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The Omnivore's Hundred

found at Very Good Taste

Labels: about me, random memes

Halloween Meme

Found at Never Never Land

COSTUMES:

1. What past Halloween costume of yours do you remain particularly proud of?
I won a prize when I was a kid with an Ichabod Crane costume--hooked nose made of Silly Putty is all I remember clearly.

2. Are there any other costumes – worn by someone other than yourself – that you remember as being really clever?
Some of the kids' classmates' moms came up with some awesome costumes over the years. A thunderstorm was pretty memorable.

3. What was the lamest costume you've ever seen?
Well, the German kids who would come trick-or-treating didn't really get the idea. A funny hat was about as good as it got.

4. As a child (under 18), did you ever dress up as a Star Wars character for Halloween?
*cough* I was 16 when Star Wars came out. Much too old for trick-or-treating (IMO then, anyway), and too young for the cool parties of a couple years later.

5. What's the sexiest Halloween costume you ever wore?
I never really wore a sexy Halloween costume. Always went for scary or funny. Closest would be the year Carl dressed up as a vampire and I was his victim. White wig, pale makeup, ragged clothes.

6. Can I see a photo of that?
There's one somewhere, but like I said--not particularly sexy.

TRICK OR TREATING:

7. During your primary treak-or-treating phase, was there ever a year when you did NOT go out? Why?
Not that I can remember. Although I do remember having to wear a winter coat over my costume a few years. Ah, Michigan....

8. What kind of candy in your trick-or-treat bag did you never, or almost never, eat?
Necco wafers. Yuck.

9. Did you ever pull any “tricks,” like smashing a jack o'lantern or TP'ing someone's house on Halloween?
No.

10. What was the most unusual “treat” you received at a neighbor's house?
Compared to today's standards, they were all unusual: homemade cookies, popcorn balls, caramel apples, quarters. The candy bars were the unusual treats.

11. How old were you when you went trick-or-treating for the last time?
Twelve, IIRC

12. Do trick-or-treaters come to your door, where you're living now?
Holy crap, do they ever. Hundreds of them. Hordes. You can't even shut the door between trick-or-treaters--it's a steady stream. We start stocking up on candy in September.

SCARY STUFF:

13. What's a little-known or underrated scary movie you'd recommend to people this Halloween?

Camp Cuddly Pines Power Tool Massacre, but only if you're over 18. :)

14. Do you believe in ghosts?
No. But I also don't believe we know everything there is to know.

15. Have you ever seen a dead human body, outside of a funeral?
Yes. I worked at a hospital. People died.

16. What's the most frightening thing that ever happened to you personally?
Chest pain and shortness of breath. I feel stupid about it now, but at the time, I was scared.

17. Who's scarier looking, Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld?

Cheney. That's the face of pure evil, there.

GENERAL:

18. Do you wish Halloween would just be celebrated on the last Saturday of October, when you could really cut loose, instead of the 31st every year?
Well, maybe. It does make it tough on the (parents of) kids, when there's trick-or-treating in the middle of the week, and confusing when some neighborhoods have official trick-or-treating on days other than the 31st. Parties, however, can be any time, and it's not a big deal.

19. Provided you had the resources, would you rather set up an amazing Haunted House in your front yard (or parking lot, or apartment hallway, or whatever) or go to a really great party wearing the best costume in the room?
Oh, I'd definitely rather set up the Haunted House.

20. Is Halloween your favorite holiday of the year?
It used to be, back when we were younger and went to parties. I still like it, but it's not my favorite anymore.


Categories: Meme, AboutMe

Labels: about me, random memes

I actually got this a couple years ago, but forgot to do it.

Reading Meme

to play: Copy the questions into your own post, answer the questions, and tag any friends who would appreciate the quiz, including the person who sent you this. Don't bother trying to italicize your book titles. We know you want to.**

1) What author do you own the most books by?

Nora Roberts.

2) What book do you own the most copies of?

Storm Front by Jim Butcher--3 or 4 paperbacks, a couple different hardcovers, and an audiobook. Oh, and an episode of the TV show.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?

No. I think the prohibition against ending sentences with prepositions is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put. :D

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

First literary love: Francisco d'Anconia. *sigh* Current heartthrob: Harry Dresden.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)?

Hard to say. There are several I've read more than half a dozen times: Atlas Shrugged, Outlander, Naked in Death (and probably the next 4 or 5 in that series), Storm Front.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

When I was ten?? Hmmm. Maybe the Black Stallion series by Walter Farley. I've never been a horse-person, but I loved that series.

7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?

Probably the one where an army captain in on a 6-month "leave of absence" from the military (??) because the male general is sexually harassing him (?? no mention of DADT?), and he falls in love with a woman who can bench press TWICE her own body weight (?????? the world record holder doesn't even do that!). I got so bogged down and irritated by things like that I could barely get to the plot.

8) What is the best book you've read in the past year?

Changes by Jim Butcher. So aptly named, and it's his best yet. Ghost Story is even better, but taunting isn't nice, so that's all I'm saying about that.

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?

Why We Suck by Denis Leary. There's something there to annoy pretty much everybody. :)

Alternatively: The Big Necessity by Rose George.

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?

I don't keep up with current "literature"--too often I've found it to be over-hyped and either tedious or pedestrian. So I have no idea what would even been in the running. I've been impressed by the past winners I've read, though.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?

Furies of Calderon, though I'm afraid they'd turn it into a kids' movie, so maybe just skip to Captain's Fury. So many great special effects in that series. And I've always thought Nora Roberts's Hot Ice would make the perfect romantic adventure/caper movie.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?

Laura Kinsale's For My Lady's Heart and Shadowheart--I don't think a movie could capture the intensity, and the middle-English would be very hard to watch. Likewise, Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. Too busy, intense, and subtle for film.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.

Well, there was the dream where I was making oven-fried chicken and fish nuggets in a church basement kitchen with Jennifer Crusie and Nora Roberts. That was vivid and memorable and weird.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?

Defining a "lowbrow book" as one for the uneducated/uninterested/uninvolved, I'd have to say those "mysteries" that are just shells for recipes or crossword puzzles. And also some of the "erotica" or "romantica" that when you read it, you can almost hear the author snickering in the background about how naughty and daring they are.

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?

House of Leaves was definitely not an easy book to read.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?

I don't think I've ever seen an actual Shakespeare play.

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?

I've read very little of either, so I have no real preference.

18) Roth or Updike?

I've read more Roth than Updike, but I'm not sure that indicates I like Roth more.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?

Never read either.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?

Not that big of a fan of any of them.

21) Austen or Eliot?

Austen--Eliot seems to be a little more long-winded and tedious, although I do like her plots and characters.

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?

There are a lot of "classics" I never read, but I've been remedying that with those 100 free classics I got with my first e-reader.

23) What is your favorite novel?

So many different ones for different reasons.

24) Play?

Noises Off. :D

25) Poem?

I am not at all a fan of poetry. I find most of it pretentious, and I simply don't have the patience for or the interest in absorbing imagery.

26) Essay?

Anything by Mil Millington.

27) Short story?

Tod Golberg's collection Simplify is a notable exception to my dislike for short stories in general. And I noticed when I was looking up the links for this that he has a new collection out: Other Resort Cities. Must buy.

28) Work of nonfiction?

I've been reading a lot more nonfiction lately, and I've been enjoying it, but none of the books has reached the status of "favorite" yet.

29) Who is your favorite writer?

Neil Gaiman. Closely followed by Terry Pratchett, Jim Butcher, Jennifer Crusie, & Laura Kinsale

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?

Nicholas Sparks. *shudder*

31) What is your desert island book?

Probably Atlas Shrugged--it's got everything: romance, adventure, philosophy, mystery, drama, plus it's a big fat doorstop of a book that has proven to stand up to re-reading.

32) And... what are you reading right now?

I just finished The Source of Magic by Piers Anthony, and am reading a couple short stories from Murder by Magic and a chapter from a women's fiction book that irritates me (like 95% of all women's fiction that I've read) but that I still feel compelled to finish. I haven't decided yet what to read next.

** whoops. I italicized my book titles anyway.

Categories: Meme, AboutMe, Reading

Labels: about me, random memes, reading

• You may have noticed what will hopefully become a new feature, just before this: Song of the Day. Eventually, I'll update the sidebar so you can find them all easily--for now, there's just one, and you can find it (and future ones until I update the sidebar) on the Index.
  
  
• We just got back from a trip to the North Sea over spring break. Poindexter (the new GPS--so named because he's a snotty know-it-all) said it would be a 5.5 hour drive. It ended up being more like 8 hours.
  
  
• Last Saturday, we took Diva to the kennel in Wuerzberg (not to be confused with Wuerzburg). It was a bit of a zoo... heh... lots of people there to walk dogs. They remembered Diva, and she seemed happy enough to see them. On the way home, we stopped by our favorite ice cream place in Erbach. I had the Odenwald sundae--vanilla and strawberry gelato with a lot of fresh (!) raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and currants, topped with raspberry syrup and whipped cream.
  
  
• Then Sunday was our niece Emily's confirmation. There was dinner at an Italian restaurant. I had a salad of baby greens, rucola, grilled chicken, tomatoes, onions, little balls of fresh mozzarella, and a thick drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. Nice. Afterward, there was coffee and cake at the house. The weather was great--sunny and mid-70s. It was tough leaving, but we still had to pack.
  
  
• Packing took longer than expected--it always does, so I don't know why our expectations are so short. We took Carl's mom and Camden's friend Andre along. Rented a vacation house in Bensersiel. Long drive. I sat in the third row seat, wedged in by the cooler, because Carl's mom's motion sickness is even worse than mine. Thank goodness for Dramamine. And for my new iPod shuffle, which appears to have more storage space than my old one.
  
  
• Nice thing about our timing: German schools don't start spring break until next week, so we had the place mostly to ourselves.
  
  
• We arrived at the vacation house pretty late, unloaded the car, then headed off to find food. We opted for an Italian restaurant and had pizzas. Mine was a veggie something--I was too tired to remember much, except that it had black olives and artichokes. Camden and Andre had seafood pizza--Camden's usual, and a first for Andre. He looked a little askance at the tentacles on his pizza, but ate them anyway. Ah, teenage testosterone.
  
  
• The plan for the week was breakfast and showers, then shop for food while the boys got up and showered, lunch, then off to some activity. Tuesday we had Nuernberger bratwurst, broetchen, potato salad, cucumber salad, and cabbage salad. The rest of the week we had sandwiches and the rest of the salads.
  
  
• Our timing was a little off--we walked along the dikes on Tuesday afternoon, and it was excessively windy.
  (Camden and Andre) (Doris) (Carl) Carl estimated 60 mph wind. It nearly blew us off the dikes. Once we gave up our pride and pulled up and tied our hoods, it was a little more comfortable walking. Carl's mom was really tired afterward, so she stayed at the house and the rest of us went to a Greek restaurant for dinner. I'd wanted moussaka, but since there wasn't much business (every restaurant we went to in Bensersiel, we were the only patrons), they didn't have it. So I had bifteki instead.
  
  
• Wednesday, we drove to Wilhelmshaven and visited the Aquarium and the Naval Museum. (Naval Museum--picture of the sub taken from the deck of the destroyer) Then on the way back, we stopped at a Chinese restaurant with a buffet and a Mongolian grill. The create-your-own-stirfry was a little annoying, because they didn't use the little clothespins to identify your plate and deliver it to you--you had to stand there and wait. Still, they had a great variety, including whole cuttlefish, kangaroo, and ostrich, in addition to the usual meat and seafood. And it was a new experience for both Andre and Doris, and they enjoyed it as well.
  
  
• Thursday we went to the beach, and intended to take the ferry to one of the barrier islands. That was our one fiasco--not bad for a mostly-unplanned trip. First we arrived at the ferry ticket office only to find that one ferry had just left and there wouldn't be another one for an hour and a half, which would leave us just 30 minutes on the island before the last ferry would bring us back to the mainland. Carl asked for the prices, and "how much all together?" The answer was 20 euro for the adults and 12 for the students. I'm sure you can see where this was going, but we're thinking 32 euro total. So we spent the hour and a half checking out the beach and a souvenir shop, then came back to buy tickets. Give yourself a brownie if you figured out that the total cost would have been 84 euro, and another one if you said we decided the guy at the ticket counter was right--it really wouldn't be worth it.
  
  So we went back to the beach, where the tide was out, and you could walk pretty far. It was the best weather of our trip so far, so it turned out to be a good plan. The boys took off their shoes and ran. (this was taken on the first trip to the beach--before they took off their jackets and shoes)
  
  Interesting thing about North Sea beaches--instead of umbrellas on the beach like you have elsewhere, they have what's called a "Strandkorb"-- "beach basket": Here's a picture of an open one:
  
  We decided a trip to the North Sea wouldn't be complete without eating fish, so we went to a seafood restaurant. Camden, Doris, and I had the fish plate special with four kinds of fish.
  
  
  
• Friday morning we packed up. The rental agreement said we were supposed to turn in the keys at 9 a.m. (!), but since they didn't have new tenants arriving until Saturday, they said we could take our time. On our way out of town, we stopped by the "Life on the Sea" museum in Esens. Like everything else, it was empty, and the young guy at the door asked us if we wanted a tour. Unfortunately, his English wasn't good enough to explain things to the boys, but we adults learned a lot of interesting things about the area.
  
  
• Stopped at McDonald's a few towns later. I got an Italian Bagel and a cappuccino at the McCafe. I don't know why I never think of getting my lunch at the McCafe--it's so much nicer than a burger and fries, and most McDonald's restaurants in Germany have them now. Coffee, of course, but also nice bakery desserts and interesting sandwiches. All served on real dishes. Here's a post that tells a little more about it: =>LINK<=
  
  
• There was a lot of traffic, so it was taking us longer than expected to drive home (see above, re: the amount of time we expect things to take), so we stopped at an old-fashioned rest stop restaurant for supper. I had split pea soup and a broetchen. Got back home around 9 p.m, unloaded the car in record time, and then pretty much just crashed.
  
  
• Carl and Doris went to the flea market in Metz, France this morning--they intended to leave at 6. I don't know what time they left: I was asleep until 8:30!

Categories: WeekendUpdate, AboutMe

Labels: about me, weekend update

• It's come to my attention that I'm shamefully behind in keeping in touch with... well, with just about everybody. So rather than try to catch up individually, I thought I'd post what's been happening, and then go on from there.
  
  
• The busy-ness started this spring, when Manfred, Carl's mom's husband, and pretty much the only grandpa my kids knew, became ill. The time between his first hospitalization and his death in April was shockingly short. At the last, he was transferred to a specialty clinic here in Heidelberg, which was a godsend. Doris was able to stay with us, and Carl was able to visit Manfred daily.
  
  Telling Dagny and Curran about their Opa's death on the phone was one of the hardest things I've done as a parent. I still tear up thinking about it.
  
  Since then, we've made a point to try to visit Doris more frequently, which is something we're glad we're able to do, but it does add to the amount of activity. Mostly, we're thankful we were still in Germany so we could be here for her, and for Manfred in his last days.
  
  
• Around the same time, Camden joined the high school track team--the first of our kids to ever join a school sports team. He had a rough time with shin splints for the first month or so, and tended to skip practice at least once a week. Still, he improved with every meet. He ran long distances--1500 and 3000 meters, and finished middle-of-the-pack.
  
  This was a good thing--it was good for him physically and for his self-confidence, and he made a lot of new friends, as well as having something to help deal with being the only kid left at home--but it added a lot to our schedule at an already-busy time. Track meets, every Saturday for a couple of months, last the entire day.
  
  
• For those who didn't already know, Dagny's working on her teaching certificate. She has her English degree, but needed a bunch of extra classes. Because she's trying to finish up, she had to take some classes in the summer term, which meant that the only time she
  was able to come visit was in May, and she could only stay a couple of weeks.
  
  At least Dagny and Curran were able to arrive at the same time, but Camden was still in school, which made things a little difficult. We pulled Camden out of track the last two weeks of the season, so he could spend at least a little time with his sister, but he still had
  school.
  
  So late spring was really busy, but thankfully Dagny was still able to visit, even if it wasn't for as long as we'd have liked, and the timing wasn't the best.
  
  
• While Dagny was here, she joined me at the gym. Then just before she left, Curran started coming, too. I do a half hour of Nautilus, and then about 45 minutes on a cardio machine almost every day. I started going September '09, doing just the weights, and s l o w l y building up on the cardio. I'm very proud of my progress--for someone with CFS, this much activity is just amazing. Plus, I'm focusing on strength and endurance, which is why I'm still going. If I were focusing on weight, I'd have given up a long time ago. I've lost a whopping six pounds in 13 months. *sigh* But I'm really strong.
  
  I do love going to the gym, but, well, that's an extra hour and a half out of my day.
  
  
• In July we went to Italy again. Did our usual "spa vacation"--gym in the mornings (which was really nice--the gym had been expanded and had all new equipment. Though some of the new equipment was Life Fitness, and let me tell you--however much more Nautilus costs? it's worth it. The Life Fitness machines were anti-ergonomic.), beach in the afternoons, and all kinds of fresh, healthy food. Pisa on Sunday--I got a new purse, Carl got another mask.
  
  The coolest thing was that we ran into a family we hadn't seen in 23 or 24 years. The military can be a very small place sometimes.
  
  
• Then just in case everyone was getting bored, I decided to spend a night in a German hospital Intensiv Station (ICU).
  
  We were on our way to Carl's mom's. We were in Moby, Carl was driving, Curran and Camden were along, and we were listening to Death Masks. Nice and relaxing. My left arm started aching, but I figured it was the a/c, so I put my jacket over it. Then my
  chest started to feel tight, and I squirmed a little, thinking maybe I'd worn too tight of a bra. Mostly, I was just trying to ignore it and listen to the book. But it kept getting worse--the pressure turned into pain, and I started sweating and having trouble breathing.
  
  So Carl pulled over... and dialed 112. Which was almost more shocking than the chest pain. The ambulance arrived right away (we were only a couple of blocks from the hospital), and they asked a few questions and loaded me into the back of the ambulance. How embarrassing.
  
  Turns out my blood pressure was something like 200/105, which is a wee bit alarming for doing nothing but riding in a car. Death Masks has some exciting parts, sure, but even if this were the first time I'd read it, I don't think it would have that sort of effect. So they called the Notarzt (emergency doctor), in a helicopter. They explained to me that it was in case they needed to send me to a hospital other than the local one, but in retrospect, we suspect the helicopter was because we had Tricare, which translates here as the magic words of "private insurance."
  
  So, overnight in intensive care, and of course it was the one time I didn't have a book along. Curran had a Bible along--he's been reading it--and his iPod, and he let me keep both, which was a real sanity-saver (I read the bit about Noah putting a curse on his grandson because his son saw him naked when he--Noah--was drunk and passed out.).
  
  
• Health-digression: I'm trying to be chronological here, but this is an ongoing thing, so I'll stick it all together. It's reminiscent of when I first got CFS: nobody's been able to figure out what's going on. So I've had a bunch of tests and doctor appointments since, half of them with the cardiologist in Landstuhl, which is a good hour-plus drive, depending on the traffic, so it's time-consuming. The cardiologist put me on blood pressure medication, increased it when she had to stop my stress test early (my blood pressure went up to 235/56), and the increased dose made me feel like I was having a CFS relapse. It seems to be slowly getting better, but I was decidedly Not Happy about it. Not to mention being a tiny bit freaked out because that stress test was a lot less work than I do at the gym.
  
  The fatigue is again a factor. Maybe it's all been from the medication, or maybe it was just creeping up because I kept increasing my time on cardio machines (I was up to almost an hour), but it started dawning on me that once I got home from the gym, that was pretty much it for the day. I could sit and click silly Facebook games, but concentrating on anything, even answering email, was strenuous.
  
  So that's where I am with that. Back to the chronology.
  
  
• In August, Carl's brother's father-in-law died suddenly. We didn't know him well, but we'd known him for over 20 years. It was especially hard on our nieces, who lost two Opas within four months. And of course on his wife and daughters. Just a real rough time for the family.
  
  
• After summer semester, Dagny had a little time off, so she and Andrew decided to take a road trip from Texas to Michigan to visit her grandma, my mom. They took Andrew's Audi as the more reliable of their cars, and the two dogs.
  
  Unfortunately, on the way home, the car broke down near a small town in Indiana. To make things worse, they'd left early because Andrew's aunt had died. Long story short, they ended up stranded in Indiana for several days before it became clear that the car wasn't going to be fixed before they needed to be back for work and school and they got a rental car (thank goodness Dagny's 25 now!) and drove home, then Andrew, Curran, and a couple others drove back together to return the rental car and pick up Andrew's.
  
  
• This is (finally!) Dagny's last semester of coursework. In the spring semester she'll be doing her student teaching. It's a pretty rigorous program, with high expectations and a ton of fieldwork (including tutoring, mentoring, etc.).
  
  On top of a full-time load of classes, she's working at least 30 hours a week at KidSpace, a drop-in daycare center where she's assistant manager, which means she has to do more than just show up and watch the kids.
  
  Any of you who are parents of adult kids know why this is in my list of why I'm so busy. Even though (or more likely because) she lives on another continent, we spend a lot of time on the phone. I'm really glad we do, but there's not a lot I can do while talking on the phone besides Facebook games. Maybe I should see if I could find a phone with a headset.
  
  
• Camden did cross country this fall. He initially went to stay in shape for track, but now he likes it a lot more. I only had to drive him to practice one day a week (the rest of the week he just stayed after school and took the sports bus back home), but there was a pasta party every Friday and meets every Saturday. Of course, I couldn't just take frozen lasagna or a baguette or pre-made cake from the commissary, so I generally spent most of Friday cooking. And even though the cross country meets were shorter than track meets, they still ended up taking up most of the day.
  
  
• Halfway through the season, and ON HIS SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY, Camden got the flu. He was out of school for almost a week, missed practice for almost two weeks. He'd planned on having friends over for his birthday, and we cleaned the house, including his room, in preparation. Which we repeated two weeks later when his friends did come over.
  
  
• Then someone ran into Curran's car at the university parking lot. A week later, while he was in the process of dealing with the insurance companies and making appointments to get the car fixed, he got hit again, sideswiped, further damaging the same side of the car.
  
  Lots of phone calls from here to Curran and to insurance companies, particularly after the second accident, to figure out who should pay what. Of course the two drivers who hit him had different insurance companies. Fortunately, because it was an insurance claim, they allowed a 20-year-old a rental car.
  
  Too bad it hadn't been just one insurance company--they might have totaled the car, and then we could have got him a new one. Dividing the repair cost in half, though, put it under the limit.
  
  
• As of October 1st, or 15th, or November 1st, depending on which set of orders you read, Carl changed jobs. He's actually still in the process of changing jobs, and has been doing both jobs for the past month. His new job is the European Regional Medical Command's Director of Force Health Protection, and the challenging part is that they're restructuring the whole thing. Big ego boost, because he's got people calling up wanting to work for him, but it's also a lot of headaches, a lot of phone calls, trips, and late-night teleconferences (because of the time difference, any teleconference involving people in the States takes place in the evening here).
  
  
• I'm sure there are other things that I'm not remembering. As an illustration, here's what we did this last weekend, which was not at all atypical:
  
  • Friday--last cross country pasta party. I made pumpkin pie Chex mix, which only took an hour to make, but we also volunteered to take wrapped baked goods and candy for the concession stand on Saturday, so that was a trip to the commissary.
    
    
  • Saturday--cross country European championships. Camden wasn't running--it's the top 7 runners from each team, and he ended the season around #10 (out of 20), but as the championships were held here in Heidelberg, the entire team had to attend, for support, and to help out. Camden was a course marshal. Took Camden out to the course by 9 (it's here in Heidelberg, but it's at least a 20-minutes drive, so just driving him there takes close to an hour), then went out ourselves at 11.
    
    The meet was great--absolutely perfect weather--clear skies and 60s, and apparently we made a killing on the concessions, which is why the kids got all new uniforms this year and could keep their nice Puma warmups for just $25 (the price tag on each piece was around $40). We left around three and had to go to the PX for supplies for a project Camden had due on Monday.
    
    Then I made an early dinner (bacon, spinach, and tomato salsa sandwiches--they were a huge hit), so we'd be finished by the time trick-or-treating started at six.
    
    Starting shortly after six, the hordes came. We just sit outside the door because there are so many kids you never get a chance to close the door. Carl and I took turns handing out candy while the other one got dressed and ready for going to a play with friends. This is the shirt Carl wore to pass out candy.
    
    Camden's friends arrived with one friend's nephew, so there were three 16-year-olds in silly hats and masks (Camden wore a Mexican wrestling mask and his antique top hat) taking one toddler around trick-or-treating. One of our neighbors asked them to do tricks for their treats, so Camden juggled candy, for which they gave him extra.
    
    We'd intended to leave at seven, but it was really hard to find a lull in the onslaught--you just cannot shut the door in kids' faces--so it was almost ten after when we left, and the play started at 7:30. Fortunately, our friends picked up our tickets for us.
    
    We'd pre-positioned the car over by the gym, a 5-minute walk away, because our street is NOT navigable by car during trick-or-treating. I'd forgotten this, and wore boots with 4-inch heels. Even so, we got to the theater with five minutes to spare.
    
    We saw Titanic - The Musical. They always do a nice job, and this was no exception. I was impressed with how well they managed the small space they had to work with. But it wasn't my favorite of their productions. The main thing was that it was nice to get out and spend time with friends.
    
    
  • Sunday--Camden had to work on his project for Honors English/History. We'd planned on going to Carl's brother's house in the afternoon, but his wife was sick, and Carl and his brother decided to meet at their mom's and put the winter tires on her car for her. I'd intended to go along, but all the activity the previous day had wiped me out, so I stayed home and helped Camden with his project (I'm mostly relegated to proof-reading. Carl's the one who helps with the artistic stuff). Good thing I did, too--Carl didn't get home until an hour after our bedtime.
    
    
• So that's kind of what's going on with me. I'm not really sure if we are actually very busy, if it seems that way because we're not used to being this amount of busy, or if it's just that I don't tolerate this level of busy because of the CFS. Regardless, it's made it difficult to keep up with all sorts of things. Getting up at 5:15 on school days doesn't help either.
  
  I'm a little ashamed that it took me so long to realize I needed to do something about it. Hopefully you'll have noticed that I'm trying to keep in touch better lately--if not, you should notice it soon.
  
  

ETA: Wow. The last time I wrote one of these, Camden had just had the flu again. Next year, he's getting the vaccine the day it comes out. No waiting for the school. Poor kid.


Categories: WeekendUpdate, AboutMe

Labels: about me, weekend update

I'm not really sure what that means, though they did give me a link to his books on Amazon. Maybe I should check them out.

Categories: Quiz, AboutMe

Labels: about me, quiz

Tired of all of those surveys made up by high school kids?! "Have you ever kissed someone? Missed someone? Told someone you loved them? Drank alcohol?" 35 questions for the people who are a little older...Tag me when you finish.


1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
car repairs

2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
Bombay Restaurant in Einsiedlerhof. There's something very sensual about Indian food.

3. What do you really want to be doing right now?
sleeping! It's Monday morning--do you even need to ask?

4. How many colleges did you attend?
two: University of Michigan, and University of Maryland.

5. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
It was the only clean one in my pajama drawer that a) was warm enough (i.e. not a tank top) and b) I didn't need to wear a bra with.
If you're asking why it was in my drawer--it's an old comfy long-sleeved henley of Carl's.

6. What are your thoughts on gas prices?
I don't pay attention much. Over here, we just put $$ on our card and then fill up the tanks until we need to put more on.

7. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
Since I was already awake (I've developed an annoying habit of waking up 10 minutes before the alarm goes off, but I stay in bed until it does, dammit!), I was most concerned about turning it off before it woke Carl up, because otherwise he'd dash into the bathroom ahead of me. (and then go back to sleep for another THREE FREAKING HOURS! No, I'm not bitter. Why do you ask?)

8. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
Well, since I fell asleep while reading, it was probably something about the current read: Mr. Murder by Dean Koontz.

9. Do you miss being a child?
Not really. I like my life now.

10. What errand/chore do you despise?
Scrubbing the tub, and dusting the rock collection. Neither of which gets done nearly as often as they probably should. Eh. Do it yourself if it bothers you.

11. Get up early or sleep in?
I'd love to sleep in, but these 5:15 mornings have killed my ability to do that, even on weekends.

12. Have you found real love yet?
Oh, yes.

13. Favorite lunch meat?
roast beef

14. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
I never go to Wal-Mart. They're not in Germany anymore because Germany requires companies to allow their employees to join unions. Hah. Even in the States, I don't go there. I loathe Wal-Mart.

15. Beach or lake?
Beach.

16. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
The ceremony thing, or the practice? I see no point to the ritual, but think that the concept of making a commitment to someone you love is an important one. I find stories about people discovering they're "not really married" because the priest/minister/rabbi/judge/whatever was a fake to be ridiculous.

17. Sopranos or Desperate Housewives?
I've never watched either one, and don't really want to.

18. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Stephen Colbert.

19. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
You mean, while I was driving, have I ever run into anything? No. But I've been in 3 accidents, one as a driver, two as a passenger.

20. Ever use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
Nope. And never for an unintended purpose either.

21. Ring tone(s)?
Whatever came with the phone. Which I never use. I'm not even sure I know how to unlock it.

22. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
When I had braces as a teen, I was fanatic about brushing immediately after eating, and I always had a toothbrush in my purse, so probably the strangest would be restaurant bathrooms, or maybe by the water cooler on a picnic.

23. Somewhere in California that you'd like to go, but have never been?
I've never been to California. Someplace quirky and off the beaten path. I'm not so much into the usual touristy things.

24. Do you go to church?
No.

25. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
Career.

26. How old are you?
49

27. Do you have a go-to person?
Probably Carl.

28. Are you where you want to be in life?
In some aspects, yes. I'm a work in progress in others.

28. Growing up, what were your favorite cartoons?
Scooby Doo, Rocky & Bullwinkle

29. What about you do you think has changed the most?
Being more comfortable in my own skin. I know who I am and make no apologies for it. I don't bend to make myself fit to anyone's expectations or wishes like I did when I was young. (stealing Deb's answer because it's a good one!)

30. Looking back at high school were they the best years of your life?
God, no.

31. Are there times you still feel like a kid?
Occasionally, but less and less often.

32. Did you ever own troll dolls?
No.

33. Did you have a pager?
No.

34. Where was the hang-out spot when you were a teenager?
No clue. If there was one, I was unaware of it.

35. Were you the type of kid you would want your children to hang out with?
Oh, sure. They're less trouble-prone than I was, definitely, but I was never the instigator.


Categories: Meme, AboutMe

Labels: about me, random memes

The Handwriting Meme

Found this on Forgetfulone.

RULES -

1.) Go ahead, get a piece of paper and a pen. Prepared? Okay!

2.) Write a pangram* in your language. Sign your paper with your first name or your nickname (not your signature!!!). You can also include your blog URL if you want to.

3.) Take a picture, or scan the paper.

4.) Post it on your blog! Leave a comment here (or a trackback) once you have posted.

5.) Link back and tag - don’t be shy!




* A pangram, also known as holalphabetic sentence, is a sentence that contains all letters of the alphabet at least once. “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.” is a common example in English. There are pangrams in all languages - for a little inspiration spy *here*. Feel free to use one of these common examples or come up with something on your own.


Categories: Meme, AboutMe

Labels: about me, random memes

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: the beginning.

• Nine years ago today, my life changed dramatically. I developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It ranks up there with the most life-altering events I've experienced: my parents' divorce, joining the Army, and the birth of my first child. (Note: obviously, there've been multiple events that have changed my life, but these four things made the biggest impacts, and led to other life-changing events.)
  
  
• I've decided to commemorate the occasion by writing it all down. It would be cooler if I waited until next year, but, well, I have the urge now, so now it is.
  
  
• February 28, 2001.
  • The Nisqually Earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale hits the Nisqually Valley and the Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia area of the U.S. state of Washington.
  • 2001 – Six passengers and four railway staff are killed and a further 82 people suffer serious injuries in the Selby rail crash.
  • and I woke up feeling sick as a dog with what I thought was the flu or something.
    
    
  Not a good day, apparently.
  
  
• I felt as sick as I can ever remember feeling, and so weak I could barely stumble out of bed. But I had kids to get ready for school, so I pushed myself. I even walked the boys the half-mile to school. Very very slowly. It took me forever to get back home, but I didn't dare stop or sit down, because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get moving again.
  
  
• Every once in a while, I wonder if things would have been different if I'd just gone back to bed and told Carl to take the kids to school.
  
  
• After a couple of weeks of feeling really sick and not getting better, I went to the clinic. They said I was probably dehydrated and that they could either give me IV fluids or I could just go home and drink a lot. So I went home and sucked down bottle after bottle of Gator Aid and lots of water. For days. No change.
  
  
• Not only did I not get better--I just kept losing more energy. Walking up the stairs was like climbing a mountain. Some days it was all I could do to crawl the the bathroom.... and then lie on the floor waiting for enough energy to crawl back to bed. I'd have been scared to death if I'd had the energy to feel that much. Which is just as well--Carl and my mom were scared enough for me.
  
  
• Even worse almost was the brainfog. I've always been shy, and think through what I'm going to say before I say anything, but this was almost like you hear from stroke patients--I couldn't think of the simplest words, and it became nearly impossible to concentrate on anything. Watching TV was out of the question--I couldn't follow what was going on. Thank goodness I could still read. Sometimes I'd have to read a page several times before I made sense of it, but it was better than nothing.
  
  Answering questions was tough. Like: where's the tea? I could picture the answer in my mind, and if I'd had the energy, I could have got it myself with no problem. But how to describe where it was? In the door by the place where stuff is cold (the cupboard next to the refrigerator). That sort of thing.
  
  
• So we started on the rounds of doctors. I'm sure I'll forget some, and I only remember one name, but it lasted for a couple of months.
  
  
• One of the first doctors I saw suggested Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but I balked. That was "yuppie flu," for hypochondriac whiners who wanted attention. Heh. Regardless, CFS is a diagnosis that gets made after all sorts of other things are ruled out.
  
  
• The neurologist said I was neurologically fine and set us on the course of what else to rule out.
  
  
• The internal medicine doc couldn't find anything and suggested a cardiologist. And gave me hell for skipping the gynecologist. (I hadn't been in about 7 years.)
  
  
• The cardiologist was frustrating. Gave me a stress test. Put me on a treadmill and said to keep walking until I felt I couldn't anymore. I wasn't really sure what that meant. I kept walking, and I felt like I was floating further and further away. First my eyes crossed, then my vision narrowed. I was still all there in my head, but seriously disconnected from my body. So I got off the treadmill and stumbled over to the exam table. The doctor kept asking me why I stopped, and in my head I was answering him, but nothing would come out of my mouth.
  
  So he sent the nurse out to ask Carl if I was a little slow--and Carl said yes (see above, re: thinking before I speak). Still bothers me to this day. It's probably somewhere in my medical records that I'm mentally defective. Grrrr. But at least the question was answered--my heart was fine.
  
  
• The rheumatologist was probably the best doc I went to. Too bad I didn't have something he treated. He repeated the CFS idea, and suggested going to an infectious disease doc to rule out lyme disease, etc.
  
  
• But in order to get an appointment with an infectious disease doc, I had to go through a general practitioner first. That's the one whose name I'll never forget: Dr. Jael. He decided I was just a depressed housewife who wanted attention, and told me to go home, take some Prozac and quit wasting medical resources. Literally. If we hadn't been so scared and exhausted from trying one thing after another, we'd have followed up, made a complaint.
  
  I did have enough on the ball to argue, though. I'd been researching CFS, and discovered that antidepressants, and Prozac specifically, made symptoms worse unless taken in minuscule doses. Plus, it tends to kill sex drive, and sex was pretty much the only thing physical I could do. I was not about to give that up.
  
  So I tried to be reasonable. Me: How can you tell I'm depressed? Dr. Jael: Have you lost interest in things you used to enjoy? Me: No, I just don't have the energy to do them. Dr. Jael: Do you feel sad or hopeless? Me: No. Dr. Jael: ignores me, writes prescription for Prozac. Me: so do you think I should see a psychiatrist? Dr. Jael: No, the Prozac should do it.
  
  At this point, I'm so furious that I can't talk anymore. Carl takes over and finally makes a deal with Dr. Jael: we'll take the prescription if he'll write a consult for the infectious disease doc. Dr. Jael highly disapproved, but he did it. I didn't get the prescription filled.
  
  
• The infectious disease doc was great. He seemed to enjoy the puzzle. Though I had to laugh at my last appointment with him: I'd say you have chronic fatigue syndrome if you'd been sick for six months, but it's only been five and a half... Still not sure if he was joking.
  
  

More next time.


Categories: AboutMe

Labels: about me

I went back and forth on this, trying to decide whether I should post this on a Tuesday or a Sunday. See, Tuesdays are for quizzes, and Sundays are for cool links. I finally decided it was more of a personality test than a cool link. Yes, I know that's a wee bit odd. That little tidbit probably tells you more about me than most of the quizzes I post here. heh.





You plug in your blog URL, and it analyzes the first page of your blog and comes up with your Myers-Briggs personality type. Here's my result:



That's pretty accurate, surprisingly. When I take the test (as opposed to my blog taking the test), I'm almost always INTP, but my N and S scores (intuition and sensing) are usually pretty close.


Categories: Quiz, AboutMe

Labels: about me, quiz

found on Shannon's Moments of Inspiration:

• Copy these rules to your post.
• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Keep track of your points. (Don't peek at the answers.)
  
• Add the answer YOU got (and maybe an image) at the end of your post.
• Tag some people.

The Quiz:

1. Which one of the following describes the perfect date?
   a) Candlelight dinner (4 pts.)
   b) Fun/Theme Park (2 pts.)
   c) Painting in the park (5 pts)
   d) Rock concert (1 pt.)
   e) Going to the movies (3 pts.)


2. What is your favorite type of music?
   a) Rock and Roll (2 pts.)
   b) Alternative (1 pt.)
   c) Soft Rock (4 pts.)
   d) Country (5 pts )
   e) Pop (3 pts.)


3. What type of movies do you prefer?
   a) Comedy (2 pts.)
   b) Horror (1 pt.)
   c) Musical (3 pts.)
   d) Romance (4 pts.)
   e) Documentary (5 pts.)


4. Which one of these occupations would you choose if you only could choose one of these?
   a) Waiter (4 pts.)
   b) Professional Sports Player (5 pts.)
   c) Teacher (3 pts.)
   d) Police (2 pts.)
   e) Cashier (1 pt)


5. What do you do with your spare time?
   a) Exercise (5 pts.)
   b) Read (4 pts.)
   c) Watch television (2 pts.)
   d) Listen to music (1 pt.)
   e) Sleep (3 pts.)


6. Which one of the following colors do you like best?
   a) Yellow (1 pt.)
   b) White (5 pts.)
   c) Sky Blue (3 pts)
   d) Dark Blue(2 pts.)
   e) Red (4 pts.)


7. What do you prefer to eat?
   a) Snow (3 pts.)
   b) Pizza (2 pts.)
   c) Sushi (1 pt.)
   d) Pasta (4 pts.)
   e) Salad (5 pts.)


8. What is your favorite holiday ?
   a) Halloween(1 pt.)
   b) Christmas(3 pts..)
   c) New Year (2 pts.)
   d) Valentine's Day(4 pts.)
   e) Thanksgiving(5 pts.)


9. If you could go to one of these places which one would it be?
   a) Paris (4 pts)
   b) Spain (5 pts)
   c) Las Vegas (1 pt)
   d) Hawaii (4 pts)
   e) Hollywood (3 pts)
   


10. With which of the following would you prefer to spend time with?
    a) Someone Smart (5 pts.)
    b) Someone attractive (2 pts.)
    c) Someone who likes to Party (1 pt.)
    d) Someone who always has fun (3 pts.)
    e) Someone very sentimental (4 pts.)
    

The Answers:
(10-16 points) You are Garfield : You are very comfortable, easy going, and you definitely know how to have fun but sometimes you take it to an extreme. You always know what you are doing and you are always in control of your life. Others may not see things as you do, but that doesn't mean that you always have to do what is right. Try to remember, your happy spirit may hurt you or others.
(17-23 points) You are Snoopy: You are fun; you are very cool and popular. You always know what's in and you ' re never out of style , you are good at knowing how to satisfy everyone else. You have probably disappeared for a few days more than once but you always come home with the family values that you learned Being married and having children are important to you, but only after you have had your share of fun times
(24-28 points) You are Elmo: You have lots of friends and you are also popular, always willing to give advice and help out a person in need. You are very optimistic and you always see the bright side of things. Some good advice:try not to be too much of a dreamer. Dreaming too big could cause many conflicts in your life.
(29-35 points) You are Sponge Bob Square Pants.
You are the classic person that everyone loves. You are the best friend that anyone could ever have and never wants to lose. You never cause harm to anyone and they would never not understand your feelings. Life is a journey, it's funny and calm for the most part Stay away from traitors and jealous people and you will be stress free.
(36-43 points) You are Charlie Brown: You are tender, you fall in love quickly but you are also very serious about all relationships. You are a family person. You call your Mom every Sunday. You have many friends and may occasionally forget a few Birthdays. Don't let your passion confuse you with reality.
(44-50 points ) You are Dexter: You are smart and definitely a thinker... Every situation is fronted with a plan. You have a brilliant mind. You demonstrate very strong family principles. You maintain a stable routine but never ignore a bad situation when it comes. Try to do less over thinking every once in a while to spice things up a bit with spontaneity!



Categories: Meme, AboutMe

Labels: about me, random memes