Everybody thinks their pet is the best thing since sliced bread. In my case however, there is no need for exaggeration. You see, I own… Well, to be accurate… I am owned by a lovebird.

No, that’s not one of my photos… My baby is way cuter than that and would refuse to stand still long enough for me to snap a good picture.

Our little agapornis is of the Dutch Blue variety, which means he has a peach forehead, a pale yellow face, wings and body in various shades of green, and bright cobalt blue back and tailfeathers. He’s gorgeous.

Personality? Oh my… He thinks he’s a bird of prey, but he’s really a bird of play. Half falcon, half bat, half clown, half not so good with fractions. This little guy is just so much fun! Am I turning into one of those people that buys Christmas presents for their pets? Yikes, I think so.

7 comments December 20th, 2004

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year!  Love, Aurora

13 comments December 17th, 2004

That’s what the “XM” in XM Radio stands for.

Got my second Christmas present in the mail last night,
my very own Delphi SkyFi2 with matching boom box.

When you consider how sick of radio I’ve been this year, this is really a perfect gift – Well worth the $9.99/month fee for the service, in my opinion. Commercial free, and loving every minute of it.

Today I had a chance to scan through most of the stations and I was really impressed. In addition to the variety, the clarity is magnificent. Completely unlike the kind of interference you get with regular radio.

Never had tunes at my desk before, so I think I’ll be leaving this baby in my office to improve upon the many hours that I toil. Thank you, gingerbread man… Pecan pie girl is digging this treat!

8 comments December 16th, 2004

Hang in there! The holiday season is almost over. If you’re still trying to cross items off your long shopping list, I’m here to help.

Here are some last minute shopping tips…

1. Gift certificates suck. Either you’ll end up spending way more than you had budgeted or you’ll come off like a cheap, lazy clod. Don’t cop out and get a gift certificate unless you’re positive that’s exactly what they wanted.

2. Visit the craft supply store. People bullshit all the time about how much they prefer home-made gifts to anything purchased at the store. Call them out on it… Make something! You’ll either warm their hearts or teach them a darn good lesson.

3. Stay away from the mall. Think real hard – Can you get that item you’re looking for somewhere else? These days they sell nearly everything at the local drug store, which is usually far less of a hassle than braving the traffic at the mall.

4. When all else fails – Regift.

7 comments December 15th, 2004

Received my first Christmas gift in the mail yesterday from one of my long-time online buddies. He got me so good with this one. It’s one of those gifts that forces you to admit what a freak you really are.

DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION ULTRAMIX
AND IGNITION DANCE PAD FOR XBOX

Now, I would have really liked to pretend that I’m far too mature for such a thing, but in truth I grinned all day at the prospect of going home to bust it out and dance my ass off all night.

I wouldn’t be caught dead playing one of these games in public! Heavens no. In fact I’m pretty sure I’ve made fun of people who do.

Hypocrite that I am, I played DDR for two hours straight and didn’t peel myself off the dance pad until I was dripping with sweat and nearly ready to pass out because I had neglected to eat lunch and dinner… Priorities, you know.

As I finally collapsed giggling, spent from playing this totally retarded teenie-bopper game, I realized something amazing: I just completed one of the longest, most grueling aerobic workouts of my life.

That damn game tricked me! Wait just a minute here… I hate aerobics with every fiber of my being, yet I’ll dance in place in my living room for hours? I’m sure I look completely ridiculous but I don’t care.

This game is better than awesome – It’s bloody brilliant!

14 comments December 14th, 2004

I am officially finished with Christmas shopping!
Now I can sit back and enjoy the season.

The biggest mistake I ever made was telling people who know me in real life about my last blog. I made sure not to make the same mistake twice when I launched this site. It’s kinda nice to be able to tell you what they’re getting for Christmas.

For my mom, I got a combination DVD/VCR in what will prove to be a vain attempt to pull her into the twenty-first century. Never mind that we got her a new VCR three Christmases ago… If she can’t operate it she claims it’s broken! Oh well, we indulge her.

For my brother, I got a very handsome Kenneth Cole overcoat to wear to the office with his snazzy duds. Got him another stylish tie to add to his collection. Also got him Warhammer 40K for his PC, which is what he really wanted more than anything.

For my best girlie friend, I crocheted a scarf out of two very lovely (ie. costly) decorative yarns. For my best guy friend, I purchased Dr. Feelgood by Benefit… No, I’m not crazy – He’s gay, loves beauty products, and is always complaining about his pores.

For my auntie, who keeps me sane and listens to my woes all year long, I have purchased a plethora of romantic comedy DVDs. She’s crazy for them. I’ve also knitted her a very beautiful muffler in the palest blue/green fluffy yarn, onto which I have strewn pearls.

And the rest will remain a secret!

10 comments December 12th, 2004

Okay, I skipped a couple days… I have a good excuse!

To keep my mind of the itchyness I’ve been in coding hell, teaching myself silly things about CSS and PHP and HTML, and designing a brand new corporate Intranet. It’s looking kinda spiffy…

Decided to use WordPress for office news, which is a big improvement over the previous method we were using. WP gives us the ability to incorporate some interaction via moderated comments, which sadly is necessary in an office environment.

Also added phpBB forums for discussions with a whole host of forum types. Some for everybody, and then private forums that are only accessible by members on certain teams.

Figuring out how to do all this stuff – especially the CSS – has given me a whole new respect for the work that Julie did on my blog. Of course, I did my editing the “hard way” in notepad… there must be easier ways out there. Please do tell.

Of course, creating the new Intranet isn’t going to be the hard part. What’s going to drive me to drink will be dragging our employees out of the dark ages and into the light. Wish me luck!

Back to work… Trying to launch this afternoon.

7 comments December 10th, 2004

Over a month after my first symptoms occurred, I finally have an official diagnosis. After suffering for weeks upon weeks with incessantly itchy patches over what is now 60% of my body, my initial suspicions were finally confirmed.

Let’s review how it all played out…

Week One: Strange oval shaped patch showed up. Tried antibiotic ointments to no avail. Switched to antifungal ointment which also didn’t work. Did some online research which made me think it’s a herald patch for pityriasis rosea. Freaked out a little. Made a doctor’s appointment.

Week Two: Saw the doctor, who swore up and down that it’s not a herald patch. Even took me to his office and thumbed through medical books to prove it. Tells me to keep using the antifungal cream combined with hydrocortizone – because he thinks it’s ringworm. “Notify me in a week if it hasn’t improved.”

Week Three: Faithfully followed instructions but no improvement. Emailed my doctor, who replies with “I’ve submitted a referral to a dermatologist.” So now I’m in an itchy holding-pattern. Meanwhile, I started breaking out in spots all over.

Week Four: Family decided the new spots looked like chicken pox, and mom confirmed that I’d never had it, so I hauled my butt to urgent care. The doctor there didn’t think it was chicken pox, but ran a test to be sure. This quack gave me a cream for mites… Gross!

Week Five: Finally got the referral in the mail. Called to make an appointment only to find that the dermatologist can’t see me for ten days. Mind you, the rash is spreading and unbearble. Eventually called my primary care physician for chicken pox test results which came up postitive, but only tells us that I’ve been exposed to it in my lifetime.

Week Six: And here we are, six weeks later… I’m either on the mend or adjusted to the pain. The dermatologist finally confirmed what I had feared many weeks ago – Pityriasis Rosea. The only good news is that I’ve probably only got another two weeks of this shit to go.

This whole insane ordeal makes me long for the days when I had real health care insurance instead of this HMO crap. The way this played out is completely unacceptable. Nobody should have to suffer so long without a proper diagnosis and treatment. The HMO beaurocracy is out of control and it’s our health and sanity that suffers.

15 comments December 7th, 2004