Cancer Sucks, Deaf Fest Doesn't

Today was more than usually productive! Go me!  Also, because I am dizzy and unable to drive or walk around unaided, Go BoyKid! And Go Rinny! Because they really helped.

The morning started with a baby shower for our friend Katie.  She is a "Chum" as in she is in a group of friends (Megan, Gina, and Katie) that were The Chums.  I LO

VE the Chums.  They all, every one of them, rock.  I associate them with knitting/crocheting, harmonicas, Muppets and all good things.  It is weird because now the Chums are doing things like, well, getting married, having kids, moving to other countries.  But I still love and admire them.

Katie's mother, Sue is also a really good friend of ours.  She is awesome.  She also has cancer.  This just breaks my heart. It seems like all the really awesome people are dealing with terrible things.  My former bishop's wife has Lou Gehrig's. My Uncle Ken has cancer. So does my Aunt Cheryl.

And that kind of crap is just a suck fest.

But what isn't a suck fest is seeing old friends. Plus also, they had good food... CREPES. Mmmmm... So it was great seeing a preggy Kate, her mom, Sue, and a few other people from the old 'hood (Gina's mom for one!)!  But NOT Mali, though that IS that 'hood, since she is still off being British. ;)  I went with Mom and we both did so with the balancing arm help of Rinny. Mom is always a little unbalanced due to the stroke. And I am wobbly as can be on the new med.  Bleh.  So Rinny was on double duty.

So after that I went home to count out ONE HUNDRED Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches to a guy who was buying them. Because it was such a big order I agreed to meet him part way, in Sugar House.  Only, like I've said... I can't DRIVE right now.  So BoyKid to the rescue!

He drove me to Sugar House.  And the roach guy? TOTAL hippie.  Like 2 foot long dirty blonde dreds and alluded to the fact that they are into that garbage picking food movement type hippie.  And his hippie chick and baby.  SUPER nice, mind you, and they were very excited to get the roaches (which they directly deposited into their shoulder bag and rode off on their bike), but definitely interesting characters.

Then we had 2 other goals while in SLC... Deaf Fest and Guitar Store.

Deaf Fest. A bunch of booths, a LOT of signing, and free ice cream!  Eavesdropping, I could understand a lot of what was going on... but I was pretty pathetic talking to people.  Obviously, I am going to need some review classes... and a lot of practice at home (watching stories at home, talking to myself in the mirror, and maybe signing up for an ASL MeetUp group).

But it was interesting!  I also got to tell BoyKid a lot of Deaf culture facts (to keep him from doing things like walking right between 2 signers, talking to interpreters instead of the Deaf, etc.) so it was good I at least remembered etiquette.  And they gave out free ice cream so he had fun, too. (He's easy to please!)

Then for him, we went to the Guitar Store.  He played with some guitars, looked at kay-poes (I am sure that's not how they are spelled. They are a guitar thing.) Then we headed home.

OH AND I quilled some cards for church... birthdays, 1 funeral... and one for Katie.

Letter-versery and Writer's Block

WHY CAN'T I WRITE?!  ARGH!  I have 2 articles that I am semi-Jazzed about writing. One about pumpkins (more fun than it sounds) one about the Feline Conservation Federation.  And yet, I am totally suffering writer's block. Big time.

One thing that is kind of cool. To me anyway. It is like my Letter-versery tomorrow.  One year ago today MyNigerian and I started writing regularly.  Dang but I love that boy.  I hope he can be patient.


Thing-a-Day: I know that was meant to be for creative endeavors.  But for me, I call TADs doing ANYTHING because so often my head and other medical crap keeps me doing NOTHING.  So anyhow TAD: I totally redid my Crabitat and the crabs are totally running around checking it out.  And, yay, my little surface molting streaker is back in a shell and looking healthier.  And JACK, my awesome leopard gecko is acting healthy!  And since I was scared to death he was going to die when his cage looked like a murder scene.  But whatever it was, he seems to be okay now. I am so glad. He hates me... or rather he wants to eat me... but I love him.

Playing House

In my own house this past week has been... hard.  I want so badly for it to feel normal and good and happy but the thing is your problems follow you no matter which of your beds you sleep in.  This I know, but it doesn't make it more frustrating.  I WANT TO FEEL HAPPY AND HEALTHY! I have to settle for, well, getting a few things done.

Things-a-Day:
*Poster for April Relief Society thing (except for the e's... as I ran out of those stickers, in that font, and have to wait for more. Grr) - I am publicity person, that is my church job.
*Found a new source for my Brazilian Cheese Rolls! Thank you, Good Earth!
*Visited world's coolest half friendly/half feral cat, Cali.  She made me feel pretty happy for awhile. :)  And I am not a cat-PERSON per say. She even impresses Cat-HATERS (like Padre.  He loves her, and I don't think he has ever even wanted a cat to not DIE before.) Yay Cali!


I just get sick of feeling like I am only PLAYING house in my own apartment. My own life, really.  No control.

On the bright side...

I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God. No. Wait, that's Georgia Nicholson.

I am not the girlfriend of anything. BUT I AM at my OWN house this week!  YAY! Yep, back at the Ark for a change.  The Roomie is in Florida with her BoyfriendQuestionMark  (at a trade show thing) and *I* am babysitting the puppy dogs and the birds and my own turtle.  The Padres are sorta tending my tortoise, lizards, and frogs back at their house for now.  The gliders are with me. :) I like being at my apartment.  Feeling a small percentage of normalcy. SMALL.

Other than that "bright side" I am not well. I have felt like crap, especially today.

But the good things I did (Remember, *MY* Things-a-Day are considered successful if I do something Creative OR Productive!):
Worked out at the pool a little.
Did the dishes and a load of laundry.
Went grocery shopping.
Read awhile 1. Book of Mormon, 2. Secret Speakers (P.S. Karey, I am LOVING it so far!) 3. 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea. Yeah, I am a Leeeetle ADD.

Things-TO-Day

Today I was active: Walked Mrs. Drhasacrazywife's new dog they rescued from the shelter for her. She is a beautiful little girl, a lab mix with a healing hip.  She had been hit by a car.  Mrs. Drhasacrazywife said she was "wild" and unmanageable and in "an extended puppy-hood," but really she was just as sweet and obedient as can be.  Mom volunteered us to walk her.  And so I did.

Today I was also creative: Rinny and I made a Castle Cake! We took the basic idea from here. And did our best, but it is our first cake basically. hee hee!  Anyway, pictures to come later!

T-a-D for the Short Bus Set

Remember that whole Thing-a-Day thing I was talking about before?  Steph is doing it?  Well, I was thinking about it some more because I thought it was such a good thing to keep ME motivated and DOING things.  Only it really is meant to be CREATING things.  Which is usually what I do anyway... at work, or with Critters 2 Go, or whatever. "Make" things.

But sometimes doing ANY thing in a day, creative or no, is an accomplishment.  Between Depression and Fibromyalgia and Gastroparesis sometimes it is hard to squeeze in a THING at ALL.

Today I am proud that I:

* Went to the pool, and exercised at least a little

*Took my mom to the Sunflower Market

*Picked my clothes up off the ground.

*kept living.

www.sodangofficialifeelsoprofessionalnow.com

SO the TaD thing I did today, check it out I got REAL DOMAIN NAMES!  granted there is nothing much THERE yet, but the addresses, yeah, I OWN them. Booyah! steamedcabbages.com AND critters2goparties.com are both mine, al mine! BWAHAHA!

Steamed Cabbages is just my little doll decorating venture and I am on my own on that so it looks about as cool as it is going to minus the pics of the dolls because, well, the dolls themselves are not done.  But Critters 2 Go I have a PRO/best friend Steph helping me on so whenever she gets time it is going to look freaking awesome.  Until then, my site is still just www.critters2go.homestead.com made by amateur me.

I also cut one of the dolls' hair (I think she will be an Engineer type) and decided on the riding clothes for The Gentleman.

And took a nap with Cali the Cat.

So, yeah, productive-ish day. :)

p.s. I think I have a crush on a Nigerian guy in Spain. <3

TAD Feb 4 Thurs. and Chicks, Man.

So, I am not really an official Thing-a-Day person like Steph.  Because 1. you have to sign up for that. 2. then I would really have to do it EVERY day. BUT I was thinking it really is a cool goal to try to CREATE something every single day.

But today I made 2 baseball cards.

Featuring DUCK! and CHICKEN! for the 5th grade lesson plan and I was highly entertained, even if they will think we are dumb. Also, found an amazing set of pics to use.  Have YOU ever seen how chicks grow in the egg?  LOOKIE!

And just for kicks and giggles, guys, here is hatching.