Ugh! I hate being sick!

Today, after picking up the gunk _again_ (I'm pretty sure this is round two of the same thing I had a couple of weeks ago), I finally took a day off of work. Much like the last time, I'm starting to get better again. This translates roughly to the fact that my face is getting a chance to recover from being raw (yesterday I was that lovely combination of pale _and_ tissue rashed across the nose) and they can call off the tree smashing in the Northwest to supply Raen's nose with kleenex.

So... yay. Go me.

Go me also because, when I take a day like I did this one, it also gives me a few moments to submerge myself into my basic Virgo nature.

When I'm sick, I don't like to clean. At all. That means that on the far end of being sick, the apartment starts to look like a wreck. While far from being recovered, it at least looks a little better.

On the Pooh front, I got some good news today. For those that have been keeping track, the little monster is in complete remission, but... his blood counts have been coming back badly. The short explanation is that his bone marrow hasn't been recovering from the chemo treatments like it should have been, and until his blood counts were stable they didn't want to run him into more chemo. We really want them to finish his treatments, as painful as this whole process has been. We like our furkid, and we'd like to make sure he's around as long as we can have him. So, on the front end of my sick day, I got to lug the cat up over the first iced roads of the season to the vet. Around noon, I got a phone call.

My throat's a little raw still, and I'm conjested, so I'm pretty sure my whoop of satisfaction sounded strangely like an expiring animal. I really don't mind this, though. After more than a month of off blood tests, I'm happy to have one finally come back in the clear. One more, and they'll be able to treat him again.

So... those of you that have been keeping some small portion of him on your mind... thank you, and I appreciate the continued efforts.

Past that...

... and if you're still reading down to here, I'm impressed. *smiles*

... I had a random, strange thought today. Its tied to the various new local music I get to hear on the radio station I listen to here.

With the Christmas season upcoming, and knowing that a great many of us (particularly those in the States) are ducking our heads with finanaces not being so easy, I have a Christmas request for anyone who's thinking about sending me anything more than a card. *smiles* Instead of spending serious money on me, look through your music collection and send me a copy of someone or something you've been listening to that you think I might like... but you think I _may_ not have heard.

I've always seen music as the heartbeat of the world... thus, its always fun to hear which part of it other people are nodding their heads to.

And with that... I leave you with the Teddy Bears... because they were cool enough to ask Iggy Pop to make a song with them.

( Punk Rocker. )

Raen.

This one is cracking me up every time I hear it.

My radio station is so cool they're actually playing it...

( Cut for those who might actually be offended by this... )

So for the past two weeks, daily, I've been hearing _something_ regarding the Twilight phenominon from _somewhere_ in the office.

I mean... damn. Its a teen book.

My question, then, from my various friends who may have read it...

... is it worth the hype?

Raen.

Ugh!

What is it about Colorado and my biology that doesn't jive?

I swear, this is the third time I've been sick in about a month.

Maybe its just a lingering crud... I'm hoping that's all it is. And when last_bastion and I get done being ill, I'll just go through the house inch by inch with a disinfectant and see if I can kill whatever bug is hanging out.

In other news, I logged onto CoH today. *smiles* Its been a while, and I played one of the characters that I made _way_ back in the day... when I _started_ playing on Virtue. *smiles* She's even one that I was writing stories for. I think I'll be logging in there and hanging out more often.

There's a lot more PvE in there to be had... and as I'm not really fond of the PvP, its reigniting my 'let me run around and beat up the video game bad guys' love of gaming.

*smiles* Though the commentary is a few days late, last_bastion and I made it up to see Henry Rollins as planned at the beginning of the month. And... as I expected... he was definitely fired up with the post election fun. Dare I say it... he sounded... optomistic?

I mean, this is Henry, right? The angry man? *grins*

Picked up a tour poster, also... signed by him. I'm pretty happy with that.

Its a _great_ poster. :)

And, as is usual, Henry had a recommendation for another group for us to pick up. I'd run into commentary about the Bad Brains before, but just hadn't gotten around to nabbing any of their music. Its becoming a tradition, though. If Henry talks about it for more than two minutes in the course of his show (as he did with the Rutts the last time we saw him), then we have to track down the group. Once more, and it will be a tradition. :)

So... I'm now going to go find some place to curl up and try to convince my head to thaw out. Work's looking iffy for tomorrow, given the way I'm feeling.

I'd better be better by the weekend, dammit. D&D! I have a druid concept! I need to write out her history, but I'm actually looking forward to it!

(Looking forward to getting to play the new D&D system also, but no one's running it up here).

Be good to yourselves, everyone...

Raen.

Now... I know I have a number of friends who adore tea... *smiles* So I was wondering... do any of them have a book they'd recommend to someone who's looking to learn how to make tea herself?

A curious Raen would like to know...

Raen.

Its someone's birthday.

Unfortunately, he's at home feeling sick. Which is less than shiny.

But... its someone's birthday. Someone who I love very much, and with all of my heart. He doesn't always think the best of himself. He often doesn't give himself enough credit. He's occasionally grumpy, but that's just because he sees a world of iron where there should be a world of gold.

But... he's got a laugh that can shake the world out of winter. He's got a smile, when he shows it, that's warm in that secret sense... that I'm always trying to catch on film and he's always running away from exposing. He's sharp in his head, and the strongest man I personally know. But most of all, he's got one of the most generous hearts I have ever known.

There is no one like my last_bastion... and I'm glad to be at the center of his heart as much as I'm glad to hold him in mine.

Happy birthday, love.

Raen.

Okay... this one was cute. Nabbed from oracle_tx.

If you saw ME in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for? Answer me, then if you want, post to your own journal and see how many crimes you get accused of.

Raen.

My tone deaf coworkers are trying to kill me again.

Classic rock should never be sung _or whistled_ by those who cannot sustain a note for at least one second... or who sing notes that aren't supposed to be flat flat... or who warble parts of a power ballad off key like it wants to be a blues song...

*resolutely wishing she had her iPod...*

Raen.

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 [of these] films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own facebook [or LJ] account, paste this as a note [or update]. Then, put xes next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun."

( I'm guessing that according to this I'll have no life. )

Yes, is official... according to this lemming, I have no life.

And _many_ of you are worse than me. :)

There were several movies in there that I'd seen part of but not all of, such as Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street. Also, there are a couple in there that have old versions and modern versions... of which I've only seen one.

Raen.

In terms of moments, what will you remember years from now? What will America remember.

We've talked on this before...

My mother and father rememember the day that Kennedy died. Its the gimme of their generation. I'm pretty sure they remember when Reagan was elected.

I vaguely remember, when I was little, asking if my mother voted for Jesse Jackson.

I remember... Exactly where I was and what I was doing when the Trade Towers got hit, and the various emotion reactions of the people who surrounded me. Exactly where I was when the Shock and Awe struck Iraq, and how the people around me were experiencing their own version of shock and awe. I remember _exactly_ what it felt like to stand in a voting line for the first time.

And I'm pretty sure I'm going to remember this.

*smiles* I truly hope he lives up to the expectations in front of him. No candidate is ever a saint, by any stretch, but America deserves a better class of President. And I _truly_ hope it is him.

( Other Election Sundries... )

Raen.

1. Stop talking about politics for a moment or two.
2. Post a reasonably-sized picture in your LJ, NOT under a cut tag, of something pleasant, such as an adorable kitten, or a fluffy white cloud, or a bottle of booze. Something that has NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS.
3. Include these instructions, and share the love.





So, yeah, after the numerous phone calls I've received, and the aged hippy that looked like he might have had ganja in his jacket pocket at our doorstep, this lemming tickled me to no end...

And I really do love this picture. :)

For the amusing commentary that goes with it, follow the below link to the author's feed. *smiles*

http://syndicated.livejournal.com/officialgaiman/490607.html



I love Neil Gaiman. He rocketh mightily.

Raen.

Houston... we have achieved makeup.

*smiles* I feel good...

For those of you who celebrate the holiday in a more spiritual sense, the best of the day (and night) upon you.

For everyone else...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

(Where is _your_ costume? ;)

Raen.

Copy this sentence into your LiveJournal if you're in a heterosexual marriage/relationship (or if you think you might be someday), and you don't want it "protected" by the bigots who think that gay marriage hurts it somehow.

You know... we could just do away with the whole 'marriage' thing for straight couples, call it a 'civil union' all around, and let the various religions decide if they're going to 'bless' a union as a 'marriage'. I'd be perfectly happy with that. But I suppose that would aggrivate someone.

Does three years in a row make it a tradition?

This is the third year in a row that I've made jello brains for Halloween...

Raen.

In the last I can't remember how many years, I have only been able to participate in the candy handing out marathon known as Halloween... the one time of the year when it is _cool_ for me to whip out my mad skills at doing makeup, tell little kids they look cute, and give them mass amounts of sugar with which to later drive their parents insane... maybe once. There are, of course, a variety of reasons for this...

... Halloween not being held _on_ Halloween...
... living in the middle of nowhere...
... living in an apartment...

The living in the apartment part is the bit I've never gotten! You'd think, for munchkins of all ages, the apartment is the place you wnat to go to get candy! So many domiciles, so few footsteps between them! You'd think this would work even better for parents, who don't want to have to walk four miles to get their kids their fill of Trick or Treating! But, alas, the last two apartments I'd lived in... this was the case.

In part, I blame this problem on paranoia. In the world that we occupy, there's so much concern regarding bad people who do bad things, and parents want to curb this as much as possible. I'm all good with this... but come on, people! This is Halloween! Just be astute! Be watchful! Dress up and _go out_ with your kids! Then be mindful enough to look through what they brought home!

And I'll also grant this...

All Hallow's Eve is probably the most spiritually charged day of the year for me. I _never_ feel quite so alive as on Halloween. The drought of candy handing out may in part be responsible for my discovery of paganism as a spiritual outlet... after all, I stumbled into serious contemplation of the path while essentially pacing restlessly in an empty apartment... on Halloween... with no kids coming to the door.

But...

(Yes, this post was going somewhere...)

This year...

This year gets to be different.

*grins* Because our apartment actually has a system to handle the _mass of kids_ that evidently come through this complex.

Woot!

We get to hand out candy this year!

(If I'd known earlier, I would have planned out something more elaborate to wear...)

Raen.

Just because it was very humorous when Neil referenced this... and because I loved it once I read it...

( Neil Gaiman's NaNoWriMonth Pep Talk )

That... is a very good way of addressing it.

Raen.

In honor of having an 'undeadjournal' for the next few days, I'm changing my icon...

Livejournal does, on occasion, rock. :)

Sweet Mother Mary...

Wow. I just got done voting. That took _forever_.

Raen.

You know, I think that, for the first time, I've found a _really_ good radio station to listen to.

New music... old good music... independant. Yeah, there are some songs that it kills from time to time, and there is a DJ who is _just_ obnoxious... but in general its good.

And the obnoxious DJ spins some great tunes... which mitigates the fact that he's a jackass. ;)

On the sad note, no REPO for me and last_bastion until it comes out on DVD. The closest place its playing is _Las Vegas_.

This message is brought to you by a sick Raen at work who is nonetheless liking what she's listening to.

Raen.