As promised...

Here's a picture of me with my new hairdo! It doesn't look as good as it did this morning, but you get the idea:
















For awhile, I thought I was Heidi Klum (she had a similar hairstyle). After seeing this picture, not so much.

It's amazing the self-confidence you get from a new haircut!

Stupid novocaine.

I got a filling today. It's been almost 4 hours since I was injected and my lip is still numb. And the pain is starting to kick in, mostly at the injection site and not my tooth. I'd forgotten how big that needle really is.

I do have to give credit to my dentist - I was finished in about a half hour and she was great when I stressed about the needle (I knew that was going to happen). It was also amazing to me how tensed my body was while I was in the chair - I didn't realize it until halfway through the filling that I was almost lifting myself up and out of the chair.

And of course, it really wasn't that big a deal. Unpleasant, yes; but not worth the level of stress I caused myself.

One of these days I'll learn. I promise.

I'm having "Outbreak" flashbacks.

All this talk of swine flu and pandemics has got me thinking about that movie Outbreak. That movie scared the bejeezus out of me. I'm already germ-phobic enough, but this is making me a hundred times more paranoid. I walked into the restroom at work this morning and someone was sniffling and coughing and it smelled like menthol. I tried to hold my breath for as long as possible without turning blue and fainting. My hand-washing has been kicked into overdrive and I'm cautious of anyone coughing or sneezing. Which, during this allergy season, is proving to be too much.

Does anyone have a surgical mask and a bottle of bleach they're not using?

Perfect weekend.

This weekend (as I anticipated) was like a breath of fresh air in my lungs. I feel rejuvenated; like a new person. It started out with me getting up at a very reasonable hour Friday morning (7:30 - I know, I know - it's not sleeping in that much, but I didn't want to waste the day!), eating breakfast and then heading to Target for a little retail therapy. It was so nice going shopping that early on a weekday morning - there was hardly anyone in the store and I felt like I could take all the time I wanted. I bought a couple of little treats for myself, and then headed out to get my hair cut. That's when the real transformation began.

I've been growing my hair out for a couple of years. I had short hair for a while and then decided to grow it out a little bit, but something was missing. My hair wasn't hip or cute: it just...was. So I asked one of my co-workers where she gets her hair done, and she gave me the name and number of the salon on Wednesday. I called that afternoon, and to my surprise, they were able to get me in on Friday. I was a little nervous (new person, new salon), but it all went away when I got there.

I sat down in her chair, and I only gave her one rule: give me something I can duplicate at home. Other than that, do whatever you think will look best on me. I have fine/thin hair, so I wasn't expecting anything grand, but then she said "I think we should give you Heidi Klum bangs." I have always loved that look but didn't think I could pull it off. When I asked her if she was sure I could do it, she said without hesitation, "Absolutely." So I took the plunge, and since I just finished working out, I can't post a picture of my cute new 'do. So I'll do that tomorrow...promise!

I have never been so happy with a haircut in my entire life. I was so excited that I wanted to run down the street, telling the world how fantastic I felt. I feel like an entirely new person. I feel like I've got more confidence than I've ever had, and I feel like I look great. Better than ever.

Who knew a hair cut could make you feel like that? I already booked my next appointment with her.

After that, I went to The Bread Store (the BEST sandwich shop around) to get my most favorite sandwich: the veggie on french bread. And it was...heaven. They put provolone cheese and dill spread on it, and it is to die for. And since the salon is right across the street from there, I'll be going there for lunch every time I'm finished.

After lunch, I headed to Ulta to use a gift card I got for my birthday. I got my eyebrows waxed (and they look GREAT!) and then headed over to Nordstrom Rack to see what I could find. I found a few cute things and a pair of shoes, and then headed to Cupcake Craving for some cupcakes. In the evening, I went out to dinner with some wonderful friends, and then came home and played Rock Band with my husband and my cousin Kim and her husband.

On Saturday I went to the Tower Cafe' with my cousin and her little girl, where we sat outside in the gorgeous weather and ate delicious food.

It was a blissful weekend, and I'm so glad that I decided to do this for myself. I feel like I can take on anything and have no problem getting it done.

And I promise I'll post that picture!

This Friday is casual Friday!

You know why?

BECAUSE I'M TAKING THE DAY OFF!

I could not be more excited, as you can tell. I am desperately in need of a three day weekend, and my boss was gracious enough to give me the day off even though we are in the throws of this software project. I have not been myself over the last few weeks, and this morning I felt like I was approaching serious burnout. So I figure, either I have a complete meltdown and don't take care of myself, OR I use a little bit of PTO (paid time off) and save myself and the company from my mental downward spiral.

And I'm telling you, as soon as she said it was OK, it was like a cool breeze swept through me and I was instantly in a much better mood. I could tell it was exactly what I needed based on that feeling. She suggested I get out of town for the day and do something to clear my head. I'm not sure what I'll be doing, although I do have some ideas:

• Getting a massage
• Getting my eyebrows waxed (WAY overdue)
• Taking myself out to a healthy lunch
• Enjoying the deliciousness of not having to go to work (that's definitely on the agenda)

I think between having this Friday off and Memorial Day next month, I should be fine until my vacation in July.

And three months from today, that's where I'll be.

Is it Friday yet?

I'm so beat and so looking forward to the weekend. But these days, the weekends are going faster and faster. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that I've always got something going on, no matter how much I try to do as little as possible. They're usually always fun things, but it's nice to sometimes be a homebody on Saturdays and just take naps, do laundry, watch movies and hang.

But a weekend's a weekend not at work, so I'll take it any day. Thankfully, there's not a lot on the agenda this weekend, so I'm planning to soak up all the free time I can by not engaging my brain if I really don't have to.

Also, I plan to watch Australia, which I'm very excited about because I may just watch it on my new laptop while in laying in bed.

That thought makes me so happy.

A new toy!

I bought a new laptop on Saturday and I'm loving it. It's got a humongous hard drive, a wireless card (my favorite feature), a built-in web cam (so I can use Skype!) and a variety of other cool features. My other computer was incredibly slow and it was high time for me to get something a little faster.

So thank you Uncle Sam for the tax refund - it sure came in handy, and I did my part to help stimulate the economy. Hooray!

I spy with my little eye...

A floater that's driving me crazy.

I've had a floater in my line of sight for at least a couple of months now. It looks like a hair and it moves every time I move my eye. It's really noticeable in bright light and not so much when it's dark. I finally had enough and decided to go to the eye doctor to make sure that nothing more serious was going on with my vision. I haven't been to the eye doctor since I was a child, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect.

I had my husband take me since I was informed ahead of time that they would be dilating my pupils, and I'd heard that you can't see a whole lot after that happens. Once I got there, they escorted me into a room where the technician (who was a little too cheery for my taste) informed me that they would be numbing my eyes so they could check the pressure. The numbing would be achieved through eye drops, which I knew I'd be facing at some point, and wasn't looking forward to. All I kept thinking about beforehand was that episode of Friends where Rachel has an eye infection and she goes to the eye doctor, and every time he tries to blow a puff of air in her eye, she pulls her head back.

If you've never had your eyes numbed, it's a very odd feeling. You can't feel a thing once it happens, but you suddenly feel very sleepy and can't keep your eyes open to save your life. It lasted for a good 20 minutes, and then she took me back into the exam room. I was finally starting to feel normal again when the doctor came in and said he was going to numb them again and then dilate them. Great. Once he did the exam, he informed me that I have a viscous detachment, which as he explained it, there's a gelatinous part behind your eye, and as we age, it can liquefy and parts of it can break loose, which explains the floater. He also explained there's nothing that can be done about it and it's basically my new little buddy, so I'd better get used to it. There's a chance that my brain will learn to ignore it or it may float away into another part of my eye and I won't see it, but that's only a possibility. I could see it there for the rest of my life.

Bummer.

He was pretty happy about how healthy my eyes were otherwise, and thankfully, I still have 20/20 vision in both eyes, so he said glasses were completely out of the question. Whew.

So thankfully I don't have a brain tumor, my eye isn't going to fall out and I don't have a wayward cat hair that made its way deep inside my eye.

Not that I was considering any of these possibilities before Friday afternoon.

Music to my ears.

When I was in high school and college, listening to music was my biggest hobby. I loved it more than anything - it made me feel alive, happy and fulfilled. For some reason, I fell out of it for awhile and there's been a hole where it used to be. Over the last few days, I've rediscovered it again and spiritually I feel renewed. It's amazing what a difference it's made, and even more important, that the feelings I used to have when I listened to good music are coming back.

My husband and I went to Dimple last weekend and sold a lot of music for credit. I purchased the following albums:

1) Tori Amos, From the Choirgirl Hotel: I've been a Tori Amos fan since I was 16, and I don't think that will ever change. Her performance at the Crest almost 17 years ago was the first concert I ever went to, and I will always remember it (something my mom treated me to). I bought this album on tape several years ago and never got it on CD, so I'm happy to finally be able to listen to it in the 21st century.

2) Beyonce', I Am...Sasha Fierce: I'm not ashamed to admit that I really like Beyonce's music. I have all of her solo albums and I like all of them equally. This is the type of music that gets me energized in the morning and makes me feel...good. I can't put it into words, but I just know that it makes me happy. I've only listened to a couple of songs and I like what I've heard so far.

3) Ingrid Michaelson, Girls and Boys: I had heard her song "The Way I Am" several times, but I really fell in love with it when I saw Jason Mraz in Berkeley back in November. They were playing it during intermission, and I just adored it. I've been meaning to buy the CD for awhile, and when I found it at Dimple for $7.99, I couldn't resist. I haven't listened to it yet, but that will be tomorrow's album.

4) Fleet Foxes, Sun Giant: I discovered this band while I was in the car with my mom one day. She was listening to XM Radio, and I heard them and again, instantly fell in love with their sound. It's very retro and very mellow. I got their self-titled album for Christmas and I really like it, so I picked up their other album. Again, another one I'll be listening to soon.

I've also discovered several new bands (new to me) that have made me excited about music again:

• The Pierces - two sisters with amazing voices and haunting melodies.
• The Weepies - really mellow and great music.
• Jaymay - I'm a sucker for female songwriters, and this woman is fantastic.
• Bat for Lashes - one woman with a fantastic voice.

I'm so glad that music has returned to my life again - I really feel like I need it for my sanity. So with that, I'm off to go grab my iPod so I can tune in and exercise.

And I'm always looking for good recommendations, so send them my way if you have them!