Dancing Machine

Since becoming a member of my local gym for a mere $10 a month (score!), I have been shaking my grove thing in zumba class a few nights a week.  I love these zumba classes for two reasons: number one -  it's an awesomely fun workout, and number two - it's an awesomely great time to people watch.  Up until recently, I thought to myself,  I must look pretty damn good doing these body rolls right now.  Then, one night, I stopped looking at my instructor's choreography in the mirror to focus on myself and realized, with horror, what an ass I looked like.  But that doesn't stop me from going.  No, sir!  Because I recognize how foolish I look as I girate to those latin beats and can chuckle about it, I don't feel so bad about exploited my fellow zumba dancers who don't quite make the cut either.  

First up - the girl in the front who makes sexy faces at herself in the mirror, though, they really aren't sexy.  She's got the attitude that I once had...I feel so hot right now dancing to these sultry latin beats...but she's got the pouty lips and overly expressive eyes to go with it.  You are not Shakira, girlfriend.  Give it up.    Yikes.

Next, there's the 75 year old ladies getting down and dirty next to the instructor.  One of them has an 80s perm and flinches more than moves.  Her friend, on the other hand, really keeps up with the choreographer and barely breaks a sweat.  I'd say she looks better than all of us other girls combined.  Go, old age!

In the back corner we have middle aged lady with a green sweat band around her head and wrist bands on her arms who does every dance move, and I mean every, backwards.  Bless her heart, she tries so hard to keep up with the choreography.  But she is sooooo far gone I'm afraid she is going to hurt herself, or worse, someone standing next to her.  The instructor moves left, she jiggles right.  The instructor moves forward, she bounces 5 steps backwards.  I guess it's a good thing she has those sweat bands on; maybe they'll break her fall one day.

And last, drumroll please, I bring to you heavily make-uped blond chick with fake boobies and, who, I SWEAR puts padding down her skin tight workout pants.  I was so boggled by the bump in her butt one day that I actually googled butt pads.  Could people actually be stuffing padding in their ass to make it look plumper?  Yes, my friends, they can.

Apparently, there are all different ways to pump up the appearance of your derriere!   Check them out!

I hope this blurb has inspired all of you to go to zumba to laugh at everyone else's mistakes, I mean....to dance your heart out and break a sweat! 

Hunger Games Review

What can I say?  I am a big fan of ‘meant for teenagers’ book series.  I read the Twilight series more times than I’d care to admit, and read the Hunger Games trilogy twice.  Both are completely different and entertaining in their own way:  vampires and werewolves?  I’ll take a dose of that.  Kids killing other kids while televised on national TV?  Sounds fascinating.

Almost a year after reading The Hunger Games, I was VERY excited to see the movie.  I wouldn’t even watch the trailers during television commercials because I wanted to go into the theater with a clean slate.  Last night, Mike and I decided to treat ourselves to the ultimate cinematic experience:  big (and I mean you could fit 2 people in on seat), comfy, cozy seats at the fancy pants theater in town where girls wear heels to movies and the bathrooms look like night clubs.  

Here is my reaction: while I thought the movie was a decent adaptation of the book, there were a few things that bothered me to some extent that I would have loved to have seen done differently.  If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading here!

Gayle:  Where the hell was he?  I know the majority of the story takes place in the arena, but there was barely any interaction between Gayle and Katniss the beginning of the movie.  I think excluding their history together (how they met, how often they hunted together, how each depends on the other for survival) will hurt them in the long run if they make the sequel.  Their connection was almost lost in the film.

Violence:  The lack of violence bummed me out.  The brutality over young kids murdering each other (and sometimes enjoying it) with swords, spears, and knives was lost with the PG 13 rating.  There was no direct shot of a child being slain EVER.  The feast at the cornucopia in the beginning was the closest thing to the gorey acts conveyed in the book; however, even that was shot so hectically my eyes couldn’t focus on what was happening.  Rue’s death scene would have had so much more of an impact had we seen a direct shot of a spear going through her chest.  It would have been harder to watch, but the audience would have felt more.  

Haymitch:  He is much more disheveled and drunk in the book.  He was way too clean in the  movie.  I’m not quite sure I liked Woody Harrelson playing the part either.

The Cave Scene:  In the book, Katniss receives a parachute with medication in it to knock Peeta out so she can go to the cornucopia and retrieve her backpack without Peeta being able to do anything to stop her.  This scene made my heart race with anxiety.  The readers knew how close Peeta was to death, and how important it was that Katniss risk her own life to save him.  None of this was made clear in the movie.  Rather, it was dull and anticlimactic.  

The Mutts: There were none!  Suzanne Collins breathes life into these half human, half wolf creature that take on the physical characteristics of the dead tributes in her book.  They maniacally round up Katniss, Peeta, and Kato on top of the Cornucopia until Kato plunges to his doom.  At that point, the mutts drag Kato inside of the Cornucopia and torture him until morning.  After listening to his cries of pain all night, Katniss finally sends an arrow through his head to end his suffering.  Did any of this actually happen in the movie?  Not really.  The mutts were giant dogs, Kato was on the ground being presumably attacked by the giants dogs for maybe 5 seconds before Katniss shot him with an arrow.  Again, anticlimactic.

The ending: What to say about the ending....too rushed.  Much too rushed.  Katniss and Peeta win the hunger games and BAM...7 minutes later the movie ends.  Additionally, I feel that a vital part of the story  left out in the movie was Peeta’s pure and true love for Katniss.  The whole time in the arena Peeta thought that Katniss loved him back.  But while taking the train back to District 12, shit hit the fan as he realizes she pretended to love him to put on a better show for the capitol in order to get sponsors. I don't remember this scene happening in the movie. I realize that in the beginning of the movie Haymitch announced that they should act like star crossed lovers (another difference), but, it just didn't work for me.  I disliked that very much.  It takes away from Peeta’s emotions towards Katniss and vice versa.  Another faux pas that I think will negatively affect the next film.

And there you have it.  What did you think of the movie?

Sidney

My family lost a very special member on Monday - my puppy girl, Sidney.  We all expected to be sad when she passed, but I don't think we fathomed just how deep our devastation would burrow.  The ache I feel for my poor puppy is beyond words.  And the fact that I wasn't with her, to hug her and kiss her one last time absolutely kills me.  I am flying home to NJ in two weeks, and I was beyond thrilled to hear the pitter patter of her feet against our kitchen floor, or give her a good rub on her tummy.  Instead, I'll be home to bury her ashes.
I've been crying so much that I think people are starting to think I'm crazy. And to them, I would say, you don't know what it's like to feel the love and companionship from an animal.  There is no such thing as a pet being "just a dog."  They are family.  And when you lose family, it's a blow to your heart.  Plain and simple.

She was a great dog.  A little bitchy at times, but unbelievably lovable and absolutely loving.  There is no doubt about that.  She put a smile on ALL of our faces, which isn't the easiest thing to do.
Love you, pooch.

St. Patty's Day

I'm missing a few things today.

I am missing my voice.  Although my boyfriend thinks this raspiness that lingers in my throat is hot, I'd much prefer my normal tone.

I am missing the Magners that I was hoping to drink in honor of this great holiday.

I am missing the hot pretzels I annually devour at my hometown's St. Patty's Day parade.

I am missing the four amazing months that I lived abroad in Ireland when I was 19.  It was an experience that changed my life.  I made great friends, traveled the world, and I grew up.

I am also missing my grandfather who passed away 7 years ago today.  This is the first anniversary of his death that I didn't cry.  Instead, I silently greeted him at the beach this morning, smiled, and let the warmth of the sun remind me of all the beautiful memories I have with him and my grandma during my childhood visits to Florida.

I'm missing a few things today.  I know I will eventually get some of them back, but the others, well, I hold close the moments I will never relive again.  And smile.

The best place to pass gas in a superstore ( e.g. Walmart or Target) is in the air freshener aisle.  Just saying.

Went to the doctor's for the third time this year and have been prescribed a new medication: Singulair.  Too bad it's going to cost $100.  Ouch.

AACHOOOO

I was really naive, and stupid, to think that moving to Florida would cure my allergies.  I shouldn’t say cure.  Maybe reduce is a better word.  I thought, how wonderful it will be to escape the sneezing, sniffling, and sinus infections of the fall, winter and spring.  I mean, who is allergic to sun, heat, and palm trees?

It didn’t really occur to me that living in a tropical paradise also means living in a world complete of POLLEN.  Trees are practically in bloom all year long down here, as are weeds, grass, and an abundance of tropical flowers. Holy overload of allergies.  I knew I was in trouble last week when the hint of a new smell in the air tickled my nostrils: orange blossoms.  A sweet smell, but the moment I inhaled it, I knew my demise was around the corner.

I started the week off with a post nasal drip, causing some soreness in my throat.  No big deal, I thought.  I’m going to take this down.  Numerous amounts of tea, lozengers, and shots of Vick’s on the back of my throat later and no luck.  By the end of the school day yesterday, I had completely lost my voice.   I resorted to using hand held QUIET, RAISE YOUR HAND, and STOP LOOK AND LISTEN signs for my kiddos.  It was cute for a few minutes, but their effectiveness didn’t last quite as long as I hoped.  I knew there would be no way I would be able to get through the next school day if my voice didn’t improve.

So last night was spent on the couch drinking hot lemon water and dozing on the couch.  Dinner consisted of soup and a salad of steamed kale, sauteed mushrooms, white beans, and garlic.  Dessert was a bowl of organic apple sauce topped with cinnamon.  Pamper pamper pamper.  Positivity positivity positivity.

But to no avail did I improve.  Instead, as so many other instances before (like only 3 weeks ago) my symptoms worsened.  By 8:00 pm my boyfriend was whacking my back (ah brought back my memories of being hospitalized for asthma as a child) trying to break up all of the mucus that was accumulating in my chest.  SOB.

Sparing you all of the gory details, I wound up not going in to work today.  AGAIN.  I think one of the more frustrating aspects of being bedridden what feels like every other week is the fact that I miss work.  Especially in a new school system in which I am trying to prove myself.  I’ve had to take five sick days so far.  NOT GOOD.  I’ve been prone to illness since I popped out into this world, so I am all too familiar with things like allergies and kid germs attacking me which, in turn, develops into an infection.    However, my colleagues and principals aren’t.  Having asthma doesn’t help my cause too much either.  Since my career won’t be changing any time soon (fingers crossed), it looks like I’ll need to take another trip to the doctor’s  to get some more kick ass allergy meds to combat this new Floridian pollen.  BOOOOOO.

Teaching with a sore throat is one of the worst things in the world.  Traditional Medicinal's Throat Coat Tea stopped working about 3 cups ago.  My throat is on fire and I can't stomach any more halls throat soothers.  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Coconut Milk

Yogurt is adult baby food.  And I like it.

My new favorite yogurt is So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt.  As you can see, when I took a picture of it on Photobooth, it came out backwards.  So then I tried turning the yogurt upside...it kind of worked...right?  Eh, not really, but you can google it if you really want to.
Anyway, I am attempting to reduce the amount of milk and soy in my diet.  Honestly, I really don't use a lot of either to begin with.  I don't drink milk alone because the smell makes me gag (my mom told me I threw it up once when I was about 4 and I haven't drank a glass since then), but I do enjoy cheese, ice cream, and yogurt.  I'm not thrilled that I eat these foods because milk kind of creeps me out.  These poor cows are injected with hormones and antibiotics not only to beef them up, but to help them digest the foods that are all too often provided for them (like corn instead of grass) because their stomachs cannot do so on their own.   I fear that these chemicals seep into cow's milk, and thus, into the humans drinking it.  I'd like to avoid it as much as possible, but I'm so in love with cheese and have not found a replacement that I like yet.  Additionally, I am attempting to stay away from dairy to test whether or not its absence aids in my digestion.  In the past, I have turned to soy as an alternative.  I occasionally eat products derived from soy such as tofu, veggie chick'n nugs, or soy milk in my baking.  From what I understand, however, too much soy is bad for your thyroid.
As with anything I do, I am taking baby steps integrating yet another milk alternative into my diet - coconut milk based products.  So far, I'm extremely satisfied!  So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt is smooth and refreshing, especially the pina colada flavor.  I have also tried the strawberry and blueberry flavored yogurt, and I have strawberry banana sitting in my refrigerator.  I have seen coconut milk ice cream as well, but I'm not ready to stock my freezer with that at the moment, or any ice cream for that matter.   If you know of any other yummy coconut milk products, please share them!

The graphics for the new coca cola commercials are way better than any special effect in the Twilight Saga movies.