My "Mom Smell"

My mom has a unique smell that is ingrained in her belongings, so much so that I can usually tell when she gives me things if it's something old or something new. My mom's scent is an olfactory explosion of Tide laundry detergent, black coffee, cigarette smoke, and Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds perfume.

Mine would be a medley something like this- Tide laundry detergent & Kirkland Signature dryer sheets, coffee & caramel, Clinique Happy perfume, and lavender vanilla.

What's your "mom smell?"

What I Learned in Chemistry Class

Last Night's Dream

I was in a dorm room of some sort, living alone. This family would come by and make me do things I didn't want to or else they'd harm me. There was some kind of gas in the room and they told me to do stuff or they'd light a match. I wouldn't do what they asked so they lit it and BOOM. They disappeared but I was fine which led to the next part of my dream.

I was holding a baby girl from a very large family and they were all with me sitting in some stadium bleachers facing an ice-covered lake. Some people were down below performing. We were all singing. Just then the family's golden retriever walked onto the lake and fell in the ice and couldn't get out so I ran over and handed the baby back to her mom and dad and with a few other brave souls from the crowd, my brother included, we ran out to save the dog. Trouble was the first few that got there fell into the ice too. It was a rescue mission. Someone got the dog. My brother and another man were still in the icy water. Movements slowing.

I slunk out on the ice to get my brother. I ripped off my zip-up gray hooded sweatshirt and tossed a sleeve to him. He wasn't able to grab on the first few times but I encouraged him to muster up the strength the third or fourth time and I slowly pulled him up onto the ice. I was able to grab a nearby chain-link fence and pull us both to safety and kept repeating to him that the ambulance would be there soon.

Woke up wondering what it all meant. Plan to find out. Decoding to come.

**********

I'm focusing on the part of the dream that was more interesting to me, that of my brother in the icy water. I am getting my dream Interpretations from 10,000 Dreams Interpreted book by Gustavus Hindman Miller.

Brother: If your brother is poor and in distress, or begging for assistance, you will be called to a deathbed soon or some dire loss will overwhelm you or them. YIKES!

Bathing in ice-water: Anticipated pleasures will be interrupted with an unforeseen event.

Walking on ice: You risk much solid comfort and respect for evanescent joys.

Rescue: To rescue others foretells that you will be esteemed for your good deeds.

Letting Go of 4.0

I must admit something about myself. For those of you that went to school with me, you already know. I heard a new term for it the other night so I'll go with it. I'm a grade whore. There you have it. Quite simply, I always strive for the A. For as long as I can remember I've done what it takes to get the A and always completed the extra credit like a nice ripe cherry on top in the rare case I were to fall short in another aspect of the class. Seeing A's on my report cards has always been quite pleasing, like finding my favorite Easter candy on the shelves in February.

I find myself in a bit of a different situation than when I was a student previously. In two of my classes, to get the A I had to go above and beyond. I had to write research papers. I hadn't written a research paper for years. And then my dryer broke down. We committed the kids to Tae Kwon Do. I hadn't cooked a real meal or sat down to eat for over a week. I'm full of excuses- I know! but I had to make some decisions as to how I was going to divide my attention. Surprised myself this time. I compromised and did one paper. Worked on that thing two days straight. It meant I was automatically accepting that I'd get no greater than a B in one of the classes. May even be able to attribute a little lost sleep to that decision.

As a side note, I didn't realize how terrible it is not to have a washer & dryer of my own. Calculate the amount of days the old one was broken 'til the new washer came which was 9 x 3 boys x 1 husband's dirty work and play clothes and that's how much laundry I had to haul elsewhere to do. Thankfully my family stepped up and lent me their laundry rooms!

I know the grade thing doesn't sound so bad and I've been teased all along for my "A" attitude but this time I know I made the right choice. I've been doing mom stuff and homemaker stuff, like figuring out the new spacesque front loading washer & dryer we just got. Major planning for this weekend's events too. Best friend comes home today, like any moment now.

I'll be celebrating so many things during the coming days. Even going to celebrate that report card because it means the first quarter is OVER!

Which makes a more powerful picture?

The one that you know the story behind

OR

The one that evokes emotion with no words at all?

Moist, Mucus, Gurgle

If the title didn't already turn you away from my blog topic 'o' the night, those must not be your word aversions. This evening I meandered blog to blog fascinated by these word aversions. Just like a pregnant woman can inhale a whiff of her food aversion and feel her stomach turn, words can be turned into a personal verbal faux pas of sorts...words that invoke illness at their sight or cause cringing as they cross the lips.

My journey started here, following a blurb from Michelle Williams' interview in Elle magazine's April issue. Michelle is truly a candid beauty, inside and out. She mentions how her hand is pictured in Dan Estabrook's artwork here, in a piece called Bleed.
http://pathetica.net/

{{If you have a moment longer, check out "Nine Symptoms" in his artwork section. Lovesick. Love and sickness. The symptoms are the same. It's peculiar and fascinating that our bodies display equivalent physical reactions to vastly different diagnoses.}}

Still with me? I clicky clicked on his blog where it told me to, came to another blog and scrolled down and the word "moist" bit my tongue. My word aversion. Bile crept up in my throat. Maybe bile is your word aversion?
http://parenthetically.blogspot.com/

The rest of the night is history. Here are some of the places "word aversion" took me. Hey, you can even put a name to this phenomenon now. By the way, it appears more females are tortured by the word moist than men. Note the meanings are not necessarily indicators of if a word is pleasing or atrocious.

The Moist Panties Phenomenon
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/%7Emyl/languagelog/archives/004835.html

Led to others...
http://www.theperfectworld.us/thread.php?id=940

http://southby06.blogspot.com/2006/07/elements-of-style.html

http://theraininmypurse.blogspot.com/2007/05/conjuring-gross-and-beautiful-things.html

**********

I leave you with a little meme of my own creation. Please take it and make it your own. Link me if you like it. I've no more time tonight to name names. Bed is calling.

5 words you love: Loquacious, Adore, Soliloquies, Blessing, Indubitably

5 words you loathe: Moist, Mucus, Gurgle, Breech, Globule

A word you use way too often: Maybe

A word you can't stand to hear mispronounced: Washington

A word that is new to you and its definition: Glossolalia- fabricated and unmeaningful speech

This thing kicked my butt!

I wanted to incorporate strength training into what I do daily, so I picked up one of these babies.

http://www.amazon.com/GoFit-10-Pound-Kettlebell-Training-Exercise/dp/B000XLZOGQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1204757910&sr=8-2

Swung it around a few times and phew this thing is going to do the trick. I have that great post-workout high and all I did was practice the basic positions found on the DVD inside. I could really use the toning and heck if this thing burns some fat on top of that benefit, more power to me...it can take all it wants from the stomach region!

Update on Target customer service

The replacement party kit had the EXACT SAME flaw. Target.com fully refunded my money AND let me keep the second kit too. Pretty cool.

Now to find other anniversary party supplies. Any ideas?