The Stomach Sleeper

My mom always said that I "could fall asleep on a picket fence", and she would be right. Put me in the back seat of a car on a long ride and soon enough I will be out cold. When I board an airplane-no matter how long the ride-I always drift off to dream land shortly after take off. So it was much to my surprise that just as this summer had turned into fall, I found myself awake at some strange hours of the night. I go to bed anywhere between 10:00 and 11:00 PM, usually not waking up until 5 or 6 AM. Lately? I'm awake at 12:30 AM, 2:30 AM and 4:45 AM and so forth. I can always fall back to sleep, but the waking up in the middle of the night is becoming more and more frequent.

I did a bit of research and learned a few valuable things:

• I am a stomach sleeper, which could be part of my problem.Sleeping on your stomach is BAD for several reasons, but the one that really stopped me dead in my tracks is this: Stomach sleeping causes WRINKLES!!! OMG! I tell people all day long how to prevent the forming of new fine lines and wrinkles and I just realized that I am putting my face in jeopardy almost every night! I never really thought about it, but I have been seeing those "pillow marks" or vertical lines on my face and cheeks that just don't fade as quickly as they used to.  I also sleep on my side-another wrinkle producer-and the tell tale signs show more on the side you sleep on. Oh the horror!

• Stomach sleeping is also bad for your back and neck. I am always looking for a neck and shoulder massage, now it totally makes sense. This form of sleeping also puts an enormous strain on you spine and spinal strain can cause numbness and tingling. No wonder I sometimes wake up with "dead arm", like my arm has fallen asleep-but I am wide awake. And forget about what it does to your neck? turning your head to the side on your pillow causes your head and spine to be out of alignment, a recipe for more pain. 

• Here's the kicker- AGE and STRESS can be a large contributor to "middle insomnia". Great-I've got both of those in spades and I wonder why I'm waking periodically through the night? Alcohol consumption and an underlying condition could also be the answer to waking in the middle of the night. Let's hope there is no underlying condition because I'm not giving up a glass of wine at dinner. Or two. 

Bottom line is doctors say that waking in the middle of the night is a normal occurrence but that you should be able to fall back to sleep easily. So far I have been lucky to drift back off to sleep, but I have been more conscious of the position I sleep in. While I am sleeping on my back more frequently, I wonder if this position change may have something to do with the middle of the night waking? Back sleeping is not my sleeping position of choice, but if it means a better night sleep, I will continue to try it.

At most, my face will someday thank me for it, of that I can be sure. 

Monday Morning

Ughhh. Monday...

If you ask me Sunday is the greatest day of the week.
But not yesterday. Sunday is my only day of the week to power down and re-charge my battery. But not yesterday.

Yesterday sucked.

Yesterday was right up there with one of the worst days of my life. Top five for sure.
What I learned:

• I'm not superwoman.
• I have to ask for help because I need it.
• I'm fooling no one but myself and I'm not even fooling myself, which means I suck at that too.

So here it is Monday and I'm completely depleted of any optimism or freshness. I'm stuck here in hell and I need to get out. I'm feeling like I'm waaay back at my opponent's 5 yard line and there is not a receiver in sight. Do I take the sack or do I take my ball and get off the field? Neither option is going to give me any relief. And the kicker? It's a gloomy, misty, cold Monday morning. Not even a dose of vitamin D to get me going. 

Why bother?

Anyone seen my mojo? Let it know I'm lobbing a Hail Mary to the end zone and I'm going to pray it gets caught. 

Monday Morning Blues

Post mini vacation and this is me.

I suck today.

Just no good. But it's back to the grind anyway because life waits for no man.
So I decided that a joke today should liven things up....of course, this is NSFW, so keep the volume low.

Now that was funny~ Happy Monday bloggers!!

Mooscles

A HILARIOUS Peace Offering

I'm so sorry...

Really I am.

Saying that I have been just so crazy busy at work, getting up at the crack of dawn and getting to the store, setting up and preparing for all three events this week, then realizing way too late that I forgot about YOU, is just no excuse. Except that one pays the bills....

So as a peace offering, today I offer you this: one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time.
I watched the entire thing and it was well worth it.

SO take a moment to watch what someone else does with their very own 15 minutes of fame.

And then forgive me, OK? Are we friends again?

These Chicken's Ain't So Little

 Check this out. It's hilarious and amazing.  I don't know what I would do.

Holy Crap!

So this is how I'm feeling today.

The world is being held together with duct tape. Dang, something better give for me in the universe soon because I'm ready yet I'm hanging on by the crack of my butt!

Like duct tape, I'm strong and I stick to it. (and I also come in many fashion colors...)
This too shall pass, and the need for the duct tape will be diminished.

and the rainbow is just at the horizon.

What Time Is It?

Ok, so I suck.

It's 1:35 EST and I still haven't completed my blog post for today. I'm sorry. I had an 8:30 meeting this morning (keep fingers crossed for me, good things) and then I got to work and started to compose a blog post for you and I got slammed with customers. That's a very good thing because suddenly there is a sudden run on the stuff at The Candy Bar, but not so good for my Daily Dandies!!!!

C'mon back tomorrow and I will finish the story I was trying to tell you today. It's a good one too.

You think you know someone....

This Is How I Feel Today..

Got Commercial?

So I spent half of the morning searching for a STUPID commercial on YouTube that I saw about business that totally reminded me of myself. I wanted to share it with you today so that I could cheap out on a quick post and finish my year end stuff, inventory and taxes for 2012 and at least give a legit excuse for said cheap post.

Like I got nothing better to do??

Now, completely frustrated, this made me laugh so I'm posting it instead. AND I have no audio, so I have to post it then play it on my iPhone to get the audio.

And it probably wasn't worth it.

Hot Or Not

So yes, I saw these on TV.

Pajama jeans? I decided to inquire further. At first glance these look to be faux designer jeans and nothing that would peak my interest but I have to admit I was curious. Made from a blend of cotton and denim, these faux jeans claim to be so comfortable that you can sleep in them. (I might have slept in my jeans a time or two, but it wasn't because I thought my jeans were "super comfortable")

With "butt lifting" European stitching and a mock zip front, the brass rivets and the designer look of these jeans could fool even the best fashion expert. Or could it?

I decided to ask a trusted group of friends their opinion:

"those are gross," one exclaimed.

"Sooo not!" said another.

But being a journalist at heart, I had to argue the two sides.

For the NOT:

• They look fake and cheap. (are they? I have yet to hold said garment in my hands so these are just observations based on what I saw on TV)


• They have their own infomercial. Need I say more?


• Would you DIE if someone on the street stopped you and said, "Oh my God, aren't those the pajama jeans??"

For the HOT:

• If you have a killer figure and your ass looks good, does it really matter what the jeans are made of?


• Comfort. Does comfort trump fashion? (not in my mind, ever)


• Price. At $39.99, is this a great way to steal a fashion trend? Some designer jeans run up to $280.00. If she is rockin' jeans at $39.99, who looks the fool then?

In the end, I can't decide.

Can you believe it? Me, who has all kinds of opinions when it comes to fashion. I couldn't help but see both sides of the designer jeans debate. I guess if you look good in them, it doesn't really matter what they are and if Angelina Jolie were photographed wearing them, they might become the next greatest fashion trend. Then lots of naysayers would be caught with egg on their face.

Would I ever wear them?

Hell no, but I never said I wasn't a fool.

Merry Christmas

He's coming, you know, my good friend in red.
All dressed in his finest, from the top of his head.
At Christmas time I get giddy with happiness and cheer.
But really, it could be from all the eggnog and beer.

So we'll invite him to come, to join in our joy.
Knowing full well that he's busy, he gotta bust out the toys.
But to me Santa just isn't a legend in red.
He's a spirit, a hero and a saint, in my head.

As I harness that feeling when I think of the old boy,
I'll try to remember that this weekend's about joy.
It's not about toys and it's not about things.
It's about family and love and about spreading your wings.

Merry Christmas bloggers, may you all experience great love.
My wish for you is for blessings, that come from above.
But can Santa do that? Can he even try?
Well, for sure he's a myth, which means we'll never know why.

May your holiday be wondrous and your heart filled with glee.
And may Santa bring you peace, all wrapped up under your tree.


A very merry Christmas to you and yours from Candy's Daily Dandy.

I'm Powerless

I woke up Sunday morning thinking this whole storm was a bust.

I didn't see any serious weather outside my window, really.

Anything that looked treacherous. "What a bust!" I announced and sort of chuckled at myself and the weathermen who were documenting every second of Hurricane Irene.

That was three days ago and I should have known better because I have been without power for three days since.

I have to be grateful, really. No one is hurt. Everyone is ok, we have food and we have money to buy food and each other to keep company. Half of the town I live in has power and half does not. My little store has power and Internet today and I'm back to work.

BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WILL SOMEONE PLEASE PUT THE POWER BACK ON SOON BEFORE I LOOSE MY FRICKEN MIND.

I've never experienced this for this long before. If you'll indulge my selfish whims for a moment:

Things I'm freaking out over:

• No TV. You know I'm having withdrawal. Three days and counting.


• Cold showers. Are you kidding me? No, just no.


• No Air Conditioning. No Internet. And did I mention NO TV?


• It's fine during the day, but when the lights go out all bets are off. Candlelight begins to become less romantic.


• We have a generator, but it's keeping some food cold in the garage refrigerator and our sump pump working in the basement. We plugged in phone chargers and a lamp but nothing major. I'm actually JEALOUS of my friends who have power.


• I feel completely discombobulated and disconnected from my life. You begin to question how dependent we are on the modern conveniences of electricity. If this is a test I FAILED.

I'm off tonite to a hotel. Screw this.

Last I heard, power will be restored by Saturday.

Epic Fail

Oh boy, do I have a story for you.

So I'm reading the Boston Herald yesterday and I read this:

North End restaurateur Nick Varano is heading to the small screen with a new show on New England Sports Network. The charismatic Strega owner is hosting an opening casting call tonight for a co-host/reporter from 8 to 11 p.m. at Strega Waterfront.

So why the auditions? “None of my friends are good-looking enough,” Varano quipped. Produced by Dirty Water TV productions, “The Strega Life with Nick Varano” will air once a month on NESN starting in early April. “It’s going to be like a variety type show,” Varano said.


So I let this marinate in my mind for most of the morning, I then ask some of the people I work with what they think. You know, like if I'm too old for this at this point in my life and stupid self deprecating crap like that. I gotta tell you that as much as I love being the center of attention, I really don't love being the center of attention.

I was surprised by what I heard. Everyone was all over me like white on rice.

"Oh my God, You HAVE to do this!"
"Candy, this was made for you!"
"You're so gonna get this!"

Later in the day, one of my favorite clients came into my boutique. We were chatting and working together, and she said to me, "Candy, you need to be in the movies." (OK, just so you know, I am not blowing smoke up my own a**, she really said that) I then tell her about the audition, to which I receive the same reaction. Fans, gotta love them. Funny thing is I then started thinking maybe I should do this. My background is in journalism, I've been in front of the camera countless times, yeah, I can do this.

I put my plan into action and did my due diligence. I called the company and asked about the specifics, did some research on Mr. Varano, told my husband, who got a good chuckle out of it and then lent his support and got a good friend to come with me. We arrive at the audition location and I put my name on the list. I was surprised to see of hundred women there, 90% of them had head shots and resumes. I did not, but fueled by my new found rock star status, I didn't care. I was not one bit nervous or intimidated. I actually felt so in control and quietly confident that I barely recognized myself. I was completely in my own head, which was a triumph in itself.

We sat at the restaurant bar and waited until it was my turn to dance. When my time came, I walked into a room with about 25 other women. I was at the back end of the line, about five in from the end. They announced that for this round of auditions, we were to grab the mike, stand in front of the camera, say your name, say you "Live the Strega life" and tell a little bit about yourself and then turn to the judges and do it again.

I watched as almost all of the 20 women in front of me bombed, and began to feel the adrenaline pump through my veins. Suddenly I felt like a crack addict on a bad trip, and I wondered why that girl of quiet confidence who walked through the door minutes earlier had abandoned me like a criminal scrambling from police sirens. I needed to think fast and do something to make me stand out from the rest as the ladies before me were toppling like domino's. Then it came to me! I knew exactly what I was going to say that will make them remember me and I'm going to take a risk.

My turn came and I took the microphone, said hello to the judges, (one of which was none other than Rajon Rondo), and began my shtick. I started out strong, real strong, so I thought. I announced articulately that I "lived the Strega life", and that the Strega life was all about passion, food, fun and fashion, living life to the fullest.

Then I gave it to them, the line I was sure would make them remember me and get a chuckle out of them.

I said in my best Seacrest impression, "And I am the next American Idol."

Crickets.

The rest is a blur, because at that very moment I was revealed to be the poser that I was. I wasn't at all surprised that they didn't ask me to stay and I wondered why I hadn't gone with my original plan. I didn't tell them about my blog, my kids, my shop, my life, and I realized I left them with very little other than the fact that I think I'm the next American Idol.

Epic fail.

In hindsight, I realized that I failed because I abandoned who I really am and I abandoned that quiet confidence of the girl that walked through the door. I should have repeated to them what became my mantra yesterday, before my fateful audition.

"You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket."

And I got a valuable lesson. I realized that sometimes, the only real competition is within yourself.