The Tooth Hurts...

The tooth is gone and the Novocain is just starting to wear off.  Gah.  As is usually the case, the fear I’d built up prior to the extraction was worse than the actual event.  However, they left me sitting in the dental chair for nearly an hour before they got to me.  I guess someone came in with a dental emergency and Friday is one of their busiest days due to everyone needing to get in before the weekend.  Still, it wasn’t so bad and I’m actually back at work right now.  The big hole in my mouth feels weird.  Plus there is some kind of weird blister on my gum above where the tooth was.  My mom said it was most likely a pus-pocket.  The oral surgeon concurred and said it was due to the infection.  Yuck.  He just left it there.  The Amoxicillin I’m on should take care of it though.  I just stuck my tongue in the hole between the top and bottom teeth and holy crap it seems HUGE!  The dentist did say that someday I may want an implant there but he also said that upper implants are hard because of sinuses and gravity.

In caring for the new empty place, I cannot rinse mouth or brush teeth for 24 hours.  Then I need to start rinsing with salt water.  I can’t eat or drink until the bleeding has slowed/stopped and only then soft lukewarm things. I can use a moistened tea bag if I run out of gauze or if bleeding picks up.  Not sure what the tea bag thing is about, but that might be a good idea.  I did get some soup and ravioli from the cafeteria for later.  I just don’t feel like eating yet though I am drinking a coke to get the taste out of my mouth.

In response to Lap’s comment from yesterday’s entry…I think dentists want to try to save your teeth if at all possible but it really depends on where they are located and how badly they are damaged.  The one I had pulled was the last molar in the upper left of my jaw.  It was a tooth which was the recipient of a badly done root canal and the effort to save it really wasn’t worth it as far as the work involved versus the damage and the unclear outcome of trying to save it.  But if you are adamant in wanting teeth pulled rather than saved, they will do as you, the patient say.

When I was at the endodontist office on Wednesday I told his assistant that I liked her hair.  She had shoulder length vibrant red hair with a beautiful ringlet curl.  Both she and the Doctor laughed.  Then she explained that she hadn’t had hair like that until she was diagnosed with breast cancer, went through chemo, lost her hair, and this is what grew back.  I asked her if it changed color as well as texture and she said no and that while she liked the curly hair, it was taking her some getting used to because it was so different from before the chemo.  I assured her it was lovely and it’s the kind of hair women with straight hair would kill for.

This weekend, pending control on the mouth pain, I plan on shopping for a dress and shoes for graduation.  I also need to get 2 white elephant gifts for Bob’s family Christmas party which we are hosting next weekend.  Can it be that December 8^th is NEXT WEEKEND?  Crazy.  I was in need of a winter coat but found one on sale (no shipping cost) at LL Bean.  I also got birthday shopping done for my brother and nephew.  For the most part, we don’t exchange Christmas gifts other than with each other and our younger niece and nephews. And this year Bob and I aren’t doing much in the way of exchanging gifts because of our cruise, so I am almost done with the Christmas shopping.

Also this weekend I am hoping to get our tree and decorations out and up.  It’s supposed to snow between 6-10 inches so it might be a fun, festive time to do it.  Thankfully the outdoor lights have already been assembled and put up.  Oh!  And I managed to get my birthday/graduation party invites stamped and in the mail this morning so the festivities have officially been kicked off.

Tooth Update

The prognosis on my tooth is that way back in May when I bite into a bone in a hamburger and bruised the tooth, I probably also cracked it.  The crack does not show up on x-ray and doesn’t seem to be one that goes all the way through, but the endodontist said the tooth exhibits every sign of a cracked tooth.  Plus the tooth wiggles and moves when pushed.  That is not a good sign. This is a tooth that I had a root canal done on 3 years ago and the endodontist said it was a poorly done root canal and is not up to the standards he set for himself for his patients.  (This is a lesson, when you find a good dentist stick with him even if it does mean driving downtown and having to pay for parking!)  His recommendation is to have the tooth pulled because in the long run it will mean less wear and tear and problems.  So, Friday at 11:15 the tooth is getting yanked.  I asked how it’s done with the hopes that sedation was offered but no…it’s numb and yank.  The endodontist did give me an RX for Amoxicillin and said that if I take it today, the area around the tooth should be better by Friday and will make it easier for the oral surgeon to yank it…unless it comes off in pieces.  Lets all hope it does come off in pieces. 

It’s weird not being in school.  When I get home now, I make dinner and clean up the kitchen as I normally would but after that…I have all kinds of free time.  I no longer have to slave away on reading or homework for class and it’s heavenly.  I’ve been reading lots of library books and last night I caught up on my Real Housewives of Orange County.  You know I hate that show and yet when it’s on, I can’t look away.  I especially hate that Vicki woman.  Talk about a control freak.  Her children are adults living on their own and she admits to still controlling their behavior by paying for stuff and then threatening to yank her financial help if they don’t comply with her.  The most levelheaded person on that show is the daughter of the former playmate.  She graduated as her high school valedictorian and is off to college to pursue law studies.  The rest of her family is certifiably crazy though.

Monday night I had to go to my local library to drop off and pick up.  The library is housed in a county building that also houses our clerk of courts, driver’s license, and other county functions.  As I walked in, I saw a woman in a bridal gown holding a bouquet of flowers, a guy dressed in armed forces dress clothes, and other people milling about in fancy duds.  It was 4:30 on a Monday night and it was obvious someone was getting married.  The couple was young, so cute, and very earnest and excited.  I wished I had had my camera with so I could have offered to take their photos.  I didn’t see a photographer and someone mentioned how they were just waiting for the judge so they could get started.  It would have been fun to take their pictures.  I made the assumption that they guy was probably shipping out soon, hence the Monday night justice ‘O the peace marriage.  It was just the cutest thing ever.  I wish them all the luck in the world.

My nephew turns 13 next week.  I was IMing him last night and asked what he had planned for the big day.  Turns out that he won a free limo ride at some recent function so he and his friends will be transported around town in a limo.  Oh, and they are going bowling.  Too fun!  I have only ever ridden in a limo one time.  I too won that ride.  I was in college and entered a contest where I won front row concert tickets, dinner, and a limo ride to and from everything.  I took my best friend JG and we had a blast.  The only way it could have been better was to also have been able to go back stage.  Also, my photos from the night turned out badly because my camera settings were set for an art photography project I was doing and I forgot to change them back.  All my pictures came back blurry and with movement lines.  Arg.

Ankle Update

The verdict from my doctor is that the fracture has all but healed but I really did a number on the ligaments and muscles so the walking cast stays on for another 2 weeks.  I am also to add range of motion exercises twice a day for the next two weeks.  I have another follow-up appointment with her in two weeks and hopefully she will tell me I can chuck the cast.  I graduate a week and a half after my next follow-up appointment.

My tooth is definitely hurting me now.  There is swelling and the tooth is impeding my bite and making eating altogether difficult.  I am thankful to be seeing the endodontist tomorrow.  I hope he says to just pull it and that he can pull it soon without too much hoo ha.  Thankfully this is soup season (11 degrees right now at 1:30 in the afternoon!) and there are lots and lots of yummy soups available at all my favorite luncheon spots.

Yesterday the head fry cook in our building’s cafeteria was asking me about my Thanksgiving holiday and if I had to make the turkey.  I told him my sister in law made it.  He said, “Oh, your brother’s wife?”  I said, “No, my husband’s sister.”  Then he proceeded to get kind of feisty.  Not angry necessarily but kind of sassy.  “You’re MARRIED?”  I affirmed that I was.  “You’re supposed to wear a ring if you are MARRIED!”  I assumed him I had a ring but that I’d misplaced it for a while and had only just found it but was now out of the habit of wearing it.  He kind of harrumphed and said again, “If you are married you should ALWAYS wear a ring.”  I agreed that I would from now on and thanked him for the reminder before going on my merry way.  What was up with that?  Why the big deal over if I have a ring on or not?  Dude, chill.  Anyway, I told Bob about this and he said, “That guy liked you and thought you were single.”  I laughed because this guy is like 60 years old, has been married 4 or 5 times, has grandchildren, and is just not someone I would like was interested in me like that. But Bob is adamant that this guy was interested in me and is mad now because he found out I’m single.  Ha!  Whatever.

Still no sign of Miss Duck.  (See entry from Sunday, November 25^th)  I hope she’s OK.  Now that the frigid cold has descended, I don’t know if she will be safe.  Our highs this week is only going to be in the 20’s with frigid windchills.  Poor duckie.

Finally

This is how my final semester in college ended. The last class I took this semester was Management and I just got that final grade posted today. Not a bad way to end my college career.

In regards to health

I made a quick trip into the dentist this morning.  I have a molar on the upper left side of my mouth that has been kind of bothering me.  This morning while brushing my teeth it was really tender.  Once I got to work, I called my dentist’s office to see when I could get in and they said they had time now.  I said I could be there in half an hour.  (I was at work for half an hour and then left again!)  I made it in record time and was called right back.  They took an X-ray and my dentist checked it.  Turns out that the tooth is one another dentist told me needed a root canal and crown.  My current dentist showed me the X-rays she had taken back then and he couldn’t see a problem with the tooth in question and wondered if I remembered why it needed the root canal and crown.  I don’t remember…maybe I should do a search in my archives to see if I wrote about it.  Maybe my former dentist was one of those “up-sell” dentists and did work that didn’t really need to be done.  Anyway…all of this to say that I have an appointment with the endodontist on Wednesday to see if this tooth can even be saved.  I guess I’ve experienced some bone loss and as a result the post and crown are wobbly and a bit loose.  As a result of that, my bite is off and the gums tender.  If it’s going to be a huge big deal to save the tooth, I’d rather they just pull it.

So this is the week of health issues it appears.  Today it was my dentist, Wednesday it is the endodontist, and tomorrow I am going back to the doctor to have her look at my foot/ankle and see what’s going on there.  The bone part feels better, but it’s still swollen compared to the right foot.  Also, when I stretch in the morning after sleeping all night, it hurts during the stretches.  It also hurts if I am sitting crosslegged on the couch with the left foot underneath.  So I can’t do that right now.  I am not wearing the cast as much around the house but when I go out and about and when I go to work I still wear it.  It does provide support and protection to the ankle and is probably still needed but not for the bone setting as much as the muscles and ligaments.

I might have the doctor listen to my chest while I’m there tomorrow.  I am still coughing.  It’s been 5 weeks since I had that cold and I am still coughing.  The cough doesn’t seem to be from irritated bronchi as much as it feels like I need to cough up phlegm or clear my lungs of fluid.  I am not as good about taking the Mucinex so maybe should get back on that.  I don’t cough at night while I’m sleeping but wake up feeling like my lungs are full of fluid and cough off and on throughout the day.  This is the hangingonest cough I’ve had in a long time.

I forgot to mention that while helping Lap move, I got to spend time with her daughter Mina.  Talk about a cute little pixie!  Mina road with me in the van on the way over to the new house and I learned about her school, her friends, her new house, her family, and so much more.  She is definitely not a shy child and I found her extremely delightful.

I can’t believe December starts in 5 days.  Where did November go?  Actually, I’m kind of excited about December this year.  December is the month of my eldest nephew’s 13^th birthday.  December is the month of the grad expo where I will receive my cap and gown and tix.  December is the month of my 40^th birthday.  December is the month of my graduation from college.  December is the month that I get a full 5 days off from work in a row.  December is the month of Christmas.  December is the month I get to see my entire family for graduation and Christmas.  December is jam-packed with events.  There is at least one event occurring every week during the month of December.

Ahhhhh.

This was my first official weekend of nothing to do. Well, there was stuff to do, but nothing was done out of obligation.

Saturday was spent sleeping in and watching movies. At least the morning was spent that way. I watch Ocean's 13, Evan Almighty, and Blades of Glory. Then I got up and cleaned off our garden balcony and put up the Christmas lights. Actually, before I did that, I prepped the turkey and put it in the oven so that I could clean off the balcony while it cooked. The balcony took me quite a while to clean up, but it was sunny and a little bit on the warm side. I wore a sweatshirt and didn't even need gloves until the sun started to set, so it was all good.

Once the balcony was clean and the lights were up, it was turkey time. It was a small bird...only about 10lbs and it was really good. I made mashed potatoes and stuffing to go with it and reheated the leftovers we brought home from our Thanksgiving dinner. It was yummy and we ended up stuffed.

I cleaned up the dinner dishes and decided to make a bundt cake for Lap. I knew I was going to help her move and we have emailed and commented enough on our love of the bundt cake that I thought it might be a nice thing to do. I happened to have a Harry and David bundt cake mix in the pantry and it was easy enough to whip up. It made our house smell chocolatey.

Today I got up around 8 and was out the door by 9. I wanted to get to the laundromat soon after it opened so I could get our laundry done before meeting Lap to help her move. I was able to get it done and was on my way to Lap's house when she called to see if I was still coming. I got there just fine, presented the bundt cake and proceeded to NOT help her move. Well, I helped in that I let her load up our van with stuff and then I drove it to her new place where she unloaded it. It's hard to move stuff when you have to wear a walking cast. Lap knew I was casted so it wasn't a big deal. I wish I'd been more help to her but was glad that at least I could offer our van for a load.

I got home later in the afternoon and unloaded our laundry and sat down to read. As I was reading, I heard a duck quacking. Turns out a little brown duck was hanging out by the entrance to our apartment building. According to our neighbors, she'd been there all day. I took some bird seed out to her in case she was hungry. She walked a little ways away from the door when I came out but she stayed close enough for me to take photos.

She finally flew away at sunset so she wasn't injured but she was alone and stayed next to our building's entrance all day. Funny duckie.

Now we are going to watch the MN episode of Extreme Home Makeover. It took place just a couple of miles from our home and we've never been by the site. Still, I'm excited to see it on TV.

No Black Friday for Me

Thanksgiving was good.  It was low key, but good.  I had to work today which sucked donkey balls but I can sleep in again tomorrow so there’s that.  I need to clean off the debris and detris that is now cluttering our former garden balcony.  I have a plan to do that tomorrow but, it might not happen tomorrow either.  Depends on how I feel.  I have a whole Saturday staring me in the face and I have absolutely nothing that HAS to be done.  At all.  I might just sit on my butt and read.  Or crochet.  Or catch up on TV.  Or start on the picture project I want to do for my graduation/birthday party.  Or nothing at all.

I met with my boss the other day and it turns out that Young Guy is creating a training manual for his team and once he’s created the outline, it will get kicked to our team as to what kind of content in regards to annuities needs to be added.  My boss was thrilled that I wanted to help write it.  She was all kinds of excited that I had interest and now the training to do such a thing.  It pays to speak up…albeit in a friendly, open, and non-hostile manner.  We are still leaning the whos and the whatnows in getting along and working together and so far, so good.

Bob is feeling much better.  He’s on an antibiotic.  He said he didn’t even know how sick he was until he started to feel better.  Typical.  I am watching him closely and at the first sign of anything beyond a regular cold, his butt is getting shipped to the doctor.  In my health news, my ankle is feeling better and I am anxious to get the OK to stop using the walking cast.  I see the doc on Tuesday for an update.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a white thanksgiving

Carving the bird

Bob steals some turkey

Niece and nephews

Happy Thanksgiving

Brand New Degree and No Where to Go

I’m kind of pissed right now.  It might be the weather which has been gray and foggy all the damn day but more likely than not it’s the fact that I just found out that the kid (he’s 25) that sits behind me has been made project manager on a project designed to train incoming new hires on the product that I am solely responsible for auditing.  Whenever someone at Big Bank Co. writes an annuity, they send the paperwork to me.  I look it over and make sure that A.) It’s a suitable sale, B.) That the paperwork is filled out completely and correctly, and C.) That all the compliance issues are good to go.  If all those things are good and right, I send the paperwork on to our insurance companies.  If not, I either mark what needs to be changed or change it myself and send a letter explaining what needs to be done in order to make it right.  I send that to the agent, make copies to keep on hand, and wait for the corrections before sending it on.  The kid that sits behind me is a customer service rep in our banker call center.  He too explains how to fill out the paperwork over the phone to new bankers. More often than not, he’s growing frustrated with their repeated questions and asking them if they are stupid or if they just need to write everything down. (Seriously…the things he says to our bankers are just plain rude!)  So who is better qualified to create a training manual? Me, who has been here nearly 5 years and knows all things annuity AND has a bright shiny new degree in Communications, or some punk kid who’s degree is actually in finance and can’t be bothered to respond in a friendly and helpful manner to our bankers?  I think I might bring this up in my 1:1 with my new manager tomorrow.  Sometimes I hate this place.  Plus I’m freezing.  All day I’ve been freezing. Brrr.

First Snow and Christmas

I just watched Duran Duran perform on the American Music Awards. Yow! Since when did blue jeans come with cod pieces? He may be old, but Simon LeBon is still hot.

Today I did 7 loads of laundry and made a yummy dinner that consisted of pork roast, home made potatoes au gratin, and Mexican green beans. It was rather excellent if I do say so. There are left overs for lunch tomorrow and that's a good thing.

You know what I can't get used to? The grief. It sneaks up on me in the weirdest times and moments. I will be making up our bed and all of a sudden I miss the children we don't have and I will start to cry. I will be driving my car, running errands, and all of a sudden I miss the children that never were and I begin to cry. I see a pregnant woman, family with small children, or a father and daughter out shopping and I have to reign in my emotions so as to not make a complete fool of myself in public. It takes me completely by surprise and the feeling of sadness and the aches come over my like waves. It's a real, tangible pain that surprises me with its swift presence. I never get used to it.

It snowed today. Not enough to accumulate. It was too warm for the snow to stick, but it snowed as I was driving home from the laundromat. Our first snow of the season. And did the Christmas season start without me? No one alerted me that this weekend was the official start of Christmas. I saw cars with Christmas trees atop their roofs. There are houses and apartments already decked out in their holiday finery. Target has all its Christmas decorations up and out and there is a radio station already playing the holiday classics. It seems early. It seemed early when I saw the Christmas displays in Macy's in September but for some reason it seems wrong to see all the Christmas finery now. What's wrong with waiting until next weekend like normal people?

No Homework

Happy Birthday Mary! Your card is in the mail. How does it feel to be 40 and fabulous?

So, what would you do your first full weekend without homework? I slept in and it was fabulous. Then I got up and got to work. First, I cleaned out our pantry and gathered items for our apartment building food drive. Then I cleaned our fridge and freezer out as we had food there from the ice age. Once that was done, I took out the trash and brought the food shelf items to the holding area. Then it was time to shower and dress. After that, it was errand running time.

Today I went to Sam's club and bought a 1 year membership. My graduation/birthday party is in January and I thought that it would be worth it to get the food at Sam's. Their meat & cheese trays at only $25 compared to $40 or $50 at other places for the exact same thing. I've also heard that their cakes are good too! While there I shopped a bit and found some great deals on meat. I got a little over 5lbs of ground chuck for $10, a nice beef and pork roast, and some dishwasher soap.

After Sam's club I went to our regular grocery store to get some groceries. I had a coupon and got a 10lb turkey for $5.00! After that I went to the discount grocer and got some other stuff. All in all, I got all our groceries and was able to restock our pantry, freezer, and fridge.

Once I got home I put all the new stuff away and started cleaning. I began to clean at 2pm and didn't finish until after 9pm. Our apartment hasn't been deep cleaned since I went back to school in April. I was spot cleaning as needed but today I went all out. Our apartment was a pit. Now it looks amazing...well, at least to me. Bob said he doesn't really notice a difference but I can tell you that our apartment was horribly dirty. Gah. I cleaned out the cat boxes and the room that houses said boxes. I vacuumed the furniture and every corner and crevice, cleaned baseboards, swept, mopped, dusted, and scrubbed. It was cathartic. I even changed the sheets on the bed and will do laundry tomorrow.

There is something about having a clean house and full pantry that makes me feel complete somehow. I feel as if I can go to bed tonight and be satisfied and rested. I feel as if my house is in order. I made chili for dinner and will make the pork roast for dinner tomorrow. We have everything we need for Thanksgiving, the house is clean, and I feel as if my job is done. It was a good day.

No More Teachers' Dirty Looks!

I didn’t win the furniture.  I can’t even tell you how disappointed I was when they announced the winner and it wasn’t me.  I don’t know what it was, but I was SURE I would win that contest.  Just positive, yet it wasn’t me who won.  Going home to our 2^nd hand, ramshackle, make-do furniture just doesn’t seem right now.   Bummer. 

The good news is that I am DONE!  I am now officially done with all requirements needed to get a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Communications.  And it only took me 21 ½ years!  Class last night was good.  We had to present our final presentations and we were supposed to finish some discussion on our reading as well.  However, after the last presentation, the professor just let us leave.  We all caravanned to a classmate’s house where we proceeded to talk about our classes, our homework, our professors, and the journey we just completed together.  It was a nice time.  We won’t see each other again until graduation but we found out that one of our classmates is speaking at commencement!  Sweet.  It’s good to be done.  Oh!  And I found out that so far (I still have one final grade that needs to be recorded) I have a grade point of 3.51.  Not bad for a gal who originally flunked out of college.

The ankle is feeling a thousand times better.  I can’t believe I walked around for 10 days with a broken ankle.  When I take off the walking cast the pain is so incredibly noticeable…I don’t know how I missed it for so long.  It should heal pretty quickly now that I’m using the cast for all but sleeping and bathing.  Here’s to hoping I walk the grad stage without it!  Unfortunately my husband is not feeling well now.  He is suffering from the cold I had not too long ago.  His symptoms seem to be lingering longer and he’s having trouble breathing.  There are some serious signs in regards to his health that are eerily reminiscent to the time he spent in the ICU a few years ago.  He is fighting me on going to the hospital but I told him I would give him until 5 pm tomorrow or until his symptoms got to a point where there was no doubt of their seriousness.  If he’s not markedly better by 5pm tomorrow or if his symptoms get worse, he’s going to the hospital no ifs, ands or buts.  That’s how I roll.  He’s worried about the cost.  I told him it’s only money and there is no amount that can replace him in my life and he better just suck it up and learn that we always get through.  We’ve been lucky that way.

Speaking of scary things, a scary thing happened at work Tuesday.  Seems that at about 9 am an armed man tried to force a woman back into her car after she parked in our ramp and got out to go to work.  She screamed and a good Samaritan came to her rescue and the man took off in a white van.  In addition, the building’s management and security team didn’t feel the need to alert us to the armed man at large until 5:30 pm that evening.  So I was out in the parking ramp at lunch, to leave, and to come back to work the next morning and didn’t know of the possible danger until I read my email Wednesday morning.  Thankfully they have amped up the security in the garage and we now have marked patrol cars making rounds as well.  It’s so weird because we work in kind of a hoity toity building in a very busy commercial district on the highway. They still haven’t caught the guy.

It’s almost the weekend.  I plan on deep cleaning the apartment, taking a trip to Sam’s Club, doing laundry, and…a whole lot of nothing because for the first time in months, I don’t have any homework!  Ah, sweet freedom.

School's Just About Out

Today is my last day of school.  Today.  Is. My. Last. Day. Of. School.  Yay!  I have looked forward to this day for months…heck, I’ve looked forward to this day for years and years.  I graduated from high school 21 ½ years ago.  I may be slow but I believe in completion.  Have I told you my post high school education issues?  If not I will share now.  If so, skip ahead or move on to the next blog on your reader.

When I graduated from high school I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.  What I did know is that I did not want to stay in my dinky home town and be a “townie”.  I didn’t even want to stay in the same state.  I wasn’t getting along with my parents and I had just broken up with my on-again off-again high school boyfriend.  It seemed that out of state college was the best course of action.  I didn’t know where to go but I did know I wanted to go to a private college that taught conservative Christian values.  I visited a couple of schools before settling on applying to the school my parents went to.  All my life I’d heard stories about their college and it always sounded lame.  I never intended to visit that school let alone entertain thoughts about attending.  All that changed in one night.  A small variety show of students from that college came through town and my parents took me to the show.  I was immediately smitten.  (Not so much with the school as with one of the performers.)  I visited the school over a cold February weekend, one of the admissions counselors visited me and my parents, I applied and was accepted. 

I was not a stellar student.  I was the student teachers always said was smart but could do better if I just applied myself.  I graduated smack dab in the middle of my high school class.  I got a perfectly acceptable ACT score but it wasn’t great…it was just average.  Looking back I probably should have gotten a job, moved out of my folks’ house, rented a small house with 40 other girls and gone to community college until I “found myself”.  As it was I found myself at a small Christian school in South Dakota.  I made friends.  I went to class.  I did OK.  I attended this school for 3 years.  I had 3 different majors in 3 years.  I was on an amazing assortment of committees.  I worked at the campus library.  I stayed up late and…skipped class.  By the third year I was struggling.  I was on academic probation and I was majoring in something I wasn’t positive was right for me.  By midterm, I’d been warned that I was flunking out and if I didn’t pull up my grades I’d be asked to take a semester off and would have to reapply for admission after that.  I worked my butt off and I did the miraculous…I pulled my grades up.  The final grades for that semester were great but my GPA was such that even those grades couldn’t help me.  I appealed to the board to let me back the next year but they said no.  So I officially flunked out of college.  It was humiliating.  My dad told me that college to me at that time was an expensive social club and nothing could be truer than that.  (A club I’m still paying for, by the way.)

I spent the next 6 years bouncing around from the Midwest to the East Coast and from job to job.  I finally ended up at a community college near my old home town. (I’d become a townie by then.)  I was focused and determined and in the 4 semesters it took me to earn my Associate’s Degree, I made the Dean’s List every time.  No one was more shocked that I.  I didn’t know I had it in me.  What I did know was that I had a plan and a focus.

I moved to MN intended to finish my schooling.  I’d been accepted to a 4 year school and took a job in the Cities but the job turned out to not be as flexible as previously thought.  So, school was put on hold again.   I did some more job bouncing, got married, and was trying to get pregnant.  While trying to get pregnant, my husband and I thought it would be nice to live back near my parents so they could enjoy their grandchildren.  However, I remembered that I moved here in the first place in order to finish my degree and hadn’t done that.  So we agreed that we would still try to get pregnant but in the mean time, I would go back to school and finish what I’d moved here to start.  And finish I did.  Tonight is the culmination of 21 years of bouncing, fretting, failing, trying, and succeeding.  And on December 21^st, I will take the stage with the graduating class of 2007 and happily accept my Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Studies.

The school I go to now does not send out a report card, mention a Dean’s List, or do anything other than send a final grade report.  I have no idea what my cumulative GPA is now but I know I’ve never earned lower that a B-.  I called the school to see if they have an updated report on my GPA but apparently they are all in meetings until 4.  Oh well.  I’ve not been bothered by this before and can wait and see what my final grade after tonight will be.

School’s out for the summer!  School’s out for…EVER! 

One Month to Forty

Today marks one month until my fortieth birthday.  I was writing a short blurb to put in our Christmas letter and I mentioned that I will be starting my fourth decade of life.  Bob read it and said he was sorry to tell me but no, I will be ending my fourth decade and beginning my fifth.  Yikes!  I didn’t much like the sound of that.  Can I just keep saying I’m 39 every year from now on?

I can definitely tell that the walking cast helps stabilize the ankle.  It certainly hurts less when I’m wearing it.  When I got home from work yesterday, the cats were freaked.  Their tails got all puffy and their eyes were HUGE.  I took the boot off and put it in the middle of the room so they could check it out.  In no time they were playing with the straps and ignoring it as usual.  Bob made fun of me for taking it off but I didn’t do much besides sit on the couch and finish homework.  Still, it makes a huge difference in the level of pain; i.e. much less pain when I’m wearing it.  I just wish it wasn’t such a warm piece of equipment.  It covers my whole leg from foot to knee and keeps me rather toasty. 

I did read this after Googling “What is that knobby bone on the ankle called?”  Causes of a broken ankle - Your ankle joint is made up of three bones — the shinbone (tibia), the lower leg bone (fibula) and the ankle bone (talus). One or more of these bones can break during a fall or blow to your ankle. However, the most common type of broken ankle is a fracture in one of the knobby bumps (each called a malleolus) at the lower ends of the tibia and fibula. These bones help support the joint where your ankle bone connects to your heel bone (calcaneus), which allows your foot to rock from side to side. They're often injured when your ankle rolls inward or outward.

Speaking of doing homework…I am done!  I turned in my part of our presentation and all that’s left is to present it in class tomorrow.  After tomorrow, no more school!  Whoot! 

I was supposed to help Bob and his sister with a church sale on Saturday but with the broken ankle I will be unable to fulfill my duties so instead I get to stay home and do nothing.  Actually, I will be staying home and cleaning since our apartment hasn’t had a good, thorough cleaning since I went back to school in April. I’ve been spot cleaning along the way but haven’t been doing much beyond that.  So, on my first weekend with no homework I will be doing housework.  Still, I can’t wait.

Ankle Update

Well, it’s broken.  Not the whole ankle, just that little knobby bone on the outside of it.  That little knobby bone is broken clean through.  It has just started to heal but it’s definitely broken.  She put me in a walking cast/boot thing, gave me crutches, and an RX for Vicodin.  She wants to see me in 2 weeks to see how it’s healing and said it should take 4 to 6 weeks to heal completely.  I’m glad I went in because I knew something was wrong but I hope I’m not walking across the graduation stage with crutches and this boot/cast thing.

Trying to drive my little stick shift car from the doctor’s office with this boot/cast thing on was an exciting challenge.  Let me just tell you that it is difficult to push in a clutch with a boot/cast thing on your left leg.  I might have to drive Bob’s car while this thing is on.  Or drive without it and put it on once I get to work.  I guess this is a learn as you go type of thing.

Only 3 more days until my last day of school.  Last night I was working on the power point for our final project.  Tonight I just have to put the finishing touches on it and then I’m done, done, done.  (Unless one of my classmates decides I need to change something…then I’m not done.)

I decided to put our abridged Christmas letter in my grad party/40^th birthday open house invitations.  Rather than send 2 separate mailings to the exact same people, I’m just going to send it all together.  I wrote up our letter this morning and will get it printed at the same time I get the map/directions insert printed and will just fold, stuff, and send.  I’m still a little bitter that the photos we include with our letter feature 4 furry feline friends and not a baby or baby bump, but I’ll have to get over that.

Ankle is Hurty

I have an appointment tomorrow over my lunch break for an ankle x-ray.  The swelling and bruising has all but gone away but damn if my little ankle doesn’t still hurt like a dog.  Yesterday it hurt so bad at one point that Bob offered me one of his prize pain meds.  I believe he had the ulterior motive to shut me up and rest since I was so snappy and short with him and the cats due to dealing with the pain.  I bought a sock-type wrap thing but I got the wrong size so I’m still wrapping it with an ace bandage and that seems to be working OK so far.  I hope it’s not broken and needing a cast though I think I need something more than an ace bandage considering the pain it’s causing me right now.

I can’t stop thinking about that furniture.  I know my chances of winning are infinitesimal but I so want to win.  I really, really, really want to win.  I hope I win.  I never allow myself to look at furniture because my love of furniture knows no boundaries.  Now that I’ve looked at furniture and seen what’s out there and have the possibility of winning $5,000 in furniture, my mind is occupied by little else.  Please let me win!

Actually, my mind is occupied by the fact that this week brings my last day of school.  Yay!  Thursday is it my friends.  After Thursday there is no more school for me.  Unless by some miracle we manage to raise enough money for me to go to the other school I mentioned yesterday in order to major in digital photography.  But the chances of that are even less than winning the furniture.

Bob is still excited about the cruise.  I went online to find out what kind of shore excursions we can take and there are some fun things to do.  Not all of them are affordable…like the helicopter tour for a mere $350 per person, but some of them sound fun.  There is one that takes you to the home of an Iditarod winner to see his husky puppy ranch and sled dogs.  There is a tundra tour by horseback.  There is a whalewatching cruise.  There is a jeep ride through Denali.  It all sounds fun.  In looking over the cruise brochure, we saw a photo of the room that we chose and it’s beautiful.  There is a veranda and floor to ceiling windows.  We.  Can’t. Wait.

Now that school is almost done, I’ve begun planning for my grad/birthday party.  I have the invites and the map/direction insert.  I have the menu and shopping list planned.  I’ve put a hold on the main building party room.  I am uploading songs from iTunes to have playing during the shin dig.  Once school is completely done and I don’t have to do homework on weekends anymore, I am going to go through my photos and negatives and create a power point slide show of me over the past 40 years.  Fun!

Photo Sunday

OK I made up photo Sunday. But as part of my final presentation on Thursday night I needed to have a "professional" photo taken. My counterparts in the project each have had their businesswomen photos taken and they thought it would like nice in the presentation to include them. I did not have a professional businesswoman photo so I did what I always do, I improvised. I took my own professional businesswoman photos. This is the best of the bunch. My eyes are squinty but they always are in photos. I have small eyes and no upper lip and I've learned to live with it.

Today I did homework and laundry and that's about all. My ankle is much more tender and sore today that it has been since I injured it. I may have to think about having it looked at.

Each day draws me closer to my last day of class. And in something that can be considered either an ironic twist or just my luck, I found a school in town that has a Bachelor of Science in digital photography. To go to this school now and get this degree would take me 2 more years and cost nearly $75,000. Needless to say unless we win the lottery or money rains from the sky, this isn't going to happen. But why, oh why could I not have found that program 2 years ago? Gah!

Another Final Grade Received

I received my final grade for the Methods of Communication Research class I took. If you remember, this is the class that was sending me into a panic for months and weeks beforehand. It was the class where we had to work as a group and present a final project and presentation. It was the class that many of you helped with in taking and answering our survey. It was the class that 2 of you helped out with in coming to our focus group. As you can see, it is also the class where I got an A-! You could blow me over with a feather for that. If I can do as well in the class I am currently in, it will be an A trifecta for this semester and a great way to finish my college career.

Communication is Key...Who Knew?

It turns out if I make time to talk to Bob, things go better. Who knew? We chatted last night and Bob said he would see the clinic urologist. He just said that the other day he was frustrated with his test results and the whole ordeal that he said he just kind of reacted out of his frustration. I can certainly understand that. I asked him if he wanted to stop trying to have a baby. He said no. I asked him if he wanted to give up on having our own and move right to adoption. He said no. He even said that if we do get pregnant before the cruise and have to postpone it, he will be disappointed but oh, what a reason to postpone. He was awesome. Communication...the key to a healthy relationship. You heard it here first.

The local radio station is hosting a contest in conjunction with a local furniture store. If you go to the store and submit an entry form listing the furniture you want within a $5,000 spending limit and they draw your name, you win the furniture! Today I went and picked out $5,000 worth of stuff we have been wanting, dreaming of, needing. I am an ace shopper because for the grand total of $5,070 I picked out a queen mattress set, a counter top casual kitchen table and stool set, a hutch and buffet, a sofa, a love seat, and...just to tempt fate, a crib. If I win, I owe the extra $70 bucks, but that's a good deal, no? My favorite pieces are the table and hutch/buffet. The table is counter top height which is perfect for Bob's chair. He can get under it without us having to make the table higher. Plus it has a nice little storage area underneath. The hutch and buffet are just lovely and would look amazing with that table. I hope we win!

Now it's off to do more homework. This is my last weekend of homework. Whoot!

ESFJ

You Are An ESFJ

The Caregiver You are sympathetic and caring, putting friends and family first. A creature of habit, you prefer routines and have trouble with change. You love being in groups - whether you're helping people or working on a project. You are good at listening, laughing, and bringing out the best in people. In love, you value harmony and mutual understanding. You will apologize or give someone the benefit of the doubt, if it means getting over a fight sooner. At work, you are good at building relationships and connecting with people. You would make a great nurse, social worker, or teacher. How you see yourself: Organized, dependable, co-operative When other people don't get you, they see you as: Opinionated, critical, and know-it-all

What's Your Personality Type?

It's interesting that I found this today. Yesterday in class we had to do a similar test called Myers-Briggs and it turned out the exact same way. I USED to be an ENFJ but somewhere along the line I changed to an ESFJ. Interesting.

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I feel like I'm going crazy. Now that it's dark in the morning, I have to turn on the bedroom light to find clothes and get dressed. Bob called me at work Tuesday morning and asked that I just please be mindful of his still sleeping form and turn off the light as I exit the room. Not wanting to waste energy AND trying to be mindful of my still sleeping husband, I thought I HAD been turning off the light, but it would appear not. So yesterday I KNOW I turned off the light because he had mentioned it to me. Today I was equally as sure and yet he called me at work to tell me the light being left on woke him up. At first I laughed, like Ha ha...You're teasing me, right. But no, he was serious. I KNOW I turned off that light and yet he is telling me it was on. I actually started to cry because I KNOW I turned it off and he's calling me at work to bitch at me for leaving it on. I don't know what happened.

I DO know that I am not sending out Christmas cards or letters this year. This was supposed to be our year for either a baby or a pregnancy and since we have neither I just don't have the heart to send out one more lame letter about our year. I got an email from a longtime friend I hadn't heard from in a while announcing his son's nearing 2nd birthday and his wife's impending 2nd delivery of another son. Sigh. I know what their Christmas card will look like this year. But there will be none from us.

I hate being sad Amy. I hate that I can only be marginally happy for my friends and family. I hate hating my car because when I bought it 6 years ago, I bought it keeping safety in mind for when we had kids. I specifically got the package that included child safety locks and a car seat anchor for the seat belts in the back as well as the side impact air bags. I hate seeing someone and immediately thinking of their children and wondering what it would have been like to have gotten pregnant when they did and allowing our kids to play and grow up together. I hate that children and the thought and planning of them has permeated my life to such a degree that to face the future without them makes me feel little, lonely, and lost. It sucks the joy from life with such force it doesn't seem there is anything else supporting me. I hate that. But I don't know how to change it.

Processing Through Writing

Day twelve thousand and forty two of my cold.  Or so it seems.  There is still snot.  There is still a cough, although I have finally graduated to sleeping through the night without waking up in a hacking/coughing fit so at least I wake up feeling more rested.  Also, I had the bright idea to NOT wrap my ankle today and THAT was a mistake and a half.  It is still throb-y and achy and more so without the support of the ace bandage.  Who knew?

I called Bob from work yesterday to give him the results of his semen analysis.  He was quiet as I read his results and after I told him that he could see the clinic urologist who specialized in infertility in men.  I asked him what he was thinking.  He asked me if I wanted him to see the clinic urologist.  I said I did, didn’t he?  He said he did not but that he knew he was being selfish about it.  I asked him why he didn’t want to see the urologist and he said he didn’t want to wank into a cup anymore.  And then I got mad.  Throughout this ordeal, he has had to wank into a cup, maybe 5 times total.  However, I have had to have an ultrasound wand shoved up my hohaa 5 or 6 times PER MONTH. Whose ordeal has been more invasive, painful, time consuming?  Um, I’d say mine!  I told him I wish we could switch places because I’d MUCH rather be in his place than in mine right now.  Plus, I always have to schedule my appointments around my lunch so I am not taking time off work.  There is nothing like rushing to the clinic hoping to make it in time so as to not have to sit and wait, get undressed from the waist down, get the hohaa wanded, and then rush back to work all in an hour or less.  Yeah, that’s fun.

God infertility sucks.  It is my wound.  Poke it and I cry.  When I was old enough to realize that actors and actresses were acting and not actually real people in real situations, I would marvel at their ability to cry when the script called for it.  I later learned this is usually a result of method acting (not smell the fart acting).  An actor will remember something painful and call upon those memories in order to feel the pain required to start the tears.  When I learned this, I was hoping to one day be an actress and I would hold on to hurts just in case I ever needed them for a crying scene.  I never did.  However, if I were to be in a crying scene, I could cry on cue just be thinking about our struggles with infertility.

Anyway, I wanted to talk to Bob about all of this last night.  I wanted to talk about where this leaves us.  Does he even want to keep trying to get pregnant?  Should we just move on to looking into adoption? If so, why are we pouring all this money into a cruise when we KNOW we need it for adoption? What does he want?  We never talked about it though because he wasn’t feeling well (he got my cold) and went to bed early while I still had homework to do.

The thought of going on in life without children makes my heart hurt.  It also makes my mind wander into territory I never in a million years thought I’d let it wander.  Like, what if I hadn’t married Bob?  Would I still be single and childless?  What if I had an affair JUST to get pregnant?  Would Bob have to know it wasn’t his?  Could I pay someone I know to go to the clinic with their sperm when I’m ovulating? If we don’t have kids, what kind of marriage can we have?  If it’s just us…forever…can I really do that?  It seems to empty of joy and hope.  I just feel so abandoned and alone.  Is this what God wants marriage to be?

See?  These are not things I thought I would ever struggle with.  It’s not me.  I was always of the mind that marriage is forever and that no matter what, you stick together.  Still, I’m really struggling here. What is this coming to?  Why has everything been so damn difficult?  Where is our job, our hope, our victory?  It’s not even as if we have done anything to deserve this.  We didn’t create Muscular Dystrophy. We didn’t choose infertility.  If it’s not one thing, it’s another and I am sick of struggling.  It’s been 6 years of marriage with 5 full years of hope and only to lead to despair.  Every month it’s the same thing and it’s so tiring.  I really thought this would be our year.  I believed this was our year.  And it’s not.  I just feel so alone.  As if I’m all alone in this and God has forgotten me.  What is God doing here?  Why has He abandoned us in this place?  Why did he make me marry this man who I loved so wholly, committed to with such willing abandon only to bring us…here?

(Note to people reading this…I might be thinking these things, they might be fleeting thoughts inside my head but they are not things I am going to be acting upon.  Thoughts do NOT necessarily equal actions.  Since I process things through writing, I am possessing here.  No worries.)

I Just Know

Sometimes I just KNOW things.  Like when I knew one of my best friends was engaged before she told anyone.  Or when I knew another friend was pregnant before SHE did.  Like I also know that the job I applied for within another department is actually going to be offered to the co-worker that sits beside me.  Damn it.  She is going to beat me out of this god forsaken department and I will be left here holding the bag and HER workload in addition to mine.  Damn, damn, damn. She hasn’t said anything but I know it’s coming.  We were both qualified but I didn’t get the interview and I am pretty sure she did.  The job is no longer posted on our job site which is a sign that it’s filled.  Dangity dang it.  I just hope that getting my P&C license in January will help me finally get out of here.  I’ve also applied for 2 jobs at my school and haven’t heard the first word on that so not sure what to do there.

I got Bob’s semen analysis back today.  It’s not good.  His total count is good at 64 million (they like to see over 20 million).  However, his motility (# of swimmers) is only at 10% and it should be over 40%.  His morphology (normal shaped) is only at 20% and they want to see over 55%.  I don’t think there is much that can be done about this but the nurse suggested he see the clinic’s urologist.  He specializes in infertility in men and might have some words of wisdom for Bob.  The hard part is that what is most likely causing this in Bob is his pain medication and the fact that he sits in a wheelchair all day every day.  He wears loose skivvies but by sitting all day, they still wear close to his unit.  There is not much we can change about either of those things.

This weekend will be my last weekend of schoolwork.  I can’t wait.  The following weekends will be spent planning my 40^th birthday/graduation open house.  I have photos to scan and fix, invitations to address, stamp, and mail, a theme to plan (40 and fabulous), a menu and cake to plan and order, and other sundry things to do.  Fun!

I can’t wait until this cruise is paid off in its entirety.  Bob has such a tight hold on our finances that I can’t do anything fun…or anything at all.  Everything is “how much will that cost?”  “Can we do without that?”  I need a new winter coat and a dress for graduation.  We also need to get a copy of his birth certificate and our wedding license for passports.  Then we need to get his picture taken and both our passports ordered.  I also have a growing grocery list, not to mention the thanksgiving foodstuffs, and we have Christmas and birthdays coming up as well.  I have little to no doubt we will have this cruise paid off in short time, but until then, he is driving me crazy with the tight purse strings!

The Diagnosis is in

The diagnosis from Target clinic is…bronchitis.  I seem to get this every year.  Whatever minimal cold I get seems to turn into bronchitis.  My voice is almost gone from all the coughing I’ve been doing.  Thankfully the doc prescribed benzonatate (Tessalon Perles) to suppress the cough. They work pretty well.  I am allergic to Codeine so doctors are limited in prescribing me a cough suppressant.  She also gave me an RX for an albuterol inhaler to help with the bronchial irritation.  She told me to get some Mucinex as well which could help make the cough more productive and not just an irritating happening.  I went to bed early and only woke up coughing once that I remember.  Feels so good to get some rest.

The ankle is still sore though not as swollen.  I took one of our couch cushions and put it on my bed under my covers so I can sleep with it elevated.  I put ice on it when I got home and elevated it while watching TV.  It’s still black and blue but not quite as sore.  It feels more stiff than sore.  Unless I accidentally bump it or twist it in some way…then it hurts a lot.

It looks like my professor from my last class FINALLY posted our final grade.  He posted the points so I can’t yet tell if it’s an A or a B but it looks good either way.  I get so nervous about grades and work and yet it usually ends up just fine.  Only 9 more days until the last day of class for good.  Our final PowerPoint presentation is due as is our final paper.  Our paper is really as good as done. I have one more page to submit and then I have to work on the final presentation. We are going to present our final as though we are presenting to folks interested in purchasing a franchise of our business.  I went around work today taking photos of co-workers so I can use the photos in our final presentation.  I also need to take my photo so it looks like an official business photo.  Then I will work on it this weekend.  I can’t wait until this is all said and done.

Girls' Weekend Away Wrap-up

Girls’ weekend away was successful.  Other than spraining my ankle of course.  I slept really well both nights, ankle not withstanding.  I got some reading done, I crocheted 2 dishcloths, and I managed to get 2 of my 3 pages written for school. I also came up with an idea for our final presentation that my co-contributors LOVED!  I ended up leaving the resort at 3 with another friend.  The 2 hour trip home went by quite quickly.  I dropped her off and was home by 5:30 and darkness was JUST settling over the metro.

Things went quickly downhill however when I walked into the apartment to find; A.) Mail strewn across the couches in the living room, B.) dishes piled in the sink without having been rinsed, C.) Pots and pans on the stoves still greasy, D.) Stains and spatters still on the stovetop and neighboring counter, E.) The clothes STILL not folded after having been PROMISED they would be folded by the time I left for the trip, F.) The floor STILL not vacuumed despite being told not to do it myself before leaving because it’s something easy that Bob can do, G.) Half the meals I left for Bob not consumed and H.) Dirty clothes and towels strewn all over the bedroom floor.  So even though I walked in the door tired and hobbly due to the gimp ankle, I ended up making a home made pizza for dinner, cleaning the kitchen and fridge, folding the clothes, running the dishwasher, and vacuuming the floor.  All before 7pm so I could catch the season premiere of The Amazing Race.  I went to bed after that though.

Seriously, Bob is in pain MUCH of the day and is in a wheelchair all day but he is not helpless.  He can do a lot around the house and usually is pretty good about keeping things picked up and put away.  I don’t know what he did all weekend but whatever it was had nothing to do with putting anything away.  I was OK with the kitchen being a mess because it IS hard for him to maneuver his wheelchair in that room.  But with each thing I found, I just got more and more frustrated.  Especially with the things he told me to leave for him to do.  Arg.  He knew I was getting frustrated but rather than say anything to me, he just went to bed.  Awesome.

Oh, also, we did not get pregnant miraculously without medical intervention this month.  Just in case you were wondering.  And I’m still coughing.  I need another girls’ weekend away.

Girls' Weekend

I made it to the resort by 5:30 last night. I met up with the 8 other women who are here and we had a nice dinner. However, I was so exhausted that I was in bed and asleep by 8. It was the best sleep I've had in weeks. I only woke up coughing a couple of times. Thankfully we all have our own rooms so I'm not keeping the others awake with my hacking. I slept until 8:30 this morning and awoke to the most beautiful sunrise coming up over the lake. I got up immediately and went to photograph it. As I was getting ready, I thought I heard a loon. I dismissed that thought because I know loons migrate in September. They are warm weather birds. But as soon as I dismissed that thought, I heard the loon trill again. It was definitely a loon. Wonder why its still here. Hope it survives the winter.

After I walked around the lake a bit, I decided to go for an actual walk. I walked around the resort and decided to head for the road. I'd heard a train and thought maybe I could find the tracks and get some good pictures . I got to the road just fine and even heard/saw a train in the distance. As I walked towards the tracks, I stepped down with my left foot and immediately foot rolled and I twisted my ankle. I heard a pop and felt a jolt to my armpits. I felt fainty and clammy. I limped to a large rock and sat down with my head between my legs. I felt better but any time I lifted my head, I felt fainty again. I decided to wait a bit to see if anyone was going to walk or drive my way so I could catch a ride back to the resort. Then I began to get cold. So I sucked it up and limped back to the cabin. When I got back, the girls immediately knew something was wrong. I told them what happened and someone went to get ice while another friend got me some water and some pain reliever. I felt fainty and clammy again so they put me to bed, elevated my leg, and covered me up. I tell you, if you are going to get hurt on a girls' weekend away, these are the friends to go away with.

I feel better now. My ankle is swollen a bit, not too bad, though it still hurts. One of my friends had an ace bandage so it's wrapped up and elevated. I am alternating Tylenol and Advil and am taking it easy. Good thing I have my computer and my Management homework. Looks like I will be getting lots done on that paper I have to write.

I will write more about the weekend later and will post pictures as well. Even with a sprained ankle, the photo opportunities are too good to pass up.

Gunfire at the residential apartment community corral

Welcome to the month I’ve been waiting for…forever.  This is the month where I finally complete my Bachelor’s degree.  I have two more weeks of class and then I am done.  I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.  When I look at NOVEMBER on the calendar, I get to see the 15^th marked off as MY LAST DAY OF CLASS!  Oh sweet November.

Class last night was fine.  I actually enjoy class time with my classmates.  We all have our foibles and odd personality traits and yet because we spend every Thursday night together and my fondness for these people knows no limits.  I will miss them.  I will NOT miss class itself or the class work.

I got home last night and was able to pack for my girls’ weekend away AND watch Grey’s Anatomy before putting myself to bed at 11pm. (We got out of class about an hour early.)  Around 2 am I was roused from a deep sleep (oh sweet mistress…where have you been) by what I first thought was my alarm.  After trying to shut it off a couple of times, I wakened a bit more and realized that the noise that woke me was actually loud screaming/shouting coming from our parking lot.  Instead of checking things out, I just shut the window and went back to sleep. A few minutes later, a loud crack jolted me out of bed.  Bob woke up and I said, “What should I do?”  (Obviously I was still somewhat asleep.)  Bob and I both got up and looked out the window.  The first thing we saw was a large, fancy, stretch limousine with its lights on and about 3 or 4 police cars.  Then we saw 4 large men on the ground being searched and cuffed by cops.  At this point people were coming out of the building to check things out but a police officer yelled at them to get back inside as shots had been fired and a suspect was still at large.  It looked like the men were then questioned while the police searched our parking lot.  The police officers were all carrying what looked to be large automatic assault rifles and were combing our lot and courtyard. 

Eventually the lot was cleared and everything quieted down.  However, this morning when I left for work, there was a squad car parked in the entrance of our lot and it looked to be on surveillance.  Still, I have questions.  Why was there a limo in our parking lot and what did it have to do with the events that unfolded?  Who fired the shot? Is a suspect still at large and are we in danger?  Who were those 4 guys and were they let go as it appeared to us last night?  Why is there a police car and police man monitoring our parking lot this morning? I was so curious that I emailed several news sources here in the Twin Cities and eventually a reporter from the Star Tribune emailed me back: “Hi, Thanks for your note.  I checked with the cops in your area who said no one was hurt. A guy was charged for firing a shot in the air, which came after an argument in the Limo. Cops found the guy in your apt. blg. Cops also tagged another guy for lying to them. The guys were returning from a bachelor party when the argument ensued. Jim Adams” So that’s the story of how my first night of sleep in a week was interrupted by gunfire and why I am barely able to function this morning.

I am leaving work in a little less than an hour and am traversing to north central MN for a girls’ weekend away.  I have packed some crocheting, a book, my homework and laptop, and some DVDs. Oh, and my camera.  I am hoping for a nice hike but I will have to be careful because it’s deer opener this weekend.

Still, Products, Training

So we were all prepared with our second candy bowl of nefarious candy for the non-costumed trick-or-treaters and we didn’t get a one!  In fact, we only got about 6 trick-or-treaters total.  We know of at least another half dozen kids from our building that didn’t even show up for the goods.  Don’t know what’s going on there but now we’re stuck with this bowl of unpopular/yucky candy.  Maybe we will put it in a ziplock back and save it for next year.

I went to the pharmacy and asked the pharmacist what kind of ointment would work on my scabby, chapped nose.  She suggested petroleum jelly.  Gah!  I actually found a vitamin E/aloe vera ointment that didn’t cost too much so I got that.  It was slightly goopy and petroleum jelly-like in consistency but it seemed to sooth quite well.  It also smells amazing since I think they added ginger or lavender or some other yummy smelling floral.  The only problem is that I left my salve at home so I sit at work AND school today without benefit of my new soothing find.

My new manager started today and so far so good.  I do think that she may be more in synch with the corporate big whigs than our previous managers and I’m not sure what that means for us.  At her introductory meeting we were told news of staggering proportions but the details of which I cannot share here.  However, the phrase “this is not a job consolidation issue/process” was uttered over and over making me and my co-workers think it must certainly be a job consolidation process/issue.  Still, things change here all the time and it mean nothing in terms of job loss.  I DO wish people would stop putting the word “set” after other jobs.  I have skills, not a skill set.  We sell products, not a product set.  We train, we do not have a training set. 

Another night of craptacular sleep due to cough has made me crabby, easily frustrated, and tired.  It doesn’t help that the lunch we had catered in consisted of lasagna and tiramisu.  Where’s my nap mat?  Also, it’s school night so I have another long night ahead of me.  Sigh.