Today's post is brought to you by my pre-dawn exercise delerium, and the number 7.

Alright, I think I'm done reading about hospital feng shui for the evening. I'm going to decompress, and then go to bed. But let's catch up first, no?

What's been going down in the world of Krash? Well, I got Red Sox tickets this weekend. Yeah, you heard me right, I got Sox tickets. To two games, even. One opening weekend (not opening day, opening weekend...a girl needs a Saturday to sleep off the beer and Fenway Frank combo), and one in May. I absolutely cannot wait. Pitchers and catchers report in 16 days, and this is what will get me through the rest of winter.

Now, those of you who know me know for a fact that I am a lazy gal. Don't get me wrong, I like to keep busy (you all know that too from my complete slack at sending prompt email responses) and be active, but I also fully appreciate the beauty of lying on the couch all day watching bad tv and napping. That is totally heaven to me. And I detest, I repeat DETEST, excercise. You have to trick me into it...like making it a game (I enjoy playing sports) or keeping it different each time. However, this morning I got up BEFORE THE SUN ROSE and went and worked out. And, of course, this (and my class last week) made me all philosophical.

"Why did you work out Kristy?" you ask. I'm so glad you're interested...read on: I got up and worked out this morning because my doctor asked me to. Not because she told me I had to, and not because my health depended on it, but because she asked me to. I'm on a medication called Celebrex, and recently there were two studies released about the use of Celebrex. One study showed that it increased a person's risk for heart diseasae. One study showed no such effects. So, results are inconclusive right now. As it turns out, Celebrex is the only drug we've found so far that keeps my arthritis in check, so I'm not keen to go off of it. However, I'm also not keen to have a heart attack. I mean, I joke about being a 27 year old trapped in an 87 year old body, but I don't really want it to happen for real. However, again, I don't like to exercise. Conundrum? Fortunately not for me. I like my doctors SO much that I'm willing to do the things they ask me to do. Get a flu shot? OK, I don't care so much for having a sore arm for four days and I'm convinced I'm not going to get the flu, but if you want me to I will. Exercise three times a week? Well, I don't like feeling like a gerbil on an exercise wheel, but if that's all that's available to me until the weather is more cooperative, and you want me to do it, alright. I'll even sacrifice my most favorite thing, sleep to do it.

"Now Kristy, why are you making such a big deal about this?" Ah, good question, dear readers. I'm making a big deal about this because it is a perfect example of what can happen when health care is run the right way. My doctors all talk to each other about my health, even though they're not in the same practice. And they all treat me with a great deal of respect, ask for my input, listen to my answers, and research all my questions thoroughly. I figure if someone is going to care that much about me, I should respect them right back and do as they ask. And that's the other thing: they ask. They respect the fact that I'm an adult, they give me the rational argument for their preferences, and they ask nicely for me to comply. And for all that I am more than willing to be a fully compliant patient (a rarity, take it from someone who works in health care).

But it gets bigger than that. Ah yes, there's more: this is where last week's class plays in. Actually, now that I think about it, all of this semester's information plays in. My class this spring is focusing on program administration...it's rather dry material; for example last week we read and discussed insurance and HMOs and managed care in general, and this week we're reading about constructing welcoming pediatric environments. I'm not as excited this semester to sit down and read, because until I wrote the second sentence of this paragraph, I felt it was information I wasn't going to use until much further down the road. I'd rather be reading about studies of the effects of play on children in pediatric settings, and other such fun things. But I digress.... The point is, our healthcare system is messed up. There's a lot of reasons for this, and surprisingly it's not all the insurance companies or politicians, if you can believe it. It's rather long and complicated, but suffice it to say that last week's class on managed care really got me thinking about how to improve our healthcare system. It's a tough call. Somebody loses no matter what you do. Free healthcare is not as easy as you'd think either. Yes, Canada has it. But their wait times are crazy long. And their people are less sick than we are: there's a reason people come from all over the world to cities like Boston and Houston and such to get their specialized medical care. But what if the people in Canada are healthier than us because their doctors take the time to sit down with them and ask questions about their lifestyle, what's going on with them personally...factors that most doctors in the US ignore? What if it's because they can practice more preventative medicine because they know their patients better? Yes, the wait time to see a doctor is longer, but maybe it's with good reason, and maybe it has great effects you didn't originally think about. Sit back for a second and think about the last time you saw a doctor and the visit with the MD him/herself took more than 4 minutes. How old were you? Before I moved to Boston, I was probably in middle school or younger. And that counts the times I saw all sorts of specialists in Florida for the arthritis and such. It makes a difference. My functioning has been top-notch for the most part since I've moved here, and I'm convinced it's the care my doctors provide. And the environmental studies we're reading this week are another example: if we just take the time to add small touches to our medical environments like arranging the furniture to promote opportunities for community interaction as well as areas for privacy, or adding more natural light and items from nature (plants, fish tanks, etc)...if we just take the time to think about what we could do to make the patient more comfortable, we might just be able to improve their condition before they even get any medicine in their body. (No, really, there have been studies done, folks. I've been reading them all night. Environment actually makes a huge difference in healing time.)

Anyway, I'm tired, and my brain is fried from the work I've been doing all weekend, so this might be a little incoherent. And yet again, I've managed to bring up a major issue and offer up no real solutions. I guess one thing this blog is teaching me is true respect for those who choose to go into politics. We really give them a hard time, and some of them deservedly so, but in the end, they choose to carry the weight of our needs on their shoulders and make some tough decisions. It's something I know I couldn't do...I'd be too fraught with guilt about the people I'd slighted, or I'd never be able to make a decision because I'd always be convinced there was a better way. So I try to change the world in my own small ways: by rambling on here and maybe forcing you to think about the issue more, discuss it with others, and maybe get involved...and I play with kids. Because, well, I'm going to get all Whitney Houston on you again, but I believe the children are our future, and if we make their lives better, they're going to thrive and grow, and perhaps one of them will grow up to fix the problems we couldn't.

In the meantime, I'm headed to bed. I have to get up before dawn tomorrow and work out, after all. =)

Everybody else is doing it...

Yeah, OK. 98% of my friends in Boston who blog posted on the blizzard. I suppose I will too. But that does NOT make me a lemming. I'm doing it for those of you who don't read those other people's blogs. Consider it community service.

Well, what can I tell you that the news and the weather channel and everyone else hasn't told you? It snowed. This was my first blizzard, so I was really excited. Most of the hurricanes I lived through in Florida were mild, not much more than big thunderstorms when they finally passed over me. I'm told this "blizzard" is also mild...which I guess I can buy. The tricky thing about blizzards is not the snow, per se, but the wind. For example, from my apartment windows it looked like there was hardly any snow at all for a number of hours. However, if you were to go look out the building windows in the hallway, you'd see cars completely covered in snow. Some were lucky, some were not. Very, very random. Again for example, my car was completely free of snow at the end of the blizzarding. However, two cars down from me, the cars were completely buried. Bizarre. This is apparently called a "snow drift." In the end, Kate and I rented 5 movies, bought a few tasty treats (I made york peppermint patty brownies), and hunkered down for the night. A good time was had by all. The next day, when we didn't have cable, my friend Brianna sent her very kind roommate Steve over to pick us up (our parking lot had not yet been plowed) and we watched football at Bri's house. Really, if it hadn't snowed, this weekend wouldn't have been too different from other weekends Kate and I have had. We only noticed a difference when we lost hot water (since restored) and cable, and when we walked outside to meet Steve and turned into instant ice sculptures.

So, yeah. Not bad. My final analysis is this: if you're going to go through a blizzard, spend it with friends and pray you have power and it can be a really good time.

One of the movies Kate and I watched while huddled away in our apartment was "Bowling for Columbine." I am familiar with Michael Moore in that I know who he is and what he does, but I've never read any of his books or seen his movies. Whether or not you agree with his politics, I must say that he is a powerful storyteller. Now, I've admitted before to being a fairly liberal gal, so a lot of what he had to say rang true to me. But that's sort of like going to a pep rally - it gets you to think a little about a subject, but it doesn't present the opposing side. What I'd really love is if there was a super conservative documentarian making movies on the same subjects that Michael Moore does, so I could see more than one side of the argument. I'd feel better about agreeing with Michael Moore if I knew what the counter argument was (and his presentations of Charleton Heston and other conservatives don't count, because he could arguably be editing their comments).

In this movie, he brings up an interesting question (my apologies to those of you who have already seen the movie, I'm very slowly catching up on movies I've wanted to see for a long time, and no I haven't seen "Farenheit 911" yet, that's next): Why are there so many gun-related deaths in the United States? The stats presented in the movie were sick - I'm not sure what the year was, but get these stats of number of gun-related deaths in different countries for one year: Japan - 39, Australia - 65, UK - 68, Canada - 165, France - 255, Germany - 381, United States: 11,127. Seriously? That's crazy. I haven't had time to investigate criticism of these statistics, but I'm assuming that there's some sort of argument about things averaging out when you factor in population size. But it just doesn't seem right. Hang on.

The population size of Japan is roughly125,000,000. The population size of the U.S. is roughly 295,000,000. OK. So we're somewhere between 2 and 3 times the size of Japan, population-wise. Our gun deaths are 28 times Japan's. WHY?

Moore presents several possibilities, the one I latched onto was the media. This actually really interests me, because he posits that the U.S. media is largely negative information which somehow may lead to more violence. I'd love to hear from others (Pat, if you still read this, or pass it on to Andy) who have lived in other countries...what's the media like there? Is it really that different? I'm also torn on this presentation because, well...there's lots of stuff. I feel like better parenting could solve this problem even if the media remains negative (parents control their children's viewing habits, and teach them non-violence), for one.

Anyway, I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this. Those who know more about the stats, more about Michael Moore, those who have seen the movie, those who haven't. Those who agree, those who disagree. You're all welcome, and in fact encouraged. This is something I'd like to explore further, but I'm lazy...and in the end I feel the best way to really sort out one's thoughts on issues is to bounce them off of other people, hear what they have to say, and re-form your own thoughts.

That's all for now. This has gotten lengthy, and besides, I have to get off the computer at the resource center at MGH now because my allotted time is up. But think about it, and let me know. And in the meantime, hug somebody you love, and listen to someone you think gets ignored most of the time. You might be surprised at the difference you can make by just doing that.

Thanks for tuning in! You're free to stay.

This morning when I left for the doctor's office the thermometer read 2 degrees (Fahrenheit), and with windchill it felt like -17 (F). Now it's a balmy 7 (F) and it feels like -11 (F). note: previous weather information came from weather.com. I know, I know. I KNOW! I chose to move here, there are people in Minnesota who have a high of -52 without windchill today. I know! No right to complain.

But the cold got me philosophical this fine Boston morning. (That's right, the cold. I'm a nerd, folks. Everything makes me philosophical at some point or another. Turkish Delight, the cold, you name it. And you love it. That's why you're still reading.) I started to think about how cold it must have been for the Pilgrims. I mean, think of it: they came here and built a society in the mess of a few Massachusetts winters. And they did it without the comforts of central heat, gortex jackets, or cars with heated seats to get around in. I can't even imagine. I complain when I have to walk a block in 8 layers of warm synthetic clothing with those little heat packs you get for your mittens when you go skiing. But the Pilgrims wanted freedom so badly that they lived through the miserable cold without much to call their own. Now that's passion for what you believe in.

Sometime last year I read Profiles in Courage by the late President John F. Kennedy. It is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about political bravery written in his senate years before he took office as our president. Kennedy told the stories of senators throughout United States history that stood their ground and did what they knew was right for the country, despite party affiliations and pressure from their constituents. Daniel Webster, for example, promoted the Clay Compromise even though it gave more rights to slave owners (something he, his party, and his constituents were against). He did it because he took an oath to protect and preserve the Union, our nation as a whole, and he knew without the Clay Compromise the South would secede. It was potentially political suicide, but he did it anyway. The stories in the book are amazing, and it was a fantastic read in an election year. It really gives you a new perspective on politicians you might have thought you would vote for. In the end, it's more important to do what's best for the nation as a whole rather than what you think is right for yourself. That's how democracy works, when it works. And it's frustrating, because you might be in the minority, and the country is run counter to your wishes, but again...that's democracy. Everyone has a say, but the majority rules.

I am reminded of a great quote from the movie "The American President":

America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship - you've gotta want it bad, because it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land is the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that. Defend that. Celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.

I think that speaks for itself.

Anyway, in the end this post seems to be about passion for your beliefs. It's inspiring to know that our country was founded by people of such fortitude that they withstood astounding hardships so that they might create a better life for themselves and their descendants. It's also inspiring to know that our history is punctuated with people who respected that passion, and had a similar verve for the principles upon which our nation was founded. It kind of relates back to the Five for Fighting concept - what is it that you are so passionate about that you would fight for it despite the cost? Kinda makes you want to shut down your computer and get out there and do something, huh?

Well go ahead! And let me know how it turns out. =)

Kids, don't try this at home! (Or, the blog about how my creative chef skills are crap.)

So, there's a pre-story to this story. Whenever something of mine would break, I'd bring it to my dad to fix. When I was old enough to get the joke, he finally started telling me to RTFM (or, for those of you who haven't been told this before: Read The F*ing Manual). It used to irritate me to no end, as I just wanted my broken item fixed, and I knew he'd be able to fix it immediately. But in the end, it was good for me, as I learned a lot.

Apparently, however, I did not learn enough. Reading the instructions is important folks, and here's why:

When my friend Michelle moved out of the dorms last year she gave me some of her non-perishable food. One of these things was a taco seasoning packet, and until tonight, it stayed on a shelf in my kitchen. But tonight I decided to spice up my burger dinner and I got the brilliant idea to make a taco burger. I love the taste of the meat in tacos, and I thought...well this is a great idea. I'll just put the taco seasoning into the pound of ground beef I have, make it into 3 or 4 burger patties, cook one and save the ones I don't cook. I'll even top it with some cheddar cheese slices, and it'll be delicious. As I was imagining my taco burger and how good it would be, I even planned into the future: next time I make taco burgers I'll also make a "special sauce" out of salsa and just a little bit of sour cream to put on top, and I'll have lettuce. It'll be brilliant!

So I worked the seasoning into the ground beef, made my burger patties, and cooked the one I was going to eat. I topped it with cheese and sat down, eager to try my new invention. Turns out, whatever it is that makes the ground beef taste so good in tacos...does not work in burger form. It wasn't that it was too strong or flavorful; it didn't even really taste like taco meat. It just tasted GRODY. So the instructions on the back of the taco seasoning packet are indeed important: it doesn't work unless you brown the meat first, and then add the seasoning and the water.

But didn't it sound like a good idea at least?

Outrageous

Alright. Prepare yourselves for a rant.

WHY is it that the things that are necessary in life cost so much money? For example, healthy food. This summer I was working more, and so I treated myself to a healthy diet full of vegetables and fruit. My grocery bill was, on average, at least $30 more every two weeks. Seriously? I'm trying to live a normal-length life here, and all I want are some simple veggies and chicken and healthy food, and it costs more. On the other hand, if I want to eat pasta and pig out on chips for days on end, I can maybe make rent this month. What the hell? Another example (sorry to all you men out there who won't be able to relate...) is feminine products. So, these are things without which most women cannot function. And they're wicked expensive. For no good reason, as far as I can see. Most of the contents are fairly cheap materials: plastic, cotton, etc. Pat tonight pointed out one to which we can all relate: razor blades. Tiny pieces of metal and plastic. $8 for 4? Seriously? My final example brings me to the major subject of this rant: jeans.

Seriously, JEANS. (Adam, this one's for you, since you're so into fashion.) Now, some of you are familiar with my recent search for a new pair of jeans. For those of you who are not (or did I blog about this already? Well, anyway, here's a summary since I'm too lazy to check...) all I wanted was a pair of non-stretch jeans that were not loosely cut that cost less than $65. Impossible to find in regular retail stores. Seriously. I found some pairs that met all the other requirements, but they cost $80. Wait, let me say that again, in case you thought I was joking. $80. They're made of cotton, people. Cotton! $80 for cotton? Is there some cotton shortage I'm unaware of?

I finally found some jeans (several pairs, in fact) at the outlets in Florida. Three pairs. And get this: $12 for one non-stretch pair, $15 for another, and $20 for a stretch pair. After relaying my frustrations and final discovery of treasures to my friend Tracy, she sent me an article from her local paper about the jeans craze. As it turns out, jeans actually cost $80 now. Really? And those are the mass-produced, cheap jeans. There are brands of jeans out there (Seven for all Mankind, True Religion, and others) for which people pay between $150 to $300. Now, here's my question: WHY? The article Tracy sent mentions that these jeans are hand-stitched and hand-treated so that they look just right in terms of fit and weathering. Some have different sized pockets for different sizes, and some apparently shape your butt to just the right shape. People like Jennifer Garner and Jessica Simpson buy these jeans.

Now let's return to my original question: why do these necessities: healthy food, clothes, hygiene products - cost so much money? OK, so there might be a valid reason for the food. Supply/demand, weather, economy, farmer stuff. That could possibly make sense. Hygiene products - well, I really have no idea. Probably something to do with the fact that the manufacturers just can charge that much because we need it. Kind of like a group monopoly - if nobody lowers their prices, then we all will still have to pay the prices. Don't get me started on that. But the jeans? I think they cost that much because people will pay those prices. And why? I guarantee you that I look almost as good in my $12 jeans as I would in the $300 jeans. And I certainly wouldn't look $288 better in the $300 jeans. There's no pair of jeans that can magically make you look that good. And if you're Jennifer Garner, or Jessica Simpson, do you really need a pair of jeans that special to make you look good? My guess is you would look just as good in a $12 pair of jeans. You would look good in garbage bags made into pants. You just look good all the time. It baffles me that people pay so much more for such tiny differences. I get it that jeans are the new thing in fashion: you can dress them up with the right top and shoes and they're acceptable almost anywhere (a movie premiere, fancy restaurant, clubs) or dress them down with your favorite flip-flops and tank top and head to the beach. Great. That's why I like them: they're versatile and it's hard to go wrong with them. If I could, I'd wear jeans and a white cotton tshirt every day.

Anyway, maybe someone else has some insight into this. I refuse to even try on jeans that cost more than I can afford, so I can't say for sure that I wouldn't look incredibly good in one of the expensive pairs of jeans. But I can say that I'd still probably keep my $12 pair and put the money I would have spent on the expensive jeans into buying healthy food and a gym membership so that I'd look good enough not to worry about having to buy expensive jeans to make me look good. And then I'd be healthy too, as a bonus.

All I can say is, thank goodness for outlets. And blogs, on which I can rant about things like the price of food and jeans. =)

2800 miles, 13 states, 17 days

Yup. That's the approximate sum total of my winter vacation travels. I grossly underestimated on the mileage, by the way, so as not to be accused of exaggeration. It's definitely more, especially since I drove around in the places I stopped (Cville, Otown), but I forgot to try and log it on my odometer so we'll all have to do with the estimate from mapquest.

Aren't you even a little impressed? That's a heck of a lot of driving. And you know what's really weird? I enjoyed it. I listened to at least 50% of my CD collection (and I own a lot of music, folks) and caught up with some friends, and relaxed. There's just something about driving that soothes me, maybe because you are forced to do nothing. You can't pay your bills, you can't do your laundry, or grocery shop...long drives are a great excuse to just escape from the rest of the world.

On my way back to Boston I came by way of Harrisburg, PA (Hi Tracy and Mark and Drew!), and as I drove from PA to MA I travelled through the mountains. After some sort of ice or snow storm. Atop one mountain that was virtually unpopulated save for the highway itself, I found myself in a complete land of ice. No snow, just ice. At first I thought it had snowed, because the day was so bright and shiny that the sunlight reflected off the ice and made it seem white, but upon closer observation everything...and I do mean everything... was encased in ice. What was truly amazing about the whole thing was that each single blade of grass had a case of ice around it. Each bud on each tiny branch had a case of ice around it. I'm not sure how this happens, such an intricate layer of ice around every small item, but it was breathtaking. The trees were bent down to the ground - not broken but simply bent - and it was as if I was in some amazing glass art exhibit. It reminded me of part of the Robert Frost poem "Birches:"

Ice-storms do that. Often you must have seen them
Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning
After a rain. They click upon themselves
As the breeze rises, and turn many-coloured
As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.
Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells
Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust
Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away
You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.

The trees I saw weren't birches but some sort of evergreen, but it was just as beautiful. I love the last line of the excerpt: "You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen." It applied so well to my mountain top because you felt on top of the world, all by yourself, and if any piece of heaven had fallen, you felt it would land right there. I love Robert Frost.

Now that I'm back from vacation, I'm adjusting to the snow and ice again. As a warning to any people new to Boston: don't trust the brown snow. No, it's not what you think. Get your mind out of the gutter. I've grown up around snow, we used to get just the right amount most years in Charlottesville, but I guess I never noticed the brown snow before. Last year I had several mishaps with it, and I've had my first one this year just this weekend. Here's the brown snow warning:

Brown snow is that slushy stuff that can be very tricky when trying to pick your way around a mess of snow and puddles while walking in the city. Sometimes it is a big pile, and it looks like it is solid enough to step on, and you step on it only to find it is floating on top of a deep puddle and now your foot is all wet. Somtimes, on the other hand, it is a very thin layer, also floating on top of a deep puddle, but because of it's texture it looks very similar to the texture of the asphault and you think it's solid road, step on it, and now your foot is all wet. Either way, the brown snow is EVIL. Pure evil. Avoid it at all costs. Keep your wits about you folks, the brown snow may have come up with new ways to trick you this year that I have not yet discovered. If I happen to come across any more of these diabolical plots, I'll let you know.

(What am I saying? There's a reason why people call me Krashworth. Of Course I'm going to come across the diabolical plots of the brown snow. And after I come home and change my socks and shoes, I'll make sure to let you know.)

Well, I suppose I should get back to the process of organizing the Things I Need To Do This Week. And unpacking and such. Stay warm, listen to good music, and if you need a break from reality, go for a long drive, preferably to the top of an ice-covered mountain. Trust me, it's a good time.

Look what the cat DRAGged in....

Hey, wait, it's me!

I know, I've been away...my vacation in Florida had iffy internet so there wasn't time to blog. Besides, I was too busy enjoying the weather and my lovely friends. Shout out to my Florida peeps, especially Bonnie who provided me a place to stay and a very cute New Year's Eve date (a big, puppy-eyed, boy named Ricky. Oh yeah, and he's a chihuahua. But he did lick my entire face at midnight!).

The entire trip is a blur, and since I've been driving all day today, the teflon brain is in full effect. I will relay to you one story that sticks out, and my impressions from it:

I went to a drag show with Emily.

This was my first drag show. Overall impressions? I would have thought it would be better. Emily tells me it was not a very good drag show...and if you throw out the judgement of the outfits and preformances, what I was most disappointed in was the crowd. The entire thing would have been monumentally more fun if the crowd would have been more into it, clapping more (or at all, in some cases), and maybe some hooting and hollering. I definitely expected hooting and hollering, and did not really recieve any. BOOOOOOOO.

Now, as far as the performances went, some were good, and some were bad. The first, uh..."lady," shall we say?....the first lady did a FIERCE Tina Turner combo. She really got into the dancing, and did some great Tina Turner moves. And most of the lip synching was on target. She really put her all into it. There were some ladies that were really spot-on with the lip synch, and then there were a few that clearly did not know the words at all. And one didn't know the words, nor did she dance very well! She sort of teetered around the floor, and well, that was it. You really ought to get the words right, or at least put on a good dance show. One or the other, but doing neither...well I can do that. C'mon.

Also, some people in the audience gave the ladies singles, like it was a strip club. The performers would walk over, take the money or let the audience members put the money in their "cleavage" and then give a kiss on the cheek. It wasn't a lot of money, maybe $10 a performance, but still...not something I expected.

My final impression was this: these ladies looked good. No lie. They were toned, their legs were long and slender, and a lot of them had nice abs/midriffs. Now, I'm not one to diet. My personal philosophy is: there's a reason why the word diet contains the word DIE. I do try to watch the content and portion of my meals most of the time, and I will be especially vigilant when I need to fit into particular outfits (for weddings, per se), but I'm a firm believer in just eating regular food and not torturing yourself. I also have a natural aversion to exercise...you really have to trick me into it by making it a game or somehow fun. I had a good stint for a few months last year, but for the most part in recent history large mishaps occur when I try to exercise, and I'd like to avoid as many large mishaps as possible. And earlier this year, I saw the movie "Super Size Me" and that motivated me to exercise a little and eat better. But not much, and that was a pretty powerful movie. But these ladies may be the key to me finally getting into good shape. Because, well...it's entirely vain, but I'm going to feel silly if men look better as women then I do. =) Just kidding, y'all...but my hat is off to these ladies, because they must work hard. And when we returned to Emily's house after the show, I really thought about how hard they work to look that good, and it made the chocolate cake I was eating taste that much better.

On a final note, much love is going out tonight to my girls Brianna, SarahT, and Anafrs. I'm holding you all close to my heart and sending you big, BIG hugs, my dears.

Keep it real, folks. I'll post in a few days.