Trying to Get My Life in Order

My work week starting tomorrow is going to be exhausting. I have been planning a customer/work/vendor event since late July, and it will finally happen on Wednesday. This event, plus the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship that we are sponsoring, makes for a FULL week.

It's cool that I will see an event that I planned come to life, and that I will actually get to go to a major PGA golf championship (Thursday), but it will also be nice when this week is over. Of course, then there will be new projects to work on, right?

Saturday and Sunday were spent prepping for this week. I need as much sanity as possible, and having my soul and home in as much order as possible should help. This is what I did:
1. Slept
2. Saw Brandi Carlile LIVE (more to come on that later)
3. Laundered clothes
4. Laundered sheets
5. Took out trash
6. Went grocery shopping
7. Cooked
8. Vacuumed
9. Ran dishwasher
10. Cleaned cat box
11. Watched Netflix (Original Sin & Dog Whisperer)
12. Worked on work stuff
13. Bought a Christmas party dress (photos went it arrives)
14. Downloaded Brandi Carlile, Minnie Driver (OMG - go download her latest CD), and A Fine Frenzy (details to come)
15. Ate Angie's mac and cheese (soul food)
16. Bought jewelry at my first jewelry party (photos when I get it)

I think I may need to get a part time job to offset the money I have spent the last few weeks. Can I help it if shopping makes me feel so good?

Baltimore Blogger Octovember Happy Hour

So I feel all grow'd up. I am co-hosting my first Blogger Happy Hour, and I am hosting with my friend, Danielle, no less! For current and post-Baltimore bloggers, this is your time to come out from behind your screen names and socialize in the flesh! This will be my third (?) Blogger happy hour, but hell, if you count backyard parties, local music and cat rescues... my blogger event participation is at least in the double digits.

So here are some details to help you plan:
Who: Bloggers and the like
What: Baltimore Blogger Octovember Happy Hour
When: Friday, November 2nd 2007
Where: Holy Frijoles, 908 W 36th St in Hampden

Volunteers to let Antonio out during the day so that I can stay late? Volunteers to buy me Coronas? Volunteers to drive me home? Applications currently being accepted for all positions.

Um......

Go Browns.

Quote of the Year...

"This is not a love story. But it is a story about love. About those who give into it and the price they pay. And those who run away from it because they are afraid, or because they do not believe they are worthy of it."

~Original Sin

The Way Love Feels To Me

Ingrid Michaelson, "The Way I Am"

Ghost Hunters

Creepy.

I am watching ghost hunters, and they are investigating the Seattle Underground. I toured the Underground with my parents about three years ago when we vacationed in Seattle. I specifically remember one instance in the Underground where I felt really woozy - so much so that I held on to my dad for awhile and even sat down on the concrete and dirt floor. I remember feeling quite sick, and it seemed like a long time before it went away. I just couldn't figure out why it didn't pass more quickly. At the time we attributed it to a side effect of my seizure medication, because I took it an hour or so before.

So tonight I am watching the portion of the show where they give TAPS a tour of the facility or whatever, and I recognize different places within the Underground as they walk them around. Specifically, I also recognize the area where I felt ill. I am very visual, so I often remember how things looked or where they were placed before I'll remember people's names or something that was said. Anyway... on ghost hunters they specifically point out this area or room as a place where people often feel unwell, mostly women. Wha? I immediately called my parents this evening (of course they remember me not feeling well during the tour), and I told them that the exact place where I felt sick underground is actually a real hot spot for paranormal for activity.

I'm totally creeped out right now.

An Off Day

I had an off day today. I had disturbing dreams last night, woke up exhausted, and walked in to work about ten minutes late. On top of that, I've been having laptop issues the last week or two, so it took forever to get started this morning. I guess I had the feeling all day that I was always ten minutes behind. My 'to do' list is full, and I have plenty of time to get things accomplished, but I felt stressed or something today. I'm not sure what my issue is. This afternoon I looked at a co-worker and said, "Is it loud in here?" No, he said. It felt really loud in the room, and my ears felt blocked - like pre-rain or something. But it wasn't loud. Or raining. Like I said, I was just off.

I came home and immediately ate dinner. White cheddar macaroni & cheese and a bologna sandwich. Hmmm. Comfort food, maybe?

I've found that my appetite has been increasing recently. I spent all summer adapting to new food habits, much of which has stayed with me in my love for healthier and more nutritious foods, but lately I have been in a constant state of craving salt. I've avoided many bad foods for months, but there are some habits that die hard. I desperately want to eat some salty foods. All of the time. I suppose the medium-rare steak that I had in Ocean City didn't help any.

Reader Poll

Should I drink wine or beer tonight? First vote wins.

Pet Peeve #3

I haven't posted anything in my pet peeve series in quite some time... which is funny because I can be easily irritated. So today as I revive my pet peeve series, I'd like to discuss merge lanes... or more appropriately, when people seem to think we are in them.

So picture this - I am driving down Lombard Street westbound, which is a three lane one way street into downtown. I, intelligently, am in the middle lane. Another driver is in the left lane. He is slightly in front of me, and we are both driving at approximately the same speed, when suddenly (or not), there is a parked car in his lane up ahead.

Now a good driver would react to his surroundings and either speed up and get in front of me (not so good), or slow down and get behind me (better). But no. Why is it that many, many drivers think that they are entitled to me moving out of their way?

NO! I'm in my own lane going my own speed! I'm sorry that you chose a lane that a car has been parked in... but my lane does not suddenly turn into a merge lane because you don't want to slow down! Do not honk at me. Do not flick me off. Do not scream (albeit silently) through my car windows that I have done something wrong. I have maintained a safe and reliable speed. I have not sped up or slammed my brakes and risked the lives of other folks on the road. I am right. You are wrong.

Now YIELD.

Netflix and Modelos

I brought back Modelo Especiales from the beach. Yummy. And instead of watching The Bachelor (season 865), I popped in Zathura. It's, well... a mediocre Jumanji. The youngest kid is super cute, but Zathura is to Jumanji as any Dan Brown novel is to any other Dan Brown novel: THE SAME.

When I first heard of this movie, I was shocked at the writers' audacity to write the exact same movie all over again and actually get it made. I had no plans of seeing it. But after the zillioneth recommendation on Netflix, I gave in. Mistake. Sure, Dan Brown can get an identical story printed, but books have to be a hell of a lot easier and cheaper to print that making an entire movie. This movie cost $65 million dollars. How on Earth did they get away with this?

Oh. And two stars. I didn't like it. I'm gonna go read my book.

A Weekend in Review

I am so tired. I've been a bit hungover most of the day, and although I am feeling better, I am comforted by the knowledge that I will sleep well tonight.

So... we went to Ocean City, Maryland this weekend for SunFest, although we never even went to the "fest" part of SunFest. Pathetic, isn't it? Oh well. We drove down Friday afternoon, checked in at 8:30 PM or so and walked to the Boardwalk for dinner. We stayed on 5th street, so we were close to everything. We were so tired from the week and the drive, that after dinner we grabbed a bottle of wine and took it back to the room to hang out.

On Saturday, we went to breakfast in the morning and were on the beach by 11 AM. It was beautiful. CJ and Angie spent a lot of time in the water, which I had no plans of doing, but after awhile I decided to give it a shot. We went far enough out to avoid 90% of the breaking waves, but boy there were a few that killed us. I seriously almost lost my shorts and top getting clobbered by a few crazy waves.

Very strangely, around 2 PM or so a HUGE storm cloud rolled in and burst wide open. It was a massive amount of rain. CJ ran back to the room, but since we were already wet, Angie and I decided to walk the Boardwalk in the pouring rain. It was awesome. We received a lot of looks, but it was refreshing and cleansing to walk in the rain with water saturating your hair, your clothes and dripping from every part of you. It was great. Who does that anymore?

Saturday night we ate at Fager's Island. I had a medium-rare filet - the first steak steak I've had in a long while. It was amazing. I heart beef, I heart beef, I heart beef, I heart beef. CJ was so sleepy from our day, so we dropped her off and then Angie and I met up with JJT for some OC bar hopping. Well, sort of. We went to Mackey's and Liquid Assets (a way cool wine bar), and I got a bit toasty. We had so much fun though, so thank you so so much Jason for being a great host. It was a blast. :)

Today we got up super early and headed to the beach. Unfortunately, there were crazy NW winds at 9 AM, and we felt like we were being sand-blasted just sitting on the beach. We gave up and went to the pool instead and stayed there all day. We were the only ones there, and we slept (okay, I slept), read and ate Taco Bell.

I guess that is the speedy story version of the weekend without an overabundance of details... but that's okay because it was a girls' weekend. What happens in OC, stays in OC. Haha. Antonio was so good and was such a joy to have on vacation. I've never vacationed with him before, and even though he isn't feeling ship-shape, he was so well-behaved and sweet. The girls really pitched in and loved on him, which I really appreciate.

I'd also like to say GO RAVENS! I am not a football girl (to CJ's dismay), but we listened to the game in the car on the ride home it was fun to see how excited she got listening to the game. I loved seeing her so giddy, and it was great that they won so dramatically.

Here are a few photos. Most are scenic, as we didn't make any major effort document our craziness. Thanks, girls (and JJT) for the weekend. It was perfect.

Beach walkin'at night
(CJ was obviously distracted by the gorgeous views).

The Kite Store on display.

Believe it or not, Angie is looking at the camera.

Kite games (with the storm cloud approaching from behind).

The sunset at Fager's Island.

Sunday morning's deserted beach.

We're Back

We made it home. Ocean City was gorgeous, and we had a great time. More details to come in an hour or so... I need to settle.

Announcing New Links

I'd like to introduce you to three new links on my blog.

First is The Akron Notebook, which has replaced Akron News. The Akron Notebook is a collection of stories, news and reviews of Akron, Ohio - the city where I was born. Those of you that have lived in the great state of Ohio (or still do!) should check it out. There's a lot of neat information on there.

Second, check out the Energy Drink Guru. Ever wonder how many energy drinks there are? Ever wonder which tastes better? Which costs more? Everything you ever wanted to know about the world of energy drinks.

Lastly, I am walking the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk in Towson next month, so I have added The Alzheimer's Association to my 'Right Smart Exercise' list. If you've ever had any exposure to Alzheimer's, you know just how horrible it is. One in every eight people will get Alzheimer's. Those are scary odds. It will only get worse as our population ages. The Alzheimer's Association can use all of the funding it can get because it is a frightening disease. If you would like to donate (PLEASE!) email me, and I'll send you a link to my fundraising page.

I Am Not An Entrepreneur

I know this. But at least I can order my own stuff with Waldi on it.

Check out my store.

Packing

So I am packing Antonio and I up, because we are going to the beach.

CJ and I had planned a weekend for quite some time, and Angie joined in the plans a month or so back... the addition of Antonio is purely maternal and selfish on my part.

I wouldn't leave him.

So we are leaving after work tomorrow, and we'll stay Friday night and Saturday night and come back on Sunday. We plan to do only a few key things: drink, eat, and be merry. And, of course, keep Antonio close by. I hope I am doing the right thing by taking him. We all really need a day or two away, and the beach is so easy (and affordable this time of year). He's feeling better (tail is down but not in between his legs), I just have to make sure he rests when we leave him in the condo. (Here he is stowing away in my blanket and towel stack.)

Oh, and I won't be blogging from Ocean City. I'm taking a 36-48 hour break. My apologies...

I Have A Song

Who knew I had a song? Turns out that jazz artist Joe Gransden married a Charissa and wrote a song about her when they were engaged. *sigh* The CD is called "Charissa's Song" and you can here a snippet of it HERE.

Big Brother 8 - Season Finale!

And there you have it... Eric did a great job in the final stages of his America's Player game, because Dick won the season finale of Big Brother 8. Before Eric started talking to the jurors in the jury house, I thought I had a really good chance to win, but Eric's powers of persuasion have definitely improved over the last 80 days or so.

I was also very impressed with how everyone took Eric's news. I loved that whole five minutes or so of video where they showed all of Eric's tasks and we watched the reactions of the players live on camera. That was fun for me. Good job, Eric... I certainly don't know how I would have pulled off what you've managed to do so very well.

So Sandi is the winner of our Fantasy Big Brother 8 competition. I will be writing her a check for fifty buckaroos quite soon, and with any luck, Richie will have to take her to a fancy dinner for his portion.

Congratulations, Sandi. And thanks to you both for playing.

Puppy Update

I took Antonio to the vet today who seems to think he is in pain. I just thought he was uncomfortable. Are all veterinarian's dog whisperer's? Or would I know better? I don't know.

The vet decided to keep him on the steroids and muscle relaxer, but I will taper off the steroids over the next week or so. No x-rays were needed, but she said he had to be "horizontal" (which means no walking, jumping, stairs, ramps, excessive playing, etc.) for three weeks. Three weeks. How do you tell a lap dog that he's a floor dog? The only way to make this work is to relegate us both to the floor for those three weeks. If Antonio can't get up on the sofa, then we'll hang on the floor. For now I think he's okay with the excess of blankets I have arranged for him, but I can tell that my butt is not going to handle this well. (I will be shopping for floor pillows soon, I think... with thick cushions.)

On top of all of this good news, our vet wants Antonio to lose weight. He was overweight two years ago at 11.5 pounds, and another vet said she wanted him at 10.5 pounds. It took time and some creativity, but Antonio was 10.5 pounds this morning... right on target.

So you can imagine my shock (and mild irritation) that she wants him thinner. Okay, so we have him on steroids, he can't exercise or play or walk, and you want me to get some weight off of him? I told her straight up that I'd love to hear her suggestions on how to make that happen. Antonio is already on small breed "weight control" Eukanuba (10% fat - the lowest available from them), and carrots are his number one treat. Seriously, does she want me to starve him? She wants him at 9.5 pounds, for goodness sakes! So I told her his diet and food, and you know what she said? She said to give him a third of his food in a buster cube (or the like) to make him work for it. Uh.Huh. We own one. We use it. And 75% of his treats go into a round kong so that he has to work there, too. Try again, sister.

Okay. I'm irritable. I don't like it when Antonio is unhappy or hurting. So you'll love the next bit of information. The vet said she wants him to lose weight so that he will be a good surgical candidate.

(I'll pause while you let this register.)

Yep. We are at the point where surgery seems unavoidable. It's just a matter of when.

(Don't mind me. I'm just going to lay here on the floor and cry a little.)

Sad Puppy

Antonio's been walking around all weekend with his tail between his legs. For those of you who know him, or who know him from this blog, this behavior is very un-Antonio. He is a normally a very happy-go-lucky dog, so watching him turn into a sad and lethargic lump has not been enjoyable. At first I thought that maybe he was sad, so we spent a lot of time together this weekend, even going to the park to walk around and watch squirrels.

But nothing we did coaxed his tail from it's sad state.

Maybe I didn't want to see it, but it finally occurred to me that Antonio's behavior might be symptoms of a larger problem... or longer problem. His back. Antonio is a dachshund, and Antonio has invertebral disk disease. That's basically just a fancy phrase for a bad back. And I think we are having another episode.

So this morning I called our vet, and tomorrow morning we have an appointment for a neurological exam. We'll probably walk away with prescriptions for steroids and muscle relaxers, which reduce the swelling that is pressing on his spinal cord and make him more comfortable. I just have to keep asking myself, how long can he keep this up before permanent injury to his back?

My poor little guy.

Where's Waldi?

Have you ever heard of Waldi? No? Waldi was the dachshund mascot of the 1972 Summer Olympics. Yep, a dachshund. Yes, a mascot. How cool is that? To top it, Waldi was the first Olympics mascot.
I told Antonio that his breed was once a symbol of international sports, but he's uninterested. Maybe I'm alone in my excitement?

I've spent some time tonight looking for a stuffed Waldi, a t-shirt... anything at all... and I've found nothing. How cute would a line of Waldi t-shirts be? In kid sizes, adult sizes, and stuffed animals. I need funding.

Puzzle Update

So this is the current status of the puzzle. I took a few days off of it this week, but came back full force this weekend to try to finish it. I am sure Richie and Sandi want it back soon. (Richie - how are you coming on your puzzle?)

I am so so close now... it will be bittersweet to finish it and then break it all apart again, won't it?

I-95 Express Lanes

I've been driving the I-95 corridor for nearly five years now, and I have to admit that I am in awe of some of the new construction that is going on. Every time I drive 95 these days, I try desperately to visualize what they are trying to do, where the toll roads will go, and what it all will look like when it's done. Finally, today, I jumped online to look for the project plans, and I found the coolest thing.

Well, it's cool if you are 1) visual like me, 2) like to understand the how and why of things, and 3) give a hoot. Check out THIS SITE and scroll down to the bottom. There are both existing photos and future renderings of 95 and the planned express lanes. I opened an existing in one window and a future in another, and I kept ALT+TAB'ing between them. It's fascinating!

If you are local, minimally take a look at the future rendering for the 95/695 interchange. All I have to say is that I hope they have good signage. That's a spider if I ever saw one.

This Puppy Needs A Home

This stray puppy needs a forever home. Her name is Sasha, and she appears to be a beagle/rott mix or something close. Sasha is around 40 lbs and a year old. She is very sweet and lovable and wants to play and be held. She was found roaming in Patterson Park undernourished and with no collar. She's had all of her shots and a new collar and leash, and her new owner would have to get her fixed and get her a booster shot in 3 weeks. (Any assistance to cover vet bills is appreciated.)



If you are interested in Sasha, contact rcresswell AT gmail DOT com.

Damn it. I Should Read the Internet Less.

"One recent study that followed patients for an average of 8 years found that only 33 percent of people have a second seizure within 4 years after an initial seizure. People who did not have a second seizure within that time remained seizure-free for the rest of the study. For people who did have a second seizure, the risk of a third seizure was about 73 percent on average by the end of 4 years."

January will be my three year anniversary (if you will) of my second seizure. Damn it all to hell.

Source: http://neurology.health-cares.net/epilepsy-seizures-difference.php
Study: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/338/7/429?ck=nck

I'm It

I've been tagged by Julie... okay, here goes nothing.

The Rules
You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name and the rules of the game. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

The Results
E:ccentric - I'm a bit quirky, I think. I change subjects and conversations rapidly. I question everything. I think I'm always right. You either like me or you don't. I don't think there's an in between.
L:oyal - I am. Period.
A:rtsy - I don't know what I'd do without art and music in my life. Nothing makes me feel better. It defines me.
I:nventive - I love making order of chaos. I'm an out-of-the-box thinker. I am definitely a problem-solver.
N:erdy - I read, play video games and like power tools. I can program my own remote control and fix a garage door opener.
E:motive - I don't often try to hide my feelings. Whether good or bad, I let myself feel everything. I am a loving person, and I enjoy every minute of it.

Tagged
Dang. My middle name has six freakin' letters, so I tag: Marie, Cherylann, Danielle, Summer, Jodi and Carol. Get to it, gals.

I Got My Hairs Cut

Sure did. It is well beyond pathetic that the last time I visited the salon was in APRIL. I mean, I've lived a whole life since April! I've become single again, lost 7 pounds, turned 30 and became a 100% red wine drinker in that time frame. My poor, poor hair.

So I went to Brocato's after work for my appointment. I wonder... is it sad that for me... a salon appointment = quality reading time? Seriously, they start your highlights, leave you for awhile, check you, leave you again, wash your hair and cut it. That's a lot of downtime. I mean, the character in my book died from cancer while I sat around with a head full of foil. Something about that just isn't right.

So by the time I left, I'd lost at least three inches of hair length. Right now, my hair just barely hits my shoulders, and it's a brutal change - but absolutely great.

And for an added bonus, I got to walk out of the salon with a Farrah Fawcett hairdo. I heart Farrah hair.

The New Book List for Fall 2007

I was cleaning up some old posts today (I changed my page dimensions so there were many old posts that were all wacky), and I saw a book list that was insanely outdated. For the sake of my own sanity, I feel like making another. So here we go:

1. What Remains by Carole Radziwill - In progress
2. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
3. Until I Find You by John Irving
4. The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford
5. Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman - Need to buy

Under consideration:
- Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison by TJ Parsell
- Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher
- Setting Free the Bears by John Irving (I've read half and hated it. I feel like I need to give it another shot.)
- Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory
- Searching for Life: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the Disappeared Children of Argentina by Rita Arditti

As you can see, the list is getting shorter. I need recommendations, please.

Girl Talk

Okay, so an update on the health issues. I went back to the doctor today for my ultrasound results - negative - which I assumed last week. The problem is that I'm still having pain. Interestingly, the aching has lessened a little bit but the burning sensation has increased. I can't find much about 'skin feeling like it's sunburned when it's not' online, but my doctor still seems to think it's a fibrocystic breast condition. Okay. Whatever.

So his suggestion in the short term is to maintain my ibuprofen intake for pain (approx. 1200 mgs per day), as well as switch to depo provera after my next cycle. I've been on depo before, and for awhile I was okay, but after a year or so (and 10+ pounds later), my body decided it wasn't crazy about depo and I switched off. For now, my doctor wants to give me just one dose (one shot = three months of contraception) because depo is progesterone rather than estrogen, and he wants to see if the pain subsides when the estrogen is decreased.

In addition, I need to find a new general practitioner (family practice doctor), so I asked this doctor to order some blood tests to get me started. I am almost always tired, and I don't know if this is something I have inherited or something that I might have had for a long time. The obvious culprits are diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, and thalissimia. I also want to be looked at for chronic fatigue syndrome, but that's more of a condition of symptoms rather than one that can be tested for. I had planned to get my blood draw today, but I have to fast for one of them, so that will have to be delayed until (possibly) Monday.

So there you go.... the life, times and health of one 30 year old woman.

Big Brother 8 - The Final Three

Aaarrrggh. I am so frustrated by Big Brother. I have completely come to hate Daniele and Dick, yet Daniele is on my Fantasy Big Brother team. My heart wants them to go down in flames, yet in order have a good chance to win $100, I need both Zach and Daniele in the final three. Killer, isn't it?

So I was first thinking that I needed Zach to win HOH. I certainly do if I want him to win the whole game, but in order for me to win money, it doesn't matter who wins because I'll have a shot no matter what. Here's how I see it:

Dick wins --> he votes off Zach
Daniele wins --> she votes off Zach
Zach wins --> he votes off Daniele

There is simply no combination that will put Daniele and Zach in the final two, so I'm not going to allow myself to get too worked up over it. The same actually goes for Sandi, because none of the scenarios above involves Dick being voted out, so we both have 50/50 odds to win the $100 pot. When is the season finale again?

Gotta Love the Baltimore City Police

No... really.

So this weekend I decided to take on the pile of junk mail that has been collecting in my apartment. I have this terrible habit of bringing in my mail, pulling out the important stuff, and dumping the rest in a pile on the hall table. Yeah, I act like I'm twenty sometimes, I know. So anyway, I was sifting through the mail, taking out old bills that need to be filed and ripping up the junk mail and tossing it in the garbage, when I came across an envelope from the Maryland MVA.

Hmmm.... curious.

So I open it up, and what do you know? My registration expired on 7/31/07. Hahahaha! Oh my. After a few brief moments of panic (that included running to register online), I actually became mildly amused. My tail light has been out for the better part of a month, and I've put off getting it fixed until my next oil change. For this reason, I've been extremely conscious of every time a police car has pulled behind me. I thought I had been pretty lucky so far - not one police officer has pulled me over. Incredible! But how CRAZY is it that I had a tail light out AND expired tags and STILL no one noticed?!

That's hilarious! So, so hilarious.

So I am partially relieved for myself, because I don't have a repair order or a ticket to deal with, but yes.... yes, I am happy for this great city and our great police department. This is a police department who is too busy with shootings and stabbings and drugs to bother with me or my little 'ole car. I love the Baltimore City police department. I do. And I will especially love them if they happen to read this and don't come after me with a ticket. :)

It was an honest mistake, really, it was.

I'm Getting There...

Saturday Night Fever

CJ, Angie and I went out to dinner last night at Canton Dockside (surprise). It was really nice to have the three of us together again and catch up on all of our lives, drama, and business. This summer has been challenging in different ways for all of us, and sometimes you just need to low key girl-time to regroup and feel loved. (Which, I do. Thanks, girls.)

CJ headed home (poo), and Angie and I headed over to Walts Inn for some hard core karaoke. Damn, I love this place. I've been going to Walts since before I actually lived here, and it is one of my favorite places in Baltimore. It was really great, too because I saw some of the old crowd there - Steve, Mike and Terry. No Jimmy and family unfortunately, but it was great to see the guys. They are so much fun to hang out with.

So Angie and I got their pretty early, so we got to sing so many songs. I made a real effort to sing new stuff too, so I sang, You're So Vain, Let 'er Rip, Summer Nights (w/ Mike by request), Miss Independent, Crazy (by request), and Dancing Queen (to close the night). Did I miss any? Angie absolutely killed, and I hope she doesn't need any more convincing that she's a great singer. Everyone just loved her. The girl's got power.

Steve sang Angie's song, Angie, and it was so fun. I think she loved it, what do you think?







Here's a photo of the guys singing... maybe it was You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling?





Here's Angie, Me and cutie Dave. So much fun.

We definitely closed the bar down and came back to my house and chatted until almost 3:30 or 4 AM. It was a long time overdue - for both karaoke and Angie time. Love you, girl.

It's A Lame Day

I fully expect the daytime today to be pretty lame... it's okay. I am watching The Great Escape, cleaning, and working on my puzzle. Overall I feel okay - no headache, slight ache in the left armpit area. I'm surviving.

The initial feedback from the ultrasound was good. The technician didn't see anything, which I actually expected. It's just unnerving to even consider something could be wrong. I have a feeling that the long term prognosis will be fleeting pains, likely on and off over months, year, who knows. It's likely nothing too serious, but yet another condition to monitor. Frustrating, but okay. I want to thanks you all for the well wishes.

So today I am doing some mass trashing. I am throwing away tons of stuff to make more room in the apartment. I've completely outgrown the space, but I love my neighborhood and it's so bloody affordable, that I won't move until I pay my bills off. It's the responsible thing to do. So I am doing some Fall Cleaning, getting rid of stuff that just takes up space. It's about time.

Wine-o

That's me! Plus puzzles, pajamas and movies.

My Own Personal Misery & the Big Brother Double Eviction

Damn, do I feel like shit. It's like my pain levels are snowballing out of control this week. My boob hurts (yes, I said boob). My head has been pounding all day, despite the large quantities of ibuprofen. The ibuprofen was used to mute the pain in my boob. And after an hour and a half nap after work, my neck is cramped and killing me, only compounding my already painful headache.

And I can't find my Excedrin. wtf.

Tomorrow morning I have an ultrasound on el boob, and right now I wish I didn't have to get out of bed anytime soon... let alone in nine hours. We have NFL shirt/jersey day at work, which I so want to do... but I'd better feel better in the morning. I cannot work all day feeling like this. I just can't.

Quickly, for the sake of Big Brother, here are my five fire drill comments after today's Big Brother double eviction.

1. It was hard to see Jess and Eric go. These feelings are totally against my Fantasy Big Brother 8 gameplay, but I admit that I learned to like them.
2. Poor Jameka. Will we ever know if she was set up or not?
3. What is up with Daniele's socks? How is that trendy?
4. Could Zach be any more of an idiot? He had a huge opportunity to back door Daniele and force her dad to nominate her if he used to POV. It would have been awesome.
5. I have two players in the final four. Richie is unfortunately out of our game (sorry, friend), so only Sandi and I are left. I have 50% odds to win the Fantasy BB8. Not bad. I have my fingers crossed. Current Standings:

Sandi's Team
Dick
Dustin
Jameka

Charissa's Team
Daniele
Zach
Kail
Amber

Richie's Team
Jen
Eric
Nick
Jessica

New Fav Song

At least for this week.... it's cheesey and I love it. Leave me alone.

Not So Much

Well, I thought I had lymph node pain, but not so much. It appears (hold the jokes, please) that it's a breast issue. Oh what fun.

So I went to the doctor today and was preliminarily diagnosed with a fibrocystic breast condition. The pain started about a week ago with a dull ache in my armpit, but last night and today the pain became a lot worse - sometimes aching, burning or sharp pains. Let's just say that ibuprofen has been my friend. Today I didn't want to take any pain medication because I knew the doctor had to look me over, so this morning was particularly rough. After my appointment I got the go ahead to take a decent amount of ibuprofen daily, so for the next few days I'm likely to be loaded up on pain killers.

So what is this fibrocystic breast condition, you ask? It seems to be everything and nothing... but at least it's a place to start. The next step is an ultrasound on Friday, then I wait a few days to get those results. I really don't expect anything to come of the tests, it seems like the pain is the major symptom of the condition, but they want to run the tests anyway to rule out horrible things like lumps and cancer. After feeling this pain get worse over the last few days, I'm admittedly unnerved, but I suspect that it's a normal feeling for most people, isn't it?

Puzzle Me Tired

Okay, so here is the current status of the puzzle. I have moved it onto a photo print that I am supposed to be getting framed so I have more space to work. There are a few inches at the top that don't fit on the print though, so I'll have move the whole puzzle onto the kitchen table for completion. (I think I have a few days.)

So can you make out the wolf's nose now? The black spot is the tip of his nose. Pretty sweet, huh?

Ten on Tuesday

1. I'm irritable today.
2. My Internet has been screwy the last few days which is why postings have been sporadic. Grrrr... read #3.
3. A certain someone in my place of residence has been complaining for months about our Verizon DSL. I finally sucked it up this weekend, called Verizon, and took the morning today waiting for the technician to come by. They did. And you know what the problem was? Someone has been connecting a land line phone to the network without the required DSL filter, and he has been destroying our DSL signal. I cannot believe I stayed home for that. I'm so irked.
4. Puzzle is progressing. Updated photos to come later tonight.
5. Brandi Carlile is performing at Ram's Head on 9/29 at 7 PM. Who's coming with me? I will not miss this show. Even if I have to go alone, which I hate doing.
6. Elliott turned 10 years old in August. I didn't do anything for him, so I figure I'll celebrate his and Antonio's birthdays together. Can you believe Elliott is 10? I wish I had photos of him as a kitten. My sister keeps promising to send one, but to date, nada.
7. Oh cute boy, why must you work such strange hours?
8. If you love reality tv, read this. Great summary of everything I will have to plan my schedule around.
9. Freezer has been restocked with Edimame. Thank God.
10. I've had pain in my lymph nodes for about a week. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to get it checked out. I'm probably overreacting, but I am perplexed. I'll let you all know. *sigh*

(Un)Labor Day

I have had a fun weekend. Dinner on Friday, out in Federal Hill on Saturday, and hours and hours of pool time. (I'm a teeny bit burnt.) I've had late nights and even later mornings. My favorite.

Speaking of Federal Hill, I drank it up with Power Rangers on Saturday. No Joke. I wish I knew which Power Rangers they were. (Did you know every season has a different theme and new Rangers? Me neither.) I do know that one was the green Ranger and the other was blue. And we did a Power Ranger shot which was also green. It was very interesting, and yet very fun. :)

Tonight my plan was to puzzle and Netflix, but alas, I spent two hours on the phone with Verizon DSL because my connection brutally slow. I started my movie at midnight-ish, Music & Lyrics with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. Very cute. I will be downloading the soundtrack as soon as my Internet has recovered.

Update on Sunday's BB8
Go ZACH! Again, I am torn between my love of the fantasy game and my love of the actual houseguests. This week happens to be a fairly good week for me now that Zach is HOH and Daniele is (currently) safe. If I lose Daniele this week in some sort of crazy back door action... I may be screwed completely. Eek Gods.

More Puzzle Progress Made

Just a quick update... I'm running out of room.