be good.” So I’ll sign off now because I’ve got a lot of living to do! ;)

Sleepless in Seattle......

All the angels in heaven are singing! I just heard that they are thinking of making Sleepless in Seattle into a musical! This could be my big break into Broadway, whaddya think? ;)

my kinda milkshake

I always knew there was a diamond at the end of the milkshake.

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Love as long as you live...

Today is my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary. They were married at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, TX on March 1, 1944. They're stilll married, but don't make a big fuss about it. Grandma says, "We were just too lazy to do anything else." I'm not buying it. Marriage is hard. I know they've had some hard times...and I know they've had some good times. Through it all, they stayed together and they are still here, handing out love and support to their family. That's what it's all about, right? I'm proud of their legacy they've passed down. Happy anniversary, Grandma & Pop! Love you!



"May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live."
- Robert Heinlein