Just Another Day

My dad had to put his beloved dog of 12 years down last week. It was very unexpected, and very hard for him. She had suddenly gotten a condition that is apparently common in older, deep-chested dogs, and my dad, not knowing exactly what was wrong, waited a little too long to take her to the vet (a mere six hours, and she had initially gotten ill at 1 or so in the morning, and he simply waited until his vet's office was open) and it had already damaged her heart and kidneys. She was going into renal failure when he made the decision to not have her suffer any longer, as she had suffered greatly throughout the day. I feel very badly for him, but at least he was with her during her last moments, and she was being held and talked to as she slipped away. Not knowing she was going to die so soon, he had also recently gotten a Border Collie puppy, thinking they could keep each other company. Now at least the puppy is keeping him occupied and hopefully not dwelling too much on his muc...

I've been sick, sick, sick for the past week and am only today starting to feel any better. It was basically a head cold with a fever added in for good measure, but man, without being able to take medicine, it was killer. Add to that I had to deal with home inspectors and termite guys, and the overall week was one of not getting enough rest, and thus, never getting better. So of course it sucks that John Hughes died, and seriously, we DVR'd The Breakfast Club and watched it the week before his death. Really weird, because I hadn't seen one of his movies in years and then bam, he dies right after I watch it. Somehow I feel reponsible. And with the sickness and all, I'm again taking the easy way out and putting up a favorite song of mine from a John Hughes movie. Can you blame me? It's also one of my favorite sequences from his movies has well.

You thought it was gone forever, didn't you? Well, so did I for a while, there. I've been watching with increasing alarm the debates over revamping the health care sytem that are ocurring in the House and Senate. At first I was confident, because the dude in charge in the House is Henry Waxman, a kick-ass guy if there ever was one, and one of the few politicians I actually trust. He comes from the LA area, and has always been as honest as a politician can possibly be expected to be. But then came the Republicans and the Blue Dogs and all the other jerks who are looking to screw over people in favor of the wealthy and powerful health insurance lobby. And listen, anyone who doesn't think the government should have a part in healthcare should renounce their right to Medicare THIS VERY SECOND. And yes, old people who are croaking about "socialism," I'm talking to YOU. Argh. It raises my stress level, it does. Do you think there should be a public option in th...

There's been lots going on in Gina-land, I've just been too busy/distracted/stressed to write about it. We have totally lost our minds and have decided to sell our place. Er, the bad news is that we need to be out before the baby comes (due on approximately 11/12/09) and in another place by then. So yeah, six months pregnant and getting ready to put a house on the market! I am indeed certifiable, I know. But, I figured it would be much easier to show the house sans bebe , what with diapers and feedings and nap schedules. Whether we own or rent that place remains to be seen, as we now know after eight years of homeownership that it isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Especially since we only have one main income, and thus the tax breaks are pretty much negligible. If we can find something within the right timeframe, great. If not, I'm not averse to renting for a bit. The last thing I want to do is to say, "I've got thirty days to find and buy my ...

Oh bloggity blog blog, how I hath forsaken thee! It has been crazy busy around here, what with time off for Hubba-hubba and hanging with friends, as well as my teenaged cousins being here from Arizona, which causes all of us to do many "touristy" things we wouldn't normally do. Or even just get out of the house more often than we normally would, becauase we want them to be happy, and teenagers are happy to go shopping and the beach and pretty much where ever you want to take them. So, still too much going on, although I have gotten a nice burst of energy just in time for the girls' arrival. I can actually do more than lay on my bed and moan. Kidding, I would just lay on the bed, minus the moaning part. Most of the time. Mr. P begins camp this week, and for the next three weeks he will be spending a blissful four hours a day hiking and making crafts and whatever the hell else they do at camp. He loves it, although it is going to be damn hot, so I hope they modify ...

Ah now, you can't blame a pregnant woman for taking the lazy way out and posting a Michael Jackson video, can you? I was never a huge fan of MJ, although I certainly can acknowledge his talent. Thriller came out just as I was hitting my musical stride, and I have to say I resented it for all the attention it got over my more alternative musical favorites. I did truly enjoy Billie Jean, though. I definitely liked his early stuff better, and I think he definitely peaked with Thriller . The older he got, the more I hated looking at what he had become, and I don't know why plastic surgeons kept agreeing to alter his face. This song is from Off the Wall , and one that makes me dance no matter what is going on.

Summer is here, and you can tell because my house is a complete disaster. I don't know how he does it, but in a very short amount of time, Mr. P manages to scatter a million things all over the floor. I try not to let it bother me too much, but when it devolves into a match of wills to get it picked up, my patience goes out the door. Patience is definitely not one of my virtues, lately. I'm lucky that it hasn't gotten that hot, but now that I have written that, I have doomed myself to 90+ degree temps for the duration of my pregnancy. For today's Music Monday, I'll take you back to the early 80's. One of the records I listened to the most was introduced to me by, of course, my father. I think a litle later he got a cassette tape, and I began listening to that more, simply because it was easier to rewind my favorite songs. But I pretty much listened to all of them, and I would screech along to the lyrics, because I am an alto, and Lou Gramm is a definite te...