Hey, I'm over here now...

Started a new blog for our great adventure: Holiday Road. Will be updating over there for the time being.

Update and Apology for being Crappy at Updating

Many exciting and strange things have been happening in our household. We had perhaps the Best Summer Ever thanks to my little brother and his mad cooking skillz. I lost the blogging bug for a while there and I apologize for that (see the post title), but I'm about to make up for it with some big news. (I've stopped referring to Andy as AJ. It was a holdover from our last blog and is no longer necessary...)

I posted this to MySpace today:

"So in case you didn't know, Andy and I are moving to Bloomington, IN next month. I'll be working on my Masters of Library Science, and Andy is thinking about going to school as well. We're both very happy about this decision, and it's been a long time coming.


We'll be driving out there around Dec 10 or so and will be staying there for Christmas. Tentative vacation plans include CA in May/June and RI in August, but that's totally not set in stone.


I love all y'all and will miss my CA friends beyond belief, but we're looking forward to some culture shock and new friends in IN.
Stay tuned for road trip photos and new contact info!"

Things that are Awesome

My little brother is living with us for the summer. I say little, but he's actually about a foot and a half taller than me. I feel even shorter these days, living with two giant men instead of one.

When we were reorganizing the extra bedroom for his arrival, I found two boxes of books that I hadn't opened since we moved in, which means that I haven't read any of them in at least 18 months. Score!

Our nephew G just turned ten, and last weekend he announced his intention to join the Boy Scouts. He wants to do things like shoot clay pigeons and use a pocketknife. AJ was talking to him about various Boy Scout activities, and G said that the real reason he wants to join is so he can kill a bear with a knife. Apparently that's a badge or something, but I bet it's usually awarded posthumously.

Something not so awesome: There's a wasp nest on the roof of our building right next to our balcony. I am not pleased. I also can't figure out where the nest actually is to spray it. I want to punch them all in the face.

Hello Zoloft My Old Friend

I've been going through some stuff over the past couple of months. I went through an outpatient program again and have been trying some new medications, several of which gave me bizarre and scary side effects. I'm happy to report that I'm currently on Zoloft again, and my mood seems to be stabilizing. I'm going to try to post more often.

Postcards from the edge

Last year I got 5150'd, which means I was held for 72 hours in the crazy house so I wouldn't harm myself. It was terrifying and hilarious all at once. I really did need to be in there, and they treated me wonderfully, and they probably saved my life. Hooray for mental health workers!

There are two things you should know before reading this story. First, this hospital (also referred to as the joint) is in Oakland, near Fruitvale, which is not the best neighborhood. Second, I hate bees. They terrify me. I refuse to watch Bee Movie, and even one bee can send me into a panic attack if I'm not careful. So, onward.

We get a small amount of heavily supervised outside time in the joint. This afternoon in particular, there were 4-5 nurses and 6-7 patients out there. I was wandering around by myself and ended up near a table where a few nurses were sitting and chatting. I'm looking at some flowers when a bee flies up into my face and I freak out.

I'm flailing and twitching and waving my arms when I hear this. "Katherine, are you ok?" I look over and the nurses are staring at me. I say the only thing I can think of at the time: "I. Don't. Like. Bees." This, of course, is immediately followed by this thought: OMG, they are never going to let me out of here.

One of the nurses carefully says "Why don't you come sit with us, honey." I walk over slowly and sit down. Seconds later, I hear a loud POP! POP! Nurse A, without looking up from her magazine, says "Was that a gunshot?" Nurse B, again without looking up and with No Concern In Her Voice AT ALL, simply replies "MmmmHmmm." I am so going to die in here.

New Job!

So here's the "official" info on the job I started today:

I’m working to change the way people find answers on the go. With ChaCha, you can log on at http://www.chacha.com/ and find quick and accurate answers by searching. Not by a computer? Try ChaCha on the go by texting your question to 242242. You’ll get an answer straight from me or one of my co-workers…right on your phone. Give it a shot….I think I can really change how you get your answers…on the go or right on your computer!

Unofficial: It's super fun! I've answered all kinds of crazy questions today. I can work from home whenever I want to, and I don't have all of the stress I get from a "real" job. Well, I have some of the stress, but it's much less than normal. Think up obscure queries and send them in!

ETA: If anyone wants to sign up to be a guide, please use my e-mail address as your referrer. It's kgmcnally AT gmail DOT com. Thanks!

Insert pun related to basketball here

If you're interested, AJ has a guest spot on a basketball podcast at GldnSt8Warrior. Here's the direct link.