We went to the beach this past Saturday and Sunday, as is our usual habit. Saturday entailed no mishaps, so we left the sailboat loaded up and decided to go back Sunday. We had a great day on the water, and when it was time to go, we loaded up and headed out.
The sailboat I mentioned is a 14 foot inflatable catamaran. It is just wide enough to carry on top of a car easily, so we load it onto the roof of my minivan and tie it down to the luggage rack. I drive the van to the beach, and Hubby follows in the motor home. We have a mini-motor home/camper, and since the beach is only a few miles away we like to take it. It gives us a nice place to sit out of the sun if we want, room to change and feed Trevor if necessary, a portable bathroom, etc.
Our local beach here is actually on an island and there is only one bridge onto that island. It is a drawbridge. We were the 4th and 5th cars back from where the bridge opens. We watched it go up, stay for a few minutes while a boat went under, then go back down again...almost.
The other side had stopped about 3 feet above our side. So close, yet so far away. We sat for a few minutes, then I got out of my car, locked it and joined Johnny and Trevor in the motor home. We had a couple beers and a bottle of water in the cooler. Nothing to eat. Word came back that "they" had no idea how long it might be, but the same thing had happened yesterday and it took over 3 hours to get it unstuck.
We must have departed the day before just in time to miss the bridge getting stuck. Anyway, we used to live in the Florida Keys and had experienced drawbridges being stuck for hours, even overnight or all day. We waited a while, and nothing happened. Trevor started to fuss, as it was past his dinnertime. I had a little milk left and gave him that. Six ounces of milk doesn't hold him for long. A lady knocked on our door and asked if we had a bathroom, because her little boy really needed to pee. We let him come in and use the facilities, then debated charging people a fee to use the toilet. Depending on how long we were stuck there, we could have really made some money! Unfortunately, we ended up deciding not to. (ha ha!)
Finally after almost an hour, no word and a hungry, fussy kid, I realized that the sun would be going down soon. I knew there was a convenience store not far on the other side of the bridge, where I could get milk, food and water. I decided to go for it. The risk of being stuck there for several hours or more hungry and thirsty and listening to Trevor (2 yr. old) outweighed any risk involved in climbing up 3 feet and walking over the bridge to the store.
The man running the drawbridge kind of yelled at me for climbing up, but I just ignored him. The store turned out to be a mile away, so I walked there, bought supplies, and walked back. Just before I got around that last corner to the bridge, my cell phone rings. It's Johnny. "They got the bridge down. This guy is gonna drive your car over, stay right there."
At first I thought I had wasted a 2 mile trip to the store on foot, but then Johnny explained that if I hadn't gone, we probably would have been stuck there overnight. It's called Murphy's Law and it almost never fails!
-
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Who Does He Look like?
When my son was first born, a little over 2 years ago (gawd, time flies!) the answer was pretty much unanimous: "He looks just like his dad!"
The older he gets, more and more people are starting to say he looks just like me. Hmmmm.
This debate triggered me to go back and look at some baby pictures of myself and hubby. I see resemblances to both of us, but can't say that he looks "just like" either of us. I'm interested to see what non-family members think.
Glance over these pics and let me know who you think he resembles more strongly!
_____________________________________________
The older he gets, more and more people are starting to say he looks just like me. Hmmmm.
This debate triggered me to go back and look at some baby pictures of myself and hubby. I see resemblances to both of us, but can't say that he looks "just like" either of us. I'm interested to see what non-family members think.
Glance over these pics and let me know who you think he resembles more strongly!
_____________________________________________
This is Trevor's dad.
_________________________________________________
This is (obviously) me.
________________________________________________
And this is our little stinker!
-
Sunday, June 03, 2007
"To-may-to" or "To-mah-to"
My 2 year old son.
My dad used the word "determined". I just say "stubborn".
What do you think? (note: video quality is not great, but you will get the idea)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2f0f2dkVsE
-
My dad used the word "determined". I just say "stubborn".
What do you think? (note: video quality is not great, but you will get the idea)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2f0f2dkVsE
-
Monday, May 21, 2007
Redneck Joke
Sorry for no post in a while. Unfortunately(?), in the summer months I don't spend much time on the computer.
After work, if I get off late, I spend a couple hours with my kid, put him to bed then fix dinner and eat, while watching an hour or two of TV (unwinding) then go to bed. If I get off early, we play outside in the backyard or go to the beach. Then of course it's dinner and bath and bedtime, then hubby and I eat, unwind a little and go to bed.
Sometimes blogging just doesn't fit into the routine. While I do try to read, comment and basically keep up with all of your blogs, I generally don't have time to actually post anything.
Life's a Beach! Enjoy it!
_____________________________________________
A redneck family from the hills was visiting the city and they were in a mall for the first time in their lives. The father and son were strolling around while the wife shopped.
They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide backtogether again.
The boy asked, "Paw, what's 'at?"
The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, "Son, I dunno. I ain't never seen anything like that in my entire life, I ain't got no idea'r what 'tis."
While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small circular number above the walls light up sequentially.
They continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.
Then the walls opened up again and a gorgeous, voluptuous 24 year-old blonde woman stepped out.
The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son,
"Boy..................go git cha Momma...............
_
After work, if I get off late, I spend a couple hours with my kid, put him to bed then fix dinner and eat, while watching an hour or two of TV (unwinding) then go to bed. If I get off early, we play outside in the backyard or go to the beach. Then of course it's dinner and bath and bedtime, then hubby and I eat, unwind a little and go to bed.
Sometimes blogging just doesn't fit into the routine. While I do try to read, comment and basically keep up with all of your blogs, I generally don't have time to actually post anything.
Life's a Beach! Enjoy it!
_____________________________________________
A redneck family from the hills was visiting the city and they were in a mall for the first time in their lives. The father and son were strolling around while the wife shopped.
They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide backtogether again.
The boy asked, "Paw, what's 'at?"
The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, "Son, I dunno. I ain't never seen anything like that in my entire life, I ain't got no idea'r what 'tis."
While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small circular number above the walls light up sequentially.
They continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.
Then the walls opened up again and a gorgeous, voluptuous 24 year-old blonde woman stepped out.
The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son,
"Boy..................go git cha Momma...............
_
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Reflections
You know how they say "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone"? Usually that refers to taking something good in your life for granted and only appreciating it once you've lost it and can't get it back. I was just reflecting the other day that it could also apply to really, really crappy things in your life that sort of creep up on you gradually. You only realize that they're crappy later on.
I am referring specifically to my last job. I knew for a while that I wasn't very happy there, but it wasn't that bad. I just got used to the way things were. Some of you know a little about it, as I did a couple of posts recently about my decision to quit the job and my efforts to find a new (better) one.
I work in the field of ophthalmology, so (obviously) I work in doctor's offices. For doctors. No offense to any doctors who may be reading this (ha ha), but they are a strange lot. They are all different, but they are all strange. Unfortunately, some of them are also assholes - kind of, well, exactly like my former boss.
I had gradually grown so accustomed to long stressful days, revolving door turnover at the workplace, borderline unethical practices, and a boss I detested, that I didn't realize how miserable I was. My poor husband realized it - he was subjected to me coming home in a bad mood almost every day.
When I finally decided it was time to move on, it was actually a little hard to leave the place I had worked at for a year and a half. Even though I hated it. Weird huh?
Anyway, after a few weeks at my new job, I realized that I really appreciated a lot of things about this job. It started to dawn on me how good I had it at this new place. Naturally, the next thing to cross my mind was how bad it was at the old place. As I reminisced a little, I found myself to be horrified at some of the bullshit I tolerated.
Of course at that time, I needed the job, was making enough to make ends meet (barely) and there was no way I could afford to quit without having another job lined up. And I had no time to look for other jobs as I was always working and couldn't afford to take time off. Anyway, I remembered a place that I had been in contact with when I was looking for a job here a couple years ago. I decided to call them and see if they had an opening and if so, see if they would hire me.
Turns out I called at just the right time, got the job, hence quit my hated one. My husband commented recently that it was nice to have me come home in a good mood. That got me thinking.
Point is, a lot of us "settle" into situations where we are unhappy, but they get bad so gradually that we don't really realize it, and by the time we do, we feel pretty comfortable (read: afraid to change) so we decide, "well, it's not that bad." We also don't realize how much this unhappiness shows to those around us. I was pretty bitchy for a while there, but now I am back to my old, laid-back self. Unfortunately, it didn't dawn on me until I had already gotten out of the bad situation.
Take some time to look around and evaluate where you are and what you do. You don't want to spend years and years miserable without noticing it until it's too late.
BE HAPPY!!!
-
I am referring specifically to my last job. I knew for a while that I wasn't very happy there, but it wasn't that bad. I just got used to the way things were. Some of you know a little about it, as I did a couple of posts recently about my decision to quit the job and my efforts to find a new (better) one.
I work in the field of ophthalmology, so (obviously) I work in doctor's offices. For doctors. No offense to any doctors who may be reading this (ha ha), but they are a strange lot. They are all different, but they are all strange. Unfortunately, some of them are also assholes - kind of, well, exactly like my former boss.
I had gradually grown so accustomed to long stressful days, revolving door turnover at the workplace, borderline unethical practices, and a boss I detested, that I didn't realize how miserable I was. My poor husband realized it - he was subjected to me coming home in a bad mood almost every day.
When I finally decided it was time to move on, it was actually a little hard to leave the place I had worked at for a year and a half. Even though I hated it. Weird huh?
Anyway, after a few weeks at my new job, I realized that I really appreciated a lot of things about this job. It started to dawn on me how good I had it at this new place. Naturally, the next thing to cross my mind was how bad it was at the old place. As I reminisced a little, I found myself to be horrified at some of the bullshit I tolerated.
Of course at that time, I needed the job, was making enough to make ends meet (barely) and there was no way I could afford to quit without having another job lined up. And I had no time to look for other jobs as I was always working and couldn't afford to take time off. Anyway, I remembered a place that I had been in contact with when I was looking for a job here a couple years ago. I decided to call them and see if they had an opening and if so, see if they would hire me.
Turns out I called at just the right time, got the job, hence quit my hated one. My husband commented recently that it was nice to have me come home in a good mood. That got me thinking.
Point is, a lot of us "settle" into situations where we are unhappy, but they get bad so gradually that we don't really realize it, and by the time we do, we feel pretty comfortable (read: afraid to change) so we decide, "well, it's not that bad." We also don't realize how much this unhappiness shows to those around us. I was pretty bitchy for a while there, but now I am back to my old, laid-back self. Unfortunately, it didn't dawn on me until I had already gotten out of the bad situation.
Take some time to look around and evaluate where you are and what you do. You don't want to spend years and years miserable without noticing it until it's too late.
BE HAPPY!!!
-
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The Big TWO!
Yesterday was my son Trevor's 2nd birthday. We celebrated by spending the day at the beach - his favorite place.
He got lots of cool presents, a card, a cake and a little bit of a sunburn.
A great time was had by all!
___________________________________________
In other news:
We finally got our other iguana back! A neighbor spotted him in his yard, captured him and returned him to us safe and sound.
Bonnie and Clyde are reunited at last.
____________________________________________
A joke:
A gas station in Mississippi was trying to increase its sales, so the owner put up a sign saying, "Free Sex with Fill-Up".
Soon a local redneck pulled in, filled his tank, and then asked for his free sex.
The owner told him to pick a number from 1 to 10. If he guessed correctly, he would get his free sex. The redneck then guessed 8, and the proprietor said, "You were close. The number was 7. Sorry, no sex this time."
A week later, the same redneck, along with a buddy, Bubba, pulled in for a fill-up. Again he asked for his free sex.
The proprietor again gave him the same story, and asked him to guess the correct number. The redneck guessed 2 this time. Again the proprietor said, "Sorry, it was 3. You were close, but no free sex this time."
As they were driving away, the redneck said to his buddy, "I think that game is rigged and he doesn't really give away free sex."
'
Bubba replied, "No it ain't, Billy Ray. It ain't rigged ----- my wife won twice last week!"
He got lots of cool presents, a card, a cake and a little bit of a sunburn.
A great time was had by all!
___________________________________________
In other news:
We finally got our other iguana back! A neighbor spotted him in his yard, captured him and returned him to us safe and sound.
Bonnie and Clyde are reunited at last.
____________________________________________
A joke:
A gas station in Mississippi was trying to increase its sales, so the owner put up a sign saying, "Free Sex with Fill-Up".
Soon a local redneck pulled in, filled his tank, and then asked for his free sex.
The owner told him to pick a number from 1 to 10. If he guessed correctly, he would get his free sex. The redneck then guessed 8, and the proprietor said, "You were close. The number was 7. Sorry, no sex this time."
A week later, the same redneck, along with a buddy, Bubba, pulled in for a fill-up. Again he asked for his free sex.
The proprietor again gave him the same story, and asked him to guess the correct number. The redneck guessed 2 this time. Again the proprietor said, "Sorry, it was 3. You were close, but no free sex this time."
As they were driving away, the redneck said to his buddy, "I think that game is rigged and he doesn't really give away free sex."
'
Bubba replied, "No it ain't, Billy Ray. It ain't rigged ----- my wife won twice last week!"
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Leapin' Lizards!
Iguana update...
(top is Bonnie , bottom is Clyde)
Remember our fugitive iguanas, Bonnie and Clyde? (no joke, those are their names) Anyway, Clyde hung out in a tree in our backyard for a few days, and eventually disappeared. We had almost given up hope of getting them back, when lo and behold, Bonnie turned up in our yard, just walking around on the ground. Hubby walked over to her, picked her up and put her in the cage. That simple!
So we printed up some fliers about Clyde (still missing) with our phone number and placed them around the neighborhood. The next day we got a call from a nearby neighbor who said that Clyde had been in his yard the day before, but he had disappeared again. So far, he has been spotted a couple times and seems to still be on our block. We plan to continue searching and trying to get him back.
This is a full body pic of Bonnie, just to give you an idea. Both Bonnie and Clyde are about 4 and 1/2 feet long including tails.
________________________________________
The joys of traveling:
A man and a woman, who have never met before, find themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train.
Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, the two are tired and fall asleep quickly...he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.
At 1:00 AM, he leans over and gently wakes the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."
"I have a better idea," she replies. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."
"Wow! That's a great idea!!" he exclaims. "Good," she replies. "Get your own damn blanket!"
After a moment of silence, he farted.
(top is Bonnie , bottom is Clyde)
Remember our fugitive iguanas, Bonnie and Clyde? (no joke, those are their names) Anyway, Clyde hung out in a tree in our backyard for a few days, and eventually disappeared. We had almost given up hope of getting them back, when lo and behold, Bonnie turned up in our yard, just walking around on the ground. Hubby walked over to her, picked her up and put her in the cage. That simple!
So we printed up some fliers about Clyde (still missing) with our phone number and placed them around the neighborhood. The next day we got a call from a nearby neighbor who said that Clyde had been in his yard the day before, but he had disappeared again. So far, he has been spotted a couple times and seems to still be on our block. We plan to continue searching and trying to get him back.
This is a full body pic of Bonnie, just to give you an idea. Both Bonnie and Clyde are about 4 and 1/2 feet long including tails.
________________________________________
The joys of traveling:
A man and a woman, who have never met before, find themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train.
Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, the two are tired and fall asleep quickly...he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.
At 1:00 AM, he leans over and gently wakes the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."
"I have a better idea," she replies. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."
"Wow! That's a great idea!!" he exclaims. "Good," she replies. "Get your own damn blanket!"
After a moment of silence, he farted.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Back to...Normal?
Hi everyone! First of all, sorry I haven't been around for a while. As you know, I have been in the process of changing jobs and moving. We have successfully relocated to our new house in a new town, but we have sure had some interesting adventures along the way.
I am sooooo sick of moving. We lived in one little place in Key Largo from 1999 (right before we married) up until Sept. of 2003. Then we decided to move to Corpus Christi, Texas. Why? Well, we needed a change of scene (for many reasons - too much to go into now) and I was born and raised in south Texas. Corpus is on the water and we would be about an hour and a half from my parents and grandmother. So we relocated.
We spent our first year there in a one bedroom apartment, I got pregnant so we moved into a larger, 2 bedroom apartment in 2004. In 2005 I lost my job, then a few months later my husband lost a good job also. so we decided we had enough and were going back to Florida.
We had nothing lined up in Florida so we spent our first 3 weeks in St. Petersburg, in a trailer that belongs to a friend of a friend, renting it by the week. I landed a job in Zephyrhills, so we moved up there. We lived there in a one bedroom duplex for almost a year, with my son sleeping in the living room. When I got a raise and we could afford to move again, we moved to Tampa into a 2 bedroom apartment.
Any of you who have been reading this blog know what happened then. I made the decision that I needed to change jobs again because I couldn't stand working for a tyrant. So I found a new (and better, and higher paying) job in the same field and accepted it. Unfortunately it was just too far away to commute so we had to move again. Now we are in a great little house in a neat little town right on the beach. Whew!
We were really tired of carrying furniture and loading up a U-Haul (moving truck), so this time we hired movers to come in and do it for us. They were supposed to show up last Saturday at 11:00 am. They were also supposed to call the day before and confirm. We were out of the house pretty much all of Friday afternoon and early evening wrapping up other loose ends, but since we have an answering machine and cell phones, we weren't worried about missing the call.
We got home and checked the machine and no one had called. We tried to call the movers then, but no answer. We figured they were closed and we would call them in the morning.
Next morning, we called and called, and no one answered. Finally at about 10:00, a guy answered and we found out we had a problem. Something had come up and they needed to reschedule our move. They claim to have tried to call a number of times and got no answer and no answering machine. Whatever. So, we tried to work out an alternative arrangement. I told him it HAD to be done this weekend, because we work during the week and wouldn't have time to deal with it. Well, they could try to get 2 guys to work on Sunday, but it would be time and a half since they didn't normally work Sundays. I said whatever, just do it, it has to be done, I'll pay the extra money.
So they moved us on Sunday. Our cable and internet was supposed to be hooked ub between 8:00 and 11:00 am on Monday. My husband was here all day. The gas company came that morning and hooked us up, but the cable company never came and never called. So hubby finally called and complained that afternoon, and was told that the guy came to our house and knocked bu no one answered the door. OK, maybe he had gone into the back yard, or was in the bathroom or something, but don't they normally call you if they miss you? They say they do! So they assured him that someone would be here before 8:00 pm and that they would call ahead and let us know they were on the way.
We waited around til about 7:30 and called back again. They assured us they guy was out doing jobs and he would definietly get to us, but may be a little late, like 15 or 20 minutes. We could live with that, so we waited some more. Finally around 9:00 we called back again and told them we had to reschedule because we had to go to bed soon. At 10:30, just as we were getting ready to go to be, a knock on the door. I opened it and there stood the cable guy. I had him come on in and survey the situation. He said the job would take a couple hours because he would have to install a new cable outlet, etc.
We told him to forget it, we had already rescheduled. He said he was they same guy that came by earlier and he swore that he came to the right house, knocked and got no answer. He said he immediately reported this to dispatch and that they were supposed to have called us. We had given a cell number as the contact, since our home phone wouldn't be activated until next week. We pulled out the cell phone and checked voice mail, incoming calls and missed calls - there was NO call from the cable company. He was nice enough so we laughed it off for the time being.
Next day, another cable guy showed up when he was supposed to and did the job. Later that evening while we were trying to watch TV, our cable box malfunctioned - kept cutting off and on all by itself, and we couldn't watch anything. So we called the cable company again. They said they would have someone out the next day to switch out the box for us. This guy showed up too, and switched out the box, everything seemed to be working fine, then we asked him to check the cable in the bedroom as it didn't seem to be working, we couldn't get any channels back there. He said that this was the responsibility of the original installer and we would have to schedule him to come back out and finish his job properly. So now he is supposed to come back on Monday - we'll see!
To top everything else off, our 2 large, four and a half foot long iguanas escaped from their cage. They are now at large in the neighborhood. We have seen one of them in a tree in our back yard for the last few days, but don't know where the other one is. They are not aggressive and won't bother anyone, but some people are scared of them, plus we have probably broken some kind of law by letting them loose, even though it was unintentional. They are considered to be "exotic animals" and I know the rules are sometimes pretty strict when it comes to exotics.
On the bright side - we love our house and the town we are now living in. I have got almost everything unpacked and put away. The job is going great, and now that we are moved and most of the turmoil has (hopefully) resolved, we should settle in very nicely.
-
I am sooooo sick of moving. We lived in one little place in Key Largo from 1999 (right before we married) up until Sept. of 2003. Then we decided to move to Corpus Christi, Texas. Why? Well, we needed a change of scene (for many reasons - too much to go into now) and I was born and raised in south Texas. Corpus is on the water and we would be about an hour and a half from my parents and grandmother. So we relocated.
We spent our first year there in a one bedroom apartment, I got pregnant so we moved into a larger, 2 bedroom apartment in 2004. In 2005 I lost my job, then a few months later my husband lost a good job also. so we decided we had enough and were going back to Florida.
We had nothing lined up in Florida so we spent our first 3 weeks in St. Petersburg, in a trailer that belongs to a friend of a friend, renting it by the week. I landed a job in Zephyrhills, so we moved up there. We lived there in a one bedroom duplex for almost a year, with my son sleeping in the living room. When I got a raise and we could afford to move again, we moved to Tampa into a 2 bedroom apartment.
Any of you who have been reading this blog know what happened then. I made the decision that I needed to change jobs again because I couldn't stand working for a tyrant. So I found a new (and better, and higher paying) job in the same field and accepted it. Unfortunately it was just too far away to commute so we had to move again. Now we are in a great little house in a neat little town right on the beach. Whew!
We were really tired of carrying furniture and loading up a U-Haul (moving truck), so this time we hired movers to come in and do it for us. They were supposed to show up last Saturday at 11:00 am. They were also supposed to call the day before and confirm. We were out of the house pretty much all of Friday afternoon and early evening wrapping up other loose ends, but since we have an answering machine and cell phones, we weren't worried about missing the call.
We got home and checked the machine and no one had called. We tried to call the movers then, but no answer. We figured they were closed and we would call them in the morning.
Next morning, we called and called, and no one answered. Finally at about 10:00, a guy answered and we found out we had a problem. Something had come up and they needed to reschedule our move. They claim to have tried to call a number of times and got no answer and no answering machine. Whatever. So, we tried to work out an alternative arrangement. I told him it HAD to be done this weekend, because we work during the week and wouldn't have time to deal with it. Well, they could try to get 2 guys to work on Sunday, but it would be time and a half since they didn't normally work Sundays. I said whatever, just do it, it has to be done, I'll pay the extra money.
So they moved us on Sunday. Our cable and internet was supposed to be hooked ub between 8:00 and 11:00 am on Monday. My husband was here all day. The gas company came that morning and hooked us up, but the cable company never came and never called. So hubby finally called and complained that afternoon, and was told that the guy came to our house and knocked bu no one answered the door. OK, maybe he had gone into the back yard, or was in the bathroom or something, but don't they normally call you if they miss you? They say they do! So they assured him that someone would be here before 8:00 pm and that they would call ahead and let us know they were on the way.
We waited around til about 7:30 and called back again. They assured us they guy was out doing jobs and he would definietly get to us, but may be a little late, like 15 or 20 minutes. We could live with that, so we waited some more. Finally around 9:00 we called back again and told them we had to reschedule because we had to go to bed soon. At 10:30, just as we were getting ready to go to be, a knock on the door. I opened it and there stood the cable guy. I had him come on in and survey the situation. He said the job would take a couple hours because he would have to install a new cable outlet, etc.
We told him to forget it, we had already rescheduled. He said he was they same guy that came by earlier and he swore that he came to the right house, knocked and got no answer. He said he immediately reported this to dispatch and that they were supposed to have called us. We had given a cell number as the contact, since our home phone wouldn't be activated until next week. We pulled out the cell phone and checked voice mail, incoming calls and missed calls - there was NO call from the cable company. He was nice enough so we laughed it off for the time being.
Next day, another cable guy showed up when he was supposed to and did the job. Later that evening while we were trying to watch TV, our cable box malfunctioned - kept cutting off and on all by itself, and we couldn't watch anything. So we called the cable company again. They said they would have someone out the next day to switch out the box for us. This guy showed up too, and switched out the box, everything seemed to be working fine, then we asked him to check the cable in the bedroom as it didn't seem to be working, we couldn't get any channels back there. He said that this was the responsibility of the original installer and we would have to schedule him to come back out and finish his job properly. So now he is supposed to come back on Monday - we'll see!
To top everything else off, our 2 large, four and a half foot long iguanas escaped from their cage. They are now at large in the neighborhood. We have seen one of them in a tree in our back yard for the last few days, but don't know where the other one is. They are not aggressive and won't bother anyone, but some people are scared of them, plus we have probably broken some kind of law by letting them loose, even though it was unintentional. They are considered to be "exotic animals" and I know the rules are sometimes pretty strict when it comes to exotics.
On the bright side - we love our house and the town we are now living in. I have got almost everything unpacked and put away. The job is going great, and now that we are moved and most of the turmoil has (hopefully) resolved, we should settle in very nicely.
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Friday, March 16, 2007
Quick Hello
I know, I know, I haven't posted in forever. I have been busy with the new job (1-1 1/2 hour drive each way) and getting ready to move this weekend.
So far the new job is awesome. I can't wait to live 15 minutes away instead of an hour and 15 minutes. As much as I hate moving, this is worth it.
Will put up a better post next week after we get settled.
Bye for now!
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So far the new job is awesome. I can't wait to live 15 minutes away instead of an hour and 15 minutes. As much as I hate moving, this is worth it.
Will put up a better post next week after we get settled.
Bye for now!
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Monday, March 05, 2007
First Day
What a great Monday!
WTF? When was the last time I said that?
No, I'm not (entirely) nuts, today was the best Monday I've had in a while. I didn't realize how badly I had come to dread Mondays until I didn't dread one.
You're probably wondering what I'm babbling about, huh?
Today was my first day at my new job. It went great! Of course some things are always done differently from office to office, and some of the equipment was slightly different from what I have experience with, but overall I had no problems.
Everyone there is very nice and the environment is pleasant. Today we saw about 34 patients, and it was an "atypically busy day". This job is going to be so much easier and less stressful than my last 2 jobs have been.
The only thing that will make this better is when we get moved over to that area. Right now I have about an hour drive each way. After moving, it will be more like 15 minutes.
As far as I'm concerned right now, getting paid more money for doing less work is a win-win situation!
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WTF? When was the last time I said that?
No, I'm not (entirely) nuts, today was the best Monday I've had in a while. I didn't realize how badly I had come to dread Mondays until I didn't dread one.
You're probably wondering what I'm babbling about, huh?
Today was my first day at my new job. It went great! Of course some things are always done differently from office to office, and some of the equipment was slightly different from what I have experience with, but overall I had no problems.
Everyone there is very nice and the environment is pleasant. Today we saw about 34 patients, and it was an "atypically busy day". This job is going to be so much easier and less stressful than my last 2 jobs have been.
The only thing that will make this better is when we get moved over to that area. Right now I have about an hour drive each way. After moving, it will be more like 15 minutes.
As far as I'm concerned right now, getting paid more money for doing less work is a win-win situation!
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Monday, February 26, 2007
Conclusion
One thing I didn't mention in my last post was that on Tuesday, after my Monday meeting with Dr. Chaos and before my interview at the new practice, Dr. Chaos' wife came in to talk to me. She cornered me in the lunchroom while I was eating. I saw her throught the window and knew why she was there, but I didn't have time to escape.
She basically reiterated everything her husband had already said. The main difference was that she seemed willing to talk more freely about certain things than he did. I had asked him some direct questions about the "changes" he planned on making within the practice, and about the new administrator he had hired.
A woman had come in a few weeks prior to interview for the administrator position. She impressed me, and everyone else she spoke to, as a total bitch. I asked Dr. Chaos right up front if she was the one he had hired, and let him know that if so, it would pose a problem. I didn't like her and had no desire to work with her. He dismissed my questions by saying, "I am not at liberty to discuss that with you." Well, after speaking with Mrs. Chaos and several other employees, I found out that she was in fact the new administrator. Also a few other things that he had told me weren't adding up.
After the great interview I had with the new practice on Tuesday afternoon, I had pretty much made up my mind that I was leaving and was derading my next meeting with Dr. Chaos. The new place called me Wednesday morning and confirmed the new job. I was ecstatic! When Dr. Chaos confronted me on Wednesday afternoon, I told him that I had made my decision and was taking the new job. He acted flabbergasted and asked me why. I saw no choice but to tell him the truth. I told him he was not honest with me at our last meeting, and explained why I was making this claim. His response: "I didn't say it was her and I didn't sayit wasn't her - so I didn't lie to you."
I had asked him direct questions about matters that were not confidential or top secret. I let him know that I had some issues with theses matters. He deliberately evaded my questions and didn't tell me the truth because he knew I wouldn't like the answers. As far as I am concerned, this constitutes dishonesty.
I told him I thought he was self-serving, manipulative and dishonest. I start my new job on March 5th. Can't wait!!!
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She basically reiterated everything her husband had already said. The main difference was that she seemed willing to talk more freely about certain things than he did. I had asked him some direct questions about the "changes" he planned on making within the practice, and about the new administrator he had hired.
A woman had come in a few weeks prior to interview for the administrator position. She impressed me, and everyone else she spoke to, as a total bitch. I asked Dr. Chaos right up front if she was the one he had hired, and let him know that if so, it would pose a problem. I didn't like her and had no desire to work with her. He dismissed my questions by saying, "I am not at liberty to discuss that with you." Well, after speaking with Mrs. Chaos and several other employees, I found out that she was in fact the new administrator. Also a few other things that he had told me weren't adding up.
After the great interview I had with the new practice on Tuesday afternoon, I had pretty much made up my mind that I was leaving and was derading my next meeting with Dr. Chaos. The new place called me Wednesday morning and confirmed the new job. I was ecstatic! When Dr. Chaos confronted me on Wednesday afternoon, I told him that I had made my decision and was taking the new job. He acted flabbergasted and asked me why. I saw no choice but to tell him the truth. I told him he was not honest with me at our last meeting, and explained why I was making this claim. His response: "I didn't say it was her and I didn't sayit wasn't her - so I didn't lie to you."
I had asked him direct questions about matters that were not confidential or top secret. I let him know that I had some issues with theses matters. He deliberately evaded my questions and didn't tell me the truth because he knew I wouldn't like the answers. As far as I am concerned, this constitutes dishonesty.
I told him I thought he was self-serving, manipulative and dishonest. I start my new job on March 5th. Can't wait!!!
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Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Suspense
Well, I had my job interview today. It went very well as far as I could tell. The doctor kept saying how qualified I am. He seemed to indicate that he thought I would be a good fit with the practice. He asked if I had any questions, and answered a few, but when I asked about health insurance and benefits, he referred me back to the practice administrator. I got back with her, has a tour of the facility and got all the pertinent info. I definitely got the impression that I would get the job, but they said they would call me.
I told my current boss yesterday that I planned on leaving and taking another job. I may have jumped the gun a little, since I don't have a concrete offer yet, but in my field I don't think I will have any trouble finding work. He pleaded with me to stay, offered me more money, made "promises", the whole 9 yards. He wasn't very happy when I told him I couldn't give him an answer on the spot.
I told him I had a meeting scheduled the next afternoon with this other doctor, and I wanted to meet with him and hear what he had to say. I commented, "I only think that's fair." Dr. Chaos looked me straight in the eye and said "Why is that fair?" I was almost speechless at that. I tried to explain that I had committed to an appointment and that this man had set aside time from his schedule to speak with me. Then I thought "Why am I trying to justify this?" and just said, "I'm keeping the appointment and I will let you know after. Thank you for giving me this time to make my decision."
Dr. Chaos' response to this was, "So you'll call me in the morning?" I said, "No. I will call you after the meeting and after I make a decision." He said nothing to that.
I can't see any reason for the new place not to offer me the job. It's perfect for me. The salary will be about the same, but the benefits are FAR superior to where I am now. I dread telling Dr. Chaos that I have decided to leave, because I know he will be unhappy and may pressure me. I am just trying to avoid contact with him until I know for sure that I have the job.
The suspense is killing me!!!
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I told my current boss yesterday that I planned on leaving and taking another job. I may have jumped the gun a little, since I don't have a concrete offer yet, but in my field I don't think I will have any trouble finding work. He pleaded with me to stay, offered me more money, made "promises", the whole 9 yards. He wasn't very happy when I told him I couldn't give him an answer on the spot.
I told him I had a meeting scheduled the next afternoon with this other doctor, and I wanted to meet with him and hear what he had to say. I commented, "I only think that's fair." Dr. Chaos looked me straight in the eye and said "Why is that fair?" I was almost speechless at that. I tried to explain that I had committed to an appointment and that this man had set aside time from his schedule to speak with me. Then I thought "Why am I trying to justify this?" and just said, "I'm keeping the appointment and I will let you know after. Thank you for giving me this time to make my decision."
Dr. Chaos' response to this was, "So you'll call me in the morning?" I said, "No. I will call you after the meeting and after I make a decision." He said nothing to that.
I can't see any reason for the new place not to offer me the job. It's perfect for me. The salary will be about the same, but the benefits are FAR superior to where I am now. I dread telling Dr. Chaos that I have decided to leave, because I know he will be unhappy and may pressure me. I am just trying to avoid contact with him until I know for sure that I have the job.
The suspense is killing me!!!
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Sunday, February 18, 2007
Onward and Upward
Well, I've finally decided to do it. I'm going to quit my job. No, I'm not taking a sabbatical or choosing to stay home with my son; I couldn't afford to do that. It's not that I don't want to work anymore, I just don't want to work there.
I try not to go on about work too much on this blog, but I know I have shared some stories in the past. I started work there 1 1/2 years ago, and there have probably been about 10 or 12 employees that have started since then, and have also quit/walked off the job/went to lunch and never came back, etc. since then. And several "long term" employees who were there before I started have also resigned since I've been there. And this is not a huge company. We have 20-25 employees total.
You'd think most employers whose heads were not shoved completely up their asses would realize that there's a problem somewhere. Turnover like that is ridiculous. We have been shorthanded in at least one department, sometimes more, for at least the last year and a half. Everybody else realizes that this is because the boss is a total jerk, the practice has no organization whatsoever, payscale is relatively low for the area, the "benefits" are minimal, bonuses and incentives are nonexistent, but for some reason he can't see this.
Why would I take a job there in the first place? Well, the boss painted a much prettier picture of the situation during the interview and tour of the practice. Unfortunately, I didn't really do much investigation beyond this because the main reason I went there was that I had worked previously with one of the doctors ("Dr. W") there, and wanted to work with him again.
The place I will (hopefully) be working at is a practice which I had prior conatct with a couple years ago. When I first decided to move to this area, I sent them a resume. they called me back almost immediately and were very interested. I was definitely leaning toward taking a job there, and only changed my mind and took the job I took so that I could work with Dr. W.
They had 2 job openings 2 years ago, one employee moved and another quit to have a baby. That was the first turnover they had in years. The opening they have now is the first since then. What a contrast to the Practice of Chaos where I work now.
Anyway, I have an interview with the new place on Tuesday - basically I have to meet the head doctor, and if he approves, I have the job! My current boss is about to be very, very unhappy. A doctor, the senior tech, and another tech all gave their notice last week. Now his "employee of the year" will soon be following suit.
Funny, but I really don't have the slightest bit of symapthy.
-
I try not to go on about work too much on this blog, but I know I have shared some stories in the past. I started work there 1 1/2 years ago, and there have probably been about 10 or 12 employees that have started since then, and have also quit/walked off the job/went to lunch and never came back, etc. since then. And several "long term" employees who were there before I started have also resigned since I've been there. And this is not a huge company. We have 20-25 employees total.
You'd think most employers whose heads were not shoved completely up their asses would realize that there's a problem somewhere. Turnover like that is ridiculous. We have been shorthanded in at least one department, sometimes more, for at least the last year and a half. Everybody else realizes that this is because the boss is a total jerk, the practice has no organization whatsoever, payscale is relatively low for the area, the "benefits" are minimal, bonuses and incentives are nonexistent, but for some reason he can't see this.
Why would I take a job there in the first place? Well, the boss painted a much prettier picture of the situation during the interview and tour of the practice. Unfortunately, I didn't really do much investigation beyond this because the main reason I went there was that I had worked previously with one of the doctors ("Dr. W") there, and wanted to work with him again.
The place I will (hopefully) be working at is a practice which I had prior conatct with a couple years ago. When I first decided to move to this area, I sent them a resume. they called me back almost immediately and were very interested. I was definitely leaning toward taking a job there, and only changed my mind and took the job I took so that I could work with Dr. W.
They had 2 job openings 2 years ago, one employee moved and another quit to have a baby. That was the first turnover they had in years. The opening they have now is the first since then. What a contrast to the Practice of Chaos where I work now.
Anyway, I have an interview with the new place on Tuesday - basically I have to meet the head doctor, and if he approves, I have the job! My current boss is about to be very, very unhappy. A doctor, the senior tech, and another tech all gave their notice last week. Now his "employee of the year" will soon be following suit.
Funny, but I really don't have the slightest bit of symapthy.
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Monday, February 12, 2007
I'm Back...Sort Of
Well, we made it back from the famous family ski trip! That's where I was all last week, hence no posts and hardly any comments.
The bad news is, we are all sick with a stomach virus. "We" being myself, husband and 22 month old. The kid got it first, I assume he picked it up in the daycare we had him in while we were skiing. Hubby and I followed suit.
I didn't go in to work today, slept all day and went to the doctor. Doctor said not to go in tomorrow either, so another day of sleeping is planned. That and clear liquids.
I'll try to put up a better post in a few days.
Goodnight!
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The bad news is, we are all sick with a stomach virus. "We" being myself, husband and 22 month old. The kid got it first, I assume he picked it up in the daycare we had him in while we were skiing. Hubby and I followed suit.
I didn't go in to work today, slept all day and went to the doctor. Doctor said not to go in tomorrow either, so another day of sleeping is planned. That and clear liquids.
I'll try to put up a better post in a few days.
Goodnight!
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Another Milestone
My beautiful baby,the joy of my life, the apple of my eye, etc. etc. has just accomplished his crowning acheivement to date:
He (finally) learned to say "mommy"!
He has been saying "daddy" for some time now, and my husband goes on about how wonderful it makes him feel to hear Trevor say it.
I agree - it was really awesome!!!
___________________________________________________
Colts, Cowboys & Patriots!!!
An Indianapolis Colts fan, a Dallas Cowboys fan and a New England Patriots fan were all in Saudi Arabia, sharing a smuggled crate of booze.
All of a sudden Saudi police rushed in and arrested them.
The mere possession of alcohol is a severe offense in Saudi Arabia, so for the terrible crime, they were sentenced to death!
However, it was a Saudi national holiday the day their trial finished, and the extremely benevolent Sheik decided they could be released after receiving just 20 lashes each of the whip.
As they were preparing for their punishment, the Sheik suddenly said, "It's my first wife's birthday today, and she has asked me to allow each of you one wish before your whipping."
The Patriots fan was first in line (he drank the least), so he thought about this for a while and then said, "Please tie a pillow to my back." This was done, but the pillow only lasted 10 lashes before the whip went through. The Patriots fan had to be carried away crying like a baby.
The Cowboys fan was next up (he almost finished an entire fifth by himself), and after watching the scene, said "All Right! Please fix two pillows on my back." But even two pillows could only take 15 lashes before the whip went through, sending the Cowboys fan out crying like a little girl.
The Colts fan was the last one up (he had finished off the crate). The Sheik turned to him and said, "You support the greatest team in the world. Your city and fans are the greatest. For this, you may have two wishes!"
Thanks, your most Royal highness," the Colts fan replies. "In recognition of your kindness, my first wish is that you give me not 20, but 100 lashes.
"Not only are you an honorable man, you are also very brave," the Sheik says with an admiring look on his face. "If 100 lashes is what you desire, then so be it. And your second wish? the Sheik asks.
"Tie the Cowboys fan to my back!"
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Cameras, Computers, and the Cursed "C"
I have been very negligent with my blogging lately. I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks! I also have not been visiting any of you as often as I should. Sorry about that.
Anyway, things have calmed down at work. Pretty much. Our newest employee started on Jan. 2 - out of the 4 work days that week, he called in with a "family emergency" twice, and called in sick once. He tried to call in yesterday, but our supervisor told him if he wanted to keep his job, she really needed him to be at work. He showed up. Late.
On a better note - 19 DAYS 'TIL OUR VACATION!!! We will soon be off for a week of freezing our butts off in the mountains. If you didn't know, this is our annual family (and almost family) ski trip in Colorado. There are 9 of us including altogether - my parents, my sis and bro-in-law, a very close family friend and her husband, and of course there's me, Johnny and Trevor. We always have a terrific time! I'm hoping Trevor can start skiing next year.
I have started a new diet and exercise plan. I have stuck to the diet faithfully and haven't cheated at all. I have been so-so on the exercise. All in all, though, I have lost 2 pounds and feel really good, so I can't complain.
My parents bought us a new digital video camera for Christmas, so we could record and send them videos of their grandson. At first I was really excited and enthusiastic about learning to use it. Then I open the box and took out a bunch of wires, computer discs and other small objects as yet unidentified. OK, I can sort this out. Then I looked at the instruction manual. I tried to flip it open to the English section, then realized it was open to the English section.
I have managed to take some video footage and download it to the computer with the software that came with the camera. I used to do this fairly easily with my old, cheap, low resolution camera that produced small blurry videos. With this new camera, it took some doing. The horrendous instruction manual explained how to then transfer this footage to a recordable DVD via my computers DVD drive with writing capabilities. It looked simple, but wasn't. I still haven't been able to record a DVD. I even put down (well, threw down) the manual and just started trying stuff on my own. Hey, it's worked before. Unfortunately, not this time.
I found another program on my computer that was meant to copy and write CD's and DVD's. "Oh, cool!", I think, "let's try this one!" FRUITLESS!!! Every attempt, another dead end! I have not been this frustrated with an electronic device in quite some time. All I can figure is that the camera, knowingly or not, has joined the ranks of the dreaded "C".
Anyway, the camera, all the wires, discs and stuff that came with it, my computer and all of it is going with us to Colorado so my dad and my geek squad brother in law can figure it out.
I hope.
-
Anyway, things have calmed down at work. Pretty much. Our newest employee started on Jan. 2 - out of the 4 work days that week, he called in with a "family emergency" twice, and called in sick once. He tried to call in yesterday, but our supervisor told him if he wanted to keep his job, she really needed him to be at work. He showed up. Late.
On a better note - 19 DAYS 'TIL OUR VACATION!!! We will soon be off for a week of freezing our butts off in the mountains. If you didn't know, this is our annual family (and almost family) ski trip in Colorado. There are 9 of us including altogether - my parents, my sis and bro-in-law, a very close family friend and her husband, and of course there's me, Johnny and Trevor. We always have a terrific time! I'm hoping Trevor can start skiing next year.
I have started a new diet and exercise plan. I have stuck to the diet faithfully and haven't cheated at all. I have been so-so on the exercise. All in all, though, I have lost 2 pounds and feel really good, so I can't complain.
My parents bought us a new digital video camera for Christmas, so we could record and send them videos of their grandson. At first I was really excited and enthusiastic about learning to use it. Then I open the box and took out a bunch of wires, computer discs and other small objects as yet unidentified. OK, I can sort this out. Then I looked at the instruction manual. I tried to flip it open to the English section, then realized it was open to the English section.
I have managed to take some video footage and download it to the computer with the software that came with the camera. I used to do this fairly easily with my old, cheap, low resolution camera that produced small blurry videos. With this new camera, it took some doing. The horrendous instruction manual explained how to then transfer this footage to a recordable DVD via my computers DVD drive with writing capabilities. It looked simple, but wasn't. I still haven't been able to record a DVD. I even put down (well, threw down) the manual and just started trying stuff on my own. Hey, it's worked before. Unfortunately, not this time.
I found another program on my computer that was meant to copy and write CD's and DVD's. "Oh, cool!", I think, "let's try this one!" FRUITLESS!!! Every attempt, another dead end! I have not been this frustrated with an electronic device in quite some time. All I can figure is that the camera, knowingly or not, has joined the ranks of the dreaded "C".
Anyway, the camera, all the wires, discs and stuff that came with it, my computer and all of it is going with us to Colorado so my dad and my geek squad brother in law can figure it out.
I hope.
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Friday, December 29, 2006
Happy New Year!!!
Then can we rest?
We had a great Christmas weekend visiting very dear friends down in Key Largo. The weather was beautiful, 80 degrees and sunny. Our Christmas dinner was a delicious seafood feast including crab legs, grouper filet, mahi mahi filet, shrimp, crab dip, and a few other items. Trevor got a few fresh bruises in the process of exploring a new environment, but overall it was a great visit.
We got home about 10:00 pm on Monday, and I had to work Tuesday morning. Most of our staff took this week off so we were running with a skeleton crew, some of us travelling from office to office together. One employee got an attitude with the doctor on duty and called him some interesting names including a racial slur. She then walked out. Another long-time employee had put in her notice and today was her last day. So now we have only 2 people to cover front desk, check out, and phones; one girl just started this week and the other is a part time employee. The doctor on duty this week is ready to hand in his resignation due to some other political b.s. which I won't go into now. The big boss comes back from vacation next week and I'm sure the proverbial shit will hit the equally proverbial fan. I feel like a housewife watching a saop opera, except it lasts 8 hours each day and I get paid.
At least I get to enjoy another 3 day weekend.
Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to Tuesday to find out what happens next. Damn those soaps, they always leave you with a cliffhanger for the weekend!
Best wishes to all for the new year!
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We had a great Christmas weekend visiting very dear friends down in Key Largo. The weather was beautiful, 80 degrees and sunny. Our Christmas dinner was a delicious seafood feast including crab legs, grouper filet, mahi mahi filet, shrimp, crab dip, and a few other items. Trevor got a few fresh bruises in the process of exploring a new environment, but overall it was a great visit.
We got home about 10:00 pm on Monday, and I had to work Tuesday morning. Most of our staff took this week off so we were running with a skeleton crew, some of us travelling from office to office together. One employee got an attitude with the doctor on duty and called him some interesting names including a racial slur. She then walked out. Another long-time employee had put in her notice and today was her last day. So now we have only 2 people to cover front desk, check out, and phones; one girl just started this week and the other is a part time employee. The doctor on duty this week is ready to hand in his resignation due to some other political b.s. which I won't go into now. The big boss comes back from vacation next week and I'm sure the proverbial shit will hit the equally proverbial fan. I feel like a housewife watching a saop opera, except it lasts 8 hours each day and I get paid.
At least I get to enjoy another 3 day weekend.
Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to Tuesday to find out what happens next. Damn those soaps, they always leave you with a cliffhanger for the weekend!
Best wishes to all for the new year!
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Sunday, December 17, 2006
A Budding Nudist
I can't keep clothes on my kid! He has figured out how to remove pretty much every article of clothing he has. And his diapers!
At first we thougth maybe he was taking his pants and diaper off because he was uncomfortable when he was wet or dirty. He usually fusses when he needs a change, though. We started checking his diaper more frequently.
I have come to realize that his removal of clothing and/or diapers has nothing to do with the condition of the diaper. Yesterday morning I changed his diaper and dressed him. Not 5 minutes later he was shirtless, had his pants around his knees and was working on the diaper.
I am thinking that it's probably about time he was toilet trained. If he wants to run around naked, I at least want him to potty in the toilet, not on the floor, like he did earlier in the week.
My husband came up with a solution(?) that seems to be working, at least for now. If we wrap a strip of duct tape around his waist, over the waistband of his pants, he doesn't seem to be able to take them off. I'm sure he will figure it out pretty soon. The trick is trying to stay a step or two ahead of him.
Has anyone else had this problem?
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At first we thougth maybe he was taking his pants and diaper off because he was uncomfortable when he was wet or dirty. He usually fusses when he needs a change, though. We started checking his diaper more frequently.
I have come to realize that his removal of clothing and/or diapers has nothing to do with the condition of the diaper. Yesterday morning I changed his diaper and dressed him. Not 5 minutes later he was shirtless, had his pants around his knees and was working on the diaper.
I am thinking that it's probably about time he was toilet trained. If he wants to run around naked, I at least want him to potty in the toilet, not on the floor, like he did earlier in the week.
My husband came up with a solution(?) that seems to be working, at least for now. If we wrap a strip of duct tape around his waist, over the waistband of his pants, he doesn't seem to be able to take them off. I'm sure he will figure it out pretty soon. The trick is trying to stay a step or two ahead of him.
Has anyone else had this problem?
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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Live and Let Live
Everyone seems to be blogging and exchanging emails about whether it's appropriate to say Merry Christmas".
Of course it's appropriate! We supposedly have both freedom of religion and freedom of speech, right?
What I wish is that everybody would just go on and celebrate whatever holiday they celebrate, and not get offended when others do the same.
Wishing someone a happy holiday or a merry Christmas should be accepted as an expression of good will, and not another reason to be offended.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! (or whatever)
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Of course it's appropriate! We supposedly have both freedom of religion and freedom of speech, right?
What I wish is that everybody would just go on and celebrate whatever holiday they celebrate, and not get offended when others do the same.
Wishing someone a happy holiday or a merry Christmas should be accepted as an expression of good will, and not another reason to be offended.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! (or whatever)
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Wednesday, December 06, 2006
First Word
My son has finally actually spoken his first word. I mean "spoken" as in he said it on purpose and knew what he was saying. He makes a lot of sounds while babbling that resemble real words, but he doesn't really mean anything by it. He has since repeated this word several times, on purpose, meaning it.
Oh, I suppose you want to know what the word was?
It was "Daddy"! His father is very proud.
His mother is slightly jealous, but oh well.
Oh, I suppose you want to know what the word was?
It was "Daddy"! His father is very proud.
His mother is slightly jealous, but oh well.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
"Tis the Season
I always put up my Christmas tree on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I did manage to get that done today, and as promised, here are the pictures:
In the photos, it almost looks like one of those white trees that are supposed to look like they're covered with snow (I guess). It is actually made from silver foil and it is very shiny. Apparently these were popular for a while in the early 60's or thereabouts. Do any of you remember having one?
I guess it's about time to start thinking about Christmas shopping. I heard on the radio the other day, that December 23rd closely rivals Black Friday as one of the busiest shopping days of the year. As a usual last minute shopper, I thank the Good Lord for internet shopping with next day delivery! I haven't set foot in a mall in years.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
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In the photos, it almost looks like one of those white trees that are supposed to look like they're covered with snow (I guess). It is actually made from silver foil and it is very shiny. Apparently these were popular for a while in the early 60's or thereabouts. Do any of you remember having one?
I guess it's about time to start thinking about Christmas shopping. I heard on the radio the other day, that December 23rd closely rivals Black Friday as one of the busiest shopping days of the year. As a usual last minute shopper, I thank the Good Lord for internet shopping with next day delivery! I haven't set foot in a mall in years.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
-
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
I'm Still Here
I know, I know, I haven't posted in forever! I could make excuses, but I won't bother.
My dad (John Earle) posted recently about the passing of his mother, my grandmother. While she was alive, I had no idea how much money she was worth nor did it occur to me that she might leave me something when she died.
Upon her passing, I was informed that there was in fact a sizeable estate which was to be divided between Grandma's son , daughter and 6 grandchildren. Well, OK, I guess this is alright. How does this work, I ask.
Then I found out how much money the government takes off the top in the name of "inheritance tax." Then, on top of that, they take even more tax from money left to grandchildren in the name of the "generation skipping tax."
I'm not kidding! Maybe you all knew this already, but I had no clue. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm upset about getting less money. I don't care about that. It's just, where does the government get off taking that much money from one's estate? No matter that you work and pay taxes all your life, they just think they are entitled to half of your money simply because you die? Crazy.
Anyway...
Plans for Thanksgiving. A friend from Key West has a property on the bank of a river about an hour North of where I live. It is a very pretty peaceful spot. He is throwing a little get together for family and friends with tons of food, beverage, music and good company. Since we don't live near enough to family, or have enough money and time off to travel, we will be celebrating with friends on the river.
This weekend we will put up our Christmas tree! I have a really cool, different kind of tree - I will post a picture of it next week.
I'm off to read all your blogs now...
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
-
My dad (John Earle) posted recently about the passing of his mother, my grandmother. While she was alive, I had no idea how much money she was worth nor did it occur to me that she might leave me something when she died.
Upon her passing, I was informed that there was in fact a sizeable estate which was to be divided between Grandma's son , daughter and 6 grandchildren. Well, OK, I guess this is alright. How does this work, I ask.
Then I found out how much money the government takes off the top in the name of "inheritance tax." Then, on top of that, they take even more tax from money left to grandchildren in the name of the "generation skipping tax."
I'm not kidding! Maybe you all knew this already, but I had no clue. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm upset about getting less money. I don't care about that. It's just, where does the government get off taking that much money from one's estate? No matter that you work and pay taxes all your life, they just think they are entitled to half of your money simply because you die? Crazy.
Anyway...
Plans for Thanksgiving. A friend from Key West has a property on the bank of a river about an hour North of where I live. It is a very pretty peaceful spot. He is throwing a little get together for family and friends with tons of food, beverage, music and good company. Since we don't live near enough to family, or have enough money and time off to travel, we will be celebrating with friends on the river.
This weekend we will put up our Christmas tree! I have a really cool, different kind of tree - I will post a picture of it next week.
I'm off to read all your blogs now...
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
-
Thursday, November 09, 2006
What Day Is It, Anyway?
Based on my morning, I would swear it was Monday, but that doesn't seem right...
First I overslept. I woke up in the middle of a very bizarre dream (which I have since forgotten) to realize I had only 20 minutes to get ready and leave for work or I would be late. This includes giving Trevor a bottle and changing his diaper.
I jumped in the shower and ran to hit the coffee. I made the unfortunate mistake of stopping at the computer. Never, ever, ever do this when you are running late.
I had a little message window up informing me that my computer couldn't find something. I didn't really care, so I tried to get rid of the little window. It wouldn't go away! No matter what I did, IT WOULDN'T GO AWAY!
This got me frustrated so I started closing things at random. During this phase, I lost some pictures my parents just sent me from their recent visit. We're talking about so many pictures that it took over an hour for them all to come thru. And we are both on cable high speed internet.
Incidentally, the window I was trying to close was still there.
I looked at the clock, said "Oh, shit!", grabbed my coffee and purse and left for work.
When I got going, I called my dad to tell him about my computer problems. As we were talking, I entered Interstate 75. The doctor I work for has 3 offices, all just off I-75. Yesterday I took I-75 south to our Sun City, FL office. Today I was supposed to go north to our Bushnell, FL office.
"Oh shit!" I said again. I just realized I was going south. I got off the phone and tried to get turned around. It took a good 15 or 20 minutes, because of the roads and traffic. My the time I got headed north, I had 20 minutes to drive 45 miles. Not gonna happen.
I got to work about 15 minutes late. Please don't figure out how fast I was driving.
I did make it to work, and yes, I called in to let them know. I sure do feel stupid though. As I was leaving work today one of my coworkers reminded me to take the northbound on-ramp tomorrow. I still haven't figured out how to retrieve my pictures from the computer.
Thank goodness tomorrow's Friday!!!
-
First I overslept. I woke up in the middle of a very bizarre dream (which I have since forgotten) to realize I had only 20 minutes to get ready and leave for work or I would be late. This includes giving Trevor a bottle and changing his diaper.
I jumped in the shower and ran to hit the coffee. I made the unfortunate mistake of stopping at the computer. Never, ever, ever do this when you are running late.
I had a little message window up informing me that my computer couldn't find something. I didn't really care, so I tried to get rid of the little window. It wouldn't go away! No matter what I did, IT WOULDN'T GO AWAY!
This got me frustrated so I started closing things at random. During this phase, I lost some pictures my parents just sent me from their recent visit. We're talking about so many pictures that it took over an hour for them all to come thru. And we are both on cable high speed internet.
Incidentally, the window I was trying to close was still there.
I looked at the clock, said "Oh, shit!", grabbed my coffee and purse and left for work.
When I got going, I called my dad to tell him about my computer problems. As we were talking, I entered Interstate 75. The doctor I work for has 3 offices, all just off I-75. Yesterday I took I-75 south to our Sun City, FL office. Today I was supposed to go north to our Bushnell, FL office.
"Oh shit!" I said again. I just realized I was going south. I got off the phone and tried to get turned around. It took a good 15 or 20 minutes, because of the roads and traffic. My the time I got headed north, I had 20 minutes to drive 45 miles. Not gonna happen.
I got to work about 15 minutes late. Please don't figure out how fast I was driving.
I did make it to work, and yes, I called in to let them know. I sure do feel stupid though. As I was leaving work today one of my coworkers reminded me to take the northbound on-ramp tomorrow. I still haven't figured out how to retrieve my pictures from the computer.
Thank goodness tomorrow's Friday!!!
-
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Me? Post About Golf? Ha!
Golf seems to a fairly popular blog topic. My dad, John, for example, has a little obsession going on. Those of you who read his blog, well, you know what I mean.
Anyway, someone emailed me this funny golf joke last night so I decided to post it today.
I started browsing some other blogs first, though, and happened upon Peter's. He has posted not one, not two, but eleven golf jokes. Pretty funny ones too!
Well, I'm glad it's not a contest, because I would have had my ass kicked.
Here's the joke anyway:
HONESTY
On the 2nd tee of the golf course with his wife, the husband says, "Twenty years ago I had a brief affair, it meant nothing. I hope you can forgive me."
His wife was hurt, but said, "Dearest, those days are long gone. What we have now is far more valuable. I forgive you."They embraced and kissed.
On the 17th tee, the husband was starting his back swing when the wife blurted out, "I'm sorry darling, I've been so conscience-stricken since you told me of your affair. Since we're being honest with each other, I have something to tell you also.
Thirty-two years ago I had a sex change operation, I was a man before I met you. I hope you can forgive me"
The husband froze at the top of his back swing, and then threw a fit! He slammed the driver into the ground, kicked the ball into the woods, stormed off the tee, pushed the golf cart over on its side, broke the rest of his clubs one by one, then started on hers.
He screamed and ranted, "You liar! You cheat! You despicable deceiver! How could you? I trusted you with all my heart and soul...
...and all these years you've been playing off the ladies tees!"
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!
Anyway, someone emailed me this funny golf joke last night so I decided to post it today.
I started browsing some other blogs first, though, and happened upon Peter's. He has posted not one, not two, but eleven golf jokes. Pretty funny ones too!
Well, I'm glad it's not a contest, because I would have had my ass kicked.
Here's the joke anyway:
HONESTY
On the 2nd tee of the golf course with his wife, the husband says, "Twenty years ago I had a brief affair, it meant nothing. I hope you can forgive me."
His wife was hurt, but said, "Dearest, those days are long gone. What we have now is far more valuable. I forgive you."They embraced and kissed.
On the 17th tee, the husband was starting his back swing when the wife blurted out, "I'm sorry darling, I've been so conscience-stricken since you told me of your affair. Since we're being honest with each other, I have something to tell you also.
Thirty-two years ago I had a sex change operation, I was a man before I met you. I hope you can forgive me"
The husband froze at the top of his back swing, and then threw a fit! He slammed the driver into the ground, kicked the ball into the woods, stormed off the tee, pushed the golf cart over on its side, broke the rest of his clubs one by one, then started on hers.
He screamed and ranted, "You liar! You cheat! You despicable deceiver! How could you? I trusted you with all my heart and soul...
...and all these years you've been playing off the ladies tees!"
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Another Costume Idea...
Or not!
Don't forget to set your clocks - spring forward, fall back. We get an extra hour today!
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Thursday, October 26, 2006
What will you be for Halloween?
What a day! I had planned on posting today but don't really have the energy.
Well, I guess I have the energy to post a joke, but not to come up with anything creative.
Trick Or Treat!
A little boy and girl go trick or treating.
They knock on the door of this house and the man who answers it says, "Well, you two are awful cute. Who are you supposed to be?""We're Jack and Jill" the girl replied.The man says, "You can't be Jack and Jill, you're black!"
They go off and a while later they come back dressed differently.
They ring the do or bell and once again and the man opens the door."Well now, that is just darn cute. Who are you this time?""We're Hansel and Gretel" says the little boy."Well, I hate to disappoint you son, but you can't be Hansel and Gretel because you're black!" says the man.
Heads hung low, the kids leave.Not too much later the man hears the bell ring again.
This time when he opens the door there stand the two children but this time they are BUCK NAKED. "Oh my! And just who are you supposed to be now?!" he asks.
"Chocolate M & M's," said the little girl. "I'm plain. He's got nuts."
Well, I guess I have the energy to post a joke, but not to come up with anything creative.
Trick Or Treat!
A little boy and girl go trick or treating.
They knock on the door of this house and the man who answers it says, "Well, you two are awful cute. Who are you supposed to be?""We're Jack and Jill" the girl replied.The man says, "You can't be Jack and Jill, you're black!"
They go off and a while later they come back dressed differently.
They ring the do or bell and once again and the man opens the door."Well now, that is just darn cute. Who are you this time?""We're Hansel and Gretel" says the little boy."Well, I hate to disappoint you son, but you can't be Hansel and Gretel because you're black!" says the man.
Heads hung low, the kids leave.Not too much later the man hears the bell ring again.
This time when he opens the door there stand the two children but this time they are BUCK NAKED. "Oh my! And just who are you supposed to be now?!" he asks.
"Chocolate M & M's," said the little girl. "I'm plain. He's got nuts."
Thursday, October 19, 2006
The Long Run
We have tried a number of times over the last couple years to buy a DVD recorder/player that actually works. We have a DVD player that works. And in the past we have had VCR's (video cassette recorders) that worked.
Well, a couple years or so ago, our VCR died, so we decided to upgrade to a DVD recorder. We bought one (inexpensive) that worked for about 3 months. Hoping it was a fluke, we traded that one in for another one just like it, which worked for about 6 months.
Then we bought another one, a different brand, slightly more expensive. It worked just long enough that we couldn't return it to the store. My husband smashed it with a hammer.
Then we bought a mid-range to expensive one that worked for the better part of a year. Guess what? Right. It soon went in the dumpster.
Yesterday we bought another one, yet a different brand, inexpensive to mid range. Yeah, we are gluttons for punishment. It was the most complicated by far of any of them. And once we finally got it figured out, we found it didn't work!
I had pretty much decided if I never got another DVD recorder it would be too soon.
This afternoon, the cable guy knocked on our door. He offered us an upgrade to digital cable (twice the channels) plus a DVR system (digital video recorder, like Tevo) for only about $5 more than we are paying now for regular cable.
And, if I switch over my phone and internet to this company, I get a package discount, so the total price is within $5-$10 of what we're paying now. There are lots of extras, so we are getting way more bang for our buck.
Sometimes things just work out for the best in the long run.
-
Well, a couple years or so ago, our VCR died, so we decided to upgrade to a DVD recorder. We bought one (inexpensive) that worked for about 3 months. Hoping it was a fluke, we traded that one in for another one just like it, which worked for about 6 months.
Then we bought another one, a different brand, slightly more expensive. It worked just long enough that we couldn't return it to the store. My husband smashed it with a hammer.
Then we bought a mid-range to expensive one that worked for the better part of a year. Guess what? Right. It soon went in the dumpster.
Yesterday we bought another one, yet a different brand, inexpensive to mid range. Yeah, we are gluttons for punishment. It was the most complicated by far of any of them. And once we finally got it figured out, we found it didn't work!
I had pretty much decided if I never got another DVD recorder it would be too soon.
This afternoon, the cable guy knocked on our door. He offered us an upgrade to digital cable (twice the channels) plus a DVR system (digital video recorder, like Tevo) for only about $5 more than we are paying now for regular cable.
And, if I switch over my phone and internet to this company, I get a package discount, so the total price is within $5-$10 of what we're paying now. There are lots of extras, so we are getting way more bang for our buck.
Sometimes things just work out for the best in the long run.
-
Friday, October 13, 2006
Joke Day
Peter at Holties House has invited anyone interested to participate in a blog joke day. This is not a meme, repeat, this is NOT a meme!
Here's how it works:
The idea is to pick a joke which everybody who wants to participate publishes on the given day along with their own joke, which may or may not be along the same lines.
This is the starter joke, and it's a reasonably funny one too.
Blond Joke.
A blind man and his guide elephant enter a bar and find their way to a stool. After ordering a drink and sitting there for a while, the man yells to the bartender; “Hey , you wanna hear a blond joke?”
The bar falls quiet. In a deep husky voice the woman next to him says; “Before you tell that joke, you should know something. The bartender is blonde, the bouncer is blonde and I’m a 1.82 tall, 90kg blonde with a black belt in karate. The woman sitting next to me is blonde and she’sa weight lifter. The lady to your right is blonde and she’s a pro-wrestler. Think about it seriously, mister; You still wanna tell that joke?”
The man says; “Nah, not if I’m gonna have to explain it five times.”
Now here's my joke:
One Sunday, in counting the money in the weekly offering, the pastor of a small Florida church found a pink envelope containing $1000. It happened again the next week.
The following Sunday, he watched as the offering was collected and saw a little old lady put the distinctive pink envelope in the plate.
This went on for weeks until the pastor, overcome by curiosity, approached her."Ma'am, I couldn't help but notice that you put $1,000 a week in the collection plate," he stated.
"Why yes," she replied, "every week my son sends me money, and I give some of it to the church."
The pastor replied, "That's wonderful, how much does he send you?"
The old lady said, "$10,000 a week."
The pastor was amazed. "Your son is very successful. What does he do for a living?"
"He is a veterinarian," she answered.
"That is an honorable profession," the pastor said. "Where does he practice?"
The old lady said proudly, "In Nevada....He has two cat houses in Las Vegas and one in Reno."
__________________________________________
Have a good weekend, everybody!
-
Here's how it works:
The idea is to pick a joke which everybody who wants to participate publishes on the given day along with their own joke, which may or may not be along the same lines.
This is the starter joke, and it's a reasonably funny one too.
Blond Joke.
A blind man and his guide elephant enter a bar and find their way to a stool. After ordering a drink and sitting there for a while, the man yells to the bartender; “Hey , you wanna hear a blond joke?”
The bar falls quiet. In a deep husky voice the woman next to him says; “Before you tell that joke, you should know something. The bartender is blonde, the bouncer is blonde and I’m a 1.82 tall, 90kg blonde with a black belt in karate. The woman sitting next to me is blonde and she’sa weight lifter. The lady to your right is blonde and she’s a pro-wrestler. Think about it seriously, mister; You still wanna tell that joke?”
The man says; “Nah, not if I’m gonna have to explain it five times.”
Now here's my joke:
One Sunday, in counting the money in the weekly offering, the pastor of a small Florida church found a pink envelope containing $1000. It happened again the next week.
The following Sunday, he watched as the offering was collected and saw a little old lady put the distinctive pink envelope in the plate.
This went on for weeks until the pastor, overcome by curiosity, approached her."Ma'am, I couldn't help but notice that you put $1,000 a week in the collection plate," he stated.
"Why yes," she replied, "every week my son sends me money, and I give some of it to the church."
The pastor replied, "That's wonderful, how much does he send you?"
The old lady said, "$10,000 a week."
The pastor was amazed. "Your son is very successful. What does he do for a living?"
"He is a veterinarian," she answered.
"That is an honorable profession," the pastor said. "Where does he practice?"
The old lady said proudly, "In Nevada....He has two cat houses in Las Vegas and one in Reno."
__________________________________________
Have a good weekend, everybody!
-
Thursday, October 12, 2006
You're It!
Well, my dad tagged me with this meme. I have to answer the questions below and then tag 5 people to do the same on their blog. I doubt if 5 people even read my blog. Oh well, I'll give it a shot anyway.
1) One book that changed your life: This is a tough one, as so many books I've read have stuck with me and influenced me in some way. If I have to pick one, I guess it would be J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." Yeah, I know it's fiction, but it's one of the first stories I remember reading and being totally enthralled with. I have read it a number of times. I have read many, many works of literature (being an English minor in college) but can't remeber any which have touched me the way this story has.
2) One book that you’d read more than once: only one? I read pretty much everything I enjoy more than once. The one book in my bookcase that I think of as "If I can't find anything else I feel like reading, I can always read this," is "River God" by Wilbur Smith. I can't even tell you how many times I have read this one.
3) One book you’d want on a deserted island: One story or just one book? If I could include a story consisting of 7 books instead of just one single book, I would say Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series. One of the best stories ever written, IMO. And, if you're on a deserted island, you want something long.
4) One book that made you laugh: Jimmy Buffett's "Tales from Margaritaville."
5) One book that made you cry: Again, "River God." Made me laugh too.
6) One book you wish you’d written: Not a writer so don't really care. Prefer reading to writing!
7) One book you wish had never been written: I can't answer this one.
8) One book you're currently reading: "Making the Terrible Two's Terrific" by John Rosemond.
(thanks, Mom!)
9) One book you've been meaning to read: Nothing right now. Pretty much like my dad said, if I want to read something, I just go get it and read it. If I have a new book I want to read, nothing can make me put it off for very long! I guess, if anything, it would be "The Da Vinci Code."
10) Tag five people: OK, how about M.E, Faith, Peter, Pointmeister, and Steve.
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1) One book that changed your life: This is a tough one, as so many books I've read have stuck with me and influenced me in some way. If I have to pick one, I guess it would be J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." Yeah, I know it's fiction, but it's one of the first stories I remember reading and being totally enthralled with. I have read it a number of times. I have read many, many works of literature (being an English minor in college) but can't remeber any which have touched me the way this story has.
2) One book that you’d read more than once: only one? I read pretty much everything I enjoy more than once. The one book in my bookcase that I think of as "If I can't find anything else I feel like reading, I can always read this," is "River God" by Wilbur Smith. I can't even tell you how many times I have read this one.
3) One book you’d want on a deserted island: One story or just one book? If I could include a story consisting of 7 books instead of just one single book, I would say Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series. One of the best stories ever written, IMO. And, if you're on a deserted island, you want something long.
4) One book that made you laugh: Jimmy Buffett's "Tales from Margaritaville."
5) One book that made you cry: Again, "River God." Made me laugh too.
6) One book you wish you’d written: Not a writer so don't really care. Prefer reading to writing!
7) One book you wish had never been written: I can't answer this one.
8) One book you're currently reading: "Making the Terrible Two's Terrific" by John Rosemond.
(thanks, Mom!)
9) One book you've been meaning to read: Nothing right now. Pretty much like my dad said, if I want to read something, I just go get it and read it. If I have a new book I want to read, nothing can make me put it off for very long! I guess, if anything, it would be "The Da Vinci Code."
10) Tag five people: OK, how about M.E, Faith, Peter, Pointmeister, and Steve.
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Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Changing Seasons
Summer is almost over. The last two mornings here in Tampa have been in the low to mid 60's. We went to the beach this past weekend, and while the water was still warm, the breeze was a little chilly when you came out. We may be able to make it to the beach once or twice more before the water gets too cold to be fun anymore. For me that's when it gets below 80.
Now it's time to start thinking about the Ski Trip!!! If any of you don't know, this is an annual event and a time honored family tradition (hence the capitals). We have made modifications and improvements on the trip and our stay in the mountains based on things we have learned from experience. Our destination, however, and the basic structure and logistics of the vacation have remained the same for 17 years. My son was not able to spend his first Christmas with any other family besides me and his father. But bringing him on his first Ski Trip with his matching sweater more than made up for it. The Ski Trip is as much, for us, of a tradition and time to celebrate family as any regular holiday is to anyone. Trevor is now part of an almost 18 year old tradition, and in a few more years he will look forward to it as much as any of us.
Other news: I took a test this weekend to attain a certification for my job. It is not required, but is definitely beneficial. I was a little nervous going in to it, but it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. They allowed 3 hours for the test, and I finished in about 1 hour. I was notified immediately that I passed (Yay!!!) but will receive the full results of what I missed and what I got right in the mail soon.
Have a great week!
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Monday, October 02, 2006
Back to Life, Back to Reality
My sister has returned home, and I am now trying to get back into normal routine. I am so glad she was here this past week, as she helped me tremendously with car shopping. The insurance company deemed my car to be totaled, therefore I got a check from them and 5 days to get a new car before I had to return my rental (provided by them).
I ended up with a Toyota Sienna minivan, pretty well loaded. It is a 2000 model, but seems to be well maintained and the history (carfax) we ran indicated no accidents or mechanical mishaps. I am very pleased with it - I have even noticed a couple extra features that I didnt' even realize were there when I first bought the car. Bonus!!!
Today was definitely Monday. It seemed like everybody was still stuck on the weekend, and most of the patients we saw today were crazy. For example, one patient had a copy of test that had been run on her in our office a couple months back. She brought it in today and pointed out to the doctor that it had her age listed as 85 years. She is 75. Someone had accidentally entered her year of birth as 1920 instead of 1930. She accused our office of doing it on purpose to embarrass her. At first I thought she was joking. She wasn't.
Another elderly patient is being treated for glaucoma. This requires medication, and checkups every 3 or 4 months. This is standard practice with glaucoma patients, as even with treatment the condition can worsen suddenly, even after being stable for a long time. This woman had not been seen in almost a year and wanted refills on her eye drops. She was told she had to come in for a checkup and visual field test before the doctor would refill her meds as she had missed 2 appointments. She showed up today bitching and moaning and saying how this whole thing was just a "battle of wills" and we had resorted to threatening to cut off her medication to "force" her to come in to the office. Believe me, my day would have been nicer if I didn't have to deal with her. There's no way I would intentionally "force" her to be anywhere near me.
These were the 2 most extreme examples, but they pretty much set the tone for the whole day.
Is there a full moon tonight, because they're coming out in droves!
I ended up with a Toyota Sienna minivan, pretty well loaded. It is a 2000 model, but seems to be well maintained and the history (carfax) we ran indicated no accidents or mechanical mishaps. I am very pleased with it - I have even noticed a couple extra features that I didnt' even realize were there when I first bought the car. Bonus!!!
Today was definitely Monday. It seemed like everybody was still stuck on the weekend, and most of the patients we saw today were crazy. For example, one patient had a copy of test that had been run on her in our office a couple months back. She brought it in today and pointed out to the doctor that it had her age listed as 85 years. She is 75. Someone had accidentally entered her year of birth as 1920 instead of 1930. She accused our office of doing it on purpose to embarrass her. At first I thought she was joking. She wasn't.
Another elderly patient is being treated for glaucoma. This requires medication, and checkups every 3 or 4 months. This is standard practice with glaucoma patients, as even with treatment the condition can worsen suddenly, even after being stable for a long time. This woman had not been seen in almost a year and wanted refills on her eye drops. She was told she had to come in for a checkup and visual field test before the doctor would refill her meds as she had missed 2 appointments. She showed up today bitching and moaning and saying how this whole thing was just a "battle of wills" and we had resorted to threatening to cut off her medication to "force" her to come in to the office. Believe me, my day would have been nicer if I didn't have to deal with her. There's no way I would intentionally "force" her to be anywhere near me.
These were the 2 most extreme examples, but they pretty much set the tone for the whole day.
Is there a full moon tonight, because they're coming out in droves!
Friday, September 22, 2006
A Busy Couple Weeks
Hey everybody, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have had a lot going on.
My parents (John from "Romantic Ramblings" and the famous photographer Carol) were down to visit last weekend. We had a great time! We celebrated my Mom's birthday (Sept. 10) and my husband Johnny's birthday (Sept. 17) at Buca di Beppo. This is a terrific Italian restaurant if you don't know. We had a blast with Trevor at the pool and at the beach. They only get to see their grandson a couple times a year, so every moment is precious.
We had a bit of bad news recently - found out that a dear family member was possibly within a day or two of passing away. Fortunately, a second opinion was obtained, some new treatment measures were introduced, and while her health is not perfect, she appears stable at this point, and is still enjoying life.
Trevor has 2 more teeth coming in - both his eye teeth (canines) on the top. I think the bottom ones will be appearing soon. He got his first 2 teeth at 5 months old, and now (17 months) has 12, plus the new ones coming in. He is the size of a 2 year old and loaded with energy. Stay-at-home Dad has his hands full!
I was involved in a minor car accident on Wednesday. Fortunately nobody was injured. I was driving in the far left of 3 lanes, and a car turned right onto the road I was on, going the same direction as me. If he had been content driving in either of the first 2 lanes until he picked up some speed all would have been well. But, he started to straighten out in the second lane and suddenly merged into my lane directly in front of me at about 15 miles per hour. Since I was driving about 50 miles per hour (the posted speed limit) I didn't have time to stop and smashed into the back of his car. It was raining and darkish as a result, and the other driver was 81 years old. I don't htink he ever saw me. Anyway. the other driver was issued a citation for "improper lane change" and held responsible for the accident. Consequently, his insurance is paying for everything. While my car is in the shop, I have been provided with a rental car. I ended up with a 2007 Ford Taurus - boy is it nice! I wish I could keep it.
My sister Amy from Chicago will be down here this coming week. She will actually be in Tampa for a work conference, but she will stay with me. I haven't seen her since February, and she hasn't seen us or Trevor since then either.
If you don't already know, I work as an ophthalmic technician in a multiple physician ophthalmologist's office. The job does not require a specific degree or formal education as long as one has sufficient training and hands on experience. It is possible to take a written test and obtain an official certification, however, which is beneficial to have (read: more$$). I am scheduled to take my test on October 7. I feel ready, and the doctors I work for think I'm ready, but I am a little nervous about it. Wish me luck!!!
BTW, check out this trailer, and buy the book. Great page turner, and supporting a good cause. See my previous post for a full explanation.
My parents (John from "Romantic Ramblings" and the famous photographer Carol) were down to visit last weekend. We had a great time! We celebrated my Mom's birthday (Sept. 10) and my husband Johnny's birthday (Sept. 17) at Buca di Beppo. This is a terrific Italian restaurant if you don't know. We had a blast with Trevor at the pool and at the beach. They only get to see their grandson a couple times a year, so every moment is precious.
We had a bit of bad news recently - found out that a dear family member was possibly within a day or two of passing away. Fortunately, a second opinion was obtained, some new treatment measures were introduced, and while her health is not perfect, she appears stable at this point, and is still enjoying life.
Trevor has 2 more teeth coming in - both his eye teeth (canines) on the top. I think the bottom ones will be appearing soon. He got his first 2 teeth at 5 months old, and now (17 months) has 12, plus the new ones coming in. He is the size of a 2 year old and loaded with energy. Stay-at-home Dad has his hands full!
I was involved in a minor car accident on Wednesday. Fortunately nobody was injured. I was driving in the far left of 3 lanes, and a car turned right onto the road I was on, going the same direction as me. If he had been content driving in either of the first 2 lanes until he picked up some speed all would have been well. But, he started to straighten out in the second lane and suddenly merged into my lane directly in front of me at about 15 miles per hour. Since I was driving about 50 miles per hour (the posted speed limit) I didn't have time to stop and smashed into the back of his car. It was raining and darkish as a result, and the other driver was 81 years old. I don't htink he ever saw me. Anyway. the other driver was issued a citation for "improper lane change" and held responsible for the accident. Consequently, his insurance is paying for everything. While my car is in the shop, I have been provided with a rental car. I ended up with a 2007 Ford Taurus - boy is it nice! I wish I could keep it.
My sister Amy from Chicago will be down here this coming week. She will actually be in Tampa for a work conference, but she will stay with me. I haven't seen her since February, and she hasn't seen us or Trevor since then either.
If you don't already know, I work as an ophthalmic technician in a multiple physician ophthalmologist's office. The job does not require a specific degree or formal education as long as one has sufficient training and hands on experience. It is possible to take a written test and obtain an official certification, however, which is beneficial to have (read: more$$). I am scheduled to take my test on October 7. I feel ready, and the doctors I work for think I'm ready, but I am a little nervous about it. Wish me luck!!!
BTW, check out this trailer, and buy the book. Great page turner, and supporting a good cause. See my previous post for a full explanation.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
A Good Cause
A friend whom I consider to be a very talented writer, has asked me to advertize her book here on my blog. She is hoping this will help her sell more copies. You see, the more she sells, the more money she makes in royalties. Sounds pretty typical, right?
But the whole point here is that she doesn't keep these royalties. Every penny is donated to the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children). What a great cause to support!
So check out this cool trailer for an excellent book.
This book, and everything of hers I've ever read, is worth getting, even if you don't care about giving to charity. That's just an awesome fringe benefit!
-
But the whole point here is that she doesn't keep these royalties. Every penny is donated to the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children). What a great cause to support!
So check out this cool trailer for an excellent book.
This book, and everything of hers I've ever read, is worth getting, even if you don't care about giving to charity. That's just an awesome fringe benefit!
-
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Hurricane Warning
How cute and innocent he looks. HA!
As I have mentioned before, we have an area of our apartment childproofed and blocked off for Trevor to play in. This includes his room, the hallway and a portion of the living room.
Yesterday morning, Trevor woke me up fussing at about 8:00 AM, so I got up, changed him and gave him a sippy cup of milk. Being Saturday, and I wanted to sleep in, I put Trevor is his area and went back to bed.
A couple hours later, husband got up to pee, came back a few minutes later and announced, "Trevor got out." I'm thinking, "Out? Out where? Outside!? Huh?" Hubby says, "He was in the living room. It's a mess." I ask, "Where is he now". "Back in his area," then hubby gets back in bed and goes back to sleep.
Of course, now I can't get back to sleep, wondering how Trevor got out, what kind of havoc he wreaked, and whether or not he will be able to do it again. So, of course, I got up. I ventured into the living room and was met with this:
That took a while to clean up. We have now reinforced the "fence" that keeps Trevor in his area. So far so good, but I'm sure that sooner or later, when he gets a little bigger and smarter, we will be back at square one again.
----
Thursday, August 31, 2006
What the Hell...?
I don't have any idea if this is true or not, but I sure did find it funny. Got it on email.
Essay on Hell
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington> chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.
Here is the professor's "Bonus Question": Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different Religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities: 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only heaven . . thereby proving the existence of a divine being . . . which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."
THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"
_____________________________________
Other News:
Trevor is very excited that Grammy and Grandpa are coming to visit (probably with presents!) in two weeks.
Hurricane Ernesto did not hit Tampa!!! (whew)
My hand surgery (see post titled "Irony?") was successful. i am pretty much healed up and the scar seems to be fading some already.
I have a great book to read and review this weekend. I know it is great because it was written by M. E. Ellis.
Holiday weekend coming up - the beach is calling. Just another day in paradise!
Essay on Hell
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington> chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.
Here is the professor's "Bonus Question": Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different Religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities: 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only heaven . . thereby proving the existence of a divine being . . . which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."
THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"
_____________________________________
Other News:
Trevor is very excited that Grammy and Grandpa are coming to visit (probably with presents!) in two weeks.
Hurricane Ernesto did not hit Tampa!!! (whew)
My hand surgery (see post titled "Irony?") was successful. i am pretty much healed up and the scar seems to be fading some already.
I have a great book to read and review this weekend. I know it is great because it was written by M. E. Ellis.
Holiday weekend coming up - the beach is calling. Just another day in paradise!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
We're back!
Some interesting points were made in comments on the last post. It's not so much whether I endorse marijuana smoking or not, but the fact of it's being illegal while other as bad or worse things are legal, is one of the many inconsistencies of our government.
I kind of feel the same way about allowing "adults" of 18 years of age vote, smoke cigarettes and go to war, but they can't have a beer until they're 21.
As far as gays marrying, or having the legal rights allowed a husband and wife joined by a civil union, why not? And why do so many people spend so much time worrying about it? Who's getting hurt?
"Traditional" marriages can be absolutely wrong and horrible, involving abuse, adultery, etc, and most end in divorce anyway. Go worry about that.
Anyway, enough about that stuff. We just got back from a long weekend in Key Largo. Had a great time but still recovering. We camped at Pennekamp State Park, ate at our favorite restaurant, caught up with all our friends, drank too much beer, you know, all that fun stuff!
Hopefully I will get back to posting somewhat regularly (not to mention keeping up with all of YOUR blogs!) by next week after I have finished doing laundry, unpacking and cleaning the motor home. Again, all that fun stuff (HAHA).
I kind of feel the same way about allowing "adults" of 18 years of age vote, smoke cigarettes and go to war, but they can't have a beer until they're 21.
As far as gays marrying, or having the legal rights allowed a husband and wife joined by a civil union, why not? And why do so many people spend so much time worrying about it? Who's getting hurt?
"Traditional" marriages can be absolutely wrong and horrible, involving abuse, adultery, etc, and most end in divorce anyway. Go worry about that.
Anyway, enough about that stuff. We just got back from a long weekend in Key Largo. Had a great time but still recovering. We camped at Pennekamp State Park, ate at our favorite restaurant, caught up with all our friends, drank too much beer, you know, all that fun stuff!
Hopefully I will get back to posting somewhat regularly (not to mention keeping up with all of YOUR blogs!) by next week after I have finished doing laundry, unpacking and cleaning the motor home. Again, all that fun stuff (HAHA).
Monday, August 14, 2006
Debate?
Some interesting topics came up at work today, in conversations with doctors, patients and co-workers. One such topic (brought up by a patient) was the legalization of marijuana. Involved in the conversation were the patient, her daughter, the doctor and myself. Everyone seemed to feel pretty much the same way: that pot is more or less harmless, when compared to other drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Also mentioned was that if it were legalized, it could be taxed and regulated. So you'd think the government would be all for legalization.
Same subject arose later amongst co-workers. The same doctor, myself and two other employees were talking. Everybody had more or less the same feelings described earlier. The doctor even pointed out that, as far as total effect on overall body health, alcohol and tobacco/nicotine are far worse than marijuana. Also agreed upon was that the same rules should apply to smokers as to drinkers. Such as acceptable (legal) levels and DUI penalties, etc. so what's the big deal that makes it different?
The other topic of note was gay marriage, and the separation of church and state. If the two (church and state) are completely separate entities, then why are gays forbidden to legally marry on grounds of it being morally (religiously) wrong? One person even went so far to say that marriages should not be performed in churches - that "marriage" is a legal arrangement and therefore should be handled by legal officials. Here I disagree. People should be able to get married wherever the hell they want to get married. You have to go to the courthouse and do the paperwork before you can get married, in a church or otherwise. Legally married, that is. So whose business is it where they perform the ceremony? Or how old they are (as long as they are legal adults)? Or whether they are gay or straight? If the church (any church) chooses not to recognize a gay marriage, then so be it. But why does that dictate the government's stand on the issue?
Opinions, anyone?
-
Same subject arose later amongst co-workers. The same doctor, myself and two other employees were talking. Everybody had more or less the same feelings described earlier. The doctor even pointed out that, as far as total effect on overall body health, alcohol and tobacco/nicotine are far worse than marijuana. Also agreed upon was that the same rules should apply to smokers as to drinkers. Such as acceptable (legal) levels and DUI penalties, etc. so what's the big deal that makes it different?
The other topic of note was gay marriage, and the separation of church and state. If the two (church and state) are completely separate entities, then why are gays forbidden to legally marry on grounds of it being morally (religiously) wrong? One person even went so far to say that marriages should not be performed in churches - that "marriage" is a legal arrangement and therefore should be handled by legal officials. Here I disagree. People should be able to get married wherever the hell they want to get married. You have to go to the courthouse and do the paperwork before you can get married, in a church or otherwise. Legally married, that is. So whose business is it where they perform the ceremony? Or how old they are (as long as they are legal adults)? Or whether they are gay or straight? If the church (any church) chooses not to recognize a gay marriage, then so be it. But why does that dictate the government's stand on the issue?
Opinions, anyone?
-
Friday, August 11, 2006
Friday Funny
I got this on email today:
An award should go to the American Airlines gate attendant in Dallas some months ago for being customer focused, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo.
A crowded American flight was cancelled after the plane had been withdrawn from service. A single attendant was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.
Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, "I have to be on this flight and it has to be NOW". The attendant replied, "I'm sorry sir. I'll be happy to try to help you, but I've got to help these people first, and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out".
The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear,"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?"
Without hesitating, the attendant smiled and grabbed her public address microphone: "May I have your attention please, may I have your attention please?" she began. Her voice could be heard clearly throughout the terminal. "We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to Gate 14".
With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the American attendant, gritted his teeth and said, "F...k You!"
Without flinching, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to get in line for that too."
Have a great day!
An award should go to the American Airlines gate attendant in Dallas some months ago for being customer focused, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo.
A crowded American flight was cancelled after the plane had been withdrawn from service. A single attendant was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.
Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, "I have to be on this flight and it has to be NOW". The attendant replied, "I'm sorry sir. I'll be happy to try to help you, but I've got to help these people first, and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out".
The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear,"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?"
Without hesitating, the attendant smiled and grabbed her public address microphone: "May I have your attention please, may I have your attention please?" she began. Her voice could be heard clearly throughout the terminal. "We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to Gate 14".
With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the American attendant, gritted his teeth and said, "F...k You!"
Without flinching, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to get in line for that too."
Have a great day!
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Been There, Done That
Found this on Valkyrie's blog. Thought it was kind of interesting - makes you think about the things you have and haven't done in your life.
Highlight the ones you’ve done…
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music.
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions.
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life
-->
Highlight the ones you’ve done…
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music.
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions.
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life
-->
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
The Adventures of Toilet Boy and Other Stories
When I got off work, I phoned my husband on the cell phone, as is my usual habit. He did not seem to be in the best of moods, but I did not ask. Finally, he sighed and said, "Well, I might as well tell you now..."
Needless to say, that got my guard up BIG TIME. I sweetly asked, "Tell me what, honey?"
Background: we have a hallway and part of our living room completely "Trevor Proofed" and fenced off, and allow him to run around in this area with minimal (if any) supervision. Down the hallway are 3 doors (2 bedrooms and a bathroom) which are always closed to deny access to Trevor. When I go to work in the morning, I put Trevor in this area to play until Johnny gets up. Well, Johnny got up right after I left for work, needing to pee. He did so, didn't flush knowing he would use it again for #2 within the next hour or two, and went back to bed.
An hour and a half later, he woke up and headed for the bathroom. Well, there's Trevor in a pool of yellow water, completely soaked and quite happy with himself. He had opened the cabinets and played with the roach motels (thank God nothing too dangerous under there); unrolled, torn up and eaten some of a roll of toilet paper; strewn the contents of the watsebasket all over the floor and splahsed water (and piss) all over everything. Johnny still doesn't see the humor in this. I, however see lots and lots and lots.
Now here's one I will probably laugh about tomorrow. Or the next day. Anyway, the ophthalmologist's office I work for typically offers the latest procedures and treatment options available. The newest drug out for macular degeneration is an injectable medication called Lucentis. It comes in a small glass vial and consists of about .2 cc's of clear liquid. (that's point two cc's). The cost? $1950.00. Per dose.
I am travelling to one of our out of town offices tomorrow, and was entrusted with 3 vials of Lucentis to transport there. I got home, brought the Lucentis inside, as it needs to be refrigerated, and had the bright idea to show it to Johnny. I pulled out this little tiny glass vial and hold it in front of him. "See this? Guess how much this costs?" Johnny was reaching for his glasses as I stood there with the glass vial in one hand and the box it came from in the other. As I started to hand it to Johnny it slipped through my fingers and fell.
I said, "OH SHIT! That's $2000!!" and hit the floor searching for it. It was nowhere. I pulled all the cushions off the couch, we lifted up the couch and looked underneath it, I dug through the trash can that was nearby. I searched my pockets, the coffee table, the end table and the entire floor of the living room. I got a flashlight and searched again. Nowhere. I was shaking, cursing and almost in tears by this point. I kept saying, "It can't have just vanished! It HAS to be here somewhere!"
I saw the other 2 boxes of Lucentis waiting to be put in the fridge, and the one open box next to them. I figured I'd better take care of what was still accounted for, and then search again. So I picked up the open box, looked inside and saw a vial of Lucentis. I looked in the other two, and guess what? You got it - vials of Lucentis. That little fucker had somehow fallen directly into the box I held in my other hand, even though Johnny and I would both swear that it shouldn't have, based on where I (thought I) was holding the vial and the box in relation to one another. I had been sooooo dreading reporting to work tomorrow that I had lost a vial of Lucentis because it disappeared into thin air before my very eyes.
Like I said, it will be hilarious tomorrow.
-
Needless to say, that got my guard up BIG TIME. I sweetly asked, "Tell me what, honey?"
Background: we have a hallway and part of our living room completely "Trevor Proofed" and fenced off, and allow him to run around in this area with minimal (if any) supervision. Down the hallway are 3 doors (2 bedrooms and a bathroom) which are always closed to deny access to Trevor. When I go to work in the morning, I put Trevor in this area to play until Johnny gets up. Well, Johnny got up right after I left for work, needing to pee. He did so, didn't flush knowing he would use it again for #2 within the next hour or two, and went back to bed.
An hour and a half later, he woke up and headed for the bathroom. Well, there's Trevor in a pool of yellow water, completely soaked and quite happy with himself. He had opened the cabinets and played with the roach motels (thank God nothing too dangerous under there); unrolled, torn up and eaten some of a roll of toilet paper; strewn the contents of the watsebasket all over the floor and splahsed water (and piss) all over everything. Johnny still doesn't see the humor in this. I, however see lots and lots and lots.
Now here's one I will probably laugh about tomorrow. Or the next day. Anyway, the ophthalmologist's office I work for typically offers the latest procedures and treatment options available. The newest drug out for macular degeneration is an injectable medication called Lucentis. It comes in a small glass vial and consists of about .2 cc's of clear liquid. (that's point two cc's). The cost? $1950.00. Per dose.
I am travelling to one of our out of town offices tomorrow, and was entrusted with 3 vials of Lucentis to transport there. I got home, brought the Lucentis inside, as it needs to be refrigerated, and had the bright idea to show it to Johnny. I pulled out this little tiny glass vial and hold it in front of him. "See this? Guess how much this costs?" Johnny was reaching for his glasses as I stood there with the glass vial in one hand and the box it came from in the other. As I started to hand it to Johnny it slipped through my fingers and fell.
I said, "OH SHIT! That's $2000!!" and hit the floor searching for it. It was nowhere. I pulled all the cushions off the couch, we lifted up the couch and looked underneath it, I dug through the trash can that was nearby. I searched my pockets, the coffee table, the end table and the entire floor of the living room. I got a flashlight and searched again. Nowhere. I was shaking, cursing and almost in tears by this point. I kept saying, "It can't have just vanished! It HAS to be here somewhere!"
I saw the other 2 boxes of Lucentis waiting to be put in the fridge, and the one open box next to them. I figured I'd better take care of what was still accounted for, and then search again. So I picked up the open box, looked inside and saw a vial of Lucentis. I looked in the other two, and guess what? You got it - vials of Lucentis. That little fucker had somehow fallen directly into the box I held in my other hand, even though Johnny and I would both swear that it shouldn't have, based on where I (thought I) was holding the vial and the box in relation to one another. I had been sooooo dreading reporting to work tomorrow that I had lost a vial of Lucentis because it disappeared into thin air before my very eyes.
Like I said, it will be hilarious tomorrow.
-
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