More Good News For Epilepsy Sufferers

Epilepsy drugs linked to suicidal behavior
FDA finds patients face twice the risk of thoughts of suicide

WASHINGTON - Epilepsy drugs used by millions of people may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned in an alert to doctors Thursday.

The FDA analyzed almost 200 studies of 11 different anti-seizure drugs, some that have been on the market for decades. The studies tracked almost 28,000 people given the medications and another 16,000 given dummy pills.

Very rarely were suicidal thoughts or behavior reported. Still, the FDA found drug-treated patients did face about twice the risk: 0.43 percent of drug-treated patients experienced suicidal thoughts or behavior compared with 0.22 percent of placebo-takers.

Overall, four people in the drug-treated groups committed suicide, and none in the placebo groups.

What that means: For every 1,000 patients, about two more drug-treated patients experienced suicidal thoughts than placebo-takers, FDA concluded.

Anti-seizure drugs are used for a variety of illnesses in addition to epilepsy, including migraines, certain nerve-pain disorders, and psychiatric diseases such as bipolar disorder that themselves carry a risk of suicide.

The FDA found drug-treated patients were at increased risk no matter their diagnosis, but that the risk was highest for epilepsy sufferers.

The FDA began investigating if epilepsy drugs pose any suicide risk in 2005. It analyzed data from 11 well-known anti-seizure drugs including Pfizer's Neurontin, Novartis AG's Tegretol and Abbott Laboratories' Depakote — but the FDA said it expected that the risk applied to every epilepsy drug. The FDA said it would work with manufacturers to add the warning to product labels.

Skipping epilepsy medication can result in seizures. An FDA spokeswoman said only that patients should ask a doctor before making medication changes.

But the agency's letter to doctors advised them to:

- Balance the risk with the patients' need for the drug.
- Tell patients and their families about the risk so they can be aware of changes in mood.
- Make sure patients and families know to contact a doctor if someone experiences common suicide warning signs, such as talking or thinking about hurting yourself, becoming preoccupied with death, withdrawal, becoming depressed or worsening depression, and giving away prized possessions.

Soulja Boy

This post is long overdue, but you have to check this out. This is a video of my cousin (Mr Parks) doing Soulja Boy in front of his English class. My cousin teaches in an urban school, so this went over pretty well. I think he traded them for something if he learned this dance. But one of his kids posted it online, and it's just the coolest video.

Oh, and for those of you who know my family, this is the cousin that is a mere ten days older (and over a foot taller) than I am. He's the closest thing I've ever had to a brother. We're pretty close, and I'm so proud.

Feel free to comment on his video, but don't use my name if you do... it's his "private" life, so I don't want to overcomplicate things with "family." I plan on posting as "Mr Parks' cousin" if I can ever remember my YouTube password.

So without further adieu... Mr Parks performing Soulja Boy.

Mr. Greengenes

Okay, I get it. I never understood what all of the excitement over this band was about, until the girls and I went to Rams Head Live! Friday night to catch their show. And now I get it. Not only was it fun as all get out, but with the help of Ms. Jessica, we pushed our way to front and center on the floor, and we watched the second half of the show from there.

It was a late night... I don't often stay up until 3 AM or so, but after the show Ms. Jessica got some personal attention from Bryen, the lead singer (see below), and then we headed over to The Lodge Bar with some guys we met at the show for last call.

Here are some fun photos... but this is definitely an entertaining group to see. Very energetic, talented, and a super long show. I just loved it.

Elliott Update

Good Heavens... now Elliott's thyroid levels are too low. The vet called me today to report the results of that T4 blood test I paid for on Monday, and apparently my kitty cat is super sensitive. One pill a day is a "starter" low dose for cats, but that one silly pill took my cat from 7.9 to .4 (remember that 'normal' is between 1.2 and 2.0).

So we are cutting his dosage to a half of a pill a day, which is great because I think we're both pretty sick of me shoving a pill down his throat twice a day. We'll wait another two weeks now for another blood test. I've got my fingers crossed.

Reader Poll: Sausage Seeds

Does anyone know what kind of seeds are in sausage and if the seeds change from sausage type to sausage type?

Another $208.80

Reexamination & Consultation for yet more excessive vomiting and lethargy $ 39.70
Medical Waste Disposal $ 3.30
Pepcid Injection for vomiting $ 28.65
T4 Test for Thyroid Function $ 39.60
Fluid Treatment for dehydration $ 27.55
In House Blood Test $ 70.00
Total $208.80

Knowing your lovely cat isn't dying a slow and painful death... priceless.

Oops... and CONGRATULATIONS!

My crazy week has caused me to miss a major event. Congratulations, Persheys, Willi (it's plural), Dillows and Taylors!! Kay Katherine has finally had her baby!

Juliette Louise Pershey
7 pounds, 15 ounces
20.5 inches
Born 9:12 PT on January 24, 2008

Click HERE for a beautiful photo!

Planet Aid Donation Box

Unfortunately the Planet Aid donation box for clothing near Canton Station has been moved. New construction on that block is probably to blame. Anyone know where another one is located in the city? (Yes, I know there's Goodwill, but they always have odd donation hours that I can never seem to meet.)

Shiny

I picked up my car about ten minutes before 5 PM today. The dealer called me when it was ready, but I had the near impossible task of getting myself (in Hunt Valley) and my insurance check (in Canton) to the dealer before close of business at 5. I didn't think I could make it happen, and I thought I'd have to wait until Monday to get my car... but I really shouldn't be surprised by the number of awesome people that I have around me.

I have nothing but great things to say about the people who made this week possible. Thank you to Brian and Heather for shuttling me to and from work so that I could save the money from a rental car. Thank you to Leslie for offering, and Jack for racing me across town to get to my car in time today. Thank you to CJ - for coming to my rescue last Friday when I was stranded downtown, and again today when I needed you.

You people rock. And my car is so, so shiny. Yay.

Breaking News!

Excerpts from the article:
Hershey stops making mints in coke-like packs

HERSHEY, Pa. - The Hershey Co. is halting production of Ice Breakers Pacs in response to criticism that the mints look too much like illegal street drugs, the company's president and chief executive officer said Thursday.

"Some community and law-enforcement leaders have expressed concern" about the shape of pouch and the Xylitol sweetener inside, and about the possibility of the mints being mistaken for illegal substances, West said.

"We are sensitive to these viewpoints and thus have made the decision that we will no longer manufacture Icebreakers Pacs," he said.

Read the full article here.
Read my original post here.

A hat tip to Annie for giving me the heads up. Don't we all feel good about ourselves?!

Steak

I just got back from dinner with a business associate at Fleming's Steakhouse. I love Fleming's. The filet was incredible, the merlot was perfect, and, I admit, the waiter wasn't so bad either. So cute - a shame he was a mere 25.

Do you know what? Fleming's has a shuttle for its customers. Who knew?! I asked my landlord to drop me off downtown for dinner (I'm such a classy, carless chick), and when I asked the hostess and manager at Fleming's where I should hail a cab, they called their shuttle to take me home. Incredible! Apparently the shuttle serves both Fleming's and Roys... but what a convenience it was for me tonight.

I'll have to make sure I go back there again soon. Any offers? :)

Ten on Tuesday

1. I called about my car today and the body work is already done. Tomorrow my car is third in line for alignment. They still haven't driven it around to see how it runs. On one hand I want my car back, but on the other hand - please make sure it's totally fixed!
2. This week is long already. Really? It's only Tuesday?
3. I know it's wrong that I am watching Rock of Love with Brett Michaels. It's sick, right? It's almost as bad as watching Anna Nicole, but instead I have my fascination with Brett's headbands to keep me going...
4. I'm sleepy.
5. I have downsized my Sprint plan, my Netflix plan, and made a few changes to my payment schedules to make room for this car payment. Rules for Spring 2008? Less drinking, less eating out, less shopping.
6. I know this must mean more dating. I'm sure of it.
7. I've had really intense dreams two nights in a row. Sunday night - Hannibal Lector lived in my house. That was horrific. Last night - flooding... lots of flooding (although I think it was inspired by Life After People on the History Channel).
8. I should go to bed.
9. Big Brother 9 starts in a few weeks. Can you believe it? Rumor is that it has been thrown together due to the writer's strike, and there's very little information available out there regarding what this season will involve. UGH! And YAY!
10. I should have had popcorn tonight.

Damages

The number is in. $1400 for the original estimate (which means it can only go up from here, right?) What's worse? My deductible is $1000. Oh... and they seem to think it will take three weeks to repair. Three weeks. Can I really ask for rides to and from work for three weeks? I feel like a pathetic leech.

Yep. I think I'm going to crawl into a hole and die now... or maybe I'll become a heavy drinker. Wait. I can't afford to be a heavy drinker. Okay... so crawling and dying it is...

Just Another Sunday

Hmmm... so I have to clean today (it's Sunday, right?), but I want fun, too. So I will have two lists and complete them both. The first is my cleaning list, and the second is my fun list.

Cleaning To Do List:
1. Launder sheets (Did I mention I'm getting a new washer and dryer tomorrow? Yay!) - done
2. Clean cat box - done
3. Vacuum - done
4. Swiffer - done
5. Dust - done
6. De-fur everything (thanks, Lelli) - done
7. Put laundry away - done
8. Collect trash - done
9. Choose outfit for tomorrow (A coworker is picking me up at 7:30 tomorrow so that I don't have to rent a car. I need to be on time.)
10. Make lunch food - done
11. Transfer photos from laptop to desktop - done
12. Launder blankets - done
13. Launder curtains - done
14. Collect Goodwill bag - done

Fun To Do List:
1. Win King's Quest II (Did I mention I won King's Quest I yesterday? Yay!) - started
2. Watch V: The Final Battle (I've had these for far too long.) - done
3. Continue reading Pillars of the Earth (I'm only on page 98. I'd like to get through 100 pages today.)

The White Party

Well, I'm officially a shut-in. For those of you that weren't raised in church, a shut-in is one of those elderly church members who don't make it in on Sundays. The pastor usually visits them during the week and people bring them food - all because they are too old or too ill to leave home. I sort of feel like that.

What's funny is that on a regular weekend I may not go out a lot anyway, but not having the option to go out is a bit frustrating. Last night, my friend came and took me to the White Party, because unless I had a ride, I wasn't going anywhere.

It was a theme party thrown by a friend of my friends, and we all wore white. The food was white, the drinks were white - white, white, white. (Just for the sake of clarity, there were all kinds and shades of people there - the theme was color only. I'm hoping for a RED party next time...) I am not one of those girls with white pants and white shoes, so jeans were allowed - thank God. Here's Katie, Ken and me in our all of our white-ness.

I'm A Very Good Driver.

I can say that, right? Because it took approximately 30 1/2 years for me to have my first car accident. Not bad, I think.

So picture this:

Charissa driving to work
Fire Trucks pulling out from Fallsway Rd doing a U-Turn onto 83
Cars brake in strange places not sure how to react to fire truck
Girl in Honda brakes
Charissa brakes
Brakes lock
Charissa slides
Charissa performs accident avoidance maneuvers
Charissa hits curb, blows tire, cracks rim
Charissa still hits Honda

Aaahhhh... Good story. Believe it or not, I'm really taking it all okay. The driver I hit was very kind, and I was very apologetic. I felt bad. The firemen were fun and polite and helpful, and the Baltimore Policemen (although it took a long time for them to show up) were very nice. (They came back later to make sure I was towed okay.)

I was lucky because it could have been worse. After the our claim was filed, one policeman moved my car off of the curb (that's the curb on 83N and Fayette Street - yep, that was me) and to a side street, and I waited for a tow truck for about two hours. CJ was awesome, because she came to wait with me, and then took me home. So I'm currently without a car, and it won't get looked at until Monday... which means I'll need to get a rental car on Sunday.

Oh well... like I said, I was lucky. It could have been worse in so many ways. Sure, I may have a hefty car repair in my future, but everything important is safe and in tact.

For now, I'll just live with the amusement that for a few short hours, I was one of those exclamation points on the traffic.com map of Baltimore. There go my 15 minutes of fame...

Seriously...

... tell me what nerd wouldn't enjoy playing the entire King's Quest series for Windows?

(And for the record, using the walk through is a sign of my impatience, not my lack of memory or skill.)

Who Knew?

I've been watching Season 1 of The Sopranos for over a week on my iPod while traveling (okay, and while not traveling). And I really, really like it. I admit it - I'm one of those people who runs the other way when everyone is doing something, or listening to some band, or watching some show. I must be too proud or something to go with the flow - I dunno - but because of this obvious flaw, it has taken me all of these years to watch even one episode of The Sopranos. What a mistake I made, because this show is very entertaining!

Haha.

Anyway... I came home today and laid down. I'm just tired. There's not too much on TV that interests me anymore, so I plugged in my headphones and watched a number of Sopranos episodes from the comfort of my bed. And want to know the kicker? My iPod battery ran out! That has never happened! I usually plug my iPod into an FM transmitter when I'm in my car, so it's always fully charged... and what do you know? I actually ran it down. That's crazy.

Oh well... that must be a clue for me to go to bed. Yes, I go to bed early these days. It takes a change of a few hours at night for me to make it in just 15 minutes earlier in the morning. I'm not sure how long I can keep it up, but at least my iPod is on my side. :)

Survey Says...

Hyperthyroidism. That's the verdict on Elliott. After doing some blood work this weekend, our vet has discovered that Elliott's thyroid levels are quite elevated. An adult cat should have levels between 1.2 and 2.0. Elliott's thyroid level is 7.9. Yeah. The vet said that she's seen levels as high as 19, so 7.9 isn't the end of the world, but high is high.

As a first step, she is putting Elliott on Tapazole for three weeks to see if it helps with the vomiting and digestion. I'm not sure if we'll see weight gain in three weeks or not, but I'm not supposed to change his diet much, so he will continue to get canned tuna and canned salmon - lots of protein. (I've even tried sneaking in some canned cat food by mixing it with the salmon. Sneaky.)

The killer is the cost. Brand name Tapazole cost me $62 for 45 tablets. AH! I did some quick research online, and we'll definitely be moving to generic if we decide to keep Elliott on this medication. Right now the dose is 1/2 tablet twice a day... at well over a dollar a tablet, that's pricey. My seizure medication isn't even that expensive.

Anyway... today is day one. Cross your fingers for my kitty that he reacts well to the medication. Oh - and our vet said that the rest of his blood work is "wonderful" - that's the word she used - so I feel a lot better about my job as his mom. He's got hyperthyroidism, but he's otherwise he's very healthy. Thank God.

Book Review: Sickened

I started and finished reading Sickened today. Phew. Rough stuff. The writing itself is not as passionate as many of the darker memoirs that I've read, but the story is just as tragic, if not more so. It's as twisted as Running with Scissors, where you find yourself reading with your mouth wide open in shock.

Sickened is the story of a girl victimized by her parents - verbally, physically and, more specifically by her mother, via the fabrication of a series of illnesses which define her difficult youth. The author, Julie Gregory, was a Munchausen by proxy child, suffering for years as her mom poisoned and starved her silently. An summary from the inside cover:

"From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually X-rayed, medicated, and operated on in the vain pursuit of an illness that was created in her mother's mind. Munchausen by proxy is the world's most hidden and dangerous form of child abuse - but Julie Gregory not only survived, she escaped the powerful orbit of her mother's madness and rebuilt her identity as a vibrant, healthy young woman."

Sickened is a good book, and it's a quick read at 244 pages. It is a rare insight into a hidden, unknown disease, but more importantly, it is a detailed story of a girl's survival. Unfortunately, I did not find the writing particularly gripping per se, but the story is worthy of your time. It's shocking that this disease even exists, as anyone with even a sliver of maternal or paternal instincts in their body could not imagine doing the things that these mothers/caregivers seem to be capable of.

New Books

These are the actual books I picked up yesterday. I had two Barnes & Noble gift cards, so I bought six books for about thirty dollars. That's so awesome.

I bought:
1. Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman
2. Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison by TJ Parsell
5. Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory
9. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
10. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

... and a new book not on the original list: Secret Girl by Molly Bruce Jacobs.

I'm reading #5 first, and it's kind of slow at the beginning. Since I am recovering today from a rather fun evening last night, I'll get into it a bit more today. Hopefully it will grab me soon.

I Need Order

I feel off today. I'm sure that some of this is due to my recent travel schedule, but I'm also feeling sad about Elliott. I've somehow managed not to think about it the last few weeks, but going to the vet today brought it to the surface. I just don't what I'll do if he's really sick and it's my fault for waiting. I feel sad.

So what does Charissa do to feel better? She embraces her OCD and cleans. I know these lists are probably old news to you all - I do them often - but it helps me feel in control. And I need to feel that right now.

1. Dishes - Done
2. Clean kitchen floor - Done
3. Laundry - In progress
4. Put laundry away
5. Make bed - Done
6. Vacuum - Done
7. Dust
8. Go through Tonio Toys - Done
9. Put luggage away - Done
10. Clean bathroom - Done
11. Clean cat box - Done
12. Collect trash - Done
13. Shower - Done @ 3:30! Yay!
14. Go and buy a new book - Done
15. Take craft supplies to storage

Waiting and Worrying

Well, Elliott the cat is not well. Have I mentioned that? In the last two months, he has lost a lot of weight - he is 7.5 pounds - and he has been vomiting almost daily. Not good. Elliott and I went to the vet today, and they are going to test his for a number of things, all of which I had on my short list of possible causes for his weight loss.

1. Diabetes - Elliott loves water, and because of this, he has been tested for diabetes many times. It always comes back negative. It's an easy test, but as much as he is a water addict, I don't think this is it.
2. Kitty Cat IBS - I forget the real name, but this is essentially inflamed bowels. Everything seems to be coming out fine, but it's the vomiting and weight loss at the front of the process that is the problem. This is treatable, so this would be a relatively good diagnosis.
3. Hyperthyroidism - This is also treatable with life long medication, and it explains why he is actually more playful and alert than usual. He is not lethargic or lazy at all, in fact, he has been quite an active booger playing with Antonio's toys and watching TV. Hyperthyroidism has a lot of the sick symptoms he has, but it also includes the playfulness he has been exhibiting.
4. Liver Malfunction - This would be the worst, certainly, as it is the slow shutting down of the liver due to significant fat deposits. The cat stops eating, the body starts burning the fat stores in the cat for fuel, and the liver gets overloaded with fat which is cannot properly process. I think this is reversible to some extent, but a diagnosis of liver disease would be the worst on the list.

So they took some blood today, and the vet will call me Monday to review the results. Depending on those results, we may have to go back on Monday for more blood work. He has to fast for 12 hours for that test.

It's a waiting game. My animals are so important to me that I can't imagine not having them. It really doesn't matter what the cost is, I'll do whatever I can do to maintain a good quality of life for them. $135 charged today. I guess we'll see what Monday brings. Cross your fingers for him.

Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

So a gal pal at work loaned me A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I still haven't read The Kite Runner, but both have received lofty reviews, so I started on it last week. It was great. I read it before bed last week, and on the plane to Vegas. I finished it on the first leg of the trip back today. Just amazing.

The book is... how do you say... graphic. On the surface it isn't a happy story by any means, but the outcome is a testament to the strength and resolve of its characters. It takes place across three decades of life in Afghanistan, and for a 30 year old American born woman like myself - the details regarding the wars, the sexism, the abuse - were not only foreign but frightening in nature. It is ever so slightly reminiscent of Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody and William Hoffer, but much more vivid. It was a fabulous book, and I fear that all of these awesome books in a row will spoil me.

So I am searching for the next book now. Below is my current list, with both new books and books left over from the Fall 2007 list. I make an effort not to read two books by the same author in a row because it tends to be too overwhelming for me. So here it goes...

My Original Fall List
1. What Remains by Carole Radziwill - Done!
2. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman - Done!
3. Until I Find You by John Irving - Done!
4. The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford - Mostly done!
5. Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman

New Spring 2007 List (including some of your suggestions)
1. Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman
2. Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison by TJ Parsell
3. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
4. Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher
5. Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory
6. Searching for Life: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the Disappeared Children of Argentina by Rita Arditti
7. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
8. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
9. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
10. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
11. Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody
12. A Ship Made of Paper by Scott Spencer
13. 1984 by George Orwell
14. The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

HOME!

Okay, so I fully intended to blog from Vegas, but obviously it just didn't happen. My stomach was a tight knot the whole time - not sure why - and every time I got into the limo or cab, I got queasy. No aches, no body pains (with exception to a few pulled muscles from lugging the luggage around), but just this tight stomach feeling. Not fun.

I did fit in a few fun things outside of work meetings and events - drinks and dinner with friends, Prime Steakhouse, TAO, and Mary J Blige. I was also supposed to go to Pure, but a few of us opted to see KA (second time for me) - it's just that worth it.

So I landed at 5:15, and was home by 6:15. My animals are absolutely in love with me right now, so I'm signing off temporarily to spend time with them. It's glad to be back.

The Countdown Is On

I leave for Vegas in the morning. Before you start a comment, please don't say "Oh, you're so lucky," or "Vegas!? How exciting." I'm not a Vegas kind of girl. For all of the video game playing and nights out, Vegas is just way too overdone for me. It's like the "Glamor Shots" of nights out - all big hair and way too much lipstick.

Granted, I've only ever been to Vegas for work, so I think it's fair to say that I haven't seen all that Vegas has to offer. But for all of it's brights lights and noise, it's just not my thing. On top of my already negative feelings, it's a rush trip. I fly out tomorrow, and fly back first thing Thursday. Talk about jet lag.

Now I do intend to do a number of fun things while I'm there - Prime Steakhouse, TAO, Mary J Blige, Pure, among other things - but there's just something to be said for the comforts of home. If I had one wish, it would be to see KA again. I saw it two years ago, and it blew my mind. I saw O last year, but KA is my favorite Cirque show to date. I just wish I had the time.

So tonight I'm finishing packing and cleaning (CJ is house and pet sitting for me - I love her to death), and tomorrow I get on a plane. Lucky for me that my iPod is ready to go, full of Sopranos episodes and the best hits of Mary J.

Nothing Is Ever Easy

So SUCCESS! Sort of. I bought the USB enclosure today ($44.50 total from Staples in Timonium), and I successfully transferred my favorites, bookmarks, saved game files, etc. from my primary drive. Then I connected my storage drive... and nothing. Vista could see the storage drive in the device manager, but not in explorer. It didn't have a letter assigned to the drive or anything. I couldn't check the file size or access the files, but I could see that the drive was "functioning properly" and "healthy."

Great. So after hours of reading and researching online (and by hours I mean hours and hours and hours), I believe I've identified this issue. At least I think I have.

Apparently some old machines have their own bios settings which prohibit the FAT table from being read on a new machine. The new computer sees it but can't read it. I think that is what is happening here. I'm not 100% sure that this problem relates to the fact that I had Windows 2000 on the old machine and now I've attempted to connect this hard drive to Vista, but who knows. All I know is that I found some freeware (freeware... for now) that can operate in a Windows 2000 environment. It has been scanning my hard drive for 35 minutes now, and it's definitely "seeing" data on the drive, but I still don't know if I'll have access to it yet... or if I'll need to buy the full version of the program.

Anyone have any ideas? I refuse to post some rambling plea on a discussion board. That is why I have my own blog, after all.

The New PC...

...doesn't like my old hard drives. So much for an easy setup. Instead of transferring data, tonight I am downloading some of the basics (Google Toolbar, iTunes, etc), and installing some of my key games (Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, WarCraft, SimSocieties) so that I can plug in my saved games once I get access to my old hard drives.

The current plan is to buy a USB enclosure for my old hard drives and transfer the data that way (thanks, Dad and JJT, for the help). If anyone local happens to have one of these - let me know - otherwise, I'm on the hunt tomorrow. I HAVE to finish this project this weekend so that I can get ye 'ole iPod ready for my trip. And I'm leaving Monday first thing. I have my 25 gbs of music, The Sopranos: Seasons 1 and 2, and a bunch of borrowed movies to transfer to this thing for the flight. I am going to be very irritated if I can't make this happen by then.

So... funny story.

I dated this guy on match.com once. And by once, I mean once. He was a cop... locally, let's say, and he was seriously the worst date ever. He was good looking, sure, but he spoke of very inappropriate things on our date - things that you should never ever discuss. Ever. Somehow, I think that I was supposed to be impressed by these things, but given my self-respecting attitude... I was not. So after a few hours of letting him buy me drinks (because it was the least he could do), he offered to drive me to my car. He's a cop, right? Yeah. Let's just say that his behavior (albeit shocking and BRIEF) was presumptuous, as he practically (practically?) attacked me in the car.

Did I mention he was a cop?

Anyway... [insert laughter here] fast forward three years later (and after I've denounced match.com) - for the second time in a month, I saw his twin brother out in the city. And, because I'm me, I say, "Hey! You're the brother."

The brother turns out to be somewhat friendly (which is very likely an act in itself), and as it turns out, my friend that is with me actually talked to this brother on match a year or two back. Sha? They are match.com sluts, apparently. How gross is it that these people are out there making it that much more difficult to find someone? And cops, nonetheless. It's funny and pathetic at the same time. To this day, I still have the first cop's number in my phone, just so I know never to answer it. My friend said that she does the same thing, but labels them, "Never answer this call" or something similar. Being single is such a chore sometimes.

Welcome 2008 and Welcome Isabella

Yesterday as the end of 2007 neared, I had news that my friend, Jess, was in labor. I left work a little early, ran my errands, and headed to Carroll County to see her. The full story is not mine to tell, but Isabella was born last night around 8:30 or so, and she is just stunning. Gorgeous. Congratulations to her parents (whom I adore), her family, and the rest of us who will love her dearly. Such is the miracle of life.

After staying around to make sure that mother and baby were fine, I headed home, and then to Rob and Jill's for festivities. Pictures to come later (I have surprisingly few on my own camera), but I did my best to catch up with the crowd when I arrived, and we toasted the new year at midnight. I had so much fun.

2008 is going to be absolutely amazing, I can feel it in my bones. And there was no better way to send off 2007 with the birth of a precious little girl and a celebration with good friends. Cheers!