Furry therapy to the rescue!

Blazer arrived this morning (:  He's going to need some time to adjust but he's doing well so far.  He whimpered at the door on and off and hasn't been interested in any treats.  I took him out for a walk around his territory and then later on, we went down the street and happened to meet up with Tucker, the other Bearded Collie of the neighborhood.  They gave each other a good sniff over.  We also ran into Bailey, the Golden Retriever, who was bringing over a welcome package (;   Bailey's a frequent visitor so it was good to see him and Blazer happily checking each other out.

He's very different from our last dog, Maggie the Spaz.  I know she missed us when we were gone, but I think she would stll tear off with toys and take treats from anyone!  I'm really excited to begin training with him but I've got to wait for him to get more acclimated–kinda hard to reward him with a treat if he doesn't want one.

He's bonding pretty well so far.  He follows me from room to room and spent some of the afternoon laying on my feet.  He's also made himself at home on the couch and on the rug in my bathroom.  He responds well to sit/stay though he's pretty sneaky and tries to test me.  If I give him A Look, he'll get back to what he's supposed to be doing.  He cuddles up to me when I groom him…..good thing because that coat requires a lot of attention!

He needed to go out pretty early this morning but was restless when we came back in so I let him out of my bedroom while I went back to sleep ;p  then when I got up for real, he came back to my room and gave me some kisses (:

By your Reiki combined, I am Captain Planet!

I've read about reiki but really had no clue what it was about.  So I went to Sunshine Mansion to experience it for myself.  My reiki master said that it's different for everyone–and often different each time.  People feel warm, cold, tingly, and definitely relaxed.  I got up on the table under a soft blankie but didn't need to disrobe like I do for massage.  

She started at my head and slowly waved her hands over me, it felt like a breeze.  She placed her hands close/on my neck and temples–cool, liquid, crystal water.  The sensations were both physical and mental, visual even.  She moved to my upper chest–warmth, depth, fire.  Along my abdomen was moderate, solid, earth.  When she slid her hands under my spine they were cool, smooth, silver–metal.  My legs became wood, not stiff but solid and alive.

It was weirdly specific in these elemental images and I'm curious how different it would be next time and whether any subconscious notion of this technique caused the imagery.  Also curious whether the images correspond to the same body parts/motions in Japanese culture or if it was just my brain's secret desire to save the planet from Duke Nukem.

It was very relaxing (:  and more smooth a transition to come out of than massage.  BUT I LOVE MASSAGE!  I decided that I need to have a massage after every major doctor's appointment so that no matter what the news is, I have something awesome to look forward to.  It's such a great way to be forgiving to my body.  As much as I feel like it's betrayed me, letting in this evil, it's really doing the best it can for me.  My body is fighting, it's letting me enjoy my life and I want to show my gratitude.

Over the next few days, Operation Therapy comes to a head.  Will we be utterly taken by Blazer, the 3 year old?  Or will we succumb to puppy love?  Or will I track down that sweetheart lhasa apso I almost got a few years ago ;p  He was SO SWEET!  Very calm, he came up to my feet, sat down, patiently wagged his tail and looked up longingly until I picked him up.  What a bundle of cuddle!  The only reason I didn't get him was that I was living with a spazzy cat at the time and I was worried she would totally whip him.

Oh, Savannah, wish you didn’t try to kill me

I just got to chat with my awesome Amanda, of The Back Room fame.  She just got back from chillin with celebrities in LA.  In the future, you're going to see her name as the headlining screenwriter credit on a blockbuster and I'll be the hot femme fatale in the posters.  Except more awesome and potentially psychotic.  We are the future Tim Burton/Johnny Depp dream team!

I miss my Savannah buddies….especially my critique group.  We are totally rock stars!

Adventures in the Hospital

Good news:  300 subscribers to the Lightning Spliced audio samples!

Bad news:  I got a camera shoved down my throat and the doctors still don't know what's wrong with me.  My treatment suggestion is 'wait and see if it goes away' -_-  Not easy when I'm dropping weight and can't stand up long enough to make myself a meal.  I literally will sit on the floor in front of the fridge and pull things together.

I wish I'd brought Bones and took pictures of him devouring the IV and/or the nurse who gave me the IV.  Not that she did a bad job, I just HATE NEEDLES STICKING IN ME OMG D:  Totally violating ):

Now I know that oxygen smells like plastic and the tube doesn't really go in my nose, just near it.

I'm still dazed.  They said I'm legally under the influence which is kinda funny cause I don't drink so I'm *never* under the influence.  I don't like how it feels.  Helpless and irritable.  But that may just be because I want to FEEL BETTER ALREADY.  I feel like my life has stopped since getting sick.  I can't DO anything.  And there's no end in sight.

At least there were butterflies on the ceiling.

Was it worth sitting on the runway for two hours?

…in a plane so small I hit my head on the ceiling?

…yes.

How would you/do you design your sanctuary?

While I write always and everywhere from napkin corners to brainstorming at work, I think those Vonage commercials about business travelers finally got to me… When I heard we'd have free Wi-fi in the room, I thought AWESOME!  I can write on the balcony with the ocean in the background!   …like I need to spend any more time writing :P  

But it's a dream come true.  The ocean fills me with inspirational serenity on a spiritual level.  As much as I moved growing up, I've always been coastal so as the great Stevie Nicks sings:

the sea never changes,not really

it is a constant in my life

I always return here

to the flash of those colors

So those Chimeras waiting to chomp on the next chapter of THE DEEP WITHIN, those writers submitting to us Chimeras, rest assured that I may be lying down (on the beach) on the job, but the job is still getting done!

I vaguely remember a best-selling author who books vacations on distant islands and makes it a tax write-off because that's his work time.  Private, quiet, relaxing.  

Coming back down to earth, I set up my writing space at home as comfortably as I can since I'll write all of my day off or all afternoon/evening if I have a morning shift.  I've got to have a REAL keyboard.  The laptop keyboard bugs me.  My playlist changes depending on what I'm writing.  I keep all space on my desk clear except for notes–cleansing the space cleanses my mind.  Sometimes I'll set up a candle, especially since I got a cool salt stone holder (not the lamp, but here's more info).  It apparently emits negative ions that cleanse the air.  The guy at the hippy store sold me on it by suggesting I stand near it and smell the air–clear, no hint of the incense that clogs the rest of the store.  Okay, enough about my rock (it makes me happy).  I start out with a hearty breakfast and continue writing with some yummy herbal tea.  Usually something fruity and I've started to experiment with infused tea leaves.  I also designate intervals for easy meals and snacks.  It's very very easy for me to forget to eat while writing but my output quality is higher if I keep myself nutrientified!  I like natural light if I can get it and most importantly, a comfy office chair with good back support!

What about you, how do you design your sanctuary?  What's your ideal creative space?

Those roaches are so big you can put saddles on them? They're "Palmetto Bugs."

hehehehe, rules of Savannah… http://savannahnow.com/node/327929

This city does have a lot of character, especially since I live downtown. I understand why authors are drawn to it. I am.

Some of my favorite rules:

25. “Abercorn”: An ancient Indian word meaning “traffic light every 50 feet.”

53. Expect your cable to go out when it rains. Or when it’s partly cloudy. Or on any day that ends with “y.”

64. Those roaches are so big you can put saddles on them? They’re “Palmetto Bugs.”

80. The editorial page at the Morning News isn’t really conservative; it’s just opposed to “change for change’s sake” (like those new-fangled horseless carriages)

84. A fistful of quarters comes in handy when you finally find a parking space downtown. We hear they make excellent brass knuckles too.

0. East Liberty Street becomes Wheaton Street which becomes Skidaway Road. Don’t get us started on Bull St aka White Bluff aka Coffee Rd aka Coffee Point…

91. Trying to get somewhere on Bay Street? Top off your tank and take a snack.

98. Yield when you enter a square. Unless you don’t feel like it.

Speaking of “palmetto bugs”… they have crossed the line and they are GOING DOWN. Mostly because they teamed up with ants, rats??, termites?? flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and all other manner of creature bent on invading my territory. The last straw was the one that crawled out of the iron while I was using it.

I never kill bugs, NEVER. In college I would rant at my roommate that she was homicidal because she would kill centipedes in our room–I would take them outside. But this is WAR. I will not tolerate mutant roaches dive bombing me and crawling on the PS2.

So I put my humanity on the backburner and grabbed some deadly weapons–Combat cartridges (made specifically big enough for Savannah style roaches) and Raid. I am reclaiming the apartment for the glory of French Fry Kitties.

(edit: the last few days since I made my first attack, I haven’t seen any alive….several dead, however, including one that had crawled into the bag I bring to work, ugh D: )

St. Patrick’s Day Savannah Votes Hailey

Green with envy for the Island Caretaker potentials?  Or just plain green all over.  Savannah is home to the second largest St. Paddy’s Day celebration in the US (next down from…Chicago?  Did I hear that right?…)  I was lucky enough to get the morning off to see the parade.

I decided to spread the love with my handydandy campaign sign.  I actually saw a guy with a green snorkle but couldn’t get a picture with him as he kept talking on his cell phone :P  BUT I did meet some great people who’ve heard of the Best Job and were excited to hear about Hailey!

I told them about her dedication to social media, her trip around the world, and generally why I’m promoting her.  Javiar (on the left) was great–he started up a cheer of “VOTE HAILEY! VOTE HAILEY!”  I’m seriously kicking myself for forgetting to put the battery in my camera ):  could have  had a fantastic video.  Ah well, my friend Amanda luckily had her camera phone.

Harley, the girl in the middle with the green hat, was also curious about Hailey and asked me a ton of questions (:  Thanks guys for the positive reaction ^-^  I hate to ’sell’ at people, but they were genuinely interested.

Valentine's Day

I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day.  When I was in high school, I felt I had More Important things on my mind than dating and it wasn’t until I graduated that I was ever really attracted to anyone anyway.  The expected cookie cutter gifts are both soulless and uninteresting to me.  Flowers?  Keep ‘em planted.  Jewelry?  I’m extremely picky and barely ever wear it anyway.

So at some point I decided the V in V-Day should stay for Video Games because I like having an excuse to celebrate and it embraces everyone, single or not.  Who doesn’t like Video games?!  What a great bonding experience, very personal to me and I can’t be the only one that finds great means of foreplay in multiplayer games (shutup, I mean 2 player).

I’m also a huge geek for the Vagina Monologues and it’s my tradition to see it every year I can find it playing.

So, one year my deer exroomie gave me a Valetine’s Day card.  I hadn’t even realized that’s what day it was so I rushed home and designed one for her as well as for Madeline, her then-flatmate.

Heart -> Hat has become our expression of affection as evidenced at our first post-college reunion:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rskdrBo1dGg]

PS She likes my sexy ligaments (that’s what the pinching motions are about)

Krissy the Destroyer of Worlds Part 2

After a bath:

She’s meditating really hard…

She would refuse to get out of the sink unless I turned the water on T_T

“HAY MILO!!111″

Krissy was bizarrely fascinated with Kate’s purse.  She stuck her head in and would not get out.  We’d pet her and wiggle her butt around, she’d just go ‘mmmRRRRRR’ and not move.’

Krissy’s romance with an ice cube:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zqW7jbb9TQ]