What I Learned About People on Facebook

1. They're angry.

2. They're mean.

3. They can't spell.

4. Critical Thinking? What's that?

5. If it's on the internet it must be true...right?

6. They're selfish

7. and self-centered

8. and greedy.

Oh, screw it.

Sadness all around

I really feel sorry for the people who lost loved ones during the September 11th attacks. Duh, right? Not only for the obvious reasons; but now 12 years later, how do those people move on with their lives? I mean, they get 11 months of normalcy (as much as just being alive allows) then their losses are amplified annually to a level I simply cannot imagine. Yesterday I was pondering this and I couldn't help but wonder if any of them have just had enough. And if they are getting tired of it, do they feel guilty? What's it like having an entire country "all up in your business" for at least one day every year?

A childhood friend of my husband finds himself unemployed today for the first time in his entire adult life. Is he employable? Exceedingly! Is he over 50? Yep.

Another, more recent, friend of hubby was thrown out of his home by his wife of 30+ years. She has very, very advanced MS and between the disease and the truckload of pain meds she's on,  her cognitive function is really deteriorating. And their daughters - who have a beef of some kind with their dad - have convinced her their father is not taking proper care of her. I've been in their presence a very little bit since he and my husband have become friendly, I never witnessed anything but adoration when they would look at one another. Of course there are two sides to every story, blah, blah, but all I can say is this news saddens me and my husband is devastated.

I'm distressed at the politically-themed bullshit being posted on Facebook and sent to my email box  by people I really thought had more sense. Nothing infuriates me more than people who blindly forward emails and repost garbage without verifying it first.

My dogs won't eat unless I'm in the room all of a sudden. I don't know what the hell is going on with that nonsense.

And my cat Pete is throwing up a LOT and I can't afford the vet bill.

Jealousy, pride and politics

So my great friend Jeri has hit the Big Time! Her MS blog apparently has been catching some VIE's (Very Important Eyes) in the Biomedical and Pharma communities and she is now being invited to tell her story in person to actual really smart muckety-mucks at some heavily-attended meetings. Bitch.

OK, I'm insanely a little jealous. So what if I don't write as well as she does or have never met a cuss word I didn't like, I want to be invited too, I've got stuff to say too! (insert whine here).

It dawned on me over the weekend that for the first time I think ever in my life I'm truly excited for a friend who is succeeding and realizing a dream. It's a nice feeling to not harbor even just a smidge of animosity. Besides, I'm already exercising and building up grip strength in order to grab on to her coat tails. I'm not proud; I'll be her Girl Friday when she decides she needs one. I can be Rosalind Russell to her Cary Grant...except for the kissing part because that's not how I roll.

Oh, and look how cute this is getting. Romney & Ryan. Two Rs. R-squared.

Scares the Living Crap out of me.

Yep. Still here.

So, what have I been doing?

Well, July was a bust. At the end of June I caught a cold or something, leading to a REALLY sore throat and laryngitis. That became an ear infection, which turned in to a sinus infection. A week or so in to all that I found a UTI. Basically I was a f**cking mess and didn't leave my house for the entire month of July. Seriously.


I had been traveling so much for almost a whole year, I guess it just caught up with me. Since the heat of summer wasn't helping at all, getting out for some exercise was not working for me, either. So I figured if I was sequestering myself inside all day every day, I was going to spend my time playing with pretty things.

So I spent my time on stuff like this.

And this.

And this.

Interspersed with stuff like this (really now, how cute was I?).

I have to say, as I do this stuff I'm thanking God or whomever that MS has not taken away my ability to craft like this. I am a little slower at it and the lighting has to be just right, etc. but I'm pleased with what I'm churning out and it brings me a lot of peace.

Life's Harsh Realities

So, here we are on Mother's Day. My husband's mom is in an assisted living facility in NJ, and he's here in Atlanta. When he was a kid they lived in a really big house and both elderly grandmothers lived with them. Because of that both my husband and his mother believe that family should always take care of the elderly members. She is very upset that neither of her children have her living with them.

My husband left home in his early twenties, rarely visited, and doesn't understand why his mom isn't still living at her daughter's house, either. Keep in mind, he's 900 miles away and has been happy to let life in NJ go on with just the occasional phone call. Nor has he ever seriously considered returning and moving in with his mom to take care of her as she got older.

Now for the realities. His mom cannot sleep through the night and either wanders or stays in bed screaming. She cannot properly clean herself. She cannot walk without assistance. She can't prepare a meal for herself.

Hubby's moms overnight behavior makes it all but impossible for an adult child who has to work full-time.
Hubby's sister is in a townhome with stairs. Not safe for his mom.
The townhome does not have the space for live-in help.
Neither does our house.
Do you know how expensive a live-in helper would be? If one could even be found?

This woman is extremely well taken care of at this place and the staff is SO caring. It costs a bajillion dollars a month, but she's getting what she (and Medicare) pays for. I wish we had the money for a bigger house with an in-law suite. I wish I didn't have MS and could properly take care of her. But reality is, neither my husband, nor his sister, are able to provide the quality of care their mom is currently receiving.

Some realities just have to be accepted.

Why I'm Skipping a Springsteen Show

Any of my readers who know me personally know I've been a RABID fan of Bruce Springsteen since 1981. I have every legally released recording or video (and yes, some not-so-legal ones too), I can recite his life story from memory and, in fact, can probably look at a picture of him and tell you the year it was taken. Back when I had a job with a really nice salary for a single girl, I even hopped planes to see him in other states.

Now look, there are people who have literally taken weeks at a time to follow his tour through the US, Canada, even Europe; I'm not one of them. I'd like to think that means I'm relatively sane and still have retirement money, both of which are good things, yes?

His newest single was released last week and I'm very excited for the CD to come out. And yay, he and the band have announced new tour dates and everything which is way cool. My gosh, dude is like 62 or something and is still making relevant music. And he's still sexy as hell and hasn't lost much hair and can rock a pair of jeans (whew. stop.) and do three hour shows...but I digress.

Anyway, he's going to be here in Atlanta next month. Tickets went on sale and I didn't try to buy any. See, he is performing at Philips Arena downtown. Owned by the Atlanta Spirit Group, it is also home to our (mediocre) NBA franchise. These bozos wasted more than ten years and a shit ton of money in lawsuits over their third property, our (sold and moved to fucking Canada) NHL team.

If one were to Google "Atlanta Thrashers", one would find innumerable articles detailing the cluster-fuck that is this ownership group.

I'm sad to lose hockey in Atlanta, but I'm also bitter about the events which led up to that loss. And until those asshats are no longer beneficiaries of any Philips Arena revenue, I will not be supporting any event in the facility.

I'm sure Bruce doesn't care, but I feel better.

An Open Letter to Raymond

Hey, I've apparently done something to piss you off, but I can't defend myself unless you tell me what it was.

I'd seen you behave exactly the same way when you froze The Mitchell's out of your life.

At least you can't accuse me of being a bigot or homophobe; but you're treating me in exactly the same manner. I know for a fact, anything you can accuse me of is light years better than what they did.

Not taking my calls, nor returning my messages is just passive-aggressive and immature. I didn't earn - nor do I deserve - that.

Grow the fuck up.
  Anne

What My Cats Teach Me - Lesson #1 Agnes

I am in awe of an animal's ability to quickly, and without drama, adjust to physical limits. Remember that cat who was abandoned when some people I know surrendered their townhouse to the bank and left the state? Well, it's almost two and a half years now and the old broad is still kicking and will turn 19 sometime in the Spring. She's always been on the skinny side and barfs quite frequently. She's also been owning the dogs and has both of them absolutely terrified of her (which is hilarious because each dog weighs at least 50 pounds and I don't think she tips the scale past five).

Anyway, when we took her in I knew she was a Senior cat and Hubby and I agreed that we would simply give her a safe, comfortable home and lifestyle in which to live but there would be no dollars available for a veterinarian. Other than the one visit when we first got her, if she developed any illness at all, we would simply take care of her until there was nothing left but to euthanize. Kitty hospice, as it were.

Over the past month or so it has become blatantly obvious she has lost most, if not all, vision. Luckily she has lived here long enough that she knows how to get from point A to point B without smacking her head on something (usually). While it is a little disturbing to watch, I do smile when I see her heading toward a stationary object only to skirt around it. She doesn't run anymore, rather never moves any faster than a mozey. She doesn't jump up as high as she used to, but she can easily get to the end of the sofa where she has a comfortable place to sleep (which she does pretty much all the time). She can use the litter box (99% of the time). She can find the food and water bowls, no problem. And since she can't really see the dogs anymore, she doesn't terrorize them like she used to.

I've also managed to hit on a feeding schedule for her which has significantly reduced both the frequency and volume of barfing (yay). I like to think that if she's not throwing up then she's actually getting some benefit from her meals, right?

Like my friend Mark says, "If she eats, poops and grooms, leave her be." And she does all of those things. Maybe not with the same gusto but shit, she's an old lady and none of us - human or animal - can move as well in old age as we could when we were younger!

Animals are a perfect example of doing what you can as well as you can. They don't act out because they can't do it as much or as fast. I strive to live with whatever MS throws at me in the same way as Agnes.

An Open Letter to Raymond

Hey, I apparently did something to piss you off, but I can't defend myself unless you tell me what it was. I'd seen you behave exactly the same way when you froze The Mitchell's out of your life. At least you can't accuse me of being a bigot or homophobe; but you're treating me in exactly the same manner. I know for a fact anything you can accuse me of is light years better than what they did. Not taking my calls, nor returning my messages is just passive-aggressive and immature. I didn't earn - nor do I deserve - that. Grow the fuck up. Anne