Tibetan Five - Exercise?

I first heard of the Tibetan Five when I saw it on Hugh Howey's blog.  I tried it once or twice and then forgot about it.

I came across it again and again and thought, maybe this is a sign from the universe? Maybe I'll give this a shot. Everyday for a month? Can't hurt and maybe I'll feel better. If the arthritis in my shoulder and neck calms down it would be worth it. I had a car accident a few years ago and the injuries still flare on occasion.

You're supposed to do 21 of each exercise, but I started with 10. Whew! Some were easy, some were not. The ones on Hugh Howey's blog were very instructive, but I also needed to modify some stuff so I read more sites. This one's not bad and there's always the poster---->

The table and scoop bothered my wrist a little but that cleared up as soon as I moved to the next one. You can see it done to perfection on Hugh's blog, but mine were ...um... sloppier? Shakier?

I'm working on it. One month...I can do this!

I'm on day 3 now and skipped the workout today because I had to be down in AC before breakfast and it was an exhausting day.

My resolution? do it everyday for a month and see how I feel on New Years Day?
So what's your favorite exercise? Do you do it every day? How are the results?

(Insert plug for Hugh Howey's books here.)
Thank you, Hugh, for teaching me the Tibetian Five!

Christmas Shopping from.... You Guessed it! The Couch

It's not that I don't like shopping, I just hate crowds! All that pushing, shoving, grabbing and long lines...YUK!

Now we have the wonderful world of the Internet. Where a few clicks of the keyboard can complete our shopping in one afternoon.
Our only draw back is not actually seeing the stuff so sometime's sizes can be off. For that reason, I usually only do this with local stores that would be easy to return to, or the better known places like Bass Pro Shops, Kohls, Target, etc. Best part? Most will ship direct to the recipient.

So yesterday I think I'm so slick and do an order at Kohls and forget to change the shipping address before I hit the final payment button. I immediately call Kohls to try and get them to redirect the shipment. They say they can't do it.

Hmmm, the order barely left my keyboard and there's no way to put a new shipping address on it? Don't these people have computers? I've done this on Amazon without a problem so I was kinda shocked when Kohls couldn't catch an order that was five minutes old.

Oh well, to the post office I'll have to go. Another fun-fun holiday place. Maybe I'll wear an elf costume and pass out candy canes.
Happy December!

Blame it on the Couch

It's so easy to blame all the creaks and pain on getting old, but in examining my own pains I'm thinking the couch is more to blame.

Here on my big brown couch I sip coffee, write blogs and stories while the TV drones on in the background. It's a comfy place with two dogs curled up next to me and a wood stove over in the corner. (Getting chilly here in the northeast so we're ready to fire that sucker up!) Is there any better place than this big comfy couch?

Wait...is it getting harder to get up off this big comfy couch? Did my knee just creak? Back a little stiff? eh? Must be getting old, right? Or maybe it's the "time" on the couch and lack of time on the treadmill?

I keep making that pledge to do the treadmill in the morning or hit that weight bench I needed to buy, but then i come to the couch for just a few minutes....

Well, you know the rest.

Found this awesomely silly deck of
inspiration cards on Amazon. 

I go on Pinterest and find all the exercise pins for inspiration. It's so inspiring I stay on Pinterest until it's time to get ready for work and never actually get to that exercise thing.

What inspires you to get off the couch? Where do you find that mojo motivation?

Good Morning 3 a.m., 4 a.m... ZzzzzZzzzz....

Why do old dogs wake up in the middle of the night?

Twelve year old Chihuahua, Cupcake and 12 year old Shih Tzu named Gracie have problems with their sleep patterns.  Most nights they start running around the bedroom between 3 and 4 a.m., but last night I woke up at 3 in the morning without any help at all. But I did have the pleasure of waking up two very confused dogs.  (Mwahahaha!)

Yes, I was disappointed in the election, but more than that, I'm afraid. I have no idea why so many people put their trust in a man who knows the bankruptcy laws better than the IRS. Or who, at age 50, thinks "grabbing them by the pussy," is a good way to express their disregard for woman. Change? They want change? Hitler's Germany isn't the kind of change anyone should want. Sheesh!

Is that why I woke up in the middle of the night?

Probably not, I have hope that the GOP will defend our country even if they'll tank the economy with their failed plan of trickle down economics. The GOP created this monster, but like they did with Obama, they could block all his ideas for 4 years and maybe we won't find ourselves back in a recession.

I stop to think, are my sleep patterns messed up by age? If menopause still affecting me after I've been pretty much done with it for a few years?
Eh, who knows. Sometimes I feel I'm blaming more and more on my age and not the fact that I'm just not getting my fat butt off the couch enough. I admit it, I love my big old couch with it's cushy pillowy fabric and soft faux suede finish.

So at 3 a.m. I crawled out of bed, woke the dogs, and booted up the old laptop so I could add to my NaNoWriMo word count. For anyone who doesn't know what NaNoWriMo is; it's a challenge for writers (or wannabe writers) to hit 50,000 words in one month. Roughly 200 pages, not a very long book but the qualifying count for a novel.

Thanks to insomnia, I'm now rockin' 11,737 words since November 1st. WhoooHooo!

Girls Night Out Therapy

Never underestimate the power of a girls night out.

Getting a girls night out might sound to some like some frivolous night of hanging out, having some wine, and gossiping, but that isn't all of it.

Getting out and getting around other women to chat, swap stories, and support each other can go a long way in bringing a woman back to center and here's why;

• Other women understand body issues. From periods to menopause, you have to be a woman to know about these things.
• Facing problems. A lot of the things a woman faces at work and at home are shared by other women. 
• They appreciate the "war stories" of work and home life because they can identify with them.
• Women understand marriage and men better than men. (sorry guys, it's the secret knowledge shared by all women.)
• They are ready with advice with everything from daycare to pet care to skincare. Really? Where else can you get all that in the same place?
• They share a lot of the same dreams. The direction might be a little different but the road they need to get there is similar. 

So, call your girlfriends and set a date. A standing date to get out once a month. It just might save your soul. 

Life Choices vs Your Bliss

This card came from
Affirminators inspiration cards
found on Amazon.

I think there are certain times of your life when you look back and think about choices. Some are good, some make you wonder...what the heck was I thinking?

I remember my mother once asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I answered with total confidence; an artist. I was  probably in grammar school, maybe third or fourth grade. Her response? Artists don't make any money, pick something else.

There was a moment of confusion. How could I be anything other than what I wanted to be? Was it possible to just "pick something else?" I remember thinking, "but that's what I am."

So, I picked other things but never with enough gusto to fall in love with them. It was like a life on idle. March through it and come out on the other side realizing I'm bored, empty inside, and (as a dental assistant) a little grossed out by the blood and teeth stuff. I've drifted from job to job just trying to find that missing bliss and wondering what the heck was wrong with me.

My brother is a journalist. Newspapers were always his passion. I remember when we were younger there was always a newspaper spread out in front of him. He'd read every word and eventually went to college for journalism and is now an editor for a major newspaper. He found his bliss. He knew his bliss from an early age and, most importantly, it was an acceptable bliss. It made money. It supported a family.

I envy those who find their bliss early in life. A friend, a 1st grade teacher, once told me she never worked a day in her life, because she loved her job so much. Another acceptable bliss.

Don't get me wrong, I don't blame my mother. She grew up during the great depression and knew what poverty could do to a family, to a neighborhood, to a nation. She only wanted me to be able to get a viable job. The label of "starving artist" was all she knew.

Fast forward to 2016. Imagine what I could do with an art degree today? There are so many opportunities for graphic artists. So many ways to sell art in this digital age. The possibilities are endless, but are any of them with my grasp? Building an art career at my age is intimidating, but can I do enough to be happy? Self supporting? Would my type of art be sell-able?
So many questions... Between regular 9 to 5 job and other life stuff, how much time is there to create art that would be good enough to sell?

So, did you find your bliss?

Treadmills and Road Blocks

A long road trip & moving furniture equals back ache. Yikes!

For a week my back has been twisted muscles sending waves of pain every time I lifted, turned or bent over.  All just in time for the treadmill I bought last week and the plan I have for taking off some pounds. (30 or 40 of the little buggers)

Now I have to start. This week of heating pads and Icy Hot are wearing on me, frustrating me, and its time for a change. Ten minutes on the treadmill won't hurt, right? It might even help.

Sometimes I forget my age, I forge ahead and just do things. Get things done and never look back. Other times it weighs on me. It's like a slap down; "Oh no, you're getting older every day! Don't forget that!"

I'm watching Grace and Frankie. A Netflix original about two women who find out their husbands have been having an affair with each other. Now there two older women (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) need to figure out their new lives as they watch their husbands go off and marry each other.  Together Grace and Frankie show everything can be possible in spite of their ages. They are true to their personal styles and go forth and conquer.

I think this reminds me that I need to figure out that personal style thing. Somewhere between getting married young, raising kids, gaining weight, and working I lost that personal style thing. I dress in what fits and what's comfortable.

So, how does one find their personal style after all these years?