Carpe Diem

I recently added getting a fish pedicure to my life “to do” list. It’s a trendy way of getting a pedicure where small carp fish eat the dead skin on your feet. I actually tested it out on my hand recently when I was at a salon open house. It tickled but was fun and my hand felt really soft when I pulled it out of the water. I have to admit it was a bit creepy when I looked down and saw the little creatures swarming all over my hand though. Even so, I decided I should give it a try at least once and was looking forward to scheduling my first fish pedicure. But that may be an issue now since the Florida Board of Cosmetology just banned it. They said there was no way to disinfect a pool of fish between uses.

So what’s a girl to do? Do I give up on my whole fish pedicure idea or look for one on the black market? Maybe I can just stick my feet in the ocean with some food on them and see if anything takes the bait. Or maybe this just means I have to take a trip to Asia where it is still legal.

What do you think? Is it unsafe and unsanitary? Would you try it? Did the board make a rash decision?

Cat “Here fishy fishy” Cathy

Señior Blackberry

I’m still laughing about the way I acted the other day so I wanted to share. I had a fake mustache from a social event at the skating rink. I have no clue what a fake mustache has to do with skating but everyone got when we arrived and it was fun. This little detail will become important later.

After skating we all went out to eat. I was seated next to a social acquaintance who was telling me about his ex girlfriend in a not so nice way. I can relate to needing to talk about an ex so I wanted to be there and show support. Plus the story was pretty juicy and everyone likes a little gossip and scandal now and then. Considering this I think I was probably provoking him in some ways to share his story.

But this was not the first time he had told me the story and his ex is also an acquaintance of mine. Plus I think people often act badly in relationships for a variety of reasons and sharing this ‘dirt’ is just not a good thing to do. No matter how hurt you are and how much you feel wronged by an ex I really believe the best thing to do is realize you chose that person for some reason. Enjoy remembering the good times and learn from the bad times. Except for your closest friends (and your therapist) it’s best to just say something complimentary or nothing at all about an ex. It seems like concentrating on the negative will only bring on more negativity and make it take longer to grow and move on INMO.

So about 10 minutes into the scandalous conversation I realized I needed to put an end to it. But how? Hmmm…Surely there is a smooth way of doing it. Maybe, but I took the silly Catastrophe Cathy approach since it was all I could think of at that moment. Right in the middle of the juicy details I put my fake mustache on my phone and turned to a friend sitting on my other side and said “look , it’s Señior Blackberry!”. She thought it was cute and took a picture of my phone. This distraction effectively ended the gossip albeit in a less than diplomatic way.

I hope my acquaintance is feeling better and I hope if he reads this he realizes I’m not judging and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Cat “Señorita” Cathy

Ouch…What Did I do to Myself This Time?

I played roller hockey for the first time in many years last night and as a result I’m nursing my latest injury today. I was excited to be playing again but nervous since I was the only girl. But I played well and got lots of compliments and the guys seemed to be ok with me being there. It’s an aggressive sport and I got knocked over at one point which was fun. The guy felt bad for hitting me but I was ok. He asked a me a few times if I was ok so I let him know in a joking way the gloves would be coming off later…that’s how the hockey fights start. The falls and hitting didn’t cause my latest injury though. My skate got hit by a fast moving puck. I wasn’t wearing hockey skates so there wasn’t much protection. It hurt but I just kept playing. I guess the adrenaline was going so I didn’t care. By the time I got home though the pain had set in and my foot started to swell. I barely slept from the pain and I had to crawl around my apartment since I could not stand on it.

Is it broken? I don’t think so. It already feels a little better today but I am moving slowly and I did schedule a doctor appointment for tomorrow. I’m going to the same doctor who fixed my broken leg 7 years ago. I wonder if he will offer me a two for one deal.

This latest injury just reminds me of all the abuse my poor body has been through over the years. It started as a young extreme Rummy when I was in elementary school and just liked to jump off of things “for fun”. From there it’s been 20 plus years of mountain biking, skating and other miscellaneous sports injuries. From bumps to bruises to breaks, I’ve had them all. Perhaps it’s time for me to settle down and start knitting or something….nah, I think I still have a few more good years left in me. Even when I decide it’s not worth the pain anymore I will still do sports but just the less aggressive type. I believe it’s important to be active throughout your life. It keeps you in shape, reduces stress and it’s fun!

Hockey was a blast. I have no regrets about playing and assuming my foot isn’t too badly injured I hope to go out again soon. With the proper skates this time of course!

Cat “Stanley Cup“ Cathy

Elf Charm School

I had a great time over the holiday season telling people I was an elf when they asked what I did for a living. I always enjoyed the strange looks they would give me wondering if I was kidding or maybe a wee bit crazy. It got to the point that my friends would encourage people to ask me what I did for a living so they could laugh their reactions. Well I wasn’t kidding or crazy, I really was an elf. I wasn’t just your ordinary elf though. I was a special skating variety. It’s one of the many advantages of living in a touristy area. I auditioned and got a role as a skating elf at a local theme park in their daily parade.

After a few days of elf ‘charm school’, which is just my fancy way of saying rehearsals, I was ready for the main event. It was a blast and a real confidence booster to skate in front of hundreds of people and show off my mad skating skills. The best part of it was the adorable little kids and the excitement they would get just from high fiving me and the proud look on the parent’s face when I paid extra attention to one. At times I just couldn’t believe I was getting paid to do it since I love to skate and love to entertain. But at other times it was difficult since I had to leave my day job early and bring work home. Due to the time commitment and the added stress I’m actually glad the parade is over. But I have some great memories, extra confidence and some new co-worker friends. Will I audition again next year? At this point I really can’t decide. Besides, a lot can change in 10 months so we will just have to wait and see.


Cat “The Oversized Elf” Cathy

Vane About Veins

Every year lately I do a little something special to keep me looking young. In the past I’ve tried whitening my teeth, scar cream and cellulite cream. The teeth whitening worked, for a couple years at least, but I had my mouth pulled so far apart for two hours while they were doing it that I swear it doubled the amount of wrinkles on my lips. The scar cream did absolutely nothing but remind me I had scars as I rubbed them every day. But that’s ok since they actually bring back good memories since many of my scars are from my sports and adventures. The cellulite cream did absolutely nothing but give me an excuse to get my boyfriend to rub my backside.

But even with this bad luck I decided to try again. This time I was attacking my spider veins. I’ve had them since I was 16 but I decided it was finally time to tell them “hasta la vista baby”! So I made an appointment at a clinic that performs all kinds of elective surgeries. It was very apparent from the moment I got on property that this was not ‘my scene’. I had the worst car in the parking lot but that’s usually true no matter where I go…even at the Salvation Army. I ventured in the clinic and all the women inside were perfect looking in a high maintenance sort of way with all the latest accessories and big puffy lips while I was in sweats and with my hair in a pony tail. The shots were somewhat painful but I’m tough and willing to make the sacrifice in the name of beauty. (Men really should appreciate all that we go through to look good for them!) Following my elective ‘surgery’ I had to wear ace bandages for 2 days. Most places provide compression hose but not my upscale clinic. All I got was ace bandages and I spent the next 2 days with very heavy looking legs under my pants and having to constantly pull up and readjust the bandages.

They tell you it will take weeks for the veins to fade and that multiple injections are required. Well it’s been two months now and some of the veins did go away but the majority did not. So now it’s decision time. Do I try again? Do I give up and accept my slightly purpled legs that really look fine with a tan in summer anyway? I’m leaning toward one more visit. After all I don’t want to be labeled a quitter!

Even if I do decide to go back for a second round, I learned a long time ago that the best things to keep me young are exercise, a playful attitude, new adventures and eating healthy. So if you’re in the mood to improve yourself I recommend these things first. They are more fun and much less painful too!

Cat “Low Maintenance” Cathy

Super Tuesday

Tomorrow is the big day! After tomorrow I won't have to hear any more of those annoying political commercials and my mailbox won't be stuffed full of endorsements for candidates. It all seems so wasteful to me. I just want to be informed by a neutral party and make the best choice I can. I don't look at a sign in someone's yard and say "wow they have a nice yard ... maybe I should vote like they are". So I tried to look up in the local newspaper all the people and issues I have a chance to vote on tomorrow. Many of them still don't provide any information. All this money being spent on advertising and I still can't find any neutral information so I can make an informed decision. Best of luck to everyone out there tomorrow. Hopefully the lines wont be too long and the Reds and Blues can live together hapily no matter who wins.

"I'm Cathy and I approved this message!"

Cat "Exercising ....My Right To Vote" Cathy

Save the Ta Ta's

Woo hoo, I just found out I'm at less risk for breast cancer. A study showed that vigirous exercise can cut a woman's risk by 30%. I never really thought it would be an issue for me since I don't have a family history of it and I consider myself healthy. But you never know so this is good news for me. And for everyone else this is just one more reason to get out there and exercise. It's fun, healthy and its nice to feel good about your body. Happy Halloween!!!

Cat "Quit Looking at my Eyes...My boobs are down here" Cathy

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/10/31/vigorous-exercise-can-cut-breast-cancer-risk.html