Embrace your flaws

I just wanted to post a "thank you" to all the comments I've received about my previous post, on Flickr and Facebook.  Thank you so much for sharing your personal experiences and your thoughts with me.  It really touches me and it means a lot to know that some people can relate, some think this is artistic and some just want to reach out.  I really appreciate it.

So in the course of my constant Facebooking and Twittering tonight, I thought about how we may mislead people about ourselves on social networking. Speaking for myself, I usually only post flattering photos of myself, unlike this photo:



As I was getting ready for bed tonight I thought back to an earlier Facebook post I made about weight and BMI. Some study (another ambiguous "They") said that if we are a little overweight we are still at serious risk for a bunch of health issues. Considering the fact that I already have health issues and that I ate a really horrible diet today and that my BMI is bordering on "overweight", I made the sarcastic remark that I'm screwed. Of course some viewers see my figure in photos and wonder what the hell am I bitching about. And really...what the hell am I bitching about?

I could be much plumper. I have a nice bit of hourglass going on. I can fit into most standard sizes if they range in the size 12 arena. And I generally feel pretty good about myself. To clarify, my issues are:

*The more weight I gain, the harder it is on my joints. RA loves to flare up with weight gain.

*Now that I've made it into two calendars (albeit the back pages) I feel more pressure to maintain or become a certain size.

*I'd like to tone up and drop a size because I have a lot of clothing that is a size 10 and not a 12. I'm too cheap to buy new clothes and my one size 12 pair of jeans is mighty worn out. It would be easier to go back to the smaller size rather than buying bigger and newer clothing.

*Vanity. I felt more confident and happier with myself when I weighed about 15 lbs less.

So I thought before I take my Ambien and become a living zombie, wouldn't it be a bit silly to list the yuckier sides of myself that I don't post about? It's not a pity party or complaints. These are just realities. I hope someone reads them and thinks, "holy crap, she's just like me" or "wow here I thought badly of myself but now I feel MUCH better!"

So in no order of importance:

*When I'm stressed out, I break out in pimples on my chest.

*I didn't know what an orgasm felt like until I was 27.

*My hair is usually very frizzy but I just got a bad haircut. Now it hovers between Hermione and Peppermint Patty.

*I'm extremely naive and until my late 20s didn't know much about sex.

*I'm asymmetrical. All over. My eyes are not the same shape. My boobs aren't the same despite having a mastectomy and a plastic surgeon reconstructing them. My feet are not the same size. I'd hazard a guess that one of my legs is slightly longer than the other.

*I'm extremely high strung. I get stressed out easily and have to sit through sessions with a professional on how to visualize my "happy place."

*I relate to animals better then people and that's why I love dogs so much.

*I can never remember when to use "than" versus "then."

*I have a very round face which looks really wide in photos. Therefore I try to pose for photos at an angle. I rarely post full frontal shots because of this. It's silly but I think I look like a doofus otherwise.

*I have a dimple on my ass. And I have a lot of cellulite on my thighs.

*Having IBS makes my gut distended 90% of the time.

There ya go. I could go on, but it would really be nitpicking. I love myself. Despite my illnesses and my neuroses, I think I'm a pretty cool chick. And I'm really happy with my life for the most part. But let's face it. The internet allows us to project ourselves as whoever the fuck we want to be, whether or not it's true, or even if it's only 1/4 of who we really are. Who are we kidding here? I fart, burp and sweat just like everyone else does. My life is not always charmed. I definitely have some cool shit going on but that's because I seek it out. It doesn't come to me, knocking at my front door. I've pushed myself out of my comfort zone on several occasions and luckily that has paid off most of the time. But I'd really love it if I could work full time at a job I love, not feel pain or fatigue all the time, not worry about how I will shit everyday and why my gut is so bloated, etc., etc., etc.

My point is: don't be fooled by what you see one a person's exterior, whether in person or on his/her social networking profiles. We're all a bit fucked up. Some of us more then others. Than others? See, I don't know. It's time for my sleepy medication and soon I'll forget the last 15 minutes from now.

Take care, love yourselves and see you later, or, as I always say in German...Tschus.

One of the 7 Deadly Sins: I has it.

We admit it.  Ron and I made way too much food for the two of us and loved every bit of it.  Lots of leftovers, lots of groaning and new stomach stretch marks.  But all worth it.

I admit that consumerism lured me in.  I had a coupon from Hy-vee for a free turkey with purchase of ham.  So I bought said ham even though I don't eat pork anymore (Ron loves the ham) and then sought out the brand of free turkey offered to me through this glorious coupon.  The smallest one I could find was 18 lbs.  Does that stop me?  No.  I bought the 18 lb turkey.  And we brined it and cooked it up along with all our favorite sides and pies.  And we continue to eat, slowly extending the size of our waists, giving bits and pieces to our pets.  They are all happy as well.  Ever hear a pet rat sigh?  Well ours do because they are so happy with trytophan.     (Or however the hell you spell it.)

Here are our food pics:



The turkey



Notice how clearing the table means throwing all our shit onto the floor or a chair?





It was a ton of food for just us but dammit, it was good. Thankfully I started the cranberry sauce and pies the day before. I really condone cooking things ahead of time.



There is Ron, posing pretty after cooking for hours with me. I have to admit that I have a kick ass husband. He doesn't sit on the couch and watch tv while I cook. He's in there, wrists deep into the food. I couldn't get it all done without him.

So today I am working on some crafting/art shit and I did some painting. I hate painting. Oh God, help me. I HATE PAINTING. I hate getting the paint all over my feet because I refuse to wear shoes. (I can hold a grip on the tiny parts of the sink and counter with me feet better if they are bare.) I hate dripping paint onto the cupboards. And I hate trying to make it all look even. I keep hitting the popcorn ceiling with blue paint and then swearing loudly. Fucking paint. Ron says it's ok because he wants to scrape every last bit of popcorn ceiling off in the house before we die. I figure we should be able to get it done before our loan ends. 30 years.

Here is me with my "Fuck you Paint I fucking hate your ass" face. Notice the defined shoulders from hefting a brush. Also notice the start of my Thanksgiving pooch from all the food I've been consuming and exercise I haven't been doing.



Yeah. That's normally how I look on any given day. Since the pain is coming back and I'm too scared to take the new pain pills I've been given, this is about as good as I get. Oh well. At least my feet are a pretty blue.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Tschus.

PAINT

Oh god painting.  I hate it.  It's not really the actual application of paint that I hate, it's choosing the damn colors.  It's expensive, time consuming and I have to look at it for years to come because if I fuck it up, I'll be too lazy to re-do it.  I'm not as worried about the smaller rooms, but the great room  has such high ceilings.  What colors look good on a twenty foot tall wall?

I found a really light green and put it on the wall next to the red accent wall.  It looks awful.  Not the color itself but next to the red.  I don't think anything can go next to that red wall.   The red.  Has.  To go.  So in keeping the green, wtf goes on the accent wall?  All the sites I've read say to put the same color, only a shade or two darker.  So that's probably what I'll end up doing.  I apologize in advance if you come over and say, "Blaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh the color on these walls offends all five senses!!!" or something like that.







I guess I better finish the bathroom before I continue the living room. Tomorrow the bathroom will be finished and hopefully I'll have made two pies. But first, I have to kick some physician ass tomorrow at the pain clinic. If he tells me I have to take a pain medication that makes me throw up for 5 hours, I'll be pissed. (Here take a nausea pill on top of the pain pill. And you will probably still feel sick but won't throw up. Oh and you'll be completely stoned and probably want to sleep all day. And since you are so fucked up now, you won't remember being in pain, yeah! That's really how it works! We just distract you from your pain by side effects!!!)

Anyways, that's my week thus far. I can't wait to cook Thanksgiving in our new home, even if it does still look like a bomb went off.

Tschus!

Duck duck duck GOOSE

Ok so no big whoop but today a friend and I went to Cirilla's which is an adult novelty store.  After much giggling and oggling, I made some purchases, including a Rubber Duckie.....with a twist.



Of course, curious and a bit "off" on our own end, hub and I  put some batteries in the duck and turned it on. NOTHING. No wonder it was on sale. I really bought it because it was half off and I thought it would make my hubby laugh. Because it was defunct, I decided to return it as soon as possible.

We decided to go play some Earth Defense Force on the Xbox. Between levels we heard this noise. It was an awful, loud sound....as if a jack hammer/nail gun was being used on our front door. We just looked at each other, hollered "OH NO" and ran into the kitchen. There was the BDSM duckie, hammering away on the counter. How it managed to turn itself on, I don't know. I guess we won't take it back just yet.



So that is my Saturday story of the rubber duckie. What did you do today?

melted plastic

Yep, I had a meltdown.  But I'll be ok.  I'm still kickin', still alive, still working on bettering myself and our lives.  Ratchet isn't dead yet, we are almost broke for the next week but can afford another round of rat meds.

Other good things: Upcoming trip to SoDak Husbeast still loves his job and is rockin' at it

Sadie and Patton are healthy It's no longer hotter than shit outside As long as we can save some more money, we'll be in a house hopefully around the first of the year.  NACA was a bust.  Don't do NACA. I still have all my limbs and motor function My husband is still my best friend and is a wonderful guyHaving a lot of stress plus fertility hormones is a BAD combination.  Wow.  The depression is horrible.Things I hope will make me feel better:Better efforts at overall general health need to be undertaken.  Therefore whether I feel good or am pain-free, I need to work out.  Walk, water exercise, running up and down the stairs until I get dizzy and fall off the steps, WHATEVER.  Anything at this point.Next step is to return to the low-chemical diet.  I've been eating and drinking more processed foods lately.  Bad move.See you later gluten.  What the hell, I'll give it a shot.Clean up this friggin' house.Lose 15 lbs.Uhhh.....start up a stitching project.  I have a general idea of something reusing a big frame I fucked up for a picture.Zone out at work, completely and utterly.  No more work stress.  Apathy is a must.Sorry this is rambling.  It's not really for you, faceless audience, but to drive home some things I need to remember.  Perhaps a little self-imposed cyber exile will get more things done in this house.Gotta go, time for zombie movies.Tschus.

Don’t fight Teh Crazy

I think I should just give in and fully cross the threshold of Crazy.  Why fight it?  Hey, a nice, snug sweater.  A padded room.  Twenty-four hour room service.  And lots and lots of drugs.  Sounds like a helluva vacation!

Since Rowdy died, my ex fucked up royally and now his daughter moved back to NE.  I won't see her very often and I worry about her like crazy.  Not that I can do much for her even if she was here. We did manage to get a night to hang out and I took this before dropping her off:



I'll make some trips up to Lincoln and spend some time with her.  It's only a few hours away and I still have friends there I'd love to visit.  It will all work out.

I've been trying to get out a bit more because that's what you do when you fight Teh Crazy.  So we've gone to the park and I'm walking the dogs more again since it isn't hotter than a fat man's ass crack anymore.  Sadie uses any chance she can to take a dip.  Notice the amount of algae in the water:



Patton's therapy dog training is going well. He should be approved soon and we'll start visiting assisted living facilities. I think he'll really enjoy the attention and mental stimulation.



We got his DNA test back by the way and no major breeds were detected. However they did find 25% Pomeranian and 25% French Bull Dog. Who knew? No Pit Bull detected however.

We also finally went to the zoo. It's a nice smaller zoo and we decided to just get a membership. The only bad part of it is having to drive through the 'hood to get there. We didn't get to see even half of it because of time and heat/humidity/nasty f'in weather. Here are some highlights:











We also attended a Royals-Yankees game in one of the suites. It rained. But at least we were in the suite.



And what else this month? Oh yeah, we found out that I'm not pregnant. FERTILITY FAIL.



There really is no explanation for it but all I can think is that I'm too stressed.Work has been extremely difficult lately. Going from a desk to manual labor and standing all day is not good. I really couldn't do it anymore and had to request to be taken off the big storage move. I felt like a piece of shit asking that but I can't do this stuff. I don't think my department is too happy with me but there wasn't any choice. I hate admitting I can't do some things. But even though I couldn't keep up, I did learn a new skill. Scissor lift driving. Not that I'm good at it or know how to do it safely. Ha.



So stress management is on "to-do" list from now on. More exercise, less worrying, no more lifting crap at work, standing on hard floors and driving scissor lifts into giant shelving units filled with precious artifacts. Once again I say, somethin's gotta give.That's all for now.  Tschus!

Where to start?

So much has gone on lately that I am unsure where to start or how much to discuss.  I have felt overwhelmed lately and that's why I am not blogging.  It's not all bad....so that's good!

North Dakota trip was great.  I didn't do near as much as I had wanted but that's because I was in pain from the endo and just exhausted.  But since the surgery, my pain is almost to nothing in that area.  Thank God.  We started fertility treatment and that is advancing this week.  But please don't ask if I'm preggo.  I will share the news when it's time.  If I don't share anything, you can assume it's not working.

We are planning a trip to Rapid City in September because I'm speaking at a round table discussion for the Mountain Plains Museum Conference.  Nothing too formal or in-depth so there isn't a lot of pressure.  I'm excited to see Mt. Rushmore again and just the Black Hills in general.  It will be a really quick trip.  We plan on taking the doggies (more on that below) and the ratties of course will stay home.

I also finally got my photo shoot done for my entry into the Pinups for Pit Bulls calendar next year.  Posing with two dogs is hard!  Hell it's hard enough just on your own but holding a pose, trying to look happy, sexy and sweet while  having some dogs run rampant at your feet is pretty crazy.  I had to laugh though because all the wonderful people helping out were making silly noises and whistles to get them to look in the right direction.   Little Laffy Taffy was one of the models and Patton also posed pretty.  I can honestly say I have met some wonderful, amazing and  beautiful women through this experience.  I would have never stretched myself so far if I hadn't done this.  It really doesn't matter if I don't make it in because I have gained some great friendships through this process.  By the way, Taffy is available for adoption and I can honestly say she is a total sweetie!  I hope she finds a great home soon because she is a great doggie.  I wish we could adopt her but Sadie is such a dominant female that I don't think she would do well.  Darn cranky Sadie.

And I got another tattoo.  These flowers grow everywhere in ND and especially on the hill where mom's ashes are spread.  It's a Purple Cone Flower  and represents mom and healing.



Last Friday Rowdy had another seizure.  I was home and kept him calm and comforted as best I could while he went through it.  Ron came home from work and we thought he would get through this like he did the others.  We even got him started on some anti-seizure meds that night.  But despite their sleepy effect, he could not rest.  He could not walk without falling and had a hard time standing up.  Ron stayed up with him most of the night, dozing here and there and picking Rowdy up when he tried to walk.  I knew at 2AM when I saw the pain and frustration on Ron's face that we'd have to put him to sleep.  But I was hoping by morning he would have snapped out of it.  I put on his little Thundershirt and covered him in my bath robe and he slept for about 4 hours.  In the morning he couldn't pee because he just couldn't stand up.  So when the vet opened up, I called and scheduled him to go in.  I wanted so badly to be there and hold him while he passed but I couldn't.  Ron was there though and he said it was very quick, painless and peaceful.

Rowdy was a great dog.  He barked and bayed like the little deaf dog he was.  He would hop instead of run because of his hips.  When he was hungry or wanted outside, he'd put his cold, wet nose on your bare leg.  And when he would stand at your feet and look up at you, his fuzzy ears flopped back and they looked like little wings on his head.  We called him Angel Ears.  He cried, whined, needed help up and down the stairs, ate special food, demanded cooked chicken and hated his paws being touched.  But maybe God brought us Rowdy to teach us patience to be parents.  Maybe we needed him more than he needed us.

Despite all the money we spent and that we took care of him almost round the clock in the end, we don't regret adopting him.  I would never trade that experience for anything.  We had less than two years with him but they were very fulfilling years.  My heart is broken but time will heal things and maybe soon we'll be parents of a human kid.  But we'll never stop advocating for and rescuing dogs.  Our human kid will just join our pack and we'll all be one slobbery, happy family!

The folks at Wayside Waifs are cremating his remains on Wednesday and they told us they would try to get his little paw print for us.  Maybe there will be another tattoo someday soon.

So that's about it.  A lot of good things and some bad things.  Here are some photos of Rowdy when he was happy and full of life.  Tschus!

Here we go….

...again?

Ultrasound on Monday because of bad pelvic pain.  I'm sure some people would love to be on pain killers everyday, but I hate it.  It makes me tired, out of it and constipated.  My gut looks like I swallowed a 10 pound ham.  It's disgusting.  I'm not sure if the ultrasound is going to change the fact I still need to have surgery again, but oh well.  Maybe there is an alien growing in there or something.

The new dilemma is whether or not to go ahead with Lupron afterwards.  Lupron is a drug that puts you into a chemical menopause.  It's typically given in a 3 month shot but I'm told there is now a one month version.  Treatment usually lasts for 6 months, with a shot each month.  Typical side effects are hot flashes, insomnia, depression, dizziness, bone loss, irritability, feeling like you want to fucking kill someone, etc.  With the bone loss, some people have horrible body and/or joint pain.  My first doctor told me without Lupron, she'd see me six months after surgery and that was the only option she gave me.  I switched docs.  My current doctor is very good about not pushing me into it.  But I may have no choice anymore.

Fortunately they do what is call "add back therapy" which adds a little progesterone and estrogen therapy to this.  Not that it makes sense.  Lupron starves the body of estrogen to shrink and halt the growth of adhesions.  But being put into sudden menopause, especially when you are young, isn't easy on the body so they add some hormones back into it to lessen the blow, so to speak.

Some women have no pain after treatment, and some women have a return of their pain when therapy ceases.  Most of the reviews that I've read have been horror stories.  Horrible hot flashes, osteoporosis, mania, fatigue, joint pain, etc.I don't know what to do.  I'm afraid I'll never be able to have kids.  Right now to even THINK about getting pregnant, I'll have to go off every medication I'm on except for my thyroid drug.  Then after about 3 months, we can try.  How can you try to get knocked up when it hurts to try?  There is always a turkey baster, which is an option.  Can I survive without any of my medications for up to a year?

So if I decide I can't do this, should I just have the hysterectomy?  I know this is where I'm heading someday but even that is not fool-proof.  The growths can be anywhere in your pelvis and they react to natural or supplemented hormones.  And because it's sometimes microscopic, one can't be sure that it was all lasered out during surgeries.

So wtf am I supposed to do with myself?  Anyone have any suggestions?  I've read everything from yeast-free diets to having a baby to supplements to menopause/hysterectomy.   I've been sitting here crying because I don't know what to do anymore.  If we do adopt, I'll still have this condition and I need to deal with it.  I'm so fucking tired of dealing with it.  And you know what?  Having a positive attitude doesn't make it go away.  Exercise doesn't make it go away.  I'd like to hold onto both but let's face it, they aren't making a shit ton of difference.

I know, I know.  I'm only 33 years old, there's plenty of time.  Well there really isn't when you come down to all the fucking planning and preparation we will have to do.  And spending a bunch of money on medical bills doesn't really give you a lot to save up for normal, everyday things like a house, car repairs, vet bills, etc. let alone adoption.  Any old crack addict can have a baby or six but you have to be wealthy to adopt a baby.

I know my husband will support whatever I choose to do but I know he wants to be a dad.  And he would be a great dad.  And I am so resentful and angry and exhausted trying to make these decisions.

*sigh*

So anyways, I thought I'd take some photos of how fucking stupid my insurance company is.  The shot I take each month for my rheumatoid arthritis is very expensive.  Because of that, the insurance monkeys said I have to order my shot through their prescription services.  They overnight my shot to me each month in a cooler.  Here is how much packaging they are wasting, not to mention how expensive it must be to overnight a box this size:











So there ya go.  Not exactly upbeat but oh well.  I'm trying to keep perspective on it all but every time I am about to have surgery, I start to get panic attacks.  I know I'll absolutely freak the fuck out once I get in the prep room.  What fun!

Tschus.

Non Seq

I have a lot of unimportant, mental diarrhea aka updates to post.

Stitching:

I've participated in some swaps again and am currently embroidering for one with a Zen theme.  I'll post more information later when the swapee receives the completed piece.  I did get some of my mojo back when I whipped together another Bruce Campbell piece which I'm quite in love with:



I may be doing some variations on this one and putting them in my Etsy, which has been bare and collecting dust for several months.

Photography:

I haven't been doing much on this because I can only take so many pictures of my animals and weeds in the back yard.  I am trying to do more things with the manual settings.  I think my weekends are going to get busier soon so there will be more chance to practice with a little variety.

Pinups and Pit Bulls:

Volunteering is still going well.  I want to get back and hang with the dogs soon though.  There are a couple of them that I'm really in love with and I want them adopted out soon!  My Pinups for Pit Bulls photo shoot is in roughly thirty days.  I would like to drop one more dress size so I need to really push the working out thing.  Oh yeah, and the eating and beer thing.  That needs to taper down quite a bit too.  But I did order most of my underclothing so that is done.  Check out www.whatkatiedid.com for hosiery and www.gojane.com for shoes.  The shoes put me over 6"tall and I can hardly walk.  But I don't need to walk much in them, just pose.  If I can do that without killing myself, I'm good!  Oh yeah and 4 3/4" heels really piss off the arthritis.  Eeeeep.

Patton:

Patton graduated over a week ago from his Petsmart basic obedience class.  He seemed to really love being out in public with people and dogs all over the place.  He really blooms when he's socialized so now that it's over, I have to find ways to keep that going.  Kind of hard to do when the owner is a recluse.



Get this damn thing off my head!



Fine.  I'll pose.



Ice cream?  Seriously?  I can have it???

Now that he's done, I'd like to continue him on lessons, maybe private ones since his trainer left Petsmart.  We'll see how that goes.  I'm also taking him to the dog parks to keep him used to the other dogs.  There are some real snobs at the park though.  I guess the rich people in Johnson County snub their noses at a dingo lookin' dog who is built like a barrel-chested Pit.

Sadie:

Sadie is Sadie.  She's grumpy and stubborn.  She steals Rowdy's food and growls at him.  And she finds any bit of mud at the park and lays in it.  *sigh*



Notice the feet.



Above mentioned mud puddle.



People are afraid of Patton because of what he looks like and the fact his ears are always pinned back.  But Sadie is the one they need to worry about.  Here she is stalking people and dogs.  She's getting ready to spring up and run at them.

Rowdy:

Rowdy had another bad seizure about 2 AM on Saturday.  He was foaming at the mouth, urinated, paddled his feet and then as he came out of it, he howled and barked.  I'm sure our duplex neighbors didn't get any sleep.  After the seizure he drinks a lot of water and then paces the house for about 3-4 hours before he goes to sleep.  Ron got about 3 hours of sleep because he had to help him get out of corners and from behind furniture.  We were ready to take him to the E-vet and having him put down but just couldn't do it.  I know it's kinda silly but I want to keep his ashes and we don't have anything set up for his remains to be cared for.  Just when we are wondering wtf to do, Rowdy comes out of it and by the end of the morning, he's back to his old self.  And he's bouncing around and eating and happy to be alive.  *sigh*



He hates the camera flash.

So that morning after the seizure, I was off to the KC Arthritis Foundation charity walk.  I had raised some money and committed to doing it.  So no matter how tired, drained and shitty I felt, I had to go.  So I put Patton in the car and off to KCMO we went.  We walked three miles in the cold 45+ degree weather.  (Cold and wind really suck for arthritis by the way.)  It felt good to get through it but Patton was not happy.  From full-time couch to 3 mile trail....not so appreciated.









This is the scratch he gave me down my thigh after I tried to assist him into the back of the car.  OUCH.

And finally, Ron won the gold during the Corporate Challenge for individual men's bowling:



Hehehehee, he's so goofy.  So even after only 3 hours of sleep and emotionally draining things, he still gets gold.

That is about all I can think of for now.  Work is work and it has become only a peripheral part of my life.  I go to get a check to cover our bills and insurance and that's about it.  I think my career aspirations are done and abandoned.  Now that I'm ok with that conclusion, life is less stressful.  That's a good thing!

Well time to get to the doctor.  I better eat something quick or I'll pass out or puke when they take my blood.  Have a great day!

Tschus!

Spammers

I just deleted a lot of registered users who I believe to be spammers.  If I deleted you and you AREN'T a spam bot, leave a comment and reregister.  I hate to break it to you spammers, but hardly anyone reads this blog and spamming it isn't really doing much for you.

crazy week

Last week was a little nuts.  I was able to go to Independence and see the old court house where Truman got his start.  They are in the process of fixing it up and it's not open all the time for the general public.  The old downtown of Independence is really cute; it's nothing like the outskirts which are just nasty and scary.

I also did my therapy pool workout again on Wednesday and pushed myself a little to go faster and longer.  Unfortunately when I was done I could hardly walk and the next day was laid up on the couch.  I felt like I had the flu and my knees and ankles ached.  So much for the new biologic I'm taking.  Maybe it hasn't kicked in yet, who knows.

I also went to a local community college and talked to a career counselor.  I don't think they get too many master's degree holders coming in to inquire about an associates degree.  I figure I have all of my general classes done and would just need to take the core classes for an associates in criminal justice.  This, aside from animal care, is the only other career path I'm interested in but I can't be a cop.  I would be interested in working the records department or chain of evidence department.  However I have no criminal justice background so I'm wondering if this will open some doors for me.  And I hope to not have to get another bachelors because a 4 year school is expensive as  hell.  Community colleges are much cheaper.  Johnson County Community College is pretty spiffy for a community college.  Unfortunately the clientele are a bit rough.  I got stuck going the wrong direction in the parking garage and instead of just rolling her eyes at me and giving me room to turn around, this 20-something emo chick rolled down her window and screamed at me.  So what did I do?  I screamed back at her.  Honey, I'm too damn old to be intimidated by you if you are going to show a lack of class and patience.  Suck it.

My next step is to talk to the chair of the department and see what her opinion is.  Jobs aren't great in this area but nationwide they are good.  I have a feeling once this recession lifts a bit more, counties and cities will get back to full staff.  Plus federal jobs are out there too and I would dig doing something with Homeland Security or INS.  Ya never know.  I just know I will never move up in responsibilities or pay where I am now and that's probably true for similar jobs elsewhere in the nation.  I want more flexibility in where I can work.

Saturday we planned on going bowling for something different to do but the damn lanes were packed.  So we drove to a pool hall and played a couple of hours.  Apparently the guy playing our table before us was Dave Pearson, some famous speed shooter.  I wouldn't know a famous pool player from a hole in a wall but there ya go.  Unfortunately the more cheap beer we had, the worse my playing ability.  But since we greatly curtailed alcohol purchases, I am now a light weight.   Cheap date!  I think Ron and I have been kinda waiting around, hoping to get our schedules to work with other couples to hang out with.  But that never seems to come together so we decided just to go on our own.  We had a good time and it was nice to get out of the house.

That's all the news that's fit to print for now.  Since I didn't take any interesting photographs this week, I'll leave you with crappy tattoos from the friendly world wide web.  Tschus.