I would definitely be more inclined to take the stairs if they were all like this. Pretty cool huh?

Today the iyawo is 5 months old. Go me!

Things are just going along nicely. I had my gold crown put on my tooth, and I also had my annual physical last week. I should be hearing back about my blood work results soon. They checked for the usual suspects, plus hormones, thyroid, and making sure I'm not anemic (apparently I have several symptoms). My weight is ridiculous. It makes me want to not eat anything ever again, which I know is wrong but holy crap I've never weighed this much in my life. Bleah.

Tomorrow I'm going over to hoarymarmot's for homemade soup and crafting goodness. I have two orisha rosaries done, but they're presents for people on my f-list so I can't post pics of them!! Suffice to say they turned out great.

So basically things are fine. The kitties are great, byroncaloz is great (he just started wearing ties again to work and he looks really cute!), Mom is doing surprisingly well considering. Things could be a whole lot worse.

byroncaloz and I stood outside the Multnomah Co. Courthouse in the pouring rain first thing in the morning, then made our way inside through the metal detector and the bail posters and the traffic ticket holders, then entered the judge's chambers and got married.  I haven't regretted it for a single moment.

... ours was meh.  We were both feeling under the weather so didn't get a whole lot done like I'd hoped we would.  We're both feeling better but not 100%; Byron's working from home today (after having to drive out and fetch his computer from work, LOL).  Tomorrow I go see the endodontist for the completion of my silly root canal.  My regular dentist did a great job with what he could, apparently, cuz I've had little to no pain.  Really not looking forward to starting the whole cycle over again.  Oh, well.

On the agenda for this week is getting some new podcasts ready for Radio Bastet, and just your general straightening up/laundry/dishes etc.  Really should do some yardwork now that the weather is cooling off.

OH!  I made several pair of earrings over the weekend, which I need to take pics of and post.  Last week we stopped in at Belladonna Beads after seeing Mom, and the super-cool gal who owns the place looked at me and said, "So are you undergoing initiation?  How much longer do you have?" Besides the fact that iyawos are walking billboards for the religion, I'm sure as a bead shop owner she knows the score.  Santeras and beads go together like peanut butter and jelly, don't they?  Can't wait for the Bead Expo later this month!  hoarymarmot , prepare to get your beads on!

All the kitties need their flea medicine today.  That's gonna be fun.

Or at least when he's supposed to be working... He finds stuff like this!



Don't quit your day job, Buzz.

Avoiding the upstairs computer this weekend due to the stupid heat wave. Around 95 yesterday, low 90's the rest of the weekend. Blarg. I hate summer. However, I have this intense desire to read. I'm sick of TV. I just want to sit and read and read and read. Should probably do that.

We had some unexpected snow Tuesday morning. Not a lot but the roads were really icy. byroncaloz hadn't brought his computer home Monday night so he couldn't work from home, so headed out to work. What normally takes him half an hour took 2 hours. Gah. Then he ended up coming home early anyway due to not feeling well. He stayed home yesterday and alternated working from home with napping. He's feeling better today but his throat is still scratchy. Plus I "fell off the roof" yesterday, so we're both feeling really spiffy. Not.

Yesterday Mom had her monthly Coumadin level appointment. It was very low, the lowest I've ever seen it - 1.2. Ideally it's supposed to be between 2 and 3. Not sure why this happened; she's had no major changes in her diet or meds, and she was getting the correct doseages. So they increased her doses and we have to go back again next week. Otherwise she's doing about the same; seemed a little brighter yesterday. Still no new wheelchair, but any day now apparently. Grrr. It better be.

Yesterday during the trip to the anti-coag clinic (thank you, MetroWest wheelchair van) I saw THE most egregious apostrophe abuse I believe I have EVER seen. A sign outside a rent-to-own place - and a national chain, not a local one - declared:

"99 CENTS GET'S YOU STARTED"

You know, I understand how sometimes people get confused about plurals and whether they might need an apostrophe (THEY DON'T, though). I am guilty of putting apostrophes after plurals of numbers or letters sometimes, just to differentiate the "s" from the rest of the number or letter (like "minding your P's and Q's". I don't want someone to scratch their head and say "What's are Ps and Qs?".). I admit it, I do that.

BUT WHY WOULD SOMEBODY PUT AN APOSTROPHE IN "GETS"????

It's not a plural or an abbreviation. It's a verb that happens to end in an "s". Right off the top of my head I can think of no instances where you put an apostrophe in a verb. So WHY GOD WHY?!?!?!

I don't know why this kind of thing sets my teeth on edge so much, but it does. I know we have more pressing matters to worry about, but I guess this kind of thing indicates to me that some people just don't care. We need to get off our lazy asses and start caring. About everything.

Anyway, thanks for listening (or not, I don't blame you) and hope your day is going well!

Thursday byroncaloz had a wisdom tooth extracted, and he was down for a while. He's better now, but still subsisting mostly on yogurt and applesauce. Yarg.

Saturday night we had a great visit with Byron's sister Carolann, aka glindatgw, and her husband Gene (yep he's an actor, but does mostly stage work now). They are such ultra-cool, quality people and I wish we could see them more often. We had dinner at the new Cuban place here in NoPo (!), Cafe Cubano. YUM. They also have live music and dancing on Friday nights - heeellllllooo, godfamily.....?!?!

Sunday we saw Mom; no big changes. Her mondo-expensive new wheelchair is supposed to be arriving by the end of the month, SEVEN MONTHS after she was fitted for it. I may grouse about the insurance company, but we only had to pay less than $200 for a couple features they wouldn't cover, on a chair that costs SIX THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED SEVEN DOLLARS AND SIXTY CENTS. This had damn well better be the greatest wheelchair EVER.

Today I think I'm going to tackle putting together some new Radio Bastet podcasts. I managed to rescue most of my sound files thanks to some recovery software, but I know they're not all there. Now I have to go through and see what I need to reconvert to mp3 from my .wav file discs. Oh, joy and rapture.

I think that's all for now. Need more coffee.

Conjure Oils scent du jour: Between the Worlds

What's been going on? Let's see. Friday byroncaloz and I had a great birthday dinner at Old Wives Tales, then we went to Everyday Music and he found some records he didn't have (I didn't find any, waah. Bellydance records are getting to be a rare find at record shops these days. Even most of the ones I find on eBay I already have.).

Then I found out that of the Radio Bastet sound files I transferred to the new portable hard drive, only about the last third got transferred. Of course, I deleted the original file before I discovered this. So I downloaded some data file recovery software (which was free to download but of course you had to pay for it before you could actually recover anything) and recovered what I hope are most of the files. They're all in one huge folder that I have to go through meticulously and listen to practically each one (some of them still have the song title and album info, but it's hard to decipher) and then rearrange them in separate folders like I had before. The weird thing is that some of these files are 3 seconds long and consist of a short blast of music or some other sound. And some of them are blank. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH.

Mom is doing OK, seems a little depressed. I think she's wondering why she's still alive. She talks about the past almost exclusively now. The money from her house is running out, so I need to see about getting her back on Medicaid again.

I got one of those PureSleep anti-snoring devices, because I've been told I snore like a freight train. I've used it for the past week and a half or so, and according to Byron it works like a charm. He hasn't heard a peep out of me. It's a little uncomfortable when you first put it in because it juts your chin slightly forward, but once you get used to it it's OK. So if this is a problem for you or your loved ones, I recommend it.

I started exercising again! Well, yesterday. I oveslept this morning so didn't get to it. But already I feel better. It's amazing what getting some oxygen will do for you.

Patrick McGoohan died. :-( He was one of my very first crushes. Byron, sounds like a Prisoner marathon is about due.

Well, I could go on and on, but I might get in trouble, so that's all for now. ;-)

My sweet spouse byroncaloz has a birthday today! But not just any birthday. It's The Big One. The Big 5-0.

Yes, believe it or not, Byron turns half a century old today. We're both having trouble wrapping our brains around it.

Behold The Album of Byron.

This is what 50 looks like, folks.





Happy birthday anniversay, sweetie. I LOVE YOU!!!

Hey - it's morganxpage's birthday too! Happy day, beautiful Oshun child!

Well, not too much. It's still Christmas-y. It's raining and in the 40's now, so Snowpocalypse is officially over. (And BTW, don't forget that I didn't come up with "Snowpocalypse"; the amazing fellow who IS thiebes has that honor. I just outright stole it. Heh.) There's still lots of slushy snow piled up in places, though, especially around the truck, but we may actually be able to do some driving around soon. byroncaloz is off until Jan. 5th, so we can get some stuff done.

We usually go to Harvest Homes for Christmas dinner with Mom, but due to the snow we missed it this year. So we just stayed home and ate stir-fry and watched MST3K. I gave Byron some calendars, including one of vintage maps (a big interest of his). What he gave me was considerably more valuable - the rest of the money I need for my ocha ceremony. WOW. I'm beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel here.

Right now I'm drinking coffee and eating the Springerle cookies Byron made yesterday and baked this morning (you have to let them sit for a while before baking). OMFG they are good. They're not exactly like Byron remembers them, so we made some notes for next time. But they are still SO damn good.

So, things are pretty good around here. I hope you all can say the same. Holiday blessings to all my LJ home skillets.

byroncaloz is working from home today, so we're sitting across from each other at the dining room table with our laptops and coffee.  I'm actually going to be working on my CBI course today.  I know - sit down and take some deep breaths.  I worked on it last week too.  I'm feeling much more motivated to work on it, and actually more free to work on it now that we're making better efforts at keeping the house picked up. 

This weekend was pretty good.  Saturday we went to the Architectural Heritage Center which we've been members of for some time but never got around to actually visiting.  It was very cool.  We got some good ideas for what we want to do when we get around to remodeling.  Then we had an extremely tasty lunch at The Side Door, which we hadn't been to before and is very cool.  Then we went to the big Goodwill and got a few things, then came home and decorated a pizza and watched the new Get Smart movie.  I expected it to be a lot dumber than it actually was; I ended up laughing out loud quite a bit.  I'm also happy to report that they didn't mangle the original theme song too much; in fact, it was almost better than the original.  It's one of my favorite TV theme songs.  Byron had also bought the original series on DVD, so we topped off our viewing experience with the pilot episode.  Funny stuff, I'm telling you.  

Then last night we had Mr. and Mrs. hoarymarmot and the lovely kik_inouye over for dinner and to watch the Stephen Colbert Christmas special.  Oh Stephen, y u so awsum?  hoarymarmot 's portrait of us is almost done and I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!

It's so weird.  Coffee doesn't wake me up anymore.  It helps me get going in the morning, but it doesn't really wake me up like it used to.  I mean, right now I'm on my third cup or so, and I could go back to bed and sleep for a couple more hours.  I guess I've built up a tolerance.  When I worked at the family practice clinic in Oak Harbor 20 yrs ago, one of the doctors there drank regular coffee all day long.  I asked him, "How can you drink that stuff all day?!  Doesn't it keep you awake at night?"  He said, "Nope, it doesn't affect me like that anymore."  It sounds like I have at last reached that level.  I either need to stop drinking coffee (simply not an option) or admit that I am now officially old.  Sure, whatevs.  Now, back to my studies and playing footsie with Byron under the table.

Oh geez, almost forgot -HAPPY BIRTHDAY evamoon !!!!  I'm so glad you were born!!!!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Saturday we worked on straightening up the house, then went to mslashes 's birthday party.  A good time was had by all.  casperini  makes the best carrot cake with cream cheese frosting EVAR, period, end of story.

Yesterday we got up early, watched CBS Sunday Morning, then got ready and went over to see Mom.  Then we went to the St. Johns Theater and saw Quantum of Solace.  Not too bad.  I didn't really start getting into it until a certain plot point had been reached, then it got a bit more interesting.  DEAR GOD Daniel Craig is a sexy, sexy man.  There was also a nice visual homage to a certain scene in Goldfinger (I wonder how many people got it).  You probably won't believe this (well, if you know byroncaloz  you probably will), but the main reason we went to see the film was because they were supposed to be showing the trailer for the new Star Trek movie coming out next May.  When the first trailer started, Byron and I both thought "Well, this isn't it" but then it quickly became abundantly clear that it was and whoa - it sure looks like it's going to be good.  Here's hoping.

I'm really pleased with the progress we've been making on getting the house straightened up.  Saturday I actually got my computer room clean, and Byron put together his new mountain bike that's been sitting in the box for months now. Yesterday he got a bunch of stuff down to the basement.  I'm also making a commitment to keep things picked up and put away, especially in the kitchen.  I also got my boveda cleaned and will be making a concerted effort to spend more time at it.  My spiritual life is really coming together now; there's a strength and a focus there that feels really good.  For the first time in my life I know I'm on the right path.  I just can't put a price on that feeling.

I'm also feeling motivated to start buckling down on my doula studies.  I haven't looked at any of my course materials for ages.  Kind of ashamed of that.

more animals

We do need a rug, we do need a rug, we do need a rug, we do need a rug...

(It's a long story. Ask either one of us about it sometime.) :-D

byroncaloz and I got caught in a huge downpour yesterday going to the new Thai place in St. Johns, Thai Cottage. We got soaked to the skin, but man it was worth it. The food is excellent and inexpensive, with lots of vegetarian options. Short review: NOM NOM NOM!!!!

We saw Mom yesterday, and she's doing about the same. It's really hard to talk to her these days; you can understand a few words, but the really key important words are completely unintelligible. The methadone doesn't seem to be making her more irritable, but it doesn't seem to be helping the pain much either. I'm afraid if they end up increasing the dose, she may get better pain relief but she'll get more belligerent as well. Sigh. I want my Mom back, dammit.

We watched The Golden Compass the other night. We both really enjoyed it; suppose I better read the books now, huh? (Yikes, just found out Mrs. Coulter's first name is Marisa - AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bet they pronounce it "Marissa" though. That's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me, but I've heard it so often over the years it almost doesn't matter anymore. I do appreciate the villainness being named Coulter, however. Heh heh.)

I went back to bed after Byron went to work and didn't wake up til 10:45. Jeez. It's nice to have Spalding sleep on the bed with me again. I honestly think she avoided me because the codeine cough syrup I was on made me smell funny to her. It made me smell funny to me.

I have to call the hospital tomorrow afternoon to get a time for my biopsy. As soon as I find out I'll let you know. I'm really starting to get nervous. I still don't know whether they'll be able to do it with local or general. Bleah.

OK, I'm off for now.

more animals

Don't quite know what I'd do without you, sweetie. I love you.

Geez, why don't they just rename it "I Can Has Funny Cat Pictures For Byron"???

Mom is going back to Harvest Homes Thursday instead of today. They want her MD to sign the discharge papers at her appointment tomorrow. I guess I can live with that.

( Cut for your safety )

Let the movie geeking-out begin.

Organizing the Mr. Smooth music library is exhausting, let me tell you...

The cold that threatened to whack Byron over the head the past couple days finally did so today. He's one sick puppy; staying home from work tomorrow. Making sure he gets lots of Emergen-C and orange juice. I'm still feeling kind of in limbo since returning. I'm not 100% sure I'm cut out for this childbirth education thing. I guess I've got some soul-searching to do.

Happy birthday to morganxpage!! Girl, you are too too much...... And you're also lucky, because you share a birthday with:

byroncaloz!! Happy birthday, sweetie. You are THE BEST THERE IS. xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Everyone go look at The Gallery of Byron and bask in his glory. (This needs some updating too; stay tuned)

Conjure Oils scent du jour: Zolac Manor