The PVS Of AOL

"I have learned that if you must leave a place that you have lined in and loved and where all your yesteryear's are buried deep, leave it any way except a slow way, leave it the fastest way you can. Never turn back and never believe that an hour you remember is a better our because it is dead. Passed years seem safe ones, vanquished ones, while the future lives in a cloud, formidable from a distance."

~Beryl Markham

West With The Night 

Get ready to laugh. And believe me, it's okay if you do. You see, I just pulled the plug on my old AOL account. That's right. As of today... 2019... I pulled the plug. Why it took so long to unsubscribe from AOL, an ISP that's been in a metaphoric persistent vegetative state since I officially left AOL Journals in protest, in 2005, I don't know.  I know I am a procrastinator. I am also hopelessly sentimental. Both those things could be the reason. Or maybe I am just lazy. Shrug. Maybe it's all of the above. I don't know.

The AOL post that you see above was technically my last post, and I only did that one because a few of the AOL blog authors that remained after the big banner ad scandal, asked some of we originals to comeback for a limited reunion, and I didn't have the heart to not participate. AOL had recently decided to do away with the journals community altogether, so it with this last post, that I finally let go of the first blog/journals community I had belonged to and I never looked back.

I didn't really miss that blogging platform, after I got acquainted with Blogger. It was roughly the same, but it contained a lot more choices for customization. It wasn't long before I was on my way. It was a new beginning, which in retrospect I think I needed. I made some good friends on AOL and fortunalety they ended up on Blogger too, and I was able to continue a couple projects that we had started in the other community. The Round Robin photo chalenge was the most near and dear to my heart. I enjoyed it very much, but after a whileI just ran out of steam. It ran its course.

But I digress. AOL went through more than one change, as it found itself floundering with almost no idea who or what it wanted to be. It closed all the featured that made it user and community friendsly, right around the time it figured out that it made more money as an internet billboard. Ad revenue replaced customer loyalty. Eventually, it went completely free for members, and that was fine, if you didn't mind putting up with ads everywhere on the service. And I didn't. It was free to keep everything in place, so no big deal.

Well, last year things changed again, and now it costs $4.99 a month for access to basic features. I paid the cost for a few months, and then finally decided, let go. I would still have the email accounts, although I am in the process of moving those screen names to GMAIL. When that task is completed, who knows, maybe I will simply pretend it never existed to begin with. When I close a door, I like for the door to remain shut, and as I grow older, I am finding it to be the best policy for lots of stuff.

Never look back. Just keep walking toward the sun. And I think I kinda love making this change right now, what with spring being about new beginnings and all. There is a proper symmetry to it.

That time I came home from a day of photography, to find Dylan had got on my desk and typed HELP into the AOL search, about a dozen times. I guess it was the cat version of yelling... STRANGER DANGER! 

Mood: Happy
~Me 

How To Prepare A Perfect Beef Wellington

"Hey baby, do you like fine cooking? Cause you know what? I got a Swanson's Dinner in the freezer with your name on it."

-Jimmy Fallon

Well, it's been a long week, but I am pleased to say I got a lot accomplished, not the least of which, was giving AOL the boot! I am now a happy high speed customer of Comcast, and my goodness what a difference a few mbps makes! I have been hoping around the Internet with my foot to the floor, enjoying all the things dial-up just can't do. I finally feel like I am in the 21st century. Dial-up is just fine for folks who just want the basics, but I really enjoy a lot of things other then blogging. I like cooking, and I love being able to see cooking videos, without the buffering every 2 seconds. Alan and I had a YouTube date the other night. It's fun! We got our favorite snacks, a couple cans of soda, and spent the evening looking up weird stuff on YouTube! LOL. Hows that for a cheap date guys? LOL. I'm such a cool wife.

I am back to a semi-normal schedule next week, which is nice because I have some new photos to share. I will probably post a new entry each day, but I am still wrestling with some very unorganized closets in need of attention, but who knows? The weather has been just wonderful the last week or so, so I might just ignore the rest of the spring cleaning in favor of hunting the hillsides of Marin County in search of the Mission Blue butterfly. It's been my photographic goal for going on four years now... maybe this year will be lucky for me. For now, enjoy the above cooking video. It's Gordon Ramsay's recipe for Beef Wellington. I am making it for dinner. Delicious with a nice salad of mixed baby lettuces and pear vinegrette with candied pecans.

:)

Note: I have converted my AOL account to the free account option, which allows me to keep all my email addresses, so you can still reach me at the same old place... Ondinemonet@aol.com.

-Carly

Different Threads

"Change is inevitable... except from a vending machine."

-Robert C. Gallagher

Ok, so you might remember from a few entries back that I am a busy lady these days. Well, the word "busy" kind of implies that I am doing something at any given moment throughout my day, which isn't quite accurate. I mean I am not just sitting in one place, but my truly busy times seems to come in little bursts of busy. Does that make sense?

What keeps me busy in these little bursts?

Well, among other things...

2 kitten cats.
1 husband with a constantly changing schedule.
Degenerative arthritis in both knees and my right shoulder.
Type 2 Diabetes (Your body loves it when you do even a little exercise after your meals).
1 digital camera
1 film camera
1 Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone 580i which is always in my ear. It makes me what to dance.

And coming up next week...

I am finally giving AOL and this stupid dial-up connection the boot. The appointment has been made for next Wednesday, and I know for sure this time I am outta AOL HELL! Which is a good thing because I looking forward to the change. AOL was a nifty little product when I first became a member, but over the years I have seen it fall to the hollow billboard that it is today. There is very little left there for the Internet consumer. Sigh. So it's goodbye AOL as of Wednesday.

That means I am going to have to get things in order for the new service to be hooked up. Lots of cleaning and dusting of never-never areas behind my desk and lots of big, heavy lifting of the TV stand and such, but Alan will help with that. But while I am in the cleaning mood, my personal closet has been screaming for a good weeding out of old, yucky, ugly "what was I thinking" clothes. Spring is here, and I need to pack away the winter clothes. Coats and such. Bye-bye raincoat and umbrella... now where is my bikini and big floppy hat?

Searching... searching... searching...

Hendrix! Bad kitty... stop biting your brother!

See... like I said... BUSY.

-Carly
"Threads"
March 15, 2009
Evening

AOL DOA WTF?

"A conclusion is simply a place where someone got tired of thinking."

-Unknown

Before the official AOL email arrived in my inbox yesterday, the word had already gotten around. AOL Journals is closing it's doors on October 31st of this year. You know, I wasn't terribly surprised. AOL announced over the summer, July actually, that they were doing away with AOL Pictures and so it crossed my mind that the Journals community probably wouldn't be far behind. It was just common sense in that it would make it more difficult to be creative with the journals. Still, when I heard the news yesterday, I felt sad to a degree. Not for me, but for all the folks who have shown such fervent loyalty to AOL over the years. A lot has happened, and I think that AOL has once again that they are dead last in terms of customer loyalty.

When the mad Exodus To Blogger happened, on November 15th 2005, some things changed. Pardon what I am about to say, but AOL (the corporation) displayed a FUCK YOU attitude toward their customers, and for many of us it was the last straw. A Journal or Blog is a very personal thing for most folks. It represents an important part of a person, and to not be given a choice in something as important as to who is advertising on one's blog, or even if someone is advertising on a blog is also a very important thing. To some folks it wasn't a big deal, but to others it represented selling of one's creativity to the highest bidder. AOL never got that. It was merely another place to sell advertisements. Period. Money, it seems, will always... always be the bottom line.

How AOL (the corporation) felt didn't make any difference to me, but how AOL (the people who made up the Journals Community) did. I was saddened by all the hard feelings that were expressed. I never stopped loving the community, but I didn't love AOL and somehow, at times, I felt like... well... I was some kind of turncoat for doing nothing more then changing my journal address. I stopped letting it hurt my feelings that some folks decided not to follow me over here. Folks were always welcome to come and visit, or join in the Round Robins any time they wanted. And eventually some of my dear friends did comeback to me. I am hoping when folks make the next big exodus, they will look me up, or send me their new links. There is a good chance we can repair whatever damage was done, by doing nothing more then extending our hands to each other and saying "Welcome Back Into My Life Old Friend, It's As If No Time Has Passed." At least that is my hope.

I imagine that most folks over on AOL are a bit shell shocked today. I know how they feel. It can't be easy to find out that you are being evicted, and you have 30 days to gather up your memories and get out! For some it will mean 5 years of memories. The part that makes me just heartsick, it the loss of Pam's journal, and Frank's journal. I loved those two people very much, and even after their deaths I would visit from time to time just to be close them. To read the words they wrote. At the end of the month, it will be like they never existed on AOL at all. I wish there was some way of bringing them along, but there isn't. And it probably wouldn't be right to. Sigh. I still miss Slomo It's going to be hard knowing that I will probably never hear from her again.

It's a very sad situation. However, it doesn't have to stay a sad situation. If you are about to become a new AOL refugee, please know how very welcome you are over here on Blogger. Please know you are more then invited to join us for the Round Robin Challenges, and the Monday Photo Shoot. It is the very same project John Scalzi ran for years, and as always, everyone is invited to play. I would like to see some wounds heal, and I am here to help in that. If you are going to be new to Blogger, and need some help, send me an email and I will do my best to help out. The neighborhood might be different, but the community is what's important... right?

-Carly

4 Years 364 Days Give Or Take

"I sincerely believe blogging can save America."

-John Jay Hooker

What Does The Title Of Your Blog Mean?

Can you believe I have been blogging 5 years? Well, actually, as of tomorrow it will have been 5 years, officially, oh, how about I just explain. As some of you may remember, I am part of the great AOL exodus, of November 2005. Originally Ellipsis was an AOL Journal, but after the banner ad scandal, I left my simple pink journal behind, along with approximately 150 others, and looked for a new home in a different neighborhood.

Well, at least that's how I thought of it. I sent out a change of address email, and some folks supported me and understood my decision, and some didn't. I don't want to dwell on anything negative here, I have since let go of the disappointment, but I will say I wish the folks who went their own way all the best. I always did. I am just sorry the friendships had to end. Change happens, and but it never has to affect relationships if we don't want it to.

Anyway, here I am on Blogger, ready to welcome the start of my next 5 years of blogging. I hope that isn't an ambitious number, lol, blogging can be difficult from time to time. I get tired. And because of some physical pain, a lot of time I am not able to get out with the camera as much as I would like to, so I have to rely on archived images, or pictures I find on the net, to go along with whatever I am trying to convey to you. I will always prefer to use my own photos, because I am a visual person, I speak through my photos. A lot of the time, I try to present you photos that tell the whole tale, rather then babble on, and on, and on.

So, I don't know for sure I will be celebrating Ellipsis's 10th anniversary or not, but I know I am going to give it a go. I have stuff to say. Politics, photography, healthy living, cats, monkeys, 9/11, recipes, cat care, Fibromyalgia, Degenerative Arthritis, John Ritter, Elvis, spooky movies, chocolate, life, art, LOST, George W. Bush, Type 2 Diabetes, Play-Doh, autumn, Halloween, married life, men, clothes, hairstyles, and Mr. November all make up my Ellipsis life. (...)

Main Entry: el·lip·sis
Function: noun
Pronunciation: i-'lip-s&s, e-
Inflected Form(s): plural el·lip·ses /-"sez/
Etymology: Latin, from Greek elleipsis ellipsis, ellipse, from elleipein to leave out, fall short, from en in + leipein to leave -- more at IN , LOAN
1 a : the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete b : a sudden leap from one topic to another
2 : marks or a mark (as ... or * or -) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause

-OndineMonet
Ellipsis 5th Anniversary
August 23, 2008

Your Final Photo Shoot: Goodbye!

"Be well, do good work, and keep in touch."

-Garrison Keillor

Your Final Photo Shoot: Wave goodbye! Because all good things must come to an end, but I think we can leave on a high note.

-John Scalzi, of the blog, By The Way

I tried and I tried, but I just couldn't smile. :( I am going to miss you John. Take good care of yourself. I wish you, Krissy and Athena a bright and happy future and a wonderful 2008!



-OndineMonet
"Goodbye"
Berkeley, California
December 26, 2007
Afternoon

Always, Carly

John, Don't Go, I'll Change!

"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes, a farewell is necessary so you can meet again, and meeting again after moments, or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."

-Richard Bach

Oh God! I am beside myself with grief. So much so, that last night I ate an entire Reese's Peanut Butter cup, because I can't stop sobbing. WAAAwaaaWaaa! Our beloved Blogfather, John Scalzi, and AOL, have decided to amicably part company, which is always a good thing, but what about me?!? Whatever will I do with my Monday's without the Monday Photo Shoot, or my weekends, without the Weekend Assignments? Yeah, I know, it would be selfish to try and hold back a talent such as John Scalzi's, but dagburnit, I wish the fun hadn't ended so soon. :(

It's true, I thought he would always be there. I took him for granted. I forgot all the birthdays, anniversaries, and Groundhog Day! I didn't send he or his family the gift of "Bacon of the Month," and I never tried to build a bomb of Club soda and Mentos. Why, I was so remiss in my admiration, that I never, ever, went to stalk him, I mean see him, when he was at a book signing in the Bay Area, but, see, I thought we would have forever! Sigh. My bad! ;)

Oh well, what's a girl to do? Well, she dries her tears, and puts away the Reese's Peanut Butter cups, and she grabs her two good friends, Karen and Steven, and together they start a blog to honor the greatness that was/is John Scalzi! The journal is titled, ScalziCelebration, and it pays tribute to all creative ways John got us flowing as young bloggers. The Weekend Assignments, The Monday Photo Shoots, and there might even be a few more surprises along the way. :)

Drop by the blog, have a look around, and participate. Let's send John off with our appreciation for the last 4 plus years. My goodness, I can't help but think back fondly to my first day as a blogger on AOL. So many people took me in and made me feel important and accepted, and the day I found myself on John's sidebar was one of my best days. I met so many new friends because of that simple little nod. John helped connect us as bloggers and friends, and helped the community feel like a hometown, I wish he could have stayed forever, but now is the time to wish him well, and send him off with thanks in our hearts. So, visit the blog, and do your part. See you there!

Ain't he cute? I might have to put this one in a frame, and place it on my desk next to my photo of John Ritter! Tee Hee.

-OndineMonet
"Goodbye Road"
Monterey, California
October 11, 2007
Afternoon

The Phantom Menace

"Some people are so fond of bad luck, they run half way to meet it."

-Douglas Williams

Ok, here is some additional proof that there is just something funky about December 10th! Not only did I catch the head cold from HELL, but last night, before I went to bed, I found out that I have three pieces of phantom email in my AOL mailbox. Now I know what you are thinking. AOL messes up all the time, it is probably just one more glitch. Right? Well, perhaps, but I still think it is weird that it happened on December 10th, rather than any other day this week. :)

I believe there is something about this date, and it's relation to my life, but I have never been able to figure out what or why? I successfully broke the curse of Santa Cruz a couple years ago, by attending a Micky Dolenz concert on the beach. Micky Dolenz has always brought me luck. :) But I am not sure what will ever break the Curse of December 10th. All I know is, Alan takes the day off, we shut the doors and windows, hold Elvis close to us, and hang on for dear life! LOL. Now I have one more curse to get through this year, but that one's not due until Christmas Eve. Stay tuned. :)

So tell me, do you believe in curses? How about miracles? Do you have certain days in your year that you consider to be either blessed or cursed? How many years in a row has something happened on that specific day?

-OndineMonet
"Curses And Buggy Software"
Berkeley, California
December 10th, 2007
Late Evening

Your Monday Photo Shoot: 2003

"Try to be like the turtle - at ease in your own shell."

-Bill Copeland

You may or may not know that today,(August 20th) marks the fourth anniversary of By The Way, which was started on this date in 2003.To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to have a historical-themed Photo Shoot:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Find a picture from 2003 and post it. Any picture is fine; it just has to be from the now-oh-so-distant year of two-thousand aught-three. Surely you have pictures from then?Yes?

-John Scalzi (By The Way)



2003? Do I have photos from 2003? Well, actually, I have very few from 2003. See for most of that year I was still suffering from a loss of creativity, otherwise known as Anhedonia. I rarely picked up the camera back then, but on August 23rd, 2003 something wonderful happened, I decided to start a journal on the newly debuted AOL Journals! As I learned to blog, folks came by and encouraged me, and little by little my creativity came back. :) Alan also supported and encouraged me, by taking me places of interest, such as the zoo, putting my camera in my hand, and asking me to just try. Even if I only took a few photos, it was ok, he only wanted me to just make the effort to find my creative zone again. He thought it would be nice if I used as many as my own photos in my entries as I could, when I wasn't sharing about a specific work of art that I enjoyed. Sometimes I think if I hadn't started my AOL journal, I wouldn't have gotten better nearly as fast. I will always be grateful to AOL Journals, and my blogging friends for that. :)

Today is my fourth anniversary as a Blogger/Photo blogger. I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has come by with words of encouragement, and friendship over the last four years. You all mean a lot to me. :) If you never got the chance to visit my old AOL blog, Ellipsis, it will be open from today, Thursday, through this coming weekend. Feel free to drop by and have a look around if you like. I will be posting some photo entries there for the next few days. :)

"Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: You won't be able to find it, but when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you."

-Ajahn Chah

-OndineMonet
"Hello Mr. Turtle"
Oakland Zoo
Oakland, California
Late Summer 2003
Afternoon

Plan "B" From Outer Space... And Other Observations!

"Plans get you into things, but you have to work your way out."

-Will Rogers

It's a plan "B" life, a plan "B" life... for me! Yes, I can sing about it. LOL. I am learning not to sweat the petty stuff, but to rather pet the sweaty stuff... and so on and so forth. LOL. Yesterday, Friday, was supposed to be Elvis's big day... I will get to the reason as to why we will be celebrating it today, instead, in a little bit... just read on. :) See... I am smiling, and yes I am aware of my over use of the under appreciated punctuation... ellipsis. See, I used it just then, to indicate a brief pause, which you will understand as you read on...

The Girl From The Wrong Side Of The Street...

It all started when I called AT and T/Yahoo, to order my new service of DSL, which they had assured me by snail mail, that I was more than qualified for. Tee Hee. Okay, so I called the nice representative, her name was Marge I think, and she took all my information, and explained every plan available to mankind even some plans that AT and T doesn't offer. :) Smirk. Anyway, the very last bit of information that Marge needed, was my existing phone number. "Ooooops," said Marge, "Ms. Gordon, it seems that we cannot provide you with the exceptional service of AT and T, together with Yahoo DSL at this time." "What?" Asked the shocked consumer. "Why not?" "Because, unfortunately, at this time, it is not available to customers in your area."

"Ummmm... yes it is," I said. "I have seen my good neighbor Midge, enjoying your excellent service, Marge." "Where does she live, Ms. Gordon?" UT-OH! Had I just got my good neighbor Midge in trouble for stealing DSL? Panic! "She lives across the street, and down the way. Why?" "That's the sticky-wicket Ms. Gordon, she is on the right side of the street." "No, I think she is on the left side of the street if you are coming up the hill." I informed her. "ROFLHAO, actually ma'am I meant, we only offer DSL on the side of the street that Midge lives on." "HUH?!" It was all so surreal. Madge was telling me, I couldn't order DSL, because the line doesn't cross the street. I repeat... "HUH!?" "I am sorry Ms. Gordon, how else may I provide you with excellent service?" Long pause on my end of the call...

"Ms. Gordon... ma'am? Hello? "Yes Madge, I am still here... you have a nice day!" CLICK! I know, it wasn't Madge's fault, but really now... I was living on the wrong side of the street? How earthy of me. ;) With my nerves completely fried, I took a nice long nap, and decided to check other ISP companies later in the day. As of this morning, I am a proud Earthlink customer, with DSL coming in about 8-10 days. Yeah, I know, although it comes with everything I need to install the gadgets all by myself, I am already preparing for the inevitable plan "B" that is sure to follow. :)

And Then The Next Day...

Thursday, Alan woke me a little before 9:00 AM, so I could tune-in to see Regis Philbin return to his show, after having been gone for 6 weeks, while he recovered from a Triple-Bypass. I like that show. It touches on topics, but it isn't all stressful about things. You know? Just a little talk show. Nice. It's a pleasant show to eat your breakfast to, although lately I have really gotten into downloading the Rocky & Bullwinkle show from AOL Video. Tee Hee.

I love the thought of a squirrel and moose making friends, solving crimes, and otherwise assisting humanity. :) It's deep. LOL. But on occasion I do also watch Live with Regis and Kelly. So it was good to see him back up and running. Afterwards, Alan and I watched The View, debated a little, and then he talked me into keeping my word about going on our date to the Marina Green, to fly our kite. My Fibromyalgia was telling me to, "go back to bed," but it was a warm day, really clear, and a good bit of wind, so the conditions were just right. So, I got up, it took me a couple hours to get dressed, man I was tired, but my spirits were high, so off we went, across the bay to San Francisco.

We decided to head to Golden Gate Park first. It would be nice and windy there, and I could drop by the gardens and look for life. I found lots of life, see above. The California poppies were in lovely full bloom, and dancing about them, were some enormous bumble bees. Happy bees. I had a blast stalking them. It was kind of fun to realize my fear of them is completely gone. :) I was hurting really bad, so I had to sit down a couple times to work through the pain, but I got back up, and waited patiently, until I got the picture I had in my mind, a bumble bee in flight. :) I did pretty good I think. :) With the photo achieved, it was time to go down to the beach to fly the kite, there's always wind at the beach!

Okay, well, we realized that it was a little too windy to be able to photograph the kite flying. I didn't want to get sand in my digital camera... I like my camera, so the beach was out. What to do? Where to go? "I know... Crissy Field would do!" Silly me, I had forgotten that there is a large wind break at Crissy Field, in the form of rather tall eucalyptus trees. Sigh."Well, shall we try the Marina Green?" Said Alan. "Yes, why didn't we just go there to begin with?" I asked him. "Well, when you said "lets try the beach," I thought you had moved on to a Plan "B." LOL.

Poor Alan, he has gotten so used to life throwing us curves, he just rolls along, and loves me while we go. :) As it turned out, it was a fabulous day to fly a kite, and he did all the work getting it into the air. We laughed, and we made others laugh. He had no idea what kind of kite I had purchased last winter. I let it be a surprise. (Insert evil laugh here). Tune into my blog next Wednesday, to see our kite. Alan is currently looking for a kite of his own, he say the one I chose is just too, "out there!" LOL.

There Are Other Things On My Mind, But...

I had some other topics I wanted to talk a little about, but this entry went a little longer than I had planned, so I decided to just let it flow. :) I am glad I did, it was a little bit of levity, and I needed that because we had to postpone Elvis's 10th birthday party, from yesterday, until later today, and it made me a little sad.We had a bit of drama last evening, when we went to put his balloons and streamers into place. Alan noticed that sitting up under the table umbrella, was a rather large wasp nest! YIKES! It took a while to deal with that.

Sigh. We had everything wrapped, and the balloons ready, and we even got a Lemon Supreme pie, then had to cancel everything. It is the first time since 2001, that we haven't celebrated his birthday on time. In 2001, we were just moving in to our current little place, and everything was just crazy... including me. :( It will be a special party tomorrow, we will make it special. Cross your fingers that the balloons survive overnight. Plan "B" has been activated yet again! If nothing else, this week has given me a chance to pause here and there, choose and unplanned path. There must be a message in there somewhere. :) Why even this entry is a plan "B." It seems Blogger doesn't recognize the very important, yet under appreciated punctuation character that is known as the **Ampersand**. LOL. I had to take two stabs at saving this entry. :) The adventure continues! Check back tomorrow, Sunday, to see Elvis's birthday party photos! :)

-OndineMonet
"Happy Bumble"
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
April 26th, 2007
Afternoon

18 Cat Years

"Procrastination gives you something to look forward to."

-Unknown

It's been a year and a half, since Black Tuesday over on AOL. At that time I was ready for a change, in both blogging places, and ISP's. Sigh. I hate change, so I have dragged my feet, hemmed, hawed, fretted, and otherwise found every excuse in the world to do nothing at all. See, I hate change, lol, bet you didn't know that about me. It's so strange, and such a contradiction, because there are so many things I would like to see change. Lots of stuff in the world, issues much more important than who is my current Internet Service Provider, and so I spend my time considering and pondering what would happen if those other changes took place, rather than how much better off I would be without AOL. Finally, the time to stop fighting the inevitable has come. In a little over a week, I will be making the big switch to Yahoo, with a lovely little DSL connection.

What made me finally come to terms with leaving AOL? Well, it was my latest bout of Fibromyalgia. I have been experiencing one of my worst times since being diagnosed 18 months ago. I am just so tired, and so very achy, that it is painful to sit here and type this, but before you ask why I am here typing and not taking care of myself, consider the healthy trade-off. I feel good emotionally. I am in a good mood, despite feeling like the walking dead. I feel happy that I am making the switch, and being proactive. It's a simple matter of listening to my body, I don't have the energy to sit and wait for AOL to load a page for me, sometimes taking up to 10 minutes, because all their ads don't play nicely with my dial-up connection. It puts me in a bad mood, and makes me tense, which in turn, exacerbates all the other symptoms I have. I need to do what my doctor said, and do what I advise others to do, which is to simplify life a bit.

I have been a complete schmuck for paying $25.00 and some change, over the last 18 months, for services which don't really work for me. I am usually smarter than that. Oh well, rather than continue to beat myself up over not making the switch sooner, because of my dislike of change, I am going to do what Sarah says to do when I have to endure something unpleasant... look for the lesson... and be happy in my new found smartness. Sometimes, it takes a lot for me to write an entry on Ellipsis. Tonight, for example, my hands are hurting pretty bad, and are swollen. I am tired, not sleepy, tired, which is a completely different thing from sleepy. I have little pin point aches from head to foot, and I can't get enough sleep. I go to say one thing, and something completely different comes out of my mouth, and not in a cute, interesting way like... say if ... David Duchovny were in the room. :)

But OK, I feel smarter. :) That's a good feeling, so I am going to celebrate. I have a new magazine, and a big bottle of bubble bath waiting for me in the bathroom. Chocolate/Strawberry scented bubble bath. YUM. I love bubble baths. Ahhhh. All in all, life is going pretty well. I am going to try to go kite flying tomorrow afternoon, Alan thinks the sunshine will be good for me. LOL. We'll see about that one! :) And soon, I will be able to snazzy up Ellipsis with some YouTube videos, I think that will be fun.

No, not videos of me in my bubble bath, naughty people! LOL. No something much more interesting then that! I have always wanted to upload a video of Elvis, you won't believe how much cuter he is in video. He has a neat little meow, and can be quite talkative. Maybe I will make a video of one of our nightly rituals, like the one where he forgets he already has food in his bowl, and I have to walk him into his closet to show him he has crunchies. I have to warn you up front, he can say a bad word/meow from time to time. I don't know where he picks up that kind of language from. LOL. Those entries might have to be rated PG-13!

Stay Tuned :)

-OndineMonet
"Ghost Party"
Carson City, Nevada
October 28th, 2006
Late Morning