kitties

Have I showed you pictures of the family lately? I didn't include pics of everybody, but here are just a few of the hellraisers.

Michael ~ Vic seems to think he's a "bit slow." His reaction time

is always off and he seems to other odd things. He is the

brother of Caleb and Duncan (they're coming up). I guess they're

all brothers & sisters, but Mikey, Caleb & Duncan all have the same

mama & daddy kitty.

Here is Duncan. I also call him Duncan Sticks. Vic usually

calls him Lard Ass. He's our heaviest baby, weighing in at

20 lbs.! He's a bed hog, too. He insists on sleeping on my

pillow or Vickie's head. I think he thinks he's still a baby.

Earl the squirrel. Look at those big bugged out eyes! He's also

got a prominent overbite and his back legs are shorter than his

front ones, so he ambles along kind've weird. I think he thinks

his "kahunas" are still there, because he walks very bow-legged!

Bella is Earl's sister. She loves to give Vic hugs and will wrap her

arms around Vic's neck. She pretty much just avoids me.

Nate has been around the longest ~ about 20 years! He's

pretty laid back and none of the other kids mess with him.

Amelia is a bit too big for the kitty bowl, but don't tell her
that! She just spills out of it and doesn't care.

This is Caleb. We think if he was a person, we would
spend a lot of time in the principal's office. He's
always getting into trouble and loves crawling
inside boxes, bowls, whatever.

a little time off

I can't believe that it's almost September. I'm sure a lot of people are saying that. I really enjoy Autumn, though. I love that the nights are cooler and soon the leaves will be turning color. Of course this also means that we are starting to lose more of our lovely flowers. Most due to nature, but some to the squirrels, too.

It's really pretty cool that this little guy was able

to balance on the sunflower stems as well as he did!

He had to work pretty hard to get this sunflower face

down, but when he did he had a great feast!

I've starting slowly catching up on my magazine reading and I actually cross-stitched for a bit last night. I'm hoping that I can be at least somewhat productive during my time off from school. I have to purchase books next week. It's going by way too fast!

Speaking of school, I have to attend a workshop conference-type thing for the state Surgical Tech association held the first weekend in October. It's one of those non-mandatory, mandatory kind've things. What this means is that they can't force me to go, but if I don't go everyone will spit on me and call me mean names. So I'm going. It's being held in Traverse City, about 4 hours north of Detroit. I'm not looking forward to the drive, but that part of the state will be beautiful in October. I'm going to make sure I make some time to leaf peep while I'm up there!

A-

I found out today that I got an A- for the first semester! I'm so relieved. Nine weeks ago, I thought anything other than a C would be impossible, but I studied and worked my butt off and it all paid off in the end. I don't know what grade I got on my final exam (I should find out in 4 weeks, on our first day back), but I know I got an A on our presentation and I passed my competency (it was pass or fail).

I'm not real sure what today's plans are. We would like to go to the Renaissance Festival, but weather guy keeps saying something about rain. If it turns out he's right, we'll probably just stick around the house and catch up on movies and DVR recordings. It'll be nice to just relax.

NO MORE SCHOOL!! (for 4 weeks)

Today was my last day of school for the semester! I was so happy when I walked out to my car that I almost cried right there in the parking lot. I thought my 6 weeks of Air Force basic training was tough, but it wasn't near as stressful as these past 9 weeks have been. I had 2 finals today and did really well in both (I think). Leading up to today, my grade was 93%, so I've got a really good shot at finishing the semester with an A. I should find out my grade by Monday of next week.

So for the next 4 weeks I'm going to do the following:

* Catch up on the stack of magazines that have been piling up
* Cross-stitch
* Scrapbook
* Watch TV
* Some days I'm just going to do nothing

yesterday & today

Today in school... I got my grade for the last test I took. It was an 85%. Usually I wouldn't be very happy about this, but considering this is one of the hardest classes I've ever taken and I really didn't study as much as I should have, I'm pleased with the grade. We also had our presentation today. It actually went off without a hitch and everyone seemed to like it quite a bit. Nimrod (see previous post) showed up and we found him something harmless to do, so again, I was quite pleased.

Now I have to study for the first of my two finals this week!

Yesterday & today at work... I went on "field trips" of a sort. I helped deliver oxygen and other DME (durable medical equipment) to customers in the area. It was nice getting out of the office for a while! I'm hoping, that after a little more training, I can work this into a more permanent job. In January I'll have to start my clinical work at hospitals, so I really need to find something either after hours or on the weekend and the DME thing would be perfect.

the week in review

stress
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265

Geez, what a hectic past week I’ve had. I really wanted to blog earlier in the week, but little time and heaps of stress conspired against me! My week actually began with last weekend and our trip to Goderich. The drive up was very pleasant and I was really looking forward to some great Celtic music while laying on a blankie in the warm breeze and into the night, under the stars. It rained the entire day. Rain from the moment we woke up until way past dark. And not just a drizzle ~ the Canadian sky opened up and poured down rain on us like it was flushing some great industrial-strength cosmic toilet. Not being an especially big fan of drowning, I suggested we NOT sit in the deluge all day. Instead, we explored a bit of the town, played some cards and the girls drank some good old Canadian beers. Lots of them. But hey, any time away from work or school is a “good time” as I see it and there’s always next year for the Celtic music.

Since Steph & Dee were visiting, it left very little time for me to study for my test that week. I tried to cram in little mini study sessions where I could, but I didn’t hit the books nearly enough and I think that will be evident when I get my test score back on Tuesday. I’m still doing pretty good overall in the class, though, so maybe this minor setback won’t be too bad.

Next week is our final week for the semester. I have two finals, a group presentation, and a 30-minute competency I have to pass! I had a dry run through of the competency last week, so I feel pretty good about that and I’m going to spend ALL weekend studying for the two tests, so hopefully I’ll do okay there, too. And then there’s the group presentation.

I absolutely hate doing group presentations. Actually, hate is too weak of a word for the way I feel about anything having to do with a group. I’d rather self-catheterize myself blindfolded in the middle of a raging hurricane with fire ants nibbling on my toes than work with a group on anything. There is always someone in the group who doesn’t pull his weight. Our group loser is Eugene. Eugene the self proclaimed “Powerpoint Master” who needs no help from anyone and “I guarantee I will have the whole thing done by next week.” Mr. Nimrod Pencil-dick Jerkface Dickweed made this proclamation 4 weeks ago. I think you know where this is headed.

So instead of spending my Friday night relaxing or studying for my TWO finals, I was re-working our presentation because we now did not have a Powerpoint. As you can imagine, I was not a happy camper and believe me when I tell you that Eugene is well aware of this. If he didn’t get the hint when I jumped ass in the parking lot, I’m sure he fully understood when I told him to “f*** off, you f***ing loser son of a b****!” Then again, maybe not ~ he is a dumbass afterall.

So needless to say, my weekend is going to be jam packed with studying and stressing about this stupid presentation. I’m glad I don’t have kids. I just don’t know how the mothers in my class can juggle, work, school AND needy little rugrats all at the same time.

Okay, gotta go study now!

a few links

When Vic & I moved back "up north" we decided that we wanted to do some traveling in and around the MI area. Sometimes that's not so easy to do. Gas, time off of work, babysitters (for Shannon) and just plain $$ have at times worked against us. But all in all, I think we've been pretty successful.

We're off on our next adventure in just a few hours ~ the "prettiest town in Canada" Goderich. It's located about 3 hours north of us in Ontario. We're headed up to the annual Celtic Festival. The ride up is really pretty and, because Vic is deathly afraid of heights, instead of taking the Ambassador Bridge over to Canada, we take the somewhat scary car ferry. It's a very bumpy ride across Lake St. Clair. You spend the 10 mins. riding in your car or else you'll get splashed with water (we found that out the hard way!).

Our traveling companions for this adventure are Steph and Dee. They drove up all the way from Athens, AL (anywhere near you, AZ?). Right now, they're all outside smoking and drinking pots of coffee, so I thought I would take a few mins. to say "hi" since I won't be home for a while. We've got the Jeep partially loaded up and really just have a few more items and then we're off.

No rain! No rain!

odds & ends

The Melissa concert Sunday evening wasn't bad, but I'm really glad I didn't have to pay $100. There was a little too much electric guitar, I thought. Vic & I both agreed that part of the reason people go to see Melissa Etheridge is to see her perform, not her band. But she played for almost 2 & a half hours and we had pretty good seats, so it was a nice night out.

The concert was held at the Detroit Opera House. Wow, was that ever nice! The ornate architecture was just beautiful. I'd really like to see an opera there. Madame Butterfly will be there in November, so maybe we can scrounge up the bucks to see it!

Our friends arrive from TN late tomorrow night. Our house has never looked cleaner! Even the dog got a bath! I wish the sweet Baboo could go with us, but there's a stupid "no dogs" rule at the park. Stupidheads. So now I'll spend the entire weekend worried about her.

I got a 95% on my last test! Only 2 more weeks of school left in this term and then I'll get a 4 week vacation. Yea!!

tenth

Look at the monster sunflower in our yard! Below is a photo of me and the giganto sunflower. As you can see, he is just a tooch taller than moi! He's a big fella!


Vic and I are going to see Melissa Etheridge at the Detroit Opera House tomorrow night. I've seen her a couple of times a few years ago. She really puts on a good show, but since she's become a "big rock star" her tickets have doubled in price. I don't think there is anybody I would pay $100 to see, including Melissa. So I won the tickets instead! I was the 10th caller Friday morning, so now Vic and I will be having a light supper and taking in a concert at the Opera House Sunday evening. Truth be told, I'd rather be going to an actual opera, but that's not what the 10th caller gets.

thursdays

I think my new favorite day of the week, besides Saturday, is Thursday. Thursday is the only day I don't have to go to work. Monday and Friday I work 10 hours and the other two days I go there straight from school. But because Thursday is my "long day" at school, I get to come home afterward. This means I get a whole extra 3 hours to do stuff. Of course stuff usually turns out to be homework, but still...

Speaking of homework, I have very little this weekend. This is a good thing because Vic & I have to get a bunch of little stuff done around the house before our friends arrive on Wednesday. In addition to our trip to Canada for the Celtic festival, I think we're also going to hit one of the casinos downtown. In the 3 years we've lived here, I think Vic & I have been to any of the casinos a totally of once. And that was just to see what the inside looked like. We dropped a quick $20 on a quarter slot machine and got the heck outta there! Maybe our luck will be better this time. And I think we're going on a Thursday, my new favorite day of the week, so I'm hoping for a big payday and slots of fun!

a lot of yellow

I recently discovered a new blog ~ My Wildlife Sanctuary. Cheryl, the auther has some of the most beautiful pictures of her yard. Inspired by her blog, I've decided to introduce you to my backyard (especially since it's nice and tidy from this past weekend!). Enjoy!

Here is the lovely yellow chair I promised to assemble this weekend. Amazingly, I actually did it! It compliments our patio and backyard beautifully and really adds a splash of color to the place. In the background are Vic and Flea frollicking in the freshly cut grass.

It's also perfect for holding a tomato!

We have some lovely sunflowers complements of the birdies who visit our bird feeders. When they come to eat, the birds invariable drop sunflower seeds and a few months later...voila!

And then of course the finches stop by and eat the leaves and the little faces off the sunflowers. I guess we can't really blame them though since the sunflowers were grown by them!

This is the view from our patio into the backyard. We usually have a ton of flowers until about August and then they start to kind've peter out. I really wanted to plant some black-eyed susans this year, but I just don't have the time. Maybe next year.

This little bee house sat emptly for the previous three summers, but this year the bees have finally discovered it! They are in and out all day, every day. I wonder if they are building something inside the cottage??

It was the perfect weekend to get yard stuff done! We had a slight breeze that blew thru our backyard for most of the afternoon, which made the work soo much more pleasant!

sunflower saturday

Somehow I've managed to complete 98% of my school work by today, leaving me the weekend free to frolic about in the backyard! I'm really really looking forward to working in the yard this weekend ~ we haven't neglected it, but it isn't as pretty as it can be. I just have no time to do anything other than work and school. I've been so busy lately that I have to schedule in times just to scratch my ass!

We have some gorgeous sunflowers that have just exploded under the bird feeders, but need a little propping up to reach their full sunshiney potential. Also our garden needs to be weeded and of course the grass needs to be cut again. I think tomorrow morning is going to be tidy-up time and I can't wait!

I'm also going to read a magazine. I don't care which one, just as long as it doesn't contain any articles regarding surgical instruments or sterile techniques.

And I'm going to assemble a chair. Vic & I bought a cheery yellow motel-type chair weeks ago and it's been sitting in its box in our garage this whole time. I think I shall read my unknown magazine while lounging on it! Wish me luck!

results

My test results are in...they are 87% & 90%. Not too bad, I guess. This weekend is going to be packed with papers to write and homework to do and a Tigers game to attend. Vic & I have our first Tigers game of the 2008 season on Saturday evening. I'm hoping for a nice, cool, rain-free night. Either way, rain or no rain, I'm gonna put on my Tigers jersey and we're gonna watch some baseball up close and personal!

Go Tigers!

tests & sales

Hey, I feel pretty good about both of my tests. I'll find out this coming week, but I think I did okay. Now that we are at the half-way point of the quarter, I'm finally starting to de-stress a bit. That's a nice feeling.

Vic & I are headed off to a huge city-wide garage/antique sale in a nearby neighborhood. I thought spending money we don't really have on stuff we don't really need would be therapeutic. Then, if the rain holds off, we'll come home and work in the yard a bit. I wish we had a pool. And a boat. And a horse. But today I'd settle for just the pool!

hi

books
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265

No time to blog today, I have TWO tests tomorrow that I have to study for. But I wanted to at least say "Hi" to everyone.

Hi!

the week ahead

My life:
Last Friday ~ study
Last Saturday ~ study
Last Sunday ~ study and bought a yellow chair for the patio
Today ~ work & study
Tuesday ~ work & study
Wednesday ~ work & study
Thursday ~ take 2 f***ing tests!
Friday ~ work & then watch baseball...and study

queen for a day

95% That's what I got on my quiz. At first I was pleasantly pleased, because I really studied my butt off and was hoping for at least an 85%. Then I found out I had the highest grade in the class and was secretly tickled silly with myself.

Yes, I was queen of "My Shit Don't Stink-land" today.

sunflowers & stuff

This past long weekend was spent studying and doing a lot of nothing. Vic & I did a little yard beautifcation and hung a new ceiling fan in the guest bedroom, so come on up everybody! (Not all at once ~ we only have 1 guest bedroom.)

Today we had our first quiz in class (quiz #2 is tomorrow!). I'm pretty sure I did okay, not great just okay. The first quiz/test is always the hardest because you just don't know what to study. So I studied everything and still found that I didn't study the right stuff! Geez! I think I probably got a B, but won't find out for at least a few days.

It didn't help matters any that I was also sick. I caught some kind of flu bug yesterday afternoon. When I got home from work, I went straight to bed (after a few trips to the bathroom) and I wasn't feeling any better when I woke this morning. I can't not go to school because they'll kill you if you miss a day, so I went in felling puny. And then I called out sick to work this afternoon and spent the rest of the day sleeping on the couch. I feel great now! Maybe I just needed 24 hours to let whatever yick work its way out of my system. (Yick. It's a medical term.)

I've also included some shots of our recently bloomed sunflowers. We have two types: orangey in the middle of their face and not orangey in the middle of their face. Both are equally pretty!

a rubberband stretched to her limit

Sorry to have been such a bad blogger lately. School is just eating me alive. Week 2 just ended yesterday, which means I've been totally f**cking stressed for 2 straight weeks! I've never ever been like this. I actually burst into tears in the car driving from school to work.

So, after a little "talking to" from Vic, I am going to try my damndest to de-stress. I'm really really super-worried about passing this program and that has pretty much just taken over my life. Not any more! Starting today I'm going do other stuff. By that I mean I'm going to try to read at least one chapter a day from a book that has nothing at all to do with school. I'm going to take time out to enjoy our newly sprung sunflowers and snapdragons. And I'm going to make sure I hug Vic at least once a day, even if I have to wake her up to do it!

I'm going to be the best damn stress-free Surg Tech I can be.

make a list!

Geez, what a hectic week this has been! First week of school and first week at the new job. It seems like education is just barreling down on me like a freight train. Several freight trains!

For some reason, I've been really stresseed at school. This doesn't usually happen to me ~ I've always been pretty confident as far as my scholastic career goes. On Thursday I finally had to just sit and take deep breaths and came to the conclusion that I'm unorganized. My sock drawer is a thing of beauty, but I'm floundering under the weight of all the homework and the reading assignments heaped on me. So I made a list. And now I'm much happier. During class, I just add "to-do" items to my homework list. My stress level has improved dramatically. I suggest everyone go out and make a list right now!

The amount and weight of books I'm required to bring to each class is ridiculous and I actually looked into purchasing a bookbag with wheels to lug all that stuff around. In the end, I've opted to just use one of our small suitcases instead. I'm sure I look a little dorky, but 1.) I don't want to spend $50 on something I'll use for less than a year and 2.) At this point, I really don't give a squirrel's ass what anybody thinks. (It doesn't hurt, too, that I'm not the only one in class who subscribes to the squirrel's ass ~ suitcase philosophy.)

I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Of course I'll also being working thru my homework list, but at least for a little while today (Saturday) I'm going to take a little time off to do something fun with Vic. Our plan is to drive an hour north to Port Huron and check out the Tall Ships Festival. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

a little poetry

First day of school.

Exhausted thru and thru.

Gonna have to buy a bookbag w/wheels.

Something I swore I would never do!

More to come...

stuff & backyard

It seems like its been a while since I blogged, but I did actually compose something a few days ago. When I tried to upload it, however, Blogger had some meltdown and lost my entire literary brainstorm. I was very pissed and decided then & there that I wouldn’t blog anything for days. I really showed Blogger, didn’t I?

It was actually some rantings on gas prices and the foreclosure problems that seems to be all over the news these days. I’m over the whole thing now, so let’s move on to other even less-interesting subjects.

I attended the orientation class for my Surg Tech (ST from now on) program yesterday. I left feeling very overwhelmed. I think the next 6 months are going to be the hardest of my scholastic life. If only I could win the lottery, quit work and devote all my hours away from school to studying! My instructors seem to think that life just completely stops for everyone in the program. I foresee a lot of weekends spent studying. I’m really fortunate I have an understanding Vic, or else I’d really be screwed.

I start my new Respiratory position Monday morning. Another little something I have to be nervous about. Luckily, everyone is happy to have me back, so that’ll definitely make things easier. I’m already looking forward to the end of August and our 3-week break between Summer and Fall semesters.

So would you like to see some shots from around our backyard??

These are our cute little elephant ears that we planted

alongside the house to add some color.

The clematis has just burst forth for the Summer. It

really makes a great "privacy fence" when

it curls itself around the trellis.

Our lone tomato. We've also got green peppers and

jalepeno peppers planted, but so far this is the only

little guy to have made it. Even our sunflowers

are a little pokey this year!

diy weekend

kitchen
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265

Guess what we did this weekend?! We finally got the kitchen painted! It's a beautiful shade of Bibbidy Bobbidy Blue and it really brightens up the whole room. (How could something called Bibbidy Bobbidy Blue not brighten up a room?) Here pictured is the lovely Vic taking apart the exhaust fan she hates. All that's left is to rearrange pictures and hang the curtains. Yea for us! Next weekend we're going to put up bifold doors. I hope.

school

My acceptance letter came today!

So I left work early (I'll have to make up the time tomorrow) to rush over to the school so I could choose the lab I wanted before it filled up leaving me stuck with a crummy time period. (Anybody who has ever had to enroll in college classes knows what I'm talking about!) And then I rushed over to the financial aid office to make sure all my student loan money was in place (because what would life be without 50years-worth of student loans to pay off?). And then I rushed over to the bookstore to buy my books. This is the point in my story where my eyes popped out of my head and I was struck dumb.

My books for the Summer semester (just the Summer!) came to almost $700! Apparently we are also issued a small elf to carry our books from class to class because I can't believe that books alone can cost $700! The tragedy is that we'll probably actually use only a quarter of any of them and be fed that same line of shit I hear every semester, "These will be great reference tools." I'm here to tell you, I've never once pulled out my Algebra book to refer to something.

Anyway, classes start in two weeks and last for 12 months. Let the bitching begin!

some stuff

I wanted to wait to post until I found out if I was accepted into the Surg Tech program, but I still haven't heard anything and I didn't want to be rude by not blogging, so here I am.

The program director said everyone would know "no later then the 12th." I guess I'm just a little impatient. I want to be able to plan my work schedule and I just hate not knowing how the summer is going to look. I'll be honest with you, I really want to make it into the program, but if for some reason I don't, my heart won't be broken. I'll be disappointed, but I'm kind've looking forward to my new Respiratory job and I really like working a nice Monday~Friday job. The pay could be better, but I'm sure everyone feels that way about their job.

We had some really bad weather roll thru our part of town over the weekend. The wind and rain reminded me of my hurricane days back in Florida! Today is beautiful blue skies, though. Perfect baseball weather! And book-reading weather ~ I finished Prince Caspian out on the patio when I got home from work this afternoon. It was good, but not as good as Lion, Witch & Wardrobe.

meme, meme, meme

Well really just two memes.

I'm worn out from having just cut the grass, but I really wanted to blog today. Since I'm off work tomorrow, this is my Friday and I was really just looking forward to plopping in front of the TV to watch the Tigers. Weather guy said we were in for horrible storms, so I figured this would be perfect "do nothing" weather. So of course it's 80 degrees outside with no rain in sight, but plenty of tall grass in my back yard. Oh well...

Anyway, I thought I'd cheat a bit and participate in the meme thing. I borrowed the first one from AZ and the second from Shawn.

123 Meme
Here’s how it goes:
Pick up the nearest book.
Open to page 123.
Locate the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences on your blog.

This was actually kind of tricky, because my computer desk sits right next to my bookshelf, so I cheated a bit. I actually selected the book I'm reading right now to take my sentences from. Currently I'm reading Prince Caspian, a book contained in a larger book entitle The Chronicles of Narnia.

Page 123 actually falls in the story The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which I've previously read. And it was a really good movie, too.

“Just like a girl,” said Edmund to himself, “sulking somewhere, and won’t accept an apology.”
He looked around him again and decided he did not much like this place, and had almost made up his mind to go home, when he heard, very far off in the wood, a sound of bells.
He listened and the sound came nearer and nearer and at last there swept into sight a sledge drawn by two reindeer.

I'm here to tell you, if Edmund had known then that it was the White Witch in that sleigh, he would've gotten the hell out of there. She was scary in the book, but when Tilda Swinton portrayed her on the big screen she was downright terrifying.


Shawn's Meme
1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
* I was working a job I absolutely hated and thought there could never be a worse job in the world. I was wrong.
* I had just starting dating Vic (for about 4 weeks)
* I had two wonderful kitties (2 is a normal amount of kitties to have ~ not 12!)

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
* Scrapbook
* Laundry
* Wog on the treadmill
* Make Hamburger Helper
* Watch the Tigers

Chances are I am not going to launder anything tonight. I had a pretty good workout cutting the grass, so wogging is also up for debate. The Tigers are off tonight (damn!) and I'm kind've committed to making the Helper cuz I already took the hamburger out.

3. Snacks I enjoy:
* Chips & chip dip
* Nachos
* Pizza
* Just about anything I can dink into something else (within reason)

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
* Travel all over the world (especially Europe)
* Start an animal rescue foundation ~ a safe place for animals to live out their lives
* Hire a personal trainer
* Start a cable network devoted entirely to theater. I've got the whole thing planned out already!

5. Places I have lived:
I've lived in, literally, dozens of places. So I'll choose just the places I've lived in at least 2 years.

* Cleveland, OH
* Ramstein, Germany
* Biloxi, MS
* Pensacola, FL
* Detroit, MI

6. Peeps I want to know more about:
The Irish. As a people, they really have a fascinating history. I'd love to study Irish history at Trinity College in Dublin.

i thought you'd like to know...

I got the respiratory job! Not sure when I'll start ~ probably some time in the next 2 weeks. I'm both happy and a little nervous. I worked in this department before, but in a limited capacity. This time, I'll be learning a whole new job. Scary.

the weekend

Remember how Vic & I were going to paint the kitchen? We laid around the house and watched movies instead. (Told ya.)

Vic made me a wonderful pina colada Saturday afternoon and after a small bit of loopiness, I promptly passed out for about 3 hours. (I guess I'm a cheap date.) And of course we did our Saturday night ritual of "camping out" in the living room. Nothing like watching movies until the wee hours while lounging on an air matress!

I applied to the Surg Tech program today and will find out if I'm accepted next week. Tomorrow I apply for the Respiratory job and then it's a short week at work because I took off Friday. Vic has a dental appointment Friday morning. The oral surgeon is going to knock her out to remove some tooth fragments imbedded in her gum (Ewwww!), so she'll need a ride home.

I've been watching the Stanly Cup Playoffs lately since the Red Wings are in it this year. I've been watching the games on CBC cuz I like the Canadian announcers accents. ("Let's hear moor aboot some hawkey, eh?")

current events

Random stuff going on lately in my little part of the world:

* I apply for the Surg Tech program next week. And find out if I've made it or not a week later. I'm not worried. I think I've got a pretty good shot at making it in and if I don't then it wasn't meant to be. The good thing about being selected for the program is than I'll have a degree and a better job in just 12 months. The bad thing is that for those 12 months I'll have to either work part-time or find another full-time job (evenings or midnights). I have a feeling things are going to be a little stressed around the house for the next year or so.

* I really wanted to read a few books before school starts back up. So far I've finished zero. I did start Prince Caspian about a week ago and have been slowly making my way thru it. I loved The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, so I was looking forward to reading the second book in the Narnia series. It's been pretty good, so far. It just seems like I never have enough time to read, though. And I know I won't have any time this Summer, so I better get to reading.

* For some reason the Tigers have really sucked so far this year and I'm baffled as to why. I still watch every game and yell at the TV!

* I'm interviewing for my old job as a Respiratory Care Coordinator next week. This was the job I worked before I got reassigned. Well, one of the girls is leaving so her position will be open. I wrestled with the idea of whether or not to apply because I might have to go to part-time (the whole Surg Tech thing again), but the manager of the department specifically asked me to put in for it. I explained the school thing, but he said he could work around it and told me to apply. So I did. I think a few other people did, too, so there will have to be interviews, but I was pretty encouraged by Bob's words.

* Vic & I decided to paint the kitchen this weekend, which means we'll probably lay around the house and watch movies.

flowery weekend

I realize it's been a few days since my last blogging, but I needed an extra day to recover from my extra day-off! Vic & I stayed pretty busy the whole weekend working on the yard. This past weekend's project was flowers! We really wanted to add a splash of color to the yard, so we planted a rainforest of flowers!

This is a "before" shot of the flower bed by our patio. Pictured here is a nice assortment of Michigan weeds.

Ta-da! Much prettier! All the little flowers will fill-in nicely over the Summer.

Pretty Irises along our driveway.

The much-ballyhoo'd tripod shot everyone has been begging for.

A parting shot of Flea on top of our window air-conditioner. The nights have been really breezy, so hopefully we won't have to uncover the AC for a few more weeks.

There was also a bit of sad news this weekend. Gordon, our gecko, passed away. I mentioned in a previous blog that he was feeling a little puny. The gecko doctor said there was very little we could do and that he was at about "that age", so we just tried to make him comfortable. I think he knows he was loved ~ especially by the kitties! He's in a place now where geckos spend all day laying on rocks, eating crickets. Bye Gordo!

family

Isn't it odd, and at the same time gratifying, to be close to someone you've never met? Let me explain. I think I've made some really great friends thru blogging ~ people (and animals) I've never even met! I've been introduced to your families, cheered at your achievements, sent positive thoughts when needed, and wept at losses. Today I learned of the passing of Bonnie, a kitty that wrote a blog with her brother, Victor. As I read the tributes to Bonnie, I found myself sitting at the computer with tears just streaking down my face. And I've never even met Bonnie, Victor or any of their people!

I guess I've formed some kind of bond with all the other bloggers I read regularly. Reading of Bonnie's passing just broke my heart for Victor ~ I know that if something were to ever happen to Shannon or one of our kitties I would be a wreck. I also know that my blogging friends would reach out to me in some way and that really gives me comfort.

I've never been especially close to my family and I have no children, so my family is mainly comprised of people I'm not related to, but to people (and animals) I've been lucky enough to find and keep.

I like knowing you're out there, blogging friends. Thanks for being there and know I'll be there for you, too!

My Family.

pics of the trip

Today, I thought I would treat you all with some photos taken during the recent trip North. I try to take pics with the scrapbook in mind. It's nice to take shots of things, but a lot more interesting when you include people with the things. Enjoy!

Here Vic & I are in front of one of the cheesiest tourist traps in all of tourism. The much ballyhooed Totem Village turned out to be little more than a dollar store with plastic totem poles, popsicle stick teepees and rubbery tomtoms. They did have wild chickens out back.

This is a wonderful shot of us at Tahquamenon Falls in the U.P. We brought the tripod I bought specifically for this trip, but I think we actually like these "hey, let's take a picture of the both of us!" shots the best. For some reason, Vic always seems to be on the left.



We saw a lovely moose on our way to the Shipwreck Museum. We think he was a baby, but he was definitely the first moose I've ever seen up close & personal!

Here's another of those great "Hey" shots we like so much. This one is on the very windy ferry ride over to the Island. The Mackinac Bridge is just over my left shoulder. We only got about two dozen shots of it during our 3-day stay.

I saw a slanty tree and of course made Vic take my picture a la Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Here is the sweet Baboo at one of her many rest stop excursions. This is a great shot of her ~ she looks really happy. I think she enjoyed spending time with her moms. Sometimes it's nice to get away from all those kitties!

I hope you enjoyed my mini pictoral essay of our trip North. We all had a great time and now we can start planning for our next trip. I'm pretty sure it'll be to Canada in August to attend a Celtic Festival, but there's also an Irish Festival in Cleveland in July, so it'll definitely be a Celticy Summer!

return from the vacation, part 1

Vic, Shannon & I had a great time up north! The drive up took about 4 hours ~ we probably could've done it quicker, but we stopped every hour or so to let Shannon stretch her legs and pee on a dandelion or two. The rain I was afraid of encountered never came. Well, it did drizzle a bit at night, but during the day it was bright & sunshiney. There was a bit of a breeze at times, but still great "walk around being a tourist" weather.

Mackinac Island was really nice, but I think I enjoyed the ride we took to the top of the U.P. best. Along the way we saw deer, moose, sheep (I love sheep), cows and a bald eagle! We've already decided that we'll be going back again. If we had the time, we'd both like to do a lighthouse trip. Michigan has a ton of lighthouses, though, so I think we'd need a lot of time (and money!).

I'll include pics of our adventures tomorrow. I wanted to cut the grass and do some laundry today and now I'm pooped! I just don't feel like uploading anything right now. I think I'm going to take a quick shower and watch the Ugly Betty we recorded while away.

vacation

Just sitting here, waiting for Vic to wake up so we can start our vacation. I slept in this morning (until a whopping 8:30!) and then couldn't take it any longer. Vacations are exciting ~ especially when you're going to someplace new! I love exploring new places. And this will be Shannon's first vaction with the moms, too.

Vic & I do surprisingly well traveling together in the car. We usually keep each other pretty amused and I make sure to pack plenty of snackies, so we eat fairly well, too. This trip, I'll be bringing along the new Budget Travel book I received in the mail this week.

It's a compilation of some of the stories submitted to Budget Travel's True Stories section in their magazine. They sent me a free copy because one of my stories is in the book ~ page 66. I'm now a published author ~ sort of. This is the story that won Vic & I a trip to London!

Mackinac Island and Michigan's Upper Peninsula is our destination this time. I keep checking the weather, and it looks like we may have a little rain while we're there. I hoping for overnight or early early morning rain. Neither of us have been to the U.P. and I haven't done any extensive planning. I wanted this to be more of a discover it as we go kind've vacation. There are a few sights we definitely want to see, but otherwise nothing is really planned out. A definite first for me!

See you on Monday!

weekends, past & future

This last weekend was really not interesting enough to even write about. We did a little yard work on Saturday and did the Mother's Day thing with Vic's mom on Sunday. Blah.

This upcoming weekend, however, we will be in chilly, partly rainy northern Michigan. Yea! The best thing about being up north in the rain will be that we won't be down here at work. Yea again! I've started making lists of things to take (I love making lists) and gathering and laundering needed items. We haven't told Shannon yet because we want her to be surprised ~ although, she'd be happy just to drive up & down the driveway as long as she could hang her head out the window!

The weekend after we get back is Memorial Day weekend. This will be one of the first times I've actually had a holiday off because it was a holiday and not because it just happened to fall on my day-off. Vic and I are going to either A.)plant, plant, plant all over the yard or if it rains, B.)lay around the house for three days doing nothing but watch movies. Yea!

new camera

I really didn't realize how much I missed having a camera around until I didn't have one around. I think I've learned how all the new bells & whistles work and will now just have to practice taking shots around the house with it. Our vacation north is only one short weekend away!

Here is a lovely shot of said camera.

I promptly took photos of things to show off in my blog.

Here are the lovely tulips we planted.

And this is our equally lovely Japanese Maple treeling.
(I've named him ChopSticks.)

I also purchased a little baby tripod for our new camera. It seems like Vic & I have dozens of photos of the two of us from the forehead up. Or with half a nose each, because we have to hold the camera at arms-length.

Baby tripod.

Photo of me without new baby tripod.

Photo of me with new baby tripod.

(I think Vic will like the new tripod.)

And a parting shot of Emily napping on my chair.

I Thought You'd Like To Know...

My booby is fine (thanks for all the positive energy & thought sent my way!) I have dense overlapping breast tissue, which is medical terminology for "We're squishing you twice a year now instead of just once." It's nice to know that everything is working well booby-wise.

The Canon guys couldn't fix our camera, so they sent us an upgrade! The biggest differences are the color (black instead of silver), more buttons for the more features available and it takes a memory card different from the three we already have. Blogging photos soon to appear here.

Vic & I have a weekend ritual we started a while back. Every Saturday we move the living room coffee table to the side, blow up our air mattress and plop it in front of the TV to catch up on things we've DVR'd previously that week. It was great when it was cold and snowy out, because we'd make a fire and some popcorn get all snuggly for the night. It's still nice even now that the weather has warmed up!

Shannon's visit to the vet was uneventful. Expensive, but uneventful. Gordon is still hanging in there and Caleb, one of our kitties, has taken to farting whenever you pick him up. He's such a boy.

random stuff

I got an email today from Canon saying that our camera was all fixed and on its way home. Yea! Hopefully we'll get it back by the end of the week. When it does get here, I'm going to take some pics of our kids to include in a future blog.

Speaking of pictures...I've been working, slowly, on the scrapbook. I'm trying to get somewhat caught up before school starts again. Right now I'm at June '06, when my friend Jeannine came up for a visit from Pensacola. We went to a Tigers~Yankees game (she's a big Yankees fan). And coincidentally, the Tigers are playing the Yankees tonight! The Tigers won the first game! (Sorry Jeannine.)

It's been a week since my follow-up mammogram and still no word. I'm going to give it another day and then I'm going to call my doctor. I think if it was serious enough for them to take a second look, then it's serious enought to be letting me in on the results.

Just 3 more weekends until our trip North. I think Vic & I are both very excited to be going anywhere. It looks like Shannon will be making the trip with us, because we couldn't find anyone to housesit and we don't want to leave her home alone. I'm still not exactly sure if we'll be taking her on Mackinac Island itself, but I know she'll love the car rides!

Speaking of vacations...our friends from Alabama will be coming for a visit in August to attend the Celtic Fesival with us again this year! We had a blast last year, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them and listening to some great music! The festival is held every year in a little town called Goderich in Ontario, about an hour from Detroit. It's nice being international travelers!

Gordon is still hanging in there. He seems pretty weak, but he's still moving around in his aquarium and Vic says he's had some "big poops." It seems like our medical health is based on how well we poop, so he's at least got that going for him.

Shannon visits the vet tomorrow for her yearly check-up. They want a poop sample, too ~ see, it's all about the poop! She usually does pretty well, but that's because I lay down on the floor with her and hold her hand thru the whole thing. I always come away with my back hurting!

gordon, the yard & stupid-heads

Gordon, our gecko, has been feeling a little under the weather lately. We took him to the vet and he said some vet stuff that was mostly over my head and then gave us some anitbiotics for him to take. We also redecorated his aquarium in the hopes that a new atmosphere would perk him up. He's about 8 years old, which is makes him a senior citizen, and we think that maybe it might be getting close to "that time." We just want to try to make him as comfortable as possible ~ except I don't think he likes the antibiotics very much!

This past weekend was "yard weekend." Vic & I cleaned out the garage, finally got around to hanging a shop light that I bought her for her birthday (in September!) and did a lot yard-y stuff. I cut the grass again because it was supposed to rain today (and it did) and Vic planted a small Japanese Maple tree (I call him ChopSticks) and some flowers & veggies. I made her promise that we wouldn't do any major flower planting until after we get back from our trip up north (the middle of next month). It's really a good idea to wait to plant until after Mother's Day because you never know when the frost is going to creep up on you.

I picked up my application package to apply for the Surg Tech program today. I thought it was going to be some hefty paperwork that I was going to have to fill out in triplicate and write a 3000 word essay on how I'm going to single-handedly save a nation one surgical instrument at at time. Nope. It's just one form that I fill out with my name and student ID number. And I can't turn it in until the first week in June! I'll find out if I'm selected for the program the second week and classes start the fourth week! They don't give you a lot of time to work around your work schedule. Stupid-heads!

Spring Has Sprung

Today's afternoon fun including assembling our newly purchased Toro lawnmower. Red. I like when tools and lawn stuff comes in red. (Green is good, too.) I also hosed off the patio and put out our Adirondack chairs (green) and our big umbrella (also green!). And I wheeled out the grill (black), so Summer is sure to come to our backyard soon.

I would've liked to include a photo of our first dandelion of the season, but alas, our camera has pooped out on us. I called the Canon tech support guy and he said it's a "CCD interface sensor problem." Blah, blah, blah. All I know is that our beloved camera is no-workie and is now on a trip to the lovely Elk Grove Village, IL where the Canon doctors live. Canon guy Kevin said they will either fix our silver baby or send us one of her cousins. Either way, I hope we have a camera for our trip north in a few weeks.

I left work early this afternoon because I had to go for an ultrasound as a follow-up for a mammogram I had a couple weeks ago. They found something "suspicious" on the first film, so today's fun was more in-depth so that the radiologist can get a better look at the evil that may be lurking in my mammary member (booby evil?). It'll take about a week before I'll find out the results and I'm sure Vic will be a Worry Wilma the entire time. I'm just trying to think positive thoughts and not worry until there's something to worry about. I'll keep you posted.

At This Moment

I recently read Julie's blog titled At This Moment and thought that was a unique way to get to know a little bit more about somebody I really don't know. So I thought I'd try it, too. Here goes...

Most of my blogging takes place when the house is empty, except for me and the "kids" and a little classical music. For some reason hearing voices is very distracting and it makes it difficult for me to form thoughts (probably a good thing I don't have human kids!). My newish computer is sitting on a very old and broken-down desk. It's not an antique by any stretch of the imagination. I bought it at WalMart about 12 years ago and put it together with a Phillips screwdriver in my living room. It's cracked on the top where I used it as a ladder to clean the top of the bookcase (that's what I get for cleaning!) and it's pretty much just an eyesore. But it's functional and I just can't see spending money on a new desk when we could use the cash for something else.

The desk & computer sit in my very "lived-in" living room. I think that's just a nice way of saying cluttered. Right now, Shannon, the best dog in the world, is napping soundly in front of the biggish-screen TV that Vickie insisted on buying a few years ago. When we met, I didn't have much more than a regular-sized TV and bunny rabbit ears ~ no cable. I watched a lot PBS in the pre-Vickie days. We are listening to the Soundscapes music channel ~ lots of soothing music.

My days lately have been pretty relaxed. I don't have to worry about school or babysitting Mom or anything pressing or stressful...yet. The Surg Tech program starts in June (if I make it into the program!) and lasts for a full 12 months. School will be full time for a good part of the year which means I'll have to work part-time for a while. The thought of working less sounds very appealing. The thought of having less money sounds decidedly less appealing. I'm trying not to think about that, though. Everyone has money problems, so I'm sure we'll be no different. I can't wait till we have more money than we know what to do with! Actually, I'm just looking forward to days without stress. That's my motivation ~ Stress-free days.

Now that's it's nice out, I'm really looking forward to doing a lot of outside-type stuff. I want to ride bikes in the park and explore different parts of Michigan with Vic and Shannon. Michigan has a ton of lighthouses and I'd like to discover at least a couple of new ones this year. I'm also looking forward to sitting in the back yard on my adirondack chair, listening to Tigers games. And maybe all the screaming kids that live on our street will go to Wyoming for the Summer!

So that's me ~ or at least part of me, anyway. It's funny how you read the same blogs every day and each time you do, you learn a little more about the person writing it. Just little insights in to how that person thinks or feels.

The Week In Review

Red Garden Cart
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265

This has been an interesting week for me. Lots of ups and downs.

Monday night I stayed overnight at Mom's when what I really wanted to do was curl up on the couch at my house & get over a headache.

Tuesday night I was determined to do something productive, so I put together our new red garden cart. It looks just like the one in the picture (but that's not our backyard). The directions said all I would need was a screwdriver and a wrench. They left out the part about how it would take me FOUR HOURS to finish. This was definitely a two-women job.

Wednesday night I was back to feeling icky. I just felt like the flu was gonna hit me any second. When I got home from work it was a bright and sunny day, but I spent the remainder of the evening under a blanket on the couch.

Thursday and Friday nothing exciting happened. I washed clothes. Boring.

Saturday night Vic & I brought out our queen-sized air mattress, plopped in on the living room floor and watched TV most of the day. It was the perfect day to stay inside and veg. Rain and wind almost the whole day and bitterly cold. When we woke up Sunday, it was snowing!

So my week wasn't really interesting in that spectacular things happened; it was more the "not the same kinda stuff every day" interesting.

No Soothing Kitties At Mom's

Today at work, I developed a screaming headache. All I could think about the whole rest of the day was how much I was looking forward to coming home and laying on the couch with a soothing kitty or two and a cool wash cloth over my forehead. That was at 11:00.

At 3:00 Vic called to tell me that I had to go to Mom's tonight because she had some pain management procedure done this morning and was feeling puny and wanted someone to spend the night "just in case."

I'm now headed out to the "House of the Screaming TV."

Shit.

Feasting

I see I haven't done the Friday Feast in a while, so I thought I'd catch up with the last few. Vic & I don't really have anything special planned for the weekend. I have to go to some really lame class Saturday morning, but then after that I'll be free to do whatever. I kinda hope we can get the tub caulked. Sounds like fun, huh?



Feast One Hundred & Eighty Six April 4th, 2008
Appetizer Invent a new flower; give it a name and describe it.
Black-eyed Caseys. They would look similar to Susans, but they'd be Caseys.

Soup Name someone whom you think has a wonderful voice.
Carly Simon. And Shannon.

Salad On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how clean do you keep your car?
Very clean ~ probably 9.5.

Main Course How do you feel about poetry?
I don't really understand most of it. I'm a prose kinda girl.

Dessert What was the last person/place/thing you took a picture of?
Shannon in the snow. I don't take enough pictures ~ I'm going to really try to take more this Summer.

Feast One Hundred & Eighty Five March 28th, 2008
Appetizer What does the color dark green make you think of?
Leaves, trees, my bike.

Soup How many cousins do you have?
Twelve.

Salad On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you?
Hmmm, probably about 8 or 9.

Main Course Name something that is truly free.
The love of a good dog.

Dessert Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence.
Some people really irk naughty gnus. I know that's lame, but I just don't feel inspired right now.

Feast One Hundred & Eighty Four March 21st, 2008

Appetizer Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

City. I hate being stuck in the middle of nowhere with everything a million miles away.

Soup Who is the cutest kid you know?
I don't know any kids, cute or otherwise.

Salad Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.
...the Tigers lost again! WTF!! Detroit is the only team in baseball to have lost all 4 of their games! I realize there are about 160 more games left, but geez! It's almost like they're afraid to win! I even wore my Tigers jersey to work today.

Main Course If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?
The Office. I really like that show. I'd like to maybe do a little rap or something with Dwight.


Dessert What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?
Flintstones chewables.

A Smallish Victory for the Little Guy

I don't remember if I wrote about my 90-day evaluation at work or not (and I'm too lazy to look at past bloggings!), but I had it a few weeks ago at about the 150 day mark. It was the usual uneventful drool that I'm sure every new employee has heard before at their first evaluation...You do a really good job at this and need improvement with that, you're a good team player, you keep your work area tidy, you play well with others, blah blah blah.

What I found interesting about this particular assessment of my performance is that at the time of the the eval I had now been trained in 3 different areas of the company and was actually performing 2 different jobs simultaneously ~ pretty damn good for a newbie. Seems I was the only person in the room that felt that way, however.

So when no incentive raise was offered, I questioned it and was told "nobody ever gets a raise after just 90 days." I probably would've let it go, but I felt that if I didn't at least voice my displeasure and toot my horn just a little that I was only going to be mad at myself. So I tooted and my manager stared at me like a deer in headlights. Apparently nobody has ever challenged her in this area before! So when I finished, she stammered something about "I'll see what I can do" and I went back to being uberemployee.

Anyways...today I was given a raise! Okay, so it's only .50, but it's the victory of getting my way that I'm most proud of! I like that I was able to successfully argue a point and in the process enrich the lives of me and mine by a hefty $40 every two weeks. That's almost a tank of gas!

Yea for the little guy!