I still live alone, so am apt to go for the "hmm, cheese and an apple? And then some pita chips? Ooh, and ice cream to round it off, that's totes healthy balanced meal right?"

I follow Hec's meal plan most of the time. Stock up the freezer with frozen meals I like, grab one, no decisioning necessary.

I've considered making a wheel o dinner, maybe with darts. Spin the wheel, and it tells you what's for dinner. Burrito? Pasta? Beans and Rice? Quesadilla? Quinoa pilaf? Soup? Kettle Corn? Brownies?

Unless you don't like that choice or don't have the ingredients, then you spin again. Right now i'm stuck on the sofa and incapable of complex preparation. Last night was quesadilla with fake cheese, black beans, and guac. Tonight may just be a repeat since the guac won't last.

IoMeN, apparently after the ambien and vicodin cocktail fails to cut it for sleep, the next step in the progression of "please for the love of everything holy just knock me out and let me sleep and i'd prefer to not have a concussion in the morning but i'm looking at that rubber mallet with sincere interest right now...." is valium. Huh, that hadn't even occured to me. So that's waiting in a pill bottle. And in 'faint glimmer of hope" the lady-PT found a series of nasty trigger points in my abdomen which are linked to a 'pseudo visceral pain' phemonenon. I've never in my life been so happy to hear the word "pseudo." Yes, i'd very much like to hope that this is not intractable visceral pain but some pseudo visceral pain that can be beaten back with some painful triggger point work. I'm fully signed up for that plan of action. *Fingers crossed*

Ugh. I have a thing I need to put somewhere...and then I'll follow up with a good thing.

If you are bored to tears by the dog bite saga, feel free to skippity-do-da.

So, I've felt pretty fortunate that I have not run into the former friend after sending my final email to her some weeks ago. I saw her at a distance once and was able to change course. It felt pretty good that I spent no time ruminating. I just said, "Plot Twist" and carried on.

This morning, I was in the front yard with Cagney and his new girlfriend. (Her name is Earlene Sue and her daddies put a double strand of pearls on her at the weekend. She's gorgeous and we see her twice a day.)

I have a very early client on the first Thursday of each month, so it was at time when I am not normally out.

I glance across the street to see the top of former friend's head, clearly walking her dogs. I just turned around and leaned on the fence, not wanting to catch her eye.

Suddenly, the former friend and her older dog, who is a special favorite of mine, are in my peripheral vision. They have CROSSED to my driveway and are meandering down my side of the block...for no other reason than the dog is in a full cast up to her hip on her right rear leg.

This action was deliberate. The ff knows how much I love that dog...I even mentioned it specifically in my final email...so she crossed so that I could see the cast and then dawdled so I would be sure to see the limp and whatever.

Now, my heart is aching for Pony and I'm furious with this manipulative woman all over again.

If I don't reach out over what is clearly a serious accident/injury, I'm a heartless bitch. If I do I'm certain ff will use it as an excuse for why she hasn't followed through on her promise to help with my medical bill...or whatever.

I could just scream.

If I don't reach out over what is clearly a serious accident/injury, I'm a heartless bitch.

No, you are NOT. Fuck her. Her disregard for your injury pretty much proved who the heartless bitch is, and, again, it's NOT you.

You can have sympathy for her dog, but fuck her. Fuck reaching out to her. Hell no. She's continuing to manipulate you, and you deserve to give it zero attention. Take care of YOU.

Now the good thing...the folks on my facebook page have seen this video by Shawn Achor, a Harvard neuro-scientist speaking about simple ways to increase your day to day happiness.

I share it now because, despite it's 12 minute length, I've seen it a half dozen times and crack up more with each viewing. He's a hoot!

You can have sympathy for her dog, but fuck her. Fuck reaching out to her. Hell no. She's continuing to manipulate you, and you deserve to give it zero attention. Take care of YOU.

Aw. Thanks Steph. I know you are right but my stomach is roiling. Bartleby _loved_ Pony and so do I. My eyes are stinging with tears wanting to do something for her. But I can't imagine that turning out even remotely well and I'm sick about it.

She is clearly just an awful, awful person. Jesus. I can't even. Lord knows I understand being an inadvertent asshole, but the levels of deliberate assholery this woman displays is just mind-boggling.

Some people are just gross. I'm sorry.

My eyes are stinging with tears wanting to do something for her. But I can't imagine that turning out even remotely well and I'm sick about it.

I'm sorry that this is upsetting for you. You're a wonderfully compassionate, loving person, and it sucks that Pony has an injury. Poor pooch. I think that if you send loving thoughts to him, that will be enough. You don't need to bring more upset upon yourself by dealing with his manipulative, crappy human.

What possible answer could you get from reachinnout about the dogs injury that would help? None. It's much MUCH more likely shell tell you some tale of woe that is awful and horrible and upsets you even further. Don't do it.