Happy weekend, everyone! Doggone it, you betcha I am so ready for some relaxin'! WINK.

Oof...sorry about that. I seem to be suffering from a temporary case of Joe Sixpackitis. On to some rootin' tootin' health and wellness news!

My cast came off Wednesday- YAY! I still can't really walk- BOO!

Here's how clueless I am: I sincerely thought once the cast came off, I would be able to stroll on out of the orthopedist's office. But my ankle is still swollen and stiff from 4 weeks of confinement. I am slowly putting weight on my foot and flexing my ankle; I will start physical therapy as soon as my HMO authorizes it (oy). In the meantime, I'm limping along and elevating my foot as much as possible.

Here's a picture of my blinged-out cast, courtesy of SandraB and Gloria's DD Karina. The reaction I got from strangers on the street was incredible. The nurse at the orthopedist even took a picture before she cut it off!

Downward-facing dunce: School shootings. Drugs. Bullying. What awful curse could possibly befall our public schools next?

Would you believe: yoga?

That's right, parents and religious leaders in upstate New York are demanding that yoga be eliminated from schools, claiming it violates the separation of church and state:

"We are not opposed to the benefits. We can understand the benefits. We are opposed to the philosophy behind it and that has its ties in Hinduism and the way they were presenting it," said the Rev. Colin Lucid of Calvary Baptist Church in Massena.

Ignorance. Makes. Me. Stabby.

Bailout fringe benefit?: Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico has a daughter diagnosed with atypical schizophrenia, and has spent decades fighting for better coverage of mental health issues. A provision requiring parity in treatment was attached to the recent federal bailout bill:

No more higher copays or deductibles for the mental health treatments. No more limits on visits to the doctor that differ from the caps for other patients...The legislation does not mandate that group health plans cover mental health or addiction treatment, only that when plans do so, the coverage must be equitable to other medical coverage. The insurance industry is now a strong supporter of the parity legislation.

Hhmmm...color me a skeptic, but the fact that the insurance industry supports it makes me suspicious of this provision's actual effectiveness. What do you all think?

Worst. Endorsement. Ever: I couldn't help but laugh at this Today show segment touting the benefits of the Fraxel laser treatment. I have hyperpigmentation on my cheeks and secretly covet a treatment that will zap them away, but this video has steered me away from Fraxel. The "befores" look just as good, if not better, than the afters! And the cost is astonishing. So concealer it is!

Do you have any skin flaws that you're self conscious about, and if so, how do you deal with them?

What's everyone up to this weekend? I'll be shopping and prepping for our annual trip back east...we leave Wednesday. It will be a gimpy vacation for me, but I'll take it...you betcha.

OK seriously, I'll stop now.