I'm It

Today is one of those rare days that it rains all day. What's even more shocking is that yesterday was the same way! I can spend a lazy morning at the computer and not feel guilty that I'm not outside enjoying the sunshine.

I was so kindly tagged by Lost in Space at No Regrets.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you

2. Post the rules to your blog

3. Write 6 random things about myself

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them

5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Here are my 6 random things:

1. I can order a beer in Wolof, an African language that is only spoken in West African country of Senegal. Never mind that the majority of Senegalese are Muslim and therefore, purportedly do not drink. There are enough bad Muslims around and Catholics to find a beer even in the village of 1500 people I lived in. I'll have another beer is, "Bugge naa beneen biere". Yes that last word is French, but I guess Wolof never had beer until the French came along. They did, however, have palm wine, which is made from the watery sap of palm trees. Let's just say it's an acquired taste and won't be putting any Argentinian wineries out of business anytime soon. Oh yeah, and where's the bathroom in Wolof is, "ana wanag wi?"

2. Wow, six things? This is going to be hard!

3. When I moved to the current state I live in, I vowed I would never 1) mountain bike and 2) rock climb. Now I do both. I had had a bad experience mountain biking earlier, but that was before the days of shocks on mountain bikes. I've since gone on a 100 mile mountain biking trip in the Canyonlands of Utah. The landscape there looks like something out of Star Wars, except that it's real. It's really hard to believe.

The first time I went rock climbing, I was terrified. I also wanted to do it again immediately. It has that kind of pull. I'm pretty timid by the standard of hard core rock climbers that live in my town. The first "big wall" I climbed was in Caymen Brac, one of the two smaller Caymen Islands. Magic and I were the only climbers on the island at the time. I rappelled down a 150 foot sea cliff. Magic belayed me from the top. It was just me, the sea turtles, and the crabs at the bottom of the cliff, with waves lapping just below me. The climb was within my ability, but I was scared shitless. It's really hard to climb when you are focused on dying. Yes, I eventually want to do it again now that I have a lot more outdoor climbing experience. Those big walls still scare me though.

4. When I make a traditional Christmas dinner, it takes two days to make and it does not include a large slab of meat, like turkey, ham or rack of lamb. I make homemade lasagna to die for, like my Grandma from Italy did. First, you make about a thousand itty bitty meatballs that are the size of a marble. I'm not kidding about this. The pasta is all homemade, and there are many layers in the lasagna, kind of like phyllo dough, only thicker. My Grandma also used to put slices of hard boiled egg between her layers of pasta. It sounds weird, and the eggs get kinda rubbery for leftovers, so I've left that part of it out. Too bad I can no longer eat gluten. I haven't made this lasagna in a couple of years now that I have completely given up gluten. I finally figured out that it affects my moods. Dairy doesn't seem to agree with me much these days either. There goes Italian tradition! Thank god for pesto and gluten free pasta from Tinkyada!

5. I've had a professional manicure and pedicure once in my life, and that was on my wedding day. I couldn't chose a color, so I just chose clear. I'm am such not a girly-girl. I do not get the whole getting-your-nails-done thing. For awhile, I felt deficient about this and started painting my toenails. I did it myself as it seemed like such a waste of money to pay someone else to do it. I'd rather spend my hard earned cash on a massage or a meditation retreat. Rock climbing and nail polish do not mix, so at least I have an excuse not to do it. Magic got me a day at a spa last Christmas that I still haven't cashed in on. It included a pedicure and manicure. My brain just goes tilt over this one. Who has the money to pay for pedicures and manicures when you are trying to pay off your IVF bills?

6. Elvis died on my birthday, which is today. I vaguely remember all the brouhaha when it happened as a kid. Happy anniversary of Elvis' death!

I tag:

1. Eurydice at Geeks from Rome.

2. Fumbling Towards Eggstacy.

3. Spicy Sister at Spicy Sister.

4. The Muser at Musings Musings Musings.

5. Meg at The Wrong Side of the Statistics.

6. Peesticks and Stones.

Trigger Happy

Sorry to any of you lovely pregnant ladies who I may have offended by removing your link from my "real-time" blog roll. I should have moved you all to the other area where I don't have the real time links that flash your latest post title, but I got a bit trigger happy last night.

If you want to be on my blog roll in the "safe" area, I'm happy to add you back. Just drop me a line in the comments or e-mail. I didn't like it that when I got pregnant, a bunch of my regular readers disappeared or seemed to have gotten bitter. Let me tell you in no uncertain terms that this is my issue, not yours. I'm not about being exclusive either. I'm just amazed that anyone would want to read my dribble, let alone be on my blog roll.

Yeah, still processing on my end. Hopefully, I'll get my sense of humor back one of these days. I used to have one, believe it or not.

Oh, and I think I've figured out how to move around in Blogger without having to go to my "dashboard", where the Blogger Team is with their let-me-show-you-pictures-of-my-babies-cuz-I-haven't-flaunted-them-
enough post. Hence the reason I'm posting again. Makes me really appreciate the ladies who put those pictures with advanced warnings at the bottom of their posts!

Going Blogger

I'm sorry, but I had to do it for my sanity. I removed some of my favorite pregnant bloggers from my "real-time" blog roll. I just couldn't stand to see the posts titled with each week of pregnancy. I am happy for you, but it is a painful reminder to me that I should have been happy when I was pregnant, but I wasn't. It just makes me feel deficient.

Then, I check in to Blogger today to be bombed by three, count them THREE baby pictures that I have to look at for god knows how long of babies from the Blogger Team. Frankly my "team", I don't give a damn. If I could figure out how to send them an e-mail and maybe an f-bomb, I'd do it. It's bad enough that I have to avert my eyes every time I go to the grocery store and get bombarded at the checkout by the gossip magazines of celebrity babies, but now on Blogger? Anyone else annoyed about that? Instead of going postal, I'm going blogger. You won't see me around here until those pictures move down to the bottom of my sign-in page!

Throw Me A Bone

Wondering where I've been?

This is a private post. Click here if you have access.

Expecto Patronum!

I've been seeing my patronus around lately. I saw them this morning and again this evening. I wasn't feeling particularly happy when I saw them, quite the opposite. Maybe it's an encouraging sign for me, to "buck" up, your patronus is here to keep the Dementors away. Those Dementors have been circling me lately, sucking the happiness out of me. I can feel them draining my life spirit. I can use all the encouragement I can get right now. I'm still grieving. It's been three months.

Don't know what your patronus is? Take this quiz to find out which patronus you would create. It's kinda silly, but what the heck?!