So, the weekend started off on a not-so-stellar note (see previous post).
I had hope for a better weekend yesterday morning.
It didn't happen.
My weekend in a nutshell:
Friday - Husband's company cuts everyone's salary by 10%
Saturday - Only high point was seeing 'Twilight' again w/ my sister and one of her friends. It was all downhill after that.
Saturday night - my 81 year old grandmother is taken to the hospital and has emergency surgery to remove her large intestine and part of her small intestine. The docs tell my mom that grandma might not make it thru the surgery. She pulls through but now has months of rehab in her immediate future. She's still in ICU, but might get moved to another room on Monday.
Later Saturday night - my husband says he's feeling sick to his stomach. Oh wonderful.
Sunday morning, 6 am - husband IS sick. I send him upstairs, away from me and the girls.
Sunday afternoon, 4 pm - Olivia gets sick. It's now 8:30 p.m. as I post this, and she cannot keep anything, even liquids, in her stomach. I'm hoping this passes soon. Husband seems to be better.
And so that leaves me and Emma. I have intentionally not eaten a thing today - hoping that maybe if I have nothing in my system, there won't be anything to, well, uh...you know. Emma has been OK all day...running around, happy, eating small meals. She's asleep right now, but I am fully expecting a vomiting 2 year old by the middle of the night.
Thankfully, I don't work tomorrow. As things are going now, I expect that I will be home alone, caring for 2 sick kids and myself. Really looking forward to that.
Today I am grateful for:
1. The surgeon who operated on grandma
2. My sister's friend for taking us to Twilight for free
3. The fact that I have not yet thrown up
4. The fact that Emma is still doing OK too
5. The hope that this stomach bug is a 24 hour thing and will soon vacate the premises of my home
Showing posts with label As luck would have it. Show all posts
Showing posts with label As luck would have it. Show all posts
6.03.2007
Power to the people
You know...it's so true -- you never know what you have til it's gone.
We lost our electricity today. For almost 8 hours. It was a very, very long 8 hours.
Lightning hit the transformer a few doors down from us this afternoon....the whole damn thing blew. It was rather scary, I'll admit.
And just like that....WHOOSH!CRASH!BANG!...the power was gone.
No lights. No air conditioning. No computer. No sump pump.
We didn't want to open the 'fridge....just in case it took a looooong time for Toledo Edison to repair things. So, we ordered pizza for dinner. We opened the windows, rather than relying on the a/c....which was all good and fine until the next monsoon rainstorm came thru town. We kept hoping that it would stop raining so the basement wouldn't flood.
Around 5 p.m. the electric company guys showed up to replace the transformer. At one point while the electric company was fixing things a huge, nasty storm plowed through and they stopped working. I suppose this was a good idea -- since lightning and water and power lines don't really mix well.
Finally....at 9 p.m. the lights came back on -- and I was able to watch the second-to-last episode of The Sopranos.
And now, all is well in the world again. I have power. The rain stopped. I'm off to bed.
We lost our electricity today. For almost 8 hours. It was a very, very long 8 hours.
Lightning hit the transformer a few doors down from us this afternoon....the whole damn thing blew. It was rather scary, I'll admit.
And just like that....WHOOSH!CRASH!BANG!...the power was gone.
No lights. No air conditioning. No computer. No sump pump.
We didn't want to open the 'fridge....just in case it took a looooong time for Toledo Edison to repair things. So, we ordered pizza for dinner. We opened the windows, rather than relying on the a/c....which was all good and fine until the next monsoon rainstorm came thru town. We kept hoping that it would stop raining so the basement wouldn't flood.
Around 5 p.m. the electric company guys showed up to replace the transformer. At one point while the electric company was fixing things a huge, nasty storm plowed through and they stopped working. I suppose this was a good idea -- since lightning and water and power lines don't really mix well.
Finally....at 9 p.m. the lights came back on -- and I was able to watch the second-to-last episode of The Sopranos.
And now, all is well in the world again. I have power. The rain stopped. I'm off to bed.
5.17.2007
Wouldn't you just know it?
Saw a story this morning on Good Morning America about the dishwasher recall by GE.
I looked around my kitchen and saw that I was surrounded by GE appliances, including a GE Profile dishwasher.
So, being the good consumer that I am, I checked the model number and serial number, and damn it all....mine is one of the 2.5 million dishwashers being recalled.
I swear, can't a woman get a break? Ever?
So, now we have several options:
1. Receive a $300 rebate after purchasing an eligible GE Monogram or GE Profile dishwasher (which sounds great til you realize the cheapest GE Profile is $800).
2. Receive a $150 rebate after purchasing an eligible GE dishwasher.
3. Call for a repair. [God knows how long that might take].
In the meantime, we are not supposed to use the dishwasher anymore, just in case it decides to catch fire. [Apparently, the little container that holds JetDry can leak onto the wires and cause a fire].
The stupid thing has been working just fine for the past 1 1/2 years that we've lived in our house....and now suddenly I'm supposed to not use it?
So, if you have a GE dishwasher that you bought between 1997 and 2001, you might want to go to the GE web site and see if it's been recalled.
2.07.2007
When it rains, it pours
It's Wednesday and so far this has turned out to be a much less than stellar week in my household.
It all started Sunday night when the furnace died [see previous post]. It continued on Monday morning when the furnace died two more times. Kevin was able to solve that problem - so the heat has been running without interruption since Monday afternoon.
Then, last night the kitchen sink clogged.
This was not your typical run-of-the-mill "Drano will fix this" clog. No, it was one of those "uh-oh we better call the plumber RIGHT NOW" type of clogs.
Kevin tried for several hours to fix the problem - he "snaked" the drain, used Drano, etc. Nothing worked. And so, at 10 p.m. we found a plumber who was willing to come out at no extra charge and fix the problem.
He got here at 11:45 p.m. ... and $98 later, the sink was unclogged.
Meanwhile....as the sink drama was unfolding, we had a mini baby drama.
Emma's umbilical cord stump fell off - sort of. Now anyone who is a mom will know that the umbilical cord stump is just really nasty to begin with. The thing has to dry out and then it's supposed to fall off, end of story. This usually occurs when baby is 10 to 21 days old. Normally, not a big deal.
Yes, well...Emma's only partially fell off, leaving half of it still attached. I freaked out, called the after-hours nurse and was given instructions as to how to handle what remained of the cord. Today, we took her to the doctor's and the pediatrician literally picked the rest of the cord off. [An aside - it was rather gross to watch and I'm so happy I didn't have to do it].
On the upside, Emma can now take a bath in her baby tub - no more sponge baths!
And so, if we can make it thru the rest of this week without anything else breaking down at home and without spending any more money that we didn't plan to spend, I will be happy.
It all started Sunday night when the furnace died [see previous post]. It continued on Monday morning when the furnace died two more times. Kevin was able to solve that problem - so the heat has been running without interruption since Monday afternoon.
Then, last night the kitchen sink clogged.
This was not your typical run-of-the-mill "Drano will fix this" clog. No, it was one of those "uh-oh we better call the plumber RIGHT NOW" type of clogs.
Kevin tried for several hours to fix the problem - he "snaked" the drain, used Drano, etc. Nothing worked. And so, at 10 p.m. we found a plumber who was willing to come out at no extra charge and fix the problem.
He got here at 11:45 p.m. ... and $98 later, the sink was unclogged.
Meanwhile....as the sink drama was unfolding, we had a mini baby drama.
Emma's umbilical cord stump fell off - sort of. Now anyone who is a mom will know that the umbilical cord stump is just really nasty to begin with. The thing has to dry out and then it's supposed to fall off, end of story. This usually occurs when baby is 10 to 21 days old. Normally, not a big deal.
Yes, well...Emma's only partially fell off, leaving half of it still attached. I freaked out, called the after-hours nurse and was given instructions as to how to handle what remained of the cord. Today, we took her to the doctor's and the pediatrician literally picked the rest of the cord off. [An aside - it was rather gross to watch and I'm so happy I didn't have to do it].
On the upside, Emma can now take a bath in her baby tub - no more sponge baths!
And so, if we can make it thru the rest of this week without anything else breaking down at home and without spending any more money that we didn't plan to spend, I will be happy.
2.05.2007
Why we should move to Florida - Reason #57
OK...so, I don't have 56 other reasons to move to Florida, but after last night and this morning, I'm sure I could come up with at least 2 or 3 reasons.
Let me preface all this by saying, it is currently 7 degrees outside, with a wind chill of -13.
Yeah that's right. It feels like it's 13 degrees below zero.
And last night, when it was at least 20 below zero, our furnace died. We came home from my parent's house and it was 65 degrees in our house. When it's THAT cold outside, 65 degrees inside is NOT warm.
So, 2 hours and $175 later....the HVAC repair guy tells us that the pipe running from the furnace to the outdoors (where the air vents out of the furnace) is iced over. As in, the steam is freezing in the sub-zero temps.
Nice.
How did he fix it? With a coat hanger. Yeah, a freakin' coat hanger -- to scrape off the ice that had accumulated inside the pipe. (Uh-huh...$175 worth of work, my ass).
That lasted for all of 8 hours. The damn thing re-froze this morning at 6 a.m. (Kevin fixed it) and then again at 8 a.m. (Again, fixed by Kevin). So now, we must McGuyver-rig something to block the artic air from freezing the pipe again. UGH. I HATE winter. Hate it.
Florida sure sounds nice right now.
Let me preface all this by saying, it is currently 7 degrees outside, with a wind chill of -13.
Yeah that's right. It feels like it's 13 degrees below zero.
And last night, when it was at least 20 below zero, our furnace died. We came home from my parent's house and it was 65 degrees in our house. When it's THAT cold outside, 65 degrees inside is NOT warm.
So, 2 hours and $175 later....the HVAC repair guy tells us that the pipe running from the furnace to the outdoors (where the air vents out of the furnace) is iced over. As in, the steam is freezing in the sub-zero temps.
Nice.
How did he fix it? With a coat hanger. Yeah, a freakin' coat hanger -- to scrape off the ice that had accumulated inside the pipe. (Uh-huh...$175 worth of work, my ass).
That lasted for all of 8 hours. The damn thing re-froze this morning at 6 a.m. (Kevin fixed it) and then again at 8 a.m. (Again, fixed by Kevin). So now, we must McGuyver-rig something to block the artic air from freezing the pipe again. UGH. I HATE winter. Hate it.
Florida sure sounds nice right now.
1.12.2007
And now, this....
It's not enough that I am uncomfortable, completely exhausted most of the time, unable to stand for very long without feeling like baby is going to fall out (she's not) and unable to go longer than 30 minutes without peeing....
Now, I also have a cold.
Wonderful.
Ah-choo.
Now, I also have a cold.
Wonderful.
Ah-choo.
11.21.2006
Guess they didn't get the memo...
Thank you Kylee for sending me to this little quiz...
"What Kind of Intelligence do you have?"
Apparently, my "dominant intelligence" is: Linguistic Intelligence.
Hmm...Below are my "official results."
Notice what jobs I would be "fantastic" at.
Funny part: It says lawyer. Yeah, lawyer...not so much. Guess they missed that memo.
***Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence***
You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.
You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.
What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?
"What Kind of Intelligence do you have?"
Apparently, my "dominant intelligence" is: Linguistic Intelligence.
Hmm...Below are my "official results."
Notice what jobs I would be "fantastic" at.
Funny part: It says lawyer. Yeah, lawyer...not so much. Guess they missed that memo.
***Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence***
You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.
You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.
What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?
10.29.2006
How DID I graduate from law school?
Received my failing bar exam score in the mail yesterday. I think the Supreme Court of Ohio forgot to add something - a letter asking me how in the hell I managed to actually graduate from law school.
No, seriously.
I did so poorly that I am beginning to wonder the same thing. Hell, as I type I am wondering if the powers that be at UT Law are combing through their records asking themselves the same thing. "How did we manage to give that woman a law degree?"
My performance was, in a word, pathetic. Based on my essays alone, I do believe that I must have left my brain somewhere on the side of the road on the drive to Columbus. They were THAT bad. The only good scores I receieved were on the "creative writing" portion of the bar - the MPT.
Yeah, so pretty much I can bullshit my way through a letter to a fictional senior partner, but when it comes to applying the law to bar examiner-created questions, Mickey Mouse could do better.
It's probably a good thing that I am never going to be a lawyer. Obviously I don't know anything about the law. Had I, by some miracle, actually passed, I would pity my clients. Seriously. My essays were that bad.
I should have quit trying 3 years ago.....or at least in May when I failed the February bar. At least I would have been quitting without feeling so very dumb.
As it is, I am now officially a quitter. I'm slapping on the "no more bar exam" patch and am quitting cold turkey. I don't know the law, I will never know the law well enough to pass the bar and therefore I am DONE.
Pass the Halloween candy. I'm going to need a serious chocolate fix to get through this.
No, seriously.
I did so poorly that I am beginning to wonder the same thing. Hell, as I type I am wondering if the powers that be at UT Law are combing through their records asking themselves the same thing. "How did we manage to give that woman a law degree?"
My performance was, in a word, pathetic. Based on my essays alone, I do believe that I must have left my brain somewhere on the side of the road on the drive to Columbus. They were THAT bad. The only good scores I receieved were on the "creative writing" portion of the bar - the MPT.
Yeah, so pretty much I can bullshit my way through a letter to a fictional senior partner, but when it comes to applying the law to bar examiner-created questions, Mickey Mouse could do better.
It's probably a good thing that I am never going to be a lawyer. Obviously I don't know anything about the law. Had I, by some miracle, actually passed, I would pity my clients. Seriously. My essays were that bad.
I should have quit trying 3 years ago.....or at least in May when I failed the February bar. At least I would have been quitting without feeling so very dumb.
As it is, I am now officially a quitter. I'm slapping on the "no more bar exam" patch and am quitting cold turkey. I don't know the law, I will never know the law well enough to pass the bar and therefore I am DONE.
Pass the Halloween candy. I'm going to need a serious chocolate fix to get through this.
10.27.2006
I fought the law, and the law won: Part II
Well, it's official. I will never be a lawyer. At least not in this lifetime.
Bar results came out today. Once again I have failed.
Yep, time to move on and pick something else to be when I grow up. Lawyer is certainly out of the question.
But hey, at least I have that nice, expensive and relatively worthless law degree hanging on my wall. That's sure to impress someone. (Yes, I am being sarcastic).
I'm quite certain that this was not my best effort at taking the bar exam. I tried to study while suffering from debilitating morning sickness. I took the test when I was 3 months pregnant. All in all, not the greatest of test-taking conditions.
So, that's life I guess.
Moving right along....
Bar results came out today. Once again I have failed.
Yep, time to move on and pick something else to be when I grow up. Lawyer is certainly out of the question.
But hey, at least I have that nice, expensive and relatively worthless law degree hanging on my wall. That's sure to impress someone. (Yes, I am being sarcastic).
I'm quite certain that this was not my best effort at taking the bar exam. I tried to study while suffering from debilitating morning sickness. I took the test when I was 3 months pregnant. All in all, not the greatest of test-taking conditions.
So, that's life I guess.
Moving right along....
9.29.2006
I vent because I can
I have a certain routine in the morning...that's just the kind of person I am.
My routine is this: I like to have my cup of coffee (currently decaf with "pumpkin pie spice" creamer...oh yum) and read the newspaper. It's what I do every morning. Olivia likes to watch The Disney Channel...I like to read my paper with a cup of coffee.
Today I have no paper to read.
Our ever-so-reliable newspaper delivery person has apparently decided to take the day off.
I've called The Blade twice so far, complaining that we have no paper. (Yes, once WOULD have been sufficient...but I'm pregnant and hormonal and I felt better after the 2nd time). The first complaint was just a voice activated thing (I so hate that)...so the 2nd time I pressed "0" to talk to a person. She sounded less than concerned that we didn't have a paper.
Now, considering the myriad of union problems that my hometown paper is dealing with right now -- including losing subscribers and advertisers (Toledo is a pro-union town...so you mess with the unions, you lose readers) -- one would think that The Blah would want to make sure all their remaining subscribers get their paper. Apparenlty not.
And so, my routine has been completely thrown off track. I think I might have to call and complain again, which is sad considering that it really isn't a very good newspaper. [Sigh].
FINALLY!
I guess all I had to do was complain on this blog....minutes later my paper showed up. All is right in the world again. :) Now I can go about my day without having a break in my morning routine. (Yes, sometimes it IS the small things that make me happy).
My routine is this: I like to have my cup of coffee (currently decaf with "pumpkin pie spice" creamer...oh yum) and read the newspaper. It's what I do every morning. Olivia likes to watch The Disney Channel...I like to read my paper with a cup of coffee.
Today I have no paper to read.
Our ever-so-reliable newspaper delivery person has apparently decided to take the day off.
I've called The Blade twice so far, complaining that we have no paper. (Yes, once WOULD have been sufficient...but I'm pregnant and hormonal and I felt better after the 2nd time). The first complaint was just a voice activated thing (I so hate that)...so the 2nd time I pressed "0" to talk to a person. She sounded less than concerned that we didn't have a paper.
Now, considering the myriad of union problems that my hometown paper is dealing with right now -- including losing subscribers and advertisers (Toledo is a pro-union town...so you mess with the unions, you lose readers) -- one would think that The Blah would want to make sure all their remaining subscribers get their paper. Apparenlty not.
And so, my routine has been completely thrown off track. I think I might have to call and complain again, which is sad considering that it really isn't a very good newspaper. [Sigh].
FINALLY!
I guess all I had to do was complain on this blog....minutes later my paper showed up. All is right in the world again. :) Now I can go about my day without having a break in my morning routine. (Yes, sometimes it IS the small things that make me happy).
4.28.2006
What really gets me
Yeah, I failed the bar again. For the sixth time (yes, you read that right..the sixth time). And as pissed off as I am about it, what makes me even more angry is all the time I wasted.
I spent the entire months of January and February studying - every single day. I went to class five nights a week for four hours a night and I locked myself away in our home office every weekend, rather than spending quality time with Kevin and Olivia.
Two whole months, just absolutely wasted.
It's almost like a sick and twisted Mastercard commerical:
Three years of law school: $55,000
Taking the bar exam six times: approximately $16,300 (this includes bar review courses and home study course and of course hotel rooms in downtown Columbus).
Failing the bar for the sixth time: F***ing priceless.
And so, I am done. Finished. No more bar exams for me. I now have a very expensive piece of paper hanging on the wall that says I went to law school. A whole hell of a lot of good it does me. Guess I now need to figure out what else I want to be when I grow up. Lawyer is out of the question.
And please, no pep talks from anyone either. I really can't handle that today.
I spent the entire months of January and February studying - every single day. I went to class five nights a week for four hours a night and I locked myself away in our home office every weekend, rather than spending quality time with Kevin and Olivia.
Two whole months, just absolutely wasted.
It's almost like a sick and twisted Mastercard commerical:
Three years of law school: $55,000
Taking the bar exam six times: approximately $16,300 (this includes bar review courses and home study course and of course hotel rooms in downtown Columbus).
Failing the bar for the sixth time: F***ing priceless.
And so, I am done. Finished. No more bar exams for me. I now have a very expensive piece of paper hanging on the wall that says I went to law school. A whole hell of a lot of good it does me. Guess I now need to figure out what else I want to be when I grow up. Lawyer is out of the question.
And please, no pep talks from anyone either. I really can't handle that today.
3.18.2006
Bad patient
I'll be the first to admit it - I am a horrible sick person. I hate being sick. It annoys me, frustrates me and generally puts me in an all-around crappy mood.
So, imagine my sheer joy today when the doctor diagnosed me with strep throat.
I started feeling ill yesterday - but just thought it was a sore throat. I took some Motrin during the day and some Nyquil at night and figured I'd be better today. That is until I woke up this morning and could barely swallow. So, I made a trip to the doctor's office and walked out with the diagnosis above and an Rx for Penicillin.
Yea, fun.
I haven't been sick like this in quite a while. Sure, I've had the occassional cold or minor sore throat, but STREP??? C'mon...give me a break.
Kevin says I should get my tonsils removed. Yeah, that's a great idea...because I'm such a good patient. He must be joking -- or at least doesn't remember how miserable I was after my last surgery [the C-section for Olivia. Ok, a bit more serious, but still...]. Doctors, surgery and me -- not a good mix.
So, now I'm dosing up on Penicillin, 800 mgs of Motrin every 8 hours, apple juice and sugar-free Kool-Aid. It totally sucks. I've had oatmeal, scrambled eggs and ice cream today. Mmmm...Yeah, I'd rather be eating pizza or even a reuben with the left-over corned beef from yesterday.
As I said, I HATE being sick.
Well, off to get more Kool-Aid and take some more Motrin.
So, imagine my sheer joy today when the doctor diagnosed me with strep throat.
I started feeling ill yesterday - but just thought it was a sore throat. I took some Motrin during the day and some Nyquil at night and figured I'd be better today. That is until I woke up this morning and could barely swallow. So, I made a trip to the doctor's office and walked out with the diagnosis above and an Rx for Penicillin.
Yea, fun.
I haven't been sick like this in quite a while. Sure, I've had the occassional cold or minor sore throat, but STREP??? C'mon...give me a break.
Kevin says I should get my tonsils removed. Yeah, that's a great idea...because I'm such a good patient. He must be joking -- or at least doesn't remember how miserable I was after my last surgery [the C-section for Olivia. Ok, a bit more serious, but still...]. Doctors, surgery and me -- not a good mix.
So, now I'm dosing up on Penicillin, 800 mgs of Motrin every 8 hours, apple juice and sugar-free Kool-Aid. It totally sucks. I've had oatmeal, scrambled eggs and ice cream today. Mmmm...Yeah, I'd rather be eating pizza or even a reuben with the left-over corned beef from yesterday.
As I said, I HATE being sick.
Well, off to get more Kool-Aid and take some more Motrin.
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