a few verbal pet peeves

1. "The fact of the matter is..." Listen. There is no fact in this opinion of yours. So stop saying it. (This one I owe to a past teacher I worked with who always said it in regards to some complaint and who also always wore those ugly velor track suits, which were too small and too short for her even though she was short, (oh and she also wore them with crocs) so I get flashbacks to that in addition to just being cranky at the phrase, which just adds to the irritation.)

2. "Make sure you..." This one is totally unnecessary. Just say the command, or whatever it is you're asking, and be done with it. Don't pretend nice.

3. "It's neither here nor there." Really? It's got to be somewhere. And you're saying it so I guess that means it is either here or there to you.

So there.

My drink of choice

HBO's True Blood is my new obsession. Like most shows I get into, it's after-the-fact, but at least this time the show is still on air. Just not my DTV air. Mark told me about it a while back and a few weeks ago I started renting season one from Netflix. Thank you, Netflix. And after that it was episode watching marathons from one disc to the other and waiting waiting waiting until the roommate watched, the disc was sent back, and the next 2 or 3 episodes appeared. I definitely considered (multiple times) upping my Netflix account to at least 2-at-a-time, but held out.

Sookie (Anna Paquin) annoys, but what am I gonna do. I might have a sliiiight crush on Sam (Sam Trammell). And did you know Stephen Moyer (Bill) was on "The Starter Wife?" I didn't either but I never watched that show. He definitely has all the right vampire side looks:

So, now, just to wait an ENTIRE YEAR to get to season two! Yay poor no-HBO-me lifestyle.

Oh, and I've been drinking red wine lately. Not sure if there's a correlation to seeing red beverages on the TV (accent on the T), but Josh says he's buying me this for my birthday and hug-my-neck he better.

Here, Mark and Rebek, a post.

Got this as part of an email my father forwarded to me from Bottom Line Health. Isn't it great that father sent me an email about breasts? A lot of really useful information in here. Look for words such as "sagging," "bouncing," "support," and a favorite of mine, "vertical motion." And don't forget, ladies, "Breasts come in different shapes and sizes."

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Dangers of Ill-Fitting Bras

Ladies, how does your bra fit? Chances are, not quite right. A British study that tested bra designs found that many women are unaware that they’re wearing an ill-fitting bra. No big deal, you think? What’s so bad if your breasts droop a little? The truth is that when bras fit poorly, the bouncing that occurs can irreparably stretch the breast’s connective tissues, causing sagging and pain, no matter what size your breasts are. "Breasts have little natural support," explains Joanna Scurr, PhD, author of the study and principal lecturer in the department of sport and exercise science at the University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Proper support is critical.

BEST BRAS NOT YET AVAILABLE...

Dr. Scurr, a breast biomechanics expert, and her team are the first to conduct research in the 3D movement of breasts and how effective bras are at reducing it. They tested 50 or so bra designs on 200 women with a wide range of breast sizes. The women, who had sensors on their bodies, walked, jogged and ran on a treadmill while wearing different bra types. The researchers found that breasts bounce up to eight inches during exercise and that they move not only up and down, but also side to side and in and out. Slow jogging caused as much movement as did a full-out sprint. The problem is that most bras are designed to minimize only vertical motion, says Dr. Scurr, who is working with manufacturers to design a bra that can lessen movement in all three directions. Appropriate breast support is important even in the activities of daily life, she said.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT BRA

Dr. Scurr advises shoppers to try on many different kinds of bras. Don’t limit yourself to what you’ve always bought before or even what you think is most comfortable. The right bra may be different from the one you’re accustomed to. Specifically, she says:

• Get measured by a trained professional and use that measurement as a starting point, but try on lots of different sized bras, constructed in different ways, since sizing varies among manufacturers.

• Take a look and give a try to lots of different styles, too. Breasts come in different shapes and sizes, so not all styles will fit you well.

• Make sure your chest band fits firmly, so you cannot easily fit your finger between the bra and your breastbone. The band provides the majority of support and a common mistake is having it fit too loose.

• The underwire and shoulder straps shouldn’t dig into your flesh. The underwire should sit flat against your chest wall.

• If you go down a band size (i.e., from a 36 to a 34) be aware that you then must go up a cup size.

• The bra cup should not be baggy, nor should it press uncomfortably into breast tissue.

• Always buy a bra that fits comfortably on the loosest setting -- when you wash it, the material will stretch and you can then pull it in.

• For the most support, buy an encapsulation bra, which has separate molded cups and limits motion in all directions. Avoid the compression bra (i.e., sports bras), which flattens the breasts, limiting only up and down movement.

Source(s):

Joanna Scurr, PhD, author of the study and principal lecturer in the department of sport and exercise science at the University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom.

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Thanks, dad. Guess I better get me some encapsulation bras.

ask the experts

Found this site when I was looking for some interwebs advice on how to tie up my new clothesline to the poles in the back yard. Well, upon further investigation (and am yet to hang up the line) there are experts for just so many of our needs! One of my favorites:

Preparing for Online Dating -- powered by ExpertVillage.com

Summary: "Watch as an expert bachelor discusses how to approach online dating in this free online video about attracting women."

Expert bachelor!! and he's the author of How to Become a Professional Bachelor!

So after watching, I decided I wasn't that impressed or convinced to give online dating a go, but he does have other videos in the series which I may need to watch before cementing my decision. However, I did decide he could really truly be a professional bachelor for, post-viewing, I imagined a dinner out with him-- nice restaurant where you sit at the table with really good posture, dim lights, fancy wine, polished silverware, the occasional hand-touching-across-the-table (just on cue), no lull in the focused-on-you conversation-- and that would be all I'd be able to handle of him and no more. Bachelor status: maintained.

yep food processored again

Tonight, recipe idea credited to Matt, it was sesame soba noodles with cucumber, bok choy and mixed greens (and we added tofu and baby corn). Food processored the dressing. You're soooo jealous.

[I know the pictures are crappy but that will all be fixed when I get my new iPhone on June 19. Or after the lines die down. (woo hoo i think i'm treating myself to an iPhone!)]

food processor strikes again!

Joshua and I made this delicious meal of food last night after I got the notion of making falafel with my I-love-having-this-thing food processor:



I worked the mixings and Josh gallantly worked the frying. We had some laughable moments while discovering the mixture was too wet and the falafel balls disintegrated in the pot o' oil (which soon turned black from all the bits in there)-- so we had to run back to WF and get some brown rice flour and ingredients for a second batch, but it was totally worth it. And did you know grapeseed oil is green? Oh but it is. All around good times. And yummy.

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So, I worked in the yard this weekend, hedged a whole bunch of bushes and got my wrists sore from manual clippers, swept the driveway, cleaned up the house a bit, and worked the food processor. Getting ready for summer par-tay par-tay times!

go neti go

I don't know exactly what happened to get me here but you can see the results and it felt like I was punched in the nose... by allergies? I did ride around a lot that day and the day before. I iced my nose with a bag of frozen edamame and bought a neti pot (which I think everyone should have)-- thank you Lauren for that bit of advice. Things were better the next morning.

Also, after perusing my grand supply of I-need-a-study-break-so-I'll-take-pictures-of-myself-with-PhotoBooth head shots, either my nose has had allergy/swollen issues before and I haven't noticed or my nose is just not as defined as I thought it was.

In summary, I would also like to thank everyone who was of such great support during this period of crisis in my life (in no particular order except boy-girl-boy-girl): Joshua, Lauren, Mark, Rebek, Matt, Jen. If I have neglected to mention you, I apologize, these were some crazy hours.