Friday, October 30, 2009

YouTube Foolishness: 5-0 Edition

It's sounds like video was altered a bit but I still heard quite a few misplaced words.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Thank You Nerd Girl!!!!

I knew it was coming. I was advised of when it was mailed BUT I was still surprised when I saw the package sitting on the table when I got home.

Thanks to Nerd Girl (and her giveaway), I was awarded some great gifts! Take a looksie.

From left to right, there is hand lotion (Sugar Plum scented that smells divine), a cute necklace and earring set, lilac nail polish (called It's So You), knee-high argyle socks, and dark purple nail polish (called Manic). What you may not be able to see is that everything is purple...even the tissue paper. How cute is that?! I love that my surprise had a theme. lol What Nerd Girl may not know is that I love, Love, LOVE those freakin' socks!!! I live in them during the winter months.

I've had the biggest smile on my face ever since I got home. Thanks Nerd Girl, you made my day! :D

Monday, October 26, 2009

An equation.................

Homecoming+liquor+visiting with old friends+late nights+hangovers=one sucky Monday

I need a nap STAT! I think I shall be venturing out to the car shortly...............

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

YouTube Non-Foolishness: Flu Shot Edition

Have ya'll heard about this lady? This story is so sad!



Woman Disabled by Flu Shot Reaction
Updated: Thursday, 15 Oct 2009, 6:12 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 13 Oct 2009, 11:27 PM EDT
  • By CLAUDIA COFFEY/myfoxdc
WASHINGTON, D.C. - An Ashburn, Virginia woman is in the fight of her life after suffering a very rare side effect to the seasonal flu shot.
The vast majority of doctors say flu shots are safe. In this case, the FDA says they found nothing wrong with this particular batch, but sometimes there are complications.
That's apparently what happened to Desiree Jennings, and now her life will never be the same.
At 26 years old, Desiree Jennings was the picture of health. She's a Washington Redskins cheerleader and an avid runner. Her life changed forever on August 23 when she says she got a seasonal flu shot at a local grocery store.

"I was training for a half marathon then," said Jennings, crying. "It just all went so fast."

Ten days after receiving the shot, she came down with the flu. After that, her health spiraled downwards. She started passing out and had to be hospitalized twice.

"We went to an urgent care place and they wouldn't even let her get out of my truck because she was seizing in the back so bad, so they called an ambulance immediately," says her husband, Brendan Jennings.
Doctors at Fairfax Inova and Johns Hopkins diagnosed her with a rare neurological disorder called dystonia. They think it was caused by a severe reaction to the flu shot.
Desiree now has difficulty speaking, walking, and even eating. During an interview with FOX 5, she had several seizures. The effects are irreversible.
"The symptoms will get worse if I use my voice or walk when the brain signals are misfiring," says Jennings.
Desiree reported her health problems to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) thinking there might have been something wrong with her vaccine. We also contacted the FDA and we were told they found no problems with the particular lot of flu vaccines that Desiree received, and the agency has not received any other reports of adverse effects from this lot.
Health experts stress that overall, extreme side effects are rare.
"The flu shot is safe for the majority of the public, and as I said before, your heart goes out to someone that experiences this sort of thing-- thinking that they are doing something great for their wellness and their general health, but it does happen in extremely rare cases," says Rachel Lynch with Fairfax Inove Health System.
For Desiree, she just happened to be one of those rare cases.
"I just don't want this to happen to anyone else," says Jennings.
Desiree and her husband plan to visit the Mayo Clinic in Arizona in November. They're hoping to get more answers about this disease and how they live with it.
Desiree has received flu shots before in 2007 and 2008.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Need Halloween Costume ideas?

The innernets have got you covered!


















via yahoo.com

Ogawa Rubber, Japan's top rubber mask maker unveils new masks that resembles the late King of Pop Michael Jackson, at their studio in Saitama city, suburban Tokyo in July 2009. Rubber of Jackson are among the most popular purchases by Americans eager to shake off the economic doldrums and go trick-or-treating on October 31, costume sellers say.

(AFP/File/Yoshikazu Tsuno)



Barackula
Whether you're republican or democrat, anyone can have fun with this fanged latex version of Barack Obama! "Barackula" will be available after October 10th, so pre-order now to make sure you get yours in time for Halloween! PRE-ORDER

Just in case you're interested, click pre-order.

Monday, October 19, 2009

YouTube Foolishness: SNL Edition

A friend just passed this along to me. I.am.in.tears!!!



She also passed along this little treasure. I love that my peeps know my sense of humor so well.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Sunday, October 11, 2009

So how was it?





FREAKING FANTABULOUS!!!!

Ya'll, ya'll, ya'll *smh while smiling* this show was amazing! I highly recommend that if this tour is on the way to your area, try your best to go see Maxwell, Chrisette, and Common.

The show opened with Chrisette. I've been a fan since her "I Am" album was released in 2007. I've always like the sound and texture of her voice and last night she did not disappoint. Like a friend of mine said, it was like listening to the cd but better. She didn't get to sing as many of her songs as I would have liked but I understood since there were three performers.

During her performance there was a bit of a disturbance thanks to yours truly. Basically, I had us sitting in the wrong section even after making sure we got to the venue early. It's easy to mistake 113 for 112 right? *sigh*

Next up was Common (Z's fav performance of the night). Not only is he cute (not that I could see, more on that later) but dude really knows how to get a crowd HYPE!!! He did a mix of some of his songs (that I had completely forgotten about), this hip hop thing where he featured old school rap artists from the east and west coast, and a tribute of sorts to MJ. It was totally wicked yo! Dude even did a little break dancing and free-style. I'd totally hit that. *swoons*

We had to wait a bit (about 30 minutes or so) for Maxwell to come out and perform. During the intermission, I noticed that some point the people sitting to my right had all left their seats. I decided to take advantage of the fact that I wouldn't have to scoot past people and went to use the restroom. I guess I waited too late because as soon as I hovered over the toilet seat, guess what I heard?????? Yeeeeeeeeeeeep, the screams of elated fans as the house lights lowered. Son of b!$%^$!!!!!!!!!

Maxwell's performance was all that and a bag of chips(and dip)!!!! His voice, stage presence, background singers, band, stage gimmicks, and screen show were phenomenal! The big screens (which hadn't been used up until that point) moved around to form two big screens or split into four. One effect I really enjoyed was how he and band were made to look like a singing group in the 60's. This was due in part to their style of dress (tight tuxes for the men and a little short bob wig and off the shoulder dress for the lady) and of course whatever the sound stage engineer dude did.

The stage was also an added treat because it extended beyond the platform into an "X". This was neat because it allowed a good number of people to be close to the stage (I was not one of the lucky ones). Another cool thing was that the stage had built in holes in three spots that allowed him to appear and then disappear. It also had the ability to move members of the band from the main stage (like the drummer) out onto the extended portion.

There wasn't nearly enough time for him to cover all of his music but he did a good job of mixing the old with the new. "This Woman's Work" (or the crying man's song as Z calls it) was beautifully done and "Pretty Wings" was cool because feathers actually fell down into the audience on the floor. Some of his performances were rather open in content. He sang very vocally about sex....as in 'tonight I'm gonna make you my personal sushi' (or something like that). I instantly thought about some of the children I had seen earlier during intermissions and CTFU. Talk about an instant sex ed course.

The only downside to the evening was that the big screens were not used (in our arena anyway) prior to Maxwell's performance so unless you were on the floor ( or had really good eyesight) you couldn't see crap. Oh that and I don't have any pictures to share because I left my camera in the freakin' car! Womp, womp! :( It's just as well. I have pics and video from the Jill Scott concert last year and have yet to do anything with them. Oh, annnnd that I saw a lady walking around all dressed up with pink house shoes on. *blank ass stare* That was not really a down point just more of WTF moment of the evening.

Z: Maybe she has bad ankles or something
Me: So she chooses house shoes to wear....for support *side-eye*
Z: Hey, whatever works
Me: These country mf'ers refuse to let AR be great!
Z:What?
Me: Nothing.

All in all, we had a wonderful time and will definitely go to see this man perform again. He'll be in Memphis on the 20th...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Here's a bit of the performance I picked up on youtube of him in NYC

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

A little bit of this...a little bit of that

  • Cochise decided to fuck shit up spice up our lives and take apart one set of his stitches leaving a gaping hole on his booty. *insert huge sigh and eyeroll* I told Z next time we won't have to worry about trying to scramble to the vet's office because baby boy and I will have an appointment with the Swingline.
  • He now has one of those e-collars around his neck to keep him from getting back there. Here's hoping it works *fingers crossed*
  • I truly could work from home everyday....or least 3 out of 5 days of the week. It creates a more peaceful less stressful work environment IMHO.
  • They are giving out free flu shots at work. I don't want one. I haven't had one since I was a kid and have had no major problems. I'm not about to start now.
  • Definitely don't want the H1N1 shot. I promise I think that stuff will have folks walking like folks in "The Dawn of the Dead" (google it).
  • WTF is this 'Street Court' show? Now I'm a fan of reality court shows through and through but that is some bootleg mess if I've ever seen it. I don't believe court cases being handled on patio decks in peoples backyards and in front of churches is what the justice system is supposed to be about? Or is it...........either way that show is still stupid.
  • I saw a bat sleeping on the wall outside of PetSmart. I took a picture with my cellphone but you really can't see much. I didn't want to get to close in case it decided to wake up and swoop in on my eyes or something.
  • People really love my freakin' dog. He's so friendly that folks always want to come over and pet him.
  • I made this last night. It was pretty tasty and perfect for the cooler weather we've been experiencing.
  • I'm trying to keep up the trend of trying one new recipe/week. So far I'm on week two. I'm notorious for not sticking with stuff though so we'll see how long this last.
  • Last week I used this recipe (both of them) from Barista. It was soooooooooooo good!
  • I'm ready for the weekend. We are going to the Maxwell concert. Chrisette Michelle and Common are opening. I like her music but I don't much about Common's work outside of collabo's he's done with other artist. I hope I like it.
  • I got my 'Race for the Cure' shirt in the mail yesterday. I don't think I'll be walking but I may take the pups to watch. I've never just sat and observed the experience. Observing may be best since I can no longer be in direct sunlight for long periods of time. Hmmmmmmmmm......
  • After listening to a lady speak about lupus on a talk radio show I listen to, I'm pretty much convinced that I've had it for at least the past year (or longer). The things she described like back pain (like muscle spasms but worse) and knee inflammations are symptoms I experienced a lot of last year. The back pain was the worst! Sitting down at work was sometimes damn near unbearable but the doc just chalked it up to a muscle spasm and gave me some of that good good. It worked and that was that. Now I sit and wonder just how long has this silent life changer has been roaming around in this vessel I call my body.
  • We were going to the state fair Friday night as we do each year when it begins but it looks like rain is on the horizon. Oh well, there's always next weekend I suppose.
  • I'm tired. I've been going non-stop since five a.m. It's time for me to lay it down.
  • We'll holla.........................

Monday, October 05, 2009

Furbaby down Code 10 Situation!

Look at my baby Cochise. Doesn't he look pitiful? Really he was just sleepy and probably pissed because I woke him up to take a picture with the craptastic camera on my phone last night. I wanted to get some pics of him prior to the surgery he had this morning. No worries, he's fine. He had to get some work done on his nether regions that was affecting him. Anal sac ruptures on dogs are not fun (or cheap) and that's all I have to say about that.

My baby LOVES the vet and all his staff (and they him) so much so he literally drug me to the door to get in there today. lol Cochise is really a loving dog that has never met a human enemy. Dogs on the other hand? Let's just say I think he can hold his own (and then some) based on previous experiences with some doggy disorderlies we've come across.

Anyway, just as he drug me into the vet's office today he led me to the door this afternoon when I picked him up. I think he's had enough of them for a bit. Too bad he has to go for a follow-up in a couple of weeks. Before we left, I had an interesting convo with one of the vet assistants.

VA: Do ya'll feed him vienna sausages?
In my head, I thought 'what the fuck kind of question is that?'
Me: No, neither of our dogs eat table food. (Now that I think about it that's a lie. We do feed them fruit sometimes)Why do you ask?
VA: Well, he's had gas all afternoon and that's what it kinda smelled like.
Me: Bwahahahahahahahaha Honey, welcome to our world. When it's bad, it's real bad.

Bless her heart.

Anyway, here's the gentle giant today back at home after surgery.

You'll notice his little bandage from the IV on his front right leg. He was and is still a little groggy from the anesthesia used this morning. He cried for his pappy like a sissy until he came home. Now? He's all up under him like the daddy's boy he is. I wish I would have recorded it so ya'll could have heard his punk ass. He sounded a pure-d mess! lol Poor baby.

I'm just glad he made it through safe and sound. Having had a dog die on the operating table before always makes it nerve wrecking for me anytime that they have to have procedures done.

Not to be outdone, Emma demanded a photo op all her own even though you see she's all up and through the one with Cochise above. Since she did not ask, here's a pic of her (ironically enough at the vet's office) after being told she needs to go on a diet. No pet snuggies for you little girl. Mama's buying you the DVD set of Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies for Christmas.


Thursday, October 01, 2009

YouTube Foolishness: 3rd Ward Edition

I have seen this video before of the Notorious B.U.M. but it always sends me into fit of giggles. And is it just me or does it look like one of his teeth fly out of his mouth at the 10 second mark? I think he does about 3 songs but I only make it through the first one.

I throw my money on the flo'!

Giving you what I got....musically