Tornadoes! Easter! 3-Legged Dogs!

Good Friday left quite a path of destruction in the St. Louis area. The hubby works dangerously close to the airport, which was, as most know by now, b*tch slapped to within an inch of its life. I was very glad he was home by the time the storm really started hitting.

It's been stormy and tornado-y all week. Nice lead up to Easter. Add to that the dog got bitten by a spider and her infected wound was impressive. I almost took pictures of it but for some reason couldn't bring myself to do that.

I think I thought taking photos of it getting worse would make her die faster... That makes sense, right?

Instead, I just took pictures of her when she started looking better!

This really was her version of improvement.

She even had what I called seizures of the head and mouth but no other part of her body. Her teeth crashing together was so loud you couldn't hear yourself as you lost your sh*t. Her eyes were with me the whole time, which was a new one for us. She's epileptic, so she's had seizures, but never like this. Where she was still mentally there and therefore she's even more freaked out than I was.

Not good. Those stopped after the second day, which was about the time her wound really kicked it up a notch. By wound, I mean gigantic growing hole in her body. There were vet visits and panic attacks and a husband who was helpful most of the time.

Although he did say things right before we'd go to bed like, "I hope she gets to keep her leg" which sort of crossed out all the times he was helpful. I mean, I didn't want to sleep that much anyway, so thank you, Honey.

We continue to be lucky. The meds did their job and the wound is healing well.

We didn't have any storm damage to the house or lose electric during the beginning and middle of the week during the storms.

Friday, when most of the tornado damage happened around town, the eye of 2 storms coming into the area at the same time were just north of us and just south of us. We were in this tiny pocket where it wasn't too bad. Of course, we didn't really know how bad it was everywhere else. If I had known, we'd probably have taken cover Friday night just for the hell of it. I don't seriously consider that very often since throwing 9 cats into a cage in the basement under the stairs, grabbing the 80 pound gimpy dog, and commandeering my husband is something that I guess I'll only do if I actually hear on channel 5 that there is a tornado coming down our street.

I am sure I kept the weather at bay by screaming "NO!" every time the lights flickered. Which was a lot.

In other words, the hubby's plans to go in and work during the holiday weekend because "no one will be there to bother me!" was shot down by this happy wife. Give them time to at least start the clean up, please, Dear.

This meant the hubby had the good television for his Easter gaming. Clutching my recently delivered Justified season 1 blu-ray disks, I only let myself be devastated for several long seconds before retreating to a book and a marathon of the new Game Show Network's Drew Carey improv show.

We watched 2 movies together downstairs between all the video gaming and soccer.  The King's Speech. Which was *THUD* oh, sorry, I just had another bout of narcolepsy there.

Helena Bonham Carter was as normal as I've ever seen her!

*Sits up straighter, proud of glowing review*

We then immediately watched Ninja Assassin. Like, we didn't even get up and break for snacks. That was sort of a weird transition.

I have to say the gore was magnificent in that movie. I am also pretty sure the main character was shirtless for most of the movie, but I can't be sure since I was so focused on his beautiful, beautiful hair. What this movie lacked in story and dialog, it made up for in blood and guts and pieces of people flying everywhere. It was awesome.

I made the traditional Easter meal of steaks and baked potatoes. My husband says I cannot get steaks well-done enough for him, so last time, when I say I cooked, I really mean I cooked those steaks. Like a boss.

I did the same this time. Set off all the smoke alarms but those suckers didn't have any pink in them. I sort of feel like the "You can't get them done enough for me" is a challenge, I guess. Challenge accepted!

I ate a Cadbury Cream Egg and he talked about how one of his coworkers really wanted him to go on an Easter egg hunt. He was very enthusiastic about it. We're both sort of confused about that and neither one of us could figure out why my adult Islamic husband should either A) go to one or B) have one at home.

Although I did say if he wanted to buy more Easter candy and hide it around the kitchen for me, he was more than welcome. There is no such thing as too many Cadbury Cream Eggs.

Still Alive, Also Still Married (The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Lord Of The Rings Date)

The hubby and I are still alive. Also, still married.

We went to the symphony and saw Lord of The Rings. I did not bring my camera and was upset that nothing in my closet made me feel anything resembling happy-confident-time. So much so that I wore jeans.

Now, of course, my husband also wore jeans. The difference is it took me 2 more hours and a bedroom that ended up looking like our closet had vomited all over it before I resorted to the same choice.

I guess I can't actually say we saw LOTR. What we saw was the first two and a half hours.

Our awesome seats? Were positioned so that we had to sort of turtle our heads into our necks, crane backwards, and stare straight up if we wanted to watch the movie on the big screen.

The other option would have been to watch the orchestra and the 2 choirs, but since the stage at the symphony is above the level of the seating unless you're in the balcony, they were also way above our eye lines. As expected with my mood, this severely pissed me off. Who builds a high stage that towers above several hundred seats at the venue that belongs exclusively to the symphony orchestra? It was almost like the symphony was taunting me.

We did get to stare at the back calves of the conductor and the shoes of several people playing instruments in parts of the first row. So there's that. Score.

After the first, oh, 150 minutes, the first intermission was given. Granted, the first half of the first LOTR movie is movie-length. It did not help that the symphony needed excessive applause before starting. For the orchestra (yay!). Then, the conductor (woo-who!). Who grabs the first violinist and makes her stand and take a bow (double time clapping!). The choirs (*whistles*). The president of the symphony appears (more clapping!) and then speaks (should we do the wave after? Nah. More clapping is so much more refined). Who then does more re-introducing (at this point, I am golf clapping and very determined to keep looking ahead with my big mouth shut). It went on and on. I wasn't sure at any point if we were actually going to see any performances until the movie actually started.

The music was beautiful. The choirs were great.

Still, once the lights went up on that first intermission, I will not pretend that I was over the moon about it. Maybe I'm just not fancy anymore? I don't like refined events? Or do I just hate leaving the house now? I don't know.

What I do know? The husband had a headache, and after he told me that about 5 minutes into intermission, I immediately took to convincing him we should go. He had a headache. Very appropriate reason for us to leave early.

I was also throwing fist fulls of cupcake mints in my mouth trying not to comment on the overpowering smell of the people around us (perfume and body odor, not in that order). Not to mention trying not to comment on the stage being 2 feet higher than we were and the giant screen's placement just out of our comfort zone. I made it all the way to the car before I went off on the highlighted soloist-fancy-pants-soprano lady in the ballgown. Who was one of the few people I could actually see and the bulk of the playbill. I waited 2 and a half hours for her to stand and sing something. Since she received the longest and loudest ovation prior to the performance. For just arriving on stage. Did I mention, I could actually see her?

She sang about 2 lines in the first half of the show. 2 lines that were with the choirs, and that the choirs did just fine. At the same volume as her singing. There was no need for a soloist, since there didn't seem to be a solo part.

Maybe in the second half she gets to go all Whitney Houston, but I was totally fine not personally witnessing that.

We came home. Which is where we've been since, other than the hubby being at work. I went to the grocery once, too, I think. There's been spring cleaning, various home repairs, and a obsessive amount of time spent on creating the World's Most Awesome Care Package for a friend having surgery. Red Dead Redemption phase is over at home and a new video game for the husband has given me loads of time to read a stack of books and clean the flower beds.

Of course, in case you are wondering about the PS3 game, I would lovingly explain it as something something vault, something something radroaches, something something pew pew pew guns and something something apocalypse. Or something.

We haven't given up on dating. In fact, at my insistence (because I never learn?), I bought us tickets to a comedian we like that is coming in the fall. At the Fox Theater, which we enjoy as a venue and have been to many times. The tickets went on sale at 10 am Saturday. Which was helpful since I found out the comedian was coming to town, going to be at the Fox, and that we wanted to go around 9:55 am on that day. By 10:08, we had decent seats and confirmed tickets. I did not get crazy excited. Nice and calm sort of nodding occurred.

I didn't even start sing-songing the words "Hot Pockets" until just now, honestly.

*Takes five minutes to sing "Hot Pockets" in head over and over*

...

For now, we have eye appointments together next week. That's... Sort of... Date-y... Right?