Sunday, December 24, 2006
Merry Christmas
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Baking, Baking, Baking
All of this was made possible by the fact that on my first day of vacation I woke up at 7 fucking o'clock. Now if the Christmas gifts for The Wife would wrap themselves.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
What to do?
So, what should I do to entertain myself?
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Well Said, Sir.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
This is my nightmare
Sunday, December 03, 2006
So THAT'S why I hate to shop
Blah.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Eh. Not much to say
On some level I am really schizophrenic about this time of year. I'm not big on re-decorating the house for a month [part of that is because Jesus is not and never has been my Lord and Savior despite my Christian childhood] but I like to look at everyone else's decorations, I like having a Christmas tree in the house but I hate putting it up and decorating it, I don't like to be bothered to send cards but I do it anyway, I struggle mightily to select an appropriate gift that the recipient wants/can use and I get peeved when people give me gifts that they gave no thought to (and that's a really bitchy selfish horrible feeling because I should be pleased [and I'm sincere here] that they cared enough to get something for me at all.)
I saved this post for a while and now the weather has changed (it's seasonably cold now), we've done much of our Christmas shopping, we aren't going crazy with the decorating this year, and I just am feeling better about things in general. It's a Sunday morning, I've had my coffee (and bizarrely, I might have chipped a molar on my granola), and now I'm sitting here looking at the sunny day with my favorite poochie sitting on the arm of the recliner. We have only one obligation today and otherwise I get to putter around. Puttering makes me content. I guess in the long run content is a good thing to be.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Life Changes in an Instant
Even though many of us spend 8+ hours a day with our co-workers we may not see them or think of them when we aren't at the office. I know that, in general, I don't. We all go off to our own lives at night and on the weekends and often our lives are quite different from our co-workers. Now I can't stop thinking of my co-worker and her family and work will never be quite the same.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Doesn't he have better things to do?
As someone who has had more than my fair share of GYN problems I don't need a politician running for re-election to start digging around in my medical records even if they don't have my name on them. I don't see him digging around to find out if every case of STDs has been reported, even though some of those could have come from rape or incest and would be evidence of a crime. He is doing this to scare women away from abortion clinics even though his personal beliefs should have nothing to do with his job prosecuting CRIMINALS. These women and their doctors are not breaking the law. As long as people are abiding by the laws in their state, what they do with their bodies is not the business of ANY AG. People seem to forget that women have minds of their own and are quite able to decide what to do with their own bodies. Leave the decision of what to do about a pregnancy to the woman who is pregnant, anyone she wants to discuss it with, and any doctors involved. No one else has the right to interfere.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
NJ Supreme Court Ruling on Gay Marriage
A friend just asked me what I thought of the recent NJ Supreme Court ruling on the right of gays to marry. I was disappointed. We have only to look at recent history in South Africa to see that "separate, but equal" doesn't work. In all honesty I don't care what they call it but from a legal standpoint I think it matters. I don't think African-Americans and Whites who were affected by anti-miscegenation laws would have been happy with anything less than marriage rights and I don't think Queers should be either. However, civil unions are a half-step forward. I think all unions sanctified/registered/whatever with the state should be called "civil unions." Then, if you want or can get your religion to sanctify your union you can call it a marriage. If your church wants to give you special rights because you have obtained a "marriage" they can. But in the eyes of the law there should only be "civil unions." The State doesn't currently make a distinction between people who are married in a church or by a judge or by a justice of the peace. I think it would be an easy change for the State to make.
I think we should all be equal under the eyes of the law. Once again, it all goes back to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence upon which this Nation was founded.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Stealing Elections
If you have any interest in getting free and fair elections back in the United States, go read this Rolling Stone article by RFK Jr. I am absolutely disgusted by my county's decision to use Diebold machines.
Friday, October 20, 2006
I don't get it
This morning on NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6352046 I heard the political correspondents discussing how the Republicans were going to start airing an ad on Sunday showing Osama bin Laden with his quotes about wanting to destroy the US. I do not understand how this is beneficial to the Repubs. For 5 years, this guy (who did, in fact, have something to do with 9/11/01) has been on the loose and we invade Iraq instead of putting all of our resources towards capturing him. This is a reason why the Democrats can't "keep America safe?" It just astounds me every time ObL is invoked that no one (especially the journalists) says "Hey, you've had 5 years to strategize and decide how to capture him and instead you've been busily invading Iraq and creating a civil war there and completely destabilizing the Middle East." I couldn’t believe Mara Liason didn't bring it up. What the hell am I missing? Do people really buy this bullshit?
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Today is sponsored by the letter "C"
The Wife gave me a Handspring handheld planner as a wedding gift. For 5 years it has functioned as my address book, calendar, and note pad. Then in July I got a CrackBerry through work (and a new personal cell phone within the same month). I have restocked the cell phone with phone numbers but it is taking me ages to move the stuff to the CB. I have to be on my work computer, attached to the network, and logged in to email so I can access Contacts. Granted, it is much easier to move stuff using Contacts and the full-size keyboard rather than giving myself CB thumb trying to key it all in that way. Today I decided that I have to add a new letter each day. I'm up to D now. At this rate it is going to take me until Thanksgiving to get it all in.
Congress sucks
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Yes, I am wearing pants.
This morning, I walked over to The Wife's side of the bed to kiss her goodbye like I do every day and she gave me a very odd look. Then she looked me up and down. I realized that she thought I wasn't wearing pants (I'm wearing khaki-colored pants today). I wished her a good day and, as I walked out the door I said "yes, I am wearing pants."
Friday, October 13, 2006
YUM! Prosciutto.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
National Coming Out Day
Sorry, I was back in my Washington protest days. Ahhh, to be young and in graduate school again.
Today is National Coming Out Day. If you are gay, tell someone. If you are straight and supportive of gay rights, tell someone. If you are homophobic, try talking to someone who is gay (or straight and supportive) without judging.
I have a pretty good life. I have a wife of 10 years (Hi BooBoo), a good job where I am out and where my relationship is treated like any other (well mostly) and where domestic partner benefits are offered, and a family who tries very hard to accept me and The Wife. I have good friends who generally make up for any shortcomings in the relationship recognition department from the family. I also have the world's best poodle who provides more unconditional love than one person needs (in the form of copious doggie kisses.)
While my life is good, life for gay Americans is not always so rosy. You can still be fired from your job (or not hired in the first place), you can be discharged from the military, and general discrimination is legal and openly practiced against gays. Unless you are a Massachusetts resident you cannot marry in the US and foreign marriages are not recognized here. The state and federal government confer many benefits upon married couples and gyms, golf clubs, museum, insurance companies etc extend benefits to those who are "legally" married. In short, while I work full-time, pay taxes, vote, and obey the law, I am still a second-class citizen.
Work for equality. When one person is oppressed, no one is truly free.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
WHOOPS! Or How to Scare Yourself at 7 AM
This morning, I scared myself because I peed red. It was at 7 AM, I didn't have my glasses on, and it was the last thing I needed first thing in the morning. I was completely flipped out but felt fine so I didn't run for the phone to call the doctor. I finally had a chance to check online (after I peed for the second time today and it looked completely normal) and beets can do the same thing to pee as they do to poop. Giant sigh of relief. I would have felt really stupid calling my Rad/Onc to report "blood in my urine" only to discover it was beets.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Mmmmm, Cheese
Tomorrow back to the real world. I just tried to clear out my work email box (393 emails and 457 bits of spam) and I managed to get it down to 150. I'll actually read the 150 tomorrow when I can ask questions of the people who handled my account in my absence.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Review: SenseoTM Coffee Machine
I have also promised the VP at work that I will share the Senseo with him. He's quite psyched. I'm sure I'll be sharing with lots of people once word gets around. I don't mind sharing the machine but people get to buy their own coffee pods. A bag of 18 pods is about $5 in my grocery store, although I know I can get the pods cheaper (and in larger quantities) online. Maybe this will be the impetus to get a pod-based coffee maker at the office.
I'm glad to be going back to work next week with my Senseo Coffee Maker. Now if I could just win PowerBall and not have to work at all...
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Yes, Virginia, There is an Upside
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Why I won't vote for Santorum
Monday, September 11, 2006
9/11/2006
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Freecycle Bitch
Friday, September 08, 2006
An Open Letter to Physicians and Their Staffs
I made a list of questions to ask my Gyn/One and Rad/Onc before my latest treatment. I did not see my Rad/Onc before they took me to the OR and I already had a dose of mellow meds when he made an appearance so I forgot when I saw him then. When I saw him afterwards in the Radiation Clinic I was in a lot of pain and he was getting ready to leave to go to another hospital. I asked the resident one question that seemed to puzzle him (Can I go in the hot tub?) so I didn't ask "Can I have sex?" because I thought I might make his head explode. I couldn't ask the Resident about follow up appointments because he wouldn't know.
I decided that the best thing to do was to call my doctor today because I didn't want to forget to ask him. I called and the woman who answered the phone said "Well, you'll have to ask him that." It was all I could do not to say "Dubmass, that's why I'm calling." She said "The tech can page him the next time you are in." It seemed pointless to argue with/explain to this woman so I just said ok and hung up. The Wife pointed out that the Rad/Onc's email address is printed on his card so I could email him. I did and I got an answer to my follow up appointment question and he said I could "resume normal activity" 2 weeks after my last treatment.
First of all, why didn't someone tell me that I shouldn't go in the hot tub/pool/bathtub until 2 weeks after my last treatment? Why didn't someone say "Don't have sex while you are having treatment"? Why didn't anyone tell me that I was supposed to do a "bowel prep" before each treatment? I've had 5 D&Cs so I know that I have to do a pre-op bowel prep and post D&C I'm not allowed to take a bath/swim/go in the hot tub for 2 weeks and I'm not allowed to have sex for 2 weeks but this isn't a D&C. They weren't scraping out the lining of my uterus, they've been irradiating it. Fortunately I kept to the post-D&C instructions even though they were nowhere to be found on the post-op instructions I recieved.
No wonder patients get into trouble. I could have given myself a raging infection which would have likely delayed my radiation treatment along with making me really sick. The Rad/Onc also told me there were NO side effects to the treatment - then why am I so fatigued? Why do I need to take 800 mg of Advil every 8 hours to avoid inflammation in my bladder like I had last time when you neglected to tell me to take the Advil around the clock and didn't recommend a dose? The usual non-prescription dose didn't do a thing. I wonder if he tells men who are having radiation treatment for prostate cancer that there are no side effects.
ARRGGHH.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Go Steelers!
Today's exciting activity
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Exploding sump pumps
The plumber also spent 15 minutes (while the glue was drying) in our downstairs bathroom reading Newsweek and taking a dump. It was odd.
Ugh
Ok, I have a day until treatment and I feel good at this moment. Time to enjoy it.
Let the campaigns begin!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Ernesto, you suck
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
One down, two to go
I was really sore yesterday, probably from lying flat on my back on a board from 8 AM until 3 PM and today my bladder is quite irritated. Other than that I feel ok. Still sort of tired in a "a nap would be nice right about now" sort of way. It is also time for my next dose of Advil.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
A long night with a small dog
The adventure began when I zoomed out of work at 2:15 and headed home to pick up The Wife and The Poochie. We headed into the city and got stuck in the usual traffic on the Sure-kill Express Parking Lot. We just missed The Steelers at Loew's. That would have been cool. We learned our lesson the last time so as soon as we arrived I took The Poochie for a walk but she would not pee. We hung out in the room and fed The Poochie and went for another walk - still no pee but was accosted by homeless man who was either asking me to call an ambulance or NOT call one if he fell over.) Finally, it was time for us to leave so in her crate she went. We walked to the subway and discovered that the token machine dispenses the maximum number of tokens for the money you put in (ie, put in a $20 get 15 tokens). The change machine was broken and the attendant couldn't break a $20 which was all we had. While we stood there and tried to figure out where to go to break a $20 a very nice guy gave us 2 tokens. Thank you awesome guy from Phila!
Uneventful trip to the stadium, lovely chorus of "asshole" while walking through the parking lot, into the stadium, up to our level, get expensive food and bad beer (something was wrong with the tap), and proceed UP to our seats. We were sitting amongst a group of serious Iggles fans and then discovered we were in the wrong section. It was a welcome move to the right seats. We lasted until the end of the 3rd quarter and headed back to the hotel.
First order of business was to take The Poochie for a walk and get something to drink. Poochie finally peed but still no poop. The Wife and I decided to order late night room service and watch Leno and then it started to pour. Before we went to bed we had a major debate about if the dog needed to go out again but she won't go in the rain so that seemed fairly futile. This decision condemned us to a rather fragmented night of sleep. First the dog was barking at the people going into the next room, then she didn't know where she wanted to sleep, then The Wife and I were having temperature issues. Finally sleep. Then around 4:45 The Wife announces "The dog is peeing." I get up, discover the dog has not peed but the hotel slid our bill under the door. I decide to take the dog out. DOUBLE SUCCESS. Finally fall back asleep only to have the maid wake us up knocking on the door (good guard dog) around 8.
After showers and breakfast we went to my office where we spent 2.5 hours filing/organizing and finally home where the dog pretty much passed out for the rest of the afternoon. Now we're watching baseball (Phils vs Mets) and I am just waiting for bedtime.
Finally, a plan...sort of
The weather here has turned suddenly cold (68 degrees, it was 90+ yesterday at this time) and rainy. We need the rain as we've had something like 0.06" this month until yesterday when we had 2". I think the weather (and my evening/night last night - for another post) is contributing to my general unsettledness (if that's even a word.)
I think I'll feel better after I get through the first treatment on Monday because I'll know what to expect and I'll know how I'll feel afterwards and whether or not I'll be spending a lot of time on the couch in the next 3 weeks.
On a pleasant note, it will be a good night for the hot tub provided that it doesn't rain.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Hiding from the World
He did call the next day to tell me they had formulated a plan and it would involve 3 treatments and general anesthesia each time. He said we would start Aug 21 and they would do the treatment once a week for 3 weeks. Then he called back on Friday to say that my Gyn/Onc needed to talk to anesthesia first (see previous post on that fun experience).
Now I am in a holding pattern because my Gyn/Onc is on vacation. I can't make arrangements for anyone to take me to treatment because we don't know when it will be, I can't make arrangements for my medical leave from work, I can't pass off projects yet, etc. Mostly I hide in my office all day and try to get as much done as I can. If I didn't have to leave the house right now I wouldn't but I have to go to work and we had baseball tickets last weekend and on Tuesday night, we are going to a dinner tonight, and the Grange Fair tomorrow and we have a family thing this weekend. Mostly I just want to find a comfortable cave somewhere (with electricity, indoor plumbing, cable, and wi-fi) and hide.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Car Stripping
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Well this just blows
When I spoke to my surgeon a week ago and got the news that the cancer was back, he said that they were going to talk to my insurance company and get a progesterone-only IUD approved because he thought that local hormone therapy was the way to go this time. I had a post-surgical follow up with him on Thursday and he said that I had been quite the topic of discussion amongst the staff. They had come up with a new treatment plan - high-dose internal radiation therapy. I will spare you the nasty details as I'm sure you can come up with them on your own but suffice it to say that it's going to be unpleasant. I've been doing a lot of internet searching and now that I know more of the details all I can say is I've had quite enough of strangers contemplating my crotch and we haven't even started. The radiation therapy will also entail another trip to the operating room and general anesthesia to "install" a sleeve for the radioactive rods to be placed in during the treatment. I'm a lesbian. I don't want to contemplate "radioactive rods."
Sunday, July 30, 2006
I hate shopping
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Good news and Bad news
My surgeon called last night with the results from my D&C. The good news is I didn't go through hell for nothing. The bad news is I didn't go through hell for nothing. The endometrial cancer appears to be back (apparently there is very little difference in the appearance of "hyperplasia with atypia" and stage I cancer). The surgeon said it is only in one place on the right side, everything else is clear. We talked about the options and they are going to try local application of progesterone (via IUD). He said I could go and get a second opinion and gave me the name of a couple of doctors at other University hospitals in the area because they are recommending something outside of usual standard of care (usual standard of care for endometrial cancer is radical hysterectomy which includes ovaries and cervix). They treated me with high dose oral progesterone in the past and it was tough. It made me gain weight from fluid retention and I was always starving. I also had horrible hot flashes. I've been on a maintenance dose of progesterone for 2 years but it wasn't enough and now the cancer is back again. I have no interest in a second opinion. I've done enough of my own research to know that there are limited options outside of hysterectomy. I don't want a hysterectomy because they will remove my ovaries and substantially increase my risk of osteoporosis which is prevalent in my family and they will remove my cervix which will leave me prone to bladder problems as I get older. It would be different if I were 60 or even 50 but I'm not even 40 yet.
Wow, this sucks.
Well that was surprisingly effective
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Not moving on like I would like to be
I still want to know why they did it. I have had general anesthesia 4 times over the past 4 years (before this time) and I was always asleep when they did the intubation. If there was a problem in the past they should have told me. I also would have appreciated more of an explanation of what was going to happen and what sort of instruments there would be using. When I opened my eyes at one point the fiber optic scope looked like a damned octopus hanging in front of my face.
Anyway it's over. I've done everything I can to address the situation and all I can do is try to be sure it doesn't happen in the future.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
A month of anxiety for nothing?
Those of you who know me personally know that 4 years ago I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. It was successfully treated with high-dose hormonal therapy and as of May 2004 was cleared. I was maintained on lower dose hormonal therapy and I had several successive biopsies and complete D&Cs that showed normal cells. This changed in early June when my latest biopsy came back with abnormal cells. My gynecologic/oncologist (aka GYN/ONC) said he needed to do another D&C to "see what's going on in there" (as though my uterus is hosting a raucous party). Said D&C took place yesterday.
This was my day:
Got up at 3:45 AM, had to give myself an enema (after the one the night before), showered, and was in the car with The Wife at 4:30 AM. Made the trip to the hospital an hour away. Checked in at "Short Procedure Unit", was interviewed, given a shot of blood thinner in my stomach (whoever invented the stuff needs to work on the formulation - that shit stings like crazy), and fitted with lovely thigh-high compression stockings. Taken to waiting area outside OR. Interviewed by anesthesiology resident (who has probably been a doctor for about 3 weeks given his unfamiliarity with procedures and the fact that new residents start July 1). Anesthesiology resident soundly abused by nurse (she said she needed the chart to check me in, which took 30 seconds and consisted of asking me my name, what procedure they were doing, and my doctor's name. He gave her the chart but asked for the labs from it so he could continue his job. He was polite and professional; she was not. Then she snapped at him again when he asked where to find the surgical consent form in the chart.) Anesthesiologist arrived (resident's boss essentially). She did the IV (thank you, done in one stick; I hate when they let the resident try first when they know I'm not an "easy stick".) Then she decided that they needed to intubate me before I was asleep. I had to breathe liquid lidocaine to numb my throat (BLECH!), then they put lidocaine gel on my tongue (MORE BLECH!) and then they tried to intubate me (they had given me some medication to make me relaxed). I promptly gagged and threw up. It was lovely. They realized they hadn't suppressed my gag reflex enough (I could clearly hear all the discussion that was taking place) so they sprayed more junk in my mouth and had me gargle with more nasty crap and finally (I can see the cords...) they intubated me and knocked me out. They managed to give me a fat lip during all of this manuevering too.
Afterwards (when I was awake but only halfway) the GYN/ONC came to talk to me. Apparently they managed to put a hole in my cervix or detach my cervix from the rest of me in one spot so he had to put in a stitch and was sending me home on antibiotics. Then he told me the kicker: "There's nothing there. I don't know that I even got an adequate sample for the pathologist." Basically he was telling me that the lab may have made a mistake (not the lab at his hospital, the lab my insurance company insists all outpatient testing by done at). We'll know more in a week or so. It appears that I probably had a month or more of anxiety, a horrible experience with anesthesia, and a hole put in my cervix for NOTHING!
The day at the hospital was capped off by the fact that they won't release you until you pee. Normally I lie. I go to the bathroom, wait a few minutes, and tell them "I peed, now can I please go home?" Now they measure. You have to pee in a "hat" and you have to have a certain amount of output (100 cc or 3 oz) before they let you go. I tried to pee around 11 or 11:30 (after 8 oz of cranberry juice and a cup of tea and 1 liter plus of IV fluid) but no luck. Then I started drinking water and finally 3 cups later I went. Of course, after all that water we had to stop on the way home so I could go. The McDonalds we stopped at had no power but The Wife made a plea for them to let me use the bathroom. Peeing in the dark in an unfamiliar bathroom after having general anesthesia is its own special trip. The manager did give us 2 bottles of water though.
In the end all I really care about is that I am probably not having a recurrence of the cancer and I don't have to go back on the high-dose hormonal therapy (which has some major side effects).
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Snark, Snark, Snark

Photo by: Gianmarco Maggiolini

Photo taken from: http://www.garbospeaks.com/Valentino/
Thursday, June 22, 2006
What I learned on Saturday
It sucks to be a grownup sometimes
Monday, June 12, 2006
The dog is a complete spaz
We have returned from our walk at the Lake. Pooch is asleep on the cool floor here in the kitchen. We walked an (as of yet) undetermined distance with relatively few difficulties.
Difficulty 1: Forgot to bring baggies so when she had her horse-sized doot, I was forced to dump her treats into my shorts' pocket and use that baggie.
Difficulty 1a: There are no trash cans along the path - just at the parking lots, so had to carry the baggie of horse-sized doot for the remainder of the walk.
Difficulty 2: 4 VERY LARGE SWANS. Needless to say Pooch was extremely interested.
Difficulty 3: Lots of people walking & running - and many of them had baby strollers - extra interest for that.
Plus #1: She's NOT interested in people on bicycles.
Plus #2: She only pulled for difficulties 2 & 3 - the rest of the time, she was very, very, very good on the leash.
Plus #3: She only stopped to lay down & rest once.
Monday, June 05, 2006
I'm sorry, Brady Bear

Last Monday the wife and I adopted an 18-month old male miniature poodle to be a companion to our nearly 4-year old female miniature poodle. Yesterday, we returned him to his breeder. He was basically still a puppy, albeit one with a few bad habits already. However, he was settling in to our house and was a furry love bug. The problem turned out to be our existing poodle. She got more agressive with him as the days went by. We had to keep them separated inside and if either one was loose in the house we had to supervise them to keep them away from each other's crates. We also had to closely supervise their time together outside. We had our trainer in on Saturday and she got to see a dog fight. She gave us some techniques and recommended a book called "On talking terms with dogs: Calming signals". The whole process was absolutely exhausting and we were keeping both dogs crated far more than we were comfortable with. Finally yesterday we made the decision that for the well-being of the household, we should return the fuzzy boy to his breeder. She accepted him gracefully and said that if our female had not accepted him already she probably wasn't going to. I feel like such a failure. I feel like I should have been able to make it work and create a "peaceable kingdom". I feel like we failed in training our first dog and made it so she couldn't accept another dog but she is otherwise a good dog. Spastic in her greetings (according to our trainer she was just born that way, not that we can't make it more socially acceptable) but otherwise a good dog.
I want to save every dog that doesn't have a good home but I can't do that. The whole situation just makes me cry.
Bear, I hope you find a forever family all of your own who can give you all the love, treats, and training you deserve.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Clumsy, clumsy hippo
Friday, May 12, 2006
Products I Don't Need
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Roses for Grace
I still miss her, almost 4 years later, and sometimes I talk to her (in my head, not out loud thankyouverymuch). I'm tearing up just writing this. She was quite the gardener, had the proverbial green thumb. I own some of her gardening books now but most of her knowledge came from a lifetime of observing what worked and what didn't and seemed to be innate. I don't have that same sense. I have to read what we are supposed to do and I don't remember what plants like acidic fertilizer and on and on. I don't have the time she did to devote to gardening, for when I knew her she was always retired. I think she would be proud of the life I've built and the gardening we are doing.
Wherever you are, Gracie, I hope you can see the roses when they bloom.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Adventures of Autumn the Wonder Poodle
The Wife has gone off to the hardware store to get a "Beware of Dog" sign and some hardware to make the gate hard to open from the outside. We have to replace the fence anyway (there go the nice hardwood floors we had been planning to install) so this is certainly the impetus to get it done sooner rather than later.
Even though I wasn't there the retelling of the story certainly gave me a good jolt of adrenaline this morning. On a final note, Thanks to Anna, the woman from Bucks County who brought my dog home safely.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
D.V.R.
I'm a blog slacker, I'm a blog slacker
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Praise for the DMV and The Butt Swab Study
On a completely unrelated topic, The Wife recently came home from a week's stay in the hospital. While there she proudly participated in what we will call "The Butt Swab Study." Yes, someone came in and asked her to consent to having her butt swabbed for resistant E. coli bacteria. If she has resistant E. coli bacteria around her bunghole they will pay her $10 per poop sample (every 2 weeks for up to a year). She gets to deliver the poop samples via a nationally known next-day air courier. Pay for poop. Hehehehe.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Phila Food Police
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Finding time to Blog
I am happy to report that The Wife and I are getting involved in local politics. The Wife was a volunteer during the 2004 campaign season and last year some acquaintances ran for local office and won. We supported those campaigns and met lots of people on election night and then we had a house party for Patrick Murphy who is running for Congress in the 8th District of Pennsylvania against Mike Fitzpatrick (well he needs to win the primary first). Yesterday we heard Larry Glick, candidate for PA house in the 143rd district, speak at an event. I also got a chance to actually talk with some of the people who I met on election night. I'm excited to be getting involved in local Democratic politics. We've been feeling a little lost out here because we've been here almost 4 years and we haven't made too many new friends. Part of the problem is because we don't have kids. For some reason, many people with kids don't even think to include us in anything. We like kids, really we do, we just couldn't have them (or adopt them or foster them...we've considered all the angles, health reasons prohibit us from being parents). We do things with our friends who have kids but we knew them before they had kids. Of course, in my paranoid days I wonder if people with kids don't invite us because we're gay and they don't want to expose their kids to us. This thought simultaneously makes me angry and profoundly sad. Anyway my hope as we get involved in local politics more and meet more people is that we'll make some local friends who we can go to dinner or the movies with, who we can have over for dinner or football or cards, and that we can meet some people who we can travel with. We like to travel but it's always just us. Sometimes it would be nice to have people to travel with because The Wife and I don't always want to see the same things. If we were in a small group we could split up sometimes and both of us could see the thing(s) that interested us most.
Time to load more tunes on the iPod.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Coming home to snow
London was expensive. I made the mistake of booking The Wife on a bus from the airport (then booked myself two days later on the same bus). It took FOREVER - traffic was tremendous and it was the middle of the morning. I can't even imagine what rush hour must be like. I had The Wife's best interest at heart when I booked it - I didn't want her to have to haul her luggage on and off the train and then drag it through the station to find a cab. We took a cab and the Heathrow Express train on the way back and it was painless and barrier-free (and took less than an hour door-to-door).
We saw an old friend (who will be referred to as the Italian former boyfriend who is gay...TIFB) who was a wonderful companion (along with his husband) for the wife when she first arrived and who spent Friday and Saturday evening with us. It was his 39th birthday on Saturday and he hosted a fab party in a gay bar. MMMMMM, BEEEER. We had a good time with the "Hi, I'm TIFB's former girlfriend" angle - unfortunately The Wife picked up a nasty cold in London so she was back at the hotel and this caused some confusion among the attendees. Apparently two of them were arguing about whether or not I'm gay. HA. TIFB's husband (after several mojitos) was asking all kinds of amusing questions which I, tongue well loosened with Hoegaarden beer (there's something really wrong about a lesbian drinking something called HO garden) was indiscreet in answering.
I will now say something that may surprise you - we had good food in London... It was Indian food, not "English" food but wow, was it good. We don't have an Indian restaurant near us now and I really miss Indian food. I ate it all the time when I was in grad school. I also had a "pasty" filled with steak, stilton cheese, onion, potato, and maybe turnip. It was good.
I had the opportunity to interact with my English counterpart - The Chemist (aka the pharmacist). The Wife woke up with a cold on Saturday morning so I went to "Boots, The Chemist" to get some things for her. Unlike here where I could stand in the cough and cold aisle and browse (and read ingredients etc ) in the UK some of the non-prescription items are behind the counter so you have to ask for them. Not knowing what anything was called or what it contained I had to ask the Chemist. I also had to lie through my teeth to the Chemist (is she taking any other medications? Just some Tylenol...).
To be continued...
Sunday, February 05, 2006
SUPER BOWL! SUPER BOWL!
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Here's your sign TM
Ok, can the SuperBowl start already.