The Blonde Diaries

With it almost being February, spring is just around the corner.  We really haven’t had much of a winter here in Houston – a few days of freezing weather but otherwise summer temperatures of 70-80.  So while I won’t have to worry about adjusting to the temperature change from winter to spring, I do have to worry about pollen in the air and other allergens.  I’m hoping using Zyrtec twice a day will be enough but if not I’m on the lookout for an allergy doctor.  I found an allergy doctor austin, texas but I haven’t found one with as high reviews here in Houston.  I think I just need to spend a little more time on the web and looking at doctor ratings and rankings.  Our medical center is large enough there should be a few good allergy doctors in town.

One size fits all isn’t usually something I prefer. We are all made in various shapes and sizes that saying one size will fit all just doesn’t seem possible or realistic. I was reminded about this one size fits all attitude this week when I put on a Michael Stars shirt. If you aren’t familiar with Michael Stars clothing, everything is one size fits all. It makes things easy when you need to run into a store and grab a t-shirt quickly. That is until you try it on and find that while a size might fit all the style doesn’t fit all.

While pondering this, I determined that this must be how the government came up with different parts to Medicare. I mean why else would you try and break everything into pieces and confuse the elderly? It isn’t to be helpful that’s for sure. I can’t tell you how many times I have passed by Walgreens to see some signage about Medicare part D plans or Medicare part A plans. I’m not sure about you but I have no clue what all the different parts are. I thought it was a level of service – like you pay a premium for A and a lesser amount for part B and so on. I was really surprised when I finally did some looking around and saw that the different parts are for different services like hospital stays and prescription drug coverage.

This is just nonsense to me. Why can’t we have a one size fits all health insurance? I can’t imagine how many people get confused filling out the form and leave off a part that they may need later during the year. Just make a few different plans based on services and how much you want to pay out of your pocket (like a tiered system) and make things easy for people! I hate it when people complicate things for the heck of it.

Oh My Goodness! I have been sick for 1 week and I just can’t seem to shake it all off. I blame it on my recent trip to the Houston Zoo where I forgot to take my Zyrtec. All the pollen and animal dander has done me in. I seem to be at the tail end of this nightmare with just a stuffed up nose and a slight ear ache with popping. I just want it to go away already now.

I’ve learned my lesson. I need at least 2 allergy pills before I hit the great outdoors again. My body just can’t handle the air and I miss going to the gym for once. I had a great little 4-5 day a week gym streak going and it ended last week when this crude came along for a ride. The scale showed it as well when I stepped on it Monday morning. Up a pound which isn’t terrible but I wanted it to be a pound the other way. All this sitting and sleeping has not helped my waist line. Let’s just say sinus infections are not thebest weight loss pills for women when you are trying to get ready for the Spring and Summer swimsuit season. LOL With a working treadmill in the house though I am getting back on track and now I have a swimsuit in my possession that fits and can help me monitor my progress. I am excited and ready to be back on the healthy road.

Yes you read that right. A group of women in Houston gather once a month at a local exercise studio specializing in pole dance workouts and they pole dance to Christian music.  The class is free if you bring in your church’s bulletin for the week.  I first heard about this Sunday night on the local Fox station and it seems to have started blowing up on the internet since then.

I have no problem exercising in a manner that makes it enjoyable and fun. Whether you are participating in Zumba, Strip Tease, or Pole Dancing I don’t really care. What I don’t quite like about this is the justification that these women use to take this class.  Pole dancing is bad unless you are doing it once a month at an exercise studio and listening to Christian rock music.  It seems hypocritical don’t you think?

I appreciate that this is allowing women of similar interests gather once a month. I also appreciate that this class is giving women more confidence in themselves and their body.  What I don’t like is that they are dragging Jesus into this. Why not just call it Christian Pole Dancing and do your routines to Christian music? It isn’t quite as offensive sounding but maybe people would look down on them if they used more generic terms.

Here is the original story on Fox.

I never understood the need or desire to meditate. I mean aren’t you just daydreaming? Is it really that different and special?

About a year ago, my therapist recommended a few sessions of hypnotherapy. I was skeptical until we did try it and now I love it. It might seem like a waste of an hour but since insurance pays who cares! Hypnotherapy is very similar to meditation as you are read entries from a book on various topics you want to think about.

Meditation also caught my interest as there is an “exercise” on the Wii Fit program that is very similar. You sit on the board and breathe in and out and try and keep your balance. It is a nice way to finish off a workout.

Listening to the same tapes to meditate can get a little “boring” or repetitive. If you are like me you might just fall asleep for a few hours. Adding a little flair can keep things fresh and allow you to try a different meditation path. Silver Sky imports has a wide range of singing bowls made in Tibet.  These bowls are handcrafted and have various musical tones. So if there is a certain note you like, there is a bowl that will mimic it.  The bowls start at $40 and go up from there. When they aren’t in use they will look like a lovely centerpiece on your coffee table.  I would love to get my hands on one of these but without a job that isn’t going to happen right  now. Once I get that next paycheck you can bet it will be sitting in my living room.