slow recovery; seems like a lifetime

Trish is set to wake up in about 15 minutes. I turned off the alarm clock to give myself some time with Mindstorm. Besides being the title of this blog it originally was the title of my book, now called The Mind-Warp Era & for which I have to find a traditional publisher; iUniverse sucks.

Yesterday Trish mostly just spent in front of the TV. I left for awhile to buy some groceries at Albertson's. Besides milk I bought chicken thighs. They're on sale for 99 cents a pound. Fred came by to mow the lawn. We also pruned the tree out back.

I fixed pork-n-beans with chopped up leftover pork in it. It tasted good. After supper we watched a documentary about Superman (new movie & all), & Trish called her mom about the surgery. Trish wanted to know the results of the biopsy first, but that may be into next week before we know for sure it's cancer. I think that it's good that she called her mom. She doesn't like to speak with her dad on the phone cuz he doesn't understand her & her step-mom wants to blame her medication.

Hopefully, today will be the end of one era & the beginning of another one: the translation of the Hog from prose to pictures. I've just about got my Hog figured out & then it goes to Bill. Following that I'll at last be able to work on "Relayer", which I may or may not resub to Critters. Last time thru, because of the mix-up I only received 3 usable crits. I discovered via Google this morning that Absolute Magnitude is still in existence, but I think QA should go to Oceans of the Mind first as they pay more & it's an email sub.

surgery

Trish had her foot surgery today. Yesterday at the pre-op Dr. Marino said that the best case scenario is that simply removing the growth from her foot will cure the problem; worst case, her leg gets amputated beneath the knee. After we came home from the doctor's office we waited for Karen to Kall & she Kouldn't make it, so we ate canned raviolis & a sandwich. Car-girl picked me up at 1:00 & we did laundry & shopping at Bi-Mart & the Buckadingdong Store, which remains a place where Noncorean is employed. At 3:00 Ed & Denise took us out for supper at the Gallery. Trish had the fish; Ed had the meatloaf; Denise & I had chicken; everybodaddy had baked potatoes except for Denise, who had hash browns. Once we were home we watched Buffy in the basement. Trish wanted to watch the original movie, then the 6th season.

I had cereal for Brecchie this morning while Trish showered. We called Car-girl around 8:00 but got no reply; yesterday she was feeling sick. We ended up calling Fred, who got us there in time. They took Trish in almost immediately, then I had to wait 1/2 hour to come into the surgical room. It took forever for them to take her in, about 1/2 hour for the surgery itself, then they said that they hoped to release her in about 1-1/2 hours, about the time Fred was scheduled to see Karen. I told him he could go, we'd call, Karen called (right while Ashley was telling me she wasn't in) & then we finally got home. While she watched Charlie's Angels I ran over to Albertson's to pick up some coffee & corn flakes: 2 big boxes for 5 buckadingdongs. When I fixed supper, though, Trish was too nauseated to eat the teriyaki pork -- rather humorously, when she checked it a piece fell on the floor. Instead she simply ate the potatoes & green beans & we put the meat in the fridge until tomorrow. After supper she felt tired so I sent her off to bed.

It's 99 degrees & the circuit breaker tripped on the A/C. I plan to watch a little TV before bedtime. I tried chatting with Lucy Somebody on Yahoo Messenger but she turned out to be a scam artist so I simply deleted her.

I'm still searching for a market for QA. DNA Publications' website is down, so I may consult storypilot.com.

anniversary bear

Today is our 3rd anniversary. Trish set a new record on Penguins to celebrate. Later today Ed & Denise will be taking us out for a late lunch/early supper.

Trish's pre-op is this morning at 9:00. Car-girl promised to give us a ride; I hope the Dopamax doesn't cause her to forget; a simple phone call should suffice.

I almost finished The Invisible Hog yesterday, but Trish wanted to go to the Layout & when I got back I got into a chat room with some African artist. Lisa worked at the Layout yesterday. We had tuna noodle casserole, something I actually enjoyed after having lived off it for so many years. As we were about to eat Rusty Copper entered from the rear (the alley door) along with Leona Cheapskate, who got kicked out for being thoroughly descoobied.

Trish got a ride home with one of the drivers yesterday. After her shower we went downstairs to beat the heat. I fell asleep watching Buffy 'cause I took a Xanax. I had a panic attack talking to Ed on the phone. I think I'd like to be switched back to stelazine & fuck Scientology & I Ron Steele.

adventures in cyberspace

The other day, I wanted to see if my computer needed defragging, only to discover that the system tools had disappeared. I called Spectrum & thru the wire the woman told me to complete the virus scan I'd begun, then call back. Next time some guy told me to uninstall & reinstall Accessories; Spectrum hadn't included the original Windows disc, so I had to bring it into the shop. Trish had the day off Tuesday, so Car-girl & I wound up taking the computer in, then did some laundry. She'd thrown up that morning & complained that she felt nauseous, so we didn't have a chance to discuss my latest rejection slip -- from F&SF; it "didn't grab them", & I didn't think that it would -- even though they ask for more science fiction on their web page they rarely peint any of it.

So Wednesday Trish & I went to the Perky Pam Layout where Lisa invented some kind of noodle/meatball concoction. I watched a lot of TV while the machine was in the shop but didn't really play the keyboard at all. I'm saving that for when Trish has her surgery.

Yesterday I also went to the Layout in the morning, then Car-girl's dog got sick & then she had some errands to run. We wound up taking the old printer into Sally Ann's, followed by a trip up to the dollar store for canned goods & a diet Mountain Dew at Taco Jack's. About the time Trish was due to return home from work I had a really severe panic attack & took 1/2 Xanax (& fuck Scientology & the skinny dog). It went away as soon as we drove up & I saw Trish's car there.

They'd taken off all my anti-spyware free downloads, even including Microsoft Defender, not to mention Icy Queue & Weatherbug. I called the guy about it & he said some of those programs contain spyware, but I think that I'll go ahead & re-download Weatherbug & maybe Defender. Everything cost me 50 buckadingdongs & a lot of it I'm not certain I couldn't have done myself (like defragging).

This morning Trish figured out how to work the Weed-b-Gone sprayer so, after she drove to work in her bat-mobile I sprayed down the rock garden in front. Tomorrow she has the day off while she works Sunday & Monday. Tuesday is our anniversary -- & her pre-op. She'll be away from Pizza Hut until the 8th, even though I reassured her we'd still do something for the 4th. Tuesday is also our 3rd anniversary. I want to do something romantic, but haven't decided what just yet.

the Root(boy) canals of Mars

Trish is awake now, watching Retro Music on digital cable. She's just had her Corn Chex; we only eat cereal on her day off. I guess we'll be going back to the Soup Kitchen for lunch (Cheri is not an option).

I've just had more work on my root canal. Yesterday I mailed "Astronomy Domine" to Analog (not that I think it'll sell there) & Bill his copy of WordPerfect. Then Perky Pam put a spike into my vein & I shot the orgasm death. Trish left for work & I stuck around for Cheri's stir fry. Car-girl showed up with her grand-daughter about 11:30. To entertain the kid, I taught her how to play War.

Reuben down the highway at incredibe super-speed, we wound up at Dentist the Mentalist's office early, but he took us in. I had to lie on my back with a dingy-homner in my mouth for an hour. When he finished all the filing I called Trish -- no answer, so on the way home I stopped in Harlem for a diet Coke to wash down a dangerous experimental antidepressant & fuck Scientology & the skinny dog.

When we arrived I found Trish watching TV; she'd been in the shower when I'd called. We ordered out a vegetarian pizza from her place of employ, then watched Star Trek until it started to suck & she put on the Buffster. I took a bath during the first part of a Buffy episode, but my Xanax (& fuck Scientology) crashed me out real bad so when the alarm clock went off this morning I almost didn't get up then.

Today is Tuesday, Trish's day off & a week before her surgery. Tomorrow, I intend to at least work out the pagination of the Hog & then try to figure out the chords to Light that Fire; mellotron playing to a reggae backbeat that's hard to master. Today I'll be at Bi-Mart with Car-girl, picking up some Weed-b-Gone, a sprayer bottle, dishwasher detergent, & warsh (a Cheri-ism) cloths.

hoody, hoody, hoo (as Hoppy Harrington would say)

Yesterday when Trish was at work I wrote a note to Hope, simple random enumerations. After that I did a re-make/re-model of "Astronomy Domine", where the Ladytron is Lucy. I'll be submitting it to Analog tomorrow, on the off chance that Stan might like it. Today I do another draft before printing it -- it's Sunday & Trish has to work. This week she has Tuesday & Sunday off.

So yesterday once I finished "Astronomy Domine" I phoned Ed, then Kimothy kame by & I felt a little leery. She's going on a vacation trip sometime in July. She left before Trish came home.

When Trish returned from Pizza Hut she sat under the a/c until she cooled down, ate her salami sandwich & leftover baked beans (from the buckadingdong store) & then we spent 17 buckadingdongs at Albertson's, half of it on meat. They had a sale on pork loins.

I fixed finger-lickin' chicken, then I watched the end of Johnny Mnemonic on cable while Trish took her shower. She wanted to go to bed early, & I'd taken 1/2 Xanax (I knew savage dread & fuck Scientology), so I slept well last night.

Karen Karalike & the new T&A

Trish just left for work, & I'm knowing savage dread: it's reached the point where typewriter torment has become a chore, transformed from the daze of Dada into mere drudgery by the Critters-inspired move from inspiration to hackwork. + it was a lot more fun when I only did it smoking lightning.

I didn't get anything done yesterday, as Trish had the day off. Trish-uh! missed her TA, so Trish (the non-uh! one) developed a little anxiety; this morning she took 1/2 a Xanax for it & fuck Scientology. So instead Karen took us up to the Village & we ate Crazy Tacos & did budget. We had a Buffy/Britney-fest in the afternoon to cheer up my wife, & then I fixed us sone steak, beans, & green beans -- the beans we got at the mall with Karen; all in all we bought nearly 20 buckadingdongs worth of groceries at the Buckadingdong Store. While Trish watched Buffy I bought 15 buckadingdongs of food. Money is tight around here, but I should have enough to send Bill my old Corel WordPerfect, though I want to talk with him on the phone first.

Now it's time for pre-torment: I want to write to Hope. There will always be Hope, but thankfully no longer LDS.

The Uncanny X(anax)-men

The last time we were in Electric City Doc Larocque wrighted me a script for Xanax, to deal with my bi-brain. (Timothy Leary really spaced out on my Clozarel.) The other day, I took one, in spite of all the dire & dread warnings of both the Scooby Club & the Science of Church-a-tology. I was talking on the phone to Ed, & felt an overwhelming sense of Savage Dread, so I fetched the bottle out of my pocket & somehow managed to flip my lid without setting the phone down, though I almost spilled the thing. Then I washed it down with a diet Mr. Fruity. The pill deadened me to things like the Karen Relationship ("herbs" have been "studied" in China for 6K) & my mind did not devolve into Abyss & Chaos. Shortly after that Trish & I went to bed, & I slept the night away.

Then Tuesday when Car-girl did the driving I had another panic attack, this one a little milder, so I only took 1/2 a pill. Car-girl & I dropped off the laundry at the laundromat, then peregrinated back to her house after picking up Jeremy Bender as he told her on her cell that her dogs were missing. This caused her Savage Dread. Once we discovered that the dogs were home, we went to PJ's to fill out the copyright forms for my novel, so that if I create an Invisible Hog comic book I don't have to make mine Marvel. True, the smaller publishers probably don't pay as well, but the thing is totally gonzo & so's the dog, not to mention Rebecca is some hot biker chick. I even added a page where Rebecca is playing U-boat with NJ Wheedman. This is real atomic.

So the tsunamis on the surface of the Oceans of the Mind started to come in like sea horses, but then that evening when I tried to watch Pleasantville I conked out after 8:00 & Trish had to get me up to go to bed.

Wednesday Trish took her bat-mobile to work. Tuesday Trish had had the day off, Pizza Hut keeps messing with her hours, so we went to the Layout; she's afraid of the Soup Kitchen after some idiot thoroughly descoobied on Mountain Fresh beer or just plain Schlitz nearly attacked the preacher. So yesterday I had an opportunity to re-make/re-model the Hog, even though most of my new ideas occurred after I got off the computer. I waited for Trish's call from work in the morning -- I mean, her driving caused me so much fear & loathing in October I quit work on Arn -- & then another time when she left, but called her at work 'cause she was running quite late. After watching Heavy Metal we ate the last of the sketti -- more than 3 days in the fridge is too much -- Trish took her shower, & then Jeffer Auss came over partway thru Mean Girls. After that finished he decided to watch The Girl from UNCLE, which was incredibly bad, so I used the net to look up Mood Plus, which is Church-a-tological.

This morning I woke up at 6:00, not having taken a Benadryl, but it looks like I'm going to have to rouse Trish.

the end of QA (new)

So Trish had to work yesterday, something that disappointed her as the waitresses don't separate the spatulas from the silverware on Saturdays. She'd rather work the buffet, which is what she's doing today. While she was gone I re-made/re-modeled QA with a new "character growth" ending, so it's Absolute Magnitude, here I come (following the inevitable rejection by F&SF: it probably won't "grab [them]"). Today I'll touch it up & print it & possibly work on the Hog some more -- I have a new idea for "The Death-Lizard": the Wizard King. I want to do some more work on "Relayer" before sending it on to Critters, but I've lost the inertia that I had on the project.

While Trish took her shower yesterday I called Ed & wound up taking advantage of Xanax (Church-a-to-logical addictive antidepressant) cuz the Mindstorms became a tsunami, then fell asleep while Trish watched Buffy. I hope Ken gets us Battlestar Galactica soon, so we'll have something new to watch.

revenge of the random enumerations

A lot has happened since my last post. Trish had the minor surgery on her arm & back that the doctor thought was skin cancer -- but he said that it's most likely benign. Part of her teddy bear -- his Philip K. Fantasy -- got lopped off, but it simply looks like the bear's holding his legs closer together.

Wednesday we went down to Griffles to see Doc Larocque. Dr. Locoweed had a problem with this, so I guess (but I just don't know) that we won't be seeing her again. We ate at the China Buffet & did some shopping at Sam's club. Trish also picked up some men's slacks (the phallic androgyne!) to wear to work. When we arrived home Trish wanted to go to bed early, so if it weren't for a 3rd temazapam I'd have been up at 4:20.

Thursday the Layout was closed -- upstairs & downstairs -- for staff training in Griffles. I took advantage of Trish not being home to do some more on the Hog. I'm shooting for 32 pages of art as the Hog races into pulse-pounding action & adventure.

Yesterday Trish had the day off. Since it was a Friday we ate at the Perky Pam Layout, where Cheri cooked us breakfast for lunch & not cathedrals. Trish saw Trish-uh! that day & bought 20 buckadingdongs worth of groceries at the Union of Gay-Mart & Straight-Mart (Bi-Mart) & some diet Mr. Fruity. We ate a couple crazy tacos, then watched the Buffster kick ass. Fred came over around 9:00 to look at the new surge suppressor -- tiny prongs had kept me from plugging in my keyboard's extension cord. My next goal on the machine is to play Crystal Ship.

Today I'm working on Harlie's Death-Lizard story & possibly preparing QA to go to F&SF. I've been thinking about the ending, & I think they shouldn't be arrested by Woody, Philip K. Fantasy or otherwise.

It is raining now. It's been a cool, rainy month so far.

no drunken bums allowed... or fear & loathing in the soup kitchen

Saturday Trish & I ate stale pizza at the soup kitchen, only to have the sermon interrupted by a man thoroughly descoobied on Mountain Fresh beer.. or was it Shake-'em-up? (Thunderbird wine & grapefruit juice.) This scared Trish, so we had to walk on the old Blue Tipi's side of the road on the return trip from Albertson's, where we bought some Vault; Trish really likes her energy drinks. When we arrived at our house Trish wanted the dance music (in dance surround) going in order to clean -- which she does a real atomic job of, paranoid of ants & everything -- while I went down in the basement to enjoy the coolth. She threw up -- diverse speculations here, the pizza, the Vault -- so we only had Sketti-o's for supper. First, we watched Sunstorm, which we rented from Albertson's, a so-so movie with Bo Derek in it. (The Diddlies of Havre: Luke & Bo Diddly.)

Sunday Trish worked. Pizza Hut gives her extra hours to make up for the time off she takes. We got some pancakes into her system. Once she left I started work on the Invisible Hog. When I had it about 1/2 finished Kimothy rang the doorbell. She said something about Oreo-gone (for 3 weeks) but I told her that I was busy -- I had to finish my Hog. When she came home she napped for awhile, while I talked to Dan Dolph on the phone. He didn't want to get off, but we had to go to the store, bought over 20 buckadingdongs worth of groceries, which is more than 1/2 of the food stamp card. I cooked us some chicken thighs, which I had to nuke in desperation, then we watced some music videos in the basement coolth. We missed calls from Fred & Ed, so I returned them while Trish showered.