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Friday, December 28, 2001
AbFabRehab
SweetieDarling! My latest wallpaper.
Posted by Mattee @ 03:27 PM EST [Link]

Wednesday, December 26, 2001
Spent a lot of time in the days leading up to Christmas with Mark, hanging out, cooking, and getting ready with last minute gift runs. It's been a long time since I had a family Christmas to prepare for, and I was a little out of practice.
Giftage was fairly low-key and simple... Markie and I exchanged CDs* and a few small items (he gave me a small tool set, I got him mugs from the diner we ate at the night we met and a pair of thermal socks). I bought Mikey this year's Hess Truck,(click for pic)and a Border's Certificate for Sue.
As usual, the food was fab. Ham, sweet and mashed potatoes, corn. We also had what Markie calls "hunky sausage" (spicy!) and his version of sarma, which he'd made over the weekend. Really good stuff!
We spent the day quietly, hanging with the kids, watching movies and TV (including AbFab and SNL marathons on Comedy Central) and we made a couple trips to the house to check on progress and/or show it off :).
*Click [more] for CD info. [more]
Posted by Mattee @ 09:13 PM EST [Link]
Wednesday, December 19, 2001
The Geek Syndrome
Wired has an article on their site about a surge in incidence of Autism and Asperger's Syndrome in Silicon Valley Children. As a technogeek and former Special Educator, the story is an interesting read.
Of additional interest is the Autism Spectrum Quotient, which is "a measure of the extent of autistic traits in adults". I took the test and scored 15... below the average and well below the score that indicates a potential problem. Thank god. ADD is enough, thank you!
How did YOU score?

Posted by Mattee @ 08:19 PM EST [Link]

"No" to Salvation Army Bigotry.

(for background on the issue, click here.)
Yeah, that's right. Queers need not apply.
PFLAG has slips you can print out to put in their kettles instead of money.
(click here to see the slips.. warning... PDF file.)
Alternatively, here are some other images:
queerdollar
homocash
Posted by Mattee @ 01:50 PM EST [Link]

Friday, December 14, 2001
Washday bliss....
The new machines arrived on schedule today. Screw the cost, I'm all WET over my newly quiet, efficient laundry area.
Posted by Mattee @ 01:55 PM EST [Link]

Thursday, December 13, 2001
This summer, two of Mark's best friends got married. They both had gone through nasty divorces, and were looking forward to many years together.
Not to be. Last month, a scant 3 months after their wedding, he was diagnosed with lung cancer which has already metastasized to his spine, his jaw, and his knee.
Although he has started radiation (and Chemotherapy starts tomorrow), the doctors have made it clear that the treatment is an attempt to provide him more time to address his personal matters and be with his family. No one is talking about remission or cure. [more]
Posted by Mattee @ 11:02 PM EST [Link]
Tuesday, December 11, 2001
Goodbye, technology... hello, durable goods. Fug.
Fug.
For Christmas, I *was* going to surprise myself this year with a Handspring Visor, maybe with a W***ows XP upgrade, maybe some more clothes for work. What a difference a day makes.
My clothes dryer can no longer regulate it's temperature. When I went to pull clothes from the dryer the other day, they were so hot I couldn't touch them. After pulling the back and top off the unit to be sure it wasn't a lint buildup issue, I jotted down the model and serial numbers, went upstairs and looked online for parts info. The schematic drawing for the model was dated February, 1974.
Holy Shit. My washer and Dryer are 27 years old. Consensus between my parents, Markie, and myself: let 'em go, buy new.
So, here it is, less than 2 weeks before Christmas, and I've got to invest in appliances. Fug.
Posted by Mattee @ 07:55 PM EST [Link]

Sunday, December 9, 2001
Who does this look like??
Harry, thoroughly investigating a pair of boxer shorts.
He truly IS his Daddy's cat.... :)

Posted by Mattee @ 11:02 AM EST [Link]

Saturday, December 8, 2001
Gray and Rainy Saturday
It's so blah outside right now. I'm not really complaining, because we so desperately need rain right now, but the weather certainly has blunted my productivity today.
Umm, ok. Anything I can grab onto to rationalize away the pathetic state of my house right now is welcomed. If you listen carefully, you can hear the heavy breathing coming from my bedroom. No, it's not from my boyfriend or a hot trick, it's from the pile of dirty laundry in my bedroom... it is forming it's own ecosystem at this point, I swear. I have a bathroom that I'm supposed to be sanding and scraping to prepare to be painted before the end of the month. What am I doing instead? Blogging, IM-ing, reading blogs.
Ok, so the day wasn't a total waste. I did have a wonderful IM chat with Chris of encorswish, then I went to meet my best buddy Joe at the Vietnamese Garden for soup. I also managed to pick up a present for Mikey (Mark's son) as well as pick up a prescription I needed. Tonight, I'll be joining a bunch of friends at the annual Harrisburg Men's Chorus Holiday Concert. After that, I'll be heading over to Mark's to catch SNL with him and the kids.
Eh... (or as Keith would say, "Pfft!") I'll be motivated tomorrow!
Posted by Mattee @ 06:18 PM EST [Link]

Friday, December 7, 2001
we have a logo!
Yeah, I gotta logo thang going on. What do you think?
Posted by Mattee @ 12:48 PM EST [Link]

Monday, December 3, 2001
Click on [more] to see a current picture of Harry and one of Mark at the construction site. [more]
Posted by Mattee @ 12:25 PM EST [Link]
Saturday, December 1, 2001
�I feel alive again, Matt.�
Amazing. This 50 year-old man who�d been to hell and back on so many levels was glowing. Grinning from ear to ear in person and in the photos taken with his new love. Wearing shorts, looking like an excited boy on the beach. Another photo caught him smiling in his sleep as he snuggled against the chest of the man who was holding the camera at arm�s length.
Last week, he and I sat and talked for hours about the changes in his life. How wonderful to see him bursting with life and joy after living with AIDS- defining conditions for 15 years. [more]
Posted by Mattee @ 12:58 AM EST [Link]

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