Saying No Is Like Butter Fat

Gearing up for our 1 year anniversary trip to southern California. I could not be more ready to get away and enjoy some time relaxing. It has been a hectic couple of months and, as it usually goes in times like these, balance desperately needs to be restored. Nothing quite like a get-away to kick start the restoration.

In the past I've used this forum to declare my renewed dedication to health & wellness. Have to admit both the health and the wellness have recently taken a backseat to stress. Working long hours, poor food choices, restless sleep and sporadic exercise has taken its toll. It's just not worth it. Sometimes I wonder what drives me to get into these situations, but a need to please and take on too much is definitely at the top of the list. Learning to say no can be a challenge but one that has many rewards. By placing self-imposed limitations, things become pretty darn clear and priorities tend to rise to the top like butter fat separating from milk. Mmmmmmm ... butter fat. You know what they do with butter fat, don't you? They put it in ice cream. Yep. Deliciously tempting, decadently rich and sweet, ice cream. I'm not talking about the cheap, imitation stuff either. This would be the good stuff. The ice cream that coats the inside of your mouth and tongue with a uniquely satisfying velvety feel of buttery goodness. Ice cream. Another thing I need to say NO to. No. No. No.

So, every time you get a request to take on another project, volunteer for yet ANOTHER fund raising event at your kids' school, work on the weekend, take a trip with your third cousin (twice removed), sign up for that store credit card so you can get the 15% off your purchase THAT DAY, help your neighbor overhaul his transmission . . . just ask yourself two questions 1) What is your intention in taking on this activity/task/request? In other words, why are you saying "yes"? 2) Assuming your motives are positive and not stemming from a sense of guilt or burden, ask yourself what you, personally, will get out of the experience? Will it help you grow? Develop yourself in someway? Enrich your spirit? Bring joy to your life? If the answer is no, then I think you should say NO. Is this selfish? Is it wrong? Maybe. I think saying "no" more often, might just be the most unselfish thing you can do. Imagine the time you would have left over to give your loved ones? Your kids? Your spouse? Time for yourself to renew and recharge?

Saying no doesn't mean you don't care about people and their needs. It doesn't mean you are a lazy slacker. Quite often, it can simply mean, you are putting yourself, or the needs of those closest to you, first.

What do you think? Is saying "No" more often a good thing or no?

Now, I will leave you with these questions and this . . .

Updated picture of little Ozy. His eyes are open but look a little glazed and hazy. I'm sure the world is one big blur to him. As each day passes, we are even more excited to get him home!



Could you say 'no' to a face like this? I don't think so.

Birth Announcement

Pictures of the new Boston Terrier pup -- Ozymandias Osborne -- otherwise known as Ozy. Yes, Ozy Osborne! Lil Ozy was born on Monday, April 6. Happy belated birthday puppy! We are so excited to bring you home on May 22nd! This weekend will definitely include some puppy prep work. Need to get a crate, bed, food & water dishes and toys, right??

Hopefully we'll get occasional picture updates, so keep checking back to be overwhelmed by the adorable cuteness.

Forcing Spring To Show Itself

You wouldn't know it was Spring by looking outside my window this morning. There was snow on the ground. Yes, snow . . . snow in April. Oh, it's been known to happen around these parts. So sad. I decided that if Spring wasn't going to come to MN, then I would just find Spring and bring it to me, by force if necessary. First things first, a little Spring cleaning. Sweeping, dusting, scrubbing. While to the untrained eye my cleaning tactics may have resembled a usual set of household chores, it was, indeed, Spring cleaning. Why? Because I labeled it as Spring Cleaning and once you slap a label on something it just IS. Harumph.

Next, I hauled myself over to the local market and picked up some sunny, bright, colorful and Spring-tastic tulips.




For me, tulips are a tried and true sign of Spring. Once you see their lovely green shoots poking through the still semi-frozen ground, you know Spring has sprung.

Now the next activity may not sit right with everyone out there. But, I feel full disclosure is in order. It is MY truth dammit and let the chips fall where they may, I say. So desperate for warmth and sunlight, I took my pasty and pallid self to Catch-A-Tan and nabbed a little artificial sunshine. Ok, Ok, before you start sending me comments about the health risks of UV rays, just know that I don't hit the tanning beds on a regular basis AND I only exposed myself to a mere 6 minutes of the evil death rays. These 6 minutes were glorious and hot. And, while I lay baking under the artificial light I let my mind drift to images and hopes of a real Spring . . . the kind that doesn't involve grocery store tulips and fake sun. Sigh.

April Fool's Horoscope

A long time ago, in a weak moment, I must have signed up for a daily horoscope service. Ever since, I've gotten an email each day foretelling how I should think, act and feel in that 24 hour period. Mostly I ignore these messages and delete without opening. There is just so much junk mail a person can handle in a single sitting. Delete is my friend. Plus, I like to roll the dice. Livin la vida loca, baby. But, once in a while I play a little game with myself. I see the horoscope flashing brightly in my inbox but choose not to read it UNTIL the next day. That's right . . . I throw caution to the wind, live my life and THEN read about what I SHOULD have done. Thumbing my nose at the Fates, I blindly choose free will over, well, cheesy predictions.

Here was my horoscope for yesterday:

Your horoscope for April 1, 2009 Friends, neighbors and relatives could be feeling especially stressed out and explosive today, so this is not a good day to initiate intense communications with them. Keep your conversations with others light and inconsequential. This is a great day to stay home and read, especially since your mind is particularly receptive to unusual ideas. The Internet, as well as videos and TV documentaries could be most informative.

Whew. Good think I did not initiate any intense communications yesterday, right? I wonder if this horoscope meant to say "You could be feeling especially stressed out and explosive today?" Cuz I was all angst-ridden and crab-a-licious yesterday. Unfortunately, I did not watch any videos or TV documentaries which, apparently, could have helped me regain my calm composure. Videos and the World Wide Web (Ted Stevens says it's a series of tubes, ahem) might have sparked "unusual thoughts." Hmmmmm. Would these unusual thoughts been happy thoughts or angry, depressing thoughts? The vague use of the word "unusual" seems to be a huge ass cop out on the part of the horoscope writer. "Unusual" could be good or bad, no? I wonder if watching a documentary about government endorsed torture programs or global warming or serial killers would have calmed the apparent stress eminating from the friends, family and neighbors surrounding me?

Also, I think this horoscope needs to be a little more specific when it endorses videos. I mean, I could have hopped online and watched the Chocolate Rain dude on YouTube over and over again. Would my horoscope knowingly recommend such activities? Not if my horoscope really cared about me, it wouldn't.

A Couple New Restaurants

In case you were wondering, the end of the world is nigh. The High Plains are flooding with water levels currently set to engulf most of North Dakota and only half of Minnesota. These are scary times filled with sandbags and good intentions, but let's not forget the single most important consideration during these troubled times . . . people in a crisis gotta eat. With that in mind, let me tell ya about a some restaurants I recently had the opportunity to try out.

The first is The Corner Table in south Minneapolis. Mr. Oz implored some recent transplants from West Virginia to join us in our culinary excursion. A well regarded spot known for using only locally grown, seasonal produce, The Corner Table did a fine job tantalizing our taste buds. Chef Scott Pampuch espouses a strong belief in sustainable, organic food that comes straight from the harvest. His philosophy falls right in line with the slow food mantra of Alice Waters and her minions. While some may poo poo this as elitist, I have to tip my proverbial hat to anyone who supports local farmers and takes their time to get it right. Here are some photos. Apologies are in order as these pictures were taken with my IPhone in a low lit environment. IPhone has no flash so ya gotta take what you can get.

Some lovely scallops served as a first course. Swimming in a buttery sauce and dressed with an array of leeks and greens, the scallops were cooked to perfection:


Our dining companions had a tasty looking pork belly -- yes, those fine looking white and pink orbs are, indeed, radishes:



Mr. Oz thoroughly enjoyed this roasted bison:


When dining at The Corner Table my only caution would be the desserts. I wasn't a big fan.

Next restaurant is Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque & Pirate Bar in Stillwater, MN. Mr. Oz and I spent a beautiful Spring day hanging out with my parents in his hometown (aka crazy youth stomping grounds).


Brainchild of restauranters Tim McKee and Josh Thoma of La Belle Vie and Solera fame, Smalley's sits right on the touristy Main St in downtown Stillwater. The St. Croix River at its back, the place kinda exudes the same vibe as a Famous Dave's but trys to take the food up a notch. I'm not sure they always succeed. Mr. Oz had some ribs and deemed them flavorful but a bit chewy. He much prefers the 'fall off the bone' kinda rib experience. My pulled pork sandwich was above average in taste, but a bit dry. It might be that Smalley's takes the approach of a more dry rub Creole, Jamaican style bbq, while we are more accustomed to the saucy southern variety. At any rate, the highlights for me were the sweet potato fries sprinkled with copious amounts of fresh, diced garlic.


A nice little crock of ooey-gooey, warm mac & cheese was a welcome side dish. Is macaroni and cheese ever a bad thing? I dare you to argue this point.


And, you really can't beat the Blackberry Mojito. Very refreshing.


This place really boasts a great selection of tequila and rum, so drink up. It was chilly so the front patio was not open. This looks like it could be a cool spot in the summer.

That's all I got. Do you have any restaurant recommendations to share? I'd love to hear 'em.

Are You A Narcissist?

Take the Narcissistic Personality Inventory:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-16-pinsky-quiz_N.htm

C'mon. It was co-developed by Dr. Drew of Celebrity Rehab fame. You know you want to.

I will award extra special bonus points to those of you who post your score here. Apparently the average score for the general population is 15.3. My score was 12. I'm not sure I want to be below average as it may be a sign of narcissism deficiency (kinda like Vitamin B12 so you have to take supplements or your gums bleed, right?). Eeeks. Does a 12 mean I have low self-worth, that I'm more likely than your average person to get swindled or abused? They claim celebs have slightly higher scores than the general population. I wonder if there is a correlation between your narcissism inventory and your profession? Now that would be interesting.

And, on a completely random and unrelated note -- Mr. Oz miraculously found his missing wedding band! Harken back to early December and my tirade regarding the suddenly absent ring. After many months of wintery snow, Spring seems to have sprung and brought back the lost object. YEAH!!


Incredibly, Mr. Oz was just walking into his work and, BAM, there it was near the parking lot. He spotted it. Apparently it is in excellent condition to boot. What a magnificent thrill and amazing happening. Maybe this was supposed to happen on St. Patrick's Day, but wasn't timed out quite right? I'm just saying the ring is gold and Mr. Oz found it a few mere days after St. Patty's Day so perhaps those crafty Leprachans stole his ring way back when and tried to hide it. I wonder, dear readers, if you believe in miracles? And, if so, does this count? Do you think it is a sign? My sister believes this event signals that many trials and challenges await Mr. Oz and I, but we are destined to overcome each one and live together in harmony. What do you think??

Happy Spring everyone!!

Who Controls The Sun?

Lately I've been feeling a bit out of sorts. Plagued with an odd upper eyelid spasm, an evil cold sore, restless slumber and a general feeling of malaise, my body is definitely trying to send a message. As my crazy symptoms began to add up, I have to admit all kinds of ideas flooded my mind. Am I having a stroke? Do I have Bells Palsy? Some kind of virus? Shingles? My inner hypochondriac went a little nuts for about a day. But I think it is likely a physical manifestation of stress. My immune system is running on low and my body is telling me to slow down. Relax. Drink more water. Eat more vegetables. Go to bed before midnight. In short, take care of yourself. This is what my body is telling me.

Part of the problem rests with the government. Yes, I said it. I blame the government for my ills. Who doesn't, right? I'm not talking about high taxes or the broken down health care system. I'm referring to the silent conspiracy known as Daylight Savings Time. Who invented this program anyway? Spring ahead my ass. Why must the government interfere with TIME? Who gave bureaucrats the power over daylight anyway? It gets me all in a funk. I can't get to sleep at night because my body thinks it is like 9pm when really it is 10pm. Not ready for sleep I toss and turn fitfully through the night. Then, of course, in the morning, I can't wake up.

But here's the real kicker. I believe whomever invented Daylight Savings Time was really trying to eek more productivity from the working class. Probably some elite bourgeoisie capitalist who realized that when it started to get dark at 4pm or 5pm, that was a subtle cue for his factory workers to punch the clock and head home to eat their Dinty Moore Beef Stew, watch a little American Idol and hit the hay. What if we could push up the clock so it really only got dark at like 6pm or 7pm? What if the workers didn't realize it was quittin time? More widgets to be manufactured equals more profit in the capitalist coffers? It's hard, cold science really. I'm convinced Daylight Savings time is really just about the rich getting richer.

To test my theory, I did what every resourceful and curious person does these days -- I Googled it. Turns out some British dude named William Willett invented the concept of DST back in 1907. Apparently old William "observed with dismay how many Londoners slept through a large part of a summer day.^[17] An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk."

I knew it. I just knew that whomever invented DST was a hater of the common man getting his fair share of rest and relaxation. It's all about keeping the working stiffs working while those who can afford it hit the links. So, we have to push our clocks hither and yon because some crusty Brit wanted to get in another round of golf? Huh!? It seems that a later adoption of the program calls out the benefits of energy conservation. We use less electricity, or so some say. I'm not convinced. These facts are just so dull and boring. I find it much more invigorating to classify DST as an overt social control scheme; a manipulation of our God given right to sunlight on our own terms; the puppet master yanking the fabric strings of time to serve his very own master -- the almighty dollar. Doesn't that just pack a whole lot more fire than saving a few cents on electricity? Yeah. I like the subversive angle a whole lot better so I'm going to stick with that.

Excuse me while I go heat up my Dinty Moore and kick back with some American Idol. Marx was wrong. Religion is not the opiate of the masses . . . nope, it's convenience foods and bad reality t.v. Dulls our senses. Makes our eyelids twitch. Keeps us tethered to the puppet controls. Ahhhhh, nice.