Monday, October 31, 2011

Boo!

Happy Halloween!

This is an old picture - back from before digital cameras and crazy poodles were in our lives.

Today is my favorite holiday - it's all about gluttony and greed!  Actually, to me, it's all about watching and enjoying the excitement in kids' eyes.  I'm not all that much of a kid person, but I do really enjoy watching their faces when they come to my door.  I, and many of my neighbours, like to get into the spirit of things.  Many decorate their houses, and most of us are known to give out a fair bit of loot.  That, and the fact that we're in a fairly large close (read - safe) near a whack of schools has meant that we've expanded from 30 some odd kids the first year that I lived here to about 150.

Which, I've got to admit, can be felt in the pocket book.  I shopped around some, but ended up trying something new this year.  Normally, I give out a bag of chips and two small chocolate bars to each kid.  But, the chips and bars are getting smaller and the prices are going up.  What used to be a generous serving seems pretty puny to me, and it costs about a buck a pop.  So, when I compared prices and realized that it wasn't any more expensive to buy full-sized chocolate bars at Costco, that's what I did.  I now have a pile of 150 chocolate bars in my front foyer.

Please, God, don't let this be the year that I only get 12 kids.

Some people are all scroogey about Halloween.  They resent having the kids tromping across their lawn and knocking on their doors.  Me?  I'd prefer that they stay off of the lawn, and I'll be quick to tell them to get the heck out of my gardens.  But, with all the bad things that kids could be up to lately, if they want to come to my door and ask for candy once a year, I say that they are welcome.


Friday, October 28, 2011

In Recovery







Winter had his teeth cleaned today.  They were looking pretty bad - enough that we figured a few would need to be pulled.  We got lucky, though.  It it turns out that his mouth was in pretty good shape for a guy who hasn't brushed his teeth for 12 years.

He was some pissed off when he got home.  I had to lock up the dogs for their own safety.  But, he eventually went to have a good long nap and now he seems to be on the mend.  I suspect that by the time he washes off all the vet cooties, he'll be back to his old self.

Until then, he's not in the mood to pose for the camera.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Area Rug Angst

Apparently, my dogs read the Zadge's blog.  Harry has taught one of them bad habits from a distance.

A few months ago, I went to Edmonton for the day.  When I came home, I noticed a distinct doggy (urine) smell in the living room.  I couldn't find any puddles, but figured it must have come from the area rug.  I tried all sorts of ways to clean it, but the smell didn't go away.

A few weeks later, I rolled it up and removed it from the room. The smell was gone, so my next step was to take the rug to a company that specializes in cleaning area rugs.  They said they'd use a black light to find the stain and get it cleaned.  Worst case scenario, the entire rug would have been peed on and it would cost $300 to clean.

One. Month. Later.  They called me (after I've called them multiple times) to say that the owner of the business - who apparently has a bionic nose - had sniffed my rug, and he didn't smell anything.  They could clean it for me for $100, which wouldn't help with any urine enzymes, or if I was really worried about the smell, they could do the full $300 clean.  When I asked about the black light to find any spots, they said it would take another month or two before they could do that - and then they'd still need to clean it

I thought of tossing the rug, but it cost me over $800.  Replacing it with a cut of basic bound carpet would cost $500.  I'm not spending a lot of money on a new rug when I've got an old dog who is losing control of his bladder.  And, not having a rug isn't an option I like either.

Needless to say, I'll be picking up my rug tomorrow.  I called a friend who has a carpet cleaner, and I'm going to use that.

Probably should have done that in the first place.


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

How to Freak Out Your Roommate

The girls and I ended up talking about dreams last night, and how some people remember them when they wake up, or some people can figure out mid-nightmare that they are dreaming and turn things around.  Me?  I can't usually remember my dreams.  Nor can I tell that I'm dreaming when it's happening.

Actually, I used to have a bit of a problem with waking up, not realizing that my dream is over and then acting on it.

Case in point:  I will probably never live down the time that I scared the snot out of my roommate.  I used to live in this old historical house in Downtown Edmonton.  I shared it with two guys and another girl.  Two of them were frequently away, but the one guy almost never left.  His name was Marcel.  Marcel was, to put it nicely, a very lazy guy.    He did not help out with house work.  He didn't cook, and he certainly didn't do dishes.  He mooched our food, let us do the dishes and thought nothing of letting the others clean up after him wherever he went.  It was a problem.

So, when I had a dream one night that there were a treasure in our house, it should come as no surprise that everybody in my dream helped out with the search but Marcel.  I don't remember the specifics, but in my dream we had been informed that a large pile of money had been hidden somewhere in the nooks and crannies of the house.  The two roommates who were rarely home and I started a thorough search in an effort to find it, but Marcel did nothing.

That was the dream.  It ended when I woke up at some point around 2:00am.  I didn't realize that it was a dream, though, so I continued to act it out.  I got out of bed, went to the door of my room and opened it up.  I called out in a whisper "Marcel.  Marcel!" until he woke up and came out of his room.

The exact moment when Marcel opened his door was when I realized - in real life - that I was wearing the ugliest pajamas on earth, and that I shouldn't let Marcel see me like that.  So, I slammed my door closed.  Marcel called after me, wanting to know why I'd woken him up.  Still on a mission to find the money but not wanting him to see the hideous sleepwear, I opened my door a crack.  I whispered urgently "Check the house!" before closing the door, going back to bed and falling into a deep sleep.

Not being in on the dream, Marcel had no idea that I was chewing him out for not assisting with the search for the treasure.  No.  He thought I'd heard noises and wanted him to check the house for prowlers.  And amazingly enough, he did.  Even better, when he got to the back foyer, he realized that the door was unlocked.

Marcel got zero sleep for the rest of the night.  I slept like a baby with the knowledge that I'd finally convinced him to step up and help around the house.  And that, folks, is a most excellent way to screw with your roommate's head.  And probably another one of many reasons why I should live alone.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Sheets

I'm all for quality sheets. In the summer I like 600+ percale sheets, but there's something to be said for flannel in the winter. When the temperature drops, nothing makes you sleep better than warm flannel sheets.






Even when the idiot with the camera won't stop with the flash.

Roller Derby Recap

Last night was an adventure.  I was invited by an old friend from Edmonton who has recently moved to town to join a group of her friends to go to roller derby.  Before we went to the roller derby, we met at one of their houses for a finger food pot luck, and then we took the party bus to the event.

I ended up bringing another friend along with me, (which was a really good choice, if for no other reason than the fact that she brought homemade ice cream balls dipped in chocolate to the pot luck).  It was funny, because there were only nine of us that got together.  When my friend Michele and I arrived and were introduced to the others, one of the guys and Michele started eyeballing each other like they'd met before.  It turns out that they both used to live in Grande Prairie.  He was a car salesman up north, and he sold her the SUV that she drives now.    We just finished laughing over what a small world it is when another lady arrived, and it turns out that I know her.   We both work at the hospital, and were in the same office until last year.

The pot luck was great.  Everybody brought something yummy, and I'm not ashamed to say that the food there (including the dishes brought by the men) was better than a lot of the food that's often served at my cooking club events.    This was a group of gourmands.  Where cooking club can sometimes focus a little too much on speed and convenience, this food was made to impress.  There were ham an pineapple potato skins, blue cheese guacamole amuse-bouch, three different flavours of the ice cream balls mentioned above, meatballs in a spicy mustard sauce and homemade crackers with a selection of dips that were amazing.  The food was so good, my bacon wrapped jalapeƱo poppers almost seemed a little pedestrian by comparison.

After an hour or so, we all loaded into the party bus.  I can see the draw of party buses, in the sense that it's convenient and a much better choice over DUIs, but it was kind of a non-event.  The windows are blacked, so it's really dark.  The music was loud.  The stripper poles had been removed.  And, probably more importantly, we only about about 10 blocks to go.  We got in, we laughed a few times, we got off.

Roller Derby is confusing.  They skated around this really tight circle, almost as small as my living room.   The goal was for the skater at the back of the crowd to push her way to the front of the crowd, and then lap them.  There's one girl for each team that does this, and the rest of the team focuses on blocking the other team's way.  There were almost as many participants and refs as there were audience members, so we spent a good half of the night figuring out who is who and which team we were supposed to cheer for.  Roller Derby, I think it's safe to say, is not my thing.  Although, the inappropriate comments from the people around me were pretty funny (which may be the point of the whole thing).  Also, the costumes and the skaters' names were entertaining too.

There were also a few merchants set up on the outskirts of the arena.  I figured "when in Rome" and had a look... and ended up picking up a couple of groany glow in the dark bug necklaces for the nephews.  From a guy with a mohawk, no less.

We couldn't get the party bus home, so we grabbed a couple of cabs.  We had the cabbie crank "Black Betty" on the radio and pretended that his mini-van was a party bus.  We gave him a good tip, and headed back into the house to drink, eat and tell stories.

So, it was a fun night.  Good food, lots of drinking (Note to self - jello shots taste good but sneak up on you faster than you think.) and great company.  There are already plans for us to get together again, but I suspect that it'll be a while before we go back to the derby.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Random Friday

There was freezing freaking rain last night.  When we woke up the deck (and new stairs) were covered in a layer of wet ice.  Tallulah fell ass over tea kettle down the stairs, and then wiped out and cracked her noggin on the way up.  I think she's OK, but it was pretty scary for both of us.  In an effort to avoid future injuries, I ran out at lunch and bought 15 yards of non-slip tape for the stairs.

Did I mention that I ended up buying the Tallulah Painting?  I did, and I'm pretty happy about it, if somewhat stressed about the money.  When I finally made up my mind and contacted the artist, she gave me a "collector's" discount and offered to let me set up a payment plan.

Tomorrow night I am stepping completely out of my comfort zone.    I agreed to go with a friend and a group of her friends (none of whom I've met) to watch roller derby.  Like that Drew Barrymore Movie.  We're taking a party bus to the event, which is something that I'm really not looking forward to at all.  So, why would I agree to do something that is so far out of my element, you'd ask?   For a guy.  My friend thought it would be fun to set us up, and from what I hear, he sounds very much like the kind of guy I'd like to meet.  She's the one that wants to go to roller derby.  Apparently this is outside of both his and my comfort zones, but she can be pretty convincing.  Except, I was sure she said this was happening on the 20th, which was a Thursday.   I was stressed out about the party bus part of things, and then having to get up at 5am the next day for work so I bowed out earlier in the week.  By the time we figured out that we're actually going on a Saturday and not a Thursday, he made other plans; so now I have to go on this crazy night all for nothing.   But, who knows?  Maybe I'll be surprised and it'll be fun.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Insurance Companies are Omniscient

Summary of an email string between the insurance lady and I today:

Me:
I received the first cheque for $X today.  Thank you! Unfortunately, it did not come with an explanation for how this amount was reached.  So far, I've sent you four receipts:

  1. Receipt 1 for $_______
  2. Receipt 2 for $_______ 
  3. Receipt 3 for $_______
  4. Receipt 4 for $_______

No matter how I add up these items, or combinations of some of these items, I don't come to $X.  Can you please break it down for me to explain what this cheque was intended to cover?  


Insurance Lady:
Hi, Janice,    That was for the receipts you submitted.





The mystery has been solved, people. You can all relax now.



Monday, October 17, 2011

An observation

Sitting on a balance ball while you work on a computer is good for your core.

Sitting on a balance ball while a cat perches on your lap and you try to reach around him to work on a computer is even better for your core.  And it's probably good for his core too, not that he cares.

I'm going to feel this in the morning.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

New Old Desk

Working from home as presented to me a new problem.  My work computer and monitors have taken over the desk, so my personal computer has had to move to the kitchen.

I hate having the Mac on the kitchen counter.  I can't comfortably sit there, and the mouse and the keyboard keep getting gummed up with cat hair and kibble crumbs.  (Winter's feeing station is directly above the computer.)

I've been looking for a small desk to use, without much luck.  Either they are too big, or their prices are too high.  I thought I was going to have to keep the computer in the kitchen for a while, but yesterday I had an idea.

Yesterday was Dump Day.  When my parents moved about a year ago, I took a lot of their stuff that was otherwise headed for the dump.  Over the last year, I've given away or sold most if the stuff, but not all.  I asked my dad to come over and haul the few left overs to the dump, and that's when we found an old iron table base again, hidden in the back corner of the garage.  I'm not sure where it came from, but I suspect that it used to be at my great-grandfather's farm.

It's been painted many, many times.  Paint chips were flaking off and rust was starting to show in a few places.  I washed and sanded it down, and then sprayed it black with a can of paint.

I forgot to take the before picture.  It used to be white.  

I thought of stripping off all the previous layers of paint, but the truth is, I suspect that this is so old, the paint may be holding it together.  And, I kind of like the idea of keeping the existing lumps and bumps, and celebrating its age.  Especially if I can find the top I'm thinking of.

Depending on the price, I'm hoping to get an end cut of granite or corian for the table table top.  (Something small - max 2x3'.)  Or if that's too expensive, maybe I'll sand and varnish a nice piece of wood.  Either way, I'm hoping to have a new computer desk soon.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Ladybugs

This is where I reiterate my desire for a macro lens.

Or castigate myself for being too lazy to go inside and get the telephoto lens.


I love ladybugs.  I don't know why, because I generally dislike bugs.  But, ladybugs make me happy.  I get excited every fall when the congregate in the yard.  This year, they're hear in groves.  There are thousands of them, everywhere you look.








This one was an oops shot.    The sun was coming down, and the flash didn't go off, so all I got was a silhouette.  Even so, can you count the lady bugs?  I don't know if I can find them all, but I took that shot because there was at least 15 in that plant.

 





Friday, October 14, 2011

To cut, or not to cut

So, I'm 38.  It's starting to occur to me that I'm not a spring chicken and I'm making some changes to accommodate..   I sometimes rule out clothing  that I might otherwise like because it's maybe not so age appropriate.  That hasn't been a hardship, but now I'm wondering if my hairstyle might be a little young for me too.

My hair is getting pretty long.  It's just about down to the bottom of my shoulder blades.  It's very thick and pretty wavy, so it's got a bit of a life of it's own.  I stopped wearing it down about 6" ago, when I started to feel  like Medusa whenever my hair was loose.

I read something a while ago about braids and messy buns being in style, and so I embraced them.  Lately, my hair is either in a long braid down my back or in a bun (with a few loose tendrils at the front that don't like to be contained) .  If it's a weekend or I'm doing something casual, it's a pretty messy, loose bun or a simple braid down the back.  If I'm somewhere more formal, it's a less messy, less loose bun or a french braid down the back.  Or, sometimes I twist it up the back and let 6-8 inches hang loose over the top.

I've thought of cutting it, but other than the effort that goes into washing it all, or the length of time that it takes to dry, this is the easiest hairstyle I've ever had.  It doesn't get easier than this, other than super-short hair (which doesn't suit my face).  But, I don't want to be one of those women who looks like she's still trying to pass as a high school student.

So, what do you think.  Should I cut it off, or let it grow?


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

I can't afford

This painting.

And somehow, I can't stand letting it go.  I have never in my life spent this much money on art.  And yet, this is a once in a life time purchase that I can't go back and buy later if I don't do it now.

I'm scheming.   Although there is a refund on the way for the computer equipment that I bought, the insurance claim in general has not be processed.  I'm expecting a substantial cheque... eventually.  Here's the thing, though - I get replacement value on the items that were lost.  The insurance lady told me that I would get a cash settlement for the smaller items, but would have to go out and buy the larger items and produce receipts to get any money back for them.  I don't know what they consider smaller items or larger items.  Come to think of it, I don't trust the insurance company, period.  (They're in business to make money, after all, not give it away.  No doubt that they'll be looking for any means possible to reduce my claim.)

If you're having to scheme to come up with money that you haven't yet received (aren't sure that you'll get), then you probably shouldn't spend it, eh?

But, most of the items that were in the basement were down there because I don't use them.  If I used some of the cash settlement to buy an original painting of my dog, would that be a bad thing?

I just sent an email to the artist, asking her to please wait a day or two for me to fight with my conscience before she sells the painting.  I can't imagine finally deciding that I'll buy it, only to find that it's already sold.




Monday, October 10, 2011

Success!

The stairs finally went today, after much preparation and delay.

We took a break between getting the stairs up and adding the bannister, and tested them to see what the dogs thought.

Cotton hates changes.  HATES it, so it'll be an adjustment for a while.  The first time down, he needed some assistance from my dad at the top while I cheered him on from below.







Tallulah wasn't thrilled the first time down, but seemed to love how easy they were for her to run up.  As soon as she got to the top, she turned around and went back down so that she could run up them again.






Cotton's still objects quite strongly to going up the stairs, which is the main purpose for the upgrade... to make them easier for him.   It's the change that he objects to, though, not the stairs.  I know, because if I put him on the first or second step, he finds his way to the top pretty quickly.


  Flying puppy!


Later, after we finished, I tried bribing him with cookies to see if he'd start the stairs on his own.

Maybe mind control will bring the cookie to me?

Nah, you better come get me.

I am sorry to report that at his point, he's willing to wait longer than I am.  I know it'll come eventually, but dangit, I worked hard today!  I just wanted to go in and put my feet up, so I went down and got him.

I'm going to order some glow in the dark non-slip tape  for the stairs.  I'm hoping those will help him even more.



PS -  If you're on Facebook, look up  Kimberly Kelly Santini - she's painting a portrait of Tallulah from a photo that I took, and has the in progress shots posted there.  Or, the finished piece is HERE on her blog.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Long Weekend Ramble


  • Today was the sad day that I packed up all my sandals and open toed shoes, and pulled out the cold weather - I can wear socks under these - shoes.
  • I came upon a woman this afternoon who was standing in the rain beside her car and madly waving me down.  When I stopped, she explained that she'd locked her purse and keys in her vehicle, and asked me to call her husband for her.  I did.  After she got off the call, she offered me money.  Who would think that a payment would be required for something as simple as that?
  • As much as I love the Nest Chair, it occurred to me today that a day bed might be the more responsible choice.
  • I am somebody who always runs a little cold, and I'm very sensitive to the temperature.  If it drops even a degree or two in the house, I know.  I wish I could be one of those people who could keep their house at 18C all the time, but I can't.  It doesn't matter how many layers I wear, I can't stop shivering at anything less than 21C (Room Temperature).  
  • It's been cold outside lately, about 10C most days.  All week this week, I've been FreezingCold.  I keep checking the thermostat to confirm that the temp was at 21C, which it is, but it's been so bad that I've been giving serious thought to wearing a toque and some mitts.  I can't decide if I've been that cold because of the drop in the weather outside, or if the new spray foam insulation isn't working.  I hope it's the weather, and the cold is all in my head.  If the thermostat says 21C, then it wouldn't be the insulation, would it?
  • Today, I went up the chain with the insurance company.  I talked to four people in Quebec, a lady in Ottawa, somebody in Calgary and then a very nice lady in in Vancouver.  She promised to look into my concerns and call me back, which she did.  She can't promise me how long it'll take to process my claim, but she did track down a copy of the receipt from when I bought the computer equipment to work from home (which is replacing items destroyed in the flood.)  She promised me that I'd have a cheque in 7-10 days.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Let's Talk TV

I have a slight addiction to tv, so the beginning of the new season and the introduction of new shows is pretty exciting for me.  A few weeks ago, I spent about 2 hours, rejigging the schedule on my PVR to record all my old favorites, plus to try the new shows too.  Since I can have only basic cable and can record only two shows at once, this was no easy feat.

First, the new shows:


  • I called Crap on Charlie's Angels, right out of the gate.  It took 30 second or less for me to rule it out.
  • The Playboy Club was also quick to be ruled out.  I like looking at LeAnn Rimes' guy, so I may have given it a few more minutes.  Either way, I had no choice but to eventually call Crap on it too.
  • I didn't even bother to watch Whitney.  I'm not a big fan of sitcoms with canned laughter, and this one seemed like junk.
  • I don't think Ringer will last.  The premier wasn't bad, but the following shows weren't so good.
  • Revenge is iffy.  I can't decide if I like it.
  • Pan Am is too slow.  I find it a little boring, actually.
  • Free Agents is the only new sitcom that I bothered to watch, and only because I have a secret crush on Hank Azaria.  It's not doing much for me, though, so I think I'm going to rule it out.
  • I don't think A Gifted Man will last.  It's OK, in a so-so way, but I think it'll get cancelled.
  • Person of Interest is good.  I like the twists and turns.  Although, I can't decide if the main character is extremely attractive or ugly as sin.
  • Unforgettable is good too, in a formulaic way.  I hope it lasts.  (I was a big fan of Without a Trace)
  • I like Prime Suspect.  So far, it's good.  I didn't see the original, so I can't make comparisons.


Returning Shows haven't Impressed me so much.



  • I can't watch Dancing with the Stars anymore.   Not even for Maksim.
  • Glee, which I loved during the first season, has been getting steadily worse.  I don't think I'll watch it anymore.
  • The Mentalist has been deleted out of the PVR Schedule.  I don't enjoy watching a rude and lazy guy manipulate people that way.
  • The big surprise to me is that lately Criminal Minds has been too disturbing.  This has been my favorite show for years, so that's kind of upsetting.  They're taking a darker approach this year, and I'm finding that I'm anxious for the show to be over.
  • Castle's iffy.  It seems a little too formulated, to the point that the episodes start to blend together.
  • Grey's is still the same.  I'll probably stick with it for now.
  • I thought I was going to have to give up Law and Order, SVU without Christopher Meloni, but so far I'm liking his replacements.  I liked that guy in Cold Case, and the woman who was in Chase last year before it was cancelled.
  • I'm still sticking with Flashpoint, which is a Canadian show.  It's not great, but it's entertaining.
  • I still love the Good Wife.  Long live the strong and accomplished woman.

I think that's it.  It appears that I'll be cutting back on tv this year.  I hope I can find some great books to replace them.







Monday, October 3, 2011

Stage One

I'd like to show you my new library, but this is a very slow process.  The insurance company hasn't processed my claim yet, and they're choosing not to return my calls, so I'm at the planning stage.

In the decision about the chairs, I was leaning towards the Nest Chair, but still waffling a little bit.  That is, until I found Winter a nest chair of his own.

  At the drug store, no less.  On sale, for 40% off.

And so, because I'm so easily swayed by pet decor, I've decided to go with the Nest Chair.  I'm thinking of something in a deep red, or olive green to best show off my angora cat's white hair.
(Please God, let me come to my senses between now and when the insurance claim is processed.)


I already had pet portraits in the room, but thanks to some assistance from the Zadge, I have a new addition:
It's still on the floor because I'm waiting until the room is furnished before I hang it up.


Since I'm going to turn the room into a library, I've been looking at shelving.  I'm thinking of something about 40" high, almost all the way around the room.  I really like cubbies, but am worried that some items or books won't fit into a 12" by 12" square.  So, right now, I'm thinking of making something myself... something that's a mix between this:

The second picture came from Ana White.com, where she has free patterns for DIY Furniture.    I'll probably make a few variations of this, to work in both cubbies and shelves, but three layers high.  

So, those are the plans.  I'm raring to go, but am waiting for the insurance company.  If anybody knows how to light a fire under them, I'd sure appreciate some ideas.   Until then, the front room of my house is empty, taunting me with ideas.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Shrinkage

I bought some pj's last week.  I struggle to get pj bottoms that are long enough, so often end up wearing men's pyjamas... and then struggle with covering up the open fly.   I paid extra to get these at a specialty shop, but told myself it was worth it to have some feminine pj's that are long enough.  They fit in the dressing room, but this is what happened when I washed them in cold and hanged them to dry.


Being tall sucks.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

I should buy a lottery ticket

It seems that I'm on the gov't statistical radar lately.

A few months ago, my  name was randomly drawn for a census of sorts.  I received a letter from the federal gov't, stating that I'd soon receive a visit from one of their own who would be asking me questions about my employment.  I was legally required to answer those questions truthfully then, and during the next four monthly followup calls as well.  I guess it hasn't been too horrible; I just have to answer a bunch of silly questions, like if I've changed jobs, taken any vacation or sick time or what shade of blue my socks were on Tuesday.

I'm not sure that I understand the benefit of collecting this information, but that's fine. There's only one more of these calls coming in, so everything will go back to normal... nobody will care about the details of my job but me.

Except, I picked up the mail today, and saw that I had a letter from the Health department in the Provincial gov't.  My name has been randomly drawn again.  This time, I've been chosen as a lab rat of sorts, wherein the gov't will be gathering any and all data collected regarding any cervical cancer screening that I have done over the next three years.

They sent two pages of info about cervical cancer, its prevention and the importance of regular testing.   I understand the purpose of the study, but can't say that I agree with their tactics.  Apparently, I don't have to answer any questions or take calls; they'll just snag the info directly the labs and dr's offices that I visit.

If I don't wish to take part in this study, I've been instructed to contact my family doctor so that they can explain the importance of cervical cancer screening.  That's the only option provided.   No where in those two pages does it provide me with a way to opt out of this study.    Except, there's a catch: I wouldn't couldn't participate, even if I wanted to.

As of last March, I no longer have the necessary parts.  So, the gov't is not just going to invade my privacy, they're doing it all for nothing.  That's our tax dollars at work, folks.     It makes me so proud.