I'm not fond of the once a week catch up blog style, but I haven't had time for anything else. So we'll start with last weekend and going to Reno.

* I figured I would get selected for additional airport security screening. After all, I was buying my ticket an hour before the flight and I paid in cash. And that was as expected. What I did not expect is for one of my carry ons to fail the hazardous chemical swipe test they do. So then they had to go through absolutely everything. And give me extra pat down. I was just praying that they didn't escort me to a room in the back. Later, I realize why. That bag is normally my gym bag and holds my swim stuff. Chlorine.

* In Reno I hung out with my Uncle Rayfield and his family. My Uncle and Aunts idea of a good time... dinner and an AA meeting. It was interesting... a little hokey, lots of comical sob stories, but not much focus on these 12 steps I keep hearing so much about. They all had a pretty good sense of humor about how they had screwed up their lives though. I think covering the pain with jokes is a form of denial. Or maybe that's the only way they keep it from becoming a public sobfest.

* Of course, I had to drive up to Susanville and visit my brother in prison. I forgot and only packed underwire bras, so when I got there I wasn't passing the metal detectors. They wanted me to either borrow a bra from the visiting office (like prison isn't gross enough) or cut the wire out of mine. Thank God my luggage was in the car. I was able to opt for throwing on a tank top on with some built in support. But there's me having issues with security again.

* The rest of the weekend was all arcdade, no superbowl. I'm not exactly sure why my clients brought me and the kids. I had the kids 22 hours in a 42 hour period. That accounts for all but 2 of their waking hours. The first night we had to evacuate the kids to the lobby right before bed because there was a fire alarm. There a kind gentleman entertained us with a magic trick called the tree of knowledge.

* This weeks visit to my long time hairdresser (15 years) turned into a therapy session over my sibling dynamics. My sister has some serious resentment issues regarding me ever being born and me getting everything she ever wanted growing up, and she's never got over it. So she use to be a complete witch to me, and now we just don't talk unnecessarily. And I think it's better now that we stay out of each other's lives, than when I was younger and she was an active participant critical bully making me feel sad and rejected all the time. It's not the first time Josee's had me tearing in the chair. Then I was on a run right afterwards and I remembered how my sister would never let me hug her when I was little. She would make me ask first and then if she would tense up every muscle in her body and it was like hugging a board. She's pretty screwed up. (**editor's note: I asked my mom and she explained that my sister was and still is very claustiphobic and that's explains the no hugging thing.)

* After not enough sleep Monday night, I was completely exhausted practically falling asleep during my Tuesday night class. But then somebody mentioned that it was Fat Tuesday and that changed everything. I called all my people to rally us to go out. So Steph and I get ready and go to meet the KAK house crew in Los Gatos. The line at mountain charley's is out the door and an hour long wait. It's packed and I keep running into people I know. We wait for a second and then we use our connections to get in. We had a blast there. I've been missing going out these people. Then we all went to eat at Cardinal afterwards and then back to KAK house to watch Dawn of the Dead. When the movie ended it was 5 am making it was 23 hour day for me. And even then it was hard for me to get to sleep. I kept picturing zombies everytime I closed my eyes.

* I should have gone into marketing. I was at the gym working out yesterday listening to my walkman and I came up with this great commercial for 24 hr or any club really. It goes to the new Kelly Clarkson song.... (lyrics)
Since you've been gone [show fat before picture]
I can breathe for the first time [thin now picture of model spinning around]
Im so movin on
Yeah yeah
Thanks to you (thanks to you) [shaking hands with personal trainer]
Now I get [fast clip of now thin person running treadmill]
I get what I want [in aerobics class]
I can breathe for the first time [lifting weights]
Im so movin on [leaving the gym with someone attractive]
Yeah yeah
Thanks to you (thanks to you) [24 hour sign]
Now I get (I get)
You should know (you should know) [proud 24 hour staff watching them walk out the door]
That I get I get what I want
Since you've been gone [show the fat picture again]
Since you've been gone [another fat picture]
Since you've been gone [and another]

That's my idea. Not that I'll pitch it anywhere but here.

* Yesterday Ryan got a bracelet with a cross on it for her christening anniversary. And I hear her telling her mom how I have one of those but it's on my necklace. And I thought it was cute she remembers that I wear one. Then when I got home I notice that it's gone. It fell off the chain some time yesterday. So I'll have to find a new one now. Just ironic to hear Ryan talk about me always wearing it and then have it go missing same day.

*Even though I'm not Catholic, I still like to try to give something up for lent. Last year went well and I think I'll keep some of the same goals. Like no clothes shopping. No daily chocolate indulgences (only special occasions). No caffienated soda (not currently a problem, but a good practice anyways). New to the list will be no being a human garbage disposal. I'm not germ conscious so I always eat the kids food. I hate wastefulness so if they leave 2 chicken nuggets I eat them. If they eat only 2 quarters of their sandwhich I eat them. I eat what they don't all day long and it's a very bad habit that I need to break. So that's my new one.

Ok... off to work. Have a great day!