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Archive for September, 2007

thanks, but no thanks.

Monday, September 24th, 2007

So, I finally dove back into auditioning for shows. I took the summer off, which spawned taking the beginning of fall off (every show seemed to conflict with the trip that didn’t happen).
Then, I took a costuming job. For a musical (no snickering, please). I am pretty excited about it, and hope that I manage to keep sane through the run.
Then I hit a couple of auditions. One of which, apparently, everyone in the tri-county area auditioned for. I signed up as soon as I heard, and got a slot for twenty after nine in the evening. They had to extend auditions. IT was crazy.
Anyhow. I got a couple of call-backs. Yay, especially considering the turnout. I attended said callbacks…and then waited. And waited.
And got a call.
There didn’t seem to be a role that was up my “alleyway.” Fine. That show ran at the same time as the show I am costuming. Perhaps the gods way of telling me to chill the hell out.
Then there was waiting. I got a call from a fellow called-back thespian, who hadn’t heard anything. Waited some more.
Today came the call.
No dice again. There were just so many people, it wasn’t me, I was great.
It’s like a break-up. You give it your all, you put your time in, and if you’re lucky you get the easy let down. It’s the call no one wants to make, and no one wants to receive (special circumstances excluded). It’s not you, it’s me.
But, like a break-up, I am sure time will prove that everything happens for a reason, and there is something better waiting just around the corner.

Just couldn’t resist….

Monday, September 24th, 2007

…the adorableness of this guy. Seriously…can’t handle the cuteness…
painfully cute panda.jpg
A veterinarian holds a 7-week-old Giant Panda cub during her weekly physical exam at San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Station September 20, 2007. REUTERS/Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo/Handout (UNITED STATES).

guess who is home!!!!

Saturday, September 15th, 2007

My Crush baby just came home!!!
He seems to be nearly back to his old self. *whew* Plus, he came home with what seems to be the best possible outcome, which is weird only because for a bit it seemed worst case scenario (a scenario which we could not afford). He appears to have passed the stones (with some help) and that the crux of the problem was actually a blood clot.
So, no need to redo his PU, no need to slice in to remove stones. Now, don’t get me wrong, this was expensive, but half of what the best case scenario was when we brought him in.
So, while he is not super thrilled with us right now, and we have to take him in in two weeks to have him re-checked…he is practically his old self.
Hurray!!!

i suck at kittie parenting

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

So, last night I notice that my Crush (my fat orange beastie) was in the litter more than usual. I take notice, but otherwise he was acting completely normal. This morning, however, his royal fatness was quietly lying in bed come breakfast time. Usually, he is mewing before our alarms go off to remind us that it’s time to feed the kitties! Nope. I talked with G later in the day, and he mentions that he fed the beasties, but Crush didn’t come. Anyone who has met Crush knows that Crush doesn’t miss meals. To Crush, there aren’t enough feedings to satisfy him. So, for him to not eat is sort of a big deal. Also, instead of his usual squeaky meow, he was periodically letting out a low, piteous meowl.
When we got home from work, G attempted to put out dinner for them. Again, Crush didn’t eat. He stayed where we found him upon our arrival, on the office carpet. So, G called the vet who told us to bring him right in.
He has stones in his bladder. One was half out, so they pulled it out and he piddled a little. They did an x-ray to indicate that there were more stones. They wanted to stabilize him, and they want to operate, probably tomorrow. Now, I thought when they di the extra snip on his boy bits, essentially making him a girl (there was reconstruction involved), that that was to prevent this from happening. Apparently, there can be a build up of scar tissue, which facilitates blocking. The vet said it could also be something to do with his liver. They would look into the root after surgery, and he will most likely need to be on a permanent special diet.
I want my kitty to be okay, but this is a lot of money we don’t really have right now (and yes, I am aware we should have kittie insurance). I feel terrible, because I am worried it is because he could be depressed (he hasn’t been the same since we put Wishbone down) or because I put him on a diet because I was worried about weight related maladies, or is it something environmental, like something he is ingesting somehow that is causing it.
Gah.
Anyhow, my baby is at the vet right now with a catheter and lampshade collar and IV. Please send some love and healing his way, and maybe any change you find in the sofa.

running man

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

Harumph. This getting in shape stuff is hard. More because I feel like my progress is so minimal. I want to be buff, dammit!
Maybe I’m just frustrated because I just got back from trying to go for a run. Try is the key word here. Now, I’m just a beginner, and the fact that I’m running at all is a small miracle. I mean, even as a kid, I was not a runner. Remember the Presidential fitness dealie? The first time we did it, I did not even finish the one-mile run. Later, I was barely able to complete it, and that was with a lot of walking. Now, as an adult, I would like to be able to run. Part, because I would feel like a badass if I could run for 5 miles. Part, because I want to be slim and toned.
The part of me that wants to be slim and toned is a little worried that I will just be one of those chunky people you occasionally see out running or at the gym. I admit I know at least one of these. The woman I know works out like five times a week, and takes all these classes, and goes for long runs…yet she just seems to be gaining weight. Heres the thing. I can gain weight just sitting on the sofa eating cheesey poufs. So, if I’m not going to have anything to show for all the work, I would rather just sit on the sofa eating cheesey pouts.
Anyhow, back to the run. On Sunday, I ran for a mile-and-a-half before I went to the gym. My muscles were fine with it, however, I thought one of my lungs was going to wind up on the sidewalk there for a bit. However, when I got back to my front walk, I felt like I could probably go for a bit more, if I wanted to push myself. Today, not so much. I was a little ways in, and felt like I wanted to stop, but thought that was ridiculous, so I kept going. I got to about a mile in, and my lungs felt like they were going to explode, and my legs were like jelly. so I walked for a block-and-a-half, and tried to run some more. I made it like two blocks, and had to slow down again. WTF? I admit I know next to nothing about running, so maybe this is normal…but frankly, I don’t like it. Any of you runner types care to weigh in?
As for my gym going, I am trying to figure out the best way to do it. I generally do my strength training, and then half -an-hour of cardio. I was doing all my strength training every other day. Lately, I’ve been alternating between upper and lower body, but trying to do one or the other each day. The only problem I have with this is that when I do inevitable skip a day, then it puts two days minimum between that muscle group instead of one (so more like 72 hours between working said muscle instead of just 48). If I do the whole shebang, then if I don’t get to the gym, ideally it would be on a day I was skipping anyway, and I just might not get my cardio in that day. (as for how I do my strength, I am mostly using machines right now to work on building up and form, then slowly working into more free weight stuff. I work large to small on each group, add weight as I am able to max out my reps without losing form, occasionally change the order so my muscles don’t get used to the routine). Anyhow, again is one way better than the other? Back in the day, I just did the machine circuit straight through three times a week. However, now, I am doing more sets of reps and more different exercises. I don’t mind taking extra time to work out, if it means I will get more results, I also don’t mind going more if that would be the better way. I am just trying to figure out which is the best.
My final wonder of the day is how often I should change up my cardio? Besides the trying to get myself up and running, I rotate my cardio on the machines at the gym. I am concerned that mixing them up too often is as bad as not mixing them up at all, in that my body is just getting used to everything and getting efficient and not giving me the max workout. However, what is better once a week, once a month, one mainstay and tossing in something else every now and then?
Man, maybe I should just invest in a lifetime supply of cheesey poufs.

state of exhaustion

Monday, September 3rd, 2007

leaf guard squirrel.jpg
Just a portion of our marathon day at the fair. It didn’t occur to me when I ran into the street to pose for this how unflattering said pose would be…ah well.
So, Saturday we made it to the Great Minnesota Get Together aka the State Fair. G and I enjoy ourselves some fair goodness, however we tend not to take it too seriously. We aren’t gluttons for deep fried food, we aren’t big on the midway, and we generally don’t have much of a plan for when we’ll see what. We usually wander a bit, and head for home. Our usual food stops are generally limited to malts at Empire Commons (breakfast!) grilled sweet corn for me and Pronto Pups for Geoff (for those not in the know–Pronto Pups are not corn dogs), and a bucket of Sweet Martha’s cookies. Once in a while we’ll add in a sno cone or some cheese curds. That is pretty seldom, though.
This year we stepped outside our box a bit. We met up with our friend J and a friend of his around 11 in the Empire Commons. We had planned to arrive earlier, but silly things like misplaced sunscreen delayed our departure. (Had to stop and pick some up. Factor 70. Applied often through the day.) We indeed started with our malts as usual. However, we decided to try and conquer the Callboard Photo Hunt while at the fair. While we still kept to a relaxed wander…we made much more of an effort to hit things like automotive displays. We split cheddar cheese curds four ways. We drank beer. We got lots of crazy pictures.
We saw a huge chunk of the fair, including an outside look at the side show. Now, i find sideshows fascinating in general. However, this sideshow just seemed sad. A worse for the wear ringmistress stood outside trying for a sexy dominatrix thing, but instead hit the mark of aging lady of the night with a hint of Anne Robinson. We stood and looked on for a bit as she announced that included in their show was one of the remaining munchkins from the Wizard of Oz, a wee man named Poomba. In theory I would love to see one of the Munchkins. However, this little man just looked sad. He looked worn down and out with this sense of desperation for something that was long gone. It wasn’t bearable to watch for long, and did not lure me in to shell out money for the real show inside. Instead we continued on.
We watched some of the guys from Third Lair perform. It was pretty damn impressive. I wasn’t expecting much, since they were working with such a small space, but they really worked it. It always boggles my mind how someone gets to the point these guys are at. How do you wake up one day and decide your going to try and do a triple somersault on a bike? Balls. Pure Balls. Also watching the show was this girl who was the kind of girl I want to be when I grow up. She had this sweater purse, knitted with a skull and crossbone pattern. Freaking adorable. My eyes traveled down to one of the most amazing tattoos I have ever seen. She had this gorgeous, rather realistic dragon snaking in and out of her flesh up the side of her calf. Ridiculously hot. If I had her calves, I would love to rock such a tat myself. Alas, not to be.
We checked out the dogs in the pet buildings. I saw the Chinese Cresteds. I have been running into these dogs a lot lately, and it was nice to be able to put a name to the breed. They are crazy fascinating little guys. I would love to have one. Maybe around the time G finally succumbs into letting me have a Sphinx cat.
We never made it over to the animal barns, and I missed the international market and Horticulture building, which made me a little sad. However, at a certain point, we hit a wall. This, in my case, was due in part to the sudden stinging, blinding pain in my eye. Something must have gotten in there, or it got scratched, but we realized it was time to hang it up for the day. Luckily, before we were able, Click and No Name Slob found us! They were in town for just a bit to get to the fair…I was so pleased to get to see them. They are two of my favorite people, and I can only aspire to be as utterly awesome as they.
On the shuttle back to our car, we realized we spent a solid eight hours at the fair. Considering the heat, and how the sun is my arch nemesis, I think we did pretty darn well. We had big plans to hit a party and then the club afterwards, however, we barely made it to the party before our bed was calling our names.
It was a fun day, albeit exhausting. Yesterday wasn’t so bad, but it finally caught up with me today. I did manage to go for a one mile run, do my lower body strength exercising, and do half an hour on the stationary bike. I’m crossing my fingers it will help counteract the cheese curds and beer.