Busy Weekend

I'm envious of people who spend their weekends doing nothing. It seems like Vic & I haven't had a "nothing" weekend since about March. (March is when Vic's mom went into the hospital for surgery and was supposed to be home within the week.) We spent all day Saturday driving around town, doing errands and running into store after store. Our plan was to get everything done Saturday so we could spend our Sunday visiting Vic's mom at the hospital in the morning and relaxing during the afternoon/evening. Wrong! We didn't actually get out to the hospital until around 4ish, even though we left the house at 11ish. We were going to stop at just one store on the way to the hospital ~ we stopped at many more than just one. It's starting to get really chilly at night, so we're going to have to bring the plants in and split some wood for upcoming fires soon. I'm hoping we can hold off for another couple of weeks, though, because I really want to just relax this coming weekend.

Vic's mom has been breathing without the aid of the respirator for longer periods of time. She actually said a few words to us during our visit Sunday. She puts her finger over the trach hole and sounds very raspy, but that's a major improvement for her. The nurse seems to think she might be home for Christmas. I think she's still got a long way to go, though.

No real news on my new job. These are the work days I like the most ~ when nobody expects anything of you and you get to sit around watching other people work while still getting paid for it! I've only been at work two days and I already miss being off. I bought lottery tickets today, so maybe I can be a stay-at-home mom again soon!

My 28th First Day

I estimated that today was the first day of my 28th job (both full & part time). For some reason I was really nervous this time. It felt like the first day of high school ~ "What if nobody likes me? What if there's nobody cool to sit with at lunch?" It turns out that everyone was very nice and I actually had two really nice people to share lunch with. My lunch was actually just a granola bar and a Diet Pepsi because I was so nervous this morning that I forgot my lunch. It was a nice little lunch, too. Bummer. Anyway, I was pretty overwhelmed with meeting everyone and learning so much new info, but I'm pretty sure that once I learn it all, I shouldn't have any problems. Now I just need to learn it all!

I took the final test for my Windows class last night and I got 100% on the test and an overall A in the class. I still have another 5 weeks to go in Microbiology. I've only got one more class to take before the surgical tech classes start, and that one class isn't being offered next semester, so it looks like I'll be school-free for the winter.

Vic's mom is able to communicate a little better, but she isn't feeling any better. Now that she isn't so heavily sedated, she's able to experience the pain more fully. I wonder if it was better when she was knocked out all the time ~ at least then she was healing and not feeling any pain.

Feast One Hundred & Sixty Six
Appetizer
Name a great website you would recommend to others.
I guess I'm incredibly boring, because I really don't frequent any one website a lot. I mostly just check my email and read a select few blogs. Although I do check out the Tigers website quite often during baseball season.

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how often do you dream at night?
I used to have really weird dreams all the time, but now Vic wishes me her version of "sweet dreams" every night and I guess that psychologically scares the weird dreams away. Odd, huh?

Salad
Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was its name?
We never had any pets, but I think I'm more than making up for it now! We have a dog, gecko, aquarium full of fish and 12 cats.

Main Course
If you had the chance to star in a commercial, what would you choose to advertise?
My own travel show!

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of hard candy?
Watermelon Jolly Ranchers.

Good News, Bad News

The good news is that I've got a job! The bad news is that I've got a job. I've really liked being a housefrau these past couple of months. I've made myself little "to do" lists and have slowly been tackling projects around the house that I've kept putting off. It's nice not having to wake to an alarm every morning, too. But alas, in order to keep Vickie living in the lifestyle she is accustomed to (heat, food, All My Children), I must go out and make a little money.

I got a job offer from the company I had the third interview with. I start work on Friday, which will be 1 month exactly from the date of my first interview with this same company. I'll be working dayshift, weekends & holidays off, business casual dress. It's been years since I've worked a dayshift, so this will be quite an adjustment for me, but a nice one, I think. It'll be nice having my evenings free to do whatever. I hate having to dress up for work, though. Of course, I'll be able to wear my Christmas socks now...and I have heaps of Christmas socks!

Want Fries With That?

Squirrel & Apple Tart
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265

We got our computer back today - it was a problem with the memory. I didn't realize how much I've come to depend on my computer! It seems like there were about 300 things I wanted to look while she was gone! As soon as she got back home, I promptly did a backup of all our files and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Now that the weather is starting to turn a little cooler, the squirrels have been out in force burying their nuts for the winter. This little guy was enjoying a piece of apple tart in our backyard the other morning. And did I tell you that Macy Grey Kitty has day people? She came by the other night with a flea collar on! I attached a little note to it introducing ourselves, but she returned the next day with our note still attached and no reply. Vickie promptly cut off the note and the flea collar and we pretend we never saw it. I wonder if she'll come inside when it starts snowing?

My third interview went well, but then so did the first two! She said she'll let me know her decision tomorrow. I'll believe it when I hear it. You know what's going to happen, dontcha? I'll get three job offers all on the same day. Of course by then I'll have found gainful employment at McDonalds and who can turn down "all the fries you can eat?"

Sick

Here I sit at my college's computer lab using their computer to tell you all that I have no computer of my own...AGAIN! For some reason, it just quit working. No indication anything was going wrong, no slow-down, no awful clunking noise, no nothing! Phil, the computer guy, has had it since early Friday morning. I talked to him today and he assured me it is definitely not the hard drive (thank God!), but he still doesn't know for sure what it is. He did say that the unknown problem is pretty severe, though. I wonder if this is residual fallout from the previous virus?

I wanted to take this opportunity to say a great, big, bear hug of a thanks to everyone who has sent positive thoughts this way concerning both Vic's mom and my job quest. THANKS!! Mom really hasn't shown any improvement lately. She is breathing more on her own, but it's still very labored. There is really no telling when she'll be leaving the ICU and this is very frustrating for both her and Vic. I wish I had better news, but it seems like her condition changes daily and usually never for the better. It's almost like she only has bad days and worse days now. Poor Mom and Vic.

I have two interviews this Monday; the first is at a company that monitors people who have to wear those Britney Spears ankle bracelets ~ sounds kinda interesting. The second is the third interview for the medical equipment company I first interviewed with at the end of September! I guess they're just really slow movers. I haven't heard back from the hospital (the job I really wanted the most), but seeing that it took almost a month for these guys to contact me, maybe I'll be hearing from the hospital some time soon! I'd love to find a nice midnight shift job again, but I'll take just about anything right now.

Hopefully, I'll be able to give you all good news about Vic's mom and my job search from my newly fixed computer on Monday night!

Let The Wooing Begin

Ya know, I think I'm an above average interviewee. I'd even go as far as to say that I'm pretty darn good at being interviewed. I dress appropriately, nod at the right times, always maintain eye-contact, look interested, ask the right questions, and make quirky banter about non-work stuff the interviewer and I have in common, like pets or hurricanes. So why then am I not juggling job offers?! I should need an entirely different phone line just to handle the overwhelming amount of calls from prospective employers trying to woo me. A woo line ~ that's what I should have. I should be like a Lending Tree, deftly deflecting all the offers. At this point I'd even settle for being a Lending Shrub.

So why am I not a shrubbery? I tell myself it's because there was someone equally qualified as myself that also applied for the position, and the HR person just chose the wrong person. I tell myself that because I don't want to believe that the reason I wasn't offered the position was because A.)I'm gay or B.)I'm not physically attractive. I could actually understand being turned down for the B reason if I was applying at Mode Magazine and they had already met their quota when they hired Betty Suarez, but Mode is one of the few places I haven't applied to!

So, to all the employers who haven't called because of A or B, shame on you! And I wouldn't work for a company whose employees are shallow, misoginistic, narrow-minded, sexist, agist, homophobic, pencil-dick twits!

Of course, if you haven't called yet because Marge the coffee lady just passed away or some other office calamity has befallen you, then just never-mind about the last few rantings. I was overcome with temporary stupid-headedness brought about by my ever-dwindling checking account. When would you like me to start? And I need November 5th off for the Bruce concert.

Looking Out My Backdoor

Okay, maybe not exactly my backdoor, but wouldn't it be great if it was? The leaves are beginning to change in my neighborhood and the temperatures are getting cooler. I know that the leaves are at their peak leaf-peeping colors in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan already. A lot of the trees around my area are starting to get redish at their tops, so I think SE Michigan should be awash in oranges and reds in just a few short weeks. Chimney Cricket is coming Wednesday to clean and inspect our chimney for the upcoming chilly nights. We're looking forward to building fires in our wood burning stove again this year.

Do you ever wonder who is reading your blog? Vic tells me a lot of friends we left behind in P'Cola check in on a regular basis to see what's new with us, but none of them ever leave a comment. So, anyone reading today's blog (not just the P'Cola folks) leave a short comment and let me know you're out there! I can't wait to hear from you!

Good News, Bad News and No News

Good News
On our daily trip to the hospital on Thursday, Vic's mom was looking terrible. She went from pasty white to ashy grey and she looked the worst we've seen her since this all started way back in May. Friday, however, we got to the hospital and she was not only awake, but she recognized us and actually smiled! Yea!! She's still unable to talk (due to the trach tube), but she can answer simple yes/no questions and she seems very aware of her surroundings, so this is really a giant step on the road to recovery.

Bad News
Our computer started doing some funky stuff on Thursday, so I took it into the computer guy who kept her until earlier this morning. Turns out she had a pretty nasty virus. Fortunately, we didn't lose any data and we have a really nice computer guy who fixed the problem for free, so a bad situation actually turned out to be okay. He said the virus was spying on us and recording all our keystrokes. Kinda scary, huh?

No News
The lady I interviewed with at the hospital last week said I would definitely know about the job, either good or bad, by the end of this week. Well, the end of this week is officially over and I haven't heard anything. I guess no news is better than bad news, but it's still pretty frustrating. I've got an interview at another place on Tuesday and something else in the works, so hopefully I'll have some good news soon. Of course even better news would be that I won the lottery and didn't have to look for a job at all.

Feast One Hundred & Sixty Four
Appetizer
When was the last time you were surprised?
Friday, when we got to the hospital and found Vic's mom awake.

Soup
Fill in the blanks: My eyes are ________, but I wish they were __________.
My eyes are droopy (the right one) from a bout of Bells Palsy, but I wish they were not.

Salad
If you were a Beanie Baby, what would you look like and what would your name be?
I'd be a Blue-Footed Booby and my name would be Casey.

Main Course
Name two things you consistently do that you consider to be healthy habits.
Floss and treadmill.

Dessert
What brand of toothpaste are you using these days? Do you like it? Why or why not?
It's Crest Cool Mint something. I have very neutral feelings toward it. I use whatever makes Vic happy.

Macy Grey

Man is the only animal who will take in a completely different species, providing it with food and shelter, for no other reason than companionship. ~ Unknown


Growing up, we never had a pet other than some fish that mysteriously disappeared, aquarium and all, after about 4 weeks. I guess my mom didn't want to have to take care of a dog or cat and she didn't think I would or could do it, so no pets. I got my first cat when I was 21 and luckily I was living with someone who had pets all her life, so she was able to show me the ropes.


Skip ahead about 20 years... Vickie and I both share a love of animals, but Vic's need to take in every last kitty or doggie that makes boo-boo lips at her far outweighs mine. Throughout the years our conversations have gone something like this:


Me: No more cats. I MEAN IT THIS TIME!
Vic: Okay. I know you're right. No more cats.


That said, I'd like to introduce you to our newest kitty, Macy Grey.

Macy lounging on the patio after enjoying a snackie.

Macy is actually an outside kitty...for now. We already have 12 (TWELVE!!) inside kitties, so we can't have any more (see the above conversation). Macy, however, showed up on our back porch one day and now visits nightly for kitty snackies and some light conversation. She's very vocal and loves to shmooze. She's also very territorial ~ she hisses at any other outside kitties that try to muscle in on her snackie/shmoozing action. We don't know where she lives during the daylight hours, but wherever it is her people must take pretty good care of her.

Today was the first day she stopped by during the day. It was quite a surprise to hear her calling us at the back door! I wonder what's going to happen when the snow starts falling in a few short months and it gets bitterly cold outside? I don't even want to think about it!

Positive Chi

I see I've been somewhat of a bad blogger this week. It seems like every day was filled with stuff, but when I look back on the week, very little got accomplished. A lot of time was spent going to and from the hospital to visit with Vic's mom. She had to have another emergency surgery yesterday to repair something that came undone from the last emergency surgery. She's still sedated and will probably remain so for at least another 4 weeks or so. It's hard on Vic (and everyone else who cares about her) to see her this way. It would be a huge relief if she could manage to just say a few words and know when we are in the room.

Yesterday, I had a job interview for a positon at one of the hospitals in town (we have several). I think it went really well and Ursula the interviewer said she will definitely call by the end of the week to let me know the result, either way. So send some positive thoughts Ursula's way and maybe I'll have some good news to report.

I've been working on homework a lot this week, too. Mine and my friend Laurie's. We are both taking a class called Intro to Windows. It's only a 5-week course and I thought it would be a piece of cake and an easy A. I guess that really only applies if you know something about computers, because although it's cake for me, it's more like a big popcorn kernal stuck in your tooth for Laurie. I hope I'm able to help her out, because I'd hate to see her have to take the class over again.

So this coming week I'll be working on 1.)looking for a job, 2.)doing well on my first Micro quiz, and 3.)trying to focus positive energy in the direction of Vic's mom, my job prospects, and school work in general. Maybe if you're not busy, you could send some positive thoughts my way, too.


Feast One Hundred & Sixty Three
Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?
About a 5. Birthdays stopped being a big deal for me at around 13. Instead of a gift someone feels obligated to buy, I'd rather have a nice card to let me know you're thinking of me. Or breakfast at a bagel shop. I love bagels! (My b-day is Dec. 12th)

Soup
What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?
Lesbian. Lezzzzzbian - It sounds hard and scary and it makes me think of a mob of angry ax-wielding women on PMS. Why can't we just say "women" and be done with it? Do we really need that label?

Salad
Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?
Yes, when it's sunny. I always buy the cheapo ones - they are close to my hair color, goldish.

Main Course
If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?
To all the people who never believed in me....HA!

Dessert
Name a beverage that you enjoy.
On a hot day, nothing beats an ice cold Diet Pepsi. Or a pina colada with pineapple chunks and orange slices on a little red sword.