I know you’re thinking, “How is this fat related?” but trust me:

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

That line about “some people say that my head is too big for my body…compared to what?” THAT is self-acceptance! I love it! And I love Marcel the Shell with Shoes on!

I found this article quite interesting given it’s domain name and subject matter. I appreciate how it points out how she was happy with her size/looks prior to the Jenny Craig thing. Funny, how those ads show clips of her hating her body so much she just felt uncomfortable…Hmm? My fave line from the article is this: “Rue is talented, radiant and deserves to be happy at any weight, whether she’s plus size, skinny, curvy, thin or whatever coded terms casting agents and journalists like to throw around.” Thank you for that, Emily Shetler!

It’s been very hot in the bay area the last couple of days. I know this isn’t the same hot the east coast gets or tropical climates, but it’s hot for us, nonetheless. This sudden bout of heat has made me rethink my day-to-day and focus more on what’s important: Self Care!

I had been struggling lately with eating during the day, I just didn’t want to eat. Yes, I get hungry. But I own/run a  cafe and am around food all of the time. (Luckily my cafe’s focus is offering natural/organic goodies for everyone to enjoy.) This does make for a difficult choice at lunch time when I need to eat! Being broke as a joke leaves me with two options: make myself something here or starve. And for about three weeks, I chose the latter. UGH! It drives me crazy. Last week I vowed, to myself, that I would eat a normal lunch each day. And I did. That is until this little heat wave arrived.

I have red hair and fair skin. I don’t do well with any extreme temperatures. When it’s very hot I don’t want to eat or sleep or anything, I am simply miserable. I must force myself to do the things I don’t want to in order to survive. I have no trouble drinking water, I love the stuff, but reminding myself to stay hydrated can be difficult, too.

So, here’s what I have been doing to take care of myself, even when the thought of it makes me sigh:

1. drink lots of cold water. 30 degrees (F) is ideal, but 40 is fine, too. (And keeping my Brita pitcher full!)
2. buy foods that I’ll want to eat. This week that means watermelon, peaches, apples, bananas, carrots, berries, greens, cold cuts, picnic salads…things that can be eaten cold either together or not!
3. Popsicles! stock the freezer or make a bunch on your own! If you have an ice cream maker, that rocks, too! I just know that I get very absent minded in the heat and need something quick and ready. And smoothies! So easy to make and tasty no matter what you throw in there!
4. cold showers! Maybe my fave part of summer! (or swimming or both!)
5. EAT! Yeah, it’s kind of sad that I have to remind myself to do it, but that’s how it’s been lately. And I’ve been eating smaller meals but more snacks in between, so that helps too.
6. Wear lighter fabrics. It’s simple, I know, but I still grab for the usual things. I won’t even go into the whole sleeveless debate, but if your okay with that, do it! I spent far too much time worrying and far less time being comfortable. Now? Comfort is queen! And besides, you look better when you feel better.
7. Did I mention COLD WATER?! I run a cold tap over my inner wrists to cool down at work. And sometimes I sneak away to the ladies room and splash my face and neck. A quick fix, I assure you! And don’t be afraid to dab your brow if you’re feeling some sweat. I say better that than suffering.
8. Water for everyone! We have a pup & a kitty and have to make sure they are hydrated, too! The pup loves ice and the kitty loves the bathroom tap, so no worries there. Just need to be a little more frequent when it’s hot.
9. Keep the shades drawn & windows closed during the day. This helps keep it cooler & when we get home from work we can open everything up for fresh air!
10. I don’t currently have a fan in the cafe, or a personal one. So I keep the front door open and hope for a breeze. On my way home I roll all of the windows down or crank my car’s AC. At home? We have an AC but it’s not efficient and we’re conservationists. So we stick to more fun ways to stay cool like the above.

My point in all of this is that we’re working and running around taking care of things and often forget to take care of ourselves. No matter what weather you’re currently dealing with, it’s so important to treat yourself right! I think of it like this, you wouldn’t let your best friend or partner allow themselves to be treated poorly or forget their bodies needs, so don’t do it to yourself either!

How do you handle self care? Are you so busy that you forget to take care of yourself? Tell me about it!  =0)

I know this is everywhere today, so I won’t go into it. I just wanted to share my experiences with going to nail salons.

I’ve been getting pedicures for about 8 or so years now. For awhile it was a monthly treat for myself on whatever day off I had when I was a retail manager in a mall. I would just hit up the nail salon around the corner and never felt particularly uncomfortable. I pretty much stuck with the same salon until they moved and then when they re-opened went back to them until one day I walked in and there was a man at the register/podium thing. He gave me the up-down (when they look you up & down in that judgey sort of way) and said, “You come back in 2 hours!” I said, “Yeah right!” and left. It wasn’t busy in the salon, I even saw a couple of the nail technicians chatting on a couch. Never went back. I’d been going there for almost six years, even had my nails done for my wedding there (took me so long to grow them out, too). I had never seen him before, but I also didn’t see my usual gal, Tina.

I tried several salons after that trying to find one with both the right price and quality work. (A bad pedicure, no matter it’s retail price is just never worth it!) One time a friend gave me a certificate for this shi-shi-la-la salon on Santana Row (fancy outdoor designer mall pavilion thingy where the rich and pretentious shop near San Jose, CA).  It was terrible! They treated me like a beggar with his first dollar ever! Obviously I didn’t go back (and I wrote a review of my experience on yelp.com).

Then for a few months I went to this seemingly shi-shi place but it was a great price for what you got. For $28-$30 you’d get a spa pedicure with parafin wax for your feet and a leg mask! But it was always crowded, I never “fit in” there and the quality went down over time.

Then I found this great little shop by my apartment. For $20 I could get the spa pedicure and read good magazines (I secretly love “Lucky”) and the gals were nice and liked to chat with you (all previous salon experiences differed from this). They also enjoyed nail art and I would always get a lovely flowery design on my big toes. For like $2-$3 more. They always looked fabulous and I felt great after. I was very faithful to that place until I was laid off a bunch of times and just couldn’t afford the luxury any longer. (I know, $20 isn’t much, but it’d be $30 by the time I left and again, it was a luxury.)

After a few months I’d long for a pedicure and break every now and then and get one at some random place. I began the habit of checking with the health department web site before going to a salon after the whole black-death-fungus-scandal (involving Paula Abdul I think). Then I stopped getting them again.

Now? UGH! Now I do them myself exclusively. Why? Money! But also, there is a certain vibe I would get from certain gals. Like they didn’t want to touch my cute little fat feet. My feet are adorable, too! But no, they’d rather care for the feet of a thinner gal who has hammer toe and some sort of awful going on (this is what I saw I’m not slamming all thin gals) who just wanted to tell everyone about her rich husband and all that he buys her. So money talks, I get it! But damn! Don’t I deserve to have cute colorful toes, too?

I don’t know if I’ve ever been discriminated against in a salon (aside from that one guy), but you can sometimes tell that you’re being treated differently or condescended to. That is unacceptable in any arena and I will tell people. I used to be more of a meek gal when it came to complaining. NO MORE! People need to be told when they suck and when they rock! I am liberal with my feedback because I would want to know if I’m giving someone shitty or awesome service. It is the only way to truly know how you’re doing . Because people will tip out of guilt or obligation or whatever, that is almost never an indication of service, more like common practice.

I am so glad that this woman stood up for herself. I wish more people had the nerve. Because, damn, people can walk all over you and then you just go home and feel bad about yourself when it’s so not your fault! I have been there and have resolved to never again! And shit, talk about biting the hand that feeds! Most if not all of the fat gals I have ever known knew how to pamper themselves at a damned salon, yo! But hey, if my money isn’t green enough for ya, I will gladly go where I am wanted!

Okay, so on the “Snark” thing, I don’t really want to snark about anything specific, I am just still sleepy and a tad cranky and I just love the word “Snarky!” Ha-ha!

I love this: Your Permission Slip From The Universe

Randomly, I typed “Fat Acceptance” into google and the only ad on the page: Feminist Therapy Associates

Did you know,I Have An Etsy Shop?

It took me awhile to find him, but this used to be the blogger/founder of Fabulon! J’adore! <3 Thombeau!

A friend told be about Questionable Content and now I am obsessed! You have to read it from the beginning. It’s magical! And this sums up how I felt on Saturday night:

My friend Jery has a fab blog about our local arts scene, theater, movie reviews and so much more. He does a podcast, too! Check it out here

What do you like to read about on Twitter? I’ve been on Twitter for years, but rarely use it. I follow too many people to keep up with, but I do enjoy it now. Before I just sort of ignored it. I enjoy posting things, but would love to know what people are looking for there. Thanks!

Have you heard of Current T.V.? One of my fave channels and a lot of viewer generated content. YAY!

I have had the pleasure of getting to know this amazingly talented artist, Carmen Reid. She was at first a customer at my cafe and now a good friend. She is a freelance graphic designer and enjoys taking on new and funky projects. Need her help? Find her here! I also feature some of her paintings in my cafe.

Looking for some cooking/baking inspiration? You gotta check out my friend Steph’s gluten-free blog

This website lets you create a font using your own handwriting. FUN!

Tie your shoelaces in different and fun ways!

Go on, Ask Me Anything!