Greenhouse gases are not the ONLY cause of air pollution.

So I think I may have mentioned that I have this abhorrence of one type of scent that gets put in colognes like CK One and Eternity.  Anytime I smell it I get very sick and want to flush my nose out with bleach just to remove the smell.  I never get used to it and am pretty much upset until they go away and the stench dissipates. 

So this am I was clicking away happily at my desk when I started picking up a faint whiff of it.  Senses go on high alert and I start sniffing trying to zero in on the source.  I hear a sound in the empty cube next to me and then a blast of the stench hits me full force.  SOMEONE is in that cubicle and they have BATHED in Eternity...  So now I'm covering my face and have turned my fan on HIGH and point it at the cubicle wall in the hopes of redirecting air flow. 

Works about 70%.   After about an hour of this King Stinky gets up and leaves - taking his laptop with him. He's left his bag behind so I know he's coming back.  Well crap - if I have to spend the day smelling this crap - I'm going to get a headache and get cranky and well no one needs that.  Not if I can prevent it. 

So here's the dilemma - its not like I should walk up to the guy and tell him that he smells and he needs to move somewhere else - preferably the other side of the floor.  I can do that - I'm fine with doing that but I shouldn't.  Its sorta rude and well its not his fault I'm completely opposed to his cologne.  Its a cheap cologne that's very easy to over due - usually just putting it on at all is overdosing it.  ;-)  So I have very few options. 

However I DO have a plant thingie on my desk that needs water and it just happens to be on the wall separating our two spaces...  

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Yeah so apparently I'm REALLY sloppy when I water plants because I managed to miss the plant entirely with the first glass and DUMPED it on the desk in the next cubicle.  CRAP - what a mess - and well now no one can sit there until the water is either cleaned up or dries....  BUMMER!!!  I'm such a bubble-head sometimes.

Line Etiquette

So as D discovered during our recent trip to the Water Park  when I get in a line with other people - I get a little aggressive if they are not moving forward when able and generally standing there like zombies slowing the rest of us down. 

Well I ran to Walmart at lunch to get some items I forgot last night (didn't make a list and that always bites me in the butt) and I got into the shortest checkout lane and ran into HER again.  This is the second or third time I've run into her at the checkout at Walmart.  I have no idea who she is but I do know she has NO IDEA how checkout is supposed to work.  Her sins:
1.  She gets a cart for only one or two SMALL items;
2.  she gets into checkout line and won't put them up on the belt;
3.  She stands at the end of the belt and WAITS until the person ahead of her is COMPLETELY done and rung up and walking away.  THEN she puts her measly amount of items on the belt even if there is a separator available.  AND she's kept the rest of us from being able to put OUR things on the belt as well;
4.  she won't vacate the checkout area until she's wished everyone and their mother a good day - gathered up her items - fluffed her hair - put away her wallet - rewritten the Constitution AND cured cancer;
5.  AND she gives me a dirty look when I nudge her with my cart and reach over her to grab a separator and start loading the belt with my things. 

So basically I decided today that if I run into her again and she's doing this again - I'm going to take the time to as politely as I can explain to her the basics of checkout etiquette and how it works so that she can avoid a horrible fate.  Namely pushing me past my ability to maintain calm and patience.  

Siiiiigggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh....

I'm an evil pet owner. Tasha's gotten this new habit of waking me up at 6am each morning so I can greet her as she climbs up on the bed and perhaps move from "her" spot if I happen to have the audacity to roll into it in the night. Of course after she screams in my face until I wake up and pet her feebly she settles in to sleep for distance. And this morning looking at her completely sacked out on MY bed sleeping the sleep only the truly satisfied can sleep - I had the OVERWHELMING urge to bounce the bed until she's completely disturbed and agitated.

But I didn't. Instead I gave her her morning kiss and pet and trudged off to the office so I can keep paying the rent for her highness. But I reeaaalllllyyyy considered it.

Oh and I take WAY too much satisfaction in this particular post:
http://open.salon.com/blog/verbal_remedy/2009/06/28/shaving_somebody_elseskitty
Namely because that cat is the exactly copy of my darling Tasha - fur length, density, color and of course the attitude...

They MEAN those warning labels on medicines!

So now that I'm getting back on the workout wagon - I've been modifying my diet to be more 6 small meals throughout the day and including more fresh fruit and veggies. Not hard to do but it does mean I wake up in the AM absolutely starving... And because I'm a lazy git - I usually get up with just enough time to shower/dress/run out the door to do my 5 MINS (7 mins if I catch the lights wrong) commute to work...

Part of my morning routine is to take my meds while getting ready and then have my breakfast at my desk. Prior to now my tummy has always had something in it from the previous nights' dinner. Well the past week that has not been the case and yesterday my stomach revolted! HARD.

I started getting really nauseous on the drive in and tried to eat some oatmeal when I was at my desk. And you know the point where you NEED to get something on your stomach but your stomach is just too upset to allow any food? Yeah that was the point I was at... So I tried to push past it until my stomach quieted down. Well that didn't work either - I was in a meeting with my manager and actually did that whole "I'm gonna vomit" sweat thing - where you get that fine sheen of cold sweat all over. And then I handed him my notepad and pen and ran from the room to go stand in the bathroom until I threw up.

Of course after that I felt great. For about an hour. Then it was back. Still not able to get anything into my belly to help. So to make a long story short - I left work to go home and take a bunch of pepto bismal and lay down. This was at 11am. By 2pm I still could not manage a simple slice of bread and any movement made my stomach burn.

Yesterday consisted of popsicles and pepto bismal and nothing else. But today I'm much better and the stomach is gurgling happily on the subway egg white breakfast sandwich I bought it. My meds are in my pocket and I'll take them after lunch. So seriously - when they say take with food. DO IT!

Ooo my quads...

Back in early June I got really sick - I mean 5 days on the couch "oh please don't make me move" sick. And then it settled in my chest as Bronchitis. And I was literally gone almost every weekend either for work or for friends. While trying to keep up with Crew and everything else. I was pale and weak and tired all of the time. I finally realized that I was going to kill myself if I didn't stop.

So I did - no working out of any kind for 3 weeks and started going to bed at a reasonable time. I couldn't do much about the travel for work and the eating at crappy restaurants and what not - but I could take the best care 'o me in between the trips.

So here it is mid July and I'm jumping back into the working out saddle again. I've been watching the scale slowly creep up every week since I moved to Ohio and I've been maintaining my sanity about that by working out. So forcibly choosing to NOT workout is provoking panic at my core. Last week I was able to organize a buddy row on Friday morning and it was glorious! I was completely drained by the end of it but it felt SOOOO good to be back out on the water. I just focused on feeling the speed of the boat and the wind I was making tickling the back of my neck. Of course I managed to flip the boat at the dock thanks to being a complete dumbass. I did however REALLY learn the lesson to never ever pull your oar in unless the boat is docked and you are getting out... Sigh.

And then last night I went to spin class at the gym I've been paying for every month since February but hardly used... I wonder if I can claim my $59 was a charity donation. (I'm teasing IRS - don't audit me pls...) And in class as I was panting and struggling to work as hard as everyone else in the room I realized that I'm 34 and I don't have to jump in with both feet and a rock tied to me - I can actually ease back into exercise and do it the right way for my body. And suddenly I felt about a zillion years younger and happy. Do not ask me why its taken me this long to realize this - the answer will always be "I'm an idiot".

And with that I backed off a bit - slowed my pace and turned down the resistance a bit. And spin class became fun and I had a great workout. Today my quads are a wee bit stiff but already loosening with movement. AND the best part is that I can go to my Body Combat class tonight as planned and NOT put myself into the hospital... WHEEEEEeeee can you believe it??

Somedays I make myself feel like Issac Newton who just got thumped on the head with an apple...