I Know What You've Been Doing...

I just said that to the dog.  It wasn't what I was going to write about, but this topic is so poignant that I just have to drop a line. 

Tess is our 3rd dog -- all labs in part or full.  Tess is probably the most loving of all dogs.  She is also the most selective of hearing, the most egotistical (she thinks if she barks at EVERYTHING, she is intimidating), and she has an indiscriminating collection of taste buds.  She will eat almost anything -- chocolate covered in foil, brownies and chocolate cake, left over cereal, cat food and the most disgusting:  cat poop.  

Now you would need to know the 2 cats we currently have living with us to fully understand that this "delicacy" is not rare.  Tess is picky in that she prefers the "fresh-from-the-source" version over the "been-there-a-while" type.  Neither of our other dogs ever did this so it disgusts me to no end.  At least, I can always tell when she's had a snack so we get her plenty of water and real dog food to cleanse the palate.  Ewwwwwwww!!!!!!

Meanwhile, the 2 cats observe her with a look of dismay and tolerance.  Mack is the oldest at 9 and Loki, Lauren's fat cat we are fostering, is about 5?  They are as opposite as they come but since the younger one has become a permanent fixture, Mack has become quite the hip-hugger on the couch.  Loki takes over the table and plops himself down, rolls over and looks at you backwards just begging for a rub.  He also thinks he can hide his huge rear end behind the sheer drapes in the dining room.  He's not real bright.  

Come to think about it, Tess and Loki have the same color fur -- kind of blondish.....   Just makes you think.

Don't you just love a productive day?

Ever notice how some days you spend 12/14/18 hours working your butt off and have absolutely NOTHING to show for it?  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  Now, I have learned over time that when that happens I must force myself to find something to justify my existence that day and sometimes, SOMETIMES, it's as simple as:  Got Up.  Took a shower.  Got Dressed.  Played on the computer.  And somehow I can dig really hard to find something CONSTRUCTIVE I did on the computer, like update a Birthday List or something.  And invariably, then I get mad -- and try to blame others -- when in fact I have no one to blame but myself.  And I try to justify my computer time as "Relaxing" time.  Which it is.  But that doesn't help the laundry get in the washer and out, the ironing (yes, I still do that sometimes -- actually that will be my American Idol activity tonight when all of America with its 38 million (38,000,000) votes will decide the fate of some talented young person.  Jennifer, if Adam Lambert goes on tour, I'm taking you!!), or the miriad of papers get into file folders in the basement.  I REALLY  have to be in the right frame of mind to go down there and spend some time -- even with the lights on, it's a bit depressing.

And yet, if I just put my head down, bite the bullet, eat the frog and DO the job at hand, it usually takes a fraction of the time I anticipate to complete.  I spend more time talking myself OUT of doing the task than actually DOING the task.  Can we all say "PROCRASTINATION?"

But some days just flow -- and today was one of them!  Got to work with a big old Starbucks Iced Decaf Venti Non-Fat No-Whip Mocha in hand and I began.  I opted to simply take the first thing off the pile and address it.  And my mind clearly processed everything, I was barely distracted by others and I made huge progress.  And what an energizing feeling.  I feel like I can take on the basement piles with fortitude and enthusiasm.

But only after I finish this blog and hit a few rounds of Puzzle Express.  Because, it is always good to Relax BEFORE you work!

Life's Surprises

So, why is it that one day you wake up and notice that your body has taken on a life of its own -- or at least parts of it have?   One day, my hair looks great -- the next it's 10 feet too long.  One day, my face doesn't look too bad -- the next day there are these bumps forming along my forehead with one strategically placed right dead center, just tempting anyone brave enough to push it and see if something happens.  

I love our dermatologist -- he is kind beyond words.  He doesn't say things like, "You're old -- get used to it."  or "You will see these things develop - more to come!"  He just explains some scientific term and says that we can do this or that.  Neither of which are covered by insurance because they are cosmetic.  One would think that at 54 years old, appearances just ain't that important, but alas I opted for Door #1, and guess what he says?  "Since insurance won't cover this, let's just make this a test and I won't charge you.  Next time, if you want to do this again, I will just charge you for the treatment and not an office visit."  AND, they wrote that in the file for future reference!  Who Does That these days?  Normally, they take your firstborn when you park in the parking lot, let alone see a doctor.  And so it goes -- aging can be beautiful, but it seems to be more beautiful with the help of a good skin doctor..... :)  Now I just have to sit back and watch what happens -- this should be fun!

Next time I'm asking him to treat the large bumps on my hips -- oh wait, those large bumps ARE my hips.  Wonder what kind of medical miracle he has for that!