No idea how to title this

Today, we lost one of the best of us. Believe me, I've read some of the posts like this on other blogs, and I can't say I love reading them (other people's pain isn't entertaining), but right now, I know exactly where each one is coming from.

In 2000, I had just moved out of my parent's house. I was working late at the library and there was a little grey and white kitten in the parking lot. When I went outside, she ran right up to me. I picked her up, put her in my car, and she was mine. I named her Diana, after the adorable Sailor Moon kitten.

She was 6 months old and pretty dehydrated. When I took her to the vet for the first time, she took a chunk out of his finger. She was ornery, but loyal. Soon after, it was time for her to be spayed. On the 3 minute trip to the vet's office she tore a giant hole in her carrier, and my finger. She was so scared that she clung to me.

Soon after that, the cat contract was born. You see, Diana liked to bite. I don't like to be bitten. One night, she bit me and it really hurt. I showed her where she had bitten me and she started to lick it and looked very sorry. From then on, the cat contract was in effect. If she felt like biting me, she'd go for it, but then stop before she made contact.

She was the boss. In a house with four cats, she was the top of the food chain. She was tough, but sweet to me. When she came to sleep with me, she would stretch out so as much of her was touching me as possible. She didn't pester, just slept sweetly with me.

She lived with the evil formerly mentioned in this blog. Even then, she knew who her owner was, and was incredibly loyal to me. When 3 other cats slept with evil, she was with me.

She hated the ceiling fan. When we lived at the condo, she was always on the lookout for it. One day, I was putting away laundry when I accidentally hit her with a balled up sock. I pointed at the fan (blamed it) and she gave it a filthy look and ran away.

Diana was a talker. She would make conversation with me all of the time. I swear, she meowed with inflection. She would ask questions and her voice would go up at the end. If she answered it would go down at the end. If I sang "Old MacDonald" she would join in. When just sang, she came up and sniffed my mouth.

Diana loved men. Daddy, brothers, repairmen, it didn't matter. If they were male, she was all about it, lovey, and sweet. She adored Jason. From the moment he came into my life, she knew he'd hung the moon. He was great with her too. But somehow, he didn't fall under the cat contract. So she got to bite and he didn't really mind.

Diana also loved her brush. She would sit for hours with that brush. And when I was brushing my hair, she would jump on the counter and arch her back until I brushed her too. She loved to sit in the sink. It was just her size.

She was never much for toys. She had one that she liked, and just one. I bought her a laser pointer keychain. She would chase it like a mad thing, and if I stopped for just a second, she would come over and cry. She knew what it sounded like, and that it was just me doing it, but it was awesome to her.

She loved Taco Bell. A piece of cheese from my taco was always reserved for her.

When we moved in with Jason, I was nervous. I thought she would be mean to his cat Tabby, and not cope well. On the contrary, she blossomed. She was happier than she had ever been. There was no ceiling fan to worry about and she seemed to be happier with her new brother and sister than she was with the previous cats. Oh, she was still the boss, but she was the nice boss.

A wonderful, soft, sweet, mean, snuggly, superb cat.

She was diagnosed with lung cancer about a month ago. This morning, on the way to the vet, she collapsed in her carrier and passed away before we made it there. At least it was on her own terms.

I loved her unconditionally, and constantly. She was my partner in crime. I'm sure I'll add more to this post as I think of it. She was a great friend, and I miss her.

Marc Summers

Okay, so it seems I’m late to this news. I saw it on teh intarwebs last night. I stumbled to it. It. Is. Fascinating. Here we go:

Do you remember that show “Double Dare”?

I sure do! I loved that show! I was sure I could beat that obstacle course, and it all looked like so so so much fun! The questions were sure easy though. Yeah, that was an awesome show. Remember having to pick the giant nose to find the flag? Yeah.

Do you remember the host, Marc Summers?

Of course! He was so enthusiastic, and really wanted those people to win! He was a good host, I got all excited when I saw him on food network recently.

Guess What?

What?

The entire time Marc Summers was doing the messiest show ever, double dare, he was struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Are you serious?

Yes, completely. Marc Summers hosted double dare from 1986 to 1994. After that he had his own talk show. One day, the guest on the talk show was psychiatrist Dr. Eric Hollander. There, on the show, listening to Dr Hollander describe the symptoms of OCD, Marc realized that he suffered from the disorder himself. He would stay up nights cleaning, and straightening, even the fringe on the rugs had to be right.

Can you imagine that? I mean, every day, immersed in this HUGE mess, getting stuff on you, on the set, on the audience, and especially on the contestants you had to interact with, and being obsessed with cleanliness and order. That man has to be one of the strongest people ever. I don’t think I’m stretching my imagination to say that I would have quit the show, were I the one with OCD. So this ends up being not just a stumbleupon post, but a hope post too, because, it seems that we can overcome things this severe with work and help from others. My hat is completely off to you, Marc Summers. You were awesome when I watched you on TV, but you’re scary cool now.

http://www.viryours.com/ms/index.html

Would You Rather Weekend

I know it’s been a while, but I liked this so HA!

Would you rather be mechanically induced to scream at the top of your lungs for an hour, or have your eyes glued shut for a day?

I would have to choose the eyes glued shut one. There is, in this question, no caveat on what you would have to do during that day or hour. I think having my eyes glued shut for a day could be restful. It also seems that there would be no ill affects from having my eyes glued shut, whereas if I screamed for an hour, I would hurt a lot for a long time afterwards.

Hey! Are you out there? I know you are! I see you in California and Alaska! Post a comment, let me know what you would rather.

Mid-Ohio Anniversary

Last year, as you all know, when Jason and I went to Mid Ohio, this happened.

So when we made our return trip this year, I knew not to expect quite as many fireworks, even though a week earlier we’d be recognized. We were at the Kentucky Headhunters concert and a guy walked up to us, and for a minute we thought there was going to be a fight, but then he said “Didn’t you guys get married at Mid-Ohio?” It was close enough, so we said yeah, and he said cool or something like that and went on his way.

ANYWAY.

We didn’t take Friday off, so we started our drive at around 6pm. That should have put us there around 10, and we’ve set up the tent in the dark plenty of times, so we weren’t really worried about that. What we were worried about was the fact that we had seen the new batman the night before and were really tired. The drive was pretty uneventful, I saw another deer (a strange aside, I’d never seen a wild deer until I met Jason, now I see them, and all kinds of other neat things) and we had to stop for dinner and groceries.

We really arrived at around 11 pm, and were shocked. The campground was PACKED. We usually camp up in the “family” area. It’s near the showers, and the restrooms. It’s supposed to be quiet. We get there and not only is the family area full; it’s full all the way back to the back of the second area! They gave us a pass, and we’d reserved a campsite, but we weren’t sure there were any left. We found one, just a few sites down from a bar (I know) and set up the tent.

It was the fit’s first time camping, so there were some kinks to work out. For some reason, the power inverter in the fit will not inflate the mattress, while it would in the sonata. So, the first night, we slept on sleeping bags on the floor of the tent. Refreshing. Oh wait, not. The next morning, Jason found someone else with an outlet, and he filled the bed there. We were satisfied with camp, made some bagels and headed toward the track. We caught a tram, which I was very glad for. It was a good day, but very, very hot. Vitor didn’t wreck right in front of me, which was a great big plus.

Back to camp for a second, Jason hadn’t seen the place this full since the cart era, late 90’s I’m told. There were so many people! I’m used to kind of having the run of the place, except for on race day, but that just wasn’t the case this year. It was nice that there were so many more fans, but we definitely need to get there earlier for camping next year.

We visited some autograph sessions, and I’m proud to say, that my favorite ALMS team was the nicest. The Ferrari guys and the Porsche guys were just kind of handing stuff off, while my Aston Martin guys asked every single person’s name and were really nice. I smirked at Jason. After autographs, we found a place to sit for a while and watched Indycar qualification. Then we crossed over to our real sets for the ALMS race. I wanted the Aston to dominate, and they didn’t quite, but they hung in there and performed for the whole race, which was more than you could say for quite a few other teams. IT was HOT in the stands, so we picked up a pizza, which is, for some reason, always better at the track and sat in the shade to watch. It was a long race, and we were tired, so we headed back to camp.

We were on the tram again, and got stopped for a while waiting for a pit crew guy to have to be lifelighted out on the helicopter. There was a fire, and he was burned, but I think he’s doing well now. Scary.

When we got back to the tent we rested for a while. The mattress always stretches out after you fill it, so let’s just say it wasn’t on the firm setting for Jason’s nap. There wasn’t a line for the showers so we took out turns, and as I was brushing my teeth, I was very glad I was a woman. I heard one man yell to another in the showers “Hey! [friend’s name] Are you starting at the top or the bottom?”. We cooked dinner, shrimp, chicken, and corn, yum. Corn was the best, even though we didn’t have butter or salt. We went down to another campsite to celebrate a birthday, and the came back up to go to sleep.

Halfway thought the night, Jason gave up on the mattress, and I woke up like this:

We broke camp just as it began to pour. We hid in the car for around half and hour and when it looked better, we made it to our seats. We had just finished out bucket of fries when the skies opened up again. There was no-where to go, we didn’t have any umbrellas or ponchos, and we’re crazy, so we sat there and got soaked. It actually turned out well. The wet kept the sun from baking me as much, and we were kinda dry by the time we left.

As for the race: I was ecstatic when Vitor was leading. If not for yellows, once again, I think he would have really had a chance. I don’t know why, but I don’t like Briscoe. I don’t really know anything about him, but he just rubs me the wrong way. Overall, it was a good race, and everyone in our stands cheered when Milka passed Roth, and then groaned when we heard she had spun it not too long after.

We made it home, and had a great weekend. I’m really a wimp though, with the heat and all of the walking, I felt bad about complaining, and constantly said I was going to quit, but then was right back to it. Jason was completely within his rights to smack me right there, but didn’t. Thanks.

Oh yeah, also, this.

Batman: The Dark Knight

We stayed up late and went to see The Dark Knight last weekend. We were really tired, and knew it would make the next day incredibly long, but we really wanted to see it. We got to the theater at about 10:45 pm and were told that our theater was already seating. We were shocked, but there were plenty of seats and we managed to snag some good ones. Four, in fact for two of our friends as well. The theater filled up with people in batman t-shirts, and a few guys in complete Joker getup. Then, the previews.

The previews alone deserve a paragraph. The one I found to be most memorable was for The Watchmen. I didn’t like Sin City and everyone said that this was shaping up to be very similar. But, the preview was scary good. Also we saw:

Terminator 4; I lost interest after the second one. 3 held no real interest for me, and I don’t think ahnold is even in 4.

Quantum of Solace; I never really liked James Bond movies before I met Jason, but this one looks great. I want to see it.

Body of Lies; another one I wouldn’t be interested in normally, but I sure didn’t recognize Leonardo DiCaprio in that trailer.

The Day the Earth Stood Still; Keanu Reeves is the shiny metal man. I still want to see it.

Bolt; let it begin, LET IT BEGIN!!!!!!

I think there were a few more, but I can’t remember for the life of me. Evidently, there was a teaser Harry Potter trailer if you saw it in the IMAX.

The movie itself was EXCELLENT. The acting was seamless, especially on the part of the late Heath Ledger. I was convinced that at some point during the movie, I would see Heath, but I didn’t. It was all Joker, all the time. So the film opens with Batman, looking to retire, so that Rachel would finally be convinced that she could love him. He sees this opportunity in the rising star of Harvey Dent, the new DA. Harvey is dedicated to wiping out crime in Gotham , through legal, daytime work. Bruce thinks that this is his way out, but the Joker has other plans. He wants batman, dead, and exposed, not retired. I won’t get much more into the plot… One of the most genius things in the film is that the Joker never reveals his true origins and has absolutely no motive other than chaos. Even when he makes a plan, he doesn’t want things to follow the plan. He embodies the unknown. He IS the chaos. I had NEVER been scared of the joker before, but let me say, I sure am now. I won’t go spoilery on you, don’t worry.

The other stand-out thing for me was the batmobile. I had loved the 90’s batmobile. It was the coolest part of any of the movies. The iconic shape, the new gadgets, it was awesome. That being said, when Batman Begins came out, and there was to be a new, very different batmobile, I thought I would hate it. It was a military machine, it wasn’t cool. Batman doesn’t drive a tank. After I saw Begins, however, I was a little more lenient toward the tumbler. It had a cool name, it was tough. In The Dark Knight, I fell in love again. The tumbler is AWESOME. Like I said, no spoilerification, but WOW. Sign me up for that.

I thought the movie was ending at least 5 times, I also thought that Two-Face was the villain for the next film. I was wrong. Every time I thought it ended, there was more and it was tenser, and more involving that I thought it could be.

I have one complaint. Gotham was, very transparently, Chicago . There were landmarks all over. The Lamborghini had Illinois plates. I can understand the filmmakers’ choice, because Chicago is filled with interesting and sometimes very gothic architecture, but when I can see the corn buildings out of the window in the mayor’s office, and Jason points out Weber grill, it’s no good. I think a little more CGI was necessary there. Or something, a less recognizable city maybe. I appreciated that it was lighter sometimes. It symbolized Harvey Dent and the crusader who dealt justice in the light of day, versus Batman, who works at night. I just really wish it hadn’t been so much the L train in the street scenes.

Overall, however, I give it (working up new and creative rating system) a 10 in the amount of time I spent either in or considering the fetal position, a 10 in the time I wanted to bounce on the seat, and a 9.5 in the amount of time that I forgot there was a seat. It was a really great movie, and I’m ready to see it again.

Mr Stripey!

I promised garden updates and here they are! We now have jalapenos, a green pepper, cucumbers, onions and dill! Our first tomato came off of the vine last week. Here it is!


It was delicious, and turned much redder than this before I ate it. It was really juicy.

The garden is very weedy. I'm convinced I could get better results if I weeded more, and I know I've been bad, but are there any suggestions out there on how to prevent weeds in the garden? Also bunnies? I don't want to hurt them, i just want them not to eat my stuff. Yep. That's my only goal.

We went to Mid-Ohio this weekend, and it was great. Expect a post soon about inflatable beds and neck burns. We also saw Dark Knight. AWESOME. More soon on that too. Bye for now!

Offended

Should I be offended? Probably not. But, it drives me crazy, the things people say to you when they find out that you are recently married. It's usually in one of three categories:

1. Babies
2. Stereotypes
3. "lessons"

I'll start with #1. On our wedding day, I totally expected that people would tease us and ask how soon we were having kids. Not fun, but expected. We'll have kids in our own sweet time, when we decide it is the right time. You all know I love kids, so that's not the issue, it's just that we would like a little time for US, I know we're selfish. But, back to the point. Now I have people asking if we got married because I was "knocked up" or wanting to pat my stomach. I'm just fat, folks, nothing to see here, move along.

#2. People always seem to have some stereotypical joke about one of us dominating the other. There's the jump/how high joke, there's the remote control jokes, and let's not forget referring to me as an appliance. All of these are in good fun, I think. Some of the people really seem to think that one of us has to be "the boss". I'm not going to tell him what to do, or prevent him from doing as he likes, and he's not going to do that to me either. You want to know why we're together? We LIKE to be. No-one is making anyone do anything.

#3. Lessons. While I appreciate the advice of people who have gone before me, most of it starts with stuff from the category above. Think "you've gotta make him" or "don't let her". Also, divorced and bitter people seem to have the most advice. Now, I know plenty of people who are divorced, and they aren't all like that. Just some seem to think any meting of a man and woman is doom and gloom. Also, lessons on how to be a wife for me. I can do it! I haven't poisoned myself with my cooking nor had the health board come in to the house yet, I don't really need to know how to fold napkins for dinner, and if I decide that I do, I can look it up. Now, all that being said, I don't mind a little practical advice, as long as it's not given in a condescending tone.

To my newlywed friends, does this drive you mad too, or was it this weekend's assumptionfest that set me off?

Garden update!

So, one of my summer projects, the garden is coming to fruition, or vegition, however you decide. I have picked my first tomato! Mr Stripey is the only one of the three tomato plants to give anything up so far. We have had a great crop of radishes (I'm counting on Griaffeman to confirm this, I don't like radishes), and we've eaten some dill and chives. We've got at least 2 cucumbers growing, and corn has tassled, so we should see some ears soon. The lettuce is still there, despite the bunnies hard work, and we've eaten some of it. I just got a cherry tomato plant and put it on the porch, so we'll see what we get from there. I'm so excited!

Wall-E

Last weekend, we went to see Wall-E. I went in expecting the usual stuff. Let me start off here. I love the Earth. I try to be green, and while I'm not always great about it, I try. So, I'm not at all opposed to movies that have an environmental message. That being said, I HATED Happy Feet. IT was bait and switch. A movie that was supposed to be about dancing penguins was really about what an awful person I am. So, that being said, I was glad to know that Wall-E was an environmental piece upfront. It was a really cute movie, and I liked it a lot. Wall-E reminded me A LOT of number 5, who is, in fact alive. I thought that it was all well done, and sent the message without condemning us as a species.

4th Of July Weekend, Sans Camera

We had a great weekend! But we forgot to take the camera to record any of it. So, I've re-created some of it the best I could. You'll see. Trust me. On Thursday, Jason and I went to pick up his new truck! Its an older ford ranger, and it is white. Its in perfect condition and I hope will be a nice car for many years to come. Here's an artist's interpretation. That's smiley Jason. Don't ask me why he doesn't have hair or arms or anything.

We didn't however, take it to go see WEIRD AL! on Thursday night. It was at white river lawn. Last year, we went to see symphonic Led Zeppelin there and it was fun. We brought in food, and even a bottle of wine. So, this year, we planned to take all kinds of stuff. Drinks, and Mom, who awesomely bought us the tickets, was bringing sandwiches! We were waiting at the gate when it opened. Turns out that over less than a year, they had turned into food nazis. They were letting in one sandwich bag and one bottle of water, small, each. So Mom and I trekked back to the car and left most of the yummy there. I was really mad. I'm going to write a really strongly worded letter. BUT, none of that now. The show was great! It was hilarious, and really high energy. I really enjoyed it, and so did everyone else. We walked back to the car and home to bed. zzzzzzzz

The next day, the 4th, started off slow, but we got going. Larson had suggested the Indians game that night. They would have fireworks there and then also, fireworks from downtown, that we could see from our seats. Our seats were on the lawn. I'd never sat there before, but it was really nice! There, we could bring in all kinds of food. The game was good, even though we lost, and it was a pretty night. They brought out the fireworks and I thought "gee that's close". That's our red and black blanket. Then BOOM!!!! The first one went off and it was instant fetal position. They were extremely loud and incredibly close. I finally got used to it, and it was a nice show. The downtown ones were also good, but not quite as three feet from me. We had a great time.

Saturday, both Jason and I had to work. I had my guitar hero tournament, a great success! Yay! Sunday, he worked again and we watched the race. I cried. I wanted to wring E.J. Viso's neck. Vitor was on his way to a win. He was on the right fuel strategy, and set up great. RHR did great though, and I'm happy to see him get a win. There's developments in the garden, look for posts when I find my camera.