So I’ve kept trying to post about this for several days now, and I just can’t come up with the thing to say. So I guess I’ll just post, because I think if I don’t post now I never will. And I felt like I should say something.
My dog Honey died on the 14th. I started crying immediately when my mom told me… and then I had to just talk about other things because I couldn’t stand it any more… and I managed to cry a little the next day, when I had to talk to her about arrangements, but I haven’t managed to cry any since then. I’ve wanted to, just… couldn’t.
My brain just can’t accept that she’s gone. I can even look at pictures and think yeah, I’m never going to see her again, but I don’t really _know_ it. Maybe it’s because I wouldn’t look at her after she died. I’ve lost dozens of pets, and normally it’s something I insist on… something I have to do… but I just couldn’t this time. Couldn’t bear it. Wanted to remember her the way she was, didn’t want to see her like that.
I just can’t imagine a world without her in it. It doesn’t seem like that could be the real world.
We got her, if I remember correctly, in March 1993. Sometime that spring. We adopted her from the Orlando Humane Society; she was about a year and a half old. (So I guess that made her… about 19?) I fell in love with her instantly. “I love this little dog”, I think were my exact words when we were making our decision at the shelter. One of my earliest memories of her is curling up in front of the TV with her to watch the very first episode of the X-Files when it came on. She was about the closest I got to a little sister growing up. She was ALWAYS happy to see me, and my mom said she would get really depressed when I was away at school.
I’ve always dreaded losing her. I think it started when I was a kid and I had a nightmare that this teacher I really didn’t like at school had said Honey had bit her or something, and she called animal control to have her taken away and put to sleep. When I was a kid I used to sleep with the radio on (oldies, always) and when I woke up from the dream “The Sound of Silence” was playing on the radio. For most of my life I couldn’t listen to that song without wanting to cry, and right now I’m not sure I ever want to hear it again.
I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights dreading this day, even though I tried to tell myself it was going to come either way and I should just enjoy my time with her. After I moved out of my parents’ house, I couldn’t take her with me, but every time I visited I made sure to visit her and talk to her and make sure she knew I loved her, especially the last few years when she wasn’t doing so good.
These pictures are from when she was younger and a lot healthier. She’s always hated cameras, so the only way to get a picture where she wasn’t cowering was to surprise her or hide the camera. These are the only two I happened to have access to right now; my mom’s supposed to get me some more, because we have lots…
So I went to the Weird Al concert on Wednesday, and it was AMAZING. Apparently I haven’t been paying enough attention, because he has a couple of really good new songs that came out late last year that I still hadn’t heard until the show. But they were nice surprises!
Highlights of the show for me:
* “Polka Face”. As always, his pop-polka medleys make me indescribably, inexplicably happy.
* “Smells Like Nirvana”. This is one of my all-time favorites, and I’m so happy he still plays it live. (And that Nicole bought me a t-shirt with Al dressed like Kurt Cobain :D )
* “Skipper Dan”. If you’re reading this, you probably, like me, did time at one of Orlando’s theme parks. (For me it was 9 years at Universal.) And if you did… you need to watch this.
* “You’re Pitiful”. I’m not wild about the song itself, but when he performs it live he starts taking his clothes off.
* “Let Me Be Your Hog”. Yeah, I love UHF way too much, so I was tickled at him performing this.
* “Wanna B Ur Lovr”. I think me & Nicole might have both needed some alone time after this one. She also noted that we have to buy front-row tickets next time he comes. I’m inclined to agree.
* “I’m In Luv Wit Da Skipper”. This song made me wonder if Weird Al wears slash goggles like we do…
* “Craigslist”. Yeah… Weird Al as Jim Morrison… Weird Al as intoxicated, staring-into-space, about-to-pass-out-over-the-microphone Jim Morrison… in leather pants… yeah.
* …and the Star Wars encore with “The Saga Begins” and “Yoda”. This time, in addition to Jedi guitarists and a Sith keyboardist, he had a Darth Vader, a Boba Fett, and at least a dozen Stormtroopers all jamming out with him.
* First off! Weird Al is going to be at the Hard Rock Live next week, and I am going, and I am SO INCREDIBLY STOKED. I’ve seen him twice before (the “Poodle Hat” tour and the “Straight Outta Lynwood” tour) and he put on an amazing, unforgettable show each time. If you like him, GO SEE HIS SHOW.
* The Sextreme Ball at Firestone. My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Lords of Acid, Blownload, and DJ Deathwish. I swear I have been waiting to go to this show since 8th grade. (Mostly because of Lords of Acid, and to a lesser extent Thrill Kill Kult…) Seriously, I cannot tell you how much time I spent scouring mp3 sharing websites (yes, before Napster!) trying to get all the tracks off of Lust… I cannot WAIT for this show. August 4th!
* Speaking of 1997… Lilith Fair. Back in the day I wanted SO BAD to go to Lilith Fair, and I was crushed when it ended… needless to say, I went nuts when I found out it was coming back. And then I was crushed again when they cancelled all their Florida shows for this year =( Not just the Florida shows even, but EVERYTHING in the Southeast. (Because, honestly, I probably would have gone to Georgia or Alabama to see this.) Obviously I’m hoping they’ll come our way next year, but all these cancellations due to “one of the most challenging summer concert seasons” don’t bode well.
I don’t blame them for the Arizona cancellation, though. Especially when the racism and crazy just keeps coming…
* Psychostick! I missed these guys (with Green Jelly too!) a couple months ago and was SO SAD. I found out, like, the day after the show. I keep checking their tour dates page, but they don’t seem to be coming back to Florida any time soon… sadface. They’re pretty funny, and the videos I’ve seen of them live make it seem like they put on a pretty decent show.
* Apparently there’s a movie of ‘A Handmaid’s Tale’ that came out in 1990. It looks like it might be a little cheesy, but I love the story, and it’s got Natasha Richardson and Robert Duvall. Speaking of…
I swear I didn’t cheat; this was my first try. I saw somebody post their result, and I tried my (friends-locked) June 25th LJ entry as a decent representative of my writing style. I FLIPPED OUT WITH JOY when I saw this result.
* How did I never get into Isaac Asimov until now? I’ve heard of him, obviously, and read a little bit _about_ his work, but hadn’t properly read any of it, I’m embarrassed to say. Recently the VCC East library got rid of a ton of books, and I grabbed a few, including a copy of Buy Jupiter and Other Stories. I’ve been slowly reading it, and I am amazed. Not only at how good it is, but how FUNNY it is. Every story so far has made me laugh out loud and/or given me something to chew on, intellectually speaking. Of course, I’ve only gotten as far as “The Monkey’s Finger”, so hopefully it doesn’t go downhill. I doubt it, though.
This book in particular is a great introduction, I feel, because each story is accompanied by notes by the author, about the story itself, that stage in his life, or whatever…
Honestly, reading about him, he seems like a really cool guy. Smart, progressive, and all-around pretty likable. Too bad he died almost 20 years ago; I want to give him a big hug.
* Babylon 5. It’s amazing. You know it, I know it. For those of you who are going to Dragon*Con, Claudia Christian (Susan Ivanova) and Jason Carter (Marcus Cole) are going to be there. Also, if you’re going to D*C, come hang out and get drunk with me & my girlfriend! XD (We’re almost done with season 1 of B5, and I told her we HAVE to get through at least season 4 before D*C… so until then, no spoilers!)
I’ll close with a couple of videos. The first one made me laugh, the second one made me CRY. The second one has quotes from throughout the series, but it doesn’t really spoil any of the events.
Yep, it’s a long-ass post full of Gaga stuff. Either skip it or deal with it. As a matter of fact:
(Yes, I just made that .gif. Things I do instead of being productive!)
So I posted a while ago on Facebook about the Lady Gaga comic book coming out… it’s been out for a little while now, and I’ve finally seen a positive review of it! Well, kind of. Somebody who didn’t hate it, anyways.
I really shouldn’t judge it by the artwork (which is really not my style, to say the least). I should give it a chance; if I’m enough of a tool to keep buying the ‘Army of Darkness’ comics, can’t I chance a couple bucks on this? I don’t know. If any of you read it, let me know what you think of it / whether you think I’d enjoy it.
And now, video spam!
First off, a remake of the Telephone video by some dudes in Afghanistan. I love it! (Though I’m surprised they’re not worried at all about being DADT-ed… they’re funny about stuff like that sometimes…)
I am gonna make me some Limeade and share it with all my commie pinko friends. (Actually, you don’t have to be a commie pinko. You can have some delicious limeade even if you’re a Rand worshipper.)
But, no, really. Summary of that article: Conservative sees cute kids giving away lemonade, yells at them from car window. I’m not exaggerating or embellishing in the slightest. Apparently kids giving away lemonade is representative/symptomatic of all that’s wrong with our country’s economy.
I bet she’s really fun to be around at Christmastime…
Anyways, just discovered “Cooking For Engineers” today while searching for limeade recipes. I like cooking, and I love engineers, so I plan to investigate it further.
ETA: DELICIOUS COMMIE LIMEADE. (Specifically, Key Limeade, with some cherries/juice added for fun.)
Thank you Heather for taking a picture of my delicious limeade!
Also, I used a bit more syrup than the recipe called for; I wanted something a bit bitier. I mixed up a pitcher with 4 cups of water and 2 cups of syrup, and after tasting it I probably added another 1/2 or 2/3 of a cup.
