Class of 1989!

Tonight is my 25th high school reunion.  And to even type that seems crazy.  I remember high school as if it were yesterday.  Which obviously it's not.  And even stranger, my son is a high school freshmen.  I can't say I feel old per se, but the realization that I'm not exactly young anymore hits me everyday.

The every growing deeper lines on my forehead, and sun spots on my face.  That have occurred thanks to my own stupidity. When I was in my teens & early twenties I proudly and dumbly declared, "Never gonna happen to me" as I slathered Banana Boat oil with MINUS zero SPF all over my face and body.  Yup...I so wish I hadn't been such a dumb ass.  But at the time being 43 years-old seemed implausible.

I mean I know aging is apart of life and yes we can shoot Botox into our faces and lift the skin to make us appear younger.  It doesn't change the fact that time keeps chugging along.

Though I'm active and work out everyday, my joints harshly remind me of my age.  And I also noticed I can't seem to function as well with just a little sleep.  I used to be able to stay up all night and be fine.  Now a days I find myself tired and ready for bed earlier and earlier.  Ahhh the reality!

Anyway, tonight I will see old friends as I head back into the time warp that was 1989.  To which I have to say was an awesome time.  MTV still showed videos all day and night, our hair was super big and we'd spend any money we had on hairspray.  VCR's were still the go to device to record shows/movies, there was no internet, there wasn't a 24-hour cartoon network, nor cable On-Demand or Netflix (if you missed your fave shows and didn't record them, you were majorly screwed) and mobile phones were only used by the very wealthy.

But I absolutely loved that time in my life.  Of course now that I'm older and hopefully wiser, the mistakes I made make me cringe.  But even with that, I don't think I'd want to change it.  I feel blessed that I got to experience the 80's as a kid then as a teenager.  And finished off the decade with graduating high school.  Great memories, that no matter what life has presented us since, I'll never forget them!

- Heather Carnassale aka the Delusional Novelist

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