the pains of battle

So really it is more like the pains of cleaning. At some point yesterday I tweaked something in my back. It was sore when I went to sleep, but at 3:38am my back was screaming at me. WAKE UP WAKE UP!!! FIX ME!!! Does this mean I'm getting old? Since it was/is muscular, I say no to the old. I'm thinking it's just me being my usual graceful self. Nevertheless, I took 2 Aleve and slept the rest of the night on my heating pad--no worries, it turns itself off after a certain allotted time so I don't burn myself too badly. Stupid back.

Then there are the pains of relationships. Why, oh why, do I over analyze every blasted little thing? The poor XY works 6 days a week and is taking a class 2 days a week. God forbid that he ever be too tired to see me. Seeing him was supposed to be the one good thing about me not getting to leave town this weekend! Arrgh! Once again I have to thank the Hbomb for shrinking my head earlier tonight and telling me what I already knew: I'm over analyzing again. Gah! I guess it has something to do with the fact that I've become cabin fever girl being stuck in the house for the past week recuperating. I need to see people now that I'm (basically) well. I miss people (especially him). Oh well, I'll be back at work soon enough. That'll cure me!

So in closing, happy beginning of the week to you all. And ouch. Maybe I should use an ice pack now. =)

Thank You!

A HUMONGOUS thank you to the Hbomb! She waded into the clutter that was my house, and now it is clean!!! Well, I told her not to bother with the kitchen (not bad) or the bedroom (too many clean clothes to put away and not enough time). Now I feel like I should have people over for a party. Hmmmm, that's actually a good idea. Anyway, one more time:

THANK YOU!!!

yep, still sick

You think after a week of this farking crap, I'd be better. Nope. I am on the mend though. The official curse, um, I mean diagnosis, is bronchitis. Really Dr. Sherlock? You get that with the raspy rales in my chest. Gosh, you're smart. Okay, I'm not mad at him, I'm just cranky in general. Because of this illness, I didn't get to take my intended vacation. I was supposed to head down to Fredburg and San Antonio today. Since I'm still hacking up my lungs, I decided it would be best to try to heal. The worst part was hearing how upset my god daughter is about not being able to see me. Talk about serious sad face. I will make it down there eventually though. I'm hoping for sometime within the next month. I just want to get out of this town for awhile. And no, Denton doesn't cut it. The only good thing about skipping the trip is getting to see the XY this weekend. That makes up for a little of it.

Okay, the third period is about to start. Gotta go root on the Stars!

what else should I be doing at 1:53am?

Yep. I'm awake. Go fig? I've had enough cough syrup to knock out an elephant, but I'm still awake. Prolly has something to do with still coughing. I've decided I want a lung transplant. Heck, better yet, make it a full immune system transplant. Give the Hbomb one, too, while we're at it.

I am soooooooooooooooo sick of coughing. The last 3 days, I've even coughed so hard as to cause myself to hurl. While driving. Wow, that's fun. I don't think I'm getting better. Thank goodness for nothing to do tomorrow except watch the Packers whoop up on the Giants.

Ya know that thin piece of wax-like paper stuff in a kazoo that makes it buzz? I feel like I have that just beneath my larynx. When I lie down to sleep, I sound like I've got a recorder in my chest. A really cheap recorder, too. The kind they used to pass out in grade school that never kept good pitch because it'd been dropped so many times. All buzzy in the chest. I guess it's better than having a fuzzy chest.

Okay, that's it for now. Take care people. And wash your hands!

Welcome to my world

So far, 2008 has not been my best friend. Things are, however, looking up!

This evil throat thing I've had going on since before Christmas has finally been solved. Yes, I did have a sinus infection at the end of 2007, but the sore throat and hoarseness never resolved. I kept calling my (normally excellent) GP, and his response was keep sucking on lozenges and drinking lots of liquid. Great. Thanks. In addition, I decided to "sweat it out" by eating everything spicy I could get my hands on--habanero salsa, spicy Vietnamese food, wasabi, etc. Nothing was working, and it was actually getting more sore and more raspy. So I finally made my appointment for today with the fancy schmancy vocal doctor. I mean, I do get paid for this voice when it's not so raspy. Would you believe that everything I was doing was exacerbating the problem? Ya, it's not even close to a throat infection. Gerd. No, really, I mean GERD. Stupid freaking acid reflux. It hasn't bothered me in at least a year. Well, it decided to rear it acidic ugly head and make my vocal cords all inflamed and swollen. Stupid GERD! Now I am on official vocal rest for 3 weeks. Yes, you read me right--THREE WEEKS!!! Gosh, don't these people know me? Luckily, I can talk reasonably often--just no screaming at Stars games or Cowboys playoff games. Oh wait, there won't be any of those. Okay, no screaming at Brett Favre viewings. =) Simply put, I'll be taking a crap load of Prilosec, Gaviscon, anti-caffeinated beverages, and non-spicy food for the next while. Joy.

2008. Bring it on. I'm ready for ya.

search for the holy grail (of recipes)

So, my favorite chef called me tonight to ask my assistance. She wanted my dolma recipe. Well, it's not mine per se. So while we are on the phone and she is filling me in on the saga of her father's run in with a brown recluse (pray that all goes well and he is released from the hospital soon!), I start rummaging through all my random recipes. It's not in the "collection" of stuff I've got in my personal cookbook. Then I start looking through all the loose leaf pages stuffed in between cookbooks on the shelf. Then I look between pages of the most commonly used cookbooks. Nothing. Arrgh!!! How can I have lost the holy grail of dolmades recipes?!?!? Next it's time to call Mother. I got the recipe from one of her books. That was insane! Here is how it went:

It's in a green book, not pea green or grass green, but something in between. It doesn't have a dust cover on it. I think the lettering on the binding is gold. Look in the index. It has a recipe for dolmades? Does the book open right up to it? *she reads ingredients aloud* I think that's it! Houston, there is no problem!!!

So, there you go. That's my uber exciting Thursday night. If anyone needs the recipe, it will officially be in possession tomorrow.

yargh

It's Tuesday. It's been quite a week already. After being in a funky mood all day Sunday, I was at work by 7:30am Monday. I was the first person to leave at 6pm; the only reason I got to leave so early was because I had hockey tickets. (Go Stars!) Simply put, the day shift had to finish on Monday what the night shift couldn't do Saturday night (not their fault--instrument problem). It was insane! I was all freaky because I was swamped with my work, but I was expected to finish up and help with everything else. Luckily the boy jumped in to help me so I was able to get a crap load done as quickly as possible. Yay boy!

So that was work. I'm still all sickly, and that really pisses me off. I called the doctor yesterday and all he had to say (via the nurse who's super sweet) was rest, plenty of liquids, vocal rest for the rest of the week (hahahahahahahahaaaaaa!!!), and basically just take care of myself. Ya, um, I've been doing that since before Christmas. Look where that's gotten me. Granted there is no more green snot (nice visual, I know), but I sound like a dying frog. Not good for someone who gets paid to sing. Today, instead of going to movie night, I was going to come home and "rest." On the way home, I decided to go to yoga class. That's something I can do while ill. It's good for me either way. I went; it was hard; it was wonderful! Finally I feel like I've done something positive this year.

As to the situation with the XY, things seem fine. We've talked; he acted like there was nothing wrong or different. I blame hormones. Those pesky things are the same reason I was ready to personally cut out my left ovary this morning. Stupid "being a woman" business. I'm just gonna chalk it all up to this being January. Nothing good ever comes of January.

and now...I'm home

Glad to be home after leaving 17 hours ago. What a long day. I started off by going to work (imagine that) for my Saturday duty. It was such great fun having the boy there to help me for the first time. I was actually finished in just over 8 hours. It's been eons since that happened! Then it was up to Willow Bend for a new top to wear for the evening--since the one I'd planned on wearing after work was at home on the couch. Sometimes my brilliance astounds me. Thank goodness for mega after Christmas sales. Then it was up to Denton for dinner with the XY and friends. For the most part, it was a lovely evening. The XY liked my friends, and they liked him. Now I just gotta figure out how he feels about me. I think he likes me, but he won't let me see where he lives. He gives me the "it's not you, it's me" thing about it. He says he's ashamed of the tiny, messy place. I say, so what! He's seen my hovel. I told him that I wasn't dating him because of his clothes or money or where he lives. That didn't phase him. Maybe it is him. I should try not to worry. Of course we all know that's like trying to get a leopard to change its spots. *rolls eyes at self* So, think happy thought for the spotted mouse. At least I'm home with my boys and my new down comforter!!!!! That, dear ones, makes up for just about everything. =)

happy flippin' new year

Not that I'm not thrilled it's finally 2008, but could I have at least had a chance to ring in the new year healthy? For the first time in years, I had a date (nay, a boyfriend) on New Year's Eve, and I was sick as the proverbial dog. I felt so sorry for him! I tried to be upbeat and interesting and exciting, but really all I could do was sit and watch people have fun and try to entertain him. I'm sooooo glad that he found stuff in common with some of mine and Winny's friends. Otherwise, I would have felt like the worst girlfriend in ages.

Yep, I'm still sick. Why did I pay good money to the doctor to still be sick??? Arrgh!!! Oh well, I did get some good health news today. I don't have to go back to the rheumatologist until I start to be "symptomatic" again--and that could be years! That's a serious WOO-HOO! At least my back is starting to feel better. Yep, there was a NYE injury to be had. The XY and I were joking around playing "who's stronger" (forgetting that I am a woman who hasn't been doing my strength training exercises). I lost. I accidentally tripped (?) over his foot, fell backward, and landed back first on the back of Winny's couch. We heard my back crack--the Hbomb thought it was the couch breaking. That hurt like a sonofabitch! Actually brought tears to my eyes. Poor XY. He still feels a little bad about it.

Anyway, that's my new year in a nutshell. Sinus infection, laryngitis (some people are happy about that one), and a sore back. At least I don't have cramps! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

yuck

I just figured it out. Augmentin leaves the absolute nastiest taste ever in your mouth. Ugh!

Thank you for letting me vent.

TGIF (almost)

Only one more day in the lab before I get another 4 days off. Good Lord, it can't come fast enough! I mean, I only worked 10 hours today. I'm not sure how much overtime I have this week, but last week I had ~6.5 hours extra. Let's see, 6.5 x time and a half regular pay plus the shift diff I get on Saturdays = the ability to pay some crap off (like the new starter). Woo hoo!!!

In the rest of my life (the little bitty bit of it that is not taken up by work), things are good. I'll finally mention in the blog that things are going swimmingly with the new beau. I'm actually going to spend NYE with him. That means he'll be meeting an ass-load of my friends that night. Wish him luck...! For once, I'm not worried about people meeting "someone new." There's nothing not to like. Well except for his ability to interrupt and not stop talking when I have something to interject. Of course, I do exactly the same thing, so I can't complain at all!

The car is running beautifully since the new addition of the starter. Now I just have to find time to get him inspected. I did take a little pride today and give him a bath. Now the rest of North Texas can thank me for the rain we have gotten this evening. Dammit.

Christmas was nice. I did the paternal thing on Sunday and spent the actual day with Mother. She and I prepared a fan-freaking-tastic meal!!! It's hard to not eat all the leftovers in one sitting. I hope everyone was able to spend time with family and loved ones like I was able to do. I am so thankful for my family and friends. You are all awesome and I wouldn't trade any of you for anything!

Thanks for being here with me this year. I look forward to spending time with everyone in 2008!

for Heather

She wants me to blog--here it is.

Lesson for the week: Be nice and courteous to people. You never know when they can really help you out.

I've been having this little problem with my car the past couple of weeks. Seems he really didn't feel like starting all the time. Seeing as that he did eventually start after a couple of cranks, I never gave it a lot of thought. Until Sunday. After the cookie party over at Winny's, I sat in my car for a good 5 minutes trying to start him. Crank, nothing, sit. Crank, nothing, sit. You get the idea. I decided the next morning (my last day of vacation) to take it up to the place where I got a new battery like 2 months ago. When I awoke the next morning, I popped the hood and noticed that the terminals were all corroded. Um, new battery? What the...? So I got those cleaned off, got him started, and tootled up to the car place. I had to get it inspected and have the oil changed anyway. Or so I thought. Did you know that you can't pass inspection with a brand new battery (which they had to give me)? Does something to the computer parts and won't pass. Whatever. Why couldn't they have inspected the car and then changed the battery. But what do I know? I'm only a girl. Oh, and they didn't charge for the battery since it was under warranty. YAY warranty! They finally got everything "fixed" and told me that my starter was going out. It could die that day, the next, next week...no idea how long it would last.

Seems it made it until after lunch and that was it. I sat in the parking lot after lunch with mi madre and tried for what felt like ages to get him going. While I was trying all this, I called my regular mechanic, and asked how much it would be for a new starter. The oil change place had said upwards of $500. My guy said $350. Guess where I went. When I finally got there, the main mechanic laughed at the $500 estimate and said they were prolly trying to rope me into something. A brand spanking new starter would cost the garage ~$750, plus a markup, plus labor, plus whatever else they might want to charge. I got a rebuilt starter with labor and everything for the promised $350. AND, to make things even more unbelievable, they told me I could wait until Friday to pay them (since I get paid on Friday and went a little nuts on Christmas stuff for the fam).

For those who want to know, my mechanic of choice is Kiger Tire which is owned by Dennis and whose head mechanic is Dale. I never use real names here, but this is for everyone's benefit. They may not always have the best prices, but they are always honest and reliable. I cannot possibly praise them enough in this small space.

culinary oh-ohs

This has not been the best week for cooking. I love to cook! It's what I do for people to make them happy. Unfortunately, I think I'm slipping.

Last weekend was my mother's birthday. She wanted me to come over and cook her dinner. Great! I love that! I asked what she wanted (within reason, of course). As a side, she mentioned that broccoli would be nice. I asked if she would like it steamed or roasted. Simply steamed was the way to go. Well, how hard is it to steam broccoli really? Obviously quite difficult. I set it on fire. How the hell can I set fire to a vegetable being steamed? Well, some of it was touching the lid of the pan in which it was being steamed. I figure that is the worst cooking disaster I would deal with this year (I mean, there are only a couple of weeks left).

Not so. Tonight, I burned couscous. WTF??? This is a dish in which you boil water, add the pasta, and turn off the fire. Nope, I burned it. I'm starting to doubt my culinary skills.

ow ow ow ow ow ow...

Wow, ow. So I finally decided that since I'm "vacationing" for the next 5 days, I should take this time to get back into the gym routine. Ow. I printed out the list of classes for the week and decided to go to pilates this morning. I've done it before, and I know how to modify things so I don't kill myself. I'm at the gym by 9:05am, and the class is due to start at 9:15. I get my mat and my towel and I'm ready to go. Well, more people start coming in and getting mats, blankets, towels, and other sundry crap. Dude, it's pilates? Why do you need all that stuff? Hahahahahaaaaaa! Jokes on me! Ow. It was not a pilates class--it was power yoga. Emphasis on the power. Well, really, how hard can that be? I did a yoga class (granted ~5 years ago) and I found it to be rather boring. Again I say HA! By the end of the class (before the cool down) I was all sweaty and huffy and exhausted. Ow. Damn, that was a great workout. The only bad thing is that now my wrists are killing me. Stupid microscope. I guess I need to work on my downward dog a little more to strengthen the wrists. Ooh, but I did have one sweet little old lady (who totally whooped my ass in the yoga-ing) compliment me on my limberness. My mother is gonna get the biggest kick out of that!

Ow.

serious blog--beware

For those of you who come to this blog for humor, you're not gonna get it tonight. I've been having these weird thoughts since last Friday, and I think if I hash them out in "print" they will make more sense.

And no, I'm not depressed, sad, melancholy, or having a pity party. I've just been spending too much time with people who are way more philosophical than me.

I think I've decided that romantic love doesn't exist. I think what people think of as love begins as lust. You get so into a person that you can't think of anything else. You want to be with them, you spend all day thinking of them, and you daydream of the two of you in numerous situations. Lust. If you spend enough time together, you think that you are falling in love. What I think is really happening is that you are merely strengthening the bond by connecting in a deep friendship. The more time you spend together, your friendship is tested by daily trials and more serious dilemmas. If you can make it through all this as a couple, what you have is a fantastic friendship that has been fortified with a new found respect. Friendship and respect together seem to equal romantic love, but I don't think it is love. If it were, people wouldn't fall out of it. So many couples split these days. How often does a marriage really succeed? Only about 50% of the time. That's not love. But how often do you hear of a parent "falling out of love" with their children? I think the only true love is what parents feel for a child and what God feels for us--His children. That is the true love that is never ending.

Don't get me wrong! I am still looking for Mr. Right. This crazy idea won't stop me thinking that people should meet and fall in lust-friendship-respect. I just don't believe in romantic love. I think it is a figment of the media and all those crazy poets and artists throughout the ages. It has nothing to do with Hallmark cards, flowers, and chocolates.

Whoa. No more 12 hour days for me. Too much time to think. :-)

weather

Wow. Texas weather is amazing. Yesterday it was close to 80 so I had to turn on my a/c in the house. Today it hasn't gotten above 51 (what the thermostat read when I woke up). Ergo, the heat is now on. Go figure. I wonder how many people in the north Texas area are going to end up sick because of this. All I can tell you is that I have hauled out the flannel pjs and my nose is cold.

Who wants to keep me warm??? Ah, I see Mr. Underfoot has volunteered.
(Mr. Underfoot is the new nickname for the Cornman.)

what a week

This week has officially sucked a big hairy man's arse. It was topped off today by me working almost 10.5 hours. Nothing but tons and tons of poop followed by buckets of urine and blood. Woo-hoo! Sounds like fun, huh? I am glad to be at home (and clean again) finally.

It's like this: there were 3 people on vacation this week. Then one girl, who just got back from vacation, worked 2 days and had to leave because her father-in-law (who lives with her) died. I can't imagine how horrible that must have been. *quietly says prayer of thanksgiving for all my family and friends* Ergo, we were 4 people short. THEN, the girl who is my major cohort had a vacation day today. ARRGH! It was insane.

I am now officially brain dead. Oh, ya, and I have to be back in the morning. Yippee. Please don't be offended if I accidentally forget to call or return emails for a few days. I just have to make it to Wednesday....

eerie day

Today has been so weird that I have to blog about it. The first thing was the keys left in the door overnight which I already mentioned. After that blogging, I checked my email. Because of Rico Suave, I got roped into Facebook. Come to find out that I got "poked" by my high school/college ex. I really didn't know what to make of it. Call me discombobulated. So after lunch with my mother and running a couple of errands, I had to come home to cook something for the growth group Christmas dinner tonight. While I was cooking and chatting with a friend online, I got the email "boop." I clicked into the email, and it was some new guy from the stupid internet dating site wanting to meet me. I said thanks but I'm seeing someone else to which he replied "so am I, but I'm not into her." He wanted to see me anyway. While this was a great shot to the ego, I felt immediately guilty since the new guy and I just had our DTR talk the other night. I actually considered meeting the new guy. How awful am I? I eventually ended up sending him an email saying thanks but no thanks. This is at least the 2nd guy who's been pretty "bold" in wanting to take me out even after I've said I'm seeing someone else. What is this world coming to? Are there no boundaries anymore? And then there's the thought that what if I just got rid of someone great? Arrgh! I hate doubts and insecurities and second thoughts!

oh my gawd

Thank goodness my neighborhood is relatively safe.

Being Monday, it's trash day. I get my spare key, stick it in my pocket (because invariably when taking out the trash, I'll lock myself out), and proceed to take the trash and recycling to the alley. I think I might as well just go in through the front door since I have a key in my pocket--that way I can get the paper from the street. I get out there, grab the paper, and walk to my front porch. When I open my screen door, what is that dangling from my front door but my keys. Car keys and house keys all in plain sight. Well not really because of the screen door (THANK THE GODS FOR THE SCREEN DOOR!!!) Damn. There are times I really think I'm a blonde underneath it all. All I drank at the C&B last night was club soda!!! I blame the smokers.

I deserved to be whipped with a wet noodle.

Sunday night blogging

There are times I question my sanity. Right now is one of those times. For the first time in about a month, I returned to my Bible study group. Gosh, I really like these people. Unfortunately, when we hit the pub for the refreshments afterward, I inevitably get smoked out. Tonight, the two guys sitting across from me were rolling their own cigarettes. Ugh! I'm always downwind of smoke and leave smelling like a freaking ashtray. I may have to take a shower before bed just to get rid of the smell. What's worse? Even though I don't smoke, I can taste it in my mouth. Gack!!!

So, other things....
I'm totally enjoying my 3 days in a row off of work. I sooooooo needed them. I think I was getting a little burned out on poop. And my house looks a little better from the free time spent tidying. Things are progressing well with the new man--still not taking any leaps yet. Taking my time with this one. And no, no details here. Oh, except that I can tell that Thomas does not approve. Spending ~3 hours at the mall yesterday (to support my lovely friends in their musical exploits) was seriously not good for my back and shoulders. I sat on a brick wall with no back support for just shy of and hour and a half. Much pain today. I'm glad I can be there for my friends kids when they don't want to turn to their parents just yet with problems. However, cut me some slack and don't hit me with a possible life altering text message when I'm at work. It can be very distracting. Glad things worked out with that one!

That's all I got for now. More when it happens!