A me moment

Even a muddy road can be beautiful.

A tale of two sweaters

Two sweaters in my closet have seen me through some rough times – they have kept me warm, provided comfort and perhaps most importantly, have reminded me that people do care.

The first sweater was given to me by a retired member of the Canadian Navy when I was recovering from a heart attack. Over a period of 23 years our paths had crossed several times in uniform and then again in the wonderful world of software engineering world. The last time I saw him was in the hospital – the soft, grey button up sweater reminds me that life carries on despite adversity.

The second sweater is a black Helly Hanson zip up with grey accents on the insides of the sleeves. I’ve worn that sweater to many places – it was  given to me by a very special person and the sweater reminds me of the natural beauty of the world and how loving people can be.

I’m down today as I can’t go to the gym until my cardiologist clears it, I’m afraid to go hiking by myself and I’m just plain afraid.

I looked in my closet and picked out the Helly…

Faded glory

A small piece of what was.

I kind of like this stuff – can you tell?

Stuff you need

I’m not sure what some of this stuff is but wow, it would be really cool to have some of it in the dungeon basement where I store my kinky dungeon stuff tools and that kind of stuff.

First we have this handy handle and chain thing. Besides making the chain go up and down, it makes the most awesome clanking sounds.

Next is this little gem that looks like a clever trap for curious types who stick their fingers where they don’t belong, and I don’t mean your left nostril or bum or your best friends right nostril.

And then this beauty, which I am told is either some sort of diabolical hand cuff thing or a new gizmo for those with a pierced tongue or belly button. It could also be a secret symbol that you etch into your skin so that the other cool kids will know that you are also a cool kid.

Last but not least is my personal favourite – the industrial strength busy box. I sort of wish I had one of these a few years ago…

La la la

I don’t generally use my cell phone when I’m driving, however when the Ontario government tells me that I may not use it I get a bit cheesed.

The face of a Ontario highway traffic act scofflaw.

I don’t send text messages or check my email while bombing down the highway but If my phone rings I will look at the caller ID and maybe answer it, as it could be my cardiac surgeon calling to tell me to get to the hospital, now.

That might sound a bit far fetched but that’s exactly what happened last time. I answered the phone then asked them to hold on while I pulled off of the highway and onto the shoulder to talk, listen and scribble some quick notes.

Maybe we need a lipstick, hairbrush and makeup ban while driving as well?

Hush my mouth.

Tool Girl

Instead of being in the kitchen baking cookies or doing something else such as laying on the couch and eat bonbons, this morning finds the anti-stereotypical me in the basement replacing some wiring that is really messed up.

While I have tools and know how to use them, I don’t have the proper tools for electrical wiring.

Thankfully I have lipstick, mascara and am cute.

Off to the local Home Depot where I will smile and pretend to be an idiot to make the old guys that work there happy. Heh…

Feminism

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“Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.”

Rev. Pat Robertson

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Excuse me mister chunga-bunga head, I did not kill my children!

Many of Robertson’s views mirror those of fellow evangelical pastor/activist Jerry Falwell, who made frequent appearances on The 700 Club. He appeared to agree with Falwell when Falwell stated that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were caused by “pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, lesbians, the American Civil Liberties Union and the People For the American Way.”

After public outcry regarding the dialogue, which was conducted via television monitor and took place only days after the attacks, Robertson claimed that his earpiece was malfunctioning, and that he was unaware of what he was actually agreeing with at the time. Falwell himself later said he had misspoke.

I think that Pat Robertson is somewhat misguided and in need of some corner time.

Guilt Ridden

Think hard and think long,
About what you’ve done.
Heed not your mind’s herald,
Warning, “run, baby, run!”

For there’s no escape to be had,
There’s no where to hide,
Sweeping currents run deep,
Spawning personal rip tides.

Conversations rehashed.
Every word that you said,
Second-guessed and replayed,
Crashing ‘round in your head.

How could you have said that?
What must they now think?
You probably pushed them,
Right over the brink.

Opportunities lost.
You missed your big chance.
Should have done this.
Could have done that.

Delusions of control,
Self inflicted responsibilities,
Always lead to the same question -
“What is wrong with ME?”

So the dance goes,
Sleep and peace are forbidden,
In the long lonely hours,
Of the hopelessly guilt-ridden.

~smj

 

Make me one!

It’s been a while since I presented some of the weird stuff that I find while wasting time at work while surfing the Internet, so here we go – I offer you the Altoids mouse.

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To make your own “Minty Mouse”, you’ll need one Altoids tin, an optical mouse, dremel tools, epoxy glue, a mini-hack saw, and around 4 hours of free time.

Goodbye grapefruit

Part one of this story is that someone who shall remain nameless¹ was eating grapefruit in the van one day, and holy moly, it smelled so good. One bite and I became a lover of grapefruit. I don’t eat it very often but I almost have a culinary orgasm and go into spasms of happiness when I do.

Part two of this little story is that I’m taking Lipitor as part of my cardiologist’s ongoing effort to keep me alive until his overpaid buddy in Toronto can dink with my plumbing.

Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) is part of a class of drugs called statins (or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors). It works by blocking a particular enzyme, HMG-CoA reductase, that controls the rate of cholesterol production in the body. This causes the liver to make less cholesterol. The medication also increases the liver’s ability to collect and get rid of LDL cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”).

Grapefruit products, such as grapefruit, grapefruit juice, or grapefruit supplements, can interact with some cholesterol-lowering statins and increase the level of medication in your blood. Lipitor is one of these statins. Bummer, as I do like grapefruit.

Grapefruit products are believed to interfere with an enzyme your body uses to break down Lipitor. This means that the drug stays in your body longer when it interacts with grapefruit. In fact, clinical studies have shown that grapefruit can significantly increase the levels of Lipitor in a person’s blood. In one study, drug levels increased by 83 percent in those who drank grapefruit juice three times a day compared to the people who only drank water.

[1] often referred to as youknowwho