Ah ... the Swine Flu ... Run for Cover!!!!!!!

This whole Swine Flu pandemic shit is ridiculous. I mean, I get that this "Flu" is an angry strain. Not lost on me. I've had cancer. So, I'm pretty aware of deadly diseases. But, this hysteria is simply amazing. Yes, many, many people have been affected. Yes, many of them are proving to be in age groups that "should not" be dying of the influenza virus. However, it seems that the people that are going to the doctor upon seeing signs are being treated and are recovering splendidly. That's a novel idea. The Swine Flu is in the neighborhood, and you go and get checked out?! Mensa, anyone?
Seems to me that many of the people that have died, due to the disease, have either had poor health care OR haven't gone to the doctor once their symptoms went downhill ... swiftly.
Let us not create another catastrophic situation due to the media and our own neuroses. You sick=go to the doc. Seems simple enough to me.
xoxo
Anna

More pics...

Gonna be a long, long post due to great pics!

Evening, all. It was a long weekend of work and play. We had the pleasure to spend our Saturday night with my Cancer-Club girls celebrating our darling Carol's 40th birthday. It just so happens that she and her precious husband's birthdays fall within several days of one another. They both turned 40. So, they had a FABULOUS party. The food was phenomenal ... catered and fantastic. Their bartender poured a STIFF, STIFF drink. We were all a bit taken aback as we took the first swig of our cocktails. Then, we high-fived the lady. My girls took many, many pics ... I'm so thankful, as my camera is still toast. Most of said pics we dare not show the "average" viewer. All I can say is that when you've gone through cancer, you have a right giggle. And we ALL did it ... TEN FOLD!

Good Evening...

These are more pics from our fantastic Loreal evening. Sasha and I had a great chat with Malcom Edwards ... and his chest. No worries, boys. I feel certain you have a much better chance at him than we do.
We're settling into layoff-dom. I've picked up Tuesdays until Kevin finds work. So, I was at the salon today.
I met a fantastic young woman who was referred to me by the nurses at Swedish. She's a young lady who was diagnosed with lung cancer on her 40th birthday. She's never been a smoker, by the way. At first, I thought she was a breast cancer survivor. But, after settling in, I got to hear her story. She's a working mama with a gorgeous 5 year old girl and a loving husband. And, SHE'S A HOOT! Nothing like spending time with someone as dry and brash as you are about a deadly disease. What the hell else are we suppose to do?
In any case, we gussied her up. Didn't take much, as she's adorable. But, we colored her and cut off the tiny little chemo-mullet that was growing. She looked great before ... so the "after" wasn't too much of a shock. But, she was very happy to be in an actual salon getting her hair done. If you don't have hair ... and it's not by choice ... then, these are fairly monumental occasions. I'm so glad that I've met her. I have a feeling that we'll keep in close contact.
Kevin's still banging away at the computer ... sending out resumes and such. I'm gonna give it 3 weeks. If, after those 3 weeks, he hasn't gotten a job, I'm going to start working on Aurora Avenue (Highway 99). For those of you NOT in the know, Aurora tends to harbor many "ladies of the night" ... or day, if you chose. I figure, if I dress up in some of my more eccentric clothes, I can just stay there on the street and offer a monologue or something for anyone that pops by - for pay, of course. I'm thinking that I might make some money by working on my acting monologues with an audience (John) that is a bit fetishist. He pays, I get a good acting class. Win, win!
xoxo
Anna

Loreal Evening...

Well ... Salon Joseph spent a wonderful evening at the Four Seasons in downtown Seattle at a grand Loreal celebration/hair show. Pretty elite, as it celebrates 100 years of being one of the highest-end lines in the world. Cocktails, apps, hair, laughs abounded. We got to see some wonderful new techniques, in regards to hair. We, also, got to visit with some old pals that we've not seen in a while. All in all, a wonderful night shared with wonderful people.

Trudging along ...

Evening. Camera is still toast. My trying to fix something electronic is like a walrus playing a concerto. Not pretty. I've tried to make the damned thing work ... and it just won't. Guess I'm gonna have to take the ol' guy into the pros.
We're 3 days away from Kevin's last day at work. It's a bit ominous.
And so it begins. "It" being the bizarre world of interviewing.
He had a job interview at a place called Alaska Structures. To say that the job interview was bizarre is an absolute understatement. They prided themselves on being a dictatorship. They prided themselves on their huge turnover in employees: "we love the the fact that we have a 900% turnover ... we like to weed out the weak." They tried to get Kevin to take a shot of tequila at 7:00am whilst a picture of the CEO and George Bush overlooked the whole train wreck of an interview. Seemed like some sort of freaky cult. After looking them up online and reading comments about them (which the CEO said he posts in the office, as he finds them funny) it became apparent that this place sucks people into jobs to which they did not apply. It's quite freaky, honestly. The blog posts talked about people working crazy hours and looking at their superiors as "mentors" and such. They stated that if an applicant asked what their job requirements would be, they were basically scolded for even speaking up. Someone needs to call Jessie Jones on these folks. It would be hysterical!
Thanks Alaska Structure for wasting my husband's time. Hope ya'll keep drinking it up while the rest of us try to keep our heads above water. And, YES, I mentioned your name in my blog. Feel free to print this out and post it in your office. Hope the underlings get a clue soon that your "structure" isn't quite so beneficial to their quality of life. Hope they find time to get a life and not spend so much of their time with their heads in the darkest regions of your anal canal. I'd be glad to pop by at 7:00am and throw back MORE than one shot of tequila. After which, I'll be glad to show you what "weakness" is truly about...
Hugs and kisses to you pantie-wastes that try to intimidate. You're just making asses of yourselves. I pity the fool ...
xoxo
Anna

A New Obstacle for the Shout-Machers

Well, as we knew, the Washington Poison Center has been taking major cuts from the state. So, I guess it was inevitable that Kevin would face the Lay Off beast. And it is upon us now. Kevin was told, today, that he has been cut from the poison center. His last day is April 17th. Good, frickin' times, folks!
So, we've spent the better part of the evening e-mailing friends and family in regards to job leads and such. It's just amazing. We've gotten several leads already.
So, it's a short post. Gotta go spend some time with my boys. I know we'll be laughing about it all night. Cause that's the way we roll! And then, I'm gonna plan my new pole-dancing routine to make extra cash. Should make lots of money with the "freak show" set!
xoxo
Anna

Beautiful Seattle...

What a gorgeous day. So, so beautiful here in Seattle today and yesterday. Though it was a long weekend for me, I was pleasantly surprised by the upswing of our schizophrenic weather. Friday, I woke up and went to get my Zometa treatment and Lupron shot. My phone was dead. So, after waiting for Dr. Fer for about an hour, I decided to use the office phone to check my voice-mails. Dr. Fer isn't an egotistical person her could care less about your time. He's someone who cares SO much for everyones time that he takes time to deal with all his patients ... and then the THEIR time gets pushed back ... and then he spends as much OR MORE time with the people he had to push back. Vicious cycle. But, I can tell you: he's the only person I'm just fine waiting for, as I know he's doing his job and he's doing it with such moxie and love. Plus, he helped save my damned life. So, I gotta give my Turkish teddy bear a break, yeah? Anyway, I got a voice mail from Kevin that sounded like Ground Hog Day. "Oh, and by the way Happy Anniversary!" No joke. We have both forgotten our wedding anniversary for the past 4 years. WE'VE BEEN MARRIED FOR FIVE YEARS! One of us, after catching on, will realize it each year and jump to the phone so we can be the one that says that they remembered. But, honestly, neither of us did. And we're so, very, okay with that. It's become, sort of, a joke with us. We don't do gifts. We do High Fives. After what we've gone through in 5 years of marriage, no gift could compare, honestly.
We spent the better part of the day packaging 1,200(plus) cds and press releases for Jeff and Kevin's new record label. The packages contain 3 cds, press releases for each cd, and a bio for "Tsurumi Records": the record label that he and our friend Jeff started. They have, also, gotten many of the albums out on vinyl ... AND THEY ARE BRILLIANT. The colors and artwork are amazing. But, the music is what it's all about. And, I adore it all. So, we're keeping fingers crossed that all of their hard work will pay off. It is DEFINITELY a labor of love for the boys. They've been involved in the music industry since they were teens. So, I sure hope that this record label takes off. They deserve it.
xoxo
Anna