Why?

My mom took a terrible fall yesterday, face down into her bathroom. I rushed from work to the ER. I spent 12 hours there...from 4:30 PM to 4:30 AM. My brother stayed the whole time with me and Lisa till around midnight. She had to work today. That's why I missed writing yesterday. And I was on such a roll! I'm sure you'll excuse me. Mom's face is bad, and there's fractures, but she'll be OK. I'm on my way to visit my dad at his hospital in Washington, DC. I still have my wits about me and a sense of humor. I'm on a caffeine high right now. After visiting Dad I'll visit Mom at her hospital in Annapolis. The family is holding together and holding strong. We'll get through this.

I'm so hungry. I just said, I wish I could get some food in my through IV cause I just don't have the time.

Later!

PS...thanks for being there.

S&S

Tonight's post is going to be short and sweet. Rob made the trip up tonight. We had dinner at our favorite restaurant, and I made the mistake of eating everything on my plate. I couldn't help it because it was so good, but I'm sorry now. Next time I'll put half in a to-go container before eating, like I've done the last few times. The feeling of being oh-so-full is not a good one.

I had a Hershey's miniature dark chocolate today at work.

Short and sweet. Maybe long, but not bitter tomorrow.

The plumbing needed an eel

Did you know the only thing that should be flushed down a toilet (besides what comes out of your body) is toilet paper? Regardless of what the product says. Flushable wipes? Just say no!

I had another comfortable night at my parent's house. The new bed is wonderful. I brought my own pillow and fan (white noise). I woke and made coffee. My dad mail-orders Jelks Blueberry Cobbler coffee. The only creamer they have is vanilla rum. Who drinks coffee like that? I did because I had to. Our angel of an aide Amanda came at 8:30. I wish she lived in my house. We talked for a while, then I finally took a shower. I was determined to get dressed at a reasonable time today.

I noticed water all over the bathroom floor when I went to dry my hair. The water level in the toilet was high. I used the plunger. Nothing happened. I flushed and tried again, and again. My mom was in her bathroom. She shouted out, 'what are you doing?' The water was gurgling up in her toilet. The next thing I knew, the bathtub was filling up with dirty water. I went to my mom's bathroom and the stall-shower was filling up with dirty water. I tried plunging the drain. Both toilets were gurgling. Are you picturing it yet? We're grabbing towels and throwing them on the floor. We've donned gloves and we're bailing water out of the shower and tub and into the sink. I call my boss, Mason, to ask for advice. He says I need to call a plumber; that they need to use an eel to get to the clog. I've heard of a snake, but not an eel. I'm guessing it's much longer? I call a random plumber who says they can come out tomorrow. How could they say that? I agree to pay an extra $90 for same day emergency service. Of course, as soon as I hung up I needed to go to the bathroom. I used the bushes. Like you do when you're camping. (I'll have to see if the daffodils bloom differently in that spot in the spring.) We found a sitz bath in the linen closet. The non-adventurous one used that as a make-shift potty. Mom, somehow, didn't have to go. Our guy arrived, and used one after another snake. Different sizes.

He was about to give up. He thought he'd need another guy and they'd use the septic vent on the roof to get to the clog. Finally, he got through the clog using the shower drain. You don't want to know what it looked like. The cause of it all? I had to ask because I couldn't figure out what I was seeing. A mess of black shredded stuff. Flushable wipes. My mom depends on them. Or, I should say, used to. I used to use them too, but as of right now, never again. My mom asked how much the plumber charged. I said the price of a new iPad. $619. That's how my brain thinks.

And they're called snakes, not eels, though I like the name eels better.

I finally left the house at 5:00. I'd been there almost 48 hours and I wanted my own house. I had to go to Safeway for a little food shopping. I got the bright idea to use the Chipotle app on my phone and order dinner. I have my favorite meal saved and credit card stored. Done! It was ready when I got there, and I headed home. How ironic for how my day was going that they forgot to put the chicken in my chicken burrito bowl. I took it in stride. I knew it was bloggable, and ironic.

The meal was good, but definitely missing something. Something called chicken.

My father was transported to Washington Hospital Center late today. I talked to the nurse and found out he's having cardiac catheterization tomorrow. That was news to us. WHC is a renowned heart center...#19 in the nation. It's the same hospital my mom was at for her angiogram. We'll have to trust that they'll take great care of him. Unfortunately, none of us will be there.

I'm in my pajamas. Eating ice cream. As soon as my laundry is done, I'm getting in bed. It's time to put this day to rest.

Part 2

Howdy from me to you. What a day! I didn't get dressed till noon, and was back in my pajamas by 6 PM. The in-between was very busy. My sister, mother and I went to Teppanyaki Grill and Buffet for lunch. I looked it up...I didn't realize it was a chain restaurant. The last time I went was on a Saturday with my mom and Rob. I didn't realize that Sundays are dinner prices, and there were at least 100 people waiting in line! Dad paid for lunch, though he doesn't know it. We got in pretty quickly. I think it was because we were moved to an area with a chair where my mom could sit, and we got to the front of the line. I don't think I ate too much, but it will be my only meal of the day. I'm still full.

We went to the hospital afterward. I didn't realize my father was in the intermediate critical care unit. I thought he was just waiting for his physical therapy tomorrow and then would be transferred to a nearby rehab center for a short stint. He'll be transferred to Washington Hospital Center tomorrow. He has a few infections and other stuff. Heart stuff. I don't like hospitals. I spent most of my time in the doorway of his large, well-monitored room. I was nervous. I probably used half a container of antibacterial cleanser. Thanks for your concern for my family. I don't want to make medical issues the focus of my blog. Comment on the fun stuff, OK? I'm trying for fun.

Now for some random stuff...

One of my clients brings me a decaf, skim mocha latte from McDonald's every time she comes. I love that she does that! I sent her a thank-you note once, and told her how much I appreciated it, but that she didn't have to feel obligated to do it every time. She brings it every time. I'm so glad she does.

One of my clients was talking to another regular client when I walked over. I asked how they knew each other. They said they were beauty salon BFF's. I loved that. They know each other from contact in the salon, mostly when they get their nails done.

Yesterday at Starbucks I noticed how pretty the teenage girl at the front of the line was. She was ordering for herself and her parents. When she was done she turned around to the woman behind her and said, I'd like to buy your drink...what are you having? And she paid for the woman's latte. It warmed my heart.

The restaurant we went to was next to a grocery store that I've never been in, Aldi's. This sign caught my eye. What a great idea!

I had to wait forever for a parking spot after dropping my mom and sister at the restaurant. I was waiting for someone unloading groceries. It seemed like forever till she was back from returning her cart. After a while I repeated to myself, "patience, virtue, patience, virtue, etc.." It worked.

No one mentioned that it was my face on the Snuggi box from one of my previous posts. I wonder if anyone noticed.

I saved the best for last. I made an appointment at the Apple store last night. I was hoping they would take 'pity' on me and replace my phone. I told my story, truthfully. They looked up my record and said they could replace it, sort of a first-time forgiveness thing. I had tears of thankfulness in my eyes for this generous deed. I picked out a new screen protector and had them put it on. No bubbles. It's a HD screen cover made for the retina display of the iPhone4, and I don't love it, but I will certainly live with it. And I will be oh, so careful in the future.

I'm set to spend my second night with my mom. I'm kind of enjoying it. And she's so happy that I'm here.

End of long, long ramble. That was my thing or two I had to say.

Part 1

Writing from a remote location tonight (Saturday night)...my parent's house. The room I'm in, the 'computer room', was once my bedroom and I have some vivid memories. Here's one: The entire house was tiled in asbestos tiles. Carpet was not common-place. My father was set against carpeting. My mother and I were shopping at Wheaton Plaza and a department store was having a sale on carpet remnants. We bought lime-green shag carpeting for my room, which I'm guessing is about 11X12'. I was SO excited. I don't remember my father's reaction. My mother probably paid for it with 'her' money. We painted my walls lime green and bought lime green and royal blue curtains and a matching bedspread for my twin bed. We bought a wicker headboard and painted it royal blue. I hung a matching wicker lamp from a chain attached to my ceiling. It was a great room, and the first one I didn't have to share. I remember reading My Antonia by Willa Cather and writing a term paper on it in this room. I remember writing a thesis on Mark Twain VS Samuel Clemens in this room. I suffered through that one. Nowadays this room has a sleep-sofa in it, a computer, printer, shredder, TV, and a working slot machine. The computer is used occasionally, and that's the only time anyone comes in here. I hooked the DSL up to my laptop, and here I sit, reminiscing.

I'm spending the night with my mom. Truthfully, I can't remember the last time I spent the night here. There's a brand-new bed in the den, and that's where I'll be sleeping. I was dreading not being in my own home, but it's really fine. I brought dinner over. Mom and I watched TV, ate dinner, and had some good laughs.

This is really my Saturday post, but it's after midnight and I'm too tired to write more. That means I'll have two posts today because I'll finish up during the daylight hours. I still have a thing or two more to say.

Hello, goodbye

It's late on a Saturday night. I'm in the middle of a blog post, but see it won't get published in time to meet my once-a-day goal. So, I'm putting out this little filler post. I have a thing or two to say. You'll see it tomorrow, which at this point is in about 10 minutes. Goodbye Saturday, hello Sunday.

Goodnight Friday

I started this sentence with the word 'howdy'. Who uses that word? I guess I do.

Not a lot to talk about today. I could have just not written, but a little something is better than a little nothing, right?  No new news about my father. He's in the hospital and was finally moved out of the ER and into a room after more than 24 hours. Work was very busy and stress-free. Exactly what I needed.today. My salad from Pei Wei was SO good. I could have had it for dinner too. When I like something, I can eat it many times without getting tired of it. I mentioned that I ate the last favorite thing from Pei Wei four times in a row. I think this salad is in my foreseeable future.

I haven't been happy with having a screen cover for my iPhone for a while. It shows every fingerprint and takes away from the beauty of the phone. Today I decided to be like a co-worker and take it off and just be very careful. It looked so much better! When I got into my car after work, I couldn't find my phone. I could hear it ringing, and was frantically looking for it. I went inside the salon and asked someone to call me and keep calling till I answered. It took a while, but finally I found it outside the car. My new case is silver and the phone blended in with the salt-covered parking lot. When I got home I found a crack running diagonally from the left side of the glass to the bottom right. My beautiful phone will never be the same :(. I'm sure it wouldn't have happened if I had the screen cover on. Oh well. I'll put a new cover on tomorrow to protect the crack. At least the glass didn't shatter. I can live with a crack.

I got gas after work. There were four places on the ground where people had spit. Gross!!! I had to maneuver around the spit to pump my gas. Why oh why? Do people save it up just for gas stations? And I don't mean to be gender-biased, but I assume all spitters are men.

I'm headed up to bed with a magazine. Tomorrow is going to be busy and I'm going to relax and get a good night's sleep. Happy weekend friends.

I need to find a better word than Wah

So I'll at least start this thing with something non-medical. I was driving on I-95 today and I saw someone cleaning a green highway sign with a broom. In all my years, I've never seen such a sight. I just assumed the signs were rinsed by rain and that's how they got cleaned. Which brings something else to mind. My friend Kit lived in San Diego for years. She said people would hose their houses off because they got dusty or dirty and it hardly ever rains there to remove the schmutz. (Jewish word). Such a foreign concept to me. 

My daughter, who was spending last night at a friend's, meekly called to ask if I could meet her father at the service center with her car at 8 AM because she forgot about it. So, that's how I started my day. Her dad brought me back home. My plan for the day was to go to the hospital and visit. 

I asked my sister Ilene what I should say about what unfolded today. She said I should just say a big WAH. Let's just say, I go to hospital, Dad gets out of hospital, I drive to Rob's, I find out Dad couldn't get out of car and slips to ground and needs to have Life Alert people get him up and to bed and Dad is now back in the hospital. And I'm home from Rob's, where I spent all of my time on the phone with hospitals, Kaiser, siblings and triage nurses. I spent my hour drive home on the phone with siblings. And that's it for hospital talk.

I'm sitting here with my toasty portable heater. My Boogie Board is covered with scribbles. I'm ready for rest. Day 13 of the new year is almost over, and I say thank goodness for tomorrows. New day,  new possibilities.

Me, again. How creative!

I've been sitting in my cold dining room for hours, catching up on blogs. Not sure why I didn't take the time to bring the heater in...I could be warm and comfy instead of freezing. That said, I just got it and now I'm warm.

Work was busy, busy. I'm so glad for my job. It's a rare day that it's stressful. It's engrossing. It's fulfilling. Today was a bit rushed. I did Kathy's stinky hair today, and wound up running way behind. The stinky part is a story: Kathy has wonderful hair! We have a conditioner that she loves. I think it stinks! I asked the assistant to add a little shampoo when rinsing it off because of the smell. It didn't help. So I told Kathy how I felt. I told her I needed those things you put on your nose when swimming to keep the water out. So I wouldn't have to smell it. Ah, the things you can say to a friend. She said, it really does smell different and strong this time. We added some Moroccanoil to her hair, thinking that would camouflage the smell, but it didn't. She suggested washing it, but I was running too late to take the time. When I finished cutting her hair I said, we have to wash it. Despite the washing, it still smelled. But it looked good. Kathy was very kind to blow dry her own hair since I was running so late. Thank you Kathy! My last client's husband had just died and she was there to have her hair done for the viewing. She has Alzheimer's and her sister brought her in. So sad. Her husband was her caretaker and he died suddenly of a heart attack.

My father is still in the hospital. I guess it's a good thing there's so many hospitals around here. If not, they'd need his bed for someone else. So far they've ordered PT to work on his strength. I'm really surprised he's still in. I'm thinking they're going to keep him for a few days and then maybe send him to rehab. Of course, they could send him home tomorrow. We'll see. I'm glad he's there now. He's being taken care of. My mom's aide was with her today and my brother is spending the night. Tomorrow will be my day to go to the hospital. And enough about that. I don't want this blog to be all about hospitals.

Emily got this very cool LCD writing tablet from Brookstone for Christmas, a Boogie Board. You write with a stylus, and erase by pushing the white circle on top. I'm a doodler, and here's what I did while I was on the phone. I like this toy!

My plan for tonight was to eat my Chinese food, read blogs, write my own, watch TV and then read. I ate some of my food, read blogs and wrote this rambling one. Though tired, I really wanted to do the rest. Too late now. G'night.

When it rains, it pours

Actually, it's snowing.

I could just make this easy and say Mom in the hospital, Dad in the hospital, Mom in the hospital, Dad in the hospital, and on and on. Oh, and with rehab centers in-between. So now my father is in the hospital. Long story short...he went on a bus trip with the Seniors to Dover Downs to gamble, against our wishes, mainly because of all the time he'd be sitting on the bus. Well, he sat for way too long and when they got back to the Senior Center he couldn't get up. No strength. This is what landed him in the hospital last time...the start of it. People on the bus got him off and into a chair in the parking lot. They called the nearby health center, and after checking him out, called the ambulance. My sister Lisa, who had just come home from work and was in her pajamas drove to the hospital and waited hours for a doctor to see my dad. They'll transfer him to a Kaiser approved hospital and keep him at least overnight. I won't be surprised if they keep him for a while and he ends up in a rehab/nursing center. Again. And my poor mom is home alone. I'm so thankful that my sister went to the hospital. I was at work during all this.

Well, a new saga begins. We'll handle it. I'm so lucky to have most of my family so close by, and have a family that works together.

Tired and ready to say goodnight to Tuesday.

Just under the wire

Oh so tired but I have to write a quick post because I don't want to break my streak.

It was such a long day. I got to my parent's at 9:30. My brother, sister and I left with my mom for the hospital at 10:30. We were parked and signed in at 11:30. We left at 6:30. My mom was there to have an angiogram of her brain for a suspected aneurysm that was detected on a MRA after a bad fall. It took much longer than the hour we thought it would take, and I was worried. You never know when a day is going to be your last one. It just took them a while to get started. We found out she did fine. She had to lay still for 4 hours afterward. We all had laptops, but we mostly talked. The neurosurgeons talked to us when the 4 hours were almost up. She does have an aneurysm in a very difficult spot to access. She does have blockages in her carotid arteries. The bottom line is that if she lives for another 10 years, she has a 0.8% risk factor of having the aneurysm burst. If she has surgery, there's a much greater risk factor of something happening now. So, we're not going to do anything. The neurosurgeons think that she's had the aneurysm for many years. I hope that my mom is able to live with this condition for a long, long time.

I stopped by my friend Kit's on my way home. Originally I'd thought we'd be home from the procedure much earlier, and Kit had invited two old school friends of ours over for dinner. I decided that as tired as I was, I'd stop by. They had just sat down to dinner and spread before me was grilled salmon, twice-baked potatoes and baked carrots. A real dinner not made by me with friends I was so glad to see. It wasn't till after we ate and talked that I pulled out my phone. I had so many missed calls and texts and I saw the phone was on mute. Rob called me while I was holding the phone to tell me that Emily had called him, very worried about me. She had called 4 times and texted. I called her right away and she told me I was dead to her. In her mind, I had died. Oh, I was SO sorry to cause her that worry. My mother had called, as had my sister and sister-in-law. Emily had called them all. Bad me. I told Emily how sorry I was and how distraught I'd have been had the situation been reversed.

OK...way past my bedtime. I'm one drained puppy after this day. TTY tomorrow.

Snuggie

If you need cereal, and you live nearby, I've got lots. I bought 9 boxes in the past two days. Why? Great sale and coupons. Cereal is so expensive when it's full price. Have you tried Banana Nut Cheerios? Yum. Same with Cinnamon Pecan Special K. I also have lots of Kleenex. I'm ready for snow. Well, not really, but I hear it's coming. We have a 100% chance of snow Tuesday morning through night. I haven't heard about accumulation. This time I have lots of toilet paper and milk and cereal so I'll be fine, just fine. I have books and movies and ice cream. What more could I need? That's a rhetorical question, of course.

Rob and I watched A.I. Artificial Intelligence last night. Neither of us had seen it before. It was freaky and at least through the first half I was wishing we'd never started it. It was, after-all, an amazing movie. I read up on various summary plots afterward, which helped with understanding it. Rob was snuggled up under his L.L.Bean fleece throw. I was snuggled up under this:

Oh, I'm cracking myself up! I got the camouflage Snuggie for Hanukkah and this was the first time I used it. The promo on the box says, "Read, eat, use the remote, fish, talk on the phone or work on your laptop in complete comfort. You can also use it outside to keep you warm at sporting events!... Now has pockets!" What about watching TV while wearing it? It's huge, and very comfortable and I was amused by it all night.

It's 10 PM and Rob is about to start his 10 1/2 hour shift. He's working admissions at a renowned private alcohol and drug addiction treatment rehab center. It's on 147 acres on the Chesapeake Bay. It's an amazing place. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you could friend him and find out about the facility. Plus, he's a nice guy to be friends with. This is a really a great job for him (although the hours and days stink), in a field he's very much interested in.

It's been a long day for me, and I think it's time for bed. I'll be back tomorrow, probably writing from the hospital while my mom has her procedure. Think good thoughts, OK?

Zoom, zoom

I started this by writing, Keeping up with the ... I put my last name in. Then I decided to Google my first and last name and Maryland and came up with too much information. So, I deleted it. Speaking of names, did you know that the Social Security Admin. website is the authoritative go-to place for baby names? It makes sense. It's very much visited by expectant parents. I learned this obscure fact from a client who works there.

I just finished making and eating dinner. I took this before picture of the shrimp but apparently forgot to save the after picture. The after picture was more appealing. You'll have to use your imagination.

Here's how I make my shrimp. I buy frozen, raw, easy-peel shrimp. I don't buy anything smaller than the 21-26 size. I always have some in my freezer. I thaw the shrimp in water, then peel and dry them. I drizzle some olive oil in a bowl with lots of Spice Island garlic powder, add the shrimp, and let it sit for a bit. I heat a pan till hot, add the shrimp and cook till it's crispy on both sides. It's delicious every time and oh-so-easy to make. We had it with fresh broccoli and Birds Eye Steam Fresh lightly sauced red potatoes. The potatoes weren't great, but edible. So far I've had 2 chocolates for dessert. The night is young and there's more dessert in the house.

Work was fast and furious today. That's the way it is most days, and the way I like it. I went to Borders after work. The very expensive Christmas cards I had my eye on all season were finally marked 75% off. I bought others last week at 50%. I have lots of cards now and I'll be sending them out next year. (If I have your address, you'll be on my list. If you're not and would like to be, send me a e-mail with your addy. I can be trusted with it.) I got my latte to go. I got gas for the car. I went grocery shopping. I came home and had another cup of coffee. I made dinner. And here I am, writing while Rob is watching football. I don't do sports. Do I sound a little caffeinated?

Well, it's 7:00 on a Saturday night and I think it's time for pajamas. I'll catch up on blog reading after that. The game should be over by the time I'm done, then it's TV movie time. That might not sound exciting to most, but it's just fine with me.

Hello Friday

I wrote this on Thursday night so it would be ready for Friday. I'm ahead of the game for a change!

Rob is asleep on the couch, so I'm taking advantage of the time. I watched some TV. I channel-surfed and wound up watching Sarah Palin's Alaska. It was...interesting. I thought I should do something more productive with my time, so here I am back in the dining room.

Rob and I left the house around 1:30. We went for my emission control test and I failed! The good news is that they diagnosed the problem. My car is due for service, so I'll get it taken care of and take the test again. We went to the mall next. It was return and exchange day. I returned two tops at L.L.Bean and bought a black polartec vest and a black polartec jacket. I exchanged a Vera Bradley gift for something different. I returned a top at Macy's. My lovely new scarf that I mentioned the other day had a snag in it and I was afraid it would turn into a hole. I took it to Lord and Taylor's but they didn't have a replacement, and I didn't want another. They asked if I had 10 minutes for their seamstress to fix it. Yes!! Perfect again. I'm not sure if I snagged it on something or if it came that way, but I plan to be very careful with it in the future. We spent time at the Apple store. Rob was 'drooling' over the computers. Who wouldn't want a Mac? I want a Mac! Badly. We left the mall for home and just as we were approaching the turn-off, made the decision to go to Pei Wei for our dinner instead of home cooking. Our food arrived just as Happyone and her husband walked in. What a great surprise. Karen read that I was thinking about the restaurant from reading my blog, but she hadn't mentioned it to Ken. It was all his idea. We had a great time eating and talking. I had the same dish for the 4th time in a row. Yes, I love it. I was contemplating something different, but when I asked the cashier for her opinion she told me my favorite was coming off the menu and if I loved it I should order it, so of course I did. I put half of it in a to-go box before I started eating. Yummy lunch in store for tomorrow.

We came home and got in pajamas. Rob had his time of the computer while I finally vacuumed. When I was done checking my mail I saw that he was sleeping. This night job is going to take some getting used to.
....................................................................................

It's Friday and I'm almost ready for work. I prepared dinner and it's all ready to go in the oven before I get home. I didn't feel like doing it this morning, but I'm glad I did.

I'll leave you with a picture from the Apple store yesterday. Happy Friday!

My new perch

One good thing about keeping up with blogging is that the blogs I follow and comment on don't overwhelm me. If I don't blog for a while, then check Reader and see there's 147 unread blog posts, I feel guilty writing and not reading. It's so nice to only see a dozen or so at a time waiting for me. One more incentive to keep up.

Rob finished his last night of training at 4:30 AM and drove to my house and went right to sleep. He said it was a hard ride because he was very tired. I guess he'll sleep till about noon. I'm not sure how much noise I can make. I do have my loud fan on in the bedroom, which is good, because I'd really like to vacuum. I undecorated after Christmas but didn't vacuum and I see artificial tree 'needles' all over the living room from where I sit. We're going to Columbia Mall today. I need to exchange a few things at the L.L.Bean store and Macy's. I need to get my car emissions inspection done. Maybe we'll go to the movies. Maybe eat at Pei Wei. Maybe not all of that...there's probably not time. It's nice and bright out, and it will be fun to just hang out.

I've kept my laptop on the dining room table instead of the coffee table in the family room for a few days now. I really like it here. For one thing, it kind of expands my use of the house. I never use the dining room or see my living room. I have a large bay window in the dining room and the sunlight streams in. With the blinds open, I see trees. When I look to my right through the living room, I see the cul-de-sac. In the summer I'd see flowers in my garden too.

Another good thing about the laptop being here and not in the family room is that I'm not constantly on it. Out of sight, out of mind.

I just got off the phone with my mom. She's having an angiogram of her brain on Monday. She's very nervous. She had a MRA (like a MRI but it images the arteries?) after her very bad fall and they thought they saw an aneurysm. The only way to tell for sure is with an angiogram. My brother and sister and I will go with her. We're all nervous. I met with the neurosurgeon, and liked him immensely. The procedure is a low-risk one, but not without risk. If my mom has an aneurysm, the team will decide the next course of action, but nothing else will be done on Monday.

I left a message with my doctor yesterday and didn't get a call back. My sister Ilene, who is married to a doctor, said it would be unusual for a doctor to call back about a cold, but that support staff should have called me. I'll be looking for a new doctor.

If I don't get off this computer and change rooms, I'll never get anything done! And I don't really want to vacuum. If I change rooms, I won't have to see the needles.

The early bird gets the post done

I decided to start my blog post in the morning. I really am a morning person...always and especially in the winter since as I said in my last post, I'm done with the day when it gets dark.

I just left a message with my doctor to call me. It's kind of a test. I called and left a message with her office on the day I called out sick from work, the 21st of December. I listed all my symptoms and what I was doing to take care of myself with the person on the phone. I really just wanted to know if I was doing the right thing. I didn't get a call back. Not that day or the next. The following day, the 23rd, I called during lunch and got an answering machine. I left a message about my prior message and how I was disappointed that I never got a call back. I said I understood that the doctor was probably very busy, but even a call from the staff would have been good. I said that not being called back made me feel unimportant. I didn't get a call back. There's a good chance the doctor never got the original message and maybe the person who took my recorded message said, oh sh*t! I better not let the doctor know I forgot to give her the message and I'm going to ignore this one so I don't get into trouble. That's what I'd like to think. So, this morning I left a message with the front desk simply saying I'd like to leave a message for the doctor to call me back about my cold symptoms. If she doesn't, I look for another doctor. I don't think I have a sinus infection or anything bad, but I have a daily headache and my throat is a little sore (and I talk all day with my job) and my ears hurt a little. Maybe I need a Z-pack like some people have suggested.

I just finished my book, Gods in Alabama by Jocelyn Jackson. I loved listening to it. The sequel is ready for me at the library and I'll pick it up on the way to work. I don't remember if I put a hold on the audio version or the book. I hope it's audio.

It's time for me to leave for errands before work. I hope your day is bright!

Mundaney

I much prefer warm weather and longer days. When it's winter, I tend to come home from work, put on sweats or PJ's, wash my face, and hang out downstairs. If it were summer, I'd go to the pool or hang out on my porch or deck or talk to neighbors or garden. When it's dark and cold, I'm just 'in'.

I work till 7 on Tuesdays and Fridays. They make for long days. They make for short nights at home, since I like my bedtime to be around 10. My mom had a wonderful facial and massage at my salon today, and she looked good! Yesterday's plan to color her hair was a very good one. I cut Amanda's hair, (Mom's helper) and she was very grateful. It was my pleasure. She really is heaven-sent, and has quickly become a very important part of our family. They were off to lunch at Red Lobster after leaving. My mom, as some of you know, loves to eat out. She has a hard time finding people to go with her. I told them to be sure to get extra cheesy biscuits.

My client Betty gave me a beautiful knitted scarf today. Thank you! I have it around my neck as I'm typing this. I have on fleece pj's. My space heater is about a foot away from me. I'm feeling nice and warm. I'm still feeling the remnants of my cold. My throat is still a bit sore and my ears hurt a little. It's been almost 3 weeks. Way too long, but more an annoyance than anything.

Well, that's about it from tired me. I'm going to settle into the couch and watch a little TV before heading up to bed. I set my timer for a 15 minute post. It's just about done. A little editing, and that's it from this blogger.

TTY tomorrow!

A last day, well spent

I just ordered 2 new iPhone cases from defaultcase.com. I like having more than one case and the company is promoting cases for iPhone models for 1 penny plus shipping. I figured it was worth a try. I ordered silver and orange. I've always liked having cases with some color to make it easy to find my phone. Much to my surprise, I've really enjoyed the black case (I didn't have a color choice) I chose when Apple was giving out free ones to fix the antenna problem (that I didn't have, btw).

Here I am again. Can you believe it? Another day of blogging. Here's one of the places I was at today. Can you guess what it's a picture of?

I went to a Chinese buffet on Sunday with Rob and my mom. My mother's hair looked terrible! First of all, she had to go to The Hair Cuttery for her last haircut because her hairdresser daughter was too busy to cut her own mother's hair. Then, she had to go out in public with an inch of white roots because of same said daughter. Me. She left a message on my phone the other day asking if I could recommend a hairdresser. Funny, Mom. Today, on my last day off, I drove to my salon to pick up her hair color, then drove to her house to color it for her. I'm going to try to be a much better hairstylist daughter to her in the future. She has an appointment at my salon tomorrow to have a facial and a massage. I'll be truthful...part, but only part, of the reason I did her color today was so she wouldn't walk into my salon with such bad hair. It was the least I could do. While I was at the house I fixed her bedroom TV and installed a lamp on her headboard. One of Mom's favorite things to do is lay in bed and listen to music on her TV, and the TV hasn't worked for weeks. I love technology but have no aptitude for fixing things. I called Direct TV. In about a minute, using their automated help, I found that the TV wasn't set on channel 3. That's all it took to fix it after all this time. I asked my mom if she was reading a good book. She said no, that she didn't have a light by her bed. No one thought when we took away the nightstand she kept falling into that we were taking away the light she used to read by. Now she has a lamp and can read. Think of all the things we take for granted in life. All the little things. I feel so bad for my mom. The stroke she had 10 years ago devastated her life. I'm going to try so much harder this year to make it better. My sister Lisa is the one that's always there. She lives so close. I'm going to try to be more of a help too.

So the picture. I took it when I went through the car wash! There's a new fancy Auto Spa nearby and being me, I whipped out the camera phone. I have a new app, Pro HDR, that takes two pictures of an image and aligns them into one. It's better than the free HDR that comes with the phone. I don't sit in Borders and read iPhone magazines for nothing. The app is pretty nifty. So is the car wash. They serve cappuccino, not that I had any, but I love the concept! Sometimes it is the thought that counts.

Whee, I'm on a roll!

Another day, another post. Am I trending? I hope so. Is trending even a word?

I'm writing while cooking dinner. The kids wanted quesadillas for lunch. They're so happy when I cook for them. I was about to grill the chicken on the George Foreman grill when I remembered the grill on my deck. So much easier. We had a little of the Mrs. Prindables caramel chocolate apple for dessert. I was going to pan fry the flat iron steak for dinner when I again remembered the grill on my deck. It's been a good eating day for the kids. I didn't eat lunch. I'm working my way through my Rheb's chocolates. They expire and my plan this year is not to let any food go bad. Good excuse? The kids will get ice cream from the grocery store after dinner. I don't plan to have any.

Dinner's done. Have you ever had flat iron steak? It's so good and tender. You slice it against the grain and serve it like you would a flank steak. Here's the recipe for the teriyaki sauce I pour over the sliced meat. It doesn't take much because it's very concentrated. I only use what I need and keep the rest of the sauce in the freezer in a plastic container. It doesn't freeze, and it's great and always ready. This recipe came from Cook's Country magazine.

½ c reduced-sodium soy sauce
½ c sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T grated fresh ginger
1/8 t red pepper flakes
2 T cider vinegar
2 t cornstarch
Combine all in a small saucepan and cook till slightly thickened.

Rob left this morning to go to work. It's an hour away; 10 minutes from where he lives. He's been in training for his new job for over two weeks. Tomorrow he starts the night shift. The graveyard shift. The 10 PM to 8:30 AM Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday shift. Yeah, that's right. Tomorrow night he'll start his overnight training with the person he's replacing. Next weekend will be our last together for the foreseeable future. We'll see each other most Wednesday nights, Thursdays, and Thursday nights. It's going to take some getting used to, but this is a great job for him. He'll continue taking classes at Harford Community College. He'll have to figure out when he can sleep. I'll tell you about the job another time. When we first met he was working a second-shift job, 3 PM to 1:30 AM. He'd call me during his 8:00 break. I'd e-mail him before bed, and wake to a e-mail from him. We both love to write, and it was a great way for us to get to know each other. I wonder what our routine will be now?

I put away Christmas today. If you know me, you know that means my house has been transformed. It wasn't too hard, because I had help from Philem (my new name for my daughter and her boyfriend) with bringing the bins up from the basement, and then back down when they were filled. It was especially great having someone else put the tree back in the box. It's made up of three sections, and the middle and bottom ones are incredibly heavy. I'm so glad the holiday is put away for the year. The basement will need to be organized, but that's OK. Out of sight, out of mind. Emily asked me to leave the Christmas lights around the front door, so they'll stay for a while more.

I just had a tiny slice of the 'apple' for dessert. I'm telling you, it's over the top. Caramel and three kinds of chocolate. And can you see how thick the chocolate is? By next week I'll be eating healthy again. I hope. Or I'll be wearing stretch pants.

1-1-11

1-1-11

Hola peeps. I came back just to practice my 1-1-11's. I think I have it down. Easy peasy. Wouldn't it be great if all of life was as easy as entering today's date?

So, the crab cakes were delicious and I'll be making them again. They were as good as you'd get in any restaurant, and really so inexpensive. The rest of the dinner was great and we ate while watching a DVR'd episode of Human Target. I think the lead character is the most handsome man I've ever seen. Rob gets a kick out of that. We both think the actors are awesome, but the writing not so much. Another show to be canceled? I hope not. We spent a lot of time on our laptops, like two nerds. We ate a bunch of chocolates. We had mint chocolate chip ice cream. Then we ate a few slices of my Mrs. Prindable's triple-chocolate caramel apple. You have to check this link to see the most decadent apple ever! One of my clients gives me one of these every year. The jumbo size. This was the first time I ever checked the website. Wow! We went to bed on food overload with the resolution to start the new year eating healthy. I made coffee this morning and couldn't help but slide some chunks of chocolate that fell off the apple into my coffee mug. Delicious! Did I make that resolution just to break it?

Happy New Year!