Flavored Water

I am not sure how I feel about flavored water.

I have tried several kinds. One kind tasted like chemicals, even though it claimed to be all natural. The other kind was a bit better, but still not great. I am going to try a few more though, to see if there are better flavors out there.

Aside from the chemical-taste problem, I also find calories in my water a little troublesome. True, it's like, 20 calories. But drink a few bottles of this stuff, and you're looking at dessert.

I like the idea that this water has electrolytes in it, since I sweat like an ice cube on a griddle when I exercise. Replacing electrolytes always sounds like a good plan; I don't know if the average exerciser needs it.

I keep buying flavored water because all of them are packaged in the perfect sized plastic bottles that are the perfect size to fit in my water bottle holder. I re-use them, but you can't go too long or they get scary. Supposedly they can start to release bad chemicals from the plastic also. So, I change them often.

The bottles are cute. My favorite is super-skinny and clear. I also am fond of the one with a twist-top. Although I probably pay more for that. Oh well. They fit in the cup holder. Yes, I know I could just pour the flavored water out, but that would be wasteful! Oh, the horror!

"The Look"

No, not talking about the latest fashions (not that I keep track of that anyway) or the "Look of Love", either the Eighties song by the group ABC, or the super-sappy Burt Bacharach title.

I'm talking about The Look.

The one your mother used to give you. The one your partner gives you when you have Gone Too Far.
The one you give your partner when they have Gone Too Far.

It's been called the stinkeye. I call it the fisheye, although I have recently found there is a much more obscene meaning to that expression I didn't know about.

Chap-chap in Farsi. My friend called it the Ojo de Muerte, or something like that. It crosses cultures, and continents.

The biggest problem with the look, is the "lookee" may not always understand what the "looker" is giving him the look for. And might say "what?", when the lookee doesn't want to tell the other person "what" at that particular moment. Like, said person has said something too personal. Or, it's about an hour past the agreed upon departure time. Or, said person has just tramped mud across your kitchen floor, but you are on the phone with someone you don't want to hear you yelling.

A million reasons for "The Look". All good.

Sad Times

I have all kinds of funny subjects I'm thinking about making posts on.

I don't feel very funny at the moment. I am quite sad.

T.S. took my dog Suzie to the vet yesterday because she had been acting like something was stuck in her tooth for a week or so. Turns out, the vet thinks she has cancer. We don't know for sure yet, we won't until next week, but the vet seemed pretty certain.

Suzie is such a good dog. She's my dog, too. Yes, she loves T.S. too, but we have a special bond. Maybe because I was the one that walked her most of the time back when she was a hyper young dog. Maybe because she felt I saved her from the pound. Maybe because I am the more vocal of the two of us. Whatever the reason, she's my dog.

I will never not have animals, but this is the hard time. Lots of difficult decisions to make. None of them wrong, but all of them very, very difficult.

I don't feel like being funny today. I feel like taking Suzie for a short walk. And crying.

Zori's - Thongs - Flip-flops - Bathroom Shoes

The quintessential shoe of summer. Now currently, acceptable nearly every where but the workplace (and I think the girls who wore them to the White House were FINE. What a silly thing to have an uproar about!)

When I was a kid, my mom called them Zori's. We had those thin soled rubber things for the beach that made your toes hurt. Years later, we realized Zori was a brand name; they are still made today. And look, here is a whole web page explaining the entire thing. The ZORI page.

When they came into style in the 80's I had several pair. My favorites were black, thick-soled, with a bamboo-mat insole, and thick black velvet straps. Like the traditional ones, but a little more stylish. I wore them until they broke. I also had less-comfy, but coordinated red, blue and I think pink ones.

My friend Yoko's mom thought it was so funny that bathroom shoes were so popular in the U.S. In Japan, those shoes were ONLY for when one was in the bathroom.

Now they are back in style, and I have to admit, there are some very cute ones out there - whatever you want to call them. I usually call them flip-flops.

The cheapest ones I have seen, at an end of summer sale, in undesirable colors like puce and grey, were 25 cents. Then there are the most expensive. You can get them from H. Stern, Brazilian Jewelers, and they will set you back....19,840.00. Surely nobody would spend that much on flip-flops!

My favorites are the ones that light up. I would LOVE a pair. I have a thing for light-up footwear. Don't ask me why, I couldn't explain it.

Unfortunately, my feet have mutated and I can only wear Birkenstocks - and of course, all the CUTE Birks are only in NARROW width...But that's a whole other subject.

Got the Strat - Happy Anniversary - Collections of Things

So, I got my Fender Stratocaster. It is lovely. I even sound good playing it.

I was thinking lately about possessions. I like nice things. I can unerringly pick out the most expensive item - and usually it's the one I want. However, no matter how lovely, they are just objects.

All of them can be replaced.

While it would make me very angry if my possessions were stolen, sad if they were destroyed and furious if they were vandalized - they are just things.

Some may make our lives easier, others, like the Strat, give enjoyment.

I have never really understood collecting things that are useless, like stuffed animals, or figurines. My only non-useful collections are sentimental - Best of the West (toys from my childhood), Barbie & Ken, for obvious reasons if you know me.

I have useful collections. I collect tarot cards, guitars, and blank journals. Also silver earrings from every state or province I visit. I get those instead of tourist souvenirs. No thanks to those tacky things for me.

Even so - they are just objects. Some of the most sentimental, like the hope chest my Dad made in High School, and my Mom's art, are still just reminders of them.

The Strat (and the cowbell) will always remind me of our 24th anniversary. The Mustang will always remind me of my 35th birthday.

The things may be sold someday, but the memories will always belong to me.