I Wonder . . .

. . . if having hotpants is how she got that Mercedes. :)

I know, I know, it's my jealousy talking. I seriously work in an area of awesome cars.

But this is just a sin. And to the woman driving the Jag? Take those stuffed animals out of the rear window or I'll slap you silly and steal your car.

Ha!

Quote

I run on the road, long before I dance under the lights.
~Mohammed Ali

I'm afraid these two don't run on the road or dance under the lights.

Well, that's not really true, but I'm seriously jealous of their napping abilities.

Take Your Vitamins

I DRAG myself out of bed every morning. Barely able to shake off the groggies. My mind EMPTY, VOID, and tired.

At work the ideas will not come. This is a bit of a hindrance since I'm a designer and ideas are kinda my stock in trade. I'm relieved when I have tedious, repetitious tasks to do rather than "coming up with something," cuz peeps, I got nothing.

I get home from work and the thought of folding a load of laundry or emptying the dishwasher makes me want to cry. By 8:00 I'm wanting to be asleep.

What's wrong with me?

Vitamin D deficiency!

Who knew?

Check out my bun reading. Nice buns!

Can you see the silver lining on this side effect warning? How many women will spot it like 'that'?

Here are a few facts:

Depression – According to scientist, depression is the result of the lack of vitamin D. They argue that because of urbanization, the sunlight can’t adequately reach the skin, reducing thus the 25(OH) level in the body, causing depression. It has been also discovered that a great number of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder during the winter due to insufficient exposure to direct sunlight. The parathyroid hormone is the one causing the vitamin D deficiency symptom – depression.

Hyperparathyroidism – Results from hypocalcemia, which is a blood condition with unusually low vitamin D level, resulting in hyperparathyroidism.

Fatigue – According to old remedies, sunshine and fresh air are essential for good health. The absence of vitamin D synthesis in the morning can result in fatigue.

Obesity – Vitamin D deficiency is frequently linked to obesity, as the insufficient level of vitamin D holds back the production of hormone leptin, which regulates the fat in the body. Inadequate exposure to sunlight disrupts the normal function of the body, determining the individual to eat more than it is necessary for the body.
http://www.vitaminddeficiencyguide.com/

Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency
You don't consume the recommended levels of the vitamin over time. This is likely if you follow a strict vegetarian diet, because most of the natural sources are animal-based, including fish and fish oils, egg yolks, cheese, and beef liver.

Your exposure to sunlight is limited. Because the body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight, you may be at risk of deficiency if you are homebound, live in northern latitudes, wear long robes or head coverings for religious reasons, or have an occupation that prevents sun exposure.

You have dark skin. The pigment melanin reduces the skin's ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. Some studies show that older adults with darker skin are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Your kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form. As people age their kidneys are less able to convert vitamin D to its active form, thus increasing their risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Your digestive tract cannot adequately absorb vitamin D. Certain medical problems, including Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease, can affect your intestine's ability to absorb vitamin D from the food you eat.

You are obese. Vitamin D is extracted from the blood by fat cells, altering its release into the circulation. People with a body mass index of 30 or greater often have low blood levels of vitamin D.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/vitamin-d-deficiency

I'm scratching my head a bit.

Yes, I live in a northern region. And yes, I work indoors during the day. And yes, I'm older. And yes, I'm chubby.

But I eat red meat and eggs, am not afraid of the sun, do not have dark skin, and have been supplementing Vit D for quite a long while. And I drive a convertible. Granted, there hasn't been any SUN this spring so far, but is that my fault? :)

But, of course, the Vit D I've been taking, and the Vit D prescribed to me by my doctor are the wrong type of Vit D. SIGH!

Lots of questions have been answered for me, but I have millions more.

Fatigue is a weird thing. You feel like it's not real so you push yourself to "get over it" and when you can't, you think, "Oh tomorrow, I'll feel better and get on those projects." But tomorrow you feel maybe a bit worse.

But today I feel better just in the knowing.

Hot Enough for Ya?

Weird right?

Those of you that live here know this to be true; those of you that live elsewhere and have thoughts about Minnesota, I'm guessing you can throw them out of your window. If your windows were open.

This is me. This is me in traffic. This is me in traffic with the top of my Jeep, Ruby, UP! This is me amazed at how high that temperature gauge went yesterday. It eventually read 107. I don't think it was actually 107, but I do think it hit 102 yesterday.

HOT AT HELL PEEPS!

No wonder we're so aggressive on the roads (Minnesota drivers are in the top five of angry drivers). The roads are either ice and snow covered and treacherous, or they're buckling under extreme heat.

It's weird here.

I swear, if it weren't for the weather, I really don't know what we'd do for small talk. I spent many hours yesterday at my doctor's offices (waiting - testing - waiting - testing - talking - waiting - testing) and the general topic I heard was about the weather. What else are you going to talk about in the 30 seconds it takes to have the nurse get you from the waiting room and plop you wherever it is they plop you?

And get this - our peonies just bloomed. Because our spring is so late. Nothing like throwing us directly into the deep end of the pool. The few flowers I have were very sad looking yesterday. I ran around watering some of them, but it was so god-awful I had to flee. This is when I truly envy my BFF that lives in a small town in Wisconsin on a lovely lake. Never horrible there. Always lovely. Except in the winter. And except it's not The Cities. I do love the cities. But I love the lake.

As Pup would say, "What a whiner!"

Pardon Me?

No reason for this. Just savor the cuteness of them watching TV.

It's early morning. Way early morning. 4:30 in the early morning.

Before you feel sorry for me, know this; I was in bed at 8:00 last night.

How old am I?

I blame it on the mysterious illness that has felled everyone I work with; one by one. I am resolute that I will not be one of them, but yesterday back in the cave, (my office at work - office being a very loose euphemism) long about 4 or 4:30 my large noggin' was nodding and bouncing. Feeling woozy and SO TIRED and just a tad ick. I nearly nearly called Pup to come rescue me, but cooler heads prevailed (although I was vacillating between hot and cold in rapid succession).

I slept like this. Really.

So now after eight glorious hours of sleep I'm up, drinking my coffee and reading my neglected blogs.

I've been on a bit of a blog-vacuum of late. Nothing will be dislodged out of the oft mentioned hugely huge noggin'. There just isn't anything in there.

Well, that's not true. Plenty is in there, but believe me, it should only stay there.

Like this:

I had my yearly last week where the woman giving me my exam was confounded at the year of my birth. Saying a few different times how I look marvelous and have great hair and look 'so young'! Even though I'm a chubby f-er right now (maybe forever) and not feeling so hot. Not hot. Even though a client for the Tumbler was following me around like a puppy yesterday. Kinda. I know that look. I was relieved to see that the look isn't only a dim memory. Ha!

Now - cut to the next day. I'm shopping and bring my purchases to the young un at the check out.

"Would you like the senior discount"? she asks.

I stare at her.

Me?? Is she talking to me? Me of the lustrous hair (chemically enhanced as it is) and youngness dripping off of me like a Dairy Queen dip cone?

So, my smugness lasted about 24 hours. Gotta keep it real.

I told this story to both of my daughters and the younger one stated, "Oh yes mom, you're aging well."

Holy hannah. That was another anchor-moment. Aging? Oh dear!

Now why would that word bug me? Not sure about that.

I don't think it bothers me. Getting older that is. But I'm as vain as the next woman. I color my hair and consider other procedures (so far consideration is as far as I've gotten).

My age is good! I like having my life experience behind me AND in front of me. Nothing wrong with that.

Meanwhile, I have a sweet husband that got me this lovely piece of perfection for my birthday month (which is also our anniversary month so it's a double present - the best).

Isn't he awesome? I have to mention that he did this totally unaided by me (for real!). He simply overheard a conversation I was having with his niece and actually remembered the NAME of the bag! He REMEMBERED! Most of the time I don't think he's listening at all.

Here's the next thing I want to 'mention' in a conversation. Do you think I'll get it?

But seriously, how fun would this car be? I want it like I want good coffee. And good sex.

So impractical, but so fucking cute!