We Interrupt This Hiatus…

I was seriously too riled up about this not to post:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/62474?GT1=10450

You know, I am so far past dressing up as a “slutty” anything.  If my daughter wanted one of these costumes, she would be locked in the basement until Christmas.  I think I want kids until I read crap like this and then I just get depressed.

A Holiday?

From blogging, that is.  Yes, once again I am questioning whether I want to maintain this blog, and much more seriously than I have in the past.  There are a number of reasons for this, such as…
1.  There is less and less I feel comfortable sharing for the sake of my privacy.  As such, I feel I have less and less to talk about.
2.  Related to said privacy is the fact I had to anonymize this blog once already.  I *still* worry that an employer from a competitor, my employer, random annoying ex boyfriends, myspace stalkers, high school stalkers, and any other weirdos therein will find this blog and cause trouble.  While I don’t fear for my life per se, I also just don’t want to deal with it.
3.  Related to number 2, it’s not a lot of fun to have a blog that is so anonymous that people I’ve met at blogger meetups don’t even know my blog address. 
4.  I’m finding more and more that things I say in my blog (because I am avoiding full disclosure) often end up misconstrued by any number of people for a variety of reasons.  I’d have to open far too much of myself up online to address those concerns, and I don’t want to to do that. 
5.  Related to number 4, I am making a conscious effort (and New Year’s resolution) to back away from the computer and live life more often.  A friend of mine apparently said she doesn’t read my blog because she wants to have lots to talk about when she sees me.  I thought that was sweet and funny and…true.  I certainly love my blogger buds, which is why I will continue to read and comment and e-mail back and forth.  But since I am frequently on a rather luddite quest to UNPLUG and communicate face to face whenever possible, I’d be a hypocrite not to practice what I preach.

On the flip side, I’ve blogged for so long I can’t imagine not doing it.  AND I have made some really incredibly cool friends this way. Some I’ve never met and hope to meet.  Some I have met and loved just as much as I expected to.  Some that were just tremendously weird and smelled funny. (ahem, Dave) (HA! Kidding of course)
Being able to make friends sometimes across the world has been incredibly cool and would be the hardest thing to part with. 
Anyway, I need this week off to get a taste of life without blogging.  I am actually thinking of starting a blog just around my diet and fitness goals because I like reading about other people reaching those types of goals and think it would be really good for me to be accountable in that way.  If that sort of blog would interest you, e-mail me or leave a comment and if I go that route, I’ll be certain to loop you in.  I’m also doing NanoWrimo this year (despite the fact I keep forgetting I signed up!), which will keep my little keyboard fingers nimble.  Plus I’ll continue to be active with Raincoat Flashers, and possibly some other flash fiction sites in the near future.
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and I will be back next Sunday or Monday to report on my thoughts.  And I’ll definitely continue reading all of you who already are among my favorites!

A Good Time Was Had

Last night didn’t turn out quite as expected, and I wasn’t doing anything nearly as cool as partying in Orlando like Dave was, but it was still a real fun time.
As it turned out, the waitstaff and the group of friends E. and I brought were the only ones in costume.  Oh, and the DJ.  Did we get things mixed up? Wrong address? Wrong night?  Nope, people in Evanston are apparently just that lame. OR they all went to the city to party. 
But, we made the best of the situation and still had fun, as we tend to do.
The only unfortunate thing is that around 11:30 I began to crash HARD.  I knew I was turning into a party pooper, but I wanted to go home and go to bed.  By the time I did get home, my legs were shaking–I was that tired.  I think I must have just overexerted myself.  I mean, 11:30 is not that early for someone who has been on antibiotics and just came off an infection and hadn’t left the couch in two days!  Folks were going over to E.’s place to party some more, and while I could have just crashed there, I know from experience that trying to sleep in another room while a group of drunk 20 something boys are hanging out is nearly impossible.  So it was good to sleep in my own bed.
I don’t have any pictures of the costume, but there is a chance that some of us might go out again and Wednesday, so if we swing that I promise to take some photos and pop them into flickr for those who know me well enough to find me there.
Okay, on another note entirely, there are two adorable kitties that live down the street from me.  Well, people live there too, but the point is the apartment is on the first floor and the two kitties are always in the window when I walk by.  So I usually stop and talk to them and generally fuss over their cuteness.  One is a beautiful dilute Siamese.  She has white fur with ginger colored ears and tail, and those adorable slightly crossed blue eyes.  I am in love with her!  Well, this morning I walked by and wondered if I could get a glimpse of their names because they each have a tag and guess what the darling little Siamese is named?  Ginger Spice.  OMG, so cute!!  I don’t know what the other one is named (he is more of a standard grey and white shorthair) but since he is a boy, I doubt it’s another Spice Girl name.  Darling little Ginger Spice.  So cute!!

ALL FIXED!

Hallelujah.  Can I just say this past week sucked?!  Thankfully kidney stones only seem to hit me once a year (knock wood–I’d rather not get them at all, but eh, what can you do).  I’ve never gotten an infection before, but usually when I see my doc about them he gives me a preventive antibiotic.  Since I didn’t go in this time, no preventive antibiotic. 
I was really lucky this week though.  Work has been slow enough that I could miss 2.5 days and it wasn’t too big of a deal.  E. has been the most amazing boyfriend ever, coming over and taking care of me and bringing me dinner and snacks and keeping me company and never once complaining that I was a pathetic, exhausted sack of no-fun. 
I woke up this morning and just felt 100% completely better.  Which means *I* will not be missing out on Halloween festivities tonight!!
I’m still taking the day slow, as I tend to overexert myself the first day I’m feeling better.  The reality is my body DID go through a lot this week.  But I am back to functioning among the land of the living again. 
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to paint my nails black, floof out my hair, and get back to whatever it was I was doing pre-kidneychaos. 

Update on My Condition…

Kidney infection a positive.  100 degree fever.  Taking afternoon off to rest, rest, rest! (free antibiotics from Dr. J–yay!)

Circles, and Halloween

I got into a kind of humorous disagreement with my doctor’s office today.  This morning I started to suspect I might have a kidney infection (very standard after passing kidney stones) for reasons I won’t post here, so I decided to bite the bullet and see the doc.  The last thing I want is to be sick over Halloween weekend.
So I called the doctor’s office and tried to get an appointment at a time that wouldn’t interfere with work too much.  Unfortunately, my doc is on a pretty tight schedule and I had a choice of 9:30 or 3:30, neither of which were particularly appealing (especially since it is 9:03 right now).  So I pondered for a moment and the nurse asked why I needed to come in.  I told her I thought I had a kidney infection.  She offered me another doctor, and I said no, I passed some stones earlier this week and my doc has treated me for it before so I’d really rather see him. Apparently she thought I still had stones, because she became very confused and distraught on my behalf.  She could not understand why I would not take the soonest appointment possible if I had kidney stones.  I tried to explain that the stones had passed, that I thought I had an infection but I wasn’t even sure, that it could just be residual irritation from the stones, but I don’t think I ever got my point across.  Magically an 11:30 appointment became available in the time we were talking (?!) and I just took that.
Speaking of magic and Halloween, this weekend E. and I are most likely attending this party in Evanston.  Please feel free to join us if you don’t have any plans (and live in the area, duh).  I’m rather surprised at how uninterested most of the people we know are in any type of Halloween festivities.  Bummer.  We will have fun without those people.  Tee hee!
I had great success finding a costume yesterday at Chicago Costume Company.  So much success that instead of just finding a cool black dress, I actually found a Bellatrix LeStrange costume!! Neato. I bought that and a wand and with an awful lot of hairspray, some bobby pins, and creative drying of my naturally curly hair, I should be ready to rock.

I Heart Fall

I really, really do.  I wondered at one point if it’s because fall is so rare–only available in certain parts of the country, and lasts such a short time.  But it just seems to be so heavy with nostalgia for me.  I loved school–always have, always will. (so much so that I’m once again contemplating a return to it, but would really like to pay off a lot more of my student loan before doing so, and still uncertain that I want to be that poor again)  College was just an amazing experience for me (even if it was full of heartache–isn’t that how we grow?).  All of those wonderful memories flood back in the sunny, cool days of fall.
And now, I find just as much pleasure in fall for different reasons.  During the day yesterday, I made a big batch of butternut squash soup that was just delicious.  (if that appeals to you, here’s the recipe–vegheads can substitute vegetable broth for chicken, and I subbed in maple syrup for honey) Last night E. and I carved his pumpkin and nibbled on Halloween-sized kit-kats.  I lounged around in one of my most comfy sweaters from Urban Outfitters and pulled a cute little pink hat over my hair on my way home. 
Okay, backstory on the sweater.  That sweater is the most comfortable sweater I have ever owned in my life, and layers very nicely/easily.  So I bought another in black, and could live in those two sweaters alone.  Seriously.
Well, then the sweaters went on sale in the store (almost half price!) and I bought a THIRD in purple.  I have three of the exact same sweater in different colors.  And you know what? I would buy a fourth.  It’s that comfortable.
And finally, please keep our blogger buddies in California (and friends and family too) in your minds & hearts.  There’s a lot of people being affected in all kinds of scary ways.

Back in the Saddle

First thing this morning my kidney stone went merrily on its way out.  Hallelujah.  I am a bit tender, but NOTHING like the last two days.  So life can go back to normal and I didn’t have to pay $7000 for an MRI and a urinalysis to find out what I already knew.  I could have used some Vicodin last night, but I toughed it out and made it through.  Phew.
I’m going to try to go for a *light* jog later, and then I’m going over to E.’s this evening to help him carve his pumpkin.   Uh, that’s not a euphemism for anything, by the way. I really am helping him carve his pumpkin for Halloween.
Speaking of, we went shopping for costumes this weekend and got him outfitted with a complete Don Johnson/Miami Vice ensemble.  I’ll be picking up some fabric dye at Blick this evening to dye his white tee shirt pink.  I had no luck at all, so I am going to go to Chicago Costume tomorrow at lunch.  If I can’t find a dress that’s satisfactory, I’ll probably just decide on some last minute outfit.  Their selection is amazing.
Okay, I took yesterday off for the most part so I’ve got some work to catch up on.  Happy no-kidney-stone Tuesday!

More Updates

First of all, Ms. Guth met her goal of $2,000 and had a great walk yesterday.  So THANK YOU all so very much for listening to my hounding requests for money and helping her come through in the final hours.
As for me, I had a really nice & fun weekend untli some kidney stones decided to tumble out yesterday.  I’m holding off on going to the doc just yet because they seem to be moving through rapidly and I’m not in so much pain today.  Then again, I am just sitting at my desk after having slept all night. (in other words, when not upright and/or moving, they don’t have anywhere to go and tend to just hang out quietly somewhere in my urinary tract) I am going to go for a walk at lunch time and if they are still bothering me, I’ll call the doc in the a.m.
Kidney stones suck.

Making Strides Update

You guys!  Guthypoo is only $95 away from her goal!!
I know we can tip her over $2,000 today.  If just 4 people give $25 each, she’d hit it.
Please click and donate if you can and I will stop pestering you about it.