Couch Potatoette

Along the lines of the state-the-obvious-research that showed drinking alcohol makes others appear better looking, they've now proven that couch potatoes tend to be obese. Duh. The major scientific breakthrough - they surmised that the drive to sit or lounge is genetic, rather than caused by the fact that they are/become obese.

...undergarment readings confirmed that the obese participants sat or reclined an average 2.5 hours more per day than their skinny peers... Despite their newly svelte status, these participants continued to prefer lounging over being more active. "This drive seems very fixed," he said.

Bottom line, whether it's genetic or just lazy-ass syndrome (which I suffer from often), everyone still knows that you need to get off your ass to lose weight. I probably have a genetic predisposition to become addicted to drugs but I know it's bad (very bad) so I don't give myself the opportunity. Not to compare this to being a couch potato - because it's not as if I'm surrounded by chunks of crack that I just choose to pass up each day. The opportunity to sit on you butt and watch Scrubs or reruns of Friends is constant and unrelenting. I understand this. I just think that to spend money on this research is ridiculous when they could have donated some memberships to Weight Watchers and at least helped create thinner, healthier couch pototoes.

Snow Peeves

As you may or may not know, we got dumped on with snow last week. I've lived in snow almost my whole life (minus those three years I spent in Vegas learning to be superficial and morally bankrupt), but there are some things I just can't get used to.

For example, how can someone who, for the past 7 or so snow-free months, understood the appropriate parking distance thanks to the yellow lines, suddenly, when those lines are covered by snow, become devoid of any sensibility such that they park soooo far away from the next car that each could open their doors and not ding one another... yet just close enough that another car cannot fit between them, causing the parking lot to now only fit half the number of cars it could in the spring? I cannot comprehend the stupidity present when someone parks like this. They are someone I want to beat over the head with a mallet.

And then there are the morons who are too damn lazy to wipe off their cars. I kid you not, a guy drove by the other day... his windshield barely wiped clean, and the rest of his car - including the back window - covered with 5 inches of snow, which was blowing off his car and leaving everyone behind him to navigate through his home-made blizzard. Mallet please.

And of course, those that drive too fast or too close. I pity the soul who decides to ride my bumper, then as I have to break for a wayward chunk of snow, plows into the back of me. Hello road rage! I better get a nerf mallet to put in my car.

Strangers with Candy

I am a huge fan of The Daily Show and of the now-defunct tv show Strangers with Candy. So I was delightfully surprised to turn on NPR (as I always do) to hear an interview with Stephen Colbert - who is brilliantly funny on both.

Strangers with Candy was just so wrong on so many levels... such as this one of many quotes:
"How many of you wanna wake up in a public bathroom, lying in a pool of what you HOPE is your own filth?"

So I was estactic to learn that they made Strangers With Candy movie - which is premiering at Sundance tonight. If I were independently wealthy, I would be on a plane to Salt Lake City right now.

My Friends

I have some very cool friends. There is Jenny, who is insanely creative and always finding new ways to express it, from Christmas Cocktails to Lollipop Cozies. There is Daniela, the dynamic sexpot, who got me my first pair of high boots and has inspired me with her taste and class ever since. There are the musicians - Jessica, with the voice of an angel, and Sarah who plays a mean french horn and tickles the ivories so well. There is Amy, who took a risk and pulled ideas together to author the hippest knitting book yet. There is Peppermint Tina, whose thoughtful words and gifts make me feel so special. There is Joel, who won't put his knives in the dishwasher, but will put chicken bones down the garbage disposal. There are many others - actors, painters, writers, artists, thinkers, travelers, mothers, fathers, and those who have a talent for humor.


The latest to impress is Mikha, who has had two really cool books published this past year. One is all about good luck charms and the other about spices. Unfortunately, they are in Portuguese, but even though I don't understand the words, the books are little works of art, with great pictures and beautiful design.

My friends insprire me. I am a lucky girl.

Oreo Personality

I took the Oreo Personality quiz and this is what it said about me:

Everyone likes you because you are always upbeat. You like to sugar coat unpleasant experiences and rationalize bad situations into good ones. You are in total denial about the shambles you call a life.

Sounds about right =)

Pictures!

It has taken me awhile to get back to my blog. I have been spending my evening computer time working on editing and sorting and adding titles to the pictures I took.

One of the drawbacks of buying a 1GB memory card for your camera - you take a TON of pictures and then have to sort through them to get to a collection that might not bore the hell out of everyone else.

So, after sorting through over 500 pictures, here, finally, is a photo album of pictures from Brazil.

Some quick highlights:

Tsunami Sadness

While I was away, we heard little news. When we left Sao Paulo, the death toll in the tsunami was estimated at 11,000. When we heard of it again a week later, it was up to 140,000. As I've returned back and am watching the news, I am seeing the true devastation and it deeply saddens me. I see images of beaches that prior to the waves, looked just like the beach I was on in Brasil. It is scary to think about being subjected to the fury of the sea. It's hard to understand why these things happen, sometimes to the smallest, most innocent among us.

Back from Paradise

Arrived home from Brazil yesterday, exhausted and a little bit in shock. It's not easy to go from warm, sandy beaches to cold, snowy roads. It was an amazing trip - gorgeous scenery, great weather, and wonderful people.

So as not to type a dissertation, I will try to list some highlights of the trip:

- Beautiful wedding
- Brasilian coffee
- Cheese for breakfast
- Fruit, fruit & more fruit
- Guarana Light
- 3 day bus trip north thru Brasil
- Flip Flops
- Churrascaria - Brasilian BBQ - a carnivore's dream
- bumpy, dirt/sand roads to Beach house
- Paradise
- Falling asleep & waking to sound of waves crashing
- Rising moons & starlit skies
- Sunscreen
- Caipirinhas
- Coconut Water
- Cashew Water
- Sunscreen
- Trying to learn Portuguese
- Riding in the dune buggy (pronounced boogy in Portuguese)
- Brasilian bikinis
- Sunscreen
- Gorgeous Brasilian women
- Hunky Brasilian men
- Skinny Brasilian dogs
- Boat Trip up the Lagoon from Marau to Barre Grande
- Lots of Sunscreen
- Yoga under the stars
- Getting hit on by a cute young Brasilian (que é seu nome?)
- Beach Volleyball
- Bug spray
- riding Shakey (the horse)
- Harry the dog taking my sneaker
- Pousadas - Bahia Boa
- Shrimp with faces & legs (yikes!)
- Yoga in the rain
- Family & Friends & Friends who have become Family