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PostSecret 12/25/2011

2011-12-25T00:41:00.001-06:00

This one really spoke to me......

And to this Random Donor, Merry Christmas from someone who needed it about 2 weeks ago!

PostSecret 12/18/2011

2011-12-18T11:30:00.002-06:00

This one really jumped out at me. :)

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Diabetes Art Day 2011

2011-09-01T21:49:00.008-05:00

This post is late, even though I submitted my art yesterday. I wanted to post last night, but by the time I finished my submission it was after 11pm and I knew I had a long day ahead of me. We had an event today & it was a busy day. In fact, I haven't been home very long, but there was no way I was going to bed without posting about Diabetes Art Day 2011.

Diabetes Art Day is the brain child of an amazing woman named Lee Ann Thill. This fabulous project began last year. I missed out last year because I hadn't yet found all the wonderful people in the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) yet. This year I was determined to participate.

I saved as many different diabetes related supplies that I could. Thinking that I would use them in my artwork. As it turns out, I fell back on what has always inspired me and moved me the most, words. Whether they are the words read in a book or poem, or the words sung in a song, or even the words spoken in a movie or play. They have all been important to me my whole life. But how could I make them a visual art form?

I briefly thought of writing a poem, but quickly thrust that aside when the words in my head refused to unjumble themselves into coherent thoughts. I also wanted to do something with colour and impact. Black words on a white background seemed too stark. Too well, black and white. Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING about diabetes is black and white. Hell it's not even shades of gray.

There are more colours than a rainbow can hold representing diabetes. There is the red in the blood I use to check my blood glucose multiple times a day. The deeper shade of red that is my blood drawn every few months for the endless lab work needed. The purple of my blood glucose meter. The two-tone blue test strips. The gray and blue pens that hold the two different kinds of insulin that I inject daily. The lighter blue of the World Diabetes Day logo sponsored by the International Diabetes Foundation that reminds me that I'm not alone and diabetes is a worldwide epidemic. The lavender paper I peel off of the sterile needles I attach to my insulin pens. The orange caps on the syringes I used to use. The black bottle my test strips come in. The multi-hued pills, glucotabs, and juices that I use to regulate my blood glucose and the other ailments that ran in through the door that diabetes left open.

And then there are the seemingly non-diabetes related colours that are essential in my own diabetes management. The rose of my phone that keeps me in contact with my doctors and allows me to vent/share on Facebook or Twitter. The pink of my Sony eReader and my Sansa Fuze that help keep me sane on days when diabetes is determined to do otherwise. The green bag of the sugar-free Wint-O-Green Lifesavers that make me smile.

These and many more are the colours of my diabetes management. And somehow my art needed to express that. But how? So I opened my favorite "painting" program and started adding colours. I have to tell you, it was a mess. Too chaotic even though diabetes can definitely be that. Then I thought what is the good of digital art if you can't manipulate it and even coax it into what you want it to be. So I took a thin strip out of the middle of the colour chaos I had created and stretched it. Suddenly the chaos became something else. Something almost calm and soothing.

Then I began to list the words associated with diabetes for me. The good and the bad. I began to see what resembled a circle emerging and that made sense to me. I chose the colours because purple is my favorite colour and while some of these things are not my favorites, they are important and they are a part of me.

After placing the newly made diabetes word cloud on the background I'd made I realized there were many shades of purple in that as well. I think that makes it even more about me. That even by accident I've come full circle back to something that I love. But there are also many more colours because no one or nothing can be about only one thing. So while diabetes takes up a large part of my life, it isn't all that I'm about. Because just like diabetes, I have more colours than any rainbow can hold.

But purple is still my favorite. :P

Special thanks to Lee Ann Thil l for her imagination, cleverness, and willingness to share. Without her there would be no Diabetes Art Day. Please take a moment to look at the other art posted. Thanks!

Necrobiosis Lipoidica Diabeticorum

2011-06-12T22:14:00.005-05:00

I'm going about my day when I feel that telltale sting on my lower leg and I can't stop the string of cuss words that leave my mouth. It doesn't really hurt, but I know that in moments the pain will increase exponentially. I look down and see what amounts to little more than a scratch. I watch as a clear liquid begins to seep from the wound then count to ten as the pain begins to ramp up and I try to remember how to breathe.

My necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum lesions look like burns and ironically when they are injured they burn like they are literally on fire. A fire that will be repeated at random times during the next week or two that it takes for the injury to heal. The length of time depends on whether or not the living tissue beneath the lesion was injured too. The deeper the wound the longer the healing time. Also, the more frequent the shooting pains through the wound.

Although my loved ones and co-workers are used to seeing the lesions, when I've injured one, they can't help but ask if I'm okay. I can't say that I blame them. The wounds look nothing less than angry. Sometimes they will puff up or swell and often they will actually look like they are infected. Even though they aren't.

For years, I had kept my legs hidden at all costs even at home. No shorts or skirts. I wouldn't even leave my bedroom in my nightgown. I was just positive that everyone would stare at my legs. That this visual evidence of my diabetes made me even more of a freak. Not all of that was vanity or fear. I'm quite pale and can sunburn in a matter of minutes. The lesions can get burned in about half that time.

Some of it is vanity though. These hideously ugly lesions have turned my once porcelain skin to an orange, red, & purple mottled mess. No lesions have moved to my feet, but the colouring has. A possible foreshadowing of what is to come. One that leaves me fearful and worried when I'm completely honest with myself.

Despite their almost disgusting appearance, I have been very lucky. Most patients have developed pits and bumps because of their lesions. For the most part, my legs are even and smooth. Only their colour and cellular make-up has been irrevocably changed by this disease. And of course my already nearly non-existent self-esteem has taken a hard knock, but not a lasting one.

I don’t remember what exactly made me change my mind about covering up my legs. But I do remember that my loved ones made an effort not to bring up the change. In fact, I remember walking into the kitchen in shorts one Saturday, and hearing my Pops’ comment cut short by my Mommy’s elbow in his side. Poor man. He did tell me later than day (when Mommy was out of earshot) that I had nice legs and I shouldn’t hide them all the time. I took that comment to heart and rarely hide them now. And on good days, I agree with him. They are nice legs. There are a lot of women I know that wish they had 24 inch thighs. Now if the rest of me just matched. :D

For those of you who aren’t familiar with necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum, here is an overview of it. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1103467-overview

And here are a few pictures of my legs and feet.

My Left Foot

My Right Foot

My Left Leg

My Right Leg

My Right Leg

That divot is not from the NLD. I had a benign tumor removed from a blood vessel there in February 2006.

My Right Ankle

Both of these are the outside of my Right Ankle. This is where the pressure ulcer was when I was diagnosed in June of 1991. I wrote about it here. The ankle is a bit misshapen because of the muscle tissue I lost, but to me it's beautiful because I nearly lost not just my ankle but my whole foot.

Still Miss You

2011-05-08T19:07:00.005-05:00

I miss you. I keep waiting for the sharp, breath-stealing need to see you to fade, but it feels just as strong today as it did the day you left this Earth. I still get halfway through your number before I remember you aren't there to answer it. The thought of you still makes me cry and smile at the same time.

You weren't perfect and sometimes loving you was hard. But I'd sell my soul for just one minute of that hard time. You taught us that family isn't always who you're related to. That it can be those people you love enough to gather around you & hold close. You taught us to love deep and long.

You never tired of hearing every single detail of my day, even if it meant I'd talk for hours. You always tried to teach me how to be a lady and never got mad when I just couldn't manage it. You never hesitated to say "I love you" or to hug us even when moving your arms was agony for you.

You taught me to be quietly strong like steel cloaked in silk, but that it was okay to be loud when it was needed. And sometimes when it wasn't. You told me to be me no matter what anyone thought, including you. You encouraged me to use my imagination and listened patiently as I made up story after story instead of you reading to me at bedtime.

Sometimes you were harsh with Mommy and that bothered me, but I just kept reminding her and myself that it was because you loved her so very much. As the strokes became more frequent, your love for her became evident as you clung to her. Taking care of you those last seven months nearly killed both of us, but neither of us would trade one single moment. I can't speak for Mommy, but I know that I would do it all over again.

I've posted these poems before, but nothing has changed. You're still gone and I still miss you. Some people say that I should just get over it and move on. After all, it has been seventeen years. Just typing that makes my heart ache. I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss you every single day until I see you again. God willing, that won't be very soon. I love you, Grammy. Keep saving that seat next to you for me and I'll be there when I'm done down here.

**********************************

seventeen minutes

a sound draws my attention
as i move towards it
i realize its a laugh
then i recognize it
and my heartbeat quickens
i turn the corner
to find her sitting
in her favorite chair
“grammy!” i cry
and throw myself
into her loving arms
“i’ve been waiting for you, baby”
she says with that smile i miss
i feel my chest tighten
a sound behind me
makes me turn
when i look back
she is gone again
then i wake up
and for just a moment
she is still alive
if i hurry to the phone
she’ll answer when i call
dazed, i walk into the kitchen
my sister asks what’s wrong
then holds me as i cry
listening as i tell her
my dream turned nightmare
and i wonder
will it ever stop hurting
will i ever stop missing her
is she watching me now
is she proud
does she know
that i loved her so much
my heart is still breaking
even though she’s been gone
for six years
one month
sixteen days
eleven hours
and seventeen minutes

©CLP

**********************************

her

i saw a woman the other day
with her hair colour
you know the one that
miss clairol makes
and i had this urge to
colour my hair that shade
so she would be with me
each and every day
but my eyes are all wrong
hers were brown
and mine are gray
i guess the hair colour
doesn’t really matter
besides a million things
every day
make me think of her
the smell of coffee brewing
the sound of christmas carols
the taste of peanut butter
the feel of her blue blanket
the last thing she ever touched
before she died
except for me
i just wish she had known me
those last months
i waited every day
for some sort of spark
or that light in her eyes
she always had for me
or the way she had
of calling me ‘baby’
that never bothered me
even though i hadn’t been one
for far too many years
but up until her last moment
i was a stranger
i would cry in the kitchen
so she couldn’t see
and worry
i only smiled in front of her
as i put her medicines
through her feeding tube
changed her sheets
bathed her tired body
rubbed lotion on her fragile skin
and brushed her gray hair
that was once that colour
you know the one that
miss clairol makes

©CLP

Rememberance

2011-05-02T19:53:00.007-05:00

Ten years ago, before I had a blog, I had a simple webpage that I made from scratch (because I'd just taken an HTML class). I posted my poetry. I had no followers or regular readers. So basically a lot like this blog. :P

After September 11, 2001, I was glad to have a place to freely express my grief & horror. Today, I am grateful to have this blog to do so again. Since last night's announcement, I've had a hard knot in my stomach. Like a rock weighing my whole body down. I'd thought it was dread or fear of the coming repercussions. While I am feeling both of those things, I think it was mostly an inability to express how I was feeling. And not just because I couldn't find the right words, but also for fear of being verbally attacked for my point of view.

Anyone that knows me can tell you that I'm probably the least political person they know. I just cannot wrap my head around the amount of name-calling, mud-slinging, & hate-mongering that goes on. Despite a high IQ, it's a concept that I just cannot grasp.

Since I got home from work, I've been reading a few posts on Facebook & a few of my favorite blogs. I now know that what I really want to do is remember & honor the people we lost in 9/11. I cannot bring myself to celebrate the death of anyone, even a madman. It's just not in my nature.

So I posted this quote from a well-spoken man that I greatly admire as my Facebook status: "I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that" — Martin Luther King Jr

Then I found my spirits lifted by two of my fellow members of the DOC (Diabetes Online Community). Kelly over at Diabetesaliciousness wrote this Today and made me realize what I really wanted & needed to do today. And Simon from the 70's made me even more proud to be an American with his Lest We Forget post. Thanks to both wonderful authors for always writing from their hearts.

Now for my less eloquent words. Mere days after 9/11, I wrote a poem about how I felt. A year later, I wrote another one. I'm posting both of them here. In a way, they both still ring very much true for me today.

lest we forget

the sound of freedom
as it rings
or the feel of tears
as they fall
or the demand for justice
as it is cried out

we will forever
keep a prayer
in our grieving hearts
for those fallen
sacrificed for our great land
civilian and soldier
young and old
men and women
all without blame
innocents taken
against our country's will
by a monster
made of cowardice
and hatred
evil itself
without conscience
or morals
but destined for defeat

our hearts
will rise
our spirits
will shine
our flags
will be flown
our courage
will be great
and our fight
will be unending

©CLP
09/14/2001

one more year

nothing much has changed
one more year of tears
one more year of fears
that’s a whole lot of nothing

innocents turned heroes
heroes turned victims
free people became prisoners

prisoners of a war we can’t see
prisoners of a war we didn’t start
but is it a war we can win?

nothing much has changed
one more year of terror
one more year of fighting
that’s a whole lot of nothing

hope turned into grief
mourning turned into resolution
a divided world tried to become whole

people around the world
stood beside us in word and spirit
maybe it will last

nothing much has changed
one more year is past
one more year since the last
and that’s a lot more than nothing

©CLP
09/09/2002

Writing

2011-04-16T15:44:00.003-05:00

I feel like I've had writer's block for years. Only getting glimpses into my own imagination in fits and spurts. But I've always had problems with endings. I've just never been a fan of goodbyes, not even in writing. It's like I cling to whatever I'm writing as if I'm afraid to let go in case those are the last words I'll ever be able to write. Makes it hard to finish anything. Or maybe I'm just afraid of what happens after you finish. At that point you don't have any excuse not to show it to people, including publishers or editors. If I don't finish it then I can't be rejected, right?

A few years ago, a good online friend and fellow writer (Hi, Cormac!), suggested that I write flash fiction or very short pieces. I was scared, but I gave it a try. I did manage a few posts here on my blog and since them have posted a few more. I also tried my hand at Six Sentences. I even had two of them accepted. Some of them weren't and never really saw the light of day. For no reason whatsoever, I think it's time they did. So here they are.

*****************

The first one was declined by Six Sentences by the nicest rejection I've ever had. Robert McEvily (the editor of Six Sentences) said, "
I've decided not to use this piece, but I wanted to thank you for sending it, and I hope you'll consider sending more work in the future." He only has himself to blame for the many submissions that followed. :)

She
She had looked forward to this day all of her life and now it was nearly here. She would soon change her name and her life forever. She had hoped and prayed about this moment for her whole life. She had planned every last detail. She knew it wouldn’t be perfect, but it would be a dream come true. She just couldn’t wait to be a doctor.

*****************

The next one was actually published on the Six Sentences website. http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2009/01/obsession.html

Obsession
Our conversation abruptly stopped and I looked up to find him staring off into nothing with a far away look in his eyes. My first thought was to wonder where in the universe he was when I realized that I didn't really care. It also occurred to me that he was mentally absent from our life together more than he was present. I let out a deep breath that I felt like I'd been holding since we'd met twelve years ago and left the kitchen. In less than thirty minutes, I'd packed everything I wanted to take with me from this life, grabbed my laptop, and headed towards the door. I only stopped long enough to erase my number in his cell phone, before I exited this life and entered another.

*****************

This one was the "Bonus Six" at the end of the Six Sentences newsletter. http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2009/02/newsletter-sixes.html

Happiness
She has such a tight grip on her heart that she can barely breathe. She's so determined not to fall that she's forgetting to live. Happiness isn't the lack of unhappiness; it's something you have to work at because if it was easy then it wouldn't mean anything. You have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light. But if you don't let go of the darkness, how can you ever let in the light? You have to open up your heart and let the light shine in so happiness can grow.

*****************

Now for the ones that haven't really seen the light of day. Robert has seen them & there were posted on my page on the Six Sentences social website, but that was pretty much it.

Need
He called again today and it's all I can do to not draw him back into my world. I don't love him, but the lure of being adored is almost irresistible. Knowing that with just a word from me he'd abandon his fiancee and rush to my side is intoxicating. He'd risk a lifetime with her for just a moment with me. Having no intention of keeping him usually strengthens my resolve not to use him to take the edge off of my loneliness. But tonight my need to be loved might override my need to be kind.

*****************

Stalking
The beat of the music vibrates up and down my spine and makes my body tingle. Trying to disguise my intense observation as casual curiosity, my eyelids flutter rapidly. My eyes track his movements like a predator on the hunt as he continues to dance with girl after girl in happy oblivion. The only comfort is realizing he never dances with any of them more than once. Their lack of appeal keeps them safe from him and me. For now.

*****************

Departure
The truth is that no one gets out of this alive, so what is the big deal? They say you can't take it with you and she was okay with that since what you should take with you had nothing to do with dollar signs. What she valued was that moment as she stepped out of her car and he wrapped his arms around her and instantly felt like home. The time, years later, that their lips met and their friendship blossomed into something so much more than either of them had ever expected. That night they parked by the lake and he confessed that he loved her, that he'd never told another girl that before, and probably never would again. As she looked down at his peaceful face and felt him leaving her, those were the things she hoped he would take with him on his final journey.

*****************

I think that last one is my favorite. There are many more short pieces in the archives of my blog. Feel free to give them a read. Thanks for stopping by. :)

Who Am I?

2011-04-13T22:49:00.002-05:00

My new friend & fellow member of the DOC (Diabetic Online Community), Mike Durbin posted a blog today stating who he was and challenged everyone who read it do the same. I said I couldn't really answer that since I never have a clear picture of who I am. For the most part that is true. I find that I most often describe myself in terms that reflect a relationship I have instead of who I really am. I'm someone's friend, co-worker, sister, aunt, etc. All of those things are true, but they aren't all of who I am. At least I hope not. So I did some thinking and here's what I came up with.

I am a woman of......
passion & compassion
hope & help
life & love
words & phrases
needs & deeds
mysteries & truths
dreams & nightmares
needles & numbers
frets & debts
melodies & harmonies
paper & pages
uploads & downloads
highs & lows
strengths & tears
giving & holding
heart & mind
heaven & earth

Pretty sure that doesn't clear up anything, but it makes sense to me. And I'm sure there are a few people that know me well enough to see the sense in it too. Now I'll pass on the challenge. Who are you?

Misdiagnosed

2011-04-09T12:08:00.004-05:00

The summer of 1990 was a hard one, but little did I know that the following summer would make it look like a vacation by comparison. It started out fun with my first trip to Disney World, but quickly went downhill from there. I came home from vacation to find out that I'd been fired and if that wasn't bad enough they did it through the mail. I also came home with several small lesions on my lower legs that were purple, smooth, and looked like burns.

A friend of my mom's sent me to his very expensive dermatologist who was also an expert in rare skin diseases. He took one look at it and knew what it was. The biopsy result confirmed his diagnosis. Necrobiosis Lipoidica Diabeticorum*. He told me I needed to get to an endocrinologist right away because only diabetics get this skin disease. I knew that couldn't be right because I didn't have diabetes, but he insisted.

My mom's friend helped out again by sending me to the best endocrinologist he could find. The visit is a bit of a blur, but I do know the man never took any blood for tests except for the finger prick for a blood sugar test. He wrote a lot in my chart, but didn't talk a lot. He never even shared the blood sugar test result with me. He simply said I had Type 2 Diabetes, gave me a couple of pamphlets, an exchange diet booklet from the American Diabetes Association, and a stern warning that I needed to lose weight. I was too deep in shock to realize that I'd basically been given the bum's rush out of this guy's office.

The pamphlets were vague at best and he never mentioned a return visit at all. A few week later I called his office to find out when I should come back and was told that I didn't need to because Type 2 Diabetes was all about self-care. The nurse informed me that the doctor said he couldn't do anything for me if I didn't lose at least 100 pounds. When I asked how I was supposed to do that she replied that she didn't know but maybe I should stop eating so much. Yes, she actually said that. And to add insult to injury she said it in quite a snotty way. My response will NOT get me sainted for sure. I said, "Really? And I bet you'd be less of a bitch if you stopped breathing," and I slammed the phone down.

Over the next 6 months, I cut out as much sugar as I could. Switched to diet sodas, unsweetened tea, and stopped eating candy. Even though I didn't really eat or drink much of that anyway. Of course the pamphlets didn't say anything about carbs or how to check my blood sugar. I had been on the exchange diet when I was a kid due to Hypoglycemia, but it had changed and I couldn't make much sense of it. I did the best I could and moved forward.

It seemed like each day I was hungrier than the last. No matter what I ate, I never felt full or satisfied. I started bring snacks to work to stop the gnawing stomach pains. It seemed like I was constantly eating. Small Ziploc bags of cereal & other snacks would surround me at any given moment at work or home. And despite all the eating, I was losing weight.

At first it was gradual, but as the hunger increased, so did the weight loss. A couple of pounds a month turned into a couple of pounds a week in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Worse yet, my personality began changing. I had always been a perky and happy person. Almost annoyingly so. Suddenly I was moody and grumpy. Where I once sprang out of bed each morning with a smile on my face, I now crawled out of bed with a grimace and often remarked that I felt like I hadn't even slept. I was constantly tired and just generally felt bad.

This went on for nearly a year. I wouldn't find out until June of the following year that I had been misdiagnosed. If the so-called specialist had bothered to do any real blood tests on me, he would have known right away I had Type 1 Diabetes. If he had stopped looking down his nose at me and looked past my weight, I might not have had the three-month-long battle to save my foot and ankle.

Looking back now, I know that I'm lucky I survived. There are so many things that could have happened during that time. On any one of those restless nights, I could have easily slipped into a coma and never woke up again. I could have had kidney failure due to diabetic ketoacidosis. I could have lost my foot and my ankle because after all that time and stress on my body it just simply couldn't heal. I definitely got lucky. Really lucky.

The next chapter of my diabetic life story continues in the post I wrote for the Diabetes Social Media Advocacy website - http://diabetessocmed.com/2011/participants-point-of-view-life-stages-w-diabetes/

*http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1103467-overview

Reversing Ignoranace

2011-04-08T20:36:00.003-05:00

On Thursday, Kim Vlasnik from Texting my Pancreas, a fellow member of the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) brought to our attention that Reader's Digest would be releasing a special Diabetes Magazine called, "Reversing Diabetes - Your Total Guide To Blood Sugar Control" that will hit stands in May.

Needless to say, the DOC is up in arms. Reversing Diabetes?!?! Really? And who is your medical expert, Reader's Digest? Halle Berry? Any REAL medical expert will tell you that you cannot REVERSE diabetes. Unless you have invented a magic ray gun that changes your DNA. And if you have, are you planning to make one that can reverse stupidity? I'd like to nominate Halle Berry as your first test subject. I'm just saying.

Anyway, today I read a blog written by Kelly Kunik from Diabetesaliciousness. She might be my new hero. The blog details the multiple calls she made to Reader's Digest today. I was impressed to say the least. Kim & Kelly made such lasting impressions on me that I want to share their blog posts with you.

Please take a moment to read both of them. And if you feel like calling Reader's Digest & expressing yourself, Kelly has included phone numbers. :)

You can read Kim's post here - A Letter To Reader's Digest

You can read Kelly's post here - Just Got Off The Phone With The Director of Customer Care for Reader's Digest

Like so many members of the DOC, these women ROCK. They are worth their weight in BG test strips for sure. :)

Entering Fan-Girl Mode

2011-03-21T19:37:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I started participating in a Twitter chat hosted by Diabetes Social Media Advocacy (#dsma & @DiabetesSocMed) on Wednesday night & listening to their radio show, DSMA Live, on Thursday night. I've met a lot of really great people & discovered a support system worth it's weight is blood glucose test strips.

After last week's chat & show, I was asked to write a blog post about the topic we discussed. I was honored to say the least. And boy was I nervous. Posting here on my own blog is one thing. Let's be honest, the only readers I have are friends & family who could call me for this information. Their website is public. Like public, public. As in LOTS of public. :)

So while I continue my Fan-Girl Happy Dance, go take a look at my post. And of course, let me know what you think!

Thanks again DSMA!!!!!!

Perfection Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

2011-03-19T12:33:00.003-05:00

She wasn't perfect, but he didn't think anyone really was. Especially not those skinny, over-airbrushed models everyone was always talking about. He liked her "imperfections". The freckles on her alabaster skin that made the random patterns he liked to trace with his fingers. The area behind her ear where just his breath can make her sigh. The middle of her palm where the innocent graze of his thumb would make her shudder. The spot between her shoulders at the very top of her back where the mere whisper of his lips could make her moan.

He liked that her body was sensitive to his touch. That even the most innocent of contact between them could make colour rush suddenly into her cheeks as she thought of him repeating that contact the next time they were alone. The sight of her pupils dilating with pleasure as she remembered the last time they were alone. That shy look through her lowered lashes that told him that she not only wanted him, but loved him. The way she always closed the space between them without even thinking about it that told him her need to be near him matched his need to be near her.

He could watch her forever and never get his fill. The way she tilted her head back when she laughed that exposed her creamy throat in a way that just begged to be kissed. The way she sometimes watched his lips while he was talking that made him lose his train of thought. The way she covered her mouth when he surprised a giggle out of her. The sweet way she blushed when he teased her or complimented her.

He found himself making up excuses to touch her. Brushing her soft hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. Offering her his hand to help her out of the car. His hand in the small of her back as he walked beside her in a crowded place. Touching the tips of her fingers as he takes a book from her. Covering her hand as he makes a point during their dinner conversation. Over and over he found himself drawn to her. Maybe she was perfect. Perfect for him.

Writer's Note: The inspiration for this piece of very short fiction came about after a conversation I overheard between two guys. The first one had just described a girl (I can only assume she was his girlfriend/wife) & the second responded with, "She's not perfect, but she's perfect for you." The way he emphasized the word "you" really got me to thinking. Then later that night these words began banging on the inside of my brain demanding to be let out. I happily obliged since the inspiration to write doesn't come around nearly as often as I'd like.

That was a few weeks ago. I didn't post it right away because even though the inspiration was the conversation between two strangers, the end product seemed personal & almost private. Like I'd put way more of myself into it than I had intended. There is something of me in every thing I write, not just the fiction & poetry. I think that's what it takes to be a really good writer. Not that I'm a really good writer, just that I hope to be one day. I decided to post it this morning when I realized why I had been reluctant before.

I don't remember a time in my life when I have ever been comfortable with my body. I cover it up & I avoid mirrors at all costs. It is so far from perfect that it's in another universe. In my head, I know that no one is perfect & in other people I know that perfection isn't required for someone to be beautiful, handsome, or even sexy. But only in other people. Somehow I can't seem to let myself off the hook for my lack of perfection and not just in looks.

If I'm not perfect, then no one will love me is what the voice in the back of head has told me all my life. As an adult, I know this is not true. I'm not perfect and I am very loved. But I can never seem to vanquish that thought completely and I think that's because as a child I didn't know for sure that it wasn't true. By the time I knew it was nonsense, I'd already heard it non-stop for years.

The bad things are easier to believe than the good things. My proof of that is that every "bad" thing ever said about me or to me went straight into the thought bank of my little voice, but only about 1 out of every 10 "good" things made it in there. Although in the last few years, I'd say that the "good" numbers are definitely on the rise & a lot more of "bad" things are just discarded before my little voice can get a hold of them. It's a slow process though. So bear with me, I'm a work in progress. :)

PostSecret

2011-02-20T16:07:00.005-06:00

Even though this postcard is the one that spoke the loudest to me this week, I nearly didn't share it. The postal strip covering up part of the words annoys me greatly. But then I realized that this one resonates with me so much that I can fill in that last part with my own secret.

I joked recently that I would go out with the next guy that bought me flowers, but if the truth be told I would take a book over flowers any day. The gift of a book makes me feel so much more than loved. It lets me know that this person knows of my love for books, thinks that I am intelligent enough to enjoy reading, and that they took the time to pick out something special just for me. If they get me a book that I love without having to ask me what book I want*, then it's about 100 times more special to me. It means they are really paying attention to who I am.

* - Asking me if I already own the book they are planning to purchase for me is not the same as asking me what book I'd like them to buy. It's always a good idea to check if I own something before buying it since I own quite a few books. :)

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

My Personal Love Language Profile

2011-02-14T21:00:00.002-06:00

Not sure if this is me or not. I think it makes me sound really clingy. Hope I'm not really like that. At least not in a bad way.

Love Language Scores:
2 Words of Affirmation
11 Quality Time
1 Receiving Gifts
8 Acts of Service
8 Physical Touch

Quality Time
In Quality Time, nothing says "I love you" like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes you feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed activities, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

If you're curious, you can take it here.

Happy Blogoversary, Fly Away Home!

2010-11-19T20:12:00.004-06:00

I almost missed it. But thanks to a comment from Teena In Toronto (THANKS TEENA!), I didn't. YaY!

There haven't been a lot of posts in the last 5 years, but every one of them has come from my heart. Or my warped sense of humor. Or both. :D

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by over the years. Watching my visitor counter & number of comments go up has been a thrill. Especially the comments. I don't have a lot to say, but it's nice to know that someone is reading it.

Thanks again, everyone!!!

A Little More Poetry....

2010-11-18T20:10:00.001-06:00

sweetest surrender

with a slow smile and shining blue eyes
you start to let down your guard
with a shy blush and fluttering lashes
your armour begins to crack
with a sweet word and innocent guile
i slip past all your best defenses
with a nervous giggle and soft sigh
your heart becomes mine alone
with a breathless whisper of your name
you willingly surrender yourself to me

by,
clp
11/17/2010 – 10:04pm

Books, Books, Books......

2010-11-11T18:32:00.002-06:00

Stolen from Kwizgiver who boosted from Bev.

Hardcover or paperback, and why?
I have to choose?! Usually it’s paperback because it’s cheaper & that’s important when your book addiction is as bad as mine. Although for some authors I can’t wait until the paperback comes out so I’ll get on the waiting list at the library hoping to hold out until it’s my turn before I surrender & pop for the hardcover. I usually don’t make it. Thanks to my fabulous birthday gift from my loving brother, these days it’s mostly e-books. I still have to buy a book every now & then though. Did I mention that I’m addicted to them?

My favorite quote from a book is...
"The world will give you that once in a while, a brief time-out; the boxing bell rings and you go to your corner, where somebody dabs mercy on your beat-up life." From THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd

The author (alive or dead) I would love to have lunch with would be...
I’m going to cheat & answer this twice. Dead would probably be Jane Austen. Alive would have to be Laurell K. Hamilton. Although I’m sure I would make quite a fool out of myself or sit there nervously & never utter a word.

The smell of an old book reminds me of...
happiness & contentment.

If I could be the lead character in a book, it would be...
probably Anita Blake from Laurell K. Hamilton’s vampire series. She’s gorgeous & kicks some major ass.

The most overestimated book of all time is...
THE SCARLET LETTER. I hope this book is no longer required reading & if it is I’m glad I don’t have kids in the school system.

I hate it when a book...
has an ending that not only isn’t plausible, but has nothing really to do with the rest of the story.

Thank You Doesn't Seem Like Enough

2010-11-11T08:38:00.004-06:00

*Stolen from my friend, Kwizgiver, because she has all the coolest stuff*

D-Blog Day

2010-11-09T20:07:00.005-06:00

So today is D-Blog day. That would be Diabetes Blog Day for all of you non-pancreatic-challenged people out there. I've been thinking off & on this afternoon about what I wanted to say when I finally got a chance to blog.

I didn't know where to start so I waddled (yes, I waddle even in cyberspace) on over to a blog called Six Until Me written by Kerri Sparling. I've only recently discovered Kerri's blog. Heck, I just found out that there is a whole online community out there full of diabetics. I've begun reading several blogs written by diabetics, but Kerri's is the one that time after time keeps resonating with me.

Her post today was no different. It struck such a chord with me that I'm not even going to attempt to put into words what I am feeling. I'm just going to tell you to here & read for yourself. I certainly couldn't have said it any better.

Thanks for being such a great voice for diabetics, Kerri!

Hmmm.. Another poem...

2010-11-02T21:40:00.002-05:00

simply be

be my alpha & omega
be my knight & knave
be my start & finish
be my master & slave

be my partner & adversary
be my lover & friend
be my distraction & focus
be my begining & end

be my reflection & counterpart
be my future & past
be my delight & vexation
be my first & last

be my obsession & caring
be my nearby & faraway
be my passion & calm
be my night & day

be my man & plaything
simply be my everything

by,

clp
11/2/2010
9:38 pm

A Little Poetry....

2010-11-01T21:29:00.003-05:00

Songs of Siren Sisters

Siren Sisters sing sweetly
Songs of love, desire, & need
Drawing men ever nearer
Eliciting daring & bold deeds

Siren Sisters whisper wantonly
Songs of longing, compulsion, & fire
Requiring tribute & sacrifice
Spurring men to climb higher

Siren Sisters breathe brazenly
Songs of devotion, frenzy, & passion
Inciting ringing cries of fealty
Nearing the point of obsession

Siren Sisters sigh serenely
Songs of joy, bliss, & rapture
Knowing nothing but loyalty
From the hearts & souls they capture

by

clp
11/01/2010
9:28 pm

Holy Diabetic Coma, Batman!!!

2010-10-28T20:07:00.005-05:00

Whataburger is now offering a Chocolate Brownie Pie. (Mmmmmm, chocolate) (Mmmmmm, pie)

I know. Win - win, right? Yeah, not so much if you're diabetic. :P

I bought one anyway. It wasn't bad. I actually prefer the chocolate turnover at Arby's. Now that was some chocolatey goodness. (Mmmmmm, chocolate)

Okay, now I should probably go take another shot of insulin. :P

Not Getting Back Up Is Never An Option

2010-10-28T07:17:00.002-05:00

Cleggy shared this video with me this morning. Thanks, Cleggy!!!

These words were the first ones I heard today and I have a feeling they will continue to resonate for me in the next few days. Music is a powerful force. It imparts so much more than just the lyrics & the notes. And this song speaks of forward motion.

A New Page?

2010-10-21T21:25:00.002-05:00

When the new Barenaked Ladies album came out, I resisted listening to it. Steven Page leaving the band had left me a bit shell-shocked. It never occurred to me that the sound of my favorite band of all time would ever change. Evolve, yes. But not a change like this. How I felt can only be described as grief. Something I loved for years had died.

After months of refusing to listen to "All In Good Time", one night I just gave in and listened. I liked it. It was good to hear Ed, Kevin, Tyler, & Jim again. It was like running into a friend you really loved hanging out with and can't remember why you don't still hang out. Still, something felt vaguely off. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Just a slight niggling at the back of my mind telling me there was something tiny but important missing.

Last night a good friend shared Steven Page's new album "Page One". I decided not to be so stubborn this time so I started listening. About 3 songs in, I started feeling slightly schizophrenic. I was both happy & sad at the same time. As I listened to Steven's songs I realized what was missing.

Not just his voice (which I'm simply crazy about) but also his quirky lyrics & phrasing. Yet as I listened I still had that "something is missing" feeling. I kept expecting the boys (Ed, Kevin, Tyler, & Jim) to join him. And while artistically I loved each song more than the last, emotionally I felt like they all have tricked us or let us down.

I felt the need to stomp my foot & demand that they put the band back together & stop all this nonsense. I felt cheated almost. And yet, my foot wouldn't be still & I was humming along.

I might need therapy. :P

Diabetes Meme

2010-10-17T21:57:00.002-05:00

What type of diabetes do you have: Type 1

When were you diagnosed: June, 15, 1991

What's your current blood sugar: No clue & not really sure I want to know. *sigh* Tested & I was right, I didn't want to know. 212. These numbers are making me so crazy lately.

What kind of meter do you use: Ascensia Countour by Bayer which I've had for several years & I'm itching for a new one. Alas, my insurance doesn't cover the cost of the meter. Just the strips.

How many times a day do you test your blood sugar: 1-2, which is not nearly enough.

What's a "high" number for you: Anything over 250.

What's do you consider "low": Anything under 80.

What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater: Lime Tic Tacs if I'm just a little low. Anything below 60 requires juice. I don't swallow very well at that point so it has to be liquid because chewing & swallowing isn't going to happen.

Describe your dream endo: I actually don't have an Endo. *hears a collective gasp* I know, I know. My GP is a great guy & an even better doctor. He manages everything quite well.

What's your biggest diabetes achievement: Surviving? I don't really know, to be honest.

What's your biggest diabetes-related fear: After having my gall bladder removed in 2006 & having an open wound for 7 months, it is most definitely another surgery. I heal slower than snails on quaaludes.

Who's on your support team: My family & friends. My GP & his staff, my Gastroenterologist & his staff, and my Hemotologist & his staff. (Now do you see why I don't want another specialist?)

Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime: Depends on what day you ask me. Most days, yes I do believe they will get there. But some days, when the numbers on my meter are over 250 or over 300, I'm pretty sure I won't live long enough to see it.

What is a "cure" to you: No more shots, testing, A1C's, slow healing, lows that leave me unable to speak, highs that leave me with blinding headaches, struggling to pay for all the medicines that are necessary just to live, and no more watching my family & friends worry that this will be the year that my kidneys/heart/eyes start to fail.

The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is: When they assume I have Type 2 instead of Type 1 because of my weight. And of course then they proceed to tell me that if I just lose some weight the diabetes would go away. Which would be surprising news for my doctor.

What is the most common misconception about diabetes: People are either one extreme or the other. They either think diabetes is no worse than the common cold or they think you are at death's door. There's a whole lot of middle ground in there people!

If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be: "Get back to work, you lazy bastard!!!"

five & ten, do it again...

2010-07-29T21:25:00.001-05:00

I’ve been tagged back. Is that even legal in this state?! Who knows?

Just in case you’ve forgotten, here’s da rules…

(1) Turn on your MP3 player/iPod.
(2) Go to SHUFFLE songs mode.
(3) Write down the first TEN songs that come up--song title and artist--NO editing/cheating, please (even if letting the world know you listen to crap like "Weekend in New England" will humiliate you).
(4) Choose FIVE people to be tagged. It is generally considered to be in good taste to tag the person who tagged you, since there should be new songs appearing with Shuffle every time.

1. “Year 3000” by the Jonas Brothers
2. “Hello, Goodbye” by the GLEE cast
3. “Talk Tonight” by Oasis
4. “Matters” by The Maxfield Rabbit
5. "A Design For Life” by Manic Street Preachers
6. "Call My Name” by Charlotte Church
7. "Jersey Girl” by the Bacon Brothers
8. "Symphony” by Kathleen Wilhoite
9. "Romeo & Jane” by Tonio K
10. "Shower Your Love On Me” by Kula Shaker
11. "So Close” by Jeannette McCurdy
12. "Michael Brennan” by the Barenaked Ladies
13. "I Hate The Homecoming Queen” by Emily Osment
14. "Tremble For My Beloved” by Collective Soul
15. "Je Suis le Meme” by Garou
16. “Venus In Overdrive” by Rick Springfield
17. “Cry Me A River” by Glen Hansard
18. “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” by Famous Last Words
19 “Liar, Liar” by Alexz Johnson
20. “Angel Eyes” by The Jeff Healey Band

And just because it will irk Cleggy that I did more than him…

21. “Potential Breakup Song” by Aly & AJ
22. “The Origin of Love” from the Hedwig & The Angry Inch soundtrack
23. “Somehow” by Drake Bell
24. “Lick” by Joi
25. “She’s Probably With Him” by The Andersons

I will be skipping #4 in an attempt to avoid getting tagged back again. Just until I check on the legality of it. Wouldn’t want to get arrested or anything like that. :P

five & ten

2010-07-20T19:22:00.001-05:00

Instructions...
(1) Turn on your MP3 player/iPod.
(2) Go to SHUFFLE songs mode.
(3) Write down the first TEN songs that come up--song title and artist--NO editing/cheating, please (even if letting the world know you listen to crap "Weekend in New England" will humiliate you).
(4) Choose FIVE people to be tagged. It is generally considered to be in good taste to tag the person who tagged you, since there should be new songs appearing with Shuffle every time.

1. "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie
2. "Right Where You Want Me" by Jesse McCartney
3. "Rose's Turn" from GLEE
4. "Behind Enemy Lines" by Demi Lovato
5. "Got Me Goin' Crazy" by the Jonas Brothers
6. "I Caught Myself" by Paramore
7. "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" by Darius Rucker
8. "Shout It" by Mitchel Musso
9. "Everybody Knows (But You)" by The Divine Comedy
10. "Fallen For You" by Drake Bell
11. "New Vibration" by Collective Soul
12. "Get Back" by The Beatles
13. "Stickes & Stones" by Aly & AJ
14. "Girlfriend" by Marie Digby
15. "All Around the World" by Oasis

Okay, I did more than 10 because I was curious where it was going to go next. I actually had to make myself stop. :P

My five friends:
Kwizgiver
Wendy Darling
Cleggy
Cormac Brown
Margo

Guilty Secret...

2010-07-12T23:34:00.001-05:00

Years ago, I signed up & made an avatar on IMVU. We are talking about 2006 which isn't that long after it started. I didn't stay around long. I began to wonder why there were so many guys hitting on a cartoon character with a bobble head & didn't see the point.

Fast foward a couple of years. My sister asks me one day if I've ever heard of IMVU. So I pull out the scary cartoon avi and go hang out with my sister online. Things have changed. A lot. I'm the only bobble head in the room. My two default outfits weren't going to cut it.

Since then I've signed on when I could & enjoyed spending time with my sister. Makes the distance between us feel a lot less than it really is. I also get to talk to some nice people from time to time. Even made a few friends.

Recently, I haven't been able to update my IMVU for the last few months. It keeps telling me that my download failed. I wouldn't really mind much, but all the pictures for my inventory are blank. It's like getting dressed in the damn dark. Or like playing outfit roulette. Yeah it's all fun & games until you end up wearing some freaky club hair a clueless guy gave you, a fairy princess gown, & the default IMVU sneakers.

Next thing you know the fashion police are busting down the door to your default IMVU penthouse with the cheap Japanese water fountain & bridge and they've entered you into the Outfit Challenge. You're 594th out of 535 entries. I'm still in therapy. I might sue.

I should probably take some time away from IMVU. Like maybe starting right now since it’s nearly midnight & I have to work tomorrow. :P

Grief Is Funny

2010-07-03T13:23:00.004-05:00

Funny weird, not funny ha ha. Trust me, I'm not laughing. It's been a rough couple of months.

On Tuesday, 5/18 my parents dog passed away peacefully in his sleep. He would have been 14 on June 1st. He was a border collie with quite a personality.

In the summer of 1996, I was living with my parents. Not exactly cool at the age of 28, but necessary. It had been 5 years since getting diagnosed with diabetes and we still hadn't made any headway towards getting it under control. So living alone wasn't an option. Not to mention having Type 1 Diabetes without insurance made money pretty tight.

My parents came home from running errands one Saturday afternoon in July, demanding that I close my eyes & hold out my hands. So I did. When I opened my eyes & looked into my hands, I was greeted by the second sweetest face I'd ever seen. The first sweetest belonging to my puppy girl, Sasha. There sat little Zander. Well technically it was Alexander Sebastian, but I thought that name was just too big for him so I called him Zander. What a great little guy he was. With a personality as big as his name.

Within a few days of bringing him home, my parents went on a two-week vacation to visit my Pop's family in Maryland. That left big sister babysitting. And let me tell you it was not an easy task.

Zander wouldn't sleep through the night. After several nights in a row of neither of us getting any sleep, I called the vet in a panic. He told me to try putting a radio near Zander's sleeping crate. Not a lot of success with that one. I think Zander objected to the type of music I made him listen too. Either that or he just hated DJ's because he literally reached through the crate & knocked the radio over.

After the vet stopped laughing, he suggested I get one of those wind-up alarm clocks that tick. I didn't even know these things still existed, but a trip to Walmart provided proof. Best of all, Zander slept through the night for the first time the very day I bought it. Well almost. He did manage to wake both of us up at about 4am by managing to turn on the alarm. A situation not repeated after I took a screwdriver to the alarm mechanism.

The alarm clock became his new favorite toy. He carried it around by the handle or scooted in along the floor for hours every day. It went nearly everywhere he did. Unless of course I was carrying him, in which case he paid the alarm clock no attention at all. My Mom still claims that his paws didn't hit the floor when I was home until he got too big for me to carry. I think she exaggerates. To prove her claim, she will tell you stories of a slightly larger Zander following me around the house & whining because I wouldn't pick him up. I say that I never carried him unless it was entirely necessary. I mean seriously, I let him walk on his own a lot. Mostly when I wasn't home, but that counts.

During this period there were a few more calls to the vet, though thankfully not in panic. Zander had started climbing up on my head & trying to prove his dominance in our little pack. And thanks to our not knowing to have his duclaw removed, he was starting to hurt me. After yet another laughing fit, the vet told me I'd have to show Zander that I was packleader. Um, okay.

It's easier than it sounds though. All I had to do was turn him on his back & growl in his face until he stopped struggling. The trick was to do it without laughing. Once I managed that it would last a month or so & then I'd have to do it again. Once he passed his puppy stage I could stop. Although he stopped climbing on my head, he never stopped thinking I was his litter mate. I truly didn't mind and it had it's upside.

Zander was a great companion. Too smart for his own good, but a sweet little guy. My favorite part was how he'd "talk" to me whenever I got home from work or just being away from the house. And after my parents moved in 2004, he even "talked" to me on the phone too. Being a good sister, I always talked back to him. Trust me, this amused our neighbors to no end. They must have thought I was more than a little nuts. Here is this border collie doing this sort of howling & yipping thing and a human answering him back. Probably grounds for being committed I'm sure.

After my parents moved to Maryland in August 2004, Zander was my Mommy's constant & almost only companion. My Pops drives a truck for a living & he can be gone for long stretches of time. So it was just Zander & Mommy a lot. Needless to say his death has hit her very hard. So in addition to my own grief, I worry about the depth of her pain & loneliness. Recently, they've gotten another dog but to be honest I'm not sure it's helping her. Kind of a long story there that is best told at another time.

There's more to my own story of grief, but that too is best told in another post. Right now I've got to find some tissues, again. My best advice right now is to not take any of your loved ones for granted, including the four-legged ones. And give them a little extra love from me. I've got plenty to spare at the moment. :(

PostSecret

2010-05-16T12:15:00.005-05:00

The secrets that jumped out at me this week...

I don't bathe in the dark since without my glasses I can't see a thing, but I do avoid looking in mirrors at all costs.

These two are the front & back of the same secret.

I often feel like there are dozens of different stories inside me just begging to see the light of day. I alternate between feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of them and bewildered at my lack of how to get them out. The fear makes it impossible for me to get any of those words out and I'm quite positive that my brain contains a finite amount of space that will eventually fill up to the point of exploding. It's a race to see which one drives me crazy first.

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

PostSecret

2010-04-24T19:51:00.004-05:00

Just a few secrets that jumped out at me. They won't officially post until tomorrow, so be sure to check it out. :)

I really do love to cook and I don't do it often enough. Especially with someone special. And with the right someone, it is an incredible turn on.

I'm glad to say that I've gotten flowers more than once in my life and I've never not appreciated them. Each time it is always a delight and never fails to touch me no matter what the occasion. I LOVE getting flowers. :)

Like my friend (and very talented singer), Eric Dodge says, "Never Make Love Wait." A great song and even better advice. None of us knows just how long we have on the Earth and we shouldn't put off saying what we need to say. Love out loud. Always. You can never say, "I Love You" too often. :)

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

PostSecret

2010-01-03T13:59:00.006-06:00

PostSecre t is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Books, Books, & More Books!

2010-01-02T01:20:00.004-06:00

Okay, I've been asked by a few friends about books and what I read. So here are several of my favorite authors and books.

I get some ideas for new authors at http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ and Cleggy (my bestest friend) lets me know when he comes across a book he thinks I might like. Plus he'll go to the Friends of the Library book sale and stock up on vamp books for me and let me weed through them. At 25 or 50 cents a book he can grab a lot. That's how I found 5, 6, 7, & 12 below. He also suggested 19 & 20.

1. My very favorite author is Laurell K. Hamilton. She's got a vampire hunter series (Anita Blake) and a faery series (Merry Gentry). I read both. One of the few authors that I buy her books as they come out instead of waiting to get them used or just reading them through the library. Keep in mind her stuff is pretty racy. http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/

2. Stephenie Meyer - I'm a fan of all her books. I've read her TWILIGHT series (and seen both of the movies) and THE HOST. I live in hope that she'll go forward with publishing MIDNIGHT SUN. And I just don't care that the TWILIGHT series is considered Young Adult Fiction. THE HOST is not, but not because it's racy. http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

3. Kim Harrison - Witches, vamps, weres, & even pixies and elves. A different take on things and I like that. I own a few in this series, but not all of them. http://www.kimharrison.net/

4. Charlaine Harris - She has two series that I love although she writes a couple others. There is a vamp series with Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood on HBO is based on this series) & another series with Harper Connelly. I only own a few in the vamp series, but thanks to Cleggy I have all the Harper Connelly series. And just so you know, the HBO series has WAY more sex than the books do. http://www.charlaineharris.com/

5. Vicki Pettersson - Hers is an interesting series about heroes & villains. The fourth one just came out in July, but I haven't gotten my hands on it yet. http://www.vickipettersson.com/

6. Jennifer Armintrout - Her Blood Ties series is another different take on vamps. Keeps with some of the standard stuff like sunlight & staking, but adds a few ideas of her own. I haven't delved into her other series yet, but I'm planning to. http://www.jenniferarmintrout.com/

7. Lilith Saintcrow - So far I've only read her Dante Valentine series, but I liked it. She's got a wicked sense of humor. No vamps, but there are demons & she's a necromancer. http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/

8. Patricia Briggs - She has several series out. The Mercedes Thompson and the Alpha & Omega series have been pretty good and they take place now. I've also read her Hurog & Raven series (only two books each), but they were hard to find. Got them through Interlibrary Loan eventually. They take place in a made up distant past kind of place. http://www.patriciabriggs.com/

9. Shanna Swendson - Her books are a bit of fluff, but I like her attitude. Plus her heroine is from Texas. :) http://www.shannaswendson.com/

10. Christopher Moore - He doesn't really do series, but some of his characters will pop up in other books. They are very quirky and kind of out there, but damn funny. http://www.chrismoore.com/

11. Annette Curtis-Klause - More Young Adult Fiction here. I've read THE SILVER KISS and BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE. I enjoyed both. They made a movie out of the second one, but it wasn't much like the book and it was a bit confusing. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/annette-curtis-klause/

12. Kelley Armstrong - Cleggy got me hooked on her Women of the Otherworld series when he bought the first two books for me. I read most of the books through the library but I've started buying them as they come out. I like that the books are about different women. The first couple are about a werewolf and then it moves to a witch, I think. And the characters crossover to other books in the series. She also does a young adult series called Darkest Powers. I like that series too. http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/

13. Ellen Schreiber - I had read the first two in the Vampire Kisses series and meant to read more, but got sidetracked by moving and then forgot. I've now caught up and I'm glad I did. This is more Young Adult Fiction. http://www.ellenschreiber.com/

14. Tonya Hurley - Her Ghostgirl books are funny. Yup, more Young Adult Fiction. http://www.ghostgirl.com/

15. Andre Norton - I am in the middle of her Halfblood Chronicles trilogy (literally since I'm halfway through the second book). She wrote them with Mercedes Lackey. I've read a few of the books she wrote alone too. http://www.andre-norton.org/

16. Orson Scott Card - I've read the Ender Wiggin series and plan to read more of his stuff as I can get my hands on them. http://www.hatrack.com/

17. Audrey Niffenegger - THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE is always on my re-read list. I finally bought a copy after realizing that I had checked it out from the library more than 5 times. I've also read HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY. It was good, but I'm not a fan of the ending. http://audreyniffenegger.com/

18. Sheri Holman - THE DRESS LODGER is also one on my re-read list. Look it up before you read it. It's not for everyone. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/sheri-holman/

19. Carlos Ruiz Zafon - At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, THE SHADOW OF THE WIND & THE ANGEL'S GAME changed my life. These books moved me in ways I cannot even begin to express. http://www.carlosruizzafon.co.uk/

20. Arturo Pérez-Reverte - THE DUMAS CLUB is a mystery about books. What could be better? http://www.perez-reverte.com/

21. P.C. Cast - Her House of Night series that she writes with her daughter, Kristin Cast, is pretty good. It's more Young Adult Fiction, but each book is a fast read because they are full of action. And apparently quite popular because the series has it's own website. I haven't read any of her other series yet, but they are on my infamous "To Read" list. http://www.pccast.net/ & http://www.houseofnightseries.com/

22. George R. R. Martin - His A Song of Fire and Ice series is quite good. Book five - A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is due out in May and I can't wait. The last book came out in 2005 so it's been quite a long wait. But worth it I'll wager. http://www.georgerrmartin.com/

Okay, that should keep you reading for a couple of days. :P

I'm sure I've missed more than a few authors and books. I read a lot. So much so that my Mommy says there should be a crease on the end of my nose because it's always stuck in a book. She's probably right. If you need even more suggestions, the Fantastic Fiction website posts suggestions at the bottom of each author's page.

Let me know what you read. You know I LOVE talking books. :D

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T12:28:00.004-06:00

Thank you just doesn't seem to say enough. I can only hope any Veteran's that see this can read between the lines and see the gratitude, love, admiration, awe, and pride that is behind those two simple words.

Post Secret

2009-08-22T23:29:00.003-05:00

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Post Secret

2009-08-09T11:46:00.002-05:00

I don't think I need to elaborate on this one. It really does speak for itself. And for me.

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Post Secret

2009-08-02T11:01:00.004-05:00

Maybe I'm not now, but my fear is that one day I will be and because I'm single that burden will fall to my younger siblings. I'm also pretty sure it's one of the reasons I'm still single. I can't stand the thought of being a burden, an inconvenience, or a bother to anyone, especially a future husband.

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Mix It Up For MDA!

2009-07-29T20:36:00.006-05:00

On Thursday, July 30, Carrabba’s Italian Grill invites consumers to “Mix It Up for MDA” at a special event combining exclusive cocktails from award-winning mixologist Charlotte Voisey with new Carrabba’s food items to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Admission to “Mix It Up for MDA” is $15 per person from 5 pm to close at Carrabba’s. The ticket price includes a sampling of four food items from the new Mr. C’s Bar Menu and, for guests 21 years and older, one of Voisey’s signature cocktails created for the event. The food tasting includes a delicious array of appetizers from the new Mr. C’s Menu, designed for snacking and sharing, including: Antipasti Misto; Meatballs with Ricotta Cheese; Patatinas with Blue Cheese; and Chicken Parmesan Piccolinos

In addition to monies raised from “Mix It Up for MDA” event admission, Carrabba’s also will donate $1 to MDA for each of Voisey’s drinks sold from July 30 – August 6. During that week, consumers are encouraged to visit www.carrabbas.com and cast their vote for their favorite cocktail and the winner will make it on the menu!

There are two Dallas area locations...

North Dallas
(972)732-7752
17548 Dallas Parkway
Dallas, TX 75287

E. Plano
(972) 516-9900
3400 N. Central Expressway
Plano, TX 75074

Or go to Carrabba's website for a location near you. http://www.carrabbas.com/index.aspx

Happy Father's Day PostSecret Style!

2009-06-22T22:17:00.004-05:00

It's a day late, but so was my phone call. He didn't mind at all and was just thrilled that I called. It was my weekly call to my Mommy, but I spent most of the time on the phone with him. She didn't mind either.

He came into our lives on my 15th birthday. While my friends were decorating our house for my surprise birthday party, he took my Mom & me to the mall and out to lunch. He even bought me a hot fudge sundae for dessert. I've been fat since I was 5. Not a lot of people in my life would have even offered that.

While he has sometimes been stubborn, unyielding, and even angry, he has more often been supportive, kind, and loving. He came into the relationship with our Mom saying that he wouldn't be our dad. He just never saw himself as a dad at all. At first, we agreed because we'd gotten use to it being just the three of us (our Mom, my brother, & me). But that didn't last long.

Now, nearly 21 years to the day, he's our Pops. Our father came back into our lives (after a 10 year absence) about 18 months after we found Pops. I do love my Dad, but if I got married tomorrow it would be my Pops I would want to walk me down the aisle.

I do tell my Pops that I love him, every time I talk to him. But I don't think I've ever told him how much he really means to me. He DOES mean the world to me. Most days I'm proud of the person I've become and I know he played a big part in that. I hope he knows that too. :)

Rock the Space

2009-05-30T18:01:00.004-05:00

My friend & budding music star, Eric Dodge, has a chance to win a recording contract. So please give this very talented man a listen and then spread the word by getting your own widget & posting it on Facebook, MySpace, your blog, or even your website. Thanks! And you won't be sorry!

PostSecret

2009-04-12T10:28:00.005-05:00

This is the one that jumped out at me this week......

I am guilty more often that I'd like of not letting people get close enough to really love me. Even when they do, I still sometimes put up walls that they don't even know about.

But when I do let them in completely, I discover all over again why God created love. It truly is beyond words.

Music...

2009-03-25T20:17:00.004-05:00

www.ericdodge.com

Eric's MySpace

Eric on Facebook

Eric on BlogTalkRadio

PostSecret

2009-03-01T14:19:00.002-06:00

There were two this week that jumped out at me. :)

This is true for just about everyone that reads my blog. And you all know who you are. :)

The thought of the Rainbow Bridge has always made me happy. Those who know me well know how much I love my puppies. Past & present. :)

The Dichotomy of This Writer...

2009-02-28T11:08:00.004-06:00

For some strange reason I get really excited when something I wrote gets posted online, but I hate showing my writing to almost everyone. And those of you who have read my writing should know how special you are to me. You also know that I'm full of contradictions like that. :D

Today's excitement is due to being in the new 6S Newsletter.

http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2009/02/newsletter-sixes.html

My piece is the "Bonus Six" at the end called "Happiness".

This 6S was inspired by an email conversation I had one day with my friend, Maria. Something she said got me to thinking and then got me to writing. Thanks for the inspiration, Mia! (Love you & miss you bunches!)

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and be sure to let me know what you think. :)

PostSecret

2009-02-14T23:52:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure what made this secret stand out for me. Is it the sentiment or is it the gorgeous plus-sized girl? Maybe it's both.

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

Lemonade Anyone?

2009-01-25T16:35:00.005-06:00

Kwizgiver was passing out "When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade" Awards and she tossed one my way. I'm honored. Thanks, Sunshine!

So here's the deal...

1) You must link back to the person you received the award from.
2) You have to nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award!

So... ten bloggers to whom I pass this honor along to, but first a disclaimer.

My first choice would have been Cleggy, but his sister (Wendy Darling) got to him first. Dagnabit! :)

1. Cormac at Cormac Writes
2. Margo at Musings v3.0
3. Crystal at Boobs, Injuries and Dr Pepper
4. Tammy at Sweetest T (partly because I haven't tagged her in a while so she's due) :P
5. Terry at On The Turning Away
6. The Feel Good Librarian
7. Scarlet Hip
8. Gluten-Free Girl
9. Todd at The Moviequill
10. Mr. McKnob

Interview Me...

2009-01-24T19:36:00.002-06:00

My friend Kwizgiver was interviewed by one of her blog buddies and I figured I was brave enough to try it too! So here are the questions she gave me.

1. How nervous are you to speak in front of an audience? (I'm thinking of you being interviewed by the local news for your job) Let's just say that if you sit in the first row (and maybe the second) or if you're interviewing me, don't wear your favorite pair of Jimmy Choo's because they WILL get thrown up on. Sorry. That's just how it is.

2. Would you rather be Miss America for a year, win an Oscar or win a Grammy? And why? It's a close race between an Oscar and a Grammy, but I think Oscar wins by a nose. Despite the fact that I have horrible stage fright, I have always wanted to act. I even took Drama in high school. I was told I was pretty good at it, when I forgot to be queasy.

3. President Obama would like you to be his advisor for... what? The Arts. I would love to be the advisor that helps him decide which arts programs need grants & government assistance. And how cool would it be to basically get paid to read, watch movies, listen to music, and go to the theater.

4. What t.v. show would you like to have to watch every day for the rest of your life? CSI - Las Vegas or New York. Or Bones. Or Criminal Minds. What can I say? I like watching the good guys catch the bad guys.

5. Would you rather wear a sombrero or a clown cone hat for a week? (no, you can't wear your tiara) I'll go with the sombrero and secretly wear my tiara underneath. So there. :P

Want to play too? Here's how:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Twilight...

2009-01-24T18:16:00.002-06:00

I’m 40 years old and for the first time in my life, I went to the movies alone. Seriously. I know. Half of you are shocked that this is the first time I’ve done it and the other half are shocked that actually did it. I’m kind of shocked too.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind being alone. Heck I lived alone for about four years and loved it. There are just a few things that I don’t really like to do alone. Going to the movies was pretty much the last one I hadn’t done yet. There are several things that brought it about.

The movie. I’ve read all of Stephenie Meyer’s books. Including her latest that isn’t in the TWILIGHT series, THE HOST. I love the way she writes. I think she is a very talented author and can’t wait for more of her books to come out.

A vampire. If you talk to anyone that knows me for any length of time, they will eventually reveal what some would call my unhealthy fascination with vampires. Yup, I’m a fan of the vamps. I like reading about them, I like watching movies about them, and I even like writing about them. I am such a fan that I even attempted to read Anne Rice’s vampire series despite the fact that I absolutely loathe her writing. I got through the first five before I had to stop. I’ve even been known to read children’s & young adult books or watch anime. The former being how I found Stephenie Meyer. Or I should say was open to reading her books because Cleggy is the one that found her for me. Instead of merely tolerating my almost obsession, he likes to make me happy by finding new authors for me to read. Thanks again, Cleggy.

The mini road trip. To find a theater still showing TWILIGHT, I had to travel over 19 miles. This was actually a good thing. For the most part, I am a homebody. I don’t mind staying home and usually prefer it. Most of the time. There is a tiny voice in the back of my head that apparently represents the small restless side of me. Usually that voice is easily ignored, but sometimes it’s hard to push aside what it wants. The desire to grab my keys and just hit the road in any direction can be almost irresistible. And when I do give in to that desire, it’s even harder to resist the thought of just never going home again. To go someplace new and be someone new.

So off I went a little after noon today. I purposefully took a route that put me on the highway to feed that desire for open road. I was thrilled by the thought of going somewhere I’ve never been before and doing it all alone. Liking the movie was just a bonus.

Yes, I liked the movie. I thought it progressed well and understandably despite having to leave out parts of the book. I mean only a true fan would sit through a movie taken word for word from the book. I was even thrilled that they included several of my favorite lines. I was only disappointed once when they changed a scene slightly and bypassed one of very favorite lines in the entire series. I mean it can’t be everyone’s favorite, right?

The theater was nice and the bargain show only cost me $5. The crowd even pleasantly surprised me. I expected teens & pre-teens with the occasional mother who did the driving. There was a small group of 4 pre-teens. A few more teenagers in sets of 2 or 3. And the rest were adults ranging from 20 to 50. I was not the oldest one there and not the only one alone. There was even a Goth teen there that made me smile. What made me laugh out loud was the comment she made to me on the way out.

I couldn’t help myself. I was smiling at her, seeing a bit of myself in her. She saw me smiling, gestured at her outfit, pointed at the screen, and said, “How cliché, right?” Then she smiled as I laughed and confessed that I was actually thinking that I sometimes miss my old Goth look. That made her laugh. As we stepped out into the brightly lit lobby, she declared that going for a Goth look must have been a no-brainer with my skin colour and obviously attraction to vampires. As I told her, sometimes it’s good to be so pale.

I’ve now seen the movie I’ve been dying to see since it came out just before Thanksgiving. I had a little adventure and quieted that restless voice for a little while. I won’t kid myself. That voice will pipe up again soon. It’s been so long since I took it on a real trip (moving does NOT count). Not since Cleggy & I took a small trip a few years ago. Family and work obligations along with a general lack of extra money have kept us from setting off on another adventure. But I live in hope that we’ll get back to that cabin with the fireflies eventually.

I Need YOUR Help...

2009-01-21T20:42:00.006-06:00

On Saturday, January 31st, the MDA office where I work will be at Grapevine Mills Mall before dawn to host the 2009 MDA DFW Stride & Ride.

My goal is to send at least one kid to camp. Thanks to MDA that only costs $800. That's amazing for one week at a barrier-free camp. Kids who spend the other 51 weeks of the year in a wheelchair or leg braces get a chance to swim, canoe, ride horses, and even ride on a zip line.

Please make a donation and help me reach my goal! Remember that any size donation is appreciated. So give what you can and what your heart leads you to give. $5, $10, or whatever you can. And then feel proud of the fact that together we're providing help and hope to kids and adults served by MDA in our community.

Thanks for making a difference!

https://www.joinmda.org/df wstride2009/cpldybg

Also, please pass this on to anyone and everyone. I need all the help I can get. Thanks!

PostSecret

2009-01-18T21:35:00.005-06:00

This one really jumped out at me today...

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

I'm So Excited!!!

2009-01-13T22:08:00.005-06:00

My first submission to Six Sentences was rejected with one of the nicest rejections I've evern gotten.

"I've decided not to use this piece, but I wanted to thank you for sending it, and I hope you'll consider sending more work in the future.

Sincerely,
Robert McEvily
Editor, 6S"

So he only has himself to blame for me submitting a piece again a few days ago.

Mr. McEvily not only accepted it but said it gets express service. Which means it's already posted. :)

http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2009/01/obsession.html

I'm so thrilled and honored. So much so that I've been telling everyone I know. :)

Happy New Year!!!!!!

2009-01-01T15:25:00.012-06:00

So what did YOU do for New Year’s Eve?

For yet another year there was no party, no crowds, and no special kiss at midnight for me. And no regrets either. Okay, well maybe just a few little ones about the lack of a kiss, but I’ll live. :P

Instead of braving crowds of drunken revelers, I went to my best friend’s house. Betty (Mistress Violet), her husband, their two boys, and I made our own party. Complete with party hats, noise makers, and champagne for toasting. No one panic. I only had two very tiny sips.

I arrived at their house about 8:30. Betty and I spent some time catching up since it had been nearly two weeks since we last saw each other. Yes we do talk daily via text messages, emails, IM’s, and phone calls, but that’s not the point. :P

Then we rounded up the guys and played the American Idol karaoke game. Yeah, you read that right. I managed to wriggle my way out of playing. For the first round. I was not so lucky for rounds two & three. Yeah, you read that right too. I sang. In front of people. Without evidence of force.

You know what is even crazier? I WON!!! Both rounds two & three. No kidding. Here’s proof of my round two winning…

We also played Dance, Dance Revolution. Okay, they played. I did get a legitimate pass on that one due to the ongoing back trouble that hasn’t quite been taken care of yet. Still it was sure fun to watch.

In the midst of our revelry, we paused to watch the ball drop & have a champagne toast. (Remember there is no panicking allowed here.) What did we toast to? Good health & happiness. And love. Always love. Hmmm, maybe I’ll get that kiss next year. Maybe. :)

It's time to stride for a cure!!!

2008-11-20T22:45:00.006-06:00

MDA Dallas' Stride & Ride will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2009 at Grapevine Mills Mall. And I need YOUR help. Here's how...

If you would like to help me raise money then join my team. You can come out and see one of the largest walk events in the country or participate virtually. Either way, you simply click the "Join My Team" button below or go here - https://www.joinmda.org/MyStrideRide/MyTeamHomepage/tabid/40679/ctl/Register/JT/1277/Default.aspx - and set up your own online donation website. It's easy and will take you less than 5 minutes. Think about it, just 5 minutes to start making a difference in someone's life. Could it be any easier than that?

Yes, it can. You can donate to my team if you can't join us. Simply click the "Donate to My Team" button below or go here - https://www.joinmda.org/MakeaDonation/tabid/40675/Participant/cpldybg/Default.aspx - and donate whatever amount your heart leads you to give.

So do it. Get involved. Make a difference. I promise you won't regret it.

Together we CAN make the world a better place.

Wanna see how my team is doing? Go to https://www.joinmda.org/dfwstride2009/BugleysBunch

Stolen...

2008-11-14T18:27:00.005-06:00

... from Kwizgiver. :)

The Ultimate Color Test

When you are at peace, you are:
Giving and unselfish

When you are moved to act, you are:
Confident and optimistic

When you are inspired, you are:
Flexible and experimental

When your life is perfectly balanced, you are:
Connected to nature and the world

Your life's purpose is:
To find contentment

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas......

2008-11-08T18:52:00.004-06:00

At least it is over at Wendy Darling's Wonderings. :)

One of the things that Wendy and I have in common are that we can both listen to Christmas music year round. And sometimes do.

Something else we have in common is the belief that Eric Dodge has a tremendous amount of talent and will be a HUGE star someday soon. (Andy & Ashton too!)

These two things have collided in "A Christmas Wish", Eric's new Christmas CD.

Wendy is giving one away on her blog. You really NEED to head on over and enter to win it. The CD is absolutely fabulous. My copy has gotten quite a bit of use since I bought it at the beginning of October. :)

So go now! Or don't come crying to me when you miss out on the best Christmas CD that's come out in years. Seriously. Go now. Go on. What are you waiting for? I'm done here. So start clicking. :P

Let The Be Peace On Earth...

2008-11-06T18:13:00.003-06:00

... And let it begin with me.

Lots of people have said it far better than I could ever hope to. Here are just a few. May these words of wisdom start a whisper of change in your heart that becomes a shout for change in the world.

"Until the philosophy that holds one race superior, and another, inferior, is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war."
Haille Sellassie
(Popularized by Bob Marley through is song "War")

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
Mother Teresa

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
Jimi Hendrix

"All we are are saying is give peace a chance."
The Beatles

Peace on Earth CAN be achieved in our lifetime. Spread the word.

2008-11-05T18:52:00.003-06:00

My good friend, Maria, sent this to me today. It was a good thing that most of the people in my office were off at an event because I seriously laughed out loud. Loudly. Then I promptly sent it to my co-workers. :P

Ahhhh, so many people that need one of these, so little time. :P

Happy Birthday, Tammy!!!!!!

2008-11-04T08:06:00.004-06:00

Today is my little sister's birthday. Tammy is this many. *holds up lots of fingers* :P

Be sure to tell her happy birthday either on her blog or on her MySpace page. :)

That's her on the left a few years ago. Okay, more than a few but it's still her. :P

I can't wait to see you this month, baby sister! I love you bunches!

The Truth As I (and Others) See It...

2008-11-03T20:30:00.005-06:00

I have just decided to learn how to play Guitar Hero...

Many thanks to Cleggy for sending the comic too me. :)

Gratitude Sundays...

2008-11-02T12:43:00.003-06:00

For about eight years now I've belonged to an online group for plus-sized women. These women are like family to me and have greatly enriched my life. Our moderator started "Gratitude Sundays" for the month of November in 2005. I am so excited by this weekly chance to examine all the wonderful parts of my life that I wanted to extend it to my blog. I encourage everyone that reads this to participate. It truly is uplifting.

So without further ado here is this year's first entry for "Gratitude Sundays"...

I am continually thankful for...

God's presence in my life that keeps me safe, healthy, happy, sane, & inspired.

My loving family & friends especially those who touch my life on a daily basis - Cleggy, WendyDarling, Terry (& their family), Margo, KwizGiver, Violet Mistress, Maria, Andrew, Cormac, DC, my brothers - John & Mikey, my sister (& her gorgeous children), & all FOUR of my parents - Mommy, Pops, Dad, & Joan.

The chance to transfer so that I was able to move in with my brother, John, and keep the job that I love so much.

Living with my brother. I love being close to him. I enjoyed living alone, but I missed him and the dogs so very much. Now we all live together so I don't miss them and we're in a big enough space that I can have all the alone time I could ever want or need.

Books. I LOVE to read and have been known to read the backs of cans in pantry in desperation. We all owe a huge thanks to Johannes Gutenberg who invented the printing press in 1439. He's my kind of guy. :)

The opportunity every day to interact with friends & loved ones all over the world through the internet. God bless whoever really did invent it. Even Al Gore. :P

So, have you counted your blessings today?

When Someone's Secret Is Yours Too...

2008-11-01T20:43:00.005-05:00

This will be posted on Post Secret tomorrow (Sunday). Somehow I got a sneak preview through my Google Reader. I don't know that it's necessarily a big secret of mine, but I definitely identified very strongly with the sentiment. Spontaneity and humor are some of the things I wish for in a relationship.

Just Do It!

2008-10-29T18:34:00.004-05:00

Your voice can be heard. All you have to do is vote. So get up and go.

Not sure where to vote? Go here http://maps.google.com/vote and find out.

Your vote DOES count!

Another Round of Tests...

2008-09-24T09:24:00.005-05:00

Some of you may know that I've been going through several medical tests because I am extremely anemic. So far I've had an endoscopy & a colonoscopy. They didn't find anything so today I am having a capsule endoscopy. I'm blogging about it because it's kind of cool.

At ten after 8 this morning, I swallowed this...

Sorry that it's blurry, but I took it with my phone and my hands were shaking. I was on a clear liquid diet the day before to prepare for the test. That tends to make you a little shaky. :P

Here is the lovely harness that holds the recorder/receiver. It's heavier than it looks and not the least bit comfortable. I didn't sleep well last night and had planned on napping today. That's not going to happen.

There are also straps that go up over my shoulders. Basically I look like I'm ready to lift heavy objects at Home Depot.
Only, I'm not supposed to do anything of the sort until they remove all this stuff. No lifting, exercising, or sweating (there are electronic leads attached to various spots on my body). I also can't go into any place that has any sort of electronic theft protection, like Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS, or most libraries. They also suggested that I not go inside any banks. Something about it looking like a bomb. Lovely. I think I'll just stay home until time to get this darn thing off.

BTW, driving wasn't all that fun either. Seatbelt + steering wheel + harness = uncomfortable.

Right now I'm counting down until noon when I can eat & drink again. Then I'll be counting down to 4pm when this sucker comes off.

When this is all over, I'll have an 8 hour movie of my small intestine. I'm thinking YouTube. What do you think? :P

Oh Happy Day #31!

2008-08-31T11:56:00.007-05:00

8/31 - Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon!!!!!!

I've been waiting all month to get to this post and it's finally here!!

I know what you're saying. "Labor Day is tomorrow and you're a day early." And I'm sure some of you are adding, "And you're only excited because you work for MDA." Neither statement is completely true.

Labor Day IS tomorrow, but in most cities the 21 & half hour Telethon starts tonight. Don't know your local Love Network station? Just check out this list - http://www.mda.org/telethon/findyourstation.html. This list provides start times, times zones, station names, network affiliations, station websites, and even the number of years each station has carried the Telethon.

This is the 43rd Annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. First broadcast over Labor Day weekend in 1966 by just one TV station in New York City, this unique event starring popular comedian Jerry Lewis quickly caught the public's attention - and raised more than $1 million. Now the show is broadcast on 180 MDA "Love Network" stations across the country and raised a record breaking $63.8 million dollars in 2007.

In 1998, the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon made history as the first telethon seen around the world via Internet simulcast, hosted by RealNetworks on MDA's Web site. But the MDA Telethon was an "interactive" show long before the computer age popularized the term, the Telethon's drama comes from the ever-increasing fundraising total posted on the tote board - by hand in 1966, now electronically. Jerry's goal of raising "one dollar more" than the previous year's amount has been more than met almost every year, thanks to the generosity and compassion of the American public.

Personally, I have many fond memories of watching the Telethon with my Grammy and other family members for my entire life. At quite a young age, I would take an empty coffee can and hit up everyone I knew for whatever they could give. My Grammy would then take me down to our local pledge center to turn in what I'd collected. As I got older, I would start several weeks before the Telethon so that I could collect even more money.

Five years ago when I began to work for MDA, it was literally a dream come true. This has been the most rewarding and fulfilling job I have ever had. The only thing that could make it better would be if my Grammy had lived long enough to see it.

If watching and participating in the Telethon isn't a tradition in your family then I strongly urge you to make it one. Children learn by example. Show them how to be a better person in a fun way. I think two very wise men said it better than I ever could...

"The measure of life is not its duration, but its donation." - Peter Marshall

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

In 2006, the Houston Gulf Coast office (where I was first hired) of MDA started the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Online Auction. In 2007, other offices picked up the idea and ran with it. This year there is even a National auction.

As of March, I now work for the Dallas office of MDA. Our auction is full of hundreds of great items. So if you'd like to shop for charity then please to give it a look. If you are in the Dallas - Ft. Worth area, many of our online auction items will be featured on our local Telethon. Please tune in and click the link. :)

Together, we truly can make a difference. Each of us makes a small ripple in the pond, but small ripples can become large waves of change when combined with other small ripples. The possibilities are limitless if we all come together for the greater good!

The Happiness Challenge has be a lot of fun for me. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Those of you that know me personally, know that this month long challenge was not really out of character for me. I play the Glad Game daily with or without the challenge. So what was the purpose of this challenge for me? Hopefully, I've managed to pass a little bit of happiness and joy on to someone reading this obscure blog. If I made even one person smile, then it was worth it.

So, did something make you smile today? If so, blog about it. Talk about it. Tell someone about it. A smile's true worth is measured by how many people you share it with. So go forth and share. And if you didn't smile today, let me know and I'll be more than happy to share one of my smiles with you. I've got plenty to spare. :)

Oh Happy Day #30!

2008-08-30T15:56:00.003-05:00

8/30 - Fortune Cookies!!!
Besides the fact that you get them after you eat Chinese food (one of my all time favs), they also can be a lot of fun. It's all in how you read them.

Today's fortune said "You will be invited to a small gathering with lots of spicy conversation." When I read it I thought, "That sounds fun. Hope it comes true." And then I tucked it into my wallet because I like to save my favorite ones. I got home and discovered I had an email from a close friend inviting me to go out after the 2600 Meeting next Friday. Now that's a cool fortune.

Got one that you are pretty sure won't come true or just isn't all that amusing? Then you're not reading it right. To discover the true meaning of your fortune, you have to add the following phrase to the end of it:

In bed.

Yup, you read that right. Add that phrase, read the fortune out loud, and watch everyone at the table nearly hurt themselves laughing. Trust me on this. :)

What would your fortune say for today?

Oh Happy Day #29!

2008-08-29T20:31:00.004-05:00

8/29 - An Empowering Breakfast!!!
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, no matter what time I eat it. I just LOVE breakfast foods! This particular breakfast was empowering for me because I gave myself permission to have what I really wanted and didn't give myself grief over it.

Due to my extreme anemia, I've been having some strange cravings. I mentioned it to my doctor because it was really bothering me. He asked me what I was craving the most. I felt like I was going crazy, but I told him. Blueberry muffins (Has to be muffins. I don't know why.) and ice. He told me to look up a disorder called Pica when I got home. Apparently it's closely associated with extreme anemia.

With Pica, you usually crave non-nutritive things (In my case, the ice.) and starchy foods or food ingredients (blueberry muffins). He even told me each craving had a name of their own - Pagophagia (ice) & Amylophagia (blueberry muffins). Although in my case, the later is not the strict definition of it. Because of my diabetes, I avoid starches as much as I can. Almost to obsession, according to my doctor. He thinks the addition of blueberries for me is because they are a fairly good, non-protein source of iron. And he says I should give in to that particular craving as often as I like.

This morning I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts and indulged. So to speak. I had a a low-fat blueberry muffin. And it was so yummy that I had to take a picture of it and share. :)

Their muffins always have these absolutely divine nooks & crannies where a blueberry has burst just after it has finished baking. So you get this gooey pocket of love that just fills your mouth with joy. It's pure bliss, I assure you. And empowering. Both physically & emotionally. My doctor would be proud. :)

I chose this ladybug picture because it's called Empowered Ladybug and that's how I felt this morning. :)

What empowered you today?

Oh Happy Day #28!

2008-08-28T19:40:00.004-05:00

8/28 - Stolen Memes!!!

I nabbed this one from both Wendy Darling & Terry. Enjoy!

Random Meme...

What’s the greatest thing that happened to you today?
Besides the gift of life for another day? I got to help a man who lost his wife in April fulfill one of her fondest wishes. We’ll read her name on our Telethon on Monday. The only thing that could have made it better would be if she had lived long enough to hear it.

How many TRUE best friends do you have?
Several and I cherish them.

Would you rather get up early or sleep in?
Depends on what day it is. If it’s a work day then I prefer to get up early enough to get to work early. If it’s not a work day then I prefer to sleep in if I can.

Tell me about the shirt you’re wearing?
Burgandy with a light burgundy floral pattern and short sleeves.

What are you excited about right now?
The JERRY LEWIS MDA LABOR DAY TELETHON on Monday!!!

Would you rather smile over a lie or cry over the truth?
Depends on the situation. There have been several times in my life when a lie was kinder to the person I told it to than the truth would have been.

What’s on your bedroom floor right now?
Two very cute dogs.

Who’s the last person you got into a argument with?
The bill collector that called for a co-worker today when I told him that he had reached a business and he needed to stop calling several times a day. He arrogantly informed me that he could call as many times a day as he would like and no one could stop. He also further informed me that by law I had to answer all his questions every time he called. I reminded him that by his own admission the call was being recorded and that it was illegal for him to misrepresent the law just to suit him. I also informed him that not only do I not have to talk to him, but the person that owes his company money doesn’t even have to talk to him. And then I went against my upbringing and hung up on the jerk. When he immediately called back, I dropped him into voicemail as soon as I heard his voice. The third time he managed to scream at me before I transferred him so I informed him that if he called back again today, this week, or even next week that I would speak to his supervisor and demand that the tape of all his calls today be pulled and reviewed. I then dropped him into voicemail again and he didn’t not call back. :D

Do you trust people?
More than I should usually.

If you could move away, no questions asked, where would you move?
England.

Your favorite number?
6.

Could you go a day without eating?
Not safely. I’m a diabetic & I take insulin.

How much do looks matter to you in a guy/girl?
Not much. Kindness and a sense of humor are most important to me.

Do you like anybody right now?
Almost everyone. :D

When was the last time you had your hair cut?
Not long after moving here in March. I’m way past due for a cut, but haven’t found a place I want to go to.

Would you rather be mad or sad?
Sad. I’m not good with anger and it scares me. Even my own.

Does it take a lot to make you cry?
Not really.

What's the best feeling in the world?
Knowing that I’m loved.

Are you close with your mom?
Yup.

Are your parents strict?
I’d say my Mommy was about average. Strict about some things and not very strict about others.

Do you tell your parents everything?
Not really.

Name some fears you have:
Being too sick to take care of myself.

Does the thought of marriage scare you?
No. It terrifies me.

How many kids do you want?
When I was a kid, I wanted 12 of them. Now I’d settle for just one, but I’m not physically or financially able to have one.

What’s your favorite season?
Winter. It’s never cold enough for me. :D

What’s your favorite colour to wear?
Purple is my favorite colour, but my favorite colour to wear is green. I’m told it looks good on me.

Who was the last person in your bedroom?
My brother a few days ago.

What are you doing today?
I was at work earlier. Tonight, just dinner and hopefully some reading.

Do you get bored easily?
Not really. I bring a book with me everywhere I go. :D

What’s something that someone can do that really bothers you?
Being rude.

Did you ever want to change your name when you were younger?
Oh yeah.

Do you wish you were famous?
Only if it was because I was a best selling author.

Do you make a wish at 11:11?
Sometimes, but I prefer shooting stars.

When you go to the beach do you swim or lay out more?
If you knew how pale I was, you’d know how silly the last half of this question is. I can only swim if it’s dark or I’m in the shade. So at the beach I general just find a shady spot to watch the ocean. I love the ocean. It’s very zen.

Who’s the last text message you received from and what did it say?
It was from my brother and it said, “I’m going to go with yes because they made a bee line to my room.” It was his response last night to my asking if the dogs were sleeping in his room.

What are you freakishly obsessed with?
Far too many things to mention in such a public way. :D

What’s your favorite song at the moment?
”Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis

Do you like going to the mall to shop or just shopping online?
Online. I’m not a big fan of malls.

Can music affect your mood?
I’m going to go with hell yes on this one.

What piercings do you want?
I’d love to have my ears pierced, but they stay infected so it’s a big no-no for me.

Have you ever been in a cave?
Yes, but I’m claustrophobic so it wasn’t as much fun as you would think. It was very cool though.

Ever eaten a bug?
Define bug. I’ve had escargot (snails), chocolate covered grasshoppers, and chocolate covered ants. Although that last one was not a smart thing since I’m allergic to ant bites, so eating 4 or 5 of them gave me a swollen tongue & sore throat for a few days.

Are you in a good mood?
Yup. Despite PMS. :D

Would you rather skydive or bungee jump?
I would LOVE to skydive, but that is on the list of things I can no longer do because of my bad liver. Who knew?

Do you like snakes?
Yeah, they are cool. Not so much with the spiders though.

What’s one place you would like to visit?
England

Do you like waffles?
In theory, especially if they are full of or covered with fruit. But I don’t really eat them or pancakes because of the large amount of carbs in them.

Does the number 23 have any significance to you?
Yes, I was 23 when I was diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes.

Be honest, do you like people in general?
Yup.

What color are the walls in your bedroom?
We rent a townhome so it’s this kind of non-descript beige colour. It’s better than white though.

Do you think starbucks is expensive?
I really don’t know since I don’t drink coffee. I do buy their tea & scones sometimes.

Are you named after a family member?
Yes, my middle name was my Grammy's middle name.

Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass or fail?
Pass because I’ve got a prescription for everything that would show up. :P

Wanting to tell someone something?
Yes, but I’m certainly not sharing that here.

Last restaurant you went to?
Alforno’s.

What is the weather like today?
Freaking hot.

What happened yesterday?
I worked, came home, pet the dogs, went to dinner with the brother, talked online to two of my best friend’s, Margo and Tammy (my sister) and read a little.

What would you do with five million dollars?
Pay off my Mommy & Pops’ house, pay off Cleggy’s house, pay off my baby brother’s house, buy a house for my Dad & Mom #2, buy a house for my other brother, buy a house for Tammy if she didn’t want to live with the ‘rents, buy a couple of houses for Cleggy’s Clan, give to charity, and take Cleggy on a trip to England.

How many hours did you sleep last night?
A total of about 6, but not in a row.

Any upcoming concerts you want to attend?
Huey Lewis & the News. :D

Who’s the last person that you felt was stalking you?
An ex-bofriend’s ex-girlfriend.

Have you ever been on your school’s track team?
For a little while in junior high.

Have you cried today?
Not yet, but the day ain’t over.

Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now?
I hope so.

Does it annoy you when someone says they’ll call, but never do?
Depends on who they are and if I want to hear from them again.

What did you dress up as for Halloween?
As myself and no one recognized me.

Cable or Satellite?
Cable

Favorite video game?
Don’t really have one right now.

Do you have to sleep with a fan on at night?
Only if I want to breathe.

Your feelings on global warming?
It sucks.

Do you still have a VCR somewhere?
Yup.

Been on a sailboat?
Yes and I loved every minute of it.

Two of your best friends are fighting. Your reaction?
Try to make peace.

Home Depot or Lowes?
Lowe’s

Beer or Hard Liquor?
Neither, bad liver and all.

Best movie you’ve seen recently?
I haven’t seen a movie in months.

Would you walk across broken glass for $100?
No way. I’m not into pain and $100 doesn’t go far.

Your feelings on dolphins?
They are quite yummy. Oh wait. They are cute. Yeah, that’s it.

Would you ever rob a bank?
I can’t think of any reason why I would. I might rob a casino if George Clooney & Brad Pitt would come and help me. :D

Do you plan out your day before it begins?
I try to.

What kind of digital camera do you have?
Kodak EasyShare M753 in purple. (Thanks again, bubba!)

Can you fall asleep with your eyes open?
No, but I’m told that sometimes I do sleep with them slightly open.

Winter or Summer?
I live in the South so it has to be Winter.

Your ex’s car breaks down and they ask you for a lift. Your response?
I tell him I’m sorry and hope he finds a ride since he’s about 1,600 miles away.

Do you go to the gym regularly?
Nope, but I wish I could afford to join one.

Internet Explorer or Firefox?
IE at work because I have no choice & Firefox at home because I do.

Favorite sport to watch?
Is Iron Chef considered a sport?

You see someone running around naked in the street. Your reaction?
Whip out my camera and take a picture. :D

How much syrup do you put on your waffles and/or pancakes for breakfast?
If I do eat them (and I usually don’t – see above), then I don’t use syrup at all. I’m diabetic and sugar-free syrup is actually too sweet for me.

Do you have a lot of candles in your room?
I have one, but I’ve never lit it in here. Too many fans going.

Are the files in your computer well organized or all over the place?
Home & work computers are EXTREMELY organized. I do have OCD after all.

Are there dogs barking in your neighborhood right now?
I don’t hear any, but I’m sure the ankle biter across the alley is yapping because he pretty much does that all the time. He’s cute though.

Where would you most like to be right now?
Some place MUCH cooler. England would be fab.

Do you own a sleeping bag?
Not since I was a kid. I don’t do camping.

Favorite reality show?
Deadliest Catch.

What was the first CD you ever bought?
I think it was the original cast recording of “Phantom of the Opera”.

Are all infomercials completely pointless?
Nope, they have great entertainment value.

If money was no object, what car would you drive?
A green Honda Element. But not that funky Kiwi Green they have now. I want the Galapagos Green they had a few years ago.

Was this survey random enough for you?
Quite.

How happy and random was your day?

Oh Happy Day #27!

2008-08-27T21:09:00.003-05:00

8/27 - Alforno's!!!
At the risk of showing my true fat girl colours, I will blog about food for the second day in a row. But not just any food. Really, REALLY good Italian food. Hearty peasant food from one of the world's most yummy country.

My family is German. Very German. So German that I could be the Aryan poster child. I'm not a huge fan of the food though. My Mommy has always said she's pretty sure she got someone else's child. She's positive I'm some sort of hybrid of Italian & Chinese since I never tire of either of those kinds of food.

This place definitely feeds half of that need. And feeds it quite well. My favorite dish is Chicken Sorrentino. Chicken breasts sauteed with mushrooms & garlic then baked with eggplant & mozzarella on top. Add in handmade garlic knots and a gorgeous salad with their house dressing that is actually tomato-based and I'm in heaven. The brother finds his own heaven in a large bowl of Gnocchi Bolognese.

We found this lovely place when we still lived in Lewisville. It's actually in Flower Mound. Which makes it a bit of a drive from our new place. Tonight for the first time since we moved, we made the trek. It tasted so yummy that I might have walked if I had to. Maybe. :P

They have fabulous cannoli too. The only problem is that I'm usually so stuffed that I can't even think about ordering it. I've had it once and it was simply divine. One of the best parts of eating here is that the meal is almost carb free. Except for the garlic knots. And providing I don't order the cannoli again. :P

What hunger did you satisfy today?

Oh Happy Day #26!

2008-08-26T20:55:00.004-05:00

8/26 - Los Lupes!!!
It's a local Mexican food restaurant that my brother & I found when we moved. They are yummy! And cheap too! You know you're eating at the right place when over half of the patrons are speaking Spanish. The food is really awesome.

Tonight we were entertained while we ate by a husband & wife guitar duo. They were very good. My brother and I shared a few laughs recalling entertainment on previous visits.

On one of our first visits, we were treated to a full Mariachi band. What made that so funny was the size of this restaurant. This place is pretty tiny. They were good, but my only comment was, "I sure hope they really like each other." Those poor guys were standing so close together they were practically wearing the same clothes.

On another occasion, there was a man playing an electronic keyboard. When we arrived he was playing traditional Mexican music. Or at least we assume it was. Since it was in Spanish and neither of us speak the language, the man could have been singing about overthrowing the country or being stuck in traffic. About halfway through the meal, my head shot up and I had to struggle to contain my giggles. My brother thought I had lost my mind. It took a minute but he finally recognized the strains of "Yellow Brick Road". Needless to say we both laughed so hard that the salsa burnt our noses. :P

Just a few more days left in August's Glad Game. Have you been playing along at home?

Oh Happy Day #25!

2008-08-25T20:05:00.005-05:00

8/25 - Blogging Awards!!!
Especially when they are from one of my heroes. According to Cormac over at Cormac Writes, I'm a Kick Ass Blogger. I think he's just being kind, but I'm not crazy enough to turn it down. :P

So here it is...

Instructions:
1. Choose five other bloggers that you feel are “Kick Ass Bloggers”
2. Let them know that they have received an award.
3. Link back to the person who awarded you.

So now I get to the really fun part, passing out my own awards 'cuz thems the rules. So which 5 blogs do I think Kick Ass? Keep in mind that Cormac Writes would most definitely be on this list, but since he gave me the award, apparently I don't get to give him one back. Darn the luck!

1. The White Horse - and not just because it's written by my bestest friend. This guy not only writes really well, but he is one of my favorite writers of all time. Be sure to check out his archives for some gems that really show off his immense talent.

2. On The Turning Away - Terry is one funny guy and he definitely doesn't look at life like most people do. And that's a very good thing.

3. what if this is as good as it gets? - Again, not your usual view of the world. Anyone seeing a pattern here? What if I told you they're all my friends too? :)

4. Boobs, Injuries, & Dr. Pepper - This chick is seriously funny. Seriously. And has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. I don't know her personally. She's not even an online friend of mine, but that doesn't stop me from reading her blog like a voyeur or stalker. No worries, I just get lost in the crowd of her MANY admirers. I don't mind just as long as I keeping getting the RSS feed to her blog. :P

5. Gluten-Free Girl - I stumbled onto Shauna's blog two years ago after seeing something about her on the Food Network. One of those little snippets between shows. I don't have Celiac's, but as a diabetic I struggle with carbs and most carb-filled food is also full of gluten. So living gluten-free interested me. And Shauna's blog really spoke to me. She's on hiatus at the moment after giving birth last month, but there are plenty of archives to keep you busy until she gets back. And some very yummy recipes. I don't have to live gluten-free and I don't, but I do eat a lot less of it than I did and it's been quite good for me.

Okay, that was harder than it looks. Simply because there are so many people out there that kick some major ass. If I left you out, don't worry. It's not because I don't think you kick ass. It's because I only had 5 to give out. :)

Oh Happy Day #24!

2008-08-24T16:14:00.003-05:00

8/24 - Lazy Days!!!
You know the ones I mean. When you have absolutely no plans whatsoever. No need to get dressed unless you want to. No need to leave the house unless you want to. Hours & hours to fill with reading, television, music, naps, or nothing. Whatever your heart desires.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to crawl in bed with the puppies and take a nap.

Oh Happy Day #23!

2008-08-23T13:42:00.003-05:00

8/23 - Living Somewhere That's Not Flat!!
I had to go run several errands this morning. Most of them were near my house. The bank, post office, and Walgreens are all within blocks of my house. McDonald's too. Hey, a girl has to eat breakfast! :P

Unfortunately, a girl also needed to get her tire looked at. It went nearly flat then suddenly stopped losing air. I didn't trust it, so I went in search of a Discount Tire. I had two choices. The closest one is in a not so nice area of town. Literally on the other side of the tracks. Normally, that wouldn't really have bothered me since I lived in the 'hood in Houston, but today I figured I'd stay on this side of the tracks.

I set off in a direction I have yet to go since moving here. The Google Maps directions were easy enough and I'm always up for a little exploring. So off I went, hoping the tire held until I found my destination since I wasn't sure what was really wrong with it.

They tried to fix the tire, but it had a piece of metal in it plus two plugs from two previous repairs. One of them was actually a temporary plug that should have never been left in there. Since the tire was on the car when I bought it just over two years ago, I knew nothing about this. I'm lucky I didn't have a blowout the guy said. So a new tire is what I needed and $141 later I leave. I'm not in a bad mood, but I'm certainly not as happy as I was. Driving home, I crested a hill and was presented with a view that made me smile.

In Houston, the only hills are the overpasses of the freeways. It's flat. Real flat. Like you can see something coming for about 100 miles kind of flat. Dallas isn't like that. We're not talking mountains, but it ain't flat. It was just nice to get a view of where I live from a different angle. A new perspective is always refreshing.

What new perspectives have you discovered today?

Oh Happy Day #22!

2008-08-22T21:19:00.003-05:00

8/22 - Gas for $3.41 per Gallon!!!
A year ago, if you would have told me that I'd be happy about that, I would have said you were crazy. Of course a year ago, gas was a dollar less per gallon. I was so excited to fill up this morning and it cost less than $50. I drive a Taurus people so we are not talking about a huge tank here either. Here's hoping the prices keep going down. If this keeps up, I might even be able to afford a road trip. I mean I've been in Dallas since March and I've only been to Ft. Worth once and that was for work. :P

My next vehicle if gas starts going up again. :D

So what made you happy today?

Oh Happy Day #21!

2008-08-21T20:39:00.003-05:00

8/21 - Writing!
I don't get to do it often enough and sometimes when I have the time then my muse is off vacationing somewhere far more fun. But when I do have the time and the inspiration, writing makes me happier than just about anything in the world.

My dream would be to one day get paid to write. Then again, that might take all the joy out of it. I'm willing to try it and find out though. :P

Stay tuned. There is more happiness to come.

Oh Happy Day #20!

2008-08-20T20:48:00.003-05:00

8/20 - Good news from my doctor!!!
My iron levels are still way below where my doctors want them to be, but they are now high enough that I will not need a blood transfusion. Let the happy dances ensue. And someone be sure to do one for me. No transfusion for me, but my doctor's orders didn't change. I'm to take it as easy as I can until they figure this all out.

So right now that means I feel like I can fly, but I can't. But my heart is soaring. One more difficulty has been overcome. My EGD & colonoscopy are still scheduled for 9/8, but with a little luck and a lot of prayer my doctors will know what's wrong with me after that.

Until then, this little beauty will have to do my flying for me......

So, are you playing your own version of the Glad Game yet? You should be.

Oh Happy Day #19!

2008-08-19T21:02:00.004-05:00

8/19 - Eric Dodge!!!!!!
Eric is an up and coming country star. He's got a lot of talent along with a great band. His band includes his brothers, Andy & Ashton. Wendy Darling introduced me to Eric's music. She's a big fan and while I thought he was talented, I wouldn't say I was an immediate fan. I'm just not that into country music.

One Tuesday evening she was trying to log onto his online radio show and needed help. So every Tuesday for three weeks, I logged in and listened to the show while I tried to help her log into the chat room that accompanies the chat. Now I'm hooked. :D

Shamelessly, I will now plug his CD's "Why Not Today" & "Since I Let You Go" which you can buy here. Please check him out. You can also download his song "Last Real Cowboy" from Country Weekly's website here if you'd like a little free listen.

And even more shamelessly, I will plug the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Telethon Online Auction (www.gomdaauction.com). Eric was nice enough to donate two signed CD's to our auction. Did I mention that he's also a very sweet man? You can bid on them here. And while you're there, feel free to browse. After all, it is for a great cause. Not that I'm biased or anything. :)

And did I mention that Eric is cute too? :D

Oh Happy Day #18!

2008-08-18T21:00:00.003-05:00

8/18 - Rickrolling!
Yup, I got Rickrolled by my brother today. It was my first time too. I couldn't decide whether to laugh or be angry. I mean I was at work and this particular version was quite loud. Plus there was the whole unable to close the browser window thing. Of course a little alt/control/delete action and it was easily nixed through Task Manager. All the while alternating between laughing and singing along.

Yeah, I said it. I sang along. Sue me. I'm a child of the 80's. You know what else? I owned this song on a cassingle. You want to make something of it? Actually, I probably still own it since I haven't gotten rid of my old cassettes yet.

You know what the best part was? I called him on my way home from work and told him all the details just to make him laugh so hard he nearly hurt himself. Even though we were both headed towards the same house since we live together, we still talked for nearly 20 minutes. Both of us laughing until we cried.

BTW, I didn't put the link I was Rickrolled with in here. I linked to Wikipedia & the Muppets version of a Rickroll. I'll save the link that got me for later use. Mwahahahahahaha!

Stay tuned for more insanity! :P

Oh Happy Day #17!

2008-08-17T15:21:00.003-05:00

8/17 - Mr. Bean!
I caught "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean" on a local Hispanic channel. Even though I don't think the person who did the voice over really got that Mr. Bean is supposed to be mostly unintelligible, it was still quite funny. I mean, what's funnier that Rowan Atkinson with a giant turkey on his head and a saw in his hand scaring the living daylights out of Mr. Bean's "girlfriend", Irma Gobb?! Definitely good for a belly laugh or two. :)

Good times. Good times. And more to come.

Oh Happy Day #16!

2008-08-16T11:52:00.003-05:00

8/16 - Sprouts!

I just love this store! My brother introduced me to it when I first moved to the Dallas area in March. Our last move has taken us away from all of their locations and with gas prices the way they are it hasn't been feasible to shop there. But today I had a doctor's appointment that put me within blocks of our old store. So of course I went. :D

I bought some fresh veggies that I'm planning to bake with chicken breasts & linguisa sausage. I found the most gorgeous nectarines you've ever seen for 88 cents/lb. And of course I picked up several packages of my fav low carb tortillas in both green onion & garlic herb flavors. I also picked up some protein bars.

*sigh*
Happiness is good food that's good for me and organic.

Oh Happy Day #15!

2008-08-15T21:34:00.003-05:00

8/15 - OCD works for me!
With the exception of a few minor details, I am ready for our big event next Thursday. Due to my planning in advance there will be no last minute frantic rush to get ready on Wednesday. At the risk of sounding conceited, I even impressed myself this go around. :)

More to come, of course. :)

Oh Happy Day #14!

2008-08-14T21:04:00.006-05:00

8/14 - Books!

Books!

And more books!

All shapes & sizes, I LOVE books!

Stay tuned for more of the Glad Game. Unless I get lost in a book and forget to post. :P

Oh Happy Day #13!

2008-08-13T20:27:00.007-05:00

8/13 - Puppies!!!!!!
I figured for the 13th I should talk about my lucky number 13. She's not really a puppy. She's a grand dame of 13 and her name is Sasha. Sasha Elizabeth Antoinette to be exact. Also known as monkey face & puddin' head.

Now that I live with my brother, I get to come home to this gorgeous face every single day......

And this one too! Her name is Amber. She is gorgeous, curious, loving, and completely devoted to Sasha.

This dynamic duo never fail to make every day a happy day!

Oh Happy Day #12!

2008-08-12T22:04:00.004-05:00

8/12 - Watching Betty sing "Like A Virgin" while drunk is still just as funny today as it was last night. And let me tell you it was damn funny last night. :P

Love you, Bo!!!

Oh Happy Day #11!

2008-08-12T21:57:00.004-05:00

8/11 - Karaoke with Betty!!! No, I don't get up and sing for two reasons. One, I sound like someone is trying to strangle a duck and two, the crowd would not appreciate me throwing up on them from stage fright. But it makes Betty happy so that makes me happy.

Good times were had by all. :)

And Now A Word From Our Sponsors....

2008-08-10T17:28:00.003-05:00

Okay, not really our sponsors, but a group that could use some help. I know many of you are expecting me to talk about MDA right now, aren't you? Well not this time.

My oldest friend, Mistress Violet, is a Cub Scout/Boy Scout pack leader. Her youngest child is very much into the scouts. He has really blossomed since joining. It's been a wonderful thing to see.

Their Cub Scout pack is trying to raise a bit of money so they can keep doing all the great things that Scout packs do. All I'm asking is that if you are already planning to shop online, do it from here: http://www.visitourmall.com/cubscoutspack1015

You'll find great deals and coupons at more than 500 great stores like Wal-Mart, Nike, Best Buy, and The Apple Store. And a portion of your purchase will go to Cub Scout Pack 1015. What could be easier?

And if you'd like to donate more than a portion of your purchase, let me know and I'll put you in touch with the right person. Remember children really are our future and the Cub Scouts & Boy Scouts can help mold boys into leaders and great men.

Besides, you were going to buy those shoes anyway, right? Now you can justify buying two pair. :P

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Oh Happy Day #10!

2008-08-10T12:22:00.003-05:00

8/10 - Sundays!!!
Sundays mean breakfast with my brother. Usually at IHOP because the boy LOVES pancakes. Although sometimes we hit Los Lupes and have a Mexican breakfast because he loves chorizo too. Either way, I'm good because the best part about it for me is spending time with him. After years of living in different cities and only seeing each other about once a year, living in the same house is pretty cool.

Lots more happiness to come! :)

Oh Happy Day #9!

2008-08-09T13:24:00.003-05:00

8/9 - Laughter is the best thing ever. No matter how bad things are, if you can find something to laugh about then you know it's all going to turn out okay. And let's not forget those random gifts of laughter that happen and make a memory that you and those you shared it with won't soon forget.

You can imagine the giggles that resulted after my brother & I noticed this on the road ahead of us.

The first time we noticed it, the truck had just gone over a slight hill so we couldn't really see the truck. All we saw was his load, moving down the road. My brother and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing.

We had just about caught our breath when I said, "And me without my basketball." We lost it again. My sides hurt just thinking about how much we laughed. :)

Stay tuned for more giggles.

Oh Happy Day #8!

2008-08-08T20:12:00.001-05:00

8/8 - IT'S FRIDAY!!!

'nuff said. :D

Oh Happy Day #7!

2008-08-07T18:48:00.004-05:00

8/7 - I went to Ft. Worth today to help out another office at their big event. Everyone was so thrilled to have me & another co-worker there. And since it wasn't our event when we were done at 3pm we were allowed to go on home. So I got home from work nearly two hours early and I didn't have any traffic at all to deal with. Although, I did miss my exit and got a little lost. But I just whipped out my cell phone, consulted Google Maps, and was soon on my way again.

More silver linings to be found, so ya'll come on back tomorrow. :)

Oh Happy Day #6!

2008-08-06T21:11:00.006-05:00

8/6 - A co-worker and I have spent the last two days working on getting a 1500 piece mailer out. Although it was hard and boring work, it gave us a chance to bond and to listen to a LOT of 80's music. It's a bonus that this particular co-worker never fails to make me laugh. Don't tell our bosses, but we had a good time.

More rays of sunshine ahead. :)

My Mosaic...

2008-08-05T21:35:00.003-05:00

Apparently, I’m finding inspiration on other people’s blogs. Okay what I’m really doing is shamelessly stealing other people’s ideas. This one I got from Scarlet Hip.

Yourself as a mosaic…

The concept:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page of results, pick one image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab's Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

The questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life? ( I interpreted this as what thing do I love most and therefore it’s understood that I do NOT love this more than I love the people in my life.)
11. What is one word that describes you?
12. What is your flickr name?

So there you have it, er me. :)

Oh Happy Day #5!

2008-08-05T21:31:00.003-05:00

8/5 - Happily, I have something to blog.

Stay tuned for it. :)

Oh Happy Day!

2008-08-04T22:50:00.007-05:00

I am accepting the Happiness Challenge. I stole this bit of sunshine from Kwizgiver who got it from The Gal Herself and I believe she got it from Mo."Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world."

As anyone that knows me can tell you, I’m a bit of a Pollyanna. I’ve been known to play “The Glad Game” more than once, found more than one silver lining, followed more than one rainbow to it’s end, and wished on more than one falling star. I’m usually quite perky and optimistic. Some would say to the point of being annoying. Especially if they haven’t had their morning coffee yet. :)

So of course this idea was right up my alley. Even if I am starting a bit late. But I’ll attempt to catch up right now……

8/1 – First Fridays are my fav. The first Friday of every month you can find me at my local 2600 Meeting. Sometimes the conversations are far over my head, but all the guys are very sweet and oh so funny. The evening only gets better since after the meeting I go watch my oldest friend, Betty, do karaoke. This particular First Friday had a bonus since before the meeting I went over Betty’s house for dinner. She made breakfast for dinner. Her husband and I were thrilled. And stuffed.

8/2 – We got our first water/garbage bill for the new place and even with the deposit and connection fees I can afford my half without stressing or worrying.

8/3 – I went to the library which is always a treat. Plus, my brother and I went to IHOP and had breakfast for dinner. (Anyone seeing a theme here?)

8/4 – I finished Charlaine Harris’ latest book, FROM DEAD TO WORSE after only having checked it out yesterday afternoon. That means I get to start a new book tomorrow.

Okay that gets me caught up. Stay tuned for more rays of happy sunshine. :)

More Randomness Around Town...

2008-07-27T12:25:00.006-05:00

More photos to share......

I think this picture is one of the coolest sky pictures ever. It's even more cool that I took it myself and with the camera that my brother gave me for Christmas.
YaY me!
******

I just love a restaurant with a sense of humor. Of course that I also love Jimmy John's Unwich doesn't hurt either. :)
******

My brother is the pancake king, but these very tasty 'cakes at Weck's won by a technical knock-out.
******

Recently the aforementioned pancake king went to Chicago on a business trip and sent me this picture from the Field Museum. He named her Sally. I want to know how he knows it's a girl. On second thought, maybe I don't.
******

Speaking of pictures sent to my phone, a friend sent this one to me last week while we were out. Then he was amazed that I had never seen a urinal before. Why on Earth would I go into the men's bathroom? Most guys are such bad shots that they should paint targets on the urinal cakes to see if that helps. BTW, I'm not really sure what this picture says about my friend's feelings for me. Again, maybe I don't want to know.
******

It is so hot here right now that I actually got wistful while looking at this picture I took of my car during my first week in Dallas. It snowed twice that week and this week we'll be lucky to see two days below 100.
******

And finally under the heading of jobs that I NEVER want to have......

In the space between the building I work in and the one next to us there are several trees. Apparently they needed trimming.

Look carefully as this guy actually cuts the branch he's standing on.

Then gently lowers it to the ground.

Actually, it didn't look so gentle and it scored a collective gasp from the crowd he'd drawn in the lobby of our building. Personally, I think he's nuts.

Well that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Make Your Own Band...

2008-07-19T16:46:00.001-05:00

Months and months ago, Kwizgiver posted this fun activity. For some reason, I couldn't get step #2 to work and then it was move time. Now that my compy is set up and I can access what I started, I've been able to finish it. So here is my band & their first album. Enjoy! :D

Band: iseda station
Album: the destinies of stars

Now here are the instructions:

You are about to have your own band’s CD cover. Follow these directions to the letter. Now, go to these links and start creating your totally awesome band cover!

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is the name of your band.

2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, and post the result as a comment in this post. Also, post it in your own blog and see what other people can come up with!

Give it a try. It really was fun! :)

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!

2008-07-14T18:40:00.006-05:00

Well, it's official. My Mommy is coming to visit at Thanksgiving. :) :) :)

I haven't seen her since August 2004. Her & my Pops moved to West Virginia to be near his family and to get Mommy out of the heat & all the stuff she's allergic to. I went from seeing her once or twice a week to not seeing her at all. I may be 40, but I'm a Momma's Girl. :D

She'll be here for just over a week. Now we've even got a new place with enough room for her. All we need is a place for her to sleep.

We were planning on getting a sleeper sofa to go in our loft. Then we ran across a bargain thanks to our neighbor. For a couple of hundred dollars we are going to be buying this luxurious, comfortable bed for our dearest Mommy......

What do you think, Mommy? Doesn't it look like the most comfortable bed you've ever seen? And those really nice neighbors are going to throw in the cowboy & indian sheets for free. Aren't you excited?!

See you soon, Mommy. We love you!!!

:P

Randomness Around Town...

2008-06-22T18:15:00.007-05:00

I thought I'd share a few random pictures and thoughts with you guys......

We knew the local average IQ was falling, but had no idea it was effecting the water fowl. We also have no idea where the smart ducks cross.
******

I'm not sure this is what they meant by concrete jungle.
******

Too late! I not only looked, but snapped a pic with my phone.
******

Bad tire! Bad, BAD tire! And yes, I have already replaced it.
******

A humorous sign in a very cool bookstore about 20 miles from my house.
******

Same bookstore. Same humor come to think of it. I mean it can't be an accident that these two sections are next to each other, can it?
******

My new glasses. Okay, they will be once I get to the eye doctor, get my eyes checked, give the new prescription to my brother, and he takes it & these gorgeous frames to work with him. You probably can't tell, but they are purple. Which makes me tickled pink. :P
******

I guess that's enough randomness for now. Feel free to share any randomness you've experienced this week.

"Music's Got Control"

2008-06-19T20:16:00.003-05:00

I suppose that since I will be 40 next week that the songs of three teenage brothers shouldn't speak for me, but they do. Or at least this one does.

These boys have talent and apparently wisedom beyone their years. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. :)

"Play My Music" by The Jonas Brothers