give it a rest

I'm so sick and tired of people complaining about and hating Ameren UE. As if it's their fault a huge storm (the biggest in quite a while) hit, then was followed up two nights later by another. Power is bound to go out during big storms. It's just part of life.

There are workers from fourteen states helping to restore people's power. They're working long shifts in hot weather, sometimes all night long. How many of us work that hard? Plus, they're constantly being bothered by people bitching at them and asking when their power is going to be turned on.

How the fuck are they supposed to know? They're out there slaving away so you can have AC back on in your house while you slob around on your couch watching TV. Yes, it sucks to lose food, and to have to sit around in the hot weather. But it's not the end of the world. Believe it or not, people used to live each and every day without AC. Yes! Without TV, radio, computers, and refrigerators. It's true! It can be done!

I'm sick of people complaining that Ameren somehow wronged them. 'Why can't they just tell me when it will be turned back on?' Give it a rest. Seriously - how are they supposed to know that? They're in the field working. They have no idea what they're going to find when they come to your neighborhood to fix your power. Lines could be down, or transformers blown. They have no idea what they're up against until they get there.

Be pissed at yourself because you can't take a breath and quit freaking out. Be pissed at God for sending us a huge storm. Be pissed at Benjamin Franklin for discovering electricity in the first place and enabling us to be softies and lazy. Hell, be pissed at the storm itself. But don't be pissed at those poor people out there working their asses off to restore your power. It's not right.

tara, tara, where for art thou

It seems lately that every time I turn on the news I hear about a war on Tara; or that the US is not going to stand for Tara. We're apparently trying to rid the world of Tara.

Who is this Tara? What did she do to bring so much hate down on her? She really did something to piss off Dubya. He rails on her all the time.

She must be quite a woman to draw this much attention to herself. Tara, Tara, Tara...it's all I hear nowadays. In fact, she's been all the rage since 9/11, it seems.

Tara's been hiding out for what, five years now? She's better than Bin Laden! Maybe they're secret lovers.

Apparently I need to do some more reasearch on the elusive Tara. I thought I kept up with the news really well (what with all my free time at work), but somehow I've missed this one. That wily little minx.

no more boredom

We've got power! It finally flipped on yesterday around 1. Four days without power in the middle of summer isn't fun. We lost everything in our fridge, freezer, and deep freeze except what we could save with ice in a cooler. Luckily the temperature dropped on Friday night after yet another storm, so it was really nice in our house the rest of the weekend. For some reason our house didn't get that warm...it never does. It topped out at 84, even on the hottest days. Probably because it's small and one story.

It's funny how many times I turned on light switches. I know it happened every time I stepped into the bathroom, and every time I went down to the basement. It's actually pretty eye-opening to live without power for more than a short time. I realized that I watch entirely too much TV (even without cable!), and that when you don't have tons of machines running on electricity and spitting out heat because of it your house isn't actually that hot. I also realized how nice it is to know my neighbors. Yes, they can be annoying at times, but they're a lot of fun, especially when you're all hanging out on a porch, drinking and huddling around a very small TV that runs on batteries to watch the Cardinals beat the Dodgers. It's wonderful how a community pulls together when something like this happens. We check on elderly neighbors, get each other ice, and generally feel more connected.

Though I'm happy to have our power back (I was beginning to have netflix withdrawal), it's also a little bit disappointing. It was like an adventure, and now it's over. We'll slip easily back into a life of convenience, occasionally waving to our neighbors or asking them to pick up mail. There won't be that common bond; that reason to yell across the street simply because you can and you know they'll hear you.

storm from hell

Whew! What a crazy couple of days. I was at home Wednesday evening, cooking dinner (!), when I noticed a little storm map on the bottom corner of the screen. It said there was a severe thunderstorm warning for St. Louis. I thought this was weird, as I had just been outside watering plants, and it was blazingly hot and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. My mom called and said the weather was really bad up north. Still weird. Then I looked out. The sky was suddenly black. Then the wind kicked in. My neighbor's trees were almost bending in half; leaves and branches were flying around violently. I watched for a minute when I heard a small knock on the back porch. I went out there to see my huge wooden market umbrella (that was screwed into a large, heavy metal table and concrete base) dragging the table around my back porch. It had come out of the base and flown up and ripped through one of the screens, but hadn't come out of the table. I watched for a while, then went outside once it headed towards the barbeque. Not the barbeque! I wrestled with it for a while, but had a hard time getting it down because the umbrella part (it was up when the storm started - oops) had completely snapped in half. I debated over whether to just leave it, but the wind was still strong, and half of the umbrella was out, enabling the wind to drag it further. I finally wrestled it down, and managed to drag it and the metal table back over the base and put it back together. It sucked.

The storm only lasted an hour or so, but afterwards it seemed as though a hurricane had hit. At least in the city of STL. I was in Key West last year after the hurricane, and it's very similar. There is debris everywhere (leaves, sticks, branches), and every other house has a tree down or a fence smashed in. The winds got up to 80+. Three buildings collapsed. There were 500K people without power, the most ever, and 1/3 of the city's streetlights were either gone completely or off. Which made travel very difficult, since people don't seem to get how to behave at a four way stops, though they see them every day. It's amazing.

We happen to be one of the houses without power, as well as my older sister. So, yesterday, I got a call from work saying power was out, but we were expected to be there, in casual clothes (this is a HUGE deal, as we're NEVER allowed to wear casual clothes, even business casual). We got there and sat around in the dark for a half hour, then the power came on. Huge disappointment. Though I don't know why, as I didn't want to go home to my hot-as-hell house. It only stayed on for an hour though, then went off for good. We sat some more, gabbing, then left at noon. I went shopping then went home to nap in the heat with my poor hound. There wasn't anything else to do. I'm pathetic.

Q and I had to pack up our entire deep freeze and fridge in coolers with ice. Hopefully it'll stay good. Ameren says power may not be on until next week. Suck! We then had to pack ourselves and the hound up to stay with my parents. They stayed upstairs with their dog (who doesn't get along with my dog) and my sister and niece. Her two cats stayed downstairs in the laundry room, and we stayed in the rest of downstairs. Quite an odd situation. But nice and cool. How did people survive before AC???

Power's back at work today (huge bummer), but the AC isn't. I'm not sure how that works. This building is a moron. Our power still isn't on, so it might be off to Q's hometown to stay with his parents for the weekend. My poor hound has to roast in my house all day today, though. Poor baby.

paying for evacuation

I read a story yesterday on CNN about the US asking the Lebanon evacuees to pay $300 for their evacuation. I didn't have an opinion either way (shocker, right?), but did think it was odd.

Should the evacuees help cover the costs (there's around 25,000 American civilians there right now), or should we, the taxpayers, cover it? It's an interesting question. Really, $300 isn't a huge amount. I'm sure it costs well over that to fly to Lebanon, especially nowadays with fuel costs being out of control.

I can see both sides. On one hand, they had no idea this was going to happen, and it happened FAST. On the other hand, though, they are there at their own risk. Hezbollah isn't a new thing. You're taking at least a little bit of risk being over there. Plus, the US doesn't technically have to evacuate them at all.

I still don't know where I stand. I'm curious to hear thoughts on this, though. Let 'em rip.

to have the admiration of hoosiers

I went to happy hour Friday night with some kids from work. I enjoy happy hours, but this one was especially good, since I haven't ever been to one with this group in particular. I'm so different socially than I am at work (not fundamentally, of course), so it's fun to shock people. I'm usually fun when I go out with friends. I'm silly, and sometimes even outgoing. I'm generally miserable at work, though I hide it well. I just don't like working; being on someone else's schedule. It sucks. I am happy with my job, happier with my place of employment, but of course, I'd prefer to work for myself. Now if I can just figure out how to make that work...

Anyway, we went to this bar called The Hive. It was a total dump with expensive beer prices ($18 for a pitcher of AB's Hefe...ouch), but we had a blast anyway. The best part of the evening occurred when one of the girls went downstairs to the bathroom. I'll preface this by saying that when we walked in the entire place went quiet and stared...okay, not that drastic, but you get the idea. It was full of regulars, and we were outcasts immediately. She finished in the bathroom and made her way towards the stairs, which was an open stairwell leading to the second level. A guy tapped her on the shoulder right before she got there and asked her if she could go up slowly so they could watch her. Ick! I mean she is tall and thin and blonde (model-esque), so it makes sense. But it's creepy nonetheless.

But as much as I said it was creepy, it did make me a little jealous. If it had happened to me I would have been so grossed out, yet also oddly complimented. I just don't experience outward catcalling like this. I get my fair share of turned heads (or maybe I make this up in my head, I don't know), but nothing like this. She probably hates it. She probably gets it all the time.

Sad, yes. But true.

why can't i think of this stuff???

This guy traded one red paperclip for a house in Canada. A nice house, at that. It's old, but who cares? He got it for free (or more specifically for the price of one red paperclip, whatever that might cost).

A free house. For one red paperclip. Well, there were a few steps in between, but basically, it all boils down to that. Lucky sonofabitch. When am I going to stumble into one of these great ideas?

ann coulter = skinny ass beatch

The other day Ann Coulter was supposed to be on Adam Carolla's radio show. She called in late, and he basically hung up on her (after she was a bitch - big surprise there). Listen to the clip here. Oh, how I wish we got his show here instead of that moron Rover.

More to come about my fantastic vacation.

i'm gonna have more fun than you...

Well I'm off to the lake tomorrow for a nice, long weekend of relaxing and playing in the sun. When it gets dark, well, that's another story...plenty of debauchery to be had. Not the Ozarks, by the way. It's funny how when you say you're going to the lake everyone assumes the Ozarks. That's nasty. The in-laws have a cabin on Bull Shoals in Arkansas. It's gorgeous - underdeveloped and secluded (thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers buying all the land around the lake), yet huge. And crystal clear water.

The foot is healed enough to wear flip flops, so that's all that matters. I'm finally done with the formal part of this surgery - as of yesterday - no more doctor visits, or anything. The scabs are all gone, and the cuts are well on their way to healing fully. I'm able to walk like normal, with the exception that my big toe doesn't bend fully, so that limits me a little bit. Looking back six weeks later, I'm completely happy with my decision to go ahead with the surgery. Yes, there were a few bad weeks, but other than that, it's been a breeze. I'm able to wear my first pair of mary jane shoes that actually look a little dressy. They're sneakers, but nice ones. So now I can wear skirts again. There's nothing like having to wear pantsuits when it's hot. It sucks! Suits should be banned in the summertime. They get all sweaty and gross, and you can't really wash them, and dry cleaning doesn't always clean them fully. Grooooosssssss.

Anyway, have a happy fourth, all. Don't put your eye out with a firecracker. Not good.

the little things

Irregardless. Such a funny little word. Someone down the hall from me just said it three times, in response to something another person said. Though I am an English major (lit, not grammer), this word probably would pass right under my radar. It just so happens that Q finds this word hilarious, and comments whenever someone says it. Now whenever I hear it it makes me giggle a little bit too.

Dictionary.com defines this word as:

ir·re·gard·less ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-gärdls)adv. Nonstandard

Regardless.

[Probably blend of irrespective, and regardless.]

Usage Note: Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so.

Ha. A 'blunder'. Blunder is a great word that is used far too infrequently. I especially like that people seem to want to use this word to sound smart. But they're not smart. They're just making a blunder. I should tell people that it's not a word at all when they say it, but I won't. It's just too funny. They think they're so darn smart...

i'm an old lady

Today's my birthday. Happy Birthday to me! My cube was decorated when I got to work. I have such good work friends (finally - it took a while to scope everyone out and pick out the good ones)! I got cards, yummy candy, jewelry, and gift cards.

There have also been a few funny incidents. One gal came to my desk to drop off something for one of my bosses, looked around, and said, 'Is it your birthday?' Duh! What a dumbass. Then another girl came by and said, 'It's your birthday! Are you excited?' She obviously doesn't know me very well. First, I'm not the most excitable person. Anyone who knows me knows that. It's not that I don't get excited, it's just that I don't show it well. Second, it was 8:45 am. When I do get excited, as a rule, I don't get excited before 11, at the earliest.

Then she asked me how old I was. Odd, right? I don't have an issue with my age (the last stretch of my 20s...the very last). I don't feel any older than 21, at the most. I'm basically a big kid. But still. I think it's kind of weird to ask anyone obviously over 25 how old they are. Right? Or am I way off? Especially if you aren't particularily good friends - just coworkers, coexisting day to day in the same general area.

I kind of hate birthdays at work anyway. I try to take that day off usually, but what with my surgeries and the lake next week (yay!), I couldn't afford to this year. Bummer. So now I have to deal with everyone saying happy birthday, asking what I've gotten, or what I'm doing that night. I guess it's a nice break from all of the foot talk, though. All I hear lately is 'How's your foot doing?' or 'Looks like you're walking better!' I don't mind talking about it with my friends, but with people I don't know that well, it's just stupid. Give it a rest. Yes, that's what happens when someone has surgery, or injures herself - it gets better. Shocking!

Okay, enough ranting. Time to be happy. I've got the new Head Automatica album playing, and it makes me happy. And I'm being treated to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. Yum. Hopefully I'll get to celebrate with a martini tonight.

PS - Pickle - The martini glass is neat-o. Feel free to get me those anytime!

15 1/2 times better?

So Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has vowed to block a congressional pay raise scheduled for January until the minimum wage is raised to $7.25/hour. That's actually pretty cool, since the salary of congressmen has gone up $31,600 during the time the minimum wage has sat at a hefty $5.15/hour. They currently make $165,200/year, which roughly (I'm no mathematician, folks) works out to $79.42/hour. That's $74.27 more than minimum wage. It's mind boggling.

My question is this: what exactly are our congressmen doing for $165,200/year, or $79.42/hour? I don't see much. I see a lot of arguing and time wasting. Let's see: they're discussing whether to make flag burning illegal, and amend the Constitution to specify this. They're also trying to amend the Constitution to ban gay marriage. Oh, and they're still trying to figure out what to do with our illegal immigrants.

Alright, they're probably working on a few other things too. I'm not saying they don't work at all. I'm just wondering if they do $79.42/hour worth of work. That's almost 15 1/2 minimum wage workers. I don't for one minute think they do 15 1/2 times the amount of work a minimum wage worker does. Do you?

five years = wood

Our five year wedding anniversary was last Friday. Q and I went to lunch at Almond's, one of our favorite lunch spots (the dinner is way too expensive and fancy). That night we went up to Sybergs for dinner and to watch the Cardinals game, then came home and dyed our hair. Not the traditional anniversary celebration, but then again, we're not exactly traditional.

Q planned a big surprise for me on Saturday night. I had a few theories, but really didn't know where we were going until he slipped on Saturday morning. We were in our back yard picking arugula from the garden, and then took it inside to air-seal in plastic bags. We already have two big bags full (which is more arugula than two people can eat), so Q mentioned that maybe we should take a bag to CB and V's house. CB and V are two of our very bestest friends, and they currently reside in lovely Columbia, MO. I didn't catch on right away (not the brightest), but he said 'Damn!', so I got it then.

We headed to their house in the early afternoon with Chay in tow (she loves the car, and her friends CB and V). We got there and chatted for a while, and looked at all of their gorgeous landscaping (it makes our house look like a pit). Then we ate at Murry's, one of my favorite restaurants in the world. They make this great appetizer (one of many) - green pepper rings fried, then topped with powdered sugar. It sounds weird, but they're incredible.

Then we said goodbye to CB and V for the night. Q and I drove downtown, and he parked near Broadway and 9th. I still had no idea what we were doing. We walked up 9th, towards the Blue Note. I figured we were probably going there, but didn't know who we were seeing. We walked past a coffee shop and Q pointed someone out on the bench, and there sat my favorite serial-killer-wannabe:

*Shudder*. That guy is just plain creepy. Q asked me if I recognized him, and I did, but I'm horribly bad with faces, so I couldn't remember from where. He laughed.

We approached the box office, and I looked at the poster on the door, and saw it was for Hank III and the Assjacks. Yay! Not only did we get to see the Blue Note after all of these years (by the way, V says it's for sale for 18 million...seems high, but who knows???), but we got to see one of my favorite performers. We had a blast. And I thought the crowd was pretty entertaining in St. Louis, but it was way off the charts in Columbia. Columbia is known for having the weirdest mix of people as it is, but this show really reeled them in. There were punk rock kids, good ol' country boys, older folks, a couple in their wedding gear (they had been married that day), and everything in between. And those good ol' country folks get really riled up, that's for sure. As usual, it was funny to see the reaction of the people there for the country set when he started playing with Assjack (crazy hard music with screaming vocals). The place really clears out.

Then we went to Dewey's Pizza on Sunday with my family for a little celebration dinner. The pizza was awesome, and I love seeing the kiddos. They're a trip. And I got lots of neat-o presents, and Dewey's gave me a pint glass, which was nice, but we're overflowing with pint glasses. It's Q's newest addiction. Beer does somehow taste better out of a pint glass, though.

So, our anniversary celebration was unusual, but a blast. And it's only going to get better when we head down to Bull Shoals with CB and V this weekend and into the next week. Lots of drinking, relaxing, boating, and tanning. If only this workweek would end...now. Oh well.

the failed experiment

Yesterday I ran into The Failed Experiment, a good article on the death penalty by Anna Quindlen. It's basically a piece about wondering when we'll ditch this, as it doesn't seem to be doing any good whatsoever.

First, we're executing innocent people. There are more and more cases of this coming out every day, due to DNA and other improved testing systems. I don't expect our legal system to be perfect. That's impossible. I personally believe it's FAR from that, but that's neither here nor there. My point is that if a system involving life and death isn't perfect, it can't be used. Executing an innocent person is inexcusable, and shouldn't ever happen, not even to make sure we execute the bad ones. Oh yeah, and did you know that some states still execute the mentally handicapped? It's sickening.

Second, the system is overflowing with minorities and the poor. It takes good money to defend yourself. And when the system is gunning for you, and you can't afford anything more than the counsel that is provided, you're probably fucked. Take OJ and Michael Jackson. If you can pay the price tag, no matter what you do, you can probably get off. I'm not saying they're guilty. Only that we'll never know.

Third, this method of prevention doesn't seem to be working. People don't care if they get the death penalty or not. There aren't people running around on the streets with guns shooting others who would refrain from shooting if they only thought about the consequences of the death penalty. This way of thinking - that there aren't any consequences - seems to be running rampant in this country anyway.

Fourth, we're only one of four countries (not industrialized countries, mind you - this includes third world) that still imposes the death penalty. The other three are...China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Shit, we're ten seconds away from invading Iran, and imposing our ways upon them because we're so superior, yet in many ways we're just as barbaric. Interesting.

As Anna says, 'Americans still live in one of the few countries that kill people to make clear what a terrible thing killing people is.' It's so backwards. We wonder why our kids are so bad, so irresponsible. But it's not such a mystery. You can't teach your kids to be polite, then let them see you being rude. You can't teach your kids to be good sports, then act like an asshole when you lose. It's the same principle here. Why should they ever believe anything they're told? If our government can't be a good example of how our kids should live their lives, why should they ever be good?

cute ball players

Q's surprise last night was going to our first ever River City Rascals game. We've been talking about it for a while, and since we're too poor to see the Cardinals play, this seemed like the perfect option. Plus, the Cards got their asses handed to them by the White Sox yesterday in a shameful, shameful display. And the Rascals won.

We sat four rows from the field, right near first base, and the tickets were $8. We could actually tell if the players were cute or not (well, Cootie and I could, the boys were more interested in the t-shirt/promotions girls camped out next to us). Some were cute. Some had cute butts. And a lot grabbed themselves. I guess those uniforms aren't so comfortable on the man parts in the ungodly heat.

The food was reasonable (not awesome, but that's okay), the t-shirts and merch were cheap (we all got jerseys for $10), parking is free, and they had O'Fallon beer on tap. If you live in St. Louis, and haven't tried O'Fallon's beer, you're missing out. You can find it at most grocery stores, and in some restaurants. It's hard to imagine a beer company nowadays could compete with Bud or Schlafly, but they seem to be getting bigger and bigger, and are making quite a name for themselves. I guess that just goes to show that the consumer wants something that tastes better than Bud products. Pee almost tastes better than Bud products. I don't actually know that; I'm just guessing here. Plus Bud is evil - their Bud Sports League stole the kickball rules from the SKA league (the one I play in) and copyrighted them. Shrewd, yes. Fair and nice, no. Especially when Bud can afford to have someone draft their own set of rules (it's pretty similar to baseball; they once owned the Cardinals), while SKA is nonprofit. Bastards.

to the man of my dreams

Today is my lovely Q's 30th birthday. He isn't a huge fan of cake (or sweets in general; gummy candy excluded), but his favorite beer is Abita Purple Haze, so Q, here you go. I planned a special night for tonight, and unfortunately there won't be any Abita Purple Haze, but there will be other tasty draft beer. And good company. And he can drink as much as he wants (or until I run out of money - wait, that might not get him a lot).

So Q, here's to you! The first thirty years have made you the most wonderful and handsome man in the world. I can't even imagine what the next thirty will do. I'm the luckiest gal in the world though, that's for sure. Everyone make sure and tip back a couple for this amazing guy.

VIP for a day

Friday we had a 'mystery' outing at work. Basically, we were allowed to dress in casual clothes (a first, I think), and we were going to be out of the office all day doing something fun. No one knew what it was until we got on the busses and arrived at the first location.

We started to figure it out once we were close to the river on Highway 40. We stopped here



and filed off the busses to the exclusive behind-home-plate-season-ticket-holders entrance, then went into the Cardinals Club. This is the restaurant/bar that is only available to these certain ticket holders (and I'm sure a few other VIPs) who pay $14K per ticket. Ouch.

We got to order drinks (yes, at 10:30 in the morning), then split into groups of three for a short tour of the stadium. We got to go on the field, and see the dugouts, as well as the press area. Pretty cool. Then we got to eat at the Club. The food was good, but the bathrooms were most impressive. They were all tile, with classical music playing in the background. There was a basket full of sunscreen, mints, hairspray, body spray, band aids, you name it, it was in there. It's nice to see how the other half lives - or not so nice, maybe. It makes the bathrooms in the rest of the stadium look like crap.

Then we filed back into the busses and drove to the middle of nowhere in Illinois - to the Tri City Speedway. It's a big old dirt track. I've never heard of it before, and neither had anyone else I told about this day. Anyway, we piled onto the bleachers (beer in hand) and the owner announced that he leased these


for three years - a BMW convertible and a Hummer H3. They're going to draw names, and each month a different person will get to drive one of the cars. Pretty cool. There's around 80 of us, I'd guess, so chances are good everyone will get to drive one. We were there for a short 20 minutes (thankfully, it was a toasty 90 degrees that day) then piled back on the busses for our last stop.

I had it figured out when we got close to Lafayette Square, as the owner had said we were going somewhere for dessert. We stopped in front of



and got out. Everyone packed onto the back porch for unlimited drinks of any kind and dessert. It was a blast. I'd never been here (we'd tried, but the wait was an hour - no thanks), and the martinis were okay - not as good as I'd expected. But the desserts were pretty darn good. Free drinks + heat make for an interesting day, that's for sure.

I was pretty impressed with the day. We had been guessing for a month or so about where we'd be going, and I'm pretty sure no one even came close to this. If I ever complain about my company again, just slap me across the head.

Then we went to my in-laws house to celebrate Father's Day on Saturday. I remembered why I so don't want to live in the country (aka the boonies, farmtown, middle of nowhere, the sticks). The bugs. Man, it's awful. There's no keeping them out of your house, no matter how solid it is. I went into the bedroom to go to bed, and almost walked face first into a spider web as wide as the room with a big old spider attached. I promptly freaked out, then ran to get Q so he could get rid of it. His bro-in-law had been in that room all evening, too, playing video games, and definitely would have ran into this had it been there. That fucker build the web quick.

And Q swears he had a cricket crawling on his neck in the middle of the night. NASTY. There are daddy long legs in the corners, and moths on the ceiling. You just have to get used to it. No amount of insecticide will get rid of everything. It's impossible. Q remembers finding scorpions in his room, as well as snakes. And there have been snakes in the garage too. Even if the weather is so much nicer (way less humidity), and the breeze is sweeter, and the stars are brighter, there's no way I could live there during the summer. Never.

the squid and the whale

Q and I watched this movie last night. I enjoyed it immensly, but came away learning an important lesson: never borrow anything from the library (if you saw this, you know what I mean). Things are cheap at Amazon or Half.com. Just buy them.

happy day

My foot's not infected! And I can start driving. This is the best day ever (or for a while, anyway). I had suspicions when one of the incisions started smelling horribly and leaking a little bit, but all is well. Apparently I just had some sort of reaction to the tape they were using to hold the cuts together. Now I'm tape-free. The one cut is totally gross, but it'll dry out and start to heal. The others are healing nicely. Pretty cool! In two more weeks I can start walking like a normal person. I'm excited. No one can call me 'gimpy', 'cripple', or 'slowpoke' (some pet names from coworkers). Nice.

Now Q and I have to hustle to get a new tire (or the flat one fixed) for my car. Last week we got a flat on 170 South, right before it ended. Q had to hustle to pull the car onto the right shoulder (with me leaning out of the window frantically waving and screaming at the cars in the other lane to let us over). It was right before the exit ramp onto 40, so there wasn't much room. He had to straddle the guardrail in order to get the tire changed, but he did it in record time. Less than ten minutes. Thankfully he was there, because I would have ruined my pretty white pants changing that tire. I would have done it, though. I can so change a tire. Grrrr. As it was, though, I had to be the lookout for straying cars. It was freaking scary watching the cars zip by. There were a few that did swerve close to our car, which freaked me out, but we came out okay in the end. Q's my hero.

swingin' chihuahuas

This is just one (of many) disturbing, yet great reasons not to breed dogs. St. Peters should be proud.

I just feel sorry for the puppy. Come on, people. You can also file this one under 'reasons not to get dogs from breeders'. You just don't know what you're getting, and what abuse these poor things have suffered.

How disgusting is it that this woman hit the breeder with a dead puppy? Then swung the dead puppy out of her sunroof as she drove away, screaming threats? Forget the sex offender list. There should be a list for these freaks. She should be banned from owning a pet EVER.