Voluptua's Vignettes, Victories and Ventings

Fabulous jacket

2011-01-08T15:03:00.001-08:00

I found this rocking jacket at the Blue Door this morning and when I edited the photo to straighten it, it gave me an option to post to my blog. Then, I remembered that I have a blog. Oops. Haven’t posted in a while, have I? And this is supposed to be my weight loss blog, isn’t it? So I should probably mention the 150 pounds I lost, huh? Yeah, I did that. With my DS. Which rocks. But back to the jacket. I think I’ll wear it in the Great American Trailer Park Musical, as Betty, playing the Jerry Springer-esque role in the Great American TV Show. It’s a size 14, and it’s really too big. Giggle.

6 months, 90 pounds gone forever...

2009-03-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

Just another update, since this is supposed to be my official weight loss blog. That surgery I mentioned? Well, it works. I've lost 90 pounds so far, eating cheeseburgers and shrimp cocktail and bacon and ribeye steak. This, in a word, ROCKS. If you've randomly stumbled upon this, and want some info on the Duodenal Switch, go to http://www.dsfacts.com. Also, http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds is a very good place to hang out. The DS is superior to all other weight loss surgeries. It gets better long term results, with a much better quality of life!

Finally done with dieting!!

2008-12-01T14:02:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I posted here on Blogspot, so I just wanted to update. Since weight loss has been the focus of this blog, I should record here that I am officially finished dieting! I had Duodenal Switch weight loss surgery on Sept. 17, 2008 and today, Dec. 1 I have lost 55 pounds already. This is an amazing surgery and if you like, you can get more info here.

All I have to do is take my daily supplements and eat plenty of protein and fat. That's it. I think I can handle that.

2006-11-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

Devendra Banhart - I Feel Just Like A Child (Live Taratata)

This guy is amazing.

OK, never mind.

2006-04-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

I just discovered where the journal feature is on Sparkpeople, and I think I'll use that instead, since that's where I'll be recording my food.

So this blog goes back into hibernation.

Lazy

2006-04-14T06:02:00.000-07:00

Laziness is my biggest problem. I get home after work and my foot is screaming at me and it's just more than I can conceive of to stand in the kitchen cooking. So I take the easy route ~ fast food or something I can just throw in the oven or microwave. Last night it was freakin fried chicken strips. Mike loved them. But that put me about 50 calories and 20 grams of fat over where I need to be.

I went back to my yogurt and granola breakfast this morning and I was appalled to see the calorie total. With the banana and the tsp of honey it came to about 550 calories! It put me halfway to my potassium goal though. I figure breakfast really should be the biggest meal of the day. If I can just control myself for the other two.

A return to the roots of this blog

2006-04-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

This started out as my weight loss journal, then I discovered how much fun it was to talk about other things, and then I discovered how many of my friends were on MySpace, and so I pretty much abandoned this blog.

I am making a committment to getting healthy again, so I think it's time for me to resurrect the original purpose of this thing and blog about that here.

I'm enjoying the Sparkpeople web site; it has a food tracker that keeps up with all your essential nutrients, and that's great because I'm trying to make sure I get plenty of potassium. It also has a huge online community forum, but I haven't had time to check it out much.

Sparkpeople has the most realistic attitude toward weight loss that I've ever seen on a weight loss site. They say that people who actually keep the weight off after losing, have certain things in common, and one is that they keep up with everything that goes in their mouth. So that's my plan right now. Nothing beyond that, for now. I just want to get a good idea of what I'm eating, and drinking. Of course, the act of recording it alone is a deterrent to chowing down on something horrid. But in the last couple of days, I've recorded such diet no-no's as Sweet Sue Chicken & Dumplings and Cheesy Doritos and I'm staying within my caloric and fat guidelines.

I'm having trouble keeping that potassium level up though, so I think that's what's going to drive me toward healthier food. Green leafy veggies, mushrooms, and yogurt are good sources. I normally eat plain yogurt every day but lately I've just been having cereal with skim milk. I guess I definitely need to get back into my yogurt habit. Until last week, I was eating a little more than one of the gigantic containers of plain yogurt every week for breakfast, with sliced banana (more potassium), low-fat granola and berries.

Enough for now.

I'm not here...I'm at MySpace.

2006-02-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

I've given up trying to update two blogs. So for now, since most of my real life friends are on MySpace, that's where I'll be. So if you want to stalk me, go here.

U.S. soldier is blown up and ends up having to pay for his armor?????

2006-02-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

OK, try to get your mind around this. An American soldier was wounded in battle, his armor was stripped from him and now that he is having to leave the Army, he has been forced to pay $700 for his armor because no one documented the fact that it was destroyed. Read the article. It is blowing my mind.

So, let me get this straight. A soldier is forbidden to buy decent armor, is forced to use what the army issues him, and then when it is blown to smithereens and he is taken away on a stretcher with shattered limbs, he is eventually required to pay for the crappy armor because no one filled out the correct report.
Amazing.

Amazing musical experience

2006-02-03T23:52:00.000-08:00

I took today off to celebrate my birthday, which gave me plenty of time to enjoy First Friday. It was fabulous, even in the driving wind and rain. Shaolin Computers was hosting Steve Richerson and showing The Burgler, I got to see some great old Landrum photos of Florence, but the thing that had me tripping in the clouds was the music.

I wanted to hear Jim Wisniewski. I'm a fan, and I was so jazzed to hear that he was playing with Wayne Sides and Jake Berry at Lori Davis Gallery. Sadly, he didn't show up. But Sides and Berry, along with a young bass player I didn't know, played a long, luxurious ambient jam...guitar, bass and keyboard...that totally rocked my world. I'm getting tingly just remembering it now.

I listened for at least an hour before my anxiety got the better of me. I'm not too comfortable in public these days. I'm fine for short periods of time, but then the panic sets in. Not sure what's going on there. I just get the urge for going.

But before I freaked out, I was desperately longing to be a part of it, to drum with them, sing, or something. Music creation is about to become a part of my life, no matter what.

You are getting sleepy....

2006-01-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

So I started smoking again in the middle of December, after 2 years smober. And I must say, I enjoyed the hell out of it. But I knew I had to quit and was having a hell of a time putting them down, so I went to one of New Life Clinic's group hypnosis sessions when they came to the Coliseum.

Amazing.

It was hardcore. He did age regression and linked our worst memories with the act of smoking (or overeating...or whatever we were there for). It's been a week now, and I haven't lit up; haven't wanted to. I knew the cigs were history, so when it came time to get some of their tapes to reinforce the session I went for the weight management. Now I'm doing two sessions a day.

I'm really impressed with that company. It's a non-profit organization and they really are in it to help people. I know when you see the ads it's easy to assume they're a rip-off con, because well, most things are. But not these guys.

OK. Does the military ENJOY watching our soldiers die?

2006-01-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

This is beyond belief. The military apparently has threatened to withhold the death benefits of soldiers who purchase body armor with their own money to protect them where the standard issue armor will not. This is bureaucracy gone mad.

It's been awhile since I've updated here, sorry! I've been battling a nasty bone spur and haven't been able to walk too well, so my life has consisted of pretty much just the stuff I absolutely have to do. Laundry. Groceries.

Wishing all a Joyous Yule!

2005-12-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

Blessings and Merriment to everyone on this holy day!

War on Xmas

2005-12-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

This was penned by a dear friend, and I had to share:

War on Xmas

My friends, I want to talk to you about an insidious plot to destroy the greatest holiday of a generation.

The generation: Gen-X

The holiday: Xmas

Yes, the most revered day in Gen-Xdom (Well, the day we lost our virginity is a contender. As is, most definitely, payday.) is being ANNIHILATED as we speak!

Look around, at this time of year, “Christmas” is everywhere and even more prevalent is “Happy Holidays”!

What we see is no less than the attempt to brush aside a great day of a great generation!

We, Gen-X, who have known life without cable, without remotes, and who fondly remember pinball, “Pong”, and of course, “Space Invaders”!

Armed with degrees in Philosophy, English, Women’s Studies, Art, and, yes, even Theatre. When our time arrived, we proudly stepped forward and proclaimed “DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT?”

Friends, we cannot let the pernicious purveyors of “PC” prevail in this war.

As we did after the famed final Moon landing, we must direct our gaze to the abyss of the universe and ask “NOW WHAT?”

What? I’ll tell you what! We must fight to put the

X

back in

Xmas

Kyle Weir

Xmas 2005

Would you believe I'm cooking??

2005-12-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

No, it's true. Those of you who know me can attest that this simply does not happen. But I've taken up actually cooking things, you know, in the kitchen, with ingredients and such. For last Saturday's Yule gathering, a cheese log. For the Nomads Christmas party, my friend Erica's Jalapeno Corn. For a dinner party at my home on Sunday, Cajun Pork Roast with Rosemary Potatoes, and pecan pie. For a dinner at work today, Cheesy Apple Bake. For our Classified Open House tomorrow, the legendary Swedish Spritz cookies made for us at the newspaper for years by my friend Sue before she retired, cheese straws, and, if they ever defrost, Buffalo Chicken Wings.

Not only that, but for the last month, I've actually been cooking dinner nightly for me and my husband. And enjoying it.

Check the weather forecast, because I'm pretty sure hell might have frozen over. ;)

Santa does exist!!

2005-12-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

I came home tonight to find an unexpected package from Amazon. The rare Japanese CD pressing of Kate Bush's Aerial, sent to me from a dear friend who shall remain nameless since she is uncomfortable with public displays of gratitude. I had heard the music on mp3, but hadn't yet been able to buy a copy of the CD. I've been a collector of Kate's rarities for years, but I never expected to own this piece! The artwork is breathtaking.

I wish I knew what I could do for her to give her the same sort of all-encompassing feeling of love and gratitude I'm basking in right now.

I can say, without reservation at this point, Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas

2005-12-14T09:41:00.000-08:00

I never thought in my entire life that I would begin to cringe when I hear those words. This media-manufactured "War on Christmas" has turned a perfectly innocent blessing into a bigoted statement. Now, when I hear "Merry Christmas" used pointedly as it is being used these days, I don't feel blessed. I feel like I'm being told that their holiday is inherently better than my Yule, or his Chanukah, or her Kwanzaa.

This Solstice holiday is much older than Christ, although his life and teachings have enriched it tenfold.

I want to recapture the true spirit of the season, when for just a while, we could be tolerant of others.

This was on my Gmail RSS feed this morning...

2005-12-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

Word of the Day for Friday December 9, 2005
voluptuary \vuh-LUHP-choo-er-ee\, noun:
A person devoted to luxury and the gratification of sensual appetites; a sensualist.

adjective:
Voluptuous; luxurious.

Colette used to begin her day's writing by first picking fleas from her cat, and it's not hard to imagine how the methodical stroking and probing into fur might have focused such a voluptuary's mind.
--Diane Ackerman, "O Muse! You Do Make Things Difficult!" New York Times, November 12, 1989

Though depicted as a decadent voluptuary, she remained celibate for more than half of her adult life.
--Michiko Kakutani, "Cleopatra Behind Her Magic Mirror," New York Times, June 5, 1990

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Voluptuary derives from Latin voluptarius, "devoted to pleasure," from voluptas, "pleasure."

I am sooo far ahead of the curve on this....

2005-11-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

Inverted Christmas Trees.

They're apparently all the rage. Afficionados even point to old European tradition of hanging the holiday tree from the ceiling. It saves floor space and shows off the ornaments to better advantage. OK, it's trendy as hell.

I did it back in, oh...around 1982. Christmas tree, spray painted black, and hung from the ceiling of my apartment, festooned with, as I recall....lingerie. It was legendary among my friends and acquaintances. And now the rest of the world has caught up. Well, almost...close but no garter belt.

By the way...new musical recommendation!! One of the most amazingly versatile roots country musicians I've ever heard. Behold...Eliza Gilkyson. Paradise Hotel is, with the possible exception of Ms. Bush's, the best new album I've heard this year.

America's Top Model

2005-11-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

Why can't I seem to care about the women on that show? Everyone I know at work seems to be completely riveted to this thing, and I've watched it twice, under extreme duress, trying to capture the essence. The essence seems to be viciousness, ego, cattiness, shallowness and being naked. Now the naked thing I can dig I guess, but I would rather see some healthy people naked than a pack of photogenic skeletons.

But I digress. My point is that everyone but me gets it. I'm told it's rather like watching a train wreck. And I did have kind of that feeling about it, like when Cops accidentally comes on the TV and you don't change the channel because damn. But I don't tune in again the next week. This kind of TV viewing doesn't happen on purpose.

So what am I not getting? What's wrong with me? Do I just not have the competitive gene? Maybe that's it. Or maybe I just can't comprehend that one or the other of these creatures could possibly be any better or worse than the other. Their fate does not interest me.

I do understand that one of them peed in an adult diaper on camera recently, as a lark, to liven things up a bit. And I missed it.

I was thinking about joining this cult...

2005-11-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

So I was alphabetically arranging my spice shelf yesterday, and I had to wonder, am I taking this Flylady thing a little to seriously??? I honestly don't want to go anywhere anymore. I just want to stay home and clean my house. It's crazy. But I can honestly say that I love it.

I do need to get out more though, and yesterday I did go to a Falun Gong demonstration at the Library. I am ashamed to say that yesterday was the first time I have ever stepped foot in our new breathtakingly beautiful, state of the art library which has been there for at least 3 years now. It is indeed fabulous. Kyle (reference librarian extraordinaire and my oldest friend) gave me the quick tour.

And I enjoyed the Falon Gong exercises a lot. It's very similar to some of the Ki Gong (qigong) work that I do regularly, but there was one exercise that I particularly liked. It did a wonderful job of completing an energy circuit. I also appreciated the teachings, which center on three principles; Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

However, after I got home and did some more reading about the Falun Dafa (practitioners of Falun Gong), I was appalled at some of the teachings of Master Li, the founder of the practice. He is a racist and a homophobe, teaching that children of mixed unions have no place in heaven, and that homosexuality is morally degenerate. So although I had thought that I might continue a Falon Gong practice (there's a local group every Sat. at 3), I can't do that now. I hadn't thought much of the fact that their symbology prominently includes the ancient srivatsa, which was utilized by the Nazis as the swastika...but now that I know Master Li's thoughts on racial mixing, I have to wonder if there is a deliberate correlation to Hitler's philosophies. The symbol:

The Falun Dafa in China are undergoing serious persecution. Thousands have been rounded up and incarcerated for their beliefs, and almost 3,000 have been tortured to death. China is very, very nervous about a group which now has many more members than the Communist party in China. And although I don't agree with China's brutal tactics and disregard for the most basic of human rights, I'm a little nervous about them too. I got a really weird vibe from the folks I met yesterday. It was practically evangelical. :::shudder::::

12 long years of waiting...and it's HERE!

2005-11-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

Kate Bush has released the album that all of us manic fans have been salivating over for years. It's been in the works for so long that most of us had almost given up hope. I spent last night in my car, listening. I am in agony right now because I left my iPod dock at home and can't listen right now at work.

It's amazing. It rips my heart out. It's beautiful, and silly, and inspirational. I don't have time to discuss specifics right now, but I had to say SOMETHING because well, that's what's going on in my life right now. :)

Kate Bush has been the most inspirational artist of my life. I hope and pray that it isn't another 12 years before she graces us with that woman's work.

Dolly!

2005-11-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

OK, here's my musical recommendation of the day. Dolly Parton's new album of 60's covers, "Those Were the Days" is transcendent. Her version of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" rocked my world on the way to work this morning. I haven't heard the last few tracks yet, but I can already tell you, this is a keeper! That woman is a goddess on earth.

Thanks

2005-11-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has offered such wonderful insights and words of comfort. I can't believe the whining I've done on this blog...but hey...it keeps me from whining too much in real life. LOL

I have some wonderful stories to share about this week too, but I'll have to get more than a half a minute's worth of time to sit down and write them.

Love to all!!

Memorial

2005-11-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

Melanie's memorial was great. Everyone had a chance to get up and say a few words, and it seemed to be really cathartic for her family in particular. Her husband read a piece that her late mother had written about her years ago that absolutely took my breath away.

The preacher did hurt me really badly though. I had spend all week, staying up late every night finding just the right songs for her memorial. I had spoken with her husband about it, and he had told me Mel's favorite hymns, and put me in touch with Renee, the lady organizing the memorial. She and I discussed song selection and she told me that anything I did would be fine. I found every song Mike wanted, and the song that Renee told me that she and Melanie had found so inspirational during the last few months of her life. I bought all these songs on line and made the perfect CD, if I do say so myself. It was finely tuned and obsessed over meticulously.

Well, the preacher refused to play it. He had put together something himself, and that's what he was going to use. I begged him. I told him how hard I had worked to make it perfect. He said his decision was "final". I was devastated!

God, this hurts. I know most people don't obsess over music like I do, and I don't know if anyone else can understand just how much this hurts, to know that I could have given her this last thing, but just didn't have the "pull". I feel so weak. I know what Melanie would have done, if it had been her standing there dealing with some preacher at my funeral. Suffice to say, that CD would have been played. Melanie, I'm so sorry.

Mel

2005-11-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

My best girlfriend died yesterday. She's been battling the effects of her diabetes for years, and the disease won. I've blogged about her before, her talent for dance, for gardening, her expansive heart... now my heart goes out to her husband, one of my oldest friends.

Just when I was beginning to lose interest in Anne Rice...

2005-10-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

She has been one of my favorite authors. I have delved deeply into her vampire series, her Mayfair witch series, and all the peripheral books, including those by A. Roquelaire (naughty, very naughty)...but I was beginning to see the end of my interest in her gothic emoscapes when today I learn that she has gone through some major changes.

Apparently, Anne Rice has found God. And she intends to write about Him, using her old BDSM nom de plume, none the less. About Jesus, in particular. Her newest novel, not yet released, "Christ the Lord, Out of Eqypt", is told from the point of view of a 7 year old Jesus. Oooh, this is tasty. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy!

I hate football.

2005-10-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Hate. I hate it. I hate the way it looks, I hate the way it smells, I particularly hate the way it sounds...and I hate the fact that other people don't hate it. I have always hated it and I will hate it until the day I die, probably from a heart attack induced by being forced to listen to or watch football. It makes my stomach turn. Literally. It causes my internal organs to churn against one another. It makes my heart leap up into my throat and try to strangle me in a merciful attempt to put me out of my misery.

Boy, I picked the wrong state to have been born in.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

2005-10-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

To the beautiful soul who sent me two CD's from my Amazon Wish List ~ WOW!! Thank you! No, I never expected that anyone would really send me anything! What an amazing surprise. And I swear, if I had chosen two CD's myself from my list, those would have been the two I would have chosen. I am bowled over.

So fess up ~ who did it?? My curiosity runneth over!

Well, whoever you are...you made my week. Thank you!

For the curious...the two CD's I received today are:

Porcupine Tree ~ In Absentia ~ the CD I tried to buy the other day and was out of stock and

The soundtrack to The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which features the most amazing covers of several David Bowie songs done by the Brazilian singer/songwriter Seu Jorge.

Rockin'!!

I'm painting....I'm painting again...I'm painting....

2005-10-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm painting, I'm painting again.
I'm painting, I'm painting again.
I'm cleaning, I'm cleaning again.
I'm cleaning, I'm cleaning my brain.

That snippet of Talking Heads lyric keeps running through my head as I paint my bathroom a lovely shade of violet...

It's lighter...more expansive, a lot less...limiting than the purple that was there. That purple stood there like a sentinel telling me that's as far as I could go. This color is the color the sky should be. The first coat is on, and I'm letting it dry.

I can't believe all this nesting I'm doing. I'm not pregnant, that's a certainty. Not with a baby anyway. Something is going to come of this though, and it probably tastes like music.

I bought fall decorations for the front porch and a fiber optic Jack-o-Lantern for my dining room table. I'm becoming strangely...domestic. Not in any traditional way. I mean, I haven't like, cooked dinner or anything; at least not for anyone but myself. But I have been cooking my own meals for a change. I cancelled my Nutrisystem order and have been making my own little low fat pizzas and noodles, food that I actually like. I'm simplifying in ways that have always seemed unreachable complex before. And I owe it all to the Flylady.

Musical recommendation of the day:
GREEN DAY - American Idiot

Many thanks to my oldest friend Kyle for realizing how important it was for me to hear this album, so much that he set out for my house the moment he learned that I hadn't heard it. It rocks, so hard, so very very hard. And although I am not a "lyrics" person, these are pretty hard to ignore. Every person over the age of 13 in this country should hear this album.

Fishie...fishie...fishie....FISH.

2005-10-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

So Alabama makes its mark on national news once again, and here in our own home town. ::sigh:: I can't even imagine what sort of people the rest of the world imagine that we are.

I feel a little hypocritical about the fish. It horrifies me that anyone could eat a live creature. But is it really better to kill it first, then eat it? It's probably all the same to the fish...it's been murdered either way. And since it isn't a particularly sentient creature, does it realize the distinction in horror between being slaughtered and being eaten alive? I doubt it.

I guess the horror exists in the hearts and minds of the children being encouraged to participate in this carnage. And it does become more horrifying when we contemplate eating an animal which we typically keep as a PET. Those of us who are carnivores think nothing of consuming a beef cow or a chicken, but the idea of eating a horse or a dog or a parrot is almost as revolting as the notion of consuming human flesh. So, although I will chow down on a plate of tilapia with great pleasure, I can't consider eating a fish that looks like one who lived in its own tank in my bedroom when I was 8, and whom I named Swishie.

So, is this some form of animal racism (speciesism??) on my part? Should I really be making these distinctions? How is it any more wrong to eat a cat than to eat a pig? Morally, I just don't think it is. It's purely a matter of social convention.

So, what the minister at First Assembly really did was to defy social convention, no more, no less. He stepped out of the box in order to cause some sort of spiritual awakening in his disciples. And he was apparently successful, as a few were baptized as a result of that stunt. After a few days of mulling this over, I've come to the conclusion that especially as an eclectic Pagan and a meat-eater, I have no right to question his methods. If I were a Vegan, I could sit in judgment all day long.

However you look at it, it's embarrassing to everyone in this state because on the surface of things, this just seems to bolster long-held stereotypes of Alabamians as backwards holy-roller rednecks.

No worries

2005-10-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

Just heard from the doc, and my biopsy came out perfectly! :)

I knew it would, but it sure is great to hear the official word.

Well, I knew it was inevitable....

2005-10-04T05:51:00.000-07:00

but hearing the actual annoucement this morning that Judge Roy Moore is running for governor of this state with his new slogan, "Return Alabama to the Dark Ages" or something, really sent me reeling into a sense of complete unreality that has been trying to engulf me ever since Katrina.

He actually said the following:
"But I'll tell you what I will do. I will defend the right of every citizen of this state -- including judges, coaches, teachers, city, county and state officials -- to acknowledge God as the sovereign source of law, liberty and government."

Let me repeat that last bit:
"to acknowledge God as the sovereign source of law, liberty and government."

His God, obviously. The big imaginary Santa Claus in the sky. The sovereign source of law and government.

The scariest thing about this is that the man has a very good chance of winning. Stupid people abound in this state. I can attest to that. This ain't good, people. But I do know that a lot of folks around here are furious with him for wasting so much of our tax money on his idiot crusade. Let us pray that cooler minds will prevail.

This might be a good time to link to this:
Jimmy Carter explains how the Christian Right is neither.

I'll give it a seven...

2005-10-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

I had the biopsy this morning, and should find out something in a couple of days. I'm really not too worried; my surgeon and the radiologist both seemed confident that it will be fine. The nurses asked me to rate the pain from 1-10. I told them it didn't hurt; it was just incredibly weird. I gave it a 7 on the weirdness scale.

I'm digging my new White Stripes album, "Get Behind Me Satan". That kind of minimalist rock is just so refreshing.

The news has just reached me that Kate Bush, after a 12 year hiatus to raise her son, is releasing, at long last, her new album! It's called Aerial, and is due out on Nov. 7. I adore her music, and am praying that this one is better than the rather disappointing "Red Shoes", which was her last offering. I've been asking myself though, if I heard Red Shoes, not knowing who it was, would I like it? Probably. Probably a lot. It's just that her earlier work was so ground-breaking that Red Shoes just seemed pedestrian in comparison.

At this point, I just want to hear her voice.

I ain't skeert. (yeah, right...)

2005-09-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the doc, who wants to schedule a needle biopsy just to make sure all is well. He says it's definitely not just density from the radiation, which makes me just a teensy bit nervous. He was very positive and upbeat about things though, so I'm keeping a stiff upper lip but just sort of wishing Mike was home right now.

So I'm not sure if I should just go and get the local radiologist to do the biopsy, or whether I should go ahead and see the docs in B-ham like they said I should if anything came up. I do trust my local doctor, so I think I'll just do what he says and see what the needle turns up.

(For those new to my blog ~ I was recently treated for just the smallest case of breast cancer)

In sunnier news...the Deadwing album doth rock, every last moment of it. Well, maybe not every last moment. Because I haven't quite finished listening. It has stopped playing, but I suspect that it has one of those annoying ghost tracks. I usually just ignore them and eject the CD if it feeds me nothing but silence (the job of a CD is to entertain me, dammit!) but this album is too good to miss a note, so I just pray it's not too long of a silence...

OK, new impressions of Dylan...

2005-09-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

If I ever become great, I hope Martin Scorcese does the story of my life. As pissed off as I am at Bob Dylan for not being the Bob Dylan of my fantasy world, I thoroughly enjoyed last night's conclusion of "No Direction Home". I did think it was just way too precious of Dylan to feign ignorance about the socio-political messages in his music. How pretentious of him to act as though he didn't even know what the interviewers were talking about. What a rude, pompous little clown. Which seems to be just the image he was going for, so kudos to BD for being a complete success in all his endeavors.

I bought the most AMAZING album last night...Porcupine Tree, "Deadwing". I've only heard the first couple of tracks so far, but oh, my. I guess the best way I can describe it is psych-prog-rock, with an emphasis on ROCK. As in, it rocked me so hard I thought I was going to die happy in traffic. I'm spending my lunch hour in my car today. :)

Just look at that little imp!

2005-09-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

She was peeking around the corner at the Children's Museum. We had such a blast.

I watched the first half of the Dylan documentary last night. Frankly, once it got past the footage of his influences, I didn't care any more. He seems like a dreadful person. But the old footage of Hank Williams and Muddy Waters was coolness incarnate.

Yeah, I guess it really bothered me, because I love Dylan's music. And now I have to know that he is a thief, an egomaniac and a huckster. This is why I hate to know anything about my favorite artists. It's like when I met Adrian Belew. It just sucked all the magic out of his music for me. ::sigh::

Tornado Warnings

2005-09-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

I spent a couple of hours in the basement today avoiding some of Rita's tornados, and as a result I made some progress going through some of the junk down there. I have a couple of enormous boxes ready to go to the Florence HS Drama Dept yard sale. I also managed to get the hearth cleaned off at long last. Flying with Flylady is easy as long as I'm dealing with my own stuff, but when I start trying to deal with my husband's space, that's a delicate proposition. It was a productive day.

Friday night's work gathering was a foodfest. I'm afraid that I was very, very bad. And I'm still eating leftovers.

Time for me to head to bed so that I can finally get back in the pool in the morning.

My letter to Alabama Public Radio

2005-09-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

I don't suppose that tonight's Evening Jazz program is any worse than any other night's. It's just that tonight was the straw that finally broke my spirit. I want to love APR. I enjoy the news programming, K.T.Windham's stories, Lake Wobegon, even Car Talk. But here's the thing. I love music. I'm actually quite obsessed with it. Every night, with hope in my heart, I turn on my radio and hope to hear some on APR. So far, all I hear when I turn on APR in the evening is some strident, nasal jazz instrument or another, wildly running through scales as if it were trying to learn to play itself as quickly as possible. I call this, "Noodling", and it makes me physically ill to hear it.

I don't care what kind of music you play at night on APR. Jazz, trip hop, Americana, African tribal, or polka. Just please, I am begging you, make it GOOD music. INTERESTING music. Music with a purpose and a direction beyond an attempt to play as many notes in succession as possible.

I want to love APR. I want to support APR. But until APR provides me with something cool to listen to before I go to bed at night, I will continue to send all of my financial support to Radio Paradise.

Hopefully yours,
~Anna Gibson

And some of my husband's thoughts...

2005-09-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

A cart laden with tourists leaves the Marriott and goes direct to the wharf where a small ship laden with supplies, including wool, copper, silver, gold, exotic woods... has just arrived. From there it proceeds up the hill and into the village.

An enormous, ornate hall houses an interactive dinner theatre.

We also see a large collection of wooden structures where carpenters build barrels, wheels, lances, longbows, arrows... An instructer is aiming his longbow at leather and glue targets. Wares from each shop are for sale; apprentices learn their individual trades..

The next group of shops perform work on copper. Bowls, utensils, hardware; next is a craftsman who makes a long trumpet on a mandrel from a single block of copper. His grandfather's grandfather's dad taught him, and so on. A trumpet can take 2 to 3 weeks to make. Next to him is a craftsman who hammers thin sheets of copper which he wraps around a mandrel and over fire hammers and welds succesive sheets to make a similar trumpet. The final layer may have silver inlay with hooks for a banner and be completed in 2 days; enlightenment, he says. The two craftsmen like to bicker.

Blacksmith shops make rings that go around a wheel or barrel. Armor, chainmail, mandrels...

As we progress up the street, the quality of the buildings is changing from wood to stone (local quarried limestone?) or brick. Perhaps higher ceilings in the high rent district.

Exotic woods are carved into handsome furniture/furnishings, some gilded. A clock tower is driven by the newly discovered pendulum whose enormous swinging arc through two stories guarantees accuracy to within 10-15 seconds per day.

The other side of the street has tanners ,weavers and tailors. How exciting, the idea of a portable clock that a person can carry with them! Lenses are created to enhance vision and explore the inner and outer cosmos. Somewhere I smell the brewing of beer.

The apprentices come from all over the world and receive reduced rates from the Marriott for their contracted extended stays. They may learn anything from making and shooting longbows to hammering gold into thin foil that will cover that precious keepsake.

A faculty of artisans/teachers will flock to this new city, which by the way, bears no resemblance to a bass pro shop.

Some great ideas for the Shoals...

2005-09-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Susann Elsass wrote a brilliant letter to Billy Ray Warren this week, and has given me permission to share:

Dear Billy,

I've been thinking about something and just had to share my thoughts. I
have spent the last 3 days at the Sheffield Charrette. One of the speakers
on Thursday night was John Elkington who is the primary developer of Beale
Street in Memphis. One of the main points he made was that Sheffield should
not "copy" what another city has done. He said that it's important to
create a new experience so that tourist who visit the area return home
saying "You have to see what they have done". I have also learned in the
last 3 days that Sheffield intends to create an entertainment/music district
downtown.

I couldn't help but think about our own plans for Florence and the tourist
attractions we are exploring here. I know we have been looking at a Bass
Plus and the possibility of an entertainment district in East Florence.
I've actually been a supporter of it. (the entertainment district, not the
Bass Plus) What I can't stop thinking about is how firm Mr. Elkington was
about his warning to "create something different". It seems obvious to me
that Sheffield is much better situated to create a music district downtown.
They have more large buildings with character that are better situated to
become nightclubs and restaurants. They also have a more direct historical
tie to the recording industry in that area. If we do the same type of
district it just seems to be boring duplication. I believe that a Bass Plus
would be the same duplication situation. Bass Plus was a big deal 10 years
ago. I realize that the nearest one may still be a drive, but I'm sure it's
only a matter of time before a competitor with the same product line comes
along to rival them. I just don't feel that it's a novel "look to the
future" type approach.

I'm writing to you because I'm aware of your desire to construct a
Renaissance Village and I know you have looked at Veterans Park as a
possible location. I'm aware of the ownership issue, and I know the city
has been asked to offer Bass Plus an incentive. What I would like to see
happen in Veterans Park is exactly what you propose. The link that Florence
has to the Renaissance period is what makes us unique. I did a little
research to see where there might be competition and all I could find is a
plan for a Renaissance village that isn't even under construction in
Colorado and a couple of Medieval Times restaurants in North Carolina and
Florida. I may be incorrect, but my guess is that a Renaissance village
could also be constructed in harmony with the existing landscape easier than
a Bass Plus, which I'm sure would please the environmentalists. If you look
at the enduring popularity of places like Silver Dollar City and
Williamsburg that also supports my position.

In addition I have a different approach to what I would like to see happen
in East Florence. I would like to see an entertainment district with an
international flair. I believe that the success of the Celtic Concert
Series and the Indian Dance Troupe point to an interest in such
entertainment. I personally really miss the Indian, Thai, Mediterranean,
and other ethnic restaurants in Los Angeles. I know that I'm not alone
because I've been in 3 completely different groups of local citizens lately
where the subject came up and they have all echoed the same sentiment. I
also think the old depot over there would make a wonderful farmer's market
with an exotic flair and I know there is some interest in a more upscale
gourmet grocery store. They could carry international spices and produce
and maybe even offer cooking classes in ethnic cuisine.

I would further support my proposal by pointing out that when Dr. Borah
introduced the Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe he mentioned research that
indicated communities that demonstrate an openness to ethnic diversity are
more likely to attract industry in the new world economy. I'm paraphrasing
what I remember of his comments, and will contact him to inquirer about his
sources. I would also point out that in terms of tourist attractions this
area is overrun with Southern History and Southern Music History. I'm sure
I'll lose friends talking like that, but I'm not saying it's bad - just that
there is a lot of it. You have the Smokey Mountains, Nashville, Beale
Street, New Orleans (the music district isn't that far from being back
online) and I know that Tupelo is working toward jumping on that bandwagon.
I know that there is a rich music heritage in this area, but you can only
capitalize on it so much. I especially think that in terms of attracting
folks from Nashville, Memphis, and Birmingham for repeat visits it makes
sense to do something a little different. Picture this... Downtown Florence
becomes an art district (there are already 3 galleries and the First Friday
event), Sheffield and Muscle Shoals have a music district and a new
recording industry, Tuscumbia has the Indian Heritage and Railroad link
along with upscale shopping and children's attractions, and the East
Florence area is a Renaissance Village that flows into an adjacent
international entertainment district. It seems to me that if we do it that
way a traveler wouldn't feel like they had "Done the Shoals" until they
visited all these communities. It gives them a reason to stay longer no
matter what hotel they are in. I also think that these attractions would be
much more likely to be used by a larger percentage of the locals. I just
don't see a big number of the college kids going to Bass Plus.

I would like to hear your thoughts on what I propose and I hope they you
will keep me on your list of supporters for the Renaissance Village. I feel
strongly about this and I will likely tell anyone I can get to listen. I
would like to give you an opportunity to respond first, but may then forward
this letter to city officials, the planners at NACOLG, and friends in the
community.

Best regards,

Susann Elsass

Sheffield Charrette

2005-09-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed Thursday night's planning session at the Ritz Theater regarding Sheffield's concepts for an entertainment district. John Elkington of Performa Real Estate was apparently instrumental in the recent changes in Beale St. and he had quite a lot to say that made sense.

One thing that struck me was his warning that it would tend to weaken the effect of the attraction if other cities; Florence, Muscle Shoals or Tuscumbia also decided to build their own music districts. I had been behind the idea of an entertainment district in East Florence, but now I think something else needs to happen there.

He also emphasized the importance of building an unique attraction, not a carbon copy of another city's entertainment district, but something that only the Shoals has to offer.

I've heard some great ideas, and Mike has come up with an amazing concept that I'll talk about later.

Changes are afoot, and I hope everyone will throw their energies and blessings behind what's happening in the Shoals.

Ubu's newest assault on the world of art and local politics:

2005-09-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

This was completed early this morning and emailed to me at my breakfast.

Well, this was predictable...

2005-09-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

I answered this online questionaire to find out what sort of elitist I might be, and here are the results:

Your CD collection is almost as big as your ego,
and you can most likely play an instrument or
three. You're a real hit at parties, but you're
SO above karaoke.
What people love: You're instant entertainment.
Unless you play the obo.
What people hate: Your tendency to sing louder than
the radio and compare everything to a freaking
song.

What Kind of Elitist Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Hip hop

2005-09-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Kyle just brought over a couple of newly formed tree frogs and I took some pics. Check out how it's doing the chameleon thing with that amethyst.

2005-09-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

Yep. There she is again.

Watched a truly great film tonight...I (heart) Huckabees. I think I need to watch it every day, or at least keep it on in the background. Or at least buy myself a big rubber bouncy ball.

Ate too much, again...leftover ribs and baked beans. It was worth every artery-clogging morsel.

Just realized I never answered my emails today. I was so busy today, non-stop scrambling to get caught up; desperate to finish in time to go home before bedtime. I better go answer a couple, though they will be short.

My grandmother's hair pins

2005-09-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

The world looks much brighter this morning, of course. If there's any aspect of my mother's spirit around here, it's here to give me comfort. I was just cleaning out a drawer in my bedroom, and came across a box full of my maternal grandmother's hair pins. Nothing fancy, just plain metal hair clips. She used to roll her hair into pincurls and fasten them with those clips. I'm decluttering my home, and this kind of thing is the hardest of all. I can let go of stuff that was mine in all my other lives...childhood, high school, college...but what am I supposed to do with my grandmother's hair pins?? Throw them away? Build a shrine to them? What about my mother's lifelong collection of cassette tapes? It's so hard to let these things go. But my house is only so big, and I can only have so much stuff. ;)

Out of the corner of my eye...

2005-09-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

All evening, even when we had company here and conversation was lively, I kept seeing someone out of the corner of my eye; someone who isn't there when I turn to look. Now our guest has gone home, my husband has gone to bed and I am still seeing someone there. I'm getting awfully spooked here. Weird notions come to mind. My dear mother lived with me during the final years of her life. Just yesterday, I finally took down off the wall of what was her bedroom, two placemats depicting travel scenes that she loved, and a calendar still open to June of 2003, which was when she died. Is she protesting this? I can't stand to think of my mother as some sort of restless spirit. Of course, I've always considered ghosts to be, not the person from whom they were generated, but aspects of that person, somehow recorded into the spirit of a place

OMG I'm freezing. It's like ice in here. Oh yeah...I turned the air down earlier...I'm really doing number on myself. I need to go to bed and stop letting my imagination run wild.

A picture of Mother around 1940:

More Freia Photos...sorry, I can't resist her...

2005-09-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

DH is getting the ribs ready for Labor Day, and Freia is his new best friend. ;)

And I don't have any excuse for this one.

Reflection...

2005-09-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

Freia's reflection looking out our glass front door...

The Reverend Earnest T. "Rex" Ubu unleashes his work on an unsuspecting populace....

2005-09-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

First Friday tonight was a rousing success. Byron sold several of Ubu's pieces. I didn't get to sing Showtunes with Zodiac because their accompaniest didn't show, but I had fun anyway. Saw lots of folks I hadn't seen in a while.

Teri made a new quilt square in my honor!!

2005-09-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

Check it out!!! Isn't that the most awesome quilt pattern on earth?! Teri and several friends are making a quilt to be auctioned for breast cancer research, and this is the square she made in my honor. I seriously love this pattern!! I would love to see an entire quilt made from this pattern. Does anybody know the name of it? For all I know, Teri made it up. She is just amazing with quilts.

I will definitely be posting the link when their quilts are ready to be auctioned. In fact I will probaly post it so often that everyone will be sick of hearing about it!

Rebuild?? A city below sea level???

2005-09-01T03:43:00.000-07:00

Why???

It's insane, all this talk about rebuilding New Orleans. The experts say we have 20-30 more years of massive hurricanes coming. I'm fine with the idea of rebuilding the city, but please, for the love of God, don't put it back in the same precarious spot it's in! Restore the French Quarter, the original city, the only part that's actually above sea level, as a tourist attraction, a monument to the city of New Orleans. But how pathetically stupid is it to repeat the colossal mistake of allowing a city to spread out around it on land that is destined to become swamp?

Let that land turn into the wetlands we so desperately need to protect our country from the onslaught of these deadly hurricanes. Build a city someplace else.

/end rant.

My mind has been trying to wrap itself around the concept of 1 million Americans displaced, homeless...

No luck so far. I just can't fathom it. As soon as I get word back from my employer about matching donations (they matched my Tsunami donation), I'm sending money to the Red Cross, but I just feel like I should be doing something. My heart is so heavy with this. Sometimes it sucks to be an empath.

Oh, no, I did NOT just go there.

2005-08-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

I had Lasik surgery a few years ago, and as we all know that results in farsightedness. I've been experiencing some eyestrain as a result, so my doc prescribed some reading glasses for me. I've been using them at work. But it's annoying, because you have to remember to put them on when you sit down and take them off when you get up to walk somewhere.

The moment when I thought to myself, "You know...if I just had some sort of chain to hang these around my neck..." was one of the most horrifying moments of my life.

Holy Crap.

I got tagged...if you're reading this, consider yourself similarly tagged...

2005-08-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Megan passed on this madness to me...and I can't resist a questionnaire....

1. What is the ratio of sexy panties to granny panties currently in your possession?

Ummm, no? No.

2. Pretend you won one of those “make your dream come true” deals that Oprah is always giving away. What would you ask for?

A state of the art recording studio complete with top notch studio musicians, technicians and instructors.

3. Describe your high school days in one word.

Auditorium. I never left it. I was such a drama baby.

4. If you could shag any celebrity in the world, who would be your top three picks?

1) David Bowie
2) Robert Plant
3) Tricky

5. If you had all the money in the world, more than you could ever spend in four lifetimes, would you eat some??

Ewww. OK, I might roll in it a bit, but no way that filthy lucre is going in my mouth.

6. Tag Three People:
ok, I'm at work and don't have time for taggin' right now but I'll try to come back later...

She's beautiful when she's angry...

2005-08-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

So I'm obsessively cleaning out my hall closet tonight, when DH walks in holding Freia wrapped in my feather boa. I had to run for my camera. She's so byuuuuu-tee-full. And so very, very pissed. ;)

I have been on such a cleaning jag. I'm finding things I never thought I would see again. And I was going back and forth on whether to have a yard sale. I really didn't want the aggravation, and I just want my space. So I took some things to Loaves and Fishes (like a Goodwill) and donated them, like Flylady suggests. Then I found out that my high school drama department is having a yard sale in November, and they're already accepting donations. It's perfect!! I was such a drama baby in school, and there's nothing around here I would rather support. So last week I took them a bunch of things; all the shoes I can't wear (barely worn Merrells...nice stuff). I have a feeling I'm going to have a nice big trunkload of stuff to bring them every week for a while.

A horrific realization ~ someone please prove me wrong.

2005-08-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me while reading Dave Barry, a universal truth about jokes. They are all, every one of them, at someone's or some thing's expense. Now part of the horror of this, is that I have to wonder if I am the only person on earth who didn't know this. I mean, is that just a given? Or are there others out there to whom this might be a heart-rending, world-shifting epiphany?

I've heard the concept before, of course. The butt of a joke. The joke's on me. Making fun of someone, some group, some concept, some thing. But I always thought those kinds of jokes just weren't very nice. Now I am slapped in the face with the truth. That's the only kind of joke there is!

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side, you idiot. The part in italics is implied of course, but it's there. That's why the joke is funny. We are to imagine that someone watched a chicken crossing the road and couldn't grasp the concept that the reason for the crossing was the getting across. that person is the funny part, even if that person is ourselves.

When I made this realization, I got on the net and went to some jokes pages. Sure enough, not even one of the jokes I found were devoid of this element.

Well, I guess the jokes been on me all along.

OK, maybe it wasn't that post...

2005-08-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was astonished to find myself actually crying at work, over some nasty things somebody said about me. That's just not like me. But today I'm doing the same thing, over something completely different. So maybe I'm just on some sort of emotional peak..the stirrings of menopause?...fallout from my last Reiki attunement?? I don't know. But this sucks:

Earlier this week we ran an obit in our paper for a 2-month old child. It was beautiful. The quotes from the child's mother were heart-wrenching. This morning, that young mother was killed in a car wreck.

It's just life, right? But sometimes life sucks in such a spectacular way that you just have to cry in appreciation for its artistry.

Hurtful comments.

2005-08-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

I posted what I thought was a lighthearted jab at myself for being so musically obsessed, with a link asking for anyone who enjoys my work here on this blog to buy me some music. Kind of like "listener-supported" radio. I thought it was funny. I also thought my writing and photography might actually be worth something. Guess one person thought not. This is what someone said to me today:

" don't know if this is some kind of joke or if you really are a clueless, selfish, manipulative person. My opinion of you has radically changed. ..."

And then it got much worse, and I'm not going to repeat any more of it because it is too painful. It was an Anonymous, unsigned post.

Well, Anonymous, there's a hell of a lot you "don't know". What you said was hurtful and not true, but just in case anyone else out there had the same opinion of that post, I have removed it. I have spent this afternoon crying uncontrollably at work for the first time in my life.

Which brings up an interesting point. Is my psyche this delicate? That the comments of one person can send me into a crying jag? Or maybe that some of those insults rang true? Manipulative? No. I won't accept that one. I say what I mean, and mean what I say. But clueless? Yes. For most of my life it seems I have been standing on the sidelines of life, not really knowing the rules or really having any desire to play the game. And selfish? My dearest friends have always told me that I give too much.

What that person did to me today was just mean-spirited and wrong. I have my theory on who it might have been, but I'll never know the truth of that because of her cowardice. But it did force me to examine some things about myself. I came very close to deleting this entire blog today, because I just wanted to retreat into myself, again. I've worked too hard to do that though.

I'll keep up my blog, for myself and for my actual friends, at least until I get my web site up and running. I won't be anywhere near the Nutrisystem Bulletin Board.

Bad Poetry Day!!

2005-08-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

Kyle let me know that today is indeed, Bad Poetry Day. And so, with apologies to T.S. Eliot, my contribution to the day:

The Love Song of D. Ugly Hospital Frocks

You better go then, you or your woman
Even though the "girls" are spread against cold metal
A patient pinned by her chest to a standing table

Yep, you better go
Time to get those tests run
In the smoky gray corridors of some hospital

Oh, do not ask, Will it hurt?
Go on and take off your shirt.

In the room the women come and go
Getting the dreaded mammo.

And indeed there will be time
For just about anything you like
Time for tit and time for tat
Time for your kids and time for your cat

In the room the women come and go
Getting the dreaded mammo.

Looks like I've got some growing up to do...naaaah

2005-08-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

You Are 27 Years Old

27

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Audio Blog: phone call from Page

2005-08-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

Check out this phone call I got after sharing the newest Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation album with my oldest friend, Kyle.

Reiki II

2005-08-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

I had my Reiki II attunement today, and participated in a fabulous Reiki share.

I was disappointed to realize that I left my camera at home!! I always have my camera! But I left it at the computer while downloading last night's pic. I could have had some great shots.

I should scan my certificate. But I'm going to bed. It's left me completely exhausted. In a good way. :)

Did I mention that I live in Alabama?

2005-08-14T00:21:00.000-07:00

On my way back to Byron's tonight, this sign appeared by the side of the road. I'm sure it's portentous message will be carried to the educators of Alabama. :::sigh:::

In other news, The Second Saturday "Casual Gathering of Artists" was at an amazing antique shop at the Town Plaza Shopping Center in Sheffield tonight. Byron was in his element, since this particular shop dealt not only in fine antiques but also in artifacts of pop culture.

Watching the light play...

2005-08-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

You should have seen her grab for this quartz crystal from a huge treasure chest full of costume jewelry; her eyes lit up like stars and she immediately said, "Let's go outside!" That's when I knew that biology notwithstanding, this child really is my granddaughter.

Learning her zills...

2005-08-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

Sierra loved playing with Granna's finger cymbals.

My D & D character

2005-08-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

I've never played any sort of Dungeons and Dragons, or Magic games, but a friend of mine inspired me to take this online test, and here are the results:

I Am A: Chaotic Good Elf Bard Mage

Alignment:
Chaotic Good characters are independent types with a strong belief in the value of goodness. They have little use for governments and other forces of order, and will generally do their own things, without heed to such groups.

Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.

Primary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.

Secondary Class:
Mages harness the magical energies for their own use. Spells, spell books, and long hours in the library are their loves. While often not physically strong, their mental talents can make up for this.

Deity:
Hanali Cenanil is the Chaotic Good elven goddess of love, beauty, and art. She is also known as the Heart of Gold and Lady Goldheart. Her followers delight in creation and youth, and work to spread happiness, love, and beauty. Their preferred weapon is the dagger.

Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)

2005-08-10T03:09:00.000-07:00

I didn't know how worried I was, or even that I was worried at all about the space shuttle until I heard that it had landed safely. I felt this exhalation of air and my whole body relaxed.

And now, a picture of an overgrown shack:

Flying high...

2005-08-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

I actually signed up on FlyLady, and it is actually helping me to get my house in some sort of order. I mean, by most standards, it's still a nightmare, but it feels pretty good to me.

I got a great workout this morning in the pool, and yoga rocked tonight.

I also got a promise from a Reiki master that I'll get my Reiki II attunement at the share on Sunday, and I'm pretty jazzed about that.

Internet ~ I'm leaving you.

2005-08-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

I came to the horrible realization that my last couple of free weekends were spent on the net, surfing mindlessly, obsessively checking my email, reading every post on the BB, and my weeks are not much different. I'm having to do an intervention with myself. I'll still check my email at least once a day, but I'm getting off the net.

I've had the most wonderful weekend, just getting a start on cleaning and organizing my house. It's going to take a while, especially the basement, but I intend to become a hermit for the most part, and enjoy my time at home, creating space and possibilities.

I will be listening to Radio Paradise and if you love good music of all kinds, I highly recommend that you tune in!

Quality time with a princess

2005-07-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

She spent the night last night, and we saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ~ fabulous. Mike took this picture when we went to pick her up. I am so jealous that I didn't take it!

I saw one of the most amazing performances of my life tonight. The Mamata Shankar Indian Ballet troupe was just incredible. I couldn't find a soul to go with me, so I got dolled up and went by myself. Unforgettable show. I don't know how we got lucky enough to have them come here.

It's way past my bedtime; guess I'll miss my workout tomorrow. Oh well, it was worth it.

2005-07-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

I didn't take this picture. I sure wish I could have taken this picture. It's my brand spanking new great-nephew, Daniel. My sister is a grandma for the first time! Mother and baby are doing fine. But they're far away so Aunt Anna hasn't met him yet. :(

I'm still going strong on the program. I will break my streak tomorrow night though. I think it might actually be a sin to go to the movies and not eat popcorn. Sierra is spending the night, and we're going to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I can't wait!

2005-07-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

Artbabe just flipped a light on inside my head today; she was talking about using your own unique observations and knowledge to create your work. And someone on the radio today was talking about the old adage "write about what you know" ~ I think he was some sort of larcenous criminal who ended up as a successful writer of crime novels. Anyway, obviously this is a message I'm meant to get today and I feel much better about my pictures now.

I know absolutely ZIP about photography, but I intend to actually read the manual that came with my camera this weekend, for the start of an education. So far I've pretty much left it on it's "Automatic" setting. Then I figure there must be some really good sites on the net. I really don't want to commit to a class, but I do think I should have some basic knowledge before I lose a really good shot through my
own ignorance.

I just keep seeing things that I feel compelled to photograph. All kinds of things seem to be hitting me that way, and I think it may have a lot to do with my recent battle with breast cancer. Everything just looks a little more stunning; everything catches my eye.

She also set off a question in my head. If I were to offer CD's for sale on this blog, would that violate my agreement with Blogger? I guess I need to re-read the terms.

Here's what I'm struggling with today. I want to invite my almost-4-year-old step-granddaughter to spend the night Saturday, and I really want to take her to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We took her to see her first movie, Madagascar, a few months ago. Here's my problem. I can't imagine a movie without popcorn. Or a sleepover without pizza (she likes cheese pizza with ranch dressing!) This is the kind of situation where I traditionally just give myself a Get Out of Jail Free card and throw caution to the winds. I have to learn to experience life without punctuating all pleasures with food.

I'm still on a 100% streak, and still exercising every morning! And I'm still gaining weight. :::sigh::: I feel like my belly is getting bigger every day. If it weren't physically impossible, I would wonder if I'm pregant fercryinoutloud.

And now, for no particular reason, a couple pictures of trucks, both taken from inside my car while riding down the road, one while I was driving (now, that's obsession.):

So stealing cars is OK then, right??

2005-07-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm just dumbfounded by this asshat grandmother in New York who is suing the maker of "Grand Theft Auto" because she didn't know when she bought it for her 14 year old grandson that it had hidden explicit sexual images.

How does this make sense???

What was going through her head?? It's somehow OK for her teenage grandson to hone his car-stealing chops by playing a violent video game, but god forbid he should get an erection??

People just amaze and astound me.

But we all know what Tom Cruise said, or who Britney is snogging.

2005-07-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is shameful.

The New York Times Op-Ed, Nicholas Kristof says:
"Some of us in the news media have been hounding President Bush for his shameful passivity in the face of genocide in Darfur. More than two years have passed since the beginning of what Mr. Bush acknowledges is the first genocide of the 21st century, yet Mr. Bush barely manages to get the word "Darfur" out of his mouth. Still, it seems hypocritical of me to rage about Mr. Bush's negligence, when my own beloved institution - the American media - has been at least as passive as Mr. Bush.

If only Michael Jackson's trial had been held in Darfur. Last month, CNN, Fox News, NBC, MSNBC, ABC and CBS collectively ran 55 times as many stories about Michael Jackson as they ran about genocide in Darfur."

I say:
At least 200,000 people murdered, and millions displaced, raped, tortured...but we are all so tuned in to our "reality" shows that actual reality doesn't even register on our radar. We are sheeple. We will focus on whatever is flashed in our face with the brightest lights and most cleavage.

And what really makes my blood curdle is that the most popular shows on TV are the ones that trade on humiliation. Let's watch 5 women compete for 1 man and see which one cries. Let's watch 10 fat people starve themselves and run on a treadmill 5 hours a day to lose the most weight in the least possible amount of time, like a bunch of macabre human hamsters. It's like a big ole circus freak show. Jerry Springer is no longer an anomaly. The lowest common denominator has become the thing we aspire to. I want to vomit.

Now, wtf am I going to do about Darfur? I don't know. Probably just blog about it. But at least that's one voice.

2005-07-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Freia's home, and boy is she pissed. She's also still deeply groggy from the sedation, and that's quite a combo, let me tell you! Apparently she has a couple of things going on, some inflammation in her hips and also allergies. So she's going to be on a steroidal anti-inflammatory for a while. Giving medicine to cats...one of my favorite things. :::shiver::: Luckily, this stuff has all sorts of fish oils and other vile ingredients, so it's very stinky and apparently cats LOVE it. So hopefully that will make it easier.

We went to one of the W.C. Handy Festival events tonight, in Wilson Park, and it was wonderful. A great band, Fritz Pizitz played, and everyone brought blankets and lawn chairs, and all the children were dancing and doing somersaults ~ it was just the best summer evening.

2005-07-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

I started yoga classes again last night; temporarily going back to the beginner class just until I get my sea legs back. It felt so good! This morning I started FitLinxx strength training again too, and that just rocked. Of course I had to decrease my weight lifted on most of the machines by 20 pounds or more, but I'm still lifting more than I was when I first started 3 years ago. Ki Gong class rocked; we did the fragrance Ki Gong (a lot like dancing) and a walking meditation, all outdoors on the beautiful grounds of the YMCA. There were some gorgeous white Morning Glorys on a hidden trail behind the Y.

My scale betrayed me this morning. After 12 days of 100%, and plenty of exercise, I have gained 4 pounds since Sunday! Stupid machine. Well, I know how good I feel.

Freia is in the hospital. :( She hasn't been herself the last few days, walking around with her tail between her legs, having trouble jumping onto beds and chairs, not at all like the fabulously agile and spectacular creature she normally is. Unfortunately, she does not take to the vet's office very well and he has to sedate her just to be able to examine her. So they had to keep her overnight. I'm sure she is absolutely furious.

Furious with Rowling

2005-07-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

She better be writing the next book quick. I finally got the chance to read the Half Blood Prince. No spoilers here but she really needs to get on the ball with the next one. Worst. Cliffhanger. Ever.

I've been awfully good with food lately, and the scale is finally moving, slowly but surely. I actually got in the pool yesterday morning, and that rocked. Had a bit of a scare when my waterproof mp3 wouldn't work, but now that I've discovered I just had the blasted thing on pause, all is well. ;)

I've gone from 254 to 248 in a couple weeks...that's pretty good but I hope this isn't the whoosh I was expecting. I mean, I hope I don't slow to half a pound a week or worse until I at least get to Onederland.

Two different people on our Weight Loss Challenge at work lost 10 pounds the first week. I have no chance unless both of them completely give up and lose nothing else. Man, I really needed that $200. Well, that's the last time I put down money on weight loss.

From the wall inside the Vulcan

2005-07-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

2005-07-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

A photo I took from the catwalk around the Vulcan statue.

Oh. OK, well, that sucked...

2005-07-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

So I spent most of the day agonizing over whether, if my photographs came in from Snapfish, I would get the nerve up to share them with the arts group I've been hanging with at the weekly meeting tonight.

They came in! My heart was in my throat, right? I got them all ready and made myself leave the house with them. Terrified. I am definitely not a photographer. I mean, I never even owned; hell, I never even touched a camera until a couple of years ago and that was just for eBay and pics of grandkids. I'm just obsessed with taking pictures right now for some reason. And I've always been a firm believer in art, and how when it grabs you by the throat you have to pay attention and take it seriously.

But I don't know diddly squat about photography. So I'm walking in to that hotel conference room, more heart-stoppingly afraid than I think I have ever been of anything, bar none, and I have done some pretty embarrassing things in public on purpose, believe you me (do the words "giant talking poker-playing panda" mean anything to you? No? Well, they do to me) but this, THIS was completely uncharted territory for me. One would think that bag-lady-strips-to-belly-dancer Birthday-O-Grams would be out of any reasonable person's comfort zone, but no, for me, this was it. The big cahuna. Laying myself out on the line knowing that my offering sucks, but that I have to show it anyway.

How did it go?

Well, the meeting was cut short, and I never had the chance to show anybody a damn thing.

I got my body back!!!!

2005-07-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

I can exercise again!!!

I saw both of my doctors in Birmingham yesterday and got an A+ report. No cancer, no more surgeries, no more treatments, no more limited activities!! I will be in the pool in the morning! I had Ki Gong class this morning and it was beautiful, outside. Every muscle in my body feels engaged, like it's waking up. I can start yoga again on Monday. I'm home from cancer!!

Gotta go to bed.

2005-07-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Ki Gong class starts again in the morning, so I have to get myself to bed so I can be up at 5 a.m. Normally I would go and do the FitLinxx machines before Ki Gong, but I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. I'll let the docs tell me on Wednesday when I can start that and the water exercise. But my Ki Gong instructor promised to start out slow so I figure I can slide back into that.

This is the hardest part of exercise for me. I love to stay up late!!! But I can't do that and get my morning workouts in because I HAVE to have at least 7 hours of sleep or I am worthless the next day. I miss being 20-something and being able to stay up for days at a time.

How can I go through an entire weekend and do nothing?

2005-07-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

It seems like everything takes forever these days. I know I spend too much time on the internet but I feel like I really limited myself to just the emails I needed to answer, and just a couple of BB posts. I managed to do the laundry, and clean the kitchen and bath. But the house is still a wreck. I didn't have time to study my new Dreamweaver software. I didn't have time to read Harry Potter. I didn't have time to play my violin, though I did strum the guitar a bit. What the heck was I doing all weekend? It's a mystery. It's like a day just doesn't last nearly as long as it used to. Maybe I should take up smoking pot ~ that should stretch out the days. I could take a month's vacation and still not feel like I have enough time to catch up with the things I want to do around the house.

And I can't even THINK about the basement, which is still full of stuff left over from my business, mostly supplies and stuff I can't bring myself to throw away because it's perfectly good stuff. What I need is to have a yard sale, but my husband would rather die than have strangers roaming around our yard. And most of it is just not good enough to go to the trouble of selling it on eBay. I should just throw it away and make some space. Space would be great. I could have a recording studio down there and make music. BUT IF I DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ HARRY POTTER WHEN WOULD I HAVE TIME TO MAKE MUSIC?

Boy I sure am on a roll with the whining tonight, eh? Here's a sort of epiphany I had today about all this. It doesn't matter if I get it all done. The idea is to get the most out of every moment, regardless of what I'm doing. The idea is to live wide, not long.

I'm still dying to read the Half Blood Prince.

Bamboo curtain

2005-07-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

The bamboo curtain on our back porch, altered with filters and such:

I played with photos tonight

2005-07-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

This is a collage photo of the walkway atop the Vulcan statue, a backlit hole in a cavern wall, and Freia's eyes.

My crazy cartoon dog

2005-07-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

I was trying to take Max's picture and he wouldn't sit still as usual, so this is what I got. Cracked me up so hard I had to share:

I feel so good, knowing I'm back on the program and on my way to being one hell of a lot smaller. I have ballooned up so much that I feel like I'm just going to explode. Today has been great; I have done nothing but putter about the house and the puter listening to Radio Paradise and doing exactly what I feel like doing. My brother and nephew came by and brought me a CD of my nephew's new band, and it sounds great ~ lots of Led Zep covers. It almost made me homesick for my band, Kulmandu.

Asphalt Floral

2005-07-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

The hurricane blew flowers all over the parking lot at work, so I took a pic.

I made a cool background out of this image that you can see here.

What's with all the bumblebees??

2005-07-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

For the last few days, my yard has been swarming with bumblebees. Great big ones. Flying just above the ground. Did they come in with the hurricane? What the hell are they doing out there? There are no flowers. Nothing traditionally attractive to bumblebees, as far as I know.

Weird.

Not much else going on with me. I'm still eating too much, still can't exercise. Looking forward to getting back on NS starting Friday when I'm joining (and organizing) a weight loss challenge at work. I sure don't want to lose a lot of water weight before then. It's a little frustrating though. We decided to incorporate exercise into the challenge this time (we've had two challenges before). So now, each pound lost will count one point, and every 5 hours of exercise will count one point. The weight is no problem to keep up with; I have a scale in my office and I will weigh everyone. The exercise is on the honor system, and I am hearing much whining that people will lie. My thoughts are that if they lie, that's their problem. What goes around comes around. But since money is involved I just have a really bad feeling about this. Everyone is kicking in $15 and the winner takes all.

I will see the doctor again on Wednesday (this involves driving all damn day which doesn't thrill me) and I really hope he will release me to exercise. I'm starting Ki Gong again on Tuesday regardless. My instructor has promised to be gentle.

I want my body back.

Frustration, web design, and saving lives

2005-07-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

About once a year, someone dies while canoing or kayaking in Cypress Creek here in NW Alabama. My husband has become empassioned about the idea of making the creek safer for paddlers. I offered to build him a web site. Little did I know that the task would become an endless maze of roadblocks and frustrations. I bought a domain, and finally got a rudimentary site up at www.cypresscreekfloatway.org but it is nothing like I had envisioned. I tried setting up a forum, but can't figure out a way to make it link to my web site. I think it's way past time for me to stop for the night because I am ready to put my fist through the wall.

I did get a really nice break last night. We went to the Drive-In and saw the most awesome double feature ever ~ Star Wars and War of the Worlds. Wow. Also ate all kinds of nastily delicious drive-in food ~ they have the best cheeseburgers in town.

A rare moment of mutual toleration

2005-07-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

And now, for no particular reason, a pic of Bamba and Freia during the one afternoon in their lives when they actually co-existed on the same sofa.

Vulcan's shiny metal ass, and a cow.

2005-07-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

A cow we passed on the road:

The shiny metal ass of the Vulcan statue:

It's the only part I got a decent pic of. Figures.

My family working a puzzle...

2005-07-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

My sister and her best friend (a recent breast cancer survivor) watching my husband Mike work a jigsaw puzzle in the hospital waiting room while waiting for me to finish one of my treatments:

My sister drove from Montgomery just to be with me while I got my treatments one day.

Reclining Figure

2005-07-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is me at the Birmingham Museum of Art, with a kindred spirit. I wasn't as sleepy as I look.

I sold myself for a dollar...

2005-07-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

I feel renewed, and challenged. A dear young friend of mine had read an email that I wrote recently while I was feeling depressed, and purposeless. He then travelled over 200 miles with his new bride on Monday just to tell me how much I had influenced his life and to give me encouragement and purpose. I can't tell you what that meant to me; and the silver dollar that he gave me, with which he said he was buying me to the service of The Lady, will stay with me always. There are few true Knights walking around today, and he is one.

He also showed me the movie he and his friends just finished, and I am still reeling from the talent and fresh perspectives in it.

When I was 15, I played opposite his father in the Miracle Worker at Ivy Green. I remember him and his brother as babies, playing in the grass waiting for us to finish rehearsals. Doesn't life play some strange cards? I haven't seen the father since I was 15, but the son has become a huge player in my life.

The Summer Day

2005-07-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Someone just sent me this poem and I am in love with it:

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down,
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

~ Mary Oliver ~

(New and Selected Poems)

I have to record my experience at the Hope Lodge

2005-07-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

I guess I just couldn't bring myself to write about it on my blog while I was there. Some of you have read this before, but I wanted to record it here.

I have been through the most humbling, and inspirational week of my life. The American Cancer Society's Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge is where we stayed while I had my treatments. I met, hung out with, had meals with, laughed with so many people with cancer and their families. And they all had this amazing strength, this complete refusal to give in to cancer or anything it would seem to represent. Some people were fighting it for the third or fourth time, but it didn't matter. They met each new treatment with courage, humour and what I can only describe as total tenacity. These people were fighting for their lives, and the lives of their loved ones. And they were doing it with such grace and such love. No one could focus on their own pain because everyone was so concerned about everyone else. I am changed forever. My opinion of humanity has changed forever.

The advances that have been made in the last few years have really given us hope, and that's what I was seeing, the stirrings of hope in the war against a disease that has for so long been a death sentence, but that now is not.

The kids tore my heart out though. Alana is 3, with all the energy of any 3-year old, and has been given about a 15% chance of making it. Don't mess with her though when she wants something; she'll give you a look that her great-grandmother (who was her sole care-giver while we were there) describes as "the evil eye". Too cute. Literally, way too cute.

Jessica is 10, a gorgeous African-American girl who never met a stranger. The cancer behind her eyes has taken one of her eyes and she's undergoing treatments to try and save the other one. It has affected her mind in many ways, one of which is that she has become telepathic. She told me what I was about to say to her on more than one occasion. I don't know if anyone else knows. Her mother calls her stupid, and crazy to her face every day. I wanted to sit her mother down and try to talk some sense into her, but I just made a point of disagreeing; she isn't crazy; she's special...Before I left I bought her a gigantic costume ring; big enough for her to be able to see it, and told her that it was a special ring for a special girl, and that she could do anything she wanted to in this world. I can't stop thinking about her.

Conner is 7, going on 30. He doesn't have cancer; his mother does and he is the only one available to take care of her during the week. The chemo has taken away her ability to walk now. Mike ran into him in the hall the day before we left and said "How're you doing, Conner?". He said, "Not so good. Mama fell again today". And I swear to you the next words out of that sweet child's mouth were, "How's Anna?".

If there was ever a good cause, the Hope Lodge is it. The accomodations were so nice. We had our own hotel room with bath. The common kitchen was enormous, with at least 4 stoves and sinks, and two huge food prep islands. We had our own big bins in the room-sized refrigerator and freezer, and a big locking cabinet just for our pantry food. In addition to a huge dining area, there was a roomy screen-in porch with tables and comfortable outdoor furniture. You could look up and see the Vulcan statue further up the mountain, or look down on the city of Birmingham. What a view. I ate my breakfast outside every day. The lodge also offered transportation several times a day to any of the local hospitals where anyone might need to go for treatments. The Susan G. Komen Foundation had donated phone cards so that we were able to make long distance calls.

The address, just in case anyone reading this might want to make a donation, is:

Angelia Taylor
Director, Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge
1104 Ireland Way
Birmingham, AL 35205-7010

I will probably write more as I process the experience. Right now my fingers are a little sore from typing. ;)

Home!!!!!!!!!!

2005-07-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

We got in about an hour ago. I finished my treatments in Birmingham this morning and had the balloon removed (OUCH!). Then we finished checking out the art museum and headed back. I got lots and lots of pets and purrs from Freia, downloaded all my pics and now I can go get in my own bed, and sleep on my right side!!! I was so sick of having all those tubes hanging out of my side, not to mention the big balloon in my boob that I had to be careful not to pop! Now all I have is a hole in the side of my breast that has to heal before I can get back in the pool.

I am terrified to get on the scale. I had already gained 20 pounds...and I ate like a horse the whole time we were gone. There was an awesome Indian restaurant right around the corner, plus we found great sandwich shops, P.F. Chang, etc., and I ate what I wanted. In fact, I don't think I will get on the scale. Not until I feel like I've lost some weight.

I'll have to go back to B-ham in a few weeks for some follow-up visits, and then get a mammogram in two months, and every couple of months thereafter. The really good news right now is ~~~ I can finally take a shower!!! I've had to do sponge baths since the surgery, and haven't been able to wash my hair except for twice when I had it done at a beauty shop.

I'm off to crawl into my OWN BED. Good night!!

Just one day to go!

2005-06-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my last treatment!! Sorry I haven't posted; just don't get much internet time with only one machine in the place.

Everything has gone very well and I can't wait to get home to my furbabies.

Thanks so much to everybody that has sent supportive messages! I hope when I get home that I can respond to everybody but if I don't get back to you please know that your blessings and good thoughts are very very much appreciated!

Still here...

2005-06-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

Had my CT scan this morning. Found out that the doc wasn't sure when I had my surgery that I would be able to have Mammosite! But after the scan this morning they said everything will be fine!

We ate, we shopped a little, we read a lot. All is well. :)

Get this. This morning as I was washing my breakfast dishes, I turned around and saw a friend and ex-coworker fixing her breakfast. She's staying here too, getting radiation therapy. Small world. :)