Why Was I Not Notified About This?

My favorite fashion label meets skate culture. Only three made. $8,250 each.

All were gobbled up at first day of sale.

If a set was still available, would I buy it?

I guess I'd apply for a loan at the bank. They could repo it if I was delinquent.

Wild Hogs IV

For the fourth year in a row, Paul and I went to Atlantic City, each of us bringing our best friends. Paul takes Steve, I take Dave. It's a very special occasion, because Steve and Dave trade in their spousal and parental obligations at home to become bachelors that gamble, imbibe, and get a little rowdy. (In other words, we go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and then lose a little money.)

Good times were had by all. I was the big winner! A cash jackpot of $34 after expenses.

I Don't Understand The "New Math".

If you know something about it, please inform me, please.

Said Kara Dio-who-a-what-what last night: "I've got six words for you- one of the best performances of the night!"

Hmm.

"99 Doctors It Feels Like I See...

That's 98 doctors too many,
Each brought me down, then pass'd me around,
Wish I di'nt see any. "

Today's new doctor: blood specialist (hematologist).

I can picture the appointment now: "Blah, blah, blood tests, blood tests, weekly monitoring, solution TBD, blah blardy blar."

JUST FIX THE PROBLEM.

This May "Crack" You Up

Did you know there is a right and wrong way to eat a cracker? Wrong: sticking it up your nose.

Seriously, there is a certain etiquette that cracker companies want you to follow: as a general rule, the side that is more "salty", spicy, or has some prinkles of some sort is the one that should not touch your tongue, but hit the roof of your mouth as you bite it. In doing so, the precisely measured amount of flavor will hit your tastebuds more subtly and appropriately. Flipping it upside down and putting the salty or spicy side on your tongue may overpower tastebuds, making it less appetizing.

Valid point, indeed.

Once You Go Black, You Never Go Back,,,

to being in the black.

Presenting the Visa Black Card, the archenemy of the American Express Centurion card. With a limit of only 1% of US residents that will recieve approval, you get a 24 hour concierge that'll pretty much get anything you want within a 24 hour turnaround.

All it takes to qualify is a near perfect credit score, a spending history of an undisclosed yet high amount dollars annually for a consecutive three years, and a mere $500 as your first year membership fee. Easy, right?

To me, all this card says is, "I'm not swimming, but drowning in the ridiculous and unheard amount of debt I have, yet I still LOVE spending more money than I have."

Be that 1% that qualifies and is worth more dead than alive- apply here.

In The Morning, Grab A Cup Of Ice Cream

Caffeine addict? Caffeine allergy? Either way, it's another thing to consume or avoid.

Coffee ice cream: how potent is it really? Is it just coffee-flavored, or does it actually contain coffee?

I bought a pint of Java Chip Frappucino Starbucks ice cream on Tuesday. I had a small bowl of it before I go to bed. Concerned, I decided to call Starbucks Coffee Company to find out if there was any caffeine present.

Sho'nuff, a half cup of any of their ice creams has approximately 35-50 milligrans of caffeine. A cup of coffee: 65-100 milligrams of caffeine. The math: one cup of ice cream = one cup of coffee.

No wonder I'm up in the middle of the night.

Oops...She Is Touring Again

Britney Spears is back and on tour. Called "The Circus" Tour, she comes to the D.C. area at the Verizon Center on Tuesday, March 24th. Opening act: Pussycat Dolls. Tickets are still available, but in the nosebleeds. Average price of tickets on ebay: about $400 each for decent seats.

I'd go if someone gave me a free ticket. Of course, she'll be lip-synching the whole time, but at least there will be some dance choreography to keep my eyes amused.

On second thought, good thing I'm not going- I can't even spot her in the picture. (I think she's the one wearing a hat, right?)

Rallying for Raleigh

Paul and I are ditching the house and kid (well, dog) this weekend as we head down to Raleigh, North Carolina to watch a friend perform in a locally-produced version of "Miss Saigon". I'm sure it's cheapened and watered down, like the helicopter at the end of the play is either a flying saucer or a cardboad cut-out of a jet plane.

I've never been to Raleigh, and I'd like to know what's there to see and do (in other words, "Where should I go shopping?")

If you've been to Raleigh before, number one: you're weird. Number two: let me know what to "see and do".

The Lowdown From My Point Of View

Last Tuesday, I was at a casual dinner with my 19 and 20 year-old cousins who were in town from Charlottesville to visit me. My nose started bleeding slowly at the table, so I layed down for a while with ice on it to stop the bleeding.

We left the restaurant okay, but then when I got home and started showering, my nose started bleeding again, but this time, uncontrollably, as if someone had shot me. Blood was coming out of my nostrils and from my mouth. I began choking on blood as I tried to spit up as much as possible. The cousins and Paul rushed me to the ER at the nearest hospital where I bled profusely like a drive-by victim as I waited to be admitted. I was becoming faint and light-headed. People inside the waiting room were pretending not to notice all the commotion and red mess that surrounded me.

Since nothing was stopping the bleeding, the doctor quickly contacted the ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) doctor who was on-call. He came in, told me he needed to "pack" my nose. That's when the pain began.

With some scalpel, he shoved two small balloons that looked like earplugs all the way up my two nostrils. It hurt so much I began crying. I mean, they were way up there. Then he followed up and "inflated" the balloons which made me cry even hysterically. All he could keep saying was "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

I don't remember much afterwards, only that the nurses pumped me with morphine three or four times. I was moved to the Intensive Care Unit in the morning, and stayed at the hospital unable to eat or drink much. They took me in to get cat scans and MRI's. My parents drove from Charlottesville and my sister took a train from New York to be at my side. On Friday, the doctor came early in the morning, removed the "packing" which hurt coming out, and I was discharged later that afternoon.

I haven't gone through that much pain in such a short period of time. I lost so much blood that they infused me with some and a bag of platelets to stop the bleeding. I was there for a total of four nights, tired, confused, and terrible thirsty.

Moving on with life...

I Got Another Puppy This Weekend!

I call him Delicious. He's 1 1/2 feet tall and two inches wide of moist yellow cake. He bit through a sock of mine so I bit through his leg.

Isn't he adorable?

(This special cake was created by a gorgeous woman who strangely keeps making me these ultimate delicacies. I generally accept and gobble through them. They're truly the best cakes I've ever had. Thank you, Michelle! You're fabulous!)

Guest Blog Entry

Ernie went to the ER on Tuesday night after his nose had been bleeding for more than an hour. Normally, nose bleeds don't get much attention in the ER, but because Ernie's been on chemo for so long his platelet count is still below the "normal" range. Without enough platelets his body was unable to stop the bleeding. In the ER, the doctor used strategically placed inflatable devises to help stop the flow. He continues to bleed, but it is not nearly as severe. The ENT doctor ordered CT scans and an MRI. They showed Ernie's tumors had not grown since the last scans and were not causing this particular episode. Ernie remains in the ICU where he has received additional platelets and blood. He is in good spirits but would really like those tubes removed (hopefully sometime today). It is unclear when he will be released from the hospital. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Jacko Is Backo

Michael Jackson announced two weeks ago that he is back on tour this summer. Beginning July 8th, Jackson will perform in ten shows, all in London and all at the 02 Arena. Fan club members can buy tickets Wednesday, and general tickets go on sale Friday.

I can't even begin to imagine how much tickets are. $300 to admit a monkey freak? $500?

The other day I heard "Billie Jean" on the radio. Truly a masterpiece in my book.

And if you think about the "Thriller" album. the songs "Beat It", "Billie Jean", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "The Girl Is Mine", "Human Nature", "P.Y.T.", and "Thriller" are all on it. It rocks from beginning to end.

"Wanna' buy you a ticket? Got to get you a ticket! Get high, get ovah'! Yeah. yeah!" Click here.

This One's Just For Me

Speaking to that guy on the phone yesterday whose cancer started in his kidney, then his colon, liver, and now his abdomen made me think:

Cancer, sometimes I just wish you would either go ahead and take over or just go away. You lingering around in my body, making me wonder what's next is exhausting. I constantly think about, "How long do I have to live? Do I have just one more year, several, or will I live past seventy?"

I'd have a plan if I knew. A year left: quit working out, travel with Paul, make amends where needed, and treasure each day. Several years: budget my time, do something landmark-like, such as start a cancer support group, and volunteer at church. Past seventy: Go back to work. Start re-building the nest egg, take Taylor to doggie school, help my parent's ministry in the Philippines, and spoil my nephew/niece whenever that time came along.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. "Live like you've got a year left everyday". How can I? I'm so buried under all my healthcare crap and trying to stay warm outside my electric blanket that I barely notice warm weather and the sun shining.

God knows all the answers and he's the one with the plan. Lord, SHARE IT WITH ME!

P.S. If this one's just for me, then why am I putting it in my blog?

To My Nuclear Family

To Paul: Happy Anniversary. 14 years! "Another year and still in gear!"
To Taylor: Happy Burfday! Nothing more fun than turning one!

You Runnin' Game On Me?

Do you remember the movie "The Game" starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn? The company Douglas' character hired, Consumer Recreation Services, dragged him through many false hardships and difficulties, resulting in his receiving the gift of truly living.

Now you can personally experience that nail-biting action yourself through Accomplice, a company in New York you pay to put you on your own journey of true-life experiences and "extraordinary situations beyond ordinary living" in order to gain a new lease on life.

Neil Patrick Harris loved his own personal journey with Accomplice last year so much that he partnered up with the company to bring Accomplice Hollywood this summer.