Cat vs Dog

I love both cats and dogs, which is funny because I really used to despise cats until I got one. Haha! But as I awoke this morning in my own bed with my cat, after having dog sat twice recently, I think the cat wins out as the best apartment animal. Don't get me wrong, dogs are great if you have a house and a yard, but they are hard in apartments. This morning I did not have a dog start jumping on me at 6:30 because she needed to go potty. My cat has a litter box and knows that if he needs to potty he goes in there...well most of the time. It was nice to not have to get up, put on shoes, and go immediately outside. Also, you don't have to deal with other dogs poo. I clean my cats litter box and that is that. I don't worry about stepping in other poo elsewhere. I don't have to worry about a dog being in a crate all day while I'm at work and needing to schedule my day around making sure they can go out to potty. My cat as the run of the apartment, he comes and goes as he pleases around the place, potty when he wants, and eats and drinks when he wants. I also don't have to go out in the dark for that one last potty before bed. Nope. Cats are self-sufficient and don't need to be taken to potty. Therefore I think a cat is the only way to go for an apartment pet. I've pretty much talked myself out of getting a dog until I have a house with a yard. Hopefully that will happen someday. Until then it's me and the cat! :-)

Memorial Day

It was nice to have today off from work. I slept extremely late, got up and bummed around, and then headed to Gunter for a get together with my surrogate family! :-) All along the drive I spotted American flags. It was a wonderful reminder of the men and women who have lost their lives to secure our freedom. I thank them.

David & Rick fishing with Jonah & Brooks.

Diana playing with Glory.
David & Mary helping Mitch fish.

Back Where I Come From‏

In the town where I was raised, clock ticks and the cattle craze, time passed with amazing grace, back where I come from. You can lie on a riverbank, paint your name on a water tank, miscount all the beers you drank, back where I come from...

Some say it's a backward place, narrow minds on the narrow way, but I make it a point to say, that's where I come from." ~Kenny Chesney

I grew up in Decatur, Texas, a town of between 5,000 and 6,000 people, located about 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth. Relatively small. I lived there from the age of two, when my parents moved there, to the age of eighteen, when I went away to college. Decatur was a great place to grow up. It is probably not that different from other small towns except for the fact that it's my small town. Of course there are things that make Decatur unique. Our pink granite courthouse on the square is a sight to see. We have the Old Settlers Reunion at the Sheriffs Posse Grounds every summer. And don't forget Moon Light Madness or the Swap Meet. If you don't understand what any of that means it's okay. You just aren't from Decatur.

I graduated from DHS in a class of around 125 in '98 and of those people, a big number of us had gone to school together since kindergarten. Everyone knows everyone in Decatur. Not so much anymore as the town grows, but it rang more true when I was growing up there. That is sometimes a blessing and a curse of a small town. Everyone knows you, meaning everyone knows your business. The town is full of school spirit and everyone can be found at the football stadium on Friday nights during the fall. There are churches on every corner and you usually know who goes to church where. And yes, driving through town you will see cows and horses in pastures. I never thought about that growing up. That was normal life. But bring an outsider in, someone who grew up in Houston or Las Vegas, and it's a sight to see. I'll never forget a friend of mine being surprised at the gravel driveway at my parent's house. lol! Yes, some folks call me country, but that's okay. Growing up there made me who I am today and I'm pretty okay with that. What's that song?..."I'm from the country and I like it that way." The thought of this post occurred to me when I was in Decatur for Easter. My sister and I were driving back from my grandparent's house, 20 miles north of town (yes, that is country) and we passed some men that were pulled over on the side of the road and they gave us the finger. Not the rude middle finger gesture you may be thinking of, but the index finger wave. It just made me smile. I remember seeing my Dad and Papa do this when I was growing up and I thought it was pretty funny. But that's what you do in the country. This little gesture made me think about "my town" and how much I appreciate having grown up there. I have wonderful friends from Decatur, many of which I've know over 20 years. My parents and sister still live there in the house we grew up in. As much as I love living in the city and being 5 minutes away from everything, I'm glad I didn't grow up here. I'm glad I didn't graduate from high school with over 1,000 people I didn't know and learn to drive on these crazy highways. It just made me realize that small town life isn't so bad. I am thankful for where I'm from and where I've been.

Eighter from Decatur, County Seat of Wise

Pooper Scooping‏

I kept Abby the Boxer Dog again this past week while her mommy & daddy were out of town. During my two recent stints keeping Abby something has really started to bother me. What is that you ask? I am bothered how people do not pick up after their animals. If your animal poops it's your responsibility to pick it up. My own apartment complex is full of guilty people not doing this. I've even stepped in it before walking to my apartment. I assure you cleaning that up was not fun. I feel that as a pet owner you sign on to take care of that animal. You feed them, walk them, let them potty, but you should also clean up after them. The dog is not able to do it themselves. It's your job. The other day I had a girl in the office at my complex call and ask me if I knew who was letting their dog poop by the tree close to my apartment. I told her I didn't, but that I definitely stepped in it right there. She asked me to call her if I saw someone and to describe the dog and they would try to get to the bottom of it. They want me to be a snitch! lol! I really have no problem doing so though. They should PICK IT UP. The complex where I walk Abby is full of poop too. It is also not well lighted at night so I have NO clue what I'm stepping on when I take her out for her last walk of the day. It's probably better I do not know. I just made sure my shoes were clean when I came in the house! :-)

The other day I was walking back inside from taking Abby to potty and one of the neighbors thanked me for picking up after her. She had complained to the complex about the lack of other people doing so. While keeping her this week I had even gone to the trouble to walk to the other end of the complex to get a poop baggy so I could go back across the complex and pick it up. The station closest to where she went was empty. Because I am in charge of her while her parents are away, I took on the responsibility of cleaning up after her, like a good auntie should. I also don't agree that if the station is out of bags that you leave it. Nope. Your dog, your responsibility. Parks and apartment complexes provide the bags as a courtesy service to you. Buy your own bags at the store. They have them. I've seen them. Okay, stepping off the poop box now. I just had to vent. And if you aren't picking up your dogs poop in public places, DO SO. I'm watching you and I will tattle!

Let's Finish What We Started‏

I love Kenny Chesney.

Sunday night was the Kenny Chesney make-up show at Pizza Hut Park. Making up for the one that was canceled 40 min into Kenny's performance due to storms two weeks ago. Right at 7:30 Kenny's tour banner went up and he quietly walked out to the end of the t-shaped stage. No music was playing, nothing was being said. Kenny got to the mic and said "Now where was I?" and finished singing "There's Something Sexy About The Rain" with clips from the rained out performance from two weeks ago playing in the background (pictured above). The crowd went wild. Kenny was here and he was going to finish what he started. The concert was free, if you had tickets to the previous concert and it was general admission. Courtney & I ended up getting better seats than we originally had and we didn't even arrive before the gates opened. Kenny performed this show on his own dime. He had fulfilled his obligation previously and did not have to make-up the rained out performance. You could tell he wanted to do it right. There was an awesome energy in the arena and the weather was perfect this time. Kenny played his own songs for two solid hours and then started playing songs by U2, Alabama, Lynard Skynard, Tom Petty, George Strait, David Allen Coe, and many others. It was awesome. At one point Kenny said his feet were tired and to excuse him for a minute and he sat down on the stage and took off his boots and socks and was ready to go again. I love Kenny Chesney! He was running around the stage, bringing out everyone in his band and crew to sing with him. He told us he wanted to finish what we all started two weeks ago and we would spend about 3 or 4 hours doing so. By the time Kenny was done (he commented that they were out of songs) it was 10:30. Yes, it was a three hour night of just Kenny and it was amazing. During the concert I looked around at all these crazy people singing along to all the songs and having a good time and was reminded why I love country music. Yes, some make fun of it, but that's okay. They just don't understand. Country music is some of the best in the world and so are it's fans. I don't think I can quite explain it. You either get it or you don't. Sunday night was amazing. I've attended many a concert but I will venture to say that Sunday night was the best. A special t-shirt was even made for the event that said "There's Something Sexy About The Rain, Lightening, and a Dallas Make-Up Show". Well said. I'm just sad I didn't make it to the merchandise tents before they were sold out (although I've already been looking online for them).

Yes folks, I love Kenny Chesney.

DOCTOR Erin‏

This past weekend I flew to Lubbock to watch Erin graduate from Texas Tech medical school. It was a quick trip and very busy, but lots of fun. The hooding ceremony took place on Friday afternoon. This is a ceremony where the achievements of the graduating students are recognized with an academic hood. This ceremony signifies the successful completion of the graduates medical school training and welcomes them into the medical profession. If you have a doctor in your family then they can hood you. Since Erin's mom - Ramona Cerretti, DVM, dad - Don Woller, DVM, & sister - Robin Woller, DVM, are all docs they all got to hood her. This was very special. I think, if I remember correctly, that there was only one other student that had this many people to hood them. This was also special because Robin, is also a good friend of mine and we all grew up in the same small town, and of course I know her family and my own family has used her parents for years as their veterinarians. After the hooding ceremony we went to a reception for the grads. After waiting in a very long line and eating some yummy food we headed back to the hotel and gave Erin her graduation gifts. Then we headed to a cocktail party for the graduates. We waited in another long line and again got some very yum food. We also got to meet some of Erin's friends from school which was fun.

Saturday evening we were up bright and early to make it to Erin's 10 am graduation. After a little trouble finding the arena we headed inside to beat the impending rain and found the seats Chazz, Erin's fiance, had saved for us. It was really neat to watch the ceremony as this time, unlike the hooding, they announced each person as DOCTOR. I got some good shots of Erin getting her diploma. It was great hearing DOCTOR Erin Marie Woller announced. I'm very proud of her, as I am of my other doc friends. They have worked hard and are doing a great job to help others! It was a great weekend, and as I told Erin in her graduation card (along with a picture of her in high school with a diary heifer) she's come a long way! ;-)

Mr. Airplane Man‏

On Thursday Brinda and I hopped a plane at Love Field headed for Lubbock so we could attend Erin's Medical School graduation. Shortly after taking our seats I noticed a guy, in the row of seats diagonal from us, continually staring in our direction. I tried to ignore it the first couple of times. But I kept seeing him look over in our direction out of the corner of my eye. It was making me self-conscious. I had no clue what he was looking at. I turned to Brinda, who was sitting by the window, and told her about this guy. She thought maybe he was trying to stare out the window. I thought this was a little strange since he was closer to the one on his side of the plane. She then began to notice it as well. We were both a little annoyed and Brinda decided that the next time he looked over she would kind of nod her head toward him as if saying "what's up?". I told her okay, but wasn't sure what this would bring about. I had looked at him once, he noticed, smiled, and kept on staring. Weirdo. So of course he looked our way again and Brinda nodded toward him and that's when it all happened. The rest of the plane ride I talked to this very strange stranger. Oh, and he was just trying to stare out our window! lol!

From my conversation with this stranger I know that he is divorced with two children and that according to him his ex-wife is Satan. The lady next to him was his girlfriend and between them they have five children, and according to him they are NEVER getting married. She was very embarrassed that he wouldn't quit talking to us. She kept trying to get him to stop and then apologized when he wouldn't. She told us she was sorry we had to put up with what she always has to put up with. lol! This guy was crazy. I'm not sure if he had A.D.D., was drunk, or what. But he was definitely different. He told us they are not getting married, and then joked that she was pregnant with twins, to which she gasped and denied and said he was crazy. He just laughed. They were headed to Lubbock for a wedding, or a funeral as he called it. He was a pallbearer (aka groomsman) and said he still had a few days to talk his friend out of the wedding. Nice, huh? He asked if I liked country music to which I of course replied yes. He asked who my favorite was to which I of course replied KENNY CHESNEY. He said he used to like him but didn't really anymore. His favorite is Brad Paisley and he really likes he new song 'Then'. He does something with oil and gas (I think) and used to work in Frisco at Hall Office Park, which came up when he asked where I lived. They live in Rockwall and met at church, which wasn't where he normally hung out on Sunday mornings. He was normally at the bar. He said he we could get a drink when we got to Lubbock and said that he liked to drink some, to which I responded "I can tell" since he'd ordered two drinks from the flight attended and slightly freaked out when they didn't come out together. He liked my response and said I was funny and he liked talking to me, which he commented on multiple times. Pretty sure he'd been drinking before the plane ride as well. Oh jeez! Keep in mind that by this time everyone in the rows around us are looking at us like we are crazy. Awesome, just what I wanted. He put a wad of dip in his lower lip and Brinda told me to tell him it was going to give him cancer. I told him in a nicer way that my friend was concerned about him because she's a dentist and knows that dipping can cause cancer. At this point he asks if we are friends (lol) and goes on and on about Brinda being a dentist and how he used to smoke but doesn't anymore and drinks less than he used to so the dipping isn't so bad. Um, okay. On our descent into Lubbock airport his asked Brinda why he had ear pressure. He wanted her to tell him since she's a doctor. We found at that his girlfriend was an attorney. He said she had to defend him a lot. I then joked and asked if that's really how they met. He thought this was good too. We were still talking when the plane landed and by this time everyone on the plane was looking and listening to us. Brinda kept telling me to quit talking to him but what was I going to do?! Sit there and ignore the crazy man?

Finally we got off the plan, grabbed our luggage (strategically avoiding him), and then he was gone. It's strange how you meet and talk to people randomly and you never know what happens to them after that. Did he talk his friend out of getting married? Will he and the attorney ever get married? Did he talk like a crazy fool to another stranger on the plane ride back to Dallas? No clue. But it was definitely the most interesting plane ride I've ever been on. Thanks for the crazy memories, Mr. Airplane Man.

Mother's Day

On Sunday I celebrated Mother's Day with my Mom & Grandma (pictured above). It was a very good day and it reminded me how thankful I am for these two wonderful ladies.

My Grandma has always been the hardest working woman I know. My memories of her growing up are of her getting up before the sun was shining, making breakfast for my Papa, doing dishes, laundry, keeping a spotless house, feeding the chickens and collecting their eggs, working in her flower beds (she has always had an amazing green thumb), working in the garden pulling ripe tomatoes off the vine, picking blackberries, and snapping green beans. My grandmother would also work right beside by Papa tending to the cattle. She never slowed down and never complained. She couldn't imagine that us grandchildren wanted to be inside watching TV. That was just unheard of. A stroke in 2000 drastically changed my grandmother's life. She can no longer do the things she did her entire life. She turned 87 in March and suffers from osteoporosis and dementia. It makes me sad to see my hard working grandmother this way. Even though her body is deteriorating I can still see glimpses of her spirit. She still has that smile and laugh when I say something to surprise her. I love my Grandma! (Picture: 1992 with my Papa & Grandma)

My Mom is my hero. She is a TWO TIME breast cancer SURVIVOR. She is strong and faithful. My mom has never let her diagnosis' get her down. She is the epitome of the saying 'Attitude is Everything.' She had the best attitude when going through her treatments. It amazed me. She was not going to lay down and wallow in this diagnosis. She always stood up and fought as hard as she could. Even after grueling radiation and chemo treatments, losing all her hair, her body aching, and being nauseated she kept up a good attitude and continued to pray to God. I see God in my mom. He uses her daily to help others who are going through the same battle. I know that God answers prayers and miracles happen because of my mom. She's definitely a fighter. Quitting was NOT an option. The picture to the right is of Mother's Day 2000, just two months after mom was diagnosed with breast cancer the first time. In later years she told us that as we were taking that picture she was thinking to herself that it might be her last Mother's Day. I thank God that we have had many Mother's Days with her since then and I pray to God that we continue to have many, many Mother's Days to come.

I also think of a mother who is no longer with us on Mother's Day. My Mammaw passed away at the age of 87 in 2001 of stomach cancer. We miss her. She was a strong woman who raised 3 children on her own after her husband passed away in 1965. She never dated, never remarried. All her energy was put into her children and grandchildren. I remember her smile most. She had the best smile. One of us grandchildren could be saying something very tacky about someone else and try as she would that smile would peak through. I loved seeing that smile when we would surprise her with a visit or have family get togethers. I will always remember her love of sweets, as that's probably were I get it from. I can picture her right now sitting in her chair, watching TV, and quilting. I love my memories of her. They will be with me forever. (Picture: 2001 of Mammaw at Easter. My last picture of her.)

I have been blessed with wonderful women in my life who serve as examples of what mother's should be. Thank you. I love you. Happy Mother's Day.

redbox

I have just recently discovered redbox and HAD to share with everyone. I had heard about it randomly through some friends for a while now but hadn't given it much thought. Another way to rent movies, whatever. So I got to Walgreens the other day and there was one right in front of where I parked. I decided I would check it out. NEW RELEASES for JUST $1!?!?! Wow! And I don't have to have a membership and pay a certain fee monthly?! Awesome! So I tried it out the next weekend when my sister and a friend were in town. We rented 'Marley & Me' (don't watch unless you want to bawl). All I had to do was pay $1.08, the machine distributed it, and we got to watch this new release. Yay! And it just had to be returned by 9 pm the next evening. I even got an email from them saying I had rented the movie and reminded me when it had to be returned. I then received another email when I returned it saying it had been returned. I've used it twice since and it's great! $1.08 for each movie. What could be better!? So I suggest you check it out. You'll love it too!

Abby, Boxer Dog

I kept Abby Boxer Dog Chatwin from late Monday night until Thursday morning of this week at Robert & Rashahn's apartment while they were out of town. Abby LOVES Aunt Kristi! Therefore I knew it would be a fun couple of days, yet also challenging. I have a problem making Abby behave, something which I get reprimanded for. As Robert puts it "You give her too many loop holes." Unfortunately it's true. And it's probably why she loves me so much. She knows when I come over that I'll let her jump on me, crawl on top of me, lick me, sit with me...pretty much anything. Yes, I'm a sucker. However, I knew I had to keep her in line while her parents were gone or they would be able to tell when they returned and I'd for sure hear about it! lol! Before they left Robert instructed me on exactly how to care for her, including what to do when putting her leash on her, walking her, picking up her poop, feeding her, and going to bed. I am happy to say that I successfully did all those things with NO LOOP HOLES. She behaved perfectly!

It was funny to see some of Abby's quirks/habits. She had to fall asleep touching me. If I moved, she moved. It was pretty precious. Especially when she fell asleep with her head on my shoulder the first night. Awww! She LOVES chasing after birds & rabbits. I thought she was going to rip my arm out of its socket doing this a few times. She really enjoyed her bandana and toy that I brought her. :-) She followed me from room to room and would whine when I shut her out to use the bathroom. She was a very good puppy while her Mommy & Daddy were away. It was fun to have a pup for a few days. Not sure I'm ready for one full-time though. Maybe in the future. We'll see.

Singing in the Rain

Last night was the Kenny Chesney - Sun City Carnival concert at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco. I LOVE Kenny Chesney! There is just something about that man! I first saw him at SFA in 2001 before he was a big name. His star was just on the rise at that point. I've seen him at least once every year since then. So I've seen him over 8 times. Some say I'm crazy. Maybe. But I love him.

I hadn't even planned on going to the concert last night until last weekend. I decided I would be a mature adult and not spend the money since I am going to the George Strait/Reba McEntire concert in a month and spent $82 on that. My friends said they had to pick one or the other and everyone opted for George since we've all seen Kenny before. I thought I could do it. I tried to. But after hearing Kenny's new song on the radio multiple times, and falling in love with it, I knew there was NO WAY. Courtney said she would go with me and we bought tickets! Yes, I could not resist.

The weather yesterday was not so great. There were lots of storms all around the area. The concert was rain or shine though and 96.3 said the concert was NOT canceled. The radio station also said that you could not bring umbrellas in. Oh boy. Courtney got to my apt around 5:30, which is when the concert started, and shortly afterward we headed there. It was raining and nasty. Yay. We drove around to find some parking and ended up parking pretty far away, so we had a nice little walk to the stadium. Before getting out of the car we got our weather gear on. I opted for one of the Dollar General rain ponchos that mom had sent with Court and she used one of my rain jackets. It was probably not a good sign that I poked a hole in the poncho before I even got it on. lol! Lady Antebellum was opening so we listened to them as we trekked in. As Court so eloquently stated on our way in "Only idiots do this!" We got in and got to our seats. It was pretty nasty sitting in the rain. After Lady Antebellum was done singing the rain got harder so we headed up top to stand under a covered area with all the other people at the concert. It was thundering, lighting, and POURING. We were pretty soaked. FINALLY Miranda Lambert came out and started singing. She was opening for Kenny as well. We listened to most of her performance under the covered area but as the rain lightened we gave in and went to sit down for a bit. After she finished we decided we would go get some food before Kenny took the stage. We were soaked but the rain was only a light mist at this point so it was pretty nice. After grabbing some personal pan pizza's from the Pizza Hut stand we headed back to our seats. We actually weren't even sitting in the seats we purchased. Since people obviously didn't show we moved to another nearby section so we could see a little better. We were very excited when Kenny took the stage and the rain had stopped. This must be a sign! Even God wanted us to enjoy some KC! He started with 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy' and the crowd roared. Yay!!!! Being soaked was worth it! He sang for about 20 minutes and the rain started again. It poured pretty hard for a few minutes and then stopped. Of course that lasted for about 5 minutes and then it started to really POUR...HARD. People started running. Kenny said he'd stay as long as we did, so he sang in the rain. It was appropriate that he started singing his song 'There's Something Sexy About The Rain'. It was perfect! The rain just kept getting harder though. Every inch of us was soaked. Courtney had been scared of the lightening all evening and opted to go up under the cover. I told her I had to stay. I was singing along with Kenny in the rain. lol! Two songs later Kenny saw a big lightening streak and said "I think everyone should get the hell outta here. I'll be back." On that note I was off. I located Court and we stood under the cover for a while. We didn't know if Kenny was coming back out or not. I just couldn't leave yet. After about 5 or 10 minutes the stadium lights came on and an announcement was made that the concert was canceled and to hold on to our tickets because Kenny would come back in 30 days and we could all get discount tickets if we kept our original ones. On that note we were outta there. The stadium was full of water. Some parts were up to our ankles. It was very difficult keeping my flip flops on. It was pretty hilarious. I would only endure this for Kenny Chesney. It was ridiculous. Court & I finally made it back to the car and to my apt. We stripped off all the wet clothes and tried to get warm. We couldn't believe what we'd just done. I thanked Court because I knew that she was only doing this for me and that she was the only one who would do this for me. lol!

I look forward to Kenny coming back sometime in the next month. Although I think our tickets should be FREE, not just discounted. But whatever. It's Kenny. I HAVE to go. I just pray it doesn't rain! ;-)

I'm Addicted!

It has come to my attention lately that I am apparently addicted to Chick-fil-A. How did this come to my attention? When looking at your bank account online if all your money is going to Chick-fil-A and you eat there multiple times a week, sometimes twice in the same day, you might be addicted. Yes, it's sad. And it's not like I'm being unhealthy. I'm actually eating good for me stuff when I eat there. My favs? Their tea. It's awesome! Now I LOVE their sweet tea but because it's not Weight Watcher friendly I opt for the unsweet and add equal to it. Still greatness! Their grilled chicken sandwhich and nuggets are good too. And those pickles! Where can I buy those because they are not like ones I've bought in the store. I also love their salads. Now you have to be careful with salad. It can be healthy for you until you add the dressing. Then you might as well eat the fried chicken with a milkshake. One package of the Buttermilk Ranch that comes with the salad is 16 points on WW. SAD, but true. So now I get the salad and head home to add Hidden Valley Light Ranch to it. Awesome! I don't know why I'm so addicted lately. Lazy and not wanting to fix anything for myself? Possible. But it's just good! And their billboards and slogans are pretty clever too! AND they are closed on Sundays! It's all around greatness! Go Chick-fil-A! ;-)

Swine Flu

I'm sick of it. I'm SO tired of hearing about it. I'm not trying to be insensitive, but it's EVERYWHERE! Am I supposed to be afraid? Should I run out and buy lots of Purel and a hospital mask? Should I ignore it all. I have NO idea. I googled it the other day to make sure I got the gist of what it was all about. Wikipedia didn't make it sound so horrible. It says symptoms are similar to those of the regular flu and apparently you can get over it without having medical attention. That didn't sound so horrible. But then it's ALL over the national news, schools districts all over the area have closed some schools, some even have shut down the entire district for a week. That doesn't sound so good. Erin (my smart doctor friend) said that at the hospital where she is in her last week of med school that they are searching everyone's bags that leave the hospital because people are stealing masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer. WOW! I attended a job fair in Richardson today where Purel stations were set-up throughout, Purel was pumped into our hands upon entering, and we were instructed to not shake hands with anyone. Have you ever purposefully not tried to shake hands? It's kind of weird and hard to do. I'll admit that some hands were still shook. Some districts didn't even attend the fair due to the outbreak. I also learned today that the huge job fair I was going to attend on Monday has been canceled due to this swine flu. Grrrrr. You KNOW if I don't get a teaching job before school starts in August that I am definitely blaming this thing! I also heard that over 35,000 people die yearly form the "regular" flu yet we never hear about it like this. I don't know. It's all pretty crazy. People have even speculated that this is the sign that the world is coming to an end! Whatever. Just don't kiss any pigs, wash your hands, don't spread your germs all over when coughing or sneezing, and if you are sick please, please, please STAY AT HOME!