And Now for Something Completely Different

Wow, it's been about 6 months since I last posted on this blog. Sadly, it's probably been about that long since I've gone to the gym. In my defense, there were lots of reasons for that. I worked a bit for The Living Christmas Company in November and December. Then, in January I caught a cold; then I was in a car accident; then I caught the flu (I ducked, but it still hit me) which in turn, turned into Bronchitis. In the middle of that I was convinced by my friend Jane, to audition for a play: Oliver. She called one night, saying she was going the next night, and that I should come and audition too. I had 24 hours to get a resume typed and printed, a head shot and a song prepared. Somehow I did it. My husband, Bill cheered me on as well. "Just have fun." Everyone was saying.
Well, I ended up getting cast in the "Adult Ensemble" which really means I have no particular part, but I sing and dance in the chorus numbers. What that means to me is "Oh my gosh, I'm going to perform on a stage for the first time in..." I can't even remember how long it's been. What it means now is SO MUCH FUN!  I am loving it so much, I can't even begin to describe it.  I feel like me again. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom, and I wouldn't trade my life and my kids for all of Broadway and the Big Time. With my kids being pretty much grown now though, I can get out and do more. It's been so great to go back to this wonderful life that I've missed for so long.
So while I may not be swimming a mile, or working out at the gym, I am getting my exercise. The set has a bridge that goes up one side and down the other. Somehow, the choreography is such that I end up running up and down those stairs over and over throughout the play. Who needs a stair-master?
The only downside is that I have been feeling really tired. That comes with the MS of course, but the occasional late nights have taken a tole. Still, it's all been worth it. Seriously. And as long as I can do this, I really want to do as many of these plays as I can. I know I'll be able to work out a good resting schedule, it's all just been sort of new for me. Well, not "new" but different for my current situation. I'm not the 20-something college student anymore. (Side note: for those who don't know me personally, I have a degree in Theater Arts and was intensely active in Theater when I was diagnosed with MS at 23, and spent a year in and out of a wheelchair. I tried to do some work after that, when I was feeling better, but feared the stress and activity would cause a relapse. At that time there was no drug therapy, and there is still no cure.)
Currently, I have a high school student to take to school early in the morning, my other kids coming and going, my husband to pay attention to, meals to prepare, a house to take care of, as well as many other things to do throughout the days. Boy, and I thought I was busy back then, lol.
So forgive me for not writing sooner, as you can see I've been a teeny bit busy. Hopefully I'll have lots to tell you though, as my theater and life adventures continue.


Caren E. Salas

The Rose Center Theater, Westminster, CA

What I Did on My Summer Vacation...

Wow. It's been almost a year since I wrote my last post on this blog. Pretty sad. In my defense, it has been a crazy year. Not that that is unusual, but still.  I'd like to say that I've been swimming regularly, and writing non-stop, but well...not so much. 
Summing up the last few months...I took a class to be a notary public, passed the state test, and am in the process of becoming an official notary for the State of California. That's pretty cool (if I do say so myself). I also took a publishing/marketing class which has inspired me to get busy on a new book.  Finding time to focus on stuff like that has always been difficult, but I'm working on it...little by little. Lately I've been working as a cake baker/decorator's assistant, which is way fun, but unfortunately not very consistent. I'm also trying to get to the pool more, which is, and always will be a struggle, but one worth the effort. Once in a while, I've even taken some time to enjoy the summer. (Imagine that!)
So there you have it: the past few months in a very compact nutshell. Of course many other important events and experiences filled that time, but this here, is not my next novel, so I should probably stop before you doze off, if you haven't already.
Sometimes I think my whole life is a "one step forward, two steps back" story, but I suppose as long as I keep trying, eventually I'll get an extra step or two in, maybe even take the lead at some point. Who knows? It could happen.
Meanwhile...here I go....


Caren E. Salas

See? I really did take a  few moments to enjoy the summer.

How Many Times....?

When you were a kid, did your mom or dad ever start a conversation (aka: lecture) with "How many times have I told you...." It's one of those things you SWEAR you will never say to your kids, but then, well...
I was thinking about that today, but in a different way. I was thinking about it because I realized "how many times" I've promised that I would write on a regular basis. That "this time" I was sure that I was on a roll. Clearly, I lied. Okay, that's harsh. Let's just say you all were misinformed..by me. See, the problem is that Life gets in the way. Try as I may to make time to write every day, the truth is, I have other things that take priority sometimes. Little things like "kids" and a husband, and bills I have to pay, my job (as an elf), and making sure we have food in the house. You know, those little pesky every day details we just can't ignore. This is not to say that my brain and my imagination are stagnant. I have plenty to write about. It's just that sitting down at the computer and taking the time to post tends to mess up my groove, so to speak. Now this is where I usually say "..but this time I mean it! I'm really going to write all the time now!!" You'd all be thinking to yourselves "we've heard that one before." I'm not going to say that this time. I will say this. When I'm not otherwise living my life, working (which of course involves writing anyway) taking care of my family, taking care of myself (i.e.: swimming) spending time with people I love, taking care of my little dog or my two turtles, or coping with my general insanity, I will write something here...and hopefully you won't have all tired of waiting for me, and will read it. :)


Caren E. Salas

No Happy Medium

I can't sleep. my husband and I decided to spend Labor Day weekend in Palm Springs, and we do love it here. but dang. It's HOT. Even at nine, ten o'clock at night it's about a hundred degrees! Then, the room is air conditioned to below freezing...okay, not really, but it's cold! So here I am at 5:35 a.m. because I can't sleep. I tossed and turned for hours feeling the blast of cold air on one side of my body or another; I tried to turn down the AC; I even wrapped the decorative throw blanket they put on the edge of the bed for color over me, but I can't sleep!  Added to that, the AC hitting me gave me a stiff neck, or maybe it was the tossing and turning, so I took some Ibuprofen and now my stomach hurts. Of course.
On the upside, in about an hour, the pool will be open, and being that yes, at 7 a.m. it will be hot enough to melt glass, I may just go down and swim a few laps. I will have to adjust my workout however in light of the pool only being about 15 feet across. Three strokes and I'm on the other side. I may have to resort to...I can't believe I'm saying this...water aerobics,. (shudder)

One Lap Forward...

This week started off really well.  On Monday I went to the gym, determined that this would be the week I went EVERY day. As usual, my week never seems to go as planned. Especially during the summer. I have learned, as the years have gone by, that I am a schedule person. I deal with life so much better if I am (basically) forced to get up and get out of the house at a certain time. During the school year. I get up at about the same time every morning, get dressed and take my kids to school. Since I'm getting dressed anyway, it's easy to put my bathing suit and sweats on instead of jeans and a t-shirt, and then, since I'm already out and about, go to the gym. With no place that I have to go first thing in the morning, it's much easier to get distracted with other things. There's always laundry to be done, dishes to be washed, items to be checked on ebay: selling, not buying, believe it or not.
But I digress. Wow. If I had a dollar for every time I was distrac- hey, is it okay to have pizza for breakfast?

So this year, unlike my kids, I'm actually looking forward to them having to go back to school. Meanwhile I try and push myself to go swim as often as I can. especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when I don't have such a small window of time. You see, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there is a water aerobics class at 10:30 and people start piling in around 9:00-9:30 so they can stake out their spot. And don't tell me I should take that class.  I don't, for three reasons: a.) I get claustrophobic with 80 other people in the same pool, especially since if I get pushed to the deep end, I can't touch the bottom. b.) It's not my thing. I just want to swim, back and forth, at my own pace. And c.) The idea of some little perky 20-something girl shouting out "encouragements" makes me want to vomit. Sorry, it's probably wrong. I can't help it. I've never been one for that whole "no pain! no gain!" and "push yourself! you can do it!" cheerleading tactic. I'm an adult. Please don't tell me what I am capable of doing. In all likeliness you have NO idea what I've gone through to get this far. I'm fully aware of what I need to do, to get to where I want to be. Give me a little credit. I understand, some people need that, and work better because of it, and hey, more power to them. Everyone is different. If my friends tell me "hey, go for it, that's awesome" that's really enough for me. If my kids ask me if I'm going swimming and say "cool," when I say that I am, that's good too.  For me, it all comes down to the fact that we all have to find what works. Some people respond well to having that voice over their shoulder saying "yeah! keep going!" Some people encourage themselves and fight their inner wimp one day at a time. That's what I do. Honestly, I don't always come out on top...but I refuse to ever admit defeat. I just gather what strength I have, go back to the pool, take a deep breath, and dive back in.

I'm going to try to go a little later on today, wish me luck.


Caren E. Salas

Anger Management

The other night I was trying to figure out how to connect my wireless printer to our network and after trying various "trouble-shooting" tactics, I contacted the company who made the printer thinking, this can't be too big of a deal. When we first got the printer I think my son and I installed in with no real problems. Unfortunately we recently had to replace our modem/router and that caused some problems.  So I go online to the "live chat" and the person "helping" me, after close to three hours not only did NOT solve the problem, but managed to completely mess up my wireless network. She tried to tell me that she was only working on the things that affected the printer. Hmmm. I think not. I don't know a lot about computers, but I thought it was an amazing coincidence that before she started doing things everything (except the printer) was working fine. Afterwards nothing worked except the PC I was actually working on. None of the kids devices or laptops could connect and even my ROKU was shut down. Someone was supposed to call me within 24 to 48 hours....a week ago. Needless to say, I will not be purchasing anything from that company again if I can help it, and they WILL be hearing from me. (It won't be pretty, but at least it will be somewhat more reserved compared to what it would have been a week ago.)

Anyway, to make a long story short (I know, too late), At about midnight when I finished chatting with this substandard computer technician, I was fuming. Knowing that sleep was not going to happen anytime soon, and feeling like I might possibly commit a felony, I decided to work off some pent up energy by swimming. Luckily, my gym is 24 Fitness. I got dressed and zipped over, thinking a half mile ought to do it. After a half mile I realized I was still angry, so I went on for a few more laps. When I got out, I was thinking, Wow, I should do a mad swim at least once a week!  I'm kidding of course, but I did get a really good workout, and I was able to go to sleep when I got home. It was much more productive than breaking or throwing things (like the printer).  The next morning I called AT&T and in under an hour our wireless was up and running and so was our printer. Shocker.

Usually I get my frustrations out with writing, but sometimes, there is not enough paper, writing instruments, or even internet space to get the monster out of me. More dramatic strategies are needed. I know not everyone can swim, but most of us can at least get out and walk or run or do something physical. In the long run, at least for me, not only do I feel better emotionally, but I can smile knowing that I am a little bit healthier as a result. 

We all do what we have to, to stay sane in this crazy life. I write. I swim. I hug my family. Whatever works.


Caren E, Salas

For the Safety of Those Around Me

I have found that swimming for me is a necessity. Not merely for my health, but for the health (and safety) of those who deal with me on a regular basis. Seriously, I feel so much better when I swim on a regular basis, physically, mentally and emotionally. It has a way of calming me, taking the stress of the day away, and adds a little patience to my personality. For about 45 minutes I really don't/can't think of anything else. Well, I could, technically, but I tend to forget to breathe. Hmmm. It's funny when I think of it, because when I don't swim, sometimes it feels like I'm forgetting to breathe then, too. I mean, really breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out. Don't freak out. Don't sweat the small stuff...which I do. The moral of this story? I've got to keep swimming. It will keep me in shape, keep me calm, keep me happy and hopefully keep me out of jail (haha).  It's been a rough week. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. Until then...I'll just keep breathing.


Caren E. Salas

Now this is serenity: a pool with a view.