My Ghost Story

I was working as a Controller of a motion picture film lab in Seattle (Alpha Cine) in 1990.  It was located at 10th & Denny, across from the Seattle Times building and Thirteen Coins.  It was a three story old brick building with the chemical processing in the basement, offices on the main floor, and post production and theatre on the top floor. 

About a month in, I needed to get some work done prior to Monday.  I went in on Sunday afternoon and I knew I was the only person there because I had to disarm the  alarm.  I made sure the door was locked and planted myself in my office.  I knew that smoking had been allowed at some time in the office because there was a still a faint odor after it was shut up for the weekend. 

I was going through files and starting to work when I smelled cigarette smoke, stronger than what was normal on a Monday morning.  I looked around and checked the offices on either side, but I didn't see anyone or anything.  A few minutes later I thought heard a faint laugh, really deep and hoarse.  I listened for awhile, but didn't hear more, until there was a faint tap, tap, tap down the hallway outside my office.  It sounded like someone in high heels walking down the hall, so I opened my door quickly to see who was there, and.....nothing.  I wasn't frightened, just annoyed, really.

We had a large magnetized security door into the processing area because a lot of chemicals and the original films were stored there.  You could only operate the door if it was physically shut off with the code, which was strictly regulated during the day and always locked down at night.

I just about jumped out of my skin when I heard that enormous metal door slam.  I knew it had been closed because I saw it when I set the alarm.  I was sure then that someone was in the building but I wasn't sure what to do.  I sat there for a while listening and decided to go look.  It was scary and I wasn't sure what I'd do, but I looked down the hall and it was still closed.  I was freaked out so I grabbed my stuff, set the alarm and locked the door.  I waited for awhile in my car to see if someone set the alarm off from the inside or came out, but nothing happened.

The next morning, I checked the alarm register and saw where I had come in and left, but nothing else was registered. 

A few weeks later, a guy in the processing lab was talking about the woman who had died the past year after taking her first vacation in over twenty years.  He said that she had worked there almost 30 years in the processing lab and had finally decided to go to Mexico.  She contracted a disease there and died within a few months.  She had worked in the processing lab and was really crusty, always smoking and telling dirty jokes.  He said she was very well respected and showed me some awards and articles about her.  He said that she was about four feet tall and always wore heels.

I always wondered about that day...

Captive Swooning

I thought it was almost gone, just a touch of wooze, but no; wham, there it is.  Woke up to the ever punctual DogGus Alarm, the general panic of a totally dependent beast to whom imminent starvation precludes all civility.  In my haste and half asleepness, I bent over and fumbled for my slippers and created the all too familiar spins, this time in great force.  Whining and face licking are not cures, nor is the great Paw of Command forcibly thrust upon my knee.  I made it downstairs in spite of the Nascar race for breakfast (which I lost, as usual).

Crisis averted yet again, predictable daily, but always daunting if you are a dog.  It's this thing about selective memory for him.  I can easily tell him I'll be gone for five minutes and if three hours pass, he just yawns upon return.  If food is not immediately in the dish within 20 seconds of entering the kitchen, a great pointy muzzle is thrust against my butt.

In any case, one of us is happy and seems resigned to yet another day of strangers in the yard and on the roof.  It can be exhausting to defend one's property from certain death, so napping is in order.  I am not too thrilled at the prospect of being completely housebound today while great hammering and sawing is performed.  I just hope my drugs kick in soon and I won't care.

That is my report.

It Will Make You Cry

My lip and teeth hurt.  It is because I am laughing so much at my new favorite link.
http://damnyouautocorrect.com/

DogGus thinks I'm the Dorkus today.

Enjoying the Fall

Unfortunately, the vertigo train didn't stop at the station so I could disembark this weekend.  Woke up Friday AM all whirly, so I took an anti-puke pill and slept all the way over to Mazama.  The Colonel and I had a perfect weekend, though.  The first one in twelve years that we didn't have guests or plans. 

We slept in and went to Sun Mountain to walk around the Beaver Pond with Gus.  It was a perfect fall day and full colors were out, so the spinning of the leaves were just that more delightful.  We had lunch at Sun Mtn Lodge, where we rarely go, so it was nice to relax and watch the rain clouds drifting in.  We invited ourselves to dinner at some friends' home, so that worked out well for me...Heard the usual stupid-hunter stories that abound this time of year, but thank god for fast acting Dept. of Game folks.

Sunday was breakfast at We Sell Polenta and then a walkabout with Gus to Hancock Creek down the way.  It's completely deer-fenced off and looks great.

Vertigo is somewhat abated, although I'm still fuzzy.  Naturally, the Colonel is leaving tomorrow for his annual hunting trip to South Dakota, but I will try to stay out of the ER.  As he says, "If it flies, it dies".......

Aptly Named Doctor

I saw my least favorite doctor yesterday, Dr. Richard Hoistad, Otolaryngologist.  It's not his fault because he has to make an accurate diagnosis, but when one is forced to throw up due to his work, the bottom of the list is yours.  Dr. Dick told me that my BPPV (vertigo) is back and that I need drugs and PT, again.  I told him that I knew it was back, but it didn't seem so bad, so maybe it was just a sinus infection???  Ever hopeful, I am.  He doesn't even try to mask his look of pity and/or disgust, so hopefully, my throwing up in a bag in front of him increased that disgust.

Well, Dr. Dick, I am about 90% better today, no thanks to you, so you can just tell someone else, "Hey, it's not like cancer, you will get better".  Lovely bedside manner, that one.

Driving Drunk, Again

I'm pretty good at it.  I'm ever so careful, no music, no coffee, no distractions and exactly 2 miles below the speed limit.  Of course, this is to go .8 miles to the store and back in the 25 mph school zone, but still, I'm out of the house.

I have an appointment to go see my Vet today to determine if I have an ear or sinus infection which is causing the vertigo and I will drive carefully, again.  The mammogram lady already yelled at me for driving and I am still stinging from that and I'm sure she crushed my boob extra hard for emphasis.

Gus went to the Vet this morning with the Mister, but it was all good;  he had acupuncture again.  He is now sleeping peacefully and seems quite content. 

My daughter-in-law brought these pictures on Saturday that she had taken when he was so little. 

He fit in my lap for about three days!!

And his head is now bigger than the Colonels'.

Just a Random Collection

Well, I Was Wrong

I'll woman up, I'm not afraid. It wasn't a $300 bill this time, it was $279.62. It would have been even less, but we absolutely needed animal antibiotic cream for $34 that just coincidentally contains the exact same ingredients as Walgreenatracin for $2.99.

In any case, he is now taking 9 meds per day and I must take a stool sample in to rule out Ebola. Like father, like son.

So in the additional suckage report, the god awful vertigo is back. Woke up at 5:21 AM on Thursday to the big whirlies. No idea why, but since I needed to have a mammogram at 9 AM, I threw up, took some anti-puke pills and treated myself to that wonderful squashing that only we girls truly appreciate.

Kudos to the Colonel for picking up Mom to take her to the bank and dentist. They also enjoyed a delightful lunch at the "Noodle Place" (Pho-Thai) while Gus and I napped. Good times.

More Poop

Well, it's just a good thing I am an Amateur Scatologist.  I was walking DogGus Dorkus and I tried not to notice the nasty poop he took and then I really had to notice the bloody mess coming out.  Not gushing, mind you, but a long, pencil thick line that to shows off his snowy white butt hairs in stark contrast.

He's been taking several different meds for his deer crash and I don't think they agree with him.  I also found chunks of bone that he threw up a couple days ago, so that could be tearing his lower dog butt parts.  He seems okay, hungry, but he's off to the vet in an hour to be sure.  This isn't his woowoo vet that does acupuncture (she's not available), so we're off to his regular scratch-my-head-he-probably-has-a-yeast-infection-that-will-be-$300 vet.  He really does prefer woowoo, but only because she allows two cats and three small dogs to roam the waiting room freely and he likes them all.

I need to get my DVM from Google now to round out the rest of my medical training.

Docudumpery

Is it weird that when Denny, Gus and I go on a walk, we all have to yell out, "Poop!" when we see some?  Well, Gus doesn't, but he does share a mild interest.  I counted 7 piles of coyote poop today, including one fresh with lots of grass.  The most interesting one had a ton of plum pits in it.

I know.  I could totally work for CSI.

Useless and Useful

Silly....

Practical....

If you're showing, sheep at the fair, they need to be Woolite fresh.  Wonder if these are sheepskinned lined?

Well, yes, yes, I believe they are!!

It Was a Sticky Situation, All Right.

Funny thing, this drug that helps my face cope. Some of the side effects are sleepiness, blurred vision, seizures, vomiting, etc. You know, the usual.

I went to my hair stylist yesterday and she asked if I had noticed a loss of hair. Well, yes, actually, yes, I did. Every time I washed it, a big nest would appear in the shower drain catchy thing. Also, brushing seemed to cause more shedding lately. Guess what another side effect of the neuralgia meds brings?

Yeah, well, it's not only the scalp hair involved, which reminded me of an interesting adventure I had a few years ago whilst still employed.  I recall that it was a particularily busy day with meetings lined up nearly back to back.  I know I had a few minutes to snarf a sandwich and then run to the restroom to check my teeth prior to the next meeting with a potential client.  Because I didn't have time to brush my teeth, I popped in a piece of gum, checked my teeth and sat down to pee.  Chewing gum is verboten in my book and I intended to toss it but in my rush, figured I'd spit it out between my legs to save time.  Right.  You can guess what happened.  Stuck fast in the nether region, it was.  I didn't have time to do anything about it, so I wadded up some tissue to put over the wad so it wouldn't stick to my underwear.

Don't remember the meeting, but I do remember the lumpish stickiness of my issue in the tissue the entire time.  I remember wondering if I could sneak out for some Goo-Gone or if regular oil would work.  Then thinking that I don't want to smell like Goo-Gone or have oil all over my crotch, so I guess I'd snip the gum (and tissue) out.

I snuck some scissors in the stall and set to work.  A few days later, The Colonel asked what happened.  I coyly told him that I thought I'd prepare a landing strip for him.  He told me that it was more of a helicopter pad, kinda like the ones in the jungles of Vietnam.  Still, the romance continues....

So, Here We Go

I rode Mariah today and had an absolute blast.  Got on, walked, trotted and cantered.  She is just a big ole thing, like riding a couch, and we had fun.

So I'm back in the saddle, officially.

I also looked at this picture for the first time today.  Amazing.