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Con and other randomness

We made it through DragonCon, but just barely. We both have mild con crud; Nick is very run down and I have a sore throat + run down. Ugh. But it was worth it to attend our last DragonCon for a few years and to help Echo out of a jam.

We helped Echo with setup and breakdown of her booth, just like last year. The setup was OK but the breakdown was a clusterfuck. They were using a truck line to transport their stock to the next show and that was a truly bad idea. They didn’t realise that truck lines do NOT offer packing services at trade shows/cons, which means that Echo was responsible for putting her shit on pallets. Yah, not really a job for a couple of girls. Luckily, Nick was there to pack that shit properly and get it wrangled. HARD WORK!

It was WAY awesome to see Ted and Drew! We missed the girls, but it was great to catch up with the boys. We also got to hang out with Suzann and Dave for a while – YAY! Saw Miracole and Chris briefly and met Grant Imahara. Nick and Ted also got to talk shop with George Pérez, which was great to watch – as was George and Suzann nerding all over each other! PRICELESS!

We got into 2 panels – 2 more than I thought we would. John Barrowman’s panel was hilarious (of course) and he had his husband Scott with him, too, which was even better! We got to see their Batman and Superman underwear! LOL The Trek panel with Dorn and Frakes was pretty good. The questions were semi-dumb, so the guys entertained us with show tunes for much of the panel. Hey, it was Sunday, I don’t blame them! We did learn a couple of new things about Trek so it was worth it.

I gave in to my inner goth girl and bought a new corset. It’s a midlevel corset ($169) that has industrial plastic boning and laces front & back w/ black/purple brocade. It’s OK. Nothing like a Fallen Angel, but at half the price, I can’t really complain. The really good news is that I am in a 32!! This corset should be good for me even if I lose 30+ pounds. We will write it off as “booth décor”. :) Which is 100% true. Now I’ve got to make a skirt to go with it.

That was the big purchase of the con. We don’t need to spend the money, no, but sometimes you’ve gotta go with it. It makes me feel like a girl again, which I really needed. Nick will get his flat panel TV when everything goes on sale for xmas, so it all works out.

The restaurant remodel is clicking along. We’re working on the new menus and pricing. I’ve managed to stay on top of all the corrections despite the con, which makes me happy.

Hopefully the con crud will burn itself out this week and we can get back to normal by the weekend. We’ve got to mow the lawn and do some outdoor work this weekend and we can’t do that while sick. Bleh. Hope everyone avoided the crud and has a good week! (Oh, and Happy Birthday, Andy!)

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DNA results

So, we got our DNA results from Connect My DNA yesterday. I’m very glad I got a steep discount because I think the results are questionable at best.

Here is my graph of DNA hits:

Angela’s DNA hits

Irish I can dig. I’ve researched the family names and United Kingdom is a definite link. But all that Latin America? I’m not so sure. I also love that there’s no obvious Native American Indian anywhere to be seen. THAT doesn’t surprise me, although I’ve seen a pic of my great grandfather on my father’s side and he certainly LOOKS Cherokee. Or some sort of Native American, anyway.

But I dunno, could that dude actually be of Central American Indian descent rather than North American Indian? I suppose that’s a possibility. And on my mother’s side, her father’s lineage is a question because he was born out of wedlock (and of course in the 20s, one didn’t TELL no matter what). Whoever his family was (we think Hall is a good possibility) had black hair and eyes and could tan deeply – like my mother and brother. Also, my brother is practically hairless, which is another Native American trait.

I’ve always assumed their reddish skin full of melanin was the Cherokee or perhaps there was some African in there, but what if it’s the Central American causing their traits? I guess it’s possible. I assume that all the native tribes of the Americas intermingled at some point, so maybe that’s the deal?

Just read this on the wiki about indigenous peoples of the Americas:

“DNA testing is not sufficient to qualify a person for specific tribal membership, as it cannot distinguish among Native American groups.”

I paid for a STR DNA test, which cannot test for indigenous markers, sadly. You need a Y-DNA or mtDNA test for that specific information. Info on that (here). But I think you can extrapolate from this one that indigenous people are involved. I think maybe the family insistence that there’s “Cherokee” in us may not be entirely untrue.

Here are the actual tags:

LOCI values
LOCI values

If anyone out there can read that, HOLLAH, would you? All I know is that I can prove I’m a minority! Yay! LOL

The Irish did make me laugh, though, considering what a sot I am. Makes TOTAL sense! :)

Nick’s came back with Belarus as his primary and Polish at the very bottom, but it was almost all Eastern European, so that makes sense. After looking at the history of Belarus (Lithuania and Poland) it’s perfect.

I think these cheapo DNA tests are more parlour game than useful info, but it’s fun and for $30, why not? Perhaps use a better one than Connect My DNA if you want ancestry info, but do try it if you find a discount coupon. I’m intrigued and will probably do the ancestry one at some point.

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Made it!

[And almost exactly 3 years later, we had to leave WiredTree for getting truly shitty service. They offer absolutely NO protection from DDOS or WP attacks. They blamed us for our sites being attacked. On THEIR server. We even upgraded our account and they still did nothing. I cancelled in the middle of the month and I GUARANTEE YOU we’ll get ZERO refund. Because they have become so terrible. We moved to Zweeko Hosting in the UK. And it’s been smooth as silk. We have better hardware, faster overall speed and THEY protect all their clients with CloudFlare. We highly recommend them. Let’s see if they can continue to be great for longer than THREE years. -A, Aug 7 2015 Welp, Zweeko barely made a year. AVOID. Now we use Siteground. They are pretty good so far, but they are not cheap. BAH. – A 3/11/17]

We have moved all our sites to our shiny new hosting provider, WiredTree.

After multiple outages and shitty customer service at InMotion Hosting, we made the decision to change hosts yet again.

It was harried and crazed, but not due to WiredTree – it was US! We are so used to shitty service and having to set up WordPress databases and all sorts of crap that when it was done FOR us, we freaked out. Yep, excellent customer service freaked us out. What does that tell you about the state of web hosts?

These dudes moved ALL our shit, whole, intact, unmolested and WORKING from our old server to their server. We didn’t have to fix databases or lose mail or reconfigure WP. Nothing. It was too easy and we lost our shit about it. It’s like when a Winblows user goes to Mac. It’s TOO EASY!! GAH!!

I’d like to publicly issue an apology to Jake, Kyle, Stephen, James, Eric, Hector and Danielle (even tho she called me m’am!) for being stressed out FREAKS and clogging up your email with our pathetic whining. You’ll get your reward as soon as I ferret out your mailing address up there. :)

As I told you in those emails, if you treat me right, I’ll be your biggest cheerleader. RAH RAH for Wired Tree! I’ll recommend you to my clients in a heartbeat.

And: THANK YOU!

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Askholes, indeed!

Someone posted a graphic about “askholes” on FB. It says:

Askhole: A person who constantly asks for your advice, yet always does the opposite of what you told them.

I’d like to add, “Then gets pissed off when things go to shit but they wouldn’t have if she had listened in the first place.” I use she because askholes are typically chicks.

It’s the story of my life. This last batch of defriendings and harsh words was completely due to Askhole Syndrome. I’ll never understand why chicks who claim to be friends ask for my opinion, then when I give it they get pissed off. I’ll also never understand why people (mostly chicks, the occasional dude) will lie to me repeatedly and then be aghast when I call them out. Have you met me?

One chick in question was always asking for help and advice, but held it against me when I was right. Makes no sense. She was always needing something from me and I complied when I could. I patted her head when she would sit and bawl like a lost calf on my sofa. I lent her money (which was promptly repaid, no problem there). I helped her move THREE times. Yet she resented my help and ended up lying to me rather than breaking up with me for whatever her reasons were. If you’re done, that’s fine, just have respect enough to SAY SO. Get a SPINE. Lying like a little cowardly bitch is really not the way to go with me. I’ll call you out publicly and it won’t be nice. As she found out.

Same for the dude. After a decade long friendship, he decides that my enquiring about his life is verboten. Rather than politely refuse to discuss and SAY SO, he resented each and every enquiry and took it as a horrible agressive act on my part – yet he chose to answer. I don’t understand that, but whatever. It’s probably the pot smoking. And rather than bow out honestly, he began to avoid me, then lie about it. You’d think after a decade, he’d know me better than that. Apparently not. If you lie, I WILL catch you and I’ll call you out.

Then there’s the chick who caused much drama and gore. Ah, yes. One of the best examples of narcissistic self involved people I’ve ever met. Probably the daily pot smoking. While I did like her a lot and we seemed to have a lot in common, the lies and deceit eventually ruined it. I should have ended it the moment she started lying about seeing the dude (who I introduced her to). Then it got worse since she was lying to her SO and I became an accomplice. Then it got critical when she started boasting about how sneaky she was and how her lies were so good. Needless to say, that ended with harsh words, but it was she who was mad at me for… What? Oh, yes, for being upset by the end of a decade long friendship with the dude and talking about it. Although she was the one lying to her SO and cheating and sneaking around and being a dick about it, I was clearly to blame. I suppose it was my unwillingness to be an accomplice to such underhanded, dirty dealings. Don’t know for sure, all I got was vociferous name calling and accusations about it.

All I can say is that I think people who smoke dope daily seem to have trouble connecting with others on anything deeper than a party level. Pretty much every pothead I’ve ever known has been like this. No more potheads for me, thanks.

But for whatever reason, the latest batch of deletions has shown me that I’ve got to be more careful about who I let in. I’ve got to stop my schadenfreude fascination of people who are train wrecks. Sonya was right: I adopt broken people. And I’ve got to be more vigilant about backing off of people who lie to my face – before it becomes a scene. I have a habit of ignoring it in the name of friendship until it is a HUGE issue. It’s why when I’m done, I AM DONE. I’ll rip you to shreds and toss you aside. It’s because I’ve been hurt by the lies and I feel used. So I lash out. It’s my nature and as much as I try, it’s just the way it is.

It is my mission to stop being used by broken people and/or potheads. I just want honesty. And I’m sick of askholes. If you ask for my opinion, you’ll get it. And if you whine to me about things not working out because you did the opposite of my advice, I’ll tell you it’s your own damn fault. Anyone who’s met me knows that.

Perhaps it’s not just me who needs to be more vigilant about the types of friends they want.

If you want an accomplice or a yes-girl, I am CLEARLY not the choice for you. If you want someone who doesn’t give a damn about you and will never ask questions, I am CLEARLY not the choice for you.

I pointed out the various reasons you’d not want me as a friend in a previous post called Delete Me. I strongly suggest reading it if you are confused by my intent.

This post felt good. I’ve been needing to talk about this stuff for a few months. I’ve been waiting for the various parties to move on so I can speak freely. This is not about THEM, it’s about ME. Which is why comments are OFF.

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General Updates in the Key of Meh

Well, lessee… Where to start?

DJ
DJ is doing very well. He’s lost some weight, so now he looks like an old cat, but his heart is stable and so is the cryptococcus. Dr Smallwood said, “There’s no reason he won’t be here for another 3 years! He’s doing great!” She said that neither of these conditions would likely end him, it’d be something out of the blue. I find that somewhat comforting.

Missy Kat
Missy is doing very well. I’ve got to take her in for a checkup, tho. It’s been four years+ since she’s been to the Dr! Which is great, but she could use a tune up and tire rotation fer sure! I’ve been so distracted with DJ’s issues, that I’ve neglected her checkups! BAD MOMMA!

Nick
My Weasel is doing OK. He’s been up and down a little, but Heroes was fun despite the Virus From Hell™. He’s drawing more and seems fairly content. I hope he continues to draw so we can get the Ninjas going.

Me
Speaking of checkups… I’m way overdue for my gyno visit. The stupid Mirena is mostly fine – I still get random bleeding complete with horrible PMS, tho. Meh. Nick also wants me to go to the dermatologist – he’s convinced I’ve got a tumor or something. Again: meh. Waste of money, IMO.

My hair has finally grown out from the horrible cut I got from the student. I need to see Marty and get it shaped up. I know what I want, I hope I can get it across! I want the standard inverted bob, but with the weight line in a V at the ear rather than at the front. Can’t find a pic. MEH.

I’ve had some fairly nasty Fear and Loathing™ lately. It’s partly Mirena psychosis and partly just plain old stress. I’m very unhappy with my fat ass. I’m going to try once again to diet. My whole life has been a goddam diet. If I can’t manage it by 50, I’m stopping and giving in to the FAT genes. That’s it. 3.5 more years of trying to lose weight, then I’m STOPPING. I’d say 35+ years of dieting is enough, wouldn’t you? If I can’t lose the weight, then I can’t. I’m tired of letting it run my life. It’s about as bad as the fucking Vile Organ that has run my life for the same number of years. FUCK THAT. I’m getting way old, way fast. I’ve got to let go of these things that make me pretty damned miserable. Life is TOO SHORT, as I am finally beginning to learn. [Got VSG surgery in 2016. Best decision EVAR. -A 2021]

Random Stuff
I can’t keep the birds and squirrels out of the damn greenhouse. I put up netting, they get through it. Of course, they work hard to get IN, then they can’t get back OUT. Which means me going out there and undoing about 10 safety pins to open up the damn netting. ::sigh:: I just opened it up yesterday. Fuck it. The squirrels will dig up the plants and the birds will peck the fruit. Whatever.

The pickling and making jam is going well. The pickles from the second batch are in the fridge, I hope they are crispy and have more flavour than the first batch. The cherry jam is good, but it can be better. Less pectin and more balsamic vinegar, I think – and perhaps a mix of sweet and sour cherries. The marmalade, while very labour intensive, is delicious. I think I’ll make another batch and fiddle with the pectin – it could be just a tish tighter.

The penne bake I’ve been working on is pretty much done. It’s now got pesto, feta and oil cured olives in it for a LOT more flavour. It’s renamed Mediterranean Pasta Bake rather than Italian. I’m working on a poached cod recipe and a pork recipe, too. I’m starting to work on the cookbook in earnest. I’ve decided to GO FOR IT. Why not? I’ve got nothing else to do!

We saw Avengers last night at the Fox. What FUN! The preshow is about an hour and has a slideshow of all the work they’ve done on the Fox, a wonderful demo of Mighty Mo (the pipe organ), a sing along with Mighty Mo and a Looney Tunes cartoon. It was fun to enjoy Avengers with a crowd that large! Also, if you go to one of these shows, get there EARLY and sit upstairs for the best view.

I guess that’s it for now. We’re gonna go to Big Lots for the 20% off day today then hang around the house. Ciao!