Faith

George Michael was right when he sang "...you gotta have faith-a, faith-a, faith-ah..."

I had a great weekend. I spent it with my boyfriend and got to catch up with good old friends again. It reminded me of how cool, no, wait, a better word would be....GOOD it is that I can talk to an old friend and we can just pick up from where we left off even if it's been over 1-2 years since we conversed. I appreciate that kind of reconnection very much.

I've also been thinking. Personal events of this past week reminded me to have faith in all things. Things that do or do not happen. Faith that people come and go from my life for a reason. Even if I make a well thought out choice, even that happens for a reason. Faith is what I feel when I suddenly stop crying and feel a sense of calm that everything will be just fine. Insecurities are addressed and must be set aside. Faith does not cost a thing. And it also brings to me...good sleep.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Burnin' up

My boyfriend and I decided to leave for a walk at about 11am this morning, figuring that it will be good exercise and a good way to complete some errands at the drug store. It started out pretty pleasant. I had my hat on and confortable shoes. I kinda worried that I hadn't put on any sunblock, though. It's super sunny,practically cloudless, and 100 degrees. At about 2 miles, we got distracted at this 99 cent bargain store. Hiding on a bottom shelf were Tide sticks for 99 cent each! What a deal! We grabbed every single one that they had. Could not pass that one up.

Next, we finally hit the drugstore - prescription was not ready yet. What?! I called over 1.5 hours ago and you said it would be done in an hour! I've worked retail before - just don't be promising people stuff like that if you can't keep your end of it, okay? So, we leave and decide to have lunch across the parking lot at Panera bread - Italian Combo on Ciabatta - our favorite. About 30 minutes or so later, we go back to the drugstore - another problem. That took an additional 20 minutes for them to fix. Geez. I know, I think I'm losing patience.

Finally we start walking home and stop by the local market to pick up some sale items we saw in a flyer earlier in week: a pint of blueberries for $2, 2 grapefruits for $1, green beans and broccoli crowns - all for $5 and some change. What a deal. Of course, my boyfriend was my superman who carried all this stuff home. I got to hold our soda cup from Panera bread - the soda was getting warmer and warmer.

Our trek home felt like crossing the Sahara. Whatever that feels like. I mean, it felt hot to me. I have pretty low tolerance for heat and it was getting worn out pretty quickly. My stomach felt full from soda and I was getting a cramp in the middle of my chest. The kind you get after running. It's probably hotter in Vegas though - maybe worse in Arizona. I'm just a pansy.

Hypoglycemia

I waited too long to eat dinner today. My head felt horrible. I was irritable. Voices seemed magnified and I just wanted quiet time. I finally ate my fish taco, curled up on the couch, and watched the Olympics. Blah.

Oddities

Hello, my name is J Dogg and I'm a lip balm addict (step 1). I've been an addict since high school. If I'm ever unequipped with a stick of the stuff for a full day, my lips get dry, painful, and start to slightly peel at the edges. It's disgusting! However, I have discovered for myself the ONLY (I'm serious when I write ONLY) lip balm I will ever need for those times my lips get to the point as described above. I put it on and within hours, my lips feel smooth and the peeling is hardly noticeable. By the next day, my lips are practically back to normal. This product is called Lypsyl and seriously the best thing that came out of Sweden (next to Ikea). Find it at your local drugstore today and try it for your lips' sake.

P.S. The picture shown is the exact product I'm writing about. Don't buy the other kind they make that's a thinner tube. You want that big wide tube in the picture. Got it? Good.
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One thing I take for granted now that I live in southern California are clouds. We rarely have those pretty big puffy clouds (the cumulonimbus kind) but instead the thin high cirrus clouds. I would think that's because where I live, it's essentially a desert; we simply don't get rain for most of the year. So, when the sky happens to have those heavenly looking ones, my boyfriend (who also lives close to me) will call me just to ask, "hey did you see the big poofy clouds? they're beautiful!". It's rather cute really, how he gets all excited. He's from Chicago, if that explains anything. We both came from areas with four seasons.

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Oh my goodness, we went to see Matchbox Twenty last week and can I just tell you how amazing Rob Thomas' voice is? He is so passionate while he's singing. His natural stage presence and voice will hypnotize you; occasionally his eyes will even bug out while playing the piano. The songs sound just like the CD if not better. I was also impressed that after a few opening songs, he stopped to show sincere appreciation for their fans. I really like Matchbox Twenty and Rob Thomas. He seems like a good guy.

End of vacation

So, I took the past week off while my parents were visiting. Yeah, I think they had a lot of fun. I can't believe they're leaving tomorrow already. Where did the time go? Oh, and I really like the idea of taking a vacation at home. Well, it helps that I live in southern California because there's a lot to do. I also LOVED waking up during the week and still feeling surprised every morning saying to myself, hey, I don't have to be at work today!

While my parents were visiting their friends in Orange county, my boyfriend, who also took the week off, and I were excited to begin our week. We went to the beach, visited the science center where the Body Worlds exhibit was on display (a must see, by the way) and that same night, we spontaneously caught a Dodgers game. THE worst part was leaving the parking lot. It took us almost an HOUR to get out. I do not know what they can do to help except to maybe set up some dynamite and blow up a whole side of that crater (the stadium is sort of built inside this crater shaped area). The Angels stadium is so much better on that aspect. Later in the week, we celebrated my boyfriend's 30th b-day (woohoo!) with some friends, spent a day with my parents and their friends starting with a great brunch at the buffet in the Spa Resort Casino, took a trip up the Palm Springs aerial tram, then went down the tram and back on the road towards home to stop by yet another casino. The last stop before heading home was the Desert Premium Outlets. I didn't buy anything though since I'd already spent over $150 on gas in the past week alone. Eek! That's double what I usually spend per month! Oh well, it's okay - I'm on vacation.

Sadly, vacation ends tomorrow night. It was a wonderful week though...and I'll miss my parents when they leave.

Dig 'em!

Most people notice that asparagus can make your pee smell pretty funky. But, have you ever noticed that Kellogg's® Honey Smacks® cereal can also create an odor? I can only describe it as a cross between coffee and honey -- pleasant though. Yeah, I inhaled a nice bowl of this deliciously sweet cereal yesterday morning.

And that frog on the box. I have a theory that he's black.

Doin' it local

I met a trucker who told me that with the declining economy, his main concern right now is finding enough work for his crew. He owns a trucking business and tells me proudly that one of his clients is Langers' and how he distributes their juices to various retailers. A year ago he said, he could rake in about $2500/week! But now, that total is cut in half and half of his month's earning goes towards paying for fuel. That means he spends about $2000/month on diesel gas alone!

That brings me to my point, which is how important it is to buy from your local farmers/makers of whatever is closest to you. If possible, buy from local growers (think fruit and veggie stands) instead of the big name grocery stores because this could reduce trucking costs, fuel use, pollution and traffic. Hmm, I like this trickle down effect.

You see the big picture I'm drawing? I know it's not perfect but it's only an example.