It's gettin' warmer...

Well, it's starting to be that time of the year here in Billings. We are pretty sure we've finally seen the last of the snow and the thunderstorms are starting to roll in every evening. Monday night Ollie and I met up at the movie theater to see The Happening (I'll give you a non-spoiler review later). When we came out of the theater, this huge thunderhead was building in the distance.

The picture really doesn't do it justice; suffice it to say, it was bloody huge. I love a good thunderstorm; the more lightning and thunder the better! I just hate to see the lightning start fires that result in people losing animals and homes. But after living for 15 years in the Pacific Northwest, I am tired of rain that just hangs around and doesn't do anything but make me miserable. If it's going to rain, I want it to STORM! Make it worth my while, don't waste my time by hanging around all freaking day just spitting at me. Do it, do it with attitude, and get lost. Yeah. Anyhoo, it was too far past Billings for us to get anything out of it. That is typical of a lot of the weather here; 85% of the time it comes at us full bore, but then it splits up and goes north and south of us. And to the northeast of us, they usually get nailed!

Tonight they keep butting into the TV with the EBS telling us about severe thunderstorm warnings; they interrupted Hell's Kitchen five times, and now they keep interrupting my new favorite Britcom "Not Going Out". It's extremely irritating because the storms aren't anywhere near Billings, and the weird tones that they use and the guy's voice that narrates the warnings are both extremely loud and just that side of creepy. Ah, the inconvenience of safety. It's like having to take your shoes off at the airport.

Ok, so, The Happening. The previews at the theater a few weeks ago had me jumping out of my skin with anticipation. I am a pretty big fan of M. Night, and it seemed to me like this movie was going to be in the same vein as Signs, which scared the crap out of me - and I loved every second of it. This movie, well, not so much. It was very good, and very well acted, but it just left me...I don't know...wanting more of something. I don't want to say much about it, because with his movies any stray comment can be a spoiler, but the R rating was definitely for the gore content. No sex, no bad language, but I found the scene where the construction workers are falling from the sky to be particularly disturbing. I was still very happy to have turned over my hard earned money to see it and all in all I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

oooooooo - I just saw lightning! Can't hear any thunder, but if that's all I'm going to get, I'll take it.

Gotta dash - Absolutely Fabulous just came on.

I'm baaaaaaack...

Wow - I had no idea how long I had been away! Several things have happened since my last blog, although not that much really.

If you are wondering how my lithotripsy went, it went pretty well. The second time. Yep, $16,000 a piece and I had it done twice in 30 days. The first time, the stone basically broke into three large pieces, and none of them were small enough for me to pass. So, they did it again, this time blasting them REALLY hard, and the results were five large stones and a whole sandbox full of gravel. Here are the five largest:

Ewwwww!!! I know. But hey, blogs are for sharing, right? Right! When I took them in to the doctor, I told him that I was thinking of having them polished and made into a ring or necklace. They sure were expensive, and painful, and I thought that I should at least get to show them off. Pfft.

At the end of November, just around Thanksgiving time, Ollie got her own place. She has a great job now and a cute duplex apartment. She doesn't have any furniture yet though! Well, she did order a couch, and she does have a lamp, and two twin size mattresses that she was sleeping on when she lived here. All the rest of her stuff is still in storage in California. We are still trying to work out a plan to go get the stuff, but with gas prices at insanity, who knows when she will be able to afford it!

Well, that's all the new stuff there is; told you it wasn't much. As for future stuff, Sissy and Hannah will be coming out for a visit the last week of August, then I will be going back to Portland with them to stay for a week. I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!! So is Sissy and Hannah. They will be coming out by Amtrak, and neither of them has ever traveled by train. I have taken the train from Portland to California several times, and I just love it. I cannot wait to see them!!!

Well, ta-ta for now.