Bohemian Rhapsody - Party Time! Excellent!

I love music.  Life just isn't complete without a soundtrack, is it?  :)

The only thing is that that my memories tend to become inextricably intertwined with music, so a certain song can set me off, make me cry, stare into space, or grin maniacally for seemingly no reason.  LOL!

Like this one:


Bohemian Rhapsody has so many specific memories attached to it.  :)

• The old 45 my brother and I found as kids and played on our (barely working) record player.
• Wayne's World.  (Of course!)
• "Freshman Friday" in Jr. High.  Hanging out on the playing fields, eating and socializing... one guy was really popular because he brought a boombox, and had the Wayne's World soundtrack on tape.  Yeah, baby!
• Carowinds!  I can smell the hot pavement and funnel cake when I hear this song.  I can almost feel the air from the fans waiting in line for The Hurler, and hear Wayne and Garth talking about the ride.  "Party Time!  Excellent!"

Yep.  It's good.  :)  The song is definitely better than The Hurler, which always managed to leave me with a massive headache.  LOL!

Things I Don't Want To Hear About On Facebook

People on Facebook are getting out of hand, and I have but one thing to say:

"It's not your MFing journal, people!"

Go to Target and buy a notebook.

Turn to the first page and write 'Dear Diary'.

Go!

THAT is a journal.

A public place where you are friends with your ex-boss, your family, your kindergarten teacher, and all your neighbors is NOT the place to announce that you just had great sex.  Nor is it the place to let everyone know that coffee makes you 'have to immediately take a shit' (yes, that's a quote), that you have your period, that your hemorrhoids are acting up, that you WANT to have sex (even if you're married), that you've been seeing a married woman for two years (no joke, I couldn't make this up) or that your husband gave you a dutch oven last night.

I DO NOT NEED TO KNOW.

I do not WANT to know.

This stuff is OK to share in the right context.  With your BFF, it's fair game... but trust me, people who knew you for 5 minutes in 7th grade just don't want to know.  There's a private message feature... for the love of god,  people, USE IT.

And while we're on the subject of PMs, I feel I must say this:

Marital squabbles via status update - interesting (in a car wreck sort of way), but cringe-worthy. 

Cat fights via status update?  See above.

Don't get indignant when people jump in and stir the pot or take sides... you put it out there, it's your fault.

So yeah, I'm begging you:  Please stop making me cringe, or 50% of the people I'm 'friends' with are going to end up hidden from my news feed.  Buy a journal, for the love of God.

Memorial Day Recommendations

Memorial Day Recommendations:

First and foremost:  Thank a soldier.  Be glad and grateful that you don't have to memorialize them this year.

Number two:  Kielbasa.
YUM.  Slice up kielbasa and top with sauerkraut in a foil packet... fold and grill over a charcoal grill.  Divine, I tell you!

Number three:  White sangria.
Combine a big bottle of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, 1/4 cup peach brandy (can be omitted in a pinch, and it's still good!)  and 1/4 cup fine sugar.  Dice/slice fruits such as oranges, limes, blueberries and strawberries, and let sit in the wine/sugar mixture for a few hours.  Then pour into a glass 3/4 way full.  Top with Sprite, and serve.  Delicious!!

Number four:
Make a delectable dessert.  Or buy it... whatever floats your boat.  ;)  This year we had Watergate Salad, Banana Pudding, and Frozen Yogurt from www.sweetfrogyogurt.com

It's been a gooood weekend.  :)

Coldplay - Trouble

I <3 Coldplay.

Maybe Later...

So, I'm thinking I'm going to wrap things up here and move in another direction.
If you want to follow along, just let me know and I'll be happy to let you know where to find me.  :)

Fifty Shades of Grey (Spoiler)

So, I finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey this morning.

The first thing I thought was "Holy crap, it's a good thing I'm not known for my delicate sensibilities."   This thing should be behind the counter, wrapped in plastic... it's pretty high on the smut/shock end of the curve, that's for sure.  Whew.  Is it hot in here?

So yeah... smutty, but captivating.  Completely and utterly captivating - I couldn't put it down.

I do have to say, though, that I was unnerved by it, even with my 'non-delicate' tendencies.  Very intense book, and surprisingly disarming.  I'm not sure how it feel about it, still.  Honestly, I'm not used to erotica (and frankly, that's what this book is) with such meaningful and heart-wrenching undertones.  I guess there's a reason that porn generally doesn't have a real 'storyline', huh?

Wow.  Just, wow.

It really affected me, especially the end.  She tears herself away from the only man she's ever loved (and the man who was her 'first') because he can't (or won't) give her what she needs.  Haunting, I guess, is a good word... not something you forget easily.

So, I guess I'd describe it as 'smut with a heart'.  I didn't think there was any such thing!  LOL!

John Mayer - Shadow Days

I like.  Good song!

Everything Happens For A Reason

Wow.  What a morning.

I'm going to start by offering some random advice:  Having 2 Diet Dr. Peppers and a Caramel Macchiato on an empty stomach is not a good idea.

Bad, bad idea.

Almost four hours later, and I'm still twitchy.  

It's raining and I'm twitching.  But I got to go shopping at Target today with my birthday money, and got some awesome stuff!  (One thing has to go back, because it didn't work out - Boo!)  I saw this there, and was immediately enamored with it:

I love it.  It's true... everything does happen for a reason, and it's usually a good reason.  I thought for a minute "Why pay $14.99 for this?  I could make that myself!"  But then a little voice said "Let it go, already" and it just jumped in my cart.  :)

I picked up the book Fifty Shades of Grey as well.  *blush*  I felt a little odd having a lady I've known for years see me buy that... hopefully she doesn't know that it's just cleverly disguised smut.  (So I hear, anyway... I'll let ya know.)

Make A Wish

I kind of want to rewind and be 10 years old again.

OK, maybe not... but I would love for things to be that simple again, when my 'heart's desires' were so very simple.  New toys, clothes, bikes... all those things made me blissfully happy at 10.

Is it just me, or did it seem that each year after 10, things got infinitely more complex?

No birthday cake this year... I haven't had one in years.
If I were 10 I would blow out my candles and wish for a new cassette tape, a brand-new Caboodles make-up organizer, or some books.

My wishes would be SO very different at 35.
Namely because they would be mostly impossible ones.  Wishes to hug someone one last time, to fix broken relationships, to take back words... those are the wishes that would be on my mind.

Since those things are impossible, I wish for the strength to see nothing but hope and opportunity in the future, and to let go of things I can't fix.  I can feel good knowing that the ones I love and care for know it, and that I have people in my life who love me no matter what I do or say, and no matter how crazy I sometimes get.  (And I know that's a tall order, guys!  :))

Onward and upward....

One hurdle down, now official 'middle age' is just around the corner.

Out To Pasture

I've been really bummed out about turning 35, and it's finally upon me.

I know some people think I'm crazy, because it's not one of the typical milestone birthdays people usually freak out about.  40... that, people understand.

For a woman, though, 35 can be traumatizing.

This is the age where the medical community flat-out tells you "Hey.  You, over there?  YOU are no longer a spring chicken.  You are old.  Your eggs are drying up, and your body's wearing out."

Cheery statistics, these are:

A woman's risk of having a baby with certain birth defects involving chromosomes (the structures in cells that contain genes) increases with age. Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal birth defect. Affected children have varying degrees of intellectual disabilities and physical birth defects. A woman's risk of having a baby with Down syndrome is (1):

• At age 25, 1 in 1,250
• At age 30, 1 in 1,000
• At age 35, 1 in 400
• At age 40, 1 in 100
• At 45, 1 in 30
• At 49, a 1 in 10

Most miscarriages occur in the first trimester for women of all ages. The risk of miscarriage increases with age. Studies suggest that about 10 percent of recognized pregnancies for women in their 20s end in miscarriage (1). The risk rises to (1):

• About 20 percent at ages 35 to 39
• About 35 percent at ages 40 to 44
• More than 50 percent by age 45

Some complications that are more common in women over 35 include:

• Gestational diabetes: This form of diabetes develops for the first time during pregnancy. Studies suggest that women over age 35 are about twice as likely as younger women to develop gestational diabetes (7, 8). Women with gestational diabetes are more likely to have a very large baby who is at risk of injuries during delivery and of newborn health problems (such as breathing problems).
• High blood pressure: As with diabetes, high blood pressure can develop for the first time during pregnancy. This is called pregnancy-induced high blood pressure or pregnancy-induced hypertension. In its more severe form, it is called preeclampsia. Some studies have found that pregnancy-induced high blood pressure is more common in women over age 35 (8, 9).
• Placental problems: The most common placental problem is placenta previa, in which the placenta covers part or all of the uterine opening (cervix). One study found that women in their late 30s were almost twice as likely, and women in their 40s nearly three times as likely, as younger women to have this complication (7). Placenta previa can cause severe bleeding during delivery, which can endanger mother and baby. A cesarean birth (also called c-section) often can prevent serious complications.
• Premature birth: Women ages 40 and older are more likely than women in their 20s and 30s to deliver prematurely (before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy). From 2003 to 2005, 16.6 percent of women ages 40 and older delivered prematurely, compared to 12.5 percent of women ages 30 to 39, and 11.9 percent of women ages 20 to 29 (10). Premature babies are at increased risk of health problems in the newborn period and of lasting disabilities. Some studies also suggest that women in their 40s may be at increased risk of having a low-birthweight baby (less than 5½ pounds) (7, 8). (Low birthweight can result from premature birth, poor growth before birth or both.)
• Stillbirth: Stillbirth is the death of the fetus after 20 weeks of pregnancy. A number of studies have found that women over age 40 are about two to three times as likely as women in their 20s to have a stillborn baby (7, 11). The causes of stillbirth in the over-40 age group are not known.
• 
  

And hey, look... we're even more likely to have autistic children!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208102411.htm

Is it any wonder I'm depressed?

I'm not planning on having any more children (and couldn't even if I wanted to), but damn... I definitely feel 'out to pasture' knowing all this.

I guess I should wander off and go look at that AARP brochure... then I think I'll take a break and yell at some kids to get the hell off my lawn.