Dedication To A Car

I don't think even I realized how much I love my car until today. Since yesterday I've washed, vacuumed, cleaned and treated it with ArmorAll Protectant. The only thing left to do was to wax it. Admittedly I could have had this done by the automatic carwash, but that always leaves a film on the windshield. I wanted to do a proper job of it, and that's what I did.

I haven't taken the time to wax a car since I was a much younger, stronger teen. It seemed easy back then. When did it become one of the Labors of Hercules? As I began the process, I quickly realized how difficult it was going to be. The heat, even in the shade, was prohibitive. The bugs were obnoxious because, though I wore bug spray, I kept sweating it off. It took more elbow-grease to wipe off the wax than I remembered. Only buffing was a breeze. It took so much longer than I expected that I wound up missing my usual meeting. I lost track of time only to discover that the meeting was going to start in 15 minutes, and I was dripping in sweat and covered in wax. I knew, too, that if I stopped at that moment it would be very difficult to make myself finish. I wasn't quite halfway through, so I continued on. My right arm felt ready to fall off at that point, and by the time I finished I was pretty sure I wouldn't mind if it did! By rights I should have worked off several pounds over the past couple of days, but I think the pizza and ice cream I ate afterwards nipped any chance of that in the bud. However I did finally finish the job, with all the accompanying pride of accomplishment.

It's not just that I adore my car- though I do!- but also the fact that it was a loving gift from my husband. It was an expensive investment on his part just to make me happy, and the least I can do is to take good care of it. Next up: taking it in for its 10,000 mile check-up...

Creepy Car Wash Encounter

I took advantage of a lull in the rain to go to the car wash; I needed to vacuum and clean out my car. It was so hot! I was being both vigorous and thorough, so I was literally dripping with sweat. At this point a man pulled up in a classic pick-up truck- there was a car show going on nearby- and he started to chat with me. He was complimentary of my vacuuming skills (?!) and suggested it would be cheaper to do this at home. I agreed but pointed out that household vacuums aren't as strong as the ones at the carwash. He conceded the point, but added that I could keep up the car better by occasionally touching it up at home, saving myself money. I nodded and got back to my vacuuming. He wandered off, then came back and started admiring my car, telling me how great it was, how reliable. He gave me a big thumbs-up, and continued to rave. I have to say that I was beginning to get really uncomfortable. There was nobody close by and what sort of person would be chatting up a sweat-soaked, red-faced married lady? He was probably just being friendly, but I was relieved to see him go when a friend of his turned up. I managed to finish cleaning the interior of my car before the rain came pouring down. I'll wash and wax the exterior tomorrow if the weather clears, but didn't see any point doing it today with the storms moving in. It felt so good to get home and walk into an air-conditioned house!

Here's my Sam, just trying to keep cool in front of a fan...

This Old Dog

...can still learn new tricks. In my continuing efforts to expand my jewelry-making options, I am learning how to solder. This will allow me to strengthen my links and designs. Though I now have a couple of crispy fingertips, I am beginning to get the hang of it. Truly, it's never too late to try something new!

Translation

For those of you who don't speak Cat, she's saying "You have precisely two seconds to get out of my face before I remove yours !"

Cleaning and Creating

Busy day. After my therapy appointment this morning I headed home to do housework. My house was like a sauna despite the fans because the air conditioner was turned off last night and we forgot to turn it back on. I was "glowing" as a result. That's the old saying, isn't? "Women glow, men perspire and horses sweat."

*snort, like the horse I apparently am*

Once the housework was done, I combed my shedding dog within an inch of his life. By the time I chose to stop (you never really finish with a dog who sheds in clumps!) I realized I could make a St. Bernard out of the shedded fur of my Shepherd/Labrador mix. I believe I got a standard poodle out of his tail alone. Sam was not in the least bit pleased or grateful for my attention, but he made out like a bandit in treats. I decided that as long as I was making him miserable anyway, I might as well trim his nails and apply Frontline. That's an anti-flea and tick liquid poured onto the back of dog's neck, for those unfamiliar with the product. I just gave him a bath yesterday, so he avoided that particular torture today.

Yes, he earned every goodie he got!

Cleaning and grooming completed- the cats were groomed yesterday- I spent the rest of the afternoon creating. I made a necklace to go with the anklet I posted here. Then I fixed a necklace for a friend. It was my sponsor's anniversary tonight so I made her a card. After the meeting- during which time I agreed to repair an old necklace belonging to my sponsor's mother- I came home and finished the necklace I was designing to go with the earrings my mother gave me. I need to shorten the length a little, but this is basically it:

Sorry for the darkness of the photo. And now I'm off to read blogs and watch t.v. until I'm sleepy. G'night!

Downs and Ups of the Day

Ellen's news went from bad to worse. They sent a sample of the fluid from her shoulder to the lab, and the test came back positive for a staph infection. Once again they told her that if she hadn't come in, she would have been dead by the end of the week. That's almost all she can talk about now, not that I blame her. She has to go back to her surgeon tomorrow and have him open her shoulder and do something or other. Her daughter will be taking her in for that. One of the home health aides assigned to Ellen has been taking care of Danny and will continue to do so. He's behaving really well for her, so no worries there. Hopefully Ellen will heal soon and be able to return home, for her comfort and Danny's!

On a more positive note, I've heard from the aunt who is acting as administratrix for my father's estate. Yes, believe it or not that still hasn't been settled. She has submitted what she hopes will be the last of the paperwork to the probate judge, and if he clears it then the six of us kids will be given our shares of the estate within the next few weeks. Of course, she's thought that we were almost through in the past only to run into some legal roadblock or other, but I have to say my fingers are crossed. The poor woman has been stuck trying to untangle her late brother's estate for over two and a half years because my father didn't leave a will. What a headache it's been for her! As for me, the money would be nice to have. One thing I'd like to do is give Andrew and Ashley each $1500 towards the purchase of a car. My father never gave my mother a dime in child support and her angry pride won't allow her to accept any of his money from me. But the kids both need cars. Ashley will be getting her license soon and Drew has been sharing mom's car since his died. That's a problem because mom is still paying off that car and will be in real trouble if something happens to it. So helping the kids get cars would also help my mother indirectly, and she doesn't have to feel like she's getting money from my father. But we'll see. First the judge has to sign off on those papers and at the snail's pace this has been going, I'm not truly going to hold my breath just yet.

Rather than dwell on worries and hopes, I began work on a necklace for myself. This piece is harder because I'm designing it to go with earrings my mother gave me. So it has to match both in color and style, while at the same time making it my own. I don't know what I'm going to do for the chain yet, but here's the pendant I've made:

pendant

earrings from mom
And that's all I've got for today.

Illustration Friday-Opposites

When elemental opposites attract

A Calm Day Is Beneficial

As it turns out, Ellen had a close call. Her pain had increased over the weekend because, unbeknownst to any of us, a cyst was growing under the spot where her incision was on her shoulder. The ER doctor told her that she might have died if it hadn't been caught. This is the exact wrong thing to say to an elderly hypochondriac with mental illness who lives alone except for her dog. I had to reassure her several times today that while she might have been in some danger before, she is not in any now. The doctors removed a lot of fluid and she's going back in tomorrow for follow-up. She's perfectly safe. I just feel so badly for her. Her luck has not been good where her health is concerned for a couple of years now. It's really no wonder she's a hypochondriac if you think about it!

I brought Danny back to my town today and met up with Randy so the 3 of us could go for a long walk together. This was the first time Randy has seen the little booger since Danny went home to Ellen. It was a nice visit, and gave Ellen some time for herself without worrying what Danny might be getting into. The good news is that Ellen has received some more help from outside, so there's no longer any worries about trying to take care of her and Danny while her regular help is away. One less worry all around!

Other than that my day was quiet. Randy had a rare day off. We started to watch tv but dozed off on the couch with the pets instead. While normal for most people, it's a luxury for Randy who is so rarely home during the day. I went to my meeting and Randy ran some errands before I picked up Danny for our walk. Afterwards we just had a nice Italian dinner (stuffed shells- yum!) and hung out, playing with the aforementioned pets. Once Randy was in bed I worked on the anklet I showed here a few days ago. I worried that the wire I used was too delicate, so I switched it out for a thin but stronger cord. Now I don't have to worry about it breaking while I'm out somewhere.

Pretty boring day I suppose, but I found it restful and restorative. I'm tired of drama, I really am. I'll take boring any day.

I guess I'm just getting old.

Stained Glass

Poor Ellen

Ellen made a common mistake. Her shoulder started to feel better and, tired of believing herself to be a burden on others, she overdid it around her apartment. She has set herself back terribly. Thankfully she didn't tear the rotator cuff again, but it's badly inflamed and she can barely move her arm. Now that Danny is home with her this makes life especially difficult for her. So far it hasn't been so bad because she has an aide who comes over almost every day to help out, and Ellen also has friends who live nearer to her who can pop around to take Danny out for short walks. But as is so often the case, Cosmic Forces have conspired against The Best Laid Plans, and every last one of her helpers is on vacation for at least the next week; her aide is gone for the next two.

I took Danny for most of the afternoon yesterday, walking him until he begged for mercy and I picked him up for awhile until he cooled off and was ready to trot along again under his own steam. I took him out tonight before I went to a meeting in Ellen's town, then came by again after the meeting to take him for a longer evening's stroll before bed. Ellen talked somebody into taking him out tomorrow morning, and then I'll go over again tomorrow night. I think we're going to have to work this out one day at a time until her helpers return. Ellen has been going in for physical therapy though and her arm is beginning to get better. Hopefully the inflammation will go down soon and she'll be able to do some things for herself once more, including walking Danny. I believe she's learned her lesson and won't overdo things again. In the meantime I'm enjoying my visits with The Little Booger, as I've dubbed him. Ellen told me that he cried when I left for the meeting tonight. I know he gave her a hard time when I went home at last; I could see her through the window trying to coax him back into the bedroom. He likes to sleep curled up under the blankets at the foot of her bed. I had to create a sort of ramp for him so he could get in and out of her tall bed without needing her help. Ellen can't lift him and he cries if he gets out of bed and can't get back in again. He's a cross between a baby and Little Lord Princeling, I swear! But he's cute so he gets away with it.

And that's your Danny Update.

Oil Pastels. Painted from memory, this tree grows in my town and catches my eye every time I drive by because of the stark contrast of the white bark against the dark background of foliage. This is actually something I want to photograph rather than paint. The problem is that it is situated across a field along a tricky part of the road. There's no safe place to park nearby, and walking from the closest parking spot back to the field can be dangerous. No sidewalks but lots of traffic on the winding road. One of these days however the compulsion to capture it on film will overcome fear for well-being and I'll make the attempt.

Serves Me Right

Vanity+Aravis+Neutragena Build-A-Tan Lotion=

The more I tried to correct, the worse it got. I can only laugh at myself, knowing full well I'll try again. I've used the spray in the past and it worked better than the lotion...

Anklets and Accidents

Feeling pretty good. I was able to let go of some things (people) who've been bothering me, if only for today. I wasn't in the mood to paint or photograph anything, but I did feel the urge to create. So I made this anklet for myself instead:

Due to the magic ability to touch up a photo, what you're not seeing here is a fake- tanning incident gone horribly wrong. The splotches I'm currently sporting make me look as if I've waded through something unmentionable. I wanted you to notice my anklet, not the skin that appears to have survived an industrial accident...

Commemorating A Life

Shirley's services were as beautiful as she would have liked. The church was full of friends and family who came to celebrate her life and share stories about the exceptional woman she was. We sang her favorite songs and there was laughter as well as tears. I was reminded of the type of person I want to be. She will be missed but, as one person put it, "Now at last she can breathe." I like to think of her reunited with her son, her best friend Cathy and her cat, Smokey, whom she still spoke of fondly years after his death. Shirley died just two days after her 41^st wedding anniversary. I'm glad that they had that last day together, but my heart goes out to her husband. However nobody knows better than he how much she suffered, and I hope the thought that she's free from pain comforts him.

One last good-bye to a dear friend.

Star Cat

We're in the middle of a small heat wave here. Floating in the quiet dark of deep space sounds lovely about now. Here's a celestial kitty to point the way to an available spot on the Sands of Space Beach.

Or something like that.

...And Death To Life

Crap.

Another friendship died today. It wasn't completely unexpected, but it was bitter nonetheless. It wasn't Ellen, it was another of my bipolar AA friends. I seem to gravitate towards this type, and I think I need to examine that further. For now, I'll try to explain. This person- let's call her D- is a rapid cycler and gets pretty angry and vicious when manic. When depressed, she isolates. When manic, she lashes out then isolates. So when she disappeared again after a few tirades at meetings lately, I didn't think too much of it. It's her normal m.o. I've defended and excused her to people many times when she's pulled this stunt in the past. However when Shirley died, I decided to leave D a message to let her know. She seemed fond of her, though Shirley sometimes annoyed her by asking if she could have a lactaid pill during a meeting so that Shirley could eat or drink something she would otherwise have to forego. Shirley was on a fixed income and probably didn't have the money to buy the pills, but was too embarrassed to say so. Anyway, other than that I thought that D really liked her.

When I got up and checked my email today, there was a message from D gloating over Shirley's death, actually thanking God that Shirley was dead so that she wouldn't ask for lactaid pills anymore!!! When I got over my shock, I was livid. I tried to remind myself that D is very sick. I tried to find understanding and compassion for her situation. I failed. So I responded with "D, you're manic. Get help." It was as much as I could manage and got my point across without getting as ugly as I felt. Later she sent an email with no message, only the header "Unsolicited medical..." First let me start by telling you that she's always trying to tell me what meds I should be on, etc. I wrote back, checking my letter with another AA friend to make sure my response was appropriate. I said that she was right, my medical opinion was unsolicited, as was her comments about Shirley's death. I told her that a true friend doesn't just tell you want you want to hear but also what you need to hear sometimes. I said that I was tired of walking on eggshells around her, always wondering what would set her off next. That if she didn't want to be friends, that's fine. That's her choice. If she doesn't want to get help, that's her choice as well. I'll leave her alone. But the next time she comes up to me in a meeting and tries to apologize for her manic behavior, I don't want to hear about it anymore. I said she was welcome to write back but if it was in the same vein as her previous emails, I would ignore and delete for both of our sakes. I signed off.

Even as I was about to send it, she wrote again, this time with the header "Unsolicited incompetent medical advice." This time it was a very long email claiming that she isn't manic. That everyone she has ever met outside of her therapist and her immediate family is stupid and she doesn't want anything to do with anybody anymore. She told me off in no uncertain terms, swearing at me. She even attacked some of my physical characteristics, as if she's a prize. She said that she hasn't had as much fun in months as she had writing that nasty letter. She accused me of running to Ellen to talk about her behind her back, something I have never done but which is an idea she has become obsessed with for some reason. Perhaps because it's what she loves to do when she's mad at someone: run them down to anyone who'll listen. She told me not to bother responding because she would just delete anything I sent.

I went ahead and sent that email I had already written, though I doubt she read it. I never acknowledged her vitriolic one at all. Then I went into my bedroom where it was quiet, said a little prayer and meditated for a very long time to cool my temper and my hurt feelings. I have and continue to try to see where I have been at fault in my relationship with D. I remind myself that as much pain as I have felt with my bipolar disorder, D has it much worse and I can't fathom the pain she's in. I reminded myself that the pain and hatred she is directing at me is really pain and anger she's feeling towards herself. All of this helped. Obviously I'm still angry and I won't be friends with her again. But I need to come to terms with my anger (rather than stuffing it) in order to let it go and let it stay gone. She is sick, and I pray that she gets the help she needs, and may someday find some happiness in her life. I think the world she lives in is a very dark place. And that's what I'm trying to focus on now.

I did point out to Randy that my 3 closest women friends in the past 5 years have all been bipolar. All 3 have occasionally been stormy relationships depending on where we each were individually. I'm now no longer friends with 2 of them. I told Randy that bipolar people are awfully hard to deal with, and I have a new and profound respect for what he lives with in me. So there's a lesson learned, eh?

Regarding Shirley, her services will be Tuesday morning. As I suspected, the turnout is going to be huge judging by conversations with others. She's earned this celebration of her life. She was an incredible woman.

Now, after all that ugliness I wanted to have some beauty in my day. I decided to finish that painting of the horse. It has turned out better than any of my other attempts at drawing/painting horses, so I just have to share it with you. So here he is, full of life with the wind in his mane. What joy to surge forward to freedom, leaving the rest behind...

From Death to Life

Today- the 15^th- was Randy's birthday. I painted a card for him and thought to share it, but then I decided that though it wasn't at all explicit, still it felt too intimate. I'll share this photo instead, along with the lyrics of my favorite birthday song:

Firecracker, Extinguished

I lost someone very dear to me today.

Her name was Shirley, but everyone knew her as Little Shirley. There was no Big Shirley, or any other Shirley in point of fact. But she was such a tiny thing that it seemed impossible to call her anything else. She was so small that people seriously worried about her when the wind blew. But this elderly, red-headed woman was strong and sharp, wise and funny. Her raspy voice often uttered simple yet profound statements which cut to the heart of a matter, but she loved to laugh and contribute a sly innuendo one would never expect. She had a temper to match her hair, something she and I shared. Her husband and Randy are also a lot alike. We used to chuckle over that even as we marveled at how lucky we were to have them. Shirley loved my husband, too, and always asked after him or told me when she had a Randy Sighting at the store or around town. She got such a kick out of him for some reason.

Shirley developed emphysema a few years ago. She started dragging an oxygen tank with her to meetings. She was one of the first people to make me feel welcome when I joined AA, so when she needed to quit smoking and had some struggles, I was only too happy to help her. I had quit myself earlier in the year and knew what she was going through. She gave me so much, so unselfishly. She did quit smoking, but it was too late. Over the past couple of years everyone who knew her was saddened to watch her decline. In the winter she was often hospitalized for pneumonia, in the summer the heat made it even more difficult to breathe. She never let anything stop her though. As soon as she was home and strong enough, she would come back to the meetings and put up with our fussing. She was an example for us all to the very end.

The funeral arrangements aren't public yet, but I know that her services will be crowded to the point of overflowing. Everyone in the tri-state area knew the little woman with the big heart. It's comforting to know that she's no longer suffering. It's also nice to think of her reunited with her son, who was killed at a young age in a tragic fire. Despite these thoughts, though, she will be missed.

Gone but not forgotten, indeed.

For Shirley...

Paddling My Stream of Conscious

I've decided that the hardest part of having a sore throat is, for me, the inability to sing. It may be a respite for others around me, but I really miss belting out a tune once in awhile.

Funny thing: I've never been to Lebanon and know very little about it. However in the past couple of years I've become closer to my biological father's family and his mother was Lebanese. Her culture is still alive in the family, especially in the cuisine. I suppose it's because of this family connection that I feel so sad that Lebanon is under attack again. It upsets me to see this little country be caught up in conflict because of its prime location. Syria, Iran and their extremist supporters within the country keep using it as a jumping off place to piss off the Israelis, who then respond. Or the other way around. And so it goes. I've heard from my grandmother how beautiful her country once was, and I think the loss of that image bothers me as much as anything else. But memories and reality so often part company, and such is the case here I suppose. However if I'm going to get emotionally caught up with a country because of distant ties to it, I think it's time I did more than make some passing attempts to learn more about it. I guess that's next on my agenda.

Now, just to make this post thoroughly disjointed, here's an initial sketch of a painting I'm working on. I think the horse will end up being dappled grey; it seems right to me somehow. The actual sketch looks better than this. My scanner doesn't tend to like pencil drawings...

I've Been Silenced...

... and there was much rejoicing.

Doctor says I have strep. All I know right now is that I have a very sore throat and feel exhausted. No drawings tonight, though I do have something in mind for another time when I have more energy. In the meantime I'll take my antibiotics and scarf ice cream, guilt-free even. It's a medical necessity. ;0)

Later 'gators.

Wild-eyed

I've been a shut-in for a few days now due to a sore throat and temperature. I've been bored and uninspired by everything except painting scenes from nature. Up until now they've been painted from photos I've taken. Today I got it into my head to do a study of a wolf's eye, and here you are. Unfortunately I haven't gotten close enough to a wolf to take a photo, so I had to research elsewhere. Ultimately I chose a photo taken by Erwin and Peggy Bauer to work from. It's the cover art for Trail Of The Wolf, by R. D. Lawrence . Good book with excellent photography.

Sweet Dreams

Still feeling inspired by Alaska- and really, who wouldn't be?- I painted this portrait of a glacier bear at rest. It would appear that in order to be proficient, even hibernation requires practice.

Illustration Friday-Skyline

Jamie might recognize this. It was inspired by Portage Glacier in Alaska...

Silvered Sky

A Night In Our 'Hood

Spirit

mixed media: oil pastel, digital

A Meditation

The topic of conversation almost everywhere I go lately has led to the subjects of spirituality, prayer and meditation. And while prayer was the topic of my meeting tonight, my mind kept wandering to the latter, something I'm more comfortable with. I pray, formally and informally, most often simply talking to a God of my understanding in my head. This rarely brings me a sense of peace or well-being in and of itself. Instead I find my serenity most often when I quiet my mind and just be. I open myself up- giving and receiving- until everything else seeps away and I feel calm. I've often heard it said that prayer is when you talk to God and and in meditation we receive the answers we seek. I like that.

These thoughts tonight inspired this painting, done in oil pastels...

The Devil and Dalmations

We went to see The Devil Wears Prada tonight with my mother and sister. It was funny if predictable. I never read the book so no comparisons from me.

Randy informed me today that someone he knows is a breeder of dalmations and has offered him one any time he wants. Since we wouldn't be showing it, we could get one that isn't "show quality" for around $50- $75 whenever we want. Of course, we have no plans to get a new dog until after Sam is gone; we want his final years to be devoted to him. When he passes, I'm sure we'll eventually adopt another from a local shelter; we prefer to rescue animals. But Randy has always had a soft spot for dalmations, and I would be open to getting one for him in addition to an adopted dog. When it comes to pets we've always liked to have two of everything, except for mice in which case we would of course prefer to have none. Anyway, though the dog wouldn't be show quality Randy said it could be registered with the AKC. Normally I couldn't care less about such things, but then a diabolical thought struck me: those AKC names are usually ridiculous and I could have fun thinking of one. After proposing a slew of names- Peanuts (R once had a dalmation named Popcorn so this seemed a natural progression, plus R likes that old cartoon strip), Oreo (as long as we're talking about food), Slave (R calls himself my manservant so I figure he needs someone to boss around, too), etc. - I finally settled on the ultimate snooty AKC name designed for complete humiliation of dog and man: Daddy's Little Diddum Darling.

Now isn't that perfect?

*evil grin*

Randy insists that no dog of his will ever carry that name, and I've told him he'd just better keep those registry papers out of my hands then! ;0)

BTW, I've also decided to turn the dog into a negative of itself. I'll dye the fur black, leaving white spots. Perhaps just to be really weird I'll put a tiny black spot in the center of each white one.

I don't have too much time on my hands or anything, do I? Funny, I don't own any Prada....

submitted to B&W PhotoChallenge for this week's topic, Blur.

Purge!

I woke up and with nothing better to do with my day, I began to gut my office/guest room/storage room. It was back-breaking labor and by the time I'd finished I had filled 6 garbage bags. That doesn't include the other things too heavy or awkward to be bagged! The photo below only shows about 2/3 of the things that came out of the room. I threw a lot of things out into the hall to be bagged later, and this led to a humorous moment when Patches tried to dash out from under the bed into the hall, only to see his path blocked. He hesitated for the splittest of seconds before pivoting and darting right back under the bed. I swear that cat is the personification (catification?) of the term "Scaredy Cat!"

To be fair though, I had a moment too. There was one corner I was dreading in particular. It was crammed with all sorts of crap and I had frequently heard a mouse moving around over there over the course of the winter. As I cleared everything out I just knew I would find something unpleasant; you could say I sensed a disturbance in the force. Imagine my relieved surprise when I'd almost finished and found nothing untoward! However when I moved one last thing, I found the mouse corpse I had expected all along.

I just hate when I'm right about these things.

But my room is now clean and organized. It's so nice to walk into a neat room instead of the chaotic mess I had allowed it to become. Let's see how long it lasts this time.

Just for the record, I didn't choose those curtains. They were here when we moved in and I was just too lazy to change them. I creatively visualized the room as I wanted it rather than as it was for a very long time. *G*

Beauty in Nature

Under this tree I keep several bird feeders with a variety of nuts and seeds for the local wildlife. When I returned home today I saw so many different types of birds- doves, jays, little gray things and even a woodpecker I think!- squirrels and chipmunks. Though it was sweltering in my car I didn't want to get out, preferring instead to sit for awhile and watch. This sight never fails to fill me with enchantment and peace. It was made complete when a giant blob of bird poo fell mysteriously from an upper branch down to the the ground below^*.

Ah, the wonders of nature!

^*at least it wasn't on my car for a change

Splotch

My imagination exploded onto the page after thinking too hard.

With Eyes Rolling

I'm doing pretty well tonight and I could blog about puppies, kittens and rainbows.

But I won't.

Instead I feel the need to share something that's really irking me like an itch just below the surface of the skin. On the news was a story about two employees of a camera company. It seems that Angelina Jolie's brother's camera broke and he sent it to this company to be repaired, forgetting to remove a memory card. Two employees at the company looked at the pics and discovered they were of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, so of course they (allegedly) posted these pics to the internet. They were discovered and are currently under investigation. Now, I can understand why the Massachusetts State Police were called in to help- one of the men lives just over the border and his house required searching. This makes sense.

What really has my panties in a twist, however, is that supposedly the Secret Service was called in to investigate as well. Really? Since when does this sleazy, over-publicized couple rate as a national security issue?

Please excuse me, but I most go be ill.