the splog

Accomplishment is weird.

2011-10-03T18:53:00.000-05:00

I have Bieber hair today. Le sigh. Stupid Mega gel that doesn't Mega anything.

My nephew is cuter than yours.

I hate my English class.

Well, getting a crown wasn't that bad. The prep a couple of weeks ago sucked, though.

OMG I FOUND A BRA!!!!!!!!! (To put this in context: I hate bra shopping more than almost anything in the world. I hate it more than doing laundry, for pete's sake.) I also purchased an oh-so-exciting kit to de-grossify my headlights. This one at least hooks up to a drill so I don't have to polish by hand. They also had the Schweddy Balls ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, so more on that later. They did not, however, have any of my frozen cauliflower in cheese sauce. Assholes.

I watered the tomatoes, the dishes are done, the garbage is taken out, and dinner is in the oven.

For real, you guys, this is more than I usually do in a week. And it's only 5:14 PM. OK, so it was 5:14 when I wrote this originally. Now it's like 6:47. Whatever, you'll get over it. TTFN!!!

Too tired...

2011-09-21T23:15:00.000-05:00

...to blog tonight. I promise a real update on Friday, though.

Yep, it happened

2011-09-19T13:21:00.000-05:00

Oh, come on. You knew it was bound to happen. Life is boring and I'm lazy and you'll get over it. School is still going well. Got the assignment for our group project in English today. We have to promote the fabulousness of the Fargo/Moorhead area. Bleh. Oh well, at least it's not trying to promote Frazee's fabulousness. There's only so much you can do with the smell of turkey poop and a good wrestling program.

Logic is definitely getting more interesting. It's starting to become what I thought it would be from the start. First test is next Friday and I think it will go well.

Thorvald has not yet arrived, but after tomorrow's appointment they should have some idea of when he might be arriving. The latest estimate for his weight is 8 lbs. 10 oz., which still sounds pretty frickin' big to me. I still have to wash the onesies I made, though. Probably should do that tonight just to be safe.

Things at the shelter have been...interesting. I may or may not go into more detail in the future. It depends upon what ends up happening regarding some situations.

Well, that's all for now. I have Logic problems to do and then I'm off to the dentist for a crown prep. Yay. TTFN!!

It's nice outside, anyway

2011-09-07T14:22:00.000-05:00

Nothing really to report, just a typical day. I did get a few tasks I've been putting off done, so I'm feeling a bit accomplished. Had a fun Labor Day weekend at The Lake, too, so all is well. Also, the nice weather is very conducive to young men wearing basketball shorts, so there's even a bonus to Wednesday. TTFN!!

Ahh Friday

2011-09-03T01:44:00.002-05:00

No info to blog. However, I did blog, so nyah. TTFN!

Wednesday again...

2011-08-31T11:33:00.000-05:00

Ahh, Wednesday. That middlest of days. It inspires me to, um, yeah, it doesn't inspire me at all. Classes were good today. I'm now preparing to eat my lunch in the library (which isn't really its intended purpose, but oh well) and then get my homework done. Not a lot of it, mostly reading.

So far things are going very well. Found out today that my English prof is, if not younger, then very close to my age. I kind of knew that, but it's nice to have confirmation that I'm an old lady. He wears comic book t-shirts and wants us to call him Josh. "Mr. Webster is my dad." Other than that, he's good.

My Logic class is going well, too. That prof (whom I've had several times before) inquired today if I was planning a major in Philosophy. I told him no, but only because I would have to start at the very beginning and probably add at least 3 semesters on to my degree. I'm tired of this crap and want to graduate. I think he likes having me in class because I argue with him on a regular basis. Unfortunately, Logic isn't really an arguing kind of class. It's about arguing, but the rules are pretty much set in stone with not a lot of wiggle room. So arguing about arguing is not really possible. Bummer.

Talked to my brother a bit last night and he reminded me that his son will be here in about 3.5 weeks. How scary is that? Becky is doing very well, though, so that's great. The OB guesses the little fella will be in the mid-nine pound range. So, actually, not so little. I'm really bummed that I won't get to see the little critter until Christmas, but it can't be helped. I don't have the funds for a plane ticket and a 13-hour drive doesn't really work for a weekend trip. I guess that's what Skype is for, right? I just hope his other aunties don't try to horn in on my territory. They all have other nieces and/or nephews to hang out with. This one's mine. Here's the latest belly pic:

Well, I should eat so I can take my pills so I can do homework. Pills aren't directly required for homework, but without them I become funky and gross so homework isn't really possible anyway. If anyone is thinking that Medicare and Medical Assistance (which is what Medicaid is called in MN) are an unnecessary luxury, come to my house and see what my prescriptions would cost without them. Then vote accordingly. Anyway, have a great Thursday and I'll see you soon! TTFN!!

Monday, Monday

2011-08-29T11:15:00.000-05:00

So, day 3. First Monday. All is well. I am actually quite proud of myself today because there's no one at home but me. I had to get up and get ready and get here in time with no prodding. It may not sound like a big deal, but for me it kind of is. I'm not too great with the self-motivation sometimes. OK, most of the time. I appear to be doing better at the present. Which is good, obviously. Especially since the parentals will be gone for several weeks starting in the end of September.

As far as school, first assignment in English is due Friday, and it sounds like there will be one due in Logic as well. The English assignment is an email, so it shouldn't be too taxing. We'll see about the Logic assignment. So far I'm keeping up on the reading, so that's good. That's all for today, see you Wednesday! TTFN!!

Another Friday bites the dust.

2011-08-26T23:08:00.000-05:00

Well, made it through another day. I actually think it's going to be a pretty good semester. I think I have the whole timing thing to get there not too early but not late, either. So far the homework doesn't look like it will be too crazy for either class, so that should keep my stress level down. For now, though, I'm going to bed early so I can go to a birthday party for my aunt tomorrow. I have to make an appetizer. I can't decide what. Oh well, I'll figure it out in the morning. Have a great weekend, everyone! TTFN!!!

I know, I know.

2011-08-24T12:21:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's been a while. I'm fairly sure no one even checks this anymore, and who can blame them?

However, it is a new day and a new semester. I have decided I'm going to be liveblogging (so to speak) my final semester of college. I'm hoping it will give me some accountability as far as going to class and help me stay on task so I can finally flingin' flangin' graduate. So, theoretically I should be posting here 3 times a week. I've decided that if I can keep my car clean for 2 months I can surely manage to blog a few times a week.

Anyway, today was day 1 of both of my classes. My first one (at 9amgasp!) is Traditional Logic, which I am actually quite excited about. Since Mr. Spock is my idol I think the class will serve me very well in all future endeavors. The professor is one I've had several times before and I always enjoy his lectures. He has a very dry sense of humor and likes Star Trek. And he's kind of arrogant about his intellect, which I appreciate.

Class 2, which I am not excited about at all, is Business and Professional Writing. It's required, which is the only reason I'm taking it. However, the professor seems pretty cool, so hopefully that will make it suck less. I'm also pretty sure I'm several years older than him, so I can always just call him a whippersnapper and hope he takes pity on an old lady.

Well, that's all for today since I didn't learn anything but where the classes are held and what the syllabus will be. I will be back on Friday, so stay tuned for more thrilling escapades.TTFN!!!!

(On a pervy old lady note, basketball shorts are just swell.)

I'm tired of trying to be stuff.

2011-04-02T22:59:00.001-05:00

Well, here I am again, blogging. For the moment, anyway. I don't have anything profound to say, so I'm not even going to try. I'm going to make observations and whatnot and talk about things that interest me.

I saw Source Code this afternoon. It was super-cool, and Jake Gyllenhaal is really pretty. I'd have preferred him clean-shaven, but oh well. Scruffy is good, too. It's ostensibly an action flick, but I found the story compelling and the characters were really filled out. There's a wicked cool twist in the plot, which is like "Whoa!", but then "OK, that makes sense." I won't spoil y'all, but it's science-y and a little disturbing but awesome.

Before the movie, they showed previews for the new Three Musketeers movie, which looks pretty cool, and X-Men: First Class which looks downright awesome. I'm not a "real" X-Men fan, so I'm sure there are many, many terrible things to hate about this movie. I am an X-Men movies fan. I was aware of the X-Men before the movies, but didn't really care. So as far as comic canon and all that junk, whatever. I like the movies.

There are tons of movies coming out soon that I am excited to see, but number one on the list has to be Hanna. I would watch Cate Blanchett watching paint dry, so I'm there anyway, but it looks super-awesome to boot. Throw in a Chemical Brothers soundtrack and it sounds like a winner to me!

Watched Chaos last night, mostly because Eric Close is in it. It's kind of stupid and really far-fetched, but I liked it. It was fun and had a sense of humor. Plus, Eric Close. I can't believe this is the first thing we've seen him in since Without a Trace.

That's enough of my sparkling prose for one night, so fare thee well and don't take any wooden nickels. Or step on anyone's butterfly. Thanks Mr. Anderson! TTFN!!

Blig blag blahg...

2010-10-03T19:05:00.000-05:00

I LOST FIVE POUNDS!!!!! Whee! I wasn't sure I could do it but now I know I can so sticking to "The Program" will be easier. I eat whatever I want, just less of it and I have to plan ahead. I've also been walking, which gives me more points to use during the week.

Today is Sunday, and it has been a very different Sunday than those of the past months/years. My psychiatrist suggested not going back to bed AT ALL after I get up in the morning. Now, in the past, I would spend Sunday in bed napping/watching football. Well, today I have been sitting on the couch not napping but still watching football. Perhaps it doesn't seem like a big change, but for me, it is.

In a few days I'm heading out for another vacation with the parental units. We're going to visit Ethan in MI and then on to Niagara Falls. I'm looking forward to it as we all get along pretty well most of the time.

Other than that, not much is going on. I'm working on my meds, trying to get rid of the stupid feeling I have most of the time now. I think Weight Watchers is going to help with my overall well-being just because it's something to focus on and the first real goal I've had in a long time. With that, I shall bid you adieu. TTFN!!

New blog, sorta...

2010-09-27T22:00:00.001-05:00

I'm going to be blogging my progress with Weight Watchers Online over on their site. Go here for fun and exciting posts about my issues with food and exercise.

Also, I apparently helped someone with one of my posts, which really made my day. Thanks to Shawn for the great pick-me-up!

Blogging is SRS BZNS!

2010-09-23T21:19:00.000-05:00

And I don't take it very seriously. Does that make me a bad blogger? Absolutely. A bad person? Probably not, but I guess it depends upon your chosen deity's position on the subject. In any case, I don't care. I started doing this for fun, not to change the world.

First thing I feel like talking about: Cory. He's 16. And driving. I am SO OLD!!!! I don't feel old but I must be because there is no way my little potato-shaped baby godson is 16! He's a great kid and cute to boot. Hey, that rhymes...

Next, there is NO SUCH THING as a happy period, Always. Nor a cute tampon, Tampax.

So here's the thing, I'm signing up for Weight Watchers. My BMI is in the Obese range and whatever I've been doing to correct that on my own is not working. I wish I was one of those people who could take control and do it on my own, but I'm not. I need help, and apparently I'm finally willing to ask for it. So hopefully the next time you see me there will be less of me. It's about time.

Anyway, that's all I feel like writing right now, so I'ma post this bad boy and go back to watching The Mentalist. Which is an awesome show. TTFN!!!

On the Road and Stuff

2010-06-23T20:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm on the way home from my vacation to visit my brother and a friend from college. I'm tired and crabby and realized today that I really need new tires, which I sort of knew, but it's not something you want confirmed at 70 mph in the middle of Chicago traffic in the pouring rain. Tires cost money, though, so I'll have to make do for a couple more months.

I had a really good time on my vacation; went to a beach, met some new people, babysat a little, and just generally enjoyed myself all over the place. I also discovered Steak 'n Shake, which, of course, we don't have in MN. I'll add that to the list of food I have to travel long distances for, along with In-N-Out Burger and Bob Evans. I wonder if there's somewhere I can move to that has all three. I would call it the Magic Triad.

I've got lots more to blog about, including my upcoming month off, realizing after years of unintentionally misrepresenting myself that I actually AM an agnostic, and just the general hatred of humidity that is ever-present during the summer. Hope all are having a great June! TTFN!!

You wanna fight about it?

2010-06-01T22:42:00.000-05:00

OK, so it's been a while. I'm not going to make excuses, and I'm not going to apologize. I've had other things going on and blogging hasn't been a priority. Will it be from now on? Who knows. We'll see. The reason I'm here today is I was re-reading some of the old stuff and realized I can be a pretty funny bitch on occasion. Not necessarily hilarious, but amusing enough for some. I've also been doing some soul-searching and crap like that, none of which you'll be interested in, but it has given me some insight into myself, which should inform this forum.

That's all there's going to be for today, as I have a headache and wish to retire, but look forward to some of my unique brand of blogitude in the coming weeks. TTFN!!

100th post!!

2009-11-16T18:22:00.002-06:00

And it only took almost four years. No, I am not the best blogger in the world. I can live with that.

So i turn 35 tomorrow and have been having a minor milestone-birthday freakout. Just the usual stuff, but I'm already pretty down in general, so it's been weepy time around here. Oh well, I'll just go back to flirting on line with 25 year-olds. Apparently that makes me a puma. Neat.

In other news, well, I'm not in school right now due to a financial aid snafu, and I'm still not sure I'll be able to go back in the spring. Other than that, I'm really depressed right now and nothing seems to be helping. Light box, new meds, all for naught. But we're working on it, so hopefully it will turn around. I have been making self-destructive lists in my head, though. Pros and cons, mostly. OK, let's be honest, mostly cons. And no, I'm not whining, just having a pity party. There's a big difference. Really.

Wow, this is really negative. I suppose I should be glad to still be alive after 35 years. In caveman times I would've been dead by now, so I guess I'm doing pretty well, all things considered. Enough of this maudlin post. I'll come back another day when I don't feel quite so much like a dinosaur. TTFN!!

I am NOT getting sick...

2009-11-09T22:21:00.001-06:00

I mean it. I don't care that my TMJ is acting up, or that I had a migraine today despite the fact that I've been on daily preventative meds for almost a month. I will NOT get paranoid that I haven't had an H1N1 shot yet. I WILL NOT GET SICK.

That is all, as I'm going to bed so I don't get sick.

Keara's (VERY partial) rules for the appreciation of rock & roll music, Part 1

2009-10-25T22:40:00.003-05:00

This is mostly for Cory, but I figure it applies to everyone, so here you go...

AC/DC is always cool. No matter what.
Led Zeppelin is almost always cool.
Pink Floyd is apparently only cool if you're stoned, so in your case, Pink Floyd is NEVER cool.
Metallica WAS cool until about 1989. Anything before the Black Album is cool. The Black Album itself is not particularly cool, but it was crazy popular, so if you have to listen to a song, just act like it's lame. Anything after the Black Album is strictly forbidden. (Load is the most appropriately named album in the history of music.) The jury is still out on the new album. (Edit-so far the new one seems OK, but it will require more listens to be sure.)
Judas Priest is cool, unless you're at a gay bar, in which case it's sort of ironic and still OK.
For some reason, Whitesnake is always cool.
Hairbands from the 80's, in general, are severely uncool. The problem is they are fun to listen to. You'll have to use your best judgement.
Buddy Holly is the supreme King of cool. If anyone tries to disagree, they know nothing about the history of rock & roll. Therefore, their opinion is inconsequential.
Elvis, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix are always cool. (This is just an example. Ask (someone who is not your mother) if you're not sure about other artists.)
The blues are cool. Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, the list goes on.
The Beatles are cool. There are some Beatles songs, however, which are not. Use your best judgement.
Oldies are goodies. Don't dismiss something just because it was made before your parents were born.
The Rolling Stones are cool. Mick Jagger, however, has done some pretty uncool duets. Avoid them at all costs.
David Bowie is cool, even when he's not. Which, sometimes, he really really isn't.
In general, artists who write their own songs are cooler than those who don’t.
Punk is rock & roll. Don’t let anyone convince you it’s not.
Pop, in general, is not rock & roll. (I’m looking at you, Nickelback.) Not that there isn’t cool pop out there, because there is, it just isn't rock & roll.
Disco is neither pop nor rock. Unless you're at a wedding dance, disco is pretty much the least cool music there is.
Jazz can be the coolest thing ever. It can also suck. Ask someone who knows.
Elvis is cool. Bloated, jumpsuit, Vegas Elvis is hard to love, but still cool. Elvis Costello is also cool.
Boy bands are supremely uncool. Fun to sing along to, but uncool.
You can listen to music that isn't cool, just try to do it when no one is around. If you want to listen to uncool music in public, you have to commit to loving it so much that it becomes cool. Anything (except disco) can be made to seem cool if you pretend hard enough.
Sometimes songs are so uncool that they are, therefore, actually cool. This rule can never apply to disco.

7000 Year Flood?

2009-03-26T21:15:00.002-05:00

So the world is ending, apparently, and I got another week off of school. Which is nice, because my "vacation", while thoroughly enjoyable, was not particularly relaxing. I will recount my travels at a later date when I can back it up with pictures. We really enjoyed Eastern Utah. Cool stuff there.

Saw Watchmen the other night. I'm really glad I took Shawn's advice and read the book first, because there are a lot of characters to keep track of. I really liked it and was surprised at how faithful it was to the book. Of course, they left some stuff out, but it would've been an eight hour movie if they hadn't. I thought all the important stuff made it in, although I would've liked a little more Minutemen action. Oh well, that's what my imagination is for, right?

I'm getting ready to register for Summer and Fall semesters, and I'm really excited because the summer class I'm taking is scheduled for the first, shorter session, so I'll have most of the summer off! Of course, this is dependent upon NDSU not being under water, so we'll see.

Much existential angst and self-defeating inner monologue has been going on the past few weeks, but it's all boring and the same old crap, so I'm not going to discuss it. Hoping the weather improves soon, though, or we all might go nuts. Anyhoo, that's enough for now, hope everyone is staying dry! TTFN!!

I bought geeky t-shirts!!!

2009-03-17T17:55:00.000-05:00

From ThinkGeek:

Go me!!

I are suck at blogging

2009-03-11T17:35:00.002-05:00

But you all have figured that out already, right? Anyway, I haven't really had much to blog about. Classes are going pretty well so far, the shelter is still there, and winter sucks much harder than in recent history. Spring break is coming up, though, and I am headed to Arizona. Mom & dad have been down in that area since the beginning of February and I'm flying to Phoenix to meet them and then drive back with them. I'll be gone for a week and a half, so I should be able to get my fill of warm(er, anyway) weather and NO SNOW!!! I'd say more, but I have about nine million things to do before I can leave and not nearly enough hours to do them. Aah, procrastination, how I have missed thee. TTFN!!

I suck at picking winners

2009-02-01T21:21:00.002-06:00

Cardinals lost, Federer lost. Poo. Oh well, the Wild won last night.

A couple more movies:

Stargate: Continuum - 5/5
Copenhagen - 4/5

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

2009-01-23T19:31:00.003-06:00

Bleh cold bleh. I hate being sick when you're not REALLY sick. Not that I like being REALLY sick, but... Anyway, the hockey game was fabulous. I wasn't as close to The Great One as I thought I would be, but I saw him, so it was cool. Also, we were really close to the ice (3rd row close!), so it was pretty exciting. The glass bends a lot more than I thought when they smash into it. No fights, but lots of goals and some good hitting, so all in all a great success. Had sushi with Cory beforehand, so 2 of my favorite things at once! School is going well so far, lots of reading to keep me busy.

I've just begun a Netflix subscription and I've decided to post the rating I give each movie I watch. So far there are only a few:

So far I've gotten good ones! Anyhoo, it's too cold to write more, so TTFN!!!

I'm going to see "The Great One"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-07T22:42:00.002-06:00

Yes, that's right boys & girls. I have tickets to see the MN Wild take on the Phoenix Coyotes at the X on Tuesday night. I will be no more than ten feet from the greatest hockey player in the history of the world. And the moon. I will, in fact, be breathing the same air as one Wayne Gretzky. Go me! OK, so maybe it wasn't the most prudent use of student loan money, but we can't all be perfect now, can we? I will be attending said event with my favorite person in the world, Cory, so all will be joyous and magnificent. Those of you who saw my dorm room freshman year at UMD will know of my obsession. I actually still have that poster but it's pretty ratty at this point.

In other news, there isn't much. Just been on break from school for a while. I got 2 B's last semester, which I am absolutely thrilled with. I've been trying on bridesmaid's dresses for the upcoming wedding of Ethan & Becky, which is always interesting. There are so many styles and the samples seem to only come in a size 10. If you know me you know I haven't been a size 10 since about the fifth grade. Anyway, dress shopping is hard. I am thrilled to have been asked to participate though, so I'm happy to do it. I start back to school next week and I'm looking forward to some new classes. This semester I'll be taking Medieval Philosophy and History of Christianity, which is a retake of an unsuccessful first attempt at the class. I'm excited but a little nervous because it's been a while since I've taken a philosophy class. I like the professor, though, so it's all good.

Well, I'm actually going to retire early tonight as I haven't been sleeping well lately. Hopefully it's just a temporary thing. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that the new year will be filled with all kinds of good things. TTFN!!

How could I have forgotten...

2008-12-15T16:16:00.002-06:00

...how much finals suck? Granted, I only have the two and one of them was take-home so I really only have the one, but still. Suck. I'm not going to dwell, though, because unless the planet tips on its axis I should be able to get an absolute minimum of a C in both classes. I'm expecting it to be two B's or possibly an A and a B, but the absolute worst would be a C. Which is average, and considering how I've felt the last month or so, average is totally awesome.

I'm listening to "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who, and Roger Daltry wants me to stick my finger down his throat. I don't think I know him well enough for that. Also, he's old enough that he should know better than to swallow evil things, anyway. Right?!?

Anyhoo, I really need to get these index cards ready for my final tomorrow. So TTFN!!

Sooooooo lazy

2008-12-08T19:17:00.001-06:00

So, secret admirer. Somewhat unusual, especially in this age of instant information. Well, mine was not actually all that hard to figure out (sorry, dude, if you wanted it to be a secret you should've picked someone who's actually dated more than half a handful of people). Anyway, his name is Mike and some of you may have actually met him. We dated briefly when I was living in Fargo and he came to visit once during my second attempt at Duluth. In the interim, he got married and had a kid or so. Fast forward to a couple of months ago, apparently he decides to google me and see what I'm up to these days. Lo and behold, I'm still in the area and still single. So he decides to get in touch with me. Neato.

Then comes the big news: he's still married. His wife has a boyfriend. Etc., etc. Drama worthy of a Jerry Springer episode. Whoo. Which brings us to now. We're going to be pals for now, with the dating thing to be possibly revisited at a later time when his life begins to resemble a slightly less "blender full of crazy" type of situation.

Wow, I'm tired now. I think I'll go eat some ice cream. TTFN!!

Dirty looks in the library

2008-11-16T16:21:00.002-06:00

I has them. I should know better than to look at LOL stuff in here, anyway. This one is mostly for Shawn, although I'm not sure he'll know who this is ;-)

see Sarah Palin pictures

Another site full of funny, funny stuff.

Lazy and bewildered

2008-11-10T17:31:00.002-06:00

Quite a combination, eh? I know some of you are probably waiting to hear more about my "secret admirer" which is the bewildered part. It's all kind of weird and trippy in a very Jerry Springer-like fashion. I will write more at some point, but now enters the lazy portion of the equation. That, and I have 2 papers due in 2 weeks, neither of which I have even started. Oh well. For now, though, I must listen to some medieval history, so TTFN!!

Babies are sooooooooo cute!

2008-10-29T12:39:00.004-05:00

Short snippet today. My new baby arrived on Monday. She weighs in at 4.5 pounds and is machined from a single piece of aluminum. Even the box she came in is cool. I talking, of course, about my new MacBook. Go student loans whichiwillbepayingoffuntili'mdeadanyway! So I should be up and running and back on the interwebs for absurd amounts of time very soon.

Went to see Pride and Glory yesterday. It could have been good, maybe even great, but they just went a little too far and wrecked the whole thing. What a waste of perfectly good Ed Norton. One side note, whoever was done costumes on this film should be shot. He or she put jeans on E.N. that gave him total squishy girl butt. Now, I realize he doesn't always look like he did in American History X, but he does not have girl butt, dammit. That is all.

Otherwise, just going to school and having a very trippy experience with my very first internet stalker. OK, not really a stalker, but still, it sounds cooler to say stalker. More on this as events unfold. TTFN!!!

So, rabies

2008-10-23T14:09:00.002-05:00

I suppose I should do that one first. Last Thursday I was doing my usual shift at the shelter and got bitten on my right ring finger by a fat cat who was wedged underneath a shelf. No biggie, right? I just slapped on a band-aid and went on with my life. Well, I got home that night and as soon as I removed the bandage the finger started to swell. Pretty soon I had a red, throbbing sausage attached to my hand. Now, I know infections from cat bites are the nastiest thing next to infections from human bites. So, did I go to the ER? Oh heck no. I think there was a Wild game on or something, and I didn't want to go out. So I wake up Friday morning and it still looks awful, so I call the clinic to get an appointment and called my English prof. to tell him I wouldn't be in class. When I did get to the clinic I got a bunch of disapproving looks because I didn't take care of this as soon as it happened. Anyway, my NP looked at it and then called in the Internal Medicine MD that was there. He told me to get a dog because they tear when they bite so they don't usually get infected. Other than that, I got mega-antibiotics and instructions about soaking and going to the ER immediately if anything changed. I went back to the Dr. on Saturday and Monday mornings. Whee.

Anyhoo, the cat that bit me was a stray who hadn't had any shots from us yet. Super. So the cat had to go to the vet to be euthanized so samples of her brain could be sent to the U of M for testing. The rabies test came back negative, though, and everything looks peachy. At this point you can't tell that boo-boo from the four hundred other boo-boos I have because I'm a klutz. So that's the story of how I didn't get rabies. Exciting, right?

More coming. Don't worry. TTFN!!

I don't have rabies!

2008-10-20T13:44:00.002-05:00

Which is good, right? I know I have been blog-less for quite a while, but this school thing has been harder than I expected. The good news, though, is it's midterm time and I have an A and a solid B so far. I'm just posting a teensy bit today, but I should be getting my own computer back sometime this week, so I'll go crazy then. I'll make a list:

The rabies thing
School
Shelter
Family
Whatever.

I promise by this time next week you'll be so sick of me you'll want to hide in the corner. Alas, I have to go to class now, so farewell. TTFN!!

OMGWTFBBQTMNTAFLCIO?!?!?!?!?

2008-08-26T20:17:00.002-05:00

Is it just me, or is Trent Reznor way less angry now that he's famous? I heard one of his new songs in the car and he's all, "man, this sucks I should really do something about it lalala," (or something like that) when in the past he would have been all, "man, this sucks and I'm going to kill everyone I see until I feel less empty which will never happen so fuck you all lalala," (or something like that). Maybe he's just growing up, or maybe having lots of money makes you less angry. I wouldn't know.

I started my history class last night, which is going to be interesting. I think I'm going to like it, but I don't think I'll be talking much, since about 90% of the class are history majors and have a better understanding of context, etc. We'll see. My English class starts tomorrow, which I'm really excited about. The professor is one I've had before, and he's charmingly odd. He's got long white hair and a beard and he always looks surprised to see that there are students in his class. He carries around a briefcase overflowing with stuff he doesn't actually use for class. And he wears corduroy and hiking boots. Win!

Other than that, not much happening. Except me being lazy about blogging. But hey, my thyroid ultrasound was normal, so that's good. TTFN!!

Memeage (aka two posts in two days wtf!?!)

2008-08-14T23:11:00.003-05:00

But first, a few thoughts. First, yes, I have seen The Dark Knight. Twice (so far). I am not going to go into it, but if anyone wants to sit around and squee about the awesomeness that is this once in a lifetime cinematic event, just let me know. I'm pretty sure I could go on and on and on and...well, you get the picture.

Second, I saw The Pineapple Express and it is hella funny. And Huey Lewis and the News do the theme song! (And no, it isn't "I Want a New Drug".)

Here's the meme part. One of my LJ friends picked seven interests off of my profile. I can has telling you about them nao, k?

gopher hockey - I *heart* hockey. In the context of hockey, I *heart* college hockey. In the context of college hockey I *heart* WCHA hockey. In the context of WCHA hockey, I *heart* several teams, but the Gophers are the ones I can actually watch on TV, since I don't live close enough to any other team and they are the FSN North team. (I suppose I could watch the Sioux, but that would make me an evil person with a heart as black as pitch, so why would I? (Why does anyone?))

it's happy bunny - I swear, I liked Happy Bunny before it showed up on every teenage girl's backpack. I love the combo of the cute bunny and the horrible, horrible things they say. I have a sign book which I have in my cubicle (when I have a cubicle) and I have gotten many notes on my desk from people on other shifts who admire and adore the Happiness as well.

lupus - And/or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. I am interested in it because I have it. Right now, I am pretty asymptomatic (without symptoms), which is great, but can change without much warning. It's kind of like living with a bomb that could go off at any time and really fuck up your shit. So far I have only had one really bad flare, but most of the time I live with aches, pain, random swelling, rashes, extreme fatigue, depression and all kinds of other fun stuff. Lots of Lupus patients end up needing kidney transplants, which sucks, but so far I haven't had any kidney involvement, which is great. The thing that's really hard is that I don't know when I go to bed at night what I'm going to feel like in the morning. I mean, I can kind of gauge from how I've been feeling, what I've been doing, and what I've been eating, but to a certain degree it's always a surprise. But like I said, I feel pretty damn good right now, so I'm just going to go with it. It's all good.

Hoban Washburne - Mmmmmmmmmm...Firefly... I love ALL the Firefly folk, but Wash is the one I think I'd get along with the best. He has all the best lines in the show. We have a very similar sense of humor, although I have to admit he's better at witty retorts than I am.

David Hewlett's heart-shaped ass - I saw this on someone's profile and thought it was hi-larious, so I stole it. I do like Stargate Atlantis and Rodney McKay and David Hewlett, but I've never been particularly obsessed with his ass, heart-shaped or not. Not that it isn't nice, because it is.

Philip K. Dick - One of my favorite sci-fi authors. I bet there are lots of you reading who are more familiar with him than you think. His stories have been the basis of tons of movies. Like Minority Report, Paycheck, Blade Runner, Total Recall, just to name a few off the top of my head. I like his stories because they always contain an unexpected element. I also like his version of the "future", which is clean and sleek. As with all sci-fi, the stories are really about society or some universal truth, but he disguises it better than some.

King Arthur - I don't know what to say, man, I LOVE this movie. I've never been into the whole Camelot thing, but this movie! Yummy boys in tight pants with swords?!?!?! What could be better? Yes, the acting is a bit much, and yes, the story is terribly predictable, but WHO CARES?!?! Ioan Gruffudd and Clive Owen in TIGHTS, people?!?!?!? Need I say more?

Anyhoo, that's about all of that. TTFN!!

Whee

2008-08-13T23:45:00.002-05:00

Two posts in one week?!?! What is the world coming to? I have news, though. My baby brother is officially engaged. It's crazy, right? No word yet on dates/etc. for the wedding, but I would guess sooner rather than later. His fiancee's name is Becky and she's pretty awesome. I definitely could have done a lot worse for a sister-in-law. So think a good thought for them. Or at least for Becky. If she's marrying my brother, she's going to need all the help she can get ;-)

I guess this officially flings me into old maid territory, huh? That and Shawn saying he only has one bachelor party left are really making me feel old. Also the fact that I know what that new JCPenny commercial (the Breakfast Club one) is referring to.

Congratulations to Ethan and Becky!!

I'm lazy and I just don't care...

2008-08-10T23:30:00.002-05:00

AKA, the title of the book I'm going to write just as soon as I become motivated and interested in stuff. I'm not dead, just resting. I will talk about my trip to Michigan at some point, but not right now. In lieu of a real post, I'm going to post something from failblog.org, which is one of the best places to find funny shit. Viola:

see more pwn and owned pictures

Two whole days

2008-07-19T21:43:00.003-05:00

Well, almost. That's how long The Dark Knight has been out without being seen by me. Shocked? You should be. I have had the countdown to this movie on my desktop for six months now. So why? Why have I not partaken of the grisly goodness? I'm going to blame my brother. I'm going to visit him this next week and he calls me on Friday all "Dude, we should totally go see it at the IMAX while you're here." And I says, "Hey. good idea!" It seemed like a no-brainer due to the fact that the closest IMAX screen around here is at the MN Zoo in Apple Valley. However, everywhere I look I see stuff about this movie. I may end up seeing Mamma Mia! just to give my brain something to chew on whilst waiting for the awesomeness of The Dark Knight. I'll probably live, though.

Yes, yes, I'm going visiting. I'm leaving Frazee on Tuesday to stay at my cousin Sue's house Tuesday night. I will leave painfully early on Wednesday morning to drive to Milwaukee (it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land.") to take the Lake Express ferry to Muskegon, Michigan where I will be picked up by said brother. I will return on Sunday to Milwaukee, from whence I will drive to Two Harbors to pick up my father. My plan is to just go with the flow. As long as there's Batman somewhere in there, I'm happy. There have been various activities mentioned, including Taste of Grand Rapids and a steak on the grill. Is it just me, or is anything more fun when there's food involved?

Other than that, there isn't much going on. I'm still volunteering at the Shelter, still planning to start classes at NDSU on Aug 25th. Still struggling with slogging through my accumulated crap from the past 15 years and throwing what I don't need. I'm also (apparently) randomly capitalizing things. I know you can't tell, because I fixed it, but trust me. Anyhoo, I'm going to eat a beef stick and go to bed early. TTFN!!

First of all..

2008-07-09T01:39:00.002-05:00

You guys suck at audience participation. I've decided that, as a punishment, I will not bother with a real post and instead subject you to the funniest gosh darned thing I've seen in ages. Even if you aren't a comic book geek, you WILL squirt milk out your nose, so, you know, point it away from the computer.

I don't wanna

2008-07-02T23:33:00.003-05:00

Blog, that is. So I'm going to cheat. This meme has been going around for a while, so I don't know who to credit it to, but whatever.

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

(First of all, I'm not going to tag five people, since I don't know if there are even five people who read this thing. Second, if you feel like doing it, post your answer in the comments. If not, well, I don't like you, either! Nyah!)

My book is The Regulators by Stephen King, which I just finished last night. I never pick up my crap, so it's still on the floor next to my bed. Anyhoo...

He could smell the grass, like some sweet wet perfume. It was spiced with a tang of cedar smoke. God bless the lightning, he thought.

Wow. Probably the three shortest sentences in the whole book. Good sentences, though. I don't think I could've done better even if I cheated.

Garlic breath, I has it.

2008-06-27T13:27:00.003-05:00

I make the best Caesar salad dressing in the whole world. For real. Definitely not something you want to eat just before your Senate testimony, though. Just a quick post before I head to The Lake for the weekend. Nothing much going on around here. I did go yesterday and sign a bunch of papers so that Vocational Rehab can help me pay for school, so that's good. They're even going to pay mileage, which is a really good thing. We're going to try out the new cat harness this weekend. Hopefully it won't result in injury for anyone. Anyhoo, like I said, short post. TTFN!!

Somebody win the lottery, dammit...

2008-06-19T22:54:00.003-05:00

Whoever invented money was a complete idiot. I'm sure it's nice when you have some, but when you don't it sucks almost as much as the underlying premise of the latest Indiana Jones movie. (I actually liked the movie, but the whole basis for the story was puh-leeze!) I've been going back and forth with myself about moving out of the parental homestead and when I crunch the numbers, it just isn't worth it. Yes, I would have more privacy and independence. And yes, I would have no cable, internet, gas money and possibly, by the end of the month, toilet paper. I also wouldn't be able to run an air conditioner very much at all. I've discussed this all with the mother and the father and they are in agreement. So I'm here for a while longer, anyway.

In other news, though, I am going back to school. Now, please don't sprain anything rolling your eyes, people, I'm just going to finish the degree I was working on at NDSU in Fargo. I'll take a half load to start with. Classes begin August 25th, and I'm actually pretty excited. Not necessarily about the degree itself (I'll graduate with a Bachelor of University Studies, or B.U.S. I'll have a bus!) but about actually, for once in my life, finishing SOMETHING. Yay for finishing stuff! So that's what's what around here. Hope you all are having a swell summer so far! TTFN!!

So, yeah

2008-06-15T22:51:00.004-05:00

Last weekend was fun. I haven't gone anywhere or done anything is so long, it was like a vacation. Shawn and I had a good time on Friday night. We went to see You Don't Mess With the Zohan, which was really quite enjoyable. Obviously, it was fairly stupid, but within the context of an Adam Sandler movie, I really liked it.

On Saturday, I spent the afternoon at the Mall of, and stimulated the ever-lovin' crap out of the economy. Good times. Then I went over to my cousin's house in St. Paul. We went to a Cambodian/Chinese buffet which was really good. We had originally planned on seeing the new Indiana Jones movie, but both decided that sounded too much like work, so we rented The Mist instead. I'll have to say, it's one of the better movies adapted from a Stephen King story. I have to go read the story now, because my bro says the movie ending is different. And the movie ending was just brutal. Seriously messed-up.

On Sunday I slept in and then farted around in Maple Grove for a while. I'm totally in love with Trader Joe's. Their mandarin orange chicken is soooooooo good. Cheap and easy, too. Drove home the rest of the way in and out of rain. Actually, driving in and out of rain pretty much sums up the last two weeks worth of weather. Getting really old. Anyhoo, nothing interesting has happened since then, except that we didn't go to The Lake this weekend because of the crappy weather. Summer can arrive any old time, thankyouverymuch. Wishing you all sunshine days and caviar nights. Or something. TTFN!!

A bucket of prednisone it is!

2008-06-13T17:11:00.003-05:00

Well, that and some more CellCept. Hopefully I'll be able to get away with just a short course of prednisone this time. Got my blood work results today and my white cell count is a little low, but nothing major, and my Sed rate is a little high, but nothing major. So, really, nothing drastic happening on the health front, just trying to get used to not feeling great all the time. I need to get my "Lupus brain" back. I'm getting there, but "healthy brain" keeps popping in to say hi.

I don't really feel like blogging today, but I thought I'd better get something up before I start forgetting what I wrote about last time. I promise a recap of last weekend's festivities tomorrow or Sunday. TTFN!!!

Sad lazy goober-head...

2008-06-05T23:14:00.003-05:00

Yep, that's me. Actually I have been feeling pretty dang crappy for going on 2 weeks now. My temporary respite from most Lupus symptoms is sadly over. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a week because of the pain from the pleurisy and I'm typing this with only 9 fingers because the middle one on my left hand won't bend. It's nothing compared to how I have felt at various other times, but it's harder to deal with because I had been feeling so great for so long. I just need to get back into the "Lupus mindset" that I had almost perfected before this recent spell of goodness. I'm seeing my Rheumatologist tomorrow, so hopefully he'll have some words of wisdom. Either that or a bucket of prednisone.

In other news, I have spent my "economic stimulus" check on something I feel confident 'ol GW would find terribly offensive. I don't really feel like going into the whole thing tonight, so I'll just say it's a website, and it has nothing to do with fishing. More later, I promise. I just need to craft a rather lengthy explanation of things before I go public.

Well, I'm going to head for bed as I have a long day tomorrow. I'll be driving to St. Louis Park for the appointment, and then I'm going to stay with Shawn Friday night. Haven't seen him in ages so it should be good. Plus he's the only person I know who's a bigger pessimist than I am, so that should be fun. Saturday night I'm going to stay with my cousin Sue, who I also haven't seen in forever. I believe we will be taking in the new Indiana Jones picture. I'm keeping an open mind. TTFN!!

A whole weekend without internet

2008-05-27T18:57:00.003-05:00

And I survived. I didn't even use a computer. I took it along when I went up to The Lake, but I just didn't take it out. I didn't start out the weekend intending to go cold turkey, but it ended up that way. Turns out there's other stuff to do. As a result, I have no words to write here right now. I guess I have to get back to my usual overly-wordy self gradually. More words soon, m'kay?

A little less needy...

2008-05-14T21:11:00.002-05:00

So, Sarah reminded me about the time I had to have my appendix out. I'm guessing she's not the only one who felt bad about not being with me before the surgery, but the truth is the whole thing went so fast and I was pretty out of it, so I really don't even remember much. So stop feeling bad, people. The thing I DO remember is a ring of people around my bed when I woke up. The nurse told me they'd been there since before they even brought me up from recovery. That was pretty cool. Especially since my parents hadn't arrived yet (that's how fast the whole thing happened). It was pretty awesome to have such groovy friends. I still use the mug that held the plant everybody chipped in on for me. Every time I use it I think about how cool my friends were when I got sick that one time.

Shawn reminded me of the MS walkathon. I'm pretty sure none of us ever actually raised any money. I'm not sure the 15-mile walk was worth it for a t-shirt, and yet we did it more than once. I think Sarah was the smart one who sat out. I think that was the first time I met Shawn. I may or may not have had a bit of a crush on him. As for the summer of '97, I think that's all that needs to be said on that subject.

Keep 'em comimg, people. This is kind of fun! TTFN!!!

I'm feeling needy

2008-05-11T21:35:00.002-05:00

I was going to post a really long rant about the so-called "series finale" of Scrubs the other night, but I've kind of run out of steam on that one. Instead, I'm going to shamelessly pander for positive reinforcement. I'd like this to be an interactive entry. You leave a comment about a memory of me that sticks out in your mind and I'll dedicate a whole post to something I remember about you. Is this shameless fishing for reminders of why I'm friend material? Absolutely. Had a crappy weekend and I'm in serious need of an ego boost. So, boost away... TTFN!!!

Movies that I'm not embarrassed to say I liked

2008-05-05T20:14:00.002-05:00

One of which is Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. And I don't care who knows it. I laughed my arse off. If you go to see this movie, stick around until the very end of the credits. Awesome!!! And, as always, NPH stole the show. I am still crushed by the fact that he's gay. Apparently everyone in Hollywood has known forever, but I didn't find out until a year or so ago when my aunt gave me some old People magazines. Doogie was my fall-back guy. What am I going to do now? I still don't have a new backup. Why, NPH?!?!? Why!?!?!?

In other news, sorry I've been MIA lately. It took considerably longer than I thought it would to migrate to my "new" computer. Now that I've got most everything set up the way I want it, I am absolutely ecstatic about the switch. Now I just have to clean all my illegally obtained software off the old one so I can sell it for parts on eBay. Technically, it isn't completely dead yet, but it's definitely circling the drain. There is only so much pounding that it will respond to before the motherboard gives out completely.

In other news, there isn't any. Although the cat is starting to clean himself, so things are looking up. Hope you are all enjoying the snow-free May. So far, anyway, but I'm not holding my breath. TTFN!!

Crap noodles.

2008-04-28T22:40:00.002-05:00

Is how I am feeling about the imminent death of my precious baby, my white knight of computing, my iBook. She's on her fifth motherboard, it's true, but I still love her in a way that is both poignant and slightly disturbing. She will be succeeded by a PowerBook that is a bit of an upgrade, but she will always hold a special place in my heart. At least until I sell her on eBay for parts. As soon as the new baby is broken in, I promise a long information-y post about all the cool stuff I've been doing. As if. TTFN!!!

R.I.P. Wild playoff run

2008-04-20T11:59:00.003-05:00

Although, I'm not sure you can really call it a run if you lose in the first round. It wasn't entirely their fault, though. Nick Schultz's appendix had incredibly bad timing and damned if Kurtis Foster's BROKEN FEMUR refused to heal in a few weeks. Also Jose Theodore (my new dart board target, if I threw darts, that is) was just insane. It was like he was covered in flypaper or something. He just didn't give up any rebounds. Well, I guess I'll be getting my regular bedtime back. I mean, who wants to sit around watching playoff hockey while there is laundry to be folded, right?

I know, I know

2008-04-19T20:16:00.001-05:00

I'm a slacker. Well, get ready to quiver in awe of my continued slackitude. Hence, a possibly offensive link about butts.

Poetry is hard

2008-04-07T19:51:00.005-05:00

I am trying to get that sonnet written, I swear. I'm going to use this post to introduce you to the new man in my life. Well, technically he's neutered, but he's also of a different species, so it's all good. And now, presenting for the very first time... (insert drum roll here) ...Linus. He's also known as my Sweet Baboo, Blankie-boy, and Dover (as in runneD OVER). He looks a bit scruffy at the moment, but his whiskers are starting to grow back.

And last, but not least, bow down in the fearsome presence of... ROBO-KITTEH!!!

Vegas, part deux...

2008-03-26T19:11:00.003-05:00

...in which I will tell y'all about the rest of my trip, mostly. I'm saving my experience at Star Trek: The Experience for another day when I'm feeling more poetical, because it really deserves a sonnet or something. Now where did I leave off?

Ah yes, Saturday. Got up and all of us went to the champagne brunch at the Bellagio. I may have developed an unnatural relationship with some pineapple danish, but no one had a big enough purse for me to smuggle any out. It was definitely the best buffet brunch I've ever had. Highly recommended. After that we all walked around a bit, and then I went back to the Flamingo for a bit of a nap as I had majorly over-done things on Friday. After the rest of the crew got back, I packed up my stuff & went with mom & dad to the condo in the sticks (which was very nice and not anywhere near the strip), thus leaving the Flamingo room to Ethan & Becky for "date night". We picked up some BBQ on the way and spent the rest of the evening in 3 different rooms watching 3 different TVs. They had MTV2 so I even got to catch some Beavis & Butthead.

Sunday morning Ethan & Becky had to check out of the Flamingo and move their stuff to the sticks. Then we went to the Carnegie Deli at the Mirage for lunch. The pastrami was everything I hoped it would be. Then we split up so I could go to the Hilton for ST:TE and the winning of the moolah. As I said, I'll talk about the Star Trek thing later, but after I was done, I played some penny slots for a while and won $600. Unfortunately, I had to go over to the Dark Side to do it. I think I'm OK with my decision, though. They have better clothes, anyway. While this was going on, dad & Ethan went to a car show at the Imperial Palace and mom & Becky wandered around gambling and such.

After all that, we went downtown to have supper and wander around the Fremont Street Experience for a bit. We had the buffet at the Golden Nugget, which surprised us all by being excellent. They were making fresh sushi to order! Granted, there were a limited number of choices, but still. We then wandered around and watched a couple of the shows they play on the canopy over the street (which is apparently the largest video screen in the world), which were pretty cool. Then we went home and all went to bed early. On Monday morning, breakfast was prepared at the condo and I flitted off to the airport. One boring flight later and I was back in the land of ice and snow. Whoo. Overall, it was a really fun trip, even without the added bonus of paying for it with my winnings.

I promise pictures of the new cat (his name is Linus) as soon as I find the USB cable for my camera. I know which pile it's in, I just haven't begun excavation. Hope everyone had a nice Zombie Jesus day and that all is well. TTFN!!

Vegas post pt. 1 ('cuz I'm lazy)

2008-03-23T21:47:00.002-05:00

Well, I made it back alive. That's all you wanted to know, right? TTFN!!!

Hardy har. Incidentally, though, I DID make it back alive. I also made it back a bit heavier in the wallet, having won $600 at a penny machine. That's later in the story, though.

I arrived late on Thursday and then waited around for Ethan & his girlfriend, Becky, to get in from Grand Rapids. The parentals picked us all up and we went to their timeshare at the Flamingo, which is right in the middle of the Strip. Nice place, a little small for all 5 of us, but not bad for a free (for me) room. On Friday we all went to Emeril's seafood restaurant at the MGM Grand. It was OK, but I was expecting to be a lot more impressed. We all went back to the hotel where mom & dad packed their stuff up to move to their second timeshare and E, B & I went down and sat by the pool for a while. Ethan and Becky hung out in the pool for a bit whilst I reclined in the full shade. Becky's a very fair-skinned redhead, so she's careful about the sun, too. Maybe she'll be able to convince Ethan that sunblock is a good thing.

After lounging by the pool, us kids wandered around the strip for the rest of the evening. Mostly we just looked at stuff, as there is an enormous amount of stuff to look at. We went to Cravings, which is the buffet at the Mirage, for supper, which was OK, but not good enough for the price they were charging. Then we went next door to Treasure Island to watch Sirens, which is supposed to be the pirate show. LAME. Last time we were there (when I was 12) it was really cool and they did it once an hour. Now it is basically a peep show with a couple of explosions. I definitely wouldn't bring my kids to it, but there were lots of them there. By the time we got back to the room, Ethan & Becky were done for, but I still wanted to see the fountain show at the Bellagio so I soldiered on. I went and got pastries from a place at the Bellagio (which were obscenely good, btw), watched the fountain show (which was really fun, btw), and bought some band-aids for the blisters I got from wearing brand new shoes (a really BAD idea, btw). We were all in bed before midnight.

I have to go scoop the cat box now, so I'm going to continue this later. Yes, I have a new kitty, I'll write about him later. TTFN!!

Vacation hangover

2008-03-20T22:09:00.001-05:00

Sorry for no post about Vegas yet. I promise this weekend I'll give you all the (not so) juicy details. Just to tide you over, I did win $600 on a penny slot machine! Luckily, it didn't pay out in pennies.

Look ma, a real post!

2008-03-12T18:15:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the lame-o posts as of late. I've been pretty down in the proverbial dumps, which is not conducive to creating words that aren't absolutely necessary. However, good ol' Daylight Savings Time has kicked in, and I'm practically a new woman. I've got a few random, completely unrelated topics that have been floating around my gourd, so bear with me.

First up: I'm going to Vegas, baby. And yes, I do know how money I am. Mom & Dad left on Saturday and I'm heading out tomorrow night. Mostly I'm going because Ethan & Becky will be there, too, and I haven't seen them since Christmas, which may not seem like very long, but it's the longest I've gone without seeing Ethan in a long time. Anyhoo, I'm not a gambler but I am embarrassingly excited about Star Trek: The Experience at the Hilton. I'll be back Monday night, so it's not a long trip, but I think overall it will be a good balance of vacation/vacation from the parental units (They don't come back until Friday).

The next thing is an extremely random grooming tip for the ladies who read this thing. I'll make it invisible so as not to offend anyone's delicate sensibilities. Just highlight with your cursor if you want to know. You know that shaving gel you pay three bucks a can for? Guess what: you don't need it. Go to your nearest Target (or wherever you wacky Colts fans shop) and buy the biggest, cheapest vat of hair conditioner you can find. I'm thinking White Rain at 1.59 for 78 ounces. I think it works better. Plus, when ISN'T cheaper better? That is all.

And now to the fannish portion of the post. I have just finished watching "Band of Brothers", which is a 10-part miniseries about WWII. I cannot adequately explain how good this is. If you or any member of your immediate family has any interest in history, or the military, or good storytelling, or frostbite, or whatever, you owe it to yourself to check this out. I'll put it this way: if you liked Saving Private Ryan even a teensy bit, you will bow down and worship the box these DVDs come in. I'm also recommending In Bruges, which is in the theater now. Yes, it's Colin Farrell, but he actually does a really good job. I will warn, though, it's a pretty dark comedy, so if you're the kind of person who can't ever find attempted suicide funny, it's probably not for you.

I think that's enough for one post. Wouldn't want you to get spoiled, now, would I? TTFN!!!

Comedy Central has comedy.

2008-03-11T00:12:00.002-05:00

I should be in bed, but I just saw a commercial for Lil' Bush and I can't stop laughing because Lil' George W. said: "Only you have the power to make no difference." I'm not sure if it was really that funny, or if I'm laughing so I don't cry about how true that statement is.

Was this a funny or a depressing post? Hmmmm...

Back sort of

2008-03-04T20:04:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I'm here. Don't have anything interesting to say. I know I should come up with something, but my life is pretty boring right now. Although, I am going to Las Vegas for a few days next week, so maybe then I'll know something interesting. Until then, here's one of our dogs. Her name is Gracie:

I'm still sad

2008-02-28T22:17:00.001-06:00

So no blog this week. I'll be back, though. I promise.

Sad news...

2008-02-18T19:56:00.002-06:00

My heart is a little bit broken. Audrey had to be humanely euthanized this morning. I guess that the surgery was just too much for her poor little body to handle. She went peacefully, and now she's not suffering any more. I'm going to miss her. A lot.

Thank you to everyone who expressed warm wishes for Audrey's recovery. Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be. TTFN! :-(

Happy(er than I thought it would be) Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T18:50:00.002-06:00

Well, the kitty is home. She is pretty miserable and is missing the fur on her tummy, but she's alive enough to be cranky, and that's a whole lot better than I had myself prepared for. The vet removed a fatty tumor that was attached to her sternum. He thinks it was contained, and said that other than her liver being kind of compressed, her organs looked good. It was a huge blob of goo, he said it weighed over a pound. That's almost 10% of her body weight. Yikes! So I guess we know now why she was feeling like crap. That thing was taking up most of her abdominal cavity.

So all in all, Audrey is doing OK. Now the task at hand is to get her eating again. I'm hoping that maybe when her pain pill kicks in, she'll fell a little more like eating. I feel like I lost 50 lbs. (I wish!) and I think I'll be able to sleep well tonight. Thanks to everyone who was thinking good thoughts for Catzilla. She lives to menace another city. TTFN!!

My kitty is sicky

2008-02-10T17:34:00.000-06:00

I don't know how sick, or exactly what's wrong with her yet, but the chances of it being something simple are pretty small. It all started a couple of weeks ago, she had been making squeaky noises when she was picked up for a while, but that was all. Then she started acting weird. Not bad, just, off. I took her to the vet and had an x-ray done, which showed that her spleen was enlarged and her belly was full of fluid. I took her home with some Lasix to try to get rid of the fluid with the understanding that if that didn't work, the next option was surgery.

I spent the week freaking out and asking second opinions of everyone at the shelter. The vet we use asked if Audrey's vet had mentioned a needle aspiration of the fluid in her tummy. He had not, so I scheduled another appointment for this past Friday. On Friday, the vet called and wondered why I was bringing her in again. I explained about the needle aspiration. He impressed upon me exactly HOW large her spleen was, which I hadn't really realized. He said that a needle aspiration without anesthesia could make things go from not so bad to she's dead very quickly. We then decided to go ahead and schedule the surgery. They'll put her under and then do the needle aspiration. Depending upon what that shows, decisions will have to be made. If we decide to go ahead with the surgery, more decisions will have to be made. The best case is the spleen is just infected, they remove it, and she gets some antibiotics for a while. Worst case is, well, she never wakes up.

I spent pretty much the whole day Friday crying and snuggling her against her will. I know there are people out there who will roll their eyes at the fact that I'm so distraught about this, but they can all kiss Audrey's crusty butt. I love her and she never tells me that I'm doing something wrong, or that I should go out and get a job. She loves me no matter what. So now I'm in total denial mode and have decided everything is going to be just fine. Dammit. TTFN!!

------Edit------
Three hours since I started this post and Audrey seems to have acquired a cold or something. Great. Hopefully it doesn't mean anything other than the sniffles.
----------------

Whacked out brain thingys

2008-02-07T20:46:00.000-06:00

Yeah, my head is all over the place today, so this may be a little, well, let's call it disjointed. I just got back from seeing Juno, which I really liked, but I didn't love. I don't know what it was, maybe they were just all way too clever. But, it did have Jason Bateman whom I have loved since forever (Little House on the Prairie).

My kitty is sick. I don't know how sick yet, but it could be really bad. Of course, it could also be not very bad at all. So I've got that to look forward to tomorrow.

On the way home from the movie, I was thinking about my long, long, loooooooooong romantic dry spell. Yeah. I've been ambivalent for years about it, which is at least partially due to my depression and the meds I take for it. I'd like to blame the drought entirely on that, but I don't think that's entirely fair. I'd also like to blame it on my various locational handicaps, but I think that's also a cop-out. I guess it boils down to a combination of laziness and not being entirely comfortable in my own skin. I think I may finally have the latter down, now I just need to work on the former. Either that or all of my married friends (you know who you are) need to get off their keesters and help a girl out, here. I mean, aren't all you married-types supposed to want everyone else to be married, too? Come on, people.

So, there's where my Thursday brain has been taking me. I also wanted to ask the people who read this whose email addresses I don't have (a Ms. DDM (or is it Mrs. DDC by now?) in particular) to either go to my profile and send me an email or comment with said address. That is all. TTFN!!!

Sweeny Todd for president!!!!!!

2008-01-25T15:07:00.000-06:00

Yes, viewers, I finally saw Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I will admit, I went in to this movie fully prepared to love it. It did not disappoint. If anyone asked me, not that they will, if Tim Burton and Johnny Depp should ever make movies with anyone but each other, I would have to say NO! Well, maybe sometimes. But I really think they both do their best work with each other. OK, so they've each made some really good movies on their own, but come on, Edward Scissorhands? Ed Wood? Corpse Bride? All classics.

Not much going on around here. I've been putting in long hours at the shelter while they hire a new director. I think she starts on Feb. 1st, so hopefully things will calm down a little. Other than that, just the same old stuff. Hope you all had a good weekend! TTFN!!

I'm lazy

2008-01-22T20:51:00.000-06:00

I know I haven't posted for real in a while, but I'm not going to now, either. I would, however, like to point out someone else's blog post which illustrates the fact that I have entirely too little time on my hands.

Gummi Bears, take me away!!!

In other, completely unrelated news, Heath Ledger died! WTF?!?!?!

TTFN!!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2008-01-15T21:10:00.001-06:00

Honestly, I can't think of anything else to say. It's too cold to blog, people! TTFN!!

Did you know...

2008-01-10T20:02:00.000-06:00

More than 12 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year.
As many as 25% of dogs entering shelters each year are purebreds.
Approximately 61% of all dogs entering shelters are killed.
Approximately 75% of all cats entering shelters are killed.

I'm just saying...

Oh, my achin' funnybone

2008-01-07T15:11:00.000-06:00

This goes out to all the hardcore LOTR freaks in the universe (and if you don't know what that stands for, you're not one). I just finished listening to the funniest parody I have heard yet. Forget Cassie Claire's Secret Diaries, forget Bored of the Rings, even forget Lord of the Pants. It's a podcast, so it's audio, and it almost got me kicked out of the library. Go here for their website or else find it on iTunes under The Funny Lord of the Rings Podcast. I promise you will not be sorry.

Let the torture begin...

2008-01-06T19:40:00.000-06:00

I am feeling about as excited about writing a blog entry as I am for the new Britney Spears album, so here are some pictures of my cat.

Note the Christmas tree needle sticking out of her nose on the last one. Yep, she's a dainty little flower.

New Year's Eve=meh.

2007-12-31T18:29:00.000-06:00

Yeah, so it's New Year's Eve again, and I am spending it with my parents. Actually, I'm spending it with my computer, but my dad is in the other room and my mom should be home around eleven. Am I feeling sorry for myself? Probably, but the fact is I did absolutely nothing to try and secure any plans more interesting than this. I'm going through one of those periods wherein my internal monologue is set on "if my friends want to see/talk to me they can dang well call me themselves" mode. I know it's self-destructive, and I know (usually I know) it's not true, but sometimes I just can't. I'm not sure what it is that I can't do, but I know I can't do it.

I know it's just as much my fault that I never see/talk to these people, but I just get tired of feeling like I'm the only one making any effort. Yes, people have children and jobs, etc. etc. But. I don't know, I suppose I'm just feeling a little selfish.

OK, enough of the pity party. On to the resolutions. I'm making the one and only resolution that I have been making since I was a junior in high school. To make it to 2009. Well, when I was a junior in high school I didn't resolve to make it to 2009, but you get the idea. So far I've always been able to accomplish it. Go me! Hope everyone's New Year is full of good stuff and all that jazz. Seriously, though, I hope everybody has a great year! TTFN!!!

PS-Don't fret, I will begin the digital camera torture soon enough, I'm just too lazy to go upstairs and get it right now.

The aftermath

2007-12-26T20:43:00.000-06:00

Christmas is fun, but busy. Tonight I'm just vegging, even though I have things I should be doing. Meh. But I did have a good Christmas. I got a digital camera, so I can now begin the relentless torture of anyone who reads this thing with pictures of my cat. I'll give you today off, but be prepared.

No plans for New Year's Eve, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It seems like I'm the only one who even gives a poo, so whatever. I'm feeling very apathetic about seeing anyone I'm not related to. I'm not sure if it's a winter thing or just a general lack of motivation to actually contact said people. Whatever.

Anyway, hope your holiday season is a wondrous time full of love and...other sentimental stuff. TTFN!

Yeah, yeah...

2007-12-09T22:40:00.000-06:00

I'm not gone away or anything. Just having a really, really dull couple of weeks. I do have some ideas for posts floating around here and there, so I'll try to get to them this week. Until then, please enjoy this cute picture of a cat from our shelter:

Her name is Ginger, like the character from Gilligan's Island, not the Spice Girl.

Me, in a nutshell...or a cupcake wrapper

2007-11-20T15:27:00.000-06:00

It has been brought to my attention that my blog doesn't tell anyone anything about me, per se. I guess that's because there isn't really anything new to report. I'm kind of in maintenance mode at the moment. I'm still at my parents' house, still going to group therapy twice a week, still spending a lot of time at the Humane Society, stuff like that. I'm moving in the direction of getting my own apartment, but that probably won't be unil the new year, and I'm planning to move back to the Twin Cities in the summer. Hopefully I'll be starting at Hennepin Tech in the fall, but I'm not ready to say that is absolutely definite yet. My kitty is still fat, and I still watch way too much TV. Other than that, I'm just working toward becoming as independent as possible. Sometimes it feels like I'll never get there, but I know I will.

In other news, my godson Cory got a D on his report card. It may seem an odd thing to tell you, especially since some of you have never even met him, but I'm hoping that the more public embarrassment he suffers, the less likely he will be to repeat this feat. He is a smart kid, and anyone who has ever talked to him for five minutes knows he can do better than a D. I love him to pieces, but he's got to realize that no self-respecting nerd would get a D in anything other than gym. Or maybe art. But this D was in literature, which isn't cool. So send out your horrified vibes to him, because apparently he needs a swift kick in the work ethic. Thank you for listening. TTFN!!!

All grown up?

2007-11-14T13:37:00.000-06:00

Am I? I certainly don't feel like it most of the time. I'm not sure if it's because I'm still living at home, or because I still haven't matriculated, or because I'm not married and have zero kids, or most likely a combination of all of the above. Whatever the reason, I find myself questioning what it really means to be a "grownup". Does it involve mortgages, or 401k's, or is it something more intangible? I know some people with mortgages who are very immature, and some people just out of college who act much older than I think they should. Regardless, I don't know if I even want to be a "grownup". It sounds boring. Does anyone really enjoy being a "grownup"?

Mmmmmm...cookies...

2007-11-02T11:16:00.000-05:00

I don't feel like blogging, so here's a recipe:

Fudgy Buttermilk Salad

1 c. buttermilk
1 3oz. pkg. vanilla instant pudding
1 8 oz. carton Cool Whip
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple (drained)
1 20 oz. can mandarin oranges (drained)*
1 11.5 oz. pkg. fudge stripe cookies

Combine buttermilk, pudding & cool whip. Stir well. Mix in pineapple & oranges. Refrigerate. Before serving mix in crumbled cookies.

*If you can't find a 20 oz. can of mandarin oranges, you can use two 11 oz. cans.

Wow, that's...

2007-10-22T16:48:00.000-05:00

Puzzling. Sorry, I should explain what I'm talking about. OK, so I'm sitting here watching afternoon cartoons (yeah, yeah, screw too old for that stuff) and there was this commercial. And I figure since I ranted about a girl's toy I should rant about a boy's toy also. I'm not going to go off on professional wrestling (I promise), but is this toy a good idea? Using ladders to injure people seems like a bad message to send to kids whose parents might own step ladders. And this might just be all of the gay porn talking, but this seems pretty homoerotic to me. Of course, pro wrestling in general is pretty homoerotic (oops, sorry). OK, that's enough for today. TTFN!!

Is it weird that I'm taking it personally?

2007-10-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

As I was watching Sen. Larry Craig "set the record straight" last night, I was very irritated by the whole thing, but especially when he was picking on the cop who busted him. I'm thinking it's a Minnesota thing, but I don't really know why. Maybe I'm just irritated that a United States Senator is so stupid, regardless of whether or not he did solicit or whatever. What a dil-hole.

Things that irk me number...whatever.

2007-10-13T19:22:00.000-05:00

Those of you who have known me for a while know that I tend to get up-in-arms about many different things. Sometimes several things at once. However, this usually leads to me ranting for a few seconds and then moving on to the next thing that pisses me off. Well, I have one I need to vent about in a public forum, so here goes.

I was watching Nickelodeon this morning (yes, it was a Fairly Odd Parents-athon) and I saw a commercial that raised my hackles. It was a commercial for the Dream Town Rose Petal Cottage by Playskool. It is a play house with a washer, dryer, furniture, etc. Now, I know there are lots of kitchen play sets and the like out there for kids. What struck me about this particular commercial was some of the wording. If you'd like to hear for yourself just click "Watch it" on the link above. A couple that stood out in particular:

"...where her dreams have room to grow..." - Honestly, is this what parents want their daughters to dream about? Baking muffins and rearranging furniture?
"...entertain her imagination..." - With what? Laundry?

I'm no femi-nazi, I have no problem with guys squishing bugs and such, provided that women at least know how. But, come on. I thought we were past the time when girls only dreamed of having babies and baking cupcakes. What about building bridges or curing cancer? I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having babies and baking cupcakes. Far from it. But is this the message we want to send to little girls? That their only purpose in life it to keep house?

Am I overreacting? Absolutely. As is my right and tendency. If I don't who will? OK, that's a bit grandiose, but you get the drift.

Completely changing the subject, go Gophers! TTFN!!

Only 5 weeks late...

2007-10-08T19:33:00.001-05:00

Yeah, well, I can't help it if his parents are hopelessly slow. Yes, that's right, I finally have pictures of Adyn. I'm going to put up a couple of my favorites, and you can go see the rest here if you'd like.

And did I mention the heart-shaped nostrils?

The state bird of Michigan is...

2007-10-01T20:28:00.000-05:00

How the heck should I know? Ask my brother. Yes, that's right, we packed him off to Holland, Michigan with his gal Becky. Moving is always such a grand endeavor, and this was no exception. Actually, it was a pretty boring deal all around. Everything (mostly) fit where it needed to, and nothing ended up bouncing down the freeway at 70 mph. And I have to say, Becky has got this whole "getting Ethan to do what you want him to do" thing figured out pretty well. Of course, I'll miss having him around, but I think Becky will be worth the move. She seems to know the depths of his dorkosity, and loves him anyway. Plus she's a redhead, so we can buy sunscreen in bulk together.

So, good luck Ethan, and don't you dare become a Wolverines fan. Seriously, or a Badgers fan (Becky is from Wisconsin, poor girl). TTFN!!

Fun weekend

2007-09-24T22:06:00.000-05:00

Probably one of the last nice weekends up at The Lake, and boy, was it a nice one. The weather was great, everyone was in fine spirits, and I got to meet Adyn. I'd show you a picture, but his parents seem to be woefully slow in sharing said pictures. He's pretty dang cute, though. And he has heart-shaped nostrils, which for some reason absolutely fascinates me. I spent the whole time I was holding him looking up the poor kid's nose. Hopefully he won't be scarred for life. Then again, he probably isn't the first, nor will he be the last, child to be forced into years of therapy by something weird I do. TTFN!!

A forensic PLUMBER?!?!?

2007-09-20T20:44:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here watching Forensic Files on CourtTV, and they've enlisted the help of a forensic plumber. Er, what? I think I'm going to become a forensic furniture refinisher. Yeah. Or maybe a forensic platypus wrangler. That would be cool.

Puppies and kitties and stuff, oh my!

2007-09-16T19:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a kick-ass day at the shelter. For those of you unawares, I volunteer 3-4 days a week at the Humans Society of the Lakes animal shelter just north of Detroit Lakes. Now, I know there are those of you out there who are probably of the opinion that shelter dogs are not as good as pure breeds, and I could go off for several pages about the shelter in Brooklyn that has to euthanize 30 dogs every day and puppy mills and inbreeding and the like, but I'm not going to do it. Really. And while I do understand wanting a certain kind of dog, the fact is, you can probably find that kind of dog in a shelter. A couple of weeks ago we had a Welsh Terrier that had papers and everything. His owner had to move and couldn't take him along, so she asked us to help him find a good home. Which we totally did.

This job has probably done more for my mental health in the last six months than all of the medication, therapy and group meetings put together. I could go off for pages about the warm, fuzzy feeling I get from helping a family find just the right pet, but I'm not going to do it. Really. Suffice to say all the sappy Hallmark cards in the universe couldn't come close. And if you want a little bit of that feeling, (here comes the sales pitch) you can donate time, or money, or even just old blankets to your local shelter. The Humane Society of the US and the ASPCA would be good places to start. Thank you for letting me preach at you.

Attacked by wolverines

2007-09-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

I look like I have been. Honest. I'd post a picture but my brother has the digital camera in Michigan or something. I wasn't actually attacked by wolverines (duh). I was helping give kitty shots at the humane society and a couple of them decided I'd make a good scratching post. Oh well, at least it's less embarrassing to explain than "tripped over a crack in the sidewalk" or "burned myself making microwave popcorn". Nothing interesting to report, although I did make molasses cookies. TTFN!!

I had a really cool title in mind...

2007-09-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

...but then I forgot it. Oh well.

Anyway, I've been reading lots of Stephen King lately. I have read his stuff in the past, but kind of got out of the habit for a while. I started again because I thought his stories would be engaging enough to keep my attention. And, lo and behold, I was right. I'm on my third book in three weeks. That's a really big deal for me. I've spent the last year and a half feeling like half of my brain fell out somewhere, and now I feel like it's maybe back in there. Not quite up to speed yet, but getting there.

In other news, er, my cat seems to have stopped pooping in the living room. Wow. That's honestly the most interesting thing that's happened lately. Wow. I really need to get out more. Also, I learned that the aspartame in diet soda breaks down into formaldehyde. Not enough to really hurt you unless you're drinking an obscene amount of it, or if you're bipolar. It's a bad idea to drink or eat anything that has Nutra-sweet in it if you're bipolar. I'm just saying. Well, the cat's snoring has distracted me to the point of losing any sort of train of thought I may have once possessed. That, and I'm about 20 pages from the end of Cujo. TTFN!

I'm an auntie! (Sorta)

2007-09-04T19:19:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to report that Kay had a healthy baby boy yesterday at 6:50 pm. He was 8 lb. 11 oz. and 21 inches long. His name is Adyn William Lienke and mom and baby are doing just fine. Good job to everyone involved!

Dane Cook is NOT the new Ryan Reynolds, dammit!!

2007-09-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

OK, so I don't think anyone has actually said that, but I'm staging a preemptive strike, here.

First of all, Dane Cook is not funny. I will admit that, at first, I laughed along with everyone else. After about 5 minutes, though, I realized that he's really just a younger, scruffier version of Jerry Seinfeld without the whiny voice. Pointing out obvious things so show how hilarious they are is not , in my opinion, comedy.
Second, Ryan Reynolds is obviously much hotter than Dane Cook. He does clean-cut better, and he does scruffy better. Even though Dane Cook has never done ripped hottie, I'm still willing to bet Ryan Reynolds does it better. I mean, have you seen Blade 3? Horrible movie, granted, but come on! Yum!
Third and theoretically most important, acting. Dane Cook plays Dane Cook very well, but that's the extent of his range. Ryan Reynolds can do comedy, drama, action, etc. I'm not saying he's the next Marlon Brando, but he's better than at least half (okay, maybe fifty percent) of the actors out there.

So, in conclusion, (even though I know it's cheating to use those words to begin the conclusion) Ryan Reynolds rules and Dane Cook drools. The end. TTFN!!

Ta-da!!

2007-08-29T19:55:00.000-05:00

Whoo! I bet y'all thought I'd forgotten about this thing. Not forgotten, so much as ignored. Too much pressure and all that. So I decided to just start blogging about whatever the heck I feel like, and if no one on the planet but me ever reads it, eh. In the spirit of renewal, I have given the blog a new name. If you didn't get the Ocelot reference, I would like to apologize on behalf of everyone who has ever conspired to convince you that you need a Windows computer to get along in the world.

So anyway, the splog is back in action, so watch out. Or in. Nevermind. TTFN!!!

Solving crimes with math...

2007-02-02T21:30:00.000-06:00

Possible, or not? I'm watching NUMB3RS and Charlie is trying to catch robbers with math. Hmm.

In other news, that schedule I made for blogging really worked out, huh? Yeah, I wish there was a font for sarcasm. Maybe I should invent one. How about something like italics that lean left instead of right? It could work.

On the brain front, I think it's growing back. Slowly. Not enough yet that I feel like writing anything substantive, but it's coming. TTFN!

Someone help the Wild!

2006-12-14T22:32:00.001-06:00

They need to remember how to win! Maybe they should practice with the Gophers for a while ;)

Therefore, since today is Thursday, I'm going to talk a bit about the incredibly, incredibly weird stuff on Adult Swim, which is shown late at night on the Cartoon Network. This lineup features shows about things such as a talking ass who happens to be a detective, a crime-fighting force made up of a box of fries, a shake, and a wad of ground meat, and what is, in my opinion, the stupidest show ever made, Family Guy. And some random deity help me, I love them ALL. Even Family Guy, which I hate. OK, actually, the newest one, which is called Assy McGee, makes me angry and I don't watch it, but all the rest are like crack for me. I don't know what it is. One of my favorites is Home Movies, which is about an eight year-old kid who fancies himself a filmmaker. It's absurd and ridiculous, and I love it. The kookier, the better.

I'm also going on record and saying that I like cartoons, period. Well, not all of them, but I think everyone who bothers with this blog knows of my unnatural obsession with Spongebob Squarepants. And I don't think this makes me any less of an adult. I know there are older, more "mature" folk out there who will point to my love of cartoons as a sign of immaturity. Well, to those people I say - It's rude to point. So critics be darned, I am a 32 year-old watcher of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and I refuse to apologize for it! TTFN!!

Hockeyhockeyhockeyhockey

2006-11-24T13:08:00.000-06:00

I *heart* hockey. That's all, nothing profound about it.

Thinking, on the other hand... I used to *heart* it. I used to be good at it. Now, not so much. So what do you do when a big part of how you identify yourself as a person changes? How do you reach out to people who don't understand for a single second what you're going through? What if they don't like you anymore? What if the thing you've pinned your identity on for so long is the only thing people liked about you? How do you make them understand that forgetting things like birthdays isn't becuase you're an inconsiderate, self-absorbed ass? How do you create a whole new identity for yourself when it doesn't feel like you have anything else to offer people?

OK, that was muy depressing. I don't know how to end this, so TTFN!!

Daniel Craig is nummy

2006-11-22T13:50:00.000-06:00

I saw the new Bond movie last night, and in the immortal words of the fat, pimply South Park kids, it was "uber-cool"! The new 007 is hot, and ruthless, and a major badass. Awesome! The foot chase near the beginning is one of the coolest chase scenes ever. It was also funny in parts and not nearly as cheesy as some of the past Bond films. Definitely a must-see.

Ahh, Thanksgiving. It's tomorrow, and since my bro is in Michigan visiting his new lady-friend, my parents and I are going out. Of course, we'll cook a turkey with all of the stuff on Saturday, but hopefully it will involve less drama than an actual Thanksgiving dinner.

Hope everyone has a great holiday! TTFN!!

Vote, dammit!

2006-11-05T21:42:00.000-06:00

Nothing about me today, just want to make sure y'all get out and VOTE! I don't care who you vote for, just as long as you do it. In Minnesota it is easy, easy, easy to do, so no excuses! Even if you don't know anything about your local races, at least go and vote for governor, or senator, or there's a transportation amendment thingy, too. Your ballot is still counted even if you don't vote in every race. This site gives you all the info you'll need in one easy package. There's info there on where to vote, what you need to register, and also some good info on the constitutional amendment on the ballot. Please, please, please vote. Seriously. I will haunt you if you don't. I know where you live. TTFN!!

Bring back DST!

2006-10-29T22:42:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm at six months post-loony bin and I feel like crap. I know I've made forward progress and that I've achieved some really positive things in the past six months, but at this moment in time, I feel just as lousy as I did when I checked in to the previously mentioned psych ward. I saw my med lady last week, and she asked if I had ever considered ECT. Um, yeah. When it is working properly, I like my brain the way it is, thankyouverymuch. Plus the fact that there are whole families of meds that we haven't even tried yet. Keep your electrodes to yourself, devil-woman.

There is a therapy out there that I have used in the past with success for my SAD, but because of my Lupus, I can't do it anymore. And since the weather has started changing, some of my Lupus things have been acting up, which necessitates going back on prednisone, which can cause depression. Arrghh!!! It's like a lose-lose-lose-lose situation. Which is extremely uncool. I haven't yet reached the point of not wanting to try anything more and just wallow in my misery, though, so that's good.

I'm having some issues with people not getting it. And by "it" I mean the fact that I am not this way on purpose, and that I don't forget things because I'm lazy, etc. Some of my friends and family do. Get it, that is. They understand that if I could snap out of this, I would. Contrary to what some people might think, I do not enjoy being flaky and irresponsible. The fact of the matter is that my neurons are not firing properly, and I am doing everything I can to fix that, but it's a long, exhausting process. The reason I don't call people is not because I don't need my friends now more than ever, it's because part of my brain is telling me I'm worthless and nobody would want to talk to me anyway. There is a part of me that knows that's not true, but right now it's pretty hard to find. I am having a lot of trouble lately remembering why anyone would want to bother putting up with me.

Sorry for the downer post, and I'm really sorry if it doesn't make any sense. My brain function is really in a slump at the moment. I tried reading an actual article in the paper yesterday, and I had to read it twice just to get the point. This is all really frustrating for me, especially since being the "smart" one is part of my identity.

To end on a positive note, the Gophers swept Colorado College (Saturday night was a bloodbath!), and new episodes of ATHF are on the television. So things could be worse. TTFN!!

Surefire recipe for a migrane...

2006-10-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

...take 1 part driving in the dark, a generous sprinkling of snow storm, throw in a dash of Black Flag on the cd player and voila! Instant headache. Good thinking, dorkmeister. In happier news, K-Fed was on CSI tonight and he ROCKED! Seriously! I smell Emmy! He's so multi-talented, it's really not fair.

I'm having fall-brain issues today, and therefore can't think of a single interesting thing to write about. Or an uninteresting thing. Which I suppose is interesting in itself. Or uninteresting. Whatever, I'm going to bed. TTFN!!

Titles are for losers.

2006-10-05T15:19:00.000-05:00

Ahoy. I've just realized that I did not blog the entire month of September. Bleh. Fall bites. Not the season itself, just the whole days getting shorter, going off daylight savings time, etc. Actually, I have a theory that the legislature meets in the winter so that people with SAD aren't able to lobby to stay on DST all the time. We're all too depressed to leave the house. Now, if there was a session in the summer, we'd be all over that. DST would have become CST years ago.

Actually, I really like fall as a season. Cooler weather, humidity is pretty much gone, all that jazz. It's fall that gives us those days that make summer steamy and winter frozen all worth it. It's good that school starts before those, though, otherwise all the tourists who are here for summer would figure it out and move here. And really, who needs that?

In other news, I am, according to the Social Security Administration, disabled. That's right, I'm so screwed I made it through in the first round. Woo-hoo. I guess it's a good thing, because now I'll have some money coming in each month, but at the same time, it's a label that a lot of people hear and assume things. Things which may or may not be true. The things that were true before are still the same; I'm still not particularly motivated, or goal-oriented, but that isn't because I'm disabled. I'm also still smarter than most people and interested in a lot of different things, but are people going to care once they hear the label? Overall it's a good thing, but I'm still struggling with some of it.

I was going to end with something about the upcoming election, but if you can't figure out for yourself that the GOP is running the state and the country into the crapper, I really can't help you. Anyhoo, Gopher hockey tomorrow, AND the Battlestar Galactica premier. What to do, what to do? TTFN!!

Feeling very un-wordy today...

2006-08-18T13:33:00.000-05:00

Not much to report. Mostly just a quick post before I head off to The Lake so no one thinks I ran off to join the circus. Although, I suppose the circus probably has an internet connection somewhere. Anyway, have a great weekend!

I miss sushi!

2006-08-01T22:34:00.000-05:00

Truly. The lack of even bad sushi around here is pathetic. Luckily, I'm headed to the Twin Cities for a couple of days for a Dr. appointment, so the bro and I are going to go eat some tomorrow night. Woo hoo! Crunchy roll...mmmmmmm! Going to the rheumatologist on Thursday and then Cory & I are having a Lord of the Rings marathon on Friday. For anyone who doesn't know, Cory is my godson. He'll be twelve in September. He's pretty much the smartest, coolest kid on the planet, but I may be a little bit biased. He's kind of a jock, but also coming along quite nicely in the geekier arts. When he grows up he wants to be a professional baseball player, or an architect, or a gemologist. Awesome!

Ooooh, oooh!! Futomaki!

I had kind of a crappy weekend. I started a new medication on Friday that is actually an anti-narcoleptic which was intended to give me more energy. Instead what it did was make me crazy-like. So there goes another idea down the tubes.

I was truly intending to write more tonight, but I find I've totally lost any train of thought I might have started with. Sushi is distracting. As is Age of Mythology. Those little dwarves are so cute! Anyway, happy Unagi to all and to all a good night. TTFN!!

Detective Crazypants rules!

2006-07-25T22:00:00.000-05:00

I love Law and Order Criminal Intent. Detective Goren is awesome. And wacky. He's wacksome. Or awecky. I'm just back from a week at THE LAKE and not feeling rested, or refreshed, or like a whole new person. Bleh. I was kind of hoping for a miraculous turnaround induced by rocks, trees and the world's largest freshwater lake. No such luck. On a positive note, though, my cat did NOT pee on me or my car on the ride home. I'm going to see me med lady tomorrow, and I feel better than the last time I saw her, but about the same as the time before that. So, no progress overall. Hopefully she has some ideas.

On a completely seperate plane of existence, I had forgotten that Laurence Fishburne was on Pee Wee's Playhouse. It's weird to see Morpheus with a curly mullet and cow print shirt. That's all for now, I have a headache. TTFN!!

Sucking suckiness really sucks

2006-07-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

I feel like crap, and not in a good way. I'm in the middle of a med change and the one I just went off of was one I had been on the max dose of for about three years. I feel barfity puke yuck. I don't want to get out of bed, I don't want to talk to anyone, I don't want to eat, I don't want to sleep, I don't want to be awake. I'm having a big ol' pity party today. I'm in full-on whymewhythiswhatdidIdotodeservethis mode. Which doesn't help anything. Cripes. I'd like to have one day to feel "normal" just so I know what it feels like. Gah. Enough of this. I'm going to watch The 4400. Awesome show, you should check it out. In other good news, new Stargate episodes this Friday. See, life's not so bad after all. TTFN!!

Yes, the blog is hella ugly

2006-07-05T22:02:00.000-05:00

The lease ran out on the space I was using to house my style sheets, graphics, etc. and I have yet to get them moved. Mostly because my internet is so slow, but partly because I don't care or feel like it. In fact, I don't feel like blogging for reasons I don't feel like blogging about, so that's about all for now. TTFN!