A Little Iron Won't Kill You

Nor will it make you look like a dude unless:
a. You are a dude
b. You have a larger than average amount of testosterone in your system
c. You're taking anabolic steroids

I'm addicted to weight lifting.
I started half-heartedly with light weights in 1984. Had no idea what I was doing but I enjoyed it. Never got big results but like I said, I enjoyed it so I kept doing it.

Fast forward to November 1997. I developed a T6-T7 disc herniation that went undiagnosed until August of the following year. The only thing I could do that did not hurt was Pilates. I did not realize how addicted I was to lifting until I couldn't do it.

Had surgery to deal with the herniation in Aug 1998 and was in a rigid fiberglass brace until December of that year. Since I was walking around just fine once the brace was put on, they put me in charge of my own rehabilitation. I didn't know what I was doing so as soon as the brace was off, I started lifting again.

This time it was different though. I used the time in my brace to do research. By the time I could exercise again, I had a complete weight training protocol put together.
The first month was spent regaining some basic strength. By basic, I mean basic. I was doing squats and deadlifts with a broomstick because I didn't even have the strength to use lightweight dumbells for those exercises.

For three months after that, the people would just watch me in the gym. A fat chick with a backbrace on for the first month lifting consistently five days a week with a proper lifting protocol and perfect form. No one was talking to me. They were just watching.

Month four, I got their attention. The fat I gained during my back episode started to literally fall off of me. Two months after that, I had to replace my military uniforms because the others were too large.

The reason why I started to get the results on month four was because I finally was strong enough to put away the lightweight dumbells and move to the heavy weights.

It's been 13 years today since my back surgery.

My weight stays in the 120# range. I'm 48 and can share skinny jeans with my 20 year old daughter. I do not live on boiled chicken, brown rice and raw vegetables. I have a quality of life. I attribute all of this to heavy lifting.

So ladies, put away the 5# dumbells and embrace the iron. Trust me, you'll be glad that you did.

Review-Jessie's Girl JulieG Nail Polish

This is the first polish from the JulieG collection by Jessie's Girl.

JulieG does makeup and manicure instructional videos on YouTube. She worked with Jessie's Girl at the IMATS earlier this year and they created a nail polish collection that is to be released this week.

I liked what I saw on her video describing the polishes enough to buy this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6p9ShDzd0o

This was my first time using a Jessie's Girl polish and to be honest, I am quite impressed. It went on well, totally opaque in two coats and the color is bright and cheerful. Very much like her.

As far as wear goes, I don't know yet because I just put it on two hours ago. But if you use a good base and top coat, you can usually get good wear out of any polish regardless of price point.

Final word: I'm buying the rest of the collection.

Jessie's Girl can be found at Rite Aid and http://www.jessesgirlcosmetics.com/

Review-Qtica Intense Cuticle Repair Balm

I ended up with this totally by accident. Last year, I discovered Zoya nailpolishes and became quickly hooked. I was buying a bunch every couple of weeks. In one of the orders, they sent me this by accident. I called the company and they told me to keep it.
Anyway, I'm almost out of it and figure that it's time to review it. Let's start with the ingredients as listed on the website:

WATER/AQUA, CYCLOMETHICONE, STEARIC ACID, RICE BRAN OIL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, LANOLIN, DIMETHICONE, CETYLALCOHOL, TRIETHANOLAMINE, SORBITAN TRISTEARATE, ALOE VERA GEL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, TOCOPHERYLACETATE, PANTHENOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, ETHYLHEXYGLYCERIN, FRAGRANCE, CARBOMER, BHA

I personally do not find anything excessively bad on this listing but I'm not a chemistry major.
What I did find is that this moisturized my cuticles enough to survive my day job as an x-ray tech at a major medical center. The stringent infection control policy was wrecking havoc on my hands and nails. This is helping. Alot.

Final word, I'll be re-ordering this month.

*picture from Qtica website*

Just Venting

I absolutely hate when life throws me a curveball.

I make plans, get ready to roll then bam! something happens to unravel said plans.
To say that I'm frustrated and upset about this could be filed in the "understatement" folder.

Why do some people get to skate through life while I have to do everything the hard way?
Why can't God pick on someone else for a change?

Okay, I'm being pissy and whiny. This accomplishes nothing. But right now, anger and frustration is sitting like a one ton boulder in the middle of my chest. Every time I attempt to take complete control of my life, it gets derailed.

This angst is blocking my ability to think rationally. That's why I sitting at my desk at 11:30 on a Friday night typing a blog post.

Other people have lives.

Saying "No" to the "Yes-Men"

I have a problem with "yes-men." The kind of people who play the game. They are all things to all people unless they no longer need you. Then you have to visit the E.R. to remove the knife from your back.
Because you think that they are genuinely good people, you go out of your way to help them. Being supportive, putting in a good word or two to the right people and so on. Then you realize that you've been used in the absolute worst way possible.
I've encountered far too many of these people. Especially during the past year. I thought that I was through with that business when I retired from the military. Wrong!
I also thought that I was over this whole stupid nonsense of the past year. Wrong again!
I feel like a fool.
It frustrates me that I allow these rotten people to affect me in this way. I see them and I immediately feel my blood pressure rise. It's like zero to 60 in 0.5 seconds flat.
It frustrates me even more because so many others do not see through them. I just want to shake them until their brains rattle into place so they can see the truth.
On the upside, yes-men cannot sustain forever. Eventually they show their true colors.
Meanwhile, I get to see them traipsing around with their disgusting, smug faces.
Lucky me.
Until the karmic circle does a return visit, I'll be marking time.
After all, what goes around does indeed come back around.
.

What Ever Happened to Discretion?

I'm finding it difficult to articulate what I want to say here so this may be a little bit like free-associating or something like that.

During the past 8 months or so, I've gradually become weary of the lack of discretion that's becoming all too common. Sick of overtly sexual names in makeup. And the overall lack of ... I don't know what to call it. The word will come to me eventually.

Earlier this week, Jennifer at The Daily Connoisseur posted a blog article on cultivating an air of mystery found here : http://dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.com/2011/08/cultivate-air-of-mystery-self.html

It made me think. Not because I wish to cultivate an air of mystery, but because I'm trying to become my authentic self regardless of what's popular or current. So I feel comfortable and confident enough to not pretend to be a giggly, outgoing person when that's not who or what I am.

But also, I've lately closed off much of my personal life from the people I work with. They get little personal information about me from me. They didn't get much before, but now, they get even less.

In short, I've become considerably more discerning and discreet. But I've also become harder. They are not entitled to the information so I'm not sharing. Period.

Then today, someone whose blog I will not mention because I have no desire in the least to add to their reader count posted a seriously oversharing post.

On a lack of personal filter of one to ten, it would get a fifteen. I am a little embarrassed for her.

There are just some things that regardless of how friendly you are that you just do not share.

Why can't we all be just a little more civilized?

I try not to be a snob and this is not about "maintaining an air of mystery." It's more about keeping some personal details about yourself personal.

Okay, vent over.

I save my diatribe about inappropriate cosmetic names for another post.
And the one about most of reality TV.