Wednesday, not feeling well, new meds

So Wednesday I got up around 930am. A trifle early for me and to be honest I was still second guessing as to whether I really wanted to go to the meeting I had scheduled. I knew I wasnt feeling 100%, and really wasnt sure I really wanted that job in the first place, but I figured I'd better keep the appointment anyhow...even if I end up turning it down in the long run. The Payless that I was headed to isnt an overly small store and doesnt seem to be too crowded at any given time anyhow. The store I interviewed at on Monday was crowded behind the counter where I'd be located and I just know it wont be a good fit. It's just too damn claustrophobic in there. When I had gone for that interview, there had been 8 people behind the counter processing books. No way I could handle that. Im really kind of thankful they havent called me back yet. Anyhow, I digress....

Wednesday I got up and got going. I was out the door about 10:05am or so. I got to the store and met up with the manager there. She got me set up on the computer to fill out this survey of some kind...one of those personality assessments that all jobs give you now adays (something to make sure ya aint gonna go all postal on them right away I suppose..). The backroom was a smidge draftier than I care for and of course my allergy meds all kicked in while I was back there so I wasnt the least bit comfortable. I finished up the computer work in about 45 minutes. I talked with the manager and she'd said something about the home office having to review it. I had seen on the computer that if it had been 7 days and I heard nothing, it simply meant they were considering other people. So no, I didnt have an answer by the time I left. While I was out, I decided to take another step and not return home right away. I decided to see if I could make it easily to the next strip mall so I headed off down the road some. I have decided that I can, indeed, make it that distance but it'll mean at least a 20 minutes walk to get there AND I'm liable to be a little sore afterwards so I'll give myself an hour so I can rest a bit when I get to that mall. There's only one store over there that I'd be willing to work for though and as they were one of the first I applied to (before McKays and the mall right behind me) I figure it's not likely they need someone right now. Any other mall may require a cab ride simply because I am completely out of shape for a walk of the required distance. Im going to try again in a couple day's time though, when I feel better, just to see if I cant push through to the next strip mall.

When I got home, I wasnt feeling so hot. I figured it was just because of the extra exertion so I sat down at my computer to play my Plant Tycoon game (man I love that game, I can have it running anytime and still get stuff done so I really dont feel guilty getting some play time in while I work). Next thing I know, I fell asleep...not once, not twice but 3 times (each time my snoring woke me up). I ended up going back in to bed around 1pm or so. The body must have been tired because I crashed and dont remember anything until well after 3pm. Damn. I spent most of the evening running a fever...I know because everytime I have one it feels like it's radiating right out of my bones and my face was hot to the touch. The thermometer told me I had a fever for me...just not one anyone ELSE would consider a fever. *sigh* Looks like the amoxil wasnt working. I sat filling out more applications in an effort to keep my mind off it.

Thursday, both hubby and I woke up and neither of us was feeling good at all. I'd rate me about a 75% and falling while I think he was closer to a 60% and dropping. He went to work and I finished filling out the apps from the night before. No, I didnt get alot done...just 3 total...but they were print copies and not the online forms....so I had to take my time and make sure the writing was neat enough (my hands get tired fast and the more tired they are, the sloppier my writing gets). So far all in all I've sent out (online was well as hard copies) 15 applications at this this (as of Thursday evening). My left ear had been hurting the last couple days but by Thursday it started itching. It felt like if I took a knitting needle and shoved in the ear, I just *might* be able to reach the itch. Hubby came home early Thursday...around 11pm or so. Yeah, he really wasnt feeling well. I think he made it to bed shortly after midnight or so. As for me, even though I wasnt 100% (shit I wasnt even 70% at this point) I still wasnt tired so I stayed up for a bit. I remembered that the doctor's office has everything online, so I signed into my medical file and dropped the doctor a note. I let him know that I'd been on my meds for 7 days now and there was no improvement. If anything, I felt worse. I found a few more apps online so I got 3 more filled out (total of 18 or so now) and then I got to bed around 430 or 5am.

Friday morning I was woken up roughly 1130....the doctor's office. The nurse wanted to get some more details from me about how I was feeling. Of course, I sounded a whole lot worse because I needed my morning medicines...lol. By the time I was done with the doctor's office, I was just awake enough to make it impossible to go back to sleep. *sigh*. By 130 pm or so the dr called and we had a discussion on how I was feeling. He said the Amoxil should have worked but since it didnt he was calling me in some Augmentin (the generic for both medicines is Amoxicilian...just different strengths...gee learn something new every day). He said that 2 weeks was the limit for being on an antibiotic though so Im hoping this knocks the crap outta the infection as this is really bugging me. Hubby's been emailing home all night checking how Im doing. He says he's feeling better tonight...still not 100% but with his allergies he rarely IS 100% anyhow.

Well I think Im going to pop into bed. His last email said "my baby should be in bed if she's not there already" and that was sent nearly an hour ago. I have 3 more applications sitting in my email box that I'll be filling out sometime after my sleep cycle. I simply did not feel like even considering them tonight. I still have some laundry to fold and a spoiled chihuahua to let out for her last potty trip...Man I just wanna say :P~~~ and crawl into bed.


Oh before I go...I'm going to be putting up another memory type blog entry in the next few days (I gotta find the list of names to go with the pictures daddy gave me) and Im needing some help from ya'll. I've got another page all set up through this account (Im gonna slide the existing entry over to it when it's decor's complete) *BUT* I cant seem to find a nice background for it. I saw a couple really nice blank Victorian family trees but the page wasnt big enough to make a nice background with. When I blew them up, they didnt look pretty at all. So here's the challenge...Im looking for a nice background for a family memories type page. I really liked the Victorian family tree but also saw some that were labelled heritage and another labelled Old World. Im wanting something like those ideas with an old feel to it. It can be a scan of empty scrapbook pages or a link you found that would make an awesome background. The catch is that the total size of the picture itself has to be larger than 800 by 600 pixels....preferably 1024 by at least 650 pixels in size. Nicest one becomes the background to the new page. My daddy's family is mostly mutts (alot of different nationalities) but my mom's dad's side...hails from England. Hmmm how about some really travelling trunks in sepia ? Anyhow, I'll be grateful for some ideas.
Interview and not too much else

Im so proud of myself. I actually got into bed by3-330am and was asleep by 4am for a change. If I can bump that back every other night by an hour, maybe I can get myself back on days. It'd be funny if I got myself back onto days and the job I end up with is overnight. LOL ! I woke up around 730-8am and took my medicine. It still doesnt seem to be doing much as my ear hurts bad today. I crawled back into bed and was woken up at 1145am..*sigh*. It was the allergist's office calling to schedule an appointment. I have an appointment with my dr on the 12th of May and the allergist on the 19th. *bleah* I'm gonna feel like a big fat pincushion, I just know it.

I went in for my interview today. It seemed to go well but Im thinking it's not going to be a good fit to be honest. Im more suited for a "big box" type of environment instead of someplace small. Im thinking I may just have to go a bit farther down the road and see about a job in one of those stores. I remember going from the big feel of Toys R Us, being downsized and then ending up in a small mall store. I always felt claustrophobic and any chance there was to run an errand I was all over it. I digress though. The interview went ok. The position would mean me working Saturday nights for the most part, which is ok (but Id miss the streams dammit!!!) and some days. It looks like they'd happily work around my condition of days only on Tuesday and Wednesday. The pay would be 20 cents less than what I was making at WalMart in Texas. Money's not a factor though as it's just a supplimental income and not our main source of money. He told me that he had someone else to interview yet so he was basically non-committal but did say he'd call back.

I left, feeling *eh* about the interview and since I still had the apps for Payless and Marshalls to turn in (something said to hold off), I did just that. I talked with the store clerk and she said to go ahead and talk to the manager and let me know what aisle she was working in. I went to talk to the manager and said "I heard you're not hiring for this store but that was last week..." and was told that yes, they were hiring for that store now. ~grinz~ She asked if I could come in on Wednesday to fill out some computer testing thingy. If it wasnt for the fact tomorrow is freight day and there'd be boxes everywhere, she'd rather that I'd be in tomorrow. Ah well. Still not my idea of the ideal store Im sure...but we'll see how I feel when I go in on Wednesday.

Not much else going on. We had more rain today. I'd like to complain of the damp conditions but with getting so little in Texas usually....it's really kinda nice for a change.

Iggy...have you checked your file lately?
Great Gramma


I was in chat the other night and got a pm asking if it was too soon for a reminder on the family pix. *laffs* If I recall we were in someone else's blog and they'd been talking about their gramma or great gramma. The woman to the left there is my great gramma on my daddy's side. They lived in Iowa so we didnt get to visit much. The picture on the left was taken in 1918 and if I recall she'd either just turned 20 or was in her very early 20's at the time. I remember when we visited, her home was located behind what used to be her and her late husband's store.

This picture to the right is the storefront. The older gentleman is great grampa and the boy is grampa. Grampa was an only child as was my daddy. As a child, I dont ever remember seeing the outside of the shop from the front and I recall very little of the yard out back.
The picture of the gentleman to the left is great grampa, also taken in 1918. There's no denying the family resemblance as the guys down the line have the same basic eyes and ears. The resemblance between my brother and grampa is absolutely unreal. I may not post the two of them as my brother has these privacy issues and I respect that. You'll just need to take my word for it on the similarities.


This next photo on the right is their wedding photo. This one, I suspect, is the family with great great grampa and great great gramma seated. It also was taken in 1918. A rather stern looking bunch, but those were the times too. She was the only one I knew from that part of the family.

I remember snippits of things. I remember the older kitchen where she'd cook this awesome meal at lunch...only she'd call it supper and dinner was called dinner but was more like lunch with sandwiches. I remember while visiting, it was always assumed I'd do the dishes simply because I was the girl and the men folk (brother included) were allowed to leave for the living room after meal time (I really hated that...gender divided chores, unreal in this day and age!). I remember one visit when we went out with gramma (Daddy's mom, great gramma's daughter in law)...and having to share the bed with her while gramma slept on the sleeper sofa with my brother (at the time brother kicked in his sleep and great gram was rather frail). I remember our last trip out. Daddy had insisted we go and Im sure neither bro and I understood why we had to "go see that old lady again". Oh the ignorance of youth. That trip we went to the graveyard and saw all sorts of tombstones and then we saw one with a name, a date of birth and no death date. The realization that it was her grave we were looking at was chilling. That trip, I think, was the one where they finalized some arrangements for her to go into a nursing home. She was one smart cookie though. Great gramma wrote everything down...every little thing. When she realized she was getting a bit more unsteady (she fell twice in her declining years), she took to changing out the flowerpot in the kitchen window. If the plant didnt change, then the neighbors knew to come check on her. When she started getting forgetful, she decided to put herself into a nursing home. She would not hear of the family moving back to help out as she was "perfectly capable of doing for herself". I mean, what the hell...she'd done it for nearly 20 years by then. When we visited last, we were brought to see where she'd be staying. I think it was more for daddy's peace of mind than anything. This particular visit, I think I started to understand why we went when we could. She was so frail that I was almost afraid to hug her because I thought I'd break her. I even suspected, though I didnt know why at the time, it wouldnt be much longer at that point.

In 1989 (?...give or take a year), she passed on. Not to say this woman was organized but she had the dress she wanted to wear all picked out. She had the plot of land, the tombstone, the service and everything all paid for already. She had her pall bearers all picked out, their alternates (incase one passed before her or couldnt perform him duties), and their alternate's alternates. The hard part had been for daddy and gramma to go through her closet in the nursing home. Great gramma kept nearly everything she could manage to keep. Letters, notes (even notes on weddings- what was worn by whom, what was eaten, what the decor was, the gifts...every little detail- now I know where I get that trait from), cards, bonds, everything. It took a week to weed through it all.

Beautiful days, an unexpected phone call, SPAM and other mish mosh...

So it looks like we had a beautiful day today. I wouldnt know because I wasnt up for the day until 4pm or so. I was awaken earlier by a phone call but had climbed right back into bed because I was still tired. I'll have to get out of that habit really quick. Anyhow, I was just out a bit ago and it was lovely. The themometer registered 80 degrees, but it was a dry 80 with a slight breeze. Almost makes me wish I had been up for the day sooner. It was actually cooler outside than it was inside. The thermostat read only 74 downstairs but it sure felt warmer....and upstairs? Well I know that's a good 4-5 degrees warmer than the thermostat. Hubby's got the windows popped open right now. Damn I wish they'd hurry and put the screen in for the sliding glass door downstairs so we could get a cross breeze. I'd really hate to resort to the AC so soon.

Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, I was awaken by a phone call at 1230pm. I'd only had maybe 6 hours sleep at this point. Normally now, I'd be ripping into the person being rude by calling so early in my day. The caller id showed a name I wasnt familiar with, so I reckoned it was a wrong number and they'd hang up when the answering machine came on. I've had a couple wrong numbers since we got here and generally the machine takes care of it. Well I heard the message as it was being recorded. The gentleman introduced himself and said he was from McKay's Bookstore. Well I knew full well why he was calling and it wasnt to tell me my book came in ;). The call was a bit awkward because I was still groggy, I dont think I made a terribly good first impression at all. Ah well. Anyhow, by the time I hung up I had an appointment for an interview for this coming Monday (hubby crawled back into bed after opening the windows so I havent had a chance to tell him yet). Im not thinking it's going to be overly ideal for me *BUT* it'll be something different...and a paycheck. The good thing is I *believe* this is one of the stores I had filled out that I wanted Tuesday and Wednesday nights off. I figure that kept me available on the nights they really would need me, namely the weekend. There are only a couple other dates Im going to need off and we can discuss them on Monday.

Some of you may have noticed (and Chicago pointed out) that we managed to get a SPAM comment in here on the last entry. Man I hate SPAM. Worse yet I hate foreign SPAM. The comments are always word for word the same with the exception of the company that's sending it. As Chicago pointed out, it's highly likely that this section of my blog will be going to a captcha for comments. I dont really want to because I know Tori reads here and likes to leave her little messages as well. So for now Im going to just not use the title section and place the title in the entry itself. I suspect there's something in the title that's coming up in searches and that's why we're having the problem. It's either that or it's coming up because of something Im saying in the blog. If this doesnt work, I'll be going into the comments section and tightening things down some. I'd hate to do that because that's no way to make new friends.


As you can see with this pic, the white blooms are just about gone around here. Thank goodness for that. I was beginning to think they'd be like the magnolias that bloom in waves and last months and months on end. Unfortunately, this isnt the case because as they're on their way out we had another type of tree decide it was time to bloom. May I introduce the FPFT (fkn pink flowered tree)...cousin, I suspect, to the FWFT. Yep these buggers went into bloom just a few days ago. I cant wait for that testing I mentioned in the last entry...I bet I find out Im allergic to these too. Probably am allergic to at least half of the pretty flowers I saw the other day. Ah well.

I guess that's it for now...not a whole lot more going on right now.

*HUGZ*

Weds, Thurs, Fri-Medical

So Wednesday morning I went to the drs. Let's just say things are definitely run a tad different here. First of all, they wont open before 830am. This kinda sucks when you're used to popping in around 7am, getting in, getting out and gone before 9am. Early morning appointments used to be great because they could be done before hubby got overly tired after his night shift.When you go to sign in, it's not like the other place where you sign in with your name and the receptionist pretty much knows you on sight. The receptionist grabs your file out of the stack they have ready for her, starts the paperwork and takes your co-pay. The file's then put in the rack in the door for the nurse who then calls you back and takes your vitals, then brings you to your room. Here, they key in your medical file number and *poof* the file's there. Not a hard copy but in the computer. The receptionist checks off that you're there and takes your co-pay. Shortly after, a nurse takes you back and gets your vitals, then brings you to your room.



Once in the room, the nurse used to ask some questions as she was finishing up the paperwork for the doctor. Usual questions would be...how am I feeling....what am I in for....have my medicines changed since I was in last...have I changed my suppliments..... etc etc. Many times I was asked how hubby was doing as well (although 9 times outta 10 he was in the next room waiting on his appointment...LOL). Here, Im not liking it as well because it felt so impersonal. We get in the room and she pulls up my file on the computer. She had me check the address and phone number to see if it was right then asked me about my smoking and drinking habits (unwilling second hand smoker and an occasional drink). She also asked me about a couple other things (ladies you KNOW what Im talking about) and when I said that the one wasnt doing as it should her next question was "Are you pregnant?"...Ok...yes we're trying and yes it's possible but I dont know, I havent tested yet. I told her that usually the other dr would just automatically do a test to check. It got so I wouldnt pee before I went just to be certain I could when I was asked to. Do ya think they tested me? No. I guess I'd better do that when I wake from my sleep cycle. You'd think they would just to be certain they werent giving me anything that I shouldnt be having, right? After that...she scooted out the room. Right about now Im missing Anita, the nurse at my other doctor's, because she would have smiled and automatically handed me a specimen cup.



Usually, I'd have to wait for about 10-15 minutes before the doctor could see me (and this is in the early morning...afternoons were much worse). She'd sit herself down and ask how I was doing and go over every and any concern I had. If I had a list, she made sure everything got checked off. This one, popped his head in after 5 minutes and said he'd be with me in about 2 minutes. I didnt have to sit there waiting and wondering how long, I knew right away. Within 2 minutes he was back at the door and ready to see me. We only managed to go over the one main thing I came in for, my allergies (although I had two pages of notes of stuff he'd have to know), because I simply was put off by how the nurse had handled me and the fact this dr seemed to be watching the screen more than looking me in the eyes as I was speaking to him. Top things all off I felt rushed...he barely asked any questions either. At least not as many as I felt he should have. I mean, Im a new patient for goodness sakes, there should have been scads of questions popping out of his mouth. It was decided that it was time to do another blood workup on me (to get the baselines Im sure) and he asked if I thought maybe I should get tested for my allergies. I told him my brother had and found out he was allergic to damn near everything so maybe it was a good idea but it was up to him. I was asked which allergy meds I was on and when I told him the Astelin he asked why (because I guess that it's a non-formulate? whatev) and I told him what my opthamologist had said. I also told him that although the stuff tasted horrible, it seemed to work better than the other nasal sprays. I'd been on nothing but Flonase for the last two weeks and it wasnt even close to keeping up with my allergies. At this point he grabbed a tongue depressor and prepared to look down my throat. I informed him he wouldnt ever need one of those things with me (my first family dr had told me, if I didnt want one used to learn how to open my mouth WIDE....and then proceeded to show me how it should be done) and when I popped my yap open he realized he'd never need it. I wish the drs would think to ask first. LOL.

Sure enough the left side of my throat's a little swollen (coulda told him that too), Im betting the ears didnt look nice (coulda told him that too), and my nasal passages...well they never look right. So he goes to the next room over and calls someone (pharmacy or insurance..I dunno) and asks them about the Astelin and I hear him say that I was a new patient and that I'd been on this medicine "for a while now" to which they told him well then give it to her since she needs it. No hassles as to whether I really "need it" and "has she been tested"...awesome. He came back in with my paperwork for the visit and asked if there was anything else...I showed him the list...told him it was stuff he'd need to know if he wanted to go over it all. LOL He took the list, made a photo copy so it could be scanned into the database. I guess not. See my other doctor would have insisted on verbally going over everything one by one. As I was leaving, he wanted me to come back in in 4 weeks to check and make sure the medicine was working properly.

After making my appointment, I was pointed in the direction of the pharmacy. Hmm. I didnt have to leave the building with 4 different 'scripts to go to WalMart just to fill them. I can do it all right there. I hand over the paperwork and my card, they enter my file number and ask which ones they're filling today. And fast! Holy cow, I was sitting maybe 10 minutes at the max. At WalMart, I would have waited in a line to turn the 'scripts in, had to wait on them to enter my info, then normally I'd be told it would be at least 30-45 minutes or longer before they could fill it. Once the time passes, I'd have to wait in line again (God there was always a line there) to get my meds. Again...here...10 minutes and there were 5-6 people ahead of me. Your name would go up on a board like in the airport when your meds were ready and zoom...all done. Ok..that part I liked.

In the other place, when I went for labwork, I'd have to take the paperwork to the other side of the foyer, place it in the tray and sign in. Sometimes they got to you right away and sometimes it was a 20 minute wait. This time, again , they enter the file number and my file pops up. Then the receptionist prints a ticket with the file number and what tests are needed with a number. Like the DMV, when your number comes up you go in and get the blood drawn. I didnt much have the ticket in my had for maybe 2 seconds when my number came up. I dont like their chairs because I have to climb up and into them (they're tall like a barstool). I did like the foam arm brace support on the counter. I can tell you that was very much appreciated. The nurse I got was good too. You can barely tell where she drew the blood. I normally bruise up real bad but this time it looks like it was drawn last week there's so little bruising.

I walked out with good news and bad news. My weight's pretty much back up where it was *again*. However, my blood pressure was the lowest it's been since I was in the hospital for my gall bladder....a 114/74 ~grinz~. The only thing I can figure on that is that Im up and down the stairs 5-6 times a day which is more exercise than I was getting in Texas. The medicines were good news too. With the other insurance, my Singulair would have cost me $20 for 30 pills....here it costs me $20 for 90 pills. My Zyrtec was over $20 for about 30 pills (I have no clue what the generic OTC is costing I just know I had stickershock when I went to pick it up lasttime), here it cost me $8.99 or so for 100. The Astelin cost me $20 for a 180 metered spray bottle....here it costs $35 BUT it's 200 metered sprays which gives me 5 additional days of medicine. I have no clue how much my Flonase will cost as I havent filled it yet. No sense, I still have a whole sprayer I havent gotten into yet.

Before I left the building, I had to go back to the records area and fill out some paperwork. I basically had to give them permission to have all my other medical records. Unfortunately, in Texas, they liked to send you every which place and I had 4 doctors worth of forms to fill out and one more on top of that for the other doctor I had in 2004 when I had that nasty inner ear virus. That wasnt any fun filling out those forms. Thankfully I had the business cards for most of them and even some fax numbers so that should speed things up a bit for them. I told the lady behind the counter that I wasnt sure about the dr they gave me and she asked who so I told her. She said he's a wonderful dr at which point I told her I hadnt had a male dr in nearly 10 years. I asked her which of the female doctors would match up best with me and told her what I was looking for and she gave me a name. I think after the appointment in 4 weeks Im going to switch over. The lady was nice enough to say they had a separate section where some of the more female geared exams were done so that shouldnt be an issue. Well thank goodness. I walked out of there with all that paperwork done, my bloodwork taken care of, my medicine in hand and a referral to an allergist. One stop and it was all done. Do you think I coulda done that back in Texas? Not bloody likely with the insurance I was on.

Now anyone reading this is gonna be surprised with this one. You know how Im always saying that I had bloodwork done and Im just waiting on results then it's a week later before I say how good or bad I did? Well...with this place you can access your own medical files online and not have to wait on a hardcopy to come in the mail. Better still, the dr's office emails you to let you know your results are available on site. I got an email early Thursday morning and was able to see the results. Everything looked ok (some a tad high but a normal high or a tad low but a normal low but in essence normal) with the exception of my white blood cells...they werent looking good at all which means an infection somewhere. By Thursday evening, I got an email from the dr himself saying that the white cell count was high and what was the best number to call me at for a 130pm conversation on this matter. I sent him the home number and reminded him that he said my throat was swollen on the one side I was betting the ears werent too good inside as the left one's been bothering me for days now (it was real bad all day Thursday). That I suspected it was the allergies gone bad again and that this year was liable to be bad because we just moved here in January and I was being exposed to all sorts of allergens that I hadnt had to deal with before. He asked if I could take a certain antibiotic and I said yes...last time I was on it it didnt work so well and they had to put me on one that was stronger. He said since I hadnt been on this one for over 6 months it should work again. We'll see. I have a hunch he's gonna push for the surgery for the septum...I just have the feeling. He called the 'script over and I went to pick it up around 4pm or so yesterday. It was filled and ready to go ($9.80 for 30 capsules...over at the other place it would have cost me $15-20 for 10...on the upswing for that would be I'd only need to take them once a day and not every 8 hrs). I spent 5 minutes at the counter. Longest part of the visit was explaining that I'd been in on Wednesday and the dr called this in after he'd called me at home for a consult.I'll be calling on Monday to schedule the appointment for the allergist. Oh joy...I get to be stuck with ~things~ to see if Im allergic to any of it. *bah* At least I'll know for sure what all Im allergic to. Then maybe we can get a handle on these damn sinuses.

Monday, Tuesday and a smidge of Wednesday

I've had one of those weeks this week. As much as I can truly say that not much went on, I just know the minute I get to typing this, it's going to end up being one of those marathon entries that Im really known for writing. So grab a drink and get comfortable because I have no clue how long this bugger's gonna be. *previews it....hmmm may wanna go to the loo too while ya at it*

Monday hubby had a class to go to so he was up and out the door by noon or so. Shortly after he left, I got myself ready and took myself an actual walk. That's right. I physically left the property and got myself a good 100 yards or so away from it. Im really proud of myself to be honest. Especially on that day in particular (Tori, if you havent read the entry posted before this , please stop and head over there first). I broke a chain and plan on breaking a few more in the days to come. I turned in 3 applications and then went to get my hair cut. It's nice and short and comfy. In a few months, when I'm finally employed and have my own money I think I'll go and get my hair professionally colored for a change. It's gonna cost me a pretty penny but I'd like to see what happens when someone who knows what they're doing gets ahold of it. The stylist already said I'd look great as a redhead. LOL It's what I've been saying all my life. All I know is Im damn well not ready to let the metallic highlights take over. I kinda like looking a good decade younger than I really am. After my haircut...ohh I should get hubby to take a pic this week of it....I went to Tuesday Mornings and filled out an application on their kiosk. Im being picky about the hours Im wanting but not overly picky. I tell them that I can open to close any day of the week except Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Heh heh heh...gotta keep the schedule cleared up for American Idol ya know ;). It really isnt their business why anyhow. I really would rather have the days off because no matter what schedule hubby has he'll be off one of the two days and I really like having my hubbytime. I got home that day and speak of the devil...he was home early. Surprise! I wasnt home. LOL. He doesnt much like coming home to the empty house but whatcha gonna do? That doesnt exactly help me either because I'd rather be here for him too but then, I really DO need to get out of here on my own before I become too afraid to do for myself again. I cant have that happen....too many years of it already and a third of my life's been wasted.

This week was one of America's favorite weeks. It was a week of many tears and gnashing of teeth as well as amusement. The tears and gnashing coming from the procrastinators who waited until the last possible minute to file their taxes and then couldnt find all the stuff they needed to get them done. The amusement stemming from those who'd already filed...watching those that hadnt scramble around like chickens with their heads cut off. Usually we file ours in February and have the refund (we've always gotten a refund to date because we have an extra $20 or so taken out of our checks every week...if it aint seen, it aint spent) in hand and spent by March. This year was different because of our move. We had to wait for our mail to bounce around and catch up to us before we could do anything about it. When my W2 hadnt shown up by the end of January, I called WalMart straight away to ask about it and they'd kept it there so I could give them an updated address. Oh thank goodness no one assumed and just mailed it! When we finally filed we didnt have to pay the VA state taxes because we didnt move here until January so we wont owe on that until next year...Amen there. This year we will be getting back a little less than last year but it's understandable and Im fine by that. Next year we may get a whole lot less. Unfortunately, a good piece of the refund is already spent thanks to the truck.

Last week, hubby took the truck in for its inspection. It passed the emissions test just fine but failed safety wise so instead of the pretty VA sticker on the truck (which they plaster in the center bottom of the windshield and not to the lower left like most normal states do), we got a pink sticker with a failed marking. Seems the exhaust manifold (?) was cracked and the rear brakes were no good. Sheesh. Last thing we need is that kind of expenditure. The repair shop quoted us nearly $800 for the work but they'd have to see it to get a more accurate estimate. This price would include parts, labor and taxes which sounds good right? Well let me remind you this truck is 19 years old...

We got up a tad early on Tuesday. The alarm was set for 10ish or so. I had my clothes all laid out because I wanted to be dressed and out the door fast. Why? Because some company was coming by to flush out the water lines or something. It was the same company from that last batch of pictures I took for iggy. Anyhow, they got started right outside our townhouse around 9am. I fought to stay in bed until the alarm, however as I lay there the noise simply reminded me that I wasnt going to have any water when I eventually got up and I KNEW I was gonna need to make that morning trip. *sigh* The longer I lay there, the more the fact there wouldnt be any water to flush bounced around in my mind. You know how that is, the more you cant do something the more you actually need to...or at least that's what the brain thinks and when the brain thinks it...the body gets tricked into believing things are much more urgent than they really are. So I got up and got dressed. We were out of the house in 30 minutes time. I didnt have time to grab but one photo. It's in the camera, downstairs and Im much too tired and lazy right now to get it. Maybe in a day or so. There are a few other pictures I wanna grab while Im about tomorrow (or is it today already...*checks calendar*...Thursday...) better make that after my next sleep cycle (stop laughing Chicago...LOL).

First stop was to Denny's for breakfast and the use of the bathroom. The restaurant was crowded for a Tuesday morning. I suspect many of those people in there were neighbors of mine. It wouldnt surprise me. Breakfast was only ok. We had to send back hubby's grits because someone had *ewww* shed in it. It's either that or they mixed in Rogain and the grits was growing it all on it's own. I always thought it was "putting hair on your chest" NOT "putting hair on your grits". We made them just take the item off the tab as we didnt want to chance another bowl of it. It's not usual for that to happen in that restaurant though.

We went to Enterprise to rent a vehicle to get around in until the truck was fixed (the car's in rough shape too so we're just leaving her where she's at). The repair shop said it would only be a day or two at most depending on how easily things went together. The only vehicles that Enterprise had left were pick ups and SUVS. *shakes head* We ended up in a much newer model of the same damn truck...go figure. She was a beaut though and ran smoothly. I wasnt too fond of the seating though because it wasnt comfortable. It felt like I was sitting on a hard kitchen chair instead of a sofa. Plus it rode a little higher so getting in became problematic a little sooner than it should have. My poor knee and hip popped everytime I had to climb in. We went to WalMart and that's when I realized we were gonna have a small problem with this vehicle. There was no cover on the back like our truck whick meant limiting what we picked up at WalMart to what would fit behind the seats in the cab. *grumblez*

After our trip to WalMart, we went to the UPS Store and checked our mailbox. We'd kept the account after moving so we had a safe place for packages and my magazines to be delivered to. *bounces happily* I'd gone shopping a week ago on Amazon because I found the gift certificate that I'd misplaced while in the corporate housing. Instead of music this time (there were too damn many cds I wanted and many of them I bet I'll be able to get in WalMart for cheaper when they're released), I bought myself a PC game. I've been hanging in http://www.meez.com/ lately playing the Plant Tycoon game ALOT. I like it because I can play a game and multitask...ya know, write in my blog, play with my MySpace page, talk to people in MSN and ICQ....LOL. I figured if I was enjoying it so damn much I may as well just buy the game outright. After checking several of the stores in the area to no avail I figured those would be a good way to spend my $20 gift certificate. All said and done it ended up costing me less than $5 out of my own money. Gotta love that. Anyhow, my game had shown up....making me a very happy camper.

The next to last stop for the day was to the grocery store for the food for the week. Damn, you'd think we hadnt eaten all damn day with the way we shopped (and yes, we had a list). *shakes head* We loaded up the truckbed and went home. They were still working in the area when we arrived so I told hubby we were staying long enough to put away the food then we were headed back out. There wasnt any sense in sticking around if there wasnt any water. As I was putting away the last few bags, he went out to the mailbox and noticed them picking up and turning the water on. YAY!! We ended up going back out anyhow. LOL. I like to get out for the most part of the day because there arent many places I really can get myself to yet and to be honest, there are days I get pretty stir crazy. We headed back out and went to the Hollywood Video store. They had this awesome sale going on...alotta 2fer movies to reduce their backstock. Let's just say we spent entirely too much and move on. The last stop of the day was a trip to KFC to pick up an early supper to eat at home. Got home in time to see the spoilers for the week and check to see how the original would sound. While I was eating I wrote up a quick blog in MySpace on how I tought the show would go. I was really surprised the guys outshone the gals this week. I should have expected that it would happen because it's easier to directly compare the gals to Mariah than it is the guys.

I had a dr appointment on Wednesday but I think Im going to hold it off for the next entry because this one is plenty long enough as it is without getting into my details about the new dr, the office and the differences between this insurance and the last one we had. Wednesday also got us several calls from the repair shop. Seems more like more work was necessary because the bolts had all pretty much rusted and had to be drill out and something else was wrong too. The $800 quote? Ballooned up to a final cost of nearly $1300. *SIGH* Well the truck's fixed....it just managed to get a good chunk of the refund we're expecting back already spent.

I did manage to pick up another application while out on Monday and then found another that I could printout from online so I've got two more apps to take over to that strip mall in the next day or so. Depends on how Im feeling when I get up. The one is for Payless (the district manager never got back to me from my email so I picked up a hard copy), the clerk was happy to give me one but told me they werent hiring for the store at this time but they'd be glad to put one on file for me. How nice of her. Much nicer than that one Dollar Store. The other that I printed from online is for Marshalls. Of all the stores in the strip mall, that one and the grocery store (the one I hate shopping at so why would I wanna work there) are the only ones that it's even possible to get an overnight job with.

I think that's about it...except the dr appointment which I'll do in it's own entry.

Reposting of the Anniversary entry so Tori can read it

I got writing my next entry and realized some of what I was about to say wasnt gonna make any bloody sense to Tori who hasnt seen this entry at all. Tori, this was posted on 4/14/08. Above the entry had been 3 pictures. One was of a chain breaking, the next was a woman in an rushed state running for her plane with a ticket in one hand and a pilot bag (the suitcases with the wheels) in the other, and the last was a woman stretching her wings and flying.


Those 3 pictures pretty much say it all. Today is my anniversary, an anniversary of freedom. Something snapped, the chains broke, I ran and took flight for the first time in my life. It was the year 2003 and the day before the taxes were due. I left my little goodbyes...namely his tax stuff in my rocker, a factory standards computer with all info wiped clean off the harddrive, and a note where I thought for sure he'd find it right away. Who'd thunk it would be 3am the next day before he found that. Shoulda left the wedding ring right away, maybe he would have realized I was giving him the alternate finger and leaving instead of him thinking I was coming back. Over the last couple years, I hadnt given it a second thought. This year, however, things are different. I was asked by Chicagolady last night why after a couple years Im thinking of it again. Simply put...a blog entry and location. Ironic the location Im living in....he'd have loved it with all the battlefields and other historical places so close at hand. Here I am, in the last possible place I would have wanted to be (the story of our honeymoon comes to mind where if I wanted a week in the Poconos I had to spend a week touring these very battlefields...*ugh*), smack in Civil War country. Truly ironic. Worse yet Im reminded by my buddy iggy's blog that this is the time the Titanic sank. I wonder if the ex has ever made that connection yet. More than likely he has as that's the only way he can remember dates, by the historical significance of the day (the one birthday he DID remember was his niece's because she was born on Pearl Harbor Day...). Anyhow, Ive been feeling nostalgic as of late and reminded of things I'd much rather forget and realizing that it's time to break some chains for good.

cold weather, redecorating, apps, the kids and the 15th

Thank you to whomever sent me this cold weather. However, I'd like to register a complaint....when it arrived it was damaged as the temperature was all wrong. Somehow the weather warmed up to the point where it was too warm for snow yet nearly 20+ degrees cooler than it has been around here. It's actually a tad chilly unstairs now (the last couple days it's been running almost 80 in the second level of the townhouse). A little fair warning next time please with a delivery confirmation would be nice so I can track it and expect it the day it arrives. Thank you.

I've done some redecorating on the page again. I got tired of the banner up top and found that bridge while I was in Google looking up Manassas. While I was in there I figured I'd grab something to match as the background. That's when I came across the picture for Lower Doyles River Falls in Shenendoah National Park. One of these days I ought to take a trip and get my own picture of them.


I got some applications all filled out and ready to go. All I do is get them walked over to the strip mall. I think I'll do that tomorrow. Hubby's got to go in tomorrow afternoon and I really need to prove I can do this by myself....to myself. I've spent way too much of my life cooped up. Not necessarily afraid to go out by myself, but also not brave enough to exit the confines of the property (well except for the occassional trip to the mailbox) Im living on alone. Now that Im living within walking distance of many shops AND a bus route, it's time to get that little problem of mine fixed and pronto. Ya know, I think I'll see if I have enough cash on hand for a haircut too while Im out.


The kids are doing ok. Dharma's going up and down the stairs with no problem. She's become awefully lovey since we moved here and cannot stand to be on a level of the home without anyone with her. It's gotten quite cute actually because she's gotten talkative too. She never really meowed much while in Texas but every so often she'll "hollar" for me if she cant find me right away. All I have to do is imitate her miau and she'll come running. Katy has had a set back though. On her way up the stairs one evening, she took a misstep (or mis-leap?) and slipped backwards on the stairs...sliding about 1/3 the way down. Then her fanny hit a step just right and she ended up doing backwards summersaults for the most of the balance of the way down. We're lucky she didnt get hurt. Since then hubby doesnt allow her to take the steps by herself, actually...she wont even attempt them at all. I cant say I blame either of them. So we're back to carting her up and down the stairs. Well, hubby is, when Im home alone she's kept downstairs.



We got a note on our door the other day. Looks like they'll be working on something in my area on the 15th and it means they'll be shutting off the water that day until the modifications have been completed. I hope it's only a one day thing. Thankfully, hubby has the day off and we planned on being out and about during the day. Hmmm...means I better pack my camera, eh iggy?


Well, I'd better scoot. Chicago showed me how to convert my music files to a lower bit rate through MusicMatch so Im trying to get some of those done as well. I've got several files done but not a whole folder's worth yet so I think I wanna get a few more tunes done tonight before bedtime.

*HUGZ*
LS

Finally a decent picture

While were were out to supper Tuesday afternoon, I was able to get close enough to one of the trees that have the white flowers to get a decent picture. By decent picture, I mean one that isnt overly blurry and isnt tinted by the back window of our truck (see the background for this page). I dont believe it to be a dogwood as these blooms have 5 petals and not 4 which seem to be in every picture I see of a dogwood. It also doesnt seem to be a Bradford pear because every picture I see of it's blooms, they never have the pink in it....although the bloom seems to be shaped right. It does look alot like this one:
This picture wasnt taken by me, nor is it sitting on one of my photo sites. It's located at http://zoesknittingbag.typepad.co.uk/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/16/double_flowering_cherry_tree_our__2.jpg

Tuesday we had a nice day and I actually got the nerve to leave the house for a little bit all by myself (as you can see from iggy's blog). Almost made it to the parking lot before hubby got home. LOL. Well maybe I will make it out this weekend. Not even going to attempt it tomorrow because they're calling for storms tomorrow.

I know this is short but I've got some applications to fill out, a bus schedule to look at and I've been dawdling long enough. Besides, I think it's well past suppertime and I hear some french toast calling to me.

The kids playing

Ok, so...just one more. This one was taken while we were in the corporate housing. Hubby'd just brought Katy in for a walk and hadnt gotten her leash off yet and Dharma decided it was a nifty plaything. I figured, what the hell, give them BOTH a little exercise. Hubby was throwing a toy around for Katy and Dharma was having fun too!!

Some pix

Hey. Im not going to do a massive entry as I posted one earlier this morning. I am, however, going to share a few of the pictures I took while we were out today.



The white trees are starting to shed. While we were out we got close enough so I could get a shot of the blooms. Definitely not dogwoods.



I hope this one clicks up large for you. We were upon them before I even noticed them. I've never seen a flock on the ground....they're usually always going somewhere. First people I thought of were iggy and Enicka when I saw them though.


Ok. How'd you like to grow up with THAT as your last name???




Yep. She's making it down the stairs all by herself.







Oh and (turn down volume I didnt realize how loud I got...)


Where'd the day go?


Wow. Where'd the day go? I know I have a freaky sleep schedule, but damn! I was up by 4pm. Yeah I know that sounds late, but when you dont get to bed until 6am most nights (no matter how hard you try to get there early) 4pm rising time isnt really unreasonable (especially when your sleep is coming in 3-4 hr naps all night and not a solid through sleep). It just makes for a day that feels mighty short. Ive only been up 9 hours and it feels like Ive been awake forever. Then again, I've been pretty much on the go since my feet hit the rug too. I've found my vanity in the bathroom and got everything in there reorganized. Hubby's got the new towel bar up and is in the process of getting my handheld massaging shower head installed. He's taking the time to do some caulking too so it may be another day or two before it's actually up and I can use it. Man, I cant wait.

I went downstairs and got all the dishes put away. Not sure what it is with the husband of mine. I think maybe he got used to us having to do the dishes by hand because I swear he doesnt know how to check the dishwasher any longer. How hard is it to pop the door open and check to see if the dishes are clean or dirty? If the dishes are dirty within the dishwasher, then place the ones you just mussed up and put them in there...not the sink. We've got a bit of an existing bug problem as it is (we still need to call an exterminator), no need to leave the dirty dishes out to attract more ya know. Oh...and while you're at it...if they're clean in there, how hard is it to unload the washer? If the dishes are still a little damp, put them in the dish rack on the counter to finish drying....*sheesh*.

After I got the dishes done, I popped a couple Freshetta (sp?) pizzas in the oven for us. While they were cooking I started the laundry (got 3 loads done...just have to fold one of them before bed) and shampooed the last section of the downstairs rug. Thank goodness that's done. Now all I have to do is put that part of the living/diningroom back together, hook up the guests' computer and bail my table off....then it'll be liveable downstairs. WHOOT! I cant wait. When the carpet was done and one load of the laundry made it to the dryer and next into the washer, our pizzas were done. They were ok for frozen pizza. Personally, if Im going to eat frozen pizza, I'd rather have DiGiornno's but neither of us likes the same kind of pizza so we dont bother with the bigger pies (he loves the thin crust all meat pizzas while I like something with a bit more to it...a deep dish is good....meat, double cheese, peppers and mushrooms...yummy).

We got about half of the spare/storage/catchall room taken care of. There really isnt much I can do in there because alot of it's his junque (as opposed to junk which just gets thrown out) and all I'll end up doing is asking "where do you want this?" so I pretty much gave up on that fast. We have a trip to make to the dump again...or the storage rental we have to get rid of these extra boxes. He also told me he wanted to get some more Rubbermaid storage totes for some of that in there. Basically, he gave up on the room already. Although he could very easily take some of it out to the truck NOW and get it loaded up. *peeks behind me* Judging from where he's at (on his puter) I guess he's down for the night. I did manage to get a section of the carpet shampooed in there though and Im just waiting on it to dry so I can put kitty's new potty in there (now that her box is on the second floor, I've changed to those disposable ones as it's easier...wont need to take it down to clean and back up the stairs again). I've also taken the time to get most of the upstairs hallway steam cleaned. I cant do the whole landing because Dharma's potty is out there and a few other items that I have no place for right now. Ah well. Little at a time things are getting done.

I've got my resume all fixed up purdy and I have 20 copies printed up as well as my cover letter. This week I dropped an email via the Payless Shoe Store's website and it's supposedly going to the district manager's email for review. I've also done an online application for JoAnn's Fabric and Crafts. Neither have gotten back to me yet. While we're out later I think I'll have hubby swing by Catherine's so I can drop off this one that I have filled out and ready to go. I've been meaning to walk over this week and do it myself but I never seem to get up in enough time to deal with it. I guess I'd better start setting the alarm and forcing me to get my lazy ass out of bed at a "real" hour (as opposed to the "weird" schedule I normally have...now who was it that called my schedule that again??).

Goodness, Im telling you some people!! Everyone knows not to call me on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (and Thursday this week) because Im not likely to be the most pleasant person to talk to. Why? Because Im busy watching my program and taking notes for my MySpace blog(s) of course. So I get a call an hour to an hour and a half before my show on Wednesday. Ok, I got plenty of time right? It gets to be close to show time and I get quieter and quieter on the phone...a real good hint that I've got my mind elsewhere right now and it's probably a good idea to wrap up what you're saying. Ohhhh no. The caller keeps talking and Talking and TALKING.....(hence the comic sitting on my home page). I finally had to shush them and say..."wait a sec...Bo's talking". That'd be a good hint that maybe you've overstayed your call right? Nope. She didnt stop until after the program was over....a good 2 and a half hours PAST when she called in the first place. *shakes head* If we hadnt been friends for over 30 years I woulda hung up on her. If that wasnt bad enough...she called again not a half hour later to talk more. I'm pretty much talked out at this point. Worse yet...she called again around 11pm. It was a total of 4 and a half hours.....I dont even talk to my mommy that long. I told her if she really wanted to keep up with me she needs to go to my blog and read like almost everyone else does...LOL. Now granted, a good part of the conversation was asking me to come help her out in a few months but that can be summed up in 20 minutes or less. Once I say let me think about it...that's pretty much the end of the conversation. If Im sitting there trying to come up with ideas that are better....well that tells you that I dont think it's possible for me to go. If this had come up a year or so ago, I wouldnt have a problem...I would have just packed to go. But right now, I need to get a job and I cant be having something like that hanging over my head right now. Does that sound cold? I hope not because it's certainly not meant to be that way. The second call was basically to follow up on the first and the third...well it was to let me off the hook because her husband doesnt think it's feasible to do what she wants anyhow (something I'd suggested in the second call...). Man, she's lucky I love her to death!!

Thursday she called again....at least 4 times. I know she called once while I was on the stairs and couldnt get to the phone fast enough. Of course, a message wasnt left. Then she called twice more while I was on the phone with my NYBro (his conversation took only an hour) and I wasnt about to interrupt that call. He only calls once a month and like I'd told her the night before (when someone else was calling in while she had me on the phone...) I dont interrupt my calls. If Im on the phone with you and someone else calls in, I ignore the second call unless it's someone Im expecting (plumber, landlord, parents...whatev). I did call he back after and left her a message "Tag you're it". She called back a few minutes later and the phone hung up after one ring. *Shakes head*. She called again Friday (*sigh*) and we talked another 22 minutes. World record. Mostly it was an apology for being a "nuisance" and to brag about her job. That's fine....let her brag because she deserves it in this case because it was really good news. Then she bragged about her sister (blood) and how well she was doing (thank goodness it's about time). Someone called Saturday night while I was busy *scrolls the caller id* yep...was her again. She only called once and didnt leave a message. I guess it wasnt overly important. *shrugz*

Ohhh sorry about that long whine session. *takes this off that topic*

Later today when I get up from my sleep session, we'll be taking a load of stuff to the storage area. Hubby said if Im not awake yet that he'll go by himself and get me up when he comes home. I'll probably just get up and get ready even if it means only a 5 hour nap for me. Maybe I can get him to take me to IHOPs ( or Denny's for breakfast...that'd be nice). I know he's planning a trip to Walmart too so maybe I better plan on getting up anyhow because I have a couple things I need to pick up.

Monday we've got to get the yard done. The backyard definitely needs a mowing. I think while he's working on that I'll shampoo what I can of the office. It's definitely smelling alot less like pets up here now which is good especially since we havent been here long enough for our own "furbabies" to have left this odor. We also have to get our taxes done on Monday. I told hubby that they need to be done before I find a job because you know they're going to need both of us there for me to sign the paperwork. Tuesday he has a class of some sort to attend but said something about being able to reschedule if need be. Ohh and good news. Hubby's back on days starting in May. Hot dayum.

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