Breastless Book Event in NYC

The new edition of Breastless in the City is due to be released on May 5th.  I can't believe how fast it is approaching!  The other day I received my first copy from the publisher and I can't wait for all of you to read it!

My first book event will be in NYC at the Barnes and Noble in Greenwich Village.  Here are the details:

Event Date:  Thursday, May 28th at 7:30pm.

Place:  Barnes and Noble

             396 Avenue of the Americas (@8th St.)

I will be doing a book talk/signing.  So mark your calendars!  Please pass along this info to all your peeps and I hope to see you there!

Cancer Screening

Today I blogged over at The Stupid Cancer Blog about an article I read in Readers Digest last nite concerning issues with regards to cancer screening tests. It challenges the assumption that such tests which detect cancer at its earliest stages may not always be the best thing. This is a topic I have pondered myself at times.

Hop on over and check out my post! Let me know what you think!

Happy Spring!

Today I thought about what kinds of things I love about spring.  I took this picture last year of  my neighbors magnolia tree.  It is big and beautiful and I can see it from my living room window.  I love to watch it bloom and wish the flowers stayed longer.  

I love turning the clocks back and having extra daylight.  I love having my windows open for the sweet breezes to blow by.  The air smells different.  I want to be outside.  I want to go hiking.  

I have a seasonal waterview of the reservoir across the street from my house.  It is a beautiful view and  is the only thing I miss when the leaves fill in on the trees.  During the gloomy winter it is nice to see the water as it brings some beauty to the coldness around me.  My favorite seasons are spring and fall.  I just like that perfect 60-70 degrees.  I wish it lasted all year round. 

What are some things you love about spring?

Control

I long for the days when the word control for me was just the title to one of my favorite Janet songs circa 1986.  Back then I was a junior in high school and one of the few  problems I had at the time was finding a date for the prom which by the way was  unsuccessful.  I hadn't yet come in contact with one single person who had cancer.  I rarely ever thought of the word.  

Then bad things started happening.  My parents divorce when I was 18, my husbands death when I was 25, and thinking it couldn't get any worse, a diagnosis of cancer at only 31 years old.  I am not a controlling person perse when it comes to the people in my life.  The control freak in me comes out about things like my diet,  my daily routine, exercise or lack thereof, and obsessing over my health.  All of which stems from fear.   Fear of losing people close to me, fear of failure, fear of cancer recurrence and the list goes on.

The hardest part to control though is my mind and all the crazy thoughts running through it on a daily basis.  It is much easier for me to control what I eat and how much exercise I get in order for me to try and maintain my health.  If I miss a day with my juicer I get cranky and start obsessing not realizing that the obsessing is just as bad if not worse for me that just missing a juicing day.  I hate that it is hard for me to control bad thoughts.  

I know that immersing myself in what I love to do helps.  But getting those things started seem so overwhelming sometimes and I can't help but wonder why.  I wish it wasn't so hard for me.  Each day I try a little harder, each day I try to find myself amidst the mess in my head.  

How about you?  Would love to hear from those who can relate!

Burt's Bee's Please...

I am a contributing blogger over at the Stupid Cancer Blog. If you haven't done so already it is worth checking out for all the latest news and issues surrounding young adult cancer survivors written with wit and irreverance. Last month I wrote a blog post "Toxic Kisses" about lead in lipstick. In my journey as a cancer survivor I started to look at many things in a different light including how I treat my body and what stuff is in my skin care and cometics. And in my quest to find healthier cosmetics I have happily found a lip product from Burt's Bee's that I wanted to share. They are natural lip shimmers sans chemicals and crap. The lip shimmers impressed me with the wide range of colors, how they apply like a lipstick and have pretty good staying power. The peppermint flavor is great too. In addition to the lip shimmers there are lip glosses as well in pretty colors with a citrus flavor. I am officially hooked! For all the money I used to pay for toxic lipsticks these are really affordable and I often mix and match colors together.

Anyone else tried these or any of the Burt's Bee's products? Do tell!