Category: the catch-all-egory

all about me, happenings, mixed media, near and dear, show the love, the catch-all-egory

buying things will take your mind off of it…

by  •  • 9 Comments

So James and I came home from the vet frustrated with our situation yesterday, because we really weren’t getting much in the way of answers from the people at Banfield. With our frustration, we called to speak with the vet, and honestly, she took about 15 minutes to really talk with me, which did make me feel better. She told me that we need to get the x-ray and the ultrasound, and if those don’t show anything, we need to do an endoscopy. We are taking it one thing at a time. X-ray and ultrasound are currently scheduled for Thursday, and hopefully, we will know more then.

I honestly hope that it is nothing. She thinks that it might be an ulcer or something similar, and if so, there is medication that he can take that will make him better. She also informed us that we needed to try and make him eat, which we were actually successful with last night. We are trying different types of wet dog foods, really anything, to get him to eat. We found a treat he likes, and honestly, if that is what he will eat, I will buy a bunch of it to get something in his stomach. He is still weak, but he definitely seemed better after eating last night. Also, he isn’t yelping as much anymore either; which is a great sign. Thanks to all of the well wishes and thoughts you guys, I really don’t know what I would do if anything happened to my baby, and I really hope that he will get back to his old self sooner, rather than later. I am just praying he gets better soon. I will give updates about the tests on Thursday when we get them done.

James and I were driving home from the vet yesterday, and honestly, we were just silent in the car, because we were so worried. The call with the vet changed a lot of that, but we are still concerned, and can’t think of much else. So, like the good little consumer, I have turned to a little well-timed retail therapy to help take my mind off of this week’s situation. Coincidental to these events with Sydney, two products that I have been urning for came out today:

The NEW Tivo HD receiver (the much more reasonable $300 version)
and
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I have my confirmation order number for the tivo (after getting rejected by the website, and having to call in, sit on hold, get rejected by the system, and having the customer service person (who was really sweet, and actually called back and gave me confirmation) complete the order and call my back), and I am going to pick up GH during lunch. Is this enough to make me not worry about my little man? Absolutely not. However, it really does make me feel a little bit better; even if it is momentarily.

Tonight will be some shredding at my place, and hopefully, we can get little man to eat a little more. Hope everyone is having a good day. Now, WHEN will my new tivo arrive!! HURRY!

the catch-all-egory

update on sydney

by  •  • 8 Comments



cutest dog on earth, originally uploaded by duanemoodydotcom.

He’s still not feeling well, and frankly, we don’t know what’s wrong with him. Today, James and I are going to see if we can take him in for an ultrasound and possibly, an x-ray. His blood tests and fecal tests were normal, yet he isn’t improving, and still doesn’t want to eat.

We keep feeding him boiled chicken, like the vet suggested, but he won’t eat very much of it at all. I am honestly just scared for him, because we can tell that he has lost weight; and with a dog this small, any weight loss is not good.

This is pretty much my primary concern right now, and my current obsession; I really hope that my little man gets better soon. Please keep him in your thoughts and whatnot, because he definitely loves a little support.

I will update with new information as I get it. Here’s hoping that it is just a little cold or something like that, and it will pass. I have faith that he is going to get better soon… whether he wants to or not!

"pointless", all about me, blog on blog, happenings, listen up!, mixed media, the catch-all-egory

giving in, one web app at a time

by  •  • 4 Comments

Nikki recently joined facebook amongst the others; and alas, so have I. Not only that, I find myself on twitter, yelp, flickr, livejournal, netvibes, and a host of other great web apps. I still never gave in to myspace, which I have say, is not something that I am ever going to join, EVER.

With that being said, facebook is pretty awesome; there is a ton to actually do and look at. I foresee lots of time spent on there. At least it is another corner of the internet that can entertain me. I have added links to my profiles at twitter, livejournal, facebook, etc in the “more than just a blog” column on the right over there; so go, check it out, and add me as a friend if you so desire.

I am not going to post those links in this post (even though that would probably be convenient) because I am lazy. Also, I listening to the Silversun Pickups (again), and the song “Well Thought Out Twinkles” may be one of the best songs EVER. Seriously. Awesome.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday, well, at least as relaxing as mine has been. Now… only to decide whether to go or not to go to the gym…

all about me, blog on blog, hmm interesting, movie musings, near and dear, show the love, that is so gay, the catch-all-egory, tragic

thanks and thoughts

by  •  • 4 Comments

I wanted to say thanks to everyone that sent well wishes and stuff the other day; I was just in a weird spot, and I honestly was thinking too much for my own good. I have this incredible ability to let something minuscule turn into a huge festering thing in my mind, all because I focus too much on it. I am working on that, but it is part of what I learned in how to deal with people when I was growing up. Some of that stuff never goes away, and you just have to deal with it; perhaps that is why I find that I do get let down when I expect too much from people. My parents were good at letting me down, and yet, I naively always believed that the next time, they wouldn’t; which unfortunately, almost always ended in disappointment. I am working on getting out of that, but for now, I can only go at this pace. Thanks for listening, understanding, and being here.

Sydney is doing better, although he is very lethargic and doesn’t want to move around much. I am hoping that by the end of the weekend, he is back to his normal, energetic self. I don’t like seeing him in any pain, because he really is my “baby”, and I love him so much. I am just glad that his tests came back normal, and it appears to just be a case of upset tummy. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts about him, as well.

Other than that, there isn’t really much going on in the way of “stuff” right now. I am still in a little bit of a weird place, as it was pointed out to me that I was being a little snippy at lunch with James. I was constantly on his case about his driving, because, well, he is a very easily distracted person anyway, and I really didn’t want anything to happen to him or his car. I guess sometimes, good intentions come out bitchy. Oh well… perhaps it is the rain today? Who knows… I just know I am glad that it is Friday.

Finally, a few links with some scattered thoughts:
— Surprise! A negative review of “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” from a gay website. While I don’t really care one way or another about the movie getting good or bad reviews, it always makes me wonder about people who watch movies and criticize them, when it is clear to everyone else that the movie is going to contain the very elements that the critic negatively goes on and on about. Obviously, this movie is going to use borderline or outright negative gay stereotypes and bad humor to poke fun at what most American men see to be an uncomfortable situation; a simulated homosexual relationship between two straight men. While it may be distasteful and possibly a negative reinforcement (but probably not, since GLAAD gave it a thumbs up), if you don’t want to hear the negative gay jokes, don’t go see this movie; problem solved. I do have to say though, that I think Kevin James is absolutely adorable, and I don’t think that his part in this dumb movie will change any of that feeling from me.
— Cheney will be in charge while Bush goes under for a routine colonoscopy. I would really have loved it if the news outlets had gotten creative, and came up with creatively disgusting titles to supplement this story. However, I for one don’t know how they are actually going to get in there, with that big stick shoved up his ass, and all.
— I saw this clip of Tammy Faye when she was recently on the Larry King show, and it honestly just breaks my heart to see someone so sweet and genuinely wonderful suffering like that. Hell, I don’t like seeing anyone suffer, but Tammy Faye is good, and she totally has had our backs for a long time, showing the world what a true Christian should be like. Additionally, her son has turned out to be accepting and loving as well; not to mention, kind of hot. I love you Tammy Faye, and I hope that you are not suffering, and that your final days are peaceful and happy. You have been there for the gays, and we definitely thank you for your love, kindness, and support. If only there were more like you, Tammy Faye.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I am going to do my best to relax, finish the paintings I am working on, and spend time with my family (James, little Sydney, and some friends if they are interesting in hanging out). Now, I’m off to get some damn wine… I have been Cabernet-ing it up this week; I see no reason to slow up now!

hmm interesting, is it just me?, listen up!, the catch-all-egory, venting, well?, wtf?!

monday ramblings…

by  •  • 15 Comments

Not much going on today, other than slowly trying to get into the week, after a delightful weekend. We hung out with friends on Friday and Saturday, and had dinner with a lovely couple last night, one of which was someone that James met this summer. They were quite nice, and I look forward to hanging out with them again. We don’t know very many long term gay couples, so it is good to meet one more.

I went shopping at Garden Ridge yesterday, and got a lot of awesome decorator things… I think that the decorating bug has bitten me a little harder than I expected. I will be posting some pictures of the new decorations when things are all put together and posh like I like them.

Other than that, there isn’t much to say, but I do have a few thoughts on a few things. Check these out:
Iraq’s Prime Minister says we can leave anytime; they don’t need our help. He also agrees with me, that our presence is driving more people to join up with al Qaeda. Do we still think that our presence is in their best interests? It’s becoming clearer and clearer each day that we are there to take something that we want; which is sickening. Come on America, when are we going to actually be decent people, and act like the “example” of “democracy” that we are shoving down the throats of every oppressive government in the world? We have got to practice what we preach before we will get anywhere that we could ever consider a positive place.

To sort of piggy back on that thought, I guess it is true that diplomacy is actually a viable option, one that should be explored before war. Apparently, since we came to an agreement that we were both comfortable with, North Korea decided to shut down their nuclear reactor. No more threat of nuclear weapons for N. Korea? It is probably not that simple, but it is a good step; one that we came to with agreement, and more importantly, peace. Why don’t we try something like that with Iran? I mean, a lot of the reason they are so angry with us, is because of our presence in Iraq, so perhaps we should start listening to what is going on in that region. Perhaps if we stopped talking long enough to listen, we could get somewhere… peacefully. Here’s hoping.

Not that I really needed another reason to think of him as completely despicable, and completely devoid of the ability to consider the real needs of American citizens, Bush is promising to veto a bill that would increase funding for providing uninsured children with health coverage. Interestingly enough, this will come at no expense to anyone other than smokers, many of whom, in my opinion, owe a bunch of these kids health care anyway; I know my parents smoked right in my face my whole childhood, and I am not at all in doubt that this is at least somehow linked to my bad allergies. I can almost guarantee that there are kids out there that are affected even more negatively by smoking parents; who would be paying for the uninsured kids out there that aren’t lucky enough to have parents wealthy enough to pay for health care.

If, by adding a tax to cigarettes, more children can have access to health care, can you please explain to me HOW is this a bad thing? Seriously, if you can give me one viable reason as to why this is bad in any way, let me know. (Just so you know, “more people will take advantage of the system” is a BS answer, before you try to shove that one down my throat again; there are regulations, standards, and qualification requirements on this program, which should eliminate MOST of the “free loaders”. That kind of mentality (which is apparently where the Bush camp is coming from) really makes me wonder why people don’t have more faith in those that are less fortunate in this country. Just because someone is poor doesn’t automatically make them a crook, a freeloader, or someone looking for a free ride or a handout. Have a little faith in people!). I for one, hope that he considers that these children are in this uninsured situation because of the way our economy works against the working class, and the poor; but I am sure that some one will be quick to step up and call them lazy assholes, rather than acknowledge that situations and circumstances are different for everyone, and not every homeless person is too lazy to get a job.

What has happened to our country, that we have lost all faith in people’s ability to be good? Do we live in such a culture of fear and hate that we will always blame, rather than consider the circumstances? Perhaps that is part of our problem in Iraq… and unfortunately, people all over the world see that we are being like that; whether we want to acknowledge it or not. I just wish things could be better; because I know we are capable of it.

Ugh… I guess that is a lot of thought for a Monday, but alas, there it is. Hope your day is going well!

get over it!, hmm interesting, is it just me?, listen up!, mixed media, politics, public health, the catch-all-egory, tragic, venting, well?, wtf?!

some scattered links and thoughts

by  •  • 4 Comments

I have seen some interesting things today, so I thought to myself, “hey, that should be my post!”. So, here are some links to interesting things, and my thoughts on them. I will try not to let this go on too long, but this stuff is quite interesting folks; check it out and feel free to share your opinions as well.

  • We say that we want to rebuild Iraq, stabilize the country, and make it better for the citizens of Iraq, right? Well, why, then, are they suffering from a 60-70% unemployment rate, when our contractors are steadily filling jobs that the citizens themselves could do? If an engineer can’t find a job, there’s a problem. But, we have their best interests at heart, right? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
  • Hey intelligent design fanatics, can you please explain the presence of vestigiality, and how it fits within your non-evolutionary explanation of how we got here? mkthxsbbye. Methinks the evolutions are reals, y’all!
  • I have written about global warming before, and one of the biggest arguments presented as evidence that we were not the cause of our current warming trend was the so-called warming of the sun, and its effects on our atmosphere. Turns out, that is wrong, wrong, wrong. Apparently, the sun is actually not warming at all, and temperatures are currently lower because of the sun being in a period of low activity. Interesting. Methinks the humans are causing the global warmings, y’all! Dude, science is fucking awesome, isn’t it!? 😉
  • Apparently, and according to our president, when you get sick, or the fact that you are uninsured, it is your fault. Shame on you for purposefully breaking your arm by falling out of that tree, little Jimmy! You are such a twat, because now it is mommy’s fault that you can’t go to the hospital to get it fixed! Fucking people and their getting sick on purpose. It’s so weird, Mr. president, how we actually do have government medical programs like Medicare and Medicaid that actually work, and could provide those “sick-doers” some coverage; but I guess it is easier to blame people for their problems than it is to actually help them.
  • To piggyback on the last thought, if you really think that there isn’t a problem with the current health care situation, and that the government shouldn’t (or couldn’t) do something about it, be glad that you aren’t this guy; because if you were, you would be in debt up to your eye balls. But then again, I guess it was your fault, right? Ugh. I hate living in this country some times, because people really love to point the finger and place blame without thinking about those that suffer.
  • And finally, this (not sure if it is credible or true, but one can hope) is pretty awesome news: Drinking not only doesn’t kill brain cells, but it may actually be good for you!! Holy shit! Moderate drinking promotes good health! I’m in heaven!!! Who wants to come over and drink some wine?! Woo hoo! *glug glug glug… ah!*
  • UPDATE: I almost forgot to mention it; Sara Bareilles will be performing on Craig Ferguson tonight!! Make sure to catch this performance of this amazing artist! I know I keep going on an on about her, but she is amazing, and there is NO REASON that you should continue to ignore me, and go one more day without hearing her beautiful music, and experiencing her massive talent. Also, don’t forget to get her CD, Little Voice, which is not only MAGNIFICENT, it is out now!!

Well, I tried to keep it short. There it is kids, soak in up, take it in, swish it around a bit, and let me know what YOU think about it. Interesting stuff in the news, I tell ya!

all about me, happenings, hmm interesting, the catch-all-egory

hmmm… now I know

by  •  • 8 Comments

First of all, thanks to everyone that has wished me well, it means a lot. I am definitely doing better, but I am still in some significant pain. I also managed to twist my right knee, somehow, and I basically feel like I am falling apart. Hopefully, both things will heal at the same time, and I can get back to feeling good, and very importantly, go back to working out; I can tell the weight loss has grinded to a seriously halt. I also look forward to NOT taking pain medication and muscle relaxers anymore; I am on vicodin, naproxen (500mg), and skelaxin. Unfortunately, the effect of those medicines, is that I feel completely trashed, and loopy as fuck. Right now, as I write this, I feel like I have had 5 drinks too many, and I am completely sober. Tis not good, y’all. It also makes me incredibly nauseous, which just complicates things. Here’s to getting better!

I went a little crazy this weekend with decorating. I was so stir crazy from the cabin fever, that James and I went to Home Goods on Saturday, and I totally got bitten by the decorating bug. Our bedroom has never actually be decorated the whole time that we have lived in our house, and I felt that it was about time to do something about that. The result was a fun time picking out art and things to decorate the barren walls of our “love chamber”. I will try to get some pictures of it when it is finished (and when I have had time to clean it to a presentable standard). I love decorating, and I had a lot of fun picking out all of the stuff I got. I also haven’t been to Home Goods in a while, and totally forgot how much I love that place.

Finally, we had to take Sydney to the vet this morning because of his day on, day off, yelping and “woe is me” routine. We were sufficiently worried about his well being, so we decided that it was pertinent to take him in. They said that it might be stomach acid, or even an ulcer, so we got the medication (i.e., gross) dog food for him, and were instructed to watch him. James and I had a talk, and I think that we have caused this problem (at least in part) by giving him scraps from our plates. We are going to stop the people food all together, because I want my little boy to live a long and happy life. If anything happened to him, I would be devastated, and I am just glad that we are going to be striving for a happier, healthier Sydney.

Well, that’s about it for now… I am seriously hating the effects of these pills. I feel like complete shit right now. Here’s hoping I don’t have to throw up, because the nausea is taking me over right now. Wish me luck, and pray that I don’t have to.

all about me, flickr, happenings, mixed media, movie musings, music musings, music suggestion, near and dear, the catch-all-egory

well, it’s friday… wait, what?

by  •  • 3 Comments

So this week has really gotten away from me. Perhaps it was the combination of the pain killers, the muscle relaxers, the inability to get around without pain, the back spasms, the cabin fever, and the myriad of other distractions that have somehow kept me sane in my bed this week. Thank god for wireless internet, movies, music, working from home, a snuggly dog, the internets, and my lovely husband (who does, unfortunately, have a pretty shallow threshold for dealing with things like this, and occasionally needs to disappear; which is annoying, but sometimes understandable). Overall, it has been a relaxing week, but I just can’t believe that it is over, and I am still pretty uncomfortable.

I know that a lot of people are still wondering why I haven’t gone to the doctor, and thanks for the advice that everyone has provided, but at this point, I don’t see a need to go in, wait an hour, pay my copay, and hear him say I have a pulled muscle in my back and tell me to continue taking the muscle relaxers he has already provided me with. If it gets any worse, I will definitely head for the nearest medical professional, but as long as I continue on my path to progress (see my LONG path to SLOW progress), I will just keep the routine of relax, rest, take pills, sleep, and try not to move in a way that will activate a back spasm (as I did this morning, and triggered the aggravation all over again… nice).

I just hope that this weekend can include some time outside of this house… I am beginning to get a little stir crazy. I have to say though, it has been nice having time to spend watching all of these movies, and repeatedly listening to Sara Bareilles‘ new CD (which again, is WONDERFUL). I have also spent a little time getting to know my netvibes page, which I am obviously not using to its fullest potential. I still want to add more cool shit, so if you have an suggestions, I am all ears.

Final interesting note: I noticed that the picture that I took of my friend at pride was getting a TON of attention yesterday, and I finally found out why; it made reddit at some point during the day. What does that mean? Try 20k+ views and around 30 some odd favorites and comments. Nice. At least it was flickr’s bandwidth and not mine, right? Still, I love that such an awesome “protest” of the protesters is getting so much positive attention; they really do ruin things like pride.

Hope everyone has a great weekend… you’ve got red on you.

all about me, happenings, hmm interesting, is it just me?, movie musings, the catch-all-egory

some days, you just want to stay in bed…

by  •  • 4 Comments

And some days, you do! This has been my MO for the past several days; lots of rest, and the forced retreat to my comfortable resting spot, my bed. Since throwing my back out on Saturday, I have managed to get a lot of rest, and, in the process, get much better, but I am still experiencing the brunt of the injury (at least I can walk now… thank GOD). Hopefully, things will be right as rain soon, as I am seriously STARTING to get a little cabin fever.

I do have to admit, that I am super pleased that my work has been kind enough to let me work from home, and I have seriously enjoyed the time that I have spent relaxing these past few days. It has kind of been like a mini-vacation; except for the working from home, and the trapped in bed with immense pain parts. To top it all off, the drugs that they gave me serve me well, but only seem to make me incredibly loopy, and feel nauseous as well. Here’s hoping the heating pad does its job, and I am back in action soon.

I want to get out and go see Transformers, because everyone is a buzz about how good it is. Nothing like some mindless special effects to make you take your mind off of your throbbing back, right? When I regain the ability to walk without assistance, James and I are going to take in a showing.

Also, on a weird note, I randomly found this website, that “rates” your blog with a movie rating; based on some unspoken algorithm, and I found it kind of interesting how mine was rated, and more importantly, why they rated it as such. Here’s what I was given:
Online Dating

Mingle2 – Online Dating

Wow, an NC-17! Eat that Elizabeth Berkley! But what is more interesting in the extreme rating, is the justification:

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words: gay (31x), pain (5x), queer (4x), sex (3x), hell (2x), hurt (1x).

Well then… gays in pain, who identify themselves as queer garner an NC-17 rating… interesting how that takes precedent over sex. Weird. Oh well, I just thought it was interesting. Perhaps there is more to be said, but honestly, I am too focused on my back to get into it.

Hope everyone is better than I am today, and I hope to be back on me feet soon.

all about me, hotness, movie musings, near and dear, show the love, that is so gay, the catch-all-egory

I’ve got a little crush…

by  •  • 6 Comments

YAY! We made it to Friday! I am super happy about this weekend, because I know that next week has a holiday right smack dab in the middle of the week; which always make the weekend seem that much better! Plus, everyone in my office is out on vacation, so that makes things super relaxed around here as well. Very, very nice.

Not too much going on today in duane-land, but I have to confess that I have more than a little crush (I know, misleading, aren’t I?) on Simon Pegg (who is being pulled in the picture by the also very handsome Nick Frost; which came from this great photography site). Not only is Shaun of the Dead one of my all time favorite movies, I have to say, that every time I see him, I just can’t get over how strikingly cute he is. Perhaps it is the nerd lover in me? Either way, we watched the movie Big Nothing last night, and it was quite hilarious. Simon Pegg is in it, hence today’s post… It is definitely one we will be adding to the DVD library. Dark comedies can be so fun, can’t they!? If you enjoy dark comedy, I suggest you check this one out, I liked it.

Other than that, I found out that I have $25 in reward zone cash from Best Buy. How sweet! Money for spending lots of money! I am going to swing by there and pick up something this afternoon… a treat!

Finally, does anyone have advice for selling things on eBay? I have thought about it in the past, and never followed through, but I was looking in my closet this morning at all the clothes that I no longer wear, and thought, hey, I should totally sell those on eBay! Just wanted to see what other people’s experiences were with selling on eBay, before I go barreling forward with my “new business”. HA! I always knew there would be a day those designer jeans would have a new home… perhaps that day will come sooner than expected; and in return, I can get a few extra dollars to boot!

Hope everyone has a great afternoon, and a superb weekend. Rock it!