The Picture of Dorian Gray... and a decal for my car

Earlier this week, I posted to Facebook that I felt like the picture of Dorian Gray - that somewhere out there was a cute little blonde having the time of her life while I was stuck in the attic paying for her sins.

I really have been feeling that way.  A bit old.  A bit grumpy.  A bit creaky.  I don't normally feel that way - at least inside (but let's face it, looking in the mirror is almost always a shock these days).

It started in early October when it felt like I was leaning my back against a metal bar.  It felt bizarre but it didn't hurt.  When I sat down it felt like there were tennis balls under my skin.  Lying down was the same.  It got to where I was always aware of those knots in my back unless I sat up perfectly straight and didn't move.  Sleeping didn't help.  Everytime I shifted position, I had to wake up, sit up and turn over.  Then try to get comfortable so I could go back to sleep.  As you can imagine, there hasn't been a lot of sleeping going on for the last couple of months.

I finally decided I needed help, so I emailed my masseuse.  Yes... I have someone I call.  It's usually only a couple of times a year, but Darling Man and I both find ourselves in need of her services from time to time. 

So Patricia came and worked me over.  It hurt at first, but finally the knots started coming undone.  I could move without aching.  I could breathe again without a hitch.  We talked about some things I could do to help keep my back, neck and shoulder muscles loose.  A mid-back bolster is probably going to be a fact of life for me for a while.  I suspect my office set up isn't exactly ergonomic as the first time I sat back in my chair some of the same muscles started complaining - only this time I heard them.

Patricia had been working at a wellness clinic but wasn't anymore.  She was staying home with her toddler son, doing massages as needed and casting about for some way to make some money that would allow her to stay home. 

Her husband inadvertently came up with the idea.  When their son was born, he wanted to do a family portrait thing on the back of his car - only he didn't want those stick figures.  He wanted a fish family.  Only no one had them.  They called around and no one could accomodate what they wanted.  So they decided to give it a go themselves.  They bought a cutter and hired an artist to work on the design and finally, they had their fish family for their car.

Fish aren't all they do, though they do several different fish (the redfish pictured above is my husband's favorite).  There are deer decals and various sayings.  They can do custom decals too for individuals or businesses.  I'm betting I can get my red dragon decals much cheaper here than importing them from Wales!

Check out their website:  www.boat-car-decals.com.  I thought it was pretty cool - all the stuff they could do!  Yes...  this is a shameless plug for my friend's business.  And she gives a pretty mean massage too.