I am Alive

So much to tell.

That swine flu was a bitch, let me tell you.  I finally got back to the Dr. and went on a ten-day regimen of steroids and an antibiotic.  I also had a chest x-ray which was negative.  And I coughed and coughed and coughed and coughed and coughed.  I’m actually still coughing, but less every day.

My son DID come to visit.  He was here in PA for about 72 hours and he and the baby and his “significant other” actually visited at our home for three hours – two on Tuesday night and one on Thursday night, but I am not going to whine and complain, because, hey, at least I got to see them.

My granddaughter is what my Nana used to call a Pip.  At two years old, she has already developed a very strong personality and she was a joy to be around.  She made me laugh out loud.

I only have to work on Monday and Tuesday this week!!!!  I took a vacation day on Wednesday and we are “given” off on Thursday and Friday.  On Wednesday, I’m looking forward to taking my Mom and Dad to the Farmers’ Market for our annual trip to pick up the “fresh-killed turkey” - ( it just breaks me up when my Mom says that) and all of the other necessary ingredients for Thanksgiving.  I just love Thanksgiving – it’s a holiday without the anxiety.  No shopping or wrapping or finding a seat in church or lines.  Just food and parades and family.

Hey, did you guys realize that Christmas is coming…soon!  I was too sick to even think about it and then I wandered into Starbucks and hello….is that the red cup  I see?!!  My sister and I took my Mom to the local high school Christmas Bazaar on Saturday and it was fun to see all the holiday decorations and handicrafts.  I’m planning to put up the tree on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

On Saturday night, Hub and I went to Joanne Fabrics and I picked up a couple of Christmas balls and some festive Christmas fabric for the back wall of my cubicle.  I have to decorate that wall for each season  – I can’t just stare at those grey walls.   One yard of fabric covers enough wall to help me feel like I’m not in prison.  I also picked up some fabric to make curtains for my upstairs bathroom.  My bathroom is decorated in yellows and oranges and browns so of course, I had to get the fabric with the autumn leaves on it – and yes, I’ll keep those curtains up until the summer because you know I’m all about the autumn.

I still haven’t had my favorite sites transferred from my old computer to this one yet.  I feel terrible that I’ve lost touch with so many of my blog friends.  I promise to comment on each and every one of you once I get my act together!

I did discover something about my Roomba today,  It’s great to set her off in a room and let her vacuum until her battery dies, but you really can’t compare her to my vacuum with the HEPA filter.  I couldn’t believe the amount of dust that was building up around my baseboards and windowsills – and let me tell ya, I don’t vacuum that much, so it was a huge difference!

Well, I’m going to watch the Eagles vs. Bears game.  Lat week I took the cough meds right before the game started and woke four hours later to discover the Eagles had lost.  I must stay awake tonight because without my constant surveillance, they will choke.

sick

I am still so sick and I am missing my older son tremendously.  I can’t stop coughing and my back and chest hurt so much,  I called the DR and he prescribed cough medicine with codeine and it isn’t working…so I’m upset and scared and crying because my son was supposed to come to PA for a class next week and I was so looking forward to seeing him but I haven’t heard from him, so he’s probably not coming.

and I can’t stand the fact that I haven’t seen my son since 8-2008 and it hurts so much that this seems to be OK with him.

I can’t stop crying which i’m sure is aggravating the cough.

 

Swine Flu ad nauseum

I scored an appointment with my Doc this morning at 9:30.  I think I just got the lucky roll of the dice, ’cause you don’t get an appt. there for just anything.

When I walked in, I pretended that I didn’t see the sign on the office door that read, “As a courtesy to the other patients, if you are experiencing flu symptoms, please pick up a mask from the front desk and wear it while in the waiting room.” 

 I actually thought about it for a few seconds before deciding I really didn’t need it.

Fever?  Nope!

Headache? Nope!

Body Aches? Nope!

Dry, persistent cough that refuses to go away?  Nope!  Well, alright I have the freakin’ cough but I passed all the other tests and I only coughed once and I muffled it into the hood of my coat.

When I was invited into the Dr’s private lair, there were 3 people in the waiting room.  When I walked out 20 minutes later, the waiting room was standing room only.  Over 15 people were jammed into a room that has 9 chairs.  Three of the standers were wearing masks and everyone looked pissed!

The appointment was really a waste of time, because Doc just told me to take Mucinex for the cough.  She wanted to prescribe me a steroid dose pack to blow open my lungs, but I told her that steroids make me feel sad (and I’ll start crying over fat people in the mall again) so she only gave me three pills to take some of the swelling out.  So, no secondary infection just the Swine Flu.

I can’t wait for this to be over and I can start writing about more interesting things.

Swine Flu

I had the flu shot this year so I just assumed swine flu was not going to be an issue.

Yes, I knew the seasonal flu shot wasn’t going to cover the swine flu, but I thought I had magic powers and that I would float above the statistics.  Yes, I live in a fantasy world and I’m very happy there, thank you very much.

My daughter became sick first and I took her to the Dr. on Thursday,  No antibiotic, just nasal inhaler and two chest inhalers.  On Friday afternoon, I started to feel funky and I went striaght home from work and went right to bed.  Then my son was chased down by the errant swine and wrestled to the ground.

Hub  , thank God, was camping for the weekend, so we were all able to be sick without him whining and looking affronted that we had the audacity to be sick on the weekend.

The three of us are still sick, but slowly getting better.  Fevers are dropping, headaches are decreasing from distress calls on native drums to a shoemaker gently tapping a new heel on a Manola Blahnik.  The cough, unfortunately, is terrible and I’m keeping my rescue inhaler close.

So. just letting you all know, if you get the flu, plan to be out of work for at least three days. Three long, gross, horrible, bone shattering. ugly days…alright, it’s not that bad, but I do love to be dramatic.

Lots of shopping

Last Friday night, we did go to Best Buy to look for a new computer, but we ended up going back to our friend’s house and ordering one directly from Dell.  She’s an Inspiron 15Z and she’s red!!!  She should be delivered sometime next week!!!!!!!

I can’t wait because my 52-year-old brain has just about completely forgotten all of my friends’ blogs URLs …but I promise that I’ll comment on everyone as soon as I switch all my old stuff to my new computer.  I have no idea how to do that – my friend will do it for me.

I had an optometrist appointment at Lenscrafters tonight and picked out a new pair of sunglasses.  (I lost mine when Hub and I were down the shore two weeks ago. ) I then went to Lane Bryants and ordered three pairs of dress pants for work.  I love how their pants fit me because they do fit me in the waist, the ass and the leg.  If I go to JC  Penney or Boscov’s, the pants only fit one area of my body and then swim over or squeeze the other areas

I also  went bra shopping on Monday night after work and bought two new Playtex “over the shoulder boulder holders”.  I was looking for minimizers, but ended up getting two “regular” bras with no wires.  They somehow make me look smaller – less like a ship figurehead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and more like a yoga mat rolled up and stuffed under my shirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I asked my supervisor/friend if she noticed any difference.  (this is the same one that wasn’t crazy about my home-made skirt).  She told me that I definitely looked smaller in the bosom, but fatter over all.

I just can’t win…but the Phillies can!!

Go Phillies!

Baby Talk

I haven’t been to “Diner Babes” in over a month.  I’m not arguing with any of the Babes…it’s just that I’m bored.  The “Diner Babes” have become the “Grandmom Babes” and I’m not part of that club anymore.  In the last two years, the topic has moved from books and jobs and Hubs and gentlemen friends to who is having another grandchild.  Between the other four women, there are 16 grandchildren and one more on the way.  These proud grandmoms talk endlessly about babysitting and christenings and formula and swim meets and dance recitals and Christmas parades and baby showers (there’s one tomorrow at 2:00)

…and then there’s me.

Sure, my son has a daughter…but I am not a grandmother.  Grandmoms get to do all of the above and more.

I came to this realization this past Thursday when I went out to dinner with my former boss.  We talked about our kids and our jobs and needlework and books and brothers and fathers and laptops and iPhones and Kindles.  We shared a bottle of wine and a piece of pie and laughed and cried…and I felt as if I was part of a group again – a group of two smart and funny women.

I was smiling and relaxed when I came home that night – not sad and jealous. I had such a wonderful time and I know I can’t go back to the interminable “baby talk”.

Transformer Fire = Home Two Hours Early!

I love the very occasional “early dismissal”.  All of the electricity crapped out at work today at 12:30.  Management made all of us take a lunch from 1:00 – 2:00.  We all returned at 2:00 and sat at our desks reading and talking.  One girl was even teaching some of the other women to knit.  Suddenly a supervisor yelled, “everyone, log out and go home!”

Girlfriend, you do not have to tell me twice!  I was out of there like a shot!  Just like the last time this happened,  I came straight home and headed right for my swing with the laptop, the kitten and, a Diet Coke and a book.  Aahhhh, this is the life.

Tomorrow night I’m going out to Best Buy to get my new laptop!!!!!!  Hub and I went to BB on Saturday night to get it, but they wouldn’t sell it to me as the new Windows was not allowed to be released until today. ..so if I haven’t been commenting on your blogs as much as I used to it’s because I don’t have my convenient drop down list with all of my fav’s handy!  I’ll be transferring the info this weekend, hopefully, and all will be back to normal by next week.

I went out to dinner with my sister last night.  She had breast cancer about 5 years ago and she still sees an oncologist or her breast surgeon quarterly.  Her Dr. told her that she should impress upon us  (my other sister and I) the importance of doing monthly breast self examinations.

I told Sis that I didn’t do them because I was too frightened that I would find something.  I know, I know – it’s crazy thinking, but that’s how I felt.

She told me that the best way to describe  her lump was that it felt  like a frozen pea.   Soooooooo, I did an exam lying down and then another exam in the shower this morning and everythng seemed OK.   No peas, broccoli or any other vegetable for that matter.

I emailed my sister and she said she was proud of me…and you know what, I’m kinda proud of myself because I haven’t deliberately touched the “twins” in years.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is SO Not True!

I have a younger brother.  I’ll call him G.  He’s 49 years old.  He’s an alcoholic.  I haven’t seen him in years…neither had my Mom.  He has scammed my parents, lied to them and about them ,and he stole from them when he was a kid.  My father never had a relationship with him as a child and wanted nothing to do with him as an adult.

We all kinda sorta knew that he was alive and we always tried to get in touch with him at the holidays, but he has really dropped off of the planet in the last few years.

Sad.

On Sunday, apparently he was feeling very nostalgic and he drove down my street (I live next to the house I grew up in).  He had stopped at my parents’ apartment, but Mom was in the shower and didn’t hear him ringing the buzzer.

My Hub invited him in and then called my parents.  Mom answered the phone and told him to come right up.

So my brother  went to the apt. and my father told my  mom that G. couldn’t come in and mom (finally stood up to my dad) and said, “he’s my son too and I’m letting him in”.  My father immediately went to his room and refused to  come out.

G. told mom he didn’t’ want any money or anything –he  just wanted to see her.   He was crying and said since his dog died he has no one and that he isn’t sleeping with the 66-year-old woman that he’s living with – its just companionship.

He told her he’s feels so alone – he has no children and he has no communication with any of us.   He feels bad about not knowing his nieces and nephews.

He told Mom that the last time she gave  him presents he cried for three days after opening them.

Mom said that G. has gained a lot of weight, has had both knees and hips replaced and he is using a cane and is unemployed.   He was on welfare but he was cut off  and he has no real  income coming in.

I feel terrible about him.

I told Mom that Dad should realize that he’s closer to the end of his life than he is to the beginning of his life and that he should reconcile with G. or at least agree to be in the same room with him, before anything happens to either one of them.

My sisters and I were talking about “adopting” a family for Christmas instead of spending money on each other.  I feel like we should forget about donating money to some special cause and we should make that cause our brother – I know that has it’s own issues too, but, I just feel terrible about it.

This hurts on so many levels and one of those  levels has a big, flashing, red sign  that says that history repeats itself and this will happen with my own son.

Kitty Pictures

You are getting sleepy…verrrrry sleepy.

I took this wreath off of my front door and laid it on the kitchen for two minutes…two minutes, I tell you and look who decided to check it out!

Happy, I am not, young Skywalker.

Flu Shot, anyone?

I’ve gotten a flu shot every year since 1990 and I’ve never had any problems with it…until this year.

I was supposed to get my flu shot at work last week, but of course I was on vacation, so I wasn’t able to.  So, I scheduled the shot with my family doctor for 10:00 this morning.  While I was away this week, the dr’s office called and left a message that they ran our of vaccine and they would call me when and if they got more vaccine.

So, on Thursday, I did some research and discovered that the CVS in Bryn Mawr was giving flu shots until 8:00 that night.  Around 2:30,  I walked into the CVS and I finally left at 5:30.  I waited 3 hours for a fricken flu shot – 3 hours!!!!

It was really frustrating too.  People kept walking up to the kiosk trying to figure out where they were on the list…but the list kept changing.  Once I was #38, then #24, then #36.

Then, new people began appearing in line and insisted that they had ” signed in hours ago and were told to return after lunch” …so the nurse practitioner began putting them in line in front of those of us who had stayed and stared at wart cream and rubbing alcohol and boxes of band-aids and rosacea cream.  Shit, CVS could have just paid me to do inventory for them ’cause I was sure there frickin’ long enough.

The N.P. finally called me in, shot me and logged me into the computer – it took about 5 minutes.  She also told me that she would run out of vaccine within the next hour and wouldn’t be getting another delivery until mid-November.

I’m worried because my parents haven’t gotten their shots yet and their doctors told them they’ve depleted their supply of the vaccine.

I’m not going to even try to get the Swine Flu vaccine – I don’t have another 3 hours to waste.