thelifelist
A forum for exchanging lists of things you'd like to have done before you die.

ljsecret
Share a secret through the means of art, under complete anonymity.

mourning_souls
A community for cemetery photographers, dark poets and anyone else who appreciates and admires the beauty of cemeteries.

Account Structure Update
Back by popular demand, Basic Accounts will be available to all users again by the end of the (northern hemisphere) summer. More information on the decision-making process and proposals relating to the future of Basic Accounts are in lj_2008.

New Themes
Two attractive and all-new Flexible Squares themes, "Circular" and "Circular Brown" are now available.


L to R: Circular and Brown

New V-Gifts
Give someone you care about the gift of enticement. With the new Chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream, Tea, Coffee, Curry and Sushi v-gifts, all the significant people in your life will be able to share in the longing for the tasty edibles below. Plus, it reminds loved ones you think they're really sweet, really savory or just plain satisfying.


L to R: Chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream, Tea, Coffee, Curry and Sushi

Ж-Men...but not the ones you might expect!
This week LJ Russia launched Ж-Men, a new comedy series about superheroes, inspired by the LJ communities dedicated to superheros, comics and cartoons. The title's "Ж" comes from ЖЖ, the nickname for LiveJournal in Russia.

Ж-Men's script is written by a group of LJ enthusiasts who also happen to be television professionals. Who knew? Following the premiere, five more episodes will be broadcast over the next two weeks. We hope you find the series fresh and enjoyable.

This is, of course, an experiment for LiveJournal. As always, we'd love to hear what you think!

I am so stressed out. I'm running a day at the race track , and it seems like every person I've been counting on to assist me keep trying to go over my head and around me to make decisions for the event. I finally got pissed off and sent them all an email last night stating that all decisions go through me and all communication with the track management goes through me and me only. Argh.

My personal life is not going the way I'd like it to either. I am so tired in so many ways, and all I want in the world is the comfort of curling up in his arms, but he won't have any of that. I'm so tired of being strong, of taking care of me all the time, of being wary and mistrustful. I would give almost anything to be back in that comfortable warm place of security and safety that our relationship was at one time. I've had some long talks with another friend lately, realized that some of the things I thought were fine and acceptable aren't to a lot of people. A light bulb went on for me, but I fear that it happened too late.

I'm just SO tired. My dream of peace and recharge right now involves me, him, the M3, an empty road, and no telephone. I don't care where the road goes, as long as we're on it. I would bail on the divisional this weekend if I could get that. Unfortunately, this is a very, very, very highly unlikely scenario.

linebyline
A writing prompt where members respond to single phrases and use them in their posts.

plants
A community for green thumbs, botany enthusiasts and lovers of plant life.

mst3k
The LiveJournal destination for Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans.

I should have updated in a new post, and my apologies for those who might have wanted an update they didn't have to search for in the comments of the last post!

Zoey ended up spending the night at the emergency clinic for observation. There was the fear that even though she regained some color after we arrived at the vet and seemed to have rebounded from the shock, the heartworm that apparently broke loose could still cause a pulmonary embolism later in the night as it reached a point of blocking an artery. I wanted her to have every chance at recovery if this did happen, so she stayed there. They did xrays to see how extensive the heartworm infestation was and to locate any clots, bloodwork to look for clotting agents (would have indicated the beginnings of a PE), started her on steroids, and started another round of antibiotics. She did well through the night with no further concerns, so I picked her up about 11 the next morning. The total vet bill would have been $775, but because the rescue pays for it, it was discounted to $550. Still a very hefty chunk of change for a nonprofit to cover, even after the discount... I'm glad I've donated some money from some recent sales to help cover it.

So Zoey is spending a lot of time in her crate now. She's such a calm, clingy dog that I hate to do it, but I'm afraid that she might get a wild hair up her wazoo and decide to go into another "happy spasm" (she spins in circles when she's really happy). Aside from her spasms that she gets when someone new is here, she is otherwise very very sedate, so it really makes me sad to have to crate her. I've spent a lot of time working in my beanbag chair, next to the crate, so she won't feel so lonely. She's easily spending 15 hours a day in there now (I do let her sleep in my room with the door closed to limit her mobility around the house).

4 more weeks of this. Poor baby.

I have always prided myself on learning how to do stuff around the house and taking care of things without having to call anyone. This one is going to beat me though.

I have a clog in the tub, again. Thanks to the mass migration of my hair out of my head and into the drain, this is becoming more and more of a problem. The last time, my landlord's ranch hand came out and using an auger, cleared the clog. It clogged again during my shower today and the mere thought of calling him to come all the way up here to do it again was enough to make me want to call a plumber and never tell them what happened. But then I thought to myself that I had watched him do this... it can't be that hard.

So I went to Home Depot and bought an auger. I have spent quite some time since then trying to use it to clear the clog, with no success. Perhaps there is a trick to it that I don't understand? All I know right now is that the drain still doesn't work properly and my ever so slightly arthritic hands HURT, to the point that my planned, deserved trip to the gym may well be scuttled.

Which leads me to my next point/request: I hate getting beaten by something so simple, but clearly this is not something I've mastered competency on. Would any of you guys mind coming over to fix it for me? There is beer, food, gratitude, and the joy of knowing that you rescued a damsel in distress in it for you. Please?

Note to fellow slaves to the sweet tooth: when you see the Delta Blues Blue Bell ice cream at the store, no matter how much it calls to you, DO NOT buy it. The 6 1/2 miles that I ran last night still doesn't feel like enough penance for how much of that ice cream I ate today.