I guess I need to post at least once before the month is out...sorry for the long silence.
At the beginning of the month I was sick with a really bad viral infection in my throat. I think I picked it up at the hospital when I went to visit my uncle because he had the same thing, except it affected him much more severely since he was sick to begin with. They let him out on New Year's Eve, but then he went back in (to another hospital) last week. He was supposed to be released yesterday afternoon and as far as I know he was. However, his kidneys still aren't functioning properly and he has to have dialysis regularly. Your continued prayers are most appreciated.
I took a break from this blog and even reading blogs for a week or two earlier this month. I'm still catching up.
What do I think of the new President? Even though I didn't vote for him, I respect the office and I respect that he is the President. While I will criticize his administration when I think it is in the wrong (and it already has been, particularly with national security issues and life issues), I will not succumb to ODS -- Obama Derangement Syndrome. I'm not going to be hateful like the left was during Bush's Presidency.
Finally, I'm trying out this new Twitter thing. My username on Twitter is LilacSusan if you wish to follow me.
I just wanted to drop by and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and to request a few prayers.
Without getting into a lot of details, the past few weeks have been difficult. First I would like to ask you to pray for my uncle who is in the hospital with kidney failure. (This uncle is my Mom's younger sister's husband.) He had dialysis yesterday and seems to be doing better, but the doctors do not understand what exactly caused his kidneys to stop functioning or how to get them started again.
My sister has been under a lot of stress and can use some prayers. My mother is also sick with a bad cold. This is probably my fault since I just got over a bout of bronchitis myself.
Without going into a long boring story about my clumsiness, I will just say I had a really bad fall the weekend before last and banged up my left leg pretty badly from the knee down. I had my doctor check it out since I'm diabetic. For that reason, the injuries are slow to heal. So I could use some prayers, too.
Maybe, if time permits, I will post some actual content in the next few days. We'll see. Meanwhile, my mother and I went together and bought my sister a new laptop for Christmas, since her current one is on its last legs. I'm setting things up for her -- I think she will really love it. It has Vista on it, so I have to learn my way around since Vista is pretty different from XP. I got it working on my wireless network pretty easily, so that's a good sign.
I just wanted to wish everyone a happy turkey day. May your turkey be juicy, your yams sweet and your cranberry sauce tart.
I am thankful for the many blessings that God has given me that sometimes I take for granted or refuse to see when I'm down in the dumps.
BTW, I hope I will get the inspiration to start posting again soon. I've got some thoughts swimming around in my head, but I can't seem to get them into words just yet. But, believe me, they're there! ;-)
I apologize for not yet posting an update to the "Cold Civil War" post. It's been a combination of ADD, being busy and not feeling well. Every time I get some thoughts together, a new absurdity or outrage emerges as this whole election enters the homestretch. The craziness and WTFness of this election is making me feel like I'm living in the bearded Spock universe.
Anyway, until I get my you-know-what together, how about some humor and then some music.
Even Peggy Noonan -- the Grand Dame of Gipperism -- has succumbed to Obama's undeniable conservative charms. Just last month I listened to her wax poetic about the Adonis of Chicago between chukkers at the Newport Club polo tournament final. "Why Peggy, you old dowager," I quipped, "I believe you just had an orgasm."
Next, a cool song from my childhood. I was really surprised when I watched this video because I always thought a woman sang this song:
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils - "Jackie Blue"
I think this song is just pure fun. I also like that the video makes fun of American Idol:
The Dollyrots - "Because I'm Awesome"
Finally, the fantastic Sugarplastic with an appropriate song for the season:
I just wanted to check in and let my 2 or 3 readers know I'm still alive. About late-morning Sunday, I slipped in my bathtub and sprained my hip. I won't go through the whole long story right now, but just a few words and phrases that give the basics: felt "something" pull, excruciating pain, lots of screaming, trip to ER, wheelchair, short (thank God) wait, ER room and gown, more waiting, agonizing trip to the restroom, doctor, pain meds, release, trip to pharmacy, home, home from work all week.
I am going to see my regular doctor today because, although I'm slowly getting better, I'm still in a lot of pain, cannot walk farther than across the house and back without more pain and, most disturbingly, part of the shin on my left leg (the affected leg) is partially numb and has been since Sunday afternoon (I didn't notice until after returning home). I think there is less numbness now than then, but it still doesn't feel right. It's not blue or cold or anything, so I figure that the swelling ligaments in my hip are pressing on a nerve. This is one of those situations where being allergic to NSAIDs really sucks.
So anyway, that's the abbreviated story. Prayers would be most appreciated. Thank you!
I'm sorry for this blog pretty much coming to a standstill. I just have no inspiration or will to post. Whenever I have the slightest inspiration to post something, it evaporates almost immediately.
Without going into details, I'll just say that life pretty much sucks on toes at the moment. Please pray for me and my family. Oh, and if you're an atheist dying to tell me that prayers are in vain and that I'm dumb and superstitious, please just shut up. I'm absolutely in no mood for your condescending crap.
I may as well make it official and go on indefinite hiatus with this blog. I will post an update once in a while on how I'm doing. Other than that, I don't know. I may post interesting stuff again if my inspiration comes back. We'll see.
Until then, I'm always updating my Furl archive (which is also visible on the sidebar) with interesting articles (and maybe a snarky comment if I feel like it). If I find an amusing link or video or something, I'll post it on my tumblelog Peace, Love, Flowers, Bullets. I still hope to get more music on my radio station soon. (Enjoy the radio blog as well!) And I may drop by and comment at other blogs. So I'll be around in some capacity.
I would like to ask you to please pray for my sister. She had a heart attack this afternoon. She had angioplasty and she is in the hospital at least until tomorrow. In addition to her heart problems, she is under a lot of stress and has lots of worries right now. So please pray for her to have peace of mind as well as soundness of body. Thank you.
Update (6/17/08): My sister is doing much better and will be able to leave the hospital tomorrow. Also, the other things that were worrying her seem to be resolved and she's in much better spirits today. Thank you so much for your prayers! :-)
I finally was able to take the time to have the cable guy come out and find out what was wrong with my connection. I knew it had to be either the modem or a cable, because I had eliminated all the other possibilities. One of the cables was replaced because it was a bit faulty, but the root of the problem was the cable modem. I just bought the cable modem two years ago, so I got a new one for half-price. Hopefully, this new modem will last longer than the other one did.
Just a little update on how I'm doing. I'm pretty much over my bad cold, although I still have the cough hanging on. This is always how it is with me...the cough lasts two or three weeks after the cold is gone. However, I have been so tired lately. I've been going to bed earlier than usual most evenings, but still getting up at the same time as usual. And I do this even if I've taken a nap in the afternoon. I guess I'm catching up on all the sleep I missed when I was sick.
A co-worker of mine passed away about a week and a half ago. He had prostate cancer which spread and he worked right up until about four months ago. The cancer had spread to his brain, which disrupted his speech. He could think just fine, but he had a hard time getting the words out. He was in his late sixties, but he kept working as long as he could because he loved to work. He was a very sweet man who I thought of as sort of a father figure. He also was a very devout and deeply committed Christian, so I have no doubt that he is with the Lord. I went to his visitation last week and it was very crowded with lots of people from work, his church and of course his family. He was well loved by all.
I hope to be blogging more soon and I have some fun stuff coming up. I'm toying with the idea of making this more of a "fun" blog, with faith stuff mixed in and creating a spin-off blog for all the controversial stuff: politics, social issues, things having to do with defense and terrorism, etc. I may make it a group blog and invite others to post if they want to. I may even make it forum or something. It's just an idea I'm kicking around. Please tell me what you think if you are so inclined.
After being so busy for the past couple of weeks, it seems my immune system has collapsed. I've been sick with a really bad head and chest cold for the past few days. I'm on antibiotics, so hopefully this will clear up soon. If I owe you an email or anything else, please be patient.
I've been so busy lately. There are some things I want to do online, but I'm trying to get "real life" things done first. It's going to be a long day for me today. I just got back from taking my Mom to a doctor's appointment (just a routine appointment). Then I will have to work late tonight to make sure some major changes being implemented don't cause any severe problems. And I still need to finish doing the taxes for both me and my mother. And do some bills.
After all that, I hope I can get around to some fun things again, like updating my Live 365 station and changing the songs in my radio blog. (Both are on the sidebar.) I want to learn about the new MT templates and redo my web designs. Also, I really need to get back into making soap and bath things again. It was a lot of fun, and I have a lot of supplies that I need to use before they get too old.
I don't really have anything to say. I just wanted to check in and say that I've just been too busy or too tired to blog. Or maybe I'm just not into blogging right now...nothing is really inspiring me right now. Hopefully, that will change eventually.
I've just been really busy and haven't had a lot to say. Right now, I can't stand politics and I don't see that changing any time soon. I continue to be amused at everyone from theocrats to moderates digging in their heels and saying, "If so-and-so wins the nomination, I will vote for the Democrat/vote third party/sit out the election." Good Lord, politics brings out the stupid in people. And don't get me started on the Rawn Pawl cult. One last political comment -- there's one thing my lefty sister and I agree on: we both loathe Hillary Clinton. Common ground! :-)
On a personal note, I'm now completely off the Paxil. I don't know if this is related, but I've been a walking disaster area lately. In the past two days, I've broken a glass container for a candle, broken a mirror, dropped a plate (which didn't break, miraculously) and put a pretty good scratch on my car. I've just been a bundle of nerves.
My family isn't exchanging gifts this year, but I'm going to make some gifts to give to a few friends. I'm making some soap and other bath things. I just hope I don't drop anything, break anything, mess anything up or burn the kitchen down in the process.
Hopefully, I will finally get my new computer by the end of the week. It's a long story as to why I haven't gotten it yet, which I won't go into. Let's just say that I will be relieved when I finally get it.
Well, I will continue to be busy the rest of the week with work, making gifts and getting things cleaned up and ready for the new PC. I will post again when I have time and when I have something to say.
BTW, thank you for the prayers concerning my aunt and this incident. My aunt is doing fine now, and the other incident seems to not be an issue anymore.
I need to give an update on some things since I went on hiatus.
First of all, my computer situation...I have decided to have a new computer built. The computer shop was unable to find a supplier of the kind of motherboard I needed for my old computer. (It is amazing how fast things become obsolete when it comes to computers.) They said they could try a few more places, but they couldn't say for sure if they would be able to find the part. So, instead of waiting another week to find out if the part could be found, I decided to let them just build me a new computer with the latest and greatest stuff. They are throwing in a few things for free to make up for what happened with the old computer. It will have XP Pro (not Vista -- they said that Vista is bad news, and I've heard nothing but bad things about it myself) and they will put my old hard drive in as a second hard drive, so that I can get my stuff off of it and use it as extra storage.
Regarding the Paxil-tapering situation...I will put that after the jump.
I had pretty much stayed the same in my dosage for a long time. I was taking one-eighth of a 10mg pill a day. I tried to get the liquid Paxil, and the pharmacy said it would be no problem, but when I brought the prescription home, it was pills, not liquid. I didn't feel like fussing with the pharmacy and couldn't divide the pills even smaller, so I stayed at the same dosage for a couple of months more. Then last week, I got an idea. I have some flavoring syrups that I got to use in soda and hot cocoa. I crushed up a pill into powder, added the powder to 16 teaspoons of the diet vanilla syrup and put it in a jar. I made my own liquid Paxil! I shake the solution up very well and take 1 tsp a day.
I'm doing alright on the lower dosage. I have had some episodes. I will get very depressed for a little while and have crying spells. I will also get suddenly very angry. But these episodes pass.
I'm not feeling the greatest, but I'm trying not to be so withdrawn and I'm trying to quit procrastinating things I need to do.
I just wanted to put up a more positive post than the previous one...
My faith is much less shaky now. I went to church and took Holy Communion for the first time in about a month. Since then, I have really felt as though I have been drawing strength from God and I feel more hopeful. I have been reading the Bible every day. I had forgotten how much it helps your faith to read just a little of God's Word each day. I have also been praying much more.
I should have my PC again by the end of next week. It turns out the motherboard had gone bad. They are ordering a new one and will replace it. The PC is still under warranty, so it should not cost me anything. I'm so relieved that the source of the problem was finally found. Until I get the PC back, I'm fine with using the iBook.
My back is no longer acting up. However, since last weekend, the awful heartburn I get sometimes because of my hiatal hernia has been kicking up. (Lifting the PC repeatedly may have brought it on.) It's very gradually getting better. I've been eating small meals and have been trying to avoid stuff that aggravates it. On the up side, I've lost almost 10 pounds since last week. I'm going to try to continue that trend even after the heartburn goes away. In general, I'm trying to establish more healthy habits and take care of myself more.
I want to thank everyone who has prayed for me...I deeply appreciate it. :-)
Sorry for being a downer, but it's the truth. I got my computer back, but I had to put it in the shop for a second time. I brought it home Tuesday. They said they could find nothing wrong except that there was a lot of dust in the computer's innards. They said this was probably making it overheat. So they cleaned the dust out, showed me it was working and I brought it home. I plugged everything back in again, tried it and...it didn't work. The fan and lights come on, but the computer does not boot. It doesn't beep and show the BIOS information or anything. I unplugged each device to make sure that there was no device causing the problem. I tried taking it off the UPS, using different outlets, a different power cord...anything I could think of.
So I took it back this morning and I brought my monitor as well so that they could rule that out. (I knew there was no problem with the monitor, but I had to convince them of that.) They saw what it was doing, so at least now they believe me. I hope and pray they can find what's wrong.
My back is acting up again from having to lug the PC around back and forth to the shop and around the house trying different outlets. I've also been trying to keep waves of depression from sweeping me under and I've been very fatigued. There are other problems that I won't go into as well. I've generally felt unhealthy lately. I'm trying to stick to my diet and remember to take my vitamins. I think when I eat better (that is more fruits and vegetables) I feel better. I drink V8 juice if I don't feel like eating salads or vegetables.
My ability to concentrate is nil right now. It takes me much longer to get things done at work than it should.
Right now, my faith is a bit shaky. If you are so inclined, say a little prayer for me. Thank you.
Today is my birthday, and yes, it's that birthday. Strangely, I don't feel forty...whatever forty is supposed to feel like. As far as looking forty goes -- first let me point out here that I'm not saying this to brag, because the only reason for this is genetics and the fact that I was never into laying in the sun and/or tanning beds and ruining my skin -- I am happy to report that I look younger than my age. People are always surprised I'm as old as I am. However, I would look a lot better if I lost weight. (And I'm working on that, BTW. I started NutriSystem again yesterday. My mother says she will support me in staying on it, so I'm trying it again because I really did get great results.)
So, anyway...having my age start with a "4" will take some getting used to, but I'm okay with it. My sister gave me this...I think it's really cute and it made me smile. I don't know about the "sexy" part, but I'm still...not old! ;-)
After letting my bangs grow out since I got LASIK surgery last summer, I've decided I want my bangs back. And I want them thicker than they were before. I'm tired of my big, broad, high forehead. I didn't like my hair hanging in my face, so I started pulling it back, which makes me look rather severe, I think. I'm getting my highlights done tomorrow, so instead of the usual trim, I'm going to ask my hairdresser to give me back my bangs. I wore bangs for years, but I thought I would try a new look. Well, I tried it and I've decided I don't like it anymore.
I may take an inch off the length, too. I can't wear short hair...I don't like it on myself and my face is too round. Because my hair is baby fine, I can't grow it much past shoulder-length because it starts looking stringy if it gets too long. I could wear it long if I wanted to start getting perms again, but I don't want to do that. They grow out too fast, lose their curl too fast and my hair ends up being damaged over time.
Unfortunately, there is only so much you can do with baby fine hair and a round face...
Update (4/21/07): I got my bangs back and I look a heck of a lot better, if I do say so myself. ;-) I also had the length cut to a nice little just-above-the-shoulder bob.
Well my goodness...it's been a while since I last posted. Sorry about that...I just haven't felt very outgoing lately. Behind the scenes, I have been working on a very lengthy post about something that has recently become important in my life. Or rather, it has been important, but I did not realize it until the past week or so. I will publish the post whenever I finish it. I hope it will be soon, but I find that I don't think on my feet as well as I used to. (That has something to do with what the post I'm writing is about.)
Anyway, my Christmas season this year is shaping up to be...not awful. I hope it will continue to be not awful. That is entirely up to other people in my life. I am perfectly willing to have a nice Christmas. However, that has not always been the case with certain family members.
Speaking of Christmas, I want to take this opportunity to remind you that there are two Christmas skins available. I have set the second one I created as the default for right now. The two skins are Christmas 2003 and Christmas 2005.
My back was still killing me yesterday morning, but I took a pain pill and went to church for the first time in about a month. A very nice lady at church (also named Susan...there are a bunch of Susans at my church) said she would add me to the prayer list regarding my back. I started feeling better throughout the day and I was even able to take Betty for a walk late yesterday afternoon. So thank you to anyone who has said a prayer for me...it is working. :-)
The good: I bought a new car recently, which is really awesome. I upgraded the memory in my iBook, so it seems to be working better, although I still have problems with it sometimes. And there is finally some fall in the air.
The bad: I feel terrible. My back is really killing me lately, and I don't have anything to provide relief right now. Once again, I am sitting and sleeping with a heating pad on it. I took my dog to the vet and she is very overweight. I've been trying to take her for walks, but now I can't until I start feeling better. I need to lose weight too, but I haven't put much effort into it. Eating less is not so hard - it's exercise that gets me. I feel like I'm moving in slow motion lately.
As for work, this, this and this pretty much sum up my feelings.
Anyway, I'm still pretty much on hiatus. When I finally get it together, I start posting regularly again.
Yes, I'm still very much on hiatus, although I do comment on blogs from time to time. My next post will most likely be the 9/11 tribute post for the 2,996 Project. I will probably post it a couple of days early and forward date it for 9/11/06.
What can I say? The world seems to be getting crazier and crazier. There's the case of the dumb broad who is involved in a magazine contest to help her lose her virginity. However, she insists she isn't being pimped out because, darn it, she has a Masters Degree from Smith College. Then XXX-President B.J. Clinton whines about the upcoming miniseries on the events leading up to 9/11. Never mind he was president for eight years while this whole thing was being planned, and that Bush was president for less than eight months. Clinton was the bestest president ever in the history of the U.S.A. and 9/11 was all Bush's fault. /sarcasm
Also, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, was killed, which was really sad. I heard on the radio today that hateful, nasty, petty, insane militant feminist (but I repeat myself) Germaine Greer said that Irwin's death was just nature getting its revenge. I wonder what people will say about Germaine Greer when she dies?
On a personal note, my back has been really acting up for the past week. Moving furniture (because my mother was unhappy with the setup in the living room), bathing the dog and grocery shopping are what caused this latest flare-up. To make things worse, I am constantly dropping things, which means I am constantly having to bend down and pick them up. I slept on a heating pad last night and I'm sitting with one on my back right now. The pain medicine helps, but only if I take more than I'm supposed to. So basically, I'm pretty miserable and grumpy lately. (I'm sure you could tell by this post that I'm not in the best of moods. Trolls take note -- I'm in no mood to tolerate stupid or rude comments.)
On a happier note, I noticed the love bugs are flying around as they do every May and September. That means fall is just around the corner. Good...I hate summer.
I had my one week post-LASIK follow-up appointment on Friday. My doctor says I'm healing beautifully -- she says that if she didn't know I had surgery on my corneas, she'd never be able to tell. I'm still seeing 20/20. I'm no longer wearing the shields at night. They gave me a discount coupon for sunglasses from the optical store downstairs and I bought a really cool pair of sunglasses -- mirrored lenses and metal frames.
My iBook crashed again this weekend. The whole hard drive just got wiped out. I'm glad I'm obsessive about backing up -- especially when it comes to my iTunes library. I think I know what the problem is now. I think I need to get more memory added to my iBook. Right now, it has 256 MB, which is the minimum Tiger requires. But usually, to run properly, you need more than the minimum required.
My dieting has been kind of half-hearted lately. I haven't gained anything, but I haven't lost anything either. When I get back on track, I'll start posting regularly to my diet blog again. (Yeah, I know the latest post there says I'm back on the wagon -- actually I'm trying to hop up on the wagon again.)
My Mom has had problems with her blood pressure and heart palpitations lately. Any stress at all is really bad for her. Prayers for her would be welcome...thanks! :-)
I'm going to upgrade this blog to MT 3.3 in the near future. I'm also going to revise the playlist on my long neglected Live 365 station.
I just wanted to let you all know the surgery went just fine. I am already noticing dramatic improvements in my vision. I can now see the TV across the room without glasses. I was in my garage and I looked down my street. I could see the leaves on the palm trees in front of the last house I could see before the road curves. I could see more trees and the chimney on another house way behind that house. Previously, without my glasses, it would have all been a blur. It really is like a miracle! I think I am actually seeing better than I did with my glasses.
The surgery went very fast. I think it was no more than twenty minutes from the time they called me and took me back to the surgery area to the time they released me. The only discomfort during the surgery was when they had to press down on the area right under my eye to position the instruments. They said my high cheekbones were in the way. (Yes, I've got chipmunk cheeks!) Also, they said I had small eyes, so that also made the positioning a little more difficult. (My eyes are almond-shaped -- they are wide but are not very high.) But once they got it into place, they made the cut, which made things go gray, then I watched the red light which varied in size and blurriness. They did my right eye first, then my left eye. After they finished, I had what they call "vaseline vision". They taped the shields over my eyes, gave me a fanny pack containing the drops I need to use, some sunglasses (which I had to put on before going outside) and some additional tape for the shields. I have to wear the shields until tomorrow. After that, I will only wear them when I sleep. I have to be very careful with my eyes for a while. I have to avoid rubbing them, getting dust in them or getting soap and water in them.
As the anesthetic drops wore off, my eyes felt a bit irritated (like they did when I used to wear contacts), but there is no pain. I slept all afternoon, which made my eyes feel a lot better. My doctor called me to see how I was doing this evening and I told her about my already improving vision. I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow.
I'm getting my LASIK surgery done tomorrow morning. I'm starting to get kind of nervous. They gave me Valium to take before surgery to sedate me a bit. They said I could also take some tonight so that I can sleep. I think I will take my Xanax instead -- a whole one instead of the usual half one I take when I have trouble sleeping.
The only thing that freaks me out about this is the "flap" they cut in your eye. The flap is tiny -- only three hair-widths thick -- and is supposed to seal and heal up pretty quickly. They will give me eye shields to wear the first 24 hours and then for a week or two when I sleep at night to keep me from inadvertently rubbing my eye. I'm supposed to sleep a lot in the first 24 hours and I will also be given antibiotic drops and steroidal drops. I can't use one of the drops they were going to give me because it's an NSAID, and I'm allergic to NSAIDs. They said I should not have any pain, just a little discomfort.
Everyone I've talked to who has had this surgery is very happy with the results and say it wasn't that bad. I hope this will be true for me, too.
When I feel that I'm up to it, I'll put up a post after the surgery to let you know how it went.
Update: I forgot something...please say a little prayer for me, won't you? Thanks! :-)
I've been feeling depressed for the past couple of days. The cause could be one or all of the following:
Adjusting to the diet I'm on.
My upcoming birthday (July 3).
The upcoming anniversary of my brother's death (July 4).
Problems members of my family are having that I won't go into.
The complete mind-numbing, boring drudgery of the project I have to do at work right now (writing requirements).
The heat and drought this area is going through. The heat of the summer is much easier to bear if there are plenty of thundershowers to cool things down a bit.
The things I do to get some time off from work...The Bloodmobile was visiting my workplace today. Since you get four hours off for giving blood, and since I'm trying to save up my regular leave, I was perfectly happy to open a vein to get those four hours. Aside from feeling a little weak and lightheaded, I'm doing fine. I now have a legitimate excuse to sit on my butt and relax the rest of the day. And my blood may help somebody, which is pretty cool as well.
Of course, when you give blood, they ask about a million questions to which the answer (for me, anyway) is always no. I hadn't been taking my vitamins lately (or sticking to my diet, but that's a subject for another post), so I was afraid I'd flunk the iron test they always give. I was looking at that drop of blood and thinking, "Sink, dammit, sink!" It was a little slow, but it did sink. Then you go lay on a one of the lounger/bed things, they stick you (which I can't watch), and then you squeeze a ball for about ten minutes while you pump out a pint. Then they give you a Coke, Little Debbie's snack cakes and, this time anyway, a free t-shirt.
So, if anyone in the Pensacola area gets a transfusion of A+ in the near future, remember, it may be mine...
It's been oppressively hot here lately -- it's cooled down a bit outside now because it's getting overcast. We may get some rain, which is good. It's still pretty dry. We had a pretty good shower move through last night, but we need more.
Tomorrow is my Mom's birthday -- she will be 73. She wants to get her hair done, so that will probably be my gift to her, if she doesn't change her mind. If she does, I will get her something else.
I really need to lose weight. I quit Weight Watchers some time ago because I just got tired of driving across town to go weigh in and it seemed I was just spinning my wheels. I've gained all the weight back that I lost. **sigh** Now all the health problems I was having from being overweight before are back. I have read this book -- The Shangri-La Diet -- and my sister and I are going to give it a try together. (She's reading the book now.) I'll explain more about it later. It seems kind of crazy, but it makes a weird kind of sense once you read the research about the association between flavor and calories. I tried it for a few days a couple of weeks ago just to see if I could tolerate it, and it really did seem to reduce my cravings for sweets, which is my main downfall.
I have so many things I need to do, things that I've let pile up lately. Procrastination is one of my greatest flaws. I need to get these things done and try to save up more leave before my LASIK surgery in mid-July. So blogging will probably be very light in both number and content for the foreseeable future. I'm going to deliberately avoid heavy topics like politics and social issues. There are bloggers who are much better than me at tackling those issues anyway. Plus, all that stuff just frustrates and depresses me. Anything I have to say about those topics, I'll say in the comments of other blogs as the mood strikes me. And I'm going to try and reduce my blog reading and increase my book reading.
I may do some technical tinkering with my site, like adding a box that tracks my comments on other sites like Andrea has. I may even do new layouts again. (I have one skin that I started a year and a half ago and never finished.) I will continue to add stuff to my public Furl archives, so you can check that out. I'd also like to add a plugin that shows what I've been listening to in iTunes. I used to have something like that when I used WinAmp.
When I post, it will be about the diet, soapmaking, music, books, technical stuff, my pets, etc. I'll also let you know how the LASIK goes. One thing I hope I won't be posting about is hurricanes.
So, I'll be around...I'm just scaling back and regrouping for now.
I haven't been feeling well today...I feel like I'm coming down with something. I'm also feeling a bit burned out right now. So, unless I start feeling better, I most likely won't be posting, reading or commenting for a few days.
Update (5/27/06): I'm feeling better today, so whatever I was coming down with, I must have been able to fend it off. However, I've been really busy today and I'm kind of tired and I need to relax. I'll be back...
That's right, folks...I'm having LASIK surgery in a couple of months! I had my initial tests and evaluation today. I'm very excited and a little scared -- they do have to cut a little flap in your cornea, which kind of freaks me out. But they use anesthetic drops and they will give me Valium to relax me, so I should get through it okay. I know how well the anesthetic drops work because part of my evaluation included having an ultrasound device rubbed over the surface of my eyes. I didn't feel a thing.
During the evaluation, they found that I have dry eyes. The doctor told me that this is probably why I was never able to adjust to contact lenses in the past. The dry eyes may cause me to have more pain after the surgery, but hopefully it won't cause any complications.
I've worn glasses since I was thirteen years old. Back then, I didn't mind wearing glasses because I thought they were cool...I thought they made me look smarter. I tried to wear contacts for a little while in my twenties, but I hated them because they were uncomfortable, high-maintenance and I never could adjust to them. Now I'm ready to ditch the glasses. I want to be able to see clearly without the hassle of needing to wear glasses all the time.
Hi there! Just thought I'd check in and let you know I'm still alive. Here's the rundown on what's going on:
My mother is doing better and is on medication for her blood pressure. Thanks for your prayers.
I was very miserable the last week of January with back pain. I ran out of pain medication just as my back started acting up really bad. It was my own fault...I lifted and carried a 40 lb. box of melt and pour soap. I was careful and it was only for a short distance, but I paid for it, nevertheless. I went to the doctor to find out the results of my spinal X-ray and to get another prescription for pain medicine. I have mild osteoarthritis with disc loss in one of my vertebrae, which explains the pain. It's not anything severe, but I need to be careful, try to do some ab strengthening exercises and lose some weight. In general, I'm doing better, but I still have bad days (like today).
Betty has finished her beginning obedience training. I'm not going to do the intermediate and advanced classes...I just wanted her to learn the basics. She minds me pretty well now and she doesn't dig as much as she used to.
I haven't budged as far as weight loss goes. I've been too busy and consumed with other problems to even try. Maybe next week... (Prayers would be appreciated here, too. This is a health issue more than it is a vanity issue.)
When I'm feeling good, I have been experimenting with making bubble bars and soap. I'll post some more a little later about my latest successes and failures.
I just want to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year. I've been busy today setting up my old PC for my sister, so I'm going to relax the rest of the evening.
Incidentally, today is the third anniversary of my moving this blog to this domain. While I started this blog on 5/5/2002, I moved to this URL on 12/31/2002.
I know, I know...I haven't been around much this month. Sorry about that. Here's a summary of what's been going on with me, both good and bad:
I'm getting a new PC soon! I'm really excited...it's being built for me now by the same local company that built my current PC. My current PC is five years old and it still works great, but I needed to upgrade. I decided it would be better to get a new PC and pass my current one over to my sister (who really needs a reliable home PC) than to basically rebuild my current one. One thing I want to do is get all of the family home movies transferred to DVD. They were transferred from film to videotape a few years ago. I don't currently have a DVD burner, and I will need more power and disk space to do this as well. Anyway, I've been working on backing everything up on a couple of pocket drives I have (with additional backups on CDs and Zip disks). After I get everything moved to the new PC, I will reformat the old one, reinstall Windows XP fresh and set it up for my sister.
I've been trying to train my dog Betty and get her to be less wild and more obedient. When we first got her, she was very obedient. But now, she's like a teenager trying to test her boundaries. I've been taking her to training classes once a week. The 'possum she killed last week was the last straw, so I got a very large crate for her to stay in on evenings when she is not staying in the house. The crate is on the screened-in back porch. This is to keep her from digging and getting into other kinds of mischief. We also keep her in it when we leave the house. (We don't think she should be left alone in the house. There's no telling what she'd do.) Aside from the mischief she gets into, she is a sweet and lovable dog. She just needs some training -- I don't think she ever had any.
The soapmaking hobby has really been fun and encouraging. The church craft fair sold seven of the bars I donated for $5 each. (I didn't price them, the ladies running the craft fair did. I was very flattered by the price.) I have given bars to family, friends and coworkers as gifts. My sister also gave some as gifts. I have gotten a lot of unsolicited complements on the soap and so has my sister. I will post sometime soon about the different types of soap I've made in addition to the holiday soaps. My next project for January: Bubble bath bars similar to the kind Lush makes. I found a recipe online on how to make them -- I just need to order the supplies.
I've mentioned that I feel like crap all the time. Well, the reason for that is that I've been in a lot of pain lately. Mainly it's in my lower back, hips and legs (especially the knees). And I have a bad knee to begin with. The doctor wants me to get an x-ray done on my spine. Strangely enough, I have actually felt better the past couple of days. I was actually able to get out of bed without using a cane the past couple of mornings. I've started to take glucosamine again, but I didn't think it worked that fast. In spite of the pain I've been in, I've been trying to be more active...like taking my dog for walks (I'm trying to train her to walk on a leash properly).
I decided to "start all over" with Weight Watchers. I asked them if I could get a new card and just start again, with the 10% goal and all. I feel that would be more encouraging than looking at it like I'm trying to re-lose weight I've gained back. They are allowing me to do that, so that's great. I don't think I'll make any real progress until after the holidays, though.
So, that's what's been going on. Posting may be sporadic for a while, especially with my switching to a new PC.
No, I don't mean "Peace on Earth", although it would be nice and all, if unrealistic. I just mean peace in my life.
Christmas should be pleasant and happy. It never is for me. I just quit trying this year to make it so. Last year, I tried so hard and it was a complete catastrophic flaming, bloody train-wreck. This year I just grudgingly put up the tree, even though I feel like crap all the time these days, and I ordered some nice presents online. (Online shopping rocks, BTW. No crowds, no parking problems, no driving around in the horrendous traffic.) I truly enjoy giving presents.
Another thing -- family dinners are highly overrated. If I had a choice, I'd just opt out, but of course I can't.
There was more I was going to say on this but I decided to spike it. I think I'll just stop here and end with this: While presents are nice, and while I could use a really good therapeutic massage, the main thing I want for Christmas is peace for myself and for my family.
But that may be just as unrealistic as "Peace on Earth"...
I've got plenty of them, so if you want one, write me at my Gmail address:
BTW, has everyone who asked for an invite received theirs? I ask this because I sent an invite that I never got a notification on. I was concerned that maybe the invite was never received for some reason by the person who requested it. If you asked for an invite and didn't receive it, please let me know. Thanks!
I took Betty for her last heartworm treatment this morning. I'm exhausted...trying to control 93* lbs. of female Black Lab in heat will do that to you. I feel like I have whiplash. Thankfully, I will be able to get her spayed next week.
One thing about Labs...they go through the toys. She loves rope toys and can reduce them to mere threads in no time. Frisbees don't even last a week. I just gave her a new Nylabone Frisbee two or three days ago and it's already so chewed up it won't fly anymore. I also got her a King Kong, which she loves...especially when I put that peanut butter stuff in it. One toy I got her that she shows no interest in is the tire toy. It looks and smells like a real tire. However, she turns her nose up at it.
Like I said, she's in heat. There is a male dog next door and she's actually tried to tunnel under the fence...twice.
*She's gained about 10 lbs. since I got her. They found out she had hookworms as well last month. After she got rid of the hookworms, she started gaining weight.
Aside from a couple of comments on other blogs, I've been rather disengaged from blogdom this week. I had a class for work, plus I've been having some painting done. The worst part of the painting was today. The popcorn ceilings in the living room, dining room and kitchen areas were painted, which was a messy, messy business. But, because of Hurricane Ivan, it had to be done.
Speaking of hurricanes, please pray for the folks in Eastern Texas and Western Louisiana. Hurricane Rita is a mean one...hopefully she will weaken some more before making landfall.
I'm not in the best of moods. Being exhausted, being really busy, having my house in disarray because of the painting (which, of course, can't be helped), listening to my mother complain about the disarray, and having to deal with buttinskies on top of all that makes me more than a little surly.
As you may or may not know, my dog Coco passed away three days after Christmas last year. I was heartbroken, and I didn't know when I would be ready to own another dog.
The past couple of months, I wished that I could have another dog to love. But I didn't go and look for a dog mainly because I was afraid my beloved but grumpy cat, Felix, would be too upset with the presence of another dog. He loved Coco, but he had known Coco since she was a puppy (Felix is over 14 years old).
So, I figured if I was meant to have another dog anytime soon, that God would bring the right dog into my life. Well, that happened this past weekend.
On Saturday, my sister was driving down a busy highway between her house and mine and found a skinny, terrified female Black Lab standing in the middle of the road. She had obviously just weaned some puppies, because her teats were hanging down. My sister could not leave this poor dog to be possibly hit by a car (cars had been dodging her), so she called the dog and she jumped right in her car. My sister took the dog to her home.
Later that day, my Mom and I went over to my sister's house to see the dog. I found a skinny but beautiful, gentle creature with a sleek, black, shiny coat. She was a bit skittish at first, but when we spoke gently to her and petted her, she automatically trusted us.
This dog, even skinny, is a big dog. My sister said that she would keep the dog if we didn't want her, but that we were welcome to take her if we wanted to. My Mom and I discussed it. My Mom was reluctant, but I proposed that we just give her a chance -- that we bring her to my house and see how things work out. The main thing I was worried about was the cat.
We brought her to my house on Sunday afternoon. I walked her into the back yard and she immediately started rolling in the grass. She seemed hot, so my Mom got a hose (since we were about to give her a bath anyway) and she was very eager to be wet down -- she just loved it. We gave her a bath and she seemed to really enjoy it. To make a long story short, everything has worked out wonderfully and we have decided to keep her.
While my cat gave her the evil eye and hissed if she tried to bump noses with him, he did not run away and hide or anything. (Felix is not a house cat -- he lives on the back porch and in the back yard.) Yesterday, he slapped at her and even chased her, but I noticed this evening that he seemed to be more at ease with her. The dog seems to pay more attention to my cockatiel Monkeyboy than to the cat. This naturally scares the bird. We tell her "No!" when she goes near the cage, and she turns away.
I took her for a vet visit yesterday and she got her shots and they took blood from her to test for heartworms. She seemed wobbly on her back legs the first couple of days after my sister found her, but they checked her legs and found nothing wrong. She seems to be walking more normally today. At the vet, she weighed in at 83 lbs. The doctor estimated that she is about 3 or 4 years old.
I found out today that she does have heartworms, so she will need to be treated for them over the next few weeks. I'm giving her antibiotics right now, and they will start the treatments next week. I want to get her spayed, but I will have to delay that until after she is rid of the heartworms.
I don't know what kind of a life she had before my sister found her, but I have a feeling it wasn't a good one. I've been checking the lost and found in the paper and haven't seen anything. I don't think I will.
I named her Betty and here are some pictures. Click on the pictures for a larger view.
Betty is a wonderful dog. She's very sweet, affectionate, smart and she minds well. Thank God my sister found her and saved her from an awful fate. And thank God for bringing her into my life.
My Mom woke me up about 8:45 this morning to tell me that my sister had a snake next to her patio and she wanted me to bring my pistol over so she could shoot it. (I asked my Mom why my sister didn't just call animal control. I'm sure you're wondering the same thing. She said her husband didn't want her to. Whatever.) I was pretty angry, not so much at being woke up, because I had plenty of sleep, but because I wanted to take a bath and get woke up. I spoke to my sister, we argued and I relented. I had already started drawing some bath water, so I just rinsed off with it a little, got dressed, got the pistol and its magazine containing seven bullets, and went over. My Mom went with me.
It was a water moccasin and it was coiled around one of my sister's tomato plants. She had almost picked a tomato, which was right next to the thing's head, when she saw it. God was looking after her, because if that thing would have bit her, she could have died -- they are very poisonous. It had been so long since I shot -- the closest shooting range closed down several years ago -- I asked if I could shoot it. Besides, I really hate snakes.
The snake was probably less than ten feet from my sister's back door. I positioned myself by the doorway so I could bolt if the snake came after me. My sister was positioned to bolt into the yard. My Mom was watching from the doorway. I could see part of its body coiled around where the tomato bush was, but I could not see its head.
I crouched down and took the first shot at the part of the snake I could see. He writhed around a bit and then was still. I found out why they make you wear those ear protectors at the range. The best way I can describe what a gun going off does to your hearing is that it's very much like when you've been at a loud rock concert for a couple of hours.
I shot him two or three more times. Each time he would writhe around and then be still. The gun got jammed at one point, since it needs cleaning. My sister told me to aim for his head. She said it was right next to some tomatoes, one of which was ripe. I aimed for the tomatoes and down a bit and shot. He sort of jolted and was still again. We thought he might be dead. I had two more bullets and we decided to shoot him a couple more times to make sure he was dead. I could only shoot him one more time because the last bullet kept jamming. He didn't writhe after I shot him that last time, so we figured he was dead.
My sister got a broom handle and carefully lifted the tomato bush and the net around it and then lifted out the snake's body. He wasn't dead, but he was in bad shape. I felt bad about this, because I wished I could have killed him quicker and more mercifully. My sister said that it looked like I hit him at least four times, including his head area (around where his neck is -- if you could say that snakes have necks). The tip of his head (his fangs, perhaps) was caught up in the net my sister had around the tomato bush. I would say the snake was between three and four feet long. My sister took an axe and finished him off by chopping off his head. (I couldn't watch this.)
After this little adventure was over, we were all dripping with sweat -- I was glad I hadn't had my bath yet, because I would have needed another one anyway. I was glad to be able to shoot again, because it had been so long. And because I've been so stressed lately about a variety of things, I felt a sense of release after shooting. (That's one reason I used to love to go to the range -- it's a great way to work off stress.) And I have to say I did pretty good considering I hadn't shot in years and I hadn't even had any caffeine yet.
I want to wish everyone a happy Independence Day. In addition to being grateful for our country and the freedoms we enjoy, be grateful for your family and loved ones. You never know when you will no longer have them.
Well, I learned something new (the hard way) last night. I learned that if you are allergic to Motrin (Ibuprofen), then you will most likely be allergic to Aleve (Naproxen) as well. I'm okay...I took Benedryl for the reaction (I ended up having to take four over an hour and a half period). But still, it's an...unnerving experience.
As I mentioned a few days ago, I threw out my back about a week ago. I thought it was starting to get a little better Thursday and Friday, but then I woke up Saturday in worse pain than ever and I have to use a cane to walk or get up from a sitting position. The pain isn't just in my lower back but also in my left hip and it radiates down my left leg. It's no better today -- I didn't go to church because of it. My sister insisted that I go to the ER because she was concerned that I might have a severe injury. Since she is disabled because of a back injury, I decided she was right -- that I should go.
So I went to the ER. Apparently, I strained the soft tissue in my lower back because of lifting something heavy. (I think what triggered this was trying to bring too many groceries in at once. It was hot and I was trying to get through.) They gave me prescriptions for a stronger pain killer (Percocet -- the same one they gave me after my gallbladder surgery), a muscle relaxant and a steroid for inflammation. They also told me not to go back to work for a couple of days (because I sit in front of a computer all day).
I'm going to try and rest up and not sit up at the computer for a few days. I need bedrest, so if I do any blogging at all the next few days, it'll be from bed using my iBook.
I've been really busy lately. Plus I'm in pain because I threw my back out a few days ago. I've been keeping a heating pad on it today, which is helping. And I'm glad I still have a Darvocet prescription from when my gallbladder was acting up (before I had it removed).
Work is depressing right now because everyone keeps talking about the BRAC and speculating about what's going to happen to our department. I don't want to hear it anymore. I wish they would shut up. Just. Shut. Up. I crank up my iPod, but the voices cut right through. Maybe I should invest in some of those expensive noise blocker headphones.
I know there are plenty of people with worse problems than mine, but if you could squeeze in a little prayer for me, I would very much appreciate it.
In this space, I have written three different blog posts since Monday. I deleted all three, but saved them as Word files in case I change my mind later. Two were very angry, ranty rants. The other had to do with the BRAC thing.
One rant was spurred by a post I followed on a trackback on someone else's blog. When I realized that this person was deliberately trolling the blogs listed on BlogsforTerri, I decided it was best to starve the troll. The other rant was brought on by the whole Newsweek, Koran-(non)flushing debacle. The rant dealt with certain persons who are so quick to think the worst of Christians, but bend over backwards to coddle and make excuses for Islamists. This rant was particularly vitriolic, and I decided it was best that I not post it.
The BRAC post was neither angry nor a rant. I may post it later, but I feel I must be very careful, since this is something that may be affecting me personally. I also want to verify that some of the things I discuss in the post are accurate.
Hopefully, I'll get it together soon and quite spinning my wheels by writing posts that never get published.
I will be having my gallbladder surgery tomorrow morning. I will be able to come home after the surgery, but I don't know what I'm going to feel like afterwards. I may not post again for a few days, or I may feel well enough to do some posting...it depends. I've never had surgery before, so I'm pretty nervous. Say a little prayer for me, won't you?
I'm sorry that I haven't been posting lately. I've been very busy trying to get caught up on some things, plus I haven't been feeling all that great.
My gallbladder surgery is scheduled for a week from tomorrow. I can go home after the surgery, so I won't have to stay overnight at the hospital. Then I'll be off work for a week to recuperate.
Anyway, posting will be intermittent for the time being...
I have mentioned before that I have gallstones. Well, last night, I had the worst gallbladder attack I've ever had and ended up going to the emergency room.
The doctor said that I should get my gallbladder taken out in the very near future, since this isn't going to get any better. He said to not wait until it gets inflamed or infected, because that would make the surgery much worse than it needs to be.
Except for minor outpatient stuff (two wisdom teeth removed, a cyst removed from my scalp), I've never had surgery. I've never even stayed overnight in the hospital. So, I really dread this. I know it's a much easier surgery than it used to be, but I still dread it.
However, I think I dread another gallbladder attack like the one I had last night a little more...
Well, on Wednesday night, the hard drive on my 11-month-old Mac iBook crashed. Or at least I'm pretty sure that's what's wrong with the thing. I can't even run the disk repair utility, and the hard drive makes a funny noise. At least it's still under warranty, but this is disappointing. I've always been really careful with the iBook...I've never dropped it or anything like that. It doesn't even leave my house. I use it mainly for browsing the internet away from my main PC, playing DVDs and listening to music. I have everything I need on the hard drive backed up elsewhere except for a bunch of songs I ripped from my own CDs into iTunes. My entire iTunes library is on my iPod, but I think you have to get a third-party utility to upload music from an iPod into iTunes. Tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can find someplace here locally that fixes Apple computers.
Also, after getting over the head cold that turned into bronchitis, I am now getting sick yet again. This feels more flu-like than cold-like.
I went to the urgent care doctor after leaving work early yesterday because I was coughing constantly, couldn't breath through my nose (even with the help of nasal spray) and could feel the cold moving down into my chest. Sure enough, I was getting bronchitis (again), so I got the usual: a Z-pack and Tussionex cough syrup. I'm still sick, but I'm getting better. Those two prescriptions always fix me right up. Now, if people and things at work would just quit irritating me...I definitely need to go home early again today.
For some reason, I'm really prone to getting bronchitis. Three years ago, I had it twice in four months. Since then, I've been lucky...until now.
Update: The roofers just arrived to put a new roof on my house. (The present one was damaged by Hurricane Ivan.) I'm glad about this, but it's going to be really noisy at my house the rest of the day!
Sorry for the lack of posts. I have a really bad head cold. I first got this cold almost three weeks ago. It had almost gone away, but then on Friday I started feeling like it was coming back. Sure enough, it did, and I've been really sick the whole long weekend. I'll be back when I'm feeling better.
I just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I know this blog has been kind of a downer lately and I'm sorry about that. I'm feeling better this evening...I went to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at my church and it was lovely. BTW, we didn't get any snow here...it just sleeted a little bit earlier in the day.
Yes, it's been a hard day, but then there is always hope:
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
For a number of reasons, I won't have time to blog or comment much for the time being. I will post something when I can, or if I feel particularly inspired. Otherwise, I have been (and will continue to be) too busy and/or tired to post as often as I used to. Not to mention that I'm really behind on my blog reading, so I don't even know what's going on for the most part.
So, bear with me. I'm not quitting and I'm not even on hiatus. I've just slowed things down a bit.
I had a couple of posts I wanted to write this week (on the death penalty and on the concept of Purgatory - incendiary stuff to be sure) but I just don't have the mental energy to give them the treatment they deserve. I've been especially busy at work this week (and will continue to be for some time), so by the evening, my left brain just doesn't want to work anymore.
So, instead, I think I'll engage my right brain by working on a new Christmas skin for the site, among other things.
I've been really busy the past few days and I'll continue to be busy for at least a few more days. But don't worry, I'll be back! In the meantime, check out the many fine blogs on the sidebar.
I would like to thank Michelle Malkin and Bill Hobbs for linking to my previous post. I got an enormous amount of hits from both of their posts today. I also got many wonderful comments (and one troll comment, which has been redacted) and a nice email. I wasn't even sure if the post came out right when I wrote it, but I must have done an adequate job of getting my point across.
Anyway, thanks again to everyone who has linked, commented, emailed and visited!
It's supposed to rain again for a few days. I can't wait, because when it rains, it helps get whatever crap that's causing my allergies to act up out of the air. Right now, my eyes are so bloodshot and watery that they are scary looking. They hurt too. I also have the runny nose, irritated throat and headaches that go with the bloodshot eyes.
The past few weeks, we've had a haze hanging around in the air most of the time. Somebody told me it's from the forest fires out west. Whatever it is, my allergies always are very bad when it's around. We got a break from it late last week when a front came through, bringing really pretty, clear, fall-like weather. (This same front also helped push Hurricane Charley in the direction it went -- sorry about that.) I started feeling better. But by Monday or Tuesday, the heat and the haze were back. Then I started feeling worse.
I'm ready for this summer to be over. Summer 2004 will forever be remembered by me as The Summer of Allergy Misery.
Update (8/21/04): It rained last night and we have some thundershowers moving through today. Physically, I'm feeling better. My eyes are not completely well yet, but at least they no longer feel and look like I scrubbed them with a Brillo pad.
Sorry about the lack of posts lately. I've got so much "real life" stuff to do that it's hard to get the time to post. I'm so behind in my blog reading that it's not even funny. I feel like just marking everything in my aggregator as "read" and starting over. I see great stuff that I want to post about later (when I have time), but it seems "later" never comes. I either forget what it was I wanted to post about, I don't have time to post about it, or I see that someone else has already given the subject a better treatment than I could.
So, anyway...bear with me. I'll get time to blog again eventually.
I probably won't post anything again until next week. Tomorrow (July 3) is my birthday, so I hope to relax and have a good day.
The Fourth of July is hard for me because it's the anniversary of my brother's death. He died of a brain tumor seven years ago. So, I just like to lay low on that day.
My Internet connection has been down a good part of the weekend. It was down most of the day on Saturday and Sunday, but came back up again in the evenings on both days. It was down again this morning. I don't know what's going on. When it comes back up again, it's very unstable at first. The modem will connect, and then it will disconnect every minute or two. Eventually, it will stabilize and stay connected.
If this keeps up, I guess I'll have to call Cox tech support. I hate calling tech support for anything and I avoid it if at all possible.
Update (5/25/04): Yesterday followed the same pattern as the weekend. The connection was still down when I came home for lunch. By the time I came home from work, it was up but unstable. Then later in the evening, it was up and stable. I haven't turned my home computer on yet, but if the connection is down when I'm home for lunch, I'm going to call Cox when I get home this evening even if the connection is up. This is ridiculous!
Update (5/26/04):Still having connection problems! They're coming out tomorrow to look at it.
Update (5/27/04): My cable drop had gone bad, so the cable guy fixed it. My connection now zooms like it hasn't in a long time. The lower cable channels are crystal-clear, now. And I wasn't charged anything since the drop is their responsibility.
The following story is so mortifying, I decided to put it in the extended entry. Read on if you would like a good chortle at my expense...
I took my Mom to a follow-up appointment today, and we needed to get gas on the way home. I was driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which belonged to my Dad. (Yes, an eeee-vil SUV!) Although my Mom doesn't drive anymore, we kept the Jeep because it comes in handy and it's easier for her to get in and out of than my car.
So, I go to a gas station, which is one I haven't been to in years. I'm distracted and still not quite awake and I grab the leftmost pump, which I believe is what I'd use at my usual gas station.
The pump doesn't want to fit in the hole to the gas tank. I started getting frustrated and a little embarrassed. I already had swiped my card, we were low on gas, and I had to do something. So I pumped a little out and let it trickle into the tank, I did this a few times and then noticed, to my horror, the pump said "Diesel". Oh! No!
So I stopped pumping immediately (I had pumped less than a gallon, and I don't think all of it went in the tank). I told my Mom what I had done, and I was almost in tears. My Mom told me to ask the people in the store what to do but I was too embarrassed, so she went in. While she was gone, I pumped a full tank of the expensive premium gas to somehow make up for what I had done. I prayed that I had not done any damage to the Jeep.
When I got through, my Mom returned and told me she talked to two men in the store. The clerk saw how much I pumped and both men said that the Jeep should be okay as long as we just do city driving. They said it might smoke and run a little hot, but it should be okay. I talked to some guys at work who said pretty much the same thing. They said it was good that I put the premium in, since diesel has a very low octane.
On the drive home, the Jeep seemed fine. It didn't smoke and run hot. I drove it to work and back today and it seemed fine. We'll see.
I have only a few excuses for my stupidity. First, I don't think the station I normally go to even has diesel, so I'm not used the extra pump. I also didn't know that diesel pumps were larger and didn't fit in regular cars. This is really a good thing, because it could have been worse. Also, like I said, I was distracted and not quite awake. For some reason, I've been stuck on dumb all day.
And I absolutely, categorically deny that my blonde hair has anything to do with the above incident, so no lame blonde jokes, please.
I feel kind of embarrassed about my rant of last night. I feel like I should have just kept it as a draft and then deleted it. But perhaps it was good for me to get things like that out in the open. I deeply appreciate the kind comments I got on that post. They helped and they meant a lot to me...they really did.
A couple of things about what I said in my rant...First of all, I like my coworkers. They are very nice folks. They just get on my nerves sometimes. But I know I must do things that get on their nerves too. Also, I'm sorry if anyone was offended at my remarks about the medical profession. That came from frustration at this incident and at having to deal with health issues so much lately. Finally, my family sometimes infuriates and frustrates me (and I know that I do the same to them) but I do love them...they mean the world to me.
BTW, I saw my doctor today and I found out that the upper GI I had last week revealed that I have a hiatal hernia in addition to gallstones. Apparently, the hiatal hernia isn't that big of a deal, but it may be an additional cause of the stomach disturbances I have from time to time. I have gallstones, but my gallbladder is not inflamed. I suppose I will eventually need gallbladder surgery, but not right now.
When the doctor tells you he wants you to have an "upper GI", there are two things that could mean:
An upper GI endoscopy -- a little camera that goes down your throat and looks around your stomach. Sounds just lovely, doesn't it...NOT!
Or a series of x-rays where you drink down fizz crystals and a barium shake. Not exactly pleasant, but completely non-invasive.
Naturally, I assumed the worst -- that the test I was to have was the former. When I called to make the appointment, I asked (hopefully), "Now by upper GI, do you mean the one with the barium drink?" No, I was told, it was the other one.
Now, I know people who have had the endoscopy, and they told me they were sedated. So I asked the person who made the appointment if they would sedate me. She said no, that I would have to talk to my doctor about being sedated.
What?
So I called my doctor, and he wrote up a script for a Valium drip and sent it to me in the mail. His office told me to present it when I go for the procedure.
Meanwhile, I've been full of anxiety over this whole thing. It sounds just awful. I get my sister to give me a ride to the hospital, since I would not be able to drive after being sedated.
My upper GI appointment was this morning. I presented the script to the receptionist and she looks very puzzled. She says I will have to talk to the technician when she arrives. **sigh** I knew this would happen. And I'm thinking, "There's no WAY I can do this without being sedated!"
I talk to the technician about what the procedure entails, I find out that this upper GI is in fact...the non-invasive barium and x-ray procedure. No need for Valium drips. In fact, the department where my appointment was at doesn't even do endoscopies.
So I was very relieved. The procedure wasn't bad. The worst part was drinking that barium shake. It was nasty!
However, I feel guilty that my sister had to take time out of her busy life to give me a ride when it wasn't necessary. And I'm irritated that I was given bad information in the first place.
How fitting that this happened on April Fool's Day.
From another email: a message board for "heated debate" called Volconvo. I have to admit that I don't hang around message boards that much anymore...I just don't seem to have the time. Volconvo looks like a well-maintained board, although, true to its name, it does appear to get heated.
While I'm on this subject, let me also mention the Annoyed Army board. I have a lot of internet friends over there, and it's been far too long since I've dropped by. Their motto is "Conversation without Confrontation," and I think they do an excellent job at keeping things that way. It's always good to feel you can post your opinions without being flamed.
Well, my PC is about set up again. One thing that I've found out is this -- CD-Rs can be pretty darned unreliable. I'm glad I had certain things also backed up on zip disks.
The rooster is gone for now. Animal control was closed yesterday (of course). (I was off work yesterday, too.) I called this morning and they said that they couldn't send anyone out with a trap until next week because of the holiday this week (uh, guys, the holiday is over...whatever). They said I could pick a trap up from the animal shelter if I wanted. I asked them if they would come get the rooster if I could trap him myself in a pet carrier, and they said yes.
Well, to make a long story short, he was scared of the pet carrier and would not get in it, not even with oats leading up to it and inside it. So then I tried to catch him with a blanket. He got very upset and stalked off across my neighbor's yard and then out of sight. He was cursing me the whole way in chicken-talk. So, it's not my problem any more. If he comes back, I'll just wait until animal control can bring me a trap. I took a long lunch today to try and deal with this problem and I'm not taking any more time off because of that rooster.
BTW, my neighbors knew he was there and had put seed out for him. (I had put stuff out for him as well -- he really liked oats). They were as clueless as I was about what to do.
I'm still busy setting my computer up again. Yes, I decided format the disk clean and reinstall everything...a whole new beginning for my PC. I started this project Friday evening. Things went much more smoothly than the last time I did this. I got the internet connection up and running with no problem. Now I'm just busy reinstalling programs and backed up files.
In other news, a rooster has taken up residence in my and a neighbor's front yards (on the sides of our houses; I don't think my neighbor is even aware of it). He has roosted on where our fences meet for two nights. I feel sorry for him because it's been cold, windy and rainy. He won't let anyone come near him...he runs under my neighbor's bushes. I put up a couple of signs saying, "FOUND ROOSTER", but no takers so far. I guess I'll have to call animal control Monday (or Tuesday if they are closed tomorrow, which is highly likely).
I have stuff I want to post, but no time to post it. I have stuff to say, but no time or concentration to pull my thoughts together and say it. I've got several ideas for new skins swimming in my head, but no time to sit down and work on them (this is especially frustrating).
So anyway...sorry for the continued lameness. I have no idea when it will end.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. As I said a couple of weeks ago, I'm busy. (And yes, I'm still busy.) I also have been sick on and off. And discouraged about life in general. Work is frustrating. I've got some family-related worries. My faith in God isn't what it should be right now.
Not to mention my cable modem is acting up and my car is in the shop.
I'm also disgusted by stuff likethis. I can't believe this insane amount of irrational hatred. I know some of my disgust has shown itself lately in the tone of my blog posts and comments on other blogs. If I've offended anyone, I'm sorry. I don't apologize for disagreeing, only for being disagreeable.
Not all is bad, though. I saw Return of the King yesterday. (My opinion -- two thumbs up!) I also finally got a new DVD player after my other one went kaput a few months ago.
I know I have a lot to be grateful for, and that things could be much worse. But I don't feel grateful for some reason. I probably shouldn't post when I'm in the kind of mood I've been in lately. So don't expect to hear a lot from me until things settle down a bit.
Well, it looks like it may be my turn to come down with that cold that's been going around. So, I'm going to take some NyQuil and try to relax the rest of the day year. Have a happy and safe New Year!
I noticed that my computer had been acting kind of funny for a few days, but it was nothing I could pinpoint -- just general flakiness, especially when starting up.
Late this afternoon, I rebooted my PC, and was soon sorry I did. Windows XP would not load. Not even in safe mode. So I got out my XP install disk and did a repair installation. It seems to be working, for now. I suspect that something in the registry may have gotten corrupted. This install is almost a year and a half old, so things like that are bound to happen.
I want to reformat and do a fresh install and perhaps get this three-year-old PC upgraded by the shop here in town that built it for me. However, I want to finish a couple of things I'm working on first. I just hope this computer will hold out for a little while longer.
If you get an email with an attachment that uses either my blog email address or the webmail address I use for the iMood thing, it is NOT from me! Delete it and do not open the attachment!
I'm sure you know about this virus that keeps sending .pif attachments. (I can't remember the name of the virus right now.) I've gotten a bunch on my webmail address. Some of them were using the email addresses of several well-known bloggers. Others were using email addresses from Fox News and other media outlets. I also got one that bounced from someone else's mailbox -- it was apparently using my webmail address.
So be careful...update your virus software and just say no to attachments!
Between dealing with various household problems and trying to get a project at work finished, I'm too drained to post much of anything lately. Sorry about that...I'll be back as soon as my brain cells regenerate.
I'm not going to be posting for a couple of days. Well, there's nothing unusual about that. But the reasons this time are a little different from the usual fatigue/burn-out/bad mood/too busy reasons.
Tomorrow, July 3rd, is my birthday. I'm going to take the day off and relax and stay away from computers as much as possible.
Then there's July 4th. Most people like to celebrate Independence Day. I don't want to bring anyone down, but I can't celebrate on that day. My brother died of a brain tumor on that day six years ago. I was going to write a post about my brother, but I just can't. Maybe someday I'll be able to, but not now.
So, until I post again (probably this weekend), check out the many fine blogs on my sidebar. And have a safe, enjoyable Fourth!
After four or five years of drought conditions, the Florida Panhandle is getting drenched with rain this year. Last week, we managed to get through a whole two days without rain. Now, storm bands from T.S. Bill have been dumping even more rain on the area. We were already pretty soggy here to begin with.
My roses aren't doing so great now with all this constant rain. Well, at least I don't have to run my sprinklers.
Yes, I'm still around, I'm just really busy. I'm in a training class for my job -- C/C++ Programming. The last time I programmed with C was when I did a directed study project in college (I was a Computer Science major). A lot of this stuff is familiar, but there's a lot of new material, too. I will be in training classes every other week for the next couple of months. I'll be learning Java and all kinds of new stuff.
In the weeks when I'm back at work, I'll have another deadline nipping at my heels, so no more slacking off. If I don't have a deadline, I have a tendency to sneak too many peeks at favorite blogs, or post to my own, during work hours. I know I shouldn't do this. So, unless I can get in a quick post or comment during lunch, you will probably only see me around in the evenings. (The place where my training classes are at is only about five to ten minutes from my house, so I can come home for lunch just like I do when I'm at work.)
Remember the Moon Shadow rose I planted? At the time, I was afraid I may have hurt the roots when I planted it. But it seems to be doing great so far. Its first bloom opened this weekend and it was beautiful!
I have a little rose garden in my front yard. It consists of six bushes surrounding a crepe myrtle tree. Well, actually it was five bushes because one of them died last year. Today, I bought another one to make it six again. It's a Moon Shadow rose, which is a dark lavender color. I can't plant it until the weather clears up some, but I can't wait!
Here are the other bushes I have: Rio Samba (bright yellow and orange), Chrysler Imperial (beautiful red blooms that smell just like tea rose perfume), Blue Girl (which is actually a lilac color -- I think they smell like magnolias), Sterling Silver (a silvery lilac color), and JFK (an ivory rose given to me as a gift by a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat aunt).
I'm still pretty new to this rose gardening thing, but I've only had one bush die on me so far, so I guess I'm doing okay. In case you were wondering where the name of this site comes from, it's from a screen name that I've used when posting on a couple of political forums. I love roses and my favorite color is purple, especially pastel purple. Hence, LilacRose.
Update: I was able to plant the Moon Shadow rose today. I had a few difficulties while planting it, though. I'm praying that it will thrive despite my ineptitude.
I voted for the middle design, "Gateway to Discovery." (The one with the ship and the space shuttle.) I thought it sort of nicely encapsulated the history of the state. That design is the frontrunner so far.
This is a long story about my really awful evening. You can click the link below to read it or just skip it.
Last night, we had freezing temperatures here in the Florida Panhandle. I thought I had made all the preparations a homeowner should make for such things.
However, when I came home from work today, I discovered the pipes for my sprinkler system had busted and were leaking. I wasn't expecting this because I had turned the water off to the sprinkler system at the beginning of winter.
Like a dummy, I tried to turn the valve to see if I could get it to stop leaking. It started gushing instead. I'm now soaked and the temps are in the upper-thirties.
I called the emergency plumber. They are completely swamped. The earliest they can come out is noon tomorrow. They tell me I need to shut the water off at the main valve. I decide to give this a try, since my front lawn is turning into a swamp.
I lift up the lid to where the main turn-off valve should be. All I see is a water meter, clicking along at quite a brisk pace. I see nothing that looks like a valve.
As you can imagine, I'm pretty much panicking at this time. My elderly mother, who lives with me, is going around to our neighbors' houses to try to get some help. Nobody is home.
(I should mention that my mother had also been gone all day. She and my sister sometimes take trips to Biloxi to throw money away play slots at the casinos.)
I decide to try another plumber to see if I can get someone else out sooner. The lady tells me that their plumbers are all exhausted and have gone home for the day. However, she was very helpful in that she gave me the emergency number for the utility company. (I had been trying to find that number in the phone book with no success. Panic causes me to get stuck on dumb.)
I call the utility company and hold for about twenty minutes. I tell the dispatcher my situation. He tells me my valve is probably covered with dirt. He describes it and tells me I need a wrench to turn it off. I tell him I'll give it another try and I call back if I can't get it to turn off.
I dig around and see something like what he described. However, I either don't have the proper tools or the upper-body strength, because I can't budge the thing.
I call them back, and they picked up right away this time. I talked to a different guy, who said he would put me on an already very long list. He says it might be a while.
In the meantime, the water is now shooting up like a geyser. In desperation, I try again to turn off the valve. Nothing. The water meter is now spinning like those little wheels in a slot machine. I've been praying this whole time. I look up at the stars and ask God to please help me.
My mother finally gets my sister's husband on the phone (they had been grocery shopping) and he says he'll come over and help. Not long after, a nice man from the utility company arrives and turns the valve off. I thank him profusely. I thank God profusely.
I had the foresight to draw some bath water before attempting to turn the water off. My mother also filled up some jugs. So at least I was able to take a bath and have some water for other needs.
So, I'm pretty drained this evening. I just wrote this to vent. If you've read this far, all I can say is I'm very flattered.
Sorry for the lack of blogging lately...I've been busy with some other things. Plus, I'm still not fully recovered from my cold.
I'm not one of those bloggers who feels that I have to post stuff every day. This blog is just an outlet for my opinions on various things. It's also motivated me to learn more about HTML and CSS. I try not to take this stuff too seriously. I think some bloggers get burned out and then quit because they feel all kinds of pressure to post lots of material every day and get lots of hits. I don't feel that kind of pressure and I hope I never do, because then it wouldn't be any fun.
So, just consider me a Type B, laid-back kind of blogger.
There's been several things I've wanted to blog about for the past few days, but I've been either too busy or too tired. I'm going to try to post some of those things today.
It appears my cable internet connection is back to its normal speed. I emailed tech support and they gave me a list of things to try, one of which was to unplug my modem, leave it off for a minute, and then plug it back in so that it can go through its reset routine. This seemed to do the trick. Why this reset wasn't accomplished by my usual nightly shutdown, I have no idea.
I think there's something wrong with my cable internet. It's been very slow for the past three days. I don't like to call tech support the minute something goes wrong, so I was waiting to see if the problem might clear up. It hasn't, so I guess I'll have to contact Cox about this. Ugh.
I'm also sick of having to go through an elaborate process to get Blogger to update my archives correctly. Unfortunately, I can't use Movable Type on this ISP webspace (yes, I already checked). I really don't want to get a hosting plan for this blog right now, so I guess I'll have to put up with this for the time being.
I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I'm slammed at work, I'm busy at home and I haven't been feeling my best on top of all that. Posts will probably be kind of scarce the next week or so.
Whatever "normal" is...Despite the difficulties, the upgrade seems to have worked out very well. Windows XP is different, but I like it. The only remaining problem I have is with getting Easy CD Creator to work properly. Windows XP has CD burning built in and that seems to work fine.
UPDATE: I just noticed Roxio has a brand new update for Easy CD Creator 5 that's supposed to resolve a lot of Windows XP problems. We'll see...
No blogging or much of anything else from me lately. I've been working on upgrading my PC to Windows XP the last few days. I did a complete format and clean install because that's the best way to do it and because I wanted to change to the NTFS file system. The actual installation went relatively smoothly. Getting the cable internet working was agony, but I did it somehow. My browser would not open up new windows correctly, but I found an easy fix for that problem. For some reason, it took three tries to install Norton AntiVirus 2002. I'm still installing software and data files. Hopefully, things will be back to normal again soon. Next time, I'm going to pay somebody to do this.
Yes, today's my birthday! Not much blogging lately because I've been too busy or too tired. Plus I have some stage fright because I've actually gotten a few hits. I'd like to blog a little bit about music when I get some time. Maybe this weekend...
I've added links to some favorite blogs on the sidebar. Although some are obvious ones that everybody links to, I tried to include some blogs that I think deserve more attention. There are also links to political forums and to news and opinion sites.
The season premier of Farscape aired last night...great episode! I wondered where they were going with the show after the season three finale. This new episode was not at all what I expected, which is a good thing.
I go and post my current stats last night, and then I get in a 16 Horsepower kind of mood today. When I came home for lunch today, I grabbed Sackcloth n' Ashes and Low Estate to listen to this afternoon at work. My occupation? I'm an Application Developer (using Oracle). Actually, that's a fancy way of saying I'm a programmer, but we're not supposed to refer to ourselves as programmers. We're software analysts, designers and developers, which is supposed to be different from being mere coders. I still think of myself as a programmer, though. I really enjoy my job, because this is what I've always wanted to do. In other jobs, I was the techie, the e-mail administrator or the back-up network administrator. To put it nicely, this was not something I enjoyed. But I'm very grateful for the job I have now.
Reading: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis.
Listening to: Steve Bertrand - jOYRIDE Demo, Benjamin Orr - The Lace, miscellaneous stuff by Steve Taylor.
In the VCR: MST3K - Quest of the Delta Knights.
This blog will include sporadic thoughts, rantings and recommendations. I'm more into reading other blogs than I'm into writing my own. My first recommendation: check out AmericanConservatives.net. This is a conservative forum with some really cool folks. I moderate the Blogwatch forum, where we discuss stuff we find on blogs. I also moderate The Entertainment Center, which is for showbiz-related stuff. We welcome anyone who wants a civil discussion of issues. Rude trolls need not apply.
