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      Tuesday, September 02, 2014


otherstuff
07:28 AM - 09/02/2014

The topic: Road trip today!
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It will be nice to get away, even just one day. I'll take pictures and share them tomorrow. I hate leaving the cats for more than a few hours at a time, but I'm sure they'll do okay.

Yesterday I felt pretty crappy, I think I was either still fighting the shot from last week or my immune system was fighting off some bug I picked up the past week. Brian was feeling crappy, too.

But I feel better this morning, so the trip is on. 

Then tomorrow I'll seriously start work on that carousel. I think about it each night when I drop off to sleep...I really do. I'm still excited about it. And the weather has started cooling down which will be a huge help. Sure the A/C keeps the house cooler, but besides the expense, I hate having the house closed up and all the noise from the fans and the A/C itself. It starts to wear me down. 

Yay! Road trip! 

I had looked for a plugin that would send pictures to this weblog from my cellphone, but there isn't one. At least that I could find.

Oh, well. Tomorrow!

      Thursday, September 04, 2014


otherstuff
01:02 PM - 09/04/2014

The topic: Our road trip went well
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We went up to Disneyland, spending the night at Best Western Stovall's.  We'd gotten a notice last month that they were having a special FREE! passholders' night for those that would be renewing between October and December. 

Since most of our Disney friends renewed the same time we did, we all met up. 

I was still getting over whatever was wrong with me so I wasn't bursting with energy and it was very warm and very humid. I worked up a sweat in Midway Mania (kicking Brian's butt) and waiting in line for Soarin' over California. But it was nice to be on the ride with my feet dangling and the cool air washing over me. 

In bed a little after midnight and slept badly. Stomach again. I can't seem to eat anything anymore. Anyway, we got up at 6:30 and didn't bother with showers or tooth brushing, we just came home.

I hadn't gotten all of the cats in before we left Tuesday, I just set the doors to in only and made sure the kitties who didn't do the catdoors were inside. I was a little nervous how this worked out, but when we got home, all cats were in. So, it worked out nicely. I think Miss E must have slipped or something because she was limping pretty badly, but not to where we felt a vet trip was needed. 

I slept most of yesterday and it's nice to be home and hopefully back on track.

I just wish this stupid weather would get out of the 80s and back into the 70s. At least it's better than the 90s or higher, where it's been for the past five months.

      Friday, September 05, 2014


mrs. crankypants
03:55 PM - 09/05/2014

The topic: This weather
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This heat, can stop at any time. I can't stand being back here in the office, it's miserable. I'm getting absolutely no paperwork done and very little online. 

This is the time of year where the sun gets lower in the sky and beams it's flames right through that window. 

We might have rain this weekend and next week. Tropical rain. From Hurricane Norbert. Will it cool us off or make us more miserable?

Not feeling the love, Mother Nature, just not feeling the love.....


craftstuff
08:08 PM - 09/05/2014

The topic: I think I’m ready to
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cut the carousel tomorrow.  I got the patterns redone with the small holes. Well, I also have to figure out where the lights will go, but that shouldn't be too hard. 

Excited again!

      Sunday, September 07, 2014


otherstuff
07:54 AM - 09/07/2014

The topic: Quick! Quick!
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Before it gets hot and so muggy I can't catch my breath and I have to lie down on the sofa like the delicate flower I am! 

Yeah, we're in for at least three days of hot mugginess, thanks to Hurricane Norbert. We're on a flood watch in our area (she says looking out the window into the cloudless summer blue sky - hey, did ya ever notice that there IS a summer blue sky? A lighter blue than winter blue) which I seriously doubt will amount to anything. Except more mugginess.

So. 

Breakfast is made (I'm getting really good at making breakfast everyday, but I sure like it when Brian steps up to the plate..or stove), last night's pots and pans washed and now I'm back here. Brian is back in his shop fabricating hydraulic links.

Yesterday's mail brought another bank statement, that's three that need to be done (have I mentioned I haven't done much back here in the office this summer due to the heat melting my brain? Honestly, I think I'm having issues because of it...) And I admit that paying bills via the internet has me a lot lazier when it comes to paying bills. Those few that need checks written just seem to get pushed to the side. With the bank statements. And that's really not a good thing. It is what it is.

We have to make a trip to Costco today and when we do, we're also heading over to Walmart to return some stuff. Brian got some sneakers last week that are as hard as rocks, not comfortable at all. And I bought a Hoover Floormate online last month that died the second time I used it. I need something like this to clean the floors because mopping just isn't enough. Anyway, I'll get my money back on this, then order another one. It seems like a crap shoot with these things, if you get a good one or not, at least that's what I glean from the reviews. I have that one I got last year that quit laying down fluid, what good is that? I got it during the mad rush for the October meet and can't find the stupid receipt anywhere, and Walmart does NOT have anything for it online, which has me flummoxed. There are no purchases from me before December 2013, which is a lie. Nothing. Walmart told me to contact my bank for a receipt, my bank says the part on my statement where the money was taken out is my receipt, unless I want to file a claim. Hoover told me when I first inquired that there was a two year warranty on that unit and to just take it in to a service center to find out what they'd cover. Which I'll do, with my bank statement and emails in hand. 

I started cutting out cardstock last night for the carousel! I need to find out where I'll want the lights so I can pre-cut the holes for them in the paper. 

Laundry is all done, I need to get the litterboxes cleaned before it gets too hot. And do the breakfast dishes, then I can cut, cut, cut!

Yay!


catstuff
08:09 AM - 09/07/2014

The topic: Rocky update
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He's lovin' it. He came up to Brian to be held the other night. It's slow goin', but it's goin'.

I've started calling him "Sparkle Butt".

When Brian asked me why, I said "well, Rocky becomes Rocket, and rockets have sparkly butts".

And that's why I call him "Sparkle Butt". Makes plenty of sense to me.


otherstuff
08:15 AM - 09/07/2014

The topic: And the bloodwork
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I got my results back, but the lipid results weren't there. You know, the cholesterol stuff. I called last week and they were faxed over.

My good cholesterol was up twenty-five points and my bad cholesterol was up two points. And the overall was up lots, which I really don't understand. 

Brian's values were up, too. So, we had a nice long talk. We need to keep our exercise regimen regular. We quit this summer to see if it would help him with his fabrication if he got up, took a shower, at which time I'd make breakfast, he'd eat, then go to work. But it didn't play out like that. He'd get up, come back to the office and piddle around online until he was ready to take a shower. So, we're back to walking, which should help the blood sugar reading. And I need to cook more, even though I haaaate being in the kitchen when it's sooooooo hot (the sun goes down on that side of the house), instead of hitting the fast food places, something we've done a lot of this summer.

I remembered something about the rutin that Captain was getting and how good it had been at clearing the crap from his lungs (the crap that wasn't cancer, that is). If it can work for chyle, then maybe it would work for us, help rid us of some of the bad things in our blood. Rutin is an antioxidant. We started taking that last week. We have an almost full bottle of it.

Crossing my fingers it helps.


catstuff
08:39 AM - 09/07/2014

The topic: I got up to
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empty my bladder last night and when I got back to bed, there was no place for me. How can that be? How can the cats move in so quickly? I didn't feel like dealing with it so I went and laid on the sofa. 

Richie immediately says "MOM!" and comes over and lays on my face. Yeah, no, that's not going to work. I pushed him to the side of my head and all I could hear was his stomach gurgling. And his purrs. But the gurgling got annoying after about two seconds, so I pushed him above my head and not next to my ear.

He was okay with that. And all I heard were purrs.

I'm tired.

      Monday, September 08, 2014


mrs. crankypants
06:56 AM - 09/08/2014

The topic: Psssst….I have a secret…
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I HATE this weather!

Had the a/c on lst night, it was muggy. So, stinking muggy. Cats decide they have to be snugged right up against me. Why? Why do they do this? Ross actually came up to me and laid his head and neck over mine. Mario has to be at a place by my legs that makes it so that I can't move them. And if I do, he slaps me. The ceiling fan was on high and it squeaks.

I couldn't get comfortable and it didn't help that my mind kept going over re-cutting four of the carousel patterns. (One sheet, the "trim", one I'd cut two out of because the fold marks didn't get done on the first one, well, the color is way too close to the base and it needs to have some contrast; and the other three I realized a much better way to place the holes for my "poles", a way that makes them more standard. As it is the horses won't be lined up. I just couldn't quit thinking about it, no matter how hard I tried.)

Got up around 6:15 this morning and it's too warm and muggy to walk, especially when I got a crap night's sleep.

I ended up on the sofa, the blinds are wide open and the full moon against the clouds made is so that it was very, very bright outside. That bothered me. Then the cats had to climb all over me.

On this morning's news, we had record heat last night. Great.

Make it go away or make it rain. One of the two. Either way let's be done with it. 

I told Brian this morning I don't know how folks in the mid-west, east coast or down south do it. I just don't.

Today will be a xanax day. I can say that right now.

It's 7:05 right now. The a/c, which is set for 77°, just kicked on. This is just wrong. So very, very wrong.

      Thursday, September 11, 2014


otherstuff
01:56 PM - 09/11/2014

The topic: Last month
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Brian built a redneck air conditioner for the garage. You know, one of those Home Depot buckets with styrofoam inside to hold a frozen water jug and holes are cut out on the sides. A fan is placed on the top and that forces cold air out through the holes. Didn't do a thing.

He just brought it into the office. It's working in here. Nice.

We're in for at least another week of this hot weather and mid-week next week, more humidity is supposed to be coming up from down Mexico way.

I think this is what they call an endless summer.


craftstuff
02:00 PM - 09/11/2014

The topic: Craft storage is a problem for me
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Because of the kitty cats and the lovely Bobby and Dammit (I've spoken of Dammit before, that's Bobby's tail's name), everything has to be covered or out of kitty spray reach. (Have I ever told you that Bobby is a short kitty, but his spray has been measured at over eighteen inches high....predators feared him, when all they knew of him was his calling card.)

And I have so many paper scraps and extra pieces cut out that keeping the organized isn't easy. I don't have the room. I've been looking for plastic storage bags every so often that might fit the bill. I'm sure you've done that before, thought to yourself "gee, it would be really nice if I could find this" and you search and find nothing. Six months or so later, you search again. I've been doing this for a couple of years now and finally!

I found them on Amazon!

As I do projects, I'll label the bag so that everytime I make that project, if I have any leftovers, they'll go into that bag. And the next time, I'll have stuff already cut out! (Like for the carousel, I cut out different colors of the trim so that I'd have a choice, I could mix and match.)

Yay!


entertainmentstuff
02:12 PM - 09/11/2014

The topic: Advance screening: No Good Deed
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Sorry, but there's no review.

We were supposed to go last night. But Tuesday, I was sent this message:

"No Good Deed Screening Canceled!!

'Screen Gems just cancelled ALL of NO GOOD DEED screenings and has issued the following statement: We have decided to cancel the advance screenings of NO GOOD DEED. There is a plot twist in the film that we do not want to reveal as it will affect the audiences' experience when they see the film in theaters. We apologize for any inconvenience."

That sure sucked. Makes me wonder if it's a crap movie and they didn't want bad publicity before it came out. 

Oh, I listed out all of the free movies we've gone to since we started this last year. Twenty-one. Cool!

      Friday, September 12, 2014


mrs. crankypants
08:16 AM - 09/12/2014

The topic: Watching this morning’s news
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And the weather comes on. We're in for a heat wave. Seriously? A heat wave? This whole summer has been a stinking hot heat wave. argue

And now it's gonna get worse?

Oh, m-a-a-a-a-n!

question

I'm just not feeling the love for this summer. Just not feeling it.

it's hot! it's hot! it's gonna be hotter!


dreamstuff
09:25 AM - 09/12/2014

The topic: Something woke me from a dream last night
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Or early this morning, not sure which. 

It was a very strange dream. I mean Strange (with a capital S).

I was pregnant in my dream (but I don't remember my belly being big, I could see over it with no problem). 

We wanted to record the birth. So we tried to push a camera up my vagina. And I remember thinking "this won't work, the baby's head will push it out of the way".

It was a silver camera, thin, but wide. 

In reality I couldn't have kids because my tubes are blocked. And even if they weren't, I'm sixty years old and well past the birthing years. 

And there's no way in hell that camera would have fit.


otherstuff
06:33 PM - 09/12/2014

The topic: Knowing that it’s going to be really hot
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And knowing that I'm feeling guiltier each day that my paperwork falls behind, I got it all done today! Brian had to go up to Ontario to pick up material so I took advantage of him not being around and got to work early this morning, before it was so horribly warm in here.

And because I got so much done to start with, I just kept going. 

I've only been doing what was absolutely necessary the past three months. And today, I got three months worth of mail opened, past due bills paid, paperwork filed, I reconciled the last three months of the new company (a real PITA because of Paypal) bank statements and six months of the old company's bank statements (that didn't even take a half hour).

I've got a little bit of Fitrite work to do, but it's nothing pressing and it doesn't take much concentration.

But, boy, does it feel good to be caught up.  

      Saturday, September 13, 2014


catstuff
07:31 AM - 09/13/2014

The topic: Since it’s supposed to be so hot today
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(Have I mentioned we're having a heat wave on a heat wave?) I had decided to get into the office early and was going to finish up the little bit of paperwork left, will probably be about a half hour's worth.

When we went to bed last night, the A/C was on. I woke up around three to powder my nose (what my dad called using the bathroom) and I noticed the clock on the file cabinet in the office (straight visual shot from my side of the bed) was off. Odd. Since I was up, I figured I'd see what it was like outside and it was cooler than inside, so I started opening up the house. And when I went over to the window in the office, I stepped in fresh runny poo (Jackie's, most likely). Got most of the rest of the doors and windows opened, Brian got the bedroom windows opened and I went back to bed.

So, get up this morning, come back to the office, turn on the computer, go get the cats some kibble (would someone please explain why I can take that kibble out of the feeders and place it in little piles in front of them and they nom down like it's the best treat in the world?), fill my water bottle with cold water, take my blood pressure pills, then come back to the office. My computer is still "configuring updates". It finishes booting up and I turn on the television to watch my Saturday morning Rifleman on AMC. 

No cable. What? It's on in the other room, not here. Gee, what else is out? The cable in here comes through the attic into a powered splitter. And it's apparent the splitter is not getting any juice. Same as the clock. I do some investigation. The stereo doesn't turn on, the printers don't turn on, the water fountain isn't running....cats. What did they do?

I get my step stool from the garage and flick the switch on the power strip behind the stereo a couple of times. Nothing. Which means the problem is at the wall. Behind the full five foot tall oak filing cabinets. Oh, yeah. Sure. That's what it is. It has to be. 

MARIO!!

See, Mario likes to try to get behind the cabinets. I've tried blocking the area off, but the board isn't stuck in place and by pulling at it, he can make enough room to get back there. There's nothing there except the back of the file cabinets. I get the flashlight, and get on my hands and knees (which are now covered in cat litter pieces) and start pulling out toner cartridge boxes (that I mistakenly believed if I stacked enough of them under there, Mario wouldn't try) and looked at the plug in the wall. It was hanging out, just a little bit. I got my swiffer extend pole thing and was able to get it under the plug, so now it was aimed right at the outlet. All it needed was a push to get it back in. I couldn't do it with my plastic pole.The printers worked, but the fountain wasn't running. The cable was on, but the clock wasn't running. Brian got a metal piece from his shop and was able to push the plug all the way in. The fountain and clock still didn't work. I got back up on the stool and checked the power switch. It was off. I turned it on and everything is back to normal. 

Brian says "maybe you should take a pill" while I'm putting everything back in place, trying to make a better barrier to the back of the filing cabinets. Yeah, good idea. 

So, I'm sitting here and I ask Brian "who's crying?" It keeps up, I get up to see who it is and Lorelei has Rachel cornered behind a cat tree. Rachel can't get out. I yell at Lorelei. She walks off in a huff. I ask Rachel if she's okay. She scurries down the hallway. Fifteen minutes later, she's okay, not slinking anymore.

Please let the cats not be assholes until after this heat wave....please...


otherstuff
09:54 AM - 09/13/2014

The topic: I love it when the planets align
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Or something like that.

I opened our last ream of paper this week. We use a lot of paper. There are the quote forms Brian fills out, the worksheets he fills out, the copies of the worksheets he fills out, the copies of the quotes he sends that I keep, copies of the payment pages (paypal or credit card) that get attached to the quote form and when they ship, Brian's worksheets gets attached to that as well as the shipping receipt. And then there's the invoice that goes on top of all of that. 

Yeah, we use lots of paper. 

Well, there an email in my mailbox that I can get extra points (which I turn in for rewards cards) if I use Office Depot. And if I order $125.00 worth of stuff, I'll get twenty dollars off. Okay, let's check this out. I click through their link, get to Office Depot, login to Office Depot and do a search for the SKU number of the last paper we got. It's about $54.00 for a box. I order two, that puts us at $108.00 (free shipping, but there's tax added). You see where I'm going with this? I can order $17.00 more worth of stuff and get $20.00 knocked off the total price.

So, let's see what else they have that I could use....don't need any more paper, don't need pens, or paperclips....I know! 

I do a search for glue! Yay! Got some Scotch brand Tacky glue after reading the reviews. People like it for crafting. Sounds good to me. I got three bottles. Added $17.97 to the total. I got my $20.00. And free glue!

I love it when things work like this.


otherstuff
06:38 PM - 09/13/2014

The topic: Dinner at El Pollo Loco
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A first. We had chicken avocado quesadillas. We'll eat there again. 

On the way home we stopped at Albertson's for ice cream. There was a sale on Haagen Das and we ended up buying five pints or whatever size they are now. 'Cause when you buy five, you get an additional dollar off for each carton.

They should last for a couple of weeks since we only eat ice cream on the weekends now.

      Monday, September 15, 2014


mrs. crankypants
09:40 AM - 09/15/2014

The topic: It’s still hot
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It will still be hot tomorrow. 

For the first time since this heat wave squared started, it wasn't cooler outside than inside at any point yesterday into this morning. Since I was a kid, I get up in the middle of the night to pee (I think because I got spanked for wetting the bed when a child...old habits die hard) and when I've been getting up, I check the temp outside. Should I open up the house or let the A/C stay on? 

This morning, I let the cats out around four and left the door open. The A/C started shortly thereafter. It was that warm. 

There was about a four degree difference between outside and in when we got up at six and by eight, we had the house closed back up and the A/C was back on. 

We've got passes for A Walk Among the Tombstones later this week and I told Brian "we need to get there earlier than normal because I do not want to be standing in the sun".  The line reaches a certain point and they split it. The early line is in the shade,  the later line is not. 

I also told Brian this morning that I'm really glad that I'm not getting ready for the annual Disney trip in this heat (the final one was last year). I can't even imagine how awful that would be. All the stuff I'd need to be doing in the office and the garage (where the heat press is). Then cleaning and scrubbing and and and....

Whoever doesn't believe that there's climate change happening is in denial.


catstuff
10:00 AM - 09/15/2014

The topic: Sparkle Butt!
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I mentioned that he's spending way more time inside than in the garage. Well, this past week he's been spending more time with us.  And not just hanging in the dining room, but he's in the tv room with us, laying on the coffee table next to other kitties. 

Then he decides he needs a hug and will jump over to the sofa and climb on me. The only problem I have with this is he gives me a little face to face loving, then turns around and settles in so that his butt is in my face. Eventually he gets tired of me telling him to get his butt out of my face and he gets down and goes over to check out Brian.

Brian doesn't get the butt in the face. I guess Rocky actually put his paws around Brian's neck.

*sigh*

I feel so special.

      Wednesday, September 17, 2014


entertainmentstuff
07:11 AM - 09/17/2014

The topic: Advance screening: A Walk Among the Tombstones
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Great movie! I've always liked Liam Neeson and he does well in this type of role.

If you've watched any of the trailers, you know he's an ex-cop who quit because a child was killed by a ricochet bullet during a shoot out with bad guys. He quits drinking and becomes an unlicensed private investigator.

He attends AA meetings and it's here that one of the members follows him and asks Scudder (Neeson) to help his brother (Kenny), who's wife had been kidnapped and murdered, even though the ransom had been paid. Scudder was reluctant to help once he found the source of his brother's income (drugs). He turned down the job.

Later, Kenny shows up at Scudder's house and makes his case for Scudder's help. He has a tape the kidnappers left for him of his wife's murder. Scudder hears it and takes the case. 

Doing some research, he finds this isn't the first time this type of kidnapping has happened and it became obvious who the kidnappers are targeting. Loved ones of rich drug dealers; the dealers would be less likely to call in law enforcement. That's a bare bones description of the movie, there's a lot more going on. It was intense, very violent, with moments of humorous dialog (the witty P.I.).

The story started with action and kept it up throughout the entire show. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm glad we went. 

Two thumbs up.

 

      Thursday, September 18, 2014


otherstuff
09:21 AM - 09/18/2014

The topic: The temperature has dropped a good ten degrees
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And it's very nice. I vacuumed already and I'm cleaning up the litterbox area in the garage. 

Brian made a great breakfast this morning and he cleaned up the cooking mess, which was great. I started up the dishwasher and as I was doing so, the phone rang. I've got one of these things that speaks out the number of the caller (if you want one, leave a comment, for five bucks I'll send you one and that's just the cost of shipping, I picked up a couple years ago in a Woot! off because I thought they were cool) and I didn't recognize it.

It wasn't a toll free number, so I answered it. It was Scripps Clinic. Maybe to remind me that I need another blood sugar reading? Or that I need to make an appointment for this thing on my back?

Oh, no, hallelujah! It's for my colonoscopy! They rememembered!

We have an opening on October 17th. No. That's the day after my birthday. Well, how about October 21st? No. Never. I don't want one.

Honestly, I'm not afraid of going under, I'm not afraid of a small camera being carefully guided through my lower nether regions. 

I don't want to to the prep. I don't want to not eat anything with iron in it the week before (thins the blood). I don't want to drink the kool-aid (nasty thick goopy foul tasting stuff). I don't want to eat and drink clear stuff for two days or whatever it is.

I don't mind the laxative thing, I've had some sort of bowel problem since my early twenties that have me taking laxatives and pain relief to stop the pain. I even went to Urgent Care a million years ago and they couldn't find anything wrong with me. I asked my doctor at the time and he said if it's not happening all the time, if it stops hurting and goes away, it's not going to kill me. And as long as what I do takes care of it, it no longer alarms me. As I've gotten older, it happens less and less. 

I guess I'll just stock up on chicken broth and jello. Wow. Over a month's worth of anticipation. And here I thought this year I could relax and enjoy the changing of the seasons....

      Friday, September 19, 2014


otherstuff
07:23 AM - 09/19/2014

The topic: You can help
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Late last month, a friend of mine who has a rescue (Forever Home Pet Rescue) up in the Los Angeles area, was woken out of a sound sleep by gunshots. On August 23rd, at 2:57am she updated her Facebook status:

"Just woke up to three gunshots practically next door. That was no handgun either. Waiting for sirens now. Dogs didn't even flinch... that shiz happened weekly where we used to live."

On September 11, she posted this (with a screenshot of her August 23rd update):

"Dunno if anyone remembers when I posted this. Found out tonight that the two dogs killed were at the business two doors down from me... and those shots that woke me up WERE from this guy's shotgun. I KNEW I heard a dog yelp. OMG."

She linked to this story in the Los Angeles Daily News.

This thug didn't stop at shooting dogs, it looks like those were just a warm up.

Last weekend she posted this:

 

HELP BLACKIE - THE DOG THAT SURVIVED THE SYLMAR SERIAL KILLER!!!!

At nearly 3am on August 23rd I was rudely awakened by gunshots. I immediately posted on Facebook (see pic of post). At the time I KNEW I heard a dog yelp. The very next morning a psycho serial killer drove around the San Fernando Valley killing people: http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20140826/suspect-in-san-fernando-valley-shooting-spree-charged-with-3-earlier-shootings

I found out the whole story in regards to the three dogs that were shot today from my neighbor.

Alex - the shooter - shot his own dog at his home around 2am that Saturday, then drove around looking for other dogs. A neighborhood dog (Lhasa mix) here in my area was out loose and he shot her and killed her two doors down from my house - and then attempted to shoot the guard dog at the business two doors down from me (named Blackie - a gorgeous black pitty). She did get grazed - she did see a vet - and she was very lucky. He was shooting buckshot from a shotgun and put holes in the fencing and several cars in the lot.

Turns out that Blackie is a mommy right now and the business has 7 puppies. I approached the biz owner to see if I could help get mom and the pups fixed. He was VERY receptive to my offer. Told me that mom gets 2 walks a day and he ADORES her. She spends more time with him at work than his personal dogs get with him at home - all of which are rescued from the streets of Sylmar - and fixed. Blackie does not get along with other dogs so he could not take her home. He tried.

Blackie is 8 years old. She got pregnant because a small terrier dug under the fence and was "visiting" her at night - unknown to the owner until she was pregnant. She was not getting out - the small male was getting IN.

Yes, the owner should have had her spayed long ago... but he has otherwise provided her a fantastic life after finding her half-dead on the street and nursing her back to health 6 years ago. He WANTS to get her spayed now... especially since she has a mammary growth now (after nursing pups) that needs to be removed... and he DID take her to a vet to look at the growth and was told to wait to remove it until the puppies were weaned.

The point of this story? WE NEED YOUR HELP! We have offered to help him get all the puppies fixed/vaxed and chipped... and get mom spayed. He is THRILLED that we are willing to help and is holding off letting go of any of the pups until they are fixed. Pups are 8 weeks old on Monday... so we need to make appointments now.

Please donate via PayPal to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) - indicating it's for Blackie and pups. Donations are tax deductible (EIN 20-4861446).

Yes, Blackie will stay at the business. She has a family that loves her and takes very good care of her. She has a large run during the day, and at night she can go inside or run the entire lot. She is not a neglected "guard" dog. I see her every day. We will be helping the owner screen adopters for the puppies, doing homechecks, and chipping all the pups to us.

I've never seen someone so happy to be offered help with the dogs. He wants to do right by them. Let's make this happen! We need at least 2k. PLEASE SHARE!!

 

 

Every dollar helps. Please donate to help this pupper family get vetted and find loving forever homes. The fundraiser can be found at the following link:

http://www.youcaring.com/pet-expenses/forever-home-with-a-happy-family/235349

Thank you so much!

      Sunday, September 21, 2014


otherstuff
09:03 AM - 09/21/2014

The topic: Well, we’ve had a respite from the heat
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And I'm lovin' it. It's really nice to have all the doors and windows open again and I'm finding the quiet of the morning simply amazing. I just stand there, with the cool breeze blowing over me and listen to the silence. 

The noise from all of the motors was wearing on me.  The A/C, the whole house fan when the A/C wasn't on, the ceiling fans, the standing fans...and now I hear only the birds and the breeze. It's wonderful.

It's still warm during the day, but nothing like the last three or four weeks were.

Well, the carousel is coming along nicely. I just glued the top to the base and am going to start working on the poles and attaching the horses to the poles. This might not go as quickly as I'd like since somewhere along the line, something didn't go the way it was supposed to have and the thing is lopsided. *lol* The poles won't be one size fits all, I have to do them one at a time. 

But I do think it will be complete by this afternoon. And I'm pretty happy about that.

      Monday, September 22, 2014


catstuff
07:22 AM - 09/22/2014

The topic: Want to see Rocky?
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Check out the patiocam. He spends lots of time on the chairs with the table. I gave up trying to keep him inside at night, I don't think he ventures farther than the patio. But he sure likes it out there. 

He comes inside in the afternoon and stays in until the cats are all in and fed, then we can hear him at the back cat door, pulling on it until he gets it open enough to go through.

He's happy.

 


entertainmentstuff
11:38 AM - 09/22/2014

The topic: You know when you see a certain
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Actor's name in a movie that you know you're not going to like the movie?

One of those actors for me is Nicole Kidman. Not that she's a bad actress or that I don't like her, but I don't like the movies she's in. They're always so weird. 


otherstuff
11:55 AM - 09/22/2014

The topic: We really need to get our affairs in order
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If something happens to us, I do NOT, I repeat, do NOT want his brother and sister-in-law anywhere NEAR my cats. I can see them just dumping them somewhere or worse yet, just letting them fend for themselves while they help themselves to our stuff.

They are NOT good cat owners. They got a couple of kittens a few months back and Brian just told me they "lost" one. "Lost" one? WTF?

I guess they got the kittens to kill the mice and mice only come out at night, dontcha know? The SIL wanted to bring them in, but Brian's brother, the same guy who read me the riot act, out of the blue one Christmas day, about us having so many cats said they had to stay out at night. This man who knows everything about everything, this "knowallogist", someone who's opinion drips gold, it's so important.

And we all know that cats are natural hunters, right? It's not like it's something that they LEARN to do from their MOTHERS, right? And if the mother doesn't teach them, they automatically know how to do it.

Right now, the hatred I'm feeling for this man is almost palpable. You could almost touch it and feel it with your hands.

It is not a good feeling. Not at all.


otherstuff
02:21 PM - 09/22/2014

The topic: Let me explain a little about my BIL and SIL
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And why I feel the way I do (I've never been really fond of either of them).

Way back when, Brian and I had season passes for the Chargers. I don't know how many of you remember the big strike when the players walked out, but it was around that time. We had them for a couple of years.

To save the headaches of the traffic, we purchased bus passes for the games and we had to be at the bus stop by a certain time or we'd miss the last bus. One Sunday, Brian had gone over to his parents' house and was helping his brother out with something, I'm not sure what it was, maybe they were trimming a tree or something like that. Anyway, I know how sidetracked Brian can be and how he loses track of time when he gets in a zone. So, I call over there to remind him that he needs to come home and get ready to go if we're going to make the bus.

Now, let me be clear on one point. I wasn't the type of girlfriend or wife who was constantly in touch with him. When we were dating I could count on my hand the number of times I called him. I figured when he had a chance, he'd call me. I was like that with all of my boyfriends, I didn't smother, I didn't pursue. Maybe some may have thought I didn't care, but I just wouldn't do it.  And after we were married, I rarely called him when he was over at his parents' house (long  before cellphones - but even then I wouldn't call him at work unless it was an emergency). I figured he had a reason to be there and I knew he'd be home when he was done with whatever. But this Sunday, there was a time constraint.

Well, Mark answered the phone and I asked if I could talk to Brian. And his brother said to me, in a voice full of contempt "give him a break". 

I had no words. I had no response. I didn't know what to say. Seriously. He asked if I was still there, I said "yes", then I hung up. Of course, Brian got an earful when he got home. 

When Mark got married, I realized Karma has a helluva sense of humor. 

Then there was the Christmas dinner at his mom's house and for some reason, he started getting on my case about how many cats we have. Out of the blue, he was berating me in front of the family over how many cats we have. He didn't bring Brian into the equation, it was all me. It was another jaw dropper. Like Brian said "how have our cats affected HIS life?" We never asked for help with them, we never asked them to take care of them when we're gone, there was no obvious reason why he had said what he did. But for me, it was another brick in the wall.  

When he was dating the woman who he would marry, she was here at the house one afternoon. It was just the two of us. I didn't know her well, it was a getting to know you kind of conversation I guess. She told me about having a cat who "shit all over the house" so she dumped it in a nice neighborhood. 

Strike one.

Later in the conversation she asked me if I'd ever considered help. Help? Huh? Then it dawned on me.

She thought I needed professional mental help. I wasn't sure why, I didn't want to ask. And I didn't.

But we had strike two.

The swings and the misses just keep on coming. There have been so many over the years I could fill a book....all the times Brian's come home to tell me about her giving him hell over one thing or another, things that have absolutely nothing to do with him. Maybe some day I will. 

It just leaves me shaking my head and I just try to ignore it all. banana

The Xanax I took this morning after Brian got home sure helped.

But for me, this stuff doesn't just disappear, it doesn't just go away. No, it sits there in my head. Like a filing cabinet. Some files I never look at again, once they're in there. But others, they just keep getting thicker and thicker and thicker....

      Friday, September 26, 2014


catstuff
04:42 PM - 09/26/2014

The topic: Yesterday we ran out of canned food
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For the kitties. Welll, we had two small cans of Fancy Feast for Miss Elizabeth. 

Wednesday night they got fed late, we'd been to see an advanced screening of "The Equalizer" (review coming soon) and yesterday morning, when I cleaned up the bowls, they hadn't eaten hardly anything . So, I figured they could go one night without wet food. 

We're heading to WalMart shortly to get more kitty cat food. I think they might eat tonight.

Plus, the heat has returned, not as bad as before, but it's uncomfortable and that might be why they didn't eat. I sure hope that's all it is.

      Sunday, September 28, 2014


otherstuff
05:41 PM - 09/28/2014

The topic: Update!
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We're fine! Cats are fine! We're getting a taste of autumn weather (but not for long) and I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

There's a Facebook fella in Alaska that posts things that are political and he's funny about them. He is retired Navy (twenty four years). He has a weblog and his wife has been gone for a week or so and he's more prolific than usual and I've been having so much fun reading (and responding to) the followups to his posts. See, he rattles the cages of the uber-conservatives and some of them have no problem private messaging him, he shares some of this hate mail on FB, and honestly, some of them are pretty ignorant and it's pretty entertaining to read the responses. On my last response, I said I hoped that his wife gets home soon because I'm not getting anything around here done. True story.

Today he posted a photo of one of his cats wrapped around his neck. Adorable.

I've been trying to catch up on some housework after the miserable weeks of heat we had and my heart really isn't in it. I need to get back into the swing of things. I did get some stuff put away in the garage and made room where I've just been piling things up. 

Oh, and since it's the new television season and our DVR (from the cable company) was over 71% full, I needed to get rid of quite a few of the programs that were recorded. I binge watched all of the last season of Dallas. And the season finale from the previous season. The show seemed to lose its way after the death of Larry Hagman, but they found their stride and I was really into the last few episodes. Although I kept hoping Sue Ellen would die or something. I can't stop looking at her mouth, it reminds me of Bobby's tail, Dammit. It seems to have a mind of its own and it moves when nothing's coming out of it. Such a dramatic part of her face and I want to slap a strip of duct tape over it. But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Which surprised me. 

It's just been one of those summers.

Anyway, meatloaf for dinner, with scalloped potatoes (best potato recipe I've ever made) and probably baked beans. 

And I do want to get my carousel photos and video up, because it's just adorable. And I have the review for The Equalizer (go see it, it's an awesome movie) to do.

Man, dinner smells good....

      Monday, September 29, 2014


entertainmentstuff
08:57 AM - 09/29/2014

The topic: Advanced screening: “The Equalizer”
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When we were waiting for the movie to begin, Brian asked "wouldn't it be cool to see a movie where the trailers were the worst part?" Because so many times, the trailers pick up all the good parts of the movie and there's nothing left. 

Well, guess what? He got his wish. The movie was WAY better than you'd get from the trailers. 

Bob (Denzel Washington) is a quiet guy, personable, helpful, doesn't seem to have much of a life outside of work and the people he deals with on a day to day basis. He works at a Home Depot/Lowe's type of store, lives alone and has insomnia. He has a little diner he goes to when he can't sleep and he reads his books and he has ongoing conversations with the fellow diners. 

A quiet man, a quiet life.

Until one of the late night diners answers her phone and tells the person on the other side, she doesn't want to go with this guy. See, she's a prostitute, the guy on the other end was her pimp. They spoke Russian. She leaves the diner and gets into a limo outside with the pig of a man who is paying for her services. Bob watches from his regular seat by the window.

Then one of the cashiers at his day job gets robbed and the thug wants her ring, the one that belonged to her mother.

We begin to see that Bob isn't as laid back as it seems. 

Bob has a "before" life. And it was a well trained life.  Bob doesn't carry a weapon, but he's very aware of his surroundings. And you'll cringe. And you'll cheer. And you'll never look at Home Depot the same. I shouldn't say much more, I don't want to spoil the surprises. But they're all good. 

Despite all of the violence (none of it gratuitous, these guys had it coming!) it was a great movie, a fun movie. A very fun movie.

Rarely do I see so many smiles when we leave the theater, but this time? Yeah, there were a lot of happy people.  

Check it out. See it on the big screen. You won't regret it.

 


otherstuff
10:15 AM - 09/29/2014

The topic: All these years I’ve been telling Brian
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When the water bill comes "we need to cut back, you need to quit watering the lawn so much".  He always said "it's only on for a few minutes in each place, do you want a brown lawn?"  No, but I don't want to have to pay $200 a month for water, either, and they just keep raising the rates and we're in a drought and and and....(I always have a lot of ands).

So, a couple of months ago he pulled the majority of pine needles the neighbor has been so graciously dumping on our bank for the past fifteen or twenty years and spread them over the front lawn. Voila! No need to water this area.

You might also recall the water backup in the laundry room after I got the new washer and dryer. It wasn't draining properly because there's a blockage in the line at this end of the house. Dishwater and laundry water weren't making it out to the sewer at the street. Instead of paying a couple of hundred bucks to get the line unblocked, Brian bought some pool hose and the water from that end of the house, the gray water, empties onto the lawn. This results in needing to water this area less than we had been watering it.

You may also recall my numerous complaints of the heat this summer. I'm sure there have been one or two.

Well, the water bill got here. It's down almost 25% from last year's usage. 

Brian said "all these years you've told me to cut back on watering...."

And the lawn? It's not all brown. 


craftstuff
05:21 PM - 09/29/2014

The topic: The carousel
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Got the photos up over on the album (there are twenty) and I'll share some of them here.

First, let's see the little video:

 

The "tent" portion, the top portion and the mirrored center:

Keeping the mirrors clean while I add embellishments:

 

It took me over four hours to put these little beads along the edge. I got them on eBay, they're only 2mm wide. I had no idea they'd be so small, I've got plenty of rulers around here that have millimeter on them, you'd think I'd have checked. But I like how it turned out. 

All parts are assembled and attached:

Time to add the horses and poles. For some reason, the length between the top and the bottom wasn't equal at all holes. I had to do each one individually. On my next one, the holes that are on the bottom two pieces for the "poles" will have matching holes on the top so the pole will go through both the top and bottom.

Horses and poles installed (I used black stirring straws I got on Amazon and wrapped curling ribbon around them for the gold), lights are added. I added holes for the top for the lights, except for some reason I had in my mind there were thirty lights on each strand. I was wrong. There were only twenty. And after it was finished Brian said it would look even cooler if there had been some lights in at the inside top, over the horses. Thinking it over, I can do this and it will probably be a lot easier. Tape doesn't stick too well to that paper and I tried three different types of tape. banana

As I said, you can see more of these photos over on my album. Clicking on a picture here will open up a new window over there. And to see the photo even bigger, click on it on the album.

This carousel is part of SVGCuts Carousel Ride Kit. As with all of their kits, you can find the instructional video over on their YouTube channel.

 

 

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lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities.

In her spare time, she makes pretty things to sell in her store.

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