Cheap Trick cures a bronchial infection...

... at least for a couple of hours.

I am sick as a dog, but my voice held out long enough to vocally show my appreciation for my favorite band, which still rocks hard after all these years.

They opened with "Way of the World," which I have never, in all my 43 shows, seen them perform live until tonight. They played "Heaven Tonight," which is a rarity, and "Baby Loves to Rock," also not usually on the set list. They looked great, sounded great and seemed like they were super energized.

It was truly an awesome, awesome show.

But it's freezing outside, and I'm freezing inside -- like to my bones -- and need some hot tea and cold meds.

Where, exactly, is that?

Usually I hate typoes, but once in a while, they are kind of funny. Oh sure, people always chuckle when someone leaves the "l" out of public or the "o" out of county, but those are pretty common.

Today's might have been the writer's opinion coming through subconsciously.

In a story about an Army unit learning about helping in Haiti after having been at war, the reporter wrote that the unit had been "in Iraq and Afghanisatan."

More flowers needed

For my Uncle Doug, who, I just learned, died a day ago. He was my dad's second cousin and a dear, sweet man who always treated me like his own daughter.

I'm sure he's with Aunt Clarice and Wendy now, and that would make him happy.

Happy birthday, Daddy

My dad loved the beautiful protea my brother raised in Hawaii, and today, Hawaii seems very far away because it's so cold and rainy here, so I thought it would be nice to remember the flowers and the warm Hawaiian breezes.

Today is my dad's 87th birthday. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him and my mom and wish they were still here.

But I hope my dad is surrounded by the flowers he loved, somewhere where he can work in a garden and watch things grow.

Happy birthday, Daddy!

Unfathomable

Haiti says it has recovered 72,000 bodies, post-earthquake, and estimates 200,000 people have died.

Can you even grasp 72,000 bodies? Or 200,000? I cannot.

If someone made a chart showing the amount of devastation, the amount of aid needed, it still wouldn't make sense to me. And there's no visual that can help us understand the limitless grief in Haiti now.

Oh, man...

When your vegetarian roommate calls and says your bedroom smells like beef, you know something has gone terribly wrong at home.

But this is reason the first why I love my roommate Claudia: She is OK with cleaning up hideous messes.

I will forego relating the exact ircumstances that led up to her having to clean up several mounds of cat vomit this evening. Suffice it to say Lucy the Shit-Snacker was involved, and the evening's tension apparently made my little Vivian feel she needed to gobble up every bit of dinner she could fit down her gullet.

A stress eater, just like her mama.

The additional stress, or perhaps the horfing of Friskies Beef and Gravy led to some insta-vomit -- in my bedroom, of course. Under the bed, at the foot of the bed and, oh joy, on my sweat pants.

Claudia called me at work to let me know that when I get home, I will find my window open and the fan on.

If I ever have to get rid of a body, Claudia will be first on my list of people to call.

Feeling frustrated

OK, yes, I know I'm 45, not 15, and yes, I know it's just a game, but there's another Team Trivia league team I am dying to beat because they are so rude and condescending.

Every week they beat us by one or two points, and I just want to kick their chairs out from underneath them.

Or something.

Also, I'm frustrated because my little cat just does not like me.

Vivian was my girl until I brought Lola home. Now, she wants everyone except me to pet her and hold her.

Tonight, I gave her a few licks of cherry ice cream, which she loves, and she tried to bite me when I picked her up.

I'm doing something wrong, I guess.

And I have a headache.

Just grumpy I guess. I'll be happier tomorrow.

Right?

Everyone's got their favorite snack

Jen's dog has a habit that I've only ever heard of, never lived with.

Lucy likes to eat some cat poop. With the crunchy litter coating.

She went into the cats' room tonight when we were at trivia and ate up the leftover cat food and had a little after-dinner poop snack.

Now, I don't get that, but equally as puzzling, Vivian decided she wanted to carry a pack of sewing needles around in her mouth.

Can't we all just make some popcorn and call it a day?

Heartbreak Hotel

My house has officially become Heartbreak Hotel.

We are a horrible, beach-read, chick-lit novel waiting to happen.

Jen moved in last weekend after a bad breakup, Claudia broke up with her b/f last fall, and I'm perpetually broken-hearted. Add to that my two girl kitties and Jen's Lucy the formerly abused dog, and you have the makings of an estrogen overload.

The most testosterone we get around here is when the hot pizza guy brings dinner.

A new start for 2010

Everyone makes New Year's resolutions, but I've decided to make lists instead.

I'm working on a list of things I want to let go of, and another list of things I want to bring into my life.

On that second list is "more personal writing."

And I remembered, "Oh yeah, I have a blog -- which I have utterly neglected for several months now."

So I'm going to begin again.

This is my first post for the new year. I hope 2010 is happy and healthy for everyone. It's got to be better than 2009, right?

Mine will start off right with a long weekend in Boston at the end of this month, including my first Cheap Trick show in more than four years.

It's time to get back to doing things I used to enjoy and see if I still enjoy them. If not, OK, but I am going to find things to be joyous about this year.

For the two weeks before a show, I listen to almost no other music than Cheap Trick -- don't know why, but I've done it for years now. It just gets me hyped up. Or at least it used to.

The pre-show ritual begins tomorrow. I've already decided what the selection of the day will be -- the newest live album, CT doing the Sgt. Peppers album. It's so good that I almost can't wait until tomorrow.

The CT show will be fun, but so will staying at Kevin and Dan's and hanging out with Felix the cat, playing Wii, going to see the science of Harry Potter exhibit and getting to see Kev and Dan when they return from their cruise.