We’re at T-minus 3 days until the BIG DAY.

The ONE WAYz is going to make its Los Angeles Premiere at the Artivist Film Festival at 9PM at the Egyptian Theatre (reserve your FREE tickets now at www.artivists.org). And the big question on everyone’s mind is, “What will I wear?” Okay, maybe not. Maybe some of us are super nervous about having a theatre full of activist type of folks watch the film on a big screen. Okay, maybe just I am.

I have to admit that I have the jitters and I’m always going through the list in my head of things to do to make sure everything turns out right. Did they receive the Digibeta tape? Yes, check. Did I let everyone know the exact date of the screening and how to reserve tickets? Yes, multiple times, check. Did I make sure to schedule a sound & video check before screening? Yes, check check. Wait, is December 2nd the right date? [scrambles furiously through her email to make sure she indeed has the right date] Phew! Check!

Still, despite going through the checklist, I always get a ton of butterflies in my stomach and the ongoing nagging feeling is whether or not everything has been taken care of… I’m always excited to give everyone who was a part of the film the opportunity to enjoy their hard work, but I think it’s time to do a little of that myself. Maybe it’s time to take a deep breath, toss the checklist, and enjoy the show! =D

Can’t wait to see you all this Wednesday, December 2nd!

1wayz love,

La Directora

It will be my 1st Catwalk show on Thursday I’m soooo excited but scared!! I heard that the adrenalin is 22222 much! Really makes you feel good!! So I am looking forward 2 getting that feeling & expressing it on the catwalk!!

So the day has come & I’m on my way, I am actually scared & excited!! I’m not sure which one I have more of yet though!! As I practice my upper body, people are looking @ me quite strangely, like “what she is doing” looool but I’m still reading my notes & practicing!! I’m thrilled yet nervous about my walk!! The think I love most is that each & every model gets their time 2 SHINE which is GR8!! So I’m really looking forward 2 my time!!

The show was GREAT FUN!!! Really enjoyed doing the show, very exciting and loved working with the other models! The make-up artists (MUA) were sooooo funny, gossiping and stuff, was very entertaining!! Looking forward to the next one!!

**Fanx 2 evry1 4 there support, most of all the models (2 name a few Kerrie, Chloe, Aisha, Denise, Chantelle, Danni, Failiegh, Chris, Daniel F, Daniel T, Aaron, Bryce, Tim, Stefan, Kilo, Bliss) – I’m kinda naming ALL the model so yeah, fanx 2 ALL the models, shown me much love & support**

Alicia xx

I am sitting here with nervous energy in need of some sort of outlet. I don’t exactly feel like hopping on the bike, and the apartment is a little chilly today so I have opened a couple more of the pipes for the under-floor heating. I have been in the apartment all day long without leaving, and although I’ve gotten a moderate amount done, I am feeling antsy.

I don’t want to make these posts longer than they have to be. I’ve just got to get some things out.

I’ve been realizing recently that my ability to focus on one thing at a time is low right now. I often have this nervous energy seemingly lying about my psyche. I will start one thing, and before I’ve even really begun to get started on what I initially meant to be doing I’ve been finding myself totally wrapped up in thought about something else. I have been constantly trying to get more than one thing done at a time, often unconsciously, and as a result my focus is not long enough on any one thing to take it through to completion if it is beyond a trivial task. Getting through something that requires even half an hour of undivided attention has been an internal battle, and it’s required major effort to get big things done. Second guessing my ideas and decisions is another consequence of this.

As this nervous energy is alternatively balling itself up and letting itself out in the various regions of my brain my behavior during my personal time has become increasingly neurotic. I feel a bit like the polar bear pacing back and forth, back and forth in it’s enclosure at the Calgary Zoo. I need to have my hands stuck in something to work it all out of me. Previously, I’d be doing this with routines such as getting to the gym or doing my studies. Recently, I’m not getting the exercise in, but what’s more than that is that I am failing to concentrate on anything long enough to really get and keep my hands stuck in. What am I doing in this apartment? This city? I have routines at work, but even there I feel things are maybe starting to slip a little bit as there is a sense of normalcy developing in the workplace for me and it becomes another enclosure.

I have the feeling that what is really needed is indeed to keep busy and get myself stuck into as many things as I can. In order to do this though, I need to find a way of punching through this distracting jangle of nerves that keeps short circuiting every direction I take a step or two in. I need to focus on doing one thing at a time, and focusing on that one thing alone while I am doing it. I need to train my brain again to have focus that I had once developed in it.

This is a process. It must be founded upon practice, and supported by routines. Meditation and focus on my breathing is one key tool to practicing this kind of focus. It will slow my heart rate and my breathing, and allow me to calmly set aside distracting thoughts while I direct my attention to a single activity. I fell off this habit, and many of the symptoms I’m now experiencing come as a result of exchanging that positive habit for other negative ones when caught up in the pace of my life. Bringing this disciplined practice back into my life is hard work, but it is rewarding. The danger is in losing perspective on its value and rewards when neurotic, nervous energy has snuck in the back door.

Supporting this practice and development of focus is exercise. Getting myself into an exercise routine provides me with something practical and directly in front of me which demands my attention and synchronizes my thoughts with the state of my body, and the biological impact on my brain chemistry will reduce my tension, improve sleep habits and provide the physical support necessary to keep a stable, balanced and positive state of mind.

Conscious recognition is of these needs is not enough. I need to take the action to make them happen. Changing behaviour like this can always be a bit of a difficult thing to get started, and I find that motivational quotes help me in getting going on them. A reminder that “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” can give a little bit of a kick in getting things started.

A friend asked me today, “how do i get started?  Is it expensive?  Any insider advice?”  I called him back and left a voice-mail and told him to call me back and we could talk…but I was so excited that I left my thoughts on the voice-mail anyway (i tend to leave a long voice mail every now and then, i suppose, just in case i never talk to you again, for some reason or another, i would like my message to get to you).  Then i thought, this should be my next blog…it should have been the first, but, it wasn’t so, here it is…

I told him (Jason, thanks for the inspiration and questions) that i recommend he look into the Yoga studios in his neighborhood, really check out what’s all around (i never minded traveling for different Yoga experiences; different classes or different environments).  Look at their schedules on line and see what sort of explanation of their classes they provide.  That’s what i did.  i soon found that there were a ton of different names out there and i quickly realized that i had no idea what was going on, so no real idea how to choose.  it was one thing to see Power Yoga, or Flow Yoga, i could come up with some image on those.  But what the heck is Anusara Yoga, or Ashtanga Yoga, or Hatha Yoga, or Himalayan Yoga, or Vinyasa Yoga, or, or, or??

Well, for starters, from what i understand, any sort of postures yoga; any physical yoga, exercise-type yoga is Hatha Yoga.  So, all these other names, they are all types of Hatha Yoga, again, that is when it comes to doing postures (asanas).  So, Anusara is a type of Hatha Yoga, same goes for Ashtanga and Himalayan and Vinyasa and so on and on.  It gets confusing because once you think you know that, you come across a studio or center’s class schedule and they list Vinyasa Flow and Hatha Yoga and you thing, but wait?!  what?  i thought Vinyasa Flow was Hatha, what’s more Hatha about the Hatha class?  augh.   Nothing, at its core.  But it does seem that when people call a class Hatha and not something else, its regular, basic, maybe a slower paced Yoga.  Its a yoga with no bells and whistles.  It doesn’t have a special “gimmick” or slogan, save for all the “slogans” that come along with all the ancient philosophies that are a part of all other Hatha yoga anyway.

it all makes more sense the more you do it and go to more classes and see that there are such a great many similarities.  Some types have a certain series they follow, like Ashtanga.  Some link every move with an inhale and an exhale, Vinyasa…but these are all fun research projects.  i find that is it so great to get recommendations, but there is nothing like experiencing it all for yourself.  So, as i was saying before, look up your local studios and check their schedules, if you would like further description of the types of classes they have, search them on the internet, it’s all out there.  Then, or instead of that, call the studio or just go down there and be open and honest and ask them what they’d recommend for you.  They will give you the best advice, because they know what they’ve set up there.  I’ve been to studios where they offer Hatha 1, 2 and 3 level classes, and there’s really no difference.  I’ve also been to studios where the difference is drastic, but i will say that of all the studios i’ve been to, no teacher has ever turned me away because i don’t have enough experience.

One of the great things about Yoga, is there are always modifications.  So, even if you are in an advanced class because it was the only time that worked for you that day, if you tell the teacher, they will help you; they will offer modifications.  Or, if you just get into a class that is proving hard for you, there’s always modifications, you can always go into a relaxation or easier pose to get your breath back.  If you’re competing in Yoga, pushing yourself to an unsafe place, be that a place of physical pain or a place where your ego is getting the best of you and you are doing a pose in a way that is not good for you, you could hurt yourself; that is your ego pushing you to compete.  This Yoga practice is such a great place to let go of your ego and do what’s best for you.  My point is, no matter what class you go to, if you have a hard time, accepting that you need a break or a modification is highly respected and looked well on.

And by the way, everybody has hard days.  You never know who you’re standing next to, so comparing is pointless.  you might be standing next to a dancer who can do the splits all the ways, and you end up feeling jealous.  what you might not know is though she’s in the splits, her mind is racing and she can’t get present.  So, actually, doing the splits in Yoga is turning out to be hard for her.  Calming the fluctuations of the mind is what we’re trying to do in Yoga too.  So, remember, you are you, and you don’t share the same history as the person next to you.  That’s why they say in Yoga, “start where you are”.  There is no better place to start than now.

Is it expensive?  It can be, sure…but the beauty about just starting is you have so much exploring to do and Yoga studios know that, so many of them give the first class for free.  Many studios also offer, at a discounted rate, an unlimited week or month, for the first timer. that is how i started.  It’s such a great idea that they do this, it gives you such a great chance to really experiece their style, or in some cases, many styles in one place.  Some studios focus on one style, others will offer many styles.  Again, this all turns out to make a lot of sense, once you start getting into it.

I also went to the library and got books on Yoga.  It was so tempting to buy every book on Yoga I saw, but there are a million, from books on postures to books on different traditions and philosophies…i really recommend the library, you will save yourself a lot of money and if something just isn’t clickking with you, you won’t feel so bad;  you’ll just return it.  Also, check out the Yoga DVD’s at the library.  Try doing it at home, then moving to a studio if you’re not comfortable going straight to the studio.  It’s a nice idea to get a video before your first class anyway, so you can check out some of the poses and see what they’re called.  Some teachers use the Sanskrit names, some translate them all to english, some mix.  I mix, because i think it’s fun to speak of them in the language they came from, but i like to say the english translation too.

I had trouble getting to my first class, because of social anxiety issues; i was always nervous about walking into any new place the wrong way and looking the fool.  The first Yoga class i actually went to was with my sister.  She had started going to the studio down the street from where she lived.  When she told me, i jumped at the chance to go with her; to go with a person who could walk be through the place; through the steps and help me to feel comfortable.  That was all i needed, and from there, i’ve never had a problem walking into any studio or center, and for that matter, anywhere.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Yoga helps Yoga and that helps your whole life.  It gives you the tools, physical and mental to keep it all up.  And for that, i am so very thankful.

now get out there,  if you need a buddy to go with, maybe it can be me.  I’m in!  and if you’d like a private class from me, e-mail me at kory.youyoga@gmail.com (i’m in the NW suburbs of Chicago, we’ll see what we can work out). the first one’s free, as they say.

namaste, kory

Just for a moment there I thought I might have a look into real life again… it’s a good thing I get back to ground level fast these days. An evening with potato chips, dip and red wine is cozy enough… but I hate the day after feeling of nervousness and hangover nerves of saying or doing stupid things. It’s a good thing I will never ever do that again this year at least (or ever if I manage) ’cause the feeling of being a moron is worse than drinking alone… so I’ll stick to that last part in the future. For the last part, note to self, don’t bother flirting … you’ve been out of the game for over a decade and to top it off … you can’t compete with David Berkowitz. Nope, I’ll stick to WoW ^.^ I still can enjoy the occational bottle of J.D with the usual farming (it’s amazing how fast farming goes with some whiskey at the side, not that it’s something I do often…).

Driving on the ocean by Dark shore (gotta love the water walking potions).

These last few days my night has turned into day and vice versa. I’ve been doing the Pilgrims bounty on most of my characters to level cooking. It’s by far the most interesting seasonal event cause it makes your cooking easy. I must admit i had some problems with the Turkinator achievement the first day but now I have it on 5 different characters *yay*. Also I’ve leveled cooking on 5 characters up to 300 which is good for later leveling.

Had to visit and explore Bloodmyst and Azuremyst isle with my DK.

You can catch many flies with one stone while doing the Pilgrims bounty achievements… like exploring the Islands in Ally territory (like Bloodmyst and Teldrassil)… and the achievements keeps flooding in as you do stuff you wouldn’t bother normally doin on an alt. Tho I must admit playing a deathknight is pretty fun (and I love the path of frost).

We also have raided Ulduar 10 with our casual guild last weekend… I hope to do it again the coming weekend. It’s a bit new to me and exciting since we get further each time. We have gotten Freya down and working on Hodir. The Catwoman (picture above) we oneshotted this week so we seem to progress and get to train before the 3.3 patch which will make Ulduar and TOTC absolete cause of the higher gear status on Icecrown Citadel.

I’ll just continue having fun with the old content grinding reputation on my deathknight whilest waiting for the new content. I actually also love the company of guildies on a daily bases like boosting old friends in old instances or enjoying an evening in Stratholme with new friends… it makes the game more fun…

Anyways… I guess I’ll fall asleep soon… been up since 2145 last nite and I get tired fast these days.

Your general mental health stems from how mentally equipped you are to deal with setbacks. Even some of the most hardened people have, at one time or another, suffered from a mental collapse. If you are finding it difficult to cope with the way the world is, you are not alone. There are many ways we can develop stress and depression because of the sensitive nature of being human.

Sadly, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding issues of mental health. If we fall ill with a physical disease we don’t mind telling others, this is not usually the case with mental problems. Feeling down is often seen by the individual as a sign of weakness. If you fall into this category, please take these feelings seriously.

What is it that gives us mental strength? Well, some of it seems to be genetic. Mental health is well documented to be partially attributable to hereditary factors. Experience is also very important when it comes to mental strength. If we are happy with our current lifestyle we also feel more confident in who we are. If you feel that you need to build up your mental toughness there are a number of things you can do. You should talk to people who can help you when you encounter problems. Too often people bottle up their emotions. Sometimes what we need is a friend who can be there for us. If you develop low feelings which become overwhelming, you should speak to a doctor or other professional.

How to Quickly Destroy Negative Thinking Patterns

A reality check is needed every now and again when things get on top of you. You need to think whether you have too much on your plate. Try to keep your priorities focused. It can be tempting to try to take on more and more things to forget about feeling low, this is a self defeating strategy. Be smart in the choice of extra activities you take on; for instance, take up a sport or hobby which builds up your emotional strength.

If there is one word you should remember when it comes to mental strength, it is balance. Balance means that you have a sense that all the important parts of your life are working together in harmony. Each individual has a different concept of balance. This is because we all lead individual lives with differing needs. Your sense of balance may change at different stages of your life. You may work longer hours than most but if it gives you the financial rewards you crave and you also have the time to do things which you want to do, then you are likely to feel stable and balanced. When we are feeling unbalanced, however, the slightest thing can tip us over the edge. Once we become overwhelmed we are unable to make clear decisions. The secret to balance is to remain in control of yourself and your goals, to keep moving forwards.

Your sense of balance will change along with your life’s priorities. As a young adult you may find balance through your social life. When you get older other things, such as job security, may become more important. Once you reach middle age, you may have become financially secure and want to rediscover yourself. Taking some time out regularly to consider where you are and where you come from is important. Think carefully about what is important to you in respect of balance and stability.

We make many assumptions about what we ‘need’ to be happy in life. Some of this is because of intimate social pressures such as family, friends and wider social pressures such as the mass media. The truth is that only you know what is best for yourself. Learn to trust your instincts more and listen to your inner voice. Think hard about whether there is too much going on in your life at the moment. Are your family suffering because you have taken too much on at work? Ask yourself what you would be doing in an ideal world? Then try to implement a strategy which allows you to get as close to it as possible. Never underestimate the importance of balance in your life. Getting the balance right will improve your quality of life immesurably. Remember to seek help when and if it is necessary but don’t lose sight of the responsibility which you owe to yourself

For a step-by-step no-cost video which will show you how to overcome negative thinking patterns and become more self-confident please visit :

http://www.sociallyassured.com

So this week I will be preparing for finals, no thanksgiving for me thank you. But I will say I am prepared to start this studying train …. I have put my personal life on hold… and need to disable facebook because yes I have a problem. THen I will start to study for my first finals ever…as a 1L law student… Yikes I’m nervous. What if my exam soft doesn’t work. Speaking of, I have a Mac and if you are a law student at many universities you have come to discover that macs are not compatible with the exam soft system… yes so you either have  to get boot camp and have windows on your computer, get a new computer, or write your exams. I have decided to borrow a computer, and man was it a head ache to try to get it to work. The IT guys are NO help, and me because the computer retard as I am started to panic, all because I didn’t know the password to the main name on the computer and neither did the owner… so basically my friend saved the day by re-loading the computer… and making it lose everything that was on it before… hence taking away the password, bingo… after leaving the computer in the library which the librarian that is always nice was bitchy, I went to class came back finished the reboot… and took it to the IT guy and then downloaded exam soft SUCESS, can we say thank jesus that worked. Finally something after going wrong first went perfectly right.  Now I am off to study civ pro, and hopefully be prepared to ace my final.

Love,

More positive happy 1L student

Dave Hill - Workplace Violence Article

This is our dog Megan. She has anger management issues. Our family life is kept hectic- transporting kids to activities such as soccer games and practices, music lessons, etc. There are days when we rush home to grab some high speed food and then dash out the door again. Our dog, Megan, follows us around the house putting on her “pretty face”- puppy eyes, ears pricking up, and a goofy smile just to entice us to love her so much that we will take her for a long walk. As we rush out the door, we say goodbye to her, and you can see the bitter disappointment in her face. We return a few hours later to find the contents of a waste paper basket strewn all over the floor. She looks at us sheepishly with guilt written all over her face. She does not make eye contact when we reprimand her and call her a “Garbage Dog”. I often wonder what goes on in her mind once we leave the house. Does she get animated and verbally angry? “I hate this family, I sit here all day waiting for them to come home and take me for a walk and they just come home to taunt me. Why do they bother to come home if they don’t want to go for a walk? I bet they are out there walking some other dog. I hate them, I hate them so much. I am so angry; I am going to show them who is the boss in this house. I am going to throw the garbage. Dirty tissues, candy wrappers and other nasty stuff – that will teach them a lesson. Oh no, what have I done, they will never forgive me…”
The dog throwing the garbage is a frequent demonstration of aggression. I would like to be able to say that all acts of aggression that have crossed my path are laughable and tolerable; however, that is not the case. I have been on the receiving end of workplace verbal aggression that humiliated me and sucked the energy out of me, but most importantly, I have witnessed the end of someone’s career when physical violence came into the scene.

Dave Hill - Article on Workplace Violence

It was Christmas day, December 25th, 1981, and I was on a cargo ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Christmas, the season of good will, was about to unravel at the seams and result in an engineer officer getting sacked. There were personality conflicts between some of the senior officers and the junior officers, and “pushing buttons” to get a reaction was the game at hand. An engineer cadet mischievously took a bite out of the 2nd Mate’s (deck officer) sandwich without asking as he was out of the room. He got rebuked and jostled by the 3rd engineer officer, which caused the 6th engineer officer to react violently and beat up the 3rd engineer. With emotions in the room flaring, the scene progressed when the 2nd deck officer came back into the room to find a fight scene just finishing, and a part of his sandwich missing. With anger, he shouted at the 6th engineer, “If you hit me that will be the end of your career.” That’s when the 6th engineer officer hit him in the face, and the 2nd mate fell down, concussed. Merry Christmas, all. The 6th engineer was sacked when the ship got into port a few weeks later. It most likely ended his career.

To this day, I still wonder how a good engineer could end up getting sacked over a sandwich. How did the personality conflicts deteriorate and get so out of hand? How and why did physical violence invade the workplace?

What Can We Learn From This?
As an engineer of nearly 30 years, I have grown to learn that conflict is a natural part of working with people. I have also grown to learn the importance of dealing with conflict, rather than living with it. Differences of opinion, different motivations, emotional conflicts, misunderstandings, ignorance, manipulation, and prejudice are just a few of the aspects that can “light the fuse” of a conflict. If not managed appropriately, conflict can potentially escalate to violence. What are some of the devastating effects that can result from conflict in the workplace?
• Loss of respect and trust
• Employees setting each up for failure
• A culture of doing the minimum
• Increased turnover of valued employees
• Loss of profits
• Energy levels and creativity are sucked out of the workplace
• Deadlines get missed
• Teams that are not cohesive become inefficient

Ten Ways Exceptional Workplaces Handle Worker Conflict and Violence
1. Train people at all levels of the organization in conflict management, negotiation skills, and listening skills
2. Deal with conflict right away, rather than having it fester in the background
3. Have zero tolerance for violence
4. Hire people with exceptional communication skills and impeccable ethics
5. Do thorough background checks when hiring
6. Address unresolved conflicts efficiently and effectively through workplace resources and have a policy and a process that is flexible enough to cover different scenarios
7. Develop a culture of respect and trust, and have a workplace that embraces diversity
8. Energize and empower employees.
9. Create a workplace with an aura of balanced fun-energy. Levity can help derail conflict in the heat of the moment.
10. Evoke an open-door culture where employees will speak up when they identify that conflict is not getting resolved, or if they have a concern that it may escalate to violence

Further information on this subject can be found at www.fbi.gov/publications/violence.pdf

If you have any advice, thoughts, or comments on conflict and violence in the workplace, please feel free respond to this blog or send me an e-mail at dave@davehillspeaks.com

Dave’s Public Speaking Website (Bio, Keynotes, Workshops, etc.) www.davehillspeaks.com

Copyright © 2009 Dave Hill Speaks LLC all rights reserved

3201703    ระบบประสาททางวิทยาศาสตร์ทันตแพทย์    Nervous System and Dental Science

กลไกการทำงานของระบบประสาทส่วนปลายและส่วนกลาง ในการรับรู้ การแปลผล และการตอบสนองของเนื้อเยื่อบริเวณช่องปากและใบหน้า บทบาทของสารหลั่งจากปลายประสาทในการควบคุมความเจ็บปวด การรู้รส ความรู้สึกของอวัยวะภายใน การบดเคี้ยว การเคลื่อนไหวลิ้น การหลั่งน้ำลายและการหลุ่งสารของอวัยวะภายใน

(Mechanism of peripheral and central nervous system in perception interpretation and responses of orofacial structures ; role of neurotransmitter in controlling pain, taste, visceral sense, mastication, tongue movement, salivation and visceral secretion.)

(3201703 จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย)

ultrasound this morning

nervous

hate feeling nervous and I’m sure everything is okay, but still… I’m nervous.

Looking forward to getting this over with and for Thanksgiving to get here.

I’m hungry. But then again, I eat when I get nervous. So there ya go.

Uncontainable butterflies
I shudder when I
feel them pressing, pleading my skin like
a balloon’s helium
a feeling then like
ignited cotton
the exact opposite of rotten

Well, we’ve reached double figures!

I am still feeling a bit “car sick” every day. It last all day and fades in the evening time. I think it might be slightly less than a week ago, so hopefully it’s starting to go away as all the books promise. My boobs are now very tender for the first time this pregnancy too.

Went out shopping for maternity jeans today – my belly is pretty big already and although I can still squeeze into my jeans I don’t really like to in case I’m putting pressure on my tum. I tried on three pairs in Next and then swapped the ones I wanted for a size smaller as they felt a bit loose. When I got them home, I realised I’d picked up a different style…. grrrrrrr…. these ones make me feel like Kris Kross cos they fall down when I walk!! So, back to square one on that front.

Aside from the pregnancy, we’ve had news on T’s job. He works as a courier driver for a fairly small local company. The run he currently does, a cheque clearance one for a big bank, is going as his company have lost the contract. He’s been lucky as they want to keep him on and he has been spared redundancy for the second time. But his new run involves working 3pm until midnight every day – which means we won’t be seeing much of each other during the week, and we’re having to totally rethink all our childcare arrangements. Currently, Tony goes to work at 5.30am (which admittedly wasn’t great either!), I get Lilly up and drop her off at nursery on my way to work. Tony finishes work at lunchtime and has a couple of hours to himself before picking her up at about 3pm. As of next week, he’ll be dropping her off at nursery late morning, I’ll be finishing work early everyday to pick her up from nursery around 5pm and doing the bedtime routine by myself.

Neither of us are looking forward to this, and I think it’s going to be pretty lonely in the evenings once Lilly’s gone to bed, but at least he still has a job. Which is something we can only be greatful for in the current climate. And we’re taking heart in the fact that it won’t be forever – all being well I’ll be on maternity leave in six months time, so even if he hasn’t found anything else by then, at least we’ll have all day together with our babies.

Now we’re looking forward to the 12 week scan – only a week and a half to go – although I feel so nervous about it, I think i’ll be a wreck! I just want to know everything’s all right.

Oh, and I had my first slightly sleepless night last night thinking about the birth. I’d been having a conversation with T’s mum yesterday about Lilly’s birth and how unhappy I was with the way the consultant handled things. When I woke up last night about 3am to go to the toilet, my mind started racing about what would happen this time and I couldn’t get back to sleep for about an hour. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come…

Friend: So, how are you liking your new guild.
Me: I love it! Exactly what I was looking for! I’m super shy though.
Friend: You? Shy?
Me: OMG yes, I can’t bring myself to talk in gchat or vent.
Friend: Meh, in a few weeks, they’ll be missing your quiet days.
Me: Yeah! I- ….Hey!

We all know the arrogant bastard. The big mouthed guy (or girl) who puts down others, genuinely thinks they’re better/smarter/more useful/prettier/better in the kitchen than they really are. The person that make Type B personalities politely smile and look away and that make Type A personalities blow a gasket. We come across them all the time in the offline world as well as in WoW. Bloggers of all types feed their readers with lovely tales of the arrogant bastard.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, is the insecure nervewreck. Due to the insecure nervewrecks’ quiet demeanor, he (or she) is not noticed as much. Subtle signs of mild insecure nervewreckness may include over apologizing, slow typing due to erasing and retyping multiple times and making really stupid, obvious mistakes. Still not sure what I mean? Lets have some examples!

New friend: Hi! How’re you doing?
Me: *starts typing then erases*
Me: *types than erases*
Me: *types than erases*
*5 minutes later*
Me: Doing good.

There’s a reason I don’t do twitter.

In a raid setting this slow communication can be problematic.

Raid leader: Who has an aura mastery available?
Me: *has an aura mastery available* ….
Raid leader: No one?
Me:….
Me:….
Me: *croaks* I do.

Of course by then it was far too late. Ok, note to self, call out available aura mastery earlier.

One week later

Raid leader: Who has an aura mastery avail-
Me: I DO!
Raid leader: Ok, use yours next.
Me: *hovers finger over button, oh boi oh boi oh boi*
Me: *accidentally hits aura mastery far too early*
Me: I give up.

Those classes in grade school where we sat in circles and talked about our problems came to mind. You know, the ones where the teacher would tell us how important it was to talk about our feelings. “Talking about the things that bother us makes us feel better”, she would say. So I thought about it.

Me: I wonder if I told people exactly how nervous I get, I would feel better.
Myself: No wai! They would think you’re crazy, you’re a drama whore and no one will want to be around you.
Me:
Me: …
Me: What if I blogged about it?
Myself: Blogging about it is fine.

Oh, but I still die a bit inside whenever I get a spike in traffic. I’m pleased that some people appreciate my lose screws but it’s like everyone staring at you while you’re naked. Maybe I’m half exhibitionist?

Also, this gem of a conversation I had today.

Guild Master: LF a holy pally blogger.
Me: Codi from Moarhps is really awesome.
*awkward silence*
Me: /facepalm self

It’s not a secret, I just hate advertising myself. I didn’t lie though. Codi does know her holy pallies.

EDIT: Added another scenario! Oh, and after two weeks or so, I’ve gotten way more comfortable. Now just seems like a better time to write about nervous screw ups.

This is an appeal to help find wee Poppy, one of Gracehounds‘ foster dogs. She has been missing in the West Calder area of West Lothian, Scotland since Monday 16th November.

Poppy

Poppy, who I blogged about just one month ago (see this post) lived in her foster home for several months, but remained an extremely anxious dog & was fearful of most people & other dogs. After being assessed by a professional dog behaviourist, she was transported to the Dogs Trust centre at West Calder on Monday evening, where she was to receive expert help with rehabilitation. However, upon arrival at the centre, Poppy managed to escape from her harness & run away.

Both Gracehounds volunteers & Dogs Trust staff have been searching for her since & she was sighted in the area on Tuesday evening. However, being so fearful, Poppy will run from anyone who tries to approach her. Therefore, if she is sighted we are asking that Gracehounds or Dogs Trust are contacted immediately by telephone on the numbers above. It has been appalling weather this past few days (wet, windy & cold) but it is hoped that Poppy has found a safe haven to keep herself warm & dry. She has a high prey drive, so may have been able to sustain herself.

Tomorrow, along with other Gracehounds volunteers & their dogs, I am travelling to West Calder to help search for Poppy & distribute posters & fliers in the local area. If you or anyone you know lives or works nearby, please please keep an eye out for Poppy & pass the word on so that this beautiful but troubled dog can be saved.

Poppy

Guess what arrived today? My travel crate!

The lovely Dogtainers Pet Travel Consultants people brought it to our house in a big car machine…

Ooh! Look who's here!

I helped by supervising the unloading…

You take the left, I've got the right...

Are you tensing your core muscles before you lift?

Usually, travel crates are put in the house – like in the living room, where most of the family spend their time – so us doggies can get used to staying in it there…but in my case, it’s so big and our house is so small that it would have taken up half the house!

So my humans decided to leave it in the garage and I could just go and practise staying in it there for a short time each day.

Hmm...the latest in luxury canine travel, huh?

Anyway, my human, Hsin-Yi, will probably be spending a lot of her time in the garage in these last couple of weeks packing up all our stuff…so it’ll give me a handy place to laze around while supervising her!

Hsin-Yi let me sniff all around the crate and explore it in my own time – she didn’t try to force me to get in or anything like that, which made me think it wasn’t so scary after all.

Good thing they took my measurements to make sure it's tall enough!

You see, I have never been crate-trained and so I have not been used to being confined in anything small in my life. But the key to introducing new things to us doggies is to not rush us but be very patient and let us take “baby steps” at our own pace and have lots of positive experiences with it, so we associate it with nice things and learn to like it.

Hsin-Yi had put an old yoga mat and blanket down in the floor of the crate to make it nice and comfy for me to lie on…and then she put 2 yummy cookies in it and just waited to see what I would do…

Well, silly human – what does she think?

Wow - this travel crate comes with inflight snacks!

It was a bit of a tight squeeze turning around to get back out but I managed!

Breathe in! Breathe in!

(To be honest, I’ve had lots of practice squeezing into tight spaces this year having to ride in our tiny car machine!)

Since Hsin-Yi was busy doing her ‘crazy Camera Machine dance’ around me, I decided to humour her and stay in the crate a bit to pose for her pictures…

Did you get it from this angle?

After that, she let me get out and we went back into the house. She said that since this was the first day, it was good enough just getting me going into it happily & voluntarily - after a few more days of this, she will try getting me to do a Down Stay in there (with the door open) so I learn that I have to stay in there for a while…

…and then after a few more days of that, she will shut the door but stay around me, doing stuff in the garage…

…and then after a few more days of that, she will shut me in it and go back in the house for a few minutes…

…gradually working up to leaving me shut in it alone for longer and longer times. Baby steps, remember?

This is quite similar to the normal method of introducing a puppy to a crate. If you would like more information about that, here are some useful links:

• http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/crate_training.html
• http://www.siriusweb.com/AAD/crate.html
• http://www.canismajor.com/dog/crate1.html
• http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/cratetraining.htm

I will also be getting super yummies when I go in the crate, like special chews and stuffed Kongs, etc – and maybe also having some of my meals fed in there, so I will really associate it with good things!

* By the way, in my original post about doing our “Moving Overseas” thing, some of you asked in your comments about whether us doggies should be sedated when we are going in the Big Flying Machine. Actually, this is a very old idea which is wrong because the medicines used to sedate us can make us doggies very sick when we are in the air.

Hsin-Yi recently wrote an article on Emigrating with Your Pet for one of her dog magazines and here is an excerpt from that article, which will explain to your humans better why pets shouldn’t be sedated for air travel:

You might think that a good solution for nervous, timid dogs would be sedation. But in fact, sedating an animal is probably the worst thing you can do and airlines now refuse to carry any animal which looks like it has been sedated.

Sedation reduces an animal’s ability to cope with stress, such as moving around, panting, drinking and so on, and some sedatives, such as ACP, may actually directly affect thermoregulation. Furthermore, aircrafts are pressurised at between two-thirds and three-quarters of normal atmospheric pressure, which lowers the blood pressure of both humans and animals. Since sedatives also work by lowering blood pressure, the combined effect would be seriously dangerous to the health of the dog.

However, help is at hand for anxious dogs, through the use of natural anxiety-relievers which do not lower blood pressure and are safe to give when administered according to veterinary advice.

“Dogs with major behavioural/ anxiety problems such as severe separation anxiety are not good candidates for travel,” admits homeopathic veterinarian Richard Allport. “The dog is away from the carer, in a strange, noisy place for a long period. However, natural anxiety relievers such as herbal Skullcap and Valerian, or homoeopathic Passiflora are usually helpful.”

“Most dogs will cope, which is not to say there isn’t some degree of stress involved. Just like people, every dog is different. Most dogs subjected to sitting in a kennel in the cargo hold for several hours would find the experience pretty unpleasant but would soon – perhaps not forget – but put the experience behind them. Because dogs live much more in the here and now than we do, the experience may be, if anything, more stressful at the time, but conversely they may be even more able to move on and put it behind them. A few, more sensitive, dogs might have a deeper and longer-acting reaction. It’s a question of knowing your own dog.”

Choosing a reputable, experienced pet transport company can also make a big difference in reducing the stress to an anxious animal. Not only would the company know how to select the most direct air route and keep the time spent in travel crates to a minimum but many of them also have ‘strategies’t to help anxious animals cope better.

“We spray all our crates with DAP pheromone spray which helps the dogs,” says says Bob Ghandour, Veterinary Consultant and Director of PetAir UK, which flies thousands of pets per year around the world. “Also, a nervous pet can have his crate to get used to it before the flight and they will usually travel very well.”

I hope you found that useful!

i pulled into chicago o’hare international terminal 5 short-term parking and sat.

breathe. just breathe.

i closed my eyes and waited for my heart to quit racing and for the whirring in my ears to slow down. breathe. just breathe. then, i opened my eyes and grabbed by purse with shaky hands. i triple checked that i had the card to exit the parking lot in my pocket and unsteadily walked to the arrivals area.

i checked his gate and baggage claim information and went to find a place to sit. breathe. i found a seat that would be visible from either door and closed my eyes to pull myself together. breathe. i kept checking my phone for the time. i was barely sitting in my hard plastic chair, i was so far on the edge of the chair that i might as well have been squatting in mid-air! a guy came and sat next to me. i took this as a sign to take in the people around me. a mother and son from south america were waiting for a ride a few seats across from me. a few airport employees were taking breaks and an asian couple were trying to find the bathroom… haha, they were wearing matching white jumpsuits(i really needed that laugh). i looked at my phone again, a text message from American Airlines, his flight just landed.

BREATHE. JUST BREATHE. i started mumbling oh my God to myself over and over again. i clutched the edge of my seat and noticed my knuckles go white. i wiped the non – existent sweat from my forehead and looked toward the gates. slowly more and more people were coming out, but none of them were him. The guy sitting next to me asked if i was alright. i muttered yes…and then a little louder told him that the guy i was waiting for was someone very special and that i hadn’t seen him for a couple of years. i was trying to be a little nonchalant. i knew he could tell i was desperate for some air. he asked if i wanted to walk around the terminal with him and check the other gate. i told him i’m fine…more because i don’t think i would’ve gotten out of that seat. i was glued to it in anticipation. and then, i looked up as another wave of people started exiting the gate, i heard some french and noticed some business people…

breathe. just breathe…..

and there he was. he looked left. then he looked right. i whispered to the guy sitting next to me, i think that’s him. a little louder i said his name. he looked right at me. i nervously unhinged my body from my chair and half walked half pranced to him… into his arms. we hugged and i could feel our fire. he held me so close and whispered salut to me through the veil of my hair as i snuggled my head into his shoulder. i closed my eyes and breathed. he smelled like laundry detergent and love. i finally looked him in the eyes as he bent down to kiss me. it was a small kiss. a short kiss. but, it was our first kiss in 2 years and 6 months…and it was thrilling. it was more than thrilling… it was home.

i clutched him close as i waved goodbye to my airport savior and we walked to the escalator for the parking lot. i can’t believe he came to visit me. just me. not for business, not for tourist attractions, but for me.

us. nous.

we wandered around the parking lot for a few minutes looking for my car…because i, of course, forgot where i parked. we finally found it and loaded up his bags.

we sat in the front seat for several minutes just staring at each. smiling. my eyes sparkled with tenderness for this man. his eyes crinkled as he asked me to hit him to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. breathe. i put in the location of the hotel into my gps and as it beeped out the first command, i looked at him and smiled. i could finally breathe.

by Dr. Brent Lipke DC

Do you wake up with a stuffy head and mucus in your throat or nose ?  Do you feel as if you always have a cold ?  If so you  probably suffer from sinus trouble.

Typically decongestants, antibiotics, or antihistamines are given to treat the symptoms of sinus congestion but these may have unwanted side effects; such as insomnia, nervousness or high blood pressure.

Chiropractic works to relieve stress on the nerve system which controls your immune system, allowing it to function normally.  This proper function opens the sinuses up allowing them to drain, handling the cause of the congestion and pressure.

To learn more about how a safe, gentle and scientific, Chiropractic adjustment could TRANSFORM your health contact your chiropractor.  If you are interested in a complimentary consultation, CALL  The Family Chiropractic Centre, 519-837-1234. 

I’m Dr. Brent Lipke, educating you to help you educate others !

Where has the time gone?  Each day has been so slow, yet the weeks have flown by.  27 weeks.  Wow!

I’m nervous & excited at the same time.

We’re in the home stretch now Baby Bean.  While I’ve been updating the blog, you’ve been celebrating this new milestone.  You’ve been partying it up in there, dancing, jumping and basically just going nuts.

Let’s see what surprises the next three months hold in store for you, me & daddy.

I found this post about the third trimester at the bottom of my blog under related posts.  http://blogs.babycenter.com/momformation/2009/07/14/womb-with-a-view-singing-the-third-trimester-blues/

Nervy tap of toe. Cellophane makes your hands sweaty. And it crackles whenever you move.

Buy the original artwork at my Etsy store