my latest exercise fad

If you are anything like me, you go through exercise phases. I used to walk, then I tried jogging & hated it, then I went back to walking, and then I joined Curves. I stayed at Curves for about a year & some change, until I decided to quit a couple of weeks ago. I loved working out there, and I loved the exercise routine, but I just got to that point again when I needed a change. So I decided to start walking again. But I didn't want to just walk - I wanted something to do to tone my muscles as well. Specifically, my midsection. Yes, that dreaded area of the body that all women obsess over. I've been through the back-and-forth relationship with crunches, and I really didn't want to go back there. So I decided to do something I'd though about for a few months now.

At the first Curves where I worked out, they had a station in the middle of the circuit that was optional. It was right in the middle, where everyone in the gym would be watching you if you decided to do it. It was...The Hoop. Erica knows what I'm talking about because she was there, too. It's a weighted hula hoop used for exercise. Let me tell you - it is one mean, rainbow-colored, tummy slimming machine. I did The Hoop for about a minute the first time I tried it, and I definitely felt it the next day. Ladies at that Curves testified to the effectiveness of The Hoop. So a few months ago, I entertained the idea of purchasing a hoop. I called our local Sports Authority to see if they sold any exercise hoops. Apparently they do not, as the lady I spoke with had no clue what I was talking about. So I called the Curves where I first discovered the hoop, and she directed me to the website where they can be purchased. Well, guess what? They are only $29.99! And shipping and handling is included! What a deal! Of course Baron was skeptical that this was a passing fad that I would get over. So I didn't purchase the hoop at that time. However, now that I have quit Curves and I am still convinced that this hoop will be the eliminator of my midsection flab, I convinced Baron to let me order one. I did the hoop today for 3 minutes straight. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I like to equate it to about a million crunches because it works your belly so much. Plus they say on the website not to use it for more than 3 minutes per day the first week.

So...say goodbye to my belly jelly!! Here comes the Acu-Hoop!!

mystery

I am developing a crush.

Do any of you watch the show House? During its first season, I decided I would check it out. I hadn't heard anything about it, but when it started to come on, I just watched it. I fell in love. The show displays the absolute most sarcastic, dry sense of humor. If any of you know me, you know how much I appreciate sarcasm. Anyway, so ever since I have started watching the show, I have been hooked. And the more I watch Hugh Laurie on appearances like The Tonight Show (still jealous of Jamin & Ashley, BTW) and SNL, the more I realize what a crush I'm developing. I guess it is a combination of the British accent, the sarcasm, & the raw sense of humor. Plus he's kinda cute.

I recently came across a video of Hugh Laurie performing a song he wrote several years ago entitled Mystery. As you will see, he wasn't quite the hunk he is now. :-) Enjoy!

Hugh Laurie performing Mystery

pardon me whilst I flush.

We have all encountered the driver on the road who is talking on their cell phone as they weave across lanes. Or the "really loud cell phone talker guy" in the restaurant. I have heard countless complaints about these cell phone users. But I want to talk about what just happened to me.

I went to the restroom, and as I approached the door, I heard someone talking. Not unusual, since women talk in the restroom all the time. However, this time, it was a woman talking on her cell phone. I have before encountered the stall-dweller who insists on answering the cell phone while they urinate or perform other bodily functions. But this time, she was just standing in the restroom talking on the cell phone. Approximately 5 steps from where she stood was the door, which led to a perfectly good hallway for cell phone conversations. Maybe she likes the acoustics of the ceramic tile-covered latrine? I don't know. But it was very awkward for me to enter the stall, tinkle, and then proceed to flush, all while she was carrying on a conversation with someone. And I happen to know that the "someone" was a male, because he was talking so loudly on the other end of the phone that I could hear him from inside the stall. So between her sentences, he heard the sounds of my pants zipper, followed by the usual tinkle, tinkle, tinkle..., thunder of the industrial-sized toilet paper roll, and finally the very loud automatic toilet flushing. That was probably a bit awkward for him.

Anyway, please hang up or step outside to carry on your cell phone conversation, and let us urinate in peace. Thank you.

(When she got off the phone, she did tell me that my sweater looked "really pretty" on me, so of course I had to forgive her after that compliment.)

excuse me...is your refrigerator running?

If someone had prank called us this weekend & asked us that question, it would not have been funny at all.

Friday afternoon, I went into the kitchen after I got home from work & I saw a towel on the floor at the base of the refrigerator. "Was the fridge leaking?" I asked Baron. He said it had some water under it that morning so he put a towel on the floor to catch the slow drip. Well, what started as a slow drip had turned into a waterfall, apparently. The towel was soaked & there was water all over the floor. I looked into the freezer, and the ice in the ice maker was melting. What in the world? We just got this thing in October. And it's a Frigidaire. It's not like some off brand appliance we got at Willie's World or something. Anyway, so apparently everything in the freezer was thawing, and had been thawing all day Friday while we were at work. Which stinks, because I am not much of a cook, so we had several frozen dinners stocked up. Out they went, into the trash. The good news was that the refrigerator side was still cold. Well...at the time it was still cold. Saturday morning we checked it, and it was cold, but not quite as cold as you'd like it to be. So Baron called the manufacturer since it's still under warranty. Uh...what was that? They can't get a repair man out until Monday?? Wow. Thanks, Mr. Manufacturer. Thanks. So we ended up throwing away all of the food in the refrigerator. What a waste. The only salvageable items were a few soft drinks, a pitcher of filtered water, and several jars of preserves that had not been opened yet. Yummy.

Well, the manufacturer told Baron that someone would call him Monday to set up a time to come look at the fridge. Little did we know that to them, that meant ON THE WAY TO OUR HOUSE. The guy called Baron Monday morning, while we are both at work, and said he was on his way & asked if he could come look at the fridge right then. Well...no, because no one's at the house. Genius. So Baron told him that he gets off at 3:00 and would be at home after that. When Baron got home, he waited until 4:00 before he called the repairman back. And, of course, the repairman couldn't come out that afternoon. So, Baron had to stay home this morning to wait for the guy to come fix the fridge "sometime between 8:00 and 9:00". At least it wasn't like the cable guy, who will show up sometime between 10:00 and next September.

Anyway...our fridge is fixed now. Apparently there was a blockage in the freon line. Oh and the best part is that there is a possibility it could happen again. Wonderful. Maybe I will restock the fridge just in time to throw everything away again. Who knows.

some say I look like my mom, but...

http://www.myheritage.com

say what?

Have any of you ever tried ear candling? Well, if you haven't, you should. It's a great way to get all the gunk out of your ears. This weekend whilst at Last Hour, Ashley, Christy, & I decided to do the ear candles. So I make the trek to the nearest health food store & made the purchase. Before we started, we tried to make bets on who would have the most earwax after the ordeal was over. (BTW, you can see your earwax inside the candles when you're finished.) The first time I did this, with Amy Newsom, I had an AMAZING amount of wax in the candle when we were finished. You would be shocked. So of course I stated that I would have the most wax. And Ashley & Christy thought the same thing about themselves. Once we got started we realized that it would take longer than we thought, and Christy didn't have time to candle her ears with me & Ashley. So I don't have a picture of her wax, but she definitely won by a landslide. Here are the pics...

(I know...I look possessed.)

...and here are our mounds of earwax.