Pages

Monday, June 20, 2011

June bugs

No, we don't have an insect infestation. But June is bugging me, anyway.

First, there's the heat. This is the first time our house has hit 80 degrees in forever. My melting point is substantially below that, and someone carted off my office fan. We have no AC. I already have Texas-style internal thermodynamics going on -- the hot flashes are back with a vengeance. Send ice. Next: work behindness; yadda.

W/AW: Remember how our car got stolen? All this mail has been coming to my husband, since the cop only managed to take his name down, even though we both owned the car and both talked to the cop. I'm sending in my 2 cents to the probation department anyway -- they prepare sentencing reports. But only my beloved is under subpoena to testify at the trial next month. Ha.

The funny whine is on behalf of my son. Someone broke into his worthless car and stole some worthless things. How did they get in? They used his radio antenna, conveniently fashioned out of a coat hanger, to reach through the window that won't quite close. AW: they didn't break a window to find out there were only worthless things inside! Yay!

What's bugging you?

51 comments:

Days said...

Kathy A - Is there a Double Whammy award for the recent double car burglary events in your family? There should be. Also, sympathies to beloved on the subpeona.

What's bugging me?

1) A person calling my cell phone eight times over the weekend but never leaving a voicemail, who is now peevishly lamenting how difficult it is to get a hold of me. (Yes, I screen my calls when I don't recognize the number or the area code. How rude of me.)

2) Bugs, literally. We went to the cottage for the weekend and the blackflies ate us(just me and the four year old) alive. We are itchy and bad tempered now. (Any pixie who can handle the bugs is more than welcome to visit the cottage to beat the heat!)

3) Waiting, waiting, waiting for test results. The medical needs a new means of sharing information. I'm thinking telepathy will be fastest and easiest.

4) Me. So whiny, so ill tempered, so impatient today. I am hoping that whining will be cathartic. We all need a better day tomorrow.

purple_kangaroo said...

My sister saw the geneticist today. The doctor said she doesn't have enough of the signs to categorically diagnose her with EDS, but too many to say she doesn't have it. The geneticist is going to a symposium on the topic this summer, though, and since she apparently wasn't aware of the newest (more lenient) diagnostic criteria, my sister is going to check in with her again after that.

Sarah at ratatat said...

Days - such frustrating whines. Hope the whining did help make it better. And that the itching subsides, the tests results are good and a cluestick for the non-message leaver.

PK - good luck.

Whine: summer life involves too much chauffeur action. And I wish I could send our sub-80 degree weather back to KathyA. We haven't broken 80 for weeks and the pool is taunting my children. And I am not brave enough to swim when it is less than 80.

Sue said...

I agree with the Double Whammy car theft award. For goodness sake, can't the car thieves move to another neighbourhood????

Days - yep. Black fly season here too. Those first bites of the year always get really red and nasty for me. After the first "feeding", the bites seem less intense. It's as if my body says "Black flies - bring it on!!!"

Sorry to hear about the long wait for test results. Yes, there must be a better way....

PK, that must be so frustrating. Not enough symptoms/too many symptoms. Sheesh. I hope your sister gets some answers soon. At least a clear diagnosis has the advantage of knowing what is going on.

AW: After only two years of membership at the gym - I have a locker!!!!!! I was fairly certain that my name had been somehow dropped from the wait-list, but it turns out it really does take that long to get a permanent locker. I had been using day lockers until now.

W: I suspect the only way one gets a locker is for someone else to collapse on the stairmaster and leave in an ambulance.

AW: On this lovely solstice our high temp today is expected to hit 19C - that's almost room temperature! Oh, to be at the beach! (minus the black flies of course).

Sue said...

Sorry about the pool Sarah at RTT. The pool-taunting is definitely whine-worthy.

Anonymous said...

I have a petty whine: I had a "hang on the skin" next to the nail of my right middle finger. I clipped it, but now fingertip is red and sore to touch. Not sure whether it is dr worthy or just annoying. Guess I'll leave it a day or two and hope it heals itself. In the meantime is hard to type.

Hugs to all the pixies in need this week! Boo on all things that bite or pester!

--Neighbor Lady

kathy a. said...

days, my kids and husband rarely leave messages when they call the house. tres annoying.

sorry about the bugs -- ick! fingers crossed about the test results.

good luck, PK.

sarah, i'll gladly send the heat! it's supposed to get to the mid 90's today. aaaack!

sue, 2 years to get a locker? does it come with a plaque proclaiming you an iron woman?

NL -- ouch! passing the neosporin.

hosts aren't eligible for awards! my son's car lives 10 miles away, so it's not exactly a neighborhood crime wave, but our ancient worthless cars definitely had contact with two of your basic dim-bulb criminals. my husband likely won't have to testify against our criminal mastermind; he'll plead guilty to something, depriving potential jurors of a very entertaining court experience.

purple_kangaroo said...

Saw the ped. today. He asked how the social and sensory seeking issues were going and then suggested PDD as a possible diagnosis for AJ. But mainly we just have to wait (we're still on the waiting list) for the evaluation from the specialists on that. They said it could be months before we get in. Sigh.

Oh, he also said it looks like she has IBS, in addition to the reflux (which she got a new medication for, since the other one wasn't working). Oh joy.

And he said that if it does turn out EDS is in the family then we will test M&M for the genetic markers, since she does have some unusual joint mobility (can bend her elbow backwards a bit, pop her thumb out of joint at will, etc.) and gets more soreness after exertion than usual, combined with the aching all over when she's tired or stressed, that really concerns me given the family history.

WHY CAN'T WE JUST BE NORMAL?!?!?!? *Insert primal scream here*

Purple_Kangaroo said...

Oh, and I forgot to mention AJ also has to be seen by a heart specialist because her heart murmur hasn't gone away yet. More fun times. :)

esperanza said...

Oh, p_k, you are racking up way too many acronymns and specialist appointments. Hugs to all of you.

Days, the waiting is the WORST. Sorry it's taking so long for results. The imagination does tend to take off in such circumstances.

Whines from esperanza's world:
The weather. Straight 101 for the whole week's forecast. No rain. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

The visiting in-laws. Here is the most egregious story I can share. We were trying to coordinate a trip to bigger city for shopping and Sweet's physical therapy appointment, beginning with lunch together. At 10:45, I said, "we'll need to leave by 11:30 to have time for lunch and to get to therapy." At 11:15, BiL starts prodding 10yo niece toward the shower. He had yet to shower. At 12:00, after continuous crying by Mini, esperanza gives up and feeds the Baboos lunch. We took two cars to bigger city. Also failed to coordinate supper, with similar reasons. Grr. Mr. E has about had it. I think they're leaving tomorrow, but plans are elusive.

Sue said...

Oh PK, shared primal scream - I wish we had a magic pixie wand. Really.

Oy, esperanza- that is one nightmare of a family visit, for sure. Perhaps they will slip out under darkness of night! Hey, we live in hope, right?

esperanza said...

Right, Sue. We'll hope.

I almost forgot. I think this is an AW. I got word of a possible permanent preaching job (would be way less than full time). Discovered that I didn't want it! I'm happy being with the girls and preaching on the side for the time being. Was good to discover.

Additional AW: was able to steer them in the direction of a friend, who is really excited about the possibility. The good-ol-boy network, working for the young women. That's fun.

purple_kangaroo said...

I talked to the child development specialist and they said the waiting list is so long we may not get in for evaluation until December.

The heart specialist, on the other hand, had an opening next week.

purple_kangaroo said...

Neighbor Lady, I have that happen often.

Try trimming the fingernail next to the spot, and treating it with an antibacterial ointment of some sort or something that promotes healing, and maybe protecting it with a bandage.

As long as it isn't dangerously infected, I usually just let that sort of thing heal on its own. It takes forever and is sure painful in the process, though.

Of course, if you have a compromised immune system and/or you're concerned about it, you should see a doctor. :)

purple_kangaroo said...

Days, sorry about the wait . . . sending wishes for good results.

Esperanza, are we related by any chance???

Kathy A, I know someone who actually stopped locking his car because nothing in it was worth the cost of fixing a broken window.

Sarah at ratatat said...

Esperanza - that story about the family and the appointment and lunch -shocking how much it bothered me and I am thousands of miles away and have no connection to the events. You must be ready to scream. And can we trade just some of our weather - we'll take say, 10-15 degrees from you and send you some of our rain? And what a great AW about being happy at home and the part-time gig. And the young women's network.

PK - any other facilities you could choose? That seems ridiculously long to wait. Hope the heart doc turns out OK.

Sue - that waiting list!

Whine: 8am summer school is killing me. I generally think their 8:55 regular school start is too late, but this waking up and getting ready is hard.

Liz Miller said...

W: Missed whining last week due to illness, which just seems wrong on many levels.

W: Am back at work despite still feeling like crap, which just seems wrong on many levels.

W: Illness required me to use tiny little sporks to collect samples of pook to put in four (!) containers.

W: May be a recurrence of that thing that put me in the hospital 2 years ago.


AW: Good insurance.

kathy a. said...

sarah -- ick on earlier rising for summer!

((( PK )))

esperanza, i'm with sarah in feeling the horror long distance. what part of "we have an appointment" is hard to understand? and if i recall, they arrived a few days before the "we'd love to see you after ___" date, right?

kathy a. said...

oh, liz! i'm so sorry -- sending wishes for a speedy recovery and many hugs. sucks to be at work feeling so bad.

there is also something so wrong about having to spork one's own pook. when we signed on to be grownups, nobody gave us a complete job description...

Sue said...

Oh my goodness Liz - how awful. I hope it all gets resolved soon.

W: home today with nasty migraine/excruciating head pain @ about 7/10 most of the night. Thus, sleep was not going to happen. Tv too bright. Light too bright to read, even on computer. Soooooooo.........7 long hours with ice pack in the dark. Sleep? Not so much.

AW: managed to fit in 3hours this morning.

W: still 7/10 - curse you Low Pressure weather system!

W: because migraine-abortive meds cost so much, our otherwise excellent extended health and drug plan will now only pay for 6 tablets in a month. I'm down to two and they have to last until mid July.

Bleh.

esperanza said...

Oh no, Liz! I missed you last week but thought you were on some fabulous Caribbean getaway. Pook sporkage is no good.

p_k, you mean we have the same in laws? I'm so sorry.

Sue, sorry about the head pain. We're grateful for the low pressure system here, because we finally got some rain! Thanks to whoever sent it.

As for the company...they're staying another day. Per 10 yo's request. (I thought she really didn't like it here, but maybe she just really is that anti-social). Sigh. This too shall pass.

purple_kangaroo said...

Lis, hoping you get better quickly and no hospital stays are necessary this time.

Sue, I know you've probably already looked into this, but just on the off chance you haven't, have you considered excitotoxins as potential migraine triggers? Getting off them has almost completely eliminated my migraines. You can email me for more info, or I've been meaning to post more about it on my blog anyway. Or there's a website called msgmyth.com that has lists of ingredients that indicate msg and other excitotoxins. Hugs!

purple_kangaroo said...

esperana, it sounds very much like one side of my family, who grew up in a very laid-back culture with a completely different sense of time and priorities. "Siempre maƱana" and all that. :)

kathy a. said...

((( sue )))

esperanza, unless i'm miscounting, tomorrow will be the seventh. day. on the one hand, they don't sound like siverware-rearrangers. but on the other hand, at least the silverware-rearrangers are trying to be helpful to the hosts.

purple_kangaroo said...

LOL, sorry for the typos in everyone's names. Posting from my phone.

kathy a. said...

anybody want pine cones? free to good home!

we have a lovely old monterey pine that has half-dropped a branch touching the neighbor's roof. and the poor grand lady needs to go, since it won't get better from here. but i intend to harvest some pine cones, which are lovely.

Sue said...

PK - thanks so much for the website link. I have been to similar sites but had not found that one.

I started reading about excitotoxins when I was looking for hidden msg in various foods. At the same time, I was looking for hidden (ie named as something else) gluten in the foods we eat.

I tend to be quite mistrustful of anything packaged, despite my standard longing for oldmtime favourites like oreo cookies. I know for sure that msg and gluten are triggers, and I have restricted fluids to filtered water and green tea, plus half a cup of coffee in the morning. It's not unusual for a bit of caffeine to take the edge off whatever is left of an overnight headache and it tends to work for me.

Anyway, more than you asked, I am sure, but thank you again for a great website!

AW: feeling much more human tonight.

esperanza said...

Yay for more human, Sue.

Yes, tomorrow will be the seventieth...er...seventh day. They are not silverware-rearrangers, quite the opposite. Though I should say he has been less messy this trip than I've ever known him to be.

Worried about 10yo niece, as she seems exceedingly awkward, more so than 10yo's tend to be. Family situation is crappy at home, and I'm worried about the toll it's taking on her. But I have had no energy to help her this week. It's been all I can do to cope with the company and the Baboos. Sigh.

esperanza said...

Oh, and p_k, I am familiar with those kinds of cultural attitudes toward time, have practiced them myself at times :) ...and I don't think that's it. It's more the chronic selfishness that's grating on me.

Sue said...

EEEEK.

Massive crawly bug on my desk.

I did not scream, despite being alone in the building.

Feel free to applaud.

Liz Miller said...

Sue, you get a total standing o from me. Plus a size 13 men's shoe to smack that sucker into mush.

kathy a. said...

~applause~ sue, i prefer the vacuum cleaner method of bug disposal.

Liz Miller said...

Did I tell you all about the honking big spider that was moseying down our hallway a few weeks ago?

I through an advertising circular down on it and jumped up and down on the circular until the spider was just a splotch on the linoleum. My son was amazed at my vehemence.

Aside from biting insects, I won't smoosh bugs that are outdoors. Bugs in my house though? They are going DOWN.

Sue said...

I totally agree Liz. Thus, pumps with slightly pointed heels for getting them cornered. MWHAHAHAHAHA...... (and that evil laugh comes from a most loving - though fearful - place, because you know they are God's creatures too and we're supposed to love them and all....) aw, crap.

I'd make a lousy Buddhist.

esperanza said...

Me too. I've fly-swattered probably two dozen flying wasp thingies this season alone. Now, I will admit to rescuing a lizard and taking him/her outside yesterday. Poor thing was scared.

kathy a. said...

i think i reached my peak gonzo bug-killing mode when we lived in japan, where buddhism is widely practiced. there were fireplacing poisonous centipedes in the fireplacing house, and i once found one IN THE BABY'S CRIB. it was war. my method was to stun 'em with lysol spray, sprint off to the toilet before they got moving, and flush. which was probably a gentler dispatch than than at that apartment in the south where 2 inch cockroaches showed up in the kitchen, and i shoved them down the garbage disposal with a brush. ick. maybe i wouldn't make a good buddhist, either.

kathy a. said...

ahem. awards tomorrow. keep whining!

Liz Miller said...

Speaking of Buddhists

esperanza said...

Still. Here.

kathy a. said...

liz, love it!

esperanza, wtf?

Liz Miller said...

esperanza, can you discover that you've maybe been infested by lice? Or fleas? Or something?

amy said...

I vote lice. The threat of lice drives people away faster than anything else. Plus, all the stigma of lice being something dirty people get? Not true. Lice like clean hair because their eggs will stick to clean hair, but not dirty hair.

More reason I embrace teh Lazy and only bathe my kids when they obviously need it. It's always the kids who have baths every day who get the lice.

purple_kangaroo said...

Unless you add tea tree oil to your shampoo. Lice hate tea tree oil, I'm told.

purple_kangaroo said...

I bought an electric flyswatter a couple of years ago, and it's been the best. thing. ever. Seriously, you can pretty easily swat flying bugs right out of mid-air. My husband was doubtful, but it quickly became one of his favorite household tools/toys.

Also, a company called Country Vet makes a dispenser that sprays insect control stuff derived from marigolds or something. It's perfectly safe for warmblooded critters, but kills or repells insects. We use it in our rabbitry, and it works wonders.

esperanza said...

Now my head itches.

Srsly, if he had just said in the first place they wanted to stay all week, then I could have paced myself. And planned to be away, or something. But this deciding at 3 pm every day you're going to stay another night? wtf, indeed.

purple_kangaroo said...

Sue, I'm glad I was at least able to suggest a resource that might be useful. They have message boards there, too.

esperanza said...

Electric flyswatter? Really? As I am flyswatter impaired, that sounds like a very fun item.

kathy a. said...

esperanza, i think you should get the jumbo "inlaw" size.

have you considered doing a version of boot camp, with loud music at reveille, everyone assigned chores, etc.?

esperanza said...

LOL, kathy. BiL has cooked some, and done dishes, and a few little fix it projects (non-urgent). At this point, I'm going about my regular business and kind of ignoring the lumps on the couch.

Sarah at ratatat said...

Esperanza - that's just crazy. And outrageous. Glad you're hanging in there.

Standing O for Sue for the bug killing. And boo for the insurance on the miserly pill allowance.

Sue said...

LOL Liz - great video!

PK - thanks again. Electric fly-swatters??? The Pixie Awesomeness continues. Off to google it....

AW: Good news on the migraine med front. Once the worst of this week's pain had past (it's still there, but not so bad now. Plus, I have a massage booked for later today and an appointment next week with a Reikki specialist!) Anyway, I asked the Pharmacist to connect with the Insurance company on my behalf. I explained my situation, and she said she would be glad to to whatever she could, but couldn't make any promises.

The pharmacist called last night to say that the insurance company reviewed my policy and my recent prescription history - told her (get this!) that they had made a MISTAKE and would remedy it immediately. Even the pharmacist couldn't believe an insurance company admitted error, but was happy to tell me that the remainder of my prescription is ready for pick up.

LOVE my pharmacy. If it didn't hurt my head to happy dance, I would do it. Maybe tomorrow, after the massage.... :)