Havent really felt like blogging lately, sorry. Just wanted to drop in to let all know that yes, Im doing fine...well Im breathing at least.
I also wanted to leave a "Happy Birthday" for my sweet hubby.
Not much going on here. Just cant seem to get motivated for anything lately. Im tired all day and when I think I should get to bed, I wake right up . Next thing I know it's several hours later than the goal bedtime.*sigh* I think Im going to start setting my alarm FOR bedtime....or at least to get me started that direction on time.
Well, I've been on the "local" honey for a week now. I dont know if it's working or if it's just the timing and all to be honest (wishful thinking??). I do know I was able to pull myself off the Flonase for the last few days and just keep to the Astelin. That should make the eye doctor happy. The last eye dr had a fit I was on the Flonase because it had the steroids in it and could cause cateracts...that's why I had myself pulled off it in the first place. The Astelin tastes like ass, but it's a non-steroid medicine. I managed to make it 3-4 days without the additional Flonase on top of the Astelin. Today it feels like Im going to have to go back on it again for a couple days because my ear hurts again. Ah well. I dont feel as stuffy as usual though. I'll give it another week before I decide on whether to keep up with the honey or not....well maybe I'll take it to just past my allergist appointment. That's gonna be fun...I have to be OFF my meds for 5 days or more so they can do the testing. If Im sick, they wont test. Thing is, I need the meds to feel well....so if Im off them I get sick and if Im on them the tests wont work (they wont even allow me Benedryl...not that it does much for my sinuses anyhow!). *sighz*
We had a helluva storm the other night. It rained for about 20 minutes or so earlier in the day and figured that'd be it. Infact when my TxSis called, she asked about the weather and I'd told her 20 minutes of rain and that's it. Wasnt sure what it was doing outside as it was dark and I wasnt about to go out and check. No sooner I was off the phone with her then I noticed it was raining hard. Shortly after, there were flashes of light out there, but it wasnt bad at. No thunder or anything so I figured it was traffic. The cable was going a little wonky on the tv but again nothing big to worry me. A bit later...we started getting the "turn to Ch21" alerts on the screen. Oh my. Stupid people running that area of the site Im telling ya. They sat there and posted the alert AFTER it'd already expired!! They had one that was supposed to last from 10:45pm until 11:15pm. When do you suppose it got aired? 11:30pm. Shit...my townhouse coulda been blown clear over by then!! this happened not once but TWICE during the course of the night. A warning that was much too late to do me any good at all. Well anyway they were more concerned with those points ~just~ south and east of me. Dale City was actually mentioned at one point...they're 20 minutes to my SE. Yeah this one was a close one. I cant believe we've had two in a little more than as many weeks. At least here I have Harry's Closet and a half bath downstairs to go to for safety. Now if we could get the damn stations to post the information in a more timely manner!! We had some flooding in the area.... not in my neighborhood nor between hubby's work and here though. Only damage I saw out there was to my irises. A shame...they were really pretty. Oh well. We'll just mow em down tomorrow and look for them next year. It's just too bad it didnt do any damage to the bamboo out back...that shit's weeds. They're as bad as raspberry bushes (yummy berries but damn it takes over a yard) I swear! If I cant find something to kill it off, Im going to need to take and dig it all up and pray I get it roots and all.
You cant really see it in the smaller pic of the bamboo (like those smaller pix of the irises) so I posted a larger one from my Photobucket. If you click on it, it'll take you to the picture on that site and it can be seen better. You can see a piece of bamboo that's managed to get between the slats of the fence. I've done some reading tonight on how to get rid of it so I'll be trying the ideas out in the next couple weeks when hubby gets back on days. The "operation" is going to take the both of us to do. Im hoping we wont need to dig as it's all near the fencing. I'd hate for that crap to ruin that fencing (the side is the neighbor's responsibility and I'd hate to have to deal with having to replace it). The bamboo extends all the way from the back fence up to our home...gonna be alot of work. I dunno who was so stupid as to plant this stuff.
Mild depression, farmer's market and flowers
I really havent felt much like writing lately. There's just been a couple things on my mind the last couple days or so. Things I was worried about (and one I still am worried about), but yet I really cant talk about. No, it's not anything going on with me. It does have something to do with a couple really close friends of mine though (each with her own problems). There are times I hate being so far away from those that I hold close in my heart. Both hit a bit close to home though, a little closer than I'd care to have.
One was easy once I cleared my mind of all the details and saw what all was at the heart of the matter. It dealt with jealousy and dissappointment issues, a procrastinating future husband and a mother who's suffering panic attacks. This friend is handling the future hubby to be ok but the other stuff was kinda getting her down and she wanted to know if she was crazy for letting all this stuff bother her. I just reminded her she has a very strong backbone and she's not going to please everyone with her decisions. That it was their (hers and his) day and no one elses so no one else's opinions really mattered, so long as THEY were happy. I suggested a few things for the hurt feelings that a couple of people in her life were feeling. I also pin-pointed why her mom was having the panic problems, when they started and why they were getting worse. All I did with that one was put myself in mom's shoes for a bit. She and I have an awful lot in common in that we've divorced and are still healing so it was easy to get into her shoes and see things through her eyes. I think I pretty much got that friend feeling better (I think it helped to actually use the words "you arent crazy"). She's told me Im either psychic or have missed my calling as a psychologist. Hmmm. She isnt the first to have said that lately....
The other friend's problem hits really close to home. A lot closer than is comfortable for me to be honest. She's going through much the same I was before I moved to Texas. Those that have read that other section of my site know exactly what Im talking about. She's got it worse though. Her "problem child" is much more manipulative and evil than mine ever was. In essence, where mine was just nasty with half a brain....hers is down right evil and very smart. On top of things, he's been physically violent with her. I suspect on more than one occassion too. Needless to say this hasnt helped me out much and Im fighting many of the bad memories all over again because she has alot of questions of how I felt and what I thought and etc etc etc. Something tells me it's going to take both of us to help one another heal.
Saturday we went to the farmer's market to get some local honey. Looks like the market in my area doesnt carry it. I saw alot of other products, just not the item I needed. Go figure I found what I needed at a Bloom's grocery store. The honey I got was made about an hour away from us. It's the closest I've found so far. There were no ingredients listed on the label, just honey so im hoping they didnt blend anything else in it. I've been taking it for 2 days now and hope that it'll begin to help things out some soon. If it works, I'll put hubby on it too.
Not much else is going on. Im going to put a few pix in here that I took this last week. The pansies were taken at a business of some sort. The dogwood bloom (the hand holding the bloom is hubby's), floral bush (look iggy...a wrinkled worm!) and irises are right in my front yard. The irises should go into full bloom sometime this week if they havent already (no, I dont look outside...I only notice things when I actually leave the house for something). The tree with the beautiful pink blooms was in a parkinglot of a restaurant. Boy, the pic turned out nice. It just may end up being a background on my page sometime in the near future.
Time for bed. Im finally exhausted enough where I think I can fall asleep for my 5 hour nap. Everyone have a nice day. *HUGZ*
I really havent felt much like writing lately. There's just been a couple things on my mind the last couple days or so. Things I was worried about (and one I still am worried about), but yet I really cant talk about. No, it's not anything going on with me. It does have something to do with a couple really close friends of mine though (each with her own problems). There are times I hate being so far away from those that I hold close in my heart. Both hit a bit close to home though, a little closer than I'd care to have.
One was easy once I cleared my mind of all the details and saw what all was at the heart of the matter. It dealt with jealousy and dissappointment issues, a procrastinating future husband and a mother who's suffering panic attacks. This friend is handling the future hubby to be ok but the other stuff was kinda getting her down and she wanted to know if she was crazy for letting all this stuff bother her. I just reminded her she has a very strong backbone and she's not going to please everyone with her decisions. That it was their (hers and his) day and no one elses so no one else's opinions really mattered, so long as THEY were happy. I suggested a few things for the hurt feelings that a couple of people in her life were feeling. I also pin-pointed why her mom was having the panic problems, when they started and why they were getting worse. All I did with that one was put myself in mom's shoes for a bit. She and I have an awful lot in common in that we've divorced and are still healing so it was easy to get into her shoes and see things through her eyes. I think I pretty much got that friend feeling better (I think it helped to actually use the words "you arent crazy"). She's told me Im either psychic or have missed my calling as a psychologist. Hmmm. She isnt the first to have said that lately....
The other friend's problem hits really close to home. A lot closer than is comfortable for me to be honest. She's going through much the same I was before I moved to Texas. Those that have read that other section of my site know exactly what Im talking about. She's got it worse though. Her "problem child" is much more manipulative and evil than mine ever was. In essence, where mine was just nasty with half a brain....hers is down right evil and very smart. On top of things, he's been physically violent with her. I suspect on more than one occassion too. Needless to say this hasnt helped me out much and Im fighting many of the bad memories all over again because she has alot of questions of how I felt and what I thought and etc etc etc. Something tells me it's going to take both of us to help one another heal.
Saturday we went to the farmer's market to get some local honey. Looks like the market in my area doesnt carry it. I saw alot of other products, just not the item I needed. Go figure I found what I needed at a Bloom's grocery store. The honey I got was made about an hour away from us. It's the closest I've found so far. There were no ingredients listed on the label, just honey so im hoping they didnt blend anything else in it. I've been taking it for 2 days now and hope that it'll begin to help things out some soon. If it works, I'll put hubby on it too.
Not much else is going on. Im going to put a few pix in here that I took this last week. The pansies were taken at a business of some sort. The dogwood bloom (the hand holding the bloom is hubby's), floral bush (look iggy...a wrinkled worm!) and irises are right in my front yard. The irises should go into full bloom sometime this week if they havent already (no, I dont look outside...I only notice things when I actually leave the house for something). The tree with the beautiful pink blooms was in a parkinglot of a restaurant. Boy, the pic turned out nice. It just may end up being a background on my page sometime in the near future.
Time for bed. Im finally exhausted enough where I think I can fall asleep for my 5 hour nap. Everyone have a nice day. *HUGZ*
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.
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?
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. 
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.
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*
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.
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.
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
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.jpgTuesday 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.
Yep. She's making it down the stairs all by herself.
Oh and (turn down volume I didnt realize how loud I got...)
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.
inspired by a picture
I got some pictures today from my good friend iggy and one of the pictures in his flikr account brought to mind a poem I had to learn in highschool. I actually had to learn it twice, in fact. One was for the American Writers part of my Humanities class and one for my choir. Choir? Yep choir as it had been put to music and we performed it in one of our concerts.
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
trees, kids, and other schtuff
Here is a picture of those trees I mentioned in one of the previous entries. It was taken as we were driving in an older section of town. What you're seeing is pretty much the way most of this area looks like. You have 2-3 main roads (5-6 lane wide roads) and the rest look alot like this or residential. Residential areas seem to be alot of townhouses...at least in my area. It's no surprise as homes are rather pricey in this neck of the woods. Even the townhouses can run upwards to the $200K + range. Needless to say, I do not forsee us owning property here at all and Im really hoping that something comes through in the next couple years farther south (NC). Oh how that bothers me to say because farther south means less likely to get the snow I've been screaming for. 
In the picture to the right you see more of those trees...truly they're everywhere. In this picture we are sitting at the intersection of one of the main drags and the road leading into where our townhouse is. On the other side of the interestion sits the mall I was talking about sometime before. If I was in really decent shape and the road wasnt so damn busy it could be an easy walking distance but to be honest, I wouldnt want to cross that road on foot. Anyhow, the purpose of these two pictures was to give you a good look at the trees. With my luck, I'll be allergic to them. It seems like any place I move there is a flowering tree that likes the aggravate the bejeezus out of my poor sinuses. In fact, the last few days have been hell even though Im taking my meds like I should. My SCSis told me that it's likely that they're Bradford Pear Trees and by the look of the pictures it's very highly possible she's right. From what Im reading it could also be the Cleveland Pear Trees or a hybrid of the two (the cross pollination has strengthened the Bradford tree and made it a sturdier tree). In any case, I may end up hating watching these flower as much as I do a magnolia or crepe myrtle. Worse yet, these flower the earliest of all the flowering trees in the area. *sigh*
As you can see by the next photo, the "kids" are finally getting used to things around here. Katy gets down the stairs well all by herself but because of her height can't manage getting back up alone. It does NOT help that the steps are only 8 inches deep and she's closer to 12-14 inches long so there really isnt enough room for her. Top things off I think the steps are about 6-8 inches in height but her legs Im guessing are only 4-6 inches long. The poor gal, gets a running start and manages 2-5 steps and ends up bopping her nose on the step's edge. Good news though! The end of last week, Dharma managed to come all the way down on her own. Hot dayum no more putting food upstairs for her. I still keep a bowl of water up for the "kids" but no food. The red bed in the picture is supposed to be Dharma's and she did well using it for a long time but she's decided she likes her sister's pillow and blanket better. This picture is odd as Katy doesnt allow her near her pillow and the only time Dharma manages to get in it is when Katy's downstairs. The other day though....I saw them together like this and it was too sweet to not grab a shot of them together.
Here are better shots of those pix hanging in my hallway. I really need to redo the outline on the purple so it matches the pink one. The picture to the left has the pink done in the colors it was meant to be done in. As you can see the burgandy came off looking blah. I
was just looking online and it looks like the company that produced these no longer makes them and has decided to concentrate on just the paints and
accessories and not on the lits anymore. This means Im going to have to search online in EBay, Amazon and other sites to see if it can be found. Thankfully it's a nice big bold pattern so worse comes to worse I'll just trace it out and use carbon paper to lay the print down on a new canvas. With any luck it wont be too difficult.Not much else going on here I guess. Got my id on Tuesday....Monday was a trip to the social security office to finally get my last name changed on my card so I dont have problems later after I get another job. This week we're hoping for a trip to the dr but Im thinking we have to wait for some paperwork from the insurance to arrive in the mail first. We also need to get our taxes done yet. We're late getting them done. Usually we have them done by the end of February..... *shrugz*
Just other little pix n such
Again we have a picture of the hallway, this time looking from the livingroom to the front door. The half bath is the first door on the right this time and the doorway past the pictures is the kitchen. The last door way (if it can be seen in the pic) on the right is the front closet is where I keep that cart I mentioned in the first entry. On the left, the double doors hide the furnace and the door past that is what hubby has lovingly dubbed "Harry's Closet". Most people will understand that reference...if you dont feel free to ask. Im sure if I dont get in fast enough to ask Tori , Chicago or one of the others will be glad to answer you. The new thermostat can be seen in this picture too...to the left there. The boxes of furniture in the hallway.... well the blue and green box needs to be built still. It's a small computer cart so we have a place to set up the laptop downstairs (or maybe one of the spare computers). The smaller box next to it is a media shelving unit that has been built since this picture was taken. The white shelves on the left used to hold my crafts but some of it broke and it doesnt work well where I need it to so it'll stay in the hall for now. It's a good place for his cowboy boots and maybe one of the small tool kits. 
Hubby managed to get one of the older bookcases put together (after scavanging off other ones) and now I have a place for my board games. It may not stay there though as I have a hunch that we'll need that spot for something else. The base on the doll on the left is busted a little and one of the posts that go into her feet to hold her in place broke. It was just a matter of time as those are full-body porcelains and so are quite heavy for the bases that I was given. The piece in the center was made by his gramma (?) and is nothing more than potpourri and string lights in a jar with a doily over the top. One of these days Im gonna actually plug it in and see if I really like it. Those and one other set of dolls are more than likely the only ones I'll put up for now. I've got 3 other boxes of them and I need to see how much more space we have for decor.
I have my stereo up but Im not certain how to hook the speakers up. They dont have plug in speakers like most stereos do. Im gonna see if I can get hubby to show me how sometime this week. Im in no hurry though as there isnt enough space down there yet and most importantly there's no computer down there so who wants to be down there when I can be up here in my office talking to my friends? You can see the one bookcase to the left of the stereo hasnt been unwrapped yet. Why? Because it's damaged beyond reason and cant be used. We're going to disassemble it and throw it away once we can get back to it again! 
To the right here shows part of my wedding display and you can see I got my tunes up and ready to be put in my stereo (if I ever manage to get the stereo hooked up). That's a new shelving unit. It wasnt bought because the old one got damaged but simply because I'd run out of room so we bought a larger one and are using the smaller one elsewhere in the livingroom. I think Ive only bought 2 new cds since I got here. Not much sense in buying more when there really isnt anything out that Im wanting right now (with the exception of my Amazon wishlist) and Im not streaming...so why bother? I may just go through what I got and get rid of a few....see which ones will make good second hand store fodder. 
Although not much has really been gotten together in the livingroom yet (there's ALOT of books and dvds n such), I did manage to find the perfect wall for my wedding pix. It's just the perfect size. The patterned thing to the bottom right is the futon. Not very comfortable for us short people but it'll work while we're here. You can see more chaos beyond in the dining area....I'll be so glad when everything is sorted. We've both gotten tired of it so there are days when we dont do much with the place. Oh...before Im asked....that empty frame at the top is for my brother and sister's picture if I can ever get one from them. While taking the wedding pix we completely forgot to get one of them and us (she didnt want anyone handling her pricey camera and he was taking video.....hey...I've never seen that video...hmmm). 
On the to do list for the leasing company, I'd told them the door bell didnt work either. I know there is one because the main part of the unit is over the front door (you can see it in some of the earlier pix I think) and there is a button (which also needs replacing). They havent dont jack diddly with it yet so we installed a knocker that we bought from Habitat for Humanity.I dunno if you will able to enlarge the picture any but it's a lion's head with the knocker portion in it's mouth. The knocker is crooked though. Hubby thinks that's why they ended up with a few of them at HFH...because they werent perfect. Who needs perfect so long as the bugger works!
I think Im going to close for now as Im tired and should have been in bed a couple hours back. There are 3 entries and Im sure Ive missed something along the way. I still have carpets to clean upstairs but cant until the downstairs is sorted and done because Im not having the steamer brought up just to bring it down in a day's time to finish the diningroom. Besides, there's still a box in the office that hasnt been dealt with and it aint mine so I aint doing it (I dunno where he wants that stuff anyhow). Ive got more pix I took of these trees that started flowering in my area this last week. Oh great...and Im prolly allergic to them too. It happens no matter where I live...New Orleans it was the magnolia trees....everywhere....and they made me sicker than a pack of dogs. In Texas? It was that friggin crepe myrtle....damn was everywhere like a friggin weed. Here? There's a beautiful tree with white dainty flowers.....and my allergies got worse this week ...about the time they bloomed. Ohhh and we made a trip to get legal here in Virginia this last week. I dont think I've ever taken a worse state id pic:
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