Rainy rainy day, house to myself, and allergies

This is the view out my patio window of this lovely, wet, rainy day. I always feel happier on cloudy, gloomy days, and even more so on rainy ones. Aside from wanting to crawl back into bed for a nap (been sleeping really late and going to bed later too recently), I kind of don't want to waste the day. I have the house to myself. Amanda is at work, her parents went to lunch, and the cats are either settling down for nap time or nibbling at the food dish. The only thing thwarting me are my allergies and my body.

My whole body is achy, my back the worst of it but I am hoping a nice hot shower will help to ease some of that up, if not, I've got a tens unit I can use for a bit before I leave tonight. Oh yeah, I am heading over to Spokane tonight to pick up a friend and go to a Wiccan Spirituality Circle. I think it's going to be interesting. As for my allergies, well, I forgot to take the 24 hour allergy pill I usually take, yesterday, and am paying for it now. I'll go take it when I get up to take the rest of my meds. 

Oh I really cannot tell you how lovely it is to just sit and listen to it rain. No one is talking, there aren't any TVs on in the house. Well, okay, one of my neighbors is outside talking on their phone but it's not loud and it's not inside my house. It is just nice and peaceful.  

Haunted Humpday 9

It's Haunted Humpday again and this time I am getting to it early and starting off with a recent craft. I actually knocked this one out Monday afternoon. I've wanted a larger tote bag in which I could carry some of my bigger craft projects so I made one. And I fell in love with this vintage witch cameo fabric! So did Narcisa.

Of course I had planned to have at least part of my Halloween costume sewn by now but it just didn't seem to happen today. I am hoping production on that starts tonight at the latest. So in lieu of that I thought I would talk about the book I've finally been able to get back to and the show that's been keeping me company whilst I've been sewing and crocheting. 

My cousin Shi-Chan strongly recommended The Originals, a spin off of the Vampire Diaries. She said her Grandma watches it and says it's better than the Vampire Diaries. (Which I thought was just getting good since I got caught up on last season) She knew how much I loved Elijah when he was in the Vampire Diaries and I was starting to have a love hate viewer relationship with Klaus. So, after waiting for it to show up on Netflix, I decided to give it a go. I rather like it! Elijah doesn't disappoint and here I am hoping that Klaus can still be redeemed right along with him.   

I know I have gushed over Jeaniene Frost's books before but I really do love the Night Huntress Series. This is book 5 of the series and I am really enjoying it. I had to take a little break from it while working on homework and also because there are two spin off books that take place between the previous book and this one. 

Other than that, I have been busy working on Halloween goodies. I've created the event page for the Halloween Party we are hosting, put up the invitation, narrowed down what decorations we are taking (we have so few but I am taking nearly all of them which leaves my house a bit bare), and I have created a large playlist of Halloween Music to play at the party. I've also decided on what food we are going to provide. When it was a smaller gathering at our house a few different appetizers were far more manageable, but since we've so graciously been given a different venue, a friend's house, we are doing nachos. It's relatively cheap and simple to do. Apart from that I have a few other little things to do, sewing my costume being the biggest part.

This Saturday the IEPG is having a large Samhain Potluck and Celebration. We are, of course, going and need to take along some food. But I can't, for the life of me decided what I want to take. I was thinking soup since the days are getting cooler but my friend Fiona (who used to be known as Christine B- she's changing her name) is going  to take white chicken chili. I would make a dessert but lots of people bring those and we invariably end up with more desserts than main dishes and side dishes. So I am trying to decide between pot roast, my cranberry apple chicken, or one of the recipes I found on Pinterest.  It's so hard because all of it sounds so good! Especially right now when its 2 am I am hungry and could really go for a snack. Time for some water and for me to hit the hay.

I keep forgetting to do this: Thank you Marfi for hosting this project!!!

So tired, my phone is crapping out, and the last week of the term...

Amanda and I made a late night run to Wal-Mart the other night and ended up getting chips, chocolate, soda, and a Rocket Raccoon pillow. She'd been wanting to get me this pillow for awhile and since it was on clearance, she decided that night was the night to get it. I've been sleeping with it ever since.

I haven't really been on the computer since Monday during the day. So I haven't had the chance to talk about my wonderful 7th Anniversary. I got all gussied up and Amanda picked me up after she got off work. She had flowers waiting for me in the car, which was really sweet! We went to Azteca, a Mexican food restaurant, and we both devoured our food. It was delicious! Probably the best Mexican food I have had since moving up here. We even had dessert. Then we went to the late showing of Dracula Untold. I loved that movie and the soundtrack is really good too! Of course you can probably guess what we followed all of that up with. It was a really good night! Oh and I pet a bat at our table, it was a fake one, part of the restaurants Halloween decor, but it was so cute, I had to touch it!

Wow, I don't know what's going on here in town but police, fire, and ambulance sires sure have been going off and on the last few minutes. Hope people are okay and there isn't another big wreck somewhere. 

I have been so tired the last couple of days. My skin is breaking out, I've been craving everything, and been really hungry, and sleeping far too much plus I have been really exhausted. So that means I am getting ready to start my period. Since I've missed the last two months, I'm going to have a bad one this time. I just hope it's not so bad that I have to be put on meds to stop it again. I HATE that. I also hate that I crave such crappy processed food all the time. Pizza rolls are a total go to for me and not a good one. I always crave steak or cheese but around this time I want all of that along with cake candy, pizza, chips, and other crap. Why can't I crave other things?! 

This is the last week of this term for me. I've been doing the last of my assignments and just have a couple more to do. They won't me take too long, for which I am happy. I am also happy that it looks like I will have an A in my writing class and a B in my World Lit class. Hopefully that will bump my GPA up a little more. I'm sitting at a 3.33 but I want to graduate with at least a 3.50. 

My cell phone has really begun giving me the finger. I've had it for several years and really liked it! It;s not a smart phone, it's a dumb phone but I never really minded because it had a nice slide feature that had a qwerty text keyboard. But it's had a little water damage, it beeps at me when ever I am on the phone, sometimes you can't hear your calls very well or the person you're talking to sounds really quiet, and did I mention that Amanda recently dropped it? Yep, she dropped it and stepped on it. So now it's kind of loose and wobbly. LOL, and recently my keys don't want to register. I have to push them several times before they decided to cooperate. So, I am going to shop a little bit on  Amazon and see what I can come up with. I am going to gravitate toward a smart phone. 

Aside from that I need to make a birthday card for my cousin. I'll do it on the computer and e-mail it to her or post it to facebook in a message to her. I also have a lot of sewing to get done this weekend and next week.

Belated Haunted Humpday # 8

You'll all have to forgive me for being late with this Haunted Humpday post. This is the last week of this term and I am finishing up homework. I have also been sleeping a lot more than I would like but I will talk about that in another post. 

This week I am going to talk about two movies and a little craft from last year. For our anniversary, Amanda took me to Dracula Untold. I loved it! I really liked the cast and the story, the effects, everything! Plus, it sets up the story line for future monster movies. I read an article somewhere, can't remember where, saying that someone was going to do reboots of all of the famous monster movies. I am excited! Especially if Dracula will be in them! 

Amanda and I also watched a movie a few nights ago called Devil's Pass. It's horror film about some film students who want to make a documentary about what happened to a group of people who were lost in the Ural mountains in Russia. It's really interesting and actually a little scary. We enjoyed it. 

 Amanda and I sort of collect Monster High Dolls. Last year for Halloween, we made a house for them out of boxes and various things because they are freaky fabulous and needed to be part of the decor! 

It's nothing special or spectacular, but it was really neat for what it was. We ended up giving the house to one of Amanda's younger cousins so she could have it for her Monster High Dolls. 

So tired, the easy part is over, I ganked something from an FB post and my purse really sticks!

I ganked this picture from the Facebook Fibro and Chronic Pain Support page. It really does give a good depiction of what I feel like on a daily basis, well except for the fact that it doesn't show for my herniated disk and disk degeneration. There it is. That is me, every damned day. This is what my life will be until the day I die. Some days are better than others. Some days I can barely walk (that's more from the herniated disk). It is what it is. I didn't want this. I didn't choose it. I am taking medication for it, but it doesn't get rid of all the pain, just makes it a little bearable, or tolerable. It used to be that Amanda couldn't touch me certain ways or in certain places without me hissing or gasping, and recoiling. Now, while I need her to rub my back to help ease some of the tension, if she rubs for more than a minute, it really starts to hurt but I am still so desperate to get things to ease up that I deal with it. It's a kind double edged trade of. 

Depressing part over, I am so tired today! Honestly, I just want to curl up and take a nap. But, I can't. I have to go pick up Amanda from work and do some more homework. The easy part of it is done. Now comes the hard part wherein I have to write a 250 word short story and then 500 word short story. After that, I have to write a minimum 4-5 page paper (which is almost practically written just in the outline). I need to have all of this done and turned in by Sunday. However, since I have a friend's going away party (she is moving back to the Midwest) and an anniversary party, which get this, is a day filled with snacks, chatting, and table top gaming with the celebrating couple their family and friends. It is a really neat idea! 

On to why my purse stinks! Oh it is awful! Last week at the All Things Pumpkin Potluck with the IEPG group, Amanda got two free herbal mixtures from two wonderful ladies who make all sorts of candles, tinctures, tonics, bath goodies, and foot stuff.  One smelled really good, but the other, whew! The really stinky one is supposed to pull the toxins from your feet, which I think is really awesome! However, we put them in my purse and now the smell won't go away. Amanda suggested that I put a tea bag in there to absorb the smell and then in turn perfume my purse with the scent of tea. Sure, I will do that, as soon as I figure out which of our hundred bags of tea I want my purse to smell like. 

No, seriously, if left alone in the tea and coffee isle of the store, I would compulsively buy every kind. Amanda's Mom threatened my life if I brought home any more tea. I don't drink it all the time, but I just love having it, smelling it, knowing I can have any kind of tea I want (if we have it) whenever I want it. I know. It is a problem. But I could have worse things to hoard. Oh shit, I think I know what my 250 words story is going to be about now. Muwaha!

Haunted Humpday 7- better a few minutes late than never.

Amanda lied. Last night was the Lunar Eclipse not tonight. So, I missed it but apparently there is supposed to be another one in April. YAY! But, I did go to the Blood/Sanguine Full Moon Ritual with my IEPG Family tonight. It was a nice ritual about letting go of all the things that hurt, make you sad, or angry, just all the bad stuff so we can get ready to start the new year, which for most pagan folk, is on Halloween or rather Samhain. 

This Haunted Humpday I bring news of having purchased the material for the shirt/dress/costume I am making. I found a nice black knit fabric and some black lace. I decided that would be much easier (rather cheaper) than trying to make the lovely dress I wanted to make. So along with this shirt/dress I am making, I'm going to throw on a corset, my boots, and wear some black leggings, do my hair and make up and get some teeth and bam! Sexy fat vampire! Amanda talked about me going as a panda. No, just no. I like pandas but I don't want to be one for Halloween. 

As for our Halloween Party, it's going to be really awesome! I've already decided on our part of the decorations, food, my costume and Amanda is going to do hers (she's going to be one of the characters in her book), what drinks we are going to bring, and I'm going to do a small photo booth and set up my camera. The next big planning adventure is music. Scott wants to dance and since he and his lovely wife Robin are providing the venue (their house) I need to make sure that happens. It really will be a lot of fun, I think. And I will have some fun pictures to post afterward. 

That is all for this week! 

A Halloween Party?

 

Amanda and I are planning to have a Halloween Party. For now, we are keeping it small with just a few guests, mostly because we don't have a lot of room and not a lot of seating. And well, food and drinks cost a lot. We might extend the guest list depending on whether or not we can get a larger location (the club house at Aunt Lola's) Of course then we will have to turn it into a family event with no alcohol. *sigh* 

We're going with a vampire theme and probably going to do everything black and red. I will post pictures when everything is set up, but that's going to be at the end of the month to it will be awhile.

This is definitely one of those times that I wish Amanda and I had our own place, there would be more room for people to move about and sleep if they needed to stay over. 

Labels: just one of those things that really gets on my nerves

Okay, here's the thing, I am sick of people being so centered on labels. It's kind of like how people are so obsessed with words. Everyone is so hypersensitive and afraid of hurting precious little snowflakes that we have trigger warnings and stupid unnecessary things like that. Everything is so PC it's almost sickening and god(s) forbid you step off that PC line with the wrong person. The wrong person, the person who is hypersensitive or is playing hypersensitive to champion someone else's cause will run you into the ground and make you feel like shit just because you slipped up and said "that's gay" or that "that's retarded" or even "you guys". Or god forbid you try to categorize them when describing them to other people or not categorize them properly.  

Now, don't get me wrong, I totally understand being respectful of someone else, but lecturing or tearing into someone because you got all butt hurt over a label or a word really doesn't help your cause. In fact, most of the time it just pisses people off and chances are you made things worse because now they will act and speak out of spite.

Instead of all of this nonsense, we need to get out of the grade school mentality and grow up, get thicker skins. There are much bigger issues going on in the world than if Jimmy down the street called you an offensive name or Sally, who you work with, told someone you were such and such. 

Here is what I believe:

Labels are expressions, definitions, and cages of who we are. But we are more than our labels. 

For instance, I am a Heathen and a Kitchen Witch (both things I came into gradually and am still learning about). I am a writer. I am in a lesbian relationship. I am a feminist a cat lover, anime lover, bibliophile, writer, cook, and house wife. Medical professionals term me morbidly obese. I am a brunette, white, female. A Mormon once called me unteachable but that was because I was refused to convert to Mormonism. I am not unteachable, I am learning something everyday from school, from life, and from self reflection.

My point: there are many other labels I could attach to myself to give you an idea of who I am and what I like. But they aren't the whole picture. There is so much more to me! I am a growing, individual creature. My labels can cage me but I don't let them. I move past them, grow beyond their limitations. Sure, they are a quick way, a snapshot if you will, of getting to know someone on the surface, but they don't really tell the story. Which is why I get so damned frustrated with people immediately jumping on the "well I am trans/gay/christian/ect.." thing right away as if that's all I need to know about them. None of that tells me if they are a good person, if they would make a good friend. All it does tell me is that we may or may not have something in common.

Labels can be building blocks but if you rely on them too heavily, they will limit you.