Halloween Updated!

For the record, Bug is only sleeping because she tired herself out being happy with the costume, not to mention the attention she received from neighborhood kiddies:

How the pumpkins looked before the carving:

Jay as Master Chief (Halo):

Jason as Big Sombrero Guy:

My pumpkin had too much candy (carved by Jason):

Jay carved his own pumpkin this year!

Jason's pumpkin had "Go Away" carved onto the back, but it wasn't small enough to project correctly. Lesson learned for next year!





We still have too much candy. No idea how to get rid of it all without children or husband annoying me with belly aches!

Halloween!!

Happy Halloween Comments

If the weather clears up, we're all going for a haunted hayride on Friday! If not, we'll be going after "trick or treat" is done.

The pumpkin pics are on their way, I just have to get the after ones. I promise!

Dream 10/22/09

Energy vampires were chasing me. They looked somewhat like the Wraith from Stargate: Atlantis. They cocooned their victims and drained their energy over days eventually leaving them as withered shells. I eventually had them follow me into an android factory in Japan and had them "feed" on an army of these:


Which had the effect of electrocuting the vampires. Unlike all the horror movies, I didn't check to make sure they were dead, I just ran! I don't care if they are still alive, I am and would like to remain that way. The monster always grabs the checker and kills them! (As my dad always says, "That's in the script. They need another twenty minutes of the hero being chased to fit a normal movie length.") Self preservation is a great motivator!

I'm sure my thyroid issues were to blame for this dream's plot. For the vampires, I blame my crush on Joe Flanagan!

What I Did On My Weekend

A local garden center had their annual Fall Fling! (Note: clicking on the following images brings up rather large images. You have been warned.)

Fall Flowers!
Pumpkin Patch!

Corn Maze!
Hayride!!
Fall trees!
A hidden pumpkin!
Hay Bales!
A genuine good time had by all! I promise to post the pics of the pumpkins we picked later.

Take That Element Guy!

I was walking my dog this morning, when a man driving an Element stops me to inform me that my beagle could be his beagle's twin and that I was fighting an impossible fight I would never win by even thinking I could ever attempt to train her. My Bug's reaction to that was to sit calmly. She then walked by my side (not pulling on the leash) home and then wait patiently until I got her treat. Truly, an insurmountably untrainable dog! *eyes rolling*

She may give us problems now and again, such as pooping on the carpet because we dared leave her alone to go check the mail, or gnawing her way out of her crate rendering it unusable, but overall, she is the best dog ever! She doesn't chew on our stuff, unless we're stupid enough to buy things that look like small woodland creatures or things she doesn't want to be put in. She doesn't go in the house (except for the occasional mail incident). She cuddles with me when I'm sad or hurting. She calmly puts her toy beaver (version 2.1) in your lap when she wants your attention. And, other than the chocolate-colored sheet, and that one cheesecake (which clearly was irresistible), she hasn't gotten into serious trouble. She is my Bug.

Mondays Are So Typical!

They shut our water off today. Accidentally, though. We paid the bill last week, but somebody didn't put it in the system and my day was ruined because of it. The worst part was we had to pay the reconnect fee anyway because there's an outstanding balance still. A-nnoy-ing! I contemplated going down to the water department to use their bathroom, but I didn't want to actually get dressed to do it. (I'm lazy like that.) Thankfully, the thyroid meds help keep my bathroom use to a minimum. Or maybe it's just that the dose isn't right and the lack of thyroid hormone is what I should be thanking. (Hmm, silver lining of having health issues. Fantastic!) Water is back on now, and I hope this isn't the precursor for a rotten week.

Speaking of which...

Tomorrow, I'll be spending the day trying to avoid the food Nazi in the surgical waiting room at the University of Chicago hospital. (They're scraping the scar tissue off my sister's hand so she'll be able to straighten her index finger, finally after two months.) They have vending machines in there. They have tables in there. But, you are NOT to eat or drink anywhere near the room or the Food Nazi will eat your soul, assuredly, but not in that room, obviously! Last time, I watched her fight with a mother trying to feed her baby. Unbelievable.

My sister hates this hospital and wishes more than anything she had gone somewhere else for her reconstruction. (That makes her sound like the Bionic Woman!) She calls it the "ghetto hospital."

So, I will be leaving home early enough to grab something from McDonald's or BK before I meet her.

I'll be spending the next couple weeks being her therapy chauffeur, too. (Don't think that I mind that. I am more than happy to be available when she needs me. Not like I have anything else to do. :^P Plus, I get to spend time with my sister!)

Health and Other Things

So, the preliminary tests came back, finally, and my thyroid seems to have abandoned me, or at least it made it very clear it wants a vacation. They don't know why it decided to get all cranky and postal. (They suspect the steady stream of dental issues broke its will to live.) The ultrasound of it didn't show any "significant swelling" which I am hoping means no cancer, but I'm not real fond of the wording they chose. At the very least, I take a pill the rest of my life, which I am used to, so, meh.

I've been taking that thyroid pill now for 2 weeks and I am still experiencing the stuff that sent me to the doctor in the first place. They probably have to play with the dosage.

Last week, Jason was out of town. His company decided to give him a new position (one with an actual title) and sent him to Salt Lake City to train him for it. I survived being alone. House seems to have made it without any real problems, like exploding. My dreams seem to reflect my separation anxiety, but unlike last time, I didn't do any real life harm to myself. (Last time, I burned my EYEBALL with my CURLING IRON! Top that!)

According to my Chinese fortune cookie: there is big news in my near future. That could be anything with me. Hopefully it is good news. I could use more of that.

Patriot's Day

Remembering isn't political, it's honoring lives lost in an unprovoked attack.

Never Forget!

Allahpundit Twitters his memories. (Have tissues handy!)

Today Is One Of These Days

Thank you for understanding!

Actually, this whole week has felt like it's under construction. (K, call me!)

Dream 9/9/09

The Best Backpack Ever!

What made it the best backpack ever? Why it was a lot like Mary Poppins' bag crossed with a duffel bag! Even had a deep fryer when I desperately needed to fry the potato!

Hey! I didn't say my dreams made sense!

Jason and Sombreros

So, I called Jason's family to set up a semi-surprise get-together, and the initial reaction was "We'll think about it." Typical Jason's family reaction. (I mean, the whole Labor Day non-housewarming because it is too far only to go to the other family function that was farther but they go to their denomination of church fiasco, which I'm clearly not harboring resentment or anything, stung.) However, Jason's brother went about putting them on guilt trips, so at the last moment, they changed their minds and showed. Provided me with a successfully full table, they did! I was pleased!

It was a complete surprise and bonus that they made him wear a sombrero while they sang a traditional Mexican celebratory song when they gave him his birthday flan:



I'm sure it would look less like camera phone pics if he'd not moved about so much while I was trying to take them. Stinking embarrassed birthday boy! (Click on them to see horrifyingly huge pictures in all their glory! You have been forewarned!)

Jason's Birthday!!!!! Now With Update!

Happy 34th Birthday to the man I love!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, for the record, your family is not just holiday retarded, they are event retarded. Sorry to say that, but they've been really ticking me off as of late. It's a hard adjustment coming from a family who celebrated the holiday known as Tuesday.

We'll be celebrating without them, just so ya know! We love you!!!

Update: Due to a last minute guilt trip, Jason's family redeemed themselves. All is well, I am a tiny bit more sane, and I rescind the "event retarded" comment. "Holiday retarded" still needs redemption, though.

Also, tomorrow, or Monday, pics of Jason in a sombrero!!

Still No Word

At least I know the doc has my results. Just didn't know when I joked about possible reasons why they're not telling me anything, I was stumbling onto the truth in my own fun-loving-goofball way.

Fine Living

Nothing says "Fine Living" like being too drunk to remember anything, amIright?

And, I'm kinda creeped out that the ad Google decided fit best was a condom ad. /sigh

So Today

I discovered that The Geek Squad outsources to the diagnostic clinic.

Seriously, the tests were Friday and the doc still doesn't have the results?? Not that they were shining examples of organization anyway! Jason called them Wednesday to set up the tests on Friday, and they told him they wouldn't do an MRI until I had a pregnancy test (ha! shows what they know!) so we went in on Thursday evening to have that done. On Friday, they didn't even ask about that test, just went ahead and did the MRI. I suppose on the .00000001% chance I am preggers, I will have a good case against them. /sarcasm

They didn't even have me remove any possible metal. (They did seem a little concerned about the biomesh I received in October last and made me sign a waiver that said I wouldn't sue if the mesh ripped out of me in the machine. Comforting.) Didn't have to wear the gown-of-shame, didn't have to remove my wedding ring. I better not have to repeat this because of incompetence! (Star bursts are pretty! Not on MRIs!)

The contrast they injected into my hand caused swelling, which hasn't gone away yet. Maybe they're waiting for the swelling to decrease before they give me my test results? Or perhaps the doc has my results and is fighting with his colleagues as to who gets to write up the career-making paper about my never-before-seen genetic wonderment! Or arguing about who has to face my breakdown when they give me the life-altering news! Or are just avoiding me because I hyphenate too much? Inquiring minds, and all.

All in all, yet another example of freak occurrences being unable to resist my life.

Painapple

Don't know whether I should be amused or ashamed that friends and family sent this to me. I'm a pain, but only $1.29 worth. Heh.

Took My Sister To The Doctor Today

First, we went to eat at Taco Bell. I should have opted for the cheesy potatoes instead of the nachos, but meh. It was a lovely day, and the AC inside was freezing, so we ate outside. Got to see an accident. The two vehicles involved drove away though, so I hope they stopped further up the road where we couldn't see, or the one who was hit took down a license plate or something. A young chick wasn't paying attention to the traffic and ran into the SUV in front of her. We got lunch with a show and it didn't cost extra.

Her neurologist is an interesting fellow. (Not often does a doctor say, "What the hell happened to you?") Maybe it's the specific field, but I had a neuro in Minneapolis that was just that odd. In my experience, they tend to make the best doctors. Although, he did kind of freak my sister out when he talked about the MRI. (She just had screws put in her face to reconstruct it.) If he wasn't part of the "Worst Hospital EVER" I probably would choose him as my doctor, too. Sad times, really.

Why Should Trips To A Hospital With My Sister Be Any Less Insane Than When I Am The Patient?

I'm assuming from the title you can gather I spent some time at the hospital today. (And if not, I just told you.)

It started all normal, as it always does. I ran over that curb in the parking garage that I always hit right as we pass the entrance ticket gate. The first floor was packed and the only available handicap parking spot was the last one. We get out, walk to the elevator, ride up to the bridge to cross to the doctor's office building portion of the hospital. As we pass the cafeteria, this lady blatantly stares at my sister as she walks past. (We so should have grabbed her phone and snapped a photo with her so her friends could see what she saw, or at the very least said, "Take a picture; it'll last longer!" Some people just weren't taught manners, I guess.) We decide to visit "the facilities" before waiting at the doctor's office, but they were being cleaned. So, had to hold. The doctor she was there to see was held up in surgery and wouldn't be there for roughly an hour, so we went back down to the cafeteria. (Potty stop first, of course.) While coming out of the bathroom, the emergency doors all shut and alarm bells were ringing. (More annoying than anything else, but hopefully they were merely testing them.) Enter cafeteria to discover the smell of smoke. (AHA! Fire alarms!) Most of the counters weren't open for lunch yet, so we decided on burgers and fries. (Hospital burgers and fries leave something to be desired. Just saying.) The cashier accidentally charged us for an extra burger meal, and our food went cold while waiting for her manager to correct it. Then, there was something relishy about the mayo. Really, it tasted like relish. Not my favorite. But, my sister and I got to have a nice chat while eating. Finished eating and went back up to the doctor's office. Only had to wait a couple minutes before being issued to the room, that was nice. Initial questioning regarding how she's doing and her concerns about her face still being swollen and stuff, then the nurse got down to removing her stitches. She was a bit clumsy and my sister, having run out of pain meds (so on nothing at this time), was finding it unbearable her digging around for what seemed obviously easy to remove stitches. The nurse offered to ask the doctor about a numbing shot, warning that it would involve a bit of burning for 10-15 seconds and possibly multiple shots. My sister wishes for the shot(s) because what was happening to her hand was too much, and the nurse goes in search of the doc. They were gone for kind of a long time before coming in with a needle, but no doc, so off to search for him again. My sister was becoming impatient and her stitches were really bothering her, so, one-handed with the full use of only one eye and limited use of the other, removed her own stitches. (Why didn't I help, you ask? Well, clearly you do not know the power of my queasy stomach! I mean, I'm not allowed in the room when others, even when the others are complete strangers, receive shots or merely get told they are to get one. "Ms. Apple, are you alright? You seem to have fainted when we told Mr. Firzilhominguard that we had to schedule his shots next month." That's not weak! That's the courage of all the blood gaining liberty from my totalitarian upper cranial masses!) I spent the time trying not to see what she was doing by staring at the ceiling and focusing way too much attention to the article about Mariska Hargitay. My sister did a phenomenal job of removing her stitches and the doc and nurse were clearly impressed that she took the initiative to do their work for them. Me, they made fun of! (Deserved, yes.) All in all, it ensured my record of non-conventional hospital visits remains intact!

Came home to discover my Uncle Jim had brought Aunt Nicky and the new baby (along with the other 3 kids) to see my sister! However, I had a doctor appointment, so had to do a quick hug and leave, hoping that they'd still be there when I came back.

Spent the first ten minutes of the doc visit discussing how they were missing the three insurances in between the one on file and the one I'm currently on and why they were somehow billing the middle of those for a visit last year when I was on the current one. (Yeah, I know, complexities seem to magnet to me.) Near as we can figure, they went to Jason's file for insurance when the completely ancient insurance wouldn't cover someone who hasn't been on their role for at least five years. (Go fig!) Then the first five minutes with the doc himself discussing how Jason's RA is going. (At least he cares about all of the family and not just one.) Then the remainder discussing how my current migraines, vision issues, pins-and-needles in all extremities and my face, and a few symptoms that I'm not gonna embarrass myself with telling could indicate a return of something that went into remission fourteen years ago. Fun. Long story short: tests, tests, and more tests for me in my near future, which believe it or not, was what my fortune cookie told me later.

Jim and Nicky were still at my sister's when we got back. Yay! So, spent a bit visiting with them. Discussed, among other things, why she doesn't want to have as many kids as Jim has siblings. (7, Grandma is a SAINT!)

Went for Chinese buffet for dinner. Is where the ominous fortune cookie came.

Just Saying

One of the downsides to marrying a good friend is they know your secrets so when you have an argument, they know just what to say to hurt you the hardest.

On the flip side, you just may get to do things like this:



The ups are definitely better than the downs, and thankfully (hopefully), the downs don't last long.

I Know Why 'Chuck' Was Cancelled

I mean this 'Chuck.'

(And, yes, I know it has been revived because of fans.)

I don't know why I don't like it, but the Geek Squad at Best Buy this last month went a little bit toward a possible answer. Thirty Days to fix my desktop??? Really???

Perhaps the "geek-who-really-was-only-wearing-fake-glasses" made me finally see what the show represented to me and I have a deep-seeded issue with anybody that inane (funny how my fingers kept wanting to insert an s in that word) having any type of secret life of mystery!

Who knows why, but Geek Squad pisses me off! Thirty days to fix what would have taken a couple of hours by Jason, or my friend Squick (if I wanted to pay for her trip to do so, even though that would have been with beer and quite possibly a trip to a night club) I think went a long way to fuel that hatred of all things "geeky."

And, I would NOT want to be anybody at the Geek Squad counter if this desktop breaks down within the next 30 days. Just saying.