What is healthy?

Would you define yourself as healthy? What is healthy?

We live in a Western society. Western medicine tends to define healthy as not sick. No signs of disease. That's one way to look at it, and a lot of people would agree with that.

But there is another way to look at it...

Lack of disease just gets you to the neutral point. But you can keep going and really achieve so much more.

The example that I am thinking of is depression, because it affects me and a lot of my friends. To the left you would have suicidal thoughts and sadness. In the center you would feel okay. But on the right you could really be happy.

It's the same with your physical health and your spiritual health.

A large part of my job is taking people who are in pain and getting them back to that neutral point where it doesn't hurt. If I can get them there, people are thrilled. But more often than not, we can go beyond that to the point where people will actually feel good.

I'm not against Western medicine at all. They cured my mom of cancer. If I have a problem, I will go and seek the help of a doctor.

I just don't like that Western medicine sets the bar so low. They are happy with neutral health. I don't want neutral health. I want good health.

insults

Wanna hear the new insult I thought up this morning while staring in the mirror? Of course you do!

"Are you going on a trip somewhere?"

"No."

"Then why do you have such big bags under your eyes!"

(oh snap!)

inglourious basterds

Okay, so I've watched Inglourious Basterds twice in the last two weeks. And I can easily foresee seeing it several more times.

What is it about a movie that makes it rewatchable? We all have our favorites that we have seen time and time again. And movies that you couldn't make us watch again if you paid us. So what is it?

For some it is because the story moves us. For others because the lines are so funny that they make us laugh, no matter how many times we've heard them. Sometimes it is because we have a crush on an actor or actress. And then sometimes there is a movie that is just so beautiful that you need to see it over and over again, like looking at a painting. Each time you discover something new, another layer.

Inglourious Basterds does all of that. Quentin Tarantino is a genius. I like George Lucas's films, but I'm not going to say that man is a genius. Quentin (is it alright if I call you Quentin? Good.) is a genius. Does he just choose unbelievably good actors? Or is it his directing that brings out the best in the actors? Or is he completely hands off and just lets his actors act? I'd love to see him in action. Whereas, George Lucas (sorry, don't know why I am picking on him) can take amazing actors (like Natalie Portman) and turn them into bumbling idiots (albeit with really cool hairdos.)

If I made movies they would be like Quentin's. But with less gore. Kind of makes you wonder what kind of sick and twisted guy he is. Fine line between madness and genius. Very fine line.

stuff

Went over to my grandma Irene's house yesterday to help my mom and aunt with cleaning it out a bit.

Wow, all I can say is wow. You can really accumulate a lot of stuff over 94 years. Makes me want to purge. Get rid of all my stuff. How many knick-knacks does one person need? Answer: zero. So when my aunt tried to pawn a bunch of stuff off on me, I respectfully declined.

My sister and I have a new rule where instead of getting each other stuff, we are just going to get each other gift certificates for restaurants, museum memberships or go traveling together.

Down with stuff!

bad poetry

What's that you say? You want to read some really bad poetry?

Okay, okay, settle down. I'll give you some bad poetry. That has not been reworked or edited. Enjoy.

Winter Sunshine

You are my sunshine

my winter sunshine

not the overbearing

superfluous burden of summer sunshine

not the sunshine that beats down on you

and adds to the heat

oppressing you

and forcing you back into the shadows for relief

no

you are the sunshine of winter

a source of beauty

and hope

when all looks bleak

a source of heat

when the cold has penetrated down to your bones

and you think you'll never be warm again

you dazzle

you make people loosen their scarves and say

"if only every day was like this,

winter wouldn't be so bad."

you make the cold more bearable

your make the snow more bearable

you illuminate the beauty

which I would have otherwise missed

intense but fleeting

you are what pulls me through

secret talents

My best friend Jamie and I have been playing scrabble lately. Since she lives in Minnesota, what I mean by this is that we have about six games going online continuously. She called tonight to let me know that she was impressed by my mad scrabble skills.

Which brings up something about me... I am amazingly talented... but only at things that will do me no good in life. I mean, they help me out in life, but they aren't exactly resume builders.

Case in point, I am amazingly good at:

juggling a soccer ball on my knees

kissing

playing scrabble

reading people's moods

scrunching up my face

blowing bubbles through the gap in my teeth

playing Mario Kart

typing

making my way through my apartment with my eyes closed

remembering my dreams

taking fast showers

remembering the words to Disney songs

drinking wine

playing bubble shooter type games

ignoring yelling children

speaking mediocre French

flirting

falling asleep in moving vehicles

whistling

getting out of mowing the lawn

So, all in all, I'm glad I have these skills. But they aren't as useful as say, knowing how to use Excel.

promises broken

Be careful what you say.

My mom is in town for two weeks and yesterday my mom, sister and I were sitting around and talking for a little bit. Since they were about to head to my cousin's baby's Christening and had a present for the baby's older sister as well, we got to talking about presents for the other siblings when a child is born.

Apparently when each of her children was born, my mom did something special with her other children as well- since they were about to have a lot less of her attention for a while!

When my brother Mike was born, my mom took my sister Sam to see the musical Annie.

When my mom told my sister that she was pregnant with me, she got really excited. Because my mom had promised her that if she had six kids that we could get a maid- just like the Brady Bunch! "We're getting an Alice!" my sister exclaimed.

Oops. My mom had forgotten about that promise. Mainly because she thought it was a really safe promise to make since she only planned on having four kids.

We did not get a maid. But we did get our first dishwasher!

Be careful what you promise, because you never know what's going to happen.