My Baby You'll Be

This is my first baby, Ozzy.  Long before I had biological babies, Ozzy stole my heart with those soulful eyes and just-love-me-into-a-cuddle-coma attitude.  It didn't hurt that at the shelter, he peed on my husband to solidify the bond that he belonged to us.

At the time, we weren't looking for another dog, just a hamburger at the Wendy's next door to the shelter.  Isn't that how it always happens, though?  You can't actively look for love, it will find you when you least expect it.  Especially if you order the cheeseburger combo with a side or adoptable adorable.

Yes, my first baby weighed in at about 7 pounds and 15 inches long, with the shelter given name of Little Man, but we knew that had to change.  On the car ride home, my husband and I debated the name game, and you know how that goes.  He loves Barney, you hate it.  You love Fitz and he threatens to crash the car.  So we turned on the radio while we brainstormed.  "I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy traaaainn...."  We both started bobbing our heads.  There's nothing a little Ozzman can't fix.  Wait a minute!  Yup, loved the name.  And his name was Ozzy and he was perfect.

You know how you're not supposed to pick favorites?  Well, I did and so did Ozzy.  I couldn't go anywhere without a little Ozzy shadow and even if he was all cuddled up with my husband on the couch, as soon as I sat down, he'd bolt over and cuddle into me.  We were soul mates.  In fact, we were so attached at the hip, that he was, unfortunately, standing under me when my water broke as I was getting out of the bathtub (pregnant with my first daughter).  Oh memories.

Over Twelve years, two moves and two kiddos later, Ozzy grew old, grey and content.  We found out in December that Ozzy had kidney stones and a herniated bladder (an injury he likely incurred when he took on a raccoon several years ago.  PS, Raccoon 1 - Ozzy 0).  The corrective surgery would have been about $4K, but due to his age (guesstimated about 14 years) and his grade 4 heart murmur and collapsing trachea, he wasn't a great candidate for surgery.  Even if he survived the surgery, he would likely have had heart failure.

Naturally, I was devastated by this news.  We held out hope that with a diet change and healing thoughts, Ozzy might turnaround.  And he did, for about two weeks.  Long enough to "snuzzle" (my daughter's word) a little longer, and for my kiddos to come to terms with the inevitable loss.  Three days before Christmas, my baby died and I've been in limbo ever since.

I've researched stages of grief, and I've checked off anger (sorry Family) and guilt.  I had the

hardest time telling people that my dog died, when really, I felt like I had killed him by taking him in to the vet and letting her do it.  This was all magnified by the fact that I was holding him the entire time (Husband and girls went to get burgers.  I now see the irony).  I felt it only right that I be the one with him, given that he was mine and I was his.  I've now entered the annoyingly persistent phase of depression and honestly, have a hard time believing there's an end to it.  Like reading the Twilight books, but for real.

I didn't write this with the intent to throw a pity party or hear another "I'm so sorry for your loss," but more because I've come to realize that this level of grief is something I'm completely unfamiliar with and I hope that writing this down will somehow be therapeutic.  I've lost loves in the past (most notably my grandfather a couple of years ago) but this sense of loss is so overwhelming that it makes me feel guilty I didn't struggle like this previously.  I had no idea it could hurt this much.  I'm turning into a weeping recluse who feels pajamas are a valid wardrobe choice and, on most days, showering is too high maintenance.  Especially since staying in has the awesome appeal of avoiding other people.  To those who know, you've been here, I'm truly sorry, I get it.  To those who don't, I hope you never have to.

There are many people who would say, "He was just a dog" and to them I would say, "I'm sorry you have never experienced unconditional love in the truest sense of those words."  To which they may respond, "Yes, I have.  I have children."  And to that I would reply, "Exactly.  Then you do understand."

Free-me Music

Since I've discovered a TON of great free music on Amazon, I have been addicted to finding and snagging some new tunes to add to my iPod. I literally spend hours scouring the latest new artists to find that diamond in the rough. I realize that musical taste is completely subjective, but you might find something you like in this list of songs or peruse online to find someone else who inspires you. All I know is, these artists are worth a listen and what a great way to be ahead of the musical curve. Just think, when your friends say, "Omigosh, you have to listen to this great new artist!!" you can say, "Oh yeah, I've had them on my iPod for months. They're pretty good." :o)

Happy Monday!!

1. Ludicrous by Frankmusik (download if you like Enrique Iglesias)
2. Halfway by The Silent Game (if you like Garbage and/or Radiohead)
3. Vessel by Zola Jesus (if you like Florence and the Machine and/or Massive Attack)
4. Long Walk Back by The Rifles (if you like an updated Beatles)
5. Tangled Up In Love by The Rifles (if you like Jimmy Eat World ala Lucky Denver Mint)
   
6. Keep You by Class Actress (if you like synth-pop)
7. Fascinated by Ivy (if you like 80's new wave, alt-pop)
8. Still Alive by Three Mile Pilot (if you like moody with a beat)
9. Old Black by Earth (if you like Pink Floyd)
   
10. Why Even Try (Feat. Sara Quin) by Theophilus London (80's hip hop, easy groove)
11. Amor Fati by Washed Out (if you like Erasure or Thompson Twins, 80's synth pop)
12. Little War by K Serå (if you like a ballad style Fall Out Boy)
    
13. Cassie (Won't You Be My Doll) by Part Time (if you like 80's pop, Bananarama)
14. Next To Me by Civil Twilight (if you like Coldplay or U2)
15. God's Not Dead (Like A Lion) by Newsboys (if you like Jars of Clay)

Enjoy!!

Land of the Free... and the MP3

Did you know that there are a TON of free tunes available from Amazon for your listening pleasure? Ninety-five percent of the offerings are new and upcoming artists, which is kind of fun, because then you can say, "Yeah, I was a fan before they were famous." Some of the songs are fabulous, others are so-so and many I regret having bothered listening to the sample. That's 30 seconds my poor assailed ears will never forgive me for.

So, I have scoured literally hundreds of free MP3's on Amazon and found these hidden gems. I realize that our tastes will differ, but if you happen to like any of my choices, you may be inspired to go on an MP3 Scavenger Hunt of your own. And PS, I was searching for new tunes to add to my workout list on my iPod, so these first few songs are in order from warm-up to cool down for a 1 hour workout. It's a mix of alternative, rock and pop. Enjoy and Happy 4th of July!

1. Morning Thought by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Coyote by The Lonely Forest
3. Always Spring by I'm From Barcelona **
   
4. Alive by Avalon
5. When It Won't Save You by Conditions
6. Up Up Up by Givers
7. Chapters by Kyoto Drive
8. The Last Ride by Soldout
9. Gimme Sympathy by Metric
10. Eliza by Viper Creek Club
11. Quake by Balance and Composure
12. The End of Progression by Conditions
13. Hannah by Freelance Whales
14. God and Girl by Red Goodbye
15. Second Bird of Paradise by The Rosebuds
16. Forever My Father by Go Radio

Other New Favorites

1. Wolf & I by Oh Land ** (for The Twilight Fan)
   
2. Traveling by Brian Olive
   
3. Rebound (Remastered) by Sebadoh
4. Endless Summer by Still Corners
5. Built to Last by Redlight King (Inspiring Rock Fan)
   
6. Hunt Hunt Hunt by There for Tomorrow (Fall Out Boy Fan)
   
7. Please Ask for Help by Telekinesis (for The Cure Fan)
   

Sometimes a song is just so fabulous that not long after it's available for free, Amazon starts charging for it. I just downloaded all of these songs in the last week, but in providing the links, I have found a couple that are no longer free, but still worth checking out. They're marked with a **. Oh the pains of popularity. So hurry and snag the ones you like because they might not be free tomorrow!

Boo!

Is it taunting you too?

Thought I'd change it up a bit and succumb to the dark side; just in time for Halloween. Thank you Millstream Cottage for providing these super cool scrap page elements! You're so talented.

What's new with you? I hope you're peachy keen. What's new with me? Well, in my quest for becoming the much hotter, thinner version of myself, I've recently turned to a Naturopath for help. I wouldn't consider myself "granola" by any stretch of the imagination, but I definitely lean more towards a natural way of doing things rather than pharmacuticals. After all, I have a feeling some of them might be to blame for my current woes. So, I figured it was worth a shot.

After meeting with my Naturopath, and ordering up some bloodwork, she informed me that she wanted me to cut out milk and gluten. Cold turkey for the gluten. Yikes! What would I ever do without my beloved carbs?!! We suspect that I may have a gluten allergy (I've had a hunch for a long time), and we'll see if bloodwork confirms that, but for now, no wheat products for this chica. I have to admit that after being gluten free for a couple of weeks, I do notice a difference. On the one hand, my cravings and gluteny goodies, hope that it's all in my head, but we're resigned to the fact that this may be where we part ways.

Have you gone gluten free? Please feel free to share your tips and tricks and any gluten free brands you love. I've tried a couple of gluten free bread products and haven't been impressed yet. I had no idea those evil little gluten bits were in so many things! I now know that there is such a thing as gluten free fries at Red Robin. You have to order them without their "special seasoning," which contains gluten. Who knew? I think this may all be a weight loss trick because there aren't as many edible food options out there now, so I'm definitely eating less. :oP

I'm going back Monday for a follow-up appointment and to go over my test results. Hopefully we can get a routine going and be on the fast track to the more fabulous me! Wish me luck.

Have a great weekend!

Wonderland Party Recap

It's been almost a year since our trip down the rabbit hole, but with the CSI theme being parties this week, I thought I would compile some of the best bits to share again. This party was a blast to plan and I'm looking forward to doing an unbirthday one. Enjoy!

The invitations to Wonderland...

Greetings from Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum. Online images on cardstock and foam wood sign from the dollar tree, cut up, and sharpied.
Used online image and cut out the middle for the knob. Both sides of the door.
Wonderland Tea Party

Thrift store finds! Perfect table decor.
Made using card stock, online images and birdcage from thrift store.
Made using regular playing cards, card stock and heart topiary from thrift store.
Played Pin the Grin on the Cheshire Cat. Printed online image and cut out smiles. Homemade shortbread cookies with pink "Eat Me" icing. Also had heart shaped pink cupcakes with "Eat Me" icing. And of course tea!

Tea bag favors made with white paper sacks, string, card stock and "Drink me" sticker labels on the tags. Filled with mini tea sets and goodies.
Everyone posing for "I'm a Little Teapot"

I wrote several posts regarding planning and tips for the party (it wouldn't all fit into one). You can view them here, here and party photos here. Have a great day!

The iPhone Widow

You may have heard of this newfangled technology called the iPhone. If you haven't, you should come out from under that rock every once in a while; if for nothing else because you're missing out on the one week of sunshine we've had. Now, some of you may have one of your own or you know someone who does and if you're the latter, you'll know exactly where I'm coming from. If you're the former, you're not reading this anyway because you're too busy playing Bejeweled or searching for a new app that will feed your dog while you're out of town.

We've had this new technology in our house for a while now, since last year when my husband upgraded from his Crackberry (er, Blackberry, whatever, same difference). But when Apple decided to come out with their latest and greatest, he got online and ordered immediately. In fact, none of his co-workers could get onto the Apple website because it was so bogged down, but Jim managed to find a way in, so his computer became iPhone ordering central. He was a superhero (like iPhone Man ---->). I think he was more of an enabler, but that's because the only addiction I support is chocolate.

Then came the waiting game. Since the phone was being delivered to the house, Jim would call for updates. "Did it come yet? Did it come yet?" Like a giddy child waiting for Christmas. He told me to call him the moment it got there. I should note that I've asked him to join the kids and me for lunch on several occasions, but I'm usually met with, "I have a lot of work to do," but once I made that call...

"Hey, guess what I have and you don't?"
*GASP* "I'll be home in 15 minutes!!"
And he was. More like 10 minutes, I think he ran a couple reds.

*Sigh*
I'm somewhat amused and appalled at the number of applications available for that thing. "Look Babe, a Lightsaber!" "This one is like Restaurant Roulette and picks a place for you." "Haha, now our childs face is on a monkey."
Personally, I'm a little irritated with Apple because if they're going to steal my husband away, the least they can do is send me a replacement model too. Preferably, Taye Diggs, or his twin. Just sayin.

Hello gorgeous. :o)

More Goonie Pics!!

More pics from The Goonies weekend in Astoria on Sunday!

The fabulous couple (Shelly and Jim) who had the extra ticket.

Posing with another fan; pretty cool Sloth mask.

Intros at the beginning of the Q&A. Um yeah, we all know who you are! :o)

Jeff Cohen, Richard Donner, Sean Astin and Corey Feldman

We were told the actors wouldn't pose for pics (due to time) but Hell yes, I wanted a pic with both of us in it anyway. Jeff was super nice, kinda shy, but really nice.

Ah, Sean Astin. He wasn't supposed to be there, but was talked into showing up to this last Meet & Greet. Thank you Sean!

And yeah, I look horrible in this pic, but Sean actually posed for this one (though I didn't know it at the time). Oh Sean, I luv ya. :o)

And finally the last of The Coreys. Who was in a hurry to get out to perform with his band that night and refused to sign my second item. :oP Oh well.


What a day!

Happy Gooniversary!

That's right folks, today, June 7th, marks the 25th anniversary of The Goonies. So make sure to commemorate the occasion and re-watch this 80's favorite.

To celebrate, the town of Astoria had a weekend full of events including all day showings of the movie at a local theatre, bus tours to various filming locations, a tour of the Goonies house and even a meet and greet with some of the cast. I had no idea any of this was going on until Saturday night when Jim mentioned that he'd heard something on the radio. The festivities had started Friday. We toyed with the idea of going on Sunday but nixed the idea. Then Sunday morning, I woke up and felt inspired to make the trip. I couldn't find anyone to go with me so I headed out on my own. It's about 80 miles to Astoria and I wasn't even sure if they'd have tickets for the final meet and greet, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't try.

Sure enough, when I got there, the lady informed me that they were all sold out. I was so bummed that I had driven all that way for nothing. A couple overheard me and offered to sell me their third ticket. Score!!! So the three of us headed over to the theater to get in line. Two hours later, I was front row center and one of the first in line to get autographs from Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Jeff "Chunk" Cohen, Curtis Hanson (Troy's dad) and Richard Donner (the director). Joe Pantoliano ducked out after questions, so he wasn't around for autographs. Honestly, he seemed more interested in photographing the event than being in it.

I was probably one of the few people who brought my VHS copy for them to sign and I mentioned it to Sean Astin who turned to the director and said, "Look, VHS, that's classic." Richard responded with, "Priceless" and Sean agreed to which I responded, "Well, it is now." So much for selling all of my VHS; I think I need to buy a display case.

Afterward, I went up to the Goonies house and took a few pics. Turned out to be a pretty cool, albeit surreal, day. Gas for trip $37, ticket $20, pictures and autographs with The Goonies, priceless. :o)

How was your weekend?

Is Vegas the New Sex Ed?

When I heard that Flight of the Conchords was performing in Vegas I thought, "Cool, two birds with one stone. I've never been to Vegas and I'd love to see the Conchords live." Jim hadn't been to Vegas since he was 15, so it was like both of us were Vegas virgins. We booked the ticket, booked the flight and headed out for Memorial weekend, which certainly wasn't an ideal time to visit, but when the Conchords call, you go.

I had a whole list of things to do, and while I didn't get to do them all, it gives us a good excuse to go again. On the list of free things to do was the Show in the Sky at the Rio. I kept reading about how it had all new costumes, songs, choreography and was more exciting than the last one and since our friends were staying at the Rio, we thought we'd catch the 7 o'clock show.

If you haven't seen it, there's a main stage on the floor and floats that run along a ceiling track with additional dancers who throw beads at the crowd towards the end of the show, which is only about 15 minutes. We decided to stand on the second floor balcony for the best chance at beads and to see everything. Oh boy, did we see everything!

There were about four families standing in front of us with 7 kids all ranging from 4-10 years in age. When the show started, the performers looked like this...

Pretty tame, for Vegas. But it took less than a minute before those dresses came off and the dancers looked more like this...

What you don't see, is that at least one of the dancers is wearing assless panties. This show wouldn't normally bother me, but all I could think was, "Why in the Hell are you letting your kids watch this?" And I'm not even referring to the skank wear. Everyone is dancing and gyrating to "Loosen Up My Buttons" by the Pussycat dolls; I'm talking lap dance style and simulated sex scenes. At one point, a giant bed came up from the stage and all of the dancers climbed in. They were all straddling each other and essentially dry humping. One of the parents in front of me, shielded her sons eyes for this scene, but she was the only one and it took this long for any of the parents to be offended on behalf of their kids. The guy next to me had his 4 year old up on his shoulders because his son couldn't see. "Here's a better look at the porn son." In fact, I'm now referring to the show as Baby's First Porn.

I'm not a prude by any means, but seriously, I would NEVER take my kids to see something like that and can't understand why any parent would. Then the beads came and that was the answer. Yes, I can see how exposing your kids to porn would be worth some cheap plastic Mardi Gras beads. Really, the only explanation has to be that one of the kids asked where babies came from and Mom and Dad just looked at the each other and said, "We're going to Vegas" as a way to avoid the talk. "Um, honey, just watch this show, and if you have any questions, I'll answer them afterward. Don't forget to grab some souvenir sex ed beads so you'll always remember where babies come from." Oi vey. I'd love to be in that school room in September when the teacher says, "And what did you do this summer, Timmy?"

The Diagnosis

So, after all the tests, the official diagnosis is in and the diagnosis is that there is no diagnosis. My doctor is "stumped" (her words); she even asked the other doctors in her office if any of them had heard of a patient with my symptoms/test results and none of them had. So, loss of taste, SSB positive only bloodwork, and 1 out of 4 glands tested positive with enough lymphocytes (guess the other 3 didn't get the memo). All in all, a weird case. So, I am diagnosing myself as officially having HDM (Holly Danelle Medell - yes, my married name rhymes) Autoimmune Disorder. :oP

My doctor did prescribe me drugs, Paquenil, and said that I needed to get annual eye exams while using it. Apparently, in "rare" cases, vision loss can happen. She kept reiterating that it was a very rare side effect and I wanted to say, "Do you remember who you're talking to?"

In addition to the symptoms listed above, those suffering from HDM will have decreased patience (especially with children and bad drivers), an uncontrollable craving for ice cream and peanut butter M&Ms, hearing loss (though some call it ignoring annoying people), the ability to stump the medical community, and an over abundance of snarkiness. So until a cure can be found, take two Paquenil and invite Ben & Jerry over for lunch.

This 'n That

Alright, I admit it, I'm a bit of a reality tv whore, but I swear, I only watch the good ones! :oP Okay, good may be subjective, but sometimes bad is entertaining too. Lately, I've been tuning into Dancing With the Stars (a first for me), Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty. I'm honestly surprised by that last one too, but stay with me.

While I'm not a fan of Jessica Simpson, I don't have anything against her either. When I first heard about the show on VH1, I wasn't really interested, but then I thought, "Hey, let's see what defines beauty in Thailand," and you know what, it really was interesting. Jessica jet sets with her two BFFs, traveling around the world to find out each culture's definition of beauty and meeting people who may have taken it too far. We learn about the fashion, social stigmas, diets and spa treatments that are used by the locals and Jessica and her friends try them all out. Kind of a cool way to immerse yourself in culture while learning that what it all ultimately boils down to is inner beauty and self confidence. I swear, if you're not ready to don your bikini, rolls and all, by the end of the Rio episode, you need to keep playing it on repeat.
If you want to check it out, all of the episodes are on VH1. And yes, you will get some interesting commentary from Jessica, but hey, did you expect anything less? At least she didn't think Chicken of the Sea was canned mermaid.

I'm planning a whole other post on Jamie's show, so to touch briefly on Dancing With the Stars can I just say THANK GOD Jake and Kate are gone! Those two media whores make my skin crawl and I'm thrilled that I don't have to see Vienna cheering from the sidelines anymore. What is it with these reality tv stars that think they're such hot s&@! (Speidi anyone)? Seriously, what are you famous for, bad choices, bad parenting and acting like a dumbass? Congratulations. You should be proud. Now hurry and write a book before your 15 minutes are over. :oP

On to something fun, a giveaway and a Cookie Jar! I'm so excited because the Cookie Jar has gone non-profit and now the majority of proceeds are being donated to a charity of your choice. There was one Cookie Jar left from last month, so now is your chance to win those goodies, in case you missed it! To enter, visit The Mama Dramalogues post and leave a comment. So far there aren't many entries, so your chances of winning are pretty good! Also, be sure to check out this month's Cookie Jar; all kinds of new goodies.

Have a great day!

It's a Mystery

Photography by Elle Moss

Over a month ago, I wrote about the possibility of having Sjogrens due to some abnormal bloodwork and a couple of other symptoms, since then, I've been to a Rhuematologist, Neurologist and an Otolaryngologist (ear, nose throat - I know, who knew?). I've stumped all three.

I think the only thing worse than having these symptoms is not having any answers. The Rhuematologist can't figure out why my SSB antibody bloodwork came back positive but not my SSA. Normally, people with Sjogrens test positive for SSA and sometimes, not always for SSB, but it's very rare for an individual to only test positive for SSB. The same bloodtest is also used to determine Lupus, but I know I don't have that. So, she's stumped and sent me to a Neurologist.

My Neurologist asked about symptoms and did a once over to see if there were any red flags. Nope and he said it was really unusual for someone my age to be complaining about dry mouth, normally it's older people. He was stumped and sent me in for an MRI. Can I just say that I've never felt so claustrophobic as when I was getting the MRI. I lied through my teeth when they asked if I was, just to get it over and done with. I almost had a panic attack when I felt my upper body slide far enough into the machine that it it was practically touching my elbows. "Just close your eyes, breathe, breathe, breathe...." The results were normal.

So I was sent to see the Otolaryngologist last Friday and had a lip biopsy done. When it was described to me, it sounded far less invasive that it really was. I was told they would cut a small section from inside my lower lip and that I wouldn't even need stitches. When I got there, I was numbed up and had 4 or 5 glands cut out and definitely had stitches. This meant a liquid diet for the next few days, which I hadn't planned on. Crappy. Imagine the looks I got when I checked out at the grocery with my arms full of Slim Fast drinks and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. "What can I say, I want my ice cream without the guilt." Or I'm on a liquid/soft diet. :oP

Now I'm just sore and only have Ben & Jerry to comfort me. Love those guys. Plus they just came out with my new favorite flavor, Milk and Cookies. Yum! I should have results by the end of the week (they're looking for lymphocytes in the glands). We shall see. Oh and I did I mention that hubby has been gone for the last week and won't be home until Friday? Uh yeah, this past week has been super swell.

My Boobs, My Choice... Kind of...

With a catchy title like that, this is sure to be a fun read. Actually, I'm literally shaking because I'm so fuming mad at a Facebook post on my sisters page.

Apparently, CNN posted an article regarding a study about breastfeeding. A couple of authors argued that approximately 911 infant deaths could be avoided each year, if women would breastfeed exclusively, and that $13 billion dollars are spent in excessive costs. The article alone didn't annoy me, it was the interpretation by someone else (sisters friend), who decided to accuse bottle feeding mommas of driving up her insurance premiums and killing innocent children.

First of all, not all bottle feeding moms do it by choice. Personally, I tried to breastfeed both of my children, but unfortunately, I'm simply unable to produce enough milk. I had plenty of resources, lactation consultants, breast pumps, pills and even beer (the yeast in micro brews helps some women), but alas, it wasn't meant to be. My boobs are purely decorative and it took me a while to come to grips with that. In fact, I cried the first time I bought formula. But it is what it is and making me feel guilty, because you have no idea what I've been through, is wrong on so many levels. Throwing "breast is best" statistics in my face, doesn't make my boobs suddenly work. Though you're welcome to tell them directly, but I doubt they'll listen to you either.

Secondly, there isn't a study on Earth that can conclusively determine that any of those children died because they weren't breastfed. It's utterly appalling that anyone would throw statistics like that in the face of grieving parents. "Your child died because you didn't breastfeed. Yup, if you'd just whipped out your boob, like a good mom, your child would still be alive." What kind of monster are you? For every reason those children died (SIDS, etc) there is a breastfed child who has died of the same.

Thirdly, me bottle feeding did not drive up your insurance premiums. I'm willing to bet, I paid far more for formula than you ever did in any potential increases (if you believe that bs). Those "extra costs" they're talking about weren't yours, they're referring to the parents and their costs. And in the grand scheme of things, the number of deaths by "lack of breastfeeding" doesn't even compare to the number of cancer deaths, so why not go after all the smokers who are supposedly driving up your insurance costs?

When it comes to breastfeeding, it's generally a choice (in some cases, like mine, it's not, but for arguments sake, we'll say it's a choice). For those who choose to breastfeed, good for you and for those that don't, good for you. It's highly hypocritical of anyone to say that the other is the wrong, because if you want people to respect your choice, you need to do the same.

Oh, and PS, how do you know that baby bottle isn't filled with breastmilk? Just sayin'.

A Moment of Silence

I love my blog followers, I really do. So when I lose one, I automatically have to assume the worst; they died. What other reason could there be for not wanting to read my skillful repartee? And thus, I feel we need to take a moment of silence to mourn the loss of a follower.

Rest in peace, dear friend, rest in peace.

I'm actually a little weird about numbers. Right now I have 99 followers. I did have 100 and when I had 100, it was perfect. 99 just doesn't have the same ring, or the same number of followers (teehee). But it's an odd number. Can someone else follow me just so I don't have an odd number? It's giving me a complex. :oP

Seriously though, a big thank you to those who follow this blog, you rock! And I appreciate it. Makes me feel much less alone in the blog-o-sphere. And I shall reward you loyalists with a giveaway....coming soon! Who doesn't love free stuff?! Some new blog backgrounds coming soon too. Stay tuned!

Cranberry Juice

Yup, that's todays flavor, bitter and sweet and leaves a yucky feeling in your mouth (like juice residue). Ew.

After the whole Flickr fiasco, I decided to contact the BBB and filed a complaint against Yahoo!, who owns Flickr. Do I really think anything will come of it? No. But did something need to be said? Hell yes. If anything, to hopefully remedy their poor customer service so this doesn't happen to someone else. I had heard of others losing their accounts without warning and I do hope they filed complaints as well. Especially if it was due to lack of customer support.

Oddly, I did get a similar warning email about a year ago against my Winklepots account. I wrote them back with the same, "What are you talking about, please clarify," and they wrote me again stating that they didn't see anything wrong either and that they would remove the flag on my account. Needless to say, I will not open any new accounts in the future with Flickr. This is such bad business practice and they should be ashamed.

Yes, it all just tastes like cranberry juice. Obviously bitter, really bitter (like there might be a hint of cyanide in there) and a little sweet because it was good while it lasted and I think it helped to inspire other venues to offer searchable screenshots as well. *sigh* I'll betcha a bit of vodka would make that juice a little more palatable. Cosmos anyone?