July 3, 2008
It's a bit of a challenge.
First, I just want to give a screaming loud shout of thanks to Christine for installing MT version 4.12 for me over on my new blog.
It still doesn't have a name yet, but battles were never won in just a few short hours!
I swear, getting a whole new blog and an upgraded CMS, is like buying tons and tons of discount furniture and trying to cram it all into a tiny little house.
You just had to have it because the price was so dang good, but now it's going to take a few days to fit it all in the house the right way.
Version 4.12 is not like the version of MT this blog uses.
This one is still using 3.35, and I'm completely used to it, it's like a perfect fitting glove.
4.12 does things a whole lot different, and it's going to take me a few days, or a few weeks, to get the hang of just what it is they've done with everything.
For the life of me, I cannot switch up the sidebars.
I messed with it for like 2 hours I think, and got nowhere.
Oh well.
I will have plenty of time tomorrow to learn things.
Sebastian decided to go home with my sister tonight because Matthew has invited him back over to play again tomorrow, and it's just easier for Jo to take him home with her, than it is to try and pick him up really early in the morning again.
He will be home tomorrow night though.
Mark and I went and did the shopping, ate dinner, and watched a bit of tv, and now he's playing his video games again.
It's all good, he earned that play time tonight.
He picked up, carried, and put away all the heavy stuff from shopping, and then he changed out the litter boxes, took out the trash and recycles without me asking him to do any of it, so yeah, play on young man, play on!
Ok, I really need to go catch up on some work and stuff, and then maybe try and learn some more new stuff.
Later days!
July 2, 2008
We're all busy tomorrow!
I was getting ready to head out right after dinner to do a little grocery shopping and to stop at Walgreen's for a few things, and to see if they had any lipovox so I could check out the ingredients after one the girls on the local forums posted about taking it and it's helping her lose weight, and just as I grabbed my purse, it started down-pouring.
It figures.
I'll just have to try again tomorrow after I get home from the doctors.
Sebastian will be gone all day tomorrow, he's going to work with my sister so he can spend the day with his friend Matthew again.
Matthew is the brother of the boy Greg, that my sister takes care of.
Sebastian and Matthew get along so well, they both like the same video games, the Sims, and Cary (Matthew and Greg's mom) takes them to the mall and let's them go to the movies and stuff.
The two boys always have such a good time together, so I never say no when Matthew asks if he can go over.
It's up to Cary and my sister, but they hardly ever say no.
I'm just glad that Sebastian has a really good friend he can go do things with this summer.
Things in the neighborhood haven't been so good over the last few weeks.
I can't remember if I posted about that yet or not, but I'll check my archives and if not, I'll post about that later.
Mark is going with his Big George tomorrow at 11am, so when I get back and he gets back, I'll take him to the store with me.
I have to have someone go with me because I can't lift the bags of cat litter and cat food, etc.
And then we'll just cab it back and he can carry all the heavy stuff in, and help me put it away.
Mark isn't a fan of grocery shopping, but he has no choice tomorrow.
Heh.
I wanted to also tell you all to go check out my sister's blog.
It's called Jo's Mojo, and even though she doesn't post often, she does post some pretty cool stuff.
She's getting better at blogging each time she posts. (she'll get the blogging bug, everyone does 
)
You just have to go see what her and my niece Susan are doing!
It's a little project for a plant nursery so she can make a few bucks when the neighborhood she lives in has this HUGE community yard sale, and as a way to do fun and crafty things with the girls.
Go check it out, she took some awesome pictures of their progress step by step.
Most of the pictures are clickable for bigger so you can really see the stuff.
Check out the mean faced tree!
My niece Susan just loves to do stuff like that, she loves to be helpful, and she is just too darn cute in some of those pictures!
June 29, 2008
Migraines are truly the suck.
We had a really good time at Mindy's house yesterday afternoon and evening.
Good food, conversation, the kids all played video games while Mindy and I chatted and her husband leveled up on WoW.
I was way stiffened up by the time we got home, and laid down for about an hour or so, then I got up and dealt with emails and stuff.
I woke up this morning with a migraine from hell, and have been fighting it unsuccessfully all day and night now.
So seeing as I was defeated, I just laid around and watched movies for most of the day interspersed with going back and forth with a Bill Keller fan on a websites posting section.
There's nothing more fun than knowing more about the scriptures than the people who claim to live by them.
You all do know that no preacher is supposed to receive any pay for preaching the word of god right right?
Look it up, Corinthians 9:18.
The Keller fan has been refusing to acknowledge that little part of the new testament.
Keller has an income of $1million dollars at the end of the year, yet he tells his flock and tv viewers, that he only takes $60k as a salary.
He's a liar and a fraud, and it's time people start learning the truth about this very corrupt tv minister.
So anyway, today we watched the movie Funny Games (2008)
I just want to warn you that this remake starring Naomi Watts and Eli Roth, is absolute garbage.
I don't give a crap that it's a social commentary on our obsession with media violence, when at the crucial moment of the film, the bad guy picks up the tv remote and rewinds the movie to change the outcome, that's a complete waste of freaking time.
But we did watch a movie that we all really liked on Friday night, Otis
After being captured and tortured by the psychopath Otis (Bostin Christopher), teen cheerleader Riley Lawson (Ashley Johnson) escapes and informs her parents (Daniel Stern and Illeana Douglas), who quickly sidestep the sluggish FBI and take matters into their own hands. But the Lawson's revenge plan hit a snag when Otis's unusual brother (Kevin Pollak) enters the picture. Jere Burns co-stars as the FBI agent assigned to the case.
I suppose I should get back to work now.
I have some stuff I need to do before I can go to bed.
I hope when I wake up in the morning this migraine has left.
It feels like my right eyeball is going to pop out any second.
June 27, 2008
Coral and over cast.
My medical tests went off without a hitch, and much faster than the estimate they had given me.
They said it would take any where from 2.5 hours, to a possible 4+ hours.
I went in at 10:30am, and was out by 12:15pm.
I really, really liked the seated/open MRI machine.
That was awesome.
They had a huge flat panel tv in the room with it, it was on the Fox news channel, *gag* but eh, it was better than nothing.
They did my neck MRI first, then I had to sit sorta sideways while they did the shoulder MRI.
Then I went in for the CT, and when it was done I went out and waited for Mindy to pick me up.
Then we stopped off at Publix really quick so I could get the cat food, toilet paper, paper plates and trash bags I didn't go get yesterday.
Just as I was heading out the door yesterday afternoon to go, it started raining a little bit.
Rather than risk getting soaked, I just waited.
I took the above picture while waiting at the medical park for Mindy.
These bushes of flowers were all over the place, and they were just so pretty and bright in today's over cast skies.
I love that beautiful coral color of the flowers.
I have no idea what kind they are, but they are just really pretty I think.
I barely got any sleep last night, perhaps 3 hours, my alarm never went off, so I woke with a quick-start panic to my day.
Mindy's clocks at her house were all off by like 20 minutes, so she was running late as well.
We had a good laugh about that though.
It's kinda funny that we both were totally screwed up this morning.
Tomorrow, both our families will be getting together to spend some time hanging out.
Maybe the beach in the morning, a little bbq in the afternoon.
The teens can all drive each other crazy playing video games.
It'll be nice to be leaving the house to do something fun, rather than the usual leaving the house to go do sucky stuff like doctor's office visits.
I need a just take it easy kind of day.
I'm always doing stuff, so it will be really nice to just chill out for a few hours.
Well, off to try and catch up on all my blog and forum reading and stuff I do with those.
Later days.
June 27, 2008
This internet is a crazy thing.
A friend of mine on the local forums, messaged me tonight to say thank you.
She said that during all of her recent health issues, all of the pain she deals with, and all the emotions that come from living with chronic and debilitating pain, she had a really bad day a few weeks ago, and I was the only one who responded to her very frustrated post where she was ranting about it all.
She said she had been sitting there that day, was in so much pain, just wanted it all to end, and was seriously considering swallowing all of her pain medications at once and just going to sleep to never wake up again.
Because I replied, because I understood what she deals with and took the time to talk to her, she changed her mind.
"I never wanted to say that I was suicidal before but obviously there were times when I was. And you were the one there one day when I was so close to downing all my pills. You were the voice of reason and you made me feel like I wasn't alone for once.
So for that, I sincerely thank you."
I didn't reply to her that day with the thought of changing her mind, her post said nothing about what she was really thinking, it was just one of those posts where someone rants about how frustrating living with chronic pain is, and I replied because I do understand that.
I deal with it every single day of my life, and years ago, I had those same kinds of thoughts myself.
I didn't say that in her thread, I just talked about living with chronic pain, the medications I take, doctors appointments, the frustration of it all.
It was, I thought, just two people sharing a shared experience.
I had no idea that our conversation was saving her.
When I got her message tonight, I started crying.
I couldn't help it, I thought about how close I was to losing a friend, and what if I hadn't been on line that day, what if no one at all had responded to her, and that I was so happy to read that she had changed her mind.
This internet is a crazy thing huh?
It connects us to fun and games, music, movies, blogs, forums, all kinds of cool and interesting things to do and see, and most importantly, it connects us to other people and has an effect on those people we meet.
Her message still has me shaken up a bit even though it's been several hours now.
I could have lost a friend if I had not been on line that day, and that really is shaking me up.
I am so glad she is still here, so so glad, but wow, this box sitting on my desk, it's more than a toy I play my Sims on, it's more than a keyboard I do work on, it connects me to people in a way I've never experienced before tonight.
June 16, 2008
Contest deadline extended for Regalo Boutique.
My friend Mindy and her husband Chris, own an on line store called Regalo Boutique, and they are having a contest for a new sales announcement header for their summer sale.
You have until Wednesday to submit your headliners and the voting will take place this Thursday with the deadline to vote for your favorite until 11:59 p.m. EST.
The Grand Prize: Will have their headliner used in the Summer Sale and will receive their choice of Regalo Boutique (RB) merchandise totaling $50.00.
First Runner Up: Their choice of R.B. merchandise totaling up to $35.00.
Second Runner Up: Their choice of R.B. merchandise totaling up to $20.00.
I would really like to enter, but I don't want to enter and possibly be chosen as the winner, and have someone say that I only won because Mindy and I are friends ya know?
I want it to be as fair as possible, but if voters choose mine, someone may claim it's not fair.
Mindy and Chris want me to enter because they like my writing style and think I could enter a good one, but I don't want anyone to think anything bad of Mindy and Chris, or me.
Understand?
Maybe what I'll do is just submit an entry anyway, but not actually be part of the contest, just give them more options to choose from without having to award me any prize.
But YOU!
You all need to go enter!
These are great prizes, they are awesome quality and beautiful, you just have to enter!
Go! Go now and enter to win some awesome stuff of your choosing from Regalo Boutique!
June 13, 2008
Probably a pinched nerve in my neck.
I went and saw my surgeon today, Doc M., and he did a few xrays, physically examined my shoulder, and told me that the shoulder blade area pain is probably due to a pinched nerve in my neck, and it's actually not that uncommon.
He said that he has had patients, and has been at scoliosis conventions with other surgeons, who said that many scoliosis surgical patients end up at some point down the line, even as far out as 5 years after the surgery, with a pinched nerve in their necks that is the cause of this pain in the shoulder blade area.
He ordered an MRI of my neck, so I need to make that appointment on Monday.
It should be fun.
I'll have to wear this like anti-magnet sheet or suit, depending on where I go, that allows me to be in the MRI machine without being all magneticy due to the hardware in my body.
He also asked for my pain doc to fax him the results of the CT scan that they did, so he can read through those and see if he can determine anything from it.
If not, he thinks the MRI will show the pinched nerve in my neck.
Now why do I have that sore on my shoulder blade?
He asked me what I had been doing to myself, I told him nothing really, it was just a little red and bruised when this whole thing started, and then my pain doc started doing those trigger point injections.
I had 1 injection per week for 3 weeks.
Doc M. believes that the sore was actually caused by those injections.
When I told him that 1 was Decadron, 1 was Decadrol, and 1 was an anti-inflammatory mixed with a steroid, he said that those injections are more than likely the cause of the sore.
He said I must be allergic to at least 1 of the ingredients in the injections, and it caused the sore to appear.
Then every time he did 1, it caused the area to get worse until it finally ended up being a full blown infection.
So he told me to tell the pain doc, no more trigger point injections of any kind, because we don't know which ingredient it is that is causing the allergy.
That works for me!
Those injections never helped me with the pain anyway.
I should have gone to see my surgeon when this whole thing started, instead of trusting my pain doc to be able to figure this out.
When I told Doc M. what happened at the ER, he was angry.
He said that doctor should have examined the area and realized it was infected, which was also causing the area to be more sore than just the pinched nerve, and not treat me like I had a heart attack.
He said the EKG was as far as they should have gone, especially after telling them I already have a blood clot filter in there.
I had that put in about a week before the surgery, and when they did the angiogram, they could have damaged it.
But luckily they didn't.
He was able to see that it's still in place and ok when he did a spot xray on my iliac (hip joint) screws.
The left side one, which is the broken one, is doing ok.
I have new bone growth, a lot of it he said, growing all over and around, and in between the broken part of the screw, which is helping it be stable.
He really doesn't want to take those iliac screws out for a few more years, or never, if we can help it.
So he said we'll keep checking on it periodically to see how it's doing, and if the screws are still causing me pain in another year or 2, then we can take them out.
He'd really prefer not to though, because those screws really do help hold all the hardware in place.
So here we go, a pinched nerve is possibly and probably, the reason why my shoulder blade is so painful, and the sore is an infection caused by an ingredient in one of the trigger point injections.
I totally should have just gone straight to him.
I would have saved myself a ton of money, time, and pain.
That's my fault, I spent 2 months in pain and getting an infection, when he had the answers all along.
Ok, gotta go call the pain doc and have him fax over the CT scan results.
I'll catch up with everyone later on this evening.
Thanks again to Mindy and her daughter Katie, for taking me all the way there, and to 2 different pharmacies when we got back.
I totally appreciate it.
Thank you!
June 11, 2008
Remember Wednesday June 11th 2008.
It's time for another round of Remember Wednesday, a new-ish weekly music meme that Jade started.
This week is all about the Journey.
I've always been a big fan of their music, they are a solid rock band.
Each member a master of his instrument, and when combined, they all come together with an amazing sound.
Back in the early 90's, my friend Shell and I would go down town, down to the beach clubs like Mr. Goodbar's, (where they still play) and a few other bars and clubs, and see a local band called Riot Act.
Riot Act was one of those good-time bands, they played some of their music, but they mostly played covers for the tourist crowds who came in to hear rock music they knew and loved.
Guns n' Roses, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, 80's rock songs mostly, but nothing got the crowd going like when they would play covers of Journey.
The lead singer, Johnny, just had the voice that could pull off a damn good interpretation of Steve Perry.
Put his voice with the very talented members of the band, plus a good Journey hit like "Don't Stop Believin', Send her My Love, or Faithfully, and the crowd would eat it up, the place would be filled, over capacity on most nights, and it was guaranteed that you would have a good time.
They did an amazing cover of Separate Ways, one of my personal favorites of Journey, and wow, it was always so awesome to hear it played live, you'd get goosebumps when Johnny hit those high and long notes.
Shell and I would make a point of being there whenever Riot Act played, or as often as we could.
The both of us were young mothers of young toddlers, but we'd get a babysitter and head on down to the beach for our one night of fun and music, after a long week of taking care of kids and working, and Shell going to college.
We could let loose, and hang out with our friends, have a good time and just rock out with Johnny and the guys.
I think at one point, both of us actually worked at one of the clubs they played at.
I was a waitress at the Whitehall, and I believe Shell was a the only female bouncer at Goodbars.
It was a good time, good memories of being with a good friend.
So here is my Remember Wednesday song for this week, Separate Ways by Journey.
If you decide to play along, make sure you go to this week's post on Jade's blog, and leave a comment so other music lovers this week can come read about your music memories too!
June 11, 2008
Still no idea what it is.
I just got back from my pain doc appointment a little bit ago.
The pain doc is till not sure what it is, and is very glad I'm seeing my surgeon on Friday.
He said no matter what it turns out to be, call his office, and tell one of his nurses when I get home from that appointment.
I'm still banned from doing any ellipticals workouts until we know what it is, but amazingly, even without working out, I've lost some weight.
I told him it's not that amazing, I've been sick the last few days.
When you're vomiting and the smell of food makes your stomach turn so much you can't eat, it's pretty damn easy to lose weight.
But I am doing better today.
I've been taking it so easy the last few days and having the teens put staphaseptic on the red spot, so I was able to eat last night and today.
Mindy drove me again, and we took her daughter Katie, and Sebastian.
When we got done at the docs, I had promised Katie that if she was good and patient while waiting for me, that I would treat her to McDonald's for lunch.
But when we got out, it was still too early for lunch, so we went to Best Buy and bought Sebastian the graphics card he needed for his computer.
He had most of the money in a gift card he got for his birthday from his Aunt Heather, and I paid the balance.
Then we got to McD's, and ate, then came home.
I installed his graphics card, and then he installed the rest of his Sims games, and now he's a happy camper.
I'm way tired, and need to rest for a little bit, and then I have a lot of catching up to do.
Later days.
June 5, 2008
Take it easy, we oughta take it easy.
We ended up not going to Mindy's for dinner tonight, I had a rough day adjusting to the meds.
It's been about 2 years, since the surgery actually, since I've taken any oxys, and they hit me hard today.
Between how hot it was, and how strong they are, my stomach was doing the ol' back flip and making me nauseous all day.
They are helping with the pain, taking the edge off so I can actually pee without crying, but I've spent most of the day laying down on the couch.
I'm sorry Mindy, once I get adjusted to them and my shoulder starts feeling better, we will do dinner.
Did any of you watch Fear Itself on NBC tonight?
Tonight's first episode was called The Sacrifice, and it was about vampires.
I actually liked this, and it gives me hope that future episodes will be good too.
It reminds me of the old Twilight Zone or Outer Limits shows that used to be on.
Every week, a new story.
Next week's episode is called In Sickness and In Health, the episode guide says it's about a private investigator is driven over the edge while on a stake out in a haunted mansion, and it stars Eric Roberts as the PI.
All of the episodes are written and directed by some big name directors and writers like John Landis. You can read who else is doing episodes both in front of the camera and from behind it.
I used to love the show Amazing Stories that was on back in the late 80's.
Do you remember that show?
I used to love that show.
Anyway, I have big hopes that this show gets better and better every week, and more people tune in to watch it.
It's a great summer time show in my opinion, better than all the stupid reality crap tv shows, talent shows, and stupid game shows, that are planned on just about every network for the summer season.
June 5, 2008
It's poppin'! Zit poppin'!
Poor Mark, he inherited his father's bad face genes, lots of acne all the time.
We've tried just about every single product that others have suggested were the absolute best acne treatment they ever used, and we're still not getting great results.
He has some good days, but most of the time, he's got at least 3-4 zits right smack in the middle of his face, and boy doesn't it drive him nuts.
I just keep reminding him to wash his face really good while he's taking a shower, and use the face pads when he gets out, and then for pimples that are already there and formed, I have this tube of stuff that like instantly dries them out.
We've also done the plain white toothpaste on the zits over night, but eh, it's summer, he has bad genes, he's stuck with the zits.
Tonight, the teens and I will be going over to Mindy's for dinner, I have no idea how long I'll be able to stay though.
The meds are helping, but I'm still getting waves of spasms, and if I move too much, bam! Instant muscle freak out happens!
I slept ok last night, only woke up twice due to pain, but I really am trying to give my shoulder as much rest as I can so it heals.
Not over-doing anything, heck, I'm barely doing anything at all. haha
Ok, I suppose I should get going and check on stuff I'm supposed to do from my chair, and then I'm going to lay down and watch some tv while I rest my shoulder again.
May 23, 2008
Scary morning!
My day started off kind of scary.
I called my neighbor to check on her, make sure she was ok and able to get to her doctors appointment, but I got no answer.
I figured she was up and in the shower already, so I was going to wait like 10 minutes and call again.
Then one of our friends comes banging on my door around 8:45, and is yelling that something is seriously wrong with my neighbor, she's not breathing my friend says.
I run over there with her, and my neighbor is in her chair in the living room, her oxygen tank wasn't on, her glasses and phone were on the floor, and she was slumped over in her chair.
We turned the oxygen back on, placed the tubing back in her nose, and started trying to wake her.
She had a pulse but it was very faint.
We finally got her to come around, but her pupils were constricted, like the op of pins, and her skin was a really pale shade, she was slurring as she was trying to speak.
We couldn't make anything out that she was saying except for "no hospital".
We kept talking to her, asking her questions, what medicine did she take, how many etc.
There were 5 different pill bottles dumped on her end table, we had no idea what medicine was what, nor what she took, or how many of these pills.
We got her some coffee, made her drink it through a straw, and the two of us kept saying we need to get her to a hospital.
My neighbor kept saying no, no hospital, please. She started crying, begging us not to take her to the hospital.
It was just scary and sad.
We finally convinced her to go to her doctors office as scheduled, and my friend called off work and drove her.
She said she would tell the doctor how we found her this morning, and if he calls an ambulance, there's nothing my neighbor could do about it.
My friend said she'd call me if her doctor calls an ambulance and has her admitted, so I can contact her husband and take care of her son.
I'm hoping that doesn't happen, but she was in really bad shape.
I thought she was dead when I first walked in.
Slumped over, an icky gray pale color, the oxygen not turned on, things all a mess on the floor and table, and her dog laying near her feet with his head on her foot.
Very scary.
I hate things like that.
May 4, 2008
Beating the horse.
Some of the many awesome people I've had the chance to get to know thanks to the local forums, is a woman named Stephanie and her husband Aharon.
They live in a historic part of Tampa, and their home is like seriously the most awesome little home I've ever been in.
It's super old looking, (well duh, it's historic) and they've spent so much time restoring the home to make it a truly beautiful place to live.
They have the most awesome red painted dining room with this most kick ass antique chandelier hanging above the table.
It has the original floor vents for heat and cooling, the bathrooms have the original homes fixtures like claw foot tubs, the old glass doorknobs etc.
I love their house, I fell in love with it the second I walked in the front door.
I covet it.
Yes, I'm extremely jealous of the awesomeness of their home.
Anyway, Stephanie started blogging, her blog is called The Beaten Horse, and it's full of these funny little drawings from inside her head.
Stephanie is seriously funny.
Every time I have been out with them or at their home, I nearly pee listening to her tell stories of her job, or do impersonations.
She does this wicked funny Irish impersonation involving a discussion of haggis.
I swear, everyone in the room had rolling laughter tears coming down.
She's truly a treat.
I haven't been able to get up that way to get out and play with everyone for quite some time now, so it's nice to be able to read her blog and get a few laughs.
You'll have to stop by and check her out, and if you find the funny, subscribe to her blog feed, leave her some comments too.
She's new to the blogging world and it can be really lonely in the beginning when no one is reading you or leaving comments.
So stop by, look at her funnies, and leave a hello in the comments.
May 1, 2008
Please keep Lattegirl in your thoughts for awhile.
Please keep my friend Lattegirl in your thoughts.
She is in the hospital, no word on why, but I'm hoping it's not her heart again.
Her sister in law, Masgblog, posted the message on Lattes blog, and also posted this on her (masgblogs) blog a few days ago.
My blogger SIL is in the hospital. She's been there before, but it is worse this time.
Latte and I had a slight misunderstanding a few months back, and while we cleared it up, we have not spoken to each other much since then.
It's one of those I don't know what to say to her, she doesn't know what to say to me kind of things, but she's always in my thoughts, I read her blog every day and knew something was wrong when she hadn't posted in awhile.
I just didn't know who to contact.
I knew her sis in law had a blog, but I couldn't remember what it was called or the url or anything.
I am so glad that she (sis in law) posted on Latte's blog just now so I could find a way to contact her.
But please, do keep Latte in your thoughts.
It sounds much worse than last time. 
April 25, 2008
The love the baby moods.
I just got word that a friend is pregnant, this means I'll be going shopping for baby gifts at some point in the next couple of months.
I love baby stuff.
I love babies.
buying baby stuff and holding new babies, makes me want a new baby.
But I don't really want one, I just like the idea of having baby.
Plus I know that my body just can't do it again, so that totally helps me get over the want a baby moods that come and go every time I see a baby or get to spend time with my nieces.
I love the way babies look, all smooshed and poofy-skinned, how they smell, and how absolutely adorable they are when they are sleeping.
Then I remember that they grow up, and turn into teens eventually, and these have been some of the hardest years of being a mother.
I love my sons, I really do, but with each passing year, this job gets harder and harder.
And it IS a job.
It's all on me to raise them right, teach them stuff they can't learn at school, try and make them see the good men they can become.
It's tricky sometimes.
I would never trade these years of raising them by myself, no way, but oh how I long for the days when they just cooed and stared up at you with their huge baby eyes, and had that awesome new baby smell on their heads.
They were super cute babies, and now here they are, almost men.
It's kind of frightening to think how quickly these years have gone by.
April 25, 2008
It's the oogly boogly!
Hey Shell, guess what we're watching?
That's right, we're watching the oogly boogly!
Cloverfield
The movie is about the monster, but it's also a love story.
Rob loves Beth so much, he's willing to and does, risk his life to be with the woman he loves.
Here's our man Rob, new job in Japan, probably hooked himself up with and got some decent life insurance quotes, life was looking good for Rob.
Well all except for that whole Beth bringing another guy to his going away party.
Then all hell breaks loose.
The scary little spider baby monsters that when they bite you, cause you to blow up in a very explosive and painful death later on.
I think the little spider monsters are more terrifying than the big monster personally.
They move faster, they can climb walls and ceilings, and they grab on to you and rip your flesh off.
We're at the scene in the subway tunnels, when the baby monsters attack.
I'm gonna watch because it's just an awesomely scary scene.
I expect Sebastian to start screaming and try to latch onto me in a few seconds.
He's not a fan of the oogly booglies either.
April 25, 2008
Supporting my friends.
A few weeks ago, I ordered a couple of advertising pens from the local forums. The money helps pay for the servers and site upgrades, stuff like that.
They should be here tomorrow according to the email I got just a bit ago.
They weren't much at all, like $2 each, but they are nice grip style pens, the kind I like so it's all good, and I only ordered 3.
I know, here I am stressing about money, but that's right now, 3 and a half weeks ago, $6 was do-able.
And speaking of friends, I'm wanting so much to support one of my good friends right now.
She was in a stupid accident, her fault, she's in some serious trouble, but other people are being complete jerks about it, gossiping and stuff.
I hate that.
She made a mistake, she knows she did, it doesn't need to be rubbed in her face right this minute.
It can wait a few days to give her the lectures, but I'm pretty damn sure she's going to already have learned her lesson.
Anyway, I wish it had never happened, and hope that she's ok.
April 17, 2008
So yeah, I tore the muscle.
We have no idea how it happened, but it's definitely torn.
I have to keep it in a across my chest position as much as possible, he gave me a sling to wear to help but understands that I am a mom who has mom things to do. He said I definitely have to wear it over night though.
He then gave me a script for something stronger to help with the pain, and those Flector patches.
It's basically a NSAID, anti-inflammatory, that you wear on the skin and it helps with the inflammation.
I also got 2 trigger point injections directly into that muscle, which can take 2-3 days to start working.
That freaking hurt. hahaha
Nothing like a needle going right into the very spot the pain is in, and having a medication that burns upon entry, when you're already in pain.
W00t! Know you're alive man!
Then my friend who drove me there, took me to Walgreen's to get my script filled, and then we went to lunch.
I had the most awesome cheeseburger I've had in awhile, and then we came home and I helped her pay her car insurance online now that her computer is back up and running.
They had to come and fix her lines, and I cleaned out her pc with compressed air.
Man, it was filthy in there. Filled with gobs of thick black dust.
No wonder it was over heating and shutting itself off.
I'm home now and have stuff to catch up on.
My shoulder is still burning from that stuff he injected, and he was totally cool about the whole co-pay thing.
I told them yesterday I was broke, and so when he said he had to give me those injections, I told him I couldn't afford them.
He said it's ok, you can pay for it next time, which is next week.
I should have money by then. I hope. hahaha
he also gave me some spray on Biofreeze, which I also have to pay for next week.
At least he's cool about the whole money thing.
Other doctors would have laughed at me and said suffer woman.
No pay, no relief.
Yay for a cool doc!
April 12, 2008
Wanna win a prize?
My friend Mindy is having a contest for their (her and her husband) shopping site, Regalo Boutique.
You can read all the contest rules here, but basically they are looking for someone to design a new header for their site, advertising their new Summer Sale.
They will be accepting submissions until May 30th, and then all the headers will be posted and voted on.
Everyone who submits a header, will get an incense box filled with yummy smelling incense.
Everyone who submits a design, will also get a link back from Mindy's site, and the top 3 chosen will receive a prize.
What are those prizes?
* First Prize will be a choice of item(s) totaling up to $50.00
* Second Prize will be a choice of item(s) totaling up to $35.00
* Third Prize will be a choice of item(s) totaling up to $20.00
Regalo Boutique has some amazingly beautiful items for your home, fun and interesting trinkets, bath and body, candles, items for pets, great looking outdoor items for decorating like teak furniture side tables which hold up exceptionally well in weather, and so many, many gorgeous things for your home, you have to stop by and check it out.
I totally suck at designing things, so I'll just help spread the word about the contest.
I know I have some seriously talented readers, so hop on over, check out the rules and what they are looking for, and get busy making them a new header to win yourself some great prizes!
April 11, 2008
I haven't been the best support lately.
Belle posted how she's been having trouble staying motivated and on track with her eating, and how a friend recommended some really good diet pills that worked, so Belle is going to try some.
I'm supposed to be her workout support buddy, and I haven't been doing that lately.
I've been so wrapped up in my own life stuff, that I have not been visiting her blog as often as I should be doing, and being supportive.
I will now make more of a conscious effort to go and read, leave supportive comments and share ideas.
Just like her, I have the same issues with food.
I am an emotional eater, I know this, and I try to fight the cravings off when I get sad or depressed, but I usually crack at least a little.
I'm not completely against diet pills, I have taken them in the past and they worked, but as soon as I stopped, I put the weight back on.
If the ones she takes works for her, I'll ask her what they are and maybe give them a try.
I am not doing as great as I hoped I'd be doing by now.
My total weight loss has only been 8 pounds, I want to lose more, much more, but I also want to make sure what I take is safe and actually works.
April 3, 2008
Bloa-ted.
I very rarely eat out at restaurants, we do get take out, but eating "in restaurant" is different.
Anyway, we went to The Olive Garden for lunch, it was me, the teens, my friend and her son.
The food was excellent, but I ate way too much.
I just love their bread sticks and alfredo sauce, omg yum.
I hadn't been up their in quite awhile, so a lot of things have changed in that plaza.
There's a ton of new stores for clothing, diners, a mailing type store, another craft place, and just a whole bunch of stuff that wasn't there the last time I really had a chance to look at everything.
They must have added on to the strip mall too, because there were noticeable changes in the end of the building structure, and one of them appears to have a completely different column style in front of it than all the others. They didn't look like cement, they looked more like fiberglass columns, they were a different shape, different color.
It doesn't look bad, just doesn't "fit" with every other storefront there now.
Tomorrow, Jo and I and the teens, will be going out for lunch somewhere, then we're dropping the teens back off here with her laptop so they can play Wow, while her and I go do some shopping.
She needs some new shoes, and I need some sort of school field trip appropriate clothing.
I can wear my standard black, but I think t-shirts and shorts won't be ok, so I'm off to find and purchase an outfit I'll wear once.
I'm not much into fashion, I could care less "what's in", and I have no desire to look like or fit in, with every Sarasota PTA soccer mom.
I can't believe how bloated I still am from lunch though.
When you don't eat out often, your body, ok my body, just isn't used to that kind of rich food, and I end up feeling sluggish and bloated for hours afterward.
4 Tums later, and I still feel like I'm bulging at the seams.
March 27, 2008
Hello Kitty and a whiter shade of pale.
I won Joana's re-draw contest for a Hello Kitty wallet!
I was needing a new wallet anyway, my Badtz Maru wallet I bought about 9 years ago, is looking a little worn.
It was black suede, but now it's worn out in many spots.
The zipper pull is completely broken off, and it's dirty and faded.
Being suede, I can't exactly wash it.
So thanks Joana, I will rock out with my new Hello Kitty wallet!
On the local forums today, I know, I talk about it a lot, but it's such a fun and entertaining time waster.
Anyway, a thread was started about skin whitening.
Now in itself, it's not that interesting, you think Micheal Jackson skin whitening, but this was about whitening a certain part of the body.
The thread was complete with a video with a Swedish woman slathering on the bleach, and explaining the process.
It was fascinating because it was just so unexpected, and like wow, what kind of woman allowed herself to be videotaped getting that bleached? /shock
Over dinner tonight, we watched Hitman
It was good, based off the game of course, but it was action packed, violent, and had a decent story.
It certainly didn't hurt that the main character, the hitman, was kinda hot.
Timothy Olyphant is much much hotter without hair.
Bald is hot, bald is good.
March 27, 2008
I totally missed it this year.
Blogasm went off a week or so ago, and the girls all stayed at some pretty nice hotels in Vegas, met each other, and had a great time according to some of the blogs I read.
I really would have loved to have been there and met some of the women I've been blogging friends with for quite a few years now.
It just wasn't in the financial cards for me this year.
I am hopeful that maybe next year I can afford to go, I deserve a vacation, and getting to go to Vegas and hang with some of the most rocking girl bloggers ever, would be my ideal vacation.
I hope it becomes an annual thing, so that if I can't do it next year, that I'll be able to eventually do it.
I work hard, I am doing everything that I can to improve my health situation, and would eventually love to go back to a real world job and be totally self sustaining again.
When that happens, I will take a trip to someplace I want to go, and hopefully, it will be a cool weekend with some cool chicks.
March 26, 2008
Things I need to do.
Tomorrow after DHL gets here with my new paypal debit card, I have to activate it, then when I get paid, I need to call and pay my medicare part d bill, and the water bill.
I have some work I need to do, but I will get it all done, but before I can do any of that, I need to fix me.
I just had one of those days ya know?
And if you don't know, read the post below.
I am tired, semi-depressed, bored, uptight, and in serious need of a shower.
I think if I can get a shower, I'll feel a helluva lot better about myself.
I just feel out of sorts right now, my hair is a mess, and I need to take care of me.
I'm always telling others to take care themselves, and I blow right past my own needs.
So yes, I need to take care of me.
Shower, do my hair, that stuff.
I got a gift cert from a friend last week to Amazon, so I got the boys a new game they wanted, and then bought myself some flat iron hair stuff.
Protector and smoothing stuff.
I want to go play with it, and I will as soon as I'm done posting this.
I need some me time.
March 13, 2008
If you are...
the Sue who sent me an email last night, thank you.
I'm not sure who you are because it didn't provide me with that information to email you back, but I wanted to say thanks.
And I feel terrible that I don't know, but there a couple of "Sue's" who leave comments and email from time to time.
Thank you, I really appreciate it.
March 8, 2008
No mom guilt allowed!
For my birthday last Saturday, Christine sent me a gift certificate to Amazon with the strict instructions to buy something for me.
No mom guilt, no buying anything for the boys or the house, but for me.
So I did.
I bought a ring with my birthstone, aquamarine, and sterling silver, from Avon's amazon store.
It arrived today, and I absolutely love it.
Thanks Christine for making me do something for me, it's nice to have such a pretty thing just for myself.
March 5, 2008
So purple pretty!
My friend Tina, just posted that she bought new shades for her new apartment.
The color of her bedroom is a light lilac, and so she bought some really pretty purple roller shades, like these.
That is going to look so awesome with the lilac walls, I'm jealous.
My room is standard apartment white, with standard apartment light blue carpeting.
Her carpet? It's that fluffy-ish cream colored carpeting.
Her room is going to look so good!
She has been planning her new apartment out for what seems like months, and just waiting on her tax return to be able to do it all.
Her son's room has the same kind of carpet, but his walls are a light green-ish color, she she went with a dark green roller shade for him.
They are light but protect against the sun.
They let light in, but not heat.
I can't wait to see the finished product at her new place.
She and her son had been living with her parents for like, the last 4 years, and so to finally be able to afford her own place and make it cozy and cute, decorate the way she wants, is awesome.
I'm so happy it's all finally coming together for her.
March 5, 2008
Lingerie or nude?
That was one of the polls in the S&R forums over the last few days, and you'd be surprised by the numbers.
Most of the men said they only really like lingerie on their wedding night.
They want to see their new wife in her traditional bridal lingerie, but after that, they think the sexiest thing a woman could wear to bed is her own skin.
Now women on the other hand, prefer lingerie, or her man's button down office shirt.
The majority of women did not like to stand naked in front of their man, they all felt like they had too many body flaws to just be all bare and out there.
But then men found bare and out there, to be the most intoxicating and arousing thing about a woman.
So what about you?
Lingerie or nude?
February 20, 2008
Chillin out rockin out in my hood.
I wanted to update you on the AC situation from last night.
I spent about 2 hours cleaning it out today.
I removed the vent panel cover, washed all the grates inside with a toothbrush, sucked out a bunch of stuff from inside the fan area, and washed the whole face plate down.
After turning it back on, the whirring noise was gone.
Yay!
But, it had started whistling.
Boo!
But after a few hours, that stopped too, and now it's back to being whisper quiet again.
Yay!
So thanks to Christine's husband Mike, for letting me know it was just the fan, and not dying.
He was so right!
Annd, I'm still watching Idol and I gotta tell ya, not impressed with any of these chicks tonight.
They all sound like they smoked 3 packs of cigs today.
Just one raspy voice after another, except for that Alexandrea chick.
I liked her.
I don't care if they were all sick this week, they really are just way too raspy.
And I bet you all would think I would love that rocker chick, Amanda Overmyer right?
Well I don't.
She is nasaly.
It's all coming out of her nose, and I hate it when people sing through their nose!
Oh my god! Open your mouth, use your diaphragm and open up those pipes ladies!
February 18, 2008
Strung out like a crack addict.
I had a talk with my doc today after my massage therapy appointment, about the alternative drugs he has been trying on me.
See, I've been on narcotic pain relievers for over 6 years, and I've been wanting to get off of them, and we've been attempting to do that.
The problem is though, that the synthetic pain relievers mess with me and my head in very bad ways.
The first one we tried, Ultram ER 300, I felt like I was jacked up on some really dirty street drugs.
My skin crawled, my pupils were dilated, my vision was blurry, my hearing was affected, and my moods went all bi-polar.
Then we tried Tramadol 50 mgs.
Same exact reaction, because it's simply a lower dose of the Ultram, and the main drug in both is Tramadol.
Then we cut those 50's in half.
Same exact reaction.
Strung out like a crack head.
Then just this past Thursday, we tried Zanaflex 4mgs.
This is a medication given to people with MS for spasticity issues. The medicine is supposed to relax the muscles by stopping pain sensations to the central nervous system.
I only took one of those pills, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
My heart raced, I had the sweats, I was itchy, I couldn't think straight, my speech was slurred, and I couldn't sleep.
My stomach was in knots and I threw up several times, and my muscles spasmed.
The complete opposite of what the drug is supposed to do.
It also made me feel like the other two previous synthetics, strung out, high, messed up and dirty.
So today, I told my doc that if every synthetic on the market is like these 3, I'll stay on the narcotics because I cannot live like that.
Over 6 years on opiate pain relievers, and not once have I ever been that screwed up.
Ever.
I have a drug history, most of my readers know this.
Back in my teens, I did quite a bit of street drugs, I've never lied about my past drinking and drugging experiences.
Ok, I lied to my parents while I was doing them back then, but I don't and haven't done street drugs in years and years, like 13 years.
I took a couple hits off a joint about 2 years ago, the night I went to a concert before my surgery, my one last night of being blitzed I guess you could say.
I knew I was going in for surgery in February, so in December at the Genitorturers show, I had a couple shots, a few puffs, and enjoyed the show and the night with two of my best friends.
But even all those years ago doing pot and LSD, and drinking daily, I never once felt as strung out as I have been feeling trying these synthetic opiates.
Heck, even doing cocaine all those years ago, never made me feel this bad.
I honestly don't know how other patients can take them, or maybe my brain and body just metabolizes them in a different way.
I have another appointment with him on the 25th, and he said we can really sit down and talk about this then.
We couldn't have a regular appointment today because of medicare rules.
If I have therapy, I can't have a doc appointment on the same day. Kind of a silly rule, but that's how medicare rolls.
I will do what he says to do, but if I have to keep feeling strung out like that, then no, I'll stay on the narcotics for the rest of my life if need be.
Is this all too much info for you?
Sorry, but I'm brutally honest about shit like this, I see no point in lying about what's going on with me.
The massage therapist asked me how I was doing, and I just broke down and told him I couldn't take it anymore.
I can't handle being that messed up like that.
I don't like how the synthetics make my moods go all over the place.
One minute I'm fine and the next, I'm ready to rip the teens apart for breathing.
I got pissed at one of my cats this weekend.
For sitting on my lap.
That's insane.
I was behaving like a crazy person, and I'm not crazy.
I was so scared on Friday because the Zanaflex hadn't worn off, and my heart was still racing, I almost called for an ambulance.
I thought I was going to have a heart attack, it was beating so fast and so hard, I wasn't sure I was going to make it.
How the hell can other people take those drugs?
I can't even imagine having MS and having to take those drugs all the time for muscle spasms, and being so fucked up in the head.
And the massage therapy, god damn I hate it.
I have real issues with being touched.
I can't stand people touching me at all.
I don't like being hugged, have someone take my hand or arm, I wish I could explain it, but I tense up and get nervous.
So an hour long massage is fucking hell for me.
I have to keep telling the guy over and over, about my back and the still not regrown nerves, because the slightest touch sends me into fits.
He pressed one spot today and it sent muscle spasms all the way up my spine.
He was all "Whoah, you're really tense and tightened up today huh?"
I'm all dude, how many times must I tell you that my back is hypersensitive, and to take it easy, because the next time you press down on my shoulder blade, I'm gonna get up and punch you in the freaking head.
I know I have pain in my hip and lower back area, and the therapy is supposed to help with that.
The deep pressure stuff feels great on those areas, but anything shoulder blades to mid back, is like knives being jammed into me.
I have another appointment with him on Thursday.
Yee fucking haw.
Between my people touching me issues, and the nerve sensory issues, I am not enjoying massage therapy at all.
I hate every freaking minute of that hour.
I hate the music he plays, the touching, the questions about my pain levels when he touches here or there.
I'm in freaking hell but I do it because I have to.
I want to get better, I want things to be ok, I want to be done with narcotics and therapy, but the way things are going, it will be awhile.
Doc ended up writing me a script for a different dose of narcotics before I left, to get me through till the 25th with him, when we can sit down and really discuss what's going on.
I really do want to get off the narcotics, but not if it means losing my sanity and feeling street drug dirty.
I don't know if any of you can even understand that feeling, maybe someone who's reading this knows what I mean, but it's like crack or meth, or some really dirty drug. My skin gets slimy, I sweat, I feel like I'm covered in dust and dirt, I itch, my legs get restless, I feel nauseous and gross, strung the fuck out.
This was all probably way too much to tell you, but I just had to say what's been going on with me, so if you're one of the people I snapped at in the last month, you know why.
I apologize for talking to you like that, but it wasn't me.
I know, sounds like a lame excuse, but it really wasn't me.
Mark, my oldest, said to me on Friday morning, a full 24 hours after taking that one pill, "Mom, you're really bad right now. Your eyes are huge, you're breathing heavy, you're shaking. Do I need to call for help mom? This is scary."
I can't be scary like that around my kids. I can't be all over the place and yelling, screaming, sleeping, upset, crying, scratching myself to pieces.
I scared my kids man.
It's not ok to be like that.
It's not ok to be scary around my sons like that, so if every alternative to opiate pain relievers is like those 3, then forget it, I'll just stay on the Lortabs for life.
Fuck it.
February 5, 2008
Update on the Buzzfuse post.
I wanted to update you all on what I've learned since making my post about the new service Buzzfuse, the other day.
It was a paid post for another company, and some of my blogging friends are obviously hard up for $5, so they did what they had to do to get paid.
The opp required them to sign up and submit an article, but before you can do that, you have to enter in the email addresses of 10 of your friends.
Not cool at all.
I posted about the situation on a forum, and learned exactly how I got spammed by Buzzfuse.
To show you how this went down, here's a bit of how it works from other bloggers who almost took this low paying piece of shit opp.
"I had actually taken it (the opp) and was going through the process of signing up and submitting something I wanted to promote, when it put up an alert box saying that I could not continue until I entered 10 email addresses of people to "invite" them to the thing. (I had chosen to skip that step in signup)."
"According to the info, in order to use their service, you must submit a video, picture, article, post or whatever you want promoted. So I started to do that. But you cannot even get to the submitting part without entering all ten email addresses."
Garreth from Buzzfuse replied to my post, I replied to his comment, he tells me this isn't spam for the following reason;
"Well, I understand your frustration. Your friends didn't have to put your name in, but I guess they did because they trusted you to review their work and give them feedback (and of course you have!). The point again is that its not so much about making money from their post as it marketing their ongoing posts or testing our system, and these are personal invites, so they are not spam."
Garreth, it's spam plain and simple.
They took the $5 opp because they needed money, they had to use your service and review it in order to get paid. That meant they had to complete all the steps which included entering 10 of their friends in to be invited.
I didn't ask for 5 invitations, they were sent on behalf of my blogging friends from your site, just so they could get paid.
You can say it's not spam, but sorry Garreth, a spade is a spade is a spade.
They did it to make money, not intentionally piss off 10 of their friends.
The requirement of entering in the email addresses of 10 friends, before you can submit an article to Buzzfuse to promote it, is pure and utter crap.
I would never just willingly enter the email addresses of my friends to promote an article I want to gain publicity.
I'll ask my friends to Stumble it, or Digg it, IF they want to.
I won't invite them to a service without telling them about it first, asking them if it's ok if they receive an email from a company they haven't used.
If they say no, then it's no.
Making it a requirement is just evil.
Stumble this post if you like it.
If not, it's cool.
That's how I promote my posts, by asking, not spamming.
Hint, hint Garreth.
February 3, 2008
Go Pats!
Ok let's see, the teens slept over my sisters house on Friday night, I laid staring at the ceiling until about 6am, and then only slept until 9am.
Last night, Susan stayed over, and once again I couldn't get to sleep.
I was awake the entire night, all day today until 2pm, and I only slept until 3:45pm.
So in the last 48 hours, I've slept a grand total of 4 hours and 45 minutes.
I knew this was going to happen without the Ambiens, but I was taking an insanely high dosage of those every night, and that's no good at all.
I'll have to force myself into a sleeping pattern again. It's rough, it will take me about a week to do it, but eventually I'll sleep for at least 5 hours a night.
We will be watching the game this evening and chowing down on some BBQ and other snacks, with my neighbor Dave out back, and a bunch of his friends. He invited us to come hang.
He does this every year, so it's nice. He's a huge Patriots fan too.
We were just going to have some wings, chips, dip, that kind of stuff, but a big ol' BBQ is much more fun.
I'll probably be back and forth talking about the game, commercials, and checking in on stuff all night, because I just can't sit still.
There will be other kids and I believe I even saw a few teenage boys back there, so I know the teens won't feel awkward hanging with a bunch of adults.
Will you be watching? Who are you hoping wins?
What will you be eating?
January 17, 2008
The Ca d' Zan mansion.
Every time my friend Shell has come down to visit, the John and Mable Ringling mansion, the Ca d' Zan, was closed.
They spent years renovating it, restoring it, to all the beauty and amazement it held while they were alive.
In 1924, they commissioned New York architect Dwight James Baum, to build their dream house. Though Ca d'Zan may translate from the Venetian dialect into "The House of John," the project was always listed on Baum's plans as "the home of Mrs. John Ringling," and Mable was the principal contact for much of the construction and decoration of the interior. The mansion was completed in 1926, and would soon become the epicenter of cultural life in Sarasota, evoking the Venetian Gothic palaces admired by the Ringlings. Lavish parties were held with orchestras serenading guests from the Ringling yacht to the lovely marbled terrace.
Shell and I took the premium tour, that means being allowed to tour the rooms of the house that regular visitors do not get to see unless they pay extra.
It was just Shell and I, one tour guide who was a sweet old woman with a fear of heights, (I'll explain this later) and one security guard.
When touring these rooms, no more than seven people are allowed to go at a time, that includes the guide and the security officer, for safety reasons.
If there were ever a fire at the mansion, trying to get more then seven people back down all 89 steps, would be time consuming and dangerous.
The mansion is absolutely beautiful.
The exterior and interior, are simply gorgeous.
All images are clickable for bigger.
More pictures below the cut.
Continue Reading �
January 17, 2008
Cloverfield tix are mine!
Yeah, it does say 4 tickets for the morning showing.
Cuz I'm a cool mom like that.
January 17, 2008
I will have pics for you later.
Shell and I are headed out to see the Ringling mansion today, and do the tour, take pics and all that fun stuff.
I will be around later on to answer emails and register contest entries.
I hope you all have a good one.
Later days.
January 17, 2008
Any minute now.
Shell landed at TIA about an hour ago, so she should be arriving just about any minute now.
She took late flights to get here because they were cheaper, I'm up anyway, so no big deal.
It's going to be so nice to see her, been almost a year I think, since we went up there last.
I have no idea what all we will be doing aside from the Ringling mansion and maybe a movie, but we'll make the best of the time.
The teens and I got the house really good and cleaned up, fresh sheets, blanket and pillow.
No stack of dirty dishes, all the offensive teen smelly laundry has been cleaned and put away.
Well I have some fixing up of myself to do, so time to go.
Later days!
January 16, 2008
I've begun without them.
Cleaning the house that is.
I've started the laundry so I have clean sheets and blankets for Shell to use, I need to do the dishes, vac, mop, and then the boys can do the bathroom and their rooms when they get home.
I stayed up really late last night, it was about 4am when I finally went to bed.
the alarm went off at 5:45, I got the teens up, sent them off to school at 6:30, and then went back to bed, hoping to sleep till at least 10am.
I set my alarm to get up at 10, but I didn't need to, my phone woke me up over and over again starting at 7:30am.
Grrr.
I have a feeling it was my neighbor, because at 9am, she called, and when I answered the phone in a gruff, she was all 'what's wrong Kat?'
I explained to her about the phone ringing repeatedly, and the person hanging up, and she was all sorry, I didn't wake you did I?
I said some jerk kept calling and hanging up, so I'm awake now, but I hate it when people do that.
She just kept saying sorry.
I know it was her.
Grr.
Then some doctors office called looking for a patient.
I said no, wrong number.
The nurse said 'are you sure?'
Why gee lady, let me double check my ID, I might have forgotten my name over night, or maybe(!) that person moved in while I was asleep, let me check the rooms!
I said yes, I'm absolutely sure that person does not live at this phone number, check your number again.
'Oh, I dialed a 5 instead of a 6, I'm sorry.'
Uh huh, and I'm the one who doesn't know my last name or who lives here. *eyeroll*
Stupid people.
I have tons of stuff to do today, I need to get busy on all of it. Home stuff and work stuff.
Oh, what did my neighbor want?
She wanted to know if I was going to the store because she needs dog supplies, dog food, a de-wormer, and some flea stuff.
She said she's too sore to go anywhere today.
Um, she have a car, I would have to walk, and I'm sore today as well.
See, Shell is headed down, and it looks like she's sent some cold Maine air ahead of her so it will feel like home.
It was 40 degrees last night.
It's warming back up again though.
High's will be mid 70's for the rest of the week, nights will be low 60's.
That's perfect Florida weather for winter.
January 14, 2008
Bored but busy.
It's amazing how bored I can be even when I have a lot to do.
I need to clean the house, dig out extra sheets and blankets, make a shopping list, do laundry, the mountain of dishes that lay in the sink, and keep an eye out for the UPS guy.
The headsets
I hate that.
On Wednesday after school, I'll be having the boys help me do a deep clean of the whole house so that Shell doesn't have to walk into, and deal with, teen slob hell.
I have to constantly remind them to flush the toilet.
I know, they are teenagers, what is up with that right?!
Well see, during the rainy season, when the streets flood and the septic drain fields are completely saturated, the rule laid down by the landlord goes like this;
"If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down."
Yes, I know, totally gross, but on septic, it helps to keep the tank from having the pressure build up and then if it does, your toilet backs up, and your house gets flooded with gallons of water.
It's happened about 6 times in the 10 years we've lived in this duplex.
But it's not the rainy season anymore. It lasts from June 1st to November 30th.
It's long over, they can flush safely again.
But breaking them of the yellow mellow habit is rough. By the time I get them broken of it and flushing after use, it's rainy season again.
Oy!
So anyway, I've been harping on them for the last 2 weeks to flush, they can, it's safe, please for the love of all that's right, flush the damn toilet when we have company here!
So Shell, I am apologizing in advance, if you go into the bathroom and are faced with a bowl full of piss, it's their fault and my landlords, it's a man thing, sorry.
Oh what am I saying, you live with men too, I'm sure they have nasty toilet habits too. It really is a man thing. Ha!
So we're going to deep clean the whole house on Wednesday after school, and then I'll be awake until Shell arrives around 1am.
Then her and I will climb the 89 steps at the Ca d' zan, and I'll beg her to go see the monster that ate New York a million times.
I mean, if I have to walk up 89 steps cuz the mansion is NOT handicap accessible, she should have to sit in a comfy theater seat for 2 hours and watch it with me right?
Right?!
I thought so.
January 12, 2008
Weighty confession.
Well I did say that I would post my starting weight and my target goal, so here goes.
After all these years of being pretty much sedentary, (almost 7 years now) a weight lifting restriction of no more than 10lbs max, and no strenuous exercise beyond walking, my starting weight is:
I know that is accurate because I used the scale at Publix. My house scale is old and while it was close, I know that is my real weight.
Ugh.
I've been working out on the elliptical everyday now for 20 minutes a day, and I just pop my earbuds in and crank up the music on my Sansadisk mp3 player, and go to it.
Once I figured out how to get the batteries in, having the control panel lit up and working, makes working out much easier. It keeps time for me, miles, measures my heart rate, and beeps when I'm supposed to end.
I'm really enjoying this a whole lot more than just walking.
As for my weight, I am going to lose weight, but I'm not going to obsess over the numbers on the scale.
I'm not going to weigh myself daily, or even every other day, only once a week so I don't get all nutty looking at numbers.
I feel really good so far, I'm not having too much pain after working out, just the usual left hip area, but that's to be expected with a broken iliac screw in there.
I have two workout and health buddies Belle and Mindy.
We're going to do our best to help keep each other motivated, be a sounding board for each other when we just don't wanna keep going, swap healthy recipes the whole family can eat, and just be supportive.
That's the most important thing in my opinion.
Working out and trying to lose weight can be so difficult when you don't have a good support system to keep you encouraged, to keep you motivated, and applaud your accomplishments no matter how little they may be.
My goal is to get back down to what I was pre-sedentary, before they told me I could no longer work, and that surgery was needed.
I weighed 145 then, and it was perfect for my height and frame. Any lower than that, I start looking like a skeleton.
My weight right now is not horrible, but I'm not happy with it either. At least it's not what it was when I moved here 10 years ago. I weighed 235 when I moved here, got a job doing manual labor, and dropped down to 145 within 6 months and kept it off for 4 and a half years. I would have kept it off longer than that too, if I hadn't been forced by my doctors to stop working and to not do anything to further complicate my back and spine issues.
So there we go, my starting weight and goal weight.
I know I can do this, it's what I want, and if I want it bad enough, I will achieve it.
January 10, 2008
Happy birthday Lattegirl!
It's one of my dearest blogging friends birthdays today, she probably thinks I forgot, but I didn't.
My brain may be all over the place, but I recall important dates.
So maybe y'all could go on over and wish Lattegirl a happy birthday?
You can?
Awesome!
Have a great day woman! *wink*
January 5, 2008
She's coming to visit me!
That's right, my best friend Shell IS coming down to visit!
W00t!
She will be coming down from the 16th to the 19th, just a short weekend visit, but it's all good.
She had to choose when she was going to come down, because she is scheduled for a dentist appointment, not a charlotte cosmetic dentist, but a root canal, (ouch!) and also some IV treatment for her psoriasis.
So, she chose to come down after the IV treatment, and before the root canal.
Hey, I'd go on a quick mini-vacation before a root canal too.
She'll be getting to my house close to 1am, I know I'll be awake, so that's no problem.
The only thing we really want to do while she's here is to go see the Ca d'Zan Mansion, once owned by John and Mabel Ringling.
Every time Shell has come down, it was closed for remodeling.
They have finally finished it, so her and I will go see it finally.
I'm very excited about her coming down.
I totally miss her.
January 5, 2008
It all keeps on changing, but it's still just the same.
I know it's so late, and here I am wide awake again.
Damn insomnia!
Anyway, my sister and my nieces had spent the whole last week up in Maine visiting our family.
They just got back, and sis and I talked on the phone for a bit today about their trip, how cold it was, how much snow they got while she was up there and all.
The girls absolutely loved playing in the snow, sledding and everything.
They behaved so well, and they are such big girls now, they no longer take naps, and go right to bed at bedtime! I'm so proud of my girls!
Sis said while they didn't go out sight seeing much, she did notice more condo hotels had been built along the beach front, and that huge one that was almost finished when I went up last year, is completely finished now.
That big huge building at the end on the left.
It's finally finished, people are living in it, and they put parking spaces next to it and across the small street from it. Several small buildings that used to be there, are now a huge parking lot for a giant condo/hotel.
I really do miss Maine, and Old Orchard Beach quite a bit sometimes, but all that snow and cold, I can totally do without.
If Maine was like Florida, I'd totally move back. 
So now that Jo is back, that means my friend Shell may be coming down here to visit me soon, if she hasn't changed her plans. I hope she can still come down.
I know winter there has been really tough, lots and lots of snow, and I can't thank Shell and her husband enough for helping my parents all winter long.
Shell and her husband go down to my parents house after every snow storm, and shovel out their cars and the walkway and steps, sand and salt everything for them so my parents can get in and out of the house safely.
They won't take any money for doing this, and believe me, it's been a harsh winter, with 3 snowfalls just during the week my sister was there.
My mom makes them baked goods like home made bread, blueberry muffins and other stuff, in lieu of money because Shell and Ray will not take any money at all.
I'm gonna give Shell like the hugest hug when/if she comes down.
I so very much appreciate her and Ray taking care of my parents like that.
Wow, cant believe this. As I finish typing this post, it's turning 4am, and I'm still not tired.
I was so dead tired while sitting at Walgreen's waiting this afternoon, I figured I would have passed out by 11pm at the latest.
Man, today is gonna be rough. Ha hah
Later days!
December 30, 2007
Y'all know how much I love spending money.
Not.
Dammit!
Guess what my first major purchase of 2008 is going to be?
Can you guess? No?
Well let me tell you what I get to buy. Again.
A new lawnmower.
Yay!
Isn't that fucking exciting?!
Mark mowed our neighbors lawn about 2 weeks ago, it's winter here so the grass only has to be cut like once a month now.
So he mowed their lawn and they had dumped charcoal briquets on their lawn.
Who the hell dumps charcoal on the lawn?!
So anyway, Mark was mowing their lawn and ran over the said charcoal, and when they hit the blades, they caught sparks and caused a huge rip to happen in the top of the mower.
There's a huge hole, the blades are now catching on the metal hanging down, and it's basically causing all kinds of problems, and basically, the lawnmower is a giant piece of shit now.
So yay!
I get to buy a brand new mower. This makes 3 lawnmowers in the 10 years we have lived in this house now.
I can't freaking believe this.
Bah.
Speaking of Mark, he and George went and looked at the charger, it's not in too bad of shape, but they saw a different car they liked more and would be slightly less engine work to fix.
They are going back tomorrow to look at it again and probably get it.
They didn't tell me what kind it is yet, they want to make sure they are really going to get it before they say anything.
