Stress Symptoms

I gotta take Hotness to the doctor today for an appointment.
She's been feeling under the weather, much more so than I was when I had the cold I just got over. We're hoping it's nothing to serious (as in the flu, or particularly H1N1) so we'll see.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about some stuff in my life right now and I thought I'd talk about them briefly.

Stress does a wicked number on your health in more ways than you can imagine.
When I was selling aquarium fish (many years ago) we always informed customers about the many factors that can cause stress in the fish tank environment and how to try and eliminate them for the overall health of the fish inside.

The same thing applies to us humans.
We have sources of stress on many, many different levels coming at us at all times.
Not all of it is bad, but constant repetitive stress can really wear you down after a while.

About 8 or 9 years ago I started having trouble with my sinuses. I wasn't having infections or anything like that, but I was having difficulty clearing my nose when I blew it into a tissue. It never seemed to work and only got worse as the years continued. I even went to the doctor to try and see what the problem was, but he couldn't determine a cause so it went on without any remedy.
Occasionally I'd take an over-the-counter allergy or sinus pill to help alleviate the symptoms, but they always returned.
At night, I'd have difficulty breathing and wouldn't get a full, restful night's sleep. In the morning I'd wake up barely able to breath through my nose and would spend a good portion of my morning trying to blow it out so I could breath a little.

I thought I may be allergic to the cat, but I never had been before and the symptoms never got drastically worse when I was around the cat.

Then, about 4 or 5 years ago I started having trouble with my stomach. At least once (and quite often twice) a week I'd have an upset stomach.
My tummy would cramp up and I'd have to go. It was not comfortable in the least.
The medical term for this would be called "irritable bowel syndrome". No real way to stop it, it just happens and people have to deal with it for the rest of their lives.

Well a funny thing has happened in the last couple of months.
I haven't had one instance of an 'irritable bowel' at all.
And around the middle of November my sinus started to clear up. I've been able to breath clearly at night, and when I blow my nose... it clears out the junk and I can breath.

What have I been doing in the last two months to make such an improvement to my health?
Nothing, quite literally.
I was laid off two months ago and in these past two months, my body has started to recover from stress I was subjecting it to at a job that I wasn't enjoying.

When my sinuses started acting up, I had just moved into "Will Call / shipping". I was there for about a year or two before moving into sales. Then in the last 4 or 5 years of being in sales and having to deal with customers, vendors, and even some co-workers my stomach started acting up.

When I was let go from my job, my tummy troubles ceased.... practically overnight.
My sinuses took a little while longer to start to clear, but they have been for the last 2 or 3 weeks and I can not only breath easier but I actually feel a lot better than I have in recent years.

You'd think that being unemployed would add more stress and make my body react even worse, but I've really been more relaxed than I ever have been in a long while.
I'm looking for work, but I'm only looking for things I seriously want to do. Not just the first thing that comes along.
I'm not about to subject myself anytime soon to the same stress levels I had been before.

Now, if I would just get my butt into the gym.........

Not Dead Yet

Not to make light of a serious situation... well, actually yes I am.

Hotness's mom is still hanging in there.
Everybody (doctors, hospice nurses, and close friends) all thought that she was on her way out and would be passing away soon.

That was about 4 weeks ago.

After Hotness had spent as much time back with her as she could, it looked as though that was going to be the last time she saw her mom.
With all the painkillers and anti-depressants her mom was on, her condition was just getting worse by the day.
She wasn't eating or drinking and started wasting away.
But she didn't die.

In fact, she's been taking fewer drugs and has begun to get her appetite back (such as it is).
This isn't to say she's going to make a miracle come-back from death's door, but it is quite amazing that she's doing as well as she is.

When I talked to her a few weeks back, I thought it was going to be for the last time.
But I got to talk to her on this past Wednesday and she even called me at home on Thursday night to talk to me. (She called for me and not Hotness. Ha ha!)
I wasn't home at the time, so I returned her call on Friday afternoon and we had a very nice talk.

She told me that aside from feeling extremely weak, she's been able to drink some de-caf coffee, tea, and even had some soup the day before. (Things she hadn't been able to get down a couple weeks earlier)
She was even home alone for a few hours, since she didn't seem to need constant attention the last few days.

She's said many times that she's ready to die, but apparently her body isn't.
It's nice that she's still around and we've been able to talk together, but it's emotionally difficult to be on this up-and-down rollercoaster with her health.

Hotness spent all the time she could with her mom, thinking that it was going to be the last.
And Hotness's brother has taken time off from work to be there in their mom's final days... which don't seem to have an expiration date.
So its' really tough for them to know when to say "goodbye", plus they don't want her to be alone. But bills have to be paid and so eventually they have to return to work.

Their mom's recent turn of good spirits and health sort of reminds me of this:


And I post this with 100% assurance that Hotness's mom would even find it funny.

"I Don't Meant To Be A 'Debbie Downer'....."

I apologize for the lack of regular posting and wacky antics that seem to happen to us, but there's been some stuff going on behind the scenes here at "What's That Smell?" and I figured I'd fill you in.

Hotness took off last week with her brother to be with their mom, who is dying from ovarian cancer.
The last few months have been an up-and-down roller-coaster ride with their mom being at death's door one day, and just fine the next.
We've called to check in and make her laugh, but it's not like being there so we've had to rely on friends who are with her on a daily basis for her health status.
Recently her health had taken a turn for the worse so her kids decided to high-tail it back home to be with their mom.

You'll notice I said "her kids" went to be with her. I'm still at home.
It's not that her mom and I don't get along. Quite the opposite in fact. We get along incredibly well and it really bothers me that I couldn't go back to be there with her as well and to give Hotness the emotional support she needs.
But unfortunately finances and such don't really allow for both of us to leave, plus somebody has to stay and keep an eye on the house and the cat.

Somebody asked me why we didn't get a sitter to watch everything while we were away, but like I mentioned, finances just won't allow it. Especially for an unknown length of time we'd be away.
Plus the cat is old and kind of frail (health-wise). She doesn't travel well nor does she accept strangers easily. So it's easier for one of us to stay home with her so she doesn't get sick while we're gone and stay at the house to make sure nothing happens.
We don't need to worry about one sick family member while we're two states away with another one.

As for Hotness's mom, she's ready to go.
In fact, after going through the chemo therapy the first time around she told everybody that if her cancer came back she would not be doing anything for treatment. She wanted to let the cancer run it's course and leave this world. (it's a bit melodramatic, but she really did say that)
The problem now is this; while mentally she's ready to die, her body isn't quite finished yet. So now it's a waiting game while she's in pain and uncomfortable until nature takes it's course.
It's not pleasant and she has moments where it's difficult for her kids to be in the room with her, but at least they are there.

In the meantime, I'm here keeping the homefires burning and making sure all is well until Hotness gets back.
I've been a little too preoccupied to keep up with stuff on here and I thought I'd at least let you all know why.

I promise next time I'll have something funny to say or talk about.

That's A Lot Of Meat

That's what Hotness said after having a bite of some home made Bacon Explosion.

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Let me back up a bit.

Today at work, somebody was reading about this on Yahoo news and we all got to talking about it.

Then Qtilla posted it over on the SUC.

The more I read about it, the more I wanted to try and make it. But that's a lot of food, despite being so unhealthy, and Hotness and I could never eat one of these as a meal.

So I gave it some thought and figured I'd scale it down a bit and make a smaller version of it.

On my way home I stopped at the grocery store and picked up:

* bacon

* mild Italian sausage

* cinnamon chipotle rub

* hickory flavored BBQ sauce

I took out four strips of bacon and sprinkled them liberally with the cinnamon chipotle rub.

Then I made a 'sausage log' about 1-1/2 inches thick and 8 inches long.

I wrapped the bacon (with the sprinkled rub on the inside) around the sausage in a spiral.

Like so:

Here's Hotness for size comparison:

(objects near the front appear larger than her head)

Then I slathered them with a nice coating of Western Family's finest Hickory flavored BBQ sauce. (It was cheap and I'm on a budget... otherwise I'd have gotten something more exotic)

The original recipe called for the meat to be cooked at 225F for about an hour for every inch of thickness. I didn't want to spend all night waiting for it to finsh, so I put it in the toaster oven and cooked it at 350F. It still took about an hour until it was done. (About a half-hour into cooking, I took it out and slapped on some more BBQ sauce).

DING! Went the timer.

I took it out and checked it with a meat thermometer. It read 160F internally, so let it cool for a couple of minutes before slicing it up into bite-size pieces.

I stuck a toothpick in a couple of them and Hotness and I each had a bite.

"That's a lot of meat!" was her first reaction.

I had a couple and said, "Whoa. That's IS a lot of meat."

It's good but I certainly wouldn't want it as a main course meal item.

It would be better as an hors d'ourve or appetizer.

Also, I think it needed more BBQ sauce. The stuff I basted on and let cook was okay but you really couldn't taste it. I think maybe a side of sauce for dipping would be good. Then you could get as much or as little as you feel inclined to have.

Overall, I liked it.

Much more than when I made "chicken fried bacon" a while back. The chicken fried bacon was okay, but after about three pieces it became overwhelming and stopped tasting good. Then it sat in my stomache like a grease-flavored brick.

This sausage and bacon "expolsion" is much better, although I have a feeling it would wear out it's welcome quickly if it were a meal.

Music Madness Monday (Special Edition)

In recognition of today being World Aids Day, I'm presenting you with a special triple feature.

The following videos are French* PSA's to help promote safe sex and inform people to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases.

WARNING: While these are cartoons, they can still be considered slightly NSFW (particularly if your boss or co-workers are extremely prudish), so viewer discretion is advised.

AIDS can infect anyone and it effects everyone.

So inform yourself and be safe.

* These PSA's were done in both French and English, so I used the English language ones for this post.

The Power Of Music

I get a lot of flak from friends about my nebulous taste in music.
But my love for Tom Jones, Weird Al, and Van Halen knows no bounds and will not be stifled!



Today I find out that one of my other favorites has made the news by having the right beat for resuscitating people after a heart attack.

The Bee Gees song, "Stayin' Alive", has almost the exact rhythm for performing CPR.
It's even mentioned on the American Heart Association website.

Next thing you know they'll find out that listening to Alanis Morissette will cure infertility, Ozzy's music PREVENTS cruelty to animals, and DEVO can bring peace to the Middle East by disarming nuclear weapons by playing "Beautiful World".

It could happen.

Birth Statistics

According to a news blurb on AOL.com:
"If You Were Born During Winter or Spring...You may be at a higher risk for schizophrenia and mania/bipolar disorder, according to several epidemiologic studies, says the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)....."

Hey, I was born during Winter. So really? Schizophrenia?
Heck, I could've told myself that! (We likes the Precious, we do!)

Good to know I was already at risk for mental health problems BEFORE I was even born.



This wonderful bit of health news is brought to you today by:
Shock therapy
the drug Lithium
and heavy drinking to silence the voices

Kickin' Off Summer

So, yeah. I'm posting kind of late about it, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Anyway, summer is here finally. It officially began at 4:59 p.m. on Friday and the weather driving home from work was n-i-c-e.

To celebrate, I played a few songs on Guitar Hero while I drank Mango Margaritas and ate some chips and salsa. Aye Carumba!
Hotness came home from work to find me horizontal on the couch playing video games.

We watched an episode of Battlestar Galactica season 3, then she went to bed. She was feeling a little overwhelmed after going to the gym and just wanted to sleep.
I stayed up to watch a movie I've had for a while but fell asleep on the couch about 10 minutes later and that was where I stayed until the morning.

Saturday morning, she went and did the 'coffee thing' downtown with her friends and then went to the barn to check on her horse.
Afterwards, she came by and got me so we could go run errands that day before taking advantage of the nice weather and getting more work done around the house.

We weren't gone long before she complained of not feeling very good. She was sore, which she thought was from being at the gym but turned out to be more like the flu.

Our little jaunt was curtailed slightly, so we could get back home and she could crawl back into bed. We picked up some pain reliever at the store (since we first thought it might be due to over-exertion from the gym) and headed back to the house.
Out of her regular clothes and into jammies, then into bed where she slept pretty much the entire afternoon.

I had picked up a couple of new DVD's recently, and since she was out of commission for the weekend, I parked my butt on the couch and watched movies, periodically checking in on her to make sure she was okay.

I'm not a big fan of western movies, but every once in a while they just seem right.
On today's list was;

"A Fistful Of Dollars."
I've known about this but have never watched it until now.
I loved it!
* Spoiler Alert! *
This is the final gunfight scene and was totally worth everything that lead up to it!



Followed by;

"The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"
This was the restored version which clocked in at about 3 hours long.
It's a 'classic' as far as westerns go, but I enjoyed "Fistful" a little more.
I had to put this one on "pause" near the last 45 minutes as I had been invited to have dinner with my friends Dug & Deb that evening. (Actually, Hotness was invited also, but since she was feeling crummy she stayed home)

Dinner was yummy! And it's always nice to not have to cook so bonus points on that!
I stayed for a little while, but needed to get home and take care of the sick person I left there.
Got back, watched the end of the movie and tucked Hotness back into bed for the night after feeding her some chicken with rice soup followed by a NyQuil chaser. Yum!
Then I tried to watch the movie I started the night before, but fell asleep after about 30 minutes. It's not a boring movie, really! I just need to start on it earlier.

This time a made it into bed and slept reasonably comfortably, as compared to being on the couch for the night.

I got up and Hotness was still feeling ill, so I stayed quiet for most of the morning until she started stirring around.
I did some pruning on a rhododendron outside, filled bird feeders and then read a few comic books.
I also cut down the alder sapling that had gotten bent (ha ha! got bent!) and was hovering over the satellite dish. And guess what? I fixed the internets. Yay me! (It seems that the branch was just obstructing our connection and the receiver wasn't mis-aligned after all)

Hotness got up and sat on the couch for a while, but soon went back to bed.
I went back outside and did some weeding along the walkway to our front door and pulled out a metric buttload of nasty weeds! (1 metric buttload = 2.3 English shitloads... just FYI)

It was getting into the late afternoon and I was expecting G-rod to stop by.
He's going to stay at our place while we're on vacation and keep an eye on it. I needed to show him where the birdseed was, which remotes do what if he wanted to watch a movie, etc., etc.... plus I needed to give him a key to the place.
I told him that since it was going to be late afternoon, I'd feed him to make it worth his while coming all the way out today. Nothing fancy, but definitely filling.
I grilled up some chicken quarters on the BBQ and made a salad and some lemonade.
Mmmm! Look at that chicken!

I'm having THAT for lunch on Monday! (Good thing I made an extra one!)

We sat around and talked for a bit, ate for a bit, and then talked some more.
Then he headed back to his place and I checked to see if Hotness was still among the living. (She was)
I warmed up some more soup for her and she watched "Gone Baby Gone" before going back to bed again for the night, while I surfed around on the recently fixed internets. (yay me again!)

And that was how we welcomed summer in this weekend.
How about you?

Banff

After the dinner was over, we all loaded onto a chartered bus that was taking us up to Banff.

There were two guys who were the bus drivers. One who actually drove the bus and another who was sort of the 'back-up' driver if needed.

We all got on and found a seat to claim as our own. I sat near the back across from Palindrome and settled in for the long ride (approx. 90 mins) north to Banff.

My chance for a bit of solitude and some sleep was short-lived however.

The second driver introduced himself to everyone and worked his way to the back of the bus until he got to me. Then he sat in the seat behind me and we talked (well, mostly HE talked) all the way during the trip. It was fine really, I figured better me than to try and bother everyone else during the drive and it did seem to make the time by quickly.

It was late when we started on the trip, so it was already dark and not much to see along the drive. We did see the ski jumps from the Calgary Olympics which were lit up at night, and he told me about how they are currently being used today as a training center.

We got to Canmore (just outside of Banff) and stayed at the Banff Gate Mountain Lodge & Spa.

Being past midnight when we arrived, it was pitch black outside with no idea what type of view awaited us in the morning.

We were all assigned to our rooms and then broke up to settle in and get some sleep.

I stayed up a little while longer and talked with Laurie (the wife of the promoter who brought us up to Calgary) and we discussed breakfast plans for the next morning. It got to be well after 2 a.m., and finally we could not keep our eyes open any longer so we all crashed in our seperate beds until the sun rose to a beautiful morning.

When I got up, I thought I'd take a quick peek outside the window and... WHAT A VIEW!

The Canadian Rockies were staring right back at us from across the highway.

After taking pictures I came back inside and by that time Laurie had woke up so she & I and another person headed into town to get food for breakfast for everyone.

We picked up all types of 'breakfast-y' foods to try and accomodate everyone.

We even picked up pre-cooked bacon... in Canada.

Get it? True Canadian bacon? Har har!

Yeah, anyway....

We got back to our room and everyone started milling about, so we began the great breakfast migration towards our room so we could start feeding everyone.

I took it upon myself to work kitchen duty and began making scrambled eggs and French toast, while Laurie prepared hashbrowns and another girl began microwaving the bacon.

We had two pots brewing coffee and that didn't seem to be quite enough, but everyone was having a good time so it didn't seem to matter too much.

Here's me in the kitchen:

I had made a plate for myself, but since I was still cooking I didn't get to eat it right away.

Filip (the publisher of Top Cow) asked if he could take over so I could eat, so I left the kitchen duties to him and another fellow by the name of Terry. They wrapped up feeding everyone, and then we all made plans for the rest of the day.

A cookout / BBQ was decided on so we all made seperate trips in to Canmore to pick up supplies.

Note to anyone reading this: ALWAYS have a list!

Everyone bought enough food to feed everyone else, and we ended up having W-A-Y too much food to finish during our stay there.

Filip and I saw what everyone was buying so we cut way back on getting food, and opted to buy alcohol instead, so we went to the liquor store to load up.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.

People mostly broke into groups to talk shop or get to know one another, while others played Nintendo Wii.

I spent a good portion of the day hanging out wit Stjepan and his wife. We talked about his work in the comics field, exchanged recipes, how he and his wife have enjoyed visiting Canada and the U.S.

Just having a nice relaxing time.

As evening approached, we started getting all the food ready for grilling.

Filip and myself moved all the booze into Stuart Immonen's room and set the bar up there.

Burgers, hotdogs, steaks, chicken, etc. were being grilled out in the 'common area'.

All the fixin's were in the room the the left of the bar. The gaming was taking place to the right.

It was party central!

That eveing was really laid back, and I found myself getting involved in a game called "Mafia".

Which was fun, but after a few drinks I found it difficult to keep up with and just let myself get killed.

Bedtime ended up being somewhere around 2:00 a.m. again.

------------------------------------------

Tuesday morning, there was plenty of leftovers from the night before plus breakfast food from the previous morning so everyone just got what suited their needs and we planned our rides into Banff to do some sightseeing and shopping.

Our Seattle group stuck together, along with Filip and Lynda and we all rode into town together.

First stop was the famous Banff gondola ride.

I tried to steel myself for it, but knew that I just would end up being a basket case before the ride was over, so I opted to stay at the gift shop and wait for everyone to return.

This picture was taken by Palindrome for me. What a view from up there. Thanks P!

Afterwards, we went to lunch.... at a Mexican restaraunt with British waitresses in French Canada. Who says were can't be International?

I also had a shot of Scorpion Mezcal, which I might add was quite good.

I wish I could find it locally in the States.

Then we walked around downtown and went to a candy shop. (No, we didn't lick the lollipop. Whoa!)

We also bought some exotic, handcrafted teas in a local shop.

Or at least, Filip and myself did.

Everyone else waited outside for us.

Some of the people were heading back to the airport today, so we went back to the lodge for them to pack and get their rides back to Calgary.

I spent the late afternoon hanging out with Stjepan and his wife again. He had come down with an upset stomache earlier, so he wasn't able to join us in Banff, but was feeling much better later in the day.

We sat around and watched "Karate Kid" pts. 1 & 2, and I got a nifty sketch from each of them.

(I'll have to post them later, as they are bigger than my scanner. But they are COOL!)

Another cookout dinner with everyone and I even played Wii bowling with Whilce Portacio's daughters.

-----------------------------------

The following morning, everyone that was left was heading back to the airport to go home.

We cleaned up our respective rooms and all grouped together into one room to wait for our rides back to Calgary.

Our Seattle group played a round of Magic while we waited.

Then our ride showed up and we were whisked off to the airport.

The flight home was thankfully uneventful and brief.

While we were waiting for our ride to pick us up, G-rod was coming back from Mexico that same day and met us in the baggage pick-up area.

We got to our respective vehicles and by the time I got home, it was after 9:00 p.m. but I didn't get to sleep until after 11:00p.m.

I got up for work the next day and made it until about 3:00 when my body finally said to me "Dude. Enough is enough. I'm shutting down now", and I went home early and crashed. Hard.

I've also come down with a nasty cold, but I'm hoping I can get through the worst of it before next Friday when the ECCC begins. Then I can stay home and recouperate at my leisure.

There was a lot more that happened and it was an incredibly fun week, but I'm glad to be home finally.

I look forward to doing again next year (hopefully).

A Midsummer's Night Dream

Saturday night Hotness and I attended the ballet to see A Midsummer's Night Dream.
We were both really looking forward to going, as this was the first ballet we attened when we first started getting season tickets, lo these many years ago, and it holds a special place in our hearts as being one of the more fun ones to see.

Unfortunately, we only stayed for the first act (of two).
It may have been a lack of sleep from the previous night on my part, I'm not quite sure.
But once the curtains rose and everything started, we just didn't feel inspired to stay and see the whole thing. It didn't seem as 'magical' to either of us this time around.
All the good parts happen during the first act, so by skipping out during intermission we weren't missing anything.

Thus being earlier in the evening than normal for a ballet night, we skipped our usual post-show meal at Pomodoro on Eastlaske and headed up north to the Comic Stop to drop in, make an appearance and show off our fancy clothes.

It was poker night at Ye Old Comic Stop, so the regular gang was there and welcomed us into the fold.
Palindrome had brought in some home-made cookies that he baked, so Hotness got her fill and was cookied-up for the night.
I browsed the racks (COMIC racks, you perverts!) while some people played poker, and others stood around talking about the upcoming ECCC and all things Jamie Bamber-related.

It was getting late by now and we were getting a bit tired so we left and headed home. This time WITHOUT the added adventure of getting stuck in the snow and having to walk home, thankfully!

--------------------
In other news:
With my recent trips coming up to Calgary Expo and the ECCC happening real soon, I've been trying to avoid everybody that's showing signs of being sick like.... well, like the plague.

I've started a regimen of vitamin C, echinacea w/ zinc, ginsing, and LOTS of tea involvolving detoxifying herbs and immunity boosters.
I'm no Slim Goodbody or anything, but I'll be SUPER-pissed if I wake up the morning before the show and I've gotten the flu.

You Call That A Small?!?

For lunch the other day I treated myself to Wendy's.
If I leave work right at noon, I can usually get there, order and get out and back to work in about 20 minutes. Pretty good for 'fast food'.

Anyway, I ordered the el Cheapo meal and a 5-piece chicken nuggets. I think my grand total was less than $4 altogether.
The meal came with a 'small' soda, but the cashier asked if I wanted to get a larger size.
"No thanks, a small will be fine," I said.

So she grabbed a 20 oz. cup and filled it up.
20 freaking ounces of soda! That's H-U-G-E!!!

No wonder Americans are fat and diabetic, we keep shovelling in the sugar like that and thinking "well, it's a small so I'm not having too much".

In just 20 years, portion sizes of food of increased radically along with obesity statistics.
See for yourself what portion sizes should be.
You can also take this test to see how portions have changed over the last 20 years.

I'd been trying to be good. I've been working out at the gym and was drinking water or tea at lunch, but thought "Eh, what the heck! I'll get a soda today."
Now I gotta work two-and-a-half times harder to make up for all the sugar I just put into my body.

Yeesh!

Happy (Late) New Year

Yeah, I've been slacking off on this blog for a few days.
I just haven't had a lot to really talk about, so I thought I'd wait. I hope it's worthwhile.

So.... the New Year is here. Happy 2008 to everyone!
Hotness and I aren't much for the "New Year Celebratory Crowd", so we stayed at home that evening. I think I was asleep before 10:00 p.m. even. Crap, I'm old!
We both woke up around midnight when our neighbors were lighting off fireworks and shooting their guns.
Yes, you read that correctly.... they were shooting guns to signal in the New Year.
Ahhh life out in the country. (And you city-folk think you have it tough sometimes)

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions. I figure I'd save more time since I'm only going to give up on them, so why bother in the first place.
But they are supposed to be things you "reslove to do to make yourself a better person", so I made a few and I hope to stick to them this time.
1) Re-new my commitment to the gym... again
I had started going back a little while ago, but it was short-lived. I'm paying for a membership so I might as well use it. Besides, have you seen me lately? I really ought to be going.

2) Start practicing on my ukulele regularly
I was all gung-ho when I got it, but I kinda just put it aside. I really ought to learn at least ONE song on it.

3) Downsize my monthly comic-buying list
This may not seem like that big a deal, but I could almost fund a small militia with the money I spend on comics every month. It wouldnt't be so bad if all of them were worth it, but lately I'm finding myself buying some of them out of habit. Not becuase I actually enjoy them.
There are a few gems on my list, but the stinkers that I keep on buying are preventing me from spending money on others that could be good if I had a chance to check them out.

4) Wear a tie at least once a week, every week
Just because it looks nice and makes me feel more 'productive'.

I probably had a few others that crossed my mind, but those are the ones I've been mulling around in my head for a while and figured I'd better make a reality in my life.

I hope the New Year had been treating all of you well so far.
I'll be back soon.

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FYI: I feel a rant coming on soon.
Don't worry, you'll want to read it. It relates to crappy comics.

World Aids Day

I was going to post much earlier today, but I got side-tracked and it just never happened.

I woke up this morning to a nice layer of freshly fallen snow, so I decided I'd better get the snow tires on the car before I got in a jam without them.
But before that, I had to refill the bird feeders. (The little critters barely waited long enough for me to hang them back up in the trees before descending upon them and emptying them out again. Ungrateful little things.)
No sooner had I gotten the tires on the car when our new mattress was delivered for our new bed.
Then I was free for the rest of the day, so I met up with G-rod to have lunch and hear about his T-day vacation in Mexico.

It was a clear and blue sky when I left the house, but we had just sat down to have lunch when I looked outside it had started snowing. Like crazy!
People all started getting panicky, so the parking lot was a mess while a mass exodus took place to get out and get home.
Here's G & me outside after our lunch:


We were going to check out a holiday art & craft sale, but I forgot where it was and the weather was getting worse, so we called it a day and headed our separate ways.

I was glad I had put on the snow tires earlier. My drive back was pretty slippery and more than one time I slid while driving. Nothing major, but still it was kind of scary to not be in control for a second or two.

This is what to road looked like right before the turn to go up the hill (small mountain, more like) to our house:



At the bottom of the hill, my neighbor was getting out of his truck and preparing to walk the mile trek (UPHILL!) in the snow because his truck just couldn't make it.
He saw me and gave the 'hitch-hiker' thumbs-up sign.
So I picked him and drove him home.
He was kidding about me giving him a ride, 'cause he said, "Your car will make it up this hill with the snow? My truck just kept sliding until I was sideways. I finally gave up and decided to walk."

My car has never let me down yet, and today was another win for the "Battle up Snowy Hill".
I dropped him off at the end of his driveway and came into the nice warm house.

Now Hotness is folding clothes and I'm blogging.
Not a very exciting life, but we can't always be the social butterflies we're known for.
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Today is (or was, anyway) World Aids Day.

Not much of a holiday to celebrate. Cases in the U.S. have risen recently, so something is obviously not working or people are just getting reckless again.

I fail to see the logic of people who think that those who get it certainly deserve it.

Does a child who gets it from an infected mother during pregnancy deserve it? What if that mother got it from being raped by an infected assailant?

How do either of those cases make it a "disease for fags"?

I've known a few people with AIDS, both gay and straight, and I wouldn't wish it anyone.

Yes, maybe they should've taken better precautions instead of thinking "Oh it won't happen to me. I'm always careful", but still.

Be informed.

Be careful.

Be compassionate and help those who have to live with this disease.

October is...

I mentioned earlier on here, but October is Diabetes Awareness month.
I thought it might bear repeating again as this is also Breast Cancer Awareness month.
(I'd tried to find a link to their website, but.... well YOU try to do that while you're at work)

It seems that the Breast Cancer people have a much better PR person, because everywhere lately are products sporting something PINK to make sure you're aware of the disease.
I got a pink plastic grocery bag from the store. I've seen HP copy paper for my computer printer all wrapped up in pink wrap. And a host of other items.
Not that it's a bad thing, mind you.
As a guy who likes breasts (make that LIKES breasts), it's very important that research is properly funded to battle and eliminate this disease.
And odd as it may sound, even men can develop breast cancer. So it's not just a "women thing".

It's just that diabetes is affecting both men and women AND children equally. Kids are developing it earlier and in greater numbers than in the past.
But yet, what are we doing about it? Why isn't this being brought to our attention like breast cancer is this month?

I guess McDonald's wouldn't want to advertise diabetes awareness month on their soft drink cups. That might affect the sales of their Happy Meals.
And what about all the candy that will be given out at the end of this month?
I guess Hershey's and Nestle's wouldn't want to scare off that "traditional fun time" market by putting a "surgeon general's warning label" on their bags of candy. (But really, has that worked to stop people from smoking?)

Anyway, that's my 2-cent rant for today.
Something for you to think about.


Oh by the way.... it's also Lupus Awareness month.

Super Bug

And yet another story about killer microscopic organisms.
This one comes on the heels of yesterday's news about the killer fungus.
This time it's bacteria,
which we all new were bad anyway, but this ones seems to have been a simple strain that was never a problem until recently.


Scientists have been warning us for some time that using antibacterial soap was not helping the situation in warding off the critters, but was in fact helping to breed these antibiotic-resistant strains we're now fighting.

As a result, we now have a strain of staphylococcus that is killing more people than AIDS in the U.S.

Maybe George Carlin was right....

(Not safe for work without headphones, so be sure to wear them!)

Killer Fungus

This October is turning out to be a month of microscopic killers.
If the brain-eating ameoba wasn't enough to get your skin crawling and keep you out of the lakes, now we have a deadly fungus lurking in the woods.
They say the probability is extremely rare of encountering it, and really, you have to have a compromised immune system that isn't strong enough to fight off the spores, but still.... ICK!




We could take a note from Japan and get ourselves one of these USB-powered facemasks:

Or we could all start living in our own private bubbles.

Geez! Just when think it's okay to come out of the cave for a moment...

Hittin' It

I started going back to the gym today after work.
I needed to start going again, but I kept finding excuses to not start back quite yet.
Well... today I said "This is it."

I have sort of a Love/Hate relationship with going to the gym.
I really dislike having to pay to exercise and do active things that I could just do at home for free if I were so inclined. But that there is the problem, I need to be doing something at home.
But instead I get home from work, change into comfy clothes and then park my fat butt at the computer, TV, or what-have-you and that's about all the activity I get for the evening.

On the other hand, I really like how I feel mentally after working out. I don't get a "runner's high" or anything, but I just feel better after going to the gym.
Plus it helps to lower my blood pressure and keep me in better shape.

Luckily the gym I go to doesn't cost an arm & a leg, so price is really a small sacrifice in trying to stay healthy in this instance.

While I'm on this topic, here's what my goals are for going:
1) Lower my already borderline high blood pressure
2) Lose the spare tire above my waist
3) Improve my aerobic intake (I'm tired of getting winded after climbing a few stairs)

That's all. No lofty dreams of bulking-up and trying to look like the Hulk or Thor.
I'm not aiming for that "chisled-body" look.
I just want to feel better... physically & emotionally.
(Plus it wouldn't hurt if I looked good naked for a change)

I'll keep you posted on how I'm coming along.

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Now... having said all that, get a load of THIS!
I've gotta work out just to get my heart in shape to tackle trying to eat that thing!