Overdue!!

Wow, wow, wow.  I have neglected this pretty little blog.  Unintentionally I assure you.

What happened was- I found out I was pregnant in September, and I have a big mouth.  I'm no good at secrets, and so I realized if I even opened up a window to type about what I was feeling I would rant on and on and on about how I'm expecting, and being pregnant has really been pretty awful because I was throwing up everyday, but that we were still excited, etc.

I wanted to wait to share our news with the entire world until things were a little farther along.  And now they are and Christmas is behind us and sheesh!  I feel awful for not posting anything for over three months.

Hopefully this will change now.  And I promise I won't only blog about my pregnancy, which, if you are interested is still making me sick, but is going well otherwise.

I sat down at the computer to work on the Phillips Family New Year's letter, but am glad I stopped here first.  I toyed with the idea of instead of sending a full out letter, I just send a list of things that happened of note in 2011, and things we look forward to in 2012.  I like lists.  Let me think of all the blog worthy things that happened between my last blog in October and today that I was too sick and lazy to write about and list them for you here:

1) Celebrated Christmas with my brother and his wife from Nashville and my parents and my little brother over Thanksgiving this year.  The day after thanksgiving.  It was so nice to see everyone together.  It always is.  Next year we are scheduled to all be together over Christmas, and now with the addition of the next generation, things will be even more wonderful.

2) My little brother gave all of the family gift cards from Tisbest.org for our gifts.  It is the gift of giving where you can go online and choose where you would like the money to be donated.  It was really fun and rewarding and made the rest of us feel like schmucks- sort of.

3) We all saw The Decedents together and I cried uncontrollably in some parts, but loved the movie.

4) I took my students to One Act competition in Norfolk, NE on the only hazardous weather day of the season.  The trip was 2 hours out there on bus, but after we performed in the morning, we left early due to snow.  It took us 4 hours to get home.  That amount of time on a bus with 25 high school students talking about zombies, being a sick pregnant woman was not fun.

5) We started watching Prison Break (seaons 1) through Netflix and it is AMAZING.  Its more violent and gory than I usually prefer but I am so glued to each episode!  I highly recommend it.  We only have 4 episodes left of Season 1, then we are on to season 2!

6) I stopped taking care of our house all together.  I didn't clean it for months, I was always behind on laundry, dishes were never all the way done, and I started throwing clothes all over the floor and letting trash cans overflow, which really isn't like me.  It made being sick even worse.

7) Recently my parents came over and helped me get the house all back under control.  I got Laundry all done, folded and put away. Was able to dust, vacuum, and Windex everything. Mom cleaned the fans and scrubbed the kitchen floor (that was above and beyond if you ask me) and we put up a Christmas tree.  Also Dad helped me by a new furnace filter since the last time we changed it was a year ago.  Yeah- it was totally black and disgusting.  Apparently, one should change those every 1 to 3 months.  Woops!

8)  Started reading The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.  LOVED the first book.  Just finished the second and am starting the third.  I plan to finish them before the New Year begins.  Something else I highly recommend.  (The books... and goal setting).

9) Celebrated Christmas with Ryan's family in Lincoln, though his Mom got the stomach flu and was in isolation in her bedroom all of Christmas day.  We still were able to enjoy time with family.

10) Wrote this blog to recap the past few months.  Don't you love when lists end with an even number?


Now I look forward to a couple days with just my lovely husband.  He hardly gets any vacation and is spending the morning sleeping in.  Since I go to bed now between 8:30 and 10:00 every night... I can't sleep late anymore.  I probably should have been doing laundry or something this morning but this was fun.  It feels nice to be back online.  I hope all (2) of you readers are doing well!

Best Movies A to Z

Its been a while since I've posted anything on here.  Mostly because I've been preoccupied... thinking about... things.  Good things!,that I plan to share with the ENTIRE WORLD soon!  But my coworkers and I have been having some fun at work  lately through our emails and I wanted to discuss what we are doing with you.  We are on a "Best Movies A-Z" kick now (not my idea, but I love it!), and each day are sharing our favorite movies one letter of the alphabet at a time.  Today we are on "E."

I went ahead and made my own full list and thought it would be fun to share it on here.  The movies I like say a lot about me.

This is my list of BEST MOVIES: A to Z

A Annie Hall, Anchorman

B Back to the Future,  Big Lebowski, Big, The Birds

C City of God, The Court Jester, (A) Christmas Story, Crash

D Dances with Wolves, Departed, Dark Knight

E Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

F Forrest Gump

G Grease, Groundhog Day

H High Fidelity, Harry Potter (all of them), Hotel Rwanda, Home Alone, Harry and the Hendersons?

I The Incredibles, Inception

J Jurassic Park

K The King’s Speech, The Kite Runner

L Little Miss Sunshine

M Modern Times, Moulin Rouge, Mystic Pizza (?)

N Napolean Dynomite

O Ocean’s Eleven, Office Space

P Princess Bride, The, Punch Drunk Love, Pretty Woman

Q Quantum of Solace?

R The Rocketeer, Raiders of the Lost Ark

S Star Wars, Singing in the Rain, Schindler’s List

T Toy Story

U Up

V Virgin Suicides

W The Wizard of Oz, When Harry Met Sally, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? What about Bob? Wet Hot American Summer

X X-Men

Y Young Frankenstien

Z Zelig, Zoolander

What movies do you think I'm forgetting?  What other movies would you add?

Maybe you will feel like making your own list?  Maybe you want to ask your coworkers too?  I'm really enjoying the discussion! 

Have A Great Day: A Recipe

Have a great day that makes you feel good.  I love today.

Here is my recipe for a great day:

First, preheat the earth to 80 degrees.  Make sure that there will be a nice breeze and some shade provided throughout.
While it is warming, go work out with your husband.  A wife, or friend or favorite book would also do.
After the workout, take a long shower, and then put on a comfortable outfit.  Be sure to note how your body feels so refreshed.

Prepare lunch for yourself (and if you wish, others).  Chicken tacos with fresh ingredients will work nicely along side some corn chips and salsa.

Next, WALK to your local movie theatre for the 3:00 showing of THE HELP.  It is a wonderful story, and beautifully put together.  It's ok to admire the costumes and set, but pay attention to the message and the heart felt, honest reactions of the audience members who are experiencing the movie with you.  Note: You might cry.

A scene from THE HELP

The movie should get over just in time for you to walk over to the MAHA MUSIC FESTIVAL.  There, you can say hello to some acquaintances,  friends, and strangers as you meander over to a spot close to the main stage in the shade.  Be sure to notice the perfect temperature, and how nicely the area is suited to the event.

Aksarben Village in the background. Stinson Park

Shortly after the band on the local stage finishes, you will be able to see CURSIVE (or one of your own favorite bands) play an awesome set.  It will make you feel like you are back in college and reliving some happy moments over the years.  Your feet might also bounce, steadily to the beat and an occasional head nod and body bend can be thrown in to give your band viewing experience a little something extra.

Cursive!  (With original drummer and more!)

Finally, walk home hand in hand with someone special and relish in the beauty of the neighborhood.
Let cool and share with others.

Love Is Watching Someone Die

This Death Cab for Cutie lyric makes me tear up every time I decide to listen to the album.  It isn't much anymore because I don't like to think about death.  Unfortunately it is inevitable.  Not only is death inevitable, but thinking about it is inevitable.  I'm typing this entry from room 526 of St. Elizabeth's hospital in Lincoln where my husband's grandmother is getting closer and closer to the ...well... you get it.

My mother's mom died before I was born, my Dad's mother died when I was a sophomore in high school, and my Mom's father died a few years ago, leaving behind his second wife- the woman I grew up knowing as my grandmother.  My only blood grandparent living is suffering from Alzheimers disease.  I've been to funerals.  I've grieved with my parents and my family members, but never have I experienced death as close as I have with Jeannine.

Jeanine was just over at our house on Father's Day.   On the fourth of July, she suffered a slight heart attack and went into the hospital.  Shortly after, she suffered a medium to large stroke and the rest is history. 

Jeannine has three daughters, one of them, being my mother-in-law who lives in Lincoln. The other two live in Tennessee and Michigan and flew out as soon as they heard the news about the stroke.  Naturally, I wanted to show my support for this family and for Jeannine.  I was able to chauffer both aunts from Eppley to the Lincoln hospital.  I've been able to bring Panera bagels for breakfast, but nothing has prepared me for the insanely emotional journey of sitting in a hospital room a the end of someone's life. The conversations, the decisions, the sleepless nights and tired emotions. I never experienced this with my own grandparents because I was always busy in school, and I regret not being able to show this sort of support to my own parents.

What a hard time for any family! Right now, for Jeannine's family.  As a new addition to the family I don't feel like I can even come close to knowing the emotions that are happening.  But I love my family.  I love my husband and I love his family too, and I will be there for everyone that I can be.  This is not something I look forward to dealing with ever again, but I know I will because it is inevitable.  And because when you love someone, you will be with them to the end.

Summer Projects (with Pictures!)

I always feel a mixture of relief and excitement at the beginning of each summer because I know I'll get to do a bunch of things that I've been meaning to get done all school year.  Here are a handful of tasks I'm grateful I got done in the last couple of weeks:

1) Filed Important Papers

I emptied the contents of these drawers...

Spent hours sorting them...

and finally filed them in a nice plastic container!

 I don't know what to do for next year, as my nice plastic container is already too small for this load of documents. What a pain! I did a little research online and a few sources suggested to keep basically EVERYTHING for around 7 years!  Yikes!  What do you do with your important paperwork?

2) Cleaned the Refrigerator
It is embarrassing how long food sometimes stays in the refrigerator.  I keep thinking we'll eat our left overs, and that one tub of dip I bought once is still good... but I finally got motivated and cleaned it all out!

I even washed all the shelves and drawers!!

3) Read some books and plays

It is nice to have some down time to read.  I was able to pick my season of plays for next year early!



4) Kept up on laundry so far

See?  Nothing in the hampers!

5) Tried new recipes
of which I didn't care for, but still...we have all these books for a reason.

There are also a couple projects I haven't gotten to yet...

Notice the treadmill tucked away in the corner.

But I have been able to do some other very enjoyable things...

Like, be around with Tie These Hands as they recorded their newest album "Come On."

And, make my favorite pasta salad!

And, go to the Lincoln zoo with my friend, her son, and my other friend's daughter!
Little kids are so much fun!

We fed goats.

We competed for a prize at the Penguins' feeding extravaganza

We won!  Z was able to go home with a one of a kind bracelet!

So far it has been a wonderful summer.

Next week my projects will cease as I'll be at the International Thespian Festival with my students in Lincoln, but in lieu of productivity, will be some education and some great theatre!

I Played Flute

In our basement, recording flue for Tie These Hands

I've dabbled in a variety of hobbies in my life.  I took tap dancing and ballet classes in second grade,  I tried painting as a hobby in middle school, attempted violin in 4th grade, and joined the band playing flute in 5th.  Fifth grade was also the year I got my first big performance role in a school musical. 

Unfortunately I was unable to carry all of these hobbies through my life.  I had to give up on painting.  It took too much time and I could never draw a straight line.  I felt like I was kicked out of orchestra (I got yelled at every day for not sitting up straight while playing the violin...good thing my parents chose to rent instead of buy).  But for some reason, singing (somewhat dancing), acting, and playing the flute stuck.  Those were my things.  On the back of my letter jacket in high school were the words Academics, Drama, Music.

I'm really fascinated by the fact that I played the flute for 8 or so years.  I never really liked concerts, and always had a hard time reading notes that weren't on the staff, plus most of my band teachers were very unhappy.  When I started high school though, I got really into it.  It could be that band camp was the FIRST thing I did in high school.  It is where I met friends.  I loved marching band.  It had a performance and competitive aspect that I could really appreciate.  I had a band director my first couple years of high school that actually had fun in class, and I began learning to play the notes to the songs that were put in front of me (though I'll admit that I still can't play our school fight song correctly).

I was never good at the flute, but I look back on my years of band instruction fondly, and I think it is something that helped me gain additional respect for actual musicians.  I've been blessed to always be surrounded by brilliant musicians.  I even got to marry one. I think this is why I am so honored that my husband wrote a flute part for one of his band's songs and asked me to play it on the album.  (I know that in reality, him writing that part had nothing to do with me- the song called for some flute.  And I know that in reality, the only reason I'm on the album is because it is being recorded in our house, I have a flute and I don't charge anything).  But regardless of the reasons, I had a lot of fun doing it, and I also gained a lot of respect for this process of recording.

Be sure that you give a listen to the new Tie These Hands album coming out in the fall so that you can hear my big debut!  (And all of their other awesome songs :)).

I Love: (A List)

Today I've been cleaning up my desk area and looking through old folders of lessons and paperwork, and I stumbled upon an OLD notebook (with David Hasselhoff in his Baywatch get up on the cover) that contained some of my poetry from college.  The poetry is AWFUL, but got me through my emotional outbursts for four years.  I think I used the notebook to show students that I valued writing a few years ago... anyway- I stumbled upon a delightful nugget that I thought I would share.  I bet that it is from 2005 or so.

It was a List

.
I Love:

Flowers
Compliments
Non smoking concert venues
50's dresses that accent my waist
Uniball vision micro point pens
Musicians
Scholars
Abby Sheppard's Writing
Open Minds
Writing Poetry
Everything that Michael Ian Black says
Wet Hot American Summer
Weekends with my significant other
Vacation
Breathtaking views
Motivating Students
Optimism
Lists
and The Girl Song by Tie These Hands when played with Ryan Phillips

Best Moments of the 2010-2011 School Year- Part 1 The Wildcat Theatre Workshop

When the school year starts to come to a close, I can't help but reflect on all its big events, especially in our drama department.  This is my life.  So many hours of my time as well as my students' time goes into our productions and activities all year.  I would like to devote some space here to showcase and reflect on our accomplishments.

Above everything, there was one event I was extremely proud of this past year.  We called it the Wildcat Theatre Workshop.  The idea for this workshop came from my 2009-2010 drama officers, but this year our group was able to bring it to fruition.   Our goal was to provide a day where we could allow younger students to come to Millard West High School for a theatrical experience.  We want to promote creativity and theatre in our community and give young students an opportunity to participate in it.  I thought maybe we would have 30 participants if we were lucky.  We ended up with over 100 youngsters, grades 3-8!!

Here is what we did:

We broke students up into groups of roughly 10-12, with two or three high school leaders.  Each group was assigned a fairy tale story (nothing too well known) and the leaders explained or read the story to their groups in various locations around our theatre department.

Here, Sarah and Cassie and Jordan familiarize their group with its story in our Auditorium lobby.

After some planning and rehearsal time, we all the groups rotated between three separate stations.

One was a "costume" station where students got to decorate T-shirts based on their characters.  We color coded the groups for organizational purposes and the colors of the shirts matched the group color.  We used fabric markers for decorating and students got to take their T-shirt home with them!

Students decorating T-shirts in our Black Box Theatre.  You can see the set to our Spring play in the background.

When students were done with the shirts, they got to pick out some props that might add a little pizzaz to their story.  (It was fun picking out these silly objects at Michaels).

Another station was an acting station, where the leaders would help each student perfect the blocking and characterization for the students.

Bailey, Taylor and Kyle directed students in the light room. I was so proud of my high schoolers!

 The final station (or first depending on each groups schedule) was the "Set design" station, where students used fat poster markers to draw on a double wide sheet of butcher paper.  The drawing was supposed to represent the setting of the story and the whole group had to work together on it.  The scene shop got really crowded, but they had fun!

This is the crowd drawing their "sets" on paper in the scene shop.

Each backdrop was hung on a rolling white board and was used during the final performances behind the actors as their set.
After all the groups went through every station, some played games or talked about how they could improve their show for later.

Allie and Payton's group played games outside the scene shop while they waited.

Then we fed the students lunch in the cafeteria, and after, prepared for our final performances in the Auditorium where we would have a large audience of friends and family.

The pictures didn't turn out very well of the final performances, but you can get the idea here of what it looked like in our auditorium.  The little kids were so cute performing and the audience loved it, and took plenty of video and pictures of their childrens' first experience on the stage.

The white group was mostly 3rd graders.

This is the purple-ish group. :)  Maybe we could have called them light indigo?

We followed the 45 minutes of presentations with a cake reception in the cafeteria.  My high school students and I were exhausted afterward, but we think that all the young thespians had a wonderful day.  I was so proud of our work.  AND we raised over $1200!!  (It cost $25 per student to register for the workshop.  Lunch and a T-Shirt was included in that price, plus we had the kids from 8:30 a.m.- 2:00p.m.  Try finding a babysitter you can pay less than $5 an hour!)

With the turn out we had this year, we plan to do TWO workshops next year.  We will do one for 3rd-5th graders, and one for 6-8th graders.  That way, we can hopefully keep the groups smaller and design the workshops differently to be more appropriate for the age groups.

Top 10 Things Migraines Make It Hard To Do

My saving grace...after two doses and 7 hours.

1.  Sleep
2. Celebrate your graduating Seniors' last Monday in school
3. Move without feeling nauseated
4. Read
5. Be in well lit areas
6. Follow the directions for proper use on the Tylenol bottle
7. Dance
8. Be a wonderful wife
9. Not complain
10. Fully enjoy the experience of a Motorhead/Foo Fighters concert (though it doesn't make it hard to want to try)

You Win Some, You Lose Some

But sometimes when you lose some, it feels like you lose all of them at once.  During a time when lots of lovely things are going on that should be celebrated, I am sucked into the losses.  and while I know very well that when I say "losses", I mean things that are small and not a big deal.

Sunday began the week with a terrible loss on the softball field.  I felt I played a decent game, but the night ended with our team's worst defeat in 10 years.

Monday and Tuesday weren't bad, but Wednesday I got roped into being the Treasurer of the Nebraska State Thespian Society, among other things.  I really didnt want to, but I'm a sucker for doing things that are good for students and while this position isn't directly, the organization is.

Thursday night was the Drama II showcase of student adapted and directed plays.  My class works for one third of the semester on their pieces and it is always rewarding for them to perform (some of them for the first time!)  I like to record the evening's program and have my students watch and analyze it in class.  The showcase went very well, but when I went to play back my recording, I realized that I didn't get the microphone turned all the way on, and so the whole show recorded sans sound.  I was devastated.  Especially since some of my students were counting on a video to share with their parents who couldn't make it.  I hate when I make stupid mistakes that I could have not made had I been paying more attention.  Turns out- my kids didn't really care.  At least- they didn't care enough to re-do it.  So much for trying.

When I got home from my showcase, I was pumped to watch the season finale of The Office, which I had stored on our DVR.  Ryan and I finally sat down to the viewing and realized that there was something wrong with the feed and the whole show recorded cutting in and out.  We didn't get to see The Office finale, and for some reason, it made me so mad!  This is horrible, I know, because people have actual things to get mad about, but after my long day all I wanted to do was laugh along with The Office, and that wasn't going to happen.  I have a hard time when my plans change too suddenly.  I felt like I went to bed with out supper.

This bad mood carried over through the school day on Friday with various things getting on my nerves (mostly students- I had to send one to the principals office!)  Luckily- I made it through the week.  I was fortunate to have plans Friday night with some great friends and we ate at INGREDIENT, a hip restaurant that moved in where the California Pizza Kitchen used to be.  We ended our night watching the first six episodes of the first season of Arrested Development.  A great way to end the evening.

What I've realized about my week is that sometimes a person just has to let off some steam.  Even if what causes the steam are very minor infractions in general.  It is natural to go through a spectrum of emotions every once in a while.

What does it take to turn my frown upside down?

• Some affection from my husband.
• Time with friends
• Productivity (Today, I was able to get five hours of grading out of the way and a week's worth of laundry and I feel amazing!!)
• Good television (Ryan and I watched the office online just over 24 hours after its original airing.  Isn't the future great!?)
• Shopping and finding great deals.  (This works every once in a while when I don't feel guilty for spending money on myself.)

I'm glad last week is over, and I'm two weeks closer to summer vacation.  My mood should naturally only increase from here.

What do you do when you find yourself in a bad mood?

Dancing WIth The Stars and I Don't Take Risks

I would never miss an episode of Dancing with the Stars.  There is something about this show that I absolutely adore.  Maybe it is the glitz and the glam, perhaps the stories of relationships and couples with dedicated work ethic, or possibly it is just the dances themselves, but I am a dedicated fan.

Tonight the show was jam packed with drama.  Heinz Ward's partner Kym Johnson suffered a serious neck injury during rehearsal as they were practicing a special lift for their next great dance.  It was really hard to watch.  It made me sick to my stomach.  She was rushed off in an ambulance, and after the shock and excitement of this televised event wore off, I started to remember why I'm not a risk taker.

I don't want to be paralyzed.  I'm not ready to die. I don't ever want to end up worse off than I am.  (Thankfully, Kym Johnson recovered and danced two perfectly scored dances with Ward tonight.  I called and voted for them, my first vote of the season, because Ward cried his first dance and really showed how much he cared for his partner).

Now- me not taking risks may not be true in all circumstances.  I think my 403b investments are "high risk," but all I could lose there is money.  When it comes to my life- I am a tad more cautious.  Life is precious!  Sometimes I envy those people who are willing to sky dive, bungee jump, or climb over the rails of the Grand Canyon to get the perfect picture, but other days- like today- I'm glad that I don't take risks, and that I'm still safe and sound on the couch at home with my husband.  Maybe I'm just a coward.

I know the saying goes "no risk, no reward,"  but I think "no risk, no risk."  And usually, I prefer to be safe rather than sorry and that is how I'll stay, until I can find a reward great enough to push me past my comfort zone.

Still Learning

Somehow all of the comments on my Bossypants post disappeared as well as a few layout changes all within a period of 24 hours.  Sorry if yours was one of those comments.  I'm working on figuring this all out a little better.

This morning I'm headed out to catch a pre-noon showing of Bridesmaids.  At AMC you can go to a movie before noon for a discounted ticket price of $4.50.  That's how much it SHOULD cost to go to a movie.  I feel a little guilty about going out though.  I woke up and noticed a mountain of laundry that needs doing, and my husband had to cancel his golf plans due to weather.  Remember me saying how I have a hard time trying to relax?

Actually, I'm looking forward to my day, so I won't over analyze it on here.  Maybe I'll come home and my husband will have done all the laundry with his newly acquired free time. :)

I hope Bridesmaids gets me laughing.  I like Kristen Wiig.  The noises she can make with her voice are so ridiculous sometimes, it is hard not to chuckle at least a little.

Here's to Saturday!

A Recommendation

Read Bossypants by Tina Fey.

The best book you can read right now.

It. is. Amazing.
It is hands down my favorite book published in the last 10 years, maybe more.

I wish I could rewrite the whole thing for you here on this blog, or even a few of my favorite quotes, but the thing is, it is just so great.  Every individual, hysterical line woven seamlessly through all the topics she chooses to cover about her life is equally quote-worthy.  I know I can't do it justice, I can't pick just a few lines out of a sea of them and plus, you should buy it and support Fey, because she is worth it.

I've noticed that great reviews of this book are not hard to come by.  I think Fey said on the Mother's Day episode of SNL that it is the #1 book in the country!  And here is why:

• Fey isn't afraid to tell the truth about how/who she is. (She admits when she was mean, when she was a thief, when she lost a ton of weight and when she climbed a mountain in hopes of some sexual attention, among other things.)
• She promotes feminism, without being preachy.
• She empowers people to feel like it is ok to be "weird," which we all are. 
• Time is spent discussing the intricate creation of her stardom on SNL and her hit television show 30 Rock (an awesome show).
• It is hysterical.  Literally- a laugh/cry (out of laughter) teeter totter the whole way through.

I feel like if I met Tina Fey in person and we had time to chat, we would be instant friends.  I see eye to eye with her on everything!  I'm sure you'll feel that way too after you read this book.  Maybe you won't share the same life philosophies as Fey, but you will definitely laugh- at the very least at her fart jokes.

If you do read it, call me.  I want to re-live the hilarity by saying the best lines out loud to each other over and over until we can't think of any more.

Enjoy!

Relaxation Techniques

If you have met my mother, you know that she is a gal on the go.  She gets up at 2:30 a.m. to clean and iron, and she watches all the Nebraska Cornhusker football games with school work in her lap.  She doesn't seem to ever find the time to unwind.  My father, on the other hand, is easy-going, and enjoys his high definition automobile races and his Mondays and Fridays off.

I like to think that I am a perfect mix of both my parents.  I work hard daily and still am willing to leave my unfinished school work at school. I clean my house on a (semi) regular basis, but have been able to allow myself the luxury of busy weekends, where dusting just doesn't fit into the schedule.  And yet, I think when it comes to truly letting go and being relaxed- I can't figure it out.

I remember treating myself to a massage during musical season, my most stressful season of the year, and the masseuse suggesting every so many minutes that I let him do the work, just "let go" and relax.  At the end of the appointment he noted that there were major knots in my shoulders- some tension he wasn't able to get out.  I left feeling like a wasted $20.

Today, I got a pedicure.  It was necessary as my toes looked silly with paint chipping every which way, and I've been dying to break out my peep toe shoes in this heat wave.   That being said, I'm not a regular.  I've probably had a total of 6 pedicures in my whole life.  It is a new fad I'm enjoying a couple times a year.  Sitting in a massage chair for 45 minutes, and having someone dab and rub at your feet is a nice way to end a stressful work day.  I should have been SO relaxed.  But the nail technician kept looking up at me and asking, "You ok?"  

Across the salon were other women gracefully reclining in their chairs- reading books and magazines or looking at their phone.  And then there was me.  I kept thinking, is this "tap" mode on the massage chair making me shimmy too hard?  Does it make my feet wiggle?  Is this annoying for my technician?  Should I be holding the chair remote this closely? What does that button do? Did I pick the right nail color?  Should this be hurting? Could I write a blog about this?  Maybe I should take a picture. Wow, that lady has a nice work outfit.  She looks really put together.  I bet she gets her nails done once a week.

I wore the foam flip flops out to my car when I was done.  I know I looked like an idiot, because they were hard to keep on once I stepped off the curb.

My point is, that what was supposed to be a relaxing day at the nail salon, was just not as soothing as I'd hoped it would be.  I did, however, enjoy the massage chair.  I think I should get me one of those.

Am I capable of having the same leisurely afternoons as the other women I saw today?  Maybe.  But I think I need to practice some more relaxation techniques.  Last weekend was wonderful.  I had the best time sitting on the couch at home reading Tina Fey's book Bossypants.  It was brilliant, but more on that later. Do you have any other tips?

This Blog

Choosing a title for this blog was really difficult.  I kept a blog in college and loved its title.  The Strawberry Blonde Statement.  It was based off of a book that spoke to me at the time.  A book that got me thinking more about our country, about politics, about people and our world.

I've been interested in starting a blog up again for a while now.  I have a new name (married!), a new email address, a career and plenty of things to say.  But for the title...  I chose a line from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.  It comes from a character that I always thought was meant to be played by me.  I related to Helena.  She was nerdy,  had crushes on boys, wasn't as pretty as her friends, and was very convinced her peers would all play tricks on her without a second thought.

Other reasons I picked this title:

•  I teach English AND Drama.  Shakespeare is in both of those places, and I adore his writing.
• The sport Helena refers to in the line is her perception that her friends are harassing her, and due to my sensitive nature I sometimes find myself unnecessarily defensive as well.
• I'm also very competitive.
• The line contains the word chronicled which is perfect for a blog that will live forever on the world wide webs.
• I'm not creative enough to come up with a hip and fresh new title of my own.

I'm excited.  Blogs are cool.  I hope I can write about my life and questions and thoughts and feelings and others will find it chronicle-able as well.