Next time I'm going to lie

Jude:  "Mom, look!  My kazoo is broken!"

Weenie:  "It's not broken!  You have to use your voice.  It won't work if you just blow."

Jude:  "You mean like this!"  (Insert hideous screeching sound here.)

Weenie:  "Yep, you got it!"

Husband:  "Next time just agree the damn thing is broken, okay?!"

Weenie:  "Okay!"

Green Beer

Today at work I taught a bunch of crazy Japanese 3rd graders.  Since Christmas is right around the corner, I did an introductory class on Christmas in America.  We studied a few basic Christmas vocabulary words, including the word reindeer.  But, unfortunately, my students had a hard time saying reindeer, and, instead, they kept saying green beer.  After I corrected them several time, I gave up.

So, now there are a bunch of Japanese 3rd graders going around yelling  green beer every time they see a reindeer.  I think my job here is done!   I have, again, corrupted the youth of Japan.  All in a day's work...

Watchin' TV

Love it!  I'm sure this what Husband would love to do to me when I'm bugging him!

I was shushed by a 3 year old

So, I added a couple of new English lessons recently.  Now, I will be teaching 2 "baby" classes every other Friday.  The classes consist of Japanese toddlers ranging in ages from 2-3.  They are the cutest little things ever, except that a few of them aren't used to me, yet.  It usually takes a while for the little ones to get adjusted to a new teacher.

Well, last Friday I taught a lesson about Christmas.  We sang Christmas carols and made Christmas cards.  During our craft portion of the class, I went up to a little 3 year old boy and tried to get him to say Christmas tree, red, green, snow, etc.  Apparently, he wasn't ready to speak to me, so he kindly raised his finger to his mouth and shushed me.  Then, in Japanese he explained that he didn't want to talk to me because I was new to him.  I understood him and walked away.  I returned about 2 minutes later and tried to talk to him again.  Unfortunately, I got the same response:  shush!  This happened repeatedly, each time I burst out in laughter.  The kid's mom was embarrassed, but I thought it was hilarious.

There's nothing funnier than being shushed by a 3 year old!  I love my job!

Back from paradise

We got back from Thailand on Wednesday.  It truly was the best vacation ever!  Here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

We went elephant trekking.

We went to the Similan Islands.  

We snorkeled...

...with a sea turtle!

This trip was heaven on earth!  I can't wait to go back again!

Our Clown Car

This is Husband's new used car.  It's a yellow plate car, which basically means it has a lawn mower sized engine.  It gets great gas mileage, but if there are 4 adult sized people in it, everyone has to get out and help push it up the hills.  Seriously!

Whatever!  We are in Japan, so we thought we would get a Japanese sized car.

(By the way, going through traffic circles at 40 MPH in this car is way fun!)

One more goodbye

One of my favorite families returned home to the States yesterday.  I was sad to see them go, but even more sad that I won't be able to watch their son grow and mature.

As you know, I hate the goodbyes.  I'm not good at letting people go.  Once I find people that I like, I keep them near, but I always know in the back of my mind that this will not last forever.  I will try to keep in touch via e-mails and Skype and Facebook, but it's not the same.  I'll be missing out on the day to day friendship that made them so special.

Patty, Eric, Alejandro,

Goodbye!  You'll be missed more than you know!

Love y'all,
Weenie

PS.  I'll be coming to New York to visit you often!

Kunitachi at night

Our favorite Thai restaurant is in Kunitachi, a suburb of Tokyo, Japan.  So, on Sunday night, we hopped on the train with our friends and headed out.  The food was divine, and I can't wait to pig out in Thailand!

After we ate, we walked back to the train station.  Here is Jude and his best friend as the walk down the street holding hands.  There's something so sweet and innocent about 2 best buds holding hands as they walk.  It was such a precious moment.  I know there won't be too many more of these as Jude ages, so I had to capture the moment!

Ome Mountains

This is the view from the top floor of the Seiyu (Japanese Walmart) parking garage in Ome.  Lovely, isn't it?

Bikini bottom

Today in the mail, I received my dreaded bikinis.  I was nervous to try them on, but decided that I should at least see just how bad I look in them.  To my surprise, I don't look that bad.  Granted, I still have a couple a weeks until our Thailand trip, so I plan to stop eating crap and start working out a little harder.

As I was trying on the new bikinis, Jude walked in.  I asked him how I looked, and he responded, "You look sexy!"  And if he thinks I look good, then I must, because 6 year olds don't lie!

With Fuji-san smiling down

I ran an awesome 7.25 miles this morning.  The air was crisp, the sky was clear, my lungs felt great, but my legs were sore, courtesy of my Cindy Crawford workout video.  Thankfully, my sore legs and ass didn't stop me from running.  Instead, I ran strong and hard, finishing in about an hour and fifteen minutes.  I could have ran quicker, but my fellow running buddy was having a bad day and wanted to quit a few times, so I slowed down and talked to him to keep his mind off the hurt.  It worked, and we both finished strong with respectable times.

As we ran, off in the distance, we could see Mt. Fuji's snow covered dome glistening in the morning sun.  It was a glorious sight that reminded me why I run.

It was like a little piece of heaven right on earth.

Testicles

Today I ran into Jude's kindergarten teacher.  This was our conversation:

Teacher:  "I have to tell you what happened today at school."

Weenie:  "Uh-oh, I'm sorry for whatever he did!"

Teacher:  "It wasn't bad...it was just interesting..."

Weenie:  "Uh-oh!"

Teacher:  "Today at rest time, Jude was talking to his friend.  After the conversation, his friend came up to me and asked me what testicles are."

Weenie:  "Oh crap.  Sorry!"

Teacher:  "So I called Jude over and asked what he was doing.  His reply, 'I was being bad.'"

Weenie:  "Sorry.  We use the anatomically correct words for our body parts.  Sorry!"

Teacher:  "I was just impressed that Jude could say a three syllable word!"

Green

In the summer months, Tokyo becomes green.  Everything is covered in green, fuzzy moss.

For as long as I live, I will always remember the greeness that is Tokyo in the summer.

I always knew this day was coming

Today at the bus stop, it was a brisk 46 degrees.  Jude was wearing his favorite sweater, but it wasn't enough.  He was cold and shivering.  So, like any good mother, I grabbed him close and held him next to me, trying my best to keep him warm until the bus arrived.

After about 15 seconds, Jude pushed me away and said, "Stop, mom...my friends are watching!"

So, my baby is gone.  He's been replaced by a big kid, the kind that doesn't want to snuggle with his mom in public.

*Sigh*

So, today, my heart was broken, and the realization that my kid is growing up way to fast slapped me in the face.  Again!

Phew!

I always hate it when stupid people complain about how busy they are--as if no one else on the planet has a million things going on at once.  So, I'm not going to complain.  Instead, I'm simply going to state that I've been busier than normal and lack the time to devote to this stupid blog.

Don't think I've forgotten you or that I'm neglecting you.  Just know that your favorite midget, Mexican momma has a whole lot of shit going on.

However, next week things should slow down a bit.  Then, I'll be posting pictures and rambling on about nothing.

So, now I've got to go.  I'm going to do my Cindy Crawford workout video in hopes that I'll be toned enough to wear my bikinis in Thailand.  Oh, did I mention I bought several bikinis for my Thailand trip?  Don't worry, I'm not going to let it ALL hang out.  My bikinis have built in skirts and boy shorts.  So, I'll just be letting a little hang out.

I just sat down

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of busyness.  We've had birthday party after birthday party.  Don't get me wrong, I love birthday parties, but there are only so many ways you can enjoy yourself at a 6 year old's party.  Thankfully, today was our last party for a while.  Phew!  And, I survived.

And, I've been working my ass off.  Actually, I have no ass, so...um...I've been working a lot!  Too much!

I love my work, but the more hours and classes I add, the more it becomes a job.  And I don't want a job.  I work because I like it, not because I have to.  I'm so very lucky that Husband can support us comfortably.  So, maybe I'm starting to get greedy.  Lord knows I like making money, and spending it is pretty fun too!

Maybe I'm in over my head.  Maybe I should just sit back and relax.  But I'm not good at relaxing, though.

Who knows, maybe I'll  just quit working all together and continue working on my project.  Yep, that sounds like a grand ideal!

Typhoon

This typhoon might be headed our way!  Yikes!

The Japanese way

I thought our mornings were crazy!  Check this out!

Shit

Between earthquakes, tsunamis and Mexican drug gangs, I think we might need to change our vacation plans.

Damn it!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101026/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_earthquake

Free entertainment and free food

Okay, I mentioned to you the other day that we are planning a Thailand trip and a cruise next year.  Well, we are saving up our pennies, I mean our yennies, in preparation for the trips.  So on Sunday, we needed some cheap entertainment and a free meal, so where do you think we went?  Costco.  That's right, I said Costco!

On Sundays, Costco has about 10 demo ladies handing out free samples of delicious goodies you can buy in bulk.  And since we are in Japan, the samples are even better.  The samples consisted of Bulgogi (marinated beef Korean style), cream puff, cookies, cheesy bread, cooked chicken thighs, oolong tea, steamed salmon, and few other goodies.  Granted, we had to stand in line with the other 50,000 Japanese Costco customers, but it was worth it.

We got to enjoy tons of free, delicious goodies.

So, if your'e hungry and don't mind standing in line, head to your local Costco for some free snacks!  I highly recommend it!

On butt wiping

Okay, Jude is 6 years old now (his birthday was last week), but I'm still wiping his ass.  You would think after 6 long years of ass wiping  I would get tired of it, and you'd be right.  However, it beats the alternative.  If Jude wipes his own butt, he just smears the crap all the way up his back.  Then he smells bad, and his clothes are riddled with skid marks.  Maybe by the time he's 7 he'll be able to wipe his own butt without leaving a trail.  A mother can only hope!

You should be jealous

So, I spent this week working my ass off, preparing for Jude's 6th birthday party and planning our upcoming vacations.

Let's just say our vacations are going to be kick ass!

I refuse to send an open invitation to thieves, but I will tell you that we're going to Phuket, Thailand, and I booked a cruise with my running buddies.  The Thailand trip is first, and the cruise is scheduled for sometime next year.

I'm so excited about both!

I love beach vacations!

I'm so happy to be me!

Margarita Thursday

These are my lovely Ome Ladies.  We meet every Thursday for English conversation and food.  I hosted last week's class and made margaritas.  Yes, I got paid for this!

I love my job!

Besides, as a half-ass Mexican living in Japan, I've got to represent.  I've got to show my students the best things about American culture.  And, well, margaritas rank pretty high in my book!  Plus, this was a good reason for me to have an adult beverage at 10 AM!  

Yokohama Sea Paradise

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our trip to Yokohama Sea Paradise.  Enjoy!

Looking at sharks...

The penguins..

More sharks, I think...

The shark tube...I kept humming the Jaws theme...

The dolphin tube...

Jude smiling because a dolphin had just pooped on the glass...

Still smiling about dolphin poop...

Of course, it was raining!

It seems every time I plan a day trip to anywhere in Japan, it rains!  So, because of the crappy weather, we weren't able to ride any of the rides at the adjacent amusement park.  And, we were lucky enough to get suck in traffic for almost 5 hours.  That's right, it took us 5 hours to drive about 45 miles.  I will never complain about traffic in America again!   Seriously!

Dinosaur museum with friends

About two weeks ago, Jude had a day off from school.  So, a group of us got together and took the kiddos to the dinosaur museum.  They had a blast!

Just another day in Weenie's World!

Old Man

When I eat out, I often see elderly people eating alone.  

The other day, at one of my favorite Ramen shops, I saw this cute, old guy, and I just had to take a picture.  

I think he was working on a crossword puzzle.   

Japanese Tofu Lunch

Last week my students took me to eat at a really nice Japanese tofu restaurant.  I forgot to take my camera, but, luckily, I had my iPhone to capture the restaurant's beauty.

This lovely lady was our waitress.

Our lunch consisted of tofu cooked about a million different ways.  I'm not a huge fan of tofu, but I have to admit, the food was excellent!

And the best part was I got paid to eat this delicious food.  That's right, my students took me out to eat, paid for my lunch, which I'm sure was pretty pricey, and then paid me for speaking English to them.  Yes, I know, I've got the greatest job on earth!  I'm so lucky!

Texas Proud

Jude:  "My friend CJ is Filipino and from the Philippines."

Weenie:  "Really?  How do you know?"

Jude:  "He told me."

Weenie:  "What are you?"

Jude:  "Texan!"

Weenie:  "Good answer!"

Jude's 6 year old pictures

Every year I like to have Jude's picture taken around his birthday.  Here a few of my favorite pictures from yesterday's photo shoot:

Crapped on by dolphins

This is a whale shark. 

This weekend Jude and I went to Yokohama's Sea Paradise Aquarium and theme park.  It's like Sea World but much smaller.  The animal enclosures are tiny, and most of the animals look pretty pathetic.  This is also one of the only places in the world that has a whale shark for your viewing pleasure.

As you know, I hate these kind of places.  I hate the fact that most of the animals are squished into itty-bitty enclosures and forced to do stupid tricks for the stupid humans.  There were also countless sea creatures and mammals that were blind, sickly looking, and acting crazy.  In my mind, these animals should be in nature doing natural things.  Instead, they are locked inside, to be gawked at and stared at.

I'm sad that these places exist, but even sadder about the conditions at this particular place.

But as a doting parent, I put my beliefs aside for the benefit and entertainment of my child.  Since Jude is fascinated with sea creatures, I thought it would be a real treat for him to see the animals he's been studying.    He really enjoyed this place and hopes to go back again.

The highlight of my day was when we walked under the dolphin tank (a circular, tube tank), and the dolphins pooped right above our heads, covering the glass in a brownish-greenish, diarrhea-looking film.  It was awesome to be shit on by a bunch of dolphins.  I guess since we shit on them, they shit on us.

The honest truth

I'm a hopeless romantic.  When I was single, I thought marriage was about flowers, kisses, hot dates after work, fancy vacations with lots of vacation sex, nice gifts of appreciation from a loving husband, breakfast in bed, passionate love making, and lots of touching.

After 7 years of marriage this is what I get:
1.  Long separations apart because of Husband's job;
2.  The only flowers I get are the ones I have grown myself;
3.  Instead of hot dinner dates, I get to cook the food and clean up the mess afterwards;
4.  We take nice vacations, but they are "working vacations" where Husband usually has to work, and I end up spending the whole time with my 5 year old;
5.  Instead of fancy gifts, I get wonderful creations made by said 5 year old;
6.  Instead of breakfast in bed, I get woken up by a snot-nosed kiddo coughing in my face at 5 AM; and
7.  Passionate love making takes a back seat to passionate booger wiping and carpooling.

So, for all of you young-ens out there trying desperately to find "the one" and live happily ever after with rainbows and hearts and kisses, good luck!  Because that romantic version of marriage doesn't exist.  If you want that, go watch a fucking Disney movie!

Just saying!

Smarty Pants

Me:  "Jude, you need to clean your room!"

Jude:  "Why?  I'm just going to make a mess again!"

Me:  "Because it's dangerous to have all these toys on the floor, and I could trip, fall down, bust my head open and die, and then who will take care of you?"

Jude:  "Oh, okay."

Moments later...

Jude:  "Mom, come look!"

Me:  "What's this?"

Jude:  "I made a path.  Just stay on the path.  If you get off the path, trip, fall and die, then that's your own fault!"

Just another day in Weenie's world!

Look-a-like

Shit!  I just realized I have the same hairstyle as Justin Bieber.

Watch out!  I might start belting out Bieber's latest hits at the top of my lungs, and it ain't gonna be pretty!

Week #2 of Tokyo Marathon training complete...barely

****Caution: F Bombs below!***********

Well, I ran 3 miles Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday, 3 miles on Thursday and 5-ish miles on Saturday.
Saturday's run was a mess.  Since Husband is STILL away, I got a babysitter to watch Jude, so I could run long on Saturday.  I hate waking my kid up at 5:30 AM on a Saturday.  And, the babysitter promised to be at my apartment at 5:45 AM, so I could meet my running buds at 6 AM.

Well, the sitter never showed.  I called her multiple times. I called her parents, and I even banged on her door (she lives on the 9th floor of my building), but she never made a peep.  I figured she was dead or not home.  So, at 6 AM, I got Jude up, made him pee, put some clothes over his pjs and met my running buddies who patiently waited for me.  I loaded him up in the baby jogger and proceeded to push the 70 pound rig and kid 6 miles.  Well, let's just say it sucked big, fat, donkey balls! And, on our route, there was construction.  The construction workers laid a gravel road for foot traffic; however, my baby jogger is not equip for gravel roads.  Needless to say, Jude got nauseated and almost threw up everywhere.  I was so incredibly pissed!  Jude was so "car" sick that he ended up missing his karate lesson.

So, I was pissed off at the world because:
(1) Husband should be at home and not a world away!  He should be the one to take care of his child when I need him to.
(2) It seems I can't rely on anyone for anything!
(3) It's my goal to run another marathon, but other people seem to be sabotaging my goal!
(4) My poor, sweet kid was woken up at 6 AM on a Saturday, by me, to only become nauseated and sick.

Maybe the Gods are trying to tell me to give up my goal.  Maybe I'm being unreasonable.  Maybe having my own personal goal is just stupid.  Maybe I should give up all my fucking goals because they sure as hell don't seem achievable when no one else is willing to help.

All of this just seems like a waste of my fucking time!

My new do

It's my short, sassy new look.  What do you think?

The Grape Race 5K

I'm the one in the pink hat, with the pink shirt, and pink sunglasses, standing behind  Jude (the big kid) in the yellow, Ironman baby jogger. 

I ran this 5K about 2 weeks ago.  It was a pretty race, but the hills were killer, and I pushed Jude up those hills in the baby jogger.  I know, what the hell was I thinking?  I can honestly say that pushing a 40 pound kid in a 30 pound stroller up giant, ass hills is worse than running a marathon.  Yes, worse!  There were several times where I swore I was going to die because my heart was about to explode out of my chest.

Thankfully, I survived without any injuries!  Praise God or Jesus or Allah or whomever you praise!

In bed

It seems lately all I do is read in bed.  Since Husband is away, Jude has taken up residence on Husband's side of the bed.  I like it that way.  When I wake up at night, I just reach over and feel his warm, little, skinny body and fall right back to sleep, comforted to know my child is near me, safe and sound.  If you aren't a parent, these words probably mean nothing you, but if you do have kiddos, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.  


So, before bed each night, I read Jude his night-night books, which usually consist of multiple Star Wars readers or a couple of books about the Transformers, and then I read my books.  


Here's what I'm currently reading:


Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason  by Helen Fielding
This is the sequel to the first book.  I found this book at my favorite resale shop.  I haven't started reading it yet, but I intend to.  This is a guilty pleasure read.  


The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
I bought this book because it's by Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight books.  However, this book sucks.  I think her publisher asked her to write it just so stupid people, like myself, would buy it and make them (Meyer and her publisher) lots of money. I've gotten to page 133 out of 178 pages, but have no desire to finish.  


Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I'm reading this book because it has a bunch of hype around it.  But I'm sorry to say, I don't like this one either.  I know lots of people are raving about this one, but I can't seem to figure out why.  In my opinion, it's not very good and lacks so much.  In the beginning, Gilbert tells you that she was paid to write this book.  She HAD to write this book.  And because of that, the book feels forced, unnatural, and, frankly, boring!  She even attempts to be witty several times, but fails miserably.  I've tried to stick it out and finish it, but it's really starting to bore me.  I've made it to page 237.


House Rules by Jodi Picoult
THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!  I LOVE THIS BOOK!  A friend of mine let me borrow it, and now I can't put it down.  It's an amazing story about a boy with Asperger's.  A crime is committed, and he's accused of it.  This book is riveting, intense, fascinating and creative.  Picoult's social commentary on how we treat people with differences is eye opening!  If you have time and want to read an excellent book, check this one out!  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!  I promise you won't be disappointed. 

So, that's what's on my night stand.  What's on yours?

This place is starting to get to me

Japan is great.  I love Japan.  However, I'm really starting to hate where I live.  And what makes matters worse is I have no control over where I live. Husband's employer tells us where we can live, and we don't really have a choice in the matter.

And recently, the people in our building are getting nastier and nastier.  Someone or something is pissing in the elevator daily.  I've complained.  I've ranted and raved.  I've gone door to door.  I've done everything I can do, and nothing is working.  It's an aggravating situation that I have no control over, and not having control is making me crazy...uh, crazier, I should say.

The worst part is Jude slipped in the piss the other day.  He wasn't looking where he was going, and he stepped in it, while wearing his Crocks, and he fell right in a puddle of it.  I was so pissed off I could have killed someone.  Seriously, there's nothing worse than a 4 foot, 9 1/2 inch, pissed off, half-assed, Mexican momma with a kid who smells like someone else's urine!

So, instead of feeling tranquil or calm in my own place, I get pissed off every time I have to take the elevator. And since I live on the 5th floor, I take the elevator a lot!

Seriously, these people around me are disgusting animals! And what makes me even more pissed off is that these people are America's finest... the U.S. Air Force employs these ass holes!

I'm going to bitch now

Don't get me wrong, I love my life.  I work part time teaching English to people who desperately want to learn it.  I have the best 5 year old boy on the planet.  I have a husband who loves me and doesn't require me to do much of anything, except cook his meals.

However, (long pause, then sigh) I'm really starting to miss adult conversations with adults who actually speak the same language as me.  My students and co-workers are great, except they don't really speak English.  They understand it on the most basic level.  If I say it's going to rain cats and dogs, they look at my puzzled.  Then I have to spend the next 10 minutes explaining the meaning of that idiom to them.  It can get exhausting.  And, I can't speak to them in my normal English voice.  Instead, I have to speak slowly, really, really slowly (like a retard) and choose easy words they know.  I can't talk about politics or science or celebrities.

And, I love my kid, but I get tired of discussing the inner workings of Star Wars, and who would win in a battle against Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Yoda, or Luke Skywalker.  I get tired of reading Star Wars and Transformers books, and watching children's' programming on TV.

A little adult conversation every now and then would be nice.

I think I'm just tired of my current situation.

I've got a few friends I can converse with, but most of them are busy doing their own thing day in and day out, and soon, most of them will be leaving, too.  I should be trying to meet new people, but what's the point?  Once I make new friends, I'll just have to move again and start all over.

Maybe I'll just sell my soul to the devil, move to Hawaii, and become a homeless lady who wanders around harassing tourists and smelling like urine and booze.  Yep, that sounds like a great idea!

Aloha!

On the road again

Husband's 58 hours are over, and he's back on the road.  He'll be gone about 3 weeks this time.

The time he was home was pretty much a waste.  He ended up spending most of his time preparing for his next trip.  It would have probably been better if he hadn't come home at all.  You see, Jude and I have a system, and it works.  Jude knows what he needs to do and when, but when you throw  Husband into the mix, our system gets out of whack.  Now, I'm not saying I don't love Husband or any of that other crap.  I'm just saying that Jude and I get used to being alone, and when you add someone else to the mix, we get discombobulated.

And when Husband does return from his trip, we'll all be out of whack again, until we get used to having him back in our world.

Sometimes it's hard having a husband that travels a lot for work.  I never know when to plan for things or when his schedule is going to interrupt mine.  It can be frustrating at times, but the good always out weighs the bad.

Sometimes I just wish I had more control over things...

Week #1 of Tokyo Marathon training complete

Yahoo!  I ran 3 miles Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Friday, and 5.2 miles today (Saturday).  I would have ran Thursday, but I had the crappers!

The running is slow, with heavy legs and heavy breathing, but everyday it gets a little better and a little easier.

I'm so glad I got my running mojo back...just in time for Tokyo Marathon training!

Week #1 of Tokyo Marathon training complete

Yahoo!  I ran 3 miles Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Friday, and 5.2 miles today (Saturday).  I would have ran Thursday, but I had the crappers!

The running is slow, with heavy legs and heavy breathing, but everyday it gets a little better and a little easier.

I'm so glad I got my running mojo back...just in time for Tokyo Marathon training!

Happy Autumn Equinox Day

Today is a holiday in Japan.  It's Autumn Equinox Day.

Hooray for a day off!

Hooray for silly Japanese holidays!

Hooray for Doritos, because they turn your fingers orange!

Husband is home

Thankfully, Husband made it home safely last night.  He will be home for exactly 56 hours, so we have to make the most of it.  Then, he's flying out to Texas for some training for work.  He'll be gone another 2 weeks or so.

So, husband and I will be spending the next couple of days screwing  enjoying each other's company.

Inspirational

If he can do it, so can you!

Dancing #3

This time he has a prop...a flashlight!

Worn out

Even with 2 gi-normous, painful lumps on my head and a massive headache, I still mustered up enough strength this week to run 3 miles on Tuesday, 3 1/2 miles on Friday, 4 miles on Saturday and 3.2 miles on Sunday.

Let's just say I'm one tired midget, Mexican momma who can't wait to take a nap today!

To all my gentlemen callers

Husband is away on business.  He's been gone for about a week and should return at the end of this week only to leave again the next week to be gone for an additional 3 weeks... Phew, I'm worn out just telling you about Husband's schedule!

So, I've been playing the single mom card for the last 168 hours, but, hey, who's counting?!

So, if you (gentlemen callers) would like to take me to dinner and not expect me to pay, or rub my stinky feet, or listen to me complain about how I was woken up 3 times in the night by a 5 year old Karate kicking my in the kooter because said 5 year old was dreaming he was Luke Skywalker fighting to save the galaxy from the evil Darth Vader, I'm available!

Just saying!

Accident Report #3

Okay, I'm not sure that this is actually an accident I'm reporting, but more like an incident.

On Monday, I was talking on the phone and felt a strange, painful burning sensation on my head (on my scalp, right on the back of my head).  I grabbed my head and thought my pony tail was pulling a stray hair causing the burning pain.  Once I released the pony tail, the burning still continued.  I rubbed my head and was confused about the burning sensation.  It was only a small, localized area, about 1 inch of  scalp that burned.  After about 20 minutes, the burning subsided.  Shortly thereafter, I got an excruciating headache.  I took some Motrin and the headache went away.

The next day everything was fine, except I had a knot on my head where the burning was, and I had developed another knot further below.  The second knot was larger and sorer than the initial knot/bump.  I went to work and ignored the bumps.

Wednesday I woke up with 2 very large, painful bumps on my head, a stiff neck, and a headache.  Again, I took some Motrin, went to work and continued with my daily activities.  That night, I woke up with throbbing pain in my head.  The second, lower bump was getting larger and more painful, and sensitive to the touch.  It was so painful, I couldn't get comfortable, and it hurt to lay my head on the pillow on that side.  Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.

Yesterday (Thursday) I couldn't take it anymore, so I went to the doctor.  It turns out something bit me or stung me on my head.  My body isn't tolerating the bite well, and the lymph node below the bite (yes, you have lymph nodes on your head) is swollen, trying to process and clear out the toxins from the bite.

The doc said I don't have an infection, and should recover in a few days.  But if it gets worse, I have to go back for some antibiotics.

And I have no idea what bit me.  I was inside talking on the phone in my apartment when I got bit.

All I know is Japan has some weird ass bug that will bite you on the head and give you a headache for a week!

Bugs suck!

The Swagger Wagon

This is awesome!

My running mojo

I think I found my running mojo again.  Thank God!

My running mojo gets lost in the summer, but it usually comes back in the fall.  It typically hits me when I'm running in the dark, and a cool breeze slaps me in the face, cooling off my hot, sweaty, greasy, flushed cheeks.  There's nothing better than that cool breeze... at the moment when you think you are too tired to keep going, when you think you are about to give into the hurt of your exhausted body, that breeze containing your mojo hits you, awakening your senses, giving you the power and strength to keep going, to push it beyond what you thought you were capable of.  That's the moment you know it's back.  You're thankful for its return, so thankful.

Now the goal is to keep it.

**************************
Dear Mr. Running Mojo,

I missed you, but I'm glad you're back.  It's good to see you!  I hope you stay for a while.

~Weenie