SugarStats.com is GENIUS

Yes, I know y'all don't need to know the personal inner workings of my illness, but I figured I'd throw it out there just in case you were interested.

I'm tracking my blood glucose readings on SugarStats.com now. My profile is here:
http://manage.sugarstats.com/starla487

And for a minute there, I was thinking I'd have to carry around this silly log book. I knew that SOMEONE would have created this sort of application so I wouldn't have to. I don't even keep a paper checkbook register. Why would I carry around a log book?

Did I Really Just Ask This?

About 3 years ago, I was looking for a solution to end my blood sugar woes. I finally was approved to get on an insulin pump.

It's been a rough couple of years. I mean, I love the flexibility of it and the fact that I don't have to carry around shots everywhere I go is great. I can adjust levels when I'm dancing so I don't drop into oblivion.

But my problem with it is that it's a hassle sometimes. I can't spontaneously buy pants without worrying about if they have pockets. I will always roll over it when I sleep and get tangled in the pump cord. There are some days, I swear, I'm in worse control than I've ever been. But each time I make an adjustment, I fall to pieces. It's the most conveniently frustrating piece of equipment I own.

And I've gotten so lazy with it. I eat whatever the heck I want and just dose up. I don't keep records anymore. To think that 23 years of careful calculation has slowly become obsolete.

So I emailed my doctor this morning and told her I need a break from the pump. We'll see what happens and how many times my dance buddies have to watch out for me.

Good Eats in Placerville

M and I took a small day trip to Placerville this weekend. We were going to try for South Lake Tahoe, but got kind of lazy. (It's kind of a hike if you aren't prepped for it.)

Anyway, we stopped for lunch at my new favorite restaurant: The Heyday Cafe. This quaint, cozy cafe is located on the main street in downtown. (Actually, I think there only is one street in downtown.) Both times we've been there, it's been super busy, but we manage to snag the last table in the joint. Service was a little slow on Saturday, but they also had 1 waitress and 2 large groups walk in by surprise. The food is well worth it.

Menu includes favorites like salads, paninis, pizza, and desserts. They have a few beers on tap and a large selection of wine. Since it was lunch time, we opted for waters and coffees instead.

I ordered a Heyday salad and their Roasted Pepper Bisque. M had a chicken panini with mango chutney. My seemingly normal salad of romaine lettuce, apples, and walnuts has a kick - their custom apple cider vanilla vinaigrette dressing. This salad dressing is worth the trip alone. I've asked each time when the restaurant is going to start bottling it. (Apparently, soon.) It's got a tangy, unique flavor. It's sweet and fruity, but not overbearing like a raspberry dressing. It's so good!

And the soup is great too. Kind of like a spicy tomato bisque. But not so spicy that you are searching for your water glass after each slurp.

I didn't try M's sandwich, but he said it was yummy.

A few other tables ordered pizzas - which you could smell throughout the cafe.

Definitely check it out if you can. It's a good, little, lunch date location.

Recent Downloads

The start of So You Think You Can Dance often brings on a sudden increase in my iTunes bills. The choreographers tend to choose songs not found in the Top 40 radio line up. So of course, I LOVE it. Here are the latest songs I've downloaded as a result of the SYTYCD wiki page:

"Did Ya" - BoA: Asuka did a jive for her "dance of desperation" last week to this song. I actually already have "Eat You Up" on regular rotation. This song is even better.

"Great DJ" - The Ting Tings: Part of Sonya's Vegas choreography. I also downloaded "Shut Up and Let Me Go" and "That's Not My Name" as well. I like to do jazz walks around my kitchen to these songs. But don't tell anyone. Shhhh.

"Felt Mountain" - Goldfrapp: From Wade's Crash Dummies routine featuring Ashley and Pono. This song (and artist) is AWESOME. I'm very sad this piece won't be on the tour this year since Ash was eliminated this week.

"24 Hours (Aston Shuffle A-Bomb Remix)" - Terry Poison: From Sonya's jazz piece for Melissa and Ade. It's got a dirty beat to it. LAHV it!

"I Only Have Eyes For You" - Jamie Cullum: I love the Flamingos old school version. This one is kind of slinky, sexy, and hot. I can't really imagine doing anything but a jazz routine like Evan and Randi's to it.

Bonus tracks (not from SYTYCD):
"Beautiful is Gone" - The Ruse: Was iTunes freebie single of the week a while ago. Never heard of the band but it's pretty good. Typical alternative-pop. Radio friendly.

"A-Punk" - Vampire Weekend: A good song to bounce around to. 'Nuff said.

"Brazilian Hipster" - Fort Knox Five: Found this mix when looking up remixes to "Hip Hip Chin Chin." Definitely one of my new favorites and a fun, loungy, party song.

So you think you can get injured...

*Sigh* The downfall of taking on so much dancing at once is that all my injuries from high school sports are suddenly starting to make a reappearance. Sadly, there is only so much you can do with ballroom shoes.

When I ran and I encountered shin splints, I put insoles in my shoes and sat in an ice jacuzzi for 20 minutes after practice. While it wasn't the most pleasant experience at all, it did help. With ballroom dancing shoes, I can't exactly put arch supports in those tiny little sandals. So I guess I'm back to icing and Motrin for the next few weeks. And - sigh - wearing my flats and practice shoes for the next few weeks. So much for breaking in the new shoes early.

What I hate about these injuries is that I KNOW I can do therapy exercises to strengthen the muscles that ail me. Or sit on a stationary bike or something. But when the hell do I have time?

In addition to the shin splints, the kneecap issues are coming back. I can't seem to stand up from a sitting position without getting up with a stiff knee. It goes away fast, but the initial stretch is always rough. I'm not really sure how to fix that except ice and rest.

Overall, I just feel like a little weakling. Ballroom dancing is a lot of work and is a great workout, but it's taking its toll. I really want to get some strength back - but I'm not really sure how.

So True...

Dancing Around the Options

I hate making decisions. Since I've taken on Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot) for IBG this summer, I need to start looking somewhere else besides Forever 21 for costuming. (Actually... it's not really a good place for cute shirts for me anyway - but that's besides the point. There is a reason why it's called Forever 21 and not Forever 28.)

I'm not really ready to drop $200+ on a costume complete with chiffon arm flairs. (And really - some of the dresses on Ebay look like the rhinestone fairy got really ill one night and threw up on some lime green lycra.) Especially since, hey, I can't make up my mind, so I might want to skip out on doing smooth after this experience. Or, I may love it and want to start Quickstepping my life away. Point is, I don't want to invest in something I'm not sure I should be pursuing quite yet. (I'm kind of using IGB as a test run for which direction I want to take.)

But I still need to find a dress for July, regardless of my indecisiveness. Here are my options:

Option 1: Reese Dress from Windsor (Front side) (Back side)
An impulse buy after I discovered that my prom dresses from 10 years ago probably wouldn't work. (They just looked - old. And after 3 sorority formals and no money for dry cleaning at the time, it was definitely time to toss them.) Anyway - love at first website. I bought it, it shipped, and it fits just about perfectly. (Sans the necessary hem.) The problem - while the dress is HAWT, it's very simple. But I have a problem with adding stones to this because I feel like it would ruin the integrity of the dress. Kind of like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. You just don't do it!

Option 2: Baby Blue ballgown from SaveOnDancewear
You really can find cheap ballgowns online. I just have no idea whether these folks are legit. Although - since I'm paying through Paypal, I'm not THAT concerned. Anyway, baby blue isn't really my color, but this is probably the closest I'm going to get to something that doesn't scream "NEWCOMER," but also doesn't say "my outfit is much more planned out that my dance steps." And I can always add to it later - if I want to. Only downfall is that since the skirt is full, I have no idea how it'll look with my tiny frame. Definitely don't want to be lost in a sea of tulle and chiffon. On the upside - if I ever wanted to do a V. Waltz to Dave Matthews Band's new song, "Baby Blue," I've got an outfit!

Option 3: Wine ballgown from SaveOn
The color really caught my eye on this one. And it's a predictable cut, so I'll know how it'll flow. But, there really isn't too much room for embellishment, unless I get some of those cool fingerless sleeve thingies. It'd definitely be easy to alter as well.

Option 4: Aqua ballgown from SaveOn
Actually, the only thing I like about this one is the color and the embellishment. I'm a little concerned about the lace up/corset back and the fact that there looks like there is a weird seam across the lower center of the dress.

Option 5: Aqua/White Halter from Dillards
This would be totally eye catching if it didn't say prom queen, rather than ballroom dancer. And as always, I'm concerned about the neckline. (That's a really deep halter for someone with absolutely nothing to show off.) But the color and back are really different.

So - which direction should I go in?

Ponder this...

How does one's house value plummet, but then one's property taxes go up?

I know Jen-Math is a common term at my workspace, (I don't do it... it's just bad... this is why I was an art major), but this really doesn't compute. Lower value house with property taxes fit for the value from 2 years ago. And apparently, our house WAS reassessed.

Maybe that dress I bought for Smooth rounds is just going to have to do. (Seeing as how I can't pay for ANOTHER dress... well I could... I'd just be carrying a credit card balance for a few months.)

In other news... M needs another new windshield.

Cha-ching!