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Jul 14, 2010 life

So after two sets of labs my regular doctor has determined that in addition to the MS – or maybe because of it? – I now also have hypothyroidism. Basically, my thyroid is barely functioning, which is really bad because it’s the body’s regulator. It controls a bunch of things, including metabolism, hormone and insulin levels.

He prescribed two more pills to add to my daily cocktail of meds to help stimulate my thyroid into working again. Thank goodness most of my prescriptions are on the cheap generics list or I’d be spending part of my food budget on pills.  LOL

The heat has really been playing havoc with the MS symptoms, too. If I’m out and about for more than a half hour in this 100+ degree weather, I start having really bad muscle spasms. I get asked a lot if it hurts and it does, a bit, but it’s more a dull ache than a sharp pain, usually. It feels like someone is taking my muscles and twisting them around, then letting them go to flop back into place. Sometimes, my muscles will pulse randomly and I can actually see it happening, under my skin. The heat also makes me pass out sometimes without warning. Not in a dangerous “fall on the ground” way, but I’ve passed out several times sitting upright with my fingers in the middle of typing on the laptop.

There has been one good thing to come out of this illness. I no longer have to shave my legs. Last time I shaved was a year ago and the hair hasn’t grown back. Gotta look on the bright side, right?

Well, hopefully the heat doesn’t last too much longer. I hate being a prisoner in my own home. I know it’s summer in Florida, but this year seems abnormally hot.

Tags: hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis

a double feature day

Jul 6, 2010 life, movies and tv

Met up with Clare for lunch and movies at Downtown Disney.  We saw two movies, both of which I give thumbs up.

The first was Knight and Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.  I was a little hesitant to see this one because while I like Tom and Cam, their last pairing in Vanilla Sky was really bad. Like zero chemistry bad. Happy to say this action-rom-com was totally different.

In Knight and Day, Cruise plays a spy named Roy Miller who encounters Diaz’s June Miller in an airport. She accidentally gets roped into his latest case, which may be his last if he can’t figure out who is trying to kill him. The two travel all over the world and Roy is faced with not only trying to protect something called the Zephyr, but June as well.  And along the way, of course, the two fall for each other while fighting the attraction.  In the movie Cruise and Diaz play well off each other, with some witty dialogue thrown in for good measure. Some of the plot requires great leaps of faith from the audience, but thankfully the action stops just short of being cartoonish. I really liked Cruise and Diaz together in this movie. Overall, Knight and Day reminded me of Cruise’s Mission: Impossible mixed with Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I’d give it a 4 out of 5 rating.

The second movie we watched was the big-screen reboot of one of my fave TV shows from the 80s – The A-Team.

Now I have to admit that I was totally nervous about seeing this. I wasn’t sure this film version would have the ability to take everything I loved about the TV show – the character interaction, Murdock’s craziness, the campy dialogue – and update it to a big screen action movie. I was totally wrong to doubt anything about this remake.

The characters were just as outrageous. Extra big kudos to Bradley Cooper as “Face” and Sharlto Copely (District 9) as Murdock. The action was so over the top that it was glorious – I think the scene with the tank is one of the best action sequences I’ve ever seen in a film. And the film had a lot of humor. I laughed almost the whole film. Another big kudo to Brian Bloom, who not only plays one of the bad guys in the movie, but also co-wrote it.

I think this film captured a lot of the spirit of the series and as a result gets a 5 out of 5 from me. I may even have to buy it when it comes out on DVD.

After the movies, we met up with Rhon, who just got off work, and we had dinner at Steak and Shake. Nothing exciting there, though I will say they make damn fine malts.

Tags: A-Team, hanging with friends, Knight and Day

parks, parks and more parks

Mar 23, 2010 life, writing

Yeah, I know I’ve been relatively absent from posting here. Not from lack of ideas, but more lack of time. I’m going to have to move in the next month or two since the owners of this condo are being utter asshats and have let the place go into foreclosure, so I’ve been taking on extra writing assignments to earn money for the move.

Last month I did a series of national park mini-guides for Uptake.com and this month, I’m working on state park mini-guides for them. It’s taking me a bit to get each one done, but I’m adding to my list of places I want to see on my “Great American Roadtrip” I’m planning.

I’ve also been dealing with a few rough days of my illness and quite a few nights of insomnia, so I’m not exactly at my physical best right now. Yeah…I know… “bitch, bitch, bitch…”

I’ve also got to get the car looked at. The lights are going all haywire and I’m hoping it’s just a fuse, so it’s a cheap fix. The joys of an old car – on one hand it’s paid off; on the other, everything starts breaking down after a while.

Well, I suppose it’s back to the parks. I’m in the Hawaii section of the list right now. Someday I’ll get out there to see a real volcano. I know – I’m such a travel nerd sometimes. LOL

[photo: Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin, taken by moi]

Tags: moving sucks, state parks, Uptake, writing

Recap of Southwest Air Tweet-Up Breakfast at Disney

Feb 10, 2010 Orlando, life, tech stuff

I happened to be doing my daily quickscan of Facebook and Twitter for topics to write about when I spotted that Southwest Airlines was holding a “Tweet-up Meet-up” at the All-Star Music Resort at Walt Disney World.  I happened to have the morning free, so I signed up to attend. I tried to get some friends to go, but either they had to work or they bailed on me last minute.

Well, today was the day of the event, so I got up and took Rhon to work by 6am, then went back home for a quick nap. The event started at 10:30am, and I got there at just that time, but it seemed I was one of the last to arrive.

To be honest, the event was kind of lackluster. Breakfast consisted of a few pastries, some bread pudding and some sliced fruit with a yogurt dressing to drizzle over it. I generally don’t like sweets for breakfast – would it hurt to have put out some scrambled eggs and bacon??  Or at least bagels and cream cheese? I decided on the fruit with a small blueberry muffin and washed it down with cranberry juice.

Most of the crowd there were families, so I didn’t really have anyone to chat with. I just sat in a booth and ate, watching the steel drum band they had for entertainment.

But at least it wasn’t a total bust. Just for showing up, I ended up taking home a $25 Disney gift card and a Southwest Air-branded laptop accessories kit that had a wireless mouse, thumb drive and a 4-slot USB hub extender. I had actually been thinking of purchasing a similar kit, so it was cool that I got one for free. Not a bad investment for an hour of my time.

After the event was over, I drove around the All-Stars and took some photos for possible future stories and went home. And now I’m blogging it all to you. LOL

Here’s a photo of the breakfast layout:

And one of my take-home goodies:

Oh and the funniest thing was even though it was a Twitter meet-up, not only did I seem to be the only person actually Twittering about it, I had to ask three Southwest employees what their Twitter handle was before I found someone who actually knew. Go figure.

Tags: "Walt Disney World", gift box, schwag, Southwest Airlines, Tweet-up, twitter

Apartments the Size of Parking Spots?

Jan 26, 2010 life

I’m absolutely astounded by this article from a Vancouver, BC website that talks about how a company is building mini loft-style apartments that are only the size of two parking spaces.

Think about it – two parking spaces. Now I’m fascinated by the idea of living in such a tiny space from an architectural viewpoint. You really need to compartmentalize everything and there’s definitely no room for clutter. Or even a roommate, really.

The article states the “apartments” – sub-studio size, to be sure – use murphy beds and other fold down furniture to make the space functional.

I suppose if you’re single and aren’t home much, this could be an option. But I’m astounded that they’re charging about $700 a month for this 270-sq-ft space. Granted, I haven’t lived in Vancouver for over 30 years (when I was a kid I lived there), but even in Orlando you at least can get a one-bedroom in a decent area for that price. That’s more than twice the space of these mini-lofts.

Would you pay so much to live in such a tiny space?

[Image courtesy of Reliance Properties]

Tags: micro-loft apartments, tiny living spaces, Vancouver

My Own Cabo Wabo Devil

Oct 19, 2009 contests/freebies, food and drink, life

I got a cute little surprise in the mail…my own mini Cabo Diablos from Cabo Wabo tequila.

I had signed up for their email club about a month ago, but wasn’t really expecting anything other than the standard marketing newsletters and the like. So this was a fun little pick-me-up to see it in the mail.

It’s about 2 inches tall, made of hard rubber and is dressed like a Mexican luchadore (wrestler) in a red suit with devil horns and a pointed tail. It also has its right hand raised up in the traditional metal music “horns” pose of the index and pinky fingers forming horns.

Printed on the inside of the box are the following “proper care” instructions:

1] Water your Diablo frequently with Cabo Wabo tequila.
2] Always bring your Diablo along when partying.
3] Do not accidentally leave your Diablo behind in a bar. That’s no way to treat your wingman.

Then in smaller print it says:

You’ve received this because you’ve been a little devil. This Diablo, like our tequila, is a work of fine art and not a toy. Please enjoy your Diablo responsibly.

What a cute little tchotcke! Not to mention a great marketing tool. A+ to Cabo Wabo tequila for this Diablo gift. Now if only it came with an actual sample. LOL

PS: For those unaware, Cabo Wabo tequila is owned by rock musician Sammy Hagar, who has not only had a lengthy solo career, but was lead singer for Van Halen for many years following the departure of David Lee Roth.

Tags: Cabo Diablo, Cabo Wabo tequila, nip/tuck, Sammy Hagar, tchotkes, toys, tv show