Happy Halloween!!
Don't go eating too much candy now. Heck, why not. Eat all the candy you want. That's what Halloween is for, right?
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Yes. I Believe I'm Finally A Runner.
I just realized I didn't post a "Monday's Thought For The Day" today. Whoops. That's what happens when your schedule is all flipped around. As always, better late than never.
The ran went great yesterday. Upon lining up for the race I noticed a woman that was also at OROC. She was pregnant at OROC and zoomed right past me. My mouth just dropped. Not so much that she's running while pregnant (I know that people do that all the time), but that she passed me with so much vigor. Well, she's still pregnant and I was determined to keep up with her. I did pretty well. It was a loop course, so by 1.5 miles the leaders went passed us. She turned to me and said, "Doesn't that make you feel good?" It's then that I got the nerve to ask if she participated in OROC (I definitely knew she had, but it was the only way for me to strike up a conversation). She said that she had and so I told her my story of her passing me. She stated that at that point she was still keeping a good pace. Her normal pace is under 7 minutes/mile(Holy crap!) and she usually runs marathons but has since backed off due to her pregnancy (like we had thought). Only two more months then she'll be back to her higher mileage. I gave her props. Runners amaze me more and more each day. As you can only imagine I still couldn't keep up with her the entire race but I tried and may not have succeeded but did a darn good job at least trying. I feel we were also at a better starting point amongst the crowd, than OROC, because instead of being passed I was maintaining my position or even passing people. Me, passing people? Ya heard right.
It was quite chilly. I'm still mastering the whole dressing for the weather thing. With my run journal it's helped me figure out what to wear depending on the temperature, weather, and time. It's coming along. It was in the high 40's. I had my ADIDAS jacket and pants along with an Under Armour top, gloves, and a hat. Looking at everyone else I was totally overdressed. For the most part I was comfortable until the end when the sun started shining bright. One problem with running when it's dark...you don't deal with the sun. 48 degrees with no sun is different than 48 degrees with sun. I have to get my body used to being cold at first knowing that I will be "comfortable" by the end, instead of being comfortable to begin with and overheated by the end. I'm learning and my body's adjusting. It will just take time.
It was an enjoyable course. It ran from the high school over to Beaver Creek which is a paved path, and back. It consisted of some hills. Mostly steady inclines over time. But not too many or for too long of a length. At 2 miles David took off so I finished on my own. I'm getting much better with my self-talking at this mileage. I consider that an improvement because I used to need David to keep me going at 3 miles. I know when I add more mileage I'll more than likely need David to kick me in the butt again though. Upon finishing I thought I had done significantly better than I did at OROC. Come to find out that it was only about 20-30 seconds off of my time (cross referencing the Garmin, chip times, and records). Ah well. But 20 seconds is 20 seconds. As usual I'm not so much going for time. And any improvement is a positive addition. As John Bingham encourages.....don't worry about how fast or how far you go, what others see you as, what others think, or worry what others do. Just feel proud that you have the courage to start. I'm glad I had the courage to start. Now with 2 5k's under my belt and 6 months with a steady, committed running schedule I have the courage to call myself a runner. Boy, that feels good.
Next up....The Nakon Foundation Turkey Dash 5K on Thanksgiving morning.
The ran went great yesterday. Upon lining up for the race I noticed a woman that was also at OROC. She was pregnant at OROC and zoomed right past me. My mouth just dropped. Not so much that she's running while pregnant (I know that people do that all the time), but that she passed me with so much vigor. Well, she's still pregnant and I was determined to keep up with her. I did pretty well. It was a loop course, so by 1.5 miles the leaders went passed us. She turned to me and said, "Doesn't that make you feel good?" It's then that I got the nerve to ask if she participated in OROC (I definitely knew she had, but it was the only way for me to strike up a conversation). She said that she had and so I told her my story of her passing me. She stated that at that point she was still keeping a good pace. Her normal pace is under 7 minutes/mile(Holy crap!) and she usually runs marathons but has since backed off due to her pregnancy (like we had thought). Only two more months then she'll be back to her higher mileage. I gave her props. Runners amaze me more and more each day. As you can only imagine I still couldn't keep up with her the entire race but I tried and may not have succeeded but did a darn good job at least trying. I feel we were also at a better starting point amongst the crowd, than OROC, because instead of being passed I was maintaining my position or even passing people. Me, passing people? Ya heard right.
It was quite chilly. I'm still mastering the whole dressing for the weather thing. With my run journal it's helped me figure out what to wear depending on the temperature, weather, and time. It's coming along. It was in the high 40's. I had my ADIDAS jacket and pants along with an Under Armour top, gloves, and a hat. Looking at everyone else I was totally overdressed. For the most part I was comfortable until the end when the sun started shining bright. One problem with running when it's dark...you don't deal with the sun. 48 degrees with no sun is different than 48 degrees with sun. I have to get my body used to being cold at first knowing that I will be "comfortable" by the end, instead of being comfortable to begin with and overheated by the end. I'm learning and my body's adjusting. It will just take time.
It was an enjoyable course. It ran from the high school over to Beaver Creek which is a paved path, and back. It consisted of some hills. Mostly steady inclines over time. But not too many or for too long of a length. At 2 miles David took off so I finished on my own. I'm getting much better with my self-talking at this mileage. I consider that an improvement because I used to need David to keep me going at 3 miles. I know when I add more mileage I'll more than likely need David to kick me in the butt again though. Upon finishing I thought I had done significantly better than I did at OROC. Come to find out that it was only about 20-30 seconds off of my time (cross referencing the Garmin, chip times, and records). Ah well. But 20 seconds is 20 seconds. As usual I'm not so much going for time. And any improvement is a positive addition. As John Bingham encourages.....don't worry about how fast or how far you go, what others see you as, what others think, or worry what others do. Just feel proud that you have the courage to start. I'm glad I had the courage to start. Now with 2 5k's under my belt and 6 months with a steady, committed running schedule I have the courage to call myself a runner. Boy, that feels good.
Next up....The Nakon Foundation Turkey Dash 5K on Thanksgiving morning.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Zoom. Zoom.
Nothing too exciting going on around here. Just gearing up for David's trip next week. I also figured it was about time to start making a to-do/packing list for Hawaii. So I've been working on that. I can't believe it's only just over a month away. I'm pumped. For some reason I was having some anxiety about our trip and I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. We were watching "Hawaii Do's and Don't's" on the Travel Channel this week. Most of the information was a no brainer but they brought up the idea of rental cars and what to do or not. That's when it hit me. I then figured it out that I was anxious/nervous about transportation. Originally we had decided to rely on Oahu's transportation and maybe rent a car for one of our days, to go to the North Shore. They have taxis, The Bus, and a trolley system. But having never had to tackle a large city's transportation system I wasn't exactly pumped about trying to figure it out. Getting passes, doing transfers...bah! So we discussed that we'll get a car. I made a phone call to our hotel and found that we do have the option of parking and we don't have to reserve a space. It's $15 a day (heck, at least it's not $50 like Chicago!) I then booked a vehicle. We decided on the economy, which should be an Aveo. Just like home. That's the way I like it. Yay, we get to ride around Oahu in a skate (I call my Aveo My Skate because it reminds me of the big skate from Skate World). I have basically no anxieties about getting around the island. I have a ton of resources and so what if we get lost. It's an adventure. My mom thinks the only reason we're getting a car is so that I can go search for Dog the Bounty Hunter. Ha! I won't say that we won't search out the office, but meeting him? I think I'd just fumble my words. And I think he'd probably have some sort of system to keep people away since people would probably be coming in all the time to see him just to "get a picture." I'm excited to just get there and drive. Chill, drive, looking for an adventure, soaking up the sun, and making some memories.
But for now, it's time to head back to reality. Tonight's our trick or treating. So we got some stuff to do around the house. I'm also planning on starting to tan today. I can hear the groans now. I'm not trying to get dark or look like a different ethnicity. I want a base tan so I don't burn, or should I say have a bad burn after arriving in Hawaii. It will feel good today too, considering how chilly it is.
Time to head off to Amherst for the Skeleton Run For Your Bones 5k. It's a frigid 42 degrees out. This should be interesting.
But for now, it's time to head back to reality. Tonight's our trick or treating. So we got some stuff to do around the house. I'm also planning on starting to tan today. I can hear the groans now. I'm not trying to get dark or look like a different ethnicity. I want a base tan so I don't burn, or should I say have a bad burn after arriving in Hawaii. It will feel good today too, considering how chilly it is.
Time to head off to Amherst for the Skeleton Run For Your Bones 5k. It's a frigid 42 degrees out. This should be interesting.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Complimentary crocs? Sweet!
Yesterday was filled with small little surprises. While at work I checked my email to find I had an email from our outside laboratory we use for work. Recently they've been offering classes in regards to specific diseases, how to test for them, and how to treat them. They offer something small like a scrub top or a water bottle when you finish the course. In addition, the courses count as free continuing education too (even though I don't need continuing education yet). I find them interesting and they tend to be short, sweet, and to the point. So, back to the email...for taking a certain number of their courses they offered me a complimentary pair of crocs to say "thank you" for taking the classes and filling out a one page survey. Can't complain about that! I had several choices of colors and once again I passed up the turquoise for ruby red. Ruby red is a new color and I'm hoping it's kind of like the grape where it's slightly metallic. We'll have to see. I'll get my turquoise someday. This will make 6 pairs for me. I think that's bordering on the point of madness. Ah well. I dig them.
Then a little later my supervisor came around checking for name tags and I had mine on. Once again, I got a dollar just like last time. This is only the second time she's done it and both times I've got a dollar. Hey, it's a dollar. It all spends the same and you get to glow for a moment when you receive it, thinking, "I did something right."
I got home from work and David said I got a letter in the mail. Say what? From who? I never get mail unless it's a bill. He said, "I think it's from John." Sure enough, Jacki's John sent a letter from Iraq. Cool! Who doesn't like to receive real mail??
Ah, so it was a good day. Little things that are rays of sunshine during the day. It doesn't seem like that kind of stuff happens all that much. More than likely they do but I just need to open my eyes, realize it, and be thankful.
Having taken Tuesday off, due to rain, I got it in my head that I wanted to run this morning. Of course last night David was surprised to hear that I wanted to run today. Usually it's his day to "sleep in" (if you call sleeping 'til 6am sleeping in) and I usually sleep later too. But since my schedule changed at work and every other Friday I work morning/have afternoon off or have morning off/work afternoon, I figured why not run today. I was planning on going by myself but David was a trooper and got up with me. Instead of going a 3 mile route we chose a shorter distance and ran like the wind. According to the Garmin our average pace was 9:47/mile. Whew! That's fast for me, considering my pace usually averages around 10:30/mile. Hey, I don't claim to be a speed racer. I'm not really focused on my time but recently it's been getting worse. David says it's probably because of the wind and adding more clothes to the routine. I don't know. But I do know that it's been harder for me to keep up with David. Trust me, that boy can run. I can only imagine what he'd be running if it weren't for me "holding" him back. So I'm proud of myself for keeping up with David today and just kickin' it out. It felt good. Tiring, make you think you can't make it, needing self-talk good. Good. Tomorrow's a day off then we'll be heading to Amherst to take part in the Skeleton Run For Your Bones 5k on Sunday. Looks like we'll have some pretty cool weather, but that will make it fun.
Hope everyone has a Fabulous Friday that leads into a Wonderful Weekend!
Then a little later my supervisor came around checking for name tags and I had mine on. Once again, I got a dollar just like last time. This is only the second time she's done it and both times I've got a dollar. Hey, it's a dollar. It all spends the same and you get to glow for a moment when you receive it, thinking, "I did something right."
I got home from work and David said I got a letter in the mail. Say what? From who? I never get mail unless it's a bill. He said, "I think it's from John." Sure enough, Jacki's John sent a letter from Iraq. Cool! Who doesn't like to receive real mail??
Ah, so it was a good day. Little things that are rays of sunshine during the day. It doesn't seem like that kind of stuff happens all that much. More than likely they do but I just need to open my eyes, realize it, and be thankful.
Having taken Tuesday off, due to rain, I got it in my head that I wanted to run this morning. Of course last night David was surprised to hear that I wanted to run today. Usually it's his day to "sleep in" (if you call sleeping 'til 6am sleeping in) and I usually sleep later too. But since my schedule changed at work and every other Friday I work morning/have afternoon off or have morning off/work afternoon, I figured why not run today. I was planning on going by myself but David was a trooper and got up with me. Instead of going a 3 mile route we chose a shorter distance and ran like the wind. According to the Garmin our average pace was 9:47/mile. Whew! That's fast for me, considering my pace usually averages around 10:30/mile. Hey, I don't claim to be a speed racer. I'm not really focused on my time but recently it's been getting worse. David says it's probably because of the wind and adding more clothes to the routine. I don't know. But I do know that it's been harder for me to keep up with David. Trust me, that boy can run. I can only imagine what he'd be running if it weren't for me "holding" him back. So I'm proud of myself for keeping up with David today and just kickin' it out. It felt good. Tiring, make you think you can't make it, needing self-talk good. Good. Tomorrow's a day off then we'll be heading to Amherst to take part in the Skeleton Run For Your Bones 5k on Sunday. Looks like we'll have some pretty cool weather, but that will make it fun.
Hope everyone has a Fabulous Friday that leads into a Wonderful Weekend!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Milk
Jax is on a new kick recently. Anytime I have milk he is all up in it. He'll "talk" (meow) and rub on me just to see what I have. He knows he wants it, it's just trying to get me to allow him to have it. It's so funny because he's never been interested in it previously. It all started about a month ago. After runs I'd have a can of Slimfast and he'd want to lick the rim when I was done. Then last weekend I had a glass of milk with a couple cookies. He was going nuts trying to get at my milk. Since it was family dinner night everyone saw what he was doing, so I know I wasn't going crazy, thinking he was acting crazy. I've recently changed my morning routine from Slimfast to Ovaltine and milk (by the way, the whole Slimfast thing wasn't to lose weight, it was a sugar thing). I had my normal glass this morning, and once again he was up in my face trying to get in the glass. What's the deal? And contrary to popular belief, cow's milk isn't good for cats. After their done weaning most cat's lose the ability to digest milk. Basically they become lactose intolerant. So it's not like he needs it or even should have it. But every so often I'll give him my final few licks at the bottom of the glass just to keep him quiet. But I must say I have no idea where his new found interest came from. I can only guess his previous owner. However, why have I never noticed it before? You should see him if I ever open a can. I'm not even talking about a can of cat food. Just any ol' can. He's there all up in it. Must have previously been fed canned food I guess. Too funny.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Here To Stay?
Well, is the cool weather here to stay? I'm starting to get tired of asking myself that. For the entire month we'd have a few days of cool weather, then it'd shoot back up into the 70's. I could be wrong but I do not remember it ever being this warm of an October. Guess that's the whole global warming thing, eh? I must say that I do like our gas bill though. Even though we're on a budget it still helps bring it down a bit when it's all averaged out. And since we didn't need air conditioning the same goes for our electric bill. Sweet. It was a nice brisk run this morning at 51 degrees. Yesterday ended up being an unexpected day off from running. We were all set up on Monday night. When our alarm went off on Tuesday morning it was pouring rain. I don't mind rain. Actually I love it. But having had a decent drop in temperature and having it pouring outside we came to the consensus to sleep a little more then wake up and do some good 'ol crunches. Of course we do those everyday, but give us a break. At least we did something rather than nothing.
I have completed all the examinations for my 3 classes. I will still continue to have my weekly quizzes but no more exams until the end of the semester. Now I just have to work on my tasks checklist. Basically I have to complete so many tasks in a semester from each class. They can be basic tasks to pretty in-depth tasks, such as running a urinalysis and reading the urine sediment or doing a hand count complete blood count. Then Doc has to sign off and grade me on the tasks. I'd say I'm about half way or more through the tasks.
Not much else is going on here. We're gearing up for Halloween and Trick Or Treaters for this weekend. And I think David has started his official countdown to Minnesota. Even if he hasn't, I have. I'm excited for them. And I can't complain about having the house to myself for a few days. I never thought I'd say that. It's crazy because when you're dating or newlyweds you want to be together ALL the time. Then after time being married awhile you like to have some time to yourself. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love David and spending time with him. And wouldn't want him to go away for long periods at a time. But I think you understand what I mean. Especially the ones that have been married for awhile. And as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Now, what shall my plans be while he's gone? Girls night in? Sounds good to me.
I have completed all the examinations for my 3 classes. I will still continue to have my weekly quizzes but no more exams until the end of the semester. Now I just have to work on my tasks checklist. Basically I have to complete so many tasks in a semester from each class. They can be basic tasks to pretty in-depth tasks, such as running a urinalysis and reading the urine sediment or doing a hand count complete blood count. Then Doc has to sign off and grade me on the tasks. I'd say I'm about half way or more through the tasks.
Not much else is going on here. We're gearing up for Halloween and Trick Or Treaters for this weekend. And I think David has started his official countdown to Minnesota. Even if he hasn't, I have. I'm excited for them. And I can't complain about having the house to myself for a few days. I never thought I'd say that. It's crazy because when you're dating or newlyweds you want to be together ALL the time. Then after time being married awhile you like to have some time to yourself. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love David and spending time with him. And wouldn't want him to go away for long periods at a time. But I think you understand what I mean. Especially the ones that have been married for awhile. And as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Now, what shall my plans be while he's gone? Girls night in? Sounds good to me.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Still Proud
It was the end of the road last night for The Tribe. I'm still, and always will be, proud to be an Ohioan. And even though it could be stressful, it was fun while it lasted. With all of our moves we had gotten away from Indians baseball. It was nice to be back in the swing of things this year. Can't wait for next year!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
If You Sprinkle When You Tinkle....
I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks about this. Actually, I'm sure you all think about it as you walk into a public restroom. All you can think is "ick!" As you walk through the door you're broad-sided by the stench of someone's "number 2" then you continue in and there's a generalized smell of urine. Half the time toilet paper is nowhere to be found. And if it is, it's not where it's supposed to be because the dispenser is broken in two. I just don't get it. I don't understand how public restrooms can get run down so fast. Just a couple months ago Walmart's restroom was totally refinished. I walked in there the other day and it's just as bad, if not worse, than what it was before they remodeled. How?! I understand that I'm a clean freak and clean my bathroom throroughly once a week with smaller cleanings throughout the week, and I also understand that public restrooms see MANY more people than my personal bathroom. However, I believe every public/store restroom has a signoff sheet for cleaning the restroom hourly or every few hours. Meaning, although the restroom is seeing more butts than mine sees, it's also being cleaned 50+ more times a week than mine. I can't help but look at the store's restroom cleaning schedule as I walk out the door. Yep, it's initialed for every hour of that day that has passed so far. It's initaled even though each toilet paper dispenser and paper towel dispenser is empty and there's a mound of toilet paper on the ground. And there's "liquid" on the floor in first stall. Yeah. Sure. It's clean. If they consider that clean I'd hate to see their own personal bathrooms at home.
On the flip side of the coin, it's not just the store's fault for the cleanliness of the restroom. Once again, I wonder if people treat their own bathroom's the way they treat a public restroom. If you pee on the seat, clean it up. As Grandma Roth's little sign said in her bathroom all those years..."If you sprinkle when you tinkle. Please be neat and wipe the seat." Or if you drop toilet paper, pick it up. And if you're worried about touching the ground, trust me, you can pick it up without touching the ground. It's not an art. I'm also not sure why it always smells like pee. Are you peeing outside the toilet? Unlike men, it's not like us women really have to aim. I don't get it. Actually, maybe I don't even want to know. Oy.
On the flip side of the coin, it's not just the store's fault for the cleanliness of the restroom. Once again, I wonder if people treat their own bathroom's the way they treat a public restroom. If you pee on the seat, clean it up. As Grandma Roth's little sign said in her bathroom all those years..."If you sprinkle when you tinkle. Please be neat and wipe the seat." Or if you drop toilet paper, pick it up. And if you're worried about touching the ground, trust me, you can pick it up without touching the ground. It's not an art. I'm also not sure why it always smells like pee. Are you peeing outside the toilet? Unlike men, it's not like us women really have to aim. I don't get it. Actually, maybe I don't even want to know. Oy.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Snaaaake! Snaaaake! Ohh It's A Snaaaake!
The weekend has arrived. Yes. We headed out to Cedar Point last night to finally enjoy a Friday night of Halloweekends. David's 'rents joined us and we had a blast. There weren't many people there, but due to the limited amount of rides and food that was open, due to it being on a Friday in the last couple weekends of Halloweekends, we didn't ride all that much. However, we did get on the Maverick, SkyHawk, and Millenium. Dragster was closed, more than likely due to the high winds. It was the perfect temperature. The wind was pretty harsh, but it was still fun. We had only ridden Maverick once this year due to the 3+ hour wait times, so we especially wanted to ride that and we got to do so in the dark. Sweet. And I'm so proud of Sita! She rode every one of the rides. Come to find out after that she's not a roller coaster person. I guess that explains why I kept hearing high pitched screams as though she was dying, behind me on Millenium. Haha. Hilarious. She recovered quickly and I think looking back she had fun, after the shock wore off. Once again, even though David and I go over to CP with our passes many times a year we don't always ride the big rides due to waits, so every year I have to talk myself through the butterflies in my stomach and my heart palpatating during the first few times. At this point I'm digging the adrenaline and have my arms up the entire time while I hoot and holler. It just stinks because next year it will be the same cycle. Nervous in the beginning and easy going by the end of the season. Ah, it's all fun.
In other news I received a call from David yesterday while I was still at work. He said, "I don't want to scare you but we have a friend." "Oh no!" I said. "We are not having another animal. Whatever you found, leave it!" And he says, "No. It's a snakey (snake)" Oh my mind just starts racing. I don't just have a fear of snakes. I have a phobia. Just talking about them gets my heart racing and I start sweating. Come to find out when he went outside to mow the grass, he opened the garage to see a black and yellow foot-long snake. He doesn't think it was actually in the garage but was sitting by the door just outside the garage. He tried to catch it and put it in a box to release it somewhere, but it got loose and slithered away. Oh man. So where does this thing live? Does it have a nest in our garage? Backyard? Are they in our house somewhere? Oh no! I don't even want to park in the garage anymore or work in the backyard. I thought by working in an animal hospital in Michigan, that also saw exotics, I'd get "used" to reptiles. Not so. Through an entire day of coaxing myself, I was able to touch a boa constricter. However, It took many hours. I'd walk closer and closer. Then finally touched it with a gloved hand, then a bare hand. And one more thing, it was anesthetized, meaning it wasn't moving. So that was a HUGE step for me. Did it make my phobia go away? Heck no. Just a few weeks ago we were running and I looked down to find what I think was a smashed snake. Yikes! My legs flew up in the air, I hollered, and once again the heart started racing. I just don't want to get to the point where I was in junior high/high school where I had to check everywhere before I moved. Meaning before I sat on the toilet, I'd check under the seat. Or in the shower curtain before entering the shower. It was bad. The thing is, I've never had a defining moment that would make me scared of them. It just exists. To explain my title line for today, check out Badger, Badger, Badger, Mushroom, Mushroom, Snake. You've probably seen this from an email, but with the whole snake incident it reminded us of this little video. Be patient until the snake arrives. The guy's voice cracks us up. Snaaaake!
It's almost 8:30am and about time for a run. Just waiting for David to arise. Once again, it's my day off and I can't sleep in. My body won't let me. Bummer. Hope everyone has a Stupendous Saturday with tons of fun and a Buckeye and Tribe win. Sounds good to me!
In other news I received a call from David yesterday while I was still at work. He said, "I don't want to scare you but we have a friend." "Oh no!" I said. "We are not having another animal. Whatever you found, leave it!" And he says, "No. It's a snakey (snake)" Oh my mind just starts racing. I don't just have a fear of snakes. I have a phobia. Just talking about them gets my heart racing and I start sweating. Come to find out when he went outside to mow the grass, he opened the garage to see a black and yellow foot-long snake. He doesn't think it was actually in the garage but was sitting by the door just outside the garage. He tried to catch it and put it in a box to release it somewhere, but it got loose and slithered away. Oh man. So where does this thing live? Does it have a nest in our garage? Backyard? Are they in our house somewhere? Oh no! I don't even want to park in the garage anymore or work in the backyard. I thought by working in an animal hospital in Michigan, that also saw exotics, I'd get "used" to reptiles. Not so. Through an entire day of coaxing myself, I was able to touch a boa constricter. However, It took many hours. I'd walk closer and closer. Then finally touched it with a gloved hand, then a bare hand. And one more thing, it was anesthetized, meaning it wasn't moving. So that was a HUGE step for me. Did it make my phobia go away? Heck no. Just a few weeks ago we were running and I looked down to find what I think was a smashed snake. Yikes! My legs flew up in the air, I hollered, and once again the heart started racing. I just don't want to get to the point where I was in junior high/high school where I had to check everywhere before I moved. Meaning before I sat on the toilet, I'd check under the seat. Or in the shower curtain before entering the shower. It was bad. The thing is, I've never had a defining moment that would make me scared of them. It just exists. To explain my title line for today, check out Badger, Badger, Badger, Mushroom, Mushroom, Snake. You've probably seen this from an email, but with the whole snake incident it reminded us of this little video. Be patient until the snake arrives. The guy's voice cracks us up. Snaaaake!
It's almost 8:30am and about time for a run. Just waiting for David to arise. Once again, it's my day off and I can't sleep in. My body won't let me. Bummer. Hope everyone has a Stupendous Saturday with tons of fun and a Buckeye and Tribe win. Sounds good to me!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Exams
School's been keeping me busy this week. On top of the normal quizzes I have from week to week I also have 3 exams (1 in each class) this week. I have until the 29th to complete them, but you know me, I want to get them done and out of the way. The past 2 nights I have come home and worked on school work from the time I entered the house until I went to bed. Monday I had peace and quiet with the guys being at the game. Last night I wasn't so lucky since they were here watching the game. Boy, do I wish I had a laptop every so often. It'd let me get away to another location in the house. Ah well, I got something done anyway. But at this point I can definitely say I'm schooled out and am going through that jealous feeling of, "You get to have fun. Kick back and relax after a hard day. While I work my butt off all day and come home to even more work." I know it's worth it, but I just wish it was done. So that's basically why there aren't too many posts from me this week either. I better hit the shower before I run out of time.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
A Day With Ande'
Time to recap the weekend. Yesterday I went to Columbus to spend some time with my sis. I was lucky enough to be the first family member to see where she works. Not only did I get to see the building, but I actually got to see where she does her day to day duties and met a coworker. It's very nice. It's moments like those that I wish I had a corporate-type of job....big building, glass elevator, with my own desk, and a view. Ha! But then reality kicks in and I remind myself I like to get down and dirty with my job. It makes me proud to see my sister doing so well at what she does. And even better, she loves what she's doing.
It was a gorgeous day. And instead of going to the zoo we decided to head out to Dawes Arborteum in Newark, which is about 30 miles east of Columbus. It was beautiful. During our time we got to see the Japanese Garden and the Bonsai Garden. The Japanese Garden was complete with the raked gravel gardens that you see in magazines. But instead of being mini-sized, it was life-sized. Cool. And I learned something. Bonsai isn't a type of tree, it's actually the art of miniaturizing trees. Hmm, didn't know that. You learn something everyday. Having been awhile since Ande' had been there and since I'd never been there, it took a little longer to get there than expected, and we mistakenly didn't eat before we arrived. We spent some time there but it unexpectedly got cut short since our tummy's were rumbling. We only scratched the surface but it was an awesome experience and I'd like to go back again.
After our adventure we headed to Easton to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. Ande' hadn't been there in awhile and I wanted to treat her to a nice meal. As always, it was delicious and we made sure to save room for dessert. After dinner we headed back to her place and then I headed home. Such a great day and I am so glad that I got to spend sometime with my sister. It's been awhile.
While I was in Columbus, David got up to go to earliest muster in Detroit. Although David has been finished with his 4 years of active service, everyone still has to "serve" 4 years of inactive service...meaning they can call you up at anytime. Basically the muster was about trying to get you to reinlist instead of getting involuntarily recalled. Of course David said, "Heck no," and was finished for the day. More than likely this should be his last chance at getting recalled considering you have a very short period to be recalled. You have to be 1+ year out of active duty, and still have atleast 1 year of inactive duty left. As of today, David has exactly 1 year of inactive duty left. Out of everyone that was there in the first muster, 26 guys got involuntarily recalled. What that means is that they are now active duty again.
Today was spent running, getting things done around the house, doing yardwork, and watching football. David's happy...the Buckeyes won, the Indians won, and the Vikings won. He's in Heaven. Tomorrow he'll be heading to Cleveland with his dad to see Game 3 in the ALCS. It should be a good game! Time for dinner with the 'rents. Have a great rest of the weekend...what's left of it.
It was a gorgeous day. And instead of going to the zoo we decided to head out to Dawes Arborteum in Newark, which is about 30 miles east of Columbus. It was beautiful. During our time we got to see the Japanese Garden and the Bonsai Garden. The Japanese Garden was complete with the raked gravel gardens that you see in magazines. But instead of being mini-sized, it was life-sized. Cool. And I learned something. Bonsai isn't a type of tree, it's actually the art of miniaturizing trees. Hmm, didn't know that. You learn something everyday. Having been awhile since Ande' had been there and since I'd never been there, it took a little longer to get there than expected, and we mistakenly didn't eat before we arrived. We spent some time there but it unexpectedly got cut short since our tummy's were rumbling. We only scratched the surface but it was an awesome experience and I'd like to go back again.
After our adventure we headed to Easton to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. Ande' hadn't been there in awhile and I wanted to treat her to a nice meal. As always, it was delicious and we made sure to save room for dessert. After dinner we headed back to her place and then I headed home. Such a great day and I am so glad that I got to spend sometime with my sister. It's been awhile.
While I was in Columbus, David got up to go to earliest muster in Detroit. Although David has been finished with his 4 years of active service, everyone still has to "serve" 4 years of inactive service...meaning they can call you up at anytime. Basically the muster was about trying to get you to reinlist instead of getting involuntarily recalled. Of course David said, "Heck no," and was finished for the day. More than likely this should be his last chance at getting recalled considering you have a very short period to be recalled. You have to be 1+ year out of active duty, and still have atleast 1 year of inactive duty left. As of today, David has exactly 1 year of inactive duty left. Out of everyone that was there in the first muster, 26 guys got involuntarily recalled. What that means is that they are now active duty again.
Today was spent running, getting things done around the house, doing yardwork, and watching football. David's happy...the Buckeyes won, the Indians won, and the Vikings won. He's in Heaven. Tomorrow he'll be heading to Cleveland with his dad to see Game 3 in the ALCS. It should be a good game! Time for dinner with the 'rents. Have a great rest of the weekend...what's left of it.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
No Win For Us
We didn't see a win at the Jake last night. But it was an awesome experience and we had a good time. It was the first (and probably the last) time we were in the club seating. The food was surprisingly great. The service was fast and the workers were so genuinely nice. It was crazy. You mean I don't have to wait in mile long lines to pay for my food and be treated with disrespect and have my change thrown at me? Sweet. They were there to wait on you hand and foot. You want extra cheese? Sure! And they said it with pleasure. I think it was cool, because like us, most of the people were the type that have never been in the club seats. The actual seats were outside, but you could hang out in the inside at the bar or in the seating area. Anywhere you looked there was a tv.
We did spend some time outside and I'm glad I dressed for the worse. I had 2 layers on my bottom, including 2 pairs of socks, and 5 layers up top. I wasn't messing around. I wasn't sure where we'd be, so I figured it's easier to take layers off than trying to find layers to put on.
I saved up all day just so I could get some eats on. I had nachos, pasta and breadsticks, a soft pretzel, and ice cream. Whew! Now I know why buffets are bad. At least I planned ahead by rationing throughout the day. And they didn't give you huge portion sizes either, which was perfect. Of course you could take as many as you wanted or come back as many times as you wanted though. Once again, you could eat any of the "stadium food" that you always want but since it's already paid for you think, "Heck, why not." Whereas I'm usually like, "Do I want this or that?" due to the price.
I'll post some pictures later, but it's time for me to head to the shower and then go down to Columbus. See ya'll later! Go Buckeyes! Go Tribe!
We did spend some time outside and I'm glad I dressed for the worse. I had 2 layers on my bottom, including 2 pairs of socks, and 5 layers up top. I wasn't messing around. I wasn't sure where we'd be, so I figured it's easier to take layers off than trying to find layers to put on.
I saved up all day just so I could get some eats on. I had nachos, pasta and breadsticks, a soft pretzel, and ice cream. Whew! Now I know why buffets are bad. At least I planned ahead by rationing throughout the day. And they didn't give you huge portion sizes either, which was perfect. Of course you could take as many as you wanted or come back as many times as you wanted though. Once again, you could eat any of the "stadium food" that you always want but since it's already paid for you think, "Heck, why not." Whereas I'm usually like, "Do I want this or that?" due to the price.
I'll post some pictures later, but it's time for me to head to the shower and then go down to Columbus. See ya'll later! Go Buckeyes! Go Tribe!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Change In Plans
We've had a small change in plans for this evening's events. We will be going to the Tribe Pride Party, but will have the club seats with unlimited food. You actually had to pay for the tickets but David's 'rents wanted to go that way. That way if we have inclement weather we'll be protected. And even better...food is involved. No complaints from me! I do feel kind of bad having the original tickets though. I'd hate to take them away from someone else and then not be used. My plan is to take them along and see if anyone outside the stadium wants them for free. Anyone reading this that would be interested in 4 free general admission tickets, holler at David or me on our cell phones. David told me last night that him and his dad have tickets for Monday's game also. So it looks like it's a Tribe weekend.
My plans are still one for going down to see Ande' tomorrow. As of now it sounds like we'll be heading to the zoo. Once again, no complaints here. I LOVE zoos. And it looks like it will be a gorgeous day.
Ohio weather still amazes me. Just the other day we had our air conditioning on. Then within 24 hours of turning it off I had to turn the heat on. Just crazy. I dig the fall weather. It gives you that cozy feeling. Last night I came home to dinner made, with the lights dim, and Nightmare Before Christmas ready to go. Oooh, comfy.
My plans are still one for going down to see Ande' tomorrow. As of now it sounds like we'll be heading to the zoo. Once again, no complaints here. I LOVE zoos. And it looks like it will be a gorgeous day.
Ohio weather still amazes me. Just the other day we had our air conditioning on. Then within 24 hours of turning it off I had to turn the heat on. Just crazy. I dig the fall weather. It gives you that cozy feeling. Last night I came home to dinner made, with the lights dim, and Nightmare Before Christmas ready to go. Oooh, comfy.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Tribe Pride Party
Who's got tickets to Friday's Tribe Pride Party?? We do! We do! We're going to freeze our butts off, but who cares!
For those who don't know....for all Indians playoff away games they are holding Tribe Pride Parties. They're opening up the stadium to a certain number of people so they can watch it on the big screen. David had the idea of trying to acquire tickets so I kept trying all morning and succeeded. Yes!
For those who don't know....for all Indians playoff away games they are holding Tribe Pride Parties. They're opening up the stadium to a certain number of people so they can watch it on the big screen. David had the idea of trying to acquire tickets so I kept trying all morning and succeeded. Yes!
It's Fun To Boo People
On a recent trip to Target we found a creative idea. To spread cheer through the Halloween season, you "Boo" those around you. Since our visit we have found that it's not really a new idea and that surprisingly the concept is in variety of stores in our area. They have different Boo kits. Most often there's candy, a Boo sign, and a little poem to go with it. We thought it was a cute idea, and as always, we're trying to increase our involvement with our neighbors and neighborhood, so we decided to give it a go. Instead of using their kits we decided to use the idea, but tweak it in our own special way. I "stole" the poem, typed the poem and made "We've Been Boo'd" signs on the computer, and took them to Staples to be copied on bright orange paper and laminated. The Boo sign goes in their window so everyone knows who's been Boo'd, and the idea is that they pass on the laminated poem with a little something to another neighbor.
We chose 3 of our neighbors and made different things for each. The first family was the Swopes. They are a divided family, meaning 1/2 Steelers fans, 1/2 Browns fans. Not only are the parents divided, but each child is on different sides too. They are always having family get togethers for football games, so our idea came from this. We purchased these cool plastic glow mugs for each of the kids. One Steelers, One Browns and filled them up with candy. The other family is the Shafraths. They have several young daughters so we filled up a plastic pumpkin with candy. And lastly, we had to get Mark and Sue in on the deal. They're our neighbors from up the street that we tend to hang out with. We are always putting our heads together for our neighborhood gatherings and ideas. They are vegetarians, so we weren't sure what to do for them. We came up with the idea of a fall floral arrangement for them.
We've had this idea going for weeks now, but have been collecting items and waiting for the right time. Upon arriving home I noticed that each of the families were home so we thought it was our chance. We got everything together and delivered our Boos. The concept is to surprise them by leaving it at their doorstep, so they don't know who did it. However, considering the weather, etc. we thought it'd be best to actually deliver them. It was fun. I love bringing smiles to faces. I could see one of the little boy's face light up when he saw the mugs filled with candy. Too cute.
From previous posts, you know that we've been very busy. However, I always remind myself that you're never too busy to spread a little kindness and cheer.
We chose 3 of our neighbors and made different things for each. The first family was the Swopes. They are a divided family, meaning 1/2 Steelers fans, 1/2 Browns fans. Not only are the parents divided, but each child is on different sides too. They are always having family get togethers for football games, so our idea came from this. We purchased these cool plastic glow mugs for each of the kids. One Steelers, One Browns and filled them up with candy. The other family is the Shafraths. They have several young daughters so we filled up a plastic pumpkin with candy. And lastly, we had to get Mark and Sue in on the deal. They're our neighbors from up the street that we tend to hang out with. We are always putting our heads together for our neighborhood gatherings and ideas. They are vegetarians, so we weren't sure what to do for them. We came up with the idea of a fall floral arrangement for them.
We've had this idea going for weeks now, but have been collecting items and waiting for the right time. Upon arriving home I noticed that each of the families were home so we thought it was our chance. We got everything together and delivered our Boos. The concept is to surprise them by leaving it at their doorstep, so they don't know who did it. However, considering the weather, etc. we thought it'd be best to actually deliver them. It was fun. I love bringing smiles to faces. I could see one of the little boy's face light up when he saw the mugs filled with candy. Too cute.
From previous posts, you know that we've been very busy. However, I always remind myself that you're never too busy to spread a little kindness and cheer.
This Halloween there’s something new
A sweet surprise that’s called a “Boo”.
A friendly “goblin” left it here
To spread a little “ghostly” cheer.
It’s not a fright, it’s not a scare,
It’s just a secret smile to share.
You’ve been boo’d.
Now you’re the one to pass along the “spooky” fun-
To neighbors up and down the street,
To friends who’d love a special “treat!”
‘Cause it’s for sure this little gift
Will give their “spirits” quite a lift.
Enjoy the latest, greatest way
To celebrate this holiday.
It’s easy and fun to do-It’s up to you to share the boo!
A sweet surprise that’s called a “Boo”.
A friendly “goblin” left it here
To spread a little “ghostly” cheer.
It’s not a fright, it’s not a scare,
It’s just a secret smile to share.
You’ve been boo’d.
Now you’re the one to pass along the “spooky” fun-
To neighbors up and down the street,
To friends who’d love a special “treat!”
‘Cause it’s for sure this little gift
Will give their “spirits” quite a lift.
Enjoy the latest, greatest way
To celebrate this holiday.
It’s easy and fun to do-It’s up to you to share the boo!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Calici
Today I expected an easier day at work, than what's been going on. Mind you I said, easier, not easy. I never go into work expecting an easy day. You just never know what's going to walk through the door. Today was no different. Our morning appointments were spread out and were going quite well. I then noticed a new appointment in regards to a cat with labored breathing and lethargy X 1 day. Okay, not a big deal. You get the oxygen ready and get the cat immediately into a room. That's when it all changed. Doc, knowing there was an urgent case, came into the room to verify everything was okay. Noting the cat was drooling severely he opened the mouth to see the tongue covered in sores. Now this could be a variety of things, including getting into something toxic that could burn the tongue. However, with a quick process of elimination we came to the conclusion that more than likely we were dealing with Calicivirus.
Calicivirus AKA Calici has been around for a long time. It's a viral upper respiratory infection that is spread between cats and it's part of the yearly distemper vaccine for the felines. Most often it makes a cat have flu-like symptoms However, recently a new strain has come about that is called virulent systemic feline calicivirus (VS-FCV). This strain is ugly with a high mortality rate. Nothing but bleach will kill the virus and it's HIGHLY contagious to other cats. So contagious that it can close an animal hospital for weeks in order to disinfect appropriately. In addition, there is no definitive treatment. Like parvovirus in dogs, you let the virus run it's course. You don't actually treat the virus, but you treat through rehydration and nursing care, to get the pet through the disease.
After the determination of possible calici, I gear up with a coverup and gloves, and the process begins. We treat the cat according to protocol, with antibiotics and fluids, then set up a time for a re-evaluation tomorrow, which will take place in the client's car as to not contaminate the clinic again. The entire process is a form of event. During the treatment you must remember what you are touching. Everything must be contained to one room and everything that is present in the room must be bleached before leaving the room. If it's not bleached it goes in the trash and then cremated to prevent further contamination. Not only do you have to be concerned about items in the room, but also yourself. Meaning, a footbath of bleach water at the entrance to the room to bleach your shoes when you exit the room. I spent 30 minutes bleaching the room with a spray bottle and bucket of bleach water. Boy, that bleach can get to you. I had to step out every few minutes. Needless to say even now, 9 hours later, my sinuses feel "clean". I had everything cleaned up but then it's as though you have to think of a strategy to leave the room, trying not to contaminate anything. Feet in the footbath and hands in bleach water, allowing everything to air dry, I was set. At that point I went home to decontaminate myself, as to not spread anything to other client's pets.
You may be wondering about our cats. They have been vaccinated against the new strain of calici. Of course there is always a risk, but having been vaccinated, they should be fine. In addition, you must remember that I bring "things" home on my clothes on a daily basis. This is a form of daily vaccination to our pets. Yes, they are being exposed to disease, but at the same time, exposure builds their immunity. In addition, I also took precautions as to not contaminate our house. I took my shoes and socks off prior to entering the house and I immediately went to the basement to wash my clothes and took a shower before having contact with the kids.
The rest of the day didn't slow down any. After coming home for a 5 minute shower, literally, I hurried back to work and had 3 surgeries, then immediately headed into afternoon practice hours. They keep me running there, that's for sure. I work a half day tomorrow, since we only have afternoon office hours, but it's already looking pretty full. And I must say I'm pretty proud of myself. Being that busy at work I've still managed to stay ahead in my school work. It's week 5 and I'm working on week 9 assignments. Rock on! Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Calicivirus AKA Calici has been around for a long time. It's a viral upper respiratory infection that is spread between cats and it's part of the yearly distemper vaccine for the felines. Most often it makes a cat have flu-like symptoms However, recently a new strain has come about that is called virulent systemic feline calicivirus (VS-FCV). This strain is ugly with a high mortality rate. Nothing but bleach will kill the virus and it's HIGHLY contagious to other cats. So contagious that it can close an animal hospital for weeks in order to disinfect appropriately. In addition, there is no definitive treatment. Like parvovirus in dogs, you let the virus run it's course. You don't actually treat the virus, but you treat through rehydration and nursing care, to get the pet through the disease.
After the determination of possible calici, I gear up with a coverup and gloves, and the process begins. We treat the cat according to protocol, with antibiotics and fluids, then set up a time for a re-evaluation tomorrow, which will take place in the client's car as to not contaminate the clinic again. The entire process is a form of event. During the treatment you must remember what you are touching. Everything must be contained to one room and everything that is present in the room must be bleached before leaving the room. If it's not bleached it goes in the trash and then cremated to prevent further contamination. Not only do you have to be concerned about items in the room, but also yourself. Meaning, a footbath of bleach water at the entrance to the room to bleach your shoes when you exit the room. I spent 30 minutes bleaching the room with a spray bottle and bucket of bleach water. Boy, that bleach can get to you. I had to step out every few minutes. Needless to say even now, 9 hours later, my sinuses feel "clean". I had everything cleaned up but then it's as though you have to think of a strategy to leave the room, trying not to contaminate anything. Feet in the footbath and hands in bleach water, allowing everything to air dry, I was set. At that point I went home to decontaminate myself, as to not spread anything to other client's pets.
You may be wondering about our cats. They have been vaccinated against the new strain of calici. Of course there is always a risk, but having been vaccinated, they should be fine. In addition, you must remember that I bring "things" home on my clothes on a daily basis. This is a form of daily vaccination to our pets. Yes, they are being exposed to disease, but at the same time, exposure builds their immunity. In addition, I also took precautions as to not contaminate our house. I took my shoes and socks off prior to entering the house and I immediately went to the basement to wash my clothes and took a shower before having contact with the kids.
The rest of the day didn't slow down any. After coming home for a 5 minute shower, literally, I hurried back to work and had 3 surgeries, then immediately headed into afternoon practice hours. They keep me running there, that's for sure. I work a half day tomorrow, since we only have afternoon office hours, but it's already looking pretty full. And I must say I'm pretty proud of myself. Being that busy at work I've still managed to stay ahead in my school work. It's week 5 and I'm working on week 9 assignments. Rock on! Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Busy
I realized that I forgot to post on here about how our weekend went. Saturday, well that was a hoot. I went to work. The first hour was good. No problems, then the second hour hit and bam! The shit hit the fan. Our double appointment (same family, 2 pets) was a 1/2 hour late and that's when all the sick ones started to call in. My cat got outside last night and now is limping (required anesthesia and x-rays). My cat got it's tail stuck in the door and now the tails about to fall off (required anesthesia and a tail amputation). My dog is panting real hard and is having labored breathing (ended up having an anxiety attack). I could go on and on. And not only do you have those, but you also have the normal appointments that are already scheduled. I haven't had a Saturday like that in awhile. Actually I don't know if I've ever truly had that bad of a Saturday at this clinic until that day. And of course it's at the end of a long, hard week, so you're already struggling just to get by. You go into overdrive and just go. Autopilot. Doc did his thing, I'd go do my own thing, and then in the end we ended up at the same junction, just as planned. It's hard to explain and something you'd have to see to understand. And surprisingly we were only there until after 1pm. We close at 12 noon and for the most part we get out about that time usually. So getting out at 1pm was a miracle. I thought we were going to be there until 5pm.
After that I raced home, picked up David and Lily, we ate, and then we headed out to do the animal therapy at the nursing home. She did great once again. I don't believe any of the patients remembered us, but that's okay, they still enjoyed the company. And I can tell Lily already has a few favorites, where she enjoys being held by those certain people.
That afternoon I ended up crashing. I could no longer keep my eyes open and I actually took a nap. Believe it or not, I took a short nap on Sunday too. You can definitely tell I'm exhausted considering I am not a nap person. But it was needed. Sunday was spent just driving around in in the country. We picked up some pumpkins and then chilled the rest of the afternoon.
Nothing all that exciting, but that's okay. Sometimes that's the best way to go.
This weekend David will be heading to Michigan for a mandatory Marine Corps muster. It's his yearly muster for inactive reserve where they update all of his information (which is already done online). I'm not sure what else they do. Last year he got out of it due to it being too many miles away. If it was so far away you could get out of it. With it being in Michigan this year, it's closer, which makes him have to go. My plan is to go down to Columbus and spend the day with Ande'. Other than that, not much else is going on. Yesterday we were steady at work, but nothing like last week. We shall see what happens the rest of the week.
After that I raced home, picked up David and Lily, we ate, and then we headed out to do the animal therapy at the nursing home. She did great once again. I don't believe any of the patients remembered us, but that's okay, they still enjoyed the company. And I can tell Lily already has a few favorites, where she enjoys being held by those certain people.
That afternoon I ended up crashing. I could no longer keep my eyes open and I actually took a nap. Believe it or not, I took a short nap on Sunday too. You can definitely tell I'm exhausted considering I am not a nap person. But it was needed. Sunday was spent just driving around in in the country. We picked up some pumpkins and then chilled the rest of the afternoon.
Nothing all that exciting, but that's okay. Sometimes that's the best way to go.
This weekend David will be heading to Michigan for a mandatory Marine Corps muster. It's his yearly muster for inactive reserve where they update all of his information (which is already done online). I'm not sure what else they do. Last year he got out of it due to it being too many miles away. If it was so far away you could get out of it. With it being in Michigan this year, it's closer, which makes him have to go. My plan is to go down to Columbus and spend the day with Ande'. Other than that, not much else is going on. Yesterday we were steady at work, but nothing like last week. We shall see what happens the rest of the week.
Hey, Hey, Hey! Let's Go Tribe
I haven't posted anything on here, as I must say I'm superstitious. But we love our Indians. I'll leave it at that.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Saturday, October 06, 2007
I Got A Dollar
I got a dollar. I got a dollar. I got a dollar, hey, hey, hey, hey! The office manager came around yesterday with money in her hand and looking at each of us employees. I wasn't really sure what she was doing but she said, "Heidi, you have yours on," and handed me a dollar. Ah, my nametag. We've been getting away from wearing nametags but I've been trying to make a point of wearing mine. Hey, it paid off. Sweet! I know, I know. It's only a dollar. But a dollar is a dollar. I'll take it!
Last night we went to the Meet The Candidates Night and I was really glad we went. I was in a crabby mood upon coming home and for some reason David and I weren't communicating well, so the whole Cedar Point thing went out the window. Heck, we didn't even get dinner before heading over the Mark And Sue's (where the event was held). So in all honesty I was kind of bummed about having to go to this Candidate Night. I just wanted to chill and start my weekend. That's the problem with having these things on Fridays. It's football season and people want to start their weekends on Fridays evening...they don't want to worry about who's who. But anyway, we went and like I said, we were real glad we did. We met Herman Robinson who's going for the school board. In addition, another candidate, Dr. Richard Koonce showed up to give some of his views. I had never met either of them or even knew they were going for the school board, so I guess the evening had a point. As it states, we met the candidates. We were even able to talk about a few non-school board related things with Herman. Come to find out, he's a reverend that runs a ministry called ACORNS here in Sandusky. It's something that may be worth looking into and actually getting to know him better.
It's too early to even go into this, but I'll try putting it in a nutshell. Finding a church has been close to impossible for us. Some think we have turned our backs to religion, which isn't true. If anything David and I have very strong in our faith. Stronger than most people would believe or see in us. Some think we're confused and need guidance. We're definitely not confused. However, who doesn't need guidance? Everyone needs some sort of guidance, even with everyday life. It's hard to find something because oftentimes what we believe doesn't line up with what we're told we are supposed to believe. And it's true, the closer you get to a church, the more flaws you see. I do not expect a perfect church. Humans are not perfect, so how can you expect a perfect church? However, I do look for leadership and fellowship that is not hypocritical. Meaning you must practice what you preach. Not just during that 1-2 hours on Sunday, but 24/7. We're also looking for diversity. A church that reaches out. Not only to those that "fit" their mold but to every type of person and the entire community. We want a church that's willing to step outside box and take chances. Try different, newer, preaching techniques and an upbeat worship that reaches to the younger generation. Our experiences have obviously been tainted by these problems, in addition to MANY others. Like I said, it's too early to go into much more...that's for a later time. So that's the nutshell....pretty big nutshell, eh?
Let's see what the future holds. You just never know what may happen.
Last night we went to the Meet The Candidates Night and I was really glad we went. I was in a crabby mood upon coming home and for some reason David and I weren't communicating well, so the whole Cedar Point thing went out the window. Heck, we didn't even get dinner before heading over the Mark And Sue's (where the event was held). So in all honesty I was kind of bummed about having to go to this Candidate Night. I just wanted to chill and start my weekend. That's the problem with having these things on Fridays. It's football season and people want to start their weekends on Fridays evening...they don't want to worry about who's who. But anyway, we went and like I said, we were real glad we did. We met Herman Robinson who's going for the school board. In addition, another candidate, Dr. Richard Koonce showed up to give some of his views. I had never met either of them or even knew they were going for the school board, so I guess the evening had a point. As it states, we met the candidates. We were even able to talk about a few non-school board related things with Herman. Come to find out, he's a reverend that runs a ministry called ACORNS here in Sandusky. It's something that may be worth looking into and actually getting to know him better.
It's too early to even go into this, but I'll try putting it in a nutshell. Finding a church has been close to impossible for us. Some think we have turned our backs to religion, which isn't true. If anything David and I have very strong in our faith. Stronger than most people would believe or see in us. Some think we're confused and need guidance. We're definitely not confused. However, who doesn't need guidance? Everyone needs some sort of guidance, even with everyday life. It's hard to find something because oftentimes what we believe doesn't line up with what we're told we are supposed to believe. And it's true, the closer you get to a church, the more flaws you see. I do not expect a perfect church. Humans are not perfect, so how can you expect a perfect church? However, I do look for leadership and fellowship that is not hypocritical. Meaning you must practice what you preach. Not just during that 1-2 hours on Sunday, but 24/7. We're also looking for diversity. A church that reaches out. Not only to those that "fit" their mold but to every type of person and the entire community. We want a church that's willing to step outside box and take chances. Try different, newer, preaching techniques and an upbeat worship that reaches to the younger generation. Our experiences have obviously been tainted by these problems, in addition to MANY others. Like I said, it's too early to go into much more...that's for a later time. So that's the nutshell....pretty big nutshell, eh?
Let's see what the future holds. You just never know what may happen.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Welcome Friday
Friday is here and boy am I glad. It's been a tough, busy week. That's good, but I'm worn out. It's the kind of work day where you're exhausted but you look back and think "What did we actually do?" A lot of running around, or more like running in circles, sometimes. I'm also thankful that I have this Friday morning off of work. The past 2 weeks I've worked all day due to a coworker being on vacation. So now that I'm back to having one morning off a week, I'm going to enjoy it. Last night I was exhausted after working all day but I got enough energy to get all my cleaning done that I do on Fridays. That way I could sleep in a little this morning. Ahh. I'll probably do a bit of schoolwork before heading in, but other than that I'm going to chill a bit. According to the schedule before I left last night, it looked as though this morning was going to be crazy at work and more than likely the afternoon will end up that way too. Positive thoughts....I still have to get through the work day tomorrow too. Eh, it will be fine.
I forgot to tell you, Lily has also popped up with a "problem". The other day we noticed a bump on her head. We're not sure if it's an insect bite, a mass forming, or what. It's tiny but large enough to raise her hair so that you can notice it. I've attempted to pop it, thinking it may just be a cyst or something, but had no luck. I may just have to get a needle and attempt to pop it that way. Of course I have David saying, "leave her alone!" but it's just my nature to try to figure out what's wrong with her. I'm also a pimple popper type of person. Ever seen an abscess be drained?? We'll get cats with abscesses every so often. They'll go outside, get bit, and a huge abscess forms. It can be one of the smelliest things you've ever seen, and can get pretty gross, but I'm there! I dig it. Gross, I know.
Speaking of Lily, I made a big step last night. While cleaning our bathroom I decided to scan the linen closet and get rid of things that aren't needed. You know, expired medication, etc. just to clean it up a bit. Anyone can guess that not only do we have a human "pharmacy" in our house but we also have a pet "pharmacy" too. With all the animals, especially with Lily's history we've acquired many medications. I've gone through it many times but couldn't bring myself to get rid of many of these medications. I'm sure I've posted it on here before, but it's so hard for me to get rid of items. I tend to put feelings to inanimate objects. I blame it on the cartoon Susie The Little Blue Coupe. It was on the Disney channel...it was about a car who was so proud and then when she got old she got pushed to the side and got sad, then one day a young kid comes along and fixes her up and she's so proud. Anyone remember this? Anyway, I think of that when I'm getting rid of stuff. I feel bad that I'm hurting it's feelings. I know, I'm crazy, and I can't believe I'm actually typing this on the blog. I can definitely say I'm not a hoarder though. If anything I go through stages where I want to throw everything out and start clean. I just don't think about the cartoon, I guess =) Back to the medications...I was going through all the medications. 95% of the medications that we have were expired and most of them were from Lily being sick. I am definitely guilty of keeping expired medications in my medicine cabinet because I know from working in the field that they don't necessarily expire but they must list a date. But a lot of these medications expired in 2004 or 2005. I also think, "What if we need them again?" I'd hate to have to pay for the medications if she relapses, but remind myself, she's okay now. More than likely she won't relapse. So all these thoughts are going through my mind and I decided, it's time to let go. I did keep medication that's not expired but you can only imagine the amount of medication that I did get rid of. Whew! What a release.
Enough about revealing my faults to you guys. Want to know what our plans are for this weekend? This evening we have our Third Street Neighbors Meet The Candidate Night, but we hope to possibly make it to Cedar Point for a bit. Halloweekends has been so packed this year and I'd like to try to go on a Friday night since you always hear that there's not too many people there on Fridays. Tomorrow I have to work in the morning then we'll be taking Lily for her second trip to the nursing home. That evening will probably be spent in front of the tv watching OSU vs Purdue. On Sunday I'm not sure what the plans are. It's the Vikings bye week, so it's an open day. Oh, the possibilities!
By the way, not sure why you'd care, but I just checked Viking's bloodwork results online and they are good to go. No problems. That's always a good thing.
Alright, hope everyone has a Fantastic Friday!
I forgot to tell you, Lily has also popped up with a "problem". The other day we noticed a bump on her head. We're not sure if it's an insect bite, a mass forming, or what. It's tiny but large enough to raise her hair so that you can notice it. I've attempted to pop it, thinking it may just be a cyst or something, but had no luck. I may just have to get a needle and attempt to pop it that way. Of course I have David saying, "leave her alone!" but it's just my nature to try to figure out what's wrong with her. I'm also a pimple popper type of person. Ever seen an abscess be drained?? We'll get cats with abscesses every so often. They'll go outside, get bit, and a huge abscess forms. It can be one of the smelliest things you've ever seen, and can get pretty gross, but I'm there! I dig it. Gross, I know.
Speaking of Lily, I made a big step last night. While cleaning our bathroom I decided to scan the linen closet and get rid of things that aren't needed. You know, expired medication, etc. just to clean it up a bit. Anyone can guess that not only do we have a human "pharmacy" in our house but we also have a pet "pharmacy" too. With all the animals, especially with Lily's history we've acquired many medications. I've gone through it many times but couldn't bring myself to get rid of many of these medications. I'm sure I've posted it on here before, but it's so hard for me to get rid of items. I tend to put feelings to inanimate objects. I blame it on the cartoon Susie The Little Blue Coupe. It was on the Disney channel...it was about a car who was so proud and then when she got old she got pushed to the side and got sad, then one day a young kid comes along and fixes her up and she's so proud. Anyone remember this? Anyway, I think of that when I'm getting rid of stuff. I feel bad that I'm hurting it's feelings. I know, I'm crazy, and I can't believe I'm actually typing this on the blog. I can definitely say I'm not a hoarder though. If anything I go through stages where I want to throw everything out and start clean. I just don't think about the cartoon, I guess =) Back to the medications...I was going through all the medications. 95% of the medications that we have were expired and most of them were from Lily being sick. I am definitely guilty of keeping expired medications in my medicine cabinet because I know from working in the field that they don't necessarily expire but they must list a date. But a lot of these medications expired in 2004 or 2005. I also think, "What if we need them again?" I'd hate to have to pay for the medications if she relapses, but remind myself, she's okay now. More than likely she won't relapse. So all these thoughts are going through my mind and I decided, it's time to let go. I did keep medication that's not expired but you can only imagine the amount of medication that I did get rid of. Whew! What a release.
Enough about revealing my faults to you guys. Want to know what our plans are for this weekend? This evening we have our Third Street Neighbors Meet The Candidate Night, but we hope to possibly make it to Cedar Point for a bit. Halloweekends has been so packed this year and I'd like to try to go on a Friday night since you always hear that there's not too many people there on Fridays. Tomorrow I have to work in the morning then we'll be taking Lily for her second trip to the nursing home. That evening will probably be spent in front of the tv watching OSU vs Purdue. On Sunday I'm not sure what the plans are. It's the Vikings bye week, so it's an open day. Oh, the possibilities!
By the way, not sure why you'd care, but I just checked Viking's bloodwork results online and they are good to go. No problems. That's always a good thing.
Alright, hope everyone has a Fantastic Friday!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Anterior Drawer
As you know, Viking's been gimping around. He's been getting pain medication and actually his leg doesn't seem to bother him. He tends to walk on it, but when he wants to go faster it's easiest for him to just pick it up and go. In order to put him on the pain medication you should test their liver and kidney function to verify that they are working properly. I always have the medication in stock due to him tweaking his leg every so often, but we've never had to keep him on it for more than 2 days, if that..which means it would more than likely not cause any problems. However, since he's been on it since Sunday night, I figured it was time to take him back into work and get some blood work done. David was so gracious to bring him in after work so I didn't have to take care of him all day at work, while trying to complete all my day to day tasks. While he was their Doc palpated (touched and manipulated) the leg to see if he could see something today. He still didn't notice any swelling but he does believe there's an anterior drawer in his left leg. So what does that mean? Of course, I know, but I'll explain to you. It could mean several things....but it has to do with his anterior cruciate ligament aka the ACL. At this point we're thinking he has A. strained it B. has a partial tear or C. has actually torn it. So what do we do now? Research has shown that 3/4 of dogs that are under 20 pounds will heal on their own in approximately 8 weeks. Basically what would happen is arthritis starts to form, which then binds the knee together and tightens it. Of course in that case the knee won't ever be "right" but even if you do surgery, it wouldn't ever be perfectly "right" either. So at this point it's a wait and see. He's going to stay on pain medication and he's now being started on a glucosamine supplement. After 2 months we'll re-evaluate the sitauation and see where we need to go. ACL surgery is a bear, whether you're a human or an animal, so I hope that's not where we end up. We've been keeping him quiet but according to Doc we can let him do his usual thing. If he wants to run, we'll let him. (Like he wouldn't want to run! That's what he thrives on. You will tire before he ever does, trust me.) He'll know his limit. Lily will also be started on the glucosamine due to her luxating patellas she battles with while on longer walks.
This whole situation with Viking has given me a ton of anxiety. After today I do have a bit more peace of mind, even if we're not sure what's going to happen. I can understand what moms go through when their child goes through trauma. You just ache and want to help, and will do anything to make them better. Who needs a human child when I already got 4 furry ones? All with some sort of issue. Oy. Doesn't matter though. They're worth it.
This whole situation with Viking has given me a ton of anxiety. After today I do have a bit more peace of mind, even if we're not sure what's going to happen. I can understand what moms go through when their child goes through trauma. You just ache and want to help, and will do anything to make them better. Who needs a human child when I already got 4 furry ones? All with some sort of issue. Oy. Doesn't matter though. They're worth it.
A Good Day For A Birthday
Happy Birthday Justin!
You're the best brother and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Update On Vike
To fill you in on what's going on with Viking....he's still gimping around. I took him in on Monday. At that point I just wanted Doc to feel his knees and see if he could see anything that I couldn't. He basically said everything I said, his knee is slightly "loose" but no more than the other and they are the same size, meaning no swelling. And there's no crepitus signaling a fracture. So where do we go now? We're still keeping him quiet with no going outside or playing ball and giving him a NSAID (think Ibuprofen...but for dogs). I think he's getting better but he stills hikes his leg up when he wants to get around. I just wish he could say, "It hurts here mom," and show me. Ah well. I just wish I could make it better, but we're trying.
The past two days of running have been going quite well and I am pleased with myself. I've tried to stop looking at the Garmin so much and just run. I knew we were going faster than normal this morning but I didn't look down. I just drove through it. No complaints no nothing. I'm sure David likes this new strategy. Another thing we've been trying is just going out and running with no set route. Since we've started to become comfortable with our surroundings it's starting to get easier to determine how far it is from here to there. It's helped to mix things up a bit. However, I must say sticking with your old route that is out and back seems so much shorter and faster (even though it's not) compared to a new route that zigzags across town. In addition, previously we were doing more 2 mile days. We're now trying to work up to more 3 mile days and then go from there. Slowly but surely. Oh, it's time to go to work.
The past two days of running have been going quite well and I am pleased with myself. I've tried to stop looking at the Garmin so much and just run. I knew we were going faster than normal this morning but I didn't look down. I just drove through it. No complaints no nothing. I'm sure David likes this new strategy. Another thing we've been trying is just going out and running with no set route. Since we've started to become comfortable with our surroundings it's starting to get easier to determine how far it is from here to there. It's helped to mix things up a bit. However, I must say sticking with your old route that is out and back seems so much shorter and faster (even though it's not) compared to a new route that zigzags across town. In addition, previously we were doing more 2 mile days. We're now trying to work up to more 3 mile days and then go from there. Slowly but surely. Oh, it's time to go to work.
Monday, October 01, 2007
What's With Sundays?
Maybe a dark cloud looms over our house on Sunday nights. Last weekend Sloopy got hurt on Sunday night. My parents weren't sure what actually happened, he just wasn't acting right. I took him to work on Monday in hopes of making him better. We're still not sure what happened to him, but can only guess he fe;; and hurt himself or strained his back. After doing a little blood work and getting him on some pain medication he's A-okay.
Now it's Viking's turn. We had our weekly family dinner last night (spaghetti, homemade sauce, and homemade meatballs...yum!). Dad was doing the usual routine....outside playing ball with Viking. They then come inside and dad asks, "Does he ever hold up his left rear leg?" I look down and sure enough Viking's gimping around. Viking does have a "bum" leg just like mommy and daddy. I broke my femur when I was in 6th grade, David tore his ACL when in the Marine Corps, and Viking fell of the couch when he was just a pup, breaking his tibia. Every so often he'll play too rough and tweak his bad leg. I thought that's what happened, so I popped some pain meds in him and let him lie for the rest of the night. He continued to gimp around and then upon waking up this morning he's still just as bad. We have had episodes where he's had a couple bad days after hurting his leg but just to be on the safe side I'm taking him to work to get him checked out. We shall see.
I just had one of those "holy crap" moments. It's October. Just under 2 months 'til our vacation. Wow.
Have a Magnificent Monday!
Now it's Viking's turn. We had our weekly family dinner last night (spaghetti, homemade sauce, and homemade meatballs...yum!). Dad was doing the usual routine....outside playing ball with Viking. They then come inside and dad asks, "Does he ever hold up his left rear leg?" I look down and sure enough Viking's gimping around. Viking does have a "bum" leg just like mommy and daddy. I broke my femur when I was in 6th grade, David tore his ACL when in the Marine Corps, and Viking fell of the couch when he was just a pup, breaking his tibia. Every so often he'll play too rough and tweak his bad leg. I thought that's what happened, so I popped some pain meds in him and let him lie for the rest of the night. He continued to gimp around and then upon waking up this morning he's still just as bad. We have had episodes where he's had a couple bad days after hurting his leg but just to be on the safe side I'm taking him to work to get him checked out. We shall see.
I just had one of those "holy crap" moments. It's October. Just under 2 months 'til our vacation. Wow.
Have a Magnificent Monday!
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