Crapmuffins

Last week sometime, as I was walking the dogs (or rodents, as Billie affectionately calls them), I kept getting a whiff of sour milk…or something else equally unpleasant. It actually took a few days, but I finally realized that the awful smell was coming from one of both of the dog leashes, which had apparently gotten wet in the rain and maybe not quite stored properly (retractable leash seemed to be the primary culprit). Anyhow, despite a good soak with OxiClean, the stench remained and last night I finally decided to just purchase new ones rather than try to do anything more with the smelly awful leashes that made me want to just let the dogs run wild around the neighborhood (which my neighbors may have had a problem with….and there’s that whole creek flooding that might have E. Coli thing, so it seemed a bad idea).

Anyway, my first thought was the trusty old stalwart: Amazon. And then I realized I would rather support an individual or maybe just a smaller company. I went searching for some eco-friendly options without much luck but then headed over to Etsy for some homemade goodness.

There are a LOT of people selling on Etsy. Many times, it’s difficult to distinguish who you should purchase from. I often will use their search options to find someone more local but there’s not always someone with what I want.  Last night’s tactic relied on the visuals. And the seller that ultimately got my business? She not only had multiple pictures of the product that weren’t underexposed or otherwise unattractive, but she had some with her adorable long-haired chihuahua. And Bagels, the chihuahua, happens to look very similar to Smidgen, my papillon (aside from coloring), and so I was hooked.

Two leashes purchased because I connected with the seller through her images. In a world where a lot of connections are made online or electronically, it’s important to find ways to connect with your buyers, clients, etc. Lots of people can do the same thing, and you may not even be able to differentiate your skills. So how do you connect on a more emotional level that will bring in more customers?

Oh, and here are a few of her pictures. Please check her out on Etsy!

Images are copyright BoogieGear on Etsy!

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To the demons which have invaded my body:

We need to have a chat. I started writing a letter to my body to encourage it to get things together, buck up, and move on. And then I realized that my body is not my own and hasn't been for almost a week now. And I'm not happy about that.

At all.

See, for just about a week now, I've been playing nice, making peace offerings to my body, providing pain and other symptom relief, generally taking it easy, eating well (as can be expected with the continuous stream of maladies), and generally doing everything in my power to move you little devils along. And what do I get in return? Other little devils, it seems. We've gone from ambiguous feelings of not-being-right to wretching pain and nausea (causing more than a few curse words to escape my mouth while delirious with pain medication that couldn't seem to work fast enough)…..and onto a reverse cold (a wicked cough out of nowhere which managed to progress into my sinus cavity and then back into my chest)….and now more stomach issues.

Are you FREAKING kidding me?!

That's enough detail. Because while I actually enjoy reading (and laughing) and somewhat potty-themed discussion, a la dooce, I realize that my skill and talent with words hasn't quite made it to that level and I don't think that I can pull it off with such grace. So I won't try. For now.

Suffice it to say that I am holed up at home, sans husband, for the weekend. Waiting. Hoping. Waiting. For the little devils to leave. And when they do, there will be a grand party, a great parade, and general celebration. Maybe not throughout the world, but you can bet the dogs will be happy with homemade doggy ice cream and other fabulous goodies because they've put up with their share of moaning, groaning, hacking and wheezing. Plus, everyone else still wants to avoid the plague.

So, little demons who have invaded my body, I beseech you. This party will be fabulous. But you are not invited. And you really must be on your way. Trust me, there's not much left in the stomach or lungs here for you. Please, leave while I still have some dignity.

Love,
Me

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The world goes on without me. Not that it's surprising in any way, but while there's an overwhelming sense that I need to "catch up," there's also this humbling thought that I'm just a cog, a blip on the screen, and that everything continues without me. That picture shows the number of unread blogs I have since I haven't logged into Feedly/Google Reader in over a week. Maybe I'm trying to keep up with too much, I'm not sure.

I've been sick on and off for nearly a week, culminating in a trip to the ER yesterday morning for severe abdominal pain. I have no idea if this is related to my illness-ridden days last week, nor am I certain that yesterday's incident was simply a bug. A CT scan at the ER seemed to rule out any major issues with internal organs and the like, but no one was really sure why I would be doubled-over in pain as I was, save for "a bug." Right. That's not useful, though probably on target.

Yesterday morning's conversation went a little like this:

Me: Uggggh, I thought I was hungry…Ugggghhhh…..but ohhhhhhhh it hurtttttssssssss.

HusbandMan: Um, are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?

Me: Ugggghhhhhh, pain….it hurts….BLECH. There went that banana I ate earlier.

HusbandMan: Do you think I should take you to the ER? Or do you want to go see a doctor in a few hours?

Me: Ugggghhhhhh, pain. ER. Closest one….

Once we got to the car, the pain miraculously (thankfully) subsided, along with the nausea, only to rear it's ugly head an hour or so later in the ER. The conversation was likewise just as interesting, though a few expletives might have managed to find there way in there (thanks to a dose of dilautid [aka OPIATE] which left the REST of me feeling very.very.happy. But not my stomach. Which made the happiness hard to enjoy and probably made me a little bitter toward my stomach).

Some 6 hours later, I had failed to keep down some vile contrast solution (twice), and had an inconclusive diagnosis of sever abdominal pain with no known source and was sent on my way to revel in clear liquids and B.R.A.T. (bananas, rice, apples and toast – the bananas aren't high on my personal list).

As continuing punishment to my stomach, I have vowed to eat only rice and toast and clear liquids for a few days. I think that will teach el-stomach-o a lesson, don't you think?

P.S. I am feeling much better, and really am trying to get caught up on "things." The only remnant of the aforementioned stomach pain is a slight cough. Seems unrelated but appears to be a result of that opiate I was given which apparently has "depressive" effects on the respiratory system. Back to creating trouble and ruckus as usual.

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All kinds of commotion today including first playtime with a real human baby & weird humans playing Wii. I think she wishes I’d just leave her alone and turn off the light already.

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