helllooooo!! (((echo))) (((echo)))

hehe, HI!!!

now dontchoo go thinkin i’ve ditched my blog!!! ;)  (remember, i PAY for my hosting services. HA!)

january’s been a bizzy month.  not only that, i needed some time to get off my butt and get my nose out of my blog and get back on the track of life.  i have work and goals and stuff and a house to clean and manage (5 pets and a husband…haha!)…and it just wasnt getting done. hehe!  i’m sure you all understand—balance and moderation!!!

im feeling a bit more motivated, energized and HAPPY.  i’ve been exercising consistently for over a week—a HUGE accomplishment for me—and its helping me sleep sooo much better, and my mood has evened out nicely. whew!

i do have to thank my good ole buddy amy for her motivation and encouragement!!  we check in with each other every day and have our geekynerdy excel spreadsheets we share with each other with our daily goals and stuff.  its awesome.  i love the accountability!  thanks, amy!!!!! (who btw, has lost 3lb!!  go tell her you’re proud of her at her quest blog!!)

i’ve also been very active in my sparkpeople team for folks from Wisconsin.  they are a HOOT!  we’ve got people trying to lose 10 pounds, and people trying to lose well over 100.  but ya know, we’re all in the same boat really.  its great to mix it all up! 

anyhoo, last friday i did a natural resources program with 35 inner city 4th graders.  you wanna talk about wild!  we had a blast.  they were split up into 3 groups and everything was running quite smoothly until they were all in one group…in the SAME ROOM. heh.  then the behavior went out of control! :-O 

i’ve done this type of thing before in the same manner, but with different teachers/chaperones.  but this group of leaders weren’t quite as competent; you could tell the kids didn’t respect them.  and it didnt help that one of the chaperones was literally screaming her head off, rudely scolding the kids…it just riled them up more!  ah well…hopefully she was stressed out enough that she wont come back with another group. teehee!

everything else is just dandy here!  we’re gearing up for another freakish weather change tonite.  a week ago it was in the single digits, today it was 44…and tonite it will be -4.  its currently sleeting and we have a winter storm warning for overnite.  ahhh the joys of the upper midwest! hehe!

i hope i havent lost all my readers and that you’re still lurking about!!  i’ve been reading your blogs, too, just not commenting much for now.  i would like to consistently check in here a few times a week—we’ll see if i can get my blog-groove-thang back. ;) haha!

have a SUPERB tuesssdee evening!

~josey~ 

p.s. oh and here’s a little giggle for ya…anyone who has cats has experienced this! i know i have! LOL…(only my cats will knock the boxes on the floor, open them and eat the pizza!)

 

space cadet!

i’m sitting here staring out the window.  there’s a frito lay truck…now an “eggpress lane” mcd’s one…a van with a pig picture on the window…yikes, there’s a huge flatbed tow truck carrying two crunched up SUVs…

*sigh*  yep, im spaced out.  i’ve pretty much been like this the last week.  i wanna chatchatchat on my blog but i just cant seem to coagulate a cohesive post into something interesting to read.  

ever since my detox has kicked in, i feel like a robot.  one that’s malfunctioned. LOL!!!  i just sleep, eat, sit at the puter (not being productive), stare out the window, hurt and feel dizzy off and on.  bleh!!

my house is a mess, my plants need watered, my hair needs washed (LOL), my poor dog is bored out of her puppy mind.  some days i wonder how my sweet hubby puts up with all this junk i’m goin thru.  (i’m so thankful, tho!)

i have, however, managed to do some laundry at least!  woohoo? hehe.   

yep, im whining.  i dont do it here much—i mean, who wants to read whinewhinewhining?   but, hey, im human and i’m not ALWAYS sillygolucky.  ;)

i suppose there’s really not much more to say right now.  i just wanted to check in with all you folks who stop by to see me :)  i’m here, not gone forever, just floating around…LOL…we all have times where life just calls for more staring out the window than blogging ;)  

i’m sure you know what i mean! 

 

*lonnnggg pause*

 

*battle in brain*

*guilt*

 

GAHHH! okay, i cant do it!  i just cant do it!  i cant sign off on a blog post where the happiest thing i say is that i did a load of laundry! ROTFL!! ;)

so here, here’s a picture of my cat, snax.  i have 4 cats, if you didnt know.  i love them ALL very much!  but, shhhhhh…she’s my fave.  she’s just special.  she’s gotta silly attitude and she’s really smart.  she likes to run from you and act like she doesn’t love your attention.  but then, at other times she swishes her tail around and wiggles her kittybutt back and forth and loves on you…and snuggles and purrs soooo loud…and her fur is satiny soft…!

snax, one of my kitties :) she always makes me feel better!

and by this pix, she seems to have the right idea, hey?  just chillin!  takin life one day atta time…and sleepin thru it if necessary ;) LOL.

(yep, that’s a box on my desk…she sleeps there a lot and she’s right at my disposal for petting all day long. haha!  oh, and we call her “snax-in-the-box” all the time…cause she’s ALWAYS in boxes!  way more than the other cats. hehehe. click on her pix for more!) 

 

 

 

 

baby crazy snax ;) i bet she’s butt-wiggling in there, preparing to SPROING!ohhhh and here’s another one i just found…just a kitten! hehe!  can you tell she was getting ready to SPROING out of that box? LOL!  look at the wild eyes. HA! 

i love pets—they make me smile!!  i hope you did, too! =D

 

 

okay, i am now concluding my cheesey-happy portion of the post! ;)

oh wait, since i DID use my cat cadet’s name in my post title, i’ll at least give him some credit.  click HERE! (do it, you’ll crack up!) 

talk to you soon :)

~josey~ 

i'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'...

heya!! 

just wanted to drop in and share a lil somethin with ya before the weekend!

its been a lil bit of a rough week for me, and yesterday while i was out driving around i heard this song on the radio.  i’ve always loved it—it just makes me happy :D  reminded me that tough times will eventually pass!  and i’ll be stronger for it after it’s all over :)

yes i know, you’re thinking OH, NOES! :-O  here she goes again with her cheesey, sappy, old-fashioned music!!

YEP.  arent you used to it by now?  dont you love it?  arent you converted yet? LOL!!

i found this vid and not only did the song make me happy, but the vid made me giggle.  there’s just something so funny about bj and glen…hmmm…well it just made me giggle. *teehee*  i wont go into details.  maybe you can elaborate in your comments! hahah!

in the meantime, chew some bubblegum and bop your head back and forth and just be happydappy, dangit!  for me, otay??  OTAY! =)

(i do have to say, i enjoy BJ’s solo version better tho!!)
 

 B.J. Thomas and Glen Campbell.  Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head.

come sit fer a spell =)

happy hump day!! hehe!!

well gosh, its been since friday since i checked in here!  i’ve been writing in my health journal, tho.  if you havent checked that out, click on over and have a cuppa tea with me! :D  i’ve been posting my food log every day, too (cept the weekend).  so if you’re weerd like me and you like to know what other people eat, the secret has now been revealed! haha!

*gets out the raw milk cheddar cheese with gluten-free almond crackers, and serves up some cranberry spice hot tea*  hehehe ;) 

let’s chat!! :) 

things have been a little busy here, which is a tad strange for me :)  since i work at home, i dont have a whole lot of excitement going on, especially during the wintertime.  and now that the holidays are over, you’d think things would be winding down!

you may (or may not) remember me talking about volunteering with a local agricultural institute all last summer.  in the fall, i ended up helping them with some outdoor education things as well.  this was right up my alley, as my college degree is in outdoor recreation management!  unfortunately i have never held a paying position using my degree. (long story!)

until NOW!! =)

the ag institute wants me to fulfill the role as their youth educator :D  the BEST thing about it is that its on a project-to-project basis (sub-contracting), so i’m not committed to an office job or even a part-time job.  their programs are sporadic and when a request comes in, they’ll okay it thru me, and then i’ll do all the planning.  i am SO EXCITED!  

this will be THE FIRST time i’ve made MONEY from my college degree!!  YAYY!!!!  (it’s been 10 years since i graduated…and yes, i’m still paying for the loans…ROTFL…)     

my first project is in february.  a dozen teenagers from a school in chicago are coming for a 4-day outing.  just this week i’ve been in touch with the school, and this afternoon i’m meeting with my boss at the ag institute to go over budget, lodging and program activities!  YAY, feels good to use my creativity again!  plus i love workin with the kids =) 

they also have asked me to do some other volunteer work this month, so a few days a week i’ll be there helping them out! *watches as my dusty dayplanner fills up…!* ;)

THEN, on top of that…there’s a pet supply/pet gift shop i go to every week to get dog and cat food.  its kinda cool, cause the owner of it grew up in the house we are renting! (yep, small towns. hehe.)

she asked me if i’d be interested in managing their website! :-O  so, i’m meeting with her this week or next to get started on that.  woohoo!  this may be considered a part-time job, but i think i’ll be able to do most of it from home :D

on the health front, if you’ve been checkin out my health journal at all you’ll have a little peek inside my crazy mind as far as my obsession with healing my endo and losing weight goes :)  these last few days in particular have been very challenging for me, tho, and i didnt mention it i the health journal.

in the last week or so, i’ve had some light-headedness that in the last several days have turned into full-blown dizzy spells.  spinning room, shivering, ringing in the ears and nausea—the works.  it’s freaked me out!  i’ve never felt that way, and was very concerned.

monday night i barely slept at all.  i had to sleep with the light on because i kept waking up every single hour feeling REALLY dizzy…and with the light OFF, it made me feel dizzier when i opened my eyes!  ACK!  poor hubby moved to the couch :(  of course by then my anxiety was high and my heart pounded every time i woke up. :(:(

i contacted my naturopath yesterday and she said it means my body is “shifting.”  meaning partly that i am starting to get enough (really, too much) of the supplements i have been taking.  in addition, since i have been detoxing my liver, it could also mean i’m finally ridding myself of some pretty toxic heavy metals.  YAY.  

plus on top of that, i’ve changed my diet somewhat drastically—no wheat or gluten.  this has forced me to eat pretty durned healthily—tons more fruits, veggies, and higher quality carbs than before.  if you’ve ever gone off caffiene or sugar (or even cigarettes) cold turkey, you’ll understand what i mean when i say i’ve been having withdrawal symptoms! LOL! 

so, yesterday and today i am not taking any supplements at all.  tomorrow morning i’m going in for a nutritional balance, even tho i just went a few weeks ago for a follow-up.  since its impossible to predict when my body has had enough of a certain supplement and is ready for the next step, its really important for me to pay attention to the cues my body gives off.  i guess this one was pretty hard to ignore! hehe! ;)

oh and by the way, i slept WELL last nite, and have been feeling better since i stopped taking the supplements.  i am feeling much more normal today!! (as you can tell by my superdooper gabby fingers. teehee!) 

so anyhoo…that’s SOME of what’s goin on with me…how about you?  how’s your new year goin? =) 

i also wanted to let you know about a new “search” feature i’ve added to my site.  if you look in the navigation bar, at the bottom of the 7th yellow cube (yep, WAY down there. hehe.) there’s a white search box :D  so, if you ever wanna see if i’ve yapped about something you’re interested in without sifting thru my archives, give that search box a whirl!  it’s pretty spiffy :) 

and lastly…remember my (WI)nter wonderland about a week and a half ago?  well, it is no more!  mr. heat miser dropped by! LOLOL!

our front yard, just this mornin :) 
our back yard…lonely with no snow!

 

 

 

 

 

over the weekend and early this week, we had 3-4 nearly 60 degree days!  we also had thunderstorms (lightning and all!) and even tornadoes!  crazy huh??  and its january—in WISCONSIN! it’s back down to the 30’s now, tho, but i dont mind :)

in the first pix, if you click on it, look in the lower right hand corner of the big window.  do you happen to see a certain puppy dog there? hehe!!  btw, that’s the big picture window featured here. :)

and yes, there’s one lonely chunk of snow in the back yard.  i think it’s remnants of a HUGE snow ball hubby and i made—it was almost as tall as me. hahah! 

so anyhoo, that’s whats happenin so far in my new year!!  things are looking up, for sure.  i’ve had some rocky times already with my anxiety issues, but i’m determined 2008 will be the year i get much healthier :)  AND accomplish many of my other goals!

have a wonderful rest of the week!!!  

~josey~
 

copycats! LOL :)

hey YOUS! LOL :P

so the other day, for the heck of it, i googled sillygolucky.  i saw me…meee…meeeeee…and, more me. LOL.  so i’m the ONLY sillygolucky ever??  i actually thought of it first??

NOPE.  

finally, on page 3 of my search results, i found a website in Japanese featuring sillygolucky.  “wow!” i thought, “they love me in Japan??”

LOL.

NOPE.

i did a little research… 

which led me to discover that in Japan, sillygolucky is a comedy sketch show, like SNL or mad TV!  KEWL!!

which then…led me to learn of an apparently famous song which originated from SGL.  it’s called Yatta!, sung by  Happa-tai (a made-up comedic Japanese boy band in SGL…and apparently these men are famous comedians in Japan as well). 

oh, and “yatta” is a japanese exclamation that means “it’s done!” or “i did it!”

anyhoo, here’s the group in all their “leaf squad” glory.  (happa-tai translates exactly as leaf squad, however they all themselves the “green leaves.” LOL!)

 

interesting crew, dontcha think? LOL!!! 

these guys do, however, serve a bit of a “purpose.”  here’s a blurb from the wiki link:

The sketch is a strongly ironic commentary on attempts by the Japanese government and others to maintain optimism in the face of Japan’s severe economic troubles, depicting men impoverished to the degree of having no clothing but the figurative fig leaf (though in this case the leaves are attached to the men’s briefs) yet maintaining an irrational, irrepressible belief in their own potential for success. The sketch satirizes many of the stereotypes of Japanese pop culture, including such tropes as a romantic interlude during the song’s bridge that takes place on a city street filled with floating sakura blossoms.

so then i thought, well, why not watch the video if it’s so famous?

 

so THEN…(yes, there’s MORE!)…that led me to watch a flash animation called Irrational Exuberance, which, as you’ll recognize, utilized the quite catchy disco-y tune of Yatta!.  (click the link—no You Tube this time.)

(WARNING: this flash contains a small amount of foul language and pixelated pictures not suitable for children or those who may take offense!!  i do not in any way endorse these portions. LOL.) 

and, if you can stand it, you really need to watch it 2 or 3 times to get all the funny pop culture references.

*BLINX*BLINX*  *giggle*

i’m kinda freaked out.

i actually. kindasorta. enjoyed. that video.  it got me giggling, especially when i saw PaRappa the Rappa, Colin Mochrie and “i cant believe its not yatta!”!  hahaha…

it reminded me of these (what i thought were) workout videos they always show on E’s The Soup.  now i’ve learned they are actually videos to help Japanese folks learn English.  HAHAH!!  they make me laugh!

 

some people really do have WAY too much time on their hands.  but sadly, its sometimes entertaining. hehe! 

and i cant get Yatta! outta my head!! 

ROTFL!  

happy weekend!!

~josey~ 

witchypoo goes to kalamazoo**

hey!!

my buddy witchypoo over at psychicgeek is having a contest.  have you ever wanted to get a REAL psychic reading for free?  well, now’s your chance!

——>  CLICK HERE  <—— 

LOL i feel like one of those cheesey local car dealer commercial announcers…hahahha! 

okay first, now dont go thinkin im a total lunatic.  i’m not , nor do i go around visiting madame-gypsy-crystalball-readers or calling those phony 900 numbers.  in fact, i’ve never done anything like that. 

i’ve never really even had a solid opinion about psychics.  probably because deep down i think, “well, you never really know…”  knowutimean?  i happen to enjoy the occasional show with John Edward and the like.  i’ve always been intrigued by the “supernatural…”  UFOs, ESP, big foot (which i used to accidentally call “saskatchewans,” LOL!!), ghosts, psychics…or even anything mysterious—i used to be a HUGE unsolved mysteries fan! HA!

but recently in my own quest for better health, i HAVE become more aware that there’s more to our world than meets the eye.  things that kinda seem mystical and magical; but i believe that’s just the way God made us.  ive become a bit more open-minded to things that some folks—because of one reason or another—think might be a bit of hogwash! hehe!

so why would i want a reading from witchypoo?  well first, because witchypoo’s notta witch.  she’s just funny like that and uses the nickname to taunt and get people all in a huff who think she’s working for Satan or something.  if she was a real evil witch, i’d definitely steer clear of her! <|;^D   <—- *cackle cackle*

second, why not?  it’s free! LOL!!! (yep, im a cheapo.)  and since stuff like that intrigues me anyhoo, this could be a chance to experience something amazing and revealing!  and if anything, it will be a chance for me to personally harass witchyp while she’s paying for it. HAHAH!

third…let’s just assume her gifts are God-given (which by the way, she does believe.).  she uses them for many a good purpose—not just personal readings.  what if she can help me understand myself better in a way no one else could?  (except for God of course!)  why would talking to her be any different than chatting with a good friend for advice?

i know, i sound like i’m worried about being chastised.  well, in a little way i am.  i’m not ashamed to be interested in things supernatural; i’ve had psychicgeek on my blogroll for some time now.  but its always a little nerve-wracking to admit you want a psychic reading when so many people have a skewered opinion about its validity and where it fits into belief in God!   see where i’m comin from?

but i have to tell you a little secret—i’ve been praying a lot lately for God to continue to bring me opportunities for peace and understanding about my health issues.  it’s actually a really big deal for me.  so if this is a burning bush, i dont want to just walk on by!  God can present opportunities ANYwhere—yes, even thru a silly contest on a blog!

there are some people out there, just like in every service career field, who are just out there to make a buck or are scammers.  who skim by on what little skills and talent they have (if they do).  then there are some who truly have a gift, and use it wisely to truly benefit others.  i have a gut feeling witchypoo is one of those kindsa peeps =)  (and NO, she’s not paying me to say that. LOLOL.)

so…i’m hoping if i win the contest i will find the reading a very healing (foremost), comforting and confirming experience.  i’m not into the “tell me my fortune…” kinda thing.  i dont think her reading will be the end-all answer to my issues; but instead COULD be part of my journey of learning in life, and being more in tune with myself.  i truly believe that some people have the ability to sense and understand things many of us cannot.

and if i dont win—i hope its one of you!!  now go over and read up and sign up! 

so well anyhoo, that’s my story and i’m stickin to it! LOL!    

~josey~

**as far as i know, she’s not going to kalamazoo.  she’s a homebody and lives in canada, so i doubt if she would want to go to michigan anyhoo! LOL!  or…maybe i’m psychic and someone from kalamazoo will win…and she’ll go to them for the personal reading…*rambles on and on…and on…*   

p.s. a few more side comments…i suppose i wouldnt have needed to ramble on quite so much about this whole thing.  but, 2007 softened me a little bit and opened my eyes to be more receptive to things ive always been “afraid to admit” i “believe” in.  i suppose the rambling is my way of stepping out of my comfy box a little bit…and who knows, maybe i’ll yack more about it soon.  we shall see! 

mind vs taste buds

okay, its just past 8am on new year’s day.

*looks out the window across the street at the golden arches*  i want mcdonald’s for brekky.

where in the HECK did this notion (craving?) come from??!?! (ruh roh, must have been the snack wrap i had yesterday?!  those MSGs are workin me!)

i think something clicked in my fast-food deprived brain and said, “WAIT! today’s the day she’s really kicking in with the no wheat/gluten and eating healthy!  we cant let her ruin it for us…ATTACK!!” *LOL*

hubby’s still in bed and my tummy’s growling.  i’m really supposed to take a couple supplements and wait an hour to eat, but i’m not sure that’s going to happen.

now how come ive been SO GOOD for the last week and now all the sudden i wanna go and screw it all up?  *CRIES*  GAK!!! i hate days like this!  it’s a horrible mind vs taste buds battle!! 

so what will i do—let myself eat what i want today and start tomorrow?  not beat myself up and just chalk up the loss?

or will i stick to my guns and fight through the craving?   

see, this is always my problem.  this is the beginning of a BAD cycle that’s hard to stop.  i think its more mental than physiological…it’s my perfectionistic against my “all in moderation” alter ego.

neither one usually wins.  i usually go WAY off the deep end and be a total glutton!

why today?  i know i’ll just feel like crap, but that never stops me.  why am i possessed like this? ROTFL!  am i the only one in the world who is so obsessed about these things??  

dangit i try so hard but my will is so fragile :( 

somebody come save me!!!

to be continued…

(in my health journal later today!)