Square-Peg Reflections

Butt What? The END of Body-Part Wednesday!

Ohman, I have fallen behind in my posts! But I'm here to catch up. I've got a few things to tell you:

First, though Body-Part Wednesday is officially over when we choose our final giveaway winner from the commenters (more about that in a minute), it's not over-over. In other words, I'm still going to bring up body centered discussions that I want YOU to be part of - just not on Wednesdays necessarily.

And now - about the final giveaway...the lovely terri st cloud, my mayonnaise sister (and one day i swear I'm going to write about our sistering ceremony!), has generously offered to send our giveaway winner a beautiful bone-sigh. This is the one (which fits so well!!):

It's called her beauty and says:

"i look at her and see beauty, and yet, she's been told she's not beautiful. I watch her and see love, and yet, she's been told she's not lovely. i want to shout to her "you are precious beyond words!" yet i know she can't hear me. and so i won't shout. i will just keep believing in her and reminding her. and wait for her to see it, to hear it, and to know it as deeply as i do."

Cool, huh? And there are so many beautiful, heart-grabbing bone sighs (prints, books, cards - ohmy!) over at bone-sigh-arts.com - please stop by and say "Hi!".

About the giveaway - besides terri's gorgeous bone sigh, the giveaway winner will also receive the CD version of our Choosing Me! recording. But you gotta play to win (grin) -

So please send your comments to the blog - or a link to your response - be it post or picture or song (Danielle mentioned something in her comment about maybe not putting a picture up - and um...that might be a good idea..). The giveaway winner will be chosen from comments that are made on the blog - to the final Body-Part Wednesday post - the end one (haha).

We're extending the time for comments until this coming Friday - September 5th.

I want to tell you about another thing my mayonnaise sister did (that's the above mentioned terri st cloud). She honored me and a number of other bloggers with this blog award:

Please hop over and read the post she wrote on her blog and the see the links to the other bloggers - right over here). Thanks for everything ter!!!!!

Talking To Houseplants

I said, in an earlier post, that I don't exactly talk to plants. Apparently I lied - because I just apologized to a house-plant.

I'm going to be transferring the plant from the living room to the entryway, but that's not why I apologized. I apologized because I haven't taken such good care of the poor thing. Just saying, because I wouldn't want you to think I was crazy.

So - there we were in the shower (mostly just the plant - a palm, by the way - I was leaning in from outside the shower) and I was saying: "I'm sorry I haven't dusted you. Wow - you're a mess. Not that it's your fault. I'm not blaming you. But you've got some dead leaves (or fronds? or whatever they're called) that I didn't even notice before - and the dust. Ugh."

And the plant stood there - mute. Which got me wondering: now that I went to the bother of finding a really soft washcloth and gently wiping the dust off all the leaves (or fronds or whatever) - and giving the plant lots of loving attention - will it die?

I used to think I'd inherited what my mother called her Black Thumb, but then (many moons ago) I researched gardening and grew a really nice veggie patch. And I managed to keep a large window full of plants alive for awhile. So I knew I'd bypassed that particular legacy. Which is good because I do hear plants, as I mentioned in that blog post noted above. And I think it'd be horrific to be a plant killer who hears the victims' death cries.

But back to the palm - or, actually, back to wondering about it's possible demise. Have you ever had the experience of cleaning something that was way overdue for a cleaning (like, let's say, the 5-year old toaster that you used nearly everyday but never get around to cleaning) and then having it die the next day? Come on - that can't be just me...

I've had that happen often. But I'm not going to go into specifics since you're pretending it's never happened to you. Oh confess - it'll make me you feel better!

When I checked on the palm awhile ago (I left it in the shower, sitting in a bowl of water) to see if it was ready for the move to the entryway - the leaves (fronds or whatever) were dusty again! WTF? I was gone maybe 2 hours - where did the new dust come from? That's just no way to act when someone lavishes you with care! I'm feeling less sorry now - I may even take that apology back...

Body-Part Wednesday VIII

subtitled: The End (the humor of that phrase will become apparent - or possibly it's just that my insanity will become apparent - when you realize that the body-part highlighted today is - the butt!)

Today is the final Body-Part Wednesday summer blog party post - not that I won't talk about body issues, body image, body acceptance and all plenty of other times, they are interests dear to my heart...but (ahhahahahaahha..."but" as in "butt") the blog party will end this week.

Throughout the week I hope that you will make comments on this post - there will be a final Give-away winner chosen next Tuesday. Please check back later in the week for a description of the prize - there's something special from my mayonaise sister terri st cloud from bonesigharts.

And now, I have to admit that having a captive audience (how far can a computer run - you know?) caused me to create a really long recording (above) - 9 minutes plus (I'm embarrassed - but you will notice, not SO embarrassed, since I'm not editing it).

There's story (as usual), and the stream of consciousness stuff you've come to know and love (grin) - but hey, it's in a different format this time. You get to hear me go on and on! Ain't life good?!?

Body-Part Wednesday Give-away Winner

The winner, randomly chosen - using the above number generator, picked from commenters to last week's Body-Part Wednesday post is - pony tail wearing, toddler-barbering Danielle.

Congrats, Danielle!! I'll send you an e-mail address where you can send me your snail mail address (oooh, confusing myself here) so I can get your Choosing Me! CD in the mail!!

Thanks to all who commented - and to all Square-Peg Reflections readers whether you comment or not!!!!

Later today I'll post the last Body-Part Wednesday blog party post - which I better get working - see you later.

CD Giveaway

There's still time to be eligible for the Body-Part Wednesday Give-away. Especially since I'm running behind (what else is new? sigh) and have decided to wait until tomorrow noon to pick the winner. All you've got to do is make a comment on the blog - at the Body-Part Wednesday post listed below.

The winner this week (randomly chosen from names of folks whose comments are on the blog - here) will receive the CD version of Choosing Me!

Choosing Me! is our easy-peasy way to feel good about your body. And we're launching the CD sales real soon. Umm, it was supposed to be last week - but my inability to accurately predict how long it will take me to finish things is fodder for another post - or two or three. It is going to be soon though!

Choosing Me! (which is available here NOW, as an instant MP3 download) is (as I mentioned above) a feel-good-about-your-body recording. The CD that we're giving away is - well, it's the CD version of Choosing Me! (but I bet you knew that, huh?).

Choosing Me! is for people who feel like they don't belong in either the wishing camp* or the scolding camp** when it comes to body-image or feeling good about their bodies.

*The wishing camp is the one where you try to wish yourself into positive body-image: some affirmations, a little fairy dust and another click of those red heels anyone? Doesn't work for me! I've tried it and I just cannot trick myself - nor do I want to.

** The scolding camp is the popular no pain/no gain kind of thing. The motto is: "Try harder! Try harder! Try HARDER, damnit!!" And nothing is quite good enough. Again, doesn't work for me! I have a strong inner rebel.

Choosing Me! comes from things that do work, even for a rebellious, wish-phobic person like me! It doesn't push you and doesn't ask you to pretend. It's got stories, exercises (not that kind!!) and some paradigm shifting fun that get to the heart of the matter in a practical easy-peasey way - no wishing, faking, forcing or scolding! I promise!

If this sounds like something you're interested in you can read more here.

And don't forget to come back to the blog tomorrow for the final Body-Part Wednesday - end of summer blog party post.

Link Love - Got to Check These Out!

I love finding interesting blogs. Maybe not as much as Slightly-British Daughter, but I do love it.

Slightly-B could make a living at it. She freaks me out - I have never been able to show her a blog she hasn't already found. And I test her (I wasn't born yesterday!) - so I know she's not just messing with me my saying: "Yeah, I know that one."

A few times I thought I'd get her - I'd be sooo excited! I remember zipping across the hall from the office to her space and saying: "LOOK at this! So & So (not that I actually have any friends named So & So, just saying) told me about this blog! Cool, huh?" And she gave me a look - a withering look - and said: "I sent you a link to that blog 3 (6 - 8 - whatever...) months ago." And I'd check (because, as I said, I wasn't born yesterday - and sure enough - she'd sent me a link 3 or 6 or 8 months prior and I hadn't paid proper attention). Damn!

Well, all the above was just "rambling preamble", as my friend Sooz would say. What I really want to tell you is - here are some awesome spots you just should not miss visiting - often!

1) I've mentioned Jen Lee's blog before, but it bears repeating - and particularly because she has a new little (little - it can fit in a pocket or purse!) book out that you might have missed - go visit!

2) My FaceBook pals have heard, a couple times, about The Sister Project, because I am so in love with it. It's a great place to check out - and it's so full you probably ought to use the guide they offer on their home page (there are a number of blogs that link to the main one, and I've gotten lost - but then, I get lost easily). Anyway, it's a fantastic place to visit and Slightly-Brit has been telling me about it for awhile - and I would glance, but never spend time - but I went this past week and wandered and fell in love. It's Grrrrrrreat!

If I start talking about this one I'll sound like a school girl with a crush - there's so much to read - such great stuff - and you don't need to have a flesh and blood sister to find a fit here - you just need a heart. Please visit and leave comments!

3) Then there's ex-pat Elizabeth Harper's blog, Gifts of the Journey, which I found when I followed a link back to her site from a comment she'd left on the Ordinary Courage blog (the mama of fantastic blogs!). I thought some of you writer folks might jump up and down about playing on the Tell Me A Story Tuesday section.

Elizabeth puts up 3 photos each week for TMAST - readers are invited to look at them and come up with captions. Then you pick a caption someone added and write a story. All the rules are on the blog - they're basically the rules Natalie Goldberg shares in her writings and courses.

I put captions up once and Elizabeth wrote one of her stories using one of my captions (exciting!). Then I got a strain of writer's block, so I haven't put a story up yet (I'll tell you a bit about that adventure - the writer's block thing related to Tell Me a Story Tuesday - in another post) - but I'm going to try. And I'll definitely be back there to read the stories others put up - and maybe leave some more captions. Hope to see YOU there, too.

Ok, there's some Link Love. Hope you visit these wonderful folks and enjoy them as much as I do.

Photo (crooked photo) by Karen Caterson (could you tell?)

Further Domestic Disasters

Disheartened after losing a fight with bananas, I turned to something I do well - knitting - to prove my domestic aptitude.

Any knitters out there? I picked up this gorgeous handpainted yarn (pictured above) from a shop on Etsy called Whorled Peace (isn't that the best name? and the yarn is beautiful!).

Ok, so I had yarn - and the urge to knit. And I even knew what I wanted to make. Socks. I've knitted a number of pairs for others but never for me - and hey, even though it's fricking hot and humid right now - it'll be cold soon.

Socks it was. I had a pattern - from a book I'll tell you about later (awesome explanation of the different kinds of painted yarn and how to avoid pooling and ... well, I said I'd tell you later...) - and, even though it looked a tiny bit - um - if not difficult, at least like something I couldn't do while driving or shaving my legs - I knew I could handle it.

Alright, it did look difficult. But I like a challenge. It means intense concentration - can't even knit with the ball game on. I like having a project that pulls me in. So I was pulled in really far. I was concentrating like sixty. I was nose to the needles. For two days.

Not two days straight (although I have done that - jumped into a project and stayed way in there - totally concentrating - doing nothing else - for a couple of days) but two days - off and on - when I needed time away from the computer. When I could drag myself away from the dear Phillies.

And at the end of those two days I was past the cuff and had done a few rows of the pattern. I felt like I was getting used to the tiny needles again (it has been about 6 months since I worked with #1 needles and usually I knit socks with 4 needles, this pattern called for 5) and settling into the pattern.

So I breathed a sigh and let go a bit on the concentration. Relaxed enough to look past the next stitch - to get a view of the whole project. And I was startled to find that the sock I'd been knitting for myself probably wouldn't fit a 2 year old.

I measured a sock of my granddaughters - she'll be 6 in September - hers was an inch bigger in diameter. Ugh! So maybe I was knitting a thumb warmer?!?

Reminds me of the time I was studying a level - having worked on a swing set for the girls - back when Slightly-Brit was Wee-Brit. And I had my nose nearly on the level - figuring out those bubbles - moving things this way and that. And - wow - sure enough, got the darn thing level. Just like it explained in the instructions.

Just then someone suggested I step back about 20 paces and look at things from their view. The swing set turned out to be at a 45% angle - and I learned two things: never use a tiny level and it's really, really important to step back from your work to get the big picture...

So I had to rip the infant sock out and start over with #3 needles - sigh! If I had really checked the gauge I'd have noticed that the #1's weren't cutting it - but I go into denial when I measure knitting ("It kind of looks like 2" - if you stretch it - or hold it this way. I'm knitting real loose right now anyway, but I'll be tightening up as I go along and then it'll be perfect.") - and that is a whole 'nother story...

Body-Part Wednesday VII

Let's talk hair. Hair is a body part, isn't it? Kinda sorta?? The hair on top of our noggins, not even going to the hair-in-odd places that my friend Zura mentioned in her comment on the inadequate eyelashes post (eyelashes on toes! yikes).

I think the hair on top of our heads is trouble enough for one post.

I'm sick of mine. For over a month I've been sick of it. It's hot and humid right now (summer) where I live (I think I might have mentioned this about 9,003 times lately - give or take - sorry for the repetition) which wreaks havoc on my hair (not to mention my nerves, not that anyone can tell - hahahahahhahahhhhhhh).

My hair is full. Not full like fluffy with waves or body or curls. Full as in "lots of it". Tons of it - I have fat hair. There are approximately 42,000 hairs per square inch on my head. That's a lot of heavy, straight hair to have flopping down on one's head during hot, humid weather. Picture Moe from the Three Stooges, but with highlights. And did I mention that it's hot?!?

I have gotten good hair cuts (not recently) - and then my hair feels fine - wonderful even. More often though, I bring a picture to my stylist and she cuts and cuts and when she's done I put my glasses on (can't see a damn thing without them*) and look - and I'm not thrilled.

Occasionally she'll exclaim - in a very surprised voice: "Ohhh, look at that! It looks just like the picture!!" Which bothers me. I sort of expect it to look just like the picture - it's a picture of my head - my haircut - the time she cut it just like I wanted. That's why I brought the picture...

This is where I stopped writing.

Ok, sort of - I wrote a little more about how I'm hunting for a new stylist - one who considers hair cutting an art form. And I probably mentioned something about my problem with staying places when it's time for me to move on.

But basically that's where I stopped.

And realized that I was grouchy. And didn't want to stay grouchy. And realized that I could use some ideas from Choosing Me! (Finding Comfort, Joy and Beauty in the Me I am NOW), the MP3 that the Square-Peg staff and I put together to promote feeling good about ourselves NOW, not after we're thinner, or more fit, or have a better hair cut! NOW!!

So I thought of baby-steps - doing something little that makes me happy. Like getting a glass of lemon soda (which I was introduced to out in Portland when I was visiting my friend Wenders) - and - Oh look! Now I'm smiling - and I'm cute when I smile - so you barely notice the crappy hair cut. Or - I could do a few stretches, or read some Rumi. Little stuff - baby steps.

I started the day (and the post) in a crabby, poopy way - like the awful kids' song (was it a jump rope song?):

Nobody loves me
Everybody hates me
Gonna go outside and eat worms

Although my version was more like:

I'm really bitchy
Everybody will hate me (and who gives a flying f*#!)
Gonna go downstairs and eat chocolate

because, really, what kind of dufus would eat worms?

But the day didn't end that way (and aren't we all glad about that?). Instead I moved just a tiny bit toward a brighter feeling. Which isn't bad considering the dumb-ass attitude I started with. And maybe feeling real good about myself wouldn't be realistic. But feeling a bit better wasn't so hard.

And it's not like I decided to cut my hair with the dog sheers and a bowl and attempt to make myself happy with that (as if). I'm still going to hunt for a stylist with a flair for cutting fat, straight hair - but I don't have to wait til I get a new hair cut to feel better.

Hmmm...it seems - in one way - as if I veered off the Body-Part talk completely - but in another way - I think I might have honed right in on it...

What's your take?

*Just thinking - the stylist could do something wildcrazy with my hair. I'd have no idea until I put the glasses on - how does she restrain herself? I'd be so tempted!

Drum Roll Please

and today's Body-Part Wednesday Giveaway winner is ... (wait for it)

Janice! Yeah, Janice! Check your e-mail for the MP3, Choosing Me! Enjoy!! and thanks for commenting!

Culinary Disaster Queen

It's hot right now where I live. Really hot! I say this by way of excuse for the following story - but honestly - there is no excuse.

I just finished making Slightly-Brit and I a smoothie, because it's the kind of day where you can't even think about solid food. The rest of the day I've been drinking lots of water (with a smidge of cranberry juice in it for flavor) and coffee to keep from drowsing (can you imagine how fun I am to be around?  - whining because of the heat and snarling because I'm a little caffeinated...).

I tossed a bit of cranberry juice into the blender, plenty of water, fresh strawberries (that I separated from the other fresh strawberries that weren't looking so good - white hair on strawberries is a sure sign that something untoward is afoot), and banana.

Except the bananas weren't fresh. We've had a banana problem. Actually, I am the banana problem. I will eat one every morning (so there's a big 'ol batch that comes home from the weekly food shopping trip) - until I don't eat one every morning (so there's that big 'ol batch sitting on the counter starting to brown up - and then go past browning up and straight into fruit-fly-summoning).

Awhile ago Slightly-Brit suggested a solution to the pile of past-browning bananas - freeze them. So, back when I'd amassed a load of almost-beyond-brown bananas I did just that. But Slightly-Brit wasn't exactly forthcoming on the how-tos of banana freezing*, so all I did was grab them up and put them in a freezer bag. All done!

Which seemed wonderful - until today. I reached into the freezer for the frozen bananas (redundancy there, huh? Where else would I have reached for the frozen bananas??), pulled them out of the bag and stared. I asked myself: "Now what?" The peels were rock solid and (obviously) stuck to the bananas - I didn't want to put banana peel in the blender.

I'm resourceful, if nothing else, so I decided I'd find a way to work with the damned things. I considered microwaving them, but figured that would be my last resort (mushy, hot bananas in a fruit smoothie?). I wondered if I could peel them. Have you ever tried to peel a frozen banana?

It's like trimming the veneer from granny's old chest of drawers - not exactly hard to do, but incredibly time sucking - and altogether annoying. Plus, in the case of frozen bananas, you get cold under your fingernails - with the banana gook!

And - as it turned out - frozen bananas have a slightly different (blech pooey) taste even when you do get their peels off - sigh. It's hard to imagine that, at one time, I cooked all my family's meals and made many things from scratch. Really hard - actually I'm wondering if I did imagine it - because I truly believe I have (so frequently!) proven myself worthy of the Culinary Disaster Queenship. Crown please!

*I imagine SBD chuckling, all secure in her culinary wisdom, when she noticed (and she would notice - she's a smarty) the frozen bananas - with peels - in the freezer. I must be no end of amusement to watch - scurrying around like a hamster (ok, a big hamster) in a maze - always confused, but nevertheless eager...