Needles Are Fun!

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three weeks ago I started getting acupuncture.  I have always wanted to try it and when I saw a Groupon for the Metis (in the video they show the fire room where I hang out most, it has the two chairs and red curtains) clinic I figured, why not.  Its was slightly terrifying   Not because of the needles, but more the not moving for an hour.  I have some trouble with sleep, well that seems like an understatement ..  Sleep hates me and I have trouble relaxing.  This is also a reason why I am so pale.  I have no patience to lay in the sun in a position long enough to get a tan...  I have a problem with stillness.  My mind is never still so I need to keep moving or distracted so I dont have to think, or over think ..  When I was there for my first appointment I expressed my concerns for the stillness and she said she could check on in 20 mins and I could be done then.  This was very helpful, the fear of an hour of forced relaxation was gone.  It is still mildly awkward to lay in a dark room with your sleeves and pant legs rolled up, stuck with needles, 19 to be exact.  I think it must have taken me at least 10 minutes just to come to terms with being still.  If you move you get stabbed.  Bad plan.   After that I let it all go.  I stopped thinking about work and boys and what I should eat for dinner.  I let my mind wonder, any thought that had to do with nothing important was allowed.  It was like waking dreams.  I was swimming in the ocean with stingrays and whale sharks.  It was amazing.  I didnt need to continue over analyzing life.  Very freeing.  Afterwards there was after glow.  Not like a massage where you are groggy but a calm feeling.  The second time I had 20 needles and it was about the same as the first go around. The third time was the most outrageous!  I had 30 needles, mostly in my spine like a stegosaurus.  I felt kinda bad cause I kept laughing.  My back is SUPER ticklish.   After all the needles were placed she brushed then 4 times to move the thoughts out of my head and down to my feet.  It felt like teeny tiny back tickles, it may have been my favorite part!  This treatment was for insomnia and it must have worked cause I fell asleep on the table.  How does that happen?  Ever since I have been sleeping much better!  All I want to do is nap and with these naps I sleep!  Not just lay there wishing for sleep!  I told Melissa I wasnt sure this was better than not sleeping, but she said I was just paying off my sleep debt for all the years of not sleeping!  Love that girl!

Have you every wanted to try acupuncture?

Current Song:  Lana Del Rey Blue Jeans
Netflix:  Supernatural, I am in heart with Dean...
Missing Items:  Glasses, but I found them in my purse...  Must have dropped them in there before a nap.  Lucky they didnt break!
Fun Fact:  My blog on 100 birds was my 100th blog post!  What a kawinkidink...
Wishing:  I could play more Gauntlet.  But I am not sucked in...  I can totally handle video games in moderation..
Miles:  16/90
Birds:  8/100

Happy International Polar Bear Day

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      today is International Polar Bear Day!  Hooray!  I love polar bears.  They are so huge and cuddly.  How can you not want to cuddle them!  At work when we answer the phone we have to say a very long greeting.  Its no fun to wait for your coworker to say the whole thing.  It started with my parents and two people that arent there anymore.  When we called in we would cut each other off and say "Polar Bear".  So instead of listening to "Thank you for calling Hotel Name Here, by Marriott.  This is Sarah, how can I help you?" you get "Thank you for calling..."  "Polar Bear!"  "Hi!"  Much easier!  We all now do it.  One of our sales manager has even mixed it up, when he calls he say "Orangutan!"  Makes life interesting.  So I think we all have a soft spot for polar bears now.  I was going to make "Polar Bear Day" cards for my friends, but forgot.  I am still going to do, cause it is a cute idea!  :)

Fun Facts

• Polar bear cubs learn to freeze and remain still while their mother hunts.  If they move, the mother disciples them, with a whack to the head.
• Female polar bears would rather build their dens in "old snow" from previous years rather than the freshly fallen snow.
• Some female polar bears deviate from the one room den.  They build dens with multiple rooms and even a ventilation system in the roof.
• Adult females often weigh between 500 and 600 pounds (227 and 272 kilograms).
• Female polar bears do not start having cubs until they are about 4 or 5 years old.
• Polar bear babies weigh a little more than a pound when they are born
• Paw pads with rough surfaces help prevent polar bears from slipping up on the ice.
• Only humans prey or hunt polar bears
• Polar bears swim using their large front paws to propel themselves through the water and their back legs to steer.
• A polar bear's fur is not white!!  It is hollow.  The fur reflects light.  The hollow fur also traps the suns heat to help keep the polar bear warm.  [I learned this one as a kid and it is one of my animal facts!]
• Polar bears fur is oily and water repellent.  Allowing them to shake dry after swimming.
• Polar bears mainly hunt seals.
• When curled up, a polar bear may cover its muzzle (nose) with a paw to help conserve heat.
• Polar bears tend to overheat more than to be cold.  [cute!!]
• Adult males can grow to be 10 feet tall and weigh over 1400 pounds.
• Humans are polar bears only predator.
• Man made pollution is a cause of death for polar bears.  
• A polar bear is so strong, that it can kill an animal with one blow from it's paw. [ouch]
• Many polar bears go into the town of Churchhill, Manitoba, Canada.  [if I ever move to Canada!]
• Polar bears mate March through July, however the fertilized egg is not start to develop until September.
• Polar Bears do not hibernate.  Female polar bears will den with their young.  All polar bears may den for a short time to avoid bad weather.
• Polar bears can swim an average of 6 miles per hour.
• Polar bears can swim up to 100 miles (161 kilometers at a time).
• They will slide down slopes or crawl on their stomachs if the ice is thin and at a risk of breaking. 
• They have been known to have tantrums. Experts have observed frustrated polar bears throwing chunks of ice, kicking piles of snow or growling in disappointment after losing prey they’ve been trying to catch.  [look out]
• In 2008, scientists estimated that there might be 20,000 to 25,000 of them.  [ :( ]
• the polar bear's scientific classification and name is; Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Carnivora, Family: Ursidae, Genus: Ursus, Species: Ursus maritimus (sea bear)
• A polar bear’s closest relative is the brown bear, Ursus arctos.
• Polar bears live an average 15 to 18 years, although biologists have tagged a few bears in their early 30s. In captivity, they may live until their mid- to late 30s. Debby, a zoo bear in Canada, lived to be 42.

sources:  endangeredpolarbear.com, polarbearsinternational.org, www.tundrabuggy.com

Want to adopted a polar bear? Free ideas on how to help by living greener.

Friends visited:  3.  One lunch date, 2 I saw at there places of work.  One I hung around for an hour doing a puzzle!

Went to the gym?  Nope!  Slept in and it was great!

Number of smoothies?  None and I am totally in withdrawal!!!

Create:  WORST Coconut Milk Soup ever!  The broth was bad...  I kept the veg and I am going to try to fix it tomorrow...  It looks pretty!

What animals do you love?