After Dark

2012-01-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

Richard and Keith were here this weekend. It was a quick visit, and the weather was crappy, but it was so nice to see them. We saw "Haywire" yesterday. The movie was decent, and the lead actor, Gina Carano, wasn't the best acting-wise, but, man, could she fight. It was inspiring. Apparently, she's best-known for her mixed martial arts abilities. If I could go back 25 years or so, I would take up something like that. I'd like to learn how to kick butt, but I don't think my creaky joints would appreciate it now. Anyway, I hope we don't go so long between visits with R & K again.

2012-01-14T19:54:00.000-05:00

Daphne had me a little worried. She hardly ate yesterday, she was trembling last night, and she threw up. She's been drinking excessive amounts of water for the past few weeks, which, from what I've read, can be indicative of diabetes. Today, she seems to be feeling a little better. She didn't eat her breakfast, but I went out and got her some new/different foods, and she snacked during the day, then ate most of her dinner, and she's been up and about on and off all day, which is normal for her. It just makes me so sad and scares me when she isn't feeling well.

2012-01-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

Happythankyoumoreplease: two thumbs up. Takes place in NYC - plus. Takes digs at LA - double plus. Any time I find myself spontaneously smiling, laughing out loud, getting misty, and/or cringing during a movie, it's having the desired effect; it has preoccupied my brain and taken my mind off of things for a little while, and that is good.

2012-01-05T19:48:00.000-05:00

There was a bit about Rick Santorum today on NPR, and they were pointing out how socially and fiscally conservative he is, since that, apparently, is his selling point. They played a few sound bites regarding his stance on certain issues, which were, of course, narrow-minded and ludicrous, but what infuriated me most was that completely illogical Republican notion that our government should not be involved with the health, education, or financial well-being of its citizens, however it should be able to dictate what we think, what we do with our bodies, and how we conduct our private lives. It makes no sense!

2012-01-02T08:13:00.000-05:00

It's so funny how my backyard birds follow the cardinals. They're like the king and queen or the peacemakers. When my yard is quiet, the cardinals are usually the first ones to come back and make some noise. Then, it's like they give the "all clear" for the rest of the birds to come out, because as soon as the cardinals show up, the other birds immediately follow, and within a minute or so, the yard is bustling with mourning doves, finches, sparrows, chickadees, and squirrels.

2012-01-01T16:56:00.000-05:00

I was on call yesterday and didn't get called in until 10:15 last night. So, I rang in the new year at a patient's bedside in the ER. I wonder if that's a good or bad omen for the upcoming year.

I'm working a double at the Naro today, so I just watched "The Descendants", which was pretty awesome. Good story, great writing, and George Clooney. All of the actors did their jobs really well, but you just gotta love Clooney. One person had remarked that it wasn't his acting as much as the writing that made his character, but I disagree. He was outstanding.

2011-12-21T18:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I heard someone say "Merry Christmas" to another person, and the other person's response was, "Thank you, and thank you for saying 'Merry Christmas' instead of 'Happy holidays'". I was a little taken aback, because it wasn't just what he said, it was also that he said it with a holier-than-thou tone. Like, we shouldn't acknowledge any of the other holidays around this time of year, we should only acknowledge Christmas, whether you celebrate it or not. It's passive bigotry...or something.

2011-12-10T08:05:00.000-05:00

The bald eagle widower at the Botanical Garden has taken a new mate, and they've started building a nest! Thinking about the female who got killed last year still makes me very sad, but I'm glad the male is still around and found someone else.

2011-12-04T20:34:00.000-05:00

We just finished watching The Future, which clearly hit a nerve with me, because the tears started flowing about 5 minutes into it, and they have yet to stop. I liked it, even though it was a bummer all around. Paw Paw was too much for me to handle. Every time he started talking, I lost it, and I was never able to pull myself together in time before the next time he came on again. I'm glad I didn't watch that movie while I was working.

Daphne has been completely unsympathetic, too. I had to give her some hugs and kisses after the movie, since Paw Paw made me so sad, but she just got mad and tried to bite me. Now that I'm slightly more composed, she's lying on my lap, purring...the noise that means "I belong to you." Christ, here come the tears again.

2011-12-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

I could use a good reason to go to New York...there's nothing like that city to get one in the holiday spirit. I love it so much at this time of year. I haven't seen Richard and Keith in forever, either. I miss them.

2011-11-23T19:23:00.000-05:00

Mmm, Annie's Woodstock dressing is my favorite dressing ever. I hadn't had it for years, because it became hard to find - I thought they had stopped making it - and then I forgot about it. Karen had it when I was in VT, and then I found it at the Harris Teeter here. It's the perfect blend of flavors.

2011-11-12T22:44:00.001-05:00

I heard a new song, which was pretty pleasing to my ears, on the radio today, so I just searched it out and was rather astonished to find that the band, Bison, is from Chesapeake. Hmm, I might just have to go see their show at the NorVa in a couple of weeks.

2011-11-05T17:03:00.001-04:00

I'm here in lovely Vermont having a wonderful little visit with Karen and the boys (Jake is off on business, but will be coming back today). Karen picked me up at the airport on Wednesday and we went right into Burlington to do some shopping. I got a pair of earrings at the Danforth Pewter...I think I get something from that place every time I'm up here. On our way home, we stopped at Magic Hat, where we picked up a growler of Single Chair Ale, which is their yummy pilsner.

Thursday was my b'day, and my present from mom was a massage, so I went and got that done in the morning. It was very relaxing. Then, we just went to TJ Maxx while the boys were still at school, took Sollie to piano in the afternoon, and went to dinner at Flatbread. Mmm.

Yesterday, the boys were off from school, but they each had a dental appointment in the morning, so I went with Sollie, and Karen went with Yibeltal. After lunch, we took a nice walk along the Otter Creek with Trixie, who wound up getting covered in ticks. I brushed 15 off of her, but we've since found 3 more, one of which was attached to Sollie. Last night, there were fireworks in town, so we went and got some dinner and cosmos (the boys had warm cider), and then we walked over to the bridge for the festivities. It was cold, but really nice, and it was the first time Yibeltal has seen fireworks. Then, we went home and watched Thor.

This morning, we went to the Farmer's Market, which was set up inside of the Flatbread. It was so nice! We sampled a vegan cheesecake made by a very sweet couple, whose business is called Vermont Cheeseless, and we decided to get a small one, because the sample was so delicious. There were some very tempting other foods and arts and crafts that I probably would have picked up, if I had driven.

This area is such the stereotypical New England small town scene. It's straight out of a movie, I swear. Everyone knows everyone else, and they're all really friendly. It's nice...very, very nice.

2011-10-18T18:04:00.000-04:00

Daphne coughed up the biggest hair ball(s) I've ever seen yesterday. The first one looked like a normal hair ball - large, but it was all compacted like a cigar. Round two happened very suddenly. There wasn't really any heaving, she just spat out a mound of gooey fur. It was pretty gross, but I was amazed at how much came up. I'm glad she finally got it out - it had been coming for weeks.

2011-10-17T19:46:00.000-04:00

Last week's episode of "Community" was so good. That show, along with "Parks and Recreation", has come such a long way since it started. I thought it was almost unwatchable the first time I saw it...I thought it was really dumb. But I gave it another chance sometime during the first season, and it has grown to be one of my favorites.

2011-10-10T19:25:00.000-04:00

Well, the weather isn't very pumpkin ale-worthy today, but it's October, so it counts. The Dogfish Head Punkin Ale was calling me, and I indulged. Mmmm.

I want to update my kitchen so badly, it hurts. I don't mind having a small kitchen, I just want a functional one with normal cabinets, a tiled floor, and new countertops. That isn't too much to ask for, is it? But criminy, trying to save up the money for it is a tough task. I refuse to get a loan. I hate loans.

2011-10-02T16:19:00.001-04:00

Ahhhh, it seems that fall has finally arrived.

2011-09-26T19:13:00.000-04:00

This story made me cry. The CSNW is amazing.

2011-09-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

We saw The Avett Brothers at ODU last night, and it was great. Bob Crawford wasn't there, though, so that was a little odd.

Seeing them prompted me to look for some photos that I took at a show in 2005 - a free show outside of the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh as part of some Miller High Life festival. It was in the middle of the day on a Saturday, I think. I went with Elana - it was her first time seeing them - and it was awesome. Tiny stage, no one there, and we could hear them stomp in their full glory. Scott broke string after string on his banjo from playing it so hard. Mmmm...

When I was looking for the Avett pics, I also found the Playbill from a play that Justin Theroux was in and that I drove up to NY to see. It was at a small theater in Lincoln Center in April 2003, I went with Richard and Keith, and it was a-mazing. The play was great, but what made the night so memorable was that after the show, as we were waiting for the subway to come, who shows up, but Justin! He was with a couple of other dudes - I guess they were cast mates - and we got in the same train car. It must've been quite full, because we were all standing, and Richard kept nudging me to say something to Justin. I seriously almost clocked him for doing so, but I did eventually muster the nerve to tell Justin that the play was really good. He was gracious and lovely, of course. It was the first of three times that we've met.

2011-09-16T15:45:00.000-04:00

I made it through my first week of being on my own. I worked with nice doctors every day, which makes all the difference. It could be a really enjoyable job if all of the doctors were cool, but unfortunately, they aren't. In my opinion, the more at-ease the staff are, the more relaxed it makes the patients, which helps to make the cases go more smoothly. If the doctor is uptight, then the staff are uptight and have a harder time functioning, and the patients get more easily distressed, which makes for a potentially bad situation and a very long day. You don't mind being on your feet for 8 or 10 hours quite as much when the mood in the room is light, you get a good laugh in every so often, and everyone is working well together. Working with unnecessarily cranky doctors can make me hate my life.

2011-09-11T08:10:00.000-04:00

I'm looking forward to cricket season being over. I love the sound of crickets outside, but not so much in my house. Every year at this time, it's cricket central in here.

2011-09-10T08:09:00.000-04:00

Good grief, I can't believe it's been 10 years since the Twin Towers fell...although it actually seems longer ago than that. So much has happened since then. I had just gotten to work, and the TV was on, since we were always monitoring for news clips, and it was right after the first plane had hit. If I remember correctly, they were reporting that there had been an explosion, and there was a fire, but they didn't know exactly what had happened. Then, the second plane hit. I don't think Eric or I got much work done after that. It must have been later that day that I called Sean and Tory to make sure that they were OK, and they were, but they were surrounded by chaos.

There is no city like New York. It's the best.

2011-09-03T20:34:00.001-04:00

Today was my first day on call, and it was a doozy. There were only two cases, but I was there for 6.5 hours. I guess it just takes longer for all the ducks to get in a row on the weekend, since the departments aren't fully-staffed. I worked with a doctor, who I hadn't yet gotten to work with, and things didn't go very smoothly, so I didn't make the best first impression, but it wasn't entirely my fault. Things were just all out-of-sorts. However, I got some ERCP practice and did OK, which was good. There are still several procedures that I haven't gotten to do much, if at all.

2011-08-28T08:06:00.000-04:00

Well, Hurricane Irene has come and gone, and we made it through pretty much unscathed. I haven't checked the cars yet, but I think they're OK. The power went out a few times, but never for more than a minute or so. I think we'll just save the bottled water for the next storm, because I'm guessing that since we've had one already, there will be at least one more. A couple of big branches broke off of the tree next door, but thankfully, they fell into the street, and no one was parked there.

2011-08-23T19:56:00.000-04:00

An earthquake today and a hurricane this coming weekend. Interesting.

2011-08-07T16:32:00.000-04:00

I've made it through the first 3 weeks of the new job, and it's so-so. It's more involved than I expected it to be. The basics are pretty similar to what I learned as a surgical tech - you set-up the equipment, pass things to and assist the doctor, and break it all down when the procedure is done. However, there is much more patient interaction than in the O.R., and even though the procedures are not quite as tricky and varied as they generally are in the O.R., there is still a lot of skill needed, and anything can happen. Part of the job is also washing the scopes, so you finish a case, have to process the scope(s), and set up for the next case before that patient comes in the room. With a fast doctor, it winds up being pretty crazy and stressful.

2011-07-24T21:21:00.000-04:00

I've dreamt about rodents a couple of times in the past week - rats one night and mice last night. I wonder if it means anything.

It looks like there are the beginnings of water damage on the kitchen ceiling. If so, it must be from the A/C, which has been running like crazy, since it's been so friggin' hot lately. Whatever the reason, I'm in no mood to deal with it.

Today, a lady came to see the 3:30 movie...at 4:45. She said she knew she was late, but she wanted to see it anyway. She acted all disappointed when I told her there were only 10 minutes left. She was even more disappointed when I wouldn't allow her to go in for free. She was elderly and obviously not entirely pulled together, so I wasn't about to send her into a dark theater to distract the audience in the last few minutes while she tried to find a seat.

I worry a lot about getting old. I mostly worry about not having enough money later on, but one of the more random things that I worry about is getting dementia, winding up in some crappy nursing home, and no one knowing - or caring - that I'm vegan, so they feed me meat and other ugliness. That'd be some shit.

2011-07-17T20:41:00.000-04:00

The little lights of my life - Sollie and Yibeltal - will be coming down again next month! I can't wait to see them.

2011-07-17T10:25:00.000-04:00

What I wouldn't give for a functioning bathtub. My tub doesn't have a stopper, and it also isn't long enough. In the winter, when I'd really love to take a bath, the tub is so cold, the water never gets warm. In my adult life, I can't say I've ever lived anywhere with a good bathtub. I'm making a checklist of items that I want in my next house...if there ever is one.

As of tomorrow, I will officially be working 3 jobs again. For most of the past twelve years, I've been working at least two jobs, but did have three for a little while. Mississippi was kind of like a vacation - an 11-month, stinky vacation - because I was only working 30 hours per week and going to school. After we came back, I went back to work f/t and back to p/t at the theater, and took a summer class. 11 months later, I started the surgical tech program, which was basically f/t, kept working at the theater, and started with the contract work. It'd be nice to be able to make enough money with just one job and straight-up 40-hour work weeks, but somehow I don't think that's ever going to happen. C'est la vie.

2011-07-15T09:39:00.002-04:00

I'm looking forward to "Contagion". If it has Matt Damon in it, I'm there anyway, but this kind of movie is right up my alley.

I just remembered that I sat across from Steven Soderbergh in a hotel lobby one time...after which I spent the afternoon (working) with Justin Theroux, then shared an elevator with Beck. That was a good day, to say the least.

2011-07-15T06:55:00.000-04:00

I've been catching up on "Breaking Bad" over the past couple of weeks. I'd never watched it before, but I noticed that season 3 was still available on demand, so I watched that one first, then 1 and now 2. The fourth season starts in two days, so I'm trying to fit it all in before then. It's a good show...makes acting seem like a lot of fun.

2011-07-14T13:55:00.000-04:00

Those CA dairy commercials make me so mad. They're so bloody misleading. Family-owned farms can be just as terrible as any other farms, with cows living in squalid conditions, getting mastitis, and veal calves being taken away from their moms after a day (everyone knows how *wonderfully* they're treated and killed). When the cows are spent, they get dragged off to slaughter. They don't get a happy retirement, and they don't get their babies back. The commercials don't mention anything about that. Jerks.

2011-07-13T19:57:00.000-04:00

Good lord, pigs are so effing cute! I love them.

2011-07-12T22:46:00.000-04:00

I had the bad fortune of being in the waiting area at the collision center this morning while a segment about "push presents" was playing on GMA. I'd never heard of such a thing before, and I wish I were still oblivious to it. I found myself actually scoffing out loud at the TV, because it was so outrageous.

2011-07-11T17:27:00.000-04:00

I watched "Beginners" yesterday while I was working. I liked it a lot - it's really sweet. "Are we married yet?" Cuuute.

2011-07-09T20:36:00.000-04:00

D Mo told me about these "Drunk History" videos the other day when we were reminiscing about working with Jeff, who is Duncan Trussell's brother (drunk narrator in vol. 6). I've watched most of them, and they're really good. Crispin Glover appears in the most random stuff.

I also saw Jason and his fam last week. It was so good to see them, as always. Man, I miss working and hanging out with him. I've worked with some really outstanding people in my day. I'm so glad I'm still friends with them.

2011-07-07T17:37:00.000-04:00

Well, I've accepted a job as an endoscopy tech. It will just be p/t for now, but has the potential to be f/t. I shadowed the staff on the day of my interview, and everyone was very nice. It seemed much more relaxed than the O.R. So, we'll see how it goes. I start on the 18th.

2011-07-02T18:39:00.000-04:00

Daphne's routine for the past few weeks has been to sleep on T's used socks after she eats her breakfast. Silly, adorable girl.

2011-06-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

OK, so, the first thing I saw after that last post was this story, which, of course, helped to put things in more perspective. At least I was born with skin.

2011-06-29T21:33:00.000-04:00

I got in an accident again. Again, and again, and again. This doesn't happen to most normal, hard-working, non-drug-users, so why me? There can only be one explanation: I'm cursed. I was driving through the Commissary parking lot to pick up bird food, which I had forgotten to get this afternoon, and a lady came diagonally across some empty parking spaces and ran into me.

This life is so...unfair.

2011-06-29T17:16:00.000-04:00

I've seen two back-to-school things today, which means fall is on its way. Thank gods.

2011-06-29T06:22:00.000-04:00

I just happened to flip up a channel onto the Cartoon Network, and my favorite cartoon ever was on - Marc Anthony and the kitten. It really doesn't get any more precious than that.

2011-06-26T10:22:00.000-04:00

My first library book turned out to be The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I was #45 on the wait list for Bossypants, so I had to get something else to read in the meantime. Anyway, this book is really interesting. It's about a woman whose (cervical) cancer cells were taken without her permission and, unbeknownst to her or her family, wound up being used for all kinds of research around the world for decades thereafter. They were used for breakthrough research, like the polio vaccine, but they were also used for unethical testing on human subjects (awful animal testing is a given).

One (unethical experiment), in particular, made me think: A doctor injected the cells into humans to see if they would grow into cancer. Nodules formed at the injection site, but most times, they didn't last too long. The thing that I found interesting, though, is that people with stronger immune system were able to fight them off more quickly and easily than those with suppressed immune systems. I mean, it's logical, but I'd never heard of an actual test which showed results like that. It just makes me wonder if doctors generally suggest that cancer patients start taking superfood supplements to boost their immune system while they're getting conventional treatments. Chemo and radiation knock people down so much, it only makes sense to try to balance it out somewhat with immune-boosting supplements. My mom took blue-green algae when she was getting treated for cervical cancer 20 years ago, and I can't say for sure if it made a difference or not, but I can say that she made it through just fine, and she's been cancer-free ever since. Sugar has also been shown to feed cancer, so I wonder how often doctors tell patients to stop consuming it. I mean, it certainly couldn't hurt to suggest that someone cut out sugar and start eating cancer-fighting foods or supplements, right? But do doctors do that? Maybe they do, but my guess is that most don't.

On a side note, it's also logical for hospitals to dose people with acidophilus/probiotics before and after they're catheterized in order to prevent urinary tract infections - the most common nosocomial infection - but I highly doubt that it's a common practice, either.

2011-06-25T21:45:00.000-04:00

I just watched The Tree of Life, and it was much better than I had expected. Granted, I didn't understand the significance of some of the scenes, and, at times, it was more like watching a nature documentary than a feature film, but overall, it was pretty decent. From the reactions of the audience so far, I thought that the entire movie was a disjointed, confusing mess, but I didn't find that to be the case. The beginning was a somewhat random mishmosh of images, jumping back-and-forth between past, present, space, nature, and the circle of life, but after the first half hour or so, it focused more on the family in the film and seemed to make more sense. And Brad Pitt was really good.

2011-06-24T16:00:00.001-04:00

A man just called and asked if anyone has threatened us with bodily harm for showing The Tree of Life. Um, not quite, although several people have walked - or stormed - out during it.

2011-06-24T15:54:00.000-04:00

Karen, Jake, and the boys left today after a lovely visit. Yibeltal is super-cute and funny, and Sollie is being a great big brother. We all had fun at the beach and the Ocean Breeze Water Park. Seeing Yibeltal's face when he braved a water slide for the first time was priceless. He was afraid of it at the top, but when he got to the bottom, he said "Again, again!" He's a cutie, all right.

2011-06-20T20:28:00.000-04:00

I had a great dream this morning. James Franco, Richard Donner (he and his wife are good people in real life), and some other celebrity came to see a movie while I was working. I remember having a funny exchange with James Franco while he was ordering popcorn...he couldn't spit out the word "popcorn". Next thing I remember is looking in the tip jars and finding one $1000 bill and two $100 bills. Best tips ever! I was so disappointed when I woke up, but it was still a fun dream.

2011-06-14T19:35:00.000-04:00

I had been refusing to accept these rumors as fact, but it looks like they might actually be true. Oh, Justin. It seems you're in quite a pickle.

2011-06-13T19:25:00.000-04:00

Katie sent this to me today, because I was telling her about my Michael Fassbender fascination. I really liked him in Jane Eyre, which I watched at the Naro a couple of months ago, and I thought I had seen him before, but I didn't give it too much thought until I saw X-Men and looked him up. So, I've been catching up on his movies over the past week - I've watched Centurion, Hunger, and Fish Tank - all of which were pretty good. In addition to being a fine - and handsome - actor, I find the fact that he was born in Germany and speaks fluent German endearing. At this point, he's right up there with Justin in my book.

It's really all just a distraction to take my mind off of the job search, which is not going well so far. Thank goodness for my p/t jobs, otherwise I would be going stir crazy. Karen, Jake, and the boys are coming down on Friday, which will be a lot of fun. I can't wait to meet Yibeltal!

2011-06-09T07:31:00.000-04:00

I watched Win Win last weekend. It was really good...made me homesick for Jersey.

2011-06-07T15:36:00.000-04:00

We saw X-Men: First Class the other day, and I liked it quite a lot. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are lovely to look at...and they're both really good in their respective roles. January Jones, not so much. I think they could've done better casting for that character. It was all highly entertaining, though.

2011-06-02T05:15:00.000-04:00

I got a library card yesterday - I haven't had one in forever! I'm excited about using it. Now that I actually have the time to read real books, I realized that I need some new material, and I don't exactly have the extra cash to buy anything these days. The library down the road was just built a few years ago, and it's really nice inside. My first book will be "Bossypants". They have to get it from another branch, but it should be in by Monday.

2011-05-20T14:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I graduated last night, so I am now an official Certified Surgical Technologist. I managed to graduate summa cum laude and was inducted into the AST National Honor Society, which was cool...I certainly worked for it. The photos below are courtesy of T. I like the one of me and Andrea. We sat next to each other in class - she cracks me up. She's one of the 3 (out of 10) girls in the class who are preggers.

It's been a fairly long road, since I really started it back in MS with my prerequisite classes, so it's been a good 3.5 years. I'm glad it's over, but job hunting is no fun. We'll see where the road takes me next.

2011-05-13T15:35:00.000-04:00

Woohoo, I passed my certification exam!

2011-05-12T08:10:00.000-04:00

T's mom left yesterday after a really nice, albeit too short, visit. The weather was perfect while she was here, so we went to the Botanical Garden and historic Williamsburg. We also saw "Thor", which was highly entertaining. Those types of movies are always fun, and, of course, Justin Theroux wrote "Iron Man 2", so that one's a favorite. Anyway, it was great having Bobbie here.

We were out at my parents' house the other evening for T's b'day, plus it was Bobbie's last night, and the weirdest thing happened. All of a sudden, it sounded like someone was trying to kick in the front door. After we checked to see if someone was out there, I said it sounded more like a sonic boom. It rattled that whole front part of the house. Apparently, it was heard by most people in the entire Hampton Roads area. No one is admitting to any military testing, but either someone's lying or a UFO was involved, because nothing else could have had that effect. It didn't feel like an earthquake, and no seismic activity has been reported. So, it's a mystery.

2011-04-27T17:55:00.000-04:00

I heard about this first thing on my way to clinicals this morning, and it made me so upset, I cried the rest of the way there. I love those bald eagles.

2011-03-27T16:28:00.000-04:00

I'm sure I would see "Your Highness" (in the theater) anyway, but I just noticed that Justin Theroux is in it, so now I must see it.

2011-03-26T10:14:00.002-04:00

I was in Labor & Delivery this week. It was interesting and the first time I didn't get completely stressed out during a case. There was a lot of down time, since we mostly just had to wait for a c-section to be needed, so it got a little boring, but I got a whole lot of extra study time in, which was good. A couple of c-sections were scheduled, but the others weren't. I got to see a good variety, too - one 24-week-old, one set of twins, an emergency c-section, and a *normal* c-section. I also observed a regular vag delivery, and we did a couple of tubal ligations. A nurse was also training to scrub this week - they have the nurses learn the basics, so they can help out, when necessary - so she and I wound up hanging out during some of the down time, and she filled me in on a lot of the nursing side of things. She was super-nice and helped make the week more fun and interesting than it probably would have been. The cases were cool, but if I hadn't had her to keep me company during the down time, the days could have seriously dragged.

2011-03-14T20:50:00.002-04:00

I took part in two heart bypasses today. It was amazing, interesting, overwhelming, and exhausting. My brain got completely overloaded with new info...new instruments, sutures, catheters, tubing, techniques, etc. that I'd never seen before. Both cases moved along quickly, so there was constant handing off and getting things back. The doctor was very nice, which, as always, made the difference between an overwhelming, but good, day and a god-awful, rotten day.

Whether I finish this program and decide to go on to be a surgical tech or not, I can still always say that I saw and touched a person's beating heart, which is pretty damn cool.

2011-02-27T15:02:00.002-05:00

Woohoo, I just noticed that Junior Mints are vegan now! They were always one of my favorite movie snacks.

2011-02-19T20:03:00.003-05:00

I saw these at the Commissary today and had to get a couple, because they're so damn cute...I'm a sucker for packaging. I just tried the apple one, and it was really good! I was expecting juice, but it was actually a slightly thinned-out version of apple sauce. Made for a perfect snack.

2011-02-12T08:33:00.004-05:00

I had to say good-bye to my little Honda Civic on Thursday. It got totaled in an accident on Super Bowl Sunday. I was on my way to the Commissary after I got off of work, and about 5 seconds after I stopped at a light, I heard screeching behind me, looked in the rear view mirror, and blammo. A girl plowed right into me, driving her ex-boyfriend's car. I'm guessing she was texting, because she had been oblivious to the light or the car that was stopped at it.

That car had its issues, since it got beaten up on that icy bridge in '05, but it never let me down; it was as reliable as could be. We had 6.5 years and 97,000 miles together. It made me sad to say good-bye.

I'm feeling like it's time for a NYC fix.

2011-02-05T10:00:00.007-05:00

How can anyone not love James Franco? He's smart, humble, an outstanding actor, and works incredibly hard at everything he does. The guy didn't even skip class after being nominated for an Oscar. He has my vote, for sure...
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-25-2011/james-franco

2011-02-05T09:52:00.003-05:00

Friday is usually pizza night in our house, but cheap pizza is no good and good pizza costs too much, so I decided a few weeks ago that we needed to start making our own. Last night's was the first one that mostly resembled a restaurant-style pizza, so I'm rather proud of it. The previous weeks' pizzas were passable and edible, but they weren't quite right. It still needs tweaking, for sure, but this one was pretty good.

2011-02-04T06:20:00.003-05:00

Mom was telling me the other day about our old family friends, who live in the neighborhood where my grandparents lived in NJ. They're an old, somewhat quirky, but very nice, German couple - both around 90, I think - and the husband had a stroke a few months ago. So, he's been stuck in a rehab center ever since, and the wife, who doesn't drive, just sees him when she can find a ride out there. They don't have kids, but I think some neighbors have been helping them out. Anyway, the rehab center, which apparently isn't all that, was costing them about $100 per day out-of-pocket, because their insurance only covered part of it. Well, now, the insurance has run out, and it's costing them $10,000 a month! It's craziness. There's all this freaking debate about health care reform, but I just can't see the "other" side of it. How can anyone think that it's OK and right for senior citizens to have to pay $10K out-of-pocket for care after they've had a stroke or some other major health issue. I mean, no one should have to pay that much for health care, but especially not seniors. You work hard your whole life to scrimp and save, and then when you're old and infirm, it can all go out the window in one fell swoop. Our system is truly effed, and it really makes me not want to grow old...at least not here.

2011-01-27T17:30:00.003-05:00

I can't remember the last time I was turned onto a band by hearing them on the radio, but today, I heard "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons, and it was most pleasing to my ears. T and I are checking out their album on Pandora as I type.

2011-01-15T22:45:00.002-05:00

I had my first really bad day in clinicals last week, and it has left me wondering if I'm really cut out to be a surgical tech. Thankfully, the torture occurred in the last hour of the day, but it made for a very long hour. I was working with a cranky and extremely impatient doctor, who, it seems to me, doesn't like students. I hadn't done any of those types of surgeries before that day, and a bunch of the instruments were completely new to me, so I wasn't familiar with their names or how they were used. Anyway, for this particular case, the doctor entered the operating room like gangbusters, telling everyone to be quiet and get with the game. He was in a worse mood than earlier in the day. When the surgery started, I passed the first thing to him, and it was fine, but after that, all hell broke loose. Equipment wasn't working properly, I didn't know how to pass one of the instruments, which really pissed him off, and basically nothing that anyone (but mostly me) did was satisfactory, so he spent most of the hour yelling at me. I haven't been yelled at period in I-don't-know-how-many-years - probably since I was a child - but I've never been yelled at like that before in my life. I've heard about those types of doctors, and I've tried to mentally prepare myself for encountering them, but there's no preparing for it. Either you can take it or you can't...and I can't. I've spent my life, especially my working life, trying to do the best I can, stay under the radar and out of harm's way, simply because I don't want to deal with negative consequences. However, in clinicals, I can try as hard as I want, but I will screw up. It's all part of the learning process, unfortunately. Every day, we're working with new doctors, new preceptors, and we're doing different - and oftentimes, completely new - procedures, and there's no way to prepare for it. We don't know in advance what we'll be doing or who we'll be working with. We're pretty much just thrown to the wolves. Until the other day, though, the doctors have all been pretty decent - some definitely much nicer than others. There was one other doctor who wasn't particularly fond of students and was a bit snappy, but he was nothing compared to this one. This period of learning and feeling overwhelmed and inexperienced has been pretty painful for me, but having someone give me such a hard time as that doctor did, made it immensely more painful. I did have one preceptor a few weeks ago who was a nut-job and yelled at me, so I need to amend what I said earlier about not having been yelled at, but I think I can write her off as being crazy and rotten. Her behavior only made me angry, but the doctor's behavior upset and rattled me. Anyway, I need to try to get over it. I just don't know how yet.

2010-12-31T09:32:00.002-05:00

It's my last day in VT. We went skiing yesterday, which was so much fun. It was the perfect day for it - right around freezing and sunny. My fingers got cold after the sun went down, but we only went for a couple more runs after that. Skiing really is one of my favorite things to do. Sollie snowboards, and he's so good at it! Anyway, VT is lovely, as always. This is Karen and Sollie on the slopes:

I stopped off in NJ on my way up and stayed with Richard and Keith for the night. It was so nice to see them. I can't believe it's already been a year since I last saw them. We had some sushi and played a game of Scrabble. The next morning on my way up here, I stopped in Kinnelon and picked up bagels. Yum. I started getting a headache on my drive to NJ, and it turned into a migraine that first night at Richard and Keith's. I took Imitrex, which helped a little, but the headache persisted for three days. I woke up in the middle of the night two nights in a row with my head feeling like it was going to split in two - it hurt to have it on the pillow. Today, it's finally better. It's not totally gone, so I think I'll take one more Imitrex, but I was at least able to sleep last night. Mrs. Gray curled up with me last night. Sollie and Mrs. Gray slept in my bed the first night, which was sweet - my head was killing me, but it was fun having all those bed buddies.

2010-12-26T12:15:00.002-05:00

It's still snowing! I really need to study, but I'm too distracted. Despite the cold weather and snow, there are still insects around. Last night, we had a water bug in the kitchen sink, followed immediately by a mosquito that was flying around, and a camel cricket was in the living room this morning. WTF? Where are they coming from?

2010-12-26T08:05:00.002-05:00

Woke up to a winter wonderland this morning, and it's still coming down! We don't usually get snow around here, but we've had a couple of good storms 2 years in a row now.

2010-11-27T21:50:00.002-05:00

I just watched "127 Hours" with Molly while we were working. It was good - James Franco did a great job.

I've been trying to figure out what some cute birds in our back yard are, and after researching it for a couple of hours over the past couple of days, I've decided that they're tan-striped white-throated sparrows. It was hard to figure out, because the plain white-throated sparrows look so different, and that's what typically came up in my searches. Anyway, they've been around for the past month or two, and they're cute little buggers. I like the peeping sound that they make.

2010-11-15T21:10:00.001-05:00

Ooh, Noomi Rapace in an Alien prequel directed by Ridley Scott?! That would be super cool.

2010-11-14T12:22:00.006-05:00

I've been working on the back yard quite a bit the past couple of weekends. Last weekend, I built a stone path to the shed. Mom helped me dig up the yard, but I did the rest. It took 3 trips to Home Depot to get all of the stones, and between loading them onto the cart, then into my car, then out of my car and into the yard, digging the ditches for the border, and positioning everything, my back was pretty thrashed by the end of it all. It was a LOT of work. This weekend, mom came again and helped me plant pansies and other border plants along the walkway. We also cleaned up the yard a bit, transplanted a couple of things, and raked up leaves in the front, which I then dumped in the back, because the mourning doves like to sit in them, and they're good for mulch. Today, I turned over the garden soil, which killed my back all over again. Thank goodness for Icy Hot. The weather has been perfect for yard work lately, though. It's been sunny and cool, but not cold. The birdies have been loving it, too. They've all been hanging out, getting snacks from the feeder and water from the bird bath. The chickadees, finches, and mosquitoes all kept me company while I was working out there today. I could do without the mosquitoes, but the chickadees and finches were lovely.

2010-10-31T08:49:00.002-04:00

We drove up to DC and went to the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" yesterday. It was pretty awesome. They estimated that over 200K people attended - I think it was probably closer to 250K or even more. Either way, it was packed. We left around 6:20am, and it took us just a little over 3 hours to get to the Metro station. We decided to park at the station closest to us, which worked out well, because it was the end/beginning of the line, so we got seats. By the time the train left the station, it was packed full, so people waiting at the next stations were pretty SOL. They all had to run and try to find cars that they could squeeze into. Anyway, we got to the rally around 11:15, which left us just enough time to work our way through the crowd and find a spot to stand in. We tried to get to the outer edge, since I was feeling a little claustrophobic in the middle of the crowd, but we got stuck and just decided to stay put. The rally was a funny mish-mosh of music and other performances. The Mythbusters - Adam and Jamie - were there, and they conducted a couple of experiments with the crowd, so it was fun being a part of that. Now we can say that we participated in a Mythbusters experiment. About half way through the rally, I started to wonder what it was really for. I knew they wanted to keep it as apolitical as possible, and there was, of course, the underlying message of tolerance and reason, but it was still odd for a rally. It was more like an extreme combo version of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report", which was fine and cool, but I kind of wondered what the point was....until Jon Stewart answered it at the end. He made a speech in the last 15 minutes that hit it on the head and set my questions straight. And that's what makes him so good.

After the rally, we walked over to a restaurant called Cafe Green, where we had a hearty dinner of vegan mac 'n cheese with kale and candied yams. I also had a dumpling appetizer and T had some potatoes with tomato sauce. It was the perfect ending to a good day. The weather was beautiful - sunny, cool, crisp fall day - and the rally was well-worth the trip.

2010-10-29T20:34:00.002-04:00

I finished my first week of clinicals....phew! The hours are 6:45am - 3pm, and other than a 1/2 hour for lunch and maybe one 10-min. break, you're standing all. day. long. Aside from the physical strain, it's also mentally exhausting. I've first-scrubbed a few times, most of which went all right, but it's really, really stressful for me at this point. I don't know how to anticipate what the doctor needs, there's a ton of stuff that I have no idea how to use, and I've found that I don't have an ear for hearing when they ask for something. A bunch of instruments are called by multiple names that we didn't learn in school, and there's just so much to know. We've only learned the very basics in school, but there's SO much to be learned in the field. We didn't do much at all with laparoscopic procedures in school, which were the majority of procedures that I was involved with this week. Most of the doctors were very nice, but one apparently doesn't like students, so he was tough. On my first day about 15 minutes into the first surgery, the doctor asked me if I work at the Naro, which impressed the hell out of me, since all you can see in the OR are people's eyes. I barely recognize myself when I look in the mirror, because I have to wear a rather goofy hat as a student, and I think I was even wearing a mask with a shield, so I was amazed that he was able to recognize me. What made it even better was that I didn't recognize him at all, even when he took off his mask, and I feel like I remember our customers' faces pretty well. Anyway, that doctor was super-nice. It's been pretty cool being in the OR, though. My back hurts from all the standing, but other than that, so far, so good - I've seen some really neat stuff already.

On a different note, Daphne is so cute, I can't stand it. When she eats breakfast and dinner, she usually likes to have someone stand in the kitchen with her - she doesn't like to eat alone, which is understandable. Usually, she just won't even eat if the person feeding her walks away. She also likes to be fed by the spoonful. If there's too much food in her bowl at once, it's too much for her. She also only eats certain foods if they have a crunchy garnish on them. Yes, she has many quirks, and I love them all. Tonight, when I gave her dinner, I walked away, and when she finished each bit, she would pluck on the cabinet doors to let me know that she was ready for more. She's freaking adorable. She also plucks on the cabinets in general when she's hungry and wants to be fed, but her little routine tonight was a new one. I told her she's well-trained, but right after I said it, I realized that I'm actually the one who's well-trained. She has me wrapped around her little fuzzy paw.

2010-10-19T19:52:00.002-04:00

The dreaded CPE (Competency Performance Exam) is over, and I passed! I'd been stressing out about it since I found out what all it involved, so it's been a good 3 months or so. I know, I know, what doesn't stress me out, but I feel justified in getting a little worked up about it. If I hadn't passed, I would have been out of the program, so there was a lot riding on it, and there wasn't much wiggle room for screwing up. But now it's done, and I can put it behind me, thank goodness. I can't believe it's been 4 months already. Our final is on Monday, we start clinicals next Tuesday, and the semester ends next Friday. Then, we're off for a week!

2010-08-24T18:08:00.002-04:00

I did my OR observation today. It was cool, but I'm exhausted...and I still have to study. I'm glad I got Molly to cover my shift tonight. I asked her yesterday, because Daphne was having a bad reaction to her antibiotics and started peeing on things. So, I took her back to the vet yesterday, and I didn't want to leave her home all day by herself today - if I had worked, she would have been alone from 6am - 11pm. She seems to be doing better, but now I'm extra-glad Molly's covering for me, because I was on my feet for 8.5 hours today. I sat down for one 5-min break and then for lunch, which was about 20 minutes, and I sat for a few minutes in the OR, but that was it. I got up at 4:45am and was out the door by 5:40. I had no idea what to do when I got to the hospital, because we weren't assigned a contact person, so I had to sort it out myself. Thankfully, a surgical tech took me under her wing for the day, so I just stayed in her OR. I watched 4 surgeries. I wasn't sure how I'd react to the first incision, since I've never seen one up close and personal before, but I didn't feel woozy at all. After that, I knew it wouldn't bother me. The surgeon was super nice, which is a rare trait among surgeons from what I keep hearing. The other staff in the room - the SA and circulators - were also really cool and helpful. I learned a lot, and it was awesome seeing all of the things that we've been learning about in action.

2010-08-20T07:20:00.002-04:00

Daphne has been home for a couple of days and is doing well so far. She wound up having to get 5 teeth pulled - all in the back, no fangs - because of some disease that kitties get, which causes their enamel to wear away to the point that the pulp under their gums is exposed. She's been eating and drinking up a storm since coming home. She was super-loopy the first night from the pain meds, but still managed to eat 2 cans of food over the course of 3 hours. The hardest part is getting the antibiotics into her. Apparently, it tastes bitter, and it's a liquid, so she hates it. I don't know if it would be any easier with a pill, though. I bought her a new scratch pad yesterday, which made her so happy. I couldn't even get the plastic off before she was on it trying to pull her claws through the plastic. She slept on it the rest of the day yesterday and all night.

2010-08-17T18:43:00.002-04:00

Daphne has been drooling way more than usual for about the past week, so I took her to the vet yesterday, and her gums are inflamed. So, the vet said D will have to go under, so that they can check out the situation better and pull any teeth that might need it. It scares me, since she's old-ish. I just hope she's OK...my baby.

2010-08-11T08:12:00.002-04:00

Our boiler, which is really old, started emitting a terrible smell and making a bad noise a couple of days ago. I'd noticed the smell for the past couple of weeks, but I couldn't pinpoint its source. I thought it was maybe something coming from the AC, which is also older than dirt and just barely hanging on. Once the boiler started making that sound, like it was about to explode, though, the smell also got much worse, so I then I knew where it was coming from. I got it fixed yesterday, and it turned out that it just needed to be cleaned - the filter and fuel nozzle were clogged and had to be replaced. However, there must still be a bunch of gunk floating around in the house, because the filter in the AC vent is already all dirty, and I just replaced it yesterday. I pulled the old one out, which I'd only replaced a week-and-a-half ago, and it was black. Daph and I have been breathing some great air for the past couple of weeks. I had a throat thing last week - a tickle that wouldn't go away and was making me cough - so I wonder if the boiler had anything to do with it. Lesson learned; get the boiler serviced more often.

2010-08-02T16:51:00.002-04:00

I've been on a big waffle kick lately. A little margarine, sliced peaches, and maple syrup (the real stuff) make for pure yumminess.

2010-07-30T06:34:00.002-04:00

I was just looking around at cars, because I keep dreaming of getting a new one. My little Civic has been very good to me, but our time together is limited. I want a fresh start with a new car - a 4-door hatchback this time. I've seen some of the new Mazda 3's around, and they're really cute and sporty, so I went to Mazda's website and saw that they have an even cuter (i.e. smaller) Mazda 2!

I'm torn about which brand to go with whenever I can afford to get a new car. I don't know how reliable Mazdas are...that's a big one for me. I love VWs, of course, but given my history with them, I think I'm too scared to get another, even though the 4-door Golf TDI is pretty much my dream car. I also love the Impreza, but I don't think I'll ever be able to afford that. Honda Fits look OK, but I'm afraid I would have the same handling issues that I have with my Civic. Maybe not, though...I'd have to give it a test drive and research it. I have to say, my experience with Honda has been really good. My Civic is reliable as can be, despite the crash in '05, and I've never felt like I was being taken advantage of by their service department. My only issue is the handling. Even before I crashed it, my Civic never handled well in the rain...forget about snow. It might just be my model, though, since it was the cheapest one I could get at the time.

2010-07-25T09:51:00.002-04:00

It's been baby bird central around here. I picked up one little guy (or girl) the other day. There was a quick downpour (one of the few that we've had over the past several weeks), and I think he might've gotten knocked out of a very large tree a couple of houses down from ours, because he was in the street and wasn't moving. He was conscious, but his head was just bobbing and his eyes were glassed over. So, I took him in to get euthanized. On a happier note, the baby cardinals are back. They're the cutest. Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal have been bringing them by at least once a day. Then, when I was out for my walk this morning, I saw a baby catbird and a baby mockingbird, both with parents. The baby catbird was teeny...seemed too young to be out 'n about, but at least his mom or dad was with him.

2010-07-23T17:01:00.002-04:00

Mom and I went to Quenna's Raw and Vegan restaurant for lunch today. It was deeeelicious. She used to have a space above the health food store in Ghent, and I'd always heard the food was good, but I never tried it. Her new place is really cute and clean. I had a tofu sandwich and mom had a cucumber and apple sandwich with a blackberry smoothie. The menu changes weekly, based on what's in season, and they get a lot of their produce locally. The sandwiches were beautiful - pitas packed full of colorful veggies, overflowing onto the plate, and the tofu in mine was marinated and seasoned to perfection. They take a long time to prepare the food, but we weren't in a hurry today, and it's worth the wait. One can always call ahead and place an order, anyway. I brought a take-out tofu sandwich home for T - he had just gotten home from being underway. We'll try to support them as much as we can, even though we're on a pretty tight budget these days, because we want that restaurant to make it. It's the only place like it in this area.

2010-07-22T07:18:00.002-04:00

We went on a tour of a tissue procurement facility for school yesterday, which was pretty cool, even though we didn't really get to see them in action. The place is called LifeNet, and they do some amazing stuff. They take tissues, like skin and bone, and process it - de-mineralize, freeze dry, vacuum pack, etc. We were told ahead of time that the man who would be giving us the tour is "very passionate" about what he does, and indeed he is. He seems utterly committed to making sure that the facility is kept up to the highest standards and that every procedure is met to ensure that the wishes of the donor and the donor's family are met, and that the products they put out are the best possible quality. He took us back to the "clean" area, where we had to don "bunny suits" - white jumpers with shoe covers and surgical hats - and man, was that area clean. They have airlocks and air filters, and it smelled like bleach. They have 4 operating rooms back there, though, so any work they do is as microorganism free as can be. He showed us a bag of packaged tissues that had come from one donor, and there were about 500 units in it...that's 500 people who will benefit from one donor's tissues. That astounded me.

2010-07-01T21:18:00.002-04:00

Well, after 11.5 years - it's hard to believe - I've left my job and will be starting school next week. Hopefully, at this time next year, I'll be a certified surgical technologist. We'll see...I'm just taking it one step at a time. I'll miss working for the animals, but I'll still be on contract a few hours a week for a little while, at least, and I figure I can always volunteer at a shelter or something. Today just felt like a Saturday.

2010-06-17T07:26:00.002-04:00

I'm quitting caffeine in the hope that it will help my headaches. I'm not quitting cold turkey, because I can't deal with THAT headache, so I've just been cutting it out slowly. I'm down to half a cup of tea in the morning and might try to cut that out this weekend. I'm sure it'll be enough to still give me a caffeine headache. I've had a constant, dull headache for the past few days - better than the full-on constant headache that I had for the week before that - and I don't know if it's from caffeine reduction or what. Who knows what causes my head to hurt so much anymore, but I'm still hoping that no caffeine will help.

2010-06-14T07:27:00.002-04:00

It's been way too hot, and it's only June. I think this might be the summer that the AC gives out. I just keep waiting for it. That dinosaur needs to die already, even though we can't so much afford a new one. I want the fall already.

2010-06-04T06:20:00.002-04:00

This little article/blog post explains a study, which found that vegan/vegetarians are more empathetic than omnivores, neurologically speaking. Seems pretty obvious, but I guess it's interesting to have the scientific evidence to back it up. If most vegetarians only knew what happened to dairy cows and battery hens, they'd probably go vegan. When I was vegetarian, I had no clue. I thought it was OK to eat cheese and eggs, because the cows and hens weren't being killed for those products. What I didn't know is that they exist in beyond hideous conditions while they're alive and either die from those hideous conditions or are slaughtered when they're spent. But I digress from my original thought. The whole empathy thing has always seemed obvious. I mean, my first thought when I see animal cruelty is "What if it were me?" Could I stand to be treated that way? Uh, hell no. Caged or restrained animals are what get me most. When I see battery hens crammed into those itty-bitty wire cages, all stepping on each other, getting their heads and wings caught in the wires, it makes me want to jump out of my skin. Or the foie gras ducks and geese, who are stuck in those individual cages, not able to turn around or fluff their feathers, covered in vomit and the food that gets shoved down their throats with that feeding pipe...it makes my heart race from the claustrophobia. It's much worse than veal calves, and most people are aware of how inhumanely they're raised.

Anyway, I think the Golden Rule - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" - is a good one. It's something I've been trying to live by a little more lately, and I wish more people would keep it in mind.

2010-05-18T08:00:00.002-04:00

I had a physical the other day, and my cholesterol level is 167...exactly the same as last year. However, this year, my HDL (good cholesterol) was higher - 62 - and my LDL (bad cholesterol) was lower - 87.2. I wonder what the average cholesterol level for vegans is. Since we don't consume any cholesterol, I imagine most should have pretty low levels, but I'm still curious to know what the average is.

2010-05-18T06:31:00.002-04:00

I'm still watching "thirtysomething", and on the episode I just started - "I'm Nobody, Who Are You?" - Gary is wearing a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sweatshirt in the beginning. I never noticed that before...guess it didn't mean anything to me when I was watching it 20 years ago. Haha.

2010-05-16T07:59:00.003-04:00

It rained a little bit last night - I vaguely remember hearing some thunder - and this morning, while I was making my tea and watching the activities in my back yard from my kitchen window, I noticed two chickadees in the red maple. They were washing themselves by flying among the leaves on the tree. I've never seen birds doing that before - it was the cutest thing. They would fly into a batch of leaves, then fluff their feathers to get all wet and then move onto another batch of wet leaves. I love our back yard birds so much.

2010-05-02T19:50:00.002-04:00

I had a first (as far as I can remember) when I was playing tennis with Thomas this morning. I swung at the ball for one of my serves, but I missed it completely, and it bounced off the top of my head. Made for a good laugh. I blame my glasses, or lack thereof. I've tried playing with them on, but the ball gets lost in my frames when I serve, so I don't wear them when we start playing sets, and I think it messes up my depth perception a bit. At least, that's what I'd like to think.

2010-05-01T06:54:00.003-04:00

I picked up the mail on my way into the house yesterday when I stopped home briefly in between jobs to make my big-salad-of-a-dinner. There was a card from Richard and Keith, and I pondered for a second what it could be for, since there aren't any holidays in the immediate future, and then it hit me: Oh yeah, our anniversary is this weekend! It hadn't occurred to either of us. Haha, it's the second year in a row that T and I both forgot about it. It seems that there's always just too much else going on at this time of year. Well, we were planning on going on a date tonight, anyway, so at least now we have a reason for it. Thanks for reminding us, R & K. You're the best.

2010-04-26T19:59:00.002-04:00

Just finished watching the NJ episode of "No Reservations". Ah, Jersey. Anthony Bourdain did it justice. He went from south to north, and I actually learned a couple of things. He grew up in Leonia, apparently...I had a crush on a boy from Leonia way-back-when. He showed how diverse the state is, which is key when talking about it. Most people who aren't from the Tri-State area - even people who are - have no clue how nice some parts of Jersey are. Everyone just thinks about Newark and the crap that they see when they're landing on a plane. Anyway, I'm glad I grew up there.

2010-04-21T22:15:00.000-04:00

And to add insult to injury, they didn't even have the refills.

2010-04-21T20:46:00.002-04:00

I made the mistake of going to a Walmart yesterday. I've been looking for refills for some pencils that I bought at the one in MS, but I haven't been able to find them anywhere else - it's the erasers in particular that I need. Anyway, the whole experience was hideous and gave me flashbacks of 'Goula. I have made a promise to myself to never step foot in one again. It's a horrible, horrible place.

2010-04-15T06:05:00.002-04:00

I heard an interview with Natalie Merchant on NPR the other day - she just made a new album for kids, although it's not your typical kids' album; some of it seems pretty serious. She said a quote during the interview that's stuck with me: "...when you see the death of anything, you see the death of everything, and you see the death of yourself." Indeed.

2010-03-29T21:50:00.002-04:00

Alligators and snakes scare me, and monitor lizards...well, I don't think I've ever seen one of them in person, but they would probably scare me, too. I'm not a fan. However, the way these poor creatures are maimed, skinned (while they're still alive), and eventually killed is not something I would wish upon anyone. You think humans go as low as it gets, but somehow, we always manage to sink just a little bit farther.

Cold-Blooded Horrors:
Inside the Exotic-Skins Trade.
Find out more at PETA.org.

2010-03-25T20:25:00.002-04:00

I'm not such a fan of spring, but I do love all of the flowers that are blooming right now.