Thirty-Two

Just in case it happened to slip by any of you, I did manage to post here every single day in October! Twice today! Halloween/Samhain magic! Actually, it's more of a matter of discipline. Scheduling. And possibly an attempt to rationalize time spent on the interwebs. After all, I am a writer, so this is an exercise to keep my language skills sharp! We'll see how November shapes up...

Downtown Saturday Night

The bars were packed full with costumed merry makers last night. Yes, I know that it was merely Halloween Eve, but we did stay out past midnight, so technically it was Halloween. Earlier on, when Reid and I stopped for burgers and sweet potato fries at Cubby's, there were already people out in costume. Most notably, a ten or so

foot tall fellow with lit up red eyes and horrifying electronically assisted vocalizations who appeared to be a ghoulish Bigfoot. I was relieved that he was too tall to follow us inside. Later on, there was the usual assortment of zombies, vampires, and slutty versions of French Maids, brides, gypsies, cheerleaders, and gun molls. We ended up sitting with one of my personal favorites of the evening, Georgiana and Chris dressed


quite adorably as Raggedy Ann and Andy. Other favorites were Gumby and Pokey, who had to remove their heads to drink. Probably the most remarkable costume of the evening was our robotic favorite from Futurama, Bender. Complete with cigar. Another favorite was this guy dressed up like Ace Ventura. He had it all going on, Hawaaian print shirt, goofy pompadour 'do, and a rubbery expressive face rivaling Jim Carrey's original. I was quite amused. Seeing a guy in a rather lame cow costume reminded me that I have a terrific bovine get-up. I'm feeling inspired to put the final touches on it for next year! I can see it now! MooBoo! I can hand out Milk Duds and Milky Way candy bars! I do love Halloween.

IMHO...

I know, I know, politics are never this simple. But for me, particularly in light of the Tea Party's proliferating nonsense, the upcoming election, and today's Return to Sanity Rally, I am reminded of one simple thing. You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts. Opinions are like, well, you know, and everybody has one. Facts are facts are facts, and you may not edit them to suit your purpose. Any questions?

White Knuckles

Honestly, would you get in the passenger seat with this guy behind the wheel? When you're a mother, there are some things you must do. One of these things is riding shotgun with your reluctant driver son who does not yet possess a full driver's license. He did just fine. The biggest problem was other impatient drivers. Drivers who insisted on speeding, pulling out into traffic illegally, and jumping through a 4-way stop before it was their turn. If you can't be courteous, at the very least follow the rules! Maybe I should get one of those student driver placards to slap on the side of the Forester. Then all those discourteous drivers might just keep their distance! Yes, and thank you for asking, I am just fine.

ByeBye, Pasties!

For this girl, the worst part of the mammogram has always been removing those horrible, and horribly sticky, pasties. I never was of the opinion that I needed to exfoliate my nipples. And it seemed those nasty little pasties did just that. Their purpose was to clearly identify the nipple tissue, which is more dense than other breast tissue. More dense or thickening of breast tissue can be a sign of trouble in there, so the pasties with a little metal ball inside were used as an indicator of normal but dense tissue. Enter digital mammography! And those evil little sticky things are no longer necessary! Yesssssss! And October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so for once I'm taking care of this bit of feminine business during its designated month. Now that the dreaded pasties are a thing of the past, maybe I won't be so reluctant to do this annually. Although next October I'll probably be saying, what, already? Time flies when you procrastinate.

Maintenance, High and Low

I have been off work a number of weeks. This has left me acutely aware of projects around the house that require attention. These bits of household maintenance randomly scream at me. Fix me! Paint me! Winterize me! A few I've been able to tackle and finish, others are simply impossible to accomplish with my cranky, tendinitis-plagued hands. So I have focused my attention in another direction. Maintaining me! Last week I had a date with my dental hygenist. I left with my teeth all x-rayed, examined, glittery and clean. No cavities! Today I visited my gynecologist and experienced that most joyfully anticipated ritual, the quasi-annual PAP test! And all the assorted poking and prodding that accompanies it. I'm hoping for that short but sweet letter in the mail saying I'm just fine and dandy, see you in two years. Have I saved the best for last? You will have to be the judge of that. Tomorrow I return to the clinic for, yes, a mammogram! That most pleasant of diagnostic exams involving an evil machine designed to compress and torture human mammary tissue. I have never enjoyed a mammogram. I have never heard another woman admit that she does, either. For me, it's just a matter of standing still, holding my breath, and it's over with in pretty short order. And when you compare it with having your teeth cleaned, all I have to say is, I'm glad I don't have 28 boobs.

More Fun With Tigh & Lloyd

I have been drinking Patron margaritas at Bravo's. With Tigh and Lloyd. Where it isn't just a happy hour, nonono! It's happy half the afternoon! BBQ chicken sliders. Fried green beans. Nachos. While I am sad that Lloyd is moving on for the next leg of his American travels, I think perhaps my liver needs a rest. It has been great fun! And I'm so happy to have acquired another son! And I need one of those Power Ball tickets to pay off so I can make a trip to Australia! And now, it's either too late for a nap or too early for bedtime, so I'll compromise by falling asleep while watching a movie. I love it when things work out.