My Obituary

We are moving soon and I've started to pack. Man oh man, do we have a lot of shit. We have vowed to live simpler and clutter free in the new house. No piles of random stuff, just a few toys (hah!) and I will not stockpile food just in case gas prices go so high that food becomes scare and exorbitantly expensive. If you listen closely you can hear me chanting under my breath "everything will be better in the new house, everything will be better in the new house, everything will be better in the new house. . . ".

As I was packing my books I ran across an old journal from a course I took about 6 years ago based on the book "The Artist's Way" I don't usually save my journals because when I find them they're often quite depressing. I opened the journal to find an exercise that required me to write my own obituary. Here's what I wrote six years ago:

Sarah Brooks lived a full life. She was preceded in death by her husband, Chad. She is survived by sons, Sam & Henry, four grandchildren, best friend Jennifer and young lover. What a magnificent woman! A recording of her own piano jazz was played at the memorial. She was known by all as a most compassionate woman, helping to feed and clothe many around the city. She also brought music to many underprivileged children and adults. Her garden will be donated to the city. Sarah travelled the world and made a difference to children in many countries. She will be greatly missed but it is certain she is happy wherever she is.

Isn't that funny?! It almost sounds like I think I'm Angelina or something. I have not thought about my jazz piano career in years. It's especially funny considering I don't play piano or garden AT ALL. I wonder what I would write if I wrote it today? What would you write? It's something to think about.

I looooooove shoes

I figure if I wore these with the right white t-shirt & black pants I would look very athletic, don'cha think? I've also got a lot of really cool ball caps that would look great with these. Besides shoes, ball caps are my biggest accessory.

I love these Donald Pliner sandals but can't decide which color. Any thoughts? Either would go with my wardrobe which consists of black, white, brown, khaki and the occasional blue.They are a little pricey but money well spent.
Don't these look comfy? Love the colors and either would go with my standard uniform.


Btw, did I mention I have a birthday coming up? I'm 37 and

Another Vegan Revelation

I'm not sure, but I think I stink less! Yes, that's what I said. I stink less. I've always been one of those people that needs to wear deodorant . . . all the time. It's not like the person standing next to me is offended or anything but by the end of a hot day, like today, I need a shower and a fresh coat of Secret Clinical.

From the moment I wake I feel like I'm sweating. This morning I realized I hadn't put deodorant on yet and also realized that I didn't stink yet! I still put some on. I'm not going to be one of those vegetarians. It's now the end of a hot, sweaty day and, although not odor-free, I still smell pretty good! Interesting. And really gross if you think about it. Was all that dead animal flesh I've been eating all my life seeping through my sweat glands and making me stink. Ewwwwwww.

I know this doesn't hold true for everyone. If there's a meat platter on the menu, my husband orders it. He has virtually no body odor. Ever. It's weird. And nice.

Now, the gas I'm passing is a whole other story that I won't go into. I just can't catch a break.

Thursday Thirteen - 6th Edition

Thirteen Things to Know About The Season

1. A single sneeze can spray droplets infested with bacteria and viruses as far as 3 feet.

2. Because viruses must invade cells of a living host to reproduce, their life spans outside are generally shorter than that of bacteria, which reproduce on their own.

3. Any sort of nutrients-food particles, skin cells, blood, mucus-helps microbes thrive, which is why your kitchen sponge is a breeding ground.

4. According to Philip Tierno, director of microbiology and diagnostic immunology at the New York University School of Medicine, at room temperature and normal humidity, Escherichia coli (E. coli), a bacteria found in ground beef that causes food poisoning, can live for a few hours to a day.

5. The calicivirus, the culprit of the stomach flu, lives for days or weeks.

6. HIV dies nearly instantly upon exposure to sunlight.

7. Other microbes form exoskeleton-like spores as a defense mechanism, like the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, which is responsible for toxic shock syndrome, food poisoning, and wound infections. In this way, they can withstand temperature and humidity extremes. Tierno says this bacterial spore can survive for weeks on dry clothing using sloughed skin cells for food.

8. The Bacillus anthracis, the anthrax bacteria, can also form spores and survive tens to hundreds of years.

9. Hepatitis B virus may survive up to a week.

10. Flu viruses tend to live longer on surfaces than cold viruses do.

11. It's generally believed that cold and flu viruses live longer on nonporous surfaces — such as plastic, metal or wood — than they do on porous surfaces — such as fabrics, skin or paper.

12. A person can spread the flu starting one day before he or she feels sick. Adults can continue to pass the flu virus to others for another three to seven days after symptoms start. Children can pass the virus for longer than seven days. Symptoms start one to four days after the virus enters the body. Some persons can be infected with the flu virus but have no symptoms. During this time, those persons can still spread the virus to others.


13. The best way to avoid becoming infected with a cold or flu is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water or with an alcohol-based sanitizer.


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