Just flush already, stop circling the bowl and FLUSH.

I am down. Down down down. I've been down all this month, but another issue has reared it's ugly head...one I may talk about. But for right now - things are just down.

::goes to bed and hopes for a better tomorrow::

Just flush already, stop circling the bowl and FLUSH.

I am down. Down down down. I've been down all this month, but another issue has reared it's ugly head...one I may talk about. But for right now - things are just down.

::goes to bed and hopes for a better tomorrow::

(no subject)

Thursday, September 13th

---

The day was the normal work day for me. I was working late due to a flood of EMail orders that usually come in before closing time. I got on Meebo, as I do once we close up the queue, when my sister immediately IMmed me telling me to call home. They had some "bad news."

I called my dad to see what was going on, and found out that my grandmother had died that morning. A few days ago she was having dialysis for a buildup of potassium. Her IV site got infected, and the resulting pneumonia and harsh antibiotics were too much for her. My grandma never did anything small, and all day she was "Up and down." Fully alert and awake and fine...then literally dead to the world (no pun intended). Then LITERALLY dead to the world.

I made some quick calls around took some bereavement time off, shuffled my calls around, and went home. Once there I was filled in on what would be going on - a viewing on Friday, funeral and reception on Saturday. They wanted me there - and frankly, I wanted to be there.

Thankfully, unlike Carrie, I knew better than to go to a funeral female to a bunch of folks who had heard rumours, and not facts. I found some androgynous clothes, but I wasn't sure if I could go completely male because of my now very noticable accoutrements. I went to bed - I'd think of something in the morning.

(no subject)

Thursday, September 13th

---

The day was the normal work day for me. I was working late due to a flood of EMail orders that usually come in before closing time. I got on Meebo, as I do once we close up the queue, when my sister immediately IMmed me telling me to call home. They had some "bad news."

I called my dad to see what was going on, and found out that my grandmother had died that morning. A few days ago she was having dialysis for a buildup of potassium. Her IV site got infected, and the resulting pneumonia and harsh antibiotics were too much for her. My grandma never did anything small, and all day she was "Up and down." Fully alert and awake and fine...then literally dead to the world (no pun intended). Then LITERALLY dead to the world.

I made some quick calls around took some bereavement time off, shuffled my calls around, and went home. Once there I was filled in on what would be going on - a viewing on Friday, funeral and reception on Saturday. They wanted me there - and frankly, I wanted to be there.

Thankfully, unlike Carrie, I knew better than to go to a funeral female to a bunch of folks who had heard rumours, and not facts. I found some androgynous clothes, but I wasn't sure if I could go completely male because of my now very noticable accoutrements. I went to bed - I'd think of something in the morning.

(no subject)

                              Tenshi no Enogu
                            "Tengoku no Tobira"

                                   TEASER


1       EXT. TOWER OF AMERICAS BASE - TOWER OF AMERICAS - DAY

        FADE IN:

        Fade in on a CLOSE SHOT on the Observation Level of the Tower of
        Americas.  One of the gates holiding people back from jumping off
        edge is wide open, people are gathered around looking down from
        the tower.  As we begin to PAN DOWN TO STREET LEVEL, MUSIC starts:
        a sweet, innocent and unthreatening piece evoking some kind of 
        happiness, despite the scene of carnage we see at the end of the
        pan.  At the bottom, we see a crowd of police and med techs around 
        one spot, police cars everywhere.  It is the scene of someone who 
        fell off the tower.  MONTAGE BEGINS:

2       CLOSE ON cracks in the paving stone, an arm lying along it.

3       TWO SHOT of policemen filing out reports on the scene.  One points out
        the opened gate in the observation deck.

4       CLOSE ON a YOUNG MAN in odd clothes and the YOUNG MAN'S SON talking to
        an officer.

5       CLOSE ON medtechs getting a stretcher out of an ambulance.

6       CLOSE ON the victim's hip, and the cracked paving bricks under her.  
        A med techs' gloved hands reach under her thigh and lifts her.

7       CLOSE ON ANDREA WILLIAMSON, a young blond woman of twenty eight with 
        just a few hints of Japanese ancestry.  She has died, and been dead 
        for at least an hour.  However, she has a faint smile on her face, 
        Obviously not the contortions of rigor mortis, but a genuine smile.
        The medtech covers her face with a cloth.  MONTAGE ENDS.

                                                                     FADE OUT.

                                 END TEASER

(no subject)

                              Tenshi no Enogu
                            "Tengoku no Tobira"

                                   TEASER


1       EXT. TOWER OF AMERICAS BASE - TOWER OF AMERICAS - DAY

        FADE IN:

        Fade in on a CLOSE SHOT on the Observation Level of the Tower of
        Americas.  One of the gates holiding people back from jumping off
        edge is wide open, people are gathered around looking down from
        the tower.  As we begin to PAN DOWN TO STREET LEVEL, MUSIC starts:
        a sweet, innocent and unthreatening piece evoking some kind of 
        happiness, despite the scene of carnage we see at the end of the
        pan.  At the bottom, we see a crowd of police and med techs around 
        one spot, police cars everywhere.  It is the scene of someone who 
        fell off the tower.  MONTAGE BEGINS:

2       CLOSE ON cracks in the paving stone, an arm lying along it.

3       TWO SHOT of policemen filing out reports on the scene.  One points out
        the opened gate in the observation deck.

4       CLOSE ON a YOUNG MAN in odd clothes and the YOUNG MAN'S SON talking to
        an officer.

5       CLOSE ON medtechs getting a stretcher out of an ambulance.

6       CLOSE ON the victim's hip, and the cracked paving bricks under her.  
        A med techs' gloved hands reach under her thigh and lifts her.

7       CLOSE ON ANDREA WILLIAMSON, a young blond woman of twenty eight with 
        just a few hints of Japanese ancestry.  She has died, and been dead 
        for at least an hour.  However, she has a faint smile on her face, 
        Obviously not the contortions of rigor mortis, but a genuine smile.
        The medtech covers her face with a cloth.  MONTAGE ENDS.

                                                                     FADE OUT.

                                 END TEASER

In honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day

In honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day

(no subject)

Friday, September 14th

---

I woke up with a dilemma. I had something put together for both days that was androgynous...nothing I don't usually wear to work, but something that doesn't scream "folks, I'm changing my sex." The problem became my D cup breasts. Nothing I had would tone them down enough that they wouldn't...::cough::...steal the show.

After searching around and thinking of alternatives, I remembered my old turqoise spandex top. Back in the day, that bra held my breast forms before I grew my own. Now I'd gained enough weight, and the spandex was taut enough that it pressed them down fairly decently. They were still there - but not nearly as noticable.

Lytle is about a 2 hour drive from San Antonio. I decided before I'd leave, to put oil in the truck. I was in a rush, had a nice shirt on, so I decided to ignore checking the dipstick and tossed in a couple of quarts. I also checked the water level and brake fluid. The truck needs to get me to Seattle - it's about time I babied it.

The drive to Lytle was pretty melancholy. I hadn't been out in the area on my own in many many years - and it never really changes. The area on the way down still looks like it did in 1980. I never ealize how much I missed seeing those little towns and fields and landmarks. I dunno if I'll ever see them again now that grandma isn't down there anymore.

I got to the funeral home early - no one but my parents had shown up. Dad gave me a once over (I'm guessing to make sure I hadn't "embarrassed" him by showing up in a Las Vegas Showgirl outfit), and then I saw her.

She didn't look like my granmother. More like some kind of manniquin that sorta resembled her. It was her, though, resting comfortable in her casket, ready for the trip into the great beyond. Mom, as usual for these things, had done my grandmothers hair and makeup herself.

Slowly over the evening, more and more family and friends showed up. Unlike my mother's family which get together if someone breaks a nail, my dad's side doesn't get together hardly at all. Cousins I last saw as fifth graders now had kids of their own, hair was greyer, people were craggier.

All the funerals I'd been to before this one were for my mother's side of the family. They are not just Roman Catholic, but Mexican Roman Catholic. Viweings were done at home, rosaries went on for several days, masses were held, internment rituals and all that. Very sombre, very sad affairs.

This was anything but. As more people came in, more people started talking, more people started seeing old friends, and by the end of the night - the whole funeraql home was downright rowdy. It was definately a different feel than it was. But more on that later.

Around 8PM, my sister and I decided we'd had enough merriment (?!) and that we were heading home. Leaving the funeral home, I noticed the pickup was creating a HUGE cloud of smoke everytime I took off from a stop. I drove home worried that the truck was finally showing it's own age, and that it wasn't going to make the end of the night, much less the end of the Seattle trip.

After getting home and eating really bad Chinese food, we settled down for the night. My cousin Scott showed up to crash at our place for tomorrow. When we were much younger, we were very close with him and his brother...we had a nice long talk, I came out to him, and he seemed to be okay with it. One down, six hundred million to go.

I went to bed late, got only a few hours of sleep.

(no subject)

Friday, September 14th

---

I woke up with a dilemma. I had something put together for both days that was androgynous...nothing I don't usually wear to work, but something that doesn't scream "folks, I'm changing my sex." The problem became my D cup breasts. Nothing I had would tone them down enough that they wouldn't...::cough::...steal the show.

After searching around and thinking of alternatives, I remembered my old turqoise spandex top. Back in the day, that bra held my breast forms before I grew my own. Now I'd gained enough weight, and the spandex was taut enough that it pressed them down fairly decently. They were still there - but not nearly as noticable.

Lytle is about a 2 hour drive from San Antonio. I decided before I'd leave, to put oil in the truck. I was in a rush, had a nice shirt on, so I decided to ignore checking the dipstick and tossed in a couple of quarts. I also checked the water level and brake fluid. The truck needs to get me to Seattle - it's about time I babied it.

The drive to Lytle was pretty melancholy. I hadn't been out in the area on my own in many many years - and it never really changes. The area on the way down still looks like it did in 1980. I never ealize how much I missed seeing those little towns and fields and landmarks. I dunno if I'll ever see them again now that grandma isn't down there anymore.

I got to the funeral home early - no one but my parents had shown up. Dad gave me a once over (I'm guessing to make sure I hadn't "embarrassed" him by showing up in a Las Vegas Showgirl outfit), and then I saw her.

She didn't look like my granmother. More like some kind of manniquin that sorta resembled her. It was her, though, resting comfortable in her casket, ready for the trip into the great beyond. Mom, as usual for these things, had done my grandmothers hair and makeup herself.

Slowly over the evening, more and more family and friends showed up. Unlike my mother's family which get together if someone breaks a nail, my dad's side doesn't get together hardly at all. Cousins I last saw as fifth graders now had kids of their own, hair was greyer, people were craggier.

All the funerals I'd been to before this one were for my mother's side of the family. They are not just Roman Catholic, but Mexican Roman Catholic. Viweings were done at home, rosaries went on for several days, masses were held, internment rituals and all that. Very sombre, very sad affairs.

This was anything but. As more people came in, more people started talking, more people started seeing old friends, and by the end of the night - the whole funeraql home was downright rowdy. It was definately a different feel than it was. But more on that later.

Around 8PM, my sister and I decided we'd had enough merriment (?!) and that we were heading home. Leaving the funeral home, I noticed the pickup was creating a HUGE cloud of smoke everytime I took off from a stop. I drove home worried that the truck was finally showing it's own age, and that it wasn't going to make the end of the night, much less the end of the Seattle trip.

After getting home and eating really bad Chinese food, we settled down for the night. My cousin Scott showed up to crash at our place for tomorrow. When we were much younger, we were very close with him and his brother...we had a nice long talk, I came out to him, and he seemed to be okay with it. One down, six hundred million to go.

I went to bed late, got only a few hours of sleep.