Fearless on my breath...

So I took today off because I wanted to confirm that the dripping sound I've been hearing after I run the sinks in the bathrooms was nothing to worry about. I checked out plumbers on Yelp and found one that was highly rated so set up an appointment for today. The guy showed up late but at least I got a call to tell me when he would be arriving.

At any rate it turns out the sound is perfectly normal and doesn't indicate a leak, so yay. Just to be thorough, though, the guy turned off the water and then opened up the faucets to just check that everything was ok. It seemed to be until we noticed the water was coming out brown. He thought it might be possible I might need a new hot water heater. I know that sounds terrible, but as everything in the house is covered by a warranty for the first year it wouldn't have actually been that bad so I didn't panic or anything.

After checking the age of the water heater, though, he quickly realized what the problem was. I've got very hard water, which is no big shock as pretty much everyone out here does, but in addition to that the former owner hadn't been doing simple yearly maintenance which includes attaching a hose to the water heater and emptying it out. He showed me the process then quizzed me on it to make sure I understood it and it's dead easy. Seriously, a well trained monkey would have no problem doing this but the last owner apparently couldn't be bothered.

And, you know, I didn't think my opinion of the guy could lower any further.

Anyway the plumber suggested not cooking with the water directly from the tap, which I don't do anyway but I'm going to make sure I don't use it for the cats' water bowls either. It does explain the reddish/brown stains I'd noticed on the showerhead and washer *sigh*.

On the plus side, no major problems and I now know how to properly maintain the water heater and the plumber pointed out the emergency water shut off to me and showed me how to turn it off in case of an emergency.

Still, gah!

Quick update before I run off to dance practice. First the ant invasion has mostly petered off due to my policy of careful food clean-up, wiping over any and all chemical trails, and mild culling. I can't bring myself to go nuclear on entire ant civilizations so we're down to skirmishes. It is a great object lesson in exactly how much weather proofing I'm going to need to do on this place in the fall. *sigh*

On the plus side I just got a nice fat security deposit back from my old apartment. I'd like to once again thank everyone who pitched in to help clean the place, it more than paid off. Now if I can avoid any major expenses in the next few weeks I'm going to start feeling almost financially secure for the first time in a very long while.

And on a completely unrelated note, for those who've been watching this season's True Blood, can I just say that the vampire queen has become my new favorite character? Seriously, she's like my devastatingly cool/beautiful/immortal fictional alter ego. Love her, absolutely love her!

Real quick update tonight, first Kage is continuing to improve by the day. I have to say the little girl just amazes me. I would've been prepared to swear just a little over a week ago that she'd never be able to adapt to living on 3 legs, but by the gods she's more than just coping...she's excelling. She even made it outside briefly last night, though it wore her completely out. She seemed to enjoy the fresh air, and she slept nice and soundly last night.

On the other hand, the house does not look like it's going to happen for me after all. The lenders backed out at the last second leaving me entirely high and dry. The broker's still making positive sounds, and elo_sf went above and beyond trying to help me out, but for naught, it would seem. I am attempting to view this as a classic lesson in non-attachment. At least now that I've gotten most of the stuff I'd set up for the move canceled, I can relax again and maintain a philosophical outlook. Everyone tells me I'm being very Zen about it, I'm choosing to take that as a compliment.

The downside is, of course, that I've packed away my entire life already. I cannot even begin to think about unpacking just yet. Not just yet.

Escrow, apparently, has been achieved.

I am dizzy with both excitement and terror...

A couple of quick things, first if you're a local you should totally check out the Bawdy Cast's live rendition of the 80's flick "Clue". We got to see it up in SF last night and it was an absolute delight. Of course it helps if you grew up loving the film, but I think just about anyone could enjoy it. Particular stand outs for me were there Wadsworth, Mrs. Peacock (her costume was picture perfect) and Mr. Green. They'll be playing in Morgan Hill next weekend and I'd happily go see them again.

Second, in not so great news I confirmed with the doc today that Kage's tumor is back with a vengeance. We discussed options like another surgery, amputation and just letting her enjoy what time is left to her. We agreed on the last option. She's happy and seems quite comfortable, is eating well and has maintained her weight. When that changes we'll revisit the options. She's basically lived to the human equivalent of her 80's, and that's a damn good life for anyone.

Third, I finally got almost everything together that needs doing for the house. I still have some faxing to do tomorrow, but I think most of the main hurdles have been jumped. I still have to get the appraisal done but the broker seemed to think that would be quick and easily handled. Let my current manager know what was going on and she was incredibly cool about it. Actually if anybody around here is looking for a good one bedroom apartment please let me know and I'll see what I can do to hook you up with mine.

My cats are currently taking naps and I find, rather oddly, that I'm making my way through Comcast's collection of free horror films. My only explanation is that I dozed for about 5 hours when we got in at about 3 this morning, then got up and started getting shit done, so I am crazy-ass tired right now. Still more to do, so I'll keep this short, as I'm about to run off again.

Is it weird that most of my dreams have involved things like painting my new bathroom, building a planter box in my new garden, and various household tasks at the house? Probably.

You know what's cool? Getting a message saying I am so totally approved for a house loan. Just need to check into the whole IRA thing tomorrow, wish me luck!

What else? When I play the "If I were writing House, this is how I'd end the season" game and then the writers actually do precisely what I was hoping they'd do. I mean practically scene for scene! I even called the guest appearances at the end! I was actually cheering aloud and pumping my fists in the air with glee. I won't say the ep was as good as last season's finale, but it was exactly what needed to happen and OMG I have no idea how they're going to resolve this next season. Wow.

What is not cool, however, is the latest update of iTunes. It appears to have broken my Podcasts which is annoying the hell out of me. Why do I ever agree to let them download updates? Why?

Dammit.

Do you know what I love about Dr. G Medical Examiner? I mean aside from the fact that I love autopsy shows. She's so damn cheerful. In the current ep she actually chirped, "This was a really nicely done dismemberment!" I rewound the TiVo to confirm that she'd actually said that. Yep. She went on to say most were just so messy, but not this one. I couldn't help giggling.

Also ( really dug this week's House... )

I just spoiled myself on tonight's House, which may have been for the best as the very special episode is going to upset me profoundly. Apparently I'd missed some of the rumors for this season, so if you hear a plaintiff "Nooooooooo!" in about an hour you'll know why.

*sigh*

Anyway I'm home tonight from dance practice because a) I ate rather stupidly this weekend and my stomach is letting me know it, and b) because I also forgot to take my acid reducing medication this morning and that made an already unhappy stomach even worse. Interestingly I can handle the stomach pain more than the inevitable headache that comes along with it. Not sleeping last night did not help.

In other news Kage had a rough weekend. The vet told us to change her dressing every two days so we skipped Friday and on Saturday we did the usual bandage change. Unfortunately the new antibiotic ointment he'd prescribed had dried and hardened, sealing the gauze directly to the wound. Aelf and I were beside ourselves, but pushed through it, dunking her foot in a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution to eventually peel it off. Kage was in agony but was so brave about the whole thing, I couldn't have been prouder of her. We finally got it changed and went back to the old antibiotic ointment in addition to the collagen ointment he'd prescribed to keep things moist. We've also gone back to daily bandage changes which seems to be working. On the plus side the wound seems to be healing and smaller than it was. She's going into the vet's tomorrow just for a look-see and consult with the vet.

And speaking of Kage, I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to the "Kage Fund" that moonlightnrain organized, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. I'll thank each of you separately, but I wanted to post a public thank you as well. It's a great weight off my shoulders.

And finally a big congratulations to moonlightnrain and lizzzie_lou who got engaged on Saturday. Both were positively giddy when they arrived at the big engagement party that evening, and I don't think any of us could've been happier for them if we tried.

I can honestly say I've never heard a presidential speech that I've enjoyed more than President Obama's right now. His comment, "a deficit we inherited..." that got a roaring standing ovation from all the Dems in the place, had me hooting aloud as well. Good lord, I think I'm falling a little in love with the man right now. Well he's whispering sweet nothings in my ear, "Reform", "Regulation", "Health care", "Energy conservation", "No more tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs overseas, and the wealthiest 2% of Americans", "A responsible end to the Iraq war", "We can make the commitment that the United States does not torture". Oh honey, just take me already!

Oh, wait, my pretend tv lesbian girlfriend, Rachael Maddow is on and now I feel all unfaithful.

Also is Lieberman chewing his cud or what? Seriously...

On a totally different subject, I point you at urbaniak's journal where he introduces us to the Uber Douche, Selwyn Duke. And his thesis on women entitled "That Female Ego", oh yes, he went there:

It occurred to me a while back, as I thought about my chauvinistic teasing of a woman who is very close to my heart, that I had stumbled into genius. For if you're looking for a litmus test for a prospective wife there's none better then that of the tweaking of the modern female ego. All you need do is utter words such as "You do that very well . . . for a girl" with a twinkle in your eye and a boyish smirk on your face, and observe what ensues. Her reaction will tell you more about her than any computer dating service or impromtu little encounter session ever could. For as sure as night follows day, the degree to which her reaction is negative will be directly proportional to the degree to which she's been inculcated with feminism.

It couldn't possibly be that the woman might have the same desire as any other human being to have her efforts and actions judged on their own merit rather than on the basis of which sex organs she possesses. Oh no, if she gets offended it must be the fault of insidious feminist brainwashing!

Or, as Mr. Urbaniak puts it: "Nice reasoning, Massengill. Alternate theory: Her reaction is negative because you're a douche." Yeah I'm thinking this is an Occam's Razor kinda situation right here. But I'd be fascinated to hear what all the ladies in the house have to add.

Now the obligatory Kage update. I talked to the vet a little while ago and he's had to postpone talking to the radiologist until tomorrow but he promises to call me as soon as possible. We're discussing the surgery for her current tumor which I want to have done regardless as it seems to be causing her some discomfort. He reminded me that it could be risky at her age and that she'd probably have to lose a toe or two, all of which I'm well aware of, thankfully. Still, it feels good to be moving forward again.

And last night was utterly wonderful, M- and I got together for dance night and I proposed the new song I'd been hoping to choreograph. She loved it! We started to play around with new ideas, and specifically to mix in some Bollywood moves and attitude with double veil, which is something we've never seen before. It's sparking our creativity wildly and it feels incredibly good to be hungry for it again. M- confessed she really needs that in her life right now and it felt good to be able to act as a bit of a catalyst for it. Wish us luck!

Finally, I also stayed up way too late last night watching House and I'm very glad I did. Great episode! I know some fans were annoyed that the major change they introduced only lasted one ep, but I thought it made a whole lot of sense. I came across this lyric today that seemed to sum up the episode rather well:

"Not a day goes by that a man doesn't have to choose,
Between what he wants and what he's afraid to lose." -
Robert Cray, "Consequences"

Love to discuss it with those of you who saw the ep, hit me in comments.

Somebody please tell me you saw tonight's House 'cause I seriously need to discuss the latest ep.

Also gave Fringe another try and it continues to both suck and blow simultaneously. I want to like it 'cause Captain Hottie from The Wire is on it and good lord that man is a treat to the eyes. I mean they just don't come much prettier. But even fond memories of him in his skivvies on The Wire cannot make me want to tune into this show. It just make my brain ache every time I watch it, it really does.