Saturday

*WARNING: FM, LEGP&GD* (food mentioned, long entry go potty and get drink)

We got up Saturday and went to breakfast in the hotel. I saw a couple youngsters that I thought I recognized, but I wasn't so sure so I didn't say anything. After breakfast we went back to our room and I started getting ready. I very quickly remembered why I stopped bothering with make-up. *Bah* What a pain in the ass it is to apply and if it's the least bit warm it just melts off. I did manage to make myself somewhat presentable though. The necklace the clerk at Catherine's was just the right touch to the outfit too. Man that expression...LOL. The first picture, Im sure would have been much nicer but that dingy husband of mine...well let's just say he only aimed at a body part and didnt get the whole outfit. So of course he clicked when he was getting the mixed "you're funny" and "you're in trouble" looks. Geez looking at that pic I really need to go out and get some sun.

As we were leaving the hotel, we noticed that we were going to get some rain. The clouds were starting to come in and the wind shifted a bit. That's when we noticed a certain.. umm...odor. Seems the hotel was just down the road from a farm....ew. Cow country. All I could hope for at this point is that the lingering of its ummm unique scent wasn't going to mingle with the Donna Karan Cashmere Mist I was wearing! I could see it now...*sniff* "what are you wearing? It smells like a bovine in a sweater..".

We got within a few minutes of where the wedding and the reception were to be held and the skies opened up. Thank goodness I hadnt done anything special with my hair. We drove around trying to find this place and for the life of us couldnt find the sign for it. After about 10 minutes or so we just started checking for the street address and found it right away. Hmmm. It would help if the sign for the place was at STREET level and not over our heads. That way those driving in a pouring rain can find it easily. The good news is that in the time it took to find the place, the rain stopped and the temps dropped a good 10-15 degrees F. When we pulled into the parking lot, I saw a very familiar figure. It was the one child I'd seen earlier, getting out of a vehicle. As we approached the front doors of the building, I could see into the vehicle better and LO and behold who was there but a friend from highschool (not the bride)! I gave her a brief hug and we all went into the building. She got directions to where we had to be and we all went on up.

The chapel was absolutely gorgeous with this awesome stained glassed ceiling. It must have been superb on a beautiful sunny day in there. As it was, it was still somewhat cloudy out. The lighting wasnt exactly condusive to getting good shots with my camera. It's one where I had to decide on whether I wanted things all washed out or cover the flash and pray for a nice pic anyhow. The floral arrangements were all in white with a hint of purple here and there. To the right and out of the frame of the picture (man I wish I'd grabbed a shot of it now) was a beautiful stained glass picture of a peacock and flowers. The service was short and sweet. The hardest part of getting pictures was not only the lighting but the fact there were a couple of pros there doing the pictures and video and you cant exactly tell them to get the heck out of the way. Needless to say the pictures I managed to get weren't too good. Sad because I wanted one last pic of her before she became a Mrs (she looked ~GORGEOUS~!).

We had a cocktail hour before the reception started so I got a chance to grab a few pix of the reception area. There was a dance floor and the dining area was set up and away from the dance area. The cake was very pretty all in white and lavendar trim. Upon closer inspection, Im just noticing that the topper was much like the one I had for my first wedding. It had two hand spun glass hearts and lotsa white fluffy tulle on it. It tasted ok, there was something different about it when compared to a standard wedding cake (I think my second one tasted much nicer). This one was a tad grainy for my liking and had a bit of a whipped cream filling between the thin layers. Considering she is half Italian (Im not sure what he is...Im thinking with the last name and looks he's at least half Italian too), it would not surprise me if they had a Tiramisu wedding cake. As I have not had it before, I couldnt tell to be sure.

I had been looking around before and during the service in the chapel as well as in the reception hall for a face I hadn't seen up to that point. It was rather odd I hadn't seen her yet. Who was it I was looking for? Why the bride's sister of course. I hadn't seen her in over 20 years and besides the other school mate and the bride, was the one other person I was really looking forward to seeing (she'll be in a later picture). Hubby and I were just discussing it again (for like the 3rd time) as we sat down when I heard this voice behind me. It was the unmistakable nasally New Yorker sound (not Fran Drescher nasally but distinctly New Yorker) that I had been listening for this whole time. YAY!! Oh boy did I get a huge hug from her. It was so good to see her. She's got a beautiful family too. Her little girl is the spitting image of her when she was younger.

The food was quite good. As to be expected there were a few dishes I couldn't eat because of one ingredient or another, but there was still plenty. There were at least 2 veggie dishes and some pastas and 3 different types of meats. One was a whole roasted pig. Boy was that ever delicious! I chose some of that, some of the pasta salad and a couple other items. I skipped the pasta and sauce dish though as it wasn't a sauce I like (they had a wine sauce of some kind...I'd had it at a restaurant once and sent it back because it was disgusting). While I was up getting my plate of food, I chatted up the dj some. I asked him if he'd mind playing the "Chicken Dance" later as the bride had wrangled me into it during my first wedding and I was looking for a touch of pay-back. We had a good laugh over it and I told him that if it was on his dont play list to not worry about it. He said it was a go.

I thought it was really cool that the bride remembered to publicly thank the people other than those in the wedding party (there was only the maid of honor and the best man in the party) for their help in getting things done for her. Her sister made the favors, the center pieces and the wishing well and the other school mate made sure everything else ran smoothly. The speech by the best man was just right and had just the right amount of humor vs seriousness to it that kept it from being overly boring. And speaking of keeping it from being boring....then there was the dj. He played nearly anything you wanted....he even had (when it was requested) The Humpty Dance. Never in any wedding I've been to have I ever heard anyone play that song.

The DJ kept things rocking with a good mix of music making sure those that only slow danced had music if they so chose to get up and waddle to the faster songs that the youngsters seemed to prefer. Strangely enough, the couple to the left here got up and boogied down with the best of them and managed to dance circles around most. They were one of the most fun couples to watch. The other two couples that were great to watch were the bride and groom (of course) and this other Italian couple with some wicked moves. The dj had people really hopping and even did several line dances. He even had them doing the Cha Cha Slide. Although I've heard the song before and have a couple versions of it, it was the first time I'd ever seen anyone doing the dance. *shakes head* I'm gonna chalk it up with the Electric Slide as one I'll never learn. Well those two and the the Cotton Eye Joe, which he also had them doing. No way my joints could handle some of the moves. Shoot, I barely got through the Chicken Dance and you dont do nearly with that dance.

Speaking of the Chicken Dance....here I was thinking payback is nice...I'll get a few pix of the bride and groom doing the dance. Yeah right. You see it coming right? The dj calls the bride and groom to the center of the floor and says there was a special request for them and then proceeds to come up into the dining area, grab me by my arm and drag me to the dance floor....telling all that I'd said something about pay-backs and we all know how pay-backs dont always go the way we plan. *shakes head sighing* So I ended up on the dance floor dancing with the rest. That first butt wiggle squat was a killer and the rest weren't much better I'll tell you. My poor legs were sore for the next two days just from that one dance and my knees, well they are just beginning to feel better.

A bit later, I get called to the dancefloor again....by name. Ut oh. This cant possibly be good. Looks like the bride had her own pay-back planned. I have no clue if it was planned in advance or if it was spur of the moment, but the clever little Italian gal had a surprise and a half for me. So I go out to the dance floor and the dj starts laughing because he now had a name to the face. He came right up to me and said that he heard I was celebrating my 21st birthday *laffin*. Turning to the bartender, he said..."You can start serving her now" LOL! Then he says "at the count of 3, everyone sing Happy Birthday". The cute little man on my arm in the pic to the left started singing before the dj counted and so the dj looked at him and pulled him over next to me to share the spotlight. As they were all singing, I egged him on...louder...louder...LOL.

After the cake (which they very sweetly fed each other), they called ALL the ladies (married and single) out to the dance floor for the bouquet toss. From what I gather, the more ladies out there, the more luck the couple has. At least that's the way it was spun as Im thinking most of the gals there were former brides of the bride. Then they did the garter. Im guessing we had a rather shy groom because that garter really wasnt that far up...she made it too easy for him. Then we had the garter toss. All males (again married or not) were called to the dance floor. A sweet young man managed to catch it, much to the dismay of the gal who caught the bouquet. Why dismay? Because her fiance didnt move fast enough to get the garter. So the gal was seated on a chair in the middle of the dance floor and the young man was told that he was to place the garter on her arm. For every inch he put it up her arm, the married couple would have a year of good luck. Cant fault the boy for what he did....he slid it up her arm very quickly. Much too quickly for the dj's liking. *laffz* So the dj took it off and told the boy to do it again...oh and gals dont like it if you do things too fast. *LAFFZ* After the garter was worked (a bit slower this time) up the gal's arm, the fiance was brought to the floor at which point the gal was instructed to put the garter on him. Again, for every inch was a year of good luck. That's the pic to the right you see. Dude had some skinny legs because she got it nearly clear up his leg!

One of the last dances was the YMCA. The bride's sister dragged me out to the floor to do it with her. She's the one with the purple vest to my right in this picture on the left. I think this is a great picture of the bride and groom. They look like they're having a blast. That was pretty much the last of a great day. Most of the other guests were starting to leave at that point and the waitstaff were clearing the tables. I did manage to get one last picture in. Im going to have to have it printed and framed to put on my desk sometime.

Me, a mutual friend, the bride and her sister. We'd all graduated together except the sister...she was 1-2 years later.

Thursday and Friday

*WARNING: food discussed.

Thursday night we started pulling things together to pack. We weren't in any great hurry because it wasnt as though we had to leave early. I figure we got about half of the stuff we needed set aside and a list made of all the stuff we'd require for our weekend away. On Friday morning, we got up around 8-830am. While hubby took the dog to the "spa" (for those just joining us in this Blogspot, "spa" is my code for boarding the dog at the vet's), I got things packed up. I cant believe how much crap we take along everytime. One of these days I really need to streamline our travelling somewhat. Two people shouldnt need a full-sized suitcase, garment bag AND a full tote for just a couple nights away.

Once we got packed, we popped over across the street to IHOP (International house of Pancakes) for breakfast. The waitress came over to take our drink order and to let us know what the specials were. I asked her "What do you NOT have today?" *laffz* She gave me a puzzled look and began to laugh when I explained that we go to IHOP once a month or so and the last 2 trips they didnt have the one special I was interested in trying for that month. I then told her that I'd told hubby with the fact they had 2 I wanted to try that it'd be my luck that they'd have neither. Once she and I got ourselves composed, she told me they had both. On the off chance that they'd "run out" before she got the order in ...I gave her 3 different orders in the order of preference. *laffz* We were told that Sundays were bad and Sunday afternoon worst because they always were out of nearly everything, especially the specials. *makes note to not go on a Sunday afternoon* I did manage to get my first choice of meal, so I was a happy camper when we left.


As per usual, I fell asleep for about an hour or so while hubby was driving. I dont recall seeing us approach DC or see any signs saying we were leaving the area. Shoot, I dont even remember seeing any signs saying we were leaving Manassas. All I know is we were past DC and headed towards Baltimore when I woke up. We got to the first of the about 3 or so toll boothes that we were going to encounter when I noticed some paraphernalia in the road. As we got closer, I realized that someone had just had a very very bad day. There was a suitcase in the road (which was still closed thank goodness) and a tote bag (that big black object closest to our truck) which had unfortunately opened spilling most, if not all of its contents. Thank goodness the contents were nothing much more than disposable diapers and were easily (I hope) replaceable. The big green sign says the toll booth is 1000 feet away from that point and you can see the bag's several feet before that. This poor guy came jogging up the road to attempt to collect his stuff. By the time we'd gotten past the toll booth, the diapers had been knocked and strewn several hundred feet PAST the toll area. Definitely a bad day for that poor guy. Only major complaint the entire trip in is the stupid construction. Thank goodness I usually sleep through most of it.



The hotel was absolutely beautiful. I could definitely get used to 4 and 5 star hotels very easily.
What we got was more what I had anticipated when we moved to Virginia in January. Actually, it's a bit more than what I expected as back then I had been thinking we'd get no more than a Motel6 extend stay room. This hotel suite had a bedroom, bathroom, small galley kitchen and a livingroom with sofa, chair and desk. There were 2 tvs (on in the bedroom and one with a game system hooked to it in the livingroom) and a table that separated the livingroom and kitchen areas. I could have easily stayed a week in this room without getting that antsy cooped up feeling. Actually, now that I think of it.....this suite was larger than my first apartment! In the suite, there was a ceiling fan in the bedroom and 2 small AC units...one in each main room. The kitchen had a stove with 2 burners, sink, fridge and even a dishwasher. Every morning between 6 and 9am they served breakfast. I dont mean a cheesy donuts and coffee "Continental" breakfast....I mean a small buffet with plenty to eat. There were cereals, eggs, waffles, breakfast meats, juices, fruits etc etc etc. MMMmmm yummy. The only complaint I have is that we had some rowdy people on our floor and every so often it felt like a damn earthquake.

Tuesday and odds and ends

Yesterday was shot day. The shot didnt sting nearly as much as last week but then again when I mentioned how much it did the nurse working suspected that some of the alcohol from the wipe had gotten pushed in when the injection was given because it wasnt dried off first. She made sure to dry off the spot before giving the shot. This week it's still itching and has lumped up a bit bigger than last week. I suspect that the alcohol had reduced the itching and lumping last week so I've made note to ask the nurse about it. The topical Benedryl gel doesnt seem to work so well anymore (looks at label....hmmm...outta date, no wonder!) so Im going to ask about taking an oral form of the medicine for just the day and day after a shot. Next week we start the next vial of the stuff. *ew* Personally, Im not seeing a change yet as I still feel horrid first thing when I get up. However, it's still early on yet.

Before going to the dr's, we decided to go out to lunch. The original plan was to go to KFC for some (hides Marmie's eyes) fried chicken but the restaurant was closed. Im not sure why. It could be for upgrades or something. Im sure it wasnt for just the parking lot because there were plenty of parking spots close enough. We decided to go somewhere else but something caught my eye and so I whipped my camera out and caught yet a SECOND case of alien abuse in less than a week's time! This poor YCHA was made to stand for countless hours on end with no break holding that "Do not cross" tape. If that humiliation wasnt bad enough, the two-legged y-chromosome aliens from Mars had jammed a piece of wood in the top of his head! Such violence in this day and age...

Last Thursday, before our trip, I *finally* dealt with those blinds. I think it looks cheesy but it's better than it was to say the least. I do have to admit that I like the fact that they brighten up the kitchen some. They dont look it but the valances actually cost less than the tiers because I got them on clearance. I just wish I'd though to grab the matching tiers at the time. Oh well. I could always get the matching toppers for the tiers I have but they dont come in the style I have, they only come in swags. I dont want swags up to be honest. Mostly because of the fact the side windows are so narrow and there's just no good way to get the swags to look nice up there. If I put a full set over the narrow windows, then the set over the middle window would need to be doubled so they're just as full as the side windows... Ah well.

Well, I'd best get the next entry started while the last of the pictures are getting uploaded into my Photobucket account.

Just some fun for when Im gone

This was a survey sent earlier this year. Im guessing that it was around January as I found it on the laptop when I fired it up. Feel free to play along.

01. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME:(first pet, current car):Brandy Torino

02.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Chocolate Sneaker

03. YOUR AMERICAN INDIAN NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Lavendar Horse

04. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME : (middle name, city where you were born): Marie Syracuse

05. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name,): Bulhe

06. SUPERHERO NAME: (The 2nd favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink): Pink Sangria

07. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) :Lawrence Leon

08. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Cashmere Musketeer

09. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts the same letter): Raugh Raleigh

10. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Christmas Rose

11. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now): Banana Shorts

A little of this, a little of that

After an emotional Sunday (and a fairly equally charged up Monday with the letters back and forth), things have "slowed down" some. I think between the blast from the past (ok...so what DO I call her?) and myself , we've figured out how she managed to find me. Let's just say with what she described that a certain Someone above had to had His Hands in it because I certainly do NOT have an explanation for it. As I was told... she'd checked out the prison website to make sure her, in her own words, "wonderful uncle" still had his butt behind bars. When she was done, she hit the back button in the upper left there. In her letter I think she may have had a typo so I can only guess where she was headed back to. I suspect it was Google, and sweetie if that is the case let me know. Well something happened and some, as she put it, weird websites came up. Something made her click the first link and damned if it wasn't my page that came up. The only way I can see this happening is if it brought her to one of my first entries here. Well first entry with the second go around through here....does that make sense? Anyhow, the only way it would have shown up is if it brought her to that first entry because I had put the web link to the prison in the entry. If that's the case...she must have done a LOAD of reading to get to the entry where she left her comment. Anyhow, I've been in contact with the older sister for a few days and she's been added as a friend to my LadyStyx MySpace page. I've yet to get an invite from the second sister (the one that commented on the blog). Maybe she's busy, maybe she changed her mind...who knows. I figure if she wants to stay in touch she'll send one through. I'm not going to send one though...just in case it'll cause problems with the family. Oh I know I was assured by the one that her branch of the family isn't mad, but still....just on the off chance.

Tuesday afternoon was my third shot. *UGH* This one burned to high heaven going in. The nurse suspects that it's because she didn't let the alcohol dry long enough before giving me the injection. GEE ya THINK!!? Yes, I'm very very sensitive in matters like this. Sheesh. This shot tired my arm out big time. I don't mean the "I'm tired, I think I'll nap off cuz I didnt sleep well last night" kinda tired. I mean the kinda tired you get where you've been lifting boxes all day or scrubbing the house down for hours...that kinda tired. It was the weirdest feeling. My body must be getting used to it though because it didn't lump up as bad as last week (this week it was only the size of a skeeter bite) and didn't itch as much either...even though there was more serum that was injected. When we were done, we went to Dairy Queen for a treat (because I was "so good and didn't cry during my shots"...yeah right...hubby just wanted a custard/soft serve ice cream cone) and then over to Dress Barn to find a shirt I could live with for the wedding. Most of their stuff doesn't fit as I'm just a tad too large but I did find a nice sweater-look sleeveless blouse to go with my skirt. It's a lovely shade of pink and doesn't have wide armholes like many sleeveless blouses for my size do (no one wants to see my bra when I raise my arms thankyouverymuch!!).

Yesterday, I made another unsupervised excursion. Granted, I don't go far but I actually did more than the usual trip. I went to go get my hair freshened for the wedding...4 weeks and the roots were already becoming slightly obvious. When I got there, the poor guy that did my hair the last couple times already had his hands full and told me it was going to be a bit of a wait. That's the problem with liking the most popular stylist in the salon! I asked him how long because I planned on making a couple other stops before going home. When he said that I'd have time for to go do them I asked if we were talking an hour or so. He said to call in an hour and he'd have a better idea. LOL. Shows me to just pop on in eh? So while I was waiting I decided I'd do some shopping. There wasn't much sense going home because if I did that I'd probably want to just stay home and I did need a few of the items I ultimately purchased.

My first stop was to Catherine's. My main purpose was to find a pair of biker shorts to wear under the skirt I'll be wearing to the wedding. I wanted biker shorts because they're longer and do a fairly decent job of keepin the ol "thunder thighs" from causing total discomfort while I'm dressed up. It's a trick I'd picked up in Louisiana in the hot summer months. It would get hot and sticky due to the heat and humidity and of course at the time all the female staff members at the school I worked for HAD to wear skirts. Well fat thighs pretty much cannot take that type of weather and anyone in their right mind wore knit shorts underneath....well unless they didn't mind the Cub scouts chasing after them with marshmallows on sticks hoping the friction would start a campfire. Oh...and you needed them for modesty sakes because we had a few perverted students that liked to hide under the metal staircase around back and look UP as the girls came down the stairs. Mostly it was a comfort issue though. Of course they didn't have any so I'll have to see if I find something that'll work when we go out later tonight. It's either that or I'll have to find another way of dealing with it.

While at Catherine's I picked up the knee highs I was going to need (thank GOD for long skirts!!). I also found a couple shirts on the clearance racks that I liked. I have this pair of jean shorts that fit but don't fit and I really needed something better in the top department to wear with them. Ya see, I'm built strangely. I'm short in the inseam but the trunk is long and of course the manufacturers of the clothing nowadays make their clothes to fit the trends. If I buy shorts (or even pants) that fit around my natural waistline, then many times they don't fit nice in the seat or the thighs. If I buy a pair that look nice while I stand, then usually I cant sit in them and if I buy so I can sit then they slop all over. I rarely find pairs of pants that fit off the rack as at 5'4.5" I'm too short for the averages and too tall for the petites. Shorts are another trial because I like mine longer...so they hit the knee. Why? Because of the thunder thigh issue. I walk and normal shorts start to ride up and then I have those cub scouts chasing me again. Top things all off manufacturers are still on the waistbandonthehips kick. Man do I ever hate that. I managed to find some shorts several weeks back at a decent length...however I have to keep pulling them up some. Why? Because I want them at my NATURAL waist and not down around my hips. Unfortunately, when I get them where I want them (so my butt and my hips are covered) the front part dips to below the belly button. Top things all off the pocket liners keep creeping up and poking out of the pockets and I think it looks tacky. So here I am constantly adjusting the shorts because they wiggle down to where they're made to be and at the same time have to pull the shirt down a bit because tends to move up a bit as I'm moving. Perfectly normal for a shirt and since it's cut at the appropriate hip length...well the belly has been getting a little flashnpeek action. If this isn't bad enough...hubby's discovered the back pockets... Anyhow (where was I..oh yeah the shirts), I was wearing said shorts yesterday so I figured to try a few shirts out and see if there was anything I liked. I found a couple that were long enough to cover everything that they should and allow me to move comfortably without worrying about looking overly tacky. The good news on those shirts (other than they fit well and hide what should be hidden) is that they were on the 50% off rack. WHOOT! Both shirts cost less than the piece of costume jewelry I bought to dress up the outfit I'm wearing to the wedding. YAY ME!

After Catherine's I went to Payless. If there is one thing I hate with a passion more than attempting to find pants or shorts to fit me is shoe shopping. I was reading in someone's blog today (in one of their earlier entries...not sure whose blog...was someone who's a blogger friend of a blogger friend I'm sure) that they were sure they missed the girly/shoe lover gene. Well I'd like to let them know, they ain't alone. I hate looking for shoes. Again...I'm hard to fit. Across my foot (especially my left one because I jacked it up badly a few years back), I'm a 9 wide. From toe to heel, however, I'm only an 8. Mom always called them Fred Flintstone feet....short n wide but got me where I was going. If the sizing wasn't already difficult, I also have narrow heels. In sneakers, this isn't a big issue as they are tied to your feet and for all people know, your feet really are that big. Dress shoes, are another matter. I can't wear heels anymore as they hurt my feet and ankles (so they MUST be flats), pointy toes pinch, round and square toes are ugly and most times I end up in these plumfk ugly-assed shoes that look like a guy's dress shoes that tend to slip off my heels (and yeah, I've tried "heel grabbers"...they dont work for me). Shoes that would look on a guy or with a pantsuit....which I'm not wearing. I am wearing a beautiful, flowy, chiffon(?) skirt with that pink shirt I mentioned above. So I opted for comfort over looks and will more than likely kick the damn things off as soon as the ceremony's over with. I'm tempted to find some black ballerina type slippers and wear those buggers instead. She did tell me to wear what I "feel comfortable and pretty in".

By the time I found a pair of shoes I could somewhat live with and the trip to Catherine's, I went back to the salon. I get in and the poor dude was up to his elbows with another client. Considering how warm and sticky it was I pretty much decided to sit and wait this time. I knew he wasn't too much farther until he could stop with that one client anyhow. She was having her hair colored (highlights and lowlights) and if memory served me right from the last trip in (I sat and watched another stylist working with the foils while my stylist worked on my hair), it looked like he was pretty close to being at a stop point anyhow. He got her moved over and told me to take a seat while he got my coloring. When he got back, I thought to myself...."does he have enough colorant in that bottle? I think not". Wouldn't you know, I was right. Guy forgot it takes 2 bottles even though my hair is short because I have so much up there. For the next hour or so he was running between the two of us getting things done. When one was at a point where the solution had to set, he worked on the other. Hers took a while though and I ended up spending a great deal of time at the sink waiting. He made sure it was worth my while though as he added some services that I do not see listed on my receipt. After he'd rinsed the color out, he put in a shine treatment (cold!) and let it set while he worked on her hair a bit...then he ran back after a while and rinsed it out, then placed in another treatment of some kind (VERY COLD!!!). Whatever he added, all I know is that the tight itchy scalp (thanks to the fact I don't drink enough water I'm sure) I normally have hasn't bothered me at all yet today. He must have been close to being done because he came back one more time to rinse and added a deep conditioning treatment to my hair and set me under the drier for a bit while he finished and caught a quick break. Yet another rinse and then my hair was blown dry and trimmed. This stylist seems to have an aversion to cutting hair at times. He has, however, managed to find a style I can live with. It's short enough to keep down year round and has enough volume to it so I don't look like I've had my head shrunk. Once my hair was dry he trimmed sections of it so the volume stayed and didn't weigh the rest of the style down.

When I got home, I started the laundry and checked my emails. Hubby wanted to know what was for supper. The last day or so, I haven't done much cooking because I don't want anything left in the 'fridge just incase something happens when we're gone. *knocks on wood* He's supposed to only be working a half day today but I haven't heard much from him since this morning. I suspect things have gotten busy and he'll be later than he planned getting home tonight....*ears perk up* oh wait...I hear him now. I'd better scoot as I have a few things to do before bed tonight.

EDIT: 1018pm: Got that friend request today from the next sister. After I accepted, she left a comment and wouldnt ya know...she called me aunt. ~smilez~

Are you sure it's only Monday????

Holy shit whatta week! It seems impossible that it's only Monday. No, I havent really been busy and no I havent left the house ramming around yet this week. Yet, I feel like a whole week's passed already. Why? Well let's just say a couple blasts from my other life managed to look me up yesterday. I dont know how they managed it to be honest because I dont believe that I was using this nick when I knew them best. I could be mistaken.

Late last night, I checked my email in preparation for getting ready for bed. Like many here know, I have a pretty much set pattern for my day to day workings...especially on days hubby works. Last thing I do is check the email. In my email was a memo from this site here saying I had a comment on one of my older posts from a name I didn't recognize right off. Something about the last part of the nick was really familiar. So I read the comment and this person introduced herself and seemed to be very happy to find me. I sat there and mulled it over. I walked away from the computer for a few minutes and when I got back to it, I Googled the name to see if I could figure out who it was. I found that the name in question had a Facebook account. Ok...pull it up and there's a smiling face looking back at me that is so familiar but I couldnt understand why. I looked farther and there was a MySpace account...*click* and that same smiling face is looking back at me. Then...omg ...then I knew who it was and had to walk away from my computer. Hubby asked what was wrong because I had tears in my eyes and all I could say was "omg...I know who it is". After a few minutes to compose myself I told him who this person was. Im not certain if he's happy with this development to be honest because he got real quiet. All I can hope for is understanding because this young lady that contacted me, well her family was a big part of my life for about a decade. Who was it you ask? Well it was one of my nieces from that last marriage. My comment back to her is in my Strange Phone Call post. I told her, basically, that I was fine with communication so long as she wasnt going to get in trouble with the family over it. Last thing I needed was to have this lovely young lady getting grief at home over this issue. So after leaving my comment I popped into my Myspace account. Do you see it coming? You should. No, there wasnt a message from her there, but there was a sweet letter from her older sister waiting on me in there with a friend request. Yet again...tears in my eyes while reading the kind words they had to say to me and the realization that at least part of the family really didnt hate me in the slightest. In fact, the way it read, I was missed...ALOT. So I wrote back to the older sister (again reservations on how the family will react to this communication) and accepted the friend request. I signed my message "just plain ol" because technically Im no longer their aunt and I really wasnt sure how to sign a letter to them anymore.

I didnt sleep too well last night. I didnt get to bed until 3am because I was so excited and scared at the same time. The clock read 3:22am the last time I looked at it. When I got up at 10:30am, I fired up the computer and eschewing my normal pattern.....well I fired up myMySpace account before anything else. There's a very nice, very long note from the first sister sitting in there. I've scanned it over and will be going to answer it in a few. I just gotta find the right words. Seems like I wasnt the only one taking all the blame for that jerk's actions. Baby girl, if you read this before I get to answer the other note....you are NOT to blame for his actions. Never ever let him let you think that way because the minute you do...he's won. Now if I can only learn to take my own advice eh?

I got note via email from a friend today asking for a prayer request. It seems we've had some sad news. The gal whose wedding Im going to this weekend? Well her gramma died last night around 9:30pm. Needless to say, the bride and her mom are extremely devastated over this. No, the wedding hasnt been cancelled...my friend is stronger than that. Much stronger than me because I would have cancelled for sure. She's going on with the wedding because that's what her gramma would have wanted. My friend's driving to Syracuse (NY) today to help with the arrangements and I think they're going to try and get gramma buried quickly so there's still a day or two before the wedding to grieve. Anyhow, the family could use some prayers, good thoughts, candles lit...whatever it is ya'll do. Thanks bunches.

Are you sure it's only Monday? *checks again* Feels like it should be at least Wednesday already....

So, what do YOU collect?

As I mentioned in my previous entry, iggy was wondering what all the different readers of my blog like to collect. This ponderance (in case you didnt catch those two blog entries) was stemmed from the fact my hubby has a rather extensive collection of comic books (among other things...).

Me? Well I collect a few diffferent things. I collect porcelain dolls. At this point I have more than I had when I had to leave Pennsylvania. The picture to the right are some of my favorites. Oh hell, who am I kidding....they're all my favorites! I blame my mom for starting me on this hobby as it was she who gave me my first doll. Sadly, I had to leave that one behind. I had to be careful how many I socked away at the time but Im sure all of you have read about that in the other entries and know exactly what Im talking about. *drops subject*

I collect stuffed animals. Not just the teddy bears pictured to the left. I've got a lion, a lamb and several others in my collection. This has got to be my third collection. I had one when I was still living home with my folks. When they decided they were going to move us to California, we were told to weed our collections down to one box worth. After weeding and allowing the excess to be sold as yard sale fodder, I decided to stay and so what I had left was the start of my second collection. When I had to move from Louisiana to Pennsylvania and the moving truck fell through, I had to leave all but a couple pieces behind. My third collection has been donated by my darling hubby. The ONLY piece that has survived all the moves and all the drama is Ralphie. Ralphie is that dark brown handmade teddy bear with the polka-dot ears in the picture. He is in his 30's and my mom's the one who made him for me.

Being an ex-streamer, and all around music lover, I collect music. That which is pictured to the right doesnt even BEGIN to represent the music I have on hand. I blame my mom again for this one. She instilled the love of music and singing in me. We were taught an appreciation and at least a tolerance of all types of music. On that rack pictured I have a wide selection ranging from 3 Doors Down to Wilson Phillips and much that's in between....even Yanni, Barry Manilow, jazz, country and opera. My favorite is rock though. I cant get enough of rock.

I used to have a small collection of horses as well. Some musical carousel ones, a couple rocking horses and a Breyer. I wouldnt mind starting that collection again, but we just dont have the room for it right now.

So....what do YOU collect?

a semi-busy-nothing-important-but-alot-getting-done kinda week pt2

Tuesday, while we were heading to run our errands, we saw a sign in the window of the local Hollywood Video store...Buy 2 Get 2 free dvds. Oh hell. If there's one thing I cannot resist (other than copious amounts of chocolate in any form, music, stuffed animals and plaster crafts) it's dvds at a good price. My biggest problem is that there were several movies I had (read as left behind because of the dumbass that shall remain nameless) that I'd love to replace. The hardest problem is remembering which I have now and ones that I HAD....which means I get confused alot and have to ask hubby if we have it or not which makes me feel really damn stupid. Anyhow, sales like this are tremendously dangerous for the both of us. We can easily pop down nearly $100 and that's AFTER weeding out several titles that are simply not "must have nows". Among the titles we bought are: The Other Boleyn Girl, The Water Horse, The Producers, Mad Money, The Bucket List and John Tucker Must Die. I've watched three total movies since last weekend and I'm half tempted to throw another in for this evening as there's nothing on but the NCIS marathon on channel 35 (but then again....Mark Harmon's always a pretty nice distraction ;) ). I've watched John Tucker Must Die (very funny movie...especially with some of the dirty stuff they pull on him and how that dog turns it around to his benefit...), Mad Money (not a bad movie...Katie Holmes is absolutely adorable in this movie but it isn't exactly Dianne Keaton's finest work) and the Phantom of the Opera. The last one, I've listened to the original soundtrack to and so I was very familiar with it. The movie helped clear up a little confusion I had towards the end of the soundtrack as well as gave new perspective to a couple other areas (back flashes where I wasn't aware there were any..). The singing wasn't bad but I much preferred the original soundtrack over what was presented in the movie. No one sings the leads quite like Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Although, I do have to admit seeing Minnie Driver in the part of Carlotta was a hoot and a half. It takes some real skill to appear to sing that badly and still stay in key.


Tuesday...I know there was more. Oh I think it was Tuesday when we went shopping too. We headed over to the UPS store and picked up our mail (before the dr appointment I think..we got alot done before that appointment for sure), then we went to GameStop and bought a gift card for my friend's wedding gift. Hey...she gave the store as an option! Like I told the clerk, everyone else is gonna buy house type stuff and if anyone is gonna buy her something a little left of center...it'd be me. After that we went to WallyWorld for a few items and it was here I made that decision on the window treatments. I got the curtain rods and the tiers...then hit up the electronics department to see if they had a certain cd. *grumblez* nope. We got home to unload before going to the dr and I realize *DAMN!* I got the wrong size on one of the rods. Left the rod in the truck on our way to the dr's. Went to the dr and then to the WalMart (the one closer to our place). While at this WallyWorld, I check to see if ~maybe~ that cd showed up here yet. Nope. Damn what the hell....WalMart's not gonna carry the Ace Young cd? I thanked the clerk that tried to help me and said I'd hit Target for it because I KNEW they'd have it. LOL. Yeah, Im all for telling peeps thanks for making me not feel guilty shopping your competitor (and no...I still dont have it...I think I'll be heading to Amazon in a bit to get it). Luther's was lunch...boy it was sticky enough outside I wanted a beer so badly but I wasn't allowed to have one (no alcohol 4 hrs before and 4 hours after those damn shots). Our last stop was at the Bottom Dollar for the few groceries we needed. About two weeks ago I had a fit with how cluttered the cabinets in the kitchen and the freezer were so I've basically said no shopping unless it's NEEDED...milk, bread, eggs fine...anything else ain't needed! We've cut our food bill in half the last couple weeks...I'm so damn proud. Go us!


I'm not sure what all we did on Wednesday. I think we kinda just stuck around home as it was due for one of those stupid storms again and I hate being caught out in one. Hubby finished up the catch-all room that day and we can move around in it comfortably now....but then I mentioned that in the last entry. After he was done and cooled off some, (and after I had an unexpected nap) I went downstairs and got his hair cut. I think he'll be all set for next week as it takes a while for his to grow back in. I usually end up cutting it 4-5 times a year at best. Now mine, well it'll need a bit of sprucing up next week before we go. Since we won't be able to check in until 3pm, I may hold off and get it done that morning before we leave. Then it'll be semi-fresh for when we get there and minimal work will need to go into it on Saturday morning to get it to look nice.


It did definitely storm on Wednesday. About 45 minutes after I got his hair cut, the storm warnings started up. There was a tornado watch until after midnight and flash flood watches until after peak traffic time on Thursday. Surprise surprise...the warnings on the television actually showed up IN A TIMELY MANNER! Wow. Color me shocked. Was that dripping in enough sarcasm? I hope so.


Thursday I heard hubby get up and get ready for work. I felt him give me a kiss and heard a see ya later just like every other day. A couple hours later I had a surprise that I wasn't expecting when I heard the front door being opened and the dog getting all excited. Considering the noise she was making, well I KNEW who was home and wondered how I managed to sleep the whole day away. I rolled over and it was only about 8am-ish. HUH?? When he got upstairs, I asked him why he was home so soon....not that I minded...I miss him lots when he's gone. Well he told me that they wanted help the next few Sundays because one of the other workers is going to school and needs Sundays off for one reason or another. When they asked hubby to help out this coming Sunday, he told them so long as he could go home for the day. It was a fair enough trade I guess. Only problem is that he has classes on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning so he won't really be getting a day off until Friday.... *bah*. Once I got up and got going, we decided to go out and take a run to yet another comic shop that's closer to our townhouse. We managed to wipe that shop clean of boards and bags too (did I mention he has ALOT of comics? oh I did?). With any luck he has enough supplies to finish up the boxes he has HERE. I stress here because he's got about 12-15 of the long boxes back at his folks' home and Lord knows if he has them bagged correctly yet.


On Thursday we also went out to Bob Evan's for lunch. Mmmm Italian Sausage and penne...yummy! Well...usually yummy. They seemed to have over cooked the pasta a bit more than I care for (I love it el dente). After we ate we went to the local library and donated about 6 months worth of magazines and 2 books. Boy were they ever happy to see that donation come in. While we were there, we got ourselves library cards. I don't see that we'll be there too often what with the Internet for research and all the books we have here to read (not to mention the dvds for viewing...). It's always nice to have a library card just in case though. I wanna say there was another stop after that,but I don't think there was.


Not much else...I worked on my page some yesterday. The dandelions were pretty much iggy inspired and I'd hoped to get them up before he got back from his "dandelion break" but I couldnt get it to work out the way I wanted. At least not until I found the busy bee for my banner. I think I kinda like it. Well I suppose I should scoot....I've got a load of laundry in the washer that needs to go to the dryer and a steroid rat that really should be set outside for a bit before she messes in my house. While downstairs, maybe I'll get those curtains up as well.


Oh...before I forget (again)...Iggy wondered in the comments section of part one how many different things each of my readers collect. So everyone put your thinking caps on.....dont answer it in here though. I'll be devoting another entry for just that type of conversation. Oh....and those that I sent that questionnaire to via email...if you havent done it yet, if you could get it turned in....I've got something planned for the answers I got (yes, I'll be giving the "correct" answers)


Everyone have a wonderful day!

a semi-busy-nothing-important-but-alot-getting-done kinda week pt1

Monday night before going to bed, I popped on the site that has my medical file and requested refills for my medicines. I know I wont have time this coming week to deal with them so I figured to get them outta the way. While requesting the refills, one of them popped a flag up telling me that it was going to need to contact my doctor because there were no refills available. Well damn, I didn't realize it had been so long. I suspect that when I had gone in the dr only gave me 2 months worth of prescript. Well you dumb-head! My files said I was on it for months now. Sheesh I hope the next dr is a bit brighter.


Tuesday we had a stop or two before the doctor's office. Hubby's in the middle of consolidating his collection of comics in the catch-all room and needed some more small boxes, bags and boards to get them at least protected properly. The boxes were bought mostly to make them more manageable (they're mostly in long boxes which are a bitch to move from one area to another....especially since they're too heavy for me to help out right now). We ended up going to 2 different comic shops for bags n boards...wiped them clean of their stock and STILL don't have enough for him to complete the project. Yeah, he's got THAT many books. He's got a good portion done though and has my old desk set up in there with things neatened up some. It's so neat in fact, that I can go in there farther than the litter box (which is just inside the doorway).

Sometime after the trip to the comic stores we popped on over to the dr's office (there was a trip to WalMart in between but that will be dealt with later). We were about 30 minutes or so early. I got myself checked in and talked with the receptionist for a bit, getting my next 5 appointments set up. I let her know that it was getting to be that time of year to have that "special" appointment so I may as well set it up on one of the Tuesdays to either go before or follow my allergy shot. She told me that 5-7 days prior to "that" appointment that I was going to be required to do lab-work so we got that appointment set up as well. On the 19th of August, I'll be going for lab-work so I have to go in a tad early and fast before hand. *bleah* The appointment isn't until 230pm so I may just stay up a bit later the night before and grab a snack before bedtime. I hate 12 hour fasts...they always give me a nasty headache. The appointment on August 26th is not only for my shot but for "that" dr appointment. I was told to check in a bit early and they'd see about getting me my shot first and then the dr would see me. This way I'm under the dr's observation during the 30 minute wait period that I have after my shot. *wrinklez nose* helluva way to spend my 2nd wedding anniversary..eh? Well anyhow, I got shot number 2 this week. Yet again, it itched like a big ole skeeter bite for about a couple hours. At the time, it didn't lump up or go pink. There was simply a small red dot where the shot was administered. Then, it got worse. By Tuesday evening, I had a pink patch at the injection site that was roughly 2" in diameter and it lumped up like a spider bite. It stayed itchy and pink into Thursday with the spot feeling tight like just before a spider bite heals. Oh how I look forward to next week's shot *sarcasm*.

While there, I picked up my meds. Thank goodness that some of them are a 3 month allotment! Good heavens are some of them expensive. Most especially my Astelin. The bottle has 50 days worth of doses in it. I wish it was cheaper but it works...so I guess it's worth the money. I'll be so glad if they take me off it eventually. Even though it works, it tends to leave a bad taste in your mouth....both literally and figuratively. Everything...dr's appointment and medicines cost me roughly $150 this week. *sigh*

I made a decision regarding my kitchen window treatments. I have decided I really don't want to bother with the blinds I have up. Even if I get them spotless, they're really still kinda jacked up badly. As much as I'd rather just replace them, that middle window requires a special order because it isn't a standard size. This cost money and I'm really not up for spending extra money for a custom-made blind if we won't be here more than 18 months or so. Unfortunately, I've made this decision AFTER the season containing the pattern I bought so the matching tier curtains...well WalMart doesnt carry them anymore. My biggest choice was to either buy all new curtains again so the tiers and valances match OR find something that at least matches colorwise. I opted for the latter. NO, the fabrics dont match...no the cut doesnt match BUT the tiers are a solid white which brings out the bit of white that is in the tiers. I think it'll all get left with the townhouse. I'm pretty sure the next people won't want the jacked up blinds anymore than I did so I'll pitch them with the next trash day. I'll be getting the curtains up this next week. I have to do it before our trip because I have company showing up the weekend after we get back here and I may or may not have time to do it then.

None of that sissy crap!

Oh do I ever love this. Just got it from my SCSis and thought I'd share.

None of that Sissy Crap

Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good,
but never actually come close to reality?
Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.
You will see no cutesy little smiley faces on this card-
Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

1. When you are sad --I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared -- we will high tail it out of here.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick --Stay away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I'll pick you up and dust you off.

9. This is my oath...I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask -- because you are my FRIEND!

Friendship is like peeing your pants,
everyone can see it,
but only you can feel the true warmth.

white bikes

While cleaning up my computer desk top, I came across a file that had a scanned picture in it. The picture within had been scanned on July 9th so I'm guessing the magazine it was in was either the May or June edition because I'm not finding the article in the July edition that I have on hand. Anyhow, it reminded me of a pic I took back in March sometime. Ya'll may remember it (shown to the left). I took it about the time iggy started his rather imaginative (and informative) OCHA articles. While on the way to the townhouse I had seen this fence made of white bikes. I snapped the pic and filed it in the appropriately labelled "iggy pix" folder of my Photobucket. If I recall, someone said that sometimes a white bike fence is just that, a white bike fence. At that point I was willing to just let it go.


That is until my Reader's Digest came in and I found this pic. Now I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't more to the story of that white bike fence. Oh I'm not curious enough to pull into the fella's driveway and out and out ask a stranger about the fence. Why? Because I'd hate to think that the fence is just a creative use of old bikes and hence, just a fence. I am however, curious enough to wonder about it. Is this the purpose they had in mind when they assembled it? Was it assembled a little at a time with one bike added for every death? Were they family members or just victims that died at that corner and in essence the bikes are a memorial. Worse yet, was it one huge accident that took them all at the same time? In any case, I know I wont be biking near that corner any too soon.

Gas humor

The one that looks like a newspaper scan came out of the Claiborne Progress...the newspaper from hubby's hometown.

Busy busy busy

Boy has the email inbox ever been busy today thanks to the wonderful questionnaire that iggy sent along. I'm sure we all got it a few times over today. Between that and the back and forth communications with my gal in NJ regarding her wedding in a couple weeks and hubby checking in on me. *whew* It took me most of the morning to get through my edjumakatshunalz (got a few of those to post in another post or two...so Tori you could probably skip those when you finally rejoin us), then the blog entries (there's a couple out there that need to be working on theirs too.... :P~~) and a last minute suggestion about a bumper sticker idea (I sent him 3 and now he has trouble choosing! LOL Careful whatcha ask for hun...). On top of that I'm in the midst of doing laundry so I'm up and down the stairs more frequently than I'd really care to be doing. Anyhow....

Taking it back to the 2nd of July...I made another unsupervised excursion out of the safe confines of my town home to the Haircuttery. It had been a couple months since the last cut and it was really beginning to need it desperately. I also opted to spend a little extra (OK...alot more)and have them color my hair as well. Every time I try to do it the color doesn't look quite right...at least not how I imagine it to look. It's either to orangy or too dark and I look all washed out. My stylist opted for a blend of two colors that looks great on me. It's closer to my natural color but it still has some of the red hi-lights that I love so much ( I HATE the blond ashy hi-lights I got naturally). I'll have to get hubby to take a pic the day I go back in for a touch up. Gotta make sure the metallic hi-lights are still gone for the wedding on August 2nd ya know. Especially since I know my gal was showing them several years back so if she hasn't taken to coloring....well I'll look younger than her and her sister. ~grinz~

On July 5th, I got to spend time with my SCSis. Boy we had a wonderful time. They were due in somewhere around 1130 and 1pm. Yeah I know according to Mapquest it's about a 40 minute drive at best BUT it doesn't take into account how horrid the traffic can be...plus they had a couple other stops they wanted to go to before they got here. On the way in they noticed the Air and Space Museum, so when they got here she pointed out that Bull Run was just down the road. Ummmm...I know I don't get out often but I'm pretty aware of what kinda historical crap is around me and I don't care too much about it thankyouverymuch . Well...that's the look she got when she point out Bull Run was close. Then she mentioned that the Smithsonian Institute's Air and Space Museum was there. OK, not my thing but she was trying to find a way to spend a bit more time than just lunch with us so OK, I guess I'm game.

Since hubby and I hadn't eaten yet, we all went to lunch first. The place was OK. I'm not in any real hurry to go back to it again but I wont complain if we do. The food was good but I don't really think it was worth the price (ka-chingville). After we went to the Museum. We were hoping to catch an IMAX movie while there but the machines that print the tickets went on the fritz and Lord knows when they'd come back up so we decided to just hit the museum and more than likely will go back another day when they visit. Like I said before, this place wasn't really my type of thing so I was merely aim n shooting my way through. Here I am, the slowest member of my party because my knees are whack and I'm so heavy that being on my feet for long periods can be quite bothersome to not only my feet but my sciatic nerve, just cruising through and making better time through the sections than the rest of them. It allowed me to get some really neat pix of the planes, satellites and such though (not to mention some "alien" pix for iggy's enjoyment). After I get this entry posted, I'll put the links for my Photobucket accounts over to the right on the homepage so ya'll can see the pix if you care to. The folder on Photobucket is 2008-07-05 Air and Space Museum or something like that. Make sure you get the right year as I have 2 Air and Space Museum trips in there...the other's from a Dallas trip. There's more than a hundred of that museum trip with SCSis...fair warning.

When we were done with the museum, SCSis decided she was ready for an adult level beverage so we carted ourselves off to a sports bar in the area. The idea was to have a drink or two out on the patio and then go to the restaurant we had in mind for supper. After our first round, we pretty much decided it might be a good idea to just stay there. We brought our drinks in and were seated. They had a trivia game going with these electronic answer pads so SCBro grabbed one of those and we played as a team. SCSis had a bit under her belt already and when her hubby asked for a team name she decided on the FluffBunny. *shakes head* Of course the name wouldn't fit and he starts fishing for a new name ....to which I blurt out (thanks the the second daiquiri) yes it does FlfBny. *shakes head again* Yeah, it don't take much....not at all. We had supper and played 4-5 rounds of trivia, winning all but the last game.

They brought us home and wouldn't you know, there wasn't a space to park ANYWHERE in a 4 block radius of the townhouse. Thank goodness they'd been driving and not us because after a long day if I'd gotten home and our spot was taken I would have been pissed. It happens way too frequently for my liking. Now if the vehicle is in and the flashers are on, more than likely it's an emergency. However, it's generally someone that's come for a visit and obviously cannot read that it's reserved. Many of the people in this cul-du-sac have been here a while though and should know to instruct visitors to not park in the spaces with numbers on them. Shoot, I've been here since March and all my friends and family know where to park. *inserts eyeroll*

From the blogs I'm seeing a couple of my fellow bloggers are in the hospital so have them in my thoughts today . I am happy that Tori's getting her eye taken care of and will be outta pain soon. Looks like it may be in time to be healed nicely for the wedding she's going to in August. Marmy's back in for her knee. I'm a little worried about her because it shouldn't be taking this long to get it sorted out. I hope they get it fixed up nicely so she's got one less thing to worry about. She seems to be keeping her chin up from what she writes in the blog but I know it's ~gotta~ be frustrating to say the least when something that was supposed to fix a problem does nothing more than generate more troubles. My thoughts are with both of you two today as you get things taken care of.


As many of you know, I've been having fits getting my allergy stuff sorted out. The allergist had assured me that she did, indeed, write the script for the Manassas Clinic. I got an email on Tuesday morning from her stating that the serum was in the refrigerator at her clinic and that she'd send it to where it needed to go. That email arrived around 9:30am. Hubby had a 3:50pm appointment at the dr's so I figured while I was there that I would ask and see if it came in...maybe get my first shot taken care of . Well, when I got there...the serum hadn't shown up yet (they called and it was in transit) but I was brought back to meet the nurse who would be giving the shots. I went through with her a basic scheduling. The shots are administered on Tuesdays and Fridays. Because hubby works Fridays (and the fact it's $15 every time I go in for the shots), I told her it'd have to be once a week ...it didn't much matter if I could get the shots twice a week. The only way Friday works right now is if I take a cab in and that's extra money out of pocket. Once hubby goes nights in September, I may be able to come up with a second trip in a week but right now I just don't see making a special trip by cab if I didn't have other business up that way already ya know? Oh well....so I set my appointment for next week...the 22nd.

So I sat...waiting on hubby to come outta his appointment when a delivery showed up. The receptionist laughed when she saw it grab my attention and said "No...it's not for you". LOL She sounded like me talking to the dog when she acts up as I'm handling food! Not a few minutes later, the nurse poked her head out of reception and called me back...it had arrived via a different carrier at the other entrance. YAY. I was brought back and she explained what the shots were going to be. Each of the 1st 3 vials would have 4 shots a piece in it. Each shot more of the allergen would be injected....each vial would be 10x stronger than the vial before. When I start a new vial, the smallest possible dose is given. She gave me my first shot...hardly felt it. Well at least hardly felt it until it started reacting to the serum. It got all pink and itchy but no bump which is good. I was sent to the waiting room to fill out a questionnaire while I waited for the serum to start working into my blood stream (they like you to wait for 30 minutes in case a bad reaction happens). Another 20 minutes later, hubby came out from his appointment and was surprised to find me sitting with paperwork. I told him I had another 10 minutes or so before I could go so he stepped out to pollute his lungs (man I wish he'd quit). The nurse called me back again and asked me some questions (which I didn't have an answer to...I've sense gotten the answers and written her via the medical site with the info) , then checked on the injection site. Told her it itched ...like a skeeter bite but wasn't too bad.

Not much more happened after that. Went to the Dairy Queen for a late lunch/ early dinner and then grocery shopping. Didn't need much , just the staples. About an hour after the injection I ended up with a slight reaction...runny nose and coughing, almost like I had a cold but it cleared up after a while.


Oh...my desk! We got the room torn down, carpet vacuumed and shampooed and the desks put back up. As you can see there's a bunch more room now. I took the pic from the doorway and as you can see, I'm not blocked in anymore! There's pretty much space for everything now too. We had to get that cart on the right near the trash can for the printer but it didnt fit where it needed to be so we moved my file cabinet to the left and put the cart near the window for the phone and other small equipment. At least it gives room for the one project that was hogging my desk, namely his box of pictures. I'm working on scanning them and putting them in a photo album. I'm liking the cubby holes for all the little stuff, I was tired of digging around for things when I needed them.

I guess that's about it. It's time to go downstairs and get the load outta the dryer and folded.

*HUGZ*

Allergy update

Looks like it's all sorted out. Just waiting on them to call me to set an appointment. I was hoping to start the shots this week but it doesnt look like it's in the cards. It started with 2 emails yesterday morning.


From: MD
Sent: 7/14/08 10:28 AM
To:
Subject: RE: Medication Questions

Thank you for emailing, I ordered for manassas, have calls in to clarify, will let you know, thank you.

To which I responded:

From:
Sent: 7/14/2008 5:27 PM
To: Office of MD
Subject: RE: Medication Questions

Ok. Thanks. I'd like to get at least a couple of the shots under my belt as Im making a trip at the end of the month (long weekend to NJ) and if there are going to be any complications, I'd like to get it figured out sooner rather than later.

Oh...and did you mean to send me this email or was it meant for someone else?:

RE: Medication Questions
To:
From: MD
Received:7/14/08 10:27 AM

I ordered shots for manassas, can you clarify with patient and extract lab, thank you.


This was the message this morning:

To:
From: MD
Received:7/15/08 9:45 AM
Thank you, I sent message to you and our allergy nurses. Claudia found your vials in the Springfield refrigerator last night and was going to send to Manassas this am.


Oh so damn close. Im hoping they call before we leave for hubby's appointment at 3:50pm to say it's there and sure they can squeeze me in for my first shot. I think while Im there (and knowing the medicine is on it's way)I'll just see about setting myself up for a standing Tuesday appointment for the next 25 weeks.

Allergies

I was out surfing the web and was checking out my brother's Flickr account to see if he had any new pictures up (him and his wife compete in a Farkography club thingy). As I was scrolling through, I noticed he'd posted his allergy results several months back. There were several comments so I got nosey. *laffz* His response to one was priceless.... Lemme back up a little though and let you in on what's been going on this week allergywise.....


It's been a little over two weeks now. I hadnt heard anything from the dr's office in regards to my allergy shots yet so Tuesday I dropped an email to my PCP office and asked after them:

Sent: 7/8/2008 12:44 AM
To: Office of
Subject: General Question

Good Morning! Dr McNally was supposed to write an order for allergy shots for me. She said that it would be two weeks and the dr's office would be calling me so I could set up appointments to get my shots done. I'm dropping this email to see what the status is on it.
Best Regards,

That morning when I woke up, I found this in my email inbox through the medical site:

From:
Office of
Received: 7/8/08 8:33 AM

I am pretty certain that you can send a message to Dr. M******, as well as to your primary care doctor. Dr. K*** is away this week. If you cannot get a message off to allergy department, let us know.

RN Manassas Medical Center


(names removed for privacy)

Ummm excuse me? I had been in contact with my allergist 2 weeks prior and she said she'd write it for the Manassas clinic because they were closer. Hmm. SO I shoot off this message to the allergist's office:


To:
MD
Sent:
7/8/08 1:26 PM

I dropped a note last night to the dr's office asking about the allergy shots to see if they came in yet (it's been a touch over 2 weeks). Is there anyway you could chase this one down as this is the response I got from them:

At which point I copy and pasted the response into the email for her to review. I waited all of Wednesday and all of Thursday for a response. Now, mind you, I do realize I could have called and gotten an answer faster; BUT knowing how busy those offices can get AND the fact that I seem to have the knack of calling at all the wrong times and getting an answering machine...well it's just easier to pop a note over. It also is a way to make sure everyone is on the same page and that I understand completely what is being discussed. Anyhow, by Friday I figured I'd have a response because maybe they were having trouble chasing down why the dr's office didnt seem to know anything about it or maybe it wass just getting finished up and transferred over or whatever. By 230pm or so on Friday, I gave up hearing from them and shut down the puter for a bit. Friday evening, hubby comes home and brings in the mail. There's a snail mail from the allergist's office. HUH? I was told to expect a CALL from the nurse at my PCP??!!? I fired up the computer and wouldnt ya know, there's an email from the allergist's office from the doctor covering for her. It basically says the same as the snail mail:

RE: General Question
To:
From:
Office of MD
Received:
7/11/08 3:23 PM

Ms. B,

I am covering for Dr. M who is away until July 14th. I have checked, and your allergy extract is now here at Springfield. You can call us at 703-***-**** anytime to make your 1st allergy shot appt.

Dr.V,MD

Mmhmm. Do they not check the notes on file and prior communications beforehand?

So I wrote back:

To:
MD
From:
Sent:
7/11/08 7:43 PM

Dr V,

Thank you for your response. I got the memo in the mail today as well. However, according to the communications I was having with Dr M in mid-June, I was under the impression she was going to have them sent to the Manassas Medical Center where my PCP is located. Here is the email conversation we were having in regards to this:

I copy and pasted the last few communications she and I had had regarding the shots. With any luck I should hear first thing tomorrow about this. I'd like to start getting my shots out of the way to be honest. I was hoping to have more than a couple under my belt before my trip...

So basically now I need a really good laugh. Those of you who have said that I'm quick thinking and at times quite funny in what I say...well Im nothing compared to my brother. So Im reading the comments on his results (he's allergic to just about everything) when this question comes up from one of his friends:

How the fuck does an allergy to cockroaches work? Do they have dander? On another note, sorry to see that you're so uncomfortable! Must suck! :(

Here Im thinking...good question! How DOES that type of allergy work? Subconciously, Im sure we all know the answer to this question and just dont exactly want to face the answer to it. However, my darling brother had this to say (warning, his language is a tad crass):


Meh, allergies suck, but its not that I feel uncomfortable per se -- I've always had some level of congestion, for me its "normal". Go fig.
There's a LOT of very disturbing things all wrapped up in that one line.
First, you're right, how DOES that work? I'm thinking dander, but... *shrug*
Second, this is a common enough problem that they actually TEST for it? Who the fuck is allergic is to cockroaches?
Third, how the sam hill did they ever figure out someone was allergic to cockroaches in the first place? Did someone walk into Doc Brown's office one day with a pet cockroach in tow on a leash, saying "every time I play with Fluffy here, I start sneezing."
Fourth, just how do they develop the allergy test for it? Do they have a roach in the back room somewhere? Are they milking it some how? Or worse, do they have peeing in one of those little dixie cups?
Last... in order to find out I was allergic to them, what the fuck did they inject me with? Am I walking around with a microdose of roach piss in my skin? Is that the bump on my arm that hasn't gone down? And why do I have this insatiable urge to hang out in the kitchen and eat bread crumbs all night now?

As you can see...Im not the only one that's quick thinkin...

So, anyhow....I got curious, looked it up and it's as bad as I feared it to be:


Q.
What causes the allergic reaction?
A.
The job of immune system cells is to find foreign substances such as viruses and bacteria and get rid of them. Normally, this response protects us from dangerous diseases. People with allergies have supersensitive immune systems that react when they inhale, swallow or touch certain harmless substances such as pollen or cockroaches. These substances are the allergens.
Cockroach allergen is believed to derive from feces, saliva and the bodies of these insects......


Excerpt from : Cockroach Allergy

Thankfully, since my allergy to them is so negligible that it barely registers and isnt worth having to treat, I can look forward to my serum shots to be cockroach secretion free.



Edit: 11:51pm: ~grinz~ Couldnt get this image outta my head so I just *HAD* to create and add this pic.....

Stars & Stripes FOREVER!


Found this when I signed in to my MySpace and just wanted to share.

Not much going on around here. Just the usual. A couple thought provoking blogs have pretty much kept me quiet the last few days as I ponder the subject matter. I think I pretty much said all I had to in the comment on the one though; if I dissect the topic it'll just result in a long rambling entry (no surprise there) as my mind freely wanders about the subject matter and doesnt come to a definite decision on anything (I hate seeing both sides of issues...it really sux and makes me feel like Charlie Brown at times)...much like my MySpace blogs on Wednesday mornings during American Idol season. No definite answers just alot of why it'd be right ifs. Now many of my readers will know exactly which topic Im touching on but my other readers, that dont share that particular aspect of my life, are scratching their heads believing that they finally found proof I went off the deep end. In any case, events like that seem to happen in that particular world a few times a year and once a year there's always a blow-up of nuclear proportions so this was no real surprise. The only surprising things were 01) the time of year it happened in (from what I noticed they usually happen in the autumn) and 02) for the first time in 4 years, I wasnt involved in it in any shape or form (whether it be the stirrer or the receiver) so Im mighty glad of that. Dont get me wrong, I dont like knowing my friends went through this problem....not at all. It was enough to have me decide to pull down the ads from all my sites. If another site goes up that I feel good about, then I may just be convinced to put another ad up. Until then, however, I'll be staying out of chat for awhile. Sorry. Anyhow...on to other things.

The other one that got me to thinking was Tori's. In one of her entries she asked which Harry Potter character we saw ourselves as. Im going to quick apologize to Tori for hijacking the comment section to ask a few of my friends who I seem to liken. It wasnt right and I should have brought it over here if I wanted to ask it. Anyhow, I went and found a bunch of those quiz thingys you find online and most of them place me in with the Hermiones but I also got Luna and Ginny as results also. What I didnt admit to in her comment section but I will here is that I actually got a Dumbledore result too. I've always said I had a bit of an old soul. I guess that just proves it. Iggy was quick to point out that I had gone through alot in my life and as such really couldnt be classified as a student and had suggested I was more like Lily Potter with a little Proffessor McGonagall and Proffessor Sprout put in the mix. If I recall he tossed in some Firenze and Rolanda Hooch. I know a reference was made about how I'd fit into the HufflePuff House and I have to agree as I most closely resemble the character traits of the house. On the otherhand, with the comment that I was much like Lily places me firmly in Gryffindor. Why? Because every result in those quizzes (with the exception of Luna...who was a Ravenclaw...which house character traits closely fit me as well) were all Gryffindors...as well as many of those that were suggested (Lily Potter and Proffessor McGonagall....Prof Sprout was a HufflePuff). The only question is which houses Firenze and Rolanda Hooch would fall in. I know he was a Centaur (very cool choice by the way Iggy) but I dont recall what house Rolanda was in. All I recall was that she taught flying and was the ref for the Quiddich matches. I suspect with the traits she displayed that she was more than likely a HufflePuff too (loyalty, honesty, fair play, and hard work). Oh and yes Tori, from what was said in the last book...Hermione and Lily sound an aweful lot alike. I suspect that's why the Harry and Hermione characters were never intended to become a love interest for each other as she was too much like a mom. So, if Iggy's going to place me predominantly with Lily Potter (it was due to her fiercely protectiveness of her child right?) then I have to guess that I have a bit of Molly Weasley (nee Prewett) because she was just as fiercely protective and a pinch of Buckbeak as well. Anyone who's seen me working in a chatroom will probably agree that if you get on my bad side it's like getting Fluffy, Norbert(a) and Buckbeak rolled up in one mean-ass critter (Karla for sure can confirm this one). So Im going to ask in here (just in case you've missed Tori's blog)...who are you in the Harry Potter world?

*gets sidetracked* Oh look, their emblem was the lion and the element is fire....hmm Im a Leo with an element of fire...I guess that settles it. *gets back on track*

I know Iggy's already said he's much like Hagrid and I really have agree with that and I know Tori's said she's Luna/Hermione. I dont know Tori as well but from the way she writes, I'd say that's pretty accurate.

While we were out last week, we stopped off at McKay's Used books and after not finding something I'd like in the music section....I wandered into the youth books. I've pretty much decided to get some of the books I'd read as a child. It would be nice to be able to read them when I like and not have to pop into a library to borrow them...especially since most of the books take less than a day to read if I read straight through. I bought The Secret Garden (19th edition from July 1982), The Black Stallion's Filly (Im guessing the 2002 printing as that's when the artwork is copywrited for) and King of the Wind (the latest date is 1976 but the cover looks like it's in way too good condition). I've got all but the garden one read right now. I've also decided to make a list of all the books of each of the horse series that I need for the collection and plan on getting them all eventually. While writing out the list I looked up a couple of titles and found out they were actually each book 2 of a 3 book series. Well then, I just added those down as well . It'll give me something new to read as well as the old stories that I loved so well.

While we were getting ready to go out last week, I got an interesting shot from out my office window. You can just see it in the center there. It's not often you see the moon out as late as 930am.....

This coming weekend my SCSis is coming for a visit. Her and her hubby will be travelling to DC to see the fireworks for the 4th and want to take us out to supper. Originally it was supposed to be them seeing the fireworks and then coming afterwords but we all decided it'd be too late to do anything on the 4th, especially since it's nearly an hour drive in bad traffic between us and the Capitol. It was decided that she and her hubby would come in on Saturday instead and we'd do lunch or supper that day instead. I cant wait, it's been almost 2 years since I saw her last. I wish they lived a bit closer. *laffz* Actually she says the same to me when she and I get on the phone. Im considering getting my metallic highlights covered this Wednesday. I know that if it looks like crap, SCSis'll be honest enough to tell me so. This way I have time to get it fixed before the wedding I have to go to in August.

I may be offline for a couple days this coming week, so heads up. Hubby decided he doesnt want his desk any more because it's too big for the spot it's in. Im using an old pic because I want to spare everyone the chaos that's our office. What you cant really see in this pic is that there's ~maybe~ an inch between those two desks. His is the one with all the cubbyholes (something that I could really use with all the "projects" on my desk...) on the left. To the left of his desk is the closet. There is just enough room for a file cabinet between him and the closet. The closet door doesnt shut because all the stuff he has crammed in there....or is it because he needs things handy so he keeps it open?? Anyway. He's got little to no room over there. Less, actually, because since this pic was taken he's bought a new computer which has a larger tower (less leg room now) and a bigger monitor (less desk space now). He's decided he wants a smaller desk , so we'll be moving his one with the cubbies over to my corner and moving the one that's presently mine to the other room. Not sure if he's going to buy a new one or use the small one that's in the bedroom (the one that used to sit in our guest room for my sewing machine while we lived in Texas).

Well, Im gonna scoot. Hubby wants to watch a movie....