the_gm's Journal

12:50pm: A Day in the Life
Had a little work done on the female plumbing yesterday. Surprisingly, I’m just a tad achy and not feeling too bad.

So, what did I have done?
Hysteroscopy, D&C (which included biopsy)

Why?
Well, why not? :)
I haven’t been feeling my best for quite sometime. After my last yearly came back clean, I asked to see a specialist. Turns out that nagging feeling that something was wrong was correct. See my earlier post for all of that info.

What happened?
Basically, after freaking out about what might be wrong, what could go wrong, and basically feeling like a whiney cry baby about the whole affair, I went to a local surgical center where I was checked in, started on an IV for fluids, had some last minute blood and urine work done, and met with my docs.

After all of that, I was walked down the hall, had to confirm with the surgical nurses that I knew what my procedure was, what it was for, my name, and so forth. They propped me up on a surgical table and started my anesthesia. I noted outloud that the lighting looked funny, and I didn’t like that. Then everything went black in the blink of an eye. That was creepy.

I had crazy dreams. They seemed incredibly vivid and horrible at the time, but now I could barely tell you what any of them were about. I woke up in recovery claiming that I had to save my friends. The nurse assured me that my friends were just fine. I had a minor panic attack as the dreams faded, and did a fair amount of shaking. The nurse was kind enough to provide a napkin for me to spit into. Man, that anesthesia tasted gross! I was afraid to swallow because I thought it would make me throw up.

As I looked from side to side, I noticed all of the other women in the recovery room were groggy, but I seemed sharp and completely aware of every little thing. It must have been because of the adrenaline pumping through my system. I sat up immediately, was told to lay back down, and I refused to do so. My intention had been to get up and leave. Instead, the nurse lifted the head of my bed so that I could see everything, and that calmed me down quite a bit.

A nurse asked if I felt okay, and would I like some pain medication? I declined because I didn’t feel any pain whatsoever. Another nurse asked her what kind of meds to grab for me, and the first nurse said, “She’s not claiming any pain.” The second nurse just shrugged and continued on to the next contestant.

I asked for a piece of gum instead because, “My mouth tastes like ass.” The groggy woman in the bed next to mine muttered, “She’s right.” To which I replied, “How does she know what my mouth tastes like?” The nurse laughed. At the time I didn’t think it was funny, but now the little exchange is giggle worthy.

I didn’t get the gum, but I did get a glass of iced tea. I swished it around in my mouth and was startled to learn that my lips were completely numb. It dribbled out onto my blankets, which made me cry. Why would such a thing upset me? Who knows?

I was rolled out of recovery to another room where I was walked to a chair and they brought Flash in. The nurse asked me if I wanted any pain medication again. I responded that the only medication I needed was him. And it’s true. I was right as rain as soon as I saw him.

After a bit, Flash helped me get dressed and off we went. I was still waiting with dreaded anticipation for the heaves to start, but instead I was hungry. No, let me revise that. I was ravenous. I sent Flash off to the store for a can of corn beef hash. It just sounded so good, even though the nurse had suggested crackers and water. Turns out that was the best canned meat I’ve ever had in my life.

I took a nap, and when I woke up, still no pain or queasiness. So I took another nap. And another one after that. Then supper. Then bed.

So here were are 24 hours later. I have minimal discomfort, not even enough to take a Tylenol for. My tummy feels good, and I’m planning on working this afternoon. So, all in all, it was just no big deal.

I’ll have another procedure coming up in the next month, after the wounds from this one heal. I have a couple of options of what could happen based on my test results, which come in sometime next week. So, not sure what the next step will be, except to say that I’ll have at least one more surgery to clean up what has been years worth of misfiring lady parts.

And then, I should feel like new.

9:50pm: Our Vacation to NY, Cliff Notes Version
10.15.2009
We got a late start thanks to work. On any other random Thursday, the phone might have rung twice. That particular day, it rang off the hook. It was 3 PM before we ever left DSM. We traveled like there was no tomorrow, finally stopping at 3 AM in Akron, Ohio.
No offense to the fine folks of Akron, but your town is a crap hole. From the torn up streets, to the confusing street signs, to the current renovations of the Days Inn (the room numbers were literally taped to the doors, and recently stripped up carpeting lay in piles in the hallways. As a side note, I had a perverse desire to change all of the room numbers around, but alas, I was too exhausted.)

10.16.2009
Off we went from the cursed land known as Akron. We made a mental note not to stop there on the way home. With about six hours of travel ahead of us, we settled in for the ride. Since we’d traveled in darkness the night before, we didn’t get to appreciate the incredible fall colors. Pennsylvania is gorgeous this time of year. Not only were the trees in their full fall glory, but a light snow filled the air. The combination of reds and stark whites was breathtaking. It was simply the most pleasant fall drive I’ve ever experienced. On the way we passed through Lordstown, famous for its huge Chevy plant. There was no one in the parking lot on a Friday mid morning. I noticed that there were tons of For Sale signs posted in the tidy yards visible from the interstate. I wondered how many people had been laid off, and for how long. We arrived at Hob’s place @ West Point at around 5 PM or so. D had been invited to a Halloween party at the local youth center, and so off she went. In the meantime, Hob, Dee, Flash and I sat down for a few Shastas and a bit of catch up chatter. Hob was in rare form, and I laughed all night.

10.17.2009
It was time for NYC! We loaded the kids up in the car and off we went. We met Billy at his place, and took the bus to the nearest subway station. Unfortunately for us, it was closed. We hopped the next bus and rode, and rode, and rode, to the 128th station. I must admit, I’d always thought that talk of rats in the subway was a kind of urban myth. Nope. It’s true. They hang out with no regard or fear of the humanity around them. We waited for quite a bit, and Billy decided, “Screw it! We’re taking the next train that comes through.” Call it terrible luck, or just a bad call, but we ended up on a local train. We traveled, and traveled, and traveled, going well past our appointed stop. Really, this would have been no big deal, except Flash had to pee. Badly. He claims that he learned the art of Zen whilest holding it. Breathe in, breathe out, repeat. We finally surfaced and after finding a bathroom and perhaps one of the finer slices of pizza I’ve ever had in my life, we headed to Times Square and Wall Street. I’d visited these places as a teen, but things have changed since 9-11. Security was very visible, even on a Sunday evening. They don’t fuck around in NY anymore. Billy took us to an overview of the Statue of Liberty, and that was cool. Also, he introduced us to the Fraunces Tavern, an incredible historical landmark where George Washington himself used to tip a drink or two back in his day. Also, we were able to visit where he took the oath. Pretty nifty stuff. At the end of the day, we headed back to Hob and Dee’s.

10.18.2009
Back to NYC. This particular day, Billy took us on a tour of the Natural History Museum, St. Pat’s Cathedral, Central Park (picked up some acorns and moon flower seed to plant as a fun reminder of our trip), St. Pete’s Cathedral, and all kinds of other general sight seeing. We had a blast, despite the cold and rainy weather.

10.19.2008
We returned to West Point, and Hob took us on a tour of the historic Army base and college. Every time you turned around you tripped over something historic. There were Revolutionary and Civil War monuments, statues of General Patton, and of course, the incredible architecture. Cadets moved between classes as we wandered about. I couldn’t help but wonder what it must be like to attend a school with such history and tradition. It was impressive, and worth the visit of you’re ever in the area. We also took a drive up Bear Mountain and visited the observatory. Like West Point, the mountain overlooks the Hudson River. From the mountain, you can see the NYC skyline. The trees had begun their fall turn, and against the bright blue sky, it seemed like it might be the prettiest place on earth.

10.20.2009
The girls wanted to go shopping. Turns out the second largest mall in America (behind the Mall of America) is a short drive from Hob and Dee’s place. We wandered a bit, and then had dinner and video games galore at Dave and Busters. I gotta admit, I have a soft spot for that chain. Kids and adults had a ton of fun.

10.21.2009
Hob was good enough to play tour guide once again and drove us to a town across the Hudson from West Point called Cold Spring. While the towns are only 2 miles apart, it took us 20 minutes or so to make the journey on the winding roads. Again, the weather cooperated and we had a fine time browsing the historic village. Did I mention the scenery? The east coast in the fall has to be the loveliest place I’ve ever vacationed.

10.22.2009
Caught a cold, and wasn’t feeling so hot. Took it easy while Flash and Hob played what seemed to be a million hours worth of Halo ODST. Despite the sneezes, had fun with a little BBQ and plenty of great company.

10.23.2009
Hob’s 33rd B day! There was much ODST and a little Batman that day. Took a walk down to the Px, which was interesting because Army was hosting Rutgers that day. Lots of traffic and revelers. On our short jaunt I picked up a few acorns with the intention of planting them as a fun reminder of our trip. We ate cheesecake to celebrate Hob’s day. It was tasty.

10.24.2009
We started the trip home (likely to the Hobart’s relief! Heh!) Traveled 12 hours and made it to Port of Indiana, where we stayed at a (thankfully) fully renovated and functioning Holiday Inn.
10.25.2009
Home before 5 PM. Tired, but feeling pretty great about our absolutely perfect vacation.

Thanks to all of the folks who played host and tour guide. Thanks to the folks who watched our place while we were gone. 

5:42pm: Endometrial Hyperplasia
Atypical, even.

C'mon, you know you wish you had it.

Okay, you don't, and I sure as hell wish I didn't either. However, sometimes thems the way the bones roll.

Basic jist of what it is: Endometrial hyperplasia is a condition of excessive proliferation of the cells of the endometrium, or inner lining of the uterus. Most cases of endometrial hyperplasia result from high levels of estrogens, combined with insufficient levels of the progesterone-like hormones which ordinarily counteract estrogen's proliferative effects on this tissue.

IOW, I got junk in the uterine trunk. I suspect this has been going on for quite sometime. After I had D, my lady functions were never quite right again. The last year or two have been particularly bad. So, when I went in for my yearly and I was given a clean bill of health, yet again, I asked to see a specialist. Turns out that nagging feeling that something was wrong was, well....right.

The real buggar of this is that I've developed some cell abnormalities. No, it isn't cancer, but it's the stuff that happens right before you get cancer.

Uterine cancer is a bad news bear, btw. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I certainly wouldn't pick it for myself.

So, what's the deal?
Ultrasound is on the 26th. After that, surgery to clean out the old plumbing on the 4th. W00t, eh?
After that, medication, follow ups, lifestyle changes, and a whole host of other not-so-pleasant- things to put up with for awhile.

Sometimes I really hate being a chick.

Take care out there.

3:05pm: Infuriated
Why yes, I am.

Thought I'd blog about it and somehow blowing off the steam would make me feel better. Yet, I'm so angry, hurt, and down right infuriated that I can't even write it down. I don't even trust myself to speak for fear that I'll say something that I might regret later.

I have a fair amount on my plate right now. Health stuff, work stuff, every day stuff. Last thing I needed was to add anger stuff to the list. But yet, here it is. W00t.

Yeah, I'll get through the seeing red phase. The hurt phase may take a little longer. Stupid feelings. Why are they always getting in my way?

10:26pm: Hey There Delilah
Times Square can't shine as bright as you...
I swear it's true.

9:22pm: Sometimes...
...it's just nice to hear someone say, "Thank you."

I always make it a point to say 'thanks', or 'I appreciate what you did', or even 'nice work out there.' It takes little effort to let someone know that they did a nice job. It's not too often that I get to hear someone do anything other than complain. So today, when I went to work (on a Sunday even! *gasp!*)and somebody noticed that and said, "Thanks for what you did."
Well, it felt pretty good.

The economy has finally taken its toll on us at work. Yes, we're fine. Business is still running, no one is getting laid off, paychecks still come every Friday like clock work. The difference is how hard you have to work to get anything moving. I swear it's like pulling teeth. My hope is because we weren't struck with 'the slows' earlier in the year like many of our competitors, that ours will be less severe and pass more quickly. But to put it in perspective, it's 9:30 at night, and I just sent out my last bid for the day. I'll send out more tomorrow, and the day after that too. My close ratio used to be 95%. Now it hovers at 50. This is not a reflection on me as much as it a reflection on the strange days we're living in. So the math is pretty simple. Do twice as many bids, and sales will remain steady. But all of that takes time. Tick tock, tick tock.

Ton and I did not get the chance to work on writing stuff last week. Seven days pass. Time waits for no one. Nothing gets done. For the record, I'm only disgusted with myself. I should have done research, prepped characters, or run scenario arcs. I did none of these things. Damn. How important is this thing to me anyway? Important enough that I left a pretty lucrative gig to give it a shot. And yet, here we are 790 days later, and I have no MS to show for it. *shakes head* Sometimes I can't even justify why I do what I do. Or rather, what I don't do. Enough about that. It sounds melodramatic when it's not. Just gotta get it moving.

But today, despite the flabbered situation, someone said thanks at work. It was a small thing, a simple thing, and yet it made my day. So thank you, person who made my day. And seriously, it was no big deal.

12:12pm: Never Forget
So here we are, at 9-11.
Funny how some events seem like they took place forever ago, and some like it was just yesterday.

School had just started up for the year. Since the main highway to town was closed for construction I had to take a rather lengthy detour to get D off on her day. I'm not sure if I told her I loved her as I dropped her off and I remember that bothered me. I now make sure that she always knows. I was on my way home listening to some morning radio program when I heard the news. I thought they were playing some sort of tacky joke, and that made me angry so I switched stations, but the news was the same. Our country was under attack. I called my folks. They were in Florida on a little R&R. I woke them up asking if I should pull D out of school, should I have Flash come home from work? I was a young mother with no clue of what to do. Waking Dad from a dead sleep, he didn't know what to do either.

I stayed glued to the internet. Even then, we didn't have TV in our home. CNN.com was so over loaded that they cut all pictures and graphics from their home page and I was left only with text filled screen and the drone of the radio to hear what was unfolding. I emailed a friend in NYC to try to find out if he was okay. It was so surreal.

I left D in school that day, and Flash came home at the usual time. We sheltered D from the news, the imagery, the horror of it all. We didn't talk about it in from of her. We instructed family to not let her see any TV reports. Not too long ago I asked her what she remembered about that day. The answer was, "Nothing, really." She was 5 at the time. I stand by that decision to protect her from what many of the kids her age saw that day.

Too many kids lost their innocence that day.

I'm not going to go on and on about how I think the world has changed since then, or what I think the political implications have been since. Rather, I just feel sadness for those who lost someone, and those who have lost someone in the aftermath. It was truly a dark time.

In contrast, a good friend comes home to see us today. We'll have a blast this weekend. Life goes on, but you never forget.

10:22am: Labor Day is Aptly Named
Spent the weekend over at Dego's place. On the agenda was maximizing the curb side appeal of the place. Mission accomplished. All three porches were painted and stained, a new patio installed, windows painted, flower beds weeded and updated, and perhaps most fun, we burned out an old stump. Everyone worked really hard to get everything done. Place looks great.

In other news, we continue to work on our window project. It'll probably take one more solid day of getting after it in order to call it a wrap. While I should do that today, I'm sort of hobbling around like an old woman from the weekend. Seriously considering taking the day off altogether, but I know I won't. Too much crap to get done.

On a brighter note, it's writing night. My project with Ton keeps rolling along. I'd really like to get the outline finalized so that the true fun can begin. Having said that, we're taking our time in making sure that the story is solid.

That's pretty much it. Have a good one.

8:47pm: Aw Yeah
How sweet are my new windows?

Suh-Weet. That's how much.

Day One of the install went pretty smoothly. Flash worked his tushie off. Yet another reason why I'm married to the coolest cat around. The new windows are high E, cool looking, and I'm pretty pleased with them thus far. Here's to hoping that they lower our energy costs.

While the interiors haven't been trimmed yet, I'm pretty stoked about that too. For the first time I'll have actual sills (for plants) and crown wraps at the top. It'll sure beat the 'builder grade' trim the old ones sported.

Anyway, a huge Super Big thanks to Flash and Wayne for all of their hard work. I'm loving my new windows.

:)

In other news, Ton and I continue to plug away at our new writing venture. While we've both agreed to keep quiet about our plans, I can tell you that the ideas are dropping like mana from the heavens. This is a far cry from beating my head against the keyboard wondering how to make this thing more exciting, or that thing more meaningful, or the other thing more humorous. So far, so good, and I'm really enjoying the process. Bonus points for anyone who can correctly guess our choosen pen name. ;)

That's it for now. Work is work, family is good, take care out there.

9:53am: It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Week in review:

Monday had us returning from the lake. We had a nice time. Highlight for me was sitting out on the end of the dock at midnight and watching the stars. Very peaceful.

Tuesday was work, work, work. Tried to catch a bit of the Perseid show before turning in, but I was just too plain pooped to stay up any later than 11.

Wednesday I had a marathon appointment. While it's true that everything that needed to be done for the client was done all at once, I prefer to break things up into 2 or 3 appts because that way I have time to review and research better solutions. Either way gets the job done, but spending 8 hours with someone is tiring and when you're tired you can make mistakes.

Thursday was writin' day. Ton and I are working on a new book. We're very excited, and things look very promising. That's about all I can say about it at this point. Also, made my first batch of home made marinara of the season from my garden grown veggies. Yummy.

Friday was a busy one, but I closed out the work week strong. I finished a number of draws, learned some new techniques, and made some bank. Also, my new Pella windows were delivered to the house. Can't wait to get these old drafty windows outta here.

Today, I'm off to photograph some of my work with Wen. My portfolio continues to grow, and with it, the complexity of the designs. Today's shoot will be of a contemporary take on the Arts and Crafts movement. Lots of sturdy lines with touches of whimsey here and there, but not so much as to cross the line into traditional. Depending on the project, I go full out to represent a certain time period or school of design. This project was fun because there was a subtle blending of two very different styles to create a warm yet masculine space. It's when Wen goes to photograph that I consider a project officially 'done'.
I really do enjoy this part of my work.

7:18pm: Welcome to the Machine
It must be the economy.
I've had more people wanting more for less than ever before. It's like folks can't understand that even though times are tough, comodities still cost what they cost, to say nothing of services. You don't work for free, and neither do I, so quit asking me to.
Sorta frustrating, especially since I'm more than happy to work things out so that everyone is a winner.


In other news, had a nice enough weekend. Got the garage cleaned out. Looks good.

BTW, anybody know a nice farm family that would be willing to take a nuetered male cat? Since we moved to town, Sandford has not adjusted well. He very much wants to be an outdoor kitteh, but leash laws in town prevent that. Sending him to the Animal Shelter is out of the question, as they'll just put him down. He's a great mouser, comes with his full shots, is fixed, and I'll toss in food to last through the rest of the year. He's a little touchy around other animals at first, but he adjusts. Really, he just wants to be an outdoor kitty again. Let me know if you know some place that would fit the bill.

Guess that's it for now.
Take care.

5:22pm: Strange Days
Should I be happy, sad, worried, carefree?
I've been all of these, and every shade of gray in between during the last week.

Explaining it all would be complicated and likely boring to you, dear reader, so I won't detail it. I will say it has to do with work, which I generally enjoy but has seen its share of the highest highs and lowest lows all in one tidy seven day period. How does that happen?!?! I suppose if I had to average it all out, I would say I'm to the good side by a small margin. Luckily, as quickly as a summer storm passes through, so did any work related complications. Yeah, I got a branch or two to pick up outta the yard, but the house still stands.

That's good, right?

A small dash of personal troubles tried to weasel their way into the fray, but I slammed the door shut on making mountains out of molehills. I'm glad I did. No one likes it when I lose my temper, especially me. Particularly when the argument isn't worth having or if it will simply hurt someone else. In situations like that you can be right or you can be happy. Take yer pick.

I suppose I don't have much to say. Just wanted to remind myself that even when things are looking dour, better days will show themselves soon enough. This last week is a stark reminder of that for me, and a confirmation that sometimes the better part of valor is to just keep your freakin' mouth shut.

6:04pm: Today Was a Good Day
Didn't even have to use my AK.

Work is rolling right along. Had two pretty important meetings today. It went really, really well. I felt confident, well informed, and well, good. In review, I can't think of a single thing I would have said or did differently. This is a far cry from how I used to feel about meetings. I'd get flustered, stressed, and relive them in my head over and over again as I nitpicked every nuance to death. I'd lay awake at night, thinking about what I coulda woulda shoulda done. No longer.

It's nice to not feel that way anymore. My last couple of 'big' meetings have gone equally as well. Smooth as silk with not an ounce of awkward. This is not to say that I can't improve. I'm certain I can. It's just that I know that I'm doing the best I can with the hand I've been dealt at any given time. That's good enough, and my paycheck agrees.

In other news, off to see Dego and clan. We're working on another writing project together. He's a natural choice as a partner in writing (for me, anyways.) Looking forward to getting back to producing some fun stories. I haven't done as much of that as I should have recently.

Take care.

5:30pm: What Started as a Normal Looking Funeral
....ended as a movie scene.

CUT!!!

Last weekend, Flash and I made the trek to C-town to take part in an indy flick. We shot on location at a funeral home, and at the pool side of a local family. The project is for a mutual friend, who is going to film school. Dego and I wrote the script, and Flash was quite dangerous as Mick the Bodyguard (tm).

There were lots of familiar faces and a few new ones on set. This is the second time that I've done script work. The first, for a guy out of New York, was a straight forward 'keyboard for hire' scenario. This time, I had a bunch of fun working with Ton on the scenes. Did I mention how dangerous Flash looked? He had the steely gaze and his one line, "Everything okay in there, boss?" down to a science. The local P.D. was informed about firearm props on the scene, and so you had these regular guys looking all Mafia. Very cool, and tons of fun. I also enjoyed watching the actors play their roles from behind the cameras. They really gave it their all.

The story itself isn't too in depth. It's your basic organized crime revenge plot. We're talking about a first year film student, here. Still, it was fun to work in theatre again. I'd forgotten how much I really enjoyed it.

If I can, I'll link the final movie here. I know parts and pieces are already on Facebook, but that link seems to be set to private. Hopefully our young director will post to YouTube or something similiar.

Speaking of Facebook, about 50 of you fine folks have sent me invites. I'm not ignoring you, but I'm not to certain of the ins and outs just yet. Also, I'm not clear on how anyone found me since I'm not using my name, but you did. ;^D The only reason I signed up on FB is to follow a friend who moved out of state. My blogging home is still on LJ and I don't foresee that changing. When I get some time to figure out how to work FB, I'll respond. God only knows when that will be! So, I do apologize if it seems I'm ignoring. I'm not, just haven't learned how to do all that needs to be done to maintain a FB acct.

In other news, work is busy, and I do mean busy. Family is good. Life rolls along.
Take care out there.

2:16pm: It's a Little Thing I Like to Call...
...


...Personal Responsibility.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31853449/?GT1=43001

And I quote:

"We all know that walking and texting is a tough combination -- but a Staten Island teen learned the hard way when she fell into an uncovered sewer manhole while trying to send a message.

Now, the family of Alexa Longueira, 15, intends to sue.

The girl suffered a fright and some scrapes on her arms back after she dropped into the hole on Victory Boulevard."


Seriously? What if she'd walked into traffic while texting and been hit by a car, would they sue the driver? What if she'd been driving and texting and hit someone else, would they sue the pedestrian? Does texting somehow relieve one of their own resposibility to their personal safety or the safety of others?

I think not.

Here's a crazy thought for her sue happy mom. Ground your kid from her phone for not using it responsibly and safely instead of blaming someone else for your kids mistake. While you're at it, be glad she didn't get herself killed because she couldn't be bothered to pay attention to what she was doing.

10:02am: Gooooood Lawd! Dats alotta money!
We're replacing our windows and doors this fall, and so I've started collecting bids.

I'm pretty certain we'll be going with the Pella triple pane in-shade option. I totally dig the idea of never washing or pressing a curtain again. Also, we're going with a cool mission style oak front door. It's gonna look great and be energy efficient, but not a cheap endeavor. At least we'll get a tax credit.

9:46am: Week in Review
Monday we were at the lake. It was great. Nuff said.

Tuesday saw us visiting with Jim and his family. He’s doing good, lost a fair amount of weight, and is happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. Yay! I’m genuinely happy for him. His life isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely on the right track.

On Wednesday Flash, Jen and I went to see King’s X.

The venue was relatively small, especially compared to the last time we saw them in Chicago. We were front and center for part of the show. How close was I to the band? So close that when Doug offered out his bass during 'born to be loved' that I strummed the chord. I could see every last yummy inch of his abs in perfect detail. And while his washboard tummy really was mesmerizing, it was the music that really had me going.

The band kick started the night with Groove Machine . Much to my surprise, they also played one of my favs, Lost in Germany. One of my favorite parts of the night was when they played Over my Head.

After the show, the gents were cool enough to come out and meet every last fan who came to see them. Flash bought a shirt and Jen had the band autograph it for me. Yeah, total fan girl moment, but so fun. The show was high energy, and the smiles never left those guy’s faces. Man, they really love their job.

We also got a chance to hang out with the show opener, Orange Sky, a band out of Trinidad. I’d never heard of them before, but I guess I’d describe them as Ska Metal. Very cool people, We’ve already purchased their CD. Good stuff.

So bottom line, King’s X = great showmen. They never disappoint and sound just as great live as in they do in the studio. Be sure to check out their work. I’m a pretty lucky gal to have such a nifty hubby who buys King's X tickets for me.

In other news, the rain has finally destroyed my veggie garden. *sigh* Despite using an outdoor pump, the ground is so saturated that I lost 90% of everything I planted. I will not try again this season because I can’t beat fall’s frosts before harvest. Bummer.
Flower garden is looking great (or rather, it will when I get finished weeding today.) Only thing I’m not so sure on is the cannas. They’ve been up for quite awhile now, but they don’t seem to be doing much of anything. I did, for the first time, have a spectacular show of clematis. I’d moved them from where they had been planting, not expecting them to survive, much less thrive. Sometimes you get good surprises. ;)

Work was kind of a bugger this week. The economy has really affected our suppliers, which means it takes significantly longer for everything to deliver. Not cool, but at least we still have work. Lots of folks don’t. We’re currently experimenting with a company blog and twitter account tied to our website. I read that some businesses have a 30% jump in traffic by using social networking sites where clients, partners, and distributors are all linked. We’ll see what happens.

And in closing, I’ll be working with someone I used to heartily dislike awhile back. What’s funny is that upon reconnecting, I find that I actually like this person quite a bit now. This person is funny, intelligent, and pretty nice. It got me to thinking, with nothing more than the passage of time, my opinion completely changed. While I could have named a hundred things I didn’t like back then, now I just don’t see the negative. Did I change? Did this person change? Both? Probably all of the above, but I suspect that since I decided I didn’t want to be a Debbie Downer anymore, I’m not actively looking for the worst in people. I still have my moments, but those moments are getting to be fewer and fewer all the time. Overhauling my perspective, behaviors, and attitudes has not been an easy or quick process, but I think I’m getting there. The encounter with this particular person really highlighted how far I’ve come. There are times I feel so painfully awkward, but it’s not daily, or even weekly anymore. I just keep rolling along. What else are ya gonna do?
Take care out there.

10:34am: When the Levee Breaks....
....I'll have no beans to stake, oooh ho ho, oooh, hooo hoooo.

Little Zep for ya. ;)

Well, summer is here officially. It's hot, humid, and my garden is flooding, again. Last year I replanted 3 times, to no avail. The lot just keep flooding.

Earlier this spring, Flash dug a moat (yes, a moat!) around my veggie bed. While it helped to control some of the flooding, it wasn't quite big enough to handle all of the water that flows into the bed. You see, the problem is that the land around my garden has been developed, and of course when that happened, the neighboring properties had their run offs directed right to where my green beans are trying to grow. While the city knows there is a drainage issue, they ain't gonna spend the bucks to fix it. This is sort of annoying.

Never one to give up (hey, this is the best looking garden I've ever had!) Flash and I dug in a sump system yesterday to try to save the bed. The tubing runs 250 feet from the pump to a storm drain on the far side of the property. After last night's rain, it will take 12 hours to drain. Hopefully my seedings can survive the muck and get down to business as usual.

Of course, by next month it'll be dry as a bone and I'll be complaining about the water bill! There's no pleasing some gardeners. ;^D

So what's in the garden this year? Starting at the top:
Strawberries, tomatoes, onions, sweet peas, onions again, potatoes, purple beans, green beans, spaggetti squash, corn, cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkins, radishes, gourds, and some ornamentals like lysomachia, daiseys, and sage. Total sq/footage is about 2000.

Should everything survive, I'll have plenty of veggies to freeze, dry, turn into sauces, soups, and let's not forget, to share with everyone. Plus I love working with friends and family on the beds. The best thing I grow in gardening is relationships with others.

7:42pm: It Rained 2" Today
How do I know?

I left the windows down in my car, and the cup holder and arm rest were filled to the brim with nice summer rain water.

*sigh*

At least the garden is well watered now.

10:15pm: All's well that ends well
Nephew came home at the end of the week and we travelled to see him. Since he was quarantined last weekend, all we could offer was moral support to his folks.

The docs would not specify what sort of menengitis virus he had. They said there were too many to test for and let it go at that. Another theory that was presented was that nephew caught the meninigitis from his circumcision wound, but even that was offered as a guess. I don't suppose we'll ever really know how he contracted the illness.

What we do know is that he's doing well. He has developed a high pitched cry, which a nurse mentioned as a sign of nuerological damage. I have not done much research on this, so I can't confirm. He does eat, poop, sleep and wake regularly. He also follows movement with his eyes, so this is good.

He's a very handsome guy. It was cool to meet him FTF this weekend.

3:08pm: Moment in Time
First off, baby is hanging in there. Temp is still up, but he's still eating, pooping, and not lethargic. Good news. We'll just have to wait and see as thing progress, but so far so good.


On to other news, Flash is talking to someone on the phone, can't figure out who it is, but it's not someone who he usually talks to as I just heard him talking about what we've been up to 'lately', which is to say a recap of the last two years. Hmm...wonder who is on the phone?

10:32am: Spinal Meningitis
My 2 week old nephew has been hospitalized in the ICU with spinal meningitis. They do not know at this point if it is viral or bacterial. He is not doing well, and this is pretty scary stuff. Yesterday night he was breathing abnormally, and so they took him to the ER. By the time they got there, the fever had started.

I'm no doctor, but the things I'm reading online are not terribly reassuring. So far, no response to antibiotics.

Can't figure out why my nephew's parents can't catch a fucking break. SiL birthed him via C-section and the surgeon split her bladder open. How do you mistake a fist sized organ for the big basketball shaped one holding a baby? You got me. Naturally, infection and complications set in. She was encouraged by hospital staff to breastfeed regardless. It is a theory that the kid got the meningitis that way, but I'm no expert and don't even know if that's possible.

This is not cool. This should be a happy time.
Fuck.

9:39pm: Jelly Fishes Love You
You know it's true.


Been awhile since I updated. Not much exciting to say. Work is fine. Family is fine. Garden is getting into the swing of things. Cannas are finally up, as are the cosmos, roses, lilies, and sedum. In bloom are primrose, blue buttons, daiseys, and chives.

Had a long day. John's G-friend came for a visit tonight, and so I wanted to make sure the house was shiney clean. That took the greater part of the morning. After that, I had an appointment at work.

Funny thing about work. I've sort of branched out my design services without meaning to. My usual gig is kitchens, but lately I've done baths, bars, theatres, and most interesting to me, a multi level garden with fire pit and koi pond. I've come to discover that most designers aren't using their CAD programs to their fullest capacity. While a lot of those guys can pop out a B&W wireframe picture, I can't say I've ever seen or heard of a local designer applying textures and movement to their plans. I'm strictly self taught when it comes to drawing in CAD. Yeah, learning it was a bitch, but the look on people's faces when you present them with a fully rendered 3D virtual environment of their new space is pretty cool.

Also cool is when they say 'we love it, let's do it.'

In other news, attended a continuing ed class this week for my certs. Ugh, I'd really forgotten how much I hate long meetings. OTOH, I wore jeans. That's the first time I've worn jeans to a meeting like that. At least I was comfy. :)

That's all I can think of for now.
Take care out there.

7:40pm: BBQ
Saturday, May 2nd @ 5 PM we are having a BBQ at our place for Hob, who is back for a limited time engagement. If you're reading this (and you are pals with Hob) you are more than welcome to come.

That is all.

4:52pm: Nevermind
I had a grand total of about a half hour of sunshine today. So no gardening, I cleaned the house instead. *sigh*