August 2007 Archives

Or possibly just miserable. Remember how I told you I went to see my allergist, and it just so happened that I had a long-term sinus infection? Well, it's still around, making me miserable (see the entry title for confirmation), and since she said to come back and see her if it didn't get any better, that's just what I did. (Side note: I LOVE my allergist. With the exception of the long-ass wait to initially see her, every time I've called they've been able to fit me into the schedule either that day or the next. This impresses me. Greatly.) What I thought would be short visit turned into something a bit more involved than that, something resulted in a breathing test (which was a piece of cake compared to what I'd been imagining it would be) and a trip to a nearby imaging center to get a CAT scan of my sinuses (I had to take out my earrings and eyebrow ring for the test, but while I was in the car on the way home I realized that I'd forgotten to take out my cartilage earring and proceeded to fret about that for the next 5 - 7 minutes). They were super-speedy with my results (another reason to love my allergist? She wanted to get the results ASAP so she could figure out a treatment for me today so I wouldn't be miserable [and untreated] over the holiday weekend. <3), but when the nurse called to find out which pharmacy I'd like my prescription called into, I stupidly forgot to ask about my results. I presume it's still a sinus infection, because why else would I be taking another round of the super-duper antibiotic (that can't be THAT super since it didn't kill my sinus problems the first time around)? I just hope it works this time around because my sinus headaches are painful to the point that they're consistantly making me queasy (not just a little "erp, I don't feel too swell," oh ho no, we're talking full-blown "holy shit, I wonder if I could make it to the side of the road and throw up") and my ears are so puffy and achy I feel like they should be bleeding (or oozing something equally painful). N says that my head feels this way because I know too much and I should've stopped packing facts into my head before things got to this point. It must be my brain that's dripping out my ears.

Note: Mike was very sweet and patient with me this afternoon, and while I was getting my CAT scan done, he was in Borders picking up surprises (Jimmy Norton's "Happy Endings" and Joy Bauer's "Natural Food Cures") for me to help brighten my day.

Refilled the q-tip jar in our bathroom, did laundry (can't remember what, specifically, though, which is not a good sign), cleared up the dirty dishes, and that's it. I felt like crap again today, so that's all I had the energy for.

Today was much more productive than yesterday. To wit: I loaded and ran the dishwasher, did laundry (washed a "delicate" rug, folded the new beach towels, started lights - part one, put away darks - part two), scrubbed more tile/grout in our shower, emptied the dishwasher, loaded the dirty dishes (still need to wash those wineglasses, blah), cleaned my small stoneware pan, cleaned the tub in H's bathroom (the scene of the oven rack scouring), maintained the puppies' litter box and cleaned up the front yard, wiped down the laundry room floor, put the newspaper in the recycling bag, brought my new stamps upstairs (they're not put away yet, but at least they're not downstairs creating an eyesore anymore), refilled the napkin holder on the table, and cleaned out some of the old items in the fridge.

I've been loving Alkaline Trio's Crimson album lately. I've had it for quite a while, but when I got it I only listened to the one song off of it that I'd fallen in love with (as I'm wont to do), completely ignoring the rest of the album until last week when my iPod shuffled it to my attention. I can't believe I didn't pick up on the fact that the entire fucking album is fantastic before now. The songs that are currently grabbing my attention are "I Was a Prayer," "Smoke," "Mercy Me," and "Burn," but, really, those are just the ones I can easily remember the names of - the other songs on the album are just as good. <3

Did laundry (put towels - part two in the dryer, washed and put away a load of delicates [a crocheted afghan, etc.] and washed the new beach towels [<3 Land's End]), took the trash out for trash day, maintained the puppies' litter box, and wiped the baking soda residue out of the top oven. I wasn't feeling too good today, so that's all I did, even though I had big plans to finish the top oven and wipe out the rest of the laundry. Maybe I'll get more done tomorrow.

I picked Brain Age 2 up while we were at Best Buy last Thursday. I hadn't realized that a second Brain Age was even in the works, much less on sale, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it on the rack. Out of the different training sessions I've played so far (sign finder, piano player, word scramble, memory sprint, change maker, and word blend), my favorites are change maker, sign finder, word scramble, and piano player. There are still five more training sessions to unlock, though, so I'm looking forward to seeing what those are like.

Loaded the dishwasher, threw a load of laundry in the dryer (darks - part two), scrubbed more of the tile/grout in our shower, folded/hung-up and put away laundry from earlier in the morning (darks - part one), put a load of towels in the washer, cleaned out the coffee maker, changed out the puppies' litter box, cleaned up the front yard (such as it is), and did some more work on the oven racks (what a pain in the ass).

Need to: do more laundry (fold and put away darks - part two, put the towels in the dryer, and put lights - part one in the washer), handwash and put away wineglasses, clean and put away my small stoneware pan, and finish up the top oven (the sides are immaculate, but the back has some splatters still, and the bottom has a big black spot that needs to be scoured), and start on the bottom oven (it's nowhere near as bad as the top one, but it is in need of a good cleaning too).

Worked more on the top oven (I am NEVER letting it get that bad again. Cleaning it all out like this is a tremendous [and unnecessary] pain in the ass), scrubbed the tile/grout in our shower, did more laundry (moved towels - part one out of the dryer into a basket, started darks - part one), maintained the puppies' litter box, put away my clutter from the kitchen table, and started on the oven racks (also a huge pain in the ass).

Started working on the top oven (I started off using a toothbrush and a baking soda paste, but Mike pointed out that using one of those green scratchy pads might be quicker, so I put that on hold until we went to Target later in the afternoon and got some - he's right, using them is MUCH easier), made the bed (yes, this is something I had let lapse. My mother would be HORRIFIED to hear that), did laundry, maintained the kitchen, cleaned up the front yard, gathered the newspaper for recycling, and worked more on the top oven.

Began cleaning the kitchen: put bowls of ammonia in both ovens (I read that it will help loosen some of the cooked-on gunk, but this is the first time I've tried it...we'll see how it works), put the oven racks in a tub of hot water with some dish detergent (also to help loosen gunk, also previously untried), wiped down the stovetop, wiped down all of the counters, ran the dishwasher THREE TIMES in one day(this is a record for when it's just me and Mike in the house), put away a fuckton of dishes (thank you, Mike and Tyler for helping me dry the last load), and took out the trash a couple of times. Also washed the sheets, made the bed back up, did more laundry (washed, folded, and put away a load of whites and put towels - part one in the washer), cleaned out the puppies' litter box, and tidied up the laundry room a little bit.

the results:
go to grocery store on the way home - yes and no. I didn't go on the way home, but Mike and I did go on Saturday after we took the puppykins to the vet

eat a hamburger - yes x 2. Mike and I went to Five Guys a while ago because we'd heard a lot of good things about their food, but we weren't impressed. While I didn't think the food was horrible, I certainly didn't think it lived up to the hype either. At any rate, we decided to give it another try on Friday, and I'm glad we did because their burgers were MUCH better this time. I liked them so much that we ended up going back there on Saturday while we were out running errands, and I liked that burger just as much as I did liked the one from the day before.

go to a wine tasting - no. Friday afternoon was rough, and it quickly became apparent that the wine tasting was not going to happen this weekend, so we're going to try to go to one on the next non-kid weekend.

CSI: NY marathon - no. Mike and I were both too tired for a marathon of anything on Friday night, so we just watched three two eps. And somehow we ended up watching CSI: Miami instead of CSI: New York. I'm still not quite sure how that happened.

take puppykins to vet - done! Maddy and Max are fine and healthy (they were going in for their annual heartworm checkup), Max is about the same weight she was last time we took them in (she gained a pound and some ounces after that so I started reducing her intake, etc., and I'm glad that worked. Now I just need to take her out for more walks so she'll lose a little more weight, and then she won't be at as much of a risk for back problems), and Jordan did much better than I expected. This was his first vet visit for a checkup since we've had him, and I thought he would growl his way through the entire thing, but he only growled twice (his tail was wagging both times). Our vet says that somewhere around 3 - 4 is about right for his age, and that he's at a good weight now (11.something vs the 9.something he was when we got him). She did recommend that we clean his teeth though, since he has a little bit of inflammation around one of his teeth in the front, so we're going to get that taken care of sometime in the next two weeks, and then my little man will be all set until it's time for his next checkup.

clean up kitchen - done (with Mike's help)! Saturday was the beginning of something new for us: my housekeeping standards have been on a slippery slope for a while now, so I'm starting on a 30-day deadline to get the house clean and uncluttered from top to bottom.

watch a Bond movie - no, but not for any particular reason. We just didn't get around to watching one this weekend.

have friends over - done! Amy came over on Saturday and helped me get things ready for a Pampered Chef party while Tyler and Mike drank wine, smoked cigars, and played video games.

smoosh nose to window to see if package from Land's End (that'll be an entry all of its own) has come yet - done, but no, the packages haven't arrived yet. In fact, the tracking information tells me not to expect my stuff until Wednesday. Boo.

hibernate - sort of.

As far as the addendums go, I did get through a lot of the laundry (and put everything away except a load of towels), Mike steam-cleaned the carpet in the living room, and I started on the stuff on my side of the bed, but there is still much left to do there before I can say I am through.

Weekend plans:
go to grocery store on the way home
eat a hamburger
go to a wine tasting
CSI: NY marathon
take puppykins to vet
clean up kitchen
watch a Bond movie
have friends over
smoosh nose to window to see if package from Land's End (that'll be an entry all of its own) has come yet
hibernate

Somewhere in there I need to do laundry, steam-clean carpets in the living room, clean some bathrooms, and tackle the sea of crap on the floor by my side of the bed. It's worse than bad at this point and possibly getting more hazardous by the minute.

My grandmother, she is not doing so well. Apparently, soon the medicine she's on will make it so she's not really aware of much, and things will be going downhill rapidly from there. My mom's flying out tomorrow to spend a week out there, spending time with my grandmother and trying to get as much put in order as she can before things get bad. I'm used to not seeing my grandma much because she's so far away, but I can't wrap my head around the idea of her not being there. It makes my heart hurt to think that my mom won't have her mom around for much longer.

I think not.

Good stuff, as usual. This week's class focused primarily on choices and consequences, with a sidebar on treating your kids with respect. I cannot stress enough how glad I am to be taking this class. Also, the instructor brought us Oreos to help emphasize a point from one of the films we watched. I <3 Oreos.

I just read through the syllabuses for both of my classes, and I have to confess, I'm more than a little nervous. Like, what the hell was I thinking, signing up for a networking class? I'm not AS nervous about the web design one because I've played with HTML a little bit, but I'm not as confident about it as I would be about, say, an English class, either. I need to stop over-thinking this, get over the "OMG, COMPUTER CLASSES!" mindset, and get started on my classwork already.

Today is Max and Maddy's third birthday. They are officially not puppies anymore, but that won't keep me from referring to them thusly. Also, I can't believe they're only three years old. It seems like we've had them FOREVER.

pics after the jump

The fall Parks 'n Rec activities catalogue was published today. I didn't realize it in time to grab the copy that came in the paper before I left for work this morning, so I've been using the lists online to map out my plan of attack. Here is my current sign-up wishlist:
a crochet class
a knitting class
a blood type & nutrition class
a natural aromatherapy herbal household cleaners
a local craft fair (!)
some kind of market event
various classes on dogly training (because the barking at EVERYTHING is getting less and less cute by the second)
a variety of cooking classes
a Halloween event
a Gingerbread house event
MAYBE a metal embossing class

I feel like a broken record - last night's class was just as great as the previous two. The material and ideas being covered seem really, really basic [treat your child(ren) with respect, discipline is not the same as punishment, age-appropriate choices are extremely important when it comes to preventing power struggles, etc.], but it seems to be easier for me to absorb the ideas in this setting. This is easily worth two hours a week.

(somewhat related feedback: I called to talk to the kids on my way home from class, and while I was talking to Z I mentioned that I was just getting home from the parenting class, to which he replied, "Do you REALLY need to take that class?" That meant a lot to me.)

My allergist declared that she could indeed feel the lump, but she doesn't think it's a cyst. No, she says it's more likely a popped out lymph node, courtesy of the sinus infection she believes I've had for the past few months. All this time what I thought was just my body adjusting to the new allergy medicine was, in fact, a bona fide sinus infection. How did I miss that? Ugh. Since it's been coming and going for the past few months, she put me on a super-strong antibiotic for the infection and Prednisone for my infection-induced asthmatic misery. It's a good thing I'm not a horse.

:sigh: The scar from where the cyst was removed from my back hasn't even begun to fade, and now I've found another lump - this one's on my face. I suppose it COULD just be a swollen gland or lymph node or some other sort of blockage, but that won't keep me from fretting about it until I know for sure. I have an appointment with my allergist today so I'll check with her while I'm there and see if it's anything allergy/sinus related. If not, next week will mean a trip to my regular doctor to figure out what the hell is up.

Tonight was the second parenting class, and it was even better than last week. The main focus was on the "Think - Feel - Do" cycle and the role parents can play with encouragement and praise. I do not do as well as I could (and should) in either of those areas, so this class was very enlightening for me. It's way too easy to overlook the positive, the progress, and the effort they're putting in.

The instructor also emphasized that pointing out people's mistakes very rarely causes them to learn from that. More often than not, she said it makes them feel criticized and frustrated, and eventually they give up. The better way to approach things is buy point out the areas they excel in or where you see improvement in, help motivate them to live up to a higher standard of doing things. This, again, is an area that I can improve in because I have a tendency to point out the mistakes instead of focusing on the way they are reacting to their mistakes, whether or not they take responsibility for and learning from it.

It's easy to slip into the mindset of "I'm a failure, I don't do this, or this, or this..." but I'm trying to view the areas I could use improvement in as just that - areas where I can do better instead of thinking of them as areas where I am a complete failure.

Over at Ashwin’s blog, you will find one crazy blog owner!! You can win $2500!! To enter just copy this text and paste it in your blog!! But hurry, this competition will not last long! So get posting!

I'm not sure what to think about this. On the one hand, a chance to win $2,500 is totally worth a link, but on the other, who the hell can give away that much just for a blog contest? Especially if they're 18, like Ashwin's "about me" page says. I'd like to believe it's a for-real contest, but I'm not convinced.

Howevermuch you may love your new Dustbuster, find something else to use to sweep up the pile of Parmesan cheese that spilled onto the floor. If you MUST use the Dustbuster, empty it out IMMEDIATELY so the Parmesan stink will have more time to dissipate before the next time you need to use the Dustbuster.

While my sister and I were talking about former classmates yesterday, it occurred to me that I think of people as they were in school - I don't take into account that they might have actually grown up in the following years. I suppose it's not fair to hold people to who they were in 8th grade. God knows I wouldn't want people thinking that the person I was then is who I am now.

Mike found a copycat recipe for Outback's Caesar salad dressing yesterday and requested that for last night's dinner. After a trip to the grocery store (no, I do not keep anchovy fillets on hand) and an hour or so assembling the ingredients in the blender, the dressing was ready for consumption. I was skeptical about how everything would come together, but the end result looked and smelled a lot like it was supposed to, and Mike said it tasted fantastic, so I guess my worries were unfounded.

Warning: this recipe makes a fuckton of dressing, so, unless you're anticipating hosting a plague of salad-eating locusts in the near future, be prepared to store quite a bit of it.

Outback's Caesar dressing:
3 cups olive oil
6 large eggs
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt, pepper, dry mustard, and anchovy fillets to taste (I added two chopped-up fillets, a couple dashes each of salt and pepper, and approx. 1/4 tsp of dry mustard)

*combine all ingredients in a blender
*blend on low for 20 seconds to incorporate oil
*blend on high for 20 more seconds to mix thoroughly
*place in covered container and refrigerate

(background: my brother's girlfriend [Alicia] went to the same school as my brother, my sister, and I did, and a couple of weekends ago she attended the wedding of two of her classmates. Apparently there were quite a few alumni on the guest list.)

My sister: Alicia said that Ryan was at the wedding.
Me: Is he still a hottie?
My sister: Yes. I asked Alicia about that because I knew you would ask that when I told you she saw him.

I slipped while I was walking downstairs yesterday (I didn't fall as much as I skidded down the last few steps before landing with all of my weight on my left leg, my elbow leaving a huge scuff mark on the wall in the process), and my left quad is killing me today. I'm sure my attempts to go up and down stairs with a minimum infliction of pain make me look quite ridiculous,

H : "I only have 20 shirts at this house." (While going through her closet to see which shirts still fit her)

It just started storming. At first I thought one of the neighbors was dragging in their trashcan, but then it dawned on me that, no, that is not the sound of a trashcan scraping up a driveway - that's thunder. We've had some great thunderstorms off-and-on for the past couple of weeks, and I love it. I like the rain, I love seeing the lightning, and the sounds of rain and thunder are two of my favorites. I wish I could open up the windows and let the storm put me to sleep.

We went to the library today so I could pick up the books that were on hold for me (only 7 today - I'm slacking), and one of those was ,em>The Dead Room. I started reading it after we got home, planning to get through just a few chapters before I tackled the basket of laundry that needs to be folded and put away, but once I was into the story, I didn't want to stop reading. (Part of that was because the story was pretty good, but I have to be honest, the other part was because I REALLY did not want to start on the laundry just yet.) It's a paranormal adventure story by Heather Graham, and I thought it was pretty good. I liked the characters, I liked the plot, and I really liked that there didn't seem to be anything thrown in as a token (character, scene, etc.). There were a couple of sex scenes that seemed a hair out of place, but, whatever.

*** SPOILERS ***

Dear Universe,

ENOUGH WITH THE HAZMAT SPILLS, ALREADY. I know there are back ways I can take that will get me home, but COME ON. Twice in less than three weeks is a bit much.

Sincerely,
Kate

Because of some site issues going on right now, the internal links in my entries aren't working. Clicking on them will result in a "page not found" message. I apologize for the inconvenience. I'll post when things are back to normal so y'all will know when it's safe to click again.

I think it is time for us to part ways. As much as you've been trying to hold on to me (especially this past week), we're growing apart. Our needs are different now. I want to take a different path in life, and, let's face it, you're holding me back. I wish I could say it's been good, but we both know it hasn't. I'm tired and worn out, and it's time to move on.

Sincerely,
Kate

I currently have completed all the Gen Ed requirements for an Information Systems Technology degree, which means I only have to take 15 more classes! If I take two classes each spring and fall semester and one every summer, I'll have my associates degree* in three years. My worries of toiling in school for the rest of my life are unfounded.

* Note: eventually I would like to get a bachelor's degree, but thinking about getting there taking five classes a year is a bit overwhelming. I'm focusing on the more readily attainable goal.

Things I learned while listening to the radio on the way home yesterday was a learning experience.

1) Matchbox Twenty is back together and has a new song out. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't love it immediately like "Push" and "Real World" (really, all the songs off their Yourself or Someone Like You album), but I haven't decided whether or not I like it yet. I suspect that will take a couple more listens.

2) Fuel's new album is being released next Tuesday. I'd heard "Wasted Time," the first single from it, before, but yesterday was the first time I heard which band played it. I really like it, and the new lead singer, Toryn Green, does a good job on the vocals, but I can't help but think that I'd like it better if it was Brett singing. Regardless, I'm still going to pick up the album when it's out. I'm just glad the new lead singer's not Chris freaking Daughtry.

I had a migraine yesterday afternoon and evening, so when I left for the class I took a Relpax, hoping that would help things enough that I would be able to focus on what the instructor was saying. That was the second Relpax I'd taken yesterday, and it seems that I can handle taking one without getting drowsy, but taking two in one day makes me very, very sleepy. I felt guilty for the first hour of the class because my eyes kept losing focus and my head kept dropping. I never actually fell asleep, but I sure wanted to. And I was sitting on the front row, so it's not like it wasn't obvious. Thankfully the instructor is a fellow migraine sufferer (she gets rebound headaches too), and was very understanding when I explained the situation during the break. I got some water, put on some of my minty lip gloss (the minty smell and tingly feeling usually seem to wake me up a bit), and the second half of the class went much better for me.

This class is a good starting point for me. It's called Active Parenting of Teens, and that's the age group it is primarily geared towards, but I think the ideas and techniques I'm learning will apply to my interaction with non-teenagers as well. Since this was the first class, the instructor gave us an overview of the course - letting us know the topics we'll be going into more depth over the coming weeks - and covered what the goals of the course are. She did elaborate on some points, emphasizing that in order for a parent and a child to have a good relationship, the parent needs to respect the child (their opinions, feelings, thoughts, ideas, etc.) while helping them learn how to make responsible decisions instead of just dictating what's going to happen when. (That's going to be hard for me because I definitely fall into the "dictator" category of parenting styles. It's easier for me to just determine what, when, and why than it is to work with the kids, letting them flex their decision making skills and have more involvement in things.) She also pointed out the difference between discipline and punishment, which is important for me to keep in mind. Another point she emphasized is that people behave in certain ways to get something, and if that behavior no longer results in them getting whatever it is they're looking for (the "payoff"), they stop it and find another way to get the payoff. Power struggles were one of the other areas she touched on in more depth, comparing them to a merry-go-round: you get on and go around and around and around, but you don't get anywhere. A lot of what she talked about hit home, and I think I'm going to be able to learn a lot over the next six weeks. I'm really looking forward to next week's class.

Re-wrapping a roll of floss so you can put it back in the holder it just flew out of is NOT the most effecient way to spend time as you're getting ready for work. With that in mind, it would be a good idea to tug a little less forcefully next time you're trying to get some of said floss.