A Room of My Own

My new favorite show

delani — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 16:17:55 GMT

I confess; I have a weakness for animated shows. I've been in love with the Simpsons since I first "discovered them" in syndication several years ago. I'm a big fan of Futurama, also created by Matt Groening. Back in the day, MTV's "Liquid Television" was *the* place to catch new, experimental animation (it's where both Beavis & Butthead and Aeon Flux got their start - both shows I *love.*). Ren & Stimpy, Pinky & the Brain, the Tick...I've been devoted to them all at one point or another. And I've just discovered a new love. The Oblongs, created by Angus Oblong, airing on Adult Swim and TBS. It's actually in syndication, since it originally aired in 2001 and lasted only 13 episodes. But this show has got to be the most radical, subversive thing I have *ever* seen. Just a quick summary: the Oblongs are a family of variously-mutated people living in Hill Valley. The dad, an armless-and-legless torso named, hilariously enough, Bob, is the button-down, pipe-smoking dad straight out of the 1950's. Pickles, the tall matriarch, chain smokes and drinks. But that doesn't make her a bad mother. The kids are Biff & Chip, conjoined twins; Milo, the bald middle child with every known childhood disorder; and Beth, the cute-as-a-button 4-year-old with an enormous growth sticking out of her head. The Oblongs live in the Valley - the toxic, polluted wasteland where all the poor people live. Up above them and the cloud of smog, the Hill folk are surrounded by pristine, manicured lawns, live in big houses, and all look exactly alike. It is in this setting - a microcosm of modern America - that the issues of class are confronted head-on. On the surface, it's just a strangely-morbid sitcom about a mutant family. But barely scratch the surface and you see laid bare the Big American Lie: namely, that we have no classes and everyone can attain the American dream if we just work hard and try hard enough. No other show (that I'm aware of) deals with economic class issues in such a frank, honest, in-your-face way. I'll spare you my full sociological analysis of the show (since I want to save it for Ms. Magazine), but for more info you can check out the creator's site: http://www.angusoblong.net/theoblongs.html , or for more in-depth treatment of the characters and history of the show, the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oblongs . And, of course, you can catch the show yourself on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim at 10:00 CST (opposite another fave, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart). The show also airs on TBS on Saturdays, between 2 and 5 am.

Memorial Day

delani — Tue, 30 May 2006 15:18:44 GMT

Monday was great - we had my folks and a couple of friends over to just hang out, eat hamburgers & hot dogs, and play games. It was a lot of fun. But the *best* thing about Monday was, I got the whole house really clean. Even though my hubby is home all day (he works like 3 nights a week), he doesn't clean the house very much. He gets offended when I say this, because he claims he cleans. But it's very slap-dash: he'll clean only one room, like the bathroom, and the rest of the house still looks like a pit. And what he does clean, he doesn't clean all that well. The inch of dust on the entertainment center will attest to that. So my mom brought out a vacuum for us to borrow and I cleaned the *shit* out of my house. We haven't had a working vacuum in months, so the carpet was *filthy.* Now, the house looks so good...it made me feel so much better. I have a classic Type A Personality; when my surroundings aren't neat and orderly, I'm tense and annoyed. So just having a clean house has made me more relaxed. I know, it's picky...but I believe it's a behavior we evolved for a reason. Think about it: if your home is dirty, you have a much higher chance of breeding disease in that dirt. And of course it will attract parasites & vermin. A dirty home - especially if that home is a cave or a tent in the wilds of the Neolithic - would be an unsafe home for everyone in it - *especially* infants & small children. So, the slightly anal types who just didn't feel right unless their cave was neat and clean would be less likely to have diseases or mice or whatever, thereby being (on the whole) healthier, stronger, and more well-fed (since mice wouldn't be eating all their food). The slobs would have a higher chance of dealing with disease and pests, which would make them and their children (on the whole) less healthy and well-fed. Guess who's gonna win that race. So I don't feel bad about my slightly "obsessive" need to have a clean house. I'm carrying on a very important lesson passed down through thousands of generations of women - keep your house clean and your family healthy.

Grad School?

delani — Tue, 23 May 2006 15:49:40 GMT

So I've been thinking about going to Grad School. Since I want to write, I thought the Creative Writing program might be the thing to do. Though a friend of mine says that the program is very narrow and the professors are hyper-critical, I thought just *having* to write every day would be good for me. But of course there are practical considerations. If I went to grad school, I would have to quit my extremely cushy job. I would *have* to get a graduate assistantship, which pays my tuition and pays me a modest stipend (I'd be taking a pay cut of about $400 a month). Which won't be a big deal, if my hubby can get a full-time job. So, the decision isn't an easy one. And here is where it gets interesting...I was at the Journalism department getting my summer classes in order, when they offered me a graduate assistantship. I didn't even ask - they offered it to me, specifically. I would be working for a friend and former professor. She told me the job was mine, all I had to do was accept. Wow. Talk about having a solution fall into your lap... But do I really want to get my Master's in Journalism? I don't see how it would hinder my desire to write for a living. It might be more practical, since with my Master's, I could teach - I'd be in acedemia, and still able to write. It's almost too perfect. My pessimistic side wants to find fault with it. But really, a lot more fault could be found in going for Creative Writing than Journalism. I feel like I've stepped into a fast-flowing river, where the current is just pushing me along. I have no idea where I'm going, but in a way I'm not sure that's important. Perhaps in trusting the Universe to carry me, I will be where I'm supposed to be, and maybe the destination isn't as important as the journey.

Back into the college life

delani — Thu, 18 May 2006 18:54:40 GMT

As of today, I am officially a student of the University of Arkansas (again)! I was re-admitted today, and Monday I'll register for my last two classes...all I have left between me and that shiny sheepskin. Truthfully, I'm not really going back to campus life. One class I'm going to CLEP out of (which, for you non-students out there, means you take a test, and if you pass, you get credit for the entire class), and the other will be "independent study," which means I don't have to actually attend any classes. Whoo-hoo! I can almost taste that sweet, sweet diploma. It's only taken me 15 freakin' years to get it! And so of course the question of grad school is on my mind. I'm tempted to try and do it, though I can't for the life of me decide what for, other than I really enjoy being a student. I could totally do the "professional student" gig - I'm so at home in acedemia. I like the free time, the intellectual challenge, and the cultural opportunities on campus. I'm just not sure why I would want to get a Masters degree. Well, that's getting a bit ahead of myself...now I just need to focus on getting my Bachelors this summer!

Eureka Springs Art Festival

delani — Tue, 16 May 2006 18:36:43 GMT

It was a lot of fun. I'm so glad that *finally* I had a good fest - the last two were total busts. I didn't make a pile of money or anything, but I broke even with a little extra. And, I did a lot of local (Eurekan) kids, so I'm hoping that I'll get some parties out of it. Mainly I did teenagers, wanting typical butterflies or hearts on the shoulder, hip, or ankle. Meh. I did get to do one young woman who wanted a big, crazy traditional Indian design. I gave her a lot more than what she paid for, since I was so happy to do some actually *artistic* henna for once. This weekend I'm going to the Midwest Wimmin's Festival (http://www.joricostello.com/mwf ), then I'll be at the Eureka Springs Sunday Market for Memorial Day weekend. Wish me luck! I'm also looking into some other fests out of state - but I'm being really paranoid right now (see previous post), so I won't post the details till I've got them booked.

Undercutting sux

delani — Wed, 10 May 2006 14:44:37 GMT

I'm so mad right now!!! I'm still in the process of finding and booking fests to do henna at. One event is the Fayetteville Peace Fest, which started up last year, and despite getting rained out, was shaping up to be a great fest. This was during the time I was trying out doing walk-ins at a newly-opened tattoo parlor/aromatherapy shop /art gallery. I had paid for the booth at the fest, and the owner of the shop had asked if she could share a booth with me, to do temporary tattoos, and split the cost. Well, she showed up like an hour late, and when her first customer showed up, she discovered she had left some vital thing at her shop. Then it began raining so she just packed it up and left. She wasn't there 30 mins., so I told her not to worry about the booth fee. I, however, actually did pretty well for getting rained on. Anyway, I e-mailed the peace fest organizer last week to see if he was planning on having one again this year, because I wanted to do henna again. At this point I should note that the shop owner used to do henna (at least that's what she told me). Well, when the organizer e-mailed me back, he said that he'd love to have me, but a friend of his had agreed to do henna *for free* in exchange for him promoting her *tattoo parlour.* It's got to be her. And that is super shitty to totally undercut me on this fest. I e-mailed him back very polite and businesslike and said basically that if it didn't work out with his friend that I'm still interested. But I'm so steamed...this fest would probably be a really lucrative one for me. (edited to add): Besides being the one who showed up, set everything up, and stayed to henna people in the pouring rain, I was also one of the few - if not the only - vendors who actually *paid* for my booth. When it started raining, and people were packing it up, the person in charge of the vendors went around to everyone. She told me she would just waive the booth fee since they were canceling the event. Since I had already made that much, and still had people waiting in line, I paid her anyway. A friend of mine suggested that I contact the organizer and tell him (in a polite way of course) that it's really not cool to do this. We're supposed to be supporting local artists, and letting someone give it away undercuts and devalues local artists. I don't know if I should do that, though, because I don't want to give him a bad impression or piss him off. Maybe I could confront the shop owner, in a positive way, and maybe suggest she do her temporary tattoos instead, so we both get what we want. Any suggestions?

The weekend...

delani — Mon, 08 May 2006 20:27:56 GMT

was horrible. It was cold and rainy all day Saturday. Needless to say, there weren't many people there, and I only did one henna all day. It was going to be my last bellydance performance, but due to a) the awful weather and b) the fact that the organizers didn't have a proper stage built for us, we just basically cut and ran. I didn't want to camp in the cold and rain so we just packed it up and drove home. It wasn't all bad, though. We met some really nice people - like the lady in the booth next to us. Her name is Tressa and she does fancy braiding (how cool is that?). She did my hair in a *fabulous* do that I left in all weekend. I took it out this morning and now I have big, poofy, curly hair! I certainly hope we have good weather next weekend. I'm going to be at the Art Festival in Eureka Springs and not only did I pay for the booth, I'm bringing an assistant with me, so I need to make enough to pay her too! Keep your fingers crossed for me, and think happy, sunny thoughts...

And now some bad news

delani — Fri, 05 May 2006 18:18:55 GMT

Bill would make sex toys illegal in South Carolina (Columbia-AP) April 21, 2006 - A state lawmaker wants to ban the sale of sex toys. Republican Representative Ralph Davenport of Boiling Springs proposed the bill that would add sex toys to the state's obscenity laws. Davenport's bill would make it a felony to sell devices used primarily for sexual stimulation. The proposal also would allow law enforcement to seize sex toys as contraband. Davenport wouldn't talk to The Associated Press Friday about his bill. Davenport's home county of Spartanburg has been aggressive in recent months in pursuing charges against owners of adult-oriented businesses. Police there say, however, they are uncertain how Davenport's proposal would help their investigations. Posted 5:58pm by Chantelle Janelle What century are we in? Seriously...this is just so fascist I don't have any words for it.

The best news I've heard in a decade...

delani — Wed, 03 May 2006 19:53:11 GMT

From The Los Angeles Times: "Mexico to Allow Use of Drugs By Sam Enriquez Mexican President Vicente Fox will sign a bill that would legalize the use of nearly every drug and narcotic sold by the same Mexican cartels he's vowed to fight during his five years in office, a spokesman said Tuesday. The list of illegal drugs approved for personal consumption by Mexico's Congress last week is enough to make one dizzy -- or worse. Cocaine. Heroin. LSD. Marijuana. PCP. Opium. Synthetic opiates. Mescaline. Peyote. Psilocybin mushrooms. Amphetamines. Methamphetamines." Read the whole story here: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-legalize3may03,0,5634216.story?track=tothtml . This is so incredible...finally, another nation wakes up to how utterly assinine and ineffective prohibition is. Selling drugs or using them in public would still be illegal, which makes sense. But this effectively cuts the legs out from under dealers and cartels - which is where almost all the problems associated with drugs originates. By forcing it underground, and making it a criminal activity, prohibition creates and funds violent gangs and cartels. Just look up the alcohol prohibition in our country for a perfect example. Now I'm even more positive that I'm going to retire in Mexico.

Getting Ready for My First Ren Faire

delani — Tue, 02 May 2006 14:46:37 GMT

Well, not my first Ren Faire, just my first one doing henna and dancing. We're (my troupe, Belli Trybe) going to be performing Saturday at MayFaire in Newton County. Info here: http://herbhome.tripod.com/mayfaire.html . I'll also be doing henna at a booth all weekend. So far, the weather prediction looks pretty good - highs in the mid-60s, only a slight chance of rain. I'm excited about camping at a Ren Faire, but also a little apprehensive about dancing. It's freakin' hard to get ready in a tent - it takes at least an hour to get on all the layers of costuming, not to mention the elaborate hair-do's and make-up. I'm glad it's my last performance. From now on I'll be able to relax and enjoy my camping trips and festivals.

Dealing with Tyrants

delani — Mon, 01 May 2006 15:33:27 GMT

It seems that I can never escape some tyrant or another - if it's not George Bush stripping away my rights, it's some petty middle-school principal threatening to punish my son to prove her authority over me. I just got back from a nice weekend hanging out with the girls, when I see my son has brought a note home from school. It's from his principal, a form letter, basically threatening me with denying him credit for this year (failing him) and turning me in to the Prosecuting Attorney because of too many absences. This woman (his principal) has been harrassing me about this to no end. The basic deal is this: I took my son to the Crossinology clinic in Boulder for a new, experimental therapy - he has ADD and a form of Autism. The principal didn't want to excuse my son's absence because it would be during their "Benchmark" tests - tests that have no bearing on his grades; they are just state-mandated bureaucratic assessment tools. But apparently, schools can be denied funding if too many students fail them or are absent from them. After threatening me with failing my son if I took him, she relented and said that as long as I brought back a note from the doctor when we got back it would be OK. So I did. Now I get this note. I'm not really sure what to make of it...it's a standard form letter, so I'm not sure which threats specifically apply to me. My son said it was because the therapist he saw wasn't a "real" doctor. I haven't called the principal back yet, because I want to find out exactly what my rights are. But this has got to be stopped - the threats, the intimidation, the harrassment - all because I took my autistic son to a new and unconventional form of treatment. What's worse is what this is doing to my son...when he came back to live with me two years ago, he was failing every subject and was such a problem he had to attend a day-treatment therapy school instead of public schools. Now, he goes to regular public school (though he has to take special-ed classes), and his lowest grade is a C. And after all his work and progress, this bitch is going to fail him because I took him away for two weeks for therapy??? What kind of message does she think that sends to him? Yeah, I'm just a little pissed about the whole thing...

Gone for the Weekend

delani — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 15:51:47 GMT

I'm so excited...I'm leaving today to go out to a friend's cabin out on the War Eagle Creek, just to spend time with my girlfriends and chill. Of course, the forecast is for rain all weekend. But I'm not going to complain...we need the rain desperately, and I can have just as much fun hanging out in the cabin with my girlfriends. I so need this...Starting next weekend, the henna season officially starts, and I'm going to be busy, busy busy almost every weekend till October. So, I'll be back Sunday night! Bye for now!

WytcheHaven Weekend

delani — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 15:24:25 GMT

I'm back! I'm red as a lobster and tired, but happy. It was a mixed weekend, I have to say. It was a six hour drive to the spot. My son complained and whined the entire weekend. Granted, it was boring for him, with no-one his age to hang out with and nothing really to do. It was hot; our campsite was in an old cowfield full of stobs, stickers, cow poo, and ticks. There was no shade and the wind was like a hurricane at night. The highway was nearby so we heard more traffic than we do at home in the city. Our tent kept blowing so hard and loud I couldn't sleep (now I know we need to get a better tent). But the people were really nice. It was a small turnout; I didn't make much money doing henna. But I got to meet some wonderful people and visit with old friends we hadn't seen in a while. So, I can't say that we didn't enjoy ourselves.

I am not who I thought I was...

delani — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:51:28 GMT

I had a sudden realization strike me, of all places, from a Subaru commercial. The commercial shows a mountian biker, a kayaker, and a camper...and I was totally identifying with them, even though I don't mountain bike or kayak. I've always thought of myself as that "type": the camper girl, ready at a moment's notice to thow my gear in the back of the vehicle and head off to canoe topless down the Illinois River, or camp out at the Mulberry Jam (or the Moo or whatever hippie music fest was happening), or just hike around Devil's Den for the afternoon. Then it hit me - I'm not that anymore. I haven't been canoeing in at least 7 years. I hardly ever go camping anymore either - when my ex left me, he took most of the camping gear. All I have now is a tent and a leaking air mattress. And the car I drive now just doesn't have the room my old Honda station wagon did (when you folded down the back seat, you almost had as much cargo room as a small truck). This is freaking me out. I've gotten fat and soft and my camper girl self is in danger of dying. And I loved her! She was fun and strong and independent and spontaneous. So, I'm committed to bringing her back. We will get better camping equipment and I will *make* the time to camp and canoe this summer. I may have to get a new vehicle, though.

Saying goodbye to something I love

delani — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 16:56:16 GMT

I've been putting off posting this for a couple of reasons. First, I put it off because I hadn't *really* decided yet...then once I had finally, firmly made the decision, I put off posting for fear a certain friend would read it and be upset with me. But I've thought about it, and my friend (you know who you are) is a good person and I think she'll understand. After six years, I've decided to quit bellydancing. Believe it or not, it really isn't because of all the drama in the BD community. I can choose to ignore that. What I've had to accept, is that bellydance is a very high-maintanance hobby. You really need to spend several hours a week practicing if you want to be good. You have to buy expensive costumes (or make time-consuming ones) if you are going to perform. You need space to practice. You need to constantly be challenged to improve yourself. I can't really do any of that. I only have practice once a week, for 2 hours (which is actually only an hour and a half). I can't practice at home because: a) I don't have time; and b) even if I could squeeze in a half-hour here or there, I have *no space* to move in my tiny apartment. And I sure can't afford to rent space in a studio. So for several months now, I've been feeling more and more guilty about this, but I absolutely cannot give any more. So, the smart thing to do is to quit. I have two more performances with my troupe - one this weekend at WytcheHaven (www.wytchehaven.org ), and in two weeks at the Mayfaire in Newton County. After that performance, I'll break the news to my troupe and start selling/giving away all my costumes & stuff. It makes me very sad to do this. I love dancing, and I know it gives joy to others. But I just don't have the time and energy to do it properly, and I am not happy with doing it half-assed. So, I think this is the best choice for me.

Thursday nights

delani — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 16:00:32 GMT

are for CSI. I am totally addicted to that show. But last night, and last Thursday night, CSI was pre-empted by the freakin' weather. Both times, there *might* have been a tornado in Oklahoma or Ft. Smith. No damage, no nothing...but channel 5 KFSM just had to blather on for an *hour* about how it *might* become dangerous. Shut up already! That's why they invented crawls across the bottom of the screen. Ooooo, I'm so pissed. OK, now that I've gotten my "Rain Man" episode out there...what else should I share? I haven't had time to watch much TV. I've been organizing my henna design books, tracking down and applying for various festivals and farmers' markets, practicing henna on myself, and mainly gearing up for WytcheHaven Weekend next weekend (info at www.wytchehaven.org ). I think I'm not going to do any more events where I'm camping, dancing, and doing henna. It's just *way* too much crap to lug around. Camping and doing henna, maybe OK, or doing henna & dancing, but not all three! One of these days I'm going to get an RV. Or at least a little Toyota truck.

This week...

delani — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 17:02:06 GMT

Haven't been posting much...it seems that I don't have a lot of readers, so I don't feel as much of an obligation to post very often. These are just my ramblings. I'm at a common stalemate (or should I say bottleneck?) at work, so I've had a lot of time to surf the web and generally goof off. Problem is, I have *tons* of stuff to do in my own life, that I'd much rather be doing than wasting time at work. I have the henna/festival season coming up...so I'm trying to get all my stuff together for that, trying to book plenty of good gigs, and hoping I'll make lots of money. My little henna biz needs some things, and I don't have the capital just yet to get them. I'm also worried...I did a tarot reading on how this henna season was going to go, and the outcome was the Tower, not a fun card. Since readings don't create your fate, they just show you which direction you're headed, I'm taking this as wise council not to overspend or take on any risks. There is of course, another interpretation for that card: that the walls we build in our lives, the things we come to depend on and believe to be unchanging, will eventually come crashing down. Nothing lasts forever. And if you've created something that no longer serves you, or wasn't appropriate to begin with, it *has* to come down, one way or another. So I have to wonder if that's what this card is talking about. What in my life has become encrusted, or outgrown? This is a subject for a whole 'nother post...

TGIF

delani — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 17:45:37 GMT

Another week has almost passed. Last night we got a pretty decent rainstorm; south of us, Ft. Smith just almost got a tornado. The days are starting to get warmer, and plants all over are starting to bloom and fill out with new green leaves. I love spring. It's my favorite time of year - of course, I say that about fall every year too. I'm excited too, because spring signals the start of the festival season. While I have a full-time day job, my real passion is henna. I love doing festivals - not only do I get to draw on people - and get paid! - I usually enjoy being at the festival too. Even when I'm really busy. It's a win-win situation - I get to have fun and make money doing it! Now, if I could only find a way to be able to quit my day job and just do henna. Then I'd be livin' the dream...

Monday Morning

delani — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 17:27:13 GMT

Hello again everyone. Just checking in, keeping the site up to date. Mostly right now I'm freaking out about medical crap. I know I'm going to end up having to pay for that ER visit in Albuquerque, since their help programs are only for people who live in New Mexico. Now, today, I have to take my hubby to the dentist - pieces of his tooth have been falling out, and he's in extreme pain. I don't know how we're going to pay for it. But we can't just keep pumping him full of pain pills - his step-dad was kind enough to part with some of his, but he can't do that any more because he needs them, and he only gets so many a month. Something really needs to be done about the state of heath "care" in the United States. Just in my immediate family, there is so much suffering - both physical and financial - because none of us can afford the care we need. I have already declared bankruptcy once because of medical bills, and already, only 5 years later, the whole process is starting up again: visits to doctors and ER's that I can't afford to pay for, bills and collection notices piling up...I just don't know what to do. I try to take care of myself and eat right, but there is no cure for my condition. My hubby takes good care of his teeth, but because his teeth are so crooked, and his family couldn't afford to fix them when he was little, he will have dental problems all his life - at least until they pull them all out and give him dentures. Michael Moore is making a new documentary about this very subject, called "Sicko." While it probably won't make the slightest bit of difference - after all, who are we, mere citizens, against the awesome power of the AMA and Big Pharma? - but it will be at least gratifying to see that I'm not alone, and that it is a real problem. I'd like to see a real revolt over this. But how? We can't exactly boycott health care providers. Maybe a sit-in, like the AIM movement in the '70's, taking over the House & Senate & demanding a solution that covers *every* American. Oh, well, I can dream.

Pix up

delani — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 23:44:19 GMT

I know I've complained a lot about my 'vacation,' but it did have its good points. I've finally uploaded all my pix, and I've posted a few to share. Just scroll down to the blog entries for each stop and I'll have a picture up for each one. Here is one from Albuquerque. Hope you enjoy! If you want to see more, go to the link on the left ( http://people.tribe.net/delani/photos ).

Crash & Burn

delani — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 19:49:14 GMT

Sorry it's taken so long to update you on the last leg of our trip. I'm only today able to get out of bed and sit in front of the computer, and this was the first thing I did (well, after trying to take a shower). That night in Flagstaff, it felt like I pulled something in my lower back - it got really painful that night, but by the next day, it felt better, although I was a little weak. So we drove toward Albuquerque, stopping at Meteor Crater along the way. As we drove, the pain got worse and worse. It got so bad, that an hour out of ABQ, I had to stop and get a motel room to lie down. The pain was excruciating. I thought I had slipped a disk or something awful. But, again, the next day I was fine. So we drove into ABQ. The weather there was fine and sunny, and the town has a really cool artsy vibe. The American Indian and Mexican background of this town is all over it. It's beautiful and colorful and I would love to go back. That day, we tried to go to the zoo, but couldn't get the whole "bio-park" pass after noon. So, we went to ride the tram. Closed on Tuesdays. Oh, well, so we just walked up and down Central Avenue, the old Route 66, shopping and doing the whole tourist trip. Later that evening, we ate Korean barbeque for the first time. It was really good - at least going down. But, after we got back to the room, the pain started up again. My hubby had a flash of inspiration: what if it was my kidney? Duh!!! So I called the ER and they said to come in. That should be the end of that sentence...but no. You know how in most hospitals, the ER is right out front or on the side or somewhere obvious and easy to get to? 'Cause, you know, people might be bleeding to death or something? Not at the University Med. Ctr. in Albuquerque. The ER entrance was actually *underneath* the hospital...and the parking for ER is across the street, in a parking garage, on the 3rd floor. And that's not all...they were remodeling or something, so you had to wind your way through the hospital, trying to navigate by outdated, cryptic signs. After getting directions from a hospital employee (who acted like we were stupid for not seeing a sign that was *not* there), we found it - and I've been in closets bigger than this room. By this time it was about 10pm. Everyone that saw me thought it was kidney stones. But they ordered a CAT scan just to make sure, and, of course, it was a small kidney stone. They said I'd pass it in about 2 to 3 days and sent me home with some painkillers. All this took 7 fucking hours. We got back to the hotel room at 5am. Oh, but that's not all! The next night, our last in ABQ, the people in the room above us were partying so loud we couldn't sleep (well, I could, but I had some help from modern medicine). Then about 5 am (the magic time, I think), the loudness got even louder and meaner. We all three woke up to the sounds of cussing and banging and what sounded like someone getting the shit beat out of them. My husband and I both grew up in houses with abusive fathers; we know what it sounds like. So, we ended up calling the cops, who did nothing. Figuring we weren't going to get any more sleep that night, we packed up and left for home. Of course, after getting so little sleep in the last few days, I got only about an hour out of ABQ before the desert road was singing a lullaby. We pulled over at a rest stop and snoozed for a few hours before finishing the long drive home. Luckily, I didn't have any more pain that day and we made it home after midnight Thursday night/Friday morning. Friday I slept till the afternoon, and was fine till that night. And, to wrap it all up, I've been in extreme agony from Friday night till just this morning. But I think I've passed it - there's no more pain and I'm not vomiting constantly. I'm just really weak and my stomach feels like the stage after a Riverdance production. So, thanks everyone for your concern...and I hope to be posting something more positive soon...

Flagstaff, Arizona

delani — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 21:08:01 GMT

What a bust. It snowed, and snowed, and snowed both days we were here. It dumped literally a foot and a half of snow on this area. So, we didn't get to see the ruins or go to Sedona for the vortexes. We were pretty much stuck in our crappy hotel room all weekend. I do not recommend the Luxury Inn. It has paper-thin walls and is right next to the railroad tracks - and I shit you not, a train passes through Flagstaff an average of every five minutes. This from the tour guide at the Visitors Center/Amtrak Station. Last night I pulled something in my back/abdomen so I'm limping around all weak today. Right now I'm posting from the Visitors Center in Gallup, New Mexico. A lot less snow here, sunny skies...so I'm optimistic we'll get to have a lot more fun here. Adios de Nuevo Mexico!

The Grand Canyon

delani — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 20:55:45 GMT

Boy, the drive from Boulder was a bitch. Over the rocky mtns., it started snowing pretty hard. At times you could barely see the road in front of you. But once we were out of the mtns., it cleared up and we were able to see some beautiful views of the area. We saw a little of Monument Valley, but it was getting dark so we weren't able to see much of it. It took us nearly 14 hours to get from Boulder to Tusayan, AZ (including a one-hour stop in Moab, UT). I'm trying to type fast - internet access here is super expensive: $0.25 a minute! Everything here is expensive. It was galling enough to have to *pay* to get into a National Park - what are our tax dollars supposed to be for? (oh, yeah...the "war on terror."). The lodges in the park were originally built to provide affordable lodging for visitors, in the spirit of the National Parks - so it can be enjoyed by *all* people. But the lodges are just as expensive - or even more so - than the hotels in town. So I see it increasingly becoming a playground of the rich, instead of a part of all Americans' heritage. That said, the canyon is amazing. I can't wait to share pictures with everyone. It's bitterly cold, and the wind is nearly constant - icy, biting, and gale-force strong. A few moments outside is about all you can handle. So far, I've heard people speaking English, Spanish, German, Japanese, and Farsi (or Hindi?). Today, our last day here, it is *extremely* cold and snowy. We tried driving the Desert View Rd., and did manage to see a couple of really nice views, but the snow was coming down so hard we couldn't even see the car in front of us, so we turned around and headed back to town. Oh, well. At least we did get to see the Grand Canyon. Tomorrow, it's off to Flagstaff.

Boulder, Colorado

delani — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 15:02:13 GMT

So here I am in Boulder. This seems like a pretty cool town - a lot like Fayetteville. It's hilly, lots of trees, college students, granola-and-gourmet-coffee-kinda-vibe. And just to the west - right against the city, just blocks away - huge mountains stand guard. It's beautiful and probably costs a lot of money to live here. Our first night here, we ate at the Mataam Fez Moroccan restaurant. It was pretty expensive, but worth every penny. It was such an experience...after taking off your shoes and having your hands washed in warm lemon water, you sit on cushions on the floor behind low tables. The walls and ceiling are upholstered and hung with tapestries, with only dim light from ornate Moroccan lamps to see by. They bring you five full courses of the most incredible food I have ever eaten, all eaten with the fingers. We saw the bellydancer and stuffed ourselves on exotic food and homemade wheat bread. After dessert, they wash your hands again, then you must put your hands out and close your eyes while they spritz you with orange blossom and rose water. You leave feeling so relaxed and so stuffed, smelling absolutely heavenly, you never want to leave! Last night we took my son to Denver (just about 30 mins. away) to the last remaining Casa Bonita. Talk about one extreme to another. Where the Mataam Fez was authentic and relaxing, Casa Bonita was garish and hyperactive. To quote Cartman, "it's the Disneyland of Mexican food restaurants!" And the food was bad. So very, very bad. But my son had fun watching the divers in the indoor waterfall, going through Black Bart's cave, and spending his whole allowance in the two arcades. My hubby and I strolled around checking out all the stuffy, poorly ventilated attractions. It's a lot like the Casa Bonita in Tulsa, but bigger, with actual acts like the divers and a mariachi band. The whole restaurant is a big maze, with some sections looking like the inside of a cave, or a grand ballroom, or a tropical beach. Kinda cool, in a real kitchy kinda way. I was really surprised to see Mexicans there...I would have thought all that fake "what-Americans-think-Mexico-should-be" stuff would be insulting. But they had their kids there - no doubt for the same reason we did. Yeah, the restaurant is nothing great, but the kids love it. OK, tomorrow morning we have to leave early and head towards the Grand Canyon. Thanks for checking in.

Bye for now!

delani — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 21:09:51 GMT

Blogging will be light (well, lighter than normal anyway...) for the next couple of weeks. We're leaving first thing in the morning for our big two-week trip out West. I will post pix when I can!