So I've been watching lots of Michael Jackson videos today. Mainly because I was hanging out w/Jen who was watching lots of Michael Jackson videos. But here I am sitting and watching Captain EO on youtube. I'm realising I had two distinct memories of who I think of him as, from my childhood. One is Captain EO, I saw it back when I was fairly young at Epicot center. The other is from the Chipmunks (btw--the squeakuel looks like it will be fun). Something very few people remember, as far as I can tell.

So here it is:




Its weird, because I don't own a single MJ cd--which is just sort of laziness on my part I guess. But watching the videos, I realise how much I know about him and how many memories have involving his artistry.

So trip to Madison was alot of fun.

We arrived at like 8:30 their time, so we went out and ate at a local diner (where I learned my cousin also thinks that fiesta ware jugs are totally adorable--I so want one one day). went back to the house and played....Star Trek Scene It! It certainly has a wide range of questions in it. But it was alot of fun.

Next day the aunts arrived, with one little next generation cousin, Jaedyn. Too bad her mother is in Germany, but the tiny one represented her branch of the family very well. I've never seen a little one stop crying so fast. She skinned her knee really well at one point and that was the longest I witnessed her crying...maybe a minute. And even then it was just crying, not really full blown toddler wailing that it could have been.

Anyways, her first word on passing the threshold was "Toys!?" She was apparently feeling deprived as her g'ma (my aunt) hadn't brought any with her. Unfortunately my uncle's house has far less kinder friendly items than mine. She walked all around, found "Bootsie Thunderfoot" a Bunny/Sheep looking thing that was about as big as she is. Bootsie had a special way of making Jaedyn get very frustrated and crying. (In her defense she was running on about 4 hours of sleep.) Something about him not sitting in the chair she thought he should be in. But she also randomly walked up to him and kissed him on the nose. So cute.

She also has an obsession with trash. Anything that could be trash must be picked up and thrown out. Mostly this isn't a problem. But in the house, which has lots of chinese and japanese knick-knacks in it from my other cousin living over there...

"Trash!" little hand shoots out.

"Noooo."

Origami has a way of looking like trash to a two year old.


Life at home continues to grow more...complicated, and emotionally draining however. I was hoping this year was going to be better than last, I mean ID theft stinks--but the universe had to go and top it. This year is going to be rough.

Pulled in sometime between 3 and 3:30am this morning. Am so tired.

But, I love spending time with my family so it was worth it.

Here's a list of why I love being with the extended family:

1)they don't question any suggestions on carrying around say an empty cup or can to bring home and recycle, they are as nuts about that I as I am

2)they too require the highest SPF sunscreen possible and insist on time well spent applying it

3)they get my sense of humour (I clearly got it from that side of the family) and aren't insulted by my sarcasm

4)they more than willingly go used bookstore hopping with me to hunt down my hard to find authors

5)each one of them is blow me out of the water smart and interesting

More on the trip later, but I have to shower and get ready for work. bleargh.

The extended-fam is pressuring me to stay a day longer and skip work on Monday. Is sooooo tempting. Aside from some sisterly tension this trip has been awesome for the mental stress I've been feeling. (We'll see how I feel after the trip back though.)

i love my family.

Guh.

So early, couldn't get to sleep,ended up counting to over 200 at least twice.

Also woke up to a Charley Horse. Not my driving leg, but that one is just waiting to happen, they like to happen in pairs. Grrrr.

Pain will keep me an alert driver ;)

Well, I'm heading off to visit my Uncle for his b-day bash. Long drive ahead of me and my sister, hopefully everything goes smoothly. I have mixed emotions about the trip--among other things. Life has suddenly taken a turn for the more complicated and I'm not sure how well I am handling it at the moment.

Hahaha!

I stole this.

But its awesome. Buffy tells Edward what's what.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

So, I had an interesting dream last night. Beats me where it came from. So I think my family was camping our way across England (har har har) And we ended up at this stadium and a 'you are the intended next heir of the throne after your father' ceremony was taking place. Prince William was walking up to the middle of the field in a long fur cape/royal robe and holding two golden palms (that were going to be wrapped around his head during the ceremony as a symbolic crown).

So there my family is sitting the bleachers way back, I'm taking some fun shots with my camera you know 'they'll never believe this'. My sisters were fangirling over Prince William. Then part of the ceremony was 'take a moment and share this with those around you.' Prince Harry was sitting almost right in front of us and no one noticed. Somehow from that he decided to join us on our camping across England trip.

And then become my penpal. ( was going to use my green lined paper to write him..why...I have no clue.) And to prove his good intentions of friendship and penpal-ness he allowed me to choose either a cannister of regular or chocolate chai to have sent to me. (Chocolate of course, that stuff is hard to find!)

And that was my dream. A royal friendship--sealed with chai.

I can't even begin to explain how my unconscious mind works.

So the house two doors up from mine was broken into the other day. This is not good. Our basement window...which is maybe 3 x 2 big was mysteriously found 'open' the other day. Partially opened that is, we've had nasty weather, but I doubt it was able to blow the window that in my memory of the 20+ years of living here has never been opened, and there was no reason either. It pretty much serves no purpose. Unless you are a creepy thief.

But my mom and I were talking about what if someone had been breaking in. And them possibly being scared away, because my neighbors keep fairly regular schedules. While my family...all of us are in and out at completely unpredictable times of day. So that's a good thing. Hopefully the forensics lab found something from the other break in though. And can catch the low life. Though nothing came of the car windows on my sister and padre's car's being smashed the other year.

And where's the sun? I like it not being too hot and the pollen count being lowered by the rain but its just been sort of bleak lately.

Noooooo! *sob* Kevin Sorbo cancelled his appearance at Shore Leave. He was my birthday present to me.

On the bright side, Vanessa Angel from Weird Science will now be there, but Kevin Sorbo was much more exciting. I guess its a good think I'm a slacker and had not sent in my registration forms. But Boooooo!

So I'm half way through "The No1 Ladies Detective Agency" its the second book by Alexander McCall Smith that I've read. The other I think was called, "Dreaming Angus" and is about Celtic mythology--its part of a great series that has modern writers retell ancient myths. Margaret Atwood did one called "The Penelopiad" which is the Odyssey from Penelope's POV, really interesting--way better than the other book by her that I read (Handmaid's Tale, guuuuh, haaaate).

Anyways, I'm loving McCall Smith's writing style. Its like I'm getting a tour of Botswana. I really liked the other book too, its a very natural style easy to read but not fluffy. Sort like a gentle breeze. Anyways, I'd totally recommend this book. I know they are making/have made an HBO series based on this series of books. I bet its a pretty fun watch, if they were at all loyal to the book. I'd be curious to see it, but I don't have HBO, so DVDs maybe.


In other news: Belle took it upon herself to go down the staircase today (the one connecting the first and second floor of the house, that I have been carrying her up and down the last several months). And I hadn't given her any pain meds yesterday at all. I'm going to try and see if I can ween her off them all together. I'm starting every other day to see if she's good with that. She's already down to less than a third of her original dosage. I still am not entirely convinced she has arthritis.

So its been crazy busy at work in the last few weeks. Anyways, the phone was ringing the other day and I had to lunge inbetween two of my co-workers who were helping other customers to answer it.

"Hello--thanks for calling---- how may I help you" (not the whole little phone speech, but you get the picture.)
"Yeah, you have a book called 'Weird Maryland.'"
"We should, let me put you on hold while I check."
"Well HURRY UP! my battery is dying." Uh...why'd you make what could be a longer than quick call. Dummy.
"Okay, hold on." Click.

Walking from where I was to where we hold the books is where the book happened to be, so it probably couldn't have been a faster finding of the book.

"Okay, I have it do you want me to put it on hold for you?"
"Yeah--I have a Barnes and Noble card what does that do for me?"
"I couldn't really tell you, since this is Borders."
"Aw no! What am I doing talking to you. I want to talk to the Barnes & Nobel in the mall."
"Well, there isn't one in the mall. Its in the Harbour Center down the street."
"No, there's a Barnes& Noble in the mall. I know it, I saw it the other day."
"Well, that would be pretty hard. I'm standing in the only bookstore in the mall, and its a Borders."
"Its there somewhere."
"Did you want me to put the book on hold for you?"
"Yeah."


Guh. If nothing else I was completely entertaining my coworker that I was standing next to.

So the last two days Belle has been amazingly better.

Its weird.

She's been scampering around with alot more speed and my sister in an effort to get away from the food crazed beagle came up stairs last night. The lure of egg drop soup was too much for the beagle. Belle decided to try her luck at climbing stairs again. She made it about half way up before we noticed her. Then she just froze in spot two legs on one step, two legs on another. So I had to pick her up.

The same thing happened this morning. I'm not sure if she is freezing on the steps because that is where we catch her or if that is where she runs out of steam. Either way, its pretty impressive progress from where she was. But it also means we might have to start gating off the stairs, because we don't want her running out of steam when no one is around to rescue her from the steps.

It could be because she's on a liver medicine now and food...but I didn't think that would effect her energy and pain level. Maybe it is. Maybe its the warmer weather. But either way, I'll take it. Having a scampering beagle is far superior to an invalid beagle.

I love my cousins.

Here's an awesome tidbit that one shared with me.

So got a hair cut today. Finally worked it into my schedule, crazy thing that it is.

Lost a good bit of length, but I can deal with that--dead ends were nuts.

He made it super dark though.

And also said that I should be named Morgan because I looked like Morgan le Fay. I didn't get the comment at first, but my hair is waaaaay dark.

Then he did some 'experimental' curling technique on me. take a chunk of hair wrap it around his finger in a loop and then pin it to my head. Did that all over my head, then he dried it and pulled out the clips.

The curls were still plastered to my head, it was tres weird looking.So I looked like a sproigy cherub.

So not attractive.

I was supposed to let it stay that way for an hour and shake it out. But I had to be somewhere like asap so I waited until he drove off in his car. The owner of the salon was like 'why don't you shake it out now, you afraid he will yell at you.' Yessss. I swear, he is so bossy. He almost had a heart attack when I said which shampoo I was using.

We'll see what happens tomorrow when I wash and do it myself--minus the lunatic curls.

So I'm going to vent.

I'm going to put it behind a cut. But I wouldn't mind feed back.


Begin Rant.

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Work was long today. And hot! Dang, I'm not ready for summer yet. And I almost killed a child. The section I spent Sunday night alphabetizing--she pulled out books from all over--about 100 of them, and pilled them on the floor to figure out which THREE she could buy, by sorting them into piles of what she had and didn't have. And did the adult with her say anything about this? Noooo. My only consolation is that the adult in question, her grandmother, had the biggest wedgie I've ever seen. She was wearing a tan colored bohemian style skirt, linen or something light and it was tucked in so good it looked like she was wearing pants from the back. Seriously stem to stern of her rear. But small consolation considering I wanted to pelt the little girl with all of the Animal Arc's she had redistributed.

Also my sister is getting her tonsils out tomorrow. here's hoping all goes well.

So Belle seems to be doing better today, thank goodness. One of my neighbors asked about her, because they hadn't seen us walking her lately. He then told me they had to put their dog down :(

Eye doc said my eye would be fine. Hooray. And they didn't dialate today, yesssss. So glad about that. Still didn't like the yellow pressure testing stuff though.

Went to Weiss, another Grocery store I enjoy visiting. They had the Star Trek cereal, lol, so I so got it. Its like Lucky Charms but more futuristic ;) Also Ollies--ended up coming home with the first two seasons of Inuyasha--because they were 3 dollars apiece. Something to watch on and off while cleaning my room or something. I think I've seen part of a an episode or two...when I was in Florida visiting my cousin way back. But starting at the begining will be way less confusing.

I actually started to really get into 'No 1 Ladies Detective Agency' while in the waiting room today. McCall Smith is a pretty talented craftsman with the words. Too bad I hadn't read anythign by him when he came to the National Book Festival a few years back. (Of course, I usually haven't read anything by the contemporary adult authors...) Makes me want to visit Africa.

Date:	2009-06-01 00:12
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	upset

Urgh. I could strangle some members of my family.

Belle has been doing really well, considering where she was. She gets up walks around, has been begging for food the way she used to. She's lost a bunch of weight--we've had her on a diet, so as to help her ability to support herself.

I get home tonight (after a fun night of alphabetizing! Woo! I actually do get a sick pleasure from alphabetizing, shhhh!) and am getting out the hotdog to put her night time pill in and she is crying from her cage. I figured it was too late at night for her to spring out of bed right away. Then she tries to get out of bed and falls over..okay maybe her feet got tangled in what she was lying on. Then she walks about half a foot and completely collapses.

So apparently tonight my sister put Belle on my parents' bed, which is like a hip high queensized bed. Belle somehow fell off it. ?!?!?!?!?!?!

Then my father proceed to take Belle on a 40 minute walk.

And now my dog can't stand.

She has a vet appointment on Weds. And now instead of them seeing all the progress she made they are possibly going to see no improvement at all, and push for 'quality of life'.

I gave her an extra dose of her pain meds (because I had been gradually cutting down from the dose she had been assigned, as the vet told me to). Hopefully tomorrow morning she will have slept off some of the soreness that my family induced in her.

Franklin Institue in Philly has the Star Trek traveling exhibit thru September 20.

I am so going.