Not a bad day

Despite the gloomy weather outside it hasn’t been a bad morning.  I found our garbage had been pushed over (thank you stupid critters) and mauled.  Happily there wasn’t a lot on the ground.  It hasn’t happened in a long time.  It looks like we will have to keep the bungi cord on it until the next morning.  We usually put the garbage out the night before.

It looks like I am not the only going on vacation next week.  Annette C is leaving for Poland on the 8^th.  She was born there I guess.  Her Mom is still there.  We won’t see each other until I come back I guess.  I am very excited for her.  She was saying she still has a lot of stuff to do before going and it seems surreal.

Maria B is going to Georgia on the 8^th and coming back on the 18^th.    She told me mid morning.  She is so wonderful.   We give each other hugs and chat about stuff and then go on our way.

I talked with Liz.  She is still making inroads to getting better.  She had a full day today with errands and holding meetings.  She was telling me how things went during the Kindergarten registration.  Apparently AE was being her normal self by bossing those around her.  If they were running she would tell them to stop.  They will have the kids Friday and Saturday. 

Liz says that Adam has moved into his apartment in Milford.  He lives by the RR tracks.  He will be commuting into NY every day. That is  until he finds a job here in CT.  I am not sure if Olga will be moving in with him yet but that will be a matter of time I am guessing.  As I have mentioned they plan on moving to CA to live and work.

Hey if you want to see the video from yesterday you can hit the New Haven Register site and see what I was talking about yesterday.  I saw it but I didn’t see me any where.  That’s okay by me.  I don’t take the best picture anyway.

I was able to work on the readdress mail for the afternoon and I think I made a dent in it.

The Nor Easter

I have to tell you I am not really looking forward to this Nor’ Easter they are predicting for the next couple of days. One is for the obvious reasons I am tired of the snow. The other is because I haven’t fixed the windshield wiper on my car yet. I am not too anxious to be driving around the cities with skewed views. I am planning on getting it fixed Monday along with the Emissions.




I am pulling out my heavy winter coat today because I am getting those weird pains in the side again. It wasn’t a good idea to be in the cold yesterday with only my fleece jacket



I was awake by 5 this morning and by 6 got the clothes from the cellar put in the spare room. I am going to put them in the wardrobe because I just don’t want them clumped into visible mess. They will be in a clump inside the wardrobe.



I heard from Phil this morning and he approved the minutes and so I just sent them out with an extra message. It was for the list of ten names.



Okay I have to get dressed and leave in about ten minutes. I am hoping the volume of the mail will continue to be light so I can work on the readdress mail. Patti was pleased the place looked better. I did tell her I am not sure if I will be able to get through all the boxes (there is still a box and half left) and she said two things. One I still have two days and we will deal with it when we get there.

Exhausting night

Several of us from the office went to Wicked Wolf for dinner. Some of us got appetizers along with our meal. Man did I eat a lot. I had coffee because it was so cold out. While we were there two men from a union from Hartford were noticing us. They were waiting for the rally to begin. It wasn’t supposed to start until about 6:30 7 pm. It was being hosted by this organization: http://local.we-r-1.org/weareone/events/show/16 . Almost every labor organization, community organization came out to this rally tonight.




The meeting was held at the Church on the Green. We had several votes to take both for financial reasons and labor reasons. It went pretty fast. If you want to read more about it here and it will explain the reasons for the rally from the perspective of local labor. After the meeting we joined all the other unions including or sibling local 35. We marched across the New Haven Green and on to City Hall. For the next half hour we listened to chants, speeches, and froze my butt off. I was happy to be there because not only was this to support labor but I was happy to see people I hadn’t seen in quite some time.



As the rally drew to a close I caught up with my band of people that I had dinner with and we walked back to our cars. It was so cold that I couldn’t wait to get home and have some coffee.



It was dark by the time I got home Mom was sleeping in the chair so I got the garbage and recycle stuff out. You know I am looking forward to getting the new recycle bins (they will look like garbage cans) but not at the expense of the people losing their jobs. The bins we do have are old, cracking, and almost broken. The new ones will have a lid on it and hold more stuff. We are supposed to get them in June some time.



My cousin LC from NJ called tonight. He calls now and then to chat with Mom. They were catching up on family news. It’s amazing what time does because up until this past year he didn’t do that. I don’t know if it is because his mother is ill or because our family is getting smaller. Actually it’s the family on Mom’s side. I don’t know. What ever the reasons are I am glad he does it.



I got the minutes from Thursday’s meeting done tonight. Mom looked them over and except for one or two lines she thought they were great. I emailed them to Phil for his final approval. I should hear from him tomorrow morning. I will send them out after that.



I did make the attendance sheet for the meetings. It looks better then the first one I did a few months ago. As soon as I learn how to use the thumb drive I will save the documents. I am tempted to put last month’s minutes on the hard drive and then probably ask Mom for the ones I don’t have anymore. That will have to wait until tomorrow.



It’s almost midnight and I am tired. Have a great one and be careful out there.

My Day

The Day started out at 41*F in new haven and it doesn’t plan on getting any warmer than that.  I found frost on my car windows and with limited use of the blades it did come off fairly quickly.

I got to work with no problems and chatted with Terry for a bit and then Joanie all before 8.  Finished yesterday’s lockbox and delivered to the teams.  By the time I got back today’s lockbox was ready to be picked up.  The regular mail was also light.

At lunch time I went to the bank to get money out for dinner tonight.  Several of us are going to Wicked Wolf before the meeting.  Then after the meeting we have the rally. 

I had a wicked headache today.  I could feel it hurting around the eyes happily I took Tylenol and it went away before long.  I felt my ankle acting up too.  Great just before the walk too!

I won’t be able to watch a lot of the NCIS marathon tonight.  I want to get the minutes done before I sit down and watch.  Mom reminded me when I called her this morning.

Going to Bed

Well it is after 10:30 and I am getting tired. I did manage to get area under the bed vacuumed so now I can turn my attention to the closet and this desk next week when I start my vacation.




I have a lot of things coming up in the next two weeks. Starting with tomorrow I have the union meeting and the rally after work. Several of us will meet at Wicked Wolf for dinner. That means I need to go to the bank some time before then to get money.



Thursday I have a DTC meeting and I still have to get the minutes from last Thursday done. I will have to do it without fail tomorrow after the other stuff.



Saturday is the Carnival at the nursing home. I don’t think I am bringing anything but I want to get there early. We have to meet at 10.



I still have to do the paper work for the passport and get the picture taken. I have no idea why I am procrastinating on this but I am. A part of me knows the old passport is here and the part doesn’t want to be bothered to go looking for it.



I can’t believe the weathermen are calling for a Nor Easter come near the end of the week. I think I need to pull out the winter coat for the next few days.

Its Cold again

It’s cold again.  The weather channel says it is 40*F -41*F.  Terry M went out and all she it was cold.  I don’t think I am going out until I leave here this afternoon.

I was afraid I was going to have a bad day.  I “tapped” a car in the garage as I was trying to get into a parking space.  Happily he was okay about it.  I haven’t even looked at my car but I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.

When I came in I sought out Janet and told her of the conversation I had with SR.  She pointed out that I was one person and I probably should have told her they want me to ask for help.  I also mumbled I am staying out of SR’s way and she mine.  Well I didn’t know just how true that was until I found she wasn’t here.

When I sat down I started working the return mail from yesterday and the readdress mail.  Then Lockbox came and worked on that in between the readdress.  There wasn’t much to finish after regular mail.

I got in to a discussion about Addictions and stuff like that with some people and they are of the mind that “that people need to want to be helped or interventions and stuff like that will not work.”  I don’t agree.  There are programs both in the mental health field and communities that do help.  Families and friends need to actively be involved from the moment they realize there is a problem because if the person with addiction and mental health hit rock bottom they could be dead by the time they hit rock bottom.  I may not be expressing myself very well but I have seen and been through a 12-step program and some of the Narrow minded thinking of only one way is not helpful to anyone.

The afternoon proved to be a very stressful and aggravating time.  Several things came back from Campus mail as being returned.  Three or 4 times I sent something to Ambulatory services Division and it STILL came back.  I got so aggravated that I vented on JP.  To the point I was in tears.  Every cuss word coming out of my mouth and I am sure JP was like omigod.

I told Janet about it and she was getting aggravated with the stuff she is doing.  She stopped and did some scanning.

Last night I found out that Kristina has a new email.  I sent her an email and she replied! That made my night.  I urged her to make sure grandma has Kristina’s email.

Awwww, AEM registered for Kindergarten yesterday!!!! I guess she starts in September.  I called Liz and Nelson to talk about it with them.  Liz will not know what to do with herself next year!

Okay I have more stuff today so I will see you later.

It is too cold

It was so cold out this morning.  It was 29*F in the morning.

Work went well I finished Friday’s Lockbox and got it distributed by 9:30.  Then I started on Monday’s.  At first it was heavy then as I got into it-it really wasn’t bad.

The post office mail was delivered late by Brian.  He now does the mail Monday’s Tuesdays, and for most of the week while Jack does it Thursday, Friday.

GC called me before 8 to let me and the rest of the team know that she is still in the hospital and that she had the flu and a viral infection.  She called back by 12 to let us know she was home.  She will be out of the office the rest of the week.

I let Patti know that I put my vacation request in for next week and she said she would let Susan know.  I am willing to put it off until after Gayle comes back. Pat told me Before the morning was over that it was okay as long as I got some of the piles down.  Unfortunately SR was being difficult and told Patti that I need to put them in boxes and has Janet help me.  Well I had today’s mail to finish.  I was so frustrated and stressed I almost bit Janet’s head off.

Debra called me to move the appt back to five.  That gve me some time to do more work here.

Awkward Moments

Today Mom asked me if Liz and Nelson discuss her when I visit their home and I told her no. This came about last night when Liz and Nelson came by to drop off the rugs from Aunt Serena and Warren. While Mom was talking to Liz Nelson was trying to get Liz to leave. Mom put him in his place.




The question was a rather awkward one to answer but I told her no. In the past they have but I also told a few things. First she should talk to them about it and she flat out refused. Something I don’t agree with. She feels that continuing to discuss things exacerbates problems. In the very distant past Nelson has said things to me criticizing Mom on how she treats me and Liz. Unfortunately he needs to take a good long hard look at his behavior.

I also said to Mom that I try to avoid conversations like that. Sometimes I do feel as though we are gossiping or bitching but at the same time children discuss things about their parents. I am certain Mom had done it with her siblings over the years when it came to Mom. I did also tell her that Liz did ask me about her health and trying to respect Mom’s privacy and how she feels about being discussed.

We did agree that both Liz and Nelson are very judgmental and I was trying to give examples and Mom kept asking “when was she in the car with you?” I couldn’t give her examples but she did say to me when I told her liz felt uncomfortable about talking about the past that I should have said okay. Well I did. I am really tired of having to defend myself and my actions to her. It felt like a criticism. That she and Liz think they have to try to “contain me and my emotions” and something I told her I mentioned to Debra.”



This is not the first time Mom has said that she isn’t going to “discuss things or hash things out because they “don’t get resolved”. I am here to tell you she is in for a very rude awakening if she doesn’t start to discuss things. She needs to hear other people’s point of view and I some times think she cuts her self off. She isn’t willing to listen. I don’t always feel she is as open as she claims she is.



When I came home from the meeting tonight she asked me if I was disappointed in the fact that we didn’t get to do all that I had hoped to while in Allentown. I told her I was a little but that it wasn’t Jim’s fault that I should have gone on my own. She said it wasn’t my fault or she wasn’t interested in blaming but she was concerned that he may be in depression again. Huge leap to conclusions! I explained to her what his day was like. I really wasn’t expecting these questions but I just told her that I probably could have gone to the museums or to the hatchery on my own. She asked me if I even knew where it was. I told her I did.

I did ask her if she heard from Jim tonight and I was wondering if that’s what spurred these questions. She said no.



Okay well it is getting late and I am tired. I was able to get some cleaning done before dinner and the meeting but have more to do. I have to vacuum under the bed tomorrow and try to get to the baseboards behind the bed but there isn’t a lot of space for that. The same goes for the desk. My intention next week when I start my vacation again is to clear out the closet and clear out the desk and file cabinets.



The meeting went well. We talked about the upcoming officers elections for the girls club (the woman’s club is a given). Well that is if DK doesn’t get it in her head to run for office. She is just not cut out in my opinion to be an officer of the club. Her attitude for one and her bullying tactics are another.



Okay have a great night.

Saturday

I tried to get up at 5:30 and start the laundry but it didn’t work so I started just about the time Mom got up for the day. I should be finished with it by 2 at least.




The room still has more to be done with it but it should be enough for Don. Although he hasn’t called yet to come to do the ghost image but I did send him an email about the Adobe flash thing. He may feel I don’t need it.



Mom went to her friend’s memorial service this morning and got back around 12:30. She was running late when Aunt Serena called. They were discussing methods of getting the rugs from her house to ours. Bob was supposed to get them but according to Mom he was in bed when she saw him this afternoon.



I feel slightly guilty because when Bob called he was snarky but didn’t tell me he was sick. He sounded like it but at the time I didn’t think of it. I was already starting to project some arguing between me and family because I was getting annoyed by his abruptness.



I finally got to see the woodchuck today. Man is he fat. He looked like he was watching me from his hole and it looked like he could hear things going in the house. Ten minutes later he was heading for the swamp through the wood stacks in Don’s yard.







It looks like the rest of the day will be quiet. Liz and Nelson are probably recuperating from their busy week. They were babysitting and Liz hasn’t fully recovered from the bronchitis.



I just received the Alumnae Magazine from Linden Hall today. Among the articles there was one about Mount Gretna. It was a school wide Skip day where the entire school goes and spends the day at camp/activity place. I remember when I went over 30 years ago. We were in Chapel and the Headmaster at the time made announcements all of a sudden when he announced MT Gretna the entire chapel erupted in cheers.



The next hour all of us got ready for the waiting buses. I can’t remember how we got there but I remember some of the pictures from the year book. There were fires and eating, and then roller skating. In October 2010 the anticipated announcement was made by Assistant Headmistress Shaaron Lavery. It certainly was the way I remember it. I have to admit I don’t remember all the conversations but I do remember talking to My Counselor Mrs. Mischke who has since retired from there but on my last visit lived literally across the street from the school.



I also remember one of my new friends not wanting to go and I just wouldn’t accept it I believe she ended up coming.



There was a great article on Patricia Sullivan She was a teacher and was Admissions guru for potential Students and I am not quite sure how we met her but she has been a staple of the school for a long time. Over sixty years according to the article. She is quite the Historian for Lititz and the school too.



Well I have to finish my laundry. I don’t think I moved into the dryer for one of the loads….I will check back later….

Glad its Friday

I am so glad Its Friday. It is the end of what felt like a long week. I managed to get most if not all of the mail done. I still have a small pile of lockbox to finish on Monday and I realize I could have done it today but I also knew I had the lobby mail that I had been neglecting all week. The mailbox receptacle was filled to the top. I was able to get all that done by 3:30.




I was giving myself a headache by the end of the day. I tried to eat very little because I had started the http://katepshealth.blogspot.com/2011/03/weight-watchers-work-program-session-1.html  and that went well.



We got word late in the afternoon that Gayle had a high fever yesterday and went to the hospital and will probably stay the weekend there. I knew something was up when she didn’t come in this morning.



Tomorrow will be spent trying to pick up this room before or while Don is making a ghost image of the hard-drive. I am going to ask him if I should update the Adobe program as most sites need it to run properly.



I am not staying up much longer. Mom is in bed now reading. She has a memorial service to attend for a friend/classmate tomorrow around 11. She also is having Bob pick up rugs from Aunt Serena and Uncle Warren tomorrow too. They want Mom to have them.



Okay I have to go to sleep before I fall over…hugs you all.

Its cold out and the snow flakes have stopped.  I was late for work because I couldn’t get off the Internet fast enough.  I woke up around 5:30 to make sure the garbage was out in time for the guys to come (they came late I am sure).  I slept until 6:30 and then got up and got ready.  I had to clear off the car of the snow but it was a bit dicey because my windshield wiper blade broke yesterday.

Tonight is the 4^th District and Mom and I still don’t know how many will be there.  I really wish that when I send out the email reminder that everyone responds one way or another.

We need a list of ten people each of us can look too for support in the upcoming election.  I think I have 4.  I need to input the attendance list into the computer tonight so it can be updated for future meetings.

I am really hoping the meeting doesn’t go on past 9.  I want to watch one more NCIS before going to bed.  I am also still very tired and Liz really is encouraging me to get a humidifier.

Okay I have more work to do before going home.  Will check in later.

We Got Snow

WELL WE GOT SOME SNOW THIS MORNING BUT NOT MUCH.  There are predictions there is going to be more snow over night.  Personally I am getting tired of it.  Yes I realize where I live and that I can expect more all the way up to April.  I have to wonder if this is how the Midwest deals with it all.?

Shortly before Noon the little girl who had been missing since Sunday Morning was found.  She was at friends home (at one point she was found at an abandoned farm stand on Prindle hill Road) Near Pez Candy Factory.  http://www.newhavenregister.com/articles/2011/03/23/news/doc4d8a0dc3e00dc646842495.txt

According to reports she had been bullied on her school bus.   All I know is thank God she is alive and safe but I suspect she will be in a world of hurt for the next 20 years.   

My Hygienist called today and said there was an opening for 5:15 so I was able to get in and get them cleaned. 

I spent the rest of the evening watching NCIS and trying to see if I could find my old passport and fill out the paperwork for my new one.

Now I am heading to bed…hugs you all.

Not prepared

I was so not prepared for the cold and snow we got yesterday.  It came down pretty heavy for the hour and melted by afternoon turning into rain.  I was very glad I had my sweatshirt jackets with me to put on under the other sweater jacket.  Today is much different.   It is sunny and bit chilly.

Janet did an awesome job while I was away.  There were some things that she forgot but that was to be expected.  Everyone welcomed me back and asked me how my vacation was.  I told them about locking myself out of the car on the way down.  I am not so sure what they thought of that.  They empathized for sure but you can never tell.

The lockbox was heavier then normal for the first time in a long time.  Jill was explaining to me this morning that while I was away the volume for Friday’s mail was lighter then normal.   I wasn’t able to finish the lockbox so I am doing it now before todays and the meeting at 11.

I met with Dr. Spanolios yesterday and he wants me to get an x-ray sometime next week.  He says I am doing better.   The lungs don’t sound exactly even which means a couple of things.

  I met with Debra yesterday.  The session flew by though.  I was going to read the previous week’s entries but they didn’t print out completely so I just highlighted the week including Sunday’s entry.  I suggested that perhaps I send her the link and she can follow my blog that way.  She says we will discuss next week.  She is going on vacation in April.  I think that’s when I am taking the next one.

Mom was making spaghetti for dinner.  It was delicious.  She had a Bridges meeting to go to and so I cleaned up the kitchen.  After dinner I watched NCIS until 9.

I went to bed at 9 and slept for a few hours woke up and rolled over back to sleep until 6 this morning.

I got ready for woke and still managed to get online for a few minutes and to watch a few minutes of TV.

There are some really scary things going in this world.  The whole thing with Ghadafi and Libya; the Japan Nuclear accident and how that is affecting food and stuff like that.  Locally there is a 12 year old girl missing in Orange.  She has been missing since Sunday morning.  The FBI is involved and it is just very scary feeling.

I am really afraid that we will be involved with another war and this time it will be with Libya (Ghadafi) some are hoping to get us involved or are grateful.  I don’t know if the citizens are ready to go to war again.  Ghadafi was defiant back in 1985 as well and it cost us lives then too.

I am going to stop by the Post office after work and pick up the Passport papers to fill them out.  I do have some questions for them and I hope they can answer them.

I am going to have breakfast/snack so I better go…see ya later.

The End of a Busy Weekend.

Hey everyone its the end of a busy weekend. Friday my vacation came to an end and the beginning of going back to a regular routine started on Saturday. Mom presided over a wedding here at the house and we had 20 people in our small living room. I also was having my computer reinstalled as it crashed on Friday. Today I had my bingo and then went to my sister's for a family gathering to introduce the family to the newest additions to the Rivera family.




Now I am just relaxing and keeping an eye on my computer (Mom's letting me use hers until mine is all set with updates and stuff).



I am sort of aggravated right now as somethings that bothered me today during the family gathering and during bingo have been going over in my head:



1) As a friendly gesture I was getting to know a new resident and her daughter. The daughter thought my asking her where she was from was a little "too personal". My response is to fucking grow up. (the bingo session)



2) I picked my friend Dave up to attend the family party we went to and he made fun of the way I was introducing my bil's BIL to him.



3) Through out the time I was getting nervous or anxious anytime Dave opened his mouth when ever he said "how can I say this" I would tell him nicely or carefully. I had gotten looks from my nephew to relax.



4) I was telling my mother how upset another friend of mine applied for a job and discovered someone else got the job before she felt it was properly advertised. She felt there was inappropriate handling. It annoyed me she wasn't understanding my friends view. That's probably why I haven't said anything since "T" told me about it.



6) Dave would tell people I would give him updates and not mention that particular person. He would ask who everyone was related too. I would tell him.



7) He would point out the food and ask me if I tried it. He had given Mom a piece of Flan and it really pissed me off because he has done it to me in the past. Serve food w/o asking if we wanted it or not. I looked at him and asked him to please not just do that w/o asking. When I reminded him later his response was "Well she doesn't have to eat it". If I fucking did that to anyone do you really think it would be appreciated?



8) I told Mom later about it and apologized for the fact Dave did it. She looked at me and reminded me that I said I would not be judgemental of him. She didn't mind him doing it and appreciated. She never ever understands my aggravation with Dave and always makes excuses for him.

9) After my Mom left and we were talking about the wedding and our discovery that our house is small. My sister makes a joke that when Mom and I are fighting it isn't big enough. Why the hell does she have to make comments like that? There was no need for her to do that. Of course the others laughed and agreed that is basically the case in their home.




I get so damn angry over it. Now I am feeling guilty over it and she wants me to email him and thank him for giving the flan. IF she doesn't mind it then SHE should be the one to call him.

Saying Good Night

Well it is after 11 and I am heading to bed.  The afternoon was filled with updating computer and Don helped.  I just got the last bit of instructions when I was a little nervous when one of the updates didn't want to load. 

I did some laundry and watched NCIS until we left for 5:30 mass.  Mom had been baking for Liz and Nelson's party tomorrow.  After Mass we came home and had cheeseburgers.   The rest of the night I watched NCIS and surfed the net on Mom's computer.

Home

Yep I am home.  I had gotten home around 2 or so.  I stopped for breakfast in Alpha and called Dave and chatted with him.  I got back on the road around 10:30.  AT one point i followed instructions from Magellan which were clearly wrong.  It was in Parsippany.  I am not sure how long it took me to get back on the highway but I stayed calm..sort of.  Traffic was a bit heavy at times and I was a little nervous being behind a Hydrogen Gas Truck...When I passed through Tappan Zee I was supposed to take Exit 9...key word being supposed to; I passed it and took another exit and ended up having to go around in elmsford and got back on the right direction.

I was really happy to get home.  Mom and I talked about the week and about how of the food was eaten that was sent down.  After awhile I relaxed.  I started getting on line and ended up with this around 4.  Mom had been shopping so I got on Mom's.

The rest of the time we had dinner and watched TV.  I went to bed around 10.

Today was the Wedding and there were a lot of people here.  Family and friends and they were especially nice and dressed wonderfully.  It was supposed to start at 9:30 but it didn't start until 10.  It was over by 11. 

Don came before they arrived and started to look at the computer.  He came back after the wedding finished and the Ghost stuff.  He also helped Mom with the fax.

Last Night here

We picked Jamie up around 3.   It was the last day of school as Spring Break was underway.  He had to empty his locker out.  We came back here and hung out each of us doing our own thing.  I took a shower after 5 and we left around quarter of 6 to pick the girls up at Tennis practice.  We then went out to Pizza Hut for Dinner.

Dinner was fun.  The kids started getting a little rambunctious and it bordered on annoying.  We had two types of Breadsticks and each of us had our own thing.  I got a veggie pizza but really should have gotten a personal pan pizza. The left overs are in the fridge for Jamie for tomorrow.  We took the girls home and Jamie came back with us.  We did have to stop at Wegman's for some stuff and then we came home. 

Jamie spent the rest of the night online.  I think he may have been on an inappropriate site so I had him help me with making the bed.  I also talked about it with him and he said oh it just popped up.  I have my doubts but I just reminded him to be careful.

Jim has been sleeping I think. He has to get up for work early so he needed to be in bed.  I think I could still hear him now and then.

I am all packed and ready to go for the trip home.  I just have to put a few things back into the suitcase.  I am going to wear the same clothes I had on tonight.

it is so Beautiful Out

It is just 59*F out and so nice.  The walk in Trexler Park was wonderful.  I was concerned about the eyes though somethings were blurry wasn't sure if that was because the glasses needed tightening.  It took me about 45 minutes or so to walk the entire length.  Jim was up when we got back and so we went to Trivet Diner on Tighlman.  If you want great diner food and atmosphere this place is it.

As I expected I will be leaving tomorrow after rush hour traffic for home.  JIm and I were discussing this at brunch.  Since he leaves at 5:30 and doesn't get home until 3 or 4 I would be hanging around doing nothing.  Besides by the time I do get home I can do some stuff like clean my room.  Which I am sure Mom would like to happen.  Saturday I can finish the room cleaning and relax with the NCIS marathon.

JIm is taking a nap.  I offered to go to the store with him if he needed things.  NOt sure if we are going to do that or not.  I may just lay across the bed myself and do the puzzles

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Yes it is it is the best Day ever...to all my friends and family may the luck of the Irish be at your side from now until eternity!  Today is Nanny's Birthday (she is my maternal Grandmother) and I can remember the big family parties we would have over the years.  It was one of the times we would get to see family we didn't get to see.

It is overcast but supposed to be warm.  I am going to get dressed and take that damn walk so that I know I did something else here other than watching TV or getting on the computer.  Okay so I did laundry but I could do that at home.  Jim is going to find me some clean sheets as the ones already on the bed needed to be washed.

Jim wasn't feeling too well last night (stomach) so he slept in today.  I really hope he is okay.  He says its the new meds he is on I guess.  He said he would get up shortly but that was ten minutes ago.  I am just going to let him do what he needs to do.

Tomorrow I am leaving for home.  Jim needs to be at work by 7 so I suspect I will be leaving after that. 

Okay I better get going...check in later.

Jamie just left  a little after 6 and Jim is resting again.  He had been since we came home.  He says his stomach was bothering him.  I have been watching the NCIS marathon and doing more of the word search puzzles.  I did have a piece of pie. 

I have gotten some replies for the meeting next week.  Tessa gave us an update on their trip to Israel.  She sounds like she is having a great time.  She is going to keep us posted she said.  Anyway I sent a message to Mom to let her know.

It is cloudy again but the temperature is up to 52F right now.  I am sure JIm will want to know when I am taking that walk.  I am not sure I want to tonight...

Quiet Morning..

..I ended up doing laundry while Jim went to a meeting and then to a Doctor's appointment.  He called around 11 and so I decided to go over to Wegman's and get some "breakfast".  4 buffalo wings and coffee.  They were delicious (of course would there be any doubt?)  I came back to the house and watched TV.  I actually sat through 1 hour of House the show.  Jim came home after 12 and had lunch and we talked about stuff.  I am thinking we may go for that walk still.  He is really encouraging me to get exercise back into my regime.  I am thinking that would be good.

The rain stopped and now is overcast/cloudy.  It seemed pretty warm out of course I did wear 2 sweatshirt jackets and a regular sweater so that may be why I feel so warm...(ah can you tell I am struggling for things to write about yet?).  Its about 48*F right now.  It is supposed to get to 60 tomorow.

We are picking Jamie up from school this afternoon so I won't be on it for a bit as I am sure Jamie will need it for homework.

I am going to go watch NCIS...and not feel so guilty...:

Its raining

We have rain.  It started last night and I am not sure how long it will last.  I was tempted to go for a walk but because I had a hard time sleeping  I decided to relax.  Jim came home around 7:30 and made some phone calls and will be taking his nap for a while.

I am not sure what we will be doing today.  Jim's energy level isn't very strong so we may just hang out.

Probably going to bed soon-written last night

Jim went to bed a short while ago..probably will follow suit after I visit some sites.  I watched NCIS did some word search puzzles and sent out some emails. 

Telka scheduled a board meeting for the 26th at 6:30.  That's the same day as the carnival but we have a lot to discuss.  Budgets,  Elections, and membership.  There are a lot of girls who are interested in becoming officers.  Only a few positions.  I responded that it would be a good time for me.  Roberta also responded that she should be there but she is going to New Hampshire to visit Ben's Family.

I emailed Mom to ask her if we could host the 4th District at our house again.  She said sure but to let Phil know...I did at the same time. I will probably hear from him tomorrow morning. 

I see the tech that killed the undergraduate Lei changed his plea from Not guilty to Guilty.  I wonder what this will mean for him?  I think I better read the article before saying anymore.

Spasms continue to be infrequent: when I yawn mostly now...good sign.

Had a lovely time

We picked the kids up at 5:15 chatted with SIL and then we headed out to a local restaurant favorite called Pastachio. We all had some thing different and dessert.  The kids were great.  I chatted with the girls about school, music, Grandma, accessories.  The girls according to Jim tend to get a little obnoxious all though I tend to agree they were not as bad as usual.  I really have to say I loved seeing them and being with them.  I reminded ER that if she needed me or wanted to talk to call me anytime.

After we dropped them off we came home and found a small rabbit on the front lawn.  It was adorable.  JIm is relaxing and I am about to go watch NCIS.

I told Jim that while he is doing is morning routine I would try and walk in the park across the street in preparation for our eventual walk.  Jamie won't be back until the weekend so its just me and Jim until I leave for home.

getting ready for dinner

Jim is heading into the shower and I will be changing clothes.  We are picking the kids up at 5:15 and having dinner.  Jim promised Claudia to have them back early.  That's okay because I would like to see tonight's repeat of NCIS.

I spent most of the afternoon on the couch taking a nap.  Jim and I finally got up around 3:30.  He made some calls and putted around and I watched TV.  He over heard me talk to myself when I saw something on the news that didn't make sense. 

I had a few spasms but I keep thinking or feeling they are not as bad as days early or even last night.  I did take some Tylenol for my headache.  Its gone for the most part.  I am going to try and not over do it on dinner tonight. 

I checked on facebook with some friends and stuff and found out that CT lost another soldier in Afganistan.  He is from Watertown Connecticut.  I believe his name is Parks.  If you go to Connecticut web page it will give the back story.

In the mean time I need to check emails..see later on tonight.

The Ride Down

Well I got up fairly early but didn't get out of the house until 8:30.  It was okay as Jim was expecting me until 1 anyway.  I did the errands I wanted (office, store, and bank) and was back home by 9:30.  I packed up  the car as Mom had just packed everything in the bags and stuff.

I have to tell you as much as I kvetch about Mom she is awesome.  She had the beans cooking all night in the oven and got up early to check on them.  Who would do that?  Of course she critiqued the way it turned out (something she does quite often especially as we are eating it).

I left the house before 10.  The GPS was going to send me three different routes at one point.  The first one was all the way down I-95.  I was confident to say absolutely not.  Yes I talked to the GPS all three times.  The second was up Route 8 that would send me up through the valley and to 84 and the third and final time was Route seven also to route 84.  The way I needed to go finally kicked in.  It was a good thing I got the directions from Mapquest.

The ride was fairly uneventful.  There were some construction work areas but none that took a lot of time.  I was able to use the cruise control a lot.  It was uneventful until I stopped for lunch at a Friendly's Restaurant.

It was 11 am and chilly I even saw some flurries I stopped in Suffren NY.  I gathered my wallet and hid everything else and got out of the car.  I even locked the car...with the keys in the ignition.  I didn't realize this until after I ate and was heading back to the car.  So 20 minutes and $85 dollars later I was on my way. 

As I had mentioned I was supposed to be here at Jim's by 1.  I still had a good hour or so before that happened.   I called him and explained where I was and joked that I should not be travelling alone.  I have a feeling in some odd way I confirmed Mom' fears.  She feels I am too friendly and too trusting.

I arrived here just about 2 with no other problems.  It wasn't far from the highway (I am pretty sure nothing is far from each other around here).  We sat and talked and caught up.

Around 3 we went to pick up Jamie at School.  We came back and Jamie went to do his homework and Jim and I relaxed until his cleaning lady came.  Her name is Debbie and very nice.  She had some great news of an impending new job in PHiladelphia.    While she cleaned the kitchen I watched TV, Jim did some stuff up stairs

WE had dinner at Friendly's again and then took Jamie to Boy Scouts in the next town  and then we went to a beautiful mall (I am not really into malls but) and had coffee at Barnes and noble for about 45 minutes.  We went back by 8.  After the meeting was over we came home.  We each did our own thing.  I was in bed by 9 doing some puzzles.  Jamie and JIm were in bed by 10.

Despite the muscle spasms I managed to get sleep I woke up around 5:30 dozed for a bit and then watched TV.  Jim had gone to a meeting (I was surprised I didn't hear him leave) and around 7 I got Jamie up for school.  Jim was back by 7 and we were out the door after that and stopped for breakfast  '@ Dunkin.

We took Jamie to school and we came back here.  Jim had another meeting to go to so now I am left to my own devices until 11.  I think I might take a nap for a bit as i am starting to get sleepy.

All Packed

Well I am all packed and ready for my trip to Allentown tomorrow. I am leaving here around 8 to do a few errands before going to the bank and the leaving for Allentown. Jim called tonight and asked if I could push it back to 1 pm and I agreed. This will allow me to get to the office and approve my time card and go to the store and bank.




Jim is going to make me do exercise like walking. I really didn’t have the heart to tell him that my Doctor doesn’t want me to walk as exercise. He also wants us to go to the gym. I am not sure that will be working well either as I still have problems bending and the minor spasms I seem to be getting still. He did say he would go to the Fish Hatchery and the museums with me as well.



Today went well. I woke up at 7:15 this morning and turned over for what I thought was going to be a few minutes ended up being an hour! That’s right I got up at 8:30! I had to make a mad dash to get ready for bingo.



I got there by 9:30 and started serving coffee. A short time later the kids arrived. At that point the residents were not ready for anything. We surmised that it was still the time difference. By the 10:30 we had started getting a full house. Natalie arrived just about then too. We chatted and then she got her day going with Paper work and a cooking activity after Bingo.



I met Nicole’s newest edition to her family Cami. She is a three-year-old King Charles spaniel. The sweetest most loveable little critter and she love me. I swear it was like the scene out of Peanuts when Lucy gets washed by Snoopy. I was in heaven. After I said goodbye to them I headed over to the church.



I was pretty late for mass but I stayed until the end. After the mass I called Liz and Nelson to see if I could stop by but they were tired. I went home and cleaned out the car. It took some time but I got it done.



After that was done I went to Liz and Nelson’s and I spent about 45 minutes with them. I helped Liz put one of those play pads together for baby Nelly. He will be spending time with them this week while Mommy returns to work. I also told Nelson that if his offer to teach me to cook was still available I would be willing to participate. This will be interesting. While I was there Liz was trying to find out how Mom was health wise. Apparently Mom doesn’t tell her everything and I may have told her too much. Only time will tell.



While I was out Mom met with the bride who she will be marrying next week. She sent the young lady was really nice and was accompanied by her big sister. It seemed really cute.



Mom and I had dinner around 6:30. It was chicken and stuffing and pirogues and peas. I had a lot and now I feel as though I am stuffed. We watched some of “Create TV” programming as the regular programming was skewed because of fundraising.



After dinner I ironed the clothes and packed them. Now I am going to bed…

Moving along

Well I am moving along slowly getting things ready for the trip on Monday. I have been up a little over 2 and half hours and spent some time watching TV and then the laundry. I have been updating files as well.




Don sent me an email about getting new DVR disks so that he can do the ghost image. He was thinking the ones he had were far too old and would mess up the computer.



Milford is having their annual St Patrick’s Day Parade at 2 pm. Telka had suggested we march in the parade but I just can’t do it. I have too much to do today anyway. The Doctor wouldn’t want me to be marching in it anyway. He feels that walking for exercise is bad for the knees and cartilage.



I went to the store to see if I could find a replacement cord for the GPS. Something that mom keeps insisting I do. I explained to her three different times it was a metal plug in. She told me three different ways that I should bring it with me…NO kidding.



Well I did go shopping and was successful. I have a new charger but it isn’t exactly like the one I have. It doesn’t include the traffic updates. I would have to go to the company for it. I also got one of those rearview mirrors that takes away blind spots and gives better view. All I can say is Wow.



I stopped at the food court at the mall and went to a restaurant that specializes in Grilled Cheese sandwiches. I got one with onions and tomato and basil. It was delicious but left the onion taste in my mouth for a while.



When I got home Mom was futzing around. She was still having problems getting the printer working until Don came over and helped. She was thrilled. She went to church and I watched TV.



As the day drew to a close I was getting a headache. I spent a couple of hours sleeping and took the last of the 800 mg of the Ibuprofen. Thankfully the headache went away.



Now I am going to bed….

What a relief

I am officially on vacation! I spent most of the day watching Janet do open the mail and sort it and she did fine. The rest of the time I did the return mail. I also did the lobby mail. I basically did it because I wanted to make sure it was done and she watched. I freely admit I am not the best trainer and I found myself getting a little anxious when she was doing the mail itself. If you think about it it isn’t that hard to open the mail. You separate the checks and payments from correspondence. The correspondence can be anything from Insurance companies or patients who came to us for their health needs. Trying to figure out which pile it goes into can be difficult. It isn’t always easy.




I did manage to get my desk a little bit straightened up before going and making sure my dishes were cleaned. (Yeah I know not the most pleasant of visuals). Gayle knows there is a lot of what we call the crap mail that can wait.



Mom had literary club tonight and made corned beef and brought it with her. An old acquaintance of ours and member of the Lit Club was a bit confused over car pooling arrangements. She forgot or didn’t understand that she was being picked up at HER house instead of ours. She asked me how the job was going. I don’t particularly care for her because she can be obnoxious and overbearing. She shared some of her family news her son is getting divorced and was telling me how the seven year marriage ended. When the person who was picking her up arrived it was clear the woman was annoyed because CD didn’t pay attention to the email that was sent.



I was planning on doing laundry tonight but I decided to just relax. I did watch a little bit of TV. USA was showing NCIS from first and second season again and I didn’t feel like watching them tonight.



I think I will go to bed now…I want to start on the chores and get ready for the trip early tomorrow. Hugs to you!

It's On

Happy News! I called Jim earlier this evening and we are on! He says Monday sounds great. I am so excited. The only thing was he wasn’t feeling well tonight. It sounded like he had sinus/allergies plaguing him. I am leaving here by 9 am Monday. I should be in Allentown by Noon. Mom is probably going to send me down with food of some sort for him.




Mom suggested I get the car all cleaned out and gassed up for the trip. I would use my GPS but it is broken. I may have to break down and get a new one this time.



I am definitely going to do room cleaning tomorrow and Saturday. I hope to get the car cleaned out Saturday as well. I want to be ready by Monday morning.



Work went well. I had to train Janet the basics of the mail so that she can do it while I am away. I don’t know if I did that well or not but I was almost done with the today’s mail by the time we started it. I will teach her the lockbox stuff first thing tomorrow. I still have to do the lobby mail and perhaps I will do that stuff first. I have three days worth of the return mail to do. I told Janet to leave the ones that will come while I am out until I get back.



Telka sent out an email asking us if we wanted to march n the parade on Saturday. I told her I couldn’t. I had to get ready for the trip.



I also sent out the email from Phil to the 4th District. I don’t know if there had been any responses yet. They have to provide a list of names we can depend on for support in the November elections.



Tessa also sent out an email that Senator Dick Blumenthal will be at the St Patrick’s Day parade and invited everyone to stop by and say hi. Well I certainly can’t do that if I said I couldn’t do the march for the Woman’s Club.



I am starting to get tired. My back is bothering me a little bit and so is my side. I took the final Ibuprofen for the night. Albeit a little later then I should have so it may have just kicked in.



The computer seems to be working just fine. I have been revising the birthday list again. Once I figure out the instructions of using the thumb drive (for the umpteenth time) U will be using it more often.







Mom has one or two morning meetings and then the literary club meeting tomorrow night. I asked her how many more are left for this year (2010-2011) and she said the next one will be in May and then again in August to start off the next season. She would rather they meet monthly instead of every other month. She really enjoys them.



Okay now I am rambling and babbling so I better get to sleep. I will see you all later. Have a great night and I send hugs to you.

Lenton Season

Lenten Season

I have not been a good Lenten observer and it has only started yesterday.  I had pea soup for dinner and didn’t take the ham out of the soup.  I was honored or flattered when CC asked me to say a prayer/blessing over her and her family after work when she saw the ash mark on my forehead.  A few of us went to the chapel at the hospital and unfortunately missed a good chunk of it. 

Speaking of food I really messed up the last couple of days.  I broke down and had the GS cookies I bought and put out on the cabinet in the office.  I had some candy too. 

I called Jim yesterday about coming to see him next week but haven’t heard from him.  If it isn’t going to happen then I will be spending the week spring cleaning at least for a good chunk of it.

The meeting last night went well.  We had Woman’s history month game and I was Katherine Hepburn.  We have a lot of things coming up as usual.  We might be in the St. Patrick’s Day parade.  I am not sure if I can do it myself but I still have to think about it.

Found out that the employees of (Dichello Distributors) went on strike this morning.  They were picketing the front gate on Marsh Hill Lane in Orange.  One of my friends on Facebook (and he was a schoolmate of mine) posted about it about 9 hours ago.

I got an email from Phil this morning.  He wants me to send out another reminder to get ten definite supporters for the election in November.  I can’t do it right now because I am busy but I will.

I am almost all caught up with the mail.  The lockbox and the post office mail for the last few days were all done by the time I left yesterday.  Right now I am working on today’s.  I did work on the return mail for last Thursday.  This afternoon I am hoping to get to the lobby mail that I haven’t picked up since Monday.

I had one of those blue screens this morning and the disk checking happened.  I wrote about it in my other blog.

Okay had my breakfast and almost finished lockbox for today so I better get ready for the second wind…

I am making plans

After playing telephone tag with Jim I am making plans to go see Jim and the kids next week. He called to urge me to use the 155 hours that are in danger of being taken from me if I don’t take them by June 30. We talked about getting together but weekends are not good for him as he works from 7-3 those three days. Mom was pleased we spoke as it was her idea for him to call me. So I will call him tomorrow and see if the 14th is okay for me to come down.




I was just looking at the website for PA trying to find things to do in the Allentown area during the four days and I just can’t seem to see anything. I know there is a ton of things to do. I don’t even know how far we would go to do things. Neither Jim nor I are bar hopping people (especially in light of our compulsive addictive behaviors). There is a Trout Fishery/Hatchery that we would drive by all the time in the past. I am also not the world’s biggest Shopping person either. I know that Jim will probably have meetings to go to and I am not sure if he sleeps during the day like he used too. Actually I found the activities stuff to do in Allentown I will keep those in mind. We have to keep in mind there are things to do with the kids.



Work went well. I managed to catch up to today’s mail. I started to sort it by the end of the day. I was not going to jump from one pile to another and end up getting crazed and overwhelmed. I stuck with each day until it was done. I have a feeling I will be finished with todays by lunch time. I had enjoyable conversations with Gayle and Cami.



Now that I am going to be taking next week off I am hoping to get a lot more done in the office. I don’t know if I can but I am going to try. There is a lot of readdress mail to do and I don’t want to overwhelm anyone or myself. I made the mistake of telling Claudia when she asked me who did the mail. I told her no one. I am not sure if that will come back to bite me in the ass.



There was a diesel fuel truck accident during the afternoon that made a huge traffic nightmare all the way through commuter traffic. That and the flooding that occurred from the rivers in certain areas remember my earlier post? There is more flooding expected tonight as well and of course near the end of the week.



I need to set up the chore list again. I want this room taken care of by Friday along with laundry. I think I will have the car taken a look at and see if it good to travel with.



Okay its time for me to turn in. Have a great night.

Family Update

Greetings everyone I hope your week has started off on a good one. I just went back to work on Monday after being out sick with Double Pneumonia. I went to the Doctor last week to find out what the muscles spasms I was having were caused by. After having my first CT-scan that was its determination and underlying COPD. I go back to the Dr. in two weeks. I was going to say the Lupus has been in check but I am wondering if the DP was caused by it or not. I have noticed that the aches and pains in the joints have been non existent. I did see the Lupus Doctor at the beginning of the month and he thought I was doing well. I see him in May.




Work is fine. At least I think it has been. My supervisor returned to work Monday after being on Medical Leave. She kept in touch with us and came by for a visit two weeks ago. I was a little anxious about going back to work Monday because I was anxious to see what shape the office was in and was bracing myself for any problems or questions from administration.



The woman’s Club is doing just fine. We had a successful Valentines Day delivery to the nursing home and we have several activities coming up. On Monday we sponsored a blood drive and very soon will have elections for Officers. We are still preparing for the Creative writing contest reception in June and before that we have a few other things going on.



On the Political front things worked out on the P&Z board my friend retained her chairmanship and we are very happy about that. We are always looking for more active members and volunteers for the upcoming municipal elections. We are having our annual Awards Banquet and will be preparing for that.



Sadly one of my neighbors passed away in late February he was just 80 years old. He had been in the hospital a few days prior to his death and he indeed was very ill. He has been a neighbor since I was born and it will be very surreal without him. He had a great love of dogs and raised German shepherd for as long as I could remember. He had one before he died and he realized he couldn’t keep Mikos. We never had a chance to say good bye to Mikos and I miss him fiercely.



Mom is doing well for 80 plus years old. She went to a letter writing campaign on the Death penalty on Sunday. It was sponsored by our local DTC. I was supposed to go but the pneumonia stopped that.



Mom has been busy with her boards and committees and spoke in front of our State Legislature for budget requests for the organizations that the boards and committees represent.



Both her hearing and sight seems to be giving her more trouble of lately. I am afraid that she is considering giving up her committees and meetings if they are at night. I have offered to give her rides to places and I also think that many have offered her rides or something but she doesn’t want to impose as most of them do not live near us. She hasn’t said anything verbally to me but I just get this gut feeling.

My Brother Bob and his family are doing okay. He is teaching this semester as in past years and seems to enjoy it. I haven’t really talked with him since our dinner last month but I am pretty sure he is okay. At least Mom would have told me.



Each of their kids is well. Diane and her boyfriend stopped for a visit last month before heading off to Toronto for the final leg of the South Pacific Tour that ends in April. She has some health issues but deals with them the best she can. She posts frequently on Facebook.



Her brothers are fine. John continues his current assignment in North Korea. He also posts to Facebook and sometimes I just roll my eyes. He celebrated his 27th birthday last month. We discovered that Rob the youngest broke up with his girlfriend of three years. He continues to work for American Ambulance.



Mom heard from Jim last week. He is doing very well he currently has a part time job on Weekends in a warehouse. He sees the kids rather often. I had called him and emailed him the day there was a gas explosion in his town. He told me he slept through it so it must not have been close by. The kids are doing well. Kristina continues to excel in school and is very active in Tennis.



Liz and Nelson have been very busy with Babysitting gig with their younger grandchildren. They were pretty exhausted when I talked with them last week. They went to a Doo Whop over the weekend and had a great time.



My Nephew Bryan is finishing up his High School sports career with Senior Dinners and awards and just making his entire family proud of him.



Everyone else in their family is doing well.



Okay tomorrow is another long so I am going to call it a night. I will see you all later.

Omigod

The flooding

I was really gonna make fun of people in Yalesville CT asking for early warning system in the futre...my deal is you live near a river

Back to Work

I went back to work this morning and had a pretty good day. I really didn’t have any problems getting to the office either. I was not the only one who returned. Gayle returned from Medical Leave and she looked Awesome. She arrived before I did. I told her my story. I promised to stay some distance but I don’t think that really happened. She came into my office a few times. It felt like being home again. People were happy to see us both and asked how we were doing.







My office was pretty much the way I left it Thursday. Exceptions were the campus mail from Thursday, the mail from Friday (no one did it) so I spent most of the day catching up. I managed to start on today’s mail. The rest will be done before Noon. I was proud of myself for really limiting my time on the Internet.






We are going to have a baby shower for Mom to be Donna C. I can’t remember now when the date for it is but we have until the end of the week to contribute.






I ran into an old friend at Paula’s restaurant at lunch time. It was Bill the young man who worked for us a couple of years back. He got married and has been working at the Surgery dept on Congress Avenue. He seemed very happy.






After work I walked to Debra’s office with almost no problem. I was even walking fast. It wasn’t until I got to the corner of Temple and Chapel that I started breathing hard. I wasn’t getting the pains in the side either. I told her about the Double Pneumonia and how I was on the antibiotics and the length of time. She noticed I looked a lot better than last Wednesday. We talked about the time when I was child that I was in the hospital for some bug.






After the session was over I headed back to the car and went home. Traffic was a little slow and from the reports on the traffic station there were delays all over the place. There had been flooding on certain highways. Luckily none in the direction I was going.






When I got home Mom was getting dinner ready it was Salmon, rice, and asparagus three of my favorite dishes. I got into my pajamas and watched TV until we ate.






I am starting to cough more today. I am not sure if it was triggered by the laughing or not but if it happens again I am going to take cough syrup.






Now that it is getting late I think I am going to bed.

This is cool

Yesterday evening on livejournal.com there was a question posted for the writer’s block section and that question was how long have we been on live journal and what life changing moments have their been. I answered it here. It then got me to go back and read the journal entries from June of 2003 and one of the things I discovered was we were just having problems with the woodchucks showing up then as well. So we have been having woodchuck problems for nearly eight years.




During that year I would only write in that journal 1 day a week and all the other journals/blogs I had were assigned other days of the week. It made sense at the time but now I can’t do it that way. There were definite gaps in between writing that’s for sure. I don’t know why.



At that time it talked about pen paling, and bingo, my sessions with Debra and of course things with Mom at the time. It seemed to be tense at the time. I don’t hitnk that will ever change.



Back to the present! Mom just got back from church and will be going over to Mike and Tessa’s Death Penalty Letter writing campaign this afternoon. That’s supposed to be at 6 I don’t know how long she will be there. I will reheat a a stuffed pepper and spaghetti for dinner.



The rest of the night will be resting and getting ready for going back to work tomorrow. I actually should be starting another newsletter for the lists.

Still Recuperating from Double Pneumonia

I am still recuperating from the Double Pneumonia. I spent most of the day watching TV or online or sleeping. I still get the muscle spasms but depending on the time of day it can be strong or light. I did some tossing and turning last night to get comfortable and it took some time but finally got to sleep. I do notice if I get upset it just makes it worse so I had to calm myself down.




I started making the Phone squad messages last night. I only got as far as Janet’s number. Donna K didn’t reply back to me yet either. She really is a winner. I also called a couple of the girls on the bingo list to see if they would fill in for me. The girl did call back and say she would ask her parents. Telka sent me a couple of emails. One was a get well card and the other was to offer to go to do bingo for me. I sent her an email this morning thanking her for the offer. I made the rest of the calls this afternoon.



I got into a debate with Mom about the Taxes and e-failing. She swore last year she filed her taxes via the IRS.Gov site and she insisted we would be able to do it this year as well. if you go here you will see that they provide links to free filing sites. It was very frustrating for about 20 minutes until she saw for her self that indeed it is confusing and that she is thinking twice about using these things.



For obvious reasons I haven’t been out today but it is as forecasted on the news last cloudy and about 55 degrees. The sun did peek out a few times today. We are supposed to get some rain and wind tomorrow.



I have a little confession to make. I am a little apprehensive about going back to work on Monday. I am not sure what to find (probably lots of mail). I am also probably going to get lectures or spoken to about the stuff on top of my sorter. Patti asked me about on Thursday not to question but to see what needs to be done. However, I do think the questioning will be on Monday. The piles that are there are the readdress stuff. I do work on them on a daily basis but it just doesn’t always seem to reduce in size. Most of this stuff is the authorizations, stuff that isn’t vitally important if it is then of late I have been getting it out automatically.





Tonight Mom has her monthly dinner date with her friend Martha. I will be having stew or something not sure as I had a late lunch today.



I have a feeling that my TV viewing will not include the regular PBS fare as it is their fundraising time again. The CREATETV.com has been having all things Louisiana on today.



I am going to go surfing on the net for a bit…

I have Double Pneumonia

I went to the doctor yesterday and ended up getting my first CT-Scan. I was a little scared at first because the doctor was telling me what it could possibly be. Pleurisy which can be lupus related or virus caused, Pulmonary Embolism (which it wasn’t thank God). He also said it could be costochondritis. The appointment was for 11:45 here in Milford. I got the CT-Scan after the initial check up. He was concerned bout the lupus being the culprit. It was not bad for my first CT-Scan. The Technician was very nice. AS I was driving home the Doctor called and told me I have Double Pneumonia and underlying COPD. He wants to take a better look in two weeks. I did go to work for a few hours but he wanted me to go home and stay out for the rest of the week and go back Monday.




I went to my appointment with Debra and by then exhausted. I told her how the week went and that I was exhausted. At that point she didn’t know about the diagnosis but agreed to end early as I couldn’t keep my eyes open.



I started the Antibiotics last night and it was a bit weird at one point because I felt strange from it. I can’t explain it but that’s what I am chalking it up to.



When I came home I had lunch and spent the afternoon sleeping. I am still getting the muscle spasms but not as frequently as before (at least that is what it seems like to me). Just finished dinner a while ago and so I am going to watch TV for a bit and then go to sleep again.

Been a couple of Days

It’s been a couple of days since I have been writing.  The muscle spasms were a bit much last night so I just watched NCIS and then went to bed.

My session with Debra was rescheduled for tomorrow and I was glad as it was hard to walk and breathe yesterday and it was this morning too.  I have been taking Tylenol and have given some relief but I still get the muscle spasms. 

There seems to be a small war brewing between Kathy B (team leader for the Medicare/Anthem team) and my team mate Tevis.  She hasn’t been happy with the way he does the Medicaid/Anthem EOB’s and wants me to give the piles back to her for batching.  Tevis wants the Wellcare CMS, AIMS, and one other thing.  To be truthful I am never sure exactly what they do with the rejections that I give to the various teams.  Common sense says they post them to the various accounts and then the follow up team investigates them.

Phil emailed bright and early this morning to update the 4^th District membership list and to send out an email reminder about getting more members to be able to vote in the municipal election in November.  That email didn’t go out right then because I don’t like showing that I have been online to Mom.

In the afternoon I started to feel nausea.  I am not sure if it was the muscle spasms or the fact I had some stuff I probably should not have had.  They were 2 pieces of candy.  Luckily by the time I left stomach felt better.  I managed to drink some OJ.

When I got home I did the email for Phil and relaxed until Mom got home from her meeting.