Partly Bloggy, With a Chance of Sarcasm

Gold!

2009-12-17T23:49:00.002-05:00

Look at it... It's shiny.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Prescott Financial Sells Gold, Women & Sheep

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

U.S. Speedskating

Sorry For the Discommodious

2009-05-08T23:55:00.004-04:00

Did some browsing on Ebay yesterday, where I stumbled upon this gem in a product description:

Please contact us in English only, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused to you, thank you! (...) Sunday & China National Holiday we might cannot response you in time, sorry for the discommodious.

Great, isn't it?

And now, I suppose I should address the fact that I haven't posted anything of substance on here for months... I've mostly been distracted by all the fancy bells & whistles of the Facebook universe. But that, of course, is no excuse for so woefully neglecting my blogging duties.

So, I truly apologize - and I'm sorry for the discommodious.

Wow - This Explains So Much!

2009-04-15T16:48:00.000-04:00

Created by Recipe Star

The Perfect Valentine

2009-02-20T00:55:00.004-05:00

I awoke on Saturday to find this waiting for me:

Sweet! Does he know me, or what?!

Hope you all had as excellent a Valentine's Day as I did.

Cool Meme

2009-02-16T23:06:00.003-05:00

I saw this meme on Saoirse Daily2, and thought it sounded like a neat idea:

Grab the nearest book - no matter what it is. Textbook, novel, pop-up book, building code study guide, whatever.

Turn to page 25.
Read the 10th word on that page, or the following if that one is blank.
Type that word into Google Image search.
Post the third image.
Tag 4 people and tell them.
Link back to this post.

This is where it brought me:

Consider yourself tagged.

Happy Presidents' Day!

The Peace Carol

2008-12-25T22:37:00.004-05:00

To wish you all the merriest of Christmases, here is one of my favorite songs from the best Christmas special of all time (yeah, I said it!), John Denver & The Muppets: A Christmas Together:

The best line:

Add all the grief that people may bear,
Total the strife, and the trouble and care,
Put them in columns and leave them right there.
The peace of Christmas Day

A Parody Up With Which We Dare No Longer Put

2008-11-22T01:22:00.005-05:00

I realize I'm a bit behind the times here, but upon catching myself watching this clip for about the millionth time, I decided I'd be remiss if I didn't go ahead & post it.

Any of you who have visited here previously will certainly be aware of my deep and abiding love for my secret boyfriend Keith. So is it wrong that I laugh so hard at this every single time? I think not - one of Keith's most endearing traits is a healthy sense of humor, especially of the self-deprecating variety.

For any of you who haven't seen this yet, be forewarned that this sketch is extremely lo-o-ong. They took a creditable stab at reenacting an entire episode of Countdown in about 9 minutes. But if you have the time, I recommend you give it a viewing.

Indeed, justice and decency demand you so to do.

Hey, Obama!

2008-11-16T18:28:00.004-05:00

I'm going to add this more permanently to my media blog, but I wanted to post about it here, too...

This is a new video created by the fabulously talented Andre Moore of Stykman Studios. If you like it (which you will), be sure to check out Andre's very own website at fastfunnies.com for lots of short video content, including movie reviews & clips from his standup. You'll be glad you did!

My Major Award

2008-11-16T17:04:00.004-05:00

"It reminds me of the Fourth of July!..."

Sorry, but I can't help it... I'm excited about my major award. Buckets of thanks to my good friend Linda at Saoirse Daily2 for nominating me - you're the best!

So, here are the rules:

*Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.

*Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.

* Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.

* Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit This Post (same as above) and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!

*Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

Alright, so here's the fun part... In no particular order, I hereby nominate:

Gidge at Live from the Wang of America
Angel at The Fibro Life
The Repressed One at Repressed Memmeries
Cindy at Mom, Mother, Wife, Daughter
Effrenatus at Osteophyte

Feeling Blue

2008-11-05T22:09:00.004-05:00

Late last night - actually, early this morning - a strange thing happened.

As I lounged on my sofa somewhere in suburban Indianapolis, leafing through a travel magazine, I suddenly felt the oddest chill... It started in my shoulders, then quite literally sent shivers down my spine. For some time after that, I felt tingly all over, yet strangely warm at the same time. It was an unprecedented feeling, which startled me enough that I actually took a moment to assess the situation and check the time - you know, in case it would be helpful later to the ER staff.

It was 2:07 am, Eastern time.

I suppose it's possible that my chills were due to the cool fall breeze blowing in through my open window. Or perhaps I was finally coming down with that nasty cold that everyone else around here has had recently. But I don't think so.

As it turns out, 2:07 was the exact moment that MSNBC announced that the projected winner of Indiana's electoral votes for the 2008 presidential election was... Barack Obama.

See - there are those chills again!

There are no words to adequately sum up how it feels to finally see my home state turn blue... I still get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. It's not something I ever thought I'd live to see - and it's more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined. If only that blueness had spilled over into the governor's race... But even Mitch "C. Montgomery Burns" Daniels can't spoil this momentous occasion for me.

And how about that speech, huh?

This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can.

Finally, after 44 years in the wilderness, we Hoosiers who long for peace and justice and equality and social responsibility have reason to also say: Yes We Can.

And now the chills are back.

Back Again

2008-10-08T19:45:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy week around here, and it may be a few days yet before I get all my ducks in a row so I can post some photos & recaps of our 4 days of travel.

In the meantime, I just posted an update on my media blog about the Ben Folds concert we attended on Friday in Fort Wayne (you can read about how we landed the tickets here, if you missed it before).

Here's the short version: Ben Folds spat on me, and I liked it.

For more details on the show, check out the full report here.

I'll be back here soon with the scoop on our fun-filled long weekend on the road.

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Now playing: Ben Folds - Ben Folds Live - 007 - One Down
via FoxyTunes

The Cat Daze of Summer

2008-09-02T20:20:00.008-04:00

Oh, my poor little girls!

As I mentioned yesterday, the extreme heat and lack of central air in our house have had a noticeable effect on the cats' behavior... I didn't think it possible that they could be even more lazy than they already were, but yet again I have been proven wrong.

Anyone wandering our halls today would have been witness to scenes of carnage such as these:

Apparently, the goal here is to remain as low as possible. It was downright dangerous to walk through the house today, riddled as it was with comatose felines. This is the most I could get Annie to lift her head for me:

And poor Blackie ran out of steam before she even made it to the food bowls, although I see it hasn't yet affected her healthy physique:

I did have a bit more luck getting Blackie to raise her head off the floor & look at me when I called her... although the results would indicate that I probably should have left well enough alone:

Aahhh! Get thee behind me, Satan!!

Luckily for all of us - and just in time, if that last photo was any indication - the talented & delightful Steve from AirTron hooked us up with some new A/C parts this afternoon, and consequently the climate in our lovely abode is becoming more hospitable by the moment.

If you need proof, here's Blackie about 5 minutes ago, back in one of her normal snuggly places - on the bed, nestled in her daddy's warm comforter:

Still lazy, to be sure, but oh-so-much more comfy!

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Now playing: Cracker - Low
via FoxyTunes

Things I Learned This Weekend

2008-09-01T19:04:00.005-04:00

It is nearly impossible to find anyone to service a broken air conditioning unit on a major holiday weekend.
It is HOT on Labor Day in Indiana.
You know the documentary footage you see on Animal Planet showing lazy lions and tigers basking on cool rocks during the heat of the day? Well, once the thermostat rises past about 85 degrees in our house, the cats go into survival mode and mimic the behavior of their larger cousins. This would be cute, except that in this scenario, Mark & I are apparently the rocks. Nothing like wearing a 30 lb. fur coat - a coat that follows you from room to room, mind - during a heat wave. Delightful!
Regardless of what the advertisements may claim, surgical stainless steel is NOT hypoallergenic. I guess I'll add it to the list of things that make me break out into a nasty, itchy rash: penicillin, cephalosporins, ibuprofen, nickel, silver (raw or sterling), 10k gold, elastic, rubber, latex, nylon, and apparently some plastics. Of course, those are just the inanimate allergens... Oy!
If you want to make a nasty, itchy rash even more miserable, just add 90 degree temperatures and buckets of sweat. Then try to sleep - but only with a plastic mask strapped to your face, of course. Sleep apnea, you know. Luckily for me, the part of the mask that is actually in contact with my skin made of silicone, not plastic... Otherwise, I'm sure that nasty, itchy rash would be all around my nose, too.
I don't care what the Surgeon General or Major League Baseball say: steroids are AWESOME! I'm undecided about human growth hormone - but if rubbing it on my neck would get rid of my aforementioned nasty, itchy rash, I'd be all for it.
I've narrowed down my remaining options: a) special-order a medical ID bracelet or necklace made entirely from 14k gold or platinum (hoping, of course, that I don't break out from that, too), which will easily cost upwards of $250, or b) just get the word D-I-A-B-E-T-I-C tattooed on my forehead. For that second one to work, I'd have to find a larger body part on which to list all my allergies, but that shouldn't be a problem. I think one asscheek would do it, leaving plenty of room on the other one for all my meds. Of course, with my luck, I'd be allergic to the tattoo ink, too. *Sigh!*

Wow. I know it's been a while now since I've had a job, but I seem to remember long weekends being a good thing... Maybe that's the key here: I've angered the Labor Day gods by my lack of actual labor.

I was going to say that tomorrow is another day - but a bit of research tells me that it will also be another 92 degree day, which is not much consolation. Oh, well - at least I don't have to go to work! ;>)

Hope you all had a great Labor Day!

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Now playing: Ben Folds Five - Regrets (Album Version)
via FoxyTunes

Complications

2008-08-19T15:56:00.003-04:00

Apparently, the good Lord has decided that my life isn't complicated enough already. Fibromyalgia, vertigo, nausea? Too easy. Having to strap myself into an apparatus & breathe through a Hazmat mask everytime I want to get some sleep (AKA the horror of sleep apnea)? Come on! Attempting to live peacefully in the same house as my parents (one of whom has only a tenuous grip on her sanity)? Cakewalk. Flooding in my basement & siding popping off in chunks? Girl, please!

So, here's what happened: I went for my semi-annual checkup with my rheumatologist a few weeks ago, which always includes some basic bloodwork to check for possible side-effects from all my various meds & treatments. All went well, so I scheduled my next visit for 5 months from now & went on my merry way. A week later, Mark goes to our family physician for a routine check, just to get his prescriptions refilled for another year. He comes home that afternoon, looking a little frazzled. Concerned, I asked him how it went... Wrong move! Mark then proceeds to tell me that he is fine, but that our doctor told him that I had type 2 diabetes. Um, what?!

Apparently my rheumatologist had checked my sugar as part of the bloodwork he did, and had sent a copy of the results to my primary care doctor. "Aha!" thought I. "Well, that explains it. He didn't tell me to fast before having my blood drawn, and I know I had breakfast and lunch that day. So I'm sure that result wasn't accurate." Still, I thought it would be smart to take some random glucose readings at home, just to see how things were on a regular basis. My mom has a meter that she doesn't need to use anymore, so I borrowed it for the 2 weeks between hearing this news & my next appointment with my doctor.

Suffice it to say that I was less than thrilled with the results... My first reading, taken before breakfast, was 237 mg/dl (for those of you who may not be familiar with normal glucose levels, my understanding is that fasting glucose is supposed to be 110 mg/dl or less). The following days were no better: 256... 197... 243... 222... 195... 281. The best (?) reading I had in that two week period was a 165. Subsequent testing ordered by my doctor reinforced the ugly truth.

And that's the story of how Mark gave me diabetes. I mean, what the hell?! He's no longer allowed to go to the doctor without supervision - the last thing I need is for him to come home one day & tell me that I've got the plague or something. Unbelievable!

Seriously, though, I think Mark has been more worried about all this than I have. Poor guy! As much as I like to tease him about the circumstances of my diagnosis - and I really, really do - it would have to suck to be in his position & have to tell someone you love that they have a life-altering, potentially fatal disease. As I expected, he has also been nothing but supportive and understanding, signing up to go to diabetes care classes with me (4 weeks in a row!) and listening patiently as I obsess about all the new information I'm trying to absorb. Mark has always been my hero, but now I might seriously have to look into getting him a medal or something.

As for me, I'm still feeling a little shell-shocked by the whole experience. I can't say that the diagnosis was a real surprise - I'm very overweight, more sedentary than ever before, and I usually base my food choices on what's the most convenient at the time. Of course, I can blame some of this on my fibromyalgia, but the truth is that I knew better and still did nothing to avoid the possible ramifications of my lifestyle - including diabetes. I take full responsibility for my predicament and the poor choices that led me here... well, except for the part where Mark gave me diabetes. Bastard. ;>)

But the first choice I made in dealing with my new lifestyle was to look at all the positive things that I have going for me. Again, as much as I love to tease about it, I was actually very lucky to have been diagnosed at all in these unusual circumstances. I don't know why my rheumatologist chose to check my sugar to begin with, but it certainly would have been at least 5 months from now before he discussed it with me - assuming he noticed it at all. Had the nurses or staff at my primary doctor's office not noticed the result & flagged it for the doctor - which happens all too often, in my experience - I may never have heard about it at all. So I feel lucky to have doctors & nurses who didn't let my potentially life-threatening problem slip through the cracks.

I know it sounds bizarre, but I also think that being disabled has actually worked to my advantage in this situation. I don't have to worry about juggling meals, glucose checks, meds & insulin around a job, for example. I have plenty of free time to do research and learn all I need to know to keep my sugar as normal as possible. And most of the research I've done has stressed the psychological effects of a diabetes diagnosis, pointing out that most people go through some permutation of the 5 Stages of Grief when they learn of their condition - grief primarily based on the loss of a normal life, and having to face the future with a chronic, incurable illness. Well - been there, done that! I know that I'll have to make a lot of changes in my lifestyle over the coming months and years, but my past experiences with debilitating health conditions have prepared me for this in ways I would never have imagined.

Unfortunately, my existing health problems may also be the biggest stumbling block for me in getting my glucose under control. The best treatment for me right now is to lose weight and get lots of exercise - things that are exponentially more difficult to do with fibromyalgia. But I feel really positive about making whatever changes are necessary, and if I'm lucky, I could end up healthier and feeling better than I have ever been.

Of course, all of this could have been avoided if my husband hadn't given me diabetes in the first place. *Sigh!*

There's Always Someone Cooler Than You

2008-08-14T16:31:00.004-04:00

... and today, it's ME!

Okay, maybe not. But I am feeling very proud of myself at the moment. I should backtrack a bit:

Things have been a bit gloomy around the old homestead lately, due to some unwelcome health news. (I plan to post in more detail about this after tomorrow's doctor appointment, when we will hopefully have a bit more concrete information to share.) Nothing earth-shattering, mind you - although it will quite certainly be life-altering. But mostly, it's just a Bummer with a capital B (we hope).

Accordingly, the past 2 weeks have seemed to go by in slow-motion, forcing us to hover in a seemingly-endless holding pattern until we finally get some anwers and a sense of the new direction in which we will inevitably be heading. To paraphrase the philosopher Petty: the waiting is indeed the hardest part.

But this afternoon, fate brought along a little nugget of sunshine to drag me out of my thoroughly unfunky funk. As most of you know, the hubby & I went to see Ben Folds perform live at Purdue University last February. It was a predictably awesome show, and a swell time was had by all - although it took poor Mark a few weeks to recover from the pretzelling caused by the severe lack of leg space in our seats at Elliott Hall. So, when I first noticed that Mr. Folds would be returning to Indiana in October for another show, I dismissed the idea out of hand, reasoning that it would essentially be the same show we saw in February.

Then today, as chance would have it, I happened to run across another mention of the coming concert, which is scheduled for October 3rd in Fort Wayne. "Hmmm...," thought I, "that would have made a fun anniversary present for us." (Our 14th wedding anniversary is on Oct. 1st.) Then I noticed that the venue is the Embassy Theatre, a 1920's era movie house & vaudeville theater which has been renovated & restored. I've always wanted to see it, and this would be an excellent excuse to go. So I started to poke about the web to find out whether there were even any Ben Folds tickets still available, since I had no idea when they had actually gone on sale.

My first stop was the ubiquitous Ticketmaster, but they had no record of this show. Next I tried the Embassy Theatre webpage, which in turn referred me to the Fort Wayne Philharmonic site. Wait a minute - the Philharmonic? No Way! A bit more research told me that, Yes Way, Ben Folds would be appearing with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra. Naturally, now I REALLY wanted to go! This would not only be a much different show than the one we saw in February, but it would also be one of his excellent live orchestral collaborations. So on to the Philharmonic website I went, but the link they had for tickets gave no joy. It kept timing out, which I feared was a sign that perhaps they had no more tickets available. Finally, just on a lark, I checked some online ticket resellers... Holy schmoley! A minimum of $220 for a balcony seat?! Uh, no. Dejected, I decided to give up my pipe dream & instead soothe my soul with some Ben Folds tunage.

Feeling a bit better after the judicious application of some irreverent piano rock, I mused that it had been awhile since I had checked out Ben's website, and decided I'd click on over to get the skinny on his new album. As I perused the main page, the "Tour" button at the top of the page caught my eye, temporarily bumming me out again. But then I thought, what the hell - let's see what they have to say about his upcoming dates. Imagine my surprise when the listing for the Embassy Theatre gig indicated that pre-sale seats were now available for BenFolds.com readers only. Really?!

Of course, no prices were given - you have to actually start to purchase seats to find out how much they cost. This suited me fine, since I had every intention of buying some as long as we could afford them without being forced to sell our organs on the black market. Turns out the cheap seats were only $46, and the better seats were $60 - a chunk of change, to be sure, but peanuts by modern concert standards. In my heart, though, I was still looking at this as an academic pursuit - I was sure that, having come to the party late, all the good seats would undoubtedly be taken. I felt we'd be lucky to be allowed to squeeze our ample frames into some balcony seats.

With my fingers crossed, I chose 2 $60 seats & clicked the "Find" button, hoping that my laptop Keith wouldn't just start laughing at me without even submitting my request. Seconds later, I was offered 2 seats on the main floor, second row center, on the freakin' aisle. Are you shitting me?! I had 6 minutes to frantically call Mark & tell him what he was getting me for our anniversary before the computer released our seats. As I had expected, it didn't take much coaxing to get him onboard, especially after I gave him all the details. He has very little interest in visiting Fort Wayne or the Embassy Theatre, but quite a bit of interest in seeing Ben play with the Philharmonic. Plus, now he doesn't have to shop for our anniversary. Hey - whatever works.

So now my gloominess has turned to giddiness, and I'm floating on a soft, fluffy cloud of smugness and self-congratulation. I'm sure I'll eventually drift back down to earth. To paraphrase the philosopher Folds: yeah, I'm the shit but I won't be it for long. But until then, I'm just gonna bask.

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Now playing: Ben Folds - There's Always Someone Cooler
via FoxyTunes

My Ovaries Are Aching...

2008-07-24T22:20:00.004-04:00

Nothing like some adorable baby pics to make me feel really old...

Here's my baby cousin's baby girl (Argh! Just typing that makes my brain hurt! I feel an urgent need to wear knee-hi stockings rolled down to my ankles & yell at the neighbor kids to get out of my yard). This was taken at the county fair, where she won a blue ribbon in the Baby Contest (Prettiest Girl 14-18 months). To which I say, was there ever a doubt?

Isn't she just too cute?!

Mingling amongst the crowd at the contest was this little peanut, only a few days old. And - as if I didn't already feel geriatric enough - this is where I'm obliged to point out that he is my cousin's baby's baby. (Slightly older cousin this time, but still...):

Like I said - adorable.

It's a good thing these kids are so damn cute. Otherwise, I might have to resent them a little for emphasizing my decrepitude...

Nah. Can't do it. They've weakened my defenses with their cuteness. *sigh!* I guess I'll just have to be madly in love with them. :)

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Now playing: Kim Ferron - Nothing But You
via FoxyTunes

Is It Just Me, Or...

2008-07-17T23:37:00.004-04:00

Is anybody else missing Rachel Maddow?

Don't get me wrong - I'm very happy to have my Keith back from his summer vacation. Countdown is and always will be his show, and nobody does it better.

But somebody needs to give Rachel her own TV show, for crying out loud! I've been a fan of her radio program for years, so I'm not surprised that she did such a good job guest-hosting for the past 2 weeks on Countdown. I know she'll still pop up as a regular commentator on MSNBC, but I'm sorry - that's just not good enough.

Until this egregious error is remedied, I'll have to make do with some of my favorite video clips from the guest-hosting stint. This one is doubly good because it also features comic genius Michael Ian Black (who will unfortunately always be known to my husband only as Johnny Blue Jeans):

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Now playing: Jet - Move On
via FoxyTunes

Better. Faster. Keith-ier.

2008-07-08T14:23:00.003-04:00

Okay, so we all know I stole that line from the Countdown commercials, but it was just too perfect for my needs. But first, I feel the need to backtrack a bit...

If you've dropped by this blog at any point over the past 3 or 4 months, you will probably have noticed the lack of posts and updates. I could give any number of excuses, not the least of which being my grandfather's grave illness (he passed away on April 17th) and all the family drama which ensued, but the heart of the matter is that I just wasn't feeling very bloggy. I'm sure the problem wasn't helped by my fibromyalgia, which is always exacerbated by any kind of stress - and the stress that a death in the family brings is an especially potent type indeed. But the truth is that I have felt relatively well for quite some time now... I just didn't have it in me until now to get back on the blogging horse, so to speak.

So, please accept my genuine apologies for my sudden and prolonged absence. I will endeavor over the next few days to catch you all up on what has been going on around here... I'm sure something has been happening, but for the moment I'm at a bit of a loss. Well, I guess there is one exception...

My trusty laptop Keith has been struggling for quite some time with the many burdens of living with me - such as my constant, unreasonable requests to run applications that required Windows XP even though he was very clear at the start of our relationship that he could only provide me with Windows 2000. Ultimately, we made a mutual decision to part ways, although we will always remain close. After much deliberation, he has been put out to pasture as a 24/7 conduit to my bulky external hard drive. It's a low-stress position, but still a vital role in my computing life. He seems to be fitting in well.

All this is to explain the presence of my fancy new laptop, which has been duly dubbed Keith 2.0 (I hope this doesn't lead to any resentment issues within the network...). As the title indicated, he is indeed better, faster and Keith-ier than my first love. On top of running Windows XP Pro, he also includes some fancier hardware, such as the built-in DVD-RW (yay!). We're still getting to know each other, of course, but I predict a long, beautiful partnership in our future. He has already helped me to tweak my blog layouts and to backup a lot of my data. And I'm sure that it is in no small part due to his inspiration that, at long last, I finally find myself feeling bloggy again.

Blog Against Theocracy

2008-03-21T01:39:00.005-04:00

I've decided to participate in the Blog Against Theocracy blogswarm this weekend, March 21-23, 2008. I'm sure it's only a coincidence that it falls over the Easter holiday...

Bloggers all across the country will be posting articles or thoughts about one of our most fundamental freedoms: the separation of Church and State. While I have some rudimentary background in political science, I have no desire to hold forth on the fundamental Constitutional guarantees which are currently being compromised by the irrational, morally bankrupt religious extremist who claims to be our Commander-In-Chief...

Okay, maybe I do, but instead I wanted to address a particular issue which is directly relevant to my daily life: reproductive rights. And I'm not talking about abortion, although I could... No, no, I'm going to stay on point.

When I was 16, my mom took me to see our family doctor to discuss the increasing symptoms I was having - which, back then, were still only referred to as "female troubles". To be more accurate, I had cramps. REALLY BAD cramps. Horrifically painful, debilitating, "waking up with slivers of wood under my nails from gripping the bedpost in agony" kind of cramps.

After an exam, my doctor explained that the best way to combat my symptoms would be to prescribe a regimen of birth control pills. Being Catholic, I was unsure how my mom would react to this news, but she was cool with it. After watching me suffer for years, I think she would have agreed to anything, but she also explained that this would actually be allowed under current Church teaching anyway, since there was a valid medical purpose.

Unlike some of my friends (you know who you are!), I was not sexually active at this young age, so my use of the drug I was taking - and have taken ever since, in some form - was purely medical in nature. Within a few months, my symptoms subsided to a somewhat more tolerable state, and everyone was happy - no harm, no foul.

Then I went to college. (Well, for awhile, anyway. But back to the point...) In this one instance, my complete and total dependence on my parents worked to my advantage. Since I still came home every few weeks, I continued to have my prescriptions filled at my home pharmacy.

Some of my new college friends, however, were not so fortunate - they were stunned to find that many local pharmacists refused to fill birth control prescriptions. This was particularly hard for freshman girls, who were required to live in the dorms and were not allowed to park cars on campus. The local girls just went home for their meds, like I did. But for a few, the only option was to take a bus to Planned Parenthood, where they could usually get their medications, although most found that their HMO or PPO insurance coverage would not apply for these out of network drugs.

I was baffled - and frightened. What would have happened if I had chosen to attend one of the out of state schools to which I had been accepted, and therefore couldn't get my prescriptions filled at home every month? Memories of the excruciating pain I had experienced years before flooded back... Plus, I had always heard that college towns were usually more liberal than their surrounding areas. How pervasive was this problem, if it was this bad at a state university?

The whole situation was so infuriating and downright ridiculous. The idea that some random redneck could make arbitrary decisions about my body and my right to treat my life-changing medical condition filled me with rage and disgust - it still does.

Looking back, I feel so naive - things have gotten much worse in this regard since my college days in the early 90's. And that's one of the many reasons why defending the separation of Church and State is so important. Just as all Americans have the right to worship how (and if) we choose, we also all have the right to do our jobs, raise our children, treat our bodies and live our lives free of interference from anyone else's religious beliefs.

Or, at least we should.

(If you think so, too, check out the First Freedom First website for details on their nationwide live simulcast event next Wednesday, March 26th. It's a free broadcast hosted at many theaters across the country - you can find one near you here.)

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Now playing: The Cranberries - Salvation
via FoxyTunes

Five Years...And Counting

2008-03-19T20:07:00.005-04:00

"I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you … in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks."
---George W. Bush, March 13, 2008

Moron.
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Now playing: The Weepies - World Spins Madly On
via FoxyTunes

Six Little Words

2008-03-09T20:39:00.004-04:00

So, it looks like I got tagged by Saoirse Daily 2.

Here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir.

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post.

4. Tag five more blogs with links.

5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

So, with no further ado, here are my six words:

Secret Assistant to the Regional Manager

I hereby tag:

Laura's MySpace blog

Repressed Memmeries

Live from the Wang of America

Sack Of Monkeys In My Pocket

Mom, Mother, Wife, Daughter

Mr. Elrod Goes to "Wahington"?

2008-03-08T22:31:00.006-05:00

Once again, I'm brimming with Hoosier pride.

As some of you may know, my congressional district here in Indy - the Fightin' 7th - is currently without representation in the House, due to the somewhat sudden (although hardly surprising) passing of longtime local politician Rep. Julia Carson in December.

Hoosiers will be hitting the polls this coming Tuesday for a special election to replace Carson for the remaining months of her term. As expected, the Democrats have thrown their support behind Julia's grandson, City-County Councilman Andre Carson.

And then there are the Republicans. Granted, winning this contest only guarantees a few months in the Congressional seat, since the regular elections are scheduled for this November. Still, a victory now would be a big publicity boost for any candidate, and would certainly give him or her a leg up on the competition this fall.

So it would seem that this might be a fortuitous opportunity for the Republicans to attempt to assume control of the 7th, which has been one of the few solidly Democratic districts in our exceptionally red state. Nonetheless, it doesn't seem like the GOP candidate, state representative Jon Elrod, is getting much support from the party.

Well, either that or Republicans are morally opposed to spell check. You know, maybe: "That Bill Gates shouldn't interfere with God's true plan for our spelling..."

(As an aside, I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that, while the nice people at Taking Down Words and Blue Indiana were kind enough to circle the misspelling of "commercial" in the above ad, the word "television" on the previous line is also misspelled. In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose.)

And now for my favorite part of the story... the one and only Jon Elrod television commercial. While it is not normally my practice to post Republican campaign ads on my blog, I had to make an exception for this. Pay particular attention to the on-screen graphics at the beginning:

Wow! Now you know that's got to be one smooth campaign operation.

Stay classy, Indianapolis!

What Did YOU Do This Weekend?

2008-03-03T00:45:00.004-05:00

Here's what I did this weekend...

I claim no ownership of this video - our seats weren't nearly this good. It's just from the same Ben Folds concert we attended this past Friday at Purdue.

I've been to plenty of concerts in my time, including lots of piano players (Billy Joel, Elton John). But I'm pretty sure this show marked the first time I've witnessed anyone playing a keyboard with another keyboard. Or playing 3 keyboards simultaneously: one with the left hand, one with the right hand, and a third with the right foot. Granted, both of these tricks sound a lot like things my 7 year old nephew would try if given the opportunity... and I can see that for free pretty much any time I want. But somehow it was still pretty cool.

So we enjoyed the concert tremendously (we give it 2 enthusiastic thumbs-up), but it was kind of bittersweet to be puttering around the old campus. And poor Mark is just now getting the feeling back in his legs from squeezing into the doll-sized theater seats in the 2nd balcony of Elliott Hall. But all in all, we had a great night.

Trying to Contain My Hoosier Pride

2008-02-20T21:56:00.003-05:00

When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash
How I long for my Indiana home.

Somehow, I don't think John McCain shares my love of the Hoosier state... at least, not today.

Fellow Hoosier (and my new hero) Thomas Cook of Blue Indiana filed an official complaint with the Indiana Election Commission this afternoon, contesting the inclusion of John McCain on the ballot for our May 6th primary. Seems that Senator McCain's local campaign organizers (including our esteemed Governor and King of Creepy Comb-Overs, Mitch "Montgomery Burns" Daniels) failed to collect the required number of petition signatures in one congressional district to qualify for the ballot. Huh. (You can read all the details here.)

Predictably, the Republican Powers-That-Be have already approved McCain for the ballot despite this little technical snafu, and I'm sure that they will either ignore the complaint or finagle some way around it. This is what politicians do, after all.

Still, I never thought I'd live to see the day when a Republican candidate - ANY Republican candidate - would have trouble finding signatures for anything in Indiana. I bet could get 100 names in my own neighborhood tomorrow on a petition advocating drunk driving with orphaned cancer puppies if I said I was collecting them for the Republican party. How hard should it be to get 500 names in any district for the acknowledged national Republican front-runner in this overwhelmingly red state?

I kinda wondered why McCain was coming to Indianapolis this Friday... We don't usually get a lot of visits from national candidates. There's not really much reason for it - it's a waste of time for both Democrats and Republicans. For Democrats, there's not much return on the time invested during such a busy season; and for Republicans, our state is typically a slam-dunk with or without a local campaign stop. In light of this new information, though, the hastily-arranged visit is starting to make sense. If McCain's staff is at all competent, they have to be concerned about what appears to be waning support for their candidate in the heart of one of the reddest states in the country.

I think my favorite part of this story, though, is the DNC response:

Despite the fact that the McCain campaign clearly failed to qualify for the ballot, Republican Attorney General Steve Carter and Republican Secretary of State Todd Rokita (who recently endorsed McCain) rubberstamped it anyway, trying to sneak McCain onto the ballot. Clearly, the Republican Culture of Corruption is alive and well within the McCain campaign.

Clearly, the Democratic National Committee spokesperson hasn't spent much time in Indiana. The "Republican Culture of Corruption" is just business as usual around here.

Grandma Would Be SO Proud...

2008-02-09T00:34:00.000-05:00

...although she might be a bit disturbed that I matched Reagan at 50%. She'd be even more disturbed to see his name on a list of "great" American presidents.

Well, Reagan did spend half his life as a Democrat, so I'm just going to assume that I just matched that earlier half - you know, before he sold his soul.

Which Great US President Are You Most Like?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as John Kennedy

35th President, in office from 1961-1963
Born: 1917 Died: 1963 (assassinated)

John Kennedy

74%

Franklin Roosevelt

69%

George Washington

62%

Abraham Lincoln

59%

Thomas Jefferson

50%

Ronald Reagan

50%

Dwight Eisenhower

45%

Theodore Roosevelt

41%

Lyndon Johnson

38%

Woodrow Wilson

22%

Harry Truman

19%

Investigative Entertainment Journalism

2008-02-06T01:52:00.000-05:00

Once again, I apologize to all of you for my continued absence from posting. As I've said before, I just haven't been feeling very motivated to write lately, even with minute by minute changes in the political landscape. Well, that is, until today...

Unfortunately, the topic which finally struck a chord with me falls squarely in the realm of television and entertainment, although it does also deal peripherally with politics. So, even though I had originally intended to post it here, I felt the story was more appropriate for my media blog (which is humbly entitled The Queen of All Media).

But I hope you will take a few moments to check out my attempt at investigative entertainment journalism on here (the post is titled So Who REALLY Made Huckabee?). Actually, it may be more than a few moments... the first video clip alone is probably about 8 minutes long, although the second clip is much shorter. But it's well worth the time - and if you've been watching Conan, Colbert and/or Stewart over the past few weeks, you can probably skip the longer clip.

And I promise to post something interesting here soon.

Sunday Seven - What's On My Mind

2008-02-03T03:08:00.000-05:00

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name seven things on your mind today.

Either answer the question in a comment or answer it in your journal and include the link in a comment. (To be considered “first to play,” a link must be to the specific entry in which you answered the question.) You may include this link in the URL space when leaving your comment, or in the comment itself. As long as it’s there in one spot or the other.

Saturday was the 16th anniversary of the day Mark proposed to me. Yes, that's right, he chose the most romantic day of the year: Groundhog Day. He also hadn't gotten around to shopping for a ring yet, so he instead gave me packets of "engagement ketchup" from Wendy's. Just drips with sentiment, doesn't it? But it was one of my best days ever, because it was the day when I became the luckiest woman on Earth.
The writers strike is hurting me in a very real, physical way. I have only myself to blame, though, for allowing my TV dependence to grow to such epic proportions. I will probably need medication if I find out that the continuing strike will cut short the final season of Scrubs. Not fair! And I miss all my other shows, too...
I can't hold my liquor like I used to back in the day.
Do I come off as a racist? Or a xenophobe? Because people keep forwarding me the most vile, reprehensible trash, including the well-known Barack Obama slimefest email and lots of similarly sleazy attacks on others, such as immigrants (even those who are here quite legally). As shocking as the content is, I'm not surprised that it's out there - unfortunately, there are plenty of small-minded, mean-spirited buffoons out there to circulate this garbage. What really concerns me is the fact that this crap keeps appearing in my inbox... What on earth would make anyone who has ever met me think that I would appreciate this sort of bile? Does anyone out there really think I'm that small? The thought of it saddens me.
It would be nice if I could get all my Christmas decorations put away before Lent begins this Wednesday...
Universal healthcare needs to happen soon. And I don't just mean that everyone has to buy a policy - I'm talking full-on socialized medicine, that treats and bills every patient equally, no matter what their job happens to be or how much money they have.
I wish Mark & I could take a real vacation sometime soon... We will hopefully get to go away together at some point this year, but I really think he needs it right now.

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

2008-01-27T14:57:00.000-05:00

This clip, while highly entertaining, has tremendous capacity for bodily damage if watched incorrectly. So here are some ground rules:

Do not eat or drink anything while watching. The probability of choking or snorting liquids through your nose is quite high.
Make sure your bladder is as empty as possible prior to viewing. I missed this step myself, which resulted in lots of embarrassment and extra laundry duty.
Don't view this clip in the company of anyone who enjoys Fox News. Your inevitable amusement just might push them over the edge.

I think that will suffice. So, here is Keith Olbermann's Worst Persons segment from this past Friday, January 25th:

Saturday Six

2008-01-27T01:48:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but I thought I'd give the Saturday Six from Patrick's Place a shot this week...

Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal…but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! To be counted as “first to play,” you must be the first player to either answer the questions in a comment or to provide a complete link to the specific entry in your journal in which you answer the questions. A link to your journal in general cannot count. Enjoy!

1. You go to a restaurant and order alcohol: based on past experience, how likely are you to be carded? (Are you of legal drinking age?)

Not very likely. I do still get carded at the grocery occasionally, though. And yes, I am well above the legal drinking age.

2. You’re selecting a new physician and you learn that the doctor you are visiting is in his twenties: would you feel any less confident about his ability?

Not at all. In my experience, younger doctors are more likely to really listen to what patients have to say & go the extra mile to treat them. I might have to call him Doogie, though.

3. One must be 35 years old or older to run for president. Based on arguments about experience, should the age be increased to 45? Why or why not?

No... I've always felt that the random Constitutional age requirements were arbitrary and a bit silly. There should be a mandatory IQ test instead - like a Presidential SAT.

4. Take the quiz: What age do you act?

You Act Like You Are 27 Years Old

You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life.
You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up.
The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

5. When you were in high school, what age, in your opinion, qualified someone as being “old?”

Oh, probably retirement age, which at that point was around 55.

6. Do you find yourself better relating to people older than you or younger than you? (Sorry, your same age group isn’t an option in this one!)

It depends on the situation. Physically, I definitely identify with people older than I am, due to all my medical issues. Psychologically, I often identify with younger people, since I don't have any kids or a career.

I'm SO Tagged!

2008-01-26T00:55:00.000-05:00

I've been sorta lurking around my usual haunts in the blogosphere for the past few days, catching up on everyone's recent posts and trying to get myself back into the flow. I keep wanting to jump back in, but I just haven't felt really inspired to say a whole lot. Not too surprising, I suppose. I think I'm still feeling a bit shell-shocked.

So I take it as a sign from above that my good friend Saoirse Daily2 tagged me on her blog today. I think maybe it's just the nudge I needed to get my act together...

Hopefully it will also get my creative juices flowing again, if only to a slow trickle.

So here are my answers:

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD:
1. Customer Service Representative (head teller) at a bank
2. Medical Records chart prep for a neurology practice
3. Flavored popcorn vendor at a local mall
4. Market research for a local radio station

FOUR MOVIES WATCHED OVER AND OVER:
1. Garden State
2. The Godfather (mostly 1 and 2, but sometimes 3)
3. Shaun of the Dead
4. Just Friends

FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. Indianapolis, IN
2. Muncie, IN
3. Beech Grove, IN
4. Loehne, Germany (for, like, 3 weeks)

FOUR SHOWS I WATCH:
1. Scrubs
2. Flight of the Conchords
3. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
4. The Colbert Report

FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN:
1. Gatlinburg, TN
2. Munich, Germany
3. San Antonio, TX
4. Cleveland, OH

FOUR PEOPLE WHO EMAIL ME:
1. Laura
2. Ali
3. Cindy
4. Patty

FOUR FAVORITE THINGS TO EAT:
1. Mu shu shrimp at Lotus Garden
2. Club sandwich
3. Fish & chips from Claddagh, with a Guinness
4. Sauerbraten with red cabbage

FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE:
1. Anywhere with a beach, good weather & not too many nasty bugs
2. Bavaria
3. Ireland
4. Disney World

FOUR THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR
1. Taking a real vacation with Mark
2. Electing a REAL president this November! (knock wood...)
3. The end of the writers strike
4. Good health & happiness for everyone I know

FOUR PEOPLE TO TAG:
1. Laura
2. Repressed One
3. Gidge
4. Effrenatus

Select A Candidate

2008-01-24T15:10:00.001-05:00

Sorry for my prolonged absence from the blogosphere... As you know, we had a death in the family recently, so things have been a bit more hectic than usual around here. I'm going to try to get back in the saddle over the next few days.

Warm thanks to all of you who expressed your sympathy for our loss & offered your support in our time of need. Please know that your kindness is greatly appreciated.

So, on to business... I came across this quiz on Patrick's Place, and thought it might be fun to post here. As usual, my answers matched me with Dennis Kucinich - which would be fine, if he had even a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected. *sigh*

Your Web browser software doesn't support frames, but you can visit Select A Candidate™ at &amp;lt;a href="http://www.selectacandidate.org/"&amp;gt;www.selectacandidate.org&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.

Jack Raymond: February 28, 1929 - January 10, 2008

2008-01-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

As some of you already know, Mark's dad Jack passed away this morning from complications due to a massive heart attack. Jack was a warm, wonderful man who was always full of vitality and energy. When his heart attack struck him, he had just been driving home from one of his favorite activities: square dancing with his Seniors group.

Coincidentally, the local newspaper just recently recorded a short video report about the Square Dancing Seniors, which was posted on their website on Monday - just one day before Jack's fateful car accident/cardiac arrest. I wanted to share the video with all of you (for those of you who never had the pleasure of meeting Jack, he's the handsome, silvery-haired rapscallion in the light blue shirt):

Farewell, Jack... you will be greatly missed. And wherever you are now, I hope you're still dancing.

Political musings...

2008-01-08T16:11:00.000-05:00

As the good people of New Hampshire file through their polling places to cast their votes today, I thought it would be an auspicious time to talk a bit about my take on the primary season so far...

Last week's Iowa caucuses were historic and inspiring, with a record turnout, especially for the Democrats. In the current climate of political cynicism, it was refreshing to see so many new and young voters turning out to support their candidates. On a personal note, I was glad (though not totally surprised) to see that ALL 3 qualifying Democratic candidates received more votes than any of the qualifying Republicans, reinforcing the feeling that any Democratic nominee will have a good chance at reaching the White House this year. Much was made of Hillary Clinton's 3rd place finish, but even she was several percentage points ahead of Republican winner Mike Huckabee.

Of course, the big story this week has been Barack Obama - both his Iowa win and the momentum he's gained as a result of it. Obama's Iowa victory was stunning not because it was a surprise (he had been the frontrunner in the polls for several weeks) but rather due to the margin by which he won. I think that, while Obama has picked up a lot of support over the months of his campaign, most pundits - and voters, for that matter - were not sure if this would translate into actual votes. It seems like everyone was hedging their bets, waiting to see if anyone else would dare cast their votes for him before they would publicly back him as a candidate. I know that's sort of how I've felt... Obama seems like a decent guy who shares many of my beliefs, and he certainly has the charisma and presence to be a contender. But all the scuttlebutt over the past year revolved around the theory that Hillary Clinton was the clear frontrunner whose nomination was almost inevitable. So, I felt, why get invested in a candidate who doesn't have a chance? I think a lot of others have felt this way, too, whether they want to admit it or not.

But after Iowa, the floodgates opened - suddenly, it's not so unreasonable to back Obama. And with each passing day, his poll numbers continue to rise. I don't believe this is because people all over the country are unduly influenced by the opinions of Iowa caucus voters. What Iowa did for Obama was prove that people in the heartland have heard his message and not only support it, but are also not afraid to vote for him, despite the fact that he is young, black and somewhat unproven. Now scores of closet Obama supporters are stepping out from the shadows to be counted.

As for myself, I'm still officially undecided, but I find the groundswell of support for Obama to be inspirational. Politically, my beliefs would probably align more closely with Dennis Kucinich, the former candidate Chris Dodd, or (lately) John Edwards. But Obama has been the most charismatic from the beginning, and I can't help but pull for him to some extent. My main concern with Obama has nothing to do with his age, color, background, or lack of experience. No, what bothers me is that his actions don't always seem to match the rhetoric. He talks a lot about change, but I haven't seen much effort on his part to initiate that change. He's against the war, but has voted to fund it (a tough political spot to be in during a presidential campaign, admittedly).

But I would have no problem casting my vote for Barack Obama as president... Of course, I would have no problem voting for any of the other remaining Democratic candidates, either. This may have something to do with why I'm still undecided... Any of them would be so-o-o-o-o much better than what we've had for the past 7 years that it's hard for me to quibble over small platform differences.

The only one I can't get really excited about is Hillary Clinton, which is a shame. I think it would be cool to have a woman as president. But of all the Democratic candidates, she is the one that worries me most. Primarily, I'm concerned that she would be less than supportive of rolling back the unconstitutional powers that have been ceded to the Executive branch by the Patriot Act, which is a major issue for me. How can you be a Democrat and not stand up for civil liberties and basic rights like habeas corpus? That being said, I think Hillary Clinton has a lot of qualities necessary for a great American president, and I would certainly vote for her were she the chosen Democratic nominee.

In all honesty, I feel that most of the Republican candidates would be reasonably capable in the Oval Office, too - not that I would ever vote for any of them. But despite our differences in values, I feel that the majority of the Republicans have the potential to at least be effective executives - and any of them would be an improvement over Dubya (faint praise, at best). Not that I wouldn't still complain about them, as I have done about every previous Republican president in my lifetime (and a few before my lifetime, too!). But I don't think I'd be quite as worried about the future of our country - heck, of the entire planet - as I have been during the Bush/Cheney years.

I guess that may be the only positive legacy of the current administration: they really put things into perspective. I remember feeling frightened by the concept of Dan Quayle being only one heart attack away from the presidency.... Ha! Little did I know what depths of incompetency were yet to come. I used to think Ronald Reagan was evil, but now he just seems like a big, fuzzy puppy dog. Nixon? A bad apple, sure, but no longer the anti-Christ. He almost seems like an amateur compared to Dick Cheney... Once again, I guess the apprentice surpasses the master.

Puppet Theatre, January 7, 2008

2008-01-08T15:56:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, break out the popcorn! It's time for the latest installment of Bill O'Reilly Puppet Theatre (clip courtesy of Crooks and Liars):

I just love good theater, don't you?!

I've been saying this for years...

2008-01-07T16:52:00.000-05:00

What political ideology do you have? Your Result: Democratic Socialist You are the standard European socialist who believes that the government should spend large amounts of money on social welfare programs. You also believe that these social welfare programs are mandated by the people who vote in your ideal democratic government
Communist
Libertarian
Anarchist
Authoritarian Capitalist
Fascist
What political ideology do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

We're Famous!

2008-01-07T16:03:00.000-05:00

My good ol' home state of Indiana made it onto Crooks and Liars today... I'm so proud.

For those of you who haven't heard, a few years ago our duly elected legislators, in their infinite wisdom, decided to pass the strictest voter ID law in the country. Of course, it has been challenged, but so far every court has upheld the law, despite evidence that it has already disenfranchised a number of indigent, elderly &/or disabled voters. Let freedom ring.

The issue is due to come before the Supreme Court this year, but considering the current balance of the court, I'm not holding my breath.

Typing Test

2008-01-06T22:08:00.000-05:00

59 words

Learn Touchtyping

Not too shabby... I was actually pretty impressed with myself here. Of course, if I tried to type like that for more than 60 seconds at a time, I'm sure my arms would just fall off at the elbows... ;>)

Still, it's nice to see that I haven't lost all my skills yet!

The Official 2007 Christmas Play

2008-01-01T20:45:00.000-05:00

Here's some video of my precious niece & nephew, who decided to put on an impromptu Christmas play for us after our annual holiday extravaganza this past Saturday.

There's not a lot of character development, and the story has some plot holes, but darn it if those kids aren't cute!

Bacon Brittle, Baby!

2007-12-31T02:12:00.000-05:00

Ahh, the magic of Christmas...

On the Second Day of Christmas...

2007-12-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

There's a lot of work to do here at the ol' homestead. Aside from the normal post-Christmas fallout to sort through, we also have a great big holiday extravaganza scheduled for this Saturday. It's always lots of fun, and since it's a pitch-in, no one person has to do a bunch of cooking. Generally, my kind of shindig.

But I'm starting to have ominous warning signs that all may not go as smoothly as I'd hoped... None of us have been very energetic since our bout with the uber-virus last month, but it seems to have been particularly draining for me. Last Saturday we went out for a yummy Chinese pre-Christmas dinner, then opened presents with my sister's family. On Sunday, Mark & I had breakfast with his sister, then after a long winter's nap, I went out with my cousins to look at Christmas lights in the evening.

None of this was particularly strenuous - I didn't even have to drive much. All I did was bathe, dress & eat, really. But it was apparently too much for my delicate system to handle. I awoke on Christmas Eve at about 1 in the afternoon, to find all the glands on the left side of my body swollen & tender. I ate some cereal, took my meds, then went back to sleep until about 5pm. Poor Mark had worked his cute little patootie off all weekend to have some free time on Christmas Eve, only to spend it watching me sleep. We did have a delicious ham dinner that evening, courtesy of Dad, but it was clear that Midnight Mass was no longer an option for me. So we tucked back up in bed & watched some TiVo to ring in the holiday.

Since then, I've had difficulty dragging my sorry carcass out of bed. I did manage to make an appearance at the Raymond family Christmas festivities on Tuesday, but I spent the majority of the holiday in bed. And the past 2 days haven't been much better. My glands do seem much less swollen today (yay!), but I'm still about as energetic as a ragmop.

And I awoke early this morning to an exciting new symptom: the good news is that it only affects one organ this time; the bad news is that it's my skin, which is... well, everywhere. I've had sore spots before, but they usually only affect one or two small areas at a time. But today, my ankles are screaming from the elastic band in my socks, the loose threads in my shirt tormented me until I just ditched it for a plush bathrobe, and I couldn't even stand it for Mark to touch me long enough to help me back upstairs after dinner (he often has to stand behind me & push, much as you would to get an elephant into a trailer).

Needless to say, this turn of events makes me feel less than optimistic about the impending Christmas party. At best, there's going to be a lot of last minute scrambling on my part to get my food prepared & to make the house presentable. Quite possibly, the whole thing may have to go on without me - which, to be fair, would probably only be a bummer to me for missing it. As guilty as I may feel for not helping enough, it wouldn't likely make much of a real difference in the amount of work everyone else has to do. My party-preparing capabilities have dwindled over the years to a point where Dad, Mark and the visiting team of Laura & John are usually responsible for the lion's share of the work, anyway. All I'd really need to do is give John my coveted Cheesy Potato recipe, and everything else should go along fine without me, I'd wager.

But it sure won't be very much fun for me... Of course, my girls would be excited to have the company, even if I'm too sore or tired to play with them. They're usually banished to our bedroom with the door locked during our parties, since much of the extended family is allergic to cats. So they're always stuck behind that closed door, listening to all the fun just outside & wishing they could be out there in the middle of the excitement, surrounded with laughter and merriment.

Unfortunately, this year it looks like I may find out for myself just how that feels.

Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra, ra-ra-ra-ra

2007-12-25T18:41:00.000-05:00

It was a rowdy gang at the Lotus Garden Chinese restaurant for Christmas this year...

And they heard us exclaim as we drove out of sight...

Crispy rangoons to all, and to all a good night!

It's a JibJab-by Christmas!

2007-12-24T01:34:00.000-05:00

Mark and I were very fortunate today to get to spend a lovely Sunday morning/afternoon with some of our favorite people - Mark's sister Patty and her wonderful husband, Kevin.

As usual, we had a great time, along with lots of great food and even better company. It's been hard for us to really get into the holiday spirit this year, but after our morning visit with the Pings, I think Mark & I are both feeling a lot more holly jolly.

So, as a symbol of our gratitude, I made this lovely little JibJab movie just for our breakfast hosts. As I did with the Christmas movie I made yesterday, I thought I'd also share this one here. It's pretty funny...

Don't send a lame Starring You! eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Happy Raymond Holidays!

2007-12-23T01:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a cute little JibJab movie I made to send to Mark's dad for Christmas... It stars my wonderful husband and his siblings.

Merry Ho-Ho!

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

What Cats Talk About

2007-12-22T14:57:00.000-05:00

Ho, Ho, Ho!

2007-12-21T18:54:00.001-05:00

My Hero of the Week

2007-12-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

A big round of applause for Democratic presidential hopeful Chris Dodd, who left the campaign trail yesterday to lead the charge against the proposed FISA legislation. Dodd has pledged to continue to filibuster the bill until provisions offering retroactive blanket immunity to telecom companies for warrentless wiretapping are removed. It's nice to see someone actually doing their job on Capitol Hill for a change...

Here's Dodd's interview about the filibuster from MSNBC's Countdown:

So, where were frontrunners Hillary and Barack? Campaigning in Iowa, naturally. Sorry, guys, but press releases supporting the filibuster just don't cut it. We needed your votes and your help on the Senate floor, not just your good wishes. Sure, campaign season is hectic, but why should we choose to elect you as president when you can't even fulfill your senatorial obligations? To his credit, Joe Biden did take out time to cast his vote - unfortunately, to his detriment, he only voted "present". Not much help there.

And why was it even necessary for Dodd to stage a filibuster when his own party is (theoretically) in power in both chambers of Congress? Ask Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who not only allowed this flawed, unconstitutional legislation to even come to a vote, but actually encouraged other Senate Democrats to vote for it. Baffling.

So, in attempting to thwart passage of a thoroughly un-American bill, Chris Dodd stood up to not only the Senate Republicans and the administration, but also to his own party leadership. Gee, a politician with principles, integrity and guts... Almost forgot those existed.

(Video courtesy of Crooks and Liars.)

Getting to Know You

2007-12-18T17:34:00.000-05:00

I received a Christmas "Get to Know Your Friends" quiz by email today, and thought it might be fun to post my answers here:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? While I fall back on gift bags for most occasions, I really like to use wrapping paper for Christmas as much as possible. It seems more festive, and I always enjoy my Christmas gift-wrapping sessions, with holiday music in the background. While it's a bit more physically exhausting than using bags, I find it far more mentally relaxing.

2. Real or fake tree? Nothing but the best artificial tree for this family! Real trees have so much upkeep, and finding a good size can be tricky. Plus, with 4 cats in the house, a real tree is just asking for trouble!

3. When do you put up the tree? Right after Thanksgiving, usually... Alas, this year, we're still working on it. We've got the tree with lights & garland, but no ornaments yet. *sigh!*

4. When do you take the tree down? I always aim for Epiphany (January 6th), but I've been known to leave it up until February... A few years ago, I couldn't find the boxes for the ornaments, so I left my bedroom tree up all year! I kinda liked it... I used it for a nightlight. :>)

5. Do you like eggnog? Um, yeah. As a kid, I think I was the only one who liked it, so Grandpa Don would let me help him mix in the bourbon and god knows what else... So, while I appreciate the eggnog-flavored shakes & blizzards of the season, it's just not quite right unless it's swimming with booze. And while I, like my grandfather before me, always use bottled pre-prepared eggnog, I can now mix a pretty killer nog myself. Mark doesn't even like eggnog, but he'll drink mine... Some fresh nutmeg & cinnamon, bourbon, usually some rum, maybe some of whatever else is in the liquor cabinet. Mmmm... tasty.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? That's a hard one... I always got lots of good gifts, but I can't think of any one that stood out as the best.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Several, actually.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Probably Dad. It's hard to get him to admit that he needs or wants anything specific.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Mark. I guess that's what happens when you've been with someone for 16 years...

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Oh, it's so hard to pick... Is it one of the many cases of Christmas strep throat? Or the holiday bronchitis? No, probably the shingles I came down with on Christmas Eve a few years ago. Not very festive!

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, if I get to them at all.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Well, the best Christmas special of all time is John Denver & The Muppets: A Christmas Together, but that's not really a movie. So I guess I'd say the original Miracle on 34th Street. In the less-traditional vein, I'd pick Die Hard and Lethal Weapon - laugh if you must, but they are both set at Christmas, so they're Christmas movies.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Sometime after Black Friday usually, although I often pick up a few things here or there before then. Usually, I order a lot of things online, especially this year. I don't think I even set foot in a store this year...

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Archway Christmas cookies - Bells, Stars or Trees will do, but I also like the fancier ones. Candy canes are pretty sweet, too.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear on my bedroom tree, but always colored on the main tree in the family room. It just looks more festive that way.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I really like most of them, but for the past few years I've been hooked on "Feliz Navidad".

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. It's best for the rest of the family to come unto me... I don't travel well these days.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? On Donder, on Blitzen, on Chuy, on Tavo - come on, Berto! Oh, wait, that's Cheech & Chong... Let's see: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner/Donder and Blitzen. And Rudolph, of course.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? I like a star, but our tree is too limp at the top to support one. We usually have a ribbon bow instead.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Santa always came to our house fairly early on Christmas Eve - I think he went in alphabetical order, so we were near the top of the list since our name started with a B. So we always opened our presents on christmas Eve. Then the next day we would go to Grandma Jeanne's & open presents again. These days, though, we usually open our presents whenever the Memmers can be here - this year it will be on the 22nd. We have Christmas Day with Mark's family, but we don't do presents anymore - there are too many of us, and no little kids.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I would say traffic and crowds, but as I said before, I haven't been out to shop this year, so it hasn't been an issue. So instead I would say annoying commercials.

23. What I love most about Christmas? Just about everything... I love the lights & decorations, wrapping & unwrapping presents, spending time with family & friends. And I always dig some Christmas tunes.

Sunday Seven - Favorite Muppets

2007-12-16T21:02:00.000-05:00

In the early 1960’s the legendary Jim Henson began creating characters that would come to be known as Muppets.

He liked to tell reporters that he combined the words marionette and puppet to come up with his own name, but it would later be revealed that he just liked the name and rolled with it.

There are plenty of Muppet characters to choose from, but this week’s question only asks for seven.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name your seven favorite Muppet characters.

Barbara's list:

Gonzo the Great
The Swedish Chef
Fozzie Bear
Rowlf
Beaker
Miss Piggy
Kermit

Event TV

2007-12-14T02:59:00.000-05:00

I just happened upon a description of tomorrow night's edition of Bill Moyers Journal, which you all know is one of my favorite shows. In fact, the only current events/news program I enjoy as much is Countdown with Keith Olbermann, which is Must-See TV around the Raymond household.

Imagine my delight, then, to discover that tomorrow's episode of BMJ will feature an interview with the man himself, Mr. Keith Olbermann. It's like a wonky liberal's wet dream... I have to admit, I'm drooling a bit in an uncontrollable Pavlovian response to the mere thought of the juicy tidbits to come. For me, it's a bit like getting to see the Beatles play with Springsteen. Sad, I know, but it's true.

In a strange coincidence, I rated Olbermann and Moyers as numbers 1 and 2 respectively in a meme post just 4 days ago, in which the task was to list your 7 Most Trusted news anchors/reporters. Of course, now I've become suspicious that I have magical powers over time and space which somehow brought on this wonderful confluence of events...

You see, this isn't the first time that I've caused something to happen on my TV by sheer force of will. Just ask Mark - he says I'm not allowed to speak anymore during serial dramas like Heroes, 24 or The Sopranos because I keep killing off characters.

It's not that I claim responsibility for every fictional TV death I witness - there are plenty that I don't see coming. But from time to time, for some inexplicable reason, I feel the uncontrollable urge to point at the screen and say "He/she is going to die RIGHT NOW", at which point the character in question inevitably expires within seconds. Several times it has happened immediately, before I even finished my sentence, and it always happens before I can put my hand down. I'm not sure if it's the pointing or the words that do the deed - possibly it's a combination of the two.

As if that weren't disturbing enough, I've also pinpointed the cause of the death in every case - i.e. assassin's bullet, heart attack, poison gas. Sometimes these are a gimme (when Fox runs commercials for a week about a poison gas attack on the next episode of 24, it's not exactly rocket science to figure out that someone will die), but in several cases the deaths were "Big Surprise" plot points which I somehow anticipated.

I would be more specific, but I hate spoilers, so I don't want to ruin any plot points for people who may not have seen the shows in question. Suffice to say that, while I just find the whole thing amusing, Mark is convinced that I have some sort of supernatural power over the life and death of fictional characters. I think maybe he just watches too much Heroes.

Anyway, I'm tingling in anticipation for Keith on BMJ tomorrow night. Just to be on the safe side, though, I'd better sit on hands throughout the show... I'd hate to accidentally assassinate one of the Most Trusted men in news.

A Bit of Christmas Cheer

2007-12-11T16:43:00.000-05:00

No matter how Christmas-y we feel, we never quite manage to get our outdoor decorations put up. There's always too much bad weather, or a plague like we had this year, that keeps us from having a festive outdoor display. Which is really too bad, because admiring Christmas lights is one of my favorite pastimes.

I do have lots of ideas, though - you know, for when we're millionaires and can afford to buy whatever we want & hire someone else to install & remove it each year. If that ever happened, I have a feeling we might end up with something like this:

Sunday Seven

2007-12-10T01:17:00.000-05:00

I thought it might be a fun change of pace to take part in the Sunday Seven at Patrick's Place. Hat tip to Saoirse Daily2 for the inspiration...

**********************************************

Years ago, Walter Cronkite was known as the most trusted man in America.

But these days, when it comes to national newscasters, who do you trust most? Which ones are the most likely to give you the straight dope on what’s really going on in the world? Start thinking now, because that’s this week’s topic. And note that I’m specifying national (or network) newscasters so that everyone can immediately have an idea of who you’re talking about without getting lost in the list of local-only anchor/reporters.

On to this week’s question!

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name seven of the living national (or network) anchors you trust the most.

1.) Keith Olbermann (no surprise there)
2.) Bill Moyers
3.) Jon Stewart (perhaps a sad comment on the state of American media, but there you have it)
4.) Christiane Amanpour
5.) Tim Russert
6.) Bob Schieffer
7.) Anderson Cooper

How was your day?

2007-12-09T21:16:00.000-05:00

Sometimes everything just seems to go right. The stars just line up and good luck follows you no matter where you go or what you do. Or so I've heard.

This was not one of those days.

I set my alarm this morning, so I'd be sure to have plenty of time to get ready for one of my favorite traditions: the Raymond family Young Ladies' Tea, which is scheduled once a year around Christmastime. My lovely and talented sister-in-law Patty arranges this awesome event each year, and it's always a ton of girly fun.

This year's tea took place at 1:00 in the afternoon, so the fact that I had to set my alarm to be ready should give you some idea of how pitiful my life is on a day-to-day basis. Anytime I need to be up before noon, I always have to set my alarm. It's possible that I might wake up before that, but I can't count on it.

But this morning, I was awake for several hours before my alarm went off...which should be a good thing. Unfortunately, the reason why I was awake on this occasion was that I was curled up in the fetal position, wracked with pain. I'm not exactly sure why - usually I can trace my most severe fibromyalgia flares back to instances of physical exertion or unusual stress. For example, I had some nasty muscle cramps & pain in my right arm starting this past Tuesday night, which were easily explained by the potato peeling & mashing I had done earlier in the evening for our post-Thanksgiving turkey feast. Not exactly weight lifting or anything, but for me, that's a lot of exercise.

But I was feeling much better by Friday, and didn't do anything else strenuous all weekend. I was itching to finally put up the Christmas tree, but I purposely didn't so I'd have a better chance of feeling well enough to party with the ladies on Sunday afternoon. I've learned to plan out my life in this fashion, trying not to schedule activities too close together so I have plenty of time to rest & recuperate between events. I did everything I could to ensure that I'd be feeling up to the 40-minute drive to Patty's and the frivolity that would ensue.

So, back to this morning... It took me about 40 minutes to unclench myself, and then I was faced with the trickiest task of the day - trying to get out of bed and into the bathroom without falling or otherwise hurting myself. When this happens to me on weekdays, my usual plan of action involves as much stretching while still in bed as my bladder can tolerate, and then a lot of trial & error. Sometimes leaning on the bedpost helps; other times my arms are far too sore to bear my weight. I have to make a few trial attempts at standing, until I'm satisfied that I've at least got a chance at holding myself upright. If I succeed, and I can manage to make it the 6 steps to the bathroom door, I'm usually good.

Other times, though, like this morning, I'm lucky enough to have Mark nearby when I'm trying to get up. I usually don't even have to ask for help - I think it's the soft sobbing & whimpering noises that tip him off. It typically takes about 10 minutes or so for him to gently extract me from the bed and guide me to the bathroom - this morning, I almost fell when I stepped on a piece of stray cellophane wrapping on the floor. I couldn't see it, since it was clear, but it felt like I had stepped on a jagged rock or some broken glass. That's pretty common with fibromyalgia, I understand - my pain threshold is just completely out of whack. A few tiny crumbs in the bed feels like sleeping on pebbles to me. I call it the "Princess and the Pea" factor. Whatever the cause, it gets really annoying sometimes, especially when I'm trying to concentrate on something important, like remaining upright. Luckily, Mark was standing by to catch me this time.

After I made my way to the bathroom & took care of business, I pulled myself back upright using the countertop, and turned to see myself in the mirror. I looked about as good as I felt: wan, unkempt, cheeks bright red from exertion, eyes bright red from tears. I looked at my hair, which was particularly askew from all my tossing & turning. I picked up my hairbrush, only to release it almost immediately with the realization that I couldn't lift my arm above my shoulder, so brushing my hair would be impossible.

It had already occurred to me that it would be unlikely that I'd be able to drive myself to the tea party, between the restricted motion and the muscle relaxers & pain meds I'd need just to get dressed. This is a common problem for me, so I had already made contingency plans for Mark to drive me if this happened. But it wasn't until I was staring at my reflection in the mirror that it dawned on me that I would never be able to get myself dressed & presentable in time for the party, regardless of whether or not I was in too much pain to have fun.

That's when I lost it. It's not unusual for my pain to cause a few tears, as it already had earlier this morning, but it's never so bad that it makes me sob uncontrollably. As Mark commented knowingly when he came to check on me, it's always the frustration that really brings the tears. And he's absolutely right. There was also sadness & disappointment that I would once again miss a family function, particularly one that is always so enjoyable. But the overwhelming feeling is always frustration: at myself, at circumstances, but mostly at this disease that has robbed me of so many things in my life. I think that, for the most part, I handle my condition and it's consequences & limitations with considerable aplomb. But days like today, which luckily only occur every so often, just push me a bit too far.

As if I didn't feel useless enough, I was unable to stop crying long enough to phone Patty to tell her I couldn't make it to the party. Every time I calmed myself down & picked up the phone, the tears would start all over again. Like I wasn't already embarrassed enough at having to cancel plans yet again - now I couldn't even pull myself together long enough to speak for myself. I finally asked Mark to call her for me, which he was happy to do. Needless to say, dignity was in short supply around here this morning.

Of course, Patty was very gracious about my cancellation and expressed her concerned for me, and I'm sure she knows that I had my heart set on spending time with her & the rest of the girls today. This is not the first time I've had to cancel plans with Patty, so I don't think she was too surprised to get the call. I just wish I had been able to express my regrets personally. Well, more than anything, I wish I had been able to actually attend in the first place, but it just wasn't in the cards today.

This is the part where I say that I'm really not feeling that sorry for myself, and that I know things aren't as bad as they sometimes seem. I had a bad day, and it was upsetting, but I still have so many blessings in my life, not the least of which is the love & support of a wonderful, caring husband. Mark was right by my side to help me up, both literally and figuratively, and I would never take that for granted. Within moments of my morning meltdown, he had me laughing and smiling, which was no mean feat. There are a million reasons why I love him, and days like this make me love him just a little bit more.

I could go on, but I think I need to stop typing for awhile & rest my arms. It starts all over again in the morning, and I'd like it to be a better morning than I had today.

A Time to Give Thanks

2007-12-04T22:51:00.000-05:00

As anyone who has followed my blog over the past month is aware, things have been a bit bleak around the old homestead. Every single person in my house has had a cold/flu bug which has taken us more than 2 weeks to shake. Fifty percent of us - my parents - ended up in the hospital from it, and my mom is still hooked up to an oxygen tank. Not a fun time.

Luckily, we are all feeling a bit better now, which is truly incredible considering that my mother, who has smoked gleefully and faithfully for over 40 years, was informed this past weekend that she had a rather advanced case of COPD and would need to stop smoking immediately.

I remember how tough it was to quit, and I only smoked for less than 10 years. I also had the luxury of setting my own timetable and game plan for quitting. Needless to say, I was expecting Mom to be a bit of a crankypants for at least the next few weeks - and understandably so. Imagine my surprise to instead find her in what I would call an extraordinarily good mood since she's been home from the hospital. I would say that she's actually in higher spirits than I've seen her in years.

Mom has become increasingly depressive over the past decade, as her neurological disability has slowly yet steadily robbed her of her freedom, her ability to walk and drive, and her plans for being an active, helpful participant in the lives of her grandchildren. Each passing day seems to bring a new limitation on what she can safely do on her own, which must certainly be extremely difficult to handle emotionally. So any upswing in her mood is cause for celebration. That this has coincided with the end of her smoking (hopefully for good) is nothing short of a miracle.

We have all been a bit bummed by the fact that we were so sick that we completely missed Thanksgiving this year, so Mom's pleasant demeanor over the past few days has jumpstarted a bit of the festive mood that had so far eluded us this holiday season. It occurred to me yesterday that Mark had purchased a turkey for us for Thanksgiving, which had been languishing forgotten in the fridge ever since he succumbed to the family plague. If we were going to salvage it, we would need to cook it up ASAP.

So, with the addition of a few cans of green beans, mushroom soup & french fried onions, we had a holiday meal in the making. Throw in some Stovetop stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, cranberry sauce and a can of crescent rolls and voila! Thanksgiving was joyfully resurrected for our little family unit. Nothing fancy, but no hours of cooking and cleaning were necessary either, which suited us fine this year. I just popped that turkey in the oven & waited for the timer to ring.

And I think we were all happy to have this opportunity, belated as it was, to celebrate and to give thanks. It's been a tough road, but we're all glad to be on the road to recovery. After Mom's breathing scare, we're all keenly aware of how lucky we are to be together around the table at all, much less around a table filled with our favorite foods. While it is easy to get bogged down in negativity when the going gets rough, the truth is that we are each of us blessed every day in a multitude of ways.

And for that, we give thanks.

It Lives!

2007-11-27T01:07:00.000-05:00

"Many miles away something crawls from the slime at the
Bottom of a dark Scottish lake..."

It... is... alive! Barely, but I think that still counts.

Finishing out Day 9 of the plague that has taken over my family, and I'm finally starting to feel a little bit human again. I'm still completely wiped out, but the fever, chills, nausea and even some of the cold symptoms have begun to pass.

I know it will be days or even weeks before I'm back to normal (whatever that means), but I rejoice in any sign, however small, that the pestilence that has been visited upon us is finally lifting.

Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me & sticking around here even without any recent updates. Thanks also for your kind get-well messages - I really appreciate all the warm wishes. I hope to get back in the swing of blogging by the end of this week, assuming that my health continues to improve (knock wood). I really miss it & I can't wait to get started.

I'll check in again soon. Until then, it's back to bed for me. Hopefully I'll be up & around before New Years... ;>)

Birthday Booty-Shaking and Flu Pandemics

2007-11-21T15:29:00.001-05:00

I wanted to apologize for my recent absence here, which has been due to several factors.

The first distraction from my normal blogginess was the big surprise party we've been planning for my Mom's 60th birthday, which took place this past Saturday. We had a turnout of almost 50 people, which is officially the biggest party we've ever had at our house. It went really well, but took a lot of planning and setting up by all of us: Dad, Laura, John and Mark all brought their "A" game in a big way. I'm pretty sure we managed to surprise Mom, at least mostly. She knew my grandparents were coming, and I think she may have figured out that we had invited a few more people than we had admitted to, like her brother & his family. But she was not expecting the deluge of well-wishers that we had lined up for her, and I know she was very pleasantly surprised to see everyone.

After all that hard work and the loads of fun we had at the party, we planned nothing for Sunday except relaxing & catching up on our TiVo'd programs. But alas, it seems the party gods demanded a sacrifice for blessing our party with so much good food & drink and great company. I awoke Sunday morning with what I believed to be a nasty cold, but have since discovered is actually an even nastier flu, complete with fever, chills and a bit of vomiting. And as of yesterday, the pandemic has spread to both my parents, as well. Somehow (miraculously) Mark has managed to avoid the plague that has been set upon us, at least so far. And believe me, I'm knocking on wood as I type this, 'cause the last thing we need is our only wage-earner (and my personal choice for Favorite Housemate) brought low for days by this miserable flu bug.

So I am currently in Day 4 of my illness, and it has yet to get any better. Some symptoms have come and gone, only to be replaced by others. But I'm hanging in there, and I'm sure I'll be back to my blogging soon. We're all pretty certain to miss Thanksgiving, though, which bites. I'll probably ship Mark off to his sister's house, so at least he can have a semi-normal holiday. He deserves much more than that, with all the extra hours he's been putting in lately. And who knows - maybe we'll have a big Thanksgiving-y meal here at home in a week or two, when everyone's had a chance to recover.

I have lots of photos and some video from the birthday party, which I plan to share here when I'm feeling a bit better. My personal favorite is the show all the kids put on for us - what a hoot! But it's a really long clip that will need some editing to upload, and I'm just not up for that yet. So, until I'm back in the blogging saddle, I leave you with this - a short video clip from Mom's party, primarily featuring my cousin's daughter Rebekah and her mad dancing skills:

Rebekah Shakes Her Booty from Barbara Raymond on Vimeo.

Bill Moyers comments on Pakistan

2007-11-14T16:41:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry to say that I didn't get a chance to watch this until today. I'm usually so concerned about getting up to date with my network shows so I won't accidentally hear spoilers before I've watched them - usually a losing battle, unfortunately.

The promos make the show seem a bit dry, and sometimes it is, but I'm always pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy the Journal. Bill Moyers has long been one of my heroes, and this clip illustrates some of the reasons why.

Up On The Hilltop

2007-11-11T23:21:00.001-05:00

Mark just bid adieu to his first actual "weekend" in months, by which I mean that he didn't have to spend most of it working. He did do a few work-type things today, but for the most part, he actually had a few days off - and in a row, no less. Not exactly a vacation, but we'll take what we can get.

This was definitely cause for celebration, so we planned a short road trip to one of our favorite places to unwind, particularly in the fall. It's not fancy, and there's nothing much exciting to do in the immediate area, but one thing the small town of Spencer, Indiana has to recommend it is a great little eatery called Hilltop Restaurant.

The origins of the moniker become clear immediately as you approach the Hilltop which, as the name suggests, is indeed atop a rather steep hill. I remember that years ago they used to close every winter, since the long twisty driveway would become particularly treacherous with snow or ice involved. I understand that they are now open yearlong, one would assume with the aid of a good snowplow and lots of road salt. But the delights that await you are well worth snaking your way up the incline, no matter what the weather.

The restaurant has been open under various names for almost 60 years, and it shows. I mean this in both positive and negative ways. The building shows its age, with some uneven floorboards and such, although it appears to have had some remodeling and updating over the past few years. The menu is also quite old-fashioned and somewhat limited, with your basic local staples of Hoosier fried chicken, baked ham or turkey, and the specialty Spencer Steak comprising the bulk of your choices. (Choices you make, oddly enough, in the quaint lobby before you are seated in the dining room.)

But variety is not the point at the Hilltop - you come here for an affordable, comfortable family-style meal with all the trimmings, and that is what you get. The entrees are fixed portion (i.e. 4 pcs. of chicken per diner - not exactly skimpy!), but everything else is shared by the table and is refilled as often as you like. And "everything else" here includes a lettuce salad - which is, quite literally, just lettuce tossed with a very light, sweet dressing made in-house - pickled beets, usually some raw veggies, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans (the yummy kind with lots of pork), creamy gravy and some tasty rolls accompanied by a fabulous orange marmalade.

I'm not much of a marmalade person, but this stuff is addictive. Unlike most marmalades I've had elsewhere, Hilltop's is not full of chunky bits of fruit and rind - it's almost creamy, with only a few visible flecks of finely shaved orange. It's an interesting and unexpected choice, as Southern Indiana is typically apple butter country, particularly in the autumn. But it does set Hilltop apart from other area restaurants, and as much as I like some fresh Brown County apple butter, I have to admit that I prefer the Hilltop marmalade.

Another thing that sets the Hilltop apart is its prices. We didn't even look at the menu on Saturday, as we knew what we wanted before we left home, but at last check the fried chicken dinner cost around $7-8 per adult. Drive just a few minutes east to the touristy Nashville area and you will likely pay significantly more for a comparable meal. Last time we were there, a fried chicken dinner at Nashville House cost more like $18 per person, and only included 3 pieces instead of 4. And while my family used to frequent the Nashville House back in the day, the chicken is sadly nowhere near as good as it used to be - and certainly nowhere near as good as the Hilltop's. You'd be much better served to order your Nashville House fried biscuits (their specialty, which are always excellent) to go, and make the short drive to Spencer for your chicken.

While Spencer may not have the picturesque Hoosier National Forest to recommend it (although it is right around the corner from McCormick's Creek State Park, which ain't too shabby), it is still quite scenic like most of Southern Indiana, and the area surrounding the Hilltop is almost picture-postcard perfect in the fall. The wrap-around walkway and back garden are beautiful in springtime, too, with lots of colorful flowers, but I always prefer the autumn colors - which are still stunning this year due to the late arrival of fall weather (notice I didn't say global warming... I was just thinking it).

We picked the perfect day for the trip, with sunny skies and beautiful fall colors all along the drive. As always, our meal was exceptional - the chicken was fresh, crispy and delicious, and the rolls with marmalade were heavenly. And afterwards, we enjoyed our traditional stroll around the building and through the garden. It was a perfect day, with perfect company.

I always get a little sentimental when we visit the Hilltop. Aside from the many terrific meals and memories Mark & I have shared there, it's also one of those magical places that can instantly transport me to my childhood. Nearly every Sunday of my youth, right after church, my grandparents would announce that they were going for a drive, and ask us kids if we wanted to come along - and we always did. My sister, my cousins & I must have traveled every highway and back road of Indiana (and some in Ohio, Illinois & Michigan, too) with Grandpa Don & Grandma Jeanne, usually with no destination in mind other than an off-the-beaten-path restaurant or perhaps a good antique store. Looking back, I now realize that the primary goal was almost certainly to keep us occupied & give our weary parents a much-needed break.

But these trips were a huge part of my childhood, and many of my fondest memories began with a Sunday drive with Grandma & Grandpa. I never understood how lucky we were to have that opportunity until I met my husband, whose family traditions were significantly different from mine. I always just assumed that every family went on Sunday drives to remote and interesting destinations. I thought all the kids my age had been to the Duesenberg museum in Auburn and the courthouse with the tree growing through the roof in Greensburg. One of my very first dates with Mark was a Sunday drive with Grandpa Don (this was sadly after Grandma Jeanne had passed away) to Lima, Ohio to check on his booth in the local antique mall. A lot of my personal history is wrapped up in these day trips, many of which included a stop at the Hilltop.

So as long as they'll keep serving up the tasty vittles and warm Hoosier hospitality, the Raymonds will keep coming to Spencer to soak it all in. A cherished childhood memory has become a treasured family tradition, and I think that's a wonderful thing. But even if I had never set foot in the place before yesterday, I would still recommend the Hilltop to anyone. Do yourself a favor, and let the kind folks at the Hilltop create some special memories and traditions for you, too.

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Now playing: Barenaked Ladies - Light Up My Room
via FoxyTunes

Tales from a Cat House

2007-11-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

Annie has the sniffles. Actually, she has the full-blown, snot-filled sneezes. It's not attractive at all. It's probably really uncomfortable for her, too, since she reflexively shakes her entire monstrous head with each sneeze. She must have quite a case of kitty whiplash by now.

But it does make her very cuddly, which is unusual. She typically only likes to sit with me about once a week, in the middle of the night when it's very quiet. And she's usually done with me within about 10 minutes. If I didn't know better, I'd think she were a man.

But when she's feeling under the weather, I'm her favorite person, and it's kinda hard to get her off my lap. I'm sure it's mostly for the warmth, but she actually seems to enjoy being with me & all the attention she gets. Which is very sweet, but it makes it a bit tricky to use my laptop Keith when there's already something fat & furry in my lap.

I startled her a bit by starting to play some music, as her head was nestled up against the speaker. I thought that might shoo her away, but it turns out that she likes most of it. I did finally get rid of her with some Toadies, but she seemed to dig all my emo, and she was particulary fond of James Taylor. "Sweet Baby James" made her purr like crazy. Weird.

Her counterpart Blackie, on the other hand, is currently avoiding me. This could be because I yelled at her this morning when, in an attempt to wake me up (for no other reason than her own entertainment, mind you), she decided it would be a good idea to nibble on my face. She was mistaken, obviously.

Or, she could still be a bit skittish from yesterday, when I expressed my displeasure at having torn my bedroom apart for 6 hours, only to find that she had stolen my wedding ring. To be fair, I don't think she stole it on purpose, so I don't think we need to break out the cat handcuffs. Blackie, due to her unfortunate size, tends to... well, absorb things without realizing it, kinda like the Blob. I'm not sure if these things just become hopelessly trapped in her belly fat, or if maybe they can't escape her gravitational pull. But we always check there first when anything smaller than a breadbox is missing.

I'm not even exaggerating for effect here. She sucks up my TiVo remote all the time, sometimes changing channels inadvertently when she breathes. (And those things are pretty big - you can see it in the above Annie picture, laying on Mark's left shoulder). She once assimilated my cell phone, and let me tell you: you haven't lived until you've seen a 25 lb. scaredy-cat try to figure out why her tummy is vibrating and playing Flight of the Conchords songs. She kept trying to run away from it, but the phone was so firmly lodged in her fat rolls that she had made several circuits of the house before it finally escaped. Kinda pitiful, really.

So, you may ask, why did I not look there for my ring in the first place? Ah, but I did. I gave her belly as thorough an investigation as I could, until she finally protested & hunkered off into the corner to her favorite non-people-furniture cozy spot: a fluffy, folded fleece blanket next to her cat tower. From there she observed as I methodically destroyed my bedroom, tearing apart my freshly-made bed, crawling under all the furniture with a flashlight, and performing a few less rational searches, as well (refrigerator? toaster oven? boxes still sealed from our last move 5 years ago? Surprisingly, no luck).

Then, after a nice long nap, Blackie decided it was time for a nosh and got up to eat. She was still standing on her fluffy blanket, stretching, when the ring finally became dislodged from her generous gut. As it landed with a gentle "plop", she looked at it for a moment with her head cocked sideways, then continued on to the food bowls. And while a huge wave of relief washed over me at the sight, the first words out of my mouth were: "BITCH CAT! You watched me look for that ring for HOURS!" Which, in retrospect, may have been a bit of an overreaction...

So that may be part of the reason why I'm being avoided today. Or she might just be wedged in a doorway somewhere, waiting to be rescued, like one of those 1000 lb. people who can't get out of their own house without knocking down a wall.

I'd better go check, just in case.

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Now playing: Toadies - Possum Kingdom
via FoxyTunes

"Freedom is happening in Iraq." Shyeah, right.

2007-11-09T03:05:00.000-05:00

Somehow, I'm always a bit stunned when our Fearless Leader plumbs new depths of insanity. I... I'm almost speechless. Almost.

While this clip includes only the opening lines of his answer, be sure to check out the transcript excerpt below for all of Bushie's Words of Wisdom on Iraq, including the latest installment of The President Goofus Mysteries. I call this one "The Case of the Disappearing French Foreign Minister".

Idiot. I am continually surprised that this man was ever promoted past the fourth grade. I guess money can buy just about anything.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. My question is on Iraq. Mr. President, this morning you talked at length about Afghanistan, Iran, but not Iraq. And I wanted to ask both of you, is France reconciled with the United States, the United States is reconciled with France? So what about Iraq? Can France, for instance, help to get out of the Iraqi quagmire? And President Bush, where do you stand on Iraq and your domestic debate on Iraq? Do you have a timetable for withdrawing troops?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I don't -- you know, "quagmire" is an interesting word. If you lived in Iraq and had lived under a tyranny, you'd be saying, god, I love freedom -- because that's what's happened. And there are killers and radicals and murderers who kill the innocent to stop the advance of freedom. But freedom is happening in Iraq. And we're making progress.

And I can't thank the President enough for sending his Foreign Minister to Baghdad. It's a clear message that freedom matters; that when people are struggling to live in freedom, that those of us who have comfort -- the comfort of a free society ought to help them.

We had a difference of opinion with your great country over whether or not I should have used military force to enforce U.N. demands. I reminded a TV reporter -- I don't know if the person is here or not -- but I said, I just want to remind you that 1441 was supported by France and the United States, which clearly said to the dictator, you will disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. Now, I'm the kind of person that when somebody says something, I take them for their word.

Having said that, we had a difference of opinion. But I don't sense any difference of opinion now that a struggling democracy wants help from those of us who live in the comfort of free societies. And, Mr. President, the strong gesture of sending your Foreign Minister there wasn't a message to the United States, because we're good friends; it was message to the Iraqi citizens, that said, we hear your cries for freedom, we want you to succeed -- because one of the lessons of history is, free societies yield peace.

And so I appreciate your leadership on that issue and I want to thank your Foreign Minister for -- I don't see your Foreign Minister. Look, the guy was here. (Laughter.) Oh, there he is, yeah, next to -- look, the President was blocking; next to Madam Rice. Anyway, thank you, sir.

Video is (fittingly enough) courtesy of Crooks And Liars.

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Now playing: Barenaked Ladies - Lovers In A Dangerous Time
via FoxyTunes

This is a cat with too much free time

2007-11-07T02:43:00.000-05:00

You've all probably seen this before, but it made Mark spit milk through his nose, so I had to post it anyway.

Mr. Bush, "We are better than you." Hell yeah!

2007-11-06T01:20:00.000-05:00

The following clip illustrates why Keith Olbermann is is the secret father of my imaginary children. (Mark doesn't mind - he doesn't want any kids, even imaginary ones.)

These cats play dirty

2007-11-05T01:31:00.000-05:00

A cautionary tale:

This is Annie.

Annie is one of my two kitty-babies, and has been with us for over 2 years. She fears nothing except dogs, and is sure that the entire house is her domain, even though Mark & I pretty much keep to the top floor of the house. Our other kitty, Blackie, sticks close to us, but Annie is the adventurous sort.

This is Alfie.

Alfie is one of my parents' two cats, and has been with them for many years - ever since his Auntie Laura saved him from some mean neighborhood boys who were beating him with chunks of winter ice. Alfie is at least 4 years older than Annie, and had been in our home for a good 3 years + before we ever got Annie & Blackie. He should be the alpha male in this abode.

You notice I emphasized the should. While he is every bit as intrepid as Annie, which is commendable at his advanced age, he becomes inexplicably timid around both my girls. He actively seeks them out - as he is doing fruitlessly in the above picture - yet the best he's been able to manage when he actually gets their attention is to become a white furry punching bag. Annie enjoys this immensely, while Blackie takes the whole thing very seriously, and gets all worked up about it. Blackie views Alfie the same way Lou Dobbs and Pat Buchanan view illegal Mexican immigrants. No laughing matter for her... But I digress.

Annie has developed the habit of wandering downstairs to where Alfie spends most of his time, and just loitering provocatively until he notices her. I like to call it "kitty entrapment". All he has to do is wander a bit too close to her and WHAM! The typical attack is characterized by a flurry of blows to Alfie's face, until he loses his balance or cowers in fear. Usually, this is the end of it, at least until he comes back for more (which he always does).

On a few occasions, though, Annie has chosen to deliver a parting shot to Alfie as he tries to escape her wrath. And this is the truly interesting part: as Mark has witnessed several times, Annie will wait until Alfie has turned his back on her to run away, then she advances to deliver an uppercut to his most sensitive of areas.

Yep, that's right. My darling little Annie has mastered the feline nut punch. And with a true uppercut motion, too, which almost seems impossible. And yet we've all seen it. And, sadder still, Alfie keeps coming back for more.

Maybe it's his history of abuse as a child - I mean, kitten - that has caused him enough self-esteem issues to allow him to live in such an abusive situation. But he keeps going back.

I guess you can't help everyone. And if you have male genitalia and are ever invited to Casa de Raymond, be on guard for Annie the Nut-Punching Supercat. She starts out sweet, but I make no guarantees. It's every man for himself around here, baby!

Be sure to Name That Person!

2007-11-05T01:21:00.000-05:00

Just a quick heads-up to make sure you all check out today's "Name That Person" post on my media blog. I learned something extremely cool this week, which I had to present in the form of a contest as soon as was humanly possible.

As always, it's just for fun - there are no actual prizes. I think the trial is its own reward, don't you?

Maybe not. But this is a pretty fun piece of trivia to have anyway.

I refuse to Spring forward, but I'll definitely Fall Back

2007-11-04T01:28:00.000-04:00

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. The weather gets cool & crisp, the scenery here in Indiana is beautiful, and there's lots of family celebrations at hand (several birthdays and anniversaries, including my own), as well as anticipation for the holidays right around the corner. Yes, I do love the Fall.

So I suppose it's fitting that the Indiana autumn provided the backdrop for one of the best days I've had in a long time. Not that I haven't had some good days this year - we had lots of fun on our triple-date in September, for example, and I've had some great times with Mark. I think that this day stands out from those only in the sense that it was unexpectedly good.

The evolution of my special Saturday was typical: Mark has been working through the weekends for the past few weeks, and I thought a girls-day-out might be beneficial for my best friend who, as you may recall, has had several recent health scares regarding her husband. Providentially, I received an invitation last week to attend an Open House for Vista Massage Therapy Group, a local spa which I had been meaning to try out for quite some time.

Massages are generally a bit out of my price range, and I actually noticed the last time I had one (probably 5 or 6 years ago) that I felt worse afterwards than I had before. I've since learned that this is very common with fibromyalgia patients - not that massage techniques can't be helpful, but the standard Swedish or deep tissue massages can be too harsh and make symptoms worse. The reason Vista had me on their mailing list in the first place was because I had been doing some research on any local masseuses that do specialized bodywork for fibromyalgia, such as trigger point therapy and myofascial release. They do, but the time has just never seemed right to go in & try an appointment. Plus, we were trying to cut our budget to the bone over the past 6 months or so, just to be cautious, until Mark felt happy & stable in his new position. So it was hard for me to justify a luxury like this, even though it is for pain management more than relaxation...

But things are pretty positive right now on the job front for Mark - he even felt confident enough to pay off our entire credit card debt, which tells me that he's pretty sure he'll be bringing in some steady money for now. So he encouraged me to go to the Open House and ask all my questions, and find out if they would be able to help me without being prohibitively expensive. As long as he didn't have to go, he was all for it.

Never having been to this place, I was a bit leery of what we would find. They invitation mentioned demonstrations of various techniques, vendors selling things like Mary Kay, crafts, air purifiers, and personal training. They also promised refreshments, which I figured would be a tray of vegetables and some cookies. Serena & I made a game plan before we went in, deciding to give it 15 minutes and then bolt if it was boring or if they started to put on the full press.

I will summarize the experience: Serena had a free foot massage and a free chair massage; I also had the foot massage, plus a free blended massage, with trigger point therapy included. So awesome! Add in some free wine and cheese, tiny chicken salad sandwiches, apple cake, pumpkin cake, and apple cider, and the novelty of getting to watch an ear candling in progress, and you've got quite a fiesta. We never made it to the free tarot readings or tuning fork therapy (??) - we were too busy being buffed to a shiny glow.

Follow this free relaxation event with lunch at the new Greenwood Cheesecake Factory, and you've got yourself a pretty remarkable day in progress. One pumpkin-pecan cheesecake and a mojito later, and life seems very good, indeed.

To top it off, we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and Kohl's to do some girly shopping. For once, a day that was both fun and relaxing at the same time....I don't usually get that. I tend to either be relaxed but bored, or have fun but be pushing myself too hard.

They say that high on the list of therapeutic benefits of massage for fibromyalgia patients is the fact that it promotes and enhances healthy sleep. That's huge, because poor sleep is a major contributor - some even think it's the cause - to fibromyalgia symptoms. A restful sleep can change a lot for a fibro patient.

Serena brought me home around 5:30, and I was completely relaxed... So much so that I was counting sheep by 6:30, and slept most of the evening. I'm actually still really tired, but I thought I should try to stay up at least a bit so that I'll sleep through the night (for once). Anyway, if the goal of therapeutic massage is to promote sound sleep, I'd have to say "check" on that one!

All in all, a very fun, different, and educational outing. I signed up for a follow-up massage next week, so I can try the full experience & decide if it's something I want (& can afford) to do regularly. This first appointment should cost about $50 for an hour, which is pretty reasonable, I think. If it can make me feel as good as I did when I left there today, it's worth every penny.

If you live in the Indy/Greenwood area, I highly recommend giving Vista a try if you find you need some relaxation in your life. I also recommend that you check out their MySpace page & add them as a friend: they send occasional bulletins with specials and event notifications (that's how I knew about the Open House today) to keep you up to date on all their news & deals.

Now I'm off to another 10 hours or so of blissful sleep. Ahhh, sweet relaxation! ;)

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Now playing: The Cure - Just Like Heaven
via FoxyTunes

All Work and No Play Make Barbara Something-Something

2007-11-02T19:10:00.000-04:00

This has been a busy week around the old homestead.

Aside from obsessing about my blog template issues (which I think are all worked out now, thank God) and all the Halloween hi-jinks (see previous post), I've also been elbow-deep in lots of other shenanigans. Such as:

Planning & executing a super-secret 60th birthday party with (potentially) 60 guests for a woman who not only lives in my house, but has also never made it to any function on time - including her children's weddings, her husband's open-heart surgery, her own surgeries, and numerous parties in her own home.
Gathering & arranging photographs for a collage, a personalized calendar and a 30-minute slideshow with music & effects for the above-mentioned birthday girl.
Learning far more than I ever wanted to know about the differences between a C corporation and an S corporation, and the tax ramifications of each. Apparently my position as Secret Assistant to the Regional Manager of Ghost In The Machine, Inc. comes with some unsavory duties. To be fair, Mark warned me about that, but I thought he was just talking about sex stuff. Lesson learned...
Setting plans in motion (scheduling, budgeting, shopping, etc.) for the other upcoming festivities: Thanksgiving, Alex's birthday, Christmas (which includes 2 small family gatherings and the yearly huge bash) & New Year's.

I'm not complaining about any of this - it's not like my time is at a premium or anything. It just kind of took me by surprise. It's actually good for me to have some structure to my days, but I do have to be really vigilant about scheduling myself properly and make sure that I don't push myself too hard. If I don't, I'll end up flat on my back, drugged out of my gourd, and missing all the fun stuff I worked so hard to plan.

So, I may be spending a bit less time with my blogging, at least for awhile. Real life beckons, and I must heed the call. But I will undoubtedly still be lurking around, and I'll do my best to check in as often as I can.

A Not-So-Happy Halloween

2007-11-02T02:17:00.000-04:00

Halloween pretty much sucked around here this year.

I learned while having breakfast that singer/performer extraordinaire Robert Goulet had died. Right around lunchtime, I found out that my sister's kitty had just been put to sleep. (Poor Ty-Kitty!) And I was chopping vegetables for dinner when I got the call from my best friend, telling me to meet her at the emergency room. Her husband passed out at work, banged his head on something, and had to be rushed to the hospital.

I think perhaps the moral of this story is to avoid me around mealtimes, at least on Halloween.

Since I spent most of the afternoon and evening in the ER, I missed this:

And this:

And this:

And, as usual, the 2 and 1/2 hour driving distance meant that I also missed this:

And this:

*sigh!* I think my uterus is aching.

As always after a day like that, I have to stop and count my blessings, which are numerous. Except for poor Ty-Kitty & Bob Goulet, everyone I love is (reasonably) healthy and happy. I have a wonderful, supportive husband who would do anything for me and family that loves me enough to send me all these adorable pictures. Yes, despite everything, life is good.

But Halloween still sucked.

Oooh! Spooky!

2007-10-31T15:31:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween!

The Return of "Serenity Now"

2007-10-31T01:00:00.000-04:00

OK, so the new look only lasted 2 days. I can't help it - I like my tropical vibe. So sue me.

I did keep the new template, though - just changed the colors & header. And I still have the new blue & silver caipirinha look on my entertainment blog, if you care to compare & contrast.

I've been too distracted by the appearance of my blog to actually post anything for the past week or so, but hopefully this will put an end to that. Of course, I've still got a bunch of things I want to change here... *Sigh!* My life is so hard.

Shyeah.

Your Monday Demotivation

2007-10-29T18:20:00.001-04:00

The Grand Unveiling

2007-10-28T11:58:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my brand new template! I'm pretty happy with it, although I kinda miss the tropical feel of my former template... I can always change my colors & header, though, if I decide to return to the tropics.

As before, my header is homemade, although the photo is not mine this time. I have also upgraded to some fancy lettering. It may not look like it, but the photo is actually a picture of my new favorite cocktail, a lime caipirinha. So tasty!

The most important aspect of the new template is the blog post section which, as you may have noticed, only displays one post at a time. This means that the whole page loads much faster, and any videos I post should run much more smoothly.

If you want to read the previous posts - and I hope you do! - just click on a title in the "Previous Posts" section. The requested post will then appear in this section without reloading the rest of the page. It's pretty cool, really. The 30 most recent posts are listed here, but you can go even further back using the "Older" button or through the Blog Archive. Or, you can click on a label from the "Labels" list & the titles of all posts with that label will appear in the "Previous Posts" list, also without reloading the entire page.

I'd love to know what you think of the new template - how it looks & feels, and how it performs. I've had some difficulties in the past watching my posted videos on my trusty (yet not too powerful) laptop Keith, but so far everything is running much better for me with this template. I hope it will make things easier for all of you, too.

I should be back to blogging here real soon. I'm sure I'll continue to tinker with fonts & colors over the next few days, too, but that shouldn't keep me from posting. So stay tuned!

(If you like the new layout, you can get the Neo template for yourself for free at Hackosphere, along with tips for installation & lots of other nifty Blogger hacks. Thanks, Ramani!)

Your Friendly Neighborhood FEMA

2007-10-26T18:00:00.001-04:00

I don't know why I should continue to be surprised at this stuff, but somehow it gets me every time...

So FEMA faked a press conference. And, wonder of wonders, Fox News played right along. It was all done so smoothly that one has to wonder if this is just business as usual...Call a press conference with as little notice as possible (in this case, 15 minutes), then infiltrate the press corps with FEMA employees who will ask all the easy questions. Brilliant!

Not that the real press would have dug much deeper, unfortunately, given their track record over the past 6 years. Honestly, I'm surprised the administration would bother with stacking the deck in this case, given the softballs they usually get from the American press. Makes me wonder what they're really trying to hide...

Let freedom ring!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow...Fonder?

2007-10-25T18:20:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to apologize for my lack of attention over these past few days. I'm really not abandoning my duties (heh, I just said duties) as webmistress of this here oufit.

I'm actually spending most of my free time - which, let's face it, is all of my time - looking for new & better ways to present my blog. I've got a bunch of new nifty utilities which should allow me to post pretty much any video I choose, and we all know I'll use the hell out of those.

Now I'm experimenting with new templates & Blogger hacks, which could take awhile. If I were able, I'd just create my own template, but there's not much chance of that happening anytime this century. I'm satisfied with the appearance of my blog the way it is, but I'm looking for ways to improve its performance. Right now, I'm experimenting with the Neo template, but I still have a long way to go before I make a switch.

Hopefully, I'll be back in the blogging saddle soon.

Man-On-Dog Weekly

2007-10-25T14:11:00.000-04:00

So here's my new favorite thing. Okay, I guess it's not a big surprise or anything, but I still find it immensely amusing.

Happy Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week

2007-10-22T16:28:00.000-04:00

I wonder if there's a carnival involved.... Nothing goes better with hate-mongering than elephant ears.

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Now playing: Joey Ramone - What a Wonderful World
via FoxyTunes

Character Development

2007-10-21T18:13:00.000-04:00

So, the revelations about Albus Dumbledore just keep on coming... This could be considered a spoiler, so proceed with caution if you haven't finished the books yet. I hate spoilers, so I will try to be sufficiently vague, but I'd hate to ruin anything about the Harry Potter experience for anyone.

I have to say, one of the very few criticisms I had of The Deathly Hallows was the feeling that the depth of Dumbledore's relationship with Grindelwald was never properly conveyed. Sure, some of Dumbledore's actions could be explained by impetuous youth, but it certainly seemed to me that there was more to their relationship than Jo Rowling expressed in the pages of her books. What hold did Grindelwald still have on him years after their friendship ended, that Dumbledore would stand by while innocent people were harmed rather than stand up to the dark wizard? The Dumbledore we came to know through Harry's eyes would have been compelled to intervene much sooner. There had to be more...

And then, a few days ago, Rowling gave us an explanation that brings it all together. I suppose this will be unpopular with some, but I think it's brilliant. My only regret is that she didn't find a way to incorporate this revelation into the books in a more concrete fashion. Something like this informs the character in such a profound way that it's not, in my opinion, the kind of thing that should be left to conjecture.

I think it also says a lot about Jo Rowling that she cared enough about her audience and her characters to reveal such a juicy bit of backstory without making us pay for it. She could easily have held this information back for a prequel about Dumbledore's earlier life - which I think is a great idea for a book, btw - and used the publicity to sell even more books. Not that she ever needs to sell anything ever again... Nevertheless, I'm sure her agents and publishers would have much preferred that she save such news for a future bestseller. Kudos to Rowling for acknowledging the deep affection many of her readers feel for her characters - and for continuing to surprise us.

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Now playing: Howie Day - Collide
via FoxyTunes

My New Toy

2007-10-19T02:37:00.001-04:00

I'm testing my latest Firefox addon, Clipmarks. In theory, it should not only clip text, photos and videos for my later perusal & use, but can also allow me to post said items directly to my blog. I've chosen a favorite scene from The Office as the test subject...

Well, here goes...

clipped from www.youtube.com

Don't Forget About COOL

2007-10-18T03:01:00.000-04:00

As previously reported, my husband went off into the woods last weekend to spend some quality time with his siblings. I'm pretty sure they just drink & play Jenga, but I'm told the drinking is used as a tool to facilitate the bonding... There's still no excuse for the Jenga, though.

Apparently the cabin where they drank (& slept, one would assume) has a guestbook, in which people are encouraged to leave an account of their time in the wilderness. As you might guess, some pretty bizarre things have been written in it, so Mark always makes a point of perusing it during his stay.

This year, one entry was so good that they had to smuggle it out of the park to make copies for all and sundry. Thank you, Patty, for making copies & sending them out to everyone. You're such a good sister...

So here it is, complete and uncensored. Try to imagine Mark reading it in his Brak voice for full effect:

"We all came here on 7-13-07 to get away from Greenfield In. for a weekend. After we got a real COOL Racoon came out of the woods and ate crackers out of our hands. His name now is COOL, and he likes sour cream + chives crackers. The next morning I got up and had to poop that's why the comode does not flush right anymore. (Sorry) Don't forget about COOL.

"I woke up in the morning and had to poo And went to flush and to my surprise it wouldn't go down... But all in all it was a COOL time feeding the coons... tonight if we drink enough I want to pet one. Maybe even make coon Burgers or something... Oh yeah, Jason Vorhees was staying in cabin 8 so Be on the look out... Just got back from horse Back riding Everyones horse pooped But mine And then the garden hose popped out of the gignourmus horse I was riding and pee peed about 15 gals of pee on the trail. then we came Back to this cool air conditioned cabin."

I know it's pure supposition, but I'm starting to think that the Raymonds aren't the only ones who get drunk in that cabin.

The New Queen of All Media

2007-10-17T20:36:00.000-04:00

I'd like to announce my latest "blogsperiment": a new blog dedicated to TV, film and music, which I'm calling The Queen of All Media. Hardly a revolutionary concept, I know, but I'm still baby-stepping it into cyberspace.

My ultimate goal is to replace my MySpace page, because... well, because MySpace is evil (as anyone who has been here before should already know). While others may use their MySpace for networking or other useful purposes, mine has primarily been a repository for all the random pop culture garbage that I find amusing. I change the content on a weekly basis, with all kinds of fun video clips each week. So I plan to start doing that on my new blog now instead.

I would have switched over completely a long time ago, except I've been experiencing some technical difficulty when posting video on Blogger - particularly YouTube. I'm able to embed the video, but the playback (at least on my laptop, Keith) has been choppy and basically unwatchable. So I've been experimenting with other video options, but so far none are as useful as YouTube. I've uploaded some clips directly to Blogger, which usually works, but it is a cumbersome process to say the least. I've had a bit better luck with YouTube on my new blog, but so far I've only used it in the sidebar, which may work differently. If anyone has any helpful tips on this subject, I would greatly appreciate them.

For now, I'll just keep on experimenting - I mean "blogsperimenting" - until I'm satisfied. I haven't decided if I'm going to post all TV & film clips to the new blog only, or if I'll continue to post them here as well. Let me know if you have any opinions on that topic.

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Now playing: John Cooper Clarke - Evidently Chickentown
via FoxyTunes

Whack-A-Murdoch

2007-10-16T17:37:00.000-04:00

And now for our new national pastime:

Please Respect the Meat!

2007-10-16T17:15:00.000-04:00

The gang from My Name Is Earl has done a lot of cool online extras, but I think this one may be my favorite:

Always read your contract, Charlie!

2007-10-16T03:07:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I didn't find this until yesterday. I've been completely derelict in my duties as the potential Queen of All Media.

I hope this helps make up for my slip...

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Now playing: Soundtrack - Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back - Track 19 - Bullets - Bob Schneider
via FoxyTunes

Movin' On Up

2007-10-16T02:38:00.000-04:00

I expect that some of you have noticed the remodeling I've been doing over the past few days...

I was sorry to say goodbye to my tropical paradise theme, but it was just becoming too much of a hindrance. The columns were too narrow, and it wasn't very easy on the eyes - which is becoming more and more important to me as the years pass. Time to grow up and at least pretend to be more professional about these things...

I hope to keep the tropical vibe going, with my peaceful photo in the header and colors meant to evoke images of sand and surf. At least for now. I'm likely to change my mind again in a week or so.

So I bid a fond adieu to my "Serenity Now" theme, and move onward and upward to more practical and useful templates. Let me know what you think of the change...

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Now playing: Soundtrack - Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back - Track 15 - The Devil Song - Marcy Playground
via FoxyTunes

I will NOT be MySpace's bitch!

2007-10-15T02:13:00.000-04:00

As expected, I was able to catch up on a lot of my queued TiVo programs this weekend - one of the few upsides of being abandoned by your spouse for two whole days (*sniff*). Of course, I had to save many of the best shows for Mark, so I mostly watched the shows he doesn't follow. But we did manage to squeeze in several shows this afternoon after he got back from his trip.

So I'm now officially up to date on: ER, Shark, CSI, My Name Is Earl, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Two And A Half Men, Rules of Engagement, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and The Simpsons. The first 3 are shows Mark doesn't watch, and we only caught up on the others because they are comedies & therefore don't require nearly as much attention as the hourlong dramas do. Most of Mark's designated TV time is spent in veg mode - which is understandable, after 9 hours at work and around 3 hours total commute each day.

For the record, we still need to get to: Family Guy (1), American Dad (2), Heroes (1), Chuck (2), Journeyman (3), Law & Order SVU (3), House (1), Bones (3), 30 Rock (2), Big Shots (3), Law & Order CI (2), Robot Chicken (4), South Park (1) and a few other random programs. I keep telling Mark that he needs to take a few "TV vacation days" if he ever wants to catch up to the TiVo, but he disagrees - something about the mortgage and his career and something something, blah blah blah. He obviously needs to reexamine his priorities...

Not that I'm complaining about any of this... It's refreshing to have so many new, good (so far - and we haven't actually seen Journeyman or Big Shots yet, so the jury's still out on them) programs from which to choose. And I'm certainly not upset with the TiVo, either - that would be heresy, and I would never risk the displeasure of the TiVo gods. Just looking at our list of unwatched programs & picturing what it would be like if I had to tape all that on the VCR (and keep track of it, too) makes me shudder. I have to struggle to remember our pre-TiVo days...I have a vague recollection of labels and lists and sticky notes and about 12 remotes, and I'm pretty sure there was a horse & buggy involved somehow, too. I've blocked out most of it, though.

Something I am more than happy to complain about, though, is MySpace. I can't be the only one experiencing the bizarre, random and annoying technical difficulties to which I have been subjected lately. Today's entry into the devil's lottery was a glitch in the Bulletin function. I don't use it much - my last bulletin was 2 weeks ago, so this may not be a new problem. For some reason my message kept being repeated, like someone had copied & pasted it at the end of my last sentence. Every time I tried to go in & edit it, I instead ended up with another repeat of my text, eventually receiving the same message iterated 5 times in one post. The only way to avoid this was to cancel the post altogether.

In the end, I just tacked on an apology for the vagaries of MySpace, and sent it out in all its multiple glory. I expected to see several such multiple posts, but all the bulletins I received both before & after appeared to be completely normal. This leads me to believe that it is only MY account having the problem, which of course brings me back to the unholy Rupert Murdoch and the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.

As they say, it's not paranoia when they really are out to get you.

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Now playing: Joshua Radin - Winter
via FoxyTunes

Day Man - Fighter of the Night Man

2007-10-14T00:57:00.000-04:00

Sometimes life can be surreal. This is one of those times.

"Master of karate and friendship for everyone". Too true.

(Clip courtesy of HenryOverkill on YouTube.)

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Now playing: Ben Folds Five - Bitchsong
via FoxyTunes

Lower companion monkeys are running MySpace

2007-10-12T22:20:00.000-04:00

So I just looked at my MySpace blog page, as I am required to do every time I post there. I'm not checking for grammatical errors - I always post here first, and a combination of Blogger's spell-check & my proofreading usually fix all that before I even get there. No, I have to check to see what new and wonderful ways MySpace has concocted to fuck up my page.

As you might guess, I was not disappointed. While I was finally able to use the size & color of font that I like for my post (which I haven't been able to do for at least a month), my header fonts were once again completely different than I had set them. Different color, different size, different style. They were fine yesterday, which I hope means that this is a recent problem.

For those of you who haven't been following my blog and therefore haven't had the pleasure of reading my previous rants, suffice it to say that this has been an ongoing problem. Last time it took over a month for MySpace support to fix it, and I still have to tweak it at least once a week.

On the plus side, I was able to put my settings back on the first try this time, which is refreshingly new. At this point, I have 3 theories as to why this keeps happening:

1.) Mischievous elves living in our home network are changing all my settings.
2.) Rupert Murdoch is not only super-evil, but has way too much free time.
3.) MySpace sucks donkey.

I'm leaning toward either 2 or 3, but I'm not sure that they're mutually exclusive, so it could be both. I'm not ruling anything out at this point. Of course, if Mark were here, I'm sure he would point out that there are definitely no elves in Marknet, but that it could be my dark lower companion monkey who comes out to blow up balloons at children's parties. Yeah, I don't really understand it, either.

Stay tuned as this gripping drama continues to unfold.

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Now playing: Ben Folds - Doctor My Eyes
via FoxyTunes

My Swinging Bachelorette Pad

2007-10-12T19:23:00.000-04:00

Yep, this is the life.

I've got the whole upstairs to myself for 2 full days (in theory). Mark's wandered off into the woods for the Raymond siblings' annual summit/rave. Imagine 4 drunks stumbling around in the forest and complaining about their childhood and I think you'll get the picture.

I've already annexed Mark's side of the bed for all the essentials that I usually don't have room to enjoy: snacks, tissues, all 6 remotes, purse, magazines. If I had adult diapers or a bedpan, I'd never have to get out of bed. He took my car, too, which I'm pretty sure was a signal that I need to order pizza delivery.

Of course, the truth is that I already miss Mark terribly, and by Sunday I'll have my nose pressed against the window looking for him. I have the parents to keep me company, but they're surprisingly uninterested in letting me cuddle with them in bed. Go figure. I don't know why - I'm delightful.

I'm always uneasy when Mark is going to be gone overnight. Don't get me wrong - I don't begrudge him his little vacation, and Lord knows he probably needs a break from me. But aside from the loneliness, there's the issue of who will take care of me while he's away. I don't mean to say that I need constant assistance or anything, but I've been spoiled by having him around. I have a propensity for mayhem, and Mark's always here to help me clean up my messes and/or dust myself off. I also have an unfortunate history of montrous calf cramps while sleeping, and my hands aren't strong enough to tackle them on my own. It's only happened once when he was away, but that was enough for one lifetime - it was awful.

So it's not all as rosy as I made it out to be. But, on the plus side, I am ordering pizza.

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Now playing: Various - The Outfield Your Love
via FoxyTunes

My Brave Baby & Her Big Badonkadonk

2007-10-11T04:13:00.001-04:00

Strange thing happened Tuesday night...

It started off normal enough. Dad made a yummy pot roast, which was of course enjoyed by the entire family. I had received my new "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Seasons 1 & 2" DVD set, and we brought it down to watch with Dad, since he seems to dig the show.

After about an hour of eating copious amounts of beef and partaking in general frivolity, the strange thing happened: Annie, the intrepid cat-about-town who fears nothing, got very tense & her tail bushed up to about 4 times its normal size. I couldn't understand why she would react that way - she's had words with my parents' 2 cats before, but she's hardly afraid of them. She usually just ignores them unless she wants to play, and then she beats them up. If anything, they should be scared of her.

And then we realized what had caused this reaction: Blackie, the behemoth who lives in our upstairs bedroom, who has never set so much as a pinky claw on the stairs, was darting very gingerly around our family room. I guess that after 2 1/2 years of having to hear us have fun down there without her, she finally grew a pair & decided to see what she's been missing. She didn't stay long, but she made 2 more quick return trips, sort of like reconnaissance missions.

I'm still not certain why this spooked her sister Annie so much - They get along fine together. I think she was just startled, as were the rest of us. I never thought Blackie would muster up the courage for such a bold move. I'm so proud! Of course, now she's all full of herself (and there's a LOT of herself to be full of) and thinks that, because she had the nerve to conquer the downstairs, she has the guts to try the jump to our plant shelf along the vaulted ceiling. Annie does this with ease on a daily basis, and it's been really irritating Blackie that she can't do it, too.

The problem is that Blackie, while remarkably agile for a 25 pound cat, has no chance of making it onto that shelf. The only way up is a steep vertical jump, after which she would have to use her front legs to pull the rest of her onto the shelf. This, I believe, is a physical impossibility. Her back end is easily 3 times the size of her front. All other attempts at similar vertical jumps have ended with her reaching her goal, only to be pulled back down by her giant ass end - as I've noted before, she's like a big furry Slinky.

So far, she hasn't been very receptive to my suggestions that lack of nerve was not the true obstacle to her jump; rather, the real obstacle is her big black badonkadonk. Maybe badonkadonk translates differently in cat... or maybe she's just like every other girl I know & is in denial about how big her butt is. In any case, she is not to be dissuaded from her goal, so I'll keep you posted on her progress.

Powered by ScribeFire.

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Now playing: Polyphonic Spree - Section 9
via FoxyTunes

Mozilla Waterplatypus

2007-10-10T21:48:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling a bit punky over the past few days. Seems to happen about this time every year - I think it has something to do with the fluctuating weather patterns. Like arthritis, temperature and humidity have been known to exacerbate fibromyalgia symptoms. In any case, my downtime has given me a chance to spend some quality time with Keith the Laptop and my new Firefox web browser.

I wouldn't have thought that I'd really appreciate much of a difference between brands of web browsers, but I have to admit that I've been having a ball messing around with all my new Firefox add-ons. Some are actually useful, like the MySpace Toolbar and the Download Helper, and others are completely silly.

A few examples of the latter: there's STOP, Hammertime, a nifty little tool that exists for no other reason than to play the corresponding snippet of MC Hammer music every time I click the stop button in my browser. I have been picking random pages and then stopping them from loading constantly over the past few days just to hear it, and I'm still not tired of it. Haven't gotten much accomplished, though...

There is also Firesomething, which is nearly as pointless as STOP, Hammertime. Firesomething actually does serve a purpose - it keeps nosy people from seeing the true name of the page you're using, in case you have an office snoop. The way it accomplishes this is by randomly assigning inane titles to replace the name Firefox (although it does still keep the Mozilla name, one would assume for copyright purposes). Right now, the browser I have open is entitled Mozilla Waterplatypus. The pattern seems to be to mimic the Firefox name by using an earth element + an animal. Whatever the reason, it cracks me up.

There are other useless but fun add-ons, like the themes. Right now, my browser is a soothing shade of light blue, and all the icons are cat silhouettes. I also have a Halloween theme that I plan on using over the next few weeks. You can download as many themes (free, of course) as you want, and change them with just a few clicks. For a newbie like myself, that's the only way to go.

I have to admit, though, that as much as I like to denigrate my abilities, I have developed what I naively consider to be some mad coding skills. Much of this is due to trying to compensate for the inadequacies of MySpace, but I have picked up a few other tricks. Mark spent an hour or so showing me how to correctly use a command-line tool to edit video files, and now I can chop up an FLV with surgical precision - in DOS, which still freaks me out a little. My Download Helper addon makes it a snap to make copies of all the stuff I watch on YouTube, so I've had lots of videos to use for practice.

I've learned some other handy skills, too, like how to make ringtones for my new phone out of mp3s - some of which I've stripped from FLVs, which makes for some great new rings. You haven't lived until you've set your incoming calls to serenade you with GOB Bluth and his black puppet Franklin singing "It Ain't Easy Bein' White". I also found some excellent software to make my own slideshows with music I choose in just about any format you might want. No more time spent fighting with the upload tools on Slide.com, just to have the damn thing not work (or run so slowly that it's useless).

So, in summary: Firefox good; add-ons better. And I know I joked about this a few days ago, but I think I might really have a shot at becoming the Queen of All Media. Now if I could just do all this AND catch up with my TiVo... I have such a hard life.

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Now playing: Butthole Surfers - Pepper
via FoxyTunes

Guy Love

2007-10-08T20:25:00.000-04:00

Oh, dear. I fear that I have done something very, very wrong.

But I have to show it to you anyway.

This is a tribute to the beautiful yet unnatural love that exists between my husband & his best friend.

Oh, dear!

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Now playing: Buzzcocks - Ever fallen In Love?
via FoxyTunes

Stumbling into oblivion

2007-10-08T03:17:00.001-04:00

I have absolutely nothing of import to discuss. I just had to have an excuse to use my fancy new technology.

Now, I realize that it is far from new (though still fancy) and that I am surely the bazillionth person to discover it, but that doesn't affect my excitement. I'm all aquiver.

Mark & I have a general rule regarding any technology in our house: if I find a program or application that I think I'd like, I run it by him first to make sure I don't end up playing global thermonuclear war with WHOPR.

In this case, it was actually Mark's idea to upgrade. He's been learning all about Firefox from his new co-workers, and is starting to think he'd like to use it to replace IE on all his systems. But I get to go first, like a guinea pig. Typical.

I'm really not complaining, though. I just downloaded Firefox at 9pm, and I've already discovered several cool addons that will make my computer experience easier and, I think, far more fun. And who doesn't like fun?

My first addon was StumbleUpon, of which I have heard such rave reviews from family and friends. I've been restraining myself, but I can totally see how it could become addictive very quickly. For the unititiated, StumbleUpon basically has you fill out a quick survey about what kinds of things you like to do online, then they put a "Stumble" button on your toolbar. All you do is click that button, and you will be taken to random sites that should reflect your interests. You can rate each page to get even better results in the future, but that's not required. Everyone I know who uses it just sits in front of their PCs clicking "Stumble" repeatedly until their heads explode. Great stuff!

I also added a cool application called Scribe Fire, which allows me to blog without navigating away from whatever else I'm doing at the time. So far it's just crazy convenient, but I have a feeling I'm not using it to it's fullest capacity.
I'm sure I'll find new things to love about it as the days go on.

Last, though certainly not least, is my FoxyTunes addon. It's a deceptively simple little program that establishes a small toolbar with all the buttons you would ever need to control whatever music player you use. The application supports about 30 different players, including the WinAmp I use. So, no more toggling back & forth for me to change the volume or skip a song. I can do that right in my browser. Quite excellent. It also has a setting that will automatically attach a "What I'm Listening To" line to the end of my blog posts. I've enabled that function, so we'll see if it works on this post.

That's all I've got. Mark (the husband) and Keith (the Laptop) are both very excited about this turn of events, and the possibility it holds. Stay tuned!

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Now playing: Barenaked Ladies - Alternative Girlfriend live
http://foxytunes.com/artist/barenaked+ladies/track/alternative+girlfriend+live

My So-Called Life

2007-10-05T20:58:00.000-04:00

I've been woefully neglecting my blog ever since I got my new fancy cellphone last weekend. It seems like it would be a really cool phone, if I could manage to wrap my pea-sized brain around it & make it work. I think I've ironed out most of the technical difficulties (knock wood), so I'm hoping it will be smooth sailing from here on out.

In the meantime, I've learned how to make some pretty awesome ringtones. I think that's going to be my new hobby. It would be more exciting if anyone actually called my cellphone, but still... My phone records & views videos, too, which is very new for me. If I ever figure out how to use it, I'll be the new Queen of All Media.

I've also been neglecting my poor TiVo, which makes me kind of sad. For once, there's actually something good on TV, and I'm missing it. I know it will still be there when I need it, but it's just not like me to wait for 2 weeks to watch the House premiere. I'm disappointed in myself. Maybe this is what it's like for people who have lives... except without the actual "life" part.

It may be awhile before we catch up to the TiVo queue, actually, because I just received my Seasons 1 & 2 DVDs of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in the mail today. I have a feeling Mark & Dad are gonna want to check them out, and even though I'm pretty sure I've seen them all, I know I won't be able to resist watching them, too. So now you know what we'll be doing all weekend.

I had fully intended to start posting regular thoughts/reviews of all my favorite TV shows as the season progressed, but I've already gotten so far behind that I don't know when I'll catch up. It would be pretty sad to post my thoughts about month-old episodes. Maybe I'll get all caught up next weekend, while Mark is off in the woods getting drunk with his siblings. I should make Mark write a review of that - I have a feeling it would be much more interesting than anything I've seen on TV in awhile.

I must close with a touching picture that I took with my brand new cellphone camera. It's a bit blurry, but still cute. This is Mark cuddling with one of his bestest friends, his sister Patty's pet Kitty. Kitty is about 200 years old, thin as a rail, flea-ridden and (reportedly) demented, but she's a sweetheart, and she always throws herself at Mark when he visits. It's really kind of disgusting, but they both seem to enjoy it.

The O'Reilly Defense Initiative

2007-10-02T16:37:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share with you my new favorite thing:

If you're having trouble viewing this in Blogger, you can check it out on YouTube here.

Yet another meaty celebration

2007-10-02T01:57:00.000-04:00

By the time I post this, my 13th wedding anniversary will have come and gone.

October 1, 1994 seems a world away now. We were so young and naive... We're still pretty naive, but we haven't been young for a lo-o-ong time. Accordingly, we decided a few weeks ago to make it a pretty low-key celebration, consisting primarily of catching up on the TiVo programs and scratching ourselves. Ah, the simple joys of life!

As fate would have it, we were instead invited by two of our favorite people for a night out, featuring a lavish steak dinner at Bynum's and wonderful company. Few things can tempt Mark away from hibernation on a Monday evening, but this opportunity provided 3 of his favorite things all in one fun-packed outing: brother Jack & sister-in-law Alison (who are here in Indy ever so briefly for their annual visit from their Hawaiian paradise), good conversation and MEAT.

As you would expect, a jolly time was had by all - certainly beats the bejeezus out of TiVo, to say the least. Despite being delayed by emergency interstate closings and therefore missing out on the yummy prime rib, we were all in good spirits and had a great time. We consumed massive quantities of beef, cheese, bacon and onion blossom, which account for 4 of Mark's Top 5 Things to Put in His Face. Topping off an already terrific evening, we adjourned to Mark's ancestral home to visit with his dad and the other honored out-of-town guests, Uncle Joe & Aunt Mary Ellen. We also enjoyed some of Alison's scrumptious blueberry cheesecake, which we somehow managed to cram into our already-distended stomachs. Somehow my tummy always makes room for cheesecake... which would explain how my tummy got so roomy!

So we had a grand anniversary, due in large part to the generosity of Jack & Alison. We of course appreciate the dinner tremendously (as well as the gift of macadamias), but much more precious was the time spent with loved ones from far away. Their time here in Indiana is always very limited, and they inevitably find themselves in great demand while they are here. Mark & I feel honored and blessed that they took time out of their busy schedule to spend some private time with us & to help us celebrate in style.

We thank you both heartily, and look forward to spending more time with you when next we meet - which would be in Hawaii if I had my way... We will miss you when you're gone, and we won't forget to go ahead & start making plans now for your next visit, so we can have first dibs. It will take us that long to think of some fun adventures for us, anyway... Unless you consider Wal-mart to be a fun adventure. *sigh!*

And lest I forget, a huge thank you also to the person who made today's celebration possible. It is only due to his poor judgement and questionable taste that we had an anniversary to celebrate in the first place. I thought for sure that once those things improved he'd drop me like a bad habit, but so far he seems pretty sure he wants to stick around. I may not understand why, but I'm no fool - I'll take him for as long as he'll have me (and possibly longer - I've been perfecting my stalking techniques).

Thank you, Mark, for always being by my side (and on my side) when I've needed you most. Thank you for being a loving husband, a caring son-in-law, and a wicked awesome uncle/godfather. Thank you for not freaking out when I became ill and could no longer work - instead, you remained calm and focused, ready to meet each challenge as it comes. Thank you for assisting me with all the many things, big and small, that I need some help to accomplish - ranging from shopping trips and cleaning the house to helping me get out of bed and making me breakfast.

Mostly, thank you, Mark, for always loving me, for staying with me through thick & thin and for never giving up on me - or on us. That alone is the best anniversary present I could ever get,

I love you, honey. Happy 13th Anniversary!

SlapCountdown.com

2007-09-28T01:55:00.000-04:00

Random thoughts from my day:

I was really excited about tonight's new episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but now I feel a bit let down. To be fair, we only watched the first of the two episodes before Mark had to crash. I guess the best way to describe the episode we saw would be "lackluster". It definitely was not the laugh riot we have come to expect - especially from an episode entitled: "The Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty McGoo". That should be guaranteed comedy gold. Sadly, it was not.
MySpace sucks. Hard.
I never thought the day would come when another machine would dare challenge my TiVo for my affections, but I was clearly mistaken. The hubby got me a brand-new-to-me, mostly-shiny, gently-used laptop computer for my birthday/anniversary. It's hardly state-of-the-art, but then again, neither am I. It's gently rolling me right into the 21st century, and that's just the right pace for me: a slow roll. That's not to say that Keith is slow (yup, I named it Keith). He's actually much faster than most of the computers in this house, especially the trusty old desktop I used up until last week. I already forget his name... Anyway, Keith & I have begun to develop a deep and meaningful relationship. I would thank my husband for the thoughtful gift, but I haven't seen him since he hooked Keith up to the wi-fi a few days ago. I'm sure he's around here somewhere... I'll track him down the next time I need some tech support.
Did I mention that MySpace sucks? Like, a LOT? I know, I've been saying this for years. Well, I guess it's really only been weeks, since I've only been on MySpace since the beginning of July. It just feels like years. When I first set up my profile, I didn't really have any basis of comparison. It was my first foray into online networking and blogging, and I'm not very tech-savvy (obviously). I needed a lot of hand-holding, and figured that MySpace was probably a good choice for that. WRONG! That's not to say that I didn't learn from the experience... I've picked up a lot about social networking & the blogosphere very quickly, and not entirely by choice. The MySpace experiment has turned out to be one marathon technical difficulty, and I had to scour the 'net for tweaks, fixes and alternatives just to keep my head from exploding. You haven't lived until you've spent 4 hours carefully setting every font in the right place and every color in just the right shade, just to find the next day that MySpace somehow arbitrarily changed or even deleted your code. I liken MySpace to the Bermuda Triangle - up becomes down, black becomes white, and no rhyme or reason can penetrate the dark mystery of its many failures. My husband works in html for a living, and after many tearfilled pleas, has tried to help me figure out what the hell is going on. But even he, Director of IT for a web development firm, has yet to create any code that can withstand the dreaded MySpace Curse. So, I officially give up. Keith & I are going to start seeing other blogs. I stuck a lovely pre-made Blackadder layout on that puppy, and I'm just gonna let it ride. It's disappointing, since I had so much fun those first few weeks setting it up, and such high hopes for keeping it updated and interesting. I will continue to attempt to update items to it weekly like I have been, but from now on, I will not try to overcome the inane technical obstacles that will inevitably come up. I've found far better things to do with my time, like setting up this blog exactly the way I want it. It's like a beautiful, beautiful dream... So, expect to start seeing lots of video clips popping up over here as I try to wean myself away from MySpace. *sigh*
"This is so totally going on my blog..." For any How I Met Your Mother fans out there who missed Monday's premiere episode, there is a new web page that you won't want to miss. I've just added a widget to my sidebar that accomplishes the same thing, but it just doesn't have that creepy, ominous feel. I recommend you still check out Marshall's version here. Now, in case you've missed it, here are a few clips to help explain everything:

Let the countdown begin!

(I've noticed that these clips aren't loading too well in Blogger, so if you're having difficulties too, just check out the clips on YouTube here and here. Sorry for the inconvenience.)

Tales From the Hoff

2007-09-26T16:46:00.000-04:00

I think I may have just scooped Laura, who is by far the undisputed Hoff-meister expert in the family...

Read the news here.

I also found a website with some pretty useful Hoff-related merchandise.

Enjoy!

One Night in Brazil

2007-09-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

I'm SO proud!

I'll leave it to you to decide which one is the Lady and which is the Tramp. They both look pretty trampy, if you ask me. You didn't see any of the actual ladies present behaving that way.

I think my favorite picture, though, is the one that best sums up our evening:

"I get my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine."

True dat.

Yet another rant about the media

2007-09-26T03:50:00.000-04:00

As I sit here typing, I'm watching Jon Stewart having an in-depth interview with Evo Morales on The Daily Show. Don't know who that is? Well, I'm not surprised. He comes from a country which has no oil and therefore gives us no reason to invade or colonize. Bolivia does have the second largest natural gas reserves in South America, but that's pretty far down on the neocons' list of priorities right now - somewhere below pre-emptive war with Iran but above free kittens for abortionists.

I'm not sure exactly how I feel about Evo Morales... He considers himself a socialist, and is a champion of the unions - mostly due to his past experiences as a coca grower. I can go along with most of that, socialist that I am. And I do love me some coca.

Some of his other stances make me a bit uncomfortable. Morales has said that "The worst enemy of humanity is U.S. capitalism." That's a bit too much, I think. He also supports building an "Axis of Good" with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Fidel Castro of Cuba. I get nervous any time someone refers to creating an "Axis" of anything, Of course, I feel the same way when people talk about a Coalition of the Willing. What the frick is that supposed to mean? The answer, I believe, is nothing - it's purely a diversionary tactic, and therefore not to be trusted.

All of this is beside the point, though. My ire was raised not by any political stance discussed during the interview, but rather by the interview itself. I can remember a time when news outlets were climbing all over themselves to get an interview with any foreign head of state, especially the controversial ones. But now, when Evo Morales or Perves Musharraf come to America and want to address us through the media, where do they go? NBC Nightly News? CBS, or ABC? No, they end up in front of a live audience, talking to a man who, despite being a comedian, makes more sense and asks more pertinent questions than any so-called "journalist" in this country.

I don't claim to know whether this happens because the other media outlets turn their backs on these heads of state, or if they actively choose to go on The Daily Show over those other programs. I could certainly see the appeal, particularly with vocal Bush critic Morales. I think Musharraf did do some interviews with CNN and 60 minutes, but I think he hit The Daily Show first. And I still think it points out a sad reality about the state of the media in this country. A self-proclaimed "fake news show" is fast becoming more relevant than the more established, traditional media. And this makes me sad.

Don't misunderstand - I love the fake news. And I'm glad that the show is getting some respect, as it certainly should. But when The Daily Show was created over 10 years ago, it was meant to spoof the trend of combining news with entertainment. But the intervening years have taken all the sarcasm out of the premise. It could be just another news show, only with better jokes. I actually get more news from The Daily Show than I do from just about any other American so-called "news program".

I long for the days when American newsrooms ran independently from the entertainment segment of the networks; when making a buck off the news was not the ultimate goal. The point used to be to provide your viewers with the best possible information, even if it didn't make your network a dime. Networks did this with the theory that if you provide reliable news every day, your viewers would reward you with loyalty & stick around to watch whatever entertainment was on the lineup. They also did this because it was the right thing to do. I'm afraid that's a time now lost to history.

And there's no excuse for it. Technology has graced us with a myriad of new ways to keep people informed about current events and things that affect their daily lives. Those sources are out there and are often used by those of us with the time and curiosity to seek them out. But news has always been meant for the masses, and there are so many methods to disseminate news to the world that, for one reason or another, have not been used to their fullest. I wonder why that is so...

Why is it that technology allows CNN, Fox and other cable news to run a constant headline ticker, providing up-to-date information on the same handful of irrelevent stories that have no bearing on our lives? Screw all the elaborate graphics and tickers. I'd be much happier with a more traditional 30 minute newscast with a real mix of local, national and international news. (I actually do watch something like that, at least the closest I could find - BBC News America.) I don't need 15 minutes of weather and 20 minutes of sports; I would much rather spend that time finding out what's actually going on in the world.

But Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone and all the other old, pasty media moguls wouldn't make nearly as much money that way, so for now the best way for an American to find news is to seek it from other countries. This, I think, is the saddest of all. We used to have the most talented, elite journalists in the world. Now most of our news shows are anchored by "personalities". Just using that word makes my stomach turn.

But unless we start demanding better information, this trend will only continue. We need to tell the networks that, as much as we enjoy our mindless diversions like Can You Dance Better Than a 5th Grader, we also require just an hour a day of serious, unbiased information about what's going on in the world. They can fill it full of commercials for the other mindless drivel that I love so much - just fill in the rest with actual reporting on issues and events that have an impact on our lives.

If they won't, we might start to get the feeling that they don't want us to be informed. After all, an uninformed populace is much easier to manipulate and control. But I'm sure that's just a coincidence...

Don't Fear the Reaper

2007-09-25T23:28:00.000-04:00

We are now 2 days into the new fall TV season, and so far all I've been able to watch is Family Guy (excellent, btw, especially for all my Star Wars uber-nerds out there) and The Simpsons (despite the presence of superstars Stephen Colbert & Lionel Richie, not a great episode).

Certainly I could make time in my busy schedule to watch more than that, but I like to save most of the shows to watch with Mark. What can I say - I'm a romantic.

So I haven't yet had the pleasure of watching the series premiere of Reaper on The CW (dumbest name for a network ever), but I've heard some great things. To be honest, I'd probably still check it out even if I'd heard horrible things - I'd watch just about anything Kevin Smith directed. Even porn - which may actually happen, based on the title of his latest work in progress.

My biggest fear about Reaper is that it will be totally awesome, but no one but me will watch it. That seems to be happening more and more over the past few years. So I've decided to do my part & get the word out to as many people as possible.

Now all you have to do is watch it.

Visit cwtv.com/shows/reaper

Every Picture Tells A Story, Don't It?

2007-09-25T02:08:00.000-04:00

I was going to write something brilliant to go with the shameful photographs I mentioned yesterday, but I realized that they don't really need any further explanation, past the captions already provided.

I'm sure I'll be dragging these photos out at every possible opportunity in the future, posting them in random places on my blogs. They're just too funny!

For now, though, I'll settle for a quick slideshow of the event, with captions pointing out the important stuff.

All credit, honor & glory for these photographs rightly goes to my sister Laura, who remembered her camera and took most of these pictures.

Sordid tales of debauchery

2007-09-23T00:53:00.000-04:00

This is a pre-emptive strike.

By this time tomorrow, there will undoubtedly be some blackmail-worthy photographs of both me and my husband (yet, oddly, not the two of us together) floating around on the interwebs.

I have only one thing to say:

We're really not quite as drunk as we look.

In my case, this isn't very important - the photos in which I appear are not so bad, so I don't feel the need to deflect any blame. Mark, on the other hand... Well, the "inebriated" excuse would have come in handy for him. Let's just say that he confirmed a lot of suspicions we all had regarding the nature of his relationship with his best friend & former college roommate (AKA Mr. Repressed), who also happens to be married to my sister. Laura and I were thrilled, of course, as were the unsuspecting fellow diners. Ah, young love!

At least he's keeping it in the family...possibly a little TOO much in the family. There are also some questionable pictures of Mark with my cousin, Erik. Again, we've always wondered about those two. They seem a bit too close, if you know what I mean. So the behavior is hardly surprising, although I DO question the decision to act that way right in front of their wives - their wives who were the Birthday Girls, and were SUPPOSED to be the belles of the ball. I'm afraid we were out-"belle"d by our loving husbands. Good times!

In closing, I want to wish Cindy a happy, happy birthday, and thank her ever so much for organizing our rowdy triple date. She was the only one of us who even pretended to behave herself at dinner. Also, let me give a rousing shout out to the folks at the Brazilian Grill Steakhouse in Indy. They were very indulgent of our shenanigans, PLUS they brought us all the meat we could collectively consume. We give it 6 thumbs up (or would it be 12?). It's a bit pricey, so will likely be a special-event restaurant for us, but I think we will definitely return - if they'll have us, that is. I'm expecting the sexual harassment papers any day from the poor server - MALE server, in keeping with the rest of the evening - to whom Mark professed his love. I married such a man-whore!

And, unfortunately, the pictures ARE accurate. *Sigh!*