massagediva

 
But I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation.  We stayed up much too late and got up much too early to milk all we could out of each theme park.  There are a total of 6 now.  7 if you count Downtown Disney, which has Paradise island (now child friendly) and Disney Quest interactive arcade.
I am ready to plan my next vacation.  If Doug were employed, we probably would have joined Disney's new timeshare plan.  We were at Disney Pop Century, one of the budget hotels.  For now, that was fine.  We only used the room to sleep and regroup.  But as the kids get older, we will want more from a hotel.  The decor was cute.  We had the wing with the giant bowling pins and huge Tramp statue.  I had to yell real loud "we're Tramps", which made one sister in law giggle and the other cringe.  ::LOL::  We all managed to get along.  There were no fights.  The only drama was on my end, and I'll get to that in a moment.  Our room had two double beds, which seems small after being in a king or queen size.  But we were too tired to care.  The hotel had a food court that was suppose to stay open until 12 midnight.  What generally happened was all but one kiosk would close, so if you wanted pizza and it had closed, you had to settle for burgers.  Not the healthiest fare for those on special diets.  The hummus was the worst I've ever had.  I started to crave vegis by Wednesday and the salads were little better than lettuce and a tomato slice.
We spent extra to go to the Halloween party.  Well worth the money!  We were able to go on ALL the top rides in the magic kingdom without waiting.  Miranda was enthralled by Peter Pan, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh and even It's a Small world.  To me, they seemed very 'old school', especially after the rides in the other parks that were top technology.  I was disappointed with Pirates.  It was suppose to be revamped to match the movies.  Basically, they just added in a robotic Johnny Depp.  Again, Miranda liked it, even though some of it was a little intense for small kids.  The whole park was set up with trick or treat stations.   We got soooo much candy, I don't think I'll have to buy any to hand out!  The parade was outstanding, even by Disney standards.  The fireworks were THE BEST ever.  It spoiled me for any of the rest of the fireworks at the rest of the parks.  Luna Tech out of Huntsville Al holds the Disney contract and they really outdid themselves.  They now have fireworks that explode into recognizable character faces, like the genie and Davey Jones.  I really like the whole night because it celebrated Disney's villians.  ::LOL::  Lots of steam punk dressed teens and college kids who were testing their costumes before going to universal studio's big party on halloween weekend.  Overall, I give the Halloween party a 10.  I wish we could have afforded to do it again.
My least favorite park was Hollywood studios.  Too technical and not enough rides.  My favorite it still Epcot.  I love the rides and the educational (HA!) tours of the countries.  However, they haven't changed any of the rides or movies since it opened.  Now they are outdated.  They need to work on this pronto, IMO.  But the shopping there is the best.    The Animal Kingdom was sort of a let down.  I enjoyed seeing all the animals but it was basically a big zoo.  I was expecting more.  the petting zoo was totally lame.  I can pet lambs and goats here at home.  Even the llama was not exotic.   The rides were lacking and the shopping was identical to Epcot. They really need to pump this area up if they want to keep attendance up.  However, if I can afford it next time, I want to stay at the Animal safari hotel to I can watch the savannah while I drink my morning coffee.  Oh, and the rhinos were in mating mode.  ::LOL::  THAT made for some good conversation among strangers.  
The food was a let down though.  After all this promotion about how Disney has so many world class and 5 star restaurants, I was unimpressed.  Maybe it was because we were on the dining plan and they felt they could get away with less than their best.  But it all tasted like Applebys.  The one exception was the Tuskers House restaurant in the Animal kingdom.  I fell in love with the buttercream chocolates and the perfect roast beef.  But for the sit down restaurants in Italy, Mexico and Morroco, they missed the mark.  Breakfast at the castle was great, but it was french toast and eggs.  However, I do know that some places can screw up eggs, so I guess I should tout it higher.  The eggs were great.  ten points!  Would I do the dining plan again?  I don't know.  A typical sit down dinner for three averaged $25 to $40 per person, so probably yes.  I think the plan saved us money overall.  Right now, Disney throws it in free with a week's booking at one of their hotels.  The most expensive place we ate was the Italian restuarant in Italy Epcot.  It was lovely but not $170 worth of lovely. Miranda and I had spaghetti, Doug had gnoche, and we had some sort of desserts and ice tea to drink.  Since we were on the meal plan, we just left a tip--which they already calculate into the bill.  I usually tried to pay the gratuity in cash, because I figured the servers would prefer it.
The only extra activity we did was the Bibbidy Bobbity Boutique.  I took Miranda there and got the cheapest package ($50 + gratiuity).  We will never do this again.  The hairstyle was way too tight and gave her a headache, so it was gone it less than 2 hours.  She hated wearing the make up and the faux nails, so they too were gone pretty quickly.  I got lots of pictures, but it was the one big sore point with me the whole trip.  If I had known she was just doing it to make me happy, I would have save the $60 and done something else.  The glitter is still on her scalp, three shampoos later.  As a little girl, I would have LOVED this activity and would have begged my parents for the deluxe package that included a princess dress and shoes.  Miranda hates having her hair done in any event.  i don't know why I thought this would be a good idea.  I guess I was trying to live vicariously through my daughter and got a rude awakening.  ::Sigh:::
When I worked at Disney, I played mostly Alice and my big gig for the day was the Main Street Electrial parade.  (This parade is long gone)  I also hit a late growth spurt in college and grew 3".  I am now way too tall to be Alice, or any of the female characters.  I was even taller than the Wicked Queens, Cinderella's stepfamily, or Ursala.  I was surprised to see that Ursala was female, not a drag queen but I guess that would confuse kids.  Disney has really expanded on all their character appearances.  When i worked there, there were maybe twenty total.  Now there are over 100.  They have all the princesses and princes, the wicked Queens from Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, Cinderella's family, all the Alice characters,  Tinkerbelle and friends have their own tent!, Peter P,an, Wendy , John, Michael, and all the lost boys,  lots of pirates-Captain Hook and Jack Sparrow dueled!  It was hilarious.  The only character I did not see that I wanted to see was Mulan.  i know they have her because one of my former students for ISU played her in Orlando and was asked to go to the Japan park.  Another difference was everyone, from the gate checkers to the janitors, stayed in character.  You did not talk about Mundane life.  Disney has this class called "disney traditions."  It teaches you everything from the history of the park to making sure all the characters sign exactly the same way.  If one Cinderella is left handed, all must be left handed that season.  When I worked there, things were a bit looser.  But I appreaciated the effort everyone made in keeping the magic.  It really reminded me of a Renfair.  
Okay, i have mountains of laundry to do and Miranda has a mountain of homework.  More later..

 It rained.  We did nothing exciting for Memorial Day weekend.  Doug did get 57 post holes dug for the new fence, but no hottub in yet.  Ask me again Labor Day weekend.  Oh, we did visit Huntsville on Sunday.  It was hot.  It rained there too.  Miranda brought home a giant dollhouse kit that I guess will be our (my) summer arts and craft project.
Monday I had a horrible flare.  I seriously thought of going to the ER but didn't.  I took dreadful drugs and zonked most of the day.  I had been feeling so good up until this weekend.  I'm kind of in the dumps about it even though I feel much better today.  I just never know what my day is going to be like, so it's hard to plan my life.  And as many faithful readers know, I have to PLAN everything.  Even spontaneous fun.  I'm a control freak who is learning to let go but it's still hard.
My father started external radiation for prostate cancer today.  I haven't called to check on him.  I've read WAAAY too much online about the pros and cons of external radiation.  I truely wish he would have had a second opinion.  Internal radiation is more effective.  But he's an adult and it's his life.  Again, it's hard for me to accept I can't control the situation.  Just like when he had a heart attack but refused to loose weight or change his diet.  ::sigh::  Growing up sucks.
To distract me from my RA pain, Doug rented me Twilight.  Other than tweener eye candy I suppose, it really doesn't touch the books.  It's teen angst to the tenth degree.  Miranda LOVED it, which surprised the hell out of me.  She usually hates vampire things but this was more teen age romance than horror.  I really enjoyed the books, but now reviewing them again...I'd like them more if there were less 'purity' and subtle Mormon values in the subtext.  I lived among the LDS for five years.  Maybe it's just me reading too much into things, but Bella is the perfect Mormon girl.Self effacing, self sacrificing to the point of annoying,   Okay, off to do something else equally exciting like laundry.  

 Our hard drive caught some Trojan horse virus and won't recognize the keyboard.  Doug has been too busy to deal with it.  Miranda's GS play is next wednesday and it sucks.  I'll be honest.  I'm used to working with bright and pretensious theatre kids.  Only three of these girls know their SIX lines.  One girl has no idea how to 'pretend' or pantomime actions. Oh, and there was the nasty-gram from my former boss at H&S responding to something I wrote about franchise work on the Massage Therapy list board.  All of it was true, none of it slanderous, but she really had me unsettled and angry for the rest of the day.  :Sigh::  My better half is rewriting my response to her.  I have learned the Spa industry is just as drama-mama as the theatre or music industry.  Of course, most LMTs in this area are also musicians waiting for their 'big break'.  

On happier notes, the Galactic fair of New Agey Goodness was this weekend.  I had a booth and at the last minute decided to offer hot stone massage to separate me from the ten (!!) massage therapy booths there.  I was soooo busy.  It was great.  I connected with many friends from last year.  I  traded services for  awesome stuff.   I did have a sort of alarming reading from an astrologist/tarot reader regarding the month of September.  Hmmm.  I think I need another opinion or view.   I spent as much as I made, but I broke even and that's all I was shooting for at this event.  My other LMT friends of RElax didn't even come close to breaking even.  No one came to their booth, and I'm not certain why... They were towards the back, so maybe the traffic pattern was against them.   Anyway, it was a good experience but today I took it easy.  Or tried to.  
Tristan went back to the doc today.  He got bit by a kid at preschool on Friday and started running an off/on fever this weekend.  Whenever he has a fever, he gets this rash too.  I should be used to it but it always freaks me out.  It's not anything from the bite.  Just some random kid virus.  Hopefully he'll be good to go tomorrow.  Work has been slow and I finally have a client tomorrow.  I hope she actually shows up, unlike the client who reschedule twice last week and never came.
Haven't heard a peep from the 'rents.  Have no idea where they went, though I am assuming it's their condo in Gatlinburg.  My dad usually calls on sunday at 6 on the dot.  So its weird to go two Sundays without hearing from him.

I know what to do with dandelion.  I know what to do with sheep sorrel.  But what does one do with wild onions/wild garlic (whatever it is)    Is this the same thing as the wild ramp?  I have made salads from stuff in my yard, but I have never used wild onions.  Mostly because I hate raw onion.  Has anyone ever cooked with wild onion?  Is there anything useful to be done with wild onion?  I have LOTS of it in my yard and I hate to mow it down if there is something fun that can be done with it.

Any healing energy will be appreciated and paid back at some point.

This is day #3.5 of the locked jaw.  The steriod pack has not really kicked in.  I'm usually a pain med weenie and half a viacodeine knocks me out.  I'm taking two at a time and they only thing they are doing is making me sick to my stomach.  No pain relief though.  The muscle relaxers are a freakin' joke.  I took the last injection this morning and shot it directly into the jaw to see if I could get better relief.  No.  Now I just look like someone socked me in the jaw.  (Sorry if that was too graphic for the squeamish)
This is stupid.  I hate my body and it obviously hates me.  I'd like to report that this is a good method of weight loss except I learned that Wendy's Frosty's have 800 calories and Sonic chocolate milk shakes have 1200.  At least I didn't have one from Fridays, which packs at whooping 2700 calories.  So I'm drinking Arbonne detox shakes, which are gross, but only have 250 calories.

Doug and I both had whatever stomach thing it was Miranda had.  I think we're over it.  It totally sucks, so wash your hands.  Anytime you touch anything.  Wash 'em again.

That said, I am feeling so..free this week.  I've been really busy at Merle Norman with three to four clients a day, which is great!  I start next week at the other place too.  I'm ordering some really yummy lotions and body scrubs for Valentines Day.  Chocolate and some Rose blend stuff.  I'm excited.

Since it is Thursday, it's time for...Gratitude.
1. I am grateful it's warm inside my house because it's so cold outside!  (They've cancelled school tomorrow because it is so cold!  no lie!)
2. I am grateful for a friend who loves cleaning like I love massage.  We're doing a trade tomorrow!
3.  Good television shows.
4.  Good port.  Yummy.
5. Water fountains
6. Designer purses and the niece I buy them for.  Because I am the Coolest Aunt.
7.  My LJ friends who indulge me.

 Vote for Kat's earth friendly bag at Kroger's website!
http://www.designagreenbag.com/vote-for-designs/bag.aspx?BagId=26111
You can vote once a day :hint hint:
So far, she seems to be winning.
Hey Kat, what do you win if  you win?

Shamelessly ganked from  anarawd

1. Where is your cell phone? table

2. Your significant other? Sexy

3. Your hair? flat

4. Your mother? smoking

5. Your father? asleep

6. Your favorite thing? reading

7. Your dream last night? none

8. Your favorite drink? water

9. Your dream/goal? Spa

10. The room you're in? dark

11. Your ex? married

12. Your fear? failing

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Successful

14. Where were you last night? Home

15. What you're not? Skinny

16. Muffins? Blueberry

17. One of your wish list items? Boots

18. Where you grew up? Vincennes

19. The last thing you did? shopping

20. What are you wearing? jeans

21. Your TV? Loud

22. Your pets? Many

23. Your computer? Slow

24. Your life? Mundane

25. Your mood? Good

26. Missing someone? Friends

27 Your car? Blue

28. Something you're not wearing? Underwear!

29 Favorite Store? B&N

30. Your summer?  Hectic

31. Like someone? Yes

32. Your favorite color? Green

33. When is the last time you laughed? Today

34. Last time you cried? Awhile

35. Who will/would re-post this? Babs

<a href="http://www.the-n.com/games/quiz/3364"><img src="http://www.the-n.com/media/quiz/badges/whothehell_quiz/mt.gif" border="0" /></a>

Damn I'm better than I thought.

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After a LONG day, we came home last night and lit a fire in our firepit and watched the lunar eclipse. It was gorgeous. It was awe inspiring. I smudged the house, made some snacks and gazed at the moon. The only thing missing was a hot tub. Maybe next time :-)

Here's how frazzled I am.  I didn't realize until looking at the date on a missed phone call that TODAY is my son's 1st birthday.  I was thinking Feb. 5 was a  Wednesday. ::face smack::  Granted, we aren't celebrating until this weekend when we go see Doug's family in Huntsville.  But JEEZ...time flies.   I can't believe it was only a year ago!  That was probably the most serene week of my life.  Weird. 
It's the usual chaos here.  I'm working on taxes.   Miranda has some sort of virus that has manefested as a rash.  Tristan has six teeth as of this morning.  Everyone I know has a weather headache that has gone on for days.  Despite the rash, we're going to the grocery store to get cupcakes so Tristan can smash his face into them tonight.  I'll take lots of embarrassing pictures to show his friends later in life. <evil grin>
I could really use a good glass of wine.

For f olks living in Illinois, especially my MT friends, this is something I'd expect to see in TN.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-massage_22jan22,1,1339520.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Where is Elk Grove anyway?  Oh, and the FUNNIEST thing is the complaint that some people in massage are linked to the 'adult entertainment' industry.  Until 2003, all Massage Therapists in the state of Illinois were classified as "Adult Entertainers" instead of Health Care or anything else.  (We're still not classified as Health Care professionals as a whole in Illinois)

I have been a major grump lately, mostly because I haven't felt good. But everyone I've encountered in Tennessee is really friendly. Like, they put ME, Friendly-Kelly-who-makes-BFFs-in-the-grocery-store to shame. For example, the whole massage application has been a major pain in the ass, but each time I actually come face to face with a person that I need something from, they are too damn nice to pick a fight with. Like, this week, after filling out the monster background check application (20 pages!) and digging up all the proof of identity I needed to prove I am me, I went to the Rutherford County fingerprint/background check office, ready to explode. Instead, I find the sweetest little old man doing the fingerprinting who shares his orange with me when I explain my family and I have all had the flu. I felt like schmuck. Then, I have to wrestle my children an appointment to a new pediatrician. Again, I'm really to explode. No point. Our appointment was at 2:40. We get in at 2:40. The doctor is a lovely black lady whom I wanted to take home and marry. Her nurse was everyone's ideal mom. The receptionists all wanted to hold Tristan and just fussed over him, which he loved. The kids get shots and DON'T CRY!!!! And I am again stunned by how nice everyone is.
Last night we closed on our house. The other realtor had majorly screwed up, so we were waiting on some faxes. Our real estate lawyer was this adorable old lady with an accent that didn't sound like a Tennessee accent. I remarked on this and said she sounded like she was Montgomery, Alambama or thereabouts (I am a dialect geek). SHE WAS!! She was so excited that I pegged her dialect that she had to tell me every school she attended in Montgomery. All this while she played with my children, letting Miranda try on her HUGE citrus color diamond ring. That would never happen in Illinois. The lawyer's grand daughter was also her paralegal assistant and turns out to be a neighbor. She offered to babysit. For free. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone of really nice people.

I guess it makes up for all the red tape it takes to do anything when you are from out of state. Just shipping a package is a 20-minute ordeal of inputting data. (but I met a really cute photographer who turned out to be a cousin of one of my clients in LeRoy!!) But I will put the friendly test to TN this coming week. I have to go to the DMV and renew my license.

Oh BTW, Nyk and Sarah, I shipped your stuff off to you last week.