Hands down, my favorite use for dryer sheets is cleaning bugs off the car. Normal soap and sponge scrubbing does not begin to eliminate the layers of dried bug juice that accumulate during certain times of the year. A little water and a dryer sheet acts like a magic eraser. It usually takes several sheets to clean the bumper and you should wash the area after to get rid of any residue.
Other uses include: Continue reading
I am still new at the whole stand up paddleboard thing, but from the first moment, I knew I wanted to have a camera on these trips. My SLR was certainly not a candidate. It has not learned to swim yet.
A few pictures around the neighborhood were underwhelming so I was anxious to try it underwater.
Today was my first day out with my new toy; the Nikon CoolPix AW100. I had the auto setting set to ‘underwater’ the whole time. This to avoid spending time or risk falling every time I wanted to take a picture. I added a little float strap in case I dropped it. While trying a new turn, I learned how to fly. Even with a splash landing there was no worry for the camera.
The water was not as clear as I had hoped and being surrounded by trees made the lighting a little sketchy. The angle is super weird because I took this kneeling on the board, still moving, still steering, and trying not to fall. Overall, I am very happy with it. Some practice maybe needed to adjust my SLR thinking. It will certainly be easier to take the underwater pictures when I am not a part of a tour group. One and a half thumbs up.
Look closer, hidden in the green:
I started the fast on a bit of a whim. It ended most purposefully with an apple and a big spoon of peanut butter. It was not as good as I had been imagining all week, but I looked down at my stomach and asked it, “Are you happy now?” It gurgled, thank you, back at me.
Have you ever gotten up in the morning and thought, “today would be a great day to start a juice fast?” Me either, until Wednesday. I have been feeling bloated and just blah. With vacation eating and lunch meetings, I had strayed from my low gluten and lactose diet for the past few weeks.
Image found: http://ayyyy.com/category/athletes/
I love tennis balls and I do not play tennis. My favorite use for them is to use them for massage. I can rub my foot over them to help with plantar fasciitis or just for fun. I also place one on the muscles between the spine and shoulder blade and lean against a wall.Then, doing mini-squats rolls out the muscle. For more intense pressure on the back, I place 2 in a sock and lay down on them. The gap in the middle keeps pressure off the spine while the muscles on either side relax into the pressure. Racquetballs can also work. Golf balls are okay for the foot massage.
Other uses for tennis balls:
Loving to Compromise:
Way back in physics class, the professor explained that there are 2 major theories of light behavior: a) traveling particles and b) traveling waves. I went home that night and devised my own theory: particles that travel in waves.
I Like Doormats:
At my first job interview, post graduation, I was given the results of a personality test that all applicants had to take. “You tend to be a doormat, but we can help with that.” What is so wrong with being accommodating, welcoming, and keeping other people from dragging a muddy mess around the world?
I crossed paths with this list on the way out from the grocery store. I wondered, did someone lose it on the way in or on the way out? Did he/she remember everything on the list? If not, did they go back for the item or do without? Lists are a great way to organize your thoughts and activities. Perhaps, many of them turn into brainstorming diaries that need to be edited for accuracy and relevance. I found yet another washing machine crumpled wad of paper in my pants’ pocket yesterday. Had I written a vital piece of information on it? Was it someone I planned to call? …something I needed to get at the store? I will never know, and have chosen not to care. If the universe needs me to address something, it will come back to my attention. So, sorry if I promised to call you.
I do some exercises in the hope that I am never told that I have to do them. Pelvic floor exercises are at the top of that list. If you think of your core as a box, the diaphragm is the top, the abdominal and back muscles are the sides and the pelvic floor is the bottom. If the bottom of the box is weak, it does not matter how strong the sides are, the box cannot hold much. Having strong pelvic floor muscles is important for men and women. It can help prevent leaks when you laugh, cough or sneeze. It can prevent falls. Imagine how many people across the world will wake up tonight with the urgent need to get to the restroom. Blurry eyed, stiff and half asleep, they rush through a dark room. Having a strong pelvic floor can also make time with your mate a little more enjoyable.
My thinking can be very socially inappropriate at times. Usually filters will stop the most egregious thoughts from reaching my tongue. But, well…if you are ever at a wake service and the priest starts to use the name of someone in the room and not the dearly departed, try not to smile. I guess part of my attitude comes from my theory that funerals are for the living, not the dead. My filters still need some work.
Life can be absurd so learn to laugh at it. Continue reading
Real Woman's Health 