February 26, 2013

Bucket List Alert!

I have this ongoing mental list of things I'd like to do before I die...morbid, I know...and it includes experiences like: hot-air balloon ride, see the Grand Canyon, go to the White House Correspondents Dinner.  Ok, that last one was only added because I'm dating someone that knows someone that got a press pass once and I'm crossing my fingers the budget cuts don't prevent him from getting a press pass again because I've already secured my spot as his date!!  I digress.

So about a month ago I had the joy of crossing an item off my bucket list: Go to Medieval Times.  Ever heard of it? No?? Well, it's a large indoor arena where the audience is treated like lords and ladies watching a jousting tournament, eating dinner with no utensils and going along with the general merriment.  It's outstanding.  If you have kids, bring them.  If you don't, bring a friend.  Oh and just in case you were worried, they have a full cash bar.  Cha-ching!

So the following pictures are from the evening's "games".  I can't decide if it was the company I was with, the bottle of wine I had or the general splendor that made this such a magical experience but I'd like to think it was a little of everything ;)

When they dimmed the lights, I couldn't tell who was cheering loudest, the kids everywhere or me.
Yes, I was *that* excited.

They started with a cute intro of how horse + man came to be.  Such talented horses!!

There was a bunch of annoying interruptions from the lame "King and Princess".
Less bad British accents, more entertainment of the equine kind, people!

I think this was the bad guy.  We booed.  I may have been a little over enthusiastic with that.

Then they split the arena audience into "lands" and assigned us all a knight for the tournament.
Ours was the red knight, who we affectionately called Some-Dude-From-Baltimore-Who-Was-Clearly-Of-Asian-Descent.

This was our server boy, Joe (and Red Knight photo-bombing).
The kid had clearly partied a bit too hard the night before and subsequently lost his voice.
What came out was more like pre-pubescent squeaks.  It was classic.

There was some good old-fashioned, medieval smack talking.

Then they all lined up and pair by pair, faux-jousted! For real (not)!

Red Knight was kind-of a Bad-ass!

We cheered.  A lot.  Drunkenly.

There was a final faux-duel on foot to determine the official champion of the tournament.  It's like the WWE of the jousting world.
Red Knight won!! 

I went Medieval and all I got was this stinkin' blog.
It was all pretty wicked.  I hope you get a chance to go sometime, really.  It's hella expensive but worth every penny and most people will probably only go once.  I mean really, how many times can you watch faux-duels and drink too much wine??  Wait, I want to do that all the time.  Lets buy some more tickets!

February 10, 2013

Just call me Grandma

For those of you who don't know, I am now in the 30-35 category of demographics, as I turned 30*something* last September.  Since I moved to Charlottesville, I've been noticing how old I've been feeling and I'm getting concerned.  (Now, I'm sure some of you will gripe because I shouldn't be talking about being 'old' and being 30-ish in the same sentence but my 10-year-old self would disagree.  I have now lived what could be argued as 'a lifetime'.  People could say, "She had a good life," because I'm old enough to have made a life!  *sigh* Well that's just a depressing thought.  I digress.)

Almost 9 years later, my job as a dental hygienist has finally started taking it's toll on my body.  Hunching over patients all day leaves me physically exhausted, my trapezius muscles are hard as rocks, my neck is chronically pissed off and my elbow/wrist inflammation is in a constant state of awareness.  I believe in prevention (prevention is my career, is it not?) so I've even visited a Chiropractor regularly for the better part of 8 years trying to avoid this fate....I think I would've been dead in the water by now if I hadn't.  Ps- Have you hugged your hygienist today??

So on top of the neck problems, I've acquired back problems from learning how to golf (I try to smack the ball like Phil Mickelson but even if you got him drunk as a skunk, blindfolded him and made him use a stick instead of a golf club, he'd still hit the ball WAY better than me), and when I work out at the gym (I try for 4x a week) my joints definitely do not work like they used to....cue: Glucosamine/Chondroitin auto-refill plan? I mean, what gives??

I've also been realizing how much I grunt/groan every time I get up from laying, sitting, driving, etc.  Not just a little grunt, mind you, it's like a hippopotamus just surfaced from the water and hoisted itself up an embankment onto dry land.  I can't seem to help myself!  I swear groaning helps in the 'getting up' process.  I could be wrong.

Recently, I discovered the beauty of the....wait for it.....wait for it....heating pad.  It has seriously done wonders for my muscle's relaxation.  Sad, right?  I actually waited forever to buy one because I thought they were expensive (I'm not cheap, I'm just frugal) until I glanced at them at Wally World and saw one for $11.  MINE!

That same weekend, my roommate came home from a shopping spree at a fancy lingerie store to find me sitting in my bed, on my heating pad, like a hospital patient....and this has become a regular ritual of mine ever since.  I'm 30*something*, going on 95.  Yep, just call me Grandma. :-/


February 4, 2013

AAUSS

I just received the coolest package I think I've ever gotten.  Here's just little (ok, long) back story...

First of all, I try to practice humility in all aspects of my life (yes, yes, sometimes that's way easier said than done), especially regarding volunteerism.  I don't choose to do things for others to win accolades from anyone, in spite of this blog post.  I know if I want to lump myself onto Santa's 'good' list, then giving of yourself is just something you do.  For no other reason than that.  That said, finding organizations that align with things you already enjoy doing or hold dear in some way, make the perfect places to volunteer your talents.  I happen to have had multiple connections with the military over the better part of my life and have a very high reverence for those individuals who choose that life of service, for whatever reason they so desire.  That said, I found the organization AAUSS (Adopt A US Soldier)....and the story begins.

It's a fantastic, non-profit organization that, through whatever means, aligns individuals in the states with a service member deployed overseas.  You can request a man or woman, if you have a preference,  or a whole unit if you have a large group of people wanting to contribute together.  Basically, you provide your support, through whatever means you have, to create a little bright spot in the day of a service member who may or may not otherwise be receiving anything from friends/family.  I was given the email and postal address of a Sargent in Afghanistan named Chris.  He, and his unit, did receive stuff from friends and family in the states but when you're over fighting for your country, there's no such thing as too much support.

I started by emailing him, asking him if he needed/wanted anything and just making some small talk to see what he might enjoy.  After a few weeks, I put together a care package with mostly random goodies I picked up at the grocery store and the Dollar Store...I mean, I'm not made of money here.  I also included lots of toothbrushes, toothpaste and mouthwash.  Gimme a break, I'm a dental hygienist for pete's sake!  (The USPS gives you a small discount on their flat rate boxes for sending to APO/AE addresses, FYI)  After he received it and said he loved it, he also said that he shared a lot of it with his unit buddies, as they all do for each other.

Box #2 was similar random goodness, like the first box, and I was told that his friends grabbed most of it for themselves, leaving him with one box of hot chocolate and a DVD disc I burned the HBO series Game Of Thrones on.  Well in my world, that's all I'd need to turn a bad day into a good day anyway! :)

The third box was right before Christmas and I filled it to the brim with homemade goodies - careful to not include anything that could melt (deserts get hot, who knew?) or get nasty before it would arrive in two weeks (nope, I did not put green fuzz decorations on those Peanut Butter Blossoms) and sealing everything as air tight as I could get it.  I lined the inside of the box with wrapping paper so it would feel like Christmas in some small way.  Again, from the sounds of it, sharing was the order of the day.  Never did hear if anything had spoiled but, lets be honest, those dudes probably just ate everything without a second thought. 

Then Chris told me that he had something for me and was going to send it out soon!  Let me just tell you, that was an anxious wait.  Where could someone over in Afghanistan possibly have gotten a gift, anyway?  I was imagining opening a box of sand or pulling out a dirty boot.  Yeah, I have an active imagination.  Then, today, MY BOX ARRIVED!  I was so excited/nervous/curious that I could barely contain myself.  Here's the moment you've all been waiting for, the contents of the box:


The complete (Season 1-6) How I Met Your Mother sitcom series on DVD (I had mentioned in an email how much I LOVED that show) and, possibly the coolest gift I've ever received, an American flag with a certificate stating that the flag had flown on a helicopter during a combat mission on January 13th, 2013.  Amazeballs.  The certificate is signed by my soldier, Chris, who was the co-pilot!  Indescribably awesome.

I never went into this thinking that I'd be given anything in return, in fact, the AAUSS website warns that some soldiers are out on missions frequently and are unable to respond to emails or send letters of thanks, you just have to have faith that they're receiving your support.  I just got lucky.

That's the thing about all this (and giving back in general) it's not about you receiving anything at all, it's the Lord working through you to earn the blessed life you've been given; and when you're at your most selfless, you end up receiving a lot more in return.

Adopt your own US Soldier: Click here to show your support!

January 25, 2013

Attempt: Sesame Quinoa Spring Rolls

So I was riffling through my cupboards the other day and came across an old box of quinoa (non-perishable, stop freaking out) and decided to cook it...all.  A mere two cups of dry quinoa turned into four heaping cups of cooked quinoa.  I never learn.  So I'd been searching for yummy recipes for this otherwise pretty much tasteless, pseudo rice-ish 'grain'.  I consulted with my old friend, Google, and then decided to come back to my new bff, Pinterest.  I'm a Pinterest junkie.  I've owned some of my trusty cookbooks for a decade or more, print and copy countless delicious recipes into binders and am always taking note of the flavorful combinations in my meals when I eat out.  What do I do now when I want to cook?  Consult Pinterest. *sigh*

Here's the picture I found that convinced me to spend 45 minutes of my life in the kitchen...after a long day at work, a trip to the gym and a jaunt into the grocery store:
Mmmmmmm....
Quinoa sesame spring rolls sound perfectly delightful, don't they?!  I had some leftover spring roll wrappers (a.k.a. rice paper) from awhile ago....also non-perishable, stop judging!...so I thought this could be great.  I mixed the dressing, tossed the lettuce, incorporated the quinoa, wet down the rice paper, wrapped the mixture aaaaand....voila!
Check out my classy Dixie plate :)
Ummmm...gross.  They were slightly soggy, wet noodly, juicy blobs that barely stayed together and fell apart as soon as you bit into them.  The flavor was sesame, sort of, but it was more soy sauce than anything else.  The lettuce added that little bit of crunch that wasn't refreshing but more of an "oops, did I spill sand in this wrap?"

I fed myself at lunch for a couple of days and also force-fed them to LL and one of her co-workers.  I don't think I'll be invited to their company picnic.

If you're a better cook than I am...just to be clear, a baby is a better cook than I am...and you're feeling challenged, here is the original recipe: http://thehealthyhavenblog.com/2012/06/11/sesame-quinoa-spring-rolls

January 22, 2013

P.S.A. from your Dental Hygienist

I'm a dental hygienist.  My job is not only physically demanding but it is emotionally draining so this is a Public Service Announcement.  If you're feeling offended, build a bridge and get over it.

When your hygienist asks you why you haven't been flossing, these are not acceptable excuses: "I've been really busy" or "I never have time".  Really?  You have time to brush but not an extra minute to floss? Did you know there are 1,440 minutes in a day?  Brushing should take two of those minutes and flossing only one.  That's three minutes, people! Sheesh.

When your hygienist asks you to open, that means open your mouth as wide as you can and keep it open.  That doesn't mean open slightly and then proceed to slowly close back down and that doesn't mean open only wide enough for our dental mirror to enter.  How do you eat a hamburger with that mail slit of an opening?!

When your hygienist lays you back to begin working and you put up a fit because you feel like you're going to slide out of the chair, here's a news flash: we don't care.  We have to spend eight hours of our day contorting our bodies to make sure we can adequately see into your dark cave of a mouth and if laying you back all the way is how we can accomplish that, then it's happening.  Besides, we're tipping you back into a reclined position, if you can't go back like that, how in the world do you sleep on your flat bed all night?

When you arrive to your dental hygiene appointment and have not brushed your teeth (hopefully that is not a daily occurrence) I can guarantee your cleaning is going to last longer than it should.  I realize that you don't clean the house before the maid comes but the maid isn't scraping around your soft, squishy mouth with sharp instruments.  Do yourself a favor, brush like your life depended on it.

When your dental hygienist is using instruments that involve water and we ask that you breath through your nose to avoid fluid inhalation, close your throat and breathe through your nose!!  This is an anatomical bonus God gave us during creation, I know you can do it!  You can't breathe underwater, don't kid yourself.

And finally, for the love of all things holy, STOP reading the exaggerated *crap* that's posted by random individuals regarding fluoride and dental x-rays!  Just stop reading in entirely.  It's not scientific.  It's not correct.  It's crap and it was probably written by your crazy next-door-neighbor who knows nothing about anything and most definitely did not go to dental school, did not reference the published, legitimate research journals and more than likely does not have adequate oral health but has convinced themselves that if they drink a green juice every morning and 'pray about it', they won't get cavities.  Oh please.

This has been a Public Service Announcement from your dental hygienist....or at least a dental hygienist who may be unofficially speaking on behalf of all practicing dental hygienists....well, all except those who are Mother Theresa incarnate but I think they're just robots posing as real clinicians.

We go home covered in your spit and splatter nastiness just so you can have a better smile.

Your welcome.


January 13, 2013

It's 2013, Happy New Blog!

It's a new year and I need a creative outlet so...I'm baaaack!  I didn't want to abandon the old blog, you know, like my parents abandoned me in 2001 so they could retire half a country away (just kidding, Ma!) but the blog needed a fresh re-start.  I saved some of the old posts that I thought could get a good chuckle at least....check 'em out if you're bored or need something to put you to sleep ;)

Blog #1 was only about updating friends and family...well, that got boring for us all.  Now it's Blog #2 and I just wanna talk about $h!t, tell bad jokes, share my (possibly unwelcome) opinions and post about things I like.  I don't even know yet but it's my blog so I'll cry if I want to.

One story about New Years and then I'll let you go...I know, hooray!

So this year B, and one of his friends and I decided to go out in D.C. for New Years.  We found a bar that had live music and we'd been there before and knew the crowd - not at all trendy and even encroaching on goth - so we figured it'd be a decent 'win'.  After arriving and discovering that the live band was a swing band, I knew this was not going to be an epic sort of evening.  Long story short (collective sigh), it wasn't.  Award for most funny: the coat check line was (seriously) 50 people long so we hung our coats on the wall...nope, not kidding:
The band was good but I was wearing sky high heels and was with two avid non-dancers; that's a no-go for the dance floor.  The NYE countdown was anticlimactic when the lead singer counted down from 10 on the microphone but there were no TVs around to actually watch the ball drop.  I saw a *really* drunk girl slip on her ass and whack her head on the concrete floor...I'll never get that sound out of my head...and those sky high heels were totally rejecting me on the walk home (but I'm not dumb enough to wander the streets of D.C. with no shoes on so I swear I lost a pinkie toe somewhere back on U Street).  To add insult to injury, even after a really valiant effort, I barely even had a buzz.  My 2013 New Years resolution is to have a better New Years experience next year.  Time Square, anyone??