Do yourself a favor

http://www.sketchysantas.com/ Go check out this website. You'll be glad you did. It cracks me up!

Recap of Thanksgiving through now.

We had Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday. I love the food, the parade, the black Friday newspaper. Everything. I just love it. We had a decent time, although this year was spent at a restaurant. It's never quite right to me at a restaurant. Nick's grandma didn't want to cook, so she wanted to go out to eat, even though I offered to cook. I "live too far away". It's 10 miles. Whatever. All in all it was more pleasant than I had anticipated it being, primarily because when we arrived at the restaurant, Nick's normally cranky and cantankerous Grandmother, was hitting the bottle and was half in the bag. Yes, folks the wine was flowing at Grandma's end of the table, causing me to rename the holiday "Drunksgiving". To be honest, Grandma is much more pleasant after a couple drinks. She works at a church, and in the 19 years I've known her, I've never even seen her sip an alcoholic beverage. I thought I had to be drinking to make her tolerable, but turns out she's fine if I'm sober and she's drunk. My liver thanks her. ;)

I went out shopping with Nick's cousin Kim and her daughter Jessica at midnight on Thanksgiving. I'll never do that again. Toys R Us is a mob scene and those people are nuts. I only went because Nick's aunt Bonnie wanted Zhu Zhu hamsters for her grandkids. We didn't get any, so we went to another store, and ended up shopping until about 6:00am the next morning, going out to breakfast and I got home at 7:00am. I had an all night shopping binge. Weird. As I was coming home, I noticed a slight scratch in my throat...

I came home, took a nap for a few hours, and got up to do a little more shopping. I wanted a new tv for the bedroom since our old one is 14 years old and has started making people look orange until it warms up for about 15 minutes. We found a nice 32" Sony Bravia for $379.99 which was the same as Best Buy had as a door buster, so we bought that, a wall mount, some HD cables, and headed to the GAP and bought me some uber-soft, comfy pajamas. It's good I bought these things, because massive illness ensued and I spent the next week and a half laying in bed in my new pajamas watching tv.

I ended up with what I like to affectionately call the "hotdog flu" mainly because Nick mostly wanted to offer to make me hotdogs while I was dying in bed. Literally too sick to get up and make my own food, I was sort of at his mercy. I was on bedrest from black Friday evening, and all weekend. I called in sick Monday, came in Tuesday and Wednesday to spread disease, then Thursday I took a turn for the worse. I felt awful. Fever, terrible cough, horrible headache, sinus issues, body aches that made me want to die. I actually slept through my alarm on Thursday, and called in and took a half day off to sleep. When I went in, it was clear I shouldn't have and I asked to take Friday off. I'm SOOOOOO glad I did.

Thursday night we had been invited to a VIP party for the reopening of Anemoni Sushi. It was the first time this person had extended an invitation to us, and we didn't want to turn them down, so I went even though I was dying with the hotdog flu. I took a nice disco nap after work so I would be somewhat awake for it. It started at 8:00, and we arrived at around 8:10. We ate drank and were merry, and I schmoozed with Sven Sundgaard our local weatherman. The food was good, and the people were very nice, so a good time was had by all, and we were really glad we went....until we left and got out to my car. The driver's side window had been smashed out, and they stole all my stuff. My GPS, iPhone FM transmitter/car charger, my iPod monster cable, and some other assorted things were all gone. They apparently took my canvas Trader Joe's bag to steal my things in. I'm such a conscientious victim to have provided my own bag for their convenience. So needless to say, it ruined a fairly nice evening. The driver's side window had been smashed, and glass was everywhere. The temp was about 20 degrees, so the 25 minute car ride home was REALLY cold. Ugh. Got home, put on my jammies, took some Robutussin and went to bed. (On a side note, if you get robbed in the city of Minneapolis, you have to fill out your own police report online. I wonder if I'm supposed to be pounding the pavement looking for my stolen property, too. Probably. I've always thought the Minneapolis police are lackeys.)

I woke up at 4:00am the next morning BURNING UP! (and if you know me, you know I'm ALWAYS cold) I was SO hot. I took off my jammies, and was laying in bed, in just my underwear. (black thong, since you asked) I was so sick. I'll spare you the details of specifically what happened, but we'll just say my stomach didn't feel well. I used my iphone to google window replacement companies from my bed, called and arranged it, and spent the rest of the day hoping I'd just die and be at peace. Here we are almost two weeks after the start of this illness, and I've still got a cough and runny nose, but I'm a LOT better. I think I'm going to make it, after all.

Sweet Potato "Crap" Recipe

Sweet Potato Casserole

1 large can sweet potatoes drained & mashed

1/2 stick of melted butter

2 eggs beaten

3/4c white sugar (but I only use about 1/3c because I think it gets too sweet)

2 tbsp cornstarch

1c milk

Dash of cinnamon

Mix all together well, bake in a greased casserole at 350* for 20 minutes. Remove, and add topping.

Topping

1c corn flakes

1/2c brown sugar

1/2 stick of butter

1/2c coconut

1/2c chopped nuts (I use pecans)

Heat and stir together to mix well. Take topping and sprinkle over the casserole. Return to the oven to bake for 20 more minutes. Enjoy!

Dairyland

Dairyland Greyhound Racetrack in Kenosha, Wisconsin will be closing on
December 31, 2009. 900 Greyhounds need to be adopted or they will be
euthanized. Please help get the word out; there is only 6 weeks to get this
task done. If you are interested in adopting a greyhound, please call the Dairyland Greyhound Adoption Group at 262-612-8256.

I know that Greyhound Pets of America MN chapter will be getting a few of these dogs, and the number all depends on how many interested parties have put in adoption requests.

Greyhounds are wonderful, gentle pets, and really don't deserve the heartbreaking treatment they get, so please consider adding one to your family.

Run, Don't Walk!

Run right over to tastyjewelry.com! Diane is having a big sale. 40% off everything until the end of September. All you have to do is use the code: fallfling in the "discount coupon" box and hit recalculate to receive your savings. Tell everyone you know!!!


Disclosure: I copied and pasted the entire thing from Walt's blog, because I'm lazy like that, but Diane is awesome and I'd like to promote her. :)

Austin

I went to Austin for 5 days, and stayed with my friend Diane. I've been so stressed out over my job, the economy, etc for so long that I think I had forgotten how to have fun. My darling friends Diane, Walt, and Freddy reminded me. I can't remember the last time I laughed like that. (or drank like that) There were some moments I'm not terribly proud of....in fact I think AC/DC might actually sue Kicky LaRue and I for damages to their song. Drunk karaoke is a tragedy for everyone involved. Yikes.

We met a lot of people at the Salt Lick, and despite the food being strange, at best, I really enjoyed all the new fun friends I met. I was really happy that Mandie, Melanie, Joe, Jack, Kim, and Curt came out to see us. Several friends of Freddy's came, too, including Kay, his ex-wife that we've heard of for so long. I didn't get a chance to talk to everyone as much as I would have liked to, but I suppose that's what happens when there are so many people.

I'm really happy that Joe and Jack got a hotel and stayed in Austin so we could hang out with them a little more. They really are sweethearts, and so funny, too!

So, I know I've given the total Cliffs notes version, and maybe I'll revisit and write some more, but it's bedtime now. I was just smiling and thinking about how much fun I had, and had to write a little something.

Cooper

As many of you may know, I've been kind of looking for a ragdoll cat. I think Trinket needs a companion of her own, and I've always liked the looks and personality of ragdolls. They are cats with puppy dog personalities, and that seems like something that would fit in with the rest of the menagerie.

Thursday I saw this guy on Petfinder.com and called about him. They had named him "Chatter" because he's a little bit of a talker, not bad, but he likes to tell you stories. Chatter had been found as a stray and picked up by a rural animal control. They kept him for whatever amount of time they do for their owners to claim them, but nobody ever did. Nor did anyone adopt him, which shocks me, because he's truly the most stunning cat I've ever seen. I guess it's "kitten season" so all the cute babies get adopted, and the adults are "throw away" animals. He was scheduled to be put down on Tuesday, May 26th, but lucky for him, and for me, a rescue came and got him out of the pound. Two days after his scheduled euthanasia I saw him on Petfinder, two more days after that, I made the 97 mile trip to Rochester MN to pick him up and now he's a member of our family.

I had filled out the adoption forms on Thursday night after I spoke with the person at Camp Companion who told me I was the first to inquire about him. I was told to try to be at the PetSmart at 10:00am because that's when he would be there and since he's so beautiful and a purebred ragdoll, they thought he would be adopted pretty quickly. So, I left my house at 8:15 Saturday morning to make the trip. I took Harvey's kennel so I had something to put him in if I did end up falling in love and adopting him. When I arrived at 9:57, I went over to the adoption area and saw a crowd of people around one of the little cages, and saw that inside that cage was Chatter. I went up to the adoption volunteer and asked to see Chatter. I was told that he was not up for adoption anymore, and that someone had finalized his adoption last night. In my mind I was thinking "Oh hell no! I didn't drive almost 100 miles to be told this...if I have to I'm snatching that cat and running for it!" I told her that I had put an application in on Chatter on Thursday, and was told I was first in line for him. She asked if I spoke with anyone on Friday. I said I hadn't. So told me that the adoption was finalized on Friday, so if I hadn't had any contact with them, that it was likely not going to be me adopting him, but she said she would call Michelle because she didn't know the name of the person they adopted him out to. So, of course they called Michelle and she didn't answer the phone. In the meantime I took Chatter into a visitation room to play with and pet him, only to find out that he's the biggest sweetie. One of the volunteers came up to me and said, "I still can't get a hold of Michelle, but I just remembered something she told me about the person who she is adopting him out to. Do you have dogs?" I told her I have two. She asked me what type I have, and I told her that I have a greyhound and a poodle/terrier mix. With that, I won the kitty lottery, because Michelle told her that he was going to a home with a greyhound! :) Yay me! So, I paid the $90.00 adoption fee for him, loaded him into his carrier, and headed out for my 1 1/2 hour drive home with him. He lived up to his name Chatter with the drive. He meowed constantly. After about an hour, I let him out of his carrier, and he rode in the car like a pro, and was nice and quiet.

We got home and I set him up with food and water, and a litter box in the basement, so he could settle in a little bit before being exposed to the whole gang.

Once he was set up, I went to make a phone call, and noticed our home phone had 3 messages on it. I'm terrible at checking my home messages. I figure most people who need me just call my cell phone. The second message was from Michelle from Camp Companion on Friday telling me she had called and spoken with my vet, and after a glowing report about how well I care for my pets, and Dr. Hedges telling her he couldn't think of a better home for a pet to live in, she was approving my adoption of Chatter. Guess I probably should have listened to this beforehand and I would have spared myself the anxiety of worrying about whether or not someone adopted him from underneath me.

I didn't like the name Chatter, so both Matty, and Diane recommended naming him after Anderson Cooper with his dreamy blue eyes. So I decided he was going to be Cooper.

So far he's really sweet and getting along well with everybody. Trinket isn't sure about him yet, but she's coming along pretty well. The dogs want to sniff him, and that's about it. He's handling it all like a champ, and is really easy going.

Because I steal from Larry Klye.

Hey....

Remember me? Yeah, didn't think so. Well, here I am. Still doing my thing. Still working 4 days a week. I like the hours, but dislike the paycheck. However I am grateful to still have a job with so many people laid off.

Somehow I think the economy is improving. It seems like some things are starting to stabilize. Maybe that's wishful thinking, or maybe it's true. The stock market has been holding steady and going up, so that's good news. It seems like less jobs are being lost than before, and houses seem to be a little more stable...so let's cross our fingers. My company has been much busier the past week or two, so that seems like a really good sign! (Buy jewelry--makes a great gift!)

I really think Barack Obama is doing a pretty good job. I don't agree with every decision he's made, but I think he's got a handle on things. I really don't envy his job. How do you even start to sort out the mess he walked into less than 3 months ago? I wouldn't even know where to begin. I also don't understand the "tea baggers". First, maybe do a little Urban Dictionary search before you decide to call what you're doing "tea bagging"...unless you mean you want someone's balls in your mouth...if that's the case, then go for it, right wingers! But the thing is, they're protesting taxes? Obama cut taxes for 95% of them. In all honestly, it seems like a lot of people were protesting a lot of different things. Some of it was very thinly veiled racism, and just hate mongering. Comparing him to a Nazi? Saying he's not legally the President because he's "foreign born". His birth certificate is available to be seen for yourself. That's all just hate speech and fear mongering. It really saddens me, because he really isn't even being given a chance, and I don't think that's fair because I tried my best to give George W. Bush a chance. I wasn't critical of him for the first couple of years. I always try to withhold judgement until I've seen their leadership or lack there of. I think generally George W. Bush wasn't criticized until after he'd been President for 2 years. Anyway, I didn't intend to get political...and it's late, so I suspect I make little sense.

I've been recording WMBYS fairly regularly again. I have Larry Klye as my new co-host, and we've been having fun. We had a little technical difficulty the past 2 weeks. I loaded the newest version of skype and it chose not to allow Pretty May to record the podcast. So Episode 71 guest starring Kevin in Danbury went down the drain. Then tonight Larry and I recorded Episode 71.1 with special guest star Ricky from Foul Monkeys, and same thing. It didn't record, either. It gave the illusion of recording. It said it was and it counted the time you "recorded". It even gave you a file and pretended it had a show...until you click on it and it says "File not Found!" Sadzies. It was really funny, too. Guess we just amused ourselves. So hopefully soon we will record episode 71.2. Hopefully Larry is still talking to me after all the SNAFUs. :) (Love you, Larry)

So that's what's been going on in a nutshell. :) Thanks for reading my drivel. Later!

Daylight savings time, I think you suck

Any guesses what I'll be doing at work tomorrow? Yeah...napping.

I have a problem

I'm sure this comes as no shock to many of you, but I have a problem with food. I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but from Thursday-Sunday last weekend, I ate myself sick every single day. I consumed about 3x my daily allowance of calories. I binged on lots of chocolate, candy, cookies, movie theater popcorn, and literally anything I could get my hands on. I just kept stuffing it all into my big fat pie hole until I literally was to the point of almost throwing up. (if only I'd have eaten just a little more, and thrown it all up, I'd be better off right now, but that's a different eating disorder)

Every morning I woke up, weighed myself, saw the damage done on the scale and felt so ashamed and miserable. So full of self loathing. I promised that this would be a new day, and I'd take control again....only to binge eat another day. I've gained over 5lbs this weekend. I'm so angry with myself. I behaved all through the holidays, and since Jan 1st (including this weekend's binge) I'm up 9 lbs. I can't believe how out of control I feel. I even looked up Overeaters Anonymous, but feel too embarrassed and ashamed to go to a meeting. Partly I don't want to face a bunch of strangers with my problem (yet I'll blog about it, go figure) and part of it is, most people in Overeaters Anonymous are heavy and I worry they won't be very kind to the "skinny" girl at the meeting. In addition to my binge eating, I'm a compulsive exerciser, so I'm not heavy. (although I didn't touch my treadmill last weekend, and I'm furious with myself for that)

I think it's the stress of the lay offs at work, the economy, and a variety of personal things that just have me feeling like I'm spiraling out of control.

Today, I just found out my aunt is retiring on Friday, and decided to drive to Iowa to surprise her at her retirement party. I almost don't want anyone to see me because I feel so huge and gross. The funny thing is, I weigh 120 lbs. I'm ridiculous. In my head I know this isn't fat, but it feels so disgusting and awful. I hate myself so much right now.

I ate appropriately today. I guess that's all I can do. Take it one day at a time, and try to keep myself in line. Try to fight off the urge to stuff my face.

It's my 15th year

So, I'm doing the Walk For Animals again this year. As I'm sure most of you know, I love animals. I love them more than most people. The Animal Humane Society gets no government assistance, they take in ALL animals with no waiting list unlike some of the shelters who pick and chose which animals they'll take. They really do a wonderful service in the community here in Minnesota, and throughout the country, as other shelters often send their "excess" animals here. They do all the cruelty investigations in the area and do so much with relatively little resources.

Here is my blog post from last year....I think it pretty much sums up how I feel about the Humane Society, and my dog Misty.

This year is going to be my 14th year doing the Walk for Animals benefiting the Animal Humane Society. I usually bring River (my parrot) and whomever else I think will behave themselves. Which means Harvey rarely goes along. It's usually River and Sunshine. I've been doing it so long, that my original walking companion at this event was actually the same "person" who introduced me to the Humane Society, my dog Misty. She walked with me from 1995-1999.

I got Misty 6/4/83. I was 11 years old and that was the day my father left us. He wouldn't let me have a puppy, so the day he left, my mother took me down to the Humane Society to pick out a puppy. As soon as I spotted her, I knew this was the dog I wanted. She was tiny, and adorable. At the time, she was all of 6" long, and looked like a tiny beagle. (Later we would learn she was actually a Beagle/Lab mix, and she topped out at about 50 lbs) There was a family there looking at her and playing with her. The mother in that family told the kids to put the puppy back in the cage, and they would go look at the adult dogs, and come back and adopt her. I saw my chance, and as soon as they put her back, I waited until they were out of sight, and I grabbed my new puppy, and brought her up to the adoption desk. She was $50.00 and I paid with my own money, since we were now going to be strapped for cash with my father gone. She was officially mine.

Misty had been abused, and didn't like men, even though she was only about 12 weeks old when we got her. In her whole life, she met 2 men she ever liked. One was my Grandpa, and one was Nick. She and I grew up together, and she was there for me in a way no one else ever was, or honestly, ever has been since.

She was fiercely protective of me, and would always stand between me and any visitors to our house. She also got between my mother and I, when my mother would get abusive with me. Even when I was an adult and married, and she was a feeble 16 year old dog, she would stand on shaky legs between me and Nick's friend Sean who she deemed a shady character. She would never let anything happen to "her girl." If I went to bed before Nick, she would lay in front of the door to the bedroom, and wait until Nick came to bed, once he came to bed, she must have decided it was his responsibility to protect me, and she would go lay on her doggie bed at the foot of our bed.

I had her from when I was 11 until I was 27. Her body had just given out and I had to make the most horrible decision of my entire life. I had to put my best friend in the whole world to sleep. She had a good, long life, and I will always be grateful to have known her. She was the only constant thing I had in my childhood besides my grandparents. She protected me, and comforted me through all the hard times in my childhood, and I will always miss her.

She is the reason I started doing the Walk for Animals, and the reason I will always do it. To help all the unwanted pets like her, who may just be someone's best friend.

New Rule.

I let people treat me badly. It's partly my own fault because I put up with it and don't usually say anything about it, probably because of my crazy parents. Well I'm not playing that way anymore. The new rule is very simple; if you want to be in my life you will treat me fairly and with respect. The end. I don't think that's asking too much.

Another thing....

Nick didn't get me anything for Christmas. Or my birthday. (not even a card) This really bothers me. I know I got a treadmill in November, and we agreed that would be my Christmas present, but you'd think he'd buy some candy for my stocking, just to get some little token thing. This has become a habit for him, and really makes me feel insignificant and hurts my feelings. Sadly, I'm getting pretty used to it.

10 Reasons I Might Be Crazy

10. I have a dirty dish phobia. I hate dirty dishes, and thank goodness we have a dishwasher, because I'd eat off of paper plates for all eternity if I had to touch dirty dishes. Blech.

9. I won't touch dirty dishes, but I've eaten candy I've found on the street. Unwrapped, no less. It was Toffifay, what am I supposed to do, that stuff is delicious, and I was probably 11 or 12 years old. I'd probably do it still today. (Hey, it's chocolate....at least I'm honest)

8. I don't touch public door knobs if I can help it, especially the restroom door handle.

7. Speaking of that, I hate touching any surface on an airplane. I think they are filthy and disgusting. I hate even touching the tray. You know they don't wipe them down, don't you?

6. I'm feeling completely out of control of my life right now. Things are getting very scary at work for me, and I'm binge eating to comfort myself. In the last 2 hours I have eaten over 1000 calories of chocolate.

5. I like almost all animals more than most people.

4. When I was a kid, I thought a local television news anchor, Dave Moore, was a family friend because we watched him on the news every night. As I grew up, I realized he was just someone we saw on tv, and didn't really know in person, yet when he died, I was truly sad. I guess I still thought he was my friend.

3. When I was a little girl and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd answer, "A van." Not sure why or how I thought I'd grow up to be a van....guess I didn't achieve that dream!

2. I saw Jaws when I was really little, probably 6 or 7 years old. I used to think there were sharks in the lakes, swimming pools, even bath tubs. I still sometimes do. I'm so scared to be eaten by a shark.

1. I don't have kids, and I'm positive nobody will miss me when I die.

Here we go again....and I'm rambling.

Today it happened. The thing I've known would, but kept hoping it would be later, or that the economy would pick up and it could be avoided. I'm officially a part-time employee again. I've done it all before. I know I can live on my part-time salary combined with Nick's. I'm just tired of being worried. I'm tired of feeling like I have no control. I hope things get better. I feel grateful to have a job at all, given the circumstances.

I'm just worried about money. I have Christmas bills to pay off, and I bought the treadmill. The thing is, I shouldn't have bought my new treadmill. I knew this and did it anyway. I didn't need it. It was just a want, and I should have been more responsible....but I've been responsible for so long, and my old treadmill is almost ready to fall apart. I love it, and honestly I need cardio due to my heart conditions. So in my mind I can justify it as a need. But in reality, it was just a want, and I should have made do with what I already owned.

On the money front, I bought some things at the REI super clearance sale this weekend. I think they do it twice a year, and I love this sale so much. I usually find some fabulous North Face things for over 1/2 off, and score some sweet deals. This year was no different. I got several really great deals. Well with today's news, I contemplated taking things back to the store, but then looked on ebay and saw that some of the things I bought I can turn a decent profit on ebay. For example, one North Face Venture rain jacket I bought for $34 at REI sold today on ebay for $72.59, and another for $82.67. The North Face Denali Hoodie I bought for $60 just sold for $147.50, so I think I can make a little extra cash this way. Then the select items I want to keep can be much cheaper or even free. :) Leave it to me to find creative ways to pay for things. When I was young and poor I used to do patch testing for Aveda. They don't test on animals, so they "pay" human volunteers with gift certificates for Aveda products. Don't stand between a girl and her hair care products!

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. I'm trying to stay positive, and not worry too much....but for those of you who know me, I'm sure you know I'm freaking out.

Senseless ramblings.

Hey everyone. Thanks to all of you who voted for Nick's aunt Bonnie's dog in the contest! Even though we got 4500 votes (awesome) we didn't make it into the finals. Boo for that. Good effort on our part though, right?

Not much else going on. I'm feeling nervous at work. Lots of visits from different bankers, which isn't a good sign. Someone is coming to evaluate inventory on Monday. I really need to get my resume updated, but frankly I don't even know where to start. Part of it is just me feeling paralyzed with fear. Part of it is my own insecurity that I don't know how to do anything else. I'm scared to leave, and I'm scared to stay. I'm positive I'll end up working a drive through window, wearing a paper hat and asking people if they want fries with that. Also, I need to remember to spell it "drive thru" if I'm going to work one...I should at least have the decency to spell accordingly, right?

I'm feeling really fat right now. No good reason. I'm just up 2 lbs, which is really nothing. I guess maybe because I had a binge today. We went back to the restaurant we went to last weekend, and I had the Mac Attack. Three Squares in Maple Grove really has the best mac & cheese I've ever had. I'm sure it's also quite heart healthy. It's got 5 kinds of cheese, and it's really creamy. It almost looks like alfredo sauce, but richer, if you can imagine. So good.

Nick and I aren't really getting along very well. He's been really edgy and yelling at me a lot. I'm sure I'm no picnic to live with, but I usually know what I've done to warrant a yelling at. Lately, it seems like I can't do much right. It's exhausting. Sometimes I just want to pack my things, move to a new city, and start over.

I'm starting to see my life as a series of mistakes. I have a lot of regrets. I wish I'd have done so many things that I haven't done, and I'm sure I never will. I wish I hadn't done a lot of things I have. I wish....maybe that's the perfectionist in me. Never satisfied.

I guess I'm in a little funk right now. Maybe it's time to go to bed. Or at least watch Neil Patrick Harris on SNL. Maybe that will make me better. :)

Hey Everyone....

On the side, I've linked to the Minneapolis Star Tribune Cutest Dog Contest. Nick's aunt Bonnie, whom I absolutely adore has submitted her dog Markie. Please do me a favor and vote for him. You can vote every minute.....so vote often. The winner gets a Visa gift card for $1000!