It's too late to play along with the group who answered last week's Friday's Feast questions, but there's no reason why I can't answer them for my own enjoyment. After all, that's the only reason I ever do these things. I leave a link to my blog just because the authors of memes usually ask you to, but personally, I'd just as soon not. I'm not all that interested in building up a huge audience for this blog. If that's not obvious by now, with all my boring posts with nothing but YouTube clips and updates on my epileptic dog and whatnot, I don't know when it ever will be! ;o)
(Speaking of the epileptic dog, it seems I spoke too soon about poor Daisy. She's had a few more seizures since then. Still not as bad as it could be, though.)
Last week's questions:
Appetizer Who was the last person you hugged?
Donald, this morning. The only people I regularly hug are Donald and some family members, and Donald's the only one I see on a daily basis.
Soup Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.
I'm no beauty expert, so I don't have many tricks or tips. Probably nothing that would be new to anyone. . . Here's one of my great tips ;o): If you're prone to oily hair, but would still like to use conditioner to avoid tangles, keep the product well away from your roots. It's the ends that need the conditioner the most, anyway.
Salad What does the color yellow make you think of?
The first thing that came to mind was a fired egg (because of the yolk, obviously), but other than that, it makes me think of sunshine, I guess. I also think of sickness, but I think that's more because I've read that yellow can symbolize illness than because it just naturally brings that to mind. If you know what I mean. (g)
Main Course If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?
I'd be a landscape photographer with a sideline of botanicals. This is partly because that's what I naturally gravitate toward, but also because it could then be my job to travel and see some of the most beautiful places in the world. On the other hand, maybe I'd devote myself to photographing local landscapes and plants. Fewer hotels that way. ;o)
Dessert What was the longest book you ever read?
I'm not sure. Besides, isn't that difficult to compare, from book to book? The font and layout can make a pretty big difference in how many pages a book has. The Count of Monte Cristo was fairly long-- even though the copy I have turned out to be an abridged version.
And I'm ready to type up one of my usual snippet-style entries! ;o)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The All-Important Computer Issues Update:
I guess I shouldn't have bragged about the fact that "my" computer-- the slower, smaller-monitored one that Donald shuns ;o)-- was still up and running, because it almost immediately lost its internet connection. We have it working again, but it's a bit iffy if it'll stay that way, and in order to get the connection back, I lost some of the convenience of getting photos into the computer and using the flash drive, etc. :o( Oh well, I guess I can't complain too much. Well, ok, I can, but I'll try not to. ;o)
Our "main" computer is back, again, too. (Turns out we needed more RAM. If that means anything to you. It doesn't mean much to me. (g) I have a vague idea that RAM is the memory the computer uses to keep applications running smoothly-- kind of like our short-term memory-- but beyond that, I know nothing.) We didn't lose any of our important information, photos, etc., but we did lose our saved email, which is a bit of an annoyance, but not a huge problem.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Does anyone know of a good, safe way to kill those horrible bumblebees that we get around here? I might feel guilty about killing a regular bee (especially since so many honeybees are supposedly dying off for some unknown reason, these days), but for those mean bumblebees I have no pity. Over the past few days, I've noticed that we have at least one that's already set up camp outside our kitchen door. Every year they do this-- guard our door and terrorize me, hovering right in my path, darting back and forth-- almost daring me to come closer. Seriously, they scare me. I don't know what I think they're going to do-- beyond sting me, maybe-- but they're just so intimidating!
Anyway, I want this one dead. Will regular wasp spray work, or do I have to hit it with something? I doubt I can work up the nerve do hit it. . . It takes a lot of willpower for me to squash a regular bug, much less these hovering monsters. ;o) (Yeah, I'm a sissy.)
Maybe the bad weather that we're supposed to get tonight will blow the bee out of town. Wishful thinking. . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Have you seen this video yet?
A German jet with over 100 passengers nearly crashed during landing. Pretty scary! I can't imagine what the people on board must've been thinking. Well, I do know what I would've been doing-- praying and panicking! Fortunately, they were able to land safely on another attempt, so no-one was hurt.
K., can you hear/understand what the guys are saying at the end of the video? Just curious. ;o) ( Isn't it just so much fun when people ask you to translate things for them? (g))
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Daisy had another seizure or two, within the past few days, but so far, they've just been the run-of-the-mill sort. Nothing like the time that she was having several a day and never completely recovering between them. We've been giving her diazepam (valium) immediately after she seizes, and that does seem to help keep the "aftershock" seizures to a minimum.
Based on the records we've been keeping, it definitely seems like this is a monthly occurrence (apart from the last time, which we know was triggered by a dosage problem). It makes you wonder why it happens once a month, though. If this pattern holds out, at least we'll know when to expect her next fit.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I'm looking forward to the season finale of the new(ish) Terminator series on TV. It's one of the very few TV shows we both watch. (I don't think I've ever seen the first two movies, but apparently I know enough of the backstory to follow along.) There are others we both like, but most of them have been on hiatus for a while. I wonder when new episodes of The Office and Pushing Daisies will start airing. . .
Watching a show with someone is a pleasant change from watching by myself. It's nice to have someone to talk to about plot twists-- and you don't have to make your predictions and comments to an empty room. Not that I've ever let that stop me before! I don't mind sharing my brilliant insights with no-one but myself, but if there's someone there to talk back, all the better! ;o)
Daisy's slowly recovering from another bout of seizures. At least we think we know what brought it on this time. The dosage on her medicine was off, due to a mistake at the vet's office. It's pretty frustrating that we'll have to watch them more carefully from now on-- but at least she's getting better again.
Highs today will be in the mid-70s, followed by a chance of rain and maybe thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow. It doesn't feel much like February! It's nice to be warm for a day or two, but I'm glad the temperature will be going down again, soon. I don't mind spring, but I'm not ready for summer, yet. (Ok, I'm not ever ready for summer. It simply has to be endured.)
Yesterday, I noticed new leaves on our hydrangeas and the beginnings of daffodils poking up here and there. I guess spring is on its way. (Today, it feels like it's already here!) I need to get into gear and do some yard work before it's sweltering again.
Donald and I watched the extended versions of The Two Towers and The Return of the King over the weekend. I think that might have been the first time we say the latter since we watched it in the theater.
I still can't see why Tolkien chose two names ("Sauron" and "Sarumon") that look and sound so similar. I remember being a bit confused when I read the books, too. Two of the very few women in the books also have similar-sounding names-- "Arwen" and "Eowyn". They're not identical, but they're pretty close, considering that he had his choice of all the names in the world (or out of it, since this is fantasy).
I can barely remember the books. Of course, I was in middle school when I read them, so it's been a while. (g) I might try re-reading them, sometime. I'm not generally a big reader of fantasy, but a little variety can be nice.
Even if you don't live in a place that celebrates Thanksgiving today, please consider this an invitation to indulge in a tasty treat, get together with family or friends, and acknowledge the blessings in your life. :o)
We had an "early Thanksgiving" supper last night with my father's side of the family. The only one missing from the table was one of my cousins, who lives in Orlando, FL. The branch of the family that lives in Georgia was down for the holiday. It was good to see everyone again. My two youngest cousins have grown since I last saw them-- especially Olivia. Children are so much more interesting once they learn to talk. (g)
Today, we'll be going to Thanksgiving dinner (lunch) at my maternal grandparents' house, where I'm sure we'll eat more than we should. ;o)
We're still undecided on whether we'll do any early-bird shopping Friday. It really depends on whether or not we see any great deals in the papers, I guess. If we don't, it'll be nice just to have a long weekend.
I'm almost afraid to write anything optimistic, for fear of somehow jinxing it, but Daisy seems to be slowly recovering from her cluster of seizures. She still has one every now and then, and she's not 100% back to her usual self, but she's having nowhere near as many fits as she had last weekend. I hope the good trend continues. It's amazing how stressful and saddening it is when even "just your dog" is sick. We're looking into a few treatment options in the hopes of avoiding similar problems in the future, but epilepsy isn't really something that is "cured" or even easily controlled. Today, however, I'm just going to be thankful that she's better for now.
I just noticed that the AccuWeather widget I have on this blog currently describes our weather as "dreary". (g) Well, it does look a bit grey out there, I guess, but I don't know if it's that bad.
Or maybe the "stupidity" would be more accurately described as a lack of respect and concern for the well-being of others. But when I get mad, I'm apt to fall back into a childish tendency of calling infuriating people "stupid".
Why will people persist in allowing their dogs to roam far and wide? It's not only dangerous for the dogs themselves, but it also brings my blood to the boiling point when they wander onto my property, where my own dogs are carefully kept in a fenced yard. This morning, there were two big, scary, growling (probably "playfully" to each other, but I don't care-- it was still a growl) boxers (or something similar) running down the recently mowed strip between our yard and the (mostly) open field. We hurried our dogs inside before they saw the intruders. The strange dogs were big enough to be able to jump our fence, if they wanted to, so we didn't want to take any chances.
In other news, Daisy's going through one of her periods of having seizures, again. She will go for days or weeks without any, then suddenly have a cluster-- say, three or four in two days. This time, the bout seems to be more severe than usual. She had two yesterday (I think) and six (again, I think-- too lazy to go look for the paper where I listed the times) so far this morning (the first one coming at 4:30). Each individual seizure is no worse than the others she's had, but the fact that they're coming so close together worries me. I guess we'll just keep an eye on her over the next few days and decide what to do based on that.
Poor baby. It seems unfair that such a sweet, good-tempered dog should be afflicted in this way, but of course there are examples of that sort of thing everywhere; unfortunately they're not restricted to the "dog world".
