Arbo Pictures

1Here are a random collection of photo's from the arboretum. Enjoy!

ARBO

This semester I finally get to complete some field work. What are we doing? Our work consists of surveying the Lyon Arboretum located in the back of Manoa Valley. The Arboretum is lacking a sufficient map, so some UH geography students (me included) have been trekking into the Arbo and surveying the area. Pictures to follow. :)

Embrace Your Inner Child

BTW, go check out www.embraceyourinnerchild.com . It's a really inspirational site where you can download a free ebook about how to reconnect with the little child inside of you and live a happier, fuller life. It's amazing. Trust.

Skip to day 21....I look like a clown. Allergies SUCK!

So let's jump ahead to day 21, which is today. All the things I've set off to do so far have gone according to plan. I'm feeling good, working hard and enjoying my little 'rehab retreat' at home. But one thing that has been driving me crazy ever since I got home has been my chapped lips. Normally when I move from one really wet climate to a really dry one, my lips get dry and red and chapped. It's annoying, but I can usually deal. This summer however, I cannot. I wake up in the morning sometimes and they are swollen and red and nasty. Basically it looks like I got lip implants, yeah real attractive.

I gave in and went to the doctor because I just can't stand it anymore. I was pretty sure he was going to laugh me out of his office, telling me to go buy a tube of Chapstick. He didn't. Interestingly enough, this is actually a condition that people get...kinda like a symptom of allergies. It's called Angioderma (you can google it if you really want) and instead of getting itchy eyes or sneezing a lot, my lips swell up. Awesome.

There are a few treatments for it, mainly just taking a normal allergy medicine, but for now he has me on some kind of anti-inflammatory steroid to get the swelling and the pain to stop. The main way to treat it is to avoid whatever allergy sets it off. Here's the problem though, I have no freaking clue what I'm allergic to. It could be a number of things....my cat, the weather, food. Anything really. SO now I think I need to go see an allergist and a bunch of needles jabbed in my back to figure out what it is that makes me puff up like a balloon. Sounds like a party to me!

Anyway, I guess there are some good things about the situation (I'm a silver lining girl.....kinda.) At least I'm not dating anyone or trying to impress any possible dates, I'm not out in Hawaii where all my friends would laugh at me (haha gotta love them) and from this point on, it will get better. Now it's time to move on from it, and pray to Science that I don't look like a clown in the morning.

Project Remodel: Day 2

Written 06/25/2009

Day two of the remodel is done. And I'm feeling good. I thought that I would be cranky by now (considering I've stopped eating sugar of all kinds, including fruit for now) but I'm doing pretty well. I overslept a little, which put me behind in my day but other than that things went according to plan. I even got all my paperwork done! Gah, that makes me happy.

My legs still feel like they are going to fall off, but that is to be expected. Hopefully by tomorrow the soreness will go away (as will the cough). But since it has been a long day and I was able to accomplish a lot, it's going to be a short update. I'm beat. I also start my new job in the morning. :D 2 days down, 56 to go!

Project Remodel: Day 1

Written 06/24/2009

Today is the first day of Project Remodel. For the next seven weeks of summer, I'm going to completely renovate my life. I'm taking action to improve all the things that I complain about in my 'blogging.' (By the way, I can't believe I'm actually blogging, but hey, whatever works right? Don't judge me. :D) Here are some of the things I'm concentrating on.

1. I'm going to exercise. (Well this part of the project isn't on the Day 1 phase. I've actually been doing this for a few weeks now. Thermal Yoga three times a week and then a few more workouts at the gym. Plus walking the dog everyday outside. It really feels good to get your blood pumping.)

2. I need better sleep. I got to bed WAY too late. (Anyone who knows me, understands.) I can never get up on time, and then it makes me groggy throughout the day. Plus my parents get upset when I'm a lazy college student who isn't being 'productive'.

3. Following the previous one, I need to get my day started earlier. The earlier I get up, the better regulated my meals will be (Breakfast is important y'all!) and the better mood I will be in throughout the day. And again, it will please the parentals while I'm living at home. BONUS: It will prepare me for those early morning classes...Yuck (and okay nine AM classes aren't that bad, but come on...).

4. No more caffeine, carbonated or generally sugared out beverages. That's right folks, even coffee. I will be reduced to water and green tea (which naturally is decaffeinated) and the occasional glass of soy milk. I've already made it through one day, and I'm still going strong at one AM. Crap, apparently I need to start getting better at number 2.

5. I have to start getting better at taking care of my teeth. DON'T missunderstand me. I brush my teeth and try to avoid stinky breath as much as possible. That's not what I'm saying here. After five and a half years of braces, my teeth were straight. However, there's this little thing called a retainer which I've been horrible at wearing. So naturally my teeth have moved and become more crooked. Five and a half years worth of school pictures being ruined will NOT have been sacraficed in vain! Also, after countless cups of coffee and cans of soda, the color isn't that nice bright white it used to be. So teeth whitener here I come! (Again, I'm cheating on this one too since the teeth whitening isn't really on Day 1....I'm like on Day 7)

6. The last thing that I'm attempting to do (which is obvious if you are reading this), is to let me thoughts and emotions out in a healthy way so I don't explode (see previous blog about an exploding soda can.) The way I'm choosing to do it now, is to write on this thing (again don't judge me). It might not be everyday, and hell no one might even read this thing (secretly I hope no one does, if you do....bless you and I'm sorry).

Now that the housekeeping portion of the post is done, we can continue on to how the day actually went. Overall it was a successful day, though I'm so freaking sore! I can barely walk or sit down. Plus, I gave in and called the doc so I could get something for this gross cough I have. With a little luck I will be healthy in a matter of days. Thank you Mucinex! Wrapping up, today was just the first day of a new trend that will hopefully be one that's around for a long time. Cheers to change!

Mulling it over...

I took my dog on a walk today. I just needed to get outside. I woke up with a sore throat and a cough...feeling pretty shitty. Sometimes nothing can cure you like fresh air and a little bit of sunshine. I was walking along, cruising to my music and before I knew it, I had been gone almost an hour and my dog was dying for some water. It's like I went into a trance or something. 

I got to thinking about how I was feeling last night. What put me in that state, where I was almost ready to say "Fuck it. I don't care." I suppose I'm still feeling the same way, just thinking a bit more rationally. I'm trying really hard to plan the rest of my life and it's really stressful. I've always been worried about where I'm going to end up, or what I'm going to do for a career, and now it seems like everything is pressing down on me. One thing is for sure, and it's that I need to start saving my money. I'm going to need it here in the near future, and I need to start making my life a little bit easier. 

Another thing I need to work on is my overall mental health. I have this problem where I store every bad emotion up. I never let things out and they eventually build on top of one another and then explode. It's like I'm a can of soda. Everything is okay for a while until I get shaken. And the pressure builds and eventually I explode and spew mess over everyone. (That sounds gross but you get the picture.) I started practicing yoga, and I am hoping that releasing little bits of stress over time will help me prevent those episodes. 

One thing I learned recently, is that I cry when I'm mad. I hate it, which makes me cry even more. So I'm going to try not to get mad anymore. :D Wishful thinking  I know, but hey a girl can dream. 

So I'm finally taking some time for myself, and really trying to think through situations rationally and like the adult that I am. Wow, scary.