You Know You're Old When...

This post is based on my outing last weekend with a group of girlfriends...

1. You go wine tasting during the day and have to take a nap afterwards;

2. You go out after dinner and have terrible indigestion and can't stop burping up garlic, but really don't care;

3. The group of girls you're out with are all married or engaged;

4. Two of the women are pregnant;

5. Your group gets turned away from a club because two women are pregnant...(read: scene from Knocked Up)...WTF?!

6. You go to another club and go crazy when "Bust a Move" comes on;

7. None of the other patrons know the words because they're 24;

8. You can't remember the last time you stayed out past midnight;

9. After talking about terrorism and politics, you fall asleep at 4am and wake up the next morning at 8am in desperate need of coffee;

10. Your husband comes to pick you up on Sunday morning and helps you nurse your hangover, which you still aren't over on Monday...bleh.

How Annoying Are: Up and Down Looks

Admit it, we're all guilty of giving another person the up and down look. We do this when we:

A. Like what the person is wearing;
B. Hate what the person is wearing;
C. Can't believe what the person is wearing;
D. Are hating on the person for looking better than we do that day.

The other day I caught someone looking me up and down and I called her out on it. I said, "you just looked me up and down, do you not approve of what I'm wearing?" She looked really embarrassed and said something like, "NO! I was just noticing your white pants since so many women are wearing them these days..." Yea, okay. You're just a hater.

Whatever. If you're ever caught giving the up and down to someone, the best thing to do is compliment them. Do this even if you're totally hating their outfit...it makes you look good, and more importantly, makes the victim of the up down look, feel good.

Smart people give the up down look when they are behind the person they are looking at. You're all probably thinking that I am a horrible person who judges others on what their wearing or what kind of bag they carry....well, you're right. Well, not really but...I wouldn't say that I'm judging the person, but you can tell a lot about a person from what they're wearing and how they present themselves...and that's okay. I'm just honest about it. And, trust me. I get judged EVERYDAY by others. It's a part of life.

We ALL give up down looks, but they are very annoying when the person giving them does it in our face. It's like, "hello idiot, I saw that." Those are the people who are hating on you because they are miserable, and jealous. Anyway, that's just my opinion, and I'm entitled.

What do you think?

Duh!

It's racism, people. And quite frankly, I'm embarrassed that so many "freedom loving Americans" are okay with it. Whatever.

Love or Hate: Rachael Ray

Feel free to tell me if I'm wrong, but I've noticed that most people either completely love or passionately hate Rachael Ray. I will be the first to tell you that I actually really love her. Some might not admit to loving her, fearing the backlash they might receive from friends or family who do not share their sentiments, but I am proud to admit it.

Let me put a little context around this. Rachael Ray is everywhere. If you don't know who she is, you must be living in a cave. She has a cooking show on the Food Network called "30 Minute Meals " which is great, she hosts a daytime talk show called Rachael Ray, she has written several cookbooks, and she has a magazine as well! She also has a strong personality, and an extremely raspy voice that you couldn't mistake for anyone else.

Most people who love Rachael Ray love her for the same reason I do. She is fun, always happy, totally cheesy, and really genuine. She is also a strong business woman, and a pretty great role model if you ask me. Mostly, she just is who she is, and I appreciate that. She's known for saying goofy things like "yummo," or "delish," and has coined a few cooking terms like "EVOO," which stands for extra virgin olive oil, which I'm sure some people find to be really annoying, but I enjoy (and often use).

I like that Rachael Ray hasn't changed because of her fame. I'm happy that she's always gonna be the same corny, smiley person she has always been. I think we need more people like Rachael Ray in this world,especially in the media. People who are smart, savvy, full of positive energy and at the same time just regular, down home, and authentic.

So my vote is for love...what's yours?

Trading Style for Comfort?

Now that all of you are in the know about my joint pain and acupuncture treatments, I need a little advice. I've said time and time again, that I would never trade my super high platform heels, or my super flat (read: no arch support at all) ballet flats for comfortable shoes which are made to treat your feet and joints well (read: ugly, birkenstock-esque).

But, now that I walk to work everyday and really should provide more support to my little tootsies and knees, I am thinking that I may break my own rule and invest in a pair or two of comfortable shoes. When I think comfort a few brands come to mind. They are Naot, Mephisto, Merrell, and Keen. I used to think these shoes were only for crunchy people that use Tom's deodorant and shop at Whole Foods, but now that I've been enlightened, and also shop at Whole Foods, I know that I was wrong.

Let me be very clear though. High end fashion trendy shoes these are not, but they are cute, practical, and really comfortable for walking around in all day. At least that's what I've heard. They also come in so many colors and styles that I know I will be able to find a pair or two that suit me.

So, which ones to get? I need to narrow it down. Have any of you ever owned any of these shoe brands? What do you recommend?

Option 1: Naot Marissa

Option 2: Naot Ashley

Option 3: Mephisto AduaOr are they all hideous?

A Good First Experience

I thought you all might be wondering how my first experience with acupuncture was, so I thought I'd post a quick follow-up. In a nutshell, it was really relaxing and promising. My clinician Nicole is very professional and thorough. Before we started, she sat with my for about a half hour and asked about my medical history, why I wanted acupuncture treatment, how my life was, etc...

I felt very comfortable answering her questions and talking to her. She was knowledgeable about Chinese medicines and herbs, which impressed me, and she seemed to genuinely enjoy having her own practice and helping her clients.

The room where the acupuncture was done was extremely calming. The lights were dimmed, and the room was clean and very comfortable. The table she had me lay on was like a massage table, very comfy and warm. The thing that I was most anxious about were the needles, but everything I'd read before going said that if you have a good acupuncturist, you wouldn't feel a thing.

Lucky for me Nicole was great, and I didn't really experience any discomfort at all. There is definitely a feeling of heaviness and some pressure when the needles are in, but nothing I would call pain. Nicole said that we needed to work on my Yin, as in Ying and Yang. She said that we would strengthen my Yin and that would make my blood strong, and healthy, and bright colored, and flowing. That would in turn help my joints and the fluid within them become strong and healthy again.

Pretty interesting, huh? Anyway, there were 13 needles total. Ha! Lucky 13! Three in each arm, three in each foot, and one at the top of my forehead. Nicole said that she was using the balance method and that by placing the needles as far away from the sights of pain, in my case my knees and shoulders, that she would create balance and therefore decrease the pain. The needles were left in for 40 minutes. After the first 20, she came in and performed some light massage with aromatherapy and the entire time there was a heat lamp over my knees, which felt really great.

Overall, I have to say that the experience was super calming and that I felt really relaxed and less anxious for the rest of the day. Oh, and my knees feel much better! I will return to see her next Saturday for another session, and then probably once a month as needed. I would definitely recommend acupuncture as a welcomed alternative approach to health and wellness. I have a really good feeling that my knees will be totally pain free very soon. So far, so good!