WAC Vet(eran)

Surgery Has Been Scheduled

2011-12-29T13:10:00.000-06:00

When "Doc" (the stomach/liver specialist) saw that my appointment was so far away (Jan. 25), he put in a different sort of consult. He called it a "fee consult," if I recall correctly. This means the consult went to a nearby civilian hospital, Scott and White, also located in Temple, Texas, but the VA will still pay the costs involved with the appointment(s) and the surgery. So, I got a call from the S&W OB/Gyn clinic and was scheduled for an appointment on Tuesday, December 27. Yes, that's right - the appointment was two days ago.

The doctor did a quick exam and talked to me about what's going on inside my abdomen. He said that it would require surgery (which I already knew), and explained what the surgery would do. He said he would make a vertical slit up my abdomen and remove the "growth" - the cystic mass. (I'll have to give up my beauty pageants.) He also said that they would definitely take out the one ovary that it's attached to, and most likely the other one as well, to avoid the same thing happening again. There's also a chance he could remove my uterus, but he won't know that until he actually gets inside to see what's going on in there.

The surgery will be on January 16th, and will require that I stay in the hospital for "four days." I put that in quotes because that's what the doctor said, but I'm not exactly sure what it means. Does it mean four days and three nights, or four days and four nights, or what? At this point I'm not sure. But whatever it means, I've already got everything covered. I have someone to take me there and stay for the surgery, and I have someone to pick me up and bring me home. I also have someone to take care of my pets while I'm gone, and someone to take care of me when I get back.

I'm not worried. Honest. I can't explain why. I guess deep down I know that it's in God's hands and whatever happens, happens. I do know that I'm going to lose a LOT of weight and that I'll be skinnier than I've been for a long time once this is over. Not the best weight-loss program, but I'll take it!! It's no more dangerous than, say, liposuction!

I'll take whatever electronics I can to the hospital with me - my cell phone and my Kindle, for sure. And with those I'll be able to communicate. So stay tuned. I'll keep you all updated. (All three of you.)

☮

Women's Clinic

2011-12-17T13:51:00.001-06:00

I have an appointment for Jan. 25th. I think it should be sooner, but what do I know?!! More waiting. I ordered maternity underwear. I'm hoping it fits better than regular underwear! Too much information? Sorry. It's an issue.

Update on CT Scan

2011-12-15T16:42:00.000-06:00

I just got a call from the specialist I saw on November 22. He said the CT scan shows that I have a cystic mass. He said it looks like it's on (or near) an ovary, so the next step is getting into the Women's Clinic (OB/Gyn) to have them get involved. There's no telling, yet, if this is benign or, gulp, not. I'm not worried! Honest! I've just never been a worrier.

Actually, the specialist said it looks like I have several of these cystic masses. I guess that means that I'm not just carrying one alien baby -- I'm having a litter!!

Of course I looked up "cystic mass" on the Internet and here's the one thing I found that sounds most like what the specialist explained to me:

"A cystic mass basically means there is a lump or swelling there with cysts (fluid-filled areas) in it. Pelvic cystic masses usually come from an ovary, but can grow in other parts of the pelvis. It might or might not be cancer - small ones are quite common and can be harmless."

He said that, if he's right, the mass(es) will have to be removed surgically and I'll lose a lot of weight all at once. YIPPEE!!! (For the weight loss -- not for the surgery!!)

CT Scan This Morning

2011-12-15T14:45:00.000-06:00

My morning at the VA Hospital was fun, as always. The notice I received in the mail said I had a lab appointment at 8:30 a.m., but when I got there, there was no record of a lab appointment. So I went on over to the CT Scan area - one hour early - and told them what was going on. They didn't make me sit there too long.

First, I went in and enjoyed a lovely mocha/chocolate barium smoothie. Yum. What a great way to start your morning. Then I had to sit for an hour, to let the barium move around, I guess. I was then called back in to drink a second barium smoothie - banana flavored this time. (I strongly recommend you have the mocha/chocolate if you get a choice.) (I once got to have the barium inserted into my body a different way, and I have to say that I'd rather drink it. Also, I don't know if this other barium came in different flavors.)

After I drank the second smoothie, I had an IV needle stuck into my arm. Pain was no worse than when you donate blood, and once it was in I forgot about it.

Then the fun began. I went into the room with the CT scanner and laid down on the thing you lay down on. (Table?) They didn't ask me to take my clothes off, which surprised me. Instead, they just put a sheet over my bottom half and told me to push my jeans down to my knees. This should be easy to do, right? It's not so easy when you're laying down. Try it. All the way down to your knees. They then hooked up an iodine IV to my IV needle.

The procedure didn't take very long. It was just a matter of laying there and holding my breath a few times for about 10 seconds at a time. We did it once without the iodine IV and then again with the iodine IV.

When the scanner got going real fast, the sound played right into my alien baby story. I could imagine being in the alien's spaceship and having them examining me to gauge the progress of the fetus. Yes, I know I'm weird, or odd, or whatever you want to call me. (I prefer eccentric.) I don't care what you think! I'm going to have fun.

The procedure was finished and I came home. For a procedure that took only about 15 minutes, I was at the hospital for three hours! I'll have to wait for doctors to review the results before I hear any news. I've already sent an email to the liver specialist to give him a heads-up that the test was done today. I'll share whatever news I get, good or bad.

Big Belly - No Fat

2011-12-07T22:56:00.001-06:00

I've come to realize that there's actually very little fat on my body anymore. There used to be a lot, granted, but probably, because of the ascites, I've been losing fat. I'm thinking it's because the pressure on my stomach made me eat less. Even so, because my abdomen is so large I'm forced to wear larger clothes, and the larger clothes make me look fat.

I was thinking that it would be nice if people knew that I wasn't fat - that, instead, I have a medical condition that only makes me look fat. One that is out of my control.

You know those shirts that pregnant women wear that say "baby" on front with the arrow pointing to her bump?

I thought about how nice it would be if I had one explaining my "condition."

Now I Know How A Beer Keg Feels

2011-11-23T16:57:00.001-06:00

"Previously on the blog:" For those of you who haven't been paying attention, or with short memories: Recently I had an ultrasound exam that showed fluid in my abdomen (Ascites) and that my liver was shrunken and had spots. I was scheduled for an appointment with a stomach/liver specialist.

I skipped my Nov. 17 appointment. Dumb thing to do, I know, but that's typical for me. Not doing dumb things, necessarily, but missing appointments. I called the clinic and rescheduled. I was lucky enough to get an appointment the next day, because someone had called to cancel.

My appointment was with a "physician's assistant," rather than with a doctor, but I'll call him "Doc." He is a retired Army Major who was deployed with troops in the Gulf - Iraq and Afganistan.

Doc was very intrigued by my case. He said after reviewing my file and talking with me that I was just too healthy to be having the symptoms I'm having, i.e. ascites and liver issues. He said that the vast majority of people with my symptoms were very sick. He said he could usually recognize them, that they looked like they were "at death's door." We talked for awhile. He decided that I needed to have some blood drawn for testing, and I did, later. They took several vials of blood. Doc said he'd review the results of the blood tests and contact me if there was anything important to deal with - anything serious.

He had a look at my huge belly and we talked about draining the fluids in my abdomen. I'd seen on the Internet that that was possible. He agreed that it probably should be done, so he called a friend of his - also a retired Army medical person - and asked if I could get in the same day (yesterday, Nov. 22). He told "Doc 2" that I had "massive acites." Doc 2 said he'd set me up for a time and call back. Instead of calling, he showed up in Doc's office while I was still there and had a look for himself. He told me that he could "drain me" at 2:00 that afternoon. I suspected, and he later confirmed, that he had shown up to ensure that I really needed to be "drained" that day, and that Doc wasn't overreacting. (He wasn't.)

Doc also said that he was going to schedule me for a CT scan. He said this would help us to see what is going on with my liver. The CT scan should be soon, because Doc said he was doing whatever it is that makes it a higher than normal priority. He'll notify me when he finds out the date and time for that CT scan. I haven't heard yet.

So I finished with Doc and went to have all that blood drawn. I also had to pick up a prescription for medication that is supposed to keep the fluid that would be drained from being replaced with yet more fluid.

At 2:00 I went to have my fluid drained. (They also refer to this as "tapping," like tapping a keg of beer!) I didn't really know what to expect as far as pain, but I knew that, even if there was some pain involved, I was ready to have this done. Doc 2 was real nice and explained everything, as well as answering questions I had about the procedure about acites in general.

There was really no pain. First he gave me a shot to numb the area where the needle (or tube, I'm not really sure what it was) would be inserted. I barely felt that shot. I also barely felt the tube/needle being inserted, except for while he was trying to "find the fluid." What I did feel was uncomfortable but not painful at all.

Doc 2 explained that he would be draining four liters of fluid (about one gallon). There was more fluid than that in my abdomen, but he said that draining any more would significantly increase the risks involved. He said that we might want to drain some fluid again at some time, but we'd wait and see.

It took only about five minutes for each liter of fluid, and he said the fluid looked very healthy. He said the fluid from sick people usually looks brown or milky. Healthy fluid looks "like beer" (his words), and that's what mine looked like. He said the fluid would be tested. I guess they can tell from that if there are some specific problems.

I felt a hell of a lot better even before I was finished. A lot of pressure was relieved from my lungs and other organs. I hadn't realized what affect the fluid was having on my breathing until some of it had been drained. To explain: I had to walk from the far reaches of the over crowded parking lot into the hospital and, of course, from the hospital back to my car after the appointments. When walking into the hospital, I was very short of breath by the time I got to the clinic. After having the fluid drained, I was not out of breath at all walking back to my car. Also, I think I slept better last night than I have for some time.

Doc 2 put a bandaid on my little puncture and warned me what to watch out for. He said that I might continue to drain a bit. He said it wasn't a concern and told me what to do about it. He also said I might begin to bleed. This would be a concern, and that I should get to the emergency room if that were to happen. Neither one has happened.

So that's where I stand today. Overall, Doc says that I'm quite healthy and that, right now, I shouldn't worry about anything. I'm taking the meds to prevent the fluid buildup, waiting to see if that will work and not having any side effects. I'm also waiting for notice of the CT scan appointment.

To all of you who care about what's going on with me, thank you. It's nice to know that you're out there. I'll keep you posted.

Appointment

2011-11-10T22:35:00.001-06:00

The automated appointment line at the VA Hospital says I have an appointment on Nov. 17th. This must be my appointment with the stomach/liver specialist. I'll receive a confirmation in the mail soon.

Quick Update

2011-11-07T13:26:00.002-06:00

I got a letter from my doctor today: "The ultrasound shows a shrunken liver with some possible growths in it, and there is also fluid in the abdomen. I have requested a consult with the stomach/liver specialist."

A New Shopping Experience

2011-11-01T12:38:00.001-05:00

Had a horrible time shopping for groceries yesterday. I couldn't make it through the store without my shingles pain acting up. And I mean WAY up. I couldn't bend over or reach up to get things I needed off the shelves. I couldn't walk normally without extreme pain. I had to bend over. Several times I had to stop and rest until the pain subsided a little bit. I desperately needed to sit down for the pain to go away, but grocery stores don't have chairs for their customers. When the shopping was done, I knew I wasn't going to be able to get my groceries from the cart to the check out belt without help. Fortunately, on the way to the check out line I noticed a table and chairs set up for flu shots. (It was too early for the shots, but the table and chairs were there.) So I moved at a snails pace to a chair and sat. And sat and sat and sat. Several people were nice enough to ask me if I was okay. I said yes because, after all, there was nothing they could do. It was only time that would help with the pain. After about ten minutes I managed to make it to the check out line, and I was able to unload my cart and function normally for the rest of the trip.

I had taken a pain pill just before leaving the house, but it didn't work. They don't seem to be working well at all. They did at first. I think I know why they aren't working now. Maybe.

I have had, for several years, a problem with my right thigh going numb. It started by going just slightly numb whenever I laid on my back to sleep. In the past few years it has gotten worse. It now gets very numb to the point of pain if I don't change my position - I guess to one that lets the blood flow normally. (I think the lack of blood flow is what causes the numbness, but I'm really not sure.) One of the times that my thigh goes numb is when I'm on my feet for awhile - like when I go grocery shopping. It has been bearable, until now. Now it seems to double up with the shingles to cause the same excruciating pain that started with the shingles. And this is why I had so much trouble yesterday.

I talked to the doctor over a year ago about the numbness. Without a lot of discussion he said there was nothing that could be done about it. I plan to bring it up again at my next appointment, Nov. 9th. And I need to learn more about shingles. I thought that it eventually "goes away," which mean the pain goes away. I have taken all the anti-viral meds and the rash is almost gone, but the pain continues. Not as often as before, but it's still there, and still can immobilize me.

On another subject, tomorrow morning I'll have my ultrasound. Maybe I'll have an answer to what's causing my abdomen to grow.

Ultrasound: November 2nd

2011-10-25T23:12:00.000-05:00

I finally got something in the mail notifying me of an ultrasound appointment. It will be on the morning of November 2nd. Hopefully this will give some insight into whatever is making my abdomen grow. I wish it could be sooner, but I guess this is soon enough.

The shingles are going away. The rash is clearing up. The pain is still with me, but as long as I keep taking the pain pills, it's not bad.

The constipation has cleared up thanks to a dose of fiber!

Thanks to everyone who is concerned.

Medical Update

2011-10-20T18:52:00.000-05:00

The pain medicine is helping a lot, thank God. Unfortunately, I often experience some severe pain before I realize that I need to take another pill. And one pill only seems to last for a few hours. I don't know much about shingles, so I don't know how long the pain will last - how long I will need to take the pain pills (I mean days, weeks, etc.). I only hope it goes away soon because, damn it hurts!

I need to find an alarm that will go off every three or four hours so I'll know before the pain starts when it's time to take another pill.

I know I have another appointment on November 2nd, and it's probably for my ultrasound, but I haven't received notice in the mail yet. I called the hospital's automated phone system which will tell me when I have an appointment, but it won't tell me what the appointment is for. So the appointment on the 2nd could be for the ultrasound, or it could be for a different unrelated routine exam.

My brother warned me that the pain pills can cause constipation, and that may be happening. An explanation would probably be more than anyone wants to hear, so I won't explain!

One Diagnosis Down, One To Go

2011-10-18T16:06:00.001-05:00

I went in to see the doctor today. I found out that the rash and severe pain are indeed Shingles. Someone commented as much on my last post, and he/she was right. Thanks, Anonymous. The doctor prescribed a pain pill and an anti-viral pill which I'm taking now.

The other problem - the distended abdomen - is still a mystery. The doctor did that thing where he tapped on my abdomen with his fingers and all he could say was that it didn't sound like it was gas. He didn't say "sound like." He used some more technical, medical term. He sent me for an X-ray, which I got today, and he's scheduling me for an ultrasound, to be done as soon as they can fit me in. Hopefully one or the other, or both, will let them know why I look like the octomom when she was pregnant. There are apparently several things that could be causing this. The doctor didn't like my suggestion that I've been knocked up by an alien (the space kind, not the immigrant kind). (I've decided to name it "Dave.")

I guess the pain pills are working, because I haven't felt any of the shingles-related burning pain. But other pain is present, like the pain I've recently started having in my lower back, right side. Wouldn't the pain pill work for that pain, too? The pain medication is Tramadol, in case you're reading this and think it might make a difference.

I will update the blog as information becomes available.

I'm Sick

2011-10-15T04:23:00.000-05:00

I don't know what I have, yet, but I know I'm sick. I'm trying to get in ASAP to see a doctor, but right now I'm stuck with a November 9 appointment. I'd have gone in before now, but frankly, I just thought I was getting fat. My stomach/abdomen keeps getting bigger and bigger, and it's very hard to the touch. Anyone have any horror stories about a "hard, distended abdomen"? I'm starting to look very much like the "octomom," and I've referred to my extra girth as my alien baby. To my recollection I haven't had sex in many years, so if I am pregnant it's got to be an alien because I don't remember the conception. (Could it be immaculate? I don't really think I'm God's type.) It isn't causing any pain - just discomfort and tiredness, of course. And I can barely button the one pair of pants that still fit. (I am also experiencing some occasional severe - five out of five - pain, which I will also bring to the doctor's attention, but I don't think it's related.) This all started several months ago. As I said, I just thought I was getting fat. I frequently weighed myself but my cheap scale didn't show any weight gain. It seemed like all the fat in my body was migrating to my abdomen. Not long ago someone told me about a relative who had this same problem who turned out to have cirrhosis of the liver. That's when I got online and looked up "hard, distended abdomen." And that's when I decided I need to get in to see the doctor before whatever this is gets worse. No, I don't think I have cirrhosis of the liver, but I think I've got some medical condition that's causing my abdomen to grow.

Go ahead. Make your fat jokes. "What would cause my abdomen to get extremely big?" "Eating the Combo number 2 at Sonic." Ha ha. I don't think whatever this is will kill me, so you won't have to worry about burning in hell!

The other things that are probably not related: Around the beginning of October I was sitting here at my computer and I coughed, as I often do. But this time it felt like someone had taken a white-hot poker and stuck it in the fold between the bottom of my stomach and the top of my right thigh (the five out of five pain I mentioned). Now, this has been happening off and on since then, with varying degrees of pain from 1 to 5, on a scale of 1-5 (which is what the VA hospital likes to use). I also noticed a very serious rash near that area - on the lower part of my stomach a couple of inches above where the pain is centered. All I've been able to do about that is apply over-the-counter cortisone cream. I'm not feeling any pain or itching from the rash.

So, I don't think I'm going to die, but if I do this blog entry may provide some insight into what happened. Meanwhile, if anyone has any ideas, do let me know.

Oh, and if it turns out to be a basketball-size tumor and it gets covered by the press, I'll share that with you.

Still Here, Feeling Better

2011-09-26T02:59:00.004-05:00

I'm still here and feeling a little better. Just don't feel like writing much when the only things that are happening are not so good. Thanks for checking on me from time to time!

I want to be like other people.

2011-06-29T04:56:00.000-05:00

I'm getting real tired of being like me. Understand, I'm not tired of being me, just tired of being the way I am. I want to be like other people. I want to be the way I used to be. I want to wake up in the morning somewhat refreshed. I used to do that. I didn't start waking up tired until a few years ago. I remember what it feels like. I could wake up and go willingly into the shower, then get ready for work, or whatever, feed the cats and dogs, and even make whatever breakfast for myself. I almost never felt like I was so utterly tired that I needed to go back to sleep for a few hours. Now that's all I ever feel.

I want to look forward to taking a shower and getting dressed - not like it's an unfortunate but necessary chore. I want to have someplace to go, something to do that I don't hate. The only "job" I've enjoyed since I retired from the Army was when I was a self-employed website designer after I graduated with a two-year degree in Advertising and Graphic Design. I networked and got actual work I enjoyed, but then I got a divorce and had to move to another state. I don't have the energy or frame of mind I need to be self-employed anymore. I've tried a couple of times, but I'd really have to be more proactive than I am anymore. Eventually I made up my mind that, whatever I think I might do to be self-employed and make some money will only end up as another abandoned idea, and so I've quit thinking about it.

I want to have a clean house. It's exhausting to keep a house clean. But you know, it's also exhausting to live in a messy house. Every time I clean I swear that I'll never let it get so bad again. Then I do. I want to have the energy to clean my house, to wash my dishes, to do what a normal person does to keep their house clean. I want to care. I don't care. It's just me and the cats and dogs. They don't care. And I want to be able to clean without pain. I can't stand and wash dishes without my hip hurting. Same for sweeping and mopping. It's hard enough to try to talk myself into cleaning without having to think about the hip pain. I want to have some energy again. I really want to clean and work around the house. I really do. But I have no energy, and I have this damned depression, and I have this damned hip and knee pain. So I have learned not to care. It's all I can do to survive. Don't care.

I want to have a nice house. I want people to come in and think, "What a nice house." I don't want a fancy house. I just want it to be comfortable. And I want everything to work. I'm tired of having plumbing problems and electrical problems and phone problems and roof problems and bug problems. Problems, problems, problems.

Fatigue. Pain. Depression. That's my life. I don't want to be this person anymore.

I Finished Lost

2011-05-31T09:41:00.000-05:00

I should post more, but I found that most of what I have to say doesn't take much space, so I can say it on Facebook. And people actually comment when I post stuff on Facebook. The drawback, of course, is that you have to be my "friend" to read my Facebook posts. Anyone can read this blog.

I did finish watching Lost. I found it as enjoyable the second time around as I did the first.

I found three dead kittens near my house a few days ago. They looked like they were sleeping. Maybe the bitch next door poisoned them. I wouldn't put it past her. I wish I had some evidence, if that is the case, because I'd like to see her ass rot in jail, if not in hell!

TV, Satellites, and Lost

2011-04-26T15:17:00.000-05:00

I've had the TV off for four days. After a very violent wind storm we had last week, my satellite TV reception got worse and worse, then disappeared completely. All I got was a "searching for satellite" message on an otherwise blank screen. So on Friday I called DirecTV and set up a service call.

I'm basically addicted to TV. I'm one of those people who keeps the TV on even when I'm not watching it. Like now, I'm creating this note on my computer, but the TV is on. I guess it's just noise. To feel a little less alone. I'm not the only person who does this. Thousands of us do. I know because I've read magazine articles about us.

So what does a TV addict do for four days without the TV? I could clean house. I could do some outdoor work. Or I could go grab season one of Lost off the shelf and watch it again, as I've been thinking of doing since the series ended last year.

Funny how things change over time. Maybe it's because I'm watching the episodes back-to-back that I've decided that Claire constantly whining about the "bye-bee" drives me nuts. (It didn't before.) And for some reason, Michael's screaming "WAAALLLLLLTTTTTTTTTT!!" over and over didn't bother me nearly as much as it did as the show was running.

By the end of the series I didn't like Jack at all. I'm not sure when I started my original dislike of him, but this time around I started disliking him quite early.

I got to season two, episode 15, when the DirecTV guy showed up today. For the first time in four days, I turned on the TV. Guess what? It worked. I had a satellite signal. I have my DVR set up to record several shows that I don't want to miss, and a few of them were scheduled during the outage. I noticed the DVR recorded even though there was no signal. I didn't stop it. I just figured I'd have an hour or so of nothing to erase when I got around to it. So, with the revelation that I, indeed, had a signal, I checked the recordings. They were there. Shows, not blank screen.

Wonderful! you're thinking. Yes. I'm sort of thinking that, too. Except that I'm now not only required to pay for a service call (nearly $50), I'm required to pay for a service call that I probably didn't need.

Still, the guy got up on the roof and fiddled around with the dish for a little while. And he said that something or other was loose. Then he came into my filthy house and "tested" the receiver. But who knows? Was anything really wrong? I would have enjoyed the opportunity to wait and see if the signal was indeed back and everything was working properly - the opportunity to postpone or cancel the service call. But I didn't bother to turn on the TV for four days. So now I sit, shaking my head that I didn't check the signal.

Will I keep watching Lost now that TV is back? Probably. It's just that good!

I Hate Housework

2011-04-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

And the housework I hate the most is washing dishes. I don't currently own an automatic dishwasher, and there are many times when I don't wash dishes until I don't have any more clean ones. They just pile up on the kitchen sink until I finally decide I can't avoid them any longer. I do rinse them pretty well before I ignore them, so it's not like there's mold overtaking my kitchen. (Although, if there was, I still might be inclined to ignore it until I needed a chisel to remove it.)

I hate all kinds of housework. In spite of the fact that I bought a fancy, new, bagless vacuum cleaner, I don't have dust bunnies -- I have dust beasts. Occasionally one of the cats will mistake one for a cat toy, they get so big.

Like with the dishes, I only clean house when I can no longer avoid it. Sometimes it takes a plumbing problem, or a problem with the air conditioner. Whenever I need a repair person, I have to clean up before they come. I've postponed repairs several times until I could get the dishes done, the carpet vacuumed, and the bathroom tidied up. I both dread and, at the same time, look forward to visits from relatives, because I know I'm going to have to get the house extremely clean before their visit.

I don't think my being a rotten housekeeper is a problem, since I live alone. Whenever I lived with someone, I cleaned up after myself appropriately. I was very considerate. But the cats and dogs just don't care too much about how the house looks. In fact a couple of my cats seem to have much more fun when the floor is covered with little bits of trash that they can play with!

I keep trying things that I think might make housekeeping easier. I bought some of those brand-name, disposable dusters. I still have a few of them. They're wonderful, but I don't dust very much, so they last a long time.

I think the only thing that will really make housekeeping easier is a maid. One day I'll be able to afford one. In the meantime, don't ever show up without calling first.

Satan is Laughing His Ass Off - Pole Dancing

2011-03-25T00:30:00.001-05:00

A lot of people don't believe in Satan. I do. And I believe that he and his demons have manged to manipulate people so much that they can justify doing anything that God finds detestable in His name. When Satan convinces someone who believes he or she is religious (Christian or Jew) to embrace an ungodly thing as a godly thing, I believe Satan celebrates, and laughs his ass of at us and at God. Therefore, I have decided to start a category of postings called, "Satan is Laughing His Ass Off." This is the first of those posts.

This news article talks about taking something that is done as sexual enticement - Pole Dancing - and making it a Christian thing.

I refer you to this site which goes into the subject in detail.

But it's still winter!

2011-03-18T18:07:00.001-05:00

Officially, it is still winter. That is, until Monday, when it will officially becomes Spring. (Or maybe Sunday. I'm not really sure.) I bring this up because today the temperature in my back yard is an unofficial 89 degrees! (I say unofficial because, as you can see, my thermometer is unofficial!)

Maybe Mother Nature is compensating for the stretch of below freezing days she gave us this winter. If so, I hope she reads this blog so she will know that that is absolutely not necessary! In fact, I'd even accept another stretch of below freezing days if she's got one to spare.

I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Summer is hot enough in Texas when temperatures are "normal." We certainly don't need any "above normal."

For those of you still in cold climates, I really have nothing to say except, I wish I was there!

A Productive Day

2011-03-17T20:41:00.001-05:00

When I got out of bed today I made a conscious decision that this would be a "do nothing" day. One of those days where I just kick back, be lazy, and watch TV. For some reason, my plans changed. It was a beautiful day. Even though the temperature was about 80 degrees, there was still no humidity to speak of. It is, after all, still winter! After eating breakfast and watching The View, I stepped out onto the deck and sat down for a very short time. I don't remember the sequence of events, but before I knew it, I'd gotten dressed and pulled the lawnmower out of the shed. I filled the tank with gas and tried to start it. No luck. I tried several times with no luck. Recalling that last year I had the same problem until I replaced the old gas with fresh gas, I actually grabbed an empty gas can and drove to the nearest gas station. This is very, very unusual for me. First of all, I'm an accomplished procrastinator. Second, I don't like to go out in public unless I've showered and am properly dressed. But I realized that I wouldn't actually have to interact with anyone, since I could fill the gas can and pay at the pump with my debit card, so off I went.

When I got back home, I emptied the old gas out of the lawnmower. I first tried to siphon the gas from the tank into the gas can. Don't you love the taste of gas fumes in your mouth and lungs? I was so concerned with not getting gas in my mouth that I had no luck with the siphoning. So I broke the law and tipped the lawnmower over until all the gas ran out into the dirt. I put the fresh gas into the mower and, voilà, it started right up!

I mowed a very small part of the backyard, and then the hard stuff started. I put up a screen house! In case you have no idea what a screen house is, let me explain. A screen house is a sort of tent with a regular tent-type top and walls made of screen. This allows someone who lives in bug-infested central Texas to enjoy her backyard in the summer without having to slather herself with a bug repellent, probable-carcinogenic, toxic substance.

I was going to include a picture of said screen house, but the lighting and my camera phone were not agreeable to doing so this evening. Here, instead, is a photo from the website where I ordered it.

I got the screen house up with little trouble. The biggest problem I had was that the people/person who packed the screen house in the box folded the actual screen house (fabric) inside out, so the first time I put it on the frame it was inside out. That was easily fixed. I didn't notice the time when I started, nor when I finished, so I can't tell you how long it took. It didn't seem like more than an hour.

When I finished the screen house I mowed a little more of the backyard. I didn't mow the whole thing because, hey, I did enough work for one day! Once again I forgot that I have a self-propelled lawnmower, so I pushed and pushed the mower through the tall grass and weeds! When I remembered the self-propelled part, the mowing went faster, but I looked quite silly at times when I got to the end of a row of mowing and forgot to release the speed lever!

Now I'll be able to go out and sit in the backyard and read, or just relax, without having to battle the bugs. That is, until the first strong wind blows my new screen house into Oklahoma.

Tomorrow I plan to finish mowing the backyard and then mow the front yard, as well. The front yard isn't as overgrown as the backyard, but there are quite a lot of dandelions that need to be dead! Of course, just because I'm planning to mow doesn't mean it will actually happen. As I said, I'm an accomplished procrastinator.

By the way, my brother, who lives in Oregon, sent me pictures of the snow that fell at his home yesterday. He's shoveling snow. I'm mowing lawns.

I'll let you in on a little secret.

2011-03-14T04:46:00.001-05:00

I got another dog.

Buddy is a deer-leg chihuahua, born on May 18, 2004, which makes him almost seven years old.

Buddy belonged to the grandmother of a friend of mine. When grandma had to go into a home, Buddy got left behind. After awhile my friend decided that, with a new baby in the house, she didn't really have the time to commit to Buddy. She decided to find him a home.

I'd been thinking for some time about getting a chihuahua. I used to have one - Corky - that was at least ten years old when I got her. She passed away a few years ago and I really miss her. That's why I thought about getting another chihuahua. But not just any chihuahua. I wanted to adopt a senior chihuahua. And voilà, Buddy came along!

He got along with the dogs right away, and they with him. The cats took a little longer. He had to learn which one was friendly, which one was unfriendly, and which ones were somewhere in between. He's got them mostly figured out. Sometimes if one of them is in a bad mood and Buddy gets too close, the cat will smack him. Sometimes Buddy will bark and chase one of the cats, for which he gets a stern warning not to do that!

Buddy came completely housebroken, but he doesn't know how to use the doggy door. We're working on that.

Guest Post: All You Need to Know about Pet Allergies

2011-02-11T07:33:00.000-06:00

All You Need to Know about Pet Allergies

Allergies are our immune system’s way of saying – I don’t like what you’ve been touching or sniffing – and punishing us with runny noses, puffy eyes, powerful sneezes, itchy skin, breathing difficulties, and other adverse reactions that make us look and feel miserable. Some people are allergic to pollen from flowers and dust mites, others flare up when in close contact with pet animals, and yet others suffer from all the possible allergies in the world. If you’re an animal lover who enjoys pets, a pet allergy could be a wet blanket on your desire to own a pet. However, if you know all about pet allergies and are prepared to do what it takes to reduce them, you could bring home your cat or dog.

They’re caused by your immune system’s reaction to pet hair, dander (used body cells), urine and feces. A pet’s dander is the biggest cause of allergies, and not its hair as commonly believed.
Allergic reactions vary from serious to mild, based on your body condition and immune system response. You could get off lightly with just a few sneezes or you could be prone to asthmatic wheezing if you already suffer from asthma or any other breathing difficulty.
Allergic reactions may not set in immediately – some people would know instantly that they’re allergic while for others, the reaction may kick in hours after they’ve been in contact with an animal.
Cats cause more allergies than dogs, ironically, because they’re clean creatures – their saliva is the main culprit. Cats lick themselves often to clean their bodies, and when the dried saliva falls off their hair, it sticks easily to furniture, clothes and other objects, thus causing your allergies to act up.
Pets with short hair too cause allergies because they shed dander which is the leading cause of allergies. So don’t assume that you’re going to be safe with a hairless dog or cat.
Longer-haired pets shed more dander because of their long hair and cause more allergies because their hair easily picks up dust, pollen and mould which also cause allergies to act up.
While cats and dogs cause the most allergies, other pets like birds, mice, hamsters, and even horses can affect your immune system through airborne feces and mould.
You can reduce the allergens in your home if you give your pet a bath every now and then and rub them down with distilled water.
Vacuum your home regularly to get rid of dust and dander.
Restrict your pet’s activities to certain rooms in the house and prevent them from climbing on your bed, sofa and chairs. If possible, keep your pet outdoors.
Don’t invest in plush upholstery for your furniture or buy a carpet that is a magnet for pet hair and dander.
Keep your pet’s things – toys, bedclothes, dishes – clean.
Clean up pet urine and feces immediately.
Talk to your doctor and consider anti-allergen shots to help desensitize your body.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Tina Marconi, she writes on the topic of online vet tech programs. She welcomes your comments at her email id: tinamarconi85[@]gmail[.]com.

A New Website

2011-01-21T12:09:00.001-06:00

I'm hoping that this will take off once people find out about it.

I Used To Be Hotter

I got my inspiration from I Used To Be Younger.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-20T13:02:00.000-06:00

I've had ideas about things to post on this blog. But depression and chronic fatigue are determined foes. One day I'll actually post something. Meanwhile, why not check out my newest website, I Used To Be Hotter. Maybe you've got pictures to upload!

Neural Pathways

2010-12-14T22:44:00.001-06:00

I was trying to remember a song a couple of days ago. I couldn't remember it, but it got me to wondering just how the brain works. Or, more to the point, why it works the way it does. Or doesn't.

There's this bit of information that I'm searching for. I know it's in there and I know I will eventually find it. But I really have to work for it. I think and think and think. I don't know what's going on up there, but I feel like I'm getting close. I start getting scraps of information that seem to be just out of reach. I'm getting closer. I could remember the gist of the song - the basic idea or message. I just couldn't remember the exact words, or the tune, or the singer.

Two days later I'm lying in bed and there it suddenly is - the song - the words, the tune, the singer. Where was it two days ago? Why couldn't I think of it when I was working to think of it? What had to happen in my brain to get the exact information from wherever it was stored to where I wanted it to be? And why did it take so long? Is there a little nano-creature in my brain that goes looking through dusty boxes and drawers, a creature that continues to look even when I've stopped thinking about the information - even when I'm asleep? And when that nano-creature finds the information, no matter when, it flings it to the part of my brain that then says "Ah Ha! That's it!"

I don't have a good wrap-up for this post. No lessons learned or anything like that. I suppose there are scientists and researchers out there trying to figure out the same thing. Except they're getting paid for it! I wonder if they've gotten any farther than I have.

By the way, the song I was trying to think of was by Huey Lewis and the News, Heart and Soul.

"Medium" Rant

2010-11-13T19:29:00.006-06:00

I must be some sort of masochist, because in spite of what I'm about to write, I continue to watch the TV show "Medium."

Haven't seen the show? The premise is that a woman, Allison, has psychic dreams that lead her to solving crimes. She works for the DA doing just that - using her gift to help solve crimes. She is married to a man, Joe, who is an engineer (real smart guy) and they have three daughters.

I started watching the show because of my odd sleep schedule. It was on Lifetime after midnight - two episodes per night. I guess I got hooked. I believe I've seen every episode now, and I'm watching the new episodes as they air on CBS on Fridays. I think I'm now qualified to point out a few annoyances I've developed about the show.

First, Allison has to be just a tad dumb. Untrainable is a better word, I think. The show has been going on for five years, now, and the time frame has kept up. That is, it has been five years on the show as well as five years in real life. Yet, in five years of having her psychic dreams she hasn't yet fathomed that there are some dreams she can do nothing about. Let me explain by way of example. In last night's episode her first dream involved an unknown young woman trapped by fire in an unknown building at an unknown location. And yet, the first thing she did when she woke up was grab her cell phone so she could call someone about the tragedy. Even I, the casual observer, know enough to check her dreams carefully for clues. She hasn't caught onto this yet. She still needs Joe, her husband, to talk her through the logic.

Along the same lines, how many times has Allison told the DA, Devalos, about something like this - something neither of them can do anything about? Too many. It's easy enough for me to figure out. Why is it so difficult for someone to whom it actually happens? And who is psychic, no less!

Next, another item that Allison hasn't learned in five years: She is still quite inconsiderate about waking up her husband. Show fans already know that Joe has had sleep issues many times, and has complained about lack of an uninterrupted night's sleep an equal number of times. And yet Allison will still wake him up in the middle of the night to tell him something that clearly could have waited until later that morning. Is she clueless, or just one of the most inconsiderate characters on TV?

Third, Joe is very aware of what "inconveniences" come with Allison's psychic gift, and yet he still whines a lot. Why is he still whining? Why hasn't he learned to deal with it, understand it, and support his spouse? These are two people who seem to love each other and who have a strong relationship. If this were my malebashing website, I'd call Joe a "typical male." But I really don't think he is. I think he is an extraordinary husband and his whining is just out of place. Is he untrainable, as well? I think so.

Finally, we know that Allison's dreams always end up meaning something. (At least, the ones we've seen always do.) But Joe continues to convince her that the early dream(s) is (are) meaningless. What he really needs to say is, "Honey, this is most likely just the first in a series of dreams in which the meaning will become clear as the dreams progress. So go back to sleep and dream some more." But he never says that. And she never thinks that.

I know. I know. You're going to say that it all happens in order to move the plot along, or to make the show more interesting. Maybe. Probably. But it still makes the characters seem a little clueless, no? Maybe the writers want the viewers to feel smarter than the characters. It worked for me.

There's undoubtedly more about the show that annoys me (I haven't even mentioned the daughters), but these are the things I wrote down while watching last night's episode. Perhaps I'll blog about them in the future.

I hate it when I do stupid things.

2010-10-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

I bought the spicy chicken patties again.

I frequently buy the ingredients for a quick, microwave version of chicken parmesan. The main ingredient is, of course, chicken. I have, for many years, used Tyson frozen, breaded chicken patties for this recipe. Recently Tyson introduced a spicy version of their chicken patties and decided to market them in a package that looks nearly the same as the non-spicy patties. I found out about this about a month ago when I took a bite of my chicken parmesan and noticed a quite unexpected flavor. Only then did I check the package and find out that my chicken patties were "spicy."

Spicy chicken patties just don't taste right when used for chicken parmesan.

I improvised. I used the spicy patties for chicken sandwiches, and used the marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese for baked spaghetti. Problem solved.

About a week ago I again went shopping for the ingredients for my chicken parmesan, noting to myself that I needed to check carefully to ensure that I didn't buy the spicy chicken patties. And I did. I checked. So what went wrong? I have no idea, but last night when I went to make my chicken parmesan, I noticed that I'd indeed bought the spicy patties yet again.

More chicken sandwiches and baked spaghetti. You can bet that I won't make that mistake a third time.

Why I'm Happy Summer is Over...

2010-10-25T20:14:00.003-05:00

...or Why I like the cold weather.

Cold weather in central Texas never really gets very cold. On the rare occasion that it might, it doesn't last very long. But hot weather in central Texas is quite hot and humid. When I left the military I thought I wanted to retire someplace warm, but once I started going through menopause I realized that might not have been the smartest choice. In the many years that I have spent in Texas, I have developed a new appreciation for cold weather.

I recently sat down and made a list of the things I like about cold ("central Texas cold") weather. I'm sure there are some I've forgotten, but here is my short list:

Winter clothes cover my fat.
I can put the blankets/covers back on the bed and pull them up around my neck while I sleep.
Hot coffee tastes even better on a cold morning.
Bugs go away.
When it's really, really cold, bugs die.
The heater costs less to run than the air conditioner.
No humidity.
No lawn mowing.
The dogs are happier - not panting all the time.
I can open the windows.
I don't have to put my hair up to cool down.
When I get in the car I can actually touch the steering wheel.

I Baked A Cake

2010-10-11T11:58:00.001-05:00

Sometime back I was sitting here thinking, and for some reason the idea popped into my head to bake a cake that was the same "flavor" as my favorite ice creams. (I have several favorite ice creams.) After giving it just a little thought, I decided that I would try to bake a "mint chocolate chip" cake. It would be a cinch, I was sure. The thing that took the most thought was the frosting. Should I make mint frosting? Should I add something resembling chocolate chips? I finally decided to make a mint chocolate (chip) cake, but that flavoring the frosting would make it too minty. I also decided to skip the chips in the frosting, although it's not because I thought it was a bad idea. I just couldn't find chips as tiny as I'd have liked, and I didn't really feel like grating a chocolate bar. (Is that what it's called? That's what you call it when it's cheese.) I also didn't want frosting as sickeningly sweet as most frostings are, so I searched for an alternative.

So I bought a box of chocolate cake mix, and a bag of Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips. I also found a "reduced sugar" vanilla frosting made by Pillsbury and decided to give that a try.

I made the cake mix according to the instructions on the box, and stirred in the baking chips - about 2/3 of the bag - before pouring the batter into the pan. While baking, the cake actually rose above the edges of the cake pans (two nine-inch round pans), which caused the cake to have a crispy crust around the edges. This didn't affect the taste, but it definitely affected the texture.

Once the cake was done, I let it cool, even putting it in the refrigerator for a little while. Then I got the frosting ready.

Thinking how most mint chocolate chip ice creams are mint green, I decided to add some green food coloring to my frosting. I emptied the "ready to spread" frosting into a bowl and mixed in the food coloring. I don't know if this changed the consistency of the frosting, but when I put it on the cake it had the consistency of marshmallow cream. You know, that stuff you buy in the jar? I don't think the food coloring did anything, but maybe the mixing did.

So I baked the cake and sort of poured the frosting on and spread it around. It didn't suck. The mint ratio was just about right. Maybe I could have added more of the baking chips, but all would have been too much. And I think it was a good call not adding mint to the frosting. It didn't look like a food magazine cake, but that's okay. It tasted good. And since I'm not sharing it with anyone, who cares?! (Yes, I'm eating the whole thing myself, either until it's gone or until I'm sick of it.)

Cutting the cake didn't go smoothly because the frosting was sticky and wanted to follow the knife down through the cake. Again, that didn't affect the taste.

So, I label the experiment a success, although I doubt that I will ever make mint chocolate chip cake again. Maybe someone out there will try their own version and have a better result. If so, please let me know what you did differently.

The frosting is actually a little more green than it looks.

I would have used a paper plate if I wasn't taking a picture.

Monday, Monday

2010-09-20T18:09:00.003-05:00

This weekend I spent some time sitting out back on the deck, reading. I don't do either of those things very much, but I have to say that I enjoyed doing both. It's been warm, of course, but I think the humidity must be down, because it was quite comfortable sitting out there. I think I'm going to go get one of those outdoor lounge chair things so I can sit out there and read more often. I keep telling myself I need to read more. I have several unread books on my shelf and no real excuse for not reading them.

The book I'm reading is one that one of my Facebook "friends" recommended. It's called The Force is Middling in this One: And Other Ruminations from the Outskirts of the Empire, by Robert Kroese. It's quite entertaining, and very funny. It's actually a collection of blog posts, so it covers many topics. It's an easy read. I highly recommend it. If you're a Dave Barry fan I think you'll especially enjoy it.

There are two types of mosquito bites. First, there's the minimally annoying bite. It itches a little and lasts for about two days. Then there's the extremely itchy, wake-you-up-at-night, lasts-forever bite like the one I have on my wrist right now. I don't know what sort of mosquito bites like that, but I'm pretty sure that it first exposes the victim to some sort of chemical that causes her to be oblivious to the insect's presence. I know this because, if it didn't, I'm sure I would have seen and felt something that evil piercing my skin. I literally woke up last night itching like crazy, and couldn't go back to sleep until I started to feel the effects of some anti-itch cream I slathered on.

Mosquitoes are one big reason I don't go outside much. I'm one of those people they love to bite. If you're having an outdoor party, you want to invite someone like me to keep the mosquitoes away from everyone else. Because they like me so much, I'm always spraying poison all over my arms and legs to keep them away. (Obviously, I occasionally miss a spot.) I can't help but wonder what this is doing to me - what sort of disfiguring, painful, slow-killing disease I might end up with. Yesterday I wondered if there is some sort of "personal insect net/tent" for sale that I could use when I go out to read. If not, there should be. Maybe I'll "invent" one. I imagined something shaped like an umbrella with insect netting that reaches the ground. It would have to be designed so that it could be used in either a sitting or a prone position.

On Facebook I've "liked" a group called "I wish mosquitoes sucked fat instead of blood." Can you imagine the sort of spa treatments (or would it be considered plastic surgery?) we'd be able to have if that were true? You'd be nearly naked and go into a room filled with hungry mosquitoes. You'd probably have your head covered, as well as any areas on your body that didn't need slimming. What would we do about the itching? Would we tolerate it to be thin? Would we be prescribed large doses of something that would numb our body (or brain) until the itching passed? How would we make sure the fat sucking was done evenly? What if it wasn't? We'd have to come up with some way to direct the fat-sucking mosquitoes to the "problem areas." Maybe, instead of a room full of mosquitoes, there would be little devices we'd wear, say, on our thighs, that would be full of mosquitoes. We'd strap it on and slide open a little panel that exposed the problem area to the mosquitoes. "Full treatment again, Ms. Smith?" "No, I think I'm just going to do the love handles today, Pierre."

I feel bad, sometimes, that I don't take the dogs outside more. They can go out whenever they want to because I have a doggie door, and they know how to use it. But they prefer to be inside. So while I was out on the deck reading, I was thinking that it was nice for the dogs to get out. Especially Rosie, who doesn't get enough exercise, and walking around, exploring the back yard was exercise. Not as much as she needs, but more than she gets now. So imagine how I felt when Rosie's eye started to look like it might be infected, and a resulting trip to the vet showed that it was a result of her getting something lodged into her eye as a result of our outside time. She actually has something in her eye. Not something you can wash out or remove with a cotton swab. Something actually stuck in her eyeball. And this something could cause some very serious trouble - including blindness and loss of her eye - if it doesn't get better. I'm treating her with two medications, both which go into her eye, and we're hoping that they, however they work, remove the thing from her eyeball. (I have to remind you, at this point, that there is a "contribute" button in the right margin!)

Here's a picture of what I see when I'm sitting out on the deck and I look up:

This tree is key in keeping the temperature down in my house in the summer. It's quite large and its branches cover most of the house. Strangers frequently stop by and ask if I want them to trim the branches for me. I usually respond, "Yes, if you'll do it for free." Then they leave. Same thing happens when someone wants to mow my front lawn.

I got a great deal on a new lawnmower. I was having problems with the old one in spite of having changed the air filter and the spark plug. I put some gas in it and it started right up. When that gas was used up it stopped, of course. I added more gas. But I guess the mower decided it had worked enough that day and refused to start again. I tried several more times (on different days) to get the thing to start again so I could actually mow my lawn (which I don't really mind doing myself), but with no success. So, like most decadent Americans, I decided to buy a new mower. I grabbed my Walmart credit card and off I went. I was going to buy the cheapest mower they had, which was $175. On the way into the store I noticed a lawnmower sitting all by itself with a sign that said $153. It looked very much like the $175 mower that I'd planned to buy. Of course I asked about it. The story was that someone had bought it and decided they didn't want it, so they brought it back. It looked like new. It worked fine. It was just "used," so it was discounted. The big surprise was that it wasn't the $175 mower I'd been wanting, but a more expensive model that I wouldn't have been able to afford ($275, if I recall correctly). I snatched that baby right up!!

This new mower is self-propelled, which is great, but makes me feel a little guilty because I'm not getting as much exercise as I did with a push mower. Oh well. We have to make some sacrifices. In case you're not familiar with how a self-propelled mower works, I'll tell you. There is a thin bar you have to squeeze in order to start the motor and make it run, just like push mowers. Then, to make the mower move forward, there's a handle you squeeze. The more you squeeze, the faster you go. Now, maybe it's because I'm getting older, but sometimes I forget, when the mower get going too fast, that all I need to do to slow it down is to release the handle. If you were to watch me mow the lawn, you'd know exactly when this happens, because for just a second I look a little awkward, walking very quickly behind the mower! I'm strongly hoping that continued use of this mower will eventually accustom me to the speed control. If not, I might put out a tip jar for when the neighbors are watching.

Nine Years

2010-09-11T10:17:00.001-05:00

Nine years ago today I woke up at just about the same time I did today. I didn't need to get up so early. Nine years ago I was scheduled for an evening shift at work, which meant I didn't have to be at work until 4:00 p.m. But Rosie, my dachshund, was restless for some reason, so I got up. It was 7:30 a.m. central time - 8:30 a.m. eastern time. I turned the TV on and began watching the Today show. It wasn't very long at all before someone announced that a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers at the World Trade Center. My first coherent thought was that it must have been an act of terrorism. I did, for a split second, entertain the possibility that it was a horrible accident, but for some reason I just didn't believe that. Soon enough my thought was confirmed - a second plane crashed into the second twin tower. I was in a position to watch this second attack live, since I'd been watching TV closely after the first plane crash. Then I heard the news that a third plane had crashed into the Pentagon, and that a fourth plane had gone down in Pennsylvania.

I was a mess for the rest of the day. I watched live as people - thousands of people - died. I watched the fire. I watched as both towers crashed to the ground.

Eventually I had to shower and go to work. But I couldn't get the images of the day out of my mind.

I know that a lot of people were affected by what happened that day. Many, unlike myself, actually knew someone, or knew someone who knew someone, who was killed that day. I can only conclude that the reason I was so personally affected was because of my military service. For 22 years I served my country, ready to put my life on the line to protect our people and our freedoms. In a few short hours on September 11, 2001, our country was attacked like never before. So many had been killed; innocents, service members, rescuers, heroes. The world would never be the same.

I'm Computing Again!

2010-08-26T01:33:00.001-05:00

I was searching for something using Google. I forget what, exactly, I was asking. Here are some suggestions that Google made for me as I was typing. What is it with people needing help to STOP singing?

2010-08-24T17:20:00.001-05:00

Computer's Dead - I'll be back in a bit.

Pizza and Things

2010-08-12T20:58:00.000-05:00

I was telling someone about the Ultimate Meat Lover's pizza that Walmart sells in their deli section. It's a pretty good pizza for store-bought. Better than anything I've had delivered in the past several years. And cheaper. When I went grocery shopping at Walmart the other day I decided to get one. As on previous occasions, it was very good. I added a bit of garlic powder and oregano. I also added some peperoncini, which has a lot of flavor and very little "heat."

This is a "before" shot.


Another "before" shot.

And this is the "after" shot.

It was darned good pizza, and it's tempting enough to want to eat it quite often. Of course, the peperoncini isn't enough of a "vegetable," so I'd have to have a salad or something else that counter-balances the meat, cheese, and carbs.

It's almost September. September is my favorite month because it's the month when the summer temperatures begin to fall a bit. They don't fall a lot, but when your normal temperatures are in the upper 90's and low 100's, any falling is appreciated, and noticed!

I don't know what will happen with the move to Oregon. Mom is visiting Oregon and doing a little house-hunting, but I think she's going to find fault with any house she looks at. I hope she doesn't reject a perfectly nice house just because it "needs to be painted," or some similarly fixable "problem."

I'm also concerned about mom because she seems to have lost some short-term memory. Not a good sign in a woman in her 80's. I'm going to talk to my brother about getting her memory, etc., tested.

A New, Cheaper Kindle!

2010-07-31T23:01:00.001-05:00

Amazon.com has announced that it's going to be selling a new version of its Kindle e-reader for the very low price of $139.00! Amazing. This version, though, will be wi-fi, only. If you want the "free 3G plus wi-fi," you'll have to fork over another $50, for a total of $189. Still, this low priced model will make the Kindle available to many more consumers. Not for me, though. Not yet. I need to focus on the move to Oregon before I can buy a new Kindle. (I really miss mine. Remember, I sold it not long ago.) Maybe once I get up there and get my life "stabilized" a bit, then I'll be able to buy a new Kindle.

I recommend the Kindle highly. If you're interested in buying one, I'd really appreciate it if you'd use the link on this page. I would earn a few pennies from the sale. Thanks.

Better Now

2010-07-24T18:06:00.000-05:00

Things are looking up. I've gotten over most of the crap that has happened this month. It's water under the bridge. I'm going to concentrate on purging my house of needless things. There are four categories: Keep (and take to Oregon); Give Away; Sell; Throw away. The throw away will be the easiest. Then the give away, although there will no doubt be things left over from my eventual yard sale that will need to go to Goodwill. That means the "give away" will be in stages.

Eventually I will have to have a real estate agent come in and ~~tell me my house is not marketable in its current condition~~ have a look at the house so I can try to sell it. I don't want to do that until Mom and I get a little closer to actually owning a house in Oregon. There's very little chance that I'd be ready to move before we had a house, but still, I want to be able to move in the event that ~~some idiot~~ somebody wants to buy my house. And I need a house to move into before I can move out of this one.

Here's a cartoon from Mother Goose & Grimm that busted my gut:

Worst Month

2010-07-21T07:09:00.001-05:00

I am having what could be one of the worst months of my life. And you know what? I'm not going to go into detail about it. At least, not all of it. No matter how much you beg!

Due to some serious financial non-planning, my cell phone provider cut me off because they couldn't withdraw my monthly payment. Not a big deal, but still a pain in the ass.

About a week ago my home phone line (and DSL) was not working at all. No calls in, no calls out. This went on for about 12 hours. I called the phone company, who scheduled a repair person to come out and see what was wrong, but the phone line came back before the person showed up, so I called and canceled the appointment. This happens frequently, but has never lasted so long.

Due to the same serious financial non-planning, the city came and turned off my water WITHOUT ANY WARNING!!!!!!!! This is the city of Gatesville, Texas. They did this early on Monday morning before I got to take my shower, and I was pretty stinky. So, instead of calling and saying, "Your check bounced. Please come in and pay us or we'll turn your water off," they just shut my water off. No shower. No toilet flushing. No hand washing. No teeth brushing. Nothing. BASTARDS!!!! By the way, I should point out that I have lived here and paid property taxes for SIXTEEN YEARS!!! (I wrote an angry letter to the city manager and I'm waiting for his response.)

Fortunately, a friend who lives very close by let me come over to her house and take a shower so that I could go out in public without offending too many people (although it did occur to me to get as stinky as possible before showing up in person to pay the water bill). (Thank you, Donna.)

My lawn mower has quit working, so the grass (and weeds, mostly) in my front lawn is way, way too high. If I can't get the mower to work (it worked for about 30 minutes two weeks ago), I'll have to pay someone to mow the lawn, which I can't afford this month! The city loves to send out little notices if they think your grass is too high. I'm expecting on at any moment.

I've also developed a new medical problem. This is where I won't go into detail, because it's a little personal. (More personal than serious financial non-planning.) I looked this up on the Internet and found that it's either caused by stress or cancer. I'm rooting for stress! Yes, of course I'm going to go see the doctor. I called for an appointment and was told that I need to "walk in," and that walk-in hours are 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. If you know me, and/or if you've been reading my blog, you know that getting out of bed is the hardest thing I do every day. So I will get in to see the doctor, but it's going to be a chore. An afternoon appointment would be much better. (In case you've noticed that I'm making this post at about 6:45 a.m. and you're wondering why I don't go today, I can only say that there is a reason I can't go today. I can't say any more.)

Add to all this the continuing stress of planning a move, and figuring out what I'm going to do with my cats and my house. And a couple of other smaller problems that I haven't discussed here. I think I could really use some Valium. (Do they still give that stuff out?)

Really, this doesn't sound like much to complain about. I mean, these problems are miniscule compared to what's going on in the world, and in other peoples' lives. But I'm not the world, and I'm not other people.

I feel a little bit like Job. But I keep telling God that I love Him. I do love Him. And I know He's not responsible in any way for this sh*t that's raining down upon my head.

The one thing that keeps my head up is that I am going to move to Oregon with mom, and that will help a great deal. Call it a fresh start. I'm excited about it and I'm looking forward to it. I'd say, "it can't happen soon enough," but that would be a lie. I'm a horrible procrastinator, and I'll need a few months to actually get ready for the move. I need to get rid of a lot of stuff, either by giving it away or selling it. I need to find a real estate agent who is willing to help me sell a home that can only be politely described as a "fixer-upper." I've already mentioned dealing with the cats. (Mom says they're welcome, but that really wouldn't be fair to her. I'm used to them. Mom isn't. I'm sure they'd stress her out.)

Anyway, except for that, life is good. And that's about all I've got to write about for now. Please don't forget about the "donate" button over there in the right hand column!! ;-)

Parent of the Week

2010-07-10T11:44:00.002-05:00

This guy.

2010 Emmy Award Nominations: Split Allegiances

2010-07-08T11:12:00.000-05:00

I don't care too much about what goes on in the entertainment industry. I don't follow the gossip and I don't watch the award shows. But there are a few shows that, in my humble opinion, are exceptional. When those shows and the actors who star in them are nominated, it makes me very happy.

Lost and Dexter are the two best dramas on television. No one will ever convince me otherwise. They're both incredibly unique. And they are in competition against each other in two categories. Both are up for "Best Drama." (I'll be happy if either one wins.) Both have provided nominees for "Best Actor in a Drama Series:" Matthew Fox and Michael C. Hall. (I'm leaning toward Michael for this one, but will still be happy if Matthew wins.)

In the category "Best Supporting Actor in a Drama," two actors from Lost are competing against each other: Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn. I have to say that I'm probably equally split between these two. They both did superior jobs during the last season of Lost.

For "Best Guest Actor in a Drama," John Lithgow was nominated. He played one of the eeriest serial killers ever in Dexter. No one I care about was nominated against him in this category, so I don't have to split my allegiance.

I was disappointed, as were many others, that The Big Bang Theory wasn't nominated for Best Comedy. Already people are using the word "shunned." But Jim Parsons was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy, and rightly so. I don't envy him for the dialogue he has to memorize and deliver each week.

There was one show in the Best Comedy category that I watch: Nurse Jackie. And the star, Edie Falco, was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy. I hope she wins.

Lost was nominated in other categories, as well: writing, music, directing - that sort of stuff. Of course that's wonderful, but for me it's more about the actors. Although I'll be happy if Lost wins any of these categories. As for Dexter, The Big Bang Theory and Nurse Jackie, I have no idea if they garnered any other nominations. If they did, I'll root for them, too!

Dexter has been adopted

2010-07-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

Thank God, Dexter has been adopted. I went to the vet's office to get some insulin for Rosie and some flea stuff. I was planning to bring Dexter home with me if he was still there. After all, he'd been there for over two weeks. And being full-grown, I knew it would be hard to find a home for him. Most people want kittens. But Dexter was gone. Adopted! Hallelujah!

What I'm looking forward to in Oregon:

2010-07-01T03:19:00.000-05:00

Getting to spend some quality time with mom
Getting to spend some time with my brother, Ken, his wife, Hazel, and his son, Mark
Getting away from the Texas heat
Doing some cooking and eating some decent meals
Improving my "self-"discipline

What I'm not looking foward to in Oregon:

State Income Tax

That's all I can think of so far, but I'll bet there's more.

Dexter

2010-06-14T15:42:00.000-05:00

Dexter has finally gone to the vet to be neutered and vaccinated. I couldn't really afford it and still can't, but he came home with a swollen eye (lid), so I figured I'd better take him to be seen. I made a deal with the vet to get Dexter neutered and vaccinated, and then to put him up for adoption. Hopefully someone will want him. He's a sweet cat, solid white, and not quite a year old.

Now I need to see if the vet will do the same thing for Mister Eko. He's a solid black cat that has made my home his.

Cold Feet

2010-06-11T14:01:00.000-05:00

Mom's getting cold feet about moving to Oregon, and I can't really say I blame her. The area where she lives now has the best climate in the world, imho, and in hers. So when she hears that it's raining yet again in Oregon, she starts to rethink her decision to move. I think we will end up moving, but I also think there will be some hemming and hawing before we do.

I have been on the internet looking at homes that are for sale in the area she's interested in. There are a lot of really nice ones up there. I will put my favorites on a list for mom to look at when she's up there next month.

I want to be careful about how I do this. I want to buy a house with mom, although she will have more to invest in it than I will. What I don't want is angry brothers who think I'm trying to get something for nothing, among other things. The fact is that mom's getting older now, and she needs someone close by to look out for her. Since I'm single, I'm the logical choice. Also, I've been away from "home" for so long that I'd really like to spend some time with my mom before it's too late. If I do end up living with mom, I don't want to find myself out in the street looking for a home when she's gone. So I want to do this so that I end up with whatever house we buy without cheating my brothers out of what is rightfully going to be theirs.

I went to see the eye doctor yesterday. I need new glasses, but that's all. Nothing serious going on. I do have some annoying floaters, and the doctor says I have "loose vitreous," but there's nothing we can do about it. So for now I will have to live with seeing things out of the corners of my eyes that might be bugs, or might not.

I really need to mow the front yard. And the back yard, too, for that matter.

Oregon?

2010-06-05T07:32:00.002-05:00

I may be moving to Oregon soon. Mom, who lives in California, has finally decided that she's tired of living alone and wants to move to Oregon, where my older brother lives. I told her that I'd like to buy a house with her and live with her. She said that would be okay. So, if she doesn't change her mind, I'll probably be moving to Oregon. I'm allowed to take the dogs, and maybe a couple of the cats. This is a difficult thing for me. I don't believe in disposable pets, and I made a commitment to every pet I've ever had. So I have to decide if I'm willing to give up a couple of my cats. I honestly don't believe any of my pets would be treated as well anywhere else except here with me. That's what makes it so hard for me to find them another home.

I'm also worried that mom will go up to Oregon and find a house that I don't like and go ahead and buy it. You see, what will inevitably happen is that mom will pass (hopefully not any time soon) and the house will then be mine. I don't want to be stuck with a house I had no say in buying. So I'm putting my two cents in ahead of time. I've spoken with my brother about my concerns, to let him know I'd like a house that's about the size I have now (1,700 square feet), with a nice back yard big enough for the dogs to run around. And I've even seen a house online that I really like, and I've contacted the real estate agent selling the house. So hopefully, I'll have some say in the house I'm going to live in.

As for my house in Texas, I'll sell it if I can. If not, I'm prepared to walk away from it and let the bank foreclose. My credit is already in the toilet. I'd also consider selling it for the mortgage pay off amount to any Realtor who is interested in buying it, fixing it up, and reselling it.

I won't miss Texas, except that there is no state income tax. Oh, and the ruby throat hummingbirds that spend the summers here. Oregon is cooler than Texas, for sure, and the Texas heat is incredibly uncomfortable, to say the least. And I think Oregon gets the Rufous hummingbirds in the summer, as well as Anna's hummingbirds year round.

By the way, Mom has not made the announcement that she's moving to Oregon, so this information is close hold, until mom says something. Keep it a secret for now! Thanks.

Of course, I'll keep the two of you who read this blog posted on my progress! (More will read if I put the word "pussy" in the title or labels. Perverts.)

RIP Nunu, and more

2010-06-01T19:53:00.001-05:00

I watched Lost for six years. I grew fond of the actors, as most of us do when we love a show. In this day and age some actors are on Twitter or Facebook, or they have a blog. This makes us feel even closer to our favorites. I know that Jorge Garcia and I aren't friends. I'm not that dumb. But I've been reading his blog since he started it, and I listen to his podcasts during this last season of Lost, so I am as close to him as he allows his fans to be. I've also grown to adore his little dog Nunu. She's been featured on his blog, and she can be heard barking in the background of his podcasts. She even showed up in an episode of Lost this season. That's why it broke my heart to hear that Nunu had been struck by a car and killed on her last day in Hawaii. Having had pets that passed away, I know what Jorge and his girlfriend, Beth, are going through. I wouldn't wish the feeling on my worst enemy. Rest In Pease little Nunu. You were loved more than you'll ever know.


Nunu. This photo "borrowed" from Jorge's blog. (Link above.)

A screen shot from Lost, featuring Nunu.

I haven't been feeling very good lately. Not physically, but overall. It's hot in central Texas - hotter than it should be this time of year. And my A/C isn't working. I suspect that has a lot to do with it. I've been sweating more this past week than I did all winter. I think I already said that I'm thinking about moving to a colder climate

I'm also thinking of canceling my television service. But having grown up with TV in my life, I don't know if I can live without it. Well, of course I can live without it, but I don't know if I want to. It's not like I have a lot going on in my life that could replace watching television. I'd have to come up with something. A hobby, or friends, or something. I could read. I do that now, but not enough. I have several books on my bookshelf that I haven't read yet, so those would get me started. I might even be bored enough without TV that I'd clean my house. Regularly. But I'd have to get the A/C fixed, first. Excessive sweating would keep me from moving around too much.

I can still remember the TV line up when I was a kid living in California. Channel 2 was independent. Channel 4 was NBC, 5 was CBS, 7 and 11 were ABC, with 11 having some independent programs, as well. Channel 9 was PBS. That's all the channels we had back then - in the olden days - before cable. I think all those channels are still the same, actually. But they've been joined by several others, of course. Back then when someone said, "There's nothing on," they really meant it!

You don't really have to miss "television" if you cancel your service. I think just about anything is available on the Internet. I wouldn't want to sit at my desk watching TV shows, though, so I'd have to figure something else out. Some way to beam the computer display to a television set. (Do we still say "television set"?) And today, when I called to cancel my TiVo, they told me about something they offer that's an alternative to cable or satellite. I don't think it has an official name, but it has to do with buying a box you can use to order programs. Not an upgrade. I can't afford their upgrade. This is something else. I'm going to check it out on their website and see what it says.

Okay, that's all for now. Time to go shower and go grocery shopping. I decided to wait until after dark so the temperature would go down a few degrees.

Avatar (The Movie)

2010-05-27T12:17:00.001-05:00

I forgot to mention that I have finally watched Avatar. It was extremely predictable. Except for the great graphics, it was only a so-so movie. I think the pre-release hype is what has been responsible for the movie's popularity and high ratings. I honestly believe that, if you take away the special effects, this movie wouldn't have made near as much money as it has.

When it first came out I joked that it was basically the story of Pocahontas set in the future in a science-fiction world. I still feel that way (except that the Na'vi are the winners, whereas the indigenous "Americans" were the losers).

I gave the movie three out of five stars on Netflix, which is the lowest "liked it" rating. (Two stars is "didn't like it" and one star is "hated it.") It was worth the time to watch, but if you don't see it, you really aren't missing much, in my humble opinion.

Lost Series Finale and More!

2010-05-27T10:44:00.003-05:00

First, let's get this out of the way. I'm having a muscle twitch inside my right ear. Normally little twitches like that are tolerable, but this one is in my ear, and so it makes noise, and so it's driving me slowly insane. It's been happening on and off for three days. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting rid of it?

Okay, now, on to the Lost Series Finale. First I was disappointed. Then I realized that that was because I apparently hadn't paid enough attention to what one of the characters said in one of the final scenes. (It may have been the final scene. I forget.) After I watched the episode I went to the newsgroup alt.tv.lost, as usual, to read what others were saying about the finale. Thank goodness someone there was more observant and smarter than I! Now I'm not disappointed. Not as much, anyway. I had my idea of what I wanted to see in the final scene, but that didn't happen, and I'm okay with that. I still believe that Lost was the best show ever, and I plan to re-watch the entire series now that I apparently have all the answers I'm going to get.

Central Texas is having warmer-than-usual spring temperatures, and I'm trying my damnedest to keep the air conditioner off. That has been made easier by the fact that it's not working. But I have a small window A/C that I was using once the outside temps hit the 90's. It cools the bedroom to a tolerable temperature. It doesn't clear the humidity as much as the main A/C, though, and that's not good. I've decided that, as long as I'm unemployed, and therefore don't need to leave the house much (i.e. shower), I'm not going to call the repair man until I'm close to dying.

Interesting thing about the A/C: I was doing all right without it for awhile. Then it got hot outside and I turned it on. I'd been using it for a few days when I turned it off, with fear looming of my next electricity bill. I spent yesterday without the A/C running, but with outside temps still in the low 90's, and I was okay. I actually felt a bit more comfortable than I had with the A/C running. So I have even more incentive for keeping the A/C turned off.

My house is infested with fleas and they're driving me nuts, too (in addition to the inner ear twitch. If I should stop blogging it will be because I've been committed). I am doing all I can to keep them under control. (I'll never completely eliminate them what with having three dogs and several cats, and living in central Texas.) Yesterday I washed several throw rugs and vacuumed the bigger rug in my bedroom. I'm washing sheets and blankets more often than usual. I'm treating the dogs and cats with flea killers. I'm using sprays that are designed to kill fleas and eggs on the furniture. Still, I'm tempted to move someplace where it's cold - really cold - during the winter. Someplace where the outdoor fleas actually die due to the low temps.

That's all for now from the cave. Not much going on in the life of a Hermit-in-Training.

Good Days and Bad Days

2010-05-16T16:54:00.000-05:00

I've been having some good days lately. Much better than the even-more-tired-than-usual that I was feeling in my last post. I'm pretty sure I can attribute that to the junk food I was eating, because I felt better after I ate a couple of normal meals - you know, with vegetables and stuff. I don't eat a lot of vegetables, but I eat even less junk (fast) food. That doesn't mean I'll stop eating junk food. I'll just drink a can of V8 juice with it, or do something like that.

Speaking of "junk food," I want to mention that I bought one of those Wal-Mart pizzas that they sell in their deli. You take them home and cook them yourself. I'd bought them before and wasn't very impressed, but this time I bought the "ultimate meat" style and I have to give them credit - it was great! I'll definitely be buying that item again. I'll make a salad or something to go with it, since it has no vegetables. Or I'll drink some V8 juice! I should mention that I sprinkled some garlic powder and oregano over the pizza before I baked it. That might have made it taste better. Or not.

The humidity has arrived in central Texas. Damn. I'm trying to keep the air conditioner off for as long as possible, but I confess that I've already had it on a little bit. I figured out my threshold is about 90 degrees outside before the AC has to come on! Once I win the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes I'll move to a less humid climate!

Tuesday Morning

2010-05-11T09:17:00.000-05:00

I've been a lot more tired than usual this past week, but I've been eating a lot of junk/fast food, too. So maybe that's why. I've become quite fond of Sonic's new (is it?) SuperSonic Cheesburger. We don't have a lot of choices where I live. It's a small town. So this cheeseburger is very welcome, as far as I'm concerned. I used to love their grilled chicken sandwich, then they changed to a wheat bun. Sorry, but it just doesn't taste right to me.

Went to visit my prison pen-pal, Walt, on Sunday. It's about a 3.5 hour drive each way. It was good to see him, and he always appreciates a visit. They are non-contact visits, of course, because we aren't related. We have the glass between us and have to use the phone/intercom to talk. On the way back my friend, Vanessa, and I stopped for an early dinner at a buffet restaurant. We ate way too much, but it was sooooooo good. If you ever find yourself in Fairfield, Texas, make sure you stop for lunch or dinner at Sam's Restaurant. And make sure you're hungry when you get there! I was so stuffed and so tired after eating that I was pretty quiet for the ride home.

I forgot something.

2010-05-02T21:18:00.001-05:00

I said I had pizza. I took advantage of Pizza Hut's "any pizza for $10" deal. I ordered online. Tell me what's wrong with this picture:

Do you see it? There, where it says "Order Subtotal." That's right -- THIRTEEN dollars -- for a "ten dollar pizza." What the hell?!!

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But I really wanted pizza!

I should write something.

2010-05-02T20:15:00.001-05:00

I haven't felt very creative lately. Just haven't felt much like writing anything.

Friday was payday, so I've been overeating! On Friday I had pizza. On Saturday I went out for a burger and onion rings. Yum. When you're poor you can't do that very often. And I don't even do it every payday. I just decided to be different this payday.

Been working outdoors a bit. Mowed the front lawn. Started to mow the back lawn, but it was too wet. Haven't got back out there yet, but I will. Climbed up on the roof and cut some tree branches that were too low. And one or two that were starting to get too close to the satellite dish.

The humidity was way up on Friday, but a cold front came through and knocked it back down. It will be here to stay soon enough. Until then I'm keeping my windows open and the air conditioner off.

Watched "The Blind Side" on DVD yesterday. It was quite good. I've been on the computer less and watching TV/movies more lately. Don't know why for sure. I'm just not enjoying my computer as much as I used to. I wonder if it has anything to do with the absence of a long-time internet friend. Maybe.

That's all for now.

Housecleaning has ceased.

2010-04-24T19:37:00.001-05:00

Mom sent me a very short e-mail that said, "STOP CLEANING YOUR HOUSE. I'M NOT GOING TO COME VISIT YOU UNTIL MAYBE NEXT FALL." (The all-caps are hers, and I don't feel like changing it.) I haven't called yet to find out why she's not coming. I only wish she'd waited a little while to tell me she wasn't coming. I'd already started cleaning the house, and it would have been good if I'd continued just a little while longer! The good news is that the cobwebs are gone, and the living room windows are clean.

I finally made it to my doctor's appointment yesterday. I'm okay. Blood pressure is a little high. Just a wee bit. I'll start taking pills - something in a low dose - 1/2 a pill every other day. We'll see if this helps. Losing a little weight would help, too, I'm sure. I do plan to do that. I'm just a very accomplished procrastinator, so there's a long period between the planning and the execution.

Still no reason for the chronic fatigue. Doc said my thyroid is within normal range. He's sending me over to the Mental Health Clinic to talk to them about my meds. I'm on paroxetine (aka Paxil®) and maybe the dose needs to be changed. Or the drug, itself, needs to be changed. If I don't get some relief soon I'm going to apply for social security disability. If I'm not tired now, I certainly will be going through that, I'm sure.

The doc said my cholesterol was "perfect." I replied, "I'm going to go eat something fried!"

We had some dime-sized hail last night. Or maybe nickle-sized - I didn't actually measure. I think it was the largest hail I'd ever seen. I don't think it caused any damage other than knocking over one of my plants. The planter broke but I had another one just like it, so the plant (a rescued geranium) is doing well.

Now I have to clean the house

2010-04-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

Mom has announced that she'll come for a visit in a month. That gives me just about enough time to get the house cleaned! Don't get me wrong - I'm glad mom's coming. I hate to clean the house, so it stays quite dirty. I need these occasional visits to get me "motivated." And it's always good to see mom.

Mom's visits also mean that I'll get to eat some real food for a change. It's difficult to get motivated to cook creatively when one lives alone. I do cook. I prefer real food to nuked food. But I cook large, large batches of one thing and eat that for a week or so. Of course, that gets real boring after a while. I almost never have something like a steak or pork chop with side dishes.

Yesterday I did a huge water change in the aquarium, and I got most of the algae off of the glass. There was a lot of algae on the glass. I was surprised to find out that I still have two corydoras in the tank. I hadn't seen them in a long time! And I have three high-fin black tetras. I thought I had two. Of course, I have way too many swordtails. They are very prolific. The last time I tried to do a water change I had to stop for fear of sucking up the little newborns. I think several of them eventually got eaten by the bigger fish, which is a little sad, but it's okay with me. I let nature take its course. As I said, I (already) have too many swordtails. I'm seriously thinking about getting one large predator fish to polish off a few of the swordtails, but I probably won't, because then I'd have this huge fish to deal with. I had that problem in the past and it didn't end well.

I'd also love to add an algae eater to my tank. I had a beautiful pleco that grew to monstrous proportions - he was extremely beautiful at that size - but I had to find a new and much larger home for him. So adding a pleco is out. I tried adding a siamese algae eater but it died. I'll have to see if I can try that again. In the meantime, I've been adding this stuff to the tank that kills and prevents algae. Supposedly. I think it kills the algae, but I don't think it prevents algae. In either case, the algae was real easy to remove, so maybe it's worth it.

Without going into detail I have discovered that one of my close internet friends is in some legal trouble. I have to say that I was surprised by the details. If he happens to read this and wants to talk, he has my number. I won't judge. Perhaps I'll blog about it when it's all over. Perhaps not. We'll see.
x

Useless Product Alert II

2010-04-09T19:06:00.004-05:00

Here's another product designed to suck the money right out of your wallet. It's a power sprayer on top of a bottle of liquid cleaner. It sprays the liquid on your shower wall without that exhausting squeezing of the trigger. Thank goodness someone has finally found some way to help us bypass that horribly demanding task. Sure, it costs a bundle, but isn't it worth it?! You can see the product here.

Incidentally, what does that say about this?
x

I wrote a poem!

2010-04-08T05:13:00.002-05:00

I have been writing to my "pen pal" for a few months. The other day I was thinking, and my thinking began to rhyme. That led me to write this poem.

A Poem For Walt.

(It's all his fault.)

I'd like to write you every day

But I don't have that much to say.

Perhaps I'll try it anyway.

I guess I could make something up.

I'm sure you wouldn't like a lie.

You seem like such an honest guy.

Alas, fiction I will not try.

Hey! I could write about my pup!

I sleep too much, that's what some say.

I often sleep the day away.

I'll write at night, if that's okay.

In any case I must get up.

First I think I'll have some coffee,

Then I'll probably have to go pee.

Maybe some music will inspire me.

Looks like it's time to refill my cup.

I could waste time all day long.

“Procrastination” is my song.

Even tho' I know it's wrong.

(We're all a little bit corrupt.)

I try to think. I wrack my brain.

I go a little bit insane.

This whole concept is quite inane.

That's it! I'm done! I just give up!

This one line just cracked me up.

2010-04-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

"Candy eggs, rabbits and Peeps flew through the air in an unlikely Easter exchange." (Whole story here.)
x

I believe. Do you?

2010-04-06T21:27:00.000-05:00

Last night I had a dream that someone asked me if I needed prayer. I responded, "Yes, as a matter of fact I do," and proceeded to ask them to pray for my relief from this chronic fatigue.

Tonight I got a phone call from KLOVE, the Christian radio station, asking me if I needed prayer.

Unfortunately I didn't hear the phone ring, so the call went to my voice mail.

I have never dreamed about someone asking me if I needed prayer before last night. I have never had someone call and ask me if I needed prayer before today.

I don't think this is just a coincidence.
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Useless Product Alert

2010-04-03T17:26:00.003-05:00

I noticed recently that a well-known company is now selling a touch-free liquid soap dispenser. I need to say that this is a huge waste of money. No doubt hundreds of people will buy it without thinking. It clearly is meant for the germ-fearing portion of our population. But think: What are you doing when you push down the pump on a liquid soap dispenser? You're washing your hands. Do you touch the soap dispenser after you have washed your hands? No, you don't. So any germs or dirt that end up on the soap dispenser are inconsequential since you are washing them off your hands immediately after they come in contact with your hands.

Don't waste your money. Don't buy the soap dispenser. If you use liquid hand soap, go buy a refillable, manual (the kind you pump yourself) soap dispenser and a huge bottle of "refill" soap. Better yet, to keep that plastic bottle out of a landfill, use bar soap.

I hope you like the new look.

2010-04-01T13:53:00.000-05:00

If you don't, oh well. I'm not changing it. At least, not any time soon. Blogger has added a feature where one can get a little more creative when choosing a layout. My eccentricity plus my desire for a little bit of individuality led me to the layout you are seeing now. I designed the header banner myself. It's based on the old banner with a little bit of a change.

Rosie is back at the vet's office again today. More poking to check her blood sugar levels. This should have been finished already, but I procrastinate, sleep late, and I'm poor. (It costs $57 for each day that she has to be tested. It adds up real fast.) I'm going to have to get better about getting her "regulated" on her insulin, I know. I will.

Another beautiful day in central Texas. I got my front yard mowed yesterday. Already there are new weeds popping up. Time to go out with the weed killer.

I earned my second entry on Dave Barry's blog. If you see something interesting and/or amusing on the web, you can submit it to Dave (or the back up Dave*). If (s)he likes it, (s)he'll post it with attribution. Look for the submissions by "Suzie Q. Wacvet." It's a small honor to know that your favorite humor writer thinks something you submit is worth posting. (Attn: CMOT, Here are some extra letters for you to use in that last sentence: u u u.)

*Judi

A Beautiful Sunday

2010-03-28T13:38:00.001-05:00

Except for the allergy attack, probably due to mold, probably due to lots of rain followed by sunny days. I'm on my second generic version of Benedryl®. I'll give it an hour then, if there's no improvement, I'll take another. It makes me sleepy, which just adds to the chronic fatigue from which I already suffer. So there will be no enjoying this beautiful Sunday. Well, a little bit of enjoying it, but nothing big. No going out and doing something entertaining and/or productive. (I still need to mow the lawn.)

I talked with my mom this morning. That's always nice. She's doing okay with a couple of minor problems. She says she's started sleeping late - not intentionally. I suggested that she's now making up for 80 or so years of not being able to sleep late. I warned her that, now that President Obama has got his health care passed, she'd better look out for the death panels.

An acquaintance of mine has written a book. The trailer looks pretty good. I hope the book is as good because I plan to read a copy. It's available for the Kindle! Here's a link where you can learn more. The book is called "Mousetrapped."

Benedryl and mucus are affecting my brain, so I'm stopping here.

Update: 45 minutes later and I've taken my 3rd Benedryl

Hummingbirds are here!

2010-03-24T23:51:00.004-05:00

After my last post I looked out the window in time to see two hummingbirds fighting over the feeder. Yay! Unfortunately, I haven't seen them since. I guess I need to look out the window more.
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I tried. I really did.

2010-03-23T14:53:00.001-05:00

I tried to mow the lawn today. It's a beautiful sunny day - 80 degrees outside. I found some clean shorts and put them on, went out to the shed, dragged out the lawnmower. There was a little gas in the tank. Probably enough to mow one lawn. I added some STP and some oil, since the dipstick showed none! Left the mower in the sun for a bit to warm up. Then I tried to start it. Several times. No luck. Eventually I decided to try it one last time and, if it didn't start, I'd give up. I did. It didn't. So I did.

Because I was outside and dressed to do some sort of outdoor work, I decided to prune the rose bush. I didn't prune it last year and it got to be at least eight or nine feet tall. Really! It's a very healthy rosebush. (The Guinness record for tallest rosebush is 13 feet 3 inches (4.03 meters) tall.)

I also made the neighbors happy, I'm sure, by cleaning up the "box" of aluminum cans that have been on my driveway for several months. I put "box" in quotes because the box broke down some time ago due to rain and other unfriendly (to boxes) weather. So the cans weren't quite boxed up like they were when I first put them out there. They were messy. An eyesore, for sure, even though no one complained. (They were mostly hidden by my car, when it was in the driveway.) Today I gathered them in a large trash bag and put them in the back of the car. Since none of you have bothered donating (using the convenient button in the right hand column on this page), I'm forced to collect and sell aluminum cans to supplement my income. Shame on you! ;-)

So I sort of did all I could do without a lawn mower. I suppose I'll find "how to tune up your lawn mower" on the web somewhere and see what I can do. I'm pretty handy.

Rosie and Celie went out with me for awhile. Rosie seemed to really enjoy it. She loves going out front. She's very good about staying close. Celie, on the other hand, has to be closely watched or she'll end up a couple yards (houses) away, pooping on the neighbor's lawn. If you guys would donate some money (using the convenient button in the right hand column on this page) I could afford to build a cute white, picket fence so I didn't have to worry about the dogs leaving the yard.

Speaking of outside and nice weather, I have yet to see a single hummingbird this spring. They usually show up by the 15th of March. I've had the feeder up since the 8th. Of course, I might just have not been looking while they were at the feeder, but I don't think so. I'm disappointed. I know they're in the neighborhood because I've been watching the migration map.

I guess that's all for now. Later.
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My Personal Website. HELP!

2010-03-19T19:58:00.001-05:00

I've always known that I wanted to have a personal website, and I have had one for quite a few years. But I've never really been completely happy with it. Mostly I just have some pages devoted to me - who I am, where I've been, what I think, etc. - and then some links to other sites - my blog, my facebook page, my twitter page, etc. On my last version I had a poem that someone wrote for me in 1974 about beer and a moose.

So I thought I'd ask the three or four of you who read my blog for ideas. What sort of information should I have on my personal website? Should I stick with the who, where, and what sort of format? Or should I do something else?

I've had fancy and I've had minimalist. Which do you prefer?

That's all I wanted to ask. Your comments are desired. Thanks.
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Got out of the house yesterday.

2010-03-17T19:39:00.000-05:00

Not a big adventure, but it got me out of the house, nevertheless. A friend, Odassa, was going to Waxahachie for an appointment with her optometrist. She was having her eyes dilated, and wanted someone to drive her home. So I went. She had been told that it was "about" a 1-1/2 hour drive, but it took two hours. And we left a little late, so she was late to her appointment. It didn't make any difference, though. It just made the ride up a little more, um, interesting! She had her exam while I and her great-grandson, Christopher, waited in the waiting room. (Her great-grandson is 16 and can drive, but Odassa said no!) On the way back we stopped for Church's Chicken, which tasted pretty good. I'd never had it before. We waited until we got home to eat the chicken. I was surprised to find out that most Church's Chicken restaurants don't have an eat-in facility.

I got home just in time to watch both episodes of the best TV show ever, Lost. And again, I wasn't disappointed. It's almost over. Once it is, I'm going to watch it all over again from the beginning. I'll bet I'm not the only one!
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Another Favorite Scripture

2010-03-17T18:42:00.003-05:00

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ~ James 1:19, NLT
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Seriously, Canada?

2010-03-16T21:20:00.002-05:00

Click Here To Pledge

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Rosie Update, and More

2010-03-15T06:08:00.001-05:00

Rosie is doing fine. She has accepted the fact that she gets two shots a day, and when I show her the needle she actually comes to me for the shot. I try to remember to give her the shot while she's eating, whenever that's possible. That distracts her from the tiny prick of the needle. I know it doesn't hurt much, but it does hurt a little. I know this because she flinches just a bit whenever I give her the injections. She's not yet "regulated" (I think that's the word they used), which means we still don't know the exact dose of insulin that she needs. There are a couple reasons for that. She has to spend the day at the vet's office so they can check her blood sugar levels every two hours or so. They charge me $57 each time this happens. So far it has taken four days of this to regulate her dose, and today she has to go in again. It gets damned expensive. Once she is regulated, or her dosage is regulated - whatever - she won't have to go in anymore except for once every six months or so (if I understood correctly). Hopefully they'll get her regulated soon because I'm all out of money. Besides the cost, it's still difficult for me to get out of bed in the morning, even if I have something important like this to do. This has resulted in my skipping days. Bad Mommy!

Speaking of money, I have sold my beloved Kindle. I have to say that I enjoyed reading books on the Kindle more than the actual paper copies. I can't explain why that is. I just know that, given the choice of reading one of my unread paper books or reading a book on the Kindle, I would go for the Kindle. I even bought a Kindle copy of a book I already owned so I could read it on the Kindle. I hope my Kindle's new owner will cherish it as much as I did. In case you haven't figured out why I sold my Kindle, read the first paragraph again. (And note that the "donate" button is still in the right column on this page! Also, I have a birthday coming up in June.)

I just finished reading Shutter Island on the Kindle. I had to finish it before shipping the Kindle to its new home. From watching the trailer, it looks like the movie pretty much follows the book. I'll see the movie when it comes out on DVD and compare the two. I enjoyed the book. It wasn't quite the horror that the movie trailer made me think it would be. Still, it was good.

"Kindle for PC" is available on Amazon.com to download for free. They promise that there will soon be a "Kindle for Mac" also available for free. I'm eagerly awaiting that download. It won't be the same - reading a book on my computer. I'd like it more if I had a notebook or laptop so I could carry it to read in a comfy chair or in bed, but I have a desktop computer, and unless I do some serious redecorating, there'll be no "Kindle" reading in bed!

Saturday I watched Apocalypto for the first time. It was great! I was surprised! I really didn't think I'd like it much, but it was on Starz (which I have since canceled) a couple of weeks ago, so I recorded it. It was quite violent and gory at times, but TV and movies have numbed me to that, I guess, because it didn't bother me much. It didn't detract from the story. In fact, it was the story, to a degree. If you haven't seen it, and if you don't mind the violence and gore, I recommend it - highly.

Did you know that "dot com" has been around for 25 years? You can read a story about that here. (See if you can find the grammatical error.) I own a few "dot coms," and one of them (intergnat.com) is still for sale, if anyone's interested.
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One of my favorites

2010-03-15T05:22:00.000-05:00

A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. ~ Proverbs 17:27, NLT

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Pussy

2010-03-07T14:08:00.000-06:00

I have realized that, if you want a lot of hits on your blog, all you have to do is put the word "pussy" in the title.

Hello Perverts!! Internet Porn Mongers!! SHAME ON YOU!!

Ha ha hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

And now, here is a picture of one of my pussies:

This is Dexter.

Away with you now!!! Sickos.
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Texas Snow

2010-03-03T23:42:00.002-06:00

I'm sure most of us have seen "lots" of snow. More than we had a short time ago in central Texas, for sure. But for central Texas, a lot of snow is unusual. Therefore, a lot of people took a lot of pictures. I'm no exception. When something weird happens I want pictures! So here are a few pictures from the snowfall on February 23, 2010.

First, my car, for comparison to the photo in my 2/23 post.

Lots of snow falling.

Flakes up close in the backyard.

Ivy and bushes along the fence.

Lots of snow.

We got a total of three inches of snow that day.

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Ah, the Not-So-Good Old Days

2010-02-27T18:57:00.000-06:00

Health Care

2010-02-26T17:29:00.001-06:00

I've just come across this video from The Rachel Maddow Show. If you have any interest at all in the health care debates, you should watch this. Honestly. I don't care which side you're on, please watch this.

I couldn't embed the video here or I would have. Instead, you have to click here to watch the video.
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More About Curling

2010-02-24T12:05:00.000-06:00

Here's a link to a short video that explains the sport of curling. If I had good knees, this would be the sport for me. It's cold and takes minimal physical effort!
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Snowing in Central Texas, Again.

2010-02-23T09:58:00.002-06:00

I'm not going anywhere. This is only the beginning. Since I took this photo a few minutes ago, the snow has gotten even thicker/deeper. I'll post more as the day goes by.

What fun. (sigh)
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Way Too Early

2010-02-23T05:57:00.000-06:00

If anyone wants to understand Curling, here's a great infographic to explain it.

The forecast for central Texas, today, is snow. What I'm seeing right now is sleet. (It's 5:55 a.m.) I'm starting to feel like I'm back in the northeast. But it's still not too cold. As long as I live here, I promise you will never hear me complain about the cold weather. The hot weather in the summer is another story.
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My Lost Poll

2010-02-21T07:08:00.007-06:00

.
Regarding the numbers corresponding to "candidates"

Do you believe Darlton had this meaning for the numbers in mind since the beginning, or did they come up with it later?(answers)

Up All Night

2010-02-20T05:56:00.001-06:00

I finally got some new glasses. My house is a lot brighter now that I don't have to wear my sunglasses anymore. These are a little more modern than the ones I broke. Only about $80 at the big box store with a one-year warranty to replace them for any reason.

I made a big pot of beans and ham that should last for several days. It's quite yummy, if I do say so myself. I spoon it over some macaroni and top it with chopped onions. Forgot to buy macaroni, so I ended up using the macaroni from a cheap box of mac and cheese! (Which I got for free and probably would never have actually cooked and eaten.)

Rosie is doing fine. Getting a little tired of having her shots, but the needle is so tiny that it doesn't really hurt her. I need to get better about giving the shots on schedule. Two shots a day, 12 hours apart. I also need to find something to feed her that she likes. She won't eat her expensive, prescription food.

That's all for now. It's getting light outside. Time to go to bed! (I hate it when my schedule gets all ass-backwards like this.)

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Fess up!

2010-02-17T19:23:00.001-06:00

I just received an "invitation" to sign up for "failin.gs" sent by an anonymous acquaintance. Okay, so here's your chance. Let's hear it.
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I seriously need to cut back.

2010-02-17T02:25:00.003-06:00

Created by Oatmeal
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Parody

2010-02-13T16:20:00.003-06:00

I'm not a Jimmy Fallon fan, but I am a Lost fan.

Rosie Update II

2010-02-12T19:31:00.000-06:00

Another day at the vet's, but back home tonight, and for the weekend. I'll be giving Rosie two shots of insulin each day. She'll also be eating special food that costs $21 for eight pounds. (Did I mention the donate button over there on the right?) On Monday she'll have to go back to the vet for another day of testing. This will go on until the vet figures out exactly how much insulin Rosie will need every day. We're sticking at eight units twice a day for this weekend.

I am still quite exhausted. I've been more tired than usual all week. I plan to take some melatonin before I go to bed (early, again) tonight. Just have to give Rosie her evening injection. Oh, and I have to call mom.
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Rosie Update

2010-02-11T18:09:00.000-06:00

Rosie is back home for the night. She was so happy to see me when I went to pick her up. The vet said that her sugar levels are still very high, so it will take more time to get them down to a safe level. She has to go back tomorrow morning and go through more injecting and blood drawing. I think she'll at least have the weekend at home, but may have to go back on Monday for even more testing.
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Rosie

2010-02-11T09:15:00.000-06:00

Dropped Rosie off at the vet's office this morning. I HATE doing that. I'm sure she's scared. I wish I could put a little screen in her "cage" with a live feed of me, so she could hear and see me. (Hey, this could be a new use for the iPad.)

I'll pick her up at 4:30 and bring her home. But I have to take her back again tomorrow.

SUCKS.
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Truly Amazing

2010-02-10T17:29:00.002-06:00

Long day today. First, I didn't get any sleep last night. When I finally got tired enough to go to bed, a certain part of my body decided there would be no sleeping. I'll spare you the details. Suffice to say that a dose of Immodium took care of that. But not until it was almost time to call the Vet. You see, my beloved Rosie has been having issues in the last week and a half. She's been going outside much more often than normal, drinking a lot, and last night she "wet the bed." So first thing this morning I called our Veterinarian.

I took her in at 11:00 (after I spent $20 to get someone to come over and jump start my car). After a urine sample and a blood sample I was told that she has diabetes. And I guess it's bad enough that the vet wants to get her started on insulin first thing tomorrow. So I will take her in and drop her off at 7:30 tomorrow morning. The vet will inject, watch, and test (I think) until he figures out the exact dose that will get her sugar levels back to normal. This will go on for two days, and I will be able to bring her home overnight tomorrow, and for good on Friday afternoon.

Rosie is 11 years old, and the vet assured me that the diabetes is a result of her age, and not of anything I did or didn't do. (In fact, she has lost two pounds since her last visit to the vet. She was overweight, and still is, but that's not a factor as far as having diabetes.)

Bad news, but I'm coping.

Rosie and I have been to this vet many, many times. And I've taken my other dogs, and my cats, there, too. So they know me. We talk. We joke around. We have a good time. They're good people.

After the visit to the vet I went to the bank to cash a check. I earned over $40 by reading e-mails and doing surveys with inboxdollars.com. If you should decide to go over and sign up (fat chance, I know), please let me know so I can get credit for your membership!

After the bank I went to the Post Office to check my mail box.

After the Post Office I went to Walgreens. I had some photos to pick up and I also purchased a few items. I have friends who still work there so I said hello to them. There were six people working there today when I went in who know me. I said hello to all of them.

Then I went to Walmart for groceries and such. I first went to the Vision Center and got myself some new glasses. (I've been wearing my sunglasses ever since I broke my other frames several weeks ago!) I was in the Vision Center for about 15-20 minutes. The only customer there. Got along well with the person who was working there. Ordered my new glasses. Then went shopping. I also know several people who work at Walmart, and I said hello to each one that I saw. I guess I said hello to at least a half dozen friends there. And I had a nice conversation with the cashier as she checked me out.

All in all, except for the bad news about Rosie, it was a pleasant and full day.

So what, you may be thinking, was "truly amazing"? Well, I'll tell you. All day long I was wearing this shirt, without a jacket or sweater.

And not a sole - not one single, solitary person - asked me if I knew the way to San Jose! And that, Dear Reader, was truly amazing!!!!!
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Not Into Sports

2010-02-07T18:35:00.000-06:00

I hear there's some big football game on today, but I am so not into sports. So whatever it is, I just hope it doesn't interrupt my favorite TV shows. (Since I don't have any favorite shows that air on Sundays, that won't happen!) Spike shows CSI reruns on Sundays, so that's what I watch if nothing else is on. I have several movies that I DVR'd but have no interest in watching at the moment. (That's weird, isn't it?)

I've decided to make a New Year's resolution after all. I've decided to drink more. (I'm having deja vu. Did I already blog about this?) I know it's already February, but I always have been a bit of a procrastinator.

I drank up all the old Coors Light in the refrigerator. It was about three years old, but it tasted okay! I asked around and no one could give me a reason for not drinking it. (I'm talking in terms of health.) Someone told me it was good until the caps rusted!! I do have one really, really old bottle of Heinekin that I didn't like when it was fresh, so I'm sure I won't like it when it's stale. I originally bought it for some dish I was making. The dish was awful, as I recall. I think it had something to do with pork chops and maybe sauerkraut.

I may take up smoking, too.
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HURLEY DIES!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-02T22:17:00.001-06:00

Just kidding. I had to do that for CMOT, who was incredibly late with his weekend posts.

(Hurley didn't die, Jack did.)

I am so mean.
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Countdown II

2010-02-02T16:39:00.002-06:00

I see that the counter has changed from days and hours to hours and minutes!
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Countdown

2010-01-31T19:27:00.000-06:00

I'm very anxious to see what will happen to the counter in the right column on Tuesday night when Lost starts.

-------------------------------------------------------->

That one, there.
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formspring.me

2010-01-30T18:43:00.001-06:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/wacvet

Sunset on the Beach

2010-01-30T18:31:00.001-06:00

I'm a huge fan of Lost, the TV show. Tonight, in Hawaii, a multitude of Lost fans (who have more money than I do) will experience "Sunset on the Beach." It's an annual event where the first hour of the season premiere is shown to whomever can make it to the event. You can read all about it here. I'd rather be there than here, of course. But you guys have ignored my "Donate" button (in the right margin), and so I'm stuck in central Texas.

There are bunches of people blogging and twittering about it as it happens, of course. There are even a couple of live, streaming videos. I'm currently watching this one. I'll most likely stop watching soon, though. I don't want to be spoiled, and I don't expect this video to be very interesting, anyway, once it starts getting dark.

Since this is the last season of Lost, this will be the last "Sunset on the Beach" event. I'm both elated and heart-broken about that.

Now, donate some money (a LOT of money) so that I can go to some other event when it takes place, like ComiCon, or something. Get busy!!
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Happier Now

2010-01-30T18:11:00.000-06:00

Okay, I've been playing around with the look of my blog and I think I'm somewhat happy now. As you can clearly see, I've replaced the header with one of my own. Please let me know what you think. I may decide you're a complete idiot, but still, I want to hear from you. Let me know if you see any typos. I will fix those.
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A Game I'd Like To Have Played

2010-01-27T22:29:00.000-06:00

I wish I'd known about this before the State of the Union address.
☹☹☹☹☹

Not Real Happy

2010-01-27T22:22:00.000-06:00

I'm not real happy with the layout/template for my blog. I'd love to be able to figure out how to make one of my own. Maybe something like I have on my twitter page. I know how to make a banner. That's easy. What I can't figure out is how to make a whole template with a theme that I create. I've searched online tutorials (a little bit), but I haven't found anything (yet) that really explains it (at my level).

I'm just sayin.
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Belly Laughs

2010-01-26T19:31:00.000-06:00

I was wandering around and I found this. At first glance it looks like Photoshop tutorials. Essentially, thats what they are. But the tutorials aren't as interesting as the delivery. Watch one or two and you'll see what I mean. I happen to think they're damned funny!
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Free Stuff

2010-01-26T11:29:00.000-06:00

Here are just a few of the places where I get my cool, free stuff.

Website and Graphic Design:

Bean OSX Word Processor

Great Stationery - It's hard to find nice stationery, these days. Here's some you can download and print.

Of course, there are zillions of websites out there that offer free stuff. All you have to do is search for it. These are just a few that I use.
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Something

2010-01-25T18:03:00.002-06:00

The plumbers came, cleared out the main line, and now I can flush the toilets (and close the windows). It only cost $70 this time. Last time (different plumber) it cost $85.

The following has nothing to do with the above. It's just a coincidence. Really.

I made a big pot of chili today, which is designed to last for several days. Problem today is that, for some reason, this chili doesn't taste as good as my chili usually does. I strongly suspect the meat. I usually buy fresh ground beef. You know - the kind in the styrofoam tray covered with plastic wrap. For some reason, I didn't buy that kind. This time I bought the beef that comes wrapped in a plastic tube, sort of like the way cookie dough is sold. This beef tastes different, and the texture is different. I would expect the chili seasonings and spices to sort of mask the taste of the beef, but it didn't. Now I'm stuck with a big pot of mediocre chili. That means that I'll probably end up throwing some of it away because I won't have my normal enthusiasm for eating a bowl.

If anyone out there has something bad to say about the sort of meat I bought, please keep it to yourself. I don't plan to buy that kind anymore, but I still have lots of chili to eat.

It amazes me how many people are willing to just give things away on the Internet. I don't mean cars or TVs or things like that. I mean graphics and software and tools for creating websites -- things like that. For anyone out there who does this, a huge thanks from someone who loves to get free stuff - especially cool free stuff. I'll list some URLs for free, neat stuff later. Not now.

I think I'm going to abandon my computer earlier than normal this evening. I've been here almost all day and my hiney is a little numb! Actually, I find that if I don't have a very interesting project to work on, I start to get tired of sitting here. Strange but true. So goodbye, dear readers. For now, at least.

Oh wait. One last thing. Could someone please buy me Thor?
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Nothing

2010-01-24T18:24:00.000-06:00

I should blog about something because it's been so long, but I really don't have a thing to blog about.

I could tell you that my toilets are backed up, but you don't want to read about that. (I'm waiting until tomorrow to call the plumber because I don't want to have to pay more for Sunday service.) (Yuck, right?) (Thank God we're having somewhat warm weather so I can keep the bathroom window open.) (You're probably thinking TMI! TMI! Right?)

I could tell you that I was up all night, and that I stayed up all day, too, and that I plan to go to bed real early - like in the next half hour or so - but that's not real interesting. It might be if I'd had some exciting reason to be up all night, but I didn't. Just my circadian clock going bass-ackwards because I'm unemployed and not forced to stick to any sort of schedule. Staying up all day might allow me to get back on schedule, by sleeping tonight and getting up relatively early tomorrow. You don't care about that.

I could tell you that I've developed "cute" certificates for members of the Umbrella Hat Society, that they're suitable for framing, and that you'll get one if you join. You might care about that. Probably not. You should.

So for crying out loud, what the hell do you care about?!! Sheesh. What's a gal supposed to do?

Guess I just won't blog.
✺

My Dad's Song

2010-01-17T18:42:00.001-06:00

Remember my dad's song? I blogged about it long ago. Okay. Now, are you familiar with the singing done by Brent Spiner (played Data in Star Trek - The Next Generation)? No? Then go over to his website and have a listen. This post will make more sense if you know what his music sounds like.

When I first heard my dad's song, I almost immediately thought of Brent Spiner. I could even picture him (or hear him) singing my dad's song.

Eventually, I found an e-mail address for Brent Spiner and asked him if he'd like to hear my dad's song. He said yes!! That was pretty amazing. So I e-mailed him a copy. Then I waited. And I waited. After awhile I thought he was either not impressed, or he just wasn't going to e-mail me back, and I eventually sort of forgot about the whole thing. Then today I GOT AN E-MAIL FROM BRENT SPINER!!! He said he liked the song. He said my dad should have been a songwriter!!!

I like to think he's sincere, but I know there's room for "just being nice." To tell you the truth, it doesn't matter! I'm just really thrilled that he listened to the song and took the time to write back.

Brent Spiner is my new hero!
❤

I'd sign up, but I really don't like Spongebob

2010-01-17T18:00:00.000-06:00