Birthday Forecast

Someone sent me this Birthday Forecast a year ago and I didn't pay much attention to it.  But as I took a look at it the other day, I was amazed at how how accurate it was.  October turned out to be a terrible month:,one that drained me for a long time and eventually made me make some permanent changes for 2012.  So far this year has been the most harmonious in a long time.  I'm enjoying a slower pace of life and I take great joy in helping others in any way possible.  

It's almost spooky how dead-on this Horoscope really is, so I'm not so sure I'll read the one for my upcoming year... 

April 11 Birthday Horoscope

If Today is Your Birthday: April 11

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The Year Ahead Forecast for April 2011 to April 2012 If You Were Born Today, April 11: You are fiercely protective of those you love, and you will rise to any challenge, quickly picking yourself up after a fall. You are hopeful and mostly optimistic, although you are subject to many mood swings, of which only those closest to you truly know about. You are generous with your time and helpful, but you also instinctively know when to draw the line. Famous people born today: Tricia Helfer, Joss Stone, Ellen Goodman, Jennifer Esposito. Your Birthday Year Forecast: When a Quarter Moon occurs in your Return chart, as it does this year, you are at some sort of a turning point in your life, in terms of personal growth. Events that occur this year act as catalysts that get you in touch with some important issues in your emotional life. Your emotions run high, and mood swings or identity crises are possible. There may be some kind of conflict in your life arising from a great urge to do something different. The year ahead promises to be a busy, dynamic, and significant period in your life. October 2011 may be the most challenging month of the year - a time when others seem to either overlook you or oppose you.  Reassessing your relationships with others may figure strongly then. However, overall, you have opportunities to strengthen your love life this year. You might renew and deepen love commitments or social connections. Strong and stimulating--even motivating--attractions to others are likely. Secret loves or attractions may develop and existing relationships tend to rise to a higher level of insight and understanding. You could move mountains when it comes to pushing your projects ahead this year. However, avoid taking extreme measures to make things happen your way, and avoid people who might be doing same. Deliberately trying to maneuver things in order to get the upper hand will be a lesson in frustration. Mercury conjunct Jupiter indicates that your ability to express yourself and to solve problems is enhanced. You may have opportunities to travel this year, and matters related to publishing, teaching, and writing should go especially well. You may find that you have the right information at the right time this year. You could also have big ideas and plans. Work, especially in communications, goes well. You are able to visualize in broader terms and see the "big picture" now. Your optimism can help you to attract positive circumstances into your life. You are especially enthusiastic about your ideas, and expressing yourself verbally and in written from comes easily. Public relations and negotiations tend to run especially smoothly. This is a time for making long-range plans, seeing the big picture, and thinking about what is really important to you in the long run. The year ahead is especially strong for financial planning, communications, and learning endeavors. You can also reach a new level of commitment with your work, although you should avoid pushing yourself (or others!) too strenuously. Patience helps bring success socially and romantically speaking. 2011 is a Number One year for you. Ruled by the Sun. This is a year of action. The seeds you plant now, you will reap later. Others might find you less sociable, as you are busier than ever and you focus on your activities and your needs. Still, you are outgoing and your initiative is stronger than ever. Advice - Stand alone, take action, start fresh, express independence. 2012 will be a Number Two year for you. Ruled by the Moon. This is a year of potential comp quiet, gentle, anionship. It is aand mostly harmonious year that is less active than other years. Instead, you are more responsive to the needs of others. If you are patient and open yourself up in a gentle manner, you will attract both things and people. This is an excellent year in which to build and develop for the future. Advice - be patient, be receptive, enjoy the peace, collect.

To follow your intuitions or not....

I have this feeling that 2012 is going to be a positive year so I wasn't surprised when my friend stopped by the other day and said,  "There's something abut 2012; I have this intuition that it will be good". 

Is it purely wishful thinking?  Or, is it because 2011 wasn't the best of year for the two of us, and it can only get better from here on?  Are we consciously making it a better year?

Whatever the answer may be, it doesn't matter. I'm determined to make positive choices and changes in my life, even if it goes against the mainstream.   But then again, I've never been one to follow in others footsteps.

Most people have a plan, and that's great.   I'm on the other hand is taking a leap into the unknown. 

I don't know what my future holds, but I know what my intuition tells me and that's not to keep waiting for tomorrow.

After all, the year of the dragon brings promise of change.

Do-nothing-Days

Woke up with a severe frozen shoulder and neck this morning.  There was no point in contemplating going to work, so a lazy stay-at-home day was in the making.

I don't recall the last time I watched TV or read a book during the day, simply because I don't allow myself.  There's always something to do at home.

Well, today I had no choice but to take it easy and what a treat this was.  I watched a movie in the morning, spent an hour on the phone and read some in the afternoon.  I only got up to fill up on Advil and reheat the heating pad.

Even with all the pain, I felt so relaxed... No pressure to get up to do something.  I really enjoyed my sick-day!

I should really treat myself to more of those "do-nothing-days"...

Quest for silky, smoth hair - Keratin

I grew up hating my wild, frizzy, thick and unruly hair.  I tried just about everything to smooth it out and flatten the hair.  Collecting rainwater to rinse my hair, in the belief that it would become silky smooth.  Sure, soft water is more gentle on the hair than hard water but it still did not give me the soft, flowing hair that my best friend was blessed with.

Friday nights was the the time to shine.   I grew up in a very small town in northern Sweden, and 10 km outside town is the hamlet of Bollstabruk with a population of about 2,000, and THIS is where one of Sweden's largest disco's, at the time, used to take place every weekend.  Hundreds of teenagers got bussed in from cities nearby to attend "Häftig Fredag", which basically means Cool or Groovy Friday, so as a 15-year old my life depended on my hair looking as good as possible.  I'd get started early in the morning to prep for disco night; wash my hair, slightly dry it and walk around with a thick knitted hat for most of the day.  And it worked wonders, actually taming the hair a bit, and if luck was on my side it would last all night.  My nightmare would be that rain, snow or humidity would destroy the hard earned hair-do..

So, thank god for the invention of the Flat Iron.  Imagine how many hours of labor and grief that little tool could have saved me.

A few days ago, I gave Keratin treatment a try.  This product promises to:

 ...smooth coarse and curly hair that resists styling or hair that tends to react to humidity or heat. It is especially helpful for hair that looks dry and unruly after styling and resists holding a set. Keratin coating will give hair a shiny smooth finish that will make it amazingly easy to style.  (www.ehow.com)

This is not something you undertake yourself, but have a hair professional apply the treatment. An extremely high quality flat iron to seal in the treatment.  Hair is not to be washed for 3 - 4 days after application so it'll be greasy!

I finally washed my hair today, and after styling it, I can honestly say that it's was much more manageable. Blow-drying time is cut in half and the hair feels softer and looks shinier than before the treatment.  And the flat iron is getting dusty in the drawer.

I will definitely repeat this process before the sailing season begins.  Wind, Sun, and humid weather is my life from May to October.!
So for all those youngster that complain about their hair, "Suck it Up, you could have been an 80's teen"!

Una lezione d'italiano!

I've long toyed with the idea of studying Italian again. Last Italian class I attended was 18 years ago and when visiting Italy two years ago I wished I had brushed up on my skills. Well, I actually went as far as trying to register last year only to be told that the class was canceled. So when I received the Continuing Education booklet in the mail last month, I once again contemplated registering. I called the school yesterday to inquiry about the course and was told that all I had to do was show up at 9:00 am today and I could sign up during class. I woke up this morning not sure about my decision.
At 8:30 am I packed my gym clothes in a bag in case I'd go to the gym instead of Italian class. I pulled out of the driveway and headed for Destiny Road (oops I meant Westney Road). As, I approached the rec center, I made up my mind and headed for the school. My reasoning being, if I don't like it, I won't go back. It's a free class so it's not costing me anything. I did enjoy it and I was amazed at the amount of Italian I actually know. My daughter later explained to me that it is extremely lame and annoying to have students in class such as me, who answers most of the questions, volunteers to read out loud etc. Wow, the opinions of high school students. There are only 8 students in the class whereby 4 are adults and 4 are high school students. Surprisingly, not too many people have discovered the high quality classes that are offered FREE of charge through Continuing Education. It is actually fun to learn something new, and a great sense of accomplishment when your brain actually retains some new information. We are never too old to learn......and perhaps I'll tackle Spanish next year...

Back To School - New Start

It is sad to see summer coming to an end, but at the same time a relief that the kids are back at school and I can have some sort of routine to my day.  It's funny, I love my sailing weekends, leisurely with no plans what so ever, but at home I thrive on routine.  I'm really a "to-do-list" person.  I have a list posted on the fridge and there's a sense of accomplishment when I get to check "things" off.  Today I had a marathon cleaning session, and it sure was a good feeling when it was all done.  Like the snake that sheds its skins, I do the same when I reorganize and de-clutter  the household.  A form of rejuvenation..a new start. 

Beginning of school also signals the start of new beginnings for me.  I've surely indulged in an unhealthy eating pattern over the summer so today is the day for redemption.  I've "pre-warned" the family that we I not purchase any "processed" foods, such as boxed meals, packaged cookies, high fat foods, canned foods, white bread, sugary cereals, processed meats, packaged snacks etc., for the remainder of September.  We'll enjoy eating more vegetables and fruits, and if we want treats, we'll make them.   I'm looking forward to preparing our meals without relying on semi-prepared or "processed" ingredients.   It shall be interesting to see if we will spend more or less on our "food" budget.

Smörgåsbord of Simple Pleasures

Today was a great day.  I spent part of the day with my 12 year old son, so this is certainly a day to treasure.  He's at the age where friends are preferred over me, so I'm holding on for dear life.  We loaded our folding bikes into the car and drove to Ajax waterfront.  We have a beautiful water frontage that stretches across Ajax www.townofajax.com/page2042.aspx, with a winding Waterfront Trail hugging Lake Ontario's shore line.  We biked west into Pickering and ended up at the Millennium Square, which is at the bottom of Liverpool. www.cityofpickering.com/standard/lifestyle/waterfront/main.html. 

Pickering has revamped their water frontage over the past few years, and here you'll find a marina, restaurants, ice-cream shop, tea-house, playground and lots of people out taking advantage of  a beautiful summer day.  We enjoyed a "simple pleasure" of ice-cream before we headed back through the Alex Robertson Park where beautiful Wooden Sculptures by artist Dorsey James are scattered throughout the park.

 Later on in the day, I met up with some girlfriends for dinner  a movie. We watched Julie & Julia www.julieandjulia.com/ starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child.  I must admit that I had not heard of the movie, nor Julia Child.  Must have been before my time in Canada.   So I can only take the word of my girlfriends that Meryl Streep's rendition of Mrs. Child was to a "T"...  But of course, I would not have expected anything else from such a truly gifted actress.  This movie was definitely a feel-good, chick-flick movie, which left me with the urge of wanting to cook Boeuf Bourguignon.

 

Today was truly a Smörgåsbord of Simple Pleasures.  Wonder if one can O.D. on that??