Thing I Don't Want to Know

You ever wonder what rack and pinion steering is? I just like the way it SOUNDS and don't care and don't want to know what it is. I also don't know what a catalytic converter is, but I like how it flows when you say it.

It's delightfully chilly in Florida right now and I love it! Time to get out the flannel shirts and sweatpants again. Ole loves it when the balcony door is open and she can check out the plants and wait for a gecko to molest to death.

My back has totally left the planet in terms of pain -- can't take it anymore. I made an appt. to see my doctor last week and then it seemed to get a little better, but now it's back with a vengeance so I'm seeing her tomorrow. I think all my years of limping before my two knee replacements have something to do with it. A person just can't eat Vicodin and Flexeril like jellybeans!!! I went to bed three times last night before I gave up trying to find a position that worked. Sure am getting a lot of reading done.

Behind our apartment building there's a pine tree next to a palm tree next to a cactus! Only in Florida! This pink thing is the fruit of the cactus. Steve said he saw Emeril cook something with them once, so I'm going to try and find some of those strange recipes. Mom said she and Dad had cactus jelly when they were in Arizona and it wasn't too bad.

Rice Pudding Rules!!!

I called Mom the other night to find out how she used to make her wonderful rice pudding. She couldn't remember the ratio of ingredients, but knew that in the Swedish version of this pudding there are eggs added. I found a recipe on the internet and tried it and it was terrific! I just had some for breakfast!!



Our latest purchase from Ebay is this piece of agate with a tree handpainted on it. It looks gorgeous in the window!!!

Care for a Bat Latte?

Cafe au Bat? Woman Treated for Rabies After Finding Bat in Coffee Filter
Monday, September 29, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — It wasn't just the caffeine that gave an Iowa woman an extra jolt after she had her morning coffee. It was also the bat she found in the filter.

The Iowa Department of Public Health says the woman reported a bat in her house but wasn't too worried about it. She turned on her automatic coffee maker before bedtime and drank her coffee the next morning.

She discovered the bat in the filter when she went to clean it that night. The woman has undergone treatment for possible rabies.

Health officials say that the bat was sent to a lab but that its brain was too cooked by the hot water to determine whether it had rabies.

EW!!!

Diets, Pain and Lack of Sleep

For the past few nights I've only been able to sleep about three hours and then I have to get up and take a Vicodin because my back is attacking me! I had nearly two full weeks without pain or medication and it was like a vacation.

Not getting enough sleep is one way to bring on a manic attack although I'm not sure why. Guess it must mess with those brain chemicals. I've been watching reruns of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" in the wee hours, or reading Paradise City by Lorenzo Carcaterra -- it's really a good book. I also re-read A Prayer for Owen Meaney and I remember laughing out loud on a bus in NYC the first time I read it. Has anybody out there read A Confederacy of Dunces? I remember it as another book that made me burst out laughing on a bus. Of course, in NYC no one really notices since people there are often laughing or yelling at absolutely nothing!

We were going to go to the beach today before the cooler weather sets in, but I doubt that will happen. We'll probably go to USA Flea Market later instead and buy stuff we don't need. I might add, however, that the flea market has terrific sno-cones which makes the trip worthwhile to me!

I'm on the Weight Watchers diet, along with many other people I know. It's not a difficult diet to follow since you can eat almost anything as long you stay within a point limit. I was doing pretty well until I went to the dollar store this week and when I got home I ate nearly half a jar of Marshmallow Fluff! How pathetic is that? I didn't just EAT it, I ate it like I was going to the electric chair in an hour!

The smoking thing is not going well at all. It's so much more difficult than anyone realizes. It's not the physical addiction that's a problem, but all the behaviors that go with it. We're not giving up, though, and will give it another shot very soon. We have gum, patches, sunflower seeds, and just about anything else you can think of to help, if only they helped.

A Spontaneous Sunday

Sunday we were on our way to do a little shopping when we passed a church fundraising fair. We abandoned our shopping plans and had a great time!

Steve was elated that he found a booth selling zeppoles (an Italian pastry consisting of dough that's deep fried and then covered with powdered sugar) and I found a sno-cone!

We wandered around for awhile and listened to kids on the rides screaming yet begging for more. Ah yes, I remember it well...

Are We Having Fun?

Judge Tosses Hair Dye Lawsuit for Blonde Who Had Less Fun as Brunette
Wednesday, October 08, 2008

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A judge has brushed off a Connecticut woman's claim that L'Oreal Inc. ruined her social life when she accidentally dyed her hair brunette with one of its products.

Charlotte Feeney of Stratford said she can never return to her natural blonde hue, a shock that left her so traumatized she needed anti-depressants.

She says she suffered headaches and anxiety, missed the attention that blondes receive and had to stay home and wear hats most of the time.

A Superior Court judge dismissed Feeney's 2005 lawsuit Monday, saying she never proved her allegation that L'Oreal put brown hair dye in a box labeled as blonde. The company also had disputed the claim.

Feeney's attorney, David Laudano, declined to comment and she could not be reached after the judge's decision.

Holiday Fun

Steve and I went thrift shopping today and found some more Halloween decor and a few Christmas ornaments too. We had a fun time and stopped at Ron's Halloween Store in Hudson on our way back as you might've guessed from the photos. I think that bloody hand was trying to grab my boob!

Our Friends in Nature

Steve took the trash to the dumpster yesterday afternoon, and when he got back he told me to grab the camera and come downstairs. This box turtle was underneath the staircase looking pathetically lost and frightened. Steve picked him/her up and threw him back into the Cottee River where he happily paddled away.
You really gotta love Florida when you get to creatures like this close up.