We've been expecting a winter storm this weekend. Another one. And we can call it a "winter storm" because it's still winter, even though March is generally associated with more moderate temperatures. The low on Sunday night/Monday morning looks like it'll be around -7º F, and it might even get to -4º when I'm on my way to work.
This might be a good time to remind you that I don't live in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, or anywhere near the Canadian border.
The severity of the storm itself keeps changing, first for the worse and then for the better, but it still looks like we'll get *something* tomorrow and *something else* on Sunday. Whether that's the five or six inches they're promising tonight or the foot or so we were promised this morning is yet to be seen. Regardless, it all smells of a giant conspiracy between my mom and the groundhog to make sure that I suffer a little more punishment for leaving Hawaii behind. Whether it's a foot or five inches, I still have to wait for a bus and tromp through ice and snow to go to work on Monday morning. In negative-degree weather.
Two weeks ago I took a day off thinking it was the last butt-ass cold day of the season. And it was ... until it wasn't.
In totally different weather-related news ...
Friday, February 28, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
When your immune system has it in for you ...
I don't get sick much, and being on immunosuppressants hasn't really changed that. They say that your immune system will be weakened, but this assumes you had a normal immune system to begin with. Mine is like a white guy in Florida surrounded by black kids with hoodies and boom boxes that are blasting rap music. It's so paranoid that it sees danger everywhere and attacks whatever it sees. I can only imagine that it runs out of actual pathogens and just starts looking for something else to fuck up.
The only exception to this "don't get sick much" seems to be whenever I move to a new place, so I've now had two bad colds since November, complete with congestion, green goo, and a good week or so of hacking up my own lungs until I gag. It's been swell.
The extra fun thing has been this weird rash on my hands. The doctor says it's eczema, although it's been fairly mild--just a handful of spots on one hand and a bit in the web between two fingers on the other--so he just gave me a cream to slap on it and called it a day. One hand has been getting better, but the other one has been getting worse. Eczema, like so many of the things wrong with me, is auto-immune business, which means that instead of dealing with this COLD FROM HELL, my immune system has been going after the skin on my hands.
Dude. Like ... what? Have you been ignoring all the green crap coming out of my lungs? Do you not hear me coughing and snorfling and sneezing? Don't you think your work would be best performed elsewhere?
Too bad I can't order my leukocytes around like little soldiers and get them to march, march, march where they need to be.
And now that the weather is going to get butt-ass cold again, which means spending a lot of time outside freezing. Cold weather suppresses the immune system and facilitates the spread of viruses for science-y reasons (<--not a scientist) so that hasn't helped either. (That and spending all that time on the bus.)
I just wonder if we can have normal temperatures by the time the clock skips ahead again. And believe me, I am looking forward to that extra daylight. Very much looking forward.
The only exception to this "don't get sick much" seems to be whenever I move to a new place, so I've now had two bad colds since November, complete with congestion, green goo, and a good week or so of hacking up my own lungs until I gag. It's been swell.
The extra fun thing has been this weird rash on my hands. The doctor says it's eczema, although it's been fairly mild--just a handful of spots on one hand and a bit in the web between two fingers on the other--so he just gave me a cream to slap on it and called it a day. One hand has been getting better, but the other one has been getting worse. Eczema, like so many of the things wrong with me, is auto-immune business, which means that instead of dealing with this COLD FROM HELL, my immune system has been going after the skin on my hands.
Dude. Like ... what? Have you been ignoring all the green crap coming out of my lungs? Do you not hear me coughing and snorfling and sneezing? Don't you think your work would be best performed elsewhere?
Too bad I can't order my leukocytes around like little soldiers and get them to march, march, march where they need to be.
And now that the weather is going to get butt-ass cold again, which means spending a lot of time outside freezing. Cold weather suppresses the immune system and facilitates the spread of viruses for science-y reasons (<--not a scientist) so that hasn't helped either. (That and spending all that time on the bus.)
I just wonder if we can have normal temperatures by the time the clock skips ahead again. And believe me, I am looking forward to that extra daylight. Very much looking forward.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Things I Don't Do But I Know I Should
1. Replace the trash bag after I take out the garbage. Then I want to throw something out and go, "Oh. No bag." And I leave it on the oven if it's "dry" garbage, like an empty box or whatnot. I wait until I "need" or "have" to replace the bag.
2. Close the door. Any door. Or lock them, unless I'm trying to keep toddlers from walking in on me in the shower. I like having air circulate through my apartment even if that's what led to the recent dog pee incident. Toddlers will intrude regardless of whether the door is open or closed.
3. Floss. It will be my downfall. I don't have that kind of time.
4. Take my makeup off before I go to bed. Sometimes I do, but usually I just wait for sleep to take off half of it and take it off in the morning. Sometimes this is because I know I'm taking a shower in the morning and will take it off then. It used to be advertised as "so gentle you can sleep in it," and I find that this is true.
5. Hang up laundry after it's finished drying. Unless I'm putting out next week's load to dry, in which case I'll usually hang it up. Or toss it somewhere. I dunno. I'm flexible.
I know, I'm a monster. I guess the laundry is technically hanging anyway (to dry).
I'm sure someone will read this and take it to some wild extreme based on their own imagination. But I'm just being honest.
2. Close the door. Any door. Or lock them, unless I'm trying to keep toddlers from walking in on me in the shower. I like having air circulate through my apartment even if that's what led to the recent dog pee incident. Toddlers will intrude regardless of whether the door is open or closed.
3. Floss. It will be my downfall. I don't have that kind of time.
4. Take my makeup off before I go to bed. Sometimes I do, but usually I just wait for sleep to take off half of it and take it off in the morning. Sometimes this is because I know I'm taking a shower in the morning and will take it off then. It used to be advertised as "so gentle you can sleep in it," and I find that this is true.
5. Hang up laundry after it's finished drying. Unless I'm putting out next week's load to dry, in which case I'll usually hang it up. Or toss it somewhere. I dunno. I'm flexible.
I know, I'm a monster. I guess the laundry is technically hanging anyway (to dry).
I'm sure someone will read this and take it to some wild extreme based on their own imagination. But I'm just being honest.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Style Over
I decided to watch Sin City today. I'd never seen it, and ... I don't think I'm going to be able to finish it.
It looks nice. Yeah. Sure.
But all those other things that make a movie?
And I think it's very safe to say, "This movie has issues with women." Which I knew before watching it, but I didn't really get the extent to which this movie just hates women.
I know, I know. I get it, Hollywood. Men do things. Women have things done to them. Baaad things. I know. So instead of making this movie you could have flashed those nine words on the screen for an hour and a half. Same effect, less Jessica Alba.
Cheaper, though.
Oh look, more hookers.
It looks nice. Yeah. Sure.
But all those other things that make a movie?
And I think it's very safe to say, "This movie has issues with women." Which I knew before watching it, but I didn't really get the extent to which this movie just hates women.
I know, I know. I get it, Hollywood. Men do things. Women have things done to them. Baaad things. I know. So instead of making this movie you could have flashed those nine words on the screen for an hour and a half. Same effect, less Jessica Alba.
Cheaper, though.
Oh look, more hookers.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Nooooooooo
Hank, the puttytat who ran for senate, is very sick. Which makes me haz a sad.
No can haz cheezburger when haz sad.
Sending some good thoughts his way, and I hope you will too.
(I have a cold right now, hence why I'm up at 3 when I have to get up in three hours, so I need to keep a few healies here. But the rest are going to Hank.)
Edit: Not enough healies. I just found out that Hank died earlier today. Your serious expression and smart ties will be missed, and if Kitty Heaven has a senate, I'm sure you'll be the bestest, ballsiest kitty senator present.
RIP Hank!
No can haz cheezburger when haz sad.
Sending some good thoughts his way, and I hope you will too.
(I have a cold right now, hence why I'm up at 3 when I have to get up in three hours, so I need to keep a few healies here. But the rest are going to Hank.)
Edit: Not enough healies. I just found out that Hank died earlier today. Your serious expression and smart ties will be missed, and if Kitty Heaven has a senate, I'm sure you'll be the bestest, ballsiest kitty senator present.
RIP Hank!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Dudes
This is your cynical Valentine's Day post.
It's a little early. I figure you'll all be too busy shagging and boozing on Friday, so I might as well get this in now:
When I was 5-6 I had lots of male friends. Then I left that school and went to a school where girls DEFINITELY had cooties, and I spent years wishing I had male friends to play with. Street Fighter, X-Men and Ninja Turtles aren't strictly "boy stuff" obviously, but I didn't know any other girls who had more than a passing knowledge of them. The boys around me became very conflicted, since it's sort of like meeting a talking dog. She likes what we like! But she's a girl! Should I be friends with her? Or hate her? I CAN'T DECIDE!!
In the end, they decided not to be my friends. Oh well.
Fast forward to college, where I reached a certain age and suddenly had too much of the wrong kind of male attention. Which maybe some women like or want, but I still just wanted to play video games and hang out. ("Hang out" is not a euphemism for anything sexy in this usage.) Once again I was put in this position where gender roles and ideas about men and women and sexuality fuck everything up. First it was girls being stupid and having cooties (girls are good for nothing), and then we were just good for sex. Oh sure, maybe they liked being around me and talking and all that shit, but once they were sexually rejected, the friendships fizzled.
And now I'm just wary of any straight guy who seems to want to be my friend, because I'm worried he'll start to get handsy. Or creepy. That's happened a lot too. Some guys just don't take rejection well ...
I think I still believe that men and women can be friends without playing bedroom Plinko together. I have more than a handful of gay guy friends who aren't interested in my pantaloons, which is nice, but I wish I didn't have to rely on someone having a specific sexual orientation in order to feel comfortable around someone of the opposite sex. Shit.
So I'm still just looking for someone who wants to play video games and hang out. And I don't think that's ever going to happen.
It's a little early. I figure you'll all be too busy shagging and boozing on Friday, so I might as well get this in now:
When I was 5-6 I had lots of male friends. Then I left that school and went to a school where girls DEFINITELY had cooties, and I spent years wishing I had male friends to play with. Street Fighter, X-Men and Ninja Turtles aren't strictly "boy stuff" obviously, but I didn't know any other girls who had more than a passing knowledge of them. The boys around me became very conflicted, since it's sort of like meeting a talking dog. She likes what we like! But she's a girl! Should I be friends with her? Or hate her? I CAN'T DECIDE!!
In the end, they decided not to be my friends. Oh well.
Fast forward to college, where I reached a certain age and suddenly had too much of the wrong kind of male attention. Which maybe some women like or want, but I still just wanted to play video games and hang out. ("Hang out" is not a euphemism for anything sexy in this usage.) Once again I was put in this position where gender roles and ideas about men and women and sexuality fuck everything up. First it was girls being stupid and having cooties (girls are good for nothing), and then we were just good for sex. Oh sure, maybe they liked being around me and talking and all that shit, but once they were sexually rejected, the friendships fizzled.
And now I'm just wary of any straight guy who seems to want to be my friend, because I'm worried he'll start to get handsy. Or creepy. That's happened a lot too. Some guys just don't take rejection well ...
I think I still believe that men and women can be friends without playing bedroom Plinko together. I have more than a handful of gay guy friends who aren't interested in my pantaloons, which is nice, but I wish I didn't have to rely on someone having a specific sexual orientation in order to feel comfortable around someone of the opposite sex. Shit.
So I'm still just looking for someone who wants to play video games and hang out. And I don't think that's ever going to happen.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Defective Pizza
I bought an Udi's frozen pizza at Walmart the other day. It was $6, and they're usually $8, so I didn't really hesitate. Yeah, it's steep for a frozen pizza, but they're pretty good. And you feel a bit more comfortable with the frozen pizzas produced by companies that regularly deal with gluten free stuff than you do dealing with your Minsky's or other pizza parlor that promises gluten free crust.
So I got my pizza. Took it home. Put it in the freezer. All that good stuff you do when buying a frozen pizza.
Today felt like a pizza day, so I preheated my oven and got out my pizza. Now, these pizzas strongly recommend putting them right on the oven rack. I can tell you from experience that this is the best way to go about it, if possible. They don't quite cook right otherwise. And because you're putting it right on the oven rack, you want to be a little careful with anything that's hanging over the edge. That is, the sauce and cheese that comes up right to the edge might drip or fall off, so I always pick off the bits that are hanging over and put them on the top.
I picked at a little bit of cheese and sauce at the edge of my pizza and the whole fucking layer of sauce and cheese popped off the crust. And broke, of course. So I had pieces of sauce + cheese that had basically become a puzzle on top of my pizza, and instead of putting a couple of bits of cheese in a safer location, I was trying to make sure that the sauce/cheese wasn't going to fall off entirely when I put the thing in the oven.
Often when I bake these in the oven, the edges of the pie will droop down, and sure enough I saw a big ol' cheese chunk at the bottom of the oven where it had just slid right off. I'm not sure what happened to this pizza, since I handled it exactly the way I always handle them, and I probably eat these 1-2 times per month (too expensive, but I eat them fairly regularly regardless). It's not like I did something stupid with it, or this is just "what they do." My pizza was defective. Majorly defective.
It was still tasty, but I think when I pay $6 for a frozen pizza I expect it to "work properly." (I'd be more pissed if I'd paid the $8 "suggested retail" price.)
Now I need to pick wads of burned cheese off the bottom of the oven. :(
So I got my pizza. Took it home. Put it in the freezer. All that good stuff you do when buying a frozen pizza.
Today felt like a pizza day, so I preheated my oven and got out my pizza. Now, these pizzas strongly recommend putting them right on the oven rack. I can tell you from experience that this is the best way to go about it, if possible. They don't quite cook right otherwise. And because you're putting it right on the oven rack, you want to be a little careful with anything that's hanging over the edge. That is, the sauce and cheese that comes up right to the edge might drip or fall off, so I always pick off the bits that are hanging over and put them on the top.
I picked at a little bit of cheese and sauce at the edge of my pizza and the whole fucking layer of sauce and cheese popped off the crust. And broke, of course. So I had pieces of sauce + cheese that had basically become a puzzle on top of my pizza, and instead of putting a couple of bits of cheese in a safer location, I was trying to make sure that the sauce/cheese wasn't going to fall off entirely when I put the thing in the oven.
Often when I bake these in the oven, the edges of the pie will droop down, and sure enough I saw a big ol' cheese chunk at the bottom of the oven where it had just slid right off. I'm not sure what happened to this pizza, since I handled it exactly the way I always handle them, and I probably eat these 1-2 times per month (too expensive, but I eat them fairly regularly regardless). It's not like I did something stupid with it, or this is just "what they do." My pizza was defective. Majorly defective.
It was still tasty, but I think when I pay $6 for a frozen pizza I expect it to "work properly." (I'd be more pissed if I'd paid the $8 "suggested retail" price.)
Now I need to pick wads of burned cheese off the bottom of the oven. :(
Friday, February 7, 2014
Kids Books Suck
Today I had two kids pile onto me and demand READING. They handed me every book they got today at the library and I went through all six of them. A couple were just boring because they were descriptions of what a pediatrician does (and so on). The rest were just stupid, fluffy books for little girls.
It was awful. It was torture. Angelina-fucking-Ballerina. Barbie. OH GOD, THE BARBIE.
That was the dumbest book I have ever read. (I must admit now that I have never read Twilight.) I would rather read the stupid pediatrician book 20 more times than read that fucking Barbie book again. I don't think these girls will grow up to be idiots, but good god. If they read more of that trash, then yes. Yes. They will grow up dumb. That was a dumb book, and reading shit like that will marinate your brain in idiocy. A filmy layer of stupid will grow over your brain, and it will make your gray matter melt like Velveeta and run out your ears.
Ugh.
I don't generally have shit against Barbie, but that story was the definition of "banal."
And "insipid."
It was awful. It was torture. Angelina-fucking-Ballerina. Barbie. OH GOD, THE BARBIE.
That was the dumbest book I have ever read. (I must admit now that I have never read Twilight.) I would rather read the stupid pediatrician book 20 more times than read that fucking Barbie book again. I don't think these girls will grow up to be idiots, but good god. If they read more of that trash, then yes. Yes. They will grow up dumb. That was a dumb book, and reading shit like that will marinate your brain in idiocy. A filmy layer of stupid will grow over your brain, and it will make your gray matter melt like Velveeta and run out your ears.
Ugh.
I don't generally have shit against Barbie, but that story was the definition of "banal."
And "insipid."
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
AHHHHH SNOOOOOWWWWW
What a Drag
Last Saturday I was feeling sick, and while my body was busy purging I wanted to find a show I could binge on. I settled on Drag Race because ... okay, why not? I like drag and drag queens, I have nothing against RuPaul, and I needed to watch something.
I started at episode one of season one, and at first I just enjoyed it.
I started at episode one of season one, and at first I just enjoyed it.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Dog Pee Dog Pee Everywhere, and Not a Drop to ... to ... uhhhhh ...
Today was a bad day.
Like, in the tome of Really Bad Days, today was a Classic Bad Day. NOTHING GOOD HAPPENED. NOT A SINGLE THING.
Like, in the tome of Really Bad Days, today was a Classic Bad Day. NOTHING GOOD HAPPENED. NOT A SINGLE THING.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Wow.
Since I felt so sick most of the weekend (after work Friday to Sunday evening = "the weekend") I didn't do a whole lot. I only finally went grocery shopping at about noon today (Sunday), which meant walking (one mile each way) since there's no bus service on Sunday.
The only thing I accomplished was watching two seasons of Drag Race.
God, I want to cosplay so bad now.
The only thing I accomplished was watching two seasons of Drag Race.
God, I want to cosplay so bad now.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
This Winter is Driving Me Batshit
Now that I'm back on the "mainland" USA I have to deal with "mainland USA" problem. One of those being winter. Not a lot of that in Hawaii. We had "rainy and 78 degrees" and we had "not rainy and 85 degrees." Those were our seasons. Now that I'm back in the middle of the country, we have several seasons.
Sometimes within days of each other.
Sometimes within days of each other.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)