Back on the Home Front

[cleolinda]

All right, now that I've cleaned out my linkspam pile, back to shenanigans chez Cleo:

After some discussion with my psychiatrist, we've decided that I've done well enough on 75 mg Lamictal for a month that I'm going to go ahead and go back up to 100 mg. Remember, the last time I did this--except that it was a jump from fifty to a hundred--there was itching and existential despair. This time, I was very, very cautious. Also, we talked about decreasing my Zoloft from 150 to 100 in January, and after I got off the phone I thought better of it--I decided to immediately drop down, so that basically I was exchanging one medication for the other, kind of like Indiana Jones with that golden idol thing. And so far, it's worked: I have noticed absolutely no side effects at all, which is astonishing. I mean, usually there's any kind of medication change, I at least feel a little dizzy or flushed or buzzed for a day or so. This time? Nothing. Outstanding.

Meanwhile, my mother is stroking the hell out over the 556 packages due at the house. Never mind that the UPS guy is here every single day; he's not bringing enough. ("More boxes, mule!" WHP-CHAAA!) I mean, yes, we have two birthdays coming up, plus Christmas, but emailing me every six minutes to see what's arrived isn't going to make them get here any faster, for God's sake.

Most of the stuff coming in has been for my sister, who wanted "a knife and a dog" for Christmas. The latter is actually a point of great controversy, as she wants a husky and my mother most emphatically does not. And since Sister Girl's on the verge of moving out but not quite ("roommate" problems yet to be sorted out), Mom is dead set against getting the dog, because she's convinced it's simply going to be living with us, and since we have two pomeranians already, she'd rather we had something the size of, say, a Norwich terrier, not a puppy that's already bigger than Sam. There have already been several fights on this subject, and what I'm really afraid of is that Sister Girl's just gonna up and get the dog for herself.

As for the knife, it's a ten-inch Global. She's in cooking school, as you'll recall. Maybe this means something to you; all I know is, she chose a Global over a Wüstof (pronunciation: WOOSTOFF. Roll it around for a moment: WOOOOOOOSTOFF), which makes me sad, because "Wüstof" is a fantastic word. ("Oooooh, say it again!" "WOOOOOSTOFF!" "Oooooh!") Actually, we're probably supposed to be saying it "Voostoff," but I kind of don't care. I put the umlaut in--what do you want from me?

Anyway, it arrived yesterday, and she was so excited that she ran past me and opened it, even though it was her big Christmas present (Woostoffs: not cheap), and took it to school to show off. So I was extra-careful to hide the martini glasses she wanted for her twenty-first birthday, which is on the 17th. She also wanted some chocolate from Vosges, particularly the Volcano Island honey truffles, which I got her last year as well. Going to cooking school apparently gives you extremely expensive taste.

Me, I'm waiting for a package I ordered for someone else, and we still have a couple of Amazon things outstanding, I think. Meanwhile, we are at a complete and total loss as to what to get my stepfather for Christmas. He does like books about politics (he's an anti-Bush, anti-O'Reilly Republican) and recent military history, but he needs them in large print; he likes WWII movies, but we've pretty much run out of those; he likes musicals on DVD, particularly stuff like Smokey Joe's Cafe or Phantom of the Opera, but we're running out of those, too. He'd like some live performances on DVD, but again: running out of those. (Anyone know if there's a DVD of Swing?) He's really not very fond of Christmas in general (whereas we backstroke through the ornaments and the decorations and the presents like those Disney executives in their money), and he's just not very into stuff. "I've got everything I need, and there's nothing I want." ARGH. How are we supposed to keep the economy going without the wanton, unnecessary acquisition of goods? I ask you.

Finally, from stardustshine: "I just noticed there is a link at the very bottom of the news story regarding James Kim: http://jamesandkati.com. It includes a link for monetary donations, an e-mail address for thoughts, and a physical address for other donations people would like to make to the family."

Comments

I like Wusthofs!

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

I have several and they're wonderful! They handle beautifully, hold their edge, and sharpen like a dream. I don't know anything about these Global knives.

[vampirepig13.livejournal.com]

*nods* Culinary school makes you a food snob.

And more than a little crazy. :x My significant other graduated from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in '03, and, well, teh crazy continues. He just got out of the business, thankfully, after many heart-wrenching months of wanting to chuck hot pork at people's heads.

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

"Oooooh, say it again!" "WOOOOOSTOFF!" "Oooooh!"

Mufasa! Gods, that was one of the few bits out of The Lion King that I actually liked. So delightfully random.

Good luck on the medication front!

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

Might your stepdad be interested in Blast (http://www.blasttheshow.com/)? It's not exactly a musical, but it is an awesome live performance.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I think he already has that. See what I mean?

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

How are we supposed to keep the economy going without the wanton, unnecessary acquisition of goods? I ask you.

You'd think any anti-Bush anti-O'Reilly Republican worth his salt would know better. (As proof, may I present my own father? He's in that camp too, and his opinion is that the man with the most toys wins.)

[megmatthews20.livejournal.com]

Living in Oregon I kept seeing the Kim family event on the news every night. I really really really love snow, but as my mom says, one has to have a healthy respect for it, i.e. it can be pretty deadly. And they CERTAINLY should have closed that road down that the family got trapped on.

I was rooting for them, and am very bummed the father didn't make it. But thankfully mother and children did.

*Searches through funds*....maybe I'll write them a poem...

cheers here's to the sorrow of loss, and the thankfulness of friends

[pinstripe-bindi.livejournal.com]

Forgive me if this is presumptuous, but your father might enjoy the Robert McNamara documentary, The Fog of War. It's more about Vietnam than WWII, obviously (although there is some really interesting stuff about WWII in it). I saw it on the History Channel a couple weeks ago and it blew me away. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary, too. I'm getting it for my mother.

[pinstripe-bindi.livejournal.com]

Pardon me, I meant your stepfather might enjoy it.

[zrath.livejournal.com]

WWII movies, heh?
If he doesn't have it already, "The Young Lions" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052415/) is interesting.

And while it's not really a musical, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301126/) is flippin' hilarious.

[neveth.livejournal.com]

MISTER GARABALDI!

... Sorry, had to comment on the icon.

[mountainlaurel.livejournal.com]

My father-in-law is exactly the same. Plus, he sort of does "have everything" and finding something he doesn't have or might like is like pulling teeth. This year I am quite lucky and got him a DVD of The Alamo which was really an excellent movie.

When I was last in Barnes & Noble their large print selection had a couple of books on WWII. You may want to check them out for anything. I can honestly say their delivery is awesome and their guarantee impeccable.

[edda.livejournal.com]

Global knives are lighter and easier to care for (vanadium), Wustoff and Henckels (which I have one of) are German and very, VERY ponderously heavy, and everything you do with them feels like it was handed down as an edict by the Weimar Republic. "I am very sorry, Herr Onion, but for your crimes, you will now be...DICED!" *THWACK*

Globals are all cool and stuff with the young chefs, probably since Tony Bourdain mentioned them favorably in Kitchen Confidential. Watch Top Chef and the knives they show in the opening credits with what look like perforated handles will be Globals.

[at-the-stars.livejournal.com]

"I am very sorry, Herr Onion, but for your crimes, you will now be...DICED!" *THWACK*

This killed me. Hee. Thanks for a chuckle in the midst of crabbitude!

[cattikins.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if this (http://www.amazon.com/Swing-Constance-Brenneman/dp/B000C3L2AC/sr=1-1/qid=1165533520/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-7723128-5994542?ie=UTF8&s=dvd) is the "Swing" you're looking for, but it's the only one I found. I also saw the Astaire and Rogers collection (http://www.amazon.com/Astaire-Rogers-Collection-Barkleys-Broadway/dp/B0009NSCR6/sr=1-12/qid=1165533520/ref=sr_1_12/102-7723128-5994542?ie=UTF8&s=dvd) - not sure if he'd be interested in that, but it's there.

WOOOOOOOSTOFF.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the one we're thinking of is a recent swing-dance show on Broadway.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

Would Der Untergang (http://www.amazon.com/Downfall-Bruno-Ganz/dp/B0009RCPUC/sr=1-1/qid=1165534353/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8416730-9835013?ie=UTF8&s=dvd) fit the bill for a WWII film? It's not a combat one per se, but I could not recommend it highly enough. Simply superb. I don't know if the subtitles (it's in German) would be a problem though...

I was going to rec. Five Guys Named Moe for a musical, but Amazon has the VHS as $35 "used and new" only.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, and I caught this on tv recently (http://www.amazon.com/Mckenzie-Break-Brian-Keith/dp/B000035P5N/sr=8-1/qid=1165534792/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8416730-9835013?ie=UTF8&s=dvd) and thought it was pretty good. I don't think it's so well known as others.

[heyorion.livejournal.com]

You read the Comics Curmudgeon, don't you?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Of course I do. Why?

[sualocin.livejournal.com]

Has your stepfather ever seen All That Jazz? It is a semi-autobiographical musical about/by Bob Fosse. I'd suggest a rent of it.

[thegeneralerin.livejournal.com]

"he's an anti-Bush, anti-O'Reilly Republican"
I like your stepdad. :)

And WOOOSTOFF!

[jeeperstseepers.livejournal.com]

If this is too personal a question, just smack me.

I've wondered why your doctor seems so determined to get you to 100mg Lamictal. I remember you saying you felt pretty good back when you first started on it with a low dose, so you were upped to 100mg. Then you were brought back down when things went badly, and now things are going well again at a low dose, so you're being brought back up. I have no clinical training (I'm *thisclose* to my PhD in Neuropsych, but it's in a Basic Research program) so I'm just confused about why you're not being kept at the low dose if it's working for you. Isn't the lowest dose possible usually preferable?

Sorry, I'm just really curious.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, she was actually talking about getting me up to 200 originally. I think she's working on the "We won't know until we try it" theory, and if I say, "You know, I really liked 75 better," I could go back to that with no argument from her. She's also big on lowering the other medications in conjunction, so I think she's trying to figure out the right proportion, rather than make me take more medication overall.

[lilgoala.livejournal.com]

Show this (http://users.tpg.com.au/users/denises/owning_a_siberian.htm) to Sister Girl and emphasize the chewing part. I had a husky/rottweiler cross when I was a kid, and that dog chewed EVERYTHING. She chewed rosebushes, patio furniture, she even ripped a sprinkler head out of the ground. And it wasn't from a lack of attention or toys, because I played with her every second of the day that I wasn't spending in school. They're just energetic, and can be destructive.

[cran.livejournal.com]

Great link... so much of it sounds like my dog! I left a comment about him a few posts down, but I forgot to mention that he is also a great escape artist (just like that site says), and has managed to dig under, or jump over, fences over four feet in height many times (which is why he's on a leash inside a fence now, heh). During his energetic youth, I even tried attaching chicken wire to the top of the fence, which he bent with his paws and then jumped over, and nailing boards to the top, which he hit with his feet until they fell off (and he then, of course, jumped over). Huskies/malamutes are clever.

[karaph.livejournal.com]

A DVD series I absolutely love is Battlefield Britain. It presents various landmark battles throughout Britain's history in an innovative and imaginative way. Your stepfather might like this if he enjoys military history and strategy.

[piratesorka.livejournal.com]

Just how much time does this self-absorbed chef school student sister of yours intend to give to her Husky puppy? Doesn't she realize many places won't take dogs, especially big dogs? Sounds like she is an irresponsible dog owner waiting to happen.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, that's putting it a bit harshly, but yeah, that's my concern.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Good heavens, did you see what happened to Lezopez (http://lezopez.livejournal.com/148015.html?nc=6)? She wrecked her car but fortunately is okay except for bruises.

Book rec

[rorqual.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it counts, since it's a combo of the history book and the WWII movie - I can't recommend too highly Ghost Soldiers (available in Random House Large Print on their website, and also on bn.com), the story of a WWII rescue mission of Allied prisoners from a a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines. It's very good. There was another good WWII one too...man, I just can't recall it....

Also - I love my Henckels knife set, though I agree with a previous poster that they are Quite Seriously Heavy. The chef's knife also Quite Seriously nearly took the tip of my left middle finger off the first time I washed it - right through the sponge, into me! Buy Sistergirl some nice Band-aids to go with the knife...:)

[lyrainverse.livejournal.com]

What about CDs of old radio shows? My grandfather had the exact same tastes as your stepfather when he was younger, and once we ran out of gift ideas for him, we gave radio shows a try and he loved them!

As for the husky thing, oh good heavens no. They are not for a first-time dog owner (I know your family has dogs, but if she'd be the primary caretaker for the first time, yikes!) because they are so willful and destructive. Plus, having a husky in the south means lots of grooming. We get our husky mix shaved down a few times every summer (which ain't cheap) and that's in northern KY.

MORE ZIPPERS, MULE!

[elbales]

Cleo, I seem to recall you have a great relationship with your stepdad. How about giving him a gift of your time? I mean time spent with him, or with him and your mom. Take them out somewhere nice. I know my parents are always really happy if I tell them I want to take them to tea or to lunch instead of giving them Stuff. They have a house full of Stuff and really do not need a whole lot more.

Don't know if it fits your family situation, but it's a thought.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aww. We get along really well, but... we don't have a lot of interests in common. I could see doing that for my mother, but I actually don't know what my stepfather and I would talk about.

Take them out somewhere nice. I know my parents are always really happy if I tell them I want to take them to tea or to lunch instead of giving them Stuff.

He does love catfish, though.

[cran.livejournal.com]

I hope she changes her mind about the husky. Scout (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/cran_b/scoutinstorm.jpg), my dog, is a malamute/collie cross (similar temperament and fur type to a husky, but a bit larger) and he's gorgeous, but he is definitely strong-willed, energetic (at least when he was younger; he's more settled now) and very, very furry. He lives outside because he gets way too hot inside, even in winter -- all he'll do is lie on the tile floors panting. He's fine outside (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/cran_b/scoutprofile.jpg) (he's not a barker, luckily -- malamute, after all), but he digs up the yard like crazy (which is okay because we own the house and it's the backyard anyway, but most landlords will not appreciate that). He needs a ton of grooming when he starts to shed; my mother and I spent a total of about 8-10 hours brushing him one weekend this summer... which he did not appreciate!

Scout thinks he's the boss of prety much everyone but me and my father, so he will try to dominate other dogs while playing and doesn't appreciate it if they refuse to acknowledge him as the tougher dog. He's standoffish with people (he doesn't bite or jump, though, because I trained him not to). When he was younger, he pulled on his leash a lot (because huskies and malamutes are sled dogs, after all, and love to pull). And despite all this, I actually consider him fairly well-behaved! Huskies are definitely dogs for experienced owners who have a lot of time to properly train and socialize them, because they can be destructive and dangerous if not properly trained. They need a lot of exercise, too; I'm committed to walking Scout for an hour a day, but it sounds like your sister wouldn't have the time.

[cran.livejournal.com]

Sorry for leaving three comments in total! But I just wanted to pass along this link (http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/alaskankleekai.htm). If your sister's dead set on a husky-type dog, maybe she'd settle for one of these? I'm not sure of the price or availability, and the temperament is similar to a husky, but it would at least be an easier size to manage and wouldn't need as much exercise.

[shesnotallthere.livejournal.com]

If you'd like to try to talk Sister Girl out of getting a husky, I suggest stressing how dangerous it actually is to keep a husky in Alabama. They just aren't meant to live here. In four years of working at a veterinary clinic, I saw a lot of huskies suffer from heat stroke. Several of them died, having not made it to the clinic in time. She could always keep the dog sheared, of course, but it's a bit pricey and the dog's not going to enjoy being subjected to that kind of intensive grooming that often. Maybe she'll change her mind if she realizes that making a dog like that live here would be kind of mean?

[valkyrie79.livejournal.com]

I was about to pipe in and say the same thing. I think it's often borderline cruel to have such a cold-weather animal in Alabama during the summers. Also, they shed like mo-fo's and all the ones I ever dealt with at the clinic were aggressive and scary. A grown, needs a home, shelter mutt would be my suggestion. You know exactly what you're going to get and they are generally super sweet.