Cigarettes and Mountain Dew

What Card are You?

2007-07-02T01:26:00.000-04:00

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Shizzle, Scuz, It's Not Far Off!

2007-03-12T15:14:00.000-04:00

This rising sign crap may have some merit after all...but then again...

Your Rising Sign is Taurus

You are the ultimate rock - stable and centered.
People turn to you in crisis and count on you for calm.

Stubborn and strong minded, you can't be pushed around.
You are also tenacious, and you always will stick with something difficult.

A bit fan of nature, you're attracted to the beauty of the outdoors.
And sometimes, you find it easier to relate to animals than people.

What's Your Rising Sign?

Boy, Was I Wrong!

2007-01-15T14:30:00.000-05:00

Boy, was I wrong! I foolishly thought we'd had an ice storm! That wasn't an ice storm, NOW we've had an ice storm. And even as things stand now, we are much better off than some parts of the state. For one thing, we never lost electricity!!!! I'm not sure how much ice we got, but it is a substantial amount.

This is the same branch, two days later......some of it is very pretty. Note, we haven't gotten any snow, this is all from freezing rain and sleet. Gheez! And we had been planning on driving back to N.W. MO this weekend to visit family. As if!

As cold and nasty as it has been, somehow the creek is still running!!! I suppose it's because the precipitation has come down as rain. And it really hasn't gotten that cold yet. The temperature is supposed to start dropping today though. And although the weather folks said there wouldn't be anymore precipitation, there are definitely some snow flurries out there right now. Hmmmmmmm.
Since walking across the yard has been comparable to walking across a frozen pond, I've been trying to take Bud outside off his leash. (he pulls, I fall) It worked fairly well until this afternoon. He decided that it was time to explore the neighborhood! Although he had gotten very good at coming when I called him every time we tried it in the house, he ignored me today. That was pretty frustrating. I guess it's back to the beginning of "Positive Dog Training for Idiots", the book I've been using. The only good part was I finally got to see the backs of the houses across the street. When you're chasing your dog, you have a very valid reason to trespass.
I got to find out where the dog that came to visit the other day, who looks enough like Bud to be his mother, lives.

Blurry, she was movin' a lot!

The same inquisitive look!

Hopefully, this will be the last of our bad weather. (I just knocked on wood--you can never be too careful about these things) Even though cars seem to be getting by on our street okay right now, we're pretty much stranded. Our car is safely in the garage--which you would think is a good thing. However, the garage is in the basement, and it is at the back of the house. The driveway is a curving hill down to the garage. It's all just a thick sheet of ice. Who knows when we'll get out, could be a very long time. Sigh.

Talk About the Weather!

2007-01-13T11:39:00.000-05:00

Looks as if we've had a nice, pretty dusting of snow, doesn't it?

Even the creek (currently undergoing construction for a new man-hole) looks nice, and is still running some.

Ah, but upon closer inspection, the truth can easily be seen.

That's right folks, it's ICE!!!!!! (oh, and a little sleet) Pretty? Yes. But dangerous, impractical, annoying---oh yeah. It started raining yesterday morning, and the temperatures dropped quickly all day. We are currently "on a break" from precipitaion, but it is supposed to start again later this afternoon. Tomorrow--Sunday--we are supposed to get snow. Won't that be fabulous???? A nice coating of snow on top of all of the ice. I don't know how much ice we have right now. We could get up to 1 1/4" of ice before it starts to snow.
Yesterday afternoon, Lee and I went out to "stock up" We picked up medicine, lots of extra groceries, (including the all important dog and cat food) and went to the hardware store. Lee had thought that this might be a wise time to invest a little money into a small kerosene heater. Unfortunately, time has marched on from Lee's financial mind-set. What he thought we could buy for around $40, was more like $100. Our solution???? We bought a little "chimney cleaning log"---you've seen them on t.v.---you burn it, and it cleans the creosote out of your chimney. Only $15!!!! Of course, this was done with great trepidation, and probably a little stupidity since our chimney hasn't been cleaned or used in decades. I'm sure that it's full of bird's nests, twigs, and who knows what. I doubt that creosote build up would be our biggest problem if we tried to burn a fire in the fireplace. But, we feel just a little bit better knowing that we could at least try something for heat if we lose power. I'm sure that the fire department would be happy to hear this too!

You Can Let Out Your Breath Now

2007-01-05T15:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm sorry that I left ya'all hanging for so long in regards to Bud. Things have gone wonderfully, overall. And yes, he has definitely found his new home right here with us. Who was I kidding, with those eyes???? Like I could even consider giving him away???? He's adjusting pretty well. Still quite a bit of pup in him, of course. He was so pathetically sick when we got him, every day as his health has improved, he's gotten a little more energy--a little more ornery. He would very much like to be friends with Kitty Explorer '98, but alas....they have very different ideas of what should be involved in a friendship. Explorer, um, tolerates Bud. But not very happily.

"Avoidance"

We had company this week. My dear old friend Curt, along with his wife, Pam, and their children Paulo and Zoraya visited briefly on Tuesday. It was a great visit, but was far, far too short. It was great fun to see my friend in the role of "father" for the first time. Like everything else in his life, it seems to come naturally, and he is very good at it. Although I loved having them here, it did help make one thing very clear in my mind. They had been gone less than 5 minutes when I looked at Lee and said, "Wow, we're too old to have kids, aren't we?" He thought a minute and replied, "Well, we're pretty set in our ways. They'd have to be just like us very quickly." Not too likely. I guess that parenthood has perhaps become a fun place to visit, but not someplace I'd want to live. This was a very important understanding to have reached at this point in my life. I've wanted children for the past 13 years, as long as Lee and I have been together. But, we've been unable to have any. Now, I realize that it is probably something that was never truly meant to be. (watch, I'll get pregnant within the month!) Precious Zoraya

"Bud"

2006-11-29T12:09:00.000-05:00

I was waiting for Lee to get home from work with the car, on Monday evening, as I had a meeting in Columbia to get to. I thought I heard him arrive, but he didn't come in. Then, a few minutes later, the doorbell rang. I answered it, and Lee was standing there with both hands full, and said, "Merry Christmas!" As I opened the door, I found that he had a bag of Puppy Chow in one hand, and a pet carrier in the other. Inside was this poor, pathetic, sick little puppy.

Lee said that one of the ladies he works with lives in Wilton, and the poor guy had been running around there for days. He had crawled under her fence, and was on her front porch that morning. She already had something like 6 dogs, and knew that we had recently lost one, so she brought him to work to see if we (or someone) could take him. Lee told me that he hadn't even seen the little guy out of the carrier, he just saw his eyes and was sold.

The puppy was scared to death! I don't think he's really been around people much at all. Not in any good way, at least. I was sure he had pnuemonia by the way he was breathing, and he was covered with fleas and some sores. Also, it looks like his right ear was almost chewed off at some point. I fixed him up a bed, and we fed him. He was really weak, and scared, and only left his bed twice. He seems to have a great desire/need to chew on things. All shoes have been put away.

He didn't come with a collar. I didn't think that I had saved any from Aida, I've gotten rid of most of her things. But, I discovered that I still had her purple harness/collar and leash that we got last Christmas. I told Lee, "Well, she wouldn't think much of this, but it's all we've got, and she only used it a few times.

Tuesday morning, we took him to the vet. We've got antibiotics for him, de-wormer, and flea medicine. I thought that he was probably 3 or 4 months old, but after looking at his teeth, the vet said he was over 6 months He had a bad tooth, but it was a left-over baby tooth, and the vet was able to just pull it.

He finally started to act like he was feeling better late last night. We went for a walk around the yard at 2:30 am. (I realized that he really needed to go to the bathroom when he tried to climb into one of our houseplants!) Up to this point, he had to be carried or drug outside, then he wouldn't really move much. I carried him out this time as well, but he walked around, tinkled, and explored some. He's had his tail between his legs until last night, when it came out some. This morning, I walked over to his bed, and he started wagging his tail, then rolled over on his back! Hooray!

He only weighs 20 lbs, and he has pretty small feet, so he probably won't get too much bigger. It's still up in the air whether we will keep him or not. It will depend on his energy level, etc. After Aida died, I decided that I didn't want another dog that needed to be outside and get excercise, etc. as long as we lived in town. So, he may become my Dad's Christmas present. I'll have to wait and see.

He has the most loveable eyes.

We've been calling him "Bud".

2006-08-28T15:37:00.000-04:00

Hey all! Once again, here I am to address my countless followers. I haven't been doing much of interest lately. I have been getting some knitting done. I'm working on a bath set for my cousin for her wedding-- (well, I guess cousin & fiance'; if he doesn't want to use these beautiful hand-made gifts, he doesn't have to)-- facial cloths and bath mitts.

My husband told me that he would never use something like a bath mitt, but some things are just so much cuter in pairs. Agree? For example, hundred dollar bills. Dunno, just the first thing that came to my mind.
Actually, food is the first thing that comes to my mind. This is the 22nd day of my clear liquid fast, and I am friggin' starving!!! Well, I guess that I'm not as much hungry, as I am obsessed with the taste of certain foods. And I don't feel this way constantly--thank god--but I'm really feelin' it right now. It would be tons easier if I would just quit watching tv. Do you have any idea of the percentage of commercials that are for, or contain food? I haven't done a scientific study, but I'm thinkin' at least 75%. Red Lobster, for example, has a new Main Lobster tail and shrimp dinner Special. It makes my mouth water. And I can only hope that they still have it when I end my fast. I'd really rather have lobster from someplace nicer, say Chris McD's--nice restaurant in Columbia--but I don't want to bankrupt us through a week of binge eating.
SWEET, I just got a phone call from a reporter from the local (conservative, small town) newspaper, asking to do an interview. See, I sent an e-mail to the editor about a week and a half ago about my hunger strike, etc., etc., thinking that this would be something that the readers might find interesting. After a week, I had given up on the Fulton Sun caring about my issue, but woo-hoo! Now I have good strong motivation to make it through tomorrow. That's pretty much how I approach life anyway, one day at a time. (and NO, I've never been in AA) So, other than all of the innocent people dying, I have my own self-serving reasons to not eat for at least another 24 hours. The ego serves us well.

Neglected

2006-08-18T18:15:00.000-04:00

Oh, how I've neglected this blog. I am so apologetic to the entire 2 or 3 people who may read this at times. But those of you know that my other blog, and the whole not eating thing, has taken over my spare time. Okay, of course NOT eating requires absolutely NO time, but I guess I mean other things involved with that......Whatever.
Scuzzy is now gone, off to Milwaukee, although on the phone, she sounds as close as ever. I was there on moving day, but did damn little to actually help. I did have the excuses of 1) I have M.S., and am short on strength, stamina, and the heat kills me, and 2) That was my 7th day of fasting, and going without food kind of gives you those same issues as the M.S. I did do a little though. And I looked pretty cute!

Ooooops! Shit, sorry babe. You did ask me not to post this picture, didn't you? Oh well, I don't remember agreeing to this. Besides, it's not like I somehow put it on your blog, right?
The best news of the week? Here it comes........one of Husband Lee's violins sold! Woo-hoo! For those who don't know, my husband makes violins. Unfortunately, he came into this very late in life, relatively speaking. This is the second one he has sold, it was in a music shop in K.C. The way cool thing is that it is the violin that he considered to be the crappiest (not his word). But it was the second one he made, and he wanted to see how fast he could make one, so it was a little short on his normal perfectionism. He also just finished a guitar that he rebuilt for a friend, and we got money for that this week. So, we now have more than $40 in our checking account. Life is good. The sad thing is, when something like this happens, we normally celebrate by going out for a nice dinner. But, wouldn't you figure, the whole hunger strike thing. This is day 12, and I'm doing good. We'll just have to be sure to set some money aside to celebrate in a month. Although, with the guitar money, we did buy one really cool thing. We just happened to stop by a flea-market type store on the edge of town that we'd never been to before, and they just happened to have the perfect rolling cart/cabinet thingy. We got home with the measurements, saw it would be a perfect fit, and returned immediately to buy it. When Lee sets his mind on something that he wants, there's nothing to stop him. Not even trying to figure out how in the hell to get this home in our Miata. On our Miata, actually, as it would be. But hey, there's nothing you can't do with a protective rug and a couple of bungee cords! (top down, of course)
Well, that's all the excitement for now. Or at least all that I'm going to write about. I wouldn't want anyone's mind to be too blown by reading too much excitement at one sitting!

Caffeine and Nicotine

2006-07-26T15:52:00.000-04:00

Still the same day, only a few minutes later, even. I've decided that the word "procrastination" is no longer a part of my vocabulary. Everything I do, I do for a reason. As a practicing Buddhist, (and I do mean practicing) I've changed my frame of mind. At the moment, I am just thoroughly enjoying the moment. I am living in the NOW. This chair feels very nice beneath my ass. This cigarette hanging out from between my lips tastes wonderful. I am pleased with the feeling of my thoughts flowing from my mind out of my fingertips onto this keyboard. Although I just realized that I am drastically low on Mt. Dew, I'm not going to let that bother me. I'll enjoy what I have until it's gone. Ommmm. Which should be approximately 30 seconds. For those of you who don't know me well, ah who am I kidding---I don't know me very well--, but this is pretty common knowledge, I live on caffeine and nicotine.
Caffeine and nicotine, caffeine and nicotine, caffeine and nicotine. It's quite difficult to get out of bed without the benefit of at least one, if not both. My favorite forms of delivery? Mountain Dew and Kentucky's Best. Many of you may not know this, but other than having the most caffeine of regular sodas (that means not including "energy drinks"), the 3rd, let me repeat that, THIRD ingredient listed on the Mt. Dew label, is ORANGE JUICE!!!!! Do you realize how incredibly healthy that makes it? For real! Think of the vitamin C I get every day. Let alone the other healthy stuff in oranges. (don't press me on this right now, I don't feel like getting up and looking it up, but I will if I have to)
And my beloved cigarettes. For years I was a fool. I had been brainwashed, secretly addicted, and totally under the influence of the evil monster known as Phillip Morris. Do you have any idea the shit they put in their cigarettes? It's pretty crazy. First of all, Camel acts like it's some great thing that their cigarettes are made out of Turkish tobacco. The fact of the matter is, that Phillip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, et.al, sells all the good American tobacco overseas. Then they import the cheap shit that they won't smoke over there. It's all made out of stems and dust and "puffed tobacco" and "reconstituted tobacco". They also contain any of more than 500 chemicals, including arsenic, ammonia, pesticides, the same chemicals used to make car batteries, paint stripper, lighter fluid, and mothballs. Granted, smoking is not healthy at all. I know that even my beloved Kentucky's Best contain nicotine, create carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide, and ammonia, but comparatively speaking... If you are a smoker, or if you are just interested, please visit the website for Kentucky's Best .
They are a way cool company. Their cigarettes are made from tobacco grown by a co-op of small family farmers in Cynthiana, KY. Anyway, I feel better about it all. And believe it or not, my lungs feel better. And they are cheap, and they taste good!
Do you sense my fabulous talent for denying and justifying? Me? Surely not.
I need to do something about this Mt. Dew situation right now.

Procrastination

2006-07-26T15:01:00.000-04:00

Procrastination, procrastina-a-a-tion it's makin' me late....keepin' me wai-ai-ai-ai-aiting... No, that was Anticipation, wasn't it? Procrastination is something that I supposedly have control over, right? So what exactly is it that I'm putting off? How about everything? It's just kinda one of those days I guess. It's 2:02 p.m., and I just realize that I haven't even taken my morning meds yet. Hold on.....Woo-hoo, score one for Missa! I just accomplished something!!!! And, to my credit, I am dressed. And not in the same thing I slept in. So what all should I be doing, in this totally non-interesting life that I admitted to in my first post?
Well, there's always housework--right now quite a bit of it, as I had the stomach flu last week, for like 7 days, and did absolutely nothing. So the house is pretty gross. I need to type up the minutes to the Peaceworks Steering Committee meeting that I attended on Monday. I didn't volunteer to take notes, because I'm really crappy at things like that. But the gal who did, left before the meeting ended, handing me her pathetic excuse for notes, for me to finish.
I also need to write a new article for the Peaceworks Monitor--the newspaper that the peace organization I'm involved with puts out. The issue is dedicated to nuclear power---an issue very close to me, like 12 miles away. This is where the only nuclear power plant in the state of MO is, 12 miles away from my home. And, the power company is "seriously considering" building another plant at the same location. I am responsible for writing a piece called Nuclear Power 101: How it Works. Well, I wrote that article, or so I thought. But actually what is wanted is a piece about how a nuclear power plant works. The article space was way too short to have actually gotten to that. Apparently not many people want to read about nuclear physics--fission, etc. Oh well. What else should I be doing today?
Oh, yes, practicing. Yet another obligation that I volunteered for. The same organization is having a Hiroshima Day memorial get-together, and I volunteered myself and husband Lee to play music there. (but only after it was obvious that they were getting really, really desperate) Not that we aren't good, it's just that I feel the need to learn some new material for this event. We mostly play bluegrass. It's fun, but I want to do some political, anti-war type music too. Until now, the only anti-war music in our repertoire is from the Civil War.
Anyway, I can always use practice, especially my singing......or whatever you want to call it. I think we can come up with a really kickin' version of Black Sabbath's War Pigs. I can totally hear Lee's banjo just whalin' on that bitch. Of course, that means I would have to sing it. Sigh. Not that I don't like to sing, I love to sing....it's just that not a lot of people can deal with hearing me do so. Practice, practice, practice.....
Generals gathered in their masses.......just like witches at black masses.......

Right Back Atcha!

2006-07-25T14:58:00.000-04:00

So....I planned to start this blog about a month ago, then had some issues with not being able to see the photo I posted. (I still can't see it, but Scuzzy can, so what the hell?)
Why am I writing a blog? Do I have such a fascinating life that I think the world would love to read about it? No, probably not. I can't imagine the person that might have a less interesting life than I. But my mind is pretty interesting at times.
Anyway, the real point is that me best friend, Susan, Scuz, Sez-body, Scuzzy, Squeezle-Scuzcawich, has started a blog, as she is getting ready to move away to start graduate school. Her blog is supposed to be a way to keep her hubby, et. al, updated on her life. In her first post, she talked about not knowing if she would have anything to say. Yeah, right. The day that one of us has nothing to say will be the end of the world.
So, I'm not running off to Wisconsin to get a Ph.D or anything. I'm just maintaining my pathetic little life here in small-town Missouri. If I can blog, so can she!
So, RIGHT BACK ATCHA, BABE!!!