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Go vote for Trojan!    If you want to submit something to
"...the Other HNT",
there's still time to join in!
hntanon@gmail.com

We'll see what happens...

I've made mention on numerous occasions about my two HS classmates that I get together with about 4-5 times a year, usually to celebrate a birthday, or to just have a few drinks and play keno. Well, the oldest one's bday is Wednesday, so we're going to get together tonight (schedules, you know). It will be the first time since the end of August that I'll drink a beer (if you can call Miller Lite a beer...). Perhaps Michelob Ultra. In any case, I'm a little nervous, but it will be interesting to see what it does to my glucose level. Don't worry--I'm limiting myself to two beers. That's what "they" say I can drink. And the girls will certainly make sure I don't go over that. This is one of those "changes" that I have to make. Is it possible to nurse 2 beers over a three-hour time span???

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I bought tickets to something online for something over in Missoula at the end of January. I probably wouldn't have bought them, but they are front row seats. Yes, my ticket mojo is back! I'll tell more later, but right now, I need to find a date. Moose...this is one you'd want to go to...

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I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday. I'm curious to see what the doctor thinks of my current condition. And I need refills on my blood pressure and cholesterol meds...

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Go vote for Trojan.

Nada

It's been 4 days since my last post, and I've got nothing. Other than watching a lot of football all weekend. Please note the win-loss records of my teams over there.   ----->

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Trojan has slipped back down to 33rd over the weekend.  I'm not sure what I can do (or she can do...) to get over there and vote.  You can vote daily, and you can vote from different computers.  The contest runs to the end of the year, so keep visiting and help a former HNTer out!

Pricey HNT

I promise that this will be one of the last times I dwell on the diabetes. It's been 4 weeks (already?!?) since things went downhill fast. My daily routine has been rescheduled and I think I'm getting a handle on it all. I've found out how quickly the supplies run out. I've found out that poking one's fingers to get blood to test gets really old (and no, I can't do it in my arm). I've found that eating three sensible meals a day actually DOES fill you up!

But most of all, I've found that none of this comes cheap (though I am getting much of it for free!). Under the prescriptions and alcohol swabs and syringes and whatnot, you can see my hospital bill. Granted, many of you have had far higher bills, but most likely have had insurance pay a major chunk of it. Not me. You can click on the picture to find out the current amount owed (not including a second bill for extra labwork...). I'm pointing at it right there. I do find humor in the sentence that says "all balances are payable in full within 30 days". We'll see how that goes! Be looking for a PayPal button in my sidebar in the near future...

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"Well my sweet baby wears fishnet stockings
When she starts a rockin' there ain't no stoppin'

Singing wop bop a doo dop fishnet stockings
Shoo wop a doo dop when she's rockin'
Bop bop a doo dop there ain't no stoppin'
Rockin' with my baby in her fishnet stockings

Well she's got a pair in pink
She's got a pair in red
When she puts the black ones she makes me lose my head..."

"Fishnet Stockings"--Stray Cats

This week's Mystery Guest will be revealed late Thursday afternoon. Be sure to come back to find out who it is!
Not too much of a mystery who this week's MG is...  Of course, it's Vixen, with the real finale to her series!   Go check her out if you haven't already...or even if you have!

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We've got some lovely submissions from your fellow HNTers over at "...the Other HNT". Stop over to check them out and give them some support! NSFW, as usual.

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Trojan is still holding her position around the #31 mark. Really, all you need to do is click the link, click the vote button, and type in the word verification. Help a former HNTer out! Do it now, and do it often! Just like they do in Afghanistan!

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If you haven't already, go wish BTExpress a happy birthday (but only if you know his super secret web address). And feel free to send him boobies. He likes boobies!

Hell, I have to do another one three...

Bdays and Contests and Movies. Oh, my!

Business first--it's BTExpress' birthday today. Those ladies who know his email address are encouraged to send him boobie pics. His 60+ y.o. heart can still handle it! Gentlemen need not bother.

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Trojan is still holding her position around the #31 mark. Really, all you need to do is click the link, click the vote button, and type in the word verification. Help a former HNTer out! Do it now, and do it often! Just like they do in Afghanistan!

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Have you seen the previews for the new Jim Carrey movie, "A Christmas Carol"? I'm sure it will get great reviews, but I'm NOT a fan of this new style of movie, that relies so much on computer generated imaging (CGI). I didn't like "Polar Express" for the same reason. Too much reliance on digital perfection, and not enough on good, old-fashioned, hand-crafted movie-making. (too many hyphens?)

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Even though Halloween is over, enjoy this wonderful movie trailer...

Different sort of TMI

If you're not interested in my diabetes story, skip this post...

I hadn't intended to put any of this down here, but enough of you have asked me about it that it's easier to do this way. Mainly...how did you get diabetes? And how did it happen so quickly? The simple answer--I was overweight, ate poorly, and didn't exercise. As to how--I'm not sure, but once I thought it was a possibility, I couldn't have done things more wrong to prevent it. Here it is, somewhat chronologically (and bulleted!!):

• Remember this HNT? I have heard from others that 'someone they knew' got diabetes after some sort of bodily trauma, such as breaking a leg. I don't know if my puking adventure triggered it, but I do know that I quit the Diet Coke cold turkey after that day, and the desire to drink the entire Missouri River started soon after.
• Early to mid-September...I started noticing that I really was drinking excessive amounts of water. On the plus side, my knees were feeling better. I figured the water was simply flushing out any toxins in me. And any good diet says you're supposed to drink lots of water. Unfortunately, it also led to getting up multiple times during the night to pee, which in turn was making me quite tired during the days (at least, that's what I thought was the problem).
• Around the 17th, I had S3 pick me up after delivering the equipment truck for the upcoming symphony concert. I mentioned to her about the thirst and the peeing, and she harassed me into promising to go see a doctor about it. I told her I'd do it as a bday present for her, but it would have to wait until after the concert.
• Concert on the 24th. By this time, the dryness in my mouth was getting out of control. I had to have a quart of water with me onstage to take a sip before playing. Because I had no spit. And my tongue was sticking to the roof of my mouth. And I was SO tired afterwards for the tear-down. Thank God I had a crew to help!
• Towards the end of the following week, I go to the county health co-op to see someone. The earliest they can get anyone to see me would be Thursday, Oct. 9th.
• The week of Oct. 5th...I work on Monday, but tell the boss I don't know how long I'll stay, because I'm exhausted, and a little light-headed. But it passes, and I finish out the day. Tuesday, I feel a little more exhausted, and call in sick. I spend the day mostly napping and peeing. I don't even feel like scoping out the Boobie-Thon site. I do get to the store to buy groceries and stock up with fruit juices. And ice cream. Because they sound like they'd taste really good. And they did! I also bought some Jolly Ranchers to suck on. If my dry, pasty mouth was going to taste as funky as it was, it might as well taste like those (please note the very sugary things I was consuming here...). My voice was also changing. Almost squeaky. And I came to the realization that I getting rid of far more liquid than I was putting in. I was pretty close to the understanding that I was not in a good way.
• Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much the same as Tuesday. Stay at home, nap, drink fruit juice and suck candies. But I did have a doctor's appointment Thursday afternoon, so off I went. After talking with the doctor, a nurse came in to test my blood sugar level. Where "normal" range is between 70 - 130, mine was at 473. Meaning that my body wasn't making enough insulin to allow the sugar in my blood to get to the blood cells. And there's another test that says it's been this way for awhile. Basically, all the sweet stuff over the prior few days was just too much for my system to handle. The doctor declared me to have type II diabetes, prescribed some oral meds, and sent me home. Along with a blood glucose meter.
• Friday rolls around, and I'm still totally exhausted. I call in sick again, and this time the girl who answered the phone at work could hardly recognize my voice. The rest of the day was spent in bed, rather in front of the TV. The phone rang a few times, but I ignored it. Until someone calls me 5-6 times in a row. It's my BIL3. I don't even know what time it is, though I imagine it's sometime after 5PM. He tells me he's coming over to take me to the hospital. I argue, but he's a physical therapist, so I figure he knows when I might need to go. Plus, I know that my sisters are with him, and there's no way they're going to let me get away with that. By this point, I've been peeing off and on all day, and hadn't had anything to eat since Wed. night (assuming they wanted a fasting level for the blood tests). He said I had the look of death. I don't know that I'd argue with that...
• My first 12 hours at the hospital are still a blur. I remember that I was too weak to even take my clothes off to get into one of those sexy hospital gowns. I remember that my eyes were shut the entire time in the ER because the lights were so bright (to me, anyway). I remember almost crying because my mouth was SO dry, and they wouldn't even give me an ice chip until they were done checking me out (and I would have married the very attractive nurse that gave me my first one on the way to ICU). I remember being poked and prodded once an hour that first night. I remember the smiling lab technician who came to draw blood at 5AM. Every single morning... With a smile on her face! That's just wrong.

There's plenty more I haven't mentioned. The loss of 50 lbs from the end of summer to the first doctors appt. Some of that has been put back on, thanks to the fluids they gave me. The jeans I'm wearing these days are 6 inches skinnier than the ones I wore before the summer. Applying for Medicaid is the epitome of red tape. I was told that my paperwork wouldn't even get looked at for two months. And my handwriting seems to have changed a bit. Which is weird. But the best news so far? I've noticed that my eyesight is slowly improving!

So that's it. Still learning alot. I'll keep you posted! Thus ends my TMI~

Oh, one more thing! I have found a new appreciation for broccoli and cauliflower (though I'm sure it'll get old sometime down the road), and sugar-free Jello! Still working on liking whole wheat bread, though...

Another thing--I was so out of it during that last week that, for the first time in forever, I spaced out making my midnight call to Moose on her birthday. Good thing she's a forgiving soul!

Annual Halloween movie list

I figured I should re-post my annual Halloween movie list. I have edited little bits of it though ...and even added one two. If you're partying for Halloween, have fun but be safe (yes, Dad...). I'll be home all night watching scary movies and drinking beer testing my blood!

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As promised earlier last week, here's my top ten list of my favorite sci-fi/monster/scary movies. They may not be the goriest, or most hi-tech, but I prefer them this way. They are far better movies than gorefests. I will almost always watch these to their conclusion if I happen upon them while switching channels. I got to see a couple of these over the past week while watching AMC's "Fear Fest '09". In fact, I'm adding one to the list that I saw. It should come somewhere in the middle, but then I'd have eleven. But I don't want to knock any of these off the list. I'll number it with a Roman numeral. But I digress...

Here's my top ten faves:

#10-The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)--"Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!" Perfect example of substance over flash. Effects not all that good, even for 1951, but I suspect that in its day, it was quite discomforting. If a spaceship landed in D.C. today, no one would be allowed within miles. In 1951, you could bring the family down to look at it from no further away than 30 yards!


#9-Tales From the Crypt (1972)--No, not the cheesy HBO TV series. The original movie. Five tales of impending fate for five imperfect strangers. They are given the option of avoiding their fates - by avoiding living out the rest of their lives. Many memorable moments, including a young Joan Collins being murdered by Santa Claus. Also brings to mind the movie "Asylum", also from 1972.


#8-Frankenstein (1931)--The granddaddy of them all. Not the first monster movie, but the first that truly made the genre such a hit. Frankenstein's monster was grotesque, the story was horrifying, and it was eaten up by the public--at least those who didn't faint! The attempt by man to play God once again fails. But at least he launched a whole new series of movies! By the end of the movie, you actually feel some pity for the monster. Perhaps the mob outside burning down the windmill was the real monster??? Hard to believe that the same guy who could play the monster would go on to narrate "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"!

#7-Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)--I can't remember exactly when I first saw this--grade school, I'm sure. I love this monster! He lives in the Amazon, swims around among some gorgeous scenery, and then falls in love with the girl on this boat. He swims a few feet under her as she's out in the water. He's just shy and horny. This movie was originally filmed in 3D, so there's lots of harpoons and bubbles and swimming towards the camera action going on. As with many of the monster movies from this era, you sort of have feelings for the monster by the end of the movie.


#6-The Omen (the original trilogy)--Creepy little kid is born as the anti-Christ. This is one series that I actually liked all three movies. Following Damien as a little boy, to his teenaged years, to his adulthood. You don't feel sorry for him in the end...

#5-Night of the Living Dead (1968)--This movie shows what you can do on an incredibly small budget. Yeah, the make-up is cheesy, and the dialog pretty cliche, but the story not only scared you, but also touched on race relations, family relations, distrust of government and the like. Great scene of zombies munching on intestines, organs and limbs at the burned out truck!

#MCMLXIXa-The Amityville Horror (1979)--This story is based on real events, though there's a great deal of controversy whether it was all a hoax or not. A family moves in, the walls in the house start talking to the family, blood oozes out all over the place, and the family leaves in less than a month. The real house in question is currently inhabited, apparently without incident. As Larry the Cable Guy says in his act, the realtor responsible for selling this house must be really good! No one in the family dies, but there's plenty of eerie sounds, dripping blood, and the voice of the house. All in all, it's got all the necessary elements!

#MCMLXIXb-The "Alien" series--Another new addition this year. Thanks to The Panserbjørne for mentioning it. The first one (1979) was amazing, with the face-sucking embryo planter, the stomach pop, and then actually seeing the alien for the first time (God bless HR Giger!). Probably one of the finest concepts of an alien in all of film! The second one was pretty good too, with the little girl as the lone survivor on the colony. The third and fourth installments seemed to milk the concept a bit much. Though, the final scenes of the fourth one almost evokes sympathy for the mutant alien/Ripley creature. As its guts are being sucked out of the porthole, you can't help but feel sadness as it seems to be crying for its "mommy" (Ripley). A good set of movies, particularly the first one.

#4a-Young Frankenstein (1974)
#4b-Mars Attacks! (1996)--OK, so they're comedies. But fine examples of movies based on the genre. "Young Frankenstein" used some of the original movie's lab equipment, and used references to it and other Frankenstein classics. With a healthy dose of puns and laughter. Someone called in alot of favors for "Mars Attacks!". Patterned on the UFO movies of the 50s, its cast included over a dozen big-name, big-buck actors, including Jack Nicholson (in 2 roles), Glenn Close, Michael J. Fox, Pierce Brosnan, Jack Black, Paul Winfield, Rod Steiger, Natalie Portman, Annette Benning and Danny Devito. And Tom Jones. Among numerous others. While it could have become quite cartoonish, the movie was played seriously, and even had a couple of grotesque moments!

#3a-Poltergeist (1982)
#3b-Poltergeist III (1988)--Another trilogy that worked pretty well. Except for #2. And #3 was a little weak, but the concept of evil characters in the mirror (or any reflective surface) was a bit freaky. No, the scariest part of the movies are the deaths of those associated with the movies, in particular, the death of 12 year old Heather O'Rourke ("They're heeeerrrreeee....!). The real life stories are far scarier than the movies (though that clown in the picture still gives me chills...

#2-The Shining (1980)--"Heeeeeerrree's Johnny!" Stephen King's novel as envisioned by Stanley Kubrick. As mentioned in an earlier post, the music to this movie is amazing. The scenery outstanding (for the little bit that you get to see). While the movie's best scenes involve Jack, there are plenty of others. The tidal wave of blood from the elevator. The two very disturbing twins. Danny holding a large knife screaming "REDRUM! REDRUM!" This movie has just about all the good things that a horror movie should have. Great story, just enough blood, twists and turns. And Jack is phenomemal.

#1-The Exorcist (1973)--No real surprise here. This movie scares the bejeezus out of me to this day. To the point that I have only seen it all the way through without breaks twice in my life. I usually have to get up at the point when the mother first hears "rats" in the ceiling. Having been raised a good Catholic, I definitely remember the outcry that followed this movie. Crowds stood outside the theaters to pray for the souls that the devil would take from those who watched the movie. Some scenes were so disturbing that people got physically ill, or fainted. Certain scenes never made it to the screen as they were deemed "too graphic"--one of which is the famous "spider crawl" scene depicted in the b&w picture.
On the other hand, I spent an evening with Moose and watched "The Exorcist". She just laughed.

So there you have it. I would recommend all thirteen these movies (yeah, I know. There's more than ten. Deal with it.).

Spooky HNT

I wasn't going to do anything Halloween related for HNT. Halloween isn't the most diabetic-friendly season, as you might imagine. But when push came to shove, I figured it would be my best option.

My original intent was something like you see below, but with red devil eyes. I've never been one to claim that I know anything about Photoshop, but I've played around with the basic settings. To do what I wanted, though, would require a bit more work. I must have spent two hours trying this, that and the other thing. I just couldn't get it the way I wanted. And just when I got something that would work, it wouldn't save correctly. So I scrapped that work and tried another program that I've got. Lo and behold! The result is below!

It's been a spooky month. Breast Cancer Awareness Month (well, the cancer, not the cause)--spooky. Nearly dying--really spooky. AMC's Fear Fest '09--spooky movies! Hope you all get your spook on this weekend!

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I missed out on getting a Mystery Guest this week, so I'm going with a bit of a treat for the ladies here.

But I feel a warning is needed. Since it's Halloween, you can click on the jack o' lantern for a scary picture. Seriously. It's scary. Those with a weak heart probably shouldn't attempt to click. It's like nothing you've ever seen. I can't be responsible for anyone who ignores this warning.

Move forward at your own risk!!

You're gonna do it, aren't you?

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A bit smaller crowd than usual over at "...the Other HNT", but the quality is pretty good! Be sure to stop by and check out your fellow HNTers! And leave some comments--I know there's a lot more stopping by than by what the comments would indicate! NSFW, as usual.

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Trojan has been holding steady in the low 30 range for about a week now. If all of you vote just once, she should jump well into the 20s. Vote tonight, then vote again tomorrow! Vote often! Vote from different computers! Let's help out a fellow HNTer!

Weekend Recap

Hmmm...what can I write about?

Symphony concert went off without a hitch Saturday night. Good crowd, great soloist (piano), and the orchestra played really well. Even without trombones! Set-up and tear-down were quick and easy. I've got nothing to complain about with this one! Upcoming--nothing in November, but two weeks of intense work in December, with performances of "Messiah" and "Nutcracker". Gotta love the season...

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Speaking of the season...something I saw at the end of September--my first Christmas commercial! Time-Life selling "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" (or something like that). Featuring the Rockettes! Nothing like high-kicking showgirls to celebrate the birth of Jesus...

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As mentioned in my last post, I expected one of my football teams to lose this weekend. Fortunately, none of them did, but Carroll's game was won late in the 4th quarter. Against the last place team in their league. Carroll and the Griz are both ranked #2 nationally in their respective divisions. Not all football is played in Texas or Florida!

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I am LOVING AMC's Fear Fest '09!!! It's been a nice mix of old, sort of old, and newer movies, and both original and remakes. CANNOT WAIT for "Night of the Living Dead"! I might have to break out my Top Ten Favorite Scary Movies list!

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You still need to go vote for Trojan! She made it up to #31 over the weekend, but has fallen back a couple of spots since then. Help get her numbers up!!

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I'm hesitant to make mention of this next site. It's one that I ran across while doing a search for something else. I'm sure that many of you have never run across one quite like it. Unfortunately, there's many others like it. The only way to describe them is that they are written by men who have a specific opinion about the place of women, their role in society, and find examples to bolster their beliefs. Cavemen had better judgment. And yes, a couple of you have been singled out. I won't say whom--you'll have to do a search to find out. When blogs aren't being singled out, new articles and "research" are presented. I only leave the link because I think you need to know what's out there. I apologize in advance on behalf of my gender...

Into the weekend...

We've got a symphony concert this weekend. All-Beethoven. No trombones in this concert, thank God. I still have to do the set-up and tear-down, but that's far less stressful. And I've got a crew to do all the actual work, so all is good. It's nice to get back into the swing of things.

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Still getting used to this whole "eating healthy" routine. My blood sugar levels go up and down, but that's to be expected as I figure out what's "right" for me.

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My football teams (all over there in the sidebar) are all undefeated, but it feels like one of them might lose this weekend. Not sure why...

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You still need to go vote for Trojan! I'll be plugging this to the bitter end!

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Don't forget! Fear Fest '09 starts on AMC tonight, and runs through Halloween! Starts with the four "Alien" movies (2 tonight, and 2 tomorrow) and ending with 3 showings of "Night of the Living Dead"! Fear Fest '09 runs all day, all week! I can't wait!!!