I'm working from home today. This is the one week out of the month that I actually don't have a buttload of stuff to do. So I'm doing some little things to make life easier, like putting all our clients' numbers in my phone, and stuff like that. Right now I'm taking a bit of a lunch break and making some baked squash.
I have 5 pattypan squash plants this year. Every other day or so I go out and remove all the suash bugs, squash bug eggs, and squash vine borer eggs. It seems to be working because I've gotten 3 squashes so far.
Normally I put olive oil and salt and pepper in a pan and sautee the sliced squash but today I decided to try an experiment. I brushed olive oil and salt and pepper on all the slices and then on each slice I tried a different flavor. Garlic, dill, rosemary, oregano, and thyme. Except I got a little mixed up and the garlic got on the oregano and thyme pieces too. So we'll see. Oh, and I'm baking them in the oven.
Life is going pretty well overall. I had a little fender bender the other day during rush hour so the car is in the shop and we have a rental. I also managed to spill some water on my laptop but it was fixable for $150. I'm wearing a holter monitor for 48 hours to track my heart rate. It's always high at the doc and I have palpitations regularly. I feel like a suicide bomber with all these wires and electrodes on my torso. They are very itchy so sometimes I wish it would explode. But I get to remove it at 3:30 today and that will be sweet relief!!
Bones is having trouble with his bladder again. He makes tiny little puddles in the litterbox (and other places because it hurts) so we gave him fluids last night and this morning. He is doing much better. The puddles are bigger and lighter and he's playing more. I think I want to get him an x-ray or something to see if there's a structural issue going on.
The garden is bursting with flowers and butterflies. I've been keeping Variegated Fritillary caterpillars and watching them grow and pupate. Very cool. They eat pansies and violets. I have plenty for them to eat!
Results: all the squash pieces were yummy. I like the rosemary best.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Hot already
We've been fortunate having a long spring. But it is hot today. A cool front is expected this evening and I am looking forward to it. I don't want to mow when it's 90F. My thyroid meds make me not able to handle the heat.
Speaking of meds, I'm on a good level with the thyroid and the depression I think. I have a lot of energy. Still not all that talkative.
Part of that may be that I have to see the public a lot for my job and so I need lots of alone time to recover from that. I'm an introvert and being extroverted for my job is a suprisingly difficult thing. It is work. I had to be a vendor at a workshop this last week and it was exhausting.
My angel trumpet and cosmos began blooming this week. So did the pattypan squash. I need to wrap the stems in foil again to keep out the squash vine borers. I wrapped them when they were smaller but it has all fallen off. I also have gotten two tomatoes from the Early Girl I bought in early March.
Lilly is weird. She is on the counter rubbing her face on my spice rack. She has removed it from the wall. I have never seen her do this before. Odd.
I figured out one of my mystery plants is a penstemon. So that's cool. It has reddish leaves and white tubular flowers. I hope it attracts pollinators.
I'm now in the process of thinning the cosmos plants. They reseed like mad. I'm leaving the ones that are going to bloom first and pulling the others. I hate pulling out a growing plant, especially a flower, but last year they were all crowded and unhealthy.
Ok. that's all for now. :-)
Speaking of meds, I'm on a good level with the thyroid and the depression I think. I have a lot of energy. Still not all that talkative.
Part of that may be that I have to see the public a lot for my job and so I need lots of alone time to recover from that. I'm an introvert and being extroverted for my job is a suprisingly difficult thing. It is work. I had to be a vendor at a workshop this last week and it was exhausting.
My angel trumpet and cosmos began blooming this week. So did the pattypan squash. I need to wrap the stems in foil again to keep out the squash vine borers. I wrapped them when they were smaller but it has all fallen off. I also have gotten two tomatoes from the Early Girl I bought in early March.
Lilly is weird. She is on the counter rubbing her face on my spice rack. She has removed it from the wall. I have never seen her do this before. Odd.
I figured out one of my mystery plants is a penstemon. So that's cool. It has reddish leaves and white tubular flowers. I hope it attracts pollinators.
I'm now in the process of thinning the cosmos plants. They reseed like mad. I'm leaving the ones that are going to bloom first and pulling the others. I hate pulling out a growing plant, especially a flower, but last year they were all crowded and unhealthy.
Ok. that's all for now. :-)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
DH was wondering why I haven't blogged in a while. I guess I just don't feel very talkative. He said that was true in real life too.
Still making mistakes at work but not as many. I'm just so forgetful. People who aren't forgetful tell me to write notes. They don't understand that it just won't help. I'd have a notebook of things to read every few minutes.
Part of the problem is that my doctor is messing with my antidepressants. We went down to one pill a day which is most certainly not enough and then on Friday she's going to decide whether to go back to 2 of these or add in a little of something else. We're trying to keep my anxiety symptoms under control along with the depression. Right now I do ok as long as everything is going well, but I don't have a lot of reserves for when something goes wrong. I'm reminding myself that my meds are too low right now and that helps. I will be glad when I get a little more help though. I don't like the constant fight.
The garden is growing. I have been spending huge amounts of time out there weeding and dividing and repotting and rearranging. It is really nice. Except when I'm sore during the first part of the week from digging all weekend. We bought a rose bush and some coreopsis and a wallflower to add color between the daffodils and the summer stuff. Pansies are good for that but I'd like to have color during the transition time without planting each year. I really want to get a white spirea and some dianthus but I haven't yet.
I suppose that's all for now. Just don't have much to say. Sorry.
Still making mistakes at work but not as many. I'm just so forgetful. People who aren't forgetful tell me to write notes. They don't understand that it just won't help. I'd have a notebook of things to read every few minutes.
Part of the problem is that my doctor is messing with my antidepressants. We went down to one pill a day which is most certainly not enough and then on Friday she's going to decide whether to go back to 2 of these or add in a little of something else. We're trying to keep my anxiety symptoms under control along with the depression. Right now I do ok as long as everything is going well, but I don't have a lot of reserves for when something goes wrong. I'm reminding myself that my meds are too low right now and that helps. I will be glad when I get a little more help though. I don't like the constant fight.
The garden is growing. I have been spending huge amounts of time out there weeding and dividing and repotting and rearranging. It is really nice. Except when I'm sore during the first part of the week from digging all weekend. We bought a rose bush and some coreopsis and a wallflower to add color between the daffodils and the summer stuff. Pansies are good for that but I'd like to have color during the transition time without planting each year. I really want to get a white spirea and some dianthus but I haven't yet.
I suppose that's all for now. Just don't have much to say. Sorry.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Oh. Right. I have a blog.
Yeah... been busy, tired, lazy, pick one.
I've been at my new job for a month now, so that means I'm at the part of the learning curve where I screw up everything I touch. Yay! I hope I pass this phase quickly. M and I have talked about some ways I can get all the stuff in my head faster. Hopefully that'll help.
Still doing really cool stuff. I got to go to a rock quarry, a transmission rebuilder, and an air traffic control tower. Yesterday and today I'm sampling at one of the local hospitals.
Tuvok and I attended the Bark For Life last weekend. It is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, put on by Relay For Life. Tuvok got lots of comments and compliments and won tallest dog. He did so well with all the other dogs and people and I even took off the gentle leader after the first few minutes. The gentle leader prevents the dog from pulling but they hate to wear it. He didn't even need it once he got over his initial excitement of seeing his friends Lulu, Abby, and Jersey...and GRANDMA!! He loves my mom so much!
She came to visit the weekend before and she was making turtle toys for the Bark. Tuvok loved the turtle and he even fetched it for Mom. He has literally NEVER played fetch before. Never saw the point I guess. But he played with Grandma! He carried the turtle around in his mouth most of the day. It was hilarious. And then, when she left, he had no more interest in it. He's a weird dog.
Bones slept on Grandma all night and Lilly loved and rubbed all over her while I brushed her. Everyone had special Grandma time!
It has been unseasonably warm all Spring. All the plants are confused.
I've been at my new job for a month now, so that means I'm at the part of the learning curve where I screw up everything I touch. Yay! I hope I pass this phase quickly. M and I have talked about some ways I can get all the stuff in my head faster. Hopefully that'll help.
Still doing really cool stuff. I got to go to a rock quarry, a transmission rebuilder, and an air traffic control tower. Yesterday and today I'm sampling at one of the local hospitals.
Tuvok and I attended the Bark For Life last weekend. It is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, put on by Relay For Life. Tuvok got lots of comments and compliments and won tallest dog. He did so well with all the other dogs and people and I even took off the gentle leader after the first few minutes. The gentle leader prevents the dog from pulling but they hate to wear it. He didn't even need it once he got over his initial excitement of seeing his friends Lulu, Abby, and Jersey...and GRANDMA!! He loves my mom so much!
She came to visit the weekend before and she was making turtle toys for the Bark. Tuvok loved the turtle and he even fetched it for Mom. He has literally NEVER played fetch before. Never saw the point I guess. But he played with Grandma! He carried the turtle around in his mouth most of the day. It was hilarious. And then, when she left, he had no more interest in it. He's a weird dog.
Bones slept on Grandma all night and Lilly loved and rubbed all over her while I brushed her. Everyone had special Grandma time!
It has been unseasonably warm all Spring. All the plants are confused.
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| Last year the redbud had 4 flower clusters. Look at it now! |
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| My kale is flowering |
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| Redbud flower |
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| The cat shelves were a hit. |
Sunday, March 11, 2012
I survived week two!
Monday we went around to some weekly clients and visited with a neat guy at the city who's in charge of a whole lot of things involved in stormwater. Tuesday I arrived at the office at 5:45 am to meet with S and we started on our business trip. A few months ago they had tested the water at a bunch of municipal airports and some of the test points had results that were too high in a couple of metals. So our trip was to retest those points and see if the problem was resolved. S knows a TON about chemistry and our company and farming and engines and all sorts of stuff. We did not run out of conversation topics. He grew up in a rural area like I did so we naturally have a lot in common. The actual testing part didn't take all that long. I learned a lot about the proper way to take samples and notes and stuff.
The first day we made it all the way to Little Rock. We tested there in the morning and headed back to Tulsa. We did my HAZWOPER training in the car. I had to fail the pretest and then we went over the questions and he taught me the things I needed to know in order to answer them correctly. Then we did some scenarios and he helped me learn the information I needed and the way to go about the thought process so I can quote a job accurately and test the material accurately and safely. I felt much better after we were done. I have enough basic knowledge to keep me safe in many situations and I know enough that I can go look at MSDS sheets and understand what I'm looking at. So that's good. I felt uncomfortable in a few situations the first week because I wasn't sure what to do with the chemicals or what the precautions should be but now I know all that.
S apparently thought I was pretty neat. He said he was impressed with how quickly I apply what I learn into new situations and he was impressed with my perceptiveness and helpfulness while we sampled. He said that when he would look around for something I would figure out what he was looking for and hand it to him, and then next time I would have it ready before he even needed to look for it. I guess that's not normal? I just have a need to be helpful. It's the upside to my over-sensitive nature.
We finished our trip early and came home Wednesday evening. I picked up DH and we had dinner with S and M and M's DH. My DH was happy to finally meet everybody. Thursday M picked me up at 10:30 and we started on our crazy Thursday. She was supposed to come by at 10 but got caught up with one of the bosses and then we got phone calls and emails and emergencies and fires to put out and problems to fix all day long. It was crazy. We were still trying to get the samples packed up when F, the courier showed up at 4:30. He hung out while we finished up and then I had all my hours for the week. Another Friday off!
I slept a lot on Friday and watched tv. It still baffles me how sitting in a car all day can be so tiring. But I'm also using my brain a whole lot more than normal and that uses up energy as well.
I now have just about everything I need to do my job effectively. My laptop came on Thursday, I got a computer bag and a wallet for the petty cash and receipts, and the truck is well on it's way to being safe to drive. M took it to the shop while I was gone and had the brakes fixed and the battery posts cleaned. I picked up the new side mirror, windshield wipers, and tailight last night and will install those this afternoon after the rain moves out. Next month I get to learn how to change the oil and then the only big thing left to do is the transmission service. It will be nice when the truck can go from 1st to 2nd gear without a big painful jerk.
So now it's time to clean the house and take DH to work. Maybe I can get some pictures up on here later.
Monday we went around to some weekly clients and visited with a neat guy at the city who's in charge of a whole lot of things involved in stormwater. Tuesday I arrived at the office at 5:45 am to meet with S and we started on our business trip. A few months ago they had tested the water at a bunch of municipal airports and some of the test points had results that were too high in a couple of metals. So our trip was to retest those points and see if the problem was resolved. S knows a TON about chemistry and our company and farming and engines and all sorts of stuff. We did not run out of conversation topics. He grew up in a rural area like I did so we naturally have a lot in common. The actual testing part didn't take all that long. I learned a lot about the proper way to take samples and notes and stuff.
The first day we made it all the way to Little Rock. We tested there in the morning and headed back to Tulsa. We did my HAZWOPER training in the car. I had to fail the pretest and then we went over the questions and he taught me the things I needed to know in order to answer them correctly. Then we did some scenarios and he helped me learn the information I needed and the way to go about the thought process so I can quote a job accurately and test the material accurately and safely. I felt much better after we were done. I have enough basic knowledge to keep me safe in many situations and I know enough that I can go look at MSDS sheets and understand what I'm looking at. So that's good. I felt uncomfortable in a few situations the first week because I wasn't sure what to do with the chemicals or what the precautions should be but now I know all that.
S apparently thought I was pretty neat. He said he was impressed with how quickly I apply what I learn into new situations and he was impressed with my perceptiveness and helpfulness while we sampled. He said that when he would look around for something I would figure out what he was looking for and hand it to him, and then next time I would have it ready before he even needed to look for it. I guess that's not normal? I just have a need to be helpful. It's the upside to my over-sensitive nature.
We finished our trip early and came home Wednesday evening. I picked up DH and we had dinner with S and M and M's DH. My DH was happy to finally meet everybody. Thursday M picked me up at 10:30 and we started on our crazy Thursday. She was supposed to come by at 10 but got caught up with one of the bosses and then we got phone calls and emails and emergencies and fires to put out and problems to fix all day long. It was crazy. We were still trying to get the samples packed up when F, the courier showed up at 4:30. He hung out while we finished up and then I had all my hours for the week. Another Friday off!
I slept a lot on Friday and watched tv. It still baffles me how sitting in a car all day can be so tiring. But I'm also using my brain a whole lot more than normal and that uses up energy as well.
I now have just about everything I need to do my job effectively. My laptop came on Thursday, I got a computer bag and a wallet for the petty cash and receipts, and the truck is well on it's way to being safe to drive. M took it to the shop while I was gone and had the brakes fixed and the battery posts cleaned. I picked up the new side mirror, windshield wipers, and tailight last night and will install those this afternoon after the rain moves out. Next month I get to learn how to change the oil and then the only big thing left to do is the transmission service. It will be nice when the truck can go from 1st to 2nd gear without a big painful jerk.
So now it's time to clean the house and take DH to work. Maybe I can get some pictures up on here later.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Weekend
As per my part time status at my new job, I'm not allowed to work more than 35 hours for 3 weeks in a row. Well, I already got over 35 hours in four days so I'm off today. I'm not complaining; I'm exhausted.
Monday was normal first day overwhelming. Filled out paperwork, she introduced me to the computer system they use, the different kinds of bottles they use for sampling, where to find cheat sheets when I forget stuff, etc. Tuesday I was already starting to get the hang of things. I read the Standard Operating Proceedures for some things and the MSDS sheets for the chemicals in the bottles. We went to Sam's and WalMart for some supplies and shelving and such. We moved things around the office so we could put up the new shelves but we didn't have a rubber mallet. Wednesday I worked on lining coolers with insulation (very messy job!) and we packed up supplies for the road trip on Thursday. I also learned more about the computer stuff.
Yesterday we took a trip to Pryor. First we stopped at a drinking water treatment facility to get some monthly samples and I met those guys. They're cool. Then I drove while M did some reports and stuff on the computer. There's lots of documentation at this company. It is owned and managed by scientists. We stopped for lunch and visited with M's DH (C) because he was in the area as well. Then we went on to the facility. It is an activated carbon plant! It was really cool. The whole place was black and sooty from the tiny carbon particles they make flying around everywhere. They make a gargantuan amount of this stuff both from coal and recyled carbon filter material. They service some pretty big name clients too. I'm willing to bet most of the people in America have consumed a product that was filtered through this carbon. It was neat and the guy we talked to was very knowledgeable and answered a lot of questions. He's been there for 20 years so he knows a lot about carbon.
So the main question on everyone's minds is: How do you make 'activated' carbon? What does that even mean? Well, I know that now! Or at least the very basic process. First it gets crushed into a fine powder and there are some chemicals that leach all the extra stuff off of the carbon atoms. Then they compress it into tiny cubes all the same size and density. Then they run it through a series of heat treatments, like a kiln or something and it makes the cubes of carbon look more like a lava rock. Full of holes. That way it is 'activated' and ready to absorb practically everything that it touches. One tablespoon of activated carbon has the same surface area as a football field. Pretty cool, huh!
Another interesting factoid. M said that the drinking water facility we visited that morning was the cleanest place we'd go, and the carbon plant was the dirtiest. Good thing they're 150 miles apart.
I got home about 7:30 last night. I was very tired. This morning I took DH to work and came back home and slept. I was still asleep when he came home at 1:00. I keep dreaming that longtime friends and family members hate me or think I am lazy or do bad things on purpose. Not sure what my subconscious is getting at there. Maybe it's getting all that stuff out of my brain for good.
So it looks like my job includes the following: going to various public and private facilities to test their drinking and/or wastewater, being friendly and shooting the breeze with the lab guys at the facilities, bringing them cookies maybe (grin), packing the water samples for transport to the lab in Texas, writing detailed notes about my escapades, responding to phone calls and emails from clients who have questions or need quotes, making sure we have proper inventory, researching stuff for M or clients, improving current practices to save money or increase efficiency, writing reports about what I did this week. Maybe other stuff that I don't know about yet too. I do have a nice long list of projects to work on to make the office better and more organized and stuff like that. I kind of wish I was salary like M so I could work on stuff as I think about it instead of only during specific work hours not to exceed 35 per week for 3 weeks in a row. Oh well, it'll get done. Just not as quickly as I'd like.
Next week is also going to be a doozy. Monday we have some samples to pick up, and Tuesday through Thursday I'll be on the road in Arkansas with the special projects guy learning stuff and getting my HAZWOPR training. Once again, more than 35 hours. We'll have to be very careful the week after so I don't go over. But hopefully things will be settled down enough that it won't be too bad.
So needless to say, I haven't done much at home this week. I did get the shelves painted and the carpet stapled on them. I also plotted out where the shelves will go on the wall. Yesterday morning I put most of the plants outside to get some real sunshine and I need to bring them back in because its supposed to get cold tonight.
Monday was normal first day overwhelming. Filled out paperwork, she introduced me to the computer system they use, the different kinds of bottles they use for sampling, where to find cheat sheets when I forget stuff, etc. Tuesday I was already starting to get the hang of things. I read the Standard Operating Proceedures for some things and the MSDS sheets for the chemicals in the bottles. We went to Sam's and WalMart for some supplies and shelving and such. We moved things around the office so we could put up the new shelves but we didn't have a rubber mallet. Wednesday I worked on lining coolers with insulation (very messy job!) and we packed up supplies for the road trip on Thursday. I also learned more about the computer stuff.
Yesterday we took a trip to Pryor. First we stopped at a drinking water treatment facility to get some monthly samples and I met those guys. They're cool. Then I drove while M did some reports and stuff on the computer. There's lots of documentation at this company. It is owned and managed by scientists. We stopped for lunch and visited with M's DH (C) because he was in the area as well. Then we went on to the facility. It is an activated carbon plant! It was really cool. The whole place was black and sooty from the tiny carbon particles they make flying around everywhere. They make a gargantuan amount of this stuff both from coal and recyled carbon filter material. They service some pretty big name clients too. I'm willing to bet most of the people in America have consumed a product that was filtered through this carbon. It was neat and the guy we talked to was very knowledgeable and answered a lot of questions. He's been there for 20 years so he knows a lot about carbon.
So the main question on everyone's minds is: How do you make 'activated' carbon? What does that even mean? Well, I know that now! Or at least the very basic process. First it gets crushed into a fine powder and there are some chemicals that leach all the extra stuff off of the carbon atoms. Then they compress it into tiny cubes all the same size and density. Then they run it through a series of heat treatments, like a kiln or something and it makes the cubes of carbon look more like a lava rock. Full of holes. That way it is 'activated' and ready to absorb practically everything that it touches. One tablespoon of activated carbon has the same surface area as a football field. Pretty cool, huh!
Another interesting factoid. M said that the drinking water facility we visited that morning was the cleanest place we'd go, and the carbon plant was the dirtiest. Good thing they're 150 miles apart.
I got home about 7:30 last night. I was very tired. This morning I took DH to work and came back home and slept. I was still asleep when he came home at 1:00. I keep dreaming that longtime friends and family members hate me or think I am lazy or do bad things on purpose. Not sure what my subconscious is getting at there. Maybe it's getting all that stuff out of my brain for good.
So it looks like my job includes the following: going to various public and private facilities to test their drinking and/or wastewater, being friendly and shooting the breeze with the lab guys at the facilities, bringing them cookies maybe (grin), packing the water samples for transport to the lab in Texas, writing detailed notes about my escapades, responding to phone calls and emails from clients who have questions or need quotes, making sure we have proper inventory, researching stuff for M or clients, improving current practices to save money or increase efficiency, writing reports about what I did this week. Maybe other stuff that I don't know about yet too. I do have a nice long list of projects to work on to make the office better and more organized and stuff like that. I kind of wish I was salary like M so I could work on stuff as I think about it instead of only during specific work hours not to exceed 35 per week for 3 weeks in a row. Oh well, it'll get done. Just not as quickly as I'd like.
Next week is also going to be a doozy. Monday we have some samples to pick up, and Tuesday through Thursday I'll be on the road in Arkansas with the special projects guy learning stuff and getting my HAZWOPR training. Once again, more than 35 hours. We'll have to be very careful the week after so I don't go over. But hopefully things will be settled down enough that it won't be too bad.
So needless to say, I haven't done much at home this week. I did get the shelves painted and the carpet stapled on them. I also plotted out where the shelves will go on the wall. Yesterday morning I put most of the plants outside to get some real sunshine and I need to bring them back in because its supposed to get cold tonight.
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| My daffodils on 3/1/12 |
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| The houseplants enjoying a warm morning |
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Gorgeous Day
Today is beautiful. 60F, sunny, breezy. I've been doing all kinds of stuff. I slept until DH needed to go to work about 10:30 and then I came home and had some tea, then painted the shelves I'm making for the cats and started rotating plants outside to be thoughrally watered and enjoy the real sun for a couple of hours. I have planted some seeds and refilled the bird feeders and put down pre-emergent on the lawn. At one point I noticed my legs weren't doing a very good job of holding me up, so I stopped and had lunch, then watched the Oklahoma Gardening episode for this week. Then I potted up the cannas I bought. I also put the corned beef in the crock pot to cook. None of this is really in any order, by the way.
I want to put the carpet on the cat shelves, then bring the plants back in, then I need to wash the dog and shower and clean the floors. They are really bad. But my muscles are kinda wobbly again. I'm wondering if I should take a nap for a little while. I realized a little bit ago that I hadn't had any water all day because I've been too busy to think about it. So I have water now. I did have two cups of my darjeeling tea and that was good. I've had 3 of the 4 and they are all yummy. Only the green tea is left.
Yeah, I think I'll rotate the plants again and then take a nap. It's almost 3 so I think I have time.
There are so many things that my newly unstressed brain wants to do and my poor body just can't keep up!
I want to put the carpet on the cat shelves, then bring the plants back in, then I need to wash the dog and shower and clean the floors. They are really bad. But my muscles are kinda wobbly again. I'm wondering if I should take a nap for a little while. I realized a little bit ago that I hadn't had any water all day because I've been too busy to think about it. So I have water now. I did have two cups of my darjeeling tea and that was good. I've had 3 of the 4 and they are all yummy. Only the green tea is left.
Yeah, I think I'll rotate the plants again and then take a nap. It's almost 3 so I think I have time.
There are so many things that my newly unstressed brain wants to do and my poor body just can't keep up!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Well, it's now Friday morning. I can't sleep. I tossed and turned and dozed until about 2:30 and I've been playing with photoshop since then. Wednesday was kind of surreal. Even though I was going to be done with those bosses and everything, I still was concerned about the inevitable confrontation. So I wrote a letter and put it on the Area Manager's desk while he was out. I said a quick goodbye to the people I saw on my way out and that was that. Yesterday I slept in. Mid morning my new boss/manager/partner/M called and wanted to have lunch so we could exchange some stuff. So that was fun. She told me about why she picked me over the other guy that applied. He had really good experience and lots of contacts that she could follow up on, but she said it was like pulling teeth to get him to give her any information. I didn't have the experience but she felt I could learn quickly and she knew I'd have a better relationship with her and the clients because I was better socially. I got the job because I have a brilliant personality! Lol! I don't often have a better personality than other people!
I passed the physical but we're still waiting on the drug test for some reason. I didn't take any drugs so I don't know what's taking so long. We're also still waiting on the handbook. That's supposed to get here this afternoon and I can go pick it up and look over it this weekend. Saturday I do the defensive driving class and hopefully I'll actually start working Monday or Tuesday.
After lunch I went to my favorite plant nursery since I was in the area. There were lots of neat things but I don't have places or money for them right now. Someday I want a witch hazel tree. They are so cool. I was tired when I got home but I puttered around a little, ran the dishwasher, etc. Then DH called and wanted to come home to get some work done. I guess people were hassling him too much at the office. He had me call old work to see if my last checks were ready. They were. He was very sweet and went in with me because I was still nervous about the confrontation and awkwardness. I can never prepare fully for what those situations bring and I clam up and it is just a bad deal. But DH reminded me that it is because of my disability and it isn't my fault. He was there to support me just like I'm there to drive him around because he can't see. The Good Lord knew I was freaking out because there was a guy there picking up an order and he had a sweet little chihuahua with him. I got to love on the dog and it calmed me down. The Area Manager came out with my checks and all he said was, "I wish you'd have said something sooner." I said I couldn't risk being fired and turned around and left. I don't know if he was talking about the disability or the lack of notice of quitting but the response worked either way. With the way they've treated me over the last year, I had no way of knowing they wouldn't can me on the spot when they found out I was "disabled". If you can't treat a person with dignity before you know why they act different than you, you're probably not going to treat them better afterwards. Humans are either nice to other people or they're not. Sometimes they can pretend for a while but sooner or later the true nature reveals itself.
So anyway, as soon as we pulled out of the parking lot I broke down and let out all the stress that had been building up inside. DH was so sweet and just let me cry a little. He tried to find something to say to make me feel better but I let him know that just being there was plenty. There were only a few tears and I was done. By the time I got home I felt lighter than I have in ages. DH noticed it.
So my brain has been full of possibilities since then and I couln't sleep. I started some more seeds, looked for shelf brackets online, thought about the garden and the decorating and all the happy things that I just couldn't get interested in before. DH got up at 5 to work some more and sent me to Starbucks for breakfast. Yum!
So DH's job is really going well. All the cops and other DA's and other agencies all respect him and want him to work on their projects. He's got several really cool things going on. So that's why he's been saying that Everything's Coming up Motsy. He kept asking me if I felt that way too, and now I do.
Everything really is coming up Motsy. :-)
Here are some pictures.
I passed the physical but we're still waiting on the drug test for some reason. I didn't take any drugs so I don't know what's taking so long. We're also still waiting on the handbook. That's supposed to get here this afternoon and I can go pick it up and look over it this weekend. Saturday I do the defensive driving class and hopefully I'll actually start working Monday or Tuesday.
After lunch I went to my favorite plant nursery since I was in the area. There were lots of neat things but I don't have places or money for them right now. Someday I want a witch hazel tree. They are so cool. I was tired when I got home but I puttered around a little, ran the dishwasher, etc. Then DH called and wanted to come home to get some work done. I guess people were hassling him too much at the office. He had me call old work to see if my last checks were ready. They were. He was very sweet and went in with me because I was still nervous about the confrontation and awkwardness. I can never prepare fully for what those situations bring and I clam up and it is just a bad deal. But DH reminded me that it is because of my disability and it isn't my fault. He was there to support me just like I'm there to drive him around because he can't see. The Good Lord knew I was freaking out because there was a guy there picking up an order and he had a sweet little chihuahua with him. I got to love on the dog and it calmed me down. The Area Manager came out with my checks and all he said was, "I wish you'd have said something sooner." I said I couldn't risk being fired and turned around and left. I don't know if he was talking about the disability or the lack of notice of quitting but the response worked either way. With the way they've treated me over the last year, I had no way of knowing they wouldn't can me on the spot when they found out I was "disabled". If you can't treat a person with dignity before you know why they act different than you, you're probably not going to treat them better afterwards. Humans are either nice to other people or they're not. Sometimes they can pretend for a while but sooner or later the true nature reveals itself.
So anyway, as soon as we pulled out of the parking lot I broke down and let out all the stress that had been building up inside. DH was so sweet and just let me cry a little. He tried to find something to say to make me feel better but I let him know that just being there was plenty. There were only a few tears and I was done. By the time I got home I felt lighter than I have in ages. DH noticed it.
So my brain has been full of possibilities since then and I couln't sleep. I started some more seeds, looked for shelf brackets online, thought about the garden and the decorating and all the happy things that I just couldn't get interested in before. DH got up at 5 to work some more and sent me to Starbucks for breakfast. Yum!
So DH's job is really going well. All the cops and other DA's and other agencies all respect him and want him to work on their projects. He's got several really cool things going on. So that's why he's been saying that Everything's Coming up Motsy. He kept asking me if I felt that way too, and now I do.
Everything really is coming up Motsy. :-)
Here are some pictures.
 |
| Bones on the afghan, showing the fluffiness of it. |
 |
| The completed afghan |
 |
| Matt's Christmas lights |
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| Matt's Christmas Lights |
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| Matt's Christmas Lights |
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| Daisy, photoshopped a little |
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| Lillibutt. She turned 8 yesterday! |
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| Pretty bluets |
Everything's Coming Up Motsy
I started this on Sunday.
Background: DH's work friends call him Motsy, a play on our last name. I am, therefore, Mrs. Motsy.
So lots of things have been happening but they've been either too stressful to think about in a blogging sense, or not appropriate to discuss on the public interweb at this time. But I think I'm to a point that I can make a post.
First, the little things.
I just ordered some tea! One day I was listening to The Splendid Table on NPR and they had this tea expert who lives in Minnesota. He was really cool and so I visited his website (www.teasource.com), which also was really cool. I have wanted to order some tea for a while from him but I had enough here at home that I couldn't really justify it. But I've been drinking the tea I have and I'm running out. What a pity! I have to order more!! I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to order, but that's not a problem because he has tea samplers! I got the rare tea sampler that has Namring Upper State Darjeeling, High Mountain Oolong, Dark Green Needle, and Black Bud. I'm the least excited about the green tea because I prefer black teas, but I'm also open to the possibility that I've never had such a high quality green tea. It may be very yummy. $20 with shipping for about 40 cups. And I think that's for one steeping each and I like to have at least two steepings from each batch of leaves. With regular grocery store tea bags, the second cup can be bitter. But high quality loosleaf teas have lots of neat subtleties that come out on subsequent steepings.
Subtleties is a very awkward word to spell.
Today I'm going to plant some onions. I don't exactly know WHERE yet, but whatever. They'll probably end up in Bed 3, in the front. I would love to revamp my vegetable bed in the back but I don't think it'll happen this year. I do have some ideas for my veggies this year that will hopefully allow me to actually get fruit, unlike last year. Stupid record breaking heat and drought. I'm going to shade the tomatoes, and remember to fertilize them on schedule. I'm going to grow some bush pattypan squash under cover and hand pollinate, and the other half I'll try wrapping the stems with foil, or maybe strips of row cover. With the vining squash, I'll do the wrapping thing. And also, some of them will be in the container garden, that has weed mat underneath. I'm trying as many Squash Vine Borer preventatives as I can because I'm determined to get squash! In the future maybe I can be more scientific about it but this year I just want squash. I'm going to put the fertilizer schedule in my phone calender so I remember to do it.
I tried to move my giant Datura a few weeks ago but the roots went under the foundation of the house. I'll just try to keep it pruned. If that doesn't work, I'll just kill that one and plant another somewhere else. I want to buy some seeds of the blackcurrant variety and put them somewhere. They are gorgeous! Deep purple and kinda frilly.
I also bought my first rain barrel. I have been looking around for months and doing a bunch of research to find the best deal. I found it at Sam's. 65 gallons for $78. Can't beat that anywhere. Well, maybe if I wanted a big underground thing I could get a better value but I can't afford that. I had to stay in the $100 range. I even looked at homemade options but none matched this one. I hope to get that installed today or maybe this week while it's nice out.
This has been sucha wierd winter. Looking back, I could have kept cool season crops going pretty much the whole time. But I don't think I would have kept up with them even if I had planted them. Too much other stuff going on.
I went to the Neuropsychologist and had cognitive testing. It was quite enlightening. The first notable result was that the stress of the past year or so has impacted my effective functioning and my IQ result was significantly lower than previous scores. I'm still in the high average range, but that is lower than what I've always been before. It was a very blatant reminder that long term stress is very, very bad for you.
I scored in the superior range for simple speeded attention, vocabulary, manual dexterity, and motor speed, and the ability to solve everyday problems. The tester lady said I had one of the best times she's ever seen on the dexterity test, with both hands. I was in the 99% on the problem solving thing, although I'm not exactly sure what that means.
Now for the interesting part. My attention tests were all over the place. Sometimes I was superior and others I was below average. Mildly impaired semantic verbal fluency, moderately impaired phenomic verbal fluency, "the latter scores appear to reflect a slowed speed of verbal information processing." Finally, I showed moderate levels of depression, and profoundly elevated levels of longstanding nervous tension.
My diagnoses were PDD-NOS: Sensory Processing Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It explaines why I showed many of the characteristics of the Autism Spectrum.
From sinenetwork.org: Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as "sensory integration dysfunction") is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively.
So basically, my brain recieves all the input all the time and can't control how much of it I'm aware of, or how I respond to it. I get overwhelmed easily and kind of freak out. The main problem at my current job is what happens when I'm acutely stressed out by a boss yelling at me in front of everyone. I freeze up and start crying. Then I get in trouble for crying. And that makes me cry more. I can't find any words with which to defend myself. I'm overwhelmed by the fact that I'm in trouble and I don't really understand why. It's just bad.
Needless to say,this disorder has made me a prime target of bullying and harassment for the past year or so. It is easy to bully the one who is different from everyone else, especially if that person cries easily. It is easy to get behind and support a bully when the target is obviously so weak and incompetent.
Except that I'm not weak OR incompetent. I ran that bindery for about two years. I just process things a little differently and have unusual weaknesses. Having unusual weaknesses means I have unusual strengths. That I'm no longer allowed to utilize at my job.
The neuropsychologist, along with my primary care physician and my endocrinologist, have encouraged me to find another job. So I did.
One day I went onto monster.com and looked at the two openings related to my degree. I posted my resume and cover letter to the first one and was working on the second. Fifteen minutes after I posted the first application I got an email from the company requesting a phone interview. I emailed back and thirty minutes later I was talking to my future new boss. He was very excited and had me set up an interview with the branch manager. I did that later in the week, she thought I was awesome (her words) and we had a final dinner date interview with the both of them the other night.
First, I just want to say that this feeling of being wanted professionally is really indescribeable. Already, my friends and family have noticed a difference in my dimeanor and I am happier, walking lighter and taller, and more confident.
They want me because of the way I see the world, the way I probe all the way to the bottom of a question, the way I research things as a matter of course. They want me for my organization skills and my streamlining skills. They want me because my lifestyle of continuus improvement is the same as their business model. They want my for my passion, not only for the environment, but for helping and supporting other people. They want me.
My job title is Field Sampling Technician but I get the feeling that there's a huge amount of other things involved. From my conversations with them, it seems that the field sampling part is pretty tiny and the business support part and the customer support part and the research part is the bulk of my job. But I won't really know for a few more days.
Today, Monday, I took a vacation day and did the pre-employment physical. The physical therapist joked that I was applying to be a body builder. She said it was the most involved physical she's ever done.
First, I lifted 8 pounds from the floor to my waist 4 times. No big deal. Then I did it with 12 pounds, then 15, 23, 28, 33, 38, 43, 48, and 53 pounds. That was tiring. Then I did the same reps and weight progression but this time from my waist to my shoulders. I only got to 43 pounds that time. By the time I had to climb the ladder to the 4th rung and back 4 times, my muscles were jello. Then I got to carry 60 pounds around for a few feet, squat for 5 minutes and kneel for 5 minutes. She had to monitor my heart rate the whole time too.
I hope I didn't fail because I was too tired to lift 48 and 53 pounds from my waist to my shoulders 4 times.
Did I mention I was sore from gardening yesterday?
Oh, and also, when I tried to take a nap yesterday I couldn't because my heart wouldn't stop pounding. I finally clocked it at 120 bpm. Tachycardia is anything above 100 while resting. After about 2 hours of that I finally called the doctor and he called in some beta blockers. He said I probably got a bottle of thyroid meds that was concentrated too much. Apparently that happens with Armor. I'm supposed to take half a pill until my next appointment. So my body's a little off from that as well.
By the time I got home I was mush. I laid down on the couch and didn't move. Correction: couldn't move. DH started freaking and I had to explain why this was an unusual series of events and I'll be fine and whatever else I could think of. He's not always good with perspective. I napped for a while and feel a little better, albeit sore. Work will be fun tomorrow. DH said I can quit Wednesday. Yeeeee!!! No more that job!
Oh crap. I just remembered I have to make cookies. Good thing I have a hand mixer! No way I'm hand-creaming the batter tonight.
I think I'm going to wait to post this until I do leave my current job. DH wants me to make as much money as I can so I don't need them firing me before Wednesday...
Background: DH's work friends call him Motsy, a play on our last name. I am, therefore, Mrs. Motsy.
So lots of things have been happening but they've been either too stressful to think about in a blogging sense, or not appropriate to discuss on the public interweb at this time. But I think I'm to a point that I can make a post.
First, the little things.
I just ordered some tea! One day I was listening to The Splendid Table on NPR and they had this tea expert who lives in Minnesota. He was really cool and so I visited his website (www.teasource.com), which also was really cool. I have wanted to order some tea for a while from him but I had enough here at home that I couldn't really justify it. But I've been drinking the tea I have and I'm running out. What a pity! I have to order more!! I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to order, but that's not a problem because he has tea samplers! I got the rare tea sampler that has Namring Upper State Darjeeling, High Mountain Oolong, Dark Green Needle, and Black Bud. I'm the least excited about the green tea because I prefer black teas, but I'm also open to the possibility that I've never had such a high quality green tea. It may be very yummy. $20 with shipping for about 40 cups. And I think that's for one steeping each and I like to have at least two steepings from each batch of leaves. With regular grocery store tea bags, the second cup can be bitter. But high quality loosleaf teas have lots of neat subtleties that come out on subsequent steepings.
Subtleties is a very awkward word to spell.
Today I'm going to plant some onions. I don't exactly know WHERE yet, but whatever. They'll probably end up in Bed 3, in the front. I would love to revamp my vegetable bed in the back but I don't think it'll happen this year. I do have some ideas for my veggies this year that will hopefully allow me to actually get fruit, unlike last year. Stupid record breaking heat and drought. I'm going to shade the tomatoes, and remember to fertilize them on schedule. I'm going to grow some bush pattypan squash under cover and hand pollinate, and the other half I'll try wrapping the stems with foil, or maybe strips of row cover. With the vining squash, I'll do the wrapping thing. And also, some of them will be in the container garden, that has weed mat underneath. I'm trying as many Squash Vine Borer preventatives as I can because I'm determined to get squash! In the future maybe I can be more scientific about it but this year I just want squash. I'm going to put the fertilizer schedule in my phone calender so I remember to do it.
I tried to move my giant Datura a few weeks ago but the roots went under the foundation of the house. I'll just try to keep it pruned. If that doesn't work, I'll just kill that one and plant another somewhere else. I want to buy some seeds of the blackcurrant variety and put them somewhere. They are gorgeous! Deep purple and kinda frilly.
I also bought my first rain barrel. I have been looking around for months and doing a bunch of research to find the best deal. I found it at Sam's. 65 gallons for $78. Can't beat that anywhere. Well, maybe if I wanted a big underground thing I could get a better value but I can't afford that. I had to stay in the $100 range. I even looked at homemade options but none matched this one. I hope to get that installed today or maybe this week while it's nice out.
This has been sucha wierd winter. Looking back, I could have kept cool season crops going pretty much the whole time. But I don't think I would have kept up with them even if I had planted them. Too much other stuff going on.
I went to the Neuropsychologist and had cognitive testing. It was quite enlightening. The first notable result was that the stress of the past year or so has impacted my effective functioning and my IQ result was significantly lower than previous scores. I'm still in the high average range, but that is lower than what I've always been before. It was a very blatant reminder that long term stress is very, very bad for you.
I scored in the superior range for simple speeded attention, vocabulary, manual dexterity, and motor speed, and the ability to solve everyday problems. The tester lady said I had one of the best times she's ever seen on the dexterity test, with both hands. I was in the 99% on the problem solving thing, although I'm not exactly sure what that means.
Now for the interesting part. My attention tests were all over the place. Sometimes I was superior and others I was below average. Mildly impaired semantic verbal fluency, moderately impaired phenomic verbal fluency, "the latter scores appear to reflect a slowed speed of verbal information processing." Finally, I showed moderate levels of depression, and profoundly elevated levels of longstanding nervous tension.
My diagnoses were PDD-NOS: Sensory Processing Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It explaines why I showed many of the characteristics of the Autism Spectrum.
From sinenetwork.org: Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as "sensory integration dysfunction") is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively.
So basically, my brain recieves all the input all the time and can't control how much of it I'm aware of, or how I respond to it. I get overwhelmed easily and kind of freak out. The main problem at my current job is what happens when I'm acutely stressed out by a boss yelling at me in front of everyone. I freeze up and start crying. Then I get in trouble for crying. And that makes me cry more. I can't find any words with which to defend myself. I'm overwhelmed by the fact that I'm in trouble and I don't really understand why. It's just bad.
Needless to say,this disorder has made me a prime target of bullying and harassment for the past year or so. It is easy to bully the one who is different from everyone else, especially if that person cries easily. It is easy to get behind and support a bully when the target is obviously so weak and incompetent.
Except that I'm not weak OR incompetent. I ran that bindery for about two years. I just process things a little differently and have unusual weaknesses. Having unusual weaknesses means I have unusual strengths. That I'm no longer allowed to utilize at my job.
The neuropsychologist, along with my primary care physician and my endocrinologist, have encouraged me to find another job. So I did.
One day I went onto monster.com and looked at the two openings related to my degree. I posted my resume and cover letter to the first one and was working on the second. Fifteen minutes after I posted the first application I got an email from the company requesting a phone interview. I emailed back and thirty minutes later I was talking to my future new boss. He was very excited and had me set up an interview with the branch manager. I did that later in the week, she thought I was awesome (her words) and we had a final dinner date interview with the both of them the other night.
First, I just want to say that this feeling of being wanted professionally is really indescribeable. Already, my friends and family have noticed a difference in my dimeanor and I am happier, walking lighter and taller, and more confident.
They want me because of the way I see the world, the way I probe all the way to the bottom of a question, the way I research things as a matter of course. They want me for my organization skills and my streamlining skills. They want me because my lifestyle of continuus improvement is the same as their business model. They want my for my passion, not only for the environment, but for helping and supporting other people. They want me.
My job title is Field Sampling Technician but I get the feeling that there's a huge amount of other things involved. From my conversations with them, it seems that the field sampling part is pretty tiny and the business support part and the customer support part and the research part is the bulk of my job. But I won't really know for a few more days.
Today, Monday, I took a vacation day and did the pre-employment physical. The physical therapist joked that I was applying to be a body builder. She said it was the most involved physical she's ever done.
First, I lifted 8 pounds from the floor to my waist 4 times. No big deal. Then I did it with 12 pounds, then 15, 23, 28, 33, 38, 43, 48, and 53 pounds. That was tiring. Then I did the same reps and weight progression but this time from my waist to my shoulders. I only got to 43 pounds that time. By the time I had to climb the ladder to the 4th rung and back 4 times, my muscles were jello. Then I got to carry 60 pounds around for a few feet, squat for 5 minutes and kneel for 5 minutes. She had to monitor my heart rate the whole time too.
I hope I didn't fail because I was too tired to lift 48 and 53 pounds from my waist to my shoulders 4 times.
Did I mention I was sore from gardening yesterday?
Oh, and also, when I tried to take a nap yesterday I couldn't because my heart wouldn't stop pounding. I finally clocked it at 120 bpm. Tachycardia is anything above 100 while resting. After about 2 hours of that I finally called the doctor and he called in some beta blockers. He said I probably got a bottle of thyroid meds that was concentrated too much. Apparently that happens with Armor. I'm supposed to take half a pill until my next appointment. So my body's a little off from that as well.
By the time I got home I was mush. I laid down on the couch and didn't move. Correction: couldn't move. DH started freaking and I had to explain why this was an unusual series of events and I'll be fine and whatever else I could think of. He's not always good with perspective. I napped for a while and feel a little better, albeit sore. Work will be fun tomorrow. DH said I can quit Wednesday. Yeeeee!!! No more that job!
Oh crap. I just remembered I have to make cookies. Good thing I have a hand mixer! No way I'm hand-creaming the batter tonight.
I think I'm going to wait to post this until I do leave my current job. DH wants me to make as much money as I can so I don't need them firing me before Wednesday...
Monday, January 16, 2012
I just realized I've been gone a long time!
Well. The Staph healed up nicely once the necrotic tissue was gone. It was not MRSA, but probably the same strain that Dad apparently carries. Yeah, my Dad is a Staph carrier. Turns out, about 30% of the population is like that. So if you find out that you or someone you love carries this bug around, you/they should use Lever2000 soap (according to Dad's doctor) to help keep the bacteria in check. My wrist now has a dark pink curcular spot that feels kind of numb. Sometimes it aches if I use my wrist too much. The end. :-)
So then it was time for Christmas. I tried desperately to balance resting/healing with preparing for the festivities. I didn't succeed very well. Christmas Eve we went to my Aunt's parent's house on my Dad's side. Gotta love explaning relations. Anyway, that was pretty fun, except DH had a cold. He went home and I went to see my aunt and uncle's "new" renovated house. It was cool.
Christmas morning I awoke to discover that DH had given me an amazing present- his cold! We went to the inlaws and opened presents while Skyping with BIL and his wife in North Carolina. FIL had gotten WiFi just for the occasion. It was a big hit. MIL and Grandma want iPads now. :-)
The gifts we gave weren't very inspired this year. All the sickness and surgeries kind of sapped our creativity. MIL got a DVD of M.A.S.H., FIL got a nifty folding saw. Grandparents and BIL got gift cards. DH got a cold brew coffee system. Apparently it makes better coffee than even the french press. The one taste I had was not better. I may need to try again. He got some other techy gadgets that I can't remember. I got a handmade crochet hook! Size M. Tuvok ate my other size M hook. I also got a proportional measurer thing. Yeah, I'll take pictures... And I got a new lens for my camera. It is a Sigma 18-50mm. Before, the widest lens I had was 24mm, which was plenty for 35mm format cameras, but digital has some sort of distortion thing so all the lenses work like longer ones. That's wonderful for my telephotos but it made my 24mm into almost what a 50mm was before. The 18mm takes good indoor shots and I can zoom short distances too. That really comes in handy. Changing lenses all the time gets annoying.
My Mom and her sisters (and my cousin and Dad and brother) came over on Monday. We had a "Stitch and Talk". Everyone brought their craft projects and some food and we sat around and visited and ate and worked on our projects all day. That is just about the best kind of day possible. At least for us. Later, we went to Michael's to look at crafty things and then we went to look at Christmas lights. We went to the Chesapeake campus and ooohed and aaaahed over those a while, then drove to my boss's house to look at his lights. He has 5 acres packed full of lights and inflateables and stuff. My family was like WWWWOOOOOOAH!!! I felt pride, even though I had nothing to do with his lights. Lol!
We went to visit our friends in Norman for New Years Eve. The boys played their nerdy Star Wars game and my friend and I talked and I worked on my afghan I'm making. Then her younger daughter woke up and we watched her until midnight happened and then we went home. I don't know what it is about a baby, but you don't talk or do anything but stare at the kid and watch whatever she does. Very strange. Must be something hardwired in so the kid doesn't get hurt or run off or whatever. Even though she didn't feel very good, she was still a pleasent baby. Every so often she'd make a miserable face, bury herself in her mom's chest and say, Buahhhh.... That was about the only evidence that she was sick. Other than the river of snot... lol. Poor kid.
Tuesday was the Fiesta Bowl. OSU won!!!! Barely. But still. We're Number #3!!!! This is the first time in my life that I've been a fan of a winning team!!!
So we're just about caught up. But it is 9:00 so I'm going to cut it off here. Good night.
Well. The Staph healed up nicely once the necrotic tissue was gone. It was not MRSA, but probably the same strain that Dad apparently carries. Yeah, my Dad is a Staph carrier. Turns out, about 30% of the population is like that. So if you find out that you or someone you love carries this bug around, you/they should use Lever2000 soap (according to Dad's doctor) to help keep the bacteria in check. My wrist now has a dark pink curcular spot that feels kind of numb. Sometimes it aches if I use my wrist too much. The end. :-)
So then it was time for Christmas. I tried desperately to balance resting/healing with preparing for the festivities. I didn't succeed very well. Christmas Eve we went to my Aunt's parent's house on my Dad's side. Gotta love explaning relations. Anyway, that was pretty fun, except DH had a cold. He went home and I went to see my aunt and uncle's "new" renovated house. It was cool.
Christmas morning I awoke to discover that DH had given me an amazing present- his cold! We went to the inlaws and opened presents while Skyping with BIL and his wife in North Carolina. FIL had gotten WiFi just for the occasion. It was a big hit. MIL and Grandma want iPads now. :-)
The gifts we gave weren't very inspired this year. All the sickness and surgeries kind of sapped our creativity. MIL got a DVD of M.A.S.H., FIL got a nifty folding saw. Grandparents and BIL got gift cards. DH got a cold brew coffee system. Apparently it makes better coffee than even the french press. The one taste I had was not better. I may need to try again. He got some other techy gadgets that I can't remember. I got a handmade crochet hook! Size M. Tuvok ate my other size M hook. I also got a proportional measurer thing. Yeah, I'll take pictures... And I got a new lens for my camera. It is a Sigma 18-50mm. Before, the widest lens I had was 24mm, which was plenty for 35mm format cameras, but digital has some sort of distortion thing so all the lenses work like longer ones. That's wonderful for my telephotos but it made my 24mm into almost what a 50mm was before. The 18mm takes good indoor shots and I can zoom short distances too. That really comes in handy. Changing lenses all the time gets annoying.
My Mom and her sisters (and my cousin and Dad and brother) came over on Monday. We had a "Stitch and Talk". Everyone brought their craft projects and some food and we sat around and visited and ate and worked on our projects all day. That is just about the best kind of day possible. At least for us. Later, we went to Michael's to look at crafty things and then we went to look at Christmas lights. We went to the Chesapeake campus and ooohed and aaaahed over those a while, then drove to my boss's house to look at his lights. He has 5 acres packed full of lights and inflateables and stuff. My family was like WWWWOOOOOOAH!!! I felt pride, even though I had nothing to do with his lights. Lol!
We went to visit our friends in Norman for New Years Eve. The boys played their nerdy Star Wars game and my friend and I talked and I worked on my afghan I'm making. Then her younger daughter woke up and we watched her until midnight happened and then we went home. I don't know what it is about a baby, but you don't talk or do anything but stare at the kid and watch whatever she does. Very strange. Must be something hardwired in so the kid doesn't get hurt or run off or whatever. Even though she didn't feel very good, she was still a pleasent baby. Every so often she'd make a miserable face, bury herself in her mom's chest and say, Buahhhh.... That was about the only evidence that she was sick. Other than the river of snot... lol. Poor kid.
Tuesday was the Fiesta Bowl. OSU won!!!! Barely. But still. We're Number #3!!!! This is the first time in my life that I've been a fan of a winning team!!!
So we're just about caught up. But it is 9:00 so I'm going to cut it off here. Good night.
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