Baby Got Back

So remember a couple posts back when I was talking about my back and being all "Oh, everything's healing up, la la la!"?  Boy was I wrong.

Weekend before last I sneezed, and that sneeze landed me in the emergency room because my back wouldn't stop spasming.  I imagine this is what giving birth is like.  Everything is okay but generally uncomfortable and then WHAM out of nowhere your muscles are doing stuff you have no control over.  I don't know, any mothers care to comment?  Every time the doctor tried to raise the bed up so I was sitting my entire lower back went into spasms and I was arched up off the bed like something in The Exorcist and cursing like a sailor.  Finally two doctors just pulled me up as fast as they could in one go and eventually I stopped yelling.  And crying.

I am off work, on drugs, and in physical therapy.  I really hope it helps.

My mom came up the first weekend to help me get to the doctor and she went grocery shopping and just having her here was so nice.  You know those times when you're like "I JUST WANT MY MOM, DAMMIT!"?  That was one of those times.  She took Stella home with her and that dog had a grand time running around with her boyfriend Jake and apparently she was really good.  Of course she was!  She was with my mom!  Her BFF.

Then this past weekend Dad came and brought Stella back up here (Mom's going out of town), and we took her to boarding.  There is no way I can take care of that puppy when I can't even bend over.  One wrong jerk on the leash and I'll be back in the ER.

I miss her.  The lesson of this past couple of weeks is patience.  I am failing.

ANYWAY, all this time flat on my back has led to some very good Olympic viewage, lots of time on the heating pad (I've graduated from ice!  Yay!), and catching up on some reading.  And dozing.  Lots and lots of dozing.  Because these pain pills are no joke.  I can't drive because #1, percocet and cars don't mix, and #2 getting into the car hurts like a BITCH.  It's so uncomfortable getting into the car that I'm walking to physical therapy (it's not even a block away) instead of getting rides. 

SO.  Lots of time doing nothing means...  I get to tell you about two new things that I like.  Actually, there are a few new things that I got in the realm of makeup that I'd like to blog about, but I haven't been bothering to wear makeup for two weeks so that will wait.

Thing #1 is:

Sally Hansen Salon Effects.

I have seen these for about a year and there are really fun patterns and stuff but holy shit are they expensive (like $9 a pack at Target, which technically only does one manicure).  I found a set on clearance so I got them maybe a month ago.  Shoved them into the manicure box and then yesterday I was like hmmmmm....  my nails look like hell.  I should paint them.  And there were the strips!

These are really easy to apply.  And they look really good because there wasn't any polish to clean up around my cuticles.  So far they have lasted 24 hours without a chip or anything.  I did put on a top coat just to make sure they held up.

There's a picture of my chunky looking hand and tiny nails.  I tell you what, there are some pro photography skills happening around here.  I forget the name of the color I got, but it's sort of a gun metal grey with grey glitter and it's soooooooo pretty.  Maybe not summer appropriate but who cares? 

FYI- Amazon has these in two packs for $7 to $8 with free shipping if you're a prime member.  That's a great deal.  And my nails are so short that I can just cut the strips in half and get two manicures out of a box.  YAY!

Okay, on to the next thing.  I really like the Glaceau Vitamin Water Zero.  They are sweetened with Stevia (I'm trying to get away from Splenda), and have all kinds of vitamins (I know, the name really hides that fact) and they taste great.  And they're usually 10 for $10 at my grocery store.

I do have a couple of problems with these though.  #1 I could just be drinking water.  Snooze.  Couldn't we all.  #2 this is no better than bottled water.  Maybe it's worse actually because the plastic on these bottles is SOLID, it's not the light weight plastic you usually get with bottled water.  So I was feeling guilty for using something with so much packaging.

Then when I was at the store I looked up a shelf and saw these:

Hansen's Natural Fruit Stix.  It's like Crystal Light from the natural foods aisle.  I got Strawberry Lemonade and Natural Berry (they also have Fruit Punch but ewwww, I just can't).  I've been using my Vitamin Water bottles to mix them up and they are really GOOD.  Just as good as the vitamin water but cheaper and with a much lower environmental impact.  Also, they don't have all of the fancy pants vitamins and antioxidants of the bottled stuff, but they do have vitamin C.  So it's not just completely empty calories.

So, nails and drink mixes.  Oh yes this little world is SHRINKING.  It's time to go take a nap.  I wonder if they're still doing any racing on the Olympics.  (That was a joke- it's track and field week!  What else would they be doing??)