The Blackfords, of Spencer Estates

Don't get excited.

2010-04-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

I noticed it's been a looong time since I wrote anything on the blog. So I decided to add a thing or two.

One, I've been teaching myself to cook. FUN.
Two, I've been working on my porchtop garden. Also fun.

Things are moving slow around the farm, but that's OK. I've been mainly focused on purging the 6 years of accumulate crap from various projects that I've now decided I'm not going to do, and thinking about projects I do still want to do.

And really, I don't have much interesting going on right now, which makes me feel a little sad to say out loud, but on the other hand, I feel pretty good about most aspects of my life, most of the time. So it's only when I have to actually say that I don't have much going on that I wonder if I should be doing more.

And I feel pretty boring. :(

Laughing Out Loud, at Myself

2009-12-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

We have a monthly e-newsletter at work where employees put information about what the different teams and departments are doing. The newsletter also has things like recipes, birthdays, etc. Your typical employee newsletter. This month's newsletter had one of those "you know you're getting old when..." messages in it. A lighthearted look at the funny side of aging, you know.

There is a dime that has been on the hallway floor for about a week now. I'm not sure how it got there, but every time I see it, I think "I should pick that up," and then I just leave it lying there. So today, when I coincidentally dropped a ponytail tie on the floor right next to it, I picked up the dime while I was already bent over to get the ponytail holder. And then I laughed out loud because one of the "you know you're getting old" sentences ended with "when you fall down, you look around to see if there's anything else you can do, while you're down there." I guess that also applies to bending over. Might as well pick up whatever else you can...

hello.

2009-11-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

You know how, when you have someone you talk to every day, you can talk to them for hours and hours about nothing at all, and when you have someone you hardly ever talk to, you sometimes struggle to come up with enough words to fill the silence? This is like that.

I've been so busy lately that I just stopped even thinking about blogs-writing or reading them. Work is busy as always, but I also was taking a tax class, working on a big freelance project, and sometimes proctoring exams. All for money or the hope of future money. So I finished the project and the tax class. I'm going to be working at the tax place starting in January, so that is sure to bring some interesting name-withheld-type blog fodder. Also, I never would have predicted this could happen, but I now spend so much time writing and editing at work that I find myself less interested in doing it at the end of the day. That's not good for the long run but I'm hoping I'll get over that as I get more experienced at it.

Anyway, I'm planning to keep it light but hopefully more frequent for the month of December. I'm giving mostly shitty handmade gifts this year so hopefully, I'll get some pics of those up starting this week. Oh, and there is a trial starting next week about my brother's death, and my dad has surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm on 12/16, so I'm sure that December isn't going to be any quieter than any other month of my life.

Around The Interwebz

2009-09-19T05:49:00.000-07:00

http://ugliesttattoos.com/

I love that the subtitle is "A Gallery of Regrets." People, tattoos are PERMANENT. Or incredibly painful and expensive to me made not permanent. Just think about it before you get that unicorn-humping-a-dolphin or dancing-ham job done up on ya butt ridge or wherever.

2009-09-09T07:28:00.001-07:00

I’m in a pretty good mood today, which I believe is because it’s day 2 of the work week and we are already at HUMPDAY.

True Confessions: I always thought Hump Day was the nastiest term and then I found out it was called that because we are “over the hump” of the week. I think it happened that way because I heard the term “Hump Day” when I was in Jr. High and that’s all that Jr. High kids think about. And so I thought the whole thing was that people went around work making overt passes at one another because Wednesday is Hump Day so that day, it’s oooo-kaay. Heh. Oh, and I first figured out the “over the hump” thing approximately…24-36 months ago. That’s right. I made it well into my 30s thinking that Wednesday was America’s National Get-It-On Day.

And on a tangentially related note…every day of my life as an Editor, I thank my lucky stars that this hasn’t happened on my watch.

On a Lighter Note

2009-09-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know which is stranger: that I'm watching Big Brother Eleven, or the fact that I'm watching Big Brother Eleven.

But as a result of this development, I found this particular news story incredibly delightful: http://www.theonion.com/content/news/animal_planet_reality_show_to_put?utm_source=most_pop_faxed

Republicans: skip this post

2009-09-08T06:40:00.001-07:00

Last year, I moved all my political ranting to another blog, but I'm too lazy to go figure out what the login is for that, so I'm posting it here instead. Consider yourselves warned. Stop reading now if you don't want my political opinion.

If you don't think America's kids should listen to this...then you are a farking idiot.

http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Read-The-Presidents-School-Speech/jrKvCI8kKU2XBXhDb_QOxQ.cspx

project update

2009-09-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've taken most of the summer "off" of my various projects. But with Labor Day being the unofficial end of summer, I decided to jump back in and this project was as good a place as any to start. what you see here is the pile of rubble that is currently my sofa. what you don't see is the exciting plans I have in store for this thing, and the plans I have for its little green friend. Stay tuned...

New Feature: Around the Interwebz

2009-09-05T21:37:00.001-07:00

I've been catching a bit of flak lately about how infrequently I update this blog (ahem, Colleen, Bri, Rob...etc.), but the reality is, I am just not doing much that is interesting these days. Scratch that. What I am mostly doing is interesting to ME and would be insufferably boring to you, my beloved readers. So, I've created a new feature to get us through this slow time. I will be featuring things I have found or which have been brought to my attention that are Internet gems of all sorts. I had been putting these kinds of things as updates on my Facebook, but to be honest, I am seriously considering quitting theFacebook. That's right, you read that right, and it should be the subject of a whole nother post. But for now, here are two lovely things I found on the Interwebz today. Much like my own self, one is creative and crafty and the other is silly and funny. And in case you are ever wondering how I find the things I find on the Interwebz, it is always as a result of something I googled, so I will include the google search term that (eventually) led me to each link:

Link 1: crafty creative chick who salvages items (we all know how I love to curb-surf!) and repurposes them into cool stuff: greencricketsalvage.com found on page 15 of a google image search for "window plant shelf"

Link 2: funny guy who is presumably high school or college-aged: http://myauntishot.com/about/who-is-my-aunt-why-is-she-hot found in a google search for "how to buy a corsage." More on the corsage fiasco later. I don't know about this guy's entire blog, but the story of why the blog is called "my aunt is hot" is actually awesomely funny. Also, his summary of going to the flower shop to get a corsage is outstanding: http://myauntishot.com/2004/funny/wristlet-or-corsage

how

2009-08-22T14:57:00.001-07:00

could it have gone so wrong, in so short a time?

sun-dried cotton

2009-07-24T12:25:00.001-07:00

these are happy swatches of fabric for baby blocks and other sweet things. i suppoze these cotton swatches are technically not sun dried as they are still drying, and there is some shade. but i'm workong on being less of a perfectionist, so this will have to do.

tuesday night project

2009-07-21T17:57:00.001-07:00

I've been having some problems with both Stella and Magnus up to their old tricks of inappropriate elimination. I think they are in a literal pissing contest. This is upsetting, frustrating, and actually a little costly as I spend a lot of time and a few US dollars on cleanup supplies which don't always seem to get the stains out. Not to mention countless evenings trolling around my house with a blacklight trying to find any spot that would explain the lingering odors. Sigh.

It was suggested to me that perhaps Stella's problem is that she is anxious, and that actually makes sense to me. But before we head off to the vet for another $300 visit just to find out that vet won't give me an anti-anxiety medicine for her, I decided to revamp her living arrangements. I'm moving her food out of the basement and back upstairs. Now, the reason I had it in the basement in the first place is that Magnus can and will get to it in every other location I've tried so far. But this time, I've decided to foil him by installing a gate to block his access to the upstairs. I hope this works. I think we all know that he can jump this thing. I'm just hoping he chooses not to. The other thing is, he's been slinking off up the stairs himself even though there isn't food up there anymore, and leaving little puddles that I sometimes only find out about from the smell. So hopefully this little gate will kill two birds with one stone so I don't have to kill two pets with my bare hands.

In the Pond.

2009-07-19T07:22:00.001-07:00

ewew ew. what more to say?

why? part 2

2009-07-15T07:21:00.001-07:00

this really makes me think they've been swimming in it. why??? the scum is right there! people, can't you see it?? augh.

why?

2009-07-11T06:51:00.001-07:00

...is what bri said, when we saw this almost-nekkid little girl at busken today. why not just put a shirt on? we are in a restaurant, after all.

oh now.

2009-07-10T15:06:00.001-07:00

Based on Wednesday's pic, I thought things were progressing with the pond-to-pool makeover. Now I'm not so sure. This reminds me of that scurf you see floating on top of industrial wastewater pools. ugh.

Con-blog-eration

2009-07-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

Finally, after all these years, I have both the time and the available technology to combine all of my blogs into one singular Masterpiece. And in doing so, I have been able to go through old blog posts and enjoy the bloggy camaraderie and just general silliness that is my life. So if you are ever thinking to yourself, "remember the time Erin locked herself out of her house and tried to drive her car over to the window to climb back in," or "how, again, did Erin build that doghouse?" well, now you too can relive those moments, here in one easy-to-search location. Yay!

And this link is for Heidi: http://blackfordfarm.blogspot.com/2006/12/bah-humbug.html

Last Week

2009-07-08T06:34:00.001-07:00

This was taken last week, after they started the de-mucking process.

Progress of some kind.

2009-07-08T05:24:00.000-07:00

i still wouldn't get in there.

You're Going to Need a Bigger Net

2009-06-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

Or stick, or whatever.

I clicked on this photo after I posted it to blogger and it is so gross. I am reminded of that movie, Big Fish, where the guy is leaning over the pond in the backyard and the big fish pops out at him suddenly. Argh.

you're going to need a bigger stick

2009-06-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

Crafty Creations, a new Blog Category

2009-06-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Something I've been up to lately is doing a LOT more crafting. This is probably a convergence of several aspects of my life: craziness at work, cutting back on spending, trying to use what I have here at home rather than buying new things, and the fact that I have a really great space for crafting now. More details on the great craft room in an upcoming post. With pics, if I ever get it at least orderly enough for a quick photo shoot.

In the meanwhile, here's the end result of the 4-week-long pencil roll project. Now, I should say that it only takes a few hours to make a pencil roll if you have all the fabric ready to go, but this was a learning process for me, and in addition, I had the added time required to embroider the name on this one. So this is the first of what may turn out to be quite a few pencil rolls, depending on how well-received this one is.

I think this is just about right for a little guy who'll be in the FIRST GRADE in the fall:

If you want to try to make a pencil roll for yourself or a kid you know, there is a great tutorial here.

Comments fixed, and: Today Was A Good Day

2009-06-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

First, let me say, anonymous comments are turned on (I didn't even know they were off), so feel free to comment away in total anonymity. Hell, I don't even have that stat counter thing on this new blog, but I never checked it anyway, so you can pretty much rest assured that unless you completely flame my ass, I'm never going to know who you are when you comment anonymously, and if you do flame my ass, or any other part of me, I'll try to figure it out and get frustrated when I can't and that will make me crazy, so...Yay?

Moving on to more uneventful updates, Today Was A Good Day. Now, in case you don't recall, that was the refrain of an Ice Cube song from Boyz N Tha Hood. Remember that movie? After I saw it, I was pretty convinced that I could have survived on the mean streets of Compton. Now I don't even like to run to the Qwik-E-Mart after dark. How far I've come.

Since yesterday's post was all about how miserable (but ridiculous, and funny!) my evening was, and because today was a better day, I thought I'd share a happier note about today/tonight.

First of all, I spent the day at work being ridiculously busy. If I haven't had a chance to tell you this, I got a promotion at work and I'm now the Managing Editor for 2 magazines, in addition to covering the magazine for the ME who's on maternity leave and (for now, at least) still doing my directories. Now, it's weird to say this is a promotion because we've had a lot of cost-cutting measures at work, and I don't want to get into the details, but let's say that, for now and thanks very much to the stupid economee, I did not get a raise with my promotion. :( But, I am making the best of the opportunity I've been handed and I am actually really excited about what the future holds for me with these magazines and the company overall.

Today, I had to do a press check for the 480-page directory that took over my life for the past 3-4 weeks. Luckily, someone else was driving the van down to the printer, which is located in the Louisville area. I set the precedent when I first started my job that I don't ride well, so everyone at work knows, if we're driving, I'm taking Dramamine(tm) and passing out in the back seat, and that's just what happened today. So I not only got to spend my day out in the sunshine but shielded by the air-conditioned comfort of the minivan, but also got paid to take 2 separate naps. Also, the printer sales rep bought us lunch at a Mexican place, making today the second day in a row that I had Mexican for lunch and someone else picked up the tab. And I love when someone else picks up the tab!

When I got home, which was around 6, I decided to do fewer things tonight but I think the problem with me is, I have to constantly be doing something. I tried to just lie around and watch Arrested Development on hulu but after a couple of episodes, I got up to go to the basement and then I ended up sorting and organizing a few things that I want to return to the store to get a credit to use to get the wire netting I need for the compost bin. And I got those things sorted out, and then I went up to the 3rd floor to get the receipts for them, and that's when I got sucked in to the sewing to finish the pencil roll I'm working on for Tommy. And this is exactly how it goes: I just go around working on thing to thing until someone specifically makes me stop. So now that I've identified that problem, I'm going to keep working on making it better.

I have a million more things to write but sleep is calling me. Really calling, like I'm actually asleep as I'm typing.

Quit While You're Not Dead

2009-06-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned a time or two about how much I really love my craft room. But this time of year, it's really sweltering up there on the 3rd floor of the house. So tonight, I turned on the (window unit) A/C up there to get the room cooled down and left (to get ice cream-Yay!) and when I came back, I realised it was, at that point, cooler in the room than when I had left, but now hotter than it was outside. So I turned off the A/C and put the fan in the window to pull some cool air in. Now. In order to put the fan in the window, I needed to move the screen around, which meant moving the blinds around, which resulted in the mini blinds falling out of the bracket on to me, and then, as I was fiddling with the windows and the fan, I pinched my finger in the screen part of the window, letting out a scream of pain and frustration.

That could have been a great stopping point. But, not recognizing that sign, I then turned my attention to the air conditioner, which I had noticed was dripping water onto the floor, because it was sloped in the wrong direction. This I had not noticed when I first installed the unit a few weeks ago, so it's probably been dripping like that every time I run it. Whatever.

Fortunately, I had already unplugged the A/C because I had to, in order to plug the fan in (yeah, my house is that old), and I say "fortunately," because I noticed that the water was dripping out of the same opening that the power cord runs from. Grreeeeeat.

I pulled the (very classy) t-shirt scraps I had stuffed around the window opening out and opened the window. DOH!! How could I have forgotten that the window is what was holding the A/C in place? Oddly, it was all over before I'd even processed what was happening, because that window happens to be right over the roof of the 2nd-floor balcony, so the total drop was about 2-3 inches. But the entire A/C fell out and landed on said roof. That's right, A/C, on the roof. Me, inside the house.

Everyone knows how I feel about heights, right? I don't even like to be on the balcony, much less be hanging out the window above the roof of said balcony. Sheesh.

So here I am, with the window A/C having fallen out of the window and now resting on the (sloped) roof. Yes, this is seriously happening, I think to myself, and I have no idea what to do now.

I suppose a more normal person would have, well, I have no idea what a normal person would have done, because if I had any idea, ever, what a normal person would do, I wouldn't find myself in about, um, ANY of the situations I'm ever in. Sigh.

So, doing what seemed like the best option to me, at the time, I reached out, scoot/pulled the A/C over to the window, gave it the best bear hug I could muster, and then slowly but surely, rocked it back into the window. Just take a minute to visualize what that looked like. Whatever you're imagining, it was far less flattering than that, because there were also all kinds of bits and pieces sticking off the thing that are probably meant to keep it from falling out of the window, but they seem to me to work far better at keeping me from being able to pull it back through the window. I finally got the entire unit back into the house, using a system of rocking and pulling and grunting and cussing, and assessed the damages. Not bad, from what I could tell, except that a couple of clips broke off of the decorative plastic grill. Something else to fix = yay.

I went to the basement to get some Krazy Glue(TM) to try to re-attach those clips but I had no luck finding the glue (not surprising if you've seen the basement, or any part of my house, for that matter). However, I did find the scrap of foam insulation I've been meaning to bring up to cut and place around the A/C, so I grabbed that and brought it upstairs thinking I'd just fix that grill cover whenever I could locate the glue, but at least I'd be able to get the insulation into the window so I could avoid re-stuffing the t-shirt rags back in there. So I sat on the floor, carefully cutting the pieces to fit the window and gently placing them around the A/C, and as I was shaving little pieces of foam off with the retractable craft knife, I inexplicably reached out with my finger and, thinking I was brushing a little piece of foam off, sliced the tip of my finger by running it directly across the blade. I couldn't have made a cleaner cut if I'd been trying to slice it open. And that thing hurt like a mother, once I realised what was going on, which always takes longer than it should. Squeezing the fingertip as tightly as I could and holding it above my head, I came down the stairs (carefully!) to resign myself to spending the remainder of the night writing the sad tale that can also be entitled "why I can never really get anything done."

In summary, what I can say about this entire debacle is:
a) As Heidi suggested, I'm starting to think this house is trying to kill me;
2) Sometimes, it's just easier to flop down on the sofa and look at the Internets all night; and
another thing) It's a damn good thing that I have such a kick-ass first aid kit. I'm all put back together again, but still grumpy. Grr.

Dear Internets

2009-06-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Please help. First, let me explain. Sunday is supposed to be my day of rest (according to not just myself, but also, commanded by God). Today, I did a terrible job of resting, but I did a FANTASTIC job of getting things done around the house. With the help of some friends, of course.
First, I had coffee and chat with Heidi, which we haven't done of a Sunday in awhile. I don't know if that's because we were missing television, or off gallivanting, or what. But anyway, we did that, talked about our feelings, shared our insights on each other's relationship foibles, and generally enjoyed the fact that we are neighbors and friends. OK, that's enough sweetness and light for now. But speaking of light...

Bri and Rob came by in the afternoon to help me heave one giant beast of a window-unit air conditioner out of my living room window. I knew this was going to be a good move, but I was still amazed at how much more light streams in now. Yay!

Now, my problem here is this. Well, it's a two-fold problem. First, I made the drapery liner panels in a floor-length style, and then cut one off because I thought the floor length was too long. But now I'm torn: so should I have them long or short? I like the shorter style because when the draperies themselves are open, I can see the wall under the window. But soon, there will be a sofa there (this sofa, sort of):

Anyway, I'm not sure if I should go with long or short, so right now I have one of each.

The second thing is, I'm not sure how to set up the top of the draperies. Suggestions welcome. I guess the third question is if I need to do something else because I love the pattern of the drapery panels but it kind of washes out in the sunlight. I don't know if sewing in the lining would help. I might do a small-scale experiment about that as I do have smaller pieces of that fabric I could line and hand to see how it does. I liked the idea of leaving the lining separate so I could open and close the linings independently of the drapes. Sigh. So many decisions. Help, please.

By the bye, when the "sofa" gets up here, now that the ugly old A/C is gone, I will get to enjoy this lovely view:

Yeah, the neighbors? Not so hot at the pool maintenance. I love the "finish your sentence" game and Brian did it perfectly today. I was going to say "I am thinking about sneaking over there and shocking it," but before I got to "shocking," Brian chimed in with "popping it?" Heh.

I have a new blog

2009-05-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's safe to write the URL here, since this one's private and that one isn't but hopefully won't have my name associated with it.

In case you're wondering what's up with all the secrecy, now that I am a published (read: FAMOUS, WORLD FAMOUS, actually), I don't want people who google me because of an article I write to tumble down the rabbit hole into the sometimes weird-sometimes lame-always ridiculous realm of my private life.

So anyway, here's that URL and apologies again for the break.

http://blackfordfarm.blogspot.com/

Is It Me You're Looking For?

2009-05-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

What a long hiatus! After taking the old bloggy-blog private, I realised that was going to be a total PITA for everyone, including myself. And that results in just not doing anything. So, I apologise for that and hope that people will come back to read the mundane details of what I've been up to on any given day.

And with that, I'm back! Hoo-raaaay!!

On Spencer Pond

2009-03-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Heidi once told me that she can feel the mosquitos start to bite her as soon as she crosses over into Norwood. We thought this was because they don't fog here. But last weekend, we realized it's probably the neighbors' pond, er, pool thats bringing them.

LOST in Cincinnati

2009-03-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

That title works for 2 reasons. First, this place is cool (and sad!), this guy’s blog is cool (and full of sad things!), and as Kelly suggested, this would be a great “stimulus” project:

http://www.sweet-juniper.com/2009/03/hole.html

Get it? The building complex is “lost” in Cincinnati.

Second, there’s a guy who went to high school in Fairfield who landed the part of Radzinsky on LOST. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090318/ENT/903180346/1055/NEWS

And for the under-educated (as Rob put it), Radzinsky is the guy who lived in the Hatch with the guy who was in the Hatch when Desmond got there. He made that big map on the blast door, out of fabric softener or something else that glows in the black light, so you could only see it when the Hatch was in lockdown. He was trying to figure out what was going on there. This is the map that Locke was so fascinated with.

And I pointed out to Rob that this description sounds completely cracked out. If you didn’t watch the show, you would always think I had eaten some shrooms before watching to come up with a statement like that.

What's on my mind: Stretching

2009-03-05T07:28:00.000-08:00

Stretching. I know. It’s weird that this occurs to me, but I just stood up after sitting in one spot for a couple of hours, and I was overtaken with the need to stretch. But this seems impractical to me from an evolutionary perspective, like, how in the world am I going to jump up and run away from the wooly mammoth if I have to stand up and stretch first? I know that the adrenal response overrides the stretching, but still. It seems weird. What is actually happening when we stretch? Dogs stretch. Cats stretch. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a squirrel or a bird stretch. I actually can’t think of seeing any wild animals stretch. So is this something that only comes with millennia of domestication? What is the purpose and the value of stretching?

I know; it’s boring and weird. But it’s What’s on my mind™.

Random Thoughts on a Sunny Day

2009-03-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

I like to think that I’m a little creative, fairly bright, and completely counter-cultural. So how is it that I can get sucked into an entire hour of Nancy Grace shouting at her own guest commentators, night after night, like it’s the most compelling television out there? I’ve lost a shameful amount of my life to this little circus of America’s accused.

Is the area in between Mariemont and Madeira what they call “Indian Hill”? Because it simply is lovely this time of year when one can see all the old beautiful houses.

I really dig that Leon song “S-X is on Fire.”

a wittle wittle bitty waaaan...

2009-02-25T05:39:00.000-08:00

Going Private

2009-02-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. It's been forever since I updated, and now my first update is to say that I'm taking this blog private. But it's for good reason!

I have an exciting new assignment at work, and I am really looking forward to it. But as a result of that gig, I want to make sure I'm not so easily searchable and identifiable online. So, I'm taking the blog to private status.

I'm planning to send a message to everyone who reads the blog (that I know of) inviting you to the private version. But if you happen to read the blog and I don't know, then I won't know to invite you. So send me a message with your email, and I'll invite you. And we'll all be together in the new secret blog. YaY!

Stella the shaman. I took the morning off to rest and she is snuggling me.

2009-02-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

Great Things on the Internet

2009-01-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

I've found a couple of new things online. I guess, no matter how much of the Internet I read, they keep putting new things on it. Which is good, because every so often I get to the end and I have to wait for something new to happen.

First up, this is a great way to spend some time playing with pics of people you love (or not, depending on your political persuasion): OBAMiconMe

Make your own, or just enjoy those created by others. I made this pic of my nephew. It's hard to make out his face but I know the image well enough that this makes me happy.

Thing 2: in searching for more examples of Shepard Fairey's street art, but erroneously typing in "Spencer Fairey," I came across this image in the flickr pool. It's pretty much one of the funniest real-life things I've seen.

I think this is a huge reason I love the Internet; you end up with delightful unrelated things while looking for other things. It's a lot like my house, actually, so maybe that's why I like it.

Response to Heidi's LOST Predictions

2009-01-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

I can't comment on her post for some reason, and I'm long overdue on regular blogging, so I'm responding here.

1. The baby at the very, very beginning was the guy who came to the island with Faraday and Charlotte. That means that both Miles and Charlotte were born on the island, and that is why Faraday brought them.

--genius. it might also explain why Miles sees dead people. I'll agree with Heidi on the Miles aspect of this, but I'm not sure about Charlotte. Remember when Charlotte found that Dharma thing on that dig somewhere in the desert? She had the craziest look in her eye. I still can't figure out if that already happened or if that happens sometime in the future but I think she's in a different "category" than Miles or Faraday.

2. I am still sticking with this one- the Adam and Eve skeleton in the cave are Desmond and Penny. And Charlotte might be their daughter.
--iiinteresting. And weird. When did you say this that you write "I am still sticking with..."?

3. Neither Jin nor Locke are actually dead.
--I agree about Locke but not about Jin. Michael also died on the boat, right? So I think that would make a problem with the notion of EVERYONE having to be back on the island. And the helicopter pilot escaped. Maybe we will see that they have to get him back, too?
4. The Oceanic 6 did not actually HAVE to lie. In fact, things would have been much better for them had they told the truth. Locke convinced Jack to lie for some reason that we cannot yet figure out, but I think has to do with getting everyone back on the island. But for some reason, they had to leave first. I know that's vague, but still, I think somehow that will flesh itself out.
--On the one hand, I think it makes sense to say they didn't have to lie. But on the other hand, I cannot even imagine what would have happened if they had told the truth. I mean, just the part that Hurley spit out sounded like a Benadryl-induced dream, and he didn't even mention the Polar Bears and the foot statue. It's straight-up insane if you take it all at once like that. What's interesting is that Locke told Jack to lie but it wasn't until later ("later", or earlier, in LOST time) that Ben and Locke re-joined forces and Ben started working on gathering everyone up to take back to the island. Also, let's think about that whole submarine they had and how they used to get their food drops - if the island is able to move in time, then how did the food drops work? And the submarine, was it actually a time machine as opposed to something that moves bodies through physical space? Juliet came on the sub, so did she actually travel in time when that trip happened? It's seriously more than I can contemplate sometimes...
5. The people who almost cut the throats of Penny and Sawyer work for Widmore and were on the island with him before the "Others' somehow took over and he had to leave the island. Which could also mean that Penny was born on the island. Which is why she can find it.
--I think this all makes sense but it was Juliet with Sawyer, not Penny. I got them confused when I first saw Juliet. Remember how everyone said Ben brought Juliet because he reminded her of his, what, wife? I wonder if his wife is related to Penny. Her mom, maybe? That would add another layer to the whole territorial war between Ben and Widmore.
6. This is not so much a prediction, but I wonder why Desmond and Jim Halpert(wait- that's the guy from office- what's his named? Richard Alpert? I can't look it up or that's cheating....) are outside of "the rules" for the time travel. And if the rules really exist, or if Faraday is just saying that to try to keep people from altering what happens. -- did Desmond not have to follow the rules? I do remember he was having the whole nosebleed thing last season because I thought he was going to die from it.

I also want to add that the old lady Ben saw at the church, who I assume is Faraday's mom that Faraday asked Desmond to find, is also the old woman who had the ring that she wouldn't sell to him back in, what, Season 2? She was telling him something about that ring that I can't recall. OK, I am not like Heidi - I can't make predictions, so I'm heading over to the Lostpedia to see what people have written about all the connections. AUGH.

Why I Hate the Cold

2009-01-16T05:56:00.000-08:00

I don’t want to spend the entirety of my first blog of the new year to complain, but I will.

I think sometimes people get the (mistaken) impression that the reason I don’t like the cold weather is because I don’t know how to dress for it. It is not that I don’t know how I should dress, with all the layers and what not (hee! – what not still makes me giggle every time – thanks, Jay-Z). The problem is actually that I don’t like (can’t stand?) wearing all those layers. For example, I start to get grumpy once it’s too cold to wear flip-flops and even grumpier when I have to start wearing socks with the shoes that I already didn’t want to be wearing. But this kind of cold we are having now is really bad, because even with socks, my feet are still freezing. And I’ve been out of the cold for 30 minutes now. So I just think that’s ridiculous.

In general, the most clothing I ever really want to have on is a long-sleeved shirt and pants. So having to wear a shirt, plus a sweater, plus another sweater, plus a coat, gloves, and a scarf is just incredibly annoying to me. It is somewhat like there is just too much stuff on me and that makes me very uncomfortable because, while I think there are folks who actually enjoy the whole “bundling up” effort, I just don’t like to have a lot of things on me. Yet it is far too cold to go without the stuff. So all winter long I feel trapped.

Another thing that sucks about the winter is that I obviously have to put all those layers on to go anywhere, but when I get to where I’m going, it’s warm inside, so I have to take all the layers off or else I start getting too hot and sweating and now I can’t go outside because I’m hot and sweaty. So if I’m just getting dressed to go to work, it’s fine, because clearly, I’m going to take all the extra layers off when I get there and not put them on for 8.5 hours. But going to the grocery store, the hardware store, the bookstore – anywhere that I’ll be standing around or pushing a cart and only be there for a little while – well, I have to take everything off and then put it right back on again, which seems silly, or else leave it on and get too hot.

I think the bottom line is that I am a warm-weather person (the hotter, the better!) whose ancestors were either cold-weather people or just resigned themselves to the cold after that first Ohio summer. Ahhh…summer. I miss you.

The Birds and the Beasts

2008-12-22T20:49:00.000-08:00

OK, so it's cold. Really cold. And as usual this time of year, my thoughts turn to daydreams of living in Florida.But I don't want to torture myself so I try not to think of it too much. The newscasters keep talking about how cold it is and also how important it is to bring the pets inside from the cold. And since the furnace is broken, "the cold" includes most parts of my house (though luckily, Heidi's furnace works so I don't have to worry about her and Isabelle). So to keep the pets and myself safe, Stella, Magnus and I are huddled in my bedroom, which I have turned into a makeshift apartment-within-an-apartment.

The furnace hasn't worked this entire heating season so far. Originally, I thought it was a problem with the thermostat, but after I got a very fancy new programmable thermostat and installed it, including pulling a new cable to replace the one that was made of what appeared to be the first electrical wire, ever, which of course led to buying another $50 "tool" to run said cable, it turns out that the thermostat wasn't the problem. Well, that seems OK to me, given that the thermostat is supposed to be able to save up to $150 a year from my energy bill (although does that include A/C? because if so, I'm down to probably $75 in savings, but whatever) - so even if it wasn't the problem, it will probably pay for itself in pretty short order. But what I learned today is that both of my furnaces (furni?) are something called a "millivolt" system. The upshot of such a system is that the pilot light provides the power for the thermostat (yeah, I don't understand how that works, either) meaning that, if the power goes out but the gas doesn't, I still have heat. Except when I don't have heat because the thing that takes the pilot light energy and converts it to electricity is broken. I guess it is pretty rare to have this kind of system, and I explained to him that this house is full of things that the professionals haven't ever seen before. Oh, and the guy isn't sure they can still get the part. AND, the brand-new programmable thermostat most likely won't work with this because the thermostat is for 24 volts and the power generated by the furnace is only 750 millivolts, or .75 volts. Not quite enough to run that thermostat. So, I'm not sure what's going to happen now, but for tonight, we are all bunked into this one room and I'm under the electric blanket and a down throw wearing my fleece pants and fleece robe and the pup and cat are curled up on soft warm things like pillows and towels which is how we've been ever since Furnace Man left.

Now. About that bird. That thing was in the room where I sleep when I'm at my dad's place. And what really upset me about it is that I didn't even see the thing for the first 3 nights I slept up there. A normal person in a normal room during a normal visit would have seen this thing immediately. But nothing about the room, the visit, or me are normal, so it wasn't until I reached under one of the side tables to grab something else that I noticed the bird. And it was way dead, and having to pick it up even with a wad of paper towels wrapped around my hand was sickening. I'm kind or retching about it right now. Blech.

To end on a high note, I would just like to say again that I am so thankful for my friends and family and ESPECIALLY for my amazing new job. I know, it's been almost a year. But I have been reminded so many times this month how wonderful the company is and the people are and even though it sounds ridiculously smarmy, I really feel loved and cared for there and I am so thankful that I managed to land there. Yay!! Oh, and tomorrow is "Ugly Christmas Pajama Day" at work. I don't have any Xmas PJs but I do have some Grinch slippers I may just bust out to be festive. Hee!

ewwwww

2008-12-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

i had just about picked this up to toss in a bag of decorations when it occurred to me that it's a pretty crappy-looking decorative bird. and then i realized it's not decorative at all. so gross.
at least now the bird shit i found on the sheets makes sense...

Grumpy pants on today

2008-12-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

it might give some indication of just how rural my surrounds are to
say there are NO wireless networks in my area. Not "no open networks,"
just "no networks." oy vey.
my dad is out of the hospital now. I went to the pharmacy to get my
dads meds and they werent able to get the medicare taken care of after
2 trips, so in despair I went to the video store to get some tv shows,
and even though the sign said 99c, the videos were actually $4.99
each. And that kills me because I could have borrowed the DVDs later
but I didnt because at 99c, they seemed like a real bargain now, and
then I got so excited to see the shows that I didnt want to not rent
them. Yeah. but the good part is that my dad is home, we got a
beautiful new day bed for my dad becuse hes been sleeping on the sofa
for a while now and i wanted something more supportive for him. So.
That's one thing I can claim as an accomplishment, anyway.

Latest Update on Papa

2008-12-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

He is doing well. I got a message from his friend who stayed overnight (so I could sleep in my own bed and come into the office today), and she said that he ate an entire meal last night, slept well (they put him on a CPAP, which he honestly should have had years ago), and that he had a big, busy morning today and was quite tired from all that. Also, they are talking about moving him out of ICU tomorrow and into a cardiac room, so that will be nice. I hope that he will be able to be released before Christmas. I know that he won’t want to be in the hospital over the holidays.

I am hoping I can make some arrangements with work so that I can have the next couple of weeks off to help get his house situated for him (we had been talking before he went into the hospital about doing some of that) and help him get re-adjusted. I guess the upshot of it being near the holidays is that things are generally pretty slow for me right now. No one wants to do much work on their directories that aren’t being printed until March or April when they could be whooping it up with egg nog and holiday cheer.

I am actually exhausted and I really want to just go back to bed, which is sad because the only things I’ve done today are shower, pack, and come in to the office about 45 minutes ago.

Being in the office is weird for me because I’m dreading that someone might come over and want to talk a bunch about what’s going on, and I just don’t want to talk about it any more right now. For one thing, it always starts me crying. For another, I’m just really tired. Some parts of being a grown-up are just crappy.

Thanks again to all of you for your calls, support, help, and prayers. I have the best group of friends any girl could ever want and I am so thankful for each and every one of you. Awww…

i am no expert

2008-12-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

but i am pretty sure that this ISN'T the proper way to tape drywall seams and holes. yep, that's painter's tape and duct tape. other than self-appointed inspections of the hospital construction, i have been hanging out with dad and watching dvds of Dexter. dad is doing quite well now. they took him off the ventilator today, so he's been talking and he was even having a sprite when i ducked out for lunch. he was asking me about how my workshop setup is coming along and making plans for when we get home, so these are all positive signs. they said they wont start thinking about moving him out of ICU until tomorrow because they like to wait at least one day after they come off the vent. thanks to all for support, calls and prayers. i will get in touch with everyone in the next few days, i promise. :)

hospital updates

2008-12-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

if you've known me for awhile, you know that i've had quite a few heartbreaking experiences with family members in the hospital. i'm trying to not reflect too much on those while i'm here with my dad. while his recovery is painfully slow, he is getting a little better each day. sadly, he was already pretty bad off with his heart problems so i'm not sure what his life will be like when he leaves the hospital, but for right now, we're just focusing on getting his breathing regulated so he can get off the vent. just so you can tell how his spirits are, they were talking about weaning him off the vent and he wrote this note: YOU DON'T NEED TO WEAN ME, I'M ALREADY A WEENIE. the fact that he's still cracking jokes and trying to kiss the nurses (the lady ones) goes a long way in keeping me calm. and the hot male nurse in the next room helps, too. :) thanks to all for support and well wishes. i
love you guys!

Boy Are My Arms Tired

2008-11-24T07:27:00.000-08:00

Actually, all of me is tired, because we did a TON of work this weekend. But check out the results at Heidi's Blog.

Once again, mad props to Kelly for helping direct the faucet installation, Adam for completely ROCKING out on the cabinet installation (this guy is a genius!) and of course, Heidi, for sticking it out with no kitchen for all this time and helping all along the way. It is really satisfying to see the results now that we're in the "you-can-actually-see-the-work-that's-getting-done" phase. I'm hoping to have the floor tiled in the next 6 days. The holiday break should really help with getting that done.

Yay, PROGRESS!!

Once again, can I say how much the Wilkeys RAWK.

2008-11-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

I have so many shout-outs and updates on prizes and general pics I need to post that I feel bad just posting with no pics. But really, I just want to say a couple of things. 1 - the Wilkeys are the bizz-omb. whatever that means. Second, after a couple of days of wood-cutting frustration, I think we'll be set tonight because Justin sent over his jigsaw to fill in for my jigsaw that I broke last night trying to get through the beast of a slab of wood that is the IKEA Numerar countertop**. So hopefully, tonight we'll finish cutting that and then install the sink and faucet and connect the plumbing. And I'm really hoping the plumbing will drain because Justin's suggestion about potential problems causing the upstairs sink to not drain makes me wonder if the downstairs drain will work after all. Pleh. Anyway, I'm glad Heidi's been posting progress pics because I've just been working and working to get this thing done and I've been too grumpy/tired to take and post pics. I love looking at them, though, so keep them coming, Heidi!

**If you googled "Numerar" "countertop" "cut" "blade" or "I'm going to shoot myself in the face now that I have a giant slab of counter and cant' actually cut it to size or cut a hole in it," and that's how you end up here, here is what I know.
1 - Numerar actually has a good face and a bad side. DO NOT mistake the two. You will know in one of 2 ways - either you will be looking at the good face thinking that both are the same, or you will flip it over and know right away that there really are a top and bottom. The bottom is uneven and has glue smears all over it, as well as a big ugly black IKEA stamp. Again, if you open the thing in such a way that you see the front side, you might not realise that there is a bad side lurking under there. And that comes into play when you start making cuts.
2 - I have read online both complaints that this stuff is a b*tch to cut and people saying it's not bad at all. Actually, both are true depending on your circumstances. I bought a new SKILSAW for the job, because it's not really a project until you have to buy a new tool. I tried cutting the counter with the 24T carbide blade that came with the saw. Bad idea. I bet that blade is just fine for cutting pine framing lumber, but for the glued-up 6/4" hardwood this countertop is made of, you are going to need something with a little more bawlz. And the one that worked for me is the Freud Diablo, 40T. I wavered a bit between it and the Freud Avanti, 40T, but in the end, I read a review that said the Diablo was a little beefier and that's what I wanted for this job. Turns out that was just the trick. That thing went through the countertop like butter. I felt like I was sawing through MDF - just smooth and even. I had a few binding spots that were my own fault for letting the saw drop - I'm still getting the hang of the weight of it - but otherwise the cut is smooth as glass. Now, they say you should cut bad-side-up with the circular saw and that's what I did. But I'm also going to tell you that the 40T gives you such a smooth cut that it probably won't matter which side is up. I didn't have any splintering or tear-out at all. I am actually in love with this blade, and honestly, it was so inexpensive, I'm going to go back and get one for my 10-inch saws, too. Yeah, I know, I sound like a commercial. But man, this thing is sweet. Oh, and I had been under the impression that a lower tooth count was better for cutting thick boards. But this 40T was excellent at it, so I guess I missed something in my reading or else they mean "lower" as in "not 200 teeth". Whatevs.

I have to give mad props to Naomi, Single Mom extraordinaire, whose blog I found while frantically searching for a way to cut this stuff. Seeing her cooktop cutout gave me the confidence that I could actually cut the thing without losing my mind or any fingers. Thanks, Naomi! (The kitchen looks great!)

Woefully amiss

2008-11-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I'm long overdue for SOME kind of update. But I just haven't been able to make the time to do it. Oy vey.

I'm going to refer you over to Heidi's blog for occasional updates on the kitchen project. It is pretty much taking over my life, which is part of the reason for the lack of updates of late.

Oh, and we are currently down to ZERO functioning kitchen sinks as the upstairs sink has become hopelessly clogged. That's a story in and of itself. ARGH.

Um.

2008-11-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

This:

Was stolen from my yard this morning. Or possibly last night. Sometime between the hours of 8pm and 8am. Whatever. I mean, really. Who in the world steals an 8-foot sign that's nailed to 2- 2x4s and sunk into the ground? This entire time, I've expected to come out and find it kicked over, slashed, spray painted, or smeared with baby poop. But I honestly never expected to find it just stolen. The only trace they left was the 2x4 cross-brace you can't see in the pic. It was just lying there on the sidewalk like a metaphor for the honor and respect of the democratic process that says "when your candidate doesn't win, you suck it up and figure out what you can do to change things in 4 years".

Like I have done for the past EIGHT.

Heidi is 2-for-2

2008-11-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

First, the Bengals win on Sunday, in honor of her birf-day, and now, the election of our 44^th president, Mr. Barack Obama, on her actual birthday.

With this kind of streak, I think she’s a keeper.

Happy belated b-day, Heidi!!

On the first day of voting...

2008-10-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

I luuurve voting. It is probably the most exciting day of the every-other-year for me. And this year’s change to allow early voting in Ohio means that, for me, yesterday was voting day. YaY!! Now clearly, this was not the first day of voting. But I wanted to get you all in the frame of mind for this a little song I wrote about my ballot as an Independent voter. Sing to the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” pick up at the 6 jumpers jumping (is that right? That doesn’t sound right.)

On my day of early voting,

The picks I made were these:

6 assorted Judges,

5 Dem-O-Craaaats,

4 Issue “yeses”

3 Repub-liii-cans,

2 Issue “nos”

And an Independent in a pear tree…

Thanks to you, Mr and Mrs Wilkey

2008-10-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the Wilkeys have done it again. Right in the midst of the maddening plumbing challenge that was keeping Heidi from having any hot water, Jenn and Justin came over and Justin figured it out right away. I was going to try an alternative union method (compression fittings) because I was thinking I'd never get the line dry enough to sweat the copper. But Justin figured out what the problem was, drained the line, and then helped me solder everything together, including making the most ridiculous copper cut ever, only to have me notice that we didn't even need the piece he had just cut (sorry, Justin!). Then he showed me the simplest way to pipe the cold water into the kitchen, showed me how to tighten the seal on my compression fittings for under the sink, explained the proper use of teflon tape, and made sure that we don't have any leaks. Plus, he checked out the seal on the fridge and helped move a stack of 16' crown molding out of Heidi's apartment and into the basement. Pretty awesome for an evening's work!! Thanks again to the Wilkeys for helping out at a moment's notice.

And not to be outdone, after the Wilkeys departed, Heidi asked me to show her how to scrape wallpaper so she could work on the bathroom whenever she has time. We worked on it while we talked about our feelings and then I filled the bathroom with dust when I turned on the shop-vac to clean up the messy little paper crumbles. DOH!

I think Heidi's place is going to be fantastic when everything is done. I was thinking today that there have been some unexpected but wonderful consequences of her staying here which include that a) I am less lonely, 2) I am motivated to do something on the kitchen project every day, and another thing) um, did you see that OBAMA sign we erected? Day-ummm.

I love this

2008-10-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

I heard it on the radio today and didn’t think it was true. So awesome.

If you haven't seen this already

2008-10-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

Check out what might actually be the greatest accomplishment of my entire life:

O-BAM-A!!!

Supersize Me.

2008-10-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

You know, everyone thinks that guy who made the movie did it to point out the detrimental effects of our fast food nation. But I am personally convinced that his whole plan actually started with an obsession to win something at the Monopoly game. Because that’s how it has happened to me. Expect that, when you see me again, I will be a bloated, pasty version of my former bloated, pasty self. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at McDonald’s doesn’t wear well on anyone. That’s all I’m saying.

So, this is how it's going to be.

2008-10-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Heidi and I decided we were going to go ahead and erect our GIANT OBAMA SIGN in the front yard. So we’re walking around the house to get materials and tools ready, and I hear this sound that reminds me of a faint dripping. And for whatever reason, I am hyper-panicked whenever I hear dripping because I assume it’s going to be the worst leak ever and I’ll open up the walls to find the whole house frame is rotting away, and so on.

So. I hear this sound so I stop what I’m doing, stand very still and listen hard. And it gradually dawns on me that this is less of a dripping sound and more of a ticking sound, like a ticking clock. Now this area of the house is full of construction materials and trash and all kinds of tools and things, so it’s hard to figure out where such a sound would be coming from anyway, so at this point, I’m convinced that it’s something in the walls, or in the basement, that will surely cause the house to collapse. And now I’m going to switch to “screenplay” mode for the rest of the story.

Me: Hey, come over here for a sec…

Heidi (walking over to me and telling me something): What? I was…

Me: SHHH! Listen!

Heidi (listens)

Me: Do you hear that??

Heidi: What, the washer?

Me: No, it sounds, it sounds like a clock, ticking. Do you hear it??!?

Heidi (looks at me for a looong second)

Me (face completely twisted up in confusion and worry, because of course the ticking is a time bomb)

Heidi: Oh! OOHH! I threw a clock away!!

Me: What? What?

Heidi: I threw the clock away because it stopped ticking. I guess it started again.

Hee! This is exactly the kind of ridiculous conversation we have pretty much anytime we get together. I hope Heidi posts her pics of the BIG OBAMA SIGN soon, so you all can enjoy it as much as we do.

Now, for something completely different: Monday Updates

1 – Stella is fine. It turns out she got into a fight and got a cat bite. They gave her some antibiotics and painkillers at the vet’s office, plus they sent home a little vial of pink liquid that looks like Pepto-Bismol but is actually some antibiotic/painkiller combo. I have to pull it out with a syringe (no needle!) and then shoot it into her little mouth, and it splatters around every time. I mean, if they were going to come up with all this stuff, it seems like they could have made it chicken or turkey or shrimp flavored while they were at it. Oh well. She has to go back to the vet on Friday to get some shots that I didn’t even know she needed. Did you all know that you have to get them updates for their various shots every year or so? I had no idea of that.

2 – My foot is doing better but I still have 5 days until my next appointment with the doctor. Also, it occurred to me that I might not be psychologically ready to get out of the boot. I mean, on the one hand (foot?), I am tired of lugging the boot around and only wearing my tenni-runners because they are the only shoe with a thick enough sole to match the boot (and it’s not actually thick enough, but it’s the closest thing I have). But on the other hand (foot?), I am nervous that if I take the boot off and go back to my normal life, I might re-break the bone. I am pretty clumsy, and I have a lot going on right now where I could end up dropping something heavy on the foot, which might also break it. So, I’m a little concerned about that.

3 – The working kid did a good job on Saturday and I hope he wants to come back. I actually ran out of things for him to do because I didn’t manage to get the plywood I needed to start the cabinet installation. Oh, and I paid him $8/hour, so thank you all for your survey responses. However, there are some things I don’t feel comfortable having him help with, and I’m not sure when (or if) he’ll be back again. From you, kind readers, I could use any and all kinds of help at just about any time to get the kitchen finished. Heidi is also going to help but she has a LOT going on right now, so if any of you can come over on a weeknight or on the weekend, please let me know. There’s plenty to be done, but the jobs that I really need help with are as follows:

Installing wall paneling and cabinets (I think the kid might be able to help with this)

Re-routing of plumbing line to the new sink location

Extending the electrical line for the dishwasher to the new dishwasher location

Installation of the actual tile

Countertop installation

So, please let me know if you can help at any time. There are lots of other things to do like painting and cleaning and other less-burly types of things. And I will feed you dinner (that Heidi will cook, because you really don’t want to eat anything I cook!)

blueis the new brown

2008-10-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

from the looks of it, it is the new light brown and the sometime-replacement for dark brown. i mean, look at all those blues. i'm aware this might also be a left_wing conspiracy at play.

Uh-oh for Stella-doe

2008-10-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

So, when I got home yesterday, Stella was waiting for me on the porch as she usually is. But, as she started coming down the steps, something just didn't look...right. When she got to the pavement, I realised she was limping. Sure enough, something is wrong with her left foot or leg. She's been hobbling around on it ever since then. I thought I'd give it a day to see if maybe she just cut her paw or something, but when I got home tonight, she was still limping. So. I guess we're going to be taking her to the vet to see what we can find out about this. In the meantime, she is recuperating in her room, which to the rest of us, is known as the Guest Room. Poor Stella.

Oh, it has also occurred to me the she might be faking it because she's seen all the attention I've been getting with my broken foot. Kitteh see, kitteh do.

Just general updates

2008-10-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

Couple of things going on:

1) I will be having the first of what will (hopefully) be two “tena-guests” coming to stay in the downstairs apartment, starting this weekend. I say “tena-guest” because they are friends, but they will also be paying me rent. I think this will be good, because it is a specific and concrete timeframe for completion of the ridiculous kitchen project, and also, it will be nice to have a little money coming in from the “tena” part of the tena-guests. Plus it will be nice to have neighbors who are also friends.

2) As a result of the new specific and concrete timeframe, I need to get the kitchen project finished. And last night, CNKelly and Izzo came over to help with just that. I have to give mad, MAD props to Kelly for the help she gave me, because it was the particularly hideous task of sanding the drywall seams. And the thing is, I wasn’t super careful when I put the drywall mud on, because at that time, I was fully expecting that I would be the one sanding. But then the broken foot thing happened, and I couldn’t go up on the ladder (actually, shouldn’t, I can climb stairs just fine now but something about going up and down the steps of the ladder seems like a bad idea) to finish the job. So that is what Kelly did for me last night. And that is about as good a friend as you can get – someone who will come sand your drywall – but also, Kelly is great for a lot of other reasons, like being incredibly funny, pretty, witty, and bright…you get the idea. And also for the time she brought me crutches and Skyline. Somehow, she knows exactly the right thing at the right time, and that is cool. So, she did a wonderful job sanding and after she left, I swept the walls and ceiling with a broom to knock the rest of the dust off, and probably Wednesday I will start the priming. I have a paint stick so I will be able to do the priming by myself. And then I’m going to have to ask for someone to come help do the painting, because I want to paint the ceiling white and I’m thinking of red for the walls. Now that I’ve decided that I’ll probably be living in this house for the rest of my life because I will never be able to sell it, I think red is fine for the kitchen. And just to clarify, my long-term goal for keeping or selling the house is to make it a single-family, so eventually the downstairs kitchen will be mine again. I realized when I typed that just how ridiculous I actually am as a person. Oy.

3) Did you cast your vote (on the left side of the page) for how much I should pay this kid on Saturday? I need to know because I need to get some cash for him.

Survey Says?

2008-10-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

Please note the survey I have added on the left of the blog. I have made arrangements for a kid to come work at my house on Saturday and, if all goes well, I plan to have him come over regularly.

He is 15, hasn't had a job yet, doesn't know how to do any around-the-house work yet, and is a co-worker's kid.

Based on all the above parameters, how much an hour should I pay this kid? I'm thinking to start out at a rate, and if he keeps working for me on Saturdays, to pay him a little more after certain amounts of time. Please put your vote in for what you think I should pay. I don't want to be a cheapskate but I don't want to overpay either.

Raise the Roof

2008-10-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

On my house, if you would. Anyone? Anyone? It’s been confirmed that I need a new roof, which I’ve actually suspected for a while, but thanks to Windstorm 2008, the timeline has been accelerated by a good 6 months or so.

I really don’t want to tap my savings or take out a loan for this (pbbbbttthhh), and what with missing my $900 a month tenants, I’m pretty much tapped these days, so right now, today, I’m asking the universe to send me Tennessee Ave and New York Ave so I can collect a cool $5 K from my good friends at McDonald’s and Monopoly. That won’t pay for the whole roof, but I don’t need a full $10 K and I don’t want to be greedy.

Dear Universe,

Please see note above.

Thanks a lot!

Love,

-Erin

For Rachel

2008-10-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not crazy about the song, but Brit-brit looks HOTT in

her new video

That Project Heidi Mentioned

2008-10-11T05:24:00.000-07:00

Heidi and I have been talking about this for at least a year but perhaps longer, but we are both very busy, very popular, and very low on attention span, so it's taken a long time for us to get it together. And, truth be told, it probably wouldn't have come together now save for the current election season. There's just so much society to comment on right now, and I actually prefer to keep this blog more about the personal, funny, and fun stuff as much as possible. Plus, the co-authoring option is great. We hope you will stop by, bring a cup of coffee or a shot of whiskey, and share your own observations and opinions with us. So without further ado, the formal unveiling of our new brainchild:

http://socialist-commentator.blogspot.com/
Social Commentary by a Socialist and a Commentator

FW: I wrote a joke

2008-10-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

From: [Name Withheld]
To: Erin Blackford
Subject: I wrote a joke

The 2 scariest words in America are not “Wall Street.”

They’re “President Palin.”

This artist's work

2008-10-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Is sublime:

http://little-people.blogspot.com/

I’m not just saying that because I love miniatures.

crushing my cynicism

2008-10-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

i volunteered for about 45 minutes last night at one of the obama campaign locations. in addition to all the inspiring signs created by kids, i was amazed at the numbe of young people there. not just college kids, but high-schoolers and even a kid making calls with me who is TWELVE years old. when i asked him his age, he said, "12, but i'll be 13 soon, if that matters". um, if a kid who can't even vote for 5 more years can get out and make phone calls to support a candidate, then we should all consider what we can do to make a difference. regardless of who you support, there's something about getting involved that i had really forgotten about since i gave up all the rallying and protesting i did in my college years. it was inspiring to spend even a little time in the midst of that kind of energy again.

crushing blow

2008-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

It is particularly crushing because the Physical Therapist said I am doing really well with my range of motion and the x-ray tech said that now, you can't even tell from my gait that I have a boot on (which one of my co-workers also pointed out yesterday). So, I came in to the office expecting to get an order to start wearing my gym shoe a little longer each day. And while the doctor actually said that I'm healing normally, and exactly as he expected I should be, he wants me to "keep doing the exact same thing for the next THREE. WEEKS."

This is seriously driving me insane. I know I could just say "screw it" and do what I want to do, but I am actually quite nervous about breaking it again at this point. So I'd rather play it safe, but I am so ready to start wearing a regular shoe again and just be able to walk normally. Particularly when I'm on my feet a lot, my back starts to hurt because the left foot is higher than the right foot, so I get out of alignment and then I have a backache on the right side of my body.

I have a picture of my x-ray from yesterday. You can see that I really did break that mutha.

I know there are tons of things I can find to do while resting, but it's hard to find stuff to do while my leg is resting and elevated. And keeping it elevated is what's keeping it from swelling. So, yeah, by the time I get done with this whole ordeal, I am going to be quite the couch potatoe.

I'm trying to not get overly excited...

2008-10-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

…but I just came back from Physical Therapy and the lady said that I might be able to start weaning out of this boot today. I have to go back over there at 4:00 to get some x-rays of my foot and then the doc will decide if I can start the weaning process - whatever that means.

I have to say that I feel much better now about all the lying around doing nothing I’ve been doing lately, because she also said I had done a great job of taking care of the foot and that a lot of people have extensive swelling and soreness around the foot when they break the metatarsal. This really makes up for all the forced inactivity of the past several weeks.

Something funny that happened is that, when she had her little measuring stick and wanted to see how much I could point and flex my foot, she did the left foot, then she said, “I want to do the right foot to see how they compare” and then when I pointed my right foot, she kind of jumped back and I thought I had kicked her in the face or something, so I apologized, and she said “no, I was just surprised at how flexible you are. Are you a dancer?” which of course, made me laugh, because most dancers, I daresay all dancers, do not have quite such a portly look as I have. But, I am flexible and strong, as I have been told by many people who watch people bend or stretch or lift for their living, for example, yoga instructor, horseback riding instructor, physical therapists, and the couple of trainers I’ve worked with at various points in my life.

So. The moral of the story is, 1) even if you are portly, you can still be strong and flexible, 2) even if you have to sit around doing nothing for several torturous weeks, you might find that it was the best thing for you at the time, and 3) don’t eff with me, because I am not only strong enough to kick your ass, but also flexible enough to kick you in the face.

More politics but this is more humorous (or sad)

2008-09-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

As an addendum to a comment I made recently on the Rogue Historian's blog,

This. Is scary.

ETA: Bri-Bri, this is for you.

something weird

2008-09-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

i am not too shabby with a pencil and paper,so long as it's drawing and not accounting we're talking about.

but i really struggle with faces.and in particular, eyes. so i decided, while my foot is healing and i'm not allowed to climb up and down the ladder, i will practice my drawlings. so here is day 1 of practicing on eyes. now,what is weird and/or interesting is that i can draw from a drawing, which is what you see on the upper left of the pae here. but from my imagination, well, things start to fall apart. so how do i get better at drawing from imagination? because i want to eventually start working (freelancing) as an illustrator, and the whole thing they do is make images from imagination.

also, you might all know this about me already, but i am more convinced every day that i have ADD. turns out that even people who do well in school or get a graduate degree can still have ADD. i'll probably talk more about this later, if i don't forget. pleh.

Now that Jenn's blog is all privatized**

2008-09-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

I would like to share this roughly paraphrased bit of phone conversation that occurred between CNKelly and I, yesterday. Note, we were both chuckling the entire time so picture that in your mind.

CNK: Um, did you see this weiner dog thing on Jenn’s blog?

Me: Yeah, how ridiculous and awesome is that? They are wearing hot dog buns and running down the street.

CNK: Seriously, how did they [The Wilkeys] even get started in this?

Me: IDK, they did it last year and as I recall, Frank didn’t even finish the race but he stole someone else’s bacon.

CNK: I mean, this is so ridiculous, who even comes up with this stuff?

Me: IDK, but the Wilkeys are taking the Weiner dog World of Racing by storm. Oh, there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.

…both of us laughing hysterically, each in our own cubes at our respective workplaces

It’s official, BTW: my “new” cube neighbors have pointed out that I LOL a lot. As in, all the time. As in, what is so funny, please share kind of moments. And I have to say, it’s almost always because of things like this that are just aspects of life that make me giggle. Even though I do like to complain, I really enjoy life and all the funny-ness it has to offer.

**Names are no longer changed to protect the identities of those involved.

Highly Recommended Listening

2008-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Particularly for the intellectual types among the readership of this blog (that’s all of you, right?):

Michael Rips – Lost in Translation

A high school student attempts to pass an Ionesco play off as his own. Michael Rips is a fifth-generation Nebraska native. A graduate of Oxford University, he served as a law clerk to a Supreme Court justice and continues to practice criminal litigation. He is the author of The Face of a Naked Lady and Pasquale's Nose. Music by Chris Webb

It’s currently available (FREE!) in the iTunes store under Podcasts>Audio Podcasts>Performing Arts>The Moth Podcast

I wish the iTunes store had a way to link right to the podcast or at least the store. If anyone knows how to do that, please leave a note in the comments.

Awesome Public Folder Post

2008-09-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

This gem was in one of our public Outlook folders today. Out. Standing.

(A typewriter was located in the office, BTW. Who knew we would even still have one?)

From: Tonya
Posted At: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:11 AM
Posted To: Business
Subject: Typewriter

Does anyone still have a typewriter around the office?

A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with a set of "keys" that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. For much of the 20th century, typewriters were indispensable tools in business offices and for many professional writers. By the end of the 1980s, word processor applications on personal computers had largely replaced the tasks previously accomplished with typewriters. Typewriters, however, remain popular in the developing world and among some niche markets.

For you younger employees, it looks like this …

Birthday Prizes

2008-09-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

Normally, I make a point of letting folks know that I don’t want anything for my birthday, except for possibly going to dinner to enjoy each other’s company. But this year, I have gotten 2 great prizes that I want to share with the world, because they are so perfect for me.

1) the mum, on the left side of the pic. Just yesterday, I was behind a pickup truck with a bed full of mums thinking, “I’d like to have some mums, but they always seem to die on me”. Here’s hoping this one, courtesy of my friend Kim, will make it at least through the fall. And maybe Bri can teach me how to take care of it.

2) The First Aid Center. My dad gave me this yesterday, totally unexpected, and it is one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. I think I will ultimately transfer the contents into my white steel medicine cabinet, as soon as I get the top layer of paint scraped off of it and paint a big red cross on it. But in the meantime, I’m totally going to enjoy all 326 pieces of this baby. I have looked at it longingly at Sam’s for at least the past year, so this is a little bit of a dream come true. Yes, I am aware that I could have just purchased it for myself, but I already have a little First Aid kit, so I had a hard time justifying the additional spending even if I do totally love it. Now I just have to figure out a good location for it in my home. I am thinking it will probably go into the Utility Closet of Happiness (formerly known as the Craft Closet of Doom, but now that I have an actual Craft Room, I have an extra closet, which happens to be the size of a small half-bath, that I can use for all my cleaning and storage needs).

Something else that my dad gave me is a $50 gift card to Wal*Mart that my grandmother had given to him a few Christmases ago. He said that he found it when he was looking for something to wrap my gift in (which is also a little odd, because it was “wrapped” in a big plastic bag, but whatever). The funny thing, to me, is that he gave it to me while we were walking into Sam’s, and said “I don’t do Wally-World,” which is what he calls Wal*Mart, of course. The absurdity of admonishing Wal*Mart while shopping at Sam’s was not lost on me, but I’ll take the $50. I mean, it’s already been given to Wal*Mart anyway, so I’m basically just getting it back when I use the card, anyway. Yeah, that’s how I’m justifying this.

This might be the first birthday I can remember where I was just in an absolutely foul mood. I am not sure if it is from the stupid boot I am wearing, the fact that I have to sit around all the time and can’t get anything done, or possibly it’s related to my lady bits, but regardless, I am just grumpy today. Grr.

<<BirthdayPrizes.jpg>>

Something I Thought was Great

2008-09-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

Izzo and Magnus, chillin' like villains. She loves to teach him new tricks.

I meant to blog about this over the weekend and then I got all distracted. When I told CNKelly that I was going to the kennel to pick up Magnus (Manus!), she told me that, on the day after I thought I had broken my foot, Kelly told Izzo that she was coming over here to take me to the doctor and Izzo wanted to come along. Kelly reminded her that she was going to the Reds game with Mimi and Papa, but Izzo wanted to come over here anyway, so that she could train Manus to get me things that I might need while I couldn't walk on my foot. That might be the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

I love kids. They are so open-hearted and have such an unjaded perspective on life. I mean, that is just such a great reflection on the way their minds work. I try to keep a little piece of that simplistic optimism alive inside of me but it's hard because so much of my heart is cold and dead and the part that isn't is wrapped in a dark cloak of cynicsm and sarcasm.

OK, that last line was just for literary effect. I enjoy my flair for the dramatic!

Izzo is, hands down, one of the best kids I've ever met, which is the reason I love it when we can all hang out when Tommy comes to visit. They play so well together; it is seriously heart-melting to watch, particularly when they get so engrossed in what they are doing that they forget any grown-ups are around watching them. I need to get Tommy down here on some weekend visits again. I've missed that.

Thoughts on the State of the Union

2008-09-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

This blog post summarizes my thoughts and feelings over the past several years that I never could fully articulate. Please read the following:

Why you should not go back into the market

I have to admit, I still have some monies invested in the stock market, but I’d like to pull those out; I just don’t think pulling them out is practical. Even though I rode out the post-dot-com bust without much concern (hey, investing is for the long-term, so have a long-term view, right?), I think Mr. Paterson has a real point in his blog about the state of the market today. Back in 2006, I mentioned to a few people that I thought we were heading for a crash. There’s just no way there could be as much money in the world as what was being tossed around the markets. I remember having a talk with a financial advisor at a family function that summer, and somehow we got started on that topic, and we talked for probably 2 hours about what was coming and when. People (alarmists then but perhaps now they’re more like prognosticators) were warning that we were headed for a crash on the scale of that in 1929, if not worse. And our current crisis is what we discussed, and it looks like the time is now.

I’m not all “It’s doomsday, get to the shelter with your bottled water and canned goods time,” (yet). Rather, I think we’ll make it through, but there will be lean years ahead, and that is one of the reasons I have always wanted to have my own mini-farm, because I’d like to have less dependence on the system overall and more independence, less of life on paper and more living off the actual land. Call it the pioneer spirit or call it flaky, but being (mostly) self-sufficient has always been a dream of mine.

Admittedly, I joke around a lot in general because I believe in taking a light-hearted approach to life and because I just enjoy having a good time. But I do get serious from time to time and I’m serious when I say that we have gotten off-track and now have so many things wrong in this country that I think it will take the better part of my remaining lifetime to get them straightened out. All of the major religions, particularly Christianity, urge us to take care of the sick and the poor, and more and more, we aren’t doing either. We (including me) leave it in someone else’s hands to fix, or expect people to pull themselves up when they’re down, but getting involved is too complicated (so many systems in place, no clear way through all the bureaucracy). I think we have a long way to go toward restoring the great nation we once were, but I also don’t lose sight of the fact that people are still willing to risk their lives every day, just for the chance to get into this country. Clearly we have much more good than bad, but I’d like to see the good get better and the bad get fixed. And by “better” I don’t mean “having more stuff,” I mean, “treating each other kindly and taking care of each other, even strangers we’ll never see again”.

To go out on a positive (if slightly tangential) note, people in my office just came back from the largest manufacturing trade show in North America, and all reports are that the manufacturing sector is actually in a boom right now. Part of that is based on the weak dollar, making American production cheaper than overseas production, and another part is the scramble to create products that are lighter and therefore less taxing on the environment as well as solutions for alternative energy production such as wind turbines, etc. So even in all the gloom and doom, there are positive spots on the horizon.

not too much damage

2008-09-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

i'm sure the neighbors who lost this tree would disagree with my assessment, but as rob pointed out earlier, there are a lot of trees down that didn't hit homes or cars, so that's lucky for lots of folks. there was a decent-sized branch on my car from the 40-foot pine i like to call "the tree that is going to crush me to death someday" but miraculously the tree itself stayed erect. hee! the neighbor guy who lives in the attic said he was watching it out of his window and confirmed what ithought i saw from mine - the treetop was swinging a good 10-15 foot arc. he was just as certain as methat it was coming down today but it turns out the tree and all of we live to see another day. luckily, norwood has had power this whole time even though my own power was flickering due to the big tree which has branches in the path of the power line to my house. and they are cuttin up the tree in this
pic as i type. they're on the spot, prolly cos of school traffic - no cancellations in the Wood!

Something I just can't understand

2008-09-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

is how people can stand living in places where they have hurricanes, or even a lot of tornadic activity. Because right now, we're having 35-mph winds with gusts up to 60-mph, and I can actually feel my house moving.

And that is NOT a feeling I enjoy.

Yesterday

2008-09-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that we could all see this coming, but because I was feeling so good on my foot, I ended up overdoing it. I thought I was taking things slow, and technically I suppose I was, but I think I spent too much time walking and standing, because this morning when I woke up, I was incredibly tired and sore. So I'm sacked out on the sofa, again, and wishing I could do some of the things I need to do around here without exhausting myself.

I really struggle with the practice of just resting. For some reason, I feel like I need to be doing something at all times. This goes back pretty far as I recall a friend telling me years ago, "Erin, you are a human being, not a human doing" in an attempt to get me to take it easy on myself. It didn't work.

So, even though I know I need to rest, I am restless and resentful.

What I Did Yesterday, by Erin Donohoe

1. Took Magnus out in the back yard to toss a ball around with him while I let my foot out of the boot and enjoyed the sunshine.
2. Trimmed the high grass in the front yard with a shears to (hopefully!) appease the Norwood lawn Nazis.
3. Washed and dried 2 loads of laundry which required 3 trips up and down the basement stairs.
4. Showered, an actual standing-up shower during which I was moving slow as molasses so as not to slip and fall.
5. Trip with Lynn to McDonalds, The Home Depot and Target. I got to use the Target Cruiser but The Home Depot doesn't have one so I had to hobble around there in the space boot. Plus, for some reason, we ended up parked far away and that was just extra steps for me.
6. Fixed the toilet handle that broke last Sunday (when it broke, I fell into a spiral of despair about the state of my life, but then I took one of those Percocets and everything seemed OK again).
6. Got out my headlamp so I could look into the clogged shower drain, but then realised that the batteries in the lamp had leaked for some reason (any ideas why?) and had to carefully clean out the battery acid residue with Qtips (thank goodness I had stocked up on them during the Target trip).
7. Decided to finally replace the aerator in the bathroom faucet because it sprays me when I turn on the water and I had a new low-flow aerator I got from Duke Energy.
8. While I was on a roll, I decided to replace the kitchen aerator, too.
9. Realised that I am out of AAA batteries so I still can't look into that clogged drain. Argh. I got a drain snake at HD and I really want to use it on this clog.

So, yeah, this is exactly how I end up overdoing it and yet not finishing any projects, because each thing I do reminds me of some other thing I want to do and my ADD gets the best of me and I end up going around in circles all day long.

But when I sit and try to rest, I end up falling asleep (I think I have a 40-minute maximum for sitting still before I fall asleep, because the same thing happens when I try to watch a movie, even in the theatre, unless it is a comedy). So that's why I am so frustrated now.

Friday Night Thoughts

2008-09-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

1) I can not get over how exhausted I am since I broke my foot. I know that part of it is because everything takes extra effort, and another part is from the healing process, but still. I could sleep all night and all day, I think. I haven't tried that since Monday.
2) I picked up Magnus this evening and while he seemed happy to see me, he wasn't as happy as other people claim their dogs to be when they are picked up from the kennel. So I don't know if those people are liars or if my dog just doesn't love me as much. But I can't really ask him, because he is punched. The trick at this point will be getting him as tired out every day as they have been doing these past weeks.
3) I got another weed letter from the city, which is understandable; I need to cut my grass. But now isn't the best time to try to tackle that what with the big boot and all. My yard is definitely scraggly, but I don't think it's eye-catchingly scraggly, so I'm not sure how I keep getting pinged by the city, but whatever. After I get it mowed, I am planning to do 2 things - put a big Obama sign in my yard for all the parents dropping kids off at school to see, and launch a campaign to get the city to start fogging for mosquitos. Because Heidi has finally determined that it is not my yard alone but actually all of Norwood that is infested with mosquitos. I know a couple of Norwoodians read this blog - does anyone know why they don't fog?
4) After lots and lots of deliberating and ruminating, I have decided to go Team Obama this year. I was really rooting for Nader because I think he has the best intentions for the country, but I've decided to be a little more pragmatic and believe in the Change We Can Believe In. And why not? It's a catchy slogan!
5) I am not a fan of The Bad Girls Club or most of the reality-television genre, but I found this clip on somone else's blog and I swiped it for here. Because the morning after many, many long nights of being kept up by the ARMY boyz, I wanted to do this very thing:

Seriously. That sh*t cracks me UP.

Morning Update

2008-09-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

Greetings, dear readers. Hee! I love saying that. Today’s progress report (drum roll please): I can put my weight on my left foot again. Hurraah!!! I went down the stairs on the boot with no crutches this morning and I also walked partway around the house to get to the car before I switched back to the crutches. I have only been able to take a few steps before my foot gets too tired, and the arch of my foot totally kills right now, but this is huge and amazing progress considering this time yesterday the pain from standing on the foot was enough to make me want to collapse. I am so thankful that the healing is moving along and that I have so many wonderful friends who have called, emailed, stopped by, and taken me places. You guys rock!

The doc told me that I can take my foot out of the boot to sleep at night, but instead of doing that, I’ve decided to sleep with it on, and take the boot off when I am sitting at my desk at work. Here at work, there is much less chance of accidentally bumping it or having a critter jump on it, and I don’t toss and turn at my desk the way I do while I’m sleeping, so it just seems safer to keep the boot on at home and take it off for a little while here. I am also still supposed to ice the foot to prevent any swelling from coming in. The doc says that it’s much easier to prevent the swelling in the first place than it is to get rid of the swelling once it’s started. So, right now, my tender arch is resting on a very cold sack of ice cubes and I am type, type, typing away. If you found your way to this blog because you have just broken your 5^th metatarsal, have hope that it will get better, a little bit each day. I’m on day 6 and I’m already able to step on it again!

I am very hopeful that I will be able to get Magnus this weekend after all. It will be good because I have missed him but also have not wanted to have him around because he is too much to handle with all the crutches and boots and things. I continue to make little bits of progress, I really do think I will be ready for him to come home this weekend. He will probably have to stay outside most of the time but I can sit in a chair and toss the ball to him and we will both be happy with that. The only one who will really be disappointed is little Stella, poor thing. She has really enjoyed having me all to herself these past few days.

Dear Readers

2008-09-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

I made it to the ortho and back yesterday, thanks to Papa Joe D who came down Monday night to take me to the appointment. Note: I keep wanting to write/say “vet appointment”. Not sure if that’s from spending too much time with the critters or a reflection of how dependent I feel on everyone else right now.

My left foot is now in this lovely space boot:

I can drive and hobble around and I still have the crutches from CNKelly to use as needed. I even came back to work today, and I just took about 4 baby steps on the actual boot. Other than those trial steps, I’ve been wheeling around in my office chair, which is pretty fun.

For those who are interested in such things, the technical papers indicate I have a closed longitudinal oblique fracture of the 5^th metatarsal without significant angulation or displacement. From what I could glean via the interwebs, that means it broke all the way across, diagonally, but it was a clean break with no little extra pieces floating around in there, it’s not so out of place as to need to be manipulated back into place, and most importantly, it didn’t break through the skin (which is good because I probably would have passed out if I had seen that sticking out of my foot). I don’t know if this is standard for the type of break or just lucky in my case, but the doc also said this fracture could heal on its own without any need for being set or pinned, so the boot is mainly for support and protection. That is the best news of all because I can take it off as I please and that means I can bathe, which is another thing you really don’t appreciate until it’s no longer an option. The doctor prescribed 3 weeks of physical therapy but I haven’t called yet to set that up.

So even though this entire episode has been and continues to be a total PITA, I keep finding things to be thankful for. Like the fact that I don’t have a borked foot and have to still walk 5 miles to fetch a jug of water or have a borked foot and still have to run from animals that are trying to eat me, or have a borked foot and still have to plow the fields or hunt and gather for my food. And that I have a television to watch while I lie around feeling sorry for myself. So yeah. I try to look on the bright side as much as possible.

But I am really, really tired, so you can still keep feeling sorry for myself. Hee!

Love,

-Erin

On the DL, again

2008-09-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

This time, I've really done myself in. I broke the 5th metatarsal in my left foot after a 2-part injury last week. The first thing that happened was that, at a work party on Wednesday night, I walked up to a coworker who had her back to me, and just as I got withing talking distance, she stepped back with her 3-inch heel on my strappy-sandal-clad foot, then lost her balance, wobbled and spun around, all before I could even react to shove her off of me. By the time she realised what was happening, I was half-crouched in the "silent scream". Oddly, due to the amount of Cosmos I had that night, I was able to forget both the pain and the incident until the next morning when I woke up wondering WTF my sandal had done to my foot. As soon as I looked down and saw the horribly bruised and puffy skin, I remembered having nearly been skewered at the party. I kept it iced, elevated, and rested all day Thursday and by Friday morning it was looking pretty good.

Because the conference and expo we were hosting was in Chicago and we had so many people and materials going up there, we carpooled in several vanloads with people coming and going on different days, and my ride back was on Friday afternoon. I kept my foot iced and elevated for the whole ride home and thought things were going just fine, but when I walked down the stairs to do my final lock-up of the night, I mis-counted the steps somehow and instead of stepping on the last step with my left foot, I stepped with my left foot, missed the last step, and landed on the landing. When my foot hit, it just gave out and rolled, and that's when I knew something horrible had happened because I just crumpled and stayed there for several minutes in excruciating pain, whimpering and wondering what I had done. When I was finally able to collect myself, I stood up, hobbled over and realised the door had been locked all along (figures), and then crawled back upstairs to get another ice pack.

I kept it elevated and iced overnight and all day on Saturday and by Saturday afternoon, I decided (with CNKelly's encouragement) that I should go to Urgent Care. However, by the time I figured all that out, collected myself, and got outside, Kelly showed up with a set of crutches and a bag full of Skyline goodies (she ROCKS!!) and just a few minutes later, Heidi showed up as well. We decided that Heidi could take me to the doctor since Kelly had already fed me and supplied the crutches and Heidi and I headed off to the Urgent Care center in Oakley. Note to readers: I do NOT recommend the Urgent Care in Oakley. It smells weird and looks weird and is generally just kind of scary. While I was there, I sat on something sticky that stayed on my butt the rest of the night. They wouldn't treat me because I didn't have an ID, so when we left to go back and get my ID, we decided to just try a different Urgent Care. Turns out that they were all closed by this point, so I went to the ER instead (I know, I know, the ER is only for "EMERGENCIES" but I think I would have ended up in the ER anyway once they looked at it).

We had a little fun in the ER waiting room where I showed Heidi my mad wheelchair skillz and we entertained all the people working there with our funny jokes, and after a long wait, the doc came in and confirmed that it was, in fact, a broken bone. No wonder it hurt so badly. They gave me some stuff for the pain and put a temporary splint on, told me not to drive or get the splint wet, and sent me on my way. Heidi was nice enough to stay the night with me because I got really scared when we got back that there would either be a fire or someone would break in and I wouldn't be able to handle either situation. Fortunately, neither one happened and in the morning, Bri and Rob came by and took me to the store. I had cleaned out the fridge before I left for the conference so there was absolutely nothing to eat in the house except for items requiring preparation and I'm not doing so hot on the standing just yet. While I wouldn't break anything else just to get the chance, I did enjoy using the Kroger cruiser up until the very end of the trip when the battery was really running out of juice. Rob actually was good enough to drive it back inside to the charging station but he said later that it was a pretty disappointing ride. I think he would have felt differently if he had been using it at the beginning but still, it's not all that I had made it out to be in my mind lo these many years. Heidi came back over Sunday night and brought Indian for dinner and her fine company and that was great. I was actually exhausted and ready for bed by the time she left, which I think was only like 8 o'clock.

I spent almost the entire day today in bed though I did go downstairs once to plug my cell phone into the car charger, because of course, I also left my outlet charger in my hotel room at the conference. It only took about an hour to get from my bed to the car and back again. Ridiculous. My dad arrived at 7-ish tonight because he is taking me to the ortho doctor on Tuesday (let's all say some prayers that I get a walking cast because I'm not sure how much more crutching I can handle) and Heidi showed up a little later with a pack of water bottles because I don't have a good way to transport a glass of water back to bed with me.

I don't know why this didn't occur to me before, but when I decided to set up one of the televisions downstairs for my dad to watch, I realised that I have a wheelie-chair on each of the first and second floors, so I gave it a shot and they actually make it much easier to get around, and I can hold things in my lap while I coast around. So I'll be doing that a lot, especially if I do still have to use the crutches. Also, in the middle of the night last night, the lever thing on the flusher part of my toilet actually broke apart from the handle, which nearly sent me on a crying fit until I decided to just go back to bed and forget about it for the time being. So add one more thing to the fix-it list. Oh, and I still have to figure out how I'm going to wash my hair in the morning because I can NOT go to the doctor stinking like I do right now. MMMmmmm....

i'd like to schedule a sinectomy please

2008-08-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

rather than a photo of me, sick on the couch, i decided to include my favorite sickie drink - sunny d. i love it!!

but i don't love being sick. for some reason, i've fallen into this cycle of sinus infections and i can't seem to prevent them. i do have a neti pot, and i use it semi-regularly. i started using a humidifier in the winter, but don't need one in the summer. am i missing some vital nutrient or is there possibly a sinus supplement out there? if you have a tip, please let me know in comments. BTW, last time i mentioned some thing like this in comments, darrell hooked me up w/ the 411 and heidi actually hooked me up with the goods - ligonberry juice!! thanxxx to both of you for that!

This is old, but so outstanding

2008-08-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

WeinerMobile Wipes Out

So, I happen to know a woman who was a "hotdogger" as a young lass - I didn't realise there was this whole "passing of the torch" aspect to it, but it makes sense. I mean, if you're going to be driving the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile around the country, you should have to be one of the elite, like captain of the cheerleading squad or something equally accomplished.

At any rate, this is a great article full of all the kinds of awful puns and innuendos to be expected from a crash of a 7,000 pound mobile hot dog, and it comes courtesy of a Kansas City blog about, I think, absurd traffic incidents and general crime. The highlight of the blog itself, though not the reason I stumbled upon it, is that our very own Local 12 is featured not once, but multiple times, for "Dance Party Fridays" in the traffic reporting segment:
01/11/08
2/15/08

2008-08-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

what you see here is my first-ever furniture purchase from my first college apartment - the Bear Table. this thing has been to several places with me but ended up out at Pat and Cathy's place for many years. now that Cathy has decided to sell the place, went up there to pick up a load of various family heirlooms and whatnot and this was among them.

manus' reaction is the funniest thing. he normally just gives a cursory sniff to anything i bring in the door but he circled the table for several minutes trying to determine what it was. smells like furniture, looks like critter. he sniffed the bear's ears and its rear and he looked at it from every angle. he seems to have decided that it is not another pet after all.

something else in this load is the crib that Pat built for Tommy. it is actually a 3-in-1 so I'm going to set it up as a bed in the guest room once I get the adapter for making it a bed.

neighborhood watch meeting

2008-08-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

wednesday mornings at stella's place. note again that neither of these kittehs is stella. she's still inside.

pardon our progress

2008-08-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

now that the godfather has rescued me from my carpentry hang up and the electrician came to keep me from electrocuting myself, i've spent all my free time the past 10 days drywalling. lucky me, i have awesome friends. bri and rob brought over their corded drill which probably saved my sanity as well as hours of time. lynn and nate came last sunday to help with the ceiling panels. bri and rob came back on monday to help with the big wall panels and then i spent 2 days doing nothing but proofing my big project for my day job. i took friday off cos the last few weeks have been crazy at work and away from work, and i got most of the smaller pieces of drywall cut and hung. i actually have about 3 more pieces to cut but i wanted to get started on mudding. i'm either doing it wrong or i'm a freak, but probably both, cos so far the mudding has been the best part and it's the part everyone else
seems to hate. it's like icing a cake. an enormous cake that tastes terrible.

Hard at work

2008-08-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

No time to update. But this was so funny, I had to pass it along. It’s sort of like the Land-o-Lakes margarine package that I love. We need a name for that thing that isn’t “Russian Doll effect” – because Russian Dolls don’t actually go on into infinity.

_____________________________________________
From: Dave
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 12:39 PM
To: Erin Blackford
Subject: FW:

I’ve noticed that you’re reviewing reviews today, so I thought it would be helpful for you if you could review a review of you reviewing (attached).

<<IMAGE_086.jpg>>

Miscellany

2008-08-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

This morning when I walked out to my car, there was some sort of neighborhood cat meeting going on in my front yard. I don’t know what they were meeting about, but after I told them that Stella wasn’t coming outside today, the other 2 cats took off, in opposite directions. And yes, one of them actually walked down the sidewalk and up the steps to what I assume is her house. Weird.

Driving to the office, a deer crossed my path on Route 32. This was particularly surprising because the deer had a doe’s body but it had about a 6-point rack. Heh.

The husband of one of my co-workers passed away suddenly and unexpectedly this week. This has me thinking about a lot of sad things, but in an attempt to stay somewhat positive, I’ll write here that it also brought to mind all the goodness and caring I’ve received from my friends in my life. I am truly blessed with the friends and family I have, near and far.

If I haven’t mentioned this to you already, I found a therapist who does Art Therapy – I actually draw a picture and then we discuss it. CNKelly laughed about this and I will concede that it sounds totally ridiculous, but it is helping. I think it is sometimes easier for me to draw a picture and then discuss what it represents than to just start talking about my feelings. Ugh. Just thinking about talking about my feelings makes me tired and grumpy.

Speaking of tired and grumpy, Brian and Rob have lifted and carried just about every piece of anything that is too heavy for me to lift or too big for me to shove around, including all the kitchen cabinets I bought from someone on Craigslist. Thanks to B&R, I have all my furniture upstairs now, excepting the big sofa, which may get sold rather than moved. I decided to take a break from asking them to lift stuff and last night, I rented that $20 Home Depot truck and hauled 12 sheets of drywall into the house by myself. I have decided after I finish the kitchen project, I am going to start entering those strongman contests where they lift weird items and pull semis and stuff. I mean, I'm already lifting and pulling weird stuff all the time anyway. Might as well get on TV for it.

the godfather has arrived.

2008-07-27T07:38:00.000-07:00

arriven? either way, he is here and things are happening. we've already filled a bag with - what else? - plaster chunks, filled a can with wood lath strips, and taken out one, make that two, wall studs. and by "we," i mean "he". but i helped clean and carry things!

we should have some update pics later today. and by "we," i mean "me," in the royal "we" kind of way. hee!

poor manus

2008-07-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

he tries and tries and tries to get stella to be his friend. and every time, she rebuffs his efforts. this is a shot of him just after his latest attempt. what he doesn't know that i know is that he is making progress. each time he walks up to her, tail wagging, and drops down in front of her, she waits a little longer before ettin up and walking away. that disgusted walk of hers is why she isn't in the pic. have i mentioned how she has to ruin everything?

if you are looking for me in the next 8 weeks, just know that we hit the busy cycle at work, so we'll all be putting in long hours at the office and at home. i'm still loving it there and happy to have such a great place to work, but i will be grumpier for a little while due to lack of sleep and downtime. :)

I am OK and so is my family

2008-07-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

The house is fine, too. It was really crazy how fast everything happened. I mean, at the time we all went inside and went to bed, I said, “4 hours ago, this was a street, 2 hours ago, it was a lake, and now, it’s a street again”. I was actually just as surprised at how quickly the water went back down. I am going to post pictures on my flickr page but they are all photos of the day after.

Sadly, a 12-year-old boy died after being swept into a storm drain. If you are a parent, please keep in mind that even if your child is 12, (s)he is not capable of making intelligent decisions about situations such as flash flooding. The kids were playing near the storm drain and when the water surged, the boy was swept in and carried out to a crop field. This actually happened to a couple of kids when I was in high school, my friend’s brother Mike and his friend Ernie, I think they were 10 or 11 at the time and were lucky not to have been killed. The storm drain took them all the way across town and I’m sure it happened so fast that they couldn’t even react. I know it’s hard to keep track of them at that age, but kids should really be inside if there is a flash flood warning in the area.

live from beautiful dowtown urbana

2008-07-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

i have never seen anything like this in my life. you can't tell from this pic, but the entire street of my dad's house is flooded. there was a huge storm that dropped 3 inches of rain in an hour and with the ground already saturated from the earlier 2 inches, the storm sewers overflowed and now there are cars trapped in the street. there is an SUV with 5 guys standing on it just not even wanting to hop into the water. there was a transformer explosion on the corner that resulted in a fire followed by a series of on-loud pop-off cycles and now there is no power on the street. we are across from the police and fire station so we still have lights powered by their generator but the rest of the street is dark and scary.

i've never experienced this kind of fear, which is a slow creeping worry that heightens as the water rises.

part 2

2008-07-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

you can't tell, but this is a man on his john deere mower, driving around the high ground asking people if they need any help.
as for the general flooding, we were all shocked when we first came outside to this sight. when the power went out, we could hear people outside shouting "get out of the car!" and I naturally assumed they were filming COPS outside. my dad and i raced to the front and side doors, respectively, and while i came away saying "i can't see anything," he was saying "oh my god, you have to come see this" in a tone far too grave for any COPS episode, and as i walked outside to cars and people littering the front yard, we were all stunned silent. my dad has lived in this very house for almost 30 years and there has never been flooding. the meanest part of the night has to be when one man on the phone with his roadside assistance asked what's the name of the street and we all answered in chorus "water". he only thought it was a joke.

PSA Post: An Open Letter to All Airline Customers

2008-07-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

You’d think after decades of hearing about pork bellies and corn syrup, we as a nation would learn our lesson about the negative effects of market speculation, but we never seem to actually take it to heart. I had heard a bit on NPR about the initiative below roughly paraphrased as, “they want to make a rule that says, ‘if you aren’t prepared to actually take delivery of 60 million barrels of crude, then you can’t play in our money-swapping sandbox’”. At this point, I whole-heartedly agree. I used to be all laissez-faire, blah, blah, but the markets are too complicated now as proven by bubble and scandal after bubble and scandal to be left unsupervised. I mean, you wouldn’t leave millions of toddlers to play on their own in the sandbox, and sorry if anyone reading this is a trader or loves a trader, but many of those guys are just as focused on instant gratification as your typical 2-year-old.

As I said to my friend Kim who sent this to me, this is totally going on my blog

(sidebar to Delta: I hope posting this isn’t a violation of your copyrights and in the event it is I will gladly remove from my tiny blog with a readership of 12).

Love,

Erin

From: Delta Air Lines [mailto:DeltaAirLines@delta.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 8:20 PM
To: [The World]
Subject: An Open Letter to All Airline Customers



		delta.com \|


	AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL AIRLINE CUSTOMERS From 12 Airline CEOs.

Our country is facing a possible sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices, but by pulling together, we can all do something to help now.

For airlines, ultra-expensive fuel means thousands of lost jobs and severe reductions in air service to both large and small communities. To the broader economy, oil prices mean slower activity and widespread economic pain. This pain can be alleviated, and that is why we are taking the extraordinary step of writing this joint letter to our customers.

Since high oil prices are partly a response to normal market forces, the nation needs to focus on increased energy supplies and conservation. However, there is another side to this story because normal market forces are being dangerously amplified by poorly regulated market speculation.

Twenty years ago, 21 percent of oil contracts were purchased by speculators who trade oil on paper with no intention of ever taking delivery. Today, oil speculators purchase 66 percent of all oil futures contracts, and that reflects just the transactions that are known. Speculators buy up large amounts of oil and then sell it to each other again and again. A barrel of oil may trade 20-plus times before it is delivered and used; the price goes up with each trade and consumers pick up the final tab. Some market experts estimate that current prices reflect as much as $30 to $60 per barrel in unnecessary speculative costs.

Over seventy years ago, Congress established regulations to control excessive, largely unchecked market speculation and manipulation. However, over the past two decades, these regulatory limits have been weakened or removed. We believe that restoring and enforcing these limits, along with several other modest measures, will provide more disclosure, transparency and sound market oversight. Together, these reforms will help cool the over-heated oil market and permit the economy to prosper.

The nation needs to pull together to reform the oil markets and solve this growing problem.

We need your help. Get more information and contact Congress by visiting www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com.


Richard Anderson CEO Delta Air Lines, Inc.		Gerard J. Arpey Chairman, President and CEO American Airlines, Inc.


Bill Ayer Chairman, President and CEO Alaska Airlines, Inc.		Dave Barger CEO JetBlue Airways Corporation


Mark B. Dunkerley President and CEO Hawaiian Airlines, Inc.		Robert Fornaro Chairman, President and CEO AirTran Airways


Timothy E. Hoeksema Chairman, President and CEO Midwest Airlines		Lawrence W. Kellner Chairman and CEO Continental Airlines, Inc.


Gary Kelly Chairman and CEO Southwest Airlines Co.		Douglas Parker Chairman and CEO US Airways Group, Inc.


Douglas M. Steenland President and CEO Northwest Airlines, Inc.		Glenn F. Tilton Chairman, President and CEO United Airlines, Inc.


	Copyright Information This email message and its content are copyrighted and are proprietary products of Delta Air Lines, Inc. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or transfer of this message or its contents, in any medium, is strictly prohibited. Delta Air Lines, Inc. Delta Blvd. P.O. Box 20706 Atlanta, GA 30320-6001 USA This is a post only email. Please do not respond to this message.

YEEEESSSSSS!

2008-07-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

There are reports on NPR/WVXU this evening regarding a few organizations that are adopting a 4-10 shift. Heidi mentioned that UC was embracing this and it went into effect today, and now according to VXU (can't find a story online, tho) there's a proposal for the entire State of Ohio to move to 4-10s. I'm actually not fully in support of this proposal as it was explained because it sounds like it would be mandatory and I think there are people who would really struggle to make that schedule work for them (parents with kids in daycare come to mind).

That point reminds me that oddly, People magazine just featured a story about something I suggested a few years ago: people should start bringing their babies to work. (The article I found online is from Time, but it's cool.) Now, I know there are all kinds of logistical issues and someone got really peeved at me back in '05 when I suggested that I could have a baby, bring it to work, and have it sleep in one of my file drawers, but at least part of that was a joke (which part is for me to know). BUT, I think this makes sense for a lot of reasons which I will outline in a future blog post.

For now, all this implementation of my ideas is just further evidence (to me) that I should be able to have a job where I just come up with ideas and other people actually make them happen. Because it seems to work out that way now, except for the part where I get paid. Let's get that going, people.

People who pretty much rock my world, part i in an ongoing series

2008-07-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

I got so much help from my friends today that I decided to do a little shouting out while updating the bliz-ogg. Kelly came over to help me with whatever and we decided to use that time to get some good pics of some items I'm selling on craigslist.com (gotta love CL, if you haven't been there, you simply must go), then Bri and Rob arrived with a truckload of the coolest old bricks from the 20th Century. Those are going to go in some very prominent locations around the house. I think they are a little oversized for the patio, but maybe I can work them into the border (?). Bri and Rob were also champions and moved not 1, but 2 items up to the hot, hot upstairs. One bookshelf that Joe D made for me several years ago, which is now in the Media Room (also to be the Guest Room at some point) and the other was the little loveseat which really should have been a simple move but turned out to be a real beast. I'm not sure what happened but I think the thing must be full of 150 pounds of dust and dander because it was never as much of a PITA to move before. Mmm, what a pleasant thought. While they were moving the bookshelf, Kelly and I moved one big white cupboard thing out of the carport and into the basement, which means I'm one big cupboard thing closer to an empty carport (yay!). And then Bri and Rob advised me that the ceramic tiles should work just fine on my kitchen floor (I was worried I had too much bounce in the floor to put down ceramic and was really getting worked up about what I was going to do for flooring). Kelly took some great shots while the rest of us were discussing the floor (by which, I mean, bouncing up and down on it and poking it with a screwdriver to determine how solid and sturdy it is), and right after she took off, Miriam showed up to visit while she's in town from Texas and we went to Baba to meet some of the Small Groupies where we all laughed and talked and had a fantastic time. Sandra, Jen and Rachel, we missed you!

Anyway, thanks to everyone who came over and helped today. I need all the help I can get!

Another post full of links, but this time, with a story

2008-06-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows how much I love Guns ‘n’ Roses, right? And how my lifelong dream is to have a G’n’R tribute band that also does a few Skid Row* covers, yeah? Well, the Rockstar I Adore, Axl Rose, is in the news for the first time in a long time. It seems he has finally got some actual recorded traxx for his long-anticipated Chinese Democracy album out in the world now. And of course, scandal abounds on the “Internet” because the “pirated” tracks were “leaked” to the Interwebs, and then of course, some “conspiracy theorists” have a “theory” that there’s a “conspiracy,” and the bottom line is it doesn’t really matter who put the tracks out, because now they are out.

I, of course, will be waiting until the album is available in its entirety and legally, but here are some kewl links, if you’re into G’n’R. And if you aren’t, well, come back tomorrow when I’m sure I’ll have something more interesting like another photo of the backyard or the dog, or both.

Track-by-track review (and by the way, I totally love Joel Stein’s writing style and want to marry him now):

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1818247,00.html?iid=redirect-gnr

Article on the “leak”:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1818182,00.html

*I always had this dream but it also includes the idea that one day, while I’m out at a show doing G’n’R stuff, Axl will show up at the bar, but I won’t recognize him right away so he’ll just watch the show and be like, yeah, that chick is totally rockin out, and then I will look out in the crowd as the band starts the haunting melody that leads into “18 and Life,” and then Axl will stand up and Sebastian Bach will be standing there with him, and then they will pluck me off the stage and carry me on their shoulders (which might require further assistance from one of the bouncers because I’m pretty stocky, and they are both a little more on the slender side) and then I will go on a magical date with my 2 favorite rockstars, ever. Ahhh.

So you can imagine my surprise and glee to learn that, in the past couple of years, Axl and Sebastian have actually buddied up IRL: http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/06/23/axl-roses-chinese-democracy-tirade-sebastian-bach-tells-all/. Now all I have to do is get the band going, and then they really can come to a show. Should be any day now.

And one last thing, Axl’s working on his bio. But maybe he should finish and release the album, first:

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/axl-rose-working-on-autobiography-says-friend_10065075.html