Been a Long Few Months

Or almost a year.

I am horrible about this blogging thing, so early resolution - try to keep up on it.

Lately, it seems the end of 2013 has been just horrible for my friends.  Several friends have lost beloved pets, some have had issues with job or life in general, and others are sick - so sick that they can only be treated for pain.

2013 - you have three weeks left.  Let's try and be a bit nicer, lest you are forgotten quickly and quietly as the new year starts up.

Stop the antics.  You have been warned.

"Either shape up or I shall taunt you a 

second time!"

For me, the past several months have been really good and some bad.

The good and mostly awesome:

I accepted a job in Detroit, and now live in Michigan.  While I still love and miss Indianapolis, I love my job and really enjoy the area.

I have the most amazing friends who have helped me out during rough times

I have money to go and see my family at the holidays this year

Tanwen was having massive anxiety issues and I was trying my best to not give her up because she was peeing on the carpet.  After several months, I found the answer - anti-anxiety collar.  It only lasts two weeks instead of the promised 30 days, but hey, I'll take it.

Several friends had new babies this year.  I live vicariously through them.

I am cooking a lot more than I was last year.  I hope at one point soon to try making bone broth.

The needs-work-soon:

I've fallen off the weight loss bandwagon

The "well, shit.  Life does happen":

And just for everyone who doesn't like to think on it:

Elian Gonzalez turned 20 the other day.

This is about how I felt when my friend mentioned that 

in conversation and someone else said, "Who?"

Best laid plans..

I lied.  It's been over a week since I last posted.

I created a pizza crust that while edible, was about as tasty as some cardboard slathered with kitty litter.  You figure out how it tasted, but I assume my face was somewhat like the one below.

I'm not exactly sure what I just tasted, but I think I might need to 

wash my mouth out.  With bleach.

So, back the drawing board.  No recipes from me today.  I know you are all just crying in despair.

In other, more exciting news, I got my tax return.  When one gets a tax return, is it just me or does one tend to run around like a rabid squirrel on crack.  If you don't know what I mean, go watch a Foamy the Squirrel episode that features Pilz-E.  He's pretty much what I have in mind.

Protip:  Foamy is not for children, not for people who may be offended easily, or have no sense of humor.  Just FYI.

I did go buy a computer, and as soon as I got it home, my cats were all over it.  The box at least.  They couldn't have cared less about what was *in* the box.  Except that they were whining at me to get the computer out of it, so they could play.  

And then the little terror (henceforth named Gozer for reasons that will become clear down the line) decided that he would rather follow Tanwen around and when she sat down, sit down on her.  Because he can.  My oldest cat, Corrigan, was having none of it and perched herself high above the ruckus.  Which is good, because the ensuing mess only contained two types of cat fur, instead of three.

Vacuums hate me.

Just sayin'.

The more things change...

It's been a year since I've posted on here.  (As an edit, I just realized that this is not really a funny post.  Read the ones from last year for something with a side of snarky humor.  Or what I think passes for it - I can never tell!)

First, I don't even know how one gets followers.  I'm not exceptionally funny, or exciting, or living a life that other people want to read about.  I have friends that have exciting jobs that can come with funny quotes, or have husbands/children they can blog about endlessly.  Me?  Unless you want quips from the Technical Writer world, or pictures of cats (which, well, let's be honest, the internet was made for), there's not much here.

Unless you need something to read to fall asleep with.

I'm still working the same job that I've been doing for over a year.  Though they've changed what my job entitles.  Now it's mostly pushing electronic documents through a system.  This is my life.  (Until I can find a new job that is).

That and surfing the web for cute pictures to toss up on FB or tumblr or whatever.

There have been some changes, however, and this year I'm hoping in between the snark and the commentary, that I can put some things up of interest.

First:  In the past year, I've become gluten-intolerant.  This was discovered when my stomach started giving me the worst feedback ever (to be polite.  The non-PC way of saying this is that I could empty rooms of people with the reactions and might have at least once, but I wasn't about to ask.  Last thing you want to do in that case is raise your hand and say, "My bad...").  I eliminated a few things from my diet to see what might be causing it and lo and behold...gluten.  The interesting part about this - I had a rash that was on my chest area that we could not figure out what was causing it for the longest time.  It had been there for about two years.  Once I stopped eating gluten, it has all but vanished.  So, the current thinking is that my body had been somehow developing a reaction to it, and it started with my skin, moving onto my internal systems.

With that, I hope to post some recipes I've tried that have worked - some of these recipes are ones I found online and made some minor changes with, others are ones I've reworked because while the originals were okay, they were lacking...something.

First up, I hope to get up here in the next week is my sugar cookie recipe.

I have a bread recipe I'm going to try and play with tonight, to see if it works as well.  Here's to hoping.

Secondly, I am being more open about dealing with depression and crippling social/general anxiety issues.  Why?  Because having any type of mental illness is seen as a stigma, and it's wrong that it should be.  It's wrong that people can't get the help they need when they need it because to most people, mental illness is just something "in your head" that you "need to get over".  They do not seem to understand that with a mental issue, the brain does not work the same way.  You can't just "get over it".   Mind you, I will never have the popularity or the readership that the amazing Jenny Lawson (aka TheBloggess, and if you don't read her, you should.  Really --->  link is to the side) does, but any voice helps I think.  Even a tiny one that might be read by someone, somewhere.

(Also, I am a gamer with horrifyingly bad social issues.  Figure out THAT one and get back to me when you have an explanation because I still can't come up with one).

Third, I have cats.  There will be cat posts and cat pictures.  Deal with it.  Or not.  I may post pictures of sloths if I am so inclined.

Fourth, I may go and try speed dating or something.   If I actually get the gumption up to try this (see the above anxiety issues) there may  be stories.  Some of these may be hysterical.  Possibly.  Considering my current requirements for dating is that he has a pulse, a job, and general good hygiene  you'd think I'd have a lot of options.  Not quite that easy when you are too shy to actually TALK TO PEOPLE without thinking you just shoved your foot in your mouth and down the throat.

That might be it.  Anyway, let's see if I can get this to at least one post a week.  We will see.