Southeast Leather Fest....

Hot, sexy, fun, hard work, laughter, tears, draining, recharging, empowering, learning, getting pinned, getting laid, new friends, reconnecting with old friends, a cigar-ash-covered-delicious boy.....Yup, another amazing time at SELF.

It's hard to even begin writing my adventures down. What an amazing weekend. i *so* needed to recharge my "leather batteries" and this was exactly what i needed. An amazing judging panel that i was lucky enough to be a part of. i'll write more once i have a chance to process it all.

Back at the home front, the dogs were absolutely wild while we were away. One side effect of the meds the queen is on is that she has to pee a lot. When i say a lot, i mean..... holy mother of pee! So, there was a lot of accidents that the sitter had to clean up. i think some of the flooring is going to have to be replaced in the living room, but i would like to wait and see if we can get her settled down in to a non-pee-fountain before i go pulling up pergo and putting down new. So, not only was there a lot of cleaning to do but they even busted down the baby gate and had the run of the house. grrrrrr! (i don't trust dogs in the kitchen unattended since the late great Mr Basil turned on the stove once when we weren't at home and nearly burned the house down. Ugh!) But nothing bad happened this time.

i managed to carry on the 80-90% paelo/primal eating while away and felt WAY better at an event than i have in years. Good on me! It was a bit of work lugging all my supplies on the plane but totally worth it. :-)
More later... 

A BEAR!!!!! Plus Pride....

What a lovely Leather/Pride weekend. HOT! Saturday i got to spend some time with Jake, and Alex (and Alex's lovely friends...) and the Daddies...and everyone! Fun! Foreplay rocked as usual. We even had a Bootblack Jim sighting! :-)
Sunday, we marched in the Asbury Park Pride Parade. i got to carry the Girl Pride Flag. Again it was hot, but i had such a great time. i have to say that i feel the best that i have in a long time. Between all the hard work in the gym, the stretching, the change to my diet (90% paleo/primal) and all the suppliments i'm taking - my joints didn't ache and my hips didn't hurt after standing on concrete all day Saturday nor marching on asphalt on Sunday. Usually after a Pride weekend i'm crippled for a few days. :-) i am a happy gal, let me tell ya!

After spending the weekend with assorted Leather folk and quite a few Bears...Monday's ride home was a shocker. Why are there so many helicopters flying over my job? Why is traffic backed up? What's going on? Hmmmmm... a BEAR!!!!! In the trees!!!!!!! Here he is all drugged up and ready to be moved back to the woods. Poor guy!

LiLu is doing great. Her incision is finally healed up. Chemo starts on the 19th.

Lilu update

Her Royal Highness, Queen LiLu, is feeling MUCH better. After taking the stitches out, her leg was pretty much back to a normal size within 24 hours. (well, that plus ice and massage helps too)
She's back to sassin' Taybor all the time. She's back to begging for as much food as possible. She's figured out when the pill bottles rattle that it's time for peanut butter or cheese (with a pill inside it!)

Interesting factiod: When we got her, her tail was straight. As she got acclimated to the house, it got a bit of a curl to it. After she had her knee surgery, it was straight again. Until she was healed up and healthy. Then it got super curly, like a donut. Since the last surgery her tails been sort of flat and droopy. This morning we achieved full on curly again! So, now we know the Barometer Of Canine Good Health & General Good Feeling is working just fine.

Chemo starts on June 19th. 

For my local peeps:

This one is near and dear to me. i love my library. You should love your library too. If you live in NJ, please get involved in this. It's important. Our collective brains are at stake!

NJ Libraries Eliminated From State Budget

Gov. Christie's budget calls for a 74% decrease in funding for
statewide library services. This cut includes the elimination of all
statewide library programs and services. This will affect all types of
libraries in New Jersey. Once state funding is eliminated, NJ will lose
$4.5 million in federal funding. What does this mean to NJ residents?
Once state and federal funding are lost the impact will be felt by all
residents:

Access to electronic databases such as RefUSA and EBSCO will cease Statewide interlibrary loan and delivery of library materials will cease Libraries will lose 50% of state aid at a time when demand for services is increasing dramatically More than half of public libraries will lose access to the Internet Many libraries will lose email service Many libraries will lose their websites or access to them The Talking Book and Braille Center (known as the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped) will close Group contracts which bring down the cost of other electronic resources purchased by libraries will cease At the same time the state is eliminating funding for library programs. Assemblyman John DiMaio has introduced A2555 which eliminates the minimum local funding requirement for municipal public libraries. This assault on libraries must be stopped! Here is what you need to know: 160,242 people enter a NJ library every day The $10 million in library programs cut from the Governor's budget represent little more than $1 per capita in state funds. Library programs have been flat funded for 20 years so it is hard to believe these small programs have caused the state's current fiscal crisis. Local library funding targeted in A2555 typically represents less than 3% of local property taxes. What can you do? Become a Library Champion. Join the Facebook group Save NJ Libraries and check for updates on our efforts. Call or send a message to the Governor (609) 292-6000, your State Senator and Assembly representatives opposing the elimination of funding for library programs and A2555. http://capwiz.com/ala/nj/home/ Why Become a Library Champion? Library Champions are people who love their libraries and want to be in the know about issues that may affect them.  Being a Library Champion means:  Giving us your email address so that we can contact you when needed.  Taking appropriate action such as phone calls, emails to legislators or simply talking to your neighbors about the value of library services. When you become a Library Champion we promise that we will only use your email address to contact you on issues affecting library service.  We will never share, or sell, your contact information.  Please join us in preserving library service in New Jersey.  Click on the red icon to the left to become a Library Champion. New Jersey Libraries - Busier Than Ever According to the latest data your public library is a very busy place. 51,169,912 annual visits to public library 63,935,203 items checked out- up 4 million from last year 8,020,846 questions asked 3,677,575 programs attended 169,958 NJ children read 3,467,161 books during summer reading last year. 68% of the American Public have a library card 83% of New Jersey residents say funding public libraries is a good investment  (source: 2007 Potomac Public Opinion Survey) 71% of New Jersey residents believe a public library is an essential service for the community- not a cultural amenity. (source: 2007 Potomac Public Opinion survey) Tell Us Your Story Libraries transform lives everyday.  Click here to see how! Do you have a story about how libraries (or the people that work there) have helped you?  Please tell us!  Did You Know That In Just One Day 160,242 people walked through our doors 126,626 books, movies and more were borrowed 24,153 people used computers 15,053 questions were answered 1,015 people got employment help 1,121 programs were offered 892 people learned computer skills

Lessons in Lymphedema.....

After a fantastic 3 day weekend, we had a bit of a scare with Queen LiLu.
First the good: 3 days off! Bliss! We cooked every meal except one outside on the grill. Even our pre-workout breakfast toast! We pretty much lived on the patio all weekend. Our dinners were great - spatchcocked chicken, dry rubbed and grilled to perfection, country pork ribs, also dry rubbed and finished with magic sauce (recipe to follow soon.), steaks-grilled with just salt & pepper to perfection. Plus some hot dogs and a few burgers here and there. (Though Taybor almost ruined Monday's dinner by stealing 3/4 of a pound of raw burgers!!!! i ended up finishing up the leftover chicken instead of having a burger. my dog is a thief!)
We made time to explore 2 really old local cemeteries, dating back to the early 1700's. Very cool. While there we saw assorted wildlife: chipmunks, a box turtle what was probably as old as some of the tombstones and a whole mess of wild turkeys! They're huge!
Sunday was spent at the gym. i pushed my own personal best and did 2 sets of 778 on the leg press. (also, realized that i am approaching, albeit slowly, a 100 lb bench press. No kidding. i've been kind of whining and scuffing my toe that "i only press 35 lbs." Master helpfully pointed out that the bar, with no weight on it is 45 lbs! Hah!) The rest of the day was spent lolling around and eating. :-)
Monday we checked local beach. Yup, who knew our town has a tiny beach on the Raritan Bay. Is it nice? Well, not exactly. i mean it's cool cause it's local but it's kind of funky. But still a nice day bird watching and enjoying the sunshine with my Master.
Monday night.... Hmmm, what's wrong with LiLu's leg? It looks... puffy. We iced it and gave her some pain meds but it was a rough night for us all. i thought the worst - Infection. i hustled her off to the vet this morning (and on the way the wound drained all over the back seat of my car!) and they took us right in. It turns out that the girl has Lymphedema from having the Lymph node taken out. That upsets the whole natural flow of lymph around the body and can cause it to pool and swell. Not good, but not infection, yet. So, preventative antibiotics, restricted activity, massage and ice are her prescription. Dr. F also experimentally took out one stitch that seemed to be really giving her grief and wow, the relief in LiLu's whole body was amazing. She just relaxed in my arms with a huge sigh. The swelling was making the stitches put pressure on her leg like a tourniquet! So, we popped out all of the stitches, which were due to come out in a few days anyway. i left her resting comfortable at home and got my butt in to work.
And that was how i spent my 3 day weekend!