You want to know what I really miss?

I miss my health. I want to feel like I did way back, before I got into the martial arts. They were good for my health in some ways true, but I injured so many joints in those years.

I didn't realize it back then, who does at thirteen? Given family history, there's no surprise injuries from fifteen or  more years back still bother me. Both sides of the family have trouble with joint issues and connective tissues. Even Hubby, whose family has pretty good joints on the whole, has a shoulder that acts up now and again after having it dislocated back in 2002.

Still, I've learned how to get my shoulder and hip back in socket when they slip out. I've found things I can do try and avoid aggravating the knee and hamstring I injured, and sufficiently thick socks can usually keep the foot I fractured from aching when the weather turns cold. So there's that.

Then there are the allergies. I've always had them. Some have gone or improved. Others have cropped up or gotten worse. They're why I love my Netipot, always have some kind of antihistamine on hand, and sometimes gaze longingly in the produce section of the grocery store. I miss watermelon and bananas something fierce!

It's the same with bread, pasta, and pastries these days. Not because of allergies, but having realized the effect they were having on my blood sugar. As much as I'd love lasagna or a doughnut from time to time, it's not worth the wobbly feeling an hour or so later when my blood sugar hits the forties or lower. Then there's the nerve damage and increased risk of developing diabetes that can result if I don't keep my levels under control.

It'd be really nice to have a few days where nothing hurt, and I didn't have to worry about what I ate. There's nothing for it though. Although I'd be glad to be rid of the pain of old injuries, I'm glad I learned how to defend myself should the need ever arise. Some type of allergy or other is just a fact of life for most of us these days. And at least I do have some control over maintaining my health without the use of a lot of drugs.

The problem of storage.

I've had a major problem this year. I don't have near enough storage space.

It's not storage for clothes or whatnot I lack. No, it's storage for my business. I had no clue how much space oils, fragrances, colorants, molds, waxes, salts, clays, other specialty ingredients, displays, products, packaging, yarn, material, and all the other things I need for Contented Comfort would take up when I started out.

I don't have a proper shop. I work out of my home, a fact I'm beginning to find very limiting.

I'd planned on keeping everything in our linen closet. It held it at first, but now it's just about enough room for keeping the inventory of my basic lines. Fragrance oils, colorants, yarn, material, and labels have completely taken over our bookshelves. There's no hiding the soap bases, specialty oils, clays, and waxes since the only climate controlled area big enough to contain them is the space above my kitchen cabinets. Then my china cabinet has been taken over by specialty tools and equipment.

I have all sorts of ideas, but I've run out of room. So, until I can get a proper shop, I'm rather stuck. The increase one line must be at the expense of another. This is one reason the mocha line was discontinued. Some of the other base lines from 2011 may be retired as well unless sales of them pick up drastically to make room for the new "geek" lines.

What attracts me...

As I said a week or so back, I'm more about personality than physicality. So what are those personality traits that attract me?

Intelligence is first and foremost for me. Some fellows are very attractive, then they open their mouths and ruin it, be it through arrogance, vulgarity, or a complete inability to engage in a decent conversation. Give me a fellow who can meet me on equal footing, or even better, challenge me. This goes double for a guy who is knowledgeable about literature, science, mythology, psychology, or the entomology of languages and isn't afraid to theorize.

Next is a strong sense of self and confidence. Unless you consider an extended family I only ever saw once or twice a year, I grew up the eldest of my generation. Even among the children at church, there was a boy about six months younger and me with all the other children being either two years older than us or a couple years younger. As a result, I got rather used to taking charge though I'm not really a fan of doing so. Yet, I can't help but to speak up when I sense something going off track. I like a fellow who will do the same. It goes back to a desire for someone who can challenge me. There's very little more off putting for me than a guy who just says whatever to avoid any sort of conflict or disagreement, even just a debate.

Kindness, humility, and faith round out the traits I always looked for in a man.

I found them all in Hubby. He even has the Romanesque look and contrast of dark and light features that seem to make up my physical type. How could I not fall for him? ;)

Facinating People

Today's blogging challenge assignment is, "Someone who fascinates you and why." It's another stumper for me.

I figure the challenge author meant a celebrity or something. Frankly, I couldn't care less about celebrities. Having worked in the media from college onward, I've met several, albeit all local ones not counting the few I've just spoken to online. Maybe I'd feel different if my first four or five experiences weren't awful, who knows? Thankfully I've met some lovely ones since, or I'd be nothing but jaded. Still, I've no desire to find out all about someone's personal life because I like their music, shows or movies they've acted in, or what not.

Their creative process on the other hand... That is fascinating.

I love talking to other writers. It's a unique joy to speak with scientists, when I can keep up with them, which admittedly isn't often when they're physicists. My math skills hit a wall somewhere between trigonometry and calculus. I'd love to get the chance to speak with a composer.

My Favorite Movie Revealed

There are a lot of movies I really love, but there's something about Dragonheart that keeps pulling me back to it. Maybe it's the characters. Maybe it's the Arthurian influences in it. I don't know why exactly, but it's one of those movies, like a favored book that keeps pulling you back time and again.

I've talked about it before over at The Tekaran Lady as one of the main influences for the Yekara Series. Though there, the novelized version was as much of one as the movie, mostly in learning to deal with descriptions of a species as large and alien as dragons.

Bowen served as mentor to Prince Einon in hope he could teach the boy the Arthurian code, and thus usher in a new age of chivalry in the kingdom. Then the prince is mortally wounded and saved only by the aid of a dragon. When the newly crowned King Einon begins behaving even more cruelly than his father, Bowen blames the dragon and vows revenge on him.

Years later, a peasant girl and priest shame Bowen into joining forces with the last surviving dragon and peasantry to overthrow Einon's regime.

That's my favorite movie. What's yours?

Blogging Challenge: 5 Famous Men I Find Attractive

Today's challenge is one I'd never have come up with on my own. It's just not like me to write this kind of thing, but here's the challenge as it was written: Give pictures of five guys who are famous who you find attractive.

As I've mentioned before I'm a character driven kind of girl. I could think of several characters, but it was remarkably difficult to find five celebs I felt an attraction toward outside particular characters they've played. Nothing against the celebs, I'm just more about personality than physicality, though after completing the set, I have to say it does seem like I have a definite type.

First up is Michael Shanks. I know him first and foremost from his role as Daniel Jackson on Stargate SG1. He was excellent in his guest spot on Highlander and Andromeda as well.

Next is Harrison Ford. With as many of his movies as my folks rented while I was growing up, it's no surprise I enjoy his work. I'm a big Star Wars and Indiana Jones fan. I loved Air Force One and What Lies Beneath.

Then there's Richard Dean Anderson. I'll be honest, other than a few commercials, I've really only seen him as MacGyver and Jack O'Neill in the Stargate franchise.

I first noticed Peter Wingfield in his role as Methos for the Highlander series. Since I've noticed him popping up all over: Stargate SG1, Andromeda, Smallville, X2: X-Men United, and Caprica.

And finally, there's Christopher Eccleston. I know him from The Seeker, Elizabeth, The Others, Heroes, and Doctor Who. I didn't notice how much he and Hubby resemble each other until I saw Eccleston as the 9th Doctor, though. With the close cropped hair, boots with jeans, long sleeved t-shirt, and leather jacket it was like looking at an older version of Hubby.

Time changes us if but subtly.

How have I changed in the past two years? Not by much, actually, so far as I can tell. I'm in a little better shape. I've started a business, though it has only changed my method of working from home. I style my hair differently and picked up a couple new hobbies, but otherwise I'm mostly the same.

Phrases become cliche for a reason, and "Life's only constant is change," is no exception. Some changes are obvious, others are subtle. Different points in our lives are filled with one or the other.

At this point in my life, I'm in a series of subtle changes which will build into a large shift years down the road. There are times I wish I could force one of the obvious changes, but then I take a step back from the now and take a wider view. Some changes are so subtle they're almost invisible, but they lay the foundation for larger ones.

Maybe it's better to let things progress as they are, so the big shift, when it comes, is stable instead of fleeting.

A favorite show... Battlestar Galactica

I'll just say it, I don't really watch television much these days. If something interests me, I usually catch it on either Netflix or Hulu. Ditching the television has ended a lot of pointless struggle over what to watch between the girls, them picking up poor habits and manners from... frankly rude characters, and nagging about the latest junk they've seen in commercials. (And yes, I realize the irony of someone who used to write commercials griping about them.) As a result, I end up being a bit behind with what programs I do watch, but I can go through them one episode after another if I like, which is nice when there are multi-episode arches.

Lately I've mostly been going through Doctor Who. I've gone through the first five seasons of the 2005 revival, and I have what I can find of the classic series queued up. And I've been reading some summaries to fill in the huge gaps in what episodes Netflix carries. I do like the revival, and the continuity within it is really good. I'm a bit reluctant almost to start in on the classic, because I'm certain Davies and Moffat have done retconning, and I do hate it so. Though apparently the Doctor Who franchise is like Highlander. There's continuity within each individual series, but it goes out the window otherwise, making what's cannon and what isn't a matter of opinion.

Probably my favorite series of the last decade or so though has to be Battlestar Galactica 2003. I have caught a few episodes of the original on CBS's retro substation, and while I can tell it was amazing for it's day, I wasn't exactly impressed. Like a lot of sci-fi of the day, the stories were childish enough to be laughable.

I detailed the defining difference between the original and reboot as I saw it while talking about Starbuck in her #3 slot on the Most Fascinating Women of Science Fiction list I created back in 2010. "It has everything to do with better character development. It's what sets the new series apart from the old, character driven plots and story lines that span whole seasons." Also as seen in Baltar's slot on the Men's list: "I'm a character driven kind of girl with a yen for dark fic, so the new series holds a thousand times more appeal for me personally."

The Importance of Education

How important is education? Well, would you even consider denying a child an education?

Education is precious. It's an instinctual drive. Just look at toddlers. Have you ever seen a young child deprived of stimulation? You won't find a crankier child. They ache to learn.

They don't seem to care much once they get in school, though, some would say. That's one reason Hubby and I decided to homeschool. While some children thrive with the public school model, not all do. When the means of education goes too far beyond the child's method of absorbing and integrating information, it can stifle the urge to learn.

Yet, if a child is given the tools to continue absorbing information: i.e. the ability to read, basic math skills, and access to materials, usually all they need is for you to get out of their way and the occasional helping hand. Learning differences can cause frustration, but if found early and given the tools to work around or with those differences, they can actually increase the drive to learn.

I do think we forget some aspects of education though. How many of us were encouraged to follow our passion but not reminded to keep practicality in mind? What good is a degree in a dying or glutted field?

If I'd done my internship before beginning college, I certainly wouldn't have gotten my degree in English hoping for a job in newspaper journalism. (The college I attended didn't have a journalism degree.) Although I loved it, when I graduated, there were no jobs. I haven't a voice for radio or a face for television. I'm rubbish at public speaking, and I couldn't teach anyway without a degree in education, despite having sixty-three credit hours in subject versus the eighteen required for a "highly qualified" Education in English Bachelors degree.

The practical experience of working retail and tutoring while in college, my internship, and on-the-job-training plus having been taught how to find the answers to questions on my own were the most valuable bits of my education. Without them, I'd have never been able to start my own business.

"Getting an education" is so much more than the political statements and ideals we hear bandied about, especially in election years like this one. As parents, it's our responsibility to make sure our children receive an education, and frankly, it's one of our most important ones.

Disrespecting Parents

Today's challenge topic is disrespecting your parents.

I'm Southern, born and raised. Disrespecting your parents, or any adult, was only something you did if you wanted to end up in deep trouble. Out loud in any case, but even silent disrespect could land you in hot water now and again. (There's a reason Mom's been accused of being telepathic time and again. The woman's scary good at reading body language.)

I'll admit to being a bit snarky toward my folks, Mom especially, in the privacy of my head. More so those last few years at home, while I finished college and squirreled away every dime I could before Hubby and I were married. Just the typical friction between a grown child getting ready to strike out on their own and a parent still seeing them as only half-grown.

I see so much disrespect these days. It's depressing. Young folks seem to have so little respect period, for their elders, peers, and themselves it makes no difference. Rudeness, crudity, and downright cruelty abound.

Yet, what can I do but raise my girls to respect themselves and those around them?