I was reading a post the other day and it got me thinking...


What with the rate at which we are inundated with images and messages on how to attain perfection and what exactly "perfection" looks like...it's a wonder that there aren't more people on Prozac. I mean, honestly, what kind of person talks about "inner beauty" and then spends tens of thousands on silicone and liposuction? And it is EVERYWHERE!!!! I suppose I must admit that I am guilty of it to an extent. I mean, I enjoy pedicures and dye my hair, but there has to be a line. Or else, what on earth was the feminist movement all about? We were supposed to be trying to achieve equality! But everywhere we look, girls are surrounded by messages proving that, while it may be good to have a brain in your head...it's even better to be SEXY. And it is impossible to get away from...it is EVERYWHERE!!!

Anyhow, just had to rant about it. I mean, what am I supposed to tell my daughter...

I've been in a sort of daze all day trying to wrap my head around some news I received last night. A girl I went to school with was murdered in her home yesterday. No word on why or how (just that it was violent). She lived alone in a house in the small town we grew up in, and her murderer (after he killed her) stole her vehicle and robbed a convenience store. Our graduating class was quite small (less than 300 students), and everyone pretty much knew everyone else. Even so, I can't say that I was close to her at all. I never called her a friend, just a classmate. And still, I can't get it out of my head. I keep going over what has been broadcast about her murder again and again in my head...I can even feel the dread building up in me like some sort of bile...

I just can't shake this...

So, my birthday was yesterday, and I am beginning to understand the phenomenon called "mid-life crisis." Not that I am in the midst of anything near a crisis, nor am I anywhere near "mid-life" either. In fact, my life finally seems to be falling into place. But I think I can understand the impulse or inclination that might lead to a mid-life crisis. Or maybe my blood sugar is just low...