A New Reason to Invest in a Thigh Master

If you have been wondering where you stuff all that fear and anger that you think you have gotten rid of, you might want to check your thighs. I was at my first “neuro-skeletal-muscular-structuring” appointment yesterday (think slightly-less-than-relaxing massage with the intent of straightening your body) and after having my body assessed (always fun) she was beginning to work on my ‘structure.’ I won’t bore you with all the nuances of what is off with my body but as she was working on my quadriceps she inserted this tidbit: our thigh muscles are where we store the emotions of fear and anger. Interesting. She went on to say that I shouldn’t be surprised if I felt “off” later in the day, perhaps like I was PMSing. She then told me of someone who had had this done and came back the next day and said, “I don’t know what it was, but for some reason last night all I wanted to do find you and kill you.” Interesting. Thus, she likes to give the disclaimer before one might feel that way.

I must say, the rest of the day I did feel somewhat irritable. I wondered if it was just a matter of self-fulfilling prophecy. But then again, I have felt somewhat irritable the past few days so it wasn’t anything too particularly out of the ordinary. And I have been trying to pinpoint exactly what it is that has been off, so to be able to blame it on tbe fear and anger that had been hiding in my thighs was somewhat of a relief. Like when you get your period and think, “ohhhh, that’s why I’ve been so funky.” I realize to those who don’t have this monthly luxury this may seem odd—I mean you should see it coming, right? Doesn’t this happen every four (or so) weeks?? Yet, and I don’t know why, for some reason it can be like a monthly memory lapse. What I do know is that it is usually such a relief to be able to pinpoint what the heck was the culprit of the ability to shift from inconsolable sadness to inconceivable rage in a split second (note: lest you think it a good idea to suggest to someone they might be suffering from a monthly memory lapse, think again. This is only appropriate if you too are capable of PMS).

The point is this: sometimes it is nice to have a concrete reason as to why you feel the way you do. And while my current reason is perhaps counterproductive in some ways, today I am perfectly content to place the blame on my thighs. And yeah, yeah, yeah, I have taken enough counseling courses over the years and been in enough counseling to know that the real work is trying to figure out why my thighs had some fear and anger to begin with. At this point, however it has been more fun to ponder why it is your thighs that store these particular emotions. Really, of all the emotions to be stored in your thighs, how funny is it that it’s these two? I’m guessing (unfortunately) for most women, it wouldn’t be quite fitting to have your thighs store contentment and happiness.

So the next time you are feeling extra anxious or angry and are looking for a reason why, you might want to consider dusting off your old ThighMaster or doing some squats followed by some stretches, and then you will and least have the option of blaming it on your thighs.

And We're Back

I’ve decided to stop simply giving lip service to the fact that I want to work on my writing and actually do something about it. The reasons I stopped blogging a while back are vast, but that was then and this is now. To ease back into it I thought I would give a synopsis of what has been happening in my life via a compilation of my Facebook statuses. Warning: it is by no means grammatically correct and chronologically works its way backwards to my very first status. So if you are more Team Smart than Team Fun this might bother you, as it is somewhat counterintuitive to a proper update to start with the latest news and I am all over the map with capitalization.

That being said…here is a window the past year and a half of my life in Facebook Status Form.

Kate Davelaar…

... love really does win.... loves that KST loves spam.... 100.... moves to click her ruby shoes.... flinging spring.... no meal is complete without dessert.... loves her friends.... is excited to sleep in my sleeping bag tonight...in the Pine Grove.... is pretty proud to be the first one at the committee meeting this morning. that never happens.... loves that I just heard a piece on NPR about Kelly Clarkson.... wishes Winter would just give up already... has never been too particularly fond of jelly beans... is thinking of her friends in CO... thinks the multiplication factor in the scoring is ridiculous.... who knew a milk frother would really make the mornings that much better?... mac attack!... is back on top.... the 'year of the concert' keeps getting better and better... loves the madness.... is still in love with the DR.... is going to pico escondido for a week...you should come visit.... is drinking hot beverages all day long... so many things to love about march!... woke up this morning and smiled at the rising sun... isn't sure if she was just rained on or snowed on... thinks the kates' hour is the happiest.... would like a donut in honor of fat tuesday.... can't stop thinking about slumdog millionaire.... has a vague recollection of being tan.... troubleshoots.... somehow manages to over/underestimate people at the same time... is only happy in the sun... keeps losing her favorite winter hats.... 70s and sunny, here I come... was just given a kitchen aid...reinforcing: best week ever.... best week ever... found her sense of humor.... welcomes 09gonnabefine... heading to dublin to welcome the new year by kicking butt in nertz.... is getting a lesson in banket making.... for some reason has really been into listening to 104.5 lately.... is going to spend most of the day in the kitchen and couldn't be happier about that.... is thankful for the Schoon-Tanis internet cafe.... is about to get reinspired by Sydney Bristow... needs a beach—one that comes with palm trees.... hopes.... had her computer stolen from her kitchen table. No joke.... misses many things: summer included.... wait wait don't tell me... it's a sunshine day.... about this time every week remembers how long Tuesdays are... may have just shoveled more leaves than snow.... fruit basket upset.... highly doubts her car battery is going to make it through the winter... going to head back north where it is ironically a touch warmer... will someday own a cello again.... just remembered that she is not very good at maneuvering in the snow... is watching her nephew take out his sugar-high on the basketball hoop... is required to be judgmental tonight... can't believe how nice it is outside right now.... has assembled her own transition team.... is going to stop being a canary in the kitchen—as soon as someone can explain what that even means.... is thankful that the noro-days are accumulating faster than the snow... norovirus is a close second to a national holiday... viva la vida.... www.givestudio.com.... dreams really do come true.... appreciates really right answers.... should not have looked at the 10 day forecast.... could use some change she can believe in.... is not going to miss you like a child misses their blanket because that would be ridiculous.... is tired.... is trying to read too many books at once... rocky mountain high... finds it slightly ironic that she is trading a weekend of 70s and sunny for 50s and rainy... thanks the Cubs for reminding her that some things in life do stay the same... go cubs go... finally figured out what to get elizabeth for her birthday... can't decide who she is more thankful for: Jon Stewart or Tina Fey.... loves her bike, even though it just ruined her new jeans... fue a la playa y ahora está feliz... is trying her best to be an adult... tulipanes.org... is finally reading the Sunday paper.... is in need of a deck of cards. First person to bring one to the Keppel House wins…something.... flew over to tanzania a year ago today... might end up drinking too much coffee today... loves her job, even on Labor Day.... thinks Barack might have a crush on her since he sends her so many emails... is way more productive when it is cloudy... wants everyone to go eat at the new taqueria on 16th st.... being quite excited to paint, may have eaten lunch way too quickly... august? how did that happen...... wishes someone could explain the logic behind the new setup at Meijer... act your age not your shoe size... is getting things done.... thought she was pretty handy, until almost electrocuting herself... has finally been stimulated by George W.... wishes her windows at home were shut.... for the record, has never lived in New York.... is sitting in her new office... is thrilled to be as old as Ben & Jerry's... is baffled by our postal system... accidently bought 100 stamps and now that she actually needs one has no clue where they are... is considering a career in customer service... is going to the zoo... saw a woman walking her two parrots. don't worry, they were on leashes... is thrilled to be sitting in her new apartment... is a Reverend (with a capital R)... go Cubs go...... graduated.... is graduating.... does anyone out there know anything about redaction criticism?... go cubs go.... is jealous of Kathy S-T... is writing a paper. or, at least trying to... 3 years later is still failing to adjust to cooking with an electric stove...go Cubs go.... is slightly excited about presidente, flipflops and palm trees... is going to the Dominican Republic manana.... is so sick of shoveling... you know it's bad when you are looking forward to it being 30 degrees later in the week.... learned today that my ability to procrastinate has reached a whole new level... was actually considering living in Michigan after graduation...until stepping outside an hour ago... slept better before becoming convinced that yes, yes we can... loves that today is both super and fat... YES WE CAN... thinks if you make less than $6000 in a year you shouldn't have to file tax returns... is a nicer person when the sun is shining... is completely comfortable with the fact that she drives like an old lady in the snow....hopes everyone is aware of what has been going down in Kenya this past week.... is trying to solve the deadly combination of fleece jackets and dog hair.... just discovered the difference a high-speed internet connection can make uploading photos... realized it can be just as hard to run errands in the States...especially during the yuletide.... is thinking there might be something living in her stomach... is not looking forward to having to wear boots instead of flip-flops in about 24 hours from now... is still trying to figure out what makes running errands in developing countries so difficult... is wondering why turkey eggs don't receive a lot of hype... is trying to avoid going up and down stairs after hiking for 16 hours yesterday... is hoping that she doesn't get blisters from her new hiking boots... is thinking she has reached her limit on how many cups of chai and pieces of meat she can eat in one day... is wondering if anyone was going to tell her that she spelled 'signing' wrong or if people really thought she was somewhere in Africa "singing" up for Facebook... is still wondering if singing up for Facebook was a good idea.