I have always taken rides in my car to think. Always. My friends and I used to love just taking a ride down ocean parkway by the beaches to either just to talk or smoke or what have you.. but we always listen to our favorite songs and sing for the entire ride. I loved going for rides in my car when I was sick because 1. I never got out and this was a way to get out without dealing with peoples reactions to my baldness etc. 2. I could scream and sing to songs as loud as I wanted =) So I created a little game of the 'shuffle songs' option on an ipod. It will select songs from your entire music collection at random. So we started asking the ipod questions... and the songs would be our answer... this is todays ride questions and answers (songs) playlist!
1. Joanna's future relationship: 'No Time For Tears'
I haven't really gone out alot this year. You know the story.
I have had so much on my plate I just needed to get out. It was my friend Michelle's 24th birthday so the timing was perfect. I put together a little night out to see Long Island's billy joel cover band 'Big Shot' at Mulcaheys on saturday. They always put on such a great show. So the pregaming started at my apartment at 7-730p and we ended up heading over to the bar around 9-930p.. and the band was already on =( The website had said 9p was their set- but they had gone on at 7 so we were catching the end. A couple of drinks and screaming 'Captain Jack' and the night was only starting.
Well, as I have already been talking about- in a past blog- with everything I have gone through Rob & I (my boyfriend of almost 4 years) haven't been doing so great. I feel like his goddamn roomie- instead of his goddamn girlfriend! Still. This weekend just confirmed my thoughts- and now I have even more crap riling around inside. I would talk about it more with you- but I'll just end up getting myself into trouble. So instead.. I'll just share some new music with you. Safetysuit 'Someone Like You' -Listen and enjoy!
=) Megan
I've talked alot about my experiences with certain organizations, social services, my dogs- but I haven't even started to talk about my relationship with my boyfriend through cancer.
O M GI have two dogs. A beautiful golden retriever, Duke, who I have had since I was 10 years old, and a toy poodle, Charlie, that I bought with my boyfriend, Rob. He was an impulse buy. Ok ok actually before we get to the flea catastrophe- I'll let you know a quick story. Rob & I had only been together for about 5-6 months when we decided to spend a beautiful autumn day 'out east' on long island to go pumpkin picking. That day was the best. After taking hours and hours and tons of stands to find the best pumpkins, apple pies and candy apples- we decided to stop for lunch in Port Jefferson, NY. For those of you who aren't from long island- Its a cute little-old 'port' town. We had a great lunch and decided to walk the lines of shops they had. (bad idea) We entered this little puppy store just to look at the puppies. (just to look, eh?) My mom used to take my sister and I here to look at the dogs everytime we came to Port Jeff. Well Rob and I had found this little ity bity curly apricot fluff that fit into our hands and we fell in love. I got emotional bc I knew that there was NO WAY we could get him... He was over priced- and we both had only known each other for a couple of months.. where would he stay? Well, Rob got him for me- and I got kicked out of my house until my grammy petitioned for Charlie to stay. Ever since then- He's been my little baby.
Ok so back to FLEAS... yuck! We have had Charlie for about 3 years and I have never had a dog to get fleas. It has been disgusting. Grotesk. Disturbing. I have been just plain sceved out. I woke up around 8 am yesterday morning and Charlie was itching like crazy. Almost a little twitch. He was rubbing himself everywhere and I knew something was up. I checked him and at first didn't see anything. Then seeing him in obvious agony- I checked him again. I then started to see little black dots everywhere. All throughout his little curly coat. As I started to look deeper- I saw these little black brownish bugs crawling around his skin- and little bite marks on his tummy.
'My poor baby' is what I should have first thought- but unfortunately- that is not how I reacted. I quickly put charlie in the bathtub- and pulled the glass door closed so he was stuck in the tub. He started to cry- and then I started to cry. I did not know how to handle fleas.. I had never had a dog get them before. So as he was in the tub (I gave him a cookie for being a good sport and a towel to lay on so he wasn't cold) I started googling what-to-dos. I phoned my boyfriend to come home from his little morning gym routine and help me because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. 
Rob went out and bought flea shampoo, sprays and treatments for the dog. As soon as he came home with it- I started washing Charlie. I washed him about 6 times before I felt they were gone. I then kept him in the bathroom while I proceeded to check the apartment. I found a towel in my laundry that was full of them. The towel I had found outside the night before and brought inside to take to the laundrymat. So I had brought the fleas into the house and made my little Charlie vulnerable. I shoved all the laundry outside- and hosed it down before putting it into a plastic bag- and taking it to the cleaners to wash in very very hot water and bleach. 
When I got home I proceeded to spray down the entire apt. with this 'zodiac' spray- and then gave the dog the topical treatment. Great news was- I have been watching my 13 year old golden retriever for my mom and I knew I had to wash him too. I scrubbed him down about 2 times which took another 2 hours. (he's a big boy with bad hips) It was horrible. We had to leave the apt when I sprayed- so it wouldnt be toxic to us- so I took them for a ride down the beach- and finally had my first bite to eat for the entire day. Yum.
The really FUCKED UP part.. is that when we called the 24 hour vet here- They wouldn't tell us anything over the phone except 'Bring him in!' If you have pets too- you will know a vets visit is at least 100 bucks if its an emergency room visit- and hey- Times are rough. So we tried to get them to just let us know if the symptoms were normal. But- NADA. They just kept repeating- 'You need to bring him in!'
FUCK YOU VET NAZI!
The proceeded to give us the number for animal posion control. And guess what? They wanted 60 dollars on a credit card before they would even come to the phone- It is absolutely ridiculous. So.. more googling. Im not doctor- but I figured that if he was just tired- it was probably a reaction to the medications so I washed him a couple times in reg oatmeal puppy shampoo- and force fed him some water. About a half of an hour later- He was acting more like himself. SO WARNING::::: BIO SPOT ON CAUSES BAD REACTIONS IN SMALL BREEDS!!!! READ ONLINE THREADS ABOUT PRODUCT- THERE IS ALOT MORE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK THEN POSTIVE SO GET FRONTLINE!!!
Also here are just some tips I learned a bit too late - on how you can handle fleas cheaper.. and healthier for you and your dog.
I haven't written in awhile. I found myself in a funky place a few weeks back. Just the stress of bills piling up, doctors, medicaid.. even friends and family starting to tick timers on my return to the workforce. Which I have been anticipating, but anxious about as well. I just started to well, freak out. I would have figured being cancer free for about two months now, I would have started to feel better- But I just started to have mini panic attacks, insomnia, and my energy level sucks ass. Im always tired- or wear out easily.
My mother knew I needed a vacation. I didn't really leave my apartment from Nov 2007 and most of 2008. I couldn't really 'get color' or tan during the summer for obvious chemo reasons- So I was super excited when she told me about her little trip planned for both of us for PUERTO RICO. When we went I couldn't believe I was on vacation. My mom and I have rarely been on a real vacation. 
We've usually gone to Virginia Beach, North Carolina beaches.. Really places that were cheap and easy for a single mom of two. And for that same reason neither of us had a passport!! I am so glad we didn't though. Because where we stayed was AMAZING. The Intercontinental Resort of San Juan. Ugh- It was unbelievable. 
When we first arrived we upgraded our room to oceanview and waited for it to be ready outside in the poolbar. We had gotten such a great deal from priceline for airfare and hotel at 480 a person!!! for 5 days!!! I know... I know.. FABULOUS!!! 
and had pina coladas all day on the boat. We took a all day tour out of the hotel with 'Eco-Island' and they took us to La Culebra Island. We went snorkeling for about an hour and a half but mom and I were in the water for 45 minutes flat. There were jellyfish everywhere and this bod doesn't have energy like it used to. But after the snorkeling we went around the island to Flamenco Beach. It was out of a dream. If I were to imagine a heaven, this beach would be it. The water was teal, the beach was white. It was a partly cloudy day- and the clouds were bright white and shaped like swirls of whipped cream. A perfec
t day. We ended up floating in the water for about an hour before being provided more coladas and a picnic lunch. Ah. That day was great. My mom spent the night lathering in aloe as I complained about not getting enough color thanks to my SPF 80!!! I didn't burn- But my skin felt like it was burnt. I assumed it was sensitive from the radiation therapy I finished about a month and a half ago. I probably shouldnt have been out at all- But I don't know where my mind would be if I didnt go on this trip. Sometimes- You really just need breather. And boy did I.
We spent most of our vacation on the beach, at the hotel's pool, hottub, eating puerto rican dishes in old san juan & we reserved one dress up night for the infamous Ruth's Chris Steakhouse- which was delissshhh. We also visited the Bacardi Rum Distillery- which was fun- But I would skip it. Its a free tour but we had to take a bus from the hotel to Old San Juan. Which was an experience in itself. We learned NOT to take the A5 which was a 45 minute ride through really crummy parts of San Juan. After making that mistake once we learned to 
wait for the C53 which was 20 minutes and a brand new air conditioned bus- downside: crazy woman driver with very long nails who talks on her cellphone while chucking the bus almost sideways on turns. A ride, to say the least. After the bus we had to walk to the pier- take a ferry across the bay- then a taxi from the pier to the factory. A total back and forth of 24 dollars - which isnt much- But next time Im opting to stay at the hotel pool bar and get a couple drinks there. =)
Well its that time of year again. Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
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