The Extended Weekend

Daf & Gnome
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

As you can see, I finally got around to taking a picture of our only flower. We planted something like 90 tulip and daffodil bulbs and so far this is the only to have poked thru the ground. I've named her Dafne. And I've given her a buddy to hang with ~ his name is Gnome. This past weekend we had beautiful weather, but the grass is still pretty wet from all the rain we've recently had, so I was only able to cut the front grass. The back will have to wait at least another day before I can take a sickle to it.

By the way, today is day 3 of The Extended Weekend of Case. Being totally sick of work, I decided to give myself a few extra days off (today & tomorrow). During this time I have small "around the house" type stuff planned for myself. After class this morning, I took Shannon to the vet for her yearly dose of expensive shots and I'm planning on switching out some of my Winter/Summer clothes. I finally found something decent to wear to Kenny's wedding, but I still have to get shoes, so I might do that tomorrow. Or I might just sit around the house all day smiling because I won't be at work! Perhaps Dafne, Gnome & I will listen to the Tigers game on the AM radio.

Feast & Weekend

I made a reservation today for our one-night stay in the quaint Amish village of Berlin, Ohio, just a stone's throw from the villages of Walnut Creek and Sugar Creek. I have a feeling this is going to be the best part of our trip to Ohio next month. Too bad it's only for a day. I am soooo looking forward to the weekend, even if all I do is study. It's becoming a daily struggle just to get ready for work. Vic is applying for a manger position at work and if she gets it I am going to become a housewife. I'll even learn to cook. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to serve macaroni & cheese.

Feast One Hundred & Forty One
Appetizer
How fast can you type?
My last typing test was a little less than 2 years ago & at that time I typed 55 wpm.

Soup
What is your favorite online game?
I rarely ever play online games. Vic did, however, download Slingo & I play that every once in a while.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), how intelligent do you think you are?
7ish

Main
Course
Name three of your best teachers from your school years.
There weren't any.

Dessert
What are your plans for this upcoming weekend?
Study for my quiz, do some laundry, and try to find something for my brother's wedding.

Hectic x 3

I wanted to post sooner to blog about how nice the weather has been, but by the time I finally got some time to sit down and type, it's raining. That's about how my life has been the last 4 weeks or so ~ very hectic. This past weekend was just gorgeous! Vic & I brought out the patio furniture and cut the lawn for the first time this year. We set up the hammock and planted our Arbor Day saplings, too. Our Japanese Red Bud tree is flowering beautifully in the front yard (we planted him last year) and we have one daffodil that has peeked thru the ground. So our yard is beginning to look very colorful. I'll try to include a picture or two soon.

I had my first big tests in my A&P classes this week, and I think I did pretty good. I'll get the grades next week. I'm still on the prowl for another job, but no luck yet. I hate working afternoons ~ I never have enough time to study or do much of anything else! I keep looking and applying everywhere, though, so hopefully something will turn up soon.

My brother's wedding is fast approaching and I'm going to have to find something to wear as well as get him and his soon-to-be wife a gift. There's just not enough time in my life right now. Hectic, hectic, hectic.

Friday

What a beautiful Spring-y day it is here today! Vic is on her way to help transfer her mom from the hospital to her new assisted living facility. Mom is very excited to be finally leaving the hospital. I'm going to spend the day studying and enjoying the warm weather until Vic gets home. And then I'll spend the rest of the day annoying her!

Feast One Hundred & Forty
Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of bread?
Oooh, I like all kinds of bread. I guess my favorite though is warm French bread.

Soup
When was the last time you bought a new pillow?
About 3 months ago. I can never find one I really like. I'm ready for a new one already.

Salad
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net?
I don't know, maybe 20 or so.

Main Course
What’s the highest you remember your temperature being?
I don't know this one either. I can't remember ever being really really sick.

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________.
When I watch TV, I cross-stitch.

Hooky

I'm playing hooky from work today. Hooky is kind've an odd word, don't you think? Anyway, I have a big test coming up on Monday and then another one on Wednesday, with no time to study. I hate my job and I've got tons of sick time built up, so I'm using it. Screw 'em! It's been a long time since I've called off sick when I wasn't, so I think I deserve the break. I'm going to use the day to study my butt off and bond with Shannon. I think she needs a little "Mom" time, too.

Vic & I are planning our return trip to Ireland next year. Part of the planning was a little experiment with air miles. Although Detroit has a major airport, we have no direct flights to Ireland, so this means we'll have to fly to JFK or Newark or Boston first. Not a big deal, except that extra $200 or $300 per person for the connecting flights could be put to better use in Ireland to purchase stuff we really don't need. So, my experiment is this... We pay for almost everything with our debit card because it's just so much easier than writing checks all the time. So we got an Airtran visa card, that accumulates air mile points for every purchase, and now we pay for just about everything with it instead of the debit card. So if I buy something for say $100, I charge it on the visa and then make a payment to visa using the debit card. I know I'm adding an additional step to the process, but so far I think it's working in our favor. We have enough points saved up for one round trip ticket already! Yea! I figured that since I'm going to spend the money anyway using the debit card, I might as well get a few perks, too. So, as of today, one of us is on her way to JFK, Newark, or Boston next year!

Catching Up

It's Tuesday already and I'm just now getting around to posting the Friday Feast, so that should tell you how busy I've been lately. It seems like I absolutely never have any time to do anything other than work and study. My 3-week online class ends this week, so that should take a little of the stress off, but just a little. I've still got 7 weeks left in my A&P class and all freaking Summer for this crappy evening shift bullshit at work. If you can't tell, I am less than pleased with my job. Do you remember in the movie American Beauty where Kevin Spacey's character just gets so fed up with his job that he quits and goes to work at a hamburger place so he can have a little less stress in his life? That's me right now. I swear, if McDonald's called me right not to offer me the drive-thru position, I'd quit my job today!

We have new additions to the house. Fish. Vic set up the aquarium weeks ago and up until a few days ago, we've just had rocks and bubbles and a wind-up fish in there. But this weekend we finally got some tropical fish. The tank looks great and all the fish seem to have adjusted to their new surroundings. And our kitty, Earl, is very excited to have new little brothers and sisters.

Vic's mom is doing much better and should be released from the hospital some time this week, so the doctors say. Her next stop will be an assisted living facility for a couple of weeks and then finally back to her own home. Her esophagus is still unattached to her stomach and will remain that way for at least 3 months, so she still has a feeding tube attached directly to her stomach. Nurses are supposed to show us how to help her with changing the tube and other medically related stuff until she goes back into the hospital for yet another surgery. Poor Mom.

Feast One Hundred & Thirty Nine
Appetizer
When you were a child, which crayon color was your favorite?
Blue-Green & Burnt Sienna

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how likely would you be to change jobs if it required you to move?
It would depend on the location & whether they were paying for the move. Ireland ~ 10. Oklahoma ~ -10

Salad
Take all the numbers in your birthday and your phone number and add them up, one by one. What’s the total?
67

Main Course
Have you ever “re-gifted” anything? If so, what was it and who did you pass it on to?
I'm sure I have, but I can't remember what or to whom.

Dessert
Name something you need from the store.
Mousse.

No Time

It seems like lately I have no time to get things done and I'm always tired. I think it's a combination of the new shift at work, going to school 2 days a week, and visiting Vic's mom at the hospital. (Mercifully, I only go there once a week. Vic makes the trek up there every day!) Tomorrow and Friday, I have to go to some dumb training thing in Flint. It's from 9 to 5, so I'm hoping I won't be too tired when I finally get home from the hour or so on the road and will have some time to study and do some laundry. I'm seriously considering taking off from school for the Summer. I may take off from work, too!

Easter Bunnies

Easter Bunnies
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

Today finishes up my first week as an afternoon dispatcher. It hasn't been as bad as I though it would be, but then the day isn't over yet either. Vic's mom is doing a little better, but will remain in the hospital for a while longer. We'll have to take her something Easter bunnies on Sunday! Other visiting Mom on Sunday, we really don't have any big plans for the weekend. I'll probably spend most of the time studying and watching baseball. And doing laundry ~ geez, it seems like I've always got dirty clothes to wash! You would think that wearing a uniform would cut back on my laundry, but NO.

Feast One Hundred & Thirty Eight
Appetizer
When you travel, which mode of transportation do you prefer?
Driving with Vic when we've got a lot of time to get where we're going. I like stopping off to see unplanned things along the way.

Soup
Have you ever met a blogging friend in person?
Just Shawn.

Salad
When was the last time you were really, really tired?
Monday. I had my first day of class in the morning and my first day on the new shift that afternoon. When I finally got home that night, I just flopped on the first piece of furniture I encountered.

Main Course
If you could have dinner with any one fictional character from a book or movie, who would it be?
First choice is Harry Potter. Second choice is Melrose Plant from the Martha Grimes books.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: One day, I hope to see _______________.
...Scotland & Wales. I'd also like to see gay marriage legalized in all 50 states.

Yearnings

I just finished reading Shawn's blog about how beautiful weather in Savannah is and how he's started his planting already and it makes me yearn for our planting season to begin. We've got some sunny sunflowers and plans for some lovely veggies, but since it's snowing today, I think we'll wait a while yet before planting anything. Our Spring tulips and daffodils are peaking thru the frosty ground, but no blooms just yet. The rule of thumb in Michigan is to wait until after Mother's Day to plant anything. We had some beautiful flowers last year, so I can't wait to start planting this season!

I started my A&P II class this week. It looks like it's going to be pretty difficult. Tons of homework and notes to study! Maybe I should think about changing my major to Library Sciences. Look at what it did for Laura Bush! I think my online word processing class is going well, but it's hard to tell because the teacher isn't very interactive-y. I only have two more weeks of it.

Vic's mom is still in the hospital and not really doing any better. It seems like for every good day she has, it's followed by two bad ones. And the doctor is talking about doing another surgery! This will make four! I'm not sure Vic can take any more surgeries. I know complications can arise with any surgery, but we're beginning to think that maybe somebody goofed somewhere down the line and that's what's causing all this mess now. Right now, though, we have to concentrate on getting Mom well and then we'll check into the possible negligence issues. The first step is to get her well enough to move her out of ICU. Maybe next week...

Firsts

Well, my first day on the new shift wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Of course, I thought I would come home with huge festering pus-oozing sores all over my body, so I guess anything would be not so bad. It's just that there's so much that goes on during the afternoon shift that never comes up on the midnight shift, so this is like working a new job for me. This was also the first day of my A&P class, so by now I'm dead tired. I'm looking forward to doing nothing for the rest of the night. And I'll start now!