What's on My Blackberry?

Querulous

I looked up the spelling of this word yesterday for a completely different reason, and then came to the realization that this is exactly how I spent the summer.

Granted, I have spent the past five-plus months at The Tumbler in a smallish, unventilated room that is not air conditioned; sharing it with a large, heat-producing, fume-spewing, cranky-ass printer along with an overheated iMac.

Yes, I would sweat all day and usually around 3:00 in the afternoon was so exhausted that by the time I went home I was querulous. I wasn't pretty.

Plenty of people have worked in places that are not air conditioned. I'm certain plenty of people have had it MUCH worse. But, this described issue, along with many many more I won't go into (I wrote a hilarious, yet mean, job description for them to put in their next ad. I only shared it with one of the other designers.) made me think, "Hey! Life is fucking short. This isn't working for me."

Querulous. I didn't even know that's what I was.

One night I walked into the house and Pup bounded out from the office - so excited to have me home from the day's work.

"What's for supper dahline"?

I put my bags down and wanted to cry.

Instead I turned on him and screeched, "You eat four things! Pick one"!

Of course it's true that Pup only eats four things. No reason to be a beast. No reason to let my querulous ways explode on him.

I'm out just a few days from The Tumbler and the fresh air is so sweet! I'm happier than a clam. I have no idea what the hell that means, but I am.

I even made Pup one of the four things he eats for supper last night. Smooches my Pup. He was never querulous while I was going through all of this. He was simply supportive and when I decided I had had enough and had taken a different, not-so-fiscally-beneficial job, he didn't even blink. He just supported.

Love that man of mine. It's true, he only eats four things and that pisses me off from time to time, but he's my soft place to land and what could be more important than that?

400th Post

This seems momentous! It's been great fun and great expression.

Not so much during the past few months. A variety of reasons have contributed, but the biggest one just may be impetus for the change I am about to make.

I haven't talked about it much, but I got a job back in March. I was sooooooo excited!

Not too many stories from The Tumbler because . . . well . . . because I kept experiencing the not so good and hoping for the best. I think the metaphor goes something like that. Maybe not.

That's the other problem with this problem. How something, somewhere was withdrawing my magic charms. Yes! Those! Heh . . .

I tend to be a stick-with-it person. I don't jump imprudently. I try hard to not be overly impulsive. Think things through. Maybe even a bit stubborn.

The slow, painful realization began pounding into me a change needed to happen. It really hit me on the head when I found myself one Saturday evening designing this t-shirt for myself.

This can't be good I thought.

So change is coming for me. I'm glad about this. It will be a bit of a challenge, but isn't that quintessential? Yep.

Rick Astley

I was just "rickrolled" into watching this so now I'm going to make y'all suffer along with me.

I dare you to not be humming this little tune for the rest of the day. Ha!



I, of course, used to LOVE this song and would dance around my tiny kitchen with my baby, singing it to her little arse.

What's amazing about this video is how current the dancing is! I mean, I dance like that! How did they know?

:)

Amy Winehouse

It takes me, half an hour to write a verse
He makes me imagine it from bad to worse
My weakness for the other sex
Every time his shoulders flex
The way the shirt hangs off his back
My train of thought spins right off track

Amy Amy Amy
Although I've been here before
Amy Amy Amy
He's just to hard to ignore
Masculine he spins a spell
I think he'd wear me very well
Amy Amy Amy
Where's my morel parallel

I've loved her. I've cried for her. I've known people in trouble like her. Don't judge her. Maybe you know what it's like to struggle, maybe you don't. Leave her be. Let her rest now.

If you're a fan, listen to Frank front to back - back to front.

Joy

stolen from this adorable web site

Declarations:

1. Do at least one post with no pet photos. Try.
2. Go outside even though you are bitching non-stop about the 118 degree heat index. Do it.
3. Cook more, don't lie, you remember how. Don't worry that someone in the house won't eat it. He'll find something.
4. Take your vitamins. Do it. Don't you ever want to feel better? Hmm?
5. Simplify. More complicated does not equal better evolved.
6. Yes, it's true, there are things that rule that aren't always controllable. Deal and roll. ROLL BABY!
7. Be happy. You can do it.
8. Get it back. It hasn't been gone that long, you'll find it out there somewhere (I'm talking about my joy).

Those of you that are still reading over here; I appreciate you so much. It's easy to hang out with someone that's fun and frolicky, but depth of character stands out when you support that same person that is stumbling and needing a hand.

Let's applaud with your hand and my hand. I don't want to be smaltzy, but all ya all rock my mind.

smooches

Sunday in the Jungle

Yep. It's true.

It's 98 degrees today. Heat index 116. Dew point at 81. This is the WEIRDEST summer. I'm BUMMED a bit because when you go outside you are heat-blasted. I have been in the house all day today!

And the thought of working tomorrow in the non-air conditioned Cave makes me cry. I think I'll hang out in the office and only go cave-dwelling when absolutely necessary. SIGH

Cutest two cats in the world. I think Deekers (on right) looks just like Stan Laurel. It's a weird comparison, but I'm weird.

Best dinner in the world. I thought I died and went to Grok heaven.

Cutest dog in the world wants a bite. I shared. You know I'm nice. Sometimes.

Georgie can melt even the coldest of hearts. He's had a rough weekend since he had to stay indoors as well. That just about kills him. And there were storms Friday night and Saturday night. He's very afraid of storms.

Give him a little hug my hooches, but don't feel too sorry for him, he had lots of wonderful beef fat for dessert.

Smooches.

Hey Hey We're the Monkees!

Photo courtesy of my very own Bella. She attended an event called, I believe, Convergence. What that exactly is, I don't know. Even when she explains it to me I don't know.

But check out this example of the cool cats, or mitigating monkeys as it were, that attended. Many many peeps attend in costume. Do you wonder if their butts have big red smiles as well?

Bella wore a costume as well. I'm hoping she will share a photo with me.

Thrifting a Go-Go

It was actually last week, but check out how amazing this find looks after some elbow polishing and love love love.

These two little adorables are heavy my brotha. HEAVY! I-could-use-them-as-personal-weapons-of-singular-destruction heavy. Love them!

What's heavy in your universe? Summer chugging along delightfully? I knew it!

smooches all you gorgeous hooches

Make Yourself at Home

Quotes

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?
~Ian Wallace

Being naked approaches being revolutionary; going barefoot is mere populism.
~John Updike

Everyone seems normal until we get to know them.
~Anonymous

The one on the right is my daughter's cat.

She stays with us from time to time while the daughter is out of town. Lorenzo is a 20-something woman with millions of friends and a social calendar that makes me exhausted just thinking about it.

Her cat, therefore, does not live here, but every time she comes she has no problem inserting herself directly into the ebb and flow of daily life here.

Her first objective is to make the other critters in the house (George and Calvin naturally - I am to guess Pup and I as well) know that she is here. She rubs on George's toys, she finds her scratching pad and lays on it, she claims me as her "human," she scampers about making curmudgeonly Calvin play with her.

I kinda love this about her and find that all of us need this personality trait. It makes her utterly charming. Would it work for the rest of us as well?

I Wonder . . .

. . . if having hotpants is how she got that Mercedes. :)

I know, I know, it's my jealousy talking. I seriously work in an area of awesome cars.

But this is just a sin. And to the woman driving the Jag? Take those stuffed animals out of the rear window or I'll slap you silly and steal your car.

Ha!

Quote

I run on the road, long before I dance under the lights.
~Mohammed Ali

I'm afraid these two don't run on the road or dance under the lights.

Well, that's not really true, but I'm seriously jealous of their napping abilities.

Take Your Vitamins

I DRAG myself out of bed every morning. Barely able to shake off the groggies. My mind EMPTY, VOID, and tired.

At work the ideas will not come. This is a bit of a hindrance since I'm a designer and ideas are kinda my stock in trade. I'm relieved when I have tedious, repetitious tasks to do rather than "coming up with something," cuz peeps, I got nothing.

I get home from work and the thought of folding a load of laundry or emptying the dishwasher makes me want to cry. By 8:00 I'm wanting to be asleep.

What's wrong with me?

Vitamin D deficiency!

Who knew?

Check out my bun reading. Nice buns!

Can you see the silver lining on this side effect warning? How many women will spot it like 'that'?

Here are a few facts:

Depression – According to scientist, depression is the result of the lack of vitamin D. They argue that because of urbanization, the sunlight can’t adequately reach the skin, reducing thus the 25(OH) level in the body, causing depression. It has been also discovered that a great number of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder during the winter due to insufficient exposure to direct sunlight. The parathyroid hormone is the one causing the vitamin D deficiency symptom – depression.

Hyperparathyroidism – Results from hypocalcemia, which is a blood condition with unusually low vitamin D level, resulting in hyperparathyroidism.

Fatigue – According to old remedies, sunshine and fresh air are essential for good health. The absence of vitamin D synthesis in the morning can result in fatigue.

Obesity – Vitamin D deficiency is frequently linked to obesity, as the insufficient level of vitamin D holds back the production of hormone leptin, which regulates the fat in the body. Inadequate exposure to sunlight disrupts the normal function of the body, determining the individual to eat more than it is necessary for the body.
http://www.vitaminddeficiencyguide.com/

Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency
You don't consume the recommended levels of the vitamin over time. This is likely if you follow a strict vegetarian diet, because most of the natural sources are animal-based, including fish and fish oils, egg yolks, cheese, and beef liver.

Your exposure to sunlight is limited. Because the body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight, you may be at risk of deficiency if you are homebound, live in northern latitudes, wear long robes or head coverings for religious reasons, or have an occupation that prevents sun exposure.

You have dark skin. The pigment melanin reduces the skin's ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. Some studies show that older adults with darker skin are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Your kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form. As people age their kidneys are less able to convert vitamin D to its active form, thus increasing their risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Your digestive tract cannot adequately absorb vitamin D. Certain medical problems, including Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease, can affect your intestine's ability to absorb vitamin D from the food you eat.

You are obese. Vitamin D is extracted from the blood by fat cells, altering its release into the circulation. People with a body mass index of 30 or greater often have low blood levels of vitamin D.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/vitamin-d-deficiency

I'm scratching my head a bit.

Yes, I live in a northern region. And yes, I work indoors during the day. And yes, I'm older. And yes, I'm chubby.

But I eat red meat and eggs, am not afraid of the sun, do not have dark skin, and have been supplementing Vit D for quite a long while. And I drive a convertible. Granted, there hasn't been any SUN this spring so far, but is that my fault? :)

But, of course, the Vit D I've been taking, and the Vit D prescribed to me by my doctor are the wrong type of Vit D. SIGH!

Lots of questions have been answered for me, but I have millions more.

Fatigue is a weird thing. You feel like it's not real so you push yourself to "get over it" and when you can't, you think, "Oh tomorrow, I'll feel better and get on those projects." But tomorrow you feel maybe a bit worse.

But today I feel better just in the knowing.

Hot Enough for Ya?

Weird right?

Those of you that live here know this to be true; those of you that live elsewhere and have thoughts about Minnesota, I'm guessing you can throw them out of your window. If your windows were open.

This is me. This is me in traffic. This is me in traffic with the top of my Jeep, Ruby, UP! This is me amazed at how high that temperature gauge went yesterday. It eventually read 107. I don't think it was actually 107, but I do think it hit 102 yesterday.

HOT AT HELL PEEPS!

No wonder we're so aggressive on the roads (Minnesota drivers are in the top five of angry drivers). The roads are either ice and snow covered and treacherous, or they're buckling under extreme heat.

It's weird here.

I swear, if it weren't for the weather, I really don't know what we'd do for small talk. I spent many hours yesterday at my doctor's offices (waiting - testing - waiting - testing - talking - waiting - testing) and the general topic I heard was about the weather. What else are you going to talk about in the 30 seconds it takes to have the nurse get you from the waiting room and plop you wherever it is they plop you?

And get this - our peonies just bloomed. Because our spring is so late. Nothing like throwing us directly into the deep end of the pool. The few flowers I have were very sad looking yesterday. I ran around watering some of them, but it was so god-awful I had to flee. This is when I truly envy my BFF that lives in a small town in Wisconsin on a lovely lake. Never horrible there. Always lovely. Except in the winter. And except it's not The Cities. I do love the cities. But I love the lake.

As Pup would say, "What a whiner!"

Pardon Me?

No reason for this. Just savor the cuteness of them watching TV.

It's early morning. Way early morning. 4:30 in the early morning.

Before you feel sorry for me, know this; I was in bed at 8:00 last night.

How old am I?

I blame it on the mysterious illness that has felled everyone I work with; one by one. I am resolute that I will not be one of them, but yesterday back in the cave, (my office at work - office being a very loose euphemism) long about 4 or 4:30 my large noggin' was nodding and bouncing. Feeling woozy and SO TIRED and just a tad ick. I nearly nearly called Pup to come rescue me, but cooler heads prevailed (although I was vacillating between hot and cold in rapid succession).

I slept like this. Really.

So now after eight glorious hours of sleep I'm up, drinking my coffee and reading my neglected blogs.

I've been on a bit of a blog-vacuum of late. Nothing will be dislodged out of the oft mentioned hugely huge noggin'. There just isn't anything in there.

Well, that's not true. Plenty is in there, but believe me, it should only stay there.

Like this:

I had my yearly last week where the woman giving me my exam was confounded at the year of my birth. Saying a few different times how I look marvelous and have great hair and look 'so young'! Even though I'm a chubby f-er right now (maybe forever) and not feeling so hot. Not hot. Even though a client for the Tumbler was following me around like a puppy yesterday. Kinda. I know that look. I was relieved to see that the look isn't only a dim memory. Ha!

Now - cut to the next day. I'm shopping and bring my purchases to the young un at the check out.

"Would you like the senior discount"? she asks.

I stare at her.

Me?? Is she talking to me? Me of the lustrous hair (chemically enhanced as it is) and youngness dripping off of me like a Dairy Queen dip cone?

So, my smugness lasted about 24 hours. Gotta keep it real.

I told this story to both of my daughters and the younger one stated, "Oh yes mom, you're aging well."

Holy hannah. That was another anchor-moment. Aging? Oh dear!

Now why would that word bug me? Not sure about that.

I don't think it bothers me. Getting older that is. But I'm as vain as the next woman. I color my hair and consider other procedures (so far consideration is as far as I've gotten).

My age is good! I like having my life experience behind me AND in front of me. Nothing wrong with that.

Meanwhile, I have a sweet husband that got me this lovely piece of perfection for my birthday month (which is also our anniversary month so it's a double present - the best).

Isn't he awesome? I have to mention that he did this totally unaided by me (for real!). He simply overheard a conversation I was having with his niece and actually remembered the NAME of the bag! He REMEMBERED! Most of the time I don't think he's listening at all.

Here's the next thing I want to 'mention' in a conversation. Do you think I'll get it?

But seriously, how fun would this car be? I want it like I want good coffee. And good sex.

So impractical, but so fucking cute!

You'll Be Mine

Why the shot of clean dishes? Why this lame and dull shot you may ask? Although, I do have to ask, have we met??

These clean dishes are load #2 from my FABULOUS and AWESOME brand-spankin' new Bosch dishwasher that Pup and I decided to bite the bullet on last week.

I've moaned in the past about the kitchen appliances we purchased for our kitchen remodel about 2.5 years ago.

LG you suck. You really do.

The appliance that perhaps sucked the most was the dishwasher.

Dishes would go in cleaner than when they came out. Glasses were foggy, junk was caked on, silverware was filmy. Yuck and ish.

A few months back I gave up on the thing and started washing dishes by hand, which is kinda gratifying in a weird way. Drying with a towel and making every thing sparkly.

I started storing disparate things in the dishwasher.

"Where are George's pig ears?" Pup asks. In the dishwasher!
"Where is the sink drainer?" Pup asks. In the dishwasher!
"Where is my stack of Playboys?" Pup asks. In the dishwasher!

Hey, storage is storage I say.

I leave last Friday morning for work right when the appliance guy is showing up to install my new gorgeous Borsh. I'm excited!

Pup calls me halfway to work.

"Babe, you're never going to believe why our old dishwasher didn't work."

"Why?" I ask.

"It was hooked up to cold water only."

"Pardon me?"

"Yep, cold water only. The guy was totally scratching his head."

Sigh

For over two years I've been bitching and moaning about this piece of crapski and this is the reason?

I stand by my opinion. LG you suck!

Tell Her She's Lovely

Over the weekend Pup and I had millions of projects (as per usual) and made progress in spite of the fact I spent most of Saturday with Bella at a baby shower she was hosting for one of her friends.

The long-time friend is a redhead. She has enough power surging through her to light half of the smallish suburb of Minneapolis where I live.

I curse myself for not taking several BlackBerry shots of this amazing Lego world she has built. Every little Lego was placed by her own redheaded hand! It was truly amazing.

Cut to yesterday. We are happily working away on our separate projects; Pup in the office sorting and filing from his Season and me in the dungeon finally sorting through the rack and ruin left from the remodel. I am slower than the comeback of El Chicano.

I have the radio on keeping me company while I vacuum up dead bugs (gross) and I hear sirens going in the 'hood. I turn on the TV and there is an explosion of tornados. Our area being listed in particular.

Pup scoops up the pets, including Lorenzo's DK, and lobs them into the dungeon. The cats are not happy.

Poor George is afraid of storms so he's actually okay with being in the dungeon with me where it is quieter.

The harder pet to round up is Pup. I'm shouting updates up at him of the path's touchdowns and he's reassuring me over and over that he will actually join us soon in the basement.

He climbs down bearing snacks and coke. What a man.

It lasted just a few minutes. Damage reported as close to our house as 1.5 blocks away.

We are safe and untouched.

I'm a weird woman. I can always tell when we're going to be absolutely fine. Maybe it's intuition. Maybe it's delusion. I knew we'd be fine.

Bella and The Big B live a few blocks from us and they were fine as well.

Spending a portion of your afternoon holed up in respective dungeons is better than flying about like Dorothy since I really don't want to follow any damn yellow brick road thank you very very much.

smooches my hooches

Hope your weekends were lovely and quiet!

I Think I Have It

Blogger's Block

That oft noticed, yet not much talked-about affliction.

Could it be because I'm off my meds?

Could it be because my head is empty?

Or could it simply be . . . simply be . . . hmm . . . I had another thought a minute ago.

I got nothing!

Here's what I want to be doing.

This isn't my Jeep. Mine still has winter's hardtop, soon to be summerized (it's on Pup's ever-growing list), but isn't everything about this perfect? I even love the vanity plate and mostly vanity plates are ridiculous.

Smoches my hooches.

Pupism of the Week

Do you think if Calvin's balloon-knot broke free that he would blow about the room like a deflating balloon?

What it is!

I'm so whiny right now I can barely be in the same room with me.

C'est la vie!

Hot Men Friday

Barack Obama

Politics aside, what happened may not be the end of anything, but I'm praying it may be more than a beginning.