Do you ever feel like you’re so out of sync that what you’re doing completely doesn’t match up with the imaginary closed captioning says you’re doing. Or saying?

I’ve felt like that for the past two weeks, and while most of that is due to flu and assorted medications which eased the symptoms of flu, I need to take some drastic measures to find ME again.

Today I woke up energizes and smiling, and I greeted the sun with fond wishes.
I had a lovely chat with my mother on the phone, and a lovely online chat with a friend who is embracing her own positive changes.

Then I made a banana and peach smoothie, and drank it while doing the little bit of work that needed to be done today.

I took both dogs out for walkies in the crisp sunshine, even Zorro who still has a cough. I let him set the pace, and he was fine, and didn’t cough at all til we were back at home. (I now wonder how much of his coughing is real and how much is a pathetic plea for attention.)

I came home and had a lovely chat with AT&T nee Cingular, about condensing my plan, and they saved me $30 instantly, and in May I can drop the second line, and upgrade to the Blackjack II (in RED), and then in July I can cancel or downgrade the data card plan.

I ate leftover Pad Thai for lunch with a bottle of cool water, and then went upstairs and did a dance warmup (isolations and stretches) and lifted weights (just one set of each, at thirty pounds, because my chest is still congested, and after two weeks of doing nothing that was enough to make me sweat.)

I did a bunch of crunches and more stretching and am drinking another bottle of water.

And tonight we’re going to the bookstore where I am buying the Martha’s Vinyard Detox book and on Sunday I will begin a 21 day juice-and-pureed veggies detox fast, because I feel like I’m laden with chemicals, and it’s not good.

Chemicals on hair, okay. Chemicals in body, not okay.

On the 15th we are bleaching my hair all the way out and dying it entirely Atomic Pink with nothing to ground it, and I may cut it as well.

I am very excited.

And energized.

And change is good.

I don’t often gush about online shopping but let me tell you why buy.com rocks.

First, there’s the fact that they offer books, music, dvd’s and all the cool electronic toys any of us could want at really good prices. It’s true that lots of other online stores do that, but most don’t also show you the going price for the item you’re looking at, and where you can get it. Not just, “average retail price is X” but “You can also get this at Target for X.” I like that they’re honest about these things, especially since their prices are usually the lowest of the bunch.

Then there’s the fact that they take multiple forms of payment: credit/debit cards, paypal, and google checkout, the latter of which nets you a $10 discount if you’re a first-time user. I’m all for saving $10 when I can.

The site itself is easy to navigate, and uses images and text as well as audio and video to display products. Users can even upload video reviews of the products they’ve ordered. Regular multimedia segments include Howie Mandel’s “What’s Shakin’” and Ryan Seacrest’s “Deal of the Week” both of which highlight specific offerings.

Another reason why buy.com rocks is that they offer free shipping, which is great if you’re buying a big-ticket item where shipping is usually based on weight.

I went there to browse through their camera offerings and found one I really like, and am about to order it. I’ll let you know if everything goes smoothly. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for anything from jewelry to sunglasses to flat screen dvds, check out Buy.com.

My regular readers know that I often refer to my day job as making me feel like a paid hack, and while that’s mostly in jest, I do sometimes feel that I’m plodding along on a virtual treadmill, but with none of the benefit of exercise. Well, except for a paycheck.

When one of my favorite webzines, All Things Girl put out a call for new editors to help with some of the sections, recently, I contacted Deb, who lives in the next town, and whom I used to purchase MT skins from, and applied for the section I was most interested in.

I also reminded her that I hadn’t contributed in a while, and explained that I often felt my snarky/sarcastic/wry world view wasn’t always a good fit.

Deb is so amazing that she not only said I could have a humor column (think softly humorous observations, like Dave Barry, but with breasts), but gave me a Sr. Editor title, which basically means I help wherever she says I’m needed. I get to contribute reviews, be a third pair of proofreading eyes, and help generate buzz for the ‘zine and the site.

Now, there’s no money in this, but it’s a great zine, and the folks who contribute are amazing writers. It’s also really good exposure. I mean, this isn’t just a neat blog with a magazine layout. The cover interview for the current issue, for example, is Deborah Harry. How cool is that?

I’m really excited because it means I’ll get to know Deb and the other contributors better, and because it will force me to submit stuff, and do stuff, and not hide behind my blog so much.

I’m also excited because I know a lot of the people reading this post are amazing writers, and this gives me an excuse to tell you to check out the site, and maybe contribute submissions of your own.

All Things Girl wants you!

Got your attention? Super.

I’m all about pimping sites that I frequent, or that I think offer something beneficial to the community of folks who want to write, so let me tell you about The Novelette. This website features an ongoing novel about four women who aren’t all that unlike women you may know, and it’s updated in small chunks, about 500 words at a time. As they describe it on their site:

Four ongoing novelettes delivered in daily installments of about 500 words. Four women’s lives – Kitty, Joellen, Alva, and Isabel – unfold like a mystery story. If you like reading women’s stories, this serialized fiction is made to order.

In addition to that, they feature writing contests. The word counts are short, so that voters can read them in a single sitting - the max is 750 words - and each contest has a general theme. Last time it was babies. Right now, it’s travel.

Speaking of which, I’m a contestant! My submission is called “Rest-roominations,” (Yes, that’s a pun. Yes, puns are the lowest form of humor. Deal with it.) and you can read it here. Please visit - and vote for me.

You should also consider submitting your own piece.

…but after doing so nearly all weekend I’m not tired.

I had a lovely quiet evening in which I read A Lick of Frost, by Laurell K. Hamilton. Finished it about 20 minutes ago, in tears. Will be posting the review on Bibliotica today or Tuesday.

Meanwhile, y’all should go there anyway, and read the interview with Julia Holden.

Today I learned that exercise can totally be a popup blocker for the soul. How so? In the middle of a day where I felt tired, icky, stuck, and stale, I went upstairs and worked out with my new weight machine for an hour (I’ve noticed that there are some exercises I can totally feel in my abs, even when they’re ostensibly targeting other parts of the body, but that’s for another time.)

I love this machine. Granted, it’s still new, still a toy and not a chore, but I love that I can be in my library, with the huge wall of windows, and watch the trees and life on the street, and be inside my own head, and enjoy sweating.

I never thought I’d find myself typing those two words.

I know, intellectually, that my funk was broken, at least for a bit, because exercise releases endorphins. I know that two workouts is just a baby step (the first was Monday), but I’m really proud of myself for doing two more reps on every exercise today than I could on Monday, and I’m even prouder of myself (more proud? Whatever.) for going up there today when what I really wanted to do was turn on the heating bad and eat brownies in bed.

The year will keep turning. My funk will eventually dissipate completely.
I have hope now.

Jeremy beat me to it, but I’ve just watched the trailer for the new Star Trek movie that opens at the end of this year.

It may be only January, but suddenly I’m anticipating Christmas ‘08.

Yay, Trek!