What Are YOU Giving Up For Lent?

Even though I am not a devout church goer, I do believe giving something up for Lent is good for the soul. Plus it can be a good stepping stone for a goal to better your life. Afterall, it is only 40 days.

So the question that I had for myself was, what can I give up for 40 days that will benefit me for the better. I thought about soda but than thought that it may make me a little crabby, which won't benefit anyone. Than my mom suggested that I give up going to Target and I nixed that plan because if they have a sale on Pepsi, I am not giving up the best price on something becaue I have banned myself from going to a certain store.

Than it came to me...I am going to give up unnecessary spending! It is perfect for this economy and the situation that I currently find myself in. If I don't need it I am not going to purchase it. So no going out to lunch while at work, etc.

I am looking forward to doing this and having a little more money in my pocket over the next 40 days, even if it is just a mere $50 or so. This may lead to me tracking all of my purchases as well. Maybe I will even track them on my blog with a monthly break down or something of that sorts.

Do You Have The Winter Blues?

Do you live in a place where winter can have it's grip on your area for a few months. We all know what it is like, gray days, snow, freezing rain, not a lot of sunshine and just that overall blah feeling that you get.

I was driving into work and head a segement on "winter blues" after the symptoms were read off, I thought, yep that is me. I am a totally different person in the summer than say late February.

Here are the symptoms:

Desire to sleep more (check)
Overeating
Withdrawing from social activities (kind of check)
Feeling anxious (check)
Being unusually irritable
Feeling a lack of energy (check)
Headaches
Craving of sweets (check)
Loss of desire for physical activity (check)
Weight gain

It sounds like a form of depression doesn't it. If you said yes, you are right. It is depression from the lack of daylight hours. Some ways the "experts" say you can beat the winter blues is the following:

Sunlight does provide the body with essential vitamins that are mood enhancing. One way to combat this effect is to use moderation and get some sun therapy at a tanning bed. The artificial sunlight will help enhance your mood by increasing the body's capability of utilizing and producing vitamin D.

Cold weather keeps people indoors for the most part. Being in doors can create a sense of suffocation and increased amounts of boredom. One way to overcome this is to take a walk outside. Bundle up in a coat, gloves and hat. Even if you just walk a few blocks outside it will help get the circulation going and give you a chance to see the beautiful winter landscape.

During the winter most people develop a sense of lethargy- being tired all of the time. They tend to sleep during the day and then wake up feeling even more tired than before. One way to overcome this feeling of lethargy is simply to fight it by doing some aerobic exercise. Buy a gym membership in the winter.

Many people suffer from an increased sense of loneliness because they are trapped for long periods of time indoors. Being alone can play harsh mental games on a person. It can become so severe that a person might begin to feel that they are all alone. The best way to overcome the feeling of being alone is to get out and join a class or league, whether it is an indoor sports league or a dance class.

So if you are tired of having the winter blues, than do something about it. And Spring is less than a month away!

Japan LOVES Obama

I just had to make this a post because I just looked at it and smiled.

It is Obama sushi. Yes, sushi made to look like Obama:



The chef use the following to make the President:

Skin ~ Amis (small shrimp)
Hair ~ black sesame
Teeth ~ fish paste

Can you say yum!!!

New Photos on Etsy

I truly believe that everyone should be able to afford art. I am an art lover and my house has many medias throughout it.

Because of that statement, I have revamped my Esty Store a bit to make it more affordable. One can now just purchase a print (starting at $2.25) and than choose if they want to have it matted or not. My prints range in prices from $2.25 to $10.00 with matting options ranging from $3.00 to $7.00.

Here are some new 4x6 prints ($2.25) that I have added to the mix.

Ledger Not Acknowledged in Memory Song at the Oscars

When Queen Latifah performed at the Oscars last nite, it was outstanding. The way she put it before singing, that these are friends of the people sitting in the room, not just actors that the general public knows them as. I do really think that did need to be said. To you and I they are just that, actors. To actors and other movie moguls, they are friends.

I was a little disappointed that Heath Ledger was not shown in the slideshow that was put together. I was for sure that they would probably end it with his work instead of Paul Newman's, afterall, he did win an Oscar that evening for his work in The Dark Knight.

I will admit, I loved Ledger's work. I first really noticed him in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You and have been following his career ever since. The man was quite and strong, how can people not love those quailities in a man??

So while the Oscars did a grand job with the evening, I just though they could have done a little better. Remember the one that passed that not only were they were honoring that nite with an Oscar but also with a piece in the slideshow as well.

Shock Waves

Don't you love it when someone surprises the hell out of you? It doesn't have to be a good surprise either, but that that spilt second of when you are totally shocked and surprised. That is such an amazing feeling.


That happened to me a couple days ago. A friend of mine did an unexpected thing, he actually took a little bit of control of his life and there by cutting me a little out of it.

By no means did he sever our relationship, he is just trying to build a stronger one with someone else. Which I give him my best in focusing on that and trying to make the best out of what is now a bad situation.

But wow, the feeling of shock and surprise is an amazing one. I can't remember how long it had been since I had that kind of feeling. It is like disbelief mixed with joy. How the heck can you have those two feelings all at once and in a situation like this one?

I wish him all the best and I know he will come full circle and our friendship that has lasted through a relationship, wars and living aboard always come back. It always has.

He Needed So Much Help

Wildfires are ripping their way through Australia and nothing is able to stop them. We have all seen this before in California. One hundred eighty one people have been killed so far, entire towns gone and this is a once in a century heat wave, that is how hot it is over there.

How bad is it, you tell me when you look at this:



A WILD koala with singed paws was looking for help and help he did find. How desperate and does a wild animal have to be not only to seek out human help, but to take a drink of water straight from the bottle.

It is images like this one that truly make you know how bad it is.