Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The one when Lula rethinks this whole carb business
When I first heard of low carb dieting several years ago, I thought "What could be more dumb than that? Carbs = energy, carbs are our friends."
Then I decided to jump on the bandwagon because I was having trouble losing those last few pounds of (mostly) belly fat.
Lo and behold, the weight is melting off. The trade off-I feel like HELL. No energy, I'm having trouble concentrating, and I was too spent to even work out last night. I've been keeping my carbs between 40-70 on any given day, and that number is just too low for me. My new goal is 80-100 grams per day.
This morning I had a half serving of oatmeal with berries and almonds, and I already feel better. So the great carb experiment wasn't a fail, but I did need to find what works for me.
The pisser? When I weighed myself this morning I was down to 136.5. With hardly any effort. I think I've only seen that number once in the past 2 years, and I'm pretty sure it was after surgery.
Hopefully this number will work for me as well, and give me the energy to lift those damn heavy weights!
Then I decided to jump on the bandwagon because I was having trouble losing those last few pounds of (mostly) belly fat.
Lo and behold, the weight is melting off. The trade off-I feel like HELL. No energy, I'm having trouble concentrating, and I was too spent to even work out last night. I've been keeping my carbs between 40-70 on any given day, and that number is just too low for me. My new goal is 80-100 grams per day.
This morning I had a half serving of oatmeal with berries and almonds, and I already feel better. So the great carb experiment wasn't a fail, but I did need to find what works for me.
The pisser? When I weighed myself this morning I was down to 136.5. With hardly any effort. I think I've only seen that number once in the past 2 years, and I'm pretty sure it was after surgery.
Hopefully this number will work for me as well, and give me the energy to lift those damn heavy weights!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Yum!
I am actually loving this low carb diet. For lunch Saturday I made low carb chicken wraps, and they were delicious! They tasted just like a club sandwich-and I didn't even miss the bread.
I poached a few chicken breasts in water, lemon juice, garlic, and onion, then shredded the meat.
I diced up a roma tomato, and added sliced avocado and bacon to each wrap. A little squirt of mustard, and presto! Low carb, low cal chicken club wraps.
I believe the carbs were around 14g total, and calories were about 300. A perfect lunch on a hot day.
I poached a few chicken breasts in water, lemon juice, garlic, and onion, then shredded the meat.
I diced up a roma tomato, and added sliced avocado and bacon to each wrap. A little squirt of mustard, and presto! Low carb, low cal chicken club wraps.
I believe the carbs were around 14g total, and calories were about 300. A perfect lunch on a hot day.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Rant
GOD I am pissed right now! I am so damn sick of people making plans with us then canceling-especially when I go out of my way buying and cooking extra food.
We had invited our friends over for drinks and snack, so last night I cooked a ton of chicken in preparation for guests, and I get a call this morning-actually a voice mail-"It's been a long and hard week (HA! long and hard), and I can barely move from lifting weights so we're going to cancel." I have a feeling it's more of a case of bottle flu than anything, but whatever. (Bottle flu-can you believe in all my 40 years I just learned that term about a week ago?)
Dude, really? So you're going to sit home and drink and eat all day instead of coming over here to drink and eat? After we made plans? And I cooked a shit ton of chicken?
I swear, it's making me feel like I'm not worth hanging out with. My feelings are hurt, and to me, that is the worse thing you can do. I'd rather be punched in the face than have hurt feelings. At least then I can punch you back.
And for the record, my body hurts like HELL from lifting weights last night. And I'm spending the day helping Hubbs paint, and washing windows, and cleaning house, etc...
Stupid fucking friends.
We had invited our friends over for drinks and snack, so last night I cooked a ton of chicken in preparation for guests, and I get a call this morning-actually a voice mail-"It's been a long and hard week (HA! long and hard), and I can barely move from lifting weights so we're going to cancel." I have a feeling it's more of a case of bottle flu than anything, but whatever. (Bottle flu-can you believe in all my 40 years I just learned that term about a week ago?)
Dude, really? So you're going to sit home and drink and eat all day instead of coming over here to drink and eat? After we made plans? And I cooked a shit ton of chicken?
I swear, it's making me feel like I'm not worth hanging out with. My feelings are hurt, and to me, that is the worse thing you can do. I'd rather be punched in the face than have hurt feelings. At least then I can punch you back.
And for the record, my body hurts like HELL from lifting weights last night. And I'm spending the day helping Hubbs paint, and washing windows, and cleaning house, etc...
Stupid fucking friends.
Friday, July 24, 2009
So....
Have you ever had so much to drink that you woke up the next day wondering what stupid things you did and who you need to apologize to?
Yeah, me either....
Seriously, that's what I feel like since I cut my carbs. I feel like my body and brain are just soaked in mud-everything is heavy, I have no energy, and my brain just isn't working right.
Though I am proud to say I came home tonight and did my weight lifting with my husband-curls, chest flys, bench presses, and squats. And I actually did my squats 10 pounds heavier than last time.
I'm really looking forward to this feeling going away, but for now-I am DONE.
Yeah, me either....
Seriously, that's what I feel like since I cut my carbs. I feel like my body and brain are just soaked in mud-everything is heavy, I have no energy, and my brain just isn't working right.
Though I am proud to say I came home tonight and did my weight lifting with my husband-curls, chest flys, bench presses, and squats. And I actually did my squats 10 pounds heavier than last time.
I'm really looking forward to this feeling going away, but for now-I am DONE.
Need......carbs.....
I'm having a little trouble adjusting to this low carb diet. I've been keeping my numbers to between 60 and 80 (down from as high as 183+) and my body feels weary. I know the theory is to train your body to get it's energy from stored fat instead of carbs, but it sure is a tiring road.
And I am about sick of EGGS. That's how it looks in my head-EGGS EGGS EGGS. I had berries and a fat free Greek yogurt for breakfast today because I just couldn't face another EGG. Not sure yet what I'm going to be doing from here on out, so if anyone has any low carb breakfast ideas let me know. I'm thinking just meat. Slab o'beef and a hunk of cheese. Bacon and cheese wrapped in lettuce. Oh, and cutting your carbs makes you slightly goofy, if you haven't noticed.
Once again, I would like to sing the praises of Chromium. I'm still on this nice even keel. I've actually been pretty happy this week, which is rare for me. I'm never happy 5 or more days in a row.
Loving life!
And I am about sick of EGGS. That's how it looks in my head-EGGS EGGS EGGS. I had berries and a fat free Greek yogurt for breakfast today because I just couldn't face another EGG. Not sure yet what I'm going to be doing from here on out, so if anyone has any low carb breakfast ideas let me know. I'm thinking just meat. Slab o'beef and a hunk of cheese. Bacon and cheese wrapped in lettuce. Oh, and cutting your carbs makes you slightly goofy, if you haven't noticed.
Once again, I would like to sing the praises of Chromium. I'm still on this nice even keel. I've actually been pretty happy this week, which is rare for me. I'm never happy 5 or more days in a row.
Loving life!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Holy cow, ya'll!
I did a TON better with my carbs yesterday-my calorie breakdown was as follows-
Carbs 48g (25%)
Protein 75g (39%)
Fat 30g (35%)
I also weight trained with Hubbs, and damn those bastards are heavy! I can bench press a whopping 55 pounds!
But check this out-I started Monday at 142 pounds-this morning I was 137.5. Yes, you read that right. 137.5! Apparently low carb diets cause you to lose a lot of water weight, but still. It felt pretty good to see such a drop in numbers. It usually takes me all week to recover from the damage I do to myself on the weekends.
It's also making me realize that I may not lose the body fat I have by hitting my goal weight of 135. I understand you have to lose the fat to see the muscle, and it all settles around my midsection. I think it's more than 2 1/2 pounds, but we shall see. The low carbs plus weight training might be enough to make the difference.
All in all, I am exceptionally happy right now. I'm very sore, but it feels good knowing I pushed my limits with the weights. I had an awesome evening with my husband, and the numbers on the scale are going down instead of up.
Life is good.
Carbs 48g (25%)
Protein 75g (39%)
Fat 30g (35%)
I also weight trained with Hubbs, and damn those bastards are heavy! I can bench press a whopping 55 pounds!
But check this out-I started Monday at 142 pounds-this morning I was 137.5. Yes, you read that right. 137.5! Apparently low carb diets cause you to lose a lot of water weight, but still. It felt pretty good to see such a drop in numbers. It usually takes me all week to recover from the damage I do to myself on the weekends.
It's also making me realize that I may not lose the body fat I have by hitting my goal weight of 135. I understand you have to lose the fat to see the muscle, and it all settles around my midsection. I think it's more than 2 1/2 pounds, but we shall see. The low carbs plus weight training might be enough to make the difference.
All in all, I am exceptionally happy right now. I'm very sore, but it feels good knowing I pushed my limits with the weights. I had an awesome evening with my husband, and the numbers on the scale are going down instead of up.
Life is good.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
My body WILL obey!
As I mentioned, my body is no longer reacting the way I want it to. The disclaimer, of course, is I sneak a lot of candy, I drink a lot of beer, and it's been easier and easier to blow off my workouts.
Yesterday was day one of my new routine, and I didn't do too bad. My calorie breakdown was-
98 grams carbs (29%)
110 grams protein (33%)
55 grams fat (37%)
The percentages are not per the governments recommended daily allowance, just what percent of my overall calories were what. And the fat is all healthy fats, from salmon, eggs, and avocados. The carbs are WAY higher than what I wanted, but hey-it was my first day. I'm aiming to keep them at 80 grams or less per day, or about 20% off my overall caloric intake.
I also did about 20 minutes of a workout DVD-which was about 10 minutes from finishing, but my back is so sunburned I just couldn't roll around on the floor anymore.
I measured myself this morning, and strangely enough, I've lost .5 inches around my hips and just below my belly button. I don't know what that area is called, it's the spot where low rise jeans hit. The new millennium waist? My natural waist has stayed the same, but that's ok. Since I started this new way of life 2 years ago, I've lost 17 pounds, 2 inches off my waist, and 2.5 inches off my hips.
I'm really curious what this new weight lifting routine will do for me. My goal is to finally hit 135 and stay there, and lose 2 more inches off my waist and hips. Whether that's possible, I don't know. We shall see! I'll post occasional updates, especially regarding the low carb diet. I've heard so much about it, I'm curious to see if it really works.
Yesterday was day one of my new routine, and I didn't do too bad. My calorie breakdown was-
98 grams carbs (29%)
110 grams protein (33%)
55 grams fat (37%)
The percentages are not per the governments recommended daily allowance, just what percent of my overall calories were what. And the fat is all healthy fats, from salmon, eggs, and avocados. The carbs are WAY higher than what I wanted, but hey-it was my first day. I'm aiming to keep them at 80 grams or less per day, or about 20% off my overall caloric intake.
I also did about 20 minutes of a workout DVD-which was about 10 minutes from finishing, but my back is so sunburned I just couldn't roll around on the floor anymore.
I measured myself this morning, and strangely enough, I've lost .5 inches around my hips and just below my belly button. I don't know what that area is called, it's the spot where low rise jeans hit. The new millennium waist? My natural waist has stayed the same, but that's ok. Since I started this new way of life 2 years ago, I've lost 17 pounds, 2 inches off my waist, and 2.5 inches off my hips.
I'm really curious what this new weight lifting routine will do for me. My goal is to finally hit 135 and stay there, and lose 2 more inches off my waist and hips. Whether that's possible, I don't know. We shall see! I'll post occasional updates, especially regarding the low carb diet. I've heard so much about it, I'm curious to see if it really works.
And I was only half way covered in paint....
Finally, a few pics of the house.
This before shot was when I realized I forgot to take a before shot, after taping up the windows and doors.
This is the side of the garage, facing the street.
As you can see, our house was bare wood and dark brown trim. Well, not bare wood, it was treated T-111 siding. But, yuck! I hated it! And so many people loved it-my mom loved it, my girlfriend loved it, random people walking down the street while we were painting loved it. I don't get it, but to each their own I suppose.
Here's an in process shot-
Have I mentioned how much I love that man? And that one of the things I love about him is his ability to do anything? Seriously, we have never had to hire anyone to do a damn thing for us. (well, except for snake the drain, but that was a choice. We didn't feel like renting a snake, and have me try to help him get the thing on the roof, etc...) There is a huge freedom in that.
And....voila!
We still need to trim around the front door-
But basically we're done except for a few trim spots here and there.
I'm pretty frickin proud of the whole deal actually. Not bad, and I basically got to hang out with my husband and drink beer all day.
We have officially made our house our home. I love that feeling.
This before shot was when I realized I forgot to take a before shot, after taping up the windows and doors.
This is the side of the garage, facing the street.
As you can see, our house was bare wood and dark brown trim. Well, not bare wood, it was treated T-111 siding. But, yuck! I hated it! And so many people loved it-my mom loved it, my girlfriend loved it, random people walking down the street while we were painting loved it. I don't get it, but to each their own I suppose.
Here's an in process shot-
Have I mentioned how much I love that man? And that one of the things I love about him is his ability to do anything? Seriously, we have never had to hire anyone to do a damn thing for us. (well, except for snake the drain, but that was a choice. We didn't feel like renting a snake, and have me try to help him get the thing on the roof, etc...) There is a huge freedom in that.
And....voila!
We still need to trim around the front door-
But basically we're done except for a few trim spots here and there.
I'm pretty frickin proud of the whole deal actually. Not bad, and I basically got to hang out with my husband and drink beer all day.
We have officially made our house our home. I love that feeling.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Randomly stupid girl.....
I am sun burned. To a crisp. Bright red, itchy, ouch my clothing hurts burnt.
I know better than this, I really do. I get very angry with my friends and family when they get sunburned. I am constantly coating everyone I know in sunscreen. Especially myself-melanoma runs in my family and it's what killed my mother. But for some reason, it didn't even cross my mind to do my back yesterday. So, ouch. Life sucks at this moment.
*************************************************************************************
The plumber came back to our house and ran his camera through our pipes. The problem is not actually tree roots, but a section of pipe where the old orangeburg (?) pipe meets the city pipe. They no longer meet and form a nice seal. So sometime in the next month or two (when the heat dies down, we're in for 100 degrees all week and then some) we need to dig a 4 foot deep hole in our nice front lawn. But hey, at least it's not tree roots.
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Hopefully I'll get to posting the before and after pics of my house this week. I've got them downloaded to my computer at home, so I have made some progress!
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Day one of my low carb diet. And we're starting new workout routines this week. I didn't get as far as pics and measurements, hopefully I'll remember in the morning.
I'm really curious to see if all the low carb-lose belly fat hype is true.
************************************************************************************
Happy Monday!
I know better than this, I really do. I get very angry with my friends and family when they get sunburned. I am constantly coating everyone I know in sunscreen. Especially myself-melanoma runs in my family and it's what killed my mother. But for some reason, it didn't even cross my mind to do my back yesterday. So, ouch. Life sucks at this moment.
*************************************************************************************
The plumber came back to our house and ran his camera through our pipes. The problem is not actually tree roots, but a section of pipe where the old orangeburg (?) pipe meets the city pipe. They no longer meet and form a nice seal. So sometime in the next month or two (when the heat dies down, we're in for 100 degrees all week and then some) we need to dig a 4 foot deep hole in our nice front lawn. But hey, at least it's not tree roots.
*************************************************************************************
Hopefully I'll get to posting the before and after pics of my house this week. I've got them downloaded to my computer at home, so I have made some progress!
*************************************************************************************
Day one of my low carb diet. And we're starting new workout routines this week. I didn't get as far as pics and measurements, hopefully I'll remember in the morning.
I'm really curious to see if all the low carb-lose belly fat hype is true.
************************************************************************************
Happy Monday!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Book Review
Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby, Jr.
Good lord this book broke my heart. I've seen the movie, which is very sad and horrifying, but actually reading the story just crushed me.
The story of 4 addicts, what they do to feed their addiction, and where their addiction leads them-very, very sad.
I had a little trouble reading it at first-his style of writing is very strange-but once I got past that I had a hard time putting this book down.
Good lord this book broke my heart. I've seen the movie, which is very sad and horrifying, but actually reading the story just crushed me.
The story of 4 addicts, what they do to feed their addiction, and where their addiction leads them-very, very sad.
I had a little trouble reading it at first-his style of writing is very strange-but once I got past that I had a hard time putting this book down.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Book Review
The Ant King and Other Stories by Benjamin Rosenbaum.
I LOVED this book! I love short stories, and this book is filled with weird, fantasy based, surreal strangeness. Read it! Expand your mind a little....
I LOVED this book! I love short stories, and this book is filled with weird, fantasy based, surreal strangeness. Read it! Expand your mind a little....
Randomness
I have been crazy busy this week. We started painting our house Saturday (pics to follow soon)and are spending each night this week finishing up the trim. It actually feels really good to look at my house and know that I contributed to it looking great. And it's turning into nice quality time with Hubbs. Win-Win!
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I'm starting a new diet/exercise plan. I'm not getting the results I want with what I'm doing, so it's time to switch it up. No processed foods (Bye Amy's Organics!), only lean protein, fruits, veggies, good fats, and very little carbs. I'm skipping the workout DVD's and plan on concentrating more on weight training. The good part is I can actually up my calorie intake. I'm not necessarily looking to lose more weight, just tone up a bit more. We'll see how it works. This weekend will be measurements and pictures, so I'll have a baseline to compare to.
*************************************************************************************
I had a moment last night where I was bouncing off the walls in my head-bad. I thought "Oh shit, here we go." So, I double dosed the chromium and took a Xanax at bedtime, and Voila! Right as rain this morning.
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Hubbs bought a new gun-all I can remember about it is it's a pump action shotgun. Pics of that too, when I get a free moment.
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Happy Tuesday!
*************************************************************************************
I'm starting a new diet/exercise plan. I'm not getting the results I want with what I'm doing, so it's time to switch it up. No processed foods (Bye Amy's Organics!), only lean protein, fruits, veggies, good fats, and very little carbs. I'm skipping the workout DVD's and plan on concentrating more on weight training. The good part is I can actually up my calorie intake. I'm not necessarily looking to lose more weight, just tone up a bit more. We'll see how it works. This weekend will be measurements and pictures, so I'll have a baseline to compare to.
*************************************************************************************
I had a moment last night where I was bouncing off the walls in my head-bad. I thought "Oh shit, here we go." So, I double dosed the chromium and took a Xanax at bedtime, and Voila! Right as rain this morning.
*************************************************************************************
Hubbs bought a new gun-all I can remember about it is it's a pump action shotgun. Pics of that too, when I get a free moment.
*************************************************************************************
Happy Tuesday!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Book Review
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child.
I really enjoy his books for some odd reason. Jack Reacher is a former MP, retired, and he just drifts around the country with a toothbrush and an ATM card and solves crimes and saves people along the way. I don't know how accurate they are because I've never killed anyone with my bare hands, but they seem well researched and at least semi-factual.
This story is about a woman who worked for the Pentagon, who was blackmailed into turning over a file to a mystery person. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but it does relate to what's going on in the world today.
Read it.
I really enjoy his books for some odd reason. Jack Reacher is a former MP, retired, and he just drifts around the country with a toothbrush and an ATM card and solves crimes and saves people along the way. I don't know how accurate they are because I've never killed anyone with my bare hands, but they seem well researched and at least semi-factual.
This story is about a woman who worked for the Pentagon, who was blackmailed into turning over a file to a mystery person. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but it does relate to what's going on in the world today.
Read it.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Wonder Drug
I'm telling you, chromium is a wonder drug. If you suffer from depression but can't tolerate anti-depressants, please give this a try. It can change your life.
As some of you may remember, a few months back we had a problem with our pipes backing up. We called a plumber, who quoted us one price, then showed up to our house and doubled his quote. Hubbs was so mad he chased him off with a plunger in his hand. (snicker) Then the problem just fixed itself, so we blew it off.
Monday night, it happened again. We poured Drano down both showers, and went to bed, assuming (like asses) that it would magically fix itself by morning like it did last time.
No such luck. We called a plumber, then both called in to work, because really, who shows up without showering? Well, actually there's a really stinky guy here who does, but that's beside the point right now.
So, 5 hours later, after having to use the bathroom at our local grocery store (Thanks for not looking at us weird Save-Mart employees!) the plumber showed up and snaked our drain. And gave us the wonderful news that the problem is a tree root which had busted through our pipe.
Deep breath.
Cost to fix? $1600.00.
Deep breath.
It's fixed for now, but he wouldn't give us more than a 7 day warranty on the snake job, because the pipe needs to be replaced like NOW.
I'm lucky enough to be married to a husband who can fix ANYTHING, and he's lucky enough to know someone who has a trench digging thingie (technical term), so we won't have to pay $1600, just the cost of the materials and our own labor.
Now, during all this drama yesterday, just when I would really expect to drop into my depression like a pitiful rock, I felt.....normal. Slightly stressed over the situation, and obviously uncomfortable, but I did not get my usual bone crushing case of the sads like I normally get when something like this happens.
Weird, huh? I really think it's the chromium. After I realized this last night, I also realized that I have been on an even keel ever since I started taking it, about 1 1/2 months ago. No mania, and no depression. For over a month.
Wow. What a simple fix to a lifelong problem.
As some of you may remember, a few months back we had a problem with our pipes backing up. We called a plumber, who quoted us one price, then showed up to our house and doubled his quote. Hubbs was so mad he chased him off with a plunger in his hand. (snicker) Then the problem just fixed itself, so we blew it off.
Monday night, it happened again. We poured Drano down both showers, and went to bed, assuming (like asses) that it would magically fix itself by morning like it did last time.
No such luck. We called a plumber, then both called in to work, because really, who shows up without showering? Well, actually there's a really stinky guy here who does, but that's beside the point right now.
So, 5 hours later, after having to use the bathroom at our local grocery store (Thanks for not looking at us weird Save-Mart employees!) the plumber showed up and snaked our drain. And gave us the wonderful news that the problem is a tree root which had busted through our pipe.
Deep breath.
Cost to fix? $1600.00.
Deep breath.
It's fixed for now, but he wouldn't give us more than a 7 day warranty on the snake job, because the pipe needs to be replaced like NOW.
I'm lucky enough to be married to a husband who can fix ANYTHING, and he's lucky enough to know someone who has a trench digging thingie (technical term), so we won't have to pay $1600, just the cost of the materials and our own labor.
Now, during all this drama yesterday, just when I would really expect to drop into my depression like a pitiful rock, I felt.....normal. Slightly stressed over the situation, and obviously uncomfortable, but I did not get my usual bone crushing case of the sads like I normally get when something like this happens.
Weird, huh? I really think it's the chromium. After I realized this last night, I also realized that I have been on an even keel ever since I started taking it, about 1 1/2 months ago. No mania, and no depression. For over a month.
Wow. What a simple fix to a lifelong problem.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Meet Sammy
The newest member of our family, Sammy is about 14 months old. He is a rescue kitty, and he has wasted no time becoming comfortable with us.
According to the lady at the Humane Society, Sammy had two strikes against him. He's black, and he's long haired. Apparently they are the hardest cats to find homes for. Poor Sammy had been there for over 2 months. He was a little rough, so we have spent a ton of time brushing him. He has really bonded with Hubbs-he's so grateful to have been rescued, poor guy.
As you know, I lost Newman a few months ago, and we really felt Cleo -this nutjob-
needed a friend. So, we are now the proud owners of two crazy black kitties. And yes, I am officially a crazy cat lady.
Rest in peace, Newman. I miss you old man.
According to the lady at the Humane Society, Sammy had two strikes against him. He's black, and he's long haired. Apparently they are the hardest cats to find homes for. Poor Sammy had been there for over 2 months. He was a little rough, so we have spent a ton of time brushing him. He has really bonded with Hubbs-he's so grateful to have been rescued, poor guy.
As you know, I lost Newman a few months ago, and we really felt Cleo -this nutjob-
needed a friend. So, we are now the proud owners of two crazy black kitties. And yes, I am officially a crazy cat lady.
Rest in peace, Newman. I miss you old man.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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