Not So Happy Feet

I am of the opinion that people with foot problems should not be friends with people who like cute shoes.

Well, not really, because I'd lose some of my very bestest friends. But right now I'm feeling mighty frustrated.

Some time back I blogged about the problems I’ve been having with my feet. With the RWA National Conference looming on the horizon, I’ve started sorting through my wardrobe to see what I want to take. I’ll need business casual clothing for workshops and my editor appointment and a dressy outfit for the awards event.

My big problem is shoes for those business casual clothes. Normally I wear some sort of flat, black shoe designed for comfort. I have terminal cold feet and combined with the meat-locker temperatures in hotel conference rooms, my toes would be a delightful shade of arctic blue if I wore sandals. However, I can’t wear closed shoes because they make my toes feel like someone’s holding a blowtorch to them. Well, I can wear tennis shoes because of the wide toe box but even I have enough fashion sense not to wear them to conference. On the plane to and from, yes. But at the conference, nope.

So I went online and searched for days and days to see if I could come up with some sort of flat, black comfortable shoe with a wide toe box that wasn’t a tennis shoe. I found some shoes with a buckle strap and also some oxfords. The pictures didn’t look too bad, and the company offers free shipping both ways, so I could put them on my credit card and return them if they didn’t work.

The shoes arrived last week. I tried on the buckle strap ones and it was apparent nothing was going to make them fit. Oh, they were wide in the toe box, but I have a narrow heel, and I could not buckle them tight enough to keep them from slipping on my heel. Even an sole insert wouldn’t work.

So it looked like I was going to have to wear the oxfords. They were comfy and didn’t slip on my heel. So, there. Shoe problem for conference solved.

My 4th of July weekend was a little sparse on plans, so I settled on my new sofa and watched about sixteen episodes of Sex and the City that had taped while I was at my mother’s house. I never saw the show in its original run because I didn't have HBO. Sixteen episodes of Carrie Bradshaw and company sporting cute shoes and stylish clothes while they flounce around the Big Apple and date handsome men. And did I mention cute shoes?

Suddenly, those damn oxfords began to resemble something worn by a prison matron. I want cute shoes too!

Why did I have to be the one with foot problems? And when did I get hung up on fashion?

In addition to TV, it’s the fault of my RWA chapter, which is also lovingly referred to as the “Cult of the Shoe.” When you’re surrounded by friends wearing Manolos and Louboutins, the oxfords are pretty much a couture cardinal sin. They’re like visible panty lines, mixing stripes and plaids or wearing a top that’s strapless and a bra that’s not.

And it's not just Carrie and company and my RWA friends. Watching What Not to Wear instills an urge to go to Ross and rifle through the racks of clothing. Get thee away, Stacy and Clinton!


Marilyn Monroe was considered one of the great beauties of her era. I’ve even heard that she wore a size 14. She was curvy and voluptuous, and men worshipped her. A dress size is just a number, isn't it? A number like my age, my shoe size, my bra size and my bank balance. Ugh.


I have curves now too, but I feel like they should have big, yellow warning signs. Intellectually I know all these body issues are just my mind playing tricks with me. They’re nothing a good pair of Spanx wouldn’t help.


Anyway, the prison matron shoes are on their way back to the online store. I’ve decided frozen toes are far better than ugly-a$$ shoes, thank you Carrie Bradshaw very much. I’ve also fantasized about Carrie needing Spanx when she’s my age along with orthopedic inserts for her Jimmy Choos. Ha!

I went to Ross and Shoe Carnival yesterday, hoping to take advantage of my old lady discount to buy a cute pair of dressy sandals for awards night because I've worn the same pair for the last five years and I think it's probably about time to retire them. I looked and looked and finally test drove a pair around the store. Here they are! Sparkly, huh? I'll definitely have to have a pedicure right before I go to Orlando.

Does watching What Not to Wear or Sex and the City or any other show have the same fashionista effect on you? Let’s talk about fashion and shoes. One lucky commenter will get a thong – not the underwear kind, silly, but a book thong you use to mark your place in your favorite romance novel.

In defense of romance

Raise your hand if you've ever heard anyone snicker about trashy romance novels and refer to them as bodice rippers.

Raise your hand if you've heard anyone insinuate a romance is easier to write than another genre.

Raise your hand if you've heard anyone say a romance novel isn't a "real" book.

Hmmmm. I see quite a few hands raised, my own included.

I can assure you the novel I wrote was NOT easy to do, and the Silhouette editor who requested it considered it a real book even though she rejected it.

Trashy? Well, I don't read trash and I read romance novels so...

On my recent excursion to the Smoky Mountains I picked up a free magazine at a coffee shop. It featured "stories, poems and ideas" and included two pieces by poet laureates of North Carolina -- one present and one past. The publisher is also the editor and photographer, and she has an ad in the magazine for her editing services.

In her editorial offering, she writes, "Since the release of our first issue of ~name removed~, the most frequent question we've received has been 'What is literary versus non-literary writing?' or variations on that same question. After many discussions with my fellow scribblers and research, here is my own answer: Literary writing examines and defines human emotions, compulsions, actions, etc., the way a diamond cutter examines a rough stone before he strikes the first cut. Authors of literary works create (as in fiction) or report (as in history) the impacts of place, time period, political and social structures on their characters. All those impacts can happen inside one individual head, as in The Yellow Room by Margaret Atwood or in multiple worlds, as in Dune by Frank Herbert. OK, that last one will get me in trouble because Frank Herbert is firmly classed with science fiction authors, but, folks, his work does meet all the criteria for literary writing, so academia, suck it up and reconsider. Maybe there should be some crossover classifications to cover such pieces, but that is a subject for another time."

I dare say this publisher would scream at the top of her lungs that romance novels are NOT literary writing. But look at her definition. Isn't a romance about human emotions (and sometimes not-so-human as in the case of vampires, werewolves and zombies)? Doesn't a romance novel show compulsions and actions of the characters? The romance novels I've read may create the impact of place (I've wanted to visit Scotland ever since I read "Son of the Morning") and time period (Hello! Historical romance!!) I'm sure some have dealt with political issues, and Regency romances show the impact of social structure on the characters.

Since I'm not the argumentative type, I'm not going to write her and get into a spitting contest over this. I feel certain it would be like slamming my head against a brick wall, and I've had enough of that lately in other arenas.

So why DOES romance get such a bad rap, especially since it sells more paperback books than any other genre? What's so bad about books dealing with love and relationships?

Have you defended a romance novel lately? And what would be YOUR response to Ms. Publisher's editorial?

P.S. Remember a few weeks ago when I said I was running away with a biker gang? I won't be running away with them after all. I learned the hard way that people misrepresent themselves online. When I went to meet up with them, I found this! OMG!!

PM Rant: How do you spell time?

I had another blog written for today about romance as literary fiction. But it'll have to wait til another day.


I'm having foot problems. Again. I apparently have Morton's neuromas in both feet. It only bothers me sometimes -- like when I wear shoes and walk. Warm weather has made things a little better for me because I can wear loose sandals and keep the pressure off those nerves, which keeps my third and fourth toes from feeling like someone set fire to them. Friday I see my orthopedic surgeon to go over my treatment options.

How did this happen? It can be caused by wearing pointy-toed stilettos. Have y'all ever seen me in those? Uh, no. Ask the Playfriends. I'm the queen of sensible shoes. It can also be caused by high impact athletic activities like jogging. Again, no.

This "just happened." Just happened like my medial epicondylitis (AKA tennis elbow), my lactose intolerance, the bone spur in my shoulder, my fibromyalgia and my restless leg syndrome.

Quite frankly, I'm tired of s%#t "just happening." I want to at least have had FUN before the pain and aggravation starts.

But what's really got my feathers ruffled is the all too cavalier attitude of some medical office personnel toward time. MY time. There seems to be an M. Deity attitude amongst some, and my orthopedic clinic displayed that attitude yesterday morning. I won't name names, but their shiny, new building sits like a domed cathedral on a hill.

I had an appointment for nerve testing on April 12, but it was cancelled at the last minute because the machine broke. At least they caught me before I'd left home. The test was rescheduled for yesterday at 9:00 AM. It takes 30 minutes for me to get from my apartment to this office and I allowed extra time for traffic. I signed in and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

At 9:30 I inquired at the desk only to be told the tech hadn't been told I was there, had begun another procedure and didn't have time to do mine.

"Can you come back at noon?"

If looks could kill, several of their staff members would be six feet under. Yes, I could come back at noon, but what about my time? What was I supposed to do until then? I didn't want to drive 30 minutes home and then 30 minutes back.

So I went to a shoe store and looked at even wider and uglier shoes than I already wear (why are wide, ugly, good-for-your-feet shoes so expensive?), used a birthday certificate to get a free grande latte at Starbucks, read the newspaper and then scribbled the bare bones of this blog in a little notebook I carry around for those times when inspiration (or wrath) strikes.

And. I. Fumed.

If I didn't show up for my appointment, they'd charge me for it.

If THEY don't show up, they offer lame apologies and reschedule. Why can't I charge them?

When I returned at noon, I signed in again and said quite loudly, "Would you please make sure the technician knows I'm here for the second time today?"

Within seconds I was greeted by the tech who apologized profusely. Apparently the office staff had screwed up her day too.

I'd consider going to another clinic, but that really isn't an option because this foot specialist is the best. Period.

So I'll continue going there, but maybe now they'll know not to piss off the bilateral Morton's neuroma lady because when they do, I speak loudly in the waiting room and write blogs about you.

So... what's ruffled YOUR feathers lately?



P.S. To answer my own question, $$$$ spells time.

Just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts.

Is it my imagination or has the number of urban legend emails increased lately? I’ve pretty much eliminated the emails touting products to enhance a body part I don’t have and am working on getting the Nigerians to stop telling me they have a million dollars for me if I’ll just send them some money first.

We don’t discuss politics or religion on this blog, and I won’t break the pattern. But suffice to say most of the annoying emails I’ve been receiving involve one or the other or both.

Why do people pass these on? What gives them such credibility that intelligent folks feel the urge to click the “Forward” button and send it further into cyberspace?

I did a little research and learned that these type of emails generally play on general fears such as harm to the family or community. Many times they also challenge religious beliefs or attempt to portray someone or something in an unpatriotic light. The recipient reacts emotionally, and while most folks are too smart to fall for a typical April Fool’s joke, they’ll forward an urban legend because they want to be helpful. I mean, wouldn’t you want to keep your friends’ kids and dogs safe from a deadly Swiffer? * Of course, every once in a while one of these emails is true and heaven forbid we fail to inform everyone we know that boxes of aluminum foil usually have lock tabs on the end to hold the roll in place. **

When the email comes from a friend or family member, most people take it at face value. That extends some degree of credibility when they in turn forward it to more family and friends. And thus the viral quality of the legend begins.

Several tip-offs that the email from Aunt Tilly might be an urban legend are that the originator is usually a friend of a friend, the message tugs at your emotions (fear, empathy, religion, politics, family or country) and you are urged to pass the message on to as many people as possible as quickly as possible.

If the email you received this morning contains any of the clues above, you may want to hop over to my favorite urban legend buster website and check it out. Snopes.com has been around since 1995 and is generally considered to be the best source for the truth. A quick search from their home page will quickly let you know that Madalyn Murray O’Hair not only hasn’t been granted a hearing by the FCC to stop religious programming, but that she’s probably been dead since she disappeared in 1995 though her body wasn't found until 2001. This particular urban legend has been around on the Internet since at least 1996 and as early as 1975 the FCC was receiving letters from concerned citizens. Sadly it seems to resurface every few years thanks to folks who don't check their facts.

You can also find out that the email with the online petition you’re to forward to Washington once it gets 1000 signatures is a waste of time. Petitions must contain real signatures to be valid. Proctor & Gamble’s logo is not satanic, In God We Trust does appear on the new dollar coins and Nike won’t send you a free pair of shoes in exchange for your old ones. California law does not require citizens to obtain a hunting license in order to set mouse traps in their homes, "Puff the Magic Dragon" isn't a song about marijuana and the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, a favorite amongst the Playfriends, does not contain formaldehyde. And last but certainly not least, Microsoft won't send you a check for forwarding an email.

So the next time you receive an email with questionable content and a request to forward it, please check Snopes and act responsibly.

What’s YOUR email pet peeve?

P.S. Even the title of my blog is an urban legend. Jack Webb, who played Sgt. Joe Friday on the popular television series Dragnet never said “Just the facts, ma’am” when questioning female witnesses. What he usually said was “All we want are the facts, ma’am.” You can read the whole story at – where else? – Snopes!

* Swiffer myth debunked

** A nifty tip about aluminum foil

Hellooooo Baaaaaby!

Make no mistake, I think cell phones are a great convenience, and mine gives me a feeling of security when I'm driving long distances alone. But some people take things to the extreme. Like the folks who yak while driving. Or worse yet teens who text and drive. And then there are folks who just won't turn off the cell phone in the theater or doctor's office. It's annoying enough to have the high point of a movie interrupted by someone's cell phone playing "Redneck Woman," but please spare me having to listen to you gripe about your ex-husband while I'm waiting to see the doctor.

Apparently I am not the only person who feels cell phone usage has gotten out of hand. Jacqueline Whitmore, founder and director of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, is also Sprint's etiquette spokeswoman and she's declared July to be National Cell Phone Courtesy Month. She thinks it's time to teach folks some basics.

Jacqueline said her masseusse once took a call during her massage. "This went on for five minutes while she was massaging my one shoulder with her one hand," said Whitmore.

Courtesy month has some rules including keeping calls private, not yelling on your cell and letting some calls just roll to voice mail. Ms. Whitmore says most people do the right thing but plenty don't. With more than two hundred fifty million users in the U.S., that's an awful lot of discourtesy. But maybe National Cell Phone Courtesy Month will catch on and some folks will realize the error of their ways.

Here's her etiquette quiz. We won't ask you to post your score. ;-)


1. When talking on a wireless phone in public, you:
a. Talk loudly. Cell phone connections are not that good.
b. Get caught up in the conversation and do not realize how loud you are talking.
c. Talk in a normal tone. Cell phone technology is so good that a whisper could be heard on the other end.


2. When entering a movie theater, you:
a. Turn your phone off or place it on silent so you will not disrupt others in the audience.
b. Put your phone on vibrate.
c. Keep your phone on its normal ringer, so you do no miss any calls.


3. You are in a meeting and your phone rings, you:
a. Don't worry about it ringing; you have already set your phone on silent.
b. Take the call. It is more important than the meeting you are in.
c. Remove yourself from the meeting to take the call. You have already alerted your colleagues that you are expecting a call.


4. You are out to dinner with friends at a restaurant and your phone rings, you:
a. Apologize and let the call go to voicemail. Then turn off the ringer.
b. Step outside to take the call. You had already told your friends that you are expecting a call.
c. Take the call at the table.


5. You are in the grocery store and your co-worker alerts you on your Walkie-talkie, you:
a. Let her know that you will contact her in 10 minutes when you're in the car.
b. Continue the conversation on speaker phone as you shop.
c. You turn off the speaker-phone to continue the conversation.

Answers: 1) c. 2) a. 3) a. 4) b. 5) c.

Got any cell phone rants of your own? My favorite is when the DH and I were in the book store and a man beside us got a cell phone call. It was his wife calling to find him in the store. Turns out she was on the other side of the aisle. Sheesh.


P.S. Another round of congrats to hometown girl Margaret Hoelzer who qualified for the U.S. Olympic Swimming team again last Saturday night. This time it was in the 200 meter backstroke, and not only did she qualify, she set a new world record! Good going, Margaret! Let's bring home the gold for the USA!






P.P.S. Remember the story I blogged about last week? It's finished!!!!!!!!! Done. Complete. The End. Edited and submitted and it can never nag at my conscience again. Hallelujah! Now let's just hope they buy it.

Rabbits 16, PM 0

It’s spring. After a long, cold winter I’ve been eager to get outdoors and dig in the dirt. I have lots of perennials so that I don’t have to replant every bed every year. But the landscape designer left me a few areas for “annual color.” So each spring I trek to Lowe’s, buy whatever strikes my fancy and play in the dirt for an afternoon.

A few weeks ago I decided the danger of frost was over and made the trek. I purchased nine small pots of purple fan flowers and a sweet basil plant. Six fan flowers went at the end of the driveway and three went in the backyard. I planted the basil where I used to plant tomatoes since I’ve given up the idea of raising tomatoes after two miserably failed attempts. My subdivision used to be a cotton field and despite tilling in peat moss, my tomatoes bore little fruit and what it did bear was tasteless.

The next morning I went out to check on my plants and discovered the fan flowers in the back and the basil plant had been eaten off level with the ground.


Wabbits! Wascally wabbits!

I’ve not had a rabbit problem before because I had a cat. But we had to get rid of our last cat around Thanksgiving and I’ve vowed not to get another one. I have no patience for kitten antics, and I’m afraid if I adopt an adult cat and move it to our house, I’ll end up with the same move-induced behavior problems I had with our old cat.

So what’s a gardener to do?

I hit the internet and researched the issue. I purchased a bottle of eco-friendly animal repellent and sprinkled it around the twelve new verbenas I planted to replace the fan flowers (they were cheaper) and the new basil plant, which has a cut-down milk jug around it for protection. The next morning, the verbenas showed signs of nibbling. I researched some more and purchased a large plastic owl, which I placed right in the middle of the verbenas. The owl is a natural predator and a plastic one is supposed to scare away rodents. The next morning the verbenas were chewed even more. Apparently I have very brave rabbits.

That afternoon I returned the eco-friendly repellent and plastic owl to the store and demanded a refund. I researched some more and pulled out my cauldron to concoct a homemade repellent of onions, garlic and cayenne pepper. I sprayed the verbenas heavily and waited.

Next morning, the verbena plants were level with the ground. The rabbits are not only brave, but they like their food heavily seasoned.

I escalated the conflict and visited the feed store Monday morning to purchase two rabbit traps. I figure we’ll trap them and relocate them waaaay out in the country. I know we have at least three rabbits because I’ve seen a baby. That means we must have a mama and a daddy too.

I baited the traps on Monday with carrots, broccoli and banana, and I set them in areas where I’ve seen the rabbit hanging out. Yesterday morning one trap’s bait had been nibbled upon, but the trap hadn’t sprung. The DH told me he'd seen the rascals frolicking around the trap, "doing what rabbits do." What gall!

Not only did they not spring the trap, they're copulating in public and conspiring to increase their numbers. I added apple slices to each trap and as I write this I’m still waiting for the wascally critters to get hungry for those juicy Granny Smiths and wander into the traps. Late yesterday afternoon I watched one hop close to one of the traps, nibble at the birdseed I'd sprinkled near the entrance, then turn and stare at me as I played voyeur with my binoculars. I sure hope my neighbors didn't think I was watching her give him a haircut on their back porch.

On the up side, one of my birdhouses has five house swallow eggs in it. The other birdhouse has already been home to a brood of baby bluebirds. The killdeer are back and I discovered a nest with four eggs Monday afternoon. My birdfeeders are a social gathering spot for the neighborhood birds. The redheaded woodpecker that nests in the trees at the end of the street visits my feeders daily. The hanging birdbath outside my kitchen window is a favorite with the house finches.

I’m encouraging animal repopulation on the one hand, and contemplating a gun purchase on the other. If the traps don’t work, I don’t know what I’ll do because rabbits breed like well… rabbits. And we could be overrun by cottontails if something isn’t done.

So to date I’ve lost sixteen plants – three fan flowers, twelve verbenas and a sweet basil.




Any suggestions? Trapping tips? Want a bunny?

And that's the way it is...

I grew up in the Walter Cronkite era. Every night we tuned in to watch him tell us what was happening in the world. We trusted him, and for many years he was considered one of the most trusted figures in the United States.

He was our source of information about the Cuban missile crisis, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the war in Vietnam, the Apollo 11 moon landing and Watergate. When he retired, the nightly news changed and will never be the same.

Perhaps his best-known trademark was ending the CBS Evening News with the phrase "And that's the way it is" followed by the day's date.

When Walter Cronkite said that's the way it was, then by golly THAT'S the way it was.

Lately, however, "that's the way it is" has taken on a new meaning. To wit:

1. Last Friday my antivirus program began to act up. I got an error message along with a link to the manufacturer's website where I was instructed to download a fix, run it, run an update and follow any further instructions in the antivirus program. After doing that, the instructions I received told me to uninstall and reinstall the software. So I did just that, using THEIR uninstaller. At that point my ability to connect to the internet disappeared. I called the software people. They told me to go to their website, download another removal tool and run it. Uh... I'd just told them I couldn't get to the internet. They assured me that uninstalling their software could not possibly affect my internet connection. They suggested I call my internet service provider. "But YOUR software caused this. You need to help me." "I can't help you," he said in his heavily accented voice. "Why?" I wanted to know. "Well, that's the way it is."

2. I called my ISP and when they found out I didn't have their router, they said they couldn't help. "Why?" I asked. "Well, that's the way it is."

3. I called the router manufacturer and spent 3 hours upgrading the firmware on my router and creating a new network, which still did not solve my problem. "You need to call the manufacturer of your computer because it's not a router problem." "But why can't I get online?" "Well, that's the way it is."

4. I called the store where I purchased the laptop because it's still under warranty. The Geek Squad youngster came two days later and spent over an hour going through various diagnostics before he found a message indicating a small piece of my antivirus software was still resident on the hard drive and was blocking the internet access. He went to the AV company's website, downloaded the removal tool onto his teensy tiny flash drive, put it onto my laptop, ran it and voila! Internet access. "Why couldn't the AV people have told me to do that?" I asked him. "It would have saved you a trip and I'd not have spent the last 36 hours madder than a wet hornet." He shook his head and said "Well, sadly, that's the way it is. Their people are just stupid." At least he helped me and was sympathetic to my plight.

5. I bought a new floor sweeper last month and already part of it isn't working properly. I called the manufacturer on Monday because it's still in warranty. I expected them to replace it. Nope. They told me to take it to a repair shop where it will be repaired free if it's determined the problem is a mechanical failure. If THEY decide it's not, I get to pay for the repair. I imagine a service bill is probably more than the sweeper cost. "Why can't you just replace the sweeper?" I asked. "Well, that's the way it is."

6. My ATM card expires on February 29 and as of Monday I'd not received a replacement. I called the bank and learned no request had been generated to issue a new card. So the woman I spoke with put in the request and said I'd get it in five to seven working days, which means I may well be without my ATM card for a while. I asked if she could expedite it and she said she could -- for a $25 fee. "Why? It's not MY fault the bank screwed up?" "Well, that's the way it is."

7. A few weeks ago I switched from using my old desktop to using my nine-month-old laptop that runs the Microsoft Vista operating system. I knew I'd have to download new drivers for my printer, but once I did that, I expected the printer to work properly. Nope. I have trouble getting it to do double-sided printing correctly. I've been on the phone to the printer people numerous times and the answer is always "Well, that's the way it is."

WHY is that the way it is? Instead of the phrase being words that left me with a feeling of security, the words now leave me feeling helpless and hopeless. Those words are now simply a big fat excuse for poor workmanship, poor customer service and bad management.

Well, hello, AV software company. I decided to forego the final six weeks of my subscription and I purchased someone else's product as a replacement. The Geek Squad youngster is billing YOU for the service call since YOU gave me such bad advice and wasted his time cause that's the way it is. The DH is just looking for a good reason to switch banks, and if they pull this stunt when his ATM card comes due for replacement, he'll yank the funds from all three checking accounts and take them to a new bank cause that's the way it is. I take Bill Gates' name in vain every day now. Sorry pal, but as far as I was concerned, XP wasn't broken. And why, since Vista has been on the market for nearly eighteen months, have all the compatibility issues not been worked out. And don't tell me "Well, that's the way it is."

I'd like the excuses to stop. I'd like for companies to be accountable for their errors and their customer service departments to really give customer service instead of reading from a prepared script that doesn't allow for any deviation. I'd like to hear the word "And that's the way it is" and feel good again.

How about you? Got any good horror stories you'd like to get off your chest? Let er rip!

P.S. My foot improves every day. I went to the orthopedic surgeon today to have my stitches removes, only there weren't really any to remove. Everything was done internally with dissolving sutures and the outside was closed with steri-strips.

I can get it wet now (yay! cause bathing was a real exercise in creativity). I can wiggle my toe but am not supposed to try and force it to move. I can wear my new Crocs (I got two pairs for the price of one on eBay) if they're comfortable (they are) but if I'm going to be on my foot for a while (like grocery shopping) he suggested I wear the surgical shoe since it provides more support. I have an Ace bandagae on it and still have to keep it elevated as much as possible.

He said today's x-rays looked very good and the bones ares healing well. He also said I'd obviously followed doctor's orders and stayed off it and kept it elevated because there's virtually no swelling. If he gave fancy stickers for following orders, I'd have gotten one. Or maybe two. I still have to take it as easy as possible. It's difficult to put life on hold totally for six weeks. I'm to amble along at a slow pace and see him in a month. And if things continue as they have thus far, I'll start physical therapy then.

Get 'em while you can

Up until about noon yesterday, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to blog about. I'd even searched online for silly little blog questionnaires. That's how desperate I was.

Then I opened the newspaper and there it was. My blog topic. I just hope the Playfriends don't un-invite me from the group and that I don't totally offend any of our readers, though I kinda doubt it'll bother the romance-loving crowd.

This was yesterday's headline:

State Set to Enforce Ban on Sex Toys

I'll give you some quick background. In 1998 state legislators passed a new anti-obscenity law designed to quash the proliferation of nude dancing clubs. The phrasing of this new law also bans sex toys. A local woman who owns a shop called "Pleasures" has fought this law since it was passed and got an injunction to keep it from being enforced while she challenged it. She's not only fought it locally, she's been on national television.

Now the Supreme Court has refused to hear her appeal and within days all sex toys could disappear from stores across the state. You'll be forced to buy online unless you meet the exemption for devices for "bona fide medical, scientific, educational, legislative, judicial or law enforcement purposes." Uhm... legislative and judicial purposes? Law enforcement? Are they going to vibrate you into compliance with the law? And just who decides when a vibrator is a bona fide medical necessity?

The shop owner plans to file a new challenge because public obscenity laws should not affect anything meant for private use. Even the local district attorney has said he's not going to send out officers to drum up business because it's a pretty low priority. "We've got real crimes," he said. You think???

For the record, possession of such a device isn't illegal. It's just the sale of them that violates the law and could result in up to a year in jail and up to a $10K fine.

The law prohibits the distribution or production of "any device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs." If they ban the sale of sex toys, what's next? Romance novels?

Think about it.

P.S. If I'm mostly AWOL for the next two days, it's because I'll be out of town keeping the grandbaby while her day care is closed for Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Our family isn't Jewish but this is one of the best day care centers in town, and I think it's marvelous for her and the rest of the family to have such a wonderful exposure to another religion and culture. Wish me mazel tov!