Push me pull you

I've had this kink in my neck for well over a month now. It started during the US v. Ghana World Cup match. It was an intense match, ok? Anyway, even though my neck is the source, the pain is actually in the base of my neck, my upper back to the bottom of my shoulder blade and down the underside length of my arm, all on the left side. I've got pins and needles, disabling pain & soreness. It produces monumental amounts of whining from me, which compels me to publicly apologize to ATM for being his pain in the neck. I tried treating it myself, but after going to a massage therapist, taking probably way too many NSAIDs, and extreme woodlock & Tiger Balming, there was no improvement. In fact, things got worse. My GP gave me an examination and I had to get an XRAY. He prescribed muscle relaxers & pain relievers (which makes watching Magnum PI that much greater!) and referred me to a physical therapist. Wait, what? Physical therapy? Is it that serious? After meekly asking if they accept insurance and being convinced that it's not just treatment, but educational & preventive care, I was convinced. Oh, too, the pain helped with that decision.

After leaving Dr. Waterhouse, I went to see Harry Morton, President of Jacksonville Physical Therapy. I got examined, put on a push-you-pull-me machine, treated to soundwave & heat wand massage, a regular kind massage & we did some neck strengthening exercises. I pretty much went home skipping. I do have to go back nine more times, which seems excessive and expensive, but I should probably stick with the program.

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While I was being pushed & pulled, I took the time to think about things like how I need to reevaluate my life regarding finances and health. Leigh recently told me how she had to take some time to make a budget; I've since realized that I probably need to have a sit down and take a look at ye olde finances, something I haven't done in a minute. Ouch. I'm not doing as well as I thought. There is hellof room for improvement. I mean, I pay my bills, utilities, etc. on time, but I'm just treading water. It makes it very hard to move on up and add to our savings, even though I contribute with every paycheck. I'd like to take a proper yoga class and this whole time I was thinking I can't afford it, but in reality, if I didn't overspend & impulse shop, I would be able to afford the class. Too, taking yoga would improve my physical & emotional well-being, so according to my math, if you're doing well in the financial realm, you can improve your entire well-being. Yeah? Too, if we are just treading water, there is no way we can make our desired home-improvements and buy a new car. I've discovered an excellent tool to help me through this at mint.com . It's so helpful and it does some shaming, but it also tells you how to get out of the awful mess you've made. So, I've set some grown-up goals and it feels good. Oh, and another feature of mint.com that is terrific? They pointed out to me the hidden fees on my current credit card and they recommended that I transfer to another credit card company with 0% APR for 18 months. Doing this would save me $253 instantly. The mint.com organization wants you to do well and they do all of the work (well, most) for you! RECOMMENDED. I'll be showing the program to ATM later, so we can both do well together. It's funny how medical problems make you sit still and think about these things.

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On the matrimony front: We will be going to Mississippi soon to attend an engagement party hosted by ATM's mum & dad. Should be fun! I'm glad that we're past meeting family members because I will know everyone there. They are a fun family to gather & celebrate with. By the way, wedding planning is a total bummer, I am largely avoiding it. I try to approach it like this is the biggest party that I get to plan, complete with a larger than usual budget, but it's hard! On one hand, I want it to be comfortable, casual & memorable (Read: not like all other weddings ever). On the other hand, I'm trying to make everyone happy. It's impossible and I'm slowly, but surely realizing that the only people I need to worry about is me & ATM. I have to rely on & hope that some of my relatives will be adult and just let us be us. I've seriously considered the following: hiring Polka Your Eyes Out or hiring a taco-truck. How much fun would that be?!! One thing I would like to do for sure is book WWT for an evening and serve waffles/chicken, beer & leftover cake. This would be for the folks that we couldn't invite to the formal gig. Friends. Friends of friends.

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Ever since that fun 4th weekend where we swam swam swam @ the HIP, I've been wanting to swim all of the time. Not only will it help beat this godforsaken heat, but it would be a good low-impact exercise for my injury. I've daydreamed and priced in-ground swimming pools (may have to be an eventual goal on mint.com), but file that under "ain't gonna happen". Not anytime soon, anyway. Then I saw this article on Gawker. This is DOABLE, cool & can fit in our backyard. I wonder if my pals will be willing to go in on this? Imma ask 'em.

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Me, at my lowest/highest, depends on who you ask: (Photo by Mariella)

Watching the third place match aka 'the shame game' @ Vino's:

Food photo intermission, featuring dessert first!:

B(acon) A(vocado) L(ettuce) T(omato) O(nion). BALTO!:

Our favorite summer sammich:

So, this is going to be a little promotional because the folks at Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant on JFK are really good to us. They were completely accommodating to our World Cup Final needs. I mean, they cleared out half of the restaurant so we can shout as loud as we needed to. And they kept the libations a-comin'! There was this Latino family that sat behind us who we cheered on Mexico with during the MEX v. ARG match a week or two prior. They sat with us again for the final. It's cool, yet awkward. I could tell we all wanted to get to know each other, but we never found the perfect ice breaker. I should've just asked them to get into the photo with the whole lot of us. I hope we run into them again.

Will, me w/ my vuvuzela app, ATM, nice lady who's name I cannot recall # 1, nice lady who's name I can't recall #2, Mariella, KMHD, Ben, Robert's big beer: (Photo by Leigh)

Mariella, KMHD & Ben:

Nice Brazilian lady & Mariella:

I reeeeeally miss the games.

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BORING PHOTOGRAPHY

The off-chance I actually read my horoscope and it is awesome! Because he love me! (Scorpio, duh)

The best "toy" that I've provided for these mammals. They LOVE LOVE LOVE card box lids and crates.

I love kitty smooshy face:

Every time we go to the pet shoppe, I look at the hilarious cat toys. They are expensive and ridiculous, especially when it turns out that the best toys are the ones you don't have to buy. HOWEVER, the cat on this one? Looks like he is about to do some kung-fu! We are certain that is a real martial arts stance! And the mouse that is all, "Wha-?"

This is just plain funny. I like how offended this kitty looks at THING IN A BAG!

Upcoming projects include: the Salley-Holland baby shower, Leigh & I tryin' to find a DJ gig, and what else? Oh, I have a seedling of an art project in mind. It's not developed enough to say here! xx