earth2karen

I'm Just Sayin'

2009-10-26T04:27:00.003-04:00

There is nothin' quite like a shot of Nyquil swirling around in the pit of your empty stomach.

Just Me, Glenn Close and Ernie...

2009-10-24T01:57:00.006-04:00

The day before yesterday I had a sore throat and felt unusually tired...

But I didn't have a fever, so I soldiered on.

Yesterday my throat wasn't any more sore than the day before... but I felt like I was in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n all day. I got out of breath just climbing the stairs. So, I started worrying... but still no fever. I told myself that I must be dehydrated and just not getting enough sleep or something. The sore throat? Oh, that's just allergies. It'll pass.

Then I woke up at 1:30 this morning and my throat was so sore that I couldn't stand to swallow.

I'm supposed to work today. My scrubs are all hanging in the bathroom mocking me... waiting for the alarm to go off.

I rolled over and closed my eyes.

Then I thought I'd better get up and see if I have a fever. So, I padded down the stairs and found the thermometer.

100.8.

Ugh.

Not too high, but high enough...

I called work and broke the news. Then I climbed the stairs, again feeling quite winded, took some Tylenol, vitamin C, found my iPod, padded back down the stairs and plopped on the couch.

I downloaded season one of Damages months ago. I guess now is as good of a time as any to start watching it.

No workie for Karen today.

I'll be hanging out on the couch.

Just me, Glenn Close and Ernie...

Crossing my fingers for Maine...

2009-10-23T20:35:00.001-04:00

(Warning: You might cry. I know I did.)

How could anyone not get it after listening to what this gentleman has to say?

87-year old Philip Spooner, a lifelong Republican and World War II veteran, making the case for gay marriage in Maine:

God bless Mr. Spooner.

Wilma's Ready to Trick or Treat.

2009-10-23T19:07:00.000-04:00

RVA in NYT

2009-10-16T14:15:00.002-04:00

A cool take on RVA from the NY Times travel section.

Bears for a Cause

2009-10-10T16:59:00.003-04:00

I saw Judy Shepard on Ellen the other day and it was very touching.

She has a new book out and she is raising money for her son's foundation. So, Ellen, Portia and a ton of other celebrities all signed teddy bears and they are auctioning them off to benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation on eBay. I just put a bid on Cat Cora's and Michelle Clunie's bears. The cast of Sordid Lives even have their own custom bears. The Rue McClanahan bear is really cute. Check 'em out. I'll bet there are a few you'd want to own!

Chick Habit

2009-10-09T18:08:00.002-04:00

Okay, the conference went well. I got my groove on and spoke for almost three hours. I didn't know I had it in me. Although Joanne says it came as no surprise to her. Hmph.

Today would have been a great day to be out in the sunshine catching the last of the summer rays. It hit 87 degrees here! I missed out, but I'm contemplating dragging Joanne downtown to the Folk Festival tonight. That sounds like fun.

I can't get this song out of my head.

Chick Habit by April March:

I had to go look it up on YouTube and play it after Nulaanne said it was a staple on her iPod. It was the first time I'd heard it. I guess I didn't see the movie it came from. Some Woody Harrelson thing. Anyway if the tune wasn't catchy enough when she sings that lyric about a "nurse driving a hearse..." Well, I was hooked. Cute.

Happy, happy Friday, all!

Mama

2009-10-09T11:15:00.004-04:00

I wish I could call you right now.

I wish that at least once a week.

...But, today I have to facilitate a study group at work and the notion is making me really nervous. I've always been more of a facilitated than a facilitator.

It's nuts.

I know it's all in my head, but I'm still a wreck.

I know you'd have something witty and wonderful to say if I could just talk to you about it.

What would you say, Mama?

You'd say - You're smarter than all of those people put together.

You'd say - I'm so proud of you.

You'd say - My daughter is an RN - like it was the equivalent of being a rocket scientist or something - because it was to you.

Mama - Sometimes I miss you so much it hurts.

Just so you know.

Curtain Call

2009-10-07T12:52:00.009-04:00

The new curtains are here! The new curtains are here! Yippee! The UPS guy left Ernie a cookie on top of the stack. He was scoping for more.

And - Yes, that is my Deeds for Governor sign just lying there in the garage. I will put it in my lawn when it dries a little more from the rain we got last night.

Joanne and I are thinking of going on a midnight run to steal the overabundance of McDonnell signs here in our neck of the woods.

Just kidding.

No, really.

Is that a felony?

If you live in Virginia don't forget to vote on the 3rd!

It's on, Gram.

2009-10-02T11:39:00.001-04:00

Joanne's Gram came over last week for dinner. We had BLTs and vegetable soup. It was sweet. Yep. Just a Gram, her granddaughter, and her granddaughter-in-law shooting the breeze and enjoying each others' company...

Nice.

But then after dinner a transformation occurred.

I saw a side of Gram I had never seen.

We brought out the Wii bowling game and that sweet, mild-mannered, little old lady proceeded to kick our butts:

Don't let the innocent look fool you.

When it comes to gaming Gram's all business.

Her fist-bumping Joanne after a strike.

Uh huh.

See.

Then after we were thoroughly beaten and Gram prepared to go, I showed her my most recent purchase.

Meet the one and only Margaritaville Fiji Frozen Concoction Maker:

It comes with its own carrying case. It's like a portable party machine.

I saw the gleam come into Gram's eyes as she put in her request. Next week for the rematch she wants strawberry margaritas.

M'kay, Gram. Strawberry margaritas it is.

I don't know if she bowls better with a buzz or not, but I'm gonna find out. I think our best odds for keeping her from breaking 200 are riding on this baby.

I'm looking up recipes right now.

Oh. It's on, Gram.

It's on.

Get your freak on.

2009-10-01T19:29:00.008-04:00

Halloween is in the air.

Today Joanne and I both had the day off.

It got to a sweltering 72 degrees in the house:

Yeah.

And that's only after she started cooking. So, we opened up all the windows and enjoyed the fresh, cool breeze for a while.

And since it is now officially October, I decided to bust out some Halloween decorations.

I guess I can refrain from putting them out for a while. I mean, I do realize that there are 30 days left to go, but I love Halloween.

L-O-V-E it!

No really.

I do.

It's the one day out of the whole year that freaks are cool!

What's not to love about that?!

And Joanne and I are both off this Halloween weekend.

Woohoo!

It is exceedingly rare for us to have any weekend off together, much less a holiday. So, we're really looking forward to it.

We bought this huge bat with red LED eyes for above the entrance way to our house:

He was in our cart at Costco last week when we ran into our friends Chip and Jen. They have to work, but they said we could borrow their smoke machine. So we were kinda-sorta planning to do that... and really decorate all out and hand out candy to the kids in our neighborhood and all...

But that could get old...

Like quickly...

So, Joanne's all, "How about a costume party?"

And I'm like, "Yeah! We could go bobbing for apples in the hot tub!"

Hmm...

I dunno.

That could get messy.

I'm thinking it'd be hell on the filter.

We should do it!

:o)

Hump Day, Plan B:

2009-10-01T11:37:00.007-04:00

Last night GCCR (The Gay Community Center of Richmond) hosted a candidates' forum. Our local political hopefuls came to answer questions posed specifically by the LGBTQ community here in Richmond. What a great opportunity, huh? I thought so. So, I planned my whole day around the event. And, giving myself plenty of time, at around 6:30ish I hopped in the car and headed out of my little box in the burbs and into the big city.

Heck, I didn't need my GPS. Joanne and I were just at GCCR on Saturday for Pride. (Yes, Richmond has Pride in September. I know... I know... but I am told there are good reasons, so whatever. Stay with me.) And we had a great time, but - as it soon became apparent to me - I didn't drive that day.

Okay. How hard could this be?

Let's see. I remember.

Boulevard to Robin Hood.

Robin Hood to Sherwood...

Wait. Where's Sherwood?

Um. This doesn't look right.

Okay. I'll do a U-ee and try again.

Hmm... Wait. How did I get on Broadland?

What, does Robin Hood just become Broadland or something?

Okay, so I'll be a few minutes late. No biggie.

Then I proceeded to do what I think amounted to about three figure eights until I found myself twenty minutes late and COMPLETELY LOST.

Crappola.

That's what I get for only having been to the Gay Community Center once. But, see, that was the whole idea. I was trying to change that.

Hmph.

When I was driving back to the burbs I started thinking about that theme song from Weeds. I wanted to post it, but it's protected, so here is a good claymation version:

Yeah. That's me. (Well, not literally.)

Anywoo... I intend to take my GPS on a dry run pending the next GayRVA town hall meeting which is set for the 7th. I refuse to miss that, too!

BTW, all wasn't lost. I jumped into my jammies and watched Cougar Town with Joanne.

Courtney Cox is so cute :o)

Lady Gaga Shots

2009-09-30T15:09:00.008-04:00

Joanne, Kelly and I went to see Lady Gaga Monday night. We had a really nice time. (He has some pretty cool shots on his blog. Our photos of us didn't turn out so great, so hop on over and check his out.) Speaking of shots, we had some really good caramel-coffee-vodka shots beforehand at Mulligans. I forget what you call them, but they were good.

And I should've probably stopped right there...

But they actually had wine and beer at the venue which was a bit of a surprise...

Then there were the Seabreezes before the caramel-coffee-vodka thingies and...

And...

Well, let's just say... It kinda reminds me of those lyrics "I've had a little bit too much... blah, blah, blah... Just Dance!"

Soooo, on to the photos:

She always does something with motorcycles. Cool.

This is one of my favorites photos. She was jamming pretty hard here:

She ended the show with a long remix of Poker Face:

She really is a very talented musician, I think. And she has a lot of range in her voice, too. I don't think this CD is the last we'll hear from her. Actually, IMHO, Lady Gaga is really talented, creative and nice. She said over and over things like, "Thank you" and "I love you" and she did several shout-outs to "her gays." Very cool. I'll be looking for her next CD.

The. End.

Comida y Tequila

2009-09-29T16:10:00.003-04:00

Joanne was teaching a class at work today, so we had a rare opportunity to have lunch together. We chose a Mexican restaurant nearby and on the way out I couldn't help noticing this:

The little figure in their designated handicap spot is wearing a sombrero and carrying what appears to be a bottle of tequila. How cute is that?

Also, we had a great time at Lady Gaga last night. I'm still sorting through the photos. I'll post those soon :o)

Cat and Mouse

2009-09-29T09:56:00.005-04:00

So, I got a little stuffed mouse for the kitties. Silly, I know, but he was too cute to pass up. And everything was going well with the intro and all. ("Was." Did you catch that?)

Wilma had a new best friend...

See:

Then he saw the chow and went to check it out.

So, he goes something like, "I'll trade you my three year old plush cheese wad for your fresh kibble here. Whaddya say, BFF?"

And the relationship ended as quickly as it began:

Yep. I don't think they're stayin' besties.

What Happened to Summer?!

2009-09-18T22:53:00.006-04:00

I cannot believe the summer is almost over. What happened?! I guess the move kinda took a big bite out of our usual warm weather recreations. But, it's nice that things are cooling off a little in the evenings now. It's just the right weather for camping! Joanne and I are supposed to go with some friends from her job before the month is over. I'm really looking forward to that. I've almost talked her into getting a couple of mountain bikes. Hopefully we'll do that next week. Now that we have a garage to store them in and a nice park with trails just around the corner I can't think of a good reason not to buy them.

You know, the biggest difference since our move is that we hardly spend any time outside. I really miss our back deck. Before we practically lived in the back yard - grilling, gardening, lounging and jumping in and out of the hot tub... We don't have a fence here yet, so the entire back yard is open to the street. No privacy at all. To make matters worse, we are on a corner lot. Anyone who drives by can see anything they want to - any time - no fun in that.

We are getting quotes now, but we have some other landscaping goals and issues, so it may be next spring before we can get a fence up. I don't know. Everything seems to be contingent on everything else.

It's always something, huh?

Oh well. It'll all be resolved soon enough.

Happy Friday to everyone!

I'm in the market for a nose ring and some skull scrubs.

2009-08-28T20:47:00.008-04:00

So, I decided to go to the hairdresser yesterday because I wanted a change. I was tired of blonde and it really is kind of an ashy dishwater blonde color anyway when I don't do highlights.

So, I said, "How about a warm brown with some red highlights?" I was thinking it would be nice to tone things down a bit as we are heading into autumn and all.

Well, apparently she heard "RED" as in R-E-D, RED, folks. So, I'm sitting there all innocent and optimistic getting aluminum foiled up and when I have a full helmet head she hands me a copy of Entertainment Weekly and sets the timer. I read my magazine and twirl around in my chair listening to, and sometimes participating in, the idle gossip until "ding" it's time to rinse.

So, I walk over to the sinks for my rinse and dutifully go back to my chair for my cut and style. I'm full of trust and slightly eager, but mostly I have a lack of concern. I'm not too excitable by nature. I'm pretty easygoing.

All the while I'm catching little glimpses, but not seeing myself full on in the mirror. Then suddenly she's done and she twirls me around and I see my reflection.

WTF?!

I don't think I even managed a polite smile. I bit my lip and stood up kind of numb like...

(Hindsight is 20/20 and at this point I really should have requested a redo of the "RED" stripes in my "warm brown" hair, but I was too stunned to speak much.)

I paid ($170!!), walked out and drove straight home.

And here I am in the aftermath.

After sending Joanne on about three emergency trips to Walgreens for "brown", "dark brown" and lastly "black brown"... (which worked in the end... if you want to call it that - more on that in a minute), she still professed to love me despite my dilemma.

She alternated between laughing at me and being ready to kill me after I obsessed over my situation for the next 24 hours.

So, like I said the "black brown" finally worked - at least it hid my red stripes, but now I have a distinctively Goth look. And the pale face to go with it. Which would be fine, but I'm 38.

Not too many 38 year old women are into the Goth look.

Unless you count groupies.

Think Kelly Osbourne with age progression.

And, no, I'm not posting any photos. You'll have to use your imagination.

Well, maybe later when I get a little nerve... or have a drink or two.

Clearly I've either got to get a buzz cut

Or a nose ring and some skull scrubs.

Do they sell those?

...On the upside, Halloween should be easy this year.

We Made It!

2009-08-07T20:57:00.003-04:00

I'm still sitting amongst the boxes. The bed has been assembled. The cable is on and I have internet access. Those are the biggies. We will sort the rest out a little at a time... Joanne's Bday is tomorrow. Good thing I bought her gift before the move. Now if I can just figure out which box it's in!

Hope everyone is well.

Happy weekend and TTFN!

The Onion Sold To Chinese Company

2009-07-23T21:20:00.003-04:00

They've sold The Onion to a Chinese company, or so the story goes. The resulting slant on the articles from the latest edition is hilarious. I guess you could call it politically incorrect, but the best comedy usually is.

Check this particular story out: Area Man Uninterested In Creating A Better Community Even Though This May Benefit Him In The Long Run

Or I love this one: Grandfather Disrespected In His Own Home

And, especially if you aren't familiar with The Onion, browse a little. It's well worth your time!

Whip It

2009-07-18T22:23:00.002-04:00

starring Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page and Juliette Lewis.

I so want to see this.

How cute :o)

Gratuitous Kitty Photos

2009-07-18T21:45:00.005-04:00

I'm always talking about the pooches, because they are a bit more demanding of our attention, so I thought I'd post a photo of my angel kitties. Make no mistake, they run the whole operation around here. And, yes, I am a cat person!

That's Muffin on the left and Wilma on the right. They are 14 and 12ish, respectively. It only took about... mmm... 10 years to get them to sit side by side without trying to kill each other. Now you'd never know that :o)

Completely, Completely

2009-07-18T20:51:00.001-04:00

I am posting some pics of the new house :o) We have been appliance shopping and packing and making a ton of phone calls. As hectic and stressful as it is I am still very excited! I have to say that this is the most excited I've ever been about moving. Before it was always from one apartment, or dorm, or base to another with the knowledge that it was all only temporary hanging over me...

Actually, I kind of liked that... It was exciting in a way. I was in my twenties and everything was an adventure.

Then I turned thirty and started to look at things a little differently.

As luck would have it, a month or so later I met Joanne and we began to date. I had an apartment in the West End at the time. We really hit it off and we started seeing more and more of each other until finally, not quite a year later, we decided to move in together. The lease was ending on my apartment and Joanne owned the house that we live in now, so I moved in with her. It was kind of a no brainer.

From the beginning she was always more than reassuring that it was "our" house. Even so, I have to admit that somewhere in the back of my mind it was just never really quite "ours".

Not completely, completely.

The new house is OURS.

Completely, completely.

We went house hunting together. We talked about the pros and the cons of the market and the neighborhood and the this and the that together. We negotiated with the builder together. We got the loan together. We signed the papers together. We are buying the appliances together. We are picking out furniture and decorations together. THIS is OUR HOUSE. No doubt about it. Not even a little tiny one.

I can't wait for closing!

And the cool thing is that it will be just in time for Joanne's birthday on the 8th! :o)

OUR new digs:

I love the moulding in the dining room. I can't wait to pick out a new table and buffet:

The fireplace is propane. We currently have a wood burning one. All the romance without all the debris. Oh boy!

This door leads to the back deck:

We picked out a fridge yesterday. Beside the empty spot for the fridge is the garage door:

I've never had a window above the kitchen sink before. It almost makes me want to wash dishes by hand. Almost.

We both want a tile splatter guard... and a fence... and mucho landscaping. But we will have to prioritize and do these things as we can.

This is a view of my Prius from the garage. This will be my first time to have a garage. Cool beans. Joanne says that I can hang my punching bag (which has been stored in our utility room for years) as long as I do it in a tasteful and sturdy fashion.

I ask you, what's not tasteful about a punching bag in the garage!? : P

Hmm... I wonder if there is a kickboxing class at my gym?

You can't really see it, but that sign says "Under Contract"!!

Woo Hoo!!

I'm so excited!!

The 3 G's

2009-07-13T19:51:00.000-04:00

We are getting closer and closer to what should be the closing date on our new house. I'm nervous and excited.

It's tentatively scheduled for 7/30. I say tentatively because I'm hard pressed to believe that dude can do everything he promised - construct a patio, install an automatic garage door opener, hang a screen door for our back door and sod the lawn - in 2 weeks when none of it has even begun yet. Maybe... but I doubt it.

We've started packing and we've both been scoping for cardboard boxes.

There are 3 growing piles of stuff in the loft tagged: Goodwill, Garbage and Going With.

Oh boy! :o)

Ellen and Lindsay

2009-07-08T23:09:00.001-04:00

I didn't get to see the show today. Wish I had. Looks like they covered a lot of territory.

It's humor, people!

2009-07-08T03:50:00.006-04:00

I found this clip on Margaret Cho's blog:

(who, btw, is coming to RVA - thanks, GayRVA, for that heads up!)

Too funny!

Joanne and I spent a week there last summer when we were married.

LOVED it. Would love to go back.

But then I am a fucking liberal faggot.