Jan 31, 2004

You've heard of "here's your brain on drugs"? Well, "here's my kid on hives!" He's completely covered. His face is even one big hive, even though it's hard to see in the picture.

Now, here's a picture of my kid on Prednisone, Epinephrine, WAY too much benadryl, claritin and albuterol....    

(see above picture)

Yep, same picture. This kid's had everything they can give him and he's still covered in hives.... They think it's being caused by a virus????

Jan 27, 2005

Ski Patrol

The boys have been taking skiing lessons this winter. Actually they have only had 2 lessons so far. After their first lesson, they came in the lodge and told me they could go back out and practice "anywhere"!

NO-NO-NO......STAY ON THE BUNNY HILL!!!!

So 2nd lesson, I ask the instructor to tell them exactly where they can ski. Later I'm sitting in the lodge and I have a good view of an intermediate hill with trees and a curve at the bottom.....and there are my boys! Both falling down, trying to decide whether to go or not....then they both just go for it!

My youngest is a straight shot all the way down. Going like a bullet! My oldest manages to curve back and forth a little so he's not going quite as fast......

Then I hear a call to the emergency building. Thank God it wasn't my name they were calling. A little later a kid came into the lodge with 1/2 of his face completely bloody and scraped. Not good for a mother to see who has kids just learning to ski...

I found out later the instructor had taken them down that intermediate hill ONCE. And then told them they could take that hill on their own......sigh.

Anyway, buy the end of the day they were much-much better. (My youngest still goes too fast for me)

Is it summer yet?????

Work Bites and other bits from Jan 2005

Jan 13, 2005

See, here's the thing.....I never wanted to use this webpage for anything negative. I always want to keep it upbeat and fun.

But lately.......well, actually for a LONG time now my "cubicle job" has been overwhelming. After 20 years at my company, I finally felt I had to cut my hours back a couple years ago. I thought that would solve all my problems.

Well, it has & hasn't. My reality has been to try and squeeze a 40 hour work week into 24 hours. For awhile it worked out okay. I feel I have done that job well, not that I got credit for it, especially at review time. But hey, reviews are just a numbers game, right? But I still felt rather lucky, because I had 4 day weekends.

But then the company decides to throw a new "piece of crap" system at us that doesn't work and things go to hell rather quickly. Especially when the decision is made to send our work to India. Sounds like an easy solution, huh? Guess again. The last few months have been unbearable. The workload overwhelming. Micro-managing a sinking ship.

I guess what it all boils down to is I feel completely trapped in my current situation. We need the health insurance, and hey - well, the money doesn't hurt either. (But it certainly would hurt without it!)

If anyone out there has the secret to turning off their little 'stress' button. Please share. Sure, I could just take a fist-full of prozac every day before work. Some co-workers have resorted to that for one reason or another. Hell, I even did it for awhile. But I really don't feel that zombie-ing myself out just to deal with work is the answer.

Funny, but I know the only real answer is it's time to leave. I've overstayed my welcome. But I just can't afford to walk out that door one last time......

DAMNIT, WHY CAN'T I BE MORE LIKE CORINA?!!!!

Jan 12, 2005

It's not getting any better yet folks.......

Jan 7, 2005

How's this for a completely crappy morning......

The heater broke on my spa.....AGAIN! I just had a new one put in earlier this spring. So of course this is after we were just dumped on with ice and a foot of snow. I had to dig the darn thing out, then take a sledge hammer to the frozen steps move them out of the way of the front panel. So then a trip to town was needed for $120.00 worth of new filters....Happy Birthday to me...

That's fine. I have plenty of other errands to run today.....So I try to back out of our acre long gravel driveway.....with the foot of snow......and I go off the edge. COMPLETELY STUCK! DAMN DAMN DAMN....Took a 1/2 hour of cussing and tearing up the grass to get out.

I get to the post office to mail beads....Walk in and the line is a mile long. Forget this, I'll stop later......So then I make another stop and realize when I get out of the car that my purse seems awfully light.....

BECAUSE I FORGOT MY WALLET! So I had to drive all the way back HOME TO THE COUNTRY and get my damn wallet that's laying on the table because I had been talking a local music store about my oldest sons $2000. USED horn and trying to decide what the best way to pay for this thing is.........I tell ya, those music store have quite the racket going.

Then back to town without incident. And now safely home. (Yes, everyone's beads were mailed-the main reason to get out of the house!) and I think I better just go crawl back into bed.

I shouldn't bitch about these relatively minor problems I guess.......But DAMN! How frustrating.

Jan 5, 2005

It's snowing here in the Midwest. The boys were supposed to start Ski lessons tonight....but it's been cancelled. Get this - because of SNOW!

Jan 4, 2005

My first day back to work after a long holiday....All I have to say is WOW, that really hurt!

My sister bought me a new coffee cup for my return to work - This piece of art is outstanding and I truly believe it captures my inner (and outer) self!

 And on the flip side

Baby Glamour Shots

 The pictures that they take of babies now are just phenomenal! I guess it started with Anne Geddes and has grown from there.

A friend sent me a shot of her granddaughter and a friend. Can you believe how gorgeous this picture is?! 

Wouldn't you just die to have a baby picture along these lines of yourself?! The silky material, the wings and flowers in their hair! THE COLORS!

I mean - check out my "glamorous" picture from 1966 

 The diaphanous coveralls and hair blowing in the wind? snort! And check out the dead tree and shed in the background.....Anyway, I still think it's a cute picture, but look how different things are in a mere 40 years.

Darth Tater

Remember way back in the 80's when Star Wars used to be cool???

The Collective Intelligence of a Jury (Otherwise known as Mob Mentality)

I read the following story on CNN today:

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) -- Defense attorney Leslie Ballin called it the "jury pool from hell."

The group of prospective jurors was summoned to listen to a case of Tennessee trailer park violence.

Right after jury selection began last week, one man got up and left, announcing, "I'm on morphine and I'm higher than a kite."

When the prosecutor asked if anyone had been convicted of a crime, a prospective juror said that he had been arrested and taken to a mental hospital after he almost shot his nephew. He said he was provoked because his nephew just would not come out from under the bed.

Another would-be juror said he had had alcohol problems and was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover officer. "I should have known something was up," he said. "She had all her teeth."

Another prospect volunteered he probably should not be on the jury: "In my neighborhood, everyone knows that if you get Mr. Ballin (as your lawyer), you're probably guilty." He was not chosen.

The case involved a woman accused of hitting her brother's girlfriend in the face with a brick. Ballin's client was found not guilty.

I served on a jury once and I think the I had the same bunch of people as my fellow jurors. As a matter of fact, I think these are the same people that served on the OJ Simpson trial. - And now they are currently busy with the Michael Jackson case.........snort....