Stop It!

When I got home last night, I would have liked nothing better than to drink a bottle of wine, get blotto, and punch Schedule Dingbat in the head. So it was probably fortunate that, just after eating a banana before leaving work, my stomach started hurting. [Great, am I now allergic to bananas, like my dad?!] I came home and had yogurt and two slices of white bread.

I took my blood pressure (thanks for suggesting that, Lisa!) at about 7:30 and found that it was WAAAAY up, for me, at 138/78. I tend to focus on the diastolic number; somewhere along the line, a doctor told me that is sort of the 'heart attack monitor' and mine is usually around 70. "Normal" systolic is around 120. My normal is between 105 and 110.

OK.

This must cease.

I have to get a handle on all the stress and manage it better. That is clear.

While I was in Colorado, I stopped in my favorite shop to browse. One of the things I ended up buying was a little labyrinth similar to this, crafted out of silver and about the size of a large slice of bread. It came with a stylus in a velour drawstring bag. I think I need to schedule some time with it every day.

There are also a couple of physcial labyrinths in the vicinity. I have wanted to visit them for years, and just never made the time. I think I need to start forcing the issue. [If you don't know why this would be helpful, here's a good resource.]

The other thing that would help is getting away in purely fun ways more often. Last week's Entertainment Weekly magazine had a pull-out with most of the big summer movies listed with their release dates. I think I'm going to try to get to the local theater a couple of times a month (are you listening, Beast??) this summer; it's $3 for a ticket and free refills on snacks, so how can this be bad?? (well, except for the whole concept of the food being crap!)

Maybe I should take up kick-boxing, too.

Hee.

I only say that because Sparky is playing a ninja video game on the TV here in the living room and there's a lot of hitting, shouting and repetetive smacking going on. Normally, it drives me nuts. Today, the sounds are actually sort of soothing.

And on that semi-violent note, I'm off to the grocery store. On a Saturday morning. Things could, indeed, get scary.