So, someone wrote me a check almost a month ago, and I keep forgetting to cash it. I learned today that you can go to the bank where the check came from, verify funds, and then cash it, even if you don't have an account there. Yay!

A good piece of information to know!

So, it turns out the Pill that my OB put me on was making me literally crazy. And since I'm *already* crazy, you can only imagine what I was like! It was pretty misreable and bad. She put me on new meds. What I didn't know was that the effects of each pill only last about 24 hours for the most part. So my crazyness symptoms should start subsiding today, which is good. I started on a new Pill last night, and so I should hopefully start seeing a more positive difference in things in general within the next few days. I sure hope so, cause the 6 days that I was uncontrollably insane sucked. I'm not sure I want to go thru that again.

I'm still feeling a little 'meh', but not nearly as bad as yesterday. This is a good thing since I have Munchkin Duty today! Here's hoping the new meds treat me nice!

I'm in some serious fucked-up-ness at the moment. Last week, I started on The Pill, and it's turned me into zombie, crazy, Dr.Jekyll/Ms.Hyde lady. Major moodiness, panic attacks, buggy eyes, nausea, and mental instability. I feel like I'm loosing my mind. And I'm sure I'm driving everyone around me crazy in the process, especially the ones who care the most. Yesterday alone I had 2 panic attacks and about lost my mind with Josh until I broke down and he recognized he had to calm me down and why I was acting so damn nuts. This *sucks*. Really bad. I can't keep it together to save my life. I can't seem to control anything about my behavior either. The only upside is that if I was going to be in severe pain from ovulating, it would have hit me today and it didn't. But going mentally crazy isn't really worth not being in severe pain for 3 days out of the month. I've got an appointment with my OB today (I made the apt for the day that's been landing me in the ER lately), so we'll see what she says. Chances are that she'll tell me that I need to just deal and see if my body aclimates. But chances are she'll change the meds, too. Even if that's the case, I have another 2 weeks before I can begin a new dosage, which means another 2 weeks of zombiness. I dunno if I can handle that without some help. So, we'll see what she says in a couple hours. I'll post an update when I have one. Until then, I'll do my best not to loose it. Again.

Bob Mould: Again and Again

It began sometime last week
the feeling that most everything was changing for the worse
All the triggers pulled at once
so begins my ugly fall from grace again
I made myself dilusional
a noble stab at staying upbeat
but it was only for a while
I tried my best to radiate
through hurricanes and double eights
the pair split into two

I'm talking points I'm up on high
watch me walk the ledge
I am comfortable out here by myself
you could never reach me here
words distorted in the wind
landed softly there beneath the trees
our trip to California
don't say I didn't try to warn ya
put down the cell phone
and try to be with me
did you see me disappear?
like vapor rolling through the hills
and then the silence of your name
I never found the trust I needed from you
everything you did was making me
wonder my biggest mistake was
taking you back again and again
I couldn'tt forgive the things that
you did I'm glad it worked out for you
but your only foolin' yourself if you
think you won't do it again and again

sad attempt at poetry
sad attempt at happiness
the sadness of reality
I'm okay I've been okay I stay okay
I took the bullets from the cardboard
tossed them in my backpack
placed a set of keys inside the grill
I locked the title to the house
inside the piano bench
and my lawyers got the will
I never found the trust I needed from you
everything you did was making me wonder
my biggest mistake was taking you back
again and again
I couldn't forgive the things that you did
I'm glad it worked out for you
but your only fooling yourself
if you think you won't do it
again and again

I'm being subjected to a call-in conference call, hence an entry in the middle of it :P

Friday, Josh went and saw the Sharks loose, and I went to eat Ethiopian food with my friend Steph, and then after Josh got home, we watched BSG and then went to bed. Saturday, Josh and I went to Barney's for lunch, and then we hung out until I had to get ready to go out. Sushi was had for dinner, and then it was time for Alchemy, thrown by False Profit. Nice event! I actually got to bed at a decent time Saturday night also, which is nice. Yesterday consisted of breakfast and then a whole lot of nothing....until I was coaxed into going to SF to hang out with a friend. We hiked Buena Vista Park, hung out there for awhile, then went and got Ben & Jerry's. And it was nums. And that was pretty much yesterday.

I woke up at like 3am with the worst stomach ache evar. I drank some water and took an antacid, and went back to sleep. Ramen before bed = bad :P. I woke up feeling better tho, so that's good.

Tonight is movie night at M's house. There are Shark's TV games Tuesday & Wednesday, but I have Munchkin Duty Wednesday into Thursday, so I will probly miss the game that night. Thursday, I refuse to leave the house, and Friday, I'm supposed to hang out with my friends M & K, who are visiting the Sonoma Valley from Tejas. I have no plans Saturday, and then Sunday is the Rush show! Yay Rush! In Concord, so we don't have to go far!

Anyway, that's about it. Positive thoughts about the week!

I've been going to my favorite lunch spot for probly close to 2 years now. Maybe more. Today was the last straw, and I will not be going back for awhile.

From an email I sent to one of my friends who frequents my favorite lunch spot (names have been changed to protect the guilty):

Today was the last straw, and I'm done with FavoriteLunchSpot for awhile. I have been going there once or twice a week lately, and each time I spend between $12-20, sometimes more with a tip.

...if anyone asks where I've been, you are more than welcome to tell them.

It may take awhile, but I think I will have gotten my point across in the end. Do not treat me like crap, or I will stop giving you my business *and* my money.

MeanieHeads.

We had a meeting scheduled for 8am. I got up extra early after sleeping like crap last night, took a shower, and got into work early for the meeting. In the meantime, everyone else is 2 and 3 time zones away, and they canceled it without letting any of us out here know in advance. *30 minutes is not advanced notice!*. This really bothers me. I totally planned my early morning around this meeting. I don't have to be here until 8:45a, and I was here at 7:45a. I know it kinda seems dumb to complain about a meeting being canceled at the last moment, but I like my sleep! It probly would have made no difference to me if the meeting was supposed to be at 9a instead of 8. And I am one of the least morning people you'll ever meet.

Morning Grumpy Girl says "MEH!!!". Gimme coffee.

Update, 10:20a: Coffee had, cinnamon roll w/ extra icing aquired, ice for water aquired (a treat for me since I normally drink it at room temp), The Cure's 'Disintegration' playing....I will keep being butthurt for no reason for a few minutes more, and then I will get over myself :P.

Update, 12:38p: Okay, I got over myself. Yay, it's Friday!!! :)

I made it thru the first half of the week! Last week was pretty awful, but this week hasn't been bad at all. In fact, everyone's been behaving themselves, so it's been rather nice! Ever since I landed in the ER on 4/1, I've been in a pretty meh mood in general. My hormones have taken a dive, and so has my mood. I'm grumpier than usual and as a result, my health is bugging me a bit. This means I need to turn around my attitude! Obviously, stress and me don't get along, and now I'm starting to notice it. Over the past couple of days, I've been thinking about how fairly-mellow I've been from Dec-Apr, and how nice it's been. Not only for me and my health, but also for the people around me. Minimal bitching about shit that I can't do anything about is good! But I've been rather bad this month, and now I feel it is time to stop and turn it around again. I started taking The Pill this week, and today is day #5, and I dunno if they're starting to kick in, or it's psychological, but I am feeling more mellow today than I have all month. Poor Josh has been trying to be so understanding, I really *do* feel bad for being in a bad mood for the past 23 days. I'm sure it's hard for him because he has no idea what it's like being a female with raging hormones, but he really tries his best. So, see, I've noticed! And, I'm sorry for not giving you as much credit as you deserve, hon. But I love you, and I appreciate the effort, and it really *does* help...keep it up, and I will keep at it on my end!

Last night, we made the dreaded trip to Costco that we've been putting off for 5 months. We got there around 7:30p, a half hour before they closed, so there were minimal people in there, which was great. Josh got some stuff to prepare for The Doom, a shit-ton of meat, and I got my house cleaning supplies so I can clean until my heart's content. Yes, I'm weird :P. We finally got out of there around 8:30p, and we got home and I started putting things away. For me, everything has its place, and so since I'm a control freak, Josh gives me the luxury (I really do get some weird pleasure out of it!) of putting everything away where I want it to go. This benefits him in the fact that he doesn't have to put anything away, and benefits me because things go where I want them to. No fights! So, while I put stuff away, our next door neighbor came over and we all shot the shit for awhile until it was time for bed.

Tonight, Josh and I are having dinner with his parents to celebrate his birthday that was last week. The Sharks made it to round 2 (yay!) in the playoffs, and Josh is going to Game 1. I was invited to go, but all I *really* want to do is stay indoors and just chill. I also had an invite to go to SF, but again, all I really want to do is a whole lot of nothing. I'm still recovering from my hormone barrage and also last week's chaos. I need a break! Just one day of downtime is all I need!

This morning I started thinking about demographics of who visits my site, and decided to check my logs. Every month, I get anywhere from 1200-1500 hits, and over half of them are for my 3x Thursday page. I suppose I can call this hand-me-down a success! So, thanks Jake! And thanks to all of the people out there who read this page for whatever crazy reason you have! And thanks to those loyal 3x Thursday readers! Yall rock and stuff. --Missy

1. No matter what country you live in, do you think the future is bright (or gloomy) in terms of the economy? Why/why not?
Right now? It's just pure ass. There's nothing good about it, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. **But it will get better**. It always does, and who am I to doubt patterns in history? Expect a rough couple of years as far as the price of things go. Don't spend if you don't have to.

2. What about the current food shortage going on in the world? What are your thoughts about this?
We need population control, for starters. We need another world war, some major natural disaster, or hey...a food shortage! There's lots of parts to this problem. Wars being fought, prices of oil going thru the roof partly because of those wars, and countries like China exploding in population, just to name a few. There are people who think that we will suffer (and not have any food), but I do not think it will get that bad here in the US. Sure, food prices will go up mostly due to the oil thing, but again, I think it's just part of a cycle. I do not believe that our particular society in this country will collapse, but there are many other countries that are not as strong as ours, and I can see many people dying as a result. And as sad as this is, it's survival of the fittest (in mind, body, *and* pocket book), and the strong will survive.

3. What 3 things (among others!) do you think need significant change to make the world a better place? Why?
We totally need something to keep our population under control. Science and technology are great, and they have enhanced our lives, but we're living longer and surviving things that maybe nature didn't intend for us to survive. I mean really, should I have survived that MRSA attack that I had for *3 months*? Us living longer and living thru things uses up more resources (food, water, shelter, oil, etc). It's just the way things go. And even tho I like being alive, it's part of the problem.

Lastly, for all the technology on this planet, I'm shocked at how disconnected we are with one another. We don't work together. We don't communicate. We don't even know who each other is. Don't you think that's sad? Don't you think that if we all agreed on on common goal (you know, the one to stay alive), and worked towards it, that maybe this world would be a better place? Seriously, can you imagine what we could do as one body? It would be incredible. And it's visions like that that keep me from leaning towards the Doom-Way-of-Thinking. And if I die *because* of the Doom, so what? I mean, why would I want to stick around and suffer?

1. No matter what country you live in, do you think the future is bright (or gloomy) in terms of the economy? Why/why not?

3. What 3 things (among others!) do you think need significant change to make the world a better place? Why?

Remember to post these in your blog and don't forget to post a comment letting us know where you posted them by posting a link here!

I got sent this today in an email:

I'm damned and determined to have a better week than last week, and so far it's working!

Sunday, we went to a rooftop party for a few hours, then came home and watched the Sharks loose to the Flames, therefore, Game 7 is tonight at the Shark tank. This means that our dinner plans with Josh's parents have been moved to Thursday. No biggie! I dunno what I'm up to tonight. Probly nothing but hanging out at home, but who knows. Maybe something will come up. Tomorrow night looks to hold a dreaded trip to Costco, and then I will attempt to catch up on my John Adams episodes, as we are 2 behind. And then I think Friday is dead. Saturday, I'm going to a False Profit party. Sunday, I am recovering :P.

Anyway, that's about it for me today. Kinda boring and quiet, but I like it that way.

I woke up this morning, fed Squeeek and the rest of the kids, let food settle, then went to go get coffee because I ran out of beans here at home last week. I got to Peet's, and as usual with Peet's, there was a line out the door for fru-fru coffee. Now, I make it a general rule only to come here when I am out of beans because I generally don't like being out in public, and I *really* don't like standing in line. And most importantly, why should I wait 30 mins in line for a cup of black coffee? I walk in, bypass all the fru-fru's, and walk straight to the 'beans' line. I am not a morning person by *any* stretch of the imagination, so I had pre-written down what I wanted for the most part, and filled in the missing blanks when I could see a coffee selection. I gave my order paper to the nice girl, and she went to get me a cup of coffee. While I dressed/ruined my coffee, she filled a bag with beans for me. I paid, and walked back home. Time from leaving my house to getting coffee and walking back: 20 minutes. Yes, I am efficient. And awesome. And super great. Basically, the shortest route so I can go back home and deal with only one person instead of the general public :P

Last night's birthday dinner for Josh came off really well! We all gathered at T-Rex in Berkeley at 8, but there the table we were promised was occupied by a previous party who had already been there for over 3 hours. The manager guy asked us to be patiently. I was made to promise that I would behave, so I was sickingly nice to the guy. To the point where he offered to give me a free picher of Stone IPA. He promised that in the meantime, he'd try and come up with a solution to get us seated. A total of about 45 mins later, some smart waiter came up with the idea to take 6 regular empty tables and push them together to make room for the 12 of us. This totally worked *and* gave us plenty of space. Our waiter, Michael, was cute and did his best, but trying to handle a table of 12 all by yourself (they should have given him help) sucks. But, even tho the service was slow as a result, the food was still good, and everyone had a goodtime. About 11:15, we decided that the hardcore BSG fans (Ivan and Hickory) would come back to our place and watch the episode that had ended just 15 mins before. So the 4 of us came back and watched that, and then we kicked everyone out and went to bed. All in all, it was a fairly good night.

Fleeting thought: "I really like the song 'The Speed of Love' by Rush. Geddy's singing is almost 'pretty', and Pert's lyrics are great as usual. I don't understand people who don't like Rush. Sure, it took me many years to see past Geddy's voice (this is mostly refering to the old stuff), but once I did and saw the light, life was better :)

I plan on maybe doing laundry if the mood strikes. Tomorrow is a party at MF's place, and in between, I'm not doing anything productive. I'm even going to do my best not to clean anything except for maybe dishes :P

You know it's a shitty week when everything happens in 3 days. Conflicts with boys, sick kids, hormones raging...but I'm convinced that today and tomorrow will be good. My hormones are completely haywire this week, and I pretty much have no choice but to give in to the hate. The Hate, being carbs. I have been right around 150lbs for about a year and some change now. It doesn't matter what I do, I can't gain any weight. I know, poor me ;P. But at 5'11, that's a tad skinny. I *try* and eat more, but it just seems like I can't consume enough carbs/calories. But I think this week has taken care of the past year....in 3 days, I went thru an entire bag of chocolate donettes. The nutritional information says that for every 4, there are 270 calories, and that there are 6 servings per bag. That's 1620 calories. But this week, I don't give a shit :P. Problem: I'm still craving those damn carbs/calories! I've been trying hard all morning to stay in the office and not to walk the 2 blocks to Target to load up on carbs, but my will is starting to wane...ah fuck it. After this week, I think I'll just give in :P.

Tonight, Josh has a Shark's playoff game, and so I'm gonna stay home and do a load of laundry and go to bed early. Squeeek keeps puking up his food because he's eating too fast (I'm hungry! Eateateat, puke. Rinse. Repeat.), so I've decided effective immediatly, that he's going to be on a wet food diet for a few days until his stomach fixes itself. I'm sure he will be pleased by this, as this means wet food and baby food. Damn brat! I hope that's all it is. He could also just be upset because the whole house has been upset this week. It's amazing to me how our moods affect his. Tomorrow is Josh's boofday! I've arranged to have a dinner for him at T-Rex tomorrow night, so that should be cool. Saturday, I think doing a whole lot of nothing is on the docket. Sunday, we're going to a day party, and I may skip the movie afterwards just because I don't feel like being *that* social right now. Next week looks empty except for another birthday dinner for Josh (with his rents) either Tuesday or Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to not having many plans. I've got a False Profit party on the next Saturday, but that'll be cool. The week after that will be semi-busy, but we'll tackle that later :P.

I really don't. He whines a lot, but what guy doesn't? I find him interesting because he's...well..ElectroEmo, and I find that amusing. He's a good musician tho. So, so what if the boy whines? Isn't his art the most important thing? If you don't like what he has to say, don't listen to his opinions. Don't read his blog. Don't eat his crazy vegan food (sorry guy, I know it's healthy for me, but if I'm going to die anyway, I'm gonna eat halfway good-tasting food). Just STFU and listen to the music.

I don't hate-cha, Mob(-e). *pats you on your bald head*

1. Now that the cost of breathing has started costing us money, what are you doing these days to make your buck go a little farther? If you aren't doing anything, why not?
I'm trying not to spend as much money in general. Going out to eat less, using up the food I have in the house first, only buying things I'm running out of...that sort of thing.

2. What about the ever-rising price of gas? Are you doing anything about that problem, and it affecting your pocketbook? What are your thoughts about it?
Right now, the only thing I'm doing is filling up my gas tank when it's half empty so the sticker shock won't kill me. What I really need to do is just start walking the mile to public transit in the mornings and then taking the train into work. $29 a week in public transit versus $46 in gas. It's huge. Don't worry, I'm almost there.

3. What do you think the next year or two (or more) holds for us economically, as a nation?
I think we're pretty fuct for the next few years. The housing crisis is only going to get worse, but it will even out eventually. As far as the price of everything else goes, well, I think it's just a trickle-down effect. We were overzealous then, so we're paying for it now. Things will eventually get better for another decade or two, and then the cycle will start all over again. That's the way it works. For the meantime, we just have to deal. And deal we will. We're good like that.

1. Now that the cost of breathing has started costing us money, what are you doing these days to make your buck go a little farther? If you aren't doing anything, why not?

3. What do you think the next year or two (or more) holds for us economically, as a nation?

Remember to post these in your blog and don't forget to post a comment letting us know where you posted them by posting a link here!

So Motley Crue, who has been dead since the mid-90s (no matter what they say), announced this 'big, earth-shattering news' that they were going on tour (sponsored by another slowly dying institution: big concert promoters like Live Nation). And ticket prices are stupid. I know we're in a recession and that the cost of breathing is going up, but $60 to see a band who's time has passed? And one that passed like 15 years ago? Seriously?

To be perfectly fair, when I was 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, I *loved* Motley Crue. I still do, actually. I started with 'Dr.Feelgood' and worked my way backwards. Contrary to what one might speculate, 'Too Fast For Love' is a pretty damn good album also. But once the 90s were ruined by the grunge/alternative wave, and bands like Motley Crue modified their sounds to try and compete, it was pretty much over. And much like Metallica, even tho their music turns me off past a certain point in the early 90s, I will always love the Crue like I did when I was a teenager. It's great, timeless music that should never be forgotten.

But bitching about a seemingly meaningless announcement wasn't the reason for this post: this article from AntiMusic is. It's pretty damn funny. There are some interesting tidbits of information in there, but the opening paragraph is probly the best....

"Remember that colossal announcement Motley Crue was gonna make? The one that was going to be the biggest announcement in the history of mankind? That was going to bring a thousand years of peace, where cats and dogs would live together in perfect harmony? Well, they made it Tuesday and suddenly the sky opened up and the thunderous voice of God shouted down, "That's it? You gotta be kidding me?" And then the ground opened up and Satan said in a soft--somewhat bored--voice, "That's nice."

hehe....yay! Whoever wrote that article gets my kudos. Thanks for telling it like it is!

I love my Mac. It just works. I no longer have headaches because my machine won't do something. If I need to use a windows machine, I can do that on the same machine. Life is good. I like my iPod, but there are some serious firmware issues going on right now (that causes major pause-age during songs that is really annoying), and the file structure sucks to boot, for such a large device. But if there's one thing I can't stand and refuse to use, it's iTunes. It is one of the worst programs I've ever used. Ever. It's not smart-person-friendly, it sure as hell isn't PC-friendly, and as a result of loathing it as much as I do, I even refuse to use the iTunes store to buy music, listen to podcasts, etc. All because I hate the iTunes program with that much of a passion. I've gone so far as to install winamp on my vmware window, and that's how I listen to music on my puter. The only thing I need iTunes for is to load my iPo, which I could totally use something else if it really mattered that much to me.

As a result of my loathing of iTunes (and their pricing was stupid, and their sound quality sucks, and the overwhelmingness of their site to boot), I wasn't buying music anymore. I would download albums from various places instead. I was totally willing to *pay* for it, but there was no where to download it from in the format in which I wanted. I didn't want physical media lying around anymore either. So what's a girl to do? In the past 6 months, I have discovered Amazon's mp3 store. They have most of what I'm looking for, at the bit-rate that I want, at the price I'm willing to pay. You want $8 or $9 for a 256k rip? Okay, that's do-able. But unlike other places that sell music online, I'll be goddamned if I'm going to pay that much for a shitty 128k album. I can go buy the physical media used and rip it myself for less. I've bought a couple of Information Society albums, the new b52s album, an old old old Ministry album, and a few other things. It's convenient, it sounds good, and I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it. My only complaint is that they need the entire Oingo Boingo catalogue available :P.

So, thanks Amazon! Your service rocks, and I am buying music again. And a big middle finger to iTunes. I will never like you as long as I live.

Yesterday was a fucking mess. Usually the couple days or day before my body does it's 'thing', all the chemicals in my brain seem to go away, and I am a total emotional mess. And then my world usually falls apart around my ankles. This time was no different. Lucky me.

So, my body doesn't like to ovulate anymore, causing me bent-over pain for days on end. If that's not enough, 2 weeks later when my body finally does do it's thing, I'm up at 6a this morning, bent over again with cramps. I start birth control next week to try and help with this problem, so let's hope for the best.

In the end, I wonder if I'm being punished for not wanting children. At least, that seems to be the most logical line of thought :P

All of a sudden, I have a mad urge to watch Max Headroom....damn the disk of episodes being 20 miles away!

This article is some of the worst writing I've ever been subjected to. It's not well-thought-out, it's horribly bitter, the author hates rock music and obviously doesn't understand the scene from back then. It's so one-sided that I couldn't even get thru the entire article. I had to skim it.

And this is why this guy is a blogger on a website and not a Pulitzer Prize winner. Go get a refund for your dead-end english degree. Sheesh.

Even from half a listen to this album, you can tell that Billy Howerdel's sound *was* APC. The music on this album is superb in quality. However, while he's got some range, Maynard James Keenan he is not, which is semi-sounds like he's trying to be. That part is disappointing to me. When he's singing full-out, he sounds no better than those whiny-assed rockers of today. If he took his vocals out and had MJK re-sing them, this album would be almost perfect. Yes yes, I know that this *isn't* another MJK side project, but if you don't have the chops to sing solo, don't. However, if you can ignore the vocals and 'think' about the APC sound, the sound comes closer to what we've become accustomed used to.

Conclusion: Billy is a great musician, but no frontman. Some voice training would help, but he'll never sound like MJK. With a little effort, I could totally see Billy Howerdel becoming one of the next 'great' producers of our age. He's just good like that, and obviously, the guy has a lot of talent.

I will keep listening and learning this album just because the music is so good.

Wow, I don't think I could ask for a better weekend. Friday night and Saturday morning were bumpy, but it got better towards the end of Saturday. I called ahead and asked my favorite waitress if I could still get breakfast if I showed up 15 mins before closing time, and she totally said that was fine, so I got breakfast. And pie. I love Lois' pie. Sweet potatoe, even. Yum.

After that, I was refreshed and ready to tackle the next thing on my agenda. Yuri's Night was a truely great party. Matt G restored my faith in the human race earlier that morning, and then I watched him play 2 great sets. We got to NASA around 8p, and farted around, got beer, said hi to people, etc until Amon Tobin finally took a stage. It was 'crunchy dancy breaky beats' night. Wom wom wom chunk chunk chunk glitch glitch glitch breaaaaaak. It was teh awesome. I've seen him play twice now, and both times he played different types of music, but both performances were great. After that was Matt G's set with a cellist. After that was Matt G vs Toast, which was great. 2 great dj's that I love playing each other...doesn't get much better than that! After that, Toast played a solo set, and then the evening was over. The scene was awsome, the music was phenominal, and I had a totally great time. It doesn't hurt that it was totally warm last night also!

About 2:30, when we finally got back on to civizalian territory, it was agreed on that food needed to be procured. A 24hr McDonald's was somehow found. The speaker box was broken, so you had to wade thru like 6 or 7 cars to get to the window. Once you got there, you ordered and they made your food from scratch while you wait 5 mins or so. Annoying, but oh my good gravy, the reward was more than I could have ever hoped for. They were hands down the best chicken mcnuggest I've ever eaten in my entire life. No, really. Not only were they made on the spot, but the oil had just been changed, and it was heated a little hotter than usual. They were hot, crispy, but flaky, and the best nuggets *ever*. The sauce was just the icing on the cake. I can't say enough good things about this experience that I will probly never have again as long as I live :P.

I went to sleep about 3;30a, got up at 10a, went to Lois for breakfast (again), and took a long nap. Now I'm waiting for my dinner to be cooked, and then if I make it to 10p, yay me. If not, whatever :P. I's a happy Missy. Yay for awesome weekends.

There's been some plague that has been going around Josh's office that I have dubbed 'The 3v4ult Death Plague'. Josh's boss had it and was out for a week. Josh had it and was out for a week. My next door neighbor, who also works there has had it since Sunday and I think has been home all week. I got this yummy headcold portion of it. You know...the one I've had 5 times now since October. I'm trudging thru it and have been going to work everyday. However, I think I gave it to my boss. Oops :P.

I've been eating healthy, drinking lotsa tea, and getting sleep. Hell, I even canceled Movie Night plans on Tuesday to stay home and just chill. Last night I went out and did laundry, but was home and dead to the world by 10:30p. I've been ending my evenings this week with 2 benedryl, which has been putting me out. It's the waking up once a night at like 4am to blow my nose that sux :P. I've also gone thru an entire box of kleenax this week. Tonight, I think I'm staying home and going to bed early again. Tomorrow looks to be the same. I need to be well for Saturday, dammit! I am *not* missing Yuri's Night!

Welp, time for more tea and maybe some breakfast.

1. Do you have any goals for work/your job (whatever it may be)? If so, what are they? If not, why not?
Not really. Right now, I'm in a holding pattern, but I like it that way. I know how to do my job, I like it, and I'm good at it. No need to put things on end right now!

2. Do you have any free-time goals (going on a vacation, going to a certain event, etc)? What are they? Why do you want to do them?
To have a life as much as possible. And, I've been succeeding! I've been going to lots of shows, hanging out with people, and been spending more quality time with Josh. Things are good!

3. Name a long-term goal you have for yourself. What drives you to do this thing?
I want to eventually go back to school and get my teaching credentials. However, I've decided not to do anything in 2008 because 2004-2007 was so crazy. And now that the economy is ubber shitty, getting any sort of loan is completely out of the question right now. But, I will get there eventually!

1. Do you have any goals for work/your job (whatever it may be)? If so, what are they? If not, why not?

3. Name a long-term goal you have for yourself. What drives you to do this thing?

Remember to post these in your blog and don't forget to post a comment letting us know where you posted them by posting a link here!

Taken (with permission from the site) from James S. Huggins' Refrigerator Door

Guidelines for Cats

Doors:
Do not allow closed doors in any room. To get door opened, stand on hind legs and hammer with forepaws. Once door is opened, it is not necessary to use it. After you have ordered an "outside" door opened, stand halfway in and out and think about several things. This is particularly important during very cold weather, rain, snow, or mosquito season. Swinging doors are to be avoided at all costs.

Chairs and Rugs:
If you have to throw up, get to a chair quickly. If you cannot manage in time, get to an Oriental rug. If there is no Oriental rug, shag is good. When throwing up on the carpet, make sure you back up so that it is as long as the human's bare foot.

Bathrooms:
Always accompany guests to the bathroom. It is not necessary to do anything . . . just sit and stare.

Hampering:
If one of your humans is engaged in some close activity and the other is idle, stay with the busy one. This is called "helping", otherwise known as "hampering." Following are the rules for "hampering":

* When supervising cooking, sit just behind the left heel of the cook. You cannot be seen and thereby stand a better chance of being stepped on and then picked up and comforted.

* For book readers, get in close under the chin, between eyes and book, unless you can lie across the book itself.

* For knitting projects or paperwork, lie on the work in the most appropriate manner so as to obscure as much of the work or at least the most important part. Pretend to doze, but every so often reach out and slap the pencil or knitting needles. The worker may try to distract you; ignore it. Remember, the aim is to hamper work. Embroidery and needlepoint projects make great hammocks in spite of what the humans may tell you.

* For people paying bills (monthly activity) or working on income taxes or Christmas cards (annual activity), keep in mind the aim-to hamper! First, sit on the paper being worked on. When dislodged, watch sadly from the side of the table. When activity proceeds nicely, roll around on the papers, scattering them to the best of your ability. After being removed for the second time, push pens, pencils, and erasers off the table, one at a time. When a human is holding the newspaper in front of him/her, be sure to jump on the back of the paper. They love to jump.

Walking:
As often as possible, dart quickly and as close as possible in front of the human, especially on stairs, when they have something in their arms, in the dark, and when they first get up in the morning. This will help their coordination skills.

Bedtime:
Always sleep on the human at night so s/he cannot move around.

Play:
This is an important part of your life. Get enough sleep in the daytime so you are fresh for your nocturnal games. Below are listed several favorite cat games that you can play. It is important, though, to maintain one's dignity at all times. If you should have an accident during play, such as falling off a chair, immediately wash a part of your body as if to say "I meant to do that!" It fools those humans every time.

Cat Games:

* Catch Mouse:
The humans would have you believe that those lumps under the covers are their feet and hands. They are lying. They are actually Bed Mice, rumored to be the most delicious of all the mice in the world, though no cat has ever been able to catch one. Rumor also has it that only the most ferocious attack can stun them long enough for you to dive under the covers to get them. Maybe YOU can be the first to taste the Bed Mouse!

* King of the Hill:
This game must be played with at least one other cat. The more, the merrier! One or both of the sleeping humans is Hill 303 which must be defended at all costs from the other cat(s). Anything goes. This game allows for the development of unusual tactics as one must take the unstable playing theater into account.

Warning: Playing either of these games to excess will result in expulsion from the bed and possibly from the bedroom. Should the humans grow restless, immediately begin purring and cuddle up to them. This should buy you some time until they fall asleep again. If one happens to be on a human when this occurs, this cat wins the round of King of the Hill.

Toys:
Any small item is a potential toy. If a human tries to confiscate it, this means that it is a good toy. Run with it under the bed. Look suitably outraged when the human grabs you and takes it away. Always watch where it is put so you can steal it later. Two reliable sources of toys are dresser tops and wastebaskets. There are several types of cat toys.

* Bright shiny things like keys, brooches, or coins should be hidden so that the other cat(s) or humans can't play with them. They are generally good for playing hockey with on uncarpeted floors.

* Dangly and/or string-like things such as shoelaces, cords, gold chains, and dental floss (& Q-tips) also make excellent toys. They are favorites of humans who like to drag them across the floor for us to pounce on.

* When a string is dragged under a newspaper or throw rug, it magically becomes the Paper/Rug Mouse and should be killed at all costs. Take care, though. Humans are sneaky and will try to make you lose your dignity.

Paper Bags:
Within paper bags dwell the bag mice. They are small and camouflaged to be the same color as the bag, so they are hard to see. But you can easily hear the crinkling noises they make as they scurry around the bag. Anything, up to and including shredding the bag, can be done to kill them. Note: any other cat you may find in a bag hunting for bag mice is fair game for a sneak attack, which will usually result in a great Tagmatch.

Food:
In order to get the energy to sleep, play, and hamper, a cat must eat. Eating, however, is only half the fun. The other half is getting the food. Cats have two ways to obtain food: convincing a human you are starving to death and must be fed now; and hunting for it oneself. The following are guidelines for getting fed.

* When the humans are eating, make sure you leave the tip of your tail in their dishes when they are not looking.

* Never eat food from your own bowl if you can steal some from the table. Never drink from your own water bowl if a human's glass is full enough to drink from.

* Should you catch something of your own outside, it is only polite to attempt to get to know it. Be insistent. Your food will usually not be so polite and try to leave.

* Table scraps are delicacies with which the humans are unfortunately unwilling to readily part. It is beneath the dignity of a cat to beg outright for food as lower forms of life such as dogs will, but several techniques exist for ensuring that the humans don't forget you exist. These include, but are not limited to: jumping onto the lap of the "softest" human and purring loudly; lying down in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen, the "direct stare", and twining around people's legs as they sit and eat while meowing plaintively.

Sleeping:
As mentioned above, in order to have enough energy for playing, a cat must get plenty of sleep. It is generally not difficult to find a comfortable place to curl up. Any place a human likes to sit is good, especially if it contrasts with your fur color. If it's in a sunbeam or near a heating duct or radiator, so much the better. Of course, good places also exist outdoors, but have the disadvantages of being seasonal and dependent on current and previous weather conditions such as rain. Open windows are a good compromise.

Scratching Posts:
It is advised that cats use any scratching post the humans may provide. They are very protective of what they think is their property and will object strongly if they catch you sharpening your claws on it. Being sneaky and doing it when they aren't around won't help, as they are very observant. If you are an outdoor kitty, trees are good. Sharpening your claws on a human is not recommended.

Humans:
Humans have three primary functions: to feed us, to play with and give attention to us, and to clean the litter box. It is important to maintain one's Dignity when around humans so that they will not forget who is the master of the house. Humans need to know basic rules. They can be taught if you start early and are consistent.

Unplug the fone from the Mac when you have to do a restart as a result of a software update.

That one took me 10 mins to figure out :P

Better ignore this post if you don't care about my random bitching about things (it's okay, I won't take offense :P):

I have no idea why I read the news. I mean, it only irritates the crap out of me. I curse myself for wanting to know what is going on in the world! Admittedly, since my body retaliated on me last week, my tolerance for stupid crap has been low, so take the following how you will:

1. This whole Olympic Torch figuratively getting pissed on thing. Yes, we know China's rule on Tibet is crap. Yes, we agree they're kinda evil, but they got chosen to have the Olympic Games this summer, so we must deal with it. Why can't people just STFU about it? Do they *really* think that having protests around the globe and making it difficult for the torch to make it's tour is really going to change China's mind? Hi...CHINA IS A COMMUNIST NATION!! They don't recognize the peoples' voice! Especially not ours!! If they don't listen to their own people, do you really think they're going to listen to some stupid American living in San Francisco who climbs the Golden Gate Bridge to hang a flag, voicing their protest? They will do what they want, and we will have to deal with it. So please, go back to your lives and wait for the next protest, wouldja? :P

2. Protests. I get the idea and need for people to protest. And living in a free country, I welcome it. They want their voices heard! Great! But living in an area where it seems like there's a protest for everything from illegal immigration to legalizing drugs to demanding that bikers have their share of the road, to demanding that they genetically engineer unicorns so we can drink their blood....well, I get a little wary and tired of it. To me it's a lot of hot air. People bitch, but they never *do* anything about the issue at hand. Oh well, there *is* no other area like Planet Bay Area. Gotta take the good with the bad, I suppose. Let's have a protest about the number of protests on PBA!!!

3. The Stone Temple Pilots reunion. It is my belief that Scott Weiland handled this whole thing incredibly badly. Childishly, even. It seems like he started behaving like a dick intentionally so that he would get thrown out of Velvet Revolver so he wouldn't have to be in two bands at the same time. And *then* he starts bad-mouthing his VR bandmates, getting into verbal pissing matches with them. Sir, would you *please* clean up AND grow up? I don't care if they're playing The Greek Theater, 5 miles from my house, in July. I won't pay good money for bullshit antics like that.

4. On Friday, 4/4, the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams was broadcast live from Memphis, TN, at the hotel/museum where Dr.MLK was shot, 40 years ago. I totally applaud them for bringing this event to their viewers' attention. No other broadcast did. And if that wasn't cool enough, they gave John McCain a live interview, while one Democratic hopeful didn't even show up, and both of the Democratic hopefuls did taped interviews. Hillary showed up, but that's just because she's hurting for votes. Not that I would ever vote for McCain, but he's a stand-up guy for showing up. I also think this was a rare thing because it seems to me that this particular newscast is very liberal, and tends to lean more towards the Democratic side of the dial. It's not a *bad* thing in my book, it just *is*. Anyway, it was just bad timing that during McCain's interview, someone was giving a rather loud speech in the background, practically drowning the poor guy out. On yesterday's broadcast, it was revealed that there were a lot of shitty viewers regarding this. One even seemed to think NBC did it on purpose. Are you people friggin' kidding me? They gave this guy a live interview and made the other two tape theirs! On a liberal news broadcast! People are insane. I still give NBC kuddos for both events on Friday. Good for you guys. I heart Brian Williams.

5. One last bitch: On the bad indie/emo RSS feeds that I read, they often have Pete Doherty in their headlines. Until this morning, I had absolutely no clue who this person was. I never bothered with it because I figured it was just some emo guy with a drug problem who wanted the world to feel sorry for him. Looks like I was right :P. I finally looked him up on Wikipedia this morning. Another whiny-bitch Brit emo star, having fucked up his so-called tortured life with drugs, alcohol, and the like, being sent to jail...again...for messing with his probation rules. Come *on*. Why should I care about someone like this? Him, that Amy Winehouse chick, and the rest of them can just go on some far away island and all be emo'd and drugged out together...keep it away from the rest of us, wouldja? It's not my problem that you're a drama queen.

Okay, now for some 'cool' stuff!

1. The John Adams mini-series on HBO. I've watched 3 or 4 episodes, and I really am into it. I'm learning a lot about that time period that I didn't know about before. Sure, it's drama-fied, but seems to be fairly accurate. The acting is very good, the sets are totally awesome, and it's not too gory. Yay!

2. Bob Dylan winning the Pulitzer Prize. While I never got into Dylan's music and other works, I think him winning this is very cool. It just emphasizes how important music is to society. And *that* is an awesome thing to have proven.

3. I'm *really* looking forward to Yuri's Night. Just check out the schedule of events!! The things I want to see the most are (maybe) Will Wright speaking, Mr.Projectile playing, Freezepop performing, Amon Tobin performing, Matt G's set, Dr.Toast's set, and Toast Vs. Matt G. *That* should be good.

Okay, time to go home now :P

So...where did we leave off? Wednesday, I stayed home from work because I still couldn't stand up straight all the way. I got my stuff taken care of, and was lying on the couch, mostly asleep listening to 'The Blues Brothers' when I felt this 20lb *thump* on my chest. Squeeek, my 11yo so-not-lap-kitty and grumpy old man, gave me this look like, "Hi. I'm going to sleep with you...*on* you...k?". I was so drugged and in pain that I didn't care. He got comfortable, and we slept together for about 3 hours til I had to get up to go pea. What a good baby! I spent the rest of the day listening to movies and moving as little as possible, while curled up with my heating pad.

Thursday, I got up and made the trek to work, and felt a lot better. Still not 100%, but not nearly as bad as the day before, so that was good! I had lunch with my Mac Zealot (I just like the title), who gave me massive amounts of grief for driving on Tuesday, and made me promise I'd call him for a ride if that ever happened again. Josh had a game that night, so I chilled out by myself at home, and went to bed early.

Friday, we had a bunch of people over to watch the BSG season premier. Josh came down with some bug/virus and wasn't feeling well, so we threw him up on the recliner, and he stayed there all night curled up. It was a good episode, and I'm glad it's back on the air...at least for 19 more episodes!

Saturday, we hung out at home until I left for SF. The Hobohemians played a show (with some other bands) at the Space Gallery on Polk Street. It was a good show! Pictures from the show are here.

After not sleeping very well on Saturday, I got up Sunday morning and decided to put on my "I am going to be mellow today even tho I didn't get any sleep and could potentially be cranky" hat, and drove up to Santa Rosa to get my hairs cut and colored. After that, beers were had at Russian River Brewing Company, and food was eated at LaBufa, and then after a quick stop to get a new cat scratcher/tree/platform combo thingy for the kids, I drove back to Oakland. I timed it both ways so that traffic didn't suck in either direction. Yay me!

Yesterday was pretty uneventful except for that I was extremely busy at work. I worked, then came home (to a clean house even...sometimes the other half being sick is a *good* thing! :P), Josh made chicken & dumpling soup (which was really friggin good) and we watched some more of the John Adams mini-series, and then we went to bed ubber early. He's still sick, and I'm fighting getting whatever he's got. I'm calling it The Evault Death Plague, since everyone there has it and they keep spreading the love.

Today is/was busy again at work, but hey, it keeps me out of trouble! I felt pretty crappy this morning, and couldn't stop sneezing, so I called and canceled this evenings plans so I could go home and rest. I think I'll watch a stupid movie (or the next John Adams episode), eat some food, and go to bed. Basically, I gotta be well for Yuri's Night on Saturday. Even if I was on my death bed, I *still* wouldn't miss it.

I needed to clear the pictures off my camera, and so here they are! This morning, Josh found z0rgy all curled up on his work laptop...cute, but...oops :P. Pictures of the laptop kitty are in that album!

1. As you've gotten older, have you noticed changes in how your body works? If yes, how so?
Oh, you betcha. For the last year and 2 months, I've been battling my digestive system. Things are *just* about under control, but it's been one hell of a struggle. Also, my girl parts decided they don't want to ovulate anymore without putting me in bent-over pain, but that's fixed with birth control, and hopefully that works. My body is fragile, and it's *making* me take better care of it, which is both good and bad. Good that I'm taking better care of it, bad the pain it has caused. Oh well, I suppose you could say the same thing about life, eh?

2. As time has gone by, do you find your music tastes have changed? If yes, how so?
They haven't *changed* as much as they have *expanded* vastly. I've always loved 80s music, 80s metal being my absolute favorite. But when metal died for a little while there in the mid-90s, I started having to branch out to find new music to listen to. I got into a lot of moderate things like REM, Jane's Addiction, The Posies, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Cranberries, +Live+, etc. Over the years, I've also developed a love for 1930s-1960s jazz and 1920s-1970s blues. In 2002, Josh and Hickory introduced me into electronica. I started mainstream and ventured towards the downtempo triphop, which has become my favorite. I also like breaks/idm...it's yummy. Also around that time, Josh woke my senses to 80s new-wave, and I fell head-first in love with the genre. I missed it growing up in the midwest. I also got into some of the indie stuff, but I am quite selective about it. I've also gotten into some of the post-rock stuff like God Is An Astronaut, Explosions In The Sky, and Epic45. That stuff has its time and place. At 32, I think I've got a pretty broad, but good range of things to listen to and to appreciate!

3. Do you look forward to getting older? Why/why not?
Aside from the body not working as well as it used to, I don't mind getting older at all. What are a few gray hairs? I appreciate the wisdom I've acquired over the years. Especially over the past 6 years. I'm sure in 50 years, I will have much much more wisdom under my belt! I may be one of the very few people who are *not* afraid of death and dying. It doesn't bother me. Living in the earthquake-prone area that I do, I've had to come to terms with and realize that the Big One may hit during my tenure here, and my chances of living thru it are 50/50. I figure that in my short 32 years on this planet so far, I've experienced more wonderful things than probably half the people in this country, not to mention probably half the people on this planet. I am very fortunate to have experienced the things I've experienced, so if I left this planet today, I would leave a happy camper.

1. As you've gotten older, have you noticed changes in how your body works? If yes, how so?

3. Do you look forward to getting older? Why/why not?

Remember to post these in your blog and don't forget to post a comment letting us know where you posted them by posting a link here!

I watched 'TNG:Generations' and 'Space Cowboys' (okay, I slept thru most of them) and then fell asleep on the couch when the 2nd movie was over cause I didn't feel well enough to trek the 100ft to bed. Josh put me to bed when he got home from the Sharks game, and I mostly slept thru the night. I feel say, 15% better than yesterday, but not well enough to make the trek to work, so I am staying hom today. I have a 2-day dr's note, so I'm covered just fine as far as missing work. Besides, bosslady is on vacation, so my presence probly won't be missed too much today.

Anyway, I need to talk myself into getting up, taking my critters and fiber, and get a bowl of cereal. And then I am going to spend the day doped up, watching bad movies/television. Right now an episode of Sesame Street from the late 70s is on. And then, I think I might be in the mood to watch/sleep 'The Blues Brothers'.

Hopefully I'll feel much better tomorrow.

I woke up at 1:20a this morning with uncontrollable chills and a lymph node in my throat so swollen that I couldn't swallow. And at the same time, I discovered that my girl parts had felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to them. I went back to bed about an hour later, but basically didn't sleep. I got out of bed this morning and drove straight to the doctor's office. They made me wait half an hour, then refused to see me, telling me to go to the ER instead. I was in so much pain that I didn't have the energy to drive all the way across towne to the stellar, state-of-the-art hospital in Walnut Creek, so I went to the Concord hospital. 4.5 hour later and some pain meds because it seriously felt like someone was sticking a knife into my body, I have another cyst on one of my ovaries. Goddammit, not again! I was able to get out of the ER and go straight to my OB, who told me that maybe it's time to put me on the pill so that I will stop ovulating, thus not putting me in pain anymore. Cysts are a normal part of the girl cycle...it's just that my body has decided that when it ovulates, it's going to put me into uncontrollable pain. Thanks, fucker! However, the downside is that I have to wait a couple of weeks to start on it, and until my body finishes hating me, all I can do is take vicodin. Bleh.

I cannot express just how painful the day has been, and how bad I feel at the moment. I'm going to go take some more pain meds and watch a TNG movie and try and take a nap. And maybe I can get some sleep tonight.

Someone just shoot me now, please.