,,,,
~Came home Friday and couldn't get into my house. My landlord's maintnence guy had broken the lock or something when he'd come to fix the toilet earlier in the day. I called them. He came back. We ultimately had to break in. They're coming to fix the locks tomorrow morning.
~Went to dinner with Stephen, Denny & Zella on Fri night at Blue Star Cafe--the weak link in Eddie Bernal's restaurants, as far as I'm concerned, but a fine choice for being able to get into on a stunningly nice Friday night. (and quite ironic since when they first opened, it was billed an non-kid friendly, but now it's pack with families with small kids during the kid hours!) Julio's would've been out of the question. We'd originally started for Santa Rita, but apparently it was packed, with no parking or anything. Great to see them and see Zella, who's 3 now and quite the charming little girl. A great time.
~Sat, I did two loads of laundry...before late in the day, having re-set the dryer about 5 times, realized the heating element had gone out on it. Dang. Well, it's their washer/dryer. Mine are in storage. They can either replace it or I pull mine out... but still. I didn't get to wash jeans this weekend. I'm lucky I own one of those euro-drying racks. I normally use it for sweaters, but now it's covered in underwear and socks.
~Ran some errands--exercised, biked over to Toy Joy for things to make a proper hat for a wedding parade! Ran into Amy Rudy and Elle and biked home and realized I'd have to punt on some things and that I"m the only theatre person in Austin without a glue-gun, which would've save hours...intead of heating up an ice-pick in the flame of the stove and melting holes in the little plastic figurines of hubby/wife and cupid and white swans, and then tying them with blue curling ribbon. (A gerund of sorts, but somewhat festive afterall.) (huh?) (tee-hee)
~I literally finished my hat at 3:44. I left here at 3:50. I was at Plaza Satillo at 4:00, for the wedding. Wow. And I didn't speed--not really. I wore my best salmon sweater and my wedding parade hat. It was a fabulous event! A 3 minute, 19 second ceremony (saw the whole thing on youTube a little bit ago and that's how long the tape was) and then the Minor Mishap Marching Band in their yellow jerseys struck up the band and we all marched a block west on 5th street, up the hill to 6th street, one block on 6th street (obviously blocking traffic--people came out to watch and cheer us on), and then turned left and left again into the alley and ended up for a celebration in the patio of Rio Rita! It was Susan Todd and her (now) husband Prentice's wedding. Great fun! Everyone was in fun costumes and paraphanalia and such. There were skits and such. Kids and dogs. Show girls and flappers, knights and vagabonds, kings and turtles, pirates, colorful mardi-gras type outfits, etc. So much fun. First ran into my neighbor, Dave, from behind me, who knew Prentice--I know Susan from school. (She's a playwright and leader of the The Weird Sisters theatre company and we used to be in a writing group together and all that.) Then I ran into Martha Lynn, Hannes and Henny. Later, Henny was grumpy so we bailed on the dinner at Nuevo Leon and went to Papa Tios or something like that, right next door. Pretty good. And pretty hip and such. (You know how much that matters to me--especially in my wedding parade hat!) (Pictures when I figure out how to get them off my iPhone! I took some great video, but apparently did it wrong and it didn't take... I think I hit the close program to end it, instead of the end button. oh well.)
~Today, an even prettier day than yesterday. Another quick bike ride. Another ran out of time. Another rushing to an unusual event. Tonight's was Margaret Key's 70th bday event at Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, right next to her house, which is an integral part of her life and becoming bigger every day. Wow. Great gospel, the original Belles of Joy, tons of folks, raised good money to raise their roof (it's 140 year old black church in a freedman's colony that was the original Clarksville,) Sarah Hickman and daughter, Lily, etc. A long, but special event. I went with Eugene and Steven. We made our rounds and said hellos afterwards and saw Margaret's new house next door and had some snacks and then went back to their house and ate some leftovers. Really an amazing night, actually. My arms are sore from clapping. (It was also their regular Sunday night service, of sorts.) A lot of standing and feeling the music and the spirit!
~Charles Gentry's obit was in today's paper. Made me a little sad. He was such a nice guy, whom I've know since, who knows? Late 80s? Early 90s?
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesman/obituary.aspx?n=charles-gentry&pid=155672280
It made me a little sad to see it there.
~Then at another point today I saw on FB that Tim Young lost his other son. He'd already lost one son. I was blown away. To think you lose 2 of your 3 children in their young 20s. Wow. Tim is such a great guy. I remember those kids hunting easter eggs at the Caswell house Octopus event back in the late 90s, early 2000s. My love goes out to him and all of his family.
,,,,,
But now it's past midnight, somehow. I didn't tell you about the naps I took catching up on sleep. I didn't tell you about falling asleep, yet again, trying to finish the book for book club on Tuesday, which is apparently postponed. Good thing? I didn't tell you about sitting on the porch with candles and journaling for the first time since right after Biggun died (before new job.) I didn't tell you how pretty it was in Austin this weekend, if not a bit chilly at times. I didn't tell you how tall and thick the weeds are because we've had no freeze this year and it's so warm and all that rain. My front yard is a foot tall (higher in places) with all the mid-Spring weeds and such. Much worse than I've ever had before--especially after working so hard to pull them last year. A lot of good that did me. I didn't tell you about the stars and late night kitty walks and such.
But there's no time left. I've got to walk Kitty right now--and then be up in less than 6 hours and process documents all day. I better get outta here!
Cheers!
Oh, and I didn't adequately convey how much I think wedding parades should become a part of the Austin scene! Just so cool!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Wow! Look at the size of...
...
...those feet!
So.
Those who know me know I've been perplexed by the fact that in the 1970s, working at my dad's clothing store, we stocked a ranged of shoes that started at 7 1/2 and went up to 12--with very few of either of those sizes (say one out of every other style or so,) but we'd stock two of every style between sizes 9 and 10 1/2. Almost a perfect bell curve... of sorts.
And,
I've been totally perplexed how in one generation we suddenly have a whole slew of kids with size 14 feet? Get real. Size 14 didn't (hardly) exist a generation ago. Yeah, okay, sure we evolve, but not like that. There is no evolutionary benefit for big feet that would translate into natural selection increasing them to that big that fast. I know. I know. Yes, there is the whole big feet, big ___ theory, which many of my friends would argue until they're blue in the face is a fine evoltuionary benefit for natural selection to select for and they could totally get the speed by which it's happened. They might even get a bit religious about it and thank God for answering prayers or something! Size Queens aside, let's get real--evolution doesn't work like that.
WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED?
WHAT CAUSED IT?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Then,
Friday at lunch it struck me. A co-worker and I had had a conversation earlier about why I eat as little meat as possible: all the hormones and antibiotics in meat. He'd said, "Dude, I get it. Girls used to not mature until much later, but now I see little kids maturing real fast--especially little girls, and I'm like, dude, something's up with that. It didn't used to happen until late middle school, but now..."
That's it! Got to be!
In that one generation we suddenly filled the meat and diary supply with hormones (and antibiotics, but this argument really only works with hormones--the resistant staph and other things goes to the over-use of antibiotics column!) and that has to be why so many guys under 30 have huge feet! Wow!
How else could you explain it?!?
Seriously people--big agri-business is killing us. Faster than you think. Eat organic as much as you possibly can--or don't eat it. Seriously. Go soy as far as diary is concerned. (okay, except ice cream, but still...) Eat free range meat, whenever you can. Only organic meat, if you can. It's not possible to do it all the time, and we know most restaurants don't use it, but if I were you, I'd try as much as possible to limit that hormone/antibiotic injected meat, by either eating vegetarian more or buying less of the better stuff.
Seriously.
Or what? In another generation....
Wow..look at the size of those skis on the bottom of his legs. You know what they say? Big skis, big...
mountains!
Addendum:
Oh yes, and Denny commented that his aunt raises chickens for Tyson and they grind their beaks down and inject them with stuff, which makes them become full size in about a fourth of the time it would normally take to get there, which corresponds a lot with what the guy in my office was saying about the attrocities KFC does to its chickens. Yikes.
Beans, soy, etc all are excellent sources of protein!
...those feet!
So.
Those who know me know I've been perplexed by the fact that in the 1970s, working at my dad's clothing store, we stocked a ranged of shoes that started at 7 1/2 and went up to 12--with very few of either of those sizes (say one out of every other style or so,) but we'd stock two of every style between sizes 9 and 10 1/2. Almost a perfect bell curve... of sorts.
And,
I've been totally perplexed how in one generation we suddenly have a whole slew of kids with size 14 feet? Get real. Size 14 didn't (hardly) exist a generation ago. Yeah, okay, sure we evolve, but not like that. There is no evolutionary benefit for big feet that would translate into natural selection increasing them to that big that fast. I know. I know. Yes, there is the whole big feet, big ___ theory, which many of my friends would argue until they're blue in the face is a fine evoltuionary benefit for natural selection to select for and they could totally get the speed by which it's happened. They might even get a bit religious about it and thank God for answering prayers or something! Size Queens aside, let's get real--evolution doesn't work like that.
WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED?
WHAT CAUSED IT?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Then,
Friday at lunch it struck me. A co-worker and I had had a conversation earlier about why I eat as little meat as possible: all the hormones and antibiotics in meat. He'd said, "Dude, I get it. Girls used to not mature until much later, but now I see little kids maturing real fast--especially little girls, and I'm like, dude, something's up with that. It didn't used to happen until late middle school, but now..."
That's it! Got to be!
In that one generation we suddenly filled the meat and diary supply with hormones (and antibiotics, but this argument really only works with hormones--the resistant staph and other things goes to the over-use of antibiotics column!) and that has to be why so many guys under 30 have huge feet! Wow!
How else could you explain it?!?
Seriously people--big agri-business is killing us. Faster than you think. Eat organic as much as you possibly can--or don't eat it. Seriously. Go soy as far as diary is concerned. (okay, except ice cream, but still...) Eat free range meat, whenever you can. Only organic meat, if you can. It's not possible to do it all the time, and we know most restaurants don't use it, but if I were you, I'd try as much as possible to limit that hormone/antibiotic injected meat, by either eating vegetarian more or buying less of the better stuff.
Seriously.
Or what? In another generation....
Wow..look at the size of those skis on the bottom of his legs. You know what they say? Big skis, big...
mountains!
Addendum:
Oh yes, and Denny commented that his aunt raises chickens for Tyson and they grind their beaks down and inject them with stuff, which makes them become full size in about a fourth of the time it would normally take to get there, which corresponds a lot with what the guy in my office was saying about the attrocities KFC does to its chickens. Yikes.
Beans, soy, etc all are excellent sources of protein!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Crazy, Good Week...
...
Sunday, I went to Houston mid-day and hung out with the Helms family in their new house. Had a most fun time and then ate at a scrumptiously yummy place in River Oaks shopping center, Brassierre (Some number...19? 16?) Wow! We had a delicious bottle of red, shared some shrimp/grits for appetizer, then all three of us ordered their plate of the day: a stunning cassoulet! Loved their new house, which as the crow flies is only about a block from their old one in the Memorial Villages section of Houston. It even has a secret room behind some bookshelves that open up--how cool is that?!
Monday, realized the MDA scheduler had scheduled my labs after my bone marrow biopsy, but I knew from experience that it has to happen prior to. Got there a little early. Went up to the bone marrow section. They told me to go do labs and then come back and we'd go from there. The lab on a Monday can be a nightmare, but they've re-organized it and it's not quite so oppressive--and for whatever reason, I was in and out in 15 minutes. (I've waited 1.5 hours on a Monday before.)
But it takes about an hour for those results to post and thus, before you can do the biopsy. (and/or the CT scans, etc.) So I had to hang out awhile in that waiting room. And because of a planned gap after that, it really didn't throw me off too much.
I got complimented on my firm, strong bones by the P.A. giving the biopsy. I got complimented on my good veins by the RN putting the IV into me for my iodine contrast injection. (Maybe I should put those in a personal ad!? Strong bones, great veins seeks same.)
The woman sitting next to me was duly impressed by my veins too. She's only 50. Has a very rare form of cervical cancer. Was told 2 years ago, she only had a month. She lives in Dallas and talked about her discovery of it and how it affected her sex life and all that. She's on an experimental treatment that seems to be working very well. She looks good. She was turned over to a collection agency for over $2million in bills. She laughed. What the hell? At that point, who cares? (They're obviously not cutting her off, because they need her for the study....but still, $2 million! Yikes! She has to go down there every Monday for treatment--and every 3rd week is an extra day of scans and doctor visit, etc.) It was a funny, forty-five minute, bonding type conversation between two people in big green vinyl recliners, wearing scrubs, drinking differently flavored bottles of barium, who'll likely never see each other again.
Treated myself to a Goode's Taqueria Hamburger and Onion Rings (on Kirby) since I hadn't eaten all day.... and took the opportunity to use their bathroom to blast out another round of barium before the i-10 traffic and the long ride home. Got home about 9pm.
(Listened to two old favorites on the trip: All That Jazz on the way down, and The Wiz on the way back.)
Was fairly spacey the next day at work, but got through it just fine. It was a crazy day. But then got caught up by the time I left last night.
Had a loud, long 3 inches of rain storm the other night. Kitty was a mess. (He hates thunder and this was some thunder!)
Trying to read my book for bookclub next week, but keep falling asleep--not from the book, but from the week, etc.
Today drove back down to Houston, for a grand total of 10 minutes facetime with the nurse, P.A., and doctor, because there was nothing to report. Still all clear. Still in remission. Keep doing what you're doing.
Was pleased with that. Very!
Had been über-spacey all day long... almost like chemo-brain, spacey. Not remembering things that had happened a few minutes ago, etc. Today, I got home about 6:45. Today, I'm tired. Today I'm over this blogging site where I hit the wrong thing 3 times in a row because of where shift v. control is on my keyboard versus my keyboard at work.... and it's deleted whole sections of this post 3 times....and I keep putting things in all dyslexic style, scrambled and such...
But what I was going to say, but I don't remember where exactly is that the PA looked at the place that my dentist got all excited about last fall and then looked back at my scans since 2008 and says it's a cyst, which reminded me that after previous MRI or CT or whatever in 2001, the neurologist commented on the cyst in my sinuses and said most Austinites have them because of the allergens. The PA said it can't be an abcess. Also my white blood count was 3900 today--highest ever since starting chemo and all that. Is it the astragulus and echinecea I've been taking for 6 weeks now to keep from getting sick in an office where germs fly around all day--from customers and other employees with colds, etc? (We have anti-bacterial stuff on every desk and on the counters and everywhere, which also helps!) We'll see!
(Guy with great WBC and long-time sinus cyst seeks same.)
I haven't decided for sure, but I think I'm stopping MDA, and just using my Austin oncologist from this point forward. If it were to get bad again, I could always go back. But it's not going to get bad again. I'm tired of all that travel, preparation, etc. Days off, expense, etc.
Yet, there is something in that community that I will miss...(see story of woman in scrubs above)
And they sure do a smooooooth bone marrow biopsy. Almost a massage!
But still.
Right now I'm going to go try to read my book. It's already late and I'll likely be falling asleep over it... I hadn't intended to take this long posting and blogging and such...
No time for editing... we're goin' live!
Cheers!
,m
Sunday, I went to Houston mid-day and hung out with the Helms family in their new house. Had a most fun time and then ate at a scrumptiously yummy place in River Oaks shopping center, Brassierre (Some number...19? 16?) Wow! We had a delicious bottle of red, shared some shrimp/grits for appetizer, then all three of us ordered their plate of the day: a stunning cassoulet! Loved their new house, which as the crow flies is only about a block from their old one in the Memorial Villages section of Houston. It even has a secret room behind some bookshelves that open up--how cool is that?!
Monday, realized the MDA scheduler had scheduled my labs after my bone marrow biopsy, but I knew from experience that it has to happen prior to. Got there a little early. Went up to the bone marrow section. They told me to go do labs and then come back and we'd go from there. The lab on a Monday can be a nightmare, but they've re-organized it and it's not quite so oppressive--and for whatever reason, I was in and out in 15 minutes. (I've waited 1.5 hours on a Monday before.)
But it takes about an hour for those results to post and thus, before you can do the biopsy. (and/or the CT scans, etc.) So I had to hang out awhile in that waiting room. And because of a planned gap after that, it really didn't throw me off too much.
I got complimented on my firm, strong bones by the P.A. giving the biopsy. I got complimented on my good veins by the RN putting the IV into me for my iodine contrast injection. (Maybe I should put those in a personal ad!? Strong bones, great veins seeks same.)
The woman sitting next to me was duly impressed by my veins too. She's only 50. Has a very rare form of cervical cancer. Was told 2 years ago, she only had a month. She lives in Dallas and talked about her discovery of it and how it affected her sex life and all that. She's on an experimental treatment that seems to be working very well. She looks good. She was turned over to a collection agency for over $2million in bills. She laughed. What the hell? At that point, who cares? (They're obviously not cutting her off, because they need her for the study....but still, $2 million! Yikes! She has to go down there every Monday for treatment--and every 3rd week is an extra day of scans and doctor visit, etc.) It was a funny, forty-five minute, bonding type conversation between two people in big green vinyl recliners, wearing scrubs, drinking differently flavored bottles of barium, who'll likely never see each other again.
Treated myself to a Goode's Taqueria Hamburger and Onion Rings (on Kirby) since I hadn't eaten all day.... and took the opportunity to use their bathroom to blast out another round of barium before the i-10 traffic and the long ride home. Got home about 9pm.
(Listened to two old favorites on the trip: All That Jazz on the way down, and The Wiz on the way back.)
Was fairly spacey the next day at work, but got through it just fine. It was a crazy day. But then got caught up by the time I left last night.
Had a loud, long 3 inches of rain storm the other night. Kitty was a mess. (He hates thunder and this was some thunder!)
Trying to read my book for bookclub next week, but keep falling asleep--not from the book, but from the week, etc.
Today drove back down to Houston, for a grand total of 10 minutes facetime with the nurse, P.A., and doctor, because there was nothing to report. Still all clear. Still in remission. Keep doing what you're doing.
Was pleased with that. Very!
Had been über-spacey all day long... almost like chemo-brain, spacey. Not remembering things that had happened a few minutes ago, etc. Today, I got home about 6:45. Today, I'm tired. Today I'm over this blogging site where I hit the wrong thing 3 times in a row because of where shift v. control is on my keyboard versus my keyboard at work.... and it's deleted whole sections of this post 3 times....and I keep putting things in all dyslexic style, scrambled and such...
But what I was going to say, but I don't remember where exactly is that the PA looked at the place that my dentist got all excited about last fall and then looked back at my scans since 2008 and says it's a cyst, which reminded me that after previous MRI or CT or whatever in 2001, the neurologist commented on the cyst in my sinuses and said most Austinites have them because of the allergens. The PA said it can't be an abcess. Also my white blood count was 3900 today--highest ever since starting chemo and all that. Is it the astragulus and echinecea I've been taking for 6 weeks now to keep from getting sick in an office where germs fly around all day--from customers and other employees with colds, etc? (We have anti-bacterial stuff on every desk and on the counters and everywhere, which also helps!) We'll see!
(Guy with great WBC and long-time sinus cyst seeks same.)
I haven't decided for sure, but I think I'm stopping MDA, and just using my Austin oncologist from this point forward. If it were to get bad again, I could always go back. But it's not going to get bad again. I'm tired of all that travel, preparation, etc. Days off, expense, etc.
Yet, there is something in that community that I will miss...(see story of woman in scrubs above)
And they sure do a smooooooth bone marrow biopsy. Almost a massage!
But still.
Right now I'm going to go try to read my book. It's already late and I'll likely be falling asleep over it... I hadn't intended to take this long posting and blogging and such...
No time for editing... we're goin' live!
Cheers!
,m
Friday, January 20, 2012
Today I...
...
...went in almost 2 hours late because I had time I had to use from working late a few nights. Thus I enter the weekend a little less needy for sleep.
...worked a lot of customers during the lunch hours, instead of just doing title and e-recordings and mail... it a nice diversion; i like both mindsets... but... today's customers were more fun oriented... for some reason a lot of music types getting DBAs ("doing business as" AKA "assumed names")...
...left work right on time and came home and took a nap...and probably will read in book for book club
...enjoyed the windows/doors being open
...got two calls confirming next week's MDA appointments
...got on facebook after my nap and was a little blown away because I...
...learned a long time friend was found by his maid in a coma today and died later in the day...
...learned that another friend from way back and his husband are selling their house and much of their furniture and things in an "estate" sell tomorrow in order for them to downsize, so that they and their two boys can concentrate on fighting his cancer...
...learned that Mayor Leffingwell was one of many mayors of major American cities today who signed "right to marry" pledges to work toward establishing the rights of gays and lesbians to get married... and was glad I live in one of those cities. (Ask your mayor if he/she signed.)
...learned that apparently a number of gays in Houston attend Joel Osteen's mega-church, in spite of the fact that he preaches regularly that being gay is a sin... (did so on Oprah apparently too... great post on this on Huffington post...) a friend of the facebook friend who posted the comment is apparently one of them and jumped in defending him. Was more than a little blown away by the subliminal self-hate--or more softly stated, internalized homophobia. We all go through that because...well... see next comment... but to claim that all preachers call homosexuality a sin or else they'd be accused of not going by the bible is a bit...much. (I could name a whole list of pastors that don't--and churches that welcome gays and lesbians...)
...thought that all parents should read that story on Huffington post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-kort-phd/joel-osteen-gay_b_1217447.html?ref=fb
How many times do you joke about a little boy and a little girl being boyfriend and girlfriends? do you post a pic of a kid and jokingly call the opposite sex other kid their boy/girlfriend? How many times do you ask little boys if they have a girlfriend yet or "who's your girlfriend?" Actually, this is much more likely of friends of parents and extended family like grandparents and uncles and such. When you're a kid and whether you really know you're gay or not, this question is just horrible. This kind of teasing re-inforces how wrong you are inside... even if you don't really know why yet...
...learned that Etta James died, and even though I thought she'd died a couple of weeks ago, it made me sad all over.
...watched a couple of Etta James videos on facebook
...saw pics of what people who weren't filing documents did outside today on this stunning Texas winter day...
...saw a pic of the suspect in the NY Eve murder that happened not too far from here, and for the first time since I've lived here, wondered for about half a second about having the front door open. In case you're wondering, it's still open. At least they've apparently got a name and pic and are narrowing it down.
...saw cute pics of dogs and kids and food and creeks and things.
...watched a very cool (short) dance video... made cooler by the twist... Steve Ochoa, a dancer friend of mine posted it... here, watch it yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OR-n3Rg6E8&feature=player_embedded
...sat on the porch with a beer and looked at the stars and the Speedway moonlight tower through the trees
...wilted some Poteet Spinach, ground sea salt and pepper on top, and ate it with some cheese slices and was thinking it was about as perfect a meal as there is (get it while it's in season at CM!)
...learned on facebook that it's National Cheese Day
...saw the obligatory fb posts about Newt (I'm seriously over the R's this year. I hope you are too.)
...saw a Perry post or two (I'm seriously over the Perry Period. I hope you are too.)
and I,
sat down to update Squirrels in the Attic...
I think I'll go read my book.
Cheers.
...went in almost 2 hours late because I had time I had to use from working late a few nights. Thus I enter the weekend a little less needy for sleep.
...worked a lot of customers during the lunch hours, instead of just doing title and e-recordings and mail... it a nice diversion; i like both mindsets... but... today's customers were more fun oriented... for some reason a lot of music types getting DBAs ("doing business as" AKA "assumed names")...
...left work right on time and came home and took a nap...and probably will read in book for book club
...enjoyed the windows/doors being open
...got two calls confirming next week's MDA appointments
...got on facebook after my nap and was a little blown away because I...
...learned a long time friend was found by his maid in a coma today and died later in the day...
...learned that another friend from way back and his husband are selling their house and much of their furniture and things in an "estate" sell tomorrow in order for them to downsize, so that they and their two boys can concentrate on fighting his cancer...
...learned that Mayor Leffingwell was one of many mayors of major American cities today who signed "right to marry" pledges to work toward establishing the rights of gays and lesbians to get married... and was glad I live in one of those cities. (Ask your mayor if he/she signed.)
...learned that apparently a number of gays in Houston attend Joel Osteen's mega-church, in spite of the fact that he preaches regularly that being gay is a sin... (did so on Oprah apparently too... great post on this on Huffington post...) a friend of the facebook friend who posted the comment is apparently one of them and jumped in defending him. Was more than a little blown away by the subliminal self-hate--or more softly stated, internalized homophobia. We all go through that because...well... see next comment... but to claim that all preachers call homosexuality a sin or else they'd be accused of not going by the bible is a bit...much. (I could name a whole list of pastors that don't--and churches that welcome gays and lesbians...)
...thought that all parents should read that story on Huffington post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-kort-phd/joel-osteen-gay_b_1217447.html?ref=fb
How many times do you joke about a little boy and a little girl being boyfriend and girlfriends? do you post a pic of a kid and jokingly call the opposite sex other kid their boy/girlfriend? How many times do you ask little boys if they have a girlfriend yet or "who's your girlfriend?" Actually, this is much more likely of friends of parents and extended family like grandparents and uncles and such. When you're a kid and whether you really know you're gay or not, this question is just horrible. This kind of teasing re-inforces how wrong you are inside... even if you don't really know why yet...
...learned that Etta James died, and even though I thought she'd died a couple of weeks ago, it made me sad all over.
...watched a couple of Etta James videos on facebook
...saw pics of what people who weren't filing documents did outside today on this stunning Texas winter day...
...saw a pic of the suspect in the NY Eve murder that happened not too far from here, and for the first time since I've lived here, wondered for about half a second about having the front door open. In case you're wondering, it's still open. At least they've apparently got a name and pic and are narrowing it down.
...saw cute pics of dogs and kids and food and creeks and things.
...watched a very cool (short) dance video... made cooler by the twist... Steve Ochoa, a dancer friend of mine posted it... here, watch it yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OR-n3Rg6E8&feature=player_embedded
...sat on the porch with a beer and looked at the stars and the Speedway moonlight tower through the trees
...wilted some Poteet Spinach, ground sea salt and pepper on top, and ate it with some cheese slices and was thinking it was about as perfect a meal as there is (get it while it's in season at CM!)
...learned on facebook that it's National Cheese Day
...saw the obligatory fb posts about Newt (I'm seriously over the R's this year. I hope you are too.)
...saw a Perry post or two (I'm seriously over the Perry Period. I hope you are too.)
and I,
sat down to update Squirrels in the Attic...
I think I'll go read my book.
Cheers.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Late Night, per se, Quickies
...
Okay, so it's not that late, but since the last post was early morning and it somewhat kicked off the long weekend, I figured, what the hell, let's bookend the weekend... so here it is:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
LATE NIGHT QUICKIES!
per se
(Or as Joe Christie says, Excuse me while I swallow my grape.)
With no further adieu....THE QUICKIES:
~Got to work Friday. Slow day, until I had to go into a meeting with TNR folks about processing their work separately from general public. (TNR=the dept of the county where I used to work, back in the day.) About that time, all hell broke lose and we were swamped the rest of the day. The mail finally came through. I ended up staying more than an hour past closing, just processing FedEx's.
~Came home. Brain dead. Slept. Chilled. Played with my play a bit. Slept. Etc.
~Sat was stunningly beautiful. Sunny, warm. Nicer than supposed to have been. I immediately did laundry and changed the bed, but before I could get too caught up in things to do, I just found myself in the warm sun on the chaise on the front porch. Wonderful!
~Came in. Took a nap.
~Woke up and immediately went to Sears and bought new tires. (One thing down.)
~Came home and was going to work, cuddled up in the big chair, under flannel throws--it had cooled off rather quickly, but I slept in the chair for the better part of 2 hours. Got up, walked kitty, went to bed. (It's amazing how much I slept this weekend!)
~Sunday, papers, then to Costco, which was beyond crazi-licous with people! Wow. Packed. Came home. Napped. Did some other things--don't really remember what.
~Lived in the world of my play...worked on it on the front porch on Sat night. Not really writing, but rehashing. It's not the form, shape, story I want to tell...yet. Have been re-envisioning it--which means, could be a lot of the same text, playing to different end, etc. or a complete re-envisioning. (On Fri night, I'd played with about a page and a half of totally different structure...before I fell asleep. Does that mean I was just über-sleepy or the idea was bad?)
~Great bike ride on Sunday. Stopped by Barbara Jordan and Martin Luther King statues, in honor of the weekend. Really really enjoyed that. (I had one earlier in the week too--first night in January that I left the office on time. And the weather was fine for a ride that night too.)
~Sun night with the Johanson-Berman family, a couple of blocks up Ave G, where we had her stew over mashed potatoes and watched a DVR'd playoff game--they're all huge Giants fans. So they were happy. The kids were "on". Fun night with kids and dogs and cats and wine!
~Today, no naps...so I'll likely crash soon. Did get in another great bike ride. Went to HEB and PETCO. HEB was swamped today; took forever to get through check out.
~Followed up on some MDA plans/things to do for next week's appointments.
~Re-potted a plant that had blown off the porch and come undone. Looked at things I'd like to do and need to do in the yard, but didn't and won't--not anytime soon. (Oh yeah, I twined some ivy in the warm Saturday sun, when I should've been doing something else.)
~Had drinks with some fun folks over at Eugene's house tonight. Stayed late to talk with his neighbors and their Russian friend from San Francisco. Nice night.
~Was going to come home and do some things....but thinking I'll just walk kitty and go on to bed soon. It's amazing how much I slept--needed to sleep. Dang.
~Got a call from the vet today...Fernando is fine. His white blood cell count was a little high, but could just be his allergies or an infection or whatever. I'm going to take him by there in a few months to get his weight. If it's gone down further, then the vet wants to do some intestinal scans or whatever. But the weight loss could be attributed to a change in diet about a year ago, from a food with a lot of fillers to a natural food. Or to different eating habits once Benjamin was gone. Etc. We'll watch and see, but overall, he looks good.
~Cheers.
^^^Addendum^^^
~No squirrels in the attic, but a mouse or small rat on Ave H. First time, in a very long time, I remember Fernando catching something on a walk. I heard the squeals. Turned around and kitties were coming out of the bushes everywhere. Fernando had it in his mouth. Couldn't tell what it was, for sure. He growled at me, like I was going to take it away from him. I just walked on home. For all I know he's still over there--head kitty supreme. I'm going to bed. He'll eat about a third of it and then throw up. He can just stay outside for awhile.
Nightie Nite.
,m
Okay, so it's not that late, but since the last post was early morning and it somewhat kicked off the long weekend, I figured, what the hell, let's bookend the weekend... so here it is:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
LATE NIGHT QUICKIES!
per se
(Or as Joe Christie says, Excuse me while I swallow my grape.)
With no further adieu....THE QUICKIES:
~Got to work Friday. Slow day, until I had to go into a meeting with TNR folks about processing their work separately from general public. (TNR=the dept of the county where I used to work, back in the day.) About that time, all hell broke lose and we were swamped the rest of the day. The mail finally came through. I ended up staying more than an hour past closing, just processing FedEx's.
~Came home. Brain dead. Slept. Chilled. Played with my play a bit. Slept. Etc.
~Sat was stunningly beautiful. Sunny, warm. Nicer than supposed to have been. I immediately did laundry and changed the bed, but before I could get too caught up in things to do, I just found myself in the warm sun on the chaise on the front porch. Wonderful!
~Came in. Took a nap.
~Woke up and immediately went to Sears and bought new tires. (One thing down.)
~Came home and was going to work, cuddled up in the big chair, under flannel throws--it had cooled off rather quickly, but I slept in the chair for the better part of 2 hours. Got up, walked kitty, went to bed. (It's amazing how much I slept this weekend!)
~Sunday, papers, then to Costco, which was beyond crazi-licous with people! Wow. Packed. Came home. Napped. Did some other things--don't really remember what.
~Lived in the world of my play...worked on it on the front porch on Sat night. Not really writing, but rehashing. It's not the form, shape, story I want to tell...yet. Have been re-envisioning it--which means, could be a lot of the same text, playing to different end, etc. or a complete re-envisioning. (On Fri night, I'd played with about a page and a half of totally different structure...before I fell asleep. Does that mean I was just über-sleepy or the idea was bad?)
~Great bike ride on Sunday. Stopped by Barbara Jordan and Martin Luther King statues, in honor of the weekend. Really really enjoyed that. (I had one earlier in the week too--first night in January that I left the office on time. And the weather was fine for a ride that night too.)
~Sun night with the Johanson-Berman family, a couple of blocks up Ave G, where we had her stew over mashed potatoes and watched a DVR'd playoff game--they're all huge Giants fans. So they were happy. The kids were "on". Fun night with kids and dogs and cats and wine!
~Today, no naps...so I'll likely crash soon. Did get in another great bike ride. Went to HEB and PETCO. HEB was swamped today; took forever to get through check out.
~Followed up on some MDA plans/things to do for next week's appointments.
~Re-potted a plant that had blown off the porch and come undone. Looked at things I'd like to do and need to do in the yard, but didn't and won't--not anytime soon. (Oh yeah, I twined some ivy in the warm Saturday sun, when I should've been doing something else.)
~Had drinks with some fun folks over at Eugene's house tonight. Stayed late to talk with his neighbors and their Russian friend from San Francisco. Nice night.
~Was going to come home and do some things....but thinking I'll just walk kitty and go on to bed soon. It's amazing how much I slept--needed to sleep. Dang.
~Got a call from the vet today...Fernando is fine. His white blood cell count was a little high, but could just be his allergies or an infection or whatever. I'm going to take him by there in a few months to get his weight. If it's gone down further, then the vet wants to do some intestinal scans or whatever. But the weight loss could be attributed to a change in diet about a year ago, from a food with a lot of fillers to a natural food. Or to different eating habits once Benjamin was gone. Etc. We'll watch and see, but overall, he looks good.
~Cheers.
^^^Addendum^^^
~No squirrels in the attic, but a mouse or small rat on Ave H. First time, in a very long time, I remember Fernando catching something on a walk. I heard the squeals. Turned around and kitties were coming out of the bushes everywhere. Fernando had it in his mouth. Couldn't tell what it was, for sure. He growled at me, like I was going to take it away from him. I just walked on home. For all I know he's still over there--head kitty supreme. I'm going to bed. He'll eat about a third of it and then throw up. He can just stay outside for awhile.
Nightie Nite.
,m
Friday, January 13, 2012
Mornin' Quickies!
...
~ Have a little bit more time before I have to get to work. I'm using some time I had to take this pay period. I took Fernando to the vet. LOVE the 8:30 slot for him: it's quiet; no dogs in waiting room; he gets right in; he's a lot less cantankerous...we get home w/out blood. Vet says he looks like a cat in excellent shape--except, he's lost 3 lbs. Down from 13.2 (was in the 14 range at one point)... It may be just life adjustments--was he competitively eating w/ Biggun? Etc. But we did bloodwork to make sure there's not a bigger cause. I'd noticed he'd dropped weight. Milinda had too. We'll see.
~ Last night, on Fernando and my walk, there was a huge bank of white clouds coming in at an angle, which made it look like we were in a quaint mountain town and that was the snow covered mountain rising up over town. The moon was just above it, like it was coming up over the mountain. I just stood and stared and realized how much I miss winter in the mountains.
~ That being said, a good friend tore up his knee skiing last week and is in for surgery soon. Yikes. Would I still ski? Sure--but I'd probably take it pretty easy.
~ I've somewhat landed in the title company section of the county clerk's office--right now, mostly doing e-recordings and mail, but some walk-throughs, etc. We had a big mix-up of people--shifting people around to different sections. Not everybody, but a lot. Apparently it's the pattern in the office. It gets everybody cross-trained in all sections. So, there's good and bad about working in title. I miss the customers, but at the same time, I like the predictability of it. Get into a groove and go. You don't suddenly have 5 TABC filings, which can disrupt your day. Yet, there've been some crazy days there too.
~ MLK Weekend: The start of the post-holidays, new year! Yes! I'm looking forward to a weekend of writing and three practical things: 1. trips to HEB/Costco. 2. Thin out my clothes/closets. 3. Buy new tires for my car. But mostly I'm looking to write. So I'm planning to just get into that space and see where it takes me.
~ I've been missing my writing. So far, it's not working with the job thing, but the jury is still way out on that. Meaning: I started on the 16th of November and there's been an incredible amount to learn and shortages of staff as people took time at end of year/holidays and end of year business/rush. Coupled with when I came home it was holidays and all that entailed. So this weekend starts the test period to see how compatible these are. Overall, I like the job. Let's hope they mesh.
~ Only in Austin: Didn't have to mow all summer because of the drought, but the yard needs mowing now! The weeds that used to come in March, but had been coming in February the past few years, crept up in December this year. And about all those leaves, which I take as they're named: leave them on the ground! I was hoping it would freeze last night and kill some of those weeds, but that fabulous bank of "snow" clouds killed the freeze instead. (after all that work prepping for it!)
~ The day before was the first day of 2012 that I got out of the office on time and it was mid-70s and fabulous. So I took a bike ride--my first in a couple of weeks. Really enjoyed that! My tummy is getting puffy with all this sitting and intermittant exercise! Yikes.
~ You add work into the day of a single person and a lot has to slip. I'm trying to dish it around evenly, but it includes: exercise, writing, journalling, blogging, house cleaning, yard, the marketing, seeing plays, socializing, phone calls/chats, etc. Yikes. I was pretty dang spoiled.
~ LOVE my iPhone! Easiest phone to use ever! And does so many cool things. If you need me during the day, text me on it and I'll get it every now and then.
And with that, I must wrap up and head to the office.
Cheers!
,m
~ Have a little bit more time before I have to get to work. I'm using some time I had to take this pay period. I took Fernando to the vet. LOVE the 8:30 slot for him: it's quiet; no dogs in waiting room; he gets right in; he's a lot less cantankerous...we get home w/out blood. Vet says he looks like a cat in excellent shape--except, he's lost 3 lbs. Down from 13.2 (was in the 14 range at one point)... It may be just life adjustments--was he competitively eating w/ Biggun? Etc. But we did bloodwork to make sure there's not a bigger cause. I'd noticed he'd dropped weight. Milinda had too. We'll see.
~ Last night, on Fernando and my walk, there was a huge bank of white clouds coming in at an angle, which made it look like we were in a quaint mountain town and that was the snow covered mountain rising up over town. The moon was just above it, like it was coming up over the mountain. I just stood and stared and realized how much I miss winter in the mountains.
~ That being said, a good friend tore up his knee skiing last week and is in for surgery soon. Yikes. Would I still ski? Sure--but I'd probably take it pretty easy.
~ I've somewhat landed in the title company section of the county clerk's office--right now, mostly doing e-recordings and mail, but some walk-throughs, etc. We had a big mix-up of people--shifting people around to different sections. Not everybody, but a lot. Apparently it's the pattern in the office. It gets everybody cross-trained in all sections. So, there's good and bad about working in title. I miss the customers, but at the same time, I like the predictability of it. Get into a groove and go. You don't suddenly have 5 TABC filings, which can disrupt your day. Yet, there've been some crazy days there too.
~ MLK Weekend: The start of the post-holidays, new year! Yes! I'm looking forward to a weekend of writing and three practical things: 1. trips to HEB/Costco. 2. Thin out my clothes/closets. 3. Buy new tires for my car. But mostly I'm looking to write. So I'm planning to just get into that space and see where it takes me.
~ I've been missing my writing. So far, it's not working with the job thing, but the jury is still way out on that. Meaning: I started on the 16th of November and there's been an incredible amount to learn and shortages of staff as people took time at end of year/holidays and end of year business/rush. Coupled with when I came home it was holidays and all that entailed. So this weekend starts the test period to see how compatible these are. Overall, I like the job. Let's hope they mesh.
~ Only in Austin: Didn't have to mow all summer because of the drought, but the yard needs mowing now! The weeds that used to come in March, but had been coming in February the past few years, crept up in December this year. And about all those leaves, which I take as they're named: leave them on the ground! I was hoping it would freeze last night and kill some of those weeds, but that fabulous bank of "snow" clouds killed the freeze instead. (after all that work prepping for it!)
~ The day before was the first day of 2012 that I got out of the office on time and it was mid-70s and fabulous. So I took a bike ride--my first in a couple of weeks. Really enjoyed that! My tummy is getting puffy with all this sitting and intermittant exercise! Yikes.
~ You add work into the day of a single person and a lot has to slip. I'm trying to dish it around evenly, but it includes: exercise, writing, journalling, blogging, house cleaning, yard, the marketing, seeing plays, socializing, phone calls/chats, etc. Yikes. I was pretty dang spoiled.
~ LOVE my iPhone! Easiest phone to use ever! And does so many cool things. If you need me during the day, text me on it and I'll get it every now and then.
And with that, I must wrap up and head to the office.
Cheers!
,m
Monday, January 9, 2012
freewill astrology 4 libra typed w/ 1 hand &cut/paste because there's a big grey kitty asleep in my lap w/ head resting on my left hand
...libra:
Before he died in 1902, Libran cartoonist Thomas Nast left a potent legacy. Among his enduring creations were the modern image of Santa Claus, the iconic donkey for America's Democratic Party, and the elephant for the Republican Party. I'm guessing that 2012 is going to be a Thomas Nast kind of year for you Librans. The work you do and the ripples you set in motion are likely to last a long time. So I suggest you choose the influences you unleash with great care and integrity.
Before he died in 1902, Libran cartoonist Thomas Nast left a potent legacy. Among his enduring creations were the modern image of Santa Claus, the iconic donkey for America's Democratic Party, and the elephant for the Republican Party. I'm guessing that 2012 is going to be a Thomas Nast kind of year for you Librans. The work you do and the ripples you set in motion are likely to last a long time. So I suggest you choose the influences you unleash with great care and integrity.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thanks to Tana for Forwarding this Article!
...
click on it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/fashion/men-shop-in-bulk.html
It sums me up, exactly. I've done almost every thing in it.
Except my Adidas were/are Stan Smiths. (I rationed wearing a pair through the discontinued years to make them last as long as possible. I was ecstatic when they returned in the 2000s!) I have two identical pairs of house shoes from 1997 from LLBean, that I want another one, exactly like. I still wear these, but it's time to add another into the rotation. I have multiple colors of favorite shirts--multiple same colors, of others. Ditto. And yes, Squirrels Readers, we all know the Levi's 505 Regular Fit saga!
For me, shopping is a chore, not an opportunity. But if you do it right, the right things last forever--and then, who cares!?
For example...
I was thinking about what I should wear to Granddaddy's memorial service on Saturday. I thought about my wool, tweedish jacket...but then I remembered I wore it to his 80th bday party in 1997. And his 90th in 2007--at which I read the same rambling, rhyme-y poem that I was commissioned to write for him, that I've been asked to re-read for the service.
Or wait, did I not wear it to his 90th because I thought about it and then realized all the camera folks would be taking shots left and right and I'd be wearing the same thing.... hmmm? Maybe I didn't wear it to 90, which means, of course I can wear it to the memorial service! Oh hell, it's Granddaddy's service. He wore the same thing to lots of things--maybe it's hereditary!
Cheers!
,m
click on it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/fashion/men-shop-in-bulk.html
It sums me up, exactly. I've done almost every thing in it.
Except my Adidas were/are Stan Smiths. (I rationed wearing a pair through the discontinued years to make them last as long as possible. I was ecstatic when they returned in the 2000s!) I have two identical pairs of house shoes from 1997 from LLBean, that I want another one, exactly like. I still wear these, but it's time to add another into the rotation. I have multiple colors of favorite shirts--multiple same colors, of others. Ditto. And yes, Squirrels Readers, we all know the Levi's 505 Regular Fit saga!
For me, shopping is a chore, not an opportunity. But if you do it right, the right things last forever--and then, who cares!?
For example...
I was thinking about what I should wear to Granddaddy's memorial service on Saturday. I thought about my wool, tweedish jacket...but then I remembered I wore it to his 80th bday party in 1997. And his 90th in 2007--at which I read the same rambling, rhyme-y poem that I was commissioned to write for him, that I've been asked to re-read for the service.
Or wait, did I not wear it to his 90th because I thought about it and then realized all the camera folks would be taking shots left and right and I'd be wearing the same thing.... hmmm? Maybe I didn't wear it to 90, which means, of course I can wear it to the memorial service! Oh hell, it's Granddaddy's service. He wore the same thing to lots of things--maybe it's hereditary!
Cheers!
,m
Monday, January 2, 2012
Two Thousand Twelve
...
Things about 2012:
The word in the picture associated with that horoscope was: faith.
If any of you sitting out there in my metaphorical stands feels punched, to you, my sincerest apologies. Otherwise, if you run into me on the street and ask me what I'm up to, who knows? Maybe I'll just answer, "I'm looking to initiate a rite of passage. And you?"
Happy Two Thousand and Twelve to Squirrels Readers everywhere!
Cheers!
Things about 2012:
- I believe the Mayans, like the fundamentalist Christians of late, will be wrong. The world will not end.
- The US Presidential election will. Finally.
- It's a leap year.
- It's the year of the summer Olympics. London?
- I might be a touch more katywompus in 2012. I bought a calendar at Book People this weekend. It's a colorful collection of Picaso pieces. Not until I opened it could I know that it begins the weeks with Monday. Even then, I didn't notice until I had already started putting birthdays on it. I mean, yes, it makes more sense: put the weekends at the end instead of splitting them up; start the week with the first day of the week, Monday. Yet, I'm sure I'll mess up many things because of years of conditioning as to what days are where on a normal calendar. (I did some extra color coding to try to help, but the first thing I went to put on there for a Monday, I instictively wrote in the Tuesday slot.)
- At 5:30 on New Year's Eve, I left the ATT store at 5th & Baylor via bike (en route to BookPeople in search of said calendar, etc.) with a freshly activated iPhone. Yes, when you pull yourself up off the floor, you can look again, and yes, you did read that correctly. 2012 will be a year of big changes in my accessibility and connections with the world. Or not.
As Squirrels Readers know, my Razr died last summer and I'd been using an old flip-phone I found in my drawer of defunct phones. The latter had serious issues getting a signal. So much so that it was essentially useless on my trip to Sherman for Christmas. I'm very happy with my iPhone! I'm sure that will mean changes in how I communicate. I'll likely text/receive texts much more since it's so much easier to do--and because that's really the only way to get in touch with me at work. (Not that I'll have time to answer texts I get there, but I might, every now and then.) And I'm still paying for each text individually--incoming and outgoing. So don't send me silly stuff via text, for that there is email. (There is an iPhone message feature and from what I can tell, it doesn't cost to send from one iPhone to another. If I'm wrong there, let me know.) At this point I haven't figured out if I want to get email on it or not. Probably not. I don't want another email address.
The salesman told me as I use it, I'll want to do a lot more with it. Maybe, and yes, I'm sure he's right, but I doubt it'll be a dramatic as he thinks. I'm not planning to put facebook on it. I'm happy to have a handy quick camera and internet source, and I'm excited to put some of the aps on it. (Any suggestions?) He assured me I'll want to stream videos or watch shows or listen to music on it. I doubt it.
Don't believe me? Perhaps you should read this amazing piece in yesterday's NY Times, The Joy of Quiet. Click on it anyway, it's a good read. I have no desire to be über-connected, but y'all knew that already. Just a little more so. Really, I mean it. I swear I do...
No, all kidding aside, I do cherish my quiet and my space. I do like to disconnect and put distance between me and the chaos. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-quiet.html - 2012 is the first year kicked off with a full time job job since 2003.
- I'm not on Texas Risk Pool Health Insurance as of yesterday.
- I'm hoping 2012 does permanent damage to the political careers of the following people: Rick Perry (emphasis added), Newt Gingrich, Rick Sanatorum, Michelle Bachman, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. (Jon Huntsman can still do something Republican, if he wants.) As well as John Boener, Paul Rand, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnel, Warren Chisum, David Dewhurst, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Jeff Wentworth, Lamar Smith, Michael McCaul and so on and so on.
- I'm not into resolutions. Mine are all the same ones I make year round: healthier, write more and more effectively, live robustly, enjoy people, be open to saying yes, be okay saying no, more focus, spread things out, breathe, etc.
- My word for the year is something I coined especially for the occasion: equiprogress, which means progress through equilibrium.
- I'm not into predictions, per se. So, I'll just leave you, dear Squirrels Readers, with this week's FreeWill Astrology Horoscope for us Libras:
The word in the picture associated with that horoscope was: faith.
If any of you sitting out there in my metaphorical stands feels punched, to you, my sincerest apologies. Otherwise, if you run into me on the street and ask me what I'm up to, who knows? Maybe I'll just answer, "I'm looking to initiate a rite of passage. And you?"
Happy Two Thousand and Twelve to Squirrels Readers everywhere!
Cheers!
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