Friday, June 3, 2011

BYOC Time

Obviously, it is Friday. Time to release a little of my nut-y-ness on you all.

1. If you could pick any name on Earth for yourself – would you change yours and what would it be?

I am pretty happy with my name. It isn't terribly common but it isn't so rare as to be an oddity to some ears. When I was a kid, I honestly hated my name, I got teased mercilessly by the endless parades of Kathys Susans and Billys about my "weird, no one has a name like THAT! name". While my name isn't all that rare, it does have a different spelling, which sets me a little apart. I have no desire to change my name. I think it suits me. :)

 2. If you’re a worker-outer…what time do you partake in such activities? There are SO many theories about when it’s best and not best to work out….like the morning is better since you have an empty stomach or the night is not good because you won’t be able to sleep…etc, etc. – so I’d like to hear your theories.

I prefer to walk in the morning but my routine isn't friendly to walking in the morning so I do it in the late afternoon or early evening, most of the time. As long as I do it, I guess... I have to exercise on an empty stomach. I know that the experts say to have a little something a little while before a workout but if I eat before exercise I will throw up. I sleep just fine after a late afternoon or evening walk. Sometimes, I think people just pull shit out of their ass and spread it as workout gospel. Remember, people are different. We all need to do what works for us.

   3. If you drive a car – what kind is it and if you could drive any car – what would it be?

An old gas guzzling Jeep Cherokee. I hate that car. But it is paid for and it gets us from point A to point B and is reliable so I can't complain. In reality, I would like to have another Nissan Pathfinder or something similar. I love foreign SUVs. They run beautifully, are comfortable and drive like a dream. I like an SUV because it is roomy for all the things I need to do with a car but it isn't a truck or a van. It is just... Perfect. :) My fantasy car is a Bently. One I go to England to personally design to my exact specifications and have shipped home to me. Now... To dump my husband and go find me a sugar daddy. ;)

 4. Can you be totally honest in answering this next question and tell me what you think of tattoos? More importantly – what do you think of the people who have tattoos – specifically women?

I think that tattoos are, like anything else we do with our bodies a deeply personal choice. While I think that there are a lot of people out there getting ink because it is trendy and rebellious, I do believe that a large segment of those who are tattooed are so because it is deeply meaningful for them. Tattoos tell their story, express their love, desire, fear, joy. They are memorials, family trees and portrait galleries. And yes, just plain fun. 

I don't think that people who have tattoos are trash. Honestly, I used to. And that isn't something I am proud of. Like many people, I was raised to believe that bikers, druggies, lowlifes and nasty old sailors were the only people who got tattoos. And a woman with a tattoo? She wasn't to be mentioned. Much less associated with. I look back at that I and I am horrified. At those who taught me those biases and at myself for buying into them. 

A lot of my perceptions about people with tattoos were changed when I worked in a Laughlin casino in the late 80's, early 90's. There used to be a yearly event, (I don't know if it is still going on. In recent years, there has been a lot of trouble with hardcore gangs infiltrating the event and causing serious trouble and even some shootings) a charity run by bikers, mostly from the Southern California area called the River Run. They would descend on us every year. Bike motors growling, leather squeaking, they would gamble, drink, carouse, (but rarely ever cause any real trouble) raise money for good causes, then roar out of town, leaving us all reeling in their exhaust fumes. 


Our biker guests were almost all tattooed, some a little, some a whole hell of a lot. They wore hardcore garb and took no shit off of anyone. And, much to my surprise, most of them were professionals. Doctors. Surgeons. Attorneys. Accountants. High powered executives, some of Fortune 500 companies. Bigwigs in the movie biz. The odd actor or rocker. Okay, so the rockers being tattooed wasn't much of a surprise. lol But, to see that so many very "mainstream" people were not only dedicated bikers when time permitted but dedicated tattoo enthusiasts, as well shocked my preconceived notions of what "those people" were. And gave me a whole new perspective.


I know a lot of lovely, lovely people, both men and women who are inked. People who are both on the fringes and swimming happily in the mainstream. Some have only a tiny, hidden, deeply meaningful tattoo, others have full sleeves, their backs, chests and legs all canvasses for their own form of self expression and everything in between. I have come to see the beauty in tattoos. And to appreciate just how meaningful they really are.

I don't have any tattoos, at present. But I haven't ruled out the possibility of having one done. In fact, I have an ongoing design in progress in my head, transforming and changing until it is perfect, waiting  for the day that I may finally decide to have it done. I know what I want, the colours I would choose and the reasons behind it. It will likely be my one and only tattoo. I am just waiting for the right time for me.

Draz, if you feel the need and desire to get another tattoo, do it! It is your body! Your skin! Your choice what you do with it. I have seen pictures of some of your tattoos and I think that they are beautiful. But what I think doesn't really matter, love. It is what you think. What you want. Let people judge, if that is what they need to do to feel better about themselves and get through life. You know your truth about who you are. That, my dear friend is all that matters.


5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.

Life goes on. I am still only blogging a couple of times a week. I am not disinterested or off the rails. Just not too chatty, right now. 

In real life, I kind of killed my poor left knee on the trails. I was up to nearly four miles and really rocking it. Then my knee went to hell on me. It was hurting me and I should have listened to it and rested a day but I went out. And I only got in a mile and a half. By the time I got back to the car I was limping. By the time we went to Jacob's Well to fill my water jugs and got home, I was nearly unable to walk. I have been resting it and tottering around here for the last couple of days, praying it will feel better, soon. It still hurts. I am still resting it and hoping I can get back out there by the first of the week. I really need to get these fucking knees of mine dealt with. This is bullshit. 

I ate like a bit of an idiot, the last two days. Feeling sorry for myself and thinking, if I can't walk, what is the point kind of excuses. Idiot. I am back on track. Walk or no, if I do my job I can still lose fat, I just have to do the right thing by myself. A bad knee is not an excuse. Geeze, I can be such a major fuckup, sometimes. Needless to say I don't want to mess this up, now. I have come too far and I still have a hell of a long way to go.

I am hoping to get out and get some new walking shoes, later on. I need them desperately. My old ones let dirt in through the soles, there is no cushioning or support left. And there are holes at the bend points.  Yuk. Plus, I just want a new pair of shoes, dammit! It has been years and years since I bought myself a new pair of shoes. I think I have earned one, don't you think?

Okay, so there you have it. 

I am going to finish my coffee and go get my ass in the shower. I have places to go, later. I want to get shoes and I need to pop into Ross and see if they got more polish in and I just need to get out of this house for a while. If I don't, someone is going to be bleeding. And that someone won't be me.

8 comments:

  1. Sooo good to hear from you - I miss you when you don't blog. And thank you for the thoughts on tattoos...that means a lot to me...as do you.

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  2. Absolutely, Erika, go out and buy yourself a new pair of shoes. I bet the lack of support in your current pair is probably making the knee problems worse. I think your name is lovely. I've always like the name Erika and it is so feminine when spelled like yours. I am wishing you a great weekend.

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  3. Liked your comments on the tatts...I don't have any and told my kids that they had to wait until they were paying to get one....one is not at all interested and the other still is but what he wants now is very different from 10 years ago and that is the only problem that i see....when someone does it because their friends are and then it doesn't feel right when they are older.....who knows may get one if i ever reach my old weight.

    I too like the spelling of your name and as someone with knee problems ...I feel for you....hope it starts feeling better soon.

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  4. I love your name, my cousin is named Ericka and I have always thought it was beautiful.

    I like your thoughts on tattoos too. I have two and have never regretted either of them. One I honestly barely remember I have because it's on my top back at the bottom of my neck and I forget it's there most days. :)

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  5. Oh - to say - I do realize your name is spelled without the C. My cousin's name has the C in it though.

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  6. The other day I went to Walgreen's and they had this assessment machine on how you step and what orthopedic type inserts will work for you. If you don't have them in your area, you might want to check a running store that can do a proper assessment. Shoes are WAY too important to mess around with (IMHO)

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  7. As always, I love your answers!!

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  8. Name change: Oh yes, in fact I don't even use my birth name for anything except when I order stuff online (cuz the name is on my debit card) but Qwest, the post office and everyone else excepts the name "SUNSHINE". I have used the name Sunshine for about 10 yrs. We have common-law spouses, why can't we have common-law names??? (BTW~I like the name Erika)

    I have 1 tattoo on my upper arm. It's an outline of a sun (have old pic of it on facebook. Think I might have the story on facebook too in notes about the "why" of the name.

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