LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

Like Mighty Mouse zipping across the universe to save his love, the Friday Five has saved me from writer’s block. I have to drag out Maggie’s book to help, I guess.

Anyhoo…let’s begin!

1. When you travel, what kinds of souvenirs do you like to bring home for yourself?
Magnets. At one time I had a magnet from every hotel in Walt Disney World. Then they started to change their logos and names and I realized I’d never be current. But I love those gummy plastic magnets!

2. Is there a certain kind of souvenir you always bring back for a particular someone?
My brother likes shotglasses. Mom collects bells.

3. Of the souvenirs you’ve collected from your travels, what are some that have special meaning for you?
I have a little keychain from Grand Rapids, Michigan, when I went to that training and met up with WM for the first time. I have a little trolley magnet at work from San Francisco. That’s my run-away city. If I completely quit my job and disappear from my life, I’ll be there. And a bunch of Disney artwork.

4. What’s the silliest souvenir you’ve brought back for yourself, or what’s the silliest souvenir someone has brought back for you?
I have a blue “Year of a Million Dreams” Mickey Mouse hat with silver ears that light up. That is as Disney Dorktastic as you can get.

5. If you were going to send someone a souvenir from places you visited today, what might it be?
I’d buy them a seven-day home delivery subscription to South Jersey’s best newspaper, the Courier-Post.
save my job!

***
I am feeling much better. Screw the supergerm…antibiotics are a godsend.

I woke up this morning with the beginnings of a cold. That cheeses me off because when I get sick, I 1) want to eat more and 2) want to move less which is the opposite of what I want to be doing now. On the way to work I stopped off at CVS and bought generic Cold-Eze.

A coworker saw the lozenges and told me about a trick that works for him. When he gets ill, he rubs Vicks Vapo-rub on the bottoms of his feet and puts socks on them before bed. When he wakes up, he feels better.

I raised an eyebrow, but a quick Google search shows that people are doing this, and while nobody says it’s 100% effective, it’s working for a quite a few of them. So I’ll stop at CVS (again) on my way home and pick some up. We’ll see tonight and I’ll let you all know tomorrow!

**
Otherwise, things are uneventful at best here at Chez Gypsy. I made two bracelets on Sunday, but one is too large and falls off of my hand, and the other has mismatched toggle pieces, so it won’t close.

Closing up shop and heading back to work in a few. (I’m home for lunch.) Work is awesome, by the way. It’s good to like what you do.

I’ve been a bit mum about it, but I’m hitting the gym 3x a week again. Mom and I have been going and doing 30 minutes on the treadmill each time. Plus my stomach crunches and assisted chin ups. I feel good about going back.

I can’t lick this weight thing until I begin to move more and eat less. I think of it like trying to rub your stomach and pat your head at the same time. To be successful, I’d have to start one action, and then start up with the other. So I’m still eating poorly, but once I get a few weeks at the gym behind me, I’ll be more likely to eat better.

This weekend we cleaned up and packed away our kitchen. It looks so empty now, with the cookbooks packed away and the fridge bare of magnets. And it looks 20 times cleaner !

Yesterday, we went back to the furniture store and added a sectional to our bedroom set order. Why? Because our living room can only seat 3 – a loveseat and a chair. The sectional will seat 5ish, and features THREE recliners! And it looks a little something like this…

…but not exactly. Ours is smaller. I’m worried about the light taupe color, but it’s so comfortable, it’ll definitely give the nap chair a run for its money.

Still watching season one of the Sopranos and lovin’ it. Makes me wish I had HBO all these years.

Max ran off with my Hundred-Dollar-Retin-A tube the other day, but managed NOT to damage it or himself. Dog has a death wish…