Has anyone seen ear stapling in the news lately? I'm wondering why so many people have asked me if I do ear stapling recently.

Well, here's my take on it, if you haven't already guessed from my subject title - it's stupid. No, I don't do it.

1) Claims that it will stimulate the point forever are false. First of all, nothing is forever (duh). Secondly, the body adapts to what it perceives to be permanent damage and shifts energy meridians to go around the puncture site. The body is not a static, unchanging object; it's a dynamic entity that is always adapting / reacting to external / internal stimuli.

2) The risk of ear infection by stapling the ear is higher than non-invasive techniques such as the ear seeds we use. Blood flow to the ear is not as great, and thus fewer white blood cells (the little guys in the blood that combat infection) so any infections in the ear just don't get enough help fast enough.

3) Anyone performing this procedure is most likely NOT a licensed acupuncturist, so you are definitely getting this done at your own risk.

Same thing goes for piercings: any claims that they will stimulate any acupoint forever are false.

Here's an article for your further perusal, which is pretty consistent with how I field questions on the matter.

I love doing auriculotherapy / ear reflexology though. It's the coolest thing! What I tell everyone:

What: Massage your ears daily. And thoroughly, inside and out. Ideally, do it until your ears are hot and throbbing, then you can stop. You'll notice that some parts are more sensitive than others. Those are the parts of your body that could use some work, or have sustained injury from the past.

Why: By doing so, you increase energy flow and circulation to your entire body (as the ear has the entire body mapped out on it), including your internal organs. It's a natural boost to your immune system, and it's easy to do.

It's the same theory as foot / hand reflexology, just easier to reach and massage yourself. (Please don't anyone tell me they are taking their shoes off at work and rubbing away at their feet!)

Hmm. I could probably use this in a FAQ for my acuforlife.com website.

In this batch -

- Ivonne's bday with pigging out on spicy food at Thai Pepper
- Soon-to-be baby-mama Annie wreaking havoc at Babies 'R Us (with our help, of course)
- People spiking our food with various undesirables at Jeff's bday dinner at Canyon Cafe; surprising Jeff at the wine-tasting place (where was it again? heh)
- Sam and Eddie come to town to compete in a pong tourney
- FIVE pounds of crawfish ingested at Big Woodrow's
- the bro visits Houston and eats Chinese food nonstop all week
- Esther visits Houston, and I get a small piece of her
- your usual assortment of bums, orgasmic faces, engrish, and cutie-pie doggies!

Last chance for VT ticket reservations with me would be Tuesday, May 9th, 10am. I'm lovin' the last-minute eVite responses. Hope I can get the tickets that morning! You won't regret going!

I am pooped.

That hot shower was MUCH needed.

Goodnight!

Testing the Read More thingy.5

This is the 2nd time one of my lesser-used e-mail accounts has been hacked into by a MySpace member for use to sign up for a MySpace ... space. So, I decided to log in to "my" account to see what the bastard is like. This is one of the thread e-mails he has exchanged with his "homies". (Warning: Colorful language. Parental guidance suggested.)

I have the sudden urge to have very unhealthy ramen. Going to the store... NOW.

Update: Actually, I totally lamed out and remembered that I had some Korean ramen-like soup condiments in the pantry. That, plus some regular noodles, plus some fresh shiitake and napa cabbage, made for some darned good almost-insta-noodle.

Man. What happened to April?!

Two guys have asked for my phone number in the last 3 days. One was really drunk, and one was at the House of Pies / Guys. I'm so awesome ... NOT!

How do you respond when someone asks for your digits and you don't want to give 'em out?

(Today someone told me about the Rejection Hotline, which is freaking hilarious.)

Today it was 3. On top of my camera stuff, and leftovers from dinner. Heavy!!

It's tough being the family's IT girl. Especially when my only "qualifications" consist of knowing how to do internet searches, being able to read through possibly technical jargon, and being capable of following instructions.

"It should be easy for you, right?" - famous last words uttered by bro

I need to be more organized. I have a useable calendar thingy in my cell phone but ... how do you guys stay organized on a day-to-day basis? I just feel overwhelmed a lot of times. So far, keeping appointments is not a problem, but I feel like I have trouble staying focused on what I need to do. (This article calls it the "interruption-driven lifestyle" ... that is SO me! I have like zero attention span.) I need some way to have a to-do list that will help me be productive and get stuff checked off. On top of all this, I also have a major problem with procrastination ...

Every time I see a handheld organizer / Palm Pilot, I start drooling (partially because of the geek factor), but then I wonder if I'd be better off just upgrading to a better phone with a built-in organizer.

I've never made the switch to MS Outlook. (Yes, still using Eudora.) Does switching to Outlook, with all its syncing capabilities, make overall life organization better?

Or maybe I should just stick with a regular paper agenda? And the ol' keep-a-fire-under-my-butt method?

What works for you?