Movie Theatres

I love to go to the movie theatre.  I love the atmosphere of it.  The pageantry of  getting your ticket, the smell of the popcorn, walking into the theatre and finding the perfect seat.  Everything about it.  Weird, I know.

There are a few rules everyone should follow when going to the movies:

1. Arrive in enough time to use the bathroom, get snacks, and watch the previews.  In that order.
2. When they ask you to turn off your cell phone during the movie, it is more an order then a request.
3. Never leave Coach bag on the floor.  This will prevent any damage should someone spill a full soda and it run down and permeate the precious leather handbag.
4. Talking during the movie?  Please.  Just don’t.
5. If you must leave your seat during the movie, please do so as quickly and quietly as possible.  This will prevent the other movie goers from having to try to continue to watch the movie around you.

And another thing.  I go to the movie theatre to get AWAY from all the commercials on television.  Why must they insist on showing them there?

Enjoy the movie :-)

Eat Pray Love

Before I go see a movie I like to read the book beforehand so I kind of know what it is about, and also so I don’t have a preconceived image in my head while reading the book.  In this case, I started to read it but only got through the “Eat” part of the book.

The story is fairly true to what I read from the book.  It is a story of a woman who goes through a divorce, and the journey she takes to find her way back to herself and happiness.  She not only takes this journey within herself, but to Italy, India, and Indonesia.

Aside from the fact that Julia Roberts is mesmerizingly beautiful on screen (which we all know), she portrays the character of Elizabeth Gilbert with humor, depth, and honestly.  I sometimes view how well an actor does in a movie if I think  about their personal life during the movie (since I am such a celebriophile).  In this case, I didn’t.  Not even once.  I firmly believed that she was Elizabeth Gilbert.  No denying, she is a terrific actress.  This is her best role since Erin Brockovich with a little Pretty Woman thrown in.

Me, being obsessed with food, loved the scenes in Italy where she is eating.  And eating.  And eating some more.  It was fabulous, and made me what to go to Italy and do that very same thing.  The scenes in India are heartbreaking and joyous at the same time.  You see the beauty of the ashram juxtaposed against the incredible poverty of the area.  The scenes in Indonesia are visually stunning.

This is a total “Chick Flick”.  It’s empowering to see a woman pursuing what makes her happy and choosing how to live her life and how she is defined by herself and others.  What she did as far as finding herself and her happiness we can all, and should to.  How she did it is not that realistic.  Most have families to take care of (which she did not) and many do not have the financial resources to travel around the world for a year.

Watching this moving (and finishing the book) has encouraged me to continue on the path of finding myself.  Of course, without going through a divorce or traveling around the world.  Although traveling around the world, I must admit, would not be entirely horrible.

 

The Fair! The Fair!

I LOVE going to the fair.  The food, the exhibits, the animals, the shows, the food.  Did I mention the food?

This past Saturday a couple of my friends and I went to the Western Idaho State Fair.  We arrived at around 1:30PM, and started by scoping out the area.  Of course, for me that means scoping out the food options.

Now, since I lost weight I’m always on the look out for healthy (or at least healthier) options.  After seeing the requisite booths containing corndogs, funnel cakes, and potato ice cream (this is Idaho after all), I was surprised to find “Salad On A Stick”.  Since I couldn’t really imagine what a salad on a stick looked like, I immediately ordered a “chef stick”.


And yes, it was terrific…and healthy!

Since our first consuming of Fair Food was complete, we then decided to go look at all the terrific animals.  There were goats, and pigs, and chickens…oh, my!

Yes, his name is Heart

He decided to wonder outside his pen.

The biggest horns I've ever seen!

We then went and had one of the best turkey burgers I’ve ever had (you didn’t think all I had was the salad on a stick, did you).  It was perfectly seasoned and cooked.  I’m drooling just thinking about it again :-).

Off to the Hypnotist Show we went.  Now honestly, I spent most of the time during this show on my iPhone because I just wasn’t into it (and yes, I do have it for just such occasions).  People getting on stage, pretending as if they are being “suggested” into doing odd things that, well, I didn’t think were really that funny.  Madonna jokes were funny, like 10-15 years ago.

Anyway, off for more food (which is the REAL reason I come to the fair).  I found a fresh fruit stick, which really was some nice juicy strawberries on a skewer and dipped in chocolate.  I rationalized this choice by saying telling myself that it was fruit and there wasn’t THAT much chocolate on it (yeah, right).  But it was wonderful!

The exhibits were incredible, especially the photos, paintings, and drawings.  There is such incredible local talent at all levels.  I couldn’t help but wonder how the judges came up with the winners because they were all so good.  We literally spend HOURS looking at all the exhibits.

The final food stop was this wonderful coconut almond brittle.  OMG, I ate some of that and almost went into a sugar coma!  It was sooooo good, even if it did almost break my teeth.

This is for my sister...She knows why :-)

We then went to the vendor booths.  I did fairly good at resisting temptation until I got to the Miche booth.  I have been wanting this bag for a while, and decided the deal they were having at the fair was a good one.  Now, for those that don’t know Miche bags have a base and a shell that you can change instantly.  I got the base, and picked out two shells that came with my deal.  It took me FOREVER to finally pick out the shells.  Thank God for great friends that are so patient!

Our day at the fair could not have been complete without a shout out to the King of Pop.


Goodbye, dear Fair, until next year.

AFTERWARD:  As we were heading out, we noticed storm clouds rolling in.  Later that night there was a huge thunderstorm with 70 MPH winds that evacuated the fairgrounds, sending 7 people to the hospital, with 70 needing medical attention, and delaying the opening of the Fair the following day.

Losing My Job

Words fail to express the loss and devastation one feels when they lose their job.  Not just financially.  If you’ve been through it, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  You feel useless and worthless.  Everything you thought you knew and had secure knowledge in is now scrambled and turned upside down.

Every rejection in the job hunting process just lowers your confidence and whittles away your resolve.  No matter what you do, you feel hopeless because nothing you try seems to work.

You scour Craigslist, Careerbuilder, Monster and any and all other avenues to find job openings that match your skillset.  There aren’t many, so you apply for anything and everything you might be remotely qualified for. 

You think it’s your resume that’s not getting you an interview, so you revise it.  Again and again.

You get called in for an initial interview, but you don’t get a call back.  So you change the way you answer the questions that you know are coming.  Perhaps you change the delivery or the way you word a particular answer.

You Google, Facebook, and Twitter for advice.

You ask those that have interviewed you what you can do to improve your interview skills in the future.

You tell yourself that it’s not you, but the economy.

You convince yourself that each interview is just practice for the next one.

You are not sure what is worse – not getting called for the interview or going through the interview(s) and not getting the job.

Yes, it’s true.  Searching for a job truly does SUCK.

Turner Syndrome

I was born with Turner Syndrome, a random chromosomal abnormality where there is a missing or abnormal second X chromosome in some or all of the cells in the body.  The genes affected are involved in growth and sexual development, which is why girls with this disorder are shorter than normal and have abnormal sexual characteristics.  Surprisingly, 1 in 2000 women have Turner Syndrome.

My first introduction to Turner Syndrome was in my high school library.  My friend and I were doing research for a paper.  I’m not sure what the paper was on, but somehow I came across Turner Syndrome in the encyclopedia.  Since I was short and hadn’t gone through puberty yet, the symptoms caught my eye.  I ran to my friend and said “Beckie, I know I have this!”  The issue was quickly forgotten among the worry of our impending paper deadline.

When I was 17 my mother was very concerned that I still had not gone through puberty.  This initiated trips to the pediatrician, general practitioner, and finally to the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland.  After being poked, prodded, and made to pee, we were sent back home to await the results.

“You will never be able to have children.”  These were the only words I remember of the conversation that took place between me, my mother, and my general practitioner when my diagnosis of Turner Syndrome was finalized.  Deep down I felt he was telling me something I already knew in my heart.  It did not shock or surprise me.  It did, however, break my heart that the diagnosis seemed to affect my mother more then me.

Before the diagnosis, I didn’t really feel different.  Yes, I was short and hadn’t developed, but just thought I would somehow “catch up”.  After the diagnosis, I started feeling different – like I was odd.  I went on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and hated it.  I hated it because every day it reminded me that I was not normal.  I was okay with not having children.  But the fact that I was not “normal”  devastated me.  I didn’t know anyone else that had Turner Syndrome, and honestly didn’t really have any great need to find anyone else that had it or even discuss it.  My mantra was “BE NORMAL.”

I didn’t date a whole lot, but when I met my future husband, and knew the relationship was serious, I was completely honest and told him the truth.  His response was “Shelly, I love you – not your ovaries.  If we want kids, we can always adopt.”  That’s when I knew I made the right choice.

I didn’t meet anyone else that had Turner Syndrome until the TSSUS Conference in Seattle in 2004.  I was thrilled to meet so many bright, beautiful women that were just like me.  They had the same issues, concerns, hopes, and dreams that I did.  The average height of a TS women is about 4’8”, and with me standing at 5’¼” (yes, I claim that ¼”!), I fit right in!

Aside from the infertility, the main health issues I’ve dealt with are my eyes (I’m severely nearsighted), my ears (multiple ear infections have left me hearing impaired, for which I wear hearing aides), and my thyroid (hypothyroidism).  Luckily, my heart and kidneys are good, which are some major concerns as TS women get older.

I have always been directionally challenged, and get lost going anywhere – except when I’m at a mall.  My husband gave me a GPS a few years ago for Christmas, and it was probably one of the most thoughtful gifts I ever received.

Turner Syndrome is not something that I should ever be ashamed of because this is the way God made me.

Finding Myself

Mike (also known as Hubby) suggested I take some time to try different things and find out what I LIKE to do.  Very good advice, but honestly I’ve had a hard time doing it.  To help move myself forward in a positive direction, I’ve decided to randomly list things that make me happy:

• Being skinny :-)
• Watching television (sad, I know)
• Showing people how to do things or show them something new
• Feeling useful
• Making someone happy
• Helping someone
• A clean, organized house
• Figuring something out (especially technology)
• Seeing my family and friends happy and healthy
• Crawling into a warm, clean bed
• A glass of Diet Pepsi with the perfect liquid:ice ratio
• Walking outside on a bright, cool, clear, day
• Cheeseburger from In-N-Out (which, sadly, does not go with being skinny)
• Coconut Bread Pudding from Joe’s Crabshack (again, does not go with being skinny)
• Roadtrips to anywhere
• Traveling
• Shopping (looking more then buying – but buying is fun!)
• Eating out – but healthy!
• My dog and cats
• Hanging by the pool at my sister’s house

I know I could list more things, but I hope that this small step will help me get to know myself a little better and find out what truly makes me happy.

I also need to remember that the most important thing is to keep God in this whole journey.