Two Storms and a 911 Call

You might think being cooped up in the house would be totally boring. Not so, my friends. Here's what happened over the weekend.

Friday we got hit with a terrible storm - 80-something mph winds, thunder, lightning, the works. Here are some pictures of trees lost at our friends' and neighbors' houses (thankfully no one was hurt and no major property damage was done):

Saturday, our neighbor Christin came over for a visit and some ice cream. So nice to catch up and indulge in some Homemade Brand Coconut Almond Chip (for me) and Mint Chocolate Chip (for her).

One of my most favorite flavors!

That night, Aaron went over to Jen & Jason's house a couple blocks away. Around 10:30 I heard a bang. I thought it might be fireworks but then I heard it again. (It didn't help that I was watching Ghost Whisperer at the time.) I couldn't tell where it was coming from but I knew it was our house. I called Aaron and he ran home to find some girl beating on the front of our house with our mailbox that she had ripped off the brick wall (this apparently after using her shoe didn't get her anywhere). She kept insisting that it was her house. The cops arrived and they took her away to figure out where her real home is. She was - at a minimum - drunk, and more than likely high on something. Scary situation which turned out OK. THANK YOU, Columbus Police Department, for responding so quickly!

No, the mailbox isn't normally on the ground

Sunday was much less eventful. Aaron went on a long bike ride and I continued healing. We got another strong storm in the evening, and while it doesn't seem to have caused as much damage as Friday's storm, it did knock out power for even more people. There are over 100,000 homes in the area without power, most since Friday night, and they may be that way for another week. Sending out good thoughts to all those who are still suffering the effects of the storm.

Random thought: I'm watching a lot of Netflix and on the main screen it shows "Suggestions for You." In what universe is Fatal Attraction similar to Sleepless in Seattle?

Until next time,

The Gila

Scenes from Recovery

I've been MIA for a while, but look out, because I'm currently on medical leave for six weeks and I'll have lots of time to post mindless musings. Eight days ago I had a total hysterectomy. Don't worry, this particular post isn't about that; if and when there is one, I'll give a good warning. These are just a few of the views from my sickbed.



Some of the beautiful flowers I received ... and my tiara!

A drawing from my 2-year-old neighbor Zac (it's a rocket ship!)

and it's taped to the bedroom wall

Feline visitors: Bella

Señor Gato Negro

Sometimes they also provide entertainment

Aaron bought this lovely lounger for me. The screened porch is fab in the mornings.



My actual view this morning

Stay tuned!

The Gila

Disturbing Trends

This post will be much less fluffy than previous posts. I don't often get on a soapbox about serious issues, mainly because I want to make sure that I know what I'm talking about before I say anything, and by the time I'm comfortable with that, the moment has passed.

But "the moment" of women's issues is not in danger of passing any time soon. There are some days I can't believe I'm really waking up in 2012, because it feels more like I've gone backward in time. My current focus is the brouhaha in the wake of Rush Limbaugh's comments about Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown law student who testified before a congressional committee as to why contraceptives should be covered by insurance.

First, let me state that while I'm liberal, I do not align myself with any political party. Next, I've heard some Fluke supporters claim that Limbaugh is "picking on a college student." I don't agree with that; Fluke is 30 years old and is a third-year law student. She's an adult and she put herself out there and should expect some criticism. But to be called a slut and a prostitute by a national radio talk show host? Really?

I've heard and read remarks asking why there wasn't this outrage over (and this is just one example) Bill Maher calling Sarah Palin a four letter word that starts with "c." What's the difference, they ask?

Here's the difference. I'm not condoning public name-calling of anyone. But Maher was rude and disrepectful toward one person. Limbaugh was rude and disrespectful toward women in general, implying that women who have sex are sluts. Yeah, yeah, I know that's not what he said, and that's always Limbaugh's defense, but it's clear to me that's what he meant. And yes, he was completely inappropriate in saying of Fluke, "she's having so much sex she can't afford contraception." Newsflash: women don't take birth control pills every time they have sex, and if you think they do, you really need to shut up about this issue.

I'm not saying that birth control should be free (and by "free" I mean available without a copay), but it's completely irresponsible when birth control is not covered by insurance. And let's talk about the fact that birth control pills are often used for reasons other than contraception, which by the way, was the main focus of Fluke's testimony.

A friend of mine recently said that the birth control controversy is really a marketing issue. She suggests that birth control be rebranded as medications that are "effective tools against endometriosis, ovarian cysts, excessive cramping and ovarian cancer, but with a side effect that they prevent pregnancy." Personally, I've been taking birth control for years and the reason has nothing to do with pregnancy prevention. I'm fortunate that my insurance coverage includes contraceptives, so I only pay $10 or so out-of-pocket each month.

I definitely don't want to sound like I'm gender-bashing, but ladies, we need to step up and stop allowing men to dictate our health issues. We need to have a voice in what matters to us. Sandra Fluke has been such a voice and I hope there are many more to come.


The Gila

Tattoo You, Tattoo Me

To ring in the new year, I got my first tattoo. It started when my niece, Jacqueline, wasn't able to get her second tattoo for her 18th birthday due to the need to spend money on silly things like going to college. So I told her that at Christmas I'd get her one and I'd get one, too. Jackie is an art major, so I told her to come up with some ideas for what would eventually become a permanent part of my body. We didn't have Christmas with my side of the family until New Year's, so on December 31st, the two of us went to get our tattoos.

Midtown Tattoo in Erie, PA (and yes, that's a hateful stray shopping cart in the foreground)

Since it was New Year's Eve, they were short-staffed so they weren't sure we'd be able to get in that day, but they called us later and we had an appointment for 5:00. Will was our tattoo artist, and yes, I failed to get a good picture of him.

I went first, and it really didn't hurt that much. It burned some and kind of felt like the stim therapy I've gotten at the chiropractor or physical therapy. It took about a half hour and here's the result:

My ink, on the back of my right shoulder. Jackie drew this design for me.

Then it was Jackie's turn. Hers took more like an hour and a half. She didn't design this one but it's totally her style. It's on her right inside forearm and it's what I would call a punked out Alice in Wonderland.

Before coloring

And the finished version:

I don't have any previous tattoo parlor experience, but I was really impressed by Midtown Tattoo. Jackie declared it the best day ever! My mother would disagree, but oh, well... I love my black cat and I love even more that it was designed by my wonderful, talented niece!


Peace out,

The Gila

The Trifecta of Fabulousness

I love Thanksgiving for many reasons, including the fact that I was born on Thanksgiving Day. Growing up, I didn't often appreciate that because I was rarely in school for my birthday, and all my friends were off doing their Thanksgiving stuff and it didn't seem like I really got to celebrate. Now I think it's kinda cool, and this year November 23rd is 1) my birthday; 2) Gwensday, the best day of the week that's not a weekend day; and 3) Thanksgiving Eve. Here are some tales about Thanksgivings/Birthdays Past:

When I was born, the story goes, my dad (an avid hunter) convinced the hospital to keep my mom and me there an extra day so he could go out and try to shoot Bambi. Try doing THAT in the age of insurance anarchy. He told that story at our wedding, though not quite as crassly as I just did.

Dad and me

My 21st birthday fell on Thanksgiving Eve. I had finals but my mom picked me up from college and drove me home so I could celebrate with my friends Kim and Cathy. My dad took us out to Duffy's Tavern for my first "official" drink, then he dropped us off in town and we walked all over creation, finally ending up at my house. I seem to recall falling out of the Shelby and tearing my jeans, having a hard time unlocking the door to the house, and Cathy hugging my dog while she sat in front of the toilet. Ah, good times.



Lucky for Cathy, I couldn't find the picture of her with Sugar, but here's the dog.

When Aaron and I got married our parents decided that we should host Thanksgiving dinner, which has worked out pretty well for us. Both sets of parents come to our house, so there's no discussion about whose family "gets us." Over the years, our siblings have gotten married and have families of their own so they're not with us every year, but our niece and two nephews are traditionally with us every single year, which I absolutely love.

All six of the nieces and nephews

I think it was our first Thanksgiving that sparked the great potato water debate. We had boiled the potatoes for mashing and I then drained them, pouring all the water down the sink. My mother and mother-in-law acted like I had done some criminal act because of COURSE I was supposed to save some of the water to make gravy. Now, everyone knows that I'm not the cook in my family, but I swear to this day that I never remember that even from my growing up years. And the next year... I did it again. From then on I stopped touching the potatoes.

For the love of all that is holy, don't drain all the water.

Last year's Thanksgiving was pretty great. We had almost all our family there as well as our neighbors Christin and Martin. Our niece Kate was baptized by my dad right there in our house, and as it turned out, that was my dad's last official act.

Aaron and I are proud to be Kate's godparents.

This year we're changing things up a bit. Being the first holiday without my dad, we wanted to make it a little different so we're going out to Buca di Beppo for our Thanksgiving meal (and yes, they're doing a traditional feast as well as their full menu). We'll probably eventually go back to having it at our house, but I think it will be a fun switch.

And on Thanksgiving Eve, I celebrated my Gwensday birthday with neighbors and friends. Colin made a pumpkin pie pudding shot in my honor:

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Gila

Really?

Recently my mom commented on my use of the word "really" and how it can mean so many different things depending on my tone. Mostly I use it with sarcasm. Today I'm writing about pet peeves, or things that make me go "hmmmmm," or things that make me say "really?"

Disclaimer: it's entirely possible that you commit one or more of the following, and that's OK; I don't hate you. Similarly, I recognize that there are things that I do that many people probably find completely annoying. For example, overuse of the word "dude," as in "Dude, really?" Also, it drives Aaron completely nuts that I put my dirty socks in the laundry inside out. Ponder that for a moment and it may lead you to another thing that pisses you off about me in that I have a husband who does laundry. But I digress...

Right Turn on Red Etiquette (or lack thereof)

Dear driver behind me at the red light, do not honk your horn at me to turn on red. You do not see what I see, and you honking your horn makes me more likely to just wait until the light turns green.

Dear driver on cross street, if I have a green light and I'm stopped in the middle of the intersection, it is NOT so you can turn right on red and bog up the intersection even more.

Dear downtown driver, if you are going to turn right on red, make damn sure that no one is coming. This is especially true if you intend to turn right on red and then immediately move three lanes over to the left.

And while you're at it, pay attention to these signs!

Shopping Carts Strewn All Over Parking Lots

This is mind-boggling to me. If I am capable of taking a shopping cart to my car, I'm certainly capable of getting said cart back to a cart corral. And while there may be a FEW exceptions to this rule, there are not enough exceptions to justify the number of carts I see throughout the Target or Kroger lots.

A Certain Insurance Company's Radio Commercial

...in which a woman's voice identifies herself as a single mom, "so I have to watch every penny." Then we hear Patrick Dempsey's voice saying, "we all do." Really, Mr. Star of Stage and Screen? When's the last time you had to watch every penny?

Yes, McDreamy, I know that's you and I'm not buying it for a second!

Chatter

Anyone who's ever been in a choir rehearsal or a presentation with me knows this well. Yes, I'm the one constantly shushing. It's simple, really. If someone else has the floor, shut up. It's incredibly rude to both the speaker and to the others in the group who just might be trying to listen.

Stay tuned,

The Gila

So Many Shows, So Little DVR Space

Hello, my name is Gwen. I'm a TV addict.

I'm not sure when my addiction began, but it was probably in high school. I had an old black & white television in my bedroom. No cable, just three channels on a good day, and I would often leave it on all night. Of course, those were the days when stations actually signed off late at night, the national anthem played, and the screen turned to fuzz (yes, I'm that old).

It looked something like this.

I also got hooked on soap operas as a kid. I can remember watching "the stories" with my grandmother while she did laundry. Over the years I watched lots of different soaps, but one of my favorites was Days of Our Lives. In college, I can remember a bunch of us gathered in the dorm lobby to watch Pete & Melissa and Mickey & Maggie's double wedding on Valentine's Day, 1986. I probably skipped a class to watch it.

Ah, the 80's.

After college I started my love affair with the VCR, which lasted at least 10 years. At its peak I had two VCRs. I numbered the tapes, and had a corresponding list of what was on each tape, which of course would change since every time I watched something I'd replace it with another show.

And then came the greatest invention in my lifetime: the DVR. Aaron bought one for me for Christmas one year and it changed my life. And then cable companies started incorporating DVRs into their cable boxes. AND I could record two shows at once!

My partial list of recorded shows as of today

Now that the fall season has started, I'm faced with scheduling dilemmas as I try to figure out which shows I should record on the DVR versus which shows I can watch On Demand, all the while trying to keep space free on the DVR. I watch all kinds of shows, but I gravitate toward crime dramas. I finally got on the Criminal Minds train thanks to A&E and Netflix and I'm almost caught up to the present season. I've seen every episode of the original Law & Order and yet I still watch it in syndication on TNT. I also like clever comedies, and I think Modern Family is the funniest show on TV right now. And while I don't keep up with the daytime soaps (the few that are left), I do love a good melodrama, and my current obsession is the new ABC show Revenge. We're only three episodes in but I love this show and can't wait for the next episode.

A couple side notes: Aaron tolerates my addiction but doesn't quite share it. He does enjoy Modern Family, and a couple of his dearly departed favorites were Arrested Development and Northern Exposure.

Also, since I rarely watch anything "live," other than sporting events and awards shows, I don't see many commercials. But this one has become one of my favorites. It's a Volkswagen ad that has recently been resurrected to coincide with the release of the Star Wars on Blu-Ray. This clip is the longer, original version. I love it.



Happy Watching,

The Gila