True Love

I received a phone call from Eric today. He was set up to come over this afternoon and help me with the task of buying dog food, as I am just too fatigued to do it on my own and my boys were getting worried that we would run out. 100% of the dogs surveyed are against Old Mother Hubbard. But I digress.

He quickly explained why he called. We had passed through the hearts and gifts of flowers stage of our relationship very early. We went through the serious gift stage; a camera which I killed by drowning it, a watch which I took off and stored someplace so I wouldn't lose it and haven't found it yet. (I warned Eric before he bought me these nice gifts what would happen to them. I hate to say "I told you so...")

Now it was time for practical gifts. Also, gifts for which, though clever manipulation of store sales and coupons, he obtained for no money whatsoever. That's right. My favorite price. Free.

And so I present the booty that was presented to me by my boyfriend:

Make Up!

Make up Remover!

A RAZOR!

And I needed a shave, too. Seriously. I mean it. How could he have known?

Death of a Camera

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know the story of my last camera. How I sent it to Fuji for repair and how they tried to say that I had damaged it and the warranty didn't apply. And how we finally came upon a mutually agreeable solution and I had a camera back into my posession to use taking pictures for my blog. But that all changed at the end of last week.

I take my camera pretty-much everywhere I go, always on the look-out for a photo opportunity to blog about. And so I wore my Sears man-pants, the cargo pants with all the deep pockets that I bought from Sears on a shopping trip with Elena a year ago, to Lake Balboa for a walk. Put the camera into one of the pockets. And had a Crohns Disease accident there (again) and came right home to clean up and do laundry.

The thing is, I was a little discomboobulated by the situation this time; the lake had been abnormally populated by people who saw me in all of my misglory, and in my upset, wasn't thinking things out when I put my pants into the washing machine.

Yup. You got it. I sent the camera through the wash cycle.

Now you have to understand, washing small electronics is not an abnormal event for me. Eric, out of love, wanted to buy me a very expensive watch a year ago. I implored him not to do it, knowing that I would destroy it post haste. "I don't deserve such expensive things such as that!" I told him, and I meant it. He did eventually buy me a beautiful watch anyway, and so far it has not been washed, but it's currently misplaced and I may even spend a part of this afternoon looking for it.

Watches actually do quite well in the washer, though. Once you discover them, whether immediately after the wash cycle, or even when they go through the dryer, they keep on working. The crystal fogs up for a few days, but there is never doubt that they will survive the experience.

Cell phones are a little more sensitive. Yes, I've washed my cell phone more than once too. They generally don't work after being washed and or and not dried. But experience after doing this to several phones taught me that you can take the battery out, let the whole thing dry for a few days, then re-insert the battery and charge it up. It will generally work again once the moisture is gone.

But the camera is a different matter. It is not meant to be handled roughly at all, and I think that it must have been the spin cycle that did it in, or maybe it was just being aggitated. It is out of alignment and I have a hard time even opening and closing the compartment that contains the battery and the chip. I've dried it for a week, inserted the removable components, and tried to charge it up. It didn't even register that it was plugged in.

And so I suppose that this blog will go either pictureless for a while, or I will be relying on old photos and stuff that I steal from the internet. Next week after I get my monthly check, I will pay my bills and see how much camera I can afford with what is left over. And then check out Overstock.com and Costco and see what they have that will work. Something simple, and more important, something durable.

Because I am decidedly hard on things that I own.

Potpourri of Topics

Last Saturday, I bit the bullet and decided to go to my Spinning Guild (Greater Los Angeles Spinning Guild - GLASG) instead of exercise class. This decision was made, based upon three facts:

1.) I missed them and had received a few e-mails from people who missed me.
2.) The lecture-of-the-day was Chris Acosta about Angora Bunnies. Perfect for the day before Easter.
3.) And I did not feel well enough to exercise.

I've addressed the topic of GLASG before in my Blog. The social structure there has changed and somehow I felt left behind. I wasn't sure if the issue was them or me, but I was fearful of confrontation. There were two current members of which I was especially concerned.

Although I was uncomfortable in my attendance yesterday, I'm glad that I went. One of the people of concern seemed genuinely happy to see me. I had been advised that her personal circumstances were coloring her reactions to everything and that I shouldn't take it personally. Whew!

The other? She was there and was as cold as ever; like a stone. I'm not sure what - exactly - that I did to offend her, but she has made a point of giving me a horrible stare and not speaking to me for well over a year now. Her feelings could not be at all misinterpreted... at the end of the meeting when yet another member and I were in the kitchen (I was just passing through to the bathroom although I stopped to chat), she looked at the other gal and asked her if she would like to take the leftover bagels home. When turned down, she gave me a stare full of hostility, then picked the bag up and threw them out.

And you know what? That moment was liberating. I'm glad that it happened. I can place her where she belongs in the order of things and move on. I think I may go back again for next month's meeting.

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My camera has finally been acknowledged as "received" by the Fuji repair center and they tell me that it will be fixed within 10 working days. I only hope that it is returned before all the blossoms on my lemon tree have bloomed and fallen off. I only wish you could smell the fragranece.

If each of the flowers turns into fruit, I am going to have a bumper crop next year. All from a tree that I purchased from OSH two-and-a-half years ago because I felt sorry for it. They weren't watering it and it had been reduced to a stalk with two withered leaves that were about to fall off.

Much like my rescue animals, it took a year before it acknowledged me with a single lemon of thanks. Then another year went by and the year's crop was three. And who knows what I will harvest next year?

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As I continue to decline healthwise, I am starting to wonder how bad it's going to be this time. It feels a little different than flares past, but there's no getting around the fatigue and lethargy. I hope I don't lose my readership entirely because of sporatic posting.

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I am continuing to struggle with slow weight gain. Richard, in his chat yesterday, talked about somebody at Slimmons (I honestly don't have a clue who) who he counseled a few weeks ago to make a list of all of her "hot" foods. She was to post the written list and avoid them.

I thought about it. Not a bad idea. And so I developed my own list of things to be avoided. Surprisingly, it is short and theme related. Dried fruit is an issue. Breads & crackers are an issue. And the Protein Bars from HMR and other sources. Other than that, I really don't have a problem. That's probably why the weight gain has been as slow as it has.

So I have printed out the list and attached it to the front of my refrigerator. Perhaps the constant reminder will help me not bring those items into my home. But it's already helped me in a small way. For the first time in weeks, I've started a food sheet.

Doh! (Slapping the forehead a la Homer Simpson)

I'm really missing my camera. That being said, the fortunate thing is that I have a huge bank of pictures available to publish along with the pics that interest me on the internet. Yesterday morning, I got up early and filled out all the paperwork to have it - the camera - repaired. I found the receipt which Eric printed out for me last Sunday. Located the original Fuji FinePix box and taped the address label onto the front. (Did you know that if you print a barcode out on an address label, the Post Office claims that they will deliver your package one day sooner?) Found the bubble paper that I had lovingly stored in my hall closet instead of popping it as I would have been more inclined to do had I acted on my impulse. And, after a lengthy search for the actual camera, packed the whole she-bang up. Weighed it. Stuck a bunch of stamps on. And laid it out in the entryway to be taken to the Post Office. My intention was to drop the package off during the same trip (by car because of the rain) in which I was to go to the market. But silly me, being distracted as usual, I forgot. When I got home, I was quite upset with myself, but I looked at the clock. 4:30. One half hour until the last scheduled pick-up. The Tarzana Post Office is an interesting place. Tarzana, a suburb of Los Angeles, actually was named for Tarzan. Burroughs lived here when he wrote the series. They have a whole display of Tarzan memorabilia in the lobby to view while waiting in line. And I enjoy walking there since it's maybe 1/4 mile from my front door. 4:30pm. One half hour until the last pick-up. One half hour until I was due in Richard's Monday night chat. I could make it. I quickly changed into my walking shoes and, ignoring the dog's pleas for an early dinner, grabbed the box and headed out the door. A quick right once outside of my complex, and a left at the corner. Through the pedestrian-only underpass at the 101 freeway (it stinks in there) and, upon emerging at the other side, I am at my destination. And confused. Where normally there would be a lot of traffic and tons of cars parked in the lot, there were only a few people coming and going. I thought to myself "It must be the rain" and hurried along. But realized, when I burst through the front door, that "Doh! I am not always the brightest gal in town." It was Martin Luther King's birthday and the Post Office was closed. The rain has begun. It's supposed to rain pretty heavily for the next week or so, and so I have set up the dog-drying station just inside of my front door. (Sorry. No camera, no pictures.) 100% of the dogs surveyed disapprove of the sky dropping water on their backs. Both dogs do enjoy their walks though, and in a last-ditch attempt to lose measurable weight before I am forced to have my knee surgically fixed, I'm walking them rather extensively on a daily basis. Thank goodness that the rain and walking are not mutually exclusive. Both dogs could appear on a fashion runway. Both dogs own raincoats. Cosmos shows off his 'designer' duds. Yes, it says "It's Raining Cats and Dogs." Sunny, in his preferred more rugged look. Cosmos: "Who is this sky that drops water on me?" Sunny: "Walk! Walk! Walk! Walk..." Do you like Pina Colada? Getting caught in the rain?