Eminem proves 12-year old intellect AGAIN, Seth Rogen say Katherine Heigl is "bat$#!t"

From the Associated Press- Eminem once again puts 12-year old angst into a Suessian rhyme and puts music to it, this time whining about ex-girlfriend Mariah Carey and her new husband Nick Cannon. After previous comments from Mr. Mathers, Cannon said in a blog that "homeboy is still obsessed with my wife", which led to a mocking of Mathers in the video for Carey's song "Obsessed". Eminem then proved he wasn't obsessed by writing a song about her, including lines like "...it ever occur to you that I still have pictures?". I will be rushing out today to not buy his new album, if I want to listen to a child whine about life being unfair, several of my friends have small children.

Meanwhile, over at the ever-intellectual Howard Stern Show on satellite radio, Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow soon left pimping their new movie "Funny People" in favor of attacking Katherine Heigl, who dared to say that she found the movie "Knocked Up", which she and Rogen co-starred in, was "a little sexist". Rather than acknowledge that yes, it was indeed a little sexist, a comedy about a guy who gets his one-night stand pregnant is bound to be at least a little sexist, Rogen replies that "it's not like we're the only people she said some bats--t crazy things about. That's kind of her bag now." I think we can safely say that there will never be a "Knocked Up II", or any other movie combining Rogen and Heigl. My advice to Seth- calling a former co-star "bats--t crazy" when she's right doesn't make her look bad, it makes you look stupid. Just admit that Judd's movies tend to be a little sexist, it's part of what makes them funny.

Jay takes shot from The Most Annoying Woman In America

from AP, Joan Rivers, THE Most Annoying Woman in America (or anywhere else, for that matter), took a shot at Jay Leno during an interview, saying that it's a good thing that he's on earlier now, people will be bored to sleep earlier, and get more rest. What a bitch. Let's face it Joan, we all know that you are still bitter that you didn't get asked to replace Johnny Carson, even though you guest-hosted for him WAY too many times, but for the love of god, GET OVER IT ALREADY! Jay is THE most popular guy on TV, and no matter how many cheap shots you take at him, NOBODY is going to watch your new show, which just happens to be on opposite Jay. Do you *really* think anyone besides Melissa would change from Jay Leno to watch you? The only reason ANYONE watches you is because we're waiting for the stitches to pop loose, and all of the lifted face to come bursting loose, making you look like a Shar-Pei (you know, the wrinkle dogs).

Personally, I'm not going to watch either of them, re-runs of NCIS and CSI are on then.

Yup, another apology

Yes, I know that it seems I only log in to this blog long enough to apologize for not blogging for weeks on end, almost a month this time, I'll try to be better. A large part of this was not having internet for 2 weeks after I moved, and quite simply I haven't been feeling well lately- as of right now I've eaten 7 saltine crackers, 1 chocolate pop-tart, and 1 cup of vanilla pudding in the last 48 hours. I have no appetite, and feel full after, well, 1 pop-tart. So, how are you feeling?

Anything NOT about MJ

Hey! Two posts in three days, aren't you all proud of me?

So, in Hayden Panettiere's new movie "I love you, Beth Cooper" (guess who plays Beth), she recently filmed a scene where she's facing the guy with a crush on her while wearing a towel, and, for reasons not yet explained to me, she drops the towel (WOOHOOO!!). She admitted to E!online that when it looks like she's completely naked in the scene, it's because she is (although we only see her back). She has also told E! that she would have no problem doing a "full monty" scene, if it worked for the movie. For the love of GOD, somebody PLEASE get her a script that makes her a nudist! Yes, I admit it, I am a dirty old man. But I also respect her mind, because not only is she gorgeous, she is strongly involved in anti-whaling activities, including her quest to get a million signatures at socialvibe.com on a petition to the U.N. to stop all whaling entirely. Unlike the idiots who raid mink farms and let them all loose in a place they don't belong and can't survive in, THIS has my full support, and should have yours too, so go sign already!

An Apology and, of course, MJ

First, an apology to my "fans", I realize that it's been 3 1/2 weeks since my last post- part of that was a camping trip, most was personal life upheaval. I promise to try to be more consistent in my posting.

Of course, the big news in entertainment this week is the death of Michael Jackson. There is some debate over the cause of his death, and the doctor who was with him when he died is, quite simply, under investigation. Oh, they aren't saying it quite like that, but all the hubbub about his addiction to painkillers, and the fact that the doctor was right there the whole time, I have no doubt that they will eventually say it was "accidental overdose" that killed him. Yes, he died of heart failure, everyone dies of heart failure- until your heart fails, you aren't dead. And of course, there are the comparisons to Heath Ledger and Elvis Presley, and, after the Anna Nicole Smith's daughter fiasco, there will be the big custody fight for his money, oops I mean for his kids. Some reports are saying he might even have died broke, but I highly doubt it. People all over the world are getting their 15 seconds of fame, going on TV and crying about how much he meant to them, how wonderful he was, how misunderstood, how bereft they are with their loss, to which I heartily say "BULL$#IT!!!!" Yes, he was an incredibly talented man. He was also a man who admitted to having young boys "sleepover" in his bed. Whether or not he molested any children, I don't know. Legally, he was acquitted of the charges, so he was not guilty, but there is a world of difference between "legally not guilty" and "truly innocent of the charges". As for all of these people saying how upset they are, give me a break! You didn't know him personally, he wasn't your friend, he didn't even know you exist! Justin Timberlake, Brooke Sheilds, Barry Gordy, and the Jackson family, those who actually knew him, they have the right to say "we are mourning the loss of a good friend/loved one/family member". The rest of you, sure you can be saddened by the death of a favored entertainer, but the tears, the wailing, the collapsing in grief- POSERS! Each and every one of you!

I for one am more saddened by the death of Farah Fawcett, in part because it's being overshadowed by Jackson's death. All over the world the headlines are "THE KING OF POP IS DEAD! SUCH A TRAGEDY! SUCH A LOSS! WHAT ABOUT HIS KIDS?! oh yeah, Farah died too." Quite simply, she deserves better than that. Her struggle with cancer was horrible and incredible at the same time, the documentary she made helped thousands of people cope with their own cancer. My deepest sympathies go out to Ryan O'Neal, I'm sorry for him that they did not get to complete their wedding plans before the end, but I firmly believe that once two people have made that commitment to each other, they are married at that point, the rest is just formality and legal paperwork.

So, Requiem in Pace (Rest in Peace) Farah, you will be missed, I have no doubt that you are now every bit the Angel you pretended to be on TV.
As for Michael Jackson, if you were truly innocent of the multitude of child molestation charges, rest in peace; BUT, speaking as a victim of child molestation, if you were guilty of molesting even one child, I hope your death was slow, painful, and terrifying; that you had time to realize that you were dying and were about to face Judgment for what you did, that you had time to know that you are going to burn in Hell; and that you burn in Hell for all Eternity. But only if you were really guilty, of course.

First Borat, now Bruno...

How many people are going to file stupid lawsuits against this guy? Let me bring you up to speed here: Sacha Baron Cohen, the British comedian who is the man behind "Borat", King Julien from "Madagascar", the "rapper" Ali G, the other barber Pirelli in "Sweeney Todd", and the gay French racer Jean Girard in "Talledega Nights", is about to release a new film with a new character- Bruno, a gay Austrian "fashionista". Just like with Borat, Cohen and his camera crew went all over America, filming a "documentary" about how Americans deal with Bruno's stunts. Now, according to the Associate Press, Cohen is being sued by a woman who says she is disabled because of Cohen's use of profanity at a charity bingo game. I know, who knew bingo was so rough, right? Richelle Olson says when "Bruno" started using profanity in front of the mostly-elderly bingo crowd while calling the second game, she tried to grab the mike away from him, and they struggled over it. Then his film crew "attacked" her for several minutes, to get a "dramatic emotional response". She then ran from the stage, and was found moments later by a co-worker, crying uncontrollably. And then, for no reason that was given anyway, she just... fell down and hit her head.
So let's recap- they struggle over the mike, she's fine. The crew "attacks" her, apparently only verbally, she's still fine. She runs off of the stage to a dark corner, still fine. Friend finds her bawlnig in said corner, STILL fine. Then, nowhere near Cohen, she falls down and hits her head on the concrete floor, and NOW she has "bleeding on her brain".
How the hell is this his fault? Even if you can say it's his fault she ran away, she didn't get hurt while running, she was standing still when she fell.
If she wins, I'm suing Bill Gates- all the time I spend hunched over a computer is because he invented Windows, and now I have spinal arthritis.

"I'm a Celebrity" missing vital component- Celebrities

The new "season" of NBC's "I'm a Celebrity, get me outta here!" (and yes, that's how they spell "out of" in the title) started last night, once again a bizarre cross between "Survivor" and "Celebrity Apprentice", but this time without the Celebrities. Seriously, here's a partial cast list-
Stephen Baldwin; Torrie Wilson; Patti Blagojevich; Spencer and Heidi Pratt; Sanjaya Malakar; John Salley; and Janice Dickinson. With the exception of Baldwin (and only because he looks like his brothers) would you really recognize any of these people on the street? I understand that they couldn't get any "A-list" people, but these people are barely "D-list". How far down the alphabet are we going to go here?

I hereby declare myself the first M-List Celebrity (1000 people know who I am!) Pass the word, maybe I'll make it all the way up to K-List, then I can be on this dumb-ass show, too!

Bats and Boyles!

Yup, it's a two-fer of entertainment news, just for YOU, my dear readers. First up, Ozzy Ousbourne is suing former Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi for copyright infringement. The short, No-Babbling-Ozzy version is pretty simple: Iommi has been using the Black Sabbath name, music, and logo for his own show, claiming 100% of the copyright and the money coming in from his Black Sabbath tour. Ozzy says that his unique vocals made the Black Sabbath copyright valuable, and he wants 50% of everything Iommi has earned, including promo stuff like T-shirts, from the last 12 years. According to Ozzy, the ideal arrangement would be that all four original members ( Geezer Bulter and Bill Ward being the other two) share equally, 25% each, of all the income from Black Sabbath stuff, regardless if it's Tony or Ozzy touring with the name. I personally applaud Ozzy, and think that Iommi should see the light- 25% of Ozzy's Black Sabbath income could easily outpace 100% of his Ozzy-less Black Sabbath.



And speaking of British singing phenomenons, if you haven't heard Susan Boyle sing, man are you lucky, to still have that incredible experience in front of you. Turn up the volume, get your friends , even your boss will stop to listen to her-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deRF9oEbRso

Unfortunately, the British papparazzi are even more invasive and relentless than their American counterparts, and EVERYTHING Susan has done since that first performance has not only been thoroughly documented, but also been the target of any and every snide remark that could be made; they talk about her weight, her age, her "lack of fashion", her hairstyle, even her eyebrows. So it isn't even a little surprising that she has finally reached her breaking point, and has been checked into the Priory Clinic in London (the same clinic that treated Kate Moss's heroin addiction and got her straight) earlier today, to be treated for extreme exhaustion. In Susan's case, I don't think "exhaustion" is a code word for "incredibly drunk/alcoholic". That the actions of the British tabloid reporters/photographers is a large part of Susan's problem is not only not in doubt, it is the focus of comments made by Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, who blasted the media, saying "elements of a press who like nothing better than to build people up and then drag them down."

Here's hoping that Susan gets better and can continue to perform, it would truly be a sin to keep such a fantastic voice away from the world.



(both stories from AP)

Artist of the Decade!

First, an apology for the long delay in updating- I was out of town on Saturday, recuperating from that on Sunday, and Monday and Tuesday were just bad days. Now on to the News!

The Academy of Country Music has named George Strait as Artist of the Decade for the 00s in a TV special that was recorded in Las Vegas last month. Strait follows Garth Brooks (who presented the award to Strait at the show), Artist of the 90s; Alabama, "Artist" of the 80s; and Loretta Lynn, Artist of the 70s. Without a doubt, George, who has had over 50 #1 hit songs, is in great company, and definitely deserves the recognition. He should also get a special award for "best new pick-up line idea" for his song "the Chair".
Congratulations George!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

It has been pointed out to me that some of the things I've posted could be taken the wrong way, and that by posting about my personal life, I'm also letting people into Wendy's personal life, and I don't have a right to do that. So, some clarifications, then the change:
First, having coffee or going on a hike with someone, even if it's two different someones in the same weekend, does NOT make Wendy a slut, if I have given that impression I'm sorry, and anyone stupid enough to call her a slut, or any other name for that matter, in my presence, will be spitting out teeth.
Second, Wendy is NOT doing anything to me, despite what may have come across in previous posts. She is being an incredibly good and generous friend at a time when most people would want nothing to do with their ex-lover.
Third, she did NOT break up with me because of the disability- I destroyed her trust long before that, she just took a long time to admit to herself that a relationship isn't what she wanted anymore, it would have happened even if I was still working full-time and fighting for fun.
Finally, as noted above, blogging about my personal feelings and my personal life means spreading her personal life all over the internet as well, and I don't have the right to do that, so this is the LAST personal stuff blog. My feelings, especially about Wendy, will no longer be discussed.

As of now, it's an Entertainment News Blog!

Heath Ledger's Final Film Stars Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law as Heath!
From the Associated Press- Terry Gilliam (from "Monty Python", director of previous Heath film "the Brother's Grimm") says that they were about halfway done with "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" when Heath died of accidental overdose. Although his first thought was to scrap the film, leaving it unfinished, the other cast felt so strongly that the energy and effort that Heath had put into it, they owed it to him to finish it. As it happens, the parts not filmed yet when he died are parts where he has stepped through a magic mirror, three different "chapters" involved. That's where Heath's friends Johnny, Colin, and Jude came in, each of them taking one of the chapters, playing Heath's character after having stepped through the mirror. The most wonderful part of this story, to me, is that rather demand their normal salaries for making the movie, they accepted the remainder of Heath's salary, then gave it all to his daughter Matilda, working for free to complete their friend's movie. In a business that revolves around being fake people, that is a demonstration of true friendship and respect, and I salute all three gentlemen.

Wow, I am one whiny little biotch, huh?

It was pointed out to me that my last few posts make it sound like Wendy is this rotten bitch who keeps me prisoner here, begrudges me every little thing, is out every night with a new guy, and is rubbing my face in it. Let me give you a more balanced perspective-

She is letting me stay here. That alone shows that she is still my friend, since most women, upon breaking up with a guy, kick him out of their house, ESPECIALLY when he isn't contributing any money, and does very VERY little housework. I am very thankful for her kindness in letting me stay, but she is also willing to help me find someplace else to live if/when I can (i.e. I finally have the money, a friend has a spare room, etc.).
She offers to take me places, not just the doctor, and she never complains about doing it. My comments about being the "pain in the ass always needing a ride" came entirely from me, not her. She drives me because she knows that if I'm medicated, I can't drive (nodding off while doing 70 through the middle of Salt Lake on I-15 is not conducive to long life); and if I'm not medicated, I'm subject to muscle spasms that can make it impossible for me to sit up, or step on the pedals, or hold onto the steering wheel.
Yes, she has dated other guys. I know this because she is honest enough to tell me, so that I don't harbor the idea that this is just another temporary breakup, and that we'll get back together again. I don't know exactly how many or how often, because I simply can't stand to ask, and she isn't rude enough to rub my face in her new social life. She tells me just enough so that I know when she should be home, basic emergency preparedness.
And my disability wasn't the final straw that drove her away, it was me giving up on myself. Last fall, after yet another denial by Social Security, I pretty much stopped trying to be a person- days without showering, or even brushing my teeth, and then trying to kiss her. No effort to keep the house even remotely clean. And on top of all of that, constantly saying that THIS is what my life is going to be from now on, it can't get any better. Would you stay with that? Of course not, no one would, the choice is to invest huge amounts of yourself into bringing that person back into the world, or saving yourself and getting out before he drags you down there too. Wendy had already spent years pulling me up from the pits of depression, I don't blame her for deciding it was time to take care of herself.
I don't know, maybe this would be easier if she was a bitch to me, maybe if she treated me like shit I wouldn't be having such a hard time letting go of what I wanted for my future, in as much as I think/plan for a future with the whole disability/SSA business. But I really don't think so, I think it would just hurt more. Even at our lowest, roughest points in our relationship, I've never called her names (not even during fights); I've never hated her. Someone told me once that if you can't hate the person you aren't really in love with them, because love/hate are the two sides of the same coin, but I don't buy that- I think not being able to hate the person just means that the love isn't just passion, that it is a deeper, more permanent emotion, part of you forever, a love built as much from respect and friendship as it is from passion.
Wendy is the first woman I ever truly loved, unconditionally and unreservedly, but the simple truth is it was a long, twisted, rough road to get there, and just because I reached that end doesn't mean Wendy was required to wait for it. She gave me 10 years of love, tried over and over and over to forgive various betrayals, and finally decided she had to start living her life for her, not anyone else. The fact that she reached that decision at roughly the same moment that I decided I needed to pull myself together and give her all that I can because she was the one person I wanted to wake up next to every morning and go to sleep holding every night for the rest of my life is just bad timing and proof that God is an Iron (those who commit felonies are felons, those who commit ironies...). Either that or he's an absolute prick, or I have a HUGE Karma debt, or whatever.
Wendy owes me nothing, and treats me quite decently, especially considering the situation. I owe her a lot, two years back rent if nothing else, and as difficult as our situation is, it is still the best option I have at this time (the others being move back to MT, which I will NEVER do as long as that child-molesting prick is there; or head to the homeless shelter, and they don't have enough room for my garb).

When can I stop?

Okay, just in case anybody had any doubts when I said that Wendy is *completely* over me- On Friday I inadvertantly walked in on her chatting online with a guy named Johnny, whom she's apparently already gone out with; on Saturday she went hiking up Bell's Canyon with two other guys (she told me just in case she got lost, etc.); and last night, when I had some friends over to keep me from gonig completely insane, I didn't realize that she wasn't home until 11 pm, when the friends left and she showed up- she'd gone to Fiddler's Elbow after work with new co-workers (she just started an internship), saw a cute guy, and decided to stay and "get to know him".
Okay, I understand that while other people were out running around having lots of casual dates, she was in monogamous relationships, including ours, and that she's enjoying the freedom of NOT being in a relationship and not wanting one. And I'm trying, really hard, to be a supportive friend, let her know she can talk to me if she wants, that she doesn't have to hide anything from me, etc., but just the thought of another guy touching her makes my blood boil, and the definite, PROVEN knowledge that she PREFERS other guys to me, is a stake in the heart.
When can I stop being a supportive friend, and start being the incredibly jealous ex that I really am? When can I finally scream "I was ready to give you the rest of my life, and you decided we were through because the able-bodied college boys are more attractive!"
I don't know, but I do know it won't be as long as I live here, and until Social Security finally agrees that I'm disabled, this is the best choice for my living arrangements (and believe me, I've considered them all, even going back to MT).
So for now, I'll just keep my mouth shut (except here, of course), and be her friend, and try really hard not to think of her with other people. We kind of have a deal that she won't bring anyone here where we live, I wonder if that will survive the week that I'm gone to Uprising, somehow I doubt it. On the other hand, maybe a week without me will make her miss me, but I think it more likely that I'll need to call before I come home, to make sure she has time to get whoever out of here, and clean up the evidence.
Hopefully I'll be able to start dating someone else, and having someone that is actually attracted to ME will help me get over the woman that obviously isn't.

and now, it's a RELATIONSHIP blog!

As I mentioned previously, Wendy is very much over me, and I guess it's a good thing she doesn't read this blog, because if she did she'd know I'm not nearly as over her. If only she had dumped me for good 5 years ago, during one of our regular "break up" periods, when I had an "understudy" already on hand (and in bed, to be honest), to get me over her. Now, I have to start again fresh, with several serious disadvantages- it's hard to take a woman out when you don't have a car, or any money to take her anywhere with; it's impossible to invite a woman over for dinner when you still live with your Ex; it's *incredibly* hard to be attractive to anyone when you're 42 but walk like a 75-year old, always using the power cart at the store, often needing to sit in a wheelchair and be pushed around during long days. There's a very accurate reason that several cultures referred to crippled men as "so-and-so the Un-Manned".
But I still have to try, right? It's either that, or give up on the idea of having an intimate relationship of any kind for the rest of my life, and (for me at least) internet porn just don't cut it.
So, what am I looking for in a woman? Here's my list of "must have" qualities, in no particular order-
1: She must be attracted to me.
2: She must be attractive to me. Note- no specific body type or hair color, etc., she just has to have that spark.
3: She must be interested/involved in the SCA.
4: She must be single; I am familiar with the "polyamory" ideas, not interested, thanks, I want one-on-one relationship.
5: No psychos. Having some emotional baggage is fine, you can't reach 40 without it, and God knows I've got plenty of my own, but no telling me your pregnant just to test my reaction, no calling me 20 times a day to make sure I'm not cheating on you, etc.
6: She must live in Southern Artemisia, preferrably Salt Lake, but anywhere in the area is fine. She can be a Montanan, but I won't ever live there again (cold HURTS, and it's cold waaaay too long), so she'd need to move south.
7: She must be prepared to deal with my disability, and my being destitute.
8: She must be relatively intelligent; at least able to keep up with a discussion on modern politics and such, without referring to the President as Barack Osama.

Not asking a lot, right? Apparently I might as well be asking for a supermodel! It appears that all of the single women in Artemisia fail on either number 1, number 4, or surprisingly often number 5. As of right now, I know of only two candidates (but one of them seems to be failing on number 1).
This of course makes me incredibly jealous of Odfa, and Dunkr, and Padruig, and Doug, and Ulrich, and Vidar, and Stephen- all these guys I know who have incredibly beautiful wives that are WAY out of their league, and none of them has an available sister damn it!

Oh well, life goes on, and I must continue to try and find someone to share my life with, because lonliness only makes the disability and destitution worse.

Which reminds me, if you have a spare buck, feel free to click on the "donate" button.

Happy Anniversary, Israel

I try not to talk politics on this blog (that's what the *other* blog, http://bigbadwolf.today.com/ , is for), but since the "this day in history" box at the bottom of the page talks about it, I figured what the hey, it's an important enough topic for both blogs. First of all, for my Jewish friends (and yes, I do have some), please remember that I gave serious consideration to joining your faith in the past, have great respect for you and your beliefs, and rally am your friend. I say that, because every time I bring up the truth about Israel, Jewish people get mad at me.
See, while most of Americans today talk about Israel as if it's always been there, it is really important to remember that, as a Nation, it's only 61 years old, and that it was established as a "National Home for Jewish People" by the British, after they gained control of the region by beating the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire in World War I. More importantly, Israel was NOT the first choice of the British for the Jewish homeland, Kenya was. It's true, look up "British Uganda Program". In fact, Israel was one of 5, yes FIVE, proposed "homelands" for the Jewish people. Hitler's original plan was to send them all to Madagascar, Russia had a plan to send them to Siberia, and Japan had a plan to "invite" them to Manchuria and/or Shanghai.
The point here being that, even though Israelis and most Jewish people in America consider Israel theirs by right of it being their "homeland", they are invaders, dispossessing the native people who have lived there since the beginning of recorded history- the Palestinians. Even the Tanakh (the first five books of the Old Testament) refers to those people who alread lived in Israel when the Hebrews led by Moses (well, Aaron at that point) finally found it after wandering in the desert. Even if one counts Israel as the Jewish/Hebrew homeland from that time, when it was called Palestine, the non-jewish natives, who stayed and eventually converted to Islam, were already there.
Does this mean I am anti-semitic and/or anti-zionist? Of course not, I find much to respect and admire in the Jewish faith, and I really like the Jewish people that I know, so I'm not anti-semitic, and I agree that all of the Jewish people should be able to return to their "Promised Land", so I'm not really anti-zionist. What I am is honest and informed about the whole story, and I think that, rather than trying to force each other out, both the Palestinians AND the Israelis should think long and hard about what it's like to want a True Homeland, and admit that Israel *is* the True Homeland for BOTH OF THEM. Compromise, give each other the respect that each of your faiths *require* you to give those of other faiths, and share God's Gift to each of you with your neighbors. One might even think that THAT is what Jehovah/Allah (bbhn) intended in the first place.

And yes, I also considered converting to Islam at one point, too. It's amazing how far apart two supposedly devout religious groups can be when their Holy Books are so very much alike. Read them both, you'll see what I mean.

And now for something completely different

If you know me, you know about Wendy, at least to some extent. If you are someone who just stumbled upon my blog (got introduced to it by a friend, whatever), you undoubtedly have no clue who Wendy is, so I shall explain, as best I can.

In 1997, Wendy was my co-worker. She became a very supportive friend as I dealt with my divorce from my first wife, Drue (yes, that's how she spells it, don't blame me). Around that same time, Wendy was just ending her 10-year relationship with Tony. In 1998 we began dating, and after several discussions about living together/commitment, on Halloween I proposed, and we moved in together. On Christmas day, we got married in Vegas. Because of various personal issues of mine, I was not a good husband. I did not actually cheat on her, but I came very close. July 31, 1999, my dad (stepfather) died back home in Montana. When I went home for the funeral, I felt it imperative that I move home to help my mom deal with things without dad. Wendy, even though our marriage was on the fence, decided to give me one more chance to be the husband she needed and deserved, and moved with me. By the end of 2001, it was clear that I wasn't accomplishing the task at hand, and on Valentine's Day (the only court date available at the time) our divorce was finalized. A few months later, it became clear to us that, while we weren't very good at being married, we were even worse at being divorced, and we got back together. Then we broke up again. Then we got back together again. Then we got separate places, and "just dated". Then, in 2005, we were both back in college, and looking at the University of Utah for grad school and such, and her grandmother needed shoulder surgery and someone to help her take care of herself, as she was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. So, we both moved back to Utah, still "dating", with separate apartments, but mine right above hers in the same complex. I was still working through those issues, getting better, then in 2006 I made a decision that she felt was an absolute betrayal (no, not a woman, it was a money thing). We were already in the process of looking for a house to move into together, and after a LOT of discussion and emotional debate, we decided that, even though we were living together in the house, it was not a permanent situation, that one day down the road we would split up again, permanently. See, I had destroyed her trust, and that can't be fixed, ever. Well, because God is an Iron, or Fate hates me, or I owe some serious Karma, or pure chance, little back and arm and leg and neck problems finally hit overload, and my spine basically gave up. Turns out I have Spondylosis, spinal arthritis, and between the pain and spasms and loss of control and pain and the drugs to try and control it all, I can't work anymore, April 2007.
Well, Wendy tried to hang on, but she was miserable, terribly depressed, hating coming home to me (not because of the disability, because of the trust), so she finally said "that's it".
What makes it really funny is that I had finally conquered all those issues, and for the first time in my life I was breaking up with someone and didn't have a "rebound" girl right handy. I finally understood the concepts of "til death do us part", and true monogamy (no flirting, no internet "chatting"), and the one person I wanted to live the rest of my life with said "we'll still be friends".

So now, we live in the same house, have separate bedrooms, and are moving on with our separate lives. Wendy, being a very attractive, slim, intelligent, witty woman who looks much younger than she is and who is also still a college student, has had no trouble finding some dates and getting over me. Our marriage and relationship are fond memories, but she has no interest in me anymore, I'm just a roomate who constantly needs a ride somewhere.

I, on the other hand, being a "morbidly obese" (according to my doctors), disabled, unemployed guy with no money to take a date anywhere, and no car to pick her up in the first place, am finding it VERY hard to even find a date, let alone finding someone who can help me get over Wendy. There is one "prospect" at this point, an SCA friend who is recently divorced herself, who definitely knows what it takes to get past the quagmire of emotions and memories, or at least how to start, so we are talking about giving it a try, going slow, and seeing what happens.

So, now you know about Wendy, my second ex-wife, best friend, former lover, and now just a roomate.

And the answer is...

Nobody guessed at all! Oh well, the answer is TJ Thyne, Jack Hodgins on "Bones", appeared in multiple episodes of "Angel" as a lawyer at Wolfram and Hart, and Tamara Taylor, who plays Cam Saroyan on "Bones", was the teacher in "Serenity". A new question or two tomorrow!

trivia question for YOU!

Okay, you guys aren't helping with the 6 degrees, so I figured what the hey, I'll post a trivia question for YOU to answer!

We all know that David Boreanaz of "Bones" was previously the star of Joss Whedon's "Angel", but what OTHER 2 "Bones" stars worked for Joss as well?

submit your answers in comments, I will give the correct answers tomorrow.

No degrees (help me out!); CSI

Nobody submitted a new name for me to do the 6 degrees of Kevin with (HINT HINT), so I thought I'd just blog about some things that bug me about the various CSIs. First of course has to be the franchise-wide, oh-so-annoying practice of the technicians explaining what they're doing to each other, i.e. "I sprayed it with xorbitol then put it under the ALS" "oh yeah, because the ALS and xortibol will show blood and fingerprints!" GAH! It's like to electricians standing at a fuse box "I used a 50 amp fuse" oh yeah, because a 30 amp fuse isn't enough to handle the current". Yes, I know they do it so the audience will understand what's going on, but they've taken it WAY too far, on all three shows, and I think the ratings are starting to reflect that.

Second, each show is very much a reflection of the real, personal character of the Executive Producer/Star- CSI:NY is always respectful and supportive of the troops, each cast member is tough, and they always strive to do the right thing, no matter what; very Gary Sinise. CSI original- very much an ensemble, much more than the other two, to the point that the EP/star quit as the star, but remains as EP; like Grissom, just doing the job that needs to be done, not needing all of the credit, very William Petersen. CSI:Miami- the world revolves around the ridiculously-named Horation Caine, and it's no wonder that Miami's crime rate is through the roof, the only crimes that get solved are the ones HE works on! It's just too bad he has that horrible disorder that makes him only talk to people when he's standing sideways to them, fiddling with his sunglasses, and making basic statements as... dramatic... as... possible!
Really from the EP/Star view- CSI, it's all about the rest of the cast; CSI:NY, it's all about all of us together; CSI:Carusoville, it's all about ME!
The other thing that bugs me about the CSIs is the theme song for CSI:NY, "Baba O'Rielly". Look, CSI's "Who are you?" was the perfect choice for a theme song. Then CSI:Miami came on the air, with "Won't get fooled again" as their theme song- it makes it sound like the DID get fooled before, but okay, it still works alright. Then CSI:NY with "Baba O'Reilly", what the hell? How does this mesh with "who are you" and "we won't get fooled again"? Fine, it's a Who song, was there NO other Who song that made at least some sense?

Oh well, I still make the effort to watch CSI, and of course NCIS, and I'll watch CSI:NY if it's on, but I'd rather drink Bailey's and vinegar than watch CSI:Carusoville.

Kevin Bacon, Round Two

Oookay, first, an apology for the delay in posting, it hasn't been a very good couple of days. One "up" note, i went for a walk tonight, thinking I need to do SOME exercising, and that maybe my hips/legs are hurting so much lately due to atrophy as much as arthritis. I walked about a block and a half to the nearby school, (15 houses, block and a half, right?), and made it back on my own. Tears rolling down my face, agonizing pain, couldn't climb the stairs when I got home, but I did the entire walk myself. Yeah me!

So, Jessica Hall, my dear pal Galina, apparently knows the names of actors even more obscure than Dunkr's Max Schreck. I mean really, who would actually remember the real name of the old woman booing Queen Buttercup in "Princess Bride", or the old woman pushing the food trolley in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"? Jessica does, her name is Margery Mason, and she's been in the background for decades. For instance, she's in the background of "Love Actually", which Laura Linney was also in, released the same year as "Mystic River", which starred both Laura and our boy Kevin- 2 degrees.

Hey, after you get done reading this blog, why not pop over to http://bigbadwolf.today.com/ to check out my take on the day's news. Unlike this blog, on which only the advertisers pay me, THAT blog pays me based on number of unique impressions, so tell everyone you know to read it, PLEASE!
If I can get to 50,000 readers per day on that blog, I can finally relax, so pass the word!

Dunkr, I hate you

Mark Steele, my pal Dunkr, decided to make my life miserable with the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon by giving me the name Max Schreck. BUT, I am truly great, so smart guy, here's your answers:
1- if you meant the character Max Schreck played by Christopher Walken in "Batman Returns", well, Christopher also appeared in "Joe Dirt" with Rance Howard, who just happened to appear in "Frost/Nixon" with Kevin. SEPARATION- 2.5 (.5 for being the Character)
2-if you meant the character of Max Schreck played by Willem Dafoe in "Shadow of the Vampire", well, Willem was in "Body of Evidence" with Frank Langella, who was of course Nixon himself in "Frost/Nixon", which Kevin was in. SEPARATION-still 2.5



BUT



3-IF you meant the great German Actor of the early 1900's (dying in 1936) Max Schreck, well, how can I connect a Kevin to a guy who never worked in the U.S. and who died 22 years before he was born?!?!




UNLESS



you count the fact that Max was in "Wolga Wolga" with Feodor Chaliapin Jr., who was in "La Maschera" with Helena Bonham Carter, who of course was in "Novacaine" with Kevin. SEPARATION-3 :P

Oh, and for Wendy, who was also trying to be difficult- Bob Eubanks was in "Greatest Game Show Moments" with Fred Ward, who was in "Tremors" with Kevin; and he was also in "Johnny Dangerously" with Mike Bacarella, who was in "Stir of Echoes" with Kevin, so Bob is a double 2.

I'm fine, so NCIS trivia!

trivia about my favorite show, NCIS- Michael Weatherly, who plays Anthony DiNozzo, remarks during one episode that "I have a better chance of getting a date with jessica Alba than these gusy do of getting into SeaLift". Quite a funny line, because A) the bad guys had gotten into SeaLift, and B) Michael used to be on the series "Dark Angel", and was in fact engaged to it's star, Jessica Alba.
One of the "character background" lines for DiNozzo is that his very wealthy family disowned him when he became a cop. In fact, Weatherly's family disowned him when he became an actor (no word on whether they've pulled their heads out yet.)
Speaking of which- one of the victims that they are checking on is supposedly the filthy rich grandson of the man that was the original importer of real Victorinox Swiss Army knives to the U.S. In fact, that importer is Michael Weatherly's real-life father, yes the same putz that disowned him for doing something he's very good at.

And you thought YOUR parents were impossible to live with!

Great dream, bad results

I had the most fantastic dream last night! I was fighting florentine (SCA Armored Combat) in a melee, and killing people left and right. I got Cormac with a combo shot: I threw a flat-snap to his belly as I moved to his left ducking his head shot, and at the same time I brought my right hand up and over for a face-thrust. He blocked the body shot, but the thrust nailed him! There were several other fights, and I was twisting and turning and lunging and running, all the things you HAVE to do when fighting florentine (two swords) in a melee.

Unfortunately, my body takes my dreams WAY too seriously, which is why I'm barely awake at noon, after waking up at 6 with spasms all through my back, legs, and arms, hobbling into the kitchen, and taking a fistful of pills. I'm awake now because I'm still having the spasms, they woke me up again, so more pills, yeah.

Okay, all of this "it sucks to be me" posting can't really be all that interesting, so time to try something new: TV and movie trivia!
For example- on "NCIS", Forensics Specialist Abby Sciutto is played by Pauley Perrette, who in fact has a REAL degree in Forensics! Zach Braff, the star of the comedy "Scrubs", makes extra money by being the voice of the puppy in the Cottonelle toilet paper commercials!

Ever play "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon"? I am a pro, so give me a name (post it in the comments), and I'll give you the degrees! PLEASE, no one give me Kyra Sedgewick, make me at least work a little!

So come on, send me some names, ask me for trivia about almost any TV show, help me post something other than "I hurt".

Intentional Scizophrenia

So, in my never ending quest to Make Enough To Live On, I found a site that pays me to blog. Not very much, and it depends entirely on impressions, but it's a start. To keep things interesting (hopefully, anyway) for you, I will be posting my personal stuff here, and my take on daily news stories over there. "Over there" being http://bigbadwolf.today.com/ , which will be added as a link on the sidebar as soon as I figure out how.
Feel free to post your comments, forward the link to friends, family, enemies, people you don't know, send the link to your Congressmen as an example of why the internet should be censored, anywhere and everywhere, the more it gets read, the more it helps my quest.

Regarding the Bail Out of Chrysler

The Treasury Department announced today that they had reached an agreement with four of Chrysler's main creditors to keep the automaker from filing bankruptcy, in yet another example of The Great Bail Out, and in my opinion a HUGE mistake. Yes, it was necessary to bail-out AIG and several of the big banks, to keep the entire banking and insurance industry from collapsing, although one company being THAT important to one industry, let alone two, is the reason for our anti-trust/anti-monoply laws, but we'll ignore that for now. Had AIG failed, as noted, the entire banking industry would have failed. BUT, if Chrysler fails, the auto industry will be just fine, and in reality the other automakers would probably be thrilled. The simple fact is that Chrysler failed for two reasons- bad management, and being out-sold. True, Ford and GMC are not far behind Chrysler, while Hyundai, Toyota, and Honda are doing just fine, but that just proves my point- in our economic system, a business must adapt to changes, or die, evolve or face extinction. the "Big Three" automakers never felt the need to adapt to the way the import companies do business, even when the "imports" are being made in the U.S., because they've been bailed out by Congress before, and they new they would again. We need to prove them wrong. Let Chrysler fail, maybe then Ford and GMC will cut some executive salaries, make it clear to the UAW that they will either take less or be unemployed entirely, and cut frivolous expenditures in the name of "advertising", like giving a mustang to the American Idol finalists.
Chrysler failed not because of the recent economic crash, Chrysler failed because they're following an outdated business model, and they refuse to learn from the people that are pushing them out. Evolution or Extinction, Chrysler picked the wrong one, let them deal with the consequences.

talk about a bad dream!

Okay, it's no secret I'm a geek. I read comic books when I was a kid, still do (except I can't afford them anymore). I mention this because I had a comic book dream last night/early this morning. I don't remember most of the details, except the important one- I was a hero who had been given a new weapon. Unfortunately, every time the weapon fired, I gagged, the full-body kind. And of course, the weapon was on automatic, so it kept firing over and over again. As I slowly wake up, I realize that I really am gagging, although it's not so much a "gag" as it is a "struggling to breathe". Seems my apnea got the better of me last night. Of course, the full body spasms induced by the fight for air caused my back, hips, and legs to go into full muscle spasm, so at 5 am I hobbled into the kitchen on both canes and took a full dose of pills with chocolate milk. I went back to bed, careful to turn my head so I could breathe easier, and just woke up a little bit ago.

Let the Debate Begin!

Since I'm up, I decided to read my pal Glen's blog, http://glensgob.blogspot.com/2009/04/liberals-dont-understand-tea-parties.html

and this gem caught my eye. A couple of things you (oh random reader) need to know- Glen is in fact my best friend in the whole world. I love his kids like my own, his wife like a sister, and him like what I'm told brotherly love should be (I have very little experience in that area). BUT, I generally HATE his politics! Which is okay, he (mistakenly) doesn't like mine either, and we are mature enough to discuss and debate our differing views without it turning into hatred. the lesson here kiddies- politics is a small part of who a person is, get to know the whole person before you decide they are evil.
So, to my point- the conservative right-wing, while admitting that increased spending is necessary to get out of the mess that "dubya" left us, is attacking Obama's "legacy social program" spending, as Glen puts it-
"Yes, but the President is certainly taking advantage of this situation to push a HUGE social agenda. I actually agree that temporarily that the government is going to have spend tax dollars in order to keep our economy from falling apart, but what he is doing is instituting HUGE legacy social programs that will continue to exist long after this crisis is over. Most fiscal conservatives are against this."
And just WHAT would fiscal conservatives prefer those tax dollars be spent on? More military? More support for Iraq? What, exactly, is it that you fiscal conservatives find SO distasteful about spending money to take care of our own people? Part of this funding is supposed to help reduce the Social Security backlog, currently standing at EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND filings, with nearly TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND CASES OVER 900 DAYS OLD, not counting those who've had to re-file and start over again at day one after a couple of years of appeals. What's wrong with the government helping to fix a healthcare system that has been overrun by the medical insurance inquisition, oops I mean "industry", and corporations who think hospitals should be profit-generating business in all areas, rather than facilities dedicated to the Hippocratic Oath and to serving those in need. At what point did we, as a nation, decide it was okay for ANYONE to make profits off of a medical emergency, no matter what it is?
If anything, Fiscal Conservatives should be *applauding* the legacy social spending that Obama is setting up, as it will, in the long run, give more of the average person's income BACK to that person, to be spent as they see fit, encouraging economic growth.
Being at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, and being one of those most directly affected by President Obama's social spending, I say thank you very much, and carry on sir!

Other things that don't get mentioned much

I post quite a bit about my back and legs, since those are my primary problems these days, but one that lingers in the background comes up occasionally, in more ways than one. I also have what docotrs always refer to as GERD (gastro-esophagial reflux disease), what everyone else calls Acid Reflux. Yes, I do take meds for it, but even so, every once in awhile, in the middle of the night, a small quantity of stomach acid comes up from my stomach into my esophagus and even my mouth, burning my throat. Yes, I know, that sounds exactly like vomiting, and basically it is, just one small amount, no heaves, no repeat. Still, a very unpleasant way to wake up, and even after drugs (which contribute to the problem, by the way) it leaves me WIDE awake, at least for awhile. I've found that, at that point, the best thing I can do is play on the internet or read a book while I eat a 1/2 sleeve or so of plain saltines, with a glass of water (drunk sparingly, just enough to wash them down).

I so wish they could do brain transplants, I'd love to have a new, healthy body, wouldn't even need to be younger!

I feel great! No pain whatsoever, wide awake, feel like jogging!

Yes, evertying in the title is a complete lie, you caught me. I slept some more after the last blog, got up and fed the dog, took more meds, then tired to sign up for Yahoo Messenger Voice Services, so I could have a phone # that I didn't have to count the minutes soooo carefully. After 4 tries, multiple charges on my PayPal account (that they tell me will be returned, we shall see), a live chat, and finally a phone call, using up my valuable cell minutes, the yutz for Yahoo tries to tell me that the billing information didn't match, that it's a PayPal problem, and so on, he FINALLY admits that they've had multiple complaints about credit cards not processing right, it's a Yahoo problem, they don't know how long to fix it.

So now I'm looking at Skype. :-)

the Return of the Bad Day

Just woke up, legs are okay but mid-back is mid-aching and right shoulder is right agonizing, more pills and "Bed Buddy" (tm) rice bag heated and put on the shoulder whilst I bring you loyal fans up to speed.

Maybe I can get a work-at-home data entry job? Surely there's somebody who's willing to pay a living wage for semi-dependable work done one hour out of every 6, right? What I really need is a cousin named Guido, so I could go to construction sites and "supervise". Or perhaps I've seen too many episodes of "the Sopranos".

Which reminds me of something that really bothered me at the time- anybody else watch the HBO series "Rome" when it was on? Did you notice that they all spoke Shakespearean English? Now, if I'm watching Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", then I would expect that, but an HBO original series, why Shakespearean English? C'mon, they're Italian, they should sound like the Sopranos, not Shakespeare!
Of course, on the other hand, the image of Julius Caesar saying "Brutus, dis f$%#ing guy!" just cracks me up, so maybe Shakespearean is a better choice. The world may never know.

I hear Phoenix callin' me

For those of you not in the Salt Lake area, it rained last night. For those of you not suffering arthritis, a drop in temperature causes stiffness and pain. So does an increase in humidity/drop in barometer (I think that's right). An increase in humidity couple with a drop in temperature of more than 10 degrees equals LOTS of pain. Which is why, after multiple doses of meds last night, I'm up at not-quite 9 am, hunched over not able to stand up straight, to take more. On the bright side, when I told my doctor yesterday that my hips and legs were hurting more than normal lately, he said that the arthritis has probably spread to my hips (from my spine). Okay, so the bright side ain't so bright, such is my life.

At any rate, every time it gets cold again here, I find the idea of moving to Phoenix more and more attractive, if I only had the $$.

That's enough for now, back to bed and heating pad.

Ups and Downs, mostly Downs

Hey there, I'm *really* medicated right now, but I felt like I needed to post something today-
Yesterday was .... I don't remember right now whether it was bad or good. i think good, because I didn't have any ttrouble waking up this morning. Today started out okay, but Wendy was late getting back here to take me to my doctor's appointment, so she "rushed", which quite honestly scared me and had me bracing myself/tensing up for each traffic light, corner, lane change, and near-rear end collision. The tensing of course led to spasms, so by the time we got back I could barely move and had tears in my eyes. What we found when we got back is why I felt the need to blog- Aurora was here, trimming our rose bushes. She visited for awhile, was very understanding of me being in pain (having seen it countless times before), and finished up with the roses, something she said she had promised to do last summer (okay, if she says so, couldn't prove it by me). On top of that, there was a nice donation in my paypal inbox, for which I am extremely grateful, thank you.

The rest of the "downs" comes in the form of me being too medicated, and, with the weather changed today, most likely in too much pain, to attend St. Pyre's in Cote du Ciel. I HATE having to cancel my plans to attend an event because of this stuff, but in reality it will probably be happening more and more often, as I seem to be getting worse.

I'm awake, rellzzzzzzzzzzzz

I've been awake off and on, mostly off, throughout the day, never really "with it". Which, of course, is one of the side-effects of the mountain of pills I took yesterday, I won't be completely over them until tomorrow at the earliest.

That's it, back to bed.

bad day v 2.4.1

So, right after my last post, I went to bed, heating pad under my back, reading lamp and glasses on, book in hand, planning on reading until I was ready to fall asleep. That was midnight. I just woke up, at 5 am, heating pad on auto-shut off, book still in hand, readling lamp and glasses still on. Apparently I was OUT as soon as my head hit the pillow. I'm still drifting as I write this, so some fighter Candy to handle the burgeoning oxy headache, and back to bed. Blog you in a few hours!

bad day version 2.4

Okay, I managed to stay pain-free long enough to go to Forum, but shortly after we got there my left leg started to hurt again, so I took the pills that I had with me (just in case), but by the time Hilde got me home I was having a hard time walking. She hung out for a bit to say "hi" and chat with Wendy, and I put the heat pad on my leg, then under my hip (okay, under my @$$), while we chatted. Then, just after Hilde left at 9:30, we realized (Wendy and I) that we couldn't find Cardhu. In the looking for him, my leg buckled while I was standing near the top of the stairs, so I fell, but managed to catch myself and keep from bouncing all the way down. Right about then I realized that the gate wasn't completely shut when Hilde and I came in (she hadn't been planning on staying nearly an hour), and I had let Cardhu out while she was here (I called her to verify that, and she said she'd be right back to help find him).
So, out to look for the dog, Wendy moving MUCH faster than me, but as we call him we here him answering from just down the street. He got into a neighbor's fenced yard, but couldn't figure out how to get out again. Wendy pretty much ran to get him, me hobbling along behind, now in severe pain after the fall. Hilde pulled up just as I started to call her and tell her we found him, and gave me a ride back past the 4 houses I'd limped past, there being NO way I could have made it back under my own power. Wendy helped me inside, where I took yet another full dose of drugs, and I sat down to catch up on emails and such, which gets us to about 10:30. As I sat reading emails, I dozed off, and just jerked awake at 11:45 pm, and wrote this entry into the ol' blog. Of course, the "jerking" awake caused MORE pain, so one more short dose and off to bed with the heating pad.

I really, truly hope I won't be blogging tomorrow until noon, at the earliest. Any earlier means "breakthrough pain", as in the pain is so bad that it breaks through the drugs I took previously and wakes me up. I'm thinking "bad day v. 3.1" won't be as amusing as today was.

bad day version 2.3

It is now 3:45 pm Tuesday, and I woke up 1/2 hour ago, no pain except the oxycodone "hangover". 6 "Max Strength" Ibuprofen seem to be handling the brain-throbbing pain. Wouldn't it be just on par with everything else if the only way to cure my oxy headache was more oxy? Oh yeah, definition of "addiction", good point.

So anyway, hopefully I'll stay feeling better long enough to attend the Baronial Forum tonight, not that I really need to, but I figure Baronial Officers and the Baronage are like a room full of 6 year-olds: they don't need *constant* supervision, but every once in awhile you need to make sure they aren't planning something evil.

Really, you HAVE to watch 6 year-olds, they are devious and rotten to the core, they exude pure evil. Especially the "cute little girl" ones (shudder).

bad day version 2.2 (backdated)

i knew it would happen at some point- I was up at 9:30, "fold me in half" spasms all through my back, more drugs, back to bed, then my stomach made it VERY clear I needed to eat, so got back up, had one bowl of cereal, THEN back to bed.

I think I need to invite Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs" to come spend a day being me.

bad day, version 2.1

It's 5:30 Tuesday morning, about 15 minutes ago the pain in my left hip and left side of my mid-lower back was enough to wake me up, so once again a breakfast of methadone, neurontin, and plenty of oxycodone. One of the ways I can tell that the drugs have not completely worn off before the next dose for all of yesterday and this morning- oxycodone gives me a "hangover", that is a headache just this side of a migraine. If it gave me the shakes and nausea, it would be a true hangover.

It occurs to me that I don't remember eating yesterday. I guess it's one effective way to lose weight, I already know that the reduced eating because of the drugs has allowed my stomach to shrink, like it does when you fast for 3 days. I know this because I used to eat 1 1/2 BIG bowls of cereal for breakfast, now I often don't even finish a partial regular bowl. I now eat 1/2 a regular bowl, maybe seconds (making it one regular bowl) if I'm "really hungry". This of course results in plenty of leftovers, which often end up going in the trash, because I don't finish them before they go bad. It might be smarter for me to stock up on the "single serving" microwave meals, except the ones that don't contain toxins, i.e. stuff I'm allergic to, tend to be rather bland and taste like cardboard.

Oh yeah, for those of you who look at this and think "he keeps saying he's barely coherent when drugged, but this writing is flawless", three things in response:
1- I'm writing at times when the drugs are MOSTLY worn off/haven't kicked in yet;
2- EBlogger comes with spelling and grammar check, duh;
3- most importantly, BITE ME DOUGHBOY!

bad day part 3

So, after I fed the dog, I got a brief nap, then Dunkr came over, I babbled at him for awhile, then I fell asleep in front of my computer while trying to come up with another blog entry, then Wendy came home, and we talked for a few minutes, then I came back to try adn blog again, dozed off a couple of times while trying to write an email or three, and here it is 11:45, my hip is hurting (the left one now) enough to wake me all the way up, so this quick post, then more drugs, a hot shower to try and relax the leg/hip until the drugs kick in, and then off to bed.

Does anybody see any time in this day for me to be earning a living, let alone working at an actual job? Anyone? Anyone? Beuler? Beuler?

bad day part 2

It is now 5:05 pm, I was asleep from shortly after my previous post until 4:30, when my phone alarm to feed the dog went off, waking me up (one of the two reasons I have it set). Unfortunately, while asleep I was having a weird dream about traversing a swamp by jumping from spot to spot, and climbing stuff, and swinging on ropes, etc., and I awoke to rippling spasms up and down my back (which is common after I dream about doing something athletic/strenous). So, more drugs, feed the dog, read emails and post to blog while the dog is outside. Now that he's had enough time out there, I'll call him in, put heat on my back, and read some more until I pass out again.

Watch for episode three in this exciting serial!

bad moon risin'

Okay, not the moon, just me. My right leg/hip is in SO much pain right now, standing hurts, sitting hurts, lying down hurts. All I can do is wait the 1/2-1 hour for the drugs to kick in and knock my @$$ out, and hope that whatever shifted and pinched whatever to cause this pain has shifted back to "neutral". I think I'll try to blog again later, when I wake up, kind of keep a running log of a day in pain. So, it's not quite noon, I've taken a full dose of pills, I'm going to try laying down with a heat pad under my hip and reading a book until I pass out. More later, if I remember.

another day, another pain in the @$$

First, as I've noted before, Adsense is still debating whether I'm a crook or I made an honest mistake (truth is- the latter), so I figured since I don't have any ads showing up, just big blank spots on my blog, I'll remove the Adsense blocks from my blog. Logical, right? Guess what, you CANNOT remove Adsense blocks from a Blogger.com blog, **even if they've closed your Adsense account**! How stupid is that? "You were bad, so you can't have the ads, but you have to keep the empty spots so people know you were bad", is that it Google?

On another topic, the Salt Lake Police Department announced last week that, starting immediately, anyone they arrest 4 times for vagrancy, panhandling, or a list of other minor things that indicate "homeless person", that person will be provided with counseling on how to get and keep a job, substance abuse counseling, and the kicker- HOUSING VOUCHERS! Meanwhile I, who have NOT broken any laws AT ALL, have to wait another 1 1/2 YEARS (I just checked with the Housing Authority) to get those same vouchers! Where is the logic in this? The cops don't want to deal with them anymore, so they apply for a grant to start this program, ignoring the fact that they are totally screwing those of us who are on the waiting list for those same houses/apartments!

On yet another topic, I'm considering how to go about filing a class action suit against the Social Security Administration for flagrant violation of the 8th Amendment, the one that gaurantees the right to a speedy trial- I don't care who you are, waiting 3 years is NOT speedy!

Any thoughts on the matter?

the University of Utah and Accessibility

So, having to deal with my "mobility issues" has made Wendy more sensitive to the matter, and she told me last night about a documentary that was done at the U, where she's in school, that was shown to one of her classes. The documentary was about the reality of handicapped access vs. the "party line". One of the things the documentary showes was that an "able" person can get to a classroom in 93 seconds, while it takes a disabled person needs 20 MINUTES to get to the same classroom. Part of the issue is that, to get the key to use the lift to get to the second floor, you have to go to the office that they keep it in, which is on (wait for it)...

the SECOND FLOOR!

Just another fine example of people who don't stop to really THINK about what it's like to have difficulty moving like "normal" people do.

Another Bad Day, but Now With More Movie Review!

So, today hasn't been really any better than yesterday, I was awake at 6 again, still in pain, more drugs, etc. I just woke up and had breakfast, minor aches at the moment (well, minor for me, I don't take drugs for anything less than a 7 on the 1-10 scale) (i.e. muscle spasms/pain that bend me over, cause my leg to fold under me, etc.)

But hey, sinc eI'm up, I figured I might as well do another movie review!

Wendy and I recently watched "Bottle Shock", a Sundance film about the true story of the 1976 blind taste test between several of the best French wines and the best American wines from NApa Valley, organized by Steven Spurrier, played with true class by Alan Rickman.
SPOILER ALERT- Spurrier is an English wine merchant living in Paris, not respected by the French wine "community" because he isn't French, but who still believes that the French make the best wine. At the prompting of a friend (played also quite well by Dennis Farina), who points out that Spurrier's "Academy of Wine" (in French, of course) has hundreds of bottles of French wine and maybe 10 from Germany, Spain, and Italy total, telling him that he needs to either rename it the Academy of French Wine or open his mind a bit more, Spurrier decides to host a blind tasting of the French and Californian wines to prove that the French wine is better.

Since the movie is about the event that launched Napa wines onto the world scene and made them what they are today, you can guess who won.

Bill Pullman is great as the lawyer-turned-vintner who's perfectionism in trying to make the best chardonnay possible brings out a problem that only occurs when it is TOO pure is wonderful, and Chris Pine as the hippie son who finally takes some responsibility is great as well.

I'm too medicated to really do this movie justice, so let me just say if you are interested in wine at all, you owe it to yourself to see this.

Need I say it? 4 paws!

bad day

just a quick note- Monday was a bad day, I woke up in pain at 3 am, took drugs, turned on the heating pad, and did the same thing again at noon, 4:30 (the dog woke me up to feed him), 9 pm, and just a few minutes ago. I ate at 9, some bread and cheese. Now I'm going back to bed again, hoping tomorrow will be better/less painful.

Sure Miss Social Security Administrative Law Judge, I can work 6 hours a day, but not today, unless the job is "take drugs and sleep poorly".

Another day, but definitely NOT in Paradise

Okay, you probably noticed the big blank spots where ads usually go. There are two possible reasons for that, both of which I'm trying to resolve with Google now. Possibility one- I violated the "don't click the ads on your own blog" rule when I, well, clicked an ad on my own blog. BUT, I didn't do it just to get the click count, I did it because the ad was for Making Money While Disabled, something I VERY much need to do, and after clicking on the ad I signed up for the service the ad offered, which is the point of the ad, n'cest pas?

The other possibility is that they think I'm trying to pull something by having two different accounts- this one and my old blog. the truth is, I forgot about my old blog (it's been a year+ since I've been on it), and I don't use the email it was attached to anymore (haven't for the year+). Once I realized/remembered that other account, I went and cancelled/closed it, but I still have to wait for my "appeal" to be decided on by Google/Adsense.

Of course, after 2 years of dealing with Social Security, the very word "appeal" just pisses me off. Oh well, hopefully the Google/Adsense people will see that I'm not trying to de-fraud anyone, I'm just forgetful and needing a way to make money.

In the meantime, I *do* have that beautiful, shiny new "donate" button over on the left, there...

See, I TOLD you!

Sunday and Monday were NOT good days for me, in fact I slept about 20 hours on Monday- woke up around 3 am in agony (my bad dreams caused back spasms, or vice versa), took lots of pills, and passed out, waking up just long enough to take more drugs (because pain woke me up).

BUT, on Sunday, I did manage to watch the recently-released-on-DVD movie "BOLT", which I will review for you now:

BOLT, the latest creation for Disney Animation Studios, is the newest in a proud dynasty of great animated films. Unfortunately, as with all dynasties, some of the progeny just don't live up to the family name, like King John. Don't get me wrong, the voice actors are terrific, with Miley Cyrus as the teenage girl (I think she's getting typecast, don't you?), and John Travolta as Bolt, the Super Dog, and most especially Greg Germann (formerly of "Alli MacBeal") as the oh-so weasely agent; and the "special effects" (the whole movie is CG, so that term really doesn't apply, or applies to the whole movie, your choice) are great, from the exploding helicopters to the speeding train; but the story is just TOO predictable, even for a Disney movie.
Look, when "The Lion King" came out, we all knew the formula it would follow, those of us over 12, anyway, but it was STILL a great movie- voice acting, animation, music, and the story all came together to pin you to your seat! Even now, after you've seen it umpteen times, you find yourself drawn in, forgetting to finish folding the laundry while you watch with the kids, even though the movie was supposed to keep them busy while you did your chores.
"BOLT" on the other hand, does NOT pin you to your seat. You won't feel the need to pause it when you go to get the microwave popcorn. This is a movie that will soon enter the Disney Vault, and unlike it's predecessors "Peter Pan", "Snow White", or "The Little Mermaid", no one will be anticipating it's re-release. The best part of the movie, for me, is the end-credits duet, sung by Miley and John. I give it 1 1/2 paws (out of 4) (hey, I'm a Wolf, why would I use stars when I have paws right here?)

And they're OFF!

So, now that I have been denied Social Security again, the State of Utah automatically stopped giving me General Assistance, which means rather than having $200.00 (plus $140.00 in foodstamps) per month to live on, I now have JUST the foodstamps. Unfortunately, I can't pay the co-pays for my doctor visits OR the mass amounts of medications I'm on with foodstamps, so I'm left trying to find other ways to scrape up some dinero. I'm running out of things to sell, so I thought I'd give blogging another try.

In the coming weeks, my blog will have movie reviews, movie and TV trivia (i.e. the *actual* director of NCIS appeared in an episode of the CBS show), medieval history stuff, stray pet rescue information, and of course stuff about the Social Security Administration, and the fact that they violate the 8th Amendment about 200,000 times PER DAY!

Of course, due to the pain/spasms/loss of muscle control/pain that are my disability, and the medications that I take to control those problems, I am only really "with it" about 1-2 hours per day, 3-4 days per week. This means that this blog will NOT be updated on a schedule, but on an "I'm up for it" basis.

Even so, please check back often, reply through the comments, and forward it to all of your friends.