Drinks With The Girls - Blog Bedlam

It's been a Great Ride!

2009-07-01T15:06:00.002-04:00

Fans/Friends, Thanks for reading our blog... Thanks for reading our stories, rants, raves, and shanagins. It's been a blast for us. We've learned things out ourselves and each other that we probably would have otherwise. It's been a pleasure to produce this podcast and write this blog. It was a bonus to have such great listeners and readers, like yourself.

All that being said, we've decided to pursue other interests. But don't worry, Tini will continue her antics, Rummy will be as active as ever and I'll still be Cosmo. There are MANY great podcasts and blogs out there, we all hope you find a few of them to support.

Cheers
Cosmo

I Don’t Know Where I’m Gonna Go When the Volcano Blows

2009-06-11T09:20:00.004-04:00

I finally know what Jimmy Buffett meant when he sang this song and I had this catchy little tune in my head as I peered over the rim of an active volcano on the first day of my Nicaraguan vacation adventure.

Volcan Masaya is a short distance from the Managua airport and you can drive your car right to the top of an active volcano! There are warning signs telling you to back your car in just in case you have to leave in a hurry. Other warnings include getting under your car if rocks start spewing….somehow I don’t really think that would help much. But it was an impressive site and almost overwhelming as I breathed in the noxious gases from the volcano.

The volcano was nice little side trip but we only stayed an hour which is much longer than the 20 minutes recommended on the warning signs. Hey what can I say …we are adventurous.

Stay tuned for more adventures including finding Jesus and an interesting massage.

Rummy “Hot Lava Momma” Runner

COPS Managua

2009-06-08T10:25:00.002-04:00

Relieved we were allowed to enter the country we got our rental car and happily headed toward Granada with a poorly hand drawn map and my navigation system with extremely limited Nicaragua data. It was clear very quickly that this is a very poor country with lots of people walking or riding bicycles with not one or two but THREE people on one bicycle! It was not even an hour since I was reluctantly allowed into the country that our next big adventure happened…A police traffic stop.

Apparently we missed a school zone and we were pulled over for speeding. I say ‘apparently’ since I’m still not sure. As mentioned previous we don’t speak much Spanish and the cops didn’t speak any English. A male cop stopped us who looked pretty young and harmless except for the big gun he was carrying. For some reason he decided to send the female cop over to deal with us. (As a side note I was impressed to see a female cop and it’s good to know women have career opportunities there). We assumed she was sent over since she spoke English but no such luck. We struggled to understand what was going on but I didn’t feel too scared since she was very nice and polite.

Finally we realized she wanted to keep my boyfriend’s driver’s license and have us drive to a bank and pay a fine and bring the receipt back to get the license. Now we had already spent all morning in airports getting here and we had no clue where ‘el banco’ was so we started to get a little stressed. So what could we do but ‘bribe’ the cops. Actually we just gave them the fine amount of 300 Córdobas (about $15). I was afraid she would think we were trying to bribe her and we would end up in a Nicaraguan jail! Luckily she accepted the money and let us on our way. I really think she did us a favor since we seemed like your typical clueless tourists and she was tired of dealing with us.

So although it was a bit scary at first we were yet again on our way. This time to something totally safe like the rim of an active volcano!

Rummy “Bad Boys Bad Boys What Ya Gonna Do” Runner

Threat to the Third World

2009-06-05T15:12:00.003-04:00

My boyfriend treats me to only the best the third world has to offer and our latest adventure vacation to Nicaragua was the most exciting and adventurous vacation to date! If you grew up in the 80’s like me the only thing you associate with Nicaragua is a long civil war with Contras and Sandinistas. So I was originally shocked when my boyfriend suggested this country as a place to vacation. But in time I realized that it would be a big adventure and was relatively safe these days.

I got off the airport in Managua to be greeted by a heat sensing camera and people wearing surgical face masks. Those who listen to our podcast will realize that I have a bit of a sinus problem. I’m not sure why and I just call it ‘part of my charm’. But in a third world country so worried about swine flu that they are using a heat camera my little annoyance almost turned into a vacation stopper!

I sniffled (something I’m known to do) as the customs agent was looking at my passport. Apparently this is a good sign of swine flu so I was quickly escorted to a back room by a ‘doctor’ for probing and other scientific experimentation. This was a bit scary since I was in a foreign land and no hablo español. Somehow we managed to decipher that they thought I was sick and wanted to take my temperature. So the nice ‘doctor’ put a thermometer under my armpit. I was thankful my temperature was normal and a bit grossed out when the ‘doctor’ promptly put the thermometer back in the case…no cleaning…no sanitizing.

But I was allowed to enter Nicaragua and our adventure began. Stay tuned for our next adventure – bribing the Nicaraguan cops!

Rummy “a sniffle a day keeps the doctor away” Runner

OMT Monday 5-18-09

2009-05-18T11:59:00.004-04:00

Listen to our podcast at www.drinkswiththegirls.com

Oh my... I have soo many things that happened this weekend that I want to write about but Today is Operation Muffin Top Monday.

All of us Operation Muffin top members have been sending emails back and forth like a latex BC device in a windstorm (AKA fast & furious). The support everyone gives eachother is AMAZING! Being the techie I am, I made us a free message board. OMT Message Board is our Cyber support group full of laughs, encouragement and advice. So, if you are interested in sheding a few pounds or just wanted to get more healthy, come and check it out!

I've finally decided that eating Chinese food (even if it is only veggies and tofu) and Watermelon all the time isn't the best thing for me. Unfortunatly, that means, I must go grocery shopping. Strangely enough, I use to like going grocery shopping...now it just seems like an errand. And since I hate errands, it went the way of the dodo bird...extinct.

I recently purchased a Costco (wholesale place) membership because I keep getting invited to parties (yahoo!) . As many of you know, whenever you get invited to a party, you must bring something, thus the costco membership. Party delights in bulk. Now, I can use it to do mucho grocery shopping with one visit. :)

After work I plan to get Fish, veggies, and hmm I already forgotten the third item, is on my list.

Come back tomorrow for more some stories about my CRAZY weekend.

Recovering from a Crazy weekend- Cosmo

Kites, Boards and Lots of Pictures

2009-05-14T10:35:00.002-04:00

I’ve posted before about trying kite boarding. I’ve spent lots of time and money on this hobby for very little reward. I have a short attention span so usually I would have given up by now but for some reason I kept trying and it FINALLY paid off!

I went to the beach to try kite boarding after work recently. This time was different since I was on the land instead of in the water so a smaller and less intimidating kite is used which helped tremendously. On the land you use a mountain board which is kinda like a skateboard but for off road. The gods must have been on my side since the winds, sand and sun were all favorable that day. So I put the trainer size kite in the air and was feeling a slight pull down the beach from it. It started off slow…so slow walkers were going past me. But hey they were power walkers! My friend and coach told me I needed a bigger kite but I was scared. Finally after seeing the backside of countless power walkers I reluctantly agreed. The bigger kite made all the difference and I was cruising along at around 15-20 mph. I was so excited and happy that I was singing as I zigged and zagged down the beach. This is such a fun sport and great for me since it combines the beach, sun, bikinis and lots of upper body exercise all into one fun filled activity.

But wait there’s more! I have to admit I’m a bit of a show off or ham as some might say. Well I guess kite boarding is still somewhat new and definitely an attention grabber with the huge colorful kites in the sky that can be seen for close to a mile. Several people saw me and decided I was picture worthy! Yep a British couple, Asian lady and several others stopped to take photos. With my limited control I don’t think they realized they were putting themselves in danger but thankfully no harm was done. I felt like a celebrity which made me feel great and added to my joy of this sport. I think my monthly hamming it up needs were met that day!

I still have a long way to go but it was a blast! I can’t wait to do it again and get in more vacation pictures!

Rummy “Coming Soon to a Beach Near You” Runner

Underwear Crisis

2009-05-12T13:29:00.000-04:00

One of my Favorite Bloggers Catherinette did a blog about panty lines. I was immediately reminded about the underwear crisis of 2007.

In 2007 I found myself single, after being in a very LONG relationship. After a few weeks, I finally decided to be happy about my liberation (AKA Single Life) and I embraced it with open manly arms. I Immedialty starting making LOTS of new friends, going out all the time, getting lots of attention (A hot guy tripping over himself to say hello is a HUGE injection of self confidence), and learning to love life. During my adventures, I began discover something was amiss. You guessed it, it was the underwear crisis of 2007. Normally I didn’t wear panties at all (Did I mention I hate doing laundry?), but on rare occurrences, I would wear comfortable white panties. Imagine my horror when I discovered… I was granny panty girl *Phcho scream*. My Knickers were soo bad that I made bridget Jones look good.

Typical girl stuff, like pretty matching (NONE of my underwear matched) underwear or makeup was never my thing. I had always concentrated on my education, self improvement, and my career. Being single made me realize packaging (makeup and underwear, to name a few) was important. I ask you, What does a girl do when they find out, they are “granny panties girl”? Does she crawl into the corner and cry…of course NOT! She goes on an underwear shopping spree *YaHoo*.

1st stop… Victoria Secrets. I was surprised that the trip to VS was so… shocking. For someone that is use to buying panties in plastic packages containing 5 pairs, I suffered some sticker shock. 50.00 for ONE bra? $12.00+ for one pair of Panties? *Chocking sounds* After my shock subsided, I sucked it up and spent a small fortune for colorful, silky, lacy thongs and MATCHING bras.

My quest continued for months. Everywhere I went shopping, and I went shopping A LOT, I looked for cute underwear. Target was a great find. They weren’t too expensive, had good quality and a nice selection. Old Navy also had (and still has) some great panties. Not to mention a few shops in the mall that had 5 panties for $10.00.

Today, I’m proud to say I don’t own ONE pair of Granny panties (I threw those bitches OUT!). I now own MANY pairs of thongs and a few boyshorts and I have matching bras for each pair.

Thanks Catherinette for remind me (and boring the most wonderful blog readers…EVER) of my incredible quest.

Epilogue:
A friend once asked me, “Is it worth spending soo much money on cute underwear?”

It was an expensive venture. And they were only strips of fabric. And shouldn’t a guy like me for me, even if I wear granny panties? About that time, I thought about the cure lacy green thongs I had on and the matching bra, and it made me smile. I thought about explaining to her about how the journey impacted my life (as silly as that sounds). I could tell her that wearing nice underwear that I bought for ME was a way to remind myself that I was worth it. That doing something for JUST ME, was a gift. But knowing she wouldn’t understand I said…

With a huge smile on my face I answered “Yes, it absolutely was! And the compliments I get, don’t hurt either”

The moral of this story, is buy a pretty pair of undies, just for you. And when you are pissed at your boss, or start to feel a bit down, remember your pretty undies. You will be surprised how much it will brighten your day.

Crazy Cosmo

DL Pictures, Ya gotta love them...

2009-05-07T09:51:00.000-04:00

Ya know your driver's Licences Picture is bad when

- Friends ask, is this really you?

- Other friends (Less tactful ones), did someone just die when you had this picture taken?

- "This looks like a mug shot"

- A security guard (at work) suggests that the DMV is right down the street and they do pictures for free.

Since ALL of these things have happened, I think it's time for me to get a new picture.

**Update. The Security guard just called me (at work) and told me the hours & exsact location of the DMV. (After I got off the phone, I laughed soo hard I snorted.. FUNNY STUFF**

Cranky Cosmo

As long as Pinocchio's nose

2009-05-06T14:34:00.000-04:00

Ladies (maybe guys will get something out of this too…),

What is up with us and our self image? I would LOVE to say I know some women that don’t have a self image, problem, but if I did, my nose would be longer than Pinocchio’s nose in that porno.

I was just reading some emails from OMT about how they don’t think they are good enough and it occurred to me…WTF are we women thinking? Seriously, so many women are wonderful and don’t even know it.

I have a friend (more than one friend) that is like a ray of sunshine. She radiates a warm energy that infects people happiness and positive energy where ever she goes. Does she know that, No. Ironically, she wants to be the person that is like human Prozac, but she can’t see herself for what she truly is. She seems to hang on to any negative comment like it’s the last piece of chocolate in the house and she is having her monthly visitor.

Another friend of mine is so strong and confident, until it comes to her future. Somehow she suddenly loses her confidence, determination and mental strength that normal exudes from her. Somehow she thinks she isn’t good enough, or not capable enough.

Then there is me. I went to lunch with a friend of mine and while walking through the cafeteria he asked “What is it like having everyone stare at you?” I was totally confused. Of course, I laughed thinking he was making a joke.
“Seriously” he said “what is it like? It’s like the flowers are parting for you. Everyone is looking at you, even the women”
I had no idea how to respond. He is only a friend, so isn’t saying this, to compliment me, he’s serious.
“I had no idea it was happening” I told him. It was his turn to be mystified.
How does this happen? We are born with a blank slate but somewhere along the way, we start doubting ourselves. We start taking things WAY too personal. Instead of thinking, Maybe my BF is having a bad day, he didn’t really mean to ignore me when he walked in. We tend to think, what did I do wrong and how can I fix it.

If I had a daughter, I would tell her, Love yourself! You will not be perfect; you will probably not make all the right decisions, but love yourself for you. Learn from your mistakes, take negative feedback with a grain of salt, and go on. You are the only You on the planet.

Maybe we should do the same. Learn to Love ourselves and be the best self, we can be.
OK, I’m done with my ranting (at least for now)
Crazy Cosmo

New Rummy Exercise

2009-05-06T13:09:00.000-04:00

That fact that I’ve taken up a new exercise probably won’t surprise many of you since I’ve blogged about many new sports and hobbies in the past. But this exercise is different…it’s for my eyes. Over the years I’ve noticed my vision was not great but when I almost failed to renew my driver’s license due to the eye test I decided it was time to take action.

Yes I know I could just wear glasses but I don’t like the way they look and they are uncomfortable to me. I could try contacts but they are uncomfortable too. Plus I’ve heard that glasses and contacts just make your eyes get lazy and you will need stronger and stronger prescriptions. Another option is Lasik eye surgery but that just seems too drastic at this point. So I decided a natural approach of diet and exercise was worth a shot.

Since I already take some vision supplements in addition to my healthy balanced diet, the only thing really left to try was eye exercises. I found six basic exercises that I try every day. They are easy and relaxing. Even if they don’t help, I doubt they will do any harm so it’s worth a try. It’s only been a few week and I do think I’ve noticed some improvement. I know there’s a beautiful world out there and I want to see it all! I will keep you posted on my progress.

Rummy “I can see clearly now” Runner

One way or another...

2009-04-29T12:57:00.000-04:00

One way or another. I’m gonna find. I’m gonna getcha getcha getcha. Maybe Next week…. If you haven’t figured it out yet, these are lyrics to a Blondie song. Tini and I sang our hearts out to this lovely song… well it was lovely before we sang it. Don’t get me wrong, Tini sings pretty well, I on the other hand sound like the seagull from The Disney move Ariel.. .. In other words Horrible.
But I LOVE Tini and she has always wanted to have the courage to sing Karaoke (don’t ask me way…she is a bit crazy that way, but that’s why we love her). So, being the good friend I am, I volunteer to sing with her. Mind you, I have NEVER sang Karaoke and I could’ve went the rest of my life without singing Karaoke, but I did it for her (those poor people in the audience).
When she asked if we could do it another time, I said “Tini, This is probably the only chance you will have to get in on stage to sing in front of people. So you better take me up on it” Tini, being the wise women she is, did.
“What song should we sing” Tini asks me.
“I don’t care, Pick on” I replied, because I knew It didn’t matter, I was going to sound awful. Besides how hard could reading from a teleprompter be?
Tini Picked One way or another by Blondie. Which I have only heard a few times, but what the hell, Tini obviously knows the lyrics and I can read… How bad can it be?
After the electric slide line dance, we were up. (Yes, I made Tini get on stage/dance floor and do the electric slide…poor girl). I get on stage, ready to make a complete fool of myself. This way, people will talk about my craziness, instead of the nails on chalkboard voice I have.
One Way or another… we belt out. Tini is singing her heart out until…we get past the chorus. Apparently, she wasn’t too familiar with the lyrics either. Well, since I had NO idea how the non Chorus part sounded, I started making up words. Then when I got really desperate, I talked the words. Klassy!
The best part is, we got a standing ovation… ok that part was in my dreams, but we did get a few applause (ya have to love friends). Some people were laughing, I’m not sure if it was our antics or our singing… I’m going with antics.
In short, Tini got to conquer one of her fears and I got to make a fool out of myself (Nothing new there). So the next time you hear One Way or another imagine two (hotties) girls singing it at the top of their lungs while doing pelvic thrusts and waving the microphone cord around….
Did I hear Encore?

Vibrator or lounge device, you choose

2009-04-27T15:04:00.000-04:00

Rss feeds ROCK! I can see all the deals on new egg, the latest update on my Favorite blogs all on my google homepage. I even have a few saved searches on Craigslist.

While looking at my saved search for "Couch" this showed up. http://orlando.craigslist.org/fuo/1141956936.html

Just in case the link isn't valid anymore (After an item is sold the link usually doesn't stay up) here are the details

We have a big couch we need to get rid of before we move out. It's in perfect condition, no tears, stains, or strange odors, from a non-smoking house.
Couch Features:
Two reclining seats
Fold down middle seat
Two cup holders
Vibrating seats

Vibrating seats? Seriously. I'm sooo tempted to buy it, but who knows what kind of substances have been spilled on it.

Couchin' (Not sure what that means...) Cosmo

Rummy the Tailor

2009-04-27T10:11:00.001-04:00

My grandfather was a tailor and apparently a very good one. I guess some of that runs in the family blood since I had to use my mad tailoring skills on my work clothes recently.
I purchased some new work pants but they didn’t quite fit right and I wanted to get them synched up in the back just a bit. The tailor wanted $16 for each pair! Well that equates to more per hour than I make as an engineer and was almost as much as I paid for the pants so I just couldn’t justify it.

So I decided to put my sewing skills to the test. Keep in mind the last time I touched a needle and thread was probably high school so this was not a small task. But I did it and the pants look pretty good! It was simple, saved me a bit of money and made me feel like Martha Stewart. (I’m assuming she sews but I’ve never seen her show and could be totally wrong).

So the moral of this story: if you are cheap like me you will realize that you can accomplish many things on your own to save money. Actually a better moral is: it’s good to challenge yourself and try new things!

Rummy “Thanks Grandpa” Runner

Free Beer and Hotties

2009-04-23T17:12:00.000-04:00

Stupid breakup nonsense! Why can't we just get over people quickly and get on with our lives? When are scientists going to come up with a solution...well besides prosac.

In the meantime, I've found friends to be the best cure for a breakup. I can call them at all hours the night, bitch and complain about how things have turned out and through it all, they don't come over and kill me. :)

Here is one way Tini shows her support.

Tini texts me "Are you going to the corporate 5K?"

I respond with a whitty "Well, I'm not really in good enough shape to run, but if you want to walk it, ok"

Tini - "They have free beer and there will be lots of hotties there"

"Where are my damn running shoes?"

Tini really knows how to be a friend and modivate at the same time. Maybe she should be a modivational speaker?

Crusin Cosmo

Skinny Minny Jeans

2009-04-23T10:35:00.000-04:00

Do you have a pair of Skinny jeans that stare at you every time you enter your closet? The jeans that dare you to put them on, while sliently laughing? Maybe it's a pair you had in High school and have been refusing to throw away, even though they have a hole in the hooha.

Well Tuesday, I tried on those Jeans. I would love to tell you that they fit me great and made my bootie look like something to sing about, but I would be lying. The truth is, I was able to get them on (a good step), but I looked a bit like an overstuffed sausage. But there is a silver lining.

Tuesday I tried on a halter top that I bought last year when I was pretty thin. I hadn't been able to wear it because it's super tight and shows EVERYTHING. But this time, when I tried it on, it looked good! Not two weeks ago, It would've looked awful, but this week...yahoo! Of course I asked my roommate(AKA Tini) to verify (I had no desire to look like an overstuffed sausage in public) and she said it looked great!

So I went out with some friends in a pair of jeans I couldn't fit into two weeks ago (not my skinny jeans, but semi-skinny jeans) and a red haulter top that left nothing to the imagination. The best news of all is that I got compliments from everyone and stares from complete strangers. :)

Now all I need to do is to start "getting my flirt on" and get myself a date with a hot fireman!

Bjs are Fat free

2009-04-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Catherinette a great group of supportive fatties (I say that with LOVE!) have come together for Operation Muffin Top. In short, Operation Muffin Top is a group of internet gurus, that supports eachother while getting healthy. We say things like "Don't put that F**KING DONUT in your MOUTH!" And "Remember BJs are fat free".

The current question posed to the group is: what is your modivation for getting healthy?
You guys already know about my HOT body by 31. There is also the modivation of not feeling self concous while wearing a bikini. But I have a secret modivational Weapon. I've promised myself, If I work out at least 3 days a week, for a month, then I treat myself to a massage.

Hmm, that means I need to work out Both days this weekend, since I've been a slacker.

Oh, I almost forgot. Another modivation would be, get hot, so I can have a fling with a hot Fireman! Yummy

Cosmo AKA Modivational Speaker

Chain Gang

2009-04-16T13:42:00.000-04:00

I recently received a chain email that was sent through my bike club. This means about 300 people got the same chain email which said you would have many years of bad luck if I didn’t forward it to X number of people. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I just don’t understand why anyone would forward things like this to people they consider friends.

I deleted the email but promptly wrote back to the sender. I told him I have to send 100 emails to avoid bad luck and all of them are going to him. If he doesn’t read them and cluck like a chicken when the moon is full he will have bad luck in the form of smelly feet whenever he bike rides for the next 10 years. I was trying to keep it light and funny and yet still get my point across…I hope I accomplished this.

So let’s do everyone a favor. If you have a sweet or funny email and you want to pass it along that’s fine. It should be done at your own discretion. ANY email that threatens you with bad luck or smelly feet or anything else and tells you that you HAVE TO forward it should be deleted. That’s what I always do. I’m not going to let an email determine my actions.

Rummy “Wishing you 50 Years of Good Luck for No Particular Reason or Action” Runner

Single...How does that work again?

2009-04-14T16:45:00.000-04:00

It's been over a year since I was really single (Yes there was some on again, off again, but I didn't see anyone else). Now that I'm truly single again, I find myself wondering what do I do?

Obviously, I'm a relationship girl. So, since I just got out of a relationship, I'm not chomping at the bit to date anyone. Besides my dates, end up turning into something serious....run AWAY!

So, what do I do to get over the breakup? I'm not the kind of person that mopes around, or listens to sad songs (no offense Rummy). I like to get on with my life. Life seems too short to morn something that could never be.

Anyways, enough with the phyco babble, what do I do now? Spend a HUGE amount of time with friends partying and dancing my ass off?

Get Fabulously thin and toned? Look so good that a grown man will cry when I walk by?

Move to New Zealand, open up a bar called "I'd do me" that caters to American tourists and sleep with a different aussie every night? I do love their accents!

Dilemmas, Dilemmas....

"Couldn't think of a whitty tag line" Cosmo

And what should appear?

2009-04-14T09:35:00.000-04:00

"You'll be her mighty lion making her heart explode every night!" in my email for a wonderfully inventive spammer. I think it's inspiration for my new pickup line (Since I'm single...watch out fellas)

Cosmo's new pickup line
"Will you be my mighty Lion?"

Has an Alien taken over my body?

2009-04-09T11:04:00.000-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen. Hold on to your Hats/Cellphones. You might need to sit down for this revelation. It’s crazy, out of character and practically heart stopping. In fact, maybe I shouldn’t tell you because I don’t want to get sued for causing heart attacks… Well, that has never stopped me before, so why stop now.

I went to the Gym yesterday! That alone might not be heart attack worthy, but the fact that I actually worked out…well that’s CRAZY. Did I mention that I enjoyed it? WTF! Has an Alien taken over my body? If so… go Alien!

As you know I joined a Gym a few weeks ago. (link) Unfortunately, due to complications with my STUPID FU*KING IUD, I’ve been in too much pain to go. Also, since I’m new to the whole Gym thing, I wasn’t familiar with the equipment. I fixed that, yesterday (Hooray for ME!) with the help of a personal trainer.

While waiting for my Personal Trainer (it was a free perk when I joined), I started people watching. Yeah, there were some hot bodies, but I didn’t see one girl with makeup on or prowlin for beef cake. In fact, most the people were there just to workout. Phew, what a relief.
Eventually my Chic PT arrived. After having a brief discussing out my gym ignorance, she took me to a few Upper Body machines. While at the first upper body machine, we had to discuss what weight I could do.

“I think you can do 30 pounds” she said, while adjusting the weights.

“umm, maybe 10” I said, looking for a hole to crawl into. While secretly thinking, where is the 5lb on this machine?

“Lets try 30, you could be surprised” she insisted.
I was beginning to hate this woman. Preparing my body to work as hard as it ever had, I tired the dreaded 30lbs. OMFG, I was able to do it! I was even able to do a few reps.

Later, while waiting on a machine, I watched a guy using a bicep curl machine . He looked like he was going to have a baby at any moment. He was sweating like a whore in church, grunting, and he looked like he was in enormous pain. Being the nosey person I am, Of course I had to chat with him after he finished.

“Looked like you were working pretty hard there” I said in a friendly non-judging tone. (I swear it was non-judging.)

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have believed I could do it 9 weeks ago. It’s amazing what you can do when you decided to change your life in small ways”

Immediately, I loved this guy! “That’s very true. Looks like you are doing an extraordinary job!” I said with enthusiasm. “It’s never easy to change your life. “

“Thanks. Enjoy your workout” He said with a huge smile on his face.

I finished up by trying out most of the upper body machines and chatting with the PT about what kind of exercises I needed to do to get a ULTRA hot body for my 31st Birthday. The strange part is I’m a bit sore today but I’m looking forward to going back… Definitely an alien.

Cosmo AKA Alien

The Gift of Giving

2009-04-09T09:12:00.001-04:00

The Gift of Giving

I got some great birthday presents this year and it has really put me in a good mood. It’s not that I needed the presents or that they were really expensive it was just that they were so ‘me’ that I felt my friends really liked me, knew me and I was special to them.

I’m the first to be lazy when it comes to gifts. Normally I will just get something quick and easy and be done with it. I guess I do that in the name of efficiency and lack of time. But I’ve had one of those moments of clarity and I now realize how much more important it is to personalize it.

Here’s a list of some of the cool things I got this year and why they were special to me:

Cosmo gave me a yoga necklace. I constantly talk about yoga and do my yoga poses at parties and in my vacation pictures. Now I have a way of showing the world that it is something important to me.

Tini gave me a flowering tea pot. It’s a clear tea pot that you drop a tea ball in and it not only makes tea but also a pretty flower. Tea is one of my simple pleasures and this will make it even more pleasurable.

Cab gave me a gift card to a professional clothing store. I’m trying to improve my professional wardrobe so this will be very helpful. But the best part of her gift was she offered to go there shopping with me.

My engineering coworker gave me a circle template. It’s a simple tool but I’ve never had my own and always borrow his. I got a big laugh when I opened it especially since it’s not exactly a ‘party item’. But it was perfect for me and he even included a label saying Rummy’s Template which made it even more special.

My jet ski friend gave me a bottle of Yamalube. It’s the oil we use for our jet skis. This made me laugh but is also very useful and practical.

My bike friend gave me a bicycle tube as part of my gift. This was also an unexpected and funny thing to open.

My skating friend gave me my favorite juice drink that I affectionately refer to as ‘liquid crack’. I always buy some when we have dinner after the skate but he gave me a bottle 4 times bigger! Yummy!

Another friend gave me some balloons to make balloon animals and a magic 8 ball and other toys. I love toys and being able to act like a kid.

Another friend gave me some nice hair and beauty supplies. She’s the one I always go shopping for this stuff with so she knows I like it.

And still others gave me the standard gift cards but to my favorite places – Sports Authority and Publix. I have no doubt I will put these to good use.

All of these gifts were personalized and reflect some of the many sides of Rummy and how my friends know me. Thanks to all of you! Not so much for the gifts but for being my friend and being important in my life.

Rummy “I love you guys” Runner

Life Begins at 40!

2009-04-07T13:07:00.000-04:00

I had my 3rd annual 39th birthday part this past weekend. I can’t believe it’s already been a year since my big 4-0 bash. My 40th birthday party was the best party I’d ever had and I couldn’t stop talking about it for months. This year’s party was supposed to be a bit scaled back but was even crazier.

We had over 60 people throughout the night and lots of food, music, dancing, fireworks, midnight drunken jet skiing and waving at cars in the front yard. Ok it was really much more than just waving. There was some mooning going on too. We almost mooned a cop car at one point. Thankfully he just said a few words and left. A jeep that we mooned came back and asked directions. Maybe he was really lost or maybe he just liked the show. I’m not sure but we all climbed on the jeep and took pictures. I’d never mooned anyone before in my life but I was drunk and it was fun. I’m finally coming out of my shell at 41. The next day I started to regret it a bit so I guess I’m only part way out of that shell.

What really made the party were all my friends. I’d like to thank them and let them know they are important to me. I just love spending time with them. My only regret is there were so many people that I didn’t get enough one on one time.

It’s true that life begins at 40. I’m in the best place I’ve ever been with friends, confidence, career and knowing what I want in life …to some extent at least. If you’re worried about getting older hopefully this will help you realize it’s not that bad!

Rummy “Another Year Older But Not a Bit Wiser” Runner

Join Operation Muffin Top(ple)

2009-04-02T16:29:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, I've been on a quest to have a Hot Body for my 31st Birthday(its in July). Imagine my surprise when one of my favorite bloggers decided to create a virtual support group for fabulous people that want to do away with their muffin tops!

The "Contest" is cute, has short and interesting rules, and there is profit to be made! Join us for some Muffin Top(pIe) remover fun!

Look here, for the rules, inspiring stories, and shanagins.

Great Idea CS!

Facebook Love

2009-03-20T14:51:00.000-04:00

Facebook, facebook…what is this facebook. I few months ago, some friends talked me into joining myspace…now facebook? So I did the only logically thing…I resisted. Who needs facebook, I said to myself! My friends, the tenacious people that they are, were not giving up. Many of there conversations sounded like the one below.

“What did you think about those pictures?” Tini said
“Oh, those were super cute. How did things go at your doctor’s appointment? Also, what’s going on with hottie?” Cab replied
“The doctor’s appt went well. Hottie..is..still HOT! But how are you feeling today? You looked a bit down yesterday?” Tini responded.

At this point in the conversation I jump in. “What pictures? What doctor’s appointment? And how did you know she was down yesterday?“ I know Tini and Cab hadn’t seen each other in weeks, so WTF!

“Everything is ok" they respond. "We were chatting on facebook…” Tini says. I think Tini keep talking to me, but I zoned out, pissed at stupid facebook!

Of course, I eventually join facebook. It was relatively easy, all I had to do was sign my life and privacy away, but besides that, it was easy peasy. I’ve been on the social site (can it really be considered social since it’s online?) it for a few months with mixed reviews. Facebook is s a time sucker (He He…she said suck) and a great way for stalkers to locate you without being arrested, but besides that, it’s a way to stay in contact with your friends.

In the few short months since I’ve been a member, I’ve been contacted by many people from my home town (no easy feat since it’s BFE), many people who want to be my friend (I could only wish to be that popular in real life), and today I got an entertaining email for a very special individual named Ndubisi Durunna.

Subject: 4really love
"hi sweety, l saw u on my facebook wow u so beautiful with those sexy bodyn lovely smile of u am going crazying about u l really like u n l want to no u were are u from am from africa nigeria n my name is ndubisi plz take good care of ur self n l hope to hear 4u have a lovely day bye"

Thank you facebook. It does my self esteem a world of good to be told I have a sexy bodyn.

Fashionable Memories

2009-03-20T14:31:00.000-04:00

I took stock of what I was wearing… running shoes, overall and a blue t-shirt. Nothing special you might think but this outfit starting bringing back all kinds of memories. I used to think clothes were just a way to keep from being naked and making my figure look its best but this recent moment of clarity changed my opinion. Clothes can be a fun external statement of who you are and what is important to you. They can also be reminders of friends and fun times just as this basic overalls outfit was for me.

The overalls were from a group mountain bike vacation in Oregon. I bought them in a vintage (that means used) shop with a biker girl friend of mine. I remember wearing them during the whole trip whenever we weren’t biking. The girl on the trip recently passed away from a motorcycle accident so the overalls reminded me of her and all the good times we shared.

The running shoes I bought while shopping with my best friend from college. The employees judge what type of shoes you need based on how you walk and then make suggestions. I found out I pronate badly and apparently that meant I could only wear ugly shoes. So while my girl friend was shown all these cute shoes to try on, I was given shoes that only a 80 year old Jewish woman with bad bunions could love. I would have been hurt and upset if I wasn’t laughing so hard at all the ugly shoes. Finally the last pair looked almost normal and were very comfy so I bought them.

The blue t-shirt was from a recent vacation out west with my boyfriend. We mountain biked all day using a ski lift to get up and gravity to get back down. I’ve wanted to do this for years since it’s all the fun and none of the work. It was a good day of riding with perfect weather and the simple t-shirt reminds me of this great day every time I wear it.

So next time you go shopping make sure you bring a good friend so you can create your own fashionable memories. Also, next time you get dressed pay some attention to the good memories associated with your clothes and smile.

Rummy “Fashion Diva” Runner