Grammar Snob

Anxiety Attack? Check.

2010-08-18T10:28:00.003-04:00

I've never really had an anxiety attack. I've worried myself sick, sure. Bitten my fingernails until they bleed, oh yes. Checked the stove 10 times, uh huh.

Last week, a 17 year old family friend had open heart surgery. It was in the same hospital as Mr. Snob's open heart surgery in 07. New wing, though, which was nice. Except when we were trying to find the family waiting room, we happened across the family waiting room where I did my waiting. And the consultation room where I waited 2 hours for the surgeon. And then the double doors to the recovery room where I saw my husband lying naked, covered in iodine, with a breathing tube down his throat and tubes coming out of everywhere.

I freaked out. I couldn't breathe, tears started rolling down my face. Mr. Snob was with me and I think he maybe, finally, sort of saw a glimpse of what it was like to be on my side of that whole ordeal.

It only lasted a few minutes, and I'm better now. He had a check up echo done last week. The replaced valve is good (!!!) but his aortic root is dilated. No treatment, just a follow up echo in a year.

It's been 3 years since that day. I'm grateful for every day since....guess I just didn't realize how much it just sits -- even now -- right under the surface.

Hi there!

2010-07-09T12:53:00.001-04:00

Randomness:
I miss writing, but I think I lost my funny. Have you seen it?
Sizzlin’ Sixteen wasn’t as good as I hoped. Needs more Ranger.
I’m beginning Eat Pray Love with very high expectations.
Summer is too short.
We scored free Cedar Point tickets! Who wants to join us?
LeBron is heading to Miami. I’ve been singing that dumbass Will Smith song in my head all day.
July 19 is the third anniversary of R’s open heart surgery. I am, as always, so so grateful.

Miscellaneous

2010-01-13T13:07:00.003-05:00

I'm struggling a bit these days. School's back in session and this semester of nursing school will be a thousand times harder than last. Let us pause for a moment and remember than last semester almost broke me. Now, let's think positive and focus on the things I can control. Aaaand....breathe. Thanks, I feel better already.

When I begin to get out of sorts, I find that I am drawn to less. Less clutter, less talking, less food in the fridge, less -- everything. I was lucky to inherit 2 pieces of furniture from my mom's best friend over the weekend. Neither are quality pieces but have made my goal of LESS much easier to reach. The first piece, a short secretary style piece sits near the front door and houses keys, chargers, etc. and boasts a lovely flip down front that, when closed, hides all the stuff inside. It's wonderful. The second piece, a cheap little bookcase sits near the piano and houses all of Mr. Snob's piano music, my textbooks for the current semester, and a few other books I'd like to stick my nose into very soon. Those books now all have a place, are not strewn willy-nilly throughout the house and MAN, does that make me happy. Funny how adding two pieces of furniture still equals less. I don't know how that math works, it just does.

The sun is out today and I find that when it is, I don't even care how cold it is. (Currently, it's 21 degrees.)

Mr. Snob has found a marathon sponsored by Medtronic. They are the company who procured the porcine aortic valve currently residing in his heart. We can submit our story and if chosen, would be their guests for the marathon. I'm working on reviewing all of my thoughts from his surgery. I have so much more to say about it, too. Hopefully I can take the time to write it all down before I forget.

On that topic, I've nominated Mr. Snob's cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. M, for a local Healthcare Heroes award. I have to tell them why he should win and am currently working my way through that.

I'm reading your stuff, my dear friends, but I'm not always commenting. I'll get better at it, I promise.

December 8

2009-12-08T10:11:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, December 8, 2001, my life changed forever. I gave birth to my daughter. She has many names. Her given name, of course. Banana, Booger, Sugar, Sugardy Boogerdy Boo, there are many. She is such a kind soul. She has warm chocolate brown eyes and an infectious laugh that comes from deep in her belly, and she is, quite simply, incredible. Funny, oh my goodness is she funny. She makes me smile every single day. I can, occassionallly, see glimpses of the woman she is bound to become. I can't wait to help you along on your journey. But not just yet, okay...I'm quite enjoying you at this age.

Happy Birthday, my love.

New year, new calendar!

2009-12-02T16:51:00.002-05:00

Chili's talking about new calendars today. It reminded me that I have wanted to ask you when your birthday was so that I can put it on my calendar. One of the good things in life is receiving a birthday card in the mail. I'd like to send you one. Tell me, would you, when should I send yours?

December 1, 1987

2009-12-01T13:39:00.001-05:00

Twenty-two years ago, I stood in front of a judge who gave me the option to choose my dad. Not very many people are fortunate to get to make that choice. Without hesitation, I chose you, Dad. Choosing you made me feel whole. It may have just been a formality at that point, but the act of choosing…that feeling has never left. Before that, though…you chose me. You promised to take care of me, to hold me accountable, to tease me, to teach me to be responsible and to love me even when I wasn’t. You chose me. I’ll never be able to tell you how on that day, I felt whole. I had a person who so willingly gave me their name. There I was, a young girl, practicing writing my new name over and over. I was so proud of my new name. My new name came with not only a Dad, but a Sister and Brother, too. While mom and I were fine without that name….without you…we were and are so much better with you. I had a new name. I was a new person….because someone stood up and said, “I choose you.” I’m so glad you did and I love you so much.
Happy Adoption Anniversary!

update

2009-11-23T15:35:00.001-05:00

I am good in a crisis. Always have been. When someone needs something, anything, I’m typically in their top five list of people to call. Maybe even the tippy top. Because if you need something, I’m your gal. I’m a clear thinker, I can take charge without being bitchy, and I flat out can get things done. I don’t take time to think about anything else other that what needs to be done right this second. I’m so good at it. I can help with your wedding, your funeral, your in-laws (not my own, but whatever), your pet, anything.

Maybe this is why the Universe keeps challenging me. Because I keep succeeding in my tasks. Dear Universe, (and I say this with the utmost respect) screw you. You and I are friends and friends are allowed to get mad at each other, yet still love each other. So back off and give me a fucking break for five minutes. There, I feel so much better.

Roy had the liver biopsy on the 10th or the 11th. Bleeding was a potential side effect, but he didn’t really have any the day of, you know, while we were at the hospital. Instead, his liver decided to bleed 8 days later all of a sudden for no apparent reason. I was on my way to class when he called. 20 minutes from home and he was in so much pain he couldn’t take a deep breath, was almost crying, and was in too much pain to drive himself to the hospital. I turned around, quickly texting my classmate to tell my instructor and sped home. We arrived at the hospital and he was in so much pain, it was just….oozing off of him. His blood pressure was through the roof. We were swept into an exam room and met, almost immediately by a doctor. We explained our recent (and not-so-recent) medical history and a CT scan was ordered to confirm bleeding. A big dose of Morp**ine helped take the edge off and so we waited.

My in-laws showed up (calling them was the right thing to do, but I would have preferred not to, truth be told). They make me crazy because they are NOT good in a crisis.

Anyway, we were told there was, in fact, bleeding in the liver and we would need to meet with a surgeon. (!!!) One that I am familiar with from my clinicals met with us and showed me the CT from the bleeding and the original one from the biopsy to confirm it was in the same place and related. No surgery needed, just bedrest, pain control and lots of lab work needed.

We got to go home the next night and he’s okay now, so far. We're watching the absorbtion of the blood and he has to take it really easy for a bit. More lab work today and more to tell you about our stay, but I wanted to touch base to let you know we’re all well. Not 100% maybe, but well

All over the place.

2009-11-13T11:03:00.004-05:00

We are still waiting on the biopsy results.

In other news, Mr. Snob is suffering from another gout exacerbation. His genes, they are not kind.

There is still much drama about the accreditation thing. I'm not sure what to do, but I am leaning in a certain direction, so that's something.

We have a buddy visiting from the west coast...can't wait to see him after work!

I had Skittles a few minutes ago and realized I eat them by color. That's not weird, is it?

Less than a month left in this semester -- holy cow I can't wait.

Trouble in River City

2009-11-08T20:23:00.004-05:00

My school has recently lost it's national accreditation for the program in which I am enrolled. There is recent documentation to lead me to believe they knew 2 years ago that this was happening, then were notified it happened in July. The students in the program were not notified until October.

There is a whole lotta he said she said bullshit happening right now. I'm considering switching schools, except once you've started the clinical cirriculum it's a pain in the ass, not to mention it's very hard to get into on a good day...now with hundreds of other students wanting to do the same, well -- it's a grade A clusterfuck.

More as I can decipher to facts. A law suit has been filed by a handful of students, I'm interested to see if it turns into a class action.

Gah, I didn't need more drama.

2009-11-07T21:33:00.002-05:00

Almost forgot to post something. I've done well so far this NaBlo month.

Writing everyday is soothing me. It's helping. I already feel better about the biopsy on Tuesday, though I'll keep taking the energy you're sending.

Saw Transformers 2 this evening on DVD...wasn't terrible.

More tomorrow. I'm going to snuggle with the Booger

Books!

2009-11-06T12:29:00.003-05:00

I can’t wait until December. After finals I will have a whole month to read non textbook books. The list is getting so long that I doubt I’ll finish them all in December, but damn I can’t wait to try!

Here are just a few books on the list. What’s on your reading list?

The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey, Niffenegger. I had to put it away for awhile so I can focus on school. This will be first.

Open, Andre Agassi. I have had a thing for Mr. Agassi for the longest time. Yes, even during the neon yellow and pink, long haired phase.

The Audacity to Win, David Plouffe. I think the Obama campaign was stuff of legend. I can’t wait to read what Mr. Plouffe has to say about the campaign.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, Lauren Willig. I don’t know a thing about this book except my friend recommended it and she hid in the bathroom in order to finish it! Ooh! I think it's a series!

perfect

2009-11-05T15:51:00.002-05:00

I had a wonderful day at clinicals today. Had a homeless patient whom I gave wonderful, heartfelt care to and he told me many times today how much it meant to him.

It was exactly what I needed.

Now I'm off to Beauty and the Beast -- can't wait!

It's deja vu all over again.....

2009-11-04T16:48:00.003-05:00

Mr. Snob has a long history with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. A side effect of cholesterol medication is that it screws up your liver enzymes. So, he's been on and off several different cholesterol meds and has a history of up and down liver enzymes.

The latest round is up. Even at 8 weeks with no cholesterol meds. An ultrasound indicates fat infiltration of his liver. I don't really know what that all means except it secured us an appointment with a specialist today. The reasons he should have this liver issue are all reasons that don't apply to him. So it's a bit of a mystery.

One thing we're doing to begin to solve the mystery is a CT guided liver biopsy. The doctor is hoping this will rule out any strange and/or rare disorders. (All I hear here is CANCER, but I'm not willing to go there, so let's pretend I don't hear that.)

Tuesday we'll be at the hospital for at least 5 hours for this biopsy. Hopefully it will be fine and we'll go from there.

I'm nervous.

Ten random thoughts

2009-11-03T13:18:00.002-05:00

1. I had a horrible exam this morning. Would like to spend the rest of the day drinking or feeling sorry for myself, or lying in bed. Instead I'm at work remembering that no one died, it was a bad day, not a bad rest-of-your-life.

2. The fall leaves are stunningly beautiful.

3. I need to show you my Pandora bracelet and the beads. I will.

4. I wish I had fresh flowers on my desk. I think I will bring some tomorrow.

5. My closet is cleaner than it's been in months and while there is still way too many clothes in there, I can see the floor -- so that's something.

6. I hate that real life gets in the way of my plans.

7. We have a doctor appointment tomorrow. Mr. Snob's liver is acting up. I'll keep you posted.

8. Booger will be turning 8 in just over a month. I need to start planning the party.

9. I'm going to the middle school version of Beauty and the Beast on Thursday and the community theater version of Fiddler on the 15th. I love the theater!

10. I'm helping backstage with Beauty and the Beast and am giddy with the excitement of reliving my HS theater days!

What's your favorite theater production?

Blackberry test

2009-11-02T19:58:00.000-05:00

If posting from my phone actually works, this might be my first successful NaBloPoMo!!

Seriously

2009-11-02T14:08:00.001-05:00

They are playing Christmas carols on the radio already.

I love Christmas, but I love it, you know, closer to December 25.

Sheesh.

NaBloPoMo

2009-11-01T20:32:00.001-05:00

I am hoping to finally manage a successful NaBlo. I have a post about my tenth wedding anniversary (Oct 30), but it's on my work computer, so it will have to wait.

I'm up to my eyeballs in studying, but did go see This Is It, the Michael Jackson movie and I have many things to say about it....as soon as I'm done reading over these notes....

See you tomorrow.

Ten Things Tuesday

2009-10-06T17:53:00.002-04:00

Ten things I am currently wishing for.

1. Peace for my friend, Kizz, who’s recently lost her friend Emily.
2. A new job. This is making working at my current job a bit of a challenge!
3. My head cold/allergies/whateverthehell is wrong with me to clear up.
4. My friend, V to get pregnant.
5. My hamster to not be pregnant.
6. A wee bit stronger urge to study and not procrastinate so damn much.
7. A day off. A full day with nothing to do.
8. Time to clean the house from top to bottom.
9. The ability to make time to exercise.
10. Cheesecake.

Hard.

2009-09-22T17:33:00.001-04:00

I’m just going to say it…I’ve needed to say it for weeks now.

This shit is hard.

I had three exams yesterday. I ended up calling off of work to study. Here’s the thing – I don’t call off work unless Booger is sick or I am so sick I should probably be hospitalized. I had to lie about a sickness and am now a bit nervous anticipating Karmic Retribution for said lie. I need to learn to say no to people. I need to learn that the people who don’t understand my need to say no…well they just suck and don’t realize how important this school thing is to me. Because guess what? Every single day I’m in school just know it’s what I’m meant to do. I’m good at this nursing thing. I’m kind, compassionate, and I’ve lived it. I’m struggling to stay focused at work because I need to be studying…and knowing now that this job is only temporary makes it harder.

When I get here, to this bad place in my head, my OCD really likes to come out. It manifests itself in strange little ways. I check the stove more often. I check the emergency brake in my car far too often. I get very annoyed by stupid little teeny tiny things. I sleep fitfully and have very strange dreams (I was befriended by Robert Pattinson in the last one. He was nice. It was not erotic or romantic or anything of the sort. He liked my car, we became friends. Strange.) I tend to have a pretty short fuse with R and tend to be…well, pretty damned irrational. It’s annoying and the harder I try to stop it, the worse it gets. It’s just a phase…I don’t need meds, I will be fine. But it’s annoying nonetheless.

My classes are challenging. I wish I didn’t have to work so much. I wish I could have more time in the day. I wish I could function on less sleep so I had more time to do more things. I hate admitting that maybe I could use some extra help with some things. I feel like admitting any of this makes me a failure. It doesn’t, certainly, but well….see above regarding irrational.

Sometimes I just need to say it out loud without anyone telling me it’s going to get better (I know it is), or that it’s just a rut (sure, sure), or anything other than this: you’re right…it sucks. I don’t need a fixer, I just need a sounding board. I love my family. I love my friends. I love school. I don’t hate work. I love being busy and having friends and and and and…but right now – I’d love a little peace and quiet. That’s okay, right? Please tell me that’s okay.

Enough

2009-07-02T11:03:00.003-04:00

I've about had it. Seriously.

The Wonderdog looks like she might be getting a cataract, gotta get her to the vet.

O'Mama's wonderdog is suffering from a hellacious kidney thing.

Chili's mom is struggling, and thus Chili is struggling.

My friend's son is in the hospital having been infected with e. coli.

I've got Yellow Jackets inside the soffit right above my front door.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.....ENOUGH.

Things that annoy me Friday

2009-06-26T09:36:00.004-04:00

I thought we could list a bunch of these that annoy us. You know, get them off our chest.

As my online name suggests, grammar is my thing. So when Larry King said "myriad of..." last night I wanted to call to tell him if he'd like to use big words, he should AT LEAST use them correctly. Myriad is plural, no need for "of."

O'Mama's annoyed that CNN is dumbing down their headlines. Read about that here.

Mr. Snob gets annoyed when someone calls an LED an LED light. The L in LED stands for light.....so saying LED light is redundant.

I'm a little annoyed by the people who are choosing to spout off all the "bad" stuff about Michael Jackson. First of all, he was acquited of those charges. Second of all can we just celebrate the good in someone -- especially in their death? Maybe I'm naive, but I think it's a sign of the times when we are first to point out the bad and often overlook the good.

I'm annoyed that my house isn't cleaning itself...the nerve.

Feel free to post your annoyances.

Ten Things Tuesday

2009-06-23T11:06:00.001-04:00

The what’s on my mind right this minute edition.

1. I have been spending a fair amount of time thinking about my friend, Chili. She is going through a really tough time right now. I am doing what I can from here to help her. I do this by pausing to be still for a moment and focus some energy toward her. If you can today, please send her some energy, I know she’d appreciate it.

2. I’m a little nervous about my workload and course load in the Fall. I’ll be all kinds of busy with 11 credit hours (which doesn’t include 8 hours of clinical work…so 19 hours really) and 32 hours of work. I always function better when busy, but this might be challenging that system a wee bit.

3. My niece is having a gigantic party to celebrate her 18th birthday (and HS graduation.) It’s a traditional Filipino “debut”. Not unlike an old school debutant ball – a rather fancy affair with a royal court and such. It will be lovely and the court has been practicing a waltz and tango with some modern dancing thrown in for good measure. I’ve enjoyed watching the practices and love that the court appreciates my presence.

4. Last year, I started wearing a charm bracelet by Pandora. It now holds 17 charms, each one holding special meaning. I love this bracelet and the things represented in it. Perhaps a ten things for next week talking about the charms.

5. Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” is one of my most favorite songs. I’ve heard many versions of the song, but his speaks to my soul.

6. I am very VERY excited to see the upcoming movie version of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. So much so that I’m considering driving 45 minutes north to see it in IMAX. I’m guessing I’ll see it several times in the theater and am just giddy with excitement. It looks to be the best one yet!

7. I’m looking for a new book to read….any suggestions? With that, I have read great things about the Kindle2 electronic book thingy. I’m not sure I’m ready to give up paper pages, though.

8. I am hella behind on housecleaning. Seems like I’m never home. Probably because I’m never home. Do you think hiring a cleaning service for a one time cleaning would cost more than a hundred bucks?

9. My black sandals that I wear every single day to work in the summer have perished. I’m on the hunt for new ones and am having a heck of a time. The deceased sandals were 3 years old and were casual and dressy all at the same time. I wore them with my work clothes, my weekend clothes, they were the perfect pair. I’m sad they’re gone.

10. I’m in love with my Blackberry. Much more than I should be….but it’s love!

The Toast

2009-06-02T15:51:00.002-04:00

(D and V if you're reading -- STOP RIGHT NOW)

I am the maid(matron, really, but GAH) of honor at my friend's wedding this weekend. I've never been MOH before and amd thrilled and terrified. I am the only attendant for the bride and the groom only has a Best Man. My friends D and V were married to other people, then the Universe decided they should be married to each other....so they are making that happen this weekend. The toast has been rolling around in my head in various forms for weeks. Months, really. Here's the latest rough draft, I needed to get it out there before I stand in front of friends and strangers and say it all outloud. I tried and failed to bring The Funny. I present The Schmoopy:

The road we travel is quite often not the road we thought we would be travelling. As children, we dream of becoming astronauts, doctors, rock stars. I can pretty much guarantee we didn’t dream of becoming insurance reps! The road dips and curves, we head in one direction then suddenly we’re thrust head first into another direction and we have no choice but to keep on going. How we deal with these changes in direction is part of what defines us as human beings.

The two separate roads that you’ve traveled have been filled with more than just dips and curves. A few potholes and more than a few detours were necessary for your two roads to end here today. It has been a long journey and I am so proud to have been a part of it. I have watched the two of you hit your potholes and wonder if you’d ever find your way back onto the path. You did, of course, because destiny calls you to be here today. The roads you traveled were perhaps not the smoothest, or the shortest, but had they been even a tiny bit different, they would not have brought you here.

Today, you will exit your individual road and join each other on a new road – together, as husband and wife. This road, too, will come with dips and curves, but you will now have someone to lean on along the way. May you never forget the paths you’re leaving behind for they have offered great life lessons, but may you look toward the new path with great faith, hope, and love.

The poet Robert Frost said that “two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the road less traveled by – and that has made all the difference.” May the road you start on today make all the difference. Congratulations! I love you both so much.

tap tap is this thing on?

2009-04-22T17:56:00.002-04:00

My life has been a whirlwind of drama, suspense, and just plain stuff. I've missed you, my friends inside the computer. I've also missed my outlet of writing and am starting to think it's one of the reasons for my tossing and turning all night while my brain spins at 12983 rpm. For the sake of brevtity, I'll clear my head random bullet point style. Except...well, I don't really know how to do bullet points on blogger. Ah, well, spacing will have to work.

I'm listening to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on my i-pod. Yes, of course I've read it before. I like to refresh before the movie and didn't realize I'd get sucked in so quickly. I'm enjoying it just as much as the first time.

Speaking of refreshing on books before seeing the movie, have to do that for Angels and Demons. Hmm, maybe I should get that on i-tunes as well.

Mr. Snob is running a half marathon on Sunday and I'm meltdown free so far about the whole thing. Booger is running the kids marathon on Saturday and I would just like to say that I think I would like to enter the kids marathon. 1 mile seems to be a much smarter race....stupid Greek Olympians 26 miles? Seriously.

I got the Blackberry. It's a Curve 8830 (I think) and I love it way more than I should. Please email me, or text me, or say something to me on Facebook. I live for the blinking red light....

Needing a flat iron. Have decided I'd like a little versatility in my hair and I think a flat iron will help. Here's the thing, though....my hair is THICK and curly. Need a high quality one and hate to spend $30 on a cheaper one and hate it. Do y'all have any recommendations?

I'm going down to 4 days a week, so I'm available for playdates on Thursdays. Plz call hug hug kiss kiss.

2 of my best people are marrying each other in a sunset ceremony in early June. This event will find me in a (very pretty) gown in front of a crowd of about 50. A strapless, not quite to the ankle length gown. Strapless. Lawdy help me.

In lieu of the gown (strapless!!! large bra size!!!) I have recently joined a gym and have been attending step class and zumba class and making friends with the recumbent bicycle. The eliptical machine winked at me the other day and I thought I might try it but....

I was attacked by strep throat and a double ear infection. Worst illness ever. Worse than labor. Haven't eaten solid food since Saturday. (It's helping, though, with the gown preparations.)

Events in the next few weeks include no less than 5 high school graduations & their respective parties, a first communion, a half marathon, 3 birthday parties, a wedding (strapless. gown. sorry, I digress.)

Last thing about the gown....I'll be posting pictures, it's a gorgeous varience of white and differing shades of blue with flowers and I have no fucking clue as to what shoes I'm going to get to wear with it.

I rented Rachel Getting Married and want to marry Anne Hathaway. She was amazing in it...I actually have a half-written popcorn post already (my first!!!). The movie itself was 3 shades short of mediocre, but Hathaway blew my mind.

Ten Things

2009-02-24T11:15:00.001-05:00

Total random version. Ten things floating around in my head right now.

1. I am eligible to get a new cell phone late next month and am thinking about plunging into the smartphone – connected all the time phone – email and QWERTY and ohmygodwillnevergetanythingelse done phone.

2. The flu appears to have packed up and left Chez Flores. Good riddance, you prick.

3. I need a haircut so desperately that I grabbed the scissors and made long side bangs the other day. Oh, yes I did.

4. Every night I’ve been trying to do just one thing off my list of stuff for the week. Last night I managed two -- cleaning out a big container of old makeup and pulling some old tomes off the shelf for the school’s upcoming used book sale.

5. Last Monday, I got on the treadmill and walked for awhile. I actually even ran for a minute. (Yes, just one minute….don’t judge me  ) That night the flu came hard and fast. I’m still trying to decide if those two events are related so I can perhaps get back on the treadmill.

6. I’m so tired of winter.

7. I loved the Oscars this year. Loved most of the dresses and many of the winners.

8. I am looking for some new music suggestions….fire away.

9. I would really like to take Booger to Niagara Falls this year. Have any of you been there recently?

10. I have a craving for a big, juicy pub-style burger. Yum.

Effing Flu

2009-02-20T13:10:00.003-05:00

There are few things worse than holding your seven year old daughter's hair out of her face while she throws up in a bucket situated in her lap.

Question of the day: when suffering from the stomach flu, why on EARTH do you always throw up all night long instead of all day long?

Some Chernobyl strength stomach flu has wrecked full out havoc in the Snob Family this week. Me, Mr. Snob, Booger, my mom, sister, brother-in-law all contracted this from my niece who we were in the same house with on Sunday for approximately 4 hours. Nasty little bug, I'm telling you.

Will you join us?

2009-02-19T09:14:00.002-05:00

I'm putting what little anonymity this site has aside to post this. Thanks for reading and supporting us. (I have more posts...lots to catch up with you about....but wanted to do this while it was fresh in my mind.)I'll be checking once posted to make sure the linky link works :-) Hope you are all well!

Dear Friends,

You all know the American Heart Association is very important to me. This year we are creating our own team (last year R walked with his cardiac rehab group) in an effort to encourage our family and friends to walk with us. The AHA has supported the research that made Roy's heart valve replacement possible. As many of you know, Roy's new valve will not last forever...it's research that we rely on to give us more and better options in the future.

We would love for you to join us as we walk for the AHA on Saturday, May 16 at the University of Toledo. We will be also accepting donations up until that date. Any amount of donation is happily accepted. Could you forego a soda with lunch and donate that dollar to our cause? All those single dollars add up and make a very big difference.

Thank you very much for being a part of our lives. We couldn't have made it through his recovery without you. Roy and I are better people because of those surrounding us.

Thanks,
Amy, Roy, and Anna

Official stuff below:

Join us as we walk for the American Heart Association!

Unfortunately, too many of us have a loved one affected by heart disease or stroke. As the leading cause of death in this country, cardiovascular disease claims almost as many lives each year as the next 7 leading causes of death combined. To help stop this, I am creating a team of walkers to help me raise funds for the American Heart Association and I'm asking you to join me.

Our team will be participating in this year's Start! Heart Walk by walking and by raising funds that are needed for heart disease and stroke research and education. To join my team, click on the link below and you will be taken to my web page. On my web page, click My Team Page and Join our Team to register online! You can use the online fund-raising tool to email your friends, family and colleagues to ask them to support our team and our cause! The more people we have working to defeat heart disease and stroke-the better, so please join me today!

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support American Heart Association - Toledo, OH

******************************************************************************
Some email systems do not support the use of links and therefore this link may not appear to work. If so, copy and paste the following into your browser:
http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=283931&u=283931-246993704&e=2239134358
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Run, JRH, run!

2009-01-06T10:08:00.003-05:00

Remember Mr. Snob's marathon? I sure do. It changed him forever....he's begun training for the Cleveland Marathon with a warm-up half marathon here in Holy Toledo in April. I'm considering walking the half marathon. I haven't run in years and use the excuse of a bad knee, but mostly I'm lazy. Here's the thing, though. Mr. Snob has a huge scar on his chest and I...well, don't. Guess the excuses I could come up with don't hold water. Mr. Snob ran for and runs for the American Heart Association.

One of my friends inside the computer is running the Disney Marathon. I bet that will be a fun one! Anyway, she's running for the Humane Society for Greater Nashua. If you can skip a Diet Coke today, send her the buck, will you?

http://www.firstgiving.com/juliehorton

Good luck, JRH!

hi....and help!

2008-12-16T10:49:00.002-05:00

I'm recovering from finals. Two out of three were great. The other one I'll talk about soon, but I'm not ready yet. It's not a big deal as it was a lame class I need, but not really. So, the low grade is not the end of the world. Mostly. Sort of. Except we all know I'm a perfectionist. So I'm dealing. But again, more on that later.

Here's the other thing. I don't have a tree up. I have purchased 2 gifts and have roughly 25 on my list. I'd like to buy my 12 year old niece some books. She likes to read and I'm ALL ABOUT encouraging her to keep it up. I'd like to spend around $25 and get as many books as I can for that. Any suggestions? Do you think Little Women is too old for 12? What about Judy Blume? That's the right age group for her, isn't it? I haven't been 12 in MUCH TOO LONG. I also remember being far ahead of the curve in reading by then, so my experience is likely not hers. I'm hoping to push her a little toward some classics, thus, Little Women, but not so far that she won't read it.

Help. Please.

Also, need gifts for the following ages. Suggestions are always welcome.

Boys - 4, 6, 7, 8
Girls - 5, 12, 16

Booger, already a nerd, wants (and I've already purchased) this.

Thankful

2008-11-27T09:00:00.002-05:00

In this day of working too much, going to school, successfully managing roles of wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend...I often neglect telling people I love I am thankful for them.

Every Thanksgiving, or about a week before, I decide to write little note cards out for those I am thankful for and passing them our or mailing them. I do this every stinking year. Then Thanksgiving rolls around and I'm too chicken shit to follow through.

My niece and I talked a little bit about this and we decided to try a different idea. It's one I've seen elsewhere on the Internet, but can't remember where. We're taking a basket, some smallish pieces of paper and some writing utensils. We'll leave the basket out with a sign that simply says, "I am thankful for..." Periodically throughout the day we'll take turns reading the deposited slips of paper aloud. No one needs to sign them and I am quite sure some funny ones will end up in there as well. My niece has already declared she is thankful for Orlando Bloom!

I have so much to be thankful for. Mr. Snob, Booger, my family and friends, and many of you....my dear friends inside the computer. I hope we get to meet someday, I'd like to be able to tell you in person how much your endless support helps me in my daily life.

Picture meme and some other stuff.

2008-11-23T20:39:00.003-05:00

I was tagged awhile back to post the sixth picture from the sixth folder on my computer.

Since I am at the old computer right now and the external hard drive is all the way downstairs, I'll post the sixth picture from the only picture folder left on this computer. How's that? It's a picture of Booger from April 2006. I find it fascinating how she has changed so much, yet still not really changed at all....

I saw Twilight over the weekend and am putting my FIRST POST together for Please Pass The Popcorn. (sorry it's taken me so long, Mrs. Chili.) Will let you know when it's ready.

Ten Things - Random version

2008-11-11T13:24:00.002-05:00

1. I've already fallen off the NaBlo wagon. I'll get back on, but am so disappointed...it just simply slipped my mind.

2. One of my friends inside the computer just lost a dear son-in-law. It's a stark reminder of how lucky Mr. Snob was with his quick recovery. I will hold him extra tight today. Stop by Gerry's place and if you are so inclined, offer words of support.

3. It's cold. I hate it already.

4. This semester is almost over. I have a rough draft argument paper due tomorrow. I haven't started. God, I'm such a procrastinator.

5. Problem with the argument paper is that I don't know what to argue. Can't be anything on the professor's list - abortion, death penalty, etc. Might take a stab at term limits. If it goes well, I'll post it.

6. Did I mention it was cold? And that I hate it?

7. A dear friend is pregnant with triplet boys...they're arriving soon and I'm beside myself with excitement.

8. Booger's teacher had nothing but nice things to say about her during our parent-teacher conference. I'm so lucky she chose me!

9. I am loving not working retail this holiday season.

10. The dead flowers outside my window at work make me sad. I think I'll cut them down.

Pointing out the obvious.

2008-11-10T13:22:00.001-05:00

Can I finally say "I told you so?"

"No other president's disapproval rating has gone higher than 70 percent. Bush has managed to do that three times so far this year," says CNN polling director Keating Holland. "That means that Bush is now more unpopular than Richard Nixon was when he resigned from office during Watergate with a 66 percent disapproval rating."

source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/10/bush.transition.poll/index.html

Yes we can.

2008-11-05T17:35:00.004-05:00

I'm working on a big post summing up my thoughts from last night.

For now, though, here is part of the text from the speech. I'm curious to know how much President-Elect Obama (!!!) wrote and how much was written by someone else. I think my writing style is more speech-writer than literary work so I'm naturally drawn to good speeches. (Sounds like a potential Ten Things post.)

"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment."

“This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."

Yes we can.....and it feels so good.

Election Day

2008-11-04T09:46:00.002-05:00

I took Booger with me this morning to cast my vote. We only had to wait about 20 minutes. She was tardy to school, but it was worth it. At age almost-seven, this is likely the first presential election she will remember. Regardless of who wins, it is an historic event. I'm thrilled to share this day with her and we will spend time this evening discussing civics and my favorite kind of math - electoral college math!

Crossing my fingers for a safe day for all. Go vote! Let's change the world.

Monday Meme

2008-11-03T13:29:00.002-05:00

Stolen, with love, from O'Mama.

Four family members:
Mr. Snob, Booger, Ally the Wonderdog, and the dust bunnies.

Four places that I go to over and over:
Grocery, Barnes & Noble, Sephora, work.

Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
Mr. Snob, Ness, D, and Mr. Obama’s campaign

Four of my favorite places to eat:
Cousino’s Steakhouse, The Original Pancake House, Home, and Wixey Bakery!

Four places I would rather be right now:
Home (I’m at work), California, School (yes, really), or with family.

Four TV shows I watch over and over:
Grey’s, The West Wing, Sports Night, and the news.

Four things in the room I’m in:
My desk, cell phone, bottle of water, and baseball I use to toss around instead of biting my nails.

Four concerts I’ve been to:
Counting Crows, Metallica, George Winston, Brian McKnight (eclectic, no?)

Four things on my calendar:
Next big exam for school, ELECTION DAY!!!, niece’s birthday, release date of Twilight movie.

Four fears:
Sarah Palin (I stole this from O’Mama), icicles, failure, a harsh, harsh winter.

Four things in your purse or wallet:
Wallet, picture of Booger, cuticle nippers, lipstick.

Four chores you hate doing:
Putting laundry away, mopping, mowing the lawn, washing windows.

Four favorite animals:
Dogs, goldfish, dolphins, pigs (because of Mr. Snob’s new heart valve came from a pig.)

Four speed dials on your cell phone:
Home, Mr. Snob’s cell, Sister, Sister in Law

Four places you have called home:
All are within 30 miles of current home.

Four favorite pieces of jewelry:
Wedding band, mother/daughter pendant, charm bracelet, earrings from Mr. Snob.

Four websites you visit:
CNN, O’Mama, Chili, Kizz.

Four people who have been in your car:
Mr. Snob, Booger, Ally the Wonderdog, Mom.

Four things you are wearing:
Four usuals – watch, wedding ring, charm bracelet, necklace. I have clothes on, too, but they’re just boring work clothes.

Four things you are looking forward to:
Graduating (though it won’t be for awhile yet), Thanksgiving, Booger’s birthday, Christmas.

Four favorite types of candy:
Green & Black’s milk chocolate, Hershey’s chocolate, Reese’s peanut butter cups, Butterfinger.

Four sports teams you like:
BGSU Falcons, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Indians, St. Francis Knights.

Four things found in your fridge:
2% milk, Diet Coke, Cheese, Ketchup

Four rituals you do daily:
Brush my teeth, have my morning Diet Coke, watch the news, snuggle with Booger.

Four things currently within reach:
Cell phone, water bottle, at least 19 pens, family picture.

Four things you know how to cook:
Melt in your mouth cheesecake, pot roast, mashed potatoes, beef veggie soup.

Four Halloween costumes you’ve worn:
Martian with some stupid blow up thing on my head, cheerleader, devil, Cyndi Lauper (yes, really).

Shocking....not!

2008-11-02T08:29:00.002-05:00

You are a
Social Liberal
(80% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(8% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Socialist

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

http://www.okcupid.com/politics

NaBloPoMo

2008-11-01T18:07:00.002-04:00

I'm going to give it another try. I'm pretty sure I'll fail, but I won't know unless I try.

Speaking of trying, Election Day is approaching. Please vote. I would like for you to vote for my guy, but either way, you should vote.

I stopped by the local campaign headquarters for my guy the other day to see what kind of swag they still had. I walked out with 3 posters, 2 stickers, a long-overdue yard sign, and a temporary tattoo. I'm perplexed by the tattoo, but might put it on anyway. Just for fun. (in an inconspicuous spot so as not to be prohibited from voting.)

From one of the free posters and it gives me chills every time I read it:

I will never forget that the only reason that I'm standing here today is because somebody, somewhere stood up for me when it was risky. Stood up when it was hard. Stood up when it wasn't popular. And because that somebody stood up, a few more stood up. And then a few thousand stood up. And then a few million stood up. And standing up with courage and clear purpose, they somehow managed to change the world.
-Barack Obama

Let's change the world, shall we?

The Journey - post op

2008-10-26T08:53:00.004-04:00

With all the Marathon talk around here, I've been thinking more about the surgery and how I really just need to suck it up and write it down. It has been cathartic, but also a memoir of the event. Things like this are important. It's important for me to get it somewhere other than inside my head and I think it's important for Mr. Snob to hear my version, just as it is for me to hear his. Someday, Booger will be old enough to really understand how rough that time was for us. She remembers, but not really, you know?

So. I think I left off after seeing him in the cardiac recovery room. He was still sleeping, on a ventilator, naked as a jailbird and covered in iodine. I left at approximately 8:30 with instructions to call around 1:30 - he should be off the ventilator by then. My mom dropped me off (everyone decided I shouldn't drive) and I took a shower immediately. The next few days I remember showering the second I got home, that way I would always be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Showered and somewhat rejuvenated, I fed the Wonderdog and tried to watch TV. After a few minutes, I realized I really should try to sleep, I set my alarm for 1:30 and fell asleep. It was a fitful sleep and I awoke every few minutes (at least it felt like I did.) I checked my phone every time I awoke, terrified I missed a call. At 1:30, I called the nurse's station and talked to his nurse. He was still sleeping, still on the ventilator. She explained that due to the extra time required in surgery...you know....because his heart wouldn't beat....they had to use more anesthesia than expected and it just takes a little more time. She assured me this was all normal and his vital signs were excellent. I could call back at 3:30 and check on him if I'd like. She was so nice as I explained I would really like to call back then, but didn't want to bother her, or take time that she didn't have. She was so kind...told me I could call as often as I wanted to, but there would likely be no change for at least 2 hours. I hung up and cried. This was just so hard and I was emotionally exhausted. I was so tired from putting on a strong face for everyone else, when I felt so defeated. The times I was alone were the worst, for sure. I did sleep some more and woke up in time to call at 3:30.

When she answered my call at 3:30, she said he was awake!!! Still on the ventilator, but he was responsive and they just had to go through some formalities in order to remove the vent. Things like following directions (move your toes, squeeze my hand....that sort of thing). She said he had been cleaned up and they would be removing the breathing machine soon. If I called back at 5:30, she should have excellent news by then. Well, I was so happy to hear that he was waking up, I couldn't sleep. I turned the TV on and watched some news, I sorted some clothes for the week and put them all in one location in case someone had to come home for me, I could tell them exactly where to find something. The phone rang at 5:15 and my heart dropped. I answered and it was the nurse saying he was off the ventilator and the very first thing he said was "Please call my wife, I'm sure she's worried." Does he know me or what?!

There are very strict visiting hours in the Cardiac Recovery Room and I wasn't allowed to go until 10:30. I slept, I cleaned, I snuggled with Wonderdog. And I watched the clock.

I arrived at the hospital, meeting my in-laws in the lobby. We were allowed in a few at a time. I stayed and everyone else took turns. I stepped out so his parents could come in together, but otherwise I was there. Visiting hours were only 30 minutes. I wasn't leaving! Mr. Snob....14 hours post op was sitting up in a chair! He wasn't happy about it, though. :-) His sister, a nurse, came in and we talked clinical for a bit with the nurses. He was doing well, except he wasn't handling the pain meds. This became a theme of his recovery. He was up in the chair, but couldn't speak really well because of the ventilator. He said later he appreciated the way I seemed to anticipate his needs and read his gestures so he didn't have to speak.

The next visiting hour wasn't until 6:30 - this is pure torture for the family, by the way. I certainly understand the medical need for it, but holy crap. Luckily they called me about 3:30 and said he would be moving up to a room - where I could stay all day - shortly. I rushed to the hospital and met him just as he was arriving in the room. Our pre-admission request for a private room was granted and we moved on in.

Speechless

2008-10-23T08:52:00.005-04:00

http://www.runphotos.com/

search bib 7066

No, that's not me in many of those photos...that's our new friend K, also a first time marathoner, who ran the entire race with Mr. Snob. They met as part of the pace group to finish in 6:30. Mr. Snob's official time: 6:15:13. I'm trying to put my thoughts into words.

Race day was amazing. I can't even put it into words! Also amazing was Tuesday when Mr. Snob went to visit Dr. M to show off his medal. Dr. M, you'll remember, was our surgeon, and he was THRILLED to see Mr. Snob and they were both overwhelmed with excitement. I can't talk about it any more because I will cry again :-) Pride, elation, overwhelming relief. Thank you for helping me on Sunday. Your texts, energy, pin-wearing, and emails kept me afloat and I'm eternally blessed to have you all in my life.

The Race

2008-10-13T11:10:00.001-04:00

The marathon is in six days. Mr. Snob is ready. The hotel room is booked. The sitter for Wonderdog confirmed. I’m trying to be ready. I have a list of things I need to bring (camera, video camera, cash, extra whatevers just in case….that sort of thing.) I am going to really try to enjoy myself. I’m terrified, though, and many people in my daily life are doing a poor job of understanding that. Some of them are pretty much saying I’m being silly or whatever with my worry. I don’t think they mean to be so condescending, but that’s how it feels. It makes me feel like I’m the only one who remembers. Race day will be 15 months to the day since they opened his chest with a chainsaw, cut open his heart, and replaced his aortic valve. Pardon me for remembering that day. Pardon me for remembering how I thought it would have hurt less if they would have cut me open instead of him. Pardon me for not wanting to risk that again. I get it. He’s healthier than ever. He’s ready. He’s been released from every single doctor we have. He’s trained…slow and steady….and done everything right.

Still. It’s hard for me. That may make me the bad guy. That may make me selfish. But that’s just too effing bad. I’m so proud of him. What he’s doing is amazing and a true inspiration. But as his wife, this sucks and I’ll feel so much better when it’s over.

You can track Mr. Snob on race day, this Sunday, October 19 at www.detroitmarathon.com I won’t have his bib number until Saturday and might not have access to the internet, but you can search by name. If any of you are in Detroit and have suggestions on how to occupy approximately 6 hours of my time, any thoughts are appreciated. I am likely going to be a nervous wreck the whole day. Text messages will be welcome distractions!

The Journey

2008-10-07T15:13:00.003-04:00

This is what we've been up to. The race is approaching. School is taking a whole lot of time I don't have and I'm sort of curled up in a ball in the corner rocking trying to find a little bit of sanity. I'm struggling a bit right now, but the race is approaching and I'm focusing on helping Mr. Snob any way I can....

Go here, please. Read our story. The next chapter of The Journey should be coming in a few days.

Wonderdog Update

2008-09-25T08:20:00.002-04:00

Dropped her off this morning and talked with the doctor. The vet who's doing the surgery happens to be my favorite one in the practice and the same one who spayed Ally the Wonderdog many years ago. She was confident this morning and spoke encouraging words and I left feeling much better.

She should be out of surgery by lunchtime and will have someone with her for the next couple of hours monitoring her recovery.

We decided since she'll already be under anesthesia, the vet will clean her teeth. We've been discussing this procedure for months, may as well do it while she's under.

When I get her this afternoon, she'll be stoned, but cyst free with a killer white smile!

I know I'm treading on thin ice, but...

2008-09-24T14:32:00.001-04:00

This bothers me. He spoke in front of the United Nations. Not in the parking lot of a Sonic for crying out loud. How do we not have someone there? I personally think it should be Bush or Cheney, but hell, anyone is better than a simple note-taker. Show a little respect for the UN if not the man speaking. Also, I really believe this behavior is what makes anti-Americans so angry. I disagree whole heartedly with Ahmadinejad and certainly don't trust him. But ignoring him isn't likely to get us anywhere.

"As Ahmadinejad spoke, the only person at the United States table was a note-taker; no U.S. diplomat was present. When President Bush spoke earlier Tuesday, however, Ahmadinejad was in the room."

source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/09/23/ahmadinejad.us/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

The Wonderdog

2008-09-24T11:32:00.001-04:00

Went to the vet this morning. She really didn't like the look of the cyst. Surgery's tomorrow. Send energy, please.

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-09-23T21:52:00.003-04:00

Here are ten things I am going to do tomorrow.

1. Get a desperately needed haircut. I'm at that place where I'm tempted to sit down and say "chop it all off." I likely won't, but I'm sure I'll come away wearing several inches less hair.

2. Take Ally the Wonderdog to the vet. With or without an appointment. She's got a wonky looking cyst on a mammary gland I'm not taking any chances on. I work 11-7 tomorrow, so after my 8:00 haircut, I'm going to round her up and go hang out at the vet's office. I'm sure they'll squeeze me in somewhere.

3. Catch up on blogs, especially the conversation taking place at Chez Chili. I'm coming....wait for me!

4. Finish my post about my Granny who passed away 6 years ago yesterday. What a lady.

5. Go to class.

6. Check out the new masthead at Please Pass the Popcorn. I'm loving this week's contest!

7. Make sure all my shows are programmed into the DVR. We had to swap out a malfunctioning DVR for a new one, so my series recordings are all gone.

8. Stop at the mall if I have time to buy some cosmetics. To match my new haircut, of course!

9. Go over the to-do list for the baby shower I'm throwing on Saturday for a dear friend who is having triplets. All boys. Yes, really.

10. Snuggle with the Wonderdog. I've been home so infrequently and I miss our walks.

What are you up to?

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-09-09T09:30:00.003-04:00

Booger and I went drove to Cleveland Saturday to attend a birthday party for the son of a dear friend. Driving home late at night, with Booger asleep in the backseat, I listened to showtunes to stay awake. I've loved musicals for as long as I can remember. I attended the local high school shows as a young child and was always mesmerized how they transformed the stage into a whole new place. In High School I was active in the theater and am proud to report I was even Student Director my senior year! (It was for Annie and I loved it!)

I thought I'd list 10 musicals that I've seen in person or been a part of. There are more than 10, but I'll keep it to my favorites!

1. Annie
I was the student director of this production my senior year in high school. I love the music, love the kids, love the dog.....just love it!

2. Phantom of the Opera
I've seen this 3 times (twice in Toronto). I remember the first time I saw it, I cried during the whole second act because I had never seen anything so powerful.

3. Fiddler of the Roof
This is such a lovely story with some really funny dry humor.

4. Spamalot
I have never laughed so hard as I did through this entire production.

5. Les Miserables
So moving. Such a big stage show.

6. Sound of Music
I really enjoyed the costuming in this show. The entire family dressed with drapes!

7. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
My nieces were in this production a few years ago. It's a great kid-friendly show.

8. Cats
I didn't love this. I wanted to. I just didn't.

9. Seussical the musical
Pretty cute, not great substance-wise, but cute.

10. The King and I
I totally love this story.

Do you love musicals? Which ones??

2008-09-05T20:03:00.001-04:00

My friend, Kizz is having a rough day. Go send her some love, would you?

Peace, my friend. You know where to find me....

Review of Mike Huckabee's RNC Speech

2008-09-04T09:09:00.005-04:00

**Warning....liberal political content ahead.**

My comments from Reverend Mike Huckabee's speech last night. Thoughts on Palin coming soon; am I the only one who thinks her voice sounds like a character from Saturday Night Live?

Back to Huckabee.

Transcript of Mike Huckabee's speech found here:
http://monkeycrash.com/2008/09/04/transcript-mike-huckabee-rnc-speech/

Things that made me crazy during his speech:

"The reporting of the past few days have proven tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert."

Funny. Not.

"It was — it was, in fact, the founder of our party, Abraham Lincoln, who reminded us that a government that can do everything for us is the government that can take everything from us."

Nice scare tactic, Reverend.

"Let me make something clear tonight: I’m not a Republican because I grew up rich. I’m a Republican because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me."

I am completely offended by this. How dare you accuse me of not working hard and simply waiting to be rescued. Jerk.

"John McCain — John McCain is by far the most prepared, the most experienced, and truly the most tested presidential candidate. He is thoroughly tested."

Really? Because he was shot down? I honor the man's service, but how does that one moment qualify him over anyone else to be president?

And the whole desk story was lame.

The end.

College tales and and update

2008-09-03T08:08:00.003-04:00

This post is directed toward Chili and O'Mama. I have to take a Comp II class for my major. I decided I could do this class online. I don't have trouble forming sentences and know the difference between a noun and a verb. If we're being honest, I thought it would be an easy A. Sadly, this class sucks. We have to work on 2 different collaborative assignments. Yes, that's right. An online class with collaborative work. Maybe I'm just out of the loop, but this completely pisses me off. Why should my grade be directly tied to someone else's work? The group members live all over the area, one as far as 90 minutes away, so it's not like we can get together for coffee and work on the project. Grr. What's the point of collaborative work, especially for an online class?

An update about the choking incident. I spoke to Booger's teacher yesterday. She let me know that the other child was "sent home with red," meaning his parents were notified of the incident. We had a lengthy conversation about many things and I am pleased she is Booger's teacher. Booger and I talked about the boy in question and how to remove yourself from situations you don't wish to be in. For example, boy chases girl. Girl does not wish to be chased. Girl then stands still. It's hard to chase someone who's not running! :-)

Thanks for your kind words....they helped calm my nerves more than you might realize.

I did the right thing......right?

2008-09-02T15:10:00.003-04:00

Last year Booger had some trouble with a boy in her class. He is very aggressive in nature. Last year I tried to blow it off a bit saying things like "sometimes kids just get carried away" or "maybe he likes you and doesn't know how to show it." Things like that.

Today, she came home for the (at least) sixth time today complaining that this boy choked her at recess. Now, she's not bruised or anything....but still. She is affected enough to mention it when she gets home.

I called the Dean of Students today and discussed it with him. He's new to our school, but already knew the kid I was talking about. He didn't know Booger but asked me to have her introduce herself so he could keep his eyes on her during recess. He was very supportive and understanding. I feel better telling the school, but still can't shake the feeling of "oh, great. I've turned into THAT mom."

I'm not THAT mom, am I?

Ten Things

2008-09-02T10:55:00.002-04:00

End of summer edition. Here are ten things I did this summer.

1. Successfully completed really difficult class.

2. Vacationed on the West Coast. It was beyond lovely.

3. Bought a new car. Well, the bank owns it, but you know what I mean.

4. Cut my daughter's hair at her request. It was a pretty drastic cut and I did a decent job.

5. Cheered Booger on as she raced in her first non-school race. .6 miles in under 5 minutes!

6. Spent a ton of time with my nieces and was reminded of how much I adore them.

7. Tried to teach my 6 year old how to ride a bike without training wheels. Not likely to happen this year, but maybe.

8. Celebrated the 1st anniversary of The Journey. I have a post I'm working on for this. Stay tuned.

9. Stepped away from the internet for awhile and enjoyed extra time with Booger. She is amazing and I love nothing more than sitting on the couch together reading books.

10. Realized that this sacrifice I'm making now by attending college is SO worth it. There are times when I'm frustrated that there aren't more hours in the day, or that I don't have as much patience as I should...but it is worth it. I am finally moving toward something that is so important and it simply makes me feel good.

How was your summer?

Please pass the popcorn

2008-08-21T14:55:00.003-04:00

Chili rocks!

She's opened yet another blog, this one all about movies. Go check it out.

I'm still around. I started fall semester, Booger started first grade, I'm sorting through 537 California pictures....oh. And my niece is in labor!

So much to tell you!

Ten Things - Vacation Edition

2008-08-05T21:33:00.003-04:00

The Snob family are all packed and ready to go. Southern California, here we come!

We'll be gone til Monday night...and I hope when we get back I'm refreshed and once and for all snapped out of this funk.

Ten things I'm planning on accomplishing during our trip.

1. Read my new book. (Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer)

2. Go to the beach no less than once a day.

3. Score some kick ass pictures.

4. Laugh at someone wearing a speedo.

5. Reunite with 5 friends and their families.

6. Shop til I drop.

7. Eat seafood daily.

8. Watch the sunset at the beach.

9. Tan without burning.

10. Relax and rejuvenate.

See y'all next week.

Love,
Snob

Coming Soon

2008-07-21T07:49:00.001-04:00

My review of The Dark Knight.

How do you measure a year?

2008-07-21T07:18:00.007-04:00

As one of my favorite showtunes tells us, there are five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes in a year.

On Saturday, R reached the one year anniversary of his surgery and together we reached the anniversary of a whole new outlook on life. This has been the longest year of my life and I think it's aged me at least 10. I've tried to write this entry since Friday, or longer, really, but each time I do......well, I just can't. R mentioned that on Saturday, he re-read some of The Journey posts and thanked me again for keeping track of those first few weeks. I was afraid I would forget them, trying to write every detail. Funny thing is those memories are as crystal clear to me now as they were then. I am glad the memories are clear, as I still have the rest of my story to tell. It's coming, in case you'd still like to hear it. I think I haven't even finished telling you about the hospital stay, or the nurse I got in trouble because she was more concerned about reading her Harry Potter book then caring for her patients. But this post isn't about that.

This post is about those five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. We've lived them...really lived them this year. We've rediscovered what it means to be happy. Our family comes first. The end. That's a rule I know I didn't always live by. I always felt defined not soley by my family, but by a career, too. What a load of crap. I like to think that this year didn't really change who we were, it simply sloughed away all the stuff that was clinging on and let us be more of who we really were, you know?

Thank you, my friends, for sticking with me this year, it's been a helluva ride. Make the most of all your minutes, okay?

Concerts

2008-07-15T22:52:00.004-04:00

O'Mama recently wrote about the Indigo Girls concert she just attended and posted the question "what was the last concert you attended?" I can't remember, but thought listing them might spark my memory. My taste in music is quite eclectic and is proven by the different concerts I've attended.

1. I think it was Hootie and the Blowfish - Summer 2006 We've seen them at least 2, but I think 3 times. DTE (The old Pine Knob) and the Zoo.

2. Counting Crows - I've seen them at least 3 times. Once, during a concert at the zoo ampitheater, the sun was setting, the stage lights in full force, it was raining during the song "Rain King." It was so cool.

3. Aerosmith - probably around 1993. Joe Perry is hot. The end.

4. Metallica - around 1993 or 1994 - when did the Black Album come out?

5. Natalie Merchant - 1995 She was so freaking good in concert.

6. Brian McKnight - 1998

7. George Winston - 2003 or so - this man did more with a piano that you can ever imagine. At one point, he practically climbed inside and played the strings like an upright bass. It was amazing.

8. Pantera - 1993 or so. Yes, really. I was even in the mosh pit for a second.

I am having a brain cramp and can't think of others, though I know there are. These are the people I'd LIKE to see in concert.

1. Prince

2. George Michael

3. Bon Jovi - Don't laugh.

A week and a half left of summer semester. My ass has utterly been kicked but I'm almost done. I'm literally home for about 5 hours a week other than sleeping. Holy crap a summer class was a bad idea.

How are you doing?

How to cure a case of the blahs....

2008-06-26T22:36:00.003-04:00

Buy yourself one of these. Tomorrow evening I will find out if it works.

School sucks major donkey balls. Yes, I said donkey balls. I don't know why donkey balls suck more than, say, llama balls, but I think they do. Or maybe ostrich balls might suck more. I'm guessing elephant balls suck more than donkey balls, but that's because I'm a democrat. Sorry, what was I saying? Oh, right. School. After tonight's exam I've lost enough points so that I already have a B in the class. That's the bad news. The good news is I have another 45 points or so to give and still get a B, so there's a wee bit of hope that I can keep the B. I'm not ready to talk about the professor, but probably soon.

Work sort of sucks, too. But maybe not donkey ball suckage. Perhaps....say....pot bellied pig balls.

I hope you are all well. Stay tuned for new car smell stories and pictures. Dude....I haven't had a new car in 13 years and have been without air conditioning in my car in 5 years. Holy hell am I excited!

Ten Things

2008-06-03T23:37:00.002-04:00

I'm working my way out of my funk and in order to help myself do this, I think I'll list ten things I'm happy about right this very minute. (I am not happy with the run-on sentence, but too lazy to fix it.)

1. Kizz's shout out. Seriously. Wow. Thanks!

2. My chosen candidate now has enough delegates to declare himself the nominee.

3. The cats we began to dissect in class weren't as gross as I anticipated.

4. I reunited with my favorite classmates.

5. I get to hang out with my nieces Friday.

6. The laundry is almost caught up!

7. The dishes are done.

8. My husband is the coolest and so freaking supportive.

9. Happy Birthday, Anderson Cooper! (He's on CNN right now....he's so hot)

10. Tetris DS. I play this every single night before I sleep. It helps to relax my brain and let me fall asleep so much easier.

What are you particularly happy about?

Yes, it's really me.

2008-06-02T21:05:00.002-04:00

Hi. Are you there? God, I hope so. I've missed you.

I'm struggling. Seriously. Getting back into the swing of 40+ hours a week, managing a household, entertaining out of town guests, getting ready for summer semester - all of this has been going on and I'm failing miserably. Oh, and I thought I had lice. Yeah, that was fun. I'm pretty sure it was just an allergic reaction to a new conditioner, though the mere thought of it put into a nice sized anxiety attack.

I'm sort of a train wreck. My new job is okay, I had to take a class and pass an exam to be licensed. That was more time consuming and more challenging than originally thought.

School started today and my late classes are Tuesday and Thursday.

I don't do change well. Please bear with me. I'll be back. I'm reading what you're writing but not commenting much, I promise to let you know I'm there. More often than not, I just don't have the time for a thoughtful response, so I'm not responding at all. I'll try to at least leave you a hello or something, so you know I'm up to date with you.

Is anyone else irritated with the whole Florida/Michigan delegate thing?

I'm coming around, I am.....I just am struggling with not enough hours in the day. But I suppose we are all, aren't we?

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-05-20T20:02:00.006-04:00

Politics edition. Most of you know that I'm a politics junkie. With the sad, sad news about Ted Kennedy, the Senator from Massachusetts, I thought I'd list 10 things I'm currently thinking about that are politics related.

1. Ted Kennedy is a great senator. I'm too young to remember the time when he was accused of not being a great man, though my mother has told me about it. As a liberal democrat, though, I applaud him. He has championed for many issues I hold near and dear.

2. I don't think I'll ever get over my utter dislike for our current president. I have a "Bush Lied" sticker on my back window and I'm not sure I'll ever remove it.

3. I think Geraldine Ferraro is full of crap.

4. I wish Hillary Clinton would graciously step aside. She could do so with dignity and it could unite the Democrats in a way that, I think, is desperately needed.

5. I have a wee little crush on Anderson Cooper.

6. Fine - I also have a wee little crush on Keith Olbermann. That crush started many years ago when he hosted the Big Show on ESPN. Now focusing on news and politics has made him much hotter.

7. I hope my state once again is key in deciding the presidential election, only THIS YEAR, I'd really love to have it swing the same direction as my vote!

8. My brother in law stands as far right as I do left, but we are able to discuss politics without yelling and/or getting mad at each other. I wish more people were like that.

9. If you don't vote, you don't get to complain.

10. Booger knows who the democratic candidates are and who I am voting for. She's quite young to express an interest, so she likes Barack Obama because I do. Once the national campaign begins, she'll learn who John McCain is. I hope she grows up to be interested, informed and active.

How do you feel about politics? Do you talk about it with your friends over lunch or is it off-limits? Many of my conversations with friends at least touch on politics, but I'm pretty sure we're not the norm.

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-05-13T20:04:00.003-04:00

Pure random today, friends. I hope you are all well. I miss you terribly.

1. I was up until after 11 playing Chinese checkers with 2 of my buddies. Online. IM'ing and playing Chinese checkers while lying in bed was incredibly relaxing. I miss my buddy who's on the other side of the world, but I miss him a little bit less when he's kicking my ass in Chinese checkers.

2. My grades finally posted. GPA: 4.0. Academic status: Honors. I simply can not believe it.

3. I have new readers!!! Many new readers leaving wonderfully kind comments. I'm working my way over to your blogs, I promise. Thank you for coming. Please stay awhile, won't you?

4. I started my new job and am adjusting to less online time. I sort of miss hanging out in my jammies all day. But I'm not going to miss not making any money, you know?

5. Booger got a new bike today. The riding without training wheels started. It went better than expected, but there's still so far to go. Any hints other than nail biting? Cause that's what I'm doing.

6. You know what I missed about having a real office job? Getting to wear my cool shoes. It's like Christmas looking through all the shoe boxes.

7. I start school in a few weeks and am so excited.....I miss it. I'm such a nerd!

8. I saw a dark green Prius on the way home today. It's the first non-silver one I think I've ever seen in real life. Isn't that odd? Do the silver ones get even better gas mileage?

9. I can't even explain how much I HATE it when the news media declares an election winner with 0% of precincts reporting. I know they're rarely wrong, but really? You can't wait until at least some of the votes are actually, you know, counted? Sheesh.

10. My trunk still stinks. Any suggestions for removing rotten milk from trunk carpet? Yes, the thought of buying a new car has crossed my mind. :-)

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-05-06T14:41:00.003-04:00

Sunday will be the 1 year anniversary of losing my job. So many things have happened in this year. I learned quite a bit about myself and the people in my life. For today's list, I think I'd like to talk about the people who helped me get through this year. Now, please....there's only room for 10, so if I've left you out, it's only because I ran out of space, not because I don't love you.

1. R - of course. He's my everything.
2. Ness - we live 2 hours apart, but I talk to her usually twice a day. She knows me like few do and knows all of my quirks, even the ones I don't admit to having.
3. J - my buddy who moved halfway across the world a couple weeks ago to attend med school. Our friendship is an unlikely one, yet, it is there and a great source of happiness in my life.
4. J - the other one. He sat with me during R's surgery and simply radiated the calm that I so desperately needed. He is quiet most of the time, but possesses a wicked sense of humor and makes me laugh every single time we speak.
5. D - he ran the half marathon with Roy because I asked him to. Just that simple. Because I asked him to. He's the guy you call when you can't call anyone else. He has such an aura of positive energy that he practically lights up the room when he enters it.
6. M - oh, M. She and I have become very close. She's the wife of the #4 J and I simply can't imagine how we've not been friends our whole lives because it sure feels like it.
7. My e-buddies - these wonderful, powerful women have encouraged me to write, to tell my story, to share my sense of humor. We exchange powerful energy....the kind you need to live....and yet, they've never seen my face. I care about these women and they care about me and that is something I don't take for granted.
8. My nieces and pseudo nieces - there are 7 of them and they bring such light to my life. As they grow older and become more independent, I'm continually astounded with the level of trust they have with me. I'm thankful that I can be a source of advice for them and, in turn, they always always make me smile.
9. Booger - without this spirited 6 year old, my life would simply be black and white and all kinds of dull. She brings the color into it and I swear to make sure she knows it every single day.
10. Me - this may sound shallow and self -absorbed, but I promise you it is not meant to be. I surprised myself this year. I have much more control over my life than I once thought. I also learned this year if I want to make something happen, I have the power to do it. I am strong. I am intelligent. I am a fierce and loyal friend. I am a mother. A wife. A daughter. I am a success and damn it feels really good to be able to say that and actually believe it!

Where's Waldo? He's in my trunk.

2008-05-05T09:32:00.006-04:00

I used to love the Where's Waldo books. I think I still have a few...wonder if Booger would like them? Anyway, yesterday, I cleaned out the trunk of my car. I'm not proud of what a mess it was. Over the winter, my car became quite cluttered with all sorts of things. I was still working for Large Retail store and had to wear black shoes to work. I never found the perfect pair for work. I had 3 hour shift shoes, 5 hour shift shoes and 8 hour shift shoes. I had some shoes that I would wear to and from hoping they would last longer than 20 minutes because damnit, they were cute (they never did). All of these shoes are fine for me to wear out and about. There's just something about standing in the same spot on concrete that make 99% of my shoes unbearable. So, my trunk held 3 pair of black shoes and a stray pair of tennies.

Since I don't like to drive wearing a coat, there were a few coats back there, too. Including my cute red vest that I spent too much time searching the house for. A basket of scrapbook stuff for the class I was supposed to teach, some things I need to return to various stores, a stray bag of popcorn from Target and the grossest thing ever. I found a little bottle of chocolate milk from a happy meal tucked away in the corner. It was so rotten that the seal had burst from the gases inside the bottle. The smell was enough to knock me over. I cleaned and sprayed and cleaned again....the whole trunk smells like rotten milk. It's disgusting.

I found the camera charger whose absence this weekend caused R and to I to say not very nice things to each other.

There was a scarf, a hat and a pair of gloves. A 5 subject notebook. A dress I purchased for Booger for $3, then promptly forgot about because it was buried under all the rubble.

Oh, there was a book bag, 3 reusable grocery bags, and an ice scraper. A shovel and a flashlight. What? You don't carry a shovel in your car? Well, you'll be sorry if you ever get stuck in the snow. The obligatory emergency roadside kit with jumper cables, though I'm not entirely sure how to hook them up without shocking the hell out of myself.

3 summertime floor mats, a few empty 20oz bottles of Diet Coke, a clipboard, my i-pod headphones, and a few empty french fry bags.

It's clean now. All that remains is the shovel, flashlight, roadside kit, the reusable grocery bags and the stench. Oh my god, the stench.

Lesson learned. A clean trunk is a happy trunk.

It's been a good week

2008-05-01T18:57:00.003-04:00

Hey there! How've you been? I have missed you terribly. I'll be catching up on reading, so watch for comments that are probably too old to be relevant to whatever you had going on. Except this: Kizz, did you email him yet?

I'm still waiting for one official grade, but I'm confident enough (mostly) to talk about it. I swear on all that is Holy that I do not mean to cross the Karma Gods.....but I've seen the grade on paper, just need to see in on the computer....please...post it soon. Amen.

Okay, so. Finals. Let me start by saying I had an A locked up in Psych barring some catastrophic final grade. Each of my classes had about a 50 point allowance before you'd get a B. Going into the Psych final, I was only down 7 points for the semester. Yes, I know. Nerd. The final was 100 questions, each worth 2 points. 100 multiple choice questions takes much longer to answer than you might think. It was open book, and as is my history with open book exams, it was hard. I missed only 5, so that's 10 points. So, in Psych - I nailed an A by a large margin. I shall only brag briefly, but believe me friends, there will be bragging. It is selfish, I know, but I have worked HARD for these grades, so yes.....there will be bragging. I might brag all weekend in fact. I'm sure you all guessed I'd get an A in Psych....crazy knows crazy!

Anatomy & Physiology was another story. I had a bad week in A&P a few weeks ago and scored horribly on an exam in both lab and lecture. This put me way too close to a B going into finals. We had both a lab and lecture final. Our lecture professor really enjoyed our class and agreed to meet for a last-ditch study effort the night before the final. This helped me so much that I, uh, aced the lecture final. Yes, 100%! Can you effing believe it? I still can't. It makes me smile just thinking of it. The professor had a key up front so we could take a quick look to see how we did since many of us were heading straight into our lab final. Looking at the key is how I know I scored a hundred....this is the official score I'm waiting for. Anyway, that really helped calm me down heading into the lab final because I knew I had about 15 points to give in that final and still pull out an A.

The A&P lab final is known as the bone test. It sucks ass. Basically, we learn all the bones in the body and the parts of said bones. 200+bones and terms. Also, we learn them out of context...off the skeleton if you will. We enter the room with a piece of paper numbered 1-40 and work our way around the stations writing down what each is. It could be the whole bone - Humerus. It could be a feature of the bone - Anatomical neck of Humerus. You need to know it and the whole wording as it is in our text. There is no word bank, no multiple choice. Just you, the bone, and a blank piece of paper. It's totally mental and totally designed to be that way. Let's not fool ourselves, it's a weed-out class. It's the first science class you take for any of the science/health fields and if you can't cut this one, there's no use trying something more advanced.

I was a nervous wreck entering that room. I didn't think I could pull the names out of thin air. I knew them....or at least most of them....but was not at all confident that I could do it without a word bank. We entered the room and were told to pick a spot. I found one I knew so that I could start off positively. As we moved around the room, I realized that I really did know them! Holy crap, I was doing it!!! I only missed 4 out of 40!!!! I was so proud of myself I didn't stop smiling the whole day!

I got accepted into the RN program at my school, so I won't have to transfer! I have to submit a re-eval request in the fall for an earlier admission date, but holy hell, just to get accepted is a huge step in the right direction!

Oh, and today? I got a job!

Holy hell, it's been a good week! I'll be catching up on your blogs now....hope you all had a good week as well.

Ten Things.....on TUESDAY!

2008-04-29T13:40:00.004-04:00

I'm still waiting for the official grades to post. I'm confident in the grades I received, but am too much of a pansy-ass Karma fearer to put them up here before they're official.

In the meantime, I thought I could tell you ten random things from my first Finals Week.

1. Booger cannot decide what she wants to be when she grows up. She thinks maybe either a veterinarian or a vegetarian. She's not sure.

2. 8 people didn't show up for the Psych final. Didn't even show up. The final was worth 200 points and 40% of our grade. And open-book. How can you have so few points that 200 doesn't even get you a D?

3. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

4. I retained much more information throughout the semester than I thought I would.

5. The sphenoid bone looks like a butterfly.
photo credit

6. Our A&P professor liked us so much she's trying to get our summer A&P 2 class!

7. My Psych professor encouraged me to pursue even higher education and reminded me that it is possible if I want it badly enough.

8. My buddy arrived safe and sound in the Philippines. I'd be much more sad if he didn't have internet access. The internet makes it possible for us to chat daily and that certainly takes the edge off. It's not the same, but it sure does help.

9. I quit Large Retail Store. I worked some temp stuff last week, I had an interview yesterday, and a couple other prospects out there. I have faith that the Universe wants me to succeed, therefore will help me to do so. This may not occur in a way that I expect, but it will occur. I am sure of it.

10. I'm actually sad that classes are over. Learning these new things rekindled a confidence I forgot I had.

Cramming

2008-04-25T23:34:00.003-04:00

well, not so much cramming as reviewing. First final is in 8.5 hours. Next one is about 4 hours after that, then my last one is Sunday evening. I'm looking forward to completing this semester. It was a big step towards the rest of my life.

I'll be back in a couple days once I can think of something other than finals.....I miss you guys!

R's story

2008-04-21T13:57:00.003-04:00

The morning news anchor for the station R works at ran the marathon last week! She rocked it and qualified for the Boston Marathon. She is a really sweet girl and I am very appreciative of her taking the time to share our story. I understand this takes away my anonymity, but I think it's worth it to share this.

Take a look: http://www.wnwo.com/news/news_blog_post.aspx?id=123939

The journey

2008-04-21T12:50:00.003-04:00

I was looking through the entries for The Journey and realized I stopped way before I thought I did. I have many entries I thought I posted. Whoops. They are here somewhere, so I'll be posting them soon....I have stories about the hospital, our room, the linen cart, the cafeteria and much more. Stay tuned. :-)

Navigation tips

2008-04-21T12:33:00.003-04:00

I could be receiving visitors to this little place of mine. If you're looking for the story of R's surgery and recovery....just look at the bottom of this entry and click on The Journey tab.

Thanks for visiting and I'd love it if you'd leave a comment!

Question of the day

2008-04-21T09:32:00.002-04:00

Why do major appliances always break on the weekends?? Especially say, hypothetically, perhaps....uh.....water heaters?

Just wondering.

Finally

2008-04-20T14:27:00.006-04:00

I have my last class before finals tonight. I can't believe this semester is over! I succeed in ways I simply didn't realize I could. I am going into finals with potential A's in both classes, though I'm much too close to a B in Anatomy & Physiology than I'd like approaching the final. Good Karmic thoughts, please.

I just finished my last Psych paper and it's a reflection of last week's race. I'm still tweaking it, but wanted to post something before I left. I have to go to my parents house to shower because the hot water tank is broken. I'm a wimp and can't do a cold shower. Anyway, here's the paper...they are short by rule, not by my choice.

My mother used to tell me that I wasn’t happy unless I had something to worry about. I worry about things I can control and many things that I can’t. Often times the worry generated with things I can not control causes more anxiety than worrying about things I can. It’s a slippery slope of stress and anxiety and often ends up with me a nervous wreck over something I simply can not do anything about.

This past weekend I worried my way through one of the most stressful and anxiety producing events of my life. It was the culmination of months of worrying. My husband, barely nine months after undergoing open heart surgery, teamed up with a friend to run a marathon. Each of them would run half of it, 13.1 miles. He had trained for this race for months and all along, I have worried. I worried about the weather, worried about the distance, worried about his heart, worried about awful things like funerals and living as a widow. I worried about everything and anything associated with the race. The doctors told him he could do it, but because I didn’t feel like he should do it, I was completely overwhelmed with anxiety in a way I have rarely been. This race was more stressful for me than watching him recover from surgery. The only thing I’ve ever experienced that was more stressful was waiting during surgery itself. After surgery there were things I could do, things to keep me busy, things to make me feel like I was helping. Worrying about this race was futile, I knew he was going to run it whether I wanted him to or not, but I could not stop worrying.

On race day I experienced many of the physiological symptoms associated with stress and anxiety: muscle tension, headache, heart pounding. The feeling of panic associated with my inability to control anything related to this race was overwhelming. Once he started his half of the race, I was at such a heightened state that I could barely breathe. Then, he rounded the corner and we saw each other. He was running at a comfortable pace and had this huge smile on his face, he was actually enjoying himself! He told me he felt good and promised to take it easy the rest of the way. This race was not about how long it took, but just crossing the finish line. My friend, my daughter, and I drove up every few miles and stopped to wait for him and cheer like crazy. Every single time we saw him, he looked better, in spite of the 27 degree weather, rain/sleet/snow mix, and 25 mph winds. Consequently, I felt less and less anxious. At the finish line, our smiles could have lit up the city.

Stress, anxiety, and worrying have been a part of my life for a very long time. I know that my worrying about this race did nothing to help R, in fact, it likely hindered him as he had to worry about my worrying. I suppose that being aware of that is at least a good place to start trying to worry less.

Gah

2008-04-18T10:21:00.002-04:00

Studying cellular respiration for my Anatomy quiz tomorrow. Dull dull dull. And BORING.

My last Psych paper is due Sunday so of course my friend WRITER'S BLOCK comes to visit. Figures.

My buddy's leaving in 4 days for the Philippines.

My husband is a rockstar

2008-04-14T21:58:00.002-04:00

The race was yesterday. Our friend D ran half and R ran half. 13.1 miles each. They ROCKED it. I'm so overwhelmed with the emotion of the day that I'm having trouble getting my thoughts down.

It was 37 degrees outside with sleet, snow, rain and 25mph winds.

Pictures here. I'll have more to say soon, I promise. It was all so emotional. Such a rush to watch him do this. 13 miles. Amazing.

Randomness

2008-04-10T21:58:00.003-04:00

I think I figured out one of my problems. (Yes, just one. There are many.) This particular problem involves my lack of blogging. I used to simply write off the cuff and about whatever tickled my fancy at the time. When it's been several days since I've posted, I am less likely to simply post a quick rant about something and feel pressure to make the post good enough to post. Stupid, I know.....but still, I think that's what's been going on with me. I miss writing. I still compose entries in my head when something funny happens or something strikes a chord. I'm going to go back to my run and gun style. At least I'm going to try. Here are a few random things I've been meaning to jot down.

Every time I enter our house, I notice the flour remnants wet and mushy on the side of the porch. This is leftover from when I cut Wonderdog's nails too short last week. (The flour helps stop the bleeding.) Anyway, I notice it every single time I walk in the house. Then, something strange happens. I put my stuff down and immediately forget about it....until the next time I walk in the house and see it.

I drive a 10 year old car with 173,000 miles on it. It's in great shape, but it is still 10 years old. I carry full insurance coverage on it and it's EXPENSIVE. Insurers don't like you to carry full coverage on old cars because should you wreck the car, any amount of damage is likely to exceed the value of the car. I've been considering dropping the full coverage but I'm afraid of the Karmic Retribution. I mean seriously, we all know the minute I drop collision coverage I'm going to hit something. So, is the money savings worth it? You tell me.

I have some moles I need to have looked at. I'm moley and it's getting worse. The one problem is last time they took 3 off (all came back normal and safe and fine) and the scars are worse than the moles ever were. I'm moley and I scar horribly. I guess I should at least get in there to see what they think. Moles = sexy. Just saying.

I won my NCAA college basketball pool this year!

R, Booger and I went to the dentist this week. I'm pretty sure the hygenist pried out one of my fillings with her ice pick/tooth pick/tooth scraper/poker thing. It was a tiny little filling I received years ago on the inside between my 2 lower front teeth. The hell? Now I'm going to have to have it redone. Perfect.

Ten things

2008-04-09T15:56:00.003-04:00

Since my last ten things list was a downer, I will try to make this one a bit more full of sunshine. Here are ten things making me happy this week.

1. I received a 17 out of 15 on my Psych quiz.

2. Booger's grade card. She doesn't receive letter grades, but has shown steady improvement in things like working independently and time management. Time management is something we've been working on at home. Giving her a set amount of time to complete a task or a set amount of TV time. When she knows the ending time, there is often much less complaining. It's also helping us work on telling time on an analog clock.

3. Ally the Wonderdog has been extra snuggly this week. She usually sleeps at my feet on the bed, but last night she snuggled right up next to me.

4. The sun is out.

5. I was able to catch a HS track meet and watch my niece run several races during the meet. It was great to see her excelling at something she really enjoys.

6. 2 of my best friends are coming to visit Chez Snob this weekend!

7. They are coming because one of them is running Sunday with R.

8. The marathon is this weekend. R and our buddy D are teaming up, each running half. This is a nice compromise as I am still in a bit of a panic about the race....but it's a good distance to see how well he does. He has been training regularly and his weekly EKG hookups at Cardiac Rehab look good. All of the doctors we know and have seen gave him the green light.

9. My Psych professor has a sense of humor and I'm enjoying the unwritten/unspoken challenge about my last paper. We have 5 one to two page papers due during the semester. Twenty available points and I've received 19/20 on the first 4. I'm writing my final one this week and am gunning for the 20.

10. I'm working on a going away gift for my friend who's leaving for Med School. I'm considering a short story or some sort of listy thing about my favorite memories of our friendship. Any other suggestions?

Studying Snob

2008-04-04T18:16:00.002-04:00

Seriously. I need to study. I have THREE exams this weekend. 2 of the 3 are the last exam before finals. I've ordered pizza, have a stash of Diet Coke and R & Booger are out for the evening.

I'm looking for some good study tunes.....any suggestions?

Ten Things

2008-04-02T08:19:00.004-04:00

....Wednesday. Damnit, I missed Tuesday again. My apologies. These past few days or so have been a bit more nutsy than usual. I know that for sure because I'm on day 5, or is it 6, of an eye twitch. It's in my right eye and it's not twitching all the time, just enough to remind me that I should probably try to calm the hell down. In an attempt to do just that, I'll list 10 of the things that are bothering me. Perhaps writing them will either A) Help me realize they're stupid and I shouldn't worry about them or B) Stop dilly dallying and just do it already.

1. One of my closest friends is leaving this month to attend Medical School. In the Philippines. Which, for those of you who may not know, is really fucking far away. I'm happy that they are taking the step to fulfill their dream, but so incredibly sad.

2. The great major switch. When I decided to go back to college, my plan was simply to pick a health/science major, get an Associate's Degree and start working. I would finish up a Bachelor's degree once I nailed a stable job. It appears that I'm not the only one doing this, so the waiting lists at Small Community College put me at not even starting the program(s) until Fall of 2010. Yeah, that's just not going to work for me. So, I'm considering loading up on all the necessary pre-requisites at Small (read: cheap) Community College then transferring to Bigger (expensive) Local College. I'm in the process of gathering information on if there's a waiting list, how long, how much, how how how.....

3. The major I think I'm deciding on is nursing. With my insurance background, and the nursing career model in general - there are many different jobs you can do with that degree. Treat patients, work for a surgeon or doctor, insurance, admin, etc.

4. I wish I felt compelled to one specific major. One career path. I just don't. I lived and breathed my old job at Large Corporation. I felt like that job defined who I was as a person. I was so wrong. I'm just me. And I'm great at it. I don't need a career to do that for me and promised myself I never will allow a career to do take over my life again. I'm much happier now that I readjusted my focus. That said, it makes deciding on a career a bit more difficult, you know? It's like....there are 10,000 different things I could do. I could do anything. And that's just too many choices.

5. My house needs cleaned. I'm going to work on that today since I don't work until 4:30.

6. Finals are in less than a month and I'm already a wreck. I don't know why. I'm still doing well in all my classes. A's so far. I think I'm just scared that I will have worked so hard and blow it at the end. My goal is to have myself numerically in a place where I have a little wiggle room when it comes to the final. I'm more nervous about the Psych final than my 2 Anatomy & Physiology finals because it's worth more. My A&P finals are worth 100 points combined, but my Psych final is worth 200.....40% of my total grade.

7. My free trial period of MS Office expired on my laptop. The University Bookstore has the student version for much cheaper than other stores. I'll likely head over there tomorrow to get it. I tried to apply for a job online today and can't cut and paste my resume any longer since Office Expired. Seriously, Bill Gates, sometimes I think you're an asshole. Like I didn't pay enough for my laptop.

8. I have about 500 pictures in my camera. I'd like to upload them to the external hard drive and put a few on Flickr.

9. I was trimming the Wonderdog's nails the other day and she flinched and I cut one way way way too short. Poor thing bled for the whole night. I felt horrible. Still do as she's still favoring it.

10. The sun is out. I'm going to open all the blinds and hope for some good energy.

For Chili

2008-03-30T22:19:00.002-04:00

Chili's been waxing poetic about students who are unhappy with their failing grades. She's copied emails so we can poke fun of and roll our eyes at the sheer lack of grammar skills. We're shallow, so what.

Do you remember the guy I told you about in my Psych class who said he failed a test because his lecture notes printed in the wrong order? This guy emailed THE WHOLE CLASS instead of the professor with the reason he could not attend class this evening. Now, I'd like to preface this by saying that I am in no way making fun of having a sick family member and I'm so aware of the potential Karmic Retributions that I almost didn't post this at all. That said, here's the email. Word for word, spacing just as it was on the email.

This message is regarding a family member on life support at the [redacted name of medical institution].Iknow we have a quiz on chapters 17&18 and Ihave to turn in my reflection paper.I do not want miss class but these are tough times for me and my family. I am willing to do any amount of extra credit or whatever you seem that I should do.

Seriously? Wow, just....wow.

Hey, Mother Nature....

2008-03-27T22:40:00.001-04:00

ENOUGH. Just, enough. It's snowing....AND there is thunder and lightning. Seriously. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Polar bears and puppy love

2008-03-27T22:03:00.002-04:00

Booger's classmate had a birthday party at the zoo today. It was scheduled to last a bit under 2 hours. I was so excited about it because I was going to get to drop her off at the party and then walk around the zoo for a while. See some animals, get some exercise, have some alone time to clear my head. I had grand expectations for that time, I tell you. Except it was raining. Hard. So much for walking around the zoo and exercising. I did spend some time in the inside polar bear exhibit. It has a glass wall that shows both above and below the water. One of the babies (2 years old now, I think) was diving, swimming, and grabbing fish in the tank. It was really cool to watch. I forgot my camera, of course, but I took some cute pictures on my phone. But I don't know how to get them off of my phone. You'll just have to trust me - the pictures, they are cute. Oh, you can see the polar bears anytime here. Click on the animal cam link, you can see seals, polar bears, elephants and others.

Bedtime has never really been a huge deal here. We're big on the bedtime routine and always have been, so that helps. There's a system to bedtime. Bath, snack, snuggle/reading, brush teeth and go potty, then bed. She's usually asleep within 10 minutes and rarely fusses. (god, I'm totally jinxing myself saying that out loud.) During the last few weeks, this routine also includes lining up her stuffed animal friends along the side of her bed so they can sleep with her. Tonight there were 9 of them. The number varies nightly. I remember doing this, too, and find it incredibly sweet. Maybe she'll be a vet when she grows up.

Speaking of growing up, I think I'm changing my major. More on that as things develop.

One more thing, I am thinking of getting a Blackberry. We have Sprint and are locked into at least one more year of contract, so an i-phone's out. Anyone have a Blackberry? Do you love it? I'm planning on starting school full time instead of part time, so I figure this little toy would help kill time between classes.

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-03-20T17:22:00.003-04:00

I love dessert. In all honesty, I could totally skip the main dish and just eat dessert. Not to say I don't love the main dish, because I do. Actually, I like the side dishes more than the main dish and dessert more than the sides. Sheesh, I'm complicated. Because I have such an affection for dessert, I have a wide array of favorites. They vary from the very basic homemade concoctions to elaborate restaurant overpriced towers of sugar. Here are ten of my favorites, in no particular oder. What are your favorites?

1. Pineapple upside down cake. Baked about 4 minutes too long so that the corners are extra crunchy. With extra cherries.

2. Slighty-thawed frozen blueberries with frozen Cool Whip. I can almost convince myself it's ice cream, HEALTHY HEALTHY ice cream.

3. Cold Stone Creamery. My usual is cheesecake ice cream topped with black cherries and mini chocolate chips.

4. Graham crackers dipped in frosting.

5. Cheesecake. Enough said.

6. Chocolate cake with buttercream frosting.

7. Creme Brulee', though I never get to have it because I'm cheap and tend to not order it. I need one of those handy torches so I can make it at home.

8. Peanut butter pie.

9. Strawberry shortcake when strawberries are in season.

10. Peanut butter apple crisp.

Ten Things Almost Wednesday

2008-03-18T22:00:00.003-04:00

Hiya! How's it going? I bombed my Psych quiz Sunday. No, really. Spring Break threw me all off my rhythm and here it's Easter this weekend so no school again. Crap. I need to get my groove back! (Call Stella) (anyone get that joke? anyone? Bueller??) We have the wonderful opportunity to throw out the lowest quiz score and that's just what I'm planning to do. According to the email from the Professor, we'll also have the opportunity to take the quizzes home, look up the answers we missed - write a few sentences for each answer and potentially get 1/2 of the missed points back. (Holy run on sentence, Batman!) I'm going to do that....more for the study part of it than the points since I plan to throw it out....but it's a buffer in case I blow another one. In honor of blowing the quiz, I'm going to tell you ten things about my Psych Class.

1. We meet once a week on Sunday evenings.

2. The girl who sits next to me came in 2 weeks ago with a brace on her hand. She told me about how she was in a car accident and broke her hand. 15 minutes later, the brace was off, her laptop was open and she was reading MySpace and instant messaging on AIM with some buddies. Psych notes no where to be found.

3. During class on week 6, a student asked how many classes she had missed so far. (They take attendance and we accumulate points for showing up and participating.) She had missed three out of six. The same student asked the professor why she couldn't take the test she missed the week before.

4. I'm not the oldest student in the class. But I'm pretty sure I'm the second oldest.

5. My professor drives a red Shelby Mustang Cobra. It's hot.

6. I have yet to score a 100% on one of my papers. I disagree with his grammatical changes on the last one I got back. He deducted 1 point for "minor errors." I don't think they are errors. I'm considering posting it here so you all can tell me who's right. I doubt I'll need that one point later, but you never know. Good thing I know a couple English professors!

7. One student said - out loud and in front of the whole class - that he failed one of the quizzes because the powerpoint slides he printed were out of numerical order, so he studied them that way and THAT IS WHY HE FAILED.

8. There's the one student who has to top everyone else's comment. Oh, caffeine is addictive? Well, I can drink it and it has no affect on me. Oh, you stayed up for 29 hours, I stayed up for 4 DAYS SO THERE. This goes on all night every night we have class. So fun.

9. I like the one student who shimmies her hips, bats her eyelashes and flings her hair and will keep doing it until one of the guys in the class notices. Please tell me I was never that obnoxious. I know I had my moments, but seriously. She's ridiculous.

10. This class makes me consider researching a career in Psychology. I sure wish I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up.

The Internet suddenly doesn't seem so big

2008-03-17T19:27:00.004-04:00

When I began writing online (over at Myspace of all places), I won't deny having grandiose hopes of becoming famous. Thousands of readers thinking I'm smart, funny, and oh yeah....beautiful! I'm not famous and thousands of people don't read what I write, but I still came out a huge winner. One day, I received a comment from this fabulous beauty who found my blog from NaBlo (I think, Chili, do you remember?) She and I hit it off online and began to keep up with each other's lives. Her friend, O'Mama came over to check me out and we hit it off as well. Last summer, when R was getting ready for surgery, O'Mama sent me a care package. It was so kind of her.

O'Mama's got all sorts of anxiety this week as she prepares for the party of the century, which happens to coincide with her daughter's Bat Mitzvah. I decided to send a little care package to help (hopefully) bring a smile. O'Mama received the package today and called to let me know that it successfully arrived.

I've never met her in person. Never talked to her on the phone before today. I know what she looks like, as we've exchanged family holiday photos and the like. When we talked today it was like we've been friends for years. No awkward silence, no strange introduction, just free flowing banter. It was FANTASTIC. We talked and talked and talked and TALKED. And I can't wait until we talk again.

Had it not been for my blog, I never would have met her, Chili, Kizz, Lanie, Professor J, Wayfarer and so many others. I'm grateful for this little blog. It's not only allowed me an outlet for all sorts of drama and angst, it's a place I now come to hang out with my friends. Who cares if I've never actually met them.

Motivation

2008-03-16T16:35:00.003-04:00

This week in Psych, we discussed motivation. This is my paper on the topic (rough draft.) Tell me, what motivates you?

Motivation. It propels us through the day. It can help a man with no legs walk, a deaf man compose beautiful music, a 35 year old woman go back to college. It's something that is usually so obvious, but when you ask someone to tell you a definition, they can't. Introduction to Psychology defines motivation as such: "Motivation refers to the various physiological and psychological factors that cause us to act in a specific way at a particular time." What that definition doesn't reflect is how a person's motivation changes throughout their life. We use motivation before we understand the word or its definition. As we grow and mature, our motivation changes. Personally, my motivation has changed too many times to count.

As a child, I was motivated by praise. The praise of my Dad, in particular would make me feel as though I were ten feet tall. My dad isn't very physical with his affection. I always knew he adored me, but he never actually said it. He never yelled, never got too excited, he was just a mild tempered man. When I could manage some sort of outward sign of his approval, it was nothing short of awesome. That need for his approval and affection never really went away, other motivators simply showed up to push and shove their way to the top.

In my early teens, my motivation started to lean toward earning tangible rewards. If I completed chores around the house, I was rewarded with things like teen magazines, music (cassettes!), video games, and clothes. My mother always reminded me that I had to earn these things, they were not simply given to me. Because I was too young to get a job, I worked around the house. Cleaning, doing laundry, mowing the grass, washing the dishes. To this day, washing dishes is my least favorite household chore.

Once I passed my driver’s test, getting my own car became my motivation. I worked at the mall and saved all the money I could. I tried to convince my Dad to sell me his 1972 Chevy Corvette Stingray, but he wouldn’t budge. He sold it simply so that I knew, for sure, I had no shot of ever even driving that car! The lingering motivation of having that car is still with me, especially considering he sold it and bought me a 1977 Chevy Caprice Classic with no muffler. Seriously, I was hoping for a chariot and ended up with a tank.

As an 18 year old college student, sadly, I was not motivated to succeed academically. I was motivated by things like making friends, partying with those friends, and making the most of being “on my own.” I pushed the people away who would remind me that perhaps I was not choosing a successful path. I took academics for granted and assumed I would succeed as I had in High School, attend class and succeed; no extra work required. College was more challenging, but I was not prepared for it and withdrew with such a feeling of failure.

As an adult, I am motivated by several things. They include, of course, the ones you would expect: health, money, and happiness. Thrown in there for me, though, are things like self respect, trustworthiness, excelling as a wife, mother, and friend.

Many people look back on their lives with regret and feelings of “what if.” Fortunately I do not have many regrets in my life. The single one I do have is soon to be remedied. I am back in college and will get my degree. This time will be different, the motivation is there. Finally.

Ten Things

2008-03-12T13:26:00.005-04:00

I'm inspired by Chili's ten things this week. She collects, or has, or enjoys dragonflies. I collect, or have, or enjoy way too many different things. It's part of my, uh, freak. Also, my OCD, but the OCD police call it hoarding and I'm offended by that because I do not get paid to keep this crap. Oh, they don't mean whoring? My bad. Too much NY news in my head, I suppose. (rimshot, please. Thank you, I'll be here all week, don't forget to tip your waitress.) (On that note, here's the best line of that whole news cycle: Sptizer Swallow?) (Okay, I'm done.)

Anyway, as I was trying to sleep last night I remembered I forgot (?) to write a TTT. While trying to think of what to write, I wondered if I could come up with 10 things I collect. It was much too easy to do. I'm a bit embarrassed. Ah, well....here's the list.

1. Dolphins - Figurines, not actual live dolphins. They don't like the soap scum on my tub. I'm not sure when the collecting started, but it was in my teens. Then, for many many years that seemed to be the only gift I ever received from anyone ever. Finally, about 10 years ago I said ENOUGH ALREADY. I love them so much they are in a box somewhere in the garage.

2. Make Up - Why can't I throw away that blue eyeshadow? WHY?!?!?!

3. Books - I have so many and I know there are many I'll never read a second time. I'm holding out hope for built in bookshelves or a *gasp* library room.

4. Black shoes. Chunky heeled black loafers, strappy heels, satin pumps, comfy flats, mules, you name it.

5. Clothes that I don't wear or that don't fit. My closet is full. So full I can never find anything. I would guess I don't wear 75% of what's in there. Maybe 65% if I keep the fancy digs that only get dusted off once and a while. Every time I sort through and bag up stuff, I feel like it's a total waste of money and feel guilty and promise to wear it. Then I never ever wear it. Help.

6. Hair styling products. Holy Mother I am such a sucker for new hair stuff.

7. Sharpie markers. I have probably 3 dozen. But I don't want to talk about it.

8. Handbags. I inherited this from my Granny. I love me some purses. This is the one I'm currently coveting.

9. Cookbooks. This should have it's own category because they're kept in a different place. I keep them on a shelf in the dining room. There are 11 up there. I have such grand plans for those cookbooks, but usually just cook the same old stuff. Why is that? Oh, I know - I always forget to buy the ingredients I need. Duh.

10. Music. R and I planned to import or CD collection onto an external hard drive. We completed a handful, but I just can't part with the actual CD. What if the EHD crashes and I am without a copy of my favorite obscure 80's songs?

What do you collect??

2008-03-09T19:16:00.004-04:00

Time is a funny thing. It's been almost 8 months since R's surgery. It seems like yesterday and it seems like years ago. Our daily lives haven't exactly changed much. I think we appreciate the monotony of day to day life more; no, I know we do. Here's the thing...and this is going to be really hard for me to write because I know he'll read it. I sometimes think he has forgotten.

Not completely forgotten, because hello - impossible. Just sort of forgotten. I've mentioned before that he wants to run a marathon, right? (Wayfarer, I'm going to put the two of you in touch). Well, I simply don't want him to. I feel like a little kid who wants to stomp up and down and whine and wave my hands in the air shouting I DON'T WANT YOU TO! R has an appointment with his cardiologist tomorrow for a follow up. I'm not going. It's the first appointment since before his surgery that I'm not joining him. There are a couple of reasons why. I have to work, but could get out of it. I think I'm trying to step away from a situation in which I could quite possibly have my little tantrum about not wanting him to do the stupid marathon. I'll look like a fool, I'll embarrass R and myself and it just would not be good. I told him before that if the cardiologist approved it, I would stop bitching about it. I'm not sure I can stand by that, but that's what I said.

I'm all for R being active. Play tennis, run for fun. Run in a few lower-mileage races, like 10K or something. But please, for Pete's sake, don't run a marathon. Please. I'm begging you. Yes, millions of people run them every year and live. People who are worse off than you. But people die, too. And don't give me that sorry ass story about how you could die walking out of the house. I get it. But it's not the same. It's not. It's not the same when you watch them wheel your husband down the hall on a stretcher and you're not sure if it's the last time you'll ever see him. It's not the same when you see him covered in iodine, lying on a gurney, with a machine breathing for him. It's not the same when you see, every day; the long vertical line on his chest where just a few months before, a man had his hands inside there coaxing his heart to start beating again. It's not the same and no one will ever convince me that it is.

I can't help but feel like if he chooses to run this god damned marathon, he's choosing that over me. And that's selfish and horrible, but it's true. I absolutely hate myself for not being able to support him on this. But I just can't.

Tell me I'm being irrational. But, please, also, tell me you understand. Because I sort of feel like I'm just a selfish brat.

Primary Day

2008-03-04T08:11:00.003-05:00

It's a big day here in Ohio. Don't forget to get out there and vote. Together we can change the world. Even if we disagree on certain policies, voters coming together can indeed change the world. How do you think people like Adolf Hitler were stopped? People came together and changed the world. Slavery was abolished because people came together and changed the world. We're helping save lives in Darfur because people are coming together to change the world. Women can vote today because we came together and changed the world. We can fix education if we come together and change the world. We can do so many things...so many great things....

Yes we can!

Feminism my ass.

2008-03-02T10:45:00.007-05:00

Warning: political content ahead. I'm all for logical, thoughtful, polite, and perhaps non-bitchy political debate. Please read what I am about to write is simply my opinion. I'm not trying to persuade you. If you'd like to ask me why I feel certain ways, I will tell you. If you feel differently than I do, well, that's because different thinking makes the world a better place.

I happened upon an episode of Larry King Live the other night. His guests included a few political talking heads and several celebrities, many of whom are well known for their political activism. Among these guests were Ben Stein, Fran Drescher, and oh so handsome Bradley Whitford. Oh, Sean Astin was there, too.

There was some great discussion and I enjoyed many things they talked about. There were many good points made in favor of all three major candidates. (Sorry, Mr. Huckabee, you've lost your status as a major candidate in my book.) The discussion was all going swimmingly until Fran Drescher opened her mouth and all sorts of stupid spewed out.

According to Ms. Drescher, and I'm paraphrasing here, I should vote for Hillary Clinton for one reason and one reason only. She and I both have a vagina. It is my duty and obligation to my vagina that I not consider any other factors in voting. Hillary Clinton has a vagina. I have a vagina. The end. Here's the quote, copied from the transcripts here: "I think that we should not forget that one of the choices here is for this century being about women. And I think that globally, women's rights are eroding. If we women don't take this opportunity to hire this chubby middle aged women with heavy calves, who is willing to fight for us and fight for women's rights and -- you know, she's had a child. She's raised a fine young daughter."

Are you KIDDING me, Fran? John McCain doesn't care about women's rights? Barack Obama doesn't care about women's rights? They couldn't possibly care about women's rights because they are men? This is ridiculous. There is so much more to consider when deciding whom to vote for. I'm a woman who cares deeply about women's rights. I care about health care, the economy, the war in Iraq, education, and oh so many other things. I care about finally having a President who can walk into a meeting with foreign leaders with an open mind. I care about having a President who can, for the first time in a generation, motivate everyday people to care about their country, to believe that they can actually make a difference...no matter how small.

I want a president that I can be proud of.

I think it is time for this nation to move in a different direction and I just don't think having a Clinton as president is the way to do it. With that name comes a crapload of baggage. We just don't need more baggage.

So, Fran Drescher, I will not be voting for Hillary Clinton and her vagina. In fact, Hillary Clinton should be insulted that you think I should.

quick update

2008-02-25T15:23:00.003-05:00

I somehow managed A's on both tests this weekend. I swear to you I don't know how. I guess it proves how much showing up to each class, paying attention, and participating help along with studying after. Hell, on my psych test, there was a 3 point bonus question and I only was able to answer 1/3 of it. Then I wrote this: flu all week, way off my game! Maybe he gave me the points for that! I scored 29/30! WOOT! A&P I only missed one as well. This info alone helps me feel better!

I'm trying to get into the honors program at local small university. I mean, if I'm going to do this, I might as well do this right.

Proof of dedication

2008-02-24T15:37:00.003-05:00

I am missing a chance to see the Senator from Illinois speak at Local University because it runs into the time I have class this evening. It's KILLING me not to go. But, when I decided to take classes, I decided that once and for all, they would take priority. Not over my family, but over everything else.

That said, dear Senator from Illinois, would you please promise to come back soon? Pretty please? For me?

Um, help.

2008-02-22T14:18:00.003-05:00

I'm studying for Anatomy & Physiology. This chapter (quiz tomorrow) is mainly organic chemistry and such. So, yeah. Big fun. Due to the nature of the subject, it is mainly strict memorization, which I struggle with as a whole. All of our quizzes and exams are multiple choice which help me because, if you don't mind my saying so, I have mad deductive reasoning skills. MAD SKILLS, YO.
Okay, so misery loves company. This is the word and definition I'm working on right this very second.

ESTERS: Similar to carboxylic acids, except that the H of the OH is replaced with a carbon group. They have a carbon with a double bond to oxygen and a single bond to a different oxygen which is bonded to another carbon.

Yeah. That's what I said, too. Since it is multiple choice, I'm hoping memorizing this as "the one with the long ass definition" will suffice.

So goes Ohio

2008-02-22T09:59:00.005-05:00

So goes the nation. Isn't that what they say? Our primary is approaching. Senator Clinton is in town today and Senator Obama will be here Sunday. Senator McCain was here yesterday...just in time to scramble for a location to do a press conference to deny those allegations about the lobbyist. I can't help but note the locations they are going to be/have been and compare that to their campaigns. Mr. McCain was at a local restaurant for a "town hall meeting." Mrs. Clinton will be at a local high school, while Mr. Obama will be at the local university indoor stadium. Coincidence? I don't think so.

I'm still fighting this flu, fever of 103.4 yesterday. That was fun. A bit better today, though. I have some studying to do for a couple quizzes this weekend. Anyone have any tips about memorizing carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids and the like?

Book meme

2008-02-21T08:51:00.003-05:00

Lanie Painie tagged me pre-flu. My apologies for the delay. My thanks for easy blog fodder.

Here are the Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people & post a comment here once you post it to your blog, so I can come see.

My book is The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

We are about halfway through the crossword. My attention has drifted. "Read that one again, child," says Grandma.

I don't normally tag, but if you haven't already done this one, feel free.

I'm going to go rest some more.

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-02-19T14:16:00.003-05:00

Too Much Information version. (I apologize in advance). 10 things I've done since 5 P.M. last evening.

1. Sustained a fever of 102.9.
2. Threw up.
3. Slept in 10 minute increments all night.
4. Slept in much longer increments today.
5. Did not get out of bed today until 1:45.
6. Threw up 6 or 7 more times.
7. Apologized to R eight or nine hundred times for being sick.
8. Said a silent thank you for a husband who rubs your back and holds your hair while you're in a less than attractive over-toilet position.
9. Managed to drink a whole can of Ginger Ale and haven't yet seen it again.
10. Cursed and moaned and been overall more miserable than I can ever remember being.

Procrastination

2008-02-15T21:39:00.003-05:00

I knew I had my first Anatomy & Physiology Lab exam tomorrow. Since we had the lecture exam last week and I didn't fail it, I figured I would be okay. Thought I would review the lab reports we've done so far and go to bed. Then and only then did I remember that FUCK I haven't even finished the lab reports. They are all due tomorrow. Whoops.

So, yeah. I'll be up for a bit.

I'm studying, finishing lab reports, and sending good thoughts to my buddy, Kizz, who's likely on stage right now in Brooklyn.

Love is...

2008-02-14T10:00:00.004-05:00

Love is the first person you want to tell when something good happens.
Love is someone who never complains when you steal all the blankets.
Love is making your daughter laugh until she cries.
Love is the one who laughs at your jokes, even when they aren't funny.
Love is being married for almost nine years and still feeling like a newlywed.
Love is working overtime so your spouse can go back to school.
Love is never complaining about having your household income cut in half.
Love is surviving open heart surgery.
Love is putting up with me, an undeniably impossible job.

Love is being married to my best friend.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Guilty pleasure

2008-02-13T14:16:00.001-05:00

I just spent WAY too much money getting my hair(s) cut, colored, highlighted, and styled. It looks better than it has in at least a year, but the guilt......OH THE GUILT.

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-02-12T08:42:00.000-05:00

Ten things about which I am passionate. (In no particular order.) (Pretty sure I stole this idea, but can't find the entry to link.)

1. Being a good mother, wife, daughter, aunt, friend.
2. Thinking of others before myself. (sort of the same as #1)
3. Learning new things.
4. Trying to reconnect with friends whom I've lost touch with a bit.
5. Grammar (shocking, right?)
6. Chocolate (lame, but true....I gave up chocolate for Lent and it is HARD, people.)
7. Writing, reading and reading great writing.
8. Humor
9. Politics (yes, really)
10. Earning a college degree. This means so much to me. Knowing that I am finally on the path is so energizing!

What are YOU passionate about?

Update

2008-02-11T15:27:00.000-05:00

"In my house, anyone who uses one word when they could have used ten just isn't trying hard."
~Martin Sheen as President Bartlet on The West Wing.

I have to write 5 two page papers for my psych class throughout the semester. We can turn these papers in anytime and I turned my first one in last week. I didn't really know what to expect from it. The directions are vague - 1 to 2 page reflection paper about something we talked or read about the previous week. No research, sources, etc. Simply critical thinking and applying something we learned in class to real life. I don't really do vague. Don't get me wrong, I can spew 2 pages on anything (which is probably why I like the above quote so much!) I turned in the paper and received a grade of 19 out of 20. I'm thrilled with that, though disappointed that I didn't get 20. God, I'm such a perfectionist. I realized, though, that I can NOT proof read my own stuff. I forgot how much I suck at it. I can proof the hell out of someone else's. But when I proof my own, I just don't see the mistakes, I read it as it should be, not as it is. I'm sure this isn't uncommon. Anyway, since R read it and missed a few things, I am tempted to just post the next one here and ask to have it edited. You game? I know you are!

Remember the first Psych quiz I was so worked up about? Well, we've already had another one....I'm doing really well in that class and have aced both quizzes! I have high B in Anatomy, but my exam in the lab this week should help bring that up. I am surprized how much I'm enjoying myself. I studied for about 5 hours on Sunday and so far I love it. I'm sure I'll be stressing out at some point, but for now, I'm doing pretty well.

Grammar Snob

Anxiety Attack? Check.

Hi there!

Miscellaneous

December 8

New year, new calendar!

December 1, 1987

update

All over the place.

Trouble in River City

Books!

perfect

It's deja vu all over again.....

Ten random thoughts

Blackberry test

Seriously

NaBloPoMo

Ten Things Tuesday

Hard.

Enough

Things that annoy me Friday

Ten Things Tuesday

The Toast

**tap tap** is this thing on?

Ten Things

Effing Flu

Will you join us?

Run, JRH, run!

hi....and help!

Thankful

Picture meme and some other stuff.

Ten Things - Random version

Pointing out the obvious.

Yes we can.

Election Day

Monday Meme

Shocking....not!

NaBloPoMo

The Journey - post op

Speechless

The Race

The Journey

Wonderdog Update

I know I'm treading on thin ice, but...

The Wonderdog

Ten Things Tuesday

Ten Things Tuesday

Review of Mike Huckabee's RNC Speech

College tales and and update

I did the right thing......right?

Ten Things

Please pass the popcorn

Ten Things - Vacation Edition

Coming Soon

How do you measure a year?

Concerts

How to cure a case of the blahs....

Ten Things

Yes, it's really me.

Ten Things Tuesday

Ten Things Tuesday

Ten Things Tuesday

Where's Waldo? He's in my trunk.

It's been a good week

Ten Things.....on TUESDAY!

Cramming

R's story

The journey

Navigation tips

Question of the day

Finally

Gah

My husband is a rockstar

Randomness

Ten things

Studying Snob

Ten Things

For Chili

Hey, Mother Nature....

Polar bears and puppy love

tap tap is this thing on?