Florida- Land of Controversy

In Florida a thirteen year old girl has been told that despite her wishes and despite the law, she cannot have an abortion because she lacks the maturity to choose. She is three months pregnant and planned to have an abortion on Tuesday. If she waits much longer, it will become illegal for her to do so.

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) were behind the injunction, as the teen is a ward of the state. The judge agreed with them and has ordered the injunction pending a psychological evaluation. The ACLU is already appealing on behalf of the girl who, it would seem, lacks the maturity to make a choice to abort but is old enough to be forced to have a baby.

All other controversial and political questions pertaining to this issue aside, where were DCF and her foster family while she was getting pregnant? Or is one of them responsible for her condition? The fostering system is not without its share of molesters. I honestly don't know. Though I looked all over the news wires, only the BBC was carrying the story as of this posting. Perhaps more details on the hows and whys will be revealed later.

In the meantime, I am sick for this girl.

C'est Moi

And finally, here I am with minimal makeup. Talk about daring! *G* Oddly, I look stoned and vaguely french in this shot. I am neither. Just tired. This is your Aravis. You'll find another shot of me in the left hand column.

I was relaxing tonight when a friend called. Here's how our conversation began:

Friend: So what are you up to now?
Me: Watching a lying gassy windbag on tv instead of my regular shows.
Friend: Bush is on?
Me: Yup.

Now, how did she know who I meant?

Sam

Sam was complaining that he wasn't receiving the same air time that the cats were getting. So here's my boy. And here is what he really looks like as he rests his old bones and tolerates having his picture taken. He is 12 now.

Note how studiously he ignores me, wielder of the camera. He's a pro, that one!

On Being One With A Bear

I woke up thinking about bears today. I don't know why. I was dreaming about hanging out in the lobby of a massive hospital in Thailand, glancing at the artwork on the walls.* Not a bear in sight. But there you have it. I woke up thinking about bears.

It came to mind that bears have been waking up much like super models the world over: scrawny, hungry and cranky. Not necessarily in that order. In point of fact, that's how I wake up most mornings. Well, I'm not scrawny. And I'm rarely hungry until midday. But I always wake up cranky. I am not a morning person. If I could hibernate for several months like a bear, I believe I would. Some bears give birth while they are hibernating, missing the whole labor pain thing or so I've been told. That's the way to go if you must, I say. Though I think I would be even more out of sorts if I fell asleep free and woke up with hungry little mouths to feed in addition to my own. "Will someone please come and collect their little nuisances?" would probably be the first thing out of my mouth. In bear language of course, otherwise they probably wouldn't understand me.

All in all, I guess it's better to be me because I'm human now and am more comfortable with this form than if I were transplanted into a bear.

More comfortable for said bear too, I imagine.

*The hospital was featured on 60 Minutes last Sunday and made an impression.

Not So Daring

As I was working on my Illustration Friday drawing, I kept thinking about the theme of "Daring" and how it related to myself. Or didn't, as the case may be.

It dawned on me that I have changed in this regard. When I was young there was nothing I wouldn't do, wouldn't try. I would stand at the edge of any cliff and exult. I would ride any amusement park ride with glee. I would hop a plane without a second thought. When I was fourteen I was studying for a glider pilot's license, until other teen interests got in the way. I could doze on the roof of our house while we built it and climbed the scaffolding to scrape and paint the upper reaches. Nothing scared me. Well, people scared me. Social interaction scared me and I was a people-pleaser, saying and doing almost anything in an attempt to make people like me. There were many reasons for that.

Now however, I have a tendency to become dizzy and panicky if too close to a precipice. I look at the newer amusement park rides and think "No friggin' way." While I can still fly, I worry a little more during the flight. Dad's plane crash a few years ago (he survived; happened while landing in nasty crosswinds) in addition to the problem with the engine and subsequent turbulence on my last flight contributed to this development, no doubt. I have no desire to learn to fly anymore. And while I'm still happy as a clam on the roof of our house, I don't like climbing up and down to achieve it.

When did all of this happen? I don't recall, with the exception of the flying thing. Maybe some of it is healthy fear. Standing on the very edge of a cliff is perhaps not the wisest of ideas, however thrilling. My mother says that she thinks I have inherited a genetic quirk in our family wherein as we get older, our equilibrium goes wonky. This makes sense and would satisfactorily explain the dizziness I experience. Still, I feel like I am losing out somehow by fearing the things I used to enjoy.

On the other hand, with age has come a certain amount of maturity and self-understanding. I no longer have a strong urge to people-please. I am growing more self-confident and have been learning to believe in myself and my right to my own opinion, though others may not agree with me. That's okay. If someone doesn't like me, I find myself caring less and less about it. That's assuming I have done nothing wrong of course. If I erred in some way, naturally I apologize and try to make things right. So when it comes to believing in myself, putting myself Out There and being who I am, I have become much more daring than ever before.

Balance in all things, eh?

Illustration Friday-Daring

This week's Illustration Friday topic was "Daring."

"Someone show me the wind. I'd like to throw my caution to it." ~G. Dean Townshende

I found this quote on Jenni's blog, Wonder(ing) Goddess, and it served as the inspiration for this illustration.

Photo Friday-Soft

This week's topic is soft. Once I forced my mind out of the box-and being the political creature that I am- the first thing I came up with is that thing you hear so much about around election time: soft money.

You should really check out some of the other entries if you have the time. There are a lot of wonderful and sweet photos this week. The topic lends itself to it.

Night Out

My mother and I decided to ditch the rest of the family and go out for dinner and a movie tonight. We always have a good time when we get together. We share a lot of the same opinions, but are not totally in agreement on everything. However, we always enjoy each other's company.

Tonight we saw The Interpreter, starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. At times it was your typical thriller with some predictable twists. Most of the time though it was a compelling drama whose references to Africa and its culture bordered on poetic. This was a good movie.

My pleasure was increased when I recognized one of the supporting actors as one with whom I worked locally a few years ago while staging a benefit show. Robert Clohessy lives one town away and volunteered his time to assist in a fundraiser for a local daycare center. He was wonderful to work with, and a very funny man. He has appeared in several tv shows such as Boy Meets World and Law and Order, including the recent two-parter in which Det. Green was shot. Clohessy played the witness Green had been guarding, unsuccessfully as it turned out. Anyway, this is the largest role I have seen him in (in The Interpreter). He did an excellent job playing a sometimes comedic secret service agent. I'm really happy for him, and hope he continues to get these bigger roles.

All in all, I had an excellent evening!

Cat

Wheezy inspired and posed for this one...

Embattled Veterans

Several veterans of the Gulf War who had been captured and tortured as POW's successfully sued Iraq for the abuse they suffered. A law created in '96 allowed them to do so. However they never received their award. Bush decided that the money needed to be spent on reconstructing post-war Iraq instead, and declared Iraq safe from such financial claims against it.

These veterans have not given up though. They are still appealing the administration's decision and have taken it all the way to the Supreme Court. I remember when this first hit the news a long time ago- ironically on Veteran's Day!- and reading one veteran saying that he understood that it could be years before he was awarded his money. He didn't care how long it took. Let Bush rebuild Iraq first; they need it. He'll wait. But to tell him that he's never going to get any money at all (money that he had lawfully been awarded) because Iraq is more important than him and what he suffered, that felt like betrayal. He'll wait, but he won't be told no. Good for him, and for the others who continue to fight on this issue.

To the Bush administration: this is not the way to treat the men and women who put their lives on the line for a presidential whim. They deserve to be treated with the care and respect which they have earned.

I wish these veterans the best of luck in this, their latest battle.

Time Article

Time has chosen to highlight Ann Coulter in a poorly written article by John Cloud.

First of all, Cloud couldn't choose a tone. Most of the time he attempted to seem erudite through judicious use of obscure words. Now, I have always scored well on vocabulary tests; I understood what he was saying. However his choice of words was completely unnecessary and inappropriate. It would interrupt the flow that he had. When he wasn't randomly tossing in big words aimed at impressing someone other than myself, he was throwing in slang in what I can only assume was an attempt to appear hip. He even went so far as to write out " IMHO [in my humble opinion] ." Now, if you're going to use cyber shorthand I believe it defeats the purpose to then write out the words. If you are afraid that your readers won't understand what "IMHO" means, then perhaps you're better off just writing it out to begin with. I am of the opinion that "IMHO" should not have been used in a serious article such as Time magazine is reputed to produce.

Secondly, it quickly became clear that this writer was taken with Coulter. When he could not make excuses for her behavior, he tried to pass it off as a public persona she is stuck with. He seems to think that she is really charming and bold, if brash and hard to take sometimes.

Sorry but a mouthy, racist, egomaniacal blonde holds little delight for me.

Finally, in this article Coulter claims that what she does is satire. She says that those who don't think she's funny just don't get it. We get it. What Coulter fails to realize is that she is the joke, only she's not so funny.

Illustration Friday-Reinvent

This is the world reinvented by dogs. Don't worry cat-lovers (of which I am one), if this scene were to play out the dog would prod the cat with the knife. The cat would spit the apple out at the startled dog and make a run for it. The dogs would of course pursue- it's what dogs do!- but the cat would get away and the dogs would return home happy for the romp, where the chicken she was cooking will finally be ready to eat.

They were only playing with the cat to pass the time! *G*

Photo Friday-Rest

You know me, I have to be a little different:

A Box Of Amber

An old friend gave me this box, which contains amber resin. The scent is wonderful and is released by the warmth of my hand. It lingers on the skin of my fingers long after I have replaced it in the little wooden box.

Reform Needed

Let me preface this by saying that in no way do I condone the actions of Esteban Carpio. During an interrogation in Rhode Island he grabbed Detective James Allen's gun and shot the veteran officer, killing him. Carpio then jumped out a third story window and attempted to get away. He was caught soon thereafter and now faces life without parole. I will not defend that.

What I am angry over is the fact that it was known that he had mental illness, that his family let the police know and asked that he receive care for it. They contend that he did not receive it. In addition to the link provided above, I saw his mother interviewed outside the courthouse, hysterical. Given my brother's history in prison when he was fifteen- he has diabetes and was denied the proper treatments and snacks depending on which nursing officer was on duty- I can absolutely believe the mother's allegations. Not that Det. Allen was responsible for withholding care; he may well have been an unwitting victim of the results of a failure in the system. This does not exonnerate Carpio, however I believe that those responsible for denying treatment while he was held are also culpable to some degree for their comrade's death.

The power trip that some people get off on is amazing. Regular evaluations should be provided to ensure that all due care is taken. My brother's interrogation was verbally brutal and offensive. How he kept his cool I'll never know. When my brother first arrived in prison he was assigned to the mental health ward due to severe depression. The guards there were supposed to do 15 minute bed-checks. My brother wasn't there two weeks when one night he was forced to listen to one boy being raped and beaten by another all night long in the next cell. The victim was so badly beaten that he had to be taken away by ambulance, and the Feds were called to investigate. So much for the fifteen minute bed-checks which were supposed to take place. If the guards had gotten off their asses and done their jobs, that kid wouldn't have been raped and beaten almost to death.

So I have strong feelings about the judicial system.

That being said however, Carpio does need to pay for what he has done. In many other states he would be facing the death penalty now for killing a cop. I guess in that respect, he's lucky.

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved.

A Moment for Marla Ruzicka

Marla Ruzicka, a 28-year-old humanitarian aid worker, was killed by a car bomb on Saturday. Ruzicka founded CIVIC: Campaign for Innocent Victims In Conflict. She arranged for and saw to it that aid found its way to Afghan and Iraqi citizens whose lives and businesses had become collateral damage of the ongoing war.

This post is not meant as a political commentary on the war or this administration. It is merely me taking a moment to honor a remarkable young woman who dedicated her life to trying to ease the suffering of others.

Don't DeLay

Ted Nugent thinks Tom DeLay is on the right track, so I guess DeLay is an o.k. guy after all. Silly me.

Honestly.

In what would seem to be related news, your bowels think worm eggs may be beneficial...

Dry Watercolors?

subtly applied watercolor technique

more dramatic watercolor effect

Because I Didn't Learn The First Time

What is this? you ask yourself.
Why, that's a close-up of my treadmill's footrest. I reply.
But... why? you wonder.

Well, if you must know, it's because this foul torture device has laid me low. Ok fine. I did it to myself. But I still like to blame the hapless (and innocent) machine. The truth of the matter is that I have a tendency to believe I am invincible through dint of sheer force of will. I pushed too hard and am now paying the price. I ignored the fact that my right knee was sore and I threw in an extra sprint anyway. This was tremendously stupid. I know better. But sometimes I don't listen to anyone, not even myself.

Back in high school I was briefly on the indoor track team. Leg pressing over 200 lbs. and running on tile over cement floors did a number on the cartilage in my right knee and I wound up in a knee immobilizer for a month, with threats of nasty medical treatments hanging over my head if I didn't follow doctor's orders. I was a good girl and wore the stupid thing. Unfortunately for me, we were reading Moby Dick at the time and my classmates gleefully referred to me as "Captain Ahab" for the duration of my recuperation. This did nothing for my opinion of that dreadful novel. Forget sexual torture as a method of obtaining information from insurgents; forced readings of Melville should do the trick much more quickly. But I digress.

The good thing about my injury at the time was that our school was undergoing repairs and there was a really hot construction worker assigned to the stairwells. It was amusing for them to watch me struggle up and down the stairs for classes, and when they saw me coming the hot guy would grin and call out "Here comes Hoppy!" As embarassing as this was, it was attention from a welcome source, and I was the envy of a lot of girls because of it. *G*

Anyway, the upshot of all that was that I'm not supposed to run anymore. Even a brisk walk sometimes cramps up my knee. However I have carefully worked to strengthen my legs again and I haven't had any real problems in years. Until a couple of days ago when I ignored the signs and pushed too hard. I rested yesterday and it was sore. But then last night in my sleep the knee locked up. I managed to loosen it up, but spent the day off of it, with ice, bandages and ibuprofen. I think I'm going to have to take it easy for a few days while I nurse it back to health, and then take a step back in my workout program until I'm stronger.

Bummer.

On the other hand, my handsome husband is waiting on me hand and foot.

Oh wait, he does that anyway. Nevermind.

But I do appreciate it, and him!!!

Civil Union Update

The passage of the civil union bill progresses, though it hit some snags as I projected it might. After the bill passed in the State Senate without an amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman, Governor Rell expressed concern. Rell is pro-civil union but anti-gay marriage. She made it clear that she would veto the bill if this narrow definition of marriage wasn't stipulated to. So our State House of Reps included the marriage amendment, then passed the proposed bill allowing civil unions. Now it has to go back to our Senate for their approbation of the new amendment.

And so it goes. The good news is that as it stands now with the proviso about marriage added, Gov. Rell will approve the bill and pass civil unions into law. The bad news is that the fight for gay marriage has received a blow which will make obtaining this right more difficult in the future. But not impossible.

I'll let you know what happens when the State Senate reviews the new amendment.

Illustration Friday-Alone

This is a fine example of something that could have been a lot better if I had taken the time with it that I should have. Truth be told I just didn't have the patience tonight, but I knew I needed to get the illustration done because I won't have time to work on it later. The eyes came out nicely on the actual painting (11"x15" watercolor) but don't show to full advantage at this size. Perhaps later today I'll scan in a detail. Someday when I have both the time and the patience, I need to work on adding depth and texture.

Anyway, here is my submission to this week's Illustration Friday topic, Alone:

On another note, while looking at other people's submissions I saw the image of a woman which jogged a memory. It wasn't the woman in the image- which was almost a cartoon in style- but the similarities were striking. The problem is, the woman it is reminding me of in real life eludes me. I can see her face, see her height in relation to mine, hear her voice and her laughter. I know that she is a sweet and gentle lady who makes me think of French or Italian languages, though she herself is American. She was encouraging me in something, but I can't remember what. I have no idea who she is now, or what we were talking about. I don't have a clue how I know her, I just know that I do and that it was within the past couple of years that this conversation took place. I know it wasn't at any of my meetings, but beyond that I haven't a clue. But once I remembered her, I felt a strong sense of guilt for having forgotten her in the first place, and a sense of urgency that I remember her. This last is probably due more to my own compulsion to place her than anything else though. Still, it's really bugging me. I wish I could recall...

Don't you hate when that happens?

Update

Here's the detail from the painting above:

TV Tirade

I'm feeling disgruntled tonight. I know, I know: What else is new, right? Well tonight it's over television.

I've just read that Paige Davis has been fired from Trading Spaces. The ratings on this show (and others such as While You Were Out and What Not To Wear) have been tanking. So they let several staff members go, including Paige. I watched TS this past Saturday without her, and it sucked. Oh, Frank and Genevieve were great as always. But things didn't flow smoothly without Paige. Segues were awkward, choppy. Now that I know she won't be back, neither will I. I can't help wondering how much of this has to do with the alleged sex tape that was supposedly floating around, which may or may not have featured her. Wherever you are Paige, to hell with 'em. Good luck with your next project! As I read the network's ideas for new shows, I can honestly say I won't be watching much of TLC at all if they are implemented. Talk about trash!

And while I'm raging about bad choices made on television, I have this to say about Trump: he's an idiot. You know, before I ever watched his show I couldn't stand him. Then I watched the first Apprentice and was so surprised and impressed by him. He really changed my mind. Then I watched the second Apprentice, and I scratched my head a little at some of his choices. But I went with it. This latest though is complete nonsense, and I would never allow him to hire for one of my companies after watching him in action. For example, Chris is still in the running while others who are better qualified are gone. Chris, who can't keep his temper for two seconds. Don't believe me? He was arrested this weekend. But Trump keeps giving him chances. After seeing the choices he made and hearing his reasons, Trump has plunged in my estimation back to his original status. I don't think that's hair on his head, I think it's a brain-eating fungus.

I can't wait for the good shows to return from hiatus...

Photo Friday-Plastic

Pretty plastic sequins and beads. This is from the hem of my wedding dress, one of the details I hope to save from the damaged garment.

Keepsake to Keepsake

Somewhere in my home, there is a very posh mouse nest. I would even go so far as to say it would be featured on MTV's Cribs were they to highlight the home of a mouse. It's made of silk. It's made of pearlescent beads. It's made of tulle.

It's made of my wedding dress.

On a whim today I took my wedding gown out of it's protective (insert snort) bag. I've lost a lot of weight and am sure I'm smaller than my wedding day. I thought it would be fun to try on the gown and preen a little. I'm vain; I admit it. Instead what I found was a garment torn and riddled with holes, buttons gnawed, silk stained, beads and mouse droppings pooling in the bottom of the garment bag. I was horrified. Some tears were shed and violently nasty thoughts directed towards rodents everywhere. This was not only my wedding dress, but also the only gift ever given to me by my biological father, who died last year. This was a painful loss. After a while though I pulled myself together and took a lot of photos of the dress, including the detail work that doesn't appear clearly in my wedding photos.

I've given it a lot of thought and come up with an idea. I'm going to cut a large, undamaged swath from the skirt, as well as the bow from one sleeve and maybe part of the bodice or hem (depending on damage) to make a shadow box display. I'll wrap the background in the silk from the skirt and use the other pieces as decorative details around a photo from my wedding day which I've chosen for this project. That way I'll still have something to remember the dress and my father by. It will still be a keepsake, just in different form.

Back View

Bow on elbow-length sleeve

Cat, Interrupted

I told you Patches wanted to write. Here he is, annoyed because I interrupted his train of thought. I think he was composing a treatise on training humans through the judicious use of claws, but I could be wrong.

Actually, he's a very loving kitty when he comes out hiding. He only scratches when he kneads. But he does look a little mean in this shot. *G*

All I've Got Tonight

I finally finished reading The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen the other day. It was enjoyable, if a bit predictable. Good beach or travel reading, I suppose. I wasn't bored, at any rate, though I figured things out about halfway through. I'm currently reading Dean Koontz's Cold Fire, which also flows well. We'll see.

I'm having a night where I hate everything I write. I wrote a long post, then decided it was crap and deleted it. Wrote a short one with the same results. So this is it tonight. I've got nothin'.

In the Right Direction

There's some hopeful news for gay couples in Connecticut tonight. A bill has passed in our senate which will allow same-sex civil unions. It passed by a 3 to 1 margin, with over half of republicans voting for it. It is expected to pass in the House tomorrow. Governor Rell is not expected to veto it, as she has previously said that she has no problem with civil unions. She may be less pleased, however, with the fact that the proposed amendment which would define a marriage as being between a man and a woman did not pass, as she has said that she is against gay marriages. As the possibility of same-sex marriages has therefore been left open, it's conceivable that she'll retaliate by vetoing the unions after all. Not likely, though.

When civil unions have been legalized here, that will make our state the first to legalize civil unions without being forced to by court ruling. This comes from my nightly news source, NBC30 out of Hartford.

Meanwhile, gay couples have already begun to wonder what civil unions will mean for them in terms of benefits, for example. Will they receive the same protections under the law as married couples? This has yet to be worked out as far as I know.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out. I have a few friends whose unions or, better yet, weddings I would love to attend some day!

My Other Half

You'll never see a photo of my husband on this blog. Like me, he prefers to be behind the camera than in front of it. Naturally, loving him the way I do, I respect his privacy. However tonight I wanted to share a little bit more of this man whom I love and trust completely, so I chose these two photos to represent him. Taking the role of myself and our pets as a given, these objects symbolize the majority of his life.

The boots represent work. Randy holds both a full-time and a part-time job. He is the assistant store manager of a gourmet-style grocery store. He knows all of the customers and can tell them off the top of his head exactly where every item may be found right down to where on a specific shelf the desired item will be. If they don't have something, he'll order it. He handles their catering jobs and makes special deliveries to shut-ins, etc. Everybody loves my husband and they frequently write the owners of the store to commend him. He deals with the public effortlessly, a feat which incites both my awe and respect. Personally, I tired of working with the public years ago. People can be so unpleasant, especially when it comes to their children and their food. Not necessarily in that order, btw. Randy just takes it all in stride, letting everything go in one ear and out the other. This applies to our conversations at home as well, which can be both good and bad, depending. *G* Anyway, Randy is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. He has tons of energy and I would envy that, only I'm too lazy to bother. ;0)

The second photo is an antiqued toy fire truck. For years he was a member of the volunteer fire and ambulance squads. Due to time constraints he resigned from the fire company, but he still volunteers for the local ambulance squad. He does this for no other reason than that he loves to do so. This is how he unwinds. He does this on the one day off he has each week from 6am-6pm. You see why I mentioned a couple of posts ago that the man needs more rest? He does all of this on about 5 hours of sleep/night. Sometimes he gets more depending on his schedule. Sometimes he gets an extra day off in the week. We're hoping he'll be able to quit the part-time job soon so that he has a little more time to relax. He deserves it!

Now, before you hurl from the saccharine sweetness of this tribute, the man has plenty of faults! But I have all the time in the world to blog about them, and I'm sure I will the next time he drives me nuts. But he put up with my cranky mood earlier tonight, and I felt I owed him this much. :0)

Illustration Friday-Travel

Once again I have chosen a more abstract submission. This is a painting I did about 8 years ago after reading Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D. This book left me feeling liberated in many ways. I was just getting sober and searching for myself.

This painting is based on the Greek myth of the dryads. Also known to some as wood nymphs, these were the spirits of the trees who would awaken and emerge from their wooden host to dance and journey about the forest with other woodland creatures and mythical beings. The title of this painting is Emergence. Here we see a dryad as she awakens and steps from her tree to begin her nightly travels...

Photo Friday-Hot

As you know, I take part in Illustration Friday every week. The creator of this site actually got her idea from Photo Friday. It works the same way. Now that I have a digital camera, it will be easier for me to participate. So here is my first entry to Photo Friday, the topic being "Hot." I know it's not very original but I'm still getting used to my camera. I like the juxtaposition of the flame against the icy appearance of the frosted glass figurine...

Know What This Means?

That's right, I finally received my camera! This is my first macro shot. It isn't perfect, but I can't tell you how happy it makes me!

I hope you all managed to get enough sleep due to the time change. Personally, I hate "Spring ahead," but that's just me.

Off to get some rest myself so I can play with my camera some more tomorrow. Today. Whatever.

Peeking through the Shutters

I have slipped into my favorite, most comfortable pajamas and have settled in to write this post before going to bed.

A lot of things going through my head tonight. Some are profound, some controversial, some irrelevant, most just boring. Things like I wish I could buy Painter IX. And how I hate to disappoint people who matter to me in some way, but how some inevitably have to be disappointed in order for me to be true to myself. Or the thought that if the odor of my gym clothes after a hard workout were bottled and sold, the best name for the scent would be Skunkalicious. Said clothes went straight into the washing machine, as Skunkalicious could only be used as a weapon, and I just can't be responsible for unleashing that on the world. Then there's the fact that so far my credit card is still being charged for my camera, which means that they haven't cancelled my order behind my back again. So there's hope I'll see it yet. The waterfall here in town is overflowing and the river banks are flooding in some areas. Though a little treacherous, it's beautiful too. And why does the book I'm currently reading and enjoying have to feature rats so prominently and eerily similar to the nightmares I used to have of the nasty things? Rats have become too popular in general. This trend must stop.

So you see, I have nothing of great value to add to the world tonight. There are other thoughts- those would be the controversial ones- but I'm just too tired to go into it.

One good thing about the treadmill is that with exercise I become sleepier and get to bed a little earlier than I used to when I wasn't getting any exercise at all.

Feels good.

April Fooling Around

Hello again. Yes, it's me. Yes, I'm still here. Unless I'm lying and I'm not me but someone else typing while I'm actually somewhere far away. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. I'm me and I'm here. Until I'm gone.

Interesting new development: last night I had the tv on a little too loudly and the bedroom door was open. Randy was fast asleep and had been for a couple of hours. Someone on television asked a basic yes/no question, and Randy answered it in his sleep! Just the one time though, then he was oblivious again. It made me giggle, especially when he just did it again tonight. He fell asleep with the tv on in there and as I was walking by a couple of minutes ago I heard him mutter a response to something on it. Too funny! The man really needs to get more rest...

So getting to the point, today is April Fool's Day. In honor of the event, what prank would you pull involving one or all of the following items:

1. sushi
2. a paper clip
and/or
3. a Barbie doll