Civic Duty

I feel that it's my civic duty to inform you all that KISS, yes, the band KISS, now has a fragrance line.


Of course, I wanted to find out more about this, so I turned to the interwebnet and found out that there's a promotional tour for their fragrance!

To launch the new KISS Fragrance Line, Gemini Cosmetics has organized a number of exciting promotions in the South East Region of the US at Dillards, Belks and Parisians stores. The promotions in this region include face painting, name that mask contests, tattoo events, free KISS air fresheners, that winning KISS contest, win a t-shirt and several others. Some events will have live radio call ins and DJs will live music.

I mean, not only are they doing face painting (I'm assuming like the band's stage make-up), but they're also giving out free KISS air fresheners! Who wouldn't want one of those?

Now, the band isn't actually touring with this, but I did find out that Gene Simmons is making some appearances. If it was coming closer to where I live, you'd better believe I'd be there along with my friend Keli. I think the crowd alone would be worth it!

On another KISS-related note, Keli and I have decided that once we have four children between us, we're dressing them up as KISS for Halloween.

Photobooth Madness!

Chase & I took these pics back in July... I finally made them into an animated GIF yesterday...

(click here to see)

Halloween Hoopla

I was starting to feel sad that I hadn't gotten to do anything really Halloweenish, but this week I got to do two fun Halloween activities. On Wednesday, Keli and I picked out some pumpkins and carved them.

I carved Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Keli carved a tulip.

Last night Chase took me to a haunted house. Well, it was actually a haunted school supposedly built on a graveyard. While I don't think it was quite worth the admission, it was one of the more fun haunted houses that I've been to. Plus, part of Teen Girl Squad was behind us screaming, so we waited to go through with them and watch them be scared. They held on to me for a while when we went through this pitch black maze.

So, I think I've satisfied my Halloween fun cravings. I'm still a bit sad that I don't have a costume (or a place to wear a costume to, for that matter), and this will be my first year in existence not having a Halloween costume. But I'm pretty sure the world will not come to an end as I know it.

Dump in a Stump

Warning: This Entry Involves Poop!

Back in September when Chase and I were in Gatlinburg with his family, we went up this mountain to the highest point on Tennessee. We rode in the car most of the way and then made a small trek on a paved path to an observation tower. I guess I wasn’t paying as much attention on the way up, but on the way back down I noticed pieces of conversations as we were passing people on their way up. One conversation in particular involved a dump in a stump…

This middle-aged couple was huffing and puffing on their way up the mountain when they came to this somewhat hollow stump. The man told the lady that the stump didn’t look like it had any bugs crawling on it and she could sit there and rest. Her response: “I don’t care what’s on it as long as nobody took a dump in it!”

My question: What made her think that someone would take a dump in that stump?

Now I can’t think of or hear the “My Hump” song without changing the lyrics to “My Dump.”

Multitasking Isn't Always a Good Idea

So this lady just called the radio station a little bit ago. She was asking about a song that had played. I went back and looked it up for her, but as I was telling her the info she said to hold on because she was driving and couldn’t write it down…

Ummmm…. Lady? When you picked up the phone (as you were driving) to call the station (as you were driving) with the intention to write down the song info (as you were driving) did you not realize that you were driving at the time and would not be able to, um, drive, talk on the phone, write stuff down and not wreck?

She said that she really didn’t want to pull over to write it down, but she did anyway. I think it was only after she tried to write and talk on the phone and drive at the same time but realized it wasn’t gonna happen.

Unrelated side note: I just saw a mouse scurry under my other desk in my office.

Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, But Nobody Wants to Die...

I’ve mentioned before that I have a 20-year-old cousin, Brad, who has this crazy super-aggressive cancer. I’d asked those of you who pray to God to please pray for him and the family. Well, Brad is now cancer-free… in heaven.

Brad’s story is incredible, and I’m very proud to call him family. I’m disappointed that I did not have the chance to get to really know him over the past year of his life. At his funeral yesterday, it was said that he was the kind of guy you immediately wanted to be friends with, and there was just something about him that made everyone like him.

Over the past year or so, Brad was in and out of the hospital, had tumors removed, had a lung removed, had brain surgery, had Chemo therapy, was on a ventilator, got very sick, lost a bunch of weight (even though he was super skinny to begin with), gained a bit back, lost his hair, was in physical pain, watched his family weep over him, etc. He’d beat the cancer only for it to come back in a different place in his body. Even though he was going through all of this, Brad never asked Why me?

Why Brad? Why did someone so loved have to go through so much suffering? Why was he able to keep a positive attitude? One reason: Jesus Christ.

Brad gained a relationship with Jesus through his experience with cancer. Not only did he gain eternal life, but he also was able to share with others on a personal, regional, national and international level because of his pain and suffering.

You see, Brad was the bass player in a rock band called Close to Home. He had (and still has) fans all over. Whenever he was interviewed for a news story, he’d talk of his faith. He’d get phone calls and emails, and this struggle with cancer provided him with a venue to share his faith. He was able to share the reason for the hope that lies within him because he so obviously had a hope that was in him throughout such a terrible situation! People who otherwise might not have heard (or listened to) the gospel of Jesus Christ did listen because of Brad.

Yesterday at Brad’s funeral, Christ was proclaimed at a packed-out funeral home. Family friends and fans came from all over to say goodbye to Brad, but as they were doing so, they were also made aware of the reality of heaven and hell and were encouraged to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ as Brad did.

I think that Brad was able to have joy during his time of suffering because he truly believed the apostle Paul when he said that to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

I have full confidence that Brad has fulfilled his purpose here on earth; otherwise God would not have taken him. Of course I wish he did not have to go through what he did, but had he not, who knows if he’d ever had gained eternal life? And had he not gained a relationship with the most high God, would all of those he talked to or those who came to his funeral had heard the gospel? Of course it was just awful seeing how sad everyone was for the loss of my cousin, and I was very sad and cried too, but I know that all his pain and suffering was not in vain.

Because my cousin had placed his faith in Jesus Christ during his life, God will wipe away every tear from Brad’s eyes, and death shall be no more. Brad won’t mourn or cry or have any pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Angry Ear

The real doctor told me that I have an angry ear. Yup, that's the diagnosis. Well, actually, the diagnosis of a perforated eardrum hasn't changed, but I learned that it could just be a tiny slit and not necessarily a hole. Also, right now there is no need to see a specialist. With the antibiotics and drops, the infection should clear up in a day or two and my hearing should return in about a week or so... huh?

I've got a follow-up in two weeks to make sure my angry ear hasn't waged war on my brain or the rest of my body.

What?

After sitting in the waiting area for over an hour yesterday after work, I got to see a nurse practitioner. She told me my eardrum is "perforated." That means either (a) it is easier for me to tear my eardrum off or (b) there is one or more holes in my eardrum. I'm gonna go with (b), although it is probably easier to tear it off now that there is holes in it... At least it's not totally busted. I also got to spend lots of moneys on prescription ear drops and antibiotic pills! Yippee!

Oh, and the best part is I get to go back today and see a real doctor. Apparently the lady I saw wasn't allowed to make referrals and can't clean my crusty perforated eardrum, so since I don't have a family doctor (which I got a bit of 'tude for), I get to go back to a real doctor who will decide if I need to see an ear nose & throat doctor who would be able to clean my ear out if the need be. That happens in less than an hour. (I'm multitasking at work right now).

I guess the acronym for an ear nose & throat doctor is ENT. That's how the lady kept referring to it. I thought she was saying EMT and was confused as to why I would need to see an EMT. Miranda helped clear that up for me, and yes, I'm still partially deaf... what?

I'm Not Dead Yet...

I thought I'd give a quick update while I'm sitting here downloading a radio program. No, I'm not dead, but I am (hopefully only temporarily) partially deaf right now. I got pretty sick last week with whatever was going around. Thursday, I went to the clinic and the doc said it wasn't strep and I had no ear infections and I was good to go. Yesterday I could barely hear out of good ol' Left Ear. This morning a bit o fluid with some blood was coming out of Lefty. I figured Eh, I haven't had any head trauma, I'll be okay (even though my ear has been ringing for over 24 hours now). So I asked two mommies that I work with about what it means if your ear is bleeding. They told me it means I need to see a doctor. So clinic visit number two in one week is going to happen on my way home from work. Hooray for another co-pay! And hizzah for not yet meeting my deductible and having to foot the whole bills later! Yippee for having lame health insurance! I think the radio program is about finished downloading now.