The Continuing Saga of Packing

I'm mostly packed. By that I mean I have about 13 more boxes to go, not counting the stuff that hasn't been purchased yet. Like a couch. And a second bed, because the new place is HUGE y'all! To top it all off, we're making some of the furniture. Like a dining table and some benches to go with it. So once again there is a trip to Ikea in my immediate future. Land of the flatpack. And cheap "tupperware". This time I'm going armed with a list. Not so that I won't buy stuff not on the list, but so I don't forget the stuff I need!!

Do you have any idea how much stuff a person can accumulate in nine years? Hint: it's a lot of stuff. I even gave away most of my paperbacks! But then there are the 16 magazine files full of cooking magazines. And... and... and.. it just goes on and on and on...

--Little Bird is still packing

Multiples of Three

6: the number of weeks I have left in Chicago. I'm moving!!! To Santa Fe!! Really, really soon!

9: the number of years I've lived here in Chicago. It's been fun, this is a great city. I could just do without February.

24: the number of years ago I first came to visit Chicago. I mean really see the place. Mama Bird had come up to work on a show room for a convention, and suggested that I might want to see the city. I was 13 years old. It was amazing and scary and so much fun! I don't think I'll ever forget it.

So I have a few more weeks to soak in as much of Chicago as possible, go to all the restaurants I keep saying I want to try, but never have somehow. Go to the Farmer's Markets. Walk along the beach and marvel at the enormous body of fresh water that is Lake Michigan. Go to the concerts in Millennium Park and eat pesto while dodging poorly aimed soccer balls (if that happens again, I'm gonna stick the corkscrew in the damned ball). Soon I will be posting about how hot and dry it is, and how much fun it is to set up my new place. And that there are snakes out there! BIG ones.


--Little Bird is getting a new nest

Bad Day

Today I had to take my moms cat to the vet to be put down. It's not been a good day. I stood in the exam room, petting her and scratching behind her ears while they administered the shot. Mama Bird was on the phone with me during the whole thing. She was in California and the cat took a sudden turn for the worse while she was gone. The cat was fourteen. It's been a really sucky day.

--Little Bird is crying.

What I Did This Summer

Sorry I've been gone all summer. I wish I could tell you that I was off galavanting around the world. That I had found a great job. That I had met the love of my life and was busy being swept off my feet.
None of those things happened. I went galavanting (by train) to Texas and Missouri. I went to a LOT of concert picnics. I made a ton of pesto (so much so that my stepfather actually got tired of it!) I didn't meet anyone special.
I did bake some cakes for a family and their kids, and babysit for them occasionally. Their three year old daughter apparently recently professed her love for me (I watch movies with her that she's seen a million times and I refuse to tell her what's going on when she asks for the thirtieth time "Where's her going?") also, I am the cake lady.
Perhaps I will figure out this fall something to write about. Perhaps I can get involved in something worth writing about.
Fall is by far my favorite season, there's a sense of anticipation in the air. The mornings are crisper, there is more hustle and bustle. The food is more... involved. Maybe I'll start posting recipes again, that at least would be something.

Little Bird has been remiss

P.S. The first recipe will involve bacon. The best bacon in the world.

Frustration.

Once again, life at failblog has led me to make another serious post.
I was born with Neurofibromatosis. This is a degenerative disease. It is what will eventually kill me. Assuming I don't get hit by a bus first. I don't have health insurance. I can't afford it. I simply can't. What one insurance company quoted me, I wouldn't NEED the insurance! I could use that money (there was a $5,000 deductible involved) to cover nearly all of my doctors visits.
Most people who have met me wouldn't know about my condition if I didn't tell them. I'm lucky in that regard. Most of my issues area largely "invisible". But for crying out loud! What the fuck is wrong with trying to provide adequate health care to EVERYONE!? It's not like I get sick just so I can suck tax dollars out of anyone's pocket! There are so many people like me who fall through the cracks. There are so many people who are worse off than me.
There are so many people who think that folks like me are idiots and morons for saying that current health care is inadequate. They say that we don't know what we're talking about. I've lived the life. I know from what I'm talking about.
If there is a program out there to help me, they sure as hell make it as difficult as possible to get to. See, part of my issues include learning disabilities, which makes navigating the convoluted ins and outs of the system overwhelming.
It is in a word frustrating.

--Little Bird is fed up.

More Ketchup

So, it's been awhile. I've been both busy and not so busy. I've had no idea what to post. I'm thinking of going back to recipes, but not just yet.
This year's Christmas does not involve traveling to New Mexico. We are all staying home. And my step-sister is coming in to celebrate with us the day after Christmas. The day after that, I go to St. Louis to visit with a friend. And yes, I will be traveling by train. How else would I go?
Gift purchasing has been interesting. I still have to get Mama Bird and her husband. And one more gift for Whirly Bird. I have one of hers, and one each for my step sister and her daughter. I can't tell what they are here, as some of the involved folks read this.
There have been some problems with the tumors, and if they act up again in the next few weeks an appointment will be made. I will not go into detail here except to say that I have had surgery in the affected area before, and it was NOT fun. And that it was kinda gross. I'm sure I've discussed it here before.
It's cold here, and gearing up for another round of snow. Which is kind of sad tonight. There is supposed to be a lunar eclipse tonight. The first in 372 years to coincide with the Solstice. And it's overcast. Figures.


--Little Bird is preparing for the holiday

End of an Era

Sometimes, things don't work out. Sometimes, things end. Sometimes, they were good while they lasted. Sometimes, you get to keep good memories. Sometimes, it's time to say goodbye.
Rooster and I have broken up. It was my choice, and I'm sorry it hurt him. But sometimes, it's just not there anymore.

--Little Bird is solo, again

Happy Halloween!

For the first year in I don't know how long, I'm not dressing up for Halloween. I just don't have the energy. Or the money so it kind of worked out. Last night Rooster and I went to Old St. Andrews Inn, a purportedly haunted bar here in Chicago. We didn't see any ghosts, but the food was pretty good and the beers just kept comin'. Word to the wise, Elephant beer by Carlsberg is on the strong side, and more than three of them might not be for the lightweights. Not that I am by any stretch of the imagination a lightweight. The bar also had live music and the band was pretty darned good. I would go back, and probably will.
Tonight I'll be watching either a scary movie or one of the multiple ghost hunter type shows on cable. Of course, I may just watch Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein again.


--Little Bird is over the hangover

Succotash

The newest things to report: A heart healthy cooking program, My folks finally get a decent TV, and I start yet another new medicine.
Okay, first things first. My step-father is battling high cholesterol so he wanted some healthy foods for dinners. And he doesn't want it to cost an arm and a leg. My folks had been buying stuff from the prepared foods section of Whole Foods, and that was pretty pricey. So I spent a day or two searching the internet looking for tasty sounding/looking recipes for him. I found around 30. I already had 10, so I think he's set for the next month. Seriously, I could cook one different thing every day and not repeat for well over a month (Sundays I get to be a little less strict about the menu). This ought to be interesting. I figure that by the end of winter, I'll be very very good when it comes to cooking vegetables. Very good. Due to practice alone.

The TV. For years my parents have been making do with a giant obsolete tube tv. The picture was fuzzy. The sound was awful. So they bought a new one. A flat screen! AND a blu-ray player!!! The picture is amazing. The SOUND is incredible. A few months ago my step-father accidentally purchased a few blu-ray disks (he didn't realize that they wouldn't play on the DVD player), so we popped one of those in to see the picture quality. One of the things that a person might never really want to see in the clearest possible picture is an extreme close up of Keith Richards' face. I'm just sayin'.

The pills. Tomorrow I start a generic version of Prozac. Budeprion has been relatively kind to me, but it costs over $100 a month and I don't have insurance to help with it. This new medicine is under $20 a month. The citalopram was less than $5, but the side effects were unacceptable. I read the side effects listed for this new pill, and they aren't all that great either, but they are also not evident in EVERY patient. Of course, they weren't for the last one either, but hey, I'll try it. If it helps, and doesn't cause painful or embarrassing side effects, I'll stick with it.

---Little Bird will be cooking up a storm!

Just a Note

Hello everyone! Today's post is from New Mexico. It is sunny and cool and Mama Bird's B-day party was a rousing success. No cell service up here though. So if you haven't gotten a call from me (assuming you were expecting one) I can't do it.
Okay, on to the other thing I wanted to address. This is a blog. It is sort of an on-line diary. If you are not interested in the goings on in my life, you are not required to read it. However, if you're going to comment about how no one wants to hear/read about my issues, have the balls to sign your goddamned name. Even if it is a screen name. If you feel the need to say something, clearly you care. Also, if you know I won't publish it due to the fact that you are a fucking asshole, why comment at all?


--Little Bird says FY,YFF!

Warning, Blood Ahead

A couple of weeks ago I bought a new pair of shoes. Ballet flats, in the exact same shade of brown/tan as my beloved backpack. I match! The shoes are from Land's End, and very simple. They are also very stiff. I wore them for about 40 minutes the day after purchase and promptly ended up with a very large blister on my right heel. No biggie really, I expected it to happen. So when I wore them around the house again the other day and experienced no problems, I figured I was in the clear and could now wear them to go to a friends house. I figured wrong.
I got to my friends house and had to take off the shoes, something I would have done even if I hadn't given myself new blisters. I padded around barefoot for a bit and then sat down to look at some magazine and just happened to glance at the heel of my left foot. I didn't think that blisters bled. At least not that much. my whole heel except for the bottom was smeared with blood. My friend ran to get bandaids and ointment (which never stay on once the shoes go back on for some reason) and I ran to get paper towels. And to look at my shoe. The heel of it was full of blood. Blood had actually seeped out to the outside along one of the stitch lines, just a bit. I wiped the shoe (and my foot) off and applied the ointment and bandages, and stayed barefoot 'til I had to go home.
I walked home very slowly.
So now I need a few of those super-special types of bandaids, and a few pairs of trouser socks so I can break the shoes in before I go to St. Louis next month. Because, I WILL break those shoes in!!
In other news, a friend has purchased and now painted his brand new condo. And whoever put up the wallpaper we took down should have their eyes checked. It was that bad. Cream, tan, brown, and metallic silver. In the kitchen. And you should have seen what the paper in the bedroom closet looked like. Who wallpapers a closet? With criminally bad paper at that!?
Tomorrow a friend from back home comes into town. She'll be staying at my place while attending some kind of networking conference pertaining to radiology technicians. Thrilling stuff, I'm sure.
It appears spring has sprung, but I'm not so sure. I half expect a freak blizzard to sweep through Chicago and bury us all in 5 feet of snow.

--Little Bird is ready for spring

Family, the ones who love you (supposedly)

I have this aunt. She lives in Texas. I could probably stop there and at least two or three of you who know me would completely understand. But, for the other six or seven of you, I'll fill you in. The day after the health care bill was passed I called her to find out how badly she was taking it. See, she's VERY republican and religious to boot. She was not taking it well. In fact, she was in a bit of a tizzy. She thinks it is the very worst thing in the world, as now women will be able to get federally funded abortions. I don't think she has reliable information on the subject, else she wouldn't use that as her first argument against reform. When I reminded her that this bill means that now I can get insurance she said (and I quote) "I don't care about that". She went on to say that her husbands Medicare would be cut drastically as a result of this reform. And that she was tired of paying for other people's health care. Then she hung up on me.
Now remember, she's a very religious and LOVING person. Uh-huh. Suuuuuure. If she says so.
One of my other aunts is trying a different tack. She seems to be bent on driving Mama Bird into a crazed fit because the bill didn't go into effect (for me) RIGHT AWAY. She (the aunt) said she'd be mad if it didn't. She (also the aunt) voted for all the folks who were AGAINST HRC, and didn't want it passed in the first place.
Come July first I should be able to procure insurance. I cannot be denied. Legally. Because of my pre-existing condition I qualify for some help getting that insurance. I'm looking forward to feeling a bit more secure, and less stressed about the what-ifs surrounding my well being. I'm already less stressed about the whole thing.


--Little Bird gets more political every day.

iClean

I found out the other day that it might be possible to for me to hook my busted laptop up to my television set. All I need are some cables and maybe an adapter. Which I may already have. This will only work if the problem is in the screen and not the video card. I'm hoping for a $40 fix, instead of a $400 fix.
I think I also found out that I may be a touch OCD. If only in VERY slow cycles. I spent a goodly portion of yesterday clearing out a few drawers and organizing my movies. And my jewelry box. And then I made a schedule of when I'll clean what in the next week or so. I also have this odd desire to start scrapbooking. Something I've never been interested in before. A therapist would likely tell me that all this is some kind of attempt to impose order on my life. What you have to understand is, I hate cleaning. I hate organizing. Dunno why. Just do. The drawers in my room are usually catch-alls for all the random pieces of paper I accumulate. And pens. And cards. And beads etc. etc. (This is also likely some deeply rooted subconscious need being filled in some way.) I only get into organization mode once or twice a year. And usually it's not me who initiates it.
What's amusing to me about this is, this time I've been able to see it. And parse it. And even though I think I know what's going on, I still have the urge to organize. Maybe I should start doing some of this at night, since I'm not really sleeping anyway. Maybe I'll be done in under a week that way! Since getting up this morning I've already cleaned out two more drawers and plan on getting the rest of that set done today/tonight. Next up, the book drawer (under the bed and not in any way part of the drawer set I am currently working on).


--Little Bird is organizing... again

Verizon SUCKS!

If you have a Verizon contract, you may be interested to know what has recently transpired in this birds nest. I have been getting phone calls and texts from Verizon, telling me that Mama Bird owes them lots of money. She hasn't been getting the calls, I have. And the person I spoke to wanted me to give them Mama Birds credit card number! As if I would a) have the credit card number and b) give it to ANYONE! As it appears, someone hacked her contract. Someone changed her shipping and billing address and then ordered a blackberry. The blackberry was shipped but never activated. That happened in November. Whoever did this did it via phone. To do this they had to know her account number, and her social. When Mama Bird tried to clear this up (via phone) she was told that she had to come in and show proof of identity, keep in mind whoever did all the changing did it via phone. This was a few days ago when it was FREAKING cold outside. And this little trip to the Verizon store took two hours. And nothing could be done until yesterday because the fraud department was closed for the weekend. Now, the blackberry has been blocked and can never be activated because Verizon did something using the blackberry's serial numbers. BUT the fact remains that the contract itself is not all that safe. My step father's contract and mine are just about up, for us to transfer to a different carrier will cost us nothing. For Mama Bird however, they want to charge her $155 to get out of her contract.
Mama Bird did some research and got the address to which the blackberry was sent. IT'S A VACANT LOT. So if the blackberry did get sent, who received it? And why didn't they activate it in NOVEMBER? We think it's an inside job. They would have access to her info and could do this fairly easily.
Verizon should let her end her contract WITHOUT incurring a fee, since this is an error on their part. We haven't heard back from the fraud department yet. They say it will take at least two weeks to clear up. This is unacceptable. At best we expect to not have to pay for the blackberry and any late fees having to do with unpaid bills, as we never got the damned bills BECAUSE SOMEONE CHANGED THE BILLING ADDRESS!
Needless to say, Mama Bird has been a little upset lately.
On a lighter note, Mama Bird, my stepfather and myself had my birthday dinner this past Sunday evening. We had spicy southwest steak tar-tare, a great big southwest style salad, guacamole and chips. It was delicious! I was given an apron from a restaurant in Santa Fe, Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and another cookbook titled "How to Cook Everything". That last book has 2,000 recipes in it. I think I'll be set for some time now!

--Little Bird is going to be cooking up a storm

Satisfaction, I Got Some

It's a bright sun shiny first day of the new year! Also, it's cold. Really cold. There's ice on the lake cold.
Last night was a nice quiet evening spent inside watching movies. And opening birthday gifts. My birthday is tomorrow, but Rooster thought I should open them last night. Season one of "True Blood", a collector's edition of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", a set of salt and pepper shakers (green glass George Washington busts) and a CD from Starbucks (covered with thousands of teeny tiny birds). I'm very close to starting the "True Blood" marathon, and will now have to go find season two so I can stay current.
My father sent me a gift too. This is nothing short of amazing since we don't have the best of relationships. Mama Bird can attest to that being the understatement of the century. Anyway, my father sent me a set of Melmac (trademarked) cafeteria style (think 50's or 60's) tea/coffee cups, saucers, and dessert plates with a sugar bowl and creamer. It's all this great shade of lime green that will actually go perfectly with all my orange stuff. It's really cute and I love it!
I don't have any resolutions, I would likely break them in a week anyway. But I can say that already, this year is better than the last. Last year this time, I was alone. Last year this time I was depressed. This year I have someone to share time with, someone to watch movies with. Someone to just BE with. It's nice.
Last year's depression had little to do with being alone, and everything to do with being dissatisfied. Dissatisfied in general. The last part of this past year has been great, and it looks to only get better.
So I hope that everyone had a great New Year's, and that the coming year is the best one yet for everyone.

--Little Bird is satisfied

Bonfire, Bonfire, BONFIRE!

Greetings from the high desert! I am writing this from Abiquiu New Mexico and it is COLD here. The train ride here was blessedly uneventful and the scenery (while it was light out) was pleasant. It snowed almost the whole way here. Or at least, there was snow on the ground almost the whole way here. The peanut butter filled pretzels were just right.
Mama Bird and I came to a deal last night. I won't make disparaging comments about her buying expensive, well made items ($40 socks, for example), and she won't make fun of how I tend to over prepare for travel. And the reason she won't make fun of my preparedness is we had to stay in Santa Fe the night my train came in. See, it snowed here. A lot. And the roads were horribly bad. She didn't want to be driving in that PLUS it would be dark before we go to the cabin. But, she hadn't planned on staying in Santa Fe, so she didn't have things like a toothbrush and toothpaste. Or lotion. I had all those things. Plus a few more (I also had a wine key that came in handy last night). I won't be making any more disparaging comments about her expensive well made things because I realized that I too tend to spend a lot for things that are worth it (I want a $30 garlic press).
Last night was one of the best Christmas eves I've ever had. It was cozy, we had good food, we sat around and sang Christmas songs. The church across the plaza from us has a bonfire every year. A great huge thing that has to be visible for miles. We had never been to it so we figured we would go this year. Midnight Mass was at 10, and so we kept peeking out the window, and sometimes walking over to the church to see if there was anything to see. Nope. So we finally figured that the fire would be lit after Midnight Mass, and we settled down in the living room to reminisce. Mama Bird got up to get something out of the kitchen and all of the sudden I heard her say "bonfire". I had to ask her what she meant and she said "bonfire, bonfire BONFIRE!" What we hadn't noticed was the piles of wood in front of the churches fence/wall. Quite a few of them in fact. And now they were all lit. It looked like the church itself was aflame. People were gathering and going in, and the processional was getting ready to go in. We were outside to watch them all go in to the church and watched the fires for a bit, but we didn't think we could stay up another hour to go see the big bonfire. We walked back to our cabin under a cloudless sky filled with all the stars you can't see when you live in a city. It was perfect.

I have just been informed that next year for Christmas, Mama Bird wants an axe.


--Little Bird is prepared for this

Today

The other day I called a friend, just to see what she was up to. Apparently not much, as she felt terrible. She said her stomach was really bloated (enough to look preggers she said) and that she had taken about 10 to 15 antacids. The first thing that went through my mind was, that that many antacids can't be good for a person. I told her that maybe she shouldn't take any more and possibly call a doctor. She didn't take any more. Neither did she call a doctor. She went out and had a glass of wine and a bite to eat. The next day she still wasn't feeling any better (this was after she did some work stuff) and spoke to a doctor. Today she is in the hospital having her appendix removed.
She has asked me to feed her cat and to bring her some things from her place. You know, reading material, reading glasses, and MAKE UP. There are cute doctors in hospitals you know.
It took me a bit to figure out just how to get to the hospital she's in. And it will take a bit more, once I actually get there, to find her.
I was told that the pain associated with her appendix was like shards of glass in her belly. I hope my appendix decides to stay nice and calm.
So now that I've finished cleaning my parents apartment, it's off to my friends place to feed the cat, gather some reading material, and her make up. What did you do today?

--Little Bird is on a mission

A Visit To A Padded Room

Mama Bird and I got back late afternoon Saturday from our new Thanksgiving tradition. We decided while we were there that it would become our new tradition. The cottage we stayed in was perfect. A full kitchen (while small, was still bigger than my own), a fireplace in the living room and cozy furniture. Well, most of it was cozy (some of the chairs were less than comfy). The living room was upholstered! There was fabric on the walls and someone took the time to put piping along every corner, the top and bottom edges of each wall and surrounding each window and door. There was even batting under that fabric, so the walls were lightly padded. The bathroom had a half sized tub, something I don't think I've ever seen before. It makes sense though, you don't really need a full tub to shower in. And the Inn has a heated indoor pool just down the road, so you could soak there if the mood struck you.
The only bad things I have to say about the room are these; the fireplace came without any instructions*, and neither did the weird locking system for the front door.** Other than that, things were peachy! They left us fresh orange juice in the fridge for the next morning, and that fridge was large enough to hold all the perishables we brought with us.
* Ok, you might think that lighting a fire in a fireplace is pretty easy. And for the most part it is. But really, not everybody has much experience doing so. Mama Bird and I are both fairly proficient at it, but we still had problems. For one thing the flue was shut, and we did not know that until the fire was lit. The WHOLE cottage filled with smoke and we had to call maintenance to come help us out. I was on the phone with them while Mama Bird tried to do something about the smoke. If there were an audio recording of the whole ordeal, it would have been comedy genius.
** Again, you would think that door locks are pretty easy to figure out. This door lock was ... interesting. The door was unlocked when we arrived, and that was no big deal, we figured that was on purpose. However, once inside, I noticed that the lock was only accessible from the inside. There was no keyhole on the outside of the front door. It was some kind of deadbolt that while it certainly locked the door, was a bit odd. It turned out that if you left your cottage, say to go walk around the town, or drive to the next one to buy provisions, you locked your front door from the inside, and returned through the back door. That doesn't seem so bad, but the path TO that back door was poorly lit after dark and required a flash light to navigate.
All that aside, we had a great time. Again for the most part***. For dinner the first night we had butternut squash filled ravioli served with sun dried tomatoes, basil, shaved parmasean, and roasted pumpkin seed oil. It was... perfection. Just a tiny bit of garlic (fresh) and some italian seasonings to give it that little touch. For Thanksgiving dinner we went to someone else's house and had a full traditional meal. Turkey, stuffing, and veggies. I brought the mashed sweet potatoes and walnut green beans and for dessert I brought Ry's pumpkin cheesecake. All of those recipes can be found somewhere in the archives, and the cheesecake in the comments of "I Was On A Boat 'Yall". Everybody loved everything!
*** Put me and Mama Bird in the same kitchen and eventually tempers will flare. It never fails. But the food always comes out great, and we always get over it. I still maintain that there is some kind of catharsis to it.


---Little Bird has a new tradition

Grrrrr!

My computer conspires against me. That weird little last post? Wasn't supposed to post like that. It was a draft. One that I had to save and abandon the computer so my step-father could get on-line. I've been having computer problems lately. A sick, twisted part of me hopes he has too. If he has, maybe we can get the damned thing FIXED!
So yes, the stitches come out Monday (tomorrow) and Mama Bird and I go to southern Indiana for Thanksgiving later in the week.

We are bringing food to a dinner we have been invited to. Two sides and a desert. Mashed sweet potatoes (recipe from last year about this time) and Walnut green beans (recipe also somewhere on here) and pumpkin cheese cake. That last recipe is from the comment section of "I Was On A Boat Y'all" , a relatively recent post of mine. The recipe is from a FailBlog friend, and looks fantastic!
The trip to New Harmony looks to be pleasant. Nice and quiet. We're bringing all the food we need as we rented a cottage and it has a full kitchen. The part I'm looking forward to is the fireplace. Reading and playing Scrabble. And maybe some cross-stitch work.
I'm working on getting everyone's Christmas gifts in order. This is not exactly an easy undertaking. I've got Rooster's figured out (I won't list them as he reads this site) and my step-father's gifts are also figured out. Mama Bird's are not yet decided and the crazy family is getting nuts. Spicy roasted nuts. I figure it's appropriate. There are a few other friends to buy for, but for the most part, I've got their gifts all worked out.
Other than that, I have nothing to report.

--Little Bird tries to work with her computer

Disturbing

Sometimes I disturb myself. Like with this little tidbit of personal information. I have several tumors, and when one has to be removed, it gets a name. A regular sort of name. The one that was above and slightly behind my right ear was Ralph. The one on the underside of my chin was Harry, because of the one lone hair it occasionally sprouted. The annoying one on my neck was Herman, and that's what my dad used to call me when he wanted to get under my skin. The group that was removed when I was 21 (discussed in an earlier post) we can call the Brothers Grim. And lastly the one on my face, right side, I've dubbed Arnold. Arnold wasn't really a tumor (hence the name... "It's not a toomah") but a cyst that abscessed and had to come out ASAP.
But the naming all started with Ralph. You see, years ago, when I was 22, I dated this guy. And his mother had a tumor in the exact same place. She had named it Ralph, because it had been with her for so long. So I named my matching one Ralph too. It was the only one to get a name before it had to be removed. So far all the names are masculine, and have some meaning behind them. So. What do I call the one on my back that is coming off on the 16th? I'm having difficulty thinking up an appropriate name for him.
I just remembered that I did name one other one that hasn't been removed yet, and not only that, it has a feminine name. Rosey. She's on my forehead. I also feel I should point out that all of these tumors are really small. Mole sized, but not moles. And they get removed when they start to act up.
Should I talk about food now?
No? Too soon?
Ok.
Sometimes other people disturb me. Like what my crazy relative told me yesterday. She lives in Texas (I know, I could stop there and you would still understand). She and I were discussing the incident at the military base not too far from her. The one in the news. The one where the officer lost his marbles and started shooting up a theatre. She informed me that the gunman was muslim, and that was why he did it. She went on to tell me that there has been talk of rounding up all the muslims in the U.S. and deporting them. That's right. She said it like this was a good thing. It worries me sometimes that crazy appears to run in my family.
I pointed out to her that we (as a country) can't really do that as we have laws about that sort of thing. You know, you can't discriminate against some one for their race, color, or creed. Civil rights. Basic rights at that. I also pointed out that this country was founded on freedom of religion (among other things). She seemed to think that it was perfectly alright to ship 'em all out because, you know, they all want to kill us. Forgetting that nearly every group has extremists and you can't judge an entire group of people by the actions of a few. She said it was part of their religion to try to kill us all. And by "us" she meant everyone who isn't muslim. THEN she went on to say that the saddest part of it all was that those people (and by "those people" she meant everyone who isn't christian - her brand of it at that) were all going to hell. Did I mention that she kinda scares me sometimes? I'm RELATED to this person! I share genetic traits with her. Luckily, that's about all I share with her.


--Little Bird is soon to be carved