Helping HepCats

The Football Walk For Liver Wellness is coming up on Sunday, September 17th. You can make a difference in the fight against liver disease by walking or sponsoring a walker. Learn more about walking at the Football Walk website. You can also contribute by sponsoring the HepCats. Thanks for your support!

Everyone Needs a Virtual Assistant

Do you need someone to help you make the most out of your small or at home business? Let the Cybersecretary take on your administrative tasks. She'll do anything from website creation and maintenance to mailings and travel arrangements. Cybersecretary: where information age technology meets old-fashioned customer service!

Birthday 2006

I celebrated my birthday last weekend. I turned 33 on Sunday. A bunch of us went to see Deep Sea (3D) at Jordan's Furniture in Reading and had lunch at Fuddruckers on Saturday. We also played a fun duck game. The movie was great. I highly recommend seeing it if you can. The food at Fuddruckers was good, but we had some issues making a reservation. They were going to charge me $3.00 per person to make a reservation...we decided to not do this and play it by ear...and it worked out perfectly. The duck game rocked. I even won a stuffed duck. As you can see...it was an intense game.

The rest of my weekend was fun too. Brenda took me to eat at Garden of Eden and we went for a walk around Castle Island. I love the mac-n-cheese at Garden of Eden. Sunday I had breakfast with my dad and then went to Woodman's in Essex with Brenda, Mom and Russ. The line at Woodman's was insane...and it was hot, but it was worth the wait. After lunch we had some yummy Carvel ice cream cake. Thanks Mom and Russ. I love the chocolate crunchies. We spent the late afternoon at the farm getting our share and picking strawberries. That night Brenda made me some amazing strawberry shortcake with the berries we picked. Overall it was a wonderful birthday. Thanks to everyone who made my weekend special.

On another positive note. My Mom went to the doctor today. They said her tests came back and they look great. She is still cancer free. Yee haw! It has been two years since the surgery where they put her back together. Doctors used to say that people with colon cancer who went for five years without it coming back were not likely to have it return. They now say that folks need to be cancer free for five years. Reason being that the medications they now use are stronger and stick around longer. Two years down...three more to go. I'm hopeful that she will continue on a healthy path.

Happy Pride

Happy Pride! Just a fyi...the Pride Parade and Festival will be delayed by 1 hour in Boston tomorrow. The parade is now starting at 1:00 p.m. in Copley Square. The festival will go from 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on the Boston Common. Read more about it at the Boston Pride. Looking forward to seeing y'all!

Save NPR and PBS

This just in from my friend Lisa G.......

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."

Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.

Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:
http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.

This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.

The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Sign the petition at:
http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Thanks!

P.S. Read the Boston Globe story on the threat to NPR and PBS at:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1864

Memorial Day Weekend 2006

We had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend in Provincetown. We got there mid-day on Friday and stayed until Monday afternoon. We stayed at Howard's End Guest House which is close to the monument and a good place to sleep if you are looking for quiet and affordable accomodations. We spent some time with other friends who were in Provincetown for the weekend. We went to Tea Dance at the Boatslip. Tea Dance at the Boatslip is nice because their deck is bigger than the Pied's and looks out over the ocean. We also spent quite a bit of time at the Clem and Ursies Happy Hour. Clem and Ursies has a happy hour from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. where they sell $1.00 oysters and shrimp. I don't eat seafood, but their watermelon lemonade is quite tasty. We had breakfast one day at Tips for Tops'n which is a local diner with standard american fare mixed in with some portuguese specialties. We had pizza at George's. I like George's because it is open year round and consistent. We also consumed a lot of espresso shakes and pizza at Spiritus. I love their espresso shakes so much that I am often tempted to drive all the way from Boston to Provincetown just to get one. We ate dinner at Cafe Edwige one night. Cafe Edwige is the only higher end restaurant I have eaten in Provincetown (other than Gallerani's) where I had no complaints. Edwige is definately worth a trip. We stopped into the new Bacchanal Wine Bar at the Vixen one night. I think this is going to be a nice place once they work out some of the new business kinks. They only offer an extremely expensive port by the glass, they notified us that the plumber hadn't been able to get there yet and the only thing I could order on the menu was water etc. We went for walk one morning. There is something wonderful about the early morning quiet of Commercial Street. We tried renting a skiff (16' wooden boat with a quipped wth 8 HP outboard motor) at Flyers Boats . Well...we did rent it, but had to turn around quickly when I realized that I was having a hard time driving straight. They were good to offer us four round trip Long Point shuttle tickets in return. It was an adventure. We laugh now. On Sunday Brenda's friend Janet came to spend the day with us. She took the Fast Ferry from Boston to Provincetown. I love the Fast Ferry. It gets you there in an hour and a half. You cannot beat it. We hung out downtown, went to Happy Hour at Clem and Ursies (I said we spent quite a bit of time here right?), and went for a walk on the dune trails at the ProvinceLands Visitor Center. The trails are nice there, but I wouldn't suggest exploring in the woods. We saw a lot of poison ivy. Unfortunately we had to head back to Boston on Monday, but we did get a chance to spend some time at the beach on our way out of town.

Support Internet Freedom

Companies like Verizon, AT&T, Time Warner, and Comcast are trying to decide what you read on the internet. Learn more about it at Save The Internet. Lucy's Kitchen Notebook also has a great posting that puts this issue into perspective. Contact your Representatives and Senators and let them know that you support internet freedom.

Medical Results

I had bloodwork last week and the results are in. All looks healthy on the liver front. My labs are all within normal limits. My doctor says I should stay on 100mg of azathioprine. Here are the stats:

ALT: 12
AST: 26
IgG: 1133

Speaking of healthy livers.....I never gave you the update on Molly's marathon run for the liver. She wasn't my official patient match, but I did get to know her through the liver team and she often referred to me as her honorary patient match. She was constantly reminding me that she was running for me as well. Molly is super enthusiastic and was honored with being named "Rookie of the Year" by the liver team. This is well deserved. She finished the marathon in 5:25:24. Congratulations Molly! You are "wicked" awesome!

Molly also told me about the Marathon Minute podcast. Early on I had joked that Molly should record a podcast documenting her training. She told me that two liver team members (Peter and Eliza) were already doing it. I was so psyched and subscribed right away. I do not know either Peter or Eliza, but I enjoyed listening to their weekly podcast. The marathon is over, but Marathon Minute is still worth checking out. They are currently working on a three part marathon day re-cap series.

My mom had a colonoscopy recently. She is cancer free, but they did see that she has significant diverticulosis. We were disappointed to hear the news. They said there is a good chance that she will need surgery at some point as a result. Looks like my mom won't be eating seeds any time soon.

Greg Lewis Peace Garden

I went to the Greg Lewis Peace Garden dedication at Mt. St. Joseph Academy (MSJA) today. The Peace Garden was designed by faculty members, Deirdre Clancy, and Ted Becker to honor Greg Lewis. They did a wonderful job at creating a memorial to an amazing religion teacher who made a significant difference in the lives of many young Catholic women in the Boston area.

I was delayed on my way to the dedication because of traffic on Western Avenue in Cambridge. It took me 35 minutes to get down a road that usually takes me one minute. I arrived late and was disappointed for two reasons. One, I was scheduled to read the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-17) during the ceremony and did not get there in time to do so. Two, I was not able to commemorate his life by participating in the dedication as I had hoped. I was late to the ceremony…but I can still celebrate what he did for me…

My freshman year at MSJA I remember having a conversation with my guidance counselor (Carolyn Dwyer) about how I was feeling like there wasn’t a place for me in the Catholic Church. My politics was very far to the left, I identified as a feminist etc. She reassured me that I would find my place. I just needed to keep looking. My sophomore year two events happened in my life that proved to me that she was right. One, I went on a retreat that made me realize that my relationship with God was a unique and individual experience that goes beyond celebrating church on Sunday and at school. Two, I took a religion class with Greg Lewis. The first class I took with Greg Lewis was called social justice. This was only the beginning. I ended up taking two (Death and Dying, Peace) other classes with him and got to know him by my involvement with the social justice club.

What Greg Lewis taught me is that we, as Catholics, have a responsibility to work towards social change in the world. He also showed me that we have the ability to change the world through our actions and ideas. Mr. Lewis opened my eyes to things like Liberation theology, the Catholic Worker Movement, and the Just War theory. These were all movements/ideas that I could identify with. They were all about justice, peace, and freedom from oppression. The major premise behind all of these being that that we need to treat each person with dignity and respect because we are all children of God. These are very empowering and important messages. In today’s world being Catholic can be difficult. However, it is these teachings that keep me coming back to church today. I am thankful to Greg Lewis for showing me that there is a place for me in this Church. I owe a big part of who I am today to him.

Much of what Greg Lewis taught is represented in the Beatitudes.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. Jesus began to teach them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

Easter Weekend 2006

Brenda and I both took yesterday off to go to the Boston Marathon and cheer on folks running for the American Liver Foundation's Run For Research Team. You all know I was matched with a super enthusiastic runner named Terri. She finished in 4:23:35. She did great. Congratulations to Terri for finishing. It has been great getting to know both Terri and her niece Kerri. I was initally also matched with Kerri, but she had a "knee injury" and needed to drop out a couple of months ago. I also met someone named Molly through Kerri...who is wicked cool and lives in my neighborhood. Molly ran for the liver team as well. These women rock and I really appreciate all the hard work they put in to support the work of the American Liver Foundation.

Sunday was Easter of course. We had dinner with my family in Belmont. Brenda made the most ham she has ever made in her life. It is a miracle it all fit in the pan and that we managed to get it all the way to Belmont without one spill. Plus...it was mighty tasty too.

Saturday we went to Parker's Baptism. Brenda and I were Godmothers...cool huh? Jen's brother was the Godfather. Parker is getting so big...he even turned over on his own recently. He is a cutie.

Speaking of babies. Cyn and Mike had their baby girl Charlotte on Friday afternoon. I am so psyched that she came early. I was getting anxious waiting for her to arrive. I think Cyn and Mike were too. We didn't get to the hospital to see her this weekend....because we were insanely busy...but we are going to meet her tonight. Yee haw! Congratulations!

Baseball Revisited

I was raised in Boston, MA. I was taught to love the Red Sox and hate the Yankees. That being said....I can honestly say that I never really followed what was going on until recently. I had an "ah ha" moment when the security guard at work started talking to me about the Red Sox this morning. I told him what I thought about the new players and even commented on yesterday's game. I realized at that moment that I had become a Red Sox fan. I started thinking about other ways this was showing itself. Over the weekend we went to Maine to celebrate Brenda's father's birthday. While there I spent some time with her 11 year old nephew. He is obsessed with two things right now...hunting...and the Red Sox. I didn't have too much to say about hunting...but I definately had some thoughts on the Red Sox. Tomorrow is opening day at Fenway Park. Lets hope these "boys of summer" can pull it off this year and that I will get to see them play as often as possible.

Big Bad Blogger

I was on a roll with blogging back in January and early February, but I have since lapsed. I really mean to be a good blogger...but I just can't get it together. Some people like Sigh Club and Biotic are great about putting good stuff out there. Not me. So....this is what I have been up to since February 7th.

We went out to celebrate Brenda's Birthday on February 10th. We had some folks over for pizza and then headed over to Toast. I consumed too much Red Bull and rocked out to 80's music with Brenda, Dave, and Erin.

We had a great Valentines Day. We rented a Hot Tub at Urban Oasis and went out to eat.

I went to Hartford to have lunch with Meg and talk to some 2nd graders about liver disease on February 17th. These 2nd graders rock!

I went to the Boston Comic Book Spectacular on February 19th. I finally found issues of Rawhide Kid. Marvel's gay cowboy comic book hero. Rawhide Kid came out three years before Brokeback Mountain. Who knew?

I had dinner with my friends Nora and Bill on February 23rd. Nora and Bill were my neighbors when I was growing up. I spent a lot of time at their house when I was young. I love seeing them.

We went to see the Oscar nominated documentary shorts at the Coolidge Corner Theatre on February 27th. I love seeing these shorts every year. I feel lucky to see them at all. They don't usually show in theatres. Although...it seems the Academy really likes depressing topics.

We went to Cynthia's baby shower on March 12th. Yee haw. I cannot wait for the baby to come.

We also went to a surprise birthday party for Jen that night. Happy 30th Jen!

We brought my cousin Rachel to a maple sugarhouse on March 19th. The 19th was her 15th birthday. Happy Birthday Rachel. We took a really cool tour and got some yummy maple syrup. I would highly recommend the Warren Farm and Sugarhouse in North Brookfield if you are in the area.

I started to feel the beginnings of a cold on the 19th. I ended up with a virus that morphed into an ear infection. I was out of work for almost a week. I took antibiotics, stayed home, and consumed a lot of liquids. I am feeling a lot better these days.

We took my step-dad to a Boston Bruins on March 25th to celebrate his birthday. We beat the Buffalo Sabres 5 to 4. Russ' actual birthday was on March 28th. Happy Birthday Russ.

My mom and I took a ballroom dance class that met once a week for eight weeks in Cambridge. Our last class was on March 29th. We learned foxtrot, rhumba, and waltz. It was a lot of fun. I'm bummed it is over. I actually ran into someone who I went to grammar school and day-care with in my dance class. Small world huh? We also met a nice couple named Steve and Anne. Steve is originally from Dorchester. I love meeting people from the neighborhood.

My step-father ended up in the hospital last Friday night. He was having chest pains at work so they sent him to the hospital. He stayed the night and had a stress test the next morning. Everything looked ok. They don't think it was a heart attack. His doctor prescribed him Zantac. He is home now.

We went to see little Parker on Saturday. He is such a cutie patootie. He is getting so big. Brenda and I are looking forward to being godparents.

Saturday night we went to see Mike and Cynthia's new condo in Salem. It is a nice place...and the rooms are big. Congrats to Cyn and Mike.

Last night we tried to go to the Wolfe Women's Final Four Party at Club Cafe. Both Sheryl Swoopes and Sarah Shahi were there. Unfortunately we got there a little bit too late and were unable to get in. We ended up eating dinner at Laurel and getting drinks at Jurys. It was a lot of fun. There were tons of women around since things were so busy at Club Cafe.

Vital Records

In the archives/records world we refer to birth and death records as vital records. Today is a day to celebrate births and remember the lives of those who have gone. B is celebrating a birthday today. Happy Birthday B! I'm very happy that you were born and are in my life. We also remember the life of Coretta Scott King. We celebrate the contribution she has made to civil rights in this country.

Medication Mayhem

On February 1st I posted that my mom had been diagnosed with diverticulitis and was exposed to the flu while she was a patient at the hospital. I also noted that she had been prescribed a seven day course of tamiflu as a prophylactic thing. I was happy to know that the hospital was at least trying to prevent my mother from getting influenza. I was annoyed when I found out that her insurance company would not pay for the $97.00 prescription when she was released on Tuesday. She is currently arguing with her insurance company to get her money back. She is also planning on contacting the hospital to complain about the fact that they put her at risk by allowing her to be exposed to the flu. I think the hospital should pay for the medication. Everyone is at risk for nosocomial infections when they go into a hospital, but I also feel that the hospital should be held accountable.

Expect the Unexpected

I was thinking over the weekend about what I wanted to write in this blog. Since January 28th marked the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster I thought I would write about my reaction to this tragedy. I was in the 7th grade, Ms. Foran's english class, when they rolled a tv into the room to watch what had happened. Like a gazillion other Americans I watched with horror and sadness. I also thought I might write about the Run For Research Patient Match party I went to at Jordan's Furniture in Reading on Sunday. I had a nice time. I met one of my matches (Kerri) and some other runners. We had breakfast, chatted, took pictures, and watched Polar Express in 3D. The last idea I had was to write about my new love for Su Doku. Unfortunately something else came up that trumped all these topics.

Saturday morning my mom called to tell me that she had been in the emergency room all night. She said that she had been up for hours with pain in her abdomen. She was in the emergency room for 13 hours before they finally told her that she most likely had diverticulitis. This was a relief for all of us who were fearful that her cancer had come back. Mom was admitted to the hospital, started on antibiotics, and was put on a liquid diet. I spent a few hours at the hospital on Saturday. Sunday I went to visit for a couple of hours. She had a roomate at this point. The roomate supposedly had pneumonia. On Monday mom called to ask if I had had a flu shot. I explained that I had. Her roomate had just been diagnosed with the flu and was being moved to her own room. My mom had been prescribed tamiflu at this point. Crap...I had been exposed. The medication I take for my liver disease suppresses my immune system and makes me more susceptible to illness etc. Hence why I get a flu shot and try to stay away from sick folks. Mom asked her nurse and told her that I probably shouldn't visit. I called my hepatologist. She said I should be ok since I had had a flu shot and such a short exposure. My mother was released from the hospital yesterday and I am feeling flu free at this point. However this is one of those situations where I am reminded of the limitations my disease puts on me. Argh! I just spoke with my mother who said that she is feeling better.

Monday...Monday...

I just got a bit more follow-up from my doctor today. She wants me to come back in April for bloodwork and see her in July. I had been getting bloodwork every three months, but there was some talk about my possibly only needing to have it done every six months. The doctor decided that every three months was the way to go.

It snowed pretty hard this morning. It took me twice the time it usually does to get to work. It looks as if it has turned to rain. I hope it doesn't freeze. I was hoping they would let us go home early from work...no such luck.

We had a great weekend. Friday night we watched Dancing With The Stars with some friends. We later went to Toast to do some more contemporary/booty shaking. Saturday we went to see Parker and spent the rest of the evening at a cocktail party. The party was fun until I realized that my non-alcoholic diet coke had been switched with someones coke and absolut drink. We quickly switched back. I hate when that happens. Sunday I went to church and did some shopping. B and I also went for a walk around Cambridge and Somerville. We stayed up and watched the L Word last night. I was very happy to see that they had added a new character (Moira) to the show. Her character brings both a butch and a working class dimension that was missing before. However I think that the writers have gone a little over the top with this character. We will see how it all turns out. Overall it was a nice weekend.

Run For Research

Each year good-hearted athletes run the Boston Marathon as part of the American Liver Foundation's Run For Research. Run For Research team members raise critical funds in the fight against liver disease. Since 1987 the Run For Research has raised over $8 million to fight against liver disease. I have been fortunate to be involved with this event by participating in the Patient Match Program. This year I have been matched with two awesome runners named Terri Faucher and Kerri Pozzi. Both Kerri and Terri have such great enthusiasm for the work of the American Liver Foundation and their sport. Run For Research team members are required to raise at least $2500 to run with the team. Please go to the sponsor a member page and click on both Kerri and Terri's names to donate. I encourage you to support this cause. I know first hand how important liver research is. Love you Liver!

Changing Face of Davis Square

I was recently disappointed to see that Pluto in Davis Square had closed. I was unhappy about this because it was a great place to buy last minute gifts...funky holiday cards...and unique household items. I wondered what had happened. Were they not getting enough business? Had the building owner raised the rent? Were they making a gazillion dollars at their Jamaica Plain location and decide to put all their eggs in one basket?

Well I think I found out what happened to Pluto while I was at the gym (surprise...surprise...I do go to the gym once in a while) last night. My gym buddy told me that she had tried to go to Picante Mexican Grill in Davis Square over the weekend. She was equally as upset to find out that Picante had also closed. She spoke to a friend who told her that the owner of the building had increased the rent...which forced Picante to close their restaurant. My friend from the gym said that she will miss Picante's spinach quesadillas. I will miss having them so close by as well. I loved their burritos...and chips.

My guess is that Pluto suffered the same consequence as Picante. The fact that they were located exactly next to each other in Davis Square is a significant clue.

Fortunately folks living in the Boston area don't have to live their lives truly void of these very cool local establishments. Both Pluto and Picante have locations elsewhere. Feel free to visit them here:

Picante Mexican Grill
735 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge

Pluto
603 Centre Street
Jamaica Plain

Results Are In

I got the results back from my liver tests and they look good. Here is the breakdown:

ALT: 16
AST: 26
IgG: 1050

So what does this mean? Things are great. All my tests came back within normal limits. My nurse practitioner called and said I should remain on 100 mg of azathioprine and have bloodwork in a few months. I am scheduled to see my hepatologist in July.

Big Apple

We had a nice time this weekend. We took the Fung Wah bus from Boston to New York on Friday evening. We stayed with our friends in Brooklyn.

We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday . We spent most of our time at the Fra Angelico and Egyptian exhibits. The Fra Angelico exhibit is about to leave the museum. Check it out while you can. That night we had dinner at Ivo and Lulu's. This is a great place. The food is tasty.....the price is unbeatable. My potato gratin and salad was perfect. The baked pear with blue cheese and honey was wonderful. They don't have a beer and wine license, but they encourage people to bring their own.

Sunday we hung out at the Strand Bookstore and then had lunch at Otto. This was totally amazing. Mario Batalli has done it yet again. I had the yummy pizza special which consisted of marinated onions and goat cheese. B got the linguine con rapini pesto which was damn good too. We also ordered brussels sprouts and vin cotto as a side vegetable. For dessert we had the olive oil coppetta. This olive oil gelato, with tangerine sorbet, fruit, drizzled olver oil and sea salt was very unique and scrumptious. I would totally order it again. We spent the rest of Sunday running around getting things we cannot get in Boston like chocolate corn flakes from Chocolate Haven and coffee from Porto Rico Importing Co. We also stayed up and watched the L Word.

Monday we hung out with our friend Paul and had lunch at the ChipShop. I had the chicken in the basket with chips. I would recommend it. For dessert we split a fried snickers bar.

We took the bus back to Boston on Monday afternoon. The ride was pretty awful. It took five hours....the temperature in the bus was up and down....the bus driver kept pumping the brakes. I was happy to get out of that bus and finally arrive in our warm apartment.

Overall it was a fun weekend. The weather was awful....freezing rain...and cold. However we got to spend some good time with our friends....and take advantage of some things only New York has to offer.

Six Month Check-Up

I am going to see my hepatologist this afternoon. I will most likely have bloodwork done too. I am currently seeing my hepatologist every six months and having blood tests taken every three months. Lets hope things will continue to go smoothly. I am hopeful.

I got my Run For Research match the other day. I was matched with two runners this year....an aunt and niece team. I am looking forward to getting to know them.

Potty Thoughts

On January 4th I posted that I was reading the book Why Do Men Have Nipples by Mark Leyner, and Billy Goldberg. I finished the book and loved every word of it. I was thinking last night that it would be great if they did a sequel to this book that included questions that didn't make it into the first book. I have some questions I would like to see answered. Here they are: Where does poop from a fetus go when it is in the womb? Is it true you will die if you burp and fart at the same time? Just some thoughts.....

Ah Ha Moment

On January 5th I posted something about how I was getting bored waiting for Ariel Schrag to come out with the next issue of Likewise. The first line of my post read "whatever happened to Ariel Schrag?" Well I think I found out the answer to my question.

Last night I sat down with my partner to watch the third season premier of the L Word. This was a much anticipated event in our house. The season finale of season II had been so awful that we were hoping that season III would redeem the show. Fortunately the premier managed to pull this off. I am not 100% happy with the direction they are taking some of the story lines, but they did do a few things right. They brought back Lauren Lee Smith....she is so cute. They finally added what seems to be a real butch character (Moira). Jenny seems to be less annoying. Bette and Tina are back together. Watching Alice is like observing a train wreck, but it is keeping my attention. Beautiful Helena is back and certainly more likeable than last season. Kit appears to be having a better relationship with her son. I'm glad to see that Shane finally learned to trust another woman (Carmen). AND Dana....well I'm not loving her choice in a partner right now.....but time will tell.

That all being said...back to Ariel Schrag. When the L Word credits rolled I noticed that Ariel Schrag was listed as a staff writer. My guess is that this is the same Ariel Schrag of Awkward, Definition, Potential, and Likewise fame. So...thats why issue four of Likewise hasn't come out yet. She appears to be busy doing something else. Now it all makes sense.

Welcome Parker

Mary and Jen had their sweet little baby boy Parker at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston on January 5th. We went to the hospital to meet this cutie patootie on Saturday. Congratulations to Mary and Jen.

how do you solve a problem like Maria

My friend Joanie has an article on Maria von Trapp in Prologue magazine. Check it out. It looks like Maria von Trapp and Julie Andrews didn't has as much in common as we had all thought.

speaking of comics....

whatever happened to Ariel Schrag? Sighclub introduced me to her work a few years back. I love her autobiographical comics that chronicle her four years of high school. Awkward, Definition, and Potential were all amazing. Likewise was pretty good too, but nothing has come out since issue three...and that was a long time ago. I really want to know how the rest of her senior year of high school turns out. I hope issue 4 comes out soon. I am losing interest with all this waiting around. You can learn more about Ariel Schrag's books at Slave Labor Graphics.

Strangers In Paradise Lost

I was disappointed to see that Terry Moore has said that the last issue of Strangers in Paradise is set for May 2007. I beg you Terry Moore....please don't stop writing Strangers in Paradise. I love Katchoo...and Francine...and David.

I'm Back......

I stayed home from work yesterday. I was feeling tired......nauseous and a little headachey.

I spent the day doing laundry....relaxing.....and trying to make myself feel better. I watched the Buena Vista Social Club. I had not seen this film before. I would encourage you to see this film if you have not. The film gives an interesting insight into life in Cuba and its wonderful musical tradition. I also got caught up on some reading yesterday. My step-father gave me a fun book for Christmas this year. It is called Why Do Men Have Nipples. This book gives quirky answers to questions you would love to ask your doctor, but are too embarrassed to ask.

I'm feeling a bit better today. I am less tired...nauseous...and headachey.