'Tis the Season!!

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Muppets Rock!

Pretty much the best video ever made. It's totally cracking me up for some reason. Beeker!

Public Nudity

Yeah I did it. I was naked in public. Sort of. I can't say its the first time, but it was the first time where it wasn't pitch dark and in a lake. (Skinny-dipping as a teenager.)

On Saturday, I went to the very fabulous and wonderful Burke Williams Spa in Pasadena with a couple of girlfriends. Holy cow. Talk about a fantastic day. I felt so pampered and refreshed. I loved every second.

We started early in the morning to take advantage of all the awesomeness. First took a dip in the hot tub, then moved to the steam room, the sauna, the misting room, then back to the hot tub again. Just kind of rotated around the whole place until it was time for our individual appointments. The other gals got pedicures while I went and got the Pure Relaxation massage. The name doesn't lie. By the end of the 25-minute session, I could barely open my eyes because I was so relaxed and comfortable. (Although I've been sore for 2 days after she worked out all the kinks. I know, I've got it tough.)

Since my treatment was shorter than the other girls', I had a bit of time to kill before getting ready. So the Finn in me decided, since I was in a spa and I was already naked from my massage and apparently the women around me had no problem being naked, then why not? So I shed my robe and QUICKLY got in the hot tub. I sat there for awhile, getting used to the idea and then I was like OK, next step - steam room. I QUICKLY got out of the hot tub, wrapped myself in a tiny towel and walked to the steam room. As I sat down and unwrapped my towel, I just kept thinking "I'm naked!" There was only a couple other women in the room and its so steamy you can barely even see your hand in front of your face, let alone the other side of the room. But its funny - I didn't feel as self-conscious as I thought I would. I'm not a girl who's EVER been entirely comfortable with her body. I mean I've even read in my journal as early as the age of 12 that I was going on a diet. 12 YEARS OLD. So its pretty much always been an issue for me.

But as I sat there in all my naked glory, I let it all hang out and weirdly enough, I would go as far to say that I even felt a little SEXY. It was nice to not worry about it and just be. I know this isn't exactly daring, seeing that I was in a SPA. But I do know its hard for women to accept our bodies and be comfortable enough to let complete strangers see what we got going on. But its freeing. I highly recommend it, ladies.

The Tonight Show

Yes! The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. What a fun taping to attend!! I've seen Leno many times and Kimmel a couple, but Conan was the best. Obviously I've been a fan of his forever, so I felt really lucky to finally get to see a live taping - it was worth the wait! At first, I kept thinking "Man, I really wish we had seen him in New York. This is bittersweet because its the Tonight Show and not Late Night." But by the end it didn't even matter.

The guests were Eva Mendes and Bon Jovi - I was indifferent towards either of them. (Although the Bon Jovi fans were out and they were pumped.) But the real show is with Conan and Andy and the Tonight Show Band. Honestly, besides the red-headed host himself, that band was probably my favorite part. They come out early to get the crowd pumped up and they are amazing. Within the first few bars of music, I was like WHOA. These guys are GOOD. Their sound was clean and tight and they were total showmen. It is so different hearing them live than watching them on TV.

And a couple surprises - Andy Richter is really tall! I had no idea. Also, after the cameras stop rolling, Conan sings the "End of the Show Song". Classic. I'm definitely gonna do that again.

The Men Who Stare At Goats

George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey - what else do you need? Well, a better storyline would be nice. I wish I could report that this was the best movie of the year. But alas, I didn't totally love it. It had a few funny bits, but based on the title alone I thought it was going to be much more hilarious. The story never really came together for me though. I felt like I kept waiting for the peak or the punchline and it just never happened. Interesting concept (especially for a Star Wars fan) but maybe I need to watch it again to totally understand it. Or maybe there was nothing to understand and I'm just analyzing it too much.

It wasn't a total waste of two hours. Did I mention - George Clooney and Ewan McGregor?

Cankle Arm

This morning when I woke up, my right arm was really swollen. In fact, my wrist sort of looked like a cankle! It freaked me out a little bit because I've noticed over the week that the wound from my biopsy doesn't seem to be getting better. The doc said to keep it bandaged for 7 days, but it's been 9 and still looks almost the same as it did the day they cut it open. So the swelling reminded me to call the doctor and find out what is going on. Here's what they said:

A. The swelling was probably because you wrapped it too tight. Take off the bandage for awhile and see if it goes back to normal. (Not yet, but I'm sure I just need wait an hour or so.)
B. Give the wound another week to heal and if it doesn't look any better, give us a call.
C. Biopsy results came out fine. The mole was benign and nothing to worry about.

Happy to report that all is well! I'll keep an eye on the cankle arm.

Where The Wild Things Are

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was very, very excited. I loved the book growing up and the trailer looked so awesome! Then, the more I heard about it from other people, the less excited I got. A lot of mixed reviews so I was definitely concerned. But, oh man! When it was all said and done, I really liked it. It was a little emo, but I think the tone of the movie matched the tone of the book. Plus it was just so well made! The characters, the cinematography, the costumes! It was so visually stunning to me and a true representation of the book brought to life. It's movies like this that fuel those creative juices and makes you want to perfect your art.

I also loved how they really dove in and developed the characters personalities and everything came full circle to represent all the pieces of Max's life. The fact that they could make all that from a short children's book was freakin' brilliant.

Ew.

I was not going to post anything about this because I didn't want to make a big deal over it or have anyone worry. But I'm going to anyway. Because its gross.

So, I went to the dermatologist on Tuesday. I was referred there by my normal doctor because of an abnormal mole that I had been watching change and grow for the last year or so. It had the irregular edges, it was red in the middle and I just wanted to make SURE I don't have skin cancer. I have no family history of it, but I was not the smartest teenager and loved being tan, so now I'm a bit paranoid. The dermatologist took a look at it through a scope and said it didn't look like melanoma from the outside. But the irregular edges made her a little nervous too, so she thought we should just "shave" it off and send it in for a biopsy, right then and there. Obviously I was numb, so I couldn't feel them taking it off and I'll admit, my imagination was running wild because I also refused to look.

But nothing prepared me for when I actually had to take the bandages off today to clean the wound. I didn't know there would be a perfectly cut circle. I didn't know that it would be quite a bit below my skin line. I didn't know I would see white, green, and red things. I could only stomach looking at it as long is it took me to snap this photo, and then I cleaned and bandaged it as quickly as I could. Here's a small thumbnail so you don't have to see it if you don't want to... But I know your curiosity will get the best of you!

When these things happen I am reminded that I could NEVER have been a doctor. This itty bitty hole in my arm was enough to make me light-headed and I had to drink some water and sit down for awhile! HAHA. What a wuss. But really.

Ew.

I will get test results in about a week, so I'll keep everyone posted. But the doctors really didn't seem worried, so I won't either!

Holiday Photos

I'm doing a limited time promotion for people to get holiday photos done. Go here for more info!

P.S. Our holiday photo is coming soon too. These are from the last two years (and our 2009 card is going to be sweeeeet!)

2007

2008