Happy New Year!

So 2012 is coming to an end and how am I spending New Year's eve?  At home...sick!

I've been battling a nasty sinus infection since the night of Christmas.  And because I knew I didn't want to be sick for New Year's, I immediately got myself an antibiotic the very next day.  Well, unfortunately this strain of sinusitis is being a major bitch and completely resistant the antibiotic.

Years ago I was plagued with one sinus infection after another, to the point where I needed endoscopic sinus surgery to remove numerous polyps and cysts that rudely took refuge in my nasal cavity.  The surgery was done a long time ago, in 1994.  And since, my sinus issues have been hit or miss.  One year I may have four to five infections while others like this past year I may only have one or two.  So I really can't complain.

However, this particular infection has been brutal.  It knocked me down like a flu without being an actual flu. And since I refuse and NEVER get an influenza vaccination, thank god it's not the flu, cause then I would never hear the end of how I should have gotten the shot.

Anyway, our son is going to a New Year's Eve party at one of his friend's and me and the hubs were supposed to attend a low-key but always FUN time at my cousin's house.  Where we would have been treated to a fine Italian cuisine, courtesy of my cousin and her hubby.

I was really looking forward to going. *sigh*

But instead we will be staying home.

Sure hope 2013 begins on a better note than the way I'm finishing 2012.  (keeping the fingers crossed)

Hope everyone has a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

- Heather

Hopelessly Distracted

I should just begin this post with a big old *sigh* cause that's how I'm feeling at the moment.

My goal was to finish my novel by the end of this year.  And here it is December 14th, 2012 and there is no way I will be done with it.  But anyone who knows me will not be too shocked by this honest disclosure.

So what happened?

Let's see, in my previous post I wrote about my Kabuki room, so you know I decided to paint (which also included a hallway and stairwell).  This process took a few days, being that I'm not a professional painter.  It takes me a whole day just to tape. And I'm a very messy painter and have various articles of clothing that can attest to that.  In fact, I have a couple pairs of pants that if you look closely enough, you can see every color that I have painted with in the last ten years.  The paint on the clothing also proves that no matter how much plastic or cloths I put down, I still manage to get paint on the carpets and floors. This recent experience cost me my fave sneakers too.  Stupid me just knew painting in them was a huge mistake but NO...I told myself I'd be careful.  Well, in typical Three Stooges or Lucille Ball fashion, I stepped off the ladder and put my foot right into the pan filled with Kilz primer.  If anyone has used that shit, you know it's thick and hard to remove from things other than walls.  So unfortunately, my sneakers met a terminal fate as even the washer machine was no match for Kilz.  :(

Anyway, painting was time consuming and then tack on another day or two for redecorating.  Both took me right out of writing mode. Hell I didn't even turn my computer on...yeah NOT GOOD!

Next distraction is the holiday season. Not that I've been out shopping much, but it just feels my mind is preoccupied with it.

Or maybe it's just preoccupied in general.  Hmmmmm....wouldn't be the first time.

For my own sanity and possible those around me, I must set another deadline.  Even though I'm the only one concerned on whether or not it's completed, putting a date out there helps get me motivated again.

So here it goes....next deadline is January 31, 2013.

- Heather

The Return of the Kabuki Room

A few years ago, I had transformed our living room into a meditation, yoga, and relaxation room. Because at the time, I felt I was in desperate need of major de-stressing.

My "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil" Buddhas

And because I possessed various Asian symbols/items and Buddhas, the room somehow got nicknamed the "Kabuki Room" which is funny because it has nothing to do with Japanese theater (the meaning of Kabuki).  Though I do have a few authentic Japanese items thanks to my grandmother, who lived in Japan back in the late 1940's early 1950's when my grandfather, who was in the Air Force was stationed there.

He was made in Japan in 1946 - he used to carry the fish but the ropes broke :(

Anyway, this room was all mine.  But here's what happened...it slowly started becoming everyone else's room.  My husband would nap in there and my son Matt would play in it.  Then a couple years ago I decided to just give up the room altogether and let Matt have it.  There was a 46-inch HDTV in there, so Matt could play his Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation 2, and eventually Sony Playstation 3.  This way he could have a room to hang with his friends and chill in.  The family room was pretty much my husband's room or den. And since we didn't have a basement, I felt giving it up was the right 'mom' thing to do.  

But over the past year or so, I have missed my Kabuki Room.  I missed everything about it and what it stood for.  Plus I had all my 'kabuki' stuff in the dining room or packed away cause I no longer had room for it.  If I practice yoga, I do it upstairs in the bedroom.  I also do most of my writing up there as well.  Whereas I used to write a lot in the Kabuki Room.

My little bookshelf of Zen

Well, this past Thanksgiving, Matt informed us that he really wanted the PS3 and all of his things up in his bedroom.  Now that he's 13, he wants more privacy and honestly the selfish-me was fine with that. Cause that meant I was getting my room back.  YAY!!!

Of course, the 46-inch HDTV along with the Comcast digital cable box went up into Matt's bedroom too. Which I now refer to as MTV Cribs cause the kid is seriously hooked up.  It's actually kind of funny, since the room is the size of a thimble. But if he's happy and I'm happy, its ALL good!

I'm so excited!  Because lately, I DEFINITELY need to de-stress and regroup.  And what better place to do it in, but my Kabuki Room.  Namaste.

- Heather