Merry Christmas Monica!

Let's lighten the mood, shall we?

This is a little song I wrote for my friend Monica for Christmas. I love her so much that I named my car after her. She is a direct result of being a fan of DMB. I met her in the store she managed a couple of years ago. We discovered that we both loved DMB....next thing you know, we are in a motor home heading to the Gorge to see Dave.

You all know I hate ryhming greeting cards, but come on....this is fun!

Merry Christmas Monica
Let me play you a song for Hanukkah
On my Harmonica
Out of words than end in Onica...

Oh, oh Monica...
Gin and Ohohtonica...
Spectacularly Ironica...
Don't you just love Monica?

You don't need to smoke the Chronica
To know that she's Bionica
Even Supersonica
That's Just Monica!

Oh, I love my Monica
Trust me, Its platonica
And if you don't love my Monica
You must be a moronica!


*written by Lana W. Dec, 2008 ( with props and winks to Adam Sandler for the melody and the word Hannakah)

Letter to Satan

Dear "Satan",

My life coach and I were talking about you. About how, after 9 years, your behavior towards me still affects how I feel about myself. How I love, or don't love, myself....sometimes.

She said "Why don't you go for coffee with him? Tell him how you feel, get it off your chest". "Absolutely NOT" I said.

"Write him a letter" said she "and then burn it, sprinkle the ashes over the river and let the feelings float away".

"Hmmmm. I might. But....I'm not ready to let go of this just yet. I get a payback from holding onto this sadness, hatred and regret."

"Do it when you are ready" She guided.

So, here I am. I looked at it from every angle. Here is what I know.

You treated me like a trophy. You stole some of my youth, looking for your own, because you had made mistakes in your own life and were trying to relive it. You saw how determined, smart and resourceful I was, and you preyed on me. I wasn't old enough to know better, but YOU were. You were cheap, and cruel, narcissistic and dishonest. I made a fool out of myself to try to get you to love me, accept me.

When I left you, you continued to nickle and dime me, even out the door. But you forgot how smart and strong I am. You lost that fight.

My anger has been mixed in with hate, disappointment and compassion all of these years. But as I grow happier and fulfilled, I start to realize that you were a gift. You came to me, wrapped up in a pretty package. As I unwrapped you, I found a sad little man, who could only make himself feel better by belittling others. You were a bit of a bully.

I look at myself now, and I don't feel like that hot little number that I was when I met you. Part of my self esteem was destroyed by staying when my soul screamed "LEAVE". I can't blame you for that.

My biggest regret was that I "sold my soul" to be with you. I missed out on time with my friends and family....I literally was checked out of my life. Again, not your fault. Together, through the relationship, we brought out the absolute worst in me. I am not proud of that.

I know now that no-one can "make you feel" any way, unless you give them permission to. I also learned that when someone lashes out at me, or does something to me that hurts, that it has absolutely nothing to do with me. Everything you did to take away from me was a direct result of how you felt about YOU.

That relationship course we took? Best thing I ever did, even though the end of it was our end. So, that is what I take from my 2 years in hell. I realize without you I would not be the stronger, wiser, more loving woman I am today.

It kills me to give you credit for your part in that. But, in an effort to move on, I will do my best to forgive you, and thank you. I don't love you, like you, or ever want to share the same air with you. But I do hope you find a way to be truthful to yourself, once and for all.


L

Mouse Meat

I'm sure everyone had a nickname growing up.

With a name like Lana, it was easy to find nicknames for me. Most of them were harmless; Lana Banana was the staple nickname, because when you are young, it's easier to think of rhyming names than it is to think of something creative.

My mom used to call me "Mousemeat". Sounds cute if you say it without thinking about it, but what IS Mouse Meat? She called me that for years, and sometimes still does. But one day, when I was about 7 ( and I remember this vividly ) we were walking down the stairs to our main floor apartment and she called me Mousemeat. I stopped on the 3rd stair and said "Ma-om, have you ever thought about what mouse meat is? Eeeeew! Stop it!" She stopped, holding the hallway door open and said "Wow, you know what? I never even thought about it. I will stop calling you that right now." She and I recall that now and then and laugh. Especially at how indignant I was about it; Little tot giving her mom "what for".

As I "matured" and entered middle school, I was awkward and liked to dress in clothes that were more appropriate for someone my Mom's age. In grade 7, at least. One day I was wearing a silk shirt and someone called me Lawrence Welk. I had no idea who that was, so that didn't hurt my feelings. But I did feel dumb for not knowing who he was. I also had short, unmanageable hair and kind of looked like a boy, so I knew it was an insult. My best friend in middle school was named Fiona. She got the nickname "indent" because she was so flat-chested. Kids really can be cruel.

(My best friend now is also a Fiona. My nickname for her is "Princess Fiona". She truly is royalty in my eyes.)

As an adult, my male friends started shortening my maiden name to "Blades"...which has stuck, even with my husbands' friends. I love that name. It kind of ties me to the boys a bit. My best friends' husband will call and say "Hey Blades....oops" and we laugh. That nickname won't go away anytime soon.

The most endearing name that my friends call me is "Lan". I know it's not good to shorten peoples' names, but I know that I have truly embedded myself in some one's heart when they call me that. It's never discussed, it just happens naturally. One day, for no apparent reason they will say something like "....right, Lan?" and my heart will melt. It must be because the loves of my life and my closest girlfriends have called me that at some point.

If you are my friend, you can call me anything you like. Recent favorites from some of my Twitter friends are Lanatic, Lana the Dorknificant, Lan Lan and Sugar. Hubs calls me Lulu and Lala. One of my favorite people in the world calls me Lil B. I love that one too.

Did you have a nickname growing up? How about now?

Bad Date Stories

About 15 years ago, I dated this wonderful guy, named....let's call him "Ron". Ron was a beautiful Fijian man, with a lot of charm, and lots of experience dating.

We worked at a grocery store together (ah, the romance!) and he pursued me aggressively. I finally caved and we started dating. It was awesome. We dated for about 6 or 7 months and spent all of our free time together. I got to know his room mates, attended one of their weddings; you know, relationship stuff. His best friend, Will, is a great guy and although we didn't know each-other well, I knew him to see him, and likewise in later years. (He will come back into the story for relevancy later)

Ron and I split amicably, as with most of my relationships ( bad relationship story to follow) and remained good friends. He moved away and sent me letters, professing his love for me long after we broke up and he moved away. We jokingly agreed that we would get married in 10 years if we were both single. 

I started dating "Satan" many years later, and he and I went to the city where Ron now lived. Excited to see Ron, I called him and we made plans to meet up. He brought Satan and I a homemade lunch and bottle of wine to the beach. It was really sweet. Later that day we went to Ron's house for dinner, continued drinking and enjoyed a really fun evening. 

Ron and I kept in touch over the years and then our correspondence dwindled, but I always thought highly of him. I recently got his work number from Will, who, as it turns out is now a client of mine. (Will remembered me after all these years and trusted me to take care of a very important transaction for him.) I called Ron twice last year, left messages and he never returned my calls.

It is now years later, I got rid of Satan, found my hubby and married almost 6 years ago. 

In the fall, I travelled to the city where Ron lived ( I go there often) to see a concert with my best friend. She and I went to one of my favorite restaurants. We were sitting in the lounge having a couple of drinks, when, in walks Ron! He looked very posh, and still very much like the Ron I knew and loved. I called out to him "Ron!"  He looked over and smiled, but his eyes were questioning.  I walked over and said "How are you? I left you a few messages and didn't hear back from you" He replied "Oh, I am terrible at returning calls" I then said, " I am working with Will on a project" He smiled and said, "Hey, let me go say hello to my colleague and then I will come and catch up with you"  Note, his "colleague" was a beautiful, young Asian woman sitting at the bar making eyes at him.

I sat down with my best friend and told her a little bit about Ron. He came back and chatted for a second, then said, "Hang on a sec, I'm gonna get you a business card". I looked at my bestie and said, trying to contain my laughter "He.has.no.idea.who.I.am."  Ron came back with a business card, which I took and put in my purse. BUSTED! The business card ploy was so that I would give him one which he could use to jar his memory. I didn't give him my card. Instead...

Me ( to Ron) "You don't remember me, do you?"

Ron "Of course, I do!"

Me "What's my name?" ( I am laughing at this point)

Ron "Well, I know it starts with something, and ends with something" ( I am not kidding- his exact words)

Me "We dated, Ron"

Ron "Well, ya. I knew that. We went out on at least one date"

Me "We dated for about 6 months, to be exact"

Ron.....

Me "My name is Lana"

Ron "Lana! Oh my god, you were the love of my life!"

(my best friend and I were busting a gut by this time)

Me "Ya, I thought that too....haha"

Ron "We were supposed to get married!"

Me "Huh?" ( I had forgotten our pact years ago)

Ron "We agreed, if we were both single in 10 years we'd get married!"

Me "Oh....ya. Huh. Well, it was GREAT seeing you Ron."

Ron "You too Lan, really. Give me a call next time you are in town"

Me "Will do"

Ron walked away and my friend and I howled. What a turd. How could you forget me? My feelings weren't even hurt. How could they be? He wasn't even being malicious. He was just a ladies man and had had too many "loves of his life"  between our time and now. Too funny.

When I got back to the condo, I promptly put his card in the waste basket.

It felt great.

*all names, except mine, have been changed to protect the innocent, and the socially inept.

Raised on Indie

I was actually raised on mainstream music, back in the day when only truly talented artists got record deals.

As I matured I came to realize just how talented one must be to write lyrics, music and perform...to be the "whole package" is so rare.

I continue to "step out of my comfort zone" and try new things. I have been following a blog written by Brian Morris in Vancouver that covers the indie music scene. He sent out a "tweet" yesterday looking for writers for his blog. I didn't even consider that I could fail at this venture. I quickly responded "Me, me!!" and crossed my fingers that he would let me try this out.

As of today, I am now a member of the www.raisedonindie.com family. I am so lucky and very excited to be a part of this.

I enjoy some mainstream music, but prefer to explore the music in which real talent lies. Where talent shines...where risks are taken...where it is not all about money.

I hope you will follow the blog and check back often for information about indie artists, mostly Canadian talent ( we have produced not only amazing hockey players, but amazing musicians as well!), and anything else our readers want us to cover!

Life keeps getting better and better for me.

Can't wait to continue sharing with you.

Check this out..... http://www.raisedonindie.com/category/editorial/

Every Challenge Has A Solution

My husband just got off the phone with a mutual friend.

One of their friends took his own life this week. With 2 mortgage payments, a truck payment, and a wife who just got laid off, he felt it was his right to take himself out of the picture. He also left behind a son and daughter.

My heart aches. I feel so horrible for his wife and children. How does this make their lives better? My heart aches only a little for him. I will never understand what compelled him to decide that was the best solution. I am always saddened when someone feels THAT bad. But right now, I am a bubbling body of rage. I am so angry at the cowardice he displayed by making that choice. He had no right to do that, to himself, or anyone else.

I am fortunate that I have never had any one that I know commit suicide. In high school there was one very popular senior who took his life. Turns out he wasn't as happy as he appeared to be. I wish that there had been a way for him to look past his current troubles. I also think that more programs should be put in place to help people overcome the shame they may feel at such a low point in their lives.

I don't profess to be perfect, but I am blessed with a mother who always showed me that she could overcome any obstacle, and we had many.

My motto has been, for the past several years, "Every challenge has a solution". And it's true. Some solutions are hard to execute, but there is an answer. Confide in someone you trust, brainstorm, have faith. "This too shall pass".

We all need to help each other out in these times.

We really ALL are in this TOGETHER.

Sugar Will

I am not feeling very creative, but wanted to share with you one of my favorite Dave Matthews Band songs...where I got the idea for my "Alter Ego" Sugarwilla.

This is one version of the song, as played live in 2004. I understand there are 20+ versions of this song.

What do you think it means?

Cigarettes and red red wine
So spend all night with you
And talking of myself
I wonder if you knew

Sugar ain't poison
Sugar will kill you
Too much of a good thing
Maybe not so sweet

And I came stumbling in
Caught you whispering to a friend
When you call my eyes thought
And pretending not to see me
I don't know 'bout myself
Maybe I'm a little bit crazy
But still I can't help thinking myself
That you oh, you knew

Sugar ain't poison
Sugar will kill you
Too much of a good thing
Maybe not so sweet

See oh, these two men
I swear they went through ten bottles just sitting there
And sweating in summer time
They looked sick as hell
And I wondered if I could get there myself
I bet too late my soul no
I wonder if I could be there myself
And I wonder if you knew

Sugar ain't poison
Sugar will kill you
Too much of a good thing
Maybe not so sweet

Dave Matthews Band....."Sugar Will"

2325 Tweets

My brother and I went for coffee the other day.

We ended up talking about technology, the internet, and Twitter. He chuckled at one point and said "I can't believe the words that are coming out of your mouth". He was referring to the words blog, microblog, podcast, hashmarks and the like.

Quite frankly, I cannot believe that I have immersed myself into this world so deeply, either.

Now, roughly 6 weeks, 2 blogs and 2325 tweets later, I am witnessing some amazing things happening in my life.

I never read the paper much or watched the news. I did love the tabloids though. Now, I rarely watch the news or read the paper at all, and never read the tabloids. Rather, I read tweets, blogs, and watch or listen to podcasts.

My attitude has changed too. I am a lot calmer, happier.....and incredibly excited.

I must tell you about 5 people I have encountered on Twitter that have affected me a great deal.


I was instantly drawn to Gina, a stay at home mom of 4 kids, whom on any other day, I wouldn't have a thing in common with. We started our banter back and forth and discovered that we had a similar sense of humour and just, for some reason or another, hit it off. I miss her if I don't talk to her daily. She is amazing, and multifaceted, funny and dynamic. Now that I have gotten to know her, I can't imagine not knowing her. I told her I want to meet her and share a case of wine with her. Apparently her calendar is busy until 2010. We have plans then and I intend to hold her to it.

I can't even remember how Robert and I started to "talk", but that is irrelevant when you consider how close we have become since then. He is a very talented artist with a deep, generous soul. He has bravely shared his unfinished artwork with me and introduced me to an amazing type of meditation. What is even more amazing to me is that I never could meditate before. He showed up at a time in my life when I was craving more knowledge and growth. He has a wonderful blog and has a deep desire to help others. He is the first person I talk to after my "meditation" sessions. I am so excited and I feel privileged to know him.

Jeff is a musician from New York. He found me by somehow searching for "indie music". I am a music lover but have no idea how he found me. I am so glad he did. I immediately visited his blog and discovered he had music on iTunes. I listened to a couple of tracks, looked at the lyrics and was hooked by his beautiful voice. I bought his album. I shared the lyrics with a friend who was going through a break up and with many other friends. He is very talented. I promote him whenever I can, and with no expectation of anything, other than the occasional chat, in return. He has offered to do arrange something for me that is a dream come true. If it happens I will tell you all about it afterwards. If it doesn't come to fruition, I will always be blown away by the generosity of this wonderful "stranger" whom I hope will become a lifelong friend.

What can I say about Joey? I think he found me via a group I created for Dave Matthews Band Fans. We started chatting about our firedancer tattoos and Dave Matthews and suddenly, out of nowhere, a very important friendship blossomed. We have only been chatting for a few days, but we both sense that we will be friends forever. At least that is how I feel. We have both taken it upon ourselves to make sure that the other person is in the best mood possible. It's wonderful to know you have someone looking out for you. He started a blog a couple days ago, and is a wonderful writer. One of his posts left me weeping. He was so vulnerable and trusting, and above all truthful. I know that is who he is. I am so lucky to have him as a friend.

Jen found me today. Thank whatever cosmic being is looking out for me. She asked me a question in response to one of my tweets and the rest is history. She found my blog, I found hers and I was "in". Not only did I sense that we have a lot in common, there is just an indescribable sense of knowledge already. She joked today about having starbucks together and chatting it up. I don't doubt that would happen would we ever get together for a visit. Many of you know I have been itching to get my poetry out there, I just didn't know how. Today, while reading her blog, I found a blog dedicated to her poetry. My heart jumped out of my chest. Firstly, because it confirmed I had found a kindred spirit, but I also realized that I too could be brave and share my poetry this way too. Our connection is only hours old, but I look forward to deepening our friendship.

I have made many other meaningful connections, like with Nathan, Alison, David, Vijay, Jayson, Charles....to name just a few. I love picking the curseword of the day with David and Vijay, hearing about Alison's adventures in Italy, getting rare DMB songs from Jayson, learning about new songs from my musical muse, Charles, and sharing the shenanigans of the "perfects" with Nathan and other great people. I know these connections will get stronger too. This excites me a great deal.

If you would have told me 6 weeks ago that I would be jumping out of my skin about microblogging, blogging and making meaningful connections on the internet, I would have told you to go fly a kite.

Pass the ketchup. I'd like to eat my words.

My Life is a Stereo

"My life is a stereo, turn me on and let's go....."

Some of my first memories involve music. I used to sit on the living room at my Grandparents house and bounce up and down to the "Old Dutch" potato chip commercial. I was in diapers...must have been 18 months old. My Grandparents took care of me every summer from the age of 1-12. Their home was filled with music. Grandma played the piano, my Grandpa the accordion (he wrote a song just for me :) I've never been especially religious, but lived for Sundays so I could go to church with them and sing. There are pictures of me, as a wee one, sitting at my Gran's piano plunking away...and even one of me in my parent's living room with those enormous headphones and a big head of curls as I played with the knobs on the stereo.

"What songs do I know?....."

We had a TV, but given the choice, my mom and I would have the stereo on. Nothing like the sound of the needle dropping on the vinyl and the indescribable sound the needle made as it found its groove. My mom would yell from her tub "Can you play that song again?" And I would....over and over. Her faves at the time were Bob Segers' "Against the Wind" and Helen Reddy's " I am Woman", among many others. She introduced me to Joni Mitchell, ABBA, Carly Simon, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin. I love her for being so diverse. I remember going to the library and checking out all of the Floyd and Zepplin albums and locking myself in my room for hours. In junior high I got hooked on Metallica. I also mixed it up with Anthrax, Chicago, 2 Live Crew, Run DMC, Beasties, Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Madonna...etc. Quite a mix. My mom came in one day and asked if I would put Metallica on. And she wasn't kidding. She encouraged me to like all types of music. And I did.

"My life is a stereo, out phased but you know...."

My Dad helped with my love of music too. One day in particular always comes back to mind. Dad was taking me somewhere in our powder blue Datsun 510 (it was the 70's) and in his 8-track was Queen's "We are the Champions". We had a blast singing it. We also had some "purple people eater" cassette, that I haven't been able to shake either. That was another great one that made car trips so much fun. If you get in my dad's car today, you will likely hear "Memory" from "Cats", over and over, whether you like it or not. He loves how such a tiny little person can project such a powerful sound.

"My life is a stereo, how loud does it go?...."

My little brother must have been 3 or 4 when my Dad gave him a record player for some occasion. He loved Dire Straits "Walk of Life" and would play and then drag the needle over again to replay the song. This would go on for hours and hours. Several years ago, I made mixed CD's for family members at Christmas. My mom got a mix of all of the music she introduced me to, Dad got a CD with many different versions of Memory and "Neil Diamond-esque" music. My brother got a CD with "Walk of Life" as every song. I think it fit 18 times. It was a hit. He told me once, that when he needed a pick me up and a laugh he would fish it out of his glove box and play it.

"Turn me up louder, I'll scream as loud and clear as I can scream
And if you like what you're hearing, please hang on to me....."

I have a pretty good singing voice. It was a musical gift from my Grandma. I took voice lessons for years and did recitals and shows, but I am best at singing in my car. I harmonize with the Dixie Chicks, Dave Matthews, John Mayer; you name it. I secretly desire to sing in a band...the ones that are in small restaurants on a Friday night, or sing the national anthem at a hockey game, but I lack the stage presence and confidence. My voice is a lot quieter and shaky when I have an audience.

"My life is a Stereo....."

My life has a soundtrack.

I look forward to sharing it with you.

"Life ends in a Stereo, pack me up and let's go
Put me anywhere, please don't think of leaving me behind
Whatever happens to you, I'll get on just fine...."


Lyric segments taken from Canadian Band "The Watchmen"...."Stereo"

Hockey Fight

I have been an avid hockey fan since I was little, thanks to my Mom. Hockey is a great sport, with great fans. We folks north of the border LOVE hockey!

I am fortunate to have seen NHL games in Calgary (my hometown), NYC, Toronto and Vancouver.

Although Toronto has the best "barn" I've been to, with Vancouver a close 2nd, and with my limited exposure to other team's fans, my opinion is that no-one can outshine the pride that my hometown has for it's team. When you walk in, sit down and see that almost everyone is wearing red, it is quite impressive. Gone are the days when the seats were all corporate...people wore suits....when they bothered showing up at all. Now...it's a full house almost every night. You will see, mixed among the red jerseys, shirts, coats, hats, scarves etc.....a (small) smattering of rival jerseys and the like. It's cool....we welcome it. We have fun with our rival fans.

I got called out tonight from a fellow "Twitter-er" when I made mention of the fact that I was pretty sure we had the best fans in the NHL. This is because in my Twitter Avatar, I am wearing a Canucks shirt. *GASP* Because I didn't have a previous Twitter "relationship" with him, I was ticked and responded to him like this....."....so many comebacks to that, yet so few characters". If I had enough room, this is what I might have said....

"It's a canucks shirt? Oh, I just thought it was pretty...that's why I was wearing it!"

"It's the only shirt I could find that matched my shoes, handbag and the colors on the thermal setting in my iMac Photobooth"

"Um, I'm a Canadian. Doesn't that make ME a Canuck?"

"My favorite color is Black. Do you think Black gets it's jockstrap in a knot when I wear Purple?"

"I'm wearing Flames gear to the game tonight....and,well, I admit it..... Canucks panties"

"So, I like 2 teams.....wanna meet me out by the bike racks?"

"So, what?"

"You must be a jealous fan of a different, crappier team"

"Ya, I like 2 teams. That's ok. I like to think of the the Flames as my "husband" and the Canucks as my "boyfriend".

Or....

"At least it's not an Oiler's jersey"

And then, after unravelling my panties and yanking them out of my ass....I saw that he had added a :) after his comment.....and had started following my tweets.

And so.....

I followed him back. :)

Where the Hell Did I Come From?

I am so screwed up I am actually right side up!

My parents got divorced when I was 5.

I remember 2 things about that day; standing in the doorway while my Dad knelt on one knee to tell me, the other is the Raggedy Ann doll that I had dragged down the street, getting her face filthy and unrecognizable. I am not sure why I remember her (she wasn't there that day) but those are the 2 things I see when I remember that moment.

I don't remember being sad.

My parents are AMAZING. They have demonstrated that you can fall out of love with someone, yet still love them completely.

My Mom never legally remarried but has been with her life partner for 26 years. My dad remarried( giving me a brother from his 2nd marriage). My dad sat beside my Mom at my wedding and held her hand. We all had a beautiful dinner together a few weekends ago.

So, because of them, deep down, and even on the surface, I radiate love. I love to share with others ( intangible things, like my knowledge or success....never my clothes or CD's or books...it's an "only child" thing). I love to promote people who I think are amazing and deserving. I love to create and spin energy to get positive results for me and those I care about.

I do have demons. They pick away at my soul. Slowly I am gathering the tools to manage them. I don't want to obliterate them...just manage them. Without these little bastards, I would be a bump on the couch...never wanting, desiring, learning or loving. They are the reason I am successful in my life. They are also the reason I am never satisfied....I want more. Always.

I wish everyone I know could know my Mom. She is the person I strive to be like.

Impossible shoes to fill.

But, I love a challenge.

The Perfects

So, being new to this blogging business, I feel a lot of pressure to entertain you all.

I think If I tell you a little more about what is bouncing around in the crazy curly head of mine the next posts will come so much easier.

The thing that inspired me to write a blog in the first place was a really strange suggestion from some of my Twitter friends. "You should write a blog about the perfects!"

I began inundating my tweets with snippets of what my neighbours down the street were doing. Basically ALL they have been doing is shoveling or sweeping their driveway since Snowmaggedon started in early December. Oddly, a huge number of the folks in my "Twitterverse" began asking about the "perfects" if I didn't update on a regular basis. My most recent request came to me like this...."I love your updates about the Perfects. Give them alliterative first names. Keep those updates coming". So, now I need to name them.

Oh, the stress of giving them the perfect names!!

I think the "perfects" are so interesting because they are so UN-interesting. I also think that we all know a set, and in some deep dark corner of our imperfect existence we would like to be like them. Weird, I know. But why else are we all so fascinated with them?

So, micro blogging about the "perfects" seems the best medium for them right now. Don't worry...they'll keep us entertained all year round. She gardens in the summer....and they also let their perfect spawn outside then.

But in the meantime, and at the moment...their driveway looks like crap.

And I like that.

Thank You

I really appreciate all of you who have visited and offered me feedback on the blog. I was frustrated because I couldn't get the comment link to work ( I think it is now working below this post) I am having a lazy day in my body and a crazy day in my head....trying to figure out what to blog about next. I have lots of material, just not sure what I should throw at you first!

For those of you looking for a fresh start - Happy New Year!