Well, it's not going to kill you

You can help

I found this site today via a blog I read called TheAngryAmerican.  It's very good.

The site is called books for soldiers and like so many non-profits these days they are running out of money.  They are fundraising and if you can help, please do.  It's a small thing but so important to our military people who are stuck fighting this ridiculous war.

And, I'll even absolve you for donating to them instead of your local breast care center.  How's that?

Fine Wine Friday and fridaysfeast

fridaysfeast.com is on vacation for a couple of weeks so I won't be doing that.  But FWF is on track for tonight. Yea.

Tonight it's a special FWF as we're celebrating 2 birthdays as well.  My assignment is appetizers.  As I type blue cheese puffs are baking in the oven.  They smell SO good.  A little later I'll be working on garlic sausage mushrooms.  I love to cook but better yet I love that Larry cleans up.

Adequate healthcare

We were listening to the radio in the car today as we headed out to get some documents notarized.  YEA we sold one of our timeshares.  We went a little timeshare crazy and as a result we have one in New Orleans (undamaged by Katrina), one in Mexico, two, now one, in Hawaii and Shell Vacations club.  However that information  is not the point of the story so I will start over.

Picture LR, Max and myself in the car.  The radio is speaking to us, an ad comes on for Good Sam hospital in San Jose.  Apparently it is one of only 66 expert cancer center in the US.  I don't know who decided the 66 centers because noth7yy8076 (that was Sophie's addition) nothing comes up on google.

It started me thinking about the care I received and what other people might have experienced.  The ad mentioned about pinpointing exactly where the tumor is.  Yep, ultrasound and/or MRI. The day I had surgery- whoa 2 years ago today- after checking in at the hospital I was limoed over to the Breast Care Center to have the wonderful Dr. McDonald place a wire in my breast that led exactly to the tumor so Charlie knew exactly where to operate.

 And having the most current protocoll, yep I got inundated with info from my medical oncologist Dr. Fun and Amy.  These women read extensively and are up on the most current information regarding breast cancer.

There was something faster recovery periods and better response rates. I don't think any of those would have changed my making trips down to San Jose.

I KNOW I had the best care available bar none.  If and when I decide on reduction for my other breast, which insurance has to pay for, I know I'll need to head to San Francisco.  We're just not lucky enough to have a great breast plastic surgeon in the area.  Of course you didn't hear that from me.

Laugh out loud funny!

I'm not a fan of American Idol but I am a fan of Robert Downey Jr. so when I heard about this video I had to watch it.

Check it out for yourself

It is so worth the 3 1/2 minutes.

I can help

I have 4 strong paws, I can help

That's Sophie's theme song.  She long ago (she's 15)  appointed herself my personal assistant.

You need someone to help you post, maybe walk across the keyboard at random but inopportune moments?  I'm right here.  Or perhaps to help brush your teeth, put on you mascara, read the paper?  Here, I'm right here.  Have you ever tried to apply mascara with a small but persistent cat head bumping your elbow?  It can be somewhat challenging.  

Maybe just someone to lay next to the computer and watch your every move (it's hard to lay on top of a flat screen monitor just ask her, she's tried).  Or I could drink out of your water glass because who wants to drink out of 1 of the 3 water bowls around the house when there's a perfectly good glass with possibly 1/4 inch of water sitting right here.

Better yet I can sit on the back of your chair and groom you!  She and Ted both do that.  I freaked me out when I was going through chemo I was afraid they would some how be effected by the drugs but we all lived through it and are here to tell our stories.

Now if I could only get her to clean the litter box :)

Do you know you power supplier's emergency outage number?

I do.  Losing your power frequently is one of the downsides of living in the forest.  The power goes out.  I get out the old rotary phone and call PG&E with the emergency outage number that I know by heart.  Interesting question why by heart not by mind?  Sometimes they know we have no power, other times they don't.

So yesterday when we suddenly lost power I reached for the phone.  Power was supposed to be restored between 11:15 and 1:15.  1:15 rolled around, no power.  So I called again.  Power between 1:09 and 3:09.  By now this is putting a serious crimp in my day as I have a grant application online that I need to complete ASAP.  AND everything we have to eat is either frozen or needs to be cooked before it can be eaten.

At 3 LR decides we should head into town for food.  We go to the new bar and grill that's opened HBG.  Yummy burgers, truffle oil fries and tangerine wheat beer.  Good food.  We take Max for a walk to check out the menu of the new Italian place that's also opened.  Yum, more good looking food.  We then head home secure in the knowledge that at 5 our power will be on.  

We stop to chat with one of our tenants and he tells us the power is still not on and will not be until 2 - 5 am because of damaged equipment.

Yea for living in the country!  Yea for having a generator (that powers Larry's secret tv addiction) !  Yea for being able to cook by flashlight and for having a propane cooktop so I can cook!  Yea for having battery power for our booklights when the generator runs out of gas and for loving to read so it's not really a big sacrifice when we can't watch tv.

Yes that was the (in)famous Kelly Mac

who posted a couple of days ago. I've told you about her and her posters. You know the one who said people that don't agree with his point of view are moral lepers.  Kelly herself feels that people who don't agree with her point of view are spiritually bankrupt.  Another of her posters advocated taking a gun and shooting all feminists.  Still another is convinced that feminists are mental ill but somehow ruling the world.

Her point of view being that feminists hate men, feminists are some how creating laws that abuse men and all feminists are just plain evil.  I'm still not sure what her vision of a "feminist" is because she has yet to explain.  None of them can really explain except to spout jargon from an anti-feminist website that is incredibly ugly.  Truly interesting view of the world these people have.

Why the bathmat?

Really, just why??

We have cats, we love our cats, cats are hunters.  But why the bath mat.

We have one who we refer to as our little mass murderer

We have one who can bring down perfectly innocent birds

We have one who steals other cats treasures and claim them as his own










(he's the black one I can't find a picture of him by himself because he's convinced the camera is going to steal his soul.

I woke up this morning to find Alex, the treasure stealer, munching some thing on the bath mat.  Upon closer examination it was a bird, Ted's treasure.  He was munching away oblivious to the rest of the world because why eat canned food when you can have fresh meat.

The bath mat is the connection here.  Any time any of them catch anything they take it to the bath mat.  It can be kind of disconcerting to walk into the bathroom any time of day.  You never quite know what you might find.  And in Sophie's (the little mass murderer) you might find things in the shower as well.  I always have to remember to warn housesitters.  Even with the warning they never quite believe me until they see it for themselves.

The DMV

I think that it's a rule that you must fail patience and logic school when you are hired by the DMV.  At least it's that way in California.

I went to the DMV today to register my old car, I let the registration expire because I haven't been driving it oops and register my new car today.  I asked if I could also pay the upcoming registration on the Acura because it's due in July and I was there, etc.  "Only if it's in the computer"  Ok, I resisted asking what happens if the computer goes down because for god sake DO NOT antagonize the DMV person Cathy.  It was in the computer so that was taken care of.  Note - the CA DMV only accepts credit cards online.  Yep, in the actual office it's cash, debit card or check.

We then prepared to transfer and register the Mercedes.  In hand I had the bill of sale, the pink slip, the release of liability and a certified copy of Fred's death certificate.  I was under the illusion that all was well, yah right.

The person examined the forms I had, tore some at the dotted lines and then went to talk to her supervisor.  She came back with this tale.  Deb must register the car in her name only first, we filled out the wrong place on the pink slip and they don't accept death certificates.  WHAT?  Yes she must register the car in her own name before LR and I can register it in our names.  And the form is filled out incorrectly and they don't accept death certificates.  Once again logic prevailed and I did not ask her to explain hypothetically  what they would do if I had a car registered in both our names, one of us died and the other wanted to change the registration to their name only.  But, I bet a certified death certificate is somehow involved.

Ah the governrment!

Public Service Announcement

Yes, I freely admit I can be a mean and nasty person.  I don't tolerate fools gladly.  I can put great thought into my sarcastic responses and have them cut to the quick if I so chose.  I don't do it often but when I do watch out.