Ten Things Not Worth Losing Sleep Over

There's not much rhyme or reason to this post. Some items have explanations or suggestions, some don't.

10. Choosing party favors for weddings, birthday parties, or bar mitzvahs. Just forgo snacks with pretzels and you'll be fine.
9. Getting a bad haircut.
Mullets are the exception--totally worth losing sleep over, as I have myself. I once dreamed that I clearly told my stylist to do whatever she wanted, except a mullet. The more she cut, the more I looked like Joe Dirt. Woke up in a cold sweat from that one.
8. Losing sleep.
There's an interesting thing that happens to me when I know I have to wake up early (say 5 a.m.). I get totally psyched out thinking, "If I can get to sleep right now, I can still get four hours of sleep." And then I never fall asleep until the next night, when I have the freedom to sleep all I want, at which point, I wake up at 5, because I am, after all, a morning person.
7. Awkward hugs.
You know how it goes. You see an old friend and think, Do I give a side hug (one arm) or a front hug (both arms)? Do I linger a while or do a catch-and-release hug? Then you go for the front, they go for the side and you each try to accommodate the other, changing hug-style midstream. Then you practically kiss each other's ears. Not fun, but also not worth losing sleep over.
6. Sports
5. High school reunions (this one also goes under the category of things not worth losing weight over, but that's another day).
4. Fear of diarrhea--if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Blame this one on the FHP boys.
3. Reality TV
2. Shark attacks
1. Having so little to blog about that you resort to top ten lists.

Pause!

It was just the three of us--as one little guy in diapers refused to eat any of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and the other little guy in diapers threw his sandwich across the table.

After dinner, we had some play time, including dancing to the upbeat "Chanda Mama." It was slow to load, often pausing on its own accord, so we had to improvise. When the music stopped, we froze in whatever position we were in--hands in the air, in mid twirl, etc. The bigger little fellow would say "pause!" and then giggle as he waited for the music to resume. When it did, so did we.

At bedtime, the bigger little guy was missing Mom, so I stayed and waited for him to fall asleep. As I lay there next to the crib with his Curious George blanket covering only my shoulders, I wondered when it changed--an evening with only people under three wasn't always my idea of a good time.

Top Five Things to Love about Skate Night

5. Dancing to the "Cupid Shuffle", "Thriller", and the "Macarena" in skates.
4. Men in their late 30s break dancing in the middle of the rink and yelling, "spin me, spin me!"
3. A cold bottle of water after an hour of serious skating.
2. Tripping over your own feet as you try to remember how to walk after removing the skates.
1. Kids in the community having a chance to do something fun and healthy while meeting new people.

Why I Love Stories

I was working on a client's project today and one of his sections is all about the power of emotion. As I was writing and researching for it, I remembered scenes from movies and lyrics from songs that demonstrate the idea. Like when Alicia Nash decides not to sign John Nash's commitment papers in A Beautiful Mind, and when Andy plays opera over the intercom in Shawshank Redemption and every inmate feels free. It's what Billy Elliot sings about in the song "Electricity."

That's the beauty of the arts--they reach a deeper place and we can't always even articulate or understand it.

Mad Dog

I really love the little mutt. I delight in her delight when she sees me--it's new every morning and each time I come through the door. I love taking her for walks even though I often have to pull her away from the poo she is strangely compelled to sniff. I find it endearing that she helps me harness her for those walks by sticking her head through in just the right place and lifting her sweet little paw. And I love the tufts of white on her chest and on the bottom of her paws that indicate she is indeed a mutt and not a pure-bred chocolate lab.

Love the dog--hate that she licks me. I don't care what her instinct tells her to do. And I don't care how "clean" her mouth is compared to a human's. It's not personal, I don't want anyone's tongue on my calves when my back is turned or on my feet when I'm about to put my socks on. Soggy socks? Eww. She's smart too--she knows I hate it. So she's a stealth licker--catching me while my arms are full or while I'm washing dishes at the sink.

I have to admit, I've never really tried disciplining it out of her, excepting the times I've reasoned with her and politely requested that she stop. So today, I'm starting a discipline regimen. I'm not yet ready to resort to the sour apple spray, but I will commit to giving her a stern no every time she does it--even if she hangs her head low in response.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.