Saturday, February 28, 2009

Vagina Monologues

Last night I went to dinner with friends and then the five of us drove to the Bankhead Theater in Livermore to watch Eve Ensler's, Vagina Monologues, the proceeds of which benefit Tri-Valley Haven, a place for women of domestic violence. Here's their website if you'd like more info www.trivalleyhaven.org

I knew several of the performers, none of whom is a professional in the field of drama. They are artists, poets, writers, volunteers, working women, women just like us.

The play is hysterically funny and painfully heart-breaking when you hear true stories about our sisters in foreign countries (and in our own) who are raped, suffer genital mutilation, and beaten. Sometimes these women can't leave their abuser, some do, some take their secret of rape or battering to their graves.
The last page of the Monologue program says,

"Tri-Valley Haven creates safe homes from abuse,

contributes toward a more peaceful society,

one person,

one family,

one community at a time.

Together, we build a world without violence."

Thursday, February 12, 2009

120 Minute Hours

My husband has been skiing all week. I dropped him off at Oakland Airport on Sunday morning and I'll pick him up tomorrow afternoon. Could I tell you how many plans I mentally made for myself before he left? Everything from staying in my pajamas every day until noon to going out to dinner with friends every evening. Funny how things don't always work out as you planned...

Monday morning I had a dentist appointment and because I'm dental phobic I take heavy duty drugs the night before my appointment, which I couldn't do Sunday evening because I during dinner with a friend I drank two glasses of wine.

I took my double dose of nothing-phases-me-in-the-least in the morning, my friend Sue drove me to and from the dentist's office and I think I slept through most of the appointment. After Sue dropped me off, I slept until the phone rang at 6:20 p.m.--which gave me ten minutes to get ready to go out to dinner at a neighbor's house.

And that's how my week went--spinning my wheels or sleeping through the entire week! I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why. But, on the positive side I did attend my sexual assault training (did you know that about 10% of rapes/sexual assault are actually reported?), attended one yoga class (that kicked my butt), signed up at Curves (easy decision--I couldn't make it around the 'circuit' once without huffing and puffing ), and I did do rewrites up to page 141 on Nineteen Darby Way. So the week wasn't a complete loss. The best of course, was getting in grand kid time.

An old friend told me to repeat

"I now experience 120 minute hours."

If you're looking to stretch time, try it. It didn't work for me this week because I forgot to try it, but when I've used it in the past, it has worked.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Happier Than God...(Walsch's new book)

I've been reading Neale Donald Walsch's book, Happier than God. I heard him speak last year (I think it was last year) at Barnes and Noble when he was running around the Bay Area promoting his book.

If you've never seen him, his looks took me by surprise. He's got intense eyes, white hair, a beard, and a kind face...kind of like ... well, you know who... Interesting.

I am not religious, but here are some of the things I love about his book is:

~if you want something for yourself, do it for someone else

~ this was one of my favorites: "The meaning of everything is the meaning you give it."-- I underlined this on page 89 and then thought it was absolutely brilliant on page 221 "Nothing has any meaning, save the meaning I give it" ...which tells you that I was a tad unconscious when I underlined it the first time.

~ "Judgment is not discernment, and observation is not judgment. It's healthy to be discerning, and natural to make observation"....Walsch say an observation says "what's so" and a judgement says, "so what?"

~and .... "Let it go" ~ just breathe and relax.

Don't you feel better already????

~Smile -- it's true, when you smile you can't help but feel better and in these difficult economic times, a little feeling better can go a long way...

Happy Friday~~~

Sunday, February 1, 2009

The Beauty Hoarder

My side of the bathroom vanity is a mess. My husband's side: A water glass. A pill box.

On my side stands body lotions, face soaps, facial creams, perfumed lotions, perfume, and so many different hair products I could give all the neighborhood women stand up straight, curl down tight, or slick 'n smooth, hair do's.

This morning after I shampooed my hair, added hydrating leave-in conditioner, slapped on goo to thicken my too thin individual hairs, I went to grab a jar of hair paste to get that chunky look. Very carefully, using my best agility skills, I dipped my hand into the middle of a rats nest worth of jars, cans, plastic bottles, sprays, and I nicked one with my thumb, BA-BOOM -- one by one everything fell like a seamless row of dominoes.

I am a hoarder (not to mention insecure AND lest us not forget feverishly looking for the Fountain of Youth). Imagine my surprise when I realized the hoarding bit. I had no idea! If there's a dab left of whatever it is--face wash, fine line wrinkle creams, deep wrinkle cream, vitamin C cream, "serums," hair sprays and countless lotions--it's saved. What would happen if the small wrinkles came back and all I had was deep wrinkle remover? What then, huh?

And so it goes. There are lotions to firm my butt, put my ankle skin back where it belongs, push boobs up up up--do you suppose that's where double chins come from? I hadn't thought about that until now!

I have serums not only get rid of wrinkles, but to erase all the sun damage I've created since being an inhabitant of earth (shame on me!), and remember the myriad of deodorants, perfumes, mascara, make-up, blush, lipstick, eye liner, lip liner, eye shadow, blush brushes, shadow brushes, lip brushes, hair brushes, tubes of lipstick so old they could be used as Spackle, and of course lip gloss, who could live without lip gloss??? Need I go on? I'm exhausted thinking about it!

My conclusion? In order for me to be really organized, I need the shelving of a Sephora cosmetic shop or at the very least, the cosmetic and personal products lane at the local Safeway.

With all the products available for us to fluff up, slim down, even out, plump, dump, hydrate and so on, isn't it amazing any of us actually have the nerve to show ourselves in public?

So I had to do something this morning, and I did. I put everything on the counter in a several baskets, and put them under the counter now I don't have to look at it, I just have to find it ...ack!

Life is good so enjoy~~~~