The bull

The annual company picnic. Activities will include: a live employee band, obstacle course, water balloon toss, “Little Tykes” area, face painting, horseshoes, mechanical bull, inflatable play structures, playground, tetherball, softball, pie-eating contests, monster wave slides and more."

After I saw Urban Cowboy in 1980, I really wanted to ride a mechanical bull. I know, very white trash of me, but it looked fun, and okay, a little sexy. Especially when Sissy (Debra Winger) rode the bull as a jealous John Travolta looked on. I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska at the time, my home town. Even though there was a bar on every corner and country music was big, there weren't any mechanical bulls to be found.

I told my husband I'm going to ride the bull at the company picnic on July 12. His response, "well, I hope you don't hurt yourself!". I'm very strong, and although I'm almost 54, my bone density test last year showed my bones to be 110% percent (I still don't understand the extra 10%, but they said it's good). When I fall off I doubt I'll break anything.

This really isn't about being sexy, it's about being strong. I always feel like I have to prove I'm not old, that I'm just as strong, if not stronger, than my much younger coworkers. It's how I felt about climbing the rock wall, I feel the same way about this mechanical bull. My husband said he'll video tape it for me when I do it, so you'll get to see me make a complete and total fool of myself.

I have to be on a plane the day after the picnic for a business trip to Tulsa. I had better not hurt myself on the bull. I can just see me with a broken hip or something. Tulsa is two weeks of hell in a computer lab and if I do get hurt, I'm pretty sure my manager might think it was on purpose. At least my best work buddy is going with me to Tulsa and he promises me we'll have a fun time. Who knows, maybe I can find a real bull.

Earphone review
I'm on my third iPod and probably at least my fifth or sixth set of iPod earphones, at $40 a pop. I've finally figured out iPod earphones are a piece of crap. Last Christmas I bought the Etymotic in-ear earphones for $99. Great for about two months then one side stopped working. Back to another set of iPod earphones. This morning they crapped out on me, sending static into my ears. I've had them since February. To say I'm royally pissed at Apple is an understatement. I love my iPod but what's up with the inferior earphones.

Today I bought these Coby earphones for, get this, $11.24! They are amazing. The sound is just positively out of this world. I had no idea my little iPod was capable of such sound, and the loudness will surely make me deaf. Now I can block out those Chatty Cathy ladies that yak it up every morning on the elliptical next to me and drive me nuts.

Food
Staying OP, no binge yesterday.