No Celery Please

Blah.

Blah.

I read other people’s blogs.  I know  (I KNOW) I have no reason to be blah.

But… just the same…

Blah.

Blah Blah Blah.

Also – I have no idea why.

I say again unto you. 

Blah.

So…  I bought a violin.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CECILIO-4-4-EBONY-FITTED-PURPLE-VIOLIN_W0QQitemZ130231984021QQihZ003QQcategoryZ38108QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

Why?

Well.  Because I am weird.

I have always wanted to play an instrument.

I tried to play the guitar a while back… but I was just not very good at it.  And it was discouraging to live with a guitar virtuoso while I could barely make a “G” chord.

So this way, I figure… I’ll be the only one trying to play the violin in my house.  I might fair better.  Plus – violins and guitars get along very well.

Plus – I love fiddles.

We shall see what comes of it.

Now I just need to find time to practice.

Some people you just can’t conceive of being capable of dying.  They are larger than life, and so seem like they can transcend death.

I suppose not.

George Carlin had a good run. The world will miss him.

but coming back sucks major butt.

And so it turns out that while someone was rifling through my car on Tuesday night, someone else was hacking my personal web site where I keep all my pictures, etc.

Again, no real damage done, I just re-loaded the pages that were written over and changed my access password.

But still, I am starting to think I am on some kind of list.

You know… I thought I was mostly kidding about the possibility of getting my name in a book for signing that petition a while back… but now I wonder if I am the target of a sinister government plot!!!

Went out to get in the car this morning, and someone had gone through my glove box and door pockets and dumped all the stuff in the floor.

Further investigation showed they did the same to the SB’s car.

Now… nothing was missing, because neither of us keeps anything of value in our cars.  And I am really unsure about how they got in my car.  I am usually very good about locking it at night (although I have been known to forget occasionally, which I assume I must have here).

The SB’s car is always unlocked because otherwise the top gets slashed.  Convertibles should always be left unlocked and empty if you want to protect the top.

So while the person took nothing… not even any of my CD’s – which they opened the case of, but I suppose found nothing to their liking, the case holding mostly classical and old rock and roll – I find that I am annoyed.

I know that there are lots of criminals that do that at night… troll for unlocked cars and just take anything of value (it’s why I leave nothing of value in my car).  But it ticks me off that they think it’s fine to do that.  Just go around and take people’s stuff.  And it bugs me that there’s someone doing that in my neighborhood… right in my driveway,,, while I am sleeping just inside my house.  Sneaky little bastards.

But what can I do?  (I mean besides being more careful about locking my door, which, really, I usually am).  Crime in my neighborhood is really fairly low – the rich neighborhoods have far more break-ins, what with them having stuff to steal.  I can’t sit in the dark in my yard waiting for someone to come by and molest my car and then pounce.  1) I am not good at pouncing, and 2) Heck, now that they’ve been through once with no results, why would they come back?

But it still annoys me.

I could move – but is there anywhere better than where I am?  I think not.. there’s crime everywhere.

I could move to a place with a garage.  I’ve always wanted a house with a garage.  But I am very conflicted about that.  I’m probably going to have the house we are in paid for in 6 years or so… would I really want to start over with another 30 year mortgage?  When I can have this house (albeit with no garage) free and clear soon?

Sigh.

Nothing to do for it, I suppose, except take the opportunity to rant a little on my blog.

At least whoever rifled us was neat, and didn’t leave the car doors open for the interior lights to wear down the battery.  Very polite, I suppose, as far as criminals go.

I don’t think there’s anything in my car / registration folder that could lead to ID theft, but maybe I’ll sign up for a year of credit monitoring, just in case – that has to be cheaper than moving to a new house.

My dog, The Gabber, has been diagnosed with early stage chronic renal failure.

Basically this means she’s 12 years old and things are starting to break.

There’s no medicine to fix kidneys in any species.  And there is no real success rate with dog kidney transplants (cats, oddly enough, can get them).

But, caught relatively early, the failure can be slowed through special kidney diets low in phosphorus, protein, and sodium.

This might not be a problem for your run of the mill, I eat anything, dog.

But that Gabber, she is picky.  Picky like she’d rather starve than eat something she feels is beneath her.  She gets bored with food and even stuff she likes she’ll turn her nose up at eventually.

So now I have to find a variety of foods she’ll put up with.

Hill’s Prescription diet makes a kidney food.  Royal Canine makes one.  Purina Pro-Plan has one too.   So we’ll see if we can get things for her.  She also has to have low sodium dog treats.  It’s very difficult to find dog treats that don’t have salt as one of the first three ingrdients or so… and in order to be “low” salt has to be missing, or near the very end.  Plus, she’s so very picky.

So.. we’ll see how she does.  She has to drink lots of water and eat this new kidney diet.  It’s still early.  Her Creatinine level has gone from 2.1 last year to 2.7 this year (I think 7 or so is, like, time’s up), but her red blood cell count looks good.  The vet did not seem overly panicked.  Just wants her diet to be more strict.

This will present the most difficulty to my dad, who loves to give her treats when we visit on the weekends.  I’ll have to start bringing treats she can have over there, because her favorite treat of choice over there is liverwirst, and i’m pretty sure that’s not in the “low sodium” camp.

This Post Stolen From ETW:

Accent: Not really – I’ve lived too many places.  People can’t usually tell where I’m “from”

Bra size: 34 C right now… sadly, I seem to be losing them as I lose weight.  If it goes too far, who knows, I may rethink my position on plastic surgery.

Chore I hate: Every chore. But I less-hate doing laundry.

Dad’s name: Rodney Lee _____

Essential make-up: None – Although I can’t start the day without slathering benzoyle Peroxide all over my face…  Yes – 34 years old and still require that crap to keep my skin clear.

Favorite perfume: White musk oil from The Body Shop

Gold or Silver: Gold… but only White gold and Rose Gold – not so much with the yellow.

Hometown: Uh, I guess I was born in Kingston, NY… but I wouldn’t say it was “home”

Interesting fact: Er…   Um…  Uh…  This is my third blog… I keep having to start over because I blow my secret identity.

Job title: Manager, Department Name

Kids: Pets: One small dog.  Goes by the name of Gabby.  Or Gabber.  Or Gabbus.  Or Gabbus Boo.  Or Boo.  Or Boonis.  Or Boonis McGlohan.  Or Boo of Boo Corners.  Sometimes Gabzilla.

Living arrangements: Small house, high ceilings.

Mom’s Birthplace: Bellingham, MA

Number of apples eaten in last week: Umm… there were some apple chunks in the fruit salad… maybe 1/4.

Overnight hospital stays: 2 as a teenager. Had to have surgery on my jaw.  Twice.  Damn underbite.

Phobia: I am the queen of paranoid fantasies, but thankfully, I have nothing that rises to the level of “phobia”  I do, however, worry about almost everything.

Question you ask yourself a lot: Is it 5pm yet?

Religious affiliation: No, Thank you.

Siblings: Youngest of 5.  3 sisters, 1 brother.

Time I wake up: The alarm goes off at 5:28 am.  I hit snooze at 5:36, 5:44 and 5:52.  I get up at 6.

Natural Hair color: Brown.  I just leave it that way.

Vegetable I refuse to eat: Celery.  Also – Brussels Sprouts.

Worst habit: Laziness.

X-rays: Only at the dentist.

Yummy food I make: I don’t “make” food anymore.  I used to make the best spinach and artichoke puffs on the planet (seriously) but they are too caloric for today’s NCP.

Zodiac sign: Leo

Go ahead… play along.  It’s fun!