An early Merry Christmas to all...I'm sure that, with the upcoming holiday festivities, I won't be writing... so I thought I'd send some holiday wishes now.
I have two funny stories that happened this week:
First - Friday, it snowed here....like a banshee. 12 inches of snow, driving to work was hell, etc. Phil actually drove us up in the truck, and when I got off at 10AM, he sent everyone in the warehouse home when he left to pick me up. But, once we got to Toledo (almost 2 hours later!), the snow had stopped and the roads were getting a lot better, so we decided to go and do some last-minute holiday shopping. Hit up the local home improvement store. As Phil is talking to the salesguy about a saw, I see this skinny brunette walking by, staring at me. As she got closer I realized, it's a family member (distant) that I don't ever see except at the occasional wedding or funeral. Funny enough, she recognized me immediately and ran up and hugged me and started chatting my ear off about all sorts of personal/marital problems that I certainly wouldn't be telling a person who is practically a perfect stranger....but, I digress. Anyhoo, we talked for a good while, and then her cell phone rang...it's her daughter. She chirps happily into the phone "Sweetie, guess who I ran into...Jessica, your favorite babysitter!"
Ummmm....I am not Jessica.
Jessica is my sister. Jessica babysat her kids like 8 years ago when they were itty bitty. My sister doesn't even live in this state....hasn't for years now. Not to mention, this person was just at my sister's wedding - FOUR measly months ago - and it seems to have escaped her that my sister's husband is about a foot shorter than mine. Yet, she still seems to think that I'm my sister.
Now, I'm flattered....my sister is skinnier than me and younger than me and there's certainly nothing wrong with her...I just happen to think that these particular relatives have forgotten that I even exist. YEars ago I sent this woman's parents (my dad's aunt and uncle) a Christmas card, and they called all over the family to try to figure out "who the people in the picture are".
So, I just went along with it. I nodded, smiled, and carried out the whole conversation. For those few moments, I WAS Jessica. I never corrected her. THe woman doesn't care anyhow, and it made her feel better to vent all her family issues to me, and I didn't want to make her feel stupid and cause even MORE issues on top of the huge heap-o-issues she already apparently has.....so, I just rolled with it.
I called my mother as soon as we left the store. She and I had a good laugh about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday night, Phil and I took KP, along with my sister in law/brother in law/nephew, to the planetarium for a show called "Season of Light". We thought it would be something different and interesting for the kids. After chowing down pizza at J&G's (I didn't eat all day and was starving!) and drinking a few beers, we headed over there. LEt me tell you, it was BOOOOORING, so Phil and I entertained ourselves. We sat in the back (just like the bad kids) and the woman who narrated the whole thing (who, BTW, was a HORRIBLE public speaker...I got frustrated just listening to her stutter and say "uuuuhhhhhh" a million times) asked if anyone had any questions about the planets. I leaned over and said to Phil "Ask her if anyone's ever sent a probe to Uranus" and we both just BUSTED out laughing. It was completely inappropriate. We had tears running down our faces, and kept getting disgusted looks from the other people around us. It was HI-LAR-I-OUS. Even after we calmed down our hysterical laughter, we would still look at each other and notice that our shoulders were still shaking from the giggles. Oooohhhhh, it was so great. I love that man.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Lots of things you never cared to know about me...
~I am 5'4"
~I am 30 years old
~I work in cancer pharmacology/drug discovery/chemotherapy efficacy testing
~I constantly listen to music. My husband calls me the "human jukebox". I listen to everything from Harry Connick, Jr. to Too Short. The only genre I don't care for: country. Everything else = fair game.
~I don't like sushi. I've tried it lots of times at lots of different places. I've tried it cooked and raw. I've even tried vegetarian. I just don't get it. I find I like my fish better in a nice grilled filet form.
~Once, when I was 12, I used an entire bottle of Sun-In on my hair. It turned orange with white streaks.
~I was in a TV commercial when I was 6.
~My mood is highly dependant on two things: caffeine and sleep. I have to have plenty of sleep every night, and must be adequately caffeinated in order to be a pleasant - hell, even functional - person. If I'm tired, or lacking a big cup of coffee, I am NOT nice.
~I have polish on my toenails 365 days a year. I cannot stand chipped toenail polish and therefore am extremely anal about maintaining my pedicure at all times.
~I refuse to buy shampoo, conditioner, perfume or makeup from a grocery store.
~I wear a size 7 shoe
~I can literally RUN in 5 inch heels. I LOVE stilettos and would live in them if it was practical. I cannot STAND when they are called "hooker shoes"...if only you knew how much better they make your butt look!!!!
~I have a tattoo of a flower on my stomach that I got when I was a mere 17 years old. As a 30 year old, I hate it, but it was awesome when I got it 13 years ago.
~My first car was a blue Toyota Camry. Which I proceeded to run headfirst into a BMW when I was out prom dress shopping my senior year of high school. Ooops.
~I am the oldest of 3 kids.
~I never had pets growing up, but have 3 dogs now.
~My oldest friend is Heather and we have known each other since we were literally in diapers. My dad and her mom have been friends since grade school. Heather and I don't know a time in our lives when we weren't friends.
~I never wear a dress more than once. If an occasion requires a dress, I go out and buy one; then the next dress-up occasion, I will not wear it again. I have a closet full of dresses only worn once. I have no idea why I do this.
~I bought a brand new stick shift car in June because it got great gas mileage. Then gas dropped to $1.59 a gallon. Go figure.
~I hate scary movies.
~When I was in high school I modeled for a local portrait studio...as in, I posed for those photos hanging on the wall when you go to the picture studio.
~ Bands I have seen in concert include Violent Femmes, Stone Temple Pilots (twice), Deftones, KISS, White Zombie, Korn, and Dave Matthews Band.
~I know how to play "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane on the guitar.
~I love giant sunglasses. The big "Jackie-o" kind.
~My college roommate Lee and I had only known each other for about 2 weeks before we decided to look for a place to live together. We are still great friends to this day and she is my daughter's godmother (and I am her daughter's godmother!).
~The only way I like milk is on my cereal. I NEVER drink it otherwise.
~My eyes are green and brown mixed together and turn very bright green when I am angry or crying. The brown parts completely disappear.
~I once burnt my arm on a kerosene heater. I still have a scar.
~Things I've had pierced besides ears: belly button, eyebrow, nose, and "down below" if you get my drift. Things I have pierced currently = ears. I've very "over" the whole body piercing thing...it's sort of 1990's (which is when I had those things listed pierced).
~My husband and I had a destination wedding, and it was the best decision we could have made.
~I absolutely hate cooking.
~I absolutely love cleaning the house.
~One of my front teeth is fake (thus the reason I can't use whitening toothpaste or bleach on my teeth...fake teeth don't bleach). I broke it when I was 11.
~I was in gymnastics in high school. I can still do a cartwheel, but would probably seriously injure myself if I tried anything more advanced.
~My favorite drinks are wine, beer, water or diet Mt. Dew. Although I do love a good martini here and there!
~My favorite Christmas cartoon in the whole world is " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas", the one with the mice and the clock. My sister text messages me every year to tell me it's on.
~I normally drink my coffee just black, and I love it really bold and strong. But, when Mint Mochas come out at Christmas time, I drink enough to them to hold me over til the next winter. They are my FAVORITE.
~My first job was at the Toledo Zoo.
~I have no idea if I want to have any more children or not. Some days I really want to, and some days I'm like, "No way, Jose!" Phil and I know that we may or may not ever decide to have more...and we are ok with just going with the flow on that.
~I want to go to Greece someday. At least for the food if nothing else!
~I have been to Myrtle Beach, SC a total of 15 times in my life.
~Phil and I went whale watching in Newfoundland in 2003.
~I HATE lawn decorations, especially hideous inflatable Christmas junk. TACK-KAY!
~I shave every single day, sometimes twice. I am officially a shave-a-holic.
~My most favorite movies are Blow, American Beauty, and True Romance.
~I am a big Uof M hockey fan.
~My favorite color is blue.
~I'm a scrapbooker and love making scrapbooks for people as gifts.
~I hate heights and riding any ride that gives you "roller coaster stomach".
~I never met a vegetable or fruit I didn't like, unless you count olives, which taste like death to me.
~I carry my camera with me in my purse and take pictures of EVERYTHING.
~I wanted to be a journalist the whole time I was growing up. So, I went to journalism school and then got a job writing for a newspaper, only to find out that I hated it. I worked horrible long hours for peanuts, and it involved a lot of sitting through hideously boring city council meetings. So I went back to school to be a vet tech, which landed me where I am today!
~I am 30 years old
~I work in cancer pharmacology/drug discovery/chemotherapy efficacy testing
~I constantly listen to music. My husband calls me the "human jukebox". I listen to everything from Harry Connick, Jr. to Too Short. The only genre I don't care for: country. Everything else = fair game.
~I don't like sushi. I've tried it lots of times at lots of different places. I've tried it cooked and raw. I've even tried vegetarian. I just don't get it. I find I like my fish better in a nice grilled filet form.
~Once, when I was 12, I used an entire bottle of Sun-In on my hair. It turned orange with white streaks.
~I was in a TV commercial when I was 6.
~My mood is highly dependant on two things: caffeine and sleep. I have to have plenty of sleep every night, and must be adequately caffeinated in order to be a pleasant - hell, even functional - person. If I'm tired, or lacking a big cup of coffee, I am NOT nice.
~I have polish on my toenails 365 days a year. I cannot stand chipped toenail polish and therefore am extremely anal about maintaining my pedicure at all times.
~I refuse to buy shampoo, conditioner, perfume or makeup from a grocery store.
~I wear a size 7 shoe
~I can literally RUN in 5 inch heels. I LOVE stilettos and would live in them if it was practical. I cannot STAND when they are called "hooker shoes"...if only you knew how much better they make your butt look!!!!
~I have a tattoo of a flower on my stomach that I got when I was a mere 17 years old. As a 30 year old, I hate it, but it was awesome when I got it 13 years ago.
~My first car was a blue Toyota Camry. Which I proceeded to run headfirst into a BMW when I was out prom dress shopping my senior year of high school. Ooops.
~I am the oldest of 3 kids.
~I never had pets growing up, but have 3 dogs now.
~My oldest friend is Heather and we have known each other since we were literally in diapers. My dad and her mom have been friends since grade school. Heather and I don't know a time in our lives when we weren't friends.
~I never wear a dress more than once. If an occasion requires a dress, I go out and buy one; then the next dress-up occasion, I will not wear it again. I have a closet full of dresses only worn once. I have no idea why I do this.
~I bought a brand new stick shift car in June because it got great gas mileage. Then gas dropped to $1.59 a gallon. Go figure.
~I hate scary movies.
~When I was in high school I modeled for a local portrait studio...as in, I posed for those photos hanging on the wall when you go to the picture studio.
~ Bands I have seen in concert include Violent Femmes, Stone Temple Pilots (twice), Deftones, KISS, White Zombie, Korn, and Dave Matthews Band.
~I know how to play "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane on the guitar.
~I love giant sunglasses. The big "Jackie-o" kind.
~My college roommate Lee and I had only known each other for about 2 weeks before we decided to look for a place to live together. We are still great friends to this day and she is my daughter's godmother (and I am her daughter's godmother!).
~The only way I like milk is on my cereal. I NEVER drink it otherwise.
~My eyes are green and brown mixed together and turn very bright green when I am angry or crying. The brown parts completely disappear.
~I once burnt my arm on a kerosene heater. I still have a scar.
~Things I've had pierced besides ears: belly button, eyebrow, nose, and "down below" if you get my drift. Things I have pierced currently = ears. I've very "over" the whole body piercing thing...it's sort of 1990's (which is when I had those things listed pierced).
~My husband and I had a destination wedding, and it was the best decision we could have made.
~I absolutely hate cooking.
~I absolutely love cleaning the house.
~One of my front teeth is fake (thus the reason I can't use whitening toothpaste or bleach on my teeth...fake teeth don't bleach). I broke it when I was 11.
~I was in gymnastics in high school. I can still do a cartwheel, but would probably seriously injure myself if I tried anything more advanced.
~My favorite drinks are wine, beer, water or diet Mt. Dew. Although I do love a good martini here and there!
~My favorite Christmas cartoon in the whole world is " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas", the one with the mice and the clock. My sister text messages me every year to tell me it's on.
~I normally drink my coffee just black, and I love it really bold and strong. But, when Mint Mochas come out at Christmas time, I drink enough to them to hold me over til the next winter. They are my FAVORITE.
~My first job was at the Toledo Zoo.
~I have no idea if I want to have any more children or not. Some days I really want to, and some days I'm like, "No way, Jose!" Phil and I know that we may or may not ever decide to have more...and we are ok with just going with the flow on that.
~I want to go to Greece someday. At least for the food if nothing else!
~I have been to Myrtle Beach, SC a total of 15 times in my life.
~Phil and I went whale watching in Newfoundland in 2003.
~I HATE lawn decorations, especially hideous inflatable Christmas junk. TACK-KAY!
~I shave every single day, sometimes twice. I am officially a shave-a-holic.
~My most favorite movies are Blow, American Beauty, and True Romance.
~I am a big Uof M hockey fan.
~My favorite color is blue.
~I'm a scrapbooker and love making scrapbooks for people as gifts.
~I hate heights and riding any ride that gives you "roller coaster stomach".
~I never met a vegetable or fruit I didn't like, unless you count olives, which taste like death to me.
~I carry my camera with me in my purse and take pictures of EVERYTHING.
~I wanted to be a journalist the whole time I was growing up. So, I went to journalism school and then got a job writing for a newspaper, only to find out that I hated it. I worked horrible long hours for peanuts, and it involved a lot of sitting through hideously boring city council meetings. So I went back to school to be a vet tech, which landed me where I am today!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
My day in 13 steps
So....as I sit here watching Overboard on TV (yes, the '80s flick with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell - SHUT UP, it's one of my faves!), I'm re-hashing my day in my head...
1) went to Old Navy, cleaned up on the Performance Fleece scarves...I think I forgot to mention the really cute sweater I bought for myself there too.
2) Went to the mall, hit up H&M...hello BOGO! Got 4 sweaters for $31 (I had a $20 gift card that knocked the price down a bit for me...but still!). Two of them are tunic-length and belted and will look FAB with some leggings and the new short booties I got from Forever 21 last week...they are to DIE for....black snakeskin look with 4.5" stiletto heels....I LOVE THEM so much! Saw our friends Matt and Rhonda and their wee little baby also...chatted them up a while, then headed home.
3) Went through the drive-thru at Starbucks - it's Peppermint Mocha Twist season again!!! OMG, it's my most favorite favorite wintertime fru fru coffee drink EVER! One of those and a kids' hot chocolate, and we were on the way home.
4) we get home, I get the bags, hand KP her hot chocolate, and we head for the door.
5) KP drops the entire cup of hot chocolate on the front porch
6) KP starts crying
7) KP breaks my heart because as she's crying she's also talking and, even though she's barely coherent, I can make out that she's SUPER sad that she has no hot chocolate and the cup was too big for her hands to hold and she "doesn't have big hands" because she's "not big yet!" She then sobbed..."I'm just little!"
8) I turn her around, put her back in the car, go back for more hot chocolate, but go to Tim Horton's b/c I'm not driving another 15 min back to Starbucks when Tim's is less than 5 min away...
9) Pull into Tim's, KP says "Hey, this isn't the coffee shop...this is the donut shop!"
10) Order hot chocolate
11) take it home, rinse out the first Starbucks cup, pour the Tim Horton's hot chocolate into the Starbucks cup so she won't know any different.
12) realize that for $1.20, you get twice as much hot chocolate as a $1.70 kids' hot chocolate at Starbucks...fume about that for a sec.
13) Be happy that KP is happy because she got her hot chocolate
I had those weird upper stomach pains ALL DAY LONG today...until about 4:30 PM. I couldn't eat all day (minus that 1/4 of the omelete that started the whole thing) ....but at about 5 I felt 100% fine and started getting totally ravenous. I made Ky and I some chicken nachos, which were really yummy...but I am realizing more and more that I need to see the Dr. about this! It hurt so bad ALL DAY LONG! Looks like I'm making a phone call this coming week...
I let Ky stay up half an hour past her bedtime (don't tell Phil...he seriously FREAKS if she's up past 8:30. He's sort of a bedtime Nazi...) and, since she went to bed at 9, I've been shopping online. Looking up the leaked Black Friday ads, trying to think of what to get people for Christmas. So far I know what to get for my parents, Phil, and Ky (of course, what DOESN'T KP want?)...but everyone else, I dunno. Gotta get ideas from the ads. I wonder if there will even be anything in the ads worth going out super early for? Ohhh...I'm sure I'll find something.
Phil and I are actually seriously debating taking Ky to Disney World next year. Now through the end of Dec. they are running a promo, if you buy 4 nights at their resort and 4 days' worth of tickets, you get 3 nights/3 days' worth of tickets FREE plus a $200 Disney gift card. For all 3 of us to stay in a Disney resort for 7 days plus get 7 days' worth of park passes AND have the meal plan, it's only $1500. If Spirit would run a cheapie flight to Orlando, Phil said he'd be 100% for it. So, I'm sort of excited about that possibility....we would probably go in Feb....the weather in Florida is FAB that time of year....
Of course, realistically, we are going on two other trips next year so we really need to plan it out. We were supposed to organize a group trip back to Myrtle Beach to celebrate our 5th anniv, but with our trip to Texas in July plus our friend Brian got engaged a couple weeks ago and is talking destination wedding in June...well, we decided that Myrtle would have to wait. Now we are talking Disney World! Heh. We'll see what happens. I must admit, I hope we DO end up going. I went to Disney in Nov. 2006 with 3 of my friends and we had the BEST BEST BEST time. I LOVED it!!! I think we would have a fabulous time (although Phil has expressed concern over being driven crazy by the "It's a Small World" song....I assured him we'd stay far away from that ride).
Well, back to online shopping a bit longer, then I think I'll hit the sack...Phil will be home tomorrow. He e-mailed me from his Blackberry saying that he was sorry but the guys woulnd't stop in Greektown for him to go to Astoria (the best bakery in the world...we ALWAYS go when we are in Detroit!). I told him he could make up for it by bringing home a newspaper and an Asiago cheese bagel from Panera when he gets home tomorrow morning :)
1) went to Old Navy, cleaned up on the Performance Fleece scarves...I think I forgot to mention the really cute sweater I bought for myself there too.
2) Went to the mall, hit up H&M...hello BOGO! Got 4 sweaters for $31 (I had a $20 gift card that knocked the price down a bit for me...but still!). Two of them are tunic-length and belted and will look FAB with some leggings and the new short booties I got from Forever 21 last week...they are to DIE for....black snakeskin look with 4.5" stiletto heels....I LOVE THEM so much! Saw our friends Matt and Rhonda and their wee little baby also...chatted them up a while, then headed home.
3) Went through the drive-thru at Starbucks - it's Peppermint Mocha Twist season again!!! OMG, it's my most favorite favorite wintertime fru fru coffee drink EVER! One of those and a kids' hot chocolate, and we were on the way home.
4) we get home, I get the bags, hand KP her hot chocolate, and we head for the door.
5) KP drops the entire cup of hot chocolate on the front porch
6) KP starts crying
7) KP breaks my heart because as she's crying she's also talking and, even though she's barely coherent, I can make out that she's SUPER sad that she has no hot chocolate and the cup was too big for her hands to hold and she "doesn't have big hands" because she's "not big yet!" She then sobbed..."I'm just little!"
8) I turn her around, put her back in the car, go back for more hot chocolate, but go to Tim Horton's b/c I'm not driving another 15 min back to Starbucks when Tim's is less than 5 min away...
9) Pull into Tim's, KP says "Hey, this isn't the coffee shop...this is the donut shop!"
10) Order hot chocolate
11) take it home, rinse out the first Starbucks cup, pour the Tim Horton's hot chocolate into the Starbucks cup so she won't know any different.
12) realize that for $1.20, you get twice as much hot chocolate as a $1.70 kids' hot chocolate at Starbucks...fume about that for a sec.
13) Be happy that KP is happy because she got her hot chocolate
I had those weird upper stomach pains ALL DAY LONG today...until about 4:30 PM. I couldn't eat all day (minus that 1/4 of the omelete that started the whole thing) ....but at about 5 I felt 100% fine and started getting totally ravenous. I made Ky and I some chicken nachos, which were really yummy...but I am realizing more and more that I need to see the Dr. about this! It hurt so bad ALL DAY LONG! Looks like I'm making a phone call this coming week...
I let Ky stay up half an hour past her bedtime (don't tell Phil...he seriously FREAKS if she's up past 8:30. He's sort of a bedtime Nazi...) and, since she went to bed at 9, I've been shopping online. Looking up the leaked Black Friday ads, trying to think of what to get people for Christmas. So far I know what to get for my parents, Phil, and Ky (of course, what DOESN'T KP want?)...but everyone else, I dunno. Gotta get ideas from the ads. I wonder if there will even be anything in the ads worth going out super early for? Ohhh...I'm sure I'll find something.
Phil and I are actually seriously debating taking Ky to Disney World next year. Now through the end of Dec. they are running a promo, if you buy 4 nights at their resort and 4 days' worth of tickets, you get 3 nights/3 days' worth of tickets FREE plus a $200 Disney gift card. For all 3 of us to stay in a Disney resort for 7 days plus get 7 days' worth of park passes AND have the meal plan, it's only $1500. If Spirit would run a cheapie flight to Orlando, Phil said he'd be 100% for it. So, I'm sort of excited about that possibility....we would probably go in Feb....the weather in Florida is FAB that time of year....
Of course, realistically, we are going on two other trips next year so we really need to plan it out. We were supposed to organize a group trip back to Myrtle Beach to celebrate our 5th anniv, but with our trip to Texas in July plus our friend Brian got engaged a couple weeks ago and is talking destination wedding in June...well, we decided that Myrtle would have to wait. Now we are talking Disney World! Heh. We'll see what happens. I must admit, I hope we DO end up going. I went to Disney in Nov. 2006 with 3 of my friends and we had the BEST BEST BEST time. I LOVED it!!! I think we would have a fabulous time (although Phil has expressed concern over being driven crazy by the "It's a Small World" song....I assured him we'd stay far away from that ride).
Well, back to online shopping a bit longer, then I think I'll hit the sack...Phil will be home tomorrow. He e-mailed me from his Blackberry saying that he was sorry but the guys woulnd't stop in Greektown for him to go to Astoria (the best bakery in the world...we ALWAYS go when we are in Detroit!). I told him he could make up for it by bringing home a newspaper and an Asiago cheese bagel from Panera when he gets home tomorrow morning :)
Hot, hot choco-late!
KP and I spent all morning at Old Navy, cleaning them out of their performance fleece hats and scarves. They had them on sale today for a buck apiece...with a limit of 6. We went back 3 times! With kids, you never can have too much of that stuff...plus I need to get a new coat for winter since my coat from last year is WAY too huge, so I bought some new stuff (now I just need to look for a coat!). Also got Phil a few sets, too. I'm hoping that the matching gloves go on sale soon too. In a little while, we are going to head to the mall and go to H&M...knitwear is B1G1 this weekend! Plus, I started KP on a little Starbucks addiction...the kids' hot chocolate. Now every time we are out, she asks for it. So, I figure we can stop and get some of that, too. P's gone for the day/night, watching football and going to a hockey game with the guys, so Ky and I are having some girl time.
Ky's got a cold....actually, it's much better than it was a few days ago...I had to stay home from work with her on Thursday b/c she had a fever and NO voice whatsoever. Poor little thing! Now she has a pretty disgusting cough...which actually sounds better today than last night, but it's still gross.
So, you know what totally sucks? I think I'm having gallbladder issues. I've been putting off seeing the Dr. about it...I'm not a baby about going to the Dr. or anything, I just feel like I don't have the time to actually make the appt, take the time off work, and go. We are SO busy at work...you should see the imaging calendar....it's totally redonk. But anyhoo, for the last, I dunno, 6 months or so, I've been getting these bad pains high up, above the stomach/between the ribs, after I eat meals that are fatty or greasy. At first I chalked this up to being on Weight Watcher for most of 2008 and therefore just plain not being used to eating that kind of food. The "attacks" lasted anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours. Normally quite painful and would have me doubled over...then would just sort of fade and disappear.
I haven't had one for a while...probably a good two months or so. Then, all of a sudden this week, I started getting them again. This morning we went out to breakfast and I had a veggie omelete. 1/4 of the way through it, the pain started and it was so bad I was sweating. It went away in about an hour, but this time it was really bad. I have looked up these symptoms before and they all point to gallbladder issues. As much as I don't want to take the time out of work...esp now before the holidays...i think I need to bite the bullet and see the Dr. I SOOOOO don't want to have my gallbladder out! I've heard that the side effects of gallbladder removal are not very nice. But, I guess if it's a choice between that and having a gallstone that blocks my bile duct and starts a serious problem....well, I guess let's take 'er out.
So, I've got that to worry about, on top of...
My aunt just got diagnosed with breast cancer this week. Very preliminary testing on a lump she found indicates breast cancer and she has to have further testing done to see if her lymph nodes are clean or if it has metastasized, etc. I have no idea what stage cancer or anything it is. It's so scary! This is the 2nd of my mom's sisters to be diagnosed! So, being that I work in cancer research, I am trying to be a good resource. I had a meeting with our CEO and he was very helpful...gave me all kinds of info, Dr. referrals, offered to introduce my aunt to these oncologists, etc. It's a stressful time right now with that, but my mom and I said that we just have to be there for her and support her through this whole ordeal.
But, there are some bright spots coming up....we are going to Vegas in two weeks!! Yahoo!!! There's a couple family birthdays this month, plus Thanksgiving...and even better, day-after-Thanksgiving shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love to get up at 3AM, drag my mother out there with me, and get some good deals. My mom is the only person I can convince to get up that early to go shopping! I'm looking forward to the holiday season....it's always a very busy time for us, but it's also fun. I've been making lists and getting ideas of what to get people for Christmas this year.
Well, I think Kp and I will hit the road for H&M and that hot chocolate! It's only 40 and rainy out so it's very nice hot chocolate weather!
Ky's got a cold....actually, it's much better than it was a few days ago...I had to stay home from work with her on Thursday b/c she had a fever and NO voice whatsoever. Poor little thing! Now she has a pretty disgusting cough...which actually sounds better today than last night, but it's still gross.
So, you know what totally sucks? I think I'm having gallbladder issues. I've been putting off seeing the Dr. about it...I'm not a baby about going to the Dr. or anything, I just feel like I don't have the time to actually make the appt, take the time off work, and go. We are SO busy at work...you should see the imaging calendar....it's totally redonk. But anyhoo, for the last, I dunno, 6 months or so, I've been getting these bad pains high up, above the stomach/between the ribs, after I eat meals that are fatty or greasy. At first I chalked this up to being on Weight Watcher for most of 2008 and therefore just plain not being used to eating that kind of food. The "attacks" lasted anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours. Normally quite painful and would have me doubled over...then would just sort of fade and disappear.
I haven't had one for a while...probably a good two months or so. Then, all of a sudden this week, I started getting them again. This morning we went out to breakfast and I had a veggie omelete. 1/4 of the way through it, the pain started and it was so bad I was sweating. It went away in about an hour, but this time it was really bad. I have looked up these symptoms before and they all point to gallbladder issues. As much as I don't want to take the time out of work...esp now before the holidays...i think I need to bite the bullet and see the Dr. I SOOOOO don't want to have my gallbladder out! I've heard that the side effects of gallbladder removal are not very nice. But, I guess if it's a choice between that and having a gallstone that blocks my bile duct and starts a serious problem....well, I guess let's take 'er out.
So, I've got that to worry about, on top of...
My aunt just got diagnosed with breast cancer this week. Very preliminary testing on a lump she found indicates breast cancer and she has to have further testing done to see if her lymph nodes are clean or if it has metastasized, etc. I have no idea what stage cancer or anything it is. It's so scary! This is the 2nd of my mom's sisters to be diagnosed! So, being that I work in cancer research, I am trying to be a good resource. I had a meeting with our CEO and he was very helpful...gave me all kinds of info, Dr. referrals, offered to introduce my aunt to these oncologists, etc. It's a stressful time right now with that, but my mom and I said that we just have to be there for her and support her through this whole ordeal.
But, there are some bright spots coming up....we are going to Vegas in two weeks!! Yahoo!!! There's a couple family birthdays this month, plus Thanksgiving...and even better, day-after-Thanksgiving shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love to get up at 3AM, drag my mother out there with me, and get some good deals. My mom is the only person I can convince to get up that early to go shopping! I'm looking forward to the holiday season....it's always a very busy time for us, but it's also fun. I've been making lists and getting ideas of what to get people for Christmas this year.
Well, I think Kp and I will hit the road for H&M and that hot chocolate! It's only 40 and rainy out so it's very nice hot chocolate weather!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Don't forget to VOTE!!!!!
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE TOMORROW!!!!!
I already voted via absentee ballot since I work in a different state than I live. No time tomorrow to come in late, and since work's an hour away from home, I don't have time to leave, vote, and come back. And Phil's volunteering to help fix the voting machines if they would break down tomorrow...so I won't have him in the evening to help with KP. So, absentee for me!
Also, if you vote, go to Starbucks, tell them you voted, and you get a free drip coffee. Just make sure you are truthful about it!!!
I already voted via absentee ballot since I work in a different state than I live. No time tomorrow to come in late, and since work's an hour away from home, I don't have time to leave, vote, and come back. And Phil's volunteering to help fix the voting machines if they would break down tomorrow...so I won't have him in the evening to help with KP. So, absentee for me!
Also, if you vote, go to Starbucks, tell them you voted, and you get a free drip coffee. Just make sure you are truthful about it!!!
Trick or TRASH!!
Today was a weird day...I don't know if it's the time change or what, but it's just been one of those weird days that seems to drag on forever. Work was work, nothing spectacular, but outside of work was just...strange. First off, I left just after 4 and it was already starting to get dusky outside! Then, as we hit Dundee, right in front of Cabela's, 23 became a total parking lot. GPS said that there was an accident a few miles up the highway, but wouldn't give us an alternate route...so we decided to bail on waiting for traffic and got off the freeway and had dinner at this yummy little Mexican place in Dundee that I've been to with the U of M girls before. They have $1 margs all Monday! Yahoo!
About an hour later, we get back on the road, get to 23...to find it's still completely stopped. So, we grabbed some coffee at the coffee place, and had to call Phil's dad to find out if he knew any alternate way to get back to Toledo (damn GPS, all it would say was to get back on US-23!!! I hate technology). Took the back roads all the way to 75, just outside the OH state line. Finally, at 7:00, we pulled into my aunt's to pick Kylee up. Whew! What a fiasco. Phil sanded the drywall in the bathroom and put another coat of mud on it while I cleaned up and played a rousing game of catch in the living room with Ky. It's only 9:00 and both Phil and I are exhausted. I hate days like this one.
Halloween last week was fun, we had out 2nd annual group Trick or Treat excursion with the LaFasso's and their twins, plus of course Jen, Joe, Charlie and Liv. Suz was working - she's a flight attendant and was in Greenland at the time - so she missed it. Oh well. The twins are the oldest kids, just 4 month older than Ky, so obviously Trick or Treating with a bunch under 4 years old doesn't last too long. We made it to the end of the street and back up the other side, and they were done. They ran around Suz's house and front yard while we (the adults) drank, ate pizza and passed out candy. There are tons of kids in that neighborhood so we went through 10 bags in just about an hour!
The thing that amazed me was how some kids are just SO lacking in manners. I mean, 90% of the kids were nice and said their "pleases" and "thank yous" but there were a few that I was just shocked at:
~ Brett had brought glow sticks for our kids so once it got dark he brought them out and was giving them to Ky, Charlie, the twins, and Liv. Well when the other Trick or Treaters saw them, I swear it was like a MAD RUSH to the yard. Brett had, literally, 20 kids surrounding him. We began saying "We aren't giving out the glow sticks, guys....candy is over on the steps" and most kids got the hint with the exception of these 4 kids who stood in front of Brett with their hands out - LITERALLY - the ENTIRE time he was opening the glow sticks. It was a good 5-10 minutes while he opened the sticks, cracked them to get them to glow, then found our kids and handed each one a glow stick. These 4 kids just stood there, hands out, staring at those glow sticks. And these were like, 10-11 year old kids, not toddlers. Finally Brett had two extra so he gave them to two of the kids. I couldn't believe those kids, following him around WITH THEIR HANDS OUT THE WHOLE TIME, trying to grab those glow sticks, even after being told that we weren't passing them out!!!!
~One boy about 9 years old came up the steps and as he was about to say Trick or Treat, noticed that there were two OPENED Whoppers (the chocolate ball things) that one of our kids opened and must have been eating. HE said "Trick or treat", got a couple pieces of candy, then stooped down, grabbed the candies, and shoved them in his mouth! Two OPENED pieces of candy that someone else was eating!!! Sitting on a strangers front porch steps!
~I'm also amazed at the amount of parents who bring their 4 week old babies out (in the dark, in late October) and Trick or Treat "for" the baby. They don't dress up, they just walk around with a pillowcase. Um, yeah...we all know that infant isn't going eat that candy. Please. It's repulsive. If you are gonna go out trick or treating as an adult, AT LEAST dress up. You already look stupid enough. This goes hand in hand with kids who carry two pillowcases, one for them and one for their "sick brother" at home. Ummmm...yeah...right.
My sis in law and I were musing on these observations the whole evening. People are so interesting...and not always in a good way.
About an hour later, we get back on the road, get to 23...to find it's still completely stopped. So, we grabbed some coffee at the coffee place, and had to call Phil's dad to find out if he knew any alternate way to get back to Toledo (damn GPS, all it would say was to get back on US-23!!! I hate technology). Took the back roads all the way to 75, just outside the OH state line. Finally, at 7:00, we pulled into my aunt's to pick Kylee up. Whew! What a fiasco. Phil sanded the drywall in the bathroom and put another coat of mud on it while I cleaned up and played a rousing game of catch in the living room with Ky. It's only 9:00 and both Phil and I are exhausted. I hate days like this one.
Halloween last week was fun, we had out 2nd annual group Trick or Treat excursion with the LaFasso's and their twins, plus of course Jen, Joe, Charlie and Liv. Suz was working - she's a flight attendant and was in Greenland at the time - so she missed it. Oh well. The twins are the oldest kids, just 4 month older than Ky, so obviously Trick or Treating with a bunch under 4 years old doesn't last too long. We made it to the end of the street and back up the other side, and they were done. They ran around Suz's house and front yard while we (the adults) drank, ate pizza and passed out candy. There are tons of kids in that neighborhood so we went through 10 bags in just about an hour!
The thing that amazed me was how some kids are just SO lacking in manners. I mean, 90% of the kids were nice and said their "pleases" and "thank yous" but there were a few that I was just shocked at:
~ Brett had brought glow sticks for our kids so once it got dark he brought them out and was giving them to Ky, Charlie, the twins, and Liv. Well when the other Trick or Treaters saw them, I swear it was like a MAD RUSH to the yard. Brett had, literally, 20 kids surrounding him. We began saying "We aren't giving out the glow sticks, guys....candy is over on the steps" and most kids got the hint with the exception of these 4 kids who stood in front of Brett with their hands out - LITERALLY - the ENTIRE time he was opening the glow sticks. It was a good 5-10 minutes while he opened the sticks, cracked them to get them to glow, then found our kids and handed each one a glow stick. These 4 kids just stood there, hands out, staring at those glow sticks. And these were like, 10-11 year old kids, not toddlers. Finally Brett had two extra so he gave them to two of the kids. I couldn't believe those kids, following him around WITH THEIR HANDS OUT THE WHOLE TIME, trying to grab those glow sticks, even after being told that we weren't passing them out!!!!
~One boy about 9 years old came up the steps and as he was about to say Trick or Treat, noticed that there were two OPENED Whoppers (the chocolate ball things) that one of our kids opened and must have been eating. HE said "Trick or treat", got a couple pieces of candy, then stooped down, grabbed the candies, and shoved them in his mouth! Two OPENED pieces of candy that someone else was eating!!! Sitting on a strangers front porch steps!
~I'm also amazed at the amount of parents who bring their 4 week old babies out (in the dark, in late October) and Trick or Treat "for" the baby. They don't dress up, they just walk around with a pillowcase. Um, yeah...we all know that infant isn't going eat that candy. Please. It's repulsive. If you are gonna go out trick or treating as an adult, AT LEAST dress up. You already look stupid enough. This goes hand in hand with kids who carry two pillowcases, one for them and one for their "sick brother" at home. Ummmm...yeah...right.
My sis in law and I were musing on these observations the whole evening. People are so interesting...and not always in a good way.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Current fashion is bumming me out...
I had a supremely horrible day at work today...it sucked. It left me in the bathroom with tears in my eyes at one point - luckily I keep some Visine in my cubby in said bathroom (I normally use it for my red allergy eyes, but this time it came in handy, too). I managed to keep my cool in front of my coworkers...then at the end of the day I buzzed out just 20 minutes early and went down the road to the mall for a little retail therapy before it was time to pick P up from work.
All I have to say about the fashion that is available in stores right now is UGH. None of my winter clothes from last year fit (now that I'm 25 lbs lighter) so I have put away a nice little shopping fund to spend on some new sweaters and such....well, I've been out shopping THREE times in four days, and can't find anything that I like. Not even my beloved H&M had anything I really cared about. Everything's either too plain, too fug, or short sleeved....I understand that layering is "in", but when it's 30 freaking degrees outside, I don't want to wear short sleeves every day! Bleh.
I've been living in sweatshirts (and therefore looking quite dumpy) because I only have 3 long-sleeved, more fitted shirts and that's it beyond the sweatshirts. It's starting to take a toll on me. Today I not only wore a sweatshirt to work, but Adidas running pants with it!!! "The frump" is taking over!! Luckily we all have to wear scrubs at work anyhow, so it doesn't really matter - I just change as soon as I get there - but over the summer I was always wearing something cute and now that cold weather has hit...I need to rebuild my wardrobe up all over again. But I can't find anything I like! Suck.
I also realized today that my hair is a complete WRECK and I need a haircut extremely bad....it was fine then all of a sudden - poof! - it literally...well...poufs! It needs to be thinned out in the worst way EVER. I had to cancel my last hair appt a couple weeks ago b/c I was just too busy with us working on the bathroom. I haven't been happy with the last 3 times Cyndi has done my hair, so I'm thinking about changing salons anyhow. I like the "small funky salon" atmosphere but I don't like paying $40 for a haircut that I don't really like. And over the summer I had her color my hair twice (partial highlights are an extra $55 on top of the $40 for the cut) and both times, I didn't like it..the first time she bleached the whole front of my hair out yellowy-white, and the 2nd time it looked "frosted". I ended up buying a $10 bottle of hair dye and coloring over it b/c we were about to go on vacation to NC and I didn't want to look like a total 80's queen with my frosted hair. Then, after vacation, about two months ago, I took this picture in b/c I LOVE this haircut:
I love the length in the front and the sides, contrasted by the texture in the back and top. Funky, but feminine. Texture, but not dikey-spikey....see what I mean? Well, Cyndi was all about it....but I walked out with hair WAY shorter all over than that (like it was a female version of a buzz cut) and she cut HALF my bangs off and left the other half long. Like if I combed them straight down over my forehead, one side was short...almost-cut-totally-off, baby bangs...and the other half was long. Luckily if I pushed them to the side it didn't look too weird. Rach came over one night and I showed her the pic and she was like, "I love the haircut in the picture, but yours looks NOTHING like this!". It has now finally grown out to the length it was pre-weird haircut, so I can start over again. But I see no point in paying this woman $100+ for cuts and colors I don't like...so, once again I have to set out looking for a good hairstylist. Why, oh why, did Laurie leave?? I went to her for 4 years and she ALWAYS ALWAYS did the BEST job on my hair. She now lives in N. Carolina so...unless I plan on flying there every 6 weeks...I need to get someone else. Ever since she moved away last winter, I've been through the gamut and just can't find anyone who did my hair as well as she did ::sigh::
But, it needs to get done...my roots are starting to peek out, and my hair is getting fluffy. Lucky for me, my hair literally grows OUT, not down, so if I don't keep up on my cuts, I look like a Q-tip. I got a few recs from people I know who have cute hair, so let's pray, shall we? The problem is, no stylist ever seem to listen to what I want...I either get a generic, cookie-cutter pixie - which is flattering on me but not what I want - or I get some really weird, way too short (or too long and poufy), totally messed-up version of what I describe. At least one of the bonuses of having short hair is that the weird/fugly haircuts grow out quickly.
I also need a manicure...working in research means wearing latex gloves all day which equals nasty cuticles and dry hands. Manicures are essentially a waste for me in the sense that the first day I go to work with my pretty nails, by the end of the day the polish will be chipped and the shiney topcoat totally sucked off by the gloves. But, I still feel like I need it. I sense a Beauty Bar trip in my near future. I succumbed to the trend and bought some grey nailpolish a couple weeks ago. Grey polish is HUGE this fall. OPI brought out two greys - one called You Don't Know Jacques from their French collection, and the other called Metro Chic which is made specifically for Sephora. It was constantly sold out at Sephora so I'd given up on it, but one day while I was out and about running errands I came across a bottle of Jacque and decided to give it a whirl. It's actually more of a taupey brown after a couple coats. I have it on my toes right now, and I'm loving it. Yay for grey!
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