Lake Erie looks so fine in the rain

Greetings from Cleveland, O-hi-o. For the umteenth time I will say that we need Caribou Coffee in the City on the Edge of Forever, where the coffee house culture is worse than lame. It is non-existent. If Cleveland has cooler coffee houses than we do, there is something seriously wrong.

Dear Caribou,

When I go to visit my in-laws, you are my refuge, my shelter in the storm. Your real dark chocolate mochas with 2-percent and no whip are my saving grace on a rainy day in Cleveland. What can I do to convince you to come to my town, where we have only two Charbucks, a Panera in the middle of Consumer Sprawl, a lame bookstore cafe in the mall, and a snooty hipster-ridden local chain whose baristas would sooner spit in my eye than make me a cappuccino? Please, please come home with me! I know I sound like a desperate stalker, but you must understand how much a mocha brightens my life when the sun hasn't shone in days.

Love,
Ms. Bizarro

Went a little crazy with the post-Christmas consumption of commercial goods, but nothing I purchased today is wasteful. A new valise to carry around my work and not look like a grad student. A new power cord to the ole' MacBook Pro so that I can have dual work stations at home (and incidentally, so I can work here in Cleveland even though I left the power cord at home). A car charger for my iPod (at Marshals for $8!). Two games at 40% and 50% off - Hang Four (a surfing doggeh card game) and The Big Kahuna (Tiki guys galore). A wipey cloth for my laptop. Bizarro bought me a pair of earrings on clearance for belly dancing (they're rather big and flashy, not for work). I also treated myself to a quickie manicure (at a cheap price) - lavender, of course.

Best of all, we had a few minutes by the lake in the mid-afternoon sunshine. Photos soon to come. The best part of the day was free!

I've done well with the level of food intake; my healthy, filling breakfast of yogurt and oatmeal is leaving me full until 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and I've been eating a sammich and one side dish for lunch. Dinner is whatever Mom and Dad Bizarro make, but as with tonight's dinner of (fried) lumpia, I only had a few, and instead had two bowls of soup and a largeish salad. And only a few spoonfuls of rice. As long as they see me eating a little of everything, they leave me alone. Hee. Of course, I've had more than my fair share of Christmas cookies, but still within normal range.

And now the exciting stuff: I've been "hired" to proof read for a small press that is publishing original novels of Space: 1999. I've been email pals with one of the writers, who eventually took over the role of editor when the actual editor had to manage some personal crises that prevented him from doing the work of publishing books that had already been written. At this point we're gonna get all the books out in 2010 that were supposed to have come out earlier this year. I say "hired" in quotation marks because although he's cut me in on this, I won't see money for awhile. However, I will see money, and let's face it, I can put this on my C.V. That alone is worth the time I'm taking.

Now, I've also been working with the writer-cum-editor on some ideas for a TV pilot pitch. That's right - if Battlestar Galactica with their disco capes and King Tut-style space helmets can be reimagined - and hell, if Star Trek can be messed with - then Space: 1999 needs a jolt of its own. At present I don't know if I want to go the route of alt history or create a different title set another 1000 years in the future. It's a primordial work in progress at the moment, but it's very exciting, especially with my writing retreat coming up.

And so, 2009 is winding down with some great possibilities lined up in 2010. New job as a permanent writing tutor, new manager interested in my scripts, new side job as a proof reader, and many new ideas ready to break out into the world. Made a couple new friends this year, and I'm looking forward to nurturing those relationships in the new year, as well. 2010 feels like it's going to be a great year!

Right now, though, it's time to catch the Doctor Who Christmas Special on BBC America! Time to say good bye to David Tennant. He's my personal iconic Doctor, and always will be.

Happy Birthday, Rod Serling

RS was a fan of the Christmas spirit, despite the fact that he was Jewish. He once described himself as a Christmas present delivered unwrapped (born on Dec. 25, 1924).

It's late in the afternoon on Christmas day, and Bizarro is lying beside me taking a nap. The lasagna will come out of the oven very soon, and I believe dinner will be set shortly. It's been a good couple of days here at the Bizarro household in Cleveland, though I will feely admit that I really wanted to be with my family gathered at Pat & Beckie's last night. They passed the phone around when I called so I could briefly chat with everyone - even Owen! I went into a bit of a funk after watching "White Christmas," that being Mom's favorite Christmas movies. I perked up later on, though, and then of course was the midnight unwrapping of gifts and eating a petit meal around 1:00 am. Needless to say, I slept in today.

Yesterday we hit a couple stores, including my favorite Italian grocery this side of the North End - Alesci's. It was like heaven; I could've spent the entire day in that place. I fully intend to return tomorrow and buy some home-baked bread, and more capicola (and I didn't have to pronounce it "cappa-cola" for the guys at the meat counter!). The smells and sights really bring back a lot of sense memories from childhood.

Also had a glorious trip to Half-Priced Books with a gift card from the in-laws, and came home with a few prizes, including the director's cut of Blade Runner, and a Twilight Zone-themed collection of short stories edited by Carol Serling (RS has one story in there which I haven't read). The fluffy purchase was a tarot card set with Egyptian iconography and supposed hieroglyphs.

The days have started to meld together as they often do here, with all the sitting/lying around that goes on, so I have made a point to do yoga and journal and DO things as often as possible. It's so tempting to fall into that spaced-out state that this house seems to encourage. I'm doing my best to keep myself pulled together in that respect, if for no other reason than not to gain 5 lbs before I get home.

And speaking of which, it's time to take the lasagna out of the oven. Happy Christmas, all !

Christmas Time Is Near

This was my very first record as a child. The next one was, I believe, the soundtrack to Star Wars.

I rather identify with Alvin, especially "Let's do it again! Whaddya mean, 'over do it'?"

Tomorrow we drive to Cleveland, so yesterday and today have been filled with preparations, shopping, house cleaning (cause I despise coming home to a dirty apartment) and an attempt at detoxing before the onslaught of greasy meat, fried everything, and sugar bombs. I am going to eat small portions and avoid rice, and we're bringing our favorite Brown Cow chocolate yogurt and oatmeal. At least I can have a decent breakfast (although Bizarro will eat every scrap of the fried eggs, bacon, sausage and rice that his dad fixes for breakfast EVERY DAY). If this week-long trip doesn't give him a blocked artery, it'll be a miracle.

Then of course on the way back to New York next week, we're stopping over at our beloved Splash Lagoon. I had to pick up a pair of flip flops for the occasion, since I did away with all mine after I was told that they were hurting my ankles (after spraining them both last year). The Splash Lagoon and hotel pool will get me started on a good exercise program for the winter. I plan on using the pool where I work this break.

Soon I'll be posting my Best/Worst of 2009 (that'll be a doozey) and my Bliss List for 2010, so keep an eye out.

Meantime, I'm sending warm Christmas and New Year wishes. Yesterday was Yule, so from now on the days will get a little longer, the nights a little shorter. Here's to the coming of the Sun!

I'll Be Home For Christmas...

Just created my Pandora holiday music station - classics like Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and of course my guy, Perry Como. There's also Dean Martin, Sinatra, Burl Ives, Johnny Mathis.

Classes are done for 2009. By this time next week I will be completely done with finals and grading. I have already started getting into the Christmas Spirit, which by the way is completely possible for a non-Christian. 'Cause guess what? We're all about the same thing: peace on Earth, good will to all. That's what it's all about, folks. This year is very special - my first Christmas without both parents, but again I keep feeling this inescapable RELIEF, as if my Mom and Dad are telling me to go ahead and enjoy myself in full, at long last. I intend to!

It'll be great to see my in-laws for the holiday, and to soak up the Cleveland holiday spirit (leg lamp, anyone?). Meantime, I've decked out our apartment in lights and some very special decorations that came from Mom's - and in the case of the "Jingle Bells" - from my childhood. The Jingle Bells is an ancient (older than me) door ornament, a huge bell-shaped affair with a music box that plays... you know. It's hanging right next to our door and I love it. I can see it and pull the string from my desk for a quick shot of Christmas Spirit any time.

I want to know your favorite Christmas songs! Leave a comment and let me know!

My Top 5 6 Christmas Songs

1. Home For the Holidays, by Perry Como
2. Jingle Bells, by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
3. Mele Kalikimaka, by Bing Crosby
4. Happy Christmas (War Is Over), John Lennon & Yoko Ono
5. Wonderful Christmastime, Paul McCartney
6. Adeste Fideles, by Nat King Cole

Here we go...

I am really quite peeved that I've caught another virus (cold). WTF? I'm doing everything right, I'm getting acupuncture to strengthen my immune system, and STILL I get sick. I've about had it with this body. I'm ready to trade it in for a better model. Sleeker, stronger, less weepy, and with working joints.

This is the last week of classes at both colleges, so I can't be out again. It's final script reading and grammar review time, respectively, and I need to be here for this work. I just need to make it through another week (with finals) and then I'll be on break.

Ahh winter break, that wonderful time where I get to catch up on sleep and writing, in which I don't get paid for a month. There will be no Xmas presents this year. There will be no sending out 50 xmas cards, either. My immediate family gets cards, and that's it. I'd rather call the people who are far away that I think about at the holidays.

I don't know how people with kids do it. I can barely keep myself running; I couldn't imagine having to be in charge of small human beings keeping their shit together as well. Especially in this day and age.

Okay, here's my list of things I want to do/see/eat in Cleveland approximately two weeks from now (in no particular order)

+ Cleveland Museum of Art
+ Caribou Coffee (to hang out and write)
+ Alesci's Italian Grocery and Deli - Capicola and sausage! (And can I just say I'm so fucking sick of the yokel-locals around here insisting on calling it "cappa-cola." Plebes.)
+ Christmas lights downtown
+ Visit my friend Pat H., one of the teachers from my trip to China in '04. That woman can DRINK!
+ Play Scrabble with my sister-in-law, so that the Moning (Tagalog for kitteh) can sit herself in the middle of the board and mess up the tiles.
+ Make lasagna for my Filipino family.
+ Go to one of the swanky bars on 6th and sing that Cleveland tourism video song "It's the perfect place if you're a douchebag."
+ Drive around the Flats and sing that other Cleveland tourism video song "The Flats look like a Scooby Doo ghost-town."

What's that smell?

That's the burning rubber of my wheels trying to catch up with my life. Or the flinty smoke from my rotundus maximus trying to wedge itself through the door.

Haven't gone to H2O aerobics in 3 weeks due to: covering someone else's class, attending a department meeting, having my period, getting ready for the conference last weekend, grading, and getting a sinus infection. I am going tomorrow if I have to shoot down and stomp on my students' dead bodies and bloody scripts to get there.

Did manage to get to Yoga tonight, and that felt good, although clearly my abs have forsaken me.

I'm behind on everything but that's only going to last a few more days, then I'll have a chance to catch up.

Cleveland and the in-laws were delightful this past weekend, though as usual I ate too much bad stuff there (though not as much as usual; I was being careful). Only one piece of pie instead of four. Not so shabby eh?

A successful visit to Half Price Books gleaned me the first season of Night Gallery, a Twilight Zone Companion, a book on belly fat, a new journal, and...something else I can't recall at the moment. Best part was that, unbeknownst to me, there was a 20% off educator discount going on. Of course I had no college I.D. on me, other than a business card, and I more or less bludgeoned the clerk into giving me a discount anyway. She got her vengeance by "forgetting" to put the DVDs in the box for Night Gallery. I had to go back, wait in the damn line again, etc. But did get a coupon for 15% for my troubles (which I promptly gave to my sis-in-law since it was only good until the end of the month and I live 2 states over).

Ah, but now I have tons of grading to do and Night Gallery to distract me. Who could ask for anything more?

It's Getting Better All the Time

As I'd thought, I do indeed have a sinus infection and with the proper drugs I am on my way to a full recovery. Today going back to work, finally. My little students - I miss them.

We're headed to Cleveland tomorrow to visit the in-laws and take a much-needed break (okay not counting my 3 days home sick which didn't feel like a break). I would like to try to enjoy myself this weekend. Our favorite spots: Half-Priced Books, Caribou Coffee, Microcenter, Marshalls. Things we can't get here. I'd also love to hit up the Cleveland Museum of Art, which was closed for renovations last time we tried to go.

Oops time to get ready for bein' a teacher.

The Year Bizarro Saved Thanksgiving

This year's T'giving was a struggle, gentle readers. The week began with the usual B.S. at the chorch, me racing around cleaning house for my Bro and his Wife to arrive on Tuesday night, and also squeezing in an overdue haircut.

Got all that done, Bro and his Wife arrived Tuesday evening and we had a good visit with Mom. Stopped at the wine store on the way home, got back in the car and somehow (in some fashion that only I could manage) I brushed the lights/turn signal stalk on the steering wheel in such a way as to snap the fucker right off. Yep. No lights, no turn signals. Just an empty space where the arm should have been. It was the most aggravating thing to have happen the night before a 6-hour drive to Cleveland. I was sobbing, really ready to put my fist through the windshield. My brother did his best to somehow rig the thing so that I could at least turn on the lights, but no dice. Thankfully, the booze store is only a minute's drive though a parking lot and a relatively back road to my apartment. We got it back home with the flashers on, and my Bro had to disconnect the battery so the parking lights (which were stuck ON) wouldn't drain it overnight.

We proceeded to open the bottle of wine and try to make due with each other's company and that was actually more enjoyable than I would have imagined. Bizarro was wonderful - he came up with the plan to deliver the car to the dealership in the morning and then rent a car. I got on the horn first thing the next day and found a place that rents used cars (nice ones, though, not beaters like mine) so that we could drive to Cleveland. I bagged work for the morning and my Bro carted us to where we needed to go. We then took him and the Wife to our favorite greasy spoon for a historic diner experience.

The trip to Cleveland was actually more enjoyable in the rental, and we decided that until we get a better car, we'll rent any time we have to make a long trip. It was decidedly more comfortable, and the power of a V6 engine was wonderful going up and down the hills of our City on the Edge of Forever.

Of course I spent most of my time in Cleveland sick, but I pushed through and did some shopping and even made my first ever skateboard ride! Yes, Bizarro's sister took me to the skatepark and let me borrow her fab longboard. It was fun! Also, on T'giving Day, I sat on my butt and watched much of the House M.D. marathon on USA.


We took our time coming back today. My Bro and the Wife left our apartment (where they stayed to spend T'giving with mom) in better condition than when we left.

Speaking of Mom, though, things aren't looking as promising as a week ago. She's had a sharp pain in her hip these last few days which has really set her back. I really don't know what's going to happen. I have a feeling we'll be moving her into a permanent nursing home arrangement - but it WON'T be the place she is now. It's the usual horror story there and I won't subject Mom to that. But we haven't given up hope yet. The fact is that she's supposed to be in Rehab, even though her bed's on the nursing home floor, so if we can get her actually MOVED to the Rehab floor, she may do better with the attention she needs. For one thing they're not having her walking every day, which is fucking ludicrious. What do they think she's going to have to do when she goes back to the assisted living facility? Anyway, the saga continues to drag on and I am back to feeling like shit about the situation. Poor Mom. She's very discouraged and worried, and she's in a helluva lot of pain with the nursing staff not giving her the pain meds like she's supposed to be getting. I'm really ready to break my foot off in someone's ass over there. Believe me, they have no idea how much of a squeaky wheel I can be.

I gotta dump the church job sooner than the 12th. I need to be 100% engaged with Mom and this situation. I'm supposed to be training someone starting Monday, which means I won't be able to break away for the usual barrage of phone calls I deal with every day dealing with Mom.

So I've got one day before going back to work, so I can spend some Q-time with Mom, do some laundry, and write up lists of all the stuff I have to attend to. Welcome back. At least I did have a break, though, thanks to Bizarro, who was able to problem solve us out of a sticky situation, and who did the first lap of driving both ways, as well as all the driving while we were there. He's a keeper, that one.

Okay, after the last 3 image entries, I'll actually write something.

Well, first off is good news. The Rehab folks think Mom is doing so well that she'll be discharged from rehab on Dec. 1 or thereabouts. This is far better than we could have expected. It also means I have to kick things into high gear early next week to get home health aides in the picture.

I only have 2.5 more weeks at the Chorch, and I'm counting down the seconds. I love my co-workers, but I need a break from this break-neck schedule. With the extra class at the community college next semester, I will be just busy enough, leaving time for handing Mom-stuff and keeping some energy set aside for writing and hopefully getting published and moving forward in '09 with getting an agent. That was a goal for '08 that disappeared when things got bad with Mom's health.

Next week is of course "gorge yourself on rich foods and then sit on your ass for 4 days" week. My Bro is coming on Tuesday the 25th, we are leaving for Cleveland on the 26th and returning Saturday the 29th. I am looking forward to a change of scenery and being pampered a little bit. Not that I should feel good about my 70-something mother-in-law cooking for me, but there is no way to stop her. Although, she does let me help for Thanksgiving dinner, at least. But the rest of the time she insists on feeding us like were were children totally dependent on her. Which is exactly how she likes it. But I know that feeding us is how she shows her love. And actually, Dad is the same way. He cooks, too. Especially breakfast, which is Bizarro's favorite part - bacon, sausage and eggs EVERY MORNING.

Over all right now I'm feeling okay and the stress levels are the lowest they've been in weeks. I am going out tonight to meet a friend of mine, Kyle, from grad school (linguistics) who is currently doing his PhD here at the School on the Hill. Bizarro ran into him randomly at a Starfucks a couple months ago, and this is the first chance we've had to get together and shoot the shit. It's so comforting when people from the past re-enter your life at random moments. Particularly someone who knows some of your history and shares some of the same professional/academic experiences. It'll be grand to have another friend in The City on The Edge of Forever.

Next week I'm going back to Yoga class, which will kick my ass again since it's been 3 weeks since I was there last. I've done some at home but not as regularly as I'd have liked, between being sick and coming home exhausted at 8 p.m. every night from the hospital or nursing home.

One last thing to add - I'm officially addicted to watching "House, M.D." Hugh Laurie is intense and I would totally do him. Not as House, you understand, but in a general way.

"Spring Break"

Notice the quotation marks in the title. They represent the fact that this week hasn't been much of a break.

Our trip to Cleveland was truncated because we had to leave a day late. Although we had a good time there, it was too short. If I have to be in a car 5.5 - 6 hours, I want to be at my destination more than 1 full day. But it was what it was, and was mostly enjoyable. I have pics of us celebrating my 40th and Dad's 80th, which I'll post later.

I had a day to do errands on Wed. and then Thursday before the sun came up I was on my way to Momazoo's. She had fistula revision surgery as an outpatient, and although the surgery itself went very well, there were other complications. She'd been short of breath for a couple weeks, which everyone seemed to be ignoring. Finally the physical therapist she sees thought to check her blood oxygen levels early in the week, and they were startlingly low. But they didn't do anything about it. Next day, Wednesday, the pain management doctor also tested her O2 level, and it was still way low. They wanted to send her to the ER but she refused, thinking that she was going into the hospital the next morning, anyway (Mom's infallible logic, eh?).

Needless to say the day surgery people were halted in their tracks when she told them about the low O2 level and sure enough when they tested it, it was arond 76 (a healthy person's should register around 98). They gave her oxygen and did a chest xray, which showed fluid on her lungs. But they were able to get the O2 levels up enough so that the surgeon could do his thing. But after surgery they sent her to the inpatient dialysis unit. As a result, it was a 12-hour day for her. I went home to Mom's apt. to get a bite to eat and a short nap, then back to the hospital around 6:00.

She saw the lung specialist who wants to see her this coming week. Last night at dialysis her O2 was down to 74 again, so they sent her home with a prescription for and O2 tank, which she hates. For one thing, they didn't have any small portable tanks so she's pretty much house-bound until they can get that for her on Monday.

I am going to do her shopping for her tomorrow and spend some time with her. I know this is disheartening for her, but at the same time, at least steps are being taken to get her situation under control. My brother is calling her PCP on Monday to demand she be switched to another physician in the group. Her PCP has long been a neglectful asshole, and it's time for something to be done. When she and I asked about switching a year or so ago, we were told that they don't allow patients to switch doctors within the group. Well guess what? They can kiss my ass and go to hell because that jerkface who calls himself a doctor has ignored my mom's symptoms for the last time.

I now have 40 papers to grade and mid-term grades are due Tuesday morning. Yeah. Right. Well I'll just have to do my best. I slept a lot last night and today, since I haven't slept well the last few nights, in Cleveland or the night before mom's surgery, or the night I spent at mom's. I have to make sure I'm taking care of myself as well. Tomorrow before I go to mom's, I'm supposed to go to a free Reiki workshop that a friend of mine is doing. I really want to go, but I may have to beg off. We'll see how it goes.

Right now I am eating a snack of cottage cheese and pineapple, and later will get up to the exercise room. That's my plan.

And that's about it for now. More pictures and other tidbits as time permits in the coming week...

Denied!

The shitty weather is keeping us home-bound today instead of heading off to Cleveland. We're planning to leave at the ass-crack of dawn tomorrow (Sunday) instead of this afternoon. I guess it's actually for the best anyway, as we both have stuff to do and this way we don't have to be quite as rushed.

Two weekends ago I ordered a DVD set of Space: 1999's first season (the first 6 episodes - they were all I could afford). I am still waiting for them to arrive and every day that I check the mail and find them absent I get more and more aggravated. Supposedly they were shipped from NYC and sent via U.S. mail. I can't believe they haven't arrived after 2 weeks (10 business days).

Meantime, I've found this hilarious parody of LOLcats: LOLthulu.

My craving for SF media is unrelenting. I have to wait until next month for Battlestar Galactica, and god knows when Doctor Who will start up (and I heard a very disturbing rumor that David Tennant will be leaving after next season), and of course I haven't seen a SF movie in forever. Wanted to see Cloverfield, but didn't. I want to see something that will blow me away and have me obsessed for weeks. Where has all the good SF gone?

Speaking of Birds...

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you've all enjoyed consumption of turkey carcass, smashed potats, yyyyyamz, etc. and of course, Pumpkin Pah.

We're lounging in Cleveland at the Bizarro family house for a few days. I did a lot of cookin' today, then I insisted we go for a walk after dinner, before Pah. We've been watching the marathon of Ghost Hunters since the morning (after the Macy's Parade).

I keep thinking about those guys - their whole lives have been transformed by the popularity of the show. Just regular guys who have pursued their interests and now have their own TV show. Such an inspirational success story.

I'd love to put together a ghost hunting team for our area. Of course I'll probably never get around to it, but it would be cool.