"The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience."

regnabo, regno, regnavi, sum sine regno

Was FUCKING AWESOME. This team truly know how to make the villians terrifying and not silly but still have that comic book feel. It was perfect. Wonderful. Also, I got a cool batman cup!

The Three of Swords card



suggests that dwelling on past pain, heartbreak or loss leaves you vulnerable to further attack or reopens old wounds. It can ultimately consume you, particularly if it is your own heart that has betrayed you. Thoughts of getting even will make things worse. Taking each betrayal or loss too personally becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy so that when you do finally let down your guard and trust again, you find yourself embroiled in the same emotional drama you vowed to avoid. Being on the defensive or carrying a chip on your shoulder practically ensures tension or wounded pride and your self-esteem may suffer as a result. Certain loss is irrevocable. The ensuing crisis can be a turning point for your relationship or love life, but only if you are willing to let go and take a chance.

Pics from the Resort





Texas de Brazil


Blue Man Group Pics









Universal Studios Pics

















So, that's the pics! Also, I need to take in that dress apparently. The cut makes me look about 20 lbs heavier! Well, I got it from Walgreen's for $10... what can ya expect!? 

I hate the way lj digitzed these! They look much better on my myspace!

Lyrics:

You're number eight. Your name is Jane, with black hair, braids, and black lines around your eyes... Shades to hide your habit. I don't know your age, though you guessed mine... My sign. Your sign! The opening line is always just the same. The same intention, destination. You and me and rainbows.
Loaded guns attract. We know the rules, we don't react. We wait in hope, we don't expect - You and me and rainbows.
Down here everything is fine. We have a straw, we have a line. We have a bag, a rock, a mountain with a string of shepherds driving lions. Aiming skewers at the sheep... face down, asleep in onion fields. The frying fields. The worms... they peep through holes which once were eyes. They thrive... they bake although we painted out the sky and the sun. There's only thunder, and you and me and raindows.
Let's hide out in the lay-by, let the time fly by. Tonight's disguise - a car crash with our wheels like shattered stars, our dashboard charred. Our windscreen... a graveyard for the flies (we're fast!) The hungry flies are circling, mourning as the watchers squat with cameras, cakes and flasks. They're spying, spitting as the blue light flashes, axes swing. We're broken wings, but still we'll fly and we'll reach our destination - you and me and rainbows.
And if we turn the lights down low and watch the sky cry through the window... Will I watch your fingers grow and stretch like butterflies? The shadows flexing, licking toes, and blinding as slowly sun sets on the same old hill. The same red glow. We're quite alone - just you and me and rainbows.
Everything I own is in the corner of your room. It's covered with a sheet just like it died - but I will take a broom. I'll sweep it new again, arrange it... Oh, I'll grow a dozen hands. No I never will neglect my world again. I'm safe beneath my blanket. Call it home... For you. For me... and rainbows
Loaded guns attract
We know the rules, we don't react
We wait in hope
We don't expect
Just you and me and rainbows
Looking down

Budweiser to become a Belguim beer company.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jK1tY9DhEO2iWNtESnUfSflad7GwD91THTGG0

Dark Knight tomorrow night! Yay! I went ahead and bought advance tickets for the midnight showing tomorrow night. ::bounce bounce::

Well, Friday was a little nuttier than we had first planned for. We were going to stay in on Friday so we could get up extra early on Saturday and head to Universal Islands of Adventure. But, then we were going to go to the gay bar with our roomies and then that got derailed by us getting a call from our friends John and Caroline (previous owners of Cafe Tsunami) who just moved back from Seattle. So, we went to see them with intentions of heading to the gay bar afterwards. That didn't happen! John and Caroline ended up coming to Universal with us the next day and that was pretty cool too.

Saturday we headed out and apparently everyone but me had a hangover! We got to the hotel around 12, which was a little later than I had planned for, but it all worked out anyway. We went to Islands of Adventure and rode all of our favorite rides! It was hella packed with foreign tour groups! Thank god we had the Express Passes! Later in the evening we parted ways with John and Caroline so they could enjoy the park for the rest of the day. We had to get to the restaraunt! I had made reservations at Texas de Brazil. It's a Brazlilian Steakhouse. They have no menus. There's a really nice "soup and salad bar" and you get this little card that you flip green if you want the 9-12 different guys with meat to come by your table. Flip it red if you don't! They are so on it there too. You feel bad if you forget to flip your card and you didn't want anything! I was supposed to get happy birthday sang to Rody, but the taxi driver showed up too fast! Afterwards, we went back to the room for a little bit to relax and then off to Blue Man Group! It was indescribeably(sp?) AMAZING. I absolutely reccommend it to anyone. It was just awesome. The music was soooo good and you can tell that all the performers really love doing the show. I had a suprise for Roderick and I had his name and that it was his birthday announced on the LED thing in the beginning of the show. The audience reads it outloud so he got told Happy Birthday by the whole audience! I also had them upgrade us and our seats were on the first row! It was awesome... did I mention it was awesome? ;)

Sunday, Rody and I went to regular Universal Studios which neither of us had really been to in awhile, ironically! We went and rode on the new Mummy ride, which was awesome! We also went on the MIB shooting game ride and that was really cute. Oh and the new Simpson's ride was pretty ok. Weird seating structure though. 3 to a seat... It had some fun chills and thrills but I can say as not a big Simpson's fan that there were many things that would have been alot more fun for a fan or went over my head.
When we got home we started to clean and get things ready for the large group of people heading over for the Dungeons and Dragons game that Roderick runs. It was alot of fun! We have a fuckton more people now, but it's still a blast! Lets see there's: Blue, Ian, Aaron, Ashley, Tom, sometimes Jerry, Roderick running it, and me! We're totally running out of room in our tiny little dining room for all the people! I love that we have a steady game going. It's been so long since I've been able to actually play a character for more than one or two games. Yay for Rody! <3 ^.^

Also, Rody got a belated birthday gift of a new electric acoustic guitar that I got from work for super cheap. It came with a pratice amp, hard case, videos, and the nice guitar. I mean it's super fucking nice!

I think I've covered the weekend in a nutshell. I'll post the pics tomorrow.

I've been so busy at work that I haven't had a chance to make a post about the weekend. I will try to make one later today or tomorrow with pics! :)

Check out www.thehungersite.org. Every time you log on, you fill the belly of a starving child or adult. Encourage your friends to join in -- it costs nothing.

It's been awhile since I played this game. But oh, how I love it. I'm sad that I can't play it again right now. My PS2 is so broken. Maybe I should save up and buy a PS3 or something. I want to be able to play the next FF that comes out. I hope it's better than the most recent one. I got so bored with it!



(how to pronounce lyrics) ---->
Ie yu i No bo me nu Re n mi ri Yo ju yo go Ha sa ta ke na e Ku ta ma e

Lyrics --->
Ieyui
Nobomenu
Renmiri
Yojuyogo
Hasatekanae
Kutamae

English Translation ---->
Pray
Saviour
Dream
Child of Prayer
Forever and ever
Bring us peace

The Wheel card affirms that my alter ego is an Observer Participant, whose superpower, uncertain opportunity, acts as huckster in a carnival ride of free will, motive and time by assuming roles of game host and player linked by chains of events, or to hedge bets against a Greater Fool. Anything goes. Everything counts. Fate, Luck or a "Cosmic Santa" of Fortune assigned by relative to preordained or random turns are subject to short-sighted cheats or social brands of justice. But it's my entitlement, input, fear, or anticipation along the chain that "spins" labels into gold or coal! Today is a chance to fix, stir or dip into the Quantum Soup, boiling six degrees of separation from connecting to enough, waiting for the Karmic bill or dessert to close the meal in hindsight. But to self-correct by priority I put it on my list, pay my dues by choice and can see it coming to pass full circle.

But, Roderick can always cheer me up just by giving me a call. <3

Oh, I forgot to mention! My boss is TOTALLY interested in reading H.P. Lovecraft after I explained the Miskatonic University shirt I'm wearing today. I love this shirt...

I was in such a good mood this morning. Then it was dashed away as the minutes ticked by. One of my favorite case managers is leaving soon. Which really sucks. Murr. She's pretty awesome and I like talking to her. :(
All the people I really liked here are leaving or left. It sucks alot. I still love my job, but the people that were weird like me are gone or going. ::Sigh::

I just found out Rody has to work late tonight too, which sucks because I thought he was going to be home early the rest of this week. :(

We got our air conditioner fixed again yesterday b/c it stopped working randomly again. I hope it stays fixed this time. I hate how hot it gets in our house when it's broken. It zaps my desire to do anything but lie down and watch tv b/c it's so hot.

Better news... I got a new sewing machine that's ridiculously awesome! I got it from Sam's for super cheap and it's really nice. I did some sewing yesterday and got started on a new floor pillow for Rody.

This weekend we go to Universal Studios! I got the tickets for Blue Man Group and b/c we have the passes we got upgraded to the Poncho seats. Which are the ones right up by the stage! :does a little dance:

Also, brian_dare please gimme a call. I finally got your birthday present in and I think you will do a little happy dance when you get it!

""> I met this band and they're really nice. I'm supposed to get together with them to do some singing!

http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/ShowArticle.aspx?IsP=news/617/news617094.xml&dp=2008/07/02&q1=&cen=&xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyLiving_20080705

Meditation, Yoga Might Switch Off Stress Genes

Published: 07/02/08
WEDNESDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they've taken a significant stride forward in understanding how relaxation techniques such as meditation, prayer and yoga improve health: by changing patterns of gene activity that affect how the body responds to stress.

The changes were seen both in long-term practitioners and in newer recruits, the scientists said.

"It's not all in your head," said Dr. Herbert Benson, president emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "What we have found is that when you evoke the relaxation response, the very genes that are turned on or off by stress are turned the other way. The mind can actively turn on and turn off genes. The mind is not separated from the body."

One outside expert agreed.

"It's sort of like reverse thinking: If you can wreak havoc on yourself with lifestyle choices, for example, [in a way that] causes expression of latent genetic manifestations in the negative, then the reverse should hold true," said Dr. Gerry Leisman, director of the F.R. Carrick Institute for Clinical Ergonomics, Rehabilitation and Applied Neuroscience at Leeds Metropolitan University in the U.K.

"Biology is not entirely our destiny, so while there are things that give us risk factors, there's a lot of 'wiggle' in this," added Leisman, who is also a professor at the University of Haifa in Israel. "This paper is pointing that there is a technique that allows us to play with the wiggle."

Benson, a pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, is co-senior author of the new study, which is published in the journal PLoS One.

Benson first described the relaxation response 35 years ago. Mind-body approaches that elicit the response include meditation, repetitive prayer, yoga, tai chi, breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback, guided imagery and Qi Gong.

"Previously, we had noted that there were scores of diseases that could be treated by eliciting the relaxation response -- everything from different kinds of pain, infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, insomnia," Benson said.

He believes that this study is the first comprehensive look at how mind states can affect gene expression. It also focuses on gene activity in healthy individuals.

Benson and his colleagues compared gene-expression patterns in 19 long-term practitioners, 19 healthy controls and 20 newcomers who underwent eight weeks of relaxation-response training.

More than 2,200 genes were activated differently in the long-time practitioners relative to the controls and 1,561 genes in the short-timers compared to the long-time practitioners. Some 433 of the differently activated genes were shared among short-term and long-term practitioners.

Further genetic analysis revealed changes in cellular metabolism, response to oxidative stress and other processes in both short- and long-term practitioners. All of these processes may contribute to cellular damage stemming from chronic stress.

Another expert had a mixed response to the findings.

Robert Schwartz, director of the Texas A&M Health Science Center's Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston, noted that the study was relatively small. He also wished that there had been more data on the levels of stress hormones within the control group, for comparison purposes.

However, Schwartz called the study "unique and very exciting. It demonstrates that all these techniques of relaxation response have a biofeedback mechanism that alters gene expression."

He pointed out that the researchers looked at blood cells, which consist largely of immune cells. "You're getting the response most probably in the immune cell population," Schwartz said.

"We all are under stress and have many manifestations of that stress," Benson added. "To adequately protect ourselves against stress, we should use an approach and a technique that we believe evokes the relaxation response 20 minutes, once a day."

More information

There's more on meditation at the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

I had a really amazing weekend except for on Saturday I found out that my Uncle Charles killed himself. I'm pretty sure it hasn't sunken in yet. Rody did an awesome job of keeping me distracted and happy this weekend. ::smoo:: Apparently my uncle had schizophrenia and stopped taking his medicine and was getting worse after my Dad died. I just spoke with him on the 30th and he sounded fine. It's so wierd. I missed the funeral b/c it was in Louisiana and noone got in touch with me in time. :sigh:
Other than that though, I had a really really awesome weekend.
On Friday and Sat we had Aaron and Ashley and Branwyn over. We had a blast and cut up like we haven't in a long time. Saturday night we played Axis and Allies, Chthulu Munchkin and Chez Goth. So much fun. Then on Sunday we started making Shadowrun characters for a game I want to run. But, the system is sooo complicated. It was taking forever! So, we put that on hold for a little bit and we played Rody's D&D game. Aaron and Ashley joined, along with Roderick's friend, since elementary school that he hasn't seen in awhile, Tom.

Roderick and I had a really great weekend all in all. Even with all the guests and commotion we still had plenty of us time and we even got to sleep and snuggle for 15 hours! I feel remarkably well rested today.
This is our last little blow out weekend like this for awhile. It's time to jump on the responsible train again. Rody is going to be starting USF very soon and we still have alot of housework to do. I'm going to start tackling that yard 2 weeks from now.

Also, next weekend is Roderick's birthday! We'll be heading off to Orlando. So excited!! I hope he has a wonderful birthday. Also, I think we'll be haivng a small get together on next Friday before we leave. So, if you wanna come by give me a call. :)

The Three of Chalices card



suggests that my power today lies in celebration. I am not alone. I embrace the pleasure of the moment and share the beauty and joy of a common bond within my sisterhood. I am empowered by inclusion and my gift is spontaneous rapture.

Looking forward to this weekend! Only 2.5 more hours and I'm outtie! ::Untz Untz Untz::

I've been so busy lately! This week is going to be even crazier for me as it's the billing week here at work and Medicare is implementing a new billing system! Agh! But, I'm going to a tai-chi class tonight at my gym. So, that should be fun. I went to yoga last night at the gym and it was awesome. Alot more intense than I thought it would be. My back is a little sore this morning, but I'm sure I was probably just holding my position wrong or something. Although, just now as I'm forcing myself to sit up straight at my desk it feels a little better. My goal is to make it to the gym 3 days a week, and with the classes they have there it's becoming a little easier. BTW. If anyone lives out my way and wants to join me, gimme a call! :)

Next weekend is Rody's birthday and I'm so excited! We're going to Universal again and I'm bringing him to Blue Man Group and Texas de Brazil for his birthday. :bounce bounce: Also, anyone who's been wanting to go see Blue Man Group should come! I get discounts for the tickets with my pass and you could come along and wish Rody a happy birthday! :)
I think we're going to be having a small get together on that Friday before we leave for Orlando, so if you can come by then, you should!

W00t for the short week this week. How lucky to have the 4th land on a Friday?! Hells yeah to a longer weekend!!! ^.^ What's everyone getting into? I was thinking about going to the Zombie BBQ that the Deadites are throwing.