Taking a negative and turning it into a positive.

For the first time ever, I don't have a job and it's not due to my choice.  The owners of our location were financially unable to keep our center open.  They locked the doors last Saturday and that's it.

I purchased a three week yoga pass a few months ago, but could never find the time to commit to going on a consistent basis.  I now have the time. 

Instead of moping on the couch for a few weeks until I get this icky feeling off of me, I've decided to turn the job loss into a positive and spend the next three weeks working on me.  The whole me--physical and mental.

I completed my second class in two days this morning and I feel great!

things that suck

Here's a list of things that suck:

1. watching your son realize that people are not honest.  despite your best efforts, people will let you down and take what does not belong to them.  and, given an opportunity to redeem themselves, they'll take the wrong path and lie.  that's pretty heavy for a ten year old to take in.  i am looking forward to the karma train for this individual.
2. snow.  i'm done with it.  we're supposed to get more.  it's pretty and all, but really--bring on spring.
3. people who leave their cars parked on the street with a forecasted 10" snowfall.  you have a driveway.  why don't you utilize it?  street parking does not allow the plows to fully work a street correctly.  your inability to park in your driveway turned our street into a one way street.

looking forward to a non-sucky day.

Now available with an undeviated septum!

I underwent surgery last week to repair my deviated septum.  Recovery has been much easier than I anticipated.  I spent the first 24 hours in bed, mostly sleeping and taking pain meds.  Oozing was minimal, and absorbed by the sweet gauze mustache that Jeff crafted for me. I kept that for about two days and then shed the 'stache.

There was tenderness in the tip of my nose, and because of the splints, I couldn't really blow or rub my nose.  I will admit that I shined a flashlight up my nose to see what these splints looked like.  I figured it was kinda like a bent paperclip, only silicone.  No biggie, right?

The doctor took them out today.  This picture is not actual size.  These are about 2 ½ long and about an inch or so wide.  Think back to preschool with macaroni art.  Stick a ziti noodle on a piece of cardboard and that's about what I had up in my nose.  (Flexible, though.)  Oh, and they weren't this clean, either...but I'll spare you that.

I've been cleared to resume all normal activities (gotta get back to C25k!) and will go back in a month to make sure all of the swelling has gone down and I've healed properly.

The tip of my nose is a bit stiff and tender.  My front teeth are tingly.  All of this should go back to normal over the next few months.

And, the best part, I can breathe!  Air is something, isn't it?  

Nose job.

I'm getting a nose job on Wednesday.  Well, not in the sense that my nose will look different, although I will admit that I considered it for a beat or two.  After years of not knowing why I can't breathe properly and breathing heavily at night, I decided to look into the reason.  Long story short and a camera stuck up my nose later, it was discovered that I have a deviated septum. 

I'm looking forward to being able to breathe properly.  Keeping as positive as I can tonight.

playing with Picnik

I took this sweet picture of Jenna while on a hayride last week. I thought I'd mess with it a bit in Picnik. Which version do you like best?


The Original

Version #1

Version #2

Version #3

Go Phillies!

Here's a look at the flower bed in our front yard.  Go Phillies!!

Barb.

I went to a viewing tonight for a woman that was 49 years old.  She went to the hospital last Sunday with flu-like symptoms.  Expected to get some fluids and be on her way.  She was diagnosed with leukemia and died three days later.

It's sobering to watch a family grieve.   Parents burying their child.  Children burying their mother.  A husband burying his wife.  It's a reminder of reality: Life comes and goes without warning. 

Maybe sobering isn't the right word to use.  Sobering indicates clarity and my mind is not clear right now.  It's going in several different directions, none of which are positive.  Yes, it's a part of life.  No, I don't like picturing it.  Not necessarily when it's my turn, but when my loved ones begin to go. 

Carpe diem.

FDOS 2010

    

Sweet Baby James Feels the Earth Move

I've often said that James Taylor provided the soundtrack to my childhood. My parents played his albums (yes, albums) on what seemed to be a continual loop. His music has always been a happy place for me, and I've seen him play live throughout my life. I'm pretty certain that I survived through the early months of my first child's life because of James Taylor's music. Being a new mom with a baby in a state where we knew nobody wasn't easy all the time. The music helped keep me calm and level headed while I tried to figure out this mom gig that was now my life.

My mom mentioned that he would be touring with Carole King in our area and that she wished she could go. I hopped online and found tickets, and we decided to buy them and go. The show was on June 22nd. I was a little unsure about the Carole King aspect, but an opportunity to see JT was well worth it.

The show was amazing! The stage was set in the round, and the original band got back together for this tour. The music was fantastic, and even though I've seen JT in concert several times, it never got old. Carole King's voice was explosive and powerful, and as it turns out, I did recognize a lot of her songs. They played off each other, and it was evident that they were really enjoying themselves.

It was an incredible night- and I'm glad that Mom and I could share that together.

Beetlejuice

It's been hot. Really hot. Legs sticking to the seat of the chair hot, and they are cloth seats. Our house is older, and the air condenser unit is probably 20+ years old. We've had issues with it, and each time we are told that we should really consider replacing it soon. It kicked on with no issues this summer, so we figured we were safe for another year.

Until the unit wouldn't kick on...

With a forecast predicting mid to upper 90︒ temperatures, this was not a good thing. I called our trusty service company, but they were unavailable for the day. Thankfully a friend of ours asked her friend to check out our unit. As he dug in and surveyed the situation, he located the problem. Avoiding technical jargon, there's a plunger that moves up and down when the thermostat kicks on. This plunger allows electricity ("juice") to flow and kick the condenser unit into gear.

There was a beetle crushed under the plunger. A beetle was preventing the juice from flowing. Thus, Beetlejuice.

It's an easy fix, and we're thankful that our friend was able to detect the problem and that it wasn't incredibly involved.

Wordle

It's been a while since I've created a Wordle. I like that happy is one of the biggest words! Click the Wordle to see it in all its glory...



Make one for your blog and link it here. I love to see Wordles!

Eye've been ripped off.

I opened up a bill from my pediatrician, glanced over the charges and one caught my eye. $9 for a vision check for my son that happened 3 months ago.

Here's the ultra complicated and highly technical vision check procedure:

Jake stands on a line at the end of a hallway while a nurse walks down to the other end. It's a not so brightly lit hallway.

Jake covers one eye and reads the lines as the nurse points to the letters. As she does this, she hits the chart with her hand causing it to swing. Repeat to check the other eye, and then again with both eyes uncovered.

After it's over, she proclaims he has 20/20 vision.

For this, I just learned that I get charged $9.

WTF?

I called the pediatrician, and after I explain what I wrote above to the office manager, she said, "Yep. It's $9 if your insurance company doesn't cover it."

I can't believe they charge anything for this exam.