Step one...we can have lots of fun

It is like a dream come true... NKOTB has reunited. It's old news now, but really, will it ever lose its excitement. I doubt it.

I just finished watching Chronicle during which they spent half an hour digging deeper into this reunion... it almost brought a tear to my eye. Such talent. The lyrics touch me on so many levels. Who knew a song could be written about a "popsicle". Funky, Funky Christmas is another favorite. Beautiful melody.

I never got to go to a New Kids concert, I felt as if I was the only person on the planet not allowed to go. I can vividly remember turning the volume all the way up on my purple clock radio and closing my eyes...telling myself that if I tried hard enough, I would feel like I was really at the concert. I was such a tool. A few years ago I found a letter I had written and "sent" to the New Kids. Apparently my mother didn't actually mail the letter out... and at the time I just thought they didn't want to take me up on my offer to come over for dinner. I don't remember what else I wrote, other than the dinner invitation, but I do remember it being ridiculously funny and covered in stickers (the scotty dog that you could "dress up" stands out... I put bow ties on them). I must find a way to their reunion concert... it's destiny. I won't be denied again. I wish I still had my pins...the ones that were so large they had stands on the back. I would line them up on my desk and Mrs. Steiss would tell me to put them in my desk. I remember trying to run with them on at recess, they were always in the way. "Please don't go girl" reminds me of Toby, my first dog. Toby was going through his puppy chewing stage and my father was yelling and threatening to get rid of the dog. I remember sitting on the basement stairs with Toby, listening to that song, crying hysterically. Yes, Toby was a boy, but "Please Don't Go Girl" seemed appropriate.

Speaking of dogs. Poor Simey, he can't catch a break... nor can my wallet. seriously. We were back in the vet today. Almost $300 later we left... yea... we spent over $250 a month or so ago... and then $500 a month ago as well... should I continue with the thousands in surgeries. I don't think I will or I might drain this bottle of wine that I have been nursing... being broke is really impeding my drinking capabilities. Anyway. Simon is sporting a yeast infection in both ears and some sort of intestinal problem... his "sample" is being sent out for tests, I'm sure whatever it is can be cured for a couple hundred dollars. The poor little guy though. (Oh, they are dancing to "Dancing on the Ceiling" on dancing with the stars, another great tune from my childhood...Lionel Ritchie was the first tape I ever bought... at Caldors. Is that how it is spelled> Maybe the Jets was first, not must have been Lionel...What a great song).

Sorry, got distracted by the 80's jam... So. Little Simey shook like a leaf the entire time he was at the vet. He was muzzled and I had to leave the room, as usual. It breaks my heart. Afterward we waited for awhile at the front desk while they racked up our charges (only to add it to my total bill that I am still paying off!) and I stared to really panic about the money we have had to put into him in the past few months. While I was sitting with these thoughts in my head, a woman came up to the counter. She had been waiting on the bench with her son and their cat. She was speaking softly, but I was able to hear... she was confirming another appointment that she had for tomorrow for her other cat, Lucy, that was being put to sleep. She said that the last time she was there, they had really urged her to put Lucy down that day, but she couldn't do it, but tomorrow was time. She was speaking quietly so her son couldn't hear her. I had to get myself to a "happy place" before I had a complete breakdown. I looked at Simon with his stub tail pinned to his body in fear and his trembling legs and realized, there was no other option than spending the money. Still, lurking in the back of my head was, "but for how long can this continue"... Its something I try not to think about, or won't let myself think about. How can I. To most people, he is just a dog. But to me, he is more than that (understatement of the year). Few people, even those closest to me know just how much he represents. Its like our own secret bond... Look up "codependent" in the dictionary and you will see this:

or this:

(Yes, that was his tongue licking me in the first one. haha.)

On the up side... 2 days until I leave for the annual girls weekend trip to Stone Harbor, N.J. I can't wait to sit on the beach and read... good friends, good drinks, lots of laughs. Just what the doctor ordered.

Oh boy. I just saw a commercial for a new show, "Wipeout". It looks like Americanized (is that a word) version of Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. If you've never seen MEEC, trust me... you HAVE to find it. It is worth the hassle of trying to find it...