had an annual physical today...kind of like getting your car checked up. weird. waiting for the test results from all the fluids they extracted from my body. THANK GAWD they found the freakin' vein in my arm the first time they stuck the needle in it! one of the times i had to get blood drawn, the damn nurse poked around under my skin trying to find it. she wasn't successful and stuck with a "baby needle" on the top of my hand which HURT MUCH MORE! baby needle my ass!

this is the first time i've been a member of kaiser. thank you, most high for the fact that i can critique my experience with my health provider! i felt like i was being put through an assembly line. after my initial doctor's appt., i went downstairs to the lab to get blood drawn. they gave everyone numbers. when mine was called, i entered a hallway that lead to where 8 people were drawing blood for patients with numbers. weird. i wonder how long the 8 people spent just drawing blood from patients each day. i think the whole visit contributed to my anxiety of being in a hospital like setting. i practically grew up in them because of my dad. i still get messed up walking around in the damn hallways and elevators that all look the same. even the signs that tell you where you're going and where you are look the same so i rarely pay attention to them. if i ever get hospitalized (knocking on wood), i'd never leave my room for fear that i would never find my way back!

Ok, so I was raving about this cd when it was being blasted during KCRW's membership drive but I'm starting to give it second thoughts. The majority of songs are classic sambas and other Brazilian standards that artists have sampled world-wide. Timeless is filled with great reworked beats but a part of me feels like Mendes' artistry and contributions take a back seat to all the American Hip Hop/R&B stars that accompany his arrangements on this album. I think I may also be partially blinded by the fact that the Black Eyed Peas, aka Will.I.Am, haven't really been on my top 10 list of Hip Hop groups since they took on their female member and the depth of their lyrics began to erode. The songs that Will.I.Am raps on sound like every up tempo Black Eyed Peas song that's on their latest album...whoopty freakin' do! Can we be a little more original? So I admit that I may be a little over critical of this album but again it sounds like the producers and other contributors were going for a more "marketable" and "commercial" sound than really focusing on the artistry of the project. You be the judge.

listening

sometimes it's ok if the person you're speaking to can't give you advice on how to handle a challenging situation. it's probably because you really do have to figure out the answer on your own.

and sometimes, it truly does help to vent out your frustrations with someone else, which really does sometimes lead to your solution.

Dinner Season

Damn...I can feel it. It's been nonstop today. I hate unproductive ass meetings where people just like to hear themselves talk. What the hell are you going to call a damn meeting for if you nothing results from it! Some people!

I feel like I have 50 million things to take care of at home plus all the crap I have to take care of at work...weekends are made to just stay home. Thank goodness this only happens for a little while.

time to get my act in gear, time to start saving more, time to start taking care of myself more (spiritually and physically)...staying positive