STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS RAMBLING
I am so done with this hastared illness.
I had to go back to the doctor again on Wednesday. I seriously thought I had this whole germy thing in my lungs destroyed, but alas, I was wrong. My chest had started hurting again and I was practically narcoleptic. I had gone to church last Sunday and could barely walk around. I told people that I was just having trouble walking on my heels, but I was really so sleepy I could barely stand. I was also so cold I had to get one of the old lady blankets that we keep in the back of the sanctuary to keep from shivering during the service. The old lady blankets, y'all! I thought all of the sleeping meant I was getting better, but apparently it just meant I was still sick. I will find the person who sneezed on me, and I will harm them emotionally. It was probably some snotty kid at Disney World who licked a hand rail or something. Kids do that, right?
They x-rayed my lungs again, and let me tell you...walking around a public place with no bra on is a weirdly vulnerable feeling. I'm just glad the rooms I had to travel between were just down the hall from each other, or I was going to have to beg a lab coat from someone. I wish they'd let me have my x-rays. I've never seen the inside of my chest before. It's funny; in the room where they take the x-rays, there is a book on all of the bones in the skeleton. It makes me nervous to think that some of them may have to consult a manual to see which bone is which. I mean, I understand not everyone can memorize every bone, but hide the book at least!
I even consented to get a shot, so you know I was serious! I hate shots! I know they really don't hurt, and it's all in my head, but I can't stand the thought of someone sticking me with a syringe. The nurse who did it was very good, and since I told her it was an irrational fear of mine, she did it quickly. My "hip" still hurts from where I was injected, but at least the medicine started working right away. She also gave me an antibiotic so strong that I'm afraid to water the houseplants on the off chance I sneeze near one and kill it.
I think I'm actually getting better now, but since I thought that last time, I'll just wait and see what the doctor says on Thursday when I go back. I'm still not coughing, which seems weird since my lungs are affected. The doc seems to think I'm coughing a lot, but when I told her I wasn't, she told me to take my cough syrup anyways. It either drops me like a tranquilized wildebeest, or keeps me up all night tripping. My chest and heart still hurt, but she didn't seem concerned about that. At this point, I have been at the clinic so many times in the last month that I'm sure my insurance company has paid for a semester at Harvard for one of the doctor's kids.
All I can do is sleep and eat and do laundry and I'm bored with all of those things. If this stupid crud lasts another week, I'm going to resort to giving myself prison tats just to liven things up.
This post brought to you by another night of no sleeping. Sponsored by the letter Z, the letter X and the number 9.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
KITCHEN ADVENTURES: BUBBLE TEA
Do you ever get to taste something while out of town, or read about some kind of food, and then get a craving for the most inconvenient thing? I do, all the time. It's no secret that I like food, and it's not exactly the easiest thing to deal with. It's usually something only available in one place far away (Cafe du Monde Latte in New Orleans, Pizza at Arnold's in St. Louis) or it's something you may have somewhere in town, but a place you never go or even think of going until you are nowhere near it. I have a couple of these things, but the one I tackled the other day was bubble tea.
OK, I realize bubble tea is one of those fad drinks that get popular and then fizz away after a while, but doggone it, I was intrigued. There is a place somewhere in Madison that sells it, but I am never over there long enough to try and find it. I happened to find a box of tapioca pearls while shopping at Earth Fare, and thought "It can't be that hard!" So I brought them home and got to work on figuring out A) exactly what bubble tea is and B) how to make it.
Like frog eggs in a milkshake, really.
Do you ever get to taste something while out of town, or read about some kind of food, and then get a craving for the most inconvenient thing? I do, all the time. It's no secret that I like food, and it's not exactly the easiest thing to deal with. It's usually something only available in one place far away (Cafe du Monde Latte in New Orleans, Pizza at Arnold's in St. Louis) or it's something you may have somewhere in town, but a place you never go or even think of going until you are nowhere near it. I have a couple of these things, but the one I tackled the other day was bubble tea.
OK, I realize bubble tea is one of those fad drinks that get popular and then fizz away after a while, but doggone it, I was intrigued. There is a place somewhere in Madison that sells it, but I am never over there long enough to try and find it. I happened to find a box of tapioca pearls while shopping at Earth Fare, and thought "It can't be that hard!" So I brought them home and got to work on figuring out A) exactly what bubble tea is and B) how to make it.
Like frog eggs in a milkshake, really.OK, from what I could tell, bubble tea is a drink made of some kind of flavored drink powder and has a layer of tapioca "pearls" at the bottom of the cup. The tapioca adds a textural element, and that's about it. You are supposed to drink it with a big straw. You know, it didn't sound so adventurous when I found out what it was, but it was too late. I was determined to have it!
I didn't have any drink powder, and wasn't going to order it on the off chance that I'd hate the drink, so I opted to mix my own milk tea (black tea, almond milk, heavy cream) for the job. Making the drink part wasn't difficult, but making the stupid tapioca was! I mean, it wasn't complicated in the traditional sense, you are just boiling them after all. However, they are sticky and slimy and they stick to the bottom of the pot if you leave them alone for a second longer than the directions say! I stood over the stove, stirring the gloopy mess, for about 30 minutes. I was scared to leave it alone because the one time I stepped back to the computer to see if I was doing something right, I almost lost the entire pot. I don't mean the contents of the pot, I mean the pot. That stuff is like gorilla snot, it sticks to everything! After a while, it looked like a pot of boiling syrup, and I was afraid I had ruined it, but I kept on. I added blue food coloring (the first thing that I came across) to see if I had completely destroyed the spheres, but they were still in there. After they boiled the correct amount of time, I had to strain them and rinse them off to get rid of the goo. It turned out that they were fine! The little blue spheres were there. They looked like frog eggs with white centers, but they were there. Looking like frog eggs. Frog eggs that I was supposed to put at the bottom of a drink I was going to actually consume. Frog eggs.
My Tapioca Pearls
I didn't have any drink powder, and wasn't going to order it on the off chance that I'd hate the drink, so I opted to mix my own milk tea (black tea, almond milk, heavy cream) for the job. Making the drink part wasn't difficult, but making the stupid tapioca was! I mean, it wasn't complicated in the traditional sense, you are just boiling them after all. However, they are sticky and slimy and they stick to the bottom of the pot if you leave them alone for a second longer than the directions say! I stood over the stove, stirring the gloopy mess, for about 30 minutes. I was scared to leave it alone because the one time I stepped back to the computer to see if I was doing something right, I almost lost the entire pot. I don't mean the contents of the pot, I mean the pot. That stuff is like gorilla snot, it sticks to everything! After a while, it looked like a pot of boiling syrup, and I was afraid I had ruined it, but I kept on. I added blue food coloring (the first thing that I came across) to see if I had completely destroyed the spheres, but they were still in there. After they boiled the correct amount of time, I had to strain them and rinse them off to get rid of the goo. It turned out that they were fine! The little blue spheres were there. They looked like frog eggs with white centers, but they were there. Looking like frog eggs. Frog eggs that I was supposed to put at the bottom of a drink I was going to actually consume. Frog eggs.
My Tapioca Pearls
FROG EGGS!
Bleh. So, I took the frog- I mean tapioca pearls and put them in agave syrup and water. Then I sat and looked at them for a while. Seriously, how could I eat them? I can't eat things that feel weird, and these were most definitely weird. Little slimy, blue, gluey balls made of starch. Even the thought of them was weird! WHY? Why did I need to eat them? It wasn't like anyone had to know. I could just throw away the container of faux amphibian spawn and no one would be the wiser, right?
Of course, after some thought I decided that I wasn't going to let them go to waste, because gosh darn it, I'd almost sacrificed a good pot to the things! It was no longer just something I wanted to taste, it was a principle. So I plopped (and yes, they make the actual sound of 'plop') into a cup and poured my latte over the mess. It looked just like the picture and it didn't smell bad, so I dove straight in.
Honestly, I really liked it. I mean, sure the tapioca balls are slimy, and you have to suck them up with a straw, and yes you have to chew your drink...so it's a weird sensation, but I liked it! The tapioca becomes flavored by the drink, and as long as you don't accidentally suck one down your throat without chewing it, it is kind of interesting. Also, you get super full when you drink these things; probably because of the starch, so if you decide to try them, don't get it before you go out on a dinner date. It's probably not something you'd want every day, and kids would probably like it, unless they puke at the slightest hint of weird textures.
So, my adventure was a success. I wish I had taken some pictures of the process, but I couldn't leave my boiling pot of frog eggs long enough to get the camera. I have since remembered that I probably didn't need to worry about whether I'd like the drink or not, because in 1997, I was one of the 12 people in the world who actually liked Orbitz soda.
Of course, after some thought I decided that I wasn't going to let them go to waste, because gosh darn it, I'd almost sacrificed a good pot to the things! It was no longer just something I wanted to taste, it was a principle. So I plopped (and yes, they make the actual sound of 'plop') into a cup and poured my latte over the mess. It looked just like the picture and it didn't smell bad, so I dove straight in.
Honestly, I really liked it. I mean, sure the tapioca balls are slimy, and you have to suck them up with a straw, and yes you have to chew your drink...so it's a weird sensation, but I liked it! The tapioca becomes flavored by the drink, and as long as you don't accidentally suck one down your throat without chewing it, it is kind of interesting. Also, you get super full when you drink these things; probably because of the starch, so if you decide to try them, don't get it before you go out on a dinner date. It's probably not something you'd want every day, and kids would probably like it, unless they puke at the slightest hint of weird textures.
So, my adventure was a success. I wish I had taken some pictures of the process, but I couldn't leave my boiling pot of frog eggs long enough to get the camera. I have since remembered that I probably didn't need to worry about whether I'd like the drink or not, because in 1997, I was one of the 12 people in the world who actually liked Orbitz soda.
Almost exactly the same except that it was soda,
the balls floated and, in hindsight, it tasted really gross.
the balls floated and, in hindsight, it tasted really gross.
Next KITCHEN ADVENTURE: Macarons!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING
1) I'm currently typing this entry on the new iMac that Steve got me for my birthday! It replaced the old one from 2005 that was on it's last legs, technologically. I don't normally talk about the gifts I get from people, so I apologize if it's tacky to be excited and talk about it. It is completely awesome, and the screen is 27". I don't think he meant to order a screen this big, but that's OK with me. It has all kinds of updated programs and I had forgotten what it was like to have programs that would actually save files. Since my last iMac crashed like the Hindenburg, it has been good for nothing except getting on the Internet. Also, and this was the most surprising part, when we did the file transfer, all of the files that I couldn't access on the old computer came back! I now have access to a lot of the graphic files from my digital portfolio that were lost to me before. I don't know how they were recovered, but I choose to believe Jesus had them on a backup drive for me. After all, Jesus saves. (Boooooooooooo)
2) Speaking of portfolios...oy vey. Remember when I had the job interview and had to scramble to find some graphics, any graphics, that I could scrape together for my portfolio? Steve and I stayed up late printing and mounting the stupid things so that I'd have something to show the people. I was embarrassed about my anemic portfolio, but I took everything I had over to them. It was difficult to try and explain my skill level when the most impressive thing I had in the folder was the Hogwarts banner images I had done for the theater at the Sprocket (ptooey).
While I was cleaning up my office (a task that was more than overdue) I found an older portfolio that was wedged behind my filing cabinet. I opened it up, thinking I would just clean it out and see if there was any presentation boards that I could reuse, and I found over a dozen pieces of my work that I had mounted for some reason. It was actual, useful stuff too, like movie tickets, ads, posters and other things that actually show that I know my way around the Adobe suite! My portfolio is now packed full of actual, good-quality stuff that I can show potential employers. Now I don't have to feel embarrassed about what I can show them! I can take out some of the stuff I was iffy about without worrying that I am making an already scant presentation even scantier. I am not, however, removing the Wookie Crossing sign that I put in there. It is my magnum opus. :)
3) I am still on the road to recovery, thanks for asking, but I found out that it can take up to a month or longer to completely get over this crud. Bluh. I'm at the feeling-like-poo-hot-&-cold-flashes-falling-asleep-in-odd-places-because-I-can't-stay-awake phase, but at least I can almost breathe like a normal person as long as I'm not talking or singing or doing anything strenuous! Silver linings, right? Right. Silver freaking linings.
4) I got my hair cut a couple of days ago, and the lady who did it was not the same girl who usually cuts my hair. She cut my bangs crooked. She cut my bangs above my left eye and over to my right eyebrow one length, and she must have had a stroke or something, because starting at the right eyebrow and over, the rest of my bangs were 1/4 an inch longer. It wasn't even as if she angled my hair. It was all like -------------________. I didn't notice until I got into the car because I didn't have her dry my hair since I was going straight home afterward, but it was so ridiculously uneven that I couldn't even be mad about it. It was just funny. So when I got home, I got my sharpest scissors and did my best to even them up. They aren't exact, but they are closer than they were before. I'm just glad I have a lot of hats to hide under until it's time to get my hair cut again. I could have gone back, but I was too tired, and I figure that it didn't matter anyways. Nobody looks at me!
5) I'm finally trying to learn to play the guitar! I hope I can learn anyway, because I've always wanted to be able to play, but I don't know if I will ever be very good. I can't wrap my brain around chord processions. I do know how to make an E, G, and C chord, but I can't seem to go from one to the other without stopping in between. I want to learn to play so badly!!!!!!!!!!! "I've got blisters on me fingers!"
6) I've finally gotten started on my steampunk costume for the Atlanta Steampunk in the Park event Steve and I are going to for Amy's birthday! I'm so excited!! So far, all I have is my hat, but honestly, my hat is awesome. My mom said it reminded her of "that guy who plays the piano and wears the funny glasses." I happen to think it's a cross between Slash, Richard Petty and Liberace.
Don't be alarmed about the corset. That is not a part of my costume. That is just what my duct tape dress form wears to cover its shame. I still have some sewing to do, but I think my costume will turn out nicely. I'm just excited to have a legitimate reason to wear a costume!
7) I hate my CPAP. I have yet to wake up with that "I've slept all night without suffocating" feeling that everyone promised me! In fact, I keep taking it off in my sleep, so I've got to figure out how to keep it on, even if I'm pulling on it while in Crazy Town. I'm not sure what happened last night, but I do remember waking up, standing by my bed and screaming that it was trying to smother me as I yanked it off of my face. So far, not so good! If I can't manage to keep it on, my doctor is going to have me strapped down like Hannibal Lechter.
FTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTH.
1) I'm currently typing this entry on the new iMac that Steve got me for my birthday! It replaced the old one from 2005 that was on it's last legs, technologically. I don't normally talk about the gifts I get from people, so I apologize if it's tacky to be excited and talk about it. It is completely awesome, and the screen is 27". I don't think he meant to order a screen this big, but that's OK with me. It has all kinds of updated programs and I had forgotten what it was like to have programs that would actually save files. Since my last iMac crashed like the Hindenburg, it has been good for nothing except getting on the Internet. Also, and this was the most surprising part, when we did the file transfer, all of the files that I couldn't access on the old computer came back! I now have access to a lot of the graphic files from my digital portfolio that were lost to me before. I don't know how they were recovered, but I choose to believe Jesus had them on a backup drive for me. After all, Jesus saves. (Boooooooooooo)
2) Speaking of portfolios...oy vey. Remember when I had the job interview and had to scramble to find some graphics, any graphics, that I could scrape together for my portfolio? Steve and I stayed up late printing and mounting the stupid things so that I'd have something to show the people. I was embarrassed about my anemic portfolio, but I took everything I had over to them. It was difficult to try and explain my skill level when the most impressive thing I had in the folder was the Hogwarts banner images I had done for the theater at the Sprocket (ptooey).
While I was cleaning up my office (a task that was more than overdue) I found an older portfolio that was wedged behind my filing cabinet. I opened it up, thinking I would just clean it out and see if there was any presentation boards that I could reuse, and I found over a dozen pieces of my work that I had mounted for some reason. It was actual, useful stuff too, like movie tickets, ads, posters and other things that actually show that I know my way around the Adobe suite! My portfolio is now packed full of actual, good-quality stuff that I can show potential employers. Now I don't have to feel embarrassed about what I can show them! I can take out some of the stuff I was iffy about without worrying that I am making an already scant presentation even scantier. I am not, however, removing the Wookie Crossing sign that I put in there. It is my magnum opus. :)
3) I am still on the road to recovery, thanks for asking, but I found out that it can take up to a month or longer to completely get over this crud. Bluh. I'm at the feeling-like-poo-hot-&-cold-flashes-falling-asleep-in-odd-places-because-I-can't-stay-awake phase, but at least I can almost breathe like a normal person as long as I'm not talking or singing or doing anything strenuous! Silver linings, right? Right. Silver freaking linings.
4) I got my hair cut a couple of days ago, and the lady who did it was not the same girl who usually cuts my hair. She cut my bangs crooked. She cut my bangs above my left eye and over to my right eyebrow one length, and she must have had a stroke or something, because starting at the right eyebrow and over, the rest of my bangs were 1/4 an inch longer. It wasn't even as if she angled my hair. It was all like -------------________. I didn't notice until I got into the car because I didn't have her dry my hair since I was going straight home afterward, but it was so ridiculously uneven that I couldn't even be mad about it. It was just funny. So when I got home, I got my sharpest scissors and did my best to even them up. They aren't exact, but they are closer than they were before. I'm just glad I have a lot of hats to hide under until it's time to get my hair cut again. I could have gone back, but I was too tired, and I figure that it didn't matter anyways. Nobody looks at me!
5) I'm finally trying to learn to play the guitar! I hope I can learn anyway, because I've always wanted to be able to play, but I don't know if I will ever be very good. I can't wrap my brain around chord processions. I do know how to make an E, G, and C chord, but I can't seem to go from one to the other without stopping in between. I want to learn to play so badly!!!!!!!!!!! "I've got blisters on me fingers!"
6) I've finally gotten started on my steampunk costume for the Atlanta Steampunk in the Park event Steve and I are going to for Amy's birthday! I'm so excited!! So far, all I have is my hat, but honestly, my hat is awesome. My mom said it reminded her of "that guy who plays the piano and wears the funny glasses." I happen to think it's a cross between Slash, Richard Petty and Liberace.
Don't be alarmed about the corset. That is not a part of my costume. That is just what my duct tape dress form wears to cover its shame. I still have some sewing to do, but I think my costume will turn out nicely. I'm just excited to have a legitimate reason to wear a costume!
7) I hate my CPAP. I have yet to wake up with that "I've slept all night without suffocating" feeling that everyone promised me! In fact, I keep taking it off in my sleep, so I've got to figure out how to keep it on, even if I'm pulling on it while in Crazy Town. I'm not sure what happened last night, but I do remember waking up, standing by my bed and screaming that it was trying to smother me as I yanked it off of my face. So far, not so good! If I can't manage to keep it on, my doctor is going to have me strapped down like Hannibal Lechter.
FTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTH.
Monday, February 07, 2011
JUST CHECKING IN
I'm bored. I have been on a doctor imposed semi-quarantine (meaning that I haven't been anywhere where I have to sit in a room with people I like for longer than a few minutes) and except for an occasional run to Publix or Target, I've been at home. I'm starting to climb the walls.
I went back to the doc-in-a-box for my check up on Saturday, and they kept skipping me! I was the 4th one on the list when the place opened, and somehow they skipped my name and called back about 10 people before the lady behind the counter realized it. Steve said she kept looking up at me, and then got a panicked look on her face when she realized I hadn't been called back. I wanted to say something, but I was afraid they would think I was just being "difficult." They copped to it, though, so I can't be too mad. At least they apologized. The doc said I still wasn't well enough to be around people I didn't want to spread germs to, so back to the house I went.
I've been on the mend, and I really, really appreciate everyone who has checked up on me to see how I was doing. :) I'm much better now that I can almost breathe, but I'll be very glad to get to the end of my medicines. They make me feel all floopy. Big time floopy. One set of pills had me tripping balls. I don't exactly know what they were for, but the side effects listed said it would "give me the feeling of whirling." That was the truth. Every time I took it, I'd have to lay down and it was just like when I was little and used to spin and spin and then lie down and it would feel like the room was spinning. It also kept me from sleeping at night, even though I was practically narcoleptic during the day. I'm done with those. I'm also still taking some kind of red cough medicine that makes my skin crawl, makes me hear high pitched sounds in my ears, it makes me feel drunk and it makes my heart speed up fast fast fast sometimes. If I fall asleep after taking it, I wake up feeling like my insides are vibrating. I look at my hands to see if I were really shaking, but I don't seem to be shaking on the outside. I hope that isn't a bad side effect I should be concerned about.
Anyways, not much of interest has gone on other than trying to get better and not drive under when I'm dizzy. Fun stuff. At least I'm getting better! Yay!
I'm bored. I have been on a doctor imposed semi-quarantine (meaning that I haven't been anywhere where I have to sit in a room with people I like for longer than a few minutes) and except for an occasional run to Publix or Target, I've been at home. I'm starting to climb the walls.
I went back to the doc-in-a-box for my check up on Saturday, and they kept skipping me! I was the 4th one on the list when the place opened, and somehow they skipped my name and called back about 10 people before the lady behind the counter realized it. Steve said she kept looking up at me, and then got a panicked look on her face when she realized I hadn't been called back. I wanted to say something, but I was afraid they would think I was just being "difficult." They copped to it, though, so I can't be too mad. At least they apologized. The doc said I still wasn't well enough to be around people I didn't want to spread germs to, so back to the house I went.
I've been on the mend, and I really, really appreciate everyone who has checked up on me to see how I was doing. :) I'm much better now that I can almost breathe, but I'll be very glad to get to the end of my medicines. They make me feel all floopy. Big time floopy. One set of pills had me tripping balls. I don't exactly know what they were for, but the side effects listed said it would "give me the feeling of whirling." That was the truth. Every time I took it, I'd have to lay down and it was just like when I was little and used to spin and spin and then lie down and it would feel like the room was spinning. It also kept me from sleeping at night, even though I was practically narcoleptic during the day. I'm done with those. I'm also still taking some kind of red cough medicine that makes my skin crawl, makes me hear high pitched sounds in my ears, it makes me feel drunk and it makes my heart speed up fast fast fast sometimes. If I fall asleep after taking it, I wake up feeling like my insides are vibrating. I look at my hands to see if I were really shaking, but I don't seem to be shaking on the outside. I hope that isn't a bad side effect I should be concerned about.
Anyways, not much of interest has gone on other than trying to get better and not drive under when I'm dizzy. Fun stuff. At least I'm getting better! Yay!
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
UPDATE:
Well, it wasn't the CPAP machine after all.
After a concerned friend sent me a message telling me to go to the doctor (apparently, chest pressure can be a bad sign heart-wise) I decided to take his advice and visit the local doc-in-the-box. My breathing had gotten worse and my chest had started to hurt, so I hoped I wouldn't pass out in the waiting room or anything. Luckily, I was taken back surprisingly fast.
After a Stone Cold Steve Austin lookalike nurse took my vitals, I was poked, prodded, bled and x-rayed. Lots of fun, that. They ran some lab work and voila! I was diagnosed.
Turns out I have walking pneumonia. Nice, eh? That is why I can't breathe. It's not as bad as when Steve had pneumonia, but still...gross.
I was really not expecting to them find anything, so when the doctor came in and told me I said "SAY WHAT?!" She probably thought I was reacting strangely, but the only thing further from my mind was her telling me I had monkey-pox or something.
Now I have 4 lovely prescriptions to take, and I can't be around people when not necessary. I also need to be very careful who I spit on, because I can spread my filthy, filthy germs that way.
I am very, very grateful to have friends who care enough about me to scare the crap out of me, because otherwise I might have gotten much sicker and made a lot of other people sick too. :)
Well, it wasn't the CPAP machine after all.
After a concerned friend sent me a message telling me to go to the doctor (apparently, chest pressure can be a bad sign heart-wise) I decided to take his advice and visit the local doc-in-the-box. My breathing had gotten worse and my chest had started to hurt, so I hoped I wouldn't pass out in the waiting room or anything. Luckily, I was taken back surprisingly fast.
After a Stone Cold Steve Austin lookalike nurse took my vitals, I was poked, prodded, bled and x-rayed. Lots of fun, that. They ran some lab work and voila! I was diagnosed.
Turns out I have walking pneumonia. Nice, eh? That is why I can't breathe. It's not as bad as when Steve had pneumonia, but still...gross.
I was really not expecting to them find anything, so when the doctor came in and told me I said "SAY WHAT?!" She probably thought I was reacting strangely, but the only thing further from my mind was her telling me I had monkey-pox or something.
Now I have 4 lovely prescriptions to take, and I can't be around people when not necessary. I also need to be very careful who I spit on, because I can spread my filthy, filthy germs that way.
I am very, very grateful to have friends who care enough about me to scare the crap out of me, because otherwise I might have gotten much sicker and made a lot of other people sick too. :)
Monday, January 31, 2011
RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING
1) OK, you know what? This crap is for the birds. I can't freaking breathe. I'm not talking about at night anymore, I mean I can't breathe during the day. I think that the night I was in the sleep clinic, they overinflated me or something. Yeah, I know that probably gives you mental images of me being floated down the street like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon, but something is definitely wrong. Ever since that first night, I feel like my chest is all stretched out, and that no matter how much I breathe in, I'm never getting enough air. I pant when I'm just trying to talk, and I can't sing or do anything very strenuous without feeling like I'm going to pass out. My chest feels like something is sitting on it. It may just be that my chest muscles are getting used in a different way and that is why I feel the way I do, but it's scary. You guys know how I am about thinking that I can't breathe! For all I know, it's all in my head. It goes in spells, so sometimes I'm fine and sometimes I can't even talk because I can't get enough air. Boo, stupid lungs.
2) I found out that the marketing department of the Sprocket (ptooey) got chopped during the recent restructuring of the departments. That's kind of crazy, isn't it? Who'd ever heard of a wholesale firing of an entire department? Luckily, the guys in Graphics got to keep their jobs, but geez, I feel terrible for the people who were let go. Well, I feel terrible for most of them. I only feel kind of bad for the lady who fired me. That's all she gets.
3) I should hear from the place where I had the job interview in the next couple of days. If I get the job, I hope it's a good place to work and that the people are nice to work with. It's always scary going to a new place, but it helps when the people around you are likable. They seemed nice the day I interviewed. We'll see!
4) I have found a yummy thing by complete accident! I bought a canister of McCann's Irish Oatmeal the other day, thinking is was just regular oatmeal. I opened it and saw that it was just chopped up oats instead of the flakes I'm used to. I had to go online to make sure I didn't get a defective batch, but apparently steel cut oats look like that. They take forever to cook, but oh my goodness, it is totally worth the wait! It doesn't make mushy oatmeal like I'm used to. It's like eating risotto. It's creamy and chewy and it's so very good!!!! Add a spoonful of Lyles Golden Syrup (all of these things are available at Publix, so pick some up the next time you go) and some chopped nuts and it is easily some of the best breakfast I've had in a very long time. It's also filling and does some nifty work toward lowering cholesterol. They also have a quick cooking kind, and there are shortcuts to making the stuff, but seriously...yum-0!
1) OK, you know what? This crap is for the birds. I can't freaking breathe. I'm not talking about at night anymore, I mean I can't breathe during the day. I think that the night I was in the sleep clinic, they overinflated me or something. Yeah, I know that probably gives you mental images of me being floated down the street like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon, but something is definitely wrong. Ever since that first night, I feel like my chest is all stretched out, and that no matter how much I breathe in, I'm never getting enough air. I pant when I'm just trying to talk, and I can't sing or do anything very strenuous without feeling like I'm going to pass out. My chest feels like something is sitting on it. It may just be that my chest muscles are getting used in a different way and that is why I feel the way I do, but it's scary. You guys know how I am about thinking that I can't breathe! For all I know, it's all in my head. It goes in spells, so sometimes I'm fine and sometimes I can't even talk because I can't get enough air. Boo, stupid lungs.
2) I found out that the marketing department of the Sprocket (ptooey) got chopped during the recent restructuring of the departments. That's kind of crazy, isn't it? Who'd ever heard of a wholesale firing of an entire department? Luckily, the guys in Graphics got to keep their jobs, but geez, I feel terrible for the people who were let go. Well, I feel terrible for most of them. I only feel kind of bad for the lady who fired me. That's all she gets.
3) I should hear from the place where I had the job interview in the next couple of days. If I get the job, I hope it's a good place to work and that the people are nice to work with. It's always scary going to a new place, but it helps when the people around you are likable. They seemed nice the day I interviewed. We'll see!
4) I have found a yummy thing by complete accident! I bought a canister of McCann's Irish Oatmeal the other day, thinking is was just regular oatmeal. I opened it and saw that it was just chopped up oats instead of the flakes I'm used to. I had to go online to make sure I didn't get a defective batch, but apparently steel cut oats look like that. They take forever to cook, but oh my goodness, it is totally worth the wait! It doesn't make mushy oatmeal like I'm used to. It's like eating risotto. It's creamy and chewy and it's so very good!!!! Add a spoonful of Lyles Golden Syrup (all of these things are available at Publix, so pick some up the next time you go) and some chopped nuts and it is easily some of the best breakfast I've had in a very long time. It's also filling and does some nifty work toward lowering cholesterol. They also have a quick cooking kind, and there are shortcuts to making the stuff, but seriously...yum-0!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING
1) When is it best to trust your instincts? Without going into much detail (at least not right now) I had a very strange experience. I was speaking with a new acquaintance, a perfectly nice person who didn't do or say anything strange or anything, and I got the absolute most violent shiver of "I need to get the hell away, right now" feeling that I've had in years. Seriously, it frightened me. There I was, having a conversation, and I wanted to bolt. It wasn't like the claustrophobic feelings I sometimes get when I'm in a closed room, or in the center of a row of chairs, I'm used to that. This was...weird. I was fine one second, and the next, I felt like I was on fire. Literally, it was like the air around me started to shimmer like the air above a fire, I could feel it shake, and on top of that a voice in my head said "I don't want to be here. I want to go...NOW!" It was very specific, very intense, and it scared the hell out of me. I kept control of myself, but it happened two more times. I know how weird that sounds, and I'm not trying to say I had some psychic epiphany that the person I was talking to was a serial killer or anything, but it happened and it worries me. I suppose it could have been anything...some weird hormone surge, a reaction to the medication I had taken for my headache, stress from everything I had going on this week, alien mind control rays...I don't know. All I know is that there was no rational reason at all to feel the way I did, and now I have this sense of dread about seeing this person again. I can't just never speak to this person again either, that isn't an option. It isn't that I don't feel safe with them or think they'll hurt me or be mean to me or anything...it's just this intense feeling, as instinctive as pulling my hand away from a hot stove burner. I tried to explain it to my mother, and I'm fairly certain she thinks I'm crazy. It even sounds crazy to my own ears, but I can't deny the way I felt. I know, weird, right?
2) Speaking of stressful things, I had to go for another sleep study Tuesday night, and it was just as much fun as the last time I was there. This time I was being fitted with a CPAP machine and being tested as to what kind I was going to need. There was no denying that I was going to need one, unfortunately. The results of my last sleep study showed that I would stop breathing anywhere from 20 to 30 times every hour and my blood oxygen levels fell to 68%. To give you an idea where that falls on a scale, people who don't have hypoxia tend to have resting oxygen levels of about 98-100%. My sleep apnea has little to do with snoring and a lot to do with simply not breathing. I had the same technician as last time, which was good, and all the same wires glued to my head and face, which was not good. The only difference this time was that instead of that oxygen tube stuck up my nose, I had a mask vacuum sealed over my nose and a big hose leading to an air compressor. I slept horribly. The beds are so hard and uncomfortable, and I had (I think) 8 wires glued on my head, 8 on my face, 2 on my chest, one on my side, 4 on my legs and an oxygen reader clamped on my finger, which makes it hard to get into a comfortable position. The mask itself was cumbersome, but not as terrible as I thought it would be. It was nice to have air! I still didn't sleep much, though. The next morning, the tech told me that even with the machine, I hold my breath, so they tried a cycle on the machine that would blow air in puffs and then suddenly lower the pressure to force me to exhale. I remember that because it felt like they were sucking the air out of my lungs...I told them I'd rather hold my breath thankyouverymuch. In the end, the tech still didn't know what to do for me, but she said I really needed to have a CPAP to keep my O2 levels up, so I am now the proud owner of a mini air compressor and a mask to sleep in. I've named it HAL. If I can manage to keep it on even half of the night without pulling it off in my sleep, it will be a miracle.
3) Oooh, speaking of things I do in my sleep! Heehee! I have a strange habit of pulling off my socks in the night and stuffing them under my pillow. I don't know when this started, but I've been making the bed and found like, three pairs under my pillow at once. The other night, though, was the funniest. Apparently just stuffing them under my pillow isn't good enough anymore. I woke up holding my socks, and they were folded! I'm now folding laundry in my sleep. If I can just do dishes and go to the gym in my sleep, everything would be gravy!
4) The job interview went well! I think I could do the job fine. I'm not sure I'm the best fit for the position, though. It isn't that I couldn't do it and do it well, but it's not like anything I've done before, really. Well, at least it would be a lot different from what I was doing at the Sprocket (ptooey) but nothing I couldn't handle. We'll see. I don't know how I came across to the people I interviewed with...I felt all awkward and like I was not making sense! Of course, who doesn't feel that way during a job interview? The building where the office is located inside an old, historic mill and it is a really cool place. They kept the original floors and windows, so it's unusual, but still an interesting layout. I am slightly worried that personality wise, I wouldn't fit in there, though. It isn't that the people there are bad or that I'm so dynamic or anything like that, but I just felt like a square peg. Probably just because I don't know them well yet. Just another one of my "feelings" I guess! :) I'm supposed to hear back from them either by the end of this week or the beginning of the next, so I'll keep you guys posted.
5) My cousin Janice and her husband are on a cruise somewhere around Africa, and she's been sending a bunch of us pictures of the places she's been visiting! My traveling foot gets itchy every time she sends us a new batch of images!
1) When is it best to trust your instincts? Without going into much detail (at least not right now) I had a very strange experience. I was speaking with a new acquaintance, a perfectly nice person who didn't do or say anything strange or anything, and I got the absolute most violent shiver of "I need to get the hell away, right now" feeling that I've had in years. Seriously, it frightened me. There I was, having a conversation, and I wanted to bolt. It wasn't like the claustrophobic feelings I sometimes get when I'm in a closed room, or in the center of a row of chairs, I'm used to that. This was...weird. I was fine one second, and the next, I felt like I was on fire. Literally, it was like the air around me started to shimmer like the air above a fire, I could feel it shake, and on top of that a voice in my head said "I don't want to be here. I want to go...NOW!" It was very specific, very intense, and it scared the hell out of me. I kept control of myself, but it happened two more times. I know how weird that sounds, and I'm not trying to say I had some psychic epiphany that the person I was talking to was a serial killer or anything, but it happened and it worries me. I suppose it could have been anything...some weird hormone surge, a reaction to the medication I had taken for my headache, stress from everything I had going on this week, alien mind control rays...I don't know. All I know is that there was no rational reason at all to feel the way I did, and now I have this sense of dread about seeing this person again. I can't just never speak to this person again either, that isn't an option. It isn't that I don't feel safe with them or think they'll hurt me or be mean to me or anything...it's just this intense feeling, as instinctive as pulling my hand away from a hot stove burner. I tried to explain it to my mother, and I'm fairly certain she thinks I'm crazy. It even sounds crazy to my own ears, but I can't deny the way I felt. I know, weird, right?
2) Speaking of stressful things, I had to go for another sleep study Tuesday night, and it was just as much fun as the last time I was there. This time I was being fitted with a CPAP machine and being tested as to what kind I was going to need. There was no denying that I was going to need one, unfortunately. The results of my last sleep study showed that I would stop breathing anywhere from 20 to 30 times every hour and my blood oxygen levels fell to 68%. To give you an idea where that falls on a scale, people who don't have hypoxia tend to have resting oxygen levels of about 98-100%. My sleep apnea has little to do with snoring and a lot to do with simply not breathing. I had the same technician as last time, which was good, and all the same wires glued to my head and face, which was not good. The only difference this time was that instead of that oxygen tube stuck up my nose, I had a mask vacuum sealed over my nose and a big hose leading to an air compressor. I slept horribly. The beds are so hard and uncomfortable, and I had (I think) 8 wires glued on my head, 8 on my face, 2 on my chest, one on my side, 4 on my legs and an oxygen reader clamped on my finger, which makes it hard to get into a comfortable position. The mask itself was cumbersome, but not as terrible as I thought it would be. It was nice to have air! I still didn't sleep much, though. The next morning, the tech told me that even with the machine, I hold my breath, so they tried a cycle on the machine that would blow air in puffs and then suddenly lower the pressure to force me to exhale. I remember that because it felt like they were sucking the air out of my lungs...I told them I'd rather hold my breath thankyouverymuch. In the end, the tech still didn't know what to do for me, but she said I really needed to have a CPAP to keep my O2 levels up, so I am now the proud owner of a mini air compressor and a mask to sleep in. I've named it HAL. If I can manage to keep it on even half of the night without pulling it off in my sleep, it will be a miracle.
3) Oooh, speaking of things I do in my sleep! Heehee! I have a strange habit of pulling off my socks in the night and stuffing them under my pillow. I don't know when this started, but I've been making the bed and found like, three pairs under my pillow at once. The other night, though, was the funniest. Apparently just stuffing them under my pillow isn't good enough anymore. I woke up holding my socks, and they were folded! I'm now folding laundry in my sleep. If I can just do dishes and go to the gym in my sleep, everything would be gravy!
4) The job interview went well! I think I could do the job fine. I'm not sure I'm the best fit for the position, though. It isn't that I couldn't do it and do it well, but it's not like anything I've done before, really. Well, at least it would be a lot different from what I was doing at the Sprocket (ptooey) but nothing I couldn't handle. We'll see. I don't know how I came across to the people I interviewed with...I felt all awkward and like I was not making sense! Of course, who doesn't feel that way during a job interview? The building where the office is located inside an old, historic mill and it is a really cool place. They kept the original floors and windows, so it's unusual, but still an interesting layout. I am slightly worried that personality wise, I wouldn't fit in there, though. It isn't that the people there are bad or that I'm so dynamic or anything like that, but I just felt like a square peg. Probably just because I don't know them well yet. Just another one of my "feelings" I guess! :) I'm supposed to hear back from them either by the end of this week or the beginning of the next, so I'll keep you guys posted.
5) My cousin Janice and her husband are on a cruise somewhere around Africa, and she's been sending a bunch of us pictures of the places she's been visiting! My traveling foot gets itchy every time she sends us a new batch of images!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I wish I were sleeping right now. I woke up at around 2:30 this morning, completely wide awake, with a mixture of nerves and a brain that won't shut off. The nerves part is because I have a job interview in a few hours! I haven't really spoken about it here because, well...it sort of just sneaked up on me.
I actually got a request for a phone interview while I was in Disney World. I was slowly inching my way through my email on Steve's iPhone when I saw an email address I didn't recognize. I almost deleted it, because it was about a job I didn't remember applying for and I was afraid it was one of those "You signed up for a job search site, so we'll send you periodic updates about a thousand jobs that are absolutely not what you are looking for!" I actually get those already. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that it was a response to a resume I sent out semi-blind. I found out that some smaller businesses will sometimes post job listings on sites, but not list their business name so that they don't get blasted with calls and resumes. I had no idea where I was applying to when I sent in my resume...which is why the name of the company didn't sound familiar.
Anyway, I had my phone interview and in a few hours I have an "in-person" interview. I'm not sure why I'm nervous! I mean, sure, I can understand being a little apprehensive since it's a totally new thing...but I'm not placing all my eggs in this basket or anything. If I get the job, yay, but if I don't I won't be devastated. I've prayed about it, and I know I'll be steered into the right direction one way or the other. I'm not the only person vying for this job, and I may not be the best fit, which I've accepted.
So why am I awake at this hour when I should be getting my beauty sleep?
Honestly? I'm afraid of embarrassing myself! I did fine on the phone interview, at least I assume so since he wanted to meet me in person, but when I get nervous, I get weird. I'm afraid I'll be too...Kelly. Not the good kind of Kelly, but the "Oh, Lord, I just said something inappropriate about zombies or latex fetishes and I don't know why" Kelly. Seriously, that happens to me sometimes. It happens before I can stop it! It's like that scene in Austin Powers where the unfreezing process temporarily disables his ability for inner monologue.
I'm also worried that my portfolio isn't going to be extensive enough. I should have been adding files to it the whole time I worked at the Sprocket (ptooey) but since I had no intentions of leaving there at the time, it didn't really seem important! They were all there at my fingertips at the time, so I figured I'd have them whenever I needed them. Then, of course, my Mac succumbs to a power surge and a lot of my files get deleted or borked because of program issues. I even emailed my former boss and begged for files, which he didn't send to me because he was too busy. In my eyes, my portfolio looks anorexic and doesn't completely display my abilities, but it's all I've got. At least I got a chance to explain that to the man who interviewed me. I hope he believed me! If not, I'll take them on a tour through the Sprocket (ptooey) and point things out. Oy.
What if I get stuck in traffic or something and I'm late?! What if I fall down, or accidentally knock things over? What if I'm standing near a giant, artificial floral arrangement and I somehow get my purse strap tangled in it and when I walk away from it, I wind up dragging it across the lobby with me? What if I make an offhand and completely innocuous, albeit inappropriate, remark about Russian amputees and then find out the senior artist's name is Boris Kalashnikov and he has a wooden leg?!
I have a new outfit that is so conservative and "corporate" that I'm afraid I'm going to feel like I'm in a costume.
I guess that is why I'm nervous. It doesn't make sense, I know. Pray for me.
I actually got a request for a phone interview while I was in Disney World. I was slowly inching my way through my email on Steve's iPhone when I saw an email address I didn't recognize. I almost deleted it, because it was about a job I didn't remember applying for and I was afraid it was one of those "You signed up for a job search site, so we'll send you periodic updates about a thousand jobs that are absolutely not what you are looking for!" I actually get those already. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that it was a response to a resume I sent out semi-blind. I found out that some smaller businesses will sometimes post job listings on sites, but not list their business name so that they don't get blasted with calls and resumes. I had no idea where I was applying to when I sent in my resume...which is why the name of the company didn't sound familiar.
Anyway, I had my phone interview and in a few hours I have an "in-person" interview. I'm not sure why I'm nervous! I mean, sure, I can understand being a little apprehensive since it's a totally new thing...but I'm not placing all my eggs in this basket or anything. If I get the job, yay, but if I don't I won't be devastated. I've prayed about it, and I know I'll be steered into the right direction one way or the other. I'm not the only person vying for this job, and I may not be the best fit, which I've accepted.
So why am I awake at this hour when I should be getting my beauty sleep?
Honestly? I'm afraid of embarrassing myself! I did fine on the phone interview, at least I assume so since he wanted to meet me in person, but when I get nervous, I get weird. I'm afraid I'll be too...Kelly. Not the good kind of Kelly, but the "Oh, Lord, I just said something inappropriate about zombies or latex fetishes and I don't know why" Kelly. Seriously, that happens to me sometimes. It happens before I can stop it! It's like that scene in Austin Powers where the unfreezing process temporarily disables his ability for inner monologue.
I'm also worried that my portfolio isn't going to be extensive enough. I should have been adding files to it the whole time I worked at the Sprocket (ptooey) but since I had no intentions of leaving there at the time, it didn't really seem important! They were all there at my fingertips at the time, so I figured I'd have them whenever I needed them. Then, of course, my Mac succumbs to a power surge and a lot of my files get deleted or borked because of program issues. I even emailed my former boss and begged for files, which he didn't send to me because he was too busy. In my eyes, my portfolio looks anorexic and doesn't completely display my abilities, but it's all I've got. At least I got a chance to explain that to the man who interviewed me. I hope he believed me! If not, I'll take them on a tour through the Sprocket (ptooey) and point things out. Oy.
What if I get stuck in traffic or something and I'm late?! What if I fall down, or accidentally knock things over? What if I'm standing near a giant, artificial floral arrangement and I somehow get my purse strap tangled in it and when I walk away from it, I wind up dragging it across the lobby with me? What if I make an offhand and completely innocuous, albeit inappropriate, remark about Russian amputees and then find out the senior artist's name is Boris Kalashnikov and he has a wooden leg?!
I have a new outfit that is so conservative and "corporate" that I'm afraid I'm going to feel like I'm in a costume.
I guess that is why I'm nervous. It doesn't make sense, I know. Pray for me.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
DISNEY: WITH A VENGEANCE
Some of you may be wondering why I've written extensively about our trip to Disney World, and have yet to actually mention going into the parks, right? Well...you guys must me new here.
It is no big secret that I am not a big fan of Disney World, or hell, Disney in general. I know, I know, it's the happiest frickin' place on earth. When you are there, you puke rainbows and sneeze fluffy kittens (at least that is what their marketing department wants you to believe.) I honestly and truly wish I was as in love with the place as Steve is, because I'd be very glad to share that experience with him, but I simply don't feel that way. It makes me feel terribly ungrateful for the opportunity to go there, when there are easily thousands of people who'd love to be in my place. I know that I am very lucky to be able to visit a place that is so important to Steve and literally millions of other people. The place just does very little for me. I actually had a moment of looking around and thinking about the whole situation, and it made me feel bad. Here I was, surrounded by thousands of people who were peeing their pants in excitement, drinking the kool-aid, and I was not understanding the joy. It's an amusement park, albeit a top notch one, but still, an amusement park. Nothing in it is real. It's a big, shiny, elaborate, well run, beautifully detailed movie set that empties into a gift shop. As much as I want to, I just don't get the attraction at all.
Don't misunderstand me, I really enjoyed our vacation. I really did! I enjoyed the traveling, the shopping, the food and even some parts of the parks are things I like to do. Steve and I had a good time! I didn't have a bad time in any way. I want to make that very clear.
Animal Kingdom is lovely, and I liked seeing the animals. The Everest ride is fun, and there is a safari ride where you get to see all kinds of things living in a more or less natural habitat. True, I was almost decapitated by a flock of long beaked birds, but heck, that could happen anywhere! :) It also rained the day we were there, although we didn't get too wet. The worst part was that my jeans got wet at the ankles from being dragged through puddles, but that happens no matter where I go, if it rains.
Epcot is probably my favorite of all of the parks. I love the scientific stuff and the aquarium (which has manatees, and manatees just make me happy in general.) I also enjoy the World Showcase, because A) that's probably as close to world traveling as I'll get for the most part and B) shopping! It never fails that shopping in "France" always makes me feel like I'm being judged, though.
We didn't spend much time in Hollywood Studios this time since there wasn't a whole lot we were interested in doing. I was going to try the American Idol thing this time, but, honestly...no. Steve told me I should, but it would have taken way too long and neither of us wanted to be stuck there all day just doing one thing. We did see the Indiana Jones stunt show, and a very cute baby sitting in front of us found me quite fascinating. I think babies can see my halo... ; ) We also rode the Tower of Terror, which was actually a lot of fun. I wish we hadn't been stuck in there with a bunch of screaming teenage girls, but almost anywhere you go in Disney World, you get stuck somewhere with screaming teenage girls. It's just a fact.
The Magic Kingdom is Steve's favorite park, and my least favorite. It's just too...cute. Too happy (dopey, sneezy, sleepy, bashful, grumpy & doc) for my tastes. I do love how they pay such attention to detail, though. Everything is just so, and perfect down to the last detail. I did have a bad moment in "It's a Small World" when I started feeling like I was hallucinating. It might have had something to do with not getting very much sleep, but the robot children were WATCHING ME. They want to eat my heart so that they can stay young forever. People think I'm exaggerating about that place scaring me, but I'm not. I get cold chills. Ugh.
Anyways, I used to think I hated the place, but I realized on this trip that I don't hate it at all. I nothing it. Seriously, I have an overwhelming sense of MEH about the place. I mean, some of it is nice, obviously, and some of it is actually fun. As a whole, though, it's like eating a bowl of brightly colored, bland vanilla ice cream. Not the awesome Ben & Jerry's World's Best Vanilla, though. More like a big bowl of McDonald's vanilla soft serve that constantly tells you that all your dreams will come true. The faster it gets shoveled in, the less you taste it and the more likely you are to walk away with a headache and slight nausea. Nothing is real about the place; nothing changes. There isn't one square inch of the place where something might happen that hasn't been experienced by someone before. There are no little discoveries you can make, no places that haven't been worn smooth by a billion other footsteps, no place were any one-of-a-kind memories can be made. It's like a giant pair of bowling shoes: countless others before and after you will wear them. Only these shoes will never wear out. They are eternal. ETERNAL BOWLING SHOES, Y'ALL!!!!!!!
*pant pant pant pant*
Here is the thing: I wish everyone could go to Disney World at least once, just to experience it. If they love it, awesome. If they love it I hope they go back a thousand times and get married there and take their children there (even though the kids will get very little out of it until they are old enough not to be in strollers) and go on second honeymoons there and die on the Disney golf courses when they are old and gray and tired of living and then get their cremains sprinkled over Cinderella's Freaking Castle. That is my wish for the people who love it.
As for me...I don't love it. I've been there before and I'll probably go back again because Steve loves it, and I'm happy to make him happy by going back. However, please don't ever expect me to jump on the Disney bandwagon. It will not happen. Unless they pay me a lot. Because I can be bought. ; )
So, there you go! That is how my trip to Disney World went! Hooray!
*Cue Tinkerbell and her sparkly butt to fly around my blog and blow it up with fairy dust*
Poof!
Some of you may be wondering why I've written extensively about our trip to Disney World, and have yet to actually mention going into the parks, right? Well...you guys must me new here.
It is no big secret that I am not a big fan of Disney World, or hell, Disney in general. I know, I know, it's the happiest frickin' place on earth. When you are there, you puke rainbows and sneeze fluffy kittens (at least that is what their marketing department wants you to believe.) I honestly and truly wish I was as in love with the place as Steve is, because I'd be very glad to share that experience with him, but I simply don't feel that way. It makes me feel terribly ungrateful for the opportunity to go there, when there are easily thousands of people who'd love to be in my place. I know that I am very lucky to be able to visit a place that is so important to Steve and literally millions of other people. The place just does very little for me. I actually had a moment of looking around and thinking about the whole situation, and it made me feel bad. Here I was, surrounded by thousands of people who were peeing their pants in excitement, drinking the kool-aid, and I was not understanding the joy. It's an amusement park, albeit a top notch one, but still, an amusement park. Nothing in it is real. It's a big, shiny, elaborate, well run, beautifully detailed movie set that empties into a gift shop. As much as I want to, I just don't get the attraction at all.
Don't misunderstand me, I really enjoyed our vacation. I really did! I enjoyed the traveling, the shopping, the food and even some parts of the parks are things I like to do. Steve and I had a good time! I didn't have a bad time in any way. I want to make that very clear.
Animal Kingdom is lovely, and I liked seeing the animals. The Everest ride is fun, and there is a safari ride where you get to see all kinds of things living in a more or less natural habitat. True, I was almost decapitated by a flock of long beaked birds, but heck, that could happen anywhere! :) It also rained the day we were there, although we didn't get too wet. The worst part was that my jeans got wet at the ankles from being dragged through puddles, but that happens no matter where I go, if it rains.
Epcot is probably my favorite of all of the parks. I love the scientific stuff and the aquarium (which has manatees, and manatees just make me happy in general.) I also enjoy the World Showcase, because A) that's probably as close to world traveling as I'll get for the most part and B) shopping! It never fails that shopping in "France" always makes me feel like I'm being judged, though.
We didn't spend much time in Hollywood Studios this time since there wasn't a whole lot we were interested in doing. I was going to try the American Idol thing this time, but, honestly...no. Steve told me I should, but it would have taken way too long and neither of us wanted to be stuck there all day just doing one thing. We did see the Indiana Jones stunt show, and a very cute baby sitting in front of us found me quite fascinating. I think babies can see my halo... ; ) We also rode the Tower of Terror, which was actually a lot of fun. I wish we hadn't been stuck in there with a bunch of screaming teenage girls, but almost anywhere you go in Disney World, you get stuck somewhere with screaming teenage girls. It's just a fact.
The Magic Kingdom is Steve's favorite park, and my least favorite. It's just too...cute. Too happy (dopey, sneezy, sleepy, bashful, grumpy & doc) for my tastes. I do love how they pay such attention to detail, though. Everything is just so, and perfect down to the last detail. I did have a bad moment in "It's a Small World" when I started feeling like I was hallucinating. It might have had something to do with not getting very much sleep, but the robot children were WATCHING ME. They want to eat my heart so that they can stay young forever. People think I'm exaggerating about that place scaring me, but I'm not. I get cold chills. Ugh.
Anyways, I used to think I hated the place, but I realized on this trip that I don't hate it at all. I nothing it. Seriously, I have an overwhelming sense of MEH about the place. I mean, some of it is nice, obviously, and some of it is actually fun. As a whole, though, it's like eating a bowl of brightly colored, bland vanilla ice cream. Not the awesome Ben & Jerry's World's Best Vanilla, though. More like a big bowl of McDonald's vanilla soft serve that constantly tells you that all your dreams will come true. The faster it gets shoveled in, the less you taste it and the more likely you are to walk away with a headache and slight nausea. Nothing is real about the place; nothing changes. There isn't one square inch of the place where something might happen that hasn't been experienced by someone before. There are no little discoveries you can make, no places that haven't been worn smooth by a billion other footsteps, no place were any one-of-a-kind memories can be made. It's like a giant pair of bowling shoes: countless others before and after you will wear them. Only these shoes will never wear out. They are eternal. ETERNAL BOWLING SHOES, Y'ALL!!!!!!!
*pant pant pant pant*
Here is the thing: I wish everyone could go to Disney World at least once, just to experience it. If they love it, awesome. If they love it I hope they go back a thousand times and get married there and take their children there (even though the kids will get very little out of it until they are old enough not to be in strollers) and go on second honeymoons there and die on the Disney golf courses when they are old and gray and tired of living and then get their cremains sprinkled over Cinderella's Freaking Castle. That is my wish for the people who love it.
As for me...I don't love it. I've been there before and I'll probably go back again because Steve loves it, and I'm happy to make him happy by going back. However, please don't ever expect me to jump on the Disney bandwagon. It will not happen. Unless they pay me a lot. Because I can be bought. ; )
So, there you go! That is how my trip to Disney World went! Hooray!
*Cue Tinkerbell and her sparkly butt to fly around my blog and blow it up with fairy dust*
Poof!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
DISNEY VACATION: HERE IS WHERE I TALK ABOUT THE FOOD
Heh.
Anyways, so where was I?
OM NOM NOM
It doesn't take a very astute person to realize that I enjoy food. Anyone can look at me and know that! :) There are some really fantastic restaurants in the Disney World complex, and by the time we left there, I felt like I had eaten at all of them. We had the dining plan, which I recommend if you take a trip to Disney, that allowed us to get reservations at a lot of very nice places, Places certainly much nicer than we would go to at home. It's funny, but I don't think I've ever been as aware of how often we eat as I was on this trip. It was probably because we had reservations all over the darn place and we had to jump on the Monorail and travel to where we were eating. We don't eat out that much at home anymore, so I guess that's why it seems like we were constantly eating! Heck, I didn't mind, since I wasn't the one cooking! :)
We ate at a place called Yak & Yeti, which served neither yak nor yeti as far as I know. I wish I could be more specific about the kind of food it was, but all I know was that it was in the Asia part of Animal Kingdom. The food was great, and I even ate snow peas! Crunchy snow peas (the thought of them at this point makes me kind of gaggish because of the texture, but they tasted fine.) The waitress asked us if we had run the marathon (apparently, there is a Disney marathon...who knew?) and Steve and I just laughed. Honestly, do either of us look like we could run to the end of a driveway, much less a whole marathon? Heehee. That night, we got dressed up-ish because we had a reservation at The California Grill, which was on the 15th floor of our hotel. It's a great place to go during the evening when the Magic Kingdom has it's fireworks show, so we got to see them up close and personal (although, not as clearly as we would have liked.) I was really afraid that I was under dressed for this place, because it was a lovely, classy restaurant, so I was a little self conscious. However, I felt much better when I saw the lady in cut off sweat-pants come in. They even have a sign that says that you can't wear your swim-suit to dinner, so...yeah. I didn't need to worry I was under dressed! Also, and I say this as someone who doesn't have children and who probably doesn't understand the fine details of parenting, but if you take your children to a nice restaurant...teach them some damn manners and don't let them wallow in the floor. Seriously, I get that kids don't sit still and eat like adults do, and I get that when your on vacation a lot of your regular rules go out the window, but please...as a person who has to share a restaurant with you on occasion, I don't want your children crawling under my table or throwing stuff that could get on me, or shoving me out of the way so they can get to the window I'm sitting near. Your children need to be taken care of, even if you're on vacation, OK? Please do so. Chef Mickey's was just down-stairs. If your kid can't keep from acting like a feral cat, take them downstairs and let them climb on a giant mouse. And stay off my lawn.
The next night, we ate at The San Angel Inn, in Epcot. It's our traditional Epcot restaurant located in "Mexico." I love the interior of the building, which is made to look like an outdoor market place at twilight. The food is very good, if not something I'd eat very often. Also, it was the first time I'd ever eaten a churro. I'd go back to Disney World just for the churros, man. It's even fun to say: Churrrrrrrrro.
Wednesday night we ate at 'Ohana, which is located in the Polynesian Resort. It is Hawaiian, of course, if you couldn't tell by the name. I'd never eaten Hawaiian food before, and they do a fine job at preparing it! At least I think so. It could have been terrible as far as Hawaiian food goes, but since I'd never had any... I was impressed. :) It's kind of a family style place and I swear that they bring you more food than it is physically possible for two people to eat. They had the most delicious bread I'd ever eaten, and I was told they'd e-mail me the recipe if I requested it, which I did. I'M STILL WAITING, 'OHANA. They also had great salad dressing, for which I found the recipe online. Hey, anything that makes it easier for me to eat veggies is a-OK with me. You should give it a try. I made it when we got home and it tasted just as good! My only problem with this otherwise fine establishment was the entertainment, and I feel kind of bad about that. Honestly, the entertainment was strictly for the children, probably so the parents could eat in peace. It wasn't the fact that it was for children that bothered me. The kids were even kind of cute when they'd follow the lady around doing the "hang loose" thing with their hands, it was the lady singing. It wasn't even really her voice, because she had a lovely voice. It probably wouldn't have bothered me if they didn't pipe her singing, loudly, over your table. She was actually Hawaiian, and she played a ukulele, and dear Lord...it was loud. It was also very cheerful. Very, very, cheerful. Creepy cheerful. It is my firm belief that this lady goes home and kills puppies or something to counterbalance the cheerfulness of her job. I don't see how she can stay sane otherwise. There isn't a way I can explain how she sounded just by writing, so you'll just have to take my word for it, Cousin.
Later on in the week, we also ate at Kona Cafe, which is another Hawaiian restaurant in that resort. The steak...OMG, the steak. We also had some rather annoying people sitting next to us. Some very loud, very "New Yawk," kind of people who apparently had become so annoying that you could see it on their waiter's face. If you can make a Disney employee look like that, you must be awful! :)
The last full service place we went to was The Crystal Palace, which is inside Magic Kingdom. I don't even know if you can call it a full service place, since it was a buffet, but the food was great! Our waiter looked so much like my old Agribusiness teacher that I almost called him Mr. Harris! He was very cheerful, but not 'Ohana singer cheerful, so I was OK with that. The place was packed, PACKED, with people. It was one of those places where the people in Animal suits come in and interact with the kids while they eat. I hate those things. I mean, for the children, it's OK. What kid wouldn't love a real-life Tigger or Pooh to hug and whatever. Me? They heeb me out. I've worn a similar costume before. I know that there is a person inside of those things, and I know that THEY know I'm an adult and don't need their germy costumes that some kid has wiped their nose on, coming near my food. I swore I'd punch the first mascot that came near me right in the solar plexus. Luckily, Piglet was only able to get to Steve since I was on the far side of the table, so he/she didn't touch me. I can be gracious to the person trapped inside if all I have to do is wave to them. :) I found a recipe for the best thing in that place that I ate, and I sincerely think you need to make it. I'm not kidding, it was awesome. I even went back to get more for dessert, and I chose it over all of the chocolate stuff AND it wasn't even sweet, so you know it had to be good.
So, there you go! I kind of hate that such a long post was dedicated to just food, but it was such a big part of the experience I felt I needed to share. :)
TO BE CONTINUED...
Heh.
Anyways, so where was I?
OM NOM NOM
It doesn't take a very astute person to realize that I enjoy food. Anyone can look at me and know that! :) There are some really fantastic restaurants in the Disney World complex, and by the time we left there, I felt like I had eaten at all of them. We had the dining plan, which I recommend if you take a trip to Disney, that allowed us to get reservations at a lot of very nice places, Places certainly much nicer than we would go to at home. It's funny, but I don't think I've ever been as aware of how often we eat as I was on this trip. It was probably because we had reservations all over the darn place and we had to jump on the Monorail and travel to where we were eating. We don't eat out that much at home anymore, so I guess that's why it seems like we were constantly eating! Heck, I didn't mind, since I wasn't the one cooking! :)
We ate at a place called Yak & Yeti, which served neither yak nor yeti as far as I know. I wish I could be more specific about the kind of food it was, but all I know was that it was in the Asia part of Animal Kingdom. The food was great, and I even ate snow peas! Crunchy snow peas (the thought of them at this point makes me kind of gaggish because of the texture, but they tasted fine.) The waitress asked us if we had run the marathon (apparently, there is a Disney marathon...who knew?) and Steve and I just laughed. Honestly, do either of us look like we could run to the end of a driveway, much less a whole marathon? Heehee. That night, we got dressed up-ish because we had a reservation at The California Grill, which was on the 15th floor of our hotel. It's a great place to go during the evening when the Magic Kingdom has it's fireworks show, so we got to see them up close and personal (although, not as clearly as we would have liked.) I was really afraid that I was under dressed for this place, because it was a lovely, classy restaurant, so I was a little self conscious. However, I felt much better when I saw the lady in cut off sweat-pants come in. They even have a sign that says that you can't wear your swim-suit to dinner, so...yeah. I didn't need to worry I was under dressed! Also, and I say this as someone who doesn't have children and who probably doesn't understand the fine details of parenting, but if you take your children to a nice restaurant...teach them some damn manners and don't let them wallow in the floor. Seriously, I get that kids don't sit still and eat like adults do, and I get that when your on vacation a lot of your regular rules go out the window, but please...as a person who has to share a restaurant with you on occasion, I don't want your children crawling under my table or throwing stuff that could get on me, or shoving me out of the way so they can get to the window I'm sitting near. Your children need to be taken care of, even if you're on vacation, OK? Please do so. Chef Mickey's was just down-stairs. If your kid can't keep from acting like a feral cat, take them downstairs and let them climb on a giant mouse. And stay off my lawn.
The next night, we ate at The San Angel Inn, in Epcot. It's our traditional Epcot restaurant located in "Mexico." I love the interior of the building, which is made to look like an outdoor market place at twilight. The food is very good, if not something I'd eat very often. Also, it was the first time I'd ever eaten a churro. I'd go back to Disney World just for the churros, man. It's even fun to say: Churrrrrrrrro.
Wednesday night we ate at 'Ohana, which is located in the Polynesian Resort. It is Hawaiian, of course, if you couldn't tell by the name. I'd never eaten Hawaiian food before, and they do a fine job at preparing it! At least I think so. It could have been terrible as far as Hawaiian food goes, but since I'd never had any... I was impressed. :) It's kind of a family style place and I swear that they bring you more food than it is physically possible for two people to eat. They had the most delicious bread I'd ever eaten, and I was told they'd e-mail me the recipe if I requested it, which I did. I'M STILL WAITING, 'OHANA. They also had great salad dressing, for which I found the recipe online. Hey, anything that makes it easier for me to eat veggies is a-OK with me. You should give it a try. I made it when we got home and it tasted just as good! My only problem with this otherwise fine establishment was the entertainment, and I feel kind of bad about that. Honestly, the entertainment was strictly for the children, probably so the parents could eat in peace. It wasn't the fact that it was for children that bothered me. The kids were even kind of cute when they'd follow the lady around doing the "hang loose" thing with their hands, it was the lady singing. It wasn't even really her voice, because she had a lovely voice. It probably wouldn't have bothered me if they didn't pipe her singing, loudly, over your table. She was actually Hawaiian, and she played a ukulele, and dear Lord...it was loud. It was also very cheerful. Very, very, cheerful. Creepy cheerful. It is my firm belief that this lady goes home and kills puppies or something to counterbalance the cheerfulness of her job. I don't see how she can stay sane otherwise. There isn't a way I can explain how she sounded just by writing, so you'll just have to take my word for it, Cousin.
Later on in the week, we also ate at Kona Cafe, which is another Hawaiian restaurant in that resort. The steak...OMG, the steak. We also had some rather annoying people sitting next to us. Some very loud, very "New Yawk," kind of people who apparently had become so annoying that you could see it on their waiter's face. If you can make a Disney employee look like that, you must be awful! :)
The last full service place we went to was The Crystal Palace, which is inside Magic Kingdom. I don't even know if you can call it a full service place, since it was a buffet, but the food was great! Our waiter looked so much like my old Agribusiness teacher that I almost called him Mr. Harris! He was very cheerful, but not 'Ohana singer cheerful, so I was OK with that. The place was packed, PACKED, with people. It was one of those places where the people in Animal suits come in and interact with the kids while they eat. I hate those things. I mean, for the children, it's OK. What kid wouldn't love a real-life Tigger or Pooh to hug and whatever. Me? They heeb me out. I've worn a similar costume before. I know that there is a person inside of those things, and I know that THEY know I'm an adult and don't need their germy costumes that some kid has wiped their nose on, coming near my food. I swore I'd punch the first mascot that came near me right in the solar plexus. Luckily, Piglet was only able to get to Steve since I was on the far side of the table, so he/she didn't touch me. I can be gracious to the person trapped inside if all I have to do is wave to them. :) I found a recipe for the best thing in that place that I ate, and I sincerely think you need to make it. I'm not kidding, it was awesome. I even went back to get more for dessert, and I chose it over all of the chocolate stuff AND it wasn't even sweet, so you know it had to be good.
So, there you go! I kind of hate that such a long post was dedicated to just food, but it was such a big part of the experience I felt I needed to share. :)
TO BE CONTINUED...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Well, I'm back!
As some of you may already know, Steve and I went on a week long vacation to Florida. Orlando, Florida to be specific. You probably don't even have to guess what we did while we were there, do you? Probably not. However, for the three international visitors who will somehow find this blog by accident and go to the trouble to read it in hopes that it will help them practice their English skills, I'll clarify: we went to Disney World.
Whee.
Usually, when I go on vacation, I blog about my experiences along the way! That's so I don't forget anything that happened. However, I couldn't do that this time because we didn't take a computer along with us. We had the iPad, but since the resort didn't offer a wireless network, we couldn't use it to get online. The closest we had to an Internet connection we could use was Steve's iPhone, and I'm fairly certain I would have gone blind trying to type long entries into a device only slightly larger than a pack of playing cards. So I will just have to give you what I remember!
HOLIDAY ROAD
The flight down to Orlando was nice because a) AirTran has a direct flight from Huntsville to Orlando! Woot! I was so glad, because I hate the Atlanta airport with the heat of a thousand suns. Also, b) we were able to upgrade our seats to business class*, which held the untold comfort of actual leg room. *Yes, I know first class may be better than business class, but dammit, it was as close as we could get!
Since we had done a very similar trip recently, in 2009, we already knew where to go and what to do. We got checked into the Contemporary Resort fairly quickly and easily, which was way better than last time. The hotel was lovely, really! I mean, it looked a little bit dated as far as decor, but it was still really nice. It was also nice to have a monorail station right outside of our room. You could just walk downstairs and jump on the train! It was much better than having to ride the bus!
SUNSHINE DAY
The weather was gorgeous. I was so glad to have missed the snow up here, and the temperature the day we arrived was about 78 degrees. Even so...I saw people walking out of the building wearing parkas. PARKAS! Seriously, how hot does your home country have to be for you to need a parka in 78 degree weather? Geez-Louise. It really only got cold one day, and even that was not so bad. I mean, it got uncomfortable if the wind blew on you too much, but it was probably in the low forties or something. I, at least, had the wherewithal to wear long pants, so I was better off than a lot of other people who only had summer clothes. How hard is it to look at a 10 day forecast online, people? Even Florida has cold weather occasionally. Also, just FYI, Disney will price gouge their gloves if an unexpected cold snap happens. $9.99 for a pair of 50 cent gloves? Fughettaboutit.
WELL-A BIRD BIRD BIRD, BIRD IS THE WORD
If there was one continuing theme to the week, it was that we spent an unusual amount of time dodging birds and bird poop. I'm not kidding even in the least about that. It all started on Monday while we were in Animal Kingdom. There were these white birds with LONG curved beaks that kinds of hang out everywhere down there. I don't think they were even part of any kind of exhibit or anything, they were just there. Everything was fine until one of them tried to kill me. OK, maybe that is an exaggeration, but you know what? I didn't see anyone else getting buzz-bombed by these birds. It was like they waited for me to walk by and they'd take off straight towards my head. Then they'd follow me with their eyes...black eyes...like doll's eyes... Ugh. We also had birds getting into the hotel through the monorail openings. By the last day we were there, so many sparrows were begging for food in the food court area that Steve literally had to dodge a bird while he was eating breakfast. I thought I'd choke, I was laughing so hard. I was sitting with my back to the majority of the restaurant, and he got this panicked look on his face, and then *SWOOP* a sparrow flew right at him. He looked terrified. It was so, so funny! The worst, the very worst thing, though, was the morning we heard this WHUMP on the balcony door. I was in the dressing room when Steve heard it and told me to come and look. Somehow, a rock hard bread roll landed on our balcony. We have no idea how it got there, because we were on the 7th floor and didn't think anyone could have thrown it up, so it probably slipped from an upper story. Anyways, with that hunk of bread, birds arrived. It was a sea gull and a couple of smaller birds at first. I thought they were cute, so I threw out a couple of pretzels so that they could all have some food. Unfortunately, that triggered some kind of "SUCKER" signal and our balcony was attacked from all sides by birds. Not only did they attack, they... and honestly, there is no delicate, southern-lady way to say this... but they shat all over our balcony. It was like some kind of poop war was going on and there was only a thin panel of glass between Steve and I, and a literal shit-storm. I've never seen anything like it. They were like some feathered version of the Luftwaffe and our balcony was Poland. Disgusting. I managed to go out and pick up the roll and throw it as far as I could away from the hotel, which got rid of the birds. I was trying to throw it to the roof of the convention center down below us, but I don't know where it landed because I ran back inside and hid out of fear that we'd get thrown out of the hotel because I was throwing stuff off of the balcony. After that, the lovely balcony where we had spent so many evenings watching the fireworks was completely unusable. Bleh.
***MORE TO COME***
As some of you may already know, Steve and I went on a week long vacation to Florida. Orlando, Florida to be specific. You probably don't even have to guess what we did while we were there, do you? Probably not. However, for the three international visitors who will somehow find this blog by accident and go to the trouble to read it in hopes that it will help them practice their English skills, I'll clarify: we went to Disney World.
Whee.
Usually, when I go on vacation, I blog about my experiences along the way! That's so I don't forget anything that happened. However, I couldn't do that this time because we didn't take a computer along with us. We had the iPad, but since the resort didn't offer a wireless network, we couldn't use it to get online. The closest we had to an Internet connection we could use was Steve's iPhone, and I'm fairly certain I would have gone blind trying to type long entries into a device only slightly larger than a pack of playing cards. So I will just have to give you what I remember!
HOLIDAY ROAD
The flight down to Orlando was nice because a) AirTran has a direct flight from Huntsville to Orlando! Woot! I was so glad, because I hate the Atlanta airport with the heat of a thousand suns. Also, b) we were able to upgrade our seats to business class*, which held the untold comfort of actual leg room. *Yes, I know first class may be better than business class, but dammit, it was as close as we could get!
Since we had done a very similar trip recently, in 2009, we already knew where to go and what to do. We got checked into the Contemporary Resort fairly quickly and easily, which was way better than last time. The hotel was lovely, really! I mean, it looked a little bit dated as far as decor, but it was still really nice. It was also nice to have a monorail station right outside of our room. You could just walk downstairs and jump on the train! It was much better than having to ride the bus!
SUNSHINE DAY
The weather was gorgeous. I was so glad to have missed the snow up here, and the temperature the day we arrived was about 78 degrees. Even so...I saw people walking out of the building wearing parkas. PARKAS! Seriously, how hot does your home country have to be for you to need a parka in 78 degree weather? Geez-Louise. It really only got cold one day, and even that was not so bad. I mean, it got uncomfortable if the wind blew on you too much, but it was probably in the low forties or something. I, at least, had the wherewithal to wear long pants, so I was better off than a lot of other people who only had summer clothes. How hard is it to look at a 10 day forecast online, people? Even Florida has cold weather occasionally. Also, just FYI, Disney will price gouge their gloves if an unexpected cold snap happens. $9.99 for a pair of 50 cent gloves? Fughettaboutit.
WELL-A BIRD BIRD BIRD, BIRD IS THE WORD
If there was one continuing theme to the week, it was that we spent an unusual amount of time dodging birds and bird poop. I'm not kidding even in the least about that. It all started on Monday while we were in Animal Kingdom. There were these white birds with LONG curved beaks that kinds of hang out everywhere down there. I don't think they were even part of any kind of exhibit or anything, they were just there. Everything was fine until one of them tried to kill me. OK, maybe that is an exaggeration, but you know what? I didn't see anyone else getting buzz-bombed by these birds. It was like they waited for me to walk by and they'd take off straight towards my head. Then they'd follow me with their eyes...black eyes...like doll's eyes... Ugh. We also had birds getting into the hotel through the monorail openings. By the last day we were there, so many sparrows were begging for food in the food court area that Steve literally had to dodge a bird while he was eating breakfast. I thought I'd choke, I was laughing so hard. I was sitting with my back to the majority of the restaurant, and he got this panicked look on his face, and then *SWOOP* a sparrow flew right at him. He looked terrified. It was so, so funny! The worst, the very worst thing, though, was the morning we heard this WHUMP on the balcony door. I was in the dressing room when Steve heard it and told me to come and look. Somehow, a rock hard bread roll landed on our balcony. We have no idea how it got there, because we were on the 7th floor and didn't think anyone could have thrown it up, so it probably slipped from an upper story. Anyways, with that hunk of bread, birds arrived. It was a sea gull and a couple of smaller birds at first. I thought they were cute, so I threw out a couple of pretzels so that they could all have some food. Unfortunately, that triggered some kind of "SUCKER" signal and our balcony was attacked from all sides by birds. Not only did they attack, they... and honestly, there is no delicate, southern-lady way to say this... but they shat all over our balcony. It was like some kind of poop war was going on and there was only a thin panel of glass between Steve and I, and a literal shit-storm. I've never seen anything like it. They were like some feathered version of the Luftwaffe and our balcony was Poland. Disgusting. I managed to go out and pick up the roll and throw it as far as I could away from the hotel, which got rid of the birds. I was trying to throw it to the roof of the convention center down below us, but I don't know where it landed because I ran back inside and hid out of fear that we'd get thrown out of the hotel because I was throwing stuff off of the balcony. After that, the lovely balcony where we had spent so many evenings watching the fireworks was completely unusable. Bleh.
***MORE TO COME***
Thursday, January 06, 2011
A QUICKIE
The doctor's office called today with the results of my sleep study. I don't understand most of what she was talking about, but from what I could understand, I'm surprised I'm not dead.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and enjoy breathing while I'm awake, since I don't seem to do very much of it while I'm asleep.
The doctor's office called today with the results of my sleep study. I don't understand most of what she was talking about, but from what I could understand, I'm surprised I'm not dead.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and enjoy breathing while I'm awake, since I don't seem to do very much of it while I'm asleep.
RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING
1) I did a weird thing yesterday. Weird even by my standards, and now I've begun questioning my own motives. After church last night, Mr. Lee, Steve and I went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. As we were waiting to be seated, a man came up to me and said he liked my hat. I was wearing the last hat I made, which was made up of scraps of different kinds of yarn that I had left over from my hat making adventure, so it was kind of crazy looking, but colorful. He asked if it was handmade, and I told him it was, and he said he liked it and that he collected hats. So I gave him mine. I didn't really think about it, but I told him I had lots of them (I do, of course) and that he could have it if he wanted. He was kind of flabbergasted, but he accepted the hat. He also gave me a hug and got my e-mail address. His name was Don. I have no idea why I gave him my hat! Maybe he only took it because he didn't want to hurt my feelings, or maybe he really liked it. I have no idea. It seemed like a natural thing to do at the time, but now it just seems...weird. I mean, if the man had been homeless and needed the thing, I'd almost understand it, but he wasn't. I'm not even sure why I feel so odd about it now, but I do. I guess I'm the Oprah of hats. "HAAAAAAAAAATS! YOU GET A HAT! YOU GET A HAT! YOU ALL GET HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS!" Oh, well, I hope he enjoys the hat, and if nothing else, at least he'll have a story about the weird lady in Cracker Barrel that gave it to him.
2) Poor Steve. I've mentioned before that he had to get minor foot surgery before Christmas, and he's been doing well since it healed. He had an appointment yesterday for a checkup, thinking the doc was just going to look at it, but the doctor decided that he needed to poke it and stab it with stuff. He was limping kind of badly by the time he got home last night, but he was OK until the dog decided to stomp on his foot. Butler weighs about 80-85, possibly 90 pounds...so needless to say, Steve is home today with his foot up. Butler didn't even say he was sorry!
3) Speaking of limping guys, but not really, there was a guy at the sleep clinic last night that looked SO much like Hugh Laurie that I had to do a double take. He was much thinner than Dr. House, but he could have been his twin otherwise. I think he must know he looks like him too, because he had the same hair style and beard scruff as the actor. Had he actually been a doctor instead of a patient, it would have really been freaky.
4) OK, now that I know I stop breathing in the night, I know why I wake up in CrazyTown sometimes. Apparently, it's oxygen deprivation to my brain (which may explain a lot about me, actually.) I won't mind losing CrazyTown, even though I'll miss the stories. I have a concern, though. I'm worried that if I finally get the air I need while I'm sleeping, I'll quit dreaming. I don't know if dreaming (my kind of dreaming) has anything to do with lack of oxygen or not, though. I dream a lot and very vividly, and as much as I'd like to get a full night's sleep and be rested, I don't want to lose my dreams. :(
1) I did a weird thing yesterday. Weird even by my standards, and now I've begun questioning my own motives. After church last night, Mr. Lee, Steve and I went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. As we were waiting to be seated, a man came up to me and said he liked my hat. I was wearing the last hat I made, which was made up of scraps of different kinds of yarn that I had left over from my hat making adventure, so it was kind of crazy looking, but colorful. He asked if it was handmade, and I told him it was, and he said he liked it and that he collected hats. So I gave him mine. I didn't really think about it, but I told him I had lots of them (I do, of course) and that he could have it if he wanted. He was kind of flabbergasted, but he accepted the hat. He also gave me a hug and got my e-mail address. His name was Don. I have no idea why I gave him my hat! Maybe he only took it because he didn't want to hurt my feelings, or maybe he really liked it. I have no idea. It seemed like a natural thing to do at the time, but now it just seems...weird. I mean, if the man had been homeless and needed the thing, I'd almost understand it, but he wasn't. I'm not even sure why I feel so odd about it now, but I do. I guess I'm the Oprah of hats. "HAAAAAAAAAATS! YOU GET A HAT! YOU GET A HAT! YOU ALL GET HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS!" Oh, well, I hope he enjoys the hat, and if nothing else, at least he'll have a story about the weird lady in Cracker Barrel that gave it to him.
2) Poor Steve. I've mentioned before that he had to get minor foot surgery before Christmas, and he's been doing well since it healed. He had an appointment yesterday for a checkup, thinking the doc was just going to look at it, but the doctor decided that he needed to poke it and stab it with stuff. He was limping kind of badly by the time he got home last night, but he was OK until the dog decided to stomp on his foot. Butler weighs about 80-85, possibly 90 pounds...so needless to say, Steve is home today with his foot up. Butler didn't even say he was sorry!
3) Speaking of limping guys, but not really, there was a guy at the sleep clinic last night that looked SO much like Hugh Laurie that I had to do a double take. He was much thinner than Dr. House, but he could have been his twin otherwise. I think he must know he looks like him too, because he had the same hair style and beard scruff as the actor. Had he actually been a doctor instead of a patient, it would have really been freaky.
4) OK, now that I know I stop breathing in the night, I know why I wake up in CrazyTown sometimes. Apparently, it's oxygen deprivation to my brain (which may explain a lot about me, actually.) I won't mind losing CrazyTown, even though I'll miss the stories. I have a concern, though. I'm worried that if I finally get the air I need while I'm sleeping, I'll quit dreaming. I don't know if dreaming (my kind of dreaming) has anything to do with lack of oxygen or not, though. I dream a lot and very vividly, and as much as I'd like to get a full night's sleep and be rested, I don't want to lose my dreams. :(
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO...SLEEP
Yuck.
I just got home from spending the night in the Sleep Disorder Clinic, where I honestly feel as if I'd been in some kind of torture chamber where they were trying to extract information from me.
I was very apprehensive about doing this sleep study, not so much because I thought it would hurt or be scary, but because it freaked me out to know that someone was going to be watching me while I slept. I know how dumb that sounds, because there are much worse things to worry about, but it squicked me out to know that I was going to be watched while I slept! What if I forgot and talked to myself or picked my nose or something?! Luckily I did neither, and it turned out that being watched was the least unpleasant thing about the whole ordeal.
Now, don't get me wrong, it was probably a great experience as far as sleep studies go. The assisting nurse/technician was awesome. She came in to explain everything to me and she was really nice. She managed to make me comfortable at the same time as she was wiring me into what seemed like quite an elaborate computer system. I had so many freaking electrodes stuck to my head, my face, my chest, my legs with gooey silicon gel, and some kind of clamp thing on my finger to monitor my oxygen levels. I also had one of those air things that go into your nose, but instead of a lovely stream of air flowing into my body, there was another sensor stuck into it. I felt like I was in that scene from "The Matrix" when we see that humans are stored in the pink goo pods with all of the cables jammed into them.
Seriously, I Googled Matrix Goo Pod and
found this. I love the Internet!
I was tired when I got there, so I didn't think I'd have any trouble falling asleep, but I was incorrect! Have you ever tried to sleep while being hardwired into the Matrix? Some of you probably have, and can sympathize, but it was hard. First off, you can't move freely at all. In fact, every time I moved, I felt like I was going to accidentally rip my skin off. It wasn't that the electrodes hurt, but they (and the many, many wires attached to them) pulled at me at the slightest movement. I also felt like I was being choked by the thing in my nose, which honestly, doesn't help with the whole "breathing issue" that I already have. I already have this huge fear of being suffocated, and dozing off, only to wake up feeling like someone has looped a noose around my neck, is scary! I even ripped off the nose thing in my sleep at one point and the poor lady had to come in and put it back on. She said she saw me almost do it again later, and she had to call me through the speaker next to my bed and tell me not to.
All of those wires had an endpoint on my body somewhere.
Also, I was wearing that stuff around my neck when I took the picture.
I was like some kind of medical Flavor Flav.
I even had a honest to goodness claustrophobic panic attack at one point because I felt trapped in the bed. I came so close to ripping all of my wires off and leaving. My technician said that had happened before to other people and messed up there results, so I had to lie there and mentally talk myself into calming down. That is not easy at all. Apparently I actually went back to sleep at some point, according to the sensors, but I remember very vividly looking around the room and staring at the infrared "Ghost Hunter's" camera they had trained on me.
I actually had a dream the lady came in and told me I was ready to go, and I was so grateful that I almost stood up and walked out! I'm glad I didn't because I was still wired into the equipment and would probably have simultaneously ripped a cabinet out of the wall as well as a few chunks of my hair. When she finally did call and tell me I could get up, I was so relieved. She said that my oxygen levels get very low at night and I'll have to come in for another study, only this time it will be with a mask on! The fun never ends, people! It never ends!
LATER: I finally had to go to sleep for reals when I got home. I wanted to take a shower first, because I was still sticky from the silicon gel, but I was too tired to wait. When I finally woke up, I felt like I had been beaten with multiple sticks. Also, I'm still sticky. This whole thing had better pay off in some way, or...well... I'll probably just crouch in a corner and cry at how tired I am.
Yuck.
I just got home from spending the night in the Sleep Disorder Clinic, where I honestly feel as if I'd been in some kind of torture chamber where they were trying to extract information from me.
I was very apprehensive about doing this sleep study, not so much because I thought it would hurt or be scary, but because it freaked me out to know that someone was going to be watching me while I slept. I know how dumb that sounds, because there are much worse things to worry about, but it squicked me out to know that I was going to be watched while I slept! What if I forgot and talked to myself or picked my nose or something?! Luckily I did neither, and it turned out that being watched was the least unpleasant thing about the whole ordeal.
Now, don't get me wrong, it was probably a great experience as far as sleep studies go. The assisting nurse/technician was awesome. She came in to explain everything to me and she was really nice. She managed to make me comfortable at the same time as she was wiring me into what seemed like quite an elaborate computer system. I had so many freaking electrodes stuck to my head, my face, my chest, my legs with gooey silicon gel, and some kind of clamp thing on my finger to monitor my oxygen levels. I also had one of those air things that go into your nose, but instead of a lovely stream of air flowing into my body, there was another sensor stuck into it. I felt like I was in that scene from "The Matrix" when we see that humans are stored in the pink goo pods with all of the cables jammed into them.
Seriously, I Googled Matrix Goo Pod andfound this. I love the Internet!
I was tired when I got there, so I didn't think I'd have any trouble falling asleep, but I was incorrect! Have you ever tried to sleep while being hardwired into the Matrix? Some of you probably have, and can sympathize, but it was hard. First off, you can't move freely at all. In fact, every time I moved, I felt like I was going to accidentally rip my skin off. It wasn't that the electrodes hurt, but they (and the many, many wires attached to them) pulled at me at the slightest movement. I also felt like I was being choked by the thing in my nose, which honestly, doesn't help with the whole "breathing issue" that I already have. I already have this huge fear of being suffocated, and dozing off, only to wake up feeling like someone has looped a noose around my neck, is scary! I even ripped off the nose thing in my sleep at one point and the poor lady had to come in and put it back on. She said she saw me almost do it again later, and she had to call me through the speaker next to my bed and tell me not to.
All of those wires had an endpoint on my body somewhere.Also, I was wearing that stuff around my neck when I took the picture.
I was like some kind of medical Flavor Flav.
I even had a honest to goodness claustrophobic panic attack at one point because I felt trapped in the bed. I came so close to ripping all of my wires off and leaving. My technician said that had happened before to other people and messed up there results, so I had to lie there and mentally talk myself into calming down. That is not easy at all. Apparently I actually went back to sleep at some point, according to the sensors, but I remember very vividly looking around the room and staring at the infrared "Ghost Hunter's" camera they had trained on me.
I actually had a dream the lady came in and told me I was ready to go, and I was so grateful that I almost stood up and walked out! I'm glad I didn't because I was still wired into the equipment and would probably have simultaneously ripped a cabinet out of the wall as well as a few chunks of my hair. When she finally did call and tell me I could get up, I was so relieved. She said that my oxygen levels get very low at night and I'll have to come in for another study, only this time it will be with a mask on! The fun never ends, people! It never ends!
LATER: I finally had to go to sleep for reals when I got home. I wanted to take a shower first, because I was still sticky from the silicon gel, but I was too tired to wait. When I finally woke up, I felt like I had been beaten with multiple sticks. Also, I'm still sticky. This whole thing had better pay off in some way, or...well... I'll probably just crouch in a corner and cry at how tired I am.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING
1) Merry after Christmas! We had a lovely holiday, thanks for asking! We made the requisite rounds of family gatherings, ate hugely, played in a completely unexpected snowfall (well, I did) and exchanged gifts. We had a great time all around, I think. Steve, of course, had to bring a whole new set of sucky Christmas movies into the mix, but I forgave him for that since it was Jesus' birthday and all. :) Here is the snowman Seth and I made:
2) Steve gave me a funny/thoughtful Christmas gift this year. He remembered that when I was a little girl, I loved Wonder Woman. Not just loved her, but was planning on becoming her when I grew up. This was, of course, before I knew that she wasn't like Green Lantern and couldn't just pass off her image to a whole new person. (And now I've revealed I know too much about Green Lantern.) Anyways, he gave me a pendant with the Wonder Woman symbol to wear on a necklace! At least that's what I think it is. Maybe it's a Whataburger logo. Eh, either way. cool! I thought it was sweet he remembered my silly childhood ambitions. I'm just glad he didn't buy it at Zales.
3) I finally finished my 365 hat project! *snoopy dance* I know that most of you probably already knew what the "Hat Count" number was about all this time, but for those of you who didn't, I'll explain more fully now that I'm done. I set a goal for myself at the end of last year, to make one hat for every day of the year. My original goal was just to thin out my yarn stash and make 365 hats, period. However, in my search for hat patterns, I ran across a website for "The Hatbox Foundation," which is a charity that takes handmade hats and distributes them to hospitals across the country for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Since I've lost so many family members to cancer, this site kind of spoke to my heart, and I decided that I'd be able to reach my goal and do some good in the world at the same time! There are other similar charities, but since this one works with the hospital my very loved, late mother-in-law was in during her fight with cancer, I chose it. I won't be sending all 365 hats to the charity, unfortunately. I counted every hat I made into my total, and that included hats I made for myself, ones I made as gifts for friends, & some I sold. Also, some can't be sent because of the type of yarn I used or the pattern I used wasn't suitable because it wasn't tightly woven enough. However, the majority of them, somewhere between 280 - 300 (I have to go through them again to be sure), can be donated! Now my biggest concern is packing them up and figuring out a way to get them to California! I'll probably wait until the new year to figure out that one.
4) I'm going to have to go to the hospital next week and have a sleep study done. Fun, right? : ( My GP is trying to help me figure out some health issues (nothing major, just annoying) and so he sent me to a sleep clinic to see if I have sleep apnea. Steve has told me that sometimes I just stop breathing while I'm asleep and I struggle to start again. Apparently that's not normal. Anyways, I went to the doc (who looks like Stephen King...not cool) and now I have to spend the night in a clinic bedroom with wires taped all over my bod while someone watches me. Seriously, how am I going to fall asleep like that?! There is a slight chance that I may have to have a CPAP, which is just all kinds of sexy. Attention, guys who chose not to marry me...bullet dodged. Consider yourself extra lucky now. Of course, if it keeps me from suffocating in my sleep, I should probably not care one way or the other how it looks, right? Also, if it helps me feel better, I guess I'm willing to use it. I'll just look like Darth Vadar. Heehee. Honestly, I don't think it will come down to having to use a machine to breathe at night, but that is why "Dr. Stephen King" and his minions will be watching me sleep. Just to make sure. We'll see. :)
5) I only sent out one Christmas card this year! I had such plans!!!!!! I made one specifically for a friend/former teacher and his wife who were even bigger "Lost" nerds than I was, and I almost forgot to send that one out.
Maybe next year all of my loved ones will get one. Not necessarily a DHARMA card, but still... Sorry about that, loved ones. My bad!
1) Merry after Christmas! We had a lovely holiday, thanks for asking! We made the requisite rounds of family gatherings, ate hugely, played in a completely unexpected snowfall (well, I did) and exchanged gifts. We had a great time all around, I think. Steve, of course, had to bring a whole new set of sucky Christmas movies into the mix, but I forgave him for that since it was Jesus' birthday and all. :) Here is the snowman Seth and I made:
2) Steve gave me a funny/thoughtful Christmas gift this year. He remembered that when I was a little girl, I loved Wonder Woman. Not just loved her, but was planning on becoming her when I grew up. This was, of course, before I knew that she wasn't like Green Lantern and couldn't just pass off her image to a whole new person. (And now I've revealed I know too much about Green Lantern.) Anyways, he gave me a pendant with the Wonder Woman symbol to wear on a necklace! At least that's what I think it is. Maybe it's a Whataburger logo. Eh, either way. cool! I thought it was sweet he remembered my silly childhood ambitions. I'm just glad he didn't buy it at Zales.
3) I finally finished my 365 hat project! *snoopy dance* I know that most of you probably already knew what the "Hat Count" number was about all this time, but for those of you who didn't, I'll explain more fully now that I'm done. I set a goal for myself at the end of last year, to make one hat for every day of the year. My original goal was just to thin out my yarn stash and make 365 hats, period. However, in my search for hat patterns, I ran across a website for "The Hatbox Foundation," which is a charity that takes handmade hats and distributes them to hospitals across the country for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Since I've lost so many family members to cancer, this site kind of spoke to my heart, and I decided that I'd be able to reach my goal and do some good in the world at the same time! There are other similar charities, but since this one works with the hospital my very loved, late mother-in-law was in during her fight with cancer, I chose it. I won't be sending all 365 hats to the charity, unfortunately. I counted every hat I made into my total, and that included hats I made for myself, ones I made as gifts for friends, & some I sold. Also, some can't be sent because of the type of yarn I used or the pattern I used wasn't suitable because it wasn't tightly woven enough. However, the majority of them, somewhere between 280 - 300 (I have to go through them again to be sure), can be donated! Now my biggest concern is packing them up and figuring out a way to get them to California! I'll probably wait until the new year to figure out that one.
4) I'm going to have to go to the hospital next week and have a sleep study done. Fun, right? : ( My GP is trying to help me figure out some health issues (nothing major, just annoying) and so he sent me to a sleep clinic to see if I have sleep apnea. Steve has told me that sometimes I just stop breathing while I'm asleep and I struggle to start again. Apparently that's not normal. Anyways, I went to the doc (who looks like Stephen King...not cool) and now I have to spend the night in a clinic bedroom with wires taped all over my bod while someone watches me. Seriously, how am I going to fall asleep like that?! There is a slight chance that I may have to have a CPAP, which is just all kinds of sexy. Attention, guys who chose not to marry me...bullet dodged. Consider yourself extra lucky now. Of course, if it keeps me from suffocating in my sleep, I should probably not care one way or the other how it looks, right? Also, if it helps me feel better, I guess I'm willing to use it. I'll just look like Darth Vadar. Heehee. Honestly, I don't think it will come down to having to use a machine to breathe at night, but that is why "Dr. Stephen King" and his minions will be watching me sleep. Just to make sure. We'll see. :)
5) I only sent out one Christmas card this year! I had such plans!!!!!! I made one specifically for a friend/former teacher and his wife who were even bigger "Lost" nerds than I was, and I almost forgot to send that one out.
Maybe next year all of my loved ones will get one. Not necessarily a DHARMA card, but still... Sorry about that, loved ones. My bad!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
GUUUURL, PLEASE.
I'm so very tired of the Zales jewelry commercials. You know which ones I mean, right? The ones where the guy presents the little box to the woman and the women go through various stages of ecstasy? Then the caption on the screen changes to something along the lines of: The "Blah, blah, blah" Store?
They grate on me.
I can't help it. I'm not going all feminist on you guys or anything, but frankly, the commercials are insulting.
I know that getting jewelry is a good thing. Hell, we all know how much I personally like sparkly things in general. But I'll be damned if a box of ugly, mass produced jewelry would make my panties hit the floor like the commercial implies it will*. Please.
I can understand being excited over an engagement ring. I can even understand that you might get excited over a well thought out, meaningful piece of jewelry. But these commercials (on purpose or not) just seem to say "Hey! Buy her something from our store! Anything from our store! She'll be apoplectic with joy because you give her something shiny! Bitches, loooooove shiny!"
*shakes head*
*Now, please don't think that I'd make fun of any of you guys for buying your wife or girlfriend a piece of jewelry, because I think it's a lovely thing to do. However, I'd like to think that any man I know and love would have a bit more imagination when it comes to the kind of stuff they buy!
I'm so very tired of the Zales jewelry commercials. You know which ones I mean, right? The ones where the guy presents the little box to the woman and the women go through various stages of ecstasy? Then the caption on the screen changes to something along the lines of: The "Blah, blah, blah" Store?
They grate on me.
I can't help it. I'm not going all feminist on you guys or anything, but frankly, the commercials are insulting.
I know that getting jewelry is a good thing. Hell, we all know how much I personally like sparkly things in general. But I'll be damned if a box of ugly, mass produced jewelry would make my panties hit the floor like the commercial implies it will*. Please.
I can understand being excited over an engagement ring. I can even understand that you might get excited over a well thought out, meaningful piece of jewelry. But these commercials (on purpose or not) just seem to say "Hey! Buy her something from our store! Anything from our store! She'll be apoplectic with joy because you give her something shiny! Bitches, loooooove shiny!"
*shakes head*
*Now, please don't think that I'd make fun of any of you guys for buying your wife or girlfriend a piece of jewelry, because I think it's a lovely thing to do. However, I'd like to think that any man I know and love would have a bit more imagination when it comes to the kind of stuff they buy!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
(SOCK) MONKEY BUSINESS
Cringe in envy, folks! CRINGE!
I took this hat to my mother's house one day while I was staying with my brother, and she took this picture for me. Since it was really cold that evening, I actually wore it while I was driving home. I'm not shy about singing and dancing pretty hard while driving, but I had an embarrassing moment when I realized how odd my silhouette must look to anyone from behind.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING
1) We had such a good time at Steve's company party! Of course, we usually do, but it seemed like this year was extra fun. I dunno. Maybe someone put ecstasy in the spinach dip or something. :) It was held at the SpRocket (ptooey), and I went over there that afternoon to help put together cupcake stands and help do other things. I think I was mostly in the way, but I enjoyed helping the little bit that I did. I also got to visit with a whole lot of people I used to work with and it was nice seeing them again! As these things usually go, the different departments kind of grouped together, so the IT guys all shared a table. At one point I asked if that meant we were at the geek table and I was in formed that it meant were at the Awesome Table! Heehee. As usual, Steve didn't win any of the door prizes, but at least two of the guys won something! I didn't get to dance (again) but I can forgive Steve this time because he had minor surgery on his foot earlier in the week. Obviously, that is the only excuse I will accept in the future. There were cupcakes from Gigi's. Cupcakes, y'all! Also, my dress was about 4 inches too long, and I had a bad moment where I stepped on the hem and almost yanked the top part down. I would have given the Toys for Tots Marines the thrill of their lives had I not managed to grab my neckline and keep it where it needed to be. Oh, and I wore bedroom slippers the entire night. My dress was long. Don't judge me.
2) I've been busy making sock monkey hats for people I know. Initially, I only made one because one of my Facebook friends gave me the idea, but several people have asked for one! They're buying the yarn, I'm supplying the hands. I wish I could say I invented the idea, but Skymall beat me to it. Oh, well...mine are cuter. :)
3) We had a wonderful Thanksmas this year and I cooked, cooked, and cooked. Then I ate, ate, and ate. It was a lot of fun! I always enjoy visiting my Georgia family! We even got to see the first installment of Harry Potter with Amy and her family! We used to do that every time I new one came out until they started airing in the summer. Nothing too out of the norm happened, but Steve did get sick. I'm very grateful he kept away from everyone's kids after he started feeling bad. Mr. Lee and I had to go on a wild goose chase to try and find medicine that (we realized later) had been recalled, but all in all it was a great trip and we all had a wonderful time!
4) I feel like such a moron. Do you ever have one of those moments where your brain just can't wrap around a simple concept? I had that moment yesterday when I went to Target to run an errand. I happened to pass by a rack of t-shirts that were made for the BCS national championship game in January. It was a gray shirt that had Auburn Tigers printed on the left side, Oregon Ducks printed on the right and some kind of emblem in between the names. The emblem was in a shield shape and the pointy end extended towards the bottom of the shirt. On the left side of the emblem, underneath the word "tigers," was the number 20 and on the right side of it, underneath the word "ducks," was the number11. I stood there for quite a few minutes staring at the shirt thinking... "How do they know the score already?!" I couldn't figure out if it was some kind of mistake and that a bunch of shirts with scores on them had been pre-printed and sent out by accident, or (and I'm kind of ashamed of myself for this one) if maybe the real game had already been played but wouldn't be aired until January. After about 15 minutes, I realized that the 20 and the 11 were the year. If I facepalmed all day, every day for a month, I don't think it would cover it. Oy.
1) We had such a good time at Steve's company party! Of course, we usually do, but it seemed like this year was extra fun. I dunno. Maybe someone put ecstasy in the spinach dip or something. :) It was held at the SpRocket (ptooey), and I went over there that afternoon to help put together cupcake stands and help do other things. I think I was mostly in the way, but I enjoyed helping the little bit that I did. I also got to visit with a whole lot of people I used to work with and it was nice seeing them again! As these things usually go, the different departments kind of grouped together, so the IT guys all shared a table. At one point I asked if that meant we were at the geek table and I was in formed that it meant were at the Awesome Table! Heehee. As usual, Steve didn't win any of the door prizes, but at least two of the guys won something! I didn't get to dance (again) but I can forgive Steve this time because he had minor surgery on his foot earlier in the week. Obviously, that is the only excuse I will accept in the future. There were cupcakes from Gigi's. Cupcakes, y'all! Also, my dress was about 4 inches too long, and I had a bad moment where I stepped on the hem and almost yanked the top part down. I would have given the Toys for Tots Marines the thrill of their lives had I not managed to grab my neckline and keep it where it needed to be. Oh, and I wore bedroom slippers the entire night. My dress was long. Don't judge me.
2) I've been busy making sock monkey hats for people I know. Initially, I only made one because one of my Facebook friends gave me the idea, but several people have asked for one! They're buying the yarn, I'm supplying the hands. I wish I could say I invented the idea, but Skymall beat me to it. Oh, well...mine are cuter. :)
3) We had a wonderful Thanksmas this year and I cooked, cooked, and cooked. Then I ate, ate, and ate. It was a lot of fun! I always enjoy visiting my Georgia family! We even got to see the first installment of Harry Potter with Amy and her family! We used to do that every time I new one came out until they started airing in the summer. Nothing too out of the norm happened, but Steve did get sick. I'm very grateful he kept away from everyone's kids after he started feeling bad. Mr. Lee and I had to go on a wild goose chase to try and find medicine that (we realized later) had been recalled, but all in all it was a great trip and we all had a wonderful time!
4) I feel like such a moron. Do you ever have one of those moments where your brain just can't wrap around a simple concept? I had that moment yesterday when I went to Target to run an errand. I happened to pass by a rack of t-shirts that were made for the BCS national championship game in January. It was a gray shirt that had Auburn Tigers printed on the left side, Oregon Ducks printed on the right and some kind of emblem in between the names. The emblem was in a shield shape and the pointy end extended towards the bottom of the shirt. On the left side of the emblem, underneath the word "tigers," was the number 20 and on the right side of it, underneath the word "ducks," was the number11. I stood there for quite a few minutes staring at the shirt thinking... "How do they know the score already?!" I couldn't figure out if it was some kind of mistake and that a bunch of shirts with scores on them had been pre-printed and sent out by accident, or (and I'm kind of ashamed of myself for this one) if maybe the real game had already been played but wouldn't be aired until January. After about 15 minutes, I realized that the 20 and the 11 were the year. If I facepalmed all day, every day for a month, I don't think it would cover it. Oy.
Friday, December 10, 2010
MY APOLOGIES
I'm going to have to activate the capcha thing on my comments because some foreign company feels that spamming up my modest little blog will make it easier for them to sell Viagra and fake Rolexes.
However, if you feel the need to "MaKe SuRe YoU LoVer LaSt LoNg TiMe" feel free to click on any comment with a link on it that you find.
I also hope that the extra step won't keep real people from commenting on my posts!
I'm going to have to activate the capcha thing on my comments because some foreign company feels that spamming up my modest little blog will make it easier for them to sell Viagra and fake Rolexes.
However, if you feel the need to "MaKe SuRe YoU LoVer LaSt LoNg TiMe" feel free to click on any comment with a link on it that you find.
I also hope that the extra step won't keep real people from commenting on my posts!
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Hello, darlings! At the moment of this writing, I'm still alive. I apologize to those of you who faithfully check each day to see if I have written anything. It speaks volumes about the boredom you must feel on a regular basis! :) There is probably some kind of way that you can be notified when I actually do update this blog, so that you can forget about me until a message pops up, but I don't know what that would be called or how to do it. :( Anyways, I've had a lot to talk about, but apparently for the past week I've been sick. I didn't really know I was sick till I got well, which seems odd, but that accounts for why I didn't write anything about Thanksmas or any of the other things. However, those stories will have to wait because I have a particular one I want to share first. I shall call it:
OY, CHRISTMAS TREE -or- The Rise and Fall of Griswold.
(This will be better if you imagine Jean Shepherd reading it aloud.)
I'll be honest, the idea of putting up a Christmas tree feels tedious and weird to me at this stage of my life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hum bugging the idea of a tree, I actually like them a lot! I love the lights and how the room looks when the lamps are off and the ornaments sparkle, but the idea of actually assembling a tree and decorating it feels more like a job than it used to. For Steve, the tree is an important centerpiece on his very favorite holiday, so even if I moan about doing it, I always help him put it up because it SHOULD be a family activity. If I could open the tree, already decorated, like an umbrella, and set it up that would be perfect. However, Disney hasn't perfected that kind of tree yet, so when Christmas comes around, we pull Griswold out of his resting place for the season.
Griswold is the tree we got during the second Christmas after we got married. We call it Griswold in honor of the scene from "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" when the family brings home the tree, brings it into the living room, cuts the rope, and the enormous thing shoves the furniture aside and fills most of the open space with limbs. That is practically what happened the first time we set Griswold up in our (rather small) living room. Gris has been a member of the family ever since, and except for one year, we've faithfully set it up and decorated it every December.
Over the last couple of years, though, I had begun to notice that he was looking a little ragged. Anyone who uses an artificial tree knows what I mean: the limbs start to bend at weird angles and the branches seem to get a bit flat. I knew we were going to have to get a new tree soon, but kept putting it off because Gris had sentimental value, a symbol of a much more innocent time, if you will. I don't exactly know the life span of an artificial tree, but I knew that ours wouldn't last much longer. Also, I was tired of giving up such a chunk of living room space to a tree that was honestly too big for the room. I'd lobbied for a smaller tree, but as I said, Gris is part of the family - and Steve didn't notice he was getting raggedy.
This year, assembling the tree began as usual. Steve pulls the tree out of the over head storage compartment (fake argument #1) and I avoid being in the room while he's setting it up. (This is because he gets snippy when he does this part. If he tells you he doesn't, he LIES!) Anyway, I'm sitting in my office when I hear him say "Ouch!" (injury #1) I don't know what had happened, but I began to worry that he had gotten trapped under the thyroidal monster, so I went in to help him. He was OK, probably just pinched by something, so I sat back in my chair as he began to assemble the tree. He was having problems with the base, and once all of the pieces were up, the tree had a decided lean to it. That was new! Gris was usually trouble free, so we knew something was wrong. Steve disassembled the tree and fooled around with the base...still no joy. He had already handed me the top of the tree, and when he handed me the middle, I couldn't grab it and he snapped at me (Told ya! Real Argument #1) until I grabbed with with my legs. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, so about the time he got frustrated, I approached the idea of possibly going out to get another tree! Surprisingly, he agreed. We went out to Hobby Lobby (store #1) to get a new one because they would most likely have a nice one like we wanted. I found one right away, but Steve didn't like it. It had pine cones and was a bit shorter than he wanted. Ok, then...we found a few new ornaments to take home, at least, so it wasn't a total bust! Since we were in the shopping area, we decided to check Target for a tree (store #2). Again, I found one I liked, but it didn't have LED lights (apparently a must). The one we found with LED lights was sold out (although a rather vacuous salesman tried to sell us a floor model - a mislabeled floor model. It was supposedly the tree we were looking for, a pre-lit tree, but the tree had no lights at all on it, which I had to point out.) However, I found packages of silver icicles (which I love but have never thought he'd let me put on an artificial tree, but he will!) and we got 7 packages! Yay! We went home (my fault because I never set my watch back to Central Time after Thanksmas) and when we realized it was still early, we went to Home Depot (store #3), Lowes (store #4), and Wal-Mart (store #5). At each place, I found a tree, but Steve didn't like any of them for one reason or another. Honestly, after Target, I went into "Kill Me" mode. I decided to leave the tree decision up to Steve because he knew what he wanted and I was obviously not sharing his vision. I'm also not proud of this, but in light of full disclosure, I kind of had a come apart at Wal-Mart. I didn't throw things or yell, I do have more class than that, but I was done with it. Getting a Christmas tree shouldn't be as complicated as it had become. I'd run all over the damn town looking for the holy-fracking-grail of Christmas trees, had each and every one of my suggestions disregarded, and not only was I tired and cold, I was pissed. I absolutely HATE when simple things are made to be complicated. Hate. It. There is no reason for it, and at that point, it would have been better to just get a real tree and deal with the loose needles, water, non-symmetry, and possible squirrels. Hell, it might have even been fun to have a non-normal tree (for us) and we could have had a little fun with that, but nope, can't happen. Jesus himself has to surround the tree with angels before we can take it home, and he'd better not forget the LED lights! AHHHHHHHHH! Fudging tree! (Only I didn't say fudge.)
After I cooled off a bit, I realized that since the tree isn't a big deal to me, but it is for Steve, the least I could do is be understanding about it. I was ashamed of myself. I'm not usually that petty and I certainly didn't want to ruin the whole thing for Steve. I seem do that enough about everything else. So when we got home, I helped him try and reassemble Griswold again. We finally got the tree to stand up straight, we still couldn't fix the base, but it seemed stable enough. I crawled under the tree to see if I could figure out what was wrong, but I couldn't find the problem. We were hooking the lights together when Steve said I said "ouch" but I don't remember doing it. What I do remember is climbing out from under the tree and noticing my arm felt cold. I looked down and blood was all over my forearm, from my elbow to halfway to my hand. All I could do was watch as the blood welled up. It didn't hurt, so I think my brain thought I was hallucinating. I actually sat there and watched it while Steve ran to get a paper towel. It was kind of fascinating, really. Once I got the towel on my arm, I noticed that there was blood all over the floor underneath the tree. Nice. So I mopped up what I could see and went to clean my arm off. It still didn't hurt, but it was still bleeding. I have no idea what cut me, and I had no idea I could bleed so much and not even notice! What I do know, is that there shouldn't be forensic evidence left after putting up a tree. When I got cleaned up, I went into my office when I heard the tree come down. I'm not sure if it fell, or if Steve was just pulling it apart, but before I knew it, Steve was repacking it into the box and going to Treetopia (I'd love to get one of the funky trees) to order a new one. Although we were going to have to get rid of Gris, all was right with the world again.
Once we get the new tree, Christmas can begin!
OY, CHRISTMAS TREE -or- The Rise and Fall of Griswold.
(This will be better if you imagine Jean Shepherd reading it aloud.)
I'll be honest, the idea of putting up a Christmas tree feels tedious and weird to me at this stage of my life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hum bugging the idea of a tree, I actually like them a lot! I love the lights and how the room looks when the lamps are off and the ornaments sparkle, but the idea of actually assembling a tree and decorating it feels more like a job than it used to. For Steve, the tree is an important centerpiece on his very favorite holiday, so even if I moan about doing it, I always help him put it up because it SHOULD be a family activity. If I could open the tree, already decorated, like an umbrella, and set it up that would be perfect. However, Disney hasn't perfected that kind of tree yet, so when Christmas comes around, we pull Griswold out of his resting place for the season.
Griswold is the tree we got during the second Christmas after we got married. We call it Griswold in honor of the scene from "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" when the family brings home the tree, brings it into the living room, cuts the rope, and the enormous thing shoves the furniture aside and fills most of the open space with limbs. That is practically what happened the first time we set Griswold up in our (rather small) living room. Gris has been a member of the family ever since, and except for one year, we've faithfully set it up and decorated it every December.
Over the last couple of years, though, I had begun to notice that he was looking a little ragged. Anyone who uses an artificial tree knows what I mean: the limbs start to bend at weird angles and the branches seem to get a bit flat. I knew we were going to have to get a new tree soon, but kept putting it off because Gris had sentimental value, a symbol of a much more innocent time, if you will. I don't exactly know the life span of an artificial tree, but I knew that ours wouldn't last much longer. Also, I was tired of giving up such a chunk of living room space to a tree that was honestly too big for the room. I'd lobbied for a smaller tree, but as I said, Gris is part of the family - and Steve didn't notice he was getting raggedy.
This year, assembling the tree began as usual. Steve pulls the tree out of the over head storage compartment (fake argument #1) and I avoid being in the room while he's setting it up. (This is because he gets snippy when he does this part. If he tells you he doesn't, he LIES!) Anyway, I'm sitting in my office when I hear him say "Ouch!" (injury #1) I don't know what had happened, but I began to worry that he had gotten trapped under the thyroidal monster, so I went in to help him. He was OK, probably just pinched by something, so I sat back in my chair as he began to assemble the tree. He was having problems with the base, and once all of the pieces were up, the tree had a decided lean to it. That was new! Gris was usually trouble free, so we knew something was wrong. Steve disassembled the tree and fooled around with the base...still no joy. He had already handed me the top of the tree, and when he handed me the middle, I couldn't grab it and he snapped at me (Told ya! Real Argument #1) until I grabbed with with my legs. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, so about the time he got frustrated, I approached the idea of possibly going out to get another tree! Surprisingly, he agreed. We went out to Hobby Lobby (store #1) to get a new one because they would most likely have a nice one like we wanted. I found one right away, but Steve didn't like it. It had pine cones and was a bit shorter than he wanted. Ok, then...we found a few new ornaments to take home, at least, so it wasn't a total bust! Since we were in the shopping area, we decided to check Target for a tree (store #2). Again, I found one I liked, but it didn't have LED lights (apparently a must). The one we found with LED lights was sold out (although a rather vacuous salesman tried to sell us a floor model - a mislabeled floor model. It was supposedly the tree we were looking for, a pre-lit tree, but the tree had no lights at all on it, which I had to point out.) However, I found packages of silver icicles (which I love but have never thought he'd let me put on an artificial tree, but he will!) and we got 7 packages! Yay! We went home (my fault because I never set my watch back to Central Time after Thanksmas) and when we realized it was still early, we went to Home Depot (store #3), Lowes (store #4), and Wal-Mart (store #5). At each place, I found a tree, but Steve didn't like any of them for one reason or another. Honestly, after Target, I went into "Kill Me" mode. I decided to leave the tree decision up to Steve because he knew what he wanted and I was obviously not sharing his vision. I'm also not proud of this, but in light of full disclosure, I kind of had a come apart at Wal-Mart. I didn't throw things or yell, I do have more class than that, but I was done with it. Getting a Christmas tree shouldn't be as complicated as it had become. I'd run all over the damn town looking for the holy-fracking-grail of Christmas trees, had each and every one of my suggestions disregarded, and not only was I tired and cold, I was pissed. I absolutely HATE when simple things are made to be complicated. Hate. It. There is no reason for it, and at that point, it would have been better to just get a real tree and deal with the loose needles, water, non-symmetry, and possible squirrels. Hell, it might have even been fun to have a non-normal tree (for us) and we could have had a little fun with that, but nope, can't happen. Jesus himself has to surround the tree with angels before we can take it home, and he'd better not forget the LED lights! AHHHHHHHHH! Fudging tree! (Only I didn't say fudge.)
After I cooled off a bit, I realized that since the tree isn't a big deal to me, but it is for Steve, the least I could do is be understanding about it. I was ashamed of myself. I'm not usually that petty and I certainly didn't want to ruin the whole thing for Steve. I seem do that enough about everything else. So when we got home, I helped him try and reassemble Griswold again. We finally got the tree to stand up straight, we still couldn't fix the base, but it seemed stable enough. I crawled under the tree to see if I could figure out what was wrong, but I couldn't find the problem. We were hooking the lights together when Steve said I said "ouch" but I don't remember doing it. What I do remember is climbing out from under the tree and noticing my arm felt cold. I looked down and blood was all over my forearm, from my elbow to halfway to my hand. All I could do was watch as the blood welled up. It didn't hurt, so I think my brain thought I was hallucinating. I actually sat there and watched it while Steve ran to get a paper towel. It was kind of fascinating, really. Once I got the towel on my arm, I noticed that there was blood all over the floor underneath the tree. Nice. So I mopped up what I could see and went to clean my arm off. It still didn't hurt, but it was still bleeding. I have no idea what cut me, and I had no idea I could bleed so much and not even notice! What I do know, is that there shouldn't be forensic evidence left after putting up a tree. When I got cleaned up, I went into my office when I heard the tree come down. I'm not sure if it fell, or if Steve was just pulling it apart, but before I knew it, Steve was repacking it into the box and going to Treetopia (I'd love to get one of the funky trees) to order a new one. Although we were going to have to get rid of Gris, all was right with the world again.
Once we get the new tree, Christmas can begin!
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