[pollystyrene]

National Pie Day, eh? LeBoy was trying to convince me to by a banana chocolate cream pie at Costco last night. Choco-nana is one of my favorite combinations, but those Costco pies are enormous, like 12" across. While I'm not doing such a great job at my attempted weight loss, having that in the house isn't going to help. I promised him we'd go to the bakery tomorrow after the procedure and we could get an individual slice or two of something.

That's so cute about Millie- I haven't tried letting Albus out on the balcony yet. Not sure how he'll like snow. Yay for the wedding pics, too.

[roseviolet]

((((((((((( Mr. Amilita's dad & the whole family ))))))))))))))))))))
I'm so sorry to hear that things have gotten worse. I'm wishing you oodles of strength and love right now. Feel free to stop by & vent whenever you feel like it.
(((((((Amilita)))))))))))

((((((((((Mandi))))))))))))))

~*~*~*~ healing for Ziggy & Jenny & all Kvetchie furbabies everywhere ~*~*~*~

Yuef, better to show up one day early than one day late! Hope today's appointment was helpful.

Kitten, glad to hear you like Donna on Doctor who. I like that there's no romantic connection between them whatsoever. It's like they're wacky siblings or something.

And for those of you who were lucky enough to see the Doctor Who Xmas special & all that it entails (shakes fist in the general direction of the UK), PLEASE don't tell me anything yet! I haven't seen it, but I've stumbled upon a few spoilers. I should see if somebody has posted it on You Tube yet.

Polly, thanks for the tip! "Obama" has now been added to my dictionary. Hooray for the full coverage of the Mr's procedure!

CCGirl, are your parents still in town? Hope you get some time to yourself soon. I imagine you'll feel fabulous once you have the house to yourself again. When the BestPals left on Sunday, Sheff & I suddenly felt as though we were alone for the first time in a month. It was fabulous!

I just heard on the news that tomorrow is National Pie Day. Shouldn't that be on March 14th?

Today I decided I'm getting back on the Health Wagon. I'm looking forward to it, too! I'll post more on Bust The Blubber. Other than that, not much is happening here. Millie took a couple steps onto the snow this morning & decided that was enough snow for her (so cute!). I hear there's a big sale on frames at Michael's, so I might take advantage of that because ....

Anti-kvetch: I'm FINALLY going to order my wedding photos! I figured I should do that before our 4th anniversary. Sounds reasonable, don't you think? We have a package that's already paid for, so I just have to pick the best 125 images for the album & 8 additional photos for my mom. Over Xmas the photographer gave me a disc that contains every single photo & I have permission to make additional prints of the pics if I want.

[pollystyrene]

~*~*~*~*~Albus-strength vibes for your kitties, yuefie~*~*~*~*~

Ha, yuefie- don't feel bad. We get people doing that all the time! Once in awhile they actually show up, but usually they call in a panicked tone that they know they have an appointment that day but don't know what time. Usually, they're a week or two off.

[yuefie]

Can I please ask for some more healthy kitty vibes for Ziggy? His neck is all torn up again and we are trying like hell to corral him to take him back to the vet, but he's been successful at avoiding being caught by us so far. Also some anti pain vibes for Jenny because we are getting her spayed. It's time and we realized this morning that we'd better hurry up when she rolled around purring and was super lovey dovey at our feet.

Oh yeah, and I am feeling a super space cadet right now. I thought my post-op appointment was this morning but when I got there to check in the lady said "Well, your appointment is actually tomorrow morning" . I was embarassed. But in my defense, when I wrote it down on the calendar it was only days after the surgery and I was pretty well doped up still. Also today was exactly two weeks from the surgery so when I was writing it I just went down two columns on the calendar, forgetting to go over one day. Sheesh, it didn't stop me from feeling like a dumbass with the receptionist.

((((kvetchies)))))

[pixiedust]

Hello Busties! Sorry I have been MIA. I have been lurking a lot, but haven't had anything interesting to add. I hate winter. I always get the blahs.

(((Mando))) So glad you came to update us! sending you a virtual hairbrushing~~)~))~))~)~)

Rose...I am jealous of the snow too. We had 1 day with a few flurries last week, but other than that, we haven't had anything but ice and bitter cold this year.

((yuefie)) hope you get your car soon! I know how frustrating it is to feel stuck at home.

(((amilita))) I sometimes think impending death is worse than sudden unexpected death because you have more time to come to terms with it and you walk on eggshells waiting for it to happen.

((((bunny, mornington, polly, kitten, sidecar, sassy, ccgirl, christine, star, tes, billy, and everyone else))))

[kittenb]

So I woke up this morning and I remembered that Bush was no longer in the White House. It felt good.

And then my Peapod order showed up so now I have healthy food in my house and it all felt even better. I am annoyed that I have to go in for office meetings today but that is all good. I am catching up on my homework and starting my internship application procedures (fingers crossed.) It is nice to have a morning where I feel kind of on top of things.

Oh, and I've finally caught up with Doctor Who w/Donna and I think I love her. She is almost his equal in many ways in that she is older than Rose and Martha, whom I also loved, and less fawning. It is a fun change.

Roseviolet - it has been a long time since I've made a snow man. Maybe I'll do that the next time it snows but isn't -10 degrees.

polly - good news about the, um, procedure.

{{{{candycane_girl}}}} ah, yes, fathers...

{{{kvetchies}}}

[pollystyrene]

Mando! So nice to see you in good spirits! I hope today is a turning point for everyone in all areas of their lives.

I didn't get to watch everything live, so I've been catching up in bits and pieces on youtube and cnn. It's really annoying, but it's better than nothing.

My libertarian cousin had his Facebook status set to "...is happy for his exuberant albeit politically misguided family and friends!"

Rose, you can right click on "Obama" and add it to the dictionary. As wonderful as Firefox is, it never fails to amaze me the words its dictionary can't find.

kvetch: I keep forgetting things tonight. I made a couple of fish filets in the oven for LeBoy and forgot them. Remembered before they burned. I made some chicken breasts for myself, to cut up and add into soup....forgot about those in the pan. They didn't burn, but they were really dry. It probably won't matter much once it's in little pieces in the soup.

anti-kvetch: we found out that LeBoy's *ahem* procedure on Friday will be covered 100%! Woohoo!

I've run out of things to say. I'm probably forgetting more stuff.

((hugs to all))

[roseviolet]

Forgot to do this earlier ...
(((((((((((((((MANDI!!!))))))))))))))))))))
Oh, it is SO good to see you in here. I can't tell you how often you pop into my mind. My thoughts are definitely with you. Keep your chin up, dear heart.

Wow, what a day. I hope you all got to watch the inaugural address today. Sheff and I were so touched. We both started crying again, just like on election night. I am so so glad he was able to be home to share that with me. It made everything extra special.

And my registered-Republican mother told me on the phone that she felt really touched & inspired by the speech. She said she thinks Obama has a good heart & a strong spirit & wishes him the very best. Aaaaaaw!

Then she told me to go outside & build a snowman for her. Mom loves the snow & she's a bit envious. The snow doesn't want to stick together too well, but I somehow managed to make a little one foot tall guy.

Kvetch: Why does Firefox still insist that "Obama" is not a real word? Every time I type it out, it's underlined. Get with the times, Firefox!

[sidecar]

HOLY CRAP, YOU GUYS! Barack Obama is totally the president now! I blogged on the old livejournal about it today (editrix26.livejournal.com) and I just feel so elated. The world looks very different today. I thought everything I was, everything I believed had been rejected forever in 2004. It's good to know that's not true.

((((mando))))) thinking of you, still. and be proud of yourself.

[candycane_girl]

Hello kvetchies! I just wanted to pop in and say hello. I watched the inauguration of Barack Obama today and it was so great. It feels like the world is just letting out a collective sigh of relief. I mean, I still can't believe it. No more Bush! Obama has a lot on his shoulders but I have a feeling that he really will make things better.

kvetch: my dad. Okay, that sounds mean but my parents have only been visiting for a day and I realize that I have pms but he is driving me crazy! Take this evening for example. I offered to make dinner but I needed my parents to go and get me a few ingredients. When they got back in I hadn't even finished putting the groceries away and my dad is all "How long until dinner is ready?" Um, excuse me? Does it look like I have even started cooking the damn dinner?! Urgh. Stuff like that just irks me. Plus it's been a steady stream of questions and orders from him. He just makes me crazy.

anti-kvetch: it's only Tuesday but I'm proud to say that I've been to all of my classes so far. And tomorrow after class I am meeting up with my oh so adorable boyfriend and I'm going to treat him to some naughty stuff.

(((((((((kvetchies))))))))))

[yuefie]

Omg, kitten... clutch the pearls

*swoon*

[kittenb]

Clutch the pearls! I told star yesterday that I was going to bring back the swoon and it is already happening!

[Christine Nectar...]

((amalita & mister))
((stargazer)) just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!
Kittenb, I’ve been desperate to see Slumdog millionaire! I hope I get to it before the Oscars happen.
((futura)) can’t wait to hear all about the first hand inauguration experience! Hope it’s not too cold in Washington today.
Ah, Madolyn, we’ll take what we can get of you! ~~~~heal well!~~~~

((bunnyb, yuefie, damona, designermedusa, roseviolet, sybarite, polystyrene, sidecar))
((((kvetchies))))

My own little story to share, appropriate, perhaps, to today’s political theme: “mommy, your political stripes are showing”
Conversation between me and kiddo last night:
me: do you know who is going to become the President of the United States tomorrow?
kiddo: Barack Obama
me: do you remember who our Prime Minister is?
kiddo: Stephen Harper (although she says it like “Steve Harpers”)
me: do you know who the Prime Minister of England is?
kiddo: no
me: Gordon Brown.
kiddo: maman, is he a bad Prime Minister like Steve Harpers, or a good Prime Minister like Barack Obama?

She’s a little short on the details maybe, but I thought it was pretty funny. A lot of the news coverage this week seems to be talking about whether Obama will live up to expectations. I’m hopeful that he does, especially since he has inspired so many kids, and caused people to become politically engaged worldwide. My kid might not grow up to be as cynical as I did about living a life of North American privilege. I guess it’s time to wait and see.

swoon the day away, Busties!

[roseviolet]

Happy Inauguration day, everyone! I am glued to my TV today.

I'm amused by the fashion commentary during the pre-swearing-in coverage. Tom Brokaw just said that "hats are back".

Just found out that Obama's personal assistant went to Duke. So speaking of local stuff ...

Anti-kvetch: It's snowing here!!!! I know for many of you that would not be something to cheer about, but it snows so rarely here. We probably have about 4 inches of snow & it keeps falling. That's probably the most snow this area has seen from one storm in about a decade. It has made the day feel extra festive. As a bonus, Sheff doesn't have to be at work because of the snow, so he'll get to watch the inauguration, too. What a thrill!

I can't help but think back to 1993 when I was in DC for Clinton's inauguration. My high school band was chosen to march in the inaugural parade. I heard Clinton's address over a cheap radio while sitting in a bus in my band uniform. Not quite as thrilling as one might like, but at least I got to see all of the Clintons in person as we marched past them & that was pretty exciting. I bet the people who are at today's inauguration are feeling that same excitement times 10!

[stargazer]

I always go back to the great words of Star Trek: "Don't try to be a great [wo]man. Just be a [wo]man and let history be the judge." Doing what you gotta do is often what makes people brave. Not everyone is capable of that.

that is such a create quote kittenb! i think it captures mando and our new president well.

i am borrowing a word from kittenb, i am swooning all day. you would have to be a heartless person to not be moved by today. this is a historical day people. just enjoy the day, warm fuzzies and all.

(((mando))) if i didn't already feel like an emotional wreck today, i read your post and cried. WARNING: i'm swooning over the day AND prementrual. hee i really admire your strength. go you!

(((kittenb))) happy election watching! mama and i were talking about what michelle would wear. i don't think that's a feminist transgression.

(((bunnyb))) the pics on FB looked like morn, zoya, and you had lots of fun.

(((yuefie))) you know, someone said that us chicagoans need this winter season to look forward to the summer. that's when we complain about the humidity and heat. ha!

it is snowing MAJOR today. i was still feeling annoyed and frustrated about the accident last night and this morning. i'm hoping for some clarity in the next month. i feel like some of the anxiety is creeping back about my next internship, money, lots of things...just keep swimming, just keep swimming...thank goodness i have this day for the emotional release i need.

btw, the inauguration is a celebrityfest. magic johnson. john cusack. JOHN CUSACK. dude, i wonder who else they will show on tv. i think this shit is better than the oscars right now.

(((kvetchies)))

[bunnyb]

((((((mando))))) aw sweetie, you made my eyes well up! we are in awe of you.

((((amilta)))) death -and impending death- always stir up memories/emotions/fears that we cannot help as we're human. You were bound to be affected by this situation; don't feel bad about it.

((((kitten and sis)))) all you can do is let her know you are there for her and the rest is her choice.

(((everybody)))

I'm off to do some housework then watch the inauguration. It's a huge day and lucky futura for being there in the thick of it!

[kittenb]

Is it wrong of me that I can't stop focusing on Michelle Obama's fashions? I mean, I don't think Tom Brokaw needs to care but I seriously read a whole article about her eyebrow grooming yesterday and I think that the yellow/gold coat she is wearing today is wonderful. I just think that the fashion commentary should not be a part of mainstream media coverage. But I want to hear about it.
I, too, was trying to resist the warm/fuzzies with the news coverage today but I don't have to work and the tv is on and I, too, keep thinking about the misery of the last innaguration and I live in Chicago, for goodness sakes and the entire city is buzzing, so yeah, I am sucked in.
I actually dreamed last night that my best friend was the new President. Apparently, I died but decided to become a wacky ghost, teasing him in the white house. It was like a weird sitcom dream, gay President, ghost who plays pranks.

In other exciting news, the Oscar noms will be announced on Thursday. I saw Slumdog Millionaire last night and loved it! I am a little behind in everything else.

{{{mandoooooooooo!!!!!}}}} With regards to being bravery, well, I always go back to the great words of Star Trek: "Don't try to be a great [wo]man. Just be a [wo]man and let history be the judge." Doing what you gotta do is often what makes people brave. Not everyone is capable of that.

{{{yuefie}}} Yes, kitties jumping on surgical wounds can be a problem! Glad that you are getting more sleep. That is so important. {{{{health vibes!!!}}}

{{{Amalita and the Mr.}}}

{{{damona, futura, rv, star, bunnyb, and everyone else!}}}

And thank you all for the support with my family issue. I've heard nothing else but that seems to be the pattern. People tell me nothing until it all blows up. Apparently, there is some actual discussion about telling me nothing for fear that I will start hating my stepsis or something, as in, people are actually telling her that I will be soooo angry and stuff. That probably does not help AT ALL! So thank you Busties for just supporting.

[culturehandy]

*delurks*

Mando, it's wonderful to see you in here. ~*~*~*~*continued healing vibes~*~*~*~*~*~

(((((kvetchies)))))

*relurks*

[mandolyn]

just had to pop in to share this long-awaited blessed day with my best girls (and billy). i can't help rembering how horribly depressed we all were both 8 and 4 years ago (i seriously don't know which inauguration was worse ... gah). today feels sooooooo good, not only in comparison to those bleak days - and all the evil, nasty cheney-ness in between - but historically. i'm trying not to get all caught up in the hypocritical media warm fuzziness, but it's hard. it's just a warm and fuzzy day, period. i'm proud to be an american today. i haven't felt this good in weeks. months.

k. now i'm all verklempt.

and i can't thank you guys enough for all the love and healing vibes you've sent my way. you've helped me get thru this more than i could ever express. everyone keeps saying how strong and brave i am. i don't feel that way - not to sound hideously humble, but i'm just doing what i have to do - but if there is any courage inside of me, it's fueled by the love of family and friends. my mom is in happy awe of all the people who have sent gifts and cards. i think, after all these years ... even after meeting some busties in person, she finally gets that you're much more than my "internet woman's group" ... you're my friends, whom i love dearly.

k. now i'm really verklempt.

i'll try to pop in more. if i don't, know that i think of you all ... all the time. every one of you are in my prayers at night.

(((group hug & loving cure-all happy vibes for everyone)))

silly aside: i'm waiting for one of the newscasters to announce obama's potty schedule. hee.
another silly aside: i hope those port-o-john's on the mall have heaters. brrrrr.
yet another piece of silly: tom brokow just commented on the brocade on michelle's dress. *severe rolling of eyes*

[yuefie]

Mando does sound like she is doing well considering the circumstances. But then again, we all know she is as strong as she is feisty ~~~~endless healing and comfort for mando~~~~

amilita, I sent some other busties your way over on crackbook.

wow, how very exciting, futura. have a great time!

star, when I was reading your wish for being able to wear yoga pants, tank tops & flip flops, I felt kinda bad because the weather has been like that here the past few days. we're spoiled but really it's just a reminder to us that we pay for that when writing out the rent check

mmm, home made mac & cheese is the best, syb.

I too heart sidecar's blog.

((((mr. dm's mouth))))

(((((polly, bunny, morn, sassy, damona, rose, pixie, kitten, everyone)))))

I am feeling a lot better. I've been able to sleep on my side with a body pillow again so I've actually been sleeping through the night. Whew. Mostly I feel it when I bend, twist or move to quickly. I have my post op appointment this Wednesday. Jenny has still been running around like crazy, but I've managed to stave off her landing on my tummy. Man, it really did SUCK. I'm hoping to get that other car in the next few days. Now that I'm not taking strong pain medication I can drive again. Just knowing I don't have a car out in the parking lot is making me feel a little stir crazy, like I can't leave if I want to. It's not true, but our area is not exactly the kind of area set up for walking around. R has been humoring me, he knows how I get so he has been offering to take me anywhere I feel up to going to. And he'd give me his car to use if I only knew how to drive a stick shift. I need to learn that and soon. Anyway, we just dropped the kidlet off after a week almost two weeks with him and are both ready for some "us" time. Yay for mindless TV!