This morning I ended up driving behind this guy who continually wove to the right and was driving about five miles under the speed limit in the fast (left) lane. I didn’t want to go around him on the right because he was hugging the center line rather treacherously, so I stayed behind him, and I noticed that, of course, he was on the phone. He kept looking to the right as though he were looking for something, and he drove like this for about a mile, and I stayed behind him. He didn’t seem to notice the gigantic Suburban on his tail. Then he hung up his phone. Immediately, his speed increased to just under the speed limit, he straightened out in the lane, and kept his eyes on the road.

Hmmm.

*sniffle* They were just showing the story of Hochiko, the Japanese Akita who waited for a decade for his master to come home from work (his master died suddenly, and Hochiko never left his vigil). There's a statue at the Tokyo station where people come from all over Japan to meet. I'm all teary-eyed now (apparently there's going to be an Americanized version of the story at the movies this winter).

( Chapter Nine )

Looking over the new fall preview and schedule, I don't see Chuck anywhere. *frowny face* I wonder when NBC is gonna deign to give it back to us... (according to IMDB, it won't be until freakin' MARCH).

Anyway, most of it's not too bad. I'm going to give Vampire Diaries a try, although I expect it to be little more than 90210 with vampires, but hey... it's vampires. And I don't know what Flashforward will be like, but again, I'll give it a try. I know LOST isn't back until January. The rest of the spread looks rather meh for a fall season, really. Speaking of television, I wish the group who does the theme from Pysch would release it as a single or something (there are whole web boards devoted to people wishing the same thing). They've cleared out Monday nights well enough since I'm really not interested in Heroes anymore, nothing on Tuesdays but NCIS, Wednesdays haven't changed at all, and then everything's stacked up on Thursdays until I decide on FF and VD; and Ugly Betty has moved to Friday.

Speaking of Psych, I'm finally watching last Friday's episode tonight. It's VERY hard to take Ray Wise as a priest after Reaper.

* * * *

Insanity reigns supreme: http://dragcave.net/user/wildrider

Sometimes I look at the state of television and radio and wonder how I managed to get so far out of the mainstream. I couldn't drift along with the "mainstream" if I happened to be thrown in the middle of it. NBC's programming choices. ABC's cancellations (and what they've chosen to keep). "SyFy." Light pop music called "country." It gets to the point where I'm flabbergasted if something I like becomes popular (i.e., "Big Bang Theory" or the like). I'm used to things I love being canceled and things I never watch being the darlings of the ratings (and sometimes the critics). All my "top picks" for an artist's "best album" are never what other critics choose.

I am almost done with my critiques for this month, good on me. I may actually be done on time for a change.

Les Paul died today. You may not know his name, but you would know his guitar if you saw it. One of the finest instruments ever made.

And because I can't remember the other thing I was going to say...

( Chapter Six )

* ~ *

I have come to an understanding, why it is that Barb and I got along just dandy without a dishwasher for so long, even though everyone thought we were nuts. As I washed dishes this morning, I counted what CAN'T be put into the dishwasher, all of which we have in abundance:

1) The silverware. We put this in at first, but realized that the harsh abrasives were WEARING THE SILVER PLATE OFF. Fortunately, it's only marginally ruined the daily-use silver, and not the good stuff, which we've only used once or twice since getting the dishwasher. So now that gets hand-washed again.

2) The forged knives. These will get rusty.

3) The stoneware. This cannot be washed with soap at all, and must be scrubbed with a stiff brush only. I suppose if I ran a load without soap, it MIGHT work, but I doubt it.

4) The cast iron. Like the stoneware, you can't wash cast iron with soap, and it MUST be wiped dry so it doesn't get rusty.

5) The good china. It's gilt edged, and so are some of my wine glasses. Should have realized that what could happen to gilt edges could happen to silverware, too.

6) The hand-blown glasses, the etched glasses, and the hand-painted glasses.

7) The teflon-coated cookware.

Since the above is roughly half of what we own, that's why we never felt the lack of a dishwasher.

For what it's worth, neither of us have ever bothered to fix the air conditioning in our vehicles, either.

On an unrelated television note, just watched the season finale of Primeval. Holy cats, the Beeb had BETTER allow another series, because that is probably the worst place to leave a show since... possibly the series finale of Farscape.

Yesterday I spent the whole day backing up stuff off the small hard drive to my external backup drive, which took a lot of time for transferring and copying (transferring TiVo saves to plain M-PEG files), but got it done and cleared off some of this drive. Did the Mom's grocery shopping, picked up some birthday paper to wrap sillymagpie's gifts, then took her out to dinner at a wonderful little Ecuadoran restaurant, where the food was to die for delicious -- everything we tried, all around, was superb, from the appetizer Ecuadoran tamales to the Guanabana dessert, which was a very light whipped custardy thing with chocolate drizzled on top. The Ecuadoran flan (coconut flan) was unlike any Sonoran flan I've ever tried, but it, too, was incredible. Then we came home to gifts and watched Coraline, which was one of said gifts. Nifty little movie!

Had something happen with one of my (now adult) dragons that I've never seen before. When she "gendered" (that's the point when a hatchling gets its wings or grows a little bigger), I named her -- then last night she no longer had a name, and I couldn't give her the one she'd had before because it had already been used. If you scroll over her picture here on LJ it shows that original name, but on my scroll it's the new one. Very odd...

* * * *

In the realm of ( too ridiculous to believe )

( And the day after the 4th )

Last night Barb and I went over to Indian School Steele Park to see the fireworks. Wandered around a little, got Italian Ice, listened to local group Tramps & Theives (they're good), watched fireworks, rode the Light Rail for the first time (nifty!). Walked past the usual crazies (hand-printed sign reading "When people fear the government, that's TYRANNY!" which lead me to wonder what folks like that would do if they actually lived in a tyrannical society...), considered glowy things but didn't buy any. We had her Mom over, served burgers and beans, corn on the cob and fruit salad. It was yummy. It was, indeed, a good day.

I managed to nab another stripe, but it's the same color as the first ones I got. I want a GREEN one...

* * *

It's been a very busy week that went by very quickly; I wasn't even sure how we got to Friday so fast, and today still feels more like Sunday than Saturday.

I had to work yesterday -- with "had to" being sort of inaccurate since it was, technically, "voluntary," but with the promise of double time and a half, I went in. We had enough work to get us through, but we finished everything early and the whole crew was sent home at the end of my (the early) shift. It did feel like working on a Saturday, since there was hardly anyone there and the roads were basically empty, and then we went out to the Pacific Seafood Buffet for edgedancer's birthday celebration. I haven't actually gotten him a present, largely because I don't really want to ply him with more toys he doesn't need and a number of the things he could really use are very expensive, so I'm just dragging my heels; I did get him a large silly card he doesn't need, but sometimes such things are fun (it's one of those noise-making cards that has Homer on the cover and plays the "d'oh!" montage when opened).

ANYWAY...

Things I remembered I was going to post about in Vegas and shortly thereafter:

On Thursday morning, before the whole Michael Jackson thing started, I was at the gym at the Mirage and while on the ellipsis machine, I watched a couple of episodes of The Golden Girls. This wasn't a show I watched when it was on, but I found it was cute and funny (and created by the same team who did Soap, a show I adored and STILL need to get seasons 2-4 of), but as I watched, I found myself thinking, "These gals don't look so old." Oops. *g* Of course, it WAS twenty years ago (the show about the Cold War with Premiere Gorbachev & President Reagan was a big dating clue)... but Betty White looked pretty young. Ah, well. It does tell me it's probably time for me to actually start looking for auditions again -- I'm now old enough to play the character roles I used to get in high school. And yes, damn it, I'm comparing myself to four of the greatest comic character actresses ever. So there.

Up on Fremont Street one of the "Fremont Street Experience" shows was "A Tribute To Queen," which was basically "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions" played over some cool graphics and lots of pictures of the band playing live, etc., etc. Until one of the final choruses of "We Are The Champions" when abruptly the photo montage changed to firemen and policemen and soldiers and the waving American flag, leaving me going "Huh? Don't these guys realize that Queen were British?" It changed my impression of the entire little show...

For some reason I have to re-log into EVERYTHING every time I open my browser. This is frustrating. The security is set to accept cookies, so I'm not sure why it's doing this. It made me miss a stripey egg, which I've been chasing for a week (I should have had it, too, but I got the "you need to register/log in before getting an egg! message...). Grump. They only drop like one an hour, but the drops last all hour anymore because there are always so many abandoned ones.

* *

Barb bought the most wonderful nectarines EVER. She just gave me a slice and while I didn't even think I cared for nectarines much, now I want MOAR.

After Wait Wait Don't Tell Me I think I'll watch Yankee Doodle Dandy and, of course, 1776.

Happy Fourth!

I haven't posted some of these in a while, but these got me thinking...

( The Big Hate )

( And then Gay Marriage )

In all my overjoyed optimism facing the future I forgot the LAST Democratic presidency...

I was so busy trying to get a stripey dragon I completely missed BOTH a Silver and a Gold in the last egg drop. I'm a pathetic dragon collector...

* *

My editor has been canned by About.com, leaving all of us who worked as "guest writers" out -- at least, I can no longer access the "Staff" section of the board, so I'm assuming. They have an "apply now" in the guide section, but I know so little about modern mainstream country it's not a job I'd be qualified for (unless they want an editor on the "country music" site who actively despises Carrie Undertalented, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Toby Keith....).

So I finally wrote back to Roughstock; I'd been meaning to get on board with them some while ago but I neglected to because I'm lazy and also sites like that are really preaching to the choir and I liked spreading the word about the alt-country folks where it might have done some good -- to people who didn't know about them and needed to.

Well, we'll see how it goes. I know I had my quibbles with her (and more than my share of grousing), but on the whole, I liked having the contacts.

I suppose it's time to actually update my website and figure out blogging software, or just link it to my MySpace blog.

I did enjoy the show last night; I'll have to review it somewhere, since I took all the notes and pictures and everything.

In the meantime, the insanity continues.

* * * *

I figure I'm gonna have to actually go and see the upcoming new Halloween 2 movie, despite all; I know the fellow who's doing the soundtrack (as "Captain Clegg & the Night Creatures") personally.




(His real name is Jesse Dayton, and he's probably one of the best guitar players alive, as well as a great lyricist and singer. A little crazy, but a good guy.)

I feel tired and cranky. I DID finally work out this morning, woot. And then blew it all by eating a donut (someone brought donuts in, the evol). I knew I shouldn't have -- and apparently sugar DOES do weird things to one, because I've been starving all day, which I haven't been sticking more or less strictly to proteins and whole grains. Well, I'll be better tomorrow, although I'll be out honky-tonking again so I know I'll have a few drinks tomorrow.

I walked out of the room, it was 1-1 (D-backs v. Giants), when I came back it was 5-1 San Francisco. WHA...??? At least it's only the bottom of the 3rd, I guess there's still some chance. We're apparently 12-20 at home this season. Yikes. Don't these players understand that Phoenix is not as forgiving as Chicago?

They had a special video tribute to Randy Johnson's career (he's reached 300 wins as a pitcher, and the first to have defeated all 30 MLB teams) -- he's playing for SF now, but he pitched his perfect game as a Diamondback. *sigh* I wish they hadn't broken up the old team.

I can't get a stripey dragon egg. Grump. (Yes, I know, I need more dragons like a hole in my head...)

I'm tired.

snagged this from cornerofmadness

1. Anyone who looks at this entry please post this meme and your current wallpaper at your journal.
2. Explain in five sentences why you're using that wallpaper.
3. Don't change your wallpaper before doing this! The point is to see what you had on.

( My Wallpaper )

I was going to blog something useful on my MySpace blog, but my brain is currently somewhat dead. I haven't been to the gym in almost THREE WEEKS -- between overtime, being sick, and this morning's "time of the month" fatigue, ARGH. I will go tomorrow, damn it. I did, however, manage to maintain the weight loss I've already gotten over the overeating weekend, especially considering all-you-can-eat Asian buffet and blueberry cobbler (I tried to make it somewhat lower in sugar than the recipe called for, largely because these are REALLY good blueberries).

Yesterday I checked out Craig's List for curio cabinets and found what looked like a very nice one for under a hundred bucks; I called on it and she was willing to come down to $80, so I said I'd take it. We drove out to forever-and-away West Phoenix (80th Avenue) and got it -- turned out to be somewhat cheaper made than presented, but now it's installed and filled with our stemware, and it LOOKS lovely! All the liquor is now in the bar instead of on the floor. Woot! (I tuned in the Diamondbacks game around 3 or so. It was the bottom of the 6th. The score was 6-0. At the bottom of the 9th, the score was 6-1. Then suddenly.... Extra innings. A LOT of them. We finally won, 9-6, in the 18th Inning.)

New curio:









I have had a low-grade sinus headache all day long even with Allegra-D both in the morning and in the afternoon, and Advil isn't doing very much to combat it.

I will go to bed early tonight. I will work out tomorrow. These things must happen.

* * * *

Warmed up leftover stir fry for lunch to find that there is no meat left in it (it was pork). Dang. Vegetarians we are not. I'll have to cook up some chicken to throw into it, because there's a lot of baby corn, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts here.

Trader Joe's makes the OMG best potato chips (the "Ridge Cut" salt & pepper flavor) in the universe. I must stop eating these NOW.

The Diamondbacks are winning again. Seems we've recovered from the early season slump. Maybe firing coaches does do something. When did the Padres start wearing camo uniforms? So after a 6-0 lead for most of the game, apparently the 'Backs plan on letting the Padres start scoring like maniacs at the bottom of the 9th??? What is with my team?

I have to go bring in the laundry and then I'm going to make blueberry cobbler, I think with a nice crunchy strudel top because I like those.

Cobbler (crisp) is in the oven, bread is out of the machine and cooling, laundry in and folded, sheets out on the line, the only thing left to do is make the bed.

*whew*

Television side note: I can't believe the direction Primeval is going...!!!

Some while back tiirz had a beautiful silver ring. It was a lovely mold of Ganesh with a small stone set above the forehead, and I wanted one. The crafter of the ring stopped selling for a long time (eBay), and at some point, tiirz lost her Ganesh.

A few months ago, the seller returned to eBay and tiirz got a new ring, and this time I snatched up one, too. I wore it to the Dale Watson show last month and I hadn't seen it since. I began to assume that Ganesh recalled His rings to Him, but then I found it in a ring drawer where I usually keep ones that I like, have gotten WAY too small for (we're talking sizes 10+ here, and I'm wearing 5-8 now), and can't bear to get rid of. I'm not sure how it got there, but at least I found Him....

I think I'm catching a cold. I've felt just slightly off since shortly after lunch today (the first time I've had a chance to HAVE lunch in days). We're almost caught up from the holiday and falling behind last week -- it's vacation season, whee. I spent a good part of yesterday helping prep with the volunteer committee I'm on for next week's Founder's Day (last year our "Founder's Day" celebration got postponed because our sister office in Greeley, CO., was hit by that massive tornado -- we had it in October, and came to the conclusion that while the company founder's day really IS June 6, that's dandy up in Bloomington, IL., but we liked it WAY better in October down here in Arizona).

The Diamondbacks are winning! That hasn't happened much this season, and against the Braves! Woot! Of course, my D-backs are notorious for going into an 8th inning several runs ahead, only to lose gigantically in the last two innings.

I made langostins in butter-garlic sauce on angel-hair pasta for dinner. It was tasty.

My Mom has scheduled us another cruise. Pretty much the same time as last year (mid-November), Eastern Caribbean this time, leaving out of Fort Lauderdale. Woot, again! It's a week after the Elvis Cruise leaves from Tampa... (Sometime I have to see when the music cruises schedule and see if I can get her to book us on an Elvis or a Country Music cruise. I know, I'm pathetic. But at least the Country cruise had some real names on it, including Dale Watson - I learned about THAT one about a week after coming back last time.)

I am cautiously optimistic about getting off my weight plateau. I'm at 165 solidly this week, down significantly from the bad holidays (when I bounced all the way up to 178). I have a ways to go, but I STILL want to get to at least 145, and then see how I look and how my BMI is. I haven't done any gym workouts this week because of all the overtime, but I have been at least doing hand weights at home, except today, since I feel like a rung-out washcloth.

I haven't done anything particularly honoring today, other than remembering to hang out the flag. But I do thank any and all members of the armed services who've gone above and beyond, who've given their all for this country.

It's a rather lazy day, actually. I assumed that the standard Twilight Zone marathon was on and turned to SciFi only to find that I have one reason to thank that idiotic new film Land of the Lost, because today's Memorial Day marathon appears to be, instead, a Land of the Lost marathon! Woot! And while the effects are super ultra cheesy (right in keeping with the glory days of Doctor Who), and the acting is really bad (especially from the little blonde girl who shares my name), but I have now seen episodes written by Ben Bova, D.C. Fontana, David Gerrold, and Larry Niven (amongst others). I can't remember where I was reading some commentary about how the new movie was going to be "better in every way" than the original series, but from what I've seen of it so far... the writing cannot compare. On any level.

But then I went to look at the DVD sets, because the last time I looked it was astronomically expensive, only to discover the previous set is out of print, and the NEW "Complete Series" is going to be released tomorrow for about $40. Whee! (I also saw, incidentally, that the Complete Tales of Brisco County Jr. has also dropped into the "affordable" range, under $40. I'll be getting that for myself here shortly, too.)

I finished my review of the Chuck Mead show and got that submitted, I have one more review due next week, and then we'll see if my editor keeps her job (and they keep the country music site open). Despite the many headaches I've had associated with working for About, I can't help but hope we DO stay around. I like having credentials... (and I do like giving the guys I spotlight a place on a mainstream website where they ARE spotlighted).

I'll be heading out to see Chuck Mead (of BR5-49, hottest little honky-tonkers around) here soon -- should be fun. I don't expect to stay until the last dog is hung this time; not only is it Tuesday, I won't be doing an interview and I don't expect I'll be quite as chummy with Chuck as I am with Dale (for one, I've never met him before).



There is a balloon hovering over Phoenix causing the UFO nuts to go, well, nuts. It's a NASA research balloon that floated over AZ from NM -- it could be seen for four hundred miles, since it was clear and glowing when the sun hit it. It was studying gamma rays. You can track them on NASA's website. They say there's gonna be another one in a few weeks. Whee, Phoenix lights!

I was going to go to the gym this morning, but I decided against it. As long as I go on Thursday and Friday, it's okay. I have a few weeks until I have to appear in a bathing suit in Las Vegas. I will not be as lumpy as I was on the cruise (nor will my suit be quite so tight...).

I know where I want the current storyline I'm working on to go, but I'm having trouble getting there. I need to transition from one time to another (a few months of non-essential stuff) to when the action starts again; and I'm trying to get it all written rather than continually going back and re-writing, which is what I've been doing with this one. I know the story I want/need to tell, it's just been moving very awkwardly to that point.



( Everyone's doing it... )

What a shock, our Republican governor actually wants to raise taxes to balance the budget.



I have a sore on my finger. Some months ago I thought it was a burn -- it acted like a burn, it blistered and such -- and merely assumed I touched it on a pan at some point and didn't notice. But it won't go away. It still hurts, and itches like fire. It's a little swollen and the skin is red, dry and flaky right. I've been keeping it clean and moisturized. I'm not sure whether to bug my doctor with it or not.

Morning woes: As I headed south down 28th street this morning, I saw a little black-and-white kitty who looked as though he’d been hit by a car; he was sitting up, his back end in the street and his front legs up on the curb, looking around and obviously trying to drag his hind end up onto the sidewalk; I couldn’t stop, but I almost turned around, then I saw a nice-looking man walking on the sidewalk toward the kitty and I hoped hoped he would stop and help the poor thing, and then I felt bad for NOT going back…

Then I went to the gas station (one of the reasons for my hurry), and tried to buy gas. I blanked on my PIN because my other bank sent me a new card, and despite the fact that I have been using the old PIN for many years, I kept entering it wrong until the transaction was declined; then when I figured it out and tried with the CORRECT PIN, the card was declined. I’ll probably get an email from ING saying someone was trying to use my card. *sigh* Fortunately, I have half a tank, I just don’t like letting it get lower than that.

Then this afternoon at Sprouts the same card wouldn't work. Damn it, that was what I was afraid of. ING has great security protection, but sometimes the honest user is simply FLAKY...

My eye hurts. My allergies have been BETTER the last few days, but apparently not perfect.

I keep thinking about that "throw 50 things away" thing. I just don't know where to start. Clutter, get thee gone! (I pick up something and think, "I remember why I bought/got this/who gave it to me/why I wanted it in the first place" and can't get rid of it...)

Mom called last night. I guess we're going on another cruise in November. Whee! A shorter one, this time, Eastern Caribbean, aboard the Carnival Freedom. I wish we'd go on the "Country Cruise," which I discovered a few weeks after I came back from the last one (Dale was on board, and I saw the listing at his website!)... of course, I don't now if he'd be there again.

I've been very, very tired this week -- I tried to get up yesterday and today for a workout, but that wasn't happening. At least they say that rest is as important for weight loss as exercise is...

And just 'cause... * * * *

The editor of Dark Quest publishing wants to see the first five chapters of "Ring of Fire" based on my query letter. I can't expect anything from it, but anyway... SQUEEEE!

( Animation Quiz )

On Wednesday I realized that I am, indeed, nearly 45 years old. We had an Easter egg scavenger hunt/race in our department, which required running all over two buildings to all our units, and my team consisted of two 21-year-olds, a 23-year-old, and me. I hurt my hip. My massage therapist took care of it today. I'm glad I keep myself in shape!

* *
* *

I couldn't sleep Sunday night. No apparent reason, just. Couldn't. Sleep. So I went to bed reasonably early on Monday (after what proved to be a really good episode of Heroes. Could it be they've realized there's more to a climactic episode than a nuclear explosion?),and slept well, but I was still wiped from Sunday night, so last night I decided against going to see Reckless Kelly at the Rhythm Room in favor of catching up on sleep.

So naturally, I couldn't. sleep. again. I should have gone to the show, at least then I would have been entertained and sleepy. *sad face*

Speaking of television, I didn't want to like it, but I do -- the update of Cupid is as good as the original, even if Bobby Cannavale is no Jeremy Piven. I have to watch the second episode, which I recorded last night.

Castle has Nathan Fillion. Other than that...? So far, not much. To be fair, I've only watched one episode so far, the rest are being collected on my DVR to watch later.

Chuck remains breathtakingly awesome. This last episode ROCKED MY WORLD.

LOST has been intense this season.

( Spoiler for Monday's House )

And now I'm tired, I didn't see the show, and I still have to work the rest of the week. Because of lack of sleep I also haven't gone for a workout, after three solid weeks of excellent progress on weight training and getting back into shape. Dang it. Bitch, whine, moan.

I thought they'd gotten the dragon cave fixed, but now I'm getting the "failed to connect" error again, so I can't beg for clicks. *sigh* This week can only get better, right?

Things I have done today:

Finished all my work and cleared out my queues, including helping our Denver/Greeley offices, which had to close due to the BLIZZARD.

Printed and copied my entries for the 2009 SouthWest Writers contest and got them into an envelope for mailing.

Wrote out the check for my insurance payment.

Cleaned the kitchen.

Got a massage and a therapist pleased with my progress.

Ate too much when I got home from work after a good day of counting calories.

Things I did not do:

Work out.

Avoid buying candy when I stopped at Trader Joe's to buy MILK only.

Get to bed by 8:30 (it's just past 9:00 now).

Finish preparing Ring of Fire for its first new submission in some time. I promise to have that done by the end of the weekend.

I am considering being VERY bad and getting donuts Saturday morning since Dunkin FINALLY re-opened in our neighborhood.

I have been made happy by the many different hummingbirds who like to stop by my feeder and partake of nectar. They are very cute.

The wind is raging high in Phoenix tonight, but we did not get to go home early like the Greeley office did. They get snow days, and do we get heat days? I ask, is this fair? I should have sent the pictures home that they sent us from the Greeley office. Visibility looked like it was about fifty feet. Of course, I still remember the strange year there was six inches of snow in Tucson the first week of APRIL, so you never can tell.

( I Meme, but I don't get it )

Mom has scheduled us another Vegas trip, come June. She can't have all of my vacation days this year, I mean it!

My dragons thank you for the clicks.

$ %

I have a full wine rack, and so I opened a second bottle. So there.
</br>

A few days ago, my Facebook page came to the attention of my best friend from High School, whom I have not seen in almost twenty-five years. We've been chatting on email and exchanging pictures, and we were going to get together today when she came up to Phoenix, but she got strep throat and had to call it off. Since I already had the afternoon off, I decided to drive out to Tempe Marketplace, where there is a massive wine & liquor store called BevMo, where I browsed for a while, finding many interesting wines, including a sparkling almond-flavored white that we both love but I haven't been able to find up here in the center of the city in a while. Yay! It also carries all manner of liquors, mixers, snacks, bar equipment, and unusual sodas (although not, sadly, Dublin Dr Pepper). I got a few bottles of Reisling, a Zeller Schwarze Katz, and the aforementioned almond sparkling.

It's the first time I've been at Tempe Marketplace. There's lots of cool stuff out there.

Then I stopped a Big Lots to get a few boxes for storage and figured the vast amount of candles and bath stuff filling the shelves there now must have come from the closing of Linens & Things.

I came home and started putting things into said storage boxes, mostly winter wear and pants I'm still too fat for but I'm not willing to part with until it becomes obvious I'll NEVER fit into them. I moved a few sweaters and things out of my closet into the new hall closet, then I stepped on the plug from the fan standing in the foyer and apparently have badly bruised something in my foot, because now it hurts like a $#^&@!&*^$%.

Thoughts on vitamins? The usual scare-mongering nutritionist came though during our "health week" and informed everyone that taking vitamins was not only a waste of money (as the "news" shows have been heralding), but detrimental to one's body, filling the body with poisons, etc., etc. I said that my doctor was glad I was taking a mult-vitamin and calcium; and I was really more interested in listening to the guy with the medical degree. However, it doesn't stop the people at work from doomsaying. Just as an experiment, I stopped taking my vitamins. I gained back five pounds. Now, I'm not saying there's a connection...

Then I made stovetop braised pork chops and baked potato for dinner.

* * *

My newest attempt to write something was NOT selected to move to the next round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest. *sigh*

On a more cheerful note:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It is also, according to my desk calendar, the Feast Day of St. Joseph of Arimathea, the patron saint of gravediggers and morticians.

Yesterday's entry ran:

The Waltz was forbidden on about this date in 1799 in parts of Switzerland and Germany. Through the 18th century, Europeans were inclined toward complex dances, such as the gavotte, minuet, and quadrille, which maintained the appearance of sexual propriety, But by 1773 the waltz, the name derived from the Italian volver, to revolve, had become popular in Vienna. It developed from the medieval weller, or turning dances of alpine Austrian and Bavarian peasants, whose ancient yodeling melodies formed their foundations. But many were adamantly opposed to this risque dance, which encouraged couples to hold each other in an unprecedented embrace. In July 1816 the London Times wrote scornfully on the waltz's recent introduction at a royal ball: "So long as this obscene display was confined to prostitutes and adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice. But now that it is forced on the respectable classes of society, we feel it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so fatal a contagion."

I tried out our new shower head. It's pretty awesome.

Why do I bother continuing to try and write fiction? *sigh*

Dragons and reviews and cleaning up cat barf. Asi es la vida.

Stupid Dragon site isn't connecting anyway, so I can't even bother people posting my dragons. Go to my scroll and click my babies, at least... *pitiful expression* (I finally got a geode. Yay. )

I can at least congratulate cornerofmadness, who DID make the next round. Despite the bitterness of the sour grapes I'm eating, I am happy for her and do make sure to vote for her excellent novel, Machiavellian Moon.

I really, really wish they'd hurry up and put my tax refund into my account. I'm so poor it's not even funny.

I finally ripped a lot of old, old They Might Be Giants discs and loaded them on my iPod. I sometimes forget how much I enjoy some of that silly stuff. And I think about the dirt that I'll be wearing for a shirt, and I hope that I get old before I die!

I haven't been to the gym yet this week, meaning it's been four days since my last serious workout. Very bad. But it's been a couple of days of being VERY tired in the morning, so I just go back to bed once I stagger out of bed and feed the insatiable eating machines cats. So I'm going to go to bed EARLY tonight, come heck or high water, and see if that helps any.

Tonight I made a light & tasty meal, a pseudo-frittata with bacon, onion, and broccoli with whipped eggs baked in the oven until puffy, seasoned with a little garlic, salt, pepper, and dill. Came out very yummy!

I haven't collected Barbies in years, but this one almost makes me want to start again... (I'm rather fond of this one, too; it's an Elphaba doll!

Record companies are saving money by no longer sending reviewers an actual physical disc. This I can understand; however, the special site that's set up for reviewers to download their tracks is unweildy and difficult to navigate, and while they sent me the entire press package with a "click to download what's waiting for you," there were no tracks available for download. Now, since it's a "greatest hits" collection, I have most of it already. But as usual these days, all "greatest hits" have NEW tracks to sucker people into buying the whole new disc. *sigh* I'd have just as soon gotten a physical CD. That is, after all, the only pay I get.

No writing. I know everyone's devastated.

I forgot to set the DVR to pick up Castle last night. I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but I thought I'd give it a try.