Minnesota "Nice", Down and Dirty

Apple's Steve Jobs: DEAD?!

I just read this article on Yahoo News.  I found it to be much more interesting than I thought it would be! http://news.yahoo.com/s/cnet/20080828/tc_cnet/83011357931002788637

In it, they say that news organizations often have obituaries written for well-known people ahead of time, so when they DO die, they will only have to make minor tweaks, and be quick out-of-the-hole with the news of their death.  Apparently, this pre-obit accidentally made it out to the news wire, in Jobs' case.

I also found it interesting that he SUCCESSFULLY battled pancreatic cancer earlier this decade.  That is astonishing!  Only like 3% of people live 5 years past their initial diagnosis, so I'm duly impressed.  And, so happy for him and his family.  Ironically, he also used "alternative" treatments first, and ultimately had the whipple procedure (I think), which proved successful.  I kept trying to get my dad to try those natural, alternative methods, but he was very stubborn about modern medicine.  Ah well. He fought like crazy anyway!  Steve Jobs obviously did too...but now, I'm wondering (based on the above article) if perhaps the cancer has returned or something, causing someone to somewhat "spill the beans" with the accidental obit. 

Anyhoo, I kind of feel like buying an Apple, just in support of Steve's successful battle.  An iPhone would do. KEVIN...

Heh.

What in *THE* Hell?!

WICHITA, Kansas (AP) -- A 35-year-old woman who sat on her boyfriend's toilet for so long that her body was stuck to the seat had a phobia about leaving the bathroom, the boyfriend said.

Police say Pam Babcock apparently spent two years living in the bathroom of her boyfriend's mobile home.

"She is an adult; she made her own decision," said her boyfriend, Kory McFarren. "I should have gotten help for her sooner; I admit that. But after a while, you kind of get used to it."

The case drew nationwide attention after Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said it appeared the Ness City woman's skin had grown around the seat in the two years she apparently was in the bathroom.

"We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital," Whipple said. "The hospital removed it."

McFarren, 36, said he can't be certain how long Pam Babcock stayed in the bathroom because "time just went by so quick I can't pinpoint how long." He said beatings she received in her childhood caused her phobia.

"It just kind of happened one day; she went in and had been in there a little while, the next time it was a little longer. Then she got it in her head she was going to stay -- like it was a safe place for her," McFarren said.

But McFarren said she moved around in the bathroom during that time, bathed and changed into the clothes he brought her. He brought food and water to her. They had conversations and had an otherwise normal relationship -- except it all happened in the bathroom.

McFarren said he finally called police February 27 after he became worried because Babcock was acting groggy -- like she didn't know what was going on, except she was awake.

What emergency responders found when they went into bathroom has left residents of this small western Kansas town buzzing, and law enforcement officials incredulous.

Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to mid-thigh. She was "somewhat disoriented," and her legs looked like they had atrophied, Whipple said.

"She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body," Whipple said. "It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself."

She initially refused emergency medical services, but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.

"She said that she didn't need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave," he said.

Whipple said the county attorney will determine whether any charges should be filed against McFarren.

McFarren, who works at an antique store, said he has been taking care of Babcock for the 16 years they have lived together. He insisted that he tried to coax her out of the bathroom every day.

"And her reply would be, `Maybe tomorrow,"' Whipple said. "According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom."

She was reported in fair condition Wednesday at a hospital in Wichita, about 150 miles southeast of Ness City. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with medical providers or law enforcement investigators.

Babcock has an infection in her legs that has damaged her nerves, and there is a possibility she may wind up in a wheelchair, McFarren said.

James Ellis, a neighbor, said he had known the woman since she was a child, but that he had not seen her for at least six years.

"I don't think anybody can make any sense out of it," Ellis said.

Babcock had a tough childhood after her mother died at a young age and apparently was usually kept inside the house as she grew up, he said.

"It really doesn't surprise me," Ellis said. "What surprises me is somebody wasn't called in a bit earlier."

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"A bit earlier"?!?!  Ah-hahahahaha!  I'm just dumbfounded!  Her butt was STUCK to the toilet! Literally! On purpose!  And her boyfriend brought her food and water! I can just see him sliding mashed pieces of bread under the door, and filling up Dixie cups of water for her to sip throughout the day.

I had to practically wipe the tears away.  I wish they'd do follow-up pieces on these back-woods weirdos! Classic humor.

Yes, I'm just a little mean.

A Spousal Debate (One Which I Like Avoiding At All Costs)

Recently, Keith Ellison was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, by Minnesotans.  Even more recently, he announced that he wanted to take the oath of office on the koran (or Qur'an), instead of the bible, or nothing at all.  Right now, those are the two choices: The bible, or just an oath without a holy book.

Of course, my (not at all religious) husband decided to see where I stand on the topic (like I'd even heard of it before he mentioned it...).  He sucked me in!  ARGH!  He posed it as such, that it was a totally terrible thing, because the koran teaches violence against those who don't share the same beliefs.  I had to mention that the bible also teaches anti-gay and slavery, but most Christians don't exactly share those beliefs.  I BEGGED him to just let us agree to disagree, but of course he kept sending me things and telling me things to try to see "the light".  Gosh, I hate those kinds of disagreements!  I had done SO well avoiding the whole election thing...I was so proud!  But now this.  Oh well, I think I have thwarted things for now.  I gave my opinion, said we'll just disagree, and have ignored him since.  *whew*! That was a close one! (P.S. It's only been 10 minutes--it'll blow over soon, once he sees a bright shiny object to re-focus his attention!)

My thoughts are this:

*TOTAL separation of church and state would have completely avoided this topic.  If nobody took oath on any type of holy book, then there would be absolutely no issue.  Separation of church and state should have happened decades ago. Period.

*IF the only current options are the bible or nothing, then that is wrong in itself.  Who cares if the current "founding" of our country was based on Christianity?  To me, it was more founded on freedom of religion.  People fled here from Europe to be able to practice any religion they chose.  My point being, there are many religions practiced here, so each person should have the option of whatever they choose.  Even if they choose to take oath on their grandmother's dirty socks, they should be able to do so.  Why just the bible or nothing?

*Again, the point I made earlier was that there are extremists in all religions.  Just because a person takes an oath on their own holy book (or their dog's bag of Beggin' Strips), it doesn't mean that they believe and practice every single thing that is written in said holy book (or agree with the contents or ingestion directions on the back of the bag of said Beggin' Strips). The extremists are the ones who are making the world all crazy and violent (or all dog-breathed by eating canine treats).

Do I think Keith Ellison is a wack-job?  Yes, I do.  I did not vote for him.  Of course, that is probably because my daughter didn't like his name as well as someone else's, but I digress.  He IS a nut case.  That withstanding, the topic is whether or not he should have a choice of what he takes an oath on.  I say yes...since right now the choices are ridiculous.  Until they change things to a proper separation of church and state, he should be able to take oath on whatever he wants.  Even the rabbit that he found in the stew pot on the stove last Thursday evening.

Say It Isn't SO!!!

I just heard the news!  Pam Anderson and Kid Rock, getting a *divorce*?!?!  Oh no.  First Paul and Heather, then Reese and Ryan, THEN Britney and K Fed-Ex, and now this??  (Am I forgetting anyone important?)  Oh, the fodder we have for the most recent issues of "People Magazine" (which, by the way, I wish I had a subscription for...*sigh*). 

Here's where I stand on the most recent tabloid issues:

Paul and Heather:  She's a freak, he is Sir Paul, and unfortunately without a pre-nup that gold-digger will probably get half a billion dollars. I don't believe an ounce of her "boo-hoo! Paul abused me!" bologna.  That crap really annoyed me.  I know, I have heard her side as well, that she wasn't trying to make the public hate Paul, and that she really meant that stuff, but seriously. Really.  It just seems dubious.  I don't wish her ill will, but I do hope she gets pimples. On both sets of cheeks.

Reese and Ryan:  He's such a baby.  Dude, it's okay that your wife is more successful than you.  It happens to many men.  In fact, in my marriage, it is a fun contest to have, and one which neither Kevin nor myself cares if the other wins.  We find it great when the other person has personal successes.  Women can easily make more money or be more successful than men, and vice versa.  Who cares. Doesn't it all go in the same pot anyway?  Suck it up, stop screwing around on your wife, and make another go of it.  I'm sure in another couple years you'll fall apart again so we have more to gossip about, so for now I'm okay with you admitting you are a chauvenistic pig who can't stand that his wife is doing so well. Get over it, Ryan.

Britney and K Fed-Ex: This whole thing would be so absolutely hilarious if there weren't two adorable children involved.  Well, four actually.  Why did they get married in the first place?  That guy is so skanky, and he turned Brit all skanky too.  Now she looks better, but still kind of slutty, if you ask me.  What mother would walk around with her boobs literally hanging out (other than me, of course)?  She definitely needs to stop the incessant partying now though (however much she wants to celebrate dumping that creep).  She's going down a bad path. That aside, she WAS smart enough to get a pre-nup.  Too bad K Fed-Ex is proving once again what a total slimeball he is, and is using "dirty little secrets" to try to extort money out of Britney.  The thing is, if I were her, I would just let him air the dirty laundry.  I think by now we all think he is so much the bigger jerk for threatening to do so, and we'd all rather see her not give him a dime (another gold digger) AND keep the kids. I doubt we'd be surprised at anything K Fed-Ex has to say, these blackmail things. Despite her bonehead parenting moves, at least Britney TRIES, and she does seem to be a pretty good mom, or at least loves them.  K Fed-Ex is never around. I doubt he's ever changed a diaper. 

Pam and Kid Rock: (Is she Pam Rock, til the divorce is final??) I'm not surprised that she miscarried their baby, considering how reckless they both are. (That was terrible, but I mean, come on people!)  On again, off again, and then suddenly POW!  They're married. Not once, but three times. And, sure, I got married after not knowing Kevin very long, but we only got married once.  And we're not famous, so we're fairly normal.  And, we're not getting divorced either, despite my hourly threats (he doesn't read this, so I can lie, lie, lie!).  4 months after their third marriage in a row, they are getting divorced.  Hmmmm...I'm not sure whose side to be on here.  Pam is obviously erratic and weird.  Just because you're a plastic Barbie doll, doesn't mean you don't have to try to be a responsible adult.  Kid Rock, on the other hand, I just don't know enough about him.  He looks very dirty and gross, but that doesn't mean he's a bad husband. Maybe Pam just makes terrible choices (do ya think??).  They both need to move on, and I don't have much else to say, other than...

Thanks for the gossip! (None of us really care about your lives, but you're fun to talk about, since you are all INSANE!)

...And In Local News...

So many fun things have been happening in Minnesota lately! I thought I'd share my thoughts and opinions on each. (Pic of Minneapolis and St. Paul, with the river that separates them)

1) Today it was announced that the Minnesota Gophers have accepted an invitation to go to the Insight Bowl in Tempe, AZ! Interestingly enough, Insight is now the company I work for! And, yes, there is a possibility that I may go.  I think it is fairly slim, but you never know!

2) It was also recently announced, by Target Corporation, that they would also be doing those crazy $4 generic prescriptions that Wal-Mart has started.  All along, they matched it, but Wal-Mart only had this opportunity in specific areas, not ALL areas.  Target has decided to extend it to each and every one of their stores, no matter their location.  Good for them!  I wouldn't have gone to skanky Wal-Mart for a prescription anyway, even at $4, but I totally would at Target.  It is amazing how much skankier Wal-Mart and KMart are than Target.  Is it that hard to make your store look and smell decent?  Target has no problem, but both those other two discounters have never found the magic formula.  Anyway, I'm excited that Target will be taking business away from evil Wal-Mart, especially since Wal-Mart doesn't offer the $4 prescriptions in Minnesota at all and Target does.  Haw-haw!

3) Justin Morneau, the break-out first basemen for the Minnesota Twins, earned the American League MVP award today!  I'm so happy for him. He was a great asset to the team, and very fun to watch. So was hottie Joe Mauer, but he's gotten the spotlight so many times, that Justin was overshadowed at times.  Not any more!  It was especially satisfying to see a very humble Morneau beat that pompous-ass Yankee, Derek Jeter. And, it was the first time a Twin had earned the distinction since Rod Carew in 1977! I was only 5 at the time! GO TWINS! Way to go, Morneau...

4) This isn't local news, though I believe the last movie he made, "A Prairie Home Companion", WAS in Minnesota (though I'm not certain).  Robert Altman, of M*A*S*H directorial fame, has died today.  Not that I was a huge fan, but he was a pretty cool guy who bucked the Hollywood "system" time and time again, to work on projects that HE wanted to work on.  He died with a lot of pride.  Here's what they said:

"Altman had one of the most distinctive styles among modern filmmakers. He often employed huge ensemble casts, encouraged improvisation and overlapping dialogue and filmed scenes in long tracking shots that would flit from character to character.

Perpetually in and out of favor with audiences and critics, Altman worked ceaselessly since his anti-war black comedy "M-A-S-H" established his reputation in 1970, but he would go for years at a time directing obscure movies before roaring back with a hit.

Altman was written off repeatedly by the Hollywood establishment, and his reputation for arrogance and hard drinking — a habit he eventually gave up — hindered his efforts to raise money for his idiosyncratic films.

While critical of studio executives, Altman held actors in the highest esteem. He joked that on "Gosford Park," he was there mainly to turn the lights on and off for the performers.

The respect was mutual. Top-name actors would clamor for even bit parts in his films. Altman generally worked on shoestring budgets, yet he continually landed marquee performers who signed on for a fraction of their normal salaries. "

There's a lot more that they said in the article, but I thought these said it best.  I don't know...he just seemed talented and interesting.  Peace be with you, Robbie!

Voting: Part Deux

So, last night I took my 9-year-old daughter, Samantha, to the polls with me.  She was cracking me up all night long.  First off, the girl knew more about the various races than I did.  Sad, but somewhat true.  Of course, her views were skewed because her dad had given her most of the information and explained it in 9-year-old terms.  And, of course, since he and I totally agree on politics, I was pretty pleased.  (Oh, and by the way, I have STILL avoided the dreaded, "who did you vote for?" discussion.  We had company last night!  Woo hoo!)

Anyway, Sam and I went to the polls, and when we walked into the Burnsville City Hall we saw a bunch of people counting votes and scurrying around in the glass-walled council chambers.  You know how a lot of the volunteers at the polls are retirees?  Well, being that this was Sam's first time at a polling place, she didn't know much of what to expect.  She asks me, "Mom, is this the room where the seniors get to vote?". HA HA!! Like they separate the old people from the young people, lest they start talking about Medicare and start getting into arguments about the fact that the younger set will never see a dime of Social Security.  I absolutely died.  The people who were walking in behind us could barely make it down the stairs to the voting booths they were laughing so hard.  Ah...kids.

So, I quickly get my ballot and the two of us shuffle over to the booth.  I only cared about voting for 3 candidates.  The rest, I either didn't care about, or they were just kind of those crazy ones that nobody knows about but they are on the ballot anyway (like the judges).    I let Sam pick who I voted for on those.  Because, quite frankly, I don't live in Burnsville anymore (but I still have a house there, which I pay taxes on), so I have no clue who was running for what locally.  Nor do I care.  Sam chose based on if they were a female or not.  If there were more than one female, she would base it on which name she liked better.  If there were only men, she also chose based on name.  At one point there were two Michaels and she had to go off of which last name rang a bell with her.  American politics at its best!

As we left the polling place, each sporting our new "I Voted!" stickers, she said to me, "The world will be a better place, once a woman is voted in as President of the United States". Amen sister!

It was then that I realized that she truly does think about these things.  As a 4th grader.  She definitely gets that political bug somewhere, God love her! I think the world could use a lot more people like her in it, whether she ends up to be a politician or not.  But, she might want to keep the "senior" comments to a minimum!

Happy Voting!

I don't know what happened to me, but since divorcing my first husband in 2002 I have found myself dating, and now married to, Republicans.  I have never been, nor will I ever be, a Republican, and I don't know why I keep attracting them.  It is truly a curse.  I don't necessarily consider myself a Democrat either (unless you're talking how I'm registered), but being a Republican will never happen.

My 2nd and final husband can hardly believe I am NOT Republican, because of my income level and those types of things.  But for me, there are so many factors to consider when deciding which way to vote.  Granted, I have appallingly little knowledge on politics, and quite frankly I probably have no business voting.  I do a gradual look-up of where the candidates stand on various issues, most of which I do on THE day of voting.  Like today.

What Kevin keeps trying to do, and what I refuse to participate in, is discuss the race and politics with me.  First off, if we agreed on politics, I may talk with him about the issues.  If I knew he was middle of the road, I would probably show more of an interest.  However, we are fairly far off on several things, and since I don't know enough to carry on a conversation ABOUT politics, I'm not about to subject myself to a political conversation with someone who a) doesn't agree with me, and b) tries to make everyone see their way, because they know they are right.  It is not fun, and we will just fight.  I figured that out about a week after we got married as we were sitting in the hospital in Des Moines awaiting news on my dad's cancer surgery!  I had never wanted to punch someone in the head so much in all my life!  At least that is what it felt like at the time.

So, I have figured things out relatively quickly, and do SUCH a good job of avoiding the topic or any political conversation *altogether*.  Today he is prancing around saying, "Vote Republican!!", and I just laugh at his antics.  He asks me, "Do you know who you are voting for?", to which I reply, "Not 100% yet".  This has seemed to appease him thus far.  When he asks me later who I voted for, I think I'll tell him I just closed my eyes and pointed.

Another Reason Why I Don't Like Rush Limbaugh

This morning as I was signing in to my MSN Instant Messenger, I came across this news piece: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15408508/

It is a piece about how Rush Limbaugh was making fun of Michael J. Fox's TV ads, helping various politicians (who support stem cell research) with their campaigning.  Rush claimed that MJF was totally acting, because nobody could possibly be that bad with Parkinson's Disease unless they weren't taking their medication.  And of course, we ALL know that Rush Limbaugh is a highly respected neurologist.

I think he's totally sick, much sicker than MFJ will ever be.  What kind of a jerk bastard would make that kind of judgment/blanket statement without researching the FACTS??  It was in pure, classy MFJ style for him to respond with (something along the lines of), "Strangely, my medicine is working quite well right now.". 

As a person who has genetic shakes in her blood, I find this to be appalling.  My brother, mom and now-deceased grandpa all have/had a "familial tremor" which renders their hands practically useless in terms of many of the basic things one does with one's hands, such as writing, cutting, etc.  My brother's has been pretty bad since he was a little kid. My mom's cropped up when she was in her mid-30's (GREAT), and my grandpa's I think started a bit later in life as well. 

Needless to say, I'm sure all 3 of them have had the concern or questions from others about what affliction they have, including Parkinson's Disease.  Thank God it isn't that, but it is still very hard for them to live with.  I have to say that my brother's and mom's attitudes about the shaking is quite good, as they know it is just something they have to deal with. 

However, MJF really doesn't have the chance for his to remain the same, or even to have surgery (like my brother and mom have the option of) to "fix" his, or to stop the degeneration that is going on in his nervous system.  And now for that creep, Limbaugh, to piss in MJF's mouth when his guts are on fire, is just plain out of line. 

So, now I dislike Rush even more.  And I like MJF even more for taking it all in stride. I have respect for him putting himself shamelessly "out there" to raise awareness of something that is very, very important to him and his family.  It is embarrassing, I am sure, to show oneself in public all out of control like that.  Yet, MJF does it, not necessarily for himself, but for those who have yet to be diagnosed with that terrible disease. 

Rush Limbaugh: Go to hell.

Golly, Are We Ever Smart!

Or, educated at least.  On CNN.com today, I read this article, which talks about the cities with the highest concentration of college degrees.  I was, and I wasn't surprised that Minneapolis had made the list...fairly near the top too.  What was also interesting in the article was how they talked about the education level of a city relative to its average income level.  In most cases it was very indicative.  I'll have to print it out for the kids to read some day.  Educate, educate, educate. It does, quite honestly, feel good to have that nice little boost to our city.  Way to go, Minneapolites!

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The brainiest cities in the United States

Top 25 cities with more than 250,000 population, ranked by percentage of bachelor's degrees among residents 25 and older

City State Percent Seattle WA 52.7 San Francisco CA 50.1 Raleigh NC 50.1 Washington DC 45.3 Austin TX 44.1 Minneapolis MN 43.2 Atlanta GA 42.4 Boston MA 40.9 San Diego CA 40.4 Lexington-Fayette KY 39.5 Denver CO 39.0 Charlotte NC 38.8 Portland OR 38.8 St. Paul MN 36.5 San Jose CA 36.1 Colorado Springs CO 34.9 Honolulu HI 34.7 Oakland CA 33.8 Pittsburgh PA 32.3 New York NY 32.2 Albuquerque NM 32.2 Anchorage AK 32.2 Omaha NE 31.9 Nashville-Davidson TN 31.7 Columbus OH 31.4 New Orleans LA 31.4

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Oh, and look at all THESE dubious honors!! HA HA!! This does indeed crack me up.  I have lived, worked or played (or all 3) in all but 5 (!!) of these cities!

Coldest / Hottest Here are the cities with the lowest average temperature in January.
Rank	City	Avg. low temp in Jan. (°F)
1	Fargo, ND	-2.3°F
2	St. Cloud, MN	-1.2°F
3	Bismarck, ND	-0.6°F
4	Duluth, MN	1.1°F
5	Blaine, MN	1.8°F
5	Coon Rapids, MN	1.8°F
7	Maple Grove, MN	2.8°F
7	Minnetonka, MN	2.8°F
7	Plymouth, MN	2.8°F
10	Sioux Falls, SD	2.9°F
11	Eden Prairie, MN	3.4°F
12	Rochester, MN	3.7°F
13	Apple Valley, MN	3.8°F
13	Burnsville, MN	3.8°F
15	Bloomington, MN	4.3°F
15	Brooklyn Park, MN	4.3°F
15	Eagan, MN	4.3°F
15	Minneapolis, MN	4.3°F
19	Madison, WI	5.0°F
20	Manchester, NH	5.2°F
21	St. Paul, MN	6.2°F
21	Woodbury, MN	6.2°F
23	La Crosse, WI	6.3°F
23	Waterloo, IA	6.3°F
25	Green Bay, WI	7.1°F

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On a side note, I'm 1 day delinquent on this, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my DAD!!  Another year is...another YEAR! Yea!  Happy 67th, JP!  P.S. JP is a born and raised Minneapolite as well...go figure!

No Pain, No Gain (Not For the Squeamish...I'm Not Kidding)

I needed to get on track.  I have an August date with the pavement, and rocky terrain, grass, bluffs, and who knows what kind of weather. I have to meet and greet said "nature" and pavement for 60 miles...20 on Friday the 18th, 20 on Saturday the 19th and 20 on Sunday the 20th of August.  This is no easy feat, WITH a healthy knee and body. 

Since I was finally released to begin training last week, I have been lazy as sin.  Yes, lazy.  I mean, I've been DOING stuff, just not the things I should be doing to train for such a monster athletic event.  Well, endurance event anyway. And right now I'm a disgusting blob of muscle wannabe.  So, I began my journey yesterday.  Only now I'm in quick-mode, as the walk is only 10 weeks (YIKES!) away!  So, I have to really get on that horse and ride.

Yesterday at the long-lost gym, I did a few things, was feeling lazy (yes, still), and then ran into my friend, Mitch.  I think we were both surprised to find one another at the gym on a gloomy Sunday afternoon.  Though, what better place, right?  Well, I probably would have had a half-ass work-out had I not had a very rousing conversation with Mitch, which kind of got me riled up.  You know what I mean, Mitch.  It was just what I needed to jump-start and kick my own butt. 

I hopped on the treadmill and proceeded my walk-jog regimen which had been approved by my PT.  In all, I got in about 4 miles...1 of which was jogged.  A very very good start to my otherwise lackluster efforts thus far, and it makes.me.want.to.do.MORE!!!  By Saturday I will be up to 12 miles.  Yes...12.  Granted, I may do that out and about, in the elements of Savage (my neighborhood), but I really need to grab this bull  by the horns, otherwise the bull will impale me with said horns.  Ouch. 

Speaking of "ouch", after 4 miles of walk/jog on my jello-like stems, today I'm a bit sore.  Like when David Appleget took my brother to the gym and made him lift weights.  My brother lay on the floor the next day, barely able to move.  Being the nice sis, I made mac and cheese for him for "dinner" before he headed to work, since he couldn't pick his arms up high enough to stir.  Okay, fine, I'm not that bad, but getting back on the horse again today...and tomorrow...etc, will help with any of the soreness I *do* have.

That wasn't the "squeamish" part.  So, if you read this anyway, even after the warning, you still have time to bail out.

Brazilian.  The term is not only one which confuses George W. from a numeric/calculation standpoint, but also what a person from Brazil is called.  And, apparently the women in the U.S. have figured out in recent years that women from Brazil like to wax.  Everything.  We're talking all the "hair down there".  Everything, including the dirtiest of places.

Always curious, and liking to be hair-free, I decided to try this new phenomenon.  I'd been contemplating this "procedure" for a long time now, even talking with some girlfriends about who the best aestheticians (I think they are called) are in the Twin Cities, various costs, how long each waxing lasts, etc. 

Well, lucky for me, my neighbor's daughter, who does this for a living at a fancy-schmancy local salon, just purchased her own table and supplies for her to do this on the side, at her home--I like to call it a cheap date with someone I  know, you call it what you want.  Anyway, after a few weeks of scheduling conflicts, female issues, and forgetfulness, today was finally my day to visit Brazil, cheaply and with someone I was about to become very intimate with.  Well, she with me, anyway. 

I arrive at her house, get neked from the waist down (as one must for this sort of thing) and shamelessly did what was necessary for her to yank each and every hair from my pubic area from its very root.  I'm now officially as bald as a young'un in every possible spot below my belly button.

Did it hurt?  Not really.  But, please remember my ability to withstand significant amounts of pain in my nether regions...2 babies, no drugs.   Remember I said before that I would rather give birth 100 times before having knee surgery again?  That remains true, because that SUCKED, but the hair yanking thing...not so bad.  It feels kinda weird, but it's actually pretty cool!  Go on...try it once!

No pain, no gain. (Though I'm still not sure what kind of "gain" the Brazilian will actually give me.  To be determined...)