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!

Mom, School, & Feasting

Vic and I went to visit with her mom in the hospital today. She was able to talk a little, but she's very pale and still in a lot of pain. She'll probabaly remain in ICU until they are able remove the dozen or so tubes stuck in various parts of her body. Her doctor estimates that she'll be in the hospital at least another couple of weeks and then she'll spend a few months in an assisted living facility until she is well enough to move back home. Poor thing. At least Vic is feeling better and is allowed to visit her. She spent all week sick at home on the couch. I felt awful for her, but still, a bad week at home is still better than a good week at work!

Speaking of work...this was my last week on midnights. Monday I start my new 3-11 shift. Monday is also my first day of class. When I signed up for this class, I was still working mids and figured I would be forever. My class starts at 8:30am and last for 4 hours. This will give me just enough time to get home, shower, and leave for work. My online class started this past Thursday and lasts for 3 weeks ~ it's a class on Word. I don't foresee any problems with it, but then I used to do all my homework at work when I had heaps of time at 3 or 4 in the morning. Now I'll actually be forced to do homework at home! I hate working.

Feast One Hundred & Thirty Seven
Appetizer
What are you proud of?
The Ireland scrapbook I put together.

Soup
What is the best thing you’ve ever won as a prize?
I submitted a picture from our trip to Ireland and won a trip to London!

Salad
Name something you do that is a waste of time.
Work. Make the bed every day.

Main Course
In what year of your life did you change the most?
I changed the most in my 19th year. I moved away from home 6 weeks before I turned 19 and in that year I left Ohio for the first time, got my first full-time job when I joined the Air Force, moved to Germany where I lived on my own, learned to drive a stick shift car, got my first checking account, and got a ton of lifetime experience.

Dessert
Where is a place you consider to be very tranquil?
The family room when Vic is either napping or not home. I can put on classical or light jazz, start a fire (when it's chilly outside), and just relax with a good book or some cross-stitching.

Mom Update

Vic's mom was supposed to be discharged from the hospital Saturday morning, but the doctor kept her for one more test (at 9:30 at night!) and it turned out she had to have a second surgery Monday afternoon to fix what had come undone during the first. And apparently two surgeries just aren't enough, because now she has to have a third some time this week. And until she has this third surgery the doctors are keeping her in a drug-induced coma! Needless to say, Vic is just beside herself with worry and I feel helpless. AND to make matters worse, Vic is really sick with an upper respiratory infection and her mom's doctor won't let her go to the hospital to visit. We both feel very frustrated and a little in the dark about what's going on. Hopefully this third surgery will take place soon and be the last one she'll have to have.

Cans, Cans, Cans

Michigan is a big recycling state. They're not so much a big "keep your job" or "lower auto insurance rates" state, but they are very big on recycling, so you have to pay 10 cents on every can or bottle of pop or beer you buy. Then you take the cans to a store and feed them into a recycling machine and get your 10 cents back. I don't really mind this procedure ~ the streets are litter-free and Vic & I usually wait to turn in our cans until we have a bunch saved up. (This comes in handy when you just need a few bucks before payday.) Well, we now have a garage-full of cans that Vic & I have to turn in because these bags of cans are taking over the garage! We've got cans in there dating back as far as last July! I betcha we've got close to $75 or $80 in there! Hopefully Vic & I can take them in this weekend. I'm curious to see how much $$ we've actually got stored in all those bags. Maybe I can quit my job and live off the cash!

Feast One Hundred & Thirty Six
Appetizer
Who is your favorite news anchor/reporter? Why?
I like Charlie Gibson & Diane Sawyer a lot.

Soup
Name 3 foods that are currently in your freezer.
1.)Ben & Jerry's Pineapple/Coconut ice cream, 2.) lots of frozen/steamed veggies, & 3.) popsicles left over from the Summer

Salad
If you were to have the opportunity to name a new town or city, what would you call it?
Caseyville. The citizens would be called "caseys."

Main Course
What will most likely be the next book you read?
Microsoft Office Word 2003 Introductory Concepts and Techniques It should be a fascinating read.

Dessert
What's the first thing you notice about the opposite gender?
Their smile & then their hair.

Dark Side Reservations

I just finished making the hotel reservations for my brother's wedding in May. I'm hoping for nice weather, not only for him, but for me, too. I'd like to show Vic the area I grew up in and take her downtown, maybe to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I have a feeling Saturday night (the wedding reception) is going to be grueling, so I'd like to salvage something good out of this trip to the Dark Side. Maybe my mom will be out of town that weekend.

Long Weekend

Saturday ~ Vic & I spent St. Patrick's Day afternoon much how we spend almost every Saturday afternoon - sleeping. There was a big parade downtown and every bar was having some sort of green festivity, but we waited until the evening to celebrate. We attended A Celtic Celebration at the Fisher Theatre downtown. When I originally bought the tickets I thought it was going to be a show with Natalie MacMaster, a fiddle player from Canada who plays some great Irish tunes, but it turned out to be Natalie playing with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) instead. Wow, what a fantastic show! The DSO was just wonderful and Natalie was great, too! It was a nice way to spend St. Patrick's Day.

Sunday ~ We spent much of Sunday doing stuff around the house and then visiting with Vic's mom for a few hours. Vic spent the night with her mom so that they could get up early Monday morning to go to the hospital. It was weird sleeping at night without Vic in the house. I guess I don't really have a problem sleeping during the day when the house is empty, but that's because the scary monsters also sleep during the day. They're awake at night, so needless to say, I slept very little Sunday night.

Monday ~ We spent all day today at the hospital. Vic's mom was scheduled for surgery at 1pm, but they didn't even take her in until close to 4. She had surgery on her esophagus. She's doing okay now, but will remain in ICU for at least another day. Vic visited her on the way to work this afternoon and her mom still has all sorts of tubes up her nose and in her chest, but she was still in pretty good spirits. I'm glad it's over; Vic was a wreck.

Also on Monday, I found out that I got an A in A&P class. Yea! My stupid 3-week online class starts next week, but the A&P II class doesn't start until April 2nd, so I've got a little mini break. I celebrated today by treadmilling a bit and then working on the scrapbook. I'm hoping for some nice quiet days at work this week. I'm also hoping to win the lottery. Wish me luck!

No School

School's finally over. It's only for two weeks, but I'm really looking forward to the break. I took my Lab final last night, but didn't stick around to get my grade. I was feeling kinda icky and really just wanted to get home so I could rest a bit before going to work. Grades are supposed to be posted next week, so I can wait a few days.

Next week is my last week working mids. I'm absolutely dreading going to the afternoon shift. I really wish I could just say fuck it and just quit. This work shit is really going to mess up my Summer. I've been such a bitch lately.

Feast One Hundred & Thirty Five
Appetizer
Name two things that made you smile this week.
1. Getting 100% on my A&P final 2. Shannon (she makes me smile every day)

Soup
Fill in the blank: Don't you hate it when ________?
Don't you hate it when you feel rushed?

Salad
When you can't go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland?
I picture sheep jumping over a small fence. It's always either the Serta sheep or the sheep from the Bugs Bunny cartoons and they always jump right to left. I don't count them, I just watch. And the Serta sheep always have numbers on them, but never in sequential order.

Main Course
What is something about which you've always wondered but have not yet found a good answer?
Why some straight people are afraid of gay people marrying. What do they think they are going to lose? I just don't see what the big deal is.

Dessert
What is your favorite pasta dish?
Fettucine Alfredo. Lately, though, I've discovered that this great Italian restaurant a few blocks away makes a baked macaroni & cheese to die for.

Some Stuff

* Last night, when I left for work at 10:30, the temperature was 68! The weather guys are predicting snow flurries on Saturday. Ain't Michigan grand?

* I got 100% on my A&P final! I still have to take the Lab final on Thursday and then the two grades are merged together for one final grade. Hopefully I'll do well enough on tomorrow's test to get at least a high B overall.

* My brother is getting married. Aarrgghhhhh! I hate weddings and the fact that this wedding will include my family makes it all the worse. So Cassandra & Guest are going to Cleveland for a weekend in May. I'm hoping that we can make a long weekend of it and maybe spend a day in the Amish part of Ohio. And we are definitely getting a hotel room ~ my mother would drive me crazy if we stayed with her!

* It doesn't look like I'm going to get the London scrapbook finished before the 2 year mark. We took this trip 2 years ago next week. I'm pacing myself.

Work Sucks!

This past week was kind of stressful for me. Early in the week I found out that I'll be working the afternoon shift, 3-11pm, starting next month and last thru the end of September. I absolutely hate working afternoons and the thought of wasting all that Summer sunshine pains me greatly. Consequently, for the last week I was the biggest bitch around the house that I've ever been. I'm sure Vic was afraid to breathe around me for fear of setting off on a screaming tirade. But now that I've had time to think about it, I still hate it, but will do my best to adapt. Working sucks!

We headed downtown Saturday to check out the Home & Garden show. What a big disappointment. The emphasis was too much on home and not enough on garden. It was held inside Ford Field (where the Lions play), so at least we finally got to see what the inside of the stadium looks like. (Every football game is sold out.) Afterwards we headed over to an Irish bar that turned out to be just like every other bar, but with paper shamrocks taped all over the walls. We also stopped in the casino, lost $20 in 10 mins. and got the hell outta there before we lost any more. It was a nice afternoon for walking around, so even though the day wasn't a raging success, I'm glad we got out for a bit.

Just the Feast Today

Feast One Hundred and Thirty Four
Appetizer
What is your usual bedtime? Do you like that, or would you rather it be different?
Mon-Fri 7:30 am. Weekends 5:00 am. I wish we didn't stay up so late on the weekends, but at least it doesn't screw up my sleep schedule.

Soup
When it comes to advice, do you give more or receive more?
I'm a giver.

Salad
Describe a memorable meal you've had.
Guiness Beef Stew in a small pub in Ireland.

Main Course
Name a work of fiction that affected the way you think about something.
The DaVinci Code. It's also one of the best books I've ever read.

Dessert
What is your favorite type of fruit juice?
Kiwi-Strawberry Snapple. Is that juice?

Weekend

Tigers
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

The really great thing about having your team go to the World Series is that now you've got a really good team to root for. And everybody in town is excited and after many years of watching your team struggle just to stay out of last place, you've finally got a team to get pumped about. Of course the bad thing about having your team go to the World Series is that now all the losers who didn't support your beloved team when they couldn't give away tickets to the games, are now snatching up all the good seats and just generally pissing me off. For example, I set my alarm Saturday morning to wake up in time to buy Tigers tickets when they went on sale at 10am only to be thwarted! I couldn't purchase them online because of the "high volume of ticket purchasing activity" and was sent to a queue that refreshed every 30 seconds to tell me that my wait would be "an undetermined time." And my efforts to order over the phone were met with a constant busy signal. So after an hour of this thwartingness, I finally gave up and went back to bed. Later that afternoon, however, I did manage to secure tickets for a couple of games, but I wonder if the "new fans" got better seats than me. Thwarters! Anyhoo, Vic and I are going to 2 games; one on July 4th where we'll get to see some great fireworks and the other on floppy hat night which will be broadcast on ESPN, so look for me! I'll be the one wearing a floppy hat.

We also went to a little mini concert that the Friends of the Library sponsor every month. (Vic's mom is a Friend.) Mercifully it was only an hour long. The group this month was an Irish band made up of two brothers and their sister (all adults). They could've appeared on "A Mighty Wind" and would've fit right in.

The rest of the weekend was spent studying, cross-stitching, scrapbooking, and teasing the dog. Pretty much a carbon copy of all my other weekends. Vic and I did purchase a double-high air mattress for camping and for the occasional pair of guests who happen to drop by. We inflated it and took a test nap in front of the fireplace. It worked great.

Sheep Gloves

Sheep Gloves
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

Tigers tickets go on sale tomorrow morning. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but when your team went to the World Series the season before, tickets can be hard to come by. For this reason, I plan on rising early to purchase tickets to at least one game. I'm going to try to get tickets for "Rally Towel" day. Sounds like I've got an exciting weekend planned, huh? Actually, I hope to spend most of the time in the house, relaxing and cross-stitching.

Feast One Hundred & Thirty Three
Appetizer
What does the color pink make you think of?
Pensacola Sandy.

Soup
Name something you thought you had lost, but later found.
Sheep gloves. I got them from authentic sheep during my trip to Ireland and they were lost for an entire gloves-wearing season. Then miraculously they turned up in the pocket of one of my jackets. Sneaky little Irish sheep!

Salad
In 3 words, describe this past week.
Never enough time.

Main Course
What are you obsessed with?
Planning. I like to have my whole day planned out and now that Summer is fast approaching, I've been busy planning warm weather weekend trips.

Dessert
What kind of perfume or cologne do you like to wear?
Nicole Miller by, appropriately enough, Nicole Miller. She's discontinued making it, though, so it's hard as hell to find.