Marriage and babies

I just checked the celebrity news today and one of the Survivor contestants has been secretly married for over a year.  So?  Well apparently they're pairing her up with Keith on the show.  Maybe I missed something or maybe it's the editing but I sure didn't see any kind of relationship going on other than maybe friendship and a smaller alliance.  Lord, what are people thinking these days.  If you're married, you're married.  You have to watch yourself and how people view you if you're going to go on a show like Survivor where there are cameras on you 24/7.  It's none of our business what happens next.  If something happened on the show than Whitney, it's up to you to work that out with your spouse.

And speaking of nobody's business, since when should anyone care how many babies the Duggars are having?  I know it's up to 20 now, but come on.  They're not breaking the law.  Who are we to judge what they're doing?  I personally would not have more than two.  But that's me.  I'm not sure why people are doing news stories on whether or not this family should have another child.  It's their business.  Not ours. 

It's not a Tumor! Oh but it was a tumor...

I have been exhausted for the last few years.  I always blamed my non-existent energy on mental health issues or being out of shape or something.  But something didn't feel quite right.  The exhaustion couldn't be normal though when I would mention it in physicals I was told to exercise more.  They just didn't understand that I couldn't even exercise.  I wasn't being lazy, there was just nothing to work with.

Finally I dug my heals in at my doctor's office and one of the doctors ran my calcium levels.  It was elevated.  More tests showed that my parathyroid hormone was also elevated and my vitamin D was frightfully low.  All of these are regulated by the parathyroid gland.  Off I went to an endocrinologist who with the help of an ultrasound, found a nickel-sized tumor in my neck on one of my parathyroid glands.

Four months later I was hooked up with a surgeon and out it was cut.  My vitamin D was normal. My calcium and parathyroid levels returned to normal, and now I'm just waiting for the scar to heal.  My energy level is through the roof and I'm trying to get used to having it again.

Next time I feel like something is off, I'm not going to be afraid to push the doctors harder to find out what's wrong.

Caesar's Ghost...

I had a dog named Caesar.  Actually he was my family's dog, but I loved him every bit as much as if he were only mine.  We had 14 great years together before he just got too sick to go on.  It was time to put him down.  My brothers were braver than I.  Two of them went with my step-father.  One of them stayed through it all.  I am grateful to him so that Caesar was not alone in the end.  This was 3 years ago.

For the last few months I've been having dreams where Caesar was alive.  In the dream I knew he wasn't supposed to be there, but I selfishly ignored my inner voice and enjoyed the dream.  Until I woke up.  Then the pain all came flooding back.  Usually I cry for awhile as quietly as possible so as not to let my husband hear.

I finally told some people today as I can't seem to let go of this pain.  My brother's response was "That's depressing and sucks".  My Dad seems to think I have some psychological issues that need working out.

I wish I could afford a therapist to help me figure out what my brain is trying to tell me.

In Anticipation of Harry Potter...

I am an avid Harry Potter fan to say the least.  I am eagerly awaiting the last movie, which I will be seeing at midnight tomorrow night.  But I also have some fears regarding the last movie.  I’ve always been one to separate the books from the movies, and therefore have less criticism of said movies than let’s say, the diehard fans of the books.  I am afraid however that this movie might stray a little to far from the last book, and it being the last movie, that won’t do.  I’ve been watching interviews and sneakpeaks, TV Specials and late night appearances, all for a glimpse at what to expect of the last movie.  Now as the night is almost upon me for when all those clips will be placed in a way in which they make some sense, I’m afraid of being let down. 

The truth of the matter is, when Harry Potter first became big, I boycotted it.  It was like the movie “Titanic” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.  I wasn’t into the hype, it was a huge turnoff.  Then one day, my sister, who swore I would like the movies, forced me to watch the first one on VHS.  I was riveted.  The next day I went to see the second one in the movie theatre, and went from there to a bookstore to buy the first 4 books, the only ones released at that point.  I remember laughing at Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire while sitting in the Mexico City airport, awaiting my flight home from Central America.  Rowling had captured my imagination.  I went on to write fan fiction of the series, though to this day, no one but myself has read it. 

So what to do now?  I suppose just wait out the next 26 hours and hope that I won’t be sitting behind a great tall fellow as I did at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.  I will run my errands tomorrow and try not to think about it too much, lest I grow too impatient.  I have no doubt I will write a review of the movie, at least my kind of movie review which resembles nothing like a real movie critics’. 

A Few Thoughts...(Very few)

Dear Blog Readers, I have been asked by several of you why I haven’t posted anything in several months.  Truthfully I have not been feeling very witty or intelligent.  I’ll give it a go now.  Writing, not being witty or intelligent. 

On the subject of the royal wedding and the young royal couple:  I had fully intended on watching the Royal Wedding live on TV on April 19^th, however found that I preferred sleeping to the actual event.  I did catch the appearance on the balcony however and watched many a recap of the ceremony.  I loved her dress, elegant and classy.  She looked quite happy, beaming with those pearly whites.  Many people were either lovers or haters of all the media the young couple has attracted.  I’m obviously one who can’t get enough of the Royal Couple, so long as their privacy isn’t too glaringly intruded upon.  I am continually impressed by the Duchess of Cambridge’s continued grace and elegance as she settles into royal life.  The North American tour showed she can push through these appearances and hold her own.  Well done Princess Catherine. 

Twitter.  It’s this amazing program.  At first I thought it was dumb and boring.  Now I need to get my fix often.  I am fascinated by the world of celebrities.  I always have been and I’m pretty sure I always will.  There’s something very powerful about tweeting Adam Savage (Mythbusters), Wil Wheaton, or Craig Ferguson.  I almost get an adrenaline rush.  I don’t anticipate they’ll ever read my tweets, but the very thought they might is very exciting.  I don’t tweet often, as I doubt the 14 people who follow me really care much about what I’m doing at the moment, but the following of the 104 “people” I follow gets me all excited.  For instance, I wouldn’t have known Tom Felton would be on Dave Letterman tonight, and I might have missed out on his interview.  I love seeing behind the scenes pictures from a day on the Mythbusters shoot posted by Tory Belleci, Grant Imahara, or Kari Byron.  It’s wonderful for people like me who don’t have a life. 

That’s all for now, I think.  Who wants to read a blog entry that is 7 pages long, after all. 

Lord of the Rings Heals All Kind of Hurt

Need a good cry?  Lord of the Rings.  Need a laugh?  Lord of the Rings.  Need to do your taxes?  Lord of the Rings.  And I am referring to the Peter Jackson Film Trilogy in this instance.  It is very difficult to do taxes while reading a good book (or three). 

Yesterday was a weird day.  I was feeling a little more claustrophobic than usual, so I thought, what can I do to calm myself?  Ah yes, the Special Extended Version of the Lord of the Rings.  It did in fact help.  Now, by the time I got to the Two Towers, I was so relaxed I decided to do my taxes.  So as Eowyn attempted to win Aragorn’s heart with really terrible soup, I filed both Jason’s and my own Federal and State taxes. 

For those who knew me when the films first came out, you know the stats of how many times I saw the movies in the theatre.  Fellowship of the Ring: 2, Two Towers: 11, and Return of the King: 14 times.  You could say I was obsessed.  These days however, I don’t watch it nearly as often as I used to.  About twice a year do I sit down and watch the entire trilogy.  And more often than not, I fall asleep or snooze through some of the moments.  Not because it bores me, but because I have seen them so many times and know the whole thing by heart.

So why am I admitting such a silly obsession?  Because they really are great movies.  And please don’t leave comments regarding how they are not true to the books.  I know that.  I have the ability to separate out books from their film versions. 

So if you have an insane amount of time free and just want to be taken to a sweet fantasy land for about 12 hours, I highly recommend these films.  

I Want To Be A Comedy Writer

Okay folks, here's the truth.  I want to write.  I want to make people laugh.  I started my first novel when I was 15 in High School.  It ended up being 365 handwritten pages.  It was terrible, but at least it kept me from succumbing to absolute boredom in Math Class.  Sorry Mr. Brown.  I know I was a terrible student.

I have since written the beginnings of more than 30 stories.  It's true that I don't finish most of them, but I'm proud of them nonetheless.  I think some of the strongest points of my writing is the dialog.  I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I can come up with surprisingly witty banter.  In my head I hear the lines spoken out loud.  If only I could describe how each line was being said, however that's the point in having reader's interpretation.  Detail is not my strong suit.  I am much better at dialog.

I think if I ever wanted to pursue writing professionally, I need to stop "practicing" and take some classes on structure and form.  My nephew announced that he wanted to be a sitcom writer, and he would do what it takes to get there.  He's young, I am not so young.  I think it may be too late for me to join the writers of The Big Bang Theory.  But maybe, just maybe, I can life vicariously through my nephew.