Holiday Howdy

Well, friends, it's been exactly one year since my last post. I'm still around and hope to be back soon. Life's good!

Sizzle and Pop!

I have been busy buzzing around Wonderland taking care of all the things I've ignored because of blogging. I'll be round to visit you soon.

I hope your weekend is full sizzle and pop!!

FREEEZE...MIAMI VICE!

It's hard to believe that it's been long enough that the 80s are considered nostalgic. How can 30 years just "poof" out of existence? Seems like only a few months ago that we were Flashdancing like maniacs in leg warmers and head bands while singing Betty Davis Eyes.

This is 80s Ronda wearing her patented 'big hair'. This is 80s Ronda being glad she opted for the perm instead of a mullet. What 80s Ronda really wanted was a Pat Benatar haircut, but I think she's glad now that she didn't do that either.

80s Ronda was big into bowling. The paparazzi caught her immediately after she threw this shot. If you look closely at the end of the alley, you'll see there are no pins left on the deck. In this photo, she's trying to explain to Crockett and Tubbs that she did NOT steal that strike. She keggled it fair and square. That's right, keggled as in bowled. Not kegeled, as in pelvic floor exercise. Big difference...now and in the 80s.

You remember Crockett and Tubbs don't you?



Crockett and Tubbs, played by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, are two Miami vice detectives from the Metro-Dade Police Department who go undercover to stop drug trafficking. It was one of the first television shows in many years to look really different. It is considered by some to be one of the most influential television series of all time. Unlike the standard cop shows, the creators used 1980s New Wave music, culture and visual effects to tell a story. Former lead singer of The Eagles, Don Henley, was often featured on the show. 80s Ronda really liked Don Henley.

For several years, every Friday night, 80s Ronda and her rowdy little band of miscreants met at 9 p.m. to watch the show. 80s Ronda always posted a lookout by the door so she would never have to hear:

"FREEZE...MIAMI VICE!".

Since she lived in California, that would have been badder than bad.

If you have 80's memories you'd like to share, post 'em up. Thanks, Kat for getting this retro blog theme going.

For the Love of Heaven and Earth

Skimming out of sight with the fading, fractional moon, my favorite day of the year, Summer Solstice, is gone. Done. Over. Fini.

I awoke, sitting straight up in bed, at 4:25 a.m. yesterday. A few minutes later, I felt the tumblers clunk into place as the planets aligned for solstice at 4:28. As always, I surfed the energy of the cosmos. I welcomed the additional boost, that galactic kick in the pants that comes from the shifting of time, into my work day.

The ancient Druids' celebrated solstice as the wedding of Heaven and Earth. What a hot, passionate union this couple ignite.

Happy summer, my friends! It's official now.

Daddy Sent My T-Bird Away!

Here she is, our white, pearlescent bird. She wasn't always so lovely, oh, no. We adopted our '62 T-Bird in 1989. She was wearing old, weathered red paint and we parked her, unceremoniously, on the back lot. For a long time we just ignored her. Ever so often we would stop and gaze at her sleek lines, assuring her that her time of renewal would surely come.


Nearly a dozen years later, the Wonder Husband towed her into the shop and started working on her. Completely dismantling her interior and exterior. He sanded her three f***ing layers of old paint down to fresh metal...his words not mine. He would know. The hundreds of hours he gave to that woman should make me jealous but they didn't.

He gave her new life for me. He gave her new life because that is what he does. A career? A passion? An obsession? At times, the lines blur. He chose her paint and fabric colors carefully with me in mind. Thinking about how I would look driving her. Thinking about what colors looked good on both of us. He made her sturdy enough for any man and stylish enough for any woman.

She was difficult, leaning toward temperamental at times but he never, ever quit on her. Like he never, ever quit on me.

She and I became fast friends. We had lots of adventures and cried together when she had a breakdown. Such is the way with vintage ladies. For four years, we tooled around town looking cool and claiming lots of admirers. And then a couple from Seattle said they wanted her. They wanted to give her a new home in a cooler climate. They wanted to drive her beautiful body cross-country to their 50th anniversary celebration. It was hard letting her go but they can give her the kind of life we can't. We have more cars, that are in the same sad shape she was when we got her, that need tender attention.

We said our goodbyes and watched her tail lights as they rolled off into the sunset.

Fly, little birdie, fly away to your new home.

Massage Marathon

Yesterday was another one of those really, really long days. Doing 12 to 14 hours of massage is definitely a marathon. Ask any therapist. During fall and winter, I pull those on a regular basis and get in the zone. But as spring and summer come, the warm weather invites outside activities. My clients are swimming, hiking, boating, vacationing, and taking care of kids so I get a little softer schedule. Then SLAM***ZAP***POW, out of no where, I get my gluteus maximus kicked.



The Force is strong right now with the Solstice wheeling into view. Over time, I've learned to manage my energy better, to not let it buck me off my path and slam me into the ground. I've learned to stay in the now and not moan and groan and fret about all the kinked up bodies that are lined up waiting to lay on my table and receive the undivided attention of my kneading hands.



People can feel it when we therapists are not centered. Even if they can't put their finger on why, they don't like it at all. It makes them feel unsettled. For me, meditation has come to be in every breath, ever second, and every heartbeat. Yesterday I uncapped a bottle of Lavender essential oil, took a big snort and let the the good vibes flow.



Yee Haw!

Stinky Stats

The following is excerpted from an e-mail that is currently making the rounds:

Are you aware that the Saudis are boycotting American products? In addition, they are gouging us on oil prices. An appealing remedy might be to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up your car you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just purchase gas from companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis.

The following gas companies import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell..................................... 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco....................... 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil.......................... 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway.................. 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco................................... 62,231,000 barrels

Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco............................0 barrels
Conoco............................0 barrels
0ASinclair........................0 barrels
BP / Phillips......................0 barrels
Hess..............................0 barrels
ARC0.............................0 barrels
Maverick.........................0 barrels
Flying J..........................0 barrels
Valero............................0 barrels
Murphy Oil USA*................0 barrels
*Sold at Wal-Mart


My sister, Bichy Mama (BM), smelled some stinky gas statistics in this e-mail. Being sleuthy, like her big sister, she had a clandestine meeting with Deep Throated Rock Star (DTRS) to get the real poop on this story. DTRS has long been a mole in the gas biz. He definitely knows the difference between his gas and a hole in the ground.

"Bichy Mama:

This information is about 25% accurate. Valero is the only 100% American company using the most domestic crude oil, but they buy crude on the open market from all sources. Exxon/Mobil is number 8 on the list of companies that own crude oil. Numbers 1-7 are not companies at all they are countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Russia etc... Wal-mart buys from all sources which, undoubtedly, includes imported oil."

My friends, be careful about getting too caught up in these viral letters written to stir up the pot. I would have re-printed the entire letter but it was quite long. It was written to evoke fear, anger and was also very pro Wal-Mart. This one belongs in the toilet, and I'm going to give it three flushes.

Thanks sleuthy BM and rockin' DTRS. You've done your part to make this world a saner place. Your secret decoder rings are in the mail.