Harpy Hawlidars

Whuh...whut...whut day is it? DECEMBER 3RD???? HOLY SHIT! I've been in a coma for almost two weeks! I gotta get my shopping done! I gotta bake and buy hams and shit! OH MY GAWD!!!



Hehehehe... Me? Stressed about the holidays? Not this year! Really, I'm not. I'm so relaxed I can't believe it. This year I'm going to have FUN! It's our first Christmas as a married couple, among all the other things I have to be thankful for.



I haven't been in a coma, but I have been quite busy. Both at work and at home. I don't feel like writing about what I've been busy doing because it's nothing spectacular. I've been driving, jogging, relaxing, cleaning, drawing and getting up to do it all over again and again and again. Yay. My life is infinitely fascinating, I know.



And speaking of drawing, I was gonna post the latest finished, inked drawing...







This, and one other of my finished drawings have now been sent to the wonderful lady who is going to bring them to life with color. I'm so excited to see my drawings after they've been colored by her. She is as talented with color as I am with lines.



Hmmm...what else is happenin'...



Oh yea, Ron and I went to a really bad metal show the Friday after Thanksgiving. It was at this show, amongst the usual riff-raff dressed in black with various piercings, that we decided we'd had enough of this shit. Well, Ron anyway, since he's the one who's been going to these types of shows, and many others, since before I got my period.



This particular band, called 'Down', started out as a side project of Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. Let me start off by saying I'm not a huge fan of metal. Sure, there's plenty of metal I really love and/or appreciate, but the lot of it is like a drill to my skull. So I guess this little baby of Phil's is growing. The guitarist Pepper Keenan, from another successful metal band called Corrosion of Conformity, (another of Ron's faves) is also in the band...so it's no wonder they've taken off some. I figure the fan base combines followers from the other successful bands, plus a bunch of retarded young folk who have no idea that it's all been done before. Their particular brand of trash is called 'Southern Metal'. 'Kay, whatever you say, man. Sounds like shit to me. And I thought Mike Patton was a little on the arrogant side. At least he has the right to be. Mr. Phil had quite the ego that night. I just got this feeling...like I wanted to shoot him down. Okay dude, you survived drug abuse and the bad breakup of your previous band. Wooptie-do. Get over yourself.



So first we had to wait in line for an hour with the lame fans. During that hour, I decided that I really hate lip piercings. Not just the ones around the actual lip, but the ones that are like, in the middle of the chin? OUCH. Makes you look like the hooked fish that got away. Ugh. I'm getting old. Anyway, once we finally got in we headed to the balacony, so as not to get mixed up with all the sweaty psychos when the show started. Ah, we escaped the sweaty psychos, but not the stupid ones. We sat behind a group of four made...two of the most antsy couples I've ever encountered. The fuckers couldn't stay in their seats, or row for that matter, for longer than ten minutes before one, two or three of them got up and left. Back and forth, back and forth. One of the guys, who looked to be about 40, was so very obnoxious... He had to scream, "I said GOD-DAYAM!" after every song. It took forever for the show to start. Instead of a another band opening for them, they showed us a projected film documentry. Of them. And their roots. For an hour. Yea, we got to watch several burnt performances from the 70's on film including, but not limited to, Kiss (oh dear God), Lynard Skynard and Free. These performances were interspersed with clips of the band (Down) travelling in their van, playing riffs and fucking off. Oh, to be a performer.

Anyway, we left when we realized the ear-splitting sound was not going to get any better. And of course "Oh GOD-DAYAM" boy didn't help either. So we're going to stop with the metal shows for a while...actually, shows altogether. I wouldn't mind going to a few smaller venues, but nevermind the bigger shows...unless it's Mike Patton.

Well, that entry got long. I'm gonna go now. Time to get some artichokes for din din. Later!

Better buns

My buns are fine. And so am I. I felt so much better yesterday. Turns out my little weird bout of depression and sickies was from the dreaded Pee-EM-Esss. Dirty bastard. Yup, the painters are in and the hysterics are out. For now.

Last night I did it again. I sat down at the table and drew! Stay tuned for the next inked drawing! Being productive feels good. I also went for an evening jog after work. It'd been over a week. It's strange, my leg muscles actually started getting sore the other day, like they do following a workout after there's been a bit of a gap in my exercise routine. My legs were sore like I'd worked out hard the day before...but it'd been almost a week. What, were they 'reminding' me to get back to exercising with a shot of some lactic acid pain? Odd.

Well happy Thanksgiving eve. One of my favorite holidays. No gifts, no pre-parties, no hassle...just stuff yourself silly all day long. Aaahhh...that's my kinda day.

Sick

Heh. Lookit thuh kewt liddle fuzzie nozez... *sniffies*

I'm feeling yucky today. It wasn't a good weekend. I spent most of it sleeping, trying to stave off whatever this might be. Didn't help that both Ron and I had the same sort of depression affliction all weekend. Just shitty and bickery.

I did manage to go through some more boxes and such...got rid of some old clothes to make room for the buttload of new (old) clothes I got from Lisa, my lovely ex-shopoholic friend. This was apparently from one of her last sprees a few years ago. Many of the clothes haven't even been worn and if so, very little. I also got a few pairs of shoes, some belts and a couple of purses and bags. I'm SET! Thanks, Lisa! I'm happy for her and her credit that she's gotten over the shopping, but I'm sure going to miss all the free clothes!

So I made up some bags of old clothes, stuffed animals and knick-knacks I don't need anymore. It's a life-stage clean up. Time to get rid of a lot of the old, used junk I've had since I first moved out of my parents house. Gonna make a stop at good 'ol Goodwill on the way home today.

At least that little clean up accomplishment makes me feel good... I didn't get much of anything else done these past few days. I don't know what it is, but I've been feeling so down and under the weather again lately. Oh yea, I almost forgot to mention that I threw up all over the bathroom floor last night while I was sitting on the potty. It was such a beautiful scene. Once it started flowing, I couldn't make it stop. It was the weirdest thing because I didn't even feel that sick. I just started coughing and the next thing I knew I was choking and puking all over the floor. Poor Ron was scrambling for the paper towels, yelling at me to please aim for the tub or the toilet and I couldn't do anything but sit there and spew at the wall. Once we got the lake of barf cleaned up, I went to bed. Didn't have too much trouble waking up this morning, but I'm still feeling blah in my head and stomach.

Okay, time to stop with the pointless drivel and get back to work. I have so much to do today. Ughghghggghggggghh....

Three whole years, a haircut and a Toby

Yesterday marked the three year anniversary of Ron and my first date. He had Monday off so we were able to celebrate that night with a special home cooked meal together. Poopsie made us some scrumptulous stuffed chicken breasts, green beans and red potaters. We ate our yummy din din, sipped wine and cuddled. In' nat sweeeeeeeeeet? Yea, it was sweet. Hah, it's only been three years and it feels like it's been so much longer...in a good way! And forward we go...

In other news, I decided to chop the shit out of my hair last night. Myself. Mmmm-hmmm, it was buggin' me again. Too long, heavy and shapeless. Kept getting all in my face and sticking to my lips. So I thought I'd "trim" it around my face a little. You know how when you start something and then ya gotta finish it? The 'ol can 'o worms dilemma? Yea. I'm standing in front of the bathroom mirror tilting my head and clipping away. "Woops, this part's longer than that one..." *flip* *clip* *clip* "Oh, now that's too long..." *flop* *snip* *snip* "OH SHIT, I better STOP while I still have hair!" It's really not that bad though. No one has noticed yet. Not Ron, not my boss, not my coworker. I would never have done such a thing if my hair were straight. "No, my hairdresser isn't blind, why do you ask?" Remember that scene from "Sixteen Candles" (google) where the popular, pretty drunk chick gets her hair caught in the bedroom door and her friend cuts her free with those big ass scissors? I was just short of doing that to myself last night. I'm not too skilled at cutting my own hair. 'Specially when I'm going for the back. Glad I stopped while I was ahead. Don't know WHAT the hell I was thinking but at least it was fun!

So here are some pics I took with Rons new camera over the weekend. I spritzed Toby with the spray bottle and he looked so cute I just had to take a picture. Liddle tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinies...





And guess who's watching the whole thing intently?



Why little Henry of course!!! Hah!

Okay, time to get on with the day. But before I go...can someone please press the 'winter' button for California? I'm really sick and tired of this fucking hot weather. I'm wearing FLIP FLOPS IN NOVEMBER! This is rediculous! Thanks for the global warming, people!

Prosperity

I love this bracelet, Cathie. I was taking some pictures for work and decided to snap a shot of it. It's so cool! This picture was taken with our new camera that we got here at the office a few months ago. The thing takes amazing pictures just on the auto setting!



I had to get all artsy fartsy on this one... I've never been able to take a shot like that. I love doing the blurry in the foreground/backround focus on another object artsy shit. Yea.

So I was cruelly jolted back to reality yesterday during my jog. This is what happened... I'm coming down a hill onto the corner of a busy street with a gas station. An attendant is changing the gas prices on the sign with a big, tall pole tool thingy. I jog by and stop at the corner to wait for the light to change so's I can cross the street, right? Well, I'm leaning against the lamp post, sorta drifting into a daydream as I listen to music and watch the music video of the world unfold around me...

*THWACKK!!!*

The pole mister attendant was using must have slipped out of his hands 'cause next thing I knew it was slamming me in the left shoulder, right on the bone! I whipped around and let loose a stream of obscenities in the guys face, "You stupid fucking IDIOT!!! Watch what the fuck you're doing, you shithead!!!" The look on his face went from a shocked apology to just plain shocked as he turned away. He took off toward the station, probably to tell his boss what had happened. I stood there rubbing my shoulder in disbelief. By then the light had changed and I decided to continue on my way. I know the poor guy didn't mean for the pole to hit me, it was obviously an accident. My first response was pissed because not only did it hurt, it startled the holy shit outta me! But then I figured that yelling insults at the guy was enough punishment for him. As I jogged, the pain went away. As of this morning, I have a little purplish spot on site of the slam. Should make a little bruise, no big deal. Just so long as he missed my head, I'm in good shape. I bet someone is gonna wear some gloves with a nice rubber grip next time...or at least I HOPE so.

Pwah... Strange things were afoot at the Mobile station.

Awright, time for work. Boss is out of town and it's a little slow today. Ah, but there's always SOMETHING that needs to be done. Going to be productive again... Later!

Tooooooooozdee

Happy Tuesday. It was another wonderful weekend. Friday was my grandpa's funeral and it was nice to see my mom's side of the family again. The wake was held at a yummy Italian restaurant and of course I ate way too much. Enough to have to unbotton the top of my pants halfway through the meal. Or one of the meals, I should say. I had at least two full meal helpings...I'm SUCH a pig. Going to be jogging at LEAST three days this week. Already did a few miles yesterday and I don't feel like too much of a glutton anymore. Yea, I exercise 'cause I love to eat. Period.

Saturday, Melanie and Lisa came over to give me the DVD they made of the wedding shower, bachelorette party and wedding. They did such a wonderful job...so many silly parts that I'd forgotten about. Ron sat with the three of us and we watched the whole thing, laughing our asses off. The best was watching myself take my bra off from under my shirt during the bachelorette weekend in San Diego. Right there out on the street in the gas light district. Then I put it on my head. It was the perfect party town for them kinda hijinks though! It's so great to have all that on video, especially on a DVD that'll last forever!

Sunday was football day for the boys (Ron, Mark and Bam), which is becoming quite the regular thing. Especially since we now have a BEAUTIFUL couch!!!! A gift from the mother-in-law that arrived last week. She couldn't have gotten us a better one, either. It's got reclining chairs on both ends! Not to mention it's made of that wonderful suede leather...soooooooo sooooooffffftttt... It's got room for THREE whole people!!! And a fourth if ya push it. All these comforts of home that we finally have!

I also had some friends over Sunday. The two girls Cathy, Emily and Vivian...the latter two I hadn't hung out with in a long time. Emily and I reconnected a few months ago and Vivian I hadn't seen since high school! Girlfriends are the best... It was a very nice afternoon, we all went out to lunch and then hung out at my place for a bit. The amazing thing is the fact that EIGHT WHOLE PEOPLE fit in our livingroom! All at once! And they weren't tripping all over each other! I know, here we go again...I'm sorry, I'm still getting used to having a normal sized apartment, bear with me...

We just had fall back, set our clocks back over the weekend. The only thing I like about the fall time change is that we gain an hour over that particular weekend. Then it sucks 'cause it's dark by the time I get out of work. Now I have to jog in the dark. Not to mention what it does to traffic. For some strange reason, traffic gets way fucked up the first week of the time change. It's like no one knows how to drive in the dark! Oh well, I've been practicing having more patience these days, especially on the road. I'm trying not to let people/things get to me. Easier some days than others, but I must say I've been doing great lately. Even that perma-knot of tension that's been on the right side of my back has eased up some. Ahhhh...

That's 'bout it for this riveting entry. I've gotta go. Do. Something. Bye bye.

Halloween Spirit

It's been an interesting week, to say the least. My 98 year old grandfather finally passed away on Sunday morning. It was one of those blessing kind of losses in that he really wanted to go. He had a lovely, full life and was a good man to his friends and family. I'm happy that he will now be able to join my grandmother Gertrude, who passed away 30 years ago when I was only six months old. They were my maternal grandparents. Here is a nice picture of the two of them with my parents and I...


Grandpa Guy, you will be remembered fondly.

Well, my grandfathers passing had been expected, Ron's grandmother's passing, however, was not. We got a call on Saturday morning that Ron's 88 year old maternal grandmother suddenly passed in her sleep on Friday night. Her name was Gertrude as well. She went in a way that most would like to go, peacefully in her sleep. But she was so full of life and not ready to go! I never got a chance to meet her, unfortunately, as she wasn't able to make it to our wedding because she lived in Alaska...where Ron spent the first 7 years of his life. Ron was very close to his grandmother and would talk to her on the phone at least once a month. Poor poopsies. And his poor mommy poopies... *sigh*

So we both lost a maternal grandparent this past weekend. What a strange mix of emotions we've had running through us these past few days. This All Souls Day is going to be meaningful, to say the least. How nice to get slapped by mortality so close to Halloween. Today what little spirit I have, I made my own little jack o' lantern. It's not exactly a pumpkin, but I thought it would do...



And I didn't dress up...but my purse did!



Heeheehee! Okay, that's it for now. Keep those black kitties safe tonight!!!

May I help you?

I just finished this and added it to our website. Do you have any custom pieces to be made? Heh...fun stuff. Boss is back and getting on me so it's back to work. La la la later!

Yes, I've been working!

I've been drawing and the scanner is fixed so I can finally display my progress! Plus, I haven't had both Photo Shop and a scanner since I was going to school ten years ago. Check out what I did to my pelican!



Holy crap! Yes, I'm definately going to have to have a colorist for this project. I got a little carried away...

Then we have the cover drawing I'd done months ago. Here it is in all its inked glory...



AAAAand the last fully finished drawing...



I just figured out, while inking this drawing last week, how to make something sitting in a body of water. See all the little ripples and the minute beginnings of a reflection? I had no idea how to do it before this. At least not this clean. So there you have it. I moved and my muse is back. HURRAY!!!

Stay tuned...

I'm going to be posting some drawings sometime soon. Gonna get the scanner up and running again 'cause I finally found the set up disk! So stay tuned!

October already??

So this is Henry. Finally got a picture from my friend Lisa. She had her lovely camera phone with her when she came to see the place and I had her take a couple of shots since my camera has been outta service lately. It's really as simple as getting batteries...gawd I can be lazy sometimes... Anyway, he's so cute. He's got a wonderful personality. Loves to jump up on your chest and nuzzle your face, all the while purring like crazy. Hezza kewt liddle fuzzy poopies! YEEAAAaaaahhh!!!

*ahem*

Once again I have to say that I can't believe how time flies as you get older. The 21st of this month, we will have been married six whole months already. At this time last year I was fretting about getting started on the wedding planning. So GLAD it's all over! Oh, and tomorrow marks a month 'til our three year anniversary! Wow... I can finally say that we're on to the fun part of marriage...the NEW beginning! New place, new stuff, new attitude.

Well, I think I just might get some batteries for my own camera this weekend so I can get some better shots of the pets and living space. Really...this is rediculous. Playing around with Ron's camera last night reminded me how much I miss my own.

The 10th was Ron's 38th birthday. He told me that he is happier than he's ever been. AWwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww... We celebrated a little that day, went out to a nice sushi lunch. The night before was the fun part. I always love to do silly things for him to find when he gets home from work. He'd told me he was gonna take a shower and then relax with some ice cream when he got home. So, I just had to say happy birthday in my own way. First, I tried to write it out on the bathroom sink with his hair gel. Uhm...that got to be a little much so I settled on stenciling "Happy Birthday" on the bath mat with powder. Then I wrote "Hap Bert Day" on the top of his B e n n' Je rr y 's eye cream. Haha! Fun fun...and he totally appreciated it. I'd love to be able to continue to be creative through the years. It's gonna be a challenge!

Well happy Friday. I'm gonna get this day on the road. Not much going on yet, but I'm pretty sure the orders are going to start pouring in. Our lil' 'ol website is doing great! Woowoo!

The Morrissey Experience

HOLY SHIT! Another singer, BESIDES Mike Patton??? Yes, this one I actually got to see, pretty damn up close, this past Saturday night. Ron took me to my very first Morrissey show and it was the perfect concert experience. Since Ron has retired from the pit, my cousin Mark and I worked our way up to almost the front. We were probably about four rows back. I could see the whites of his eyes! And he was in such good spirits, talking to the crowd, even handing some woman the mike to ask some lame question...I don't remember what it was, of course. And I don't have any pictures of my own because, well, I suck at taking pictures of special events like these. Dammit. But the memories will suffice. It was a great crowd, too. I so enjoyed dancing, screaming, waving and getting pushed and squished in every direction. No really, I LOVED it! I've never gotten so close to a legend before. Next is Mike Patton. If I can get as close to Patton as I did Morrissey, my life will be complete. And I will be SURE to have a DAMN CAMERA.

So that was Saturday night. The rest of the weekend was wonderful as well. I hate that it's Monday again already. Another week of missing Ron. *sigh*

As for the art project I bitched about last week? I'm still gonna do it. Bottom line is that I have to finish what I start. And the drawings are coming out so well. I made it clear to the guy that I was pissed and disappointed though. I told him that I would still like someone to help us, preferably a professional who has dealt with this shit before. He's found someone and we're going to meet up again in a few weeks. In the meantime, I will do my drawings. What can it hurt?

Okay, it's the end of another boring entry in the life of a 30 year old nothing. Ya know, I'm still not sure why I do this. I guess it's become somewhat of a habit now. Sharing my boring life with strangers. I'll enjoy reading this later though. It's fun in that way. Later!

Good GOD ALMIGHTY

*sigh* So I'm all excited about working on this latest illustration project because the guy got an "art consultant" to help us, right? So like, I don't have to deal with mister head-in-the-clouds by myself, right? Well guess what?! Little miss squinty-eyed art consultant BITCH up and moved back to San Diego. AFTER SHE SAID SHE WOULD HELP US. YOU FUCKING BITCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. FUCK YOU! ARRUGHGHGHGhghghghghghghghghgajfagjopajgpoaigjoiwefi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I H-H-H-H-ATE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cried

Yes...I cried at the end of that stupid movie. It may have been due to the wine though. But 'Knocked Up' turned out to be a cute, entertaining movie.

I know, another picture of Mike Patton. Last night I had a dream that he was giving some sort of creativity talk at my old elementary school auditorium. Ron was with me and we were part of a small crowd that was asking questions and stuff. Ron kept urging me to ask something but I wouldn't budge 'cause I was all shy and embarrassed...probably due to the fact that I was wearing horribly tight shorts and had a muffin gut in the dream. I wish I could really meet the guy, dammit. Without all the rest of the whorefaced fans around. One day.

Unnatural obsession...I TELL YOU.


In other exciting news, we did indeed get rain in this desert over the weekend. Not piddly, but POUNDING...at times, anyway. Made for a cozy Saturday and a GORGEOUS Sunday. I spent the entire weekend at home, 'cept a walk here and there. We got even more done and the place is still coming together very nicely. Still.

Yes.





Indeed.





Life is grand.





*sigh*

OH yea...and speaking of whoreface... Remember this entry? Well I finally took the bitch off of my friends list, along with a bunch of other people I don't know. I really got tired of her bulletins about her tits and vagina and how beautiful and great she is. She never talked to me anymore either, so...GOOD BYE. Yea, good 'ol Myspace, makes you feel even MORE unpopular than you really are!

Okay, time to finish work so I can go home and enjoy Direct tv. We finally have tv again! JOY!

Ahhhh...it's Friday again

I'm so glad. It's almost time to go home... Now...do I want to jog like a good girl, or just skip it and go home? I've been good and have gone twice this week so far. I need my third day. I think I'll just do a mild one today, as I don't have much energy. Okay, I talked myself into it. Besides, it'll pass the time 'til the man gets home. GAWD I miss him. Dammit.

Plans for this weekend? Why, more cleaning and organizing, of course. Things are finally coming together. We've got the nice, new t.v. set up and can watch movies on it. Tuesday is the Direct TV peeps are coming out and we're gonna have more t.v. than we can possibly watch. Tonight I'm gonna go home and watch a movie on a subject that's very touchy for me... "Knocked Up" Let's see if I laugh or get pissed off, shall we? I remember hearing about the movie when it came out and thinking, "GAH! I don't wanna see that shit!" Well...of course I'm curious. It's by the same guy who did 40 year old virgin and Superbad and I was pretty damn entertained by those sooo...it might be a decent watch.

It's supposed to rain tonight. Will it? For more than, say, an hour? I know there were so many states affected by weird weather this year with floods and whatnot. In California it's just been DRYER than hell! We've gotten little piddly shit all year. We haven't had a real storm at all this year. I love the rain and weather in general, especially in the winter. As a native Californian I get so TIRED of constant sun. I know I'm spoiled though. One winter in Minnesota and I'd probably be begging to come back to our "boring" sunny days. Hah!

Well, another entry of nothing really interesting. I need to go get ready to run. Later!

Heart Warming

Well, nothing I feel like talking about today so I'll post a heart warming read from my advice column habit. Here's a lovely one from yesterday...

DEAR ABBY: I am writing to respond to "Grateful Mom" (July 13), the widow who, in her time of need, was invited by her son Neil and his partner to live with them despite having rejected Neil in the past because he is gay. I have a gay son, too, and I would not trade him for anyone. He is the most loving and caring son any parent could ever have. I consider myself very lucky.
When it was time for me to relocate, it was his partner who first approached me about moving across the state to be near them. My son helped me find a cute little house to buy. My two dogs and I are very happy.
I will not have grandchildren, but I do have granddogs and another wonderful son. I am blessed. -- ANOTHER GRATEFUL MOM IN FLORIDA

DEAR ANOTHER MOM: I am pleased that things are going so well for you. The responses to "Grateful Mom's" letter were heartwarming. They serve as a reminder that acceptance, love and recognition of the importance of family can triumph over intolerance and fear. Read on:

DEAR ABBY: I was touched that "Grateful Mom" was able to reconcile with her son and forge a wonderful relationship with him. My oldest brother was gay, and my parents welcomed his life partner into our family. We all have open minds and hearts about individuality.
I was saddened to read that "Grateful's" other children denied their mother a place in their homes. I took care of my mom in her final years, and although it was difficult for me to watch her health deteriorate, I was honored to be able to spend her last moments with her. I cherish those memories. -- CATHY IN RENO, NEV.

DEAR ABBY: I am the father of three boys, one of whom is gay. "Grateful Mom" had forgotten the most basic of things -- that your child is a part of you, and we must love, support and participate in our children's lives. This is what's missing in our society today, and it is causing all kinds of issues for the next generation. I love all my sons, and I am proud of them. I hope "Grateful" continues to enjoy her son and continues to share the lessons she is learning. -- PROUD DAD IN NEW JERSEY

DEAR ABBY: My mom came out to me and my brother about five years ago. She had been with men her whole life and, while we were shocked, we understood we could react in one of two ways. We could either accept her and her girlfriend, "Daphne," or disown her and have to explain to our children why they couldn't see their "nana." We decided to accept my mother for who she is and welcome Daphne into the family.
It was one of the best choices my brother and I ever made. Daphne loves my kids and can't wait to see them (she lives in Australia) later this year. My kids call her "Nana Daph." She is the best thing that ever happened to my mom, and I'm thankful she's in our lives.
I'm happy that "Grateful Mom" learned to accept and appreciate her son and his partner exactly the way they are. -- JENNIFER IN INDIANAPOLIS

DEAR ABBY: Thank you for recommending P-FLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) to your readers. It is an organization that provides understanding and support to both gays and their families. I have a lesbian daughter who has brought me much joy and pride. I went to P-FLAG when she first came out, and it was the wisest thing I ever did for the two of us. -- BENITA IN SAN DIEGO

DEAR ABBY: "Grateful" said her two daughters and one of her sons "married well." Sounds to me like Neil is the one who married well. Her letter made me cry. If only the world could be half as tolerant as Neil and his partner, Ron. Because of their good hearts and generous spirits, even that intolerant mother was able to change. How hopeful! -- BERKELEY, CALIF., READER

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

Awww, how 'tweet.

Settling in and all that shit

Hi. It's been another week here in lala land. And another great weekend, wherein we got tons of unpacking done and still managed to have some fun in between. Some highlights:

~We got a nice t.v. stand for our lovely new t.v. and will be able to get everything set up/installed (hopefully) by the end of this week. Ron did a fabulous job picking it out.

~Saturday was Ron's 20 year high school reunion. Now I know why I married him...I certainly do love the people from that generation...er...the generation that went to high school in the 80's, that is. This is probably due to my brothers being in that age bracket.

~We came home Saturday night and little Henry kitty was missing. Little bugger snuck out and after much worrying, crying (by me) and searching, the next morning I found him next door. Our lovely new neighbor had found him, fed him and kept him safe Saturday night. See...our stair cases look an awful lot alike. Hehe...thank goodness the pooper was kept safe 'cause we live in a hilly area with them thar coyotes.

~The boxes are diminishing. I managed to put almost all 500 of my CDs in alphabetical order in my CD stands. I need one more stand...

~I've decided to continue with my children's book illustration project. Met with the dude on Sunday and he got an agent to help us. Talking to her put my mind at ease...we're a lot further along than I thought. She is going to help us a lot when it comes to the organization of this thing. Plus, it's not fair of me to want to quit on someone who believes in me so much. He may be a big dreamer, but I believe this woman is going to help bring him down to earth and help me with my anxieties... Even though I'm not terribly enthused by the story (I just keep thinking it's been done before), it is something that I should finish. It's always good to finish what you start.

~FOOTBALL. How I love to tootle around the house with football on in the backround. It's not so much the game, but the nostaligia that surrounds the whole season. Football...a reason to drink beer, eat a variety of snack foods and be merry with friends/family/hubby. And don't forget those cute, tight little butts...HEAVENS no!

With that, I'm off to finish the day. It's time to get what I'm working on done so's I can git me some lunch! Toodle~LOOooooo!!!

Is it true?

Is there REALLY a 42" LCD HDTV with Direct TV sitting in our livingroom right now? Really? Do we really have a KING SIZED bed to sleep in? Wait, you're kidding...you mean we have an actual kitchen table to sit at while we eat??! Someone please pinch me. PLEASE! The comforts of home are slowly coming into focus. And shelves...WE HAVE SHELVES! Places to PUT things! We spent most of the weekend driving back and forth to Rons storage units to get some of his very useful furniture. We set up most of it and now we just have to put things away. Yea, I thought putting things away was the easy part. Not really. Not when you're tired... I haven't even put away my laundry from Thursday night. But things are coming together. I'm at a loss for energy lately and I think it's because I've slacked on exercise. Gonna go for a nice jog tonight, the first one in the last couple of weeks. Maybe it'll give me some energy to put more stuff away. Little by little. Pretty soon it'll be back to normal life. Yes, it's true. We have finally moved on...on to the next phase of life.

Darwinism

It's slowed down to a crawl these days, but seems to still be in effect:

"DEAR ABBY:

It happened again! Someone put pesticide in a water bottle. A 6-year-old child got ahold of it and drank about 2 ounces. He is now on a ventilator in a pediatric intensive care unit. Having made it that far, he'll probably be OK. Why do people keep doing this?

I can't tell you how many sad stories I've seen that start with using a sports bottle, a soft drink can or a milk bottle for temporary pesticide storage. I would like very much never to see another, but my chances are not good. It is my job to track health impacts from pesticide exposure in the state where I live -- where state law requires doctors to report such events to local health officers.

Please remind your readers to keep pesticides -- and other toxic products -- in their original, carefully labeled containers. Under no circumstances should people use food or drink containers for poisons, even momentarily. Please remind readers, too, not to use more pesticide than the instructions direct. The recommended amounts are effective, and using more just asks for trouble. Thank you, Abby. -- CONCERNED HEALTH WORKER IN THE USA"

Heaven forbid people read this and take heed. This guy has a point. I think the world is in serious need of a culling. If you are stupid enough to put POISONS IN PLAIN SIGHT OF YOUR CHILDREN, you don't deserve to have any surviving young.

That's all we did

All long weekend. Was move. It's so great to be back in that wonderful area! And our new KING SIZED BED was also delivered today! Oh the glory!!!! OH THE JOYYY!!! But oh the price we paid. Moving this past weekend had to be the most difficult thing I've done in a very long time. It was no less than 105 degrees on ALL THREE DAYS. Saturday we pulled off 12 hours of packing, moving and cleaning. Sunday and Monday we had to take longer breaks or the heat would've literally killed us. We got to take breaks in our AIR CONDITIONED apartment! No, not a shitty window unit that only cools about 1/4 of the place...a REAL one-and-a-half-ton air-conditioning unit sent straight down from the gods of cool. Finally, we get to live a bit more comfortably.

There's other news as well. You might not remember me saying that I was done with pets. Did I ever say that here? I don't feel like searching the archives, but I may have mentioned in an entry that in the effort to avoid becoming the crazy animal lady with the stank house, I would never get more than one cat. Ever.

Lemme tell ya...NEVER say never. Ever. Guess who went to the pet store two weeks ago to get crickets and came home with a new kitten? Just guess... Famous last words? I just couldn't resist. I know, so original huh. But he was all white, friendly, curious...just like Stan was as a kitten. I felt that he would get along with Stan very well and of course Stan needs a playmate. Yea. That's it. He's fat and he needs to run around. Uh-huh. I just had to, OKAY. His name is Henry and he is the cutest fucking thing in the world...besides Stan...and Pickles...and Punkin'...and Toby...and and and ...

Pictures to follow...someday soon, I hope.