I may be losing my mind, but at least I have the comfort of knowing I'll have food and entertainment: I was just getting some pizza out of the fridge for a quick bite before I take off, and I discovered my cable box remote on the kitchen counter. I have no memory of bringing it in there, and I have no idea why I did. As I said, at least I'll have food and entertainment when I go.

I just riffed off some stuff that the FB, the ex- wrote in an email to me about relationships and dating, and I think it actually turned out fairly well. It includes a few details relevant to the dating history he and I had, but isn't particularly revealing or personal, so I'm leaving them in. It was also written government email account to government email account, so there's a lack of my usual tongue-in-cheek sauciness. ;) So, in a few rambling paragraphs, here is the nutshell version of my thoughts on relationships and dating:

I'm not sure it matters how people in general define relationships; it's how you and the person you're seeing define what you have going on. There are so many different grey areas in dating, which I know you hate, but it's a fact of life. What matters is the understanding that you two have, and where the boundaries for each of you are drawn; if that involves other people, so be it. If it doesn't, well, that has to be spelled out and acknowledged at some point. However, as I said to you when we were dating, though I understood where you were coming from with not wanting to kiss me if you knew I might be kissing someone else, it's also extremely unrealistic to have that sort of expectation so early on in a dating relationship. Unless it's otherwise stated, or until the lines are drawn, if I'm just dating someone, I assume they're seeing other people and I feel at liberty to do the same. It doesn't have to be talked about, and in fact can make for uncomfortable conversation if it does come up, but unless the physical or emotional progression dictates boundary-drawing time, it's all free.

As for whether one person can fill all the expectations... it's a priority system of sorts. You said before what your priorities/requirements were, though I don't entirely remember them all, barring the caucasian point and possibly wanting children, and if those are important to you, then they stay on the list. But you negotiate with yourself as you date and meet new people; once upon a time, I might've preferred to date someone who made more money than me (back in the days when I made under the poverty line) or whatever; now I don't care, provided he's working someone stable, sustainable and enjoys what he's doing, and it's above minimum wage. But that also factors into me liking guys who are intelligent and have at least a partial drive; few of those are still working McJobs at my age.

Ultimately, if you're not satisfied with the person you're dating, that's going to reflect in your interactions with them, and will cause problems. If someone is lacking in something that's important to you, then you have to either address it or move on. If you're able to compromise or can recognize that the fact that they're blonde instead of brunette (for example) really isn't that big of a deal, then... *shrug* You stand a chance.

Well, I'm sure you've noticed I haven't exactly been updating a lot lately. I can't really explain why... there's been a lot of things I've wanted to write about, but somehow when I have the time I don't have the inclination -- or I seem to get ... not paralyzed, but I'm just not as apt as I usually am to sit down and write.

There've been a number of things I've been slacking at, not limited to cleaning, schoolwork, dealing with the little errands that have to be dealt with (note to self: buy toilet paper), but I don't have a really good excuse for it.

I haven't even been running a lot lately, partly because a few weeks ago I tripped and fell leaving my apartment, and managed to injure my foot and bruise my tailbone. Oh yes, I am the picture of grace and gentility. The saddest part? It hurts my bum when I sneeze. Not that I'm pathetic or anything.

Digger seems to be returning to himself; I haven't heard anything in awhile one way or another from the folks. The vet did put him on some anti-inflammatories again, after the antibiotics and first round of anti-inflammatories ended, but he seemed back to himself even before that. Poor tortured man...

I saw Carl's request for the 8 things about me bit, and part of my difficulty in posting the last while has been trying to come up with 8 things to say that you guys don't already know. I did realize I could use parts of another post I was going to make, so I think I can fulfill the request:

1. Whenever I pass roadkill, I have to try to identify what animal it is/was. I don't know why.
2. I find men's wristwatches -- the big, heavy ones with the silver wristbands -- to be really sexy to see on a man's wrist. Granted, it helps if the guy has nice wrists to start (and no, I couldn't identify what constitutes a 'nice wrist' -- though it helps if the guy isn't paler than me).
3. I find ankle bracelets really sexy, and I love wearing them, but feel that there isn't much point with my tattoo.
4. I don't care much about diamonds, and don't do flashy jewelry.
5. I have a 4ft tall teddy bear named Paws that my aunt (my dad's sister) made me for my first Christmas. I slept on him until I was about 15-16, and still do sometimes when I'm having a really bad night or simply can't sleep.
6. As a corollary to that one, I also used to believe that if I was crying about something (loss of a pet, loss of a boyfriend, hurt by a friend, etc.), everything would be okay if all of my tears landed on Paws.
7. I consider one of my more embarrassing moments to be the time I was drunk and peed in a park.
8. Regardless of how readily I remember someone or some fact about them, I'm always surprised when someone remembers me or details about me.

I'll challenge those of you who are still checking this site to reply in kind. :)

I've also noticed an annoying trend as I drive around town -- very few people seem inclined to use their turn signals when they're doing maneuvers. This makes me very annoyed, and friends/ex-boyfriends can attest to the fact that I've nagged people about this in the past. I've also been mocked for signalling turns in parking lots at 2 in the morning, but I don't care -- I figure if you start slacking about when you signal your turns 'when it doesn't matter', then you're likely to slack on signalling turns when it does.

I have some thoughts on friendships and difficult friends that I want to share at some point, but I have to get off my lazy butt and go out for exercise. I've set a goal that's theoretically realistic, but since I am a lazy lazy mess, it becomes less so.

I also need to go shopping for a dress in the next while... anyone interested in accompanying me? :) The boy would probably be willing, but I've told him I'm interested in surprising him.

Yes, there is a boy -- another reason for my lack of computer time the last while. Been dating for some time, it's going well... he's a good guy. We have a similar sense of humour, we have a decent number of interests in common, and we complement one another, I think. He's much more quiet than I am; I know, I know, big surprise. I hear that a lot. :P Anyhow, in some ways I'm more energetic than he is, and in other ways, he's much more energetic than I -- he's athletic and has been for most of his life. But he also acts on things, which I like. We discuss potential ideas for plans, like ballroom dancing lessons, and then they happen. I like this about him, and it presents a big difference from some past relationships I've had. That's not to say that we don't have our lazy, sluggish days, but we have active ones, too.

I had coffee with FB, the ex-boyfriend a little while ago. It went fairly well; I left feeling decent about the event, instead of the frustrated feeling I'd had going in. He'd made a comment in an email exchange about how he'd like to be able to hang out with me without having to lie to people -- it turns out that he's started seeing someone new, and didn't want to or couldn't tell her about me; he said that he'd had issues with me hanging out with some of my exes, or having them in my life, especially since he's the type to cut bait once a relationship is over. The AB factored into one particular 'memorable' occasion that helped feed into why I ended things. I made fun of him a bit for that, and told him not to assume everyone's like him.

Personally, I think it's a bit better to be honest with your SO about things like that -- otherwise, it makes it look worse than it is. I remember the Smooshy used to have lunch periodically with his ex-gf, and I always knew when he'd done it, because he'd tell me he'd been out for lunch, but wouldn't say who with until I pressed him. I was never upset about it, but I did tell him several times that his hiding it made it seem as though there was something to be upset about. That and the fact that he had a pair of her underwear (that she'd left behind and he'd washed for her, but kept 'forgetting' to return to her -- yet somehow this underwear was at my place and stayed there the entire time he was 'living with me' (in quotes because of the lack of financial support he provided)) made me have some suspicions, but I figured he was too much of a Smoosh to cheat on me, so I was never actually that concerned.

Ah well... this has rambled on even more than when I originally posted it, and I do want to get out for a bit, so I'll leave off here. Rest assured, there will be more than enough details about the boy in future posts. ;)

I promise, there will be a real update later today. In the meantime, enjoy the lyric post.

I don't really have a reason why this song amuses me so, but it might just be because of the call-and-answer aspect (no pun intended), which I often like in music.

The Telephone Hour, from Bye Bye Birdie:

Hi, Nancy!
-Hi, Helen!
What's the story, morning glory?
What's tale, nightingale?
-Tell me quick about Hugo and Kim!
-Hi, Margie!
-Hi, Alice!
What's the story, morning glory?
-What's the word, humming bird?
-Have you heard about Hugo and Kim?
Did they really get pinned?
Did she kiss him and cry?
Did he pin the pin on?
Or was he too shy?
Well, I heard they got pinned
-Yeah! Yeah!
I was hopin' they would!
- Oho!
Now they're livin' at last,
Goin' steady for good!
-Hello, Mister Henkel, this is Harvey Johnson,
Can I speak to Penelope Ann?
-Is it true about Kim?
-Penelope!
-I just knew it somehow
-About the ball...
-I must call her right up!
-Saturday
-I can't talk to you now!
Goin' steady,
You know it
Goin' steady,
Man, it's crazy, man!
Goin' steady,
You know it,
-It won't last!
-Not at all!
-He's too thin!
-She's too tall!
-Hello, Missus Miller, this is Harvey Johnson,
Can I speak to Debra Sue?

-Hi, you Hugo!
Hi, you stupid!
Why do wanna go get pinned up?
-Well, I heard they got pinned
-I was hopin' they would
-Lost your moral
-Now they're livin' at last
-Are you nutty
-Goin' steady ...
-Hello, Mrs Garfein, is Charity home from school yet?
-Did they really get pinned? Goin' steady?
-We was hopin' they would
-Now they're livin' at last
-Goin' steady for good!
If you gotta go, that's the way to go,
When they got you hooked,
Then you're really cooked,
Whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do?
Well, I heard they got pinned!
I was thinking they would!
Now they're livin' at last
They are steady for good
Goin' steady, goin' steady,
Goin' steady,
Steady for good
Goin' steady, goin' steady,
Goin' steady,
Steady for good
He's in love with Kim,
Kim's in love with him!
Goin' steady, goin' steady,
Goin' steady!
Well, well, oh oh oh
Well, well, oh oh oh
That's the way it should be!
They'll be happy, I know!
Going Steady for me.
That's the way it should go!
Goin' steady, goin' steady,
Goin' steady,
Steady for good
Goin' steady,
Goin' steady,
Oh yeah!!!

And as a bonus, "My interpretation," by Mika. No, this is not a message to anyone, I just think it sums up some post-breakup times rather nicely:

You talk about life, you talk about death,
And everything in between,
Like it's nothing, and the words are easy.
You talk about me, and you talk about you,
And everything I do,
Like it's something, that needs repeating.
I don't need an alibi or for you to realize,
The things we left unsaid,
Are only taking space up in our head.
Make it my fault, win the game
Point the finger, place the blame
It does me up and down,
It doesn't matter now.

[chorus:]
'Cause I don't care if I ever talk to you again.
This is not about emotion,
I don't need a reason not to care what you say,
Or what happened in the end.
This is my interpretation,
And it don't, don't make sense.

The first two weeks turn into ten,
I hold my breath and wonder when it'll happen,
Does it really matter?
If half of what you said is true,
And half of what I didn't do could be different,
Would it make it better?
If we forget the things we know.
Would we have somewhere to go?
The only way is down, I can see that now.

[chorus]

It's really not such a sacrifice

[chorus]

And it don't have to make no sense to you at all,
'Cause this is my interpretation, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I have a new temporary roommate. I'm nervous about it, because I've never lived with anyone else before and I know how fussy I can get about some things (and completely uncaring about others), but we'll see how it goes. It's only for 2, maybe 3 months at worst, so it really shouldn't be that awful.

I'm a mean mom and tossed out a bunch of cardboard boxes that Venus liked to hide behind. She still hides in the same location, but it doesn't seem to be nearly as effective.

I saw Pirates 3 on Saturday. Didn't stay through the credits, but I found a clip of the scene at the end, and I found discussion on what it means. Be warned, the movie is long -- including the five million commercials and trailers we saw, it ends up running 3 hours. It's also somewhat confusing, and feels like it's lacking some of the character that really helped set the tone for the first movie, and somewhat for the second, too.

I saw Shrek 3 last weekend, disappointing as well. I liked some of the musical touches -- Danse Macabre, "One" from A Chorus Line, the original Snow White song, "My Favourite Things," but overall... eh.

I watched Epic Movie with R and N. Not a good movie, which was about what I expected. Possibly slightly better than Date Movie, but not by too much.

I also watched Team America: World Police last night for the first time. Yes, I had never seen it before. I didn’t find the puking scene nearly as funny as M did, but that’s me. Otherwise, not too bad.

Shawn and I had lunch yesterday and spent some time hanging out and talking. Nothing too earth-shattering, though we did spend time talking about religion, of all things. Discussions about religion in which I’m a participant are always amusing, ‘cause I’m so ignorant about religion it’s almost funny – and I’ll be attending a Catholic wedding later this summer (my first Catholic one, I think). I’ve been to four funerals, three of which were Catholic (including one that was French Catholic), but the weddings have been all over the map.

I spent Saturday night at my parents’ place and kept an eye on Digger. He seems to be slowly improving, and I’m trying not to hover too much or read too much into anything. I think I expected him to improve faster, and I do worry about every little thing that happens, but I’m trying to keep myself in check. If I’m like this about my cats, I fear for any future children I may have… I’m going to be useless if they do anything that strikes me as unusual. Either that, or I’ll be so blasé trying to keep myself in check, they’ll be eating lead-paint sandwiches with rat poison dressing and I won’t say boo.

I have friends making fun of me for the biological clock ticking now and again. Shut it! is what I say, ‘cause it’s only ticked once or twice, and it’s not as though the damn alarm is going off or anything. Shut up.

I can’t believe I’m going to be 27 soon. I keep asking M what it’s like to be old (he’ll be turning 29 next month), and he tells me that I’ll know soon enough, ‘cause 27 is apparently when you become old. He’s so sweet. I feel as though I should be all serious and adult... instead I make sound effects when I’m doing physical things (aside from working out), I tell my cats where I’m going in case they somehow understand me, and I’ll do things like paint one set of toenails and leave the others unpainted – and keep them that way because they bug people. I’ve fixed that since, but still, it was fun for quite awhile. I think I’ll think that’ll kick in if I ever marry or have kids, but I don’t know. How’s that for a convoluted sentence?

Okay, enough rambling, especially since I’m not saying anything particularly fascinating at the moment. I have a piece I’ve been working on for awhile about sexiness and another about friendship, but that’ll be a few days yet. Short summary of the above?

Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and think, “I don’t recognize that face. That’s not my face”? I’ve been dealing with that for the past while, and I don’t have a clue if it’s because I feel I was a redhead for so long and I’m not yet used to the blonde/purple combination I have going on, or if I’m not entirely happy with the hair, or if I’m simply dealing with the beginning stages of dementia. Any of the above is a distinct possibility.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a real – or much of any – update. So what to say? Digger had to go back into the vet for a recurrence of his stone/crystal problem, but this time he’s in for a few days of flushing and observation, and they’re sending him home with antibiotics – which they should’ve probably done the first time. Mom and I both felt that he was never 100% after his last visit, and we’re really hoping that this does the trick. He’s a young man still, only 12, and he’s my Digger-bubby, which means nothing, but is the nickname I’ve assigned him. All of my cats wind up with weird nicknames, because I am a demented cat lady who talks to cats… which you already knew, or suspected.

I had a bit of a debate/discussion with the most recent ex- about love and pets; his assertion was that I didn’t love my cats. Rather than get offended or up in arms about it, I simply told him, “If you don’t think I love my cats, go see one of them get run over by a car and see how I react.” Sorry, but I refuse to believe that it’s only possible to love people or family members or whatever – and I think he was saying that he didn’t love his friends, only care for them or something. I forget now, and for that I blame the cold I’m currently suffering through.

Oh yeah, fun day yesterday; felt fine in the morning, came back in from lunch and felt a bit of a sore throat. *sigh* I feel okay right now, but I didn’t sleep very well last night at all.

For the most part, my running has been doing well. I’ve seen for myself (and not just my running partner’s claim) that I’m faster than when we first started, and my stamina is improving. It’s still not fabulous, but I’m getting there – and I’ve even gone out a few times on my own and pushed myself. That’s what comes of having a running buddy, I find; when I go out on my own, I feel as though I can’t slack off, ‘cause I wouldn’t with a partner, so why should I when it’s just me? It’s possible I’m even starting to enjoy it, I’m not sure.

I’ve also got my bike back up and running, and I’m going to look into getting a new seat for it; my big ol’ butt’s used to the seat on my motorcycle (and lemme tell you, it’s nerve-wracking as hell going from 2 wheels = 500 lbs to 2 wheels = 5 lbs… you feel like you’re going to die!), and I’d like to get something more comfortable than the narrow gel seat I have now. I’m also hoping to get out to the skating rink on occasion when it starts doing free skates again, and I may even have company for that.

I suffer mightily from foot-in-mouth disease, and I often speak without thinking first. It’s part of my impulsive nature, I suppose – rarely are my comments meant to hurt. Over the past while, there’s a friend of mine who’s been inflicted with a rather serious case of this disease, it seems, and it’s frustrating me. I enjoy this friend’s company, and I want to keep doing that, but when this friend keeps making comments that either directly or indirectly attack my schooling, my friends, my dating history, or so on, it’s a bit challenging. It’s also seemed as though most times that I’ve seen this friend, this friend has dominated the conversation or social event, and that can get tiring when I’m not in the best headspace for it. For now, I just vent about it to another friend, but depending on how it goes, it might become time to say something. I’d certainly hope someone would if it were me.

I also had my first-ever entirely-my-fault near-accident the other day. I was behind a van from New Jersey, and we were approaching a light that was yellow; I thought we could go through, Jersey plates had a different idea. I threw on the brakes and clutch and stopped less than three feet from his back right bumper; it’s possible I could’ve moved into the other lane if I’d really needed to avoid him, but there may have been another car there (don’t remember). The best part? The adrenaline surge hit me after I’d finished my braking and such, and so as I waited for the lights to change again, I sat there with my hands almost shaking, realizing how close I’d come to an accident. It’s easy to get grouchy with other drivers when they try to cut me off or won’t let me merge or whatever (which happens), but this would’ve been entirely my fault. Live and learn, and wear your protective gear my friends!

The Pompous Ass is doing his motorcycle course this weekend, so I imagine he’s just bouncing in excitement. I remember going to bed the night after doing the first day (it’s all day Saturday and Sunday for the on-bike portion), still being able to feel the bike vibrating under me, and my muscles were still trying to shift and clutch and so on. Very strange sensation.

I honestly thought I had more exciting insights to offer, but I’m going to blame my cold-affected state. Let’s just say that overall, life is doing pretty well right now, and as long as I stop mentally assuming the worst about Digger, then it remains that way.

But I’ll conclude with an amusing anecdote about my mom, just ‘cause she makes me laugh sometimes. I was telling her about a boy I quite liked, and she asked me two questions: One, does he treat you well, because I’ve dated a few boys who didn’t treat me very well, in her opinion, and two, how tall is he?

Ah, my mom. Best wishes to her and her side of the family (as well as my dad), who are heading off tomorrow to bury my grandfather and otherwise have an outing of sorts.

I'm happy.

Updated The Whore's Boudoir.

Ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit...

A few weeks ago, I was reasonably certain my biological clock gave off a tick. No big deal, it does this about once every 18 months or so, and I figure it's all part of the normal process of getting old (which I'm doing daily).

However, I think my clock may have ticked again today -- possibly even twice.

I'm so not ready for this...

Even scarier is the whole "do you want kids?" question that gets asked in relationships now, or even the mental evaluation of "is this guy going to be a good father?" that goes on.

And I thought it was bad when I started looking for wedding rings when I was checking guys out.

Ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit...

I may be mistaken and/or reading too much into things (you know, being too hopeful), but it's possible that all of this exercising is having a beneficial effect.

I also have my bike out now, and I rode it back and forth to my training yesterday, and went home at lunch. So now my butt hurts, but I'll live. The tires need fixing up though, which I'll be getting Stefan's help for.

Time for a shower; day two of training in Project Management for Results (or Success?) begins soon. At least my internet is working again on my cell -- entertaining joking with the tech guy when he can't understand that I'm joking half the time, and the other half he's making awkward jokes.

I really hope I was mistaken about the potatohead in the course maybe sort of not really flirting with me. I'm so not interested...

Also, everyone come out and join us for laserquest on Saturday. Details are available on request.

I went to WalMart today to pick up a few things, since Canadian Tire had already closed and I needed a bike pump. Occasionally, I wear a virgo necklace that my mom gave me for Christmas or my birthday; neither of us are particularly astrologically-inclined, but for some reason she's always gotten me (and not my sister, to my knowledge), virgo-themed things.

Anyhow, the necklace that I wear has this symbol on it:



And many people have asked me what it was, because they don't seem to recognize it as virgo. But today was the first time I had someone ask me if I was Arab because of it; the clerk at WalMart told me that upside down, it means "God" in her language.

I told her I was just glad to hear that it wasn't something offensive. :)

More street graffiti.

This was the mileage readout on one of my first trips out this season. I also got to see the display read 5600.0, but didn't have easy access to take a picture of it (using a cell while waiting at a red light is only useful if you're really quick).

Okay, I heard this song on the radio the other day, and it's been pretty much stuck in my head every since. It's a very poppy, stupid, upbeat song that I encourage you all to listen to and then judge me for liking.

However, read the lyrics first and get surprised by how dirty it is, just as I did:

MIKA Love Today Lyrics
I've been crying for so long,
Fighting tears just to carry on,
But now, but now, it's gone away.

Hey girl why can't you carry on, (carry on)
Is it cuz you're just like your mother,
A little tight, like to tease for fun, (tease for fun)
Well you ain't gonna tease no other,
Gonna make you a lover!

Everybody's gonna love today,
love today, love today.
Everybody's gonna love today,
Anyway you want to, anyway you've got to,
Love love me, love love me, love love.
Girl in the blue with the big bust on
Big bust on, big bust on.
Wait till your mamma and your papa's gone,
Papa's gone!
Mamma, mamma papa, shock shock me,
Shock shock me, shock shock.

Everybody's gonna love today,
Gonna love today, gonna love today
I said,
Everybody's gonna love today, gonna love today,
Anyway you want to, anyway you've got to,
Love love me, love love me, love love.

Carolina sits on '95,
Give her a dollar and she'll make you smile.

Hook her, book her, nook her, walk away!

Girl dresses like a kid for fun, (kid for fun)
Licks her lips like they're something on them (something on them)
Tries to tell you life has just begun, (just begun)
Now you know she's getting something other
Than the love from her mother

Everybody's gonna love today,
Love today, love today
Everybody's gonna love today,
Anyway you want to, anyway you've got to,
Love love me, love love me, love love.

Girl in the blue with the big bust on,
Big bust on, big bust on.
Wait till your mamma and your papa's gone,
Papa's gone
mamma, mamma papa, shock shock me,
Shock shock me, shock shock me

Everybody's gonna love today,
Gonna love today, gonna love today

[Everybody's gonna love today,
Gonna love today,
Anyway you want to, anyway you've got to,
Love love me, love love me, love love.
Doom da da di da di Doom da da di da di Doom da da di da di Doom da da di da di...
Doom da da di da di Doom da da di da di Doom da da di da di Doom da da di da di...]

The animals, they are out to get me.

There's an intact tom who's been hanging around my neighbourhood the last few weeks, begging for some ladies to come out that he can seduce. Thena's told him a few dirty words, but that doesn't seem to have discouraged him too much at this point. On Sunday, when I was about to leave the house, he was right at my front door and trying to get in. Then, when I went to the garage to get my bike, he followed me there, nuzzling me, and followed me into the garage before he wandered off and explored a little. I didn't want him to get stuck down there or get hurt, so I called him over and convinced him to leave. Maybe he realized there weren't any ladies to seduce in the garage.

On my way to my friend's place, I kept getting stuck behind Sunday driver slowpokes, so I decided to head to the next street I needed a few blocks sooner, which is a route that takes me by my work. As I was slowing down to make the right turn onto the street that goes directly in front of my building, I noticed there was a dead mallard drake right on the curb -- it looked as though someone hit him while he was crossing the street, or getting ready to cross. I've seen a mallard mated pair across the street in the big field, and we're quiet near some locks that are a popular attraction, so it's quite possible he's the one I've seen on previous occasions. He's even acted as the greeter at the building across the street. He was still there this morning, and I found it very upsetting.

At times in my life, I've had to take antibiotics for various conditions; we all have, it happens.

Many antibiotics have warnings on them about what you should or shouldn't do when you're on them, or advice about how you should or shouldn't take them. Things like, take with a glass of water, or with a full meal -- advice like that makes sense. Some antibiotics require more water to be absorbed, or might be hard on the stomach if taken on an empty one.

The antibiotics I had to take more recently had three warnings on them: one, take with lots of water. Two, avoid dairy and iron supplements for an hour before and an hour afterwards -- again, understandable because it's possible that the drugs bind with calcium or iron and aren't absorbed by the body as they should be.

My most favourite of the warnings, however, is one that I've encountered several times with drugs, and that's avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Now, while it's most likely due to something simple like increased likelihood of sunburn or something equivalent if you're exposed to too much sun while on the drugs, I choose to believe that I will be subject to a new and yet unheard-of side effect. The one I've chosen is invisibility; essentially, if I'm exposed to too much sun, I will become invisible.

I think this is a valid notion, and I look forward to my new superpower -- provided I don't negate it through doing something like eating yogurt a half-hour after taking the drugs, and thereby ruining any chance I had of being invisible.

So, if you don't see me -- you'll know why.

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often) please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me.

It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you.