Crippie Reviews Les Mis!

Happy Holidays Y'all!

I hope everyone has been having an awesome Christmas week. I spent Christmas Day in the manner that any Jew would... at the movies. I saw Les Miserables with my family. Figured I might as well give a review for you guys.

First off... I've seen the show on Broadway, and my family is mainly comprised of theatre nerds. Now on to the review!

Holy crap this movie was long. 2 hours and 40 minutes to be exact... but it was a long ass show too, so it kinda comes with the territory. That being said I LOVED the movie. It stayed pretty damn true to show, which I approve of. I think the story transitioned to the screen relatively well... it was a little confusing at times... but then again so was the show. Most of the acting was incredible. Hugh Jackman was a convincing Jean Valjean, even though he couldn't hit all of the notes in "Bring Him Home" it was still passable. Amanda Seyfried and Samantha Barks played the parts Cosette and Eponine well... even though there really was never a whole lot to their characters. Oh well, Eponine didn't screw up "On My Own" so that's all that really matters. Eddie Redmayne was rather adorable as Marius, and he freaking nailed "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" (one of my favorite songs from the show). Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter played the Thenardier's in a delightful fashion. When I saw the show I thought those characters were really stupid and very forced comic relief. "Master of the House" was a surprisingly entertaining number in the movie, one I didn't particularly care for in the show. Of course Anne Hathaway was fan-freaking-tastic as Fantine. She added so much depth and realism to the part, it's amazing. When I saw the show I wasn't all that impressed with Fantine's character. I was like "ok, she's a prostitute... and now she's sad". Her performance was definitely a highlight. Also, the kids who played young Cosette and Gavroche were surprisingly good. Child actors can be hit and miss, but these guys sang and acted very well. Also, all of the student revolutionaries were adorable and I want to cuddle them all.

As far as acting goes, as awesome as everyone else was... RUSSELL CROWE SUCKED SO FREAKING MUCH! His voice was just not suited for Javert. Not at all. Most of his songs were terrible. Also, it appears that he cannot act and sing at the same time. Which is a problem. On the bright side, he didn't completely mess up "Confrontation" (my favorite song from the show). Hey Russell, take a cue from and NPH and put a little feeling into the role.

One of the great things about the movie versa the show is that in the movie the actors were allowed to make the songs more "realistic" and less "pretty". Definitely brought more emotion into the story as a whole (EXCEPT FOR RUSSELL CROWE DAMN IT). The thing was visually stunning also. Lots of interesting shots and camera angles. Not to mention the pretty typography whenever they had a time change.

Overall, if you enjoy musical theatre and Les Mis in general... GO SEE IT! TOTALLY WORTH IT! If thought the movie was about the French Revolution and some whores, well... then you might wanna skip it. My dad saw it was us and he HATED IT... SO MUCH. He had no idea what was going on, or what the point of it was. He may forgive us eventually for making him go ;)

In the meantime I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week. I'll be spending tomorrow in a car, going on a road trip to see some family and a few cripples! I should be able to post while I'm away.

Crippie's Tippie - If you don't like musicals... don't see Les Mis... YOU WILL HATE IT

Apocalypse Now... Or Later... Or Whatever

We did it everyone! We survived the end of world!!! TAKE THAT MAYANS!

Also, holy crap I suck at posting regularly 0.0... woooooooooooooooow. I swear that I'll be back to posting regularly in 2013. And I'll definitely be able to keep this promise because now we all know that 2013 will happen.


I don't know about you guys, but I had a blast today. I just love the absurdity of days like today, and they get even better when you throw in the possibility of raining fire. So what did I do to celebrate the end of days? Apart from working, I celebrated in my own little ways. I tried to rapture-bomb my family, but that backfired in my face as they thought I was just being a slob and leaving clothes out. Oh well. Last night I did some nail art involving people burning in hell... that went over really well. Seriously, people got a kick outta my damnation manicure. I also wore my The Walking Dead shirt to work (again). Hey, I figured if it was going to become a reality I might as well look the part

Yup, that's how Crippie spent her apocalypse. What about you guys? Do anything fun? Tomorrow some of my coworkers and I are gonna have I little "trolololololololol we survived" party. And by that I mean we'll consume lots of cookies while we work on stuff.

Before I leave y'all tonight, I wanna show you guys a song about a different apocalyptic threat from a few years back. Once you've survived one apocalypse you've survived 'em all... ya know? 

Crippie's Tippie - When people are freaking out about the end of the world... just grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy the show

No Pain, No Cane

Yo!

I hope all my Jewish readers had a super fun last night of Hanukkah on Saturday. My last night of Hanukkah was rather enjoyable. I got rest, eat lots of food, hang out with the family, and I actually finished reading the first Walking Dead compendium (8 books right there). First book I've read and finished in a good few years... and I finished it in less than a week. YAY ME!

I figured since tomorrow marks the 3 month anniversary of Fanny's removal I'd give y'all an update of how my health is goin'.

Since having Fanny removed my leg feels sooooooo much better. Not only that, I now find it easier to move that leg in general. I still have a limp and my gait is kinda off but my leg doesn't drag anywhere near as bad as it used to. It's been such a vast improvement that I no longer walk with a cane! Granted, I keep it in my trunk in the event of an emergency, but I've been doing really well without it. I've even gone on some long-ish schleps without it, I get a little more tired but I think it's worth it.

My new scar is kinda a bitch sometimes. There are moments when it just stings like a mofo. I'm trying to put lotion on the area to help the skin stretch. It seems to be helping a little. The scar itself is healing pretty well. It's raised off the skin a millimeters, but it's thin so it doesn't look that bad. The scar is currently a fabulous shade of purple, it'll probably lighten over the next few month... but for now it really is a nifty shade of purple.

*Knocks on wood* While I still have my usual frequent aches and pains no new problems have brought to my attention, which is nice. It's nice to have a "normal-ish" existence for little while.

A few days ago I started taking a new medication for an unrelated hormonal imbalance. Luckily I haven't had too many side effects from that yet. Apparently it makes you sick to your stomach at first. There was one night where I wasn't feeling too hot, but otherwise I've been good. Also, I have not been a hormonal wreck, which is nice for everyone else around me ;)

And even though this isn't exactly news, I've got a funny health story from today. So, I was at work and the heat was out due to some electrical issues. One of my co-workers brought in a little space heater to keep us warm. While I was working a co-worker with whom I share a desk with asked if she could turn the space heater off, as it was getting reaaaaalllllyyyyy hot. My reaction? I didn't even know that the space heater was under my desk, right by my legs. Thanks to nerve damage from several surgeries I have issues sensing temperature below my knees. I literally did not feel anything. Not even a breeze! Yup, I'm special. I usually forget about the whole temperature thing, unless I'm stepping into a pool or hot tub or something. It seems like a pleasant temperature then as soon as my knees touch the water I'm like "HOLY CRAP".

So yeah, that's about it. Do any of your disabilities cause any irregularities that amuse your co-workers? Cause mine are pretty impressed with me legs right now :D

Crippie's Tippie - If you're like me and have problems feeling temperatures, be careful. Just because something doesn't feel hot or cold to you that doesn't mean you get a burn and or frostbite. 

Never Again

Hi Guys

I praying that all of you and your families are safe and sound tonight, and if you are not my heart goes out to you and to all the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting <3

As most of you know, today sucked beyond all reason. 27 people, 20 innocent children aged 10 and under are gone. I was sitting at work and I happened to look at the news around 10-ish or so. The headline read something along the lines of "Shots fired in elementary school, gunman dead, several injured". My first reaction was "grreeeeeaaaattt... yet ANOTHER dumbass tried to kill himself and take several others with him, at least he didn't kill anyone". Over the next hour and a half or so the story changed. First it was two dead, then three, then "students among the wounded", eventually the headline of "reports that 18 students were killed" started popping up. I just sat at my desk with my hand over my mouth. I kept thinking "it's just a report... nothing is confirmed... nothing is confirmed... they have to be wrong". At this point the anxiety started to set in. I was thinking "This person got the idea to shoot up the school because someone just shot up a mall, what if someone decides to barge into my office and shoot people? Which desk should I hide under? Could I even get under a desk in time?" Naturally today there were a bunch of strangers in my office for various reasons, and every time someone would look into our door I'd think "Oh my God he's gonna kill us". The fear and panic died down after a few hours, but the sadness didn't, especially when the news confirmed that 20 children did not survive. At this point all I can do is wonder why did this happen?

I know we all have our theories and opinions about gun control and how more or less of it could have prevented this disaster, but I think the problem lies somewhere else. Why did this happen? The same reason why the recent mall shooting, the Aurora movie theatre shooting, Columbine, Virginia Tech, the Nickel Mines shootings, etc. happened. Because the shooters were out of their damn minds. How many of them were receiving proper mental health care? None. These people were seriously ill. They would requires countless sessions with some really freaking awesome therapists, God only knows how many expensive medications, and more than likely many stays in psychiatric hospitals. That's what they need, but that is rarely what they get. If you don't have insurance this would cost and INSANE amount of money, and if you are lucky and have insurance it will still cost an INSANE amount of money. If you can't afford to be properly treated, you won't be. This situation creates people like today's asshole. As soon as he was identified people said he was "not right" or "mentally ill". This kid should have been in a psych ward today, not an elementary school.

As Bob Dylan once said "how many deaths will it take till we know that too many people have died?" How many shootings do we have to endure before we fix this problem? When will we recognize that mental health is a very serious issue? When will we realize that everyone needs proper access to the medical care, that it doesn't only effect that one sick person, that they can take dozens down with them? Please, we cannot let this happen again. We cannot let these children die in vain... we just can't.

Crippie's Tippie - If you know anyone that you believe could pose a threat to themselves or others, please do not turn a blind eye towards them. Get them help, immediately. 

One of "Those" People

Happy 6th night of Hanukkah y'all!

I hope everyone is continuing to enjoy this holiday season. I've been kinda lazy about the whole holiday thing this year. I get home from work, I eat dinner, and then I pass out. Not much room for lighting Hanukkah candles. I should be conscious enough to light 'em tomorrow... hopefully.

Now on to tonight's question, it's not really a jew-ey question but a LOT of people ask it. "Are you one of those people who buys presents for your guinea pigs?" The answer... HELL YEAH I AM. I actually bought the animals pressies before obtaining gifts for my human family members. What did the pigs get this year? Mainly things that they needed. Mama Pig got vitamins (which she LOVES), Aggie got a mirror so she can kinda be social (she doesn't care about the mirror), and the rest got some shnazzy beds. It looks like a dog bed for a really tiny dog (a chihuahua could probably sleep in one comfortably). Nellie, Mama, and Maggie adore their new bed and they have having issues sharing it. Someone *coughNELLIEcough* has realized that if you burrow underneath the bed you will knock out whoever is currently in it. Maybe they'll learn to share one say... *sigh* As for the puppies, Angel and Helen got a special bag of treats that they enjoy immensely.

Nellie says "Dis is mai bed. I has a comfy. If Mama of Maggie tries to get mai bed I will keeel them" 

Angel says "I eated my pressie, now I sad cuz I has no more pressies"

In cripple news, I'm beginning the whole fighting for my disability claim thing. They said they didn't have enough information... which is complete bull crap. I got everything I needed from work and now I'm getting everything needed on the medical side. Let's hope no mistakes are made this time.

Jew-ey's Tippie - If you're gonna obtain a present for you pet... but super practical about what you get 'em. Only things they need or without question will love very much. Otherwise you look like a crazy person. 

Hanukkah Starts WHEN?!?!?!

Happy Hanukkah Y'all!

I hope everyone is having an awesome holiday season thus far. So far mine's been pretty good. Yesterday I went to see my sister's holiday choral concert and then we all went out for my birthday dinner. Steak is awesome. It was a fun time had by all.

Now, on to a "Jew-ey" question. People often ask me "So, why does Hanukkah start on a different day every year?" This year it started on the 8th of December, next year starts on the 27th of November (too early for my liking, but whatever). Why does it start on a different day each year? Here's the thing, Hanukkah always starts on the 25th... of Kislev (Hebrew Calendar). Yup, the date changes based on the Hebrew Calendar. It always falls sometime between late November and late December.

Related question... "Do you remember or memorize when Hanukkah is gonna start each year?" Personally, NOPE. I google it in November ;) I might remember next year's simply because it is so damn early. Late November Hanukkahs are on the rare side too so it's kinda special.

Another related question... "What happens when Hanukkah falls on your birthday?" This happens fairly often, we just celebrate both as usual. We still light the menorah, we still have copious amounts of birthday cake, the only difference is that I might get more pressies on that day ;)

Soooooo, in non-jew-ey cripple news, I got a letter today informing me that I was rejected for my disability claim I made when I had Fanny removed. Yup, it's about 3 months later and I'm just finding this out. This could be a "we're just testing you" rejection, and I have every intention of fighting it. Any tips on dealing with these fun little situations readers?

Jew-ey's Tippie - Holiday decorations aren't exclusive to Christmas, add some nice gold lights and some blue and gold garland and you've got yourself a shnazzy set-up

Older Than I Once Was, Younger Than I'll Be

YAY Simon & Garfunkel reference!

Wow, I suck at the whole "blog every day thing". Something tells me posts are gonna be a tad sporadic this month. I've been crazy busy, and all of my spoons are used up by the end of the day. Kinda have to choose sleep over blogging right now. I could try to blog when I'm absolutely exhausted... someone might find it entertaining.

Continuing on, on Tuesday I turned 24! I'M OLD... er. Most of my birthday was spent at work. Overtime is the best present a girl could ask for. Once I eventually got home I had a nomerful dinner with the family, opened my cards and pressies, nommed on chocolate cake, and then promptly passed out because I was exhausted. Even though I was tired as hell, I had an awesome day.

My dad left a balloon in my car <3

"The Walking Dead" themed birthday... HELL TO THE YES! And yes, I totally wore that shirt to work.

Yup, theme birthdays are awesome. When I was 16 I had a mini-cooper themed birthday (I still think those cars are the bee's knees). Today was my day off of work, so I got to officially celebrate my birthday. I got to spend some quality time with my mom. We had nomerful Nathan's Hotdog Nuggets and I scored some nifty nail polishes with thanks to awesome birthday coupons. Seriously, I have a nail polish addition. Again, by a lot of people's standards my birthday succkkkkkeeedddddd. Those people can shove it up their ungrateful asses. Any birthday where I'm not sitting along crying is a good birthday in my books.

Random general tip, I don't know if y'all remember but in the past I've mentioned that I do not have the attention span to read a book. Unless I am forced to read something I don't. That being said, I am a HUGE believer in graphic novels. Oodles of pictures and a fast moving pace. So if like reading but you totally suck at it, I totally recommend graphic novels. My favorite non-zombie filled one is "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi, it's about the Iranian Revolution. Awesome book right there.

Also, since Hanukkah is coming, I'll be going into Jew-ey mode. So if any of you guys have any questions for me please ask away!

Crippie's Tippie - Perspective! It helps you realize that your seemingly terrible situation is no where near as bad as you think it is :D

23 Skidoo!

Boy howdy do I love titles like this :D

Everybody have a good weekend and Monday? I hope so. I've been very busy for the past few days. No one in my family was feeling particularly well enough for dinner Sunday. Side note: one perk of being a cripple is that my pain medications help counter the effects of a stomach bug... YAY CODINE! I was feeling well enough to run some errands though. I obtained a new heat pack because the one I obtained prior kinda sucks. It doesn't have a timer, and if the cover falls off I could get a wicked burn. Oh well, I keep Daniel Radcliffe in my office now. That way I'm warm and pain free throughout the day! This time I opted to invest in a better quality heat pack. I call it Glenn, because it better not freaking die (just like the character in The Walking Dead).

Today was my last day as a 23 year old, and I spent my day being an adult... working! It was a long 10 hour day, but a productive one. Once I got home I decided to be the mature adult than I am and watched (and yelled at) the cast of Teen Mom 2. What can I say, it's my guilty pleasure. Whenever I feel like I'm some kind of crippled failure I just tell myself "Cheer up Crippie, things might not be perfect, but at least you're not on Teen Mom". Schadenfreude at it's finest right there.

I'm pretty damn excited about tomorrow, even though I'll be working for most of the day it'll still be fun. I will say though, I prefer working on my birthday versa going to school and doing homework on my birthday. I reckon I enjoy the ability to say "I'M DONE WITH WORK... LET'S EAT COPIOUS AMOUNT OF CAKE"!!!

Apart from the anniversary of my birth, tomorrow marks the 23rd anniversary of me being diagnosed with MHE. Come to think it of... wow... some of my birthdays have suuuuccccckkkkkeeeeddddd. I try not to look at this as a negative thing. Was a defining moment in my life... sure. But who's to say whether or not being a cripple is good thing or bad thing. It has definitely shaped me into the person I am today, and I don't think I'm a raging asshole or anything. So I'm gonna see this as a good thing.

Alrighty, I gotta go hit the hay. I've got a day full of adult, 24 year old things to do tomorrow. So I need some sleep!

Crippie's Tippie - Make sure your heat pack has a timer on it. Otherwise it could kinda be a fire hazard.

Try to Remember

That Time in Decemberrrrrrrrrrrrrr (The Fantasticks joke if you were wondering)

Happy December everybody! 

Yup, I totally failed at NHBPM this year. Yesterday's prompt was "Recap NHBPM". Well... I missed the first 10 days due to Hurricane Sandy and my general lack of interwebz. Once the internet returned I did what I could, but I've been super tired recently and I put sleeping above blogging (as it should be). On the bright side I didn't ignite any flamewars and or hate mail... which is a plus. Meh, I'll probably use those prompts one of these days. Congrats to everybody else who actually finished NHBPM, if I could hand you a cookie I would. 

This week is gonna be a pretty awesome week for me. Partly because Hanukkah starts on the 8th and mainly because my 24th birthday is on Tuesday! YAY ME! I'll be celebrating by hanging out with the family and maybe going out for dinner tomorrow (several people in my house have had a tiny stomach bug today, myself included. So we'll see what tomorrow brings). I'm sure that most people my age would be beyond bummed about not celebrating their birthdays by going out with a bunch of friends and getting completely hammered. While I am perfectly fine with that not being the case, it does make me feel kinda weird that I don't. I dunno, I guess it's events like this that highlight that I do not behave like your average 20 something. Apart from that weird feeling, I really do not mind not being the norm. My birthday "party" will consist on nomming on steaks with my family, and it'll be awesome. Bonus awesome points for being to remember my birthday come the day after ;)

Funny, my last official birthday party was 10 years ago (annnnddd now I feel old). I stopped having parties because people stopped inviting me to theirs, lying about not having parties, etc. Yeaaahhhh birthday parties kinda trigger a buncha negative memories about being abandoned by people. That's probably the main reason that I am perfectly content with spending the day with my family and maybe a friend if possible. As depressing as that may sound, there is no way in hell that I'm gonna let a few traumatic memories rain on my parade. One thing I've learned in my decade without the parties is that they are not necessary for a good time. Having a friend over for a movie can be just as fun :) 

Crippie's Tippie - The whole "spare the cripple's feelings by not inviting them to things" logic is flawed to say the least. Can you say "EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE!"?

NHBPM - I Should Probably Do That...

Yo!

This is just not my year for NHPBM, I reckon missing the first 10 days kinda threw me off. Oh well. Did y'all have a lovely couple of days? I've been oddly busy and thus insanely tired. Today I had a lunch-in with my co-workers. While everyone was showing pictures of their children I whipped out my pictures of Frida dressed as a bumble bee. Needless to say she was a hit. I had a blast with my co-workers and I ate some delicious noms. Successful day was successful. I'm super tired but first... I MUST BLOG!!!

Tonight's NHPBM prompt is... If I could accomplish one thing in 2013 it would be...

Ok, first of all... am I the only one who cannot believe it's almost 2013? Now, if I could accomplish one thing in this rapidly approaching year it would be conquering my driving anxieties. As much as I hate to admit it, it's terribly limiting. I can only drive to a few select places by myself, and a few other places with someone else in the car. Otherwise I have a horrible feeling of being lost and not knowing what to do. Which lane do I go in? Did I miss a turn? What if a miss a turn? What if the GPS takes me on highway? What if I get lost, have a panic attack, and crash my car? Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh, these feelings suck and they need to stop. Baby steps I guess. I'll start driving to random places with someone in the car. Then I'll drive to more random places with just my GPS. Mayybbbeeeee I'll hire a driving instructor for a day for highway practice (you don't wanna screw up highway practice). I guess I just have to think about all the awesome freedom and independence that comes from being able to drive where ever my little heart desires. One good thing about driving anxiety... by hardly driving anywhere I save soooooooooo much money on gas. I was able to get through the whole Hurricane Sandy mess without waiting in a gas line :3

So my fellow crippled comrades, any tips for overcoming anxiety for me?

Crippie's Tippie - When in doubt... baby step your situation out

NHBPM - Crippie Interviews Some Tumors

Ohai Y'all

Man, I suck at the NHBPM thing this year. In my defense, it's probably for the best that I didn't follow yesterday's prompt. It was hella depressing "What do you hope happens to you blog after you die?" REALLY?!?!?

Lucky for us today's prompt is MUCH more entertaining, and not as morbid. Interview your health. Ok, here goes nothing...

Crippie - Hey everybody! Welcome to Crippie's Corner! Tonight we have a special guest, ladies and gentlemen I present A. Tumor!!!! *applause*

A. Tumor - HEY CRIPPIIIEEEEEE! Great to be here today

Crippie - Glad to have you, now let's get to the questions

A. Tumor - Shoot! 

Crippie - I hear your most recent project was irritating my middle finger. Can you explain that?

A. Tumor - You bet! One day I got a call from DNA Studios and they told me to pop up, so I chose your middle finger

Crippie - Couldn't you have picked a better place?

A. Tumor - Better place? YOU WERE INADVERTENTLY FLIPPING THE BIRD! That is the greatest location ever. Plus, in the scheme of things, a finger is a pretty sweet place to have a tumor. 

Crippie - Aren't you worried about being evicted, like your friends Fanny and Pointy?

A. Tumor - YOLO! 

Crippie - Did you really just say "YOLO" to justify where you grow on bones? Do you not care about the quality of life for the person, or your own life for that matter?

A. Tumor - Nah bro I do what I wanna do. If I wanna grow in your hip socket I'll grow in your hip socket. Sure there's a chance of being forcibly removed but it's a chance I'm willing to take. 

Crippie - Is there anything you can say that won't make you sound like an asshole?

A. Tumor - Probs not

Crippie - Is there any rhyme or reason to anything you do?

A. Tumor - HELL NO! I'm spontaneous... YOOOOLLLLLLOOOOOOO

Crippie - STOP SAYING YOLO! 

A. Tumor - Carpe freakin' diem... better?

Crippie - But why do you do this?

A. Tumor - For the lulz mostly

Crippie - So let me get this straight... genetics dictates that you grow on bones, and you grow where ever you darn well please, regardless of what it will do to the person?

A. Tumor - Yup, expect I don't go everywhere I want. I mainly grow on long bones. Believe me I would love to mess with that skull of yours.

Crippie - Annnnndddd now you're creeping me out. You know what, I think you're just trying to make my life difficult. You can't even give me decent answers or any insight as to why you are here!!!

A. Tumor - You'll never get a decent answer from me, you've just gotta accept me as I am

Crippie - I guess you're right... you're still a dick though

A. Tumor - Never said I wasn't... YOOOOOLLLLLLLL

Crippie - NO MORE YOLOS! And we're out of time for tonight! Join us tomorrow for an emotional interview between Helen the Dog and her detached retinas. Can they bond?!?!?! THANK YOU EVERYONE, YOU'VE BEEN A TERRIFIC AUDIENCE!!!!!!!!! *Applause*

Yeaaaaaahhhhhh... I think I have an over-active imagination ;)  Well, I hope everyone has an awesome day tomorrow. I've got a looooonnnngggg day of work ahead of me, so I should probably get to sleep. Something tells me I'll be having dreams about scumbag tumors saying YOOOOLLLLLOOOOO (Yolo means "You Only Live Once" if you weren't aware)

Crippie's Tippie - Sometimes it best not ask why, because there is no answer and it will only make your illness look like a bigger asshole. 

NHBPM - Crippie Kills A Walker

Yo! 

Yeah, I'm totally looking forward to tonight's blog prompt, so I'll just jump into it...

Write a TV episode of your favorite show that features someone with your condition. What do you want people to know?

This is a no brainer (pun intended)... tonight I'm gonna put another cripple in "The Walking Dead". If you don't watch the show at all you can scroll down to the bottom of the post where I'll discuss other non-zombie related things. 

Alrighty, I'm gonna put my new cripple character in this season's Prison/Woodbury arc and name 'em Crippie because I feel like it. Crippie is a resident of Woodbury. She has MHE, walks with a cane, and no one believes strong enough to unleash a can of whoop ass on a walker. Crippie keeps a very low profile, all the while becoming ever more aware that the governor is out of his damn mind. Over time she gains the governor's trust, becoming privy to more and more information. Now cut to tomorrow's episode where the governor has several members of Rick's group hostage. Crippie decides to take action and release the hostages. First, she finds Merle Machete hand as he is torturing one of the members of the group. He laughs her off at first but there is something that no one knows about Crippie... her cane is a sword cane. With one swoop she cuts off his other hand (karma's a bitch Merle) and rescue's the first member of the group. Then, they go and find the governor who is "interrogating" the other member of the group. She places her sword back in her cane. Crippie limps in the room, claiming that there is an emergency. While the governor is caught off guard she whips out her sword again and proceeds to kick the governor's ass. Once both of the members are safe they run like the dickens outta Woodbury. While in the woods they meet up with Rick's group as they were coming to rescue the members. We then exact our revenge on Woodbury for torturing people. One of many epic battles ensues and Crippie proceeds to kick major ass. Considering that most of the secondary characters die fairly quickly on the show me thinks Crippie would probably have some form of hero's death scene. The other cripple on the show, One-Legged Hershel would find Crippie's sword cane and continue on the legacy of being a bad-ass cripple.

There ya have it, that should lead us back to an epic battle for the prison and an ultimate showdown between Rick & the governor. Moral of the story? Don't underestimate the cripple... we will mess you up. 

NON ZOMBIE-RELATED CONTENT - I have a question for y'all. Since my surgery two months ago my scar has become rather annoying. It's starting to keloid and I feel like there's a lot of scar tissue in general. This area (my lower back) moves around a lot and that skin has to stretch, and my scar is simply not cooperating. It hurts and I occasionally get sharp stinging pains from it. Have any of you guys experienced anything similar? Anyone have any tips or tricks to ease the situation? Lotions? Vitamin E? Anything? 

Crippie's Tippie - if you want to prepare for a zombie apocalypse, there are many weapons that can be disguised as canes. Mainly swords and tasers. 

NHBPM - Crippie Gives Thanks

It's Turkey Lurkey Time!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!! I hope my American readers had a wonderful day filled with equally wonderful food. I spent my day hanging out with relatives and nomming on turkey. It was a very successful day, the turkey wasn't dry and pooches didn't kill anyone in an attempt to get said yummy turkey (Helen did try to kill to some strangers outside, but that's another story).

Today's NHBPM prompt is pretty straight forward... Thanks Post. Write about what you're thankful for.

This'll be fun! Gotta say I really do love these types of holidays, or any type of occasion where people take a moment and realize all the good things around them. I try my best to do this every single day. I know my life is faaaaaaaaarrrrrr from perfect, and there are times when things flat out suck... but I remember all of the good things around me, and that my problems could be sooooooooooooo much worse. It helps put things into perspective and ultimately cheers me up. I know far too many people that are surrounded by wonderful things, they just fail to see it. So here's a brief (and pretty) list of things that I am thankful for, not just today... but every day.

 

 

Seriously, I'm beyond blessed to have readers like you guys in my life :)

Here are some other things that I'm very thankful for, but didn't make doodles for...

Having a job that I love | Being able to walk | NO MORE FANNY!!! | Awesome music & movies to distract me when I'm sad | The Sims | Nail Polish | The Walking Dead | Graphic Design | Generators | Chocolate | Norwegians | Heat Packs that don't break | Pain medicine | Good doctors | Damn near everything :D

Crippie's Tippie - If you're down in the dumps, take a step back and realize that your life could suck so much more then it does presently 

NHBPM - Mental Yentl

Greetings!

Angel wants to thank you all for the birthday wishes. She says she'd gladly hang out with all of you if she could.

Sorry about missing two days worth of blog prompts, but I again decided that sleeping would probably be a good idea. Now I'm rested and ready to continue on with the prompts, which is good cause tonight's scheduled prompt looks most interesting.

Write about mental health

Okies, there are a lot of ways I can go about this so I reckon I'll answer a crippie question on the subject. I've been asked "Is having a mental illness similar to having a physical illness?" The answer, yes and no.

Before I continue with this let me preface by saying that apart from being slightly on the autism spectrum I don't have any mental illnesses, but a fair amount of my family and friends do. So how are they similar? An illness is an illness, it can royally mess you up regardless of where it originates. How are they different? For starters there is waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy more of a stigma for mental illness. If I told someone that I was a cripple they wouldn't think that I was weird or anything. However, if I was to tell someone that I have a mental illness they'd think "THIS CHICK IS FREAKING CRAZY". Next, finding the right treatment for mental illnesses is challenging to say the least. If I am in pain, I go to pain management doctor, try out a drug or two and I'm usually good for at least a year or so. If this was a mental illness I could be dealing with dozens of super fun, potentially dangerous drugs with a countless number of medicine and dosing changes. Fun stuff. At the end of the day both mental and physical illnesses are equally real and equally legitimate. They both equally suck!!! YAY MENTAL CRIPPIES! Also, I think someone needs to start a blog about having a mental illnesses and call it "Mental Yentl" I'd be sooooooooooo happy if that happened.

I hope all my US readers have a happy Thanksgiving. Angel and Helen want your turkeys.

Crippie's Tippie - Mental illnesses are serious business, if you think you need help, get it

Party Animals

Salutations

Yup, I'm ignoring the blog prompt for tonight... not because it sucks or anything, but because I wanna save for it a day when I'm really awake so I can properly discuss it, plus I have other things to share with you guys today!

First off,  thank y'all for the ninja healing vibes. Birdie was feeling much better this morning and I didn't have to flip anyone off at work today. Me thinks Birdie will cause flare-ups from time to time, but it's nothing that I can't handle. Also, Birdie's location is nowhere near anything important like a nerve so she'd have to grow considerably for me to consider removing her.

Today was actually a pretty good day. It was a very animal-centered day. It started off when my relatives and I were returning home after obtaining some coffee. While driving up my driveway we see a buck chilling on my lawn. He looks at us, and he continues to lie down. We open and close our car doors, he just stares at us. We talk to him (for a distance), he looks at us as if he's saying "Bitch, I ain't afraid of you... IMMA BUCK!". He wasn't hurt or anything, he's a frequent visitor of my lawn, he's just not afraid of people.

Once I finished talking to the deer, I went inside and checked on my piggies. They're were being very cute. Not just cute, VERY FREAKING CUTE. Even though all of the pigs were being adorable, Frida managed to out-cute everyone else.

Those feetsies <3! Today was also special because it's Angel's birthday/adoption anniversary. She's been with us for two whole years and we love her to pieces. Angel might have her issues, but we love her and wouldn't trade her for the world. To celebrate our special girl I decided to cook some ham for her. I was so excited to give Angel her birthday treat I could hardly wait! So everybody sat down at the table and we prepared to give her the present. At the same time Angel came over and... uh... left her own presents if you catch my drift. She wasn't being bad or anything... she's a senior and sometimes she can't hold it in, we weren't mad at her or anything. Once everything was cleaned up we continued on with the party.

Needless to say Angel had a very happy birthday. She even got to lick the plate clean once all the ham was consumed, oh joy! Of course I couldn't leave Helen out of the festivities, ESPECIALLY when there is ham involved.

Helen is the Queen of begging. Not only will she give you killer puppy dog eyes, but she will also walk on her hind legs for a few steps in an attempt to get food. I still have no idea how a blind dog can have such an effective stare.

Well, I'm gonna hit the hay for the night. I hope these freakishly adorably pictures hold y'all over until tomorrow :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGEL, WE LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU LOVE HAM!

Crippie's Tippie - If you don't want to give your pet people food (understandable if you don't) then I suggest a really awesome dog treat.

NHBPM - That's My Jam!!!

Ohai!

I hope y'all are having an excellent weekend thus far. My weekend's been good, been very busy working but I'm not complainin'.

Today's NHBPM prompt is quite entertaining, and I could have done more with it if grooveshark would've let me share playists... oh well. The prompt is..

Health Playlist. Make a playlist for your health community.

Again, I couldn't embed a playlist here go I opted to pick one song that is epitome of awesome, an anthem for teh cripples everywhere, our jam if you will :)

Yup, I just went there. Anybody else have any awesome cripple songs that I could add to the playlist, IF I HAD ONE?!?!?!

Speaking of crippledness, I was definitely a bit of a special cripple today. I figured I'd summarize why with two photos

While I was at work today at my hand would hurt periodically, specifically one of my fingers. At first I thought nothing of it and brushed it off. But it kept freaking happening. Upon closer inspection I noticed that my finger was kinda swollen. In other words, a tumor on my finger has irritated whatever tissues are near it. It'll pass in a day or so, but in the meantime I'll avoid moving or bending it to prevent further irritation. What makes this scenario so special? Um... well... can you guess which finger I should be keeping elevated? SENSITIVE PEOPLE SCROLL PAST THIS PHOTO

If you guessed my middle finger, YOU ARE CORRECT! You get a cookie. I have decided to name the troll tumor Birdie, mainly because that's what I'll be flipping for the next day or so. Luckily it's starting to feel better already, let's keep our fingers crossed what I don't accidentally flip of any co-workers tomorrow :D

Crippie's Tippie - If you happen to injure your middle finger, consider wearing a finger brace... that way people will know that you probably didn't mean to flip them off. Also, while you have said brace on, be sure to casually flip people off... they'll think it was an accident! 

NHBPM - Cripple Rage Comic

Whazzzzzzzup

Happy Friday everybody! Tonight's NHBPM blog prompt certainly looks entertaining...

Create a comic strip about your health/life/community

Oboi! Sounds exciting! I opted to be the internet female that I am and make a "rage comic" because they're easy to make. Without further ado I give y'all a rage comic summarizing my disability...

There we have it people, my disease in a nutshell... my bones are riddled with troll tumors.

In other news, me thinks the weather is changing cause I've been rather achy recently. I can actually tell when my pain medicine starts kicking in at night. Gotta love that feeling of the pain melting away :) That plus my super awesome melatonin gummies have made night time less suck-y. I used to just toss and turn for hours hoping that I'd either get tired or stop hurting. Now I'm tired and not in pain. Yay for feeling normal!

In animal news, Angel's 2nd anniversary with us is this Sunday! Last year we cooked her a hamburger and she was happiest dog on the planet. This year, we don't have burgers and Angel is getting slightly porky, so I'm gonna cook her a slice or two of ham and make her run around the house for it. Angel might be a senior (vet says she's somewhere between 8-12 years old) but her face lights up when she sees food. Speaking of senior animals, Mama Pig is starting to show some signs of age. Primarily, she is getting lazy. She has her favorite spots near the hay and she prefers to stay there. I make her run around the cage daily just to be sure that she still can. Since she likes to stay in one place most of the time, she is also prone to lying in her filth. Thus, we have to change the bedding around her favorite spots every other day and wash her bum periodically. Once the weather gets warmer she's gonna have a nice long bath and a butt hair trim... oh joy. Mama is around 5 years old. I want to keep her happy and healthy for a long time. Me thinks I'm gonna obtain some multi-vitamins for her to try. Yes, there are multi-vitamins made specifically for guinea pigs. I'll do a review of 'em if I ever get any.

Crippie's Tippie - Wanna make your own epic rage comic? This is probably one of the better sites to make 'em on.

NHBPM - To The Tweeter!

Greetings!

I hope y'all had a lovely Thursday. I had a very busy day, so I'm gonna try and get to bed at a decent hour... try ;)

Before I answer today's blog prompt I just wanted to mention that my super epic Scentsy Fundraiser for The MHE Coalition has officially ended. I'll be sharing the results with y'all shortly, but I can safely say that we have brightened the days of a bunch of children. I wanna give a big shout out to everyone who participated and donated your hard earned money to the cause, I cannot thank you enough! Also, if anybody else is hosting a fundraiser hit me up and I'll gladly help promote it.

Moving on, I'm actually going to follow tonight's blog prompt, INSANITY!!!!!

Why healthcare companies (or healthcare professionals) should use social media

This prompt is super easy to answer... they should be able to use social media because it makes it so much easier for their customers to scald them in public! Whenever any company screws me over, I take my complaints to the tweeter. I make certain to either use their twitter handle or some kind of hashtag that makes it painfully obvious as to who has pissed me off. This way someone from their company sees that I'm pissed AND countless strangers will see that I'm pissed!

Healthcare companies should with out question use social media. These bastards need to know how much they are screwing us over and how we are not ok with it. If people shopping around for insurance  stumble across a company's facebook page and it's filled with nothing but hate mail and negative feedback do you think they'd choose that company. I don't think so. Think of their use of social media as a scarlet letter of sorts... except the A would stand for assholes. Also, this is probably the internet female side of me, but I'd also love to see all their social media pages invaded by trolls. Let's face it, they troll the people on a daily basis... revenge would be freaking amazing. A little justice would be lovely.

Crippie's Tippie - Mad at your healthcare provider, bitch 'em out on twitter or facebook. They can't get away with being douche bags. 

NHBPM - To Share or Not to Share

Ello!

Yesterday I opted to take my own advice and sleep instead of blog, got to sleep at decent hour :)

Now on the NHBPM blog prompt... I wasn't thrilled with today's choices, so I went and picked one from earlier in the month.

Disclosure post. How do you decide what to share? What do/don't you share?

Alrighty, this blog is about me and being a cripple. Thus I share things relevant to that topic. If something of use occurs with my health I'll post it. I do want this blog to be an accurate representation of what it can be like to have a disability. There are many aspects of being a cripple that are by no means glamorous. Whether its having 17 staples on your butt, not being able to open your cup to pee in at the doctor, or having a tampon shaped scar on your wrist... it's part of my reality. On the same note, even though I try not to blog when I'm in a bad mood, there are times when a massive Crippie Rant pops up. While I'm not always proud of what I say in those, they're pretty good examples of some common cripple frustrations. That's why I don't delete 'em.

What don't I share? I keep most of my life private. I don't discuss matters pertaining to my family. That's mainly for safety reasons. While I talk about work in a very vague sense, I NEVER go into great details (as much as I might want to) cause ya know... I don't wanna get fired.

There is one subject though that I will gladly give 110% full disclosure on... MY ANIMALS! Yup! Maybe it's because they're so freakin' adorable, or that they won't care if I post their pictures here, or that I don't have to worry about hurting their feelings. But I love my piggies and pooches to bits, so if something out of the ordinary happens to them (good, bad, whatever) I'll post about it. If I take a cute picture of Nellie sleeping, you bet your ass I will post it sooner or later. Speaking of animals, Angel's second anniversary is this Sunday :3. We must prepare some special noms for her.

I guess to summarize, I am a rather private person... that being said I'll post anything that I believe to be relevant to the blog, and lots of guinea pig pictures. Lots and lots of guinea pig pictures.

Crippie's Tippie - When possible, try not to be in an overly bad mood when blogging.

NHBPM - Crippie Calls BS

Ohai Y'all

Happy Monday everybody! Me thinks I'll actually follow a prompt today... SHOCKING! Today's prompt is...

Call BS on something. What's something that's just ridiculous? 

Alrighty... I'm gonna call BS on myself today. Why? Well ya see, Crippie had a very long day at work (got home a little after 9pm). I then decided to take my melatonin gummies around 10. I thought it wouldn't make me overly tired or anything, so I wouldn't have to worry about being coherent or not being able to blog tonight. LOL NOPE! I got really freaking tired. Dumb ass me still thought I would be able to write and make sense. So I sat down and looked at the prompt... this was me for the next 30 minutes...

uuuuummmmm, uggggghhhhhhhhh *starts nodding off* NO I MUST BLOG! uuuuuhhhhhhhh, ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm *startings listening to Gangnam Style to stay conscious enough to blog* ummmmmmmmmmm WHY IS THINKING SO HARD

Eventually I realized that I was being an idiot, and with that realization I found inspiration for tonight's post. BUT I'm still about to pass out, yet I'm forcing myself to stay awake to blog. With that, I am ridiculous. I know that I really need to get my ass to sleep, I am ready to fall asleep, yet I keep myself awake. That's some straight up bull crap!

I'm going to go to sleep now, tomorrow I'm probably gonna read this and facepalm.

Night y'all

Crippie's Tippie - If you're tired... don't be an idiot... GO TO SLEEP

Insomnia For Gummies

Ohai

I hope everyone had an excellent Veteran's/Remembrance Day, may we never forget their sacrifices.

One day in and I'm already ignoring blog prompts... lawlz. Today's topics didn't quite inspire me. Besides, I have a better topic to discuss!

As some of y'all might remember I have been having a rather unpleasant bout with insomnia over the past few months. Honestly, I've had difficulty sleeping for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid I had terrible thoughts that would keep me up, solved by a TV in my room. When I was a teenager I was in too much pain to sleep, solved by a memory foam bed. In high school and parts of college I took Advil PM or Tylenol PM... they helped me sleep until I became immune to them. I got used to not being able to fall asleep and just kinda dealt with it until recently. While I was recovering from my surgery I had no reason to get up at any specific time so what sleep schedule I had got totally out of whack. I was falling asleep at 5 in the morning and waking up some time in the late afternoon. That was the straw that broke the cripple's back. I needed to do something about this whole sleep thing... STAT!

What to do though? I didn't want to take Ambien or anything like it, cause that stuff can royally mess you up. I recalled someone I know taking melatonin to help them sleep, so I went to CVS to see what was at my disposal. At first it seemed like there were so many choices of sleep aids, then I saw it... GUMMIES! Yes, melatonin gummies. Needless to say that me, being the mature adult that I am, bought the gummies.

So that night I took the recommended dose of 2 gummies. If any of y'all are wondering about the taste... they taste good enough. I prefer these over pineapple flavored gummy bears if that means anything. After a little while I started to feel tired. Not a "I'm stoned off my ass tired", just a normal tired feeling... which was a pleasant surprise. When I got tired enough to where I put my head on my pillow I was asleep within ten minutes. That's practically unheard of for me! I spent the next couple of days experimenting with timing and all that fun stuff. I found that if I take two gummies around 9pm I'm usually asleep by 2am (that sounds late... but that's pretty damn good for me). I've been taking the gummies every day for a little over two weeks and I've noticed a massive change in my sleep schedule. I've been falling asleep earlier, faster, and waking up in the morning has been sooooooooooooooooo much easier. The only "side-effect" that I've noticed is that I had some crazy-ass dreams for the first few days. My personal favorite melatonin-induced dream was that I was at a party, and then all of the sudden someone there tried to assassinate Natalie Portman... yeah... maybe it means something?

Me thinks it means that these gummies are freaking awesome. I really like how it just helps me get tired naturally, and when I do feel tired I don't feel like I'm drugged. Maybe one day I'll mess around with doses... but for now I'm pretty content.

Crippies Tippie - Gummy Vitamins are freaking awesome, regardless of your age

NHBPM - Crippie (Finally) Gets Back To Business!

Salutations!

It's been a long almost two weeks, but things are finally getting back to normal. We didn't sustain any damage during that lovely snow storm, we got our power & internet back, and the gas lines are starting to subside. All the pets are alive and well. The generator, blankets, fleece, and general fatness kept the pigs warm and toasty. I'm gonna be monitoring them for a few days to make sure no one is hiding a respiratory infection. Helen stayed cozy by dressing in her warmest attire, and Angel really didn't notice that anything was out of the ordinary. As challenging as the past two weeks have been, it's good to see rising up and helping out those in need. I dunno if it's a NY/NJ thing... but when something tries to knock us down we get up, help one another, and we rebuild.

I'll rebuild New Jersey when I wake up, okay Mommy?

Moving on, now that I FINALLY have teh interwebz, I can finally participate in National Health Blog Post Month. I'm 10 days behind... but whatever. I'll use the other prompts when I can't think of anything to write about. Anwayyyyyyyy, today's prompt is...

Should people post about their (or loved ones) health on Facebook? Why/why not?

The answer: sometimes. My general rule of thumb is, if it's something that other people will actually care about... post away. I usually only post about my health while I'm recovering from surgery. That's a time when people are worried and it's a good way to update a bunch of people at once. 

As for posting about a loved one, I'm fine with it as long as it something people need to know. I know someone who's young child had cancer, and they frequently updated their facebook with how he was doing. That's perfectly fine in my book, his illness was very serious, and I got to watch him kick cancer's ass via facebook! Also, if the person you are writing about is able to give consent, do make sure you have it before posting anything. My relatives ask for my permission before posting anything about me because they know it's my story to tell. 

That being said, there are times when people cross lines. Do I need to know every time someone has a headache? Nope. Should you make entire facebook albums devoted to a relative's stay in the hospital? I dunno about you... but I find them reeeeeaaaallllyyyyy creepy. Then there are  people who clearly flaunt their children's illnesses on facebook for attention. I don't know if they want pity or something, but I find that behavior revolting. Stop exploiting your damn kids for likes and get off the damn computer. I know people like that and they are BEYOND creepy and annoying. These people sound like crazy attention whores, and I don't care for them in the slightest. 

So yup, there ya go :)

Crippie's Tippie - There are alternatives to posting on facebook, if you want to keep people updated you can make a blog. www.caringbridge.org is a great site to check out. My grandma used to it blog about my grandpa's battle with cancer, you can check it out. 

I'VE GOT THE POWWWAAAAAA

Yo!

It took ten days but I finally got power back a few hours ago! Lets just say that this was the icing on Tuesday's cake. The interweb isn't back yet, but I'll take what I can get. Of course the power came on hours before ANOTHER storm is about to hit us. We are supposed to get some snow and high winds. I reaaaallllllyyyyyyy hope that we don't lose power again. That would just suck.

I'm eagerly awaiting the return of the Internet so I can get back to blogging regularly. I was planning on participating in the National Health Blog Post Month again, clearly I'm about a week behind. Meh, I'll probably just pick and choose the prompts I like. I also have other things to talk about, like how I'm successfully treating my insomnia! Lets just keep our fingers crossed that my Internet will come back so I can talk with y'all!!!

Crippie's Tippie - generators are freaking awesome sometimes, loud as hell, but awesome

It's Like Revolution Without the Social Unrest!

Greetings!

I hope my crippled comrades are well and getting back into the swing of things. We are STILL without power and it could be another 8 days until it comes back on. Power has been restored to most of my area, so maybe my lights will come on sooner rather than later.

Apart from the whole lack of lights the other issue for us is the general lack of gas. Most gas stations near me are either closed or they have a mile long line of cars waiting for gas. Thank God I gassed my car up last Saturday... I'd be screwed otherwise. Not to mention the fact that we've been using a generator electric and most importantly HEAT!!! If we don't get power back within the next few days, and if we can't get gas... we could be in big trouble. It's getting colder and colder and while the humans can manage in the cold my pigs sure as hell cannot. Worst case scenario we'll have to sneak three massive cages into a hotel. *Sigh* perhaps done PLEASE LET THE POWER COME BACK ninja vibes are in order.

All that aside, this week has been super weird. With no TV and limited Internet I feel kinda cut off from everything. Normally I like to keep check of all the election stuff, now it feels like something important is going on and I'm missing it. Thankfully the place where I go to vote has power, so I don't have to worry about that. Still the feeling like I'm missing out on stuff lingers. It's crazy how much I depend on electricity and teh interwebz. There are times when it kinda feels like "Revolution" except with fewer crossbows. Ultimately I know that I am one of the lucky ones in this storm. I'm peeved about my lack power... but it could have been sooooooooooooo much worse than this. That fact really has kept me sane over the past few days. I know this too shall pass.

Crippie's Tippie - For those of us affected by Sandy, if you are able to find gas, please try to post on Facebook where you were able to find it. We were able to find gas today because of a Facebook tip.

I DO NOT HAVE THE POWER

Ohai Y'all

I'm praying that all of you guys are safe and sound. Thank you guys so much for all of your well wishes, it seems like they worked! My house and trees stood their ground during the storm! That being said, we still lost power and we probably won't have it back for another week or two. It's inconvenient, but hey, it's nothing compared to what others are facing now.

Thankfully we have a generator so we have heat and water. The piggie's cages are covered in fleece to keep them warm and cozy. Angel and Helen are doing well and seem to be blissfully unaware of any changes ;)

I'm posting this from my phone because the storm also knocked out our Internet. I'll try to keep updating the blog, but my phone's reception is rather iffy. So I apologize in advance for short, sporadic posts over the next week or so... Bear with me :)

Crippie's Tippie - FLEECE, my pigs would be freezing right now without it

Sandy Land

Why Hello There!

Hurricane Sandy...  yeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh

I seriously hope that all you guys stay safe and sound over the next couple of days. I live in New York and will probably be on high alert from Sunday through Tuesday night. Well, this certainly explains why I've been in so much pain over the past few days... I CAN PREDICT HURRICANES... YAY ME!!!

But in all seriousness... this Hurricane has the potential to suuuuucccccccckkkkkkkk. Personally, I live on a road with tall trees very close power lines. Hurricane Irene took out one of our trees last year, and the freakin' Halloween snow storm took out some more of 'em. If y'all could sending "STAY WHERE YOU ARE" vibes to my remaining trees it would be greatly appreciated. 

I figured since we're dealing with the "storm of the century" I'd make a quick little checklist of things cripples, guinea pigs, and dogs need.

CRIPPLES

- YOUR MEDICATIONS

- Disposable heat or ice packs, hand warmers might also benefit 

- If need be, use glow in the dark tape to mark things in your house (canes, doorways, whatever) 

GUINEA PIGS

- Enclosed Hiding places (they need them for warmth)

- Fleece (also warmth)

- Food & Hay for at least a week. If you are running low, Oxbow brand pellets and hay are acceptable

- Disposable Hand warmers (if it gets insanely cold you can wrap one in a sock and put it in their cage)

- If possible, move pigs away from windows, etc

- Bedding, if you use fleece you might wanna pick up some extra because you might not be able to wash it. If you use carefresh I recommend Kaytee Clean and Cozy. 

DOGS

- Food 

- Coats (if necessary)

- Puppy pads, newspapers, extra paper towels, baggies, garbage bags... anything you might need in the event that it is too dangerous to walk your dog. 

There ya go, I like how most of my tips are for guinea pigs... lol. I really hope that nothing terrible happens to in this storm and that each and every one of my readers makes it through safely. I'm sending "PLEASE DON'T LET ANYTHING BAD HAPPEN" vibes to y'all.

Crippie's Tippie - Don't do anything stupid that might jeopardize your life over the next few days

Achy Breaky Hips

Oh Hello

I hope y'all are having a lovely week thus far. I didn't have work today, which was good because I was so damn achy today I could hardly move. Basically I stayed in bed with my heat pack all day. Even though Fanny is gone I still have tumors inside my hip sockets... and those also hurt like a mofo. I'm starting to feel better now, but I'm kinda peeved that my day was kinda consumed with pain. Freakin' weather. Oh well, at least the next few days look better.

Anyways, as promised to make up for yesterday's sucky post. Here's some pictures of Helen's Halloween costume. Just a quick pre-face... Helen actually enjoys wearing clothes, plus she gets cold very easily so they do serve some function. Last year she was a unicorn complete with Neil Patrick Harris riding her (Harold & Kumar joke). This year we opted for something a little... different. Any last guesses people?

If you guessed a pink hippo in a tutu... CONGRATULATIONS! You win a cookie. Clearly Helen is super excited about Halloween. I put the costume on her to take the pictures... and she fell asleep. Me thinks it's because it's a really snuggly fabric, guess she considers it to be a blankie. One of these days I'll try to get some photos of Helen the hippo when she's conscious.

If anyone is wondering, Helen is the only animal that has Halloween costumes. Angel does not like clothes nor do want to risk our lives to attempt to put anything on her. The pigs have their guinea bee costume, but I can only keep it on 'em for a few minutes tops. Apart from their general hatred of the costume, they'd probably pee on it if I left it on 'em for more than five minutes. And I just don't feel like washing pee out of a bee costume. In the end Helen enjoys clothes, so Helen wears clothes.

I should totally do a post one day dedicated to Helen's fashions, would anyone like that?

Crippie's Tippie - If your animal hates costumes, don't force 'em to wear one. 

Makeover!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi!

As y'all can see I'm slowly workin' on sprucing up the blog. What can I say, a graphic designer is never happy with their work. I do like the concept of this wheelchair dude, maybe I'll dress him up for various holidays! Also, I apologize in advance if the site looks all weird and messed up... messing with coding is a dangerous venture ;) 

I've been trying to figure out blog design and coding for a few months and I'm starting to get decent at it. Practice makes perfect. In the meantime, anybody looking for a new blog header? Badge? Anything?  Shoot me an email, I'd love to make some stuff for you guys.

Part of the reason that I decided to give the blog a little face-lift is that the weather's been changing and I've been really uncomfortable. I can consume myself in the design and distract myself from the pain. It doesn't exactly help me fall asleep any faster, but it helps me focus on other things. I do love me some good distractions, whether it's The Sims or painting my nails... anything to take my mind off of the achy feelings in my hips and legs. I might try a new pillow arrangement one of these days... *shrugs*

Oh, before I forget, I have to mention that my Scensty Fundraiser is still going strong! It's been amazing thus far and for those of you who have contributed I cannot thank you enough. Remember the sale ends on November 3rd, so if any of y'all wanna get some holiday shopping done you should check us out HERE. Also, if scented products aren't really your thing but you still want to help, you can also donate 2 stuffed animals to be given to kids with MHE having surgery. Just email me at crippies_corner@yahoo.com or email my friend at kthayer.scentrep@gmail.com if you're interested :)

It looks like it's gonna be another short post tonight. You know what that means? Yup, cute pictures of animals tomorrow. I hear Helen wants to show off her Halloween costume. Last year she was a unicorn, what do you think she'll be this year? 

Crippie's Tippie - Sometimes the best treatment for pain is something to take distract you from it

Kick-Ass TV Cripple

Aloha!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends thus far, and that all my locals are enjoying this KICK ASS WEATHER. It was lovely today and the next couple of days look pretty spiffy too... w00t. My day went relatively well, did the usual work and discuss how Lori in "The Walking Dead" needs to die with my coworkers. 

Speaking of The Walking Dead (which I am obsessed with and will probably be posting about every Saturday cause I'm s'darn excited about each new episode)... the show is about to get more awesome this season for various reasons (apart from hopefully killing Lori). It's actually going to be a very cripple-friendly season! 

Generally speaking cripples on TV have verrryyyy secondary B roles and usually don't contribute much to plot story-lines. The only show I can think of that involved a cripple as the main character is "House"... and that was canceled I don't count it. Currently I can only think of 4 shows that regularly involve cripples, they are...

1 - Family Guy - Joe Swanson plays an active part in the show and gets a fair amount of screen time

2 - South Park - Timmy and Jimmy are freaking awesome, but they don't get a lot of screen or plot time

3 - Glee - at this point Artie exists, but no real story lines revolve around him (and that pisses me off), they also feature actors with Downs Syndrome

4 - The Secret Life of The American Teenager - Also features an actor with Downs Syndrome

If I'm missing any good shows with cripples in 'em... please let me know! 

Now, back to the Walking Dead *Spoiler Alerts for anyone who might be interested in watching any of the past seasons or who hasn't seen the promos for this season*. 

Well, in season one there was a character named Merle, he was your stereotypical racist redneck. He was left for dead in the first season, which worked for me cause he was a racist asshole and I didn't care for it. Turns out this dude is back and better than ever! Why? Long story short he needed to amputate his hand in the first season... thus leaving him with a nub and probably at greater risk for being killed by a zombie. BUT Merle comes back this season in style... WITH A FREAKING MACHETE HAND.  Yup, dude turned it nub into a weapon. Merle Machete Hand (as I lovingly call him) turned his new found crippledness into an advantage, for once the cripple gets to (probably) survive the zombie apocalypse. All because of his shiny new knife hand. Dude is still a complete racist asshole, but I give him props for creativity. For outstanding acts of cripple bad-assery, let's all give Merle a big hand everyone!

Crippie's Tippie - If you do have a nub, consider making weapon attachments for it. It could come in VERY handy (pun intended)