Predictions for the Week of My Sister Claudia's Visit

Tomorrow my evil sister Claudia will be arriving from out west.  She will be staying with us for Easter, from April 5^th – April 11^th.  Claudia has always been difficult from when she was little – even my mother would say so.  She has treated my brother Geoffrey and I like garbage all our lives, and whenever she visits it’s like a tornado of anger, rage, anxiety, temper tantrums, and guilt trips sweeps through our home.

I should clarify a few things right now:

1)  Claudia has recently become a psychologist.

2)  With any dispute we have, she uses her education in psychology to justify anything she does and make anything we say or do appear wrong.

3)  I’m positive that Claudia is a narcissist.  I’ve been reading a lot about narcissism, and I believe she has at least 8 out of 9 characteristics of a narcissist.

4)   Everyone in my family has health problems – me, my brother, my mother, and my father.  Everyone but Claudia.   And Claudia is the LEAST understanding person because she has never had to deal with illness or disability.  And because narcissists lack empathy.

5)  She has an extremely inaccurate view of our levels of disability and the challenges they can cause.  This may in part be because she hasn’t seen us for about 2 years.  Regardless, seeing us and seeing all that we can’t do will be a rude awakening for her.  Most likely though, she will accuse us of not trying hard enough.

6)  She has been pressuring us for years to go and visit her out west.  We try to explain how impractical this is given our health problems, but she refuses to believe it and/or claims that it is all due to not taking good enough care of ourselves.

7)  She is extremely controlling.

8)  My mother claims that Claudia has matured a lot.  This of course is based on phone conversations and nothing more.  That said, Mom is still very nervous about Claudia’s visit.

9)  When my brother and I talk to Claudia on the phone, we’ve both noticed that she is a lot nicer, yet we both get the sense that she is trying with all her might to hold back.  In other words, Geoffrey and I both think her agreeableness is just an act.

So, now that you are briefly caught up, the following is a list of predictions I am making regarding what will take place from the time Claudia arrives tomorrow till the time she leaves on the 11^th.  I am getting them in writing and posted online so that if any come true, I can prove to my family that I had predicted them before her arrival.  This is not to say that I anticipate all of my predictions to come true.  I am simply trying to cover any and all possibilities.

Predictions for the Week of Claudia’s Visit

1.  Claudia will object to me biting my nails and/or tell me that my nails are gross.

2.  Claudia won’t know how to turn on the TV or put on a DVD. 

3.  If me or my brother can’t sleep at night and get up to watch TV, Claudia will yell at me and my brother to turn down the TV.  This may lead to a fight.

4.  Claudia will talk, yell, or try to annoy me when I’m watching TV - probably during something good like a documentary that won’t be on again.

5.  Claudia will recommend that we eat organic fruits & vegetables and this could start an argument/fight when we try to explain that they are too expensive.  If she then buys some for us and we don’t eat them, there will be an even bigger fight.

6.  Claudia will ask me and my brother to go to dinner with her and when we say no due to legitimately not feeling well, she will:

 A)  start fighting with us and/or throw a temper tantrum

 B)  accuse us of not taking good enough care of ourselves

 C)  get mad and declare that we just don’t want to go with her, which will partly be true

 D)  tell us that the reason we don’t feel well enough to go out is that we are not motivated enough

7.  When Claudia finds out that I have pain in my chest and trouble breathing, she will freak out and won’t believe that it is actually related to my Fibromyalgia, which it is.  Regardless of how much I fill her in on the subject, she will secretly believe that I have some kind of heart condition, and thus my diet must be dangerously flawed, just like the rest of me and my life.

8.  If I’m able to go on a walk while she’s here, she will excitedly offer to come with me, as she feels that exercise and nutrition are her areas of expertise.  When I tell her as nicely as possible that I prefer to go alone, that it’s my “me time,” she will get upset and possibly start a fight.

9.  She will want to use my Wii Fit, or she will want us to do Wii Fit together.  If I don’t want to, this will start a fight.

10.  Claudia will either borrow my things without asking, or she will ask only to start a fight when I refuse to lend her my things.  Some things she might take include:

A)     my shampoo and conditioner

B)     my make up

C)     my socks – WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN!

D)    my shirts and possibly pyjamas as they will be very roomy

E)     my curlers or spoodles

F)     my hair-bands, elastics, other hair accessories, face mask, face soap

G)     sweaters

11.  When Claudia sees that my fatigue keeps me from helping out around the house or doing anything with her, this will start a fight in which she lectures me to stop doing things that she thinks cause my fatigue, even though said things are unrelated.

12.  Claudia will try to convince me not to repaint my room, remove the carpet, and refinish the hardwood floor.  She will want to know why it’s so important to me in the first place.  Since I will most likely refuse to tell her, this will start a fight.

13.  If Claudia notices that I neatly underline passages in books I read, she will wonder why and possibly try to convince me that I shouldn’t bother, because it’s not like I’m studying the book for school.

14.  Claudia may try to convince me to take distance education courses at the university, especially if she sees that I am able to read once in a while.  When I explain that my concentration is unpredictable and that I probably won’t be able to make deadlines, she will show very clearly that she isn’t satisfied with my explanation.  This could start a fight as well, as she will not understand why I can read some books and not do reading for school.

15.  If Claudia takes a shower she won’t clean out the tub and this will start a huge fight.

16.  Claudia will lecture me, my mom, and my brother Geoffrey about the amount of Coke we drink.

17.  Claudia will try to convince me, my mom, and my brother to get rid of stuff that we want to keep.  This could start a huge fight.

18.  Claudia will complain about how crappy our telephones are and nag us to get new ones.

19.  Claudia will either complain about my mother’s driving, refuse to let Mom drive her anywhere, or suggest that Mom’s license be taken away.  This will really hurt my mother’s feelings and, of course, start a huge fight.

20.  Claudia will start a fight about how much time my brother and I spend in the house, and won’t accept that it is due to our pain and fatigue.

21.  Claudia will get extremely frustrated with my mother for always falling asleep on the toilet at night.  Claudia will not be able to keep her awake at night and will get angry that the alarm Mom uses doesn’t work.  She may attempt to buy my mother a better alarm, but if this also doesn’t work, Claudia may suggest that my mom should be in a nursing home.  If not, she may suggest that this extreme drowsiness is due to one of my mother’s medications and try to convince her to stop taking something that she actually needs.

22.  Claudia will get extremely frustrated with my mother for falling asleep in front of the TV or while beading.  This too will cause a fight, especially if my mom refuses to go to bed.  There will be an even bigger fight if my mom is drinking tea in this drowsy condition, in which she can spill it all over herself.

23.  Claudia will want to use our digital camera, and thus will be angry when she finds out that the battery is broken and we have not yet bought a new one.

24.  Claudia will want to use my laptop and will be angry when I refuse.  She will ask why my brother is allowed to use it but not her.  I will explain that we’ve made an agreement, in which he will help me repaint my bedroom in exchange for use of my laptop, but she will still be angry.

25.  Claudia will be angry that our desktop computer in the basement is broken, and will nag us to plug in her old computer.  If Dad refuses, Claudia will nag me about this, as she feels I am the one in the family she has the most control over.  Since it is not my computer and I have my own, she will be wasting her time.

26.  At some point during her visit, she will be so exasperated with us for something, and will declare that she shouldn’t even have come.

27.  Claudia will try to convince my family to move out west with her.  Apparently she has already mentioned it to my mother before.  She will claim that the nice weather and scenery will help us with our health problems, and that if she lives nearby she can help us with things like chores.

Okay, that’s it for now.  After she’s gone I’ll try to write to let you know which ones came true.  Wish me luck, and wish my family luck as well.

ExerBeat for Wii Fit by Namco Bandai

I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been extremely fatigued. My goal for this summer was to make over my bedroom, but my fatigue has made this impossible. I hadn’t even celebrated my 26th birthday in July because I was never feeling well enough. In fact, I opened my presents on Sunday night – September 4!

Though I haven’t had a chance to use all of my presents yet, I was able to test out the gift that I wanted the most – ExerBeat by Namco Bandai.

According to my Rheumatologist, the only proven treatment for Fibromyalgia is frequent aerobic exercise, and that I can start very slowly at 5 minutes aerobics per day. It was my 2011 New Year’s Resolution to make daily aerobics my top priority, and with my Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus I became very close to reaching my goal. I felt that I was really improving, that my pain was more manageable, and that my energy had improved. Of course, I did incorporate other activities into my aerobics such as taking a trip to the mall as an opportunity to walk around some afternoon, or going on walks outside in the summer. However, Wii Fit made it possible for me to complete some aerobic exercise when stores were closed or when the weather was either too hot or too cold to go on walks. This is why I made it a priority when making my birthday list to ask for another exercise game for the Nintendo Wii.

Since I only had 2 opportunities since opening the gift to test out the game, I cannot give an in-depth review here today, but I can say that I am very happy with it. If I can write a better review at a later date, I certainly will.

Users of Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus will probably find ExerBeat easy to adjust to, as there are many similarities. For example:

1. With Wii Fit’s instructions appear on the screen in a speech bubble spoken from an avatar of the Wii Balance Board. Similarly, ExerBeat’s instructions appear in a speech bubble spoken from a music note by the name of Rhythm. Rhythm recommends a short tutorial. I watched this the night I got it and would recommend it.

2. With both Wii Fit and ExerBeat, activities are presented in a similar layout and not all activities are available to users from the beginning. With both games only certain activities in each category are available and the rest must be earned or “unlocked” by completing the activities that are already available. I like this feature of both games because it gives users a sense of achievement, rewarding them for their completion of various exercises.

3. Both Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, and ExerBeat incorporate humourous and creative exercises into their menus. My favourite Wii Fit game is Penguin Slide, in which my avatar or Mii is dressed in a penguin costume, standing on an iceberg and surrounded by an audience of penguins who seem to be cheering me on as I try to catch as many fish as possible. Similarly, there are funny and creative games on ExerBeat that involve twirling pizzas and fending off pirates!

4. Both Wii Fit Plus and ExerBeat measure the approximate amount of calories burned and measure the intensity of the exercises in METS. They also both have charts or graphs to measure how much time users spend working out each day, the option to set personal goals, and a calendar that can be stamped so that users can keep track of their progress.

5. The Wii Fit and ExerBeat menus are very similarly organized. The Training menu of Wii Fit lists activities in the following categories:

Yoga -------------------------(15 activities)
Strength Training ----------(15 activities)
Aerobics ---------------------(9 activities)
Balance Games -------------(9 activities)

Wii Fit Plus provides 15 additional activities, as well as 3 additional Yoga activities and 3 additional Strength Training Activities.

Similarly, the Exercise menu of ExerBeat lists activities in the following categories:

. Dance Exercise
. Martial Arts
. Body Conditioning
. Party Fitness

Unlike Wii Fit however, the first 3 categories branch out into further, more specific categories from which you must choose:

. Dance Exercise ---------> Aerobics / Hip Hop / Latin Dance

. Martial Arts ------------> Boxercising / Karate / Karate Forms

. Body Conditioning ----> Stretching / Yoga and Pilates

This means that, while Wii Fit might provide 15 different activities each in Yoga and Strength Training, ExerBeat provides about 15 activities in all 8 sub-categories! So if I am correct, this is the breakdown of what Exerbeat offers:

. Dance Exercise

- Aerobics ----------> 20 activities
- Hip Hop ----------> 20 activities
- Latin Dance ------> 20 activities

. Martial Arts

- Boxercising ------> 20 activities
- Karate ------------> 20 activities
- Karate Forms ----> 10 activities

. Body Conditioning

- Yoga / Pilates ----> 10 yoga, 10 pilates = 20 activities
- Stretching --------> 10 activities

. Party Fitness ------> 5 activities

Now, I must stress that I am not criticising Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus for lack of variety. I intend to use both Wii Fit Plus and ExerBeat together. I am simply praising ExerBeat for its variety for my particular needs, and for my Fibromyalgia, variety of aerobic exercise is a major need! I also think that my familiarity with Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus has allowed me to begin using ExerBeat without much difficulty. For example, I am somewhat used to having to follow certain visual cues with the Wii Remote in order for the game to register the accuracy of my movements.

I hope to use ExerBeat to complete some aerobic exercise a little bit every day, and hopefully build stamina little by little, and decrease pain and fatigue in the long run. I’ll write about any progress I make whether with the Wii game or without, and as usual I welcome any comments or recommendations for similar games.

Why I Love Wii Fit!

Greetings fellow bloggers! I have taken a sabbatical from writing about the fascinating world of socks to put most of my energy towards physiotherapy. To be specific, I have been told that the best treatment for my Fibromyalgia is daily aerobic exercise, and so for the last 3 months I have been exercising daily using my Nintendo Wii.

I have had Wii Fit for a long time now, but have only been able to use it regularly since the start of the new year. For the last two years the game was sitting in our living room closet barely used, and I felt wasteful and guilty for having asked my parents for it in the first place. But now that I have started a new medication, my energy and motivation is greatly improved, so I am now able to be more proactive about my condition. Now that I am actually physically capable of exercising regularly, I am so thankful that I had the Wii Fit waiting for me. For the last 3 months I have been completing my aerobic activity using Basic Step and Advanced Step. Originally I was only able to complete 15 minutes of aerobics per day, repeating the 3 minute Basic Step workout 5 times. Now I am able to complete 35 minutes of aerobics per day, repeating the 3 minute Basic Step 5 times and the 5 minute Advanced Step 4 times.

I should note that I have never been much of a “gamer,” the only video game I had any real experience with was Super Mario Bros. 1 released in 1985.

And when I asked my parents for a Nintendo console for my birthday, I only wanted one that I could use to play the old Super Mario games from my childhood. So basically, when I ripped off the wrapping paper and found the strange, unfamiliar Nintendo “Wii”, I was actually quite disappointed. I also felt pretty stupid that the included game disc included what I thought to be childish games. Tennis? Golf? Bowling? Who wants to sit in their living room hitting

balls back and forth by pressing buttons with their game contro

ls!? I might as well play the old Pong game from 1975!

Not being very tech-savvy, I had no idea at first that this console came with a motion-sensor, and thus game play involved actually exercising with the Nintendo. I felt rather stupid upon discovering this, as I had actually shouted at my parents for buying me such a boring, childish game. I decided to try to find out more about the games that were available for this console, and came across Wii Fit and its accompanying balance board. I immediately recognised that this could be useful in my rehabilitation from Fibromyalgia and discussed this with my parents. After many wild-goose chases for the recently released product, my father finally came home with one and my mother and I were overjoyed. When I registered my information on the game while awkwardly learning how to use this new-fangled technology, I became very quickly discouraged. My Wii Fit age wasn’t too bad, but I was informed of my weight in such a way that you would think I was as obese as it was possible to be! Furthermore, when I actually attempted the 3-minute Basic Step, I felt stupid for even thinking I was capable of using this device to exercise in the first place! Clearly this was designed for complete jocks who had no physical health problems and who probably coasted by at university on football scholarships. After such discouragement, I didn’t touch the gadget for months. I did get it out occasionally, however, to try to complete the aerobic exercise necessary for my eventual independence, and each time it was with the intention of using the device regularly at 3 times per week at the very least. Despite my good intentions, I had only used my Wii Fit, on average, once a month for the last 2 years! Now, that’s all changed. This year I have used my Wii Fit almost every day for the last 3 months – almost 90 days in a row. I have used it more in the last 3 months than I have in the last 2 years. This really reaffirms for me that my lack of physical activity has not been due to laziness – despite what the average ignorant asshole destined for Hell seems to think – but that it was simply a matter of being on the wrong medication. Now I know that no matter what insecure girls with body image issues try to convince me of, I am truly hard working when it comes to my health and fitness, and any lack of work on my part is due to legitimate problems that caused legitimate obstacles. In other words, the insecure girls who hate their bodies who have actually pressured me to exercises might as well have pressured a quadriplegic to stop being lazy and taking the elevator, and to take the stairs in order to heal their paralyzed limbs.

Though I am not yet completely able-bodied, I feel that Wii Fit has helped me a lot with my Fibromyalgia in the short time that I have been using it. I love this game for the following reasons: 1. Users can easily see their improvement over time, which is extremely encouraging as it shows evidence that practice has been effective.

The motion sensor, Balance Board, Wii Remote, and Nunchucks can register your movements, and thus determine your accuracy in each activity. Your accuracy is then used to determine your score, which is then shown to you on a top 10 list of your best scores. So each time you attempt a specific activity, you can see how your accuracy compares to your previous attempts. Seeing your score improve is evidence that your accuracy has improved and thus users can feel that they have achieved results. Even an improvement by 3 or 4 points from one day to the next is evidence of improvement. This is extremely important to me because I have never felt that practicing a sport or physical activity has led to improvement of my skill or fitness. Perhaps this is because I have always had physical problems, but I always felt to some extent that exercise was futile. With Wii Fit, I always see even the most minor improvements. 2. Wii Fit rewards users for their accomplishments and completion of various activities by making available new activities or harder versions of the exercises. This allows users to feel a sense of accomplishment and reward, while allowing for some variety and novelty in the activities. 3. Several Wii Fit activities are creative, fun, and humourous, which allows users to have fun while exercising. Fun and humour should never be under-estimated! One of my favourites is a game called Penguine Slide, in which the user’s avatar is dressed in a penguin costume and has an audience of cheering penguins who are all very supportive and encouraging! The game takes place aboard a floating, wobbly ice berg, on which the user must shift their weight from the right foot to left and so on in order to catch as many fish as possible. The music alone makes this game worthwhile, but the fact that I am surrounded by penguins who seem to be big fans makes me smile every time I play this game! Watch a demo of Penguine Slide by clicking on the screen below. 4. Wii Fit games can allow users to participate in existing sports which the user may never have played, and may never get the opportunity to try. One aerobics activity I often played is called Rhythm Boxing. I enjoyed this because I have never before taken boxing lessons or even an aerobics class that involves the use of a punching bag! For people like me who have health problems, this is a wonderful feature, as some of us cannot often leave the house any time we wish!

I would also like to note that a famous character with a famous health problem has been known to use a Nintendo Wii for just this reason. Fans of HBO’s True Blood may recall the scene in which Vampire Bill Compton is seen on a bright sunny day on what appears to be a golf course. At first this is quite confusing, as the vampires of True Blood cannot go outside during the day as the sun burns their skin. As the camera slowly zooms out, viewers see that Vampire Bill is not playing with a real golf club, but is holding a Wii Remote, and that he is actually in his living room playing Wii Golf, and it is in fact night time. Even True Blood vampires use the Nintendo Wii to exercise and participate in activities that their condition would otherwise render impossible! You can see Vampire Bill Compton playing with his Nintendo Wii in the True Blood clip below:

5. My favourite thing about Wii Fit has to be that it gives me something to look forward to each day.

This might seem a little bit silly to some people, but the combination of the above 4 qualities make Wii Fit the highlight of my day. It makes me feel good to see that I improve in each activity, and it makes me feel good to think of how much more aerobics I can do each day compared to when I first started. I love the novelty of the activities, and this is why I eventually purchased Wii Fit Plus. This has 15 additional activities, and I am trying not to try all of them right away so that I'll have something new to master. The fun and humourousness of the activities is also important to me because I do not often get to go out and have fun in the same ways that other young people my age do. Often, just discovering a new activity or option about the game can be entertaining, though other young people who are more used to video games may not find these new discoveries as amusing as I do. And of course, I get to feel good about knowing that everyday I am doing something to improve my health and ultimately lead me to be more able-bodied and independent. But in the meantime, Wii Fit is allowing me to make up for experiences I wouldn't otherwise be able to have right now, such as Boxing, Kung Fu, and Skiing.

In conclusion, I would just like to say that people often comment on our use of technology, expressing a fear that we are in fact becoming to dependent on technology. I don't deny this. But if the wheel is an early development of technology, then this means that the wheel chair is in fact a product of technology. Wheelchairs are a product of technology that make it possible for people with disabilities to be mobile and allows for a degree of independence. For people with certain disabilities, the wheelchair is an extremely important piece of technology. So while I agree that our increasing dependence on technology is disturbing and often unnecessary, I will also be the first to say that, for those who are not perfectly able-bodied, technology makes it possible to experience life and remain independent - whether it is the wheelchair aiding in mobility, or a video-game that simulates sports to aid in physiotherapy and rehabilitation from a health problem.

Maybe reliance on technology is only disturbing when we are able to live comfortably without it and its use ultimately causes us not to use our own abilities and thus to eventually lose them altogether. But maybe technology should be praised when it makes it possible for us to do what we otherwise could not and aids in our health and independence. Maybe the key to judging whether a piece of technology is beneficial or harmful is to determine whether it leads to dependence or INdependence.

To learn more about Wii Fit visit http://wiifit.com/

2011 New Year's Resolutions

Okay, the following is my new list of New Year's Resolutions for 2011, and I plan to record the progress of my following these goals right here on The Lonely Sock! Here goes:

1. Have Fun!

 Everyday, read the entry from The Almanac of the Infamous, The Incredible, and The Ignored by Juanita Rose Violini.

 Everyday, read the entry from This Book Will Change Your Life by Benrik, and actually attempt as many tasks as possible!
--> Record progress on blog and join Benrik cult!

 Go to a different restaurant, cafe, or bar, every 1-2 weeks!
--> Record progress on blog and evaluate restaurants.

2. Improve Fibromyalgia – Become Physically Independent!

 Exercise daily, mostly with Wii Fit or other Nintendo Wii exercise programs.

 Abstain from Fast Food, Soft Drinks, Candy, and other Junk Food.

3. Be Creative!

 Complete 1st issue of magazine.
 Make crafts using reused and recycled materials.
--> Post pictures of all on blog along with instructions
 Design, sew, and paint original clothes.
--> Post all clothes on blog.

4. Read More!

 Record books or essays read on blog and briefly discuss/review.
 Record all books I plan to read on blog.

Okay, I have a few minor things to report about this last week, the first item being somewhat negative:

1. I was very disappointed to miss Art In The Park last weekend. Even though it was the storm which flooded the park that caused the event to be cancelled a day early, I cried like a grieving child when our van pulled up to the park entrance revealing empty tents, bare tables, and turned over display devices littered throughout the soulless, puddle-park. Apparently artists were knee-deep in water, but nevertheless, my eyes flooded like the park because I blamed myself and my uncooperative body for having missed this once-a-year, two-day event. I was achy and exhausted the day before and incapable of attending, but on the last day I fought with my body and my urges to sleep to attend, and as we drove past the park I cried like a three-year-old feeling like it was my own fault for missing the event and not the storm, but also feeling like a immature baby for crying over it. Mom ending up taking me to the mall instead, where I succumbed to fast food and haunted the aisles of Chapters – my usual temple of rejuvenation – but my heart wasn’t longing for books that day. On a positive note, I decided to buy a book that I have considered buying frequently but always passed over – Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Now that I have started reading the book, I know that it is right up my alley, and the perfect book to comfort, encourage, and inspire me at a time when I was feeling weak and powerless. I am looking forward to reading more of it.


2. I had a very good day Friday pain-wise! I still had pain, but it was sooooo much better than the pain I have had this last couple of weeks. I wish everyday could be like Friday! On a coincidental note, I am in front of the TV which is playing the 2009 Robert Rodriguez film Shorts, which has to do with a rainbow coloured rock that grants wishes to whoever holds it ... if only it did the same for whoever liked the movie it was in I could have only tolerable pain everyday!
3. One of my goals was to exercise at least 3-4 times per week, and this week I achieved that. I walked at the mall on Sunday and at the craft store Michaels yesterday, and on Friday and Saturday I did my physiotherapy exercises. It would be nice if I could get both the aerobic exercise and the physiotherapy exercise up to 4 times per week, perhaps being able to do both types of exercise in one day. But what I have accomplished this week is a start.
4. One project I have been working on is some scrapbooks – not the family/photograph kind. I buy a lot of scrapbooking stickers, letters, and embellishments from Dollarama and Michaels to use in these scrapbooks, but I use normal binders a student would use for school, and different kinds of stationary, cardstock, and scrapbooking paper. These scrapbooks are really personal handbooks on various topics. Lately I have been working on one entitled “Health and Well-Being” which I will be using to keep any health information I have collected over time, including nutritional information, physiotherapy exercises, articles in magazines and newspapers, and so on. The other is entitled “Crafty Ideas” and is going to store actual ideas for new craft projects I plan to do, instructions on how to achieve certain techniques such as a crackle finish, samples of unique fonts, and so on. COMING SOON are photograph or of the title pages I have created and further discussion about these handbooks for any readers who would like to create something similar.
5. When I went to Michaels yesterday I purchased about $100 worth of craft supplies. The last couple of times this happened I cried in the car on the way home hating myself, wondering why I need these craft supplies to make me happier, especially considering that I have not completed a notable craft project in a long time, save my scrapbooks discussed above. Though I probably should have hated myself today, I actually didn’t; I left the store feeling relieved that I purchased what I did. Maybe it is because there were many items I came very close to buying that I ultimately put back on shelves, or perhaps because many items I did purchase were on sale, but the more likely reason is that I had such a depressed and lethargic day on Thursday that I needed these supplies to cheer me up.
I should firmly note that I am not proud of this, and that I would very strongly like to end my craft-supply-shopping until I have accomplished a significant amount with what I already have. I should also note that I am experimenting with re-used or recycled items to be used for crafts, which will be featured on this blog COMING SOON with instructions and a list of supplies needed to create similar items.
6. Lastly, I spent last night trying to make some more progress on one of my Alice In Wonderland themed crafts. It was very frustrating and tedious, but I think that I made some good discoveries through trial and error that I will have to follow through with at another time. The night involved deciding on a colour to write in on a red background, realizing after writing in gold that it was unattractive and painting over it, making a stencil, using it, using gold paint over the stencil, repainting red over the gold paint to undo all the errors, and creating (what I hope is) a better stencil. I will soon attempt to paint over the stencil in gold paint once again, and will hopefully be more successful.

Well, that’s all for now. I am off to bed ... at seven o’clock a.m. It’s awful being nocturnal. That reminds me : I can’t wait for True Blood tonight! It’s the 3rd season premier and my mom and I have been waiting for so long!

Some Progress

Okay, I haven’t written in a while, but I have some good news about my progress. I have managed to eat much more nutritiously for about 4 days in a row now, and have cut down on Coke significantly again. I want to try cooking a few vegetarian recipes, because I heard that eating meat actually makes any medication one takes less effective than if one did not eat meat (or if one simply ate organic meat).
I also got some more exercise recently. I walked for about 1 hour at Wal Mart on Tuesday, about 15-20 minutes on Wednesday (1404 steps), and walked for 2-3 hours today (3476 steps). I’m happy with this, as well my higher consumption of fruits and vegetables and my more frequent grooming this week.
I think I might also have made some progress in terms of my neatness/organizational issues. I had purchased a 9-cube organizer for $50.00, but realized it was too large and had to be put on casters in order to be of any use. Today I finally found what I need – 2 wooden boards with swivel casters on the bottom for the 9-cube organizer to rest on. Hopefully this will help organize some of my craft supplies.
On a more negative note, I weighed myself lately and am 210 pounds. Also, I have spent way too much money lately and really need to chill out when it comes to the craft supplies!
I have to say this though: I think craft supplies should be very inexpensive so that people who make crafts can sell them if they so desire at reasonable prices. It seems like craft companies like Michaels just assume that crafters are all just a bunch of bored, rich housewives who have an unlimited allowance from their husbands, and so use their spare time to try to imitate Martha Stewart as best they can. They price everything as though money is no object to the shoppers, who make their own decorations despite having a cook, a maid, and a nanny. I bet they purposely make it so that crafters can’t shop at their stores and actually make a profit by selling what they create. Any potential craft-buyers who look at a craft they like from an independent artist will see the price and think to themselves, “I bet if I go to Michaels I can make that myself for a lot cheaper.”
Anyways, I’m starting to think that today’s writing isn’t making a lot of sense, and that it’s really not my best writing anyways, so I’ll call it a day. Hopefully I will have my short article on Avatar up and running soon, as well as some pictures of some crafts I made, with some instructions for any readers on how to make them.

Random Thought: Has anyone else noticed that the word SCRAP contains the word CRAP? This can't be a coincidence, since scraps are often pieces of crap ...