Hooray For Disjointed Monday-o-rama!

I haven't written in a while. I know this partly because I didn't ever bitch about "Tulsarama!," and partly because Clay said "Hey, you haven't updated the blog in a while..."

I know it's been long enough I should just "get over it," but I haven't yet. "Tulsarama!" was a disappointment; but not because the vault turned out to be full of water, and not because the "Buried Belvedere" was rusted out and nasty. I was disappointed because they sold the big Friday Night "Unveiling" as the first time anybody got to see it, and it was not. I was pissed off 'cause they'd already had it out and messed around with it and then threw some plastic back over it just to put on a show of all those guys picking pieces off. If the Friday Night Unveiling was supposed to be the first time we all saw it, then why did they mess with it beforehand? Why were there dozens of PhotoBucket sites and YouTube videos of the "preparations" for Friday Night's "ceremonies?" If the whole purpose of gathering everybody at the Convention Center was to unwrap it for the first time, then it should've the first time.

I was also disappointed in the choice of "local celebrities" to put on the show. How the hell did they pick those two rattleboxes to be the people that represented Tulsa in a TV broadcast that recieved worldwide attention? People from all over the planet are going to think everybody around here is a dipshit who keeps talking whether they have anything to say or not. And with the folks from the Historical Society wearing latex gloves and being as gentle as they could, I was just stunned when I saw 'em waving that old newspaper around even though it already had a hole in it, and when Erling went to grab it away from the ol' rattlebox, I didn't know what to think. Snatchin' it right outta her hands, uhm, hey, that's not fragile or anything, is it?? Both of 'em were bare-oily-handed and tossing stuff like they didn't care that there were bits and crumbs flying off it, dropping stuff on the floor as they were scrambling to get the next handful of whatever they could grab out of the capsule just like a bunch of monkeys goin' after a fruit basket. "I grabbed this first!" Yeah, well, you strung several pieces of it all across the stage, smarty. Seriously, we sat in the far end of the upper level, on the opposite end of the building and we could still see the bits flyin' off because of 'em bein' all rough with stuff.

In short, I think it would've been less irritating if someone could've gone after the "Celebrities" with some Duct Tape and Tennis Balls before the "show" started.

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Friday night was our second trip to Caney Speedway, and I enjoyed it tremendously. I'd almost forgot what a tacky track was like -- it's good, it's so good... It's way more fun when they use the water truck, I ain't kiddin', I love it. I had a great time 'til the car died partway through the feature -- but I really can't complain, sometimes shit happens. Seriously though, the track was beautiful and Saturday Morning was the first time in a long time that I'd been able to pull big chunks of still-damp mud off the car.

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Saturday Morning was also another turning point, The Triumph is gone now. A sweet little lady from Fort Cobb came up here to bring me a cashier's check and ride it home. She was a real sweetheart and just warm & friendly as she could be; I handled it a lot better than I thought I would -- I'm sure that's part of why I didn't get all weepy, 'cause we had such a nice time chattin' while she was here.

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I finished knitting my first actual sweater yesterday and it turned out pretty cute. I really really wanna post pictures, but I'm not gonna put 'em here 'til it's with the new owner; and I can't say any more than that just yet 'cause I'm totally surprising a reader with this one and I just bet she'd figure it out 'cause she's the only person I know (besides me) who has a... Well, anyway...

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I know I had more in mind when I started this "disjointed" entry, but I just can't think of what else there was...

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More later... _\,,/

Disjointed Friday!

It's raining again. Still not sure if there'll be any races anywhere this weekend.

But The Belvedere is officially out of the hole and I'm leavin' work as early as I can to go see the "official unveiling" tonight. I still remember the first time I ever heard about it, on the field trip in fifth grade. I remember sittin' in the Jury Box right on the end next to Mrs. Reutlinger that day -- but I guess it didn't cross my mind to do the math; I don't remember thinkin' anything about "I'll be thirty when they dig that up..."

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I set the DVD-Recorder to catch the news coverage today at noon and tonight for the unveiling, it's only the third time I've actually used it. Apparently, when I ordered the DVD-Recorder, I had momentarily managed to forget how much TV sucked. "Hey, I can record to DVD's and then watch 'em on the MacBook at work or anywhere! Wow, now if only I could tune in something worth watching..."

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I've come to the conclusion that Racing Season and Knitting Season do overlap. I've chickened out and hit the "pause" button on two separate socks; but as of this week, I've started my first sweater. If it turns out worth a damn at all, it'll make a cute little gift -- I'm itchin' to post pictures, but I don't want to spoil the surprise, and if I said any more than that, she'd totally figure it out. It's in my car and it's calling to my compulsive side, makin' me wonder if I could get away with sneakin' a few rows at work. Wednesday night on my way into Tulsa, I had to wait for a train to cross so I whipped out the needles and finished two rows right there in the driver's seat. I just want to get a little further and see how long it takes before it starts to look like an actual sweater! I'll post pictures after it's done and tried-on by its new owner...

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Did ya know that if you're several payments behind on a truck, and you run out of gas on your way to work in it, it's not a good idea to leave it in somebody's parkin' lot, even if you leave a note saying you'll "be back at five"?? I guess somebody learned that the hard way yesterday -- heh -- he called us when he found it missing. I'm sure you can guess how hard it was to find a polite way to say "Repo Man Got It" without giggling...

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Gah, is it time to get outta here yet???

More later... _\,,/

iLove.

If I'd had any idea just how awesome it would be, I wouldn't have put it off so long.

Don't get me wrong, I had no doubt it would be pretty damn schweeet, but it's seriously amazing!

I put it off and put it off, holdin' out for the next bigger/better model, 'cause it wasn't six months after I got this MacBook that the newer/bigger/faster ones were out. I'm still very happy with the MacBook though...

I kept telling myself I'd order my iPod direct from Apple in a few more months. Just a little longer. Just a little longer. Playin' with Scott's iPod and takin' a closer look at almost every one of 'em that turned up in any of the pawn shops just made me want one even more -- and every time I'd hassle with my cheapy-no-name-SD-card player, I'd think about it a little more. I didn't want any of the little ones that I'd been lookin' at; I wanted the big one, the 80-gig, but I just kept waiting and putting it off. You know how I am -- there are very few situations where I'll go for the small or medium if there's a bigger one available. I ain't buyin' no six-cylinder pickup truck, I almost always go for the "large" fries even though I know I shouldn't... I was holdin' out for the "big" iPod, I really was.

And then Saturday, we stopped by the Pawn Shop on a whim and as I was lookin' at that ten dollar MP3 CD Player thinkin' I could toss that in the F-250 and not worry about it, and then I saw it... A 30-gig black one with a nice little yellow pricetag on it. I can't believe I almost missed it, but there it was, and as soon as I had it in my hands, I had to have it, so Merry Christmas! Yup, that's right, it's June and I hadn't touched Last Year's Christmas Money yet -- if you'll remember, I bought the Hearse in October of '05 with 2004's Christmas Cash; 2005 got dropped off at the bank shortly after Christmas of '06. See? That makes it real easy to justify spendin' a little money on myself! Wait... I'm always spending money on myself... Oh, screw-it, it's not like I'm lettin' bills go or something.

I had no idea how freakin' cool it would be! Music, Video, easy to use, no hassling with "find folder menu" and all that crap I had to go through every time I turned on that SD-card player (or every time I turned it back on after it had frozen and I had to pull the battery to re-start it). I had no idea the iPod had Solitaire in it. Solitaire! And I'm also stunned with the "notes" option; the first thing I did was put my Hotwheel/Matchbox "inventory" file on there -- so now when I'm standin' in a store tryin' to remember which ones I have or don't have, I can reach into my purse and it's right there. I'm stunned. Positively stunned.

I didn't get the "big" one this time, but it was such a sweet deal, I couldn't pass it up -- and I still might order a brand-new 80-gig one of these days too!

I am definitely a happy customer!

More later... _\,,/

The One Time To Be Thankful For Cat Puke...

A couple weeks ago, I picked Hannah up to love on her a little bit before I left for work and I thought I felt something strange. I tried to put it out of my mind, but it was with me all day and all I could think about was getting home to look her over a little closer.

Hannah's one of those cats who wants her human affection on a fairly limited basis, and always on her terms... Trying to figure out what I'd felt in my hand earlier that day turned out to be quite a challenge because she was not very interested in being held at that particular time.

When I had to have ShadowCat put down because of that "Aggressive Tumor," I asked the Vet if it was something that might've been passed along to the other cat, or possibly caused by something environmental; he said "no" on both counts, but still, I worried a bit.

After about three days of trying, I finally felt it again. Hannah Kitty had a lump near her, uhm, left front teat. Or Tit, or Milker, or Boob, or Breast, or whatever you'd prefer to call it. Now, I don't know if Breast Cancer is a common thing among cats; ya don't see 'em wearing pink ribbons or passing out laminated cards to hang in the shower with instructions for self-exams; but I've already lost one Cat to cancer, so finding a lump anywhere on the remaining cat obviously freaked me out a little bit. What if it's something in the house that's doin' it to 'em? What if that something could be doin' it to me too? What if, what if, what if...

I've had some cats in the past who were calm & laid-back enough to let me maul 'em any which way -- but Hannah would have no part of being laid out on her back where I might part her fur to see what was goin' on with her lefty-fronty, nuh-uh, no-way, no-how. Since there wasn't much chance of looking, I spent every chance I got trying to feel for it; every time I'd pick her up and pet her, I'd pay close attention to her chest and her belly as I put her down, and I could feel that lump almost every time.

I was thankful it wasn't getting bigger, but still, it wasn't disappearing either, and it was making me anxious as hell!

A couple days ago, she was rollin' around sheddin' on my bed while I was close enough to see and I caught a glimpse of something in her fur that wasn't moving quite like the rest of the cat. I couldn't let it go any longer, I couldn't stand to keep worrying, I decided that if she wouldn't let me check it out this time, I was callin' the Vet's Office that very moment. So I reached for her, and before she could bite/claw/gnaw on my hand too much, I discovered that though the lump wasn't getting bigger, it was growing out, as in hangin' off of her long silky fur...

I'd freaked out over a matted gob of hair. Yeah.

The next night when I got home, she'd speeyacked the biggest damn hairball I've ever seen; but I couldn't gripe, 'cause hey, at least she got it -- the lump was gone.

Yeah, even with just one cat, I've still got a little bit of that "Crazy Cat Lady" thing goin' on.

More later... _\,,/