We all have them, those people and ideas and things that take hold in our hearts, and our lives take a different path. Now, I may complain about some side-effects of pet ownership, but it's been a hopeless love affair from my earliest years, and the beasts make me laugh every single day. A passion for fairness took root and grew, nurtured by a thousand stories and experiences. My beloved held the key to my heart, and we have had amazing adventures, not to mention the children we both hold so dear. Our babies are all grown up, but . . .
AW: Today is the annual Bazaar at the church one block away! It is a wonderful celebration, with food, music, games, prizes, crafts, plants, bake sale, etc. Many congregants are Japanese-American, so the food includes sushi, udon, curry, fabulous teriyaki cooked on a giant grill they build each year; there are taiko drummers; crafts include beautiful cards and origami. Daughter loved that bazaar, so we took photos. Which I guess is like sending coal to Newcastle, since she is in Japan, but she doesn't want to be left out of events back home.
W: We're really proud of our son, who had a rough patch in his teens but is working and supporting himself, living independently, pursuing his music. But he was beaten up a week ago when leaving a show, and has been sick for days with a sinus infection, and he has no health insurance. He absolutely refuses to go to the ER, but will let me take him to the doctor tomorrow. This stuff scares us. Badly.
AW: Cats. Very silly cats.
AW: New watchband. I decided that even though the superglue was holding on the old one, I'm worth it. ;)
AW: Whining. Let the festivities begin!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
47 comments:
Oh, kathy a., so sorry to hear that your son was beat up! I hope the doctor's visit tomorrow is helpful. xoxox
Oh KathyA, that's terrible to hear about your son. Sounds scary with you wanting to take him to the ER. Hope the doctor goes well.
Whine: my husband is off on a boys' weekend mountain biking. And I am feeling entirely too mature about it - no pouting even. And he's gone for 5 days. If this is grown up, I am not sure I like it. :)
AW: I amuse myself.
yay, sarah! you're doing fine, and he owes you.
son's lovely girlfriend brought him over, and he's resting uncomfortably with advil, tea, TV, and dad. my battle plan is to march into the doctor's office the second they unlock the doors and make clear [in a gracious way, natch] that we aren't leaving until he's seen. my poor boy is a pitiful wreck, so i'm hoping for some triage here. he will not make a good waiting-room fixture.
Whine: I have had a weekend of car woes that led to taking the day off to take care of it and had me in tears in the middle of the day.
Anti-whine: It's all taken care of.
Anti-whine: Events, and doors, and volunteering in MM's class, and a disaster averted.
Hugs for Liz -- car trouble that brings you to tears is no good. You've got a lot of balls in the air right now, and you so don't need any pesky car trouble!
I hope the doctor fixed up your son, Kathy.
And car trouble is just too frustrating. Poor Liz. Yay for no disasters :)
Oh kathy a. - I hope your son is okay. The story sent a shiver down my spine after events around here the past few weeks.
Liz wins the award for car woes. Cars that don't work just suck lemons. Word.
Whine: Panic attack last evening. Came out of nowhere, haven't had one for ages. ~sigh~ It was the full meal deal - trouble breathing, feeling like I was dying, pain in the chest, you name it.
Anti-whine: It was over within a few minutes, with the help of one klonopin. Better living through chemistry, as they say.
Anti-whine: Feeling better this morning. Off to work. Catch'ya later pixies.
liz, yuck on the car woes!
sue, that's terrible about the panic attack. they feel so scary. glad things are better.
boy update: yesterday was generally awful; so far, today is better. he saw the doc, got antibiotics and pain meds. there were some scary developments and lots of pain. called the doc back; spent all afternoon trying to get him to the ER, without success. it was not quite 911-worthy, but very traumatic all around. swelling is down today; no fever; keeping an eagle eye out.
Kathy, so sorry about your awful Monday. I hope today is continuing better. Don't like pain. No pain for pixies, please.
Oh kathy a - how awful!!! I hope today is better.
kathy a, so sorry to hear this about your son. Hope he's improving, pronto.
And hugs for car troubles and panic attacks.
Uh...kinda quiet around here. Hey--that's an antiwhine!
In Sweet Baboo's world, the whine/antiwhine is that she's walking so well that she probably won't qualify for physical therapy next time they evaluate her. The whine is that she seems to be backsliding on her speech progress. Speech therapist comes Friday, so we'll see what she says.
Mini Baboo land is apparently the place to party while mama is trying to go to sleep. Which is not a whine, of course.
And--rain! An antiwhine in these quantities, and we could use some more, please.
Whine: I am tired after staying up past my bedtime (which is, admittedly, early) to attend a breastfeeding class. Mini Baboo and I are going to make this work. No pumping for me this time!
Yay for Sweet Baboo!! I hope the speech therapy goes well. If it's any consolation, my second baby like to par-tay at night too. It wasn't as bad as the heartburn as I recall...
Whine: I finally (after a few gazillion emails and faxes) heard back from the doc from out of town who did my TP injections in August. His assessment of the return of my headaches only ten days after treatment: "These are just blips. Watch your stress level and massage your neck as much as possible."
That is his treatment plan. He probably went to school for about ten years to tell me that.
Clearly I'm on my own out here. My family doc will likely agree with Kingston doc's assessment and tell me the same thing, which is, let's face it - just another way of saying "Get the f*ck out of my office".
What the H is it with docs who can't deal with chronic pain patients????
Anti-whine: I'm not so good at taking this crap lying down. At lunchtime I toured two more gyms. I think I know which one I'm going to go with now. I figure if my calves hurt more than my head, at least I will have added a bit of variety to the whole mess. And then of course there are those lovely natural endorphins to think about too....
Sue, will we EVER be done cluesticking your doctors? Dear me.
Good for you, going gym hopping! I hope you enjoy it.
yay, esperanza and sweet baboo and mini-baboo! yay, speech therapists!
sue, what madeleine said. every word.
boy update: most of the swelling is way down. under one eye still looks like hell, but he is clearly feeling better, since he's outside working on his bike.
Kathy A., hugs to you and your son.
Sue, I'm getting out my extra-special, limited-edition, ebony with mother-of-pearl inlay cluestick to bring down upon the heads of your docs.
IDEA!!! Bring your dad with you to your next visit with your GP.
Esperanza, HOORAY for the baboos!!!! And the box o' books is still in my living room, delivery of same will occur at the end of Car Woes: The Movie.
Speaking of movies: Enjoy!
Yay Liz - four stars for the movie/ad!!! Excellent!!!
And thanks kathy a for the special ebony and mother of pearl inlay cluestick - it might just do the trick. One can only live in hope.
Anti-whine: I'm going tomorrow to sign up at the Gym of My Choice which is, yes, a bit more pricey but VERY nice. Go endorphins Go!!!!
Anti-whine: I knew hubby would say "Pfft - just go and get the membership - it's only money." And that's exactly what he said.
Whine: Little girl kitteh has taken to kicking me in the arse during the night. I woke up last night thinking I was dreaming that I was being kicked in the arse, but no, no dream - the cat was booting me in the buttocks with her hind feet. One might think she would have a little respect for the person who FEEDS HER and scoops her litter box (she'll only use a clean box).
Diva.
liz is the one with the sophisticated ebony inlaid cluestick. my special-duty cluestick looks more like a drum major baton, with a pointy end and a business end.
My apologies Liz!!! I was reading the comments too quickly while supper was boiling away on the stove.
kathy a - I DO like the idea of both the pointy end and the business end. Either would do just fine.
Is there a prize for lamest whine?;-)
I tried a recipe to make shredded beef. I used the meat specified in the recipe (chuck roast).
I couldn't get the meat to shred. We cut it into chunks. It was definitely cooked enough.
It still tasted good, but it didn't *look* right.
hi, emily! that is a fine whine. glad you could join us!
emily is in the running for old skool, i do believe.
i am withholding my whine until tomorrow in the hopes that the whine-able situation will improve in the absence of attention.
i do have an anti-whine, though. i am rather enjoying my class this semester. i mean, things are going so well that i'm reminded why i chose to teach. huzzah!
Definitely Old Skool for Emily!
WooHoo! Way to go on the anti-whine Amy!
I'm so sorry to hear that we will be getting a posse together to cluestick Sue's docs again. I think they're all masochists, and they must LOVE the attention.
Kathy a., please help that boy get well! Ooochie -- and a Good Mama sticker to you for making him seek treatment, and keeping on the docs to make said treatment worthwhile.
Emily -- there ARE no lame whines. They're all award-worthy, so whine away. Big, small -- we'll take 'em all! (pure poetry! I amaze myself! :)
On to sadder news -- the "no whines' of last week have faded to obscurity. A dear coworker was moved to another location, bringing us all to tears and with some great kids whose education will suffer at her loss.
My mother also called me in tears to tell me that my much-loved aunt has been having a lot of headaches lately, and when her doc did a CAT scan, they've found a mass in her brain. We have had no word yet on WHAT exactly it is, WHERE it is, and what can be done about it. All I know is that you don't screw around with stuff in your noodle. We're all scared to death. Mom is beside herself, and this occurs hard on the heels of her oldest sibling dying about four months ago. She's got worst-case-scenario on the brain, and I can't summon the strength to pull a silver lining out of it for her.
Everyone in the household is flirting with getting sick, and with today's staff changes, I won't ever feel comfortable taking sick days if I need to....
(((( klee )))) oh, you have it right about stuff in the noodle and the scariness thereof. i think this is where "one day at a time" is useful. there has got to be something good about a single day.
Note to self: use "arse" more often. makes me giggle.
((((((KLee))))))
((((((KLee's Aunt)))))
((((KLee's school community)))))
(((KLee))) oh my goodness. The lack of whineage quickly took a turn for you. I'm so very sorry. About all of it.
Klee, so sorry. Hope some sort of silver lining or better yet a rainbow appears. What a mess.
Sue - chronic pain is relentless. You would think doctors would get that. Yay endorphins!
KathyA - glad to hear that your son is no longer in 911 range at least. And fixing his bike is good.
Emily - that happens to me all the time. Darn roast. I can shred chicken and pork, but beef is my bane. Cook it longer or get all Old School like my grandmother and get a pressure cooker. But those devices scare me :)
Esperanza - the mini baboo party sounds sweet. And good luck with the speech therapy. It was a like saver in our family.
Whine: I am going to an allergist today so I have been off of allergy meds for 2-3 days. I have the worst headache, but my nose isn't running constantly, so that's a plus. It has been raining, keeping the pollen count down. If only I could take credit for planning that :)
Ooooh, I vote for Sarah. I hate that thing where you have to go off your allergy meds to see the doc. In my case, I'm itchy all over, year round. But I'm very glad the weather is cooperating for you.
Votes for Sarah for allergy tests and resulting headache. Definitely.
Whine: Got chewed out this morning by one of our multitude of retired clergy (we've got them all). His beef: I'm not attending this weekend's meeting of Presbytery which takes place about 5 hours from here and runs from Thursday to Sunday.
Last spring I ASKED my Board if just this once I could skip it and let our lay reps bring back the report because:
a. I'm still adjusting to an entirely new schedule and a new way of doing ministry that is based on 40 hours a week as opposed to the 60 I've been doing here for 8 years.
b. The congregation hasn't seen much of me. I was off for all of August and in July they were all on vacation. I thought four Sundays in a row in September might not hurt, especially since October and November are going to get all crazy with shared services with another church etc...
The Board voted yes.
Today I got a layer of skin taken off of me about how it's part of my job, blah blah blah.
Oh yeah? Well, why not ask my MALE colleague who doesn't even show up to these meetings when they are held in HIS OWN CHURCH???????
This is just sexist, bully crap.
Anti-whine: I kept it together and explained all of that without having to harm the old guy.
Too stressed and exhausted to post on my blogs, never mind post here. I'm sorry, but I honestly don't think I can handle much more than a hello.
Antiwhine: School has started and daughter is buying into working hard to improve her grades.
WHINE: son is not in school, does not have job, refuses to do Alcohol and Substance Abuse program he promised to do to get released from hospital after suicide attempt, is deteriorating at a rapid clip and I can't get any services. He is burning himself with cigarettes but that isn't a crisis.
WHINE: Youngest kitty has lost 4 collars in the past 2 months. We can't keep one on him. And he still hasn't been fixed or chipped even though I've tried and tried to get an appointment. Meanwhile oldest cat has been peeing in yet another new spot that I have yet to narrow down. And Middle Cat has turned into the biggest bitch ever, hissing and growling at kitten and older cat. You know what? Cats can be VERY annoying.
I'm so stressed out that I stopped eating and can do little more than lay on my sofa and cry. It is not good.
Hope that everyone else is doing MUCH better than I am.
((((margalit))))
I don't even know what to say. I'm just so sorry that everything is so hard for you right now.
Went to pick up my car earlier this afternoon, paid, got key, turned the car on, put in gear, put on the turn signal. Got the fast click. Turned off the car, turned back in the key. Waited another half hour while they finished fixing it.
Which is why I'm still at work and not doing my doors.
Also, I have my period.
On the plus side, the advertisement has been seen in the wild!
margalit -- glad your daughter is doing OK, but the rest sounds exhausting and crazy-making.
my son had a horrible time in high school -- not the same issues as your son, but very frightening. in this post, i mentioned how proud we are of our son, who is now 22; that he has moved on and is taking responsibility for himself, working, living independently, and pursuing his passion for music. it was not a smooth road. and our son is freaking brilliant, we never saw the hard times coming until they were there.
your son is a minor; you have both the responsibility and the obligation to do what has to be done, to the extent you can. and i want to tell you, because i have personal experience, that if your minor son is mentally not right and hurting himself and ruining the sanity of the household, and you have no other means of stopping it all, CALL 911.
do it even if it nearly kills you to dial the numbers. do it because you want him alive and well. xoxoxo
liz, yay for the ad seen in the wild!
my grown boy does not have a skull fracture; is on a second antibiotic now; and has returned to his home because he is feeling better. yay!
It's not a good Wednesday when 911 gets mentioned, huh? So sorry, margalit. I wonder about you when you're not here.
Whine of Getting Exactly What You Ask For: it has not rained in like two years. Whining ensued about the drought. It has now been raining for two days (monday and tuesday). Today, I get myself and Sweet Baboo ready for a (again, doctor-approved, slow and non-strenuous) walk. I get the stepstool for SB to climb into the stroller. I open the door...and rain. This scenario happened not once, not twice, but three times this very afternoon! Sigh. We finally went and got rained on. And it's cold!
Update on the Aunt situation: Mom called, and Aunt has been moved to the ICU because she's unresponsive. The docs can't determine whether she's unresponsive due to the high amount of pain meds she's on, or because of the tumor.
The tumor is golf-ball sized, and has jagged edges. Apparently, the jagged edges is a good thing, because that means that it is most likely not spreading, and is contained in one area. Surgery is set for Friday, sometime in the am. I am going to try and take off work early on Friday, and head to the city where most of my extended family live, and where Aunt is in the hospital. There's not much I can do for her, but I can't NOT be there. I'm so worried for her.
Feel like a heel for needing to cut out of work early, and for most likely abandoning JF and Offspring for the better part of the weekend. They rarely see me anymore.
KLee, you are not a heel for going to be with your mom and aunt. No, you can't do anything for your aunt, but you can be there to support your mom and the rest of your family and for them to support you right back.
JF and Offspring will understand. Maybe they'll come with you?
what liz said. and also -- you are a craft queen. do you have any idea how much a little crafty sweetness brightens a hospital room, or the day of someone worried? xoxo
I agree. margalit - dial the number.
hugs to esperanza for her wet and cold walkies. that sucketh. Good for SB for using the step stool to get into the stroller! Such a big girl now!
KLee - so sorry to hear about the diagnosis and the state of things with your Aunt. And no - you are not a heel. You are family, doing what family does when times are tough. Please remember to be good to yourself too.
my ignored situation improved only marginally: the baby doesn't like to eat solid foods for me -- only the sitter or my husband. all he wants from me is milk, but it's not enough to sustain him, so he's crabby from hunger. i want to yell at him, "If you're hungry, then EAT ALREADY!" but i don't think that will work. sometimes i think babies are dumb, but probably it's just a part of his larger, super genius plot to p0wn me. it's working. [sigh]
p.s. i finally got a gmail account so i can sign in here, but i haven't assigned my blog to the account b/c it's my name. just wanted you all to know it's the same amy, only now with clickable, albeit useless, technology.
Amy, try putting self-feeding foods near the baby in the high chair while you go around the kitchen saying "lalala, I'm not feeding you! You're feeding yourself!" He may be fooled into thinking that this is not the same as you trying to feed him something other than teh precious milk.
Thanks for making me feel welcome!
I will try cooking the meat longer next time. I used the crockpot, so extending the cooking time is pretty easy. (I, too, am scared of pressure cookers, even though I have a friend who swears that they are easy/safe/best thing since sliced bread).
Amy--I had a similar problem with one of my kids. I found (still find) repeating "this too shall pass" to be helpful (although the teenage years are taking a while.....:-))
Hugs to everyone experiencing health related problems (mental or physical) and I hope that Liz's car is really fixed now.
Emily - I'm with you on the pressure cooker thing. I would be terrified to use one. My mother-in-law still swears by them, but the whole idea of it freaks me out.
But then, the whole kitchen kind of freaks me out. There are too many sharp things and hot things in that room. It's better if hubby cooks - much less likelihood of an ER visit that way.
okay, i wasn't going to say anything, but if i don't, my head will as-plode.
last night, while i was at work and my husband was watching tater, tater fell and split the skin open on the bridge of his nose. the good news is that it's not terribly deep, it's not swollen anymore, and it probably won't scar. *probably*. you see, my husband (who was forward thinking enough to apply a boo-boo buddy to a pissed-off baby) did not wash out the cut, and now it looks like it's infected. wtf?
also? tater's first birthday party is a week from saturday. *perfect* timing.
p.s. thanks for the support - it feels better knowing that other moms have gotten similar treatment. i'll try your ideas, including the "you're feeding yourself, mister" routine. when we've done it before, he has sat in the high chair and screamed at me. it will pass, i know, but it's irritating.
Aw Amy - sorry about tater's boo boo nose. That sucks.
Post a Comment