That's my man! Barack Obama! I love this picture. Everything is under control!

Thoughts on Love Skewed by Country Music

This blog will be forever known as my confession blog:
I watched American Idol tonight (#1) and it was the elimination round for the Grand Ole Op'ry week. Because it takes 2 minutes to say who has been eliminated the geniuses at FOX fill up the hour with actual musicians of the genre. I have to say I love country music. (#2) I saw Brad Paisley sing his new song "Then" and normally I think he looks a little bit like one of the rats from The Secret of NIHM (#3) but when he started singing I became strangely attracted to him. (#4) I'm watching and feeling my eyes start to swell and my throat close up a little (#5) and then I realize...it isn't Brad Paisley..it's the damn song! I have spent the last year and a half of my life trying to discover what I think love is or isn't and, truth be told, it hasn't been an easy process. Now I know what has been messin' me up. It's the country music! Every song in country music is meant to tell a story. Usually that story has something to do with love. Love of tractor, love of beer but often times love of a person. As the song finished, it dawned on me that I have been listening to country songs since I was a kid and all my thoughts on love have been subliminally altered by the lyrics. No wonder I have been disappointed in all my past relationships. (#6) Who the hell can live up to lyrics like, "I'm not a man who's ever been insecure about the world he's been living in/I don't break easy/ I have my pride/ but if you need to be satisfied/I'm Shameless"? Or the classic "I'll make you happy/make you dreams come true/walk to the ends of the earth for you/to make you feel my love" ? No real guy ever stood a chance. Granted, up until lately, the caliber of men I dated were more Larry the Cable Guy less Garth Brooks(#7)....but even so. My mind has been brainwashed into believing love should be like country music and that just isn't always true. (I wanted to say-isn't ever true--but it has to be true sometimes because some one has to feel that way to write those lyrics so either they are delusional or they really feel that kind of earth shattering love.) Now I wonder if I am not completely jaded and cynical for believing that the kind of love these artists sing about is not a love that will stand the test of time. Garth Brooks left his wife and kids to marry Trisha Yearwood and statistically country boys are more likely to cheat. So is it just music? Is it creative license? Whatever it is, I'm onto you now country music! No more manipulating me! It's time to stand up against the impossible love and go for the more reasonable choice. Give me Motown or give me death!

It's here!

I got my car today! This is happy news. I haven't had a car since 2003 and I am finding the whole thing a little surreal. I feel like a teenager who just got her very first car. I washed it, got new windshield wipers (which I can't put on) , new mats and even one of those air fresheners that smells like vanilla. More than the car itself, the items in the car make me super happy. My grandmother had a vanity (place to put on make-up...for those of you who don't know what a vanity is) and I used to sit there for hours when I was a kid. I would put on her make-up, her perfume and all her jewelry. It made me feel like I was famous. It's mine now and although it needs some work, I am so excited. Also, as a surprise, my Dad put my grandfather's Shakespeare collection in the back seat. I have been admiring them for years and Pappy always said I could have them because I would be the only one who would truly appreciate them. They aren't worth anything but sentimentally they are priceless. Today was a good day for gifts. Thanks DAD!

Blog Blocked...

This is my third attempt to blog in the last week................................maybe four is my magic number.

Montana Moments

My family and I recently went on a vacation to Montana to celebrate my Dad's early 60th birthday. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to severely injure myself when I snowboard. The first year I did it, I hurt my ankle. Second, I hurt my knee. Third, I got a concussion and last year, I dislocated my shoulder. Snowboarding has never been something I have done with ease. This year I mastered the mountain! I went out with my sister and Andrea, with the patience of a saint, instructed me in a language I could understand. I managed to find the balance in my body and after a few runs I was actually starting to see what all the fuss was about. My legs were burning, my abs were sore and I was having fun! I was going fast but I was in control...it was awesome. At one point I actually felt like I could do it all day long, I didn't, but I felt like I could. I went out again the next day, feeling confident and having fun. Falling only a few times, I was elated about my progress. In years passed I had spent more time on my ass in the snow than I had on my board. After a great day on the mountain I decided to reward myself with a cold beer and a dip in the hot tub. I was feeling just fine until about midnight when I suddenly started to itch. And itch. The worst part was I was sitting in a bar with my brother and unable to scratch or have him look at it until we got home. So, I drank more. Finally after stumbling home in the snow I got a good look at it and knew for sure.....I had hot tub folliculitis. It is an infection that is caused from being in a hot tub that hasn't been cleaned properly or used the appropriate amount of chlorine. It causes red bumps all over your body that itch like chicken pox. I spent the next day in the medical clinic getting some antibiotics and then it was home...to bed. I was so bummed. I had finally gotten a taste of what it was like to enjoy snowboarding but ended up in the clinic anyway. Well, there is always next year and at least now I know never to get into another hot tub. Good news is the folliculitis is gone now and I have a new outlook on conquering the mountain.

Thinking about Drinking

So here's my dilemma...I am sort of domestic without the benefits of domesticity, thus I resort to regaining my youth and independence with alcohol. However, I am no longer a spring chicken and alcohol doesn't quite flow through me the same way it used to. In fact, I think I can actually hear my liver screaming after three beers. I don't get "drunk" like I used to either. A six-pack would have made me happy-go-lucky-Laura, now it just makes me sleepy. Now, if I have half a bottle of tequila...I'm sloppy-slurry-Laura as opposed to my younger days of dancing the night away. My friends and I had a 40oz to Freedom party last weekend and played a game called Edward-40-Hands. This is a very interesting game of torture in which you duct tape 40's to your hands and drink til they are gone. I love the idea and, in theory, I should be able to handle it but the next day I woke up wishing I had duct taped my mouth shut instead. My head was pounding and my body felt 20 lbs heavier. I used to drink, smoke and use lots of drugs...all the time...and never felt so crappy the next day. Maybe it is because I only do it on occasion that my body rejects it so much more. Or I'm getting old. Either way, I have to find a solution. Maybe I should drink really expensive alcohol to avoid the hangover or drink cheap alcohol more often...or stop drinking. I'm interested in any feedback. I know there are a few alch-ies out there who can help me find the balance or at least recommend a good hangover remedy.

Recovery...

Yesterday was the twin's first birthday and I never thought I would be so emotional about it. I must have cried at least twice yesterday. The girls didn't cry and Andrea didn't cry...but Aunt LaLa was oh so very emotional. I think it was a combination of things. We spent a lot of time and energy getting ready for the party, so that by the time it actually came to fruition it felt like a great big sigh of relief. Also, seeing the girls' birth video after the party reminded me of the first time I met them. Please remember that falling in love with these two girls changed my life in every way. I was a different person a year ago and in a way, I feel like I have been growing right along side them. Watching them learn to crawl, walk, chew, clap, communicate, laugh, play...words cannot describe my joy, so my tears had to. I managed to keep it together until after all the guests had left (38 people in all) and then crashed.
Today I decided to devote the entire day to myself. I woke up late and stayed in my pajamas til shorty after 1pm. Then I decided that I would spend the money on a much needed personal spa day. I went to get my eyebrows threaded...a technique I found in LA to be much better than waxing but more painful. Then ventured to the nail place to get a pedicure and a bikini wax. Those of you who have had bikini waxes know that this experience is only slightly less violating than the female doctor. It is especially uncomfortable when the beautician tries to strike up conversation. I have learned to combat this by reading a magazine while the torture is taking place. I made it through two issues of OK! and an Allure before my day was over.
I am ready to embrace my week feeling very girl-y and rested.